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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a division of U.S. Ser. No. 10/021,456, filed Dec. 13, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,930,064, which claims the benefit of priority Provisional Application No. 60/255,842, filed Dec. 15, 2000, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to methods of making nonwoven fabrics, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing three-dimensional imaged nonwoven fabrics exhibiting flame-retardant characteristics while retaining aesthetic appeal, abrasion resistance, and fabric strength, these properties permitting use of the fabric in wall cover applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Significant quantities of textile fabric are employed in the construction of domestic and business furnishings, room dividers and acoustic panels. Manufactures of such textile fabrics are cognizant of the end-use of their materials in these constructions and have looked to improve the aesthetic qualities of the fabrics. Further, manufactures have also taken safety into consideration and looked to ways in which the textile fabric can be imparted with improved levels of flame retardancy.
The production of conventional textile fabrics is known to be a complex, multi-step process. The production of fabrics from staple fibers begins with the carding process where the fibers are opened and aligned into a feedstock known as sliver. Several strands of sliver are then drawn multiple times on drawing frames to further align the fibers, blend, improve uniformity as well as reduce the diameter of the sliver. The drawn sliver is then fed into a roving frame to produce roving by further reducing its diameter as well as imparting a slight false twist. The roving is then fed into the spinning frame where it is spun into yarn. The yarns are next placed onto a winder where they are transferred into larger packages. The yarn is then ready to be used to create a fabric.
For a woven fabric, the yarns are designated for specific use as warp or fill yarns. The fill yarn packages (which run in the cross direction and are known as picks) are taken straight to the loom for weaving. The warp yarns (which run on in the machine direction and are known as ends) must be further processed. The packages of warp yarns are used to build a warp beam. Here the packages are placed onto a warper, which feeds multiple yarn ends onto the beam in a parallel array. The warp beam yarns are then run through a slasher where a water-soluble sizing is applied to the yarns to stiffen them and improve abrasion resistance during the remainder of the weaving process. The yarns are wound onto a loom beam as they exit the slasher, which is then mounted onto the back of the loom. Here the warp and fill yarns are interwoven in a complex process to produce yardages of textile fabric.
In contrast, the production of nonwoven fabrics from staple fibers is known to be more efficient than traditional textile processes as the fabrics are produced directly from the carding process with a topical treatment of the nonwoven fabric readily being applied.
Nonwoven fabrics are suitable for use in a wide-variety of applications where the efficiency with which the fabrics can be manufactured provides a significant economic advantage for these fabrics versus traditional textiles. However, nonwoven fabrics have commonly been disadvantaged when fabric properties are compared, particularly in terms of surface abrasion, pilling and durability in multiple-use applications. Hydroentangled fabrics have been developed with improved properties, which are a result of the entanglement of the fibers or filaments in the fabric providing improved fabric integrity. Subsequent to entanglement, fabric durability can be further enhanced by the application of binder compositions and/or by thermal stabilization of the entangled fibrous matrix. However, the use of such means to obtain fabric durability comes at the cost of a stiffer and less appealing fabric.
The resulting textile or nonwoven fabric requires further processing before a suitable material is available for the construction of furnishings. Fabric constructed by either mechanism is essentially planar, having little in way of macroscopic asperities, let alone, a three-dimensional aesthetic quality. It has been necessary in the art to further treat the fabric with embossing techniques or complex foaming agents in order to impart the fabric with a multi-planar, aesthetic quality. In addition, depending upon whether or not the textile fabric was woven from costly flame-retardant staple fiber, a subsequent topical treatment containing an appropriate flame-retardant chemistry is required.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,706, to Evans, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses processes for effecting hydroentanglement of nonwoven fabrics. More recently, hydroentanglement techniques have been developed which impart images or patterns to the entangled fabric by effecting hydroentanglement on three-dimensional image transfer devices. Such three-dimensional image transfer devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,764, hereby incorporated by reference, with the use of such image transfer devices being desirable for providing a fabric with enhanced physical properties as well as an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
In preparing an imaged nonwoven material by the present invention for use in furnishings, the material has also been found to have inherent physical properties that render the material eminently suitable for wall coverings, window coverings, upholstery, and drapery applications, which are hereby referenced as co-pending applications.
Heretofore, attempts have been made to develop flame-retardant nonwoven fabrics exhibiting the necessary aesthetic and physical properties for durable consumer applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,163, to Schwartz, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a three-dimensional ceiling board facing. This patent contemplates selectively coating a flame-retardant substrate with a print paste consisting of a foamable plastisol. By then exposing said-coated substrate to an elevated temperature, the plastisol increases variably in height under the influence of expanding thermoplastic microspheres, forming a roughened or “pebbled” surface.
A construct is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,897, to Seward, whereby an initial woven textile fabrics receives thereupon a heat dissipating metallic foil followed by a fibrous batt. The application of a subsequent mechanical needling procedure integrates the layers into a unitary construct.
There are a number of Japanese patents directed to nonwoven fabrics used as a component in wall covering fabrication. JP10168756 to Kawano, et al., utilizes a flame-retardant spunbond containing diguanidine phosphate laminated to a wallpaper backing. A wallpaper is disclosed in JP10131097 to Takeuchi, et al., whereby a nonowoven fabric is adhesively bonded to wallpaper backing, the adhesive containing a significant amount of a high specific gravity fireproofing agent. JP3251452 to Nakakawara, et al., discloses an alternate foam texturing process wherein a uniform foam layer is initially applied to a nonwoven substrate, then a solvent is printed thereon to reductively pattern the laminate. A final patent of interest is JP11335958 to Nanbae, et al., whereby a two layered nonwoven fabric, each layer consisting of less than 20% thermally fusible fibers is subjected to an embossing process.
As can be seen in the prior art, there has not been an effective melding of three-dimensional aesthetic qualities with flame-retardant properties in a fabric suitable for furnishing, window covering, and wall covering applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a method of making a nonwoven fabric embodying the present invention includes the steps of providing a precursor web comprising a fibrous matrix. While use of staple length fibers is typical, the fibrous matrix may comprise substantially continuous filaments and combinations thereof. In a particularly preferred form, a staple length fibrous matrix is carded and cross-lapped to form a precursor web. It is also preferred that the precursor web be subjected to pre-entangling on a foraminous forming surface prior to imaging and patterning.
The present method further contemplates the provision of a three-dimensional image transfer device having a movable imaging surface. In a typical configuration, the image transfer device may comprise a drum-like apparatus that is rotatable with respect to one or more hydroentangling manifolds.
The precursor web is advanced onto the imaging surface of the image transfer device so that the web moves together with the imaging surface. Hydroentanglement of the precursor web is effected to form an imaged and patterned fabric.
After hydroentanglement, the imaged and patterned fabric is treated with a flame-retardant binder composition. The treated and imaged nonwoven fabric may then be subjected to one or more variety of post-entanglement treatments. Such treatments include dyeing of the fabric by conventional textile dyeing methods.
A method of making the present durable nonwoven fabric comprises the steps of providing a precursor web that is subjected to hydroentangling. Fibrous precursor webs, in either homogeneous form or in a blend with other polymeric and/or natural fibers or webs, have been found to desirably yield soft hand and good fabric drapeability. The precursor web is formed into an imaged and patterned nonwoven fabric by hydroentanglement on a three-dimensional image transfer device. The image transfer device defines three-dimensional elements against which the precursor web is forced during hydroentangling, whereby the fibrous constituents of the web are imaged and patterned by movement into regions between the three-dimensional elements of the transfer device.
In the preferred form, the precursor web is hydroentangled on a foraminous surface prior to hydroentangling on the image transfer device. This pre-entangling of the precursor web acts to partially integrate the fibrous components of the web, but does not impart imaging and patterning as can be achieved through the use of the three-dimensional image transfer device.
After hydroentangling, the imaged and patterned nonwoven fabric is treated with a flame-retardant binder finish to lend further integrity to the fabric structure. The polymeric binder composition is selected to enhance flame-retardancy and durability characteristics of the fabric, while maintaining the desired softness and drapeability of the patterned and imaged fabric.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be more easily understood by a detailed explanation of the invention including drawings. Accordingly, drawings, which are particularly suited for explaining the invention, are attached herewith; however, it should be understood that such drawings are for explanation purposes only and are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are briefly described as follows:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus for manufacturing a durable nonwoven fabric, embodying the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus for the application of a flame-retardant finish onto a nonwoven fabric, embodying the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a three-dimensional image transfer device of the type used for practicing the present invention, referred to as “slubs”;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of a three-dimensional image transfer device of the type used for practicing the present invention, referred to as “cross slubs”;
FIG. 5 is a photograph of the resultant material utilizing the image transfer device depicted in FIG. 3 ; and
FIG. 6 is a photograph of the resultant material utilizing the image transfer device depicted in FIG. 5 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.
In accordance with the present invention, a durable flame-retardant nonwoven fabric can be produced which can be employed in a wide variety of wall coverings described as applied to wallpaper. It should be understood, however, that upon suitable modification the invention can be adapted for use with cloth, wood veneer, plastic or combinations thereof, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,269 to Fischer et al., hereby incorporated by reference, with the fabric exhibiting sufficient flame-retardancy, drapeability, abrasion resistance, strength, and tear resistance, with colorfastness to light. It has been difficult to develop nonwoven fabrics that achieve the desired hand, drape, and pill resistance that are inherent in woven fabrics.
In the case where nonwoven fabrics are produced using staple length fibers, the fabric typically has a degree of exposed surface fibers that will abrade or “pill” if not sufficiently entangled, and/or not treated with the appropriate polymer chemistries subsequent to hydroentanglement. The present invention provides a finished fabric that can be conveniently cut, sewn, and packaged for retail sale or utilized as a component in the fabrication of a more complex article. The cost associated with designing/weaving, fabric preparation, dyeing and finishing steps can be desirably reduced.
With reference to FIG. 1 , therein is illustrated an apparatus for practicing the present method for forming a nonwoven fabric. The fabric is formed from a fibrous matrix preferably comprising staple length fibers, but it is within the purview of the present invention that different types of fibers, or fiber blends, can be employed. The fibrous matrix is preferably carded and cross-lapped to form a precursor web, designated P. In current embodiments, the precursor web comprises staple length polyester fibers, particularly polyester having an independent level of flame-retardancy.
FIG. 1 illustrates a hydroentangling apparatus for forming nonwoven fabrics in accordance with the present invention. The apparatus includes a foraminous forming surface in the form of belt 12 upon which the precursor web P is positioned for pre-entangling by entangling manifold 14 .
The entangling apparatus of FIG. 1 further includes an imaging and patterning drum 18 comprising a three-dimensional image transfer device for effecting imaging and patterning of the lightly entangled precursor web. The image transfer device includes a moveable imaging surface which moves relative to a plurality of entangling manifolds 22 which act in cooperation with three-dimensional elements defined by the imaging surface of the image transfer device to effect imaging and patterning of the fabric being formed.
Manufacture of a durable nonwoven fabric embodying the principles of the present invention is initiated by providing the precursor nonwoven web, preferably in the form of a 100% flame-retardant polyester or polyester blend. The use of the polyester desirably provides drape, which upon treatment with the specific binder formulation listed herein, results in a material with improved flame retardant properties at relatively low cost. During invention development, fibrous layers comprising flame-retardant polyester, standard polyester, p-aramid, n-aramid, melamine, and modacrylic fibers in blend ratios between about 100% by weight to 20% by weight minor component to 80% by weight major component were found effective. Such blending of the layers in the precursor web was also found to yield aesthetically pleasing color variations due to the differential absorption of dyes during the optional dyeing steps.
After formation and integration of the imaged and patterned nonwoven fabric, a flame-retardant binder finish is applied. The flame-retardant binder finish includes chemistries to render the treated fabric the ability to resist advanced thermal degradation and flame progression when exposed to combustion temperatures. A preferred chemistry employed herein is based on a halogenated derivative of a polyurethane backbone. Additional chemistries, including metallic salt extinguisants, can be used in conjunction with the halogenated polyurethane.
Upon application and curing of the flame-retardant binder finish on the imaged nonwoven fabric, the resulting fabric can be dyed by conventional textile dying methods. Various dyeing methods commonly known in the art are applicable including nip, pad, and jet, with the use of a jet apparatus and disperse dyes, as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,771 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,406, both hereby incorporated by reference, being most preferred.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Using a forming apparatus as illustrated in FIG. 1 , a nonwoven fabric was made in accordance with the present invention by providing a carded, randomized precursor fibrous batt comprising Type DPL 535 flame-retardant polyester fiber, 1.5 denier by 1.5 inch staple length, as obtained from Fiber Innovation Technology of North Carolina. The web had a basis weight of 2.8 ounces per square yard (plus or minus 7%).
Prior to patterning and imaging of the precursor web, the web was entangled by a series of entangling manifolds such as diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 illustrates disposition of precursor web P on a foraminous forming surface in the form of belt 12 , with the web acted upon by entangling manifolds 14 . In the present examples, each of the entangling manifolds included three each 120 micron orifices spaced at 42.3 per inch, with the manifolds successively operated at 3 strips each at 100, 300, 800 and 800 psi, at a line speed of 60 feet per minute.
The entangling apparatus of FIG. 1 further includes an imaging and patterning drum 18 comprising a three-dimensional image transfer device for effecting imaging and patterning of the now-entangled precursor web. The entangling apparatus includes a plurality of entangling manifolds 22 that act in cooperation with the three-dimensional image transfer device of drum 18 to effect patterning of the fabric. In the present example, the three entangling manifolds 22 were operated at 2800 psi, at a line speed which was the same as that used during pre-entanglement.
The three-dimensional image transfer device of drum 24 was configured as a so-called cross-slubs, as illustrated in FIG. 4 .
Subsequent to patterned hydroentanglement, the fabric was dried on three consecutive steam cans at about 275° F., then received a substantially uniform application by dip and nip saturation of a flame-retardant binder composition at application station 40 in FIG. 2 . The web was then directed through three consecutive steam cans 41 , operated at about 250° F.
In the present example, the pre-dye finish composition was applied at a line speed of 60 feet per minute, with a nip pressure of 32 pounds per square inch and percent wet pick up of approximately 125%.
The flame retardant finish formulation, by weight percent of bath, was as follows:
Water
90%
Vycar 460 × 46 [vinyl chloride acrylic co-polymer binder]
10%
As is registered to and can be obtained from B.F. Goodrich of Akron, Ohio.
Example 2
A fabric as made in the manner described in EXAMPLE 1, whereby in the alternative the flame-retardant binder composition formulation, by weight percent of bath, was as follows:
Chemwet MQ-2
[wetting agent]
0.25%
Defoam 525
[silicone anti-foam]
0.25%
Pyron 6135
[halogenated polyurethane]
16.0%
Chemonic TH-22
[thickener]
1.0%
The above being registered to and can be obtained from Chemonic Industries, of North Carolina.
Ammonium hydroxide, Aqueous
0.50%
As is registered to and can be obtained from B.F. Goodrich, of Ohio
Water
82.0%
Example 3
A fabric as made in the manner described in EXAMPLE 1, whereby in the alternative 20.0% Pyron 6139 was used in place of 16% Pyron 6135 and 78.0% water was used in place of 82.0% water.
The following benchmarks have been established in connection with nonwoven fabrics, which exhibit the desired combination of durability, softness, abrasion resistance, etc., for certain home use applications.
Vertical Flame Test
NFPA-701
Fabric Strength/Elongation
ASTM D5034
Absorbency -- Capacity
ASTM D1117
Elmendorf Tear
ASTM D5734
Handle-o-meter
ASTM D2923
Stiffness -- Cantilever Bend
ASTM D5732
Fabric Weight
ASTM D3776
Martindale Abrasion Test
ASTM D4970
Colorfastness To Crocking
AATCC 8-1988
The test data in the attached tables shows that nonwoven fabrics approaching, meeting, or exceeding the various above-described benchmarks for fabric performance in general, and to commercially available products in specific, can be achieved with fabrics formed in accordance with the present invention. For many applications, fabrics having basis weights between about 2.0 ounces per square yard and 6.0 ounces per square yard are preferred, with fabrics having basis weights of about 2.5 ounces per square yard to about 3.5 ounces per square yard being most preferred. Fabrics formed in accordance with the present invention are flame-retardant, durable and drapeable and are suitable for decorative wall cover applications.
For upholstery and drapery applications, fabrics having basis weights between about 2.0 ounces per square yard and 10.0 ounces per square yard are preferred, with fabrics having basis weights of about 3.0 ounces per square yard to about 6.0 ounces per square yard being most preferred. Fabrics formed in accordance with the present invention are flame-retardant, durable and drapeable, and are not only suitable for covering or upholstering furniture such as chairs, couches, love seats, and the like, but also draperies or hanging fabric that prevents the admittance of any ambient light through the fabric.
For window covering applications, fabrics having basis weights between about 0.5 ounces per square yard and 6.0 ounces per square yard are preferred, with fabrics having basis weights of about 1.0 ounces per square yard to about 4.0 ounces per square yard being most preferred. Fabrics formed in accordance with the present invention are flame-retardant, durable and drapeable, and are suitable for window covering applications. Window coverings of the present invention are those coverings that allow for the admittance of ambient light through the fabric, such as sheets, shades, or blinds including, but not limited to cellular, vertical, roman, soft vertical, and soft horizontal.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be affected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concept of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover, by the appended claims, all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
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A method of forming flame-retardant nonwoven fabrics by hydroentanglement includes providing a precursor web. The precursor web is subjected to hydroentanglement on a three-dimensional image transfer device to create a patterned and imaged fabric. Treatment with a flame-retardant binder enhances the integrity of the fabric, permitting the nonwoven to exhibit desired physical characteristics, including strength, durability, softness, and drapeability. The treated nonwoven may then be dyed by means applicable to conventional wovens.
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GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
The U.S. Government has rights in this invention pursuant to NIH Grant Number GM 46059.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 090,338, filed Jul. 12, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,719, entitled "Catalytic Asymmetric Reduction of Trisubstituted Olefins"; 792,229, filed Nov. 14, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,893, entitled "Catalytic Asymmetric Reduction of Imines and Oximes"; and 616,892, filed Nov. 21, 1990 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,878, entitled "Catalytic Reduction of Organic Carbonyls".
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to processes for the catalytic asymmetric reduction of enamines.
Processes that economically and efficiently produce enantiomerically enriched organic compounds are of great interest since these compounds are widely used as pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals. More specifically, reactions that reduce enamines to yield enantiomerically enriched amine products are commercially quite significant as they can be used in the large scale preparation of pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals. Thus, the effectiveness and economy of such reduction reactions are important considerations.
Currently, there are no known methods of producing enantiomerically enriched products by hydrogenation of those enamines that are 1,1-disubstituted olefins. Such methods would be useful in many synthesis reactions to provide enantiomerically enriched amines.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an economical and efficient processes for asymmetrically reducing certain enamines.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide economical and effective processes for the asymmetric reduction of enamines that are 1,1-disubstituted olefins. Another object is to provide effective processes to obtain from such enamines enantiomerically enriched amines. Other objects will be apparent upon reading the disclosure that follows.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disclosures of the related parent applications, U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 090,338, filed Jul. 12, 1993 entitled "Catalytic Asymmetric Reduction of Trisubstituted Olefins; 792,229, filed Nov. 14, 1991 entitled Catalytic Asymmetric Reduction of Imines and Oximes"; and 616,892, filed Nov. 21, 1990, entitled "Catalytic Reduction of Organic Carbonyls", are all hereby incorporated by reference.
Unless otherwise clear from its context, the term "catalyst" is used interchangeably herein to refer both to the metal complexes or precatalysts before their activation as catalytic species, and to the active catalytic species themselves.
The invention provides an effective process for the catalytic asymmetric reduction of those enamines which are 1,1-disubstituted olefins to yield chiral amines enriched in one enantiomer. Hereinafter the term "enamine" is used to refer to those enamines that are 1,1-disubstituted olefins. Such enamines contain a carbon-carbon double bond with one substituent that is an alkyl group (saturated or unsaturated), an aryl group, a heteroaromatic group, or a substituted version thereof. The other substituent on the same carbon is either a mono- or di-substituted amino group. Such enamine molecules are represented by the general structural formula: ##STR1##
Generally, the process of the invention involves first generating an active species of an effective, optically active reduction catalyst which is used in the reaction. The substrate is then reacted with the active catalyst at a temperature range of 0° C. to 100° C. and at pressures ranging from 0.5 to 200 atmospheres of hydrogen. When the reaction is complete one need only perform conventional separation and purification techniques to yield the desired enantiomerically enriched end product.
Formation of the active catalyst can be effected by dissolving the precatalyst in an organic solvent in an inert atmosphere or in an atmosphere of hydrogen. Thereafter, the precatalyst/solvent mixture can be subjected to between 1 and 2 equivalents, relative to the amount of precatalyst, of an alkylating or reducing agent. The reaction mixture can then be placed in an atmosphere of hydrogen gas at a pressure between 0.5 and 200 atmospheres. The reaction can then be conducted using hydrogen alone, or in combination with a substoichiometric amount of a silane relative to the amount of substrate.
The process of the invention preferably is carried out where hydrogen serves as the reducing agent. In such an embodiment the active catalytic species is generated under an inert gas such as argon or nitrogen, or under an atmosphere of hydrogen. Thereafter, a substoichiometric quantity of a silane compound (relative to the substrate) may optionally be added. The reduction reaction takes place in an atmosphere of hydrogen which is present in excess and serves as the stoichiometric reductant.
In another embodiment no alkylation is necessary. The reaction is able to proceed by mixing together, in a hydrogen atmosphere, in a suitable reaction vessel, the precatalyst, the desired substrate, and, optionally, a substoichiometric quantity, relative to substrate, of a silane compound.
The reduction of enamines by this reaction yields, after quenching of the catalyst, a crude end product in a more reduced form than the starting compound. The end product may then be purified by known techniques.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The process of the invention can be used to effect the catalytic asymmetric reduction of enamines that are 1,1-disubstituted olefins to produce amines that are enriched in one enantiomer. The catalyst used in the reduction reaction preferably is enriched in one enantiomer. Generally, an enantiomerically enriched catalyst is one which has more than 50 percent of one enantiomer. More specifically, an enantiomerically enriched catalyst is one which has greater than 80%, and most preferably greater than 90% of one enantiomer.
The enamine substrates to which the invention is directed are represented by the formula shown below: ##STR2## where R is an alkyl group (saturated or unsaturated), an aryl group, a heteraromatic group, or a substituted version thereof, and where R 1 and R 2 are alkyl groups (saturated or unsaturated), aryl groups, heteraromatic groups, or substituted versions thereof, or hydrogen, except that R 1 and/or R 2 are not of the formula C(O)R 3 . Further, R 1 and R 2 may be part of a ring system; or R and R 1 may be part of a ring system; or R and R 2 may be part of a ring system.
The enamine substrates that are useful with the processes of the present invention are converted to amines in a more reduced state that have the general formula ((R 1 )NR 2 )(R)(H)CCH 3 , where R is an alkyl group (saturated or unsaturated), an aryl group, a heteraromatic group, or a substituted version thereof, and where R is not H or D. Further, R 1 and R 2 are alkyl groups (saturated or unsaturated), aryl groups, heteraromatic groups, or a substituted version thereof. R 1 and R 2 can also be hydrogen, but R 1 and/or R 2 are not of the formula C(O)R 3 . R 1 and R 2 further may be part of a ring system; or R 1 and R may be part of a ring system; or R 2 and R may be part of a ring system.
The basic steps of the invention involve first generating an active species of an effective, optically active catalyst. This can be accomplished by dispensing a suitable optically active precatalyst in an organic solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, ether, toluene, benzene, hexane, or the like. Preferably, this mixture is maintained in an atmosphere of an inert gas, such as argon or nitrogen, or in an atmosphere of hydrogen gas. In some instances, especially where certain titanium-containing catalysts are used, as explained below in more detail, the precatalyst may be activated by dissolving the catalyst in a solvent, followed by the addition of an alkylating agent. Thereafter, a substoichiometric quantity of a silane compound, relative to the substrate, may optionally be added to the reaction mixture. The desired substrate is added to the mixture and the reactants may be transferred to a reaction vessel that is able to be charged with hydrogen at ambient or elevated pressures.
The reduction reactions of the present invention preferably use hydrogen as the stoichiometric reducing agent. The hydrogen reducing agent can be used alone, or it can be used in combination with a substoichiometric amount, relative to the substrate, of a silane compound.
Where the reaction is to be conducted using hydrogen as the reducing agent at high pressure, the precatalyst/solvent mixture is, optionally, subjected to vacuum to remove the inert gas, and hydrogen gas can then be added to the reactor vessel. The reactor vessel contents can then be cooled to about 0° C. and allowed to equilibrate. Thereafter, an alkylating agent is generally added to the reactor vessel. Optionally, a silane compound can then be added at a substoichiometric amount relative to the substrate. The desired substrate is then added and the reaction vessel can be sealed and placed in a dry box. The vessel is then transferred to a high pressure reactor (such as a Parr® high pressure reactor) and it is removed from the dry box. The reactor is then charged with hydrogen at a desired pressure and the reaction commences upon heating to between 25°-100° C. The reaction can be conducted in hydrogen at a pressure ranging from 0.5 atmosphere to over 200 atmospheres.
The reaction typically requires from 1 to 200 hours to complete. Once completed, the reaction vessel is cooled to room temperature, vented and opened to air to quench the catalyst. Well known separation and purification techniques can then be utilized to obtain the end product, which is enriched in one enantiomer.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that minor modifications may be made to the reduction reaction without exceeding the scope of the invention. To some extent the Examples presented herein illustrate alternative techniques for conducting reduction reactions according to the invention.
The present reduction reaction preferably requires between about 0.1-40% by mole of catalyst relative to the substrate, and more preferably, between about 5-10% by mole of catalyst relative to the substrate.
A variety of precatalysts can be used effectively in the reduction reactions of the present invention. Exemplary precatalysts broadly include those that are chiral, either by virtue of the chirality of a ligand or by virtue of chirality at the metal center. Exemplary precatalysts are chiral precatalysts having the general formulas:
M(L)(L')(L") (1)
M(L)(L')(L")(L'") (2)
M(L)(L')(L")(L'")(L.sup.iv) (3)
M(L)(L')(L")(L'")(L.sup.iv)(L.sup.v) (4)
where M is a group 3, 4, 5 or 6 metal, a lanthanide, or an actinide and where L, L', L", and L'", L iv and L v , independently, can be some combination of H, an alkyl group, an aryl group, a cyclopentadienyl group, Si(R)(R')(R"), a halogen, -OR, -SR, -NR(R'),or PR(R')(R"), where R, R' and R" may be H, an alkyl, aryl, or silyl group and may be different or the same. A cyclopentadienyl group (designated "Cp") is represented by the formula ##STR3## where R 0 , R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 may be hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, Si(R)(R')(R"), a halogen, -OR, -SR, -NR(R'), PR(R')(R"), or -PR(R'), where R, R' and R" may be H, an alkyl, aryl, or silyl group and may be different or the same. Examples of group 3, 4, 5 or 6 metals which may be useful with the present invention include titanium, vanadium, niobium, and chromium. Examples of useful lanthanides include yttrium, scandium, lanthanium, samarium, ytterbium, and lutetium. Examples of useful actinides include thorium and uranium. Titanium, however, is the most preferred metal.
A preferred precatalyst, which is particularly useful in conducting catalytic asymmetric reduction reactions is generally represented by the formula
Y.sub.2 MX.sub.n
where Y represents a substituted cyclopentadienyl or indenyl group or where Y 2 represents a substituted bis-cyclopentadienyl or bis-indenyl group; M represents a group 3, 4, 5, 6 metal, a lanthanide or an actinide; X represents groups including halides, alkoxides, amides, sulfides, phosphines, alkyls, aryls, hydrides, and mono-, di-, and tri-substituted silyls, and carbon monoxide; and X 2 can be an η 2 -olefin or an η 2 -alkyne; and n is an integer from 1 to 4. In a preferred embodiment Y 2 is ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro- 1-indenyl) and X 2 represents 1,1'-binaphth-2,2'-diolate.
Precatalysts having the ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl backbone are referred to herein as "BIE" catalysts. Specific preferred catalysts for asymmetric reduction include (R,R)-ethylene-1,2-bis (η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl)titanium-(R)-1,1'-binaphth-2,2'-diolate; (S,S)-ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl) titanium-(S)-1,1'-binaphth-2,2'-diolate; (R,R)-1,1'-Trimethylenebis(η 5 -3-tertbutylcyclopentadienyl) -titanium(IV) dichloride; (S,S)-1,1'-Trimethylenebis(η 5 -3-tertbutylcyclopentadienyl) -titanium(IV) dichloride; (R,R)-Ethylene-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro -1-indenyl)titanium(IV) dichloride; (S,S)-Ethylene-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1indenyl)titanium(IV) dichloride;.(R,R)-2,2'-bis(1-indenylmethyl)1-(1'-binaphthyl titanium(IV) dichloride; (S,S)-2,2'-Bis(1-indenylmethyl)1-1'-binaphthyl titanium(IV) dichloride; (R,R)-Ethylene-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl) dimethyl titanium(IV); and (S,S)-Ethylene-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl) dimethyl titanium(IV).
The BIE-type precatalysts useful with the catalytic asymmetric reduction reactions of the invention are enriched in one enantiomer of the molecule. Enantiomeric enrichment, as the term is used herein, requires more than 50% of and enantiomer, and more preferably requires more than 80% of one enantiomer. In a preferred embodiment, an enantiomerically enriched catalyst has more than 90% of one enantiomer.
Other preferred catalysts include metal alkoxides and metal aryloxides such as titanium alkoxides and titanium (IV) aryloxides. Specific examples of such catalysts include (R,R)-2,2'-Dimethyl-α,α,α',α'-tetrakis(β-napthyl)-1,3-dioxolan-4,5-dimethoxy diisopropoxy titanium(IV) and (S,S)-2,2'-Dimethyl-α,α,α', α'-tetrakis(β-napthyl)-1,3-dioxolan-4,5-dimethoxy diisopropoxy titanium(IV).
Precatalysts, including BIE catalysts, may need to be activated by reaction with an alkylating agent or reducing agent, preferably in an organic solvent. Suitable alkylating agents are known to those skilled in the art and generally include organometallic compounds. Examples of such compounds include alkylmagnesium halides, alkyllithium compounds, alkyl aluminum compounds and boron, aluminum, or other metal alkyls or metal hydrides. Particularly preferred alkylating agents include n-pentyhnagnesium bromide and n-butyllithium. Preferred reducing agents include sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxy) aluminum hydride (Red Al®). Preferably, about 100 to 200% by mole of the alkylating agent (relative to precatalyst) should be reacted with the precatalyst in order for activation to occur. The activation of such catalysts by reaction with an alkylating agent is further described and illustrated in the examples.
Metal alkoxide and metal aryloxide catalysts may be air stable, and may be self-activating (i.e., require no alkylation step), or may be activated by the presence of a silane compound.
The catalysts useful in this invention may be active as electronically neutral molecules, anions or cations.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of solvents may be used with these catalysts. One general requirement of a suitable solvent is that the catalyst must be completely or partially soluble within the solvent. Complete solubility is not required as there need only be enough catalyst present in the solution to facilitate a reaction. Exemplary solvents include tetrahydrofuran, toluene, benzene, hexane, ether and the like.
As noted above, hydrogen is the reducing reagent used in the present catalytic asymmetric reduction processes. Hydrogen may be used alone or in the presence of a substoichiometric amount (relative to the substrate) of a silane compound. A suitable silane compound is one that possesses a silicon-hydrogen bond. Exemplary silane compounds which may be used in these processes (with a hydrogen reducing agent) are represented by the formulas shown below.
R(R')SiH.sub.2 (5)
RSiH.sub.3 (6)
RO(R'O)SiH.sub.2 (7)
(RO)(R'O)(R"O)SiH (8) ##STR4## where R, R' and R" represent alkyl, aryl or hydride groups and may be the same or different. Specific examples of suitable silane reducing reagents include silane, diphenylsilane, phenylsilane, diethylsilane, dimethylsilane, triethoxysilane, trimethoxysilane, and poly(methylhydrosiloxane).
The silane compound, when used in a substoichiometric amount, can be present at about 0.1 to 5 equivalents, and more preferably 0.1-2.5 equivalents, relative to the catalyst.
One aspect of the invention, as noted above, involves the catalytic asymmetric reduction of enamines to yield amines having a high degree of enantiomeric purity. The desired enamine substrate can be reduced to yield a product enriched in one enantiomer, using a suitable catalyst of the type described above, which is enriched in one enantiomer. A preferred catalyst is one which is enriched in (R,R)-ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl) titanium-(R)-1,1-binaphth-2,2'-diolate. Another preferred catalyst is one which is enriched in (S,S)-ethylene-1,2-bis (η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl)titanium-(S)-1,1-binaphth -2,2'-diolate. Preferably, these catalysts contain at least about 80% of the (R, R, R) or (S,S,S) enantiomers, respectively.
The degree of enantiomeric excess ("ee") for the reaction product depends on a number of factors including the enantiomeric purity of the catalyst, the specific enamine substrate being reduced, and the reaction conditions. Many reactions conducted according to the process of the present invention yield end products having relatively high enantiomeric excesses. In some instances, the ee exceeds 90%.
The asymmetric reduction of enamine substrates is further described and illustrated by the examples that follow.
EXAMPLES
In the examples that follow all reactions were conducted under an atmosphere of argon or hydrogen using standard Schlenk techniques. Hydrogenation reactions were conducted in a Schlenk flask or in a Fisher-Porter bottle (purchased from Aerosol Lab Equipment, Walton, NY 13856). The enantiomeric excess values of the products were determined by analysis of 1 H NMR spectra of diastereomeric salts resulting from addition of (R) or (S) acetyl mandelic acid to the amines.
EXAMPLE 1:Reduction of 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-phenylethene to (R)-1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-phenylethane.
In a dry sealable Schlenk flask (300 mL) under a hydrogen atmosphere, (S,S)-ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl)titanium (S)-1,1'-binaphth-2,2'-diolate (35 mg, 0.058 mmol) was dissolved in THF (4 mL). A solution of n-butyllithium (0.065 mL, 1.7M in hexanes, 0.11 mmol, 1.91 equiv.) was added at which point the reaction turned from a dark red color to a green color. Phenylsilane (0.02 mL, 0.162 mmol, 2.7 equiv.) was added followed by a solution of 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-phenylethene (200 mg, 1.16 mmol, 20 equiv.) in THF (1 mL). The flask was sealed and the reaction mixture was stirred for 20 h at room temperature. The reaction was opened to air and the solvent was removed using a rotary evaporator. The crude residue was purified by chromatography on silica gel using methanol in methylene chloride (2.5% methanol in methylene chloride increased to 10%) to give, after concentration in vacuo, (R)-1 -(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-phenylethane (159 mg, 0.91 mmol, 78%). The amine had an ee of 94%.
EXAMPLE 2: Reduction of 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-phenylethene to (S)-1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-phenylethane.
In a dry sealable Schlenk flask (300 mL) under a hydrogen atmosphere, (R,R)-ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1 -indenyl)titanium (R)-1,1 '-binaphth-2,2-diolate (35 mg, 0.058 mmol) was dissolved in THF (4 mL). A solution of n-butyllithium (0.065 mL, 1.7M in hexanes, 0.11 mmol, 1.91 equiv.) was added at which point the reaction turned from a dark red color to a green color. Phenylsilane (0.02 mL, 0.162 mmol, 2.7 equiv.) was added followed by a solution of 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-phenylethene (200 mg, 1.25 mmol, 21 equiv.) in THF (1 mL). The flask was sealed and the reaction mixture was stirred for 44 h at room temperature. The reaction was opened to air and the solvent was removed using a rotary evaporator. The crude residue was purified by chromatography on silica gel using methanol in methylene chloride (2.5% methanol in methylene chloride increased to 10%) to give, after concentration in vacuo, (S)- 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-phenylethane (125 mg, 0.71 mmol, 57%). The amine had an ee of 94%.
EXAMPLE 3: Reduction of 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-(2'-naphthyl) ethene to 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-(2'-naphthyl) ethane.
In a dry sealable Schlenk flask (300 mL) under a hydrogen atmosphere, (S,S)-ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl)titanium (S)-1,1'-binaphth-2,2'-diolate (35 mg, 0.058 mmol) was dissolved in THF (4 mL). A solution of n-butyllithium (0.065 mL, 1.7M in hexanes, 0.11 mmol, 1.91 equiv.) was added at which point the reaction turned from a dark red color to a green color. Phenylsilane (0.02 mL, 0.162 mmol, 2.7 equiv.) was added followed by a solution of 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-(2'-naphthyl ethene (200 mg, 0.98 mmol, 17 equiv.) in THF (1 mL). The flask was sealed and the reaction mixture was stirred for 24 h at room temperature. The reaction was opened to air and the solvent was removed using a rotary evaporator. The crude residue was purified by chromatography on silica gel using methanol in methylene chloride (2.5% methanol in methylene chloride increased to 10%) to give, after concentration in vacuo, 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-(2'-naphthyl) ethane (172 mg, 0.76 mmol, 78%). The amine had an ee of 95%.
EXAMPLE 4: Reduction of 1-pyrrolidinyl)1-(2'-methylphenyl) ethene to 1-1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-(2-methylphenyl) ethane.
A dry Fisher-Porter bottle properly fitted with a complete with a gas inlet, pressure gauge, inlet valve and pressure release valve was charged with (S,S)-ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl)titanium (S)-1,1'-binaphth-2,2'-diolate (35 mg, 0.058 mmol). The system was evacuated and filled with hydrogen (5-10 psig). THF (4 mL) was added and the hydrogen pressure was increased to 80 psig. With a needle the bottle was vented until the hydrogen pressure was reduced back to 5-10 psig. A solution of n-butyllithium (0.065 mL, 1.7M in hexanes, 0.11 mmol, 1.91 equiv.) was added at which point the reaction turned from a dark red color to a green color. Phenylsilane (0.02 mL, 0.162 mmol, 2.7 equiv.) was added and the hydrogen pressure was increased to 80 psig. Using a high pressure syringe, a solution of 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-(2-methylphenyl) ethene (200 mg, 1.18 mmol, 20 equiv.) in THF (1 mL) was added. The reaction mixture was sealed and placed in an oil bath at 65° C. for 24 h. The reaction was cooled to room temperature and opened to air. The solvent was removed using a rotary evaporator and the crude residue was purified by chromatography on silica gel using methanol in methylene chloride (2.5% methanol in methylene chloride increased to 10%) to give, after concentration in vacuo, 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-(2-methylphenyl) ethane (189 mg, 1.01 mmol, 86%). The amine had an ee of 96%.
EXAMPLE 5: Reduction of 1-(4-morpholinyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl) ethene to 1-(4-morpholinyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl) ethane.
A dry Fisher-Porter bottle properly fitted with a pressure coupling closure complete with a gas inlet, pressure gauge, inlet valve and pressure release valve was charged with (S,S)-ethylene-1,2-bis(η 5 -4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl)titanium (S)-1,1'-binaphth-2,2'-diolate (35 mg, 0.058 mmol). The system was evacuated and filled with hydrogen (5-10 psig). THF (4 mL) was added and the hydrogen pressure was increased to 80 psig. With a needle the bottle was vented until the hydrogen pressure was reduced back to 5-10 psig. A solution of n-butyllithium (0.065 mL, 1.7M in hexanes, 0.11 mmol, 1.91 equiv.) was added at which point the reaction turned from a dark red color to a green color. Phenylsilane (0.02 mL, 0.162 mmol, 2.7 equiv.) was added and the hydrogen pressure was increased to 80 psig. Using a high pressure syringe, a solution of 1-(4-morpholinyl)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl) ethene (220 mg, 1.00 mmol, 17 equiv.) in THF (1 mL) was added. The reaction mixture was sealed and placed in an oil bath at 65° C. for 23 h. The reaction was cooled to room temperature and opened to air. The solvent was removed using a rotary evaporator and the crude residue was purified by chromatography on silica gel using methanol in methylene chloride (2.5% methanol in methylene chloride increased to 10%) to give, after concentration in vacuo, 1-(4-morpholinyl)-l-(4-methoxyphenyl) ethane (185 mg, 0.84 mmol, 84%). The amine had an ee of 91%.
The above examples are intended to be illustrative of the invention and should not be read to limit the invention to the specific reduction reactions provided in the examples. One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the invention is applicable to a variety of reduction reactions in which the substrate is an enamine, and that a variety of catalysts may be used in these reduction reactions.
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A catalytic asymmetric reduction process, which, by hydrogenating enamines, yields a corresponding amine having a high level of enantiomeric purity is disclosed. The reduction process utilizes a chiral metal catalyst that includes a metal or metal complex that is selected from groups 3, 4, 5, or 6, lanthanides and actinides. Moreover, the process uses hydrogen as the stoichiometric reducing agent and may be carried out at pressures ranging from about 0.5 to 200 atmospheres.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/017,900, filed on Feb. 24, 1987 and abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 06/550,090, filed on Nov. 9, 1983, abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a construction for a filter in which a single or plurality of identical filter structures are connected to a pressure filter tank in a pressure filter apparatus in a plurality of stages to collect and discharge a large amount of filtrate.
In many cases, the filter material to be utilized in the conventional filter that effects a pressure surface filtering is prepared by pasting and fixing a filter material such as synthetic resin fiber including a cotton cloth to a frame member of the filter in a specific direction. The resulting filter material is used for the filtration operation, but when the filtration pressure is elevated, the filter material is deformed due to the filtering pressure of the untreated liquid which lowers the performance of or damages the filter apparatus. Therefore, the support frame of the filter cloth is designed and manufactured with a rigid material having a considerable margin for strength. It has been discovered that the filter pressure on both surfaces of the filter cloth can be cancelled out by the provision of a filter material including filter cloth on both of the surfaces centering around a core member with holes. There is no need to provide the extra strength of the support frame to the core member with holes. The core material can thus be molded with a relatively soft semi-hardening material, and a spacer effect for preventing the fusing of the filter cloth on both the surfaces can be provided to maintain the function of the filter liquid path.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to construct a filter in which a filter material is provided with filter cloth on both the surfaces of a core member with holes. The core member may comprise a core cylinder or a core sheet. The filtering area can be remarkably increased by providing filtering on both surfaces of the core, which surfaces are excellent in strength when the change in the filtering pressure occurs, whereby a low filter speed and a remarkable filtering efficiency can be obtained.
It is another object of this invention to construct a filter in which core members with holes or substituting members having liquid passing properties are interposed between the adjacent filter materials which comprise the core members with holes whose both surfaces are covered with the filter cloth.
It is yet another object of this invention to form a filter liquid path on the core member with holes. An increment in the filter liquid path is obtained by forming the core member with a graduated wall thickness increasing towards a liquid collecting pipe. The graduating thickness corresponds to the fluctuation of volume of the filter liquid that is collected and increased as it approaches a central liquid collecting pipe.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a core member comprising a multiplex ring core cylinder consisting of independent cylindrical filter materials concentrically disposed in a multiplex ring arrangement.
It is a further object of this invention to construct a filter of a multiplex ring arrangement in which the multiplex ring core cylinder is formed by concentrically arranging the cylindrical core members in a multiplex ring form. The filter further comprises a long bag like filter cloth which is sequentially folded inwardly into the core cylinder and at its lower end portion is fixed to the circumferential side surface of the bottom plate.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a filter including a filter material in which the core member with holes is formed by a combination of a core cylinder and core sheets. The core sheets are arranged with holes on the inverse radiant lines moving toward the center portion and are connected with the inner wall surface of the core cylinder. Both of the cores are covered with a filter cloth.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a filter in which the core sheets are arranged on the inverse radiant lines moving towards the center portion and are connected with the inner wall surface of the core cylinder. Additional core sheet members with holes are provided on the radiant line and are connected with the outer wall surface of an inner central core cylinder with holes of small diameter. The core sheets are covered with a filter cloth as a whole so that both filter materials are disposed in the meshed engaging posture with their corresponding surfaces.
It is a particular object of this invention to provide a filter provided with a filter material in which core members which are arranged on a radiant line are longer than a radius of circular space for housing the filter material. The core members are connected with the outer wall surface of the inner central core cylinder with holes of small diameter and both of them are covered as a whole.
The present invention relates to a filter assembly comprising a casing, a semiflexible, perforated core and a filter cloth. The casing is provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet and the core is arranged within the casing and between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet so that liquid which passes from the inlet to the outlet must pass through the core at least once. The filter cloth covers the surfaces of the core so that liquid which passes from the inlet to the outlet must pass through the filter cloth at least once. In a first embodiment, the core includes an outer cylindrical portion, an inner cylindrical portion, an annular intermediate portion extending between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion, and a plurality of fin portions extending radially inward from the outer cylindrical portion toward the inner cylindrical portion. In a second embodiment, the core includes a cylindrical portion and a plurality of fin portions extending radially outward from the cylindrical portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a first and third embodiments of a construction of a filter material that is a main object of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a pressure filter apparatus, wherein several sets of filter units coupled in a plurality of stages are installed in the pressure filter layer to effect the collection and discharge of the large volume of the filtrate;
FIGS. 3-5 show a first embodiment of the shape of the filter material, FIG. 3 is a side view of vertical cross section of a center portion, and FIG. 4 is a lateral cross section of a center portion, and FIGS. 5 (A)-(D) are several kinds of embodiments of a fixing portion;
FIGS. 6-8 show a second embodiment of the shape of the filter, FIG. 6 is a side view of cross section of center portion, FIG. 7 is a lateral cross section of a center portion, and FIG. 8 is a cross section showing a fixing portion;
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a third embodiment of the shape of the filter material, FIG. 9 is a side view of cross section of center portion, and FIG. 10 is a lateral cross section of a center portion;
FIG. 11 is a lateral cross section of a center portion showing a fourth embodiment of the shape of the filter material; and
FIG. 12 is a lateral cross section of a center portion showing a fifth embodiment of the shape of the filter material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The construction of a filter material (2) for constituting a filter (1) which is a primary object of this invention is formed as shown in FIGS. 1 (A)-(C) in which both surfaces of the filter are covered with a filter cloth (3) centering around a core member (4) with holes. Since the pressure is cancelled out at both surfaces against the change of the filter pressure, it is necessary to form the filter material with a semi-hardening material capable of demonstrating a relatively soft bending strength. As the material, in case of using metal, a flexible screen is available, and in case of using synthetic resin, integrally molded screen having a flexibility can be employed. In whatever cases, known materials can be used for the purpose. The embodiment 1 on the structure of the filter material (2) is shown in FIG. 1(A), and wherein the filter material (2) is disposed (by keeping a proper gap) at speed intervals.
The second embodiment is shown in FIG. 1(B), and provides for laminating the filter material (2) in a plurality of lamination, the core members (4) with holes being interposed between the adjacent filter materials (2). Next, FIG. 1(B') shows an example of construction in which a filter cloth sheet (3a) and a frame (7) employing a principle of filter press are sequentially superposed and clamped. In this embodiment, the untreated liquid may be introduced into a middle of both surface filter cloths in a method similar to the principle of the filter press. In this case, there is no adverse influence on the filter cloth (3) resulting from the pressure deformation on account of the provision of a core member (4) comprising a core sheet with holes (6) which act as a spacer between the adjacent filter materials.
The third embodiment is shown in FIG. 1(C), wherein core member (4) with holes is formed with a thickness gradually increasing toward a liquid collecting portion (8). The graduated thickness corresponds to the fluctuation of volume of filter liquid that is collected and increased as it approaches the liquid collecting portion (8) in each filter material (2). The filter liquid path is thus increased, and the resulting filter speed is made constant. It is desirable to effect stronger clamping between the adjacent filter materials (2) in this embodiment.
The inventiveness of the filter material (2) of this invention resides in that the material quality of the core member with holes can be molded from a semi-hardening material such as metal or synthetic resin which can withstand the fluctuation of the filter pressure and also provide a smooth filter liquid path which prevents the fusing of both the surfaces filter cloths (3) (3). The cloths (3) can be easily secured on account of the core member with holes (4).
Next, with respect to shape, the filter material (2) can be formed in any of the first to fifth embodiments related to the shape of the filter material (2) disclosed. The first embodiment will be described according to the attached drawings of FIGS. 3-5.
With reference to FIGS. 2-5, numeral (1) denotes a filter to be used in the filter process in which several sets of the core members with holes coupled in a plurality of stages are installed in a pressure filter tank (B) to collect and discharge a filtrate of large volume. A lower end screw portion includes a tubular axis (9) formed with screw portions (10) and (11) at both the top and bottom end portions, respectively. The screw portion (11) is connected to a female screw (13) of a center hole portion contained in support bottom plate (12). The upper surface of the plate (12) is engraved with multiplex ring grooves (14a)-(14c) at equal intervals. A proper number of through holes (15) are formed at proper positions on each ring groove of the multiplex ring grooves (14a)-(14c) of the bottom plate. A greater number of through holes may be in the outward large diameter ring groove (14a), for example holes pieces, and a smaller number of through holes may be in the inward small diameter ring groove (14c), for example holes pieces. Reference numerals (16a)-(16c) denote concentrically arranged cylindrical filter materials, each diameter being formed sequentially smaller to form a multiplex ring configuration. Both inside and outside surfaces of a porous core cylinder (5) are covered with a filter cloth (3). The lower end of each is fitted and secured by selecting a corresponding groove of the multiplex ring grooves (14a)-(14c) in the upper surface of the support bottom plate (12). The securing portion (17) shifts the filter liquid and keeps the fitting posture in the ring groove (14), where for example, a connecting tube (18) made of elastic material as shown in FIG. 3 is fitted. In another embodiment, this securing portion may be fixed to the bottom surface of the support bottom plate (12) by means of a nut (19) in the center through hole and a connecting tube with screw (FIG. 5(A)).
Furthermore, other embodiments of the securing portion (17) shown in FIG. 5(B)-(D) can be utilized. FIG. 5(B) shows an embodiment in which a packing material (20) is provided whose cross section is a concave annular shape. The packing material is fit to a filter material (16) by means of an elastic material such as rubber, and is pressure fit to a corresponding annular groove (14). It is necessary to bore a through hole (21) beforehand at a corresponding position to the through hole (15) in the annular groove (14). FIG. 5(C) shows a bonding and fixing mechanism in which the support bottom plate (12) is formed of an integral member made of synthetic resin of a hard type such as polypropylene or vinyl chloride. Band portions (22) (22) are provided on both sides of the ring groove (14) beforehand and are formed in a projection mode to provide a deep groove wall surface. An enlargement of the bonding area is obtained by a bonding agent (23) such as Fron sol. FIG. 5(D) shows the embodiment in which the bottom plate (12) is molded by elastic material such as rubber, and the bonding agent (23) and a fixing means comprising a saucer type screw (24) shown in FIG. 5(A) are collectively used. Referring back to FIG. 3, (25) denotes a horizontal arm member including extension (27) which is extended in radial directions, for example, in four directions. Arm (25) is formed with a center through hole (26). A filter material posture holding plate in which downward multiplex ring grooves (44a)-(44c) are formed is provided on the lower surface of each arm member (27). The grooves (44a)-(44c) correspond to the multiplex ring grooves (14a)-(14c) formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate (12). The top portions of the cylindrical filter materials (16a)-(16c) of the multiplex ring posture are secured therein, and a multi-hole cover (28) formed with a liquid passing hole (29) is applied over the upper surface of the filter material posture holding plate (25). A connecting adaptor (30) formed with a female screw (31) is screwed to the upper end screw portion (10) of the tubular axis (9). In one embodiment, a filter (1) having the identical construction may be disposed above a first filter, whereupon the lower end of the male screw connecting adaptor (32) connected with the tubular axis (9) of the upper filter is connected with the female screw (31) of the connecting adaptor (30) of the lower filter. However, if an upper stage filter is not provided, a blank cap (33) is screwed and fixed thereto. Reference numeral (34) denotes a lower liquid collecting board screwed to the peripheral side surface of the bottom plate immediately below the bottom plate (12). The center of the board is screwed to the male screw connecting adaptor (32) which may be connected with the female screw connecting adaptor (30) of the lower stage filter.
When the untreated liquid in the pressure filter tank (B) is pressure filtered to the filter cloth (3) formed on both the inside and outside surfaces of the cylindrical filter materials (16a)-(16c), the filter cloth (3),(3) of both the surfaces form hollow liquid paths. By disposing the multi-core cylinder (5) in the center portion, the filter liquid flows down easily in the downward directions and is discharged to the lower part of the bottom plate (12) through the center through hole (19) thereby passing the filtrate liquid through the fixing portion (17) of the lower end. All the filtered liquid discharged from the through hole (15) formed on each annular groove (14a)-(14c) is collected by the sealed liquid collecting board (34) and is collectively discharged by means of the hollow portion of the female screw connecting adaptor (32).
The second embodiment of the shape of the filter material (2) will be described referring to FIGS. 6-8. The support bottom plate (12) is formed with the multiplex ring grooves (14a)-(14c) at equal intervals and on the upper surface is screwed to the lower end screw portion (11) of the tubular axis (9). The liquid collecting board (34) is screwed to and connected with the peripheral side surface of the bottom plate. A proper through hole (15) is formed on the multiplex ring grooves (14a)-(14c) of the bottom plate. The filter cloths (3),(3) are formed to cover both the inside and outside surfaces of the core cylinders (5a)-(5c) provided with holes. A bag like filter cloth (36) sequentially folded around the cores, the upper end being fixed at (35) and its lower end being fixed at (37) at the peripheral side surface of the liquid collecting board (34). When the filter material (2) is contaminated with the sludge and needs to be exchanged, the core cylinders (5a)-(5c) which are of the multiplex ring arrangement can be separated while remaining integral with the bottom plate (12). This is accomplished by lifting upward the upper end of the bag like cloth (36) which is fixed at (35) to the upper part of the tubular axis (9). As a result, the filter material exchange operation can be simplified. This is indispensable for the maintenance of the filtering function and is achieved by the combination of the core cylinder (5) with holes and the bag filter cloth (36). Reference numeral (47) denotes a pushing jig including push leg portions (48) for insertion of the long bag filter cloth (36).
Moreover, the third embodiment of the shape of the filter material (2) will be described referring to FIGS. 9-10. The support bottom plate (12) is formed with radial liquid collecting grooves (39) on its upper surface. The plate is screwed to the lower end screw portion (11) of the tubular axis (9) which is formed with a low hole (38). the inverse radiant line filter material (40) is formed by integrally covering the core cylinder (5) and the core sheet (6) with the filter cloth (3). A small diameter core cylinder (42) with holes covers the tubular axis (9) which is formed with a large number of liquid passing holes (43) on the peripheral surface. The outer surface of core 42 is covered with the filter cloth that extends from the filter cloth (3). The filter material posture holding plate (25) formed with an annular groove (44) and a liquid passing hole (29) is provided adjacent to the upper end of the core cylinder (5) and is screwed to the upper end screw portion (10) of the tubular axis (9).
Furthermore, the fourth embodiment of the shape of the filter material (2) will be described referring to FIG. 11. A filter is disclosed in which the inverse radiant line filter material (40) of the third embodiment and the radiant line filter material (46) are connected with the core sheet (45) on the radiant line in the outer wall surface of the inner central core cylinder (42). The tubular axis (9) is formed with the liquid passing hole (43), and both filter materials are covered as a whole by the filter cloth (3) to form the filter material (2). The mutually opposed core sheets (5) and (45) with holes are disposed in mutually meshed condition. The filter cloth (3) connects the inverse radiant line filter material (40) on the side of the core cylinder (5) that becomes the outer frame with the radiant line filter material (46) on the side of the core cylinder (45) with holes of small diameter. The center can be separated and fixed in the lower part of the tubular axis (9), and provides for an easy disassembling operation when the cleaning is carried out.
Furthermore, the fifth embodiment of the shape of the filter material will be described referring to FIG. 12. In the outer wall surface of the core cylinder (42) with holes of small diameter, the core sheets (45) with holes are arranged on the radiant line and are longer than the radius of the space for housing the filter material,. Both of the cores are covered as a whole whereby the filter material (2) is formed. The core sheet (45) with holes arranged on the radiant line is wound in the winding condition in a specific direction by utilizing the characteristic of core flexibility. In this case, it is possible to utilize a separate core sheet with holes as a spacer between the adjacent filter materials.
The core sheet (6) with holes in the foregoing third to the fifth embodiments may be formed so that the graduated wall thickness may become thinner toward the tip thereof. This is based on the same principle as the embodiment of FIG. 1(C).
Similarly, the core member (4) with holes in the third to fifth embodiments is formed by the combination of the core cylinder (5) with holes and the core sheet (6) with holes, but the core cylinder (5) with holes is formed to have a bigger liquid passing performance than that of the core sheet (6) with holes that becomes the branch portion so that it is desirable to form the meshes to be coarse intentionally.
As described in the foregoing, as the operation and effect common to the first to the fifth embodiments, the core cylinder (5) with holes and the core sheet (6) with holes constitute the core member (4) with holes of the core material (2), whereby the filter liquid path is formed. Since the posture deformation of the filter material (2) due to the filter pressure is absent, a smooth filtering function can be provided. Moreover, the filter construction is simple in that the bottom plate (12) in the tubular axis (9) and the posture holding plate (25) are screw connected so that the assemblying operations and disassembling operations are easy. Therefore, the filter is capable of providing improved filtering efficiency.
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A filter assembly comprises a casing, a semiflexible, perforated core and a filter cloth. The casing is provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet and the core is arranged within the casing and between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet so that liquid which passes from the inlet to the outlet must pass through the core at least once. The filter cloth covers the surfaces of the core so that liquid which passes from the inlet to the outlet must pass through the filter cloth at least once. In a first embodiment, the core includes an outer cylindrical portion, an inner cylindrical portion, an annular intermediate portion extending between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion, and a plurality of fin portions extending radially inward from the outer cylindrical portion toward the inner cylindrical portion. In a second embodiment, the core includes a cylindrical portion and a plurality of fin portions extending radially outward from the cylindrical portion.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to a linear ball bearing such as a ball bush or a ball spline to be used in the linear guide portions of various industrial machines and, more particularly, to an improvement in a linear ball bearing of the type having a flange for fixing the bearing.
The linear ball bearing such as a ball bush or a ball spline is widely used in the linear guide portions of various industrial machines so that various produces are made to fit a variety od modes of usage.
FIG. 10 shows one embodiment of the so-called "flanged ball bush", which is formed with a flange for fixing the bearing to the mounting member such as a bed or a table.
Specifically, the flanged ball bush is constructed to include: a bearing housing 101, which is formed to have a generally cylindrical section and is molded integrally with a flange 103 having fixing bolt holes 102 in its outer circumference so that it may linearly move around a bearing shaft 105 through a multiplicity of endlessly circulating balls 104; and a ball cage 107 which is formed with ball guide grooves 106 for circulating the balls 104 endlessly between the bearing shaft 105 and the bearing housing 101 and which is fixedly fitted in a hollow of the bearing housing 101. Thus, this ball bush is used by fixing the flange 103 on a mounting member 109 by means of fixing bolts 108 and by sliding the mounting member 109 and the bearing shaft 105 relative to each other.
Here in the linear ball bearing of this type, the bearing housing is required for a hardening treatment so as to enhance the wear resistance of the inner circumference of the bearing housing, on which the balls are guided to roll. However, this hardening treatment raises serious troubles in producing the aforementioned flanged ball bush. This reasoning will be described in the following. Since the flange is made thicker than the other portions of the bearing housing, a thermal distortion would be left in the bearing housing if the flange were hardened after having been ground down, so that the bearing housing could not be precisely finished. If, on the contrary, the flange were to be formed after the hardening treatment, the material would grow too hard to grind.
On the other hand, the flange bearing housing would contain a problem that its grinding would be far troublesome than that of a straight cylindrical bearing housing having no flange. This straight cylindrical bearing housing could be efficiently ground down at one step by using a centerless grinder, but the flanged bearing housing cannot be worked by the centerless grinder so that it has to be worked by a cylindrical grinder. Moreover, this grinding process requires two steps, i.e., the steps of grinding the cylindrical portion and the flange.
In the prior art, therefore, as means for solving that problem, there is proposed a linear ball bearing which is produced by molding a generally annular flange member and a bearing housing separately from each other and by integrating the flange and the bearing housing by press-fitting or brazing them after the hardening treatment of the bearing housing. However, another problem arises in the number of working steps at the producing time or the number of parts, and the means is not satisfied in view of the production cost and the production efficiency.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conceived in view of the problems specified above and has an object to provide a flanged linear ball bearing which can drop the production cost and improve the production efficiency remarkably.
In order to achieve the above-specified object, according to the present invention, there is provided a flanged linear ball bearing which comprises: a bearing housing having a hollow portion therein and guided by a bearing shaft for linear movements; a multiplicity of balls held between the bearing housing and the bearing shaft for rolling under a load; and a ball cage fitted in the hollow portion of the bearing housing for holding and arraying the balls, wherein the improvement comprises a flange protruded from the ball cage for fixing the bearing on a mounting member such as a bed or table.
In this technical means, the flange to be protruded from the aforementioned ball cage may be formed by welding an annular flange member to the outer circumference of the ball cage. Preferably, however, the flange and the ball cage may be integrally formed by injection-molding or cutting a synthetic resin.
Moreover, the linear ball bearing, to which such technical means can be applied, may be exemplified by one, in which a plurality of endlessly circulating balls are held between a cylindrical bearing housing and a bearing shaft so as to bear their relative linear movements. The technical means can be applied not only to the ball bush of the prior art but also to a ball spline capable of performing torque transmissions between the bearing housing and the bearing shaft.
Since the flange is formed on the ball cage to form the bearing housing into a straight cylindrical shape in accordance with the aforementioned technical means, it becomes possible to facilitate the hardening treatment of the bearing housing remarkably and to grind it by means of the centerless grinder. As a result, the grinding treatment can be executed efficiently at a reasonable cost thereby to improve the production efficiency and drop the production cost drastically.
By eliminating the flange from the bearing housing, moreover, the bearing housing of the linear ball bearing having no flange can be converted to one for the flanged linear ball bearing so that the parts can be commonly used among different products. In this point, too, it is possible to improve the production efficiency and to drop the production cost.
If, furthermore, the flange and the ball cage are integrally formed by injection-molding a synthetic resin, a further improvement in the production efficiency can be expected because of necessity for an additional step of forming the flange.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description to be made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side section showing a first embodiment of a flanged linear ball bearing according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a section taken along line II--II of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation showing a ball cage according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a section taken along line IV--IV of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a side section showing a bearing housing according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a front elevation showing a octagonal clip according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 7 is a side section showing the octagonal clip according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a front section showing the coupled state of the bearing housing and the ball cage by using the octagonal clip;
FIG. 9 is a side section showing a second embodiment of the flanged linear ball bearing according to the present invention; and
FIG. 10 is a side section showing the flanged linear ball bearing according to the prior art.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A flanged linear ball bearing according to the present invention will be described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side section showing a first embodiment of the flanged ball bush according to the present invention. The flanged ball bush of the present embodiment is constructed to include: a bearing housing 2 guided by a bearing shaft 1 for linear movements; a multiplicity of balls 3 for rolling while bearing a load between the bearing shaft 1 and the bearing housing 2; and a ball cage 5 having its outer circumference formed with a projecting flange 4 and fitted in a hollow portion 21 of said bearing housing 2 for holding and arraying the balls 3.
First of all, the bearing housing 2 is formed into such a generally cylindrical shape as is loosely fitted at a predetermined clearance around the bearing shaft 1 and has its inner circumference formed, as shown in FIG. 5, with five load rolling faces 22, which are spaced at an equal distance in the circumferential direction for holding the balls 3 with the bearing shaft 1, and non-load rolling grooves 23, each of which is interposed between two adjoining load rolling faces 22 for rolling the balls released from the load. Moreover, the hollow portion 21 is formed at its one opening edge with a ring-shaped groove 24 which is circumferentially extended for receiving a later-described octagonal clip 6.
On the other hand, the ball cage 5 is formed, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, into a generally cylindrical shape with a through hole 51 for fitting the bearing shaft 1 therein and has its outer circumference formed with the flange 4 which in turn is formed with bolt head holes 41. The ball cage 5 is formed integrally with the flange 4 by an injection molding of a synthetic resin. The ball cage 5 has its outer circumference formed, in a manner to correspond to the individual load rolling faces 22, with: slotted load ball guide grooves 52 for preventing the balls 3 rolling on the aforementioned load rolling faces 22 from coming out when the bearing housing 2 is pulled out of the bearing shaft 1; non-load ball guide grooves 53 for arraying the released balls rolling in the non-load rolling grooves 23; and ball turning grooves 54 for establishing connections and communications between the load ball guide grooves 52 and the non-load ball guide grooves 53 to circulate the balls 3 endlessly between the two grooves 52 and 53. On the other hand, the outer circumference of the ball cage 5 is formed with a ring-shaped groove 55 which corresponds to the ring-shaped groove 24 of the aforementioned bearing housing 2. Thus, a space is formed between the ring-shaped groove 24 of the bearing housing 2 and the ring-shaped groove 55 of the ball cage 5, which are opposed to each other, when the ball cage 5 is fitted on the bearing housing 2.
In the present embodiment, these bearing housing 2 and ball cage 5 are coupled by means of an octagonal clip 6, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. A specific coupling procedure will be described in the following. At first, the octagonal clip 6 is fitted in the ring-shaped groove 24 formed in the inner circumference of the bearing housing 2, and the ball cage is then press-fitted in the hollow portion 21 of the bearing housing 2. Then, the end portion of the ball cage 5 comes into abutment against the individual central side portions 61 of the octagonal clip 6 so that this clip 6 is elastically deformed or expanded. As the press-fitting of the ball cage 5 is continued, its ring-shaped groove 55 is registered with the ring-shaped groove 24 of the bearing housing 2. Then, the octagonal clip 6 has its central side portions 61 stepping into the ring-shaped groove 55 of the ball cage 5, until its corners 62 are fitted in the ring-shaped groove 24 whereas its central side portions 61 are fitted in the ring-shaped groove 55. Thus, the bearing housing 2 and ball cage 5 are coupled to each other.
If, moreover, the flanged ball bush thus constructed and assembled according to the present embodiment has its flange 4 of the ball cage 5 mounted on a (not-shown) member by means of (not-shown) bolts, it can establish relatively linear movements between the flange mounting member and the bearing shaft 1, as in the flanged ball bush of the prior art.
Thanks to the flange 4 protruded from the ball cage 5 according to the present embodiment, however, the troublesome working process required in the prior art for forming the flange 4 on the bearing housing 4 can be eliminated to facilitate the working of the bearing housing 2 remarkably thereby to improve the production efficiency and drop the production cost.
Especially according to the present embodiment, the flange 4 is formed integrally with the ball cage 5 by the injection molding of a synthetic resin so that the step of forming the flange 4 need not be added to improve the productivity better.
FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the flanged ball bush according to the present invention.
The flange 4 and the ball cage 5 are integrally molded in this embodiment, too, but the method of coupling the ball cage 5 and the bearing housing 2 is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, according to this embodiment, after the ball cage 5 has been fitted in the bearing housing 2, a stopper ring 7 is fitted on the outer circumference of the end portion of the ball cage 5 projecting from the bearing housing 2, and the stopper ring 7 and the bearing housing 2 are engaged to couple the ball cage 5 and the bearing housing 2. Incidentally, the remaining structure is identical to that of the foregoing first embodiment, and its description will be omitted by giving the common reference numerals to the Drawing.
In this flanged ball bush, too, the flange 4 is molded integrally with the ball cage 5 thereby to make it possible to improve the production efficiency and drop the production cost.
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Herein disclosed is a flanged linear ball bearing, in which a ball cage for arraying balls between a bearing housing and a bearing shaft is formed with a flange to be fixed on a mounting member such as a bed or a table. Thus, the bearing housing can be formed into a cylindrical shape having no flange so that it can be easily worked to drop the production cost and improve the production efficiency remarkably.
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This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §§119 and/or 365 to Appln. No. 199 46 921.0 filed in Germany on Sep. 30, 1999, now published as German Offenlugungsschrift DE 19946921 A1; the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to methods and devices for cleaning pipe conduits, and, more particularly to methods and devices for temporarily removing measuring sensors from the pipe conduits during the cleaning process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many applications, it is necessary to clean conduits or vessels before they are put into operation. Putting into operation may, in this case, be commissioning, during which any residues from the manufacturing process must be removed beforehand, or else recommissioning. In the latter instance, residues from prior use, for example residues of a chemical substance, often have to be removed. To clean such conduits or vessels, it is frequently expedient to blow them out with steam. Thus, for example, the water/steam circuit of a power station is also blown out, as a rule with steam, before the power station is put into operation, in order to remove residues. So that the degree of cleanliness can be measured, a metallic mirror is positioned at a suitable location in the flow. The number of particle impacts within a specific period of time is then evaluated as a measure of cleanliness.
Due to the way in which the mirror has usually been mounted hitherto, above all the operation of changing the mirror has presented problems, particularly with regard to relatively long conduit systems closed on themselves. The mirror is usually installed in the conduit or vessel at a suitable location in a nonadjustable arrangement which cannot be demounted during the blow-out operation. The conduit or vessel is subsequently blown out. For this purpose, the conduit or vessel is mostly subjected to excess pressure. Furthermore, because of the high temperatures of the steam, the conduit or vessel usually has a high temperature. So that the degree of cleanliness of the conduit or vessel can be determined after a predefined measuring time has elapsed, then, it is necessary to remove the measuring mirror from the conduit or vessel and count the particle impacts. For this purpose, the blow-out operation has hitherto had to be discontinued, in order to demount the measuring mirror from the conduit or vessel. However, it has been possible to demount the measuring mirror only after the pressure in the conduit or vessel has been discharged. Also, the conduit or vessel has first had to be cooled to an extent such that demounting work could be carried out on it. For this reason, the operation of blowing out the water/steam circuit of a power station has hitherto had to be interrupted, as a rule, for several days in total, merely in order to remove the respective measuring mirrors from the flow and/or in each case position a new measuring mirror in the flow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a device and a method, with the aid of which it is possible to position a measuring sensor in and remove it from a pressurized or flow-through conduit or a pressurized or flow-through vessel, without the pressure previously having to be discharged or the flow through the conduit or vessel having to be interrupted.
The device according to the invention for moving a measuring sensor into and out of a pressurized or flow-through conduit or a pressurized or flow-through vessel comprises a holding element for holding the measuring sensor, a guiding element for guiding the holding element and a volume element. The holding element may, in this case, be positioned in such a way that the measuring sensor held by the holding element is arranged in the interior of the volume element. Furthermore, the volume element is capable of being sealed off relative to the conduit or the vessel by means of at least one sealing-off device. Preferably, furthermore, the device also comprises a second sealing-off device which is executed preferably separately from the first sealing-off device and by means of which the volume element is capable of being sealed off relative to the surroundings.
It is thus possible for the fluid located in the volume element to be separated completely from the fluid located in the conduit or vessel. At the same time, the volume element is open to the surroundings or, in the case of the preferred version of the device with a second sealing-off device which seals off the volume element relative to the surroundings, may be opened to the surroundings. Thus, in this state, fluid exchange and consequently also pressure equalization between the fluid located in the volume element and the fluid of the surroundings may take place. It is thereby possible to remove the measuring sensor located in the volume element from the holding element or else arrange a new measuring sensor in the holding element, without this necessitating a disruption in the flow through the conduit or vessel or even a discontinuation of the throughflow operation. Furthermore, there is also no further need to equalize any overpressure or underpressure in the conduit or vessel in relation to the pressure of the surroundings in order to make it possible to change the sensor.
In principle, for the purpose of mounting or removing the measuring sensor, it is possible to leave the holding element in the guiding element and therefore mount or demount only the measuring sensor or to remove the holding element together with the measuring sensor from the guiding element in order to carry out the mounting and demounting of the measuring sensor in the demounted state.
If, in a preferred version, the second sealing-off device is also arranged according to the invention, it is thereby advantageously possible, on the one hand, to seal off the volume element relative to the surroundings and, on the other hand, to open said volume element relative to the fluid located in the conduit or vessel. In the event of a pressure difference between the surrounding pressure and the pressure in the conduit or vessel, there is in this case merely a pressure equalization of the pressure in the conduit or vessel and the pressure in the volume element, but no permanent flow through the volume element. In this state, the holding element may be moved or displaced through an introduction orifice located in the conduit or vessel, in such a way that the measuring sensor located in the holding element projects into the region of the flow or into the region of the fluid located in the conduit or vessel or else is arranged completely in the flow. Accordingly, measurement can be carried out, with the measuring sensor in this position, without disruption being caused by an inflow or an outflow of fluid through the introduction orifice of the holding element.
Thus, with the aid of the device according to the invention, it is no longer necessary to interrupt the flow through the conduit or vessel or to vent the conduit or vessel relative to the surroundings so that the measuring sensor can be introduced into or removed from the conduit or vessel. In particular, it is also possible to renew the measuring sensor, without at the same time having to interrupt the operation of blowing through the conduit or vessel. This results in enormous amounts of time being saved, as compared with the previous measurement sequence. As regards the application in which a water/steam circuit of a power station is cleaned, a time saving of up to several days can be achieved as compared with cleaning methods conventional hitherto, as result of the use of the device according to the invention.
In a preferred embodiment, the volume element is designed as a T-shaped tubular piece with at least three orifices, two orifices serving for leading the guide or the holding element and a further orifice expediently being designed as an inspection orifice for mounting or demounting and removing the measuring sensor. The two orifices serving for leading through the guide are preferably arranged in alignment with one another. In a simple version, the inspection orifice is designed as a handhole and is closed by means of a simple screwable lid. The volume element advantageously has an interspace having a diameter larger than the diameters of the orifices. As a result, the accessibility of the measuring sensor in the region of the interspace is increased and the mounting work is therefore made easier.
Preferably, the volume element is designed to be thermally insulated relative to the conduit or vessel. This is advantageous, in particular, when the fluid carried in the conduit or vessel has high temperatures. The thermal insulation, which consists, for example, of a material layer of low thermal conductivity arranged between the conduit or vessel and the volume element, prevents the material of the volume element having temperatures which are too high, in particular on its outside. High temperatures on the outside of the volume element could result in the situation where work to be carried out on the volume element by operators may be possible only after a cooling phase.
Expediently, a stop element, preferably a stop valve, is arranged, as a sealing-off device for sealing off the conduit or vessel relative to the volume element, between the conduit or vessel and the volume element. Such stop elements are known in a wide variety of versions in the prior art and are obtainable cost-effectively in the trade. Furthermore, such stop elements can be activated and regulated in a simple way either manually or electronically.
Preferably, furthermore, a vent valve communicating with the volume element is arranged. By means of this vent valve, after the volume element has been sealed off completely, it is possible in a simple way, by opening the vent valve, to equalize an overpressure or underpressure possibly present in the volume element relative to the surroundings. Particularly when a larger orifice, for example a handhold, has to be opened in the volume element for mounting or demounting the measuring sensor, it is expedient, before the handhole is opened, to achieve pressure equalization between the fluid in the volume element and the surrounding air pressure. Vent valves suitable for this purpose are known in the prior art and are obtainable in the trade.
Particularly for measuring the cleanliness of a conduit system or of a water/steam circuit of a power station, it is especially expedient to use a metallic mirror as measuring sensor. A conduit system consists, in this context, of at least one conduit or one pipe conduit and/or also of at least one vessel. The conduit system is, in this case, cleaned preferably with steam which is blown through the conduit system. The metallic mirror is, in this case, introduced into the flow in such a way that the flow strikes the mirror frontally. Particles entrained by the steam therefore strike the front side of the mirror and leave impact traces behind there. The number of impact traces within a specific measurement period is, in this case, a measure of the cleanliness of the conduit system.
In order to connect the device according to the invention to the respective conduit or respective vessel, the device expediently comprises, furthermore, a connecting element, preferably a weld-on flange. In this case, this connecting element is connected on one side directly to the conduit or vessel and on the other side advantageously to the stop element. In an expedient version, the connecting element is welded nonreleasably to the conduit or vessel, whereas the connection between the connecting element and the stop element is advantageously made by means of a flanged connection. The connection between the connecting element and the stop element is therefore releasable, so that the device according to the invention can be removed and used elsewhere after the cleaning process.
The method according to the invention for measuring the cleanliness of conduits, in particular of conduits or pipe conduits of a water/steam circuit of a power station, and/or the cleanliness of a vessel, a fluid cleaning the conduits and/or the vessel flowing through the conduits and/or the vessel, comprises the work steps listed below:
arrangement of a measuring sensor in a holding element, the holding element previously having been moved to a first position for the purpose of arranging the measuring sensor, and the first position being within a first region which is initially sealed off relative to the fluid;
preferably complete sealing-off of the first region;
connection of the first region to the fluid, so that fluid can flow out of the conduit into the region of the measuring sensor;
movement of the sensor out of the first region into a second region, the second region being located within the flowing fluid;
dwelling of the sensor in the second region for a measurement period;
after the end of the measurement period: movement of the sensor out of the second region into the first region;
sealing-off of the first region relative to the fluid;
preferably opening of the first region relative to the surroundings;
removal of the measuring sensor from the holding element and/or determination of a measurement value.
In order to carry out the method, a device according to the invention, as described above, may advantageously be used in this case.
As compared with the methods known hitherto for measuring the cleanliness of conduits, in particular of a water/steam circuit of a power station, and/or a vessel, the blowing-through of the conduit system and/or of the vessel and therefore the cleaning process do not have to be interrupted in order to carry out the method according to the invention for measuring cleanliness. This results in a marked time saving over the entire duration of the cleaning process.
The method step described last above is advantageously subdivided into the work steps of opening a vent valve to achieve pressure equalization between the pressure of the fluid in the first region and a surrounding pressure, and of subsequently opening an inspection orifice of the first region.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the accompanying specification and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a device according to the invention for measuring the cleanliness of a pipe conduit, the measuring sensor being moved into a first position;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of FIG. 1, with the measuring sensor being moved into a second position;
FIG. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view of the transitional region between the volume element and the guiding element of the device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the volume element of the device of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the guiding element of the device of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a front view of a device according to the invention for measuring the cleanliness of a conduit. The conduit is designed, here, as a pipe conduit 1 of circular cross section and is blown out with steam or another fluid for cleaning.
The measuring sensor 2 illustrated in FIG. 1 is moved into a first position, so that it is arranged completely in the volume element 5 . The volume element is designed, here, as a T-shaped tubular piece with three connecting branches as shown in FIG. 4 . Two connecting branches 5 ′, 5 ″ are in alignment with one another, whereas the third connecting branch 5 ′″ is arranged at right angles to the connecting axis of the first two connecting branches 5 ′, 5 ″. The third connecting branch 5 ′″ is provided with a flange 6 which can expediently be closed by means of a first sealing-off device. The first sealing-off device is designed, here, as a dummy flange, the dummy flange being demounted in FIG. 1 . Advantageously, both the third connecting branch 5 ′″ as an inspection branch and the interior of the volume element 5 are designed with a large cross section, so that demounting of the measuring sensor 2 when the latter is arranged in the interior of the volume element 5 can be carried out.
A metallic measuring mirror, which is held in the holding element 3 , is used here as the measuring sensor 2 . The holding element 3 , in turn, is guided in the guiding element 4 and is displaceable along its longitudinal axis in the guiding element 4 . The guiding element 4 illustrated here consists essentially of a tubular piece which is provided at its ends with flanged disks or connecting elements. Furthermore, the tubular piece has a slotted groove running in the longitudinal direction. The holding element 3 consists essentially of a moving bar 10 , to which a guiding plate 11 is fastened. The guiding plate 11 has a nose on at least one side, as illustrated, the nose engaging into the slotted groove of the tubular piece in the assembled arrangement. In the case of a plurality of noses, a plurality of slotted grooves must also be made correspondingly in the tubular piece, the holding element 3 being guided in the longitudinal direction of displacement along these slotted grooves. Furthermore, fixing devices or fixing elements are attached to the ends of the moving bar 10 . The fixing device attached to that end of the moving bar 10 which faces the pipe conduit 1 serves for fastening and holding the measuring sensor 2 . In the version of the invention, as illustrated here, the metallic measuring mirror is in a simple way fastened and held on the moving bar in a clearance of the latter by means of the screw connection. The moving bar 10 can be connected to a drive device with the aid of the fixing device attached to the other end.
A fixing device 12 for fastening the moving bar 10 to a lifting bar 13 of a drive device is illustrated, enlarged, in FIG. 3 . The moving bar 10 is screwed to the lifting bar 13 here and is additionally locked by means of a nut.
Furthermore, FIG. 3 illustrates a flanged connection between the connecting branch 5 ′ of the volume element and the guiding element 4 .
As shown in FIG. 1, the lifting bar 13 is located in a pneumatic cylinder 14 which is flanged to the guiding element 4 . In this case, the pneumatic cylinder 14 is activated via a control unit, not illustrated in FIG. 1, and pneumatic control lines, with the result that the lifting bar 13 arranged in the cylinder 14 moves in height. The moving bar 10 fastened to the lifting bar 13 and the measuring sensor 2 held by the moving bar 10 are accordingly likewise displaced in the longitudinal direction. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the movement travel of the lifting bar 13 is limited by two switches 15 , 16 which in each case transmit a control signal to the control unit when the end position is reached. In this case, the switches 15 , 16 are preferably individually adjustable, so that the lifting travel of the lifting bar 13 and therefore the displacement travel of the measuring sensor 2 can be adapted to the respective conditions.
In FIG. 1, a second sealing-off device and a connecting element 9 are arranged between the volume element 5 and the pipe conduit 1 . A manually adjustable stop valve 8 is used as the second sealing-off device here. The stop valve 8 is flanged, on one side, to the volume element 5 . On the other side, the stop valve 8 directly adjoins the connecting element 9 and is releasably connected to the latter by means of a flanged connection. In the version of the invention, as illustrated here, the connecting element 9 and the stop valve 8 have inserted between them a sealing disk 7 which here, on the one hand, ensures that the flanged connection is sealed off and, on the other hand, brings about thermal insulation of the volume element relative to the conduit. Such a sealing disk for the thermal insulation of the volume element relative to the conduit may likewise also be inserted into the flange connection between the stop valve and the volume element. The connecting element 9 is designed, here, as a weld-on flange with a prolonged tubular extension. The pipe conduit 1 to be cleaned has an orifice for receiving the tubular extension of the connecting element 9 . The tubular extension of the connecting element 9 , said tubular extension being inserted into this orifice, is welded to the pipe conduit 1 and is therefore unreleasable. The connecting element 9 consequently cannot be removed from the pipe conduit 1 after the latter has been cleaned. The device can be demounted only from the stop valve 8 . The demounted device can then be used for another pipe conduit to be cleaned or another vessel to be cleaned. The unreleasable connecting element 9 firmly connected to pipe conduit 1 is, in this case, expediently sealed off by means of a dummy flange.
FIG. 2 shows the device from FIG. 1, but the measuring sensor 2 , here the metallic measuring mirror, has been moved into a second position. In this second position, the measuring mirror 2 is located in the pipe conduit 1 to be cleaned and fluid flowing through this pipe conduit flows onto said measuring mirror frontally. Particles, in particular dirt particles, which are located in the flow therefore also strike the measuring mirror frontally and leave impact traces behind here. The number of impact traces within a specific period of time may then be evaluated as a measure of the cleanliness of the pipe conduit. In order to determine this number, however, the measuring mirror must be moved into the first position again. The impact traces can be counted after the measuring mirror has been demounted. The latter operation will be advantageous in most cases, since a measuring mirror, once used for measurement, would be suitable only to a limited extent for further measurement because of the impact traces present on it. For this reason, after a measurement has been carried out, the old measuring mirror is, as a rule, demounted from the device. The evaluation of the impact traces can thus take place outside the device. So that a renewed measurement can be made, a new measuring mirror is expediently inserted into the device.
Since the flow in the pipe conduit often has an overpressure or an underpressure relative to the surroundings, the volume element 5 must be sealed off relative to the fluid located in the pipe conduit 1 before the dummy flange attached to the third connecting branch 5 ′″ is removed. For this purpose, the stop valve 8 is closed, so that there can be no outflow of fluid from the pipe conduit 1 or no inflow into the pipe conduit 1 .
However, when the measuring mirror is to be moved from the first position into the second position again for the purpose of a measurement, the volume element 5 must first be sealed off again relative to the surroundings by the third connecting branch 5 ′″ being closed. The stop valve 8 is subsequently to be opened, so that the measuring mirror 2 can be moved into the second position.
In order to ensure that the third connecting branch 5 ′″ is opened reliably, particularly when there is a relatively high overpressure or underpressure of the fluid located in the pipe conduit, it is expedient, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to attach a vent valve 17 to the volume element 5 . An overpressure or underpressure, which is present in the volume element 5 , as compared with the pressure level of the surroundings, can thereby be equalized in an operationally reliable way.
The invention is described in connection with conduits and vessels However, this description, in this context, also includes, in particular, conduit systems, such as, for example, pipe conduit systems branching out in many directions and covering a wide area.
Only the elements and components essential for understanding the invention are shown in the Figures. The devices according to the invention which are illustrated may therefore be supplemented in various ways or else be modified in a way obvious to a person skilled in the art, without the idea of the invention being relinquished or altered as a result.
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The invention relates to a device and a method for moving a measuring sensor ( 2 ) into and out of a pressurized or flow-through conduit ( 1 ) or a pressurized or flow-through vessel. The device according to the invention comprises, in this case, a holding element ( 3 ) for holding the measuring sensor ( 2 ), a guiding element ( 4 ) for guiding the holding element ( 3 ) and a volume element ( 5 ). The holding element ( 3 ) can be moved in such a way that the measuring sensor ( 2 ) held by the holding element comes to rest in a position completely in the volume element ( 5 ). In this position, the measuring sensor ( 2 ) can be removed from the holding element ( 3 ). With the aid of the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention, it is possible, in particular, to measure the cleanliness of a conduit system blown out with a fluid, without the blow-out operation being interrupted.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to particulate filters, and more importantly, is concerned with a filtering apparatus containing a mechanism for preventing leakage of unfiltered fluid around the periphery of an exclusion filter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The removal of particulates from working or moving fluids is vital to the prevention of the fouling or erosion of heat, mass and momentum transfer surfaces. In the particular case of electronics enclosures, contaminants in the cooling airflow may foul heat sinks and prevent proper cooling of electronic components. In the past, working and moving fluids were either sealed in a closed environment and, if necessary, cooled by the use of heat exchangers, or conventional screening filters were employed. Conventional filters require periodic maintenance, however, and heat exchangers are relatively expensive. An affordable, maintenance-free, self-cleaning filter system represents an appealing solution to the problem of particulate contamination.
Exclusion filters are a relatively new development in the field of particulate filtration. Exclusion filters utilize a cylindrical stack of evenly-spaced flat annular disks which rotates about the stack's central axis. The stack is capped on one end, and the disk's concentric holes form a central core within the stack. When operating, fluid pressure is reduced within the core and unfiltered fluid enters the rotating stack's periphery though the spaces between the disks. The fluid exits the stack through the uncapped end of the central core. Exclusion filters operate on Boundary Layer Momentum Transfer methodology. The rotation of the disks establishes a boundary layer on each side of each disk in the stack. A pressure drop across the disk stack (from outer to inner perimeter) is caused by the frictional drag losses of outside fluid traversing the boundary layers between the disks. Angular momentum transfer from the rotating disks via the inter-disk boundary layers in the device causes any particles above the critical cut-off size that are entrained in the incoming fluid to be immediately expelled away from the device perimeter. The fluid itself passes easily through the device. Exclusion filters are capable of filtering particulates and liquid droplets from a gas, or of filtering particulates from a liquid.
Prior exclusion filter systems have suffered from leakage problems. Specifically, in prior exclusion filter systems unfiltered fluid has a tendency to leak into and contaminate previously filtered fluid by way of the interface area between the rotating exclusion filter and the non-rotating bulkhead which separates the filtered fluid from the unfiltered fluid. This leakage of unfiltered fluid also contributes to the deterioration of sealing measures which may be located within the interface area, to the binding of bearings in the interface area, and to the general fouling and clogging of the interface area. Properly functioning exclusion filter systems represent an affordable, maintenance free, and self-cleaning alternative to existing filter systems, and could be used to remove particles from a moving or working fluids. A need exists for a properly functioning exclusion filter system which does not suffer from such leakage problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an integrated exclusion filter and pressurizing means which meets the aforementioned need. The filtering apparatus functions by adding a pressurizing system to the exclusion filter, which repressurizes filtered fluid and directs the repressurized fluid toward the interface area between the rotating filtering apparatus and the non-rotating bulkhead which separates the filtered and unfiltered fluids. The repressurized and redirected filtered fluid in turn pressurizes the interface area to a pressure equal to or greater than the pressure experienced by the unfiltered fluid within the unfiltered fluid reservoir adjacent to the interface area. This pressurization of the interface area ensures that any leakage experienced across the interface area will be of filtered fluid into the unfiltered side of the bulkhead, and not of unfiltered fluid into the filtered side of the bulkhead. The filtering apparatus can be used in conjunction with additional sealing measures, thus reducing the leakage of filtered material to the unfiltered side of the bulkhead. External fluid guides may also be used to help direct the discharge of the pressurizing means toward the interface area.
Acceptable pressurizing means for use in the filtering apparatus include pumps, compressors, blowers, or fans. In a preferred embodiment, a centrifugal blower is mounted coaxially with and downstream from the exclusion filter. The centrifugal blower accepts filtered fluid from the exclusion filter, repressurizes the fluid, and ejects it radially through the sides of the blower. The design of the centrifugal blower may be improved to reduce head loss through the filtering apparatus.
The interface area may be pressurized by one of, or a combination of, three methods. The pressurizing means may repressurize all filtered fluid received from the exclusion filter and direct the filtered fluid towards the interface area. Alternatively, the pressurizing means may divert a fraction of the filtered fluid received from the exclusion filter, repressurize the diverted flow, and direct the divert flow toward the interface area. Finally, the pressurizing means may direct the repressurized filtered fluid toward the inner surface of the bulkhead orifice, thereby producing a local stagnation region to reduce the repressurization of the filtered fluid required to produce the desired pressure within the interface area.
The filtering apparatus may be an active or a passive system, and may utilize multistage pressurizing means. External vanes may also be added to the filtering apparatus within the unfiltered fluid reservoir to dilute the exhaust of the system served by the filtering apparatus, to disperse particles ejected by the exclusion filter and reduce the particle density of the unfiltered fluid in the area surrounding the exclusion filter, and to stimulate airflow across the exterior of the system served by the filtering apparatus.
Several advantages are realized by the integrated exclusion filter and pressurizing means of the present invention. The integration of a pressurizing means transforms an exclusion filter into a far more effective filtering system by eliminating a serious leakage problem. The combined filtering apparatus then offers an affordable, maintenance-free, and self-cleaning alternative to existing filtering systems. The integration of a pressurizing means can also eliminate the need for a separate pressurizing or mass flow producing means within the system served by the filtering apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following Detailed Description of the Invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exclusion filter of the prior art.
FIG. 2 is a cross section of an exclusion filter of the prior art.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the filtering apparatus of the present invention, illustrating a filtering apparatus within an expected working environment, highlighting the seal/bearing failure region.
FIG. 4 is a cross section of a filtering apparatus utilizing a "squirrel cage" centrifugal blower and one method of pressurizing the interface area.
FIG. 5 is a cross section of a filtering apparatus utilizing a modified "squirrel cage" centrifugal blower and an alternate method of pressurizing the interface area.
FIG. 6 is a cross section of a filtering apparatus utilizing an improved centrifugal blower design, additional sealing measures, and tunable pressure cavity, and illustrating a second alternate method of pressurizing the interface area.
FIG. 7 illustrates the use of a multistage radial blower design for the filtering apparatus.
FIG. 8 illustrates the use of a multistage axial blower design for the filtering apparatus.
FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of the use of axial external vanes.
FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of the use of radial external vanes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to the drawings, like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.
In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown an existing design for an exclusion filter 1. Exclusion filter 1 includes a cylindrical stack 2 of evenly spaced flat annular disks 3, a capped end 4 and an orifice end 5, a central core 6 formed by the central holes 7 of the disks 3, the orifice end 5 containing a filter orifice 8. When operating the filter is rotated about its central axis 22, and unfiltered fluid 9 enters the rotating stack 2 through the inlet spaces 19 between disks 3. Filtered fluid 10 then flows into central core 6, and exits stack 2 through filter orifice 8.
In FIG. 3 there is shown an integrated exclusion filter and pressurizing means of the present invention, generally designated 11 and hereinafter referred to as the filtering apparatus. Filtering apparatus 11 includes an exclusion filter I and a pressurizing means 12.
The environment in which filtering apparatus 11 operates includes an unfiltered fluid reservoir 13, a filtered fluid reservoir 14, and a bulkhead 15, which separates unfiltered fluid reservoir 13 from filtered fluid reservoir 14. Unfiltered fluid reservoir 13 and filtered fluid reservoir 14 need not be clearly defined or enclosed areas. One reservoir may be an open area, such as the atmosphere or a body of water. Bulkhead 15 is any structure designed to separate unfiltered fluid reservoir 13 and its contents from filtered fluid reservoir 14 and its contents. Though bulkhead 15 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as a flat plate, it is to be understood that other bulkhead 15 designs are equally acceptable for use with this invention. The upstream bulkhead surface 16 is the surface of bulkhead 15 which contacts unfiltered fluid reservoir 13. The downstream bulkhead surface 17 is the surface of bullhead 15 which contacts filtered fluid reservoir 14. Bulkhead 15 contains a bulkhead orifice 18. The inner surface 21 of bulkhead orifice 18 is the surface of bulkhead 15 between downstream bulkhead surface 17 and upstream bulkhead surface 16 contacting bulkhead orifice 18. Filtering apparatus 11 is positioned within bulkhead orifice 18, such that all inlet spaces 19 are located within unfiltered fluid reservoir 13 and filtered fluid 10 is discharged by pressurizing means 12 at least primarily into filtered fluid reservoir 14. The interface area 20 is the area between filtering apparatus 11 and bulkhead 15. Bulkhead orifice 18 should be designed to limit the size of interface area 20 as greatly as possible. Interface area 20 may contain sealing mechanisms and bearing mechanisms.
FIG. 4 illustrates one example of the interface between filtering apparatus 11 and bulkhead 15, in which bulkhead orifice 18 is substantially cylindrical in shape and central axis of bulkhead orifice 18 is substantially co-linear with axis of rotation 22 of filtering apparatus 11. It is to be understood that the design of bulkhead orifice 18 and the orientation of filtering apparatus 11 illustrated in FIGS. 4 through 10 are merely exemplary in nature, and that other orientations and designs may be used.
Pressurizing means 12 includes flow diverting vanes 23 in a housing 24 located downstream from exclusion filter 1. Pumps, compressors, fans, turbines, and blowers are examples of acceptable pressurizing means, though it is to be understood that other pressurizing means would also be acceptable. Several different housing 24 arrangements are acceptable. Housing 24 may be immediately downstream from exclusion filter 1 but of completely separate construction. Housing 24 may be further downstream from exclusion filter 1 and be connected to exclusion filter 1 by an extension. When using an extension, exclusion filter 1 discharges filtered fluid 10 into the extension, which in turn discharges filtered fluid 10 into housing 24. Housing 24 may also be directly integrated into exclusion filter 1. When directly integrated, either housing 24 or flow diverting vanes 23 are attached directly to the exclusion filter 1, and portions of the exclusion filter 1 may also serve as portions of housing 24. Finally, portions of non-rotating bulkhead 15, or non-rotating attachments to bulkhead 15, may serve as portions of housing 24.
In FIG. 4 there is shown one example of the preferred pressurizing means 12, a centrifugal blower. The centrifugal blower is shown mounted immediately downstream from the exclusion filter 1. In this preferred embodiment flow diverting vanes 23 are mounted co-axially with exclusion filter 1, thereby permitting the same driving means to rotate both the exclusion filter 1 and flow diverting vanes 23. The driving means producing the rotation may advantageously be an element already existing in the system being served by filtering apparatus 11, such as a rotating drive-shaft. It is to be understood, however, that this invention does not require pressurizing means 12 to be mounted co-axially with exclusion filter 1, and that the rotation of flow diverting vanes 23 may be produced by a driving means other than the driving means utilized by exclusion filter 1. The centrifugal blower housing 24 has an upstream wall 25 and a downstream wall 26. The upstream wall 25 contains a blower orifice 27 through which to receive filtered fluid 10 from the exclusion filter. Repressurized filtered fluid 10 is ejected radially by the centrifugal blower and exits the centrifugal blower through its sides 28. The type of centrifugal blower illustrated in FIG. 4 is a "squirrel cage" centrifugal blower 29, with substantially flat upstream wall 25 and downstream wall 26. The design of the centrifugal blower may be improved by modifying upstream wall 25 of the centrifugal blower into a concave frusticone shape, with the narrow end of the frusticone containing blower orifice 27. The design may also be improved by modifying downstream wall 26 to include a central peak extending toward blower orifice 27. Acceptable improved blower designs may be chosen from the group comprising: designs incorporating modified upstream walls 25, designs incorporating modified downstream walls 26, and designs incorporating both modified upstream walls 25 and downstream walls 26. The improved design improves blower performance by reducing the pressure loss experienced through the blower due to the formerly abrupt 90 degree turn experienced by filtered fluid 10 upon entering blower orifice 27. It is to be understood that the improved shape of the centrifugal blower design may be achieved by either forming downstream wall 26 and upstream wall 25 in the desired shapes, or by attaching elements to downstream wall 26 and upstream wall 25 so that the combination forms the desired shape. An improved housing 24 design similar to the improved blower design may be utilized with other pressurizing means 12.
One primary purpose of pressurizing means 12 is the prevention of downstream leakage. Downstream leakage is leakage of unfiltered fluid 9 from unfiltered fluid reservoir 13 to filtered fluid reservoir 14, by way of interface area 20. The reason fluid flows from unfiltered fluid reservoir 13 to filtered fluid reservoir 14 is that the pressure experienced by unfiltered fluid 9 within unfiltered fluid reservoir 13 is higher than the pressure experienced by filtered fluid 10 within filtered fluid reservoir 14. The same pressure differential normally ensures that any leakage across interface area 20 is downstream leakage, which impairs the effectiveness of exclusion filter 1, promotes deterioration of sealing mechanisms within interface area 20, and increasing the likelihood of binding and fouling of bearings within interface area 20.
Pressurizing means 12 achieves its purpose by repressurizing filtered fluid 10 and directing the repressurized filtered fluid 10 towards interface area 20, thereby pressurizing interface area 20 to a pressure at least as great as that experienced in unfiltered fluid reservoir 13 immediately adjacent to interface area 20. This pressurization of interface area 20 advantageously ensures that any leakage experienced across interface area 20 will be upstream leakage. Upstream leakage is leakage of filtered fluid 10 from filtered fluid reservoir 14 to unfiltered fluid reservoir 13, by way of interface area 20. Limiting leakage to upstream leakage also advantageously reduces the deterioration of sealing mechanisms within interface area 20 and helps prevent binding and fouling of bearings within interface area 20.
The present invention modifies the pressure arrangement in one of three methods. In the first method pressurizing means 12 repressurizes all filtered fluid 10 as it is received from exclusion filter 1, and directs part or all of the repressurized filtered fluid 10 toward interface area 20. In the second method pressurizing means 12 diverts a fraction of filtered fluid 10 as it is received from exclusion filter 1, repressurizes the diverted filtered fluid 10, and directs the repressurized filtered fluid 10 toward interface area 20. The third method may be used in conjunction with either of the first two methods, and reduces the repressurization of filtered fluid 10 that is required to achieve the desired pressure at interface area 20. In the third method filtering apparatus 11 is positioned in bulkhead orifice 18 so that the plane formed by the outer perimeter 30 of the downstream surface 31 of upstream wall 25 of housing 24 intersects bulkhead 15 between upstream bulkhead surface 16 and downstream bulkhead surface 17. At least a fraction of the discharge from pressurizing means 12 is then directed against inner surface 21 of bulkhead orifice 18, and the resulting local stagnation region increases the effective pressure experienced within interface area 20.
All three methods may be used in conjunction with additional sealing measures, thereby reducing upstream leakage. Flat seals, brush seals, and bearing seals are among the sealing measures which may be utilized. When a seal 32 is utilized, it should engage bulkhead 15 and filtering apparatus 11, and the point of engagement 33 on filtering apparatus 11 should be between inlet spaces 19 and the discharge of pressurizing means 12. Such additional sealing measures are not required in all embodiments of the present invention, however, and it should be understood that the presence or absence of additional sealing measures is not a requirement of the invention.
External fluid guides 34, or those devices designed to channel filtered fluid 10 which are not internal to pressurization means 12, may also be used to help channel the discharge from pressurizing means 12 toward interface area 20. External fluid guides 34 may be attached to the rotating filtering apparatus 11, part of bulkhead 15, or attached to bulkhead 15. External fluid guides are not required in all embodiments of the present invention, however, and it should be understood that the presence or absence of external fluid guides 34 is not a requirement of the invention.
In FIG. 4 there is shown an embodiment of the first method of interface area 20 pressurization, in which pressurizing means 12 repressurizes all filtered fluid 10 as it is received from exclusion filter 1, and directs part or all of the repressurized filtered fluid 10 toward interface area 20. Specifically, a filtering apparatus 11 is illustrated which utilizes a "squirrel cage" centrifugal blower 29 and no additional sealing measures. The centrifugal blower repressurizes all filtered fluid 10 received from exclusion filter I and ejects filtered fluid 10 radially toward interface area 20. The filtering apparatus 11 is positioned so that the centrifugal blower discharges a fraction of the repressurized filtered fluid 10 upstream from interface area 20, and the remainder of filtered fluid 10 downstream from interface area 20. In such an arrangement the fraction of filtered fluid 10 ejected upstream from interface area 20 should be reduced as greatly as possible to improve the efficiency of filtering apparatus 11. It should be understood that other arrangements are possible in which the entirety of filtered fluid 10 is initially discharged downstream from the bulkhead, and that the present invention does not require the specific arrangement illustrated in FIG. 4.
In FIG. 5 there is shown an embodiment of the second method of interface area 20 pressurization, in which pressurizing means 12 diverts a fraction of filtered fluid 10 as it is received from exclusion filter 1, repressurizes the diverted filtered fluid 10, and directs the repressurized filtered fluid 10 toward interface area 20. Specifically, a filtering apparatus 11 is illustrated which utilizes a modified "squirrel cage" centrifugal blower 29 containing an outlet orifice 35 in downstream wall 26 to allow a fraction of filtered fluid 10 to pass through pressurizing means 12 without substantial repressurization. Note that blower designs incorporating outlet orifice 35 may not be compatible with improved blower designs incorporating modified downstream walls 26. The illustrated system also contains a non-rotating external fluid guide 34, which is attached to bulkhead 15 and directs the repressurized filtered fluid 10 from pressurizing means 12 upstream toward interface area 20. The second method advantageously requires less energy to operate since it is repressurizing a smaller volume of filtered fluid 10.
In FIG. 6 there is shown an embodiment of the third method of interface area 20 pressurization, working in conjunction with the first method of pressurization of interface area 20. Specifically, an improved centrifugal blower 36 design and "tunable pressure cavity" arrangement is illustrated. In a "tunable pressure cavity" arrangement, a seal 32 is utilized and a rough cavity 37 is formed, bounded by seal 32, bulkhead 15, and filtering apparatus 11, and breached by the gap between inner surface 21 of bulkhead orifice I8 and filtering apparatus 11. The pressure experienced within cavity 37 can be "tuned" by modifying the configuration of inner surface 21 of the bulkhead orifice 18 and the position and configuration of downstream wall 26. Inner surface 21 of bulkhead orifice 18 may, for example, be flat, sloped, or textured, though it is to be understood that other configurations would also be acceptable. The third method generally, and the tunable pressure cavity arrangement specifically, advantageously reduce the repressurization of filtered fluid 10 required to achieve the desired pressure at interface area 20, thus decreasing energy requirements. A similar effect would be realized even without the utilization of seal 32. If seal 32 is not included, interface area 20 may be considered a "tunable pressure region," and the pressure experienced within the tunable pressure region could be modified by tuning the same parameters as in the tunable pressure cavity design.
The greater efficiencies experienced through the use of the second and third methods may be particularly advantageous when employed in passive applications of filtering apparatus 11. Passive applications are those in which the rotation of filtering apparatus 11 is a by-product of fluid flow through filtering apparatus 11, and no external power source is utilized by filtering apparatus 11 to produce the rotation. Active systems, alternatively, are those in which an external power source is relied upon to produce rotation of filtering apparatus 11. In active systems, the pressurizing means can be utilized to produce zero pressure loss through filtering apparatus 11, and can also be utilized to pressurize the entire system which the filtering apparatus 11 serves, thus eliminating the need for a separate pressurization or mass flow producing element, fan, pump, blower, or compressor. Though the application of the second and third methods are particularly advantageous in passive systems, it is to be understood that all methods may be utilized in active or passive systems.
Another method which could prove particularly advantageous in passive systems is the use of multistage pressurization means. For example, a multistage radial blower design or a multistage axial blower design may be utilized. In FIG. 7 there is shown a multistage radial blower 38 design, in which the blower contains a plurality of vane sets 39, which form concentric rings of flow diverting vanes 23 around axis of rotation 22 of filtering apparatus 11. All flow diverting vanes 23 within a vane set 39 must be located within a range limited by a minimum distance from axis of rotation 22 and a maximum distance from axis of rotation 22. The area between the vane sets 39 contains rings of fixed cascading vanes 40 which do not rotate with filtering apparatus 11, and which serve to straighten the flow of filtered fluid 10 in preparation for the succeeding rotating vane set 39. In FIG. 8 there is shown a multistage axial blower 41 design, in which a plurality of centrifugal blowers are mounted coaxially downstream from exclusion filter 1. The discharged repressurized filtered fluid 10 from each centrifugal blower is channeled toward the blower orifice 27 of the next centrifugal blower downstream, until the discharge from the formal blower is channeled upstream to interface area 20. Though FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate multistage centrifugal blower designs, it is to be understood that other pressurizing means could also utilize multistage designs, and that multistage designs may be utilized in active or passive systems, and in conjunction with any of the three previous methods.
The integrated exclusion filter and pressurizing system may be further modified by the addition of axial external vanes 42 or radial external vanes 43 to filtering apparatus 11. Advantageously, external vanes would disperse particles ejected by exclusion filter 1, thereby limiting accumulations of the ejected particles within the unfiltered fluid reservoir 13, and decreasing the particle density of unfiltered fluid 9 in the area surrounding exclusion filter 1. The external vanes could also be used to regulate the temperature of the system served by the filtering apparatus 11, such as an engine or turbine, by stimulating fluid flow across the exterior of the system. Finally, the external vanes could be used to stimulate fluid flow for use in diluting the exhaust of the system served by filtering apparatus 11, thereby advantageously limiting the temperature of the exhaust and reducing heat hazards. External vanes are mounted on the exterior of filtering apparatus 11 within unfiltered fluid reservoir 13.
In FIG. 9 there is shown an axial external vane 42 arrangement, wherein the outer perimeter 44 of the flat annular disk 3 closest to pressurizing means 12 is extended away from the adjacent disk 3, thus forming a cylindrical surface 45. Axial external vanes 42 are mounted on cylindrical surface 45 and oriented to direct a flow of unfiltered fluid 9 parallel to axis of rotation 22 of filtering apparatus 11. It is to be understood that the design shown in FIG. 9 is but one example of acceptable axial external vane 42 design and arrangement, and that the axial external vanes 42 may also be mounted on other elements of the filtering apparatus 11 within unfiltered fluid reservoir 13, including separate elements added to filtering apparatus 11 for the purpose of mounting axial external vanes 42.
In FIG. 10 there is shown a radial external vane 43 arrangement, wherein the flat annular disk 3 closest to pressurizing means 12 is extended away from axis of rotation 22 of filtering apparatus 11, forming a disk extension 47. The radial external vanes 43 are mounted on the upstream surface 46 of disk extension 47 and oriented to direct unfiltered fluid 9 away from axis of rotation 22 of filtering apparatus 11. It is to be understood that the design shown in FIG. 10 is but one example of acceptable radial external vane 43 design and arrangement, and that the radial external vanes 43 may also be mounted on other elements of the filtering apparatus 11 within unfiltered fluid reservoir 13, including separate elements added to the filtering apparatus 11 for the purpose of mounting the radial external vanes 43.
Though FIGS. 3 through 10 illustrate embodiments of the current invention which utilize centrifugal blowers, it is to be understood that the variations of the current invention illustrated therein and described within the Detailed Description of the Invention may be practiced using other pressurizing means. It is also to be understood that the in the claimed invention the terms "pump", "fan", "turbine", and "compressor" are interchangeable with the term "centrifugal blower," and that the definition of "centrifugal blower" for the purposes of interpreting the claims expressly includes the alternate pressurizing means.
The integrated exclusion filter and pressurizing system, and many of its intended advantages, will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that, although the invention and its advantages have been described in detail, various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims, or sacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred or exemplary embodiment thereof.
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There is provided an integrated exclusion filter and pressurizing device which prevents leakage of unfiltered fluid across the interface area between a rotating filtering apparatus and non-rotating bulkhead. The exclusion filter utilized is of the type which utilizes Boundary Layer Momentum Transfer methodology to achieve filtration, and which includes a cylindrical stack of substantially flat annular plates. A pressurizing device is utilized downstream from the exclusion filter to repressurize filtered fluid and direct the filtered fluid toward the interface area. Either all the filtered fluid or only a portion may be repressurized, and some of the filtered fluid may be directed toward the bulkhead itself to aid pressurization by creating a local stagnation region. The pressurizing device may utilize flow diverting blades in a housing, including blowers, pumps, compressors, and fans. The housing design may be modified to improve fluid flow and multistage pressurizing means designs may be used to enhance repressurization. External vanes may also be added to the filtering apparatus to disperse particles ejected by the exclusion filter, reduce the particle density of the unfiltered fluid surrounding the exclusion filter, cool the system served by the filtering apparatus, or dilute the exhaust of the system served by the filtering apparatus.
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The present invention is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/798,324, filed Mar. 13, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
This disclosure relates to seals for preventing drafts and the like at door bottoms, window bottoms and other similar places for a moving structural element can be opened and closed within an aperture. More particularly, this disclosure relates to an extruded one-piece seal adapted for easy application to a door bottom or window bottom to prevent drafts and water intrusion at the door bottom or window bottom.
Entry doors in residences, businesses and other structures often consist of a rectangular door which is hinged upon one side and open more by swinging laterally upon the hinge. Doors frequently are mounted in door frames consisting of two parallel upright sides and a top interconnecting the tops of the sides. A threshold is sometimes placed at the bottom of the door frame. Many doors are sold pre-assembled to a door frame for installation in a wall as a unit. For interior doors this completes the structure. For exterior doors, a threshold is often added and a sealing mechanism is sometimes added between the door bottom and the threshold. Particularly, for doors opening to the open “outdoors” are sometimes the source of drafts, water intrusion or insect intrusion. To remedy these situations, numerous attempts to provide reliable, economical seals at the interface between the bottom of the door and the threshold have been made. However, proper sealing can be difficult for a number of reasons.
Many homes and businesses have carpeting. A door is sometimes trimmed along its bottom so the door can swing over the carpeting. This sometimes takes the bottom of the door out of proper engagement with the threshold or other device forming the bottom of the doorway.
People walk through doorways and step on thresholds. Thresholds are often worn or deformed by constant foot traffic. People also often carry or roll heavy loads through doorways which can damage, wear or destroy a threshold. Thus, the interface between the bottom of the door and the threshold often include an opening of varying height. The threshold surface and the door surface is also of varying quality across the length and thickness of the door bottom and the length and width of the threshold.
Many homes are rental units. Some renters are prohibited from using fasteners on doors and walls other home owners and home occupants are not particularly handy with tools.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure contemplates a new and improved seal of the type to be applied to the bottom of the door, window or similar structure which addresses the above-described problems and others and provides a one-piece extruded seal which can be applied by the consumer without the use of fasteners.
In accordance with the invention, a seal has a substantially uniform cross section and comprises a planar base and two upstanding sides extending from the edges of the base, resilient engagement members extend from the top edges of the upwardly extending members; and, fins and half rounds extend downwardly from the base, all these elements forming part of one unitary structure.
Yet further in accordance with the invention, the upwardly extending members extend upwardly and slightly inwardly so that the top edges of the upwardly extending members are closer to one another than the bottom portions of the upwardly extending members.
Still further in accordance with the disclosure, the engagement members extend inwardly and downwardly adjacent the upwardly extending members and are more resilient than the upwardly extending members.
Still further in accordance with the disclosure, the fins and half rounds extending from the bottom of the base member are more resilient than the base member.
Yet further in accordance with the invention, the base member and the upwardly extending bar are resilient.
Yet further in accordance with the disclosure, the entire seal is an extruded shape.
Yet further in accordance with the disclosure, the entire seal is an extruded shape made as a co-extrusion using materials having different characteristics for some of the different members of the structure.
The principal object of the disclosure is to provide a sealing structure adapted to prevent drafts and otherwise seal the interface between the bottom of a door and a threshold, the bottom of a window and a window sill, or other similar structures.
It is yet another object of the disclosure to provide a seal of one-piece construction which can be cut to length by a consumer and applied to a door bottom or window bottom without the use of adhesive, fasteners or tools.
It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a seal which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to understand, easy to use and which provides a good seal between a door bottom and threshold or other similar paired structures.
Further objects and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is an end view of a seal in accordance with the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective of a door in a door frame with the seal seen in FIG. 1 applied to the bottom of the door; and,
FIG. 3 is a detailed schematic end view of the seal on the bottom of the door seen in FIG. 2 with the door closed over the threshold.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposes of illustrating an embodiment of the disclosure and not for the purposes of limiting same, the figures show a seal 10 applied on the bottom of a door 12 ( FIG. 2 ). The door 12 is supported on one side by hinges attached to a door frame 14 . The door frame is in the shape of an inverted U with the open end of the U at the floor. A threshold 16 extends across the bottom of the door frame 14 .
The seal 10 is shown in more detail in FIG. 1 . The seal 10 is an extrusion of polymeric material. More particularly, the seal 10 is a co-extrusion in which certain portions of the finished extrusion are more resilient than other portions. Thus, certain portions may have a different hardness than other portions.
The seal 10 has a uniform cross section with the following elements heading a substantially uniform and continuous shape over the entire length of the extrusion. Minor variations and surface flaws may result.
The seal 10 has a planar base 20 , a first upwardly extending member 22 and a second upwardly extending member 24 . The upwardly extending members extend upwardly from the edges of the planar base 20 . The upwardly extending members 22 , 24 extend upwardly and slightly toward one another from the two edges of the planar member 20 . Thus, the planar base 20 and the two upwardly extending members 22 , 24 form a U shape in which the bottom of the U is planar and the legs of the U extend upwardly and inwardly toward one another. The angle between the upwardly extending members 22 , 24 and the planar member is about 85°. Thus, if the planar member is considered horizontal, the upwardly extending members deviate from vertical by about 5°. These angles are “extruded”. The planar base 20 and the upwardly extending members 22 , 24 are extruded from a polymeric material having resilience. Thus, one can hold the tops of the upwardly extending members 22 , 24 away from each other or push them towards one another with simple finger pressure.
The planar base 20 and the upwardly extending members 22 , 24 are slightly less than 1/16 inch thick (less than 1.5 millimeters). This thickness is uniform and not critical.
The first upwardly extending member 22 extends about 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) above the planar base 20 . The second upwardly extending member 24 extends about 1.25 inches (3.1 centimeters) above the planar member 20 .
Upwardly is used herein to describe relative orientation and location of elements as seen in the figures and as one would mount the seal 10 upon the bottom of the door. However, upwardly is a relative term and a seal 10 applied vertically along a door or in a different orientation but having the same general configuration is also contemplated in this disclosure. “Inwardly” is used to describe an orientation or the direction in which something extends toward the center line of the planar base 20 . ‘Member” is used to identify portions of the seal 10 which are differentiable from other portions and serve different functions but are part of the same unitary extrusion or part.
As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the U-shaped seal 10 defines an interior bottom with the bottom of the U further apart than the top of the U. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom interior sides of the first and second upwardly extending members are about 1.79 inches apart. The top interior sides of the first and second upwardly extending members 22 , 24 may be offset from one another vertically but are about 1.6 inches apart. A first engagement member 30 extends inwardly and downwardly from the top of the first upwardly extending member 22 . The first engagement member 30 has a first planar portion 32 extending downwardly and inwardly from the top of the first upwardly extending member 22 ; and an arcuate portion 34 extending from the edge of the first planar portion 32 remote from the first upwardly extending member 22 ; and a second planar portion 36 extending from the end of the arcuate portion 34 remote from the first planar portion 32 . The arcuate portion 34 is a portion of the circle which is not quite a half circle. The entire length of the first engagement member 30 (if flattened out) is about half the height of the first upwardly extending member 22 . The first engagement member 30 has uniform thickness about half the thickness of the first upwardly extending member 22 . The first engagement member 30 is extruded from a polymer having more resiliency, that is softer, than the polymer from which the planar base 20 and the first and second upwardly extending members 22 , 24 are extruded.
A second engagement member 20 extends inwardly and downwardly from the top of the second outwardly extending member 24 . The second engagement member 40 has a first planar portion 42 , an arcuate portion 44 , and a second planar portion 46 . The second engagement member 40 is the mirror image of the first engagement member 30 and is fabricated from the same softer material.
A first corner fin 50 extends downwardly and outwardly from the edge of the planar base 20 adjacent the first upwardly extending member 22 . The first corner fin 50 is about ⅜ inches in length and tapers to be less thick at its remote end 52 when compared to its base 54 adjacent the planar base 20 . A similar second corner fin 60 extends from the edge of the planar base 20 adjacent the second upwardly extending member 24 . The second corner fin 60 tapers from a thicker thin base 64 to a thinner remote end 62 .
A first semicircular tube 70 extends downwardly from the planar base 20 adjacent the first corner fin 50 . The first semicircular tube 70 has an “as extruded” radius somewhat greater than ⅛ of an inch. A rib 72 extends downwardly from the lowermost portion of the first semicircular tube 70 . A second semicircular tube 80 and rib 82 extends downwardly from the planar base 20 inwardly from the second corner fin 60 . Other than placement, the second semicircular tube 80 and rib 82 are completely identical to the first semicircular tube 70 and rib 72 .
Three central fins 90 , 92 , 94 are spaced from one another and extend downwardly from the central portion of the planar base 20 . The corner fins 50 , 60 , the semicircular tubes 70 , 80 and the central fins 90 , 92 , 94 are all extruded from a polymeric material which is softer than the material used for the base 20 and the upwardly extending members 22 , 24 . This material can be the same material used for the engagement members or material having different characteristics.
FIG. 3 shows the seal 10 mounted on a door 12 at the bottom of the door. The first upwardly extending member 22 lies close along the bottom of one side of the door; the second upwardly extending member 24 lies close along the bottom of the other side of the door and the planar base 20 lies close along the bottom of the door. The engagement members 30 , 40 are deformed and pushed into very tight engagement against the sides of the door 12 . A significant surface are of each engagement member 30 , 40 is in contact with the surface of the door 12 and holds the seal 10 in place on the door 12 . The two upwardly extending members 22 , 24 can flex and change their relative orientation with respect to the base 20 . This allows the seal to be applied to doors having various widths. The illustrated embodiment can accommodate a door from about 1.5 inches thickness to about 1.75 inches thickness and still maintain an attractive and tight fit on the bottom of the door. Of course, other sizes can be accommodated by simply changing the dimensions of the planar base 20 or other elements.
The flexibility (softness) of the engagement members 30 , 40 allows the engagement members to closely engage the surfaces of the door and/or window frame and provides a substantially water tight seal. Moisture is not allowed to enter into the U-shaped interior of the seal 10 . Door rot is avoided. Weep holes (not shown) may be provided where desirable.
Assembly of the seal 10 to the bottom of a door requires no tools. An appropriate seal 10 is purchased. If the seal is the appropriate length for the width of the door, it is applied to the door without further alteration. If the seal 10 is too long for the width of the door, it is first cut to length. Thereafter, the door is opened and the seal can be applied by manually pulling the upwardly extending members 22 , 24 away from each other at one end and sliding the appliance onto the bottom of the door toward the hinge. The seal 10 is then urged upwardly into full engagement with the bottom of the door and is ready for use.
The action of the corner bins 60 , 70 , semicircular tubes 70 , 80 and central fins 90 , 92 , 94 are also seen in FIG. 3 . Doors often close from one direction in a swinging motion. Thus, the fins under the door which engage the threshold will “sweep” as the door is closed to its final position. This results in a substantially uniform curved orientation for the fins as seen in FIG. 3 . The bottoms of the fins are engaged with the threshold. The semicircular tubes 70 , 80 deform in a compressive manner rather than a sweep and the ribs 72 , 82 for a slight sweep at the bottom of the semicircular tubes. This combination of semicircular compression with the rib at the bottom acts in a slightly different manner in seaming against the threshold and promotes a good seal across the entire length of the threshold that is the entire width of the door.
When the door 12 is opened, the fins and tubes deform into sweeping in the opposite direction and disengage from the threshold. The materials chosen for the seal 10 and particularly for the fins and tubes are selected to provide good durability and repeated deformability as the door may be opened and closed many times over the lifetime of the seal. As there are multiple sealing elements, should one rib break or not fully engage a low spot in the threshold, the remaining elements may provide a seal at that point.
The seal 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 in use at the bottom of a door. The seal 10 can be used on a window of the sash variety or of the vertically opening variety (casement) and provide a good seal in that environment. Other applications of the seal 10 to other interfaces will occur to those with need.
The disclosed has been described with reference to an illustrated embodiment. It will be appreciated that modifications or alterations could be made without deviating from the present disclosure. Such modifications and alterations will occur to others upon the reading and understanding of the specification. It is intended that all such modifications and alterations be included insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
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A one-piece seal for use on the bottoms of doors or windows of uniform cross-section has a planar base and upwardly extending members on each side of the base with engagement members at the top of the upwardly extending members. The seal also has downwardly extending fins and semicircular walls to engage a threshold. The seal is held upon a door by action of the flexible engagement members being pressed against the sides of the doors by the upstanding members.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure with moveable louvres and means for holding a set position of the louvres.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Louvred structures such as louvred doors and/or window shutters, etc. often include moveable louvres which pivot through an angle of slightly less than 180°. In most moveable louvre structures, the louvres are opened and closed in unison with one another by a control bar attached to the edges of the louvres. The control bar moves in an up and down direction to open and close the louvres. This control bar adds weight to one side of and imbalances the louvres. When the louvres are closed and the control bar is down as far as it will go, this does not present a problem. However, when the louvres are opened, the weight of the control bar provides a downward bias wanting to close the louvres.
Traditionally, the means for holding a set position of a moveable louvre is to provide strong frictional resistance between the louvre and its supporting frame. Typically, this is done by effectively clamping the frame tightly against the outside edges of the louvre. In certain constructions, and in particular, in vinyl constructions, it is neither desirable nor feasible to provide sufficient frictional resistance between the louver and the frame to hold a desired set louver position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides means specifically for holding louvre position without producing a binding action between the outside edge of the louvre and the frame supporting the louvre. More particularly, a louvred structure of the present invention comprises a frame with opposing styles supporting a plurality of pivotal louvres each having pivot pins fitted in pivot pin openings of the styles. At least one of the styles is provided with an interior flexible clamp extending lengthwise along that style and gripping a plurality of the pivot pins for holding a set position of the louvres.
The flexible clamp pin grip provided according to the present invention is particularly suited for use in the most up-to-date vinyl louvred shutters and doors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above as well as other advantages and features of the present invention will be described in greater detail according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shutter having moveable louvers and including an interior louver pin grip according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional exploded perspective view of the shutter of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side view showing different louver positions for the shutter of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view looking down through the left hand assembled style and louvre set up of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
All of the structural components described below in detail have a vinyl or other similar plastic resin construction. However, it is to be appreciated that other materials could also be used.
FIG. 1 shows a shutter generally indicated at 1. This shutter is formed with a frame comprising styles 3, top and bottom headers 5 and a centre frame section 6. Pivotal louvres 7 formed in two groups, one above and one below the centre frame section are trapped between styles 3. The louvres in each group are moved by means of a control bar 8 connected to each louvre in that particular group. As will be seen in FIG. 1, the upper group of louvres is set to a closed position while the bottom group of louvres is set to an open position. In the case of the bottom group of louvres control bar 8 provides added weight attempting to close the louvres and pull them away from their set position. The frictional engagement of the frame on the outside edges of the louvres particularly when they are made of vinyl is generally not sufficient to hold a set position of the louvres. In the present invention, additional means interiorly of one of the styles is provided for holding the set louvre position.
As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings, each of the styles has a hollow interior construction. Each louvre includes louvre pivot pins 9 and each style includes a plurality of louvre pivot pin openings 11. These openings penetrate to a defined hollow region 13 within each of the styles. Located within one of the hollow regions 13 is a flexible plastic, e.g., vinyl pivot pin clamp 15 extending the full length of the style.
The pivot pin clamp 15 is in the form of a substantially U-shaped channel member including a base 16 and opposing side walls 17. Each of the side walls terminates with a slightly outwardly flared free end 19.
Clamp or grip 15 has as noted above a flexible construction. The base 16 substantially completely spans the width of hollow region 13 as best seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Side walls 17 of the clamp, when in their normally set position, are set at a gap less than the width of hollow region 13 and converge slightly towards one another. The minimum span between the two clamp arms 17 is less than the diameter across pivot pin 19 which, when fitted into one of the pivot pin openings, engages within clamp 15. The flared free ends 17 of the clamp provide a camming effect easing insertion of the pivot pin in the grip, the arms of which have to expand or open to receive the pivot pin. The clamp is therefore biased to close on and frictionally engage the pivot pin.
The same clamping effect is provided on all of the pivot pins on the clamp side of the structure. This provides more than sufficient resistance directly on the pivot pins to hold any desired set position for the louvres.
This use of a single elongated clamp is particularly efficient because it eliminates the need to have an accurate vertical fitting of an individual clamp at each louvre pin. The clamp extends past all of the pin openings in the style so that it automatically lines up with each pin opening to receive the louvre pins.
As can be seen from FIG. 2 of the drawings, each of the styles is equipped to accept one of the clamps 15 and therefore, if necessary, a clamp may be provided at both sides of the structure. The overall symmetry of the structure, including the louvres, louvre pins, louvre receiving opens and hollow construction of the styles allows for this feature.
Although the description above relates to a louvred structure in which all of the louvres are moveable in unison by means of a common actuator, i.e., control rod 8, the same louvre pin grip can be used in a structure where the louvres are not interconnected with one another and set to their own individual desired positions.
Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.
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A louvred structure comprises a frame with opposing styles supporting a plurality of moveable louvres having pivot pins fitted in pivot pin openings of the styles. At least one of the styles is provided with an interior flexible clamp extending lengthwise along the style and gripping a plurality of the pivot pins for holding a set position of the louvres.
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[0001] The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for measuring the absorbance of light of a substance in a solution using visible or non visible light, the substance having a capacity to absorb light at a specific wavelength or wavelengths. The methods and apparatus have particular utility in detecting the concentration of proteins and nucleic acids for example where such proteins or nucleic acids are refined during liquid chromatography.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to methods and apparatus for measuring the absorbance of a substance in a solution, typically a substance exhibiting UV light absorption at a wavelength of 400 nm or less.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Many substances absorb ultra violet or visible light due to their chemical composition. The absorption of light by substances has been used as the basis for detecting the presence of, and measuring the concentration of, such substances for many years. The concentration of the substance can be determined by use of the Beer Lambert Law:
A=Ebc
[0005] Where:
[0006] A is light absorbance;
[0007] E is the molar light absorbtivity with units of L mol −1 cm −1 ;
[0008] b is the light path length of the sample defined in cm; and
[0009] c is the concentration of the compound in solution, expressed in mol −1 .
[0010] The Emax represents the maximum absorption of a substance at a given wavelength.
[0011] The UV region can be considered to consist of light of wavelength in the region of 1 nm to 400 nm, light of wavelength of 180 nm to 300 nm being known as ‘deep UV’.
[0012] Most analytical instruments for detecting substances which absorb in the deep ultra violet (UV) region use a mercury-lamp, deuterium lamp or xenon flash lamp as a light source. One example of such an instrument is a flow cell in which a solution containing one or more UV absorbing substances is passed between a UV light source (e.g. a mercury-lamp) and a UV detector (e.g. a photomultiplier or a photodiode) and changes in the intensity of UV light reaching the detector are related to the concentration of UV absorbing substances in the solution.
[0013] The detection of proteins, nucleic acids and peptides are of great importance in many sectors, including the environmental, biological and chemical sciences. Proteins have mainly two absorption peaks in the deep UV region, one very strong absorption band with a maximum at about 190 nm, where peptide bonds absorb, and another less intense peak at about 280 nm due to light absorption by aromatic amino acids (e.g. tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine)
[0014] Nucleic acids absorb UV light at around 260 nm, some of the subunits of nucleic acids (purines) having an absorbance maximum slightly below 260 nm while others (pyrimidines) have a maximum slightly above 260 nm.
[0015] Almost all proteins have a maximum absorbance at about 280 nm due to the content of the light absorbing aromatic amino acids. The light source in the detectors of analytical systems used to detect and measure protein concentrations has historically been the mercury-line lamp. Mercury produces light with a wavelength of 254 nm but not at 280 nm, so a fluorescence converter is needed to transform the 254 nm light produced by the mercury lamp to longer wavelengths and a band pass filter is used to cut out a region around 280 nm. Mercury lamps have relatively short lifetimes and can prove unstable with time; furthermore, the disposal of these lamps can lead to environmental problems. The other lamps used to generate ultra violet light, such as the deuterium and the xenon flash lamps, disadvantageously require high voltages, need complicated electronics and often prove unstable with time. All of the currently used ultra violet light sources are relatively large and are consequently unsuitable for miniaturisation of analytical instruments. Moreover, all of the lamps generate significant amounts of heat due to the high voltages required for their operation.
[0016] Recently light emitting diodes (LED) of type AlGaN/GaN with emissions in the 250 nm to 365 nm range have been developed. Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (Columbia, S.C., USA) have pioneered the development and use of these UV light emitting diodes, particularly for irradiating and sterilising fluids such as biologically contaminated water (e.g. US 2005/0093485). Other groups have also employed UV light emitting diodes for water purification systems (e.g. Phillips Electronics, WO2005/031881).
[0017] Light emitting diodes (LEDs), which emit in the visible region of the spectrum, have been used for indirect photometric detection (Johns C., et al. (2004) Electrophoresis, 25, 3145-3152) and fluorescence detection of substances in capilliary electrophoresis (Tsai C., et al. (2003) Electrophoresis, 24, 3083-3088). King et al. (Analyst (2002) 127, 1564-1567) have also reported the use of UV light-emitting diodes which emit at 379.5 nm for indirect photometric detection of inorganic anions.
[0018] The use of deep UV light emitting diodes as light sources in detection systems for nucleic acids is disclosed in US2005/0133724. However, although detection systems employing LEDs are disclosed, there are no experimental data to indicate that the proposed systems were indeed successfully employed to measure nucleic acid levels in polymerase chain reaction assay. The system described would lack sensitivity, linearity, and dynamic range because there is no use of a band pass filter or a beam splitter and reference detector; LEDs are very sensitive to minute changes in temperature, changes of the order of one hundredth of a degree Centrigrade causing a drift in the baseline. Furthermore, the system lacks a band pass filter which acts to both narrow the bandwidth and block light in the visible region of the spectrum. A narrow bandwidth compared to the natural bandwidth of the sample, preferable a ratio of 1 to 10, provides a good linearity of the response and a broad dynamic range. (Practical Absorbance Spectrometry. Ed. A Knowles and C. Burgess, Chapman and Hall, New York).
[0019] JP2002005826 discloses a system for measuring ozone concentration. However, no experimental data that show the linearity and dynamic range are provided. The system uses a solid state emitter, which is composed of a diamond semiconductor thin film, to emit ultraviolet light with an emission peak of wavelength 240 to 270 nm. The emission spectrum at half value width of the UV peak is somewhat narrower than the half value width of the peak of the absorption spectrum of ozone (emission maximum approximately 254 nm). However, while this may be sufficient to measure ozone concentrations, the lack of a band pass filter which can reduce the band width to, for example, one tenth of the half value width of the ozone absorption peak will significantly reduce the linearity and dynamic range of the detector (Practical Absorbance Spectrometry. Ed. A Knowles and C. Burgess, Chapman and Hall, New York). This system also lacks a reference photo detector, so no measurement of the intensity of the emitted light is made. This means that compensation of variations of the emitted intensity due to changes in temperature is not possible.
[0020] WO2007/062800 (incorporated herein by reference), describes the use of a UV LED as a source of light for analysis of the concentration of a substance in a liquid sample, but it has been found that a broader spectrum of light is desirable in order to subject the sample to different wavelengths and thereby define a substance more accurately or more quickly, by its absorption characteristics at different wavelengths. However, known LEDs have only a limited light wavelength output range.
[0021] The present invention addresses the aforementioned problems with the currently available light sources used in analytical systems for detecting and/or for measuring the concentration of a substance in a solution.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0022] It will be understood that the term ‘substance’, as used herein, refers to any chemical entity. In particular, it includes organic compounds and inorganic compounds. Examples of organic compounds include, but are not limited to, proteins, peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, protein nucleic acids, drug candidates and xenobiotics. Examples of inorganic compounds include metal salts (e.g. ferric sulphate, copper chloride, nickel nitrate).
[0023] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for measuring the light absorbance of a substance in a solution and optionally subsequently determining the concentration of said substance with or without knowing the molar absorbtivity E of the substance, the substance exhibiting light absorption, the method comprising the steps, in any suitable order, of:
i) transmitting light having a first wavelength output from a first LED light source; ii) directing the light output from the LED through the substance in solution; and iii) quantifying the intensity of the light propagating from the solution to provide an indication of the concentration of the substance in the solution; the method being characterised in that the steps i) to iii) are repeated using a second LED light source having an output of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength.
[0025] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for measuring the light absorbance of a substance in a solution, comprising: i) a sample cell of known path length for containing said solution, said cell being at least partially transparent to light of a predefined wavelength spectrum; ii) an LED light source arrangement for emitting light, within said predefined wavelength spectrum, along a light path; and optionally iii) a band pass filter in the light path; the apparatus being characterised in that said LED light source arrangement includes plural LED's each having a different wavelength light output said arrangement being operable to provide light along the light path which has a selectably different wavelength within the predefined wavelength spectrum.
[0026] According to a third aspect, the invention consists in the method of the first aspect; or use of the apparatus according to the second aspect; for determining or measuring the concentration of a substance selected from the group consisting of protein, peptide and nucleic acid.
[0027] The invention is further defined in the claims. The invention can be put into effect in numerous ways, examples of which are described in detail below, with reference to the Figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of apparatus for determining the concentration of a substance in a solution;
[0029] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a second embodiment of apparatus for determining the concentration of a substance in a solution;
[0030] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a third embodiment of apparatus for determining the concentration of a substance in a solution; and
[0031] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a fourth embodiment of apparatus for determining the concentration of a substance in a solution.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. The apparatus 10 comprises an arrangement 20 of light emitting diodes which each emit light in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum (UV LED), a flow cell 30 with an inlet 32 and an outlet 34 and photo-detectors 40 , 42 which can either be UV sensitive photo multipliers or UV sensitive photo diodes. The apparatus further consists of a band pass filter 22 which rejects unwanted wavelengths and admits others, while maintaining a low coefficient of absorption for the UV wavelengths of interest. The bandwidth of the filter is a full width half maximum, and is preferably less than 10 nm, to give a good linearity and large dynamic range. The apparatus further comprises a collimating lens 70 and a beam-splitter 24 which diverts a portion of the now collimated light from the LED arrangement 20 onto a reference photo detector 42 while the remainder is directed through a solution S within the flow cell 30 . The beam-splitter 24 and reference photo detector 42 are used to follow any intensity changes in the UV LED arrangement 20 and thus avoid the need for complicated thermostatic control of the LED arrangement 20 . However, a beam splitter and reference detector could be omitted, where a lower performance apparatus is acceptable. The flow cell 30 has windows 36 and 38 which are made from a UV transparent material such as sapphire, quartz or synthetic fused silica and is of a known path length b. Other materials, such as polymers could be used.
[0033] The solution S is passed through the flow cell 30 via the inlet 32 and the outlet 34 , in the direction of arrows F, and may contain a substance with a light absorption at 300 nm or less e.g. a protein or nucleic acid. UV light from the LED arrangement 20 is used to irradiate the solution S in the flow cell 30 , the light entering the flow cell 30 through the UV transparent window 36 , as indicated by the chain dotted line. Light passing through the solution and exiting the window 38 is then detected by the detector photo-detector 40 .
[0034] The UV LED arrangement 20 comprises a carrousel 21 rotatable about an axis R, driven by a stepper motor 24 via a spur gear pair 23 . The carrousel supports plural, in this case two, UV LEDs 26 and 28 . A controller 25 is used to drive the stepper motor 24 and thus to bring each LED into the correct position to irradiate the sample S in the flow cell 30 . The wavelength of UV light employed to irradiate the sample can be selected by either the use of an appropriate LED which emits at a specific wavelength of UV light for example, a UVTOP® 260 nm and 280 nm LEDs. UVTOP® LEDs are available from Sensor Electronic Technology Inc., SC, USA e.g. diodes which emit in the range of 250-365 nm.
[0035] Once the absorption of the solution is measured, the concentration of the substance in the solution can then be determined by use of the Beer Lambert Law where the molar absorbtivity E of the substance is already known. This can be done manually or using a computer or the controller 25 provided. Alternatively, the concentration of the substance can be determined by use of a dose-response curve which has previously been produced for the substance of interest at a given wavelength e.g. 280 nm, or multiple response curves which are generated at different wavelengths can be used. Such determinations are made using a computer via a data link to the controller 25 . In some applications, it is the change in absorbance that is of interest, for example during separation of proteins in a chromatographic column, and so there is no need to determine the concentration of the substance. In that case, the molar absorbtivity (E) need not be known. Using two frequencies of light also allows this change in absorbance to be more closely monitored when the absorbance reaches a threshold where switching to a second less absorbed light can give a better resolution of the rate of change of absorption, and consequently the approach of a maximum or minimum of concentration values.
[0036] The carrousel can be rotated to provide stepped movement of the LEDs, which dwell at the irradiating position for a predetermined time, usually about 0.25 to 3 seconds, or a continuous rotation is possible at around 1 to 20 rpm giving a period of irradiation as the LED's orbit moves through an area where such irradiation is possible.
[0037] In the embodiment described above, a carrousel 21 is shown, but it will be appreciated that non-rotary movement of the LEDs could also be used to bring the LEDs into alignment with the light path indicated by the chain dotted line in FIG. 1 . For example the LEDs 26 and 28 could be mounted to a linear slideway which provides up and down motion of the LEDs to bring then into said alignment.
[0038] Another embodiment of an apparatus 110 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 2 . In FIG. 2 , features in common with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 have the same reference numerals, but prefixed by the numeral ‘1’. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 , an LED arrangement 120 is shown which includes plural LEDs 126 , 127 , and 128 , each having a respective optical coupling 156 , 157 and 158 , in practice an optical fibre, each terminating in close proximity, at an area suitable for irradiating the sample cell 130 via a respective band pass filter 166 , 167 and 168 , and common beam splitter 124 operable as described above.
[0039] This embodiment functions in a similar manner to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , except that a controller 125 provides power to each UV LED at a suitable time instead of the LEDs physically moving. This power excites a corresponding one of the LEDs 126 , 127 , or 128 and causes light at the desired wavelength to travel along an associated light paths, to irradiate the sample cell 130 , in a manner as described above. The beam-splitter 124 and reference photo detector 142 are used to follow and compensate for any intensity changes in the LED's light output.
[0040] The ultra violet light passing through the solution S in the flow cell 130 and exiting from the window 138 is detected by the sample photo-detector 140 , as described above. It will be understood by the person skilled in the art that an identical apparatus, having a flow cell 130 of unknown path length, could be used simply to detect the presence of, and changes in concentration of a substance. The determination or measurement of the concentration of the substance in solution requires knowledge of the path length cf. Beer Lambert Law.
[0041] Whilst the second embodiment requires that the UV LEDs are activated one by one, it is possible that they may be activated simultaneously. In addition, the filters 166 , 167 and 168 of the second embodiment could be made to rotate such that only one filter is present at a narrow idea where the optical fibres all converge, thereby allowing only a specific waveband to pass, even if all the LEDs are illuminated.
[0042] Another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention is shown in FIG. 3 . In FIG. 3 , features in common with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 have the same reference numerals, but prefixed by the numeral ‘2’.
[0043] In this embodiment, apparatus 210 is shown in which UV light of different frequencies is provided by three (or more) UV LEDs 226 , 227 and 228 . UV light from each LED propagates through a respective band pass filter 266 , 267 , 268 . From there, UV light can propagate to a moveable reflective surface 290 . In this case the moveable reflective surface 290 is a so called micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) mirror, which is a mirror mounted to single chip component capable of tilting the mirror about at least one axis under the control of a controller 225 , so that said light is reflected accurately toward the flow cell 230 , from each LED in turn, via its respective filter and lens. MEMS mirrors are available from, for example, Mirrorcle Technologies. The apparatus otherwise functions as described above, by providing the desired wavelength of light from the desired UV LED on demand.
[0044] FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. In FIG. 4 , features in common with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 have the same reference numerals, but prefixed by the numeral ‘3’.
[0045] Apparatus 310 is shown which again has plural UV light producing LEDs 326 , 327 and 328 . Light emitted from the LEDs is separately filtered by a respective band pass filter 366 , 367 and 368 , and then light from each filter propagates into an optical fibre 356 , 357 , 358 . Each optical fibre is brought together to form a bundle 370 . The terminal end of the bundle 370 launches light in a slightly diffuse manner from one or more of the LEDs toward a receiving optical fibre bundle 372 spaced from the bundle 370 , such that light is spread out substantially evenly across the fibres of the receiving bundle 372 . Whilst three optical fibres have been shown in the bundles 370 and 372 , it will be apparent that this technique allows different numbers of optical fibres in each bundle. Also the drawings show the fibre spaced apart of clarity, although in practise they will be held together tightly. At the bundle 372 , light is split to travel to, in this case, two flow cells 330 , and 331 , and also to a reference detector 342 .
[0046] In this embodiment, the flow F through the flow cells 330 and 331 can be in parallel or in series, but in either case the flow can be sequentially or synchronously monitored using different UV frequencies to provide a greater range of absorbance values as the concentration of the substance in solution changes. In a modification the two flow cells may have different light path dimensions, thereby further enhancing the range of the apparatus. For example where a substance has a low absorbance at a first frequency, then a long light path can be used, and where the same substance has a high absorbance at a second frequency, then a short path length can be used.
[0047] In operation, each the embodiments rely on a controller 25 , 125 , 225 , 325 to control the moment when the sample is irradiated. Since it is a straight forward task to alter the point in time at which the respective UV LED provides light to the sample cell, and the apparatus employed is rugged and low cost, then the embodiments shown provide an adaptable, reliable and low cost liquid device for determining the concentration of a substance in a liquid by measuring its absorbance. It is preferred that UV LEDs emitting light up to 400 nm are used for the measurement of concentrations in solution of proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, cell extracts, cell lysates, cell cultures or combinations thereof, but the invention has application to other light wavelengths, particularly wavelengths up to 700 nm. Two or three LEDs have been shown, but more than three may be employed, for example four, or five or six or more LEDs could be used, and additional LED's could emit visible light. In the embodiments, the band pass filters have been shown to be located between the sample cells 30 , 130 , 230 , 330 , 331 and their respective LED light sources, however, the apparatus shown will function with equal effectiveness if the filters are placed after the sample cells, but before the detectors 40 , 140 , 240 , 340 , 341 . In that case, the filters will need to be changed so that the correct filter is used with the correct LED. The reference detectors 42 , 142 , 242 , 342 will still function to detect changes the LED output intensity even if the light falling on them is unfiltered.
[0048] The LEDs shown are schematically represented, and their form could be different to that shown. For example surface mounted LEDs could be used which are generally flatter than those shown, and have a flat collimating lens attached. So called multiple light source LEDs, which generate different frequencies of light from adjacent semiconductor areas could be employed, in which case the scale of the devices shown would be smaller, but there operating principles would be the same.
[0049] The usual mode of operation for all embodiments will be to cyclically change between wavelengths to optimise performance, however for some substances it will be possible to search for low concentrations of that substance at a first wavelength which substance even at low concentrations absorbs that light at the first frequency readily, and then, as concentrations increase, to switch to a second wavelength which is not so readily absorbed, thereby providing a greater range of operation and sensitivity.
[0050] The above examples illustrate specific aspects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope thereof in any respect and should not be so construed. Those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings of the present invention as set forth above, can effect numerous modifications thereto. These modifications are to be construed as being encompassed within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. For determining the scope of this disclosure, it is intended that any feature of one embodiment could be combined with a further feature or features of one or more other embodiments.
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Disclosed is an apparatus for measuring the absorbance of a substance in a solution, comprising: i) a sample cell ( 30 ) of known path length (b) for containing said solution (S), said cell being transparent to light of a predefined wavelength spectrum; ii) plural LED's each being independently operable by means of a controller ( 25 ) each for emitting light, within said predefined wavelength spectrum, along a light path; iii) a band pass filter ( 22 ) in the light path; iv) a beam splitter ( 24 ) for dividing light from said source propagating along the path into a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being directable by the beam splitter toward a reference detector ( 42 ) and said second portion being directable into the cell ( 30 ); v) a reference detector ( 42 ) for detecting the intensity of said first portion of light directed by said beam splitter; and vi) a sample detector ( 40 ) for detecting the intensity of the second portion propagating from the cell; the apparatus allowing a sample in the cell to be inexpensively subjected to more than one wavelength of light for quicker or more accurate analysis.
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This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/909,901, filed Aug. 12, 1997 which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,223 on Dec. 21, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to discovering trends in text databases. More particularly, the invention concerns the analysis of databases to find user specified trends in documenting text by employing phrase identification using sequential patterns and trend identification using shape queries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Database technology has been used with great success in traditional business data processing. However, there is a increasing desire to use this technology in new application domains. For example, one such application domain that has acquired considerable significance is that of database text analysis (sometimes referred to as “mining”).
Several approaches to different database content analysis techniques have been proposed as discussed in Feldman et al., “Knowledge Discovery in Textual Databases (KDT)”, Proc. of the 1 st Int'l. Conf. on Knowledge Discovery in Databases and Data Mining , 1995; Feldman et al., “Mining Associations in Text in the Presence of Background Knowledge”, Proc. of the 2 nd Int'l. Conf. on Knowledge Discovery on Databases and Data Mining , 1996; Renouf, A., “Making Sense of Text: Automated Approaches to Meaning Extraction”, 17 th Int'l. On-Line Information Meeting Proceedings , 1993a; Srikant et al., “Mining Sequential Patterns: Generalizations and Performance Improvements”, Proc. of the 5 th Int'l. Conf. on Extending Database Technology ( EDBT ), 1996. As new database content analysis techniques are discovered, an increasing number of organizations are creating ultra large databases (measured in gigabytes and even terabytes) of business data, such as consumer data, transactional histories, sales records, and historical documents. For example, U.S. Patents dating from 1970 may now be found in a computer database which forms a potential gold mine of valuable business information.
A few suggestions have been made by database content analysis practitioners concerning discovering interesting patterns and trend analyses on text documents. For example, analyzing trends involving the comparison of concept distributions using old data with distributions using new data has been suggested in Feldman, 1995, supra. In Feldman, 1996, supra, associations between the key words or concepts labeling documents using background knowledge about relationships among the key words is described. The knowledge base is used to supply unary or binary relations amongst the key words labeling the documents.
More specifically, using words and phrases to describe themes and concepts in text documents is now being studied by the information retrieval community. For example, mathematical models treating word associations as weighted vectors that represent “concepts” found within documents has been proposed. This “vector” approach allows a query to identify and retrieve a document even when the query and the document share no words, but do share a similar concept. The technique is referred to as Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) and is discussed in Deerwester et al., “Indexing by Latent Semantic Analysis”, Journal of the American Society for Information Science , 41(6):391-407, 1990. However, one problem with the LSI model is the amount of time it takes to “build” the model.
The use of words and phrases to build more advanced queries to discover trends in databases is of recent advent. Various techniques, such as identifying phrases as concepts and as relationships between concepts, where the quality of text categorization is improved by using word clusters and phrases, has been proposed. However, one problem in implementing such phrase-based database content analysis techniques is their implementation in existing databases. The database systems of today offer little functionality to support such “mining”applications, and machine learning techniques perform poorly when applied to very large databases. The difficulty in implementation of a phrase-based analysis method is one reason why the discovery of trends in text databases has not evolved as quickly as might be expected.
Although these trend-finding methods constitute a significant advance and in some instances enjoy commercial success today the assignee of the present application has continually sought to improve the performance and efficiency of these data analysis systems. The problem with presently known methods is that trends in databases may not be easily and efficiently discovered using current techniques.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Broadly, the present invention concerns a method and apparatus used to discover trends in text databases. More particularly, the invention concerns the analysis of the contents of text databases to find user specified trends. The method employs sequential pattern phrase identification and uses shape queries to identify trends in the data.
In one embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide a method to access and partition a database, identify words and phrases contained in text documents of the partition, and discover trends based upon the frequency with which the phrases appear. A practical example of the implementation of the present invention best summarizes the invention.
In the example, assume the present invention is connected to a database containing all granted U.S. Patents. The patent data is retrieved using a dynamically generated Structured Query Language (SQL) query based upon selection criteria specified by the user. In one embodiment. the selection criteria may be specified by the user using a graphic user interface (GUI). The present invention allows the selection of patents in a specific classification or by key words appearing in the title or abstract of each patent in the database. Once retrieved. a histogram displaying the number of patents for each year may be shown on the GUI and the user may then “partition” the database, i.e., specify a range of years upon which the present invention will be implemented.
The user can also chose the maximum and minimum gap desired between words in the phrases to be mined as well as the minimum support all phrases must meet for each time period between the start and ending years. Once the user has specified a range upon which the method will focus, the text data contained within that range is “cleansed” in one embodiment to remove unwanted symbols and stop words. Transaction IDs are assigned to the words in the text documents depending on their placement within each document contained within the data range. The transaction IDs encode both the position of each word within the document as well as representing sentence, paragraph, and section breaks, and are represented in one embodiment as long integers with the sentence boundaries using the 10 3 location, the paragraph boundaries using the 10 5 location, and the section boundaries using the 10 7 location. By specifying the minimum gap of 10 3 , for instance, phrases will consist of words each from different but sequential sentences.
Assuming partitioning and cleansing has occurred as discussed above, each partition containing patent documents is passed over by the present invention using a generalized sequential pattern method to generate those phrases in each partition that meet a minimum support threshold as specified by the user. The resulting phrases may be cached in one embodiment so that different shaped queries can be run using the data. The shape query engine used in the present invention takes the set of partitioned phrases and selects those that match the given shape query. In another embodiment. once a shaped-query has been defined either internally or using a graphical editor. the shape query is rewritten into a standard definition language (SDL). The SDL is used to determine user specified trends which are present in the partitioned database.
In another embodiment the user may define his own shape by using a visual shape editor. In any event, the query may take the form of requesting a trend in phrase usage in patents such as “recent upwards trend”, “recent spikes in usage”, “downward trends”, and “resurgence of usage”. Once the phrases matching the shape query are found, they are presented to the user via a visual display.
In another embodiment, the invention may provide an apparatus for implementing the invention. The apparatus may include a data processing device such as a mainframe computer using an operating system sold under trademarks such as MVS. The apparatus may also incorporate a database system or may access data on files located on a data storage medium such as disk.
In still another embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide a signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processing apparatus to perform a method for discovering trends from a database. The signal-bearing media may comprise various types of storage media, or other suitable signal-bearing media including transmission media such as digital, analog. or wireless communication links.
The invention affords its users with a number of distinct advantages. One advantage the invention provides is a method for discovering changing trends in a company's business philosophy. In other words, the company's shift in interest from one area to another may be discovered, thereby allowing the user to better anticipate the strategies of the company. Another advantage provided is that spikes, upward trends, downward trends, or any other user defined trend can be mined from a given text database. The invention also provides numerous other advantages and benefits, which should be apparent from the following description of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The nature, objects, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the hardware components and interconnections of a digital processing machine used to find trends in a database in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary signal-bearing medium in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an operational sequence illustrating the basic implementation of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an operational sequence illustrating one embodiment of how frequent phrases are identified in task 306 of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 5 is a table showing the minimum and maximum time gaps between each word in a 2-phrase implementation executed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an operational sequence illustrating one embodiment of how a history of frequent phrases is generated in task 308 of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 7A is list of the phrases culled from a database in accordance with -one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7B is a pruned list of the phrases mined in FIG. 7B; and
FIG. 8 is a table showing the trends found from the phrases culled from a database using one embodiment of the present invention, the phrases being shown in FIG. 7 A and FIG. 7 B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
HARDWARE COMPONENTS & INTERCONNECTIONS
One aspect of the invention concerns a data processing system for extracting desired data relationships from a database, which may be embodied by various hardware components and interconnections as described in FIG. 1 .
Digital Data Processing Apparatus
Referring to FIG. 1, a data processing system 100 for analyzing the contents of databases in order to discover desired data relationships is illustrated. In the architecture shown, the system 100 includes one or more digital processing apparatuses, such as a client computer 102 and a server computer 104 . In one embodiment, the server computer 104 may be a mainframe computer manufactured by the International Business Machines Corporation of Armonk, N.Y., and may use an operating system sold under trademarks such as MVS. Or, the server computer 104 may be a Unix computer, or OS/2 server, or Windows NT server, or IBM RS/6000 530 workstation with a minimum of 128 MB of main memory running AIX 3.2.5. The server computer 104 may incorporate a database system, such as DB2 or ORACLE, or it may have data on files on some data storage medium such as disk, e.g., a 2 GB SCSI 3.5″ drive, or tape.
FIG. 1 shows that. through appropriate data access programs and utilities 108 , the minine kernel 106 accesses one or more databases 110 and/or flat files (i.e. text files) 12 which contain data chronicling transactions. After executing the steps described below. the mining kernel 106 outputs association rules it discovers to a mining results repository 114 , which can be accessed by the client computer 102 .
Additionally, FIG. 1 shows that the client computer 102 can include a mining kernel interface 116 which, like the mining kernel 106 , may be implemented in suitable computer code. Among other things, the interface 116 functions as an input mechanism for establishing certain variables, including the minimum support value or minimum confidence value. Further, the client computer 102 preferably includes an output module 118 for outputting/displaying the mining results on a graphic display 120 , print mechanism 122 , or data storage medium 124 .
Despite the specific foregoing description, ordinarily skilled artisans (having the benefit of this disclosure) will recognize that the apparatus discussed above may be implemented in a machine of different construction, without departing from the scope of the invention. As a specific example, one of the output components 118 may be eliminated; furthermore, the functions of the client computer 102 may be incorporated into the server computer 104 , even though depicted separately in FIG. 1 .
OPERATION
In addition to the various hardware embodiments described above, a different aspect of the invention concerns a method for discovering trends in text databases.
Signal-Bearing Media
Such a method may be implemented, for example, by operating the system 100 to execute a sequence of machine-readable instructions. These instructions may reside in various types of signal-bearing media. In this respect, one aspect of the present invention concerns a programmed product, comprising signal-bearing media tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processor to perform a method to discover trends in databases.
This signal-bearing media may comprise, for example, RAM (not shown) contained within the system 100 . Alternatively, the instructions may be contained in another signal-bearing media, such as a magnetic data storage diskette 200 as shown in FIG. 2, directly or indirectly accessible by the system 100 . Whether contained in the system 100 or elsewhere, the instructions may be stored on a variety of machine-readable data storage media, such as DASD storage (e.g., a conventional “hard drive” or a RAID array). magnetic tape. electronic read-only memory (e.g., CD-ROM or WORM), an optical storage device (e.g. WORM). paper “punch” cards. or other suitable signal-bearing media including transmission media such as digital and analog and communication links and wireless. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, and not by way of limitation the machine-readable instructions may comprise lines of compiled C ++ language code.
Overall Sequence of Operation
FIG. 3 shows a sequence of method steps 300 to illustrate one example of the method aspect of the present invention. For ease of explanation, but without any limitation intended thereby, the example of FIG. 3 is described in the context of the system 100 described above. The steps are initiated in step 302 , when a desired database is accessed.
Using the database, the mining kernel 106 may initiate a database cleansing routine in step 304 to remove unwanted symbols and stop words. These symbols and stop words may represent informational data that is included in the database, but is not needed or obstructs performance of the method of the present invention. At the same time the database is being cleansed, “transaction IDs”may be assigned by the mining kernel 106 to the words comprising the database depending on their placement within a subsection of the data. The transaction IDs encode both the position of each word within the subsection of the database as well as representing sentence, paragraph, and section breaks. Using the transaction IDs the identity of frequent phrases appearing in the database are determined in step 306 . Furthermore, the database may be partitioned by the user so that only data for a specified period or other characteristic is considered by the current trend discovering invention.
For example, for each partition of cleansed data, a pass may be made over the partitioned data using a general sequential pattern algorithm such as that found in Srikant et al., “Mining Sequential Patterns: Generalizations and Performance Improvements”, Proc. of the 5 th Int'l. Conf. on Extending Database Technology ( EDBT ), 1996. The pass over the data is used to generate those phrases in each partition that meet user specified minimum support threshold. The mining kernel 106 may be used in determining minimum support values, where support equates to the number of times a word or phrase is present in a document in the data partition compared to the overall number of times the word or phrase appears in the entire data partition. A history of the phrases is generated by the mining kernel 106 in step 308 and cached so that different “shape queries”, as described below, can be run against the data. The shape query is implemented in step 310 to take the set of partition phrases of interest and select those phrases that match the given shape of the query. A shape query may be defined in various ways, known in the art, such as internally using computer programming or using a graphical editor. Once a shape query has been defined, a rewriting of the query into SDL is performed by the mining kernel 106 . One example of a method for rewriting a query into SDL is set forth in Agrawal et al., “Querying Shapes of Histories”, Proc. of the 21 st Int'l. Conf. on Very Large Databases ( VLDB ), 1995.
In step 312 , “pruning” of the phrases which meet the requirements of the shape query may be performed. Pruning refers to the elimination of phrases which are not of interest to the user. and are deemed “uninteresting”. If prunina is desired. in step 314 the pruning may comprise dropping non-maximal phrases when their support is near that of a maximal phrase that is a superset of the phrases discovered. A maximal phrase is a phrase that has maximum support in the data partition. In another embodiment, the pruning of step 314 may involve the use of a syntactic hierarchial ordering of phrases. The idea is that if a phrase X is a syntactic subphrase of a phrase Y, then the concept corresponding to X is usually a generalization of the concept corresponding to phrase Y. Such an ordering allows users to explore lower-level concepts by selecting some of the non-maximal phrases, being that users of the invention would initially see only the most general concepts. Regardless of whether pruning in step 314 occurs or not, the results of the database mining of the method 300 are displayed in step 316 . The results may be displayed on various mediums as described above relative to output module 118 of FIG. 1 . The method ends in step 318 .
In one embodiment, phrase-identification as used in the current invention in step 306 involves in a general sense the mining of generalized sequential patterns. The discovery of generalized sequential patterns is discussed in Srikant et al., “Mining Sequential Patterns: Generalizations and Performance Improvements”, Proc. of the 5 th Int'l. Conf. on Extending Database Technology ( EDBT ), 1996. In discovering generalized sequential patterns, a set of sequences, called data-sequences, is used. Each data-sequence is a list of transactions, where each transaction is a set of items commonly called literals. For example, [(3) (4 5) (7)] is a sequence where (3), (4 5), and (7) are each transactions. The present invention uses a sequential pattern which consists of a list of sets of items, where each set of items is called an element of the pattern. The support of a sequential pattern is the percentage of data-sequences that contain the pattern. The present invention finds all sequential patterns whose support is greater than a user-specified minimum support. Furthermore. a time constraint is used that specifies a minimum and or maximum time period between adjacent elements in a pattern. As discussed below, the time constraints can be specified by the end user. In addition, items in an element of the sequential pattern can be present in a set of transactions which have a timestamp and may be within a user-specified time window rather than in a single transaction.
One embodiment of a phrase identifying method 400 is illustrated in FIG. 4 and describes in greater detail how frequent phrases are identified in step 306 of FIG. 3 . The following discussion relates to the mapping of words to single item transactions as indicated in step 402 and the mapping of phrases to sequential patterns as noted in step 404 . Essentially, a word w is denoted by (w) and a phrase p by [(w 1 )(w 2 ) . . . (w n )]. It is intended in the present invention that the definition of a “phrase” is defined with considerable latitude. For example, a phrase can be defined to be a consecutive list of words, a list of words that are contained in a single sentence, or a list of words where each word is from a different sentence but within a single paragraph. However, in another embodiment the term phrase may take on other embodiments as defined by the user in trying to find specific information by implementing the present invention.
The mapping of words in step 402 may comprise in one embodiment mapping a word in a text field (“document”) to a single-item transaction in a data-sequence. A phrase may be mapped to a sequential pattern that has just one item in each element. A “timestamp” for each word—specifying both the order of occurrences of the words in the document and the locations of the words relative to grammatical sections of the document. such as sentence and paragraphs—is generated in step 406 . For example, the timestamp may be incremented by 1 for successive words in a sentence. by 1000 when crossing a sentence boundary, by 10 5 for a paragraph boundary, and 10 7 for a section boundary. This mapping—running the sequential patterns with a maximum gap of 1—generates phrases that are a list of consecutive words. If the maximum gap in the timestamp were set to 1000, phrases that are a list of (possibly non-consecutive) words from a single sentence would be generated. Setting the minimum gap of the timestamp to 1000 and the maximum gap of the timestamp to 10 5 would generate a list of words, each from a different sentence, but within a single paragraph.
In a further embodiment, phrases with more complex structures may be defined using a 1-phrase as a list of elements where each element is itself a phrase, and a k-phrase has an iterated list of phrases with k levels of nesting. For instance, a 1-phrase could be [[(IBM)](data)(mining)]]. Based on user-specified parameters this phrase may correspond to “IBM” and “data mining” occurring in a single paragraph, with “data mining” being contiguous words in the paragraph. A k-phrase where k=2 could be [[(IBM)][(data)(mining)]][[(Anderson)(Consulting]], where “Anderson Consulting” occurs in a different paragraph from “IBM” and “data mining” but in the same section. The k=2 signifies the number of words in the phrase. For example, the 2-phrase uses the “words” [[(IBM)] and [(data)(mining)]] with [[(Anderson)(Consulting)]]. To find such complex k-phrases the method of the present invention may be enhanced to a allow a different maximum and minimum time gap between each pair of adjacent elements in the suggested pattern. To illustrate, FIG. 5 shows the minimum and maximum time gaps in the two-word phrase (2-phrase) example given above. assuming that it is desired that the whole pattern occur within a single section of a document. After the words and phrases have been mapped and the time step generated. the method of FIG. 4 ends in step 408 .
FIG. 6 illustrates in greater detail the method followed in one embodiment of step 308 of FIG. 3 for generating a history of frequent phrases. Generation of the history of phrases begins in step 602 when the documents contained in the database are partitioned by the mining kernel 106 based upon their timestamps. The “granularity” of the partitioning may be specified by the end user or may be set automatically by the method based upon user-defined criteria. For example, partitioning of the documents by year may be appropriate for patent data, whereas, partitioning by month may be more suitable for internet-related documents. For each partition, a set of frequent phrases is generated in step 604 as discussed above and includes the mapping techniques described above in steps 402 and 404 shown in FIG. 4 . In step 606 , the history of support values for each phrase is determined and may be cached for later use. The history of support values may be cached, for example, in the client computer 102 , the server computer 104 , or as otherwise indicated in the apparatus embodiments discussed in FIG. 2 . When a particular phrase does not have minimum supported in a given partition, the phrases history will be empty for that time period. By maintaining a support history for each supported phrase, the set of histories may be queried at any time to select those phrases that have some specific shape in their histories. In the preferred embodiment, a shape definition language (SDL) such as set forth in Agrawal et al, supia, is used to define the user's queries and retrieve the associated data. In another embodiment, other well known SDLs may be used such as found in Kroft et al., “The Use of Phrases and Structured Queries in Information Retrieval”, 14 th Int'l. ACM SIGIR Conf. on Research and Development on Information Retrieval . 1991.
However, several benefits may be realized by using a shape query language such as SDL to identify trends. For example, the SDL language is small, yet powerful. allowing a rich combination of operators to be employed. Further, it is a straight forward step to rewrite a shape the user may define graphically into a set of SDL operators. Also, SDL allows a “blurry” query—a query defined by its shape and not the details of each interval of the shape—to be used if the user seeks information about an overall shape that does not care about the specific details of each interval of the shape. Finally, a shape query language such as SDL may be implemented efficiently since most of the operators of the language are designed to be “greedy” to reduce non-determinations which in turn reduces the amount of back-tracking that may be required when searching across the history of support values. Greedy refers to an operator characteristic for including a broader array of related data on a given pass over the date.
Assuming the support value for the phrases exceed a user defined minimum in step 608 , phrases with a support value greater than or equal to the minimum support are generated in step 610 . If the phrase support values do not exceed the minimum, but the user wishes to review phrases with less than the minimum support value, as shown in step 612 , phrases with a support value less than minimum support in all or in some of the intervals are found in step 614 . The support for these phrases may be of interest to the user. Regardless, the phrases and/or their supports may be reviewed to identify trends. where a trend is simply the relationship established by those k-phrases selected using a shape query with the additional constraints of time periods in which the trend is supported. The method ends in step 616 .
The following example illustrates trends found using the present invention from U.S. Patents classified in the category “Induced Nuclear Reactions: Processes. Systems, and Elements”. FIG. 7A lists the phrases found using the present invention, and FIG. 7B shows the hierarchial ordering of the phrases of FIG. 7 A. The example phrases are the result of either a shaped-query which represented a steadily increasing trend of the phrase usage in recent years, or a trend of decreasing phrase usage in recent years. Without knowing the kind of patents filed in this category, the present invention found phrases and determined some of the popular topics of the recently granted patents in this category.
The top phrases found for U.S. Patents in this category, classification 376 , were generated using the pruning techniques discussed earlier in this application. As can be seen from FIG. 7 A and FIG. 7B, the support value for each phrase is shown as a percentage in the left hand column with the 0-phrase represented in the right hand column. FIG. 7B shows the results of a user-specified ordering on the phrases in FIG. 7 A. The ordering of FIG. 7B included a pruning step where the use of a syntactic hierarchial ordering of the phrases was implemented. Any phrase that was a syntactic subphrase of another phrase was eliminated. The ordering was performed because the syntactic subphrase was a generalization of a broader phrase included in FIG. 7 A.
By way of example and not limitation, the trends desired by the user and derived from the phrases generated in FIG. 7B are shown in FIG. 8 . Phrases 1 through 3 showed an increasing trend of usage. and phrases 4 and 5 showed descending usage.
OTHER EMBODIMENTS
While there have been shown what are presently considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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A method and apparatus for mining text databases, employing sequential pattern phrase identification and shape queries, to discover trends. The method passes over a desired database using a dynamically generated shape query. Documents within the database are selected based on specific classifications and user defined partitions. Once a partition is specified, transaction IDs are assigned to the words in the text documents depending on their placement within each document. The transaction IDs encode both the position of each word within the document as well as representing sentence, paragraph, and section breaks, and are represented in one embodiment as long integers with the sentence boundaries. A maximum and minimum gap between words in the phrases and the minimum support all phrases must meet for the selected time period may be specified. A generalized sequential pattern method is used to generate those phrases in each partition that meet the minimum support threshold. The shape query engine takes the set of phrases for the partition of interest and selects those that match a given shape query. A query may take the form of requesting a trend such as “recent upwards trend”, “recent spikes in usage”, “downward trends”, and “resurgence of usage”. Once the phrases matching the shape query are found, they are presented to the user.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention pertains to communication systems and more particularly to a method for allocating a unique interface identifier to a mobile station.
[0002] When a mobile station connects to a General Packet Radio Support (GPRS) or Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) network, the mobile station uses a PDP (packet data protocol) context activation procedure in order to establish an internet protocol connectivity with an external Packet Data Network (PDN). Present procedures for a mobile network (i.e. a GGSN, gateway GPRS support node) generate a unique mobile station interface identifier. This interface identifier is passed back to the mobile station during the PDP context activation.
[0003] However, this interface identifier does not allow the mobile station to generate an address with a network prefix other than the one from the GGSN. This mobile interface identifier may not be consistent with the other networks controlled by the mobile network. Mobile stations require access to other packet data networks for various data functions provided by 2G, 2.5G and 3G, etc. External packet data networks typically employ strict control mechanisms over address assignment.
[0004] Current procedures which allow a mobile station to access an external packet data network for an Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) address require the mobile station to support separate stateful address autoconfigurations. The drawbacks of the current mobile station external PDN procedure are as follows. A mobile station must support an additional protocol such as DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) which adds to the complexity and cost of the mobile station. Since additional signaling is required over the air, the time between the request and the time the communication “payload” is actually transferred is increased; this is referred to as the post-dialing delay. Lastly, since the mobile station spends more time on the air, the power of the mobile station is not conserved.
[0005] It is therefore highly desirable to have a stateful autoconfiguration procedure performed by a mobile network instead of a mobile station which allows stateless autoconfiguration without requiring the mobile station to support DHCP or any other stateful address configuration protocol required by the external network.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0006] [0006]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an IP address allocation for mobile terminals in accordance with the present invention.
[0007] [0007]FIG. 2 is a message flow diagram of a procedure for allocation of IP address for mobile terminals in accordance with the present invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0008] [0008]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile station access for internet protocol address allocation from an external packet data network 40 . As mobile station is used herein, it includes a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, computer laptop, pager or other “intelligent” device. Mobile station 10 is coupled to tower 15 of RAN 15 (radio access network). This coupling is in the form of an over-the-air cellular link in the example shown in FIG. 1, the link is a cellular one. Tower 15 and RAN 20 form the basis of the cellular network with which mobile station interfaces. Although a terrestrial cellular network is shown, a satellite communication network or other IPV6 network, such as a wireless LAN, is a suitable equivalent.
[0009] RAN 20 is coupled to SGSN (Signaling GPRS Support Node) 25 of core network 31 . Either an intra-operator or inter-operator backbone 30 connects SGSN 25 to GGSN 35 (Gateway GPRS Support Node). GGSN 35 interfaces with the packet data network 40 in a stateful address autoconfiguration procedure to obtain an internet protocol version 6 address for mobile station 10 . The internet protocol version 6 address is then relayed from packet data network 40 to GGSN 35 to mobile station 10 .
[0010] [0010]FIG. 2 is a message flow diagram of an IP address allocation method for mobile terminals. Mobile station 10 requests a packet data protocol (PDP) context activation request 51 to SGSN 25 . The request is for connectivity between the mobile station 10 and an external packet data network 40 . The SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) 25 forwards the request for connectivity 52 to GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node) 35 . GGSN 35 examines the contents of the message. Based upon the message contents, the GGSN 35 determines that mobile station 10 needs an IPv6 address from the address space which is managed by the external packet data network 40 .
[0011] The external PDN 40 requires the use of a stateful address autoconfiguration in order to obtain an IPv6 address. Acting on behalf of the mobile station 10 , GGSN 35 solicits the address of a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server 41 within PDN 40 with the DHCP solicit message 53 . PDN 40 responds to the request of GGSN 35 with a DHCP advertise message 54 . The advertise message provides the address of the DHCP server 41 to be used by GGSN 35 .
[0012] Responsive to the advertise message 54 from the external network, the GGSN sends a DHCP request message 55 to the DHCP server 41 of PDN 40 requesting an IPv6 address. Packet data network 40 then responds with an IPv6 address assigned to mobile station 10 . Next, GGSN 35 performs a duplicate address detection (DAD) 57 procedure to validate the uniqueness of the IPv6 address.
[0013] When GGSN 35 determines the address to be unique the GGSN transmits the interface identifier portion of the IPv6 address back to the mobile station 10 through SGSN 25 . GGSN 35 responds to the initial PDP context request 52 with a PDP context response message 58 which is transmitted to SGSN 25 . SGSN then transmits a context activation response message 59 to the mobile station 10 via the radio access network (RAN) 20 .
[0014] After sending the PDP context resonse message 58 , the GGSN 35 also transmits a router advertisement message 60 to the SGSN 25 . Router advertisement message 60 includes the network prefix obtained from the IPv6 address assigned to mobile station 10 by the external PDN 40 . The mobile network comprising RAN 20 , SGSN 25 and GGSN 35 does not manage or control this particular prefix.
[0015] Next, SGSN 25 transmits the router advertisement including PDN network prefix message 61 to mobile station 10 . When mobile station 10 receives the router advertisement message 61 from SGSN 25 , mobile station 10 performs a stateless autoconfiguration process. As a result, mobile station 10 creates the same IPv6 address as was assigned by PDN 40 . Mobile station 10 created this same IPv6 address without the need for duplicate address detection, 62 , since GGSN 35 has previously determined the uniqueness of the address. As a result, additional signaling over the air between the SGSN and mobile station 10 is alleviated.
[0016] This allocation address procedure has the benefit of requiring mobile station 10 to support only one method of obtaining an IPv6 address, regardless of the network which allocates the address. Mobile station 10 is not required to support an additional procedure for stateful address autoconfiguration such as DHCP. Further since the GGSN 35 performs the duplicate address detection process, the mobile device(s) 10 do not need to verify the uniqueness of the address and additional over the air signaling is saved as a result. Lastly, since the duplicate address detection procedures are not performed by the mobile device, there is no need to broadcast neighbor solicitation messages to other mobile stations in order to verify the uniqueness of the IPv6 address. As a result, the mobile device's design is much simpler and considerable over the air message transmission time is saved, thereby greatly increasing the battery life of the mobile station.
[0017] Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the present invention or from the scope of the appended claims.
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A method for an Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation by an external packet data network ( 40 ) to a mobile station ( 10 ) unburdens the mobile station ( 10 ) of directly contacting the external network. The mobile station requests ( 51 ) the unique IP address. The mobile network ( 31 ) statefully obtains the unique IP address from an external network ( 40 ). The mobile network ( 31 ) then transmit the verified, unambiguous unique IP address to the mobile station ( 10 ).
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BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to battery charging and protection circuits, and more specifically to a thermally-limited charging circuit with overcharge and undercharge protection.
2. Background Art
Electronic devices, including cellular phones, pagers, radios, compact disc players, MP3 players, portable computers, and the like are becoming ever more popular. These devices are gaining popularity due to their portability. The devices derive their portability from the use of rechargeable batteries as a power source. Rechargeable batteries, of course, require a battery charger to inject current or “charge”, thereby causing the battery to store energy for future use in the electronic device.
FIG. 1 illustrates a simple battery charger 100 that is well known in the art. The charger 100 consists of a power supply 101 , a linear regulator 102 , a pass element 103 and a battery cell 104 . The power supply 101 provides voltage and current to the battery cell 104 . The voltage and current must be regulated by the pass element 103 so as to avoid charging the battery cell 104 too, rapidly. The linear regulator 102 performs this regulation by dissipating as heat the difference between the power generated by the power supply 101 and the power stored by the battery cell 104 .
The problem with this prior art solution is that the pass element 103 can overheat. This is best explained by way of example. For a typical single-cell, lithium battery application, a fully charged battery cell 104 typically registers about 4.1 volts. Thus, to fully charge the battery cell 104 , and to give enough headroom for parasitic power losses in the pass element 103 and connecting circuitry, the power supply must be capable of supplying at least 5 volts. A typical battery cell 104 will charge optimally at a current of roughly 1 amp.
The problem arises with the battery cell 104 is fully discharged. A discharged battery cell 104 may register only 2 volts. As the power supply 101 would supply energy at a rate of 5 volts at 1 amp, or 5 watts, and the battery cell 104 stores energy at a rate of 2 volts at 1 amp, or 2 watts, the pass element 103 must dissipate energy at a rate of 3 watts. As typical pass elements 103 may come in an industry-common TO-220 package, 3 watts for extended periods of time may make the pass element 103 quite warm. Extended periods of heat my actually jeopardize reliability by approaching—or surpassing—the threshold junction temperature of the pass element 103 .
The problem is exacerbated when an incompatible power supply 101 is coupled to the circuit. For example, if someone accidentally couples a 12-volt supply to the charger, the pass element 103 may have to dissipate 10 watts! This can eventually lead to thermal destruction of the pass element 103 .
One solution to this problem is recited in U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,382, issued to Saint-Pierre et al. entitled “Tracking Circuit for Power Supply Output Control”. This solution provides a means of reducing the output voltage of a power supply when the battery is in a discharged state, thereby reducing the total output power of the power supply. This, in turn, reduces the amount of power a pass element would need to dissipate.
While this is a very effective solution to the problem, it requires a power supply that both includes a feedback input and is responsive to the input by changing the output voltage. The electronics associated with an adjustable power supply can be more expensive that those found is a simple linear transformer power supply.
There is thus a need for an improved means of regulating temperature in a power-dissipating element like those employed as pass elements in battery charging applications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art charging circuit.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of the characteristic output of a constant current, constant voltage power supply.
FIG. 3 illustrates a danger zone of operation in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 4 is an illustration of the characteristic output of a wall transformer power supply.
FIG. 5 illustrates a danger zone of operation in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a circuit in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 7 is one preferred embodiment of a circuit in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 8 is an alternate embodiment of a circuit in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims, the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise: the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.”
Prior to turning to the specifics of the invention, it is well to briefly examine the operating regions in which there is a risk of thermal damage to a pass element. This is best explained by looking at battery charging applications, although it will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be equally applied to other applications as well.
Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated therein is the output characteristic 200 of a “constant-voltage-constant-current”, or “CCCV”, power supply. Such supplies are known in the art, as recited by U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,541, entitled “Power Supply Control Circuit Having Constant Voltage and Constant Current Modes”. Another such supply is taught in the application notes for the TL494 control IC manufactured by On-Semiconductor. Segment 201 illustrates a constant voltage of Vmax that is supplied for all load currents less than Imax. Once the load current attempts to exceed Imax, segment 202 represents the maximum current, Imax, that is delivered as the voltage tapers from Vmax to zero.
Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated therein is a charging characteristic 203 of the circuit of FIG. 1 when a CCCV source is employed as the power supply. The characteristic 203 is represented as voltage versus percentage of charge. Presuming that an initially discharged battery cell is coupled to the supply, the charging curve begins at Vlow 204 , which essentially represents the voltage of the discharged battery cell. The power supply, by contrast, begins at Vmax 205 . Consequently, there is a difference Vmax 205 minus Vlow 204 that proportionally corresponds to the power that must be dissipated by the pass element. Experimental and theoretical results have shown that a threshold exists, Vok 206 , above which standard pass elements are capable of dissipating power for a given charge rate. However, when the battery cell voltage is below Vok 206 , the pass element is called upon to dissipate more power than it can withstand. Thus, the shaded region 207 represents the “danger zone” for the pass element. Note that the current is below Imax for the voltage to be Vmax.
Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrated therein is the output characteristic 300 for another common power supply, the linear transformer. It may be seen from segment 301 that voltage generally rolls off as current increases. A small peak at segment 302 may be caused by rectification circuitry that includes filter capacitors. In any event, the battery charges between the levels Vbatmin 303 and Vbatmax 304 .
Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrated therein is the power generated by the circuit of FIG. 1 when a linear transformer is employed as the power supply. When the battery cell voltage approaches its termination point, Vbatmax 304 of FIG. 4, the voltage of the transformer continues to increase while the battery voltage stays relatively constant. This means that the pass element must be able to dissipate the extra power that results from this increasing voltage differential. As a result of the extra power, a pass element danger zone for linear transformers exists in the shaded region 306 .
To summarize the preceding discussion, there are regions of operation in which a battery charger having a pass element works well with no temperature compensation. There are other danger zones, however, where pass element reliability may be compromised due to the high power dissipation. It is one object of this invention to provide a circuit that prevents pass elements or other power dissipating elements from entering danger zones. The invention regulates the power dissipation of the pass element by limiting the power dissipation to a predetermined level.
Referring again to FIG. 1, the power dissipated in the pass element 103 may be expressed as the voltage of the power supply 101 , minus the voltage of the battery cell 104 , multiplied by the charge current. If the pass element 103 comprises a PNP bipolar junction transistor, as is common in the art, the voltage of the power supply 101 , minus the voltage of the battery cell 104 may simply be represented as Vce, the voltage difference between the emitter 106 voltage and the collector 107 voltage. Thus, the power is given as:
P=Vce*Ichg (EQ. 1)
The threshold junction temperature, Tj, of the pass element 103 transistor is the temperature above which the transistor integrity begins to degrade. In other words, if the pass element 103 gets hotter than its threshold junction temperature, it will probably stop working properly. The threshold junction temperature may be represented as:
Tj=P*k+Tamb (EQ. 2)
where P is the power dissipated in the pass element, k is a constant dependent upon the physical characteristics of the pass element, and Tamb is the ambient temperature about the pass element. Thus, if the ambient temperature is 35 degrees C., and the threshold junction temperature is 150 degrees C., a power dissipation temperature of 115 degrees may be tolerated while still ensuring proper pass element operation.
Solving for P in EQ. 2 yields:
P =( Tj−Tamb )/ k (EQ. 3)
From EQ. 3, two things may be inferred: First, for a given ambient temperature, power dissipation is roughly proportional to junction temperature. Second, for a given maximum junction temperature, there is a predetermined power dissipation level above which a pass element will fail.
This invention takes advantage of these two pieces of information to create a low cost, linear charger with a maximum pass element power dissipation limit. The charger is thus capable of operation in the danger zones without fear of failure. The invention keeps the power dissipation of the pass element below a maximum level by reducing Ichg prior to the pass element temperature exceeding the maximum junction temperature. In so doing, the invention provides a safeguard against component failure in battery charging applications.
Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrated therein one preferred embodiment of a power regulation and thermal management circuit in block diagram form in accordance with the invention. The circuit includes a traditional pass element 501 , as well as power supply terminals 502 and cell connection terminals 503 . The circuit includes a maximum current limit circuit 504 that keeps the charging current, Ichg, below a predetermined maximum threshold. A voltage termination circuit 505 causes the pass element 501 to open when the cell is fully charged. A protection circuit 507 is provided to ensure safe operation of the cell while charging and discharging.
A trickle/charge control circuit 505 controls the pass element 501 . Such a circuit is recited in commonly assigned, copending application Ser. No. 10/155790, entitled Battery Trickle Charging Circuit, Filed May 26, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
The circuit includes a thermal control 508 for regulating the maximum power dissipation in the pass element 501 . The thermal control 508 is thermally coupled to the pass element 501 by way of a thermal link 509 . The thermal link is preferably created by a close physical proximity between the pass element 501 and the thermal control circuit 508 .
Referring to FIG. 7, illustrated therein is a preferred circuit embodiment for the block diagram of FIG. 6 . Each block of FIG. 6, including the maximum current limit 504 , the pass element 501 , the thermal control 508 , the trickle control 505 and the voltage termination circuit 506 , are shown in FIG. 7 with dashed lines.
The current control 504 circuit comprises a resistor 601 coupled serially with the pass element 501 and a pair of diodes 602 coupled to the base 603 of the pass element 501 . The value of the resistor 601 , in combination with the forward bias voltage of the diodes 602 as they source current to the base 603 , establish a maximum current that will flow through the pass element.
The charge control 505 utilizes a pair of diodes in conjunction with a transistor to establish a current from the base 603 of the pass element 506 . This is recited in application Ser. No. 10/155790, as mentioned above. For the present discussion, it is sufficient to say that the diodes 604 establish a base to emitter voltage, and thus a current, in the transistor 606 . This current in transistor 606 actuates the pass element 501 .
The voltage termination circuit 506 utilizes a voltage regulator 607 , like the TL431 manufactured by Motorola for example, to sense the voltage difference across a blocking diode 608 . When the voltage across the cell terminals 503 reaches a predetermined threshold set by resistors 609 and 610 , the voltage regulator 607 actuates transistor 611 , thereby sourcing current into the charge control 505 . This current causes the voltage across resistor 612 to increase, thereby reducing the base to emitter voltage of transistor 606 . The reduction of the base to emitter voltage causes transistor 606 to reduce the current flowing through it, thereby reducing the current flowing through the pass element 501 . Note that the three terminals labeled 616 are preferably a common node, and may be used to actuate enabling transistors 617 and 618 when a power supply is coupled to the circuit.
A protection circuit 507 is provided as well. This may be any of a number of off the shelf protection circuits, like the NCP802 integrated circuit manufactured by Ricoh for example. Other protection circuits known in the art would substitute equally as well.
It is the thermal control circuit 508 that serves as the power limiting control for the pass element 501 . The cornerstone of the thermal control circuit is a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) device 613 . A PTC has a thermal characteristic such that its resistance increases with temperature. The PTC 613 includes a thermal link 509 that is created by designing the circuit such that the PTC 613 is in close physical proximity to the pass element 501 . Preferably, the PTC 613 is physically coupled to the pass element 501 for the most efficient thermal linkage.
When the pass element 501 operates in a danger zone, power dissipation in the pass element 501 increases. The increased power dissipation takes the form of heat, which is translated via the thermal link 509 to the PTC 613 . When the PTC 613 heats, the impedance changes, thereby decreasing the current sourced to the base of transistor 614 . The decreased base current (and corresponding decreased voltage) causes current to flow through transistor 614 to the charge control circuit 505 . As stated above, this current causes the voltage across resistor 612 to increase, thereby reducing the base to emitter voltage of transistor 606 . The reduction of the base to emitter voltage causes transistor 606 to reduce the current flowing through it, thereby reducing the current flowing through the pass element 501 .
By selecting the proper value for resistor 615 , the thermal characteristics of the thermal control circuit 508 , i.e. exactly where transistor 614 turns on, may be tailored to match the thermal characteristic (defined by the junction temperature) of pass element 501 . Thus, when the power dissipation of the pass element 501 increases to a predetermined threshold, the thermal control circuit 508 will regulate the pass element 501 at a constant power level. This regulation continues until the circuit is out of the danger zone and the pass element 501 begins to cool.
Note that the circuit of FIG. 7 is preferably suited for applications in which the circuit is either being used in a charging state (i.e. injecting current into the cell), or a discharging state (i.e. where current flows from the cell to a load). For example, the typical digital camera is either coupled to the wall and being charged, or is detached from the wall and in use. Rarely is it being simultaneously charged and discharged at the same time.
Cellular phones, by contrast, are sometimes being charged and put to use at the same time. A situation may arise regarding the circuit of FIG. 7 during the charge/discharge application. If the cell is being charged and the circuit is in a danger zone, the thermal control circuit 508 will reduce the current in the pass element 501 . The temperature of the PTC 613 drives this decrease in current. There is a finite amount of time necessary for the PTC 613 to cool. If a load is coupled to the circuit before the PTC 613 cools, the pass element 501 may prevent the necessary current from being delivered to the load. Consequently, the load may not operate properly.
One solution to this issue contemplated with the invention is to add a timer and voltage sense circuit. The timer periodically overrides the thermal control circuit and measures the voltage across the pass element 501 . If the pass element 501 is no longer in a danger zone, the timer circuit allows the pass element 501 to return to saturation by keeping the thermal control circuit override active until the PTC 613 has cooled.
Turning now to FIG. 8, illustrated therein is another solution to the simultaneous charge-discharge requirement. Illustrated in FIG. 8 is a circuit that is similar in many ways to the circuit of FIG. 7 . The circuit of FIG. 8 includes the pass element 501 , power supply terminals 502 and cell connection terminals 503 . Additionally, the maximum current limit circuit 504 , voltage termination circuit 505 , and protection circuit 507 are identical to those of FIG. 7 . The trickle/charge control circuit 505 is roughly the same, including the enabling transistor 618 .
However, in the circuit of FIG. 8, the thermal control circuit 508 is changed to accommodate dynamic charge-discharge capabilities. The thermal control circuit includes a thermally sensitive component 701 , which is preferably a thermistor, that is in close physical proximity to the pass element 501 . Note that a thermistor's impedance changes linearly with temperature. The changing impedance of the thermistor, coupled with resistor 708 , create a thermally proportional voltage 709 that is coupled to a first comparator 702 and a second comparator 703 . The first comparator 702 and second comparator 703 each have corresponding reference voltages, which are voltage 704 and 705 , respectively. The reference voltages 704 , 705 correspond to different, predetermined temperature levels. Note that the references may change with power supply voltage.
The operation of the thermal control circuit 508 is as follows: Presume for the purposes of this example that voltage 705 is less than 704 . In a danger zone, when the temperature of the pass element and thus the corresponding thermistor 701 increase above voltage 705 , node 707 is actuated. The actuation of node 707 deactuates transistor 712 . The deactuation of transistor 712 causes resistor 714 to be decoupled in parallel with resistor 612 , thereby decreasing the current in the pass element 501 . If the temperature, and thus voltage 709 , increases above voltage 704 , node 706 is actuated, thereby deactuating transistor 713 . This causes resistor 715 to be decoupled in parallel with resistors 714 and 612 , again reducing the current in the pass element 501 . Once the thermistor 701 cools, transistors 713 and 712 are eventually actuated, thereby allowing the pass element to return to a full-conduction state 501 .
In one preferred embodiment, each comparator 702 , 703 includes positive feedback in the form of high-impedance resistors 710 and 711 . This positive feedback turns the temperatures set by voltage 704 and 705 into bands of temperatures by way of hysteresis. In other words, if voltage 705 originally corresponded to 75° C., with hysteresis node 707 may actuate at 80° C. and deactuate at 70° C. By tailoring the values of hysteresis resistors 710 and 711 , four temperature thresholds may be designed into the system.
These thresholds expand the protection of the circuit by altering the current at four different pass element 501 power dissipation levels, thereby finding a maximum charging current that keeps the pass element 501 below the maximum power dissipation level with greater resolution. In a preferred embodiment, for a typical pass element in a TO-220 package, the four levels correspond to 75° C. and 100° C. for comparator 703 and 85° C. and 110° C. for comparator 702 . The circuit operates effectively so long as the first level is between 50° C. and 85° C., the second level is between 85° C. and 115° C., the third level is between 75° C. and 100° C. and the fourth level is between 85° C. and 130° C., depending upon the type of pass element being used.
Thus, if the pass element 501 exceeds predetermined temperature limits, the thermal control circuit 508 alters the current in the pass element 501 by way of the control circuit 505 . For example, using the preferred temperatures above, if the temperature exceeds 100° C., transistor 712 is deactuated to reduce the current in the pass element 501 . Transistor 712 will not actuate until the temperature drops below 75° C. Likewise, if the temperature the temperature exceeds 110° C., transistor 713 is deactuated, thereby reducing the current in the pass element 501 . Transistor 713 will not actuate until the temperature drops below 85° C. The maximum pass element charge current will not resume until the pass element temperature falls below 75° C.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is clear that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
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This invention includes a thermally stable, low-cost charging circuit for rechargeable batteries. The circuit includes a thermal control circuit that employs a temperature dependent component such as a thermistor or positive temperature coefficient device. The temperature dependent device is thermally coupled to a charging pass element, which is typically a power transistor. When the transistor enters a danger zone, which is a region of operation characterized by elevated power dissipation in the pass element, the thermal control circuit is actuated to regulate the pass element in a constant power mode until the circuit exits the danger zone.
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CROSS REFERENCED PATENTS
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/483,586 filed Jan. 14, 2000, which was a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/415,947 filed Oct. 8, 1999, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to building exteriors, and interior wall and ceiling covering using curtain wall systems; said systems having box top shaped composite panels hung on the exterior building sheathing or other framework.
2. Background of the Invention
There are two basic types of systems for the curtain wall aluminum composite material (ACM) market. They are a wet and a dry system. A wet system uses a sealant as its primary seal against moisture. A dry system uses a gasket as its primary seal against moisture.
Most patented curtain wall systems pertain to flat glass panel type curtain wall panels. A brief summary of this flat glass panel support structure art follows below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,558 (1970) to Grossman discloses a mullion system (vertical members between window lights) for a curtain wall exterior. An anchor 101 supports a plate which supports a mullion column having segments 107 .
U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,629 (1976) to Echols Sr. discloses a glass panel thermal barrier vertical mullion. Each mullion has an exterior member with a track for maintenance conveyances and has an interior metal member, and has a insulating foam layer therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,390 (1977) to Howorth discloses a glazing structure for a glass panel/curtain wall building.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,396 (1978) to Oogami et al. discloses a curtain wall frame structure having channel crossings with four integral legs and backup bars.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,506 (1983) to Weber et al. discloses a curtain wall frame structure adding a insulating separator (56) and an insulated bolt to a known frame structure for insulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,584 (1984) to Dietrich discloses a skylight system with a unique support structure to support a curtain wall flat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,700 (1989) to Matthews discloses a two-piece mullion frame for reducing the face dimension of an aluminum frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,809 (1991) to Beard discloses a flat panel skylight support frame having built in condensate gutters.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,557 (1991) to Laplante et al. discloses a dry gasket seal frame structure for a curtain wall which uses a flat curtain wall panel having inner and outer panel faces, and a spaced apart vertical edge therebetween. A panel can be replaced without having to dismantle any portion of the curtain wall other than the damaged panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,236 (1993) to Allen discloses a flush appearance glass panel frame structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,831 (1996) to Jansson discloses a glass panel building support frame presenting a sealed glaze edge between the glass panels.
As Laplante et al. teaches it is advantageous to be able to replace a damaged curtain wall panel using a dry seal, and further advantageous to be able to leave the horizontal and vertical support channels in place for the replacement. The present invention meets these needs in a dry ACM system.
One patented ACM system is U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,267 (1982) to Sukolics which discloses a curtain wall frame structure which allows thermal expansion of the panels to be absorbed by the joints. A vertical channel has a pair of pivotable arms to receive the sides of adjoining panels. In the present invention the exact same ACM may be used. Sukolics requires that a sheathing be installed over the support studs of the building. Then Sukolics' thin and relatively weak, non-structural mullions and horizontal supports can be mounted in a non-sequential (also called non-directional) fashion. This non-sequential erection fashion is preferred over sequential systems. Sequential systems require starting construction at the bottom of a building and progressing left to right, one row at a time, building one row on top of a lower row. Sukolics enables wall construction from the top down which is how rain hits the building during construction. Therefore, using Sukolics' system a builder can erect the frame, complete the roof, then construct the curtain walls from the top down to minimize rain damage to the exposed sheathing of the building.
The present invention provides the same non-sequential method for construction; additionally adding structural mullions and horizontal supports thereby allowing direct fastening to the frame and eliminating the sheathing if desired.
The present invention provides for thermal expansion by means of using floating curtain wall members which expand and contract in their mounting tracks located in the vertical mullions and horizontal supports.
Another prior art reference is a patent pending curtain wall apparatus trademarked RRD200™ by Elward Systems Corporation of Denver, Colo. A combination horizontal support and perimeter extrusion (corner brace) is used, made of aluminum. The top and one side of the curtain wall is firmly bolted to the building. Thus, no “flotation” of the curtain wall exists on an X-Y frame structure as is the case in the present invention. Flotation reduces stresses on the curtain wall panels during thermal and/or stresses on the curtain wall panels setting movement of the building.
Panel installation begins at the bottom with panels inter-leaving at the sides utilizing “male/female” joinery working left to right. Installation continues by stacking the next row on top of the first row and continuing the left to right sequence. Therefore, an individual panel cannot be removed from the center of the wall without removing adjacent panels.
While it is basically a “dry” system because of the use of wiper gaskets, exposed sealant is used in the 4-way intersections due to the male/female differences of the perimeter extrusions.
Rout and return and curtain face support is provided by the perimeter extrusions. The ACM panels are fabricated utilizing known rout and return methodology. The various perimeter extrusions for the curtain wall panels are four different extrusions making the panel “handed”. The present invention uses panels which are symmetrical, facilitating installation.
The system does include a gutter, but it is not continuous and not part of a sub-system, and the gutter only exists on the horizontal member. Weep holes in the horizontal member allow water to flow out and over the curtain wall panels. No integrated X-Y gutter system exists.
The system requires 16-guage (non-standard) studs at precise locations for vertical attachment to the structure, thereby greatly adding to the building cost compared to the present invention. The system does not allow for a “jointless” appearance because it doesn't have a face cap that can be flushed or recessed from the face of the panel. The system does not allow for multiple “joint” colors.
Perimeter extrusions are not the same depth, thus requiring complex shimming; sequential, non-subsystem installation does not allow for integrated three dimensional panels to be incorporated within the system (i.e. signage or column covers, or accent bands that are not flat). The system does not allow for three dimensional joints like a rounded bullnose that would protrude away from the panel.
Another prior art system, shown in FIGS. 1-3, is the Miller-Clapperton MCP System 200-D™ (referred to herein as “the MCP system”). The MCP system employs panels made of aluminum composite material (ACM) 1000 as components of an exterior curtain wall or facade of a building. As shown in the vertical sectional view of FIG. 2, a horizontal attachment support 30 ′ is screwed into sheathing, such as plywood, or through non-structural sheathing, such as gypsum board, into structural building members using structural screws 70 ′. Vertical corner clips 3 ′ and 40 ′ are used to attach the panel 1000 to the horizontal attachment support 30 ′. The clips 3 ′ and 40 ′ attach only to the return leg 22 of panel (i.e., the portion of the panel that is folded 90-degrees after a rout is performed so as to be perpendicular to the face 23 ) and provide no support to the face 23 of the panel. Raised positive return attachment rivets 9 ′ are used to attach the clips.
A continuous inverted support channel 60 ′ is secured by a plurality of self-drilling fasteners 5 ′ that penetrate horizontal attachment support 30 ′. A continuous snap cover 80 ′ is provided over the channel 80 ′. Caulking C is used as the primary seal to keep air and water from the inverted support channel 60 ′. Systems that use caulking as a primary seal are referred to in the industry as a “wet” system. Among the disadvantages of this design, is that failure of the caulking may result in uncontrolled water entering the building. For example, water may enter through the points at which the fasteners 5 ′ and 70 ′ penetrate the horizontal attachment support 30 ′.
As shown in the horizontal sectional view of FIG. 1, vertical attachment support 2 ′ is screwed into sheathing, such as plywood, or through non-structural sheathing, such as gypsum board, into structural building members using structural screws 6 ′. Vertical corner clips 3 ′ and 40 ′ are used to attach the panel 1000 to the horizontal attachment support 30 ′. The clips 3 ′ and 40 ′ attach only to the return leg 22 of panel and provide no support to the face 23 of the panel. Raised positive return attachment rivets 8 ′ are used to attach the clips. A continuous inverted support channel 4 ′ is secured by a plurality of self-drilling fasteners 5 ′ that penetrate vertical attachment support 2 ′. A continuous snap cover 7 ′ is provided over the channel 4 ′. Caulking C is used as the primary seal to keep air and water from the inverted support channel 4 ′. As above, failure of the caulking may result in uncontrolled water entering the building. For example, water may enter through the points at which the fasteners 5 ′ and 6 ′ penetrate the vertical attachment support 2 ′.
In the MCP system, the horizontal attachment supports 30 ′ and vertical attachment supports 2 ′ used to support the panels 1000 do not have gutters or channels for directing moisture away from the building and do not offer a secondary or failsafe water seal. As discussed above, a disadvantage of this design is that failure of the caulking may result in uncontrolled water entering the building, such as for example through the points at which the fasteners penetrate the horizontal and vertical attachment supports.
Another disadvantage of the MCP system is that, as shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal and vertical attachment supports are not mechanically attached. To the contrary, these members merely abut one another, rather than being mechanically attached as a continuous, integrated structure. Another disadvantage of the MCP system is that each of the vertical attachment supports requires two 18 gauge metal studs for attachment, because these members do not interface mechanically. More generally, because neither the horizontal nor the vertical supports act as structural elements, these members require support from the building structure.
The MCP system uses three different extrusions (i.e., corner clips 3 ′ and 40 ′) to attach the panels 1000 to the horizontal and vertical supports. As shown in FIG. 1, the extrusions on the sides of the panels ( 3 ′) are similar and are continuous along those edges. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the extrusion on the top of the panel ( 40 ′ on the lower panel) is a clip that inserts into a channel in the horizontal attachment support 30 ′, rather than being secured using a fastener 5 ′, as is the extrusion on the bottom of the panel ( 40 ′ on the upper panel). Accordingly, the panel has a defined top and a bottom because of these different extrusions, i.e., the orientation of the panel cannot be changed after the extrusions have been attached to the panel. Each of these three types of extrusions attach to the return leg 22 of the panel through the use of a pop rivet 8 ′ and 9 ′.
One disadvantage of this configuration is that the extrusions do not provide corner support to the face 23 of the panel. This allows the return leg 22 to flex, which applies stress to the 0.020″ aluminum corner (the panel 1000 is typically 3 mm, 4 mm, or 6 mm thick, but when the inside face and the polyethylene core are routed out from the back to form the return leg 22 , all that remains to hold the return leg 22 to the front of the panel 23 is the 0.020″ aluminum face). In addition, because the extrusions are not continuous around the panel (i.e., do not form a continuous frame around the panel), the panel receives no diaphragm support and the face of the panel can distort under stress. Moreover, the three extrusions attach directly to the aluminum sub-system without a thermal break, which allows the transfer of heat and cold through the curtain wall.
In view of the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above, the new and non-obvious enhancements to curtain wall methods and apparatus provided by the present invention include: a dry system having a built in gutter system for rain and condensate, a failsafe moisture proof system, a flexible framework enabling vertical and horizontal support structures to be interchanged (providing flexibility during construction), support braces for the face of the curtain wall, and an alignment process for curtain wall panel alignment during construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main aspect of the present invention is to provide a non-sequential, dry ACM system having structural mullions which can be mounted to the raw studs of a building.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a built in gutter system for the vertical mullions and the horizontal supports, thereby providing a failsafe moisture prevention system.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a support for the face of the curtain wall panel.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a framework having interchangeable vertical and horizontal mounting options.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide for symmetrical (versus “handed”) panels to facilitate installation.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method to align curtain wall panels during construction.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide three curtain wall systems, wherein there exists interchangeable parts for all three systems from the curtain wall face to the bottom of the primary seal.
Other aspects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 (prior art) is a horizontal sectional view of a Miller-Clapperton Partnership, Inc. (MCP)™ Austell, Ga. curtain wall system.
FIG. 2 (prior art) is a vertical sectional view of the MCP™ system.
FIG. 3 (prior art) is a top perspective view of an assembled MCP™ system.
FIG. 4 (prior art) is a front plan view of the frame of a building.
FIG. 5 is the same view as FIG. 4 with horizontal supports installed.
FIG. 6 is a front plan view of the framework of the preferred embodiment being assembled on the building shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIGS. 6A, and 6 B are front plan views of the joint of the horizontal and vertical supports of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the vertical mullion.
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the horizontal support.
FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of a curtain wall panel of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a front plan view of the building shown in FIG. 8 having curtain wall panels being mounted to the framework.
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the curtain wall panel taken along line 11 — 11 of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along line 12 — 12 of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 13 is a front plan view of a horizontal support.
FIG. 14 is a top perspective view of vertical support(s) being joined with a horizontal support.
FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the gutters (DPS 4000™) system at one joint.
FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view showing the horizontal support taken along line 16 — 16 of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 17 is a horizontal sectional view showing the vertical mullion taken along line 17 — 17 of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 18 is a front plan view of the framework showing the operation of the built in gutter system.
FIG. 19 is the same view as FIG. 16 showing the operation of the built in gutter system.
FIG. 20 is a side plan view of the alignment fastener.
FIG. 21 is a front plan view of a panel being installed using an alignment fastener.
FIG. 22 is a cross sectional view of the alignment fastener is use.
FIG. 23 is a vertical sectional view of an alternate embodiment (DPS 3000™) system.
FIG. 24 is a horizontal sectional view of an alternate embodiment (DPS 5000 CW™) system.
FIG. 25 is a horizontal sectional view of an alternate embodiment (DPS 5000 T™) system.
FIG. 26 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 16, but with the preferred embodiment of the gutter and the curtain wall composite assembly.
FIG. 27 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 17, but using the preferred embodiment components shown in FIG. 26, which are shown mounted as vertical gutters.
FIG. 28 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 26, but using a flush joint embodiment.
FIG. 29 is an identical view as FIG. 27, but using a flush joint embodiment.
FIG. 30 is an identical view as FIG. 17, but with the preferred embodiment of the gutter and the curtain wall composite assembly.
FIG. 31 is an identical view as FIG. 16, but with the preferred embodiment components shown in FIG. 30 .
FIG. 32 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 30, but with a flush joint embodiment.
FIG. 33 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 31, but with a flush joint embodiment.
FIG. 34 is a vertical sectional view of a lower termination segment of the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 53 .
FIG. 35 is a horizontal sectional view of a lower termination segment of the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 53 .
FIG. 36 is vertical sectional view of a lower termination segment(s) of the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 53 .
FIG. 37 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 36, but using a recessed joint embodiment.
FIG. 38 is a vertical sectional view of an upper termination segment of the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 53 .
FIG. 39 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 38, but using a flush joint embodiment.
FIG. 40 is a horizontal sectional view of an upper termination segment of the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 53 .
FIG. 41 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 40, but using a flush joint embodiment.
FIGS. 42 and 42A are a cross sectional view of gutter 200 showing nominal dimensions.
FIGS. 43 and 43A are a cross sectional view of gutter 2 showing nominal dimensions.
FIG. 44 is a cross sectional view of termination gutter 4017 showing nominal dimensions.
FIG. 45 is a cross sectional view of termination gutter 4015 showing nominal dimensions.
FIG. 46 is a cross sectional view of flush perimeter extrusion 4012 showing nominal dimensions.
FIG. 47 is a cross sectional view of recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 showing nominal dimensions.
FIG. 48 is a cross sectional view of a pressure channel 4007 showing nominal dimensions.
FIG. 49 is a cross sectional view of a snap cover 4006 showing nominal dimensions.
FIG. 50 is a cross sectional view of a curtain wall composite assembly with a recessed joint embodiment.
FIG. 51 is the identical view as shown in FIG. 50, but using a flush joint embodiment.
FIG. 52 is a perspective view showing the reglet corner clip attached to one member of a pair of perimeter extrusions.
FIG. 53 is a schematic of an imaginary building face showing the locations of components keyed to the above numbered figures.
FIG. 54 is a cross sectional view of an alternate embodiment (DPS 3000™) system, using the same curtain wall composite assembly as used in the FIG. 30 embodiment.
FIG. 55 is a cross sectional view of an alternate embodiment (DPS 3000™) system, using the same curtain wall composite assembly as used in the FIG. 31 embodiment.
FIGS. 56 and 56A are a cross sectional view of a lower base 13002 of the DPS3000™ embodiment showing nominal dimensions.
FIGS. 57 and 57A are a cross sectional view of an upper base 3015 of the DPS3000™ embodiment showing nominal dimensions.
FIG. 58 is a vertical cross section of the lower gutter of the preferred embodiment (DPS4000™) with the curtain wall composite assembly shown attached over and through modern stucco known as exterior insulated finish systems (EIFS).
FIG. 59 is a vertical cross section of a horizontal gutter for an alternate embodiment (DPS2500™) incorporating a continuous guttered sub-system.
FIG. 60 is a horizontal cross section of a vertical gutter for an alternate embodiment (DPS2500™) incorporating a continuous guttered sub-system.
FIG. 61 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 59, but utilizing a recessed joint embodiment.
FIG. 62 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 60, but utilizing a recessed joint embodiment.
FIG. 63 is a vertical cross section of a horizontal termination gutter for an alternate embodiment (DPS2500™) incorporating a continuous guttered sub-system.
FIG. 64 is a horizontal cross section of a vertical termination gutter for an alternate embodiment (DPS2500™) incorporating a continuous guttered sub-system.
FIG. 65 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 63, but utilizing a recessed joint embodiment.
FIG. 66 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 64, but utilizing a recessed joint embodiment.
FIG. 67 is a frontal view of the preferred embodiment illustrating the assembly method of installing framework units.
FIG. 68 is a cross sectional view of a splice joint assembly used for joining the framework units of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 69 is a horizontal cross sectional view of a vertical joint of an alternate embodiment (DPS2000™) illustrating an integrated framework which supports an ACM curtain wall panel that attached to a building structure.
FIG. 70 is a vertical cross sectional view of a horizontal joint of an alternate embodiment (DPS2000™) illustrating an integrated framework which supports an ACM curtain wall panel that attaches to a building structure.
FIG. 71 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 69, but with a flush joint embodiment.
FIG. 72 is an identical view as shown is FIG. 70, but with a flush joint embodiment.
FIG. 73 is a horizontal cross sectional view of a vertical joint of an alternate embodiment (DPS2000™) illustrating clip attachment to the framework.
FIG. 74 is a vertical cross sectional view of a horizontal joint of an alternate embodiment (DPS2000™) illustrating clip attachment to the framework.
FIG. 75 is a horizontal cross sectional view of a vertical joint of an alternate embodiment (DPS2000 TM) illustrating a termination joint of the framework.
FIG. 76 is a vertical cross sectional view of a horizontal joint of an alternate embodiment (DPS2000™) illustrating a termination joint of the framework.
FIG. 77 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 75, but with a recessed joint embodiment.
FIG. 78 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 76, but with a recessed joint embodiment.
FIG. 79 is a frontal exploded view of a 4-way intersection of the vertical and horizontal frame members illustration connection methods of the framing members.
FIG. 80 is a horizontal cross sectional view illustrating member connections, and framework attachment to the building structure.
FIG. 81 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 79, but exploded.
FIG. 82 is a vertical cross sectional view of a framework assembly illustrating one method of raising it to the building structure.
FIG. 83 is a frontal exploded view of a 4-way intersection of the vertical and horizontal frame members illustrating connection methods of the framing members.
FIG. 84 is a frontal view of a 4-way intersection of the vertical and horizontal frame members illustrating connection methods of the framing members.
FIG. 85 is a cross sectional view of framework joinery illustration member to member connection and framework connection to the building structure.
FIG. 86 is a frontal view of typical framework support of the preferred embodiment and all alternate embodiments. It illustrates four-point vertical frame member to horizontal frame member connections as well as two-point horizontal frame member connections to the building structure.
FIG. 87 is a frontal view of a partial building structure showing preferred embodiment DPS 4000™ guttered non-directional dry system per FIGS. 27 and 30, as well as, alternate embodiments for window glazing which include transitions from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 88 is a frontal view of framework of preferred embodiment DPS 4000™ guttered non-directional dry system including alternate embodiments for window glazing shown in FIG. 87, with aluminum composite panels 1000 and glass panels 8701 removed.
FIG. 89 is a vertical sectional view of the upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 89A is a horizontal sectional view of the side transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 90 is a vertical sectional view of the lower transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 91 is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking down toward window sill 8803 .
FIG. 91A is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking up toward window head 8804 .
FIG. 92 is a vertical sectional view of a glass panel assembly using FIGS. 89 and 90.
FIG. 93 is a vertical sectional view of a panel assembly using FIGS. 89 and 90.
FIG. 94 is a frontal view of a partial building structure showing alternate embodiment DPS 3000 non-directional dry system per FIGS. 54 and 55, as well as, additional alternate embodiments for window glazing which include transitions from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 95 is a frontal view of framework of alternate embodiment DPS 3000 non-directional dry system including additional alternate embodiments for window glazing shown in FIG. 94, with aluminum composite panels 1000 and glass panels 8701 removed. From top to bottom, the framework is comprised of lower base 3015 vertically transitioning to horizontal window head 9504 , and connected through overlapping flanges 9509 and 9505 using flange bolt 2112 .
FIG. 96 is a vertical sectional view of the upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 96A is a horizontal sectional view of the side transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 97 is a vertical sectional view of the lower transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 98 is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking down toward window sill 9503 .
FIG. 98A is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking up toward window head 9504 .
FIG. 99 is a vertical sectional view of a glass panel assembly using FIGS. 96 and 97.
FIG. 100 is a vertical sectional view of a panel assembly using FIGS. 96 and 97.
FIG. 101 is a frontal view of a partial building structure showing alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW incorporating structural vertical mullions per FIGS. 24 and 108, as well as, alternate embodiments for window glazing, which include transitions from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 102 is a frontal view of framework of alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW incorporating structural vertical mullions per FIGS. 24 and 108 including alternate embodiments for window glazing shown in FIGS. 103 and 104, with aluminum composite panels 1000 and glass panels 8701 removed.
FIG. 103 is a vertical sectional view of the upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 103A is a horizontal sectional view of the side transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 104 is a vertical sectional view of the lower transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIGS. 105 and 105A are a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking down toward window sill 8803 .
FIG. 106 is a vertical sectional view of a glass panel assembly using FIGS. 103 and 104.
FIG. 107 is a vertical sectional view of a panel assembly using FIGS. 103 and 104.
FIG. 108 is a structural vertical mullion 10203 of alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW which provides windload and deadload support for the preferred embodiment by using attachment clip 10803 to connect to building structure 8750 using bolts 10804 .
FIG. 109 is identical to FIG. 108, but shows glass panel 8701 integrated into structural vertical mullion 10203 using glazing channel 10901 in lieu of aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 110 is a vertical sectional view of alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW assembled as a unit incorporating structural vertical mullion 10203 and guttered end closure 11002 .
FIG. 111 is a horizontal sectional view of alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW showing top view of structural vertical mullion 10203 being supported by structural floor attachment assembly 11001 to building structure 8750 .
FIG. 112 is a horizontal sectional review or an alternate embodiment illustrating the use of a light source.
Before explaining the disclosed embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown, since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment (referred to as DPS4000™) is shown, e.g., in FIGS. 16 and 17. The system employs aluminum composite material (ACM) panels 1000 as components of an exterior curtain wall or facade of a building. As shown in the vertical sectional view of FIG. 16, a horizontal gutter support 200 is screwed into sheathing (any continuous covering that is attached to the building structure, e.g., plywood, gypsum board, fiberglass board, etc.), or directly into structural building members (structural members that carry the wind load deflections of the building, e.g., structural steel, miscellaneous steel, structural studs, dimensional lumber, concrete, etc.) using structural screws 60 . The structural screws 60 are located outside of the gutters S 1 that on either side of the horizontal joint (i.e., the assembly that connects the panels 1000 to the horizontal gutter support 200 ) so that water leaking into the gutters S 1 cannot seep through to the building structure.
A perimeter corner brace 3 is provided that contacts both the face 23 and the return leg 22 of the panel 1000 to provide support for the 90-degree corner. Sealant 11 is used to maintain air and water integrity and to attach the face 23 of the panel 1000 to the corner brace 3 , providing diaphragm support to the face 23 . A recessed positive return attachment screw 8 is used fasten the return leg 22 of the panel 1000 to the corner brace 3 . The return attachment screw 8 is screwed into self-sealing butyl tape 10 , which provides an air and water seal.
A dry gasket primary seal G is provided to insulate the gutter space S 1 from air and water, but a failure of the gasket G merely allows water into the gutter space S 1 , rather than the building structure. A continuous support channel 4 is secured by a plurality of machine screws 5 without penetrating the horizontal gutter support 200 , which offers a dry, watertight assembly even in the event of failure of the gasket primary seal G. A continuous snap cover 7 is provided to cover the support channel 4 .
The panels 1000 are held to the sub-system by a continuous support channel 4 that is secured by a plurality of machine screws 5 into a screw boss 2004 without penetrating the horizontal gutter support 200 . This configuration allows a dry, watertight assembly to be maintained, even in the event of failure of the gasket primary seal G. The pressure provided by the continuous support channel 4 forces the neoprene gasket G on the bottom of the perimeter extrusion frame 3 against the horizontal gutter support 200 , thereby providing the primary seal without the use of sealants (i.e., a “dry” seal). The dry gasket primary seal G insulates the gutter space S 1 from air and water, but a failure of the gasket G merely allows water into the gutter space S 1 , rather than the building structure. A continuous snap cover 7 is provided to cover the support channel 4 .
As shown in the horizontal sectional view of FIG. 17, a vertical gutter support 2 is screwed into the horizontal gutter support 200 flanges and into the building structure using structural screws 70 to create a guttered sub-system. The structural screws 70 are located outside of the gutters S 2 on either side of the vertical joint (i.e., the assembly that connects panels 1000 to the vertical gutter support 2 ) so that water leaking into the gutters S 2 cannot seep through to the building structure.
A perimeter corner brace 3 is provided contacts both the face 23 and the return leg 22 of the panel 1000 to provide support for the 90-degree corner. As above, sealant 11 is used to maintain air and water integrity and to attach the face 23 of the panel 1000 to the corner brace 3 , providing diaphragm support to the face 23 . A recessed positive attachment screw 90 is screwed into self-sealing butyl tape 10 , which provides an air and water seal.
The perimeter corner braces 3 are joined with the perimeter corner braces 3 of the horizontal gutter support 200 to form a perimeter extrusion frame that is placed inside the panel. Because the same type of extrusions are used on all four sides of a panel, and the extrusions on opposite sides of the panel are identical, the panel can be flipped 180 degrees and still work within the system. Thus, the panels are symmetrical, rather than having a defined orientation.
The perimeter extrusion frame is attached to the return legs 22 of the panel with countersunk fasteners 8 and 90 through non-curing butyl tape 10 that is on the inside return leg 22 to provide a watertight seal. In addition, the perimeter extrusion frame provides corner support eliminating stress to the 0.020″ aluminum corner between the face 23 and return leg 22 of the panel. Thus, the perimeter extrusion frame creates a rigid box top out of the once flexible ACM panel by giving it diaphragm support. The dry gasket primary seal G is continuous around the bottom of the perimeter extrusion frame and provides a thermal break between the panels and the building structure when the frame is placed in the guttered sub-system. As discussed below, the horizontal legs of the perimeter extrusion frame (i.e., perimeter corner braces 3 ) may have weep holes in them to allow condensation to exit to the face of the building.
The panels 1000 are held to the sub-system by a continuous support channel 6 that is secured by a plurality of machine screws 5 into a screw boss 4020 without penetrating the vertical gutter support 2 . This configuration allows a dry, watertight assembly to be maintained, even in the event of failure of the gasket primary seal G. The pressure provided by the continuous support channel 6 forces the neoprene gasket G on the bottom of the perimeter extrusion frame 3 against the vertical gutter support 2 , thereby providing the primary seal without the use of sealants (i.e., a “dry” seal). The dry gasket primary seal G insulates the gutter space S 2 from air and water, but a failure of the gasket G merely allows water into the gutter space S 2 , rather than the building structure. A continuous snap cover 80 is provided to cover the support channel 6 .
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the DPS 4000™ embodiment has a sub-system of integrated horizontal lower gutters 200 (see FIG. 13) and vertical upper gutters 2 (see FIG. 14 ). In most cases, the horizontal lower gutter 200 runs horizontally and attaches to standard-spaced vertical metal studs or other elements of the building structure, allowing for a continuous horizontal gutter. The vertical upper gutter 2 interfaces with the horizontal gutter through factory-milled openings (i.e., cutouts) 54 and join together with fasteners through the overlapping flanges outside of the gutters. The gutters receive a lap sealant when joined together, and the four outside corners of the gutter intersection receive sealant to provide a secondary seal.
Refer to FIGS. 1 and 17 wherein each shows a vertical joint (a cross section of a vertical mullion). The prior art MCP system will allow water to reach the support bolt 6 ′ when the wet sealant C fails as shown by arrow “WET”. Overlapping arm assembly 25 of the corner brace 3 ′ leaks. The preferred embodiment (referred to as DPS4000™) of FIG. 17 has a built in gutter S 2 . A failure of the gasket G only allows water to pass to the gutter S as shown by arrow failsafe. The support bolts 70 are shielded by gutter walls 4001 , 4002 . The MCP vertical attachment support 2 ′ has a non-structural (meaning cannot support an intersecting horizontal support) mounting face 20 . Whereas the vertical gutter support 2 of the present invention has a reinforced screw boss 4020 which is a structural component fully integrated with its intersecting horizontal support as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8.
The MCP corner brace 3 ′ only supports the route and member 21 of the curtain wall panel 1000 and not the face 23 . Whereas the corner brace 3 of the present invention supports both the face 23 and route and return member 21 of the same curtain wall panel 1000 .
Referring to FIG. 3 the MCP vertical attachment support 2 ′ requires two parallel studs 50 , 51 to secure it to the exterior of a building via structural screws 53 .
Referring to FIG. 4 the wall 40 of the building has vertical studs 41 which are typically built 16 inches on center. No double studding is required for the present invention in any of its various embodiments.
Referring to FIG. 5, the horizontal supports 200 for the present invention are installed. The builder can choose to install all the horizontal supports 200 before installing the vertical supports 2 , or just a pair of them to build one curtain wall row at a time, either from the bottom up or from the top down. Cutouts 54 receive the flanges 61 of the vertical supports 2 .
Referring to FIGS. 6, 6 A, and 6 B, the horizontal supports 200 fasten to standard 16 inch center studs via fasteners 53 . The horizontal supports 200 may be built in sections and joined in convenient lengths such as six feet at joints 62 . The vertical supports 2 have a flange 61 at each end which integrally fits into the notch 54 of the horizontal flange. A sealant FS is used at the joint(s) 53 to keep moisture away from the building.
Referring to FIG. 7, the vertical support 2 has a base 4059 , a building side 4070 , and a support side 4072 . It must form a curtain wall plane 2019 which is the same plane as 2019 for the horizontal support 200 . Feet 4023 raise the vertical support 2 a distance d 3 away from the frame plane 2029 of the building, such that d 3 +d 4 =d 1 and d 1 >d 4 . The vertical support 2 has a pair of gutter walls 4001 , 4002 , wherein their distal ends 4009 , 4010 define curtain wall plane 2019 . The distal ends 2017 , 2031 of the horizontal support 200 are also co-planar along plane 2019 . The screw boss 4020 has a mounting flange 4021 and a threaded hole 4022 . The mounting holes 4024 are located distally from the gutter walls 4009 , 4010 .
Referring to FIG. 8, the horizontal support 200 has a base 2001 which is mounted to the building. The center longitudinal axis 4060 extends perpendicularly out of the page. The screw boss 2004 has sufficient strength to provide structural support for both the curtain wall panels and the adjoining vertical supports 2 . The screw boss is located centered in the longitudinal axis. It has a central hole 2006 which is threaded. It has a mounting flange 2005 to receive the curtain wall perimeter braces 3 (see FIG. 17 ). The mounting holes 2007 are located distally from the gutter walls 2002 , 2003 . The gutter side walls 2002 , 2003 extend co-planar with the screw boss 2004 away from the mounting side 2008 of the base 2001 , thereby forming a support side 2009 of the horizontal support 200 .
Referring to FIG. 10, the builder in this example has chosen to build the entire framework comprised of vertical and horizontal support elements 2 and 200 before installing the curtain wall panels. The builder has the choice of now hanging the curtain wall panels 1000 from the top down, thereby keeping the building as dry as possible during rain during construction.
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 15, the curtain wall panel(s) is not “handed” rather it is symmetrical from side to side and from top to bottom and fully symmetrical if the curtain wall panel is square. The curtain wall panel 1000 has a face 23 and route and return edges 1001 , 1002 , 1003 , 1004 . As shown in FIG. 15, the perimeter corner braces 3 have a face member 30 which adds strength to the relatively weak face 23 of the curtain wall panel 1000 .
As shown in FIG. 11, corner sealant 11 is applied for air/water integrity. A recessed positive return attachment screw 8 screws into a self sealing gasket (butyl tape) 10 to secure the corner brace 3 to the curtain wall 1000 . The curtain wall 1000 floats on gaskets G which are supported against flanges 2005 and 4021 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) to provide for movement in thermal expansion and construction. Machine screw 5 holds the continuous support panel 6 against the screw boss 4020 . A continuous snap cover 80 provides an aesthetic outside appearance over the screws 5 .
Referring to FIGS. 10, 13 , 14 , and 15 , the preferred embodiment curtain wall apparatus (DPS4000™) is shown partly erected. For alignment integrity among the curtain wall panels 1000 , the builder will normally erect by rows of contiguous panels. A slotted hole 4024 of the vertical gutters allows for additional expansion and contraction.
Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the various system components are shown in a sectional view.
Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the rain water W 1 runs down the gutter S 2 to the horizontal support 200 , and then weeps out through the face up 80 (known as a pressure equalized system). A relief cut 1580 cuts through the gutter walls 2002 , 2003 of the horizontal support 200 , thereby allowing condensate drops CD to drain. Water W 2 runs along gutter S 1 to gutter S 2 to the sill flashing or to the next gutter and exits through the weep hole WH and then the joints in the face cap 7 .
Referring to FIG. 19, condensate drops CD (and/or water from the primary seal) flow down the vertical support 2 gutter S 2 into the horizontal support 200 gutter S 1 , and then out weep hole WH to the space S 4 between the curtain wall panels 1000 , as shown by arrow out. Sealant FS is provided between the vertical support 2 flange 61 and the horizontal support 200 notch 54 .
Referring to FIG. 20, an alignment fastener 1735 is shown to have a cylindrical body 1737 ¾ inch in diameter, and preferably made of ABS plastic. A hex washer head machine screw 1736 is threaded through the body 1737 . A stop 1738 is ⅛ inch by 1½ inch diameter, ABS plastic.
FIGS. 21 and 22 show a method for installing a panel 1001 in proper alignment: at least one alignment fastener is secured into an adjoining vertical support screw boss 4020 ; at least two alignment fasteners are secured into an adjoining lower horizontal support screw boss or bosses; the panel 1001 is placed down on the lower alignment fasteners and against the vertical support alignment fastener; the panel is aligned and the alignment fasteners are fastened; the vertical support alignment fastener is removed; the permanent continuous support panel is installed; the lower alignment fasteners are removed; and the horizontal permanent continuous support panel is installed.
Referring to FIG. 23, an alternate embodiment system is shown to have no internal gutters, but offers lower costs. The building 3001 supports a symmetrical vertical and horizontal channel 3002 as part of a dry, non-directional system. An optional gutter OG is shown in dots. The channel 3002 is fastened by fastener 3003 , and sealant 3004 may be used to protect the building 3001 from moisture. Countersunk fasteners 3005 secure a plate 3006 having a screw boss 3007 to the channel 3002 , after the channel 3002 is attached to the building 3001 . The curtain wall panel 1000 has a corner brace 3010 with a smaller face segment 3011 than the preferred embodiment (DPS4000™). A gasket G is placed between the channel 3002 and the corner brackets 3010 . The continuous channel 3012 secures the corner brackets 3010 via fastener 3013 . A facial clip 3014 provides an aesthetic appearance over the fasteners 3013 . It is not a failsafe water prevention system because a failure of G could allow water into space 3049 which would attack sealant 3004 .
Referring to FIG. 24, a horizontal support 5000 CW is designed to attach to a steel angle SA which protrudes from the building slab 5090 . This embodiment is similar to the preferred embodiment (DPS4000™). However, longer fins 5091 are needed for strength on the horizontal supports; and an integrated tube 5092 is formed as part of the base for the horizontal support 5093 . A bolt 5094 using a shim G secures the integrated tube 5092 to the steel angle SA. Member 5092 is known in the prior art in curtain wall systems, but not in combination with an assembly like the DPS4000™.
Referring to FIG. 25, an alternate embodiment (referred to as DPS5000T™) is shown to have a horizontal support 5850 wherein the support assembly is the same as the DPS4000™ preferred embodiment (see FIGS. 16 and 17 ). However, for the first time ever an exterior building structure vertical member VSM can be used to support a curtain wall as shown. The horizontal support base 5850 has (preferably aluminum) fins 5851 , 5852 extending from the building side of the base 5850 . Fasteners (machine screws) 5853 secure the fins 5851 , 5852 to the VSM using a shim GS. No sheath exists on this building. Optional legs 5857 may be used to strengthen the vertical supports.
FIG. 26 is a vertical sectional view of the preferred embodiment (DPS4000™) (see also FIGS. 16 and 17 ). The lower gutter 200 is attached to the upper gutter 2 at right angles through the flanges F 1 , F 2 outside of gutter legs 2002 and 2003 . A continuous X-Y gutter is formed on which the curtain wall composite assembly attaches to the building structure 4003 using fastener 4011 or a similar fastener (see FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall panel 1000 is supported by symmetrical recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 which acts as a corner brace around all four sides of the curtain wall panel 1000 and seals the corners with corner sealant 11 . It is positively attached to return leg 22 by countersunk fastener 14010 , which penetrates recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 , and is sealed by butyl tape 10 . The recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 is held together at the four corners by the corner reglet clip 4005 providing a framework without the use of fasteners (see FIG. 52 ). The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the continuous gutter created by lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 by machine screw 5 into the integral screw boss of the gutter members. A continuous gasket G 2 which is applied to the bottom of recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 provides a thermal break between the curtain wall composite assembly (FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall composite assembly rests upon 14009 lower gutter bearing leg which provides compression and the primary seal. Continuous pressure channel 4007 attaches the curtain wall panel to lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 through the screw bosses SB 1 located in the gutters S 1 , S 2 . Continuous snap cover 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 covering machine screw 5 . Any water that would penetrate the primary seal would flow into lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 into space S 1 and drain to the bottom of the building elevation. Air pressure equalization is achieved through weep hole 4004 which allows the pressure within the curtain wall composite assembly to equalize with the pressures outside of the curtain wall face 23 .
FIG. 27 is vertical sectional view of the preferred embodiment without a weep hole. The lower gutter 200 is attached to the upper gutter 2 at right angles through the flanges F 1 , F 2 outside of gutter legs 2002 and 2003 to form a continuous gutter on which the curtain wall composite assembly attaches to the building structure 4003 using fastener 4011 (see FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall panel 1000 is supported by symmetrical recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 which acts as a corner brace around all four sides of the curtain wall panel 1000 and seals the corners with corner sealant 11 . It is positively attached to return leg 22 by countersunk fastener 14010 , which penetrates recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 , and is sealed by butyl tape 10 . The recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 is held together at the four corners by the corner reglet clip 4005 providing a framework without the use of fasteners. The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the continuous gutter created by lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 by machine screw 5 into the integral screw boss SB 1 of the gutter members. A continuous gasket G 2 which is applied to the bottom of recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 provides a thermal break between the curtain wall composite assembly, FIG. 53 . The curtain wall composite assembly rests upon 14009 lower gutter bearing leg which provides compression and the primary seal. Continuous pressure channel 4007 attaches the curtain wall panel to lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 through the screw bosses SB 1 located in the gutters. Continuous snap cover 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 covering machine screw 5 . Any water that would penetrate the primary seal would flow into lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 into space S 1 and drain to the bottom of the building elevation.
FIG. 28 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 26, but utilizing a flush joint embodiment which varies from FIG. 26 by using flush perimeter extrusion 4012 .
FIG. 29 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 27, but utilizing a flush joint embodiment which varies from FIG. 27 by using flush perimeter extrusion 4012 .
FIG. 30 is a horizontal sectional view of the preferred embodiment. The upper gutter 2 is attached to the lower gutter 200 at right angles through the flanges F 3 , F 4 outside of gutter legs 4001 and 4002 which forms a continuous gutter on which the curtain wall composite assembly makes attachment to the building structure 4003 using fastener 4011 (see FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall panel 1000 is supported by symmetrical recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 which acts as a corner brace around all four sides of the curtain wall panel 1000 and seals the corners with corner sealant 11 . It is positively attached to return leg 22 by countersunk fastener 14010 , which penetrates recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 , and is sealed by butyl tape 10 . The recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 is held together at the four corners by the corner reglet clip 4005 providing a framework without the use of fasteners. The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the continuous gutter created by lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 by machine screw 5 into the integral screw boss of the gutter members. A continuous gasket G 2 which is applied to the bottom of recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 provides a thermal break between the curtain wall composite assembly, FIG. 53 . The curtain wall composite assembly rests upon 4013 upper gutter bearing leg which provides compression and the primary seal. Continuous pressure channel 4007 attaches the curtain wall panel to lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 through the screw bosses located in the gutters. Continuous snap cover 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 covering machine screw 5 . Any water that would penetrate the primary seal would flow into lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 into space S 1 and drain to the bottom of the building elevation.
FIG. 31 is a horizontal sectional view of the preferred embodiment. The upper gutter 2 is attached to the lower gutter 200 at right angles through the flanges outside of gutter legs 4001 and 4002 which forms a continuous gutter on which the curtain wall composite assembly makes attachment to the building structure 4003 using fastener 4011 (see FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall panel 1000 is supported by symmetrical recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 which acts as a corner brace around all four sides of the curtain wall panel 1000 and seals the corners with corner sealant 11 . It is positively attached to return leg 22 by countersunk fastener 14010 , which penetrates recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 , and is sealed by butyl tape 10 . The recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 is held together at the four corners by the corner reglet clip 4005 providing a framework without the use of fasteners. The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the continuous gutter created by lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 by machine screw 5 into the integral screw boss of the gutter members. A continuous gasket G 2 which is applied to the bottom of recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 provides a thermal break between the curtain wall composite assembly (see FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall composite assembly rests upon 4013 upper gutter bearing leg which provides compression and the primary seal. Continuous pressure channel 4007 attaches the curtain wall panel to lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 through the screw bosses located in the gutters. Continuous snap cover 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 covering machine screw 5 . Any water that would penetrate the primary seal would flow into lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 into space S 1 and drain to the bottom of the building elevation. Air pressure equalization is achieved through weep hole 4004 which allows the pressure within the curtain wall composite assembly to equalize with the pressures outside of the curtain wall face 23 .
FIG. 32 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 30, but utilizing a flush joint embodiment which varies from FIG. 30 by utilizing flush perimeter extrusion 4012 .
FIG. 33 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 31, but utilizing a flush joint embodiment which varies from FIG. 31 by utilizing flush perimeter extrusion 4012 .
FIG. 34 is a vertical sectional view of lower termination gutter 4015 attached to upper gutter 2 at right angles through the flanges outside of gutter leg 2002 which forms a continuous gutter on which the curtain wall composite assembly makes attachment to the building structure 4003 using fastener 4011 or similar (see FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall panel 1000 is supported by symmetrical flush perimeter extrusion 4012 which acts as a corner brace around all four sides of the curtain wall panel 1000 and seals the corners with corner sealant 11 . It is positively attached to return leg 22 by countersunk fastener 14010 , which penetrates flush perimeter extrusion 4012 , and is sealed by butyl tape 10 . The flush perimeter extrusion 4012 is held together at the four corners by the corner reglet clip 4005 providing a framework without the use of fasteners. The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the continuous gutter created by lower gutter 4015 and upper gutter 2 by machine screw 5 into the integral screw boss of the gutter members. A continuous gasket G 2 which is applied to the bottom of flush perimeter extrusion 4012 provides a thermal break between the curtain wall composite assembly, FIG. 53 . The curtain wall composite assembly rests upon 14009 lower gutter bearing leg which provides compression and the primary seal. Continuous pressure channel 4007 attaches the curtain wall panel to lower gutter 4015 and upper gutter 2 through the screw bosses located in the gutters. Continuous snap cover 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 covering machine screw 5 . Any water that would penetrate the primary seal would flow into lower gutter 4015 and upper gutter 2 into space S 1 and drain to the bottom of the building elevation. The continuous pressure channel 4006 rests upon termination closure 4016 and gasket spacer G 3 . The system is sealed to adjacent materials by perimeter sealant 4014 .
FIG. 35 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 34, but utilizing a recessed joint embodiment which varies from FIG. 34 by utilizing recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 .
FIG. 36 is a vertical sectional view of lower termination gutter 4015 attached to upper gutter 2 at right angles through the flanges F 9 outside of gutter leg 2002 which forms a continuous gutter on which the curtain wall composite assembly, FIG. 53, makes attachment to the building structure 4003 using fastener 4011 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is supported by symmetrical flush perimeter extrusion 4012 which acts as a corner brace around all four sides of the curtain wall panel 1000 and seals the corners with corner sealant 11 . It is positively attached to return leg 22 by countersunk fastener 14010 , which penetrates flush perimeter extrusion 4012 , and is sealed by butyl tape 10 . The flush perimeter extrusion 4012 is held together at the four corners by the corner reglet clip 4005 providing a framework without the use of fasteners. The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the continuous gutter created by lower gutter 4015 and upper gutter 2 by machine screw 5 into the integral screw boss of the gutter members. A continuous gasket G 2 which is applied to the bottom of flush perimeter extrusion 4012 provides a thermal break between the curtain wall composite assembly, FIG. 53 . The curtain wall composite assembly rests upon 14009 lower gutter bearing leg which provides compression and the primary seal. Continuous pressure channel 4007 attaches the curtain wall panel to lower gutter 4015 and upper gutter 2 through the screw bosses located in the gutters. Continuous snap cover 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 covering machine screw 5 . Any water that would penetrate the primary seal would flow into lower gutter 4015 and upper gutter 2 into space S 1 and drain to the bottom of the building elevation. Air pressure equalization is achieved through weep hole 4004 which allows the pressure within the curtain wall composite assembly to equalize with the pressures outside of the curtain wall face 23 . The continuous pressure channel 4007 rests upon termination closure 4016 and gasket spacer G 3 . The system is sealed to adjacent materials by perimeter sealant 4014 .
FIG. 37 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 36, but utilizing a recessed joint embodiment which varies from FIG. 36 by utilizing recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 .
FIG. 38 is a vertical sectional view of upper termination gutter 4017 attached to lower gutter 200 at right angles through the flanges F 10 outside of gutter leg 4002 which forms a continuous gutter on which the curtain wall composite assembly, FIG. 53, makes attachment to the building structure 4003 using fastener 4011 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is supported by a recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 which acts as a corner brace around all four sides of the curtain wall panel 1000 and seals the corners with corner sealant 11 . It is positively attached to return leg 22 by countersunk fastener 14010 , which penetrates flush perimeter extrusion 4012 , and is sealed by butyl tape 10 . The flush perimeter extrusion 4012 is held together at the four corners by the corner reglet clip 4005 providing a framework without the use of fasteners. The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the continuous gutter created by lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 4017 by machine screw 5 into the integral screw boss of the gutter members. A continuous gasket G 2 which is applied to the bottom of recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 provides a thermal break between the curtain wall composite assembly (see FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall composite assembly rests upon 14009 lower gutter bearing leg which provides compression and the primary seal. Continuous pressure channel 4007 attaches the curtain wall panel to lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 4017 through the screw bosses located in the gutters. Continuous snap cover 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 covering machine screw 5 . Any water that would penetrate the primary seal would flow into lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 4017 into space S 2 and drain to the bottom of the building elevation. The continuous pressure channel 4006 rests upon termination closure 4016 and gasket spacer G 3 . The system is sealed to adjacent materials by perimeter sealant 4014 .
FIG. 39 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 38, but utilizes a flush joint embodiment which varies from FIG. 38 by utilizing flush perimeter extrusion 4012 .
FIG. 40 is a horizontal sectional view of upper termination gutter 4017 attached to lower gutter 200 at right angles through the flanges F 10 outside of gutter legs 2002 and 2003 which forms a continuous gutter on which the curtain wall composite assembly (see FIG. 53) makes attachment to the building structure 4003 using fastener 4011 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is supported by recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 which acts as a corner brace around all four sides of the curtain wall panel 1000 and seals the corners with corner sealant 11 . It is positively attached to return leg 22 by countersunk fastener 14010 , which penetrates recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 , and is sealed by butyl tape 10 . The recessed perimeter extrusion 4008 is held together at the four corners by the corner reglet clip 4005 providing a framework without the use of fasteners. The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the continuous gutter created by lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 4017 by machine screw 5 into the integral screw boss of the gutter members. A continuous gasket G 2 which is applied to the bottom of flush perimeter extrusion 4012 provides a thermal break between the curtain wall composite assembly (see FIG. 53 ). The curtain wall composite assembly rests upon 14009 lower gutter bearing leg, which provides compression and the primary seal. Continuous pressure channel 4007 attaches the curtain wall panel to lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 4017 through the screw bosses located in the gutters. Continuous snap cover 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 covering machine screw 5 . Any water that would penetrate the primary seal would flow into lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 4017 into space S 2 and drain to the bottom of the building elevation. The continuous pressure channel 4006 rests upon termination closure 4016 and gasket spacer G 3 . The system is sealed to adjacent materials by perimeter sealant 4014 .
FIG. 41 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 40, but utilizing a flush joint embodiment which varies from FIG. 40 by utilizing flush perimeter extrusion 4012 .
FIG. 42 shows lower gutter 200 nominal dimensions:
d10 = .246
d11 = .060
d12 = .110
d13 = .071
d14 = .015
d15 = .192
d16 = .018
d17 = .074
d18 = .250
d19 = 4.877
d20 = 3.877
d21 = 2.877
d22 = 1.624
d23 = .500
d24 = .575
d27 = .020 × 90°
d25 = .750
d28 = .050R
α = 30°
P.I. = Point in between
d26 = 1.750
FIG. 43 shows upper gutter 2 nominal dimensions:
d10-d23 are same as FIG. 42
d29 = 1.625
d30 = .450
d34 = .125
d27 = .020 X 90°
d28 = .050R
P.I. = Point in between
d31 = .125
α = 30°
d32 = .125
d33 = .125
FIG. 44 shows upper termination 4017 nominal dimensions:
d 35 =2.909
d 36 =1.625
d 37 =1.000
FIG. 45 shows lower termination 4015 nominal dimensions:
d 35 =2.909
d 37 =1.000
d 38 =1.750
FIG. 46 shows flush perimeter extension 4012 nominal dimensions:
d 39 =0.500
d 40 =0.063
d 41 =0.125
d 42 =1.214
d 43 =0.526
d 44 =0.060
d 45 =0.689
d 46 =0.050R
d 47 =0.020R
d 48 =0.250
FIG. 47 shows Recessed Perimeter Extension 4008 nominal dimensions:
d 39 =0.500
d 40 =0.063
d 41 =0.125
d 43 =0.526
d 44 =0.060
d 45 =0.689
d 46 =0.050R
d 47 =0.020R
d 48 =0.250
d 49 =0.375
d 50 =1.714
FIG. 48 shows pressure channel 4007 nominal dimensions:
d51 = .696
PT = Point
d52 = .537
PI = Point in between
d53 = .508
d54 = .020 × 90°
d64 = .125
d55 = .010R
d65 = .417
a1 = 60°
d66 = .666
d56 = .030R
Sym = Symmetrical
d57 = .188
d58 = .249R
d59 = .115R
d60 = .015R
d61 = .730
d62 = .622
d63 = .513
FIG. 49 shows Snap Cover 4006 nominal dimensions:
d 67 =0.063
d 68 =0.738
d 69 =0.211
d 70 =0.050
d 71 =0.109R
d 72 =0.477
d 73 =0.713
PT=Point
D 74 =0.118
FIGS. 50 and 51 show the common gasket to curtain wall parts which are used interchangeably between the guttered systems shown in FIGS. 27 and 29 respectively, and the non-guttered systems shown in FIGS. 54 and 55. The recessed systems shown in FIGS. 54 and 55 could be interchanged to a flush system as shown in FIG. 51 .
Referring to FIG. 52, a reglet 4005 is a metal clip that adds structural rigidity to corner joints of corner braces 4008 and/or 4112 , where they meet at the inside corners of the curtain wall panels 1000 .
An alternate embodiment of the system (referred to as DPS3000™) is shown in FIGS. 54 and 55 that has no internal gutters (e.g., S 1 and S 2 in FIGS. 16 and 17 ), but offers many of the same features of the preferred embodiment, as well as lower costs. The building 4003 supports a symmetric lower base member 13002 and upper base member 3015 as part of a dry, non-directional system. The lower base member 13002 and upper base member 3015 join at right angles and overlap to create a sub-system framework through the use of fastener 4011 which penetrates the flange legs. The curtain wall panel 1000 has a corner brace 4008 exactly as the preferred embodiment. The corner brace 4008 is comprised of four symmetric extrusions which are joined at the corners with a corner reglet clip 4005 . Prior to corner 4008 being inserted into curtain wall panel 1000 , corner sealant 3117 is applied to all inside corners and butyl sealant 10 is applied in corner brace 4008 at the location of the drilled holes for fastener 1401 . Countersunk fasteners 14010 are inserted through the drilled hole in the curtain wall panel 1000 and through the butyl sealant 10 into corner brace 4008 forming a watertight rigid panel assembly. A gasket G 2 is factory-applied to the bottom of corner brace 4008 . The continuous channel 4007 secures the corner braces 4008 via fastener 53 into screw boss 3007 . A facial clip 4006 provides an aesthetic appearance over the fasteners 53 . The facial clip 4006 can be flush with the face of the curtain wall panel 1000 or recessed ½′ from the face of the curtain wall panel 1000 .
In FIGS. 56 and 57 the nominal dimensions of lower base 13002 and upper base 3015 are:
d100 = .246″
d101 = .192 + .000/− .024″
d102 = .060″
d103 = .110″
d104 = .071″
d105 = .015″
d106 = .018″
d107 = .074″
d108 = 1.000″
α = 30°
d109 = .125″
d110 = .020 × 90°
d111 = .500″
d112 = 1.624″
d113 = 3.624
d114 = .575″
d115 = .875″
It can be seen that d 115 +d 109 =d 108 to allow the upper base 3015 to sit atop the flanges F 99 of the lower base 13002 as shown in FIG. 54, and result in a single plane mounting platform shown by dotted lines MP.
FIG. 58 is a vertical cross sectional view of the preferred embodiment (DPS4000™) as shown in FIG. 26, but with varying building structure components and attachment fastener. Sheathing known as exterior insulated finish system (EIFS/Stucco) 4101 is applied to insulation 4102 which is attached to the structural studs 4103 comprises an alternate composite building structure. The framework of lower gutter 200 and upper gutter 2 are attached to the structural studs 4103 using long structural fastener 4100 without crushing the composite building structure comprised of exterior insulated finish system (EIFS) 4101 and inslation 4102 .
FIG. 59 is a vertical cross sectional view of an alternate embodiment (referred to as DPS2500™). Horizontal gutter 2505 is joined with vertical gutter 2506 at right angles and connected through vertical flange leg 2512 and horizontal flange leg 2513 using flange bolt attachment screw 2509 . The pivot point leg 2510 on each side of the horizontal gutter space HGS is milled out at the location of the intersection of the vertical gutter 2505 which forms a continuous guttered framework. The ACM curtain wall panel 1000 has an additional rout 2500 in return leg 22 which fits over pivot point 2510 allowing curtain wall panel face 23 to flex. The curtain wall panel 1000 does not have a corner brace as in the preferred embodiment, but incorporates the framework and continuous gutter embodiments of such. The framework of horizontal gutter 2505 and vertical gutter 2506 is attached to the building structure 4003 using attachment screw 2509 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is placed on the framework and held in place by pressure to the return leg 22 over the pivot point 2510 by pressure channel 2503 which is attached to the gutters 2505 and 2506 by machine screw 2502 into screw boss 2511 . Snap cover 2501 covers machine screw 2502 and pressure channel 2503 . The bottom horizontal return leg 22 of the curtain wall panel 1000 incorporates a weep hole 2504 used to remove moisture from condensation and act as a failsafe against water that may have traveled outside of horizontal gutter space HGS. Water within the horizontal gutter space HGS travels to the vertical gutter space VGS and then downward to the bottom of the framework and out the building.
FIG. 60 is a horizontal cross sectional view of vertical gutter 2506 which is joined with horizontal gutter 2505 at right angles and connected through vertical flange leg 2412 and horizontal flange leg 2513 using flange bolt attachment screw 2509 . The ACM curtain wall panel 1000 has an additional rout 2500 in return leg 22 which fits over pivot point 2510 allowing curtain wall panel face 23 to flex. The curtain wall panel 1000 does not have a corner brace as in the preferred embodiment, but incorporates the framework and continuous gutter embodiments of such. The framework of horizontal gutter 2505 and vertical gutter 2506 is attached to the building structure 4003 using attachment screw 2509 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is placed on the framework and held in place by pressure to the return leg 22 over the pivot point 2510 by pressure channel 2503 which is attached to the gutters 2505 and 2506 by machine screw 2502 into screw boss 2511 . Snap cover 2501 covers machine screw 2502 and pressure channel 2503 . Water that enters the vertical gutter space VGS travels downward to horizontal gutter space HGS and weeps to the face of the curtain wall panel face 23 through weep hole 2504 .
FIG. 61 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 59, but varies by having a recessed joint embodiment whereby the face of the panel 23 extends beyond snap cover 2501 .
FIG. 62 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 60, but varies by having a recessed joint embodiment whereby the face of the panel 23 extends beyond snap hover 2501 .
FIG. 63 is a vertical cross sectional view of the horizontal termination cutter 2507 which connects to vertical gutter 2506 at right angles forming a continuous gutter framework. The pivot leg 2510 is milled out at the location of the vertical gutters to allow water to drain down vertical gutter 2506 to the bottom of the building structure and out the building. The guttered framework is attached to the building structure 4003 using attachment screw 2509 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is placed on the framework and held in place by pressure to the return leg 22 over the pivot point 2510 by pressure channel 2503 , which is attached to the gutters 2506 and 2507 by machine screw 2502 into screw boss 2511 . Snap cover 2501 covers machine screw 2502 and pressure channel 2503 .
FIG. 64 is a horizontal cross sectional view of the vertical termination gutter 2508 which connects to horizontal gutter 2505 at right angles forming a continuous gutter framework. Water that enters the gutter travels downward to the bottom of the building structure and out the building. The guttered framework is attached to the building structure 4003 using attachment screw 2509 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is place on the framework and held in place by pressure to the return leg 22 over the pivot point 2510 by pressure channel 2503 which is attached to the gutters 2505 and 2508 by machine screw 2502 into screw boss 2511 . Snap cover 2501 covers machine screw 2502 and pressure channel 2503 .
FIG. 65 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 63, but varies by having a recessed joint embodiment whereby the face of the panel 23 extends beyond snap cover 2501 .
FIG. 66 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 64, but varies by having a recessed joint embodiment whereby the face of the panel 23 extends beyond snap cover 2501 .
FIG. 67 is a frontal view of the assembly of vertical frame members VFM and horizontal frame members HFM at right angle to create a framework FW. It illustrates the ability to stack one framework FW on top of another against the building structure BS and to join them using a splice joint SJ.
FIG. 68 is a horizontal cross sectional view of splice joint assembly which connects the gutter of one framework to the gutter of another framework by attaching the left splice plate 4105 and right splice plate 4104 to the lower splice plate 4106 to the gutters utilizing splice fastener 4107 . The composite assembly keeps the gutter intact while providing structural support to the framework.
FIG. 69 is a horizontal cross sectional view of the vertical frame member 2107 of an alternate embodiment (referred to as DPS2000™) which is joined at right angles to the horizontal frame member 2106 through the horizontal flange leg 2110 and the vertical flange leg 2111 utilizing flange attachment bolt 2112 . A framework is formed that attaches to building structure 2117 utilizing attachment screw 2113 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the framework comprised of horizontal frame member 2106 and vertical frame member 2107 by machine screw 2102 which slips through clip slot 2114 in recessed joint corner brace clip 2104 which attaches to return leg 22 and panel stiffener 2115 by clip fastener 2116 . The machine screw 2102 is fastened into screw boss 2105 . Clip slot 2114 allows the curtain wall panel 1000 to float on top of the framework. The primary seal of the system is achieved by the application of backer rod 2101 and sealant 2100 in the recessed joint.
FIG. 70 is a vertical cross sectional view of the horizontal frame member 2106 which is joined at right angles to the vertical frame member 2107 through the horizontal flange leg 2110 and the vertical flange leg 2111 utilizing flange attachment bolt 2112 . They make a framework that is attached to building structure 2117 utilizing attachment screw 2113 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the framework comprised of horizontal frame member 2106 and vertical frame member 2107 by machine screw 2102 which slips through clip slot 2114 in recessed joint corner brace clip 2104 which attaches to return leg 22 by clip fastener 2116 . Clip slot 2114 allows the curtain wall panel 1000 to float on top of the framework. The primary seal of the system is achieved by the application of backer rod 2101 and sealant 2100 in the recessed joint.
FIG. 71 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 69, but varies by having a flush joint embodiment utilizing flush joint corner brace 2103 whereby the face of the panel 23 is flush with the sealant 2100 .
FIG. 72 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 70, but varies by having a flush joint embodiment whereby the face of the panel 23 is flush with the sealant 2100 .
FIG. 73 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 69, but with one curtain wall panel 1000 eliminated for clarity to illustrate the flush corner brace clip 2103 .
FIG. 74 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 70, but with one curtain wall panel 1000 eliminated for clarity to illustrate the flush corner brace clip 2103 .
FIG. 75 is a horizontal cross sectional view of the vertical termination frame member 2109 which is joined at right angles to the horizontal frame member 2106 through the horizontal flange leg 2110 and the vertical flange leg 2111 utilizing flange attachment bolt 2112 . They make a framework that is attached to building structure 2117 utilizing attachment screw 2113 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the framework comprised of horizontal frame member 2106 and vertical termination member 2109 by machine screw 2102 which slips through clip slot 2114 in recessed joint corner brace clip 2104 which attaches to return leg 22 by clip fastener 2116 . Clip slot 2114 allows the curtain wall panel 1000 to float on top of the framework. The primary seal of the system is achieved by the application of backer rod 2101 and sealant 2100 in the flush joint.
FIG. 76 is a vertical cross sectional view of the horizontal termination frame member 2108 which is joined at right angles to the vertical frame member 2107 through the horizontal flange leg 2110 and the vertical flange leg 2111 utilizing flange attachment bolt 2112 . They make a framework that is attached to building structure 2117 utilizing attachment screw 2113 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the framework comprised of horizontal termination member 2108 and vertical frame member 2107 by machine screw 2102 which slips through clip slot 2114 in recessed joint corner brace clip 2104 which attaches to return leg 22 by clip fastener 2116 . Clip slot 2114 allows the curtain wall panel 1000 to float on top of the framework. The primary seal of the system is achieved by the application of backer rod 2101 and sealant 2100 in the flush joint.
FIG. 77 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 75, but varies by having a recessed joint embodiment utilizing recessed joint corner brace 2104 whereby the sealant 2100 is recessed with respect to the face of the panel 23 .
FIG. 78 is an identical view as shown in FIG. 74, but varies by having a recessed joint embodiment utilizing recessed joint corner brace 2104 whereby the sealant 2100 is recessed with respect to the face of the panel 23 .
FIG. 79 is an exploded frontal view showing vertical frame member 2107 and horizontal frame member 2106 illustrating connection of flange bolts 2112 from vertical flange leg 2111 and horizontal flange leg 2110 . Fastener 2113 illustrates connection of the framework comprised of vertical frame member 2107 and horizontal frame member 2106 to the building structure.
FIG. 80 is a cross sectional view of framework comprised of vertical frame member 2107 and horizontal frame member 2106 illustrating frame connection using flange bolt 2112 and frame to building structure 2117 attachment utilizing fastener 2113 .
FIG. 81 is an frontal view showing vertical frame member 2107 and horizontal frame member 2106 illustrating connection of flange bolts 2112 from vertical flange leg 2111 and horizontal flange leg 2110 . Fastener 2113 illustrates connection of the framework comprised of vertical frame member 2107 and horizontal frame member 2106 to the building structure.
FIG. 82 is a vertical cross sectional view of a framework assembly consisting of vertical frame member 2107 and horizontal frame member 2106 with flanges 2110 and 2111 illustrating one method of attaching a framework to the building structure 2117 .
FIG. 83 is an exploded frontal view for alternate embodiment DPS2500™ of vertical frame member 2506 and horizontal frame member 2505 illustrating assembly connections through flanges 2512 and 2513 utilizing flange connection 2514 . The assembled connection is attached to the building structure utilizing fastener 2509 . Frame 84 is a frontal view of vertical frame member 2506 and horizontal frame member 2505 illustrating assembly connections through flanges 2512 and 2513 utilizing flange connection 2514 . The assembled connection is attached to the building structure utilizing fastener 2509 .
FIG. 85 is a cross sectional view of framework consisting of vertical frame member 2506 and horizontal frame member 2505 illustrating connection through flange 2512 and flange 2511 with flange bolt 2514 . The curtain wall panel 1000 is attached to the framework by attaching return leg 22 to pivot leg 2510 and held in place by pressure channel 2503 by fastener 2502 and covered by snap cover 2501 . The frame assembly attaches to the building structure 4003 .
FIG. 86 shows horizontal frame members HFM joined to vertical frame members VFM at right angles. The left flange leg LFL and right flange leg RF of the vertical frame members VFM overlap the lower flange leg LF and the upper flange leg UF of the horizontal frame members HFM above and below the vertical extents VE of the curtain wall panel, and are connected utilizing bolts and nuts at the intersection. Upon the horizontal frame members HFM and vertical frame members VFM being bolted together, it comprises the framework FW. The framework FW is placed against the building structure BS and joined through the horizontal frame members HFM utilizing building fasteners BF 1 in the upper flange leg UF and BF 2 in the lower flange leg LF, as required by wind loading requirements, between the horizontal extents HE of the curtain wall panel. The vertical bearing surface VBS and horizontal bearing surface HBS prevent the framework FW from crushing any sheathing SH, such as gypsum board or insulation, which may be attached over the building structure BS. The vertical spacing VS of the building fasteners BF 1 and BF 2 provide constant force to the flanges UF, LF, RF, LFL of the framework FW to the building structure BS while also providing for two connection points in lieu of one. Nominal Dimensions are:
A 1 =4′×5′=20′
A 2 =2(4′)×(0.40)+2(5′)×(0.40)=7.12
A 2 over A 1 =0.36
A=4′0
B=5′0
C=4′0
D=5′0
E=4′0
F=5′0
G=4.750″
H=4.750″
FIG. 87 is a frontal view of a partial building structure showing preferred embodiment DPS4000™ guttered nondirectional dry system per FIGS. 27 and 30, as well as, alternate embodiments for window glazing which include transitions from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 (see FIG. 90 ). Lower transition from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 is accomplished using integrated window sill 8803 as shown in FIG. 90 . Upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 is accomplished using integrated window head 8804 as shown in FIG. 89 . The end or jamb transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 is accomplished using window head 8804 , but rotated 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 89 A. Glass panel 8701 to glass panel 8701 transition is made using vertical window mullion 8801 as shown in FIGS. 91 and 91A.
FIG. 88 is a frontal view of framework of preferred embodiment DPS4000™ guttered non-directional dry system including alternate embodiments for window glazing shown in FIG. 87, with aluminum composite panels 1000 and glass panels 8701 removed. From top to bottom, the framework is comprised of lower gutter 200 vertically transitioning to horizontal window head 8804 , and connected through overlapping flanges 8809 and 8810 using flange bolt 2112 . Window head 8804 transitions to vertical window mullion 8801 and continues to window sill 8803 . Window mullion 8801 is held static at both ends by sliding mullion clip 8802 which rides upon integrated clip rails 8805 and 8806 in window sill 8803 , and integrated clip rails 8807 and 8808 in window head 8804 . Between each vertical window mullion 8801 is a decorative snap insert; 8902 at window head 8804 , and 9001 at window sill 8803 . Window sill 8803 transitions to vertical lower gutter 200 and connects through overlapping flanges 8809 and 8811 using flange bolt 2112 . Framework attachment to building structure 8750 is made using attachment screw 4011 through flanges 8810 and 8811 .
FIG. 89 is a vertical sectional view of the upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head 8804 is connected to lower gutter 200 using flange bolt 2112 . Lower gutter 200 rests upon gutter leg 2002 of window head 8804 . Window head 8804 includes integrated clip rails 8807 and 8808 which form reglets or grooves upon which mullion clip 8802 slides. Vertical window mullion 8801 captures mullion clip 8802 and is made static using clip-stay 8901 . Decorative snap cover 8902 fits between vertical window mullions 8801 into window head 8804 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window head 8804 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window head 8804 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 .
FIG. 89A is a horizontal sectional view of the side transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head 8804 is rotated 90 degrees and used as a window jamb to transition glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head (jamb) insert 8902 snaps in between window head 8804 and window sill 8803 . Window sill insert 9001 snaps into window sill 8803 between vertical window mullions 8801 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window head jamb) 8804 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window head (jamb) 8804 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 .
FIG. 90 is a vertical sectional view of the lower transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window sill 8803 is connected to lower gutter 200 using flange bolt 2112 . Lower gutter 200 rests against gutter leg 2002 of window sill 8803 . Window sill 8803 includes integrated clip rails 8805 and 8806 which form reglets or grooves upon which mullion clip 8802 slides. Vertical window mullion 8801 captures mullion clip 8802 and is made static using clip-stay 8901 . Decorative snap cover 9001 fits between vertical window mullions 8801 into window sill 8803 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window sill 8803 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window sill 8803 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 . Baffle BFL prevents water blockage from debris and negative wind pressure. Weep hole WH allows water to exit to the face of aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 91 is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking down toward window sill 8803 . Mullion clip 8802 holds vertical window mullion 8801 static within window sill 8803 . Decorative insert 9001 snaps into window sill 8803 in-between vertical window mullions 8801 . Spacers 9103 provide cushion and gap for silicone 8905 . Gaskets 8903 and 8904 hold glass panel 8701 in place. Backer rod 9102 and face sealant 9101 provide waterproofing.
FIG. 91A is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking up toward window head 8804 . Mullion clip 8802 holds vertical window mullion 8801 static within window head 8804 . Decorative insert 8902 snaps into window head 8804 in-between vertical window mullions 8801 . Spacers 9103 provide cushion and gap for silicone 8905 . Gaskets 8903 and 8904 hold glass panel 8701 in place. Backer rod 9102 and face sealant 9101 provide waterproofing.
FIG. 92 is a vertical sectional view of a glass panel assembly using FIGS. 89 and 90.
FIG. 93 is a vertical sectional view of a panel assembly using FIGS. 89 and 90.
FIG. 94 is a frontal view of a partial building structure showing alternate embodiment DPS 3000 non-directional dry system per FIGS. 54 and 55, as well as, additional alternate embodiments for window glazing which include transitions from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Lower transition from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 is accomplished using integrated window sill 9503 as shown in FIG. 97 . Upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 is accomplished using integrated window head 9504 as shown in FIG. 96 . The end or jamb transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 is accomplished using window head 9504 , but rotated 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 96 A. Glass panel 8701 to glass panel 8701 transition is made using vertical window mullion 8801 as shown in FIGS. 98 and 98A.
FIG. 95 is a frontal view of framework of alternate embodiment DPS 3000 non-directional dry system including additional alternate embodiments for window glazing shown in FIG. 94, with aluminum composite panels 1000 and glass panels 8701 removed. From top to bottom, the framework is comprised of lower base 3015 vertically transitioning to horizontal window head 9504 , and connected through overlapping flanges 9509 and 9505 using flange bolt 2112 . Window head 9504 transitions to vertical window mullion 8801 and continues to window sill 9503 . Window mullion 8801 is held static at both ends by sliding mullion clip 8802 which rides upon integrated clip rails 9501 and 9502 in window sill 9503 , and integrated clip rails 9506 and 9507 in window head 9504 . Between each vertical window mullion 8801 is a decorative snap insert; 8902 at window head 9504 , and 9001 at window sill 9503 . Window sill 9503 transitions to vertical lower base 3015 and connects through overlapping flanges 9505 and 9508 using flange bolt 2112 . Framework attachment to building structure 8750 is made using attachment screw 4011 through flanges 9509 and 9508 .
FIG. 96 is a vertical sectional view of the upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head 9504 is connected to lower base 3015 using flange bolt 2112 . Lower base 3015 rests upon window head 9504 . Window head 9504 includes integrated clip rails 9506 and 9507 which form reglets or grooves upon which mullion clip 8802 slides. Vertical window mullion 8801 captures mullion clip 8802 and is made static using clip-stay 8901 . Decorative snap cover 8902 fits between vertical window mullions 8801 into window head 9504 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window head 9504 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window head 9504 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 .
FIG. 96A is a horizontal sectional view of the side transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head 9504 is rotated 90 degrees and used as a window jamb to transition glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head (jamb) insert 8902 snaps in between window head 9504 and window sill 9503 . Window sill insert 9001 snaps into window sill 9503 between vertical window mullions 8801 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window head (jamb) 9504 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window head (jamb) 9504 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 .
FIG. 97 is a vertical sectional view of the lower transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window sill 9503 is connected to lower base 3015 using flange bolt 2112 . Lower base 3015 rests against window sill 9503 . Window sill 9503 includes integrated clip rails 9501 and 9502 which form reglets or grooves upon which mullion clip 8802 slides. Vertical window mullion 8801 captures mullion clip 8802 and is made static using clip-stay 8901 . Decorative snap cover 9001 fits between vertical window mullions 8801 into window sill 9503 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window sill 8803 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window sill 9503 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 . Baffle BFL prevents water blockage from debris and negative wind pressure. Weep hole WH allows water to exit to the face of aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 98 is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking down toward window sill 9503 . Mullion clip 8802 holds vertical window mullion 8801 static within window sill 9503 . Decorative insert 9001 snaps into window sill 9503 in-between vertical window mullions 8801 . Spacers 9103 provide cushion and gap for silicone 8905 . Gaskets 8903 and 8904 hold glass panel 8701 in place. Backer rod 9102 and face sealant 9101 provide waterproofing.
FIG. 98A is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking up toward window head 9504 . Mullion clip 8802 holds vertical window mullion 8801 static within window head 9504 . Decorative insert 8902 snaps into window head 9504 in-between vertical window mullions 8801 . Spacers 9103 provide cushion and gap for silicone 8905 . Gaskets 8903 and 8904 hold glass panel 8701 in place. Backer rod 9102 and face sealant 9101 provide waterproofing.
FIG. 99 is a vertical sectional view of a glass panel assembly using FIGS. 96 and 97.
FIG. 100 is a vertical sectional view of a panel assembly using FIGS. 96 and 97.
FIG. 101 is a frontal view of a partial building structure showing alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW incorporating structural vertical mullions per FIGS. 24 and 108, as well as, alternate embodiments for window glazing, which include transitions from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Lower transition from aluminum composite panel 1000 to glass panel 8701 is accomplished using integrated window sill 8803 as shown in FIG. 104 . Upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 is accomplished using integrated window head 8804 as shown in FIG. 103 . The end or jamb transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 is accomplished using window head 8804 , but rotated 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 102 A. Glass panel 8701 to glass panel 8701 transition is made using vertical window mullion 8801 as shown in FIGS. 105 and 105A.
FIG. 102 is a frontal view of framework of alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW incorporating structural vertical mullions per FIGS. 24 and 108 including alternate embodiments for window glazing shown in FIGS. 103 and 104, with aluminum composite panels 1000 and glass panels 8701 removed. From top to bottom, the framework is comprised of structural vertical mullion 10203 vertically transitioning to horizontal window head 8804 , and connected through overlapping flanges 10204 and 8810 using flange bolt 2112 . Window head 8804 transitions to vertical window mullion 8801 and continues to window sill 8803 . Window mullion 8801 is held static at both ends by sliding mullion clip 8802 which rides upon integrated clip rails 10201 and 10202 in window sill 8803 , and integrated clip rails 10207 and 10208 in window head 8804 . Between each vertical window mullion 8801 is a decorative snap insert; 8902 at window head 8804 , and 9001 at window sill 8803 . Window sill 8803 transitions to structural vertical mullion 10203 and connects through overlapping flanges 10204 and 8811 using flange bolt 2112 . Framework attachment to building structure 8750 is made per FIG. 108 .
FIG. 103 is a vertical sectional view of the upper transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head 8804 is connected to structural vertical mullion 10203 using flange bolt 2112 . Structural vertical mullion 10203 rests upon gutter leg 2002 of window head 8804 . Window head 8804 includes integrated clip rails 10207 and 10208 which form reglets or grooves upon which mullion clip 8802 slides. Vertical window mullion 8801 captures mullion clip 8802 and is made static using clip-stay 8901 . Decorative snap cover 8902 fits between vertical window mullions 8801 into window head 8804 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window head 8804 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window head 8804 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 .
FIG. 103A is a horizontal sectional view of the side transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head 8804 is rotated 90 degrees and used as a window jamb to transition glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window head (jamb) insert 8902 snaps in between window head 8804 and window sill 8803 covering slide rails 10207 and 10208 . Window sill insert 9001 snaps into window sill 8803 between vertical window mullions 8801 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window head (jamb) 8804 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window head (jamb) 8804 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 .
FIG. 104 is a vertical sectional view of the lower transition from glass panel 8701 to aluminum composite panel 1000 . Window sill 8803 is connected to structural vertical mullion 10203 using flange bolt 2112 . Structural vertical mullion 10203 rests against gutter leg 2002 of window sill 8803 . Window sill 8803 includes integrated clip rails 8805 and 8806 which form reglets or grooves upon which mullion clip 8802 slides. Vertical window mullion 8801 captures mullion clip 8802 and is made static using clip-stay 8901 . Decorative snap cover 9001 fits between vertical window mullions 8801 into window sill 8803 . Glass panel 8701 is held in window sill 8803 using gaskets 8904 and 8903 . Silicone 8905 provides waterproofing. Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window sill 8803 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 . Baffle BFL prevents water blockage from debris and negative wind pressure. Weep hole WH allows water to exit to the face of aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 105 is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking down toward window sill 8803 . Mullion clip 8802 holds vertical window mullion 8801 static within window sill 8803 . Decorative insert 9001 snaps into window sill 8803 in-between vertical window mullions 8801 . Spacers 9103 provide cushion and gap for silicone 8905 . Gaskets 8903 and 8904 hold glass panel 8701 in place. Backer rod 9102 and face sealant 9101 provide waterproofing.
FIG. 105A is a horizontal sectional view of vertical window mullion 8801 looking up toward window head 8804 . Mullion clip 8802 holds vertical window mullion 8801 static within window head 8804 . Decorative insert 8902 snaps into window head 8804 in-between vertical window mullions 8801 . Spacers 9103 provide cushion and gap for silicone 8905 . Gaskets 8903 and 8904 hold glass panel 8701 in place. Backer rod 9102 and face sealant 9101 provide waterproofing.
FIG. 106 is a vertical sectional view of a glass panel assembly using FIGS. 103 and 104.
FIG. 107 is a vertical sectional view of a panel assembly using FIGS. 103 and 104.
FIG. 108 is a structural vertical mullion 10203 of alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW which provides windload and deadload support for the preferred embodiment by using attachment clip 10803 to connect to building structure 8750 using bolts 10804 . Assembly bolt 10802 connects structural vertical mullion 10203 to attachment clip 10803 . Shim 10801 provides continuous support between structural vertical mullion 10203 and attachment clip 10803 . Preferred embodiment attachments to structural vertical mullion 10203 are made to flange 10204 . Aluminum composite panel 1000 is mechanically fastened to perimeter extrusion 4012 by fastener 14010 . Gasket G 2 is attached to the bottom of perimeter extrusion 4012 . Panel 1000 corners are joined by integrated clip 4005 . Sealant 10 provides water barrier around perimeter extrusion 4012 face and corners. Panel 1000 is attached to window sill 8803 by pressure channel 4007 and machine screw 5 . Decorative snap cap 4006 covers pressure channel 4007 .
FIG. 109 is identical to FIG. 108, but shows glass panel 8701 integrated into structural vertical mullion 10203 using glazing channel 10901 in lieu of aluminum composite panel 1000 .
FIG. 110 is a vertical sectional view of alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW assembled as a unit incorporating structural vertical mullion 10203 and guttered end closure 11002 . The assembled unit is know in the industry as being unitized, and supports its own weight plus the aluminum composite panel 1000 by attachment to building structure 8750 using structural floor attachment assembly 11001 .
FIG. 111 is a horizontal sectional view of alternate embodiment DPS 5000CW showing top view of structural vertical mullion 10203 being supported by structural floor attachment assembly 11001 to building structure 8750 .
FIG. 112 is a horizontal sectional review or an alternate embodiment illustrating the use of a light source. The light source 11201 could be fiber optics, rope light, LED, hardwire with bulbs, located within the fastener channel 11202 and covered with light transmittable cover 11203 which could be perforated or translucent.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be made and still the result will come within the scope of the invention. No limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred.
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A curtain wall (ACM) system has vertical mullions and horizontal supports which provide a dry as well as a structural system for non-sequential construction of curtain wall exteriors. Internal gutters offer a failsafe moisture proof system. The horizontal and vertical framework members may be mounted in the reverse orientation for special exterior wall configurations. Individual panels can be replaced without sealants or tear down of neighboring panels. A face support for the thin ACM panels is provided. Thermal expansion is addressed with a floating panel on a track design. Alternate embodiment includes transition frame members having glass and metal panel integral supports, freestanding X-Y sub-frame assemblies, fiber optic outboard channels and novel methods of assembly.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the production of nitrogen fertilizers and more particularly to a portable, home-use unit which, for example, may be attached to a garden hose for production of dilute nitric-nitrous acid fertilizer or, by the addition of lime, calcium nitrate fertilizer.
Nitrogen is an essential material in the production of fertilizers. While it is the major component of the atmosphere (79 percent in dry air), nitrogen can be incorporated into most living systems only in the "fixed" form and nitrogen is less abundant in its fixed form. For gardening and yard maintenance it is desirable to supplement the natural sources of fixed nitrogen with chemical fertilizers. Typically, chemical fertilizers contain nitrogen which is fixed by industrial methods in which nitrogen is combined with hydrogen to form ammonia.
The principle industrial method for producing ammonia is the Haber process. In the Haber process, one molecule of nitrogen and three molecules of hydrogen combine at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of a catalyst to form two molecules of ammonia. The hydrogen utilized in the Haber process is obtained primarily from natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons. As long as there is a ready and inexpensive supply of hydrogen, the Haber process is unequaled in cost and efficiency for producing fixed nitrogen fertilizers.
However, because of the energy crisis the source of supply of hydrogen has decreased, and there has been a concomittant rise in the price. The demand for fixed nitrogen continues to grow, however, due to world population increases and the introduction of nitrogeneous fertilizers in the underdeveloped regions of the world. Thus it would appear likely that the cost of fixed nitrogen will continue to increase.
Accordingly, an investigation has begun into nitrogen fertilizer production methods other than the Haber process. See, for example, Safrany, "Nitrogen Fixation", Scientific America, Vol. 231, No. 4, pp. 64-80 (1974), wherein the following possible alternatives are discussed: biological fixation, metallo-organic, thermal activation, and low temperature ionization.
Principally, these alternatives strive to produce various nitrogen oxides, which with water addition will form nitric acid (HNO 3 ). That is depending on conditions, the reaction of nitrogen gas and oxygen gas will form one or more of the following nitrogen oxides: NO, N 2 O 3 , NO 2 or N 2 O 4 . Safrany states that it is easiest to discuss the reaction as producing nitric oxide (N 2 + O 2 → 2NO). But it should be realized that nitric oxide (NO) readily combines with oxygen at room temperature in an exothermic reaction to form nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). Thus, the reaction N 2 + 2O 2 → 2NO 2 can be said to be favored since nitrogen dioxide has the lowest heat of formation.
In any event, for production of the nitrogen oxides, Safrany finds low-temperature ionization to be the most attractive alternative. He states:
"Low-temperature ionization has the significant advantage that in principle all the molecules of the gas can be ionized or excited. The activation can be accomplished by subjecting the air to an electrcal potential of a few thousand volts, so that a low-temperature discharge is initiated, or by exposing air to an intense flux of ionizing radiation inside a nuclear reactor. In either case the gas molecules are bombarded by fast-moving ions and the collisions are inelastic. The resulting cascade of reactions can produce a substantial yield of nitrogen oxides.
As in all endoergic processes, the telling factor in calculating the feasibility of low-temperature activation is the cost of energy. If the source of energy is electricity, its cost would seem to forbid fixation by air activation as a commercial enterprise. The "chemonuclear" technique, on the other hand, utilizes a remarkably cheap form of energy: the kinetic energy of the nuclear fragments produced by the fission of a uranium nucleus."
As can be seen, even within the broad category of low-temperature ionization, Safrany prefers the chemonuclear approach because of the economics involved. The rejected alternative is use of an electrical arc discharge process.
The basics of using an electrical arc discharge for production of nitrogen oxides are well known. See, for example, Ephram, Inorganic Chemistry, Fifth Edition-Revised, 1949, pp. 680-704. However, the art has also long recognized that difficulties exist with the arc discharge process. Thus in Ephram at page 683 it is stated:
"The percentage of nitric oxide in the equilibrium N 2 + O 2 ⃡ 2NO is:
__________________________________________________________________________Temperature 1500° 2000° 2500° 2900° 3200° 4200° T.Per cent 0.1 0.61 1.79 3.20 4.43 10__________________________________________________________________________
In order to obtain a fair yield an exceptionally high temperature must be employed; 4200° T. corresponds approximately to aht attained in the electric arc, and a favourable yield can then be obtained. At this temperature, however, not only the establishment of the equilibrium, but also the back decomposition, is very rapid, and it is necessary to bring the nitric oxide formed to a region of lower temperature as quickly as possible to avoid a great part of it being lost. This is carried out by having the arc suitably constructed, so that either it is spread out by an electro-magnet into a thin disc of flame, through which the N--O mixture (air) is blown, or the arc is kept in motion in the form of a sinuous, narrow, spiral band, or is forced into a water-cooled iron tube. In this way, on a laboratory scale, up to 8 percent of the mixture has been converted to a nitric oxide, and in technical operations, up to 2.5 percent. It is not only the thermal effect of the arc which is responsible for the formation of nitric oxide; under the influence of strong electric fields (silent discharges), oxygen and nitrogen are decomposed into atoms which can then combine to form nitric oxide. This process must also play a part in the arc process."
As can be seen from the above, while a process of low temperature ionization for the production of fixed nitrogen is known, the economic feasibility of electric arc activation of air as a means of fixation has been considered doubtful. The total cost per pound of using electrical low temperature ionization for nitrogen fixation is indicated by the Safrany article to be 15 times the cost of chemonuclear low temperature ionization and 21/2 times the cost of the Haber process.
Such methods of production are of course not feasible for a home-use unit which fixes nitrogen and injects it into the water line supplying moisture to the yard or garden. Production of nitrogen fertilizer by a unit which automatically adds the fertilizer to the water flowing through a garden hose would eliminate the distribution and transportation costs which are responsible for a large portion of the delivery cost of industrially produced nitrate fertilizer. Additionally, if the arc discharge process were used, nitrogen oxides would be formed from air and the home owner would not need to keep a supply of fertilizer on hand. Also, fertilization of the yard or garden could be accomplished without the time consuming spreading required when dry fertilizers are used.
Thus a need exists for a practical, efficient, economical source of nitrogen fertilizer for home use, particularly one capable of producing nitrogen oxides and injecting them into a water line supplying moisture to the yard or garden of a home.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A device and method for producing nitrogen oxides by arc discharge and injecting them into a water line supplying moisture to the yard or garden of a home uses power from an electrical outlet as a source of alternating electric power. A transformer means for supplying a high voltage potential is mounted in a cabinet and is connected to the source of alternating electric power. An arc discharge chamber, having an air intake opening and an exhaust opening, is mounted in the cabinet. The discharge chamber includes a chamber surface which defines a first electrode, and a second electrode positioned centerally in the chamber. A means for applying the high voltage potential to the first and second electrodes is provided such that ionization of nitrogen and oxygen occurs in the chamber and nitrogen oxides are formed. A transport means communicates with the exhaust opening of the arc discharge chamber to remove gases including the nitrogen oxides from the chamber. A water fitting means is mounted on the exterior of the cabinet and has input and output openings which connect between a source of water, such as a water faucet, and the water line, typically a garden hose. A check valve means is mounted in the water fitting means for inserting the nitrogen oxides into the water flowing through the fitting means.
A Jacob's Ladder arcing may be effected by providing a conical arc discharge chamber. Successive upward moving sparks will tend to move the gas in the chamber toward an exhaust opening in the upper portion of the chamber. Alternatively, a cylindrical arc discharge chamber may be used and suction created by the water flow through the water fitting relied upon to draw the gases through the device. A transparent container in the transport means may be mounted on the exterior of the cabinet to provide a visual indication that nitrogen oxides are being produced in the arc discharge chamber. If desired an alkaline substance such as lime or potassium phosphate may be added to solution to be applied to the yard or garden. The fixed nitrogen solution may typically be sprayed on the yard or garden of a home by means of a garden hose.
The pumping action of the conical discharge chamber may be utilized to form nitrogen fertilizer in a container. A container of aqueous solution is provided and the transport means supplies the nitrogen oxide gases to the solution to form the desired fixed nitrogen solution.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a home-use device and method for producing nitrogen oxides and injecting them into a water line; to provide such a device and method which use the arc discharge principal; and, to provide such a device and method which are simple and economical.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention with the front panel of the cabinet removed;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of apparatus used in the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an arc discharge chamber of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a device embodying the present invention which is capable of producing nitrogen oxides by an arc discharge process and injecting them into a line supplying moisture to the yard or garden of a home. Typically, sprinkling of a yard or garden is accomplished by a home owner with a garden hose 10 which is connected to an exterior faucet (not shown) on the side of the house. The present invention contemplates a device which is simply coupled into the garden hose water supply and which produces fixed nitrogen and adds it to the water sprinkled on the yard or garden. No raw materials other than air are needed for producing the fixed nitrogen and the device may operate on house current or a rechargeable battery power source. A three-prong plug 13 may be plugged into an outside electric outlet 15 which provides the source of alternating electric power needed for the device. A cabinet 20, here shown with the front panel removed, is grounded to prevent an electrical shock to a user and houses a transformer means 25. An ON-OFF switch 27 and pilot light 28 are mounted on the top of cabinet 20. The transformer means 25 is connected to the source of alternating electric power 15 and supplies a high voltage potential. An arc discharge chamber 30 receives the high voltage alternating potential from the transformer and produces nitrogen oxides by ionizing nitrogen and oxygen in the air within the chamber through electric arc discharge. A transport means including tubes 35 and 37 and transparent container 40 transport the gases from chamber 30 to a water fitting means 45. The nitrogen oxides injected into the water line 10 will form a solution which, when applied to a yard or garden, provides a source of fixed nitrogen. If desired an alkaline substance may also be inserted into line 10, as discussed below, to neutralize the weak nitrous and nitric acids in the solution.
Referring now to FIG. 2, portions of the present invention are shown in greater detail. A source of alternating electric power 15 may typically be the 110 volt, 60 cycle power available from a home electric outlet. Step-up transformer 25 is connected to source 15 and supplies a high voltage alternating potential of approximately 5,000 volts or more. Arc discharge chamber 30 has an air intake opening 50 and an exhaust opening 53 and includes a chamber surface 57 which defines a first electrode. A second electrode 61 is positioned centrally in the chamber. The chamber shown in FIG. 2 is generally cylindrical in shape and approximately 1/2 inch inside diameter. The spark gap, therefore, between electrodes 57 and 61 is approximately 1/4 inch and is uniform along the length of the chamber. Electrode 61 is held by mounting 65 and is of the type generally used for a gas furnace spark igniter. Conductors 68 and 69 provide a means for applying the high voltage alternating potential from transformer 25 to the first and second electrodes 57 and 61 to cause arcing between the electrodes. The nitrogen and oxygen in the air in chamber 30 will be ionized as a result of this arcing and will cimbine to form nitrogen oxides.
A transport means includes tubes 35 and 37 and transparent container 40. As shown in FIG. 1, container 40 is mounted exterior to the cabinet 20. Since several nitrogen oxides are colored, container 40 provides a visual indication that arc discharge chamber 30 is fuctioning to produce nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen dioxide, especially desired because of the low energy requirements for its formation, is a dark reddish-brown gas whose presence in container 40 is easily detected. As a safety precaution, flapper valve 70 is provided in an opening in the bottom of container 40. If water fitting means 45 should function improperly and permit water to back up through tube 37 into chamber 40, valve 70 will be dislodged and thus prevent water from reaching discharge chamber 30.
Water fitting means 45 has an input opening 71 and an output opening 73. The input opening 71 may communicate with a source of water and the output opening 73 is connected to the water line, such as hose 10, which distributes the fertilizer solution. A check valve means 75 in the water fitting means 45 communicates with the transport means and inserts the nitrogen oxides into the water flowing through the fitting means. The check valve means 75 is provided to insure that no water flows into tube 37 from fitting means 45. Gases in line 37 are drawn into fitting 45 by the pressure differential caused by the Venturi action of water flowing past tube 80. This Venturi action may be facilitated by narrowing the water passage, as shown, to increase the flow velocity of the fluid.
If it is desired to apply a neutral solution to the yard or garden, an alkaline substance may be inserted into the water in the water line. Lime or limestone may be added into the water by unit 85 which may consist of a chamber containing a number of lime or limestone pellets which gradually dissolve as water flows through the chamber. It should of course be understood that unit 85 may also be placed downstream from fitting 45, if desired. Other alkaline substances, such as potassium phosphate, K 3 (PO 4 ), may also be used and a potassium nitrate mixture will be produced. The phosphate in this mixture is also beneficial to the lawn or garden. It should be noted that the movement of the gases through the device is the result of the suction caused by the water flowing through fitting 45 and drawing the gases into the water stream.
Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternative design for an arc discharge chamber is shown. Chamber 90 is generally conical in shape such that the electrode surface 95 and electrode 98 define a spark gap which increases toward the upper portion of the gap. Exhaust opening 100 and intake opening 103 are positioned so that the Jacob's Ladder arcing effect resulting from the electrode configuration tends to draw air into the chamber and move the gases in the chamber toward the exhaust opening. A check valve 104 may be provided at opening 103 to insure that all air flow is into chamber 90. This pumping action may be used to supplement or replace the siphoning action of fitting 45 shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, it may be desired to produce a fixed nitrogen solution in a bucket or other container. If a discharge chamber such as shown in FIG. 3 is used in the device, tube 37 (FIG. 1) may be disconnected from the water fitting 45 and placed in a bucket of water or alkaline solution. The pumping action of chamber 90 will cause the nitrogen oxide gases to be bubbled through the solution in the bucket, thus producing a fixed nitrogen solution.
While the methods and forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise methods and forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.
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A method and apparatus for home production and application of fixed nitrogen fertilizer uses an arc discharge process to ionize nitrogen and oxygen and form nitrogen oxides. These nitrogen oxides are injected into water supplied by a garden hose to a yard or garden. The device is compact, economical and requires no raw materials except air to produce the fixed nitrogen. The device may operate on ordinary 60 cycles, 110 volt power.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Generally, the present invention relates to composite materials and methods for making composite materials, and more particularly to a combined continuous fiber and whisker reinforced composite material having improved material properties.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For a variety of applications, equipment and component designers are finding uses for ceramic, intermetallic, and metallic composites. One reason for this trend is that the ability of composite materials to withstand high temperature stresses as structural elements is greatly desired. However, the ceramic and intermetallic composites typically may fracture under the strain of use due to brittleness and tend to creep at high temperature. As a result, these materials are not entirely suitable for structural components in numerous applications.
Some known attempts to overcome the brittleness and creep problems use fibers or whiskers to reinforce the ceramic and intermetallic composites. For example, in one effort a MoSi 2 matrix was reinforced with 20 volume percent SiC whiskers to achieve a 54% increase in the fracture toughness and a 100% increase in the flexural strength of the material. In this effort, the fracture toughness of 8.2 MPa.m 1/2 was obtained. Although this represents a significant improvement in the material properties of the composite material, the fracture toughness still falls short of the acceptable regime for structural components in most applications. In many structural component applications, a consistent fracture toughness level of 12-15 MPa.m 1/2 is desirable. As a result, significant room for improvement exists in the fracture toughness of composite materials. Additionally, known applications of whisker impregnated composite materials still exhibit considerable creep at high temperatures under load.
Thus there is a need for a composite material that does not exhibit the brittleness of known ceramic, intermetallic, and metallic composites.
There is a need for a composite for use in structural components that possesses improved fracture toughness.
There is yet the need for a ceramic and intermetallic composite that advantageously uses whiskers for increased flexural strength, as well as further providing increased fracture toughness beyond known levels.
There is furthermore the need for an improved composite material that avoids the high temperature creep phenomenon of known composites.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, accordingly, overcomes the problems and limitations associated with known ceramic and intermetallic composites to provide a composite having improved strength, fracture toughness, and that may be used at high temperatures with minimal creep.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a composite comprising a layer of ceramic or intermetallic matrix having a plurality of interspersed reinforcing whiskers in combination with a plurality of embedded continuous reinforcing fibers.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for making a composite comprising a ceramic or intermetallic matrix. The method comprises the steps of mixing reinforcing whiskers and a ceramic or intermetallic powder with a binder material at a temperature of approximately 100° C. The mixture is then made into sheets which are heated so that the binder vaporizes to yield thin sheets of composite with interspersed reinforcing whiskers. Next, in the preferred embodiment, silicon carbide fibers are rolled from a cylinder or drum and laid on a predetermined number of the thin composite sheets to form the desired composition. In the preferred embodiment, the composite has a layer of molybdenum disilicide reinforced with silicon carbide whiskers followed by a molybdenum disilicide layer having continuous silicon carbide fibers. The resulting composite exhibits improved properties for very high temperature applications.
A technical advantage of the present invention is that the composite material strengthens the matrix at high temperatures as a result of the presence of the whiskers and fibers. This is because the fibers act as a load bearing member in high temperature applications.
Another technical advantage of the present invention is that at low and high temperatures the whiskers toughen the matrix by crack deflection and the continuous fibers further toughen the matrix by both crack bridging and fiber pull out within the composite.
Yet another technical advantage of the present invention is that in high temperature applications the composite minimizes the creep phenomena typical of known ceramic or intermetallic composites.
Still another technical advantage of the present invention is that the silicon carbide whiskers reduce substantially the silicon rich low-temperature grain boundary phase that forms during hot pressing of a pure MoSi 2 matrix.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention and its modes of use and advantages are best understood by reference to the following description of illustrative embodiments read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a composite typical of prior art having whiskers distributed therethrough;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a typical continuous fiber composite of the prior art possessing fiber reinforcement;
FIG. 3 provides a perspective view of the preferred embodiment; and
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is best understood by referring to the FIGURES, wherein like numerals are used for like and corresponding parts of the various components.
FIGS. 1 and 2 provide perspective views of prior art composites 10. The intermetallic or ceramic matrix 11 of FIG. 1 possesses whiskers 12 that distribute substantially uniformly within the ceramic reinforcing material. On the other hand, composite 10 of FIG. 2, shows matrix 13 which comprises continuous strands 14 of ceramic fiber. Both of these configurations, if used alone, do not satisfactorily exhibit sufficient fracture toughness for use as structural components, nor do they substantially reduce the undesirable creep phenomena of the matrix at high temperatures. In the case of molybdenum disilicide reinforced with approximately 20 volume percent of silicon carbide, a fracture toughness nearly 8.2 MPa.m 1/2 has been obtained. This level falls short of an acceptable requirement for structural components, particularly for those components used in the aerospace industry. For these types of applications, a fracture toughness level of 12-15 MPa.m 1/2 is necessary. FIGS. 3 and 4, on the other hand, illustrate a preferred and an alternative embodiment of the present invention which overcome the limitations inherent in known ceramic and intermetallic composites.
With reference to FIG. 3, there is shown a three-layer composite 20 in which upper layer 21 and lower layer 22 are reinforced with whiskers 23 and intermediate layer 24 is reinforced with fibers 25. FIG. 4 provides an alternative embodiment showing a different layer configuration from that of FIG. 3. The orientation of layers 3 of composite 30 having fibers 32 provides perpendicular layers of fiber mats that have additional strength in the direction perpendicular to the direction of fibers in FIG. 3. Obviously, instead of being perpendicular the angle of continuous fibers 32 may vary.
An important aspect of the preferred embodiment is the combination of composite layers with different forms of ceramic (e.g., silicon nitride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or zirconium oxide), intermetallic (e.g., molybdenum disilicide, rhenium silicide, tungsten silicide, nickel aluminide, titanium aluminide, iron aluminide, or niobium aluminide), or metal (e.g., W, Mo, Ta and other similar metals) reinforcement. It is also possible to form ceramic layers in the present invention that utilize pre-ceramic polymers that become ceramic during processing. Moreover, mixtures of ceramic, intermetallic, pre-ceramic or metals may be used as the matrix layers for the present invention. The preferred embodiment, however, uses ceramic reinforcement for the composite.
Although the preferred embodiment uses at least one layer that ceramic whiskers reinforce and at least another layer that ceramic fibers reinforce, the combined ceramic whisker and ceramic fiber reinforcement may take place in one layer. It will be evident, however, that the number of layers of differentially reinforced elements of the composite may vary widely depending on the composite's desired end use.
The preferred embodiment uses a combination of whisker reinforcement and fiber reinforcement within the composite layer. As such, one layer is reinforced by whiskers and another layer is reinforced with fibers. Irrespective of the number of layers used, which may vary according to the particular use of the composite of the present invention, there are preferred materials for both the whiskers and the fibers. For the whiskers, ceramic materials such as silicon nitride or silicon carbide are preferable. However, any known and available materials such as silicon carbide, alumina, carbon, titanium diboride, tungsten, silicon-nitride, niobium, or other similar materials may also serve as reinforcing whiskers. Again, the particular material for the whiskers depends in large part by the ultimate use of the composite and the compatibility of the whiskers to the matrix. For the reinforcing fibers, a ceramic or other material similar to the material of the whiskers is appropriate. A major difference, however, is that the reinforcing fibers take a long continuous fiber form as opposed to the short discontinuous form of the reinforcing whiskers.
Depending on the desired properties of the final composite, the proportions of whiskers and fibers may vary. For example, the degree of whisker reinforcement in any layer may vary from one percent to fifty percent by volume of the matrix. Concerning the fibers which are continuous throughout the matrix, they may vary from one percent to twenty percent by volume in the composite.
The composites of the preferred embodiment provide a strengthened matrix in which the continuous fibers act as load bearing members and the reinforcing whiskers reduce the propensity of the composite to exhibit creep. Additionally, at low temperatures, the reinforcing whiskers maximize crack deflection while the continuous fibers enhance crack bridging and fiber pull-out. Whiskers in the preferred embodiment also reduce substantially the silicon-rich low-temperature grain boundary phase that forms during high temperature processing of certain intermetallics such as molybdenum disilicide.
Having described the composition of the preferred embodiment, it is now appropriate to describe its preferred manufacturing process. The preferred process of manufacturing the composites requires formation of individual reinforced layers by powder injection molding or tape casting followed by combining the layers to form a composite. To explain the manufacturing process of the preferred embodiment, consider a composition of molybdenum disilicide powder as the matrix material and silicon carbide as the reinforcing material for both the whiskers and the continuous fibers.
Formation of the whisker reinforced layer occurs by mixing the molybdenum disilicide powder with the silicon carbide whiskers and a binder which may be a polymer, a combination of polymers, or a combination of polymers with a wax or oil. The polymer or combination of polymers in wax or oil should be solid at room temperature and molten at low temperatures of approximately 100° C. Suitable polymers for this step of the process are polystyrene and polypropylene, while suitable wax may be carnauba wax.
At this stage, also, pre-ceramic polymers that are fluid during the sheet forming stage and that can be converted to ceramic during a subsequent debinding stage may also be used. In any event, approximately equal volumes of binder and mixture of reinforcing whiskers and matrix material are used at this stage. Mixing of binder and the whisker-matrix mixture is performed at elevated temperatures and preferably in a vacuum atmosphere. The resultant mixture or "feed stock" is then formed into sheets of desired thickness by any conventional means such as injection molding, extrusion, tape casting or compression molding and, if desired, the whiskers may be aligned during the molding in the direction of flow.
The sheets of the feed stock are then heated to a temperature above the melting point of the binder. Typically, this can be accomplished by heating the feed stock to about 800° C. This causes the binder to disintegrate and remove the volatile products with flowing gases over the sheets.
Sheets of silicon-carbide fiber-reinforced matrix are formed by continuous strands of the silicon carbide fibers, held together by a polymeric glue and held on a drum to form a sheet. The polymer-bound sheets of fibers are used as one of the layers used to form the composite. The composite is formed by placing alternate layers of the fiber and whisker-reinforced materials on top of each other to form the desired height and shape of the composite. The shape is then hot pressed at a temperature sufficient to sinter the layers, usually about 1500°-1800° C. to form the actual composite. The number of layers and orientation of the layers may vary, of course, depending on the desired properties of the final composite.
In summary, the above description details a new composite possessing improved material properties at both high and low temperatures. The composite uses both reinforcing whiskers and continuous fibers in a unique architecture to improve load bearing characteristics over known composites. Moreover, described methods for manufacturing the composite make the composite easily adaptable to a wide variety of industrial applications.
Although the preferred embodiment has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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A composite material (20) comprises a matrix layer (21) having a plurality of interspersed reinforcing whiskers (23) and a plurality of continuous reinforcing fibers (25) embedded within the matrix layer (21). The preferred embodiment includes a matrix layer (21) which may be a ceramic, intermetallic or metallic material having interspersed reinforcing whiskers (23) upon which a second layer of the matrix (24) having embedded continuous reinforcing fibers (25) is placed, and a third layer (22) of the matrix material having the interspersed reinforcing whiskers (23) on the second layer (24). The composite exhibits improved fracture toughness due to the crack deflection ability of whiskers (23) and crack bridging and fiber pull out due to continuous fibers (25) and minimizes creep associated with known ceramic and intermetallic composites.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for feeding yarns of different colours from yarn supplies through a positive feeding device and a yarn selection unit to a knitting machine for producing striped fabrics.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to place the positive feeding devices between the yarn supply packages and the yarn selection unit. The latter unit is directly associated with the knitting machine, which is thus equipped with a number of yarn selection units corresponding to the number of knitting systems. A separate positive yarn feeding element is required for each yarn. This makes the knitting machine and its feeding system complicated. A major problem of these knitting machines specifically designed for the production of striped fabrics is that bulky equipment must be installed immediately adjacent the knitting system, thus making the machine difficult to assemble, to repair and to adjust.
The technical problem underlying this invention is to devise a method of the above-outlined type which permits of feeding of yarns of different colours to a conventional knitting machine, thus enabling a simple knitting machine to produce striped fabrics.
This problem is solved by the invention in that for feeding the yarns to a conventional knitting machine having no selection units immediately associated with its knitting systems, an unbroken yarn consisting of portions of different colours is formed for and fed into each knitting system of the machine by the following steps:
(a) in a separate selection unit controlled in synchronism with the working cycle of the machine and in dependence on the desired striping pattern a yarn of the desired colour is selected,
(b) the selected yarn is connected at a joining station to the unbroken yarn travelling into the knitting machine,
(c) an intermittent buffer store is formed of the unbroken yarn downstream of the selection unit, and
(d) the unbroken yarn is positively fed from the buffer store to the knitting system, the lengths of unbroken yarn being controlled in accordance with the desired striping pattern.
By use of the method according to the invention it is possible to produce striped fabrics on a conventional knitting machine with relatively simple additional equipment, which can be located at a certain distance above or outside of the knitting machine itself. The feeding system is also simpler than in known cases, because only one unbroken yarn has to be fed to each knitting system.
The control of the length of unbroken yarns running into each knitting system preferably starts at the joining station. This enables the control to place the joints of the yarn ends, which are normally knots, at a specific location in the fabric where they do not disturb the overall appearance, e.g. at the location where the fabric is later severed.
The invention also relates to a knitting machine for producing striped fabrics from yarns of different colours stored in yarn supplies, selected by a selection unit and fed to the knitting systems of the machine by a positive feeding device.
As outlined above, known knitting machines of this type are specifically designed for the production of striped fabrics and are rather complicated and bulky.
The invention provides a simpler production unit for striped fabrics and is characterised in that the knitting machine is a conventional knitting machine having no selection units immediately associated with its knitting systems, that a yarn selection unit controlled in synchronism with the working cycle of the knitting machine and in dependence on the desired striping pattern is provided separate from each knitting system, that a yarn knotting, clamping and cutting device is associated with each yarn selection unit, that an intermediate yarn storage device is provided downstream of the knotting, clamping and cutting device, and that a positive yarn feeding device is provided downstream of the intermediate yarn storage device.
Preferably, the intermediate yarn storage device consists of a stationary drum and a winding-on element provided with a winding drive. In this way, the additional twist on the unbroken yarn is kept at a minimum. It would, however, also be possible to use a rotating intermediate storage drum.
Preferably, the positive yarn feeding device is a tape feeder. Such a tape feeder can feed all the unbroken yarns to the knitting system of the machine and is of simple and rugged structure.
A further task underlying the invention is to provide a simple and yet efficient control for the feeding of the unbroken yarns to the knitting systems in such a way that the desired striping pattern is exactly produced.
To this end the invention provides a control system consisting of a patterning unit controlling the selection unit and a secondary control unit controlling the knotting, clamping and cutting device and the drive for the winding-on element, said secondary control unit being associated with first and second sensors sensing the yarn lengths consumed by the knitting machine and fed into the intermediate yarn storage device and supplying the secondary control unit with such yarn length information.
Since the secondary control unit always contains information on the length of yarn present in the intermediate storage device and on its way from said storage device to the knitting system, and since the secondary control unit controls the knotting, clamping and cutting device, the lengths of the differently coloured yarn portions can very exactly be determined and controlled so that a regular striping pattern develops.
Preferably, the secondary control unit controls the knotting, clamping and cutting unit and the drive for the winding-on element in such a way that the drive is inactive when the knotting takes place. This greatly facilitates the joining together of the yarn ends in the knotting device.
In the preferred embodiment of the knitting machine according to the invention a third sensor is associated with the secondary control unit sensing the working position of the knitting machine and supplying the secondary control unit with such machine position information.
This additional information enables the control system to provide for a continuous correction of the yarn joining operation and of the length measurement of the yarn to exactly position the knots in the fabric and to compensate for imperfections in the drive system of the knitting machine.
An embodiment of the invention is disclosed schematically in the attached drawings and will be described hereinafter:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a part of a yarn knotting device, specifically a device for handling four yarns.
FIGS. 3-8 are schematic elevational views illustrating the operation of the yarn knotting device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the drawings, 1 designates a conventional knitting machine with a rotating needle cyclinder 1a along the circumference of which needles 2 are mounted in grooves and displaceable in longitudinal direction. 3 is a knitting system which places the yarn into and out of a position in which it can be gripped by the needles 2. Several of these knitting systems are located around the circumference of the needle cylinder in stationary positions. In the embodiment shown, the needle cyclinder 1a has a sector 1b which is free of needles.
The knitting machine 1 is of conventional design and, therefore, need not be described in more detail. AS opposed to conventional practice, in accordance with the invention the needle machine 1 is to produce striped fabric as indicated at S. The fabric S consists of stripes of different colours A-D following each other in a predetermined sequence.
For making these stripes, yarns of the respective colours a-d are provided in the form of yarn packages or coils 4 mounted in conventional manner on a mounting ring of the knitting machine or on a separate spool rack. A yarn selection unit 5, for example of the type that is conventionally used in known horizontal striping machines in direct association with the knitting systems, is provided to sequentially select the proper yarn. The yarn selection unit alternately selects one of the, for example four yards a-d of different colours in generally the same way as the yarn selection takes place in known horizontal striping knitting machines closely upstream of the knitting place.
A knotting, cutting and clamping device 6 is directly joined to the selection unit 5. This can be a conventional yarn knotting device which knots an incoming yarn selected by the selection unit 5 to an outgoing unbroken yarn 7 and cuts and clamps the ends of the yarns respectively previously forming part of the unbroken yarn 7.
Downstream of the unit 5, 6, a stationary intermediate storage drum 8 is provided. The unbroken yarn 7 can be wound on that drum by a winding-on element 9 rotated by a drive 10, e.g. an electric motor. Storage systems of this kind are known in the art for intermittently feeding yarn to a knitting or weaving machine.
A positive feeding device 11 withdraws the yarn 7 from the storage drum 8 and feeds it to the knitting system 3 of the knitting machine 1. In the shown embodiment the positive feeding device 11 is a conventional tape feeder in which the yarn is clamped between a driven tape 11a and rotating clamping wheels 11b to provide a positive drive for each respective yarn. Such tape feeders are well known in the art for positively feeding yarn to knitting machines.
A control system is provided for the whole operation, which consists of a patterning unit 12 and a secondary control unit 13. The secondary control unit receives signals from a first sensor 14 associated with the winding-on element 9, a second sensor 15 associated with the positive feeding device 11 and a third sensor 16 associated with the cylinder 1a of the knitting machine 1.
The control is carried out in the following manner:
The patterning unit 12 is synchronized with the operation of the knitting machine 1 and sends control pulses to the yarn selection unit 5 in accordance with a patterning programme stored in the unit 12 as indicated by the arrow A 1 . In accordance with the A 1 -signals the yarn selection unit 5 selects one of the four yarns a-d. Thus the patterning unit 12 decides the width of the stripes A-D in the fabric S, or, in other words how many courses each stripe comprises.
The secondary control unit 13 determines the exact point in time at which the newly selected yarn a resp. b resp. c resp. d is joined by the device 6 to the unbroken outgoing yarn 7. This control signal is indicated by the arrow A 2 . At the same time, the secondary control unit 13 emits a signal as symbolised by the arrow A 3 to the drive 10 for the winding-on element 9 and de-activates that drive so that the knotting can take place during a period of time when the unbroken yarn 7 does not move in the device 6. Of course, the signal A 3 slightly precedes the signal A 2 because some time is necessary to stop the drive 10. The drive 10 is preferably a stepping motor which can be stopped at an exact angular location and rapidly accelerates.
The secondary control unit 13 must receive patterning information from the unit 12, as indicated by the arrow A 4 . Thus, the unit 12 basically determines when a colour change takes place and the secondary control unit 13 defines the exact point in time when this change takes place.
The function of the secondary control unit 13 is to provide exact lengths of the yarns of different colours in the unbroken yarn 7 so that the latter results in an exact striping pattern in the fabric S. For that purpose, the sensor 14 provides information on the exact position of the winding-on element 9 to the secondary control unit 13, as indicated by the arrow A 5 . The sensor 14 can be of a type emitting pulses corresponding to the revolutions of the winding-on element 9.
Furthermore, the secondary control unit 13 receives information from the sensor 15 corresponding to the travelling speed of the tape 11, as indicated by the arrow A 6 . The sensor 15 can be of the optical type, responding to optical signals developed by reflectors on the tape 11a or on the drums 11b.
The information provided to the unit 13 by signals A 5 corresponds to the length of yarn wound on the storage drum 8. The information supplied by the sensor 15 via A 6 corresponds to the length of yarn 7 withdrawn from the storage drum by the positive feeding device 11. The length of yarn between the winding-on element 9 and the knotting point in device 6 is constant. Since the secondary control unit 13 generates the knotting signal A 2 , the unit 13 always contains information as to the length of yarn present between the knotting point and the knitting machine. This enables the unit 13 to develop the knotting signal A 2 always at a point in time which corresponds to the exact length of yarn of a specific colour required for the pattern to be produced.
In addition, the secondary control unit 13 continuously controls the speed of the drive 10 through A 3 to adjust that speed to the yarn consumption as sensed at 15. In this way, the intermediate yarn store on drum 8 can be maintained within narrow limits and the speed changes in the winding-on system can be kept at a minimum.
The described control system makes it possible to place the knots in the unbroken yarn 7 always into the gap 1b on the needle cylinder. The fabric is later cut along the area in which it spans the gap, so that the knots are present in an uncritical area of the fabric.
The sensor 16, which can be also of the optical type and co-operates with reflectors on the knitting machine cylinder 1a, develops information as to the exact position of the needle cylinder. This information is fed into the secondary control unit 13, as indicated by arrow A7, and serves as correction information. In this way fault effects, for example due to imperfections in the drive system of the knitting machine, which would cause a displacement of the knots into areas where they are not desired, can be eliminated.
The described system makes it possible to produce a striped fabric on any plain knitting machine with high fabric quality and exact striping pattern. In addition, the density and the quality of the striped fabric can be varied by simply changing the speed of the positive feeding device 11. No other adjustments are necessary.
All the units and devices 5, 6, 10, 9, 8 and 11, can be located at a distance above or outside of the knitting machine 1, so that they are easily accessible for adjustment and repair work.
Shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 2 to 8 is one form of construction and operation of knotting station 6 indicated in FIG. 1 and comprising a yarn splicing, clamping and cutting apparatus. However, the knotting station 6 can assume many conventional forms, one example of which is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 1,726,396.
FIG. 2 shows four identical yarn clamping and cutting devices 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d carried by stationary mounting plates 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d, respectively, for selective linear and pivotal movement. As will be explained in detail below, these devices are adapted to be operated for presenting the respective yarns a, b, c, and d, respectively, supplied from the respective yarn spools 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d, respectively, to a knotting or splicing station 22' of a knotting or splicing apparatus 22 of known construction. Splicing of the yarns may for instance be carried out by the splicing apparatus by an electrostatic process.
As shown more clearly in FIGS. 3 to 8, each yarn clamping and cutting device 20, in this case 20b, is guided in a slot 21' of a stationary plate 21 for pivotal and linear movement against the bias of a spring 23. A head portion 20' of yarn clamping and cutting device 20 comprises a central plate 24 formed with a longitudinally extending slot 24' (FIG. 2). Further plates 25 and 26 located on opposite sides of central plate 24 are connected to one another by a connecting bolt 27 extending through slot 24'. Plate 25 is formed as a yarn cutting blade. Both plates 25 and 26 are formed with stop surfaces 25' and 26', respectively. Attached to plates 25 and 26 by means of connecting bolt 27 is an arcuate yarn clamping blade 28. Slot 24' permits plates 25 and 26 as well as blade 28 to be shifted relative to central plate 24. This shifting capability is made use of for controlling the yarn clamping and cutting operations at the respective proper timings by cooperation of stop surfaces 25' and 26' with first and second stationary stops 29 and 30, respectively.
Yarn clamping and cutting device 20 is adapted to be pivoted by energizing a linear solenoid 31 engaging a surface 20" of device 20. Energization of a rotary solenoid (not shown) causes a control plate 32 to be rotated, whereby device 20 is rotated by the cooperation of a first control pin 33 of plate 32 with a control slot 34 of device 20. Additional movement of control plate 32 results in relative movement between a second control pin 35 of plate 32 and a control surface 36 of device 20.
The operation of the yarn clamping and cutting device shall now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8 under the assumption that a length of a yarn "b" is to be selected for connection to a preceding yarn "a" for forming a continuous yarn to be fed to the knitting machine.
In FIG. 3 yarn "a" provided from yarn spool 4a is shown to extend through stationary guide eyelets 37 and 38 located upstream and downstream, respectively, of knotting or splicing station 22' of apparatus 22. At a predetermined time, pattern control unit 12 (FIG. 1) supplies on energizing pulse to linear solenoid 31, so that the plunger 31' thereof exerts a pressure on control surface 20", as shown in FIG. 4. This causes device 20b to be moved to the left in FIG. 4, so that control slot 34 comes into engagement with first control pin 33. Immediately thereafter, second control unit 13 (FIG. 1) supplies an energizing pulse to the (not shown) rotary solenoid, causing control plate 32 to be rotated counterclockwise (FIG. 5), whereby yarn clamping and cutting device 20b is rotated to its limit position shown in FIG. 6. Due to a suitable configuration of a surface 22" of the yarn knotting or splicing apparatus 22, this movement of device 20b results in yarn "b" being guided transversely towards yarn "a" extending through knotting or splicing station 22' , so that yarn "b" extends closely adjacent to yarn "a" and parallel thereto.
At this instant, second control unit 13 supplies "a" stop pulse to drive unit 10, so that winding of yarn "a" is interrupted and yarn "a" comes to a standstill within knotting or splicing apparatus 22 for a short instant. Subsequently second control unit 13 supplies a start pulse to apparatus 22, resulting in the now stationary yarns "a" and "b" being joined by knotting or splicing at station 22'.
As soon as this step is finished, which is accomplished in a short instant of time, device 20b is moved further downward by engagement of second control pin 35 with control surface 36 into the position shown in FIG. 7b. Since in this position stop surface 25' is in engagement with first stationary stop 29, downward movement of device 20 causes central plate 24 to be shifted relative to clamping blade 28, whereby the hitherto clamped end of yarn b is released.
At the instant at which yarn b is released, yarn clamping and cutting device 20a for yarn a is in the position shown in FIG. 7a due to prior counterclockwise rotation of plate 32, whereupon line 20a is shifted upwards by engagement of a control edge 39 with control plate 32. In this position stop surface 26' is in engagement with second stationary stop 30, whereby upward movement of device 20a results in central plate 24 being shifted relative to cutting blade 25 and clamping blade 28, so that the yarn end "a" extending towards the knotting or splicing point is cut, while the yarn end extending in the opposite direction is clamped and retained. As a result, yarn a is now in a position corresponding to that of yarn b shown in FIG. 3, in preparation to being again selected.
As the last step of the yarn selection and splicing operation, device 20b is returned to the position shown in FIG. 8 by energization of the rotary solenoid in the clockwise direction through engagement of first control pin 33 with control slot 34 and with the aid of spring 23. Due to the specific configuration of the guide slot 24" of central plate 24, yarn b, which is now being continuously fed, moves into the hook-shaped slot 24", whereby device 20b is able to cut and retain the yarn b when another yarn, for instance yarn c or d, is to be spliced with yarn b.
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The invention relates to a method for feeding yarns of different colors to a conventional knitting machine for producing striped fabrics (circle-striped fabrics). The first step of the method according to the invention consists in selecting and presenting a predetermined length of a yarn of a desired color in accordance with the striped pattern to be produced. The so selected and presented yarn lengths are subsequently joined to form a continuous yarn. In a third step, the continuous yarn formed of said joined yarn lengths is intermittently formed into an intermediate store, from which the yarn is positively fed to the knitting machine at a constant speed in synchronism with the operating speed of the knitting machine. In this fourth step of the method, the continuous yarn is fed to the associated knitting system of the machine. Joining of the individual yarn lengths to form the continuous yarn is carried out in synchronism with the operating cycles of the knitting machine, so that the intermediate yarn store is formed at a rate corresponding to the yarn consumption of the knitting machine for each revolution thereof. This permits the splices between the individual yarn lengths to be positioned with high accuracy at the same location of the needle bed during each revolution of the machine. The invention is also directed towards apparatus for carrying out the method (FIG. 1).
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many industrial applications it is common to store solid particles in bulk form within a container such as a silo or bunker which has a bin portion (the top part of the container) and hopper (the bottom part of the container). The hopper normally has converging surfaces which terminate in an opening through which the solid particles are to be discharged on an intermittent or continuous basis. In the storing of solid particles in bulk form within containers for subsequent discharge through an opening in the container, various flow problems are often encountered if the physical dimensions of the container have not been correctly designed or are inachievable under present technology for the particular material being handled. In some instances the material will form a bridge, arch, or pipe which obstructs the flow of material from the container. The stability of this obstruction depends upon properties which are controlling the formation of such an obstruction. These properties are normally (but not restricted to) the adhesion between the material and the wall of the container and the internal friction of the particles (a function of size, shape and moisture content of the material). The form of the container is also a material factor. Containers of optimum design can be fabricated for some, but not all, bulk solids if the appropriate physical properties of the solid particles are identified and properly considered during the initial design of the container. An example of one method for determining optimum dimensions for a container for a given material is described in A. W. Jenike, Storage and Flow of Solids, Bulletin 123, Utah Engineering and Experiment Station, University of Utah, 1964.
However, it is not uncommon to find containers which have been incorrectly designed or containers which were designed for one material and are being used for another material having different physical properties. It is also possible to encounter materials for which a suitable container design cannot (with state-of-the-art knowledge) be reached. It is possible in some instances to determine which conditions promote the bridging, arching or piping of the material. A full discussion of the techniques for identifying these conditions and locating them within a given bin or hopper can be found in the Jenike bulletin identified above.
When flow problems are encountered it is often necessary to improve the flowability of the bulk solid in the existing container. Various methods have been proposed for this purpose. One such method involves placement of a flow-corrective insert in the container. These inserts may take the form of a guideplate, tube, spiral chute or cascade conveyers. Use of conical inserts has been suggested and the design and dimensioning of such inserts is described in J. R. Johanson, The Use of Flow-Corrective Inserts in Bins, J. Eng. Ind. (May, 1966).
Other approaches have been proposed and used. These include mechanical devices which are fixed to the wall of the container such as vibrators, inflatable pads inside the containers and the placing of pipes within the containers through which air or other gas may be directed to fluidize the particles and improve their flowability. However, the auxiliary devices mentioned above are not in all instances satisfactory. Many of the flow problems mentioned above can be solved with the present invention which may be inserted into existing containers, without altering the exterior shape of the container, to promote the flow of bulk solid particles by interrupting, in a novel manner, consolidating forces which, absent the apparatus, could cause bridging, arching or piping of the material or in some manner limit or stop flow of the bulk solid particles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an apparatus for facilitating the flow of bulk solid particles through or from a container or flow directing device such as a pipe, bin or hopper by the use of multisurfaced bodies the surfaces of which are described by curves in both vertical and horizontal planes. The apparatus are placed within the container as flow directing devices at the point or points at which flow could otherwise become obstructed. In the preferred embodiment the multisurfaced body has four separate walls, the inner and outer surfaces of which are generated by cycloidal curves. The lateral edges of the four walls are in proximate abutting relationships. The lower portion of the walls defines an inner opening and an outer domain through which the material may flow. The walls of the body interrupt the stress field in the container and flow is possible because forces acting on the particles in proximity to the body are insufficient to cause consolidation of the solid particles. Particles may flow along the outer surfaces of the walls because they are unimpeded by forces from above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus according to the present invention shown in position within a container having a hopper generally square in cross section;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the flow facilitating apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the flow facilitating apparatus of the present invention along line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5--5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a container;
FIGS 7-12 are geometric forms used in determining dimensions of an apparatus embodying the present invention; and
FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of a container having two apparatus embodying the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to FIG. 1, the container 3 has a bin portion 5 generally square in cross section and a hopper 7 which converges to an opening 9, the flow through which may be controlled by any type of conventional valve (not illustrated). Situated within container 3 and extending partially upwardly into bin 5 and downwardly into hopper 7 is an apparatus for facilitating flow of solid particles stored within bin 5. The apparatus, generally indicated by the reference numeral 11, has four walls 13, 15, 17 and 19 which are joined along a portion of their lateral margins, as at corners 21. The apparatus 11 is positioned within container 3 and retained in a centrally located position by support panels 23 which are affixed to walls 13, 15, 17 and 19 at one end and extend outwardly to engage the walls of hopper 7 at the opposite ends 27. These panels are oriented to expose a minimum of surface area which could block flow by gravity within the container, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The surfaces, inner and outer, of walls 13, 15, 17 and 19 are defined by cycloidal curves which, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, converge toward the center and bottom of container 3. The cycloidal curves in the horizontal and vertical planes have the same curvature. The apparatus 11 is located within container 3 so that the walls 13, 15, 17 and 19 will interrupt the consolidating stress field generated by the solid particles within container 3. That is, from studies done by others it is possible to determine the point or points within a container where bridging or arching of a given material will occur. The techniques by which this determination is made are known by others skilled in the art and are described in A. W. Jenike, Storage and Flow of Solids, Bulletin 123, Utah Engineering and Experiment Station, University of Utah, 1964, and in an earlier work by him entitled Gravity Flow of Bulk Solids, Bulletin 108, Utah Engineering and Experiment Station, University of Utah, 1961. By placing the apparatus within the container at these points flow of the solid particles will be facilitated because walls 13, 15, 17 and 19 interrupt the stress field at a critical point where a bridge or dome would normally form and prevent formation of such domes or arches. Flow is possible because the forces acting on particles in proximity to the inner and outer walls of apparatus 11 will permit the particles to fall by gravity through both the inner and outer domains of the device to the outlet 9 unimpeded by forces from above which might tend to otherwise compact or consolidate them. Details of the analysis of the bin 15 and determination of the parameters of apparatus 11 will be described below in a more specific manner. Generally, however, the apparatus 11 is so constructed that the opening in the bottom end thereof, generally identified by the reference numeral 25, will have an area equal to or greater than the critical area of the material-container domain. More specifically, for any given container configuration and material there is, as is known by those skilled in the art, a critical area which must be provided at the outlet of the container before flow can occur. The techniques for determining this critical area are known to those skilled in the art and are described, for example, in A. W. Jenike, Gravity Flow of Bulk Solids, Bulletin 108, Utah Engineering and Experiment Station, University of Utah, 1961, pp. 231-236. Thus, generally, one may effectively design and utilize the apparatus of the present invention by first determining, according to techniques described in the art, the location within the container 3 at which bridging of a material may be expected to occur, given the container configuration and material physical properties. Walls having surfaces described by cycloidal curves both in a horizontal and vertical direction are then assembled at their edges to form a converging funnel-like structure which converges toward the center and bottom of the container to define at its lowermost end an opening 25 having an area greater than the critical area necessary for flow from a container with a given configuration with the material to be handled. The apparatus 11 is so positioned within the container 3 that its walls 13, 15, 17 and 19 interrupt the radial stress field at the point where consolidation will occur, i.e., at the point where bridging or arching will occur, thus permitting flow by gravity of the particles within the region of the apparatus 11 through the outlet 9 of the container 3.
While the above is a general description of the manner in which consolidating areas may be located and the physical shape and size of the flow facilitating apparatus of the present invention determined, reference is made to FIGS. 6-10 and the following description for a more technical and detailed description of a method of dimensioning an apparatus embodying the present invention.
The container 3 may be schematically represented, and FIG. 6 is such a representation. Zones where consolidation of materials can occur causing flow problems are identified as Za, Zb and Zc. The locations of these zones are identified (as stated above) by techniques known to those experienced with bulk solid particle flow restriction/stoppage. Specifically, these areas may be identified by physical measurement, or by any of a number of empirical techniques which may be found in the literature. See either of the articles by A. W. Jenike identified above for an acceptable empirical technique for identifying these zones. In FIG. 6, A represents a plane cut through the lower terminus of zone Za located a distance a from the vertex 10 of the hopper, while B represents a plane cut through the lower terminus of zone Zb located a distance b from the vertex of the hopper 7, and C, similarly, identifies a plane situated a distance c from the vertex of the hopper 7. Preferably an apparatus should be constructed and located as described below for each zone of flow restriction, such as zones Za, Zb and Zc. For the sake of simplicity the method for determining the dimensions of an apparatus for use in only one zone, namely zone Za, will be described. In determining dimensions, the letter A' will represent a dimension of the plane A. Where A is a circular shape, A' is the internal diameter of the circle. Where A is a square shape, A' is the length of an internal side of the square. Where A is a rectangular shape, A' is the length of an internal width of the rectangle. For other cross-sectional areas A, A' is a similar internal dimension.
In order to construct a device of optimum dimensions to eliminate any flow blockage at zone Za, and with reference to FIG. 7, first construct a circle 31 with diameter A', where A' is the parameter identified above. Next, draw the vertical diameter A'. Construct a circle 32 which, with its diameter coincident with that of circle 31 and its circumference touching the center of circle 31, may be used to generate a cycloid by rolling along a chord of circle 31 such that the cusps of the cycloid thus generated will intercept the circle 31 at the point of intersection of the chord and the circumference of circle 31. Those familiar with mathematics will recognize that if the radius of circle 32 is r and the radius of circle 31 is R then: ##EQU1## Having thus determined the radius and therefrom the diameter of circle 32, it may be constructed as described above and a line can then be constructed tangent to circle 32 at the lowest point o at which diameter A' intersects the circumference of circle 32. A segment of the line so drawn will be a chord of circle 31 and will have a length within circle 31 equal to the circumference of circle 32. A cycloid is then constructed along chord 33 using the appropriate dimensions from circle 32 in one of any of a number of techniques known to those skilled in mathematics.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a cycloid θ constructed as described above with an arc of θ, θ', identified in FIG. 8 as that portion of θ in the upper left hand quadrant of the coordinate system. It is necessary to determine the "effective yield locus" of the material which one wishes to cause to flow. The "effective yield locus", EYL, can be determined in the manner described in the later Jenike bulletin and is expressed in degrees of a circle. With knowledge of the "effective yield locus", θ and its arc, θ', the arc θ' is rotated counterclockwise around point o, a number of degrees equal to the "effective yield locus". This rotation may be accomplished by any of a number of techniques familiar to those knowledgeable in mathematics. For present purposes, a hypothetical "effective yield locus" of 60° is assumed, and the rotation is accomplished by graphical techniques. FIG. 9 illustrates arc θ and the chord segment θ' prior to (in phantom line) and following (in solid line) the 60° rotation. Next, it is necessary to determine the "kinematic angle of friction" KAF between the bulk solid particles and the container wall. A technique for determining the "kinematic angle of friction" is also disclosed in the later Jenike bulletin. The "kinematic angle of friction" is measured in degrees of a circle. For exemplary purposes, a hypothetical "kinematic angle of friction" of 20° has been assumed. With the above geometric figures having been constructed and the "effective yield locus" and "kinematic angle of friction" having been determined, the height of the apparatus is determined as follows. FIG. 10 is prepared to represent the rotated arc segment θ' and the coordinate axes. On FIG. 10 the "kinematic angle of friction" KAF and its reciprocal KAF' are drawn. Then the line defining KAF' is extended past its intersection y' with arc θ'. The vertical height h of the apparatus is determined by drawing a perpendicular p' to the y axes such that it passes through y' and a perpendicular p to the y axes such that it passes through the upper extremity y of arc θ' as shown in FIG. 10. The portion of the arc θ' thus identified is θ". The vertical hieght h of the apparatus is then the length of the perpendicular between p and p'.
After determining height, it is necessary to determine the configuration of the device at its terminus which will fix the remaining dimensions of the apparatus. The configuration of the terminus is determined in the following manner. First, configuration of the lower area of the apparatus, that is, the area which is defined by a plane which is tangent to the lower dimension of the apparatus, must be determined. As discussed in the later Jenike bulletin, an optimum flow channel will have a rectangular opening with the major axis three times the minor axis. The minor axis is normally defined as the width of a rectangular outlet, the side of a square outlet or the diameter of a circular outlet. More specifically, the term outlet here refers to the hopper outlet through which bulk solid material flow is desired. Next, using FIG. 11 which illustrates θ after rotation and arc segment θ", a perpendicular bisector p 1 of arc segment θ" is constructed as shown in FIG. 11. Arc segment θ" is now rotated 90°, 180° and 270° counterclockwise around a point located distance (a)/2 on the perpendicular bisector from the convex surface of θ". The rotations at 90° and at 270° are then transposed outward along a perpendicular to p 1 at 0 to a distance 3(a)/2 from 0. The enclosure thus formed by the intersection of the cycloidal curves establishes the configuration of the invention at its terminus which will have a major axis 3(a) and a minor axis (a).
Now it is possible to construct the sides of the apparatus. This may be accomplished in the following manner. Construct, as shown in FIG. 12A, the configuration of the apparatus at its terminus as described above. This configuration will lie in a plane. From this plane, at the points of intersection of the perpendiculars p 1 and p 2 with each of the sides (see FIG. 11), construct arc segment θ" (the height of the invention as determined in FIG. 10) such that the convex side of the curve θ" is in each case inward and such that the plane determined by the arc θ" is perpendicular to the plane of the configuration and in line with the perpendiculars p 1 and p 2 to each of the sides. Each set of opposing arc segments θ" 1 , θ" 3 ; θ" 2 and θ" 4 will form a plane as shown in FIG. 12B. Now four three-dimensional, curvilinear, cycloidal surfaces are traced in space by causing the cycloidal curves, segments of which form the configuration of the lower terminus of the apparatus, to travel up a respective θ" such that its normal ⊥ 1 , ⊥ 2 , ⊥ 3 or ⊥ 4 remains in the same vertical plane and coincides continuously with the normal to θ" in that plane. Thus there can be traced four cycloidal curves which intersect to form a figure closed on four sides and open on top and bottom. This is the configuration of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 12C.
Actually in its preferred embodiment the invention will not form a four-walled figure but rather will have each side separated from the other as shown in FIGS. 12D and 12E. This separation normally would be less than a/8. The apparatus designed as described above is then located in hopper container 3, FIG. 1, such that a plane parallel to its base (the bottom terminus) and bisecting its height h would coincide with plane A and such that its center line would coincide with the center line of container 3.
Apparatus to be used in zone Zb and other zones are constructed in a manner identical to that discussed above except the cross section through the midpoint (vertically) of the apparatus located in the adjacent lower zone is used as the hopper outlet dimension for purposes of calculation of each subsequent apparatus.
FIG. 13 illustrates a container 3 consisting of a bin 5 and hopper 7 with two apparatus constructed and installed in accordance with the invention. Planes A and B represent the planes located at the terminus of the zones of obstruction as described above.
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The above detailed description represents a sample solution to the problem of bulk solid particle clogging using the present invention. While the above represents the preferred embodiment, it is not intended to restrict the invention to the specifics discussed therein. Generally, a combination of cycloidal surfaces in space ranging from two to many such surfaces is effective in facilitating the flow of bulk solid particles. The method for constructing devices with varying numbers of sides is to vary the degrees through which the cycloidal arc in FIG. 11 is rotated. Further, while a specific cycloid is identified above for any given set of hopper outlet dimensions, cycloids in particular and curvilinear arcs in general may be used to facilitate the flow of bulk solid particles. Likewise, while specific segments of a cycloidal curve were used above more generally a wide range of cycloidal shapes or other curves may be used to generate three-dimensional surfaces which may be combined to facilitate the flow of bulk solid particles, and numerous techniques are available for the generation of three-dimensional curves, whether cycloidal, hyperbolic, parabolic or other. In determining the relative position of the three-dimensional cycloidal surfaces, the "effective yield locus" was utilized. While this is the most effective technique and is therefore preferred, it is by no means the only acceptable technique. Similarly, the "kinematic angle of friction" was used to determine the height of the device. While this is the most effective technique and is therefore preferred, it is likewise by no means the only acceptable technique. Many techniques are available in the literature and known to those experienced in the art for determining the dimensions of a flow channel. In FIG. 11 a relationship of three to one for the major and minor axes is chosen. While this is the most effective and therefore preferred relationship, it is by no means the only effective relationship. Specifically, it may be used only for certain combinations of three-dimensional cycloidal curves. Such a relationship would, for example, be inappropriate for a three-sided container, where another ratio would have to be selected.
By use of the flow facilitating apparatus of the present invention it is possible to utilize containers which have proved impractical for the handling of certain materials without redesign or replacement of the containers.
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An apparatus for facilitating the flow of solid particles in bulk form by gravity through a container within which the particles are temporarily stored or through a pipe within which the particles are being moved by force feeding or induced methods. The apparatus is a multisurfaced body the surfaces of which are described by curves in both vertical and horizontal directions. These curves may be cycloidal, hyperbolic or parabolic, among others. However, in its preferred embodiment the apparatus is generated by cycloidal curves. The curves in the vertical and horizontal directions converge toward the center and bottom of the container or pipe, and serve to interrupt the consolidating forces generated within the container or pipe which, absent the presence of the apparatus, would cause clogging or hindrance of the flow of material through the container or pipe.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to enclosures such as sheds, garages and the like, and, more particularly, to an enclosure having telescoping front, back and opposed side walls which are simultaneously movable between a retracted and extended position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Enclosures such as sheds, huts and the like have been provided in which the front wall, back wall and opposed side walls are all raised and lowered simultaneously. These structures have been utilized to dry bricks, house animals or in other applications wherein it is desirable to provide complete ventilation to the interior of the enclosure and/or to provide access to the interior from any location around the perimeter of the enclosure. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 337,180 to McCoy; 1,500,266 to Primm, Sr. and 3,844,063 to Jackson.
Enclosures of the type disclosed in the patents mentioned above comprise a roof structure supported at its four corners by posts extending to ground level, and front, back and opposed side walls all hinged to the roof. A cable and pulley system is provided to pivot each wall about its hinged connection to the roof so that the walls can be raised to expose the interior of the enclosure or lowered to completely close the interior. The pulley system is constructed so that operation of a hand or motorized crank acts upon cables connected to each of the walls so that they are raised or lowered simultaneously.
The structures disclosed in the patents to McCoy, Primm, Sr. and Jackson, while advantageous in some respects, also have disadvantages. Movement of the walls between the lowered and raised positions requires the walls to pivot about their hinged connection to the roof and swing upwardly or downwardly. This arrangement requires a substantial amount of room to allow the walls to swing unobstructed as they are being raised or lowered, and space considerations in some applications may not permit such a construction.
Additionally, once the walls are moved to the raised position, all of the weight of the walls are carried by the cables and hinges. This places a substantial load on the hinges which are subject to failure if they become oxidized and weakened by the weather. In the event of a failure of either of the hinge or cable, the walls present a substantial hazard if they should fall from their raised position near the roof and strike an individual or object beneath.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore among the objectives of this invention to provide an enclosure for use as a garage, storage shed, hut or the like in which all four walls are simultaneously raised and lowered in a minimum amount of space, which is weather resistant, which is resistant to failure and which presents minimal hazard to persons or things in the area of the enclosure.
These objectives are accomplished in an enclosure which comprises a roof supported at its four corners by vertical posts resting on or embedded in the ground, and a front wall, back wall and opposed side walls, each mounted to the roof. Each wall is formed of a plurality of telescoping wall panels vertically movable between a retracted position in which the wall panels nest together in a compact unit near the roof, and an extended position wherein the wall panels extend from the roof to the ground. A motor operated cable and pulley system, completely protected from the weather by the roof and walls, is effective to simultaneously raise and lower all four walls as a unit to permit access to the entire interior of the enclosure or to completely close the interior.
In a presently preferred embodiment, each wall panel forming the four walls of the enclosure comprises a top, opposed sides connected at one end to the top and a pair of U-shaped channels each connected to the opposite end of one of the side sections. A hanger having a hook at each end is fixedly mounted to the top of each wall panel.
The wall panels forming each wall of the enclosure include a top wall panel fixedly mounted to the roof of the enclosure, a bottom wall panel and a plurality of intermediate wall panels between the top and bottom wall panels. The width dimension of the wall panels progressively increases from the bottom wall panel to the top wall panel so that the wall panels can nest together as they are moved to a raised position toward the roof of the enclosure.
In an extended position, successive wall panels are supported and hand downwardly from the wall panel immediately above. Beginning at the roof of the enclosure, the opposed U-shaped channels of the top wall panel receive and support the hooks at the ends of the hanger mounted to the next wall panel immediately beneath. In turn, the channels of that next wall panel receive the hooks at the ends of the hanger of the intermediate wall panel below and this continues in succession to the bottom wall panel. The hooks of the hangers, and channels at the sides of the wall panel, provide a secure means of attachment and limits side-to-side movement between adjoining wall panels.
The cable and pulley system for lifting the walls of the enclosure comprises four individual cables connected by pulleys to a motor driven spool or reel. Two of the cables are mounted at opposite ends to the bottom wall panel of one side wall, and the other two cables are mounted at opposite ends to the bottom wall panel of the opposite side wall. Each of the wall panels forming the front and back walls are secured at their ends to the corresponding wall panels of the side walls for movement of the front and back walls with the side walls.
In response to operation of the motor, the cables begin raising the walls by first vertically lifting the bottom wall panel of each side wall and the bottom wall panels of the front and back walls attached thereto. As the bottom wall panel is lifted upwardly, the hooks at the ends of its hanger disengage the channels of the intermediate wall panel immediately above. The sides of the bottom wall panel slide along plastic guides mounted to the U-shaped channels of the intermediate wall panel above as it moves into such intermediate wall panel which avoids binding therebetween. When the hanger and top of the bottom wall panel engage the top of the intermediate wall panel immediately above, such intermediate wall panel is lifted upwardly with the bottom wall panel and the hooks at the ends of its hanger disengage the U-shaped channel of the next intermediate wall panel. In this manner, the wall panels nest together as they are lifted upwardly and form a compact unit at the roof of the enclosure. This procedure is reversed when the motor is operated to lower the wall panels back toward the ground.
In a presently preferred embodiment, a plurality of hangers are spaced along the length of the top of each wall panel in order to insure that the wall panels are securely supported one upon the other. Additionally, a plurality of plastic guides are mounted to the U-shaped channels of each wall panel, between the spaced hangers, so that the wall panels smoothly slide relative to one another upon raising and lowering of each wall.
The telescoping walls of the enclosure herein are raised and lowered in a vertical plane which eliminates the need for additional space as required by the hinged walls of the prior art discussed above. The pulleys, cables and motor are all covered by the roof and/or walls of the enclosure herein which avoids any problems of damage due to weathering or the like. In addition, the provision of two cables on each of the side walls, and a fixed connection between the front and rear walls and side walls, substantially reduces the chance of any of the walls falling and creating a hazard to individuals or objects near the enclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The structure, operation and advantages of the presently preferred embodiment of this invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side view of the enclosure herein with the walls in a lowered position;
FIG. 2 an end view of the enclosure shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 except with the walls in a raised position;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cable and pulley system for raising and lowering the walls taken generally along line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, exploded view of the connection between a cable and bottom wall panel of each wall;
FIG. 6 a cross-sectional view, showing a portion of the length of the wall panels in an extended position, taken generally along 6--6 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with the wall panels in a retracted position which is taken generally along line 7--7 of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the adjoining wall panels of a side wall and an end wall showing the corner construction therebetween.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the enclosure 10 comprises a roof 12 supported at each corner by vertical posts 14 and having a front wall 16, back wall 18 and opposed side walls 20, 22. It is contemplated that the vertical posts 14 would be permanently mounted in the ground or atop concrete pads or the like to provide a secure support for the roof 12 and walls 16-22. Preferably, the roof 12 is constructed of trusses resting on a perimeter plate 13 which are covered by plywood or fiberboard and then shingles. The gable ends of the roof 12, one of which is illustrated in FIG. 2, are covered by siding 24 of any desired type. The details of the roof construction form no part of this invention per se and are therefore not illustrated in detail.
Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, the detailed structure of side wall 20 is illustrated, it being understood that all of the other walls are constructed in the identical manner. Side wall 20 is formed of a number of telescoping wall panels including a top wall panel 26, a bottom wall panel 28, and, in the embodiment illustrated in the figures, six intermediate wall panels 30a-g. The top wall panel 26 is permanently mounted to the perimeter plate 13 of roof 12 by lag bolts 32 each secured by a nut 34 and washer 36. As discussed in detail below, the remaining wall panels hang downwardly from the roof 12 to the ground and are supported upon one another in a manner to permit nesting or telescoping of the wall panels together to form a compact unit.
The structure of each wall panel is the same except for width dimension and reference is made to intermediate wall panel 30c shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 for purposes of discussion. The same reference numbers used to identify the structure of wall panel 30c are used to refer to the common structure of each wall panel. Wall panel 30c comprises a top 38c which is connected at its ends to an inner side 40c and an outer side 42c. The sides 40c, 42c extend downwardly at a right angle from the top section 38c parallel to one another. The inner side 40c terminates in a U-shaped inner channel 44c, and the outer side 42c terminates in a U-shaped outer channel 46c spaced from inner channel 44c.
A plurality of hangers 48c are mounted by bolts or rivets 50 at spaced intervals along the length of the top 38c of intermediate wall panel 30c, one of which is shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. The hanger 48c is formed with an inner hook 52c at one end and an outer hook 54c at the opposite end. As shown in FIG. 6, the inner hook 52c of wall panel 30c is formed to seat within the inner channel 44b of the intermediate wall panel 30b immediately above wall panel 30c. Similarly, the hook 54c at the opposite end of hanger 48c is formed to seat within the outer channel 46b of wall panel of 30b.
As best shown in the extended position of side wall 20 in FIG. 6, the width of the tops 38 of the wall panels 26-30a-g progressively decreases in moving from the top wall panel 26 downwardly to the bottom wall panel 28. The structure for supporting adjacent wall panels comprises the inner and outer hooks 52, 54 of one wall panel and the U-shaped inner and outer channels 44, 46 of the wall panel immediately above. For example, the inner and outer hook sections 52a, 54a of hanger 48a support the wall panel 30a within the inner and outer channels 44', 46', respectively, of the top wall panel 26. Intermediate wall panel 30b is supported and hangs downwardly from wall panel 30a in the same manner. This is continued with each intermediate wall panel 30a-g down to the bottom wall panel 28 as illustrated in FIG. 6.
Nesting of adjacent wall panels with one another is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 7. In response to upward movement of cable 56, as discussed in detail below, the bottom wall panel 28 begins to move upwardly toward the roof 12. As the bottom wall panel 28 moves upwardly, the hook sections 52", 54" at the end of its hanger 48" disengage the inner and outer channels 44g, 46g, respectively, of the intermediate wall panel 30g immediately above. The space between the inner and outer channels 44g, 46g of intermediate wall panel 30g permits the side 40", 42" of bottom wall panel 28 to pass therebetween.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, plastic guides 58, only one of which is shown, are mounted along the length of the inner and outer channels 44, 46 of each wall panel 26, 28, 30a-g to avoid binding between the sides of the wall panels and the channels along which they slide. The guides 58 also provide stability to limit inward and outward lateral movement of one wall panel relative to another, particularly with the walls 16-22 in an extended position.
The bottom wall panel 28 continues its upward movement so that its hanger 48" and top 38" engage the top 38g of intermediate wall panel 30g. The bottom wall panel 28 and intermediate wall panel 30g thereafter move upwardly as a unit with the bottom wall panel 28 nested within the intermediate wall panel 30g. The inner and outer hooks 52g, 54g of intermediate wall panel 30g disengage the inner and outer channels 44f, 46f of the next intermediate wall panel 30f as the bottom wall panel 28 and intermediate wall panel 30g move upwardly. This process continues as all of the wall panels are moved upwardly with their hangers 48 disengaging the channels 44, 46 of the wall panel above, until all of the wall panels are nested together in a compact unit at the roof 12 as illustrated in FIG. 7. The procedure is reversed when the cable 56 is moved in the opposite direction
Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5 and 8, the construction of the cable and pulley system for raising and lowering the wall panels is illustrated in more detail. A reversible motor 60, mounted to the roof plate 13, is connected to a spool or reel 62 and is operable to rotate the reel 62 in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction. The reel 62 is connected by a main cable 64 to a junction block 66. The first cable 56 and a second cable 68 extend from the junction block 66 to a double groove pulley 70 which is mounted near the front wall 16 of the enclosure 10 by a hook 72 connected to an eyebolt 74. The first cable 56 extends from the pulley 70 to a single groove pulley 76 mounted to the roof plate 13 directly above one end of the side wall 20. The first cable 56 passes through a bore 77 formed in the center of each of the wall panels 26, 28 and 30a-g of side wall 20, and then terminates at the top 38" of the bottom wall panel 28.
As shown in FIG. 5, the end of first cable 56 which extends to the bottom wall panel 28 passes through a plate 78 having screw holes 80, 82. A ball 84 is affixed to such terminal end of cable 56. A plate 86 formed with a keyhole slot 88 is affixed to the top 38" of bottom wall panel 28 in alignment with the plate 78. The first cable 56 is secured to the bottom wall panel 28 by inserting the ball 84 within the keyhole slot 88 and then threading screws 90 through the holes 80, 82 in plate 78 into aligning holes 87, 89 formed in plate 86.
The second cable 68 extends from the double groove pulley 70 to the opposite end of side wall 20 where a single groove pulley 92 is mounted directly over the side wall 20. The second cable 68 passes downwardly through the side wall 20, and is connected to the bottom wall panel 28, in the same manner as first cable 56 described above.
The side wall 22 is provided with the same arrangement of cables as side wall 20. A third and fourth cable 94, 96, respectively, are connected at one end to the junction block 66 and extend through a double groove pulley 98 which is attached to the roof plate 13 near the front wall 16 by a hook 104 and eyebolt 106. The cables 84, 96 continue from pulley 98 to a pair of single groove pulleys 100, 102 mounted at opposite ends of the side wall 22. The terminal ends of third and fourth cables 94, 96 are connected to the bottom wall panel 28 of side wall 22 in the identical fashion as first and second cables 56, 68.
The motor 60 is operable to rotate the reel 62 to either wind the main cable 64 upon the reel 62 or unwind the main cable 64. When the reel 62 is rotated to wind the main cable 64 thereon, the junction block 66 is moved laterally toward the reel 62, which, in turn, pulls all of the cables upwardly to raise side walls 20, 22. The side walls 20, 22 are lowered by reversing the direction of motor 60 and unwinding the main cable 64 from reel 62.
As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8, only the side walls 20, 22 are provided with cables to raise and lower their wall panels. In order to simultaneously raise and lower the front wall 16 and back wall 18, structure is provided to permanently mount the front and back walls 16, 18 to the side walls 20, 22. The corner construction illustrated in FIG. 8 is provided for this purpose.
A corner plate 108 is fitted over the abutting ends of, for example, the intermediate wall panel 30c of front wall 16 and the corresponding intermediate wall panel 30c of side wall 20. Rivets, bolts or other essentially permanent means of fixation (not shown) are inserted through the holes 110 in corner plate 108 into the aligning holes 112 in the intermediate wall panels 30c of both the front and side walls 16, 20. Additionally, a portion of the top 38c of front wall 16 is allowed to overlap a portion of the top 38c of the intermediate wall panel 30c of side wall 20. These overlapping portions of tops 30c are connected by rivets or bolts 114 to further secure the front wall 16 to the side wall 20. The corner plate 108 and overlapping tops of adjoining wall panels also provide a finished appearance to the enclosures 10 to improve its overall aesthetics. The same corner and overlapping top construction is utilized to connect the opposite end of side wall 20 to the back wall 18, and to connect the front and back walls 16, 18 to the side wall 22. Hence, raising of the side walls 20, 22 as described above is effective to raise the front and back walls 16, 18 simultaneously.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. For example, it is contemplated that essentially any number of wall panels could be employed to form the walls herein depending upon the desired dimensions of the enclosure. Additionally, the cable and pulley system could be modified without departing from the scope of the invention to simultaneously raise and lower the walls.
Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
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An enclosure for use as a garage, storage shed and the like comprises a roof supported at its four corners by vertical posts, and front, back and opposed side walls each including a plurality of telescoping wall panels movable between a raised position in which the wall panels are nested together near the roof and a lowered position wherein the wall panels extend between the roof and ground. A cable and pulley system is operable to raise and lower all four walls simultaneously to provide access to the interior of the enclosure from any point along the perimeter of the enclosure.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/076,469 filed Mar. 31, 2011, published as US 2011-0248214 on Oct. 13, 2011 and the contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to a mesoporous carbon and a process for its preparation.
[0003] In particular the present invention relates to a new material made predominantly of carbon and having both a mesoporous structure and long-range ordering (chiral nematic or nematic) that arises from the ordering of a nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) template.
BACKGROUND ART
[0004] Porous carbon materials are extensively used in many modern applications due to their wide availability and excellent physical and chemical properties. 1 Some important examples include uses as catalyst supports, adsorbents for separation and gas storage, and in energy storage devices (e.g., batteries). The majority of commercially available porous carbons are microporous (pores <2 nm) and are typically produced by the pyrolysis of organic precursors such as coal, wood, or polymers, followed by a physical or chemical activation step. 2 These materials have been used commercially for many years and may be produced in bulk quantities at low cost. Several key drawbacks, however, have been identified for conventional microporous carbons, principally: (i) broad pore-size distributions, (ii) slow mass transport of molecules due to the small pore sizes, (iii) low conductivity due to functionalization incurred during activation, and (iv) collapse of the porous structure during high-temperature treatments. 1 Recent development of new nanostructured carbon materials has the potential to address some of these issues and provide new opportunities for applications. In particular the incorporation of larger pores into carbonaceous materials can be advantageous for a range of applications including the adsorption of large molecules, chromatography, electrochemical double-layer capacitors, and lithium ion batteries. 3-5
[0005] Template-synthesis of inorganic solids using the self-assembly of lyotropic liquid crystals offers access to materials with well-defined porous structures. 7-16 Since it was described in 1992 by Beck et al., liquid crystal templating has become a very important method to developing periodic materials with organization in the 1-100 nm dimension range. Mesoporous solids are typically formed from condensing an inorganic precursor (e.g., tetraethoxysilane) in the presence of a liquid crystalline template followed by the removal of the template. Although ionic surfactants were used in the original invention, diverse molecular (e.g., non-ionic surfactants) and polymeric substances have been used as templates. The materials obtained typically have periodic pores in the mesopore range of 2-50 nm in diameter that may be organized into hexagonal, cubic, or other periodic structures.
[0006] In 1999 it was reported that mesoporous silica could act as a hard-template for mesoporous carbon, 17 thus providing the first example of a highly ordered mesoporous carbon material. Hard-templating of carbon typically involves the impregnation of a mesoporous “hard-template” with a suitable carbon source and acid catalyst followed by carbonization and selective removal of the template.
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a scheme illustrating the way that carbon materials have been previously prepared using hard-templating. In the first step, a surfactant (molecule or polymer) assembles into a liquid crystalline phase (step a), and a silica precursor (and often a catalyst) is added in step b to give a mesostructured silica-surfactant composite, which is isolated. The sacrificial template is then removed by pyrolysis or solvent extraction (step c), to give a mesoporous silica host. Subsequently, the mesoporous silica host is impregnated with a carbon source (e.g., sugar) as shown in step d then pyrolyzed under inert atmosphere as shown in step e to give a mesoporous silica host that is partially loaded with carbon. Besides the high number of steps needed in this route, one of the drawbacks is the difficulty in fully loading the mesoporous host. Consequently, steps d and e are often repeated several times. Once the material is sufficiently loaded (as shown in step f), the silica host is removed with a procedure known to dissolve silica, often using aqueous or alcoholic hydroxide salts (e.g., NaOH, KOH, NH 4 OH) or hydrogen fluoride (HF) (step g) to give the mesoporous carbon.
[0008] In this case the hard-template essentially acts as a mould whose pore structure remains unchanged during the impregnation and carbonization steps. The hard-templates that have been explored are most commonly block-copolymer or surfactant templated periodic mesoporous silicas, such as SBA-15 and MCM-48. Using the approach shown in FIG. 1 and described above, numerous mesoporous carbon materials have been synthesized with various ordered pore structures (e.g., hexagonal and cubic). 18-20 Several limitations to this approach exist including (i) the sacrificial use of expensive block-copolymers or surfactants, (ii) the necessity for multiple loading steps, and (iii) the difficulty of synthesizing films and monoliths. 1
[0009] Cellulose is the major constituent of wood and plant cell walls and is the most abundant biomaterial on the planet. Cellulose is therefore an extremely important resource for the development of sustainable technologies. The rigid polymeric structure of native cellulose gives rise to excellent mechanical properties but has prevented its use for the hard-templating synthesis of mesoporous carbons as described above. Despite this, the synthesis of mesoporous carbon directly from cellulose could provide a cheap, renewable route to carbon materials. In nature, cellulose exists as the main constituent in the cell wall material of plant and wood fibres which may be regarded as concentric composite tubes whose diameters are on the order of several microns. Stable suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals can be obtained through sulfuric acid hydrolysis of bulk cellulosic material. 21 In water, suspensions of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) organize into a chiral nematic phase that can be preserved upon air-drying resulting in chiral nematic films. 22,23 The high-surface area, unique structural, and self-assembly properties of NCC make it a very interesting potential template for porous materials.
[0010] The chiral nematic (or cholesteric) liquid crystalline phase, where mesogens organize into a helical assembly, was first observed for cholesteryl derivatives but is now known to exist for a variety of molecules and polymers. The helical organization of a chiral nematic liquid crystal (LC) results in iridescence when the helical pitch is on the order of the wavelength of visible light due to the angle-dependent selective reflection of circularly polarized light. For this reason, chiral nematic LCs have been extensively studied for their photonic properties and used for applications such as in polarizing mirrors, reflective displays, and lasers. 24-26 Incorporation of chiral nematic organization into solid-state structures could provide materials with novel properties. We have recently reported that this may be achieved by using NCC as a lyotropic chiral nematic template. 27,28 Various silica precursors may be added to aqueous suspensions of NCC without disrupting the chiral nematic phase and, following slow evaporation, NCC-silica composite films are obtained. We have shown that by removing the NCC, these composite films can be used to produce chiral nematic mesoporous silica that reflects circularly polarized light. Furthermore, the NCC-containing composite films have the potential to be converted to chiral nematic mesoporous carbon by directly using cellulose as the carbon source. This would provide a simple procedure for producing mesoporous carbon from cellulose that could be used for the applications mentioned above. The chirality of these materials could also result in novel properties that have previously not been associated with mesoporous carbon materials.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0011] This invention seeks to provide a process for producing a mesoporous carbon material.
[0012] This invention also seeks to provide a mesoporous carbon material.
[0013] In one aspect of the invention there is provided a process for producing a mesoporous carbon material comprising:
[0000] i) carbonising nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) in an inorganic matrix, and
ii) removing the inorganic matrix from the carbonised NCC.
[0014] In another aspect of the invention there is provided a mesoporous carbon having a chiral nematic organization.
[0015] In still another aspect of the invention there is provided a mesoporous carbon wherein the carbon is a carbonized cellulose, especially a pyrolysed NCC.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 : Schematic illustrating a prior art method for making mesoporous carbon using a mesoporous silica template.
[0017] FIG. 2 : Schematic illustrating the method of the invention for making mesoporous carbon using nanocrystalline cellulose as a template.
[0018] FIG. 3 : IR spectrum of NCC-silica composite sample from preparation 2.
[0019] FIG. 4 : IR spectrum of carbon-silica composite sample from preparation 2.
[0020] FIG. 5 : PXRD of NCC-silica composite sample from preparation 2.
[0021] FIG. 6 : PXRD of carbon sample from preparation 2.
[0022] FIG. 7 : TGA (air, 20° C./min) of NCC-silica composite sample from preparation 2.
[0023] FIG. 8 : TGA (air, 20° C./min) of carbon-silica composite sample from preparation 2.
[0024] FIG. 9 : IR spectrum of carbon sample from preparation 2.
[0025] FIG. 10 : IR spectrum of carbon sample from preparation 4
[0026] FIG. 11 : TGA (air, 20° C./min) of carbon sample from preparation 2.
[0027] FIG. 12 : N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherm of carbon sample from preparation 1 in which plots for adsorption and desorption are shown which partially overlap.
[0028] FIG. 13 : N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherm of carbon sample from preparation 2 in which plots for plots for adsorption and desorption are shown which partially overlap.
[0029] FIG. 14 : N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherm of carbon sample from preparation 3 in which plots for plots for adsorption and desorption are shown which partially overlap.
[0030] FIG. 15 : N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherm of carbon sample from preparation 4 in which plots for plots for adsorption and desorption are shown which partially overlap.
[0031] FIG. 16 : N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherm of carbon sample from preparation 5 in which plots for plots for adsorption and desorption are shown which overlap.
[0032] FIG. 17 : BJH pore size distribution (adsorption) of carbon sample from preparation 1.
[0033] FIG. 18 : BJH pore size distribution (adsorption) of carbon sample from preparation 2.
[0034] FIG. 19 : BJH pore size distribution (adsorption) of carbon sample from preparation 3.
[0035] FIG. 20 : BJH pore size distribution (adsorption) of carbon sample from preparation 4.
[0036] FIG. 21 : BJH pore size distribution (adsorption) of carbon sample from preparation 5.
[0037] FIG. 22 : TEM image of carbon sample from preparation 2.
[0038] FIG. 23 : SEM image of carbon sample from preparation 4.
[0039] FIG. 24 : SEM image of carbon sample from preparation 2.
[0040] FIG. 25 : SEM image of carbon sample from preparation 1.
[0041] FIG. 26 : SEM image of carbon sample from preparation 5.
[0042] FIG. 27 : CD spectrum of silica from preparation 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0043] This invention provides a method for preparing mesoporous carbonaceous materials, especially chiral, mesoporous carbonaceous materials. The method is substantially simpler than the methods previously used for hard-templating mesoporous carbon, and incorporates new properties in the resulting carbon-based material (chirality and the ability to form free-standing films), in which said properties may be useful for a variety of applications. The free-standing films of mesoporous carbon produced by the method of the invention typically have a surface area greater than 1000 m 2 /g which is markedly higher than prior films of mesoporous carbon produced by other methods (usually 600-800 m 2 /g).
[0044] In one embodiment the new method produces mesoporous carbon materials that have chiral nematic structure. This method takes advantage of the high surface area and self-assembly properties of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) as well as its utility as a carbon precursor. When a suitable precursor to silica (e.g., tetraethoxysilane, TEOS, or tetramethoxysilane, TMOS) is hydrolyzed in the presence of NCC a film is obtained after drying in which the NCC suspension has self-assembled into a chiral nematic structure. The films obtained are composite structures of cellulose nanocrystals embedded in a silica matrix. Upon pyrolysis under inert atmosphere (which can be any gas that does not promote oxidation of the carbon, including nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, and other commonly used inert gases, or under vacuum) to convert the NCC template to carbon at an elevated temperature, suitably 500° C. to 2000° C., especially 500° C. to 1000° C., and typically at 900° C. under nitrogen; and subsequent removal of the silica matrix, typically using NaOH or a similar strong base (e.g., KOH, NH 4 OH) in water, alcohol (e.g., methanol, ethanol), or a mixture thereof, although HF may also be employed, a mesoporous carbon material is obtained as a powder or as a film, depending on the morphology of the starting composite. Typically the removal of the silica matrix may be by heating in an aqueous alkali, for example sodium hydroxide, at a temperature of 20° C. to 100° C., especially 70° C. to 100° C.
[0045] Any process for removing the matrix may be employed provided it does not deleteriously affect the remaining carbonized NCC which is the desired end product.
[0046] Nitrogen adsorption measurements indicate that the carbon materials are mesoporous and have large surface areas. These new mesoporous carbon materials have chiral nematic structures that may be directly observed by electron microscopy. These novel materials are attractive for many practical applications, including catalyst supports (for chiral or achiral transformations), supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells, adsorbents, lightweight reinforcement materials, components of composites, and as templates for other chiral nanomaterials.
[0047] In a particular embodiment of this invention, a silica precursor is polymerized in the presence of NCC to create materials with cellulose nanocrystallites organized in the silica matrix. After pyrolysis of the cellulose at elevated temperature under inert atmosphere and removal of the silica, a mesoporous carbon material is obtained.
[0048] FIG. 2 shows the schematic route to the preparation of the chiral, mesoporous carbon materials. In step (a), a silica precursor is hydrolyzed in a solution of NCC and the mixture is slowly dried, giving an NCC-silica composite material with chiral nematic order. In step (b), the composite material is pyrolyzed under inert atmosphere to give a carbon/silica composite material. Finally, in step (c), the silica is removed (e.g., using aqueous or alcoholic NaOH or another strong base) to give mesoporous carbon with chiral nematic order.
[0049] The full synthesis (step (a) of FIG. 2 ) and characterization of NCC-silica composite films has been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/076,469 filed Mar. 31, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The samples described herein were prepared with different ratios of silica precursor to NCC (Preparations 1-3). An additional control sample was prepared from pure NCC (Preparation 5). Carbonization was achieved by pyrolysis of the composite films at 900° C. (with the exception of Preparation 4, which was pyrolyzed at 600° C.) for 6 h under nitrogen. This results in shiny black films that generally still display some iridescence. The films were characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy ( FIGS. 3-4 ) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) ( FIGS. 5-6 ) before and after pyrolysis, which clearly demonstrates the conversion of cellulose to amorphous carbon. The carbon yields were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) before and after carbonization and are found to be as high as 30 wt % for Preparation 2 ( FIGS. 7-8 ). These carbon yields are much higher than the typically reported yields of 10-15 wt % for carbonization of cellulose under N 2 . 29,30 It has been well-established that the addition of sulfuric acid prior to pyrolysis can increase the carbon yield when cellulose or glucose is used as the carbon precursor. 31,17 The surface of NCC utilized in the invention is already functionalized with sulfate groups and it is believed that this as well as the encapsulation of the NCC in the silica helps to obtain a high yield without the need for a separate sulfuric acid impregnation step. Removal of the silica from the composite materials was achieved by heating the samples to 85-90° C. in a 2M aqueous NaOH solution. After rinsing the films with water and drying, the removal of the silica was confirmed by IR spectroscopy ( FIGS. 9-10 ) and TGA ( FIG. 11 ), which show the loss of the Si—O peak and a residual mass of 3 wt % after heating under air to 900° C.
[0050] Nitrogen adsorption was used to study the porosity of the different carbon samples. Type IV adsorption isotherms with hysteresis loops, indicative of mesoporous materials, are observed for the carbon obtained using Preparations 1-4 ( FIGS. 12-15 ). The control sample prepared from pure NCC (Preparation 5) gives a type I isotherm indicative of a purely microporous material ( FIG. 16 ). The isotherm shapes, BET surface areas, and pore volumes show a strong dependence on the amount of silica used in the preparation. Preparation 2, which uses an intermediate amount of silica precursor, gives mesoporous carbon with the highest BET surface area (1465 m 2 /g). In comparison, carbon samples prepared with less silica (Preparation 1) or more silica (Preparation 3) both have smaller BET surface areas (907 m 2 /g and 1230 m 2 /g respectively). The t-plot analysis of these samples shows a significant micropore contribution to the overall surface area (˜10% of the total surface area) whereas Preparation 2 gives a material with essentially no micropore contribution. An additional sample was prepared using the same procedure as Preparation 2 except that pyrolysis was carried out at 600° C. (Preparation 4). The N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherms for Preparations 2 and 4 ( FIG. 15 ) are nearly identical showing that mesoporous carbon materials may be obtained by our method using different pyrolysis temperatures. The IR spectrum for mesoporous carbon prepared at 600° C. indicates the presence of some residual functional groups ( FIG. 10 ). This demonstrates that different synthetic temperatures may be useful for fine-tuning the surface properties of the mesoporous carbon.
[0051] The BJH pore size distributions derived from the adsorption branch of the isotherms for Preparations 1-5 are shown in FIGS. 17-21 . The pore size distribution calculated for Preparation 1 shows a sharp rise in pore volume beginning at ˜4 nm ( FIG. 17 ) with no peak observed before 2 nm. Carbon prepared from Preparation 2 on the other hand shows a fairly broad peak at 2.8 nm with essentially no pore volume past 6 nm ( FIG. 18 ). Cylindrical mesopores for this sample were also visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM, FIG. 22 ). Preparation 3 yields carbon that has a very broad pore distribution with pore volume beginning around 11 nm and gradually increasing to a plateau at 2.5 nm ( FIG. 19 ). As expected, the microporous carbon from Preparation 5 shows very little pore volume before 2 nm ( FIG. 21 , note the scale on the y-axis is an order of magnitude smaller than for FIG. 17-20 ). These results further illustrate the importance of the silica in the preparation of the mesoporous carbon samples. Varying the relative amounts of NCC and silica shows that there is an ideal window for obtaining a mesoporous product; it is clear that an adequate silica wall-thickness is required for mesopore formation. On the other hand, when too much silica is used the pore size distribution is very broad and micropores begin to reappear. By way of example a suitable ratio based on TMOS (tetramethoxysilane) or TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) as the source of the inorganic matrix would be 4-16.5 mmol TMOS or TEOS /g NCC and preferably about 9 mmol TMOS or TEOS /g NCC in terms of max surface area and mesoporosity. We postulate that some carbon bridges are required to form between the silica walls during pyrolysis in order for the structure to be retained after the removal of silica. When the silica walls are too thick, these bridges are formed less effectively. Overall, these results clearly show that mesoporous carbon may be obtained using our new approach. Through a simple variation in the synthesis, namely the relative amounts of silica precursor and NCC that are used, the ratio of mesopores to micropores in the materials may be altered. Further optimization of these conditions within the ideal synthetic window should allow for further fine-tuning of the porosity of the mesoporous carbon materials.
[0052] Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provides evidence of the replication of chiral nematic organization in the mesoporous carbon films from Preparations 2, 3, and 4. Perpendicular to the surface of the film, a layered structure is observed with a repeating distance of several hundred nanometers that arises from the helical pitch of the chiral nematic phase ( FIG. 23 ). At higher magnification a well-defined twisting rod-like morphology is resolved ( FIG. 24 ). Throughout the entire sample, this twisting appears to occur in a counter-clockwise direction when moving away from the viewer, which corresponds to a left-handed helical organization. Preparations 2-4, which correspond to the most mesoporous samples, also show the best retention of chiral nematic organization. As a comparison, a much less well-defined structure was observed for Preparation 1 ( FIG. 25 ). The control sample (Preparation 5) appears much more disordered ( FIG. 26 ) and generally does not retain the chiral nematic structure of the original NCC films. The silica clearly has a protective effect during pyrolysis that allows for the chiral nematic structure to remain intact in conjunction with the templation of well-defined mesopores.
[0053] To further confirm the chirality of the mesoporous carbon and demonstrate its utility as a template for other chiral materials, mesoporous carbon from preparation 2 was used to template silica. Repeated loading and condensation of TEOS within the pores of the films followed by removal of the carbon results in transparent silica. The silica is birefringent by polarized optical microscopy (POM) with a texture similar to that observed in pure NCC films with chiral nematic organization. Circular dichroism shows a strong signal with positive ellipticity resulting from chiral reflection at 327 nm ( FIG. 27 ). This experiment further confirms that the carbonaceous material from Preparation 2 has a chiral structure, and that it can be transferred to other materials.
[0054] The materials prepared herein always have an organization that shows a positive ellipticity by CD (left-handed organization). The other organization (right-handed) is not known, but if it could be discovered, then this method should be applied to make the enantiomeric structure. While the examples herein are of materials from silica, other inorganic and metal-organic structures (e.g., based on organosilanes) and which maintain their integrity under condition for carbonizing the NCC and which can thereafter be removed, can also be employed.
[0055] Mesoporous carbon without chiral nematic organization may also be obtained from NCC by using a procedure identical to Preparation 2 with one modification, that modification being that the pH of the NCC suspension is adjusted to a pH where the chiral nematic ordering is disrupted during the synthesis of the composite (Preparation 7). When the pH of the NCC suspension was adjusted to 2.0, transparent NCC-silica composite films were obtained. The films were determined to be achiral through UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, which did not reveal any reflection due to the chiral nematic organization within the range of 300-3000 nm. SEM images also did not reveal any chiral nematic organization within the films but instead indicate that the films possess nematic ordering. POM images further suggest that the organization of NCC within the achiral composite films is most likely nematic. After pyrolysis under N 2 and the removal of silica, free-standing carbon films were obtained. N 2 adsorption experiments demonstrate that the achiral carbon films are mesoporous with similar adsorption characteristics compared to the mesoporous carbon obtained from Preparation 2. SEM images of the mesoporous carbon do not reveal any chiral nematic organization. Mesoporous carbon may therefore be synthesized from NCC with both chiral and achiral structures.
Examples
[0056] In the Examples, sonication was applied to ensure that the NCC particles were dispersed. The sonicator was a standard laboratory model (2 A, 120 V) available from VWR (Aquasonic model 50T). A sonication time of 10-15 minutes was typically applied prior to addition of the silicon-containing compound.
Preparation 1.
Synthesis of NCC/Silica Composite:
[0057] 1.00 mL of TEOS is added to 30.0 mL of a freshly sonicated 3.5% aqueous NCC suspension. The mixture is stirred at 60° C. until a homogeneous mixture is obtained (˜4 h), indicating complete hydrolysis of the TEOS. The mixture is poured into polystyrene Petri dishes and after slow evaporation at room temperature slightly red films are obtained.
Pyrolysis:
[0058] Under flowing nitrogen, 1.00 g of the NCC/silica composite films is heated at a rate of 2° C./min to 100° C. for 2 h, then heated at 2° C./min to 900° C. for 6 h, and finally cooled to room temperature at 4° C./min. After slowly cooling to room temperature 372 mg of free-standing black films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the conversion of NCC to carbon. The mass yield of carbon calculated from TGA is 28.1%.
Silica Etching:
[0059] 300 mg of the carbon/silica composite films are placed in a beaker containing 200 mL of 2M aqueous NaOH solution and heated to 90° C. for 4 h. The films are then recovered by filtration and rinsed with copious amounts of water. After air drying 152 mg of carbon films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the removal of silica and TGA gives a 3.8 wt % residue after heating to 900° C. under air. Nitrogen adsorption measurements show a BET surface area of 907 m 2 /g (micropore area from t-plot=103 m 2 /g) and a pore volume of 0.56 cm 3 /g ( FIG. 12 ). SEM images reveal that the chiral nematic structure is poorly retained in the carbon product ( FIG. 25 ).
Preparation 2.
Synthesis of NCC/Silica Composite:
[0060] 1.40 mL of TMOS is added to 30.0 mL of a freshly sonicated 3.5% aqueous NCC suspension. The mixture is stirred at room temperature until a homogeneous mixture is obtained (˜1 h), indicating complete hydrolysis of the TMOS. The mixture is poured into polystyrene Petri dishes and after slow evaporation at room temperature colourless films are obtained.
Pyrolysis:
[0061] Under flowing nitrogen, 1.00 g of the NCC/silica composite films is heated at a rate of 2° C./min to 100° C. for 2 h, then heated at 2° C./min to 900° C. for 6 h, and finally cooled to room temperature at 4° C./min. After slowly cooling to room temperature 505 mg of free-standing black films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample ( FIG. 4 ) and PXRD ( FIG. 6 ) confirms the conversion of NCC to carbon. The mass yield of carbon calculated from TGA is 29.6%
Silica Etching:
[0062] 500 mg of the carbon/silica composite films are placed in a beaker containing 200 mL of 2M aqueous NaOH solution and heated to 90° C. for 4 h. The films are then recovered by filtration and rinsed with copious amounts of water. After air drying 175 mg of carbon films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the removal of silica ( FIG. 9 ) and TGA gives a 3.2 wt % residue after heating to 900° C. under air ( FIG. 11 ). Nitrogen adsorption measurements show a BET surface area of 1465 m 2 /g (micropore area from t-plot=11 m 2 /g) and a pore volume of 1.22 cm 3 /g ( FIG. 13 ). TEM images show long locally aligned pores ( FIG. 22 ). SEM images reveal a structure consistent with chiral nematic organization ( FIG. 24 ).
Preparation 3.
Synthesis of NCC/Silica Composite:
[0063] 2.50 mL of TMOS is added to 30.0 mL of a freshly sonicated 3.5% aqueous NCC suspension. The mixture is stirred at room temperature until a homogeneous mixture is obtained (˜1 h), indicating complete hydrolysis of the TMOS. The mixture is poured into polystyrene Petri dishes and after slow evaporation at room temperature colorless films are obtained.
Pyrolysis:
[0064] Under flowing nitrogen, 1.00 g of the NCC/silica composite films are heated at a rate of 2° C./min to 100° C. for 2 h, then heated at 2° C./min to 900° C. for 6 h, and finally cooled to room temperature at 4° C./min. After slowly cooling to room temperature 490 mg of free-standing black films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the conversion of NCC to carbon. The mass yield of carbon calculated from TGA is 19.1%
Silica Etching:
[0065] 450 mg of the carbon/silica composite films are placed in a beaker containing 200 mL of 2M aqueous NaOH solution and heated to 90° C. for 4 h. The films are then recovered by filtration and rinsed with copious amounts of water. After air drying 82 mg of carbon films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the removal of silica. Nitrogen adsorption measurements show a BET surface area of 1230 m 2 /g (micropore area from t-plot=128 m 2 /g) and a pore volume of 0.96 cm 3 /g ( FIG. 14 ). SEM images reveal a structure consistent with chiral nematic organization.
Preparation 4.
Synthesis of NCC/Silica Composite:
[0066] 2.00 mL of TMOS is added to 50.0 mL of a freshly sonicated 3.0% aqueous NCC suspension. The mixture is stirred at room temperature until a homogeneous mixture is obtained (˜1 h), indicating complete hydrolysis of the TMOS. The mixture is poured into polystyrene Petri dishes and after slow evaporation at room temperature colorless films are obtained.
Pyrolysis:
[0067] Under flowing nitrogen, 1.50 g of the NCC/silica composite films are heated at a rate of 2° C./min to 100° C. for 2 h, then heated at 2° C./min to 600° C. for 6 h, and finally cooled to room temperature at 4° C./min. After slowly cooling to room temperature 766 mg of free-standing black films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the conversion of NCC to carbon, although some functional groups still remain due to the lower pyrolysis temperature ( FIG. 10 ). The mass yield of carbon calculated from TGA is 27.9%
Silica Etching:
[0068] 500 mg of the carbon/silica composite films are placed in a beaker containing 200 mL of 2M aqueous NaOH solution and heated to 90° C. for 4 h. The films are then recovered by filtration and rinsed with copious amounts of water. After air drying 180 mg of carbon films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the removal of silica. Nitrogen adsorption measurements show a BET surface area of 1330 m 2 /g (micropore area from t-plot=38 m 2 /g) and a pore volume of 1.12 cm 3 /g ( FIG. 15 ). SEM images reveal a structure consistent with chiral nematic organization ( FIG. 23 ).
Preparation 5.
Synthesis of Control Sample:
[0069] NCC films are prepared by slow evaporation at room temperature in polystyrene Petri dishes. Under flowing nitrogen, 1.00 g of the NCC/silica composite films are heated at a rate of 2° C./min to 100° C. for 2 h, then heated at 2° C./min to 900° C. for 6 h, and finally cooled to room temperature at 4° C./min. After slowly cooling to room temperature 205 mg of free-standing black films (mass yield=20.1%) are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the conversion of NCC to carbon. Nitrogen adsorption measurements show a BET surface area of 674 m 2 /g (micropore area from t-plot=574 m 2 /g) and a pore volume of 0.40 cm 3 /g ( FIG. 16 ). SEM images indicate that the chiral nematic structure of the NCC has been lost during pyrolysis ( FIG. 26 ).
Preparation 6.
[0070] Replication of Silica from Mesoporous Carbon:
[0071] 67 μL of TEOS and 10 μL of 0.1 M HCl solution are mixed together and added dropwise to 52 mg of mesoporous carbon films from preparation 1 in a glass vial. After brief agitation, the vial is placed in an oven at 40° C. for 1 h followed by 80° C. for 1 h. The loading procedure is repeated 10 times.
Pyrolysis:
[0072] After the final loading, the films are placed in a tube furnace under flowing N 2 and heated at a rate of 2° C./min to 600° C. for 6 h. The pyrolysis is then repeated under flowing air to remove the carbon resulting in transparent silica films (m=65 mg). Circular dichroism of the silica films showed a chiral reflection peak at 327 nm ( FIG. 27 ).
Preparation 7.
Synthesis of Achiral NCC/Silica Composite:
[0073] The pH of a 3.5 wt. % NCC suspension is adjusted to pH 2.0 through the dropwise addition of 1 M hydrochloric acid. 1.40 mL of TMOS is added to 30.0 mL of a freshly sonicated 3.5% aqueous NCC suspension at pH 2.0. The mixture is stirred at room temperature until a homogeneous mixture is obtained (˜1 h), indicating complete hydrolysis of the TMOS. The mixture is poured into polystyrene Petri dishes and after slow evaporation at room temperature colourless films are obtained.
Pyrolysis:
[0074] Under flowing nitrogen, 1.28 g of the NCC/silica composite films is heated at a rate of 2° C./min to 100° C. for 2 h, then heated at 2° C./min to 900° C. for 6 h, and finally cooled to room temperature at 4° C./min. After slowly cooling to room temperature 557 mg of free-standing black films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample and PXRD confirms the conversion of NCC to carbon.
Silica Etching:
[0075] 500 mg of the carbon/silica composite films are placed in a beaker containing 200 mL of 2M aqueous NaOH solution and heated to 90° C. for 4 h. The films are then recovered by filtration and rinsed with copious amounts of water. After air drying 160 mg of carbon films are recovered. The IR spectrum of the sample confirms the removal of silica. Nitrogen adsorption measurements show a BET surface area of 1224 m 2 /g (micropore area from t-plot=74 m 2 /g) and a pore volume of 1.03 cm 3 /g ( FIG. 13 ). SEM images reveal the absence of chiral nematic organization in the mesoporous carbon.
REFERENCES A
[0000]
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8. Kresge, C. T., Leonowicz, M. E., Roth, W. J., Vartuli, J. C. & Beck, J. S. Ordered mesoporous molecular sieves synthesized by a liquid-crystal template mechanism. Nature 359, 710-712 (1992).
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14. Attard, G. S., Glyde, J. C. & Goltner, C. G. Liquid-crystalline phases as templates for the synthesis of mesoporous silica. Nature 378, 366-368 (1995).
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20. Vix-Guterl, C., Boulard, S., Parmentier, J., Werckmann, J., & Patarin, J. Formation of ordered mesoporous carbon material from a silica template by a one-step chemical vapour infiltration process. Chem. Lett. 1062-1063 (2002).
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23. Revol, J. F., Godbout, L. & Gray, D. G. Solid self-assembled films of cellulose with chiral nematic order and optically variable properties. J. Pulp Pap. Sci. 24, 146-149 (1998).
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A composition and a method for producing mesoporous carbon materials with a chiral or achiral organization. In the method, a polymerizable inorganic monomer is reacted in the presence of nanocrystalline cellulose to give a material of inorganic solid with cellulose nanocrystallites organized in a chiral nematic organization. The cellulose can be carbonized through thermal treatment under inert atmosphere (e.g., nitrogen or argon) and the silica may subsequently be removed using aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or hydrogen fluoride (HF) to give the stable mesoporous carbon materials that retain the chiral nematic structure of the cellulose. These materials may be obtained as free-standing films with very high surface area. Through control of the reaction conditions the pore-size distribution may be varied from predominantly microporous to predominantly mesoporous materials. These are the first materials to use cellulose as both the structural template and carbon source for a mesoporous carbon material. These are also the first carbon materials to combine mesoporosity with long-range chiral ordering. Possible applications for these materials include: charge storage devices (e.g. supercapacitors and anodes for Li-ion batteries), adsorbents, gas purifiers, light-weight nanocomposite materials, catalyst supports (e.g., for chiral transformations), gas storage, and as a hard-template to generate other materials, preferably with chiral structures.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates generally to theft prevention/deterrence systems for vehicular components, such as radios. More particularly, the invention pertains to audio component anti-theft systems having the capability of being overridden by authorized personnel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Because audio equipment installed in vehicles are essentially expensive, lightweight and small in size, audio equipment has historically been the subject of much theft. With the thriving aftermarket network, the stolen equipment may be installed in almost any other vehicle.
[0003] Automobile manufacturers have employed numerous methods to prevent the audio equipment from being stolen out of the vehicles. For ease of description, the audio equipment will be referred to as a car radio. It is, however, understood that the audio equipment would encompass any sound system installed within an automobile, including cassette tape and compact disc (CD) players.
[0004] A variety of prior art approaches have been implemented to deter or prevent theft of such components, including mechanical methods utilizing special security screws to fasten the radio to the vehicle, and electronic methods requiring an operator to insert a special security code to unlock a car radio once the vehicle's battery has cycled. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,720,700; 4,743,894; and 4,683,462. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,981 discloses an automotive electronic communication apparatus which prevents the connection of an external battery to a car radio prior to stealing it, in order to prevent an interruption in the power supplied to the car radio.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,018 teaches a theft prevention technique wherein a vehicle identification number (VIN) is initially loaded into non-volatile memory of the radio at the factory. Subsequently, upon battery cycling, a currently transmitted VIN on the vehicle's communication bus is compared to the previously stored VIN. If the VINs do not match, the normal operation of the radio is disabled. However, to reinitialize the radio for subsequent operation in a new vehicle, the dealer or service center must reinitialize the new VIN as the authorized VIN using a complex diagnostic system.
[0006] There is a need in the art for a component anti-theft arrangement which is both transparent to the vehicle operator and easily overridable by authorized service personnel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, a method for overriding an anti-theft arrangement for a vehicular audio component wherein a current vehicle identification number is compared to a previously stored VIN whenever the vehicle's battery has cycled comprises storing a preselected component identifier code in a non-volatile memory of the audio component. Whenever the current VIN is not identical to the stored VIN, entry of a code into the audio component is requested, and disablement of the audio component is overridden whenever an entered code is identical to the stored preselected component identifier code.
[0008] In another aspect of the invention, anti-theft apparatus for a vehicular audio component includes a stored program processor associated with the audio component and including a non-volatile memory, a vehicle communication bus coupling the processor to at least one vehicle control module for receipt of data messages thereover, and a data entry element coupled to the processor for transmitting externally entered code words thereto. The processor is operable to store a first vehicle identification number (VIN) and an audio component identifier code in the nonvolatile memory, to request receipt from the manual data entry element of a code word whenever a battery cycle has been detected by reinitialization of the processor and a second VIN read from the bus is not identical to the stored first VIN, and to inhibit operation of the audio component until receipt of a code word identical to the audio component identifier code.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0009] The objects and features of the invention will become apparent from a reading of a detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of radio anti-theft apparatus arranged in accordance with the principles of the invention; and
[0011] FIGS. 2A, 2B set forth a flow chart outlining a method of radio anti-theft provisions in accordance with the principles of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] FIG. 1 depicts a system block diagram of an arrangement 100 for providing anti-theft protection for a battery-powered vehicular component, such as a radio. With reference to FIG. 1 , arrangement 100 centers about a vehicle radio 104 having a microprocessor 110 equipped with random access memory 112 . Additionally, microprocessor 110 includes a non-volatile memory 108 , such as an EEPROM.
[0013] Also included in radio 104 is a human/machine interface, such as a plurality of data entry elements, such as pushbutton switches 118 normally associated with a faceplate 122 of the radio.
[0014] A programmable controller, such as a body controller 102 is coupled to radio 104 via a vehicular communication bus 106 . The electrical components of the system 100 are powered principally by a vehicular battery 114 .
[0015] The system and method of the invention centers around detection of battery cycling. As known to those skilled in the relevant art, a battery cycle comprises either disconnecting the battery for a time long enough for all residually stored voltages to discharge, or taking a component such as radio 104 out of its authorized vehicle and putting it into another, or replacing the battery for maintenance reasons (or at least disconnecting it from the battery terminals in the vehicle). There are various methods of detecting the occurrence of a battery cycle. One would be for a hardware battery detector to set a software flag in the radio 104 microprocessor 110 as power is going down. Preferably, we rely on the fact that in modern vehicles equipped with software in various controllers, such software is restarted and goes through an initialization routine after a battery cycle. This initialization routine can be used in and of itself to indicate that cycling has taken place.
[0016] With continued reference to FIG. 1 , once battery cycling has been detected at microprocessor 110 , the radio may be disabled as detailed below where it is determined that the radio 104 has been removed from its authorized vehicle. Under these circumstances, apparatus and methods must be provided to override the theft prevention system by authorized personnel. The invention contemplates a database 120 which is generated by the manufacturer of the audio component being protected. Essentially, the manufacturer will place a unique component identifier code, preferably of four digits, for each serial number of the component produced by the manufacturer. Authorized service personnel can then access database 120 to retrieve the identifier code for the serial number of radio 104 which they wish to reinitialize. Once the code has been retrieved it is manually entered via data entry switches 118 into microprocessor 110 . Upon receipt of this code, processor 110 compares the entered code with a code stored in non-volatile memory 108 either at the component manufacturer facility or at an assembly plant when the radio is first installed in the vehicle. Upon such a match, radio 104 is re-enabled for normal operation.
[0017] The details of the anti-theft prevention and override method of the invention are best described with reference to the flow chart of FIGS. 2A and 2B . Routine 200 begins at step 202 where the identifier code is stored in the radio's non-volatile memory 108 . At decision block 204 , processor 110 determines whether the ignition and the radio power are on. If not, the routine continually loops back to decision block 204 to monitor for power up.
[0018] If the ignition and radio power is on, the routine proceeds to decision block 206 to determine whether a VIN is resident in nonvolatile memory 108 . If no VIN is present, this indicates an initial factory installation of a vehicle battery is taking place upon assembly of the new vehicle. If this is the initial battery connection, then processor 110 at step 212 fetches a factory VIN which is being transmitted over vehicle bus 106 by elements such as body control unit 102 and stores this initial VIN in non-volatile memory 108 . The routine then returns to normal radio operation at 208 . Once the radio is turned off, the routine returns to decision step 204 .
[0019] If a VIN is present at step 206 , then the routine proceeds to step 214 wherein the VIN being currently transmitted on the bus 106 is compared to the factory VIN stored in non-volatile memory 108 . If the VINs match at step 214 , the routine proceeds to normal radio operation at 208 . If the VINs do not match, the routine proceeds to the flow chart of FIG. 2B at entry point A.
[0020] With reference to FIG. 2B , the routine then proceeds to step 216 where the program in processor 110 will request entry of an identifier code via switches 118 . At decision block 218 , if the entered code matches the initially stored identifier code in non-volatile memory 108 , the software in the radio 104 proceeds to block 220 and updates or overwrites the factory VIN in non-volatile memory for subsequent use. The routine then returns to normal operation 208 in FIG. 2A via entry point B.
[0021] If the entered code does not match the code stored in non-volatile memory 108 of the radio 104 , then the routine proceeds to decision block 222 where it is determined how many incorrect entries have been made. If the number of incorrect entries is more than a preselected number N, then the routine enters into a delay cycle, e.g., for 30 minutes, at step 224 prior to returning to step 216 to continue the request for code entry. If the number of incorrect entries is less than N, the routine returns immediately to step 216 . It is therefore seen that the radio will remain disabled until a code match is found at decision block 218 . If no code has been entered pursuant to request 216 , radio 104 will continue to prompt for code entry.
[0022] The method and arrangement of the invention is transparent to the customer so long as either no battery cycling occurs or if it does, the VIN match indicates that the radio has remained in its authorized vehicle. Additionally, the theft prevention arrangement may be easily overridden by authorized personnel having access to a database of code identifier words stored as a function of component identification numbers, such as serial numbers.
[0023] The invention has been described with reference to a detailed example. The scope and spirit of the invention is to be determined only with proper interpretation of the appended claims.
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A vehicle anti-theft arrangement and method relies on matching vehicle identifiers upon detection of vehicle battery cycling to confirm whether or not the component being protected is still resident in an authorized vehicle. The arrangement and method further includes a facile way for authorized personnel to override the protection mechanism using code word entries retrievable from a component manufacturer generated database.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to the art of winches, and more particularly to a modular winch onboard an aircraft. The invention notably finds an advantageous but non-limiting application in helicopter winches.
[0002] Modular signifies that the winch consists of a subset of modules. Aircraft signifies any means of transportation capable of traveling in the earth's atmosphere.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] To date, several types of winches with various designs are known in the prior art, for performing, for example, helicopter rescue missions or for handling equipment by air. These winches are dedicated to a type of helicopter or a type of mission, and have different structures according to their performance. For example, certain winches have hydraulic, electrical or even pneumatically-powered motors. Thus, these winches can have differing cable unwinding speeds or cable lengths depending upon the performance relating to the mission for which they are designed. Mountain rescues, for example, generally require very long cable lengths especially for being able to winch along walls. Conversely, personnel drop missions onto, for example, wind turbines or vessels do not require such long cable lengths. The same reasoning applies to the ascent and descent cable speeds, and also to the tensile force.
[0004] Helicopters are often versatile and are used for different types of missions. For each new winch design, the maximum performance required is implemented in order to satisfy the constraints of the most demanding missions. The most modern winches are therefore the highest-performing. And the higher the performance of a winch, the greater its mass. This fact implies that a helicopter operator equipping their helicopter with a winch, is forced to choose the heaviest winch in order to have the most powerful and therefore the most versatile winch. When the latter is commissioned for a mission requiring shorter cable lengths and lower lifting capacities, it carries an oversized winch together with a cable length and lifting capacity that is often too great. The mass carried is therefore far greater than necessary, with all the disadvantages that this entails, particularly in terms of the impact upon fuel consumption, and hence the operational radius, which may be vital to the mission in question.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Thus, the invention aims to provide a modular winch, namely a winch whose performance can be adapted depending upon the mission to be performed. The weight of such a winch will then be appropriate to the performance thereof.
[0006] To solve the aforementioned problems, a modular winch on board an aircraft has been developed, comprising at least one cable wound onto a drum. According to the invention, said winch comprises a basic mechanical assembly intended to be attached to the aircraft, designed to receive, in a removable manner, at least one module for varying at least one of the performance characteristics of said winch.
[0007] More specifically, the performance characteristics that can be varied are the length of the cable, its diameter, the power of the winch and consequently the winding and unwinding speed of said cable, and the power supply of the winch ( 1 ).
[0008] For this purpose, the basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ), attached to the aircraft, comprises mechanical connection means for mechanically connecting a drive module, which is capable of varying the characteristics relating to power, to a cable module, said cable module being capable of varying the characteristics relating to the cable, and comprising at least one cable, at least one drum around which the cable is to be wound/unwound, and means of rotating said drum designed to be connected to the mechanical connection means.
[0009] The value of this invention can be understood, given the modular nature of the essential components of a winch, as being able, due to the implementation of independent modules, to very rapidly modify the performance of said winch as needed.
[0010] By means of the implementation of such a cable module, it is possible to modulate at will the characteristics of the cable to load on board, both in terms of length and diameter, depending upon the operation to be performed.
[0011] Preferably, the module that is capable of varying those characteristics relating to the power supply, consists of an electronic module that is designed to produce an AC or DC current for the drive module from the electrical power generated by the aircraft.
[0012] Preferably, the drive module comprises means of transmitting the rotation of the drive shaft, and said drive shaft is connected to said mechanical connection means of the basic mechanical assembly via said transmission means.
[0013] Advantageously, the cable module is electrically connected to the drive module.
[0014] Similarly, the electronic module is electrically connected to the mechanical connection means of the basic mechanical assembly.
[0015] In one specific embodiment, the mechanical connection means are in the form of a hollow shaft, mounted in such a way as to be free to rotate and intended, on the one hand, to be rotated by the motor of the drive module and, on the other hand, to receive the means of rotation of the drum for driving said means in rotation. The hollow shaft presents, for example, internal splines.
[0016] The means of rotation of the drum are in the form of a shaft, intended to engage the hollow shaft of the mechanical connection means, said shaft rotating said drum via transmission means for the winding/unwinding of the cable itself around said drum.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description provided below, which is for reference only and is in no way restrictive, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an onboard modular winch according to the invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 1 , showing the modular winch from another viewing angle;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 2 , wherein part of the winch housing has been removed in order to view the interior of said housing;
[0021] FIG. 4 is an exploded schematic perspective view of a modular winch according to the invention;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the basic mechanical assembly of the modular winch;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view similar to that of FIG. 5 , the basic mechanical assembly being represented from another viewing angle;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the cable module;
[0025] FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view similar to that of FIG. 7 , the cable module being represented without its protective housing;
[0026] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of the drive module transmission means;
[0027] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view similar to that of FIG. 9 , the transmission means being represented from another viewing angle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] With reference to FIGS. 1 through 10 , the modular winch ( 1 ) onboard an aircraft according to the invention comprises a basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ) intended to be attached to the aircraft and to receive, in a removable manner, a cable module ( 3 ), a drive module ( 4 ) associated with said cable module, and an electronic module latched to the drive module ( 4 ).
[0029] The basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ) ensures the mechanical (attachment to the aircraft) and electrical (power and control) interfacing between the aircraft and the cable module ( 3 ).
[0030] With reference to FIGS. 1 through 6 , and more particularly to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ) forms part of the body of the winch ( 1 ) and presents lateral attachments ( 2 a ) designed to receive in a removable manner, for example by screwing, the drive module ( 4 ) on one side, and the cable module ( 3 ) on the other side.
[0031] The basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ) further comprises mechanical connection means ( 5 ) for mechanically connecting the drive module ( 4 ) to the cable module ( 3 ). The mechanical connection means ( 5 ) are arranged on the lower part of the basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ) and comprise a hollow shaft ( 5 a ) mounted in such a way as to freely rotate. The hollow shaft ( 5 a ) has internal splines ( 6 ) and is designed to receive a splined shaft that engages on both sides, for transmitting rotation from one to the other.
[0032] The cable module ( 3 ) comprises a drum ( 7 ) around which said cable ( 7 a ) is stored. The cable module ( 3 ) helps vary the characteristics relating to the cable ( 7 a ). With reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 7, and 8 , the cable module ( 3 ) comprises a housing ( 8 ) that is designed to be attached in a removable manner to the basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ) in order to form part of the body of the modular winch ( 1 ).
[0033] The housing ( 8 ) of the cable module ( 3 ) comprises internally and partially above, a drum ( 7 ) mounted such as to be able to rotate around its axis of rotation. Said drum ( 7 ) is latched, via the transmission means ( 9 ), to the rotation means ( 10 ) such as to allow the winding of a cable ( 7 a ) around said drum ( 7 ). These rotation means ( 10 ) are in the form of a splined shaft ( 10 a ) protruding outwards from the housing ( 8 ) of the cable module ( 3 ). Said splined shaft ( 10 a ) is intended to be inserted into the hollow shaft ( 5 a ) of the mechanical connection means ( 5 ) of the basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ), and to engage the internal splines ( 6 ) of said hollow shaft ( 5 a ).
[0034] The cable ( 7 a ) is then attached at one end to the drum ( 7 ) and comprises at its free end, a hook and/or a handle (not shown) according to the winching missions to be performed.
[0035] The drive cable ( 4 ) helps vary the characteristics relating to power. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the drive module ( 4 ) comprises a housing ( 11 ) that is designed to be attached in a removable manner to the basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ) in order to form part of the body of the modular winch ( 1 ). This housing ( 11 ) contains a motor ( 12 ) equipped with a drive shaft ( 12 a ). With reference to FIGS. 4, 9, and 10 , the drive shaft ( 12 a ) is latched to the transmission means ( 13 ). These transmission means ( 13 ) include, on the one hand, receiving means ( 14 ) of the drive shaft and, on the other hand, a splined shaft ( 15 ) that is intended to be engaged within the hollow shaft ( 5 ) of the mechanical connection means ( 5 ) of the basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ). The splined shaft ( 15 ) is intended to engage the internal splines ( 6 ) of said hollow shaft ( 5 A). The transmission means ( 13 ) are designed to transmit through gears, belts, or other means, the rotation of the drive shaft ( 12 a ) to the splined shaft ( 15 ).
[0036] The rotation of the motor ( 12 ) drives the rotation of the splined shaft ( 15 ), which leads to the rotation of the hollow shaft ( 5 a ), which drives the rotation of the rotation means ( 10 ) of the drum ( 7 ), and therefore the rotation of the drum ( 7 ) allowing the winding or the unwinding of the cable ( 7 a ).
[0037] The electronic module helps vary the characteristics relating to the power supply, and can produce an AC or DC current for the drive module from the electrical power generated by the aircraft.
[0038] With reference to FIG. 4 , the electronic module contains an electronic board for the management of the mechanical connection means ( 5 ) and therefore of the motor ( 12 ). This board especially comprises electrical connection means that are intended to engage the electrical connection means of said mechanical connection means ( 5 ).
[0039] These different modules are therefore provided with means of implementing, in an easy manner, a mechanical and/or electrical connection between them, in order to facilitate the choice of the user depending upon the mission to be performed.
[0040] As is clear from the foregoing, the invention proposes a modular winch that can be interchanged quickly and easily depending, for example, upon the power of the motor, the length of cable required, etc., especially based upon the winching mission to be performed.
[0041] That said, and as mentioned in the introduction, the basic mechanical assembly ( 2 ) can integrate the functions of the drive module ( 4 ) and the electronic module.
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A modular winch onboard an aircraft includes at least one cable wound onto a drum. The winch includes a basic mechanical assembly intended to be attached to the aircraft. The basic mechanical assembly is capable of receiving, in a removable manner, at least one module for varying at least one of the performance characteristics of the winch.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] The invention relates to a transglutaminase gene and a transglutaminase obtained therefrom.
[0002] Transglutaminase (hereafter, referred to as TGase) catalyzes intramolecular or intermolecular formation of ε-(γ-Gln)-Lys covalent bond, and the crosslink between protein molecules forms gel protein with a tertiary structure. The gel protein can be applied in the food-processing industry, including meat, fish, soybean, wheat, milk, or egg, as a new protein food or gel membrane.
[0003] TGases has been found in various tissues and organs of mammals and plants. The first commercialized TGase was isolated from the liver of guinea pig, however, its price is relatively high, about 80 US dollars per unit, because of the difficulties of acquisition. The high price also restricts its use in the food-processing industry. In addition, the technology of isolating TGases from fish or plants is immature. Large scale production of TGase is, therefore, an important task.
[0004] It has been found that many strains of microbes produce TGases. Those whose TGases have been cloned include Streptoverticillium S-8112 (Washizu et al., 1994), Streptoverticillium mobaraense (Pasternack et al., 1998), Streptomyces lydicus (Bech et al., 1996), Bacillus subtilis (Kobayashi et al., 1998). Those having exocrine TGase include S-8112 (Ando et al., 1989), S. mobaraense (Pasternack et al,, 1998), S. cinnamoneum (Duran et al., 1998), and S. lydicus (Bech et al., 1996). According to Wu et al. (1996), most TGases derived from Streptoverticillium sp. are exocrine. In the twenty strains of Streptoverticillium sp. tested by Wu et al., TGase derived from Streptoverticillium ladakanum has highest activity. The expression activity of those genes, however, are still restricted in some way, therefore, obtaining a TGase with high expression activity is still required.
SUMMARY
[0005] The inventors screened out a TGase producing strain, S. platensis, from more than 300 strains of Streptomyces stored in the Bioresources Collection and Research Center of the Food Industry Research and Development Institute. Overexpression of the cloned TGase gene from S. platensis produce a TGase with activity of 5.7 U/ml, which is 5.7 times that of the wild type. The invention was then achieved.
[0006] Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention provides a DNA molecule isolated from Streptomyces platensis encoding TGase, and the DNA molecule is composed of a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.
[0007] In the DNA molecule derived from S. platensis, the sequence encoding TGase is composed of a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3.
[0008] Also provided is a TGase composed of an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.
[0009] Another embodiment of the invention provides an expression vector of TGase including a DNA sequence encoding TGase, composed of a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.
[0010] Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a host cell including the expression vector of TGase. In this embodiment of the invention, the host cell is Streptomzyces lividans.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Embodiments of the invention can be more fully understood and further advantages become apparent when reference is made to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates the restriction map of the entire S. platensis TGase gene sequence of 2.9 Kb in an embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 2A-2E illustrate the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the S. platensis TGase gene in an embodiment of the invention. The frame region is the predictive ribosomal binding site, the underlined region is the mature form of the enzyme, and the bold words represent the amino acid sequence of the enzymatic active center, YGCV.
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates the restriction map of pAE053. The abbreviation: tgs, TGase gene; tsr, thistrepton gene.
[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates the relation of TGase activity to culturing time in transformant 25-2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] More than 300 strains of Streptomyces stored in the Bioresource collection and research center of the Food Industry Research and Development Institute were screened and a strain M5218 was found having high activity of TGase, about 1.0 U/ml. After morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristic analysis and 16s rRNA sequence comparison, the strain was identified as Streptomyces platensis. The chromosomal DNA of the strain was digested with restriction enzyme Sau3AI, DNA fragments of 3-5 kb were then separated by electrophoresis and isolated from the gel. These DNA fragments were ligated with pIJ702 which is a high-copy vector and the plasmids were transformed into host S. lividans JT46 for overexpression. The cloned, sequenced, and analyzed TGase gene has a length of 1.25 kb and can be translated to be 418 amino acids. The transformed clone denominated as 25-2 was incubated in a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask with 50 mL of media under 250 rpm vibration at 30° C. for 2 days. The TGase activity can be 5.7 U/mL, 5.7 times that of wild type.
[0017] Practical examples are described herein.
EXAMPLES
[0018] Above all, the sources of the materials used in the examples are illustrated herein. Restriction enzymes and T4 DNA ligase were purchased from Boehringer Mannheim and New England Biolab and the protocol is according to the instruction therewith. AmpliTaq Gold™ DNA polymerase was purchase from PE Applied Biosystems, Geneclean III from Bio101, thiostrepton from Sigma, and agarose from Gibco BRL. In addition, the carbon source of the medium includes 1% glucose, 1% glycerol, 1% starch, 0.1% sucrose, 1% fructose; the nitrogen source and salts include 0.5% glycine, 0.05% casein, 0.5% yeast extract, 0.05% terptone peptone, 0.05% (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , 0.05% polypeptone, 0.2% MgSO 4 .7H 2 O, 0.2% K 2 HPO 4 .
Example 1
Cloning of TGase Gene with High Productivity
[0019] 300 strains of Streptomyces stored in the Bioresource collection and research center of the Food Industry Research and Development Institute were recovered and cultured by loop streak method in ISP3 medium at 30° C. for 3-4 days. Single colonies were selected and TGase producing clones were screened by qualitative analysis.
[0020] The qualitative analysis is as follows. The enzyme substrates including 1M Tris-HCl, pH6.0, 40 μl, 0.15M CBZ-Q-G, pH6.0, 20 μl, and 4M hydroxylamine, pH6.0, 20 μl were added in each well of a 96-well microplaate. The colonies were seeded to each well and incubated at 37° C. for 8 to 16 hours. Eighty μl of developing agent containing 15% TCA, 5% FeCl 3 in 2.5N HCl and 5% FeCl 3 in 0.1N HCl of volume ratio 1:1:1 was added to terminate the reaction. TGase activity was determined by the naked eye, and red-brown color represents TGase activity.
[0021] Five clones: M5218, M5802, M6701, PT7-1, and HTII11-2, were found having TGase activity, and M5218 has the hightest TGase activity of 1.0 U/mL. After morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristic analysis and 16s rRNA sequence comparison, the strain was identified as Streptomyces platensis.
Example 2
Cloning of TGase gene from Streptomycese platensis
[0022] The isolation of chromosomal DNA of Streptomyces platensis and plasmid DNA, and preparation and transformation of protoplast are according to Hopwood et al. (1985). Chromosomal DNA of S. platensis was digested by Sau3AI and separated by electrophoresis. DNA fragments with a size of 3-5 kb were purified and ligated into pIJ702 (obtained from the Bioresource collection and research center of the Food Industry Research and Development Institute) with BglII site. The ligation reactant was transformed into host Streptomyces lividans JT46 (provided by Carton W.-S. Chen). The transformants were screened in R2YE plate by thiostrepton (purchased from Sigma chemical). The host Streptomyces lividans JT46 was chosen for the recombinant DNA since it does not have TGase activity. Hundreds of the transformants were cultured at 30° C. for 2 days and one transformant 25-2 was screened having TGase activity. The transformant 25-2 has been deposited in the Bioresource collection and research center of the Food Industry Research and Development Institute on Sep. 2, 2003 numbered as BCRC 940430 and in the American type culture collection on Sep. 29, 2003 numbered as PTA-5442. The recombinant plasmid containing TGase gene from S. platensis was restriction analyzed and hybridized with DNA. It was found that TGase gene is located in a 2.9 kb KpnI fragment as shown in FIG. 1 . The fragment was cloned and ligated into pMTL23 (obtained from the Bioresource collection and research center of the Food Industry Research and Development Institute) with KpnI cutting site and the resulting plasmid was denominated as pAE023. DNA sequencing was performed to confirm the insertion. The DNA fragment was replicated under E. coli and the reaction is performed with Bigdye™terminator RR mix (PE Applied Biosystems) by autosequencer ABI PRISM™ Model 310. The nucleotide sequence is shown as FIG. 2A-2C . The whole KpnI fragment has 2910 nucleotides. Sequence analysis was performed by Wisconsin Sequence Analysis Package (version 8.0, Genetics Computing Group) to analyze codon preference and sequence similarity comparison. The GCG codon preference analysis predicts that one reading frame from nucleotides 1119 to 2375 has a gene, as shown in FIG. 2A-2E . The nucleotide sequence of the gene was analyzed by BLASTN as similar to TGase of Streptoverticillium S-8112. The predicted amino acid sequence is shown in FIG. 2A-2C and has 418 amino acids with a molecular weight of 46511.30 Daltons. The result was compared with the mature form of TGase from S. ladaksnum by Kanai. et al. (1993) and the predicted mature form of TGase. from S. platensis starts at nucleotide 88 and has 330 amino acids with a molecular weight of 37,468.21 Daltons and an isoelectric point of 7.17. Nucleotides -12˜-15 from the starting amino acid of TGase from S. platensis are GGAG sequence, which is a ribosome binding site as shown in FIG. 2B , frame region. An AT-rich region was found at 5′ untranslated region of the gene, nucleotides 1066-1117, as shown in FIG. 2B . This region is predicted as a promoter region, however, no sequence similar to CAAT box or TATA box of E. coli promoter was found with sequence comparison. Other researchers also found that the promoter regions of Streptomyces species are not consensus as that of E. coli (Gilber et al., 1995).
Example 3
Expression of TGase gene of S. platensis in S. lividans
[0023] The standard recombinant DNA manipulation is performed according to Sambrook et al. (1989). pAE023 was digested with BglII and BamHI and 2.9 kb of DNA fragment containing TGase gene was purified and ligated to the BglII restriction site of pIJ702. The ligation product dominated as pAE053 ( FIG. 3 ) was expressed in S. lividans JT46.
[0024] The TGase activity was determined by the following procedure: The spores of TGase-producing bacteria were inoculated in a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask with 30 mL of media (carbon source: 1% glucose, 1% glycerol, 1% starch, 0.1% sucrose, 1% fructose; nitrogen source and salts: 0.5% glycine, 0.05% casein, 0.5% yeast extract, 0.05% tryptone peptone, 0.05% (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , 0.05% polypeptone, 0.2% MgSO 4 .7H 2 O, 0.2% K 2 HPO 4 ) with one duplicate under 220 rpm horizontal vibration at 30° C. The cultures were centrifuged under 6,000 g for 10 min and 50 μl of the supernatants were collected and mixed with 350 μl of 1M Tris-HCl (pH6.0), 80 μl of 0.15M CBZ-Gln-Gly (pH 6.0), and 20 μl of 4M hydroxylamine. After water incubation at 37° C. for 10 min, 500 μl of developer containing 1:1:1 of 15% TCA, 5% FeCl 3 in 2.5N HCl and 5% FeCl 3 in 0.1N HCl was immediately added. The absorbance of the mixture was measured by a spectrophotometer under 525 nm. Five hundred μl standard solution of L-glutamic acid-γ-monohydroxymic acid with different concentrations, 0 mM, 0.5 mM, 1.0 mM, and 2.0 mM were mixed with the developer separately and the absorbance of these standard solutions was measured by a spectrophotometer under 525 nm. A standard curve was obtained according to the standard solutions and the absorbance thereof, and the concentration of the product can be obtained with the measured absorbance and the standard curve. The TGase activity is defined as μmole amount of the reactant produced by the enzyme solution per min; the unit is μmmol/min.
[0025] The TGase activity in the supernatants was measured every 12 hours. The transformant 25-2 has the highest activity at 40 hours, up to 5.7 U/ml ( FIG. 4 ). The molecular weight of TGase from S. platensis is determined as 40.4 kD by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange, and SDS electrophoresis (data not shown), which is larger than the predicted MW of 37.5 kD.
Example 4
TGase Seqeucne Comparison of an Embodiment of the Invention and the Known Sequence
[0026] TGase seqeuence comparison of the gene derived from S. platensis and the published sequences shows that TGase of an embodiment of the invention has 78.55% similarity in amino acid sequence and 82.44% in nucleotide sequence to that derived from Streptoverticillium mobaraense DSMZ published by Pastermack et al. and 89.54% similarity in amino acid sequence and 82.44% in nucleotide sequence to that derived from S. lydicus published in U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,053 to Bech et al. Compared to the gene derived from Streptoverticillium species published in U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,025 to Takagi et al., it has 79.33% similarity in amino acid and 81.50% in nucleotide sequence. Only Bech et al. discloses that the gene has a determined activity of 2.4 U/ml. The activity detection of the preferred embodiment of the invention is by standard solution of L-glutamic acid-γ-monohydroxymic acid and developer, which is not more sensitive than radio-detection of Bech et al, however, the result of this embodiment of the invention (5.7 U/ml) is more than two times that of Bech et al. Therefore, it is obvious that the gene sequence of this embodiment of the invention is superior to any known sequences. The gene sequence of this embodiment of the invention can be used with suitable host cells for mass production of TGase with high activity. The cost of producing TGase can be greatly reduced.
[0027] While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto
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A DNA molecule encoding translutaminase, a transglutaminase, an expression vector containing the DNA molecule, and a cell containing the expression vector. The DNA molecule is composed of a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 23,455 filed Mar. 23, 1979, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,768 which in turn is a divisional application from application Ser. No. 886,776 filed Mar. 15, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,273.
The invention relates to apparatus with which manual knitting operations can be performed to produce diverse types of knit fabrics.
It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus of a simple and economical construction which can be used with a minimum of instruction to perform diverse types of knitting operations and produce various different types of knitted fabrics.
It is another object of the invention to provide a knitting apparatus on which different forms of stitches and different knitting patterns can be produced by suitable manual manipulation of hooked needles used in conjunction with stationary knitting supports.
It is still another object of the invention, in one of its aspects, to provide a simple apparatus on which knit fabrics can be readily produced by manual operation, utilizing a plurality of yarns of different color and/or character while minimizing the possibility of such yarns becoming entangled during the knitting process.
It is a further object of this invention, in another of its aspects, to provide an apparatus on which knit fabrics can be produced having different spacing between selected stitches.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide apparatus on which a knitted fabric can be produced and into which velour or like staples can be incorporated to provide a pile fabric.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, apparatus for use in producing knit fabrics comprises a plurality of spaced upright supports carried by a base member, on which support stitches are produce and on which the knitted fabric is supported and at least one hooked knitting needle having a pair of threading eyes for carrying a knitting thread or yarn and which is used to manipulate the yarn in conjunction with the stationary supports to produce the stitches.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention particularly useful for producing numerous different forms of knit fabrics including knit pile fabrics or knit fabrics with variable stitch spacing, the apparatus comprises a series of relatively squat upright supports arranged in line along the edge of a linear base member or around the circumference of a circular, oval, or other shaped base member. This arrangement is intended for use with one or more hooked yarn-carrying needles manipulated in conjunction with selected supports in turn to form and support rows of stitches thereby producing a knit fabric into which velour or like staples can be incorporated if required to form a pile fabric.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention by way of example:
FIG. 1 is a side view of the forward end of one of the yarn-carrying needles of the present invention;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are respectively a plan view and an elevation of a support structure of a form of knitting apparatus of the present invention;
FIGS. 4-8 are perspective views of a support shown in progressive stages of stitch production;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a further form of knitting apparatus of the type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;
FIGS. 10-13 are perspective views of one of the supports showing progressive stages in the incorporation of a velour or like staple into a stitch to produce a pile fabric;
FIGS. 14-18 are perspective views of yet another form of knitting apparatus showing progressive stages of stitch production respectively;
FIGS. 19 and 20 are a side view and plan, respectively, of a needle structure having a number of individual needles; and
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a knitting apparatus illustrating the manner of using the multi-needle structure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The hooked needles of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, have substantially planar, curved forward ends and have a pair of eyes 30 and 32, eye 30 being located at a forward tip of the needle and eye 32 being located at the rear of the curved forward end on a projecting portion 33 of the needle. As clearly shown, the eyes each have an axis perpendicular to the plane of the curved forward end of the needle. Further, the needles are channel-shaped in cross section up to an intermediate point approximately at the crest of the curved portion and the remainder of the curved portion up to the tip is an extension of one wall only of the channel. The needles are threaded with the yarn 18 from a yarn supply first through eye 32, the yarn then extending along the needle channel and passing through eye 30 onto the knitting apparatus.
FIGS. 2-13 illustrate a form of apparatus in accordance with the invention which employs a series of knitting supports 50 arranged in spaced relation on a base member 51 of annular form around the periphery of the circle, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, to produce tubular knit fabrics, or in a line on base member 51', as shown in FIG. 9, to produce knit fabric in sheet form. This type of apparatus is primarily intended for use with a hooked needle 56 and can be operated to produce fabrics having a variable stitch spacing by omitting one or more supports as shown in FIG. 9 or to produce pile fabrics by the incorporation of staples, as shown in FIGS. 10-13.
The supports 50 each have a forward upright portion with a longitudinal slot 61 in its free upper surface or end and the outer surfaces are longitudinally grooved at 70, as shown to facilitate needle insertion, as shown for example in FIG. 5, which also shows the support as including a rearwardly extending linear flange portion 50b with an upper surface above the level of the base of grooves 70. As shown in FIG. 3, the base member 51 has surface portions 50a between each pair of adjacent supports which surface portions are at a higher level than the bottom walls 61a of the slots in the supports so that in use, when a stitch is looped around a support and rests on surface portions 50a, a needle can be inserted into slot 61 below the level of the stitch, to facilitate lifting of the stitch off from the support.
Needle 56 is similar in form to the needle described with reference to FIG. 1 and has a substantially planar and arched forward end terminating in a tip with a pair of spaced eyes with axes perpendicular to the plane of the forward end and with yarn from a ball being threaded in use through the rear eye and then through the forward eye as shown. In this embodiment, the forward eye of the needle is adjacent the tip and the rearward eye of the needle is shown as being located substantially on the crest of the arched forward end of the needle.
In use, stitches are formed successively on individual supports by suitable manipulation of yarn-carrying needle 56, with the needles 56 carrying thread 60 from a supply having the function of taking loops off the supports 50 and discharging them into the fabric, at the same time preparing on the supports a new row of stitches for the next course. To take loops from the supports one or other of two different operating modes may be used.
In FIG. 4, for example, needle 56 has been introduced in notch 61 with the needle tip under loop 58 of a previously formed stitch. Alternatively, (FIG. 5) the needle can be introduced under loop 58 but upside down and on the outside of the support. After having operated by one of these two modes, the needle is raised from the support together with loop 58 (FIG. 6) leaving the support empty. In FIG. 11 the needle has been lowered again so that its thread 59, coming out of the tip of the needle, is arranged around the perimeter of the support. Subsequently, FIG. 8, the needle is pulled back so that loop 58 leaves the needle and is released into the already formed knit fabric and the section of thread 59 forms a new loop around the perimeter of the support. This operation is then repeated on selected succeeding supports returning to the support first operated on. As shown in FIG. 9, the central support has been excluded from the operation to obtain greater spacing between a pair of stitches. In the arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there are thirty-six supports to form a row with a maximum of thirty-six stitches. This operation can be operated leaving one or more supports idle in order then to return to them in the same row or in one of the following rows, or one can operate several times on the same supports. Also, circular knitting can be effected. To produce pile fabrics, the procedure for adding pile staples to the knit fabric is shown in FIGS. 9-13. In FIGS. 9 and 10 a staple 62/63 has been placed on a support 50 above loop 59 which forms part of the fabric already knitted. In FIG. 11 a separate hook 57, not carrying other yarn, has been introduced with its tip under loop 59. Then the two ends of the staple are hooked to the hook. In FIG. 12 the hook protected by the two walls of notch 61 has been pulled above the support together with the two ends of the staple, without running into the loops to be protected which are present on the outside of the walls of the support. In FIG. 13 the part of the staple 62 which forms a loop 63 has been raised and hence freed from the support, so that a knot can be formed held only by loop 59. The knot having been formed, knitting is resumed as in FIGS. 4-8, thereby incorporating a pile staple into the knit fabric.
The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 14-18 illustrate an alternative form of knitting supports. In the drawings, the supports 80 are shown for illustrative purposes as being arranged in line at the edge of a linear base member 82 for the production of a planar fabric. As with the previous embodiment, however, it will be understood that the supports could also be arranged around the perimeter of a circular, oval or other shape of base member to produce tubular knit fabrics.
The supports 80 are similar in form to the supports 50 of the previous embodiment and each comprise a forward upright portion 84 and a rearwardly extending linear flange portion 86. The lateral surfaces of the upright portions again have longitudinal grooves 87 which extend down to the base member so that the upper surfaces of the flange portions 86 are at a level above the bottom of the grooves 87. With this arrangement, when yarn is looped successively around adjacent supports, as shown for example in FIG. 14, the loops rest on the flange portions 86 at a higher level than the yarn portions in the gaps between adjacent supports. This allows insertion of a needle in groove 87 for the purpose of lifting a loop off of a support during the knitting process. In this embodiment the slots in the upright portions of the supports are omitted.
This embodiment also utilizes a needle or needles similar to that of the previous embodiment. Again, the needle 90 has a planar arched forward end terminating in a tip, with a first yarn-threading eye 92 adjacent the tip, and a second yarn threading eye 94 at the crest of the arch. In this case, a third yarn-threading eye 96 is provided behind the arched forward end of the needle in a projecting portion of the needle, defining a depression 95 between the projection and the arch.
The steps in a knitting process are sequentially illustrated in FIGS. 14-18. Firstly, as shown in FIG. 14, yarn from a supply 100 is threaded alternately through the three needle eyes from the rearmost eye 96 so that alternate yarn loop portions are formed on opposite sides of the needle. The free end of the yarn is then looped around successive supports, the number of supports used depending on the number of stitches required in a row.
The next stage, as shown in FIG. 15, is to pull the yarn coming from the loop on the first support of the row outwardly a little way to achieve a desired tension and insert the needle downwardly into the outermost groove 87. Then the loop surrounding the first support is lifted off the support (FIG. 16) and held on the needle in the depression between the arched forward end and the eye 96. Subsequently, the arched forward end of the needle is worked over the first support to insert the upright portion of the support between the needle and yarn portion 102 (see FIG. 17). The yarn coming from the loop is then released and this is followed by withdrawal of the needle outwardly towards the knitter to complete the formation of a stitch on the first support. The process, as described in relation to FIGS. 15, 16 and 17, is then repeated on succeeding supports to complete a row and further repeated row by row until casting off is required. Casting off is illustrated in FIG. 18.
Pile fabrics can also be produced, as with the preceding embodiment, by inserting staples in similar manner to that previously described using grooves 88 for the staple insertion.
The needle structure illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20 enables more rapid knitting to be effected on a machine employing knitting supports of the type previously described. Further, using this combination of needle structure and knitting supports as previously described, it is possible to produce a variety of patterns and stitch formations which have not previously been possible on manual knitting machines. As evident from FIGS. 19 and 20, the needle structure comprises a plurality of needles 101 to 108 each of the type described with reference to FIGS. 14-18, and which are carried by a common handle or stock 109. Each of the needles 101 to 108, as previously described, has an arched forward end and three yarn threading eyes and the spacing between the needles corresponds to the spacing (or a multiple thereof) between the individual supports on the machine with which the multi-needle structure is used. The handle 109 has a single through-bore 110 and in use, as shown in FIG. 20, individual yarns from separate yarn supplies are threaded through this bore and are then threaded individually through the respective needles in the manner previously described.
As shown in FIG. 20 the needles are arranged in parallel on handle 109 so that the individual needle tips are in linear alignment. This structure is intended primarily for use with a machine in which the knitting supports are linearly disposed. It is also however possible to use this needle structure with a machine in which the supports are arranged on an arc of a circle provided the radius of curvature of the arc is sufficiently large. For machines having the supports arranged on a circular arc with a smaller radius of curvature, the setting of the individual needles in handle 109 can be such that the needle tips lie on a curve conforming to the curve of the supports. Further, while the needle structure of FIGS. 19 and 20 is shown as having eight individual needles, it will be understood that any convenient number of such needles can be used on a common handle.
One manner of using the multi-needle structure on a machine having linearly disposed knitting supports is illustrated in FIG. 21. In this example, needle 101 is threaded with yarn 124, needle 102 with yarn 123, needle 103 with yarn 122, needle 104 with yarn 121, needle 105 with yarn 120, needle 106 with yarn 119, needle 107 with yarn 118 and needle 108 with yarn 117.
Knitting is commenced with the needle structure at the extreme left-hand end of the machine and initially only needle 101 is used to form stitch 125 on support 209 in the manner described in relation to the previous embodiment. After completion of stitch 125, the needle structure is moved to the right by one step and needles 101 and 102 are used to form stitches 126 and 141 on supports 210 and 209, respectively. Again, after these stitches are completed, the entire needle structure is moved another step to the right and needles 101, 102 and 103 are used to form stitches 127, 142 and 147 on supports 211, 210 and 209, respectively. This process is repeated, moving the needle structure step-by-step to the right after each stitch formation until, in the illustrated position, each of the individual needles forms a stitch on one of the supports. Then, the process is continued, by moving the needle structure step-by-step further to the right until only needle 108 knits a single stitch on support 216. This completes eight rows of knitting, each row containing eight stitches (one "row" is constituted by the stitches produced from each individual needle; thus needle 101 produces the row containing stitches 125,126,127,128, 129, 130, 131 and 132).
After completion of the eight rows of stitches, as described above, knitting of subsequent sets of eight rows can be continued with the needle structure progressing in stepwise manner in either the left- or right-hand direction. This facility enables a large variety of patterns to be produced and the effects can be further varied by utilizing different colors or characteristics of threads for the various needles. Pile fabrics can also be produced by the inclusion of staples as previously described.
While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that numerous modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
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Apparatus for manually producing a knit fabric comprises a series of knitting supports positioned along the edge of a base member on which supports the fabric is produced and supported, and at least one curved needle having a pair of yarn-threading eyes, which needle carries yarn from a yarn supply and is manipulated in conjunction with the supports to produce stitches thereon.
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[0001] This application claims the priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201210003529.X, entitled “WIDE VIEWING ANGLE LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY”, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on Jan. 5, 2012; and Chinese Patent Application No. 201210050635.3, entitled “WIDE VIEWING ANGLE LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY REALIZING MULTI-DOMAIN DISPLAY”, filed with Chinese Patent Office on Feb. 29, 2012, and which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the liquid crystal display technology, and particularly to a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Thin Film Transistor (TFT) liquid crystal displays are increasingly used in modern life, such as a mobile phone display screen, a Note Book display screen, a MP3 display screen, a MP4 display screen, a GPS display screen, a LCD TV display screen. FIG. 1 a and FIG. 1 b are schematic layout diagrams of an electrode of a typical liquid crystal display. An amorphous silicon layer 1 , a gate electrode layer 2 , a source electrode layer 3 , an upper protective layer 6 and a lower protective layer 6 are disposed on a glass substrate 4 . Common electrodes 7 arranged at intervals 1 ′ are disposed on the upper protective layer 6 . And a pixel electrode 5 is disposed between the upper protective layer 6 and the lower protective layer 6 . The details for the basic structure and the operating principle of the liquid crystal display may refer to related documents, and will be omitted herein.
[0004] Currently, the requirement of people to the performance of the liquid crystal display becomes increasingly high, not only requiring an excellent color representation, but also pursuing further on a contrast and a viewing angle. That is, it is required to view the displayed image clearly from multiple viewing angles. Especially for an on-vehicle display product, a liquid display with a high contrast and a wide viewing angle is widely used. In this case, a wide viewing angle product becomes an inevitable requirement of the market, and the wide viewing angle display has become a popular liquid crystal display mode. In general, it is existed a high cost in adding a compensation film to achieve the wide viewing display. Alternatively, the viewing angle may be improved by plane switching of the liquid crystal molecules, in which the liquid crystal molecules to perform plane-rotating in a maximum angle by using a space thickness, a frictional strength and the change of the transverse drive voltage E between the common electrode and the pixel electrode, increasing the viewing angle.
[0005] A single domain structure is generally adopted in the existing liquid crystal display products, of which the common electrodes have a similar pattern structure. As shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2F , a plane electric field formed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode has a single direction, and the liquid crystal molecules are arranged only in a single domain mode, i.e., the liquid crystal molecules in a single pixel have a single orientation. In this single domain mode, in the case that the liquid crystal molecules are arranged and orientated, a color cast arises from the different transmittances of the liquid crystal molecules if viewed in different viewing angles, not fully satisfying the requirements of the market.
SUMMARY
[0006] In view of the above mentioned, according to the present disclosure, it is provided a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display. Therefore, gray-scale reversal at certain specific angles may be alleviated, and an issue of color cast may be effectively alleviated. Furthermore, the wide viewing angle effect may be more uniform and more stable, and improving the quality of a displayed picture. The solution is as follows.
[0007] A wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display including multiple pixels is provided according to the present disclosure. Each of the multiple sub-pixels is connected to a common electrode, a pixel electrode, a source electrode and a gate electrode. Multiple plane electric fields with different directions may be formed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode to cause an electric field in the pixel to have multiple azimuths to achieve a multi-domain arrangement of liquid crystal molecules.
[0008] A comb-shaped common electrode may be formed by generating multiple comb-teeth shaped common electrode hollowed lines.
[0009] Each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may be bent to form the multiple plane electric fields with different directions between the common electrode and the pixel electrode.
[0010] Each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may be shaped as a folding line to form the multiple plane electric fields with different directions between the common electrode and the pixel electrode.
[0011] Each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may have a shape approximating to “Z”, “V” or “W”.
[0012] Each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may have a same extension direction as a source line of the source electrode, and each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode is bent to form the multiple plane electric fields with different directions between the common electrode and the pixel electrode.
[0013] The source line of the source electrode may have a curve shape to reduce an influence of the common electrode on an area for rotating liquid crystal by using an edge electric field of a pixel.
[0014] The source line of the source electrode may have a same bending angle as each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode.
[0015] Each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may have a same extension direction as a gate line, and each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may be bent to from the multiple plane electric fields with different directions between the common electrode and the pixel electrode.
[0016] The gate line may have a curve shape to reduce an influence of the common electrode on an area for rotating liquid crystal by using an edge electric field of a pixel.
[0017] The gate line may have a same bending angle as each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode.
[0018] The multiple sub-pixels may be arranged in multiple rows and multiple columns to form a pixel matrix.
[0019] Compared with the existing technology, in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display provided by the present disclosure, the pattern structure of the comb-shaped common electrode is changed, i.e., the pattern of the common electrode is shaped as a folding line, and thus multiple plane electric fields with different directions are formed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode to make an electric field in one sub-pixel to have multiple azimuths to achieve the multi-domain arrangement of liquid crystal molecules. Therefore gray-scale reversal at certain specific angles may be alleviated, and an issue of color cast may be effectively alleviated. The wide viewing angle effect may be more uniform and more stable, further improving the quality of a displayed picture.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] To make the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technology solutions in the prior art to be more clear, the accompany drawings to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be described briefly in the following. Apparently, the accompany drawings in the following description are merely a few of embodiments of the present disclosure. Other drawings may be acquired from these accompany drawings by the skilled in the art without any creative work.
[0021] FIG. 1A is a first layout diagram of an electrode of a liquid crystal display;
[0022] FIG. 1B is a second layout diagram of an electrode of a liquid crystal display;
[0023] FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a single pixel in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display with a single domain structure;
[0024] FIG. 2B is a schematic pattern diagram of a gate electrode layer in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display with a single domain structure;
[0025] FIG. 2C is a schematic pattern diagram of a source electrode layer in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display with a single domain structure;
[0026] FIG. 2D is a schematic pattern diagram of a pixel electrode in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display with a single domain structure;
[0027] FIG. 2E is a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display with a single domain structure;
[0028] FIG. 2F is a schematic diagram of a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display with a single domain structure after the layers are overlapped;
[0029] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a single pixel in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0030] FIG. 3B is a schematic pattern diagram of a gate electrode layer in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 3C is a schematic pattern diagram of a source electrode layer in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 3D is a schematic pattern diagram of a pixel electrode in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0033] FIG. 3E is a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0034] FIG. 3F is a schematic pattern diagram of the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure after the layers are overlapped;
[0035] FIG. 3G is a schematic diagram of a pixel array in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0036] FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a single pixel in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0037] FIG. 4B is a schematic pattern diagram of a gate electrode layer in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0038] FIG. 4C is a schematic pattern diagram of a source electrode layer in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0039] FIG. 4D is a schematic pattern diagram of a pixel electrode in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0040] FIG. 4E is a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0041] FIG. 4F is a schematic pattern diagram of the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure after the layers are overlapped;
[0042] FIG. 4G is a schematic diagram of a pixel array in the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0043] FIG. 5 is a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode corresponding to a single pixel in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0044] FIG. 6 is a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode corresponding to a single pixel in a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0045] To solve the issue in the conventional technology, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is provided a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display including multiple pixels. Each of the pixels is connected to a common electrode, a pixel electrode, a source electrode and a gate electrode. Multiple plane electric fields with different directions may be formed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode to cause an electric field in a corresponding pixel to have multiple directions for achieving a multi-domain arrangement of liquid crystal molecules.
[0046] It should be noted that multiple sub-pixels are arranged in multiple rows and multiple columns to form a pixel matrix.
[0047] It should be understood that in practice a comb-shaped common electrode is formed by generating multiple comb-teeth shaped common electrode hollowed lines. In order to make the liquid crystal display to be arranged in multiple domains, the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may be respectively bent to form a multidirectional plane electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrode. Of course, the way to form the multidirectional plane electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrode is not limited in bending the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode.
[0048] Specifically, each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may be shaped as a folding line to from a multidirectional plane electric field between the common electrode and the pixel electrode. It should be understood that in practice each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode is approximately shaped as “Z”, “V” or “W”, which is not limited thereto.
[0049] It should be noted that each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may have a same extension direction as a source line of the source electrode. In this case, the source line of the source electrode may be shaped as a curve to reduce an influence of the common electrode on an area for rotating liquid crystal by using an edge electric field of a pixel. Preferably, the source line of the source electrode has a same bending angle as each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode.
[0050] Similarly, each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode may have a same extension direction as a gate line for supplying a voltage to turn on a TFT transistor. In this case, the gate line may be shaped as a curve to reduce an influence of the common electrode on an area for rotating liquid crystal by using the edge electric field of the pixel. Preferably, the gate line may have a same bending angle as each of the common electrode hollowed lines of the common electrode.
[0051] In summary, according to the basic idea of the preferable embodiment of the present disclosure, the pattern structure of the comb-shaped common electrode is changed, and specially the pattern of the common electrode is shaped as a folding line, in this case, a multidirectional plane electric field is formed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode to make an electric field in one sub-pixel to have multiple azimuths to achieve a multi-domain arrangement of liquid crystal molecules. Therefore, gray-scale reversal at certain specific angles is alleviated, and an issue of color cast is effectively alleviated. The wide viewing angle effect is more uniform and more stable, further improving the quality of a displayed picture.
[0052] In order to make the skilled in the art to understand the technical solution of the present disclosure better, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompany drawings.
First Embodiment
[0053] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3G show an electrode structure arrangement of a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a single pixel; FIG. 3B is a schematic pattern diagram of a gate electrode layer 2 ; FIG. 3C is a schematic pattern diagram of a source electrode layer 3 ; FIG. 3D is a schematic pattern diagram of a pixel electrode 5 ; FIG. 3E is a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode 7 ; FIG. 3F is a schematic diagram of the layers overlapped with each other; and FIG. 3G is a schematic diagram of a pixel array.
[0054] In this embodiment, the common electrode 7 is formed by generating multiple comb-teeth shaped common electrode hollowed lines. The common electrode has a shape approximating to “Z”. Of course, the common electrode 7 may have a folding line shape of “V”, “W” or the like, or other curve shapes. An intersection angle formed between the comb-shaped common electrode 7 and the pixel electrode 5 has multiple different angles to acquire plane electric field with multiple different angles, and thus the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in multiple domains.
[0055] It should be noted that in practice since the common electrode is made of ITO, the common electrode is formed by ITO lines arranged at intervals by means of the common electrode hollowed lines, and there is no ITO metal line at the common electrode hollowed lines. It should be understood that in this embodiment both the common electrode hollowed lines and the ITO lines have a shape approximating to “Z”, and thus the common electrode has a pattern approximating to “Z”.
[0056] In this embodiment, a multidirectional plane electric field is formed between the common electrode 7 and the pixel electrode 5 to make an electric field in a pixel P to have multiple azimuths, and thus a multi-domain arrangement of liquid crystal molecules is achieved. Therefore the gray-scale reversal at certain specific angles is alleviated, and thus an issue of color cast is effectively alleviated. The wide viewing angle effect is more uniform and more stable, further improving the quality of a displayed picture.
[0057] In contrast, in the pattern of the common electrode with a single domain structure shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2F , a plane electric field formed between the common electrode 7 and the pixel electrode 5 has a single direction, and the liquid crystal molecules are arranged only in a single domain mode. The color cast arises if viewing in different viewing angles, not satisfying the users' requirements well.
[0058] Since the gray-scale reversal at certain specific angles may be alleviated according to this embodiment, an issue of color cast may be effectively alleviated. The wide viewing angle effect may be more uniform and more stable, further greatly improving of the quality of a displayed picture.
Second Embodiment
[0059] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4G show the electrode structure arrangement of a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display achieving multi-domain display according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a single pixel; FIG. 4B is a schematic pattern diagram of a gate electrode layer 2 ; FIG. 4C is a schematic pattern diagram of a source electrode layer 3 ; FIG. 4D is a schematic pattern diagram of a pixel electrode; FIG. 4E is a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode; FIG. 4F is a schematic pattern diagram of the layers overlapped with each other; and FIG. 4G is a schematic diagram of a pixel array.
[0060] In this embodiment, the common electrode has a “Z” shape or the approximate shape. Multiple different angles formed between the comb-shaped common electrode 7 and the pixel electrode 5 to form multiple plane electric fields with different directions, and thus the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in multiple domains. It should be noted that in practice since the common electrode is made of ITO, the common electrode is formed by lines arranged at intervals by means of the common electrode hollowed lines, and there is no ITO line at the common electrode hollowed lines. It should be understood that in this embodiment both the common electrode hollowed lines and the ITO lines have a shape approximating to “Z”, and thus the common electrode has a pattern approximating to “Z”.
[0061] Furthermore, in the pixel P, a source line of the source electrode has a same bending angle as each of the common electrode hollowed lines. That is, the source line is parallel with the common electrode hollowed lines. In this case, an influence of the pattern bending of the common electrode 7 on an area for rotating liquid crystal is not too great by effectively using the edge electric field of the pixel P, i.e., an opening ratio of the pixel P is ensured indirectly. It should be understood that since each of the common electrode hollowed lines is parallel with the ITO line, the source line is parallel with the ITO line.
[0062] In view of the above mentioned, since the comb-shaped common electrode 7 according to the first embodiment is approximately shaped as “Z”, multiple plane electric fields with different directions are formed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode. The liquid crystal molecules are rotated regularly toward different directions under the effect of the electric fields in different directions to form a multi-domain arrangement. The greater viewing angle is compensated by arranging the liquid crystal molecules in multiple domains, and thus the fluctuation of the light transmittance under the tilt angle is reduced. Therefore, the issue of color cast is effectively alleviated, the uniform and stable picture may be viewed from different viewing angles, and quality of a displayed picture may be further improved. Furthermore, based on the first embodiment, the design of the source line and the common electrode hollowed lines having a same bending angle is still taken into account in the second embodiment. With this design, the influence of the pattern bending of the common electrode on the using of the pixel electric field may be reduced, and the pixel space may be more effectively used. The utilization of the electric field is ensured, and the area for rotating liquid crystal is ensured, i.e., the opening ratio of the pixel P is ensured indirectly to make the display to be better. Combining the two points described above, the quality of a displayed picture may be further improved.
Third Embodiment
[0063] FIG. 5 is a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode corresponding to a single pixel. Each of the common electrode hollowed lines may have a same extension direction as a gate line 502 for supplying a voltage to turn on the TFT transistor, and have a different extension direction from a source line 502 of the source electrode. In this embodiment, the comb-shaped common electrode corresponding to a single pixel is formed by generating multiple comb-teeth shaped common electrode hollowed lines. The common electrode has an shape approximating to an inverted “V”, i.e., the common electrode hollowed line is extended in the lateral direction, and has a shape of a folding line of a central symmetry inverted “V” consisted of two line segments. Therefore, in the case that the pixel electrode and the common electrode are charged, the formed electric fields have multiple directions and the liquid crystal molecules are rotated regularly toward different directions under the effect of the electric fields in different directions to form a multiple domain arrangement. The greater viewing angle is compensated better by arranging the liquid crystal molecules in multiple domains, and thus the fluctuation of the light transmittance under the tilt angle is reduced. Therefore, the issue of color cast is effectively alleviated. In short, multiple different angles formed between the comb-shaped common electrode and the pixel electrode to form multiple plane electric fields with different angles, and the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in multiple domains.
[0064] It should be noted that in practice since the common electrode is made of ITO, the common electrode is formed by ITO lines 501 arranged at intervals by means of the common electrode hollowed lines, and there is no ITO line at the common electrode hollowed lines. It should be understood that in this embodiment both the common electrode hollowed lines and the ITO lines 501 have an shape approximating to an inverted “V”, and thus the common electrode has an pattern approximating to an inverted “V”.
[0065] It should be understood that under the premise of ensuring that the electric fields formed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode have stable multiple directions, the shape of the common electrode hollowed lines extending in the lateral direction as shown in FIG. 5 is not limited to the inverted “V” described in this embodiment, for example, a folding line of a central symmetry “V” consisted of two line segments, a folding line of a central symmetry “W” or inverted “W” consisted of four line segments.
[0066] Furthermore, in order to use the pixel electric field and the pixel space better to ensure the utilization of the electric field, as shown in FIG. 5 , the gate line 502 may be disposed to have a same bending angle as the pattern of the common electrode hollowed line, i.e., the gate line is parallel with each of the common electrode hollowed lines. The area for rotating liquid crystal is ensured by changing the shape of the gate line 502 , and the opening ratio of the pixel is ensured indirectly, improving effectively the display effect of the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display. It should be understood that since each of the common electrode hollowed lines is parallel with the ITO line 501 , the gate line 502 is also parallel with the ITO line.
Fourth Embodiment
[0067] FIG. 6 shows a schematic pattern diagram of a common electrode corresponding to a single pixel. Each of the common electrode hollowed lines may have a same extension direction as a source line 603 of the source electrode, and have a different extension direction from a gate line 602 . In this embodiment, the comb-shaped common electrode corresponding to a single pixel is formed by generating multiple comb-teeth shaped common electrode hollowed lines. Specifically, each of the common electrode hollowed lines is extended in a longitudinal direction and has a shape of a central symmetry folding line consisted of two line segments. Therefore in the case that the pixel electrode and the common electrode are charged, the formed electric fields have multiple directions, and the liquid crystal molecules are rotated regularly toward different directions under the effect of the electric fields in different directions to form a multiple domain arrangement. The greater viewing angle is compensated better by arranging the liquid crystal molecules in multiple domains, and thus the fluctuation of the light transmittance under the tilt angle is reduced. Therefore, the issue of color cast is effectively alleviated. In short, multiple different angles formed between the comb-shaped common electrode and the pixel electrode to form multiple plane electric fields with different directions, and thus the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in multiple domains.
[0068] It should be noted that in practice since the common electrode is made of ITO, the common electrode is formed by ITO lines 601 arranged at intervals by means of the common electrode hollowed lines, where there is no ITO line at the common electrode hollowed lines. It should be understood that in this embodiment both the common electrode hollowed lines and the ITO lines 601 have a shape a central symmetry folding line extended in a longitudinal direction and consisted of two line segments, and thus the common electrode has a pattern as shown in FIG. 6 .
[0069] It should be understood that under the premise of ensuring that the electric fields formed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode have stable multiple directions, the shape of the common electrode hollowed lines extending in the longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. 6 is not limited to the folding line shape described in this embodiment, for example, a folding line of a central symmetry curve shape consisted of two line segments, a central symmetry folding line consisted of four line segments.
[0070] Furthermore, in order to use the pixel electric field and the pixel space better to ensure the utilization of the electric field, as shown in FIG. 6 , the source line 603 may be disposed to have a same bending angle as the pattern of the common electrode hollowed line, i.e., the gate line 603 is parallel with each of the common electrode hollowed lines. The area for rotating liquid crystal is ensured by changing the shape of the source line 603 , and the opening ratio of the pixel is ensured indirectly, improving effectively the display effect of the wide viewing angle liquid crystal display. It should be understood that since each of the common electrode hollowed lines is parallel with the ITO line 601 , the source line 603 is also parallel with the ITO line 601 .
[0071] In the above embodiments, the viewing angle may be improved by plane switching the liquid crystal molecules, the liquid crystal molecules have a maximum plane rotation angle by using an appropriate space thickness and a frictional strength, and by effectively using the change of the transverse drive voltage, and thus increasing the viewing angle. The advantage of this manner is in that there is no need to add additionally a compensation film during the manufacturing product, and there is a high contrast in the visual display, achieving the wide viewing angle effect in the aspect of the rising viewing angle.
[0072] The embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that, the preferred embodiments should not be regarded as limiting the present disclosure, and the protection scope of the present disclosure should be defined by the claims. Also, numerous variations and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the sprit and scope of the disclosure, and these variations and modifications will fall into the protection scope of the disclosure.
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A wide viewing angle liquid crystal display realizing multi-domain display comprises a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel is connected to a corresponding common electrode ( 7 ), a corresponding pixel electrode ( 5 ), a corresponding source electrode ( 3 ) and a corresponding gate electrode ( 2 ) respectively, and a multi-direction planar electric field can be formed between the common electrode ( 7 ) and the pixel electrode ( 5 ), so that the electric field in a corresponding pixel is divided into multiple azimuths for realizing multi-domain arrangement of liquid crystal molecular. Therefore, gray-scale reversal phenomena at certain specific angles can be improved, the problem of color offset can be improved effectively, the effect of wide viewing angle can also be more uniform and stable, and the quality of a displayed picture can be further improved.
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[1] 1. This application claims the benefit of United States provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/087,323, filed May 29, 1998, entitled “Low Capacitance Surge Protector for High Speed Data Transmission,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[2] 2. 1. Field of the Invention
[3] 3. This invention relates to methods and apparatus for suppressing transient voltages and current spikes on high speed transmission lines for the purpose of protecting electronic equipment.
[4] 4. 2. Description of the Prior Art
[5] 5. Prior art systems for protecting electrical equipment from the damaging effects of voltage transients and current spikes associated with energy surges are well known. Such systems have included the use of gas dissipating tubes, semiconductor devices, or some combination thereof.
[6] 6. Gas dissipating tubes, or spark gaps, dissipate energy by producing an electrical arcing to ground. This arcing occurs through the ionization of a gas of known dielectric strength during an electrical surge condition.
[7] 7. While gas dissipating tubes provide sufficient suppression for most energy surges, their relatively slow response time results in a failure to suppress fast rise time voltage transients and current spikes. Such transients and spikes are capable of destroying electrical equipment connected to the electrical line upon which the voltage transients and current spikes are induced.
[8] 8.FIG. 1 shows a conventional surge protector which employs a gas dissipating tube 2 connected between two electrical transmission lines 4 , 6 , which lines carry signals to electronic equipment, such as computer or telephony equipment, connected thereto. In telephone systems, transmission lines 4 , 6 may be a tip and ring line, respectively.
[9] 9.FIG. 3 is a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a first pulse is introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 1. The first pulse ramps up to its maximum voltage of 5 kV (kilovolts) in 10 μs (microseconds) and decays to one-half the maximum voltage in 700 μs. This first pulse will be referred to as a 10/700 pulse.
[10] 10. As the first pulse ramps up, the voltage across the gas tube increases. As a result, the gas tube begins to charge. When the gas tube is fully charged, the gas in the gas tube will ionize and the pulse will be dissipated. In FIG. 3, the gas is shown to have ionized at 298V. The ionization occurred 2.6 μs is after the pulse was introduced.
[11] 11.FIG. 4 is a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a second pulse was introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 1. The second pulse ramps up to its maximum voltage of 4 kV in 5 ns (nanoseconds) and decays to one-half the maximum voltage in 50 ns. This second pulse will be referred to as a 5/50 pulse.
[12] 12. The circuit operates in the same manner as when the 10/700 pulse was introduced. Since the 5/50 pulse has a faster rise time than the 10/700 pulse, however, the voltage spikes up to 2.96 kV before the gas in the gas tube ionizes. Moreover, after firing, the gas tube does not clamp the voltage low enough to protect the electronic equipment. The voltage rises to above 1 kV several times during the duration of the 5/50 pulse and only begins to drop off after the pulse has finished.
[13] 13. The response time of semiconductor-type surge suppressors is faster than that of gas dissipating tubes. The typical avalanche semiconductor device used, however, is limited in the level of energy which it can dissipate before being destroyed by the electrical surge. Further, these devices add significant levels of capacitance to the surge protection circuit. Typical gas tubes have capacitances of between about 2 pF (picofarads) and about 7 pF. The semiconductor circuits used in conjunction with the gas tubes, however, increase the capacitance of the conventional surge protector circuit to about 100 pF. The problem with such relatively high capacitance is that it limits the bandwidth and, therefore, the signal transmission rate of the transmission line to which the surge protector is connected.
[14] 14. Examples of such prior art designs include arrangements of gas dissipating tubes in combination with Zener diodes or some other semiconductor device with similar clamping characteristics. Typically, these circuits include additional elements which introduce added capacitance or inductance to the circuit.
[15] 15. Another conventional surge protector is shown in FIG. 2. It includes a gas dissipating tube 2 connected across electrical lines 4 , 6 and two avalanche semiconductors. One avalanche semiconductor 8 is connected between electrical line 4 and ground and the other avalanche semiconductor 10 is connected between electrical line 6 and ground.
[16] 16.FIG. 5 is a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a 10/700 pulse is introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 2.
[17] 17. As the 10/700 pulse ramps up, the voltage across the gas tube increases. As a result, the gas tube begins to charge. When the voltage across the gas tube reaches the breakdown voltage of the avalanche semiconductor, the avalanche semiconductor sinks current and clamps the voltage across the gas tube at the avalanche semiconductor's breakdown voltage, thereby, protecting the attached electronic equipment.
[18] 18. In FIG. 5, the avalanche semiconductor began sinking current when the voltage across the gas tube reached 222V. The 222V level was reached 2 μs after the 10/700 pulse was introduced to the electrical line. The voltage across the gas tube is then clamped at 222V by the avalanche semiconductor. After the avalanche semiconductor clamps the voltage, the gas tube will continue to charge until the gas in the gas tube ionizes and dissipates the pulse. FIG. 5 shows the gas ionized 3.2 μs after the pulse was introduced on the line.
[19] 19.FIG. 6 is a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a 5/50 pulse is introduced to either electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 2. The circuit operates in the same manner as when the 10/700 pulse was introduced. The faster rise time of the 5/50 pulse, however, results in a voltage spike of 360V before the avalanche semiconductor begins clamping the voltage. Once the avalanche semiconductor starts to sink current and clamp the voltage, the voltage drops to less than 250V within 22 ns of the pulse being introduced to the line.
[20] 20. A further example of a surge protector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,514 to Cook. The Cook patent discloses the use of a spark gap disposed across an electrical line and in parallel with an avalanche semiconductor device. An energy surge induced on the electrical line will cause the semiconductor circuit to clamp the transient at the breakdown voltage of the semiconductor device and will cause the spark gap to fire within a specified time period. The addition of the avalanche semiconductor device adds a significant capacitance to the electrical line, thus degrading higher frequency signals carried by the line.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[21] 21. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electrical line surge protector which can be used to protect electronic equipment from energy surges including normal and fast rise time voltage transients and current spikes induced by lightning and electromagnetic pulses without loading down the circuit with increased capacitance.
[22] 22. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a surge protector with nearly identical levels of capacitance from line-to-line and line-to-ground in a balanced circuit arrangement.
[23] 23. It is an even further object of the present invention to provide a method of reducing the capacitance of a surge protector to enable electronic equipment to be protected and at the same time allow high speed data transmission.
[24] 24. The low capacitance surge protector is comprised of a gas tube, a first avalanche semiconductor, and at least a first parallel arrangement of diodes connected in series with the first avalanche semiconductor. The at least first parallel arrangement of diodes and first avalanche semiconductor forming a first series arrangement of components. The first series arrangement is connected between a first conductor (e.g., a tip line in a telephone system) and ground. The at least first parallel arrangement of diodes includes at least one pair of diodes. The diodes of the at least one pair of diodes are coupled together in opposite polarity.
[25] 25. A second embodiment includes at least a second parallel arrangement of diodes (connected in opposite polarity to each other) connected in series with a second avalanche semiconductor. The at least second parallel arrangement of diodes and second avalanche semiconductor forming a second series arrangement of components. The second series arrangement of componenets is connected between ground and a second conductor (e.g., a ring line in a telephone system).
[26] 26. The parallel arrangements of diodes are placed in series with the avalanche semiconductors to effectively reduce the overall capacitance of the surge protector measured from line-to-line or from line-to-ground.
[27] 27. In a third embodiment each one of the first series arrangement of components and second series arrangement of components includes two parallel arrangements of diodes (the diodes in each parallel arrangement being connected in opposite polarity) in series with each of the avalanche semiconductors. The additional parallel arrangments of diodes further reduce the capacitance of the surge protector from line-to-line and line-to-ground.
[28] 28. In a preferred embodiment, a three element gas tube includes a first element, a second element, and a ground element. The first element is connected to the line 4 , the second element is connected to the line 6 , and the ground element is connected to ground. A first pair of diodes which are interconnected in series cathode to cathode are connected between the line 4 and the line 6 . A second pair of diodes which are interconnected in series anode to anode are connected between the line 4 and the line 6 . The interconnected cathodes of the first series arrangement of diodes is connected to one end of a first avalanche semiconductor, whose other end is connected to the anode of a fifth diode. The cathode of the fifth diode is grounded. Alternatively, the interconnected cathodes may be connected to the anode of the fifth diode, whose cathode is connected to one end of the first avalanche semiconductor, which in this case, the second end of the first avalanche semiconductor is grounded. The interconnected anodes of the second series arrangement of diodes is connected to one end of a second avalanche semiconductor, whose other end is connected to the cathode of a sixth diode. The anode of the sixth diode is grounded. Alternatively, the interconnected anodes may be connected to the cathode of the sixth diode, whose anode is connected to one end of the second avalanche semiconductor, which in this case, the second end of the second avalanche semiconductor is grounded.
[29] 29. The present invention also includes a method of reducing the capacitance of a surge protector circuit having a gas discharge tube and an avalanche semiconductor coupled in parallel with the gas discharge tube. The gas discharge tube and avalanche semiconductor are electrically coupled between an electrical line and ground. The avalanche semiconductor is electrically connected in series with at least one parallel arrangement of diodes. Each parallel arrangement of diodes includes a pair of diodes which are coupled in opposite polarity to each other. The pair of diodes have a total capacitance associated therewith. The avalanche semiconductor also has a capacitance associated therewith. The parallel arrangement of diodes and the avalanche semiconductor are electrically coupled in series which causes the total capacitance of the parallel arrangement of diodes and capacitance of the avalanche semiconductor to combine in series. The result is a reduced total capacitance of the surge protector between the electrical line and ground. Preferably, each of the diodes of the pair of diodes in the method of reducing the capacitance of a protection circuit are fast recovery diodes. A similar arrangement of diodes and an avalanche semiconductor can be coupled between a second electrical line and ground to reduce the capacitance of the protection circuit between the second electrical line and ground.
[30] 30. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which are to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[31] 31.FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art surge protector circuit which consists of a gas tube.
[32] 32.FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a prior art surge protector which consists of a combination of a gas tube and an avalanche semiconductor.
[33] 33.FIG. 3 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas dissipating tube in the circuit of FIG. 1 after a 10/700 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[34] 34.FIG. 4 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas dissipating tube in the circuit of FIG. 1 after a 5/50 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[35] 35.FIG. 5 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas dissipating tube in the circuit of FIG. 2 after a 10/700 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[36] 36.FIG. 6 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas dissipating tube in the circuit of FIG. 2 after a 5/50 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[37] 37.FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a surge protector formed in accordance with the present invention.
[38] 38.FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of a surge protector formed in accordance with the present invention which illustrates the internal blocks of a surge protector.
[39] 39.FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a surge protector formed in accordance with the present invention.
[40] 40.FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a surge protector formed in accordance with the present invention.
[41] 41.FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of a surge protector formed in accordance with the present invention.
[42] 42.FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of a surge protector formed in accordance with the present invention.
[43] 43.FIG. 13 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas dissipating tube in the circuit of FIG. 10 after a 10/700 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[44] 44.FIG. 14 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas dissipating tube in the circuit of FIG. 10 after a 5/50 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[45] 45.FIG. 15 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas tube in FIG. 11 after a 10/700 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[46] 46.FIG. 16 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas tube in FIG. 11 after a 5/50 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[47] 47.FIG. 17 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas tube in FIG. 12 after a 10/700 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[48] 48.FIG. 18 is a graph of voltage versus time illustrating the voltage across the gas tube in FIG. 12 after a 5/50 pulse is introduced onto either electrical line.
[49] 49.FIG. 19 is a graph of signal loss in dB versus frequency illustrating the signal loss after installing the surge protector circuit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[50] 50. Referring initially to FIG. 7, a block diagram of a surge protector is shown illustrating the functional relationship of the protector's various components. Electrical lines 4 , 6 may be any type of electrical line to which electronic equipment may be connected, for example, a telephone system's tip or ring line. In a preferred embodiment, the surge protector 12 is connected across a telephone line including a tip line and/or a ring line. A more detailed block diagram of the surge protection system is shown in FIG. 8.
[51] 51. As shown in FIG. 8, the surge protector 12 comprises a clamping circuit 18 and an energy dissipating means 16 . Electronic equipment 14 is the equipment connected to the electrical line which the invention serves to protect from energy surges. Electronic equipment 14 may be any type of electronic equipment, including telecommunications electronics, computers, or instrumentation. The functionality of these individual system components will now be described in the context of a specific embodiment of the present invention.
[52] 52. A specific embodiment of a surge protector formed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in the schematic diagram of FIG. 9. It is to be understood that electrical line 4 , 6 in a preferred embodiment may either be a telephone tip line or ring line. The dissipating means 16 described previously in connection with the block diagram of FIG. 8 may include a gas dissipating tube 2 . Gas dissipating tube 2 includes a first electrode 2 a connected to one electrical line 4 , 6 , a second electrode 2 b connected to the other electrical line 4 , 6 , and a third electrode 2 c connected to ground. Ground may be a ground line or a ground tie point.
[53] 53. The clamping circuit 18 described previously in connection with the block diagram of FIG. 8 is shown in the embodiment of FIG. 9 as including a pair of low capacitance, fast recovery diodes 20 , 22 which are connected in parallel and in opposite polarity to each other. The parallel arrangement of diodes 20 , 22 is connected to one of electrical lines 4 or 6 . The clamping circuit 18 further includes a bidirectional avalanche semiconductor 24 , such as a TVS, which is connected between the parallel arrangement of diodes 20 , 22 and ground.
[54] 54. The surge protection system suppresses energy on electrical line 4 , 6 in the following manner. Assume an energy surge occurs on electrical line 4 or 6 . The source of the surge may be either lightning or an electromagnetic pulse, inducing normal or fast rise time voltage transients or current spikes on the line. The surge may be on the order of a 4 kV (kilovolt) fast transient burst pulse with a 5/50 ns (nanosecond) waveshape (i.e., the pulse will ramp up to its maximum voltage of 4 kV in 5 ns and decay to one-half its peak voltage in 50 ns). The surge may also have an impulse discharge current of 5 kA (kiloampere) with an 8/20 μs (microsecond) waveshape (i.e., the pulse will ramp up to its maximum current of 5 kA in 8 μs and decay to one-half its peak current in 20 μs). It is to be appreciated that these surge characteristics are not intended to be maximum suppression limits of the surge protector; rather, they are merely illustrative of the magnitude of the surge that the system is ordinarily capable of handling.
[55] 55. As the voltage of the transient pulse begins to increase, the avalanche semiconductor 24 will reach its breakdown voltage, causing the transient to be clamped at the breakdown voltage within nanoseconds. The breakdown voltage will be at a safe level for the attached electronic equipment 14 . The slower gas tube 2 will then have time to react to the pulse and discharge the transient before the elements of the clamping circuit 18 or electrical equipment 14 are damaged. The purpose of connecting the parallel arrangement of diodes 20 , 22 in series with avalanche semiconductor 24 is to reduce the overall capacitance of the surge protector between the electrical lines 4 , 6 and ground, yet still provide the electronic equipment connected to the electrical lines 4 , 6 with surge protection which includes the high current shunting capability of the gas discharge tube 2 and the fast reaction time to transients afforded by the avalanche semiconductor 24 .
[56] 56. The parallel capacitance of diodes 20 , 22 sum in series with the capacitance of the avalanche semiconductor 24 in accordance with the equation:
C T = C p × C A C p + C A Eq . 1
[57] 57. where C T is the capacitance of the clamping circuit 18 between the electrical lines 4 , 6 and ground, C P is the capacitance of the parallel arrangement of diodes 20 , 22 , and C A is the capacitance of avalanche semiconductor 24 .
[58] 58. A preferred circuit, as shown in FIG. 9, uses as a gas discharge tube 2 , Part No. T22-C200X manufactured by Siemens Components, Inc. of Iselin, N.J., having an approximate capacitance of 2-5 pF; as diodes 20 , 22 , Part No. 50-400-40 manufactured by Sussex Semiconductor of Fort Meyers, Fla., each having a capacitance of approximately 10-15 pF; and as avalanche semiconductor 24 , a TVS, Part No. SZZ- 16-1-200-250-10ULC manufactured by Sussex Semiconductor of Fort Meyers, Fla., having a capacitance of approximately 80 pF. With these components, the circuit of FIG. 9 has a line-to-ground (i.e., between electrical line 4 or 6 and ground) capacitance of about 40 pF, and a line-to-line (i.e., between electrical lines 4 and 6 ) capacitance of between about 20 pF and about 22 pF.
[59] 59. Although a three-element gas tube is described in the embodiment of FIG. 9, a two-element gas tube may also be implemented with this embodiment. The two-element gas tube and the clamping circuit are connected in parallel between an electrical line 4 , 6 and ground or between electrical lines 4 , 6 . The circuit operates in the same manner as the circuit in FIG. 9, except that there is no surge protection for the line which is not connected to the gas tube.
[60] 60. A parallel arrangement of fast recovery diodes 20 , 22 in an opposite polarity configuration is used so as to allow the surge protector to operate bidirectionally, i.e., the transient pulse may come from ground or from electrical line 4 , 6 . In either case, the surge protector will still operate to protect the equipment connected to it.
[61] 61. The circuit shown in FIG. 10 is similar in many respects to the circuit shown in FIG. 9. The surge protector includes a gas discharge tube 2 and a parallel arrangement of fast recovery diodes 20 , 22 connected in series with an avalanche semiconductor 24 , each of which is connected together and to lines 4 or 6 as described previously and shown in FIG. 9. The circuit shown in FIG. 10, however, includes an additional parallel arrangement of fast recovery diodes 28 , 30 connected in an opposite polarity configuration and another avalanche semiconductor 26 connected in series with the additional parallel arrangement of diodes, as part of the clamping circuit 18 . The first series arrangement of diodes 20 , 22 and avalanche semiconductor 24 is connected between the electrical line 4 and ground and the second series arrangement of diodes 28 , 30 and avalanche semiconductor 26 is connected between the electrical line 6 and ground. The particular configuration of this circuit provides surge protection to the electrical equipment connected to lines 4 , 6 whether the surge comes from line 4 , line 6 , or ground.
[62] 62. Using the same preferred components as described with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the surge protector shown in FIG. 10 will exhibit a line-to-ground capacitance of about 40 pF, and a line-to-line capacitance of between about 16 pF and about 18 pF.
[63] 63.FIG. 13 depicts a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a 10/700 pulse is introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 10.
[64] 64. As the pulse ramps up, the voltage across the gas tube increases. As a result, the gas tube begins to charge. When the voltage across the gas tube reaches the breakdown voltage of the avalanche semiconductor plus the turn on voltage of the diode, the avalanche semiconductor sinks current and clamps the voltage across the gas tube at the sum of the avalanche semiconductor's breakdown voltage and the voltage across a forward biased diode.
[65] 65. In FIG. 13, the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current when the voltage across the gas tube reaches 230V. The 230V level is reached 2.2 μs after the 10/700 pulse is introduced to the electrical line. The voltage across the gas tube is then clamped at 230V until the gas in the gas tube ionizes and dissipates the pulse. FIG. 13 shows the gas ionizes 3 μs after the pulse is introduced on the line.
[66] 66.FIG. 14 is a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a 5/50 pulse is introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 10. The circuit operates in the same manner as when the 10/700 pulse is introduced. As in FIG. 6, however, the faster 5/50 pulse is shown to cause a voltage spike of 530V before the diode turns on and the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current. After the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current, the voltage drops below 250V.
[67] 67. Additional parallel arrangements of fast recovery diodes in an opposite polarity configuration can be added in series with the diodes 20 , 22 and avalanche semiconductor 24 or in series with diodes 28 , 30 and avalanche semiconductor 26 .
[68] 68.FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a circuit similar to the circuit illustrated in FIG. 10 but with additional parallel arrangements of diodes. In FIG. 11, a three-element gas tube 2 includes a first element 2 a connected to electrical line 4 , a second element 2 b connected to electrical line 6 , and a third element 2 c connected to ground. Two parallel arrangements of diodes (connected in opposite polarity) are connected in series, and this series arrangement of diodes is connected to an avalanche semiconductor 40 . Together, the series arrangement of diodes and the avalanche semiconductor are connected between electrical line 4 and ground. Similarly, two other parallel arrangements of diodes (connected in opposite polarity) are connected in series and this second series arrangement of diodes is connected to a second avalanche semiconductor 50 . This second series arrangement of diodes and the second avalanche semiconductor 50 are connected between electrical line 6 and ground.
[69] 69. The capacitance of each series arrangement including two parallel arrangements of diodes in opposite polarity configurations and an avalanche semiconductor is calculated in accordance with the following equation:
C T ′ = 1 1 C P1 + 1 C P2 + 1 C A Eq . 2
[70] 70. where C T ′ is the capacitance of the clamping circuit 18 between electrical line 4 , 6 and ground, C P1 is the capacitance of a first parallel arrangement of diodes, C P2 is the capacitance of a second parallel arrangement of diodes, and C A is the capacitance of the avalanche semiconductor 40 , 50 .
[71] 71. In operation, the circuit in FIG. 11 will perform the same as the circuit in FIG. 10, except that the level of capacitance from line-to-ground and line-to-line will be reduced from the capacitance of the circuit in FIG. 10 in accordance with Equation 2 above.
[72] 72. Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16, the operation of the circuit in FIG. 11 will be described in greater detail. FIG. 15 depicts a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a 10/700 pulse is introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 11. As the pulse ramps up, the voltage across the gas tube increases. As a result, the gas tube begins to charge. When the voltage across the gas tube reaches the breakdown voltage of the avalanche semiconductor plus the turn on voltage of the two diodes (the forward biased diodes of the series connected parallel arrangement of diodes), the avalanche semiconductor sinks current and clamps the voltage across the gas tube at the avalanche semiconductor's breakdown voltage and the forward voltage drops of the two diodes mentioned above.
[73] 73. In FIG. 15, the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current when the voltage across the gas tube reaches 242V. The 242V level is reached 2.4 μs after the 10/700 pulse is introduced to the electrical line.
[74] 74.FIG. 16 is a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a 5/50 pulse is introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 11. The circuit operates in the same manner as when the 10/700 pulse is introduced. The faster pulse, however, is shown to cause a voltage spike of 625V before the diodes turn on and the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current. Once the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current, the voltage drops below 280V. Within 20 ns of the beginning of the pulse, the voltage is below 280V. Within 26 ns, the voltage is below 100 V.
[75] 75. Using the same preferred components as described with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the surge protector with the additional parallel arrangement of fast recovery diodes in an opposite polarity configuration exhibits a line-to-ground capacitance of about 25 pF, and a line-to-line capacitance of between about 11 pF and about 13 pF.
[76] 76. The circuits shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 are unbalanced and, therefore, the capacitances between the electrical lines 4 , 6 and between either line and ground will be different. A balanced configuration for a surge protector is envisioned, however, having substantially the same relatively low capacitance between the electrical lines and between either line and ground. This balanced configuration is shown in FIG. 12. The capacitance seen from either electrical line 4 , 6 or ground will be within 5 pF of one another.
[77] 77. Telephone and RS-422 lines are called balanced lines because the signal is placed between two lines, which are floating with respect to ground. The balanced line has the advantage of providing improved noise immunity over unbalanced lines that use ground as a signal reference and are thus vulnerable to noise and transients. By configuring the fast recovery diodes 52 , 54 , 60 , 62 in a bridge arrangement, the surge protection module is placed in a balanced state for protection against both positive and negative transients. Moreover, the avalanche semiconductor need only be unidirectional. The fast recovery diodes are chosen to have a low capacitance to reduce loading on the line and high-speed turn-on characteristics for a fast transient response.
[78] 78. Further, since transients are usually common-mode, it is important that the circuit operate in a balanced mode; otherwise, common mode transients can cause differential mode disturbances that can damage line receivers.
[79] 79. The specific embodiment of the balanced surge protector of the present invention is illustrated in the schematic diagram of FIG. 12. The gas dissipating tube 2 includes a first electrode 2 a connected to one electrical line 4 , 6 and a second electrode 2 b connected to the other electrical line 4 , 6 . The gas tube 2 is included as part of dissipating means 16 . The third electrode 2 c is connected to ground. Forming part of clamping circuit 18 , a first pair of low capacitance, fast recovery diodes 52 and 54 are connected cathode-to-cathode with their respective anodes connected to electrical lines 4 , 6 . A first avalanche semiconductor 56 is connected in series with another low capacitance, fast recovery diode 58 , whose cathode is connected to ground, and whose anode is connected to the first avalanche semiconductor 56 . The other end of avalanche semiconductor 56 is connected to the juncture of diodes 52 , 54 . Alternatively, the positions of the avalanche semiconductor 56 and diode 58 may be switched (i.e., the interconnected cathodes of diodes 52 , 54 are coupled to the anode of diode 58 , whose cathode is connected to one end of the avalanche semiconductor 56 , whose other end is connected to ground).
[80] 80. A similar arrangement of diodes and an avalanche device is included as another part of clamping circuit 18 . A second pair of low capacitance, fast recovery diodes 60 and 62 are connected anode-to-anode with their respective cathodes connected to electrical lines 4 , 6 . A second avalanche semiconductor 64 is connected in series with another low capacitance, fast recovery diode 66 , whose anode is connected to ground and whose cathode is connected to the second avalanche semiconductor 64 . The other end of avalanche semiconductor 64 is connected to the juncture of diodes 60 , 62 . Alternatively, the positions of the avalanche semiconductor 64 and diode 66 may be switched (i.e., the interconnected cathodes of diodes 60 , 62 are coupled to the anode of diode 66 , whose cathode is connected to one end of the avalanche semiconductor 64 , whose other end is connected to ground).
[81] 81. The surge protector suppresses energy on electrical line 4 , 6 in the following manner. An energy surge occurs on electrical line 4 or 6 . A positive voltage transient on line 4 will turn on diodes 52 and 58 and be clamped by avalanche semiconductor 56 . A positive voltage transient on line 6 will turn on diodes 54 and 58 and also be clamped by avalanche semiconductor 56 . A negative voltage transient on line 4 (i.e., ground will be more positive than line 4 ) will turn on diodes 60 and 66 and will be clamped by avalanche semiconductor 64 . A negative voltage transient on line 6 (i.e., ground will be more positive than line 6 ) will turn on diodes 62 and 66 and also be clamped by avalanche semiconductor 64 . The avalanche semiconductors 56 , 64 are selected to react almost instantaneously to a transient pulse and to have a breakdown voltage which will clamp the transient pulse at a voltage level which is safe for the Ad electronic equipment connected to electrical lines 4 , 6 . The slower gas tube 2 will then have time to react to the pulse and discharge the transient before the elements of the clamping circuit 18 or electrical equipment 14 are damaged. With the same fast recovery diodes and avalanche semiconductor used in the preferred circuit of FIG. 9, the circuit of FIG. 12 has a relatively low (and substantially equal) line-to-ground and line-to-line capacitance of between about 18 pF and about 20 pF.
[82] 82.FIG. 17 illustrates a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a 10/700 pulse is introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 12. As the pulse ramps up, the voltage across the gas tube increases. As a result, the gas tube begins to charge. When the voltage across the gas tube reaches the breakdown voltage of the avalanche semiconductor plus the turn on voltage of two diodes (the forward biased diodes of the series connected parallel arrangement of diodes), the avalanche semiconductor sinks current and clamps the voltage across the gas tube at the sum of the avalanche semiconductor's breakdown voltage and the forward voltage drops of the two diodes mentioned above.
[83] 83. In FIG. 17, the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current when the voltage across the gas tube reaches 242V. The 242V level is reached 2.2 μs after the 10/700 pulse is introduced to the electrical line.
[84] 84.FIG. 18 is a graph of voltage from one electrical line 4 , 6 to ground versus time after a 5/50 pulse is introduced to one electrical line 4 , 6 of the circuit in FIG. 12. The circuit operates in the same manner as when the 10/700 pulse is introduced. The faster pulse, however, is shown to cause a voltage spike of 625V before the diodes turn on and the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current. Once the avalanche semiconductor begins sinking current, the voltage drops below 280V. Within 20 ns of the beginning of the pulse, the voltage is below 280V. Within 26 ns of the begining of the pulse, the voltage is below 100V.
[85] 85. Referring to FIG. 19, a return loss signal is illustrated for signal frequencies ranging from 1 MHz to 100 MHz. The return loss is the amount of power in dB which is reflected from the load (i.e., the electronic equipment 14 and the surge protection circuit 12 ) when the load is mismatched to a power source. FIG. 19 illustrates return losses for a single gas tube surge protector and the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments of the present invention.
[86] 86. The return loss signal for the surge protector illustrated in FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIG. 19 by line 70 . The return loss signal for the surge protector in FIG. 2 is illustrated by line 72 . The return loss signals for the surge protector in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 are illustrated by lines 74 , 76 , and 78 , respectively. A solid line 80 illustrates the EIA/TIA 586 Category 5 Limits. The EIA/TIA is a committee which sets standards for electronic equipment. FIG. 19 illustrates the frequency performance for each of the embodiments of the surge protectors of the present invention. As can be seen from FIG. 19, the circuits of the present invention previously described meet EIA/TIA's requirements for all frequencies in which the return loss signal is below line 80 . The approximate frequencies at which each embodiment satisfies the EIA/TIA requirements are shown in the chart below:
Figure Number Corresponding To Approximate Tested Circuit Frequencies 1 1 MHz-100 MHz 2 1 MHz-5.2 MHz 10 1 MHz-13 MHz, 20 MHz-35 MHz 11 1 MHz-60 MHz 12 1 MHz-10 MHz, 20 MHz-35 MHz
[87] 87. The chart above is not a limitation of the embodiments of the present invention. It merely illustrates the wide range of frequencies at which the embodiments perform exceptionally well. The return loss signals of FIG. 19 were obtained using the same preferred components as described with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9. As the components change, the frequencies at which the EIA/TIA requirements are satisfied may change.
[88] 88. Although the illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
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The present invention is a surge protector circuit and method of protecting electronic equipment which do not load down a circuit at high frequencies and do not degrade a signal in high speed data transmission. A gas tube is connected in parallel with low capacitance diodes and an avalanche semiconductor device, such as a TVS. The diodes and the avalanche semiconductor clamp the voltage transient and allow the slower gas tube more time to fire, discharging the surge. The addition of the low capacitance diodes in series with the avalanche semiconductor, reduces the line-to-line and line-to-ground capacitances of the surge protector and keeps the surge protector circuit from loading down the rest of the circuit and degrading the signal.
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BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] Roller cone bits, variously referred to as rock bits or drill bits, are used in earth drilling applications. Typically, they are used in petroleum or mining operations where the cost of drilling is significantly affected by the rate that the drill bits penetrate the various types of subterranean formations. That rate is referred to as rate of penetration (“ROP”), and is typically measured in feet per hour. There is a continual effort to optimize the design of drill bits to more rapidly drill specific formations so as to reduce these drilling costs.
[0002] Roller cone bits are characterized by having roller cones rotatably mounted on legs of a bit body. Each roller cone has an arrangement of cutting elements attached to or formed integrally with the roller cone. The most common type of roller cone drill bit is a three-cone bit, with three roller cones attached at the end of the drill bit. A prior art three-cone bit is shown in FIG. 4 . The three-cone bit 40 includes a threaded connection 14 that enables the drill bit 1 to be connected to a drill string (not shown). The three-cone drill bit 40 also includes a bit body 16 having three legs 41 extending therefrom. A roller cone 20 is rotatably mounted on a journal (not shown) extending from each of the three legs 41 .
[0003] When drilling smaller boreholes with smaller bits, the radial bearings in three-cone drill bits become too small to support the weight on the bit that is required to attain the desired rate of penetration. In those cases, a two-cone or a single cone drill bit is desirable. A single cone drill bit has a larger roller cone than the roller cones on a similarly sized three-cone bit. As a result, a single cone bit has bearings that are significantly larger that those on a three cone bit with the same drill diameter.
[0004] FIG. 1A shows a prior art single cone drill bit. The single cone bit 1 includes one roller cone 4 rotatably attached to a bit body 16 such that the cone's drill diameter is concentric with the axis of rotation 6 of the bit 1 . The roller cone 4 has a hemispherical shape and typically drills out a bowl shaped bottom hole geometry. The drill bit 1 includes a threaded connection 14 that enables the drill bit 1 to be connected to a drill string (not shown). The male connection shown in FIG. 1A is also called a “pin” connection. A typical single cone bit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,975, issued to Estes.
[0005] FIG. 1B shows a cross section of a prior art drill bit 1 drilling a bore hole 3 in an earth formation 2 . The roller cone 4 is rotatably mounted on a journal 5 that is connected to the bit body 16 . The work of the roller cone 4 breaks down into two general portions: a bottom contact zone 18 and a wall contact zone 17 . Cutting elements 20 on the bottom contact zone 18 portion of roller cone 4 lead the cutting of the bore hole 3 by cutting at the distal end of the drill bit 1 . Cutting elements 20 in the wall contact zone 17 ream the wall of the bore hole 3 to the full diameter of the drill bit 1 .
[0006] Single cone drill bits sometimes experience difficulty while drilling through changes in the earth formation, such as when a “stringer” is encountered. A “stringer” refers to a relatively small portion of harder earth formation, such as a section of sedimentary rock, encountered within a relatively softer formation. A problem that is sometimes encountered with hard stringers is that the single cone drill bit will pivot based on the indentation of the lowermost inserts in the bottom contact zone. Because the roller cone is a unitary structure, the inserts in the wall contact zone are unable to continue cutting. This can cause the single cone drill bit to hang up and stall when it encounters a stringer while drilling. Excessive scraping action and limited crushing of the stringer by the inserts in the bottom contact zone of roller cone are thought to be causes of the single cone drill bit getting hung up by a stringer. Although this issue is especially prevalent in single cone drill bits, multiple roller cone drill bits (e.g. two cone and three cone drill bits) can experience similar difficulties in drilling into stringers.
[0007] In light of the difficulties in drilling stringers and other hard formations with prior art roller cone drill bits, and especially single cone drill bits, what is still needed, therefore, are improved roller cones that are suited to drill stringers and other hard formations.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0008] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a roller cone drill bit. The roller cone drill bit includes a bit body configured to be coupled to a drill string and a journal depending from the bit body. A split roller cone is rotatably attached to the journal. The split roller cone includes an upper section and a lower section. The upper section has a plurality of cutting elements disposed at selected positions thereon. The lower section has a plurality of cutting elements disposed at selected positions thereon. The lower section is able to rotate independently of the upper section.
[0009] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method of designing a roller cone drill bit. The method includes identifying a wall contact zone and a bottom contact zone of the roller cone drill bit. The roller cone drill bit includes a bit body configured to be coupled to a drill string and a journal depending from the bit body. A split roller cone is rotatably attached to the journal. The split roller cone includes an upper section and a lower section. The upper section has a plurality of cutting elements disposed at selected positions thereon. The lower section has a plurality of cutting elements disposed at selected positions thereon. The lower section is able to rotate independently of the upper section. The method further includes locating an intersection of the upper section and the lower section such that all of a plurality of cutting elements disposed on the upper section cut in the wall contact zone of the split roller cone.
[0010] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1A shows a prior art single cone drill bit.
[0012] FIG. 1B shows a cross section of a prior art single cone drill bit.
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a split roller cone in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of a split roller cone in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 shows a prior art three cone drill bit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] In one or more embodiments, the present invention relates to a drill bit having a at least one roller cone divided into two or more sections. More specifically, the two or more sections of the at least one roller cone are able to rotate relative to each other while drilling an earth formation.
[0017] In this disclosure, “rotatably mounted” means that the roller cone is axially constrained on the journal, but able to freely rotate.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a portion of a single cone drill bit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The single cone drill bit shown in FIG. 2 includes a bit body 16 having a journal (not shown), on which a split roller cone 24 is rotatably mounted. The split roller cone 24 is generally hemispherical and split into two sections, a bottom section 201 and an upper section 202 . The lower section 201 and the upper section 202 are able to rotate relative to each other, in addition to rotating about the journal. An arrangement of cutting elements is attached to or formed integrally with each of the lower section 201 and the upper section 202 .
[0019] As discussed above with respect to FIG. 1B , the work of a roller cone 4 of a single cone drill bit generally breaks down into a bottom contact zone 18 , which cuts the hole bottom, and the wall contact zone 17 , which increases the diameter of the well bore to the gage diameter of the single cone drill bit. At times, in particular when drilling into a stringer, the bottom contact zone 18 and the wall contact zone 17 experience different cutting forces due to the interaction of their respective cutting elements 20 with earth formation having a variance in strength. In prior art single cone drill bits, the roller cone 4 may stop rotating and stall as the cutting elements 20 in the bottom contact zone 18 encounter difficulty in cutting and prevent the rest of the roller cone 4 from rotating. One solution proposed by the present inventors is to divide the roller cone 4 into two or more sections, as shown in FIG. 2 .
[0020] In one embodiment, the lower section 201 corresponds with the bottom contact zone 18 , while the upper section 202 corresponds with the wall contact zone 17 . By allowing the upper section 202 to rotate relative to the lower section 201 , the upper section 202 is able to continue rotating should the lower section 201 have difficulty cutting into a stringer. As the single cone drill bit continues to rotate, the lower section 201 will be forced to start rotating because of the journal angle θ, which will allow the single cone drill bit to continue drilling the stringer.
[0021] In one embodiment, the cutting elements 20 on the lower section 201 may be arranged to cut all of the bottom contact zone 18 and a portion of the wall contact zone 17 , while all of the cutting elements 20 on the upper section 202 are arranged to only cut the wall contact zone 17 . In this particular embodiment, if some of the cutting elements 20 on the lower section 201 begin to scrape the hole bottom without crushing or turning, other cutting elements 20 on the lower section 201 may engage with the hole wall, causing the lower section 201 to turn rather than pivot about the cutting elements 20 contacting the hole bottom.
[0022] In one embodiment, the split roller cone may include one or more intermediate sections disposed between the upper section and the lower section. In one embodiment, the split roller cone may be divided by rows of cutting elements instead of cutting zones. Further, the sections of the split roller cone need not be equal in size. Although in some embodiments the upper section and the lower section are each about 50 percent of the split roller cone, in other embodiments the split roller cone may be about 60 percent lower section and about 40 percent upper section, or vice versa. The relative size of the sections of the split roller cone is not intended to be a limitation of the present invention.
[0023] Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is a single roller cone drill bit, some of the benefits of a split roller cone may also be achieved in two-cone bits and three-cone bits. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to single cone drill bits.
[0024] Turning to FIG. 3 , a cross section of a split roller cone 24 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. To simplify FIG. 3 , no cutting elements are shown. The split roller cone 24 includes a lower section 201 and an upper section 202 , both rotatably mounted on a journal 5 attached to a bit body 16 . In this embodiment, both the upper section 202 and the lower section 201 are independently retained on the journal with locking mechanisms 301 and 302 , respectively. In another embodiment, only the locking mechanism 302 may be used to retain both the lower section 302 , thereby axially retaining upper section 202 . In some embodiments, the locking mechanisms 301 and 302 may be retaining or locking balls disposed in corresponding grooves or races on the outer surface of the journal 5 and on the interior surfaces of the upper section 202 and the lower section 201 . Locking balls are only one example of a locking mechanism to rotatably mount the split roller cone 24 on the journal 5 . The particular locking mechanism 301 or 302 is not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.
[0025] The lower section 201 and the upper section 202 of the split roller cone 24 is formed from steel or other high strength material, and may, in some embodiments, be covered about their exterior surfaces with hardfacing or similar coating intended to reduce abrasive wear of the split roller cone 24 . In some embodiments, the split roller cone 24 may include a seal 303 disposed between the lower section 201 and the upper section 202 to exclude fluid and debris from entering the junction of the lower section 201 and the upper section 202 and the space between the inside of the split roller cone 24 and the journal 5 . In one embodiment, a seal 304 may be disposed in the upper section 202 to further exclude fluid and debris from entering the space between the inside of the split roller cone 24 and the journal 5 . Such seals are well known in the art, and the particular seal(s) used are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Further, grooves may be machined into surfaces onto either or both the upper section 202 or lower section 201 to provide a fluid “passageway” that moves the fluid away from the junction.
[0026] In one embodiment, different cutting element types may be used in the lower section 201 and the upper section 202 , to improve the drilling performance of the split cone bit. For example, PDC cutting elements may be brazed into pockets on the upper or lower surfaces 201 , 202 . In other embodiments, only portions of the upper portion 202 and lower section 201 may be coated with a hardfacing material. In yet other embodiments, either or both of the upper section 202 and lower section 201 may be formed from diamond impregnated material.
[0027] In one embodiment, the split roller cone may be divided based on cutting rows. For example, the rotational speed of a roller cone is determined by the rotational speed of the bit and the effective radius of the “drive row” of the roller cone. The effective radius is generally related to the radial extent of the cutting elements that extend axially the farthest from the axis of rotation of the cone, these cutting elements generally being located on a so-called “drive row.” With reference to FIG. 4 , the gage row 45 and the heel row 44 are forced to rotate at the same rotational speed as the drive row. In some cutting configurations, and in various earth formations, the forced rotation by the drive row can cause excessive scraping by the gage row 45 and the heel row 44 , which can prematurely wear the cutting elements 20 on the gage row 45 and the heel row 44 . In one embodiment, the split roller cone may be divided such that the gage row 45 and the heel row 44 rotate independently of the drive row. As a result, the section that includes the gage row 45 and the heel row 44 may rotate at a more optimal rotational speed for the cutting elements 20 disposed thereon, thus, reducing wear on those cutting elements 20 .
[0028] In one or more embodiments, a split roller cone may be designed for a drill bit by performing a drilling simulation. The drilling simulation may be performed using one or more of the methods set forth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/524,088 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,293), Ser. No. 09/635,116 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,873,947), Ser. Nos. 10/749,019, 09/689,299 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,785,641), Ser. Nos. 10/852,574, 10/851,677, 10/888,358, and 10/888,446, all of which are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. The drilling simulation may be used to identify the appropriate location for the intersection of the upper section and the lower section by allowing a designer to locate the wall contact zone and the bottom contact zone. For example, by performing a drilling simulation, cutting elements on the lower section may be arranged such that a selected amount of the cutting elements are in the wall contact zone. In another embodiment, a drilling simulation may be used to balance the work between the upper section and the lower section, such as by adjusting the relative cutting area between the upper section and the lower section.
[0029] In one or more embodiments, a split roller cone may be designed for a drill bit by performing drilling tests in a lab environment. For example, in one embodiment, a test sample to be drilled may include two materials having different strengths to simulate a roller cone drill bit drilling through a stringer. Such a test could show at whether the roller cone drill bit stalls at certain drilling parameters (e.g. weight on bit or revolutions per minute). Test data may also be used to improve the location of the intersection(s) between sections of the split roller cone.
[0030] 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.
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A roller cone drill bit and a method for designing thereof. The roller cone drill bit includes a bit body configured to be coupled to a drill string and a journal depending from the bit body. A split roller cone is rotatably attached to the journal. The split roller cone includes an upper section and a lower section. The upper section has a plurality of cutting elements disposed at selected positions thereon. The lower section has a plurality of cutting elements disposed at selected positions thereon. The lower section is able to rotate independently of the upper section.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the work feeding mechanism of a sewing machine, it is highly desirable to have the feed regulating shaft, or its adjuster, heavily biased toward a maximum forward feed setting. This heavy biasing ensures a constant stitch length over an extended period of sewing without said regulating shaft wandering over its range due to vibration. However, with the increasing use of pattern cam systems in sewing machines, wherein a cam selectively controls positioning of the feed regulating shaft, in order to limit wear on the feed regulating cam, devices similar to the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,900 of Rogers et al, have been necessary for selectively disengaging the foward feed heavy biasing when the work feeding mechanism is being controlled by the feed regulating cam. In the prior art, disengagement was performed by an additional cam acting on a linkage which directly opposed the heavy bias, which, in turn, subjected the disengaging cam to excessive wear and early failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to provide a work feed control system that, in the manual mode, controls the foward and reverse feed regulating shaft positions, biasing the same toward the foward feed position, and in a cam controlled mode allows adjustment of the feed regulating shaft without the influence of said bias, while not being subject to excessive cam wear. This object is achieved by using a composite slider having two parts, one shiftable with respect to the other, and biasing means thereon constraining the relative movement of said two parts. On positioning a second slider in accordance with manual feed selection, the composite slider will be moved to a related foward feed position and one of the parts thereof will be retained while the other part which is operatively connected to the feed regulating shaft, will be allowed to be shifted, in opposition to the biasing means, to a corresponding reverse feed position. On positioning the second slider to allow for cam feed control, the retained part of the composite slider will be released allowing the two parts to move together as a unit in response to the influence of the cam control system thereby bypassing the biasing means acting between the two parts of the first slider.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With the above and additional objects and advantages in view as will hereinafter appear, this invention will be discribed with reference to the following figures:
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a sewing machine having this invention applied thereto and with portions of the front escutcheon panel and machine frame broken away to expose the mechanism therein forming a part of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1 showing the composite slider arrangement of this invention;
FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--3 in FIG. 1 showing the interaction of the feed control system with the work feed regulating shaft. Also shown is a lockable quick-reverse linkage.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the feed control system showing the linkage from the operator influenced dial to the composite slider and to the feed regulating shaft.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a sewing machine referred to by the reference number 10. The sewing machine 10 includes a work supporting bed 12, a hollow standard 14 rising from the bed 12 and a bracket arm 16 extending from the standard 14 and overhanging the bed 12. The bracket arm 16 terminates in a sewing head 18 which carries a needle bar 20, having a thread carrying needle 22 attached to the lower extremity and arranged for endwise reciprocatory motion as well as transverse jogging. Controls 24 and 26 provided along the bracket arm 16 and through suitable linkages (not shown) control the width of jogging and the neutral needle position, respectively.
Also carried within the sewing head 18 is a presser bar 28 having a presser foot 30 pivotally attached to the end thereof. The presser bar 28 is selectively downwardly biased such that the presser foot 30 will press a piece of material being sewn in opposition to a feed dog 32 which is a part of a work feed mechanism located within the bed 12 of the sewing machine 10. The work feed mechanism used with this invention is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,183 of Szostak et al, to which reference may be had.
The work feed mechanism is driven by a bed shaft 34 journalled in the bed 12 and includes a stitch length and feed direction regulating rock shaft 36 also journalled in the sewing machine bed 12. A block 38 is fastened by set screw 40 to one end of the rock shaft 36. The block 38 is formed with a channel 42 for accommodating a slide 44. The angular position of block 38 determines the direction and magnitude of work feed. At the other end of the rock shaft 36, a bracket 46 is attached by set screw 48. A cross link 50 connects the bracket 46 with the feed control system 60 of this invention.
A cam control module 52 is carried in the hollow standard 14. The module 52 which is substantially similar to one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,210 of Adams et al, to which reference may be had, includes a cam stack having feed cams 53 and 54, and a feed cam follower 56 with a feed transfer bar 58, both pivotally attached to a feed cam follower support post 59 for transferring feed information on the cam stack to the feed control system 60 of this invention.
The feed control system 60 includes a frame 62 rigidly mounted in the standard 14 of the sewing machine 10 by mounting screws 64. The frame 62 has mounted thereto a composite slider 66 arranged to move in the direction of work feed and a second slider 68 arranged to move transverse the direction of work feed. The composite slider 66 includes a first component part 70 having two elongated slots, 72 and 74, formed lengthwise in opposite ends thereof, and a second component part 76 having two upward extending pins, 78 and 80, so spaced as will slidably engage slots 72 and 74, respectively, in the first component part 70. Spring clips 82 and 84 engage grooves in pins 78 and 80, respectively, thereby slidably retaining the first component part 70 to the second component part 76. A foward feed biasing spring 86 engages pin 80 and a pin 88 extending upwardly from the first component part 70, biasing the first component part 70 rearwardly such that the pins 78 and 80 abut the foward edges of slot 72 and 74. Slots 90 and 92, formed in the frame 62, are arranged to receive shoulder screws 94 which are attached to the second component part 76. The interaction of the screws 94 and the slots 90 and 92 permit the composite slider 66 movement only in the direction of work feed.
Referring to FIG. 2, the second slider 68 is formed with a narrow slot 96 which extends angularly across the slider 68 starting on the left end near the upper edge of the second slider 68 and extending toward the center thereof terminating into a laterally enlarged aperture 98. The edge of the slider 68 opposite the slot 96, is formed with a cam protuberance 100 which extends outwardly from the slider edge at substantially the same angle as the slot 96 extends toward the center of the slider. The second slider 68 mounts directly to the frame 62 using shoulder screws 102 through transverse slots 104 formed in the frame 62. The second slider 68 is so positioned on the frame 62 that the slot 96 containing portion of the second slider 68 underlies the composite slider 66. A pin 106 is mounted to the underside of the second component part 76 for slidably engaging slot 96. A cam following pin 108 is attached to a tab 110 extending from the first component part 70 and is arranged for selective engagement with cam surface 100. It should now be evident, referring to FIG. 2, that when pin 106 is in slot 96, movement of the second slider 68 will result in a lateral movement of the composite slider 66; additional movement of the first component part 70 of the composite slider 66 may be effected by overcoming spring 86 until pin 108 engages cam surface 100. When the pin 106 occupies a position in the laterally enlarged aperture 98, the second component part 76 is allowed to move together with the first component part 70 without flexing the spring 86. The movement of the first component part 70 of the composite slider 66 is transferred to the cross link 50 by means of a downwardly turned tab 112 which pivotally engages a bifurcated link 114 at pivot pin 116. The link 114 is pivotally attached at the midpoint thereof to a pivot pin 118 affixed to a downwardly turned tab 120 appending from the frame 62. The other end of link 114 is pivotally attached to the cross link 50. From the foregoing, it should be noted that the position of the second component part 76, under the influence of pin 106 in slot 96, establishes the manually selected forward feed. By shifting the first component part 70 with respect to the second component part 76 in opposition to the bias of spring 86, pin 108 is brought into engagement with cam surface 100, establishing the manually selected reverse speed which corresponds with the above-mentioned manually selected forward feed.
For manually adjusting the position of the second slider and, in turn, the magnitude of both forward and reverse feed, a rack 122 is formed in an upwardly turned edge of the second slider 68. The rack 122 meshes with a gear segment 123 formed on an actuating lever 124 which is mounted to a shaft 126 passing through coaxial holes 128 in an upward extending arm 130 of the frame 62. A link 132 is also fixedly attached to the shaft 126 and carries a pin 134. A bell crank 136 is pivotally attached at its mid-point to a pin 138 which is anchored to the standard 14 by means of a spring clip 140. The bell crank 136 is formed having two legs 142 and 144; leg 144 being bifurcated at 146 as to slidably engage pin 134, and leg 142 carrying a cam follower pin 148 for tracking a cam groove 149 formed in the inside surface of an operator influenced dial 150.
For pattern cam control of the feed, the cam groove 149 has a dwell portion 151 which, when tracked by cam follower pin 148, positions the laterally enlarged aperture 98 in the second slider 68 opposite the pin 106. During this time, a second cam groove 152, also formed in the inside surface of the operator influenced dial 150, moves a second cam follower pin 153 connected through linkage 154 to the feed cam follower 56 thereby shifting the cam follower 56 axially into tracking relation with one of cams 53 or 54. The cam groove 152 also has a dwell portion 155 corresponding to a parked position for the cam follower 56 during which time the cam groove 149 varies the feed manually.
For pattern cam control of the feed, the first component part 70 of the composite slider 66 carries a guide pin 160 which engages a bifurcated portion 161 of a bracket 162. The bracket 162 is pivotally mounted to the feed cam follower support post 59 and engages at 163 the feed transfer bar 58 of the cam control module 52. Since the pin 106 is now located in the laterally enlarged aperture 98 in the second slider 68, the composite slider 66 may be moved as a unit by the feed transfer bar 58 under influence of pattern cams 53 or 54, bypassing the effects of bias spring 86.
The sewing machine 10 also includes a manual mode quick reverse linkage for manually shifting the upper bar 70 such that pin 108 engages cam 100. This mechanism includes a lever 164 pivotally attached to the sewing machine standard 14. The lever 164 turns on a pivot shaft 165 and includes a cam having a radial section 166 which engages a feed reverse link 168. The feed reverse link 168, also pivotally attached to the standard 14, engages an upwardly turned tab 170 on the first component part 70 of the composite slider 66. By pressure on the lever 164, the cam radial section 166 forces the link 168 to pivot, engaging tab 170 and then moving the first component part 70 from its biased position to a point where the pin 108 engages cam 100. At this point, further pressure on lever 164 causes the end 169 link 168 to engage cam dwell portion 167. The link end 169 is shaped complimental to the cam dwell portion 167 such that the engaging of the end 169 with the cam dwell portion 167 locks the link 168 in position until manually released by raising lever 164. A return spring 172 is attached to the link 168 and the first component part 70 at pin 160.
Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
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A control system for the work feeding mechanism in a cam controlled pattern sewing machine wherein a manual forward feed biasing spring is bypassed when cam control is selected. The control system also features a quick reverse linkage, operable in the manual mode, which may be lockably engaged for hands-off reverse sewing.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 62/199,596 filed Jul. 31, 2015, and entitled “SEPARATING DRILLING CUTTINGS AND GAS USING A LIQUID SEAL,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This specification relates generally to separation of drilling cuttings from liquids and gases in air and fluid drilling operations.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Drill fluid generally includes one or more of hydrocarbons, water, salt, or other chemicals or substances and is widely used in oil and natural gas drilling operations. Drill fluid may provide subsurface pressure that aids in the prevention of underground fluids from entering the borehole, it lubricates and cools the drill bit, and it carries ground up earth including shale (which may be generally referred to herein as drill cuttings solids, or cuttings), in suspension, back to the surface so that it does not interfere with drilling operations. Typically, drill fluid is injected from the surface during the drilling process down through an annular channel within the drill string. The drill fluid then exits the drill string through nozzles or apertures in the drill bit where it thereafter returns to the surface in the area between the drill string and the walls of the borehole, carrying with it the drill cuttings so that they are removed from the borehole. Various mechanical means have been proposed for separating cuttings from gas or liquid during drilling operations, and for discharging the cuttings, including discharging them into a collection pit or hauloff container.
[0004] Mist drilling is air drilling with liquid. The liquid can be water, soap, surfactants, or other chemicals. A water and soap mixture may be added to an air stream at the drilling surface at a controlled rate to improve annular hole cleaning. Many different mediums can be used for mist drilling (water, surfactants, etc.). The annular pressure increases in mist drilling, so the rate of penetration will usually be lower than in dust drilling. In mist drilling, the rate of penetration is often higher than in conventional mud drilling, which often means more cuttings to be disposed of per period of drilling. In mist drilling, drilling can proceed while producing fluids, hole cleaning capacity improves, risk of downhole fires decreases, and no nitrogen is needed. Air, mist, and fluid drilling operations typically require different dedicated-purpose gas-cuttings separators. Separators also vent gas at a safe distance from the wellbore. Inadequate separation of gas and cuttings can give rise to significant safety risks, including worker exposure to hazardous gases, and even flash fires at downstream cuttings collection stations. Accordingly, improvements are sought in enhanced separation of gases and cuttings in drilling operations to address these problems.
SUMMARY
[0005] The novel devices and methods illustrated and described here provide enhanced separation of gas and liquids from cuttings during air, mist, or fluid drilling operations through creation, maintenance and use of a liquid seal. The separation of cuttings, gases, and fluids is preferably aided by one or more of a series of baffles, agitators, and liquid level controls. The liquid seal described and illustrated here allows for use of a single class of separators for drilling operations, including air, mist, and fluid drilling operations. The novel devices and methods illustrated and described significantly reduce the amount of dust and mist discharged through the gas outlets of a separation vessel. The novel devices and methods illustrated and described also significantly reduce the amount of liquid associated with the cuttings separated from the gas, liquid, or cuttings slurry.
[0006] A liquid seal helps to ensure proper separation of gas and liquid from cuttings. The liquid seal helps enhance gas separation and improves conveyance of cuttings from the separator. Proper separation of gas and cuttings increases the safety of handling collected cuttings downstream. The novel equipment and method allows for more complete separation of liquid from cuttings and a significantly drier recovery of cuttings. Drier cuttings can result in cost savings and reduced environmental impact from decreased need of materials such as fly ash, wood shavings, or Power Pellets (™ Martlin Distributing www.martlindistributing.com) being used to solidify and manage cuttings and other liquid waste streams generated on a well site.
[0007] In some embodiments, the liquid seal is maintained at least in part by control of one or more circulation pump. The liquid seal is provided in a volume of the separation vessel substantially above a volume for agitating cuttings. In some embodiments, the cuttings agitation chamber includes one or more agitators that help assure suspension of cuttings in a slurry during outflow from the separator. The agitators may include one or more mixing nozzles supplied with pressurized liquid. In some embodiments, agitators may include one or more mixing members as befits the particular use and installation.
[0008] In some embodiments, discharge from the bottom of an agitation chamber of the cuttings slurry is aided by operation of a pressurized jet into the discharge line. Operation of a pressurized jet creates a low pressure region at the outlet of the agitation chamber.
[0009] In some embodiments, cuttings are directed into an agitation chamber by a centering baffle configured to centralize cuttings over the agitation chamber or cuttings discharge region. The centering baffle can be used to direct cuttings into the center of the separation vessel to create a swirling flow by the mixing influence of fluid streams from nozzles. A drill fluid liquid outlet line provides a passage out of the agitation chamber and out of the separation vessel. In some embodiments, a drill fluid liquid outlet line syphons liquids from below the mixing nozzles. These embodiments may be used in conjunction with the embodiments summarized above and below.
[0010] In some embodiments, a sprayer or a series of baffles, which can be used together, within the separation vessel further reduce escape of fine particulates in the gas outflow and effectively transfer particulates from the upward air flow to the downward liquid flow. In some embodiments, a sprayer is configured as a spray bar directed toward the surface of the liquid seal above the inlet of air cuttings into the separator vessel. In some embodiments, baffles above the inlet of air cuttings direct respective air, liquid, and cuttings flows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the Figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to similar elements throughout the Figures, and:
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a separator vessel having a liquid seal for air, mist, and fluid drilling operations according to one embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a liquid seal and agitation chamber within a separator vessel according to one embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a controls diagram for use in maintaining a liquid seal fluid level in the separation vessel according to one embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a centering baffle in a separator vessel having a liquid seal;
[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of baffles within the upper space of a separator vessel having a liquid seal in yet another embodiment; and
[0017] FIG. 6 . illustrates an embodiment of the novel separation vessel with liquid seal in an oil and gas drilling operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The following description is of exemplary embodiments, but is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimed devices or methods. Rather, the following merely describes and enables the various described embodiments of the claimed devices and methods. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the description herein may be adapted to be employed with alternatively configured devices having different arrangements, shapes, components, agitation mechanisms, baffles, chambers, nozzles, pumps, inlets, outlets, controls, and the like and still fall within the scope of the appended claims. It will also be appreciated that it is the intent behind providing examples of multiple embodiments of various aspects of the devices and methods that one aspect of one embodiment can work with other aspects of other embodiments. Thus, the detailed description that follows is for illustration not limitation.
[0019] The separation devices, systems, and methods described herein manage drill cuttings, fluids, and gases during air, mist, or fluid drilling operations. Such drilling methods previously required two separate classes of separator equipment.
[0020] As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 , separator vessel 10 is charged with liquid, typically water to a predetermined level referred to as the process level 12 that is maintained preferably between a high level 14 and a low level 16 . Level controls may be operated from a control panel 18 and may include programmable logic controllers (“PLC”) 20 or variable frequency drives (“VFD”) 22 , and pumps. Pumps may include discharge pumps 24 , spare pumps 26 , and circulation pumps 28 . The liquid seal created in separation vessel 10 , in one preferred embodiment, is above cuttings discharge tube 30 having outlet 31 and intake 32 . Discharge tube 30 drains agitation chamber 42 . In some embodiments, this liquid is continually circulated in and out of separator vessel 10 in a closed loop with a discharge pump 24 that also maintains the fluid level of the liquid seal at or near process level 12 . Separation vessel 10 may include as an alternative embodiment a chevron 52 to help remove dust or moisture from the air or gases prior to exiting one or more gas outlet 48 .
[0021] Separator vessel 10 receives drill cuttings from a drilling rig through air cuttings inlet 34 , and the drilling fluid (mud, gas, slurry) through one or more mud, gas, slurry (MGS) inlets 36 . As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5 , drill cuttings are forced downward by downward baffles 38 , 38 ′, and 38 ″ in one preferred embodiment. Fluid and cuttings are also directed by center baffle 40 to the center of separator vessel 10 into an agitation chamber 42 , which is defined by the approximate area between the bottom wall 44 of separator vessel 10 and the liquid seal preferably placed at approximately process level 12 . In this process, air is forced upward, around downward baffles 38 , 38 ′, and 38 ″, one or spray bar 46 , and out of separation vessel 10 though an air outlet 48 . One or more sprayers 46 are placed to wet small solid particulates to prevent them from being carried upward and out of the vessel through air outlet 48 . In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , sprayer 46 is configured as a spray bar. Sprayer 46 may also add any suitable chemical, e.g., defoamer, surfactant, that may be required or desired.
[0022] Solids, including wetted particulates, are prevented from settling in the bottom of separation vessel 10 by operation of mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′ that keep solids substantially moving at all times. Wetted particulates fall into the liquid at the bottom of separation vessel 10 and are discharged. In one preferred embodiment, the solids are jetted and pumped out of separation vessel 10 by aid of a jetting nozzle 64 (as illustrated in FIG. 6 ) charged by discharge pump 24 . Solids and liquids are removed from separation vessel 10 by pumping liquid to send the solids and liquids to a diffuser or other equipment (as illustrated in FIG. 6 ). Liquid is recirculated back into separation vessel 10 through mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′ and sprayer 46 ; this cycle is typically continuous during operation of separator vessel 10 .
[0023] With continued reference to FIG. 1 , separator vessel 10 includes downward baffles 38 , 38 ′, and 38 ″, one or sprayer 46 , a gas outlet 48 , and agitation chamber 42 . Separator vessel 10 creates a liquid seal proximate to process level 12 . The liquid seal separates cuttings and gases in both air drilling and fluid drilling operations by controlling inflow and outflow of liquids. In one embodiment, during fluid drilling, the fluid and cuttings enter into separation vessel 10 by MGS inlet 36 . Fluid is forced across downward baffles 38 , 38 ′, and 38 ″. The fluid and cuttings in one preferred embodiment spread across downward baffles 38 , 38 ′, and 38 ″ so that entrapped gases can escape and flow up and out of separator vessel 10 . The solids and fluid flow down to the bottom of separation vessel 10 and fill the vessel to approximately process level 12 below which is preferably positioned above discard tube 30 . The liquids and cuttings are forced into centering baffle 40 and above outlet 31 and inlet 32 of discharge tube 30 . The liquid level is maintained as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6 at approximately the height of process level 12 so as to maintain a downward pressure on outlet 31 of discharge tube 30 . Fluids and cuttings can be agitated in separation vessel 10 , in one preferred embodiment, by the use of mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′ to which fluid is pumped. One additional purpose of pumping drilling fluid is to keep the system from becoming clogged.
[0024] With reference now to FIG. 2 , a liquid seal approximately at process level 12 is shown at a level in separation vessel 10 slightly lower than the top rim edge 41 of centering baffle 40 and agitation chamber 42 . In this embodiment, agitation chamber 42 includes mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′ configured to agitate cuttings with a swirling action (depicted by counter current arrows) to prevent settling of solids and to enhance flowability of the suspension of solids exiting discharge tube 30 of separator vessel 10 . Discharge tube 30 and discharge tube outlet 31 are positioned and configured to convey liquid from agitation chamber 42 and to help maintain the fluid level of the liquid seal atop agitation chamber 42 at approximately process level 12 . In one preferred embodiment, outlet 31 of discharge tube 30 is above inlet 32 of discharge tube 30 as shown. A liquid seal is maintained by controlling the level of fluid above discharge tube 30 .
[0025] With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the liquid seal level, according to one embodiment, is maintained at approximately process level 12 by control of one or more pumps, in particular discharge pumps 24 alone or in conjunction with circulation pumps 28 in response to detection of fluid levels by level sensors including low low level sensor 56 , low level sensor 58 , process level sensor 60 , and high level sensor 62 . Other and different sensors may be included to meet the needs of the particular installation. In the illustrated embodiments, variable frequency drive 22 makes discharge pump 24 a variable discharge pump. Control panel 18 controls the outflow of fluids bearing solids from the bottom of agitation chamber 42 . The speed of one or more variable discharge pump is controlled to maintain the level of the liquid seal atop agitation chamber 42 in accordance with input from process level sensor 60 , or from high level sensor 62 and low level sensors 56 , or 58 . Additional sensors can provide greater resolution of liquid levels and greater levels of pump control. Suitable sensors include mechanical sensors, harmonic sensors, or other electronic sensors, or switches configured to generate an output signal in response to the presence or absence of a fluid. Fluid level sensors 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 are coupled to a controller 18 for controlling at least a discharge pump 24 . Liquid level sensors 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 can alternatively be used to control other pumps, including circulation pump 28 , and to detect operational anomalies and to inform operators by triggering an alert, e.g., an audible or visual warning alert, or to inform upstream and downstream operators and equipment controls.
[0026] Turning now to FIGS. 3 and 6 , circulation pump 28 provides pressurized fluid to the mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′, sprayer 46 , and discharge jet 64 . In some embodiments, a single circulation pump can serve three high-pressure fluid delivery mechanisms. One or more additional pumps 26 can also be provided. Mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′ agitate cuttings in agitation chamber 42 to enhance flow of suspended cuttings. In one preferred embodiment ( FIG. 6 ), discharge jet 64 enters separation vessel 10 from below to help ensure continued flow of solids through discharge tube 30 . Solid cuttings exit agitation chamber 42 to one or more cuttings collectors (represented in FIG. 6 as discharge tanks and shaker tanks). In some embodiments, one or more circulation pump 28 operates at a fixed rotational speed and operating pressure while the discharge pump 24 operates at variables speeds to maintain the desired liquid seal fluid level. In some cases, the circulation pump 28 can also be operated at variable speeds and be controlled in maintaining a desired liquid seal fluid level. Nozzles 50 , 50 ′ agitating the swirling of cuttings in agitation chamber 42 can be adjusted for flow rate and swirl pattern.
[0027] With reference now to FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6 , centering baffle 40 concentrates and directs cuttings towards the center of agitation chamber 42 for maximum agitation there by mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′. An upper splash baffle 38 ″ also helps to direct liquids and cuttings downward as they enter separator vessel 10 . More than one baffle 38 , 38 ′, and 38 ″ can help direct cuttings downward and help prevent the upward movement of cuttings and particulates towards air outlet 48 . In alternative embodiments, there may be a plurality of baffles 38 , 38 ′, and 38 ″ of a variety of sizes, shapes, and downward angles.
[0028] During the operation of separator vessel 10 , cuttings, gas, and the drilling air stream or drilling fluid stream enter separator vessel 10 . A series of baffles 38 , 38 ′, 38 ″ divert solids and liquids downward towards agitation chamber 42 while allowing gas to rise upward towards one or more gas outlet 48 . Operation of separation vessel 10 creates a reservoir of liquid, also referred to as a liquid seal, that is preferably maintained at approximately the lower end of separator vessel 10 to maximize separation of gases above from solids below. The liquid seal helps insure that the gas and air passing out of one or more gas outlet 48 is cleaned of particulates. The liquid seal also helps insure that the outflow of fluids and cuttings from discharge tube 30 contains significantly less fluid that was previously possible. Agitation of the solids within agitation chamber 42 , by mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′ or other means, mechanical, hydraulic, electro-mechanical, passive, or active helps maintain flowability of solids and helps release entrained gases prior to discharge of cuttings.
[0029] The liquid seal fluid level is created and then is maintained at approximately process level 12 through manipulation of discharge pump speeds in response to detection of fluid levels by various sensors. Maintenance of the fluid level is further controlled by inflow of fluid into the system and by one or more discharge pumps 24 and circulation pumps 28 supplying mixing nozzles 50 , 50 ′, discharge line jet 64 , and sprayers 46 . The discharge pump can in one embodiment provide a closed loop recirculation of liquids. Closed loop recirculation reduces water consumption.
[0030] The novel liquid seal system and method provides increased safety through reduction of flammable and otherwise hazardous gases that otherwise would accompany discharge of solids from a separator vessel. Drier cuttings can result in cost savings and reduced environmental impact. The system and method of the novel fluid seal in separator vessel 10 disclosed herein also saves significant time, cost, and footprint during shipping, installation, operation, maintenance, and relocation of separator vessel 10 and related equipment.
[0031] Accordingly, the novel liquid seal system and method using separator vessel 10 accommodates enhanced separation of gases and cuttings in both air drilling and fluid drilling operations. Separator vessel 10 , baffles 38 , 38 ′, and 38 ″ and other structural components may be constructed of metal, carbon fiber, composite or other material suitable for the intended operations. Similarly, while the present fluid seal system and method has been described herein for use in air drilling and fluid drilling operations, it may be readily used in any number of other industrial applications and with any number of other drilling equipment or other similar devices now known or hereafter developed.
[0032] Finally, while the fluid seal system and method has been described with reference to various exemplary embodiments, many changes, combinations and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the accompanying claims. For example, the various components may be implemented in alternative ways and the various embodiments may be used with other embodiments. These alternatives can be suitably selected depending upon the particular application or in consideration of any number of factors associated with the operation of the device. In addition, the techniques described herein may be extended or modified for use with other types of devices. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure.
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A new method and device for separation of drilling cuttings from liquids and gases in air and fluid drilling operations. A liquid seal is created and maintained for proper separation of gas and liquid from cuttings and drilling slurry in air and liquid drilling. A cuttings agitation chamber is created and maintained under the liquid seal. Cuttings and particulates enter a separation vessel and fall towards the agitation chamber beneath the liquid seal and may be guided towards the agitation chamber and liquid seal by baffles or spray. Cuttings and particulates are kept in motion by nozzles in the agitation chamber for removal from the separation vessel through a discharge outlet. Outflow through the discharge outlet may be increased by a jet. The gases released from the drilling liquid exit the separation vessel through a gas outlet.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/811,050 filed Jun. 28, 2010, which is a national stage of PCT/JP2008/004007 filed Dec. 26, 2008 and claims priority to JP 2008-000196 filed Jan. 4, 2008, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to a radio communication base station apparatus, radio communication mobile station apparatus and control channel allocating method.
[0003] In mobile communication, a radio communication base station apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as “base station”) transmits control information for reporting a resource allocation result of downlink data and uplink data, to radio communication mobile station apparatuses (hereinafter abbreviated as “mobile stations”). This control information is transmitted to the mobile stations using downlink control channels such as a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control CHannel). Each PDCCH occupies one or a plurality of consecutive CCE's (Control Channel Elements). The base station generates PDCCH's on a per mobile station basis, allocates CCE's to be occupied to the PDCCH's according to the number of CCE's required for control information, maps the control information on the physical resources associated with the allocated CCE's, and transmits the results.
[0004] For example, in order to satisfy the desired received quality, an MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) of a low MCS level needs to be set for a mobile station that is located near the cell boundary of poor channel quality. Therefore, the base station transmits a PDCCH that occupies a larger number of CCE's (e.g. eight CCE's). By contrast, even if an MSC of a high MCS level is set for a mobile station that is located near the center of a cell of good channel quality, it is possible to satisfy the desired received quality. Therefore, the base station transmits a PDCCH that occupies a smaller number of CCE's (e.g. one CCE). Here, the number of CCE's occupied by one PDCCH (i.e. CCE occupation number) is referred to as “CCE aggregation size.” For example, when the CCE aggregation sizes of 1, 2, 4 and 8 are used, a mobile station that is located near the cell center tries to receive a PDCCH of the CCE aggregation size of 1, and a mobile station that is located near the cell edge tries to receive a PDCCH of the CCE aggregation size of 8.
[0005] Also, a base station allocates a plurality of mobile stations to one subframe and therefore transmits a plurality of PDCCH's at the same time. In this case, the base station transmits control information including CRC bits scrambled by the ID numbers of the destination mobile stations, so that the destination mobile station of each PDCCH can be identified. Further, the mobile stations decode CCE's to which PDCCH's can be arranged, and perform CRC detection after descrambling the CRC bits by their mobile station ID numbers. Thus, mobile stations detect the PDCCH's for those mobile stations by performing blind decoding of a plurality of PDCCH's included in a received signal.
[0006] However, when the total number of CCE's is large, the number of times a mobile station performs blind decoding increases. Therefore, in order to reduce the number of times a mobile station performs blind decoding, a method of limiting the CCE's subject to blind decoding on a per mobile station basis, is studied (see Non-Patent Document 1). With this method, a plurality of mobile stations are grouped, and CCE fields to include CCE's subject to blind decoding are limited on a per group basis. For example, when a plurality of mobile stations are grouped into UE groups #1 to #4, among CCE's #0 to #31, four CCE fields of CCE's #0 to #7, CCE's #8 to 15, CCE's #16 to 23, and CCE's #24 to 31, are subject to blind decoding in the UE groups, respectively. By this means, the mobile station of each UE group needs to perform blind decoding of only the CCE field allocated to that mobile station, so that it is possible to reduce the number of times of blind decoding. Here, the CCE field subject to blind decoding by a mobile station is referred to as “search space.”
[0007] Also, in order to reduce the number of times a mobile station performs blind decoding, studies are underway on a method of limiting in advance the starting location of CCE's occupied by the PDCCH of each CCE aggregation size (see Non-Patent Document 2). With this method, for example, among CCE's #0 to #31, when the CCE aggregation size is 8, the starting locations of CCE's (eight CCE's in this case) occupied by PDCCH's are limited to CCE #0, CCE #8, CCE #16 and CCE #24. By this means, each mobile station needs to perform blind decoding of PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size starting from the CCE starting locations, so that it is possible to reduce the number of times of blind decoding Non-Patent Document 1: 3GPP RAN WG1 Meeting document, R1-073996, “Search Space definition: Reduced PDCCH blind detection for split PDCCH search space,” Motorola Non-Patent Document 2: 3GPP RAN WG1 #50bis, R1-074317, “Reducing the decoding complexity of the PDCCH,” Nokia.
SUMMARY
Problems to be Solved
[0008] As described in the above prior art, in a case where a plurality of mobile stations are grouped into a plurality of UE groups and a search space is set on a per UE group basis, if a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size is used in a UE group, it may not be able to allocate a PDCCH to other mobile stations. For example, among CCE's #0 to #31, in a UE group having a search space comprised of CCE's #0 to #7, if a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 is allocated to a certain mobile station, CCE's #0 to #7 are all occupied, and therefore it is not possible to allocate a PDCCH to other mobile stations. Thus, resource allocation for mobile stations in UE groups is limited, and, consequently, there is a possibility that large transmission delay occurs or control information cannot be transmitted to a mobile station having good channel quality, which degrades the cell throughput.
[0009] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a radio communication base station apparatus, radio communication mobile station apparatus and control channel allocating method for preventing resource allocation in UE groups from being limited.
Means for Solving the Problem
[0010] The radio communication base station apparatus of the present invention employs a configuration having: an allocating section that allocates a control channel, which occupies one or a plurality of control channel elements, to a specific control channel element field associated with a number of control channel elements occupied by the control channel and a UE group of the control channel, among a plurality of control channel element fields shared by a larger number of user equipment groups when the number of control channel elements occupied by the control channel increases; and a transmitting section that transmits the control channel allocated to the specific control channel element field.
Advantageous Effect
[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent resource allocation in UE groups from being limited.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a base station according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mobile station according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 shows search spaces of allocating method 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 4 shows search spaces of allocating method 2 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 shows other search spaces of allocating method 2 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 6 shows search spaces of allocating method 3 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 7 shows search spaces of allocating method 4 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 8 shows other search spaces according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 9 shows search spaces according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 10 shows other search spaces according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Embodiments of the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following explanation, assume that the total number of CCE's to which PDCCH's are allocated is 32, from CCE #0 to CCE #31, and the PDCCH CCE aggregation size is one of 1, 2, 4 and 8. Also, if one PDCCH occupies a plurality of CCE's, the plurality of CCE's occupied by the PDCCH are consecutive.
[0023] Also, in each CCE aggregation size, the starting location of CCE's to which a PDCCH is allocated is set in advance. To be more specific, when the CCE aggregation size is 1, a PDCCH is allocated to one of CCE #0 to CCE #31. Also, when the CCE aggregation size is 2, a PDCCH is allocated to two CCE's with starting locations of CCE #0, CCE #2, CCE #4, . . . , CCE #28 and CCE #30. Similarly, when the CCE aggregation size is 4, a PDCCH is allocated to four CCE's with starting locations of CCE #0, CCE #4, CCE #8, CCE #12, CCE #16, . . . , CCE #24 and CCE #28, and, when the CCE aggregation size is 8, a PDCCH is allocated to eight CCE's with starting locations of CCE #0, CCE #8, CCE #416 and CCE #24.
[0024] Also, in the following explanation, depending on the position of each mobile station in a cell, the CCE aggregation size of a PDCCH to be received by that mobile station is determined. For example, a mobile station that is located near the cell edge has poor channel quality and therefore is likely to perform transmission with a lower MCS. Consequently, the CCE aggregation size for a mobile station that is located near the cell edge is limited to 4 or 8. By contrast, a mobile station that is located near the cell center has good channel quality and therefore is likely to perform transmission with a higher MCS. Consequently, the CCE aggregation size for a mobile station that is located neat the cell center is limited to 1 or 2. Each mobile station may determine the CCE aggregation size of a PDCCH to be received by that mobile station, based on the location of that mobile station in a cell decided from received quality, and so on, or may be notified in advance of the CCE aggregation size of a PDCCH to be received by that mobile station.
[0025] Also, in the following explanation, mobile stations that are located in a cell are grouped into four mobile station groups (i.e. UE groups #1 to #4). Here, the mobile station groups to which mobile stations belong may be reported per mobile station from a base station, or may be determined implicitly by a mobile station ID.
[0026] Also, assume that downlink data is transmitted by OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), and uplink data is transmitted by SC-TDMA (Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access). Also, assume that a response signal transmitted in uplink is subjected to the first spreading by a ZAC (Zero Auto Correlation) sequence and second spreading by a block-wise spreading code sequence.
Embodiment 1
[0027] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of base station 100 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows the configuration of mobile station 200 according to the present embodiment.
[0028] Here, to avoid complicated explanation, FIG. 1 shows components associated with transmission of downlink data that is closely related to the present invention and components associated with reception of uplink response signals to that downlink data, and the illustration and explanation of the components associated with reception of uplink data will be omitted.
[0029] Similarly, FIG. 2 shows components associated with reception of downlink data that is closely related to the present invention and components associated with transmission of uplink response signals to that downlink data, and the illustration and explanation of the components associated with transmission of uplink data will be omitted.
[0030] In base station 100 shown in FIG. 1 , encoding section 101 receives as input mobile station group information indicating the search space definition of each mobile station group (i.e. UE groups #1 to #4). Further, encoding section encodes the mobile station group information received as input, and outputs the result to modulating section 102 . Next, modulating section 102 modulates the encoded mobile station group information received as input from encoding section 101 , and outputs the result to arranging section 108 .
[0031] Encoding and modulating sections 103 - 1 to 103 -K receive as input resource allocation information for uplink data or downlink data directed to mobile stations. Here, each allocation information is allocated to a PDCCH of the CCE aggregation size required to transmit that allocation information. Further, encoding and modulating sections 103 - 1 to 103 -K are provided in association with maximum K mobile stations #1 to #K. In encoding and modulating sections 103 - 1 to 103 -K, encoding sections 11 each encode allocation information allocated to input PDCCH's, and output the results to modulating sections 12 . Next, modulating sections 12 each modulate the encoded allocation information received as input from encoding sections 11 , and output the results to CCE allocating section 104 .
[0032] CCE allocating section 104 allocates the allocation information received as input from modulating sections 103 - 1 to 103 -K, to one or a plurality of CCE's based on mobile station group information. To be more specific, CCE allocating section 104 allocates a PDCCH to a specific search space associated with the CCE aggregation size and mobile station group (“UE group”) of that PDCCH, among a plurality of search spaces which are shared by a larger number of UE groups when the PDCCH CCE aggregation size increases. Further, CCE allocating section 104 outputs allocation information allocated to CCE's, to arranging section 108 . Here, the PDCCH allocation processing in CCE allocating section 104 will be described later in detail.
[0033] On the other hand, encoding section 105 encodes transmission data (i.e. downlink data) received as input, and outputs the result to retransmission control section 106 . Here, if there are a plurality items of transmission data for a plurality of mobile stations, encoding section 105 encodes each of the plurality items of transmission data for these mobile stations.
[0034] Upon the initial transmission, retransmission control section 106 holds and outputs encoded transmission data of each mobile station to modulating section 107 . Here, retransmission control section 106 holds transmission data until an ACK from each mobile station is received as input from deciding section 117 . Further, if a NACK from each mobile station is received as input from deciding section 117 , that is, upon retransmission, retransmission control section 106 outputs transmission data associated with that NACK to modulating section 107 .
[0035] Modulating section 107 modulates encoded transmission data received as input from retransmission control section 106 , and outputs the result to arranging section 108 .
[0036] Arranging section 108 arranges allocation information to downlink resources associated with allocated CCE's among downlink resources secured for PDCCH's, arranges mobile station group information to downlink resources secured for broadcast channels, and arranges transmission data to downlink resources secured for transmission data. Further, arranging section 108 outputs signals to which those channels are allocated, to IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) section 109 .
[0037] IFFT section 109 generates an OFDM symbol by performing an IFFT of a plurality of subcarriers to which allocation information, mobile station group information or transmission data is allocated, and outputs the result to CP (Cyclic Prefix) attaching section 110 .
[0038] CP attaching section 110 attaches the same signal as the signal at the tail end part of the OFDM symbol, to the head of that OFDM symbol, as a CP.
[0039] Radio transmitting section 111 performs transmission processing such as D/A conversion, amplification and up-conversion on the OFDM symbol with a CP, and transmits the result from antenna 112 to mobile station 200 (in FIG. 2 ).
[0040] On the other hand, radio receiving section 113 receives a SC-FDMA symbol transmitted from each mobile station, via antenna 112 , and performs receiving processing such as down-conversion and A/D conversion on this SC-FDMA symbol.
[0041] CP removing section 114 removes the CP attached to the SC-FDMA symbol subjected to receiving processing.
[0042] Despreading section 115 despreads a response signal by the block-wise spreading code sequence used in second spreading in mobile station 200 , and outputs the despread response signal to correlation processing section 116 .
[0043] Correlation processing section 116 finds the correlation value between the despread response signal and the ZAC sequence used in the first spreading in mobile station 200 , and outputs the correlation value to deciding section 117 .
[0044] Deciding section 117 detects a response signal per mobile station by detecting the correlation peak of each mobile station in a detection window. For example, upon detecting a correlation peak in detection window #0 for mobile station #0, deciding section 117 detects a response signal from mobile station #0. Further, deciding section 117 decides whether the detected response signal is an ACK or NACK, by synchronization detection using the correlation value of a reference signal, and outputs an ACK or NACK to retransmission control section 106 on a per mobile station basis.
[0045] On the other hand, mobile station 200 shown in FIG. 2 receives mobile station group information, allocation information and downlink data transmitted from base station 100 . The method of receiving these items of information will be explained below.
[0046] In mobile station 200 shown in FIG. 2 , radio receiving section 202 receives an OFDM symbol transmitted from base station 100 (in FIG. 1 ), via antenna 201 , and performs receiving processing such as down-conversion and A/D conversion on the OFDM symbol.
[0047] CP removing section 203 removes the CP attached to the OFDM symbol subjected to receiving processing.
[0048] FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) section 204 performs an FFT of the OFDM symbol to acquire allocation information, broadcast information including mobile station group information, and downlink data, which are mapped on a plurality of subcarriers, and outputs the results to separating section 205 .
[0049] Separating section 205 separates broadcast information arranged to resources secured in advance for broadcast channels, from signals received as input from FFT section 204 , outputs the broadcast information to broadcast information decoding section 206 and outputs information other than the broadcast information to extracting section 207 .
[0050] Broadcast information decoding section 206 decodes the broadcast information received as input from separating section 205 to acquire mobile station group information, and outputs the mobile station group information to extracting section 207 .
[0051] Assume that extracting section 207 and decoding section 209 receive in advance coding rate information indicating the coding rate of allocation information, that is, information indicating the PDCCH CCE aggregation size. Here, information indicating the PDCCH CCE aggregation size may be designated from base station 100 or may be determined by mobile station 200 based on the received quality of pilot signals.
[0052] Also, upon receiving allocation information, extracting section 207 extracts allocation information subject to blind decoding from the plurality of subcarriers, according to the search space of a mobile station group to which the subject mobile station belongs, designated by the CCE aggregation size and mobile station group information received as input, and outputs the allocation information to demodulating section 208 .
[0053] Demodulating section 208 demodulates the allocation information and outputs the result to decoding section 209 .
[0054] Decoding section 209 decodes the allocation information according to the CCE aggregation size received as input, and outputs the result to deciding section 210 .
[0055] On the other hand, upon receiving downlink data, extracting section 207 extracts downlink data for the subject mobile station from the plurality of subcarriers, according to a resource allocation result received as input from deciding section 210 , and outputs the downlink data to demodulating section 212 . This downlink data is demodulated in demodulating section 212 , decoded in decoding section 213 and received as input in CRC section 214 .
[0056] CRC section 214 performs an error detection of the decoded downlink data using CRC, generates an ACK in the case of CRC=OK (no error) or a NACK in the case of CRC=NG (error present), as a response signal, and outputs the generated response signal to modulating section 215 .
[0057] Further, in the ease of CRC=OK (no error), CRC section 214 outputs the decoded downlink data as received data.
[0058] Deciding section 210 performs a blind detection as to whether or not the allocation information received as input from decoding section 209 is directed to the subject mobile station. To be more specific, against the allocation information received as input from decoding section 209 , deciding section 210 performs a blind detection as to whether or not the allocation information is directed to the subject mobile station. For example, if CRC=OK is found (i.e. no error is found) as a result of demasking CRC bits by the ID number of the subject mobile station, deciding section 210 decides that allocation information is directed to that mobile station. Further, deciding section 210 outputs the allocation information directed to the subject mobile station, that is, the resource allocation result of downlink data for that mobile station, to extracting section 207 .
[0059] Further, deciding section 210 decides a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control CHannel) to use to transmit a response signal from the subject mobile station, from the CCE number associated with a subcarrier to which a PDCCH allocated the allocation information for that mobile station is arranged. Further, deciding section 210 outputs the decision result (i.e. PUCCH number) to control section 211 . That is, the PUCCH number is derived from the CCE number used in a PDCCH used for data allocation. For example, if the CCE associated with a subcarrier to which a PDCCH directed to the subject mobile station is arranged is CCE #0, deciding section 210 decides that PUCCH #0 associated with CCE #0 is the PUCCH for that mobile station. Also, for example, if the CCE's associated with subcarriers to which a PDCCH directed to the subject mobile station is arranged are CCE #0 to CCE #3, deciding section 210 decides that PUCCH #0 associated with CCE #0 of the minimum number among CCE #0 to CCE #3, is the PUCCH for that mobile station.
[0060] Based on the PUCCH number received as input from deciding section 210 , control section 211 controls the cyclic shift value of the ZAC sequence used in the first spreading in spreading section 216 and the block-wise spreading code sequence which is used in second spreading in spreading section 219 and which is the spreading code sequence used in spreading per LB (Long Block). For example, control section 211 selects the ZAC sequence of the cyclic shift value associated with the PUCCH number received as input from deciding section 210 , from among twelve ZAC's from ZAC #0 to ZAC #11, and sets the ZAC sequence in spreading section 216 , and selects the block-wise spreading code sequence associated with the PUCCH number received as input from deciding section 210 , from among three block-wise spreading code sequences from BW #0 to BW #2, and sets the block-wise spreading code sequence in spreading section 219 . That is, control section 211 selects one of a plurality of resources defined by ZAC #0 to ZAC 411 and by BW #0 to BW #2.
[0061] Modulating section 215 modulates a response signal received as input from CRC section 214 and outputs the result to spreading section 216 .
[0062] Spreading section 216 performs first spreading of the response signal by the ZAC sequence set in control section 211 , and outputs the response signal subjected to the first spreading to IFFT section 217 . That is, spreading section 216 performs the first spreading of the response signal using the ZAC sequence of the cyclic shift value associated with the resource selected in control section 211 . Here, in the first spreading, it is equally possible to use sequences that can be separated from each other by varying cyclic shift values, other than ZAC sequences. For example, in the first spreading, it is equally possible to use GCL (Generalized Chirp Like) sequences, CAZAC (Constant Amplitude Zero Auto Correlation) sequences, ZC (Zadoff-Chu) sequences, or use PN sequences such as M sequences and orthogonal Gold code sequences.
[0063] IFFT section 217 performs an IFFT of the response signal subjected to the first spreading, and outputs the response signal subjected to an IFFT to CP attaching section 218 .
[0064] CP attaching section 218 attaches the same signal as the tail end part of the response signal subjected to an IFFT, to the head of that response signal as a CP.
[0065] Spreading section 219 performs second spreading of the response signal with a CP by the block-wise spreading code sequence set in control section 211 , and outputs the response signal subjected to second spreading to radio transmitting section 220 . Here, in second spreading, as block-wise spreading code sequences, it is possible to use any sequences as long as these sequences can be regarded as sequences that are orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to each other. For example, in second spreading, it is possible to use Walsh sequences or Fourier sequences as block-wise spreading code sequences.
[0066] Radio transmitting section 220 performs transmission processing such as D/A conversion, amplification and up-conversion on the response signal subjected to second spreading, and transmits the result from antenna 201 to base station 100 (in FIG. 1 ).
[0067] Next, CCE allocating methods 1 to 4 in CCE allocating section 104 will be explained in detail.
[0068] <Allocating Method 1 (in FIG. 3 )>
[0069] With the present allocating method, a PDCCH is allocated to a specific search space associated with the CCE aggregation size and mobile station group of that PDCCH, among a plurality of search spaces shared by a larger number of UE groups when the CCE aggregation size increases.
[0070] To be more specific, when the CCE aggregation size is 1, as shown in FIG. 3 , the search space of UE group #1 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #7, the search space of UE group #2 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #8 to CCE #15, the search space of UE group #3 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #16 to CCE #23, and the search space of UE group #4 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #24 to CCE #31.
[0071] Also, when the CCE aggregation size is 2, as shown in FIG. 3 , the search space of UE groups #1 and #2 is formed with sixteen CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #15, and the search space of UE groups #3 and #4 is formed with sixteen CCE's from CCE #16 to CCE #31.
[0072] Also, when the CCE aggregation size is 4 or 8, as shown in FIG. 3 , the search space of UE groups #1 to #4 is formed with thirty-two CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #31, that is, all CCE's.
[0073] When the CCE aggregation size increases, the number of UE groups that share one search space increases. To be more specific, referring to CCE #0, CCE #0 is used only by UE group #1 when the CCE aggregation size is 1, used by two UE groups #1 and #2 when the CCE aggregation size is 2, and used by all UE groups #1 to #4 when the CCE aggregation size is 4 or 8. Also, when the CCE aggregation size is maximum 8, the search space is shared by all UE groups, and, when the CCE aggregation size is minimum 1, the search space of each UE group varies between UE groups.
[0074] Also, when the CCE aggregation size increases, the search space associated with each UE group increases. To be more specific, referring to UE group #1, the search space of UE group #1 is formed with eight CCE's when the CCE aggregation size is 1, formed with sixteen CCE's when the CCE aggregation size is 2, and formed with thirty-two CCE's when the CCE aggregation size is 4 or 8.
[0075] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 , with respect to the mobile stations of UE group #1, CCE allocating section 104 can allocate maximum eight PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size of 1 to the search space from CCE #0 to CCE #7, and allocate maximum eight PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size of 2 to the search space from CCE #0 to #15. Similarly, CCE allocating section 104 can allocate maximum eight PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size of 4 to the search space from CCE #0 to CCE #31, and allocate maximum four PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size of 8.
[0076] By this means, CCE allocating section 104 relaxes the allocation restriction for a mobile station to which a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size is allocated. For example, a case will be explained where CCE allocating section 104 allocates a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 and PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 for UE group #1. Also, in this case, assume that there are no mobile stations to which a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #2 is allocated.
[0077] Upon allocating PDCCH's to CCE's, CCE allocating section 104 allocates a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8, avoiding allocation of this PDCCH to the same CCE's as those for a PDCCH of a smaller CCE aggregation size, 1. To be more specific, avoiding the search space of UE group #1 from CCE #0 to CCE #7 of a CCE aggregation size of 1, CCE allocating section 104 allocates a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8. Here, there are no mobile stations to which a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #2 (where the search space ranges from CCE #8 to CCE #15) is allocated, so that CCE allocating section 104 allocates a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 to CCE #8 to CCE #15. Further, CCE allocating section 104 allocates a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1 to one of CCE #0 to CCE #7.
[0078] Thus, in base station 100 , when the CCE aggregation size increases, a larger number of UE groups share search spaces. Therefore, when the CCE aggregation size increases, it is possible to allocate a PDCCH to CCE's of a wider range. By this means, even if PDCCH's of varying CCE aggregation sizes are allocated in the same UE group, by adjusting CCE allocation for a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size, base station 100 can allocate these PDCCH's without limiting resource allocation.
[0079] On the other hand, mobile station 200 demodulates, decodes and performs blind detection of a PDCCH based on the CCE aggregation size and mobile station group information. For example, when mobile station 200 belonging to UE group #1 performs blind detection on the presumption that the CCE aggregation size is 1, extracting section 207 outputs only signals associated with CCE #0 to CCE #7, among CCE #0 to CCE #31 shown in FIG. 3 , to demodulating section 208 . That is, in demodulating section 208 , decoding section 209 and deciding section 210 , the target for blind detection in a case where the CCE aggregation size is 1, is limited to the search space corresponding to CCE #0 to CCE #7. Similarly, upon performing blind detection on the presumption that the CCE aggregation size is 2, extracting section 207 outputs only signals associated with CCE #0 to CCE #15, among CCE #0 to CCE #31 shown in FIG. 3 , to demodulating section 208 . Also, if it is presumed that the CCE aggregation size is 4 or 8, extracting section 207 outputs signals associated with CCE #0 to CCE #31 shown in FIG. 3 , that is, signals associated with all CCE's, to demodulating section 208 .
[0080] Here, when the CCE aggregation size is 1, the number of PDCCH's allocated to the eight CCE's in each of UE groups #1 to #4 is eight. Also, when the CCE aggregation size is 2, the number of PDCCH's allocated to the sixteen CCE's of UE groups #1, #2, #3 and #4 is eight. On the other hand, the number of PDCCH's allocated to CCE #0 to CCE #31 is eight when the CCE aggregation size is 4, or four when the CCE aggregation size is 8. That is, even in a case where the search space is formed with all CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #31 when the CCE aggregation size is 4 or 8, compared to a case where the CCE aggregation size is 1 or 2, the number of PDCCH's subject to blind detection does not increase.
[0081] Also, the CCE aggregation size is determined based on the location of a mobile station in a cell or received quality. Therefore, the system performance is hardly influenced by the degradation of freedom degree of CCE allocation caused by limiting the CCE aggregation size of a received PDCCH on a per mobile station basis.
[0082] Also, the search space of each UE group is formed with consecutive CCE's, and, consequently, upon reporting a search space from a base station to a mobile station, the base station only needs to report the head CCE number and the end CCE number, so that it is possible to reduce the amount of report information.
[0083] Thus, according to this allocation example, a PDCCH is allocated to one of a plurality of search spaces shared by a larger number of UE's when the CCE aggregation size increases. By this means, a base station can allocate a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size to CCE's such that these CCE's do not overlap with CCE's used for a PDCCH of a smaller CCE aggregation size. Therefore, with the present allocating method, it is possible to prevent resource allocation in UE groups from being limited without increasing the number of times of blind decoding.
[0084] <Allocating Method 2 (in FIG. 4 )>
[0085] In the search spaces of allocating method 1 shown in FIG. 3 , if at least one PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 for a given UE group is used, it is not possible to use any of PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE groups #1 to #4.
[0086] For example, in the search spaces shown in FIG. 3 , assume that a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 is used in CCE #0 to CCE #7. Here, as shown in FIG. 3 , a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1 is allocated to one of CCE #0 to CCE #7. However, CCE #0 to CCE #7 are already used by the PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8, and, consequently, a base station cannot allocate the PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1. Also, similarly, when a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 is allocated to CCE #8 to CCE #15, CCE #16 to CCE #23 or CCE #24 to CCE #31, it is not possible to use any of PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE groups #2 to #3.
[0087] Therefore, CCE allocating section 104 according to the present allocating method allocates a PDCCH to a specific search space formed with CCE's occupied by a plurality of PDCCH's of a larger CCE aggregation size than the CCE aggregation size of that PDCCH.
[0088] To be more specific, when the CCE aggregation size is 1, as shown in FIG. 4 , the search space of UE group #1 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #3 and CCE #16 to CCE #19, and the search space of UE group #2 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #4 to CCE #7 and CCE #20 to CCE #23. Similarly, the search space of UE group #3 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #8 to CCE #11 and CCE #24 to CCE #27, and the search space of UE group #4 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #12 to CCE #15 and CCE #28 to CCE #31.
[0089] Also, as shown in FIG. 4 , the search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 2, 4 and 8 are formed in the same way as in allocating method 1 (in FIG. 3 ).
[0090] That is, the search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE groups #1 to #4 are separately arranged into two different PDCCH units among four PDCCH units (CCE #0 to CCE #7, CCE #8 to CCE #15, CCE #16 to CCE #23 and CCE #24 to CCE #31) to which a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 is allocated. For example, the search space of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1 (CCE #0 to CCE #3 and CCE #16 and CCE #19) is formed with CCE's included in two different PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size of 8 (CCE #0 to CCE #7 and CCE #16 and CCE #23).
[0091] By this means, even in a case where a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 is allocated to any of CCE #0 to CCE #31, if it is not possible to use one of search spaces separately arranged, it is possible to allocate a PDCCH to the other search space.
[0092] For example, in the search spaces shown in FIG. 4 , assume that CCE allocating section 104 allocates a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 for a given UE group, to CCE #0 to CCE .andgate.7. Here, in a case where a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1 is further allocated, as shown in FIG. 4 , CCE #0 to CCE #7 are already used, and therefore CCE allocating section 104 cannot allocate that PDCCH to CCE #0 to CCE #3, which form one of the search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1. However, CCE #16 to CCE #19, which form the other search space of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1, are not used, so that CCE allocating section 104 can allocate a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1 to one of CCE #16 to CCE #19.
[0093] Thus, according to the present allocating method, a PDCCH is allocated to a specific search space formed with CCE's occupied by a plurality of PDCCH's of a larger CCE aggregation size than the CCE aggregation size of that PDCCH. That is, a base station allocates a PDCCH to specific search spaces separately arranged into different CCE's. By this means, even if PDCCH's of different CCE aggregation sizes are used at the same time, a PDCCH of a smaller CCE aggregation size can use any of CCE's separately arranged. Therefore, with the present allocating method, it is possible to further prevent resource allocation in UE groups from being limited.
[0094] Also, with the present allocating method, as shown in FIG. 5 , the search spaces of a smaller CCE aggregation size for UE groups may be evenly included in each PDCCH unit of a larger CCE aggregation size. To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 5 , for example, two search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for each of UE groups #1 to #4 may be included in each PDCCH unit of a CCE aggregation size of 8 (CCE #0 to CCE #7, CCE #8 to CCE #15, CCE #16 to CCE #23 and CCE #24 to CCE #31). Similarly, two search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 2 for UE groups #1 and #2 and two search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 2 for UE groups #3 and #4 may be included in each PDCCH unit of a CCE aggregation size of 8. That is, search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2 for UE groups are separately arranged into four PDCCH units of a CCE aggregation size of 8. By this means, even in a case where a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size is allocated to given CCE's, as in the present allocating method, it is possible to allocate a PDCCH of a smaller CCE aggregation size to any of CCE #0 to CCE #31, without limiting resource allocation.
[0095] <Allocating Method 3 (in FIG. 6 )>
[0096] With the present allocating method, a case will be explained where each mobile station performs blind decoding in search spaces of a plurality of CCE aggregation sizes. For example, a mobile station that is located near the cell center performs blind decoding in search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2. Also, a mobile station that is located near the cell edge performs blind decoding in search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 4 and 8. Also, a mobile station that is located between the cell center and the cell edge performs blind decoding in search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 2 and 4.
[0097] In this case, if PDCCH's of a plurality of different CCE aggregation sizes for the same UE group are used in the search spaces of allocating method 1 shown in FIG. 3 , the use of PDCCH's of a CCE aggregation size of 1 or 2 may be limited.
[0098] For example, in the search spaces shown in FIG. 3 , assume that a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 for UE group #1 (CCE #0 to CCE #7) is used. Here, as shown in FIG. 3 , the search space of UE group #1 is formed with CCE #0 to CCE #7 when the CCE aggregation size is 1, and the search space of UE group #1 (shared by UE group #2) is formed with CCE #0 to CCE #15 when the CCE aggregation size is 2. That is, the search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2 are formed using overlapping CCE #0 to CCE #7. Therefore, all CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #7 are already used by a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8, and, consequently, a base station cannot allocate a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1, and can allocate a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 2 for UE group #1 only to CCE #8 to CCE #15.
[0099] Therefore, CCE allocating section 104 according to the present allocating method allocates a PDCCH to a specific search space, among a plurality of search spaces formed with varying CCE's of varying CCE aggregation sizes in the same UE group.
[0100] To be more specific, when the CCE aggregation size is 1, as shown in FIG. 6 , the search space of UE group #1 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #16 to CCE #23, and the search space of UE group #2 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #24 to CCE #31. Also, the search space of UE group #3 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #7, and the search space of UE group #4 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #8 to CCE #15.
[0101] Also, as shown in FIG. 6 , search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 2, 4 and 8 are formed in the same way as in allocating method 1 (in FIG. 3 ).
[0102] That is, in the same UE group, a search space of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for each UE group is formed with different CCE's from a search space of a CCE aggregation size of 2. For example, the search space of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1 (CCE #16 to CCE #23) and the search space of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #2 (CCE 424 to CCE #31) are formed with different CCE's from the search space of a CCE aggregation size of 2 for UE groups #1 and #2 (CCE #0 to CCE #15). The same applies to UE groups #3 and #4.
[0103] By this means, the selection range of CCE's forming search spaces with CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2 is wider than in allocating method 1 (in FIG. 3 ), and, consequently, resource allocation for mobile stations to which PDCCH's of CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2 are allocated (i.e. mobile stations near the cell center) becomes flexible. For example, assume that a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 (i.e. a PDCCH directed to a mobile station near the cell edge) is allocated to CCE #0 to CCE #7. In this case, CCE allocating section 104 cannot allocate a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 or 2 for UE group #1 (i.e. a PDCCH directed to a mobile station near the cell center) to CCE #0 to CCE #7. However, CCE allocating section 104 can allocate a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 2 to CCE #8 to CCE #15 and allocate a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 1 to CCE #16 to CCE #23. That is, according to the present allocating method, by forming search spaces of smaller CCE aggregation sizes with non-overlapping CCE's, CCE allocating section 104 can flexibly allocate PDCCH's of smaller CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2.
[0104] Thus, according to the present allocating method, a PDCCH is allocated to a specific search space, among a plurality of search spaces formed with varying CCE's of varying CCE aggregation sizes in the same UE group. By this means, the selection range of search spaces of smaller CCE aggregation sizes is wider than in allocating method 1. By this means, even if a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size is used, it is possible to flexibly allocate PDCCH's of smaller CCE aggregation sizes. Therefore, with the present allocating method, even if each mobile station performs blind decoding in search spaces of a plurality of CCE aggregation sizes, it is possible to prevent resource allocation in UE groups from being limited.
[0105] <Allocating Method 4 (in FIG. 7 )>
[0106] Upon associating the CCE numbers used in uplink resource allocation and the PUCCH numbers for transmitting a response signal, a mobile station decides that the PUCCH, which is associated with the CCE of the minimum number among one or a plurality of CCE's forming the PDCCH to which allocation information for that mobile station is arranged, is the PUCCH for that mobile station. Therefore, if all CCE's (e.g. CCE #0 to CCE #31) are associated with PUCCH's on a one-to-one basis, the amount of resources for use becomes enormous.
[0107] Therefore, CCE allocating section 104 according to the present allocating method allocates a PDCCH to a specific search space, among a plurality of search spaces formed with a smaller number of CCE's when the CCE aggregation size is smaller.
[0108] To be more specific, when the CCE aggregation size is 1, as shown in FIG. 7 , the search spaces of UE groups #1 and #2 are formed with eight CCE's from CCE #16 to CCE #23, and the search spaces of UE groups #3 and #4 are formed with eight CCE's from CCE #24 to CCE #31. Also, when the CCE aggregation size is 2, the search spaces of UE groups #1 to #4 are formed with sixteen CCE's from CCE #16 to CCE #31. Also, as shown in FIG. 7 , the search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 4 and 8 are formed in the same way as in allocating method 1 (in FIG. 3 ).
[0109] Therefore, in the case of a smaller CCE aggregation size of 1 or 2, the search spaces of UE groups #1 to #4 are formed with sixteen CCE's, which are half of thirty-two CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #31. That is, as shown in FIG. 7 , when the CCE aggregation size is 1 or 2, CCE #0 to CCE #15 are not used.
[0110] As above, CCE #0 to CCE #15 shown in FIG. 7 are used only for PDCCH's of CCE aggregation sizes of 4 and 8. Therefore, upon allocating a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 4 or 8, CCE allocating section 104 preferentially uses CCE #0 to CCE #15. By this means, CCE allocating section 104 can allocate PDCCH's of CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2 to search spaces of CCE #16 to CCE #31, without limiting resource allocation.
[0111] Also, PDCCH's of CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2 are not used in the search spaces of CCE #0 to CCE #15 shown in FIG. 7 , so that, among the CCE's forming each PDCCH of CCE aggregation sizes of 4 and 8, a resource for only the PUCCH associated with the CCE of the minimum number is secured. That is, as shown in FIG. 7 , resources for four PUCCH's respectively associated with four CCE's (CCE #0, CCE #4, CCE #8 and CCE #12) are secured. Therefore, among fifteen CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #15, it is necessary to secure resources only for PUCCH's associated with the four CCE's. Also, PDCCH's of CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2 are used in CCE #16 to CCE #31, and therefore resources for sixteen PUCCH's respectively associated with sixteen CCE's from CCE #16 to CCE #31 are secured. Thus, by limiting the number of CCE's forming search spaces of smaller CCE aggregation sizes, it is possible to reduce the amount of resources to secure for PUCCH's associated with CCE's.
[0112] Thus, according to the present allocating method, as in allocating method 1, it is possible to allocate PDCCH's of smaller CCE aggregation sizes to CCE's without limiting resource allocation, and further reduce the amount of resources to secure for PUCCH's associated with CCE's.
[0113] Also, with the present allocating method, it is equally possible to switch the definition of search spaces in a semi-static manner, depending on the amount of traffics. For example, it is possible to use the definition of search spaces according to the present allocating method (in FIG. 7 ) when the amount of traffics is low, or use, for example, the definition of search spaces according to allocating method 3 (in FIG. 6 ) when the amount of traffics is high. By this means, it is possible to secure the amount of resources for PUCCH's associated with CCE's, without loss.
[0114] Also, a case has been described with the present allocating method where search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 1 and 2 are formed with CCE #16 to CCE #31. However, with the present allocating method, it is equally possible to form search spaces of CCE aggregations of 1 and 2 with CCE #0 to CCE #15.
[0115] Also, although a case has been described above with the present allocating method where CCE's and PUCCH's (i.e. response signals to downlink data) are associated, even if CCE's and PHICH's (physical hybrid ARQ indicator channels) are associated, the present invention can provide the same effect as above. Here, response signals to uplink data are allocated to PHICH's.
[0116] Also, a PUCCH used in the explanation of the present allocating method is a channel for feeding back an ACK or NACK, and therefore can be referred to as “ACK/NACK channel.”
[0117] Also, even in a case where control information other than response signals is fed back, the present invention can be implemented as above.
[0118] Allocating methods 1 to 4 of PDCCH's according to the present embodiment have been described above.
[0119] Thus, according to the present embodiment, a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size can flexibly use CCE's such that these CCE's do not overlap with CCE's allocated to a PDCCH of a smaller CCE aggregation size. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent resource allocation in UE groups from being limited.
[0120] Also, with the present embodiment, it is equally possible to form search spaces by combining above allocating methods 1 to 4. For example, FIG. 8 shows search spaces acquired by combining allocating methods 2 and 3. Here, as shown in FIG. 8 , in a case where the CCE aggregation size is 4, the search spaces of UE groups #1 and #2 are formed with CCE #0 to CCE #15, and the search spaces of UE groups #3 and #4 are formed with CCE #16 to CCE #31. In this case, as in allocating method 2, the search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 2 for each UE group are separately arranged such that these search spaces are included in two search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 4. Also, as in allocating method 2, the search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 1 are separately arranged into CCE's occupied by varying PDCCH's of a larger CCE aggregation size. Further, as in allocating method 3, part of the search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 1 is formed with different CCE's from search spaces of varying CCE aggregation sizes in the same UE group. For example, one of search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 1 for UE group #1 (e.g. CCE #0 to CCE #3) overlaps with a search space of a CCE aggregation size of 2 (CCE #0 to CCE #8). However, the other search space (e.g. CCE #24 to CCE #27) does not overlap with any of the search spaces of a CCE aggregation size of 2 (CCE #0 to CCE #8 and CCE #16 to CCE #23). By this means, it is possible to provide the same advantage as in allocating methods 2 and 3 according to the present embodiment.
Embodiment 2
[0121] With the present embodiment, search spaces of varying CCE aggregation sizes of each UE group are formed with varying CCE's.
[0122] In the following explanation, the search space of each CCE aggregation size for UE groups #1 to #4 is formed with eight CCE's. To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 9 , in UE group #1, the search space of a CCE aggregation size of 1 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #24 to CCE #31, the search space of a CCE aggregation size of 2 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #16 to CCE #23, the search space of a CCE aggregation size of 4 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #8 to CCE #15, and the search space of a CCE aggregation size of 8 is formed with eight CCE's from CCE #0 to CCE #7. As shown in FIG. 9 , the same applies to UE groups #2 to #4.
[0123] That is, as shown in FIG. 9 , the search spaces of CCE aggregation sizes of 1, 2, 4 and 8 for each UE group are formed with varying CCE's over entire CCE #0 to CCE #31. By this means, even in a case where a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size (e.g. a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8) is used, CCE allocating section 104 can allocate PDCCH's of smaller CCE aggregation sizes reliably. That is, in the same UE group, even in a case where a PDCCH of a larger CCE aggregation size is used, there is no possibility that a PDCCH of a smaller CCE aggregation size cannot be allocated. Also, in the same way as in allocating method 3 of Embodiment 1, search spaces of varying CCE aggregation sizes are formed with varying CCE's. Therefore, even in a case where each mobile station performs blind decoding in search spaces of a plurality of CCE aggregation sizes, in the same way as in allocating method 3 of Embodiment 1, CCE allocating section 104 can flexibly allocate a PDCCH to more CCE's without using overlapping CCE's.
[0124] Thus, according to the present embodiment, search spaces of varying CCE aggregation sizes in the same UE group are formed with varying CCE's. By this means, even in a case where PDCCH's of different CCE aggregation sizes in the same UE group are allocated at the same time, it is possible to prevent a case where PDCCH's of smaller aggregation sizes cannot be allocated. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, as in Embodiment 1, it is possible to prevent resource allocation in UE groups from being limited.
[0125] Further, with the present embodiment, the number of CCE's forming search spaces is the same between all CCE aggregation sizes (e.g. eight CCE's in FIG. 9 ), so that it is not necessary to set parameters on a per CCE aggregation size basis. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to simplify the system.
[0126] Also, as shown in FIG. 10 , it is equally possible to separately arrange the search space of each CCE aggregation size for each UE group over CCE #0 to CCE #31. That is, as shown in FIG. 10 , search spaces of different CCE aggregation sizes in the same UE group are each formed with eight CCE's separately arranged over CCE #0 to CCE #31. Here, as in allocating method 2 of Embodiment 1, in the same UE group, search spaces of a smaller CCE aggregation size are formed with CCE's included in each of a plurality of varying search spaces of a larger CCE aggregation size. By this means, even in a case where it is not possible to use one search space, it is possible to use other search spaces, so that it is possible to prevent resource allocation from being limited. By this means, it is possible to provide the same advantage as in the present embodiment and provide the same advantage as in allocating method 2 of Embodiment 1.
[0127] Embodiments of the present invention have been described above.
[0128] Also, a mobile station may be referred to as “terminal station,” “UE,” “MT,” “MS” or “STA (STAtion)”. Also, a base station may be referred to as “Node B,” “BS” or “AP.” Also, a subcarrier may be referred to as “tone,” Also, a CP may be referred to as “GI (Guard interval)”. Also, a CCE number may be referred to as “CCE index.”
[0129] Also, all mobile stations or a plurality of mobile stations in a cell need to receive, for example, a PDCCH used to report resource allocation for transmitting control channels such as a D-BCH (Dynamic-Broadcast Channel) in which broadcast information is transmitted and a PCH (Paging CHannel) in which paging information is transmitted. That is, these control channels need to be reported up to mobile stations near the cell edge, and, consequently, allocation of a PDCCH of a CCE aggregation size of 8 is possible. Therefore, by applying the present invention, even in the case of using a D-BCH or PCH (of a CCE aggregation size of 8), it is possible to allocate PDCCH's of other CCE aggregation sizes to specific search spaces, without limiting resource allocation.
[0130] Also, the error detecting method is not limited to CRC check.
[0131] Also, a method of performing conversion between the frequency domain and the time domain is not limited to the IFFT and FFT.
[0132] Also, although cases have been described with the above embodiments where signals are transmitted using OFDM as a downlink transmission scheme and SC-FDMA as an uplink transmission scheme, the present invention is equally applicable to eases where transmission schemes other than OFDM and SC-FDMA are used.
[0133] Although example cases have been described with the above embodiments where the present invention is implemented with hardware, the present invention can be implemented with software.
[0134] Furthermore, each function block employed in the description of each of the aforementioned embodiments may typically be implemented as an LSI constituted by an integrated circuit. These may be individual chips or partially or totally contained on a single chip. “LSI” is adopted here but this may also be referred to as “IC,” “system LSI,” “super LSI,” or “ultra LSI” depending on differing extents of integration.
[0135] Further, the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI's, and implementation using dedicated circuitry or general purpose processors is also possible. After LSI manufacture, utilization of an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a reconfigurable processor where connections and settings of circuit cells in an LSI can be reconfigured is also possible.
[0136] Further, if integrated circuit technology comes out to replace LSI's as a result of the advancement of semiconductor technology or a derivative other technology, it is naturally also possible to carry out function block integration using this technology. Application of biotechnology is also possible.
[0137] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-000196, filed on Jan. 4, 2008, including the specification, drawings and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0138] The present invention is applicable to, for example, mobile communication systems.
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A radio communication station device can prevent limiting of resource allocation in a UE group. The radio communication device includes: a CCE allocation unit, modulation units, an arrangement unit, and a radio transmission unit. The CCE allocation unit allocates allocation information allocated to a PDCCH which is inputted from the modulation unit as follows. Among a plurality of search spaces shared by a greater number of UE groups as the CCE aggregation size of the PDCCH increases, a particular search space corresponding to the CCE aggregation size of the PDCCH and a mobile group of the PDCCH is selected as a space to which the allocation information is to be allocated. The arrangement unit arranges the allocation information in a downlink resource corresponding to the CCE of the particular search space allocated among the downlink resources secured for the PDCCH. The radio transmission unit transmits an OFDM symbol having the allocation information from an antenna to a mobile station.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] In WO97/20802A we describe a series of dimeric indane molecules with four different chemical scaffolds. Within this group of molecules we elaborated 2, 2 coupled dimers. The synthesis and biological activity for several 2-alkylated derivatives of this scaffold are presented as is their biological activity. The chemical scaffolds of the indane dimers disclosed in WO97/20802A are quite diverse. Amongst the many compounds disclosed two specific diastereoisomeric molecules [(R,S and S,R)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol and (S,S and R,R)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol] are referred to. Biological data for these diastereoisomers led to the conclusion in WO97/20802A that R,S and S,R-2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol had the potential to treat allergic conditions.
[0002] Inflamm. Res., 57 (2008) p. 15, discloses that (R,S and S,R)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol and (S,S and R,R)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol demonstrate dose dependent inhibition of β-hexosaminidase release from RBL-2H3 cells with greater biological activity residing in diastereoisomer (R,S and S,R)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol, on the basis that the marginal effect did attain statistical significance. It is observed in this paper that taken together the data indicated that the diastereoisomer (S,S and RR)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol may be a good candidate for the treatment of histamine related diseases. However, in a subsequent study reported in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 19(20), 2009, Pg 5927-5930; the effects of the two compounds (R,S and SR)-2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol and (S,S and R,R)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol on p-hexosaminidase release from RBL-2H3 cells stimulated by calcium ionophore A23187 (as a measure of mast cell stabilisation) was recorded. Both compounds caused a dose-dependant inhibition of enzyme release. Experiments on inhibition of arachidonic acid-induced mouse ear swelling were performed on (R,S and S,R)2-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol and (S,S and R,R)2-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol. No difference in the activity of the two diastereoisomers on mouse ear swelling was observed. Compounds (R,S and S,R)2-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol and (S,S and R,R)2-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H, 1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol (3C9) were equipotent in all systems studied. These data suggested the potential to influence eicosanoid mediated inflammatory processes as observed in acute inflammation and analgsia.
[0003] This invention relates to new compounds for use in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and T cell mediated immune inflammatory diseases.
[0004] Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consists of two idiopathic inflammatory diseases ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease (CD) [Gastroenterology 2011; 140:1785-1794]. The greatest distinction between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease is the range of inflamed bowel tissue. Inflammation in Crohn's disease is discontinuously segmented known as regional enteritis, while ulcerative colitis is superficial inflammation extending proximally and continuously from the rectum. At present the exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown. The disease seems to be related to an exaggerated mucosal immune response to infection of the intestinal epithelium because of an imbalance of pro-inflammatory and immune-regulatory molecules. The inheritance patterns of Crohn's disease suggest a complex genetic component of pathogenesis that may consist of several combined genetic mutations. Currently no specific diagnostic test exists for Crohn's disease, but as understanding of pathogenesis is improved so will the testing methods. Treatment of Crohn's disease consists of inducing remission by anti-inflammatories followed by general immune-suppressants. Emergent therapeutic options focus on specific inflammatory pathways which will halt inflammation and induce remission in patients with Crohn's disease. Although several anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents have been used to treat Crohn's disease, the two FDA-approved therapies for Crohn's disease are Remicade, a TNFα-antagonist marketed by Johnson & Johnson, and Entocort, a coated, corticosteroid capsule marketed by AstraZeneca.
[0005] Ulcerative colitis is more prevalent than Crohn's disease and also has an uncertain aetiology. A family history of inflammatory bowel disease is the most important independent risk factor, but environmental factors are important, with a higher incidence in developed countries. It has a bimodal pattern of incidence with the main onset peak between ages 15 and 30 years, and a second smaller peak between ages 50 and 70 years. Episodes of previous gastrointestinal infection double the risk of subsequent development of ulcerative colitis, which suggesting that acute intestinal infection might lead to changes in gut flora, hence triggering the start of a chronic inflammatory process in genetically predisposed individuals. Maintenance of remission of the disease is by treatment with 5-aminosalicylic acid in a variety of formulations, with active disease being treated by corticosteroids or by anti-TNF-α antibodies such as Remicade.
[0006] IBD is not to be confused with Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which does not cause inflammation. Unlike ulcerative colitis patients, IBS sufferers show no sign of disease or abnormalities when the colon is examined.
STATEMENTS OF INVENTION
[0007] In particular, this invention provides a compound of the specific stereochemical Formula 1:
[0000]
[0008] Also provided are pharmacologically acceptable salts of the compound of Formula (I).
[0009] The absolute stereochemistry of the enantiomer represented in Formula I has been established by single crystal X-ray analysis.
[0010] The invention further provides for a pharmaceutical composition comprising of the compound described above.
[0011] The active compound may be present in the medicament for use in man at a single dose to achieve the desired effect. For example the final dose may be between 0.1 and 10 mg/Kg.
[0012] It may be possible to administer the compound of the invention in the form of a bulk active chemical. It may however, be preferred that the compound be administered in the form of a pharmaceutical formulation or composition. Such formulations may comprise of one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients, carrier of diluents.
[0013] The compound in the invention may be administered in different ways. The compound may be administered orally. Preferred pharmaceutical formulations for oral administration include tablets, capsules, solutions, suspensions of syrups.
[0014] The pharmaceutical formulations may be provided in a form for modified release such as time release capsule or tablet.
[0015] The medicament may be administered orally, parenterally, intranasally, transcutaneously or by inhalation.
[0016] The compound may be applied topically or as suppositories.
[0017] The compound of the invention and salts thereof are useful in prophylaxis and/or treatment of inflammatory bowel disease or other inflammatory autoimmune diseases with similar aetiology involving T-cell proliferation or function. Such diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, multiple sclerosis, eosinophilic fasciitis, demyelinating neuropathies, and autoimmune vasculitis (including Behcet's disease).
[0018] The compound is useful for the prophlaxis or treatment of a disease mediated by IL2.
[0019] The compound is useful for the prophlaxis or treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
[0020] The compound is useful for the prophlaxis or treatment of Crohn's disease.
[0021] The compound is useful for the prophlaxis or treatment of ulcerative colitis.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description thereof given by way of example only, in which:
[0023] FIG. 1 is an X-ray crystal structure showing relative stereochemistry for the diastereoisomer 6.
[0024] FIG. 2 is an X-ray crystal structure showing the absolute stereochemistry of the S,S-enantiomer (confirming structural Formula 1) corresponding to 4-bromobenzoic acid ester derivative (13) of compound 10;
[0025] FIG. 3 is an X-ray powder diffraction pattern (XPRD) of compound 13: (a) experimental XPRD pattern for compound 13; (b) the simulated XPRD pattern calculated from single-crystal structure of compound 13;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a bar chart of the effect of indomethacin and compounds 5 & 6 (300 μg/ear in acetone) on arachidonic acid mouse ear swelling (results are expressed as a mean±SEM, n>=4);
[0027] FIG. 5 is a bar chart of the effect of Ciclosporin (CicA) (50 mg/kg) and compounds 5 & 6 (10 mg/kg) on mBSA-stimulated mouse paw swelling (results are expressed as a mean±SEM, n>=12);
[0028] FIG. 6 is a bar chart of the effect of Ciclosporin (CicA) (50 mg/kg) and compounds 5 & 6 (10 mg/kg) on SRBC-stimulated mouse paw swelling (results are expressed as a mean±SEM, n>=5);
[0029] FIG. 7 is a bar chart of the effect of Ciclosporin (CicA) (15 mg/kg), dexamethasone (15 mg/kg) and compounds 5 & 6 (15 mg/kg) on oxazolone-stimulated mouse ear swelling (ear punch weight) (results are expressed as a mean±SEM, n=6);
[0030] FIG. 8 is a graph of the effect of vehicle and compounds 6, 9 & 10 (30 mg/kg) (p.o.) on body weight in 5% DSS colitis (values expressed as a mean±SEM, n=6 (non-DSS n=4));
[0031] FIG. 9 is a graph of the effect of vehicle and compounds 6, 9 & 10 (30 mg/kg) (p.o.) on disease activity index (DAI) in 5% DSS colitis on day 7 (values expressed as a mean±SEM, n=6); and
[0032] FIG. 10 is a bar chart of the effect of vehicle and compounds 6, 9 & 10 (30 mg/kg) (p.o.) on disease activity index (DAI) in 5% DSS colitis on day 7 (values expressed as a mean±SEM, n=6).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0033] General Chemical Background
[0034] Ketone (compound 1) which has a chiral centre at C-2 is a racemic mixture of a pair of enantiomers, named compound 2 and compound 3. This enantiomeric mix is not separated.
[0000]
[0035] Enantiomers of Compound 1
[0036] Reduction of compound 1 with chiral reduction agents for example LiAlH 4 , or the like results in the formation of compound 4 which is a mixture of the two diastereoisomers each composed of two enantiomers.
[0037] L
[0000]
[0038] The diastereosisomers which compose compound 4 have the (RS/SR) or (RR/SS) configuration. These diastereoisomers can be separated chromatographically into 5 and 6, in varying ratios depending on reaction conditions
[0000]
[0039] The relative stereochemistry from single crystal X-Ray analysis of Diastereoisomer 6 is given in FIG. 1 .
[0040] The relative stereochemistry has been assigned by single crystal X-Ray analysis of Diastereoisomer 6 as elaborated in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2009, 15;19(20):5927-30.
[0041] Each diastereoisomer is a mixture of two enantiomers. Diastereoisomer 5 is a mixture of two separate enantiomers 7 and 8
[0000]
[0042] The relative stereochemistry of 7 and 8 has been assigned by reference to the single crystal X-ray data for 6. The absolute stereochemistry has not been assigned.
[0043] Diastereoisomer 6 is a mixture of two separate enantiomers 9 and 10
[0000]
[0044] The absolute stereochemistry of 10 has been assigned by single crystal X-Ray analysis of its 4 -bromobenzoic acid ester derivative 13 ( FIG. 2 ).
[0045] General Reaction Procedures
[0046] General synthetic procedures for the coupling of enantiomeric mixtures as exemplified for diastereoisomer 6 (are laid out in WO97/20802A, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference). One of ordinary skill in the art would recognise variations in synthetic schemes which are appropriate for the preparation of compounds of the current invention. Reduction of alkylated coupled product and separation of diastereoisomers 5 and 6
[0000]
[0047] To a stirred solution of the alkylated product (4.64 g, 14 m.mol) in THF (115 mL) was added lithium tri-tert-butoxyaluminohydride (11.57 g, 45 mmol) in one portion. The solution was stirred at room temperature and monitored by TLC (90:10 hexane:ethyl acetate). After 1 h the reaction was quenched by pouring onto an ice-water mixture. The THF was removed in vacuo and the aqueous solution was stirred with an equivalent amount of ethyl acetate for 15 min. The resulting mixture was poured into a separatory funnel and allowed to separate, and the procedure was repeated with the aqueous layer. The combined organic extracts were washed with water and brine, dried over MgSO 4 and evaporated to give the product (4.0 g, 85%) as a pale yellow oil which contains a 50:50 mixture of the two diastereoisomers 5 and 6.
[0048] The two diastereoisomers 5 and 6 were separated by flash chromatography as described below (see 1.4). For TLC, solvent system is 80:20 hexane:ethyl acetate and the TLC plate must be 8-9 cm in order to see both isomers clearly. Column size: 30 cm silica gel×3 cm column.
[0049] The crude product is first dissolved in CH 2 Cl 2 and adsorbed onto silica gel. The column is packed with 100% hexane and loaded with the adsorbed silica gel. Further hexane (˜300 mL) is used to push the adsorbed silica gel onto the column proper.
[0050] 500 mL of 100:0.5 hexane:ethyl acetate, 500 mL of 100:1, 500 mL of 100:2500 mL of 100:4, 500 mL of 100:5, 500 mL of 100:6, 500 mL of 100:7 (at the end of this fraction, the product usually starts to appear) 500 mL of 100:8 to end.
[0051] The maximum amount loaded onto the column using this method was 6 g. In all cases, generally 50:50 of the two diastereoisomers was recovered. Generally, a mixed fraction is also recovered.
[0052] Analytical Results for 5 and 6
[0053] Diastereoisomer 5: White solid, m.p. 128-130° C. δ H (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 3.00 (2H, dd, J 13.8 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB, centred at 3.00], 3.08 (2H, dd, J 15.8 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.41 (2H, dd, J 22.9 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 5.02 (1H, m, C H OH), 6.64 (1H, s, C H ═C), 6.91-6.94 (2H, m, ArH), 7.10-7.31 (9H, br m, ArH), 7.35-7.40 (2H, m, ArH). δ C (75.5 MHz, CDCl 3 ):38.5 [CH 2 ], 40.5 [CH 2 ], 43.4 [CH 2 ], 56.4 [C q ], 81.9, 120.6, 123.5, 124.4, 125.0, 126.3, 127.0, 128.0, 128.7, 130.3, 130.4, 138.1 [C q ], 141.7 [C q ], 143.4 [C. q ], 143.8 [C q ], 144.5 [C q ], 151.1 [C q ].
[0054] Diastereoisomer 6: Clear oil or clear crystals m.p. 123-124° C. δ H (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 2.51 (1H, d, J 5.3 Hz, OH), 2.94 (2H, dd, J 13.4 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 2.98, (2H, dd, J 15.6 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.46 (2H, dd, J 22.5 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 5.17 (1H, d, J 5.1 Hz, C H OH), 6.44 (1H, s,C H ═C), 6.82-6.85 (2H, m, ArH), 7.09-7.14 (4H, m, ArH), 7.22-7.26 (5H, m, ArH), 7.36-7.39 (2H, m, ArH). δ C (75.5 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 38.3 [CH 2 ], 38.4 [CH 2 ], 39.9 [CH 2 ], 55.8 [CH 2 ], 82.9, 120.4, 123.4, 123.9, 124.0, 124.7, 126.0, 126.2, 126.8, 127.7, 128.1, 128.3, 130.1, 138.3 [C q ], 140.6 [C q ], 142.9 [C q ], 143.9 [C q ], 144.7 [C q ], 153.2 [C q ].
[0055] X-Ray Crystal Analysis of 6
[0056] The relative stereochemistry of the diastereoisomer diastereoisomer C being a mixture of two enantiomers was determined by single crystal X-ray analysis of a crystal formed from tert Butyl Methyl Ether as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0057] Separation of Constituent Enantiomers of Diastereoisomer 5 and 6
[0058] Method: the single diastereoisomer 5 or 6 was derivatised with N-BOC D-phenylalanine; the subsequently formed diastereoisomers were separated then the phenylalanine group was removed by hydrolysis.
[0059] Diastereoisomers 5 and 6
[0060] Preparation of N-BOC D-phenylalanine Derivative of 5 or 6.
[0000]
[0061] To a stirred solution of 5 or 6 (1.2 mmol, 0.406 g) and N-BOC D-phenylalanine (1.5 mmol, 0.398 g) in CH 3 CN (8 mL) was added pyridine (1.5 mmol, 0.12 mL). The mixture was stirred at room temperature and a solution of DCC (1.5 mmol, 0.309 g) and DMAP (10 mol %, 0.015 g) in CH 3 CN (2 mL) was added dropwise. After a short time, a white precipitate was seen. The reaction was heated to 50-60° C. for 16 h. (In the case of 6, the reaction took approximately 2 h; for 5, overnight stirring was required). On cooling, the reaction mixture was filtered and the dicyclohexylurea precipitate washed well with CH 3 CN. The CH 3 CN was evaporated in vacuo and the residue taken up in ethyl acetate (20 mL). The ethyl acetate extract was washed with 1N H 2 SO 4 (20 mL), sat. NaHCOs (20 mL) and brine (20 mL), dried over MgSO 4 and evaporated to give a yellow oil which contained two diastereoisomers by TLC (80:20 hexane:MTBE). The diastereoisomers were separated by chromatography using 95:5 hexane:MTBE as eluent to give diastereoisomer 11: 0.335 g (48%); diastereoisomer 12 0.323 g (46%).
[0062] Hydrolysis of N-BOC D-phenylalanine Derivatives (11 and 12) of Diastereoisomer 5 or 6 to give Enantiomers: 7 and 8 (from 5) 9 and 10 (from 6)
[0000]
[0063] To a stirred solution of N-BOC D-phenylalanine derivative 11 or 12 of Diastereoisomer 5 or 6 (1.12 mmol, 0.66 g) in methanol (25 mL) was added potassium carbonate (1.23 mmol, 0.17 g). The reaction mixture was heated at reflux and monitored by TLC (80:20 hexane:MTBE). After 2 h, no further starting material was seen. The methanol was removed in vacuo and the solid residue taken up in water and ethyl acetate. The layers were separated and the aqueous layer extracted with ethyl acetate (2×25 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with water (3×50 mL), brine (50 mL), dried over MgSO 4 and evaporated. The crude product was chromatographed using 90:10 hexane:MTBE as eluent to give 0.34 g (90%) of the product as a white solid.
[0064] Analytical Results of Separated Enantiomers of 5 and 6.
[0065] A) Enantiomer No. 1 from Diastereoisomer 5: Enantiomer 7
[0066] Enantiomer 7: Off-white solid, m.p. 97-99° C. [α] D : −1.764 (5.61%, CHCl 3 ). δ H (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ):1.71 (1H, d, J 8.0 Hz, OH), 3.05 (2H, dd, J 13.8 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.08 (2H, dd, J 15.8 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.43 (2H, dd, J 22.7 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 5.05 (1H, d, J 7.9 Hz, C H OH), 6.67 (1H, s, C H ═C), 6.91-6.97 (2H, m, ArH), 7.12-7.19 (4H, m, ArH), 7.22-7.33 (5H, m, ArH), 7.37-7.42 (2H, m, ArH). δ C (75.5 MHz, CDCl 3 ):38.4 [CH 2 ], 40.4 [CH 2 ], 43.4 [CH 2 ], 56.4 [C q ], 81.8, 120.6, 123.5, 124.3, 124.9, 125.0, 126.3, 127.0, 128.0, 128.7, 130.2, 130.4, 138.0 [C q ], 141.7 [C q ], 143.3 [C q ], 143.7 [C q ], 144.5 [C q ], 151.0 [C q ]
[0067] Enantiomer No. 2 Diastereoisomer 5: Enantiomer 8
[0068] Enantiomer 8: Off-white solid. M.p. 115-119° C., [α] D : +1.458 (8.98%, CHCl 3 ). δ H (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.75 (1H, d, J 7.9 Hz, OH), 2.95 (2H, dd, J 13.8 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.20 (2H, dd, J 15.6 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.42 (2H, dd, J 22.7 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 5.04 (1H, d, J 7.7 Hz, C H OH), 6.66 (1H, s, C H ═C), 6.92-6.95 (2H, m, ArH), 7.11-7.32 (9H, br m, ArH), 7.36-7.41 (2H, m, ArH). δ C (75.5 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 38.4 [CH 2 ], 40.4 [CH 2 ], 43.4 [CH 2 ], 56.4 [C q ], 81.8, 120.6, 123.5, 124.3, 124.9, 125.0, 126.3, 127.0, 128.0, 128.7, 130.2, 130.4, 138.0 [C q ], 141.6 [C q ], 143.3 [C q ], 143.7 [C q ], 144.5 [C q ], 151.0 [C q ]
[0069] Enantiomer No. 1 from Diastereoisomer 6: Enantiomer 9
[0070] Enantiomer 9: Pale yellow Off-white solid. M.p. 57-60° C. [α] D : +64.72 (7.79%, CHCl 3 ) +100 (1.20%, MeOH). δ H (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 2.08 (1H, d, J 8.0 Hz), 2.97 (2H, dd, J 13.5 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.01 (2H, dd, J 15.6 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 5.21 (1H, d, J 8.0 Hz, C H OH), 6.47 (1H, s, C H ═C), 6.85-6.87 (2H, m, ArH), 7.12-7.16 (4H, m, ArH), 7.21-7.29 (5H, m, ArH), 7.39-7.42 (2H, m, ArH).
[0071] Enantiomer No. 2 from Diastereoisomer 6: Enantiomer 10
[0072] Enantiomer 10: Pale yellow Off-white solid, m.p. 59-64° C. [α] D : 65.52 (7.67%, CHCl 3 ), −90.10 (1.08%, MeOH)). δ H (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ):2.09 (1H, d, J 7.5 Hz), 2.96 (2H, dd, J 13.4 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.01 (2H, dd, J 15.6 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 3.49 (2H, dd, J 22.5 Hz, CH 2 ) [AB system], 5.21 (1H, d, J 7.0 Hz, C H OH), 6.47 (1H, s, C H ═C), 6.84-6.89 (2H, m, ArH), 7.01-7.19 (4H, m, ArH), 7.21-7.32 (5H, m, ArH), 7.38-7.42 (2H, m, ArH).
Synthesis of (1S,2S)-2-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-2-(1H-inden-2-yl)-1H-inden-1-yl 4-bromobenzoate 13.
[0073] To a stirred solution of (1S,2S)-2-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-2-(1H-inden-2-yl)-1H-inden-1-ol (0.06 g, 0.177 mmol) and 4-bromobenzoic acid (0.05 g, 0.266 mmol) in dry dichloromethane (5 mL) was added 4-dimethylaminopyridine (0.03 g, 0.266 mmol), diisopropylethylamine (0.05 mL, 0.266 mmol) and 2,6-dichlorobenzoyl chloride (0.04 mL, 0.266 mmol) under an atmosphere of nitrogen. After an hour the reaction was quenched by the addition of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (10 mL) and the product was extracted with diethyl ether (3×20 mL). The organic layers were combined and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo. The resulting oily residue was then purified by flash column chromatography (stationary phase; silica gel 230-400 mesh, mobile phase; hexane:ethyl acetate, 10:1) to yield target product, (1S,2S)-2-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-2-(1H-inden-2-yl)-1H-inden-1-yl 4-bromobenzoate, as a pale yellow oil (0.08 g, 99%). Pale crystals from acetonitrile and isopropanol (v:v, 1:1), m.p. 156-158° C. HRMS (+Na + ): 543.0930 m/z; required 543.0912; m/z; C 32 H 25 O 2 BrNa. δ H (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 3.17 (1H, d, J=13.56 Hz, C H 2 ), 3.19 (1H, d, J=15.42 Hz, C H 2 ), 3.27 (1H, d, J=22.52 Hz, C H 2 ), 3.366 (1H, d, J=13.56 Hz, C H 2 ), 3.371 (1H, d, J=15.42 Hz, C H 2 ), 3.41 (1H, d, J=22.52 Hz, C H 2 ), 6.57 (1H, s, C H ═C), 6.64 (1H, s, C H OC═O), 6.94-6.95 (2H, overlapping signals, Ar— H ), 7.15 (1H, dt, J 1 =1.23 Hz, J 2 =7.29 Hz, Ar— H ), 7.15-7.19 (3H, m, Ar— H ), 7.21-7.24 (2H, m, Ar— H ), 7.27 (1H, d, J=7.16 Hz, Ar— H ), 7.31-7.32 (2H, m, Ar— H ), 7.36 (1H, overlapping d, J=7.60 Hz, Ar— H ), 7.39 (1H, overlapping d, J=7.42 Hz, Ar— H ), 7.67 (2H, overlapping d, J=8.68 Hz, Ar— H ), 8.05 (2H, overlapping d, J=8.52 Hz, Ar— H ). δ C (100 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 39.6 ( C H 2 ), 40.4 ( C H 2 ), 40.8 ( C H 2 ), 54.9 (quat. C ), 83.8 ( C HOC═O), 120.6 (tert. C ), 123.5 (tert. C ), 124.3 (tert. C ), 124.6 (tert. C ), 125.7 (tert. C ), 126.31 (tert. C ), 126.33 (tert. C ), 126.9 (tert. C ), 2×127.9 (2×tert. C ), 128.5 (quat. C ), 129.08 (tert. C ), 129.1 (quat. C ), 129.5 ( C H═C), 2×130.0 (2×tert. C ), 2×131.3 (2×tert. C ), 2×131.9 (2×tert. C ), 137.9 (quat. C ), 140.4 (quat. C ), 142.2 (quat. C ), 142.7 (quat. C ), 144.4 (quat. C ), 151.6 (CH═ C ), 165.6 ( C ═OOAr).
[0074] HPLC Method
[0075] Column: Hypersil BDS C18, Wavelength: 220 nm, Flow rate: 1 mL/min. Mobile phase: 80:20 CH 3 CN:0.1% aq. acetic acid. Sample: 1 mg/mL, made up in CH 3 CN.
[0076] Using this system, diastereoisomers 5 and 6 do not separate but have a retention time of 6.9 min.
[0077] Chiral HPLC Separation of Enantiomers of Diastereoisomer 6
[0078] Preparative Method: Column 250×20 mm CHIRALPAK ADH 5 μm. Mobile Phase 50/50/0.1 Methanol/Ethanol/Diethylamine. Flow rate: 14 ml/min. Detection: UV 230 nm, Temperature: 25° C.
[0079] Analytical Method: Column 250×4.6 mm CHIRALPAK ADH 5 μm. Mobile Phase 50/50/0.1 Methanol/Ethanol/Diethylamine. Flow rate: 0.7 ml/min. Detection: UV 230 nm, Temperature: 25° C.
[0080] Method: Chiral Separation of Enantiomers of Diastereoisomer 6 (9 and 10).
[0081] Analytical Method: Column 250×20 mm CHIRALPAK®IA 5 μm. Mobile Phase Heptane/EtOH 95:5. Flow rate: 1 ml/min. Detection: DAD 230 nm, Temperature: 25° C.
[0000]
Second Eluting enantiomer
First Eluting enantiomer 9
10
Retention time
11.7 min
13.8 min
α [D]
64.72 (7.79%, CHCl 3 )
−65.52 (7.67%, CHCl 3 )
[0082] X-Ray Studies
[0083] A single crystal X-ray analysis ( FIG. 2 ) was carried out on the 4-bromobenzoic acid ester (compound 13) derivative of compound 10, using a Bruker Apex DUO Diffractometer and the parameters outlined in Table 1.
[0000]
[0000]
TABLE 1
Data collection and structure refinement for compound 13; 4-
bromobenzoic acid ester of compound 10.
Diffractometer
Bruker Apex DUO
Radiation source
Microfocus (Cu) X-ray Source,
Cu Kα
Data collection method
Omega and Phi scans
Theta range for data collection
5.14 to 59.96°
Index ranges
−12 <= h <= 9, −6 <= k <= 5,
−8 <= 1 <= 16
Reflections collected
2049
Independent reflections
1693 [R(int) = 0.0488]
Coverage of independent
62.8%
reflections
Variation in check reflections
N/A
Absorption correction
Multi-scan
Max. and min. transmission
1.00000 and 0.384
Structure solution technique
direct methods
Structure solution program
SHELXS-97 (Sheldrick, 2008)
Refinement technique
Full-matrix least-squares on F 2
Refinement program
SHELXL-97 (Sheldrick, 2008)
Function minimized
Σ w(F o 2 -F c 2 ) 2
Data/restraints/parameters
1693/99/317
Goodness-of-fit on F 2
1.025
Final R indices
1607 data; I > 2σ(I)
R1 = 0.0884, wR2 = 0.2159
all data R1 = 0.0900, wR2 = 0.2186
Weighting scheme
w = 1/[σ 2 (F o 2 ) +
(0.1997 P)2 + 0.0000 P]
where P = (F o 2 + 2F c 2 )/3
Absolute structure parameter
0.0(1)
Extinction coefficient
0.0000(9)
Largest diff. peak and hole
1.298 and −2.002 eÅ −3
R.M.S. deviation from mean
0.177 eÅ −3
Refinement summary:
Ordered Non-H atoms, XYZ
freely refining
Ordered Non-H atoms, U
Anisotropic
H atoms (on carbon), XYZ
Idealized positions riding on attached
atoms
H atoms (on carbon), U
Appropriate multiple of U(eq)
atom
for bonded
H atoms (on heteroatoms), XYZ
freely refining
H atoms (on heteroatoms), U
Isotropic
[0084] The structure of compound 13 was solved and refined using the Bruker SHELXTL Software Package, using the space group P 1 21 1, with Z=1 for the formula unit, C 32 H 25 Br 1 O 2 , with one molecule of compound 13 in the asymmetric unit (Table 2).
[0000]
TABLE 2
Sample and crystal data for compound 13
Crystallization solvents
Acetonitrile and Isopropanol
Crystallization method
Slow evaporation
Empirical formula
C 32 H 25 Br 1 O 2
Formula weight
521.43
Temperature
146(2)K
Wavelength
1.54178 Å
Crystal size
0.10 × 0.10 × 0.10 mm Crystal habit
Colourless Plate Crystal system
Monoclinic
Space group
P 1 21 1
Unit cell dimensions
α = 13.668(3) Å
α= 90°
b = 6.0697(8) Å
β = 105.655(17)°
c = 14.8879(3) Å
γ = 90° Volume 1188.6(4) Å 3
Z
1
Density (calculated)
0.728 g/m 3
Absorption coefficient
1.287 mm −1
F(000)
268
[0085] The absolute stereochemistry was determined as S, S at C00J and C00R for compound 13.
[0086] The assignment was made from consideration of both the Flack parameter which was determined to be 0.0(1) and from the a priori knowledge of the stereochemistry of the ester former.
[0087] The theoretical x-ray powder diffraction pattern from the single crystal X-ray structure was in agreement with the experimental powder diffraction pattern ( FIG. 3 ), which confirmed the stereochemistry shown in FIG. 2 .
[0088] Effect of Compounds in Models of Inflammation
[0089] The biological activity of the compounds was assessed in a variety of acute inflammatory and immune inflammatory models.
[0090] Methodology
[0091] Mouse Ear Oedema
[0092] The arrachidonic mouse ear oedema model is an acute inflammation model based on activation of ecosanoid pathways. The mouse ear oedema model was performed using BalbC mice (25-35 g), of either sex. The ear was treated by the topical application (10 μl) of solvent (acetone 100%) or test drug (300 μg/ear in acetone) or Indomethacin (300 μg/ear in acetone). After one hour, oedema was induced by the topical application of arachidonic acid (10 μl at 0.4 g/ml in acetone). The width of each ear was measured, both before and 60 min after the induction of oedema, using a micrometer screw gauge. Ear oedema was calculated by comparing the ear width before and after induction of oedema and expressed as percentage normal. Animals were killed using CO2, without recovering from sedation.
[0093] Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) Methods
[0094] Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) is a cell-mediated immune response which is protective against intracellular bacteria, fungi and some viruses. However when inappropriately deployed, it can cause extensive tissue damage in auto-immune inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and allograft rejection. Th1 cells have been proposed to be the inducer of this type of hypersensitivity since the resulting IFNγ production would activate macrophages However in some cases, DTH has been induced by a Th2 response. Models of DTH are often used to assess T cell mediated immune responses in vivo.
[0095] Cytokines involved in this process include IL-2, IL-3, GM-CSF, TNFα and IFNγ. Anti-IL-2 receptor antibodies administered during the sensitisation phase have been shown to suppress DTH. IL-12, produced from the antigen presenting cells (APCs) is also significant in cell-mediated immunity through the induction of IFNγ from NK cells and T cells and also enhances the cytotoxic activity of NK cells.
[0096] Studies were undertaken in three different DTH models: the Methylated Bovine Serum Albumin (mBSA) model, the Sheep Red Blood Cell (SRBC) Model and the Oxazolone Contact Hypersensitivity (CHS) model.
[0097] Methylated Bovine Serum Albumin (mBSA) Model
[0098] CD-1 mice (25-35 gms) were anaesthetised with halothane and immunised intradermal (i.d.) with mBSA/Freunds complete adjuvant containing Mycobacterium butyricum (FCA(B)) emulsion at four sites (62.5 μg/25 μl at each site) on the shaved chest on day 1. The mBSA/FCA(B) is prepared by emulsifying equal volumes of mBSA and FCA(B) solutions (the mBSA solution was first prepared in sterile isotonic saline at a concentration of 5 mg/mL). On days 8 and 9, mice were dosed intraperitoneal (i.p.) with either 1% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), CycA or a novel compound in 1% CMC. Two hours after the second i.p. dose (day 9), anaesthetised mice were challenged, by injecting mBSA in saline subcutaneous (s.c.) in the dorsal surface of the right hind paw and s.c. in the left hind paw with saline alone (20 μl each injection). 24 hours later, mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and the swelling of each paw was measured in triplicate with a plethysmometer.
[0000] Paw swelling (% difference)={mBSA injected paw volume (mls)}−{saline injected paw volume (mls)}×100%
[0099] Saline Injected Paw Volume (mls)
[0100] Sheep Red Blood Cell (SRBC) Model
[0101] The sheep red blood cells were first cleaned and counted as follows. 5 mls of the SRBC were spun down in a centrifuge at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes. The supernatant was removed and phosphate buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.4 added to the pellet. The pellet was mixed with the PBS buffer (5 mls) and spun down in a centrifuge at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes. The pellet was washed twice more with PBS buffer as described above. The pellet was then reconstituted in 5 mls of PBS buffer following the final wash. 10 μl of a 1 in 200 dilution of the sample of reconstituted sheep red blood cells (in trypan blue stain) was used to fill the counting chamber of a haemacytometer and the number of sheep red blood cells counted.
[0102] Male CD-1 mice (30-40 gms) were sensitised on day zero. The negative control group was sensitised with 100 μl PBS intraperitoneally (i.p.), while the positive control group and drug treated groups were sensitised with 1×10 7 SRBC (100 μl i.p.).
[0103] Animals were challenged 5 days later with SRBC. The SRBC were cleaned and counted as described above. Animals anaesthetised with halothane were challenged s.c. by injecting SRBC (3×10 8 cells in 20 μl) into the right hind paws and PBS (20 μl) into the left hind paws. This was done for all groups including the negative control group.
[0104] Drug treated groups were dosed i.p on day 4 and 2 hours prior to challenge on day 5. The negative control and positive control groups were dosed with 1% CMC using the same dosing schedule.
[0105] The difference in paw swelling between the saline-injected and SRBC-challenged contralateral paw of each mouse was calculated by measuring paw volume (mls) using a plethysmometer. This was carried out 24 hours after challenge to SRBC with triplicate measurements made on each paw. This was done as described previously for the mBSA delayed-type hypersensitivity model
[0106] Oxazolone Contact Hypersensitivity (CHS) Model
[0107] Female Balb/C mice (30-40 gms) were sensitised on day 0 with 20 μl of 2% oxazolone in acetone on each ear (10 μl on the inner and outer aspects of both ears). All mice were challenged on day 5 with 20 μl of 2% oxazolone in acetone only on the right ear; again, 10 μl on both the inner and outer aspects of the ear. Immediately following this, the mice were treated with test compound. The test compound was administered in exactly the same way as the oxazolone, with 10 μl on each side of the right ear. All compounds were prepared in acetone at a concentration of 15 mg/ml; 300 μg/ear. For the positive control group, acetone was administered. All animals were killed 24 hrs later and the percentage increase in ear swelling was calculated. This was done in two ways. The thickness of the unchallenged left ear and the challenged right ear were measured using a micrometer caliper (μm). The increase in weight of both ears was also measured using a 5 mm biopsy punch (mgs). The percentage increase in oedema was then calculated for both weight and thickness by expressing the difference between the unchallenged left ear and the challenged right ear as a percentage of the left ear control.
[0108] Statistics
[0109] Comparisons between groups of data was performed by 1-way ANOVA using Graphpad Prism software. Results are displayed as a mean±SEM. Where indicated, statistical significance is indicated by asterisks according to the following criteria:
[0000]
P value
Wording
Summary
<0.0001
Extremely significant
****
0.0001 to 0.001
Extremely significant
***
0.001 to 0.01
Very significant
**
0.01 to 0.05
Significant
*
≧0.05
Not significant
ns
[0110] Effect on Inflammatory Models
[0111] Arrachidonic Mouse Ear Swelling.
[0112] Arrachidonic acid (10 μl at 0.4 g/ml in acetone) increased ear thickness of the right ear by 86% over the left ear. Indomethacin (300 μg/ear in acetone) reduced ear swelling to 40%. In comparison, compounds 5 & 6 (300 μg/ear in acetone) reduced ear swelling to 62% and 50% respectively (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the degree of inhibition of ear swelling of the two compounds (P>0.05) See FIG. 4 .
[0113] Conclusion: The diastereoisomers 5 and 6 are equipotent with the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug, indomethacin. There is no statistical difference in terms of antiinflammatory effects of the two diastereoisomers 5 and 6 in this arachidonic acid mouse ear model of inflammation. These results would suggest the possibility of 5 and 6 having application in the treatment of inflammation and alleviation of pain.
[0114] Effect on Methylated Bovine Serum Albumin (mBSA) Mouse Paw Swelling
[0115] On challenge with mBSA to the right paw in sensitised mice, paw volume increased by 107% over saline-injected left paws. Ciclosporin (50 mg/kg) reduced paw swelling to 29% and compounds 5 & 6 (10 mg/kg i.p.) reduced right paw swelling to 72% and 71% respectively ( FIG. 5 ).
[0116] Conclusion: The mBSA stimulated mouse paw swelling model is a delayed type hypersensitivity model which exhibits inflammation by mechanisms outside the classical eicosonoid pathways suggested by the arachidonic acid mouse ear model. The mBSA results are in keeping with the observation of equipotency for 5 and 6 from the AA model. These mBSA results show no statistical difference in terms of antiinflammatory effects of the two diastereoisomers 5 and 6 which have moderate and statistically significant activity in this model. This suggests that 5 and 6 may have application in the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory disease.
[0117] Effect on Sheep Red Blood Cell (SRBC)—Stimulated Mouse Paw Swelling.
[0118] Injection of SRBCs into the right paws of unsensitised negative control mice increased paw volume by 24% whereas in sensitised animals, challenge by SRBCs increased right paw swelling to 89% in those animals administered vehicle only. Ciclosprorin (50 mg/kg) reduced paw swelling to 57%. Compounds 5 & 6 (30 mg/kg) reduced paw swelling to SRBC challenge to 60% and 52% respectively. There was no significant difference in the reduction in swelling by these two compounds ( FIG. 6 ).
[0119] Conclusion: The stimulated mouse paw swelling model (SRBC) is also a delayed type hypersensitivity model which exhibits inflammation by mechanisms outside the classical eicosonoid pathways. The SRBC results are in keeping with the observation of equipotency for 5 and 6 from the mBSA and AA models. These SRBC results show no statistical difference in terms of antiinflammatory effects of the two diastereoisomers 5 and 6 which have moderate and statistically significant activity in this model. This supports the observation from the mBSA study that 5 and 6 may have application in the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory disease.
[0120] Effect on Oxazolone Contact Hypersensitivity Mouse Ear Swelling
[0121] Administration of oxazolone to the right ears of oxazolone-sensitised mice increased ear punch weight by 107% in mice administered vehicle only. In contrast, ciclosporin (15 mg/kg) and dexamethasone (15 mg/kg) reduced the increase in ear punch weight to 46% and 42% respectively. However, neither compound 5 nor 6 had no significant effect on oxazolone mouse ear swelling (P>0.05) see FIG. 7 .
[0122] Conclusion: The oxazolone-stimulated mouse ear swelling is a third delayed type hypersensitivity model which exhibits inflammation by mechanisms outside the classical eicosonoid pathways. Neither 5 nor 6 had activity in this model. In particular it was worth noting that there was no difference in activity between the two diastereoisomers 5 and 6 as previously observed with the mBSA, SRBC and AA models. The fact that diastereoisomers 5 and 6 had activity in two of the three DTH models suggests that they are showing specificity for processes involved in these models.
[0123] IL-2 Secretion
[0124] Many of the immunosuppressive drugs used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and organ transplant rejection, such as corticosteroids and immune suppressive drugs (ciclosporin, tacrolimus) work by inhibiting the production of IL-2 by antigen-activated T cells. Others (sirolimus) block IL-2R signalling, thereby preventing the clonal expansion and function of antigen-selected T cells [ref: Opposing functions of IL-2 and IL-7 in the regulation of immune responses Shoshana D. Katzman, Katrina K. Hoyer, Hans Dooms, Iris K. Gratz, Michael D. Rosenblum, Jonathan S. Paw, Sara H. Isakson, Abul K. Abbas. Cytokine 56 (2011) 116-121]. Cytokines can be produced by various cell populations and have been shown to augment or limit immune responses to pathogens and influence the autoimmune response. One family of cytokines, which uses the common receptor gamma chain (cc), a component of receptors for interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL-15 and IL-21, has been classically defined as growth and survival factors. IL-2 production can induce an immune response by promoting the proliferation and generation of CD4+ Th1, CD4+ Th2 and CD8+ CTL effector cells.
[0125] In contrast IL-2 can inhibit the immune response by promoting the survival and functionality of natural (thymic) regulatory T-cells (Tregs), promoting the generation of induced (peripheral) Tregs and inhibiting the generation of CD4+ Th17 effector cells [ref: IL-2 and autoimmune disease. Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews 13 (2002) 369-378]. Interleukin-2/IL-2R deficiency with time leads to multiorgan inflammation and the formation of autoantibodies of various specificities. Depending on the genetic background, death occurs within a few weeks to a few months, mostly from autoimmune hemolytic anemia or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [ref. Ulcerative colitis-like disease in mice with a disrupted interleukin-2 gene. Cell 1993; 75:253-61].
[0126] IL-2 signalling has been shown to be important in both the initiation and regulation of immune responses. In these dual and opposing roles, IL-2 acts to balance immune response, both driving immune cell activation and subsequent reduction. The potential clinical applicability of either augmenting or inhibiting signals mediated by IL-2 is significant and includes cancer, autoimmune inflammatory diseases, organ transplantation and HIV.
[0127] Due to the presence of two chiral centres in each of the diastereoisomers 5 and 6, and therefor the presence of two enantiomers in each diastereoisomer 5 (7 and 8) and 6 (9 and 10) we isolated the single enantiomers 7, 8, 9 and 10 and evaluated their effects on IL2 release from Jurkat cells, alongside their corresponding diastereoisomers.
[0128] Materials and Methods
[0129] Methodology
[0130] The T cell line Jurkat 6.1 (ATCC) was used. Cells were pre-treated for 30 min with 1 μM or 10 μM of the respective compound and then stimulated with plate-bound anti-CD3 (BD Pharmingen) and anti-CD28 (AnCell). DMSO was used as vehicle control. The immunosuppressive agent Cyclosporine A was used as a control for inhibition of IL-2 production. After 24 hs the supernatant was collected and IL-2 secretion was measured by ELISA.
[0131] Cell Culture
[0132] Jurkat T cells were cultured in RMPI-1640 medium containing 10 % Foetal Bovine Serum, Penicillin/Streptomycin and L-Glutamine in T-75cm2 flasks at 37° C. and 5 % CO2. Cells were seeded into new culture flasks at a density of 1-3×105 cells per ml and maintained at a density of 0.5−1×106 cells per ml.
[0133] Activation of Jurkat T Lymphocytes
[0134] (A) Anti-TCR/CD28-mediated activation of Jurkat cells: Experiments involving anti-TCR/CD28-mediated activation of Jurkat T lymphocytes were carried out on 24-well cell culture plates. The plates were coated with a 1/100 dilution of rabbit anti-mouse IgG in sterile PBS (1×) and incubated overnight at 4OC. Unbound antibody was aspirated and the wells were gently rinsed with warm sterile PBS. The PBS was aspirated and the wells were coated with a 1/100 dilution of anti-TCR antibody (OKT-3) and a 1/200 dilution of anti-CD28 antibody (both antibodies pre-mixed prior to addition to the plates) in sterile PBS. The plates were then incubated for 1-2 hours at 37° C. Unbound antibody was aspirated and the wells were gently rinsed with warm PBS. The PBS was left on the plate until the Jurkat cells were ready to be added to the plate. The Jurkat cells were harvested from the T-75cm2 cell culture flasks and resuspended at a density of 0.5×106 cells per ml. The compounds were dissolved at a specified stock concentration (see results section) and diluted to the required concentration by adding the drug to the cell suspension. The cells were then pre-incubated with the compounds or with an equivalent volume of drug vehicle control (DMSO) for 30 minutes prior to adding the cell suspension to the antibody-coated plates. Cyclosporine A (1 μM) was used as a positive control to inhibit IL-2 production from activated T cells and was preincubated with the 6 cells as described above in parallel. The cells were then incubated on the plates with the acti-TCR/CD28 antibodies for 24 hours at 37° C. and 5% CO2 in a humidified atmosphere. After 24 hours, the cell suspension was removed from the plates and the cells were pelleted by centrifugation. The cell culture supernatant was saved and analysed for secreted IL-2 by ELISA. The cell pellet was saved and cell viability was measured using Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide cell viability staining solution.
[0135] (B) PHA/PMA-mediated activation of Jurkat cells Jurkat cells were resuspended at a concentration of 0.5×106 cells per ml and the Pharmatrin compounds at the desired concentration or an equivalent volume of drug vehicle control (DMSO) were added to the cells and incubated for 30 minutes. Cyclosporine A (1 ∝M) was used as a positive control to inhibit IL-2 production from activated T cells and was preincubated with the cells as described above in parallel. PHA and PMA were added to the cell suspension (10 ∝g/ml and 10 ng/ml respectively) and the cells were plated onto uncoated 24-well plates. The cells were incubated on the plates for 24 hours at 37° C. and 5 % CO2 in a humidified atmosphere. After 24 hours, the cell suspension was removed from the plates and the cells were pelleted by centrifugation. The cell culture supernatant was saved and analysed for secreted IL-2 by ELISA.
[0136] Measurement of Cell Viability
[0137] The cell pellet was resuspended in 20 μl of Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide staining solution. A portion of this cell suspension was placed on a haemocytometer and analysed under a fluorescence microscope. Viable cells appeared green whilst non-viable cells had a characteristic orange appearance. The ratio of viable cells: non-viable cells were calculated for each activation time point/drug treatment.
[0138] ELISA Assay
[0139] The cell culture supernatants were analysed for IL-2 by ELISA (96-well plate format) using the Human IL-2 ELISA kit from R&D Systems Europe. This assay was carried out using the standard protocol outlined by the company. Samples and standards (recombinant human IL-2 provided by R&D Systems) were analysed in triplicate. The colour formed in each well (proportional to the amount of IL-2 in the samples or standards) was read using a 96-well plate reader (Titertek Multiscan, Medical Supply Company) at 450 nm. Analysis of data and chart generation was constructed using the Microsoft Excel program.
[0000]
[ ]pg/ml
[ ]pg/ml
[ ]pg/ml
% Control
% Control
% Control
Sample
(1)
(2)
(3)
(1)
(2)
(3)
Diastereoisomer6
R
13.60
−24.95
1.51
18.62
−38.21
1.15
DMSO 0.1%
73.03
65.30
131.56
100.00
100.00
100.00
Cyc. A
−0.25
−18.73
2.56
−0.34
−28.68
1.94
6 0.3 uM
63.72
74.50
101.75
87.26
114.09
77.34
6 1 uM
58.72
51.60
112.44
80.41
79.02
85.47
6 3 uM
47.83
29.15
104.44
65.50
44.64
79.39
6 10 uM
27.72
36.15
75.19
37.96
55.36
57.15
6 30 uM
4.72
47.60
16.47
6.47
72.89
12.52
6 100 uM
−10.11
−19.75
1.97
−13.85
−30.25
1.50
Enantiomer 9
R
13.60
−24.95
1.51
18.62
−38.21
1.15
DMSO 0.1%
73.03
65.30
131.56
100.00
100.00
100.00
Cyc. A
−0.25
−18.73
2.56
−0.34
−28.68
1.94
9 0.3 uM
111.72
73.45
139.63
152.99
112.48
106.13
9 1 uM
120.56
65.45
114.13
165.09
100.23
86.75
9 3 uM
78.78
81.75
53.47
107.88
59.11
40.64
9 10 uM
37.72
85.60
36.16
51.66
131.09
27.48
9 30 uM
−4.56
16.35
−3.88
−6.24
25.04
−2.95
9 100 uM
−3.72
−5.75
−5.28
−5.10
−8.81
−4.01
Enantiomer 10
R
13.60
−24.95
1.51
18.62
−38.21
1.15
DMSO 0.1%
73.03
65.30
131.56
100.00
100.00
100.00
Cyc. A
−0.25
−18.73
2.56
−0.34
−28.68
1.94
10 0.3 uM
79.17
88.15
58.63
108.41
134.99
44.56
10 1 uM
64.17
57.50
104.44
87.87
88.06
79.39
10 3 uM
71.39
54.15
100.50
97.76
82.92
76.39
10 10 uM
42.50
45.60
80.25
58.20
69.83
61.00
10 30 uM
14.17
56.70
46.06
19.40
86.83
35.01
10 100 uM
−11.33
−6.30
−0.78
−15.52
−9.65
−0.59
Diastereoisomer5
R
−11.38
−24.95
1.51
−55.76
−38.21
1.15
DMSO 0.1%
20.40
65.30
131.56
100.00
100.00
100.00
Cyc. A
−10.48
−18.73
2.56
−51.35
−28.68
1.94
5 0.3 uM
32.00
87.25
164.41
156.86
133.61
124.97
5 1 uM
21.85
64.65
127.84
107.11
99.00
97.18
5 3 uM
10.90
83.25
97.38
53.43
60.20
74.02
5 10 uM
8.75
63.80
70.72
42.89
97.70
53.76
5 30 uM
16.25
5.75
6.69
79.66
8.81
5.08
5 100 uM
−10.40
−13.05
0.28
−50.98
−19.98
0.21
Enantiomer 7
R
−11.38
−24.95
1.51
−55.76
−38.21
1.15
DMSO 0.1%
20.40
65.30
131.56
100.00
100.00
100.00
Cyc. A
−10.48
−18.73
2.56
−51.35
−28.68
1.94
7 0.3 uM
44.65
93.65
112.94
218.87
143.42
85.85
7 1 uM
49.20
71.40
109.59
241.18
109.34
83.31
7 3 uM
43.25
45.10
97.25
212.01
69.07
73.92
7 10 uM
24.75
36.75
81.84
121.32
56.28
62.21
7 30 uM
10.10
27.80
32.00
49.51
42.57
24.32
7 100 uM
1.15
−19.30
−3.13
5.64
−29.56
−2.38
Enantiomer 8
R
−11.38
−11.38
56.81
−55.76
−55.76
41.08
DMSO 0.1%
20.40
20.40
138.29
100.00
100.00
100.00
Cyc. A
−10.48
−10.48
3.19
−51.35
−51.35
2.31
8 0.3 uM
44.20
50.10
107.03
216.67
245.59
77.39
8 1 uM
37.95
39.65
111.75
186.03
194.36
80.81
8 3 uM
34.45
36.00
102.92
168.87
176.47
74.42
8 10 uM
20.15
25.65
81.78
98.77
125.74
59.13
8 30 uM
−2.80
−3.00
76.25
−13.73
−14.71
55.14
8 100 uM
−12.55
−12.80
8.11
−61.52
−62.75
5.87
[0140] Effect of compounds 5 and 8 and ciclosporin of the anti-TCR/CD28 or PHA/PMA-mediated IL2 secretion from Jurkat T Cells. The effect of the indicated concentrations of compounds on inhibition of IL-2 secretion from Jurkat cells is indicated as a percentage value (relative to DMSO control). In some cases compounds did not inhibit IL-2 secretion (and in fact gave a negative percentage value in comparison to DMSO), which is indicated in the table as NE (No Effect).
[0141] Conclusion
[0142] Compounds 5, 7, 8 and 6 inhibited IL2 release from Jurkat cells without affecting cell viability.
[0143] Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBP)
[0144] Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consists of two idiopathic inflammatory diseases ulceritive colitis and Crohn's disease (CD). The greatest distinction between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease is the range of inflamed bowel tissue. Inflammation in Crohn's disease is discontinuously segmented known as regional enteritis, while ulceritive colitis is superficial inflammation extending proximally and continuously from the rectum. At present the exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown. The disease seems to be related to an exaggerated mucosal immune response to infection of the intestinal epithelium because of an imbalance of pro-inflammatory and immune-regulatory molecules. The inheritance patterns of Crohn's disease suggest a complex genetic component of pathogenesis that may consist of several combined genetic mutations. Currently no specific diagnostic test exists for Crohn's disease, but as understanding of pathogenesis is improved so will the testing methods. Treatment of Crohn's disease consists of inducing remission by anti-inflammatories followed by general immune-suppressants. Emergent therapeutic options focus on specific inflammatory pathways which will halt inflammation and induce remission in patients with Crohn's disease. Although several anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents have been used to treat Crohn's disease, the two FDA-approved therapies for Crohn's disease are Remicade, a TNFα-antagonist marketed by Johnson & Johnson, and Entocort, a coated, corticosteroid capsule marketed by AstraZeneca.
[0145] Inflammatory Bowel Disease—Murine Colitis Model
[0146] Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced colitis is an experimental model which exhibits many of the symptoms observed in human Ulcerative Colitis such as diarrhoea, bloody faeces, mucosal ulceration, and shortening of the colon and weight loss. It is therefore often used as a model for studying the pathogenesis of UC and screening of drugs used in the treatment of UC. An acute model (5% DSS) of colitis was used. This dose induces severe acute colitis, by day 6-7 mice will have rectal bleeding and will die by day 10-12.
[0147] Mice
[0148] Specific Pathogen-Free female Balb/c mice, 6-8 weeks of age, were obtained from a commercial supplier (Harlan, UK). Mice were fed irradiated diet and housed in individually ventilated cages (Tecniplast, UK) under positive pressure.
[0149] Dextran Sodium Sulphate (DSS) Treatment.
[0150] Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS: 5%) was dissolved in the drinking water. Compounds were injected at a dose of 10 mg/kg i.p. on days 0-7, and mice were culled on day 8 or day 9, depending on the severity of the disease. The mice were checked each day for morbidity and weight of individual mice recorded. Induction of colitis was determined by weight loss, fecal blood, stool consistency, and, upon autopsy, length of colon and histology. Colons were recovered and stored at −20° C. for immunological analysis. All compounds and experimental groups were randomly alphabetically labelled. Throughout experiments all data recording was performed in a blind manner. The codes on boxes/groups were not broken until after the data was analysed, i.e. boxes labelled A, B C etc were identified as untreated, DSS-treated, or DSS+compound treated.
[0151] To quantify the extent of colitis a disease activity index (DAI) was determined based on weight loss, occult blood and stool consistency. A score (Table 1) was given for each parameter, with the sum of the scores used as the DAI. For each treatment group n=6.
[0152] Administration of Compounds
[0153] All compounds were prepared for injection (0.1 mls intraperitoneal (i.p.) per 10 g body weight) as a suspension in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose/2%) Tween 80, at a dose of 10 mg kg −1 . Compounds were initially dissolved in absolute ethanol and diluted 9+1 with 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose/2%) Tween 80; this resulted in a fine precipitate in suspension.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Score
Weight loss %
Stool consistency
Occult bleeding
0
None
normal
none
1
1-3
2
3-6
Loose stool 1
Visible in stool
3
6-9
4
>9
Diarrhea 2
Gross bleeding 3
Definitions
1 Loose stool—stool formed, but becomes a paste on handling.
2 Diarrhoea—no stool formation fur stained around anus.
3 Gross bleeding—fresh blood on fur around anus with extensive blood in the stool.
[0154] Results
[0155] DSS at 5% in the drinking water, induced a progressive weight loss compared to non-DSS mice and this weight loss was ameliorated by diastereoisomer 6 and by the S,S-enantiomer 10 but not by the R,R-enantiomer 9 ( FIG. 8 ).
[0156] Of the pair of diastereoisomers 5 and 6, only 6 caused a significant (P<0.01) inhibition of DIA in DSS-induced colitis ( FIG. 9 ). Of the two enantiomers of diastereoisomer 6, 5, 9 and 10, only the S,S-enantiomer 10 caused a significant (P<0.0059) inhibition of DIA ( FIG. 9 ).
[0157] Compound 10 is the single active S,S-enantiomer, the value of the vehicle control being 6.833±1.276 being and that of the 10 treated group being 2.333±0.211 on DAI at day 7 ( FIG. 9 ).
[0158] FIG. 10 . Effect of vehicle and compounds 6, 9 & 10 (30 mg/kg) (p.o.) on disease activity index (DAI) in 5 % DSS colitis on day 7. Values expressed as a mean±SEM, n=6.
[0159] It is apparent, that there is a very significant and unexpected difference in activity between the diastereoisomers 5 and 6, and most significantly between the single enantiomers 9 and 10. We are observing very specific and selective activity for the enantiomer with the S,S-configuration. This activity shows that this molecule has the potential to treat immuno inflammatory conditions in the inflammatory bowel disease spectrum, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and that it operates by a different mechanism than the other enantiomers.
[0160] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described but may be varied in detail.
APPENDIX: 1
[0161] Abbreviations
aq aqueous b.p. boiling point CaCl 2 calcium chloride CDCl 3 chloroform-d CHCl 2 dichloromethane dIW distilled ionised water DMSO dimethyl sulphoxide MTBE Ether EtOAc ethyl acetate EtOH ethanol H 2 O water H 2 SO 4 sulphuric acid HCl hydrochloric acid IR infra red M Molar MgCl 2 magnesium chloride MgSO 4 Magnesium sulphate min minutes μl microlitres mM milli-molar m.p. melting point NaHCO 3 sodium hydrogen carbonate NaHCO 3 sodium bicarbonate NaH 2 PO sodium hydrogen phosphate NaOH sodium hydroxide Na 2 SO 4 sodium sulphate NH 4 Cl ammonium chloride NMR nuclear magnetic resonance RT room temperature S.E.M. standard error of mean THF tetrahydrofuran TLC thin layer chromatography μl microliters
APPENDIX 2
[0000]
5 (diastereomer) (R,S and SR)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H,1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol
6 (diastereomer) (S,S and RR)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H,1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol
7 (enantiomer) (R,S or SR)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H,1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol
8 (enantiomer) (R,S or SR)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H,1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol
9 (enantiomer) (1R,2R)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H,1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol
10 (enantiomer) (1S,2S)2-Benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1H,1′H-2,2′-biinden-1-ol
13 (enantiomer) (1S,2S)-2-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-2(1H-inden-2-yl)-1H-inden-1-yl 4-bromobenzoate
APPENDIX 3
[0202]
[0000]
TABLE 3
Atomic coordinates and equivalent isotropic atomic displacement
parameters, (Å 2 ), for compound 13. U(eq) is defined as one third
of the trace of the orthogonalised U ij tensor.
x/a
y/b
z/c
U(eq)
Br01
0.42895(10)
0.0083(2)
0.78773(8)
0.0357(7)
O002
0.2578(7)
0.6809(13)
0.1477(7)
0.025(2)
O003
0.2858(8)
0.3367(14)
0.1037(7)
0.034(2)
C60
0.3732(10)
0.8597(19)
0.0418(9)
0.024(3)
C005
0.3306(11)
0.6500(19)
0.0241(9)
0.023(3)
C006
0.2916(10)
0.537(2)
0.0968(9)
0.026(3)
C007
0.4041(11)
0.966(2)
0.9674(10)
0.031(3)
C008
0.3943(9)
0.853(2)
0.8850(9)
0.018(3)
C009
0.1880(10)
0.678(2)
0.3762(9)
0.020(3)
C00A
0.3266(10)
0.542(2)
0.9420(9)
0.023(3)
C00B
0.3562(11)
0.644(2)
0.8704(10)
0.029(3)
C00C
0.1335(10)
0.476(2)
0.4845(9)
0.018(3)
C00D
0.4693(10)
0.015(3)
0.3309(9)
0.030(3)
C00E
0.1729(11)
0.671(2)
0.5285(10)
0.022(3)
C00F
0.1292(9)
0.558(2)
0.6665(10)
0.028(3)
C00G
0.3952(11)
0.8708(19)
0.3368(9)
0.024(3)
C00H
0.0949(10)
0.548(2)
0.1620(9)
0.026(3)
C00I
0.1430(10)
0.492(3)
0.3881(8)
0.025(3)
C00J
0.2059(10)
0.592(2)
0.2139(9)
0.024(3)
C00K
0.2866(10)
0.9439(18)
0.3006(9)
0.025(3)
C00L
0.1705(11)
0.715(2)
0.6215(9)
0.026(3)
C00M
0.2092(11)
0.811(2)
0.4613(10)
0.023(3)
C00N
0.9493(12)
0.372(3)
0.0616(11)
0.035(3)
C00O
0.5703(12)
0.970(2)
0.3694(9)
0.033(3)
C50
0.0915(11)
0.318(2)
0.5291(11)
0.029(4)
C00Q
0.5252(12)
0.626(2)
0.4254(9)
0.028(3)
C00R
0.2002(11)
0.774(2)
0.2853(10)
0.024(3)
C00S
0.0960(11)
0.893(2)
0.2378(10)
0.027(3)
C00T
0.0353(12)
0.7170(19)
0.1784(10)
0.025(3)
C00U
0.8894(11)
0.538(3)
0.0790(9)
0.035(3)
C00V
0.4201(11)
0.672(2)
0.3825(10)
0.031(3)
C00W
0.0887(10)
0.359(2)
0.6217(10)
0.026(3)
C00X
0.0547(12)
0.376(2)
0.1019(10)
0.027(3)
C00Y
0.9296(13)
0.714(2)
0.1355(11)
0.035(3)
C00Z
0.5975(12)
0.772(2)
0.4174(10)
0.031(3)
[0000]
TABLE 4
Bond lengths (Å) for compound 13
Br01-C008
1.891(12)
O002-C006
1.317(16)
O002-C00J
1.465(16)
O003-C006
1.227(17)
C60-C005
1.395(17)
C60-C007
1.440(18)
C005-C00A
1.375(18)
C005-C006
1.494(18)
C007-C008
1.38(2)
C008-C00B
1.366(17)
C009-C00I
1.318(19)
C009-C00M
1.46(2)
C009-C00R
1.522(18)
C00A-C00B
1.385(19)
C00C-C50
1.373(19)
C00C-C00E
1.390(19)
C00C-C00I
1.478(16)
C00D-C00G
1.36(2)
C00D-C00O
1.37(2)
C00E-C00L
1.418(19)
C00E-C00M
1.496(19)
C00F-C00L
1.371(19)
C00F-C00W
1.416(19)
C00G-C00V
1.382(18)
C00G-C00K
1.503(19)
C00H-C00T
1.371(18)
C00H-C00X
1.388(19)
C00H-C00J
1.53(2)
C00J-C00R
1.550(18)
C00K-C00R
1.539(18)
C00N-C00U
1.37(2)
C00N-C00X
1.40(2)
C00O-C00Z
1.40(2)
C50-C00W
1.41(2)
C00Q-C00Z
1.35(2)
C00Q-C00V
1.43(2)
C00R-C00S
1.59(2)
C00S-C00T
1.49(2)
C00T-C00Y
1.41(2)
C00U-C00Y
1.38(2)
[0000]
TABLE 5
Bond angles (°) for compound 13
C006-O002-C00J
116.8(9)
C005-C60-C007
117.3(12)
C00A-C005-C60
121.3(13)
C00A-C005-C006
119.2(11)
C60-C005-C006
119.5(12)
O003-C006-O002
124.6(12)
O003-C006-C005
124.0(12)
O002-C006-C005
111.3(10)
C008-C007-C60
118.7(11)
C00B-C008-C007
123.0(13)
C00B-C008-Br01
120.3(11)
C007-C008-Br01
116.6(9)
C00I-C009-C00M
110.3(12)
C00I-C009-C00R
127.8(12)
C00M-C009-C00R
120.9(11)
C005-C00A-C00B
121.2(12)
C008-C00B-C00A
118.1(14)
C50-C00C-C00E
121.6(12)
C50-C00C-C00I
132.4(13)
C00E-C00C-C00I
106.0(11)
C00G-C00D-C00O
121.9(14)
C00C-C00E-C00L
120.9(12)
C00C-C00E-C00M
109.0(12)
C00L-C00E-C00M
130.0(12)
C00L-C00F-C00W
121.5(12)
C00D-C00G-C00V
120.4(13)
C00D-C00G-C00K
117.9(11)
C00V-C00G-C00K
121.5(12)
C00T-C00H-C00X
121.7(13)
C00T-C00H-C00J
109.8(11)
C00X-C00H-C00J
128.5(12)
C009-C00I-C00C
110.8(12)
O002-C00J-C00H
108.6(11)
O002-C00J-C00R
108.7(9)
C00H-C00J-C00R
104.1(10)
C00G-C00K-C00R
119.9(10)
C00F-C00L-C00E
117.7(12)
C009-C00M-C00E
103.9(10)
C00U-C00N-C00X
120.1(14)
C00D-C00O-C00Z
118.9(14)
C00C-C50-C00W
118.4(12)
C00Z-C00Q-C00V
120.1(13)
C009-C00R-C00K
113.0(11)
C009-C00R-C00J
112.0(10)
C00K-C00R-C00J
113.7(10)
C009-C00R-C00S
105.7(11)
C00K-C00R-C00S
108.7(10)
C00J-C00R-C00S
103.0(12)
C00T-C00S-C00R
103.1(11)
C00H-C00T-C00Y
119.7(13)
C00H-C00T-C00S
112.3(13)
C00Y-C00T-C00S
127.9(12)
C00N-C00U-C00Y
121.9(14)
C00G-C00V-C00Q
118.3(13)
C50-C00W-C00F
120.0(13)
C00H-C00X-C00N
118.2(14)
C00U-C00Y-C00T
118.3(14)
C00Q-C00Z-C00O
120.5(14)
[0000]
TABLE 6
Anisotropic atomic displacement parameters (Å 2 ) for compound 13. The anisotropic
atomic displacement factor exponent takes the form: −2π 2 [h 2 a* 2 U 11 + . . . + 2 h k a* b* U 12 ]
U 11
U 22
U 33
U 23
U 13
U 12
Br01
0.0499(13)
0.0487(9)
0.0089(8)
0.0045(7)
0.0085(8)
−0.0069(8)
O002
0.034(6)
0.028(4)
0.017(5)
0.003(4)
0.014(5)
0.000(4)
O003
0.045(6)
0.036(4)
0.024(6)
−0.003(4)
0.018(6)
−0.002(5)
C60
0.038(9)
0.034(6)
−0.001(7)
−0.001(6)
0.000(7)
0.001(6)
C005
0.034(9)
0.027(5)
0.007(7)
0.003(5)
0.006(7)
0.009(6)
C006
0.035(9)
0.032(6)
0.013(7)
0.005(6)
0.007(7)
0.007(7)
C007
0.041(9)
0.030(6)
0.021(7)
0.007(5)
0.010(8)
0.003(6)
C008
0.013(8)
0.040(6)
0.000(6)
0.012(5)
0.001(6)
−0.003(6)
C009
0.016(9)
0.039(6)
0.003(6)
0.008(5)
0.000(6)
0.008(6)
C00A
0.025(8)
0.036(7)
0.006(6)
−0.005(6)
0.000(6)
−0.007(7)
C00B
0.043(10)
0.030(5)
0.011(7)
0.009(5)
0.002(8)
−0.006(6)
C00C
0.018(8)
0.030(6)
0.001(6)
0.004(5)
−0.006(6)
0.008(6)
C00D
0.038(6)
0.033(5)
0.026(7)
0.000(8)
0.024(7)
0.004(7)
C00E
0.022(9)
0.038(6)
0.007(6)
0.003(5)
0.003(7)
0.001(6)
C00F
0.019(8)
0.055(8)
0.006(7)
0.003(6)
−0.003(7)
0.001(6)
C00G
0.034(6)
0.038(6)
0.003(7)
−0.011(6)
0.010(7)
0.000(5)
C00H
0.039(6)
0.039(6)
0.002(6)
0.001(5)
0.010(6)
−0.006(5)
C00I
0.028(8)
0.041(6)
0.004(6)
0.010(6)
0.000(7)
0.007(7)
C00J
0.039(7)
0.037(5)
−0.005(6)
0.004(5)
0.001(6)
0.001(5)
C00K
0.038(6)
0.030(6)
0.010(7)
0.003(5)
0.012(7)
0.000(4)
C00L
0.030(9)
0.045(7)
−0.006(6)
−0.006(6)
−0.012(7)
0.000(6)
C00M
0.026(9)
0.038(6)
−0.003(6)
0.009(5)
−0.013(7)
−0.004(6)
C00N
0.040(8)
0.060(8)
0.008(8)
−0.005(7)
0.008(7)
−0.010(7)
C00O
0.037(7)
0.053(7)
0.012(7)
−0.005(7)
0.011(7)
−0.015(7)
C50
0.037(10)
0.033(6)
0.024(8)
−0.002(6)
0.019(9)
−0.002(6)
C00Q
0.041(7)
0.042(6)
0.000(7)
−0.002(6)
0.003(7)
−0.002(6)
C00R
0.030(6)
0.038(6)
0.009(6)
−0.001(5)
0.014(6)
0.000(5)
C00S
0.038(7)
0.031(5)
0.009(6)
0.006(5)
−0.002(6)
0.001(5)
C00T
0.037(7)
0.036(6)
0.002(7)
0.006(5)
0.003(6)
−0.002(6)
C00U
0.029(8)
0.067(9)
0.008(7)
0.000(7)
0.003(7)
−0.004(6)
C00V
0.034(7)
0.047(6)
0.011(8)
0.006(6)
0.007(7)
−0.006(6)
C00W
0.019(9)
0.045(7)
0.004(7)
0.008(6)
−0.010(7)
0.007(6)
C00X
0.038(7)
0.035(6)
0.007(8)
0.004(6)
0.001(7)
0.001(6)
C00Y
0.036(7)
0.051(7)
0.012(8)
0.006(6)
−0.004(7)
−0.004(7)
C00Z
0.029(8)
0.056(7)
0.005(8)
−0.019(6)
0.000(7)
0.005(6)
[0000]
TABLE 7
Hydrogen atomic coordinates and isotropic atomic displacement
parameters (Å 2 ) for compound 13
x/a
y/b
z/c
U(eq)
H60
0.3814
0.9294
0.1005
0.029
H007
0.4307
1.1117
−0.0251
0.037
H00A
0.3030
0.3937
−0.0657
0.028
H00B
0.3502
0.5708
−0.1873
0.035
H00D
0.4506
1.1511
0.2992
0.035
H00F
0.1278
0.5827
0.7292
0.034
H00I
0.1197
0.3839
0.3410
0.03
H00J
0.2401
0.4558
0.2454
0.029
H00C
0.2802
1.0186
0.2401
0.03
H00E
0.2740
1.0566
0.3442
0.03
H00L
0.1967
0.8488
0.6516
0.031
H53
0.1717
0.9523
0.4499
0.028
H51
0.2828
0.8419
0.4851
0.028
H00N
−0.0805
0.2526
0.0222
0.043
H00O
0.6210
1.0723
0.3636
0.04
H00P
0.0650
0.1854
0.4983
0.035
H00Q
0.5442
0.4932
0.4594
0.033
H52
0.0625
0.9454
0.2851
0.033
H50
0.1064
1.0200
0.1995
0.033
H00U
−0.1818
0.5319
0.0514
0.042
H00V
0.3689
0.5684
0.3854
0.037
H00W
0.0596
0.2536
0.6540
0.031
H00X
0.0973
0.2645
0.0885
0.033
H00Y
−0.1127
0.8309
0.1453
0.042
H00Z
0.6671
0.7386
0.4446
0.037
|
A compound of the absolute stereochemical formula
and salts thereof is useful in the prophylaxis or treatment of inflammatory bowel disease or other inflammatory autoimmune diseases with similar aetiology involving T-cell proliferation or or function.
| 2
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This Patent Application is a U.S. Utility Patent Application of French Patent Application No. 04 11197 filed on Oct. 21, 2004, and French Patent Application No. 04 11198 filed on Oct. 21, 2004, the contents and teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The invention relates to the field of maritime hydraulics and more particularly it relates to a refinement of the device for attenuating sea swell in the form of a so-called “camel's back” described in European Patent EP 0 381 572 B1.
[0003] Devices for attenuating sea swell are well known. They enable any site, for example maritime structures, coastal or offshore installations or even ports, to be protected from the energy of the incident waves breaking against these sites.
[0004] The most popular devices rely on rock-filled slopes or concrete structures lying on the marine substrate, or a combination of the two, which rising from the sea-bed thus form a vertical obstacle for the incident waves.
[0005] Now, sea swell being an undulatory phenomenon, it appeared more advantageous to exploit this phenomenon in order to obtain a swell wave transmitted to the site to be protected, having an appreciably reduced amplitude compared to the wave from incident sea swell. It is the object of European Patent N o 0 282 479 B1, published in the name of the Monaco Government and disclosing a sea swell attenuator exploiting a particularly novel principal and known since under the name of “fixed wall of water”.
[0006] This device comprises a horizontal plate held slightly immersed in the incident sea swell, the upstream and downstream edges of which are raised to a positive dimension above the free surface of the water so that the incident sea swell cannot propagate freely above the plate. For suitable dimensioning of the plate, relative to the incident sea swells, the mass of water imprisoned beneath the plate can have only horizontal displacements and behaves overall like a homogeneous inert obstacle with respect to the incident sea swell, which swell is reflected on this “fixed wall of water”.
[0007] This device, which is totally satisfactory for sea swells of short duration (less than 5 seconds), however for sea swells of longer duration generates a lapping effect, which acts unfavourably on the amplitude of the swell wave transmitted to the site to be protected. This is why, in European Patent N o 0 381 572 B1 mentioned above, also published in the name of the Monaco Government, a refinement of the sea swell attenuation device which makes it possible to avoid this lapping effect, has been proposed. A preferred example of a refined device of this kind is illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8 of this European Patent, which shows a horizontal plate having a symmetrical profile in the form of a so-called “camel's back”. This refined device, of which an embodiment is today operational in the port of Condamine in the Principality of Monaco, is totally satisfactory for a very wide range of swell durations. However it was apparent that, for sea swells of long duration (from 6 to 10 seconds), the horizontal and vertical hydrodynamic efforts and the moments of inversion acting on the device were significant. Their reduction would therefore be likely to minimize the dimensioning both of the structures of the attenuator as well as of its supports or connections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The object of the invention is therefore to propose a refinement of the device for attenuating sea swell of the “camel's back” type, which enables the horizontal and vertical efforts as well as the moment of inversion to be minimized while preserving the attenuating effectiveness of the basic structure.
[0009] These objects are achieved by a sea swell attenuator comprising a horizontal plate slightly immersed in the incident sea swell, said plate being held in position under the free surface of the water and presenting perpendicular upstream and downstream edges raised to a dimension above the free surface of the water, so that the incident sea swell cannot propagate freely over said plate, each of said upstream and downstream edges being extended at their base by a tab-shaped element of the same specific length, the unit thus forming a symmetrically profiled structure in the form of a so-called “camel's back”, characterized in that one at least of the two elements formed by said upstream perpendicular edge and the plate, or raft, laid between said upstream and downstream edges comprises orifices over part of its surface.
[0010] These orifices make a noticeable improvement to the operation of the attenuating device in the form of a “camel's back” by reducing the compressive forces acting on the device, in particular with respect to strong sea swells.
[0011] According to a first embodiment, said raft comprises orifices over at most 30% of its surface.
[0012] This piercing of the raft, in particular for sea swells of long duration, provides a significant reduction of the vertical forces generated under the plate by the wall of water and which would tend to try to lift this plate to allow the passage of the swell wave.
[0013] Said raft preferably comprises orifices over about 10% of its surface.
[0014] With this porosity of around 10%, a good compromise is obtained for a wide range of sea swell durations, that is to say a noticeable improvement in the vertical effort without visible deterioration of the attenuation.
[0015] According to a second embodiment, said perpendicular upstream edge under said free surface of the water comprises orifices over at most 50% of its surface.
[0016] This piercing of the upstream edge allows a notable reduction, in particular for sea swells of long duration, in the horizontal forces generated by the incident sea swell, notwithstanding the increase in the vertical effort.
[0017] Said perpendicular upstream edge under said free surface of the water preferably comprises orifices over about 30% of its surface.
[0018] With this porosity of around 30%, a good compromise is obtained for a wide range of durations of sea swell, that is to say a considerable reduction in the horizontal effort without too significant a deterioration in the vertical effort.
[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, said raft comprises orifices over about 10% of its surface and said perpendicular upstream edge under said free surface of the water comprises orifices over about 30% of its surface.
[0020] This particular distribution of the orifices in the upstream edge and the raft allows a notable reduction in the hydrodynamic efforts while not or almost not penalizing the swell attenuation performance of the device.
[0021] According to the embodiment considered, said horizontal plate can be held in position under said free surface of the water by means of rigid supports of the jacket or pile type anchored on the sea-bed or by means of stretched cables or rods anchored on the sea-bed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The features of this invention are detailed below, on a purely illustrative and non-restrictive basis, in the appended drawings wherein:
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a swell attenuating device according to the invention,
[0024] FIGS. 2A to 2 D are four graphs showing the evolution respectively of the transmission coefficient CT, horizontal effort Fx, vertical effort Fz and moment of inversion My in the device of FIG. 1 , for a range of sea swell durations ranging from 4 seconds to 14 seconds and for porosities of the raft of 10%, 20% and 30% respectively,
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of a swell attenuating device according to the invention,
[0026] FIGS. 4A to 4 D are four graphs showing the evolution respectively of the transmission coefficient CT, horizontal effort Fx, vertical effort Fz and moment of inversion My in the device of FIG. 3 , for a range of sea swell durations ranging from 4 seconds to 14 seconds and for porosities of the upstream edge of 10%, 20% and 30%,
[0027] FIG. 5A illustrates a third embodiment of a swell attenuating device according to the invention, when the latter rests on rigid supports of the jacket or pile type,
[0028] FIG. 5B illustrates a variant of the third embodiment of a swell attenuating device according to the invention when this, given positive buoyancy, is held in position by stretched cables or rods anchored to the sea-bed,
[0029] FIGS. 6A to 6 D are four graphs showing the evolution respectively of the transmission coefficient CT, horizontal effort Fx, vertical effort Fz and moment of inversion My in the device of FIG. 5A , for a range of sea swell durations ranging from 4 seconds to 14 seconds and for porosities of the raft and upstream edge of 10%, 20% and 30%,
[0030] FIGS. 7A to 7 D are four graphs showing the evolution respectively of the transmission coefficient CT, horizontal effort Fx, vertical effort Fz and moment of inversion My in the device of FIG. 5B and in a device provided with orifices on the downstream edge, for a range of sea swell durations ranging from 4 seconds to 14 seconds and for porosities of the upstream and downstream edges of 30%, and
[0031] FIG. 8 shows a prior art swell attenuating device in the form of a “camel's back”.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0032] FIG. 8 firstly recalls the configuration in the form of a so-called “camel's back” of the sea swell attenuator described in European Patent N o 0 381 572 B1 of the applicant and to which the refinement of the invention applies.
[0033] This device comprises a slightly immersed horizontal plate 10 the upstream 12 and downstream 14 edges of which are raised perpendicularly to a positive dimension above the level of the free surface of the water. An upstream tab-shaped element or stub 12 A is associated with the upstream edge and with the downstream edge a downstream tab-shaped element or stub 14 A of the same shape as the upstream tab-shaped element. Owing to the very considerable length of this type of device (which for example is arranged along a coast to be protected), the volume of water present in the basin formed between the upstream and downstream edges, in the event of strong sea swell passing over the upstream edge, cannot be evacuated by the two single lateral ends of the device and it is thus necessary to envisage orifices 16 provided in the downstream edge to allow the water accumulated in the basin between two successive sea swells to drain away. The assembly forms a symmetrical profile with two humps similar to a camel's back. Depending on the embodiment considered, the plate may either be held fixed, under the surface of the water, by rigid supports 18 of the jacket or vertical or oblique pile type of sufficient diameter, firmly anchored on the sea-bed, or held floating, under the surface of the water, after being given positive buoyancy (by creating empty spaces in the plate so as to achieve a total weight less than the Archimedes' lift) and anchored on the sea-bed by stretched cables or rods.
[0034] According to a first embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 , applicable to one or other of the two above-mentioned modes of embodiment, but which finds application preferably when the sea swell attenuator is given positive buoyancy and held in position under the surface of the water by a system of stretched cables or rods anchored on the sea-bed, with the aim of limiting the vertical compressive forces acting on the device, orifices 20 are provided in the part 10 A of the horizontal plate, known as a raft, arranged between the upstream edge and the downstream edge of the device. These small and numerous orifices are arranged over at most 30% of the surface of this raft (this rate of porosity is the ratio between the pierced surface and the support surface of the orifices). Moreover, the downstream edge is devoid of orifices, water drainage in the event of the upstream edge being passed over now being carried out through orifices 20 .
[0035] The performance of the improved swell attenuator of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2 D where four graphs have been reproduced, showing respectively the evolution of the transmission coefficient CT, the horizontal effort Fx, the vertical effort Fz and the moment of inversion My, for a range of sea swell durations ranging from 4 seconds to 14 seconds and for porosities of the raft of 10%, 20% and 30% respectively.
[0036] These curves were obtained on the basis of numerical calculations and corroborated by tests carried out in channelled sea swell with a 1/30 scale model of a swell attenuator having a width W of 30 m, a draught T of 9.50 m, a levelling dimension c of 2 m and a tab-shaped element breadth of 5 m. The l attenuator is assumed to be held fixed at a depth P of 80 m from the sea-bed. Coefficient CT was measured for a peak to hollow height of incident sea swell H of 2 m corresponding to the height of average sea swell in the Mediterranean basin. The efforts Fx and Fz and the moment of inversion My on the other hand were measured for a height of incident sea swell H of 10 m corresponding to a very exceptional storm swell of the centennial type.
[0037] FIG. 2A enables the transmission coefficient CT of a swell attenuator in the form of a “camel's back” of the prior art illustrated by the curve as a solid line to be compared with an improved attenuator according to the invention for the different porosities mentioned above. In the prior art, the transmission coefficient is lower than 0.1, up to an 8 second duration then gradually increases up to 0.40 where T=10 seconds and reaches 0.70 for a 12 second duration. With the invention, it may be noted that for porosities of 10 and 20% this coefficient CT hardly changes during the short durations and improves in the long durations. Beyond these percentages, the attenuation starts to weaken in short durations, it being possible to estimate the limit of porosity at 30%.
[0038] The horizontal efforts are compared in FIG. 2B and it may be noted that these hardly change. Even for a porosity of 30%, the horizontal effort Fx therefore reduces from 105 t per m to 90 t per m. On the other hand, the vertical efforts are greatly attenuated as shown in FIG. 2C . Thus, for the most extreme durations, for example T=12 seconds, the vertical effort Fz is divided by two, ranging from 50 t per m to 25 t per m with a porosity of 30%.
[0039] In FIG. 2D , it appears that the moment of inversion relative to the horizontal axis passing through O (point on the upper surface of the attenuator in the centre of the raft) is improved because of a reduction in the vertical effort and maintenance of the horizontal effort.
[0040] Generally, the piercing of the raft 10 A produces porosities of 10 to 20%, even at most equal to 30%, in particular in the event of extreme storm, a significant reduction in the vertical effort as well as an improvement in the effectiveness of the attenuator for the corresponding durations. On the other hand, this effectiveness is slightly less for low sea swell amplitudes, that is to say for durations less than T=5 seconds. With a porosity of around 10% a good compromise is obtained for a wide range of sea swell durations, that is to say a noticeable improvement in the vertical effort without visible deterioration of the attenuation.
[0041] A second embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 3 . In this example, which preferably finds application, without being restrictive, when the swell attenuator is held fixed on rigid supports of the jacket or pile type anchored on the natural bottom of the sea, and with the aim of limiting the horizontal compressive forces acting on the device, orifices 22 are provided in the upstream edge 12 of the device over at most 50% of the surface of this upstream edge. Moreover, as previously the downstream edge is devoid of orifices, the water in the event of the upstream edge being passed over now being drained through orifices 22 during the backflow of the waves between two successive sea swells. Thus the basin formed between the upstream and downstream edges is allowed to empty rapidly by avoiding the formation of a residual water mattress. The performance of the corresponding swell attenuator is illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4 D which as previously reproduce four graphs, showing respectively the evolution of the transmission coefficient CT, the horizontal effort Fx, the vertical effort Fz and the moment of inversion My, for a range of sea swell durations ranging from 4 seconds to 14 seconds and for porosities of the upstream edge of 10%, 20% and 30% respectively. The test conditions are the same as before, the orifices being provided starting from dimension D=−4 m under the level of the free surface of the water.
[0042] FIG. 4A enables the transmission coefficient CT of a swell attenuator in the form of a “camel's back” of the prior art, illustrated by the curve as a solid line, to be compared with an improved swell attenuator according to the second embodiment of the invention for these three different porosities. A great improvement in the effectiveness of the attenuator may be noted, particularly for the long durations (10 to 14 seconds). Thus, for a duration T of 10 seconds, CT goes from 0.40 to 0.25 for a porosity of 30%.
[0043] In the same way, the horizontal effort illustrated by FIG. 4B is largely reduced as the porosity increases. Thus it may be noted that for a porosity of 30%, the maximum horizontal effort Fx therefore reduces from 105 t per m to 50 t per m. On the other hand, the vertical effort strongly increases, as shown in FIG. 4C , particularly for durations of less than T=12 seconds with a porosity of 30%.
[0044] In FIG. 4D , it appears once again that the moment of inversion relative to the horizontal axis passing through O (point on the upper surface of the swell attenuator in the centre of the raft) is improved because of the reduction in the horizontal effort, notwithstanding the increase in the vertical effort.
[0045] Generally, the piercing of upstream edge 12 is beneficial to the overall operation of the attenuator. However, the increase in the vertical efforts must be precisely controlled. It will be also noted that it could be found that by heavily piercing the upstream edge (in particular with a porosity greater than 50%) the structure of the swell attenuator became almost asymmetrical, the latter then behaving like a horizontal plate with a single downstream edge, and thus rendering its behaviour with respect to hydrodynamic efforts relatively unfavourable.
[0046] A third embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 5A . In this embodiment, and with the aim of limiting both the vertical forces and the horizontal compressive forces acting on the device, orifices 20 are provided in the part 10 A of the horizontal plate, known as the raft, arranged between the upstream edge and the downstream edge of the device and orifices 22 are provided in the upstream edge 12 of the device. These orifices are arranged over at most 30% of the raft surface like that of the upstream edge. Moreover, as previously the downstream edge is devoid of orifices, the water in the event of the upstream edge being passed over now being drained through orifices 20 or 22 .
[0047] The performance of the corresponding attenuator is illustrated in FIGS. 6A to 6 D where the four graphs were reproduced, showing respectively the evolution of the transmission coefficient CT, the horizontal effort Fx, the vertical effort Fz and the moment of inversion My, for sea swell durations ranging from 4 seconds to 14 seconds and for identical porosities of the raft and upstream edge of 10%, 20% and 30% respectively. The test conditions are the same as previously, the orifices in the upstream edge also being provided starting from a dimension of −4 m under the level of the free surface of the water.
[0048] FIG. 6A once again enables the transmission coefficient CT of a swell attenuator in the form of a “camel's back” of the prior art illustrated by the curve as a solid line to be compared with an improved attenuator according to the third embodiment of the invention for the three aforementioned porosities. It may be noted that the effectiveness of the swell attenuator approaches that obtained by piercing the raft alone.
[0049] On the other hand, as in the case of the upstream edge being pierced, the horizontal effort illustrated by FIG. 6B is largely reduced as the porosity increases. Thus it may be noted that for a porosity of 30%, the maximum horizontal effort Fx therefore goes from 105 t per m to 60 t per m. But especially, the vertical effort is also reduced, as shown in FIG. 6C , reducing for example from 40 t per m to 25 t per m for a duration T of 12 seconds with a porosity of 30%.
[0050] The moment of inversion relative to the horizontal axis passing through O (point on the upper surface of the swell attenuator in the centre of the raft) hardly changes relative to the configuration in FIG. 3 (only upstream edge being pierced).
[0051] Generally, the combined piercing of the raft 10 A and the upstream edge 12 is even more beneficial to the overall operation of the swell attenuator since both the horizontal effort and the vertical effort are reduced whereas the attenuation changes very little. Complementary tests moreover showed that, to obtain a noticeable improvement in both the horizontal effort and in the vertical effort without visible deterioration of the attenuation for a wide range of sea swells, it is not essential that the porosity of the raft and the upstream edge be identical and that a porosity around 10% (±5%) on the raft and around 30% (±10%) on the upstream edge ensures the best compromise for the ratio between effectiveness of attenuation and hydrodynamic efforts. This last configuration is especially advantageous when the attenuator is given positive buoyancy and is held under the surface of the water by a system of stretched cables or rods anchored to the sea-bed, as illustrated in FIG. 5B , which shows a horizontal plate provided with upstream and downstream edges 12 , 14 and retained by cables 24 anchored to the sea-bed by means of anchoring 26 . This horizontal plate comprises various empty spaces, for example that referenced 28 , arranged so that its total weight is less than or equal to the Archimedes' lift in order to give it positive buoyancy.
[0052] The graphs in FIGS. 7A to 7 D also illustrate an optimum configuration of this kind (reference “am” in the drawings) which is compared both with a prior art swell attenuator (curves as solid lines) and with an inverted configuration (reference “av” in the drawings) in which it is the downstream edge which is pierced with a porosity of 30%, the raft keeping its porosity of 10%. This comparison makes it possible to note that the function of the orifices in the upstream edge is completely different to that of the orifices in the downstream edge.
[0053] Indeed, if the effect on the attenuation of the device ( FIG. 7A ) is not very different according to whether the orifices are provided on the upstream edge or the downstream edge, particularly for durations of low or intermediate sea swell, it may be noted on FIGS. 7B and 7C that the piercing of the upstream edge (associated with that of the raft) greatly contributes to the reduction in the horizontal and vertical efforts, whereas that of the downstream edge has practically no effect on these efforts, but even increases them very slightly particularly for periods of high sea swell. It is the same for the moment of inversion, which is improved by piercing the upstream edge whereas it is very slightly reduced as a result of piercing the downstream edge.
[0054] It will be noted that the orifices of the invention are also distinct from those provided in the devices of prior art, in particular those of the caisson type, the essential purpose of which, when they are provided in the downstream wall of these devices, is to generate a delay between the incident wave absorbed by the caisson and the wave restored out of the caisson and, when they are arranged on a horizontal partition of these caissons, to create a damping of the oscillation movement of the water in the caisson to cause loss of energy. In these two cases, a loss in pressure is created in the orifices to provide damping or a barrier to the propagation of the oscillations.
[0055] On the other hand, by means of the invention, the piercing on part of their surface of at least one of the two elements formed by the perpendicular upstream edge and the plate part laid between the upstream and downstream edges (raft) aims to create a notable limitation of the vertical and horizontal compressive forces acting on the attenuator to enable the dimensioning both of the structures of this attenuator and of its supports or its connections to be minimized.
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Swell attenuating device comprising a horizontal plate slightly immersed in the incident sea swell, this plate being held in position under the free surface of the water and presenting perpendicular upstream ( 12 ) and downstream ( 14 ) edges raised to a positive dimension above the free surface of the water, so that the incident sea swell cannot propagate freely over the plate, each of the upstream and downstream edges being extended at their base by a tab-shaped element ( 12 A, 14 A) of the same specific length, the assembly thus forming a symmetrically profiled structure in the form of a so-called “camel's back”, device wherein one at least of the two elements formed by the perpendicular upstream edge and the plate part, or raft ( 10 A), laid between the upstream and downstream edges comprises orifices ( 20 ) over part of its surface.
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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
This invention was made with government support under contract DE-AC05-84OR21400, awarded by the United States Department of Energy to Lockheed Martin Energy Systems Inc., and the United States Government has certain rights in this invention.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to processes for separating joined materials. More specifically, the invention relates to a process for separating components, particularly ceramics, bonded together with adhesives.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A method capable of separating components bonded together has been required since shortly after the first method for bonding these components together have been developed, and with each new component or bonding material, the requirements for a process capable of debonding that component/bonding material combination typically change. One relatively new type of component to be debonded is industrial ceramics which are part of a rapidly growing segment of the industrial market.
Ceramics have characteristics with regard to strength, density, and thermal properties which make them a very useful material. However, ceramics can also be very expensive because high purity material is often used in the processing of the ceramics and these materials occasionally require high-precision milling. Thus, the cost of fabricating a single ceramic component can exceed thousands of dollars. Because of the potentially high cost to manufacture, manufacturers and resellers desire to reduce manufacturing costs by recycling these components.
One of the first steps in recovering a ceramic component is to separate the ceramic component from other components attached to it. The ease in separation of these components from each other typically depends upon the type of bonding used to combine them. For example, a mechanical connection is typically easier to disassemble than an adhesive bond. However, an adhesive bond is the type of bond typically used with ceramics.
Traditionally, three general methods have been used to separate adhesively bonded components, and include applying mechanical force, chemical dissolution, and conventional heating. However, these methods each have several disadvantages associated with them. Use of mechanical force is the oldest method to separate components that are adhesively bonded. However, because the adhesive is typically designed to prevent the components from being separated by a mechanical force, the mechanical force required to separate the components can be very destructive to the components themselves. Ceramic components, in particular, are very susceptible to damage from mechanical force because ceramics in general tend to be brittle. Also, even if the components are separated intact, the force of the separation may introduce microstructural surface defects into the ceramic components, and these defects have the potential to cause the component to fail at a later time. Additionally, even if the components are separated successfully, separation by mechanical force still leaves an adhesive residue on the components. This adhesive residue often must be removed before the component can be reused. This additional step adds to the cost of recycling the components and presents another opportunity for the components to be damaged.
A second process used to debond components is to chemically dissolve the adhesive. This process involves applying a solvent so as to dissolve the adhesive. One difficulty with this process is that some portion of the adhesive may not be readily accessible to the solvent. For example, with two large flat pieces bonded together on their flat sides, the adhesive in the very middle of the bond will not be dissolved until the time-consuming process of dissolving and removing all the adhesive surrounding it is completed. Another problem associated with chemical debonding is the waste stream generated from the adhesive being chemically dissolved. This waste stream is typically considered a hazardous material, and the proper disposal of this waste steam increases the costs of the recycling process. Even costs associated with disposal of a non-hazardous waste stream negates some of the benefits associated with recycling components. Still another problem with the use of a solvent is that the solvent may attack the components as well as dissolve the adhesive. This attack on the components may degrade the usefulness of the components, and thus negate the benefit of the recycling process.
A third method of component separation is to use conventional heating. With conventional heating, the entire bonded assembly is heated to at least the temperature at which the adhesive loses its bonding properties. Once the adhesive has reached a debonding temperature, the components can be separated. One problem with this method is the length of time required to complete the process which is a result of heat transfer characteristics inherent with conventional heating.
With conventional heating, the components must first be heated, and then the components conduct that heat to the adhesive. However, ceramics in general have characteristics that make this process very inefficient. First, ceramics are typically poor conductors of heat. Thus, the heat applied to the ceramic takes a long time to reach the adhesive. Second, ceramics are typically excellent absorbers of heat. Thus, a large amount of heat is needed to raise the ceramic to the debonding temperature of the adhesive. Also, once the ceramic is heated to the debonding temperature, the ceramic requires a long time to cool when the heat is removed, which makes immediate handling of the ceramics difficult. Thus, this particular process has the disadvantage of being time consuming and energy intensive. Also, the large amount of heat applied to the components may damage the components because a long period of time at high temperature can cause detrimental microstructural changes such as grain growth.
Although microwave energy has not been used to cause an adhesive to reach a state in which the adhesive loses its bonding properties, microwave energy has been used with adhesives and to separate components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,837 to Fathi et al. discloses applying microwave energy to cure a thermoplastic or thermosetting resin. Another example of microwave use is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,909 to Paré. Paré discloses a process for accelerating the separation of volatiles from liquids or solids using microwave energy. However, neither of these references address the problem of separating two components that have been combined with an adhesive.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for component separation that can apply energy directly and selectively to a particular bonding area.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for component separation that would minimally affect the component microstructure and would not be destructive to the macrostructure.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for component separation that consumes a minimal amount of resources including time and energy.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for component separation that creates no additional waste byproducts.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for adhesive debonding that can be used to clean adhesive from a particular component.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for component separation using microwave energy that does not require tool to pull apart the components.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for component separation using heat that permits for the components to be handled after the separation of the components more readily than prior heat separation methods.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for component separation using microwave energy that indicates that the adhesive material has reached a debonding state without the need for a probe to determine the temperature of the adhesive material.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by the subject method which comprises applying microwave energy to the bonding material attaching two or more components together until the bonding material is at a debonding state, and disengaging at least one component from the remaining components. The step of determining whether the bonding material is at the debonding state before the disengaging begins can also be added. This can be accomplished in any manner and includes measuring the temperature of the bonding material or measuring the energy reflected from the bonding material to determine whether the bonding material is at the debonding state.
The components can be pulled apart or disengaged using gravity, and if so, one of the components can be cradled so that it is not damaged after being disengaged. Also, the bonding material should be pulled apart or disengaged before reaching a given temperature, if at that temperature, the bonding material returns to a bonding state. During the application of the microwave energy, the bonding materials can be exposed to a vacuum or an atmosphere such as an inert gas or air. The method is particularly effective when the components to be separated are ceramic and the bonding material is a thermoset polymer.
An additional method is disclosed for separating bonding material attached to a component which comprises applying microwave energy to the bonding material which is attached to the component until the bonding material is at a debonding state, and then removing the bonding material from the component. The bonding material should be removed before the bonding material returns to a bonding state. With certain materials, the return to a bonding state occurs when the bonding material reaches a given temperature.
Still another method is disclosed for separating a component from other components which comprises applying microwave energy to the bonding material attaching the components to each other until the bonding material is at a debonding state, disengaging at least one component apart from the other components, and the removing the bonding material from at least one of the components. If the bonding material returns to a bonding state at a given temperature, the components should be disengaged and the bonding material removed before the bonding material reaches that given temperature.
An additional embodiment of the invention is a debonding apparatus comprising a cradling fixture. The cradling fixture is adapted to support at least one component and to allow the remaining components to fall free once the bonding material reaches a debonding state. The fixture can also include a component holder or cushion for receiving the remaining components once they have fallen free. Additionally, microwave absorbers can be positioned around the fixture to absorb excess microwave energy to prevent arcing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
There are shown in the drawings embodiments of the invention that are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating method steps according to a first embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a cradling fixture and microwave chamber.
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating method steps according to a second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating method steps according to a third embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a method for component separation, according to the present invention, is illustrated. The method comprises applying microwave energy to a bonding area which includes bonding material used to bond together at least two components until the bonding material is at a debonding state, and disengaging at least one of the components from the remaining components before the bonding material again reaches a bonding state. A debonding state as used herein is a state wherein a bonding material loses a sufficient amount of its bonding properties for at least one of the bonded assembly components to be disengaged from the bonding material, and a bonding state is a state wherein the bonding material retains its bonding properties.
The invention is not limited as to the amount, frequency, or duration of microwave energy applied. Any combination or amount, frequency, or duration is acceptable as long as the microwave energy applied causes the bonding material to reach a debonding state. Preferably, the microwave energy is applied until the bonding material loses a sufficient amount of its bonding properties for at least one of the components to be disengaged from the bonding material without damaging the component. The microwave energy applied can be optimized depending upon certain characteristics of the separation process. These characteristics include, but are not limited to, bonding material, component material, component configuration, bonding material location, atmosphere surrounding the bonding material and/or components, method of removing one component from another, configuration of microwave chamber, and location of microwave emitters.
The amount, or power, applied by the microwave source can be fixed or variable. If variable, for example, the power output of the microwave source can ramp from a lower initial amount to a higher amount or vice-versa. Also, for example, the power output could change from one amount to a second amount, hold steady at the second amount for a period of time, and then change again.
Although the invention is not limited as to the amount of microwave power applied, the presently preferred power range is between about 0.5 and 12.0 kilowatts. However, arcing may occur within the chamber depending upon the amount of the power applied relative to the combined absorption rate of any materials within the chamber capable of absorbing the microwave energy. Arcing can be undesirable because arcing may damage either the microwave source itself and/or the components within the microwave chamber.
Microwave absorbers can be introduced into the chamber to absorb excess microwave energy so as to prevent arcing. Many types of materials can absorb microwaves and all are acceptable for this purpose. The presently preferred material for the microwave absorber is ceramic. The total volume of the microwave absorbers needed to prevent arcing depends upon the excess microwave energy to be absorbed and the absorbing characteristics of the material used.
Microwave absorbers can also be used as sources of energy to raise the temperature of the bonding material. The microwave absorption characteristics of some materials change depending upon the temperature of the material. As such, if the bonding material does not readily absorb microwave energy at the temperature at which it is placed into the microwave oven, the microwave absorbers can be used to transfer energy to the bonding material to raise the temperature of the bonding material so as to increase the microwave absorption characteristics of the bonding material. Once the increase in temperature increases the microwave absorption characteristic, the bonding material can more readily directly absorb the microwave energy.
The frequency of the microwave energy applied can either be fixed or variable and is not limited as to a particular frequency or frequency range. Although the microwave energy can be applied with frequencies of up to about 28-32 GHz and higher, a lower frequency, such as about 2.45 GHz, is presently preferred. Although most commercial microwave sources are limited to 15 Mhz, the invention is not so limited. Any frequency that causes the bonding material to reach a debonding state is acceptable.
A higher frequency microwave energy is likely to couple more in with the surface of the component, whereas microwave energy at a lower frequency is more likely to couple with the interior of the component. Coupling with the component where the bonding material is located advantageously causes more energy to be applied to the bonding material.
The manner of application of microwave energy applied to the components and bonding material can be either continuous or intermittent. So long as sufficient microwave energy is applied such that the bonding material reaches a debonding state, any duration of microwave energy is acceptable. The presently preferred duration of microwave energy is continuous. This decreases the time the components and bonding material must spend in the microwave chamber. Depending upon the above-mentioned variables, the current process is able to bring the bonding material to a debonding state in about 15-30 minutes in many applications. In contrast, similar components debonded using conventional heating can take between several hours and a day before the bonding material reached a debonding state.
This method is not limited as to the type of bonding material that bonds the components together. However, this method is particularly effective with bonding materials that reach a debonding state after exposure to microwave energy. For example, the microwave energy may affect the physical or chemical bonds in the bonding material such that the bonding material loses some or all of its bonding properties. An example of which is where the bonding material changes phase from a solid to a softened or liquid state after the microwave energy raises the bonding material to a certain temperature. The bonding material, being in a fluid phase, typically has diminished bonding properties than of the same bonding material in a solid phase. One example of such a bonding material is a thermoset polymer. One example of a bonding material in which the chemical bonds are affected is epoxy.
Although the bonding material is not limited as to composition, the claimed invention is especially effective for debonding bonding materials which readily absorb microwave energy. As the bonding material absorbs more microwave energy, the bonding material will be more likely to reach a debonding state more rapidly. One bonding material which has been effectively debonded with the invention is a thermoset polymer, such as poly-urethane, having a debonding state that occurs after the polymer reaches a temperature of 250° C.
When the debonding temperature of a particular bonding material is known, for example as with a thermoset polymer, the process of separating components may include an additional step of determining the temperature of the bonding material. By measuring the temperature of the bonding material and thereby whether the bonding material has reached a debonding state, a determination can be made as to whether and when the components can be disengaged. Any manner of measuring the temperature of the bonding material is acceptable. Examples include use of a thermocouple or an optical thermometer. However, the temperature of the bonding material may not be easily measured because the bonding material is positioned so that a temperature measuring device cannot access the bonding material. As such, the temperature of the bonding material may have to be approximated from the temperature of the components adjacent the bonding material.
Another method, besides measuring temperature, of determining whether the bonding material has reached a debonding state is by measuring the amount of reflected power within the microwave chamber. Because certain bonding materials absorb different amounts of microwave energy at a bonding state than at a debonding state, a change in the amount of reflected power within the microwave chamber can indicate that a debonding state of the bonding material has been reached. Advantageously, this enables the bonding state to be determined without the need of intrusive probes that could damage the components. Notwithstanding this particular method, any method of determining whether the bonding material has reached a debonding state is acceptable for use with this invention.
Components that are made of many types of material can be separated using this process and can include, but are not limited to, ceramics, metals, and composites. Preferably, the material can be any non-metallic, non-organic crystalline structure. However, this process is particularly effective with materials that are to some degree transparent to microwave energy such that the microwave energy can pass through the material. Materials that are transparent to microwave energy advantageously allow the microwave energy to reach the bonding material. As such, at least one of the components is preferably somewhat transparent to microwave energy.
Components that are transparent to microwaves do not readily absorb microwave energy. A component made from a material that absorbs little microwave energy is less likely to be damaged during the separation process. Also, because less microwave energy will be absorbed by the component, more microwave energy will be absorbed by the bonding material. Thus, the process will advantageously be more efficient as to the amount of microwave energy used and as to the amount of time needed to reach a debonding state of the bonding material. Also, because the component has absorbed little of the microwave energy, the component will only be at a slightly elevated temperature compared to its initial temperature and thus can be handled more immediately and more easily.
Although this method can be used with metallic components, a metallic component has properties that can reduce the effectiveness of the process. For example, because metallic components tend to act as a shield against microwave energy, if the bonding material is positioned so as to be completely surrounded by metal, the microwave energy may not be able to penetrate to the bonding material. Thus, the presently preferred configuration of processing metallic components is to orient the metallic components relative to each other so that the microwave energy is not prevented from penetrating the bonding material.
Components that are susceptible to damage from microwave energy can still be separated using this process if these components can be protected from damage. One means of protecting a component from damage is to change the amount and/or frequency of the microwave energy being directed at the component. Different materials can be more susceptible to damage at certain power/frequency settings than at other settings. Thus, a component can be protected by using a less damaging power and/or frequency setting. Also, a component can be protected by having the portion of the component susceptible to damage shielded from the microwave energy. Methods and devices for shielding a component or portion of a component against microwave energy are well known and any of these can be used with this process. One example of such a shield is a metal foil surrounding the susceptible portion.
Many processes and/or tools can be used in the step of pulling apart or disengaging one component from another. Examples of methods for disengaging components from each other include: grasping and pulling at least one of the components with a tool; applying different forces to different components; or allowing gravity to pull one component from another. These examples are illustrative and typical, but are not to be considered exhaustive or limiting. The presently preferred step of disengaging one component from another is to allow gravity to pull apart the components. Advantageously, using gravity to pull apart the components does not require the use of any additional equipment to pull the components apart. Also, in situations in which one or more of the components are contaminated, using gravity to pull apart the components advantageously requires less handling of the contaminated components. Still another advantage of using gravity to pull apart the components is that a determination of the bonding state of the bonding material, typically as a function of temperature, is not necessary before the disengaging step takes place. Because gravity is always pulling on the component to be disengaged, the component will disengage once the bonding material reaches a debonding state.
The method for component separation can also include a step whereby the component to be removed is cradled during the removal process. For example, where a first component is to be removed from a second component by using the force of gravity on the second component to cause the second component to fall, the components can be cradled using a cradling fixture. The cradling fixture catches or retains the second component to prevent damage to the second component.
Any cradling fixture that prevents damage to a component after separation is acceptable for use with this invention. The presently preferred cradling fixture 30 is illustrated in FIG. 2 . The cradling fixture 30 is preferably positioned within a chamber 24 having a microwave emitter 26 . The cradling fixture 30 preferably comprises two component holders 32 , 34 for holding the components 38 , 40 . Although the cradling fixture 30 is not limited as to the type of component holders 32 , 34 , the presently preferred first component holder 32 is a first pair of rails 36 he upon which a first component 38 rests. The second component 40 is attached to and suspended from the first component 38 such that the second component 40 is supported by the first component 38 . Also included is a second component holder 34 which comprises a cushion 42 positioned slightly below the second component 40 . Any type of cushion 42 capable of cushioning the component 40 is acceptable; however, the preferred cushion 42 would not readily absorb microwave energy. The presently preferred cushion 42 includes ceramic fiber. The cradling fixture 30 can also include the aforementioned microwave absorbers 28 for absorbing excess microwave energy.
After the bonding material 44 has reached the debonding state, the force of gravity upon the second component 40 will force the second component 40 away from the first component 38 . Once the second component 40 begins to move away from the first component 38 , the second component holder 34 receiving the second component 40 . This cradling prevents the second component 40 from be damaged after the second component 40 eventually comes to rest.
The components can be exposed to a controlled atmosphere during the separation process, for example to prevent oxidization. Many atmospheres are acceptable to prevent oxidization or other damage when desired. An inert atmosphere, for example argon or nitrogen, can be advantageously used when the bonding material is raised to such a temperature that oxidization occurs. A dry atmosphere may also be advantageously used to prevent degradation of the component when the component is moisture sensitive. Also, air can included as a controlled atmosphere if the characteristics of the air, for example humidity and temperature, are controlled for any reason. Alternatively, a vacuum can be used to keep oxygen, moisture, or the like from the microwave chamber and thereby protect the bonding material and/or components. Vacuum as used herein applies to partial vacuum conditions as well as essentially total vacuum.
The method of component separation often does not require any pre-microwave preparation of the components and/or bonding materials. However, those components that have portions that may be damaged by the microwave energy or may damage the microwave chamber itself, for example because of arcing, may be removed prior to applying the microwave energy to the components. Also, as previously discussed, certain portions of the components may be shielded prior to the application of microwave energy.
Referring to FIG. 3, a method for removing bonding material from at least one component is illustrated. The method comprises applying microwave energy to the bonding material attached to the component until the bonding material is at a debonding state, and removing the bonding material from the at least one component before the bonding material turns to the bonding state. This method can be performed in addition to the method illustrated in FIG. 1, or optionally, this method can be performed separate from the method illustrated in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 4 illustrates the combination of the methods of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, and the combined method would comprise applying microwave energy to bonding material attached to components until the bonding material is at a debonding state, disengaging at least one of the components from the remaining components before the bonding material reaches a bonding state, and removing the bonding material from at least one component before the bonding material returns to the bonding state.
These additional methods are subject to the same limitations of the limitations placed on the first method disclosed. Additionally, those processes capable of removing the bonding material from the components to which the bonding material is attached are acceptable for use with this invention. For example, one process of removing bonding material is to physically scrape the bonding material from the components. Another process of removing bonding material is to continue applying microwave energy until the bonding material no longer bonds to the components and either falls off or flakes off. These processes are intended to illustrate possible methods of removing the bonding material and are not intended to be limiting.
It should be understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application.
The invention can take other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof for an indication of the scope of the invention.
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A method for separating and recovering components includes the steps of providing at least a first component bonded to a second component by a microwave absorbent adhesive bonding material at a bonding area to form an assembly, the bonding material disposed between the components. Microwave energy is directly and selectively applied to the assembly so that substantially only the bonding material absorbs the microwave energy until the bonding material is at a debonding state. A separation force is applied while the bonding material is at the debonding state to permit disengaging and recovering the components. In addition, an apparatus for practicing the method includes holders for the components.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 076,222, filed on Sept. 17, 1979 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,506.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the method and apparatus for quantizing various whole blood components and conducting other turbinometric and nepholimetric tests
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Commercially available automated equipment currently exists for analyzing the particulate or cell concentration in blood. This equipment measures either the interaction of the blood particles with electric fields or the interaction of the blood particles with visible radiation. Instruments which utilize electric fields for blood analysis require rather complex equipment while instruments utilizing optical analysis techniques are simpler. However, the simplicity found with optical instruments is frequently obtained at the expense of accuracy.
A disadvantage of utilizing optical equipment to analyze the particulate concentration in blood is the fact that the visible radiation intensity used to determine particulate concentration does not vary linearly with changes in particulate concentration. This is due to the fact that instruments using nephelometric and/or turbinometric phenomenon have non-linear characteristics as a result of random scattering of light. The non-linear response of the optical equipment to the particulate concentration makes the interpretation of the output data difficult and somewhat inaccurate. If instrumentation is added to the optical equipment to linearize its response, its complexity rapidly approaches that of the electric field instruments. Thus, a highly desirable goal in blood analysis is to develop a simple optical instrument not requiring elaborate instrumentation, which responds linearly to changes in particulate concentration.
Moreover, in the past it has been necessary, when conducting these types of tests to separately mix the required test reagents with the test sample, thereby substantially increasing both the time necessary to complete the test and the chance of contaminating the sample. In order to overcome these shortcomings, attempts have been made to produce a test strip or vessel impregnated with the actual test reagents. However, these products have proved unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. The first is that in many cases it has been difficult, if not impossible, to adapt the vessel and/or strip material to absorb and hold, in a stable condition, the necessary test reagents, dyes, or enzymes. Secondly, due to the type of dyes either used or generated, as well as the fact that these dyes are not molecularly bonded to the vessel or strip material, they do not result in a stable and permanent color. Rather, these tests must be read during a relatively short period of time after the test reaction is complete.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide simple optical equipment for automatically analyzing the particulate content in blood bearing solutions.
It is another object of this invention to provide optical equipment capable of simultaneously analyzing and detecting two constituents in blood bearing solutions.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an instrument capable of obtaining a linear reading of the degree of agglutination of red blood cells.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a technique for increasing the linearity of response of optical equipment used to determine the particulate concentration in whole blood and in other solutions.
A further object of this invention is to provide a vessel adapted to absorb a number of various test reagents and enzymes which will be leached out when the test sample is added thereto.
Another object of this invention is to provide a test strip impregnated with various test reagents adapted to indicate specific analyte concentration by means of changes in color.
Still, a further object of this invention is to provide a test strip which will produce a permanent record of test results.
Still, other objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious and in part be apparent from the specification and attached drawings
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention the particulate components in whole blood are counted and the degree of agglutination is determined by an apparatus which detects the concentration or rate of change of concentration of particles, and/or other material, exhibiting a visible spectrum response to interactive radiation. The interactive radiation may be visible light, or radiation from radioactive sources, and may either be externally or internally generated. A transparent envelope containing a blood bearing solution is subjected to the interactive radiation and the envelope is surrounded by a broadly absorbent body having a central internal cavity accommodating and supporting the transparent envelope. The broadly absorbent body having a relatively restrictive passage, allows visual communication between the internal cavity and the exterior thereof. A detector having an electrical signal output and capable of detecting at least a portion of the responsive visible radiation spectrum is positioned to detect the responsive radiation communicated via the relatively restrictive passage.
It is a feature of the invention that the broadly absorbent body strongly absorbs radiation at the responsive visible radiation wavelength, thereby eliminating the effects of radiation scattering from the wall of the well and advantageously increasing the linearity of the detector response.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention multiple externally generated radiation sources are utilized to achieve simultaneous visible spectrum responses from at least two components of the blood. A transparent envelope contains the solution bearing the particulate components of blood and this envelope is surrounded by a broadly absorbent body having an internal cavity of size sufficient to accommodate and support the envelope. The broadly absorbent body has four coplanar relatively restrictive passages communicating between the internal cavity of the body and the exterior thereof. First and second passages have aligned axes extending in opposite directions from the cavity and third and fourth passages have aligned axes coplanar with said first and second passages which also extend in opposite directions from the cavity. Located externally to the body are two detectors with electrical signal outputs, a first of which is positioned to receive radiation via the second passage, while a second detector is positioned to receive radiation via the fourth passage, each detector capable of detecting at least a portion of the responsive radiation spectrum.
It is another feature of the invention that each particle to be counted absorbs and/or scatters radiation at the wavelength of only one of the external radiation sources and each detector is responsive to only one of the external radiation sources, whereby each detector measures the concentration of a particular particle.
In accordance with a third aspect and feature of the invention linearity and stability of response of visible radiation to the particle concentration in whole blood is enhanced by crenating the red blood cells with a specific reagent and by refractively matching the red cell membranes to the reagent.
In accordance with another aspect and feature of the invention, the well of the apparatus is impregnated with a test reagent and/or enzyme and dried. Upon addition of water or a sample solution, the reagent and/or enzyme is leached out of the impregnated material of the well, resulting in a working test reagent. As with most tests of this nature, a quantitative determination of the analyte present may be made by monitoring the intensity of the resulting color in accordance with the previously discussed features of the invention.
In accordance with still a further aspect of the invention, a strip made in accordance with the material used in the construction of the above-mentioned well is impregnated with enzymes and/or other reagent constituents. Upon dipping the test strip into the solution to be tested, the strip will absorb the test solution, thereby reacting with the reagents impregnated therein. This reaction will result in a color being generated, the intensity of which is related to the concentration of the analyte for which the test is being conducted. The test strip may then be subjected to a visual or instrument evaluation which will quantitatively measure the intensity of the color.
The foregoing and other objects and features of this invention will be more fully understood from the following description of an illustrated embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top sectional view of a counting chamber where the detected radiation results from radioactive decay of isotopes added to the solution;
FIG. 2 is a top sectional view of a counting chamber where the incident radiation is generated by a single monochromatic external source and the measured radiation is the transmitted radiation;
FIG. 3 is a top sectional view of a counting chamber where incident radiation from an external monochromatic source excites fluorescence by the particles, the fluorescence being measured; and
FIG. 4 is a top sectional view of a counting chamber where incident radiation is generated by two external monochromatic sources.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a first embodiment of the invention. A transparent cuvette or envelope 10 is surrounded with and supported by a rectangular body or well 12, the well having an exterior surface 14 and a centrally located internal cavity 16. The internal cavity 16 is carefully sized such that it is large enough to accommodate the envelope 10 but small enough to provide adequate support therefor. Rectangular body or well 12 has a relatively restrictive passage 18 communicating between the internal cavity 16 and the exterior surface 14 of the rectangular body or well 12. A photomultiplier detector 20 is positioned to intersect the path of the relatively restrictive passage, thereby receiving any radiation transmitted via the restrictive passage 18.
It is noted that although the body of the apparatus is depicted as being rectangular and the well circular, it is understood that the invention is not so limited in that both the body and well may take on a number of various shapes and sizes to accommodate not only the type of test being conducted, but also the amount of test sample being used.
A measured quantity of liquid, including material which contains a radioactive isotope such as C 14 , is placed in the cuvette 10. Also included in the liquid is material capable of fluorescence in response to the radioactive isotope. The C 14 generates a characteristic radiation which excites the fluorescent material in the liquid and causes it to fluoresce at wavelengths between 380 nm and 420 nm. This radiation is transmitted via the relatively restrictive passage 18 to photomultiplier detector 20. Detector 20 detects the radiation generated by the particles in the solution and, in response thereto, the detector produces an electrical output signal. The magnitude of the electrical output signal is proportional to the concentration of C 14 and also is proportional to the concentration of the material containing C 14 , and this signal output can be utilized in a well known manner to operate display devices for indicating the material concentration. The material can be red blood cells or any other organic material capable of being tagged with C 14 .
The material contained within the cuvette 10 such as material 21 is not limited to cell particles but is meant to indicate any material containing C 14 which excites the fluorescent material in the liquid.
An important aspect of the invention is the fact that broadly absorbent well 12 is advantageously constructed of a material, which when dyed, will strongly absorb radiation in the wavelengths from 340 to 640 nm. Therefore, all radiation sensed by detector 20 consists of radiation generated by the excited material in the liquid and does not consist of secondary radiation caused by reflection of the transmitted radiation from the sides of well 12. The lack of reflected radiation is due to the fact that well 12 has been constructed of a material which strongly absorbs radiation at the wavelength of the radiation being generated by the excited material. This is in marked contrast to prior art devices which utilize a non-absorbent well which causes scattering of the generated radiation. This scattering or reflection off the walls of the well results in the detector response being partially due to a reflected component of radiation, thereby causing undesirable non-linearity in the detector output. Using an absorbent well having an absorption band that matches the wavelength of the light sensed by the detector ensures that the resulting detector response will entirely be a function of the first order light generated by the excited material, and thus the detector output signal will vary linearly with C 14 concentration.
A well 12, broadly absorbent of radiation, can be made from a cast or molded of a material such as Nylon IV, which can be produced in accordance with the teachings set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,174,951 and 3,721,625. Nylon IV can be dyed with commercially available dyes to make Nylon IV strongly absorbent of radiation across the entire visible spectrum and the ultraviolet spectrum. More particularly, to make Nylon IV strongly absorbent across a broad range of wavelengths, the Nylon IV can be dyed with commercially available dyes obtainable from Crompton and Knowles Corporation of Reading, PA. or Barson Corporation of Stamford, Conn. Examples of dyes utilized to make the Nylon IV absorbent from 340 nm to 640 nm include the following: Altco Fast Black, Super Nylite Black 40R, Intralow Black BGL, Nylonthrene Black GLRT, Azoanthrene Jet Black K, Direct Black E and Intrachrome Black WA.
Procedures recommended by Crompton and Knowles and/or Barson are utilized to dye the Nylon IV. These dyeing procedures are supplied by Crompton and Knowles and/or Barson, along with the appropriate dyes. Dyeing the Nylon IV well material in accordance with these teachings ensures that the well material will be strongly absorbent at the visible and ultra-violet wavelengths, and thus all radiation collected by detector 20 will be radiation stemming from the excited particles in the solution and will not be radiation reflected from the walls of well 12.
FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention. The apparatus shown therein consists of a transparent cuvette or envelope 10 surrounded by a rectangular body or well 12, having an exterior surface 14 and a centrally located internal cavity 16. The central cavity 16 is carefully sized such that it is large enough to accommodate the envelope 10 but small enough to provide adequate support for the envelope 10. The well 12 of the present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it has two relatively restrictive passages rather than one relatively restrictive passage. The first relatively restrictive passage 24 communicates between the internal cavity 16 and the exterior surface 14 of the rectangular body or well 12. A second relatively restrictive passage 18, having a common axis with the first relatively restrictive passage 18, extends in the opposite direction from the central cavity 16 and communicates between the central cavity 16 and the surface 14.
Adjacent to exterior surface 14 of well 12 is a solid state detector 20' which is positioned to intersect the path of the first relatively restrictive passage 18 and is positioned so as to detect radiation transmitted through passage 18. Such solid state detectors are commercially available and could, for example, be a Hammatmatsu silicon photo-cell detector.
In this embodiment of the invention a measured quantity of a blood bearing solution having the particulate component randomly dispersed throughout is placed in the cuvette 10. An externally generated monochromatic light of a wavelength equal to 420, 540 or 578 nm is directed into the cavity via the first relatively restrictive passage 24. The monochromatic light passes through the cell membrane and is strongly absorbed by the oxyhemoglobin in the red cell and the number of particles in the light path is then directly proportional to the amount of light absorbed. The light transmitted through the solution is directed to solid states detector 20' via relatively restrictive passage 18. The intensity of the radiation received by detector 20' decreases as the concentration of the particles increases. Therefore, the detector output can readily be utilized to operate display devices for indicating the cell concentration of cells in whole blood.
Determining the concentration of cells in whole blood through use of an external radiation source as in FIG. 2 requires an additional consideration due to the shape of the cells. More particularly, blood cells are rather flat and transparent to light, and thus their response to the incident light will depend on the orientation of each cell with respect to the axis of the transmitted light and will also depend on the swirling motion of the cells within the solution. A more linear detector response to the transmitted light can be obtained by first crenating the blood cells with the proper reagent.
Full crenation of the cells is accomplished by adding about one part of whole blood to about 250 to 2000 parts of a hypertonic solution and preferably about one part of whole blood to about 300 to 750 parts solution. This hypertonic solution contains distilled water to which is added about 1% to 9% and preferably 2% to 4% by weight of a salt and from about 1% to 8% and preferably 4% to 6% by weight of a polysaccharide, wherein the total percentage of the salt and polysacride will be about 2% to 17% and preferably about 6% to 10%.
It has been found that a solution of one part whole blood and five hundred parts of a hypertonic solution which comprises distilled water to which has been added about 3% by weight of Sodium Benzoate and 6% by weight of dextran having an average molecular weight of about 200,000 to 300,000 performs satisfactorily. In addition, the above solutions may also contain from about 1% to about 4% by weight of a plasma expander, such as a poly vinyl perrolidone. The whole blood and the hypertonic solution are thoroughly mixed and the mixture is allowed to stand for a minimum of about one minute to ensure that the cells are fully crenated.
A solution having the above composition, in addition to preparing the red blood cells by crenation, also serves to provide a solution which has an index of refraction which approximately matches the index of refraction of the red blood membrane, and thus reduces the reflected light and enhances the linearity of the detector response. In addition, the effective total area of the concentrated red cell hemoprotein in the light path has to be small in comparison to the total area of the incident light beam. An appropriate ratio of hemoprotein area to light beam area is 1 to 10. Such a ratio is achieved by proper dilution of the solution and ensures that counting errors will not result as cell volume increases or decreases. This minimizes counting errors due to MCV (mean corpuscular volume) variations. This relationship must be utilized with the embodiment of FIG. 2 and the embodiment of FIG. 4 to be described hereinafter.
The body material of well 12 is again advantageously designed to be absorbent at the wavelength of the radiation transmitted by the external monochromatic light source. The specific material of which well 12 is constructed, and the manner in which this material is rendered absorbent at the wavelength of the monochromatic light source is in accordance with the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,174,951 and 3,721,625 and the dyeing process described above. Since the body material of well 12 is absorbent at the wavelength of the transmitted radiation, the intensity of the measured radiation will vary linearly with respect to particle concentration and will not be affected by reflections from the walls of well 12 due to the fact that the well wall is absorbent.
FIG. 3 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention. The apparatus shown therein includes cuvette 10, internal body cavity 16, the selectively absorbent well 12 and an additional element not previously used, namely filter 22. This embodiment of the invention is contrasted with the previous embodiments in that the second relatively restrictive path 24' is perpendicular to the first relatively restrictive path 18 and extends from central cavity 16 to the surface 14. This apparatus is particularly well suited to an application wherein an externally generated monochromatic light source is employed to excite fluorescence in the species being studied. When employing a light source to excite fluorescence there is always the problem of having the detector differentiate between the light source and the radiation generated through fluorescence. Such differentiation is necessary if the detector output is to accurately reflect particle concentration. This problem is solved in the above-described configuration of restrictive passages due to the fact that passage 24' is perpendicular to passage 18, thereby ensuring that the detector is shielded from the direct beam of the external monochromatic light source. This feature enhances the linearity of the detector response, since all light incident on the detector is generated by the fluorescence originating from the solution. In addition, filters 22 are arranged to block radiation at the frequency of the incident light, thereby adding to the accuracy of the concentration readings. Examples of radiation wavelengths are 366 nm for the wavelength of the incident light and 450 nm for the wavelength of fluorescence.
Again, the material of well 12 is advantageously made strongly absorbent at the wavelengths of the fluoresced light and the incident light. This further increases the linearity of the detector response in accordance with the teachings outlined above. In this configuration the well material can be made absorbent at the wavelength of both the fluoresced light and the external light but absorbence should principally occur at the wavelength of the fluoresced light.
A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4. This embodiment includes the structural elements defined above, namely, the absorptive well 12, the cuvette 10, body cavity 16 and filters 22. This embodiment differs from those described above in that it has a second pair of relatively restrictive passages 26 and 32 communicating between the central cavity 16 and the surface 14 of the well 12. Associated with third relatively restrictive passage 26 is a second series of filters 28 and a second solid state detector 30. The spacial radiation between the second series of filters 28, the second solid state detector 30, and the third relatively restrictive passage 26 is the same as the spacial relation between the first series of filters 22, solid state detector 20', and the first relatively restrictive passage 18. The fourth relatively restrictive passage 32 directs a second externally generated monochromatic light source into the central cavity 16.
The apparatus in FIG. 4 allows the simultaneous measurement of the concentration of two species in whole blood. More particularly, the white blood cell concentration and the platelet concentration can be measured simultaneously. This is accomplished by setting the wavelength of incident light source A at 420 nm and the wavelength of incident light source B at 460 nm. It is understood that prior to measuring the concentration of the white blood cells and platelets the red blood cells must be removed from solution, since these cells will detrimentally interfere with the reflection and absorption of the incident light sources used to determine the concentration of the white cells and platelets.
When the blood bearing solution has been treated with the reagent described above in relation with the crenation process and the red blood cells have been removed, the platelets in the blood reflect light at 420 nm and are completely transparent to the light at 460 nm. Therefore, the light from source A (420 nm) will be reflected by the platelets and absorbed by the well, and thus the output of detector 20' will reflect the platelet concentration. Similarly, the light from source B (460 nm) will be absorbed by the white blood cells and the output of detector 30 will reflect the white blood cell concentration. Filters 22 advantageously reject at 460 nm and filters 28 reject at 420 nm to further increase concentration measurement accuracy. Again, the material of well 12 is dyed in accordance with the teachings set forth above to be absorbent at 420 nm and 460 nm to thereby greatly increase the linearity and accuracy of the cell concentration readings.
All of the embodiments described above can also be used to determine the degree of agglutination of the red blood cells. More particularly, in accordance with the previous teachings it can be appreciated that the apparatus of the instant invention will provide an accurate reading of the number of red blood cells. As the red blood cells agglutinate together, this count will decrease at a specific rate based on the number of cells that combine together. Due to the enhanced linearity inherent in the apparatus of the instant invention the degree of agglutination can be accurately determined.
In another embodiment of the present invention the Nylon IV used to make the well portion of the apparatus is impregnated with one or more enzymes or reagents necessary to conduct a variety of tests on blood or urine samples. Although the remaining embodiments of the present invention will be discussed in terms of blood and/or urine testing, these are exemplary only and it should be understood that the present apparatus may be adapted to determine the concentration of a variety of components and/or contaminents in numerous solutions. The impregnation of the Nylon IV is accomplished by first immersing the Nylon IV in the test reagent solution and then removing the moisture content, thus leaving the dry test reagent impregnated in the Nylon IV. When water or a solution to be tested is added to the well the enzymes and other reagent constituents are leached out of the well material, resulting in a working test reagent. Upon completion of the reaction between the test sample and the test reagent, a color is formed and a determination of analyte concentration, based on the intensity of the color, is made by the above-described methods.
In order that the maximum amount of test reagent be absorbed by the nylon, it is necessary to assure that the Nylon IV is in a dry condition prior to impregnation. This will ensure that enough of the enzyme and other reagent constituents will be available upon reconstitution. Due to the nature of the reaction which normally takes place between the enzymes, reagents and test samples, it is permitted that an excess amount of enzyme and/or reagents be present; it is not necessary therefore that the amount of impregnate absorbed in any way be limited.
It has been found that vacuum drying of the Nylon IV material prior to impregnation by immersion aids in absorption. In this regard the time the nylon should be immersed in the test reagent solution varies from about 1 to 90 minutes and preferably between 15 and 60 minutes, depending upon the physical size of the well and the particular impregnate being used. Obviously, the larger the well, the more reagent needed, and therefore, the longer the immersion time. Subsequent to immersion, the Nylon IV material is removed from the solution and dried at room temperature. After drying, the entire apparatus should be stored at temperatures of about 0° to 4° C. to ensure stability of the reagents and enzymes.
During use a pre-measured test sample is placed in the well. This test sample may be diluted with a suitable solvent. Upon introduction of the test sample into the well portion of the apparatus the enzymes and other reagents are leached out of the Nylon IV to form a working test solution; a color change specific to the type of reagents present and the test being performed will result. The intensity of this color, which is measured as previously discussed, can now be used to quantitively calculate the concentration of the particular analyte under consideration.
Although the present invention has been discussed in terms of all the enzymes and/or reagents being impregnated in the well walls, it is to be understood that fewer than all the ingredients may be so impregnated with the remaining constiuents being physically added to the well at the time of testing. Indeed, this subsequent addition is desired in cases where a single enzyme may be utilized for determinating the concentration of a number of different analytes depending upon the particular reagents used in combination with it.
As would be understood by one skilled in the art, the above-described invention lends itself to a number of various tests for both blood and urine analysis; the following are exemplary of these tests.
A commonly used method for the determination of blood urea are the Urease method and those methods utilizing diacetylmonoxyime. In the Urease methods serum is reacted with the enzyme urease releasing ammonia. The ammonia then couples with various reagents, including a chromogen, to form a color, the intensity of which is measured spectrophotometrically.
In the present invention the Nylon IV well is impregnated with a solution comprising the enzyme Urease as well as phenolhypochlorite and any catalyst which may be necessary to complete the reaction. Upon addition of the serum to be tested, the urease enzyme and reagents are leached out of the Nylon IV and the urea present in the serum reacts with the urease. The resulting ammonia reacts with the hypochlorite followed by subsequent coupling with phenol to form a chromogen, indophenol blue. As is known in the art, the color intensity of the resulting color is proportional to the concentration of urea present. The intensity is then measured using the above-described method and apparatus at a radiation of 580 nm to 640 nm and the concentration of urea determined. It is noted that although the above is discussed as a one step process, it may, and often is, accomplished in two steps.
The present invention may also be used for the determination of cholesterol content in human serum. In this embodiment a test reagent comprising lipase, oxidase, activators and phenol is prepared. This solution is then used to impregnate the Nylon IV well. Alternatively, the Nylon IV is impregnated only with the lipase and oxidase and at the time of use the appropriate activators and phenols are placed in the well and the test sample added.
Upon addition of the serum to the well the enzyme and/or test reagents are leached out of the Nylon IV and the test reaction begins. The cholesterol esters are hydrolyzed to free cholesterol and fatty acids by Lipase. The cholesterol is oxidized to cholest-4-en-3-one and hydrogen peroxide in a reaction catalyzed by the cholesterol oxidase (CO). Peroxidase (POD) then catalyzes the reaction between hydrogen peroxide, 4-aminoantipyrine, and phenol to produce a quinoneimine which has an absorbence maximum at 510 nm. The intensity of the color produced is directly proportional to the total cholesterol level in the sample. The intensity is then measured using the above-described method and apparatus and the cholesterol content determined.
A further example of the use of the present invention is the impregnation of the Nylon IV using a combination of reagents for the determination of glucose content in serum plasma or urine. In this embodiment the Nylon IV is impregnated with glucose oxidase, peroxidase, 4-aminoantipyrine and phenol. Alternatively, the Nylon IV may be impregnated using a mixture of glucose oxidase and peroxidase and the 4-aminoantipyrine and phenol added to the well at the time of the test.
Upon introduction of the serum or urine into the well, any glucose present is oxidized in the presence of glucose oxidase to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Then, in the presence of peroxidase, the hydrogen peroxide reacts with 4-aminoantipyrine and phenol to form a red color. The color intensity is proportional to the concentration of glucose and can be measured photometrically at 510 nm, using the apparatus and methods previously described.
In a further embodiment of the present invention Nylon IV strips are prepared and impregnated with the particular enzymes and reagents necessary to conduct a specific test. For example, in accordance with the previous example a thin non-fibrous Nylon IV strip is impregnated with a solution of peroxidase, glucose oxidase and the necessary reagents to form a red color when glucose is present in the serum or urine. The nylon strip is dried, packaged and stored for any period of time until needed.
Upon introducing the Nylon IV strip into the serum or urine to be tested, the Nylon IV absorbs the test solution, thereby beginning the above described reaction and ultimately forming a color. At that point a visual or instrument evaluation can be made based upon the color intensity of the dye.
It is an important aspect of this embodiment of the present invention that unlike the test strips of the prior art, the present test strips will remain permanently dyed, thus creating a permanent record of the test result. This permanent bonding is due to the unique molecular structure and absorption qualities of the Nylon IV strip. The strips of the prior art, on the other hand, lose their color rapidly, and thus, must be tested or evaluated within a short period of time after the test reaction is complete.
In choosing the particular enzymes and/or reagents for use in conjunction with Nylon IV one should keep in mind that the absorption of these materials is accomplished at the molecular level and it is therefore important to consider their molecular weight and size, since materials having too large a molecular size will not be absorbed by the Nylon IV. For example, various lipids, due to their large molecular size, will not penetrate the Nylon IV structure, whereas analytes, such as glucose or cholesterol, will.
It has been found that the following enzymes are absorbed satisfactorily into the Nylon IV: glucose oxidase, lactate oxidase, pyruvate oxidase, glycerol oxidase, alcohol oxidase, urease, lipase and peroxidase. Similarly, the following chromogens are satisfactorily absorbed: 4-aminoantipyrine, 4-aminophenazone and the tetrazolium salts.
It has also been found that this selective absorption by Nylon IV greatly increases the accuracy of the test results, since it limits the amount of lipemic interference normally encountered when conducting the type of tests previously discussed. Lipemic interference, as would be understood by one skilled in the art, is the interference of large molecular compounds with the interface of the test reagents and the serum components to be tested. Due to the unique properties of the Nylon IV, it has been found that these large molecules are prevented from entering the strip material, and therefore interfering with the interface of the serum components and the test reagents impregnated in the strip.
Although the physical dimensions of the strip may vary widely, one should keep in mind that subsequent evaluation of the strip may require that light pass through it and therefore the thickness should not be so great as to substantially interfere with the light path. It has been found that thicknesses of about 0.25 mm to 2 mm perform satisfactorily in that they absorb sufficient quantities of reagents while still allowing light to pass through for instrumental evaluation subsequent to use.
The present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments; it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims.
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Photometric apparatus, for counting the particulate components in blood and for determining the degree of particulate agglutination is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a body provided with an absorbent well for holding the blood bearing solution. The body is further provided with a passage to allow communication between the well and a detector which is capable of detecting the response of the particulate material to stimulating radiation. The absorptive well has the characteristic of absorbing radiation at the wavelength which characterizes the response of the particulate material to stimulating radiation. The well advantageously prevents the detector from detecting radiation that would otherwise be reflected by the well, whereby the linearity of the response of the apparatus is greatly increased. Linearity is further enhanced by assuring full crenation of the cells with a specific reagent. Impregnation of the well walls with specific reagents and/or enzymes, such that the addition of water or solution will result in a working test solution for a variety of blood serum or urine analysis is further disclosed. Test strips impregnated with specific reagents and enzymes, which are adapted to produce a permanent record of the test color intensity, are also disclosed.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a centrifugal rpm regulating device for use in a fuel injection apparatus for an internal combustion engine having a governor for control of an injection pump in response to the volume of a work chamber. In an already known rpm regulating device of this general type the work chamber serves to dampen the rpm regulating device. This work chamber is arranged in the interior of the governor sleeve and communicates with the inner chamber of the injection pump which is pressurized via one or more throttle openings. In spite of the advantageous dampening of the rpm regulating device provided by this arrangement, it is necessary for smooth operation of the internal combustion engine to choose the proportional band of the rpm regulating device in such a manner that the idling rpm can fluctuate over an undesirably wide range in actual practice. If, for reasons of fuel economy, the idling rpm is set at a low level, it is possible for the idling rpm to drop too low due to this `softness` of the rpm regulating device resulting in an engine which operates unevenly, noisely or even stops running, the latter caused by the further presence of inertial stress of cold lubricaing oil in the engine, of the actuation of an air conditioner, and/or of an automatic vehicle power assist, or a similar phenomena.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the rpm regulating device of the present invention is to advantageously provide that a greater injection quantity than that provided by the basic injection adjustment and/or the size and quantity of the centrifugal weights of the centrifugal governor, and the arrangement at the regulator springs are provided to the internal combustion engine as soon as the rpms threaten to reach an undesirably high deviation from the set value.
It is a further object of the invention to provide that the idling speed is kept constant.
It is another object of the invention to maintain the operating rpm during varying power output with only slight deviation from that desired and to quickly adjust for larger deviation. If the internal combustion engine also drives an alternating current generator these advantages are especially noticeable.
It is a still further object of the invention to control such power losses due to friction as additionally appear in a still cold engine.
The invention will be better understood and further objects thereof will become more apparent from the ensuing detailed description of two preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the rpm regulating device of the invention in a longitudinal cross-section; and
FIG. 2 shows a detail of the rpm regulating device in cross-section along a line II--II in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning now to FIG. 1, in a housing 1 of a fuel injection pump serving a multicylinder internal combustion engine (not shown) there is supported a drive shaft 2 coupled with a cam disc 3 which carries as many camming protrusions 4 as there are cylinders in the engine. The track of the cam disc 3 is engaged by rollers, not shown, which are held in a ring 6. The latter is inserted into the pump housing 1 and is rotatable about the axis of the shaft 2 by means of a pin 7 extending into the ring 6. A fuel pumping and distributing member 8 has, at its side adjacent its drive means, a collar 9 which is coupled with the cam disc 3 by means of a pin 10.
On the collar 9 there are disposed in a face-to-face relationship two sliding discs 11 and an upwardly spherical disc 12 against which there is pressed a complemental counterface of a yoke 13 by means of two axially parallel coil return springs 14 (only one shown) disposed at 180° with respect to the axis of the pump. The return springs 14 engage a pump block 15 which is inserted in a fluid tight manner in an opening of the pump housing 1. Under the effect of the springs 14 the cam disc 3 is continuously pressed against the rollers supported by the ring 6.
The pumping and distributing member 8 is slidably situated in a cylinder sleeve 17 which is fixedly inserted into the pump block 15. The latter is closed at the top by a threaded cap 19 which presses a valve seat body 20 against the edge face of the cylinder sleeve 17. In an axial bore of the valve seat body 20 there is slidably arranged a movable valve member 21 which, in its closed position, is pressed against the valve seat body 20 by means of a spring 22 seated in a cavity of the closure cap 19.
To the pump shaft 2 there is affixed a rotary positive displacement pump 24 which serves as a fuel supply pump and which delivers fuel directly into the inner chamber 26 formed in the housing 1. From the inner chamber 26 there extends a channel 27 which leads to an inlet channel 28 in the cylinder sleeve 17. The inlet channel 28 cooperates with longitudinal grooves 29 provided in the lateral face of a terminal portion of the pumping and distributing member 8. The longitudinal grooves 29 communicate with a pump work chamber 30 controlled by the pressure valve 20, 21. From the cavity of the threaded cap 19 which is disposed downstream of the valve 20, 21, there extends a channel 31 which passes through the valve seat body 30 and the wall of the cylinder sleeve 17 and which opens into a radial channel 32 provided in the cylinder sleeve 17. The channel 32 cooperates with an annular groove 33 of the pumping and distributing member 8. From the annular chamber 33 there extends, in the pumping and distributing member 8, an axially oriented distributor groove 34 which cooperates with the outlet channels 35 (only one shown). The latter are disposed radially with respect to the cylinder sleeve 7 and in an inclined manner in the pump block 15. They open into threaded coupling outlets 36 to which there are connected injection conduits (not shown) leading to the fuel injection nozzles (also not shown) of the internal combustion engine. Similarly to the camming protrusions 4 of the cam disc 3, the longitudinal grooves 29 and the outlet channels 35 with the coupling outlets 36 are equal in number to that of the cylinders of the internal combustion engine.
In the pumping and distributing member 8 there is provided an axial channel 38 which extends from the pump work chamber 30 to a transversal channel 39. The mouths of the transversal channel 39 in the lateral face of the pumping and distributing member 8 cooperate with a quantity adjustment member embodied as a control sleeve 41 which is axially displaceable on the pumping and distributing member 8. For causing an axial displacement of the control sleeve 41, into a depression of the latter there extends a spherical terminus of an arm 42 of a two-arm lever 42, 43 which is pivotally held on a pin 44. The pin 44 is disposed in an eccentric manner on the radial face of a shaft 45 which is supported in the pump housing 1 and which serves for the setting of the full load fuel quantities and for a fuel shutoff.
The other arm 43 of the two-arm lever 42, 43 is engaged by the spherical terminus of a governor member 47 of an rpm regulator which is slidable on a regulator shaft 48 fixedly attached to the housing 1. On the regulator shaft 48 there is rotatably mounted a spur gear 49 which meshes with a spur gear 50 keyed to the pump drive shaft 2. With the spur gear 49 there are fixedly connected sheet metal pockets 51 in which there are supported centrifugal weights 52. Each of the latter engages the governor member 47 by means of an arm 53.
The arm 43 of the two-arm lever 42, 43 is exposed to the force of a compression spring 54 and a tension spring 55 which serve as regulator springs. The compression spring 54 engages directly the lever arm 43 and is supported by a flariing pin 56. Into the pin 56 there is hooked one end of the tension spring 55, the other end of which is in engagement with a pin 57. The latter is affixed to a setting lever 58 which, for the purpose of adjusting the rpm to be regulated, is operable from the outside of the housing 1. The governor member 47 has a radial throttle opening 60 extending into a hollow interior which defines an inner work chamber 61. The work chamber 61 is further defined by a regulator shaft 48 which extends into the governor member 47. The length of the work chamber 61, and thus its volume, is variable by displacement of the governor member 47 on the regulator shaft 48. The regulator shaft 48 includes a longitudinal bore 64 which communicates with a conduit 72 which leads to a tank 73 from which the fuel supply pump 24 is supplied. A throttle 74 and a magnetic valve 75 are incorporated in the conduit 72. The magnetic valve 75 is connected to an electronic control device 76 which communicates with a sensor comprising a rpm transmitter 77. The sensor reads a transmitter wheel 79 provided with cogs 78 which is driven by the engine. In addition to the rpm transmitter 77, or instead of it, a torque pickup 80 assigned to the engine can communicate with the control device 76. In addition a temperature sensor 81, which is adapted to measure the temperature of the internal combustion engine or of its lubrication oil, can communicate with the control device 76.
As best seen in FIG. 2, the pin extends with its terminus projecting from the housing 1, into a cylindrical joint 66 which is rotably arranged in a piston 67 of a hydraulic setting mechanism, the housing 68 of which adjoins the housing 1 of the fuel injection pump (FIG. 1). The piston 67 is exposed to the pressure prevailing in the inner chamber 26 of the housing 1 through a channel 69. The other terminal face of the piston 67 is engaged by a spring 70. This terminal face of the piston 67 communicates with the induction side of the fuel supply pump 24 via a channel 71.
OPERATION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
When the internal combustion engine is running, the drive shaft 2 of the fuel injection pump rotates, causing rotation of the cam disc 3 which in cooperation with the rollers of the ring 6 effects an axial reciprocating motion and a simultaneous rotary motion of the pumping and distributing member 8. During this operation the cam disc 3 is maintained in continuous contact with the afore-noted rollers by means of the return springs 14. The pumping and distributing member 8 is shown in FIG. 1 in its lower dead center position. The pump work chamber 30 is charged with fuel through the inlet channel 28. As the cam disc 3 rotates first the inlet channel 28 is closed by the land of the pumping and distributing member 8. During the immediately following effective pressure stroke of the pumping and distributing member 8, fuel is delivered from the pump work chamber 30 through the open valve 20, 21, the channels 31 and 32 into the annular groove 33 and therefrom through the distributor groove 34 to one of the outlet channels 35 and then to the associated outlet coupling 36. Therefrom the fuel is admitted to the individual fuel injection nozzles of the internal combustion engine.
The fuel supply pump 24 supplies fuel into the inner chamber 26 of the fuel injection pump at an rpm-dependent pressure. The pressurized fuel exerts a force on the piston 67 of the hydraulic setting mechanism and thereby angularly adjusts in an rpm-dependent manner the ring 6 through the pin 7. The angular position of the ring 6 determines the beginning of the fuel flow to the injection pump.
As the rpm increases, the centrifugal weights 52 of the centrifugal regulator swing outwardly and displace the governor member 47 upwardly against the force of the regulator springs 54, 55. During this occurrence, first the spring 54 which serves for the regulation of the idling rpm, is compressed and thereafter the spring 55 serving for the regulation of the operational rpm is tensioned. During this displacement of the governor member 47, on the one hand, the control sleeve 41 is shifted downwardly so that the fuel quantities delivered by the fuel injection pump are decreased (partial load).
If the internal combustion engine is subjected to a load during idling in such a manner that its idling rpm threatens to drop below a desired level, in spite of the centrifugal weights 52 pressing against the regulator springs 54, 55, then the control device 76 intervenes, dependent upon the rpm signaled from the rpm transmitter 77, and opens the magnetic valve 75. The opened magnetic valve 75 lets fuel exit from the inner chamber 26 through the throttle opening 60, into the work chamber 61, to the longitudinal bore 62, and then to conduit 72 and on to the tank 73 or the fuel supply pump 24. As a result of the fuel outflow, the pressure in the work chamber 61 drops to a level lower than that in the inner chamber 26 due to the throttle opening 60. Therefore, the governor member 47 is hydraulically actuated in the direction of the arm 53 of the centrifugal weights 52. The effect of this position change is the same as if the regulator springs 54, 55 were being additionally tensioned by the settig lever 58. The hydraulically-imposed shift of the governor member 47, therefore, causes an upward displacement of the control sleeve 41 with a known consequence, that is, a larger fuel quantity is injected into the internal combustion engine. This added quantity of fuel works counter to the effect of the loads, which were mentioned above in the introduction, lowering the divergence of the rpm level from its desired value. The cross-sections of the throttle opening 60 and the throttle 74 are chosen such that the desired enhancement or dampening of the fuel quantity to be injected takes place.
Naturally, instead of a fixed-adjustment throttle 74 and a magnetic valve 75 opening to its full cross-section, a variable-section throttle can be used to achieve a continuous enhancement of the fuel quantity. Known proportional valves can be used for such a throttle.If necessary, it is also possible to open the magnetic valve 75 in quick sequence for a short period.
In the example described above the load on the internal combustion engine is measured indirectly by a drop in the rpm. Alternatively, measuring the charge is also possible with the torque pickup 80. This allows for an adjustment with much less deviation at higher rpm levels as well. The torque pickup can comprise in a known manner a torque measuring shaft, or a reaction moment transmitter, or a current intensity measuring device connected to a generator.
In addition to measuring the rpm and/or the torque, the temperature of the lubricaion oil in the internal combustion engine can be measured through the use of a temperature sensor 81 and this value be taken into account by the control device 76 in determining the quantity of fuel to be injected. In a similar manner the temperature of the combustion air could be measured and taken into account by the control device.
The foregoing relates to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, it being understood that other embodiments and variants thereof are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, the latter being defined by the appended claims.
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A regulator shaft, rotary centrifugal weights, and a governor member which is slidable on the regulator shaft, are arranged in a pressurized, fuel-filled inner chamber of a fuel injection apparatus. The centrifugal weights engage regulator springs via the governor member and a control sleeve. The governor member is closed adjacent the free end of the regulator shaft except for a throttle opening for communication with the inner chamber. The governor member is provided with a work chamber, one extremity of which is limited by the regulator shaft. A conduit leading to a fuel tank communicates with the work chamber. A magnetic valve connected to an electronic control device for control of the fuel flow is provided in the conduit. Opening the magnetic valve causes a pressure drop in the work chamber which in turn causes the governor member to press against the centrifugal weights, thus enhancing the fuel injection quantity so as to reduce deviations from those desired and pre-set.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a micro-pulsation fuel injection system with underpressure stabilizer, particularly to a micro-pulsation fuel injection system with underpressure stabilizer to be used in an internal combustion engine.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Conventional fuel supply systems of internal combustion engines include carburetors and fuel injection systems. A mechanical carburetor, using underpressure generated by flow in a tube, sucks in and vaporizes fuel. Vaporized fuel, having mixed with air, enters a cylinder of the internal combustion engine. However, being regulated by an inclination of an adjustment needle and flow control by the throttle valve, the quantity of fuel taken in is hard to control precisely. At full throttle, vaporization is imperfect, so that fuel wetting becomes worse.
[0005] A fuel injection system, on the other hand, has an electric fuel pump which pressurizes and pushes out fuel through a nozzle into an inlet manifold, where fuel is sprayed apart into fuel droplets. The fuel droplets subsequently mix with inlet air and enter a cylinder of the internal combustion engine. However, since fuel is ejected at high speed without being uniformly distributed, no uniform mixture of fuel and air is attained, so that fuel is wetted at walls of the intake port. Imperfect combustion of fuel results then.
[0006] Furthermore, with increasing demand for better characteristics, conventional carburetors developed to the present day have become complicated precision devices, which makes manufacturing thereof difficult and expensive. On the other hand, fuel injection systems, each requiring a fuel pump, a high-pressure pipe, a regulator, and a nozzle are complex and costly. Since operating pressure is high, sealing of pipes and of the pump requires special attention to prevent leakage. A collision or burst of the pipes will causes fuel spurt out, forming fuel vapor which is readily ignited by a spark or heat. This is a severe safety drawback.
[0007] For the reasons just given, conventional fuel supply systems have considerable shortcomings. This has brought up micro-pulsation pumps as means for supplying fuel. Therein, micropumps are placed at the intake pipe of an internal combustion engine, vaporizing and ejecting fuel into the inlet. Thus fuel which is completely mixed with air enters the cylinder. Being products of mature technology, micropumps are inexpensive. Furthermore, micropumps operate at low pressure, thus there is no need to add a pressurizing system. This keeps down costs, and there is no risk of explosion due to broken pipes. Moreover, micropumps are capable precisely to dose fuel, ejecting fuel droplets ejected at medium speed, so completely mix with air. Therefore, no wetting of walls of intake pip will occur, and combustion in the engine will be more effective.
[0008] However, since a micropump operates without valves, underpressure of incoming fuel needs to be maintained to prevent fuel from leaking from the micropump due to gravitation. Furthermore, being placed in the inlet of the engine, inlet pressure varies with operational states of the engine, with underpressure of incoming fuel varying along. This causes the quantity of fuel furthered by the micropump to vary, as well. It is therefore desirable for achieving well-defined operation of the micropump to keep the underpressure of incoming fuel stable against the pressure of air in the inlet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The main object of the present invention is to provide a micro-pulsation fuel injection system with underpressure stabilizer which maintains a stable underpressure of an inlet of the micropump against the exterior thereof in an intake pipe of an internal combustion engine, so that fuel is precisely delivered for effective combustion thereof.
[0010] The present invention has a compression pump at a fuel supply pipe of the micropump, for keeping underpressure of the inlet of the micropump against the intake pipe stable. Incoming fuel passes through a fuel chamber, separated by a membrane from a pressure chamber, which in turn is connected to the intake pipe. The membrane deforms according to pressure in the intake pipe, changing volume of the fuel chamber and generating underpressure of fuel therein.
[0011] The present invention can be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] [0012]FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the micro-pulsation fuel injection system with underpressure stabilizer of the present invention in the first embodiment.
[0013] [0013]FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the movement of the compression pump of the present invention in the first embodiment.
[0014] [0014]FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the micro-pulsation fuel injection system with underpressure stabilizer of the present invention in the second embodiment.
[0015] [0015]FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the regulating valve of the present invention in the second embodiment in a balanced state exposed to forces.
[0016] [0016]FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic illustrations of the movement of the regulating valve of the present invention in the second embodiment.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the micro-pulsation fuel injection system with underpressure stabilizer of the present invention in the third embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention in a first embodiment comprises: a compression pump 10 ; a fuel tank 20 ; and a micropump 30 . A bypass 11 leads into the compression pump 10 , and a backflow pipe 12 leads out of there. The bypass 11 and the backflow pipe 12 together with a fuel supply pipe 13 form a circuit. The fuel supply pipe 13 is connected with the fuel tank 20 , with an underpressure safety valve 19 placed in between. The bypass 11 leads from the fuel supply pipe 13 to the compression pump 10 . The backflow pipe 12 leads back into the fuel tank 20 . With the compression pump 10 sucking in fuel from the bypass 11 and delivering fuel via the backflow pipe 12 into the tank 20 , a closed loop of fuel flow is formed. The fuel supply pipe 13 , being connected with the bypass 11 , ends at the micropump 30 . The micropump 30 is mounted at an intake pipe 40 of an internal combustion engine, ejecting tiny droplets of fuel into the intake pipe 40 . The intake pipe 40 has an air canal 41 , in which a throttle valve 42 is placed. The air canal 41 leads to a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, with the throttle valve 42 regulating the quantity of air passing through.
[0019] The compression pump 10 of the present invention sucks in fuel from the fuel tank 20 through the bypass 11 , returning fuel through the backflow pipe 12 to the fuel tank 20 , so that a closed loop is formed.
[0020] Sucking of fuel from the fuel tank 20 through the bypass 11 into the compression pump 10 generates underpressure in the fuel supply pipe 13 . The supply pipe 13 is connected with an inlet 31 of the micropump 30 . Therefore, underpressure is maintained at the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 .
[0021] Referring again to FIG. 1, the compression pump 10 has a case 14 having an inside which is divided by a membrane 15 into a lower half and an upper half, constituting a pressure chamber 16 and a fuel chamber 17 , respectively. A transmission tube 18 transmits pressure from the intake pipe 40 to the pressure chamber 16 . An inlet valve 171 is mounted at an entrance of the fuel chamber 17 , to which the bypass 11 is connected. An outlet valve 172 is mounted at an exit of the fuel chamber 17 , to which the backflow pipe 12 is connected. The inlet valve 171 and the outlet valve 172 are one-way valves, only allowing fluid to enter the fuel chamber 17 from the bypass 11 and to leave the fuel chamber 17 through the backflow pipe 12 .
[0022] Referring to FIG. 2, movement of the compression pump 10 comes about by pressure changes in the pressure chamber 16 , which follow pressure changes in the intake pipe 40 . Due to pressure changes in the pressure chamber 16 the membrane 15 deforms slightly and elastically, changing the volume of the fuel chamber 17 . When the volume of the fuel chamber 17 increases, fuel is sucked in through the bypass 11 . On the other hand, when the volume of the fuel chamber 17 decreases, fuel is pressed out through the backflow pipe 12 and flows back into the fuel tank 20 .
[0023] The movement of the compression pump 10 lies in deforming of the membrane 15 caused by pressure changes in the air canal 41 of the intake pipe 40 , which take away or apply pressure. When pressure is taken away and the membrane 15 consequently bends downward, the fuel chamber 17 expands, so that underpressure in the bypass 11 and in the fuel supply pipe 13 results. This causes underpressure in the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 , as well. When the membrane 15 is pushed on by pressure transmitted through the transmission tube 18 , the fuel chamber 17 shrinks, pressing fuel out through the backflow pipe 12 .
[0024] Thus the compression pump 10 effects stable underpressure at the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 . A fixed negative difference of pressures at the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 and in the intake pipe 40 is maintained, so that no fuel will leak out of the micropump 30 and no improper quantities of fuel will be ejected. Therefore, the quantity of ejected fuel is better controlled, and combustion thereof is more effective.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 3, the present invention in a second embodiment comprises: a compression pump 10 ; a fuel tank 20 ; a micropump 30 ; and an intake pipe 40 . The structural parts and the assembly of the present invention are the same in the first and second embodiments, except for an additional regulating valve 50 in the second embodiment. The regulating valve 50 is installed between the bypass 11 and the intake pipe 40 , attenuating changes in underpressure of the bypass 11 against the intake pipe 40 , so that a fixed difference is maintained between pressures at the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 and in the intake pipe 40 for better precision of ejected fuel quantity.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the regulating valve 50 has a case 51 having an inside which is divided by a membrane 52 into an upper half and a lower half, constituting a pressure chamber 53 and a working liquid chamber 54 , respectively. The working liquid chamber 54 has an inlet opening 55 which is connected with the fuel supply pipe 13 , allowing fuel from the fuel tank 20 to enter the working liquid chamber 54 . The working liquid chamber 54 further has an outlet opening 56 from which a secondary fuel supply pipe 131 leads to the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 . The pressure chamber 53 is via a second transmission tube 57 connected with the intake pipe 40 . A control valve 58 is placed at inlet opening 55 of the working liquid chamber 54 , where the fuel supply pipe 13 ends. A connecting device 59 connects the control valve 58 with the membrane 52 , so that the membrane 52 drives opening and closing of the control valve 58 . A spring 60 acts on the control valve 58 , pressing the control valve 58 tight on the inlet opening 55 . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the connecting device 59 comprises a first connecting rod 591 , a second connecting rod 592 , and a shaft 593 , located between the first connecting rod 591 and the second connecting rod 592 . The first connecting rod 591 contacts the membrane 52 from below and has a lower side that is pushed against by the spring 60 . The second connecting rod 592 contacts the control valve 58 . When the membrane 52 is deformed, the first connecting rod 591 is taken along, driving the control valve 58 .
[0027] Referring to FIG. 4, being connected with the intake pipe 40 by the second transmission tube 57 , underpressure in the intake pipe 40 is followed by pressure in the pressure chamber 53 , generating underpressure in the pressure chamber 53 , as well, which results in a force F 1 , as indicated by arrow F 1 in the Figs. On the other hand, pressure in the working liquid chamber 54 originates at the fuel supply pipe 13 . The membrane 52 in the regulating valve 50 is on both sides exposed to forces caused by underpressure: F 1 from the intake pipe 40 and, acting opposite thereto, F 2 in the working liquid chamber 54 . In addition, a force F 3 from the spring 60 acts on the membrane 52 , being equally oriented as the force F 1 . All forces cancel each other out, creating an equilibrium state of the membrane 52 , with the force F 2 that is due to underpressure in the working liquid chamber 54 minus the force F 3 caused by the spring 60 being oppositely equal to the force F 1 that is due to underpressure in the intake pipe 40 .
[0028] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the forces F 1 and F 3 combined exceed the force F 2 due to underpressure in the intake pipe 40 and the membrane 52 consequently bends upward, following F 1 , the membrane 52 drives the control valve 58 to close the inlet opening 55 . Then the working liquid chamber 54 , having received working liquid delivered by the compression pump 10 , has a pressure that is smaller than pressure at the micropump 30 by a fixed amount.
[0029] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when there is a loss of fuel due to ejection by the micropump 30 , underpressure in the working liquid chamber 54 has a gradually rising value, so that the forces F 1 and F 3 combined become smaller than the force F 2 . Then the membrane 52 bends downward, opposite to the force F 1 , opening the control valve 58 , so that working liquid from the compression pump 10 enters the working liquid chamber 54 . Inflow of working liquid into the working liquid chamber 54 avoids large pressure changes when operation is started.
[0030] Thus the regulating valve 50 keeps the difference of pressures at the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 and in the intake pipe 40 at a fixed negative value, which in theory is compensated by the force F 2 of the spring 60 . Changes in the difference of pressures at the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 and in the intake pipe 40 are spread out over time. Therefore the quantity of fuel ejected by the micropump 30 will not become unstable due to large pressure variation differences between inlet and outlet. Ejected fuel is effectively and precisely controlled.
[0031] Comparing the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the additional regulating valve 50 of the second embodiment regulates exactly the difference of pressures at the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 and in the intake pipe 40 . Any change of the pressure difference immediately drives the membrane 52 and the control valve 58 to perform compensating movements. Therefore the difference of pressures at the inlet 31 of the micropump 30 and in the intake pipe 40 is controlled within a precise range.
[0032] The regulating valve 50 of the second embodiment is usable in conjunction with all types of pumps, not necessarily having to be combined with the compression pump 10 . As shown in FIG. 7, in a third embodiment of the present invention, the regulating valve 50 is used in conjunction with a sucking pump 70 . The sucking pump 70 is via a connecting pipe 71 connected with the tank 20 . Fuel from the tank 20 is sucked through the connecting pipe 71 , so that underpressure develops therein. A fuel supply pipe 72 branches off the connecting pipe 71 , leading to the inlet opening 55 of the regulating valve 50 . Thus underpressure in the working liquid chamber 54 of the regulating valve 50 is generated by the sucking pump 70 . The sucking pump 70 used in this embodiment is not necessarily a micropump. Blade pumps, drum pumps or other types of pumps are usable therefor, as well.
[0033] While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that modifications or variations may be easily made without departing from the spirit of this invention which is defined by the appended claims.
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A micro-pulsation fuel injection system with underpressure stabilizer, comprising a fuel supply system, a fuel tank, a micropump, and a compression pump. The micropump ejects fuel into an intake pipe. The compression pump is connected with a fuel supply pipe of the micropump, for keeping underpressure of the inlet of the micropump against the intake pipe stable. Incoming fuel passes through a fuel chamber, separated by a membrane from a pressure chamber, which in turn is connected to the intake pipe. The membrane deforms according to pressure in the intake pipe, changing volume of the fuel chamber and generating underpressure of fuel therein. Additionally, a regulating valve is installable between the compression pump and the micropump for stabilizing the difference of pressures at the inlet of the micropump and in the intake pipe. Thus the quantity of fuel ejected by the micropump is precisely controlled.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to test devices, and particularly, to a device for testing the distance between centers of two through holes.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] In machining, a lot of through holes are created in workpieces. To ensure that the distance between two adjacent through holes meets a specification, a caliper is generally used for testing the distance. However, due to the complicated operation of the caliper and human error, the reliability of the test is reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
[0006] FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a test device.
[0007] FIG. 2 is an assembled, isometric view of the test device of FIG. 1 .
[0008] FIG. 3 is an exploded, isometric view of the test device of FIG. 2 and a test article.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of FIG. 3 , taken along the line of IV-IV, showing the test device in use.
[0010] FIGS. 5-7 are plan views of FIG. 3 , but showing three different states.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] The present disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.
[0012] Referring to FIGS. 1-3 , an exemplary embodiment of a test device 100 tests whether the distance “W” between the center O 1 of a first through hole 312 and the center O 2 of a second through hole 314 defined in an article 300 meets specifications. The specification distance between the center O 1 and the center O 2 is “L”, a permissible error is “a”. The center O 1 of the first through hole 312 and the center O 2 of the second through hole 314 must meet a determined specification that the distance between the centers O 1 and O 2 is within the range of “W=L±a”. The test device 100 includes a supporting member 20 , two elastic members 30 , a benchmark member 40 , a connecting plate 50 , a test member 60 , a first sliding member 70 , a second sliding member 80 , and two circlips (clips 90 ). In this embodiment, the article 300 may be a part of a computer.
[0013] The supporting member 20 includes a substantially rectangular support plate 22 , a positioning block 24 perpendicularly extending down from the bottom surface of the support plate 22 , and an extension block 26 extending up from a first end of the support plate 22 and at a side of the support plate 22 . A guide hole 222 is defined in the other end of the support plate 22 , away from the extension block 26 . An elongate first guide slot 224 is defined in the first end of, and adjacent to the extension block 26 . The first guide slot 224 is parallel to an elongated direction of the support plate 22 . The positioning block 24 is substantially rectangular, and is located between the guide hole 222 and the first guide slot 224 . The bottom surface of the positioning block 24 is parallel to the top surface of the support plate 22 . A rectangular second guide slot 264 is defined in the distal end of the extension block 26 , opposite to the first guide slot 224 . The extending direction of the second guide slot 264 is parallel to that of the first guide slot 224 .
[0014] The benchmark member 40 includes a cylindrical main body 42 , and a tapered positioning portion 44 extending from a first end of the main body 42 . An annular groove 46 is defined in a circumference of the main body 42 , adjacent to the other end of the main body 42 . The diameter of the main body 42 is substantially equal to the diameter of the guide hole 222 . The diameter of the larger end of the positioning portion 44 adjacent to the main body 42 is greater than the diameter of the guide hole 222 .
[0015] The connecting plate 50 is substantially rectangular. A through hole 56 is defined in the middle of the connecting plate 50 . Two screw holes 58 are defined in the connecting plate 50 , flanking the through hole 56 .
[0016] The test member 60 is similar to the benchmark member 40 , and includes a cylindrical main body 62 , and a tapered test head 64 extending from a first end of the main body 62 . An annular groove 66 is defined in the circumference of the main body 62 , adjacent to the other end of the main body 62 . The diameter of the main body 62 is substantially equal to the diameter of the through hole 56 of the connecting plate 50 . The diameter of the larger end of the test member 64 is greater than the diameter of the through hole 56 .
[0017] The first sliding member 70 includes a rectangular sliding block 72 , and two flanges 76 extending out from opposite sides of the top of the sliding block 72 . A guide hole 722 is defined in the middle of the top of the sliding block 72 . Two stepped holes 724 are defined in the sliding block 72 , flanking the guide hole 722 .
[0018] The second sliding member 80 includes a substantially rectangular sliding portion 82 , a circular washer 87 , and a screw 89 . Two substantially rectangular protrusions 84 extend forward from the front side of the sliding portion 82 , each topped with a latch or claw (projection 842 ). The sliding portion 82 and the protrusions 84 cooperatively form a receiving slot 86 . The width of the receiving slot 86 is equal to the diameter of the main body 62 plus twice the permissible error “a”. A screw hole 824 is defined in the rear surface of the sliding portion 82 , opposite to the receiving slot 86 . The external diameter of the washer 87 is greater than the width of the second guide slot 264 .
[0019] Each clip 90 is a circlip, to fit in the grooves 46 or 66 of the main bodies 42 and 62 .
[0020] In this embodiment, the elastic members 30 are coil springs.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 2 , in assembly, one elastic member 30 fits about the main body 42 of the benchmark member 40 . A first end of the elastic member 30 resists against the positioning portion 44 . The main body 42 extends through the guide hole 222 from the bottom surface of the support member 20 , with the second end of the main body 42 extending from the top surface of the support plate 22 . One of the clips 90 is engaged in the groove 46 through the opening 92 , and resists against the top surface of the support plate 22 . A second end of the elastic member 30 resists against the bottom surface of the support plate 22 . The benchmark member 40 is slidably engaged in the guide hole 222 .
[0022] The sliding block 72 is inserted into the first guide slot 224 from the top surface of the support member 20 . The flanges 76 are supported on the top surface of the support plate 22 . Two screws 69 extend through the corresponding stepped holes 724 , to engage with the connecting plate 50 . The connecting plate 50 is fixed to the bottom surface of the first sliding member 70 . The two opposite sides of the connecting plate 50 are slidably engaged with the bottom surface of the support plate 22 .
[0023] In a similar fashion, the other elastic member 30 fits about the main body 62 of the test member 60 . A first end of the elastic member 30 resists against the test head 64 . The main body 62 of the test member 60 extends through the through hole 56 of the connecting plate 50 and the guide hole 722 of the first sliding member 70 , from the bottom surface of the support member 20 . The second end of the main body 62 extends from the top surface of the first sliding member 70 . A clip 90 is engaged in the groove 66 of the test member 60 through the opening 92 , and resists against the top surface of the first sliding member 70 . The other end of the elastic member 30 resists against the bottom surface of the connecting plate 50 . The test member 60 is slidably engaged in the guide hole 722 .
[0024] The sliding portion 82 of the second sliding member 80 is inserted into the second guide slot 264 from the front side of the extension block 26 . The projections 842 are blocked by the front surface of the extension block 26 , to prevent the disengagement of the second sliding member 80 from the extension block 26 . The screw 89 extends through the washer 87 , to screw into the screw hole 824 of the sliding portion 82 .
[0025] The first sliding member 70 , the connecting plate 50 , and the test member 60 can move together along the first guide slot 224 , relative to the benchmark member 40 . The second sliding member 80 can move in the second guide slot 264 , between the washer 87 and the projections 842 . The positioning portion 44 and the test head 64 are lower than the bottom surface of the positioning block 24 .
[0026] Referring to FIG. 3 , the distance between the axis “X 1 ” of the benchmark member 40 and the central line “S” of the second sliding member 80 is equal to the specification distance “L”. The distance between each of the opposite ends of the receiving slot 86 and the central line “S” is equal to the radius of the main body 62 plus the permissible error “a”. Therefore, the distance “W” between the first through hole 312 and the second through hole 314 is L−a≦W≦L+a.
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7 , in use, the article 300 is placed under the test device 100 . The axis X 1 of the benchmark member 40 is aligned with the first through hole 312 . The test member 60 is moved along the first guide slot 224 to seek the alignment of the axis X 2 with the second through hole 314 . The positioning portion 44 of the benchmark member 40 is inserted into the first through hole 312 , and the test head 64 of the test member 60 is inserted into the second through hole 314 . The positioning block 24 is supported on the article 300 , deforming the elastic members 30 . Pushing the screw 89 , the second sliding member 80 is moved forward. If the main body 62 of the test member 60 is fully received in the receiving slot 86 , it means that L−a≦W≦L+a, and the article 300 passes this test (shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 ). If the main body 62 of the test member 60 is not received in the receiving slot 86 , it means that W<L−a or W>L+a, and the article 300 fails the test (shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 ).
[0028] Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the embodiments, the present disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in details, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the embodiments to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
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A test device for testing whether the distance between centers meets specifications includes a support member, a benchmark member set on a first end of the support member, to be positioned at the first through hole, a test member set on a second end of the support member, to be positioned at the second through hole, and a sliding member defining a receiving slot. The test member is also slidable in a direction perpendicular to the slidable direction of the test member. If the test member can enter the receiving slot, the first article is qualified, if test member cannot enter the receiving slot, the second article does not meet the required standard.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to jewelry and more particularly to an ornamental article interconvertible from a ring to a pendant.
Pendants which allow a variety of centerpieces are known in the prior art. French Pat. No. 699,074 is such a device in which a tongue-and-groove mechanism allows the centerpiece to be removed or inserted easily.
Finger rings in the prior art have been devised so as to offer a convenient means of altering the diameter of the shank portion as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,548,645 and 3,959,989.
Convertible rings also exist in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,621 may be converted for use as a lapel pin; U.S. Pat. No. 1,920,875 may be converted for use as a jewelry clip. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 1,548,645 which allows the orientation of the gem mount portion to be changed relative to the plane of the ring band portion.
Numerous examples of ring-pendants may also be found in the prior art. Certain of these, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,192,737, require that the centerpiece be detached from the ring band prior to its use as a pendant. Another form of ring-pendant, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. D. 272,609, 4,220,017 and 333,448, the gem portion is pivotally mounted between the ends of a generally U-shaped ring band, as is the case in the present invention. However, these devices utilize the palm side of the ring band as the point of insertion for a chain when the device is used as a pendant. Because this is the portion of the ring band which is generally altered when changing the diameter of the ring band, enlarging or reducing the ring band is made more difficult for the craftsman by necessitating the realignment and possible reconstruction of the holes intended for insertion of the chain.
Convertible ring-pendants of the prior art which do not require detachment of the ornamental centerpiece for use as a pendant typically employ a conversion mechanism whereby the ornamental centerpiece hangs at the base of the ring band portion when the device is configured as a pendant, as in French Pat. No. 766,125.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, the present invention provides an interconvertible ring-pendant, comprising: (a) an annular member including an open end; (b) a transverse member spanning the open end of the annular member and connected to the annular member; (c) an ornamental centerpiece, rotatably suspended from the transverse member; and (d) means for limiting the arc defined by rotation of the centerpiece about the axis of the transverse member to about 180 degrees.
The ring-pendant includes a ring-band portion which is generally U-shaped, the ends of the U being constructed with small circular-section channels to guide the ornamental centerpiece in either direction of the conversion process. A small pin is permanently fixed between the ends of the U-shaped member. The centerpiece is suspended on this pin and is equipped with two small protruding tabs which will slide into the channels of the ring band during conversion, allowing for rapid and simple change from finger ring to pendant. The ring band is provided with a pair of openings at the ends of the U to receive a chain therethrough for use as a pendant. Thus, the centerpiece hangs within the ring portion when the invention is used as a pendant, rather than hanging at the base of the ring band as is common in the prior art.
It should be noted that this centerpiece may bear on its upper and lower surfaces any design which may appeal to the wearer; moreover, the centerpiece may comprise only a precious metal which may be decorated to the wearer's specifications or it may comprise gem mounts on one or both surfaces so as to allow different gems to be displayed while in the pendant configuration. No specific design is assumed; it is only the casing of the centerpiece which is of importance to the operation of the present invention.
The primary object of this invention is to provide a means of converting easily and quickly between finger ring and pendant without adversely affecting the condition of the conversion mechanism. Mechanisms which are based on frictional or resilient forces as found in the prior art are susceptible to loss of efficiency as a pendant due to wearing down of mechanical parts. This is particularly true when the item is constructed of precious metals which are well known to have a soft malleable nature. Because the present invention does not rely on such forces to restrain motion of the centerpiece, increased longevity of the device is easily obtained assuming similar usage of the devices.
Another object of this invention is to increase the design-level contribution of the ring band when the device is configured as a pendant. Devices of the prior art typically suspend the centerpiece at the base of the ring band, producing the illusion of an amulet. Because the present invention suspends the centerpiece at the top of the ring band between the ends of the band, each configuration assumes a more unique appearance.
Yet another object of this invention is to allow the ring band to be altered in the traditional manner to which craftsmen of the jewelry trade are accustomed. Whereas in the prior art the palm side of the ring band has been used as the location of holes intended for insertion of a chain, and whereas such use of the palm side of the ring band complicates the process of altering the diameter of the ring band, the present invention uses instead the top side of the ring band for such insertion of a chain, thereby relieving the palm side of this function and permitting the jeweler to alter the diameter of the ring band as required in the usual fashion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the present invention in pendant configuration.
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the present invention in finger-ring configuration.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an interconvertible ring-pendant made in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a front elevation of an ornamental centerpiece made in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the same ornamental centerpiece as shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an interconvertible ring-pendant in the finger-ring configuration made in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIGS. 7 and 8 are isometric views of intermediate positions achieved in the conversion between finger-ring and pendant configurations.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the present invention in the pendant configuration.
FIG. 10 is a front elevation of a ring-band made in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the same ring-band as shown in FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is an enlarged cutaway view of one of the channels at the ends of the ring-band shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the wearing in a pendant configuration of an interconvertible ring-pendant 1 made in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The combination of the interconvertible ring-pendant 1 and person 1a is designated generally as 1b. FIG. 2 illustrates the wearing of the interconvertible ring-pendant 1 in the finger-ring configuration in FIG. 2. The interconvertible ring-pendant 1 is shown in exploded perspective in FIG. 3. The interconvertible ring-pendant 1 comprises a ring-band 1c, a transverse pin 2 and an ornamental centerpiece 3. The ring-band 1c is generally U-shaped, the ends of the U including a pair of holes 4 and 5 to receive a chain (not shown) therethrough for use as a pendant. The ring-band 1c includes a pair of arcuate-section channels 6 and 7 allowing for rotation of centerpiece 3 about pin 2 into the finger-ring configuration. Pin 2 is permanently fixed between the ends of ring-band 1c at points 8 and 9, providing an axis of rotation to be used in transferring the interconvertible ring-pendant from one configuration to the other. Reference is now made to FIGS. 4 and 5 which show front and side views, respectively, of the ornamental centerpiece 3. The centerpiece 3 includes at least two pairs of holes 10 and 11, and 12 and 13. Holes 10 and 12 are also visible in FIG. 3. Before being attached to ring-band 1c of FIG. 3, pin 2 is inserted through the uppermost pair of holes, 10 and 11. The lower pair of holes, 12 and 13, provide visual balance and prevent excessive weight in the lower half of the centerpiece 3. Thus, when pin 2 is attached to ring-band 1c the pendant configuration results as shown in FIG. 9. Referring again to FIG. 4, centerpiece 3 includes a pair of tabs 14 and 15. During conversion to the finger-ring configuration, tabs 14 and 15 slide into circular-section channels 6 and 7, allowing centerpiece 3 to rotate through 90° into a plane perpendicular to the ring-band 1c. After rotation through 90°, pin 2 slides into notches 16 and 17, thereby holding centerpiece 3 stationary with respect to band 1c. This motion completes the conversion to the finger-ring configuration, shown in FIG. 6. FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 illustrate the steps required to convert from the finger-ring configuration to the pendant configuration. FIG. 6 shows the finger-ring configuration. As shown in FIG. 7, slight downward pressure applied at the base of centerpiece 3 causes rotation of the centerpiece, said motion being guided by tabs 14 and 15 which follow circular-section channels 6 and 7. When tabs 14 and 15 have rotated a full 90°, centerpiece 3 will be in a plane parallel to that of band 1c, as shown in FIG. 8. From this point, centerpiece 3 may easily be lowered so that points 18 and 19 of the centerpiece 3, inside holes 10 and 11, rest on pin 2. Centerpiece 3 is now in the required position for the pendant configuration, illustrated in FIG. 9. Insertion of a chain (not shown) through holes 4 and 5 allow the interconvertible ring-pendant to be worn as a pendant. Reversal of these steps restores the interconvertible ring-pendant to the finger-ring configuration.
For detailed analysis of the locking mechanism, reference is now made to FIGS. 4, 5, 10 and 11. When the interconvertible ring-pendant is configured in the pendant mode, as in FIG. 9, pin 2 supports centerpiece 3 at points 18 and 19, whereby the centerpiece 3 is free to swing on pin 2 but is not detachable from ring-band 1c. Tabs 14 and 15 on the sides of centerpiece 3, together with holes 10 and 11 on the centerpiece and channels 6 and 7 on ring band 1, constitute the locking mechanism.
Conversion to the finger-ring configuration is the reverse of the conversion to the pendant configuration. Beginning with the pendant configuration as in FIG. 9, centerpiece 3 is moved vertically upwards as in FIG. 8, until pin 2 contacts points 20 and 21 in holes 10 and 11, these points being in a vertical line with points 18 and 19, respectively. Tabs 14 and 15 are adjusted so as to align with the openings of channels 6 and 7. Centerpiece 3 is then rotated through an angle of 90° from vertical as shown in FIGS. 7 & 6, so that the appropriate face of the centerpiece 3 is directed upward. Pin 2 moves along the sides of holes 10 and 11 which contain points 20 and 21. To conclude the conversion process, pin 2 slides into notches 16 and 17 when tabs 14 and 15 reach the innermost points of channels 6 and 7, securing centerpiece 3 in the required position as in FIG. 6 for use as a finger-ring. The centerpiece 3 is further secured by sliding the device onto a finger or thumb, the finger or thumb thus forming an axis for the ring.
Specific details of the locking mechanism are further provided in FIGS. 10 through 12. FIG. 10 shows the ring-band 1c with pin 2 permanently fixed between the ends of the band at points 8 and 9. FIG. 11 shows the location of channels 6 and 7 and pin 2 relative to holes 4 and 5, said holes being used for the insertion of a chain (not shown) during use as a pendant. FIG. 12 shows an enlarged view of hole 5, illustrating the shape and orientation of channel 7.
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A convertible ring, pendent comprising of an ornamental piece of jewelry, which may be configured as a ring or pendent, depending on the owner's needs. As a ring, the gemstone mounting or other ornamental centerpiece is held by a unique locking mechanism, in the plane perpendicular to the semi-split shank. Conversion between the two states is accomplished by movement about a fixed pin which is at the top of the semi-split shank.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This applications claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2003-158252 filed Jun. 3, 2003 and 2004-011396 filed Jan. 20, 2004 which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an output circuit for outputting a signal to an external circuit, and more particularly to a semiconductor integrated circuit with such an output circuit built-in.
2. Related Art
Interface signals are available at very high speed in recent years, and measures to cope with interface signal noise and EMI (electromagnetic interference) have been needed. As a countermeasure for such noise and EMI, there is implemented a measure to reduce an amplitude of an interface signal. However, as described in Japanese Published Patent No. Hei-6-326591 (Page 1, FIG. 1), when the amplitude of a signal is lowered by reducing a source voltage supplied to an output circuit, a power circuit becomes complicated. Further, there is a risk that reference levels of signals between a circuit of a high source voltage type and a circuit of a low source voltage type may not be in agreement.
Furthermore, there is a case where a differential signal is used as an interface signal. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a prior art differential signal output circuit. A differential signal output circuit 81 shown in FIG. 18 is a circuit for outputting, based on one input signal J 1 , a pair of differential signals of a first output signal J 4 and a second output signal J 4 bar. However, in the differential signal output circuit 81 , a drive signal J 3 is delayed from a drive signal J 2 by a delay time of an inverter INV 82 , hence, the first output signal J 4 and the second output signal J 4 bar have skewing.
A differential signal output circuit capable of reducing the skewing mentioned above is also used. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another example of a conventional differential signal output circuit. A differential signal output circuit 91 shown in FIG. 19 is a circuit for outputting, based on one input signal K 1 , a pair of differential signals of a first output signal K 4 and a second output signal K 4 bar. The interface signal output circuit 91 is, by comparison to the interface signal output circuit 81 (refer to FIG. 1 ), further constituted by a capacitor C 91 , and by this capacitor C 91 , a drive signal K 2 is delayed to reduce skewing of drive signals K 2 and K 3 , thereby decreasing skewing of the first output signal K 4 and the second output signal K 4 bar.
Nevertheless, in the interface signal output circuit 91 , due to a scattering of a manufacturing process, an electrostatic capacity required to reduce the skewing of the first output signal K 4 and the second output signal K 4 bar may not be in agreement with an electrostatic capacity of the capacitor C 91 . As a result, there were cases where yield dropped or a product defect occurred at a client's side. Also, it was necessary to be stringent about allowing margins of a source potential fluctuation and a temperature fluctuation, sometimes leading to a yield drop.
In view of the above-mentioned considerations, it is a first object of this invention to make high-speed operation possible through a simple circuit configuration in an output circuit for outputting signals of a small amplitude. Further, it is a second object of this invention to prevent a yield drop and the like in a differential signal output circuit for outputting a pair of differential signals. Still further, it is a third object of this invention to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit having such an output circuit built-in.
SUMMARY
To solve the above-mentioned problems, an output circuit according to a first aspect of this invention is an output circuit for outputting, based on a first drive signal, an output signal of an amplitude smaller than a source voltage, comprising: a first MOS transistor of a first type which outputs a signal from its drain as a first drive signal is impressed on its gate; a second MOS transistor of a second type which outputs a signal from its drain as a second drive signal is impressed on its gate; and a feedback circuit generating a second drive signal by feeding an output signal obtained by synthesizing the signal outputted by the first MOS transistor and the signal outputted by the second MOS transistor back to the gate of the second MOS transistor.
At this point, the feedback circuit may be adapted to include a passive element connected to a first terminal at a node of the drain of the first MOS transistor and the drain of the second MOS transistor as well as a buffer circuit buffering a signal supplied from a second terminal of the passive element.
The output circuit according to a second aspect of this invention is an output circuit for outputting, based on the first drive signal, an output signal having an amplitude smaller than the source voltage, comprising the first MOS transistor of the first type which outputs a signal from its drain as the first drive signal is impressed on its gate; the second MOS transistor of the second type which outputs a signal from its drain as the second drive signal is impressed on its gate; and the feedback circuit generating the second drive signal by inverting an output signal obtained by synthesizing the signal outputted by the first MOS transistor and the signal outputted by the second MOS transistor and feeding the signal back to the gate of the second MOS transistor.
At this point, the feedback circuit may be adapted to include a passive element connected to the first terminal at the node of the drain of the first MOS transistor and a source of the second MOS transistor and an inverter inverting a signal supplied from the second terminal of the passive element.
The output circuit according to a third aspect of this invention is an output circuit for outputting, based on the first and the second drive signal constituting the pair of differential signals, the first and the second output signal, having an amplitude smaller than the source voltage and constituting the pair of differential signals, comprising: the first MOS transistor of the first type which outputs a signal from its drain as the first drive signal is impressed on its gate; the second MOS transistor of the second type which outputs a signal from its drain as a third drive signal is impressed on its gate; a first feedback circuit generating the third drive signal by inverting the first output signal obtained by synthesizing the signal outputted by the first MOS transistor and the signal outputted by the second MOS transistor and feeding the signal back to the gate of the second MOS transistor; a third MOS transistor of the first type which outputs a signal from its drain as the second drive signal is impressed on its gate; a fourth MOS transistor of the second type which outputs a signal from its drain as a fourth drive signal is impressed on its gate; and a second feedback circuit generating the fourth drive signal by feeding the second output signal obtained by synthesizing the signal outputted by the third MOS transistor and the signal outputted by the fourth MOS transistor back to the gate of the second MOS transistor.
The output circuit according to a fourth aspect of this invention is an output circuit for outputting, based on the first and the second drive signal constituting the pair of differential signals, the first and the second output signal having an amplitude smaller than the source voltage and constituting the pair of differential signals, comprising: the first MOS transistor of the first type which outputs a signal from its drain as the first drive signal is impressed on its gate; the second MOS transistor of the first type which outputs a signal from its drain as the third drive signal is impressed on its gate; the first feedback circuit generating the third drive signal by inverting the first output signal obtained by synthesizing the signal outputted by the first MOS transistor and the signal outputted by the second MOS transistor and feeding the signal back to the gate of the second MOS transistor; the third MOS transistor of the first type which outputs a signal from its drain as the second drive signal is impressed on its gate; the fourth MOS transistor of the first type which outputs a signal from its drain as the fourth drive signal is impressed on its gate; and the second feedback circuit generating the fourth drive signal by inverting the second output signal obtained by synthesizing the signal outputted by the third MOS transistor and the signal outputted by the fourth MOS transistor and feeding the signal back to the gate of the fourth MOS transistor.
The output circuit according to the third or the fourth aspect of this invention may be adapted to further include a first inverting circuit inverting an input signal and outputting the first drive signal and the second inverting circuit inverting the first drive signal and outputting the second drive signal.
The output circuit according to a fifth aspect of this invention is a circuit for outputting, based on the first and the second drive signal constituting the pair of differential signals, the first and the second output signal constituting the pair of differential signals, comprising: a first and a second signal level conversion circuit respectively converting the first and the second drive signal to a signal of a prescribed level and outputting the signal; a first differential circuit for outputting a signal corresponding to a difference between a signal outputted by the first signal level conversion circuit and a signal outputted by the second signal level conversion circuit; a second differential circuit for outputting a signal corresponding to a difference between a signal outputted by the second signal level conversion circuit and a signal outputted by the first signal level conversion circuit; a first output signal generating circuit generating a first output signal based on a signal outputted by the first differential circuit; and a second output signal generating circuit generating a second output signal based on a signal outputted by the second differential circuit.
At this point, the first or the second signal level conversion circuit may be adapted to include a single-end sense amplifier, the first or the second differential circuit may be adapted to include a current mirror type differential amplifier circuit, and the first or the second output signal generating circuit may be adapted to include an inverter.
Also, the invention may be adapted to further comprise the first inverting circuit inverting an input signal and outputting the first drive signal as well as the second inverting circuit inverting the first drive signal and outputting the second drive signal.
In that case, the invention may be adapted so that the first and the second inverting circuit operate upon receipt of power supply from a first and a second source potential, and that the first and the second signal level conversion circuit, the first and the second differential circuit, and the first and the second output signal generating circuit operate upon receipt of power supply from the first and the third source potential.
Or the invention may be adapted so that the first and the second inverting circuit operate upon receipt of power supply from the first and the second source potential, that the first and the second signal level conversion circuit operate upon receipt of power supply from the first and the third source potential, and that the first and the second differential circuit and the first and the second output signal generating circuit operate upon receipt of power supply from the first and a fourth source potential.
At this time, the invention may be adapted so that the third source potential is at a higher potential than the second source potential, and that the fourth source potential is at a higher potential than the third source potential. Or it may be adapted such that the third source potential is at a lower potential than the second source potential, and that the fourth source potential is at a lower potential than the third source potential.
Furthermore, a semiconductor integrated circuit according to this invention has any of the above-mentioned signal output circuits built-in.
According to the first to the fourth aspect of this invention, in an output circuit for outputting a signal of a small amplitude, through application of a negative feedback by using a feedback circuit, it is possible to achieve high-speed operation in terms of a simple circuit configuration. Further, according to the fifth aspect of this invention, in a differential signal output circuit for outputting a pair of differential signals, it is possible to prevent a yield drop and the like. Still further, in the pair of differential signals which are obtained according to the fifth aspect of this invention, even if fluctuations of a source voltage, operating temperature and process should occur, it is possible to maintain its eye pattern shape.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a first embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a waveform of the output circuit shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a second embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a waveform of the output circuit shown in FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a third embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a fourth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a fifth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a sixth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a seventh embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an operation of a differential signal output circuit shown in FIG. 9 ;
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to an eighth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a ninth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a tenth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a eleventh embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a twelfth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a thirteenth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a fourteenth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional differential signal output circuit; and
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another configuration example of a conventional differential signal output circuit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Preferred embodiments according to this invention will be described in detail below with reference to drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout to omit duplicate explanation.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a first embodiment of this invention. An output circuit 10 includes an n-channel transistor QN 10 to which a drive signal is supplied, a p-channel transistor QP 10 serially connected to the transistor QN 10 , an output terminal connected to drains of the transistor QP 10 and the QN 10 and a protection device 101 , and a buffer circuit 102 to which an output signal of the output circuit 10 is supplied through the protection device 101 . It is to be noted that the buffer circuit 102 consists of a 2-stage inverter connected in series.
A source of the transistor QP 10 is connected to a source potential V DD , and the source of the transistor QN 10 is connected to a source potential V SS (to be set as a grounding potential in this embodiment). The protection device 101 is an element to protect an input of the buffer circuit 102 from static electricity impressed upon the output terminal, and, as the protection device 101 , for example, a resistance is used. An output signal of the output circuit 10 is supplied to input of the buffer circuit 102 through the protection device 101 , and a signal outputted by the buffer circuit 102 is supplied to a gate of the transistor QP 10 , whereby a self feedback circuit is formed.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a waveform of an output signal of an output circuit shown in FIG. 1 . When a drive signal is at a low level, the transistor QN 10 is in an “off” state, and a potential of the output signal is nearly (V DD −V SS )/2. When the drive signal is at a high level, the transistor QN 10 is in an “on” state, and the potential of the output signal decreases to near the source potential V SS . Consequently, an amplitude of the output signal becomes a half swing which is approximately half of the source potential (V DD −V SS ). Further, this output circuit is capable of performing high-speed operation by operation of self feedback.
In this embodiment, it is possible to set the high level of the drive signal as the source potential V DD and the low level of the drive signal as the source potential V SS . Or, the high level of the drive signal may be set as a potential other than the source potential V DD . In that case, the output circuit according to this embodiment will have a function as a level shifter, too. Now, the output signal of the output circuit 10 may be set to receive from an output of either of the inverters constituting the buffer circuit 102 .
Next, a second embodiment of this invention will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to the second embodiment of this invention. The output circuit includes a p-channel transistor QN 10 to a gate of which a drive signal is supplied, a n-channel transistor QP 10 serially connected to the transistor QN 10 , an output terminal connected to drains of the transistor QP 10 and the QN 10 and a protection device 101 , and a buffer circuit 102 to which an output signal of the output circuit 10 is supplied through the protection device 101 .
A source of the transistor QP 10 is connected to a source potential V DD , and the source of the transistor QN 10 is connected to a source potential V SS (to be set as a grounding potential in this embodiment). An output signal of the output circuit is supplied to input of the buffer circuit 102 through the protection device 101 , and a signal outputted by the buffer circuit 102 is supplied to the gate of the transistor QP 10 , whereby a self feedback circuit is formed.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a waveform of an output signal of an output circuit shown in FIG. 3 . When a drive signal is at a high level, the transistor QN 10 is in the “off” state, and a potential of the output signal is nearly (V DD −V SS )/2 due to a self feedback operation. When the drive signal is at a low level, the transistor QN 10 is in the “on” state, and the potential of the output signal increases to near the source potential V SS . Consequently, an amplitude of the output signal becomes a half swing which is approximately half of the source potential (V DD −V SS ). Further, this output circuit is capable of performing high-speed operation by the self feedback operation.
In this embodiment, it is possible to set the high level of the drive signal as the source potential V DD and the low level of the drive signal as the source potential V SS . Or, the low level of the drive signal may be set as a potential other than the source potential V SS . In that case, the output circuit according to this embodiment will have a function as a level shifter, too. Now, the output signal of the output circuit may be set to receive from an output of either of the inverters constituting the buffer circuit 102 .
Next, a third embodiment of this invention will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to the third embodiment of this invention. The output circuit includes a n-channel transistor QN 10 to a gate of which a drive signal is supplied, a n-channel transistor QN 20 serially connected to the transistor QN 10 , an output terminal connected to drains of the transistor QP 10 and the QN 20 and a protection device 101 , and an inverter 103 to which an output signal of the output circuit 10 is supplied through the protection device 101 .
A drain of the transistor QN 20 is connected to the source potential V DD , and the source of the transistor QN 10 is connected to the source potential V SS (to be set as a grounding potential in this embodiment). An output signal of the output circuit is supplied to input of the inverter 103 through the protection device 101 , and a signal outputted by the inverter 103 is supplied to a gate of the transistor QN 20 , whereby a self feedback circuit is formed.
When a drive signal is at a low level, the transistor QN 10 is in the “off” state, and a potential of the output signal is nearly (V DD −V SS )/2 due to the self feedback operation. When the drive signal is at a high level, the transistor QN 10 is in the “on” state, and the potential of the output signal decreases to near the source potential V SS . Consequently, an amplitude of the output signal becomes a half swing which is approximately half of the source potential (V DD −V SS ). Further, this output circuit is capable of performing high-speed operation by the self feedback operation.
In this embodiment, it is possible to set the high level of the drive signal as the source potential V DD and the low level of the drive signal as the source potential V SS . Or, the high level of the drive signal may be set as a potential other than the source potential V SS . In that case, the output circuit according to this embodiment will have a function as a level shifter, too. Now, the output signal of the output circuit may be set to receive from an output of the inverter 103 .
Next, a fourth embodiment of this invention will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to the fourth embodiment of this invention. This output circuit includes a p-channel transistor QP 10 to a gate of which a drive signal is supplied, a p-channel transistor QP 20 serially connected to the transistor QP 10 , an output terminal connected to a drain of the transistor QP 10 and a source of the transistor QN 20 and a protection device 101 , and an inverter 103 to which an output signal of the output circuit is supplied through the protection device 101 .
The source of the transistor QP 10 is connected to the source potential V DD , and the source of the transistor QP 20 is connected to the source potential V SS (to be set as a grounding potential in this embodiment). An output signal of this output circuit is supplied to an input of the inverter 103 through the protection device 101 , and a signal outputted by the inverter 103 is supplied to the gate of the transistor QP 20 , whereby a self feedback circuit is formed.
When a drive signal is at a high level, the transistor QP 10 is in the “off” state, and a potential of the output signal is nearly (V DD −V SS )/2 due to the operation of self feedback. When the drive signal becomes a low level, the transistor QP 10 is in the “on” state, and the potential of the output signal increases to near the source potential V SS . Consequently, an amplitude of the output signal becomes a half swing which is approximately half of the source potential (V DD −V SS ). Further, this output circuit is capable of performing high-speed operation by the self feedback operation.
In this embodiment, it is possible to set the high level of the drive signal as the source potential V DD and the low level of the drive signal as the source potential V SS . Or, the high level of the drive signal may be set as a potential other than the source potential V SS . In that case, the output circuit according to this embodiment will have a function as a level shifter, too. Now, the output signal of the output circuit may be set to receive from an output of the inverter 103 .
Now, an embodiment of this invention as applied to a differential signal output circuit will be described below.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a fifth embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit is configured such that by using two output circuits of a single configuration mentioned above, a differential signal is inputted to output a differential signal.
In a differential signal output circuit shown in FIG. 7 , there are included two output circuits according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 . Differential drive signals AI and AI bar are inputted to two output circuits 10 which output differential output signals AO and AO bar. By this means, it is possible to output a differential signal of a half swing, which is nearly half of (V DD −V SS ). Now, instead of the output circuit 10 , any of the output circuits shown in FIG. 3 , FIG. 5 , and FIG. 6 according to the second to the fourth embodiments may be used.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a sixth embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit is configured such that a signal of one system is inputted to output a differential signal.
A differential signal output circuit shown in FIG. 8 includes inverters 104 and 105 as well as two output circuits 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 . The inverter 104 inverts an input signal A 1 and generates a drive signal A 2 , while the inverter 105 inverts an input signal A 2 and generates a drive signal A 3 .
Two output circuits 10 are inputted by differential drive signals A 2 and A 3 , outputting differential output signals A 4 and A 5 . By this means, it is possible to output a differential signal of a half swing, which is approximately half of the source voltage (V DD −V SS ). Now, instead of the output circuit 10 , any of the output circuits shown in FIG. 3 , FIG. 5 , and FIG. 6 according to the second to the fourth embodiments may be used.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of an output circuit according to a seventh embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit 1 is a circuit for outputting, based on the input signal A 1 , a first output signal A 8 and a second output signal A 8 bar as a pair of differential signals, comprising inverters INV 1 , INV 2 , INV 7 , INV 8 , single-end sense amplifiers 2 and 3 , and current mirror type differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 . Each of these circuits operates upon receipt of a power supply from the source potential V DD of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side.
As shown in FIG. 9 , to the inverter INV 1 is supplied the input signal A 1 , and the inverter INV 1 outputs the drive signal A 2 which is the input signal A 1 inverted. Now, in this embodiment, this input signal A 1 and the drive signal A 2 undergo a change between the low level (in this case, the source potential V SS of the low source potential side) and the high level (in this case, the source potential V DD of the high source potential side).
The drive signal A 2 is supplied to the inverter INV 2 , and the inverter INV 2 outputs the drive signal A 3 which is the drive signal A 2 inverted. Now, in this embodiment, the drive signal A 3 undergoes a change between the low level and the high level.
The single-end sense amplifier 2 comprises a p-channel transistor QP 1 , an n-channel transistor QN 1 , and the inverters INV 3 and INV 4 . This single-end sense amplifier 2 has nearly the same configuration as the output circuit 10 shown in FIG. 1 , supplying a signal A 4 , which is the drive signal A 2 inverted and further converted to a prescribed level, to differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 . Now, as a single-end sense amplifier in this embodiment and the following, in addition to the output circuit 10 shown in FIG. 1 , any of the output circuits shown in FIG. 3 , FIG. 5 , and FIG. 6 may be used.
In the single-end sense amplifier 2 , a source-drain path of the transistor QP 1 and a source-drain path of the transistor QN 1 are serially connected to between the source potential V DD of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side, and to a gate of the transistor QN 1 , there is supplied the drive signal A 2 . A node of the transistor QP 1 and the transistor QN 1 is connected to an input of the inverter INV 3 , and an output signal of the inverter INV 3 is supplied to the inverter INV 4 .
An output of the inverter INV 4 is connected to a gate of the transistor QP 1 , and the transistor QP 1 constitutes a negative feedback group associated with an inverter INV 4 output and an inverter INV 3 input. Consequently, a level of the signal A 4 outputted by the inverter INV 4 is a level corresponding to a gain of the above-mentioned feedback group. The signal A 44 outputted by the inverter INV 4 is feedback inputted to the gate of the transistor QP 1 , and in addition, it is supplied to the differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 .
A single-end sense amplifier 3 comprises a p-channel transistor QP 2 , an n-channel transistor QN 2 , and the inverters INV 5 and INV 6 . This single-end sense amplifier 3 supplies a signal A 5 , which is the drive signal A 3 inverted and further converted to a prescribed level, to the differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 .
The transistors QP 2 and QN 2 , and the inverters INV 5 and INV 6 in the single-end sense amplifier 3 are connected in the same way as the transistors QP 1 and QN 1 , and the inverters INV 3 and INV 4 in the single-end sense amplifier 2 . As a result, the single-end sense amplifier 3 has the same circuit configuration as the single-end sense amplifier 2 .
A differential amplifier circuit 4 comprises p-channel transistors QP 3 and QP 4 and n-channel transistors QN 3 –QN 5 , supplying a signal A 6 corresponding to a difference between the signal A 4 and the signal A 5 to an inverter INV 8 . Specifically, the signal A 6 outputted by the differential amplifier circuit 4 becomes a low level when the signal A 4 is at a lower potential than the signal A 5 and becomes a high level when the signal A 4 is at a higher potential than the signal A 5 .
To sources of the transistors QP 3 and QP 4 , there is supplied the source potential V DD of the high potential side, and a gate and a drain of the transistor QP 3 and a gate of the transistor QP 4 are mutually connected. A drain of the transistor QN 3 is connected to the drain and the gate of the transistor QP 3 , and to the gate of the transistor QN 3 , there is supplied the signal A 4 . A drain of a transistor QN 4 is connected to a drain of a transistor QP 4 , and to the gate of the transistor QN 4 , there is supplied the signal A 5 . A potential of a node between the drain of this transistor QN 4 and the drain of the transistor QP 4 is supplied, as the signal A 6 , to an inverter INV 8 .
To a source of a transistor QN 5 , there is supplied the source potential V SS of the low potential side, and a drain of the transistor QN 5 is connected to sources of the transistors QN 3 and QN 4 .
Also, to a gate of the transistor QN 5 , there is supplied an enable signal EN 1 . When the enable signal EN 1 is at a high level, the transistor QN 5 assumes the “on” state, operating the differential amplifier circuit 4 .
A differential amplifier circuit 5 comprises p-channel transistors QP 5 and QP 6 and n-channel transistors QN 6 –QN 8 , supplying a signal A 7 corresponding to a difference between the signal A 5 and the signal A 4 to an inverter INV 7 . Specifically, the signal A 7 outputted by the differential amplifier circuit 5 becomes a high level when the signal A 4 is at a lower potential than the signal A 5 and becomes a low level when the signal A 4 is at a higher potential than the signal A 5 .
The transistors QP 5 and QP 6 , and the transistors QN 6 –QN 8 in the differential amplifier circuit 5 are connected in the same way as the transistors QP 3 and QP 4 , and the transistors QN 3 –QN 5 in the differential amplifier circuit 4 . As a result, the differential amplifier circuit 5 has the same circuit configuration as the differential amplifier circuit 4 .
The signal A 7 is supplied to the inverter INV 7 , and the inverter INV 7 outputs a signal, which is this signal A 7 inverted, as a first output signal A 8 . The signal A 6 is supplied to an inverter INV 8 , and the inverter INV 8 outputs a signal, which is this signal A 8 inverted, as a second output signal A 8 bar.
FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing operation of a differential signal output circuit 1 .
As FIG. 10 shows, when the input signal A 1 changes from low level to high level at time t 0 , the drive signal A 2 outputted by the inverter INV 1 , after a prescribed delay time, changes from high level to low level. When the drive signal A 2 changes from high level to low level, the signal A 4 outputted by the single-end sense amplifier 2 changes from a first level, which is at a higher potential than the source potential V SS of the low potential side, to a second level which is at a higher potential than the first level and at a lower potential than the source potential V DD of the high potential side.
On the other hand, when the drive signal A 2 changes from high level to low level, the signal A 3 outputted by the inverter INV 2 , after a prescribed delay time, changes from low level to high level. When the drive signal A 3 changes from low level to high level, the signal A 5 outputted by the single-end sense amplifier 3 changes from the second level to the first level.
At an initial state, a potential of the signal A 4 is lower than a potential of the signal A 5 , and the signal A 7 outputted by the differential amplifier circuit 5 is at a high level, while the first output signal A 8 outputted by the inverter INV 7 is at a low level. Further, the signal A 6 outputted by the differential amplifier circuit 4 is at a low level, whereas the second output signal A 8 bar outputted by the inverter INV 8 is at a high level.
Thereafter, when the input signal A 1 changes from a low level to a high level at time t 0 as mentioned above, the potential of the signal A 4 becomes higher than the potential of the signal A 5 . By this means, the signal A 7 changes from a high level to a low level, and the first output signal A 8 changes from a low level to a high level. Further, the signal A 6 changes from a low level to a high level, while the second output signal A 8 bar changes from a high level to a low level.
Next, when the input signal A 1 changes from a high level to a low level at time t 0 , the drive signal A 2 , after a prescribed delay time, changes from a low level to a high level. When the drive signal A 2 changes from a low level to a high level, the signal A 4 outputted by the single-end sense amplifier 2 changes from the second level to the first level.
On the other hand, when the drive signal A 2 changes from a low level to a high level, the signal A 3 outputted by the inverter INV 2 , after a prescribed delay time, changes from a high level to a low level. When the drive signal A 3 changes from a high level to a low level, the signal A 5 outputted by the single-end sense amplifier 3 changes from the first level to the second level.
Consequently, the potential of the signal A 4 becomes lower than the potential of the signal A 5 , and the signal A 7 changes from a low level to a high level, while the first output signal A 8 changes from a high level to a low level. Further, the signal A 6 changes from a high level to a low level, whereas the second output signal A 8 bar changes from a low level to a high level.
At this point, since the differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 output signals A 6 and A 7 according to the potentials of the signal A 6 and the signal A 5 , skewing will not occur between the signal A 6 and the signal A 7 . Therefore, there will occur no skewing between the first output signal A 8 and the second output signal A 8 bar.
Now, there is a case of an occurrence of a timing fluctuation by which the signals A 2 –A 5 change due to such factors as a scattering of a manufacturing process, temperature fluctuation, and fluctuation of a source potential (in this case, V DD or V SS ) . However, even in such a case, since the differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 output the signals A 6 and A 7 according to a difference of potentials between the signal A 4 and the signal A 5 , even though a timing by which the first output signal A 8 and the second output signal A 8 bar change may fluctuate before or after that, no skewing will occur between the first output signal A 8 and the second output signal A 8 bar.
As described above, insofar as the differential signal output circuit according to this invention is concerned, there is no requirement of a capacitor as required in the conventional differential signal output circuit 91 (refer to FIG. 19 ), hence, it is possible to prevent a yield drop and the like.
Next, an eighth embodiment of this invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an output circuit according to the eighth embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit 11 is a circuit for outputting, based on an input signal B 1 , a first output signal B 8 and a second output signal B 8 bar as a pair of differential signals, comprising inverters INV 1 , INV 2 , INV 7 , INV 8 , single-end sense amplifiers 12 and 13 , and current mirror type differential amplifier circuits 14 and 15 . Each of these circuits operates upon receipt of power supply from the source potential V DD of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side.
As compared to the differential signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ) described above, the single-end sense amplifier 2 in the differential signal output circuit 1 outputs the drive signal A 2 and the signal A 4 inverted, and the single-end sense amplifier 3 outputs the drive signal A 3 and the signal A 5 inverted. On the other hand, the single-end sense amplifier 12 in the differential signal output circuit 11 outputs the drive signal B 2 and the signal B 4 of the same phase, and the single-end sense amplifier 13 outputs the drive signal B 3 and the signal B 5 of the same phase. Further, the differential amplifier circuits 14 and 15 are of an inverted circuit configuration to the differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 in the differential signal output circuit 1 as well as the source potentials V DD and V SS .
The differential signal output circuit 11 is, like the differential signal output circuit 1 , able to output a first output signal B 8 and a second output signal B bar having no skewing, also being capable of preventing a yield drop and the like because there is no requirement of a capacitor which is required in the conventional interface signal output circuit 91 (refer to FIG. 19 ).
Next, a ninth embodiment of this invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an output circuit according to the ninth embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit 21 is a circuit for outputting, based on an input signal C 1 , a first output signal C 8 and a second output signal C 8 bar as a pair of differential signals, comprising inverters INV 1 , INV 2 , INV 7 , INV 8 , single-end sense amplifiers 22 and 23 , and current mirror type differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 . Each of these circuits operates upon receipt of power supply from the source potential V DD of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side.
As compared to the differential signal output circuit 11 (refer to FIG. 11 ) described above, the differential signal output circuit 21 has different configurations of the single-end sense amplifier 22 and the single-end sense amplifier 23 . The single-end sense amplifier 22 comprises n-channel transistors QN 21 and QN 21 and inverters INV 23 and INV 24 , supplying a signal, which is a drive signal C 2 inverted, to the differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 .
Source-drain paths of the transistors QN 21 and QN 22 are connected in series to between the source potential V DD of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side, and the drive signal C 2 is supplied to a gate of the transistor Q 22 . A node of the transistor QN 21 and the transistor QN 22 is connected to an input of the inverter INV 23 .
An output of the inverter INV 23 is connected to a gate of the transistor QN 21 , and the transistor QN 21 constitutes a negative feedback group associated with an output and an input of the inverter INV 23 . Consequently, a level of a signal outputted by the inverter INV 23 becomes a level corresponding to a gain of the above-mentioned feedback group. An output signal of the inverter INV 23 is also supplied to the inverter INV 24 , and the inverter INV 24 supplies the signal C 4 , which is an output signal of the inverter INV 23 inverted, to the differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 .
The single-end sense amplifier 23 comprises p-channel transistors QN 23 and QN 24 and inverters INV 25 and INV 26 , supplying a signal C 5 , which is a drive signal C 3 inverted, to the differential amplifier circuits 4 and 5 . The transistors QN 23 and QN 24 as well as the inverters INV 25 and INV 26 in the single-end sense amplifier 23 are connected in the same way as the transistors QN 21 and QN 22 as well as the inverters INV 23 and INV 24 in the single-end sense amplifier 22 . As a result, the single-end sense amplifier 23 has the same circuit configuration as the single-end sense amplifier 22 .
The differential signal output circuit 21 is able to output a first output signal B 8 and a second output signal B 8 bar having no skewing in the same way as the differential signal output circuit 11 . Further, since there is no requirement of a capacitor as required in the conventional differential signal output circuit 91 (refer to FIG. 19 ); it is possible to prevent a yield drop and the like.
Next, a tenth embodiment of this invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an output circuit according to the tenth embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit 31 is a circuit for outputting, based on an input signal D 1 , a first output signal D 8 and a second output signal D 8 bar as a pair of differential signals, comprising inverters INV 31 , INV 32 , INV 37 , and INV 38 , single-end sense amplifiers 32 and 33 , and current mirror type differential amplifier circuits 34 and 35 .
The single-end sense amplifier 32 comprises a p-channel transistor QP 31 , an n-channel transistor QN 31 , and inverters INV 33 and INV 34 ,
having the same circuit configuration as the single-end sense amplifier 2 in the above-mentioned differential signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ). Likewise, the single-end sense amplifier 33 comprises a p-channel transistor QP 32 , an n-channel transistor QN 32 , and inverters INV 35 and INV 36 , having the same circuit configuration as the single-end sense amplifier 3 in the above-mentioned differential signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ).
Further, the differential amplifier circuit 34 comprises p-channel transistors QP 33 and QP 34 , and n-channel transistors QN 33 –QN 35 , having the same circuit configuration as the differential amplifier circuit 4 in the above-mentioned signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ). Likewise, the differential amplifier circuit 35 comprises a p-channel transistors QP 35 and QP 36 , and n-channel transistors QN 36 –QN 38 , having the same circuit configuration as the differential amplifier circuit 5 in the above-mentioned signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ).
In the differential signal output circuit 31 , as compared to the above-mentioned signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ), power is supplied by a source potential V DD1 of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side to the inverters INV 31 and INV 32 , whereas it is different in that power is supplied by a source potential V DD2 of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side to the single-end sense amplifiers 32 and 33 , the differential amplifier circuits 34 , and 35 , and the inverters INV 37 and INV 38 .
At this time, if we assume
V DD2 >V DD1 (1)
then the differential signal output circuit 31 will have a function as a booster circuit. For example, assume that a source potential V SS is 0V, a source potential V DD1 is 1.8V, and a source potential V DD2 is 2.5V, then it becomes possible, based on an input signal D 1 of a 1.8V level, to output a first output signal D 8 and a second output signal D 8 bar of a 2.5V level.
Further, if we assume
V DD1 >V DD2 (2)
then the differential signal output circuit 31 will have a function as a step-down circuit. For example, assume a source potential V SS of 0V, a source potential V DD2 of 1.8V, and a source potential V DD1 of 2.5V, then it becomes possible, based on an input signal D 1 of a 2.5V level, to output a first output signal D 8 and a second output signal D 8 bar of a 1.8V level.
Next, an eleventh embodiment of this invention will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an output circuit according to the eleventh embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit 41 is a circuit for outputting, based on an input signal E 1 , a first output signal E 8 and a second output signal E 8 bar as a pair of differential signals, comprising inverters INV 31 , INV 32 , INV 47 , and INV 48 , single-end sense amplifiers 32 and 33 , and current mirror type differential amplifier circuits 44 and 45 .
The differential amplifier circuit 44 comprises p-channel transistors QP 43 and QP 44 , and n-channel transistors QN 43 –QN 45 , having the same circuit configuration as the differential amplifier circuit 4 in the above-mentioned differential signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ). Likewise, the differential amplifier circuit 45 comprises p-channel transistors QP 45 and QP 46 , and n-channel transistor QN 46 – 48 , having the same circuit configuration as the differential amplifier circuit 5 in the above-mentioned differential signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ).
In the differential signal output circuit 41 , as compared to the above-mentioned signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ), power is supplied by the source potential V DD1 of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side to the inverters INV 31 and INV 32 , and power is supplied by the source potential V DD2 of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side to the single-end sense amplifiers 32 and 33 , whereas it is different in that power is supplied by a source potential V DD3 of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side to the differential amplifier circuits 44 and 45 as well as the inverters INV 47 and INV 48 .
At this time if we assume
V DD3 >V DD2 >V DD1 (3)
then the differential signal output circuit 41 will have a function as a booster circuit. For example, as compared to the differential signal output circuit 1 (refer to FIG. 9 ) described above, this differential signal output circuit 41 is particularly effective in a case of a large potential difference between an input signal E 1 , and a first output signal E 8 and a second output signal E 8 bar.
For example, in the differential signal output circuit 31 (refer to FIG. 13 ) described above for outputting, based on the input signal D 1 of the 1.8V level, the first output signal D 8 and the second output signal D 8 bar of a 5V level, it is necessary to supply 0V as the source potential V SS of the low potential side, 1.8V as the source potential V DD1 of the high potential side, and 5V as the source potential V DD2 of the low potential side. However, supplying such source potentials would cause the single-end sense amplifiers 22 and 23 operating on the 5V source potential to receive the drive signals D 2 and D 3 of the 1.8 level, thus making it difficult to perform a desired operation.
On the other hand, if it is adapted in the differential signal output circuit 41 such that 0V as the source potential V SS of the low potential side, 1.8V as the source potential V DD1 of the high potential side, 3.3V as the source potential V DD2 , and 5V as the source potential V DD3 of the low potential side are supplied, then it would become easy to output, based on the input signal E 1 of the 1.8V level, the first output signal E 8 and the second output signal E 8 bar of the 5V level.
Further, if we assume
V DD1 >V DD2 >V DD3 (4)
then the differential signal output circuit 41 will have a function as a step-down circuit. As compared to the differential signal output circuit 31 (refer to FIG. 13 ) described above, this differential signal output circuit 41 is particularly effective in a case of a large potential difference between the input signal E 1 , and the first output signal E 8 and the second output signal E 8 bar.
For example, in the differential signal output circuit 31 (refer to FIG. 13 ) described above for outputting, based on the input signal D 1 of the 5V level, the first output signal D 8 and the second output signal D 8 bar of a 1.8V level, it is necessary to supply 0V as the source potential V SS of the low potential side, 5V as the source potential V DD1 of the high potential side, and 1.8V as the source potential V DD2 of the high potential side. However, supplying such source potentials would cause the single-end sense amplifiers 32 and 33 operating on the 1.8V source potential to receive the drive signals D 2 and D 3 of the 5 level, thus making it difficult to perform a desired operation.
On the other hand, if it is adapted in the differential signal output circuit 41 such that 0V as the source potential V SS of the low potential side, 5V as the source potential V DD1 , 3.3V as the source potential V DD2 , and 1.8V as the source potential V DD3 are supplied, then it would become easy to output, based on the input signal E 1 of the 5V level, the first output signal E 8 and the second output signal E 8 bar.
Next, a twelfth embodiment of this invention will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an output circuit according to the twelfth embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit 51 is a circuit for outputting, based on the input signal E 1 , a first output signal F 8 and a second output signal F 8 bar as a pair of differential signals, comprising inverters INV 1 , INV 2 , INV 7 , and INV 8 , single-end sense amplifiers 52 and 53 , and current mirror type differential amplifier circuits 14 and 15 . Each of these circuits receives power supplied by the source potential V DD of the high potential side and the source potential V SS of the low potential side and operates.
As compared to the above-mentioned differential amplifier circuit 11 (refer to FIG. 11 ), the signal output circuit 51 has different configurations of the single-end sense amplifiers 52 and 53 . The single-end sense amplifier 52 comprises n-channel transistors QN 51 and QN 52 and an inverter INV 53 , supplying a signal F 4 , which is a drive signal F 2 converted to a prescribed potential level, to differential amplifier circuits 14 and 15 .
Source-drain paths of the transistors QN 51 and QN 52 are serially connected to between the source potential V DD of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side, and to a gate of the transistor QN 51 , there is supplied the drive signal F 2 . A node of the transistor QN 51 and the transistor QN 52 is connected to an input of the inverter INV 53 .
An output of the inverter INV 53 is connected to the gate of the transistor QN 51 , and the transistor QN 51 constitutes a negative feedback group associated with an input and an output of the inverter INV 53 . Consequently, a level of the signal A 4 outputted by the inverter INV 53 is a level corresponding to a gain of the above-mentioned feedback group.
A single-end sense amplifier 53 comprises n-channel transistors QN 53 and QN 54 , and an inverters INV 55 , supplying a drive signal F 5 , which is a drive signal F 3 converted to a prescribed level, to the differential amplifier circuits 14 and 15 .
The transistors QN 53 and QN 54 , and the inverter INV 55 in the single-end sense amplifier 53 are connected in the same way as the transistors QN 51 and QN 52 as well as the inverter INV 53 in the single-end sense amplifier 52 . As a result, the single-end sense amplifier 53 has the same circuit configuration as the single-end sense amplifier 52 .
In this manner, according to the differential signal output circuit 51 , it is possible to realize an equivalent function as the differential signal output circuit 11 with fewer elements than the differential signal output circuit 11 .
Next, a thirteenth embodiment of this invention will be described. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an output circuit according to the thirteenth embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit 61 is a circuit for outputting, based on an input signal G 1 , a first output signal G 8 and a second output signal G 8 bar as a pair of differential signals, comprising inverters INV 31 , INV 32 , INV 37 , and INV 38 , single-end sense amplifiers 62 and 63 , and the current mirror type differential amplifier circuits 34 and 35 .
As compared to the above-mentioned differential amplifier circuit 31 (refer to FIG. 13 ), the signal output circuit 61 has different configurations of the single-end sense amplifiers 62 and 63 . The single-end sense amplifier 62 comprises n-channel transistors QN 61 and QN 62 as well as an inverter INV 63 , supplying a signal G 4 , which is a drive signal G 2 converted to a prescribed potential level, to the differential amplifier circuits 34 and 35 .
Source-drain paths of the transistors QN 61 and QN 62 are serially connected to between the source potential V DD2 of the high source potential side and the source potential V SS of the low source potential side, and to a gate of the transistor QN 62 there is supplied the drive signal G 2 . A node of the transistor QN 61 and the transistor QN 62 is connected to an input of the inverter INV 63 .
An output of the inverter INV 63 is connected to the gate of the transistor QN 61 , and the transistor QN 61 constitutes a negative feedback group associated with an output and an input of the inverter INV 63 . Consequently, a level of the signal G 4 outputted by the inverter INV 63 is a level corresponding to a gain of the above-mentioned feedback group.
A single-end sense amplifier 63 comprises n-channel transistors QN 63 and QN 64 , and an inverters INV 55 , supplying a drive signal G 5 , which is a drive signal G 3 converted to a prescribed level, to the differential amplifier circuits 34 and 35 .
The transistors QN 63 and QN 64 , and the inverter INV 65 in the single-end sense amplifier 63 are connected in the same way as the transistors QN 61 and QN 62 as well as the inverter INV 53 in the single-end sense amplifier 62 . As a result, the single-end sense amplifier 63 has the same circuit configuration as the single-end sense amplifier 62 .
In this manner, according to the differential signal output circuit 61 , it is possible to realize an equivalent function as the differential signal output circuit 31 with fewer elements than the differential signal output circuit 31 .
Next, a fourteenth embodiment of this invention will be described.
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an output circuit according to the fourteenth embodiment of this invention. This differential signal output circuit 71 is a circuit for outputting, based on an input signal HI, a first output signal H 8 and a second output signal H 8 bar as a pair of differential signals, comprising inverters INV 31 , INV 32 , INV 47 , and INV 48 , the single-end sense amplifiers 62 and 63 , and the current mirror type differential amplifier circuits 44 and 45 .
The signal output circuit 51 is that which makes use of the single-end sense amplifiers 32 and 33 in the above-mentioned differential amplifier circuit 61 (refer to FIG. 16 ) instead of the single-end sense amplifiers 62 and 63 in the above-mentioned differential amplifier circuit 41 (refer to FIG. 14 ).
According to a differential output circuit 71 , it is possible to realize an equivalent function as the differential signal output circuit 41 with fewer elements than the differential signal output circuit 41 .
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
Among other possibilities, this invention may be utilized in an output circuit for outputting a signal to an external circuit and a semiconductor integrated circuit having such an output circuit built-in.
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An output circuit is provided for outputting, based on a first drive signal, an output signal with an amplitude smaller than a source voltage, comprising: a first type MOS transistor whose gate is impressed with a first drive signal and whose drain outputs a signal; a second type MOS transistor whose gate is impressed with a second drive signal and whose drain outputs a signal; and feedback circuits generating the second drive signal by feeding an output signal obtained by synthesizing the signal outputted by the first type MOS transistor and the signal outputted by the second type MOS transistor back to the gate of the second type MOS transistor.
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This is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/050,215 filed Mar. 30, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,809.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cobalt--tin coating provided on aluminum or aluminum alloy by chemical conversion to reduce the sliding friction of the surface and reduce wear of contacted components. The coating may be applied to surfaces such as swashplate type compressors as disclosed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/050,215 or other aluminum surfaces, such as pistons.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a swash plate type compressor is used in systems such as an air conditioning system of an automobile. According to a known swash plate type compressor, the transmission of motive power is carried out, as a swash plate and a piston reciprocate, thereby suctioning, compressing and discharging the gas. The swash plate is usually composed of aluminum or aluminum alloy and shoes, which make slideable contact with the swash plate when it rotates, are composed of iron or light weight ceramics such as alumina. The metal on metal contact at the shoe and swash plate interface requires special precautions to be taken in order to prevent undue wear and possible seizure of the shoe with the swash plate.
In a conventional swash plate compressor, the following problems are likely to occur. 1) The amount of oil contained in the refrigerant gas is decreased if the refrigerant leaks out of the swash plate type compressor. When the swash plate type compressor is operated under this state, lubrication at the sliding surface of the swash plate is decreased. In an extreme case, seizure of the shoe at the sliding surface of the swash plate occurs due to the generation of high temperature friction heat. 2) In the case where the compression of the liquid refrigerant takes place, the lubrication at the sliding surface of the swash plate is decreased. As a result, seizure of the shoe with the surface of the swash plate may occur.
Several methods have been developed to improve the lubrication at the shoe/swash plate interface and to lessen the wear of compressor swash plates. Conventional swash plates are treated with a tin coating to improve surface wear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,432 treated the swash plate with a cross-linked polyfluoro elastomer bonded directly to the aluminum, a lubricious additive and a load bearing additive. The material is applied as a viscous fluid and is masked part in order to coat the component only at certain areas. The coating is also applied in a range of 13-50 microns and since the maximum allowed variation is only 10 microns the parts require machining after coating. The coating process itself adds to manufacturing complexity, and makes it more difficult to hold manufacturing tolerances than with a conventional tin conversion coating.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,417 treated the swash plate body with a surface coating layer made of tin and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, zinc, lead and indium. While any of these five materials are alloyed with tin to improve its wear resistance, none of them are described as also acting to bind the coating to the swashplate.
The present invention discloses a tin/cobalt conversion coating with improved wear resistance and also excellent adhesion to aluminum or aluminum alloy surfaces which experience during use, sliding friction, e.g., surfaces of swashplates, pistons, etc. The coating retains the high-lubricity of tin on the aluminum swashplate. Thus, in the current invention, the added cobalt provides a tin/cobalt surface coating with improved adhesion over a conventional adherent coating tin conversion coating, which improves the wear resistance of the aluminum surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is an article having an aluminum or aluminum alloy surface which carries a single layer conversion coating of tin with 0.2 to 10 wt. % cobalt. The coating is formed by chemical conversion whereby at least a portion of said surface is exposed to an aqueous chemical conversion bath for aluminum. And the bath contains soluble tin and cobalt compounds in amounts sufficient to provide said conversion coating which, during use of the article, is exposed to sliding friction. Examples of such article include swashplates and pistons.
A swash plate compressor has a cylinder block that has a cylinder bore disposed parallel to the axis of said cylinder block. A rotary shaft rotatably mounted within said cylinder block and a piston reciprocally fitted in the cylinder bore. The shoes slideably intervene between the piston and the swash plate. The swash plate comprises a matrix composed of aluminum or aluminum alloy and on at least a part of the swash plate surface a tin conversion coating layer comprising 0.2-10 wt. % cobalt. The coated part of the surface of the swash plate is that which in slideable contact with the shoes during compressor operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a swash plate compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2a (front facial surface) is a chart of 2 hour compressor adhesion performance test performed on an embodiment of the present invention and a conventional tin swashplate.
FIG. 2b (rear facial surface) is a chart of 2 hour compressor adhesion performance test performed on an embodiment of the present invention and a conventional tin swashplate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The invention relates to providing conversion coatings on aluminum or aluminum alloy, which may comprise an entire article or only a surface of the article, as when the article is steel or some other metal with a surface of aluminum provided thereon. The article or substrate may be, for example, a swashplate of an automotive compressor, or pistons, any article whose aluminum surface would benefit from increased lubricity and decreased wear provided by an adherent coating. These may also include connecting rods for piston engines or crankshaft based refrigeration/AC compressors. The article may also be a non-automotive article. As is well known in the art, in the conversion coating process a substrate is reacted with other materials (e.g., which may be a solids, liquids or gas) so that its surface is chemically converted into different compounds which have different properties. Further the process usually takes place at an elevated temperature where diffusion is often an essential aspect of the conversion. The conversion coating process and resultant coating is thus significantly different from coating processes like electrolytic deposition which is primarily concerned with deposition of ions, e.g., positive ions being deposited onto the cathode (negative electrode). As is known in the art, in the conversion coating process of aluminum, the surface aluminum, by means of alkalinity in the coating bath, solubilizes as an aluminate into the bath. Later, in the present invention it combines with the conversion coating materials, including cobalt and tin, to redeposit on the aluminum surface as a complex including tin and cobalt which is tightly chemically bonded and diffused into the aluminum surface. This is in contrast, for example, where a material is plated onto the surface of a metal. Often with conventional plating or coating process, an interlayer is applied between an aluminum substrate and the outer lubricious layer to bond the two together. The present invention conversion coating process invention thus avoids the manufacturing complexity associated with providing this interlayer/outer layer system.
The swashplate is an example of aluminum or aluminum alloy surfaces which may be conversion coated according to the present invention and will hereafter be described in detail for exemplary purposes. As discussed above, however, other articles having an aluminum or aluminum alloy surface may be conversion coated according to the present invention. Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a perspective and exploded view of an automotive swash plate type compressor 10 for propelling refrigerant gas through a cooling circuit. The compressor 10 comprises a two-piece cylinder block 12, 14 which is provided with a plurality of reciprocating pistons 16. For clarity, FIG. 1 depicts only one of such reciprocating piston 16. In practice, each piston 16 reciprocates within cylinder bore 18.
Each piston 16 is in communication with the swash plate 20 which is fixably mounted on an axially extending rotateable shaft 22. The reciprocating motion of each piston 16 within its associated cylinder bore successively siphons, compresses, and discharges refrigerant gas. A pair of pivoting shoes 24 are positioned between each piston 16 and swash plate 20. The shoe 24 transfers the rotational motion of the swash plate 20 to the linear motion of the piston 16. The swash plate 20 has two facial surfaces 26 (only one shown for clarity) which contact the shoe 24.
Rotation of the shaft 22 causes the swash plate 20 to rotate between the cylinder blocks 12, and 14. The facial surfaces 26 contact the shoes 24 and are subjected to a shear-type frictional contact with shoe 24. An end surface 28 may contact the piston 16 if the piston 16 is slightly skewed or bent. End surface 28 and the facial surfaces 26 are coated to prevent wear from the contact with piston 16 and shoes 24. The surface coating 30 should also have a low coefficient of friction to increase the efficiency of the compressor.
The shape of swash plate 20 according to the present invention may be the same as those of the conventional swash plates. The material composing the matrix of swash plate body 20 should be aluminum or aluminum alloy. The aluminum alloy can be, for example, aluminum-high-silicon type alloy, aluminum--silicon magnesium type alloy, aluminum--silicon--copper--magnesium type alloy and, aluminum alloys containing no silicon.
Swash plate 20 is usually made from an aluminum or aluminum alloy material to make it light-weight and strong. Aluminum and aluminum alloys containing hypereutectic silicon, that is more silicon than is required to form a eutectic crystalline structure, are often used.
While the surface coating 30 of the present invention may be used with hypereutectic aluminum, it is primarily intended for use on non-hypereutectic aluminum and aluminum alloys having less than 13% by weight of silicon.
Hard grains, as used herein means grains having average particle diameters of 20 through 100 micrometer and a hardness greater than 300 on the Vickers hardness scale or, more preferably, having a hardness greater than 600 on the Vickers hardness scale, such as a primary crystal silicon. For example, aluminum-high-silicon type alloy can be considered as one of materials suitable materials for swash plate body 20. Because alsil alloy contains about 13% to 30% by weight of silicon meaning that alsil alloy contains more silicon than is required to form a eutectic crystal structure, alsil alloy has primary crystal silicon dispersed in the matrix structure. Also alsil has superior characteristics and could withstand very severe sliding operations at the swash plate.
Other materials having the hard grains and possibly applicable to swash plate body 20 are the intermetallic compounds of: aluminum--manganese; aluminum--silicon--manganese; aluminum--iron--manganese; aluminum--chromium and the like.
Conventionally, swashplate body 20 is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy directly contacts shoes 24. However, according to the present invention, during operation with surface coating layer 30, on swash plate body 20 contacts shoes 24 so that the frictional resistance with the shoes is greatly reduced. While it is only necessary to coat facial surface 26 having contact with shoes 24, for ease of manufacture the entire swash plate body 20 is coated.
According to the present invention, the swash plate body 20 has a surface coating layer 30. The surface coating layer 30 is formed on the surface of swash plate body 20 at least on the part of the surface having sliceable contact with shoes 24. The surface coating layer 30 may, however, be formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20. The surface coating layer 30 acts to reduce frictional resistance with shoes 24 and prevents the occurrence of seizure at the sliding facial surface 26 of the swash plate 20.
The present invention surface conversion coating layer 30 is composed primarily of tin, modified with cobalt. If surface coating layer 30 is composed only of tin the coefficient of friction will be lowered but at the same time, the surface coating layer becomes rather soft due to the characteristics of tin and, as a result, surface coating layer 30 will be susceptive to abrasion. In particular, based on the total weight of the tin and cobalt of surface coating 30, it comprises 0.2-10 wt. % cobalt, more preferably 0.2-2.1 wt. % cobalt and the balance being tin, most preferably being 98.9 to 99.7 wt. % tin and 0.3 to 1.1 wt. % cobalt, in some applications it is optimally 0.5 to 0.9 wt. % cobalt and the balance being tin.
It is found by the inventor of the present invention that the coexistence of tin and cobalt in the matrix structure of surface coating layer 30 provides a low coefficient of friction as well as improved hardness, so that high abrasion resistance is obtained. In addition, the adhesion of the coating to the swashplate 20 is improved by the addition of cobalt.
Surface coating 30 maybe applied to the swash plate 20 by means of a conversion coating. It is known in the art that conversion coating formation involves chemical reaction of the metal of the surface with components of the conversion coating bath. In the present invention, the pH of the bath is basic, that is, the pH is greater than 7 and the aluminum is oxidized and the tin reduced in the process of forming the coating.
An aqueous tin bath is prepared according to convention and then cobalt chloride is dissolved in the bath and the aqueous solution is heated to a temperature above 120° F. The concentration of cobalt in the bath is that necessary to provide a coating on the swash plate of 0.2-10 wt. % cobalt with the balance being tin. Preferably the bath is in between 120° F. and 150° F. To provide that amount of cobalt/tin on swash plate 20, the bath generally comprises 0.0063 to 0.63 wt. % cobalt chloride and 6-7.2 wt. % potassium stannate. More preferably, maintaining the same amount of potassium stannate, 0.017-0.32 wt. % cobalt chloride and most preferably 0.021-0.21 wt. % cobalt chloride. Additionally the bath comprises conventional materials like chelates and pH buffers. It has been found that including more chelates in the bath like EDTA (ethylenediamine tetracetic acid), gluconates, or diethylenediamine, the amount of cobalt which can be included in the bath is significantly increased. Increasing the amount of cobalt in the conversion coating increases its durability and adhesion to the aluminum substrate. Preferably the source of the cobalt ion is cobalt chloride, compounds such as cobalt nitrate do not demonstrate the same results.
Before applying surface coating 30, the swash plate 20 is exposed to a cleaning solution which removes surface oils and prepares the part for the coating application. Cleaning methods typically include solvent, acid or alkaline washings. The parts are then exposed to the solution for 5-6 minutes to coat.
The thickness of the surface coating 30 is preferably from 0.8 to 2.5 microns and more preferably from 1.1 to 1.8 microns. Applicants found that if the surface coating layer 30 has a thickness of less than 0.8 microns, the coefficient of friction will not be sufficiently lowered. On the other hand, if the surface coating layer 30 has a thickness of more than 2.5 micrometers, the surface coating layer 30 will be susceptive to problems concerning its strength such as to resist peeling-off.
According to the present invention, the coefficient of friction between swash plate 20 and shoe 24 is small so that the smooth sliding of shoe 24 on the swash plate 20 is ensured. The surface coating layer 30 is superior in strength thereby reducing the amount of abrasion which occurs thereon. Still further, seizure of the shoe 24 to the surface of swash plate 20 is prevented even when a liquid refrigerant is compressed or the compressor is operated under unfavorable circumstances such as insufficient lubrication of the sliding parts caused by leaks of refrigerant gas to the outside of the compressor.
Consequently, by the effects described above, the swash plate compressor according to the present invention can satisfactory withstand very severe use and achieve long service life.
Experimental Results
EXAMPLE 1
According to the swash plate type compressor as shown in FIG. 1, the swash plate 20 is composed of a swash plate body 20 made of an aluminum alloy containing 10-12.5% by weight of silicon, and the surface coating layer 30 formed on the whole surface of the swash plate body 20. The surface coating layer 30 consists of tin and cobalt as described below.
The surface coating layer 30 was formed by the following process:
The swash plate 20 was cleaned with alkaline cleaner at 140° F. for 5 minutes. The swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous bath solution which contains 6.6 wt. % potassium stannate and 0.007 wt. % cobalt chloride by weight, and which was kept at 130°-147° F. It was then taken out from the Sn/Co bath and water washed. As a result, a surface coating layer 30 consisting of tin and cobalt was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20. The resultant surface coating layer 30 had a thickness of 1.0 micrometers and was composed of 99.5 wt. % tin, and 0.5 wt. % cobalt by weight.
EXAMPLE 2
The swash plate body 20 as in Example 1, wherein the surface coating layer 30 was formed by the following process:
The swash plate 20 was cleaned with alkaline cleaner at 140° F. for 5 minutes. The swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous bath solution which contains 6.6 wt. % potassium stannate and 0.005 wt. % cobalt chloride by weight, and which was kept at 130°-147° F. It was then taken out from the Sn/Co bath and water washed. As a result, a surface coating layer 30 consisting of tin and cobalt was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20. The resultant surface coating layer 30 had a thickness of 1.0 micrometers and was composed of 0.36 wt. % cobalt and the balance being tin.
EXAMPLE 3 (A COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE)
The swash plate body as in Example 1 and 2 was coated with a Sn coating composition, not according to the present invention as follows:
The swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous solution which contains 6.6 wt. % potassium stannate, and which was kept at 130°-147° F. It was coated, taken out from the solution and water washed. As a result, a surface coating layer 30 having a thickness of 1.0 micrometers was composed of 100 wt. % tin was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20.
FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrates the comparison of the two hour calorimeter test administered to three different coatings prepared above. The calorimeter test measures accelerated wear and loss of adhesion of a typical tin coating. Test samples are subject to the same conditions and then the wear of the coating is compared. The assembled compressor is subjected to both high and low speed usage. A test compressor pump was run for 1 hour at point 19, which simulates low speed usage, and 1 hour at point 26 conditions, which simulates high speed usage. At point 19, and 26 the compressor is subjected to 1000 and 3000 RPMs respectively. The data comparing the three coatings prepared in Examples 1-3 is compiled in Table 1. The wear of both facial surfaces 26 of the swash plate body 20 was compared.
______________________________________Wt. % Co Loss of Adhesionin solution Front Surface (mm) Rear Surface (mm)______________________________________0 150 10.4 56.8 23.76 4.15 39.93 20.46 43.8 40.2 194.94 0.005 0 0 0 0 38 0 0 0 0 6.3 170.4 0 0.007 0 0 0 0 18 0 16.8 0 0 70 0 0 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0______________________________________
As indicated in FIGS. 2a, 2b and Table 1, the adhesion measured for swash plates 20 having the surface coating layer 30 in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention were much higher than that for the conventional type coating described in comparative Example 3. Also, a comparison between different levels of cobalt of the present invention, shows that the addition of higher levels of cobalt in the composition of the surface coating layer is effective in improving the adhesion and wear resistance of the swash plate 20. Thus, surface coating layer 30 of the comparative example 3, containing only tin, is more susceptive to rapid abrasion than a coating of tin and cobalt according to the present invention.
As is apparent from the test results shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, according to the present invention, the occurrence of loss of adhesion of the coating is greatly reduced due to the effect of the surface coating layer 30 although the swash plate type compressor is operated under severe conditions.
Swash plates 20 coated with the tin/cobalt coating do not exhibit the poor adhesion and poor wear resistance of pure tin coating because of the added cobalt.
Further Experimental Results
A standard tape adhesion test was administered on the samples prepared in examples 1-3. The test measures the amount of coating that can be removed when placed under stress. 3M 610 cellophane tape was applied to the coated swashplates in 2-3 mm strips. The tape was rubbed with a rubber eraser to ensure the adhesion of the tape and then the tape was removed in one quick motion in which a 90 degree angle was kept between the tape and the surface of swash plate 20. The coating with no cobalt, (all tin) showed poorest adhesion. Adhesion improved correspondingly with increasing amounts of cobalt in the coatings, i.e., the cobalt/tin coating with 0.007 wt. % Co had improved adhesion over the 0.005 wt. % cobalt/tin coating.
As discussed above, as higher amounts of chelate, such as EDTA, or other suitable substances are included in the bath, more cobalt can be introduced into the bath solution. The following example illustrates this embodiment of the present invention.
EXAMPLE 4
A stock tin bath saturated with cobalt had 500 ppm additional EDTA added. The insoluble cobalt precipitate dissolved after chelate mixed into the bath resulting in a clear pink solution. Next, additional cobaltous chloride solution was added into the mixture and a swashplate coated. The standard tape adhesion test from examples 1-3 was performed, with no coating pull off exhibited.
More additions of cobaltous chloride were made to the test solution and swashplates coated. The tape adhesion tests were performed, with no coating pull off. During the experiment progression, it was noted that the coating became darker with increased cobalt concentration in solution. Finally, at 3000 ppm, or 0.3% cobalt (equivalent to 6300 ppm or 0.63 wt. % cobalt chloride) in the bath solution, some coating pull off was noted, an increase in the coating layer thickness, and the bath began to show evidence of insoluble cobalt, finely divided, bluish particles suspended in the solution. The resultant swashplate coating also had a darker color than previous samples with lower cobalt concentrations in solution. Further attempts to add more chelate to the bath showed no ability to dissolve the insoluble cobalt in the 3000 ppm (6300 ppm cobalt chloride) concentration solution, bath breakdown was achieved.
Also, according to the present invention, even in the state where the surface coating layer 30 of the swash plate 20 is gradually reduced by abrasion, the primary crystal silicon dispersed on the surface of the swash plate body 20 was exposed and sticks on the swash plate surface 20. Since primary crystal silicon has a great hardness, the further abrasion of the surface coating layer 30 is prevented.
It will be obvious to those of skill in the art that various modifications variations may be made to the foregoing invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow.
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An aluminum or aluminum alloy surface which during use is exposed to sliding friction is coated to provide a chemical conversion coating of tin comprising 0.2-10.0 wt. % cobalt. For example, a swash plate type compressor has a cylinder block with cylinder bores disposed parallel to the axis of the cylinder block. A rotary shaft rotatably mounted within the cylinder block carries an aluminum swash plate. The swash plate has a coating preferably between 0.8 to 2.5 microns. The coating on the swash plate permits the use of low silicon alloy aluminum without the need of metal plating or high finish polishing.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/775,817 filed on May 7, 2010 now abandoned the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to temporary guardrails and, more particularly, to an apparatus for erecting a temporary guardrail on a stair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typically, stairs, particularly of the type in apartment buildings and the like, comprise three major components: stringers, treads and risers, although in certain stair constructions; e.g., pan stairs, there are no risers, open space is being formed between the treads. The stringers can be made of a steel channel beam, wood, etc., the dimensions of which can vary depending upon the load to be carried. As is well known, the treads are the generally horizontal portions of the stair, while the risers are the vertical portions connecting the treads.
Because of safety concerns during construction or remodeling, it is generally necessary, before a permanent handrail or guardrail is installed, to erect a temporary guardrail or handrail, and thereby minimize the chance of injuries from a construction worker falling off the stair.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide an assembly for erecting a temporary guardrail on a stair.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for erecting a temporary guardrail on a stair, which can be quickly assembled and disassembled, as needed.
In one aspect, the present invention comprises a stanchion or other elongate member, first and second, spaced jaws connected to the stanchion, which are adapted to rigidly connect the stanchion to the stringer in such a manner that the stringer is substantially perpendicular to the pitch of the stair. The apparatus of the present invention can further comprise, at least one bracket which can receive a temporary handrail; e.g., a 2×4 or the like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the front side of one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an elevational, side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the back side of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 .
FIG. 4 is an isometric, environmental view of a temporary guardrail attached to a stair stringer, using one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 5 - 5 of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional, view of another embodiment of the jaw assembly portion of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the front side of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 .
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 8 - 8 of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 9 - 9 of FIG. 6 .
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring first to FIGS. 1-3 , the apparatus of the present invention, shown generally as 10 , comprises a metal tubular member or stanchion 12 , having a front side 14 , a first side 16 , a second, opposite side (not shown), and a back side 18 ( FIG. 3 ). Located generally near the lower end of the stanchion 12 is a first jaw assembly shown generally as 20 , a second jaw assembly shown generally as 22 being spaced longitudinally from first jaw assembly 20 in a direction toward the upper end of stanchion 12 .
With reference to FIG. 5 , the details of construction of jaw assemblies 20 and 22 are shown. Bottom jaw assembly 20 comprises an L-shaped head portion having a flange portion 24 and a leg portion 26 attached thereto, a threaded shank 28 extending from leg portion 26 and through registering bores 31 and 30 in the front and back sides 14 and 18 , respectively. A wing nut 32 is threadedly received on the portion of shank portion 28 extending out of bore 30 , a washer 34 being positioned between wing nut 32 and back surface 18 . In effect, threaded shank 28 and wing nut 32 comprise a compression assembly for a purpose described hereafter. Second jaw assembly 22 also comprises an L-shaped head portion having a flange portion 36 , a leg portion 38 , a threaded shank portion 40 extending from leg portion 38 through registering bores 42 and 43 in stanchion 12 . A wing nut 44 is threadedly received on the portion of threaded shank 40 extending through back side 18 of stanchion 12 . As can be seen, stanchion 12 has a plurality of registering bores 42 and 43 , through which threaded shank 40 can extend to allow jaw assembly 22 to be adjustable longitudinally along stanchion 12 . To provide strength, a channel shaped spacer 60 , effectively a washer, can be used, the spacer 60 overlying the plurality of bores on the back side 18 of stanchion 12 .
As can be seen, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 5 - 5 of FIG. 4 and accordingly, shows a portion of a stair assembly. The stair assembly comprises treads 46 and risers 48 , which are attached in a suitable fashion to stringers 50 , 51 which support the stair. For purposes of the following description, the detailed construction of only one of the stringers of the apparatus of the present invention will be described. Further, although a stair with two stringers is shown, it will be apparent that many stairs are constructed against a wall so that only one stringer would have a guardrail. Furthermore, although the stairs shown have risers, as noted above, in the case of pan stairs there are no risers. As can be seen in FIG. 4 , the stringers 50 , 52 act as side supports for the stair and are generally at the desired pitch of the stairs. Stringer 50 comprises a channel shaped metal beam, having a main beam portion 52 and spaced, laterally extending flanges 54 and 56 . As can be seen in FIG. 5 , flanges 54 and 56 space beam portion 52 from stanchion 12 . It will be appreciated that the stringer 50 need not be channel-shaped but could be a square tubular member, a wooden beam, etc., but in any event, would have a surface 58 spaced from stanchion 12 .
As can be seen in FIG. 5 , stringer 50 is received between first and second jaw assemblies 20 and 22 , such that flange portion 24 abuts the side 58 of stringer beam portion 52 adjacent flange portion 54 and that flange portion 36 abuts the side 58 of stringer beam portion 52 adjacent flange portion 56 . Further, when so positioned, it can be seen that by tightening wing nuts 32 and 44 , flanges 24 and 36 , respectively, will urge stanchion 12 toward stringer 50 , stanchion 12 being compressed against the outer edges 54 a and 56 a of flanges 54 and 56 of stringer 50 , thereby rigidly securing stanchion 12 to stringer 50 , the outer surface of flange 54 forming a bottom edge of stringer 50 , the outer surface of flange 56 forming a top edge.
With reference to FIGS. 1-4 , it can be seen that the apparatus of the present invention is provided with first and second brackets or tubular members 70 and 72 , which are affixed to stanchion 12 by means of bolts 74 and 76 , respectively, which extend through registering bores 80 , 82 in the front side 14 and back side 18 of stanchion 12 . Although brackets 70 and 72 are shown as tubular, they could be L-shaped in construction or for that matter, any other form, the only proviso being that they be adapted to support a temporary guardrail; e.g., a 2×4. As shown, 2×4 temporary rails 84 and 86 are received in brackets 70 and 72 , respectively, the rails being secured to the brackets 70 and 72 by fasteners 90 and 92 ; e.g., a screw, nail or the like, extending through holes 78 , 79 of brackets 70 , 72 , respectively. Threaded wing nuts 75 and 77 are received on bolts 74 and 76 , respectively, to secure brackets 70 and 72 , respectively, to stanchion 12 . It will be appreciated from the above description that jaws 20 , 22 and brackets 70 and 72 are rotatable with respect to stanchion 12 , such that they can be disposed at any desired angle, if necessary, to accommodate and provide rails which are at any desired angle. However, typically the guardrails are at an angle the same as the angle of the pitch line of the stair, as shown in FIG. 4 .
As is the case with jaw assembly 22 , it can be seen that brackets 70 and 72 can be longitudinally adjusted along stanchion 12 by virtue of a plurality of registering bores, such as 80 and 82 .
Referring now to FIGS. 6-9 , there is seen another embodiment of the jaw assembly, shown generally as 120 . Jaw assembly 120 comprises an L-shaped head portion having a flange portion 124 , a leg portion 126 attached thereto, and a threaded shank 128 extending from leg portion 126 . Registering bores 131 and 130 are in the front and back sides 14 and 18 , respectively of the stanchion 12 . Leg portion 126 extends through bore 131 and shank portion 128 extends through bore 130 . Wing nut 32 is threadedly received on the portion of shank 128 extending out of bore 130 , to form a compression assembly.
Leg portion 126 and bore 131 have cross-sectional shapes such that rotation of the leg portion is prevented relative to the bore. As shown in FIGS. 6-9 , leg portion 126 and bore 131 both have rectangular cross-sections, however, it will be understood that any cross-sectional shapes which prevent relative rotation to one another are within the scope of the invention. Leg portion 126 and bore 131 can be keyed together and complementary or not. Leg portion 126 and bore 131 may have different cross-sectional shapes so long as their respective cross-sections prevent relative rotation when leg portion 126 is extended through bore 131 . Leg portion 126 need not have a uniform cross-section. It is contemplated that at least a portion of leg portion 126 will extend through bore 131 . In some embodiments though, leg portion 126 may have a uniform cross-section, thus allowing the entire leg portion to extend through bore 131 .
FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom jaw assembly, but it will be understood that the embodiment of FIG. 6 could be used in place of any of the jaw assemblies described herein.
The above description is intended in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and variations to the specific configurations described may be apparent to skilled persons in adapting the present invention to other specific applications. Such variations are intended to form part of the present invention insofar as they are within the spirit and scope of the claims below.
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An apparatus for use in erecting a temporary guardrail on a stair, having a stair stringer. The apparatus has an elongated stanchion. A first jaw assembly is operatively attached to the stanchion for engaging one side of the stringer, proximal the bottom edge thereof, and includes a first compression assembly to operatively urge the stanchion against the stringer. A second axially spaced, jaw assembly is operatively attached to the stanchion for engaging the one side of the stringer proximal a top edge thereof, and includes a second compression assembly to urge the stanchion against the stringer, and a bracket attached to the stanchion, and being adapted to receive a temporary guardrail member.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1 Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for diagnosing sleep apnea. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting whether a temporary absence or cessation of breathing occurs while a subject is sleeping by applying light of two different wavelengths to a predetermined part of the subject's body.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Sleep apnea is a temporary absence or cessation of breathing during sleep, thereby causing oxygen to cease entering the body. In general, when no oxygen enters the body due to sleep apnea, an oxygen saturation, i.e., an amount of oxygen in the blood, decreases to an abnormal level.
[0005] Sleep fragmentation at night due to sleep apnea causes excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and a decline in arterial oxygen saturation. A decline in oxygen saturation may cause high blood pressure, arrhythmia, or the like. Occasionally, a decline in oxygen saturation may even have fatal results by causing a heart attack while a person is sleeping. It is reported that about 20 percent of the adult population of the United States suffers from snoring, and about 50 percent of those people that snore suffer from sleep apnea.
[0006] Children with sleep apnea show such symptoms as decreased attention span, erratic behavior, EDS, irregular sleep, rib cage retraction, and flaring of the ribs. Such children may do poorly in an academic setting and, in the most serious cases, may suffer from mental or psychological disorders. For infants or babies, sleep apnea may cause sudden death during sleep.
[0007] Sleep apnea is typically classified into three main types: obstructive, central, and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form of sleep apnea and is characterized by a repeated closing of an upper airway. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to send adequate signals to the diaphragm and lungs during sleep, thereby resulting in decreased respiration. Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Regardless of the type of sleep apnea, sleep apnea results in a decrease in arterial oxygen saturation.
[0008] A breathing disorder is clinically classified as sleep apnea when a cessation of breathing lasting for ten or more seconds occurs at least five times an hour or at least thirty times during in a seven-hour period. Snoring is a sound made when a soft palate of the upper airway vibrates, and thus, is often a direct precursor of sleep apnea.
[0009] A sleep apnea test is generally performed through polysomnography. Polysomnography is a test during which sleep architecture and function and behavioral events during sleep are objectively measured and recorded. More specifically, a number of physiological variables, such as brain waves, eye movement, chin electromyogram, leg electromyogram, electrocardiogram, snoring, blood pressure, breathing, and arterial oxygen saturation, are measured extensively. At the same time, behavioral abnormalities during sleep are recorded with video tape recorders. Trained technicians and sleep specialists read the record to obtain comprehensive results about the severity of snoring, whether arrhythmia occurs, whether blood pressure increases, whether other problems are caused during sleep, and at what points the record differs from normal sleep patterns.
[0010] Conventional apparatuses and methods for diagnosing sleep apnea have several disadvantages including being difficult to implement, being unable to detect all three types of sleep apnea, being unable to provide accurate and reliable results, and causing discomfort in a subject being monitored.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention is therefore directed to an apparatus and method for diagnosing sleep apnea by measuring photoplethysmography (PPG) using light of two different wavelengths and calculating a ratio between the two measured values, which substantially overcomes one or more of the problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
[0012] According to a feature of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for diagnosing sleep apnea, which detects a temporary cessation of breathing while a subject is sleeping by applying light to and processing light output from a predetermined part of a subject's body, the apparatus including a light source unit for sequentially generating a first light signal of a first wavelength and a second light signal of a second wavelength according to a predetermined control signal, the first wavelength and the second wavelength being different, a photodetecting unit for detecting the first and second light signals output by the light source unit and then applied to the predetermined part of the subject's body, and for converting the detected first and second light signals into first and second electric signals, a diagnosis unit for substantially removing a time delay between the first and second electric signals output from the photodetecting unit, for calculating a ratio between the first and second electric signals, and for comparing the ratio with a predetermined reference value to diagnose sleep apnea, and a controller for outputting the predetermined control signal to the light source unit to generate the first and second light signals, and for providing the predetermined reference value to the diagnosis unit.
[0013] The light source unit may be a light emitting diode (LED) array that generates light in at least a red wavelength range and an infrared (IR) wavelength range. The light source unit may include a light source for generating the first light signal of the first wavelength and the second light signal of the second wavelength and a light source driver for driving the light source. The light source unit may apply the generated first and second light signals to the predetermined part of the subject's body where an arterial pulsating component is measured.
[0014] The controller may output the predetermined control signal to the light source unit to sequentially turn on and off the LED array in accordance with the wavelengths to be output.
[0015] The photodetecting unit may include a photodetector for detecting the first and second light signals, which are generated by the light source unit and applied to the predetermined part of the subject's body, and for outputting first and second current signals and a current to voltage converter for converting the first and second current electric signals into first and second voltage electric signals.
[0016] The diagnosis unit may include a multiplexer for separating the first and second electric signals output from the photodetecting unit according to the predetermined control signal, a delay unit for sampling the separated first and second electric signals and delaying the sampled first and second electric signals for a period of time to output the sampled first and second electric signals at substantially the same time, a divider for calculating a ratio of the sampled first and second electric signals output from the delay unit, and a comparator for comparing the calculated ratio with the predetermined reference value to determine the presence or absence of sleep apnea.
[0017] The delay unit may include a sample-and-holder for sampling signals output from the multiplexer and an amplifier for amplifying a signal from the sample-and-holder.
[0018] According to another feature of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of diagnosing sleep apnea, which detects a temporary cessation of breathing while a subject is sleeping by applying light to and processing light output from a predetermined part of the subject's body, the method including (a) sequentially generating a first light signal of a first wavelength and a second light signal of a second wavelength, the first wavelength and the second wavelength being difference, (b) applying the first and second light signals to the predetermined part of the subject's body, (c) detecting the first and second light signals from the predetermined part and converting the first and second light signals into first and second electric signals, (d) sampling the converted first and second electric signals and respectively delaying the sampled first and second electric signals to substantially remove a time difference between the sampled first and second electric signals, and (e) calculating a ratio of the first and second electric signals and comparing the calculated ratio with a predetermined reference value to determine the presence or absence of sleep apnea.
[0019] In the method, the first wavelength may be in a red wavelength range and the second wavelength may be in an IR wavelength range.
[0020] Applying the first and second light signals may include applying the first and second light signals to the predetermined part of the subject's body where an arterial pulsating component is measured.
[0021] In the method, after the ratio of the electric signals, which are sampled in a normal breathing state and a breathing cessation state, is calculated several times, a value from among the calculated ratios is provided as the predetermined reference value.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
[0023] [0023]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for diagnosing sleep apnea according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] [0024]FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating absorption coefficients of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin with respect to wavelength;
[0025] [0025]FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating a typical waveform of photoplethysmography (PPG);
[0026] [0026]FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating PPG waveforms according to various wavelengths during a normal breathing state;
[0027] [0027]FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating PPG waveforms according to various wavelengths during a breathing cessation state;
[0028] [0028]FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating a direct current (DC) component ratio between light in a red wavelength range and an IR wavelength range during a normal breathing state; and
[0029] [0029]FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating a DC component ratio between light in a red wavelength range and an IR wavelength range during a breathing cessation state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] Korean Patent Application No. 2003-26396, filed on Apr. 25, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and entitled: “Apparatus and Method for Diagnosing Sleep Apnea,” is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0031] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
[0032] [0032]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for diagnosing sleep apnea according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the sleep apnea diagnosing apparatus includes a light source unit 11 , a controller 12 , a photodetecting unit 13 , a multiplexer (MUX) 14 , a delay unit 15 , a divider 16 , and a comparator 17 . The MUX 14 , the delay unit 15 , the divider 16 , and the comparator 17 may be collectively referred to as a diagnostic unit.
[0033] The light source unit 11 includes a light source 111 , which outputs light in different wavelength ranges, and a light source driver 112 , which drives the light source 111 .
[0034] The photodetecting unit 13 includes a photodetector 131 , which converts optical signals generated by the light source 111 into current electric signals, i.e., currents, and a current to voltage (IN) converter 132 , which converts the current electric signals into voltage electric signals, i.e., voltages. In connection with the present invention, currents and voltages may be generally referred to as electric signals.
[0035] The delay unit 15 includes two sample-and-holders (S/H) 151 and 153 , which sample signals output from the MUX 14 and delay the sampled signals for a predetermined period of time, and two amplifiers (AMP) 152 and 154 .
[0036] The diagnostic unit, i.e., the MUX 14 , the delay unit 15 , the divider 16 , and the comparator 17 , processes the voltage electric signals output from the photodetecting unit 13 to determine the presence or absence of sleep apnea.
[0037] Operation of the sleep apnea diagnosing apparatus, constructed as described above, will now be explained. In operation, the light source driver 112 drives the light source 111 according to a predetermined control signal from the controller 12 . The predetermined control signal indicates whether the light source 111 is to generate a red light or an infrared (IR) light. The light source 111 may be a light emitting diode (LED) array including at least two light emitting diodes that respectively emit light in a red and an IR wavelength range.
[0038] The controller 12 outputs the predetermined control signal to sequentially turn on and off the LED array in accordance with the wavelengths to be output.
[0039] The light generated by the light source 111 is applied to a predetermined part of a subject's body 18 , e.g., a finger, to measure an amount of oxygen in hemoglobin in the blood. The body part 18 may be any body part where an arterial pulsating component can be measured.
[0040] The photodetector 131 detects the light signals that are generated by the light source 111 and pass through or are reflected on the body part 18 , and outputs currents corresponding to the intensity of the detected light signals. The IN converter 132 converts the current electric signals into voltage electric signals.
[0041] The MUX 14 separates the light signals output from the photodetecting unit 13 into red light and IR light according to the wavelengths under the control of the predetermined control signal output from the controller 12 .
[0042] The delay unit 15 samples voltages of the two light signals, which are separated by and output from the MUX 14 , holds each for a predetermined period of time, and amplifies the sampled voltages. This process is done to properly delay the two light signals, which are separately output from the MUX 14 with a time difference therebetween, to remove the time difference and output the two light signals substantially at the same time.
[0043] The divider 16 divides the two voltages output from the two amplifiers 152 and 154 . The comparator 17 compares a predetermined reference value provided from the controller 12 with a resultant value obtained by the divider 16 to determine whether a subject is experiencing sleep apnea. If it is determined that the subject is experiencing sleep apnea, the controller 12 can send an alarm message to the subject or another person, e.g., a tester, using an additional alarm device (not shown). The comparator 17 and the controller 12 may be wirelessly connected, if necessary, so as not to restrict movement of the subject.
[0044] The theory on which the above-described sleep apnea diagnosing apparatus is based will be explained as follows. When breathing temporarily stops, e.g., due to sleep apnea, no oxygen enters the body, and thus oxygen saturation in the blood abnormally decreases. Oxygen saturation is able to be optically measured.
[0045] [0045]FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating absorption coefficients of oxyhemoglobin, i.e., hemoglobin containing oxygen, and deoxyhemoglobin, i.e., hemoglobin without oxygen, with respect to wavelength. As shown in FIG. 2, absorption coefficient curves with respect to wavelength can be entirely different depending on whether hemoglobin in the blood contains oxygen. Therefore, oxygen saturation can be predicted by comparing an amount of a reacted light in a red wavelength range in the body with an amount of a reacted light in an IR wavelength range in the body.
[0046] When light is applied to a body part to predict the oxygen saturation levels, a photoplethysmography (PPG) waveform, as shown in FIG. 3, is obtained through transmission or reflection of the applied light. In the waveform, reference numeral 30 denotes a quantity of light applied to the body, reference numeral 31 denotes a quantity of absorbed light absorbed by the body, reference numeral 32 denotes a quantity of a light transmitted through the body, reference numeral 33 denotes a cardiac cycle, reference numeral 34 denotes an amount of change in the intensity of the transmitted light due to an arterial pulsating component, i.e., an alternating current (AC) component, reference numeral 35 denotes an amount of change in the intensity of the transmitted light due to an arterial non-pulsating component, i.e., a direct current (DC) component, reference numeral 36 denotes a peak of heartbeat, and reference numeral 37 denotes a valley of heartbeat.
[0047] The AC component in the PPG waveform is obtained by measuring a change in blood flow, which reflects a change in a blood stream due to heartbeat. A method of measuring a heart rate using the AC component is widely known. The AC component may be generated by respiration or by a person's voluntary or involuntary movement. At this time, the AC component is non-periodical and weaker in power than that generated due to a heartbeat. The DC component in the PPG waveform is generated when light is absorbed or scattered by a buried object, e.g., bone, skin, or hypodermis, which do not vary with respect to time.
[0048] When no oxygen is entering the body because of sleep apnea, the amount of deoxyhemoglobin increases. Since an absorption coefficient of deoxyhemoglobin for red light is greater than that for IR light, the red light accordingly becomes more attenuated, as shown in FIG. 2. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate PPG waveforms during a normal breathing state and a breathing cessation state, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, during a normal breathing state, similar slope patterns are shown over time. However, during a breathing cessation state, the amount of red light, e.g., having a wavelength of 660 nm, decreases due to an increase in the amount of deoxyhemoglobin.
[0049] In general, the DC component in the PPG waveform of FIG. 3 differs significantly depending on a thickness of a finger or characteristics of a particular body part through which light is transmitted. Thus, by taking a transmission ratio between different wavelengths, the difference arising from the characteristics of the particular body part can be eliminated. The present invention uses DC components of red light and IR light output from the MUX 14 and the delay unit 15 . The divider 16 divides the DC component of the IR light by the DC component of the red light. The value obtained by the division is referred to as a ratiometric index (RI). The comparator 17 compares the RI with the predetermined reference value provided by the controller 12 , and determines that breathing has temporarily ceased during sleep when the output value of the divider 16 is greater than the predetermined reference value.
[0050] [0050]FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a DC component ratio between red light and IR light during a normal breathing state and a breathing cessation state, respectively. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, during a normal breathing state, the DC component ratio shows a similar shape to the original light output from the light source unit. During a breathing cessation state, however, the DC component ratio between the two light signals, i.e., the RI, increases over time. As a consequence, when the RI is greater than the predetermined reference value, it is determined that sleep apnea is occurring.
[0051] Table 1 shows measurement results of average RIs during a breathing cessation state and a normal breathing state. The measurements were repeatedly taken on six subjects six times per minute. For every minute measurement, the six subjects in the test were allowed to cease their breathing for ten or more seconds three times and breathe normally three times. Two light signals, a first light signal having a red wavelength of 600 nm and a second light signal having an IR wavelength of 940 nm, were utilized.
TABLE 1 Average RI during breathing Average RI during normal Subject cessation state breathing state 1 0.3 ± 0.03 0.024 ± 0.004 2 0.15 ± 0.07 0.027 ± 0.01 3 0.49 ± 0.06 0.024 ± 0.005 4 0.2 ± 0.05 0.029 ± 0.009 5 0.32 ± 0.05 0.03 ± 0.008 6 0.14 ± 0.03 0.035 ± 0.009
[0052] Here, an RI in data measured when breathing has stopped for ten or more seconds ranges from 0.096 to 0.56. An RI in data measured when breathing is normal ranges from 0.02 to 0.07. It is preferable that a value in a range from 0.07 to 0.096 is adopted as the predetermined reference value for use by the comparator 17 . In other words, after the RI in data measured when breathing has stopped and the RI in data measured when breathing is normal has been calculated several times, a value from among the calculated ratios is provided as the predetermined reference value.
[0053] Conventionally, when there is data where any peak value cannot be found in a PPG waveform affected by noise due to respiration or movement, the data is reflected in the prediction of oxygen saturation. When sleep apnea is diagnosed based on that predicted oxygen saturation, the predictions result in errors.
[0054] Table 2 shows a difference between a predicted value of oxygen saturation and a measured value when the six subjects intentionally made noise three times by moving their bodies.
TABLE 2 Subject Average error (%) 1 9.7 ± 1.2 2 5.7 ± 0.6 3 6 ± 0.06 4 1.3 ± 0.6 5 3 ± 0.5 6 3.7 ± 0.6
[0055] According to Table 2, since the present invention uses the DC component ratio instead of peak and valley values in the AC component, it is not affected by noise due to movement when diagnosing sleep apnea.
[0056] As may be seen from the above description, the present invention is able to diagnose sleep apnea at a subject's home irrespective of the causes of the sleep apnea or the type of sleep apnea. Furthermore, contrary to conventional systems, the present invention is able to measure the RI without being affected by noise from voluntary or involuntary movement generated during sleep.
[0057] Reflection- or transmission-type PPG waveforms are measured with relative ease, such that they can be measured using any body part, e.g., a finger, toe, wrist, or a crown of an infant's head.
[0058] Since a conventional breathing cessation detector or an impedance change detector employing a method of measuring oxygen saturation levels uses an analog to digital (A/D) converter, it requires a high performance microcontroller. However, since the present invention uses analog hardware without an A/D converter, it can be realized in a low performance microcontroller.
[0059] A conventional PPG for measuring oxygen saturation is required to detect both peak and valley values of an AC component. In this process, errors can occur in the detected results because of internal and external parameters including a subject's movement and respiration. However, the present invention uses the DC value in the PPG, such that it is relatively less susceptible to noise, and DC varying factors of low frequency can be eliminated by the measurement of a ratio between two light signals.
[0060] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed herein and, although specific terms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.
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An apparatus for diagnosing sleep apnea, which detects a temporary cessation of breathing during sleep by applying light to a part of a subject's body and processing light output therefrom, includes a light source unit for sequentially generating light of at least two different wavelengths according to a control signal, a photodetecting unit for detecting the light, which are generated by the light source unit and applied to the body part, and for converting the detected light signals into electric signals, a diagnosis unit for substantially removing a time delay between the electric signals output from the photodetecting unit, for calculating a ratio between the electric signals, and for comparing the ratio with a predetermined reference value to diagnose sleep apnea, and a controller for outputting the control signal to the light source unit to generate the light signals, and for providing the predetermined reference value to the diagnosis unit.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns an optical transmitter having a modulation-capable wavelength-stable laser source. Patent 2 308 461.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
European Patent 0 584 647 describes an optical transmitter which is used in optical telecommunications. The transmitter is composed of a laser source, whose signal is modulated into the transmission link before the coupling. A transmitter of this type is used in broadband communications to transmit data over great distances. The transmission system, in this context, operates on a given wavelength. The transmitter is unprotected against interference that arises from light of other wavelengths and that can lead to the output signal being subjected to distortion and noise.
SUMMARY
The optical transmitter according to the present invention has the advantage that only the optical output at the transmission wavelength is coupled by reflection into the transmission link via a Michelson interferometer, in a wavelength-selective manner. Wavelengths outside of the bandwidth of the Michelson interferometer pass through it and can be absorbed (drained off). The band-pass filter prevents signals of wavelengths other than the wavelength of the transmitter from arriving over the coupled fiber-optic lines into the transmitter. In this manner, the laser source remains free of interference and harmonics of different wavelengths, which leads to very stable wavelength selection. In this manner, it is possible to use the transmitter according to the invention in a system that employs a wavelength multiplex as its transmission method. For use in a wavelength multiplex transmission system, it is not necessary to take any further.
As a result of the measures indicated in the subclaims, an advantageous refinement and improvement of the optical transmitter described in the main claim is possible.
It is particularly advantageous if the laser source is composed of a semiconductor laser, whose field distribution at the front end is broadened into a coupled strip waveguide. Due to the beam expansion, the semiconductor laser can be coupled to the strip waveguide passively and therefore in a simple manner. To adjust the wavelength, an antireflective layer is applied to the end surface, which is coupled to the strip waveguide, the antireflective layer eliminating the laser resonator of the semiconductor chip. The coupled strip waveguide is composed of a silica-glass-core step-index structure, the waveguide core being made of glass doped using germanium. A Bragg grating can be written into the waveguide core using UV light. The wavelength-selective Bragg grating and the other semiconductor laser end surface, facing away, form the laser resonator. As a function of the wavelength selection of the Bragg grating, the laser oscillates on the wavelength of the Bragg grating. The data signal of the optical output can be modulated via the internal current modulation of the laser diode. It is advantageous if both the strip waveguide of the laser diode as well as the glass strip waveguide are executed so as to be diagonal with respect to the antireflective layer. In this manner, residual reflections at a non-ideal antireflective layer are suppressed both in the direction of the semiconductor laser as well as of the Bragg grating. The specific reflected output is not coupled into the respective strip waveguide on account of the canted end surface. In the emission spectrum, no additional mode structure that could lead to mode jumps are formed in the antireflective layer as a result of the suppression of the reflection.
Advantageously, another version of a wavelength selective transmission source can also be used. The highly stable wavelength selective source is designed as an erbium/ytterbium-doped glass waveguide DFB laser. A semiconductor laser is used as the pump source. The optical output power can be adjusted via the magnitude of the pumping power. The modulation takes place externally, which has the advantage that higher modulation rates are possible, extending into the gigabyte range.
Advantageously, all transmitters coupled to the transmission optical fiber by reflection have a wave absorber for those wavelengths that are not emitted by the laser diode. This wave absorber can be composed of bevelings or a raw edge of the planner glass strip waveguides ends that are not coupled into the laser diode and the transmission optical fiber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an example optical transmitter according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of an optical transmitter according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows the coupling of a semiconductor laser to a glass strip waveguide having a Bragg grating, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a further example embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 depicts the schematic design of the optical transmitter. Laser source 1 is connected to a modulator 2 , which in turn is connected to a reflector 3 . Via reflector 3 , laser signal 4 arrives at the decoupling optical fiber. Optical transmitter 5 has an electrical connection terminal 6 . Via electrical connection terminal 6 , both laser source 1 as well as modulator 2 are supplied with power. The separation between the laser source in the modulator is not mandatory, since an internal modulation, e.g., of a semiconductor laser, is also possible.
FIG. 2 depicts an optical transmitter 5 according to the invention, that is mounted on a silicon chip 17 . On silicon chip 17 , a semiconductor laser 7 and an optical planar circuit arrangement having strip waveguides 18 are executed in glass. Semiconductor laser 17 is coupled to strip waveguide 18 . A UV-induced Bragg grating 11 is written into the wavelength core of the strip waveguide, Bragg grating 11 determining the emission wavelength of the semiconductor laser. A Michelson interferometer is connected downstream of this transmission source, the Michelson interferometer operating as a reflective optical band-pass filter. It is composed of 3 dB coupler 15 and two UV-induced gratings 14 in the waveguide arms. The UV-induced gratings reflect the transmission output at the transmission wavelength. Via a UV-induced refractive index modification 20 , the reflective band-pass filter is trimmed at the maximum. The planar strip waveguide is connected at the output side to a glass optical fiber 4 , which conveys the signal to be decoupled. The open waveguide arms of the band-pass filter terminate in a beveled (slanted) edge 13 of the planar optical circuit. Wavelengths outside of the transmission wavelength are deflected from the diagonal edge and thus absorbed.
A semiconductor laser 7 having a Bragg grating is already known from the publication, “Integrated External Cavity Laser . . . ” by T. Tanaka et al., Electronics Letters, volume 32, No. 13, pp. 1202 ff., and thus does not need to be discussed further in detail. The semiconductor laser, preferably a semiconductor laser having broadened field diameters for coupling reasons, in connection with the wavelength-selective Bragg grating, emits in a stable fashion at Bragg wavelength λ i . At a reflection coefficient>40% of Bragg grating 11 , the transmission source becomes less sensitive with respect to external reflections at transmission wavelength λ i . Bragg gratings 11 and 14 can be realized so as to be very temperature-stable, due to the fact that planar strip waveguides 18 have a high boron doping. The gratings themselves are manufactured using irradiation by UV light, either a phase mask being used, or the UV light in an interferometer design being coherently superimposed. One problem in the coupling of laser diode 7 to the planar waveguide is presented by reflections at the separating surface between the semiconductor crystal and the glass strip waveguide.
FIG. 3 depicts a detailed sketch of a wavelength-stable transmission source. Semiconductor laser diode 7 at the uncoupled end has a highly reflective layer 8 , from which no light components, or only a very insignificant quantity, are emitted. The laser diode is designed such that the field is broadened towards the other end. Thus it is possible to couple the laser diode in a passive coupling process to a glass waveguide. In order to achieve a stable emission at wavelength λ i , the coupled end surface of laser diode 7 is provided with an antireflective layer 9 . The laser resonator is then formed from highly reflective layer 8 and wavelength-selective Bragg grating 11 in the strip waveguide. If the active waveguide in the laser diode is positioned so as to be perpendicular to the antireflective layer, internal reflections in a non-ideal antireflective layer lead to jumps in the emission wavelength (mode jumps). The latter occur particularly in response to temperature changes and to a current modulation of the laser having the data signal. In order to suppress these mode jumps, the active strip waveguide in the laser diode is positioned so as to be diagonal with respect to the end surface having antireflective layer 9 . The glass strip waveguide is routed to the laser diode in the same manner. As a result of the fact that both waveguides lead to the separating surface diagonally, the respective reflective optical outputs are not coupled again into the strip waveguides. Since no multiple reflections arise in the laser resonator as a result, mode jumps are suppressed to the greatest possible extent. In accordance with FIG. 2, the emitted optical output passes through the reflective band-pass filter and is coupled into transmission fiber 4 . Since the reflective band-pass filter only transmits wavelengths to the output waveguide in a very small range in the vicinity of the emission wavelength, outputs at undesirable wavelengths, not equal to the emission wavelength, are not transmitted to the transmission link, especially in modulation. Wavelengths not equal to λ i , running in the reverse direction, do not arrive at the transmission source, since for these wavelengths the reflective band-pass filter is transparent and the unequal wavelengths are quasi absorbed by the diagonal edge at the end. As a result of the use of band-pass filter 14 , 15 , there is no danger that a different wavelength will pass unimpeded through Bragg grating 11 and reach the semiconductor laser diode. The reflective band-pass filter, for wavelengths not equal to λ i , replaces an optical insulator.
FIG. 4 describes a further specific embodiment of the optical transmitter, the laser source having already been described in German Patent 19705669, not previously published. The highly stable laser is formed from an erbium/ytterbium-doped glass waveguide 16 . By writing a UV-induced grating into the erbium/ytterbium-doped waveguide area, a DFB laser is realized. This waveguide laser is pumped using a semiconductor laser pump source 7 , which in turn is stabilized by a weakly reflective grating 11 . Since DFB waveguide laser 16 emits to both sides, a highly reflective grating is written in on the side of the pump laser diode. On the one hand, this leads to the optical output being emitted in the direction of the transmission link, and, on the other hand, no output at wavelength λ i arrives at the pump laser diode. Due to a trimming region 20 , it is assured that the reflected output is coupled, in correct phase relation, into DFB waveguide laser 16 . A further Bragg grating 11 is connected downstream of waveguide laser 16 to reflect non-absorbed pump output back into the waveguide laser.
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An optical transmitter having a modulation-capable wavelength-stable laser source is proposed, the signal of the laser source passing through at least one Michelson band-pass filter to prevent interference signals of other wavelengths outside the emitted wavelength from affecting the laser.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 10/127,642, filed Apr. 22, 2002 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a plant pot, and more particularly to a wall-hanging pot which keeps the suitable water and air supplies so as to encourage the healthy growth of plants. The prior art abounds with plant pots or planters using different types of methods to hang pots on a wall and/or to control water level in pots or planters. Numerous such prior art pots are disclosed in United States patents as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 307,877 to White; Des. 409,854 to Rehmert et al.; 4,837,972 to Reed; 4,499,688 to Droll; 4,912,875 to Tardif; 5,042,197 to Pope; and 5,487,517 to Smith.
While these prior art plant pots might be hung on a wall, overhead beam, or handrail and/or control water level in the pot, all suffer from numerous deficiencies and disadvantages. Some of them can be hung on a wall but are not easily removable from the wall. Some of them involve complicated parts or systems to control water level. The present invention overcomes these deficiencies and disadvantages in that it provides a new and improved wall-hanging plant pot with a water level control device that keeps the suitable moisture and air supplies in the pot for longer period.
SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION
The wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention generally comprises a wall hanger, a container with one or more projections for holding a plant and soil, a water level control device, and a cap for controlling the flow of excess water.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wall-hanging plant pot which can be easily hung on a wall, detached from the wall, and placed in a different place without using special tools.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved wall-hanging plant pot which controls the water level and keeps the suitable moisture and air supplies in the pot.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved wall-hanging plant pot which allows excess water to gradually be drained for longer periods through a bottom opening by slightly loosening the cap or which can be taken indoor without drippings of water by tightening the cap.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved wall-hanging plant pot which is simple and inexpensive in construction, which may be easily used at home or in other environments, for growing and displaying plants.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and from the appended drawings in which like numbers have been used to designate like parts throughout the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front elevational, exploded view of the wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a front elevational, partially broken away and in section, view of the present invention having a plant and soil.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a front elevational, exploded view of the second embodiment of the wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the third embodiment of the wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a front elevational, exploded view of the second embodiment of the wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the water control device of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the wall hanger of the first and second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the wall hanger of the third embodiment of the wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals represent like parts throughout, reference numeral 10 generally designates the wall-hanging plant pot of the present invention. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wall-hanging plant pot 10 generally comprises a screw or nail 54 , a wall hanger 48 , a container 22 with one or more projections 30 , and a cap 42 . As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 9, the wall hanger 48 includes a prong 50 and a screw-resting portion 52 . As best seen in FIG. 2, the container 22 includes an upper opening 24 , an upper annular portion 26 having one or more projections 30 with an opening 32 therein, an outwardly extending shoulder 28 , a wall 34 , and a lower portion 36 having an opening 40 surrounded by external threads 38 with a single vertical slot in said external threads 38 . As best seen in FIG. 8, a water level control device 12 includes an upper portion 14 having a plurality of openings 20 , a side wall 16 , and a lower opening 18 . As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, a cap 42 includes a central opening 44 and internal threads 46 .
The several components of the wall-hanging plant pot 10 is best assembled from its exploded, separated, condition as shown in FIG. 2 to its assembled, joined, condition as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 in the following order:
a. The water level control device 12 is inserted within the lower opening 40 of the container 22 through the upper opening 24 .
b. The cap 42 is threadedly engaged with the threads 38 on the lower portion 36 of the container 22 .
c. The small plant 136 and soil 132 are placed in the container 22 .
d. The wall hanger 48 is attached to the container 22 by placing the prong 50 into the opening 32 in the projection 30 of the container 22 .
e. The fully assembled container 22 and the wall hanger 48 are then hung on a wall by placing the screw-resting portion 52 of the wall hanger 48 onto a screw or nail 54 attached to the wall.
After the wall-hanging plant pot 10 is assembled and the plant and soil are placed in the pot as generally explained, water or premixed solution is added to the container 22 . The excess water is drained through the openings 20 in the upper portion 14 of the water level control device 12 , and suitable amount of water 134 below the openings 20 remains at the bottom of the container 22 and is gradually absorbed by the soil 132 . The excess water drained through the openings 20 is released through the lower opening 40 of the container 22 by slightly loosening the cap 42 . The water level control device 12 and the container 12 can be held together by press-fit, and the height of the water level control device 12 can be adjusted by changing the depth of the insertion. The flow of excess water from the opening 40 can be controlled by adjusting the tightness of the cap 42 .
A second embodiment of the wall-hanging plant pot is depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 with like reference numerals referring to like parts. The embodiment depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 differs from that disclosed in FIGS. 1-3 in the type of the container for holding a plant and soil. The container for the second embodiment includes two parts, an insert ring and a reservoir.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the second embodiment of the wall-hanging plant pot comprises a screw or nail 54 , a wall hanger 48 , an insert ring 58 , a water level control device 12 , a reservoir 86 , a cap 42 . As best seen in FIG. 5, the insert ring 58 includes a central opening 60 , an upper annular portion 62 having one or more projection 64 with an opening 66 therein, an outwardly extending shoulder 68 , annular groove 70 , a lower annular portion 72 , a lower tapered portion 74 , a plurality of grippers 76 , and a plurality of slits 78 . As still best seen in FIG. 5, a reservoir 80 includes an upper opening 82 , a wall 84 , a lower portion 86 having an opening 90 surrounded by external threads 88 with a single vertical slot in said external threads 38 .
The wall-hanging plant pot of the second embodiment is assembled to the condition generally depicted in FIG. 4 in the following order. First, insert ring is inserted into the upper opening 82 of the reservoir 80 . Second, the water level control device 12 is inserted into the opening 90 of the reservoir 80 , and then the cap 42 is threadedly engaged with the threads 88 on the lower portion 86 of the reservoir 80 .
The insert ring 58 and reservoir 80 can be held together by friction fit. The grippers 76 and the slits 78 provide resiliency to the lower section (not numbered) of the insert ring 58 to enable the insert ring 58 to fit within the opening 82 of the reservoir 80 of varying internal dimensions. The grippers 76 penetrate the surface of the inner wall 84 of the reservoir 80 to secure the reservoir 80 to the insert ring 58 .
Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the third embodiment of the wall-hanging plant pot comprises a screw or nail 54 , a wall hanger 92 , an adapter 98 , a reservoir 120 , a water level control device 12 , and a cap 42 . As best seen in FIG. 7, the wall hanger 92 includes a plurality of prongs 94 and a screw-resting portion 96 . As still best seen in FIG. 7, the adapter includes a plurality of projections 104 having an opening 106 therein, a central opening 100 , an upper outer portion 102 , an outwardly extending shoulder 108 , a groove 110 , a lower outer portion 112 , a tapered portion 114 , a plurality of grippers 116 , and a plurality of slits 118 . As best seen in FIG. 7, the reservoir 120 includes an upper opening 122 , a side wall 124 , and a lower portion 126 having a lower opening 130 surrounded by threads 128 with a single vertical slot in said external threads 38 .
The wall-hanging plant pot of the third embodiment is assembled to the condition generally depicted in FIG. 6 in the following order. First, the adapter 98 is inserted into the upper opening 122 of the reservoir 120 . Second, the water level control device is inserted into the lower opening 130 of the reservoir 120 , and then the cap 42 is threadedly engaged with threads 128 on the lower portion 126 of the reservoir 120 . Finally, the wall hanger 92 is attached to the adapter 98 by placing each prong 94 of the wall hanger 92 in the opening 106 on the projection 106 of the adapter 98 .
The adapter 98 and reservoir 120 can be held together by friction fit. The grippers 116 and the slits 118 provide resiliency to the lower section (not numbered) of the adapter 98 to enable the adapter 98 to fit within the upper opening 122 of the reservoir 120 of varying internal dimensions. The grippers 116 penetrate the surface of the inner wall 124 of the reservoir 120 to secure the reservoir 120 to the adapter 98 .
While particular embodiments of this invention have been shown in the drawings and described above, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modifications, variations, and adaptations without departing from the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims.
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A wall-hanging plant pot with a water level control device which keeps suitable moisture and air supplies in the pot. The wall-hanging plant pot comprising a screw or nail, a wall hanger, a container with bottle-neck bottom having one or more projections and bottle-neck bottom, a water level control device, and a cap.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to socks in general, more specifically, to a double ply sock having an undyed inner ply.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Double ply socks have a number of useful advantages over single ply socks including: increased padding for jogging and running; blister protection resulting from reduced movement between the user's foot and the inner ply of the sock; increased warmth attributable to the insulation of the additional layer; and various other advantages. With these advantages, there are also several limitations.
Previously available double ply socks generally have dyed inner ply's formed of dyed yarns. The inner ply contacts the user's skin, and the dyed material may cause irritation of the skin because the sock is typically tightly fitted to the foot for extended periods of time. The possibility of irritation is often increased by a tightly fitted shoe or perspiration from the foot which interacts with the dyed material.
This is a particular concern for many people, such as diabetics, who are unable to wear dyed socks because of medical reasons. Currently available socks are either completely dyed or completely undyed, either of which is unacceptable. Persons with medical requirements are not able to wear a dyed sock material that contacts their foot, but on the other hand undyed socks are often not fashionably correct, for example when worn with business attire.
A sock having an undyed inner lining is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 379,831 issued to Sutro. The lower foot piece of the sock is constructed separately and then attached to the remainder of the sock. There is no discussion in Sutro of suitable or preferred materials for forming the inner ply. The disclosed sock and method of manufacture suffer from several significant drawbacks. For example, if formed from cotton or other hydrophilic material, the sock would tend to absorb and hold perspiration against the skin. The seam along the attachment between the lower foot piece and the sock may cause discomfort. In any event, the disclosed sock does not provide a primary benefit of the "double ply" socks, namely the reduction of friction between the entire foot and the shoe.
Double ply socks currently available have increased costs as the amount of material required can be double that of single ply socks. The provision of a finished and dyed inner ply is generally not cost effective as this ply is hidden from view by the outer ply and is not seen when the sock is worn. A person wanting the advantages of a double ply is forced to endure the additional cost without receiving a proportionate benefit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally directed to a double ply sock which overcomes the various deficiencies noted above, and a method for forming the same. In each embodiment, the double ply sock is provided with an inner ply which is substantially undyed and which is undyed throughout the entire foot portion thereof. Preferably, the sock is particularly constructed and provided with certain features and materials discussed below.
The present invention is directed to a double ply sock. The sock comprises an inner ply including a foot portion and formed from hydrophobic yarns. At least the foot portion of the inner ply is undyed. An outer ply of dyed yarn surrounds the inner ply. The outer ply is joined to the inner ply at an upper end of the inner and outer plies.
Preferably, the above described sock has inner and outer plies joined proximate a top opening which is arranged and configured to receive a wearer's foot. The plies may be joined by a common seam proximate a toe end of the sock. The sock may be formed such that the inner and outer plies are of a single, continuous tube of knitted material. In such case, the inner and outer plies are joined by a fold line proximate the top opening of the sock and configured to receive the wearer's foot. The inner ply may include a dyed band immediately adjacent the fold line and an undyed upper portion extending between the dyed band and the foot portion. Alternatively, the inner ply may be undyed in its entirety. Moreover, the inner ply may be formed from an antimicrobial material.
The present invention is further directed to a double ply sock according to a second embodiment as follows. The sock includes an inner ply including a foot portion and formed from antimicrobial yarns. At least the foot portion is undyed. An outer ply of dyed yarn surrounds the inner ply. The outer ply is joined to the inner ply at an upper end of the inner and outer plies. The sock may be modified and constructed in the same manner as described above with respect to the sock according to the first embodiment.
The present invention is further directed to a sock comprising a unitary, continuous tube of knitted material having a first and second end. The tube is folded about a fold line such that a first portion of the tube extends between the fold line and the first end and forms an outer ply. The outer ply is at least partially dyed. A second portion of the tube extends between the fold line and the second end to form an inner ply that is disposed within the outer ply. The first end is closed to form an outer toe portion and the second end is closed to form an inner toe portion. The inner ply includes a foot portion. At least the foot portion of the inner ply is undyed.
In the sock described immediately above, the inner and outer plies are preferably substantially coextensive. A common seam may close each of the first and second ends. The sock may be knit from hydrophobic or antimicrobial yarns, or may be knit from both antimicrobial and hydrophobic yarns. Preferably, the outer ply of the sock is dyed.
The present invention is further directed to a method of making a two ply sock. The first step is to knit a singular tubular garment having a first continuous section formed of undyed yam and a second continuous section formed of dyed yam. Next, the first section is inserted into the second section to form a two-ply construction having an inner ply including at least the first section and an outer ply including the second section. The construction has a folded end and an open end opposite the folded end. The method includes the further step of closing the open end.
In the above method, the tube is preferably knit such that each of the first and second sections extend the entire length of the sock. The first section may be knit from an antimicrobial or hydrophobic yarn, or a combination of both antimicrobial and hydrophobic yarn. The tubular garment may be knit to include a third, dyed section between the first and second sections. The third section is inserted into the second section along with the first section so that the inner ply includes the third section adjacent the folded end.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved double ply sock.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a double ply sock having an undyed inner ply.
An object of the present invention is to provide a double ply sock at a reduced manufacturing cost by using less expensive undyed materials on the inner ply.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sock which minimizes skin irritations caused by contact with the dyed material.
Another object of the present invention is to make available for persons with medical requirements, such as persons with diabetes, a sock having an undyed inner ply that contacts the wearers foot and a dyed outer ply for a fashionable appearance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sock which provides the appearance of dyed material without subjecting the wearer's foot to contact with dyed material.
It is another object to provide a double ply sock with an inner ply which is both undyed and also formed of hydrophobic yarn.
Another object is to provide a double ply sock with an undyed inner ply of antimicrobial yarn.
Yet another object is to provide a double ply sock with an inner ply which is undyed and formed of hydrophobic and antimicrobial yarn.
The preceding and further objects of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment which follow, such description being merely illustrative of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation view of a sock according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a unitary, continuous knitted tube for forming a sock according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the knitted tube with a first portion thereof to form a two ply construction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to FIG. 1, a sock according to the present invention is shown therein and generally denoted by the numeral 10. Sock 10 has foot portion 11 and leg portion 13, and includes inner ply 12 and outer ply 14 surrounding inner ply 12. Each of inner ply 12 and outer ply 14 extend the entire length from toe portion 16, through heel pocket 18 and calf portion 24, and to fold line 20. Inner ply 12 and outer ply 14 are joined at fold line 20. Preferably, the inner ply 12 and outer ply 14 are integrally formed as discussed below. Fold line 20 is arranged and configured to form a top opening 22 to receive a wearer's foot. Inner ply 12 and outer ply 14 are sewn together and closed by common seam 28. While sock 10 may be of any length, it is preferably sized such that top opening 22 is positioned at or just above the wearer's calf when the sock is worn.
Foot portion 11 of inner ply 12 extends from the top of heel pocket 18 to the toe end of the sock. This is essentially the portion of inner ply 12 which will be disposed in a wearer's typical non-high top shoe. Notably, all of the inner ply 12 in foot portion 11 is formed from undyed yarn. By contrast, outer ply 14 is formed of dyed yarns substantially throughout its length. Preferably, all of inner ply 12 in leg portion 13 (i.e., extending from the top of the heel pocket to the top opening) is formed of undyed yarn except band 12A adjacent top opening 22 as shown. Dyed band 12A adjoins dyed outer ply 14, creating the impression that inner ply 12 is dyed throughout its length as well. Preferably, the width A of band 12A is no more than 5% of the total length of sock 10, and is preferably from about 0 to 5% the total length of sock 10. In any event, the lower edge of band 12A should be at least 2 inches from the top of heel pocket 18. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the inner ply may be bleached. Additionally, the outer ply may be bleached.
The undyed yam reduces skin irritation and staining of the skin that results from contacting a dyed yam, particularly where the sock is tightly worn and perspiration from the foot can interact with the dye. Undyed inner ply 12 also provides for reduced production costs as the undyed yarn is less expensive. As the inner ply 12 is not visible when the sock is worn, there is no need for the aesthetic attributes of a dyed inner ply which would only increase production costs.
The comfort and wearability of sock 10 may be further enhanced by constructing inner ply 12 of hydrophobic yarn. Preferably, inner ply 12 is formed from only hydrophobic yarn. Any perspiration or dampness that the inner ply 12 receives tends to be wicked away from the skin by the hydrophobic properties. Suitable yarns include polypropylene, polyester, and other chemically treated yarns. Most preferred are COOLMAX® (Du Pont's polyester), polypropylene, and acrylic. Preferably, the yarn denier is in the range of from about 150 to 800. Sources of the above listed yarns will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.
The inner and outer plies may be constructed of different deniers of yarn and the plies may be of different or equal thicknesses. The outer ply is typically thicker than the inner ply. For example, the inner ply may be constructed of polyester with the outer ply constructed of wool.
The sock of the present invention may be further enhanced by the incorporation of antimicrobial materials in undyed inner ply 12, particularly in foot portion 11. Antimicrobial materials may include materials having antibacterial and/or antifungal properties. Suitable antimicrobial materials include MICROSAFE AM™. The yarn may be pre-treated with an antimicrobial substance or the fabric may be coated with an antimicrobial substance after the inner ply 12 has been knit. The antimicrobial material serves to kill fungus associated with the wearer's foot or which tend to grow in the sock material. Preferably, the antimicrobial material is used in conjunction with hydrophobic yarns as discussed above, though this is not required.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, sock 10 may be formed in the following manner. A unitary tube 30 is knit using a conventional circular knitting machine. Suitable machines include any 54 to 240 needle, 11/26 inches diameter circular hosiery knitting machine available from Speizman Industries, P.A.M. Trading Co., and others. First, section 34 is knit using dyed yarn and so as to form a toe pocket 45 and a heel pocket 38. Dyed section 34 corresponds to outer ply 14. Preferably, the tube is further knit using the dyed yarn to form section 32A corresponding to dyed band 12A of inner ply 12. Thereafter, the dyed yarn is removed and undyed yarn is inserted to form section 32 which corresponds to inner ply 12, again with a toe pocket 45 and a heel pocket 38 being formed. If the sock being formed is to incorporate a hydrophobic and/or antimicrobial treated yarn, such yarn is used to form section 32. Preferably, section 34 is of a ribbed design while section 32 is flat knit. Tube 30 so formed has open ends 36. It will be appreciated that the order of formation of sections 32, 32A, and 34 may be reversed.
As shown in FIG. 3, after tube 30 has been knit, undyed section 32 is inserted into dyed section 34, tube 30 being folded about fold line 20 which lies between dyed section 34 and section 32A. Each of openings 36 are sewn closed by common seam 28 thereby forming toe portion 16. An alternative embodiment includes closing the respective toe ends by separate seams. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that dyed section 34 may be inserted within undyed section 32 to provide for openings 36 to be sewn shut on the interior of the sock. After toe portion 16 is sewn, sock 10 is reversed to the normal alignment with outer ply 14 on the exterior.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention is contemplated wherein dyed section 32 is formed separately from undyed section 34. The sections are attached by sewing or similar methods adjacent the top opening 22.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that certain modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. All such modifications are intended to come within the scope of the claims which follow.
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A double layer sock has an inner ply having a foot portion that is undyed and a dyed outer ply covering the inner ply and joined to the inner ply at an upper end of the inner and outer plies. The inner ply is formed of antimicrobial and/or hydrophobic yarns.
A method of making a double ply sock includes knitting a singular tubular garment having a first section formed of undyed yarn and a second section of dyed yarn. The undyed section is inserted into the dyed section forming a two-ply construction having an undyed inner ply.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to endoprostheses, and to methods of making the same.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The body includes various passageways such as arteries, other blood vessels, and other body lumens. These passageways sometimes become occluded or weakened. For example, the passageways can be occluded by a tumor, restricted by plaque, or weakened by an aneurysm. When this occurs, the passageway can be reopened or reinforced with a medical endoprosthesis. An endoprosthesis is typically a tubular member that is placed in a lumen in the body. Examples of endoprostheses include stents, covered stents, and stent-grafts.
[0003] Endoprostheses can be delivered inside the body by a catheter that supports the endoprosthesis in a compacted or reduced-size form as the endoprosthesis is transported to a desired site. Upon reaching the site, the endoprosthesis is expanded, e.g., so that it can contact the walls of the lumen.
[0004] The expansion mechanism may include forcing the endoprosthesis to expand radially. For example, the expansion mechanism can include the catheter carrying a balloon, which carries a balloon-expandable endoprosthesis. The balloon can be inflated to deform and to fix the expanded endoprosthesis at a predetermined position in contact with the lumen wall. The balloon can then be deflated, and the catheter withdrawn from the lumen.
[0005] It is sometimes desirable for an implanted endoprosthesis to be endothelialized within a body. For example, an endothelialized endoprosthesis can decrease restenosis, which may help the passageway recover to its natural condition. The endoprosthesis can be formed of a metallic material, such as stainless steel, platinum-enhanced radiopaque stainless steel (PERSS), niobium, tantalum, titanium, or alloys thereof. It is sometimes desirable for an implanted endoprosthesis to erode over time within the passageway. For example, a fully erodible endoprosthesis does not remain as a permanent object in the body, which may help the passageway recover to its natural condition. Erodible endoprostheses can be formed from, e.g., a polymeric material, such as polylactic acid, or from a metallic material, such as magnesium, iron or an alloy thereof. The endoprosthesis can have a patterned coating, which can be formed of materials such as iridium oxide, titanium nitride, titanium oxide, niobium oxide, gold, platinum, iridium, copper, silver, poly(ethylene glycol), poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene), or combinations thereof. The patterned coating can enhance endothelialization and decrease adhesion and proliferation of smooth muscle cells, which can decrease restenosis.
SUMMARY
[0006] The disclosure relates to patterned endoprostheses and methods of making the endoprostheses. The pattern can facilitate selective endothelialization of the endoprosthesis surface.
[0007] In one aspect, the disclosure features a medical device including a surface defining a pattern formed of at least one repeating region including at least a first material, with two adjacent elements of the at least one repeating region spaced apart by a distance of at least one nanometer and at most about 500 nanometers.
[0008] In another aspect, the disclosure includes a method of making a medical device. The method includes forming a pattern of at least one repeating region on a surface, the at least one repeating region including a first material, with two adjacent elements of the at least one repeating region being spaced by a distance of at least one nanometer and at most about 500 nanometers.
[0009] Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.
[0010] The at least one repeating region can include a topographical pattern. The at least one repeating region can include an array of repeating elements (e.g., a topological array, an array of repeating elements, an array of repeating raised elements, an array of repeating recessed elements, and/or an array of repeating raised and recessed elements). In some embodiments, the at least one repeating region can include an electrical charge pattern. The at least one repeating region can include discontinuities in polarization and/or embedded charges. In some embodiments, the at least one repeating region can include a chemical pattern. The at least one repeating region can include discontinuities in elemental concentrations on the surface. The at least one repeating region can include a background pattern the includes a background material, such as cell-rejecting polymers and/or cell-rejecting compounds. In some embodiments, the medical device includes a surface defining one or more nano-structured patterns defined by local texture discontinuities of spatial frequencies between about 1/500 element/nm and about 1 element/nm. The one or more nano-structured patterns can include topographical patterns, chemical patterns, electrical charge patterns, background patterns, and/or combinations thereof.
[0011] The repeating elements can be raised and/or recessed. The repeating elements can have a height of at most about 20 nanometers and/or a width of at most about 50 nanometers. The two adjacent elements of the repeating region can be spaced apart by a distance of at least about one nanometer (e.g., at least about 50 nanometers).
[0012] The first material can include metal, oxide, polymer, and/or combinations thereof. For example, the first material can include iridium oxide, titanium nitride, titanium oxide, niobium oxide, gold, platinum, iridium, and/or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the surface further includes a second material, the second material can be different from the first material. The second material can include copper, silver, poly(ethylene glycol), poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene), and/or combinations thereof.
[0013] The medical device can be an endoprosthesis. In some embodiments, the medical device is tubular (e.g., a stent) and/or balloon extendable. The pattern can be selected wherein the pattern is selected for specific predetermined characteristic adhesion (e.g., preferential adhesion) to predetermined cells. For example, the pattern can be selected for preferential adhesion to endothelial cells. In some embodiments, the pattern is selected for controlled or minor adhesion to predetermined cells. For example, the pattern can be selected for controlled or minor adhesion to smooth muscle cells, platelets, and monocytes.
[0014] In some embodiments, forming the pattern of at least one repeating region includes coating the surface with the first material. Coating the surface with the first material can include physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, printing, spraying, and/or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the method can further include coating the surface with a second material different from the first material. In some embodiments, the method includes generating the pattern by self-organization of the first material during coating. Forming the pattern of at least one repeating region can include structuring the pattern by masking techniques, such as lithography techniques and printing techniques. In some embodiments, forming the pattern of at least one repeating region includes plasma treating the surface. In some embodiments, the at least one repeating region can include an electrical charge pattern, which can be formed by doping and/or plasma treatment. In some embodiments, the at least one repeating region includes a chemical pattern, which can be formed by applying a coating of heterogeneous chemical element concentrations to the surface. In some embodiments, forming the pattern of the at least one repeating region includes applying a chemical coating to the surface with phase segregation occurring by a self-organizing process during solidification or temperature change.
[0015] Embodiments may have one or more of the following advantages.
[0016] The endoprosthesis may not need to be removed from a lumen after implantation. The endoprosthesis can have low thrombogenecity and high initial strength. The endoprosthesis can exhibit reduced spring back (recoil) after expansion. Lumens implanted with the endoprosthesis can exhibit reduced restenosis. The implanted endoprosthesis can have enhanced biocompatibility, for example, by promoting adhesion and proliferation of endothelial cells at the endoprosthesis surface. The implanted endoprosthesis can minimize the adhesion and proliferation of smooth muscle cells, which can decrease restenosis. In some embodiments, endothelialization can occur at a surface of an endoprosthesis, which can allow for better blood flow and/or lowered thrombogenecity. In some embodiments, enhanced endothelialization can promote faster healing, which can decrease the duration and/or dosage of anti-coagulative drugs.
[0017] Other aspects, features and advantages will be apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments thereof and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0018] FIGS. 1A-1C are longitudinal cross-sectional views, illustrating delivery of an endoprosthesis in a collapsed state, expansion of the endoprosthesis, and the deployment of the endoprosthesis in a body lumen.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an endoprosthesis.
[0020] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of an endoprosthesis.
[0021] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of an endoprosthesis.
[0022] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of an endoprosthesis.
[0023] FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of an endoprosthesis.
[0024] FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of an endoprosthesis.
[0025] FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of an endoprosthesis.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a flow-chart of a method of making an endoprosthesis.
[0027] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an endoprosthesis.
[0028] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an endoprosthesis.
[0029] FIG. 12 is a scheme of a method of making an embodiment of an endoprosthesis.
[0030] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an endoprosthesis.
[0031] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an endoprosthesis.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C , in some embodiments, during implantation of an endoprosthesis 10 , the endoprosthesis is placed over a balloon 12 carried near a distal end of a catheter 14 , and is directed through a lumen 15 ( FIG. 1A ) until the portion carrying the balloon and endoprosthesis reaches the region of an occlusion 18 . The endoprosthesis is then radially expanded by inflating balloon 12 and compressed against the vessel wall with the result that occlusion 18 is compressed, and the vessel wall surrounding it undergoes a radial expansion ( FIG. 1B ). The pressure is then released from the balloon and the catheter is withdrawn from the vessel ( FIG. 1C ), leaving the endoprosthesis 10 fixed within lumen 16 .
[0033] Referring to FIG. 2 , an endoprosthesis 20 can include a plurality of generally circumferential struts 22 and connecting struts 24 . The circumferential struts 22 can directly interconnect to one another and/or they can connect by connecting struts 24 . The endoprosthesis can be delivered into a body lumen, such as a vasculature, in a reduced diameter configuration and then expanded into contact with the lumen wall to, e.g., maintain patency at the site of an occlusion. The endoprosthesis can have a patterned coating.
[0034] Referring to FIG. 3 , an endoprosthesis having a patterned coating can selectively influence the adhesion and proliferation properties of cells. For example, an endoprosthesis having a repeating pattern can decrease the likelihood of thrombosis by selectively enhancing adhesion of certain predetermined cells, such as endothelial cells, and/or decreasing adhesion of other predetermined cells, such as smooth muscle cells, platelets, and/or monocytes. The pattern can be formed of regions having topological, chemical, or electronic features (e.g., elements). In embodiments, cells sense the surface chemistry and topography of a particular substrate to which they adhere. For example, in some embodiments, cells can react to features having a size of five nanometers or more. It is believed that cell adhesion is affected by many factors, such as differences in surface energy gradients, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, charge, and/or pH. These properties are affected by topological and/or chemical surface patterns. In some embodiments, a surface pattern can generate confined spaces, which can influence cell adhesion by changing local solute concentration and changing cellular wetting and protein exchange processes. In some embodiments, nanotopology influences intracellular signaling processes and cell surface receptor reorganization, which can affect cell differentiation and proliferation. Thus, a surface with a patterned coating having regions of topological, chemical, or electrical elements can help control cell proliferation, differentiation, orientation, motility, adhesion, and/or cell shape. Discussion of the effect of topographical and/or patterns on cell behavior is provided, for example, in Curtis A. et al, (1999) Biochem. Soc. Symp. 65: 15-26; in Brétagnol F. et al., (2006) Plasma Process. Polym. 3: 443-455; and in Sardella et al., (2006) Plasma Process. Polym. 3: 456-469.
[0035] In embodiments, cellular adhesion and function are generally superior on hydrophilic surfaces because of enhanced competitive binding and bioactivity of adhesion proteins such as fibronectin on hydrophilic surfaces, and/or an increased cellular ability to modify their interfacial proteins. A hydrophilic surface can have a contact angle, defined as the angle at which a liquid/vapor interface meets the solid surface, of less than or equal to 65°, while a hydrophobic surface can have a contact angle of greater than 65°. The contact angle can be measured using a contact angle goniometer. In some embodiments, a sessile drop method is used to determine the contact angle and to estimate wetting properties of a localized region on a solid surface, for example, by measuring the angle between the baseline of a drop of liquid on a surface and the tangent at the drop boundary.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 3 , an enlarged perspective cross-sectional view of a strut 30 , the strut is formed of a body 31 and one or more surfaces. The surface(s) can have a patterned coating having one or more regions, such that at least one region repeats at regular intervals. In some embodiments, the strut has a rectangular cross section having an adluminal surface 32 , an abluminal surface 33 , and side surfaces 34 and 35 . All or some of the surfaces can have the same or different patterns, in any combination. For example, referring to FIG. 3 , the adluminal surface 32 and the two side surfaces 34 and 35 of the strut can be covered with a pattern having regions 36 of repeating dots 38 .
[0037] In some embodiments, a pattern located on the abluminal, adluminal, or the side surface of the strut can have the same topological and/or chemical patterns or different patterns. For example, an adluminal surface can contact bodily fluid more than an abluminal surface, which can contact a wall of a body passageway, and as a result, it may be more desirable to ensure rapid endothelialization of the adluminal surface compared to the abluminal surface in order to decrease thrombosis. For example, the adluminal surface can include topographical and/or chemical patterns that can enhance cell adhesion and/or proliferation to a greater degree than a pattern at abluminal surface.
[0038] In some embodiments, in addition to the patterned coating, the endoprosthesis can have a patterned background coating having a controlled or minor adhesion for certain predetermined cells, such as smooth muscle cells, platelets, and/or monocytes. In some embodiments, the background coating can be relatively hydrophobic and can decrease cellular adhesion so that cells preferentially adhere at the patterned topological and/or chemical features. The background coating can decrease the likelihood of thrombosis.
[0039] The struts can have a rectangular cross-section, a square cross-section, a circular cross-section, an ovaloid cross-section, an elliptical cross-section, a polygonal cross-section (e.g., a hexagonal, an octagonal cross-section), or an irregularly shaped cross-section. In some embodiments, a portion of the one or more strut surfaces can have a pattern. For example, one or more surfaces can have a pattern that covers at least about five percent of each surface area (e.g., at least about 10 percent, at least about 20 percent, at least about 30 percent, at least about 40 percent, at least about 50 percent, at least about 60 percent, at least about 70 percent, at least about 80 percent, or at least about 90 percent) and/or at most 100 percent of each surface area (e.g., at most about 90 percent, at most about 80 percent, at most about 70 percent, at most about 60 percent, at most about 50 percent, at most about 40 percent, at most about 30 percent, at most about 20 percent, or at most about 10 percent).
[0040] In some embodiments, the patterned coating can have one or more patterned or unpatterned regions such that the coating can be continuous or interrupted. For example, a pattern on a surface can be interrupted by multiple regions that are not patterned or have a different pattern. Each region can have an area, such that at least one dimension of the patterned region (e.g., a width, a length, and/or a diameter) is at least about 10 nm (e.g., at least about 50 nm, at least about 100 nm, at least about 500 nm, at least about one micrometer, at least about two micrometers, at least about three micrometers, at least about four micrometers, at least about five micrometers, at least about 10 micrometers). A patterned coating can selectively enhance or decrease cellular adhesion and proliferation at certain locations on an endoprosthesis.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 4 , the one or more regions 40 can have one or more repeating features 42 (e.g., elements). In some embodiments, the features are arranged in a square array, a hexagonal array, a brick wall array, a rectangular array, and/or a triangular array. The features can include dots, beads, spheres, columns, pillars, hills, lines, lamellae, strips, grooves, pits, circles, and/or polygonal shapes such as triangles, squares, rectangles, diamonds, and hexagons. In some embodiments, the features can be ordered or non-ordered, clustered or non-clustered, in phase or out-of-phase, parallel or non-parallel. In some embodiments, a feature is topological and differs geometrically from an endoprosthesis surface immediately surrounding the feature, such that the feature can protrude from or recess into a surface. In some embodiments, an feature is chemical and has a different composition than an endoprosthesis composition immediately surrounding the element (e.g., the matrix composition). In some embodiments, a feature is polarized and has an electric charge that is different from the area immediately surrounding each feature. The features can be distinguished from the surface by discontinuities in a surface geometry, chemical element concentration, chemical species concentration, and/or electronic polarization, or any combination thereof.
[0042] The one or more patterned regions can have at least one feature per nm (e.g., at least one feature per 10 nm, at least one feature per 15 nm, at least one feature per 25 nm, at least one feature per 50 nm, at least one feature per 75 nm, at least one feature per 100 nm, at least one feature per 200 nm, at least one feature per 300 nm, at least one feature per 400 nm) and/or at most one feature per 500 nm (e.g., at most one feature per 400 nm, at most one feature per 300 nm, at most one feature per 200 nm, at most one feature per 100 nm, at most one feature per 75 nm, at most one feature per 50 nm, at most on feature per 25 nm, at most one feature per 15 nm, or at most one feature per 10 nm).
[0043] The features can have a width and a height. The width can vary or remain constant for each feature. The height can be the same or vary from one feature to another. In some embodiments, the features are at most one micrometer in width and/or height. The width and height of the features can influence cell adhesion and proliferation on an endoprosthesis surface. As an example, features having a width of about 50 nm (e.g., 25-100 nm, 25-75 nm, 25-50 nm, 10-100 nm, 10-75 nm, 10-50 nm) and/or a height of about 20 nm (e.g., 5-30 nm, 5-25 nm, 5-20 nm, 5-10 nm) can enhance endothelialization and/or decrease smooth muscle cell adhesion and proliferation. For example, referring to FIG. 5 , features 100 can have a wide portion having an average width W 1 of at most about 200 nanometers (nm) (e.g., at most about 150 nm, at most about 100 nm, at most about 75 nm, at most about 50 nm, at most about 30 nm, at most about 10 nm, at most about five nm, at most about two nm, or at most about one nm). In some embodiments, features 100 can have a narrow portion having an average width W 2 of at most 50 nm (e.g., at most 40 nm, at most 30 nm, at most 20 nm, at most 10 nm, at most 5 nm, at most 3 nm, at most 2 nm, at most 1 nm). Features 100 can protrude from the surface and have a average height H 1 of at most about 200 nm (e.g., at most about 150 nm, at most about 100 nm, at most about 75 nm, at most about 50 nm, at most about 30 nm, at most about 20 nm, at most about 15 nm, at most about 10 nm, at most about five nm, at most about two nanometers, or at most about one nm). In some embodiments, such as chemical or polarized features, the features do not protrude from the surface. For example, referring to FIG. 6 , features 110 can have approximately the same height as surface 112 (e.g., a chemical or electrical charge discontinuity). As another example, referring to FIG. 7 , features 120 can recede into surface 122 . In some embodiments, features 120 can recede into the surface by a depth D 1 of at most about 200 nm (e.g., at most about 150 nm, at most about 100 nm, at most about 75 nm, at most about 50 nm, at most about 30 nm, at most about 20 nm, at most about 15 nm, at most about 10 nm, at most about five nm, at most about two nm, or at most about one nm).
[0044] The distance separating the features can influence the adhesion and proliferation of different kinds of cells on an endoprosthesis surface. For example, an endoprosthesis having features separated by a distance of about 500 nm (e.g., from 200-500 nm, from 100-200 nm, from 100-300 nm, from 100-500 nm) can have fewer cells adhering to the endoprosthesis than an endoprosthesis having features separated by a distance of about 50 nm (e.g., from 20-50 nm, from 20-100 nm, from 50-100 nm, from 20-75 nm). Referring again to FIG. 5 , features 100 can be separated by a distance L 1 of at least about one nanometer (e.g., at least 25 nanometers, at least 50 nanometers, at least 100 nanometers, at least 200 nanometers, at least 300 nanometers, at least 400 nanometers) and/or at most 500 nanometers (e.g., at most 400 nanometers, at most 300 nanometers, at most 200 nanometers, at most 100 nanometers, at most 50 nanometers, at most 25 nanometers). In some embodiments, the distance between the features can be measured by surface profilometry, where a stylus in contact with the surface of the sample can measure physical surface variations as the stylus is dragged across the surface. In some embodiments, the distance between the features can be determined using atomic force microscopy, where a topographic profile map can be interpreted by an image processing software to provide distance information between the elements.
[0045] In some embodiments, the features are formed of materials such as iridium oxide, titanium nitride, titanium oxide, niobium oxide, gold, platinum, iridium, and/or a polymer (e.g., polyethylene or polypropylene containing polymers, polylactic acid, poly(lactide-co-glycolide), poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene), methylenebisacrylamide-containing polymers, polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate, poly n-butyl methacrylate, chondroitin sulfate, and/or gelatin). In some embodiments, the elements include a chemical moiety that enhances attachment and proliferation of certain types of cells. For example, the elements can include an amino acid sequence, such as RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartate), to enhance adhesion of cells. As another example, the elements can include carboxylic acid moieties such as a carboxylic acid-functionalized polymers or NH 2 moieties, which can enhance cell binding. Examples of carboxylic acid-functionalized polymers include polyacrylic acid, poly(maleic acid), and co- and terpolymers containing acrylic and maleic acid. Examples of NH 2 -functionalized polymers include poly(allyl amine), nylons, aramids, and sodium poly(aspartate).
[0046] The features and the surrounding matrix can be formed of the same or different materials. For example, the elements and the surface can be formed of a block copolymer, which can phase separate to form elements including a first component of the block copolymer, and a background surface formed of a second component of the block copolymer. An example of a block copolymer is polystyrene-block polyethylene oxide (PS-b-PEO). The components of the block polymer can be different. Referring to FIG. 8 , in some embodiments, the surface of an endoprosthesis 140 includes features 142 and a background coating 144 . Background coating 144 can include a material that resists cell adhesion. As an example, background coating 144 can be formed of copper, silver, polyethylene glycol, poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene), and/or combinations thereof.
[0047] In some embodiments, the features have a different chemical element composition than the matrix composition, and/or the features can have discontinuities in chemical element concentration compared to the matrix. As an example, the features can have a higher percentage of Au than the surface surrounding the features. The difference in one or more chemical element concentrations between the compositions of the features and the surrounding matrix can each be greater than or equal to five percent (e.g., greater than or equal to 10 percent, greater than or equal to 15 percent, greater than or equal to 20 percent, greater than or equal to 30 percent, greater than or equal to 40 percent, greater than or equal to 50 percent, greater than or equal to 60 percent, greater than or equal to 70 percent, greater than or equal to 80 percent, greater than or equal to 90 percent) and/or less than or equal to 100 percent (e.g., less than or equal to 90 percent, less than or equal to 80 percent, less than or equal to 70 percent, less than or equal to 60 percent, less than or equal to 50 percent, less than or equal to 40 percent, less than or equal to 30 percent, less than or equal to 20 percent, less than or equal to 10 percent) by weight. The chemical element distribution on a surface of the endoprosthesis can be measure by, for example, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and/or electron microprobes.
[0048] In some embodiments, cell membranes have net negative charge and adhere closely to positively charged surfaces, and/or adhere only at select sites on negatively charged surfaces. To enhance selective binding of certain predetermined cell types (e.g., endothelial cells), the features can have a different electric charge than the surrounding matrix material. For example, the features can have a larger or a smaller positive or negative charge compared to the matrix material. In some embodiments, the features and the surrounding matrix material can have different polarizations. For example, the features can have a net positive polarization, while the surrounding material can have a net negative polarization. The surface charge (e.g., polarization) can be generated by plasma treatment of a surface using a colloidal mask or through polymers having embedded charges. A surface charge is expressed by surface charge density in Coulomb per square meters (C/m 2 ), and can be measured using an surface charge analyzer, or preferably with STM and/or AFM.
[0049] In some embodiments, the endoprosthesis can have pores, which can contain therapeutic agents that are slowly released over time. The pores can have an average diameter of from about 10 nm (e.g., from about 20 nm, from about 50 nm, from about 100 nm, from about 200 nm, from about 500 nm, from about 700 nm, from about 1 μm, from about 1.5 μm, from about 2 μm, from about 2.5 μm, from about 3 μm, from about 3.5 μm, from about 4 μm, from about 4.5 μm) to about 10 μm (e.g., to about 9 μm, to about 8 μm, to about 7 μm, to about 6 μm, to about 5 μm, to about 4.5 μm, to about 4 μm, to about 3 μm, to about 2.5 μm, to about 2 μm, to about 1.5 μm, to about 1 μm, to about 750 nm, to about 500 nm, to about 250 nm, to about 100 nm, to about 75 nm, to about 50 nm, to about 25 nm). The pores can have an average surface area of from about 300 nm 2 (e.g. from about 1,000 nm 2 , from about 5,000 nm 2 , from about 30,000 nm 2 , from about 0.5 μm 2 , from about 6 nm 2 , from about 10 μm 2 , from about 20 μm 2 , from about 30 μm 2 , from about 40 μm 2 , from about 50 μm 2 , from about 65 μm 2 ) to about 350 μm 2 (e.g., to about 300 μm 2 , to about 250 μm 2 , to about 200 μm 2 , to about 150 μm 2 , to about 100 μm 2 , to about 70 μm 2 , to about 65 μm 2 , to about 50 μm 2 , to about 40 μm 2 , to about 30 μm 2 , to about 20 μm 2 , to about 10 μm 2 , to about 6 μm 2 , to about 0.5 μm 2 , to about 30,000 nm 2 , to about 5,000 nm 2 , to about 1000 nm 2 ). The pores can also be expressed by average volume. In some embodiments, the pores can be from about 500 nm 3 (e.g., from about 0.00005 μm 3 , from about 0.0005 μm 3 , from about 0.005 μm 3 , from about 0.05 μm 3 , from about 0.5 μm 3 , from about 1 μm 3 , from about 5 μm 3 , from about 35 μm 3 , from about 50 μm 3 ) to about 550 μm 3 (e.g., to about 450 μm 3 , to about 300 μm 3 , to about 200 μm 3 , to about 100 μm 3 , to about 75 μm 3 , to about 40 μm 3 , to about 10 μm 3 , to about 5 μm 3 , to about 1 μm 3 , to about 0.5 μm 3 , to about 0.05 μm 3 , to about 0.005 μm 3 , to about 0.00005 μm 3 ).
[0050] Referring to FIG. 9 , a method 200 of making an endoprosthesis as described herein is shown. Method 200 includes forming a tube (step 202 ), forming a pre-endoprosthesis from the tube (step 204 ), and applying one or more patterns and/or coatings to the pre-endoprosthesis (step 206 ) to form an endoprosthesis. In some embodiments, one or more patterns and/or coatings are applied to the tube, and the tube is subsequently formed into an endoprosthesis.
[0051] The tube can be formed (step 202 ) by manufacturing a tubular member including (e.g., formed of) one or more materials capable of supporting a bodily lumen. For example, a mass of material can be machined into a rod that is subsequently drilled to form the tubular member. As another example, a sheet of material can be rolled to form a tubular member with overlapping portions, or opposing end portions of the rolled sheet can be joined (e.g., welded) together to form a tubular member. A material can also be extruded to form a tubular member. In certain embodiments, a tube can be made by thermal spraying, powder metallurgy, thixomolding, die casting, gravity casting, and/or forging. The material can be a substantially pure metallic element, an alloy, or a composite. Examples of metallic elements include iron, niobium, titanium, tantalum, magnesium, zinc, and alloys thereof. Examples of alloys include stainless steel such as platinum enhanced radiopaque stainless steel (PERSS), iron alloys having, by weight, 88-99.8% iron, 0.1-7% chromium, 0-3.5% nickel, and less than 5% of other elements (e.g., magnesium and/or zinc); or 90-96% iron, 3-6% chromium and 0-3% nickel plus 0-5% other metals. Other examples of alloys include magnesium alloys, such as, by weight, 50-98% magnesium, 0-40% lithium, 0-5% iron and less than 5% other metals or rare earths; or 79-97% magnesium, 2-5% aluminum, 0-12% lithium and 1-4% rare earths (such as cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and/or praseodymium); or 85-91% magnesium, 6-12% lithium, 2% aluminum and 1% rare earths; or 86-97% magnesium, 0-8% lithium, 2%-4% aluminum and 1-2% rare earths; or 8.5-9.5% aluminum, 0.15%-0.4% manganese, 0.45-0.9% zinc and the remainder magnesium; or 4.5-5.3% aluminum, 0.28%-0.5% manganese and the remainder magnesium; or 55-65% magnesium, 30-40% lithium and 0-5% other metals and/or rare earths. Magnesium alloys are also available under the names AZ91D, AM50A, and AE42. Other erodible materials are described in Bolz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,332 (e.g., zinc-titanium alloy and sodium-magnesium alloys); Heublein, U.S. Patent Application 2002000406; and Park, Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, 2, 73-78 (2001), all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. In particular, Park describes Mg—X—Ca alloys, e.g., Mg—Al—Si—Ca, Mg—Zn—Ca alloys. Other suitable alloys include strontium. As an example, strontium can be a component in a magnesium alloy. The tube can include more than one material, such as different materials physically mixed together, multiple layers of different materials, and/or multiple sections of different materials along a direction (e.g., length) of the tube. An example of a composite is as a mixture of a magnesium alloy in a polymer, in which two or more distinct substances (e.g., metals, ceramics, glasses, and/or polymers) are intimately combined to form a complex material. In some embodiments, one or more materials are bioerodible.
[0052] Referring again to FIG. 9 , after the tube is formed, the tube is converted into a pre-endoprosthesis (step 204 ). In some embodiments, selected portions of the tube can be removed to form circular and connecting struts (e.g., 6, 8) by laser cutting, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,807, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other methods of removing portions of the tube can be used, such as mechanical machining (e.g., micro-machining, grit blasting or honing), electrical discharge machining (EDM), and photoetching (e.g., acid photoetching). The pre-endoprosthesis can be etched and/or electropolished to provide a selected finish. In certain embodiments, such as jelly-roll type endoprostheses, step 204 is maybe omitted.
[0053] Prior to applying the patterned coating, selected surfaces (e.g., interior surface) or portions (e.g., portion between the end portions of the endoprosthesis) of the pre-endoprosthesis can be masked so that the patterned coating will not be applied to the masked surfaces or portions. In some embodiments, prior to applying the patterned coating, pores can be formed on the pre-endoprosthesis (e.g., by micro-arc surface modification, sol-gel templating processes, near net shape alloy processing technology such as powder injection molding, adding foaming structures into a melt or liquid metal, melting a powder compact containing a gas evolving element or a space holder material, incorporating a removable scaffold (e.g., polyurethane) in a metal powder/slurry prior to sintering, sintering hollow spheres, sintering fibers, combustion synthesis, powder metallurgy, bonded fiber arrays, wire mesh constructions, vapor deposition, three-dimensional printing, and/or electrical discharge compaction). In some embodiments, pores can be formed by incorporating embedded microparticles and/or compounds (e.g., a salt) within a pre-endoprosthesis (e.g., a polymerizable monomer, a polymer, a metal alloy), and removing (e.g., dissolving, leaching, burning) the microparticles and/or compounds to form pores at locations where the microparticles and/or compounds were embedded. Removable (e.g., dissolvable) microparticles can be purchased, for example, from MicroParticles GmbH. In some embodiments, pores are formed by using a gas as a porogen, bonding fibers, and/or phase separation in materials such as polymers, metals, or metal alloys.
[0054] Next, the patterned coating(s) is applied to the pre-endoprosthesis (step 206 ) to form an endoprosthesis. A topographical patterned coating can be formed on the endoprosthesis surface by a variety of processes, such as plasma treatment, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and plasma etching processes. A plasma process can occur prior to applying a mask, or after. In some embodiments, a physical mask (e.g., a polymer or metal sheet with micro- or nanometer sized openings) is used in conjunction with plasma processes to provide micro-patterned surfaces. For example, plasma patterning can occur through TEM grids, and/or through nanocolloidal masks to obtain micro- and nanosized elements. In some embodiments, different composition and properties can be conferred to a surface using different plasma processes, for example, plasma deposition can deposit coating with cell adhesive-cell repulsive, acidic-basic, hydrophobic-hydrophilic properties on an endoprosthesis surface. In some embodiments, plasma deposited films are more stable and can be deposited on a wide range of substrates. The films can also have a variety of chemical functionalities, and have increased density and/or coverage. In some embodiments, plasma processes can produce non-specific cell-adhesive surfaces, for example, surfaces can contain COOH, or NH 2 groups. In certain embodiments, COOH groups can be plasma deposited from poly(acrylic acid), and NH 2 functionalized coating can be formed by grafting nitrogen containing groups onto polymers with RF glow discharges with a NH 3 feed, or using NH 2 functionalized polymers, such as poly(allylamine). Plasma deposition can also form cell-repulsive surfaces, which can be generated by plasma-depositing poly(ethylene oxide).
[0055] In some embodiments, a colloidal lithography technique can be coupled with plasma processes to generate a surface with repeating topographical elements/elements, for example, conical shaped elements. For example, a poly(acrylic acid) film can be deposited onto a substrate via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of acrylic acid vapor using a capacitively coupled plasma reactor. A hexagonally assembled monolayer of colloidal particles can then be deposited onto the polymer film by spin-coating the film with a solution of the particles. Oxygen plasma etching can be carried out in a high density plasma source to generate a hexagonal topological pattern with raised poly(acrylic acid) nanostructures. In some embodiments, plasma etching through a mask can form an array of recessed elements. In other embodiments, a cell-repulsive poly(ethylene oxide) film can be deposited via plasma polymerization, and ultrasound washing can remove any remaining colloidal particle masks. Colloidal lithography can form features having a maximum dimension of less than 50 nm (e.g., less than 40 nm, less than 30 nm, less than 20 nm, less than 10 nm, less than 5). The dimension of the features can vary depending on the size of the colloidal particles, where smaller particles can afford smaller features, and larger particles can afford larger features. Examples of colloidal particles include Au, Ag, Cr, or polymer (e.g., polystyrene) spheres. Discussion of combined colloidal lithography and plasma sputtering or etching methods is provided, for example in Sardella et al., (2006) Plasma Process. Polym. 3: 456-469; Valsesia et al, (2004) Nano Lett., 4: 1047-1050; and Brétagnol et al., 2006 Plasma Process. Polym. 3: 443-455.
[0056] As an example, in some embodiments, polystyrene-block polyethylene oxide (PS-b-PEO) is used as a micelle-forming block copolymer, and Au is used for small particles to be generated inside the micelles. PS-b-PEO can self-assemble to form micelles in a non-polar solvent (e.g., toluene). When LiAuCl 4 is added to a solution of PS-b-PEO, the salt can be slowly solubilized as the Li+ ions form a complex with the polyethylene oxide units of the block copolymer forming the micellar structures. The tetrachloroaurate ions can be bound as counterions within the core of the micelle. Solubilization can be facilitated by means of ultrasound. Typically, up to 0.3 equivalents of LiAuCl 4 can be bound per ethylene oxide. Using larger quantities of LiAuCl 4 can lead to precipitation of unbound LiAuCl 4 . Complex formation of the polyethylene oxide block with LiAuCl 4 can considerably enhance the stability of the PEO micelles. When deposited on a substrate, the PS-b-PEO films can be monolayers and can have a thickness of less than or equal to 100 nm, depending on the polymer length of the micelles. The PS-b-PEO can be removed through heating or plasma treatment, leaving the Au colloids on the surface of a substrate having inter-colloid distances correlating to the micelle lengths of the PEO.
[0057] In some embodiments, in addition or as an alternative to plasma deposition, cell-adhesive or repulsive polymer films can be deposited by physical adsorption, radiation, chemical cross-linking, self-assembly, spin coating, chemisorption, and/or treating with ion beams. In some embodiments, the coating can be a composite, such as a silver-containing coating which can be used to reduce bacteria colonization. A composite coating can be obtained by various methods, such as sol-gel, high temperature glass fusion, and/or ion exchange methods. In some embodiments, an organic matrix is deposited from the fragments of an organic, volatile monomer, and metal (or ceramic, or polymer) particles are co-deposited from a sputtering (or etching, evaporation or PE-CVD process. Discussion of composite film coating processes is provided, for example, in Sandella et al., supra.
[0058] In some embodiments, block copolymer micelle nanolithography is used to make a coating of hexagonally close-packed array of gold nanodots. The gold nanodots can be coated with cyclic RGDFK peptide linked to the nanodot via a spacer (e.g., aminohexanoic acid linked to mercaptopropionic acid), and the polymer can be polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine). In some embodiments, the diameter of dots is 20 nm or less (e.g., 10 nm or less, 8 nanometers or less). The spacing between the nanodots can be controlled by selecting an appropriate segment molecular weight and the composition for the block copolymer. In some embodiments, spacing between the nanodots can be less than 500 nm (e.g., less than 400 nm, less than 300 nm, less than 200 nm, less than 100 nm, less than 500 nm). Discussion of methods of making patterned nanodots is provided, for example, in Arnold et al., (2004) Chem Phys Chem 5: 383-388.
[0059] In some embodiments, the patterned coating and/or background coating can be made by ink-jet printing, spraying, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, stretching, photolithography, soft lithography, dip-pen lithography, nano-fountain-pen lithography, colloidal lithograph, hot-embossing, electrolytic etching, and/or extrusion. For example, when a patterned coating is made by lithography, the surface to be patterned can be coated with a thin layer of photosensitive polymer such as a photoresist, which is then exposed to the appropriate illumination through a patterned mask, and subsequently chemically developed or irradiated with an electron beam to reveal the underlying substrate and features. In some embodiments, the exposed patterned substrate can react with a chemical linker, such as an amino-functionalized thiol, which can react with glutaraldehyde and/or proteins to enhance the biocompatibility of the endoprosthesis. In some embodiments, the patterned endoprosthesis can be functionalized with attachment factors such as vitronectin, fibronectin, and/or laminin to create regions that can influence cellular adhesion, growth, and survival. Discussion of methods of generating patterned coatings is provided, for example, in Curtis A. et al., (1999) Biochem. Soc. Symp. 65: 15-26. Discussion of methods of functionalizing substrates is provided, for example, in Clark, Immobilized Biomolecules in Analysis—A Practical Approach. Eds: Tony Cass and Frances S. Ligler, Oxford University Press. 1998. pages 95-111.
[0060] In some embodiments, self-organizing systems such as polymer demixing, self-assembling particles and monolayers, self-assembling polymers can form repeating features and/or background coating. The features can have a maximum dimension of 100 nm or less (e.g., 80 nm or less, 60 nm or less, 40 nm or less, 20 nm or less, 10 nm or less, 5 nm or less). For example, the patterned coating can be made by self assembly of block copolymers, such that repeating areas of a segment of the block copolymer can be achieved by phase separation (e.g., during solidification and/or temperature change). As another example, the patterned coating can be made by polymer demixing, which can form structures such as islands of polymers. For example, a solution of polystyrene-blend-polybromostyrene and polystyrene-blend-poly(n-butyl methacrylate) can result in different topographies depending on the polymer concentration and the speed with which a solvent is removed from the mixture. The mixture can form islands having a height of less than 200 nm (e.g., less than 100 nm) with mean diameter of less than 1000 nm (e.g., less than 500 nm, less than 400 nm, less than 300 nm, less than 200 nm, less than 100 nm) at pressures of 1 psi. At increased pressures, ribbons of polymers having shallower features and decreased separation between the structures can form. At increasing polymer concentrations, structures having an increased height (e.g., from 200-400 nm, from 200-300 nm, from 250-400 nm, from 250-300 nm) can result. Discussion of polymer demixing is provided, for example, in Gadegaard et al., 2004 Adv. Mater. 16(20): 1857-1860.
[0061] In some embodiments, the endoprosthesis can have an electronic pattern. The electronic pattern can be formed by doping an endoprosthesis, for example, by implanting doping elements using ion accelerators (ion beam) and a colloidal lithographic mask.
[0062] In some embodiments, the endoprosthesis can have discontinuities in elemental concentrations that form a pattern. Elemental discontinuities can be formed, for example, by ion implantation, reactive physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes.
[0063] Examples of suitable patterned coating materials include compounds such as gold, platinum, iridium, titanium, silicon, carbon, silica, titanium dioxide, lithium niobate, iridium oxide, titanium nitride, niobium oxide, and/or silicon nitride; polymers such as poly(methylmethacrylate), polydioxanone, polystyrene, polylactide, polyglycolides, cellulose acetate, polyurethane, silicone, epoxy, nylon, cellulose acetate, polyimide; biomolecules such as collagen, and/or fibrin. Examples of suitable materials for cell-rejecting background coatings include copper, silver, poly(ethylene oxide), poly(ethylene glycol), and/or poly(styrene-isobutylene styrene). Discussion of topologically or chemically patterned coatings is provided, for example, in Curtis et al., (1997) Biomaterials. 18:1573-1583 and Curtis et al., (1997) Biochem. Soc. Symp. 65: 15-26.
[0064] Further examples of patterned coating and/or background materials include a polymers, ceramic materials, oxides, carbides, halides, metals, metallic alloys, and/or a metal-containing polymers. For example, suitable polymers include bioerodible polymers as polylactic acid (PLA), polylactic glycolic acid (PLGA), polyanhydrides (e.g., poly(ester anhydride)s, fatty acid-based polyanhydride, amino acid-based polyanhydride), polyesters, polyester-polyanhydride blends, polycarbonate-polyanhydride blends, and/or combinations thereof. Suitable ceramic materials include, for example, iridium oxide. Suitable oxides include magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, and/or aluminum oxide. Suitable nitrides include magnesium nitride, titanium nitride, titanium oxynitride, iron nitride, and/or silicon nitride. Suitable carbides include iron carbide and silicon nitride. Suitable halides include magnesium fluoride. Suitable metals and/or a metallic alloys include stainless steel, titanium, niobium, a radiopaque metal such as gold, platinum, iridium, and alloys thereof; an alloy such as bioerodible magnesium alloys and iron alloys as previously described having adjusted compositions so that erosion occurs at a different rate than the bioerodible body. Suitable inert or dissolvable polymers including metals (e.g., Fe, Au, Pt) or metal compounds such as organometallic complexes. PVD and PLD deposition techniques are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/752,735 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/752,772.
[0065] In some embodiments, the endoprosthesis includes patterned and/or unpatterned coatings. Depending on the coating material, one or more material can be dissolved in a solvent and applied to the pre-endoprosthesis, and/or two or more different materials can be blended together in the form of, for example, a composite such as a metal matrix composite (e.g., in a manner that one material is embedded or encapsulated in a remaining material) and applied to the pre-endoprosthesis. In some embodiments, an endoprosthesis coating is generated by physical or plasma vapor deposition, thermal metal spraying, dip coating, electrostatic spraying, conventional air atomization spraying, ion implantation (e.g., by plasma immersion ion implantation, by laser-driven ion implantation), electrochemical deposition, oxidation (e.g., anodizations), chemical grafting, interlayer transitional coatings to bond multiple layers, and/or metallurgical augmentation (e.g., peening, localized metallurgical treatments). In some embodiments, pores are generated in the coating, e.g., by powder injection molding sol-gel templating processes, near net shape alloy processing technology such as powder injection molding, micro-arc surface modification, sol-gel templating processes, adding foaming structures into a melt or liquid metal, melting a powder compact containing a gas evolving element or a space holder material, incorporating a removable scaffold (e.g., polyurethane) in a metal powder/slurry prior to sintering, sintering hollow spheres, sintering fibers, combustion synthesis, powder metallurgy, bonded fiber arrays, wire mesh constructions, vapor deposition, three-dimensional printing, and/or electrical discharge compaction). In some embodiments, pores can be formed by incorporating embedded microparticles and/or compounds (e.g., a salt) within the coating (e.g., a polymerizable monomer, a polymer, a metal alloy), forming the coating, and removing (e.g., dissolving, leaching, burning) the microparticles and/or compounds to form pores at locations where the microparticles and/or compounds were embedded. Removable (e.g., dissolvable) microparticles can be purchased, for example, from MicroParticles GmbH. In some embodiments, pores are formed by using a gas as a porogen, bonding fibers, and/or phase separation in materials such as polymers, metals, or metal alloys.
[0066] In some embodiments, a medicament is incorporated into a coating on an endoprosthesis. For example, a medicament can be adsorbed onto a coating on an endoprosthesis. A medicament can be encapsulated in a bioerodible material and embedded in a coating on an endoprosthesis. As another example, a medicament can be dissolved in a polymer solution and coated onto an endoprosthesis. Incorporation of a medicament is described in U.S. Ser. No. 10/958,435 filed Oct. 5, 2004, hereby incorporated herein by reference.
[0067] In some embodiments, an endoprosthesis can have greater than one type of patterned coating located at the same or different locations on the endoprosthesis. As an example, an endoprosthesis can have a patterned and/or unpatterned polymer coating superimposed upon a stainless steel coating. As another example, an endoprosthesis can have a patterned and/or unpatterned polymer and metal composite coating on an exterior surface, and a patterned and/or unpatterned polymer coating on an interior surface of a strut. In certain embodiments, a patterned coating can be applied to a pre-endoprosthesis in one layer, or in multiple layers (e.g., at least two layers, at least three layers, at least four layers, at least five layers) in order, for example, to provide greater control over the thickness of a patterned coating. As an example, the intermediate portion of an endoprosthesis can have a smaller thickness of a patterned coating than the end portions of the endoprosthesis, which can contain a patterned coating having a greater thickness. The patterned and/or unpatterned coating can be applied the same way or in different ways. For example, a first, innermost coating can be plasma-deposited on the pre-endoprosthesis, and a second, outer coating can include a polymer that is dip-coated onto the first layer.
[0068] In some embodiments, a coating partially coats one or more portions of an endoprosthesis. Referring to FIG. 10 , as an example, an endoprosthesis 220 can have a band(s) 222 of the same or different coatings about the circumference of the endoprosthesis. As shown in FIG. 11 , as an example, an endoprosthesis 230 can have a strip(s) 232 of the same or different coatings along the length of the endoprosthesis. Bands and strips can be coated onto the endoprosthesis by selectively masking certain areas of the endoprosthesis. Bands and strips of patterned coating can have pore/patterns, and/or have different thicknesses as discussed above.
[0069] Referring now to FIG. 12 , an endoprosthesis 300 having different patterned coatings along its length can be produced. A metallic pre-endoprosthesis 240 has all portions of the pre-endoprosthesis having a first coating. Next, a portion 252 of the pre-endoprosthesis is masked (e.g., with a protective polymeric coating such as a styrene-isoprene-butadiene-styrene (SIBS) polymer), which protects the masked portion from further layer coating, and the remaining section is coated with a second coating to make a pre-endoprosthesis 270 . Finally, a second portion 272 of the pre-endoprosthesis is masked, and the remaining portion is further coated with a third coating to make pre-endoprosthesis 290 . The protective coatings can be removed, e.g., by rinsing in a solvent such as toluene, to complete the production of endoprosthesis. An endoprosthesis having tapered thicknesses can be produced by masking the interior and/or outer portions with a movable sleeve and longitudinally moving the sleeve and/or the endoprosthesis relative to each other during coating.
[0070] In some embodiments, the patterned and/or unpatterned coating can be applied to a bioerodible tube prior to forming the bioerodible tube into an endoprosthesis. As a result, the endoprosthesis can have its exterior and interior surfaces coated with the coating, and the side surfaces of the endoprosthesis can be free of the coating. Prior to applying the patterned coating, the interior surface or the exterior surface of the bioerodible tube can be masked to apply the patterned coating to only selected portion(s) of the tube.
[0071] As another example, while the endoprosthesis can have both exterior and interior surfaces coated with a desired coating, in other embodiments, one or more segments of an endoprosthesis have only the exterior surfaces or the interior surfaces coated with a coating.
[0072] Exterior surfaces of a pre-endoprosthesis can be coated with a coating material, e.g., by placing a mandrel, a pin or a sleeve that is sized to mate with the selected inner surface(s) of the pre-endoprosthesis so that during coating, the coating material is effectively blocked from entering interior surface of the pre-endoprosthesis. Such an endoprosthesis, after implantation, may have a cross-section that has only two materials: an exterior surface that is coated with the coating material, and an interior surface that has not been coated. Interior surfaces of a pre-endoprosthesis can be coated with a desired coating material, e.g., by placing a polymeric coating on selected outer surface(s) of the pre-endoprosthesis so that during coating the composition can coat only the interior surface(s) and is prevented from coating the exterior surfaces. Alternatively, exterior surfaces can be protected by placing the pre-endoprosthesis in a tight-fitting tube, e.g., a heat shrink tube, to cover the exterior surfaces. In some embodiments, photo-lithography and/or stereo-lithography can be used to mask surfaces of a pre-endoprosthesis to prevent coating of a composition. In use, the endoprostheses can be used, e.g., delivered and expanded, using a catheter delivery system, such as a balloon catheter system. Catheter systems are described in, for example, Wang U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,969, Hamlin U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,086, and Raeder-Devens, U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,712.
[0073] Endoprosthesis and endoprosthesis delivery are also exemplified by the Radius® or Symbiot® systems, available from Boston Scientific Scimed, Maple Grove, Minn. The endoprostheses described herein can be of a desired shape and size (e.g., coronary stents, aortic stents, peripheral vascular stents, gastrointestinal stents, urology stents, and neurology stents). Depending on the application, the stent can have a diameter of between, for example, 1 mm to 46 mm. In certain embodiments, a coronary stent can have an expanded diameter of from about 2 mm to about 6 mm. In some embodiments, a peripheral stent can have an expanded diameter of from about 5 mm to about 24 mm. In certain embodiments, a gastrointestinal and/or urology stent can have an expanded diameter of from about 6 mm to about 30 mm. In some embodiments, a neurology stent can have an expanded diameter of from about 1 mm to about 12 mm. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) stent and a thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) stent can have a diameter from about 20 mm to about 46 mm.
[0074] While a number of embodiments have been described, the invention is not so limited.
[0075] The endoprostheses described herein can be a part of a stent, a covered stent or a stent-graft. For example, an endoprosthesis can include and/or be attached to a biocompatible, non-porous or semi-porous polymer matrix made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), expanded PTFE, polyethylene, urethane, or polypropylene.
[0076] The endoprostheses described herein can include non-metallic structural portions, e.g., polymeric portions. The polymeric portions can be erodible. The polymeric portions can be formed from a polymeric alloy. Polymeric stents have been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/683,314, filed Oct. 10, 2003; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/958,435, filed Oct. 5, 2004, the entire contents of each is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
[0077] The endoprostheses can include a releasable therapeutic agent, drug, or a pharmaceutically active compound, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,242, U.S. Ser. No. 09/895,415, filed Jul. 2, 2001, U.S. Ser. No. 11/111,509, filed Apr. 21, 2005, and U.S. Ser. No. 10/232,265, filed Aug. 30, 2002. The therapeutic agents, drugs, or pharmaceutically active compounds can include, for example, anti-thrombogenic agents, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, anesthetic agents, anti-coagulants, and antibiotics. The therapeutic agent, drug, or a pharmaceutically active compound can be dispersed in a polymeric coating carried by the endoprosthesis. The polymeric coating can include more than a single layer. For example, the coating can include two layers, three layers or more layers, e.g., five layers. The therapeutic agent can be a genetic therapeutic agent, a non-genetic therapeutic agent, or cells. Therapeutic agents can be used singularly, or in combination. Therapeutic agents can be, for example, nonionic, or they may be anionic and/or cationic in nature. An example of a therapeutic agent is one that inhibits restenosis, such as paclitaxel. The therapeutic agent can also be used, e.g., to treat and/or inhibit pain, encrustation of the endoprosthesis or sclerosing or necrosing of a treated lumen. Any of the above coatings and/or polymeric portions can be dyed or rendered radio-opaque.
[0078] The endoprostheses described herein can be configured for non-vascular lumens. For example, it can be configured for use in the esophagus or the prostate. Other lumens include biliary lumens, hepatic lumens, pancreatic lumens, uretheral lumens and ureteral lumens.
[0079] Other configurations of endoprosthesis are also possible. Referring to FIG. 13 , an endoprosthesis 330 can have a tubular body with slots removed from the tubular body, an patterned and/or unpatterned coating can be coated onto an exterior surface 332 , an interior surface 334 , or any of the side surfaces 336 of the endoprosthesis. Referring to FIG. 14 , an endoprosthesis 340 can have a braided or woven tubular body made of intertwining filaments 338 . The endoprosthesis can be coated with a patterned and/or unpatterned coating on the exterior or the interior of the tubular body. In some embodiments, a braided endoprosthesis can include filaments having patterned and/or unpatterned coatings.
[0080] All references, such as patent applications, publications, and patents, referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0081] Other embodiments are within the claims.
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A bioerodible endoprosthesis erodes to a desirable geometry that can provide, e.g., improved mechanical properties or degradation characteristics.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS
[0001] Embodiments of the invention relate to devices and methods for less invasive treatment of atrial fibrillation. More particularly, certain embodiments of the invention relate to ablation and/or coagulation probes that utilize suction to ensure consistent and intimate tissue contact. These vacuum-assisted coagulation probes are capable of creating transmural, curvilinear lesions capable of preventing the propagation of wavelets that initiate and sustain atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, or other arrhythmia substrate. The vacuum-assisted coagulation probes facilitate less invasive surgery involving thorascopic access and visualization to the target coagulation sites. Additionally, the vacuum-assisted coagulation probes of the invention are suitable for coagulating soft tissues (e.g. of the atria to treat atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, or other arrhythmia) through a median sternotomy, lateral thoracotomy, intercostals port-access, mini-sternotomies, other less invasive approaches involving Xiphoid access, inguinal approaches, or sub-thoracic approaches adjacent the diaphram. Alternatively, the vacuum-assisted coagulation probes can be modified for catheter-based applications by elongating the shaft and altering the diameters and other feature dimensions for intravascular access.
[0002] The vacuum-assisted coagulation probes can also be used to coagulate other soft tissues for cancer therapy in a wide-variety of applications (e.g. liver, prostate, colon, esophageal, gastrointestinal, gynecological, etc.), or shrinking of collagen in tissue structures such as skin, tendons, muscles, ligaments, vascular tissue during arthroscopic, laparoscopic, or other minimally invasive procedures.
[0003] Certain embodiments of devices and methods of the invention also enable tunneling through and/or dissecting soft tissue structures by injecting fluid (air, CO 2 , saline, etc.) in high intensity streams that separate tissue structures by disrupting fatty deposits, ligaments, adventitial tissue, or other structure that holds anatomic structures together without damaging the anatomic structure the device is dissecting free or otherwise exposing. These devices of the invention enable less invasive access without having to manually dissect tissue structures to place the vacuum-assisted coagulation probes. As such, these fluid dissecting devices are capable of tunneling through the pulmonary veins, separate the pulmonary veins, the aorta, the pulmonary artery, and other anatomy from the atria to provide a path for the vacuum-assisted coagulation probe to directly appose the atrial epicardium throughout the desired length the lesion is expected to span, which is required to create transmural, curvilinear lesions. These embodiments may alternatively dissect other soft tissue structures during applications such as endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting, left internal mammary artery dissection, etc.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0004] Atrial fibrillation surgery involving radiofrequency, d.c., microwave, or other thermal ablation of atrial tissue has a limitation in that tissue contact throughout the length of the electrode(s) is/are not consistent causing variability in the transmission of energy throughout the target length of ablated/coagulated tissue. This produces gaps of viable tissue that promote propagation of wavelets that sustain atrial fibrillation, or produce atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia, or other arrhythmia substrate. Another influence in the inability of existing thermal ablation probes to create complete curvilinear, transmural lesions is the presence of convective cooling on the opposite surface of the atrium producing a heat sink that decreases the maximum temperature at this surface thereby preventing the lesions from consistently extending transmural through the entire wall of the atrium. This is especially relevant during beating-heart therapies in which the coagulation/ablation probe is placed against the epicardial surface, and blood flowing along the endocardium removes heat thus producing a larger gradient between temperature immediately under the probe electrodes along the epicardium and that at the endocardium. Increased tissue contact is capable of reversing this effect by evoking a compression of the tissue that shortens the wall thickness of the atria, ensuring consistent contact throughout the length of the electrode(s), and increasing the efficiency of thermal conduction from the epicardium to the endocardium. As such a more consistent and reliable lesion is created.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0005] Several exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and many features and advantages of those exemplary embodiments will be elaborated in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
[0006] [0006]FIGS. 1 a to 1 d show a top view, a side-sectional view taken along A-A of FIG 1 a , a side view, and a bottom view of a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment of the invention;
[0007] [0007]FIGS. 1 e and 1 f show cross-sectional views taken along B-B and C-C of FIG id;
[0008] [0008]FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show a side view and a bottom view of a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment that incorporates tunneling/dissecting fluid injection capabilities;
[0009] [0009]FIGS. 2 c and 2 d show sectional views taken along B-B and C-C of FIG. 2 a;
[0010] [0010]FIG. 2 e shows a detailed view of region D taken from FIG. 2 b;
[0011] [0011]FIG. 3 shows a side view of a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment deflected or bent to engage the soft tissue surface;
[0012] [0012]FIGS. 4 a to c show side views of a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment that incorporates a movable insulation sheath to adjust the electrode length and convective cooling pores;
[0013] [0013]FIG. 5 shows a posterior view of the heart and associated vasculature with a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment accessing a desired lesion location along the left atrium;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 6 shows a posterior view of the heart and associated vasculature with a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment used to create lesions along the left atrium and right atrium capable of treating atrial fibrillation;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 7 a shows an anterior view of a heart and associated vasculature with a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment placed to access regions of the left atrium about the pulmonary veins;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 7 b shows a region of the thoracic cavity with the heart removed, but associated vasculature in place, to show access sites along the left atrium for a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment to create lesions capable of treating atrial fibrillation;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 8 a shows a side-sectional view of a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment with the vacuum pores actuated to ensure intimate and complete contact between a tissue surface and the probe electrode;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 8 b shows a close-up side-sectional view of the vacuum coagulation probe embodiment in FIG. 8 a with the vacuum pores actuated to urge soft tissue into intimate contact with the electrode, coagulation energy transmitted through the electrode into tissue to create a curvilinear, transmural lesion, and convective cooling pores to decrease the surface temperature of the soft tissue and urge the maximum temperature deeper;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment that incorporates a high intensity fluid injection system to tunnel between and/or dissect free anatomic structures;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] A need exists for vacuum coagulation probe devices and methods that create contiguous, curvilinear, transmural lesions in the atria to treat atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, or other arrhythmia substrate. In addition, such devices and methods could simplify other soft tissue coagulation procedures by ensuring intimate tissue contact while precisely and effectively heating a region of soft tissue. The needed technology also could enable certain procedures to be performed less invasive through limited incisions that previously required large, open incisions with inherent morbidity and risks to other anatomic structures. Such inventive devices and methods thus could enable patients to undergo such reparative or therapeutic surgical procedures while enduring less pain, expedited hospital stays, and shorter rehabilitative and recovery times.
[0021] The present invention relates to methods and devices that enable reliable and controlled coagulation of soft tissue during less invasive procedures. To accomplish this, the coagulation probe incorporates vacuum conduits associated with the electrode(s) to urge the soft tissue into intimate contact with the edges of the electrode(s) and ensure efficient transmission of energy capable of consistently and completely heating a desired region of soft tissue. The vacuum coagulation probe embodiments of the invention also enable convective cooling of the tissue surface to move the maximum temperature deeper into tissue and create larger and deeper lesions. The vacuum coagulation probe embodiments of the invention can also incorporate tunneling and/or dissecting features, capable of introducing the vacuum coagulation probe between anatomic structures around the atria which would otherwise be inaccessible without mechanical dissection, and/or expose a region of atria to produce consistent tissue contact, required to ensure contiguous, transmural lesions.
[0022] The following is a detailed description of certain exemplary embodiments of the inventions. This detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating certain general principles of the inventions.
[0023] This patent application discloses a number of exemplary embodiments, mainly in the context of soft tissue coagulation accomplished through less invasive approaches (e.g. thoracoscopic, arthroscopic, laparoscopic, percutaneous, or other minimally invasive procedures). The vacuum coagulation probe embodiments disclosed herein can produce intimate contact between a soft tissue surface and electrode(s) used to transmit energy capable of heating the soft tissue until irreversible injury is achieved making the soft tissue non-viable and unable to propagate electrical impulses, mutate, reproduce or other unwanted function. The vacuum coagulation probe embodiments also enable supporting and/or repositioning the soft tissue during coagulation to prevent or minimize shrinking or other change in the shape of the soft tissue associated with heat causing the collagen in the soft tissue to denature. The vacuum coagulation probe embodiments also address issues related to inadequate access to the soft tissue during less invasive approaches by tunneling and/or dissecting the anatomic structures to produce a path to the coagulation sites, and expose the surface of the soft tissue. This capability is especially relevant when coagulating atrial tissue along the posterior region of the heart, characteristic of creating lesions along the left atrial epicardium about the pulmonary veins.
[0024] Nevertheless, it should be appreciated that the vacuum coagulation probe devices can be applicable for use in other indications involving devices that are used to coagulate soft tissue, and/or tunnel between or dissect anatomic structures where access to the tissue is limited by a small opening into the cavity, confined space at the soft tissue interface, difficult to reach locations, or other anatomic limitation. The embodiments of the invention can be configured for the human anatomy; however, it should be noted that the embodiments of the invention can, in some cases, be tailored to other species, such as canine, ovine, porcine, bovine, or horses, by changing the geometry and sizes of the structures.
[0025] An additional benefit of vacuum coagulation probe devices can involve the ease of deployment and the rapid healing post-procedure. The small incision used to access the soft tissue during such procedures accelerates the healing process and reduces the visible scar. The vacuum coagulation probe devices can be capable of being deployed through a thoracostomy, thoracotomy, median sternotomy, mini-sternotomy, mini-thoracotomy, xiphoid access, subthoracic access, arthroscopic, or laparoscopic approach, thereby potentially eliminating the need for long incisions to access the soft tissue and corresponding anatomic structures.
[0026] The vacuum coagulation probe, and corresponding components, can be fabricated from at least one rod, wire, band, bar, tube, sheet, ribbon, other raw material having the desired pattern, cross-sectional profile, and dimensions, or a combination of cross-sections. The rod, wire, band, bar, sheet, tube, ribbon, or other raw material can be fabricated by extruding, injection molding, press-forging, rotary forging, bar rolling, sheet rolling, cold drawing, cold rolling, using multiple cold-working and annealing steps, casting, or otherwise forming into the desired shape. The components of the vacuum coagulation probe may be cut from raw material by conventional abrasive sawing, water jet cutting, laser cutting, ultrasonic cutting, EDM machining, photochemical etching, or other techniques to cut the lumens, pores, ports and/or other features of the vacuum coagulation probe from the raw material. Components of the vacuum coagulation probe can be attached by laser welding, adhesively bonding, ultrasonic welding, radiofrequency welding, soldering, spot welding, or other attachment means.
[0027] For several of the vacuum coagulation probe embodiments below, various components can be fabricated from at least one wire, tube, ribbon, sheet, rod, band or bar of raw material cut to the desired configuration and thermally formed into the desired 3-dimensional configuration. When thermally forming (e.g. annealing) components, they can be stressed into the desired resting configuration using mandrels and/or forming fixtures having the desired resting shape of the puncturing component, and heated to between 300 and 600 degrees Celsius for a period of time, typically between 15 seconds and 10 minutes. Alternatively, the components may be heating immediately prior to stressing. Once the volume of material reaches the desired temperature, the component is quenched by inserting into chilled or room temperature water or other fluid, or allowed to return to ambient temperature. As such the components can be fabricated into their resting configuration. When extremely small radii of curvature are desired, multiple thermal forming steps can be utilized to sequentially bend the component into smaller radii of curvature.
[0028] When fabricating the vacuum coagulation probe components from tubing, the raw material can have an oval, circular, rectangular, square, trapezoidal, or other cross-sectional geometry capable of being cut into the desired pattern. After cutting the desired pattern of lumens, ports, and pores, the components can be formed into the desired shape, stressed, heated, for example, between 300° C. and 600° C., and allowed to cool in the preformed geometry to set the shape of the components, as discussed above.
[0029] Once the components are fabricated and formed into the desired 3-dimensional geometry, they can be tumbled, sand blasted, bead blasted, chemically etched, ground, mechanically polished, electropolished, or otherwise treated to remove any edges and/or produce a smooth surface.
[0030] Holes, slots, notches, other cut-away areas, or regions of ground material can be incorporated in the components to tailor the stiffness profile. Cutting and treating processes described above can be used to fabricate the slots, holes, notches, cut-away regions, and/or ground regions in the desired pattern to taper the stiffness along, focus the stiffness along the length of, reinforce specific regions of, or otherwise customize the stiffness profile of the vacuum probe components.
[0031] [0031]FIGS. 1 a to d show a top view, a side-sectional view taken along A-A, a side view, and a bottom view of a vacuum coagulation probe 2 embodiment of the invention. The vacuum coagulation probe 2 incorporates a shaft 4 that defines a lumen 6 , as shown in FIG 1 e . The shaft 4 may be fabricated from a metal (e.g. titanium), metal alloy (e.g. stainless steel, spring steel, nickel titanium), PEBAX®, polyester, polyurethane, urethane, silicone, polyimide, other thermoplastic, thermoset plastic, or elastomer, or braided metallic wires covered with a polymer. The shaft 4 is preferably fabricated from tubing having a diameter between 0.040″ and 0.300″ and a wall thickness between 0.004″ and 0.080″ depending on the type of material and stiffness requirements. The tubing may have a circular cross-section, elliptical cross-section, rectangular cross-section, or other geometry depending on the stiffness requirements, access characteristics, and other considerations. The shaft 4 may be fabricated from multi-lumen tubing having two or more lumens serving specific functions. At its proximal end, the shaft 4 is bonded to a handle (not shown) that incorporates a port(s) 20 that feeds the lumen(s) 6 . The port(s) 20 may incorporate a luer adaptor(s) or other tubing connection to facilitate attaching IV tubing or other feeding tube capable of connecting to a vacuum source.
[0032] The handle (not shown) also houses at least one electrical connector 14 to which wire(s) 12 are attached at the proximal end. The wire(s) 12 are routed to the electrode(s) 8 to enable transmitting energy (radiofrequency, or direct current) to the electrode(s). When transmitting radiofrequency energy in unipolar fashion to a large surface area, reference electrode placed apart from the coagulation electrode, a single wire is routed to each electrode and connected to a radiofrequency generator. When transmitting d.c. or radiofrequency energy in bipolar fashion to electrode pairs, individual wires are connected to each of two or more individual, closely-spaced electrodes. When utilizing resistive heating of the electrode and relying on conduction to transfer heat to adjacent tissue, two wires are connected to each electrode (e.g. resistive element in this case) spaced apart so the entire length of the electrode heats to the desired temperature and the heat is conducted to contacted tissue.
[0033] Temperature sensors (not shown) may be associated with each electrode with wires routed along the shaft to the handle where they are connected to an electrical connector ( 14 ) capable of transmitting the temperature signal to a radiofrequency generator with temperature monitoring or control capabilities or a separate temperature monitor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,847, entitled “Systems and methods for controlling tissue ablation using multiple temperature sensing elements” and incorporated herein by reference, describes tissue coagulation systems utilizing multiple electrodes and temperature sensors associated with each electrode to controllably transmit radiofrequency energy and maintain all electrode(s) essentially at the same temperature. The vacuum coagulation probe electrode(s) and associated temperature sensors (not shown) may be connected to such a mechanism to control transmission of radiofrequency energy to each electrode to control the heating of contacted soft tissue.
[0034] The electrode(s) 8 may be fabricated from one or more lengths of tubing (having a circular, elliptical, rectangular, or other cross-section) secured to the shaft 4 at one end and containing a cap at the other end. If more than one electrode 8 is desired, multiple lengths of tubing may be connected to the shaft 4 separated by short lengths of insulative tubing material. Alternatively, the electrode(s) may be fabricated from wire, having a circular, rectangular, elliptical, or other cross-section, coiled into a helix, interlaced into a mesh or other configuration and placed over and secured to an electrode support. Another electrode configuration includes lengths of sheet or bar material bonded to an electrode support having a semicircular cross-section or other geometry that defines a lumen, with the electrode in place, that is linked to the shaft 4 lumen 6 . This configuration exposes the electrode only along one side of the vacuum coagulation probe and insulates the opposite side against transmission of radiofrequency energy and/or heat. As shown in FIGS 1 b , 1 d , and 1 f , pores or holes 10 are created along one side of the electrode connecting the lumen 6 of the shaft 4 to the external surface of the electrode(s) 8 . These pores 10 enable producing a vacuum against the soft tissue throughout the length of electrode(s) 8 thereby ensuring intimate tissue contact between the electrode(s) 8 and the soft tissue. The pores 10 also produce edges along the electrodes commonly associated with high current densities transmitted into the soft tissue. The combination of creating intimate tissue contact and directing the current density profile creates controlled and efficient heating of the soft tissue required when creating contiguous curvilinear, transmural lesions in atrial tissue (or other soft tissue). The pores may have a constant diameter or vary in diameter or profile along the length of the electrode to differ contact forces and/or current density profiles throughout the length of the electrode(s) 8 .
[0035] The electrode(s) 8 may be fabricated from metal (e.g. tungsten, titanium, platinum, gold), metal alloy (e.g. stainless steel, spring steel, nickel titanium, etc.), metals deposited over a carrier (e.g. gold-plated stainless steel, gold deposited polyimide, platinum deposited polyester, etc.) or a combination of materials cut, with methods described previously, to define pores, shaft 4 attachment features (e.g. threads, slots, etc.) or other features. The electrode(s) may have a circular, elliptical, rectangular, curved, flattened, or other profile depending on the function of the electrode(s). The electrode(s) may be fabricated from elastic or superelastic materials so they can be deflected upon exposure to an external force (e.g. actuation of the vacuum, manual bending, etc.), or be treated so the electrode(s) is/are malleable so the operator may tailor the electrode(s) to the anatomic structures. Similarly, the shaft 4 , described above, may be treated so it is malleable.
[0036] [0036]FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show another vacuum coagulation probe embodiment used to coagulate soft tissue during minimally invasive access (e.g. thoracoscopic, endoscopic, arthroscopic, laparoscopic, or other approach) into the body cavity. A conventional cannulae, trocar or other portal is used to access the cavity through the skin and underlying tissues.
[0037] The vacuum coagulation probe ( 2 ) embodiment in FIGS. 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 2 d , and 2 e . incorporates a multi-lumen tubing shaft ( 4 ) that contains two lumens ( 6 and 16 ). The first lumen 6 links to pores ( 10 ) created in at least one electrode ( 8 ), as shown in FIG. 2 c . The electrode embodiment in FIGS. 2 a 2 b , 2 c , 2 d , and 2 e preferably consists of a length of sheet or bar material, having a predetermined wall thickness, secured to the multi-lumen shaft tubing along one side of the shaft. The electrode(s) may fit inside notches created in the shaft tubing that houses the electrode(s), adhesively bonded to an opening(s) in the shaft, ultrasonically welded to an opening(s) in the shaft, laser welded, spot welded or secured to the shaft with another process depending on the materials used for the electrode(s) and the shaft. Alternatively, the electrode(s) may be fabricated from a multi-lumen tubing having the desired cross-section and secured to the shaft. For example, the multi-lumen electrode tubing may have the same cross-section profile as the shaft to maintain consistency in the lumen mating apposition. Another configuration involves fabricating the electrode(s) and the shaft from a single length of conductive tubing (e.g. single lumen or multi-lumen), or less conductive tubing deposited or otherwise covered with a metallic coating. In these cases, the shaft region of the probe is covered with an insulative material to isolate the shaft from the electrode(s). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 a , the shaft is preformed into a “S” configuration; alternatively, the shaft may be formed into any desired geometry depending on the access to the target coagulation location.
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 2 a , 2 c , and 9 , lumen 16 defined by the multi-lumen tubing routes a second port 22 at the handle to high velocity fluid injection pores 18 at the distal end of the vacuum coagulation probe 2 to enable separation and/or dissection of connective tissue, fatty deposits, or other tissue that covers target anatomic structures or holds the anatomy together. Injection of fluid through the high velocity fluid injection pores 18 produces high intensity streams ( 68 ) of fluid, as shown in FIG. 9, capable of disrupting certain connective tissues ( 70 ), fatty deposits, and other tissue without damaging vascular tissue ( 72 and 74 ), or other anatomic structures. As such, the vacuum coagulation probe is capable of tunneling through anatomic structures such as the pulmonary veins, the pulmonary artery, the aorta, or other anatomic structure to place the probe at any desired coagulation location and produce a clean surface of tissue for the probe to contact and improve the efficiency of coagulation by removing adventitia or other tissue. The fluid used to dissect and/or separate tissue may consist of saline, CO 2 , air or other medium capable of being forced through the shaft 4 lumen 16 and past the distal end injection pores 18 to create high velocity streams. The injection pores 18 have a diameter between 0.0005″ and 0.040″ and are distributed throughout the distal end of the vacuum coagulation probe (or the sides) to direct the stream of injected high intensity fluid against the tissue to be dissected or separated. The pores may be angled such that the streams ( 68 ) intersect a distance away from the distal end of the probe to focus the dissection and/or tunneling force a specified distance from the distal end of the probe.
[0039] The embodiments described above may be treated so they are malleable and may be deformed into a desired shape, as shown in FIG. 3, required to access the desired coagulation location and/or create the desired lesion length, and shape. An alternative approach, not shown in the Figures, is to incorporate a steering mechanism in the vacuum coagulation probe. The steering mechanism may be used to deflect the entire electrode relative to the shaft and/or a portion of the electrode. At least one pull-wire can be secured to the electrode at the electrode to shaft junction if the electrode is to be deflected as a unit relative to the shaft, or along the electrode up to the distal end of the probe if the electrode is to be deflected. The opposite end of the pull-wire(s) are routed to the handle where it is secured to an actuation knob, not shown, to manually deflect the vacuum coagulation probe into a curve. The curve shape, angle and radius is defined by the distance along or from the electrode(s) at which the pull-wire(s) is/are secured and the stiffness relationship between the shaft and the electrode(s). A guide-coil or other radially restraining component can be housed around the pull-wire(s) in the shaft to specify the stiffness of the shaft and further define the radius of curvature and angle of deflection of the distal region of the probe as the pull-wires are actuated.
[0040] [0040]FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c show the distal section of another vacuum coagulation probe ( 2 ) embodiment. This probe ( 2 ) incorporates at least one electrode ( 8 ), one is shown in FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c , containing vacuum pores ( 10 ) defined as cuts through the at least one electrode ( 8 ). A moveable sheath 24 alters the length of the electrode(s) by insulating a proximal region of the electrode(s) from tissue and covering pores ( 10 ) in the proximal region of the electrode ( 8 ) such that tissue is not forced against the electrode(s) in the isolated region. FIG. 4 a shows the probe ( 2 ) with the distal 15% of the electrode(s) exposed and used to vacuum contact and coagulate tissue. FIG. 4 b shows the probe ( 2 ) with the sheath ( 24 ) retracted such that approximately 40% of the electrode(s) is/are exposed. FIG. 4 c shows the probe ( 2 ) with the sheath further retracted such that approximately 85% of the electrode(s) is/are exposed. The sheath ( 24 ) may be manipulated relative to the electrode(s) at any location to predetermine the length of the tissue to be coagulated into a lesion. The probe ( 2 ) embodiment in FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c further includes convective cooling pores ( 26 ) that may be connected to the vacuum lumen 6 such that actuation of the vacuum source not only causes the tissue to contact the electrode but produces a convective cooling of the tissue surface at the electrode-tissue interface capable of cooling the tissue surface and urging the maximum tissue temperature deeper into the tissue. Alternatively, the convective cooling pores ( 26 ) may be connected to the high velocity fluid injection lumen ( 16 ), or other conduit, such that saline, CO 2 , air, or other medium may be injected through the electrode or adjacent the electrode to actively cool the electrode and/or the tissue surface immediately adjacent the electrode and urge the maximum tissue temperature deeper into tissue. The velocity of the fluid injected, the volume of injected fluid, and the temperature of the medium determines the amount of cooling and the magnitude of the effect upon tissue heating.
[0041] Existing atrial fibrillation coagulation or other soft tissue coagulation treatment applications performed thoracoscopically, endoscopically, arthroscopically, laparoscopically, or with other less invasive approach tend to create incomplete curvilinear lesions because the desired lesion sites are inaccessible, contact to the tissue is poor, and the temperature gradient from the contacted tissue surface to the opposite tissue surface is dramatic; these conditions limit the creation of contiguous, transmural, curvilinear, lesions. This is especially the case when blood is flowing along the opposite tissue surface producing a heat sink that cools that tissue surface further affecting the temperature gradient and limiting the lesion depth. As such, the existing techniques can be inferior and have a higher rate of arrhythmia persistence than the vacuum coagulation probe devices of the invention. In addition, incomplete lesions during atrial fibrillation treatment have been demonstrated to generate substrates for persistent atrial flutter and/or atrial tachycardia. For other applications, the inability to create consistent and complete lesions allows cancerous cells, or other disease substrates to prevail.
[0042] An approach for treating atrial fibrillation with the vacuum coagulation probe ( 2 ) of the invention is shown in FIG. 5. The probe is inserted into the thoracic cavity through ports placed in intercostal spaces, a thoracotomy, a thoracostomy, a median sternotomy, a mini-sternotomy, a xiphoid access port, a lateral subthoracic access site, or other less invasive surgical procedure. The probe ( 2 ) may contain high velocity fluid injection capabilities, as shown in FIGS. 2 c and 9 and described above, to tunnel around or between vessels ( 72 and 74 ) such as the aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins ( 28 ), and/or other anatomic structures by separating and/or dissecting connective tissue ( 70 ), fatty deposits, and/or other tissue without damaging the vasculature ( 72 and 74 ). The probe ( 2 ) may be deflected or deformed into the desired lesion pattern, which in this case is circular or semi-circular passing around the right superior pulmonary vein, the right inferior pulmonary vein, the left inferior pulmonary vein, the left superior pulmonary vein, and terminating at the right superior pulmonary vein. Once placed, the vacuum source is actuated to apply a suction force through the vacuum pores ( 10 ) to urge the epicardium of the left atrium ( 36 ) into intimate contact with the electrode(s) ( 8 ). It should be noted that the vacuum coagulation probe can instead be placed against the endocardium of the atria during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures where the atria are open for valve (mitral, tricuspid, and/or atrioventricular) repair or replacement procedures or beating heart procedures where an introducer into the atrium is obtained through an atrial appendage, the atrial free wall, the ventricle, a pulmonary vein, a vena cava, or other conduit that may be closed upon completion of the coagulation procedure.
[0043] The entire length of the exposed electrode(s) is used to apply suction through the pores ( 10 ) to apply a vacuum force against the epicardium (or endocardium) and urge the tissue into engagement with the electrode(s). An insulative, movable sheath as shown in FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c may be used to alter the length of exposed electrode(s) and the target region of tissue that will be urged into engagement by the suction forces.
[0044] Then radiofrequency (or d.c.) energy is transmitted to the electrode(s) in unipolar or bipolar mode such that the current density is transmitted into tissue adjacent the electrode(s) and ohmic heating causes the tissue adjacent the electrode(s) to heat and conduct the heat further into depths of tissue. Alternatively, the electrode(s) may be fabricated from a resistive element in which radiofrequency (or d.c.) energy applied along the resistive element, between wire connections at opposite ends of the resistive element, heats the element and the intimate tissue to electrode(s) contact enable thermal conduction of the heat into the target soft tissue.
[0045] The transmission of energy in unipolar or bipolar mode causes the soft tissue to heat which conducts further into adjacent soft tissue; alternatively the heating of a resistive element causes the resistive electrode(s) to heat which is then conducted into adjacent, contacted soft tissue. As cardiac cells (and any muscle tissue) is heated above 50° C., irreversible conduction block occurs and the cells become non-viable (Nath, et al. Cellular electrophysiologic effects of hyperthermia, on isolated guinea pig papillary muscle: implications for catheter ablation. Circulation. 1993; 88:1826-1831). As such, a consistent, continuous length of atrial tissue extending from the epicardial surface to the endocardial surface must be heated above 50° C. to treat atrial fibrillation.
[0046] For other applications involving coagulation of soft tissue to shrink collagen rich tissues or prevent shrinking of collagen tissues, heating of the soft tissue must be controlled, which the vacuum coagulation probe embodiments of the invention enable. Published studies evaluating the response of vessels (arteries and veins) to heat have focused on the ability to permanently occlude vessels. Veins have been shown to shrink to a fraction of their baseline diameter, up to and including complete occlusion, at temperatures greater than 70° C. for 16 seconds; the contraction of arteries was significantly less than that of veins but arteries still contracted to approximately one half of their baseline diameter when exposed to 90° C. for 16 seconds (Gorisch et al. Heat-induced contraction of blood vessels. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 2:1-13, 1982; Cragg et al. Endovascular diathermic vessel occlusion. Radiology. 144:303-308, 1982). Gorisch et al explained the observed vessel shrinkage response “as a radial compression of the vessel lumen due to a thermal shrinkage of circumferentially arranged collagen fiber bundles”. These collagen fibrils were observed to denature, thus shrink, in response to heat causing the collagen fibrils to lose the cross-striation patterns and swell into an amorphous mass.
[0047] Embodiments of the invention prevent or limit the heat-induced contraction of such structures as the pulmonary veins by applying a vacuum force capable of maintaining the position (e.g. diameter) of the vessel while heating the soft tissue. As such, the vessel is stented or supported from the external surface as the tissue is heated above the required 50° C. threshold without concern that the vessel may accidentally become stenosed due to the heat-induced contraction.
[0048] Alternatively, the vacuum coagulation probe embodiments direct heat-induced contraction of such structures as tendons, skin or other anatomy in which the therapy is designed to heat thereby denature the collagen and shrink the tissue until the desired shape or effect is achieved. In addition, the vacuum coagulation probe can reposition the soft tissue while heat is applied to the, soft tissue to direct the shrinking and cause the collagen fibrils to reorganize reforming the soft tissue into a desired shape.
[0049] [0049]FIG. 6 shows a posterior view of a heart with a vacuum coagulation probe embodiment placed between the right superior pulmonary vein 28 and the coronary sinus 30 to create a lesion extending from the right superior pulmonary vein to the right inferior pulmonary vein and finally ending at the coronary sinus. FIG. 6 shows this placement intersecting another lesion 40 previously created with the vacuum coagulation probe embodiment and extending from the left superior pulmonary vein to the left inferior pulmonary vein and ending at the coronary sinus. FIG. 6. also shows right atrial lesions created with the vacuum coagulation probe extending from the superior vena cava to the inferior vena cava, and from the inferior vena cava to the tricuspid valve annulus located along the atrial-ventricular groove proximate the coronary sinus orifice. Such lesion patterns described above have been demonstrated to terminate atrial fibrillation provided they are contiguous, transmural, and extend to the barriers (e.g. the branching vessels, atrio-ventricular groove, or other structure that inhibits electrical propagation).
[0050] [0050]FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show an anterior view of a heart and a cut away view with the heart removed having two vacuum coagulation probes 2 advanced between vascular structures to access the posterior region of the left atrium about the pulmonary veins. As FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show, a first vacuum coagulation probe accessing the heart from the anterior surface of the thoracic cavity between the aorta and the superior vena cava, adjacent the right superior pulmonary vein, past the right inferior pulmonary vein, and down to the atria-ventricular groove; the electrode(s) ( 8 ) create a lesion from the atria-ventricular groove along the right pulmonary veins. The second vacuum coagulation probe enters the thoracic cavity and extends around the left ventricle of the heart, passes around the left inferior pulmonary vein, and intersects the first vacuum coagulation probe. The electrode(s) for this probe extend along the left atrium around the left inferior pulmonary vein and terminates at or past the lesion created with the first probe. It should be noted that any pattern of curvilinear, transmural lesions may be created along the epicardial surface or the endocardial surface with the vacuum coagulation probe embodiments of the invention. Other potential lesion patterns capable of treating atrial fibrillation, which the vacuum coagulation probe may replicate, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,279 entitled “Branched structures for supporting multiple electrode elements” and incorporated herein by reference.
[0051] [0051]FIGS. 8 a and 8 b show a side view and a close-up view of the vacuum coagulation probe in FIGS. 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c with the suction actuated to urge the epicardium ( 52 ) (or endocardium) into engagement with the electrode(s) ( 8 ) about the vacuum pores ( 10 ). A contiguous transmural lesion extending from the epicardium ( 52 ) to the endocardium ( 54 ) is created spanning the length of the exposed electrode(s). A sheath ( 24 ) masks a proximal region of electrode(s) and associated vacuum pores to limit the lesion to a desired length. Radiofrequency (or d.c.) energy is transmitted to the electrode(s) and into the contacted tissue. The current density pattern ( 64 ) has the highest values adjacent the edges of the pores ( 10 ) because these edges represent a dramatic transition from a conductive material to an insulative (or less conductive) region producing edge effects that result in high current density profiles. As shown in FIG. 8 b , convective cooling pores ( 26 ) connected through the vacuum lumen ( 6 ) or the injection lumen ( 16 ) can be placed along the lateral sides of the electrode(s) ( 8 ) to utilize suction of air or fluid or injection of cooled saline, CO 2 , air or other media to produce a surface cooling of the epicardium and urge the maximum temperature deeper into the soft tissue. The suction force used to produce intimate contact between the epicardial surface and the electrode(s) helps counteract the effects of endocardial convective cooling caused by blood flowing 58 along the endocardial surface taking heat away and cooling the tissue adjacent the endocardium. The suction force compresses the tissue against the electrode(s) decreasing the depth of tissue ( 60 ) through which thermal conduction must extend. Suction also makes energy delivery more efficient by optimizing tissue contact throughout the length of the electrode(s) such that regions of the electrode(s) not in intimate tissue contact do not hinder energy transmission for those regions that are in intimate contact, as is the case with conventional approaches. The incorporation of convective cooling pores ( 26 ) along the sides of the electrodes further affects the temperature gradient by utilizing a vacuum source or an injection source to flow a fluid medium (air, CO 2 , saline, etc.) along the epicardial surface actively cooling the surface and allowing more energy to be transmitted into the soft tissue which correspondingly heats more tissue and urges the maximum tissue temperature deeper.
[0052] The embodiments of the invention described in this specification can also be used for coagulating other soft tissues such as breast tissue, the liver, the prostate, gastrointestinal tissue, skin, or other soft tissue for the coagulation of cancerous cells; or tendons, or other collagen based soft tissue for the heat induced shrinking or contraction.
[0053] Although the present inventions have been described in terms of the preferred embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-described preferred embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the scope of the present inventions extend to all such modifications and/or additions and that the scope of the present inventions is limited solely by the claims of the invention.
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An embodiment of the invention includes a surgical device for coagulating soft tissue such as atrial tissue in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and atrial tachycardia. The surgical device can include at least one elongate member comprising conductive elements adapted to coagulate soft tissue when radiofrequency or direct current energy is transmitted to the conductive elements. Openings through said conductive elements are routed through lumens in the elongate member to a vacuum source to actively engage the soft tissue surface intended to coagulate into intimate contact with the conductive elements to facilitate the coagulation process and ensure the lesions created are consistent, contiguous, and transmural. The embodiments of the invention can also incorporate cooling openings positioned near the conductive elements and coupled with a vacuum source or an injection source to transport fluid through the cooling openings causing the soft tissue surface to cool thus pushing the maximum temperature deeper into tissue. The embodiments of the invention can also incorporate features to tunnel between anatomic structures or dissect around the desired tissue surface to coagulate thereby enabling less invasive positioning of the soft tissue coagulating device and ensuring reliable and consistent heating of the soft tissue.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application Serial No. PCT/US12/39911, filed on May 30, 2012, which, in turn, claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/491,538, filed on May 31, 2011, the contents of which are relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in their entireties as if fully set forth below.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
U.S. Patent application 61/418,152, filed 30 Nov. 2010 and assigned to the present Applicant, is related to the present application, but priority is not claimed thereto.
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to methods of fabricating high-density arrays of holes in glass, particularly high-density arrays of through-holes, and also particularly high-density arrays of high aspect ratio holes.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
According to US Patent Publication No. 2003/0150839, tapered (conical) holes 120-130 μm in diameter may be made by laser ablation followed by acid etching to remove surface defects and chips. The disclosed process requires an ion-exchange step before laser irradiation. Irradiation conditions beyond laser spot size and fluence are not disclosed.
US Patent Publication 2009/0013724 describes hole formation by laser irradiation and acid etching in glasses of various compositions. Lasers with wavelengths 355 nm and 266 nm were used. The recommended (numerical) beam aperture is NA<0.07 and the focus is disclosed as either within the glass or behind the back surface. Hole profile and placement accuracy are not specifically addressed.
A previously demonstrated process for making such dense arrays of holes in glass is disclosed in U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/418,152 filed Nov. 30, 2010, assigned to the present Applicant. The disclosed method involves glass exposure with a nanosecond laser with pulse frequencies in the from 5 to 50 kHz, in particular in the range of from 10 to 20 kHz. Holes with aspect ratio of up to 20:1 or more in glass of about 500 to 600 micrometer thickness can be formed in 80 to 100 milliseconds. The disclosed method reliably provides high quality holes. What is desirable is a relatively low-cost and reliable process for forming relatively small holes at relatively tight minimum pitch, with good positioning accuracy and reasonably small variation in diameter throughout the depth, with less laser exposure time than 80-100 milliseconds per hole.
According to the present disclosure, a method is provided for fabricating a high-density array of holes in glass at higher speeds than the previously described method. The improved method comprises providing a glass sheet having a front surface and irradiating the glass sheet with a laser beam so as to produce open holes extending into the glass sheet from the front surface of the glass sheet. The beam creates thermally induced residual stress within the glass around the holes—increasingly so as the pulse rate (and to some degree, power) of the beam is increased so as to increase hole drilling speed. After irradiating, the glass sheet is annealed to eliminate or reduce thermal stress caused by the step of irradiating, then the glass sheet is etched to produce the final hole size. Preferably, the glass sheet is also annealed before the step of irradiating, at sufficiently high temperature for a sufficient time to render the glass sheet dimensionally stable during the step of annealing after irradiating.
Variations of the method of the present disclosure are described in the text below and with reference to the figures, described in brief immediately below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure can be best understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:
FIG. 1 is a flow diagram representing basic steps of a presently preferred method of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a laser irradiation apparatus useful in the methods disclosed herein;
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross section of an acid etching apparatus useful in the methods disclosed herein;
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are digital photographs of a comparative example of perspective, front side, and exit side views, respectively, of holes made at higher rates, but not according to the currently disclosed methods; and
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are digital photographs of perspective, front side, and exit side views respectively, of holes made at higher rates and according to the currently disclosed methods, showing significant improvement in hole quality relative to the comparative example of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 ; and
FIG. 10 is a plot of showing typical compaction dynamics for glass.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Using the methods of the present disclosure, holes of 200 μm or less diameter on a minimum pitch of not more than 300 μm, with variation in diameter limited to 10 μm or less, desirably 5 μm or less, and with placement (hole center) positional variation limited to 8 μm or less, desirably 4 μm or less, are formed in a piece of glass, particularly in a thin sheet of glass, desirably less than 0.8 mm thick, preferably in the range of 0.5 to 0.63 mm thick or in the range of 0.2 to 0.4 mm thick. The thinnest or “waist” diameter is not less than 70% of the diameter of the opening at the surface, desirably not less than 80%. This performance level in hole formation was achieved previously by the present inventors and/or their associates using a laser repletion rate of typically about 15 kHz and average power about 1.5 W. What has now further been achieved by means of the methods of the present disclosure is a ten-fold reduction of the exposure time, for example, in 0.63 mm thick EagleXG® glass from Corning, from 90-100 milliseconds to 8-12 milliseconds, while still producing holes having good quality, such as holes meeting the above requirements. In contrast to the prior work, in this new process the laser pulse repetition rate is typically in the range of 80-150 kHz repetition rate; the mean power is typically 7-10 W. The new process works well with thinner glass sheets also, with corresponding reductions in exposure time.
The present inventors found that increasing the laser repetition rate and resulting average power created damage tracks having a different appearance relative to holes formed at lower repetition rates. The holes thus created are surrounded with glass under tension. If such holes are etched normally as in the previously disclosed process, both the damage track and the areas of glass under tension are etched faster than the surrounding glass, resulting in over-etched holes with a generally conical shape, whereas the goal is, generally, to produce quasi-cylindrical holes. FIG. 4 shows a microscopic image of a glass sheet 100 at an angle, looking through the glass sheet 100 at the resulting holes 102 after etching following irradiation with the laser. FIGS. 5 and 6 show top and bottom views of the same holes 102 . As seen in FIG. 5 , the tops of the holes 102 or are not very round, are irregular in both size and shape, and are quite large relative to their pitch, which is 200 micrometers in the example shown. As seen in FIG. 6 , the bottom or exit side of the holes 102 are also irregular in shape, though smaller, and vary both in shape and in position.
Tests have also shown that annealing can relieve the thermally induced stress and its effects on the etching process. When a thermal annealing step is employed following laser irradiation, the resulting etched holes become cylindrical as shown in the digital microscopic image of FIG. 7 , showing a glass sheet 100 at an angle, looking through the glass sheet 100 at the resulting holes 102 after etching following irradiation with the laser. As seen in FIG. 8 , and images of the top surface of the sheet 100 of FIG. 7 , and FIG. 9 , an image of the bottom or back surface of the same sheet 100 , the holes 102 are much rounder (and more regularly positioned) than in FIGS. 4-6 .
The regular positioning shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 was not achieved by post-irradiation annealing alone, however. Post-irradiation annealing also causes glass compaction, which leads to displacement of the holes 102 , such that the spacing and pitch of the hole array is not sufficiently well controlled (not shown). The present inventors have dealt with this problem, and produced the highly regular arrays of FIGS. 8 and 9 , by means of the process flow shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 .
As diagrammed in FIG. 1 , the process optionally but preferably starts with a first glass annealing step 30 before a laser irradiation step 20 . This annealing step 30 before irradiating may be omitted if position and/or pitch control is not critical, but for many applications positional accuracy over a large sheet of glass is key. The annealing 30 before irradiating is preferably for an extended period of time, at least for a time sufficient to compact the glass piece or sheet at issue sufficiently such that a post-laser-irradiation anneal step 32 does not cause any significant amount of further compaction. After poster-irradiation anneal step 32 , an etch step 40 is use perform final shaping and sizing of the holes.
In specific experiments by the inventors, samples of EagleXG® glass were pre-annealed (step 30 ) for 12 hrs, at 700 C (EagleXG® glass typical annealing temperature is 722 C). This somewhat long annealing cycle allows for almost complete compaction of the glass. Typical compaction dynamics for glass is shown in the plot of FIG. 10 , for a given temperature, with compaction on the Y axis and time at temperature on the X axis. Beyond a certain length 1 of annealing time, additional length 2 of heat-treatment time at the same temperature does not lead to significant changes in glass dimensions. Using lower annealing temperatures may require longer time and may be insufficient (when the same temperature is used in post-irradiation anneal step 32 ) to remove laser-induced stress. Higher annealing temperatures result in higher total compaction and potentially in larger over-all hole placement errors.
Laser irradiation step 20 of FIG. 1 may be carried out within an optical system setup such as that shown in FIG. 2 . The irradiating beam is a laser beam 24 desirably having a wavelength in the range of from 300 to 400 nm, desirably with a pulse length of one nanosecond or greater, more desirably in the range of from 5 to 60 nanoseconds. A Nd:KGW (Neodymium doped Potassium-Gadolinium Tungstate) or other Nd-doped laser 22 operated at 355 μm wavelength is one preferred laser type. The laser 22 is preferably operated at frequency in the range of from 80 to 150 kHz, more preferably in the range of from 100 to 120 kHz.
The front surface 102 of a glass sheet 100 is irradiated with a number of pulses commensurate with the depth of hole desired, with the hole being formed in the glass sheet 100 at a rate in the range of 0.60 to 3 micrometers per pulse. For through-holes, the number of pulses should be sufficient for the hole to just reach the back surface 104 of the glass sheet 100 . For glass of from about 0.3 to about 0.6 mm thickness, for example, a desirable range for the number of pulses is from 700 to 1500, more desirably from 900 to 1300.
The glass sheet 100 desirably may placed on a motorized XYZ stage as shown in FIG. 2 , which has the accuracy and the repeatability equal or better than 1 um. The laser beam 24 is desirably focused with a lens 26 or other optical system onto the front surface 102 of the glass 100 . The numerical aperture of the lens 26 or optical system should ideally be more than approximately NA=0.1, desirably with the range of from 0.1 to 0.3. The beam should ideally be focused within plus or minus 100 micrometers of the front surface 102 of the glass sheet 100 .
As an alternative applicable to all variations of the presently disclosed method, beam-shaping may also be used, if desired, as a means to change the hole shape. Elliptical holes have been produce by irradiating with an elliptical beam.
As a further generally applicable alternative, reducing the exposure duration enables making blind holes in addition to the through-holes described above, including both hole types on the same substrate, if desired. Blind holes will develop if, for example, the laser burst duration is reduced from 90 ms to approximately 10-20 ms. The resulting damage is similar with respect to the 7-10 um micro-channel described above, starting at the front surface of the glass and extending to some length inside the glass, which is a function of the ratio between the shortened duration and the full duration. Etching of such a track will produce a blind hole. A combination of through and blind holes of different depths within the same hole array may be created.
As yet another generally applicable alternative, angled holes may be formed. If the laser beam is directed onto the glass sample at an angle, the hole and damage created by the beam and the resulting etched hole will be also oriented at angle to the surface. The configuration of the laser setup may also be designed in such a way that it will allow for making an array which has both holes perpendicular to the glass surface and the angled ones, if desired.
After irradiation in step 20 , the glass sheet 100 is processed in a post-irradiation annealing 32 . This after-irradiating annealing 32 should be of sufficient duration to significantly reduce or eliminate the thermally induced residual stress, caused by the irradiating step 20 , within the glass sheet 100 around the holes. Where the pre-irradiating annealing step 30 is used, the annealing step 32 should be performed at the same temperature, within plus or minus 10% as the annealing step 30 .
After the annealing step 32 , the glass sheet 100 is then etched in an etching step 40 , which is desirably an acid etch. FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of acid etch bench 42 useful in the etching step 40 . In FIG. 3 , the bench 42 includes an outer tub 44 with a sonic energy transmission fluid 46 , such as water, held therein. An acid tub 48 is supported with the fluid 46 , and an acid or acid blend 50 is contained therein. The irradiated and annealed glass sheet 100 is submerged in the acid or acid blend 50 . Sonic energy is applied by energy transducers 52 to the outer tub 44 and is transmitted through the intervening tubs and fluids to the glass sheet 100 during the etching process. The acid used is desirably an acid blend, preferably an HF+HNO 3 solution. One desirable concentration is a 20% HF+10% HNO 3 solution.
The acid etch may be performed rather quickly, such as by a 10-min. etch in the ultrasonic etching bath shown in FIG. 3 . This etch duration results in holes 80-85 um in diameter having good cylindrical shape. Placement accuracy of the etched holes was measured on a 100 mm sample, and the errors were within a 5-8 micrometer limit. Without the second annealing the errors would be on the order of 100 micrometers, when measured over the full extent of the 100 mm sheet.
Although annealing cycles may be relative long, many sheets can be annealed simultaneously in a furnace, making the process highly parallel and preventing it from adding much cost to the total process.
As an additional generally applicable alternative, an acid-resistant film/coating to the glass surfaces may improve the hole shape. This coating may perform several functions: (a) protect the surface from the laser-ablated debris; (b) mitigate mechanical damage to the surface of the glass surrounding the exposed area; (c) prevent glass thinning during etching thus improving the hole aspect ratio. Such coating/film may be removable or it may be left on the glass if it does not prevent or negatively impact further processing or use of the glass.
It is noted that terms like “preferably,” “commonly,” and “typically,” when utilized herein, are not utilized to limit the scope of the claimed invention or to imply that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structure or function of the claimed invention. Rather, these terms are merely intended to identify particular aspects of an embodiment of the present disclosure or to emphasize alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment of the present disclosure.
Having described the subject matter of the present disclosure in detail and by reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. More specifically, although some aspects of the present disclosure are identified herein as preferred or particularly advantageous, it is contemplated that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to these aspects.
It is noted that one or more of the following claims utilize the term “wherein” as a transitional phrase. For the purposes of defining the present invention, it is noted that this term is introduced in the claims as an open-ended transitional phrase that is used to introduce a recitation of a series of characteristics of the structure and should be interpreted in like manner as the more commonly used open-ended preamble term “comprising.”
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A method for fabricating a high-density array of holes in glass comprises providing a glass sheet having a front surface and irradiating the glass sheet with a laser beam so as to produce open holes extending into the glass sheet from the front surface of the glass sheet. The beam creates thermally induced residual stress within the glass around the holes, and after irradiating, the glass sheet is annealed to eliminate or reduce thermal stress caused by the step of irradiating. The glass sheet is then etched to produce the final hole size. Preferably, the glass sheet is also annealed before the step of irradiating, at sufficiently high temperature for a sufficient time to render the glass sheet dimensionally stable during the step of annealing after irradiating.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The application relates to the use and preparation of poly(vinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-co-vinylalcohol (PVA)) as inkjet recording material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Ink jet printers, that is to say, printers which form an image by firing a plurality of discrete drops of ink from one or more nozzles on to the surface of a recording sheet placed adjacent the nozzles, have recently enjoyed a large increase in sales. Such ink jet printers have the advantage that they can reproduce good quality text and images, in both monochrome and full color, can produce both reflection prints and transparencies, and are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and to operate. Accordingly, ink jet printers now dominate the home/small office market, and are often also used to provide color capability not available from the monochrome laser printers typically employed in larger offices.
[0003] Although modern ink jet printers can print on almost any conventional paper or similar medium, and indeed are routinely used with commercial photocopying paper for printing text, the quality of images produced by such printers is greatly affected by the properties of the medium used. To produce high quality images reliably, it is necessary that the medium (ink jet recording sheet) dry rapidly since otherwise the ink is likely to smear when successive sheets are stacked in the output tray of the printer. On the other hand, the medium should not promote excessive spreading of the ink droplet, since such spreading reduces image resolution and may result in color distortion if adjacent ink droplets intermix. The medium also should not promote “wicking”, that is to say, spreading of ink by capillary action through fibrous media, such as paper. The medium must be capable of absorbing the ink without substantial distortion of the medium, since otherwise unsightly “cockling” (formation of ripples and similar folds) may occur, and most observers find such distortions unacceptable. Once the ink has dried, the medium should be such that contact of the image with moist surfaces (such as sweaty fingers) does not result in bleeding of ink from the image. Finally, since the surface characteristics, such as smoothness, glossiness and feel, of the image are largely determined by the same characteristics of the medium, the medium should possess characteristics appropriate to the type of image being printed. When, as is increasingly common, an ink jet printer is used to print a digital image produced by a camera or a scanner, the medium should be smooth and possess the high gloss and smooth feel of conventional silver-halide based photographic printing paper.
[0004] There are two types of ink jet medium, i.e. reflection type displays (prints) and transmission type displays (transparency). Substrate used for prints in general are coated paper or resin coated paper. Substrate used for transparency in general are plastic films, such as cellulose acetate and polyesters. To improve the affinity of the ink with the medium and to improve the image quality and the durability of the prints, water soluble polymers with or without pigments are commonly used. Polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone are among the most common polymers used for the inkjet recording materials.
[0005] Copolymers with vinylpyrrolidone are known. Poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate), a product of copolymerization of vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate was the first commercially successful class of copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone and is currently manufactured in commercial quantities by both ISP Chemical Corporation (ISP) and BASF AG (BASF). Copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone with various other monomers are also known. The best known include dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), methylvinylimidazolium chloride (Polyquaternium 16), methacrylamidopropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (Polyquaternium 28), acrylic acid (AA), alpha-olefins, and styrene. (Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, N-Vinylamide Polymers: 7. Copolymerization, http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/kirk/articles/vinylogi.a02/sect17.html.) However, these copolymers do not have adequate image quality and usually have poor smudge and finger print resistance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention relates to a method of making a polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) copolymer comprising the steps of:
[0007] a) hydrolyzing PVP/polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) copolymer with a mixture comprising water, at least one alcohol and at least one strong base. The present invention also relates to the PVP/PVA copolymer made by the above method.
[0008] The present invention also relates to a method of using PVP/PVA copolymer as inkjet print media comprising the steps of:
[0009] a) hydrolyzing PVP/PVAc copolymer with a mixture comprising water, at least one alcohol and at least one strong base to make a PVP/PVA copolymer;
[0010] b) producing at least one sheet of print media from a composition comprising the hydrolyzed PVP/PVA copolymer;
[0011] c) inkjet printing the at least one sheet of print media.
[0012] The present invention further relates to a PVP/PVA copolymer comprising from about 1 to about 50 weight percent PVP and from about 50 to about 99 weight percent PVA.
[0013] In addition, the present invention relates to inkjet print media comprising at least one layer of a PVP/PVA copolymer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Some of the most common water-soluble polymers for the swellable inkjet media are gelatin, PVA, PVP, and poly(ethyleneoxide), and their mixtures. Blending two or more of these polymers is commonly done, but compatibility problems are frequently encountered. Incompatibility results in poor coating and image quality.
[0015] Out of all these water-soluble polymers, only gelatin and PVA are crosslinkable. Because of this lack of crosslinkability, the polymers have poor waterfastness. Specific disadvantages of PVP can include (but are not limited to): tackiness, poor lightfastness, poor smudge resistance, and poor fingerprint resistance. Specific disadvantages of PVA include (but are not limited to): poor image quality, poor drying, poor coalescence and poor ink absorption rate.
[0016] The applicant has discovered that the copolymer of PVP and PVA prepared from the hydrolysis of a PVP-co-poly(vinylester), preferably PVP-co-poly(vinylacetate), combines the advantages of both polymers but also greatly overcomes the disadvantages of either polymer. It also solves the incompatibility between these two polymers.
[0017] Unlike PVP, the poor smudge resistance and poor water fastness of PVP/PVA copolymers can be improved with crosslinking. Typical crosslinking agents include monoaldehyde (e.g. formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, etc.), dialdehyde (glutaraldehyde, glyoxal, succinic dialdehyde), trimethylol melamine, urea-formaldehyde, blocked aldehyde (e.g. Curesan 200 by BASF), polyacrolein, boric acid and borate (such as borates, methyl borate, boron trifluoride, boric anhydride, pyroborates, peroxoborates and boranes). Other potential crosslinking agents include N-lactam carboxylates, dicarboxylic acids (maleic acid or oxalic acid), di-isocyanates, divinyl sulphate, and inorganic compounds such as germanic acids and germanates, titanium salts and esters, chromates and vanadates, cupric salts and other Group IB salts. The crosslinking agents can be added to the solution of PVP/PVA directly, but sometimes it is preferred to coat the solution of crosslinking agents on the top of PVP/PVA coating to avoid coating defects. Such crosslinking improves the smudge resistance and stackability of the coating. In addition, ink absorption rates and image quality (e.g. coalescence) are improved with the incorporation of PVP into the PVA backbone. The amount of crosslinking agents used is from 0.1% to 5% based on the weight of PVP/PVA copolymers.
[0018] The composition of PVP/PVA copolymer ranges from about 1 to about 50 weight percent PVP and from about 50 to about 99 weight percent PVA, preferably from about 5 to about 30 percent of PVP and from about 70 to about 95 percent of PVA. They can be used for swellable media or porous media. In swellable media, PVP/PVA copolymer can be used by itself or in combination with other water-soluble polymers such as gelatin, PVA, PVP, poly(ethyleneoxide), cationic or acetoacetylated PVA, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyl methyl cellulose, etc. In porous media PVP/PVA can be used as binders for inorganic pigments, like silica and alumina. Non-limiting, specific examples of the inorganic pigments that can be used for the porous inkjet materials include fine particles of silica, aluminosilicate, alumina (in the alpha, theta, gamma, and/or delta-forms), silica boria and magnesium silicate. The inorganic pigment particles can be primary and/or secondary particles, such as colloidal, fumed or precipitated inorganic pigments. The particle size of the inorganic pigments should be less than 1 μm. Preferred inorganic pigments used for inkjet recording materials are fumed silica and boehmite (gamma-alumina. The ratio of PVP/PVA and inorganic pigments should be from about 5 to about 30% by weight. PVP/PVA copolymers can be used in single layer coatings or multilayer coatings.
[0019] The PVP/PVA copolymer of this invention can be prepared by the hydrolysis of polyvinylpyrrolidone-co-polyvinylester (PVP/Polyvinyl ester) copolymers in the presence of strong base, alcohol and water. The polyvinylester used can be selected from the group consisting of vinyl acetate, vinyl pivalate, vinyl propionate, vinyl 2-ethylhexanoate, and vinyl versatate (VeoVa 10 by Resolution Performance Products LLC, formerly Shell Resins and Versatics). In a preferred embodiment, vinyl acetate is used. Examples of the strong base include NaOH, KOH, NH 4 OH, etc. The maximum equivalent of base used for the hydrolysis should be equal to or less than the equivalent of the amount of vinyl ester in the PVP/Polyvinyl ester.
[0020] Examples of alcohols include methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, etc. Methanol is the favorite. PVP/Polyvinyl ester copolymer can be prepared from the free radical polymerization of n-vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl ester, such as vinyl acetate, in the water/alcohol mixture.
[0021] The polymerization can be initiated with a typical water soluble thermal initiators and redox initiators.
[0022] Examples of thermal initiators include persulfate such as sodium, potassium and ammonium persulfate and water soluble azo initiators.
[0023] Examples of the water-soluble azo initiators include 2,2′-Azobis[2-(5-methyl-2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane]dihydrochloride,
[0024] 2,2′-Azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane disulfate dehydrate,
[0025] 2,2′-Azobis[N-(2-carboxyethyl)-2-methylpropionamidine]tetrahydrate,
[0026] 2,2′-Azobis[N-(2-carboxyethyl)-2-methylpropionamidine]tetrahydrate,
[0027] 2,2′-Azobis{2-[1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-imidazolin-2-yl]propane}dihydrochloride,
[0028] 2,2′-Azobis{2-methyl-N-[1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-hydroxyethyxl]propionamide,
[0029] 2,2′-Azobis[2-methyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)propionamide],
[0030] 2,2′-Azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane]dihydrochloride,
[0031] 2,2′-Azobis(2-methylpropionamide)dihydrochloride,
[0032] 2,2′-Azobis[2-(3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-yl)propane]dihydrochloride,
[0033] 2,2′-Azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane],
[0034] 2,2′-Azobis{2-methyl-N-[2-(1-hydroxybuthyl)]propionamide}.
[0035] Examples of redox initiators include persulfate-bisulfite, persulfate-hydrosulfite, persulfate/Iron (II), persulfate-pyrosulfite-thiosulfate with Cu(II), and sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate with cumene hydroperoxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, diisopropylbezene hydroperoxide. The polymerization temperature range from ambient temperature to 60° C. (redox initiators) and from 60 to 90° C. (for thermal initiators).
[0036] Typical procedures for the preparation of PVP/PVA copolymers from the PVP/PVAc copolymers are demonstrated below.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Synthesis of PVP/PVA (70/30) Copolymer (P-1)
[0037] PVP/PVA copolymer was obtained by hydrolyzing PVP/PVAc (E-735) (70% PVP, 30% PVAc). This was accomplished by combining PVP/VAc with NaOH (1:1) in water/alcohol mixture. The specific amounts of the components are given below in Table 1.
TABLE 1 Hydrolysis of PVP/PVAc E-735 (by ISP) wt (g) Eq. (PVAc) PVP/PVAc E-735 (50% 100 0.178 in ethanol) NaOH (30% in water) 23.7 0.178 Deionized water 100
[0038] The initial pH of the PVP/PVAc was 5.18 before the NaOH was added. The initial pH was 13.6 after the NaOH was added.
[0039] The hydrolysis reaction was conducted at 50-65° C. in a beaker equipped with a thermometer and pH meter.
[0040] The reaction time of the hydrolysis was approximately 3 hours. The final pH of the reaction was 8.7. The solution was then neutralized with 5% acetic acid to pH 7.0.
Example 2
Synthesis of PVP/PVA(50/50) Copolymer (P-2)
[0041] PVP/PVA copolymer was obtained by hydrolyzing PVP/PVAc E-535 (50% PVP, 50% PVAc). Reaction conditions were the same as for hydrolysis of E-735 and E-335 in Examples 1 and 2 respectively. Polymer did not precipitate when 30 ml water was added. 47 grams of 30% NaOH was added over 5 minutes. pH dropped from 13.0 fairly fast to 9.5. Remaining NaOH was also added. pH stopped at 12.2. 3 M HCl was added to bring down the pH to 7.2. The solution's color changed from light brown to pale yellowish. The solution was stirred at 65-70° C. to remove ethanol. The specific amounts of the components are given below in Table 2.
TABLE 2 Hydrolysis of PVP/PVAc E-535 (by ISP) wt (g) Eq. (PVAc) PVP/PVAc E-535 (50% 152 0.44 in ethanol) NaOH (30% in water) 59 0.44 Deionized water 30 (after all NaOH added)
Example 3
Synthesis of PVP/PVA (30/70) Copolymer (P-3)
[0042] PVP/PVA copolymer was obtained by hydrolyzing PVP/PVAc E-335 (30% PVP, 70% PVAC). The reaction conditions were the same as for the synthesis of P-1 and P-2. The specific amounts of the components are given below in Table 3. The solution stayed clear when 37 g of water were added to warm E-335 solution in 50% ethanol. 30 grams of 30% NaOH was added first over 5 minutes. pH dropped rapidly from 12.5 to 7.7 after one hour. 6 g more of 30% NaOH was added further. pH dropped much more slowly to 11.0. Reaction was stopped with HCl to pH 7.0. The solution was cooled to room temperature.
TABLE 3 Hydrolysis of PVP/PVAc E-335 (by ISP) wt (g) Eq. (PVAc) PVP/PVAc E-335 (50% 74 0.30 in ethanol) NaOH (30% in water) 36 0.27 Deionized water 37 (added to warm E-335 solution)
Example 4
Polymer Purification
[0043] The polymer solutions obtained from Examples 1 to 3 were dialyzed against distilled water to remove electrolytes and solvents with a cellulose membrane (MW cut-off is 12,000-14,000) for 6 hours. The purified polymers solutions were concentrated to the desired % solid on a hot plate.
Example 5
Evidence of Polymer Conversion
[0044] Polymers prepared in Examples 1-3 and purified in Example 4 were coated on clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. All original (unhydrolyzed) solutions (E-735, E-535, and E-335) gave clear, transparent coatings and were either water-resistant or became hazy with a water dripping test. In contrast, the hydrolyzed (dialyzed) solutions also gave clear transparent coatings but all washed out completely with the water dripping test. This indicated that all vinyl acetate had been successfully converted to vinyl alcohol.
Example 6
Evaluation of PVP/PVA Copolymers as Inkjet Recording Materials
[0045] PVP/PVA of this invention were used as ink absorption materials for inkjet printing. The detailed formulation is described in Table 6A (in parts) and Table 6B (in grams).
[0046] The formulations described in Table 6A and 6B were coated on a coated paper (200 g) with a Mylar rod to give a coat weight of 5 to 7 gram/M 2 . The coating was dried and a diagnostic chart was printed with a HP Deskjet 970 printer. The quality of the printing was evaluated in four categories, i.e., gloss, image quality (IQ), coalescence, and smudge test. A numerical rating was given to each coating (5 being the best and 1 being the worst). The results are shown in Table 6C.
TABLE 6A Ingredients (parts) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 P-1 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P-2 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P-3 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PVP/VA E735 a 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 PVP/VA E535 a 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 PVP K-30 b 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 30 50 0 Celvol 205 c 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 70 50 0 Curesan 200 d 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Boric Acid 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 B34 e 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 PVP/VA E335 a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
[0047] [0047] TABLE 6B Formulation for Inkjet Printing Materials Ingredients Formulation Number (in grams) % Solid 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 P-1 11.4 45.767 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 P-2 9.97 0.000 52.331 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 P-3 9.13 0.000 0.000 45.716 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 PVP/VA 25 0.000 0.000 0.000 31.304 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 E735 a PVP/VA 50 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 15.052 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 E535 a PVP K-30 b 30 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 26.087 0.000 7.828 13.343 0.000 Celvol 205 c 31.4 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 24.924 17.447 12.462 0.000 Curesan 50 0.261 0.261 0.209 0.391 0.391 0.391 0.391 0.391 0.391 0.391 200 d Boric Acid 3 4.348 4.348 3.478 6.522 6.522 6.522 6.522 6.522 6.522 6.522 B34 e 27.8 1.877 1.877 1.501 2.815 2.815 2.815 2.815 2.815 2.815 2.815 PVP/VA 50 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 15.852 E335 a Water 0.00 7.748 1.184 9.095 18.967 34.620 24.185 25.348 24.999 24.766 34.620 % Solid 10 10 8 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
[0048] [0048] TABLE 6C Image Smudge Sample # Gloss Quality (IQ) Coalescence Test Remarks 1 5 4 4 5 Invention 2 5 4 5 5 Invention 3 5 4 5 5 Invention 4 4 2 3 1 Comparison 5 2 4 3 2 Comparison 6 2 2 3 1 Comparison 7 2 1 1 5 Comparison 8 4 4 3 4 Comparison 9 5 4 3 4 Comparison 10 3 1 1 1 Comparison
[0049] The results above show that the PVP-PVA copolymers of this invention give the best results for overall gloss, IQ, coalescence, and smudge resistance in comparison to the PVP/PVAc copolymers, polyvinylalcohol (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, or the blend of PVP and PVA).
[0050] Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification or practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
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The use and preparation of poly(vinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-co-vinylalcohol (PVA)) as inkjet recording material, the method of making PVP/PVA copolymer comprising the steps of: hydrolyzing PVP/polyvinyl acetate (PVAC) copolymer with a mixture comprising water, at least one alcohol and at least one strong base.
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[0001] The invention concerns a method and a device for producing a structured object, especially for structuring a nonplanar surface of an object, as well as the structured object thus produced.
[0002] With increasing storage capacity and local storage density of present-day data carriers, for example, the data carriers used in compact disc or blu-ray disc recording techniques, increased requirements with respect to optical imaging properties are being placed on both the recording process and the playback process. However, this considerably increases requirements on precision, including especially in the production of the optical elements used for recording and playback.
[0003] Optical elements of this type often also comprise microoptical elements that have Fresnel lens structures arranged on the surface of a transparent body.
[0004] In the production of these elements in large production numbers, preferably stamping or pressing methods are used, especially blank pressing methods with high precision.
[0005] Plastics have customarily been used for this purpose, especially polymers that can be structured at relatively moderate temperatures.
[0006] Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,764 A describes a method for press molding a microoptical glass element. In this method, structures are introduced into the planar surface of a glass body.
[0007] DE 10 2006 059 775 describes a tantalum-coated die for pressing optical components that makes it possible to introduce refractive structures, especially in glass bodies.
[0008] However, with the growing requirements on optical precision, especially resolving power, there is a need for optical systems that have Fresnel-lens-like or diffractive structures on nonplanar surfaces as well, for example, on refractive optical components.
[0009] However, since press molds with the high precision required here have generally been produced by lithographic methods, which, however, provide the necessary resolution essentially only in a planar image plane, the production of diffractive structures on nonplanar surfaces was extremely difficult or impossible.
[0010] The objective of the invention is to make available a method and a device for producing a structured object, with which it is also possible to structure a nonplanar surface of an object, so that it is possible, for example, to create optical systems, especially for use at relatively short wavelengths, such as blue light.
[0011] This objective is achieved with a method with the features of claim 1 and with a device with the features of claim 30 .
[0012] With this method and preferably with this device as well, it is possible to produce as structured bodies both dies and optical components directly and with high precision.
[0013] Where optical elements are concerned, this method makes it possible to achieve an edge steepness of the Fresnel structures of greater than 70° relative to the principal plane of the optical element. For many materials, it was even possible to achieve edge steepnesses of almost 90° relative to the principal plane of the optical element, which means it was possible to produce a surface lying almost in the pressing direction.
[0014] Optical systems with optical components produced in accordance with the invention achieve, for example, numeric aperture (NA) values of greater than 0.6.
[0015] The invention comprises a method for producing a structured object and especially for structuring a nonplanar surface of an object, which includes the preparation of a base body, especially one with at least one nonplanar surface; the production of a structure, especially on the one or more nonplanar surfaces of the object; the structuring of a sacrificial layer; and the transfer of the structure of the sacrificial layer to the surface, where the surface is a surface of the base body, especially a nonplanar surface of the base body or a surface of at least one additional body that can be applied to the base body, such that during the transfer of the structure of the sacrificial layer to the surface, the thickness of the sacrificial layer is at least reduced or changed, thereby structuring the surface.
[0016] The above method makes it possible to transfer the structure and especially to transfer the lateral structure and to transfer a similar vertical structure.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the sacrificial layer is completely consumed.
[0018] In general, it is advantageous if the structure is transferred by dry etching, especially reactive ion etching.
[0019] In an alternative or additional refinement of the method, the structure can be transferred by wet-chemical etching, especially directional etching along preferred crystal directions.
[0020] Preferably, the structured body can be a stamping or pressing mold, especially a blank pressing mold, for producing an optical element, especially for producing an optical element that consists of glass or glass ceramic and that preferably has diffractive and/or refractive structures.
[0021] In this method, at least parts of the base body can be structured by grinding, polishing or lapping its surface, and in the process, for example, a base form can be obtained that has a high degree of surface precision with a (mean, maximum) deviation of better than 2 μm relative to the nominal form.
[0022] In this method or, alternatively, with additional production steps, at least parts of the surface of the base body can be formed spherically, aspherically, or freely.
[0023] The base body can consist partly or completely of a material selected from the group comprising ceramic materials and crystalline materials.
[0024] Advantageously, the ceramic materials can comprise tungsten carbides, aluminum carbides, silicon carbides, titanium carbides, aluminum oxides, zirconium oxides, silicon nitrides, aluminum titanates, and/or aluminum sintered materials, and/or mixtures of these materials, especially as sintered materials, including especially powder metallurgy materials.
[0025] The crystalline materials preferably comprise silicon or sapphire.
[0026] In an advantageous further refinement of the method, the base body is coated with an antiadhesive coating.
[0027] In this connection, the antiadhesive coating can consist of a platinum-gold alloy, especially Pt 5 Au, and/or alloys that contain platinum, iridium and rhodium. Furthermore, carbon coatings, preferably DLC (diamond-like carbon), are also suitable as antiadhesive coatings.
[0028] In an especially preferred embodiment, the base body is structured, and then the antiadhesive coating is applied.
[0029] Alternatively or additionally to a preceding structuring of the base body, the antiadhesive coating can be applied and then structured, including especially with the use of a, preferably additional, sacrificial layer.
[0030] Advantageously, the sacrificial layer can comprise metals and/or metallic alloys, especially nickel or a nickel-boron, nickel-phosphorus-boron, or nickel-phosphorus alloy.
[0031] Very high precision, especially with deviations from the desired form of less than 0.5 μm, can be achieved if the sacrificial layer is structured by means of a removal technique, especially by lithography, especially x-ray lithography, laser ablation and/or single crystal diamond machining, especially single crystal diamond turning.
[0032] In an alternative refinement or in addition to a metallic layer or a metallic layer component, the sacrificial layer can also or alternatively comprise a dielectric; in particular, it can comprise a resist, preferably a photoresist, a polymerizable substance, especially a photopolymerizable substance, and/or also a glass or a ceramic produced by a sol-gel process, such as zirconium oxide.
[0033] Advantageously, the sacrificial layer can be structured by an application technique, especially laser polymerization, printing, especially three-dimensional printing, preferably with nanoparticle constituents, especially with nanoparticle metal constituents, plastic constituents and/or ceramic constituents.
[0034] Furthermore, there is the possibility of structuring the sacrificial layer with both deposition and removal techniques in order, for example, to increase the production rate in this way. For example, a thick photoresist can be applied structured with thickness on the order of up to 50 μm, and then the photoresist can be finished in its thickness with a precision of, say, contour errors better than 2 μm by means of single crystal diamond grinding.
[0035] For the highest precision, it is advantageous if the removal rate of the sacrificial layer is greater than or equal to the removal rate of the base body or the additional body, since the structure of the structured body then does not exceed the tolerances of the sacrificial layer. For example, if the removal rate of the sacrificial layer is ten times greater than the removal rate of the base body, then, to be sure, on average, from the thickness only one tenth of the structural depth of the sacrificial layer is transferred into the base body, but the surface errors or deviations are also present in the structured body only to the extent of one tenth.
[0036] If, however, the removal rate of the sacrificial layer is less than the removal rate of the base body or of the additional body, deeper structures can be introduced into the base body, and greater attention must be given to the precision of the surface of the structured sacrificial layer. An alternative that is inexpensive and favorable from the standpoint of production engineering is realized is the additional body is, for example, a film.
[0037] It is advantageous if the additional body is a film of a polymeric material that consists especially of polycarbonate, polyethylene, and/or methyl methacrylate.
[0038] The structured body or especially the structured optical component can comprise Fresnel structures, diffractive optical structures and/or refractive optical structures.
[0039] In a preferred alternative embodiment, the structured body can also contain microfluidic structures.
[0040] The device of the invention for producing a structured body preferably comprises a holding fixture for holding the base body and at least a first and a second device for structuring a surface.
[0041] In this device, it is advantageous if the first contouring or structuring device comprises a grinding spindle, a polishing spindle, a turning machine (single crystal diamond turning machine), a milling machine (single crystal diamond milling machine) and/or a laser structuring device, especially a laser ablation device with an ablating laser and/or with an image setting laser, which is suitable especially for the image setting of photoresists or photopolymers.
[0042] In this device, it is advantageous if the second structuring device, especially for fine structuring, comprises a lithographic structuring device, especially a photolithographic structuring device, a galvanic structuring device, a turning machine for structuring (preferably a single crystal diamond turning machine), a milling machine for structuring (preferably a single crystal diamond milling machine) and/or a stamping device.
[0043] Furthermore, in this device, the holding fixture for holding the base body is suited in an advantageous way for holding the base body during the machining by the first structuring device and by the second structuring device, especially without new mounting of the base body and essentially without changed positioning.
[0044] For increased requirements on precision, it is advantageous if, in a first step, a nonplanar optically active contour is introduced into the base body or additional body, and at the same time at least two alignment marks or alignment areas are positioned in the regions that are not optically active.
[0045] These alignment marks can be realized, especially as reflecting surfaces that are planar, convex or concave. In this way, the position of the optically active contour relative to the alignment areas or marks is clearly established. The position of the optically active contour in the device can thus be exactly adjusted down to the nanometer range.
[0046] Moreover, the optical alignment area or alignment mark can also be positioned within the optically active area and in this way can be helpful, for example, in the centering and, additionally or alternatively, in the axial adjustment of an optical system, or can make this possible for the first time with the necessary precision.
[0047] This means that the alignment area is part of an optical system on the device or machining machine, so that a slight misalignment of a few nanometers already produces a detectable change in the optical performance of the system. In a simple case, the optical system for each alignment area consists of a collimated laser, the reflecting alignment area and a detector unit.
[0048] With this alignment system, it is possible to produce an optically active surface, take it from the machining machine, and then coat it with a sacrificial layer or antiadhesive coating. The coated body can then be placed back in the same or a different piece of machining equipment and be exactly aligned by means of the alignment marks to introduce a fine structure into the sacrificial layer or antiadhesive coating.
[0049] The invention is described in greater detail below on the basis of preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0050] FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a first, but only exemplary, embodiment of an object to be structured, which has an at least regionally nonplanar surface (a convex surface in the present embodiment).
[0051] FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the same first embodiment of an object illustrated in FIG. 1 with a structure introduced in accordance with the invention in the at least regionally nonplanar surface.
[0052] FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the same first embodiment of an object illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a sacrificial layer applied on the at least regionally nonplanar surface.
[0053] FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the same first embodiment of an object illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a sacrificial layer applied on the at least regionally nonplanar surface, into which a structure has been introduced, or a structured sacrificial layer has been deposited.
[0054] FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the same first embodiment of an object illustrated in FIG. 4 , in which the structure that was introduced into the sacrificial layer has been transferred to the object.
[0055] FIG. 6 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the same first embodiment of a structured object illustrated in FIG. 5 , in which an antiadhesive coating has been applied to at least part of the structure that was transferred to the object.
[0056] FIG. 7 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the same first embodiment of a structured object illustrated in FIG. 6 , in which at least part of the antiadhesive coating was structured.
[0057] FIG. 8 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an enlarged segment of the same embodiment of a structured object illustrated in FIG. 7 , in which at least part of the antiadhesive coating was structured.
[0058] FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of an additional body, which can be structured and applied to a base body in accordance with the invention.
[0059] FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the additional body illustrated in FIG. 9 , which has been structured in accordance with the invention.
[0060] FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of an additional body, which can be structured and applied to a base body in accordance with the invention and on which a sacrificial layer has been applied.
[0061] FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment of the additional body illustrated in FIG. 11 , on which the sacrificial layer applied to it has been structured.
[0062] FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment of the additional body illustrated in FIG. 12 , on which the structure of the sacrificial layer applied to it has been transferred to the additional body.
[0063] FIG. 14 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the first, but only exemplary, embodiment of an object to be structured that is illustrated in FIG. 1 , which has a nonplanar surface at least in some regions, on which the structured additional body has been applied.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0064] The detailed description which follows is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which, however, are not true to scale. Specifically, the structure introduced into the object or applied to the object can be very much smaller in relation to the illustrated size of the object than is shown in the various figures.
[0065] For the sake of better understanding, the following definitions are given for some of the terms used in the present description and in the claims.
[0066] In accordance with the present description, a surface that is nonplanar comprises diffractive and/or refractive structures and/or free forms with preferably rotational symmetry or cylindrical symmetry and at least also all of the surfaces and shapes mentioned in DE 10 2004 38 727 A1. Furthermore, this surface can also have a stepped design.
[0067] The transfer of a structure, especially of a sacrificial layer that is arranged on a body, into the body comprises essentially the transfer of the lateral structure and the transfer of a similar vertical structure.
[0068] The structure to be transferred can be designed in the form of steps, which digitally represent only a step that is present and a step that is not present, as the zero or the one in the binary number range.
[0069] Moreover, nonbinary structures with different step heights can also be realized, for example, with two, three, or more than three step heights, in order to approximate, for example, regionally analog structures, such as Fresnel structures. In addition, the structures to be transferred can also have analog thickness or depth, i.e., thickness or depth that varies continuously with location, which also have discontinuities in certain sections, as is the case, for example, in analog Fresnel lenses.
[0070] In addition, the structure to be transferred can also be a certain surface texture. These can be moth-eye structures or surfaces with uniform, exactly determined roughness.
[0071] In this connection, the expression that a structure is similar is intended to mean that the structure in the surface shows essentially the same lateral dimensions other than deviations introduced by the transfer but can have a local depth that differs from the thickness of the sacrificial layer after the transfer, since the removal rate of the sacrificial layer can be different from the removal rate of the body into which the structure is transferred.
[0072] Consequently, as used in the context of the present description and the claims, a depth that is similar to the thickness means that although the surface shape of the sacrificial layer is locally transferred to the surface to be structured, which lies beneath the sacrificial layer, it is not necessarily transferred in its depth true to contour; in this connection, the term “similar” means that the structured surface will be locally deeper where the sacrificial layer is less thick, or where the sacrificial layer was deeper, this can be a depth proportional to the depth of the depression in the sacrificial layer if no saturation effects at all occur; however, even in the case of saturation effects or other effects, this can comprise a nonlinear dependence of the local depth or the local thickness of the sacrificial layer.
[0073] In this connection, deviations introduced by the transfer comprise essentially lateral effects caused by shadow casting, undercutting, or undesired scattering of light on masks or sacrificial layer boundaries.
[0074] For the sake of better understanding and to be able to claim at least parts of the disclosure of DE 10 2004 38 727 A1 in combination with the disclosed content of the present application, the entire content of DE 10 2004 38 727 A1 is also made the object of the present application by reference.
[0075] For the sake of better understanding, including especially better understanding of possible coatings, the entire content of DE 10 2006 059 775 A1 is also made the object of the present application by reference.
[0076] In the following description, reference is made to FIG. 1 , which shows a partial cross-sectional view of a first, but only exemplary, embodiment of an object 1 to be structured, which has an at least regionally nonplanar surface 2 (in the present embodiment, this nonplanar region of the surface is convex).
[0077] On its surface that is to be structured 2 , the base body has a planar region 3 and a nonplanar convex region 4 .
[0078] Both the planar region 3 and the nonplanar convex region 4 or only one of the regions 3 , 4 can be structured in a manner in accordance with the invention.
[0079] Otherwise, the base body 1 can be designed with essentially any desired shapes according to the given application. Thus, at least parts of the surface of the base body can be convexly shaped and in particular can be formed can be formed spherically, aspherically or freely.
[0080] In particular, the body structured according to the method of the invention can be a stamping or pressing mold with high surface precision.
[0081] In an especially preferred embodiment, the structured body is a stamping or pressing mold, especially a blank pressing mold, for producing an optical element, especially for producing an optical element that consists of glass or glass ceramic and that preferably has diffractive and/or refractive structures.
[0082] In this regard, reference is also made to the optical elements mentioned in DE 10 2004 38 727 A1, for which the base body can be used as a blank pressing mold, or which can each be produced by the structure-producing method of the invention.
[0083] In hybrid optical systems, a surface can be structured with the method of the invention, or several surfaces can also provided with their structure with this method.
[0084] In all of the cases mentioned above, the structured optical component can comprise Fresnel structures, diffractive optical structures and/or refractive optical structures.
[0085] In an alternative embodiment, the structured object or body can also comprise microfluidic structures, for example, systems of channels formed in the surface, with which experts in the field of microfluidics are familiar and which therefore do not need to be shown in the drawings.
[0086] Depending on the given application, the base body consists of a crystalline or ceramic material or has constituents that consist of these types of materials.
[0087] In this regard, the ceramic materials can comprise tungsten carbides, aluminum carbides, silicon carbides, titanium carbides, aluminum oxides, zirconium oxides, silicon nitrides, aluminum titanates and/or aluminum sintered materials and/or mixtures of these materials, especially as sintered materials, including especially powder metallurgy materials.
[0088] The crystalline materials preferably comprise silicon or sapphire.
[0089] In a method for producing a structured object, in order also to be able to structure a nonplanar surface of an object, so that it is possible, for example, to create optical systems, especially for use at relatively short wavelengths, such as blue light, at least two shaping surface machining processes are provided.
[0090] In a first surface machining process for shaping an object, the surface of the base body 1 can be machined in such a way, for example, that the base body 1 receives the planar region 3 and the nonplanar region 4 .
[0091] In this first surface machining process, the surface 2 of the base body 1 can be machined over the entire surface or at least parts of the surface by means of grinding, polishing or lapping to obtain the convex bulging of the nonplanar region 4 illustrated in FIG. 1 .
[0092] Depending on the material of the base body 1 to be structured, its surface 2 , if, for example, it consists of glass or a glass ceramic, can also be shaped by stamping or pressing, including especially precision pressing.
[0093] The greatest height of the convex bulge of the nonplanar region produced by the first surface machining process and indicated with x in the drawings is typically greater by a factor of 10 than the magnitudes of the subsequently introduced structures, such as the depth of a step, which is formed, for example, in a second surface machining process.
[0094] In order to explain the structure formed in the second surface machining process, we first refer to FIG. 2 , which shows a partial cross-sectional view of the same first embodiment of an object 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 with the structure introduced in accordance with the invention in the at least regionally nonplanar surface.
[0095] These finer structural magnitudes cannot typically be produced with extremely precise structure-producing methods, for example, lithographic methods, because the three-dimensionality of the convex elevation cannot be exposed with the required precision.
[0096] The base body 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 , especially with the at least regionally nonplanar surface 2 , is subsequently used to produce a structure, especially on the at least one nonplanar surface of the object, as is shown by way of example in FIG. 2 .
[0097] In a first embodiment of the invention, the structuring of a sacrificial layer 5 is used for this purpose, which preferably can be structured more easily and/or precisely than the base body 1 itself, and subsequently the structure of the sacrificial layer is transferred to a surface 2 of the base body 1 .
[0098] In this connection, the surface 2 is a surface of the base body 1 , especially the nonplanar surface in the region 4 of the base body.
[0099] For this purpose, a sacrificial layer 5 is first applied to at least the region 4 of the surface that is subsequently to be structured, which can be carried out in various ways, depending on the material of the sacrificial layer.
[0100] In principle, the sacrificial layer illustrated in FIG. 3 can first be applied to the entire surface and then structured, as mentioned earlier, or the sacrificial layer 5 can be applied already structured.
[0101] In a further refinement, it is also possible to apply more than one sacrificial layer, for example, in order to achieve the required thicknesses of the sacrificial layer 5 , and to this end all of the methods of application described above and below can be combined with one another.
[0102] If the sacrificial layer consists of metals and/or metallic alloys, especially nickel or a nickel-boron, nickel-phosphorus-boron, or nickel-phosphorus alloy, full-surface application of the sacrificial layer with subsequent structuring has proven effective.
[0103] In this case, it is advantageous if the sacrificial layer is structured by a removal process, especially by lithography, especially x-ray lithography, by laser ablation and/or by single crystal diamond machining, especially single crystal diamond turning.
[0104] Metals can often be structured much more precisely and easily than, for example, glasses or ceramics, and in this case, the precision that is possible here can be structurally transferred to the base body 1 by the prestructuring of the sacrificial layer.
[0105] In an alternative embodiment or, in the case of multilayer systems, an additional embodiment, the sacrificial layer comprises a dielectric, especially a resist, preferably a photoresist, which can then be structured by lithographic methods or, for the highest degree of precision, by mechanical methods, for example, single crystal diamond turning.
[0106] In another embodiment, the sacrificial layer consists of a polymerizable substance, especially a photopolymerizable substance, and can be structured by means of an application technique, especially laser polymerization, printing, especially three-dimensional printing.
[0107] A sacrificial layer can also consist of PMMA, which can be applied by spraying or in the furnace by heating preceded by casting.
[0108] In another embodiment, to increase the structural strength of the sacrificial layer, it contains nanoparticle constituents, especially nanoparticle metal constituents, plastic constituents and/or ceramic constituents. To adjust the material properties in a well-defined way, it is also possible to use mixtures with appropriate proportions of the various constituents.
[0109] In yet another embodiment, the sacrificial layer can also comprise a glass or a ceramic, especially one produced by a sol-gel process, such as zirconium oxide. After it has been applied, this dielectric can be structured with high precision by laser ablation.
[0110] After the sacrificial layer 5 has been applied over the entire surface, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , and has been structured or has been applied already structured, an arrangement of the type shown in FIG. 4 is obtained, in which structures of the sacrificial layer are formed, which have a depth or thickness that varies from place to place in a well-defined way.
[0111] In a subsequent machining step, the structure of the sacrificial layer 5 is transferred to the base body 1 , thereby structuring the surface 2 of the base body 1 .
[0112] The transfer of the structure comprises the transfer of the lateral structure and the transfer of a similar vertical structure.
[0113] In a first embodiment, the structure is transferred by dry etching, especially by reactive ion etching, in which the ion beam preferably is directed to strike the sacrificial layer 5 essentially perpendicularly to the surface 2 . In this regard, “essentially perpendicularly” to the surface 2 means the direction of the normal to the planar region 3 .
[0114] Alternatively, the structure is transferred by wet-chemical etching, especially by directed etching along preferred crystal directions of a crystalline base body 1 .
[0115] During the transfer of the structure of the sacrificial layer 5 to the surface 2 , the thickness of the sacrificial layer is at least reduced or changed, thereby structuring the surface 2 of the base body 5 .
[0116] In the process, the sacrificial layer can be completely consumed or it may be consumed only to a certain extent, with the remaining parts serving to shape the surface 2 .
[0117] In an alternative embodiment or in a further modification of the method of the invention, a surface of at least one additional body is structured, which can be applied to the base body and which at first does not have to be applied on the base body.
[0118] To explain this variant of the method of the invention, we refer first to FIG. 9 , which shows a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of an additional body, which can be structured and applied to a base body in accordance with the invention. This additional body can be a film of a polymeric material that consists especially of polycarbonate, polyethylene and/or methyl methacrylate.
[0119] Furthermore, this additional body can also be produced by the structure-producing method described above, which results in a form of the type illustrated in FIG. 10 .
[0120] In the case of a film, structure-producing methods, for example, lithographic methods, can be used with high precision without inadequate depth of definition resulting in inaccuracies, as would be the case with nonplanar objects, and the additional body can be subsequently applied to the surface 2 of the object 1 , so that it becomes possible to transfer the precision of essentially two-dimensional shaping to three-dimensional and thus nonplanar objects.
[0121] In another embodiment, which is illustrated in FIGS. 11 , 12 and 13 , the structuring of an alternative additional body 7 can be carried out by means of a sacrificial layer 8 , which can be applied as described above, so that the arrangement shown in FIG. 11 is obtained.
[0122] If the sacrificial layer is then structured or is applied already structured, the arrangement shown in FIG. 12 is obtained.
[0123] By transferring the structure of the sacrificial layer 8 to the additional body 7 , the structured additional body 7 shown in FIG. 13 is obtained, which can be subsequently applied to the surface 2 , as is shown in FIG. 14 for the state after the structured additional body 7 has been applied.
[0124] The additional body 7 can subsequently be used as a structure-producing element on the surface 2 of the object 1 or can be used again as a sacrificial layer for the object 1 for structuring its surface 2 .
[0125] After the surface 2 of the object 1 has been structured, it is optionally coated with an antiadhesive coating, which for stamping or pressing molds, especially precision pressing molds, is helpful for removal from the mold after the stamping or pressing operation has been carried out.
[0126] This yields the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 6 , which already represents a preferred embodiment for many applications, for example, for stamping and pressing applications.
[0127] The antiadhesive coating consists of a platinum-gold alloy, especially Pt 5 Au, and/or alloys that contain platinum, iridium and rhodium, as well as other materials, such as are described, for example, in the incorporated document DE 10 2004 38 727 A1.
[0128] To obtain especially high contour sharpness, the antiadhesive coating 9 can first be applied and then structured as well.
[0129] This structuring leads to a layered structure, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 .
[0130] In this regard, FIG. 7 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a structured object, in which at least part of the antiadhesive coating was structured, and FIG. 8 shows an enlarged segment of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 .
[0131] The antiadhesive coating is structured especially with the use of a sacrificial layer.
[0132] The invention is not limited to an antiadhesive coating 9 , but rather one or more layers can be applied to the object 1 and structured, and thicker layers or deeper structures can be produced in this way.
[0133] The execution of the method of the invention is not limited to certain types of equipment or machines. However, to achieve especially high precision, it can be advantageous if an especially well-suited device is used for this purpose, which comprises a holding fixture for holding the base body and at least a first and a second device for structuring a surface, especially a surface of the base body 1 .
[0134] To begin with, there is no need to provide drawings of the preferred embodiments of this device in the figures, but the first device for contouring or structuring can comprise a grinding spindle, a polishing spindle, a turning machine and/or a laser structuring device, especially a laser ablation device with an ablating laser and/or with an image setting laser, especially for photoresists.
[0135] To achieve the greatest possible machining precision, the second structuring device has a lithographic structuring device, especially a photolithographic structuring device, a galvanic structuring device, a single crystal diamond turning machine, a single crystal diamond milling machine, and/or a stamping device.
[0136] However, the holding fixture for holding the base body during the machining is well suited for holding the base body during the machining by the first structuring device and by the second structuring device, especially without new mounting of the base body and essentially without changed positioning, in order in this way to prevent the introduction of undesired defects by rechucking of the base body during its machining or at least to prevent additional, time-consuming processing steps.
[0137] Alternatively or additionally, the device described above includes an active optical positioning device.
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The invention relates to a method for the production of a structured object, particularly an optical clement having a structure on an optically effective non-planar surface, preferably for structuring a non-planar surface of an object, and to objects produced according to the method. which comprises providing a base body, particularly having at least one non-planar surface, producing a structure, particularly on the at least one non-planar surface of the object, which comprises structuring a sacrificial layer, transferring the structure from the sacrificial layer onto a surface, wherein the surface is a surface of the base body, particularly a non-planar surface of the base body, or a surface on at least one further body which can be attached to the base body, wherein the thickness of the sacrificial layer can be at least reduced or changed during the transferring of the structure of the sacrificial layer onto the surface, thus structuring the surface.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a pleated pocket device. Particularly, the present invention relates to a pleated pocket device to secure loose items such as a fluid container, cell phone, and other similar items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In the past, individuals that engaged in sports or exercise normally had to forgo drinking water or other fluids because it was not convenient to carry bottles filled with fluids during the exercise. This is even more difficult when the individual has to carry other equipment such as a golf bag, camping equipment, baby carry bags, and the like.
[0003] By way of example, a golfer spends many hours outside, in the open, and often during hot and sunny weather. Although many golfers ride on golf carts, many others prefer to walk, because carts are not allowed on many golf courses, and quite often out of a preference for walking, as endurance is considered by many to be an integral part of the game. Indeed, professional golfers are required to walk the course during tournament play (although a few Senior PGA tournaments allow cart play on extremely hilly courses). However, due to the effort required to carry or roll a golf bag, it is very awkward for a golfer to attempt to carry any type of beverage or sports bottle while transporting the golf bag.
[0004] Golfers often walk many miles during a game (the average distance walked on a round of golf is about 5 miles), carrying their own bag and clubs in a backpack style golf bag (usually called a stand bag or a carry bag). Thus it is essential to the walking golfer to have access to fluids during a game. Most golf bags are not designed or built to accommodate the storage of beverages or fluid containers. Thus, many golfers carry a fanny-pack style drink holder; others carry an over-the-shoulder type of drink holder. These types of drink holders are simply another item to carry, remove and replace during a game.
[0005] Many carry bags over the years have incorporated fluid container holders. Since a carry bag is generally carried horizontally across the golfer's back, the possible locations and configurations of integrated drink holders are limited. Integrated drink holders are generally fabricated with a foam or other covered substrate, resulting in a bulky, rigid extrusion attached to the bag, usually to a pocket, that protrudes rudely from the bag even when not in use. This results in added weight to the bag and thus, additional weight for the golfer to carry. Furthermore, all such drink holders are external, extending outward and creating instability with a large beverage container while walking. Moreover, an elegantly designed high-end golf bag is generally designed to be visually pleasing, and such drink holders can interrupt the contours and lines of a bag and/or pocket design.
[0006] Thus, there is still a need for a holder that may be integrated into clothes or a sports bag, such as a golf bag, in a more streamlined fashion to reduce weight, hold a variety of small, medium, or large items with stability, and provide a visually pleasing uninterrupted surface when not occupied with the item(s).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is an apparatus and method for forming a pleated pocket device having a back panel having at least one pleat, a first section, and a second section wherein the second section is capable of expanding more than the first section, and a front panel connected to the back panel to form a cavity adjacent to the second section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the invention.
[0009] In the drawings:
[0010] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIGS. 1C and 1D illustrate a cross-section of FIG. 1B along axis X-X and Y-Y, respectively.
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates the present invention in use with a fluid container.
[0014] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the present invention in use with articles such as a golf bag and a jacket, respectively.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a method of the present invention.
[0016] FIGS. 6A, 6B , 6 C, and 6 D illustrate an example of the present invention in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Embodiments of the present invention are described herein in the context of a pleated pocket device. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following detailed description of the present invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts.
[0018] In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with application- and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
[0019] The present invention relates to a pleated pocket device to secure loose items such as a fluid container, cell phone, or other similar items. The pleated pocket device may be used as a separate device or may be integrated into an article such as a sports bag to provide for a more streamlined fashion to reduce weight, hold a variety of containers with stability, and provide a visually pleasing uninterrupted surface when not occupied with an item.
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. The pleated pocket device, generally numbered 10 , may have a back panel 100 and a front panel 116 . The back panel 100 may have a first portion 102 , a second portion 104 , and a third portion 106 . As illustrated in FIG. 1A , first portion 102 may have two pleats 108 a and 108 b, but the number of pleats is not meant to be limiting since any number of pleats will work. The pleats 108 a, 108 b are folds of even width made by doubling the material upon itself and stitching 110 a, 110 b the folds in place. The pleats 108 a and 108 b may be stitched 110 a, 110 b down the length of the first portion 102 through a top section 112 of the second portion 104 near the centerline Z. However, the stitch 110 a, 110 b may extend only down the length of first portion 102 .
[0021] Second portion 104 may be attached to the first portion 102 at the top section 112 . The second portion 104 may also be attached to the third portion 106 at a bottom section 114 . The third portion 106 may be circular in shape to simulate the shape of a typical sports bottle bottom. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will now realize that the third portion 106 may be any shape, such as a square, to adapt to any shape of the loose item.
[0022] Second portion 104 may be a trapezoidal shape to allow for expansion in the pleated pocket device. Top section 112 may be longer than bottom section 114 which expands the bottom of the pleated pocket device 10 . The extra length at bottom section 114 further forms the inverted “V” shape of pleats 108 a, 108 b. It was also found that without second portion 104 , the item, such as a fluid container, would not be stable within the pleated pocket device 10 . The container would not touch the bottom of the device 10 , would not be positioned securely within the device 10 , and in fact, would be pushed out of the device 10 .
[0023] FIGS. 1C and 1D illustrate a cross-section of FIG. 1B along axis X-X and Y-Y, respectively. FIG. IC is a cross-section of FIG. 1B along axis X-X illustrating pleats 108 a, 108 b. Pleat 108 b is formed from folding the material at 150 and 152 and rigidly fixed in place with stitches 110 b. Pleat 108 a is formed from folding the material at 154 and 156 and rigidly fixed in place with stitches 110 a. FIG. ID is a cross-section of FIG. 1B along axis Y-Y. Pleats 108 b is formed from folding the material at 150 and 152 . Pleat 108 a is formed from folding the material at 154 and 156 . As described above, pleats 108 a, 108 b from an inverted V shape. Thus, distance d 1 is longer in length than d 2 .
[0024] The device further has a front panel 116 . The front panel 116 has a bottom 120 that may be attached to the back panel 100 at the third portion 106 . Bottom 120 may be rigidly fixed to the outer edges of third portion 106 . The front panel 116 may also have a first side 122 opposite a second side 124 . The first side 122 and second side 124 may be rigidly fixed to the back panel 100 second portion 104 and the bottom end 140 of first portion 102 as illustrated in FIG. 1A . First side 112 may be rigidly fixed to the first and second portion first outer edge 142 and second side 124 may be rigidly fixed to the first and second portion second outer edge 144 . When front panel 116 is rigidly fixed to back panel 100 , a cavity 132 is formed to hold any item, such as a fluid container. Front panel 116 may be rigidly fixed to back panel 100 by stitching, gluing, or any other similar means.
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention. The pleated pocket device, generally numbered 202 , may have a back panel 204 and a front panel 206 , both may be formed form a single sheet of material. The back panel 204 has a top edge 208 and a bottom edge 210 . As illustrated in FIG. 2 , back panel may have two pleats 212 a and 212 b, but the number of pleats is not meant to be limiting since any number of pleats will work. The pleats 212 a, 212 b are folds of even width made by doubling the material upon itself and stitching 214 a, 214 b the folds in place as is further illustrated and described above with reference to FIGS. 1C and 1D . The pleats 212 a, 212 b may be stitched 214 a, 214 b near the centerline Z and down the length of the back panel 204 as far as necessary to securely hold an item in the pleated pocket device 202 .
[0026] Top edge 208 may be longer in length than bottom edge 210 such that the back panel forms a trapezoidal shape. This allows for expansion, in width and depth, of the pleated pocket device 202 near the bottom edge. Moreover, the extra length at bottom section 114 further forms the inverted “V” shape of pleats 212 a, 212 b. It was also found that the items remained positioned securely within the pleated pocket device 202 .
[0027] The back panel 204 may also be attached to a bottom panel 216 at bottom edge 210 . A bottom panel 216 may be circular in shape to simulate the shape of a typical sports bottle bottom. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will now realize that the bottom panel 216 may be any shape, such as a square, to adapt to any shape of the loose item.
[0028] Front panel 206 may be fixedly attached to back panel 204 . Front panel 206 has a bottom 218 that may be rigidly fixed to the outer edges of bottom panel 216 . The front panel 206 may also have a first side 220 opposite a second side 222 . The first side 220 and second side 222 may be rigidly fixed to the back panel 216 as illustrated in FIG. 1A . First side 220 may be rigidly fixed to the first outer edge 224 and second side 222 may be rigidly fixed to the second outer edge 226 . When front panel 206 is rigidly fixed to back panel 202 , a cavity is formed to hold any item, such as a fluid container. Front panel 206 may be rigidly fixed to back panel 204 by stitching, gluing, or any other similar means.
[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates the use of an embodiment of the present invention as an integral part of an article. Pleats 108 a, 108 b form an inverted V shape 138 that allow for the internal expansion, in width and depth, of back panel 100 when a fluid container (shown in phantom) 200 is put into the pleated pocket device 10 . Pleats 108 a, 108 b also provide for less expansion at the top end 134 than at the bottom section 114 to create an envelope or pouch to provide stability while the beverage container 200 is in the pleated pocket device 10 . When an item is not in the pleated pocket device 10 , pleats 108 a, 108 b allow for the device 10 to lay flat or flush against the article.
[0030] Pleated pocket device 10 may be incorporated into articles such as a golf bag accessory 300 (as shown in FIG. 3A ), a jacket 302 (as shown in phantom in FIG. 3B ), a baby stroller, camping equipment, or any other similar articles. Pleated pocket device 10 may be made from any type of material that is sturdy, long lasting, and may be waterproof. The material may also be the same material the article is made of.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 4A , an embodiment of the present invention incorporated into a golf bag accessory. A brief description of the golf bag accessory is provided for an understanding of the present invention. The golf bag accessory 300 may attach onto a typical golf bag through the use of any releasable locking means such as a snaps 302 a, 302 b, 302 n (where n is an integer), Velcro, or stitching. The golf bag accessory 300 may have various pockets that are opened and closed with zippers 304 a, 304 b. As illustrated, the pleated pocket device 10 is formed as an integral part of the golf bag accessory 300 where the pleats 108 a, 108 b are formed from a continuous sheet of material used to form the golf bag accessory. However, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , the pleated pocket device 10 may be formed from a separate sheet of material and fixedly attached to an article.
[0032] In use with a fluid container 200 (shown in phantom), pleats 108 a, 108 b provide for the expansion in width and depth of the pleated pocket device 10 . Additionally, pleats 108 a, 108 b provide for less expansion at the top end 134 than at the bottom end 306 of the pleated pocket device 10 to create an envelope or pouch to provide stability for the fluid container 200 .
[0033] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a method of the present invention. A determination is made as to whether the pleated pocket device is to be integrated and formed as part of an article, such as a sports bag, at 426 . If yes, then the pleats are formed at 406 from the same material as the article. If no, then a determination is made as to whether the pleated pocket device is formed from a single sheet of material at 428 . If yes, then a back panel may be formed from a single sheet of material at 424 . If no, a first portion may be cut from a single sheet of material at 400 . A second portion may also be cut from a single sheet of material at 402 . The second portion may then be attached to first portion at 404 .
[0034] The pleats may then be formed at 406 and stitched in place at 408 . The pleats may be held in place by any other means such as glued, a snap, or any other similar means. Moreover, the pleats may extend through the length of first portion and part of second portion. A third portion may be cut from a single sheet of material at 410 and attached to the second portion at 412 . A front panel may be cut from a single sheet of material at 414 . If the pleated pocket device is attached to an article, such as a sports bag, at 416 , then the first, second, and third portions are attached to the article at 420 and the front panel may be then attached to the first, second, and third portions at 422 . The pleated pocket device may be rigidly fixed directly onto the article or may be rigidly fixed as an integral part of the article. If the pleated pocket device is not attached to an article at 416 , then the front panel may be attached to the first, second, and third portions at 418 .
[0035] Example 1 illustrates the method of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B , 5 C, and 5 D. Example 1 is an illustration with respect to the embodiment described in FIGS. 1A, 1B , 1 C, and 1 D. Example 1 is merely for illustration purposes and is not intended to be limiting. Those of ordinary skill in the art will now realize that various dimensions and ratios may be used to create the pleated pocket device.
EXAMPLE 1
[0036] As shown in FIG. 5A , first portion 102 may be cut from a single sheet of material. First portion may have a height, H 1 of about 12 cm, a length, L 1 of about 6 cm and L 2 of about 9 cm. A second portion 104 may also be cut from a single sheet of material having a trapezoidal shape with H 2 of about 11.5 cm and L 3 of about 21 cm and L 4 of about 22 cm. First portion 102 and second portion 104 are attached together by stitching at 502 .
[0037] Pleat 108 b may be formed by folding the material at line W-W toward centerline Z and stitched 110 b in place as shown in FIG. 5B . Pleat 108 a may be formed by folding the material at line V-V toward centerline Z and stitched 110 a in place as shown in FIG. 5B . As illustrated in FIG. 5B , stitch 110 a and 110 b are stitched into a top portion of second portion 104 . However, stitch 110 a, 110 b need not extend into second portion 104 and may extend only through first portion 102 . Since second portion 104 is formed as a trapezoid with length L 3 greater in length than L 4 , the extra material causes the pleats 108 a, 108 b to form an inverted V shape with a length L 5 of about 1.5 cm. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will now realize that pleats 108 a, 108 b may be parallel to each other if L 3 is equal to L 4 .
[0038] A third portion 106 may be cut from a single sheet of material and stitched 504 to second portion as illustrated in FIG. 5C . Third portion 106 may have a height H 3 of about 12.8 cm and a diameter d of about 10.7 cm.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 5D , front panel 116 may have a height H 4 of about 13.9 cm and a length L 6 of about 12 cm. With reference to FIG. 1A , front panel 116 may then be fixedly attached to the first, second, and third portions as described above.
[0040] While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
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The present invention is an apparatus and method for forming a pleated pocket device having a back panel having at least one pleat, a first section, and a second section wherein the second section is capable of expanding more than the first section, and a front panel connected to the back panel to form a cavity adjacent to the second section.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel bulkhead barrier member which is structurally arranged to be inserted within a tubular housing and expanded radially to engage the tubular housing to separate the housing into sections or chambers that are sealed from one another.
In the past, bulkhead barriers or members have been utilized to separate tubular housings into sections or chambers. One such type of prior art bulkhead barrier includes disc member or members that are welded to the interior surface of the tubular housing to separate and seal the housing into sections or chambers. However, the time and expense in inserting and in welding the disc member or members to the interior housing wall to provide a barrier severely restricts such utilization in mass-produced assemblies, such as airbag detonation assemblies.
Additionally, it has been suggested that a shaft member may be selectively machined from both ends, leaving a wall between the two machined chambers. However, such a chambered housing is expensive and costly to manufacture. Thus, for mass-produced articles, for example, airbag assemblies, such an operation of manufacture is unacceptable.
Also, it has been suggested that a barrier member may be inserted within a tubular housing and the tubular housing is crimped and compressed to seal against the outer radial peripheral edge of the barrier member to separate the housing into sections or chambers. However, such assemblies result in deformation of the housing wall which may weaken the housing and results in inadequate sealing and separation between the chambers. Accordingly, such assemblies have limited acceptance in the marketplace.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel bulkhead barrier assembly which divides and separates a tubular housing into separate chambers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for the placement of a bulkhead barrier within a tubular housing to provide separate chambers within the housing.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel bulkhead barrier member which, when positioned within a tubular housing, is radially expandable to sealingly engage the inner surface of the tubular housing to separate and seal the tubular sections or chambers from one another.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a bulkhead barrier member is comprised of a pair of circular saucer-shaped members each having a planar central portion and an angled outer radial peripheral edge portion extending therearound. The pair of saucer-shaped members are mounted in back-to-back relationship with respect to one another and inserted into the tubular housing or member. The resultant structure provides a yoke-type or V-shaped outer radial peripheral edge configuration with respect to the back-to-back central planar portions. The barrier member is dimensioned to have a diameter of between about 0.001 to 0.005 inches less than the inner diameter of a tubular member. When the barrier member is inserted and predeterminedly located within the tubular member, against an anvil or stop member, compression of the barrier member causes the angled outer radial peripheral edge portions to be compressed towards one another to engage the inner wall surface of the tubular housing. This compression causes the angled edge portions of the barrier member to be compressed and moved to a more planar configuration with respect to the central portion. This compression and movement increases the diameter of the barrier member. This resultant increased diameter causes the radial peripheral edge portions of the barrier member to sealingly engage the inner surface of the tubular member to provide a wall or barrier which separates the chambers within the tubular member and which provides a sealed barrier between the chambers.
The compression member utilized in compressing the peripheral end wing portions of the barrier member against the anvil or stop member may be a hydraulic driven piston member which engages the peripheral edge portions to compress the same against an anvil member during the inward stroke of the piston. The method of inserting the barrier member into the housing and then engaging and compressing the outer radial peripheral edge portion to increase the diameter of the barrier member to provide a seal with the tubular housing is efficient and very cost effective. Also, the method permits the positioning of the barrier member or wall within the tubular housing at any predetermined location within the housing to provide a barrier between different sized chambers.
The resultant sealed section or chamber structure has particular application in airbag assemblies, and, in particular, in the development and utilization of “smart” airbag detonating assemblies. In such assemblies, it is highly desirable to place separate and predetermined amounts of propellants in the respective sealed sections or chambers of the tubular airbag housing or detonator assembly and to maintain a sealed and fixed barrier between the two separate detonating chambers. This permits the airbag to be operable based upon the degree of force or the speed at which a vehicle engages or contacts an object. Also, it is possible to size the detonating capacity of the assembly to correlate to the size of the end user or passenger sitting in front of the airbag assembly. For example, if the passenger is a small child, then it would be desirous to have only a small or partial detonation of the airbag assembly to prevent injury to the young passenger. However, if the passenger is an adult, then one or both of the chambers or the larger chamber of the airbag detonator could be triggered to inflate the airbag. Accordingly, there is an important need to have a detonating assembly where controlled detonation may be achieved which is readily and cheaply manufactured.
Additionally, the present invention has further application in the dividing of any cylinder housing or tubular member into separate sealed compartments or chambers. Thus, any fluids contained within a housing in separate chambers or compartments are sealed from one another. Such fluids can take the form of either liquids or gases. For example, chambers containing acetylene and oxygen gases used in various types of welding or cutting operations benefit from the inexpensive separated and sealed housing chambers provided in accordance with the present invention.
The present invention consists of certain novel features and structural details hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing description and other characteristics, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, having reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the barrier member in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the barrier member in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the insertion of the embodiment of the barrier member shown in FIG. 1 within a tubular housing;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning, the compression and the sealing of the barrier member shown in FIG. 3 within a tubular housing;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the insertion of the embodiment of the barrier member shown in FIG. 2 within a tubular housing;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning in the compression and the sealing of the barrier member shown in FIG. 5 within a tubular housing;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning and retention of the barrier member as shown in FIG. 1 within the housing of a airbag detonating assembly;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the detonating chambers of the airbag assembly containing the propellent therein separated by the embodiment of barrier member shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning and the retention of the barrier member as shown in FIG. 2 within a airbag detonating assembly; and
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the barrier member in accordance with FIG. 9 with the airbag detonating assembly containing propellant.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the several drawings wherein like numerals have been used throughout the several views to designate the same or similar parts, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate embodiments of the novel bulkhead barrier member 10 in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the bulkhead barrier member 10 is comprised of a pair of saucer-shaped members 12 and 13 , respectively. Each of the saucer-shaped members includes a central planar portion 14 and an outer radial peripheral edge or flange portion 15 integral to the planar central portion 14 . As shown in FIG. 1, the angle 16 of the diverging flange portion 15 with respect to the planar central portion 14 may range between an angle of 20 to 30 degrees. However, the preferred angle range is approximately 25 degrees, plus or minus 1 degree.
FIG. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention wherein the bulkhead barrier member 10 is comprised of a central planar portion 14 having a yoke-type or V-shaped outer radial peripheral edge portion 21 extending therearound. As set forth above with respect to the first embodiment, the barrier member 10 is dimensioned to have a diameter of between about 0.001 to 0.005 inches less than the inner diameter of the tubular member.
Also, as in FIG. 2, the angle 16 of the legs of the V-shaped peripheral edge portion with respect to the centerline 24 of the barrier centerline may range between about an angle 16 of 20 to 30 degrees, with a preferred angle range is approximately 25 degrees, plus or minus 1 degree. Also, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the barrier member 10 of FIG. 2 is positioned within the tubular housing 17 at a predetermined location against the anvil member 19 . The compression member 20 engages the barrier member 10 and compresses the V-shaped outer peripheral edge portions 21 towards one another to enlarge the diameter of the barrier member 10 against the interior surface 18 of the tubular housing and to provide a seal and barrier between chambers 22 and 23 . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 - 10 , the compression of the V-shaped peripheral edge portion 21 resulting from the engagement of the compression member with the barrier member causes the barrier member to engage the inner tubular surface 18 of the tubular housing 17 . This seals the barrier member with the tubular member and provides a sealed barrier between the chambers 22 and 23 of the tubular housing. The compression member 20 utilized in compressing the outer peripheral edges or flange portion 15 or the yoke-type or V-shaped outer peripheral edge portion 21 may be a hydraulic driven piston member, as is known in the art.
The barrier member 10 in accordance with the present invention has particular application in providing a barrier wall and seal member between chambers 22 and 23 within a tubular housing 17 , as shown in FIGS. 3-10. In FIGS. 3 and 5, the barrier member 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is inserted within the tubular housing 17 . Also, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, the diameter of the barrier member 10 is less than the interior diameter of the tubular housing 17 . Preferably, the barrier member 10 should be dimensioned to have a diameter of between about 0.001 to 0.005 inches less than the inner diameter of the tubular member or housing into which it is inserted. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the barrier member 10 is inserted within the tubular housing 17 against an anvil or stop member 19 . The anvil or stop member 19 is positioned within the tubular housing 17 at a predetermined location where the chambers 22 and 23 are desired to be separated by the barrier member 10 . A plunger or compression member 20 is structurally arranged to engage the barrier member at the outer peripheral edge or flange portion 15 of the barrier member 10 to compress the flange portion and to cause the peripheral edge or flange portion members 15 of the respective saucer-shaped members 12 and 13 to be compressed and moved towards one another to compress and wedge against the inner surface of the tubular housing. This compression of the edge or flange portion members increases the diameter of the barrier member 10 to provide a seal with the inner surface 17 of the tubular housing because the more planar—like configuration of the barrier member increases the diameter of the barrier to a diameter greater than the inner diameter of the tubular member. As shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 8 , the outer radial peripheral edge portions 15 sealingly engage the inner surface 18 of the tubular housing to provide separated chambers 22 and 23 within the tubular member. The wedging engagement of the barrier member 10 with the inner surface of the housing 17 seals and prevents the flow of fluids between the two chambers and, in the case of “smart” airbag detonators 25 , as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, permits one chamber to ignite without disturbing the adjacent chamber separated and sealed by the bulkhead barrier member.
Thus, the method of positioning the barrier member at a predetermined location within the tubular housing and compressing the same to expand the barrier member to engage the inner surface of the housing provides a barrier between the resultant chambers within the tubular members and permits the rapid manufacture of a segmented tubular housing which is inexpensive and which provides a uniform, consistently sealed and chambered housing. The assembly with the barrier member wedged within the housing in accordance with the present invention has been tested up to 16,000 pounds of pressure with no leakage between the chambers. This pressure resistance greatly exceeds the pressures obtainable during detonation of the airbag assembly. Also, as is Illustrated in the drawings, the placement of the barrier within the tubular housing does not result in deformation of the housing or weakening of the tubular housing.
As shown in FIGS. 7-10, FIGS. 7 and 9 illustrate the position of a barrier member 10 in accordance with the present invention within a tubular housing of the airbag assembly. Two gas storage chambers, 22 and 23 , are provided and separated by the bulkhead member 10 . Each of the gas storage chambers include filter media 27 therearound and exhaust ports 28 which permit the filtered detonation gas to be directed into the airbag. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the chambers 22 and 23 each contain gas generating material 30 which, when detonated, causes the generated gas to pass through the filter media, and exit ports to inflate the airbag (not shown).
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A bulkhead barrier member for separating a tubular member into chamber sections is described. The barrier member has a diameter between about 0.001 to 0.005 inches less than the diameter of the inner surface of the tubular member when positioned within the tubular housing. Upon compression of the barrier member, the barrier member is radially expandable to engage the inner surface of the tubular member to provide a sealed barrier between the chamber sections.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C.§119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61506345 filed Jul. 11, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to receptacles, and more particularly, to a hair iron holder.
[0003] Hair irons, for example, hot irons, crimping irons, or curling irons operate by typically heating an elongated barrel for direct contact with hair. The heated barrel is typically coupled to a clamp where the hair is disposed between the barrel and clamp when heated. The clamp is typically disposed over one side of the barrel leaving the other side of the barrel exposed. When not in use, it may be common for a user to lay the hair iron down on a counter top. An unattended hair iron can easily come into skin contact with a distracted person or a child unaware that the barrel is hot.
[0004] As can be seen, there is a need for an apparatus that can safely detain a hair iron while heated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In one aspect of the present invention, a hair iron holder comprises a barrel; a rounded flange on an open end of the barrel; and a wall mount coupled to the barrel.
[0006] In another aspect of the present invention, a hair iron holder comprises a first barrel and a second barrel coupled in juxtaposition by a mounting flange disposed between the first and second barrel, wherein the first barrel includes an inner diameter greater than an inner diameter of the second barrel; a rounded flange on an open end of the first and second barrels; side walls on the first and second barrels, the side walls including vent holes; and a wall mount coupled to the mounting flange.
[0007] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 shows a front view of a hair iron holder according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 shows a perspective rear view of the hair iron holder of FIG. 1 ; and
[0010] FIG. 3 shows the perspective rear view of the hair iron holder of FIG. 2 with a hair iron hung onto a hook of the hair iron;
[0011] FIG. 4 shows a front perspective view of a hair iron holder according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention; and
[0012] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the hair iron holder of FIG. 4 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claim.
[0014] Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention generally provides an apparatus to hold hair irons while heated that can protect inattentive persons from accidently touching a heated iron. Aspects of the hair iron holder may conduct heat away from the hair iron and dissipate heat into environment.
[0015] Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 , an exemplary embodiment of a hair iron holder 100 is shown. The hair iron holder 100 may hold for example, curling irons, flat irons, or crimping irons. In one exemplary embodiment, a dual barreled hair iron holder 100 is shown. The first barrel 110 may have an inner diameter that is greater than an inner diameter of the second barrel 120 . Thus, in one aspect, the hair iron holder 100 can hold, for example, a flat iron (not shown) in the first barrel 110 and a thinner curling iron (not shown) in a second barrel 120 .
[0016] The first barrel 110 and second barrel 120 may be coupled together in juxtaposition by a mounting flange 135 of a wall mount 130 . The mounting flange 135 may be between the first barrel 110 and second barrel 120 . The wall mount 130 may include an angled brace 138 configured to permit the first barrel 110 and second barrel 120 to project outward and tilted away from its mounting surface. A hook 170 may project outward from the mounting flange 135 . The hook 170 may be configured to carry, for example, a hair iron HI while the hair iron is being used, for quick access of use by the user.
[0017] For sake of illustration, reference to elements in the first barrel 110 will be understood to include like elements in the second barrel 120 . Accordingly, the remaining description will be described in the context of the first barrel 110 .
[0018] In one aspect, the barrel 110 may be configured to dissipate heat from a detained hair iron (not shown) so that a person touching the hair iron holder 100 is protected from burns. The barrel 110 may include a stainless steel body 111 . The body 111 may include a side wall 125 including vent holes 140 . The vent holes 140 maybe arranged in an array 150 . In an exemplary embodiment, the side wall 125 may include an upper section 157 and a lower section 155 where respective arrays 150 a and 150 b are positioned. A bottom floor 160 of the barrel 110 may be opposite an open end 145 . The bottom floor 160 may also include vent holes 140 . When a heated hair iron is inserted into the barrel 110 , the stainless steel body 111 may act as a heat sink drawing heat away from hair iron. As heat is distributed around the barrel 110 , the vent holes 140 may help draw heat out of the barrel 110 and into the surround air.
[0019] In another aspect, the barrel 110 may help protect hair irons from being damaged when detained. For example, the barrel 110 may include a rounded flange 115 on the open end 145 . The rounded flange 115 may be a polished lip projecting outward from the open end 145 . As hair irons are inserted into the barrel 110 , the sides of the irons may engage the smooth lip thus, preventing scratching of the hair irons.
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 , a hair iron holder 200 is shown. The hair iron 200 is similar to the hair iron holder 100 except that instead of being configured for wall mounting, a stand 180 is connected to the barrels 110 and 120 so that the hair iron holder 200 may rest atop a horizontal surface, for example, a countertop. A flange 230 may be connected between the barrels 110 and 120 . A bent portion 235 of the flange may angle away from a flange main portion 240 bridging the stand 180 to the flange main portion. The stand 180 may be attached to the bent portion 235 so that the barrels 110 and 120 project upward at an obtuse angle from a horizontal surface (not shown). In some exemplary embodiments, the stand 180 may be circular so that it may rest planar to the horizontal surface (not shown) it sits stop. During use, a hair iron (not shown) may be inserted at an angle into either of the barrels 110 or 120 maximizing line of sight of the user with entry into the barrel and minimizing contact along a barrel edge.
[0021] It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claim.
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A hair iron holder is configured to provide protection from incidental contact to users while holding a heated iron. A barrel for detaining irons may include a side wall with vent holes to dissipate heat. The holder may also prevent damage to hair irons as they are inserted into the holder. An open end of the barrel may include a rounded flange preventing scratching of irons during insertion.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the heat treatment of cutting tools, in particular, although not necessarily exclusively, the heat treatment of cutting tools such as twist drills having a shank and a cutting portion to which it is desired to impart different hardness.
BACKGROUND ART
Cutting tools such as twist drills, milling tools, reamers, countersinks and the like include a cutting portion, formed with a number of cutting edges, and a shank by which the tool is held, for example in a collet chuck or other holder of for example a lathe, machine drill or hand drill. It is common practice to harden the cutting portion of these tools in order that they can cut efficiently. However, it is undesirable to harden the shanks to the same degree, because a relatively soft shank is required if the chuck or other holder is to grip the tool securely.
These cutting tools are typically manufactured from steel, most usually a high-speed steel. The process by which they are hardened is a heat treatment process, in which blanks for the tools are heated up to a temperature of about 1150-1230° C., at which temperature they are held for a sufficient length of time to ensure that the blank is heated to its core. The blank is then rapidly cooled (i.e. quenched) to effect the change in microstructure that gives the steel its hardness. Hardening of other ferrous and non-ferrous metals can be achieved in a similar manner with suitable heat treatment regimes.
To give the desired differential hardening (fully hardened cutting portion/soft shank), the conventional approach is to use a salt bath for the heat treatment. The cutting portion of the tool is immersed in the liquid salt, which is held at the necessary high temperature. The shank remains clear of the bath and consequently remains at a temperature which is not sufficiently high for any appreciable hardening to occur.
The use of a salt bath in this way can reliably produce tools having the desired hardness characteristic, and is still the most common method of hardening used today. However, the process does have drawbacks, most notably the environmental and safety concerns associated with the toxic, extremely high-temperature molten salts used in the bath, which also give rise to difficult and unpleasant working conditions for the operator of the process.
More recently, it has been proposed to differentially harden cutting tools by treating them in a three-stage vacuum furnace, the tools progressing in a linear fashion through three chambers in the furnace. The tools are loaded in batches into the first chamber which is closed and then evacuated. After a predetermined amount of time, the batch of tools is then moved into the second chamber, which is already under vacuum, and which is held at a high temperature in order to heat the tools to the desired hardening temperature. Having been held in the heated chamber for an appropriate amount of time, the tools are then transferred to the third chamber. Here they are quenched by pumping nitrogen gas into the chamber under high pressure.
To achieve the desired differential cooling, the tools are held within the chambers of the furnace in carriers, in the form of large metal blocks formed with recesses in which the tool shanks are received. The carriers shield the shanks to some degree from the heated interior of the chamber. However, the temperature of the carriers themselves will increase, particularly where the heat treatment regime dictates that the tools must be held in the heating chamber for any significant length of time, possibly resulting in some unwanted hardening of the shanks. This problem can be exacerbated if the carriers are not allowed to cool sufficiently between batches of tools. The rapid cooling by blasting the tools with nitrogen may also lead to undesirable distortion.
Moreover, the furnace must be sealed from its surrounding environment, and within the furnace the three chambers must be separately sealed, in order that the necessary vacuum can be maintained, leading to a relatively complex and expensive design of furnace. It is perhaps for this reason that the salt bath still predominates, despite its drawbacks mentioned above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has as its general aim the provision of heat treatment apparatus and methods for differentially hardening two portions of a cutting tool which offers an economic and reliable alternative to the conventional, and ever less desirable, salt baths.
In one aspect, the invention provides apparatus for heat treating a cutting tool, comprising a furnace within which there is at least one radiant heating element and a tool holder adapted to receive and shield a first portion of the tool from the heating element whilst a second portion of the tool is directly exposed to radiant heat from said element.
In another aspect, the invention provides a heat treatment method for hardening a metal tool, the method comprising directly exposing a first portion of the tool to a source of radiant heat in a furnace to raise the temperature of said first portion to an elevated temperature, and shielding a second portion of the tool from said source of radiant heat to maintain it at a temperature lower than the elevated temperature of said first portion.
The term “tool” used herein is intended to include blanks and semi-finished blanks for tools as well as finished tools themselves.
By exposing the tools directly to a source of radiant heat it has been found possible to accurately control the differential heating of the two portions of the tool.
This control is enhanced when, as is preferred, the radiant heat source is arranged to lie alongside the tools when they are being heated in the furnace. In this case, it may also be arranged that the heat source, i.e. the heating element, does not extend alongside or at most extends only partially alongside the tool holder in which a portion of the tool is shielded. This further exaggerates the differential heating of the two portions of the tool.
Another particularly preferred measure to increase the temperature differential between the two portions of the tools, is to actively cool the tool holder. For instance air, water or some other cooling fluid may be forced through or around the tool holder or some other heat conducting element that is thermally coupled to the tool holder, whereby heat can be drawn away from the holder.
It is of course more economical to treat batches of tools at one time, and for this reason the furnace may be arranged such that a plurality of tools can be simultaneously exposed to the heating element. For instance, a row or two-dimensional array of tools may be held in one or more tool holders adjacent the element. To ensure a more uniform heating of the tools, two heating elements may be arranged, one either side of the tools, for example to lie parallel with a row of tools. This principle can be extended to layouts including two or more rows or arrays of tools extending parallel to one another, these rows or arrays being held in tool holders within corridors defined between opposed heating elements, e.g. three rows of tools held in three parallel corridors defined by four heating elements.
Where the tools are treated in batches, it is particularly preferred that each tool is directly exposed to radiant heat from at least one heating element, without being shielded or partially shielded from that element by any of the other tools of the batch. Typically, with the configuration of heating elements described above, this will mean that the tool holders should be arranged to hold at most two parallel rows of tools. Even then, it is desirable to offset the rows from one another such that the tools are fully exposed to the heating element to one side of the batch and only partially shielded from the element to the other side of the batch.
The furnace preferably also includes means for rapidly cooling the tool or tools subsequent to exposure to the heating element(s). Particularly preferred for this purpose are one or more cooling elements adjacent which a row or array of tools can be disposed in a tool holder, much in the same way as they are held alongside the heating element. The cooling elements, which may for example be cooled themselves by a flow of water or other cooling fluid, absorb heat radiating from the tools to help prevent the atmosphere around the tools increasing significantly in temperature, encouraging rapid cooling of the tools.
Similar to the heating elements, parallel rows of cooling elements may be arranged within the furnace to define one or more corridors for the tools.
Conveniently, the furnace may be divided into a heating zone in which the tools are heated by radiant heat and a separate cooling zone in which the tools are cooled, transport means being provided to take the tools from one zone to the other. A particularly convenient form of furnace that can be adopted for this approach is a rotary hearth furnace, in which the tools are carried by a rotating support or hearth, e.g. in their tool holder, through an annular chamber, which may be sub-divided into different temperature zones.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a part sectioned plan view of a rotary hearth furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a section, on a slightly enlarged scale, along line II—II of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows in cross-section, the heating zone of the furnace of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 shows somewhat schematically, on an enlarged scale the central portion of the heating zone illustrated in FIG. 4;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a tool carrier, on a much enlarged scale, for use in the furnace of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 6 a, 6 b, 7 a and 7 b are plan and end views of alternative heat sink blocks for the tool carrier seen in FIG. 5;
FIGS. 8 a and 8 b show hardness profiles for blanks for a 10 mm diameter “jobber drill” (twist drill) heat treated respectively by a process according to an embodiment of the present invention (FIG. 8 a ) and a molten salt bath process (FIG. 8 b ); and
FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating a modification to the load/unload conveyor arrangement.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, a rotary hearth furnace 2 is shown along with an associated load and unload conveyor system 4 . The furnace is designed for heat treating tool blanks, in this example blanks for twist drills formed from high speed steel (HSS).
The annular interior of the furnace 2 is divided into ten equally sized zones 6 around its circumference. Likewise, the rotary hearth 8 of the furnace 2 is sub-divided into ten equal segments 10 , each segment 10 being adapted for transporting a batch of tool blanks 12 sequentially through the zones 6 of the furnace in a tool carrier 14 as the hearth is indexed through ten corresponding positions.
The furnace is operated at or very near ambient atmospheric pressure. That is to say it is not evacuated. In this preferred embodiment, the furnace atmosphere (i.e. the atmosphere within the furnace) is nitrogen gas. This helps prevent discolouration of the blanks, and possible de-carburisation of the steel which might occur if they were exposed to oxygen at the high temperatures at which the furnace operates (1150-1230° C.).
In use, tools are loaded in batches into the carriers 14 , which then travel along the load conveyor 16 to arrive one at a time at transfer table 18 . From here, the carrier 14 is loaded into the furnace 2 , onto a segment 10 of the hearth 8 in a load/unload zone 20 of the furnace 2 . The hearth is then indexed by the length of one segment 10 , in the anti-clockwise direction as indicated by arrows A in FIG. 1, taking the just loaded carrier 14 a into the first of two pre-heat zones 22 , 24 , and bringing another carrier 14 b from the last of five cooling zones 26 - 30 into the load/unload zone 20 . The carrier 14 b is then extracted from the furnace 2 onto the transfer table 18 , from where it travels along the unload conveyor 34 , which runs parallel with but in the opposite direction to the load conveyor 16 . The now heat treated, hardened tool blanks are then removed for further processing (e.g. flute grinding, etc.).
In subsequent indexing steps, the carrier 14 a and the segment 10 of the hearth on which it sits are taken sequentially through the second pre-heat zone 24 , two high temperature heating zones 36 , 38 and the five cooling zones 26 , to return to the load/unload zone 20 . The pre-heat zones 22 , 24 serve to bring the temperature of the blanks up to about 900° C., prior to their being exposed to the very high temperatures in the heating zones 36 , 38 . This avoids very rapid heating of the blanks 12 , which might lead to undesirable distortion. The time spent in the two heated zones 36 , 38 , in which the tool blanks 12 are elevated to a temperature of about 1200° C., is sufficient to ensure that the blanks 12 are heated through to their cores. The blanks are then rapidly cooled as they enter the first cooling zone 26 , very quickly cooling to a temperature of about 600° C. As they pass through the remaining four cooling zones 27 - 30 , the blanks 12 then cool down to around ambient temperature before being discharged from the furnace 2 .
Insulation ‘bridges’ (not shown)—that is to say insulating members which span the width of the furnace interior, but which do not encroach on the passage of the tool blanks—are located between the second high temperature zone and the first cooling zone and between the cooling zones themselves. It is notable that this arrangement of the zones, with the tool blanks being loaded and unloaded to and from a cool zone, which is separated from the heated zones not only by the insulating bridges, but also by the two pre-heat zones, leads to only very little loss of heat from the furnace to the surrounding environment.
Each time the hearth 8 is indexed, one carrier 14 holding treated tool blanks is unloaded from the load/unload zone 20 , to be replaced with a carrier holding new blanks ready for treatment. In this way, the process can operate continuously in a very efficient manner, with both loading and unloading of the carriers taking place at the same location. Advantageously, the rotary hearth design of furnace 2 also takes up a relatively small amount of floor space, particularly when compared with the known vacuum furnaces.
Turning to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 , the construction of the furnace will now be explained in more detail. As seen best in FIG. 2, which shows a section through one of the heating zones 38 on the right and one of the cooling zones 30 on the left, the hearth 8 of the furnace is mounted for rotation within a housing 40 . An opening (not shown) is formed in the housing 40 adjacent the load/unload zone 20 , through which the tool carriers 14 can be introduced and removed. A pit 42 below the furnace houses a motor (not shown) to drive a rotor 44 to which the hearth 8 is mounted and by which it is driven to move the segments 10 of the hearth 8 step-wise through the zones 6 of the furnace 2 . Any of a variety of indexing mechanisms may be used for this drive, including for example a globoidal cam indexing mechanism. Such a mechanism is particularly preferred because, although it is simple in construction, it can very accurately index the hearth 8 (e.g. within ±1.0 mm).
Mounted on each hearth segment 10 is a base plate 50 of mild steel (MS). These plates 50 are water cooled, water being pumped (e.g. at about 3-4 bar) through channels provided in the plate for this purpose. The coolant is supplied under pressure to each base plate 50 from a common supply via the hub of the hearth 8 , from where the coolant is transferred to the plates 50 through flexible pipework. A fitting at the hub allows for relative rotation between a stationary supply pipe and the pipework rotating with the hearth, whilst maintaining a flow of coolant from one to the other.
The tool carrier 14 , the structure of which is described further below, stands on the base plate 50 , such that it is in thermal communication with the base plate to be cooled by it.
The heating zones 36 , 38 , as well as the pre-heat zones 22 , 24 are enclosed at their sides and top by a thick layer of an insulating material 52 , to help maintain the necessary elevated temperature in these zones. The insulation 52 a across the top of the heated zones 36 , 38 , and the second pre-heat zone 24 is broken to allow an array of heating elements 54 , in this example four side by side in each zone, to protrude through the insulation from above into the interior of the furnace. The elements are preferably electrically conducting elements which rely on resistance heating, allowing their temperature to be accurately and rapidly controlled. Silicon carbide elements have been found to be particularly suitable.
The first pre-heat zone 22 does not contain any heating elements in this example, instead being heated by radiated and/or convected heat from the second pre-heat zone 24 .
The heating elements 54 are equally spaced from one another across the width of the heated zone 38 to define between them three circumferentially extending passages 56 of equal width along which the tool blanks 12 travel as the hearth 8 is indexed. This arrangement, along with the design of the tool carrier 14 (described below) ensures that all of the blanks 12 are uniformly heated by radiant heat from the elements 54 . It is to be noted in particular that, unlike the known vacuum furnace described above, the elements 54 are arranged to be very closely spaced from the tool blanks 12 , allowing very accurate control of the heating of the blanks 12 . Typically, the spacing between an element and an adjacent tool will be about 50 mm or less, although the precise spacing for any particular batch of tools can be selected dependent on the heat treatment regime they require, by adjusting the position of the blanks in their carrier 14 .
Further control is effected by monitoring the temperature in the high temperature heating zones 36 , 38 of the furnace and the second pre-heat zone 24 , for example using standard thermocouples, and controlling the power to the heating elements to maintain the desired temperatures in these zones. In a typical set up, six thermocouples in each of these three zones would be adequate to give the desired control. The three zones are preferably independently controlled. By way of example, typical temperatures in the three controlled zones would be about 1000° C. in the second pre-heat zone 24 , about 1200° C. in the first high temperature heating zone 36 , and about 1230° C. in the second high temperature zone 38 . Actual values may be varied dependent on factors such as the desired heat treatment regime and the material of the tools being treated.
In the cooling zones 26 - 30 , which are not insulated, cooling elements 60 depend downwardly from a roof member 62 in a similar array-like fashion to the heating elements 54 , defining continuations 56 a of the passages 56 defined between those elements 54 . The cooling elements are aluminium blocks, which similarly to the base plates 50 , are formed with channels through which cooling water is pumped, in this example at about 3-4 bar pressure. This arrangement can provide for very rapid, yet controlled cooling of the blanks 12 , which is less harsh than the nitrogen quench of the known furnace, resulting in minimal if any distortion.
As already noted, the blanks are carried through the furnace 2 in tool carriers 14 . Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, each of these carriers has an MS base 70 on which are mounted three MS heat sinks 72 , which are equally spaced across the width of the base and extend for the full length of the base 70 . The spaces between the heat sinks 72 are filled with an insulating refractory material 74 .
As seen in FIG. 5, the heat sinks 72 are each formed from two MS blocks 72 a, 72 b, joined mid-way along the length of the base 70 , which are offset at a small angle to one another so that the line of each heatsink 72 approximates to the curvature of the hearth 8 on which they are carried. The base 70 is similarly shaped. The positions of the heatsinks 72 across the width of the base 70 is such that they coincide with the passages 56 , 56 a defined by the heating and cooling elements 54 , 60 .
In the top surface of each block 72 a, 72 b of the heat sink 72 , there is formed an elongate recess 75 , extending for the full length of the block. Received snugly in this recess is a tool holder 76 , also of MS, in the top surface of which are formed a uniformly spaced series of holes 78 sized to accept the shank ends 80 of the tool blanks 12 to be treated. When received in the holders 76 , the tool blanks protrude upwardly so that their cutting portions lie between the heating elements 54 as they travel through the heating zones 56 , 58 of the furnace 2 . In this way, the cutting portions are exposed to the radiant heat from the elements 54 , whilst the shanks are shielded within the holders, which are themselves disposed below the level of the heating elements (see FIGS. 3 and 4 ).
The tool holders 76 , which are themselves cooled by the water-cooled base plate 50 through the heatsinks 72 , also serve to conduct heat away from the shank 80 when it is in the furnace 2 . This, together with the shielding they provide, ensures that the temperature of the shanks 80 is kept below about 800° C., so they are not hardened to any significant degree.
The division between the soft shank end 80 of the tool blank 12 and the hardened cutting portion 82 can be controlled by the depth of the holes 78 in the tool holder, the deeper the holes the longer the soft shank 80 . The transition between the hardened and soft portions of the blank will not coincide precisely with the depth of the hole, due to the effects of conduction of heat through the blank itself, but it is a matter of simple experimentation to determine the relationship between hole depth and the location of the transition for any particular design of tool.
The degree of hardening will also be influenced significantly by the spacing between the tool blanks 12 and the heating elements 54 in the furnace 2 . This can be controlled by appropriate positioning of the holes 78 in the tool holders 76 . Different diameter tool blanks will also require different hole arrangements to ensure that they are uniformly heated. The tool holders 76 seen in FIG. 5, having two staggered rows of holes 78 in each holder, would be appropriate, for example, for tools having a diameter of about 8-10 mm. For larger diameter tools, a single row of holes, as seen for example in FIGS. 6 a and 6 b would be more appropriate, whereas smaller diameter tools can be packed more tightly (FIGS. 7 a and 7 b ).
Advantageously, this approach to accommodating different size tools means that only the tool holders 76 need be changed for different tool batches. A further advantage is that a great degree of control is given over the hardening process by the variables in the described furnace structure, including the position of the heat sinks, the flow of cooling water, the amount of insulation between the heat sink blocks, and the spacing and depth of the holes in the tool holders, the particular optimum parameters for any form of tool, taking into account also the temperatures and time spent in the furnace, being deducible by experimentation. This in turn means that the furnace operating parameters need not necessarily be altered for different forms of tools, the characteristics of the heat treatment process instead being controlled through an appropriate selection of the heat sinks and holders. This has the great advantage that different forms of tool can follow one another through the furnace without any significant time loss.
FIGS. 8 a and 8 b illustrate the effectiveness of the heat treatment process possible using the furnace described above. Specifically, if one compares the hardness characteristic of two identical tool blanks (in this example blanks for 10 mm diameter HSS twist drills), one treated in a rotary hearth furnace in accordance with the invention (FIG. 8 a ) and the other in a conventional salt bath (FIG. 8 b ), it can be seen that similar hardness of the cutting portions (i.e. “flute length”) is achieved by both processes, whereas the shank of the blank treated in accordance with the present invention is, if anything, softer than that arrived at conventionally. Moreover, tests have shown that this approach produces very consistent final hardness figures, attributable to the re-produceable heating and cooling profiles that can be achieved for each cycle of work.
As will be appreciated, the specific example described above is intended to be illustrative, and many modifications to the apparatus described can be made without departing from the invention. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 9, additional cooling may be provided by cooling fans 90 positioned above the unload conveyor 34 . This figure also illustrates vacuum locks 92 which are provided in this example to stop the ingress of oxygen into the furnace during loading and unloading of the tools. During loading, the tools enter the vacuum lock chamber 92 a at the end of the load conveyor 16 . Doors on either side of the chamber seal the chamber, and the gas within the chamber is pumped down to approximately 1×10 −2 m bar. The chamber is then back-filled with N 2 gas from the furnace. The tools are then loaded into the furnace through the inner chamber door (ie. the one that opens to the furnace load zone). This scheme substantially prevents any oxygen entering the furnace.
Vacuum lock 92 b operates in a similar way when the tools are unloaded from the furnace onto the unload conveyor 34 .
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Apparatus for heat treating a cutting tool comprises a furnace and a tool holder within the furnace adapted to receive therein a first portion of the tool, a second portion of the tool projecting from the tool holder, the second portion of the tool being directly exposed to radiant heat from at least one radiant heating element within the furnace with the first portion of the tool being shielded from the radiant heat.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/837,475 filed Jul. 15, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for fabricating MOS transistor, and more particularly, to a method of defining polysilicon slot before formation of epitaxial layer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of semiconductor fabrication, the use of polysilicon material is diverse. Having a strong resistance for heat, polysilicon materials are commonly used to fabricate gate electrodes for metal-oxide semiconductor transistors. The gate pattern fabricated by polysilicon materials is also used to form self-aligned source/drain regions as polysilicon readily blocks ions from entering the channel region.
As the dimension of semiconductor devices decreases, the fabrication of transistors also improves substantially for fabricating small size and high quality transistors. Conventional approach of fabricating the gate of metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors typically forms a polysilicon layer on a semiconductor substrate and a hard mask on the polysilicon layer before using two photo-etching processes (PEP) to pattern the polysilicon layer and the hard mask into a gate of the transistor. Preferably, the first photo-etching process is conducted to pattern the hard mask and the polysilicon layer into a plurality of rectangular polysilicon gate pattern as the second photo-etching process forms a polysilicon slot in each of the rectangular gate pattern for separating each gate pattern into two gates. Thereafter, elements including spacers are formed on the sidewall of the gate and lightly doped drains and epitaxial layer are formed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent to two sides of the spacer.
However, as the polysilicon slot is preferably formed before the formation of epitaxial layer, the etching ratio involved during the formation of the polysilicon slot typically affects the process thereafter. For instance, if the etching ratio of the second photo-etching process is low, the gate pattern would not be etched through completely to form the polysilicon slot and phenomenon such as polysilicon residue and line end bridge would result, whereas if the etching ratio of the second photo-etching process is high, the hard mask disposed on top of the polysilicon gate pattern would be consumed, which would further induce consumption of the spacer formed on the sidewall of the gate thereafter. As some of the spacer on the sidewall is consumed away, a portion of the gate is exposed and un-wanted epitaxial layer would be formed on the exposed portion of the gate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a method for fabricating a MOS transistor for resolving the aforementioned issue caused by conventional approach.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for fabricating a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a silicon layer on the semiconductor substrate; performing a first photo-etching process on the silicon layer for forming a gate pattern; forming an epitaxial layer in the semiconductor substrate adjacent to two sides of the gate pattern; and performing a second photo-etching process on the gate pattern to form a slot in the gate pattern while using the gate pattern to physically separate the gate pattern into two gates.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor is disclosed. The MOS transistor includes: a semiconductor substrate; a gate disposed on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the gate comprises four sidewalls, and two of the four sidewalls opposite to each other comprise a spacer thereon while the other two sidewalls opposite to each other comprise no spacer; and an epitaxial layer disposed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent to two sides of the spacer.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a method for fabricating a MOS transistor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1-6 , FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a method for fabricating a MOS transistor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , a semiconductor substrate 12 , such as a silicon substrate or a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate is provided. At least an active region 14 is defined on the semiconductor substrate 12 and a plurality of shallow trench isolations (STI) 16 are formed for separating the active region 14 from adjacent regions or devices.
A gate insulating layer (not shown) composed of dielectric material such as oxides or nitrides is deposited on surface of the semiconductor substrate 12 , and a polysilicon layer preferably with a depth of approximately 1000 Angstroms and a hard mask are formed sequentially on the gate insulating layer thereafter. In this embodiment, the hard mask could be selected from a material consisting of SiO 2 , silicon nitride, and SiON, and the polysilicon layer could be composed of undoped polysilicon material or polysilicon with N+ dopants, which are all within the scope of the present invention.
Next, a photo-etching process is performed on the hard mask and the polysilicon layer by first forming a patterned photoresist (not shown) on the hard mask and then using the photoresist as mask to carryout a patterning process. The patterning process preferably removes a portion of the hard mask, the polysilicon layer and the gate insulating layer through a single or multiple etching to form a gate pattern 24 composed of patterned gate insulating layer 18 , patterned polysilicon layer 20 , and patterned hard mask 22 in the active region 14 . The patterned photoresist is removed subsequent to the patterning process.
Next, as shown in FIG. 2 , FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of the gate formed after the first photo-etching process. As shown in the figure, a plurality of rectangular gate patterns 24 are formed on the semiconductor substrate 12 after the aforementioned first photo-etching process, in which each gate pattern 24 is composed of a patterned gate insulating layer 18 , a patterned gate polysilicon layer 20 , and a patterned hard mask 22 .
As shown in FIG. 3 , a first stage spacer formation is conducted by first depositing a silicon oxide layer (not shown) and a silicon nitride layer (not shown) on the semiconductor substrate 12 . An etching back is carried thereafter to remove a portion of the silicon oxide layer and silicon nitride layer to form a first spacer 30 composed of silicon oxide layer 26 and silicon nitride layer 28 on the sidewall of the gate pattern 24 .
Next, a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) process is performed to form a strained silicon in the semiconductor substrate 12 . For instance, a patterned photoresist (not shown) could be formed on the semiconductor substrate, and an etching process is conducted to form two recesses 34 in the semiconductor substrate 12 adjacent to two sides of the gate pattern 24 . A surface clean is carried out thereafter to completely remove native oxides or other impurities from the surface of the recesses 34 . Next, a selective epitaxial growth process is performed to substantially fill the two recesses 34 for forming an epitaxial layer 36 . Preferably, a light ion implantation could be conducted before the formation of the first spacer 30 and the epitaxial layer 36 to implant n-type or p-type dopants into the semiconductor substrate 12 adjacent to two sides of the gate pattern 24 for forming a lightly doped drain 32 , and the material of the epitaxial layer 36 could be selected according to the type of the transistor or demand of the product.
For instance, if the transistor fabricated were to be a PMOS transistor, an epitaxial layer 36 composed of silicon germanium is preferably formed in the recesses 34 to provide a compressive strain to the channel region of the PMOS transistor thereby increasing the hole mobility of the transistor. Conversely, if the transistor fabricated were to be a NMOS transistor, an epitaxial layer composed of silicon carbide (SiC) is preferably formed in the recesses 34 to provide a tensile strain to the channel region of the NMOS transistor for increasing the electron mobility of the transistor.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 , FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the gate pattern after FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the gate according to this embodiment. As shown in the figures, the hard mask 22 disposed on top of the polysilicon layer 20 is removed, and a spacer material layer, such as a silicon oxide layer (not shown) and a silicon nitride layer (not shown) are deposited sequentially on the semiconductor substrate 12 . A photo-etching process is then carried out by first forming a patterned photoresist (not shown) on the polysilicon layer 20 and performing an etching process by using the patterned photoresist as mask to remove the polysilicon layer 20 on top of the shallow trench isolation 16 , such as a part of the two ends and central portion of the polysilicon layer 20 for forming at least a polysilicon slot 38 in the rectangular gate pattern 24 . The polysilicon slot 38 preferably separates the gate pattern 24 into two independent gates 46 . After stripping the patterned photoresist and cleaning off remaining particles from the surface of the semiconductor substrate 12 , an etching back is conducted on the deposited silicon oxide layer (not shown) and silicon nitride layer (not shown) for forming a second spacer 44 composed of silicon oxide layer 40 and silicon nitride layer 42 on the sidewall of the gate 46 .
For simplification purpose, only one gate pattern 24 is revealed in FIG. 5 and other doping regions including lightly doped drain and epitaxial layers are also omitted. As shown in the figure, the polysilicon slot 38 preferably divides the gate pattern 24 into two independent portions, and as part of the silicon oxide layer 40 and silicon nitride layer 42 is removed for forming the polysilicon slot 38 and separating the gate pattern 24 , no spacer is formed on at least two opposite sidewalls of the gate 46 after the separation. In other words, a second spacer 44 composed of silicon oxide layer 40 and silicon nitride layer 42 is formed on two opposite sidewalls of the polysilicon gate 46 , whereas the other two remaining opposite sidewall contain no spacer.
Preferably, the polysilicon slot 38 is formed after the removal of the hard mask to facilitate a rework process conducted afterwards. For instance, a rework is typically carried out during a lithography for forming the polysilicon slot 38 , and as the hard mask 22 is removed from the active region 14 of the semiconductor substrate 12 before rework is carried out, the exposed silicon substrate surface becomes unprotected. Unfortunately, reacting gas such as oxygen used to remove photoresist material during rework typically accumulates native oxides on the surface of the substrate or forms recesses on the substrate. Hence, the present embodiment preferably removes the hard mask 22 from the polysilicon layer 20 and then deposits the aforementioned silicon oxide and silicon nitride layer on the substrate 12 . These deposited silicon oxide and silicon nitride layer could not only be used as material layers for forming the second spacer, but also be used as etching mask for forming the polysilicon slot and protecting the active region.
In addition to forming the polysilicon slot after removing the hard mask, as addressed in the above embodiment, the polysilicon slot 38 could also be formed at any point after the epitaxial layer 36 is formed, which is within the scope of the present invention.
Moreover, the above embodiment of forming the second spacer preferably forms a silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer before the etching back process, and then using one single etching back to simultaneously remove a portion of the silicon oxide layer and silicon nitride layer for forming the second spacer. However, the present invention could also deposit a single silicon oxide layer before the polysilicon slot is formed, and then deposit a silicon nitride layer after the formation of the polysilicon slot to form different MOS transistor structures.
For instance, a silicon oxide layer 40 could be deposited on the semiconductor substrate 12 after removing the hard mask, and after following the aforementioned step for forming the polysilicon slot 38 , a silicon nitride layer 42 is deposited on the substrate 12 , and a portion of the silicon oxide layer 40 and silicon nitride layer 42 are removed through etching back process to form the second spacer 44 . As shown in FIG. 6 , as part of the silicon oxide layer 40 is removed during the formation of the polysilicon slot 38 , the silicon oxide layer 40 of the second spacer 44 would only be disposed on two opposite sidewall of the gate, and as the silicon nitride layer 42 of the second spacer 44 is deposited after the formation of the polysilicon slot 38 , the silicon nitride layer 42 is preferably formed on four sidewalls of the gate 46 .
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a silicon oxide layer 40 could be deposited on the semiconductor substrate 12 after removing the hard mask, and after following the aforementioned approach for forming the polysilicon slot 38 , an etching back is carried out to remove a portion of the silicon oxide layer 40 for forming a second spacer, and then depositing a silicon nitride layer 42 on the substrate 12 , and then performing another etching back to remove part of the silicon nitride layer 42 for forming a third spacer. Despite the fabrication sequence of this embodiment is slightly different from the above approach, the same transistor structure as disclosed in FIG. 6 could be fabricated.
In contrast to the conventional approach of forming polysilicon slot before the epitaxial layer, the present invention uses a first photo-etching process to define a rectangular polysilicon gate pattern, forms an epitaxial layer adjacent to two sides of the gate pattern, and then uses a second photo-etching process to define the polysilicon slot while separating the gate pattern into two gates. As the definition of the polysilicon slot is carried after the formation of the epitaxial layer, issues such as line end bridge of epitaxial layer and growth of epitaxial layer on sidewall of the gate could be prevented substantially.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
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A method for fabricating a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a silicon layer on the semiconductor substrate; performing a first photo-etching process on the silicon layer for forming a gate pattern; forming an epitaxial layer in the semiconductor substrate adjacent to two sides of the gate pattern; and performing a second photo-etching process on the gate pattern to form a slot in the gate pattern while using the gate pattern to physically separate the gate pattern into two gates.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates generally to providing an optical arrangement and more particularly to providing a cost-effective optical filter having target optical properties and a low sheet resistance.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] The selection of target optical properties for a filter will vary significantly, depending upon the intended application. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,206 to Hood et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the present patent document, describes a filter arrangement which may be used for automotive, housing and office windows. The Hood et al. patent states that the arrangement of layers provides color correction, heat reflectivity and infrared reflectivity. In comparison, the desired properties of a coating for a plasma display panel (PDP) may be somewhat different. Published U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0055308 to Lairson et al., which is also assigned to the assignee of the present patent document, describes factors which are considered in the design of an optical filter for a PDP. The identified factors are the degree of neutrality of transmitted color, the level of reflected light, the color shift with changes in the incidence angle of a viewer, and the transmission levels of infrared and electromechanical radiation. Unfortunately, whether designing an optical filter for coating windows or coating a PDP, there are tradeoffs among the different factors. Thus, modifying a filter to increase conditions with respect to one desired property may conflict with maintaining a target level for another property.
[0003] FIG. 1 is one possible arrangement of layers to provide a filter for a plasma display panel, which includes a module or separate glass sheet 10 . The Etalon filter 12 is first formed on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate 14 that is then affixed to the glass sheet by a layer of adhesive 16 . Because a plasma display generates infrared radiation and electromagnetic interference (EMI) that must be controlled in accordance with legislated regulations, the filter layers 12 are designed to reduce infrared and EMI from the display. Etalon filters based on multiple silver layers are used to screen infrared wavelengths and electromagnetic waves. Interference between adjacent silver layers can be tuned to cause resonant transmission in the visible region, while providing desirable screening. The above-referenced patent to Hood et al. describes a suitable sequence of layers.
[0004] FIG. 1 also includes an antireflection (AR) layer stack 18 that was originally formed on a second PET substrate 20 . Antireflection layer stacks are well known in the art. A second adhesive layer 22 secures the PET substrate 20 to the other elements of FIG. 1 .
[0005] While the PDP filter 12 reduces infrared transmission and EMI from the display, the filter must also be cosmetically acceptable and must enable good fidelity in the viewing of displayed images. Thus, the transmissivity of the filter should be high in the visual region of the light spectrum and should be relatively colorless, so as not to change the color rendering of the plasma display. Further, a general expectation exists that displays should be low in reflectance and that the reflected color be bluish to slightly reddish.
[0006] Color can be expressed in a variety of fashions. In the above-cited Hood et al. patent, color is expressed in the CIE La*b*1976 color coordinate system and in particular the ASTM 308-85 method. Using this method, a property is shown by values for a* and b* near 0. Generally, consumers expect that computer displays will appear either neutral or slightly bluish in color. Referring briefly to the La*b* coordinate system shown in FIG. 2 , this generally yields the expectation that reflected a* (i.e., Ra*) lies in the range of −2 to approximately 10, and reflected b* (i.e., Rb*) lies in the range −40 to approximately 2. This expectation is shown by dashed lines 23 .
[0007] Users of large information displays generally expect minimal change in reflected color with changes in the viewing angle. Any color change is distracting when a display is viewed from a close distance, where the color of the display appears to change across the surface. Since plasma display panels are intrinsically large, due to the large number of pixels required for imaging and the large pixel size, the need for reduced color travel with viewing angle is heightened. In particular, it is objectionable if the “red-green” component of color, Ra*, changes substantially with angle. Changes along the other axis, Rb*, are generally less of an issue when the display has large reflected negative Rb* (i.e., strong blue reflected color) at normal incidence.
[0008] As previously noted, different factors regarding the design of PDP filters may conflict. The same is true in the design of a filter for a window. Generally, controlling reflected color competes with EM screening capability. Typical silver etalon filters work to screen infrared rays primarily by reflecting the rays. Infrared radiation is relatively close in wavelength to red and is therefore difficult to effectively control while simultaneously obtaining low reflection in the red region of the spectrum (i.e., 620-700 nm). The problem is particularly acute for plasma displays, where it is desirable to shield from Xe emissions at 820 nm and 880 nm while maintaining high transmissivity in the red region of the spectrum.
[0009] Controlling reflection within the red region of the light spectrum is rendered even more difficult by the need for a low sheet resistance in the PDP filter 12 . Attempts have been made to balance the goals of maximizing red transmission and minimizing sheet resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,530 to Okamura et al. describes an optical filter for plasma displays, where the filter has a sheet resistance of less than 3 ohms/square. Generally, a sheet resistance of less than 1.5 ohms/square is required to meet Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Class B standard, even for PDP sets having the highest luminance efficiencies. A sheet resistance of less than 1.4 ohms/square is preferred. Copper wire mesh PDP EMI filters having a sheet resistance of 0.1 to 0.2 ohms/square are often used to provide Class B compatibility.
[0010] The requirement for lower sheet resistance increases the color problem for etalon EMI filters. The transmission bandwidth of the filter becomes narrower as the conductive layers become thicker, resulting in both an increase in the red reflection and a loss of color bandwidth in transmission.
[0011] There is a conflict between the tendency of Etalon filters to show red reflection at different viewing angles and the generally expected appearance of consumer products. This is known from the design of automotive windshields, where a disagreeable “purple” appearance is produced by reflections of clouds from certain windshields. This objectionable reflection limits the thickness of the conductive layers used in such filters.
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates the difficulty with a four silver layer coating designed for a PDP. The plot 24 shows color as a function of viewing angle from normal incidence to 60 degrees. The four silver layer coating may have an acceptable sheet resistance and may have a total silver thickness of 45 nm to provide an acceptable color appearance at normal incidence. However, as the illustration shows, when the coating is viewed at 60 degrees, the reflected light is strongly red, with Ra* of approximately 30. In addition, there is a large color shift with incidence angle, which creates an apparent color difference across the screen for a large screen viewed at a close distance. Thus, despite the suitability of the coating for some Class B EMI applications, this coating may be considered cosmetically unacceptable.
[0013] The above-cited reference to Lairson et al. describes a filter arrangement having a number of advantages over prior techniques. The filter arrangement includes at least five metallic layers, such as silver or silver alloy layers, that are spaced apart by dielectric layers. There may be five metallic layers and six dielectric layers. The reference states that the dielectric layers may be indium oxide or a combination of indium oxide and titanium oxide.
[0014] While prior art approaches to providing optical filter arrangements show continuing advancements in achieving target levels with respect to desired properties, further advancements are sought. In the ideal, such advancements can be achieved while simultaneously reducing the cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an optical filter is provided by forming a layer stack on a substrate such that the layer stack includes metallic layers and dielectric layers, with at least one dielectric layer being defined by more than one zinc-based film. In this embodiment, the zinc-based films have different percentages of zinc and the selections of the percentages are based upon different factors. In another embodiment of the invention, an optical filter is formed of a number of layers on a transparent substrate, with at least one layer having a zinc-based film in which the percentage of zinc is intentionally less than one hundred percent and greater than eighty percent. As used herein, the term “layer” is defined as one or more films that exhibit desired properties, such as achieving a particular refractive index. A “dielectric layer” within the “alternating pattern” of metallic and dielectric layers is defined herein as a layer having an index of refraction greater than 1.0. With respect to the zinc-based films, the refractive index is preferably the highest possible index obtainable with a Zn-based material.
[0016] The use of zinc-based films to form a dielectric layer provides a significant reduction in cost as compared to the formation of indium-based dielectric layers. Additionally, the tailoring of the percentages of zinc within the different zinc-based films that form a layer achieves performance advantages. One surprising result of forming the dielectric layer or layers in accordance with the first embodiment is that there is a smaller change in color as a function of viewing angle, as compared to above-cited approaches. Another surprising result is that the sheet resistance is lowered. For example, a sheet resistance of 1.25 ohms/square has been achieved. In the formation of a dielectric film, the first deposited zinc-based film has a percentage of zinc that is selected on the basis of factors that include process stabilization. The preferred range of this layer is twenty-five percent to seventy-five percent, but it is even more preferably approximately fifty percent (plus or minus five percent). The selection of the percentage of zinc in the subsequently formed zinc-based film is based upon factors that include establishing target properties of a seeding layer for the subsequently formed metallic layer. This second percentage of zinc is intentionally greater than the first percentage. The second percentage is in the range of eighty percent to one hundred percent, and is preferably approximately ninety percent.
[0017] The zinc-based films may be zinc tin (ZnSn), but other materials may be selected. The zinc and tin may be sputter deposited. In the sputter depositing embodiment, the terms “percent” and “percentage” are defined herein as referring to composition of the target material. To ensure that the layer is a dielectric layer, the fabrication enables oxidation. Thus, in the ZnSn embodiment, ZnO and SnO 2 are formed. However, one or both of the zinc-based films of each dielectric layer may be an alternative to ZnSn. For example, the first deposited zinc-based film may be ZnSn because of its stability in process, while the second zinc-based film may be Zn/aluminum because of its superiority as a seed layer for silver and silver alloys.
[0018] As a further enhancement, the dielectric layer may be formed of an initial film that is indium-based, such as InO x . This initial film may be used in order to protect the previously formed metallic layer. By forming the indium-based film with a flow of high content hydrogen, an underlying silver layer is protected from oxidizing and the process is stable.
[0019] Thus, the first embodiment of the invention is one in which the dielectric layers are “hybrid layers” formed by two or more films having chemical properties selected on the basis of the positions of the films within the hybrid dielectric layer. In the second embodiment of the invention, the film of interest is a zinc-based film, such as ZnSn, with a zinc percentage within the range between eighty percent and one hundred percent. Such a film is particularly suitable for a seeding layer for silver, where the sheet resistance is significant to the final product.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a side view of a filter arrangement to which the present invention may be applied.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a plot of color as a function of viewing angle for a layer stack having four silver layers in accordance with the prior art.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a side view of a succession of layers formed in accordance with one possible embodiment of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a side view of a portion of the layers of FIG. 3 , showing one multi-film dielectric layer and one metallic layer.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a representation of one possible embodiment of the process for providing the succession of layers on the substrate shown in FIG. 3 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] With reference to FIG. 3 , an alternating pattern of layers is formed on a flexible polymeric substrate 100 . The polymeric substrate may be PET having a thickness of twenty-five to one hundred microns. While not shown in FIG. 3 , the side of the substrate opposite to the alternating pattern may include a layer of adhesive and a release strip. The release strip is easily removed from the adhesive, allowing the adhesive layer to be used to couple a substrate and its layers to a member for which filtering is desired. For example, the filtering arrangement may be adhered to a plasma display panel or to a window. In another embodiment, the alternating pattern is formed directly on the member for which filtering is desired. For example, it may be necessary to pass the panel through a sputter chamber for depositing the materials which form the layers.
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates the preferred embodiment in which there are five dielectric layers 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 and four metal layers 106 , 107 , 108 and 109 . In the preferred embodiment, the metal layers are silver or silver alloy layers. The silver alloy layers may be formed by first sputtering silver and then sputtering a thin titanium cap layer that is subsequently subjected to annealing and oxidation. It has been shown that by annealing the metal layer, the sheet resistance of the layer may be reduced to 0.8 ohms/square. Acceptable silver alloys include AgAu and AgPd. Particularly when coating glass, the addition of a small percentage of Pd is known.
[0027] Each dielectric layer 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 is a “hybrid layer.” In the illustrated embodiment, the first dielectric layer 101 is formed of three films 110 , 112 and 114 . This first dielectric layer is also shown in FIG. 4 , in combination with its metal layer 106 . Similarly, each of the second, third, fourth and fifth dielectric layers 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 is formed of three films 116 , 118 and 120 . The films and layers are not shown in scale. The metal layers 106 , 107 , 108 and 109 may have a thickness in the range of 5 nm to 15 nm, but other possibilities are considered. The total thickness of the three films that form a dielectric layer may be in the range of 50 nm to 100 nm, but alternatives are possible.
[0028] The dielectric layers 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 are formed of the different oxidized films, 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 , 118 and 120 so that the different portions of the dielectric layer may be tailored to achieve different properties. The film closest to the substrate 100 is InO x that is formed with a flow of high hydrogen content in order to protect the underlying layer. This is particularly useful for the upper dielectric layers 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 , because it will provide protection against oxidation of the underlying silver layer 106 , 107 , 108 and 109 . Moreover, the formation of the indium-based layer is stable in sputter deposition. In a preferred embodiment, the layers and films are sputter deposited. However, the first dielectric layer 101 may also be deposited without InO x to reduce cost, and preferably is deposited with Zn-based alloys instead of the InO x , as the requirement to protect an underlying Ag layer is not present. Film 114 , as with the first three films 120 , should be selected for optimum nucleation conditions for the Ag layer.
[0029] While the indium-based film 110 and 116 provides advantages, such films are relatively expensive. Thus, the second film 112 and 118 of each dielectric layer 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 is zinc-based. In the illustrated embodiment, the layers are ZnSn. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the percentage of zinc as being fifty percent. This is the preferred embodiment, but the range may be twenty-five percent to seventy-five percent. The target factors for selecting the percentage include cost and process stabilization. The third film 114 and 120 has a higher zinc content by weight. FIG. 3 again shows the film as being ZnSn. However, the factors for selecting the film include cost relative to the indium-based film 110 and 116 and quality as a seed layer for the subsequently formed metal layers 106 , 107 , 108 and 109 . In addition to ZnSn, the zinc-based film may be formed of zinc and aluminum, since such a layer would provide a seed layer for the silver. The percentage of zinc shown in the illustrated embodiment is ninety percent by weight, but the percentage may vary within the range of eighty percent to slightly less than one hundred percent. This is also true for ZnAl films.
[0030] One possible process for forming the optical filter of FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . However, persons skilled in the art will recognize that other configurations are available without diverging from the invention. For example, fewer cathodes may be used. In FIG. 5 , a web of the flexible substrate 100 may be moved around drums 122 and 124 by clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of a pair of rolls 126 and 128 . The roll 126 may be considered to be the supply roll for purposes of describing the invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the various layers 101 through 120 of FIG. 3 can be reactively and non-reactively sputter deposited onto the substrate.
[0031] In an initial pass, the substrate progresses past a silver deposition station 132 and a titanium deposition station 134 while the stations remain inactive. The indium station 136 therefore provides the first film of material onto the substrate. In practice, there may be a primer layer formed on the substrate, but the primer layer is not significant to the invention and is not shown in FIG. 3 . As previously noted, the indium is deposited in an environment with a flow of high hydrogen. This is intended to protect an underlying silver layer. Thus, in the first pass, the indium oxide film is less significant than in the second pass. However, the first dielectric layer 101 may include all three films as shown in FIG. 3 .
[0032] FIG. 5 shows five different ZnSn stations that provide the content of the first ZnSn film 112 . Each of the five stations provides a film portion until the entire film is completed. Then, stations 148 and 150 cooperate to form the 90/10 film 114 of ZnSn. As previously noted and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , each of these films is oxidized to form layers of low absorption.
[0033] The rolls 126 and 128 are then swapped in order to place the substrate 100 in a position for a second pass. In this second pass, the silver layer 106 or silver alloy layer (e.g., AgAu or AgPd) is deposited by activation of the station 132 . The thin titanium layer (less than 2 nm thickness) is deposited on the silver layer prior to deposition of the second dielectric layer 102 . The titanium layer is used to protect the silver layer from oxidation.
[0034] The second dielectric layer 102 is formed in the same manner as the first dielectric layer 101 . The rolls 126 and 128 are then again swapped and a third pass is executed in order to provide the second silver layer 107 . This process is repeated until the desired number of dielectric and metal layers is achieved.
[0035] One advantage of the invention is that the resulting product had an unexpectedly low change in color with change in viewing angle. Another unexpected result was the low sheet resistance. A sheet resistance of 1.25 ohms/square was achieved for a coating stack comprised of five dielectric and four Ag layers, with a total Ag thickness of approximately 50 nm. Moreover, a reduction in cost is provided by the use of the zinc-based layers and the fact that fewer layers are required than other optical filters that provide similar or less desirable results. The process is stable and a lower cycling time in manufacturing is required. No anticorrosion coating need be added to the final product, as might be required for other filter arrangements of this type.
[0036] The filter arrangement of FIG. 3 may be used with components of FIG. 1 . When formed on a flexible web, the web may be cut as needed and then applied to glass or to a plasma display panel.
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An optical filter is formed of a layer stack that includes metallic layers and dielectric layers, with at least one dielectric layer being defined by more than one zinc-based film. These zinc-based films have different percentages of zinc. The selections of the percentages are based upon the positions of the films within the dielectric layer. An unexpectedly low sheet resistance is available if the zinc-based film that immediately precedes forming a metallic layer has a percentage of zinc in the range of 80 percent to next to 100 percent. Process stabilization and manufacturing cost are provided by placing the percentage of the lower zinc-based film closer to 50 percent (25-75). Process stabilization is further enhanced by providing an indium-based film within the dielectric layer adjacent to the metallic layer.
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BACKGROUND
Tools in the downhole drilling and completions industry are often located in a borehole by the use of no-go profiles (or landing nipples, radially inner restrictions, etc.). While these no-go profiles are relied upon for providing positive indication that a tool is properly set, too much load on the tool can deform or swage the tool and/or the no-go profile. If a tool becomes swaged into a no-go profile, retrieval of the tool can become difficult and the tool and profile can become damaged. As a result, advances to the setting and subsequent retrieval of tools, particularly those overcoming the above problems, are well received by the industry.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
A system for setting and retrieving a tool including a tubular having a first profile and a tool having a second profile, the first and second profiles complementarily formed and engagable together for enabling the tool to be located in a borehole with respect to the tubular, the first profile or the second profile at least partially formed from a degradable material, the degradable material degradable upon exposure to a downhole fluid.
A system for setting and retrieving a tool including an engagement including a first profile of a first component and a second profile of a second component, the engagement operatively arranged for locating the first component in a borehole with respect to the second component, the first profile at least partially degradable by exposure to a downhole fluid.
A component of a no-go engagement including a first profile operatively arranged to engage with a second profile of the no-go engagement for locating a tool downhole, the first profile at least partially degradable upon exposure to a downhole fluid.
A method of setting and retrieving a tool downhole including landing a first profile of a tool at a second profile of a tubular, exposing the first profile or the second profile to a downhole fluid for degrading the first profile or the second profile at least partially.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:
FIG. 1 is a quarter-sectional view of a system having a no-go engagement between a tubular and a tool;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the area generally encircled in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a quarter-sectional view of the system of FIG. 1 having dogs of the tool set into recesses of the tubular;
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the system taken generally along line 4 A- 4 A in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the system taken generally along line 4 B- 4 B in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 5 is a quarter-sectional view of the system of FIG. 1 after application of an additional load on the tool;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of area generally encircled in FIG. 5 ; and
FIG. 7 is a quarter-sectional view of the system of FIG. 1 after a ring of the no-go engagement has been removed by degradation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.
Referring now to FIG. 1 , a system 10 is shown having a tool 12 being run in a tubular 14 . As shown in more detail in FIG. 2 , the system 10 includes a no-go engagement 16 comprising a landing profile 18 on the tubular 14 and a no-go ring 20 on the tool 12 having a corresponding profile 22 . Once received at the landing profile 18 , positive interference or radial overlap with the profile 22 of the ring 20 prevents the tool 12 from traveling further downhole. The tool 12 is illustrated throughout the Figures in the form of a lock mandrel, but it will be appreciated that other tools or downhole components (the term “tool” used collectively herein) could utilize the no-go engagement of the current invention. That is, for example, tools benefiting from the current invention include those that carry a load in excess of the setting load such as plugs, tubing hangers, check valves, etc.
Accordingly, after landing at the profile 18 , a setting load is applied to the tool 12 , specifically on a sub 24 for the tool 12 . The sub 24 includes a mandrel 26 for engaging with one or more dogs 28 and expanding the dogs 28 radially outwardly into complementarily formed recesses 30 in the tubular 14 , as shown in FIG. 3 . This creates positive interference or a radial overlap between the dogs 28 and the tubular 14 , which can be appreciated by comparing FIGS. 4A and 4B .
Under high pressure or an additional force or load after being set (e.g., the tool including or being formed as a plug housing, check valve retainer, tubing hanger, etc., as noted above), the tool 12 is shifted downhole such that the dogs 28 result in an engagement at a surface 32 of the recesses 30 , as shown in FIG. 4 . Once the dogs 28 are fully engaged against the walls of the recesses 30 , the tubular 14 , via the dogs 28 , picks up the weight of the tool 12 and any components hanging therefrom or pressures applied thereto.
Shifting the dogs 28 downhole to engage at the surface 32 , however, causes the ring 20 of the tool 12 to also shift downhole, becoming swaged into the landing profile 18 of the tubular 14 . As shown in more detail in FIG. 5 , the ring 20 is deformed a distance D into the landing profile 18 of the tubular 12 . This swaging makes retrieval of the tool 12 difficult as it significantly increases the force required to pull the ring 20 , and therefore the tool 12 , free of the tubular 14 .
In order to facilitate the retrieval of the tool 12 in the system 10 , the no-go engagement 16 is at least partially degradable. “Degradable” is intended to mean that the ring is disintegratable, dissolvable, corrodible, consumable, or otherwise removable. It is to be understood that use herein of the term “degrade”, or any of its forms, incorporates the stated meaning. The ring 20 is formed as any known degradable material, such as a metal, polymer, composite, etc. that is removed or weakened by exposure to a downhole fluid, for example, water, oil, acid, brine, etc. In FIG. 6 the ring 20 has been removed by exposure to one of the downhole fluids, for example, by spotting acid to the ring 20 . In another example, the material of the ring 20 could be selected such that is degrades more slowly over time, and is sufficiently weakened or removed by the time any additional load is applied to the tool 12 . Once the ring 20 is removed, there is no longer a swaged engagement of the tool 12 with the tubular 14 , thereby facilitating removal of the tool 12 . It is also to be appreciated that degrading of the ring 20 could occur before application of the additional pressure or force on the tool 12 , such that swaging never occurs, in which case the dogs 28 would engage with the surface 32 before the application of any additional pressures, loads, or forces (e.g., for or with operation of a plug, check valve, tubing hanger, etc.).
Although the system 10 is shown with the tool 12 disposed radially inwardly of the tubular 14 , in another embodiment a tool could be located radially outwardly of a tubular, with a degradable ring disposed radially inwardly of the tool. In another embodiment, the degradable ring could be formed as part of the tubular with the tool including a non-degradable landing profile. The ring 20 could be a c-ring, a full ring held by a retainer, a full ring that is press fit onto or into the tool or tubular, etc. Furthermore, although the term “ring” is used consistently herein, it is to be appreciated that other members or portions of a non-go engagement could be used for decreasing the amount of undesirable swaging between two components in order to facilitate retrieval of one or both of the components.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
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A system for setting and retrieving a tool including a tubular having a first profile and a tool having a second profile, the first and second profiles complementarily formed and engagable together for enabling the tool to be located in a borehole with respect to the tubular, the first profile or the second profile at least partially formed from a degradable material, the degradable material degradable upon exposure to a downhole fluid.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The field of the invention is subsea drilling, including methods and apparatus for securing an umbilical to a subsea riser.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In subsea drilling operations, a marine riser with an attached umbilical is often deployed from a drill ship or platform to the sea floor. The umbilical can be configured to support subsea components, for example, the umbilical could be configured to provide subsea components with electrical, hydraulic, and optical power and control signals as well as chemical and gas delivery. A subsea umbilical is typically connected to a subsea riser concurrent with the subsea deployment of the riser. The connected assemblies of the riser and umbilical are then lowered together into the subsea environment as an integrated unit. Deploying the umbilical together with the riser allows the riser to provide support to the umbilical. However, this method can cause the deployment of the riser to be slower than otherwise possible. In addition, the known deployment methods can make servicing the riser or umbilical more difficult than otherwise because the umbilical is attached to and supported by the riser. There is a need for improved apparatus and methods for deploying and securing umbilicals.
SUMMARY
[0003] The present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for connecting an umbilical to a marine riser. The apparatus and method may be used when an umbilical is deployed independently of the deployment of the riser. The term ‘independently’ is used herein to mean that the umbilical is not necessarily coupled to the drilling riser during the time when the umbilical is lowered to the sea floor. For example, the method and apparatus can be employed in those instances when a riser is already in place in the water, extending from a drilling vessel to subsea equipment on the ocean floor. Such a deployment method is disclosed in provisional application Ser. No. 61/422,557, filed on Dec. 13, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0004] The method of the present disclosure may include securing the umbilical to the riser with the assistance of a remotely operated subsea vehicle (“ROV”). The method also may include releasing the umbilical from the riser and retrieving it without removing the riser from the subsea environment.
[0005] The apparatus of the present disclosure may be in the form of an umbilical guide assembly which itself can be deployed and manipulated using a remotely operated subsea vehicle. In one embodiment of the invention, a number of umbilical guide assemblies may be employed in a spaced apart arrangement upon the riser assembly to secure an umbilical laterally and approximately parallel to a riser. This may be accomplished in a manner that allows for movement of the umbilical longitudinally with respect to the riser, which may be desirable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0006] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a guide assembly in operation connected between a riser and an umbilical;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the guide assembly according to the present disclosure with its umbilical interface in a closed position and its riser interface in a lock position;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the guide assembly of FIG. 2 with its umbilical interface in an open position and its riser interface in an unlocked position;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the guide assembly of FIG. 2 ;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a side view of the guide assembly of FIG. 2 ;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a top view of the guide assembly of FIG. 2 with its umbilical interface in a closed position;
[0012] FIG. 7 is a top view of the guide assembly of FIG. 2 with its umbilical interface in an open position;
[0013] FIG. 8 is a cross-section of a portion of the umbilical interface of FIG. 2 ;
[0014] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the guide assembly of FIG. 2 .
[0015] FIG. 10 is an illustration of the guide assembly of FIG. 2 being transported to the riser by a remotely operated vehicle;
[0016] FIG. 11 is an illustration of the guide assembly of FIG. 2 being connected to the riser by the remotely operated vehicle;
[0017] FIG. 12 is an umbilical being connected to the guide assembly of FIG. 2 by the remotely operated vehicle; and
[0018] FIG. 13 is a cross-section of a portion of an alternative embodiment of the umbilical interface of FIG. 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Referring to FIG. 1 , the umbilical guide assemblies 10 are shown in operation. In the depicted embodiment the guide assemblies 10 are shown spaced apart vertically along a riser 12 and connected between the riser 12 and the umbilical 14 . The guide assemblies 10 are configured to enable installation of the umbilical after the riser 12 has been fully deployed from the drilling vessel 16 and secured to the sea floor 18 . The guide assemblies 10 are also configured to make it possible to retract the umbilical from the sea without disrupting the riser.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 2-8 , an embodiment of the guide assembly 10 is shown in greater detail. The guide assembly 10 includes an umbilical interface assembly 20 configured to interface with an umbilical, a riser interface assembly 22 configured to interface with the riser, and a frame assembly 24 that extends between the umbilical interface assembly 20 and the riser interface assembly 22 . It should be appreciated that many other alternative embodiments of the present disclosure exist.
[0021] In the depicted embodiment umbilical interface assembly 20 includes a clam shell portion 26 and an umbilical interface actuation assembly 28 . The clam shell portion 26 is configured to be driven to an opened orientation by the umbilical interface actuation assembly 28 wherein it is arranged to receive a segment of umbilical 14 and configured to be driven to a closed orientation by the umbilical interface actuation assembly 28 wherein it retains the segment of umbilical 14 therein. The clam shell portion 26 is shown in a closed orientation in FIGS. 2 , 4 , and 6 and shown in an open orientation in FIGS. 3 and 7 .
[0022] In the depicted embodiment the clam shell portion 26 is configured to limit the movement of the umbilical in the horizontal plane (x-y plane) while allowing the umbilical to move freely in a vertical direction (z-direction). In the depicted embodiment, the clam shell portion 26 includes a generally cylindrical body having a first portion 30 that pivots relative to the second portion 32 . In the depicted embodiment the first portion 30 moves about axis AA while the second portion 32 is stationary when the umbilical interface actuation assembly 28 is actuated. See FIGS. 6 and 7 . In the depicted embodiment the first portion 30 pivots through at least 60 degrees (e.g., 90, degrees, 110 degrees) such that the first portion 30 is moved sufficiently out of the way so that the umbilical can be easily directed into the target area, which is adjacent the inner surface of the second portion 32 . See FIG. 7 .
[0023] In the depicted embodiment the umbilical interface actuation assembly 28 includes a frame mount 34 that supports a normally locked pivot connection 36 between the frame mount 34 and the second portion 32 of the clam shell portion 26 , and a driven pivot connection 38 between the frame mount 34 and the first portion 30 . The driven pivot connection 38 includes a hydraulic actuated device 40 that rotates the first portion 30 of the clam shell portion 26 relative to the second portion 32 of the clam shell portion 26 . When the driven pivot connection 38 is rotated it engages locking pins that retain the first portion 30 to the second portion 32 so that continuous hydraulic pressure is not needed to keep the clam shell portion 26 closed. The normally locked pivot connection 36 is configured to normally be locked to prevent movement of the second portion 32 , and configured to be mechanically unlocked to allow for movement of the second portion 32 . Direct manual movement of the second portion 32 may be desirable in the event of a malfunction of the driven pivot connection 38 or actuation assembly 28 .
[0024] In the depicted embodiment the umbilical interface actuation assembly 28 is driven by hydraulic fluid. In the depicted embodiment a hydraulic connection 42 is provided on a side surface of the frame assembly 24 . The hydraulic connection 42 is configured such that a remotely operated vehicle can remove a plug from the hydraulic connection and temporarily store (park) the plug on a holding structure 44 on the frame assembly 24 . Once the plug is removed, a hydraulic line can be provided by the remotely operated vehicle and can be directly connected to the hydraulic connection 42 .
[0025] Referring to FIG. 8 the clam shell portion 26 of the umbilical interface 20 is described in greater detail. In the depicted embodiment the geometry of the clam shell portion 26 is configured to prevent damage to the umbilical due to bending, compression or excessive wear. In the depicted embodiment the inner surface forms a sleeve having a generally cylindrical outer shape and a pair of tapered wear inserts 46 , 48 that are define its inner shape. In the depicted embodiment the wear inserts are tapered from both ends towards a central region. The minimum distance Dmin between the wear inserts 46 , 48 is slightly larger than the maximum exterior diameter of the umbilical (e.g., the maximum exterior diameter of the umbilical could be 3.5 inches and the Dmin could be 3.8 inches).
[0026] In the depicted embodiment the cross-sectional profile of the wear inserts 46 , 48 define a smooth curve wherein at least a portion of the curve has a radius of curvature that is greater than or equal to the minimum recommended radius of curvature for the umbilical. In the depicted embodiment the central portion Cp of the wear inserts has a radius of curvature Rc between 50-60 inches. This configuration prevents contact between the guide assembly and the umbilical from causing the umbilical to bend beyond its minimum recommended radius of curvature (e.g., a minimum recommended radius of curvature of 40 inches). In the depicted embodiment the entire cross-sectional profile includes a constant radius of curvature. Many alternative embodiments are also possible including embodiment with cross-sectional profiles defined by multiple curves. For example, FIG. 13 depicts one alternative embodiment wherein the cross-sectional profile includes two adjacent curves that each have a radius of curvature Rcc that is greater than or equal to the minimum recommended bend radius of the umbilical. In the depicted embodiment both curves have the same radius of curvature and the radius of curvatures are approximately 42 inches.
[0027] It should be appreciated that many other alternative configurations for the umbilical interface exists.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 9 , an alternative embodiment of the umbilical guide assembly of FIG. 2 is shown. The umbilical guide assembly 50 is similar to the umbilical guide assembly 10 . The riser interface assembly 52 of the umbilical guide assembly 50 is configured to mount to a shaft portion of the riser 12 rather than the flange located between riser sections. Like the umbilical guide assembly 10 , the umbilical guide assembly 50 is also configured such that it can be installed using a remotely operated vehicle prior to the riser being deployed and secured to the sea floor. This configuration allows for added flexibility with respect to where the guide assembly 50 can be located vertically along the riser. However, it should be appreciated that the umbilical guide assemblies are configured such that they could also be mounted to the riser prior to or during deployment of the riser either manually or via ROV.
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 10-12 , a method of securing an umbilical to a riser using the umbilical guide assembly is described in further detail. In the depicted embodiment the umbilical guide assembly 10 is shown being connected to the riser 12 with a remotely operated vehicle 60 while the riser 12 is underwater. In particular, FIG. 10 depicts a remotely operated vehicle 60 transporting the guide assembly 10 to the riser and aligning it with a portion of a riser flange located between adjacent sections of the riser 12 . It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, including the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 , the guide assembly can be connected to portions of the riser other than the flange area (e.g., main body or auxiliary lines of the riser). In the depicted embodiment after the guide assembly 10 is connected to the riser, the remotely operated vehicle locates the umbilical and transports the umbilical to the guide assembly. In the depicted embodiment the remotely operated vehicle has a curved front shovel portion that is configured to capture the umbilical and enable the remotely operated vehicle to drive the umbilical into place.
[0030] In the depicted embodiment, the remotely operated vehicle hydraulically connects to the guide assembly and actuates umbilical interface actuation assembly 28 to open the clam shell portion 26 . The remotely operated vehicle 60 maneuvers the umbilical 14 so that a section of the umbilical 14 is adjacent the second portion 32 of the clam shell portion 26 and then closes the clam shell portion 26 , thereby retaining the umbilical 14 therein and limiting the motion of the umbilical 14 in the horizontal plane while still allowing for longitudinal movement of the umbilical relative to the umbilical guide assembly.
[0031] The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
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An apparatus and method for connecting an umbilical to a marine riser is provided. The method and apparatus can be employed in instances when a riser is already in place in the water, extending from a drilling vessel to subsea equipment on the ocean floor.
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[0001] This is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/684,821 filed on Oct. 10, 2000 which claims priority from Ser. No. 09/066,194 filed on Apr. 24, 1998 which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,163 on Oct. 10, 2000; Provisional Application Serial No. 60/257,054 filed on Dec. 20, 2000; No. 60/203,061 filed on May 9, 2000; and Serial No. 60/185,664 filed on Feb. 29, 2000 all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a flightless rock auger suspended from a derrick and powered by a shaft linked to a power source for removing plugs of rocks from post holes.
[0003] Poles for power lines and communication purposes are required to be vertical and arrange din straight lines. The poles may be planted in positions which are relatively inaccessible. A crane may be utilized for providing an outreaching means. Typically a digger derrick consists of a telescopic mobile crane from which is suspended a torque head. A flighted auger is suspended from the torque head and utilized for drilling in soil containing loose rock. The digger derrick is advantageous for extending the auger to the desired location. The auger may be stowed in a fixed position or extended in a telescoping position as needed to reach the desired location for drilling the hole.
[0004] Depending on the nature of the digging device, its digging element, or auger, torque head or hydraulic pressure is typically exerted on the digging element via air or oil hydraulic pressure exerted by the crane or cylinder in cooperative engagement therewith for forcing the digging element into the earth.
[0005] Although the conventional flighted auger is adequate for drilling through soil, or even soil with loose rock, the drilling operation must be suspended upon hitting a large rock or rock ledge because the flighted auger cannot penetrate the hard rock surface.
[0006] The flighted auger is then lifted out of the hole and conventional methods of removing the obstruction with a steel shaft, crowbar, or explosive charge are used to break-up the hard rock. The flighted auger is then lowered into the hole to remove the loose rock. A considerable amount of time is lost during the rock break-up and removal procedure. Moreover, an effort is continually being made to minimize work with explosives due to the liability of injury to workers and/or damage to residents or businesses in the area which may be in the area of the blasting zone and susceptible to rock or vibration damage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention achieves the above objects by providing a flightless rock auger for drilling postholes through rock and hardpan.
[0008] The present invention provides a flightless rock auger having a cylindrical hollow cutting head and a plurality of teeth extending from the lower periphery thereof. A support member extends across a portion of the cylindrical hollow cutting head providing a means for cooperative engagement with a shaft extending outwardly therefrom. A quick disconnect coupling is disposed upon the distal end of the shaft or in the case of the pressure digger unit a connection is formed at the top of the body for cooperative engagement with the shaft; of a pressure digger, usually of square or hexagonal or octagonal configuration.
[0009] One preferred embodiment of the flightless rock auger system for use with a drilling rig includes a flightless rock auger having a cylindrical hollow cutting head with a plurality of cutting teeth extending from the bottom edge of the cutting head. A support member extends across a portion of the cylindrical hollow cutting head providing a means for cooperative engagement with a vertical drive shaft extending outwardly therefrom. A quick disconnect coupling is disposed upon the distal end of the shaft. A means for rotating the drive shaft such as a mechanical or fluid drive may also power the hydraulic mechanism for lifting and lowering the drive shaft which may utilize its own weight for exertion of downward pressure onto the hard substrate. Embodiments utilizing a coupling affixed directly to the top of the cutting head are well suited for use with pressure drilling rigs whereby force may be applied to the auger to provide quicker drilling.
[0010] A method of removing hard substrate from a posthole, using a flightless rock auger with a drilling rig simply requires the attaching a flightless rock auger having a cylindrical hollow cutting head and a plurality of cutting teeth extending from the bottom edge of the cutting head. A support member extends across a portion of the cylindrical hollow cutting head providing a means for cooperative engagement with a vertical drive shaft extending outwardly therefrom formed integrally therewith, or disposed therein from a pressure drill.
[0011] On the shaft models, a quick disconnect coupling is disposed upon the distal end of the shaft to means for rotating the drive shaft. On some pressure drilling flightless rock augers the shaft of the pressure drill rigs cooperatively engage a coupling mounted to the top of the auger body with a reinforced connections. The flightless rock auger is lowered into a posthole containing a hard substrate and resting the flightless rock auger onto the hard substrate. The auger is rotated at a very low rpm of up to 60 rpm, but more preferably up to 30 rpm and most preferably in a range of from between about 3 rpm to about 10 rpm forming a plug of hard substrate inside of the cylindrical body of the flightless rock auger. Lifting the flightless rock auger and the plug from the posthole is simple and the plug of the hard substrate is removed from the flightless rock auger head. The flighted auger is then substituted for removing soil from the posthole.
[0012] The flightless rock auger comprises a cylindrical head defining a plurality of teeth extending downwardly from the periphery of the bottom edge at a selected forward angle. The top of the head is connected to a shaft having a quick disconnect adapter.
[0013] The rock auger is utilized in combination with a conventional flighted auger used for drilling postholes in dirt and clay. During a posthole drilling operation, the rock auger is substituted for the flighted auger when needed to drill through and remove rock or other hard material such as concrete from the posthole. The rock auger is designed for use at very low revolutions per minute and can utilize only the weight of the auger and shaft and does not require any additional hydraulic pressure for cutting a circular hole through the rock and forming a plug which is be lodged in the cavity of the rock auger cylinder to be removed from the posthole. Of course, most trucks or drilling rigs are equipped with hydraulic means for exerting pressure on the cutting head to increase the cutting rate and is often utilized with the shaft and cutting head and usually utilized with the pressure drilling head having a quick disconnect near the top of the cutting head body. The quick connection shaft enables the conventional flighted auger to be quickly substituted for the flightless rock auger to facilitate fast removal of soft dirt from the posthole. The rock auger provides a means for utility companies to utilize a means for drilling postholes for electric poles, telephone poles, pilings, and the like without the use of explosives; thereby providing a safer means of excavation.
[0014] When the drilling operation encounters rock, rather than blasting through the rock with explosives, the flightless rock auger can be fitted onto the torque head of a conventional drilling shaft and used to drill through the rock. A plug may be formed in the head by the drilling operation; however, the plug is removed by using had tools which fit into openings formed in the top end of the drilling head, or be forced through a side opening thereof.
[0015] A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes at short or long shaft extending from the body with a quick disconnect distal end, a cylindrical body and drill head having a greater diameter than the body wherein a plurality of teeth extend downward at an angle from the outer edge of the drill head.
[0016] More particularly, the flightless rock auger is designed for removing plugs of hard material from post holes. The rock auger includes a cylindrical hollow cutting head having a hollow cylindrical body defining side walls connecting a top end defining an upper peripheral edge and a lower open end defining a lower peripheral cutting edge including a plurality of teeth extending from the lower peripheral edge. The top end of the hollow cylindrical body can include at least one support member extending across at least a portion of the top end joining the side walls. A shaft having a diameter less than the cutting head includes a proximal end connecting to the at least one support member and having an opposing distal end extending therefrom, whereby the shaft is integrally connected to the auger body, or in the case of the pressure drill embodiment, cooperatively engages the connection at the top of the hollow cylindrical body. The long shaft quick disconnect coupling disposed upon the opposing distal end of the shaft may include means for a floating providing limited vertical movement therebetween which may consist of a coupling having a slotted attachment joint or other connection allowing for some “play” within the coupling, or the coupling may use a pin extending though a corresponding shaped and sized hole through the shaft and coupling to provide a tight fit and limited movement.
[0017] Of course, the power drive shaft of the auger drive unit can also be connected to the shaft of the auger by a coupling which limits or even eliminates any “play” and provide a tight cooperative engagement therebetween. The auger and cutting head will still “float” in that only the weight of the auger will be necessary to cut through the rock substrate. If desired the cutting may be faster by also letting the power drive boom weight rest on the auger thereby floating on the rock substrate during the drilling process. Of course, applying downward pressure to the auger by use of the boom is an option to increase the cutting rate; however, unnecessary to obtain good performance. Thus, the pressure drill model provides rapid cutting motion through the substrate.
[0018] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a flightless auger device for digging through hard rock.
[0019] It is another object of the present invention to provide an flightless auger which is capable of drilling through rock and forming a plug removable from the flightless auger.
[0020] It is another object of the present invention to provide a flightless auger utilizing an attachment means which is interchangeable with the attachment means typically used with conventional flighted augers for drilling operations.
[0021] It is therefore another object of the present invention to design a flightless auger for use at very low revolutions per minute (rpm) to maximize safely and prevent damage to the equipment.
[0022] It is an object of the present invention to provide an adapter extending from a shaft for use with a torque head of a drilling derrick.
[0023] Another object is to provide a flightless auger having teeth extending outward at a forward angle.
[0024] It is another object to provide a flightless auger having a drill head portion utilizing an end diameter of greater diameter than the plug receiving inner diameter.
[0025] It is yet another object of the present invention to utilize a plurality of diagonal ribs to minimize suction between the exterior of the drilling head and the walls of the drilled hole.
[0026] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an access port in the top end of the drilling head for removal of the rock plug formed therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and wherein:
[0028] [0028]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the present invention showing the flightless rock auger with a shaft, and a cylindrical body forming a drill head with a plurality of teeth extending form from the outer edge of the drill head;
[0029] [0029]FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the invention of FIG. 1;
[0030] [0030]FIG. 3 is a top view of the invention of FIG. 1;
[0031] [0031]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the invention of FIG. 1;
[0032] [0032]FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the invention of FIG. 1;
[0033] [0033]FIG. 6 is a partial cutaway view of the invention of FIG. 1 shown drilling through rock forming a plug therein;
[0034] [0034]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a mobile drilling rig utilizing the present invention;
[0035] [0035]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a life assembly suspending the present invention above the ground;
[0036] [0036]FIG. 9 is a perspective front view of an alternate embodiment of a flightless rock auger showing a cutting head of a flightless auger including a pilot bit centered within the cylindrical body extending past the cutting teeth;
[0037] [0037]FIG. 10 is a perspective side view of the embodiment of the flightless rock auger of FIG. 9;
[0038] [0038]FIG. 11 is a top view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 9;
[0039] [0039]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 9 showing the pilot bit attachment through the access port in the top of the cylindrical body;
[0040] [0040]FIG. 13 shows a perspective bottom view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 9;
[0041] [0041]FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 9 showing the pilot bit shaft and tip;
[0042] [0042]FIG. 15 is a cutaway perspective view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 9 showing the pilot bit therein;
[0043] [0043]FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of another alternate embodiment of the flightless rock auger of the present invention showing the shaft with a quick disconnect distal end, a cylindrical body and drill head having a greater diameter than the body wherein a greater number of teeth extend downward at an selected angle from the outer edge of the drill head, and a section of the cutting head removed to facilitate removal of the plug;
[0044] [0044]FIG. 17 is a perspective side view of the invention of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 16;
[0045] [0045]FIG. 18 is a perspective top view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 16
[0046] [0046]FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 16 showing the double layer sidewall which may be optionally utilized to form a cutting edge on the side of the cutting head and whereby the cylindrical body may be sized to be smaller than or as large as the cutting head;
[0047] [0047]FIG. 20 is a perspective bottom view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 16 showing the angled teeth;
[0048] [0048]FIG. 21 is a perspective front view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 16 showing the edges of the double sidewall cutaway portion of the body extending around the periphery thereof a selected length forming a double cutting edge;
[0049] [0049]FIG. 22 is perspective front view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 16 including the pilot bit as shown in FIG. 9 and showing the edges of the double sidewall cutaway portion of the body extending around the periphery thereof a selected length forming a double cutting edge;
[0050] [0050]FIG. 23 is a perspective side view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 16, showing a vertical cutting edge along the cutaway portion of the cylindrical body;
[0051] [0051]FIG. 24 is a perspective side view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 16, showing an angled cutting edge along the cutaway portion of the cylindrical body; and
[0052] [0052]FIG. 25 is perspective top view of another embodiment of the flightless rock auger showing a coupling mounting directly to the top of the cylindrical body;
[0053] [0053]FIG. 26 is perspective bottom view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 25 showing the angled teeth;
[0054] [0054]FIG. 27 is a perspective side view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 25, showing a vertical cutting edge along the cutaway portion of the cylindrical body;
[0055] [0055]FIG. 28 is a perspective side view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 25, showing an angled cutting edge along the cutaway portion of the cylindrical body; and
[0056] [0056]FIG. 29 is a perspective cutaway view of the flightless rock auger embodiment of FIG. 25 shown with a pilot bit and side edges extending into a bore formed in rock and soil.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0057] The flightless rock auger 10 with quick attachment coupling 11 of the present invention is manufactured from readily available materials and simple in design. The preferred embodiment is comprised of metal, more particularly steel. The rock auger 10 is mounted on construction equipment such as hydraulic drilling rigs. A drive shaft 12 in communication with a drilling rig motor 14 or circulation of a hydraulic fluid from a pump on the drilling rig 16 may be used to drive the hydraulic motor 18 of the construction equipment.
[0058] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 - 8 refer to the present invention including a standard drive shaft 12 utilizing a quick disconnect coupling 11 extending from the distal end 13 of the shaft 12 . The shaft 12 is centrally aligned with the axis of the hollow cylindrical body 20 and secured to the proximal end, or top end of the cutting head 24 opposite the open end 26 having the cutting edge. The top end is at least partially enclosed by a cross member 21 to provide structural strength. One or more reinforcements member such as the triangular members 28 may be welded to the shaft 12 and the top cross member 21 of the cutting head 24 to provide additional lateral and rotational strength.
[0059] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the distal end 13 of the shaft 12 is typically tubular having a circular cross-sectional dimension, wherein a quick disconnect cylindrical coupling 11 may be welded, pressed, screwed, or friction fitted to the distal end 13 of the shaft 12 . The cylindrical coupling 11 , preferably is shaped having a female socket end 30 for cooperative engagement with the male end of a drive shaft 32 of a motor 14 or pump drive unit 18 . A pin 33 may extend through the female socket end 30 and drive shaft 32 to provide the cooperative engagement; however, the preferred embodiment utilizes a coupling having a female socket end 30 sized and having a selected cross-sectional shape, to mate with a male drive shaft 32 having a square, hexagon, octagon or other shape for providing additional stability, rigidity, and stability to the connection therebetween. Moreover, a preferred embodiment can include a pin 33 which slides through a vertically disposed key way slot 34 to secure the quick connect coupling 11 to the drive shaft 32 of the drilling rig 16 permitting limited vertical movement therebetween as best shown in FIG. 3 or the slot may be in the form of a hole or corresponding shape and size of the pin 33 to minimize “play”. A protective collar or flange 36 may extend circumferentially around the coupling 11 . A key 38 may be inserted into a groove or orifice in the shaft 12 to provide an alignment indicator so that a user standing below the drilling boom 40 can look upward and align the key way slot 34 of the rock auger with the key way of the pump motor drive shaft 32 for quick coupling of the units. The key 38 also provides an easy means to count the revolutions per minute of the auger 10 .
[0060] The rock auger can have a connecting collar defining a flange 124 for connecting to a complimentary power drive flange and a protective flange circumscribing the shaft therebelow to protect the users.
[0061] The cutting head 24 is formed from a hollow cylindrical body 20 open at its lower open end 26 . A plurality of conical shaped teeth 44 extend from generally rectangular shaped projections 46 extending from the outer peripheral edge 48 of the cutting head body 20 . The conical shaped teeth 44 are equally spaced apart and angled slightly in a forward direction. The teeth 44 may also be angled inwardly or outwardly slightly to protrude pass the peripheral edge 48 of the hollow cylindrical body 20 . For instance, the series of teeth 44 at the bottom edge of the hollow cylindrical body 20 may be alternately inwardly and outwardly displaced from the plane of the hollow cylindrical body 20 . The displacement of the teeth 44 is such that the cut or kerf made in the rock or other hard substrate is slightly wider than the thickness of the hollow cylindrical body 20 to aid in extraction of the cutting head 24 from the hard substrate. The teeth 44 may also be provided with additional material so that each tooth is wider than the thickness of the side walls of the hollow cylindrical body 20 .
[0062] One preferred hollow cylindrical body embodiment comprises an upper section 50 and lower section 52 , wherein the lower section 52 defines a greater exterior diameter than the upper section 50 to facilitate removal of the cutting head 24 from the posthole and reduce or prevent binding during the drilling process. Moreover, a hole, slot, slit or other opening 51 is optionally cut or formed into the upper section 50 to allow water to exit the head during the cutting operation and avoid causing a suction making removal of the rock plug difficult.
[0063] The flightless auger 10 is designed for interchangeable use with a conventional flighted auger used for removal soil from the post holes. The quick disconnect feature of the flightless auger 10 makes the interchangeable augers practical to use together without wasting time. Upon hitting a hard substrate such as a rock ledge, the flighted auger can be disengaged in minutes and the flightless rock auger 10 attached to the drilling rig. The flightless auger 10 is lowered and raised with the hydraulic boom so that only the weight of the auger 10 exerts pressure on the rock substrate defining floating pressure. Although pressure may be exerted on the auger 10 it is not necessary in that the weight of the auger 10 is sufficient to cut through hard material such as rock ledges. Usually it is sufficient to lower the flightless rock auger 10 into the hole and letting it rest or “float” on the hard substrate. Optionally the weight of the power unit and boom may rest on the auger 10 adding additional weight; however, the auger is still considered to “float” in that no hydraulic pressure is needed to cut through the rock. Because the auger 10 is operated at a very low rpm, typically up to 15 revolutions per minute, (“rpm”), and preferably about 3 to 10 rpm, little dust is formed in the operation. Moreover, the wear and tear on the equipment is reduced if not eliminated as compared with the conventional drilling methods. This provides a very safe method of forming a plug of material within the cylindrical cutting head 24 for removal from the posthole. Upon breaking through the hard substrate and forming a plug therefrom, the flightless rock auger 10 is lifted from the hole and the plug removed by prying the plug out of the cylindrical body 20 with the use of pry bars which are extended into the openings 54 in the top of the cylindrical cutting head 24 .
[0064] As shown in Figures, the flightless rock auger shows a cutting head having a row of removable or replaceable teeth, preferably conical teeth, extending from the bottom edge of angled sockets mounted by welding onto the bottom of he cutting head. The sockets and teeth can be oriented in a staggered configuration with teeth angled forward at from 20 to 50 degrees and preferably about 35 degrees. Every third tooth can be angled up to 30 degrees in the horizontal plane outwardly pass the edge of the cutting head, angled up to 30 degrees in the horizontal plane inwardly pass the edge of the cutting head, or in alignment with the edge of the cutting head.
[0065] The teeth in the cutting head can be disposed at an angle or up to 45 degrees, and preferable at an angle of from about 20 degrees in and out from the sidewall edge. The teeth may be disposed at up to 90 degrees and more preferably from 70 to 75 degrees, and most preferably at about 73 degrees at a forward angle.
[0066] [0066]FIG. 22 is a photograph showing a side view of a cutting head incorporating 18 teeth on an 18 inch diameter auger vs. 13 teeth on the initial embodiment of the invention providing a smoother cutting operation and smoother sidewalls on the hole formed thereby, also the cutting teeth are disposed at an angle extending inwardly and outwardly at 20 degrees which varies from the original embodiment, finally the cutting teeth are mounted in a range of from 70 to 75 degrees and preferably at about 73 degrees facing forward.
[0067] A preferred embodiment of the flightless rock auger comprises a cutting head can incorporate 18 teeth on an 18 inch diameter head or 13 teeth on an 18 inch diameter head. Eighteen teeth provide a smoother cutting operation and smoother sidewalls on the hole formed thereby. Also the cutting teeth can be disposed at an angle extending inwardly and outwardly preferably at about 20 degrees and be mounted in a range of from 70 to 75 degrees and preferably at about 73 degrees facing forward.
[0068] Moreover, as best illustrated in FIGS. 9 - 14 , the cutting head of the auger includes a center drill bit or pilot bit 100 . The pilot bit 100 can be removably mounted via a socket with a spring loaded ball arrangement, a pin extending through a shaft and coupling arrangement, or as shown in the drawings, have a base 102 attached to the support member. The support member connecting the side walls of the upper portion of the cutting head includes means for attachment defining a pair of bolts extending therethrough for attachment to the cutting head support member. The bottom of the base of the center drill bit can include a pair of side flanges 122 for alignment and cooperative engagement with the side edges of the cross member 21 of the cutting head. The edge of flanges 122 can engage the edge of the cross member 21 .
[0069] The shaft 104 of the center drill or pilot bit is centrally disposed in spaced apart alignment with the sidewalls of the cutting head. The shaft 104 of the center drill bit can be formed as a single cylindrical longitudinal member or as a longitudinal member including a plurality of tapered support plates 106 (two or three or four or more) extending from the base. The shaft can attach to a point or be welded all along the vertical edge to the shaft end converging at a point near the drill tip. The tapered ends of the support plates end in a short cylindrical collar 111 having a thicker bottom portion 113 of a larger diameter than the elongated top portion 115 . The distal end portion 115 can include a threaded bore 108 therein for cooperative engagement with a drill tip 110 having a complementary sized shaft 112 . A drill head 114 can include angled edges 116 and a pointed tip 118 for cutting into hard surfaces such as rock.
[0070] The pilot drill bit 100 is mounted within the cutting head of the auger wherein the elongated top portion of the collar extends outward pass the cutting head approximately equal with the tips of the cutting head teeth. The pointed tip 118 extends pass the cutting teeth for centering and holding the auger in position in order for the cutting teeth to anchor and cut a precision hole into the hard rock substrate. The pilot drill bit 100 also provides a means for setting the flightless auger onto a flat hard rock surface. The pilot drill bit 100 cuts a center hole in the surface anchoring the flightless auger so that the cutting teeth are pulled therein. The bit 100 can cut into the substrate forming a neat round hole in the desired location rather than skidding or walking around on the surface before the hole sidewalls are established.
[0071] The bottom of the support member connecting the side walls at the top of the cutting head can have a plurality of tapered support plates attaching to the bottom of the cutting head support plate. The base of the drill bit 100 extending opposite thereof is disposed concentrically within the cutting head. The cutting head can have cutaway portions forming opposing openings 120 in the top portion of the cutting head cylindrical body. The openings 120 can extend from the corners of the cutting head support plate for providing access to the bolts for removal of the cutting drill bit and removal of the rock substrate plug from the cutting head.
[0072] The embodiment of the flightless rock auger shown in FIGS. 16 - 21 , include a portion “section” of the side wall being removed from the upper section. The portion may be of uniform dimensions cut from top to bottom or angled as shown. The preferred embodiment shown also includes a double wall wherein one of the walls forms an angled side edge along the longitudinal “lengthwise” dimension resulting in a side cutting edge; however, a single wall unit could have cutout portion formed with an angled sidewall edge as well. As best illustrated in FIG. 22, the unit can also be used with a pilot bit 110 . The opening formed in the upper section extends from one corner of the cross member 21 which supports the base of the pilot bit to the adjacent corner of the cross member 21 . The opposing sidewall could also be removed as long as the cutting head upper section retained sufficient structural strength so as not to buckle or collapse under a load. While the bottom section usually provides enough suction and compression to maintain a plug within the top section. The upper or top section cutout portion may be designed to maximize the opening depending upon the rock and/or clay substrate. Of course, suction is not a problem when the cutting head is removed from the hole and the large opening provides ample space and facilitates quick and efficient removal of the substrate from the cutting head. The cutting side edges also trim and cut substrate along the sides of the drilling head forming a clean hole having uniform smoother sidewalls. The lower section of the cutting head need not extend outwardly at a greater diameter than the upper section of the cutting head when the side edges are utilize. Moreover, the outwardly extending angle of the cutting teeth may be reduced or even eliminated when using the side cutting angle. The length or ratio of the upper and lower sections can also be customized for use in particular hard substrates.
[0073] Comparing the embodiment of FIG. 19 with that of FIG. 21, it can be seen that the embodiment can include a double wall formed of two concentric layers overlapping one another. The cutaway section may result in both layers being removed creating a single cutting edge or one layer can have a greater circumference than the other layer thereby forming a pair of overlapping cutting edges spaced apart from one another. The layers of the walls form an angled side edge along the longitudinal “lengthwise” dimension resulting in a side cutting edge or a thick double wall. Of course a single wall unit could have cutout portion formed with an angled sidewall edge as well.
[0074] The opening formed in the upper section extends from one corner of the cross member 21 which supports the base of the pilot bit to the adjacent corner of the cross member 21 . The opposing sidewall could also be removed forming a double opening as long as the cutting head upper section retained sufficient structural strength so as not to buckle or collapse under a load. While the bottom section usually provides enough suction and compression to maintain a plug within the top section. The upper or top section cutout portion may be designed to maximize the opening depending upon the rock and/or clay substrate. Of course, suction is not a problem when the cutting head is removed from the hole and the large opening provides ample space and facilitates quick and efficient removal of the substrate from the cutting head. The cutting side edges also trim and cut substrate along the sides of the drilling head forming a clean hole having uniform smoother sidewalls. The lower section of the cutting head need not extend outwardly at a greater diameter than the upper section of the cutting head when the side edges are utilize. Moreover, the outwardly extending angle of the cutting teeth may be reduced or even eliminated when using the side cutting angle. The length or ratio of the upper and lower sections can also be customized for use in particular hard substrates.
[0075] The embodiments shown in FIGS. 25 - 29 , show the cylindrical body of the cutting head with and without a pilot bit, and with a portion of the side wall being removed from the cylindrical body portion of the cutting head. All of the embodiments utilize a short coupling mounted directly to the support member extending across the top of the cutting head. Reinforcement members may be bolted or welded to the sides of the coupling and the support plate as well. This embodiment is especially adaptable for use with pressure drilling rigs.
[0076] Finally it is contemplated that a number of smaller openings formed by holes, slots, or slits may be formed in the upper section of the drilling head as an alternate means to provide additional access to the substrate hole and provide drainage for water during the drilling process.
Method of Use
[0077] The method of using the flightless rock auger is as follows: The method of removing a plug of hard substrate from a posthole, using a flightless rock auger with a drilling rig, comprising the steps of:
[0078] a) Attaching the flightless rock auger to the drive shaft of a power unit of the drilling rig, the flightless rock auger comprising a cylindrical hollow cutting head comprising a hollow cylindrical body defining side walls connecting a top end defining an upper peripheral edge and a lower open end defining a lower peripheral cutting edge including a plurality of teeth extending from the lower peripheral edge, the top end of the hollow cylindrical body including at least one support member extending across at least a portion of the top end joining the side walls, a quick disconnect coupling mounting to the at least one support member for removable attachment to a drive shaft of a power unit;
[0079] b) lowering the flightless rock auger into a posthole containing a hard substrate;
[0080] c) placing the flightless rock auger onto the hard substrate;
[0081] d) rotating the flightless rock auger at a very low rpm at less than 20 rpm;
[0082] e) forming a plug of hard substrate inside of the cylindrical body of the flightless rock auger;
[0083] f) lifting the flightless rock auger and the plug from the posthole; and
[0084] g) removing the plug of the hard substrate out of the cylindrical hollow cutting head.
[0085] More particularly, a method of removing a plug of hard substrate from a posthole, using a flightless rock auger with a drilling rig, comprises the steps of:
[0086] a) attaching a flightless rock auger to the drive shaft of a power unit of the drilling rig, the flightless rock auger comprising a cylindrical hollow cutting head comprising a hollow cylindrical body defining side walls connecting a top end defining an upper peripheral edge and a lower open end defining a lower peripheral cutting edge including a plurality of teeth extending from the lower peripheral edge, the top end of the hollow cylindrical body including at least one support member extending across at least a portion of the top end joining the side walls, a means for connecting to a shaft comprising a quick connect coupling includes a proximal end connecting to the at least one support member and having an opposing distal end extending therefrom including means for removably connecting to a drive shaft of a power unit;
[0087] b) lowering the flightless rock auger into a posthole containing a hard substrate;
[0088] c) placing the flightless rock auger onto the hard substrate;
[0089] d) rotating the flightless rock auger at a very low rpm up to 20 revolutions per minute “rpm”;
[0090] e) forming a plug of hard substrate inside of the cylindrical body of the flightless rock auger;
[0091] f) lifting the flightless rock auger and the plug from the posthole; and
[0092] g) removing the plug of the hard substrate out of the cylindrical hollow cutting head.
[0093] The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the art based upon more recent disclosures and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.
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A flightless rock auger is used for drilling postholes through rock with the use of hydraulic pressure and at slow revolution per minute. The rock auger is used in combination with a conventional flighted auger used for drilling postholes in dirt and clay. During a posthole drilling operation, the rock auger is substituted for a conventional flighted auger as needed for drilling through and removing rock or other hard material such as concrete from the posthole. The rock auger is designed for use at very low revolutions per minute and can function utilizing only the weight of the auger; however, the rock auger is designed for use with pressure drilling units as well for cutting a circular hole through the rock and forming a plug which is to be lodged in the cavity of the rock auger cylinder to be removed from the posthole. The quick connection enables the shaft of a pressure drill unit to engage the flightless auger to be quickly substituted for the rock auger to facilitate fast removal of soft dirt from the posthole. A pilot drill bit can be disposed within the cutting head for extending outwardly pass the cutting edge thereof for starting the hole, breaking up rock, and holding the auger in position during the drilling operation. A portion of the cylindrical body can be removed to allow quick clearance of the plug.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an industrial two-layer fabric which forms a longitudinal groove on its upper surface side by a combination of a design, and, in particular, relates to the industrial two-layer fabric which exhibits good hydration property and good air permeability by forming the longitudinal groove on its upper surface side and improves fiber supportability and surface smoothness by increasing shooting counts of wefts due to the low density of the upper surface side warp, while causes no influence on the rigidity due to no decrease of the number of warps.
BACKGROUND ART
Fabrics obtained by weaving warps and wefts have conventionally been used widely as an industrial fabric. They are, for example, sued in various fields including papermaking wires, conveyor belts and filter cloths and are required to have fabric properties suited for the intended use or using environment. Of such fabrics, a papermaking wire used in a papermaking step for removing water from raw materials by making use of the network of the fabric must satisfy a severe demand. There is therefore a demand for the development of fabrics which do not transfer a wire mark of the fabric and therefore have excellent surface property, have enough rigidity and therefore are usable desirably even under severe environments, or are capable of maintaining conditions necessary for making good paper for a prolonged period of time. In addition, fiber supporting property, improvement in a paper making yield, good water drainage property property, wear resistance, dimensional stability and running stability are demanded. In recent years, owing to the speed-up of a paper making machine, requirements for papermaking wires become severe further.
Since most of the demands for industrial fabrics and solutions thereof can be understood if papermaking fabrics on which the most severe demand is imposed among industrial fabrics will be described, the present invention will hereinafter be described by used of the papermaking fabric as a representative example.
Recently, particularly excellent hydration property and surface smoothness have been required due to the high speed operation of a machine for fabric. The Patent Publication 1 discloses a fabric for papermaking which improves hydration property by the fact that the number of upper surface side warps is set to be less than that of lower surface side warps. According to this fabric, longitudinally extending grooves are formed on the upper surface side to improve hydration property, since the number of the upper surface side warps is less. However, said fabric gets easily longitudinally lengthened, since the rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the fabric becomes lowered because of the small number of the upper surface side warps. Thus, said fabric has not been applied to an industrial fabric.
In addition, in the papermaking process, since the upper surface side serves to receive the raw material and serves as a surface contacting wet paper, the fiber supportability and the surface smoothness are required. In this respect, technical problems which cause the fact that the raw material is pulled, or that marks are attached to the paper cannot be solved simply by decreasing the number of the upper surface side warps.
Patent Publication 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication 2005-350844
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Technical Problems to be Solved by Present Invention
The object of the present invention is to provide an industrial two-layer fabric which exhibits good hydration property and good air permeability by forming a longitudinal groove on its upper surface side through a weave design without decreasing the number of warps, while at the same time exhibits good fiber supportability, good surface smoothness and high rigidity
Means to Solve Technical Problems
The technical feature of the industrial two-layer fabric according to the present invention lies in the fact that longitudinally extending grooves are formed on its upper surface side through a weave design without decreasing the number of the warps. Such a structure allows for good hydration property and good air permeability. Since such a structure can increase the shooting count of wefts, a fine surface can be obtained, so that the surface smoothness can be improved. In addition, for instance, in a case where the design on the upper surface side is defined by a plain weave design, a fiber supportability can be improved due to the fact that a distance between adjacent upper surface side warps constituting a plain weave design can be long because of the existence of the longitudinal grooves, and that a length of a crimp of the upper surface side warp can be long as compared to a normal fabric of a plain weave design, whereby the shooting count of wefts can be increased.
In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention is defined by the following elements.
The present invention provides an industrial two-layer fabric constituted by at least one upper surface side warp to be woven with at least one upper surface side weft, at least one lower surface side warp to be woven with at least one lower surface side weft, and at least one warp binding yarn to be woven with the at least one upper surface side weft and the at least one lower surface side weft comprising at least one pair of upper and lower warps in which said upper and lower surface side warps are located to be upper and lower, respectively, and at least one pair of warp binding yarns in which at least one yarn constitutes the warp binding yarn, characterized in that all knuckles emerging on the upper surface side formed by the yarns of said pair of warp binding yarns are aligned with knuckles on the upper surface side formed by the upper surface side warp adjacent to said pair of warp binding warps to form a hydrating groove.
The present invention provides an industrial two-layer fabric constituted by at least one upper surface side warp to be woven with at least one upper surface side weft, at least one lower surface side warp to be woven with at least one lower surface side weft, and at least one warp binding yarn to be woven with the at least one upper surface side weft and the at least one lower surface side weft comprising at least one pair of upper and lower warps in which said upper and lower surface side warps are located to be upper and lower, respectively, and at least one pair of warp binding yarns in which at least one yarn constitutes the warp binding yarn, characterized in that all or a portion of said upper surface side warps constituting said pair of upper and lower warps constitutes incomplete upper surface side warps in which a portion of knuckles are absent on the upper surface side, said pair of warp binding yarns are arranged so as to be adjacent to said incomplete upper surface side warps, a portion of knuckles emerging on the upper surface side formed by the yarns of said pair of warp binding yarns complements a portion where said knuckles of said incomplete upper surface side warps are absent, other knuckles emerging on the upper surface side are aligned with knuckles on the upper surface side formed by the upper surface side warp adjacent to said pair of warp binding warps to form a hydrating groove.
According to another preferred configuration, said incomplete upper surface side warps define a design in which two knuckles are absent in a complete design of the fabric.
According to another preferred configuration, a portion of said knuckles on the upper surface side of the yarns of said pair of warp binding yarns are aligned with the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, said other knuckles emerging on the upper surface side complement a portion where knuckles are absent on said incomplete upper surface side warp adjacent thereto.
According to another preferred configuration, one yarn of said pair of warp binding yarns forms knuckles aligned with the knuckles on the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, the other yarn complements the portion where the knuckles are absent on the incomplete upper surface side warp.
According to another preferred configuration, each of the yarns of said pair of warp binding yarns is aligned with the knuckles of said upper surface side warp, or complements the knuckles of said upper surface side warp.
According to another preferred configuration, said pair of warp binding yarns comprises two warp binding yarns, or one warp binding yarn and one upper surface side warp, or one warp binding yarn and one lower surface side warp.
According to another preferred configuration, the industrial two-layer fabric comprises a complete design in which said warp binding yarn passes over one or two upper surface side wefts once or twice, and then goes down to the lower layer to pass under one or two lower surface side wefts.
According to another preferred configuration, said pair of upper and lower warps and said pair of warp binding yarns are arranged in an alternate manner.
With respect to the incomplete upper surface side warp, if too less knuckles are formed on the surface, a distance between the upper surface side weft and the lower surface side weft becomes large, so that the easily deformable fabric the rigidity of which is deteriorated is formed because of the fact that the number of the intersections is decreased. Such being the case, it is preferable that the design on the upper surface side be the one in which comparatively many intersections are included such as the plain weave design, etc. The number of the absent knuckles in the complete design may be preferably two, since two warp binding yarns, or the warp binding yarn and the upper surface side warp, or one warp binding yarn complements the portion where the knuckles are absent.
With respect to other design on the upper surface side, there may be a design in which the warp passes over two upper surface side wefts and then passes under two upper surface side wefts. Further, the design in which the incomplete upper surface side warp is complemented by the warp binding yarns may be a plain weave design, while the design in which the complete upper surface warp is formed may be other designs.
The present invention relates to a fabric in which a longitudinal hydration groove is formed on the upper surface side through the weave design without decreasing the number of the warps. The warps constituting the fabric of the present invention comprises the upper surface side warp to be woven with the upper surface side weft, the lower surface side warp to be woven with the lower surface side weft, and the warp binding yarn to be woven with the upper surface side wefts and the lower surface side wefts.
In the present invention, there are two types for forming the dehydration groove, one being (1) a type of alignment, the other being (2) a type of alignment plus complementing. In any type, the knuckles on the upper surface side of the warp of the pair of warp binding warps are aligned with the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto so as to create portions where they are close together, so that a space is generated at portions where they shift, whereby longitudinal grooves are formed as a whole. As to the type (2), in addition to such an alignment, a portion where knuckles of the adjacent upper surface side warp are absent is complemented by knuckles forming the yarns of the pair of warp binding yarns. In both types, the portion of the knuckles being close together and the portion of the knuckles being apart from each other are formed, and a principle in which the longitudinal groove is formed is common among both types. With respect to the type (1), the knuckles on the upper surface side of the warp of the pair of warp binding warps are simply arranged to be close together with the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, while with respect to the type (2), the warp binding yarns form knuckles at a portion where the knuckles of the upper surface side warp are absent. Such being the case, there is an only difference of a design of the adjacent upper surface side warp between the two types.
In the present invention, there are at least one pair of upper and lower warps consisting of the upper surface side warp and the lower surface side warp and at least one pair of warp binding yarns including at least one warp binding yarn.
In the pair of warp binding yarns, there are a case where two warp binding yarns are arranged so as to form an intersection, a case where one warp binding yarn and one lower surface side warp are included, and a case where one warp binding yarn and one upper surface side warp are included.
With respect to the upper surface side warp, the pair of upper and lower warps consisting of one upper surface side warp and one lower surface side warp is included, and as to the type (2), there are a case where the upper surface side warp includes complete upper surface side warps and incomplete upper surface side warps, and a case where the upper surface side warp includes only the incomplete upper surface side warps. The incomplete upper surface side warp is defined to be the yarn a portion of knuckles of which formed on the upper surface side is absent. For instance, in case of a plain weave design, the warp normally passes over one weft and then passes under one weft in an alternate manner, however, the warp passes one weft, and then, passes under three wefts, and then passes over one weft. In this case, one knuckle is absent.
In addition, a complete upper surface side warp is defined to be a yarn constituting a complete design of a warp to be woven with an upper surface side weft to form a design on an upper surface side. In other words, it means a general upper surface side warp repeating a constant pattern without causing absence of knuckles. For instance, in case of a plain weave design, it is constituted by a repetition of a pattern that the upper surface warp passes over one weft and under one weft in an alternate manner. All the upper surface side warp of the pair of upper and lower warps belonging to the type (1) are the complete upper surface side warps.
A knuckle is defined to be a woven portion which is bent along a weft at a position where a warp passes over or under one (or two) wefts.
With respect to the upper surface side warp, the upper surface side warp of the pair of warp binding yarns other than that of the pair of upper and lower warps exists. With respect to the pair of warp binding yarns, the pair consisting of two warp binding yarns, the pair of consisting of one warp binding yarn and one lower surface side warp, and the pair of one warp binding yarn and one upper surface side warp exist. Since the upper surface side warp of the pair of warp binding yarns is arranged to be near the upper surface side warp of the pair of upper and lower warps adjacent thereto, the design and the function of the upper surface side warp of the pair of warp binding yarns are different from those of the upper surface side warp of the pair of upper and lower warps.
No particular limitation is put on the design of warp binding yarns, however, it is preferable that the warp binding yarn passes over one or two upper surface side wefts once or twice, and then, goes down to the lower layer to pass under one or two lower surface side wefts. Since the warp binding yarn emerges on the upper layer and then goes down to the lower layer, a large inner space can be formed inside the fabric layer including the longitudinal groove, so that sufficient water drainage property and sufficient air permeability are obtained.
Since the warp binding yarn is the yarn which does not stay but shifts toward the side of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, it is preferable that not too many knuckles be formed on the surface and that the number of the knuckles be determined depending on the design of the upper surface side or the design of the upper surface side warp. It is preferable that the warp binding yarn forms a portion where it passes over one, or two at most upper surfaces side wefts once or twice. For instance, it is preferable that the warp binding yarn constitute a design in which no less than two knuckles which are spaced apart from each other with a distance corresponding to no less than one upper surface side weft are formed on the upper surface side.
All of the knuckles on the upper surface side formed by the warp binding yarn of the pair of warp binding yarns and the upper surface side warp are aligned with each other, or complement each other, however, a principle in which a longitudinal groove is formed through the alignment of the knuckles will be now described.
Since the upper surface side warp and the warp binding yarn adjacent thereto, or the upper surface side warp and the upper surface side warp of the pair of the warp binding yarns adjacent thereto pass over the same one or two upper surface side wefts, at the intersection of the warp and the weft, the weft is caused to be bent to form a valley, and the knuckles of the two warps gather on the valley to be close together to form an adjacent portion, whereby the warps adjacent to each other are caused to be spaced apart from each other due to the fact that the warp at the intersection shifts, and as a result, a longitudinal groove is formed at the portion where the warps are spaced apart from each other.
In addition, the longitudinal groove tends to be formed due to the fact that the knuckles of the warp are formed so as to be diagonally adjacent to each other upon being seen from the surface in such a way that the knuckles are formed on the upper surface side weft adjacent to the respective warps between the warps adjacent to each other of the portion being spaced apart from each other. This design is adopted because the knuckles repel each other so that a force to back up the shift is generated.
For instance, as shown in FIG. 18 , in a case where two warps and two wefts cross in such a way that the weft 4 passing over the warp 1 to which a tension force is applied passes under the warp 2 adjacent to the warp 1 , while the wefts passing over the warp 2 passes under the warp 1 , the weft 4 is caused to be pushed up at a portion where the weft 4 and the warp 1 cross to form a mountain, while a valley is formed at a portion where the weft 4 passes under the warp 2 . On the other hand, the weft 3 is caused to be pushed up at a portion where the weft 3 and the warp 2 cross to form a mountain, while a valley is formed at a portion where the weft 3 passes under the warp 1 . Such being the case, since the warp at the valley tends to shift so as to be away from the mountain due to the fact that the positional relationship between the warp and the weft is set to be reverse in the vertical direction at four cross points each of which point is defined by either of two warps adjacent to each other and either of two wefts adjacent to each other, the warps 1 and 2 adjacent to each other tend to shift so as to be away from each other (refer to arrows in FIG. 18 ). This is why the repelling force is generated. The repelling force causes the knuckles of the warp binding yarns or the upper surface side warps to shift to any position, whereby a longitudinally extending groove is formed.
Likewise, a principle in which the knuckles complement to form a longitudinal groove is now described. If a space where the knuckles are absent on the upper surface side warps exist in the upper surface side layer, a phenomena in which the knuckles of the warp binding yarns are caused to shift so as to embed the space in such a way that the yarns tend to become uniform is generated. In addition, because of the design in which a force to back up the shift of the knuckles of the warp binding yarns is generated, the knuckles tend to shift. The force to back up is the same as that described above.
The longitudinal groove is formed based on the common principle described above in case of either the complementing, or the alignment. In case of the complementing, the incomplete upper surface side warp in which a portion of the knuckles formed on the upper surface side are absent exists.
The pair of warp binding yarns never fails to be arranged to be at least one side of the incomplete upper surface side warp, and an uniform constant pattern is formed on the upper surface side due to the fact that the warp binding yarn of the pair of warp binding yarns or the upper surface side warp pass over the upper surface side weft to form knuckles so as to complement the absent knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp. In the incomplete upper surface side warp, at least one absent knuckle is complemented by the warp binding yarn adjacent thereto or the upper surface side warp.
In case of an application in which an uniform surface is required, it is necessary to take account of the design of the incomplete upper surface side warp forming the upper surface side, the warp binding yarn, the upper surface side warp, the combination or the arrangement of these, etc. in order to make the surface formed by the complementing uniform.
The arrangement for attaining the effect of the present invention in a maxim manner is the one in which the pair of upper and lower warps and the pair of warp binding yarns are arranged in an alternate manner.
With respect to the incomplete upper surface side warp, if too less knuckles are formed on the surface, a distance between the upper surface side weft and the lower surface side weft becomes large, so that the easily deformable fabric the rigidity of which is deteriorated is formed because of the fact that the number of the intersections is decreased. Such being the case, it is preferable that the design on the upper surface side be the one in which comparatively many intersections are included such as the plain weave design, etc. The number of the absent knuckles in the complete design may be preferably two, since two warp binding yarns, or the warp binding yarn and the upper surface side warp, or one warp binding yarn complements the portion where the knuckles are absent.
With respect to other design on the upper surface side, there may be a design in which the warp passes over two upper surface side wefts and then passes under two upper surface side wefts. Further, the design in which the incomplete upper surface side warp is complemented by the warp binding yarns may be a plain weave design, while the design in which the complete upper surface warp is formed may be other designs.
With respect to the upper surface side design, it may be determined based on the design of the incomplete upper surface side warp, the warp binding yarn of the pair of warp binding yarns, the design of the upper surface side warp, etc., but it may be preferably a plain weave design with many intersections, as described above. In particular, the design in which the incomplete upper surfaces side warp is complemented by the warp binding yarn may be a plain weave design, but the complete upper surface side may be other design.
The absent knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp are complemented by the warp binding yarn of the pair of the warp binding yarn adjacent thereto, or the upper surface side warp, however, another knuckle of one yarn may aligned with the knuckles on the upper surface side of the incomplete upper surface side warp. In other words, the incomplete upper surface side warp may be either aligned with the warp adjacent thereto, or complemented by the warp adjacent thereto.
For instance, there cases where one of the pair of warp binding yarns complements a absent portion of the incomplete upper surface side warp adjacent to a portion of the knuckles formed on the upper surface side while other knuckles are aligned with be near the knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp, where the one of the pair of warp binding yarns complements the absent knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp while the other of the pair of warp binding yarns forms the knuckles aligned with be near the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto in the opposite side, etc.
In addition, two of the pair of warp binding yarns may be aligned with the upper surface side warp arranged to be one side, or may be complemented by said upper surface side warp, or one of the pair of warp binding yarn may be aligned with the upper surface side warp on the right side, or may be complemented by said upper surface side warp while the other of the pair of warp binding yarn may be aligned with the upper surface side warp on the left side, or may be complemented by said upper surface side warp, whereby said two yarn may be divided in such a way that one is shifted in the right direction toward one yarn, while the other is shifted in the left direction toward to another yarn.
For instance, in case of the type (1), there may be cases where two yarns constituting the pair of warp binding warps are aligned with be near the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent to be one side, or where one of the pair of warp binding yarns is aligned with be near the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent to be right side while the other of the pair of warp binding yarns is aligned with be near the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent to be left side.
However, it is not preferable that one knuckle of one yarn is aligned with the upper surface side warp arranged to be right side, or is complemented by said upper surface side warp while another knuckle of one yarn is aligned with the upper surface side warp arranged to be left side, or is complemented by said upper surface side warp. This is because there is a risk that the formation of the longitudinal groove which is related to the object of the present invention is impeded due to the fact that the above design causes a structure in which one warp binding yarn tends to meander in the right and the left direction to form knuckles.
In addition, the lower surface side layer consists of the lower surface side warp and the warp binding yarn and no limitation is pun on its design. The lower surface side layer may be a ribbed design constituting a plain weave design by two warps on the lower surface side being aligned with each other, or the lower surface side weft may form a long crimp on the lower surface side. Alternatively, the single lower surface side warp may pass under one lower surface side weft, or pass over a plurality of the lower surface side wefts.
With respect to a diameter of the yarn constituting the fabric, it is preferable that the upper surface side weft defining the upper surface side, the upper surface side warp, and the warp binding yarn include a comparatively small diameter in order to render the upper surface fine and smooth. With respect to the weft, It is preferable that the diameter of the weft on the upper surface side be comparatively small in order to render the upper surface fine. In addition, since the lower surface side layer serves to contact a roll of a machine, so that high rigidity and wear resistance are required for the lower surface side layer, it is preferable that the diameter of the lower surface side weft be comparatively large. Further, the diameters of the upper surface side warp, the lower surface side warp, and the warp binding warps may be set to be the same, while the diameter of the only lower surface side warp may be large. A ratio of the upper surface side wefts to the lower surface side wefts may be appropriately determined, such as 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, 3:1, 4:3 and 4:1. A latitudinal groove serving as a hydration groove may be formed by setting the number of the lower surface side wefts to be less than that of the upper surface side wefts, and the hydration property and the water drainage property can be even more improved by a combination of the latitudinal groove with the longitudinal groove.
In addition, it is preferable that the ratio of the lower surface side wefts be decreased, since a longitudinal groove is formed due to the fact that a distance between the portion where the warp binding yarn is woven with the upper surface side weft and the portion where the warp binding yarn is woven with the lower surface side weft is lengthened so that the warp binding yarn tends to shift toward the warp adjacent thereto.
No particular limitation is imposed on a yarn to be used in the present invention and it can be selected freely depending on the properties which an industrial fabric is desired to have. Examples of it include, in addition to monofilaments, multifilaments, spun yarns, finished yarns subjected to crimping or bulking such as so-called textured yarn, bulky yarn and stretch yarn, and yarns obtained by intertwining them. As the cross-section of the yarn, not only circular form but also square or short form such as stellar form, or elliptical or hollow form can be used. The material of the yarn can be selected freely and usable examples of it include polyester, polyamide, polyphenylene sulfide, polyvinylidene fluoride, polypropylene, aramid, polyether ketone, polyethylene naphthalate, polytetrafluoroethylene, cotton, wool and metal. Of course, yarns obtained using copolymers or incorporating or mixing the above-described material with a substance selected depending on the intended purpose may be used.
The various kinds of material may be used for the papermaking wire, however, polyester monofilaments which exhibits high rigidity and dimensional stability may be preferably used for the upper surface side warp, the lower surface side warp, the warp binding yarns, and the upper surface side weft. In addition, it is preferable that polyester monofilaments and polyamide monofilaments are arranged in an alternate manner for the lower surface side weft which requires high wear resistance property in order to improve rigidity and wear resistance.
Effects Of the Invention
According to the present invention, an industrial two-layer fabric which exhibits good dehydration property and good air permeability as well as good surface smoothness, good fiber supportability, high rigidity by providing a fabric in which grooves extending longitudinally or in the direction which the fabric extends are provided on its upper surface side through a weave design without decreasing the number of warps.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Examples of the present invention will hereinafter be described based on accompanying drawings.
Each of FIGS. 1 to 8 is a view showing a embodiment of the type (1) according to the present invention. Each of FIGS. 1 , 3 , 5 , and 7 is a design view, while each of FIGS. 2 , 4 , 6 , and 8 is a cross-sectional view along the warps. FIG. 17 is a view showing an inner space of the fabric formed by the upward and downward shift of the warp binding yarns.
The design diagram is a minimum repeating unit of a fabric design (referred to as a complete design) and a whole fabric design is formed by intertwining this complete design longitudinally and latitudinally as well as upwardly and downwardly. In these design diagrams of the following embodiments 1 to 4, warps are indicated by Arabic numerals, for example 1, 2, and 3. The complete upper surface side warp is indicated by the numeral to which “u” is attached, the incomplete upper surface side warp is indicated by the numeral to which “u” is attached, the warp binding yarn is indicated by the numeral to which “b” is attached, the upper surface side warp to cooperate with the warp binding yarn to form a pair is indicated by the numeral to which “u″” is attached, the warp binding warp to cooperate with the warp binding yarn “b” or the upper surface side warp “u″” to form a pair is indicated by the numeral to which “B” is attached, and the lower surface side warp is indicated by the numeral to which “d” is attached.
With respect to the warp, there are a pair of upper and lower warps consisting of one upper surface side warp (u) and one lower surface side warp (d), a pair of warp binding yarns consisting of two warp binding yarns (b,B), a pair of upper and lower warps consisting of one incomplete upper surface side warp (u″) and one lower surface side warp (d), and a pair of warp binding yarns consisting of one upper surface side warp (u″) and one warp binding yarn (B).
Wefts are indicated by Arabic numerals, for example 1′, 2′, and 3′. Depending on a ratio of the wefts, there are two cases, the one where the upper surface side weft and the lower surface side weft being arranged to be upper and lower, respectively, and the other where only the upper surface side wefts exist. The upper surface side weft is indicated by the numeral to which “u” is attached, while the lower surface side weft is indicated by the numeral to which “d” is attached, such as 1 ′ u , 2 ′ d.
In the diagrams, a cross “X” means that an upper surface side warp (u,u′,u″) lies over an upper surface side weft to form a knuckle on the upper surface side, while an open square “□” indicates that a lower surface side warp (d) lies under a lower surface side weft to form a knuckle on the lower surface side. A solid circle “●” indicates that a warp binding yarn (b) lies under an upper surface side weft to form a knuckle, while an open circle “◯” indicates that a warp binding yarn (b) lies under a lower surface side weft to form a knuckle. A solid rhombus “♦” indicates that a warp binding yarn (B) lies over an upper surface side weft to form a knuckle. An open rhombus “⋄” indicates that a warp binding yarn (B) lies under a lower surface side weft to form a knuckle.
A thick frame in the design diagrams indicates a portion where the knuckles of the warp binding yarn are aligned with the knuckles of the upper surface side warp, and a mesh indicates a portion where the knuckles are absent in FIGS. 9 to 18 .
In the design drawings, the lower surface side warps and wefts lie directly underneath the upper surface side warps and wefts, respectively. This is for the convenience of the drawings, and in an actual fabric, the lower surface side warps and wefts may biasedly lie under the upper surface side warps and wefts.
First Embodiment
Each of FIGS. 1 and 2 is a design view showing a fabric consisting of sixteen warps, or sixteen shafts of a first embodiment according to the present invention. Each of the warps 2 , 4 , 6 , and 8 is a pair of upper and lower warps consisting of the upper surface side warp (u) and the lower surface side warp (d). Each of the warps 1 , 3 , 5 , and 7 includes one warp binding yarn (b) and one lower surface side warp (d). The pair of upper and lower warps and the pair of warp binding yarns are arranged in an alternate manner.
The upper surface side warp is a plain weave design and passes over and under one upper surface side weft in an alternate manner. In addition, the warp binding warps passes over one upper surface side weft, and then, goes down to the lower layer to pass under one lower surface side weft, whereby the upper and lower layers are woven with each other. The knuckles on the upper surface of the warp binding yarn are aligned with a portion of the knuckles of the upper surface side warp, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the warp binding yarn 1 b is aligned with be near the knuckles which the upper surface side warp ( 2 u ) adjacent thereto forms on the upper surface side weft ( 7 ′ u ). In addition, the warp binding yarn ( 3 b ) is aligned with be near the knuckles which the upper surface side warp ( 2 u ) forms on the upper surface side weft ( 5 ′ u ). This causes a longitudinal groove to be formed on a portion of the warps ( 1 ) and ( 3 ).
By the above embodiment, the number of the shooting counts of the wefts can be increased, as compare with the normal plain weave design, and even though the upper surface side warp is a plain weave design, a fiber supportability can be improved, since a long crimp of the upper surface side weft can be obtained, as compared with the normal plain weave design.
In addition, the warp binding yarn is woven with the upper surface side weft to form a knuckle, and then goes down to the lower layer to be woven with the lower surface side weft, and then, is woven with the upper surface side weft again. A large inner space is formed inside the fabric so that good water drainage property and good air permeability are obtained (refer to a diagonal section in FIG. 17 ) due to the fact that the warp binding warps is arranged between the longitudinal grooves in addition to the above described design.
The lower surface side layer defines a ribbed design in which the lower surface side warp and the warp binding yarn adjacent to each other pass under the same lower surface side weft in such a way that, high rigidity is obtained, while good water drainage property and good air permeability are obtained, since longitudinal grooves are formed on the lower surface side layer.
Second Embodiment
Each of FIGS. 3 and 4 is a design view showing a fabric consisting of sixteen warps, or sixteen shafts of a second embodiment according to the present invention. Each of the warps 1 , 3 , 5 , and 7 is a pair of upper and lower warps consisting of the upper surface side warp (u) and the lower surface side warp (d). Each of the warps 2 , 4 , 6 , and 8 is a pair of warp binding yarns (b, B). The pair of upper and lower warps and the pair of warp binding yarns are arranged in an alternate manner. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that, in this embodiment, the pair of warp binding yarns consists of two warp binding yarns.
The upper surface side warp is a plain weave design and a pair of warp binding yarns is arranged on both sides. The warp binding yarns passes over one upper surface side weft, and then, goes down to the lower layer to pass under one lower surface side weft, whereby the lower and upper layers are woven with each other. The knuckles of the warp binding yarns on the upper surface side are aligned with the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, whereby a longitudinal space is formed inside the layer between the upper surface side warps. In this embodiment, the one of the pair of warp binding yarns is aligned with one knuckle of the upper surface side warp arranged to be right side, while the other of the pair of warp binding yarns is aligned with one knuckle of the upper surface side warp arranged to be left side. Such being the case, it may be that one of the pair is aligned with one yarn, while the other of the pair is aligned with another yarn.
The design of the lower surface side layer of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.
Like the first embodiment, since a longitudinal groove is formed between the upper surface side warps and an inner space is formed inside the layer, air permeability and water drainage property can be improved, and since the number of the shooting counts of the wefts can be increased, god surface smoothness and good fiber supportability can be obtained.
Third Embodiment
Each of FIGS. 5 and 6 is a design view of the fabric of the upper surface plain weave design consisting of sixteen shafts of a third embodiment according to the present invention. The structure of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the fact that the ratio of the upper surface side wefts of the lower surface side wefts is 4:1. Water drainage property can be further improved due to the fact that a latitudinal groove is also formed on the lower surface side because of the decreased number of the shooting counts of the lower surface side wefts. Wear resistance can be improved if the diameter of the weft is increased in accordance with the decreased number of the shooting counts of the lower surface side wefts.
Fourth Embodiment
Each of FIGS. 7 and 8 is a design view showing a fabric of an upper surface plain weave design consisting sixteen warps, or sixteen shafts of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention, like the second embodiment, but unlike the second embodiment, the ratio of the upper surface side wefts to the lower surface side wefts is 3:1, and the warp binding yarn forms a knuckle passing over one upper surface side weft twice.
The one of the warp binding yarn passes over one upper surface side weft, and then goes down to the lower layer to pass under one lower surface side weft, while the other of the warp binding yarn passes over two upper surface side wefts spaced apart from each other, and then goes down to the lower layer to pass under the lower surface side weft. The upper surface side knuckles of two warp binding yarns (b, B) are aligned with a portion of the knuckles of the upper surface side warp, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the warp binding yarn ( 2 b ) is aligned with be near to the knuckles formed on the upper surface side weft ( 1 ′ u ), for instance. In addition, the warp binding yarn ( 2 B) is aligned with be near to the knuckles formed on the upper surface side weft ( 5 ′ u , 9 ′ u ) by the upper surface side warp ( 3 u ).
This causes the pair of warp binding yarns ( 2 b , 2 B) and the pair of upper and lower warps ( 3 u , 3 d ) to be near to each other, so that a longitudinal groove is formed at the warp ( 2 ).
Like the other embodiment, since the longitudinal groove is formed between the upper surface side warps and an inner space is formed inside the layer, good air permeability and good water drainage property are obtained, while surface smoothness and fiber supportability are improved because of the increased number of the shooting counts of the wefts.
Further, fifth to eighth embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings.
Each of FIGS. 9 to 16 is a view showing an example of the type (2) (the alignment and the complementing). Each of FIGS. 9 , 11 , 13 and 15 is a design view. FIGS. 10 , 12 , 14 and 16 are cross sectional views of warps 1 to 4 , respectively.
Fifth Embodiment
FIG. 9 is a design view showing a fabric consisting sixteen warps, or sixteen shafts of a fifth embodiment according to the present invention. Each of warps 1 , 3 , 5 and 7 is a pair of upper and lower warps consisting of the upper surface side warp (u) and the lower surface side warp (d), the warps 1 , 5 are the incomplete upper surface side warps (u′), while the warps 3 , 7 are the complete upper surface side warps (u). In addition, each of warps 2 , 4 , 6 and 8 is a pair of warp binding yarns (b, B) consisting of two warp binding yarns, and the pair of upper and lower warps and the pair of warp binding yarns are arranged in an alternate manner. The ratio of the upper surface side wefts to the lower surface side wefts is 2:1.
The design formed on the upper surface side is a plain weave design in which the warp passes one upper surface side weft
In addition, the warp binding yarn passes over one upper surface side weft, and then goes down to the lower layer to pass under one lower surface side weft. The upper layer and the lower layer are woven with each other. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the one (B) of the pair of warp binding yarns complements absent knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, while the other (b) forms knuckles aligned with a portion of the knuckles of the upper surface side warp.
For instance, in the warp binding yarn 2 , the warp binding yarn ( 2 B) complements a portion where the knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side yarn ( 1 u ′) are absent to be woven with the upper surface side weft ( 1 ′ u ). On the other hand, the warp binding yarn ( 2 b ) forms knuckles aligned with one of the knuckles of the complete upper surface side warp ( 3 u ) adjacent thereto to be woven with the upper surface side weft ( 6 ′ u ).
Further, the warp binding yarn ( 8 B) arranged to be adjacent to the incomplete upper surface side warp ( 1 u ′) is also woven with the upper surface side weft ( 7 ′ u ) to complement the absent knuckles. The incomplete upper surface side warp ( 1 u ′) falsely forms a plain weave design corresponding to one warp on the upper surface side by being complemented from its both sides. In addition, the incomplete upper surface side warp is complemented from its both sides, so that a groove is formed between the warp 1 and the warp 3 on the upper surface side. Although the upper surface side design is a plain weave design, good fiber supportability is obtained, since the upper surface side weft forms a long crimp on its surface due to the grooved formed between the warps.
Likewise, the warp binding yarn ( 4 b ) arranged to be adjacent to the complete upper surface side warp ( 3 u ) is woven with the upper surface side weft ( 8 ′ u ) in order to form a knuckle aligned with one of the knuckle of the complete upper surface side warp ( 3 u ). The warp binding yarn (b, B) does not influence on the plain weave design formed on the upper surface side warp ( 3 u ), since it goes down to the lower layer so that the knuckles do not protrude.
In addition, the warp binding yarn is woven with the upper surface side weft to form knuckles, and then goes down to the lower layer to be woven with the lower surface side weft, and then is woven with the upper surface side weft again. A large inner space is formed inside the fabric so that good water drainage property and good air permeability are obtained (refer to a diagonal section in FIG. 17 ) due to the fact that the warp binding warps is arranged between the longitudinal grooves in addition to the above described design.
The lower surface side layer defines a ribbed design in which the lower surface side warp and the warp binding yarn adjacent to each other pass under the same lower surface side weft in such a way that, high rigidity is obtained, while good water drainage property and good air permeability are obtained, since longitudinal grooves are formed on the lower surface side layer.
Sixth Embodiment
FIG. 11 is a design view showing a fabric of the upper surface plain weave design consisting sixteen warps, or sixteen shafts of a sixth embodiment according to the present invention, like the fifth embodiment. Each of the warps 1 , 5 define a pair of upper and lower warps consisting of the incomplete upper surface side warp (u′) and the lower surface side warp (d). Each of the warps 3 , 7 define a pair of upper and lower warps consisting of the complete upper surface side warp (u) and the lower surface side warp (d). Each of the warps 2 , 4 , 6 and 8 define a pair of warp binding yarns consisting of two warp binding yarns (b), (B). The pair of upper and lower warps and the pair of warp binding yarns are arranged in an alternate manner. One warp binding yarn forms two knuckles in such a way that one of the knuckles complements a portion where the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto are absent, while the other of the knuckles is aligned with a portion of the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto. Such being the case, the knuckle of one of the warp binding yarns may serve not only as the complement means, but also as the alignment.
The design formed on the upper surface side is a plain weave design and four knuckles are absent in one of the incomplete upper surface side warp. A pair of warp binding yarns are arranged on both sides, as shown in FIG. 12 , one of the warp binding yarns (b) passes over one the upper surface side weft, and then, goes down to the lower layer to pass under one lower surface side weft, and then, goes up to the upper layer to pass over one upper surface side weft, and then, goes down to the lower layer again to pass under one lower surface side weft, whereby the upper and lower layers are woven with each other. In both of two warp binding yarns (B) constituting a pair, one of the knuckles complements a portion where the knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp (u′) adjacent thereto, while the other of the knuckles forms a knuckle aligned with one knuckle of the incomplete upper surface side warp (u′).
Taking into consideration that a groove is formed on the upper surface by making the warp binding yarn near the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, even if there a plurality of knuckles of the upper surface side warps, a groove tends to be easily formed due to the fact that all the knuckles of one warp binding yarns are aligned with the knuckles of the upper surface side warp arranged to be the same side, or complement said knuckles, like this embodiment. In addition, in this embodiment, the ratio of lower surface side weft is set to be lower than that of the upper surface side weft. This causes a distance between the portion where the warp binding yarn and the upper surface side weft are woven with each other and the portion where the warp binding yarn and the lower surface side weft are woven with each other to be lengthened, whereby an angle between the warp binding yarn extending on the upper layer and the warp binding yarn extending on the lower layer is decreased, and as a result, the warp binding yarn tends to shift near the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, and a longitudinal groove tends to be formed on the upper surface side layer.
Since the warp binding yarn passes over the upper surfaces side weft, and then goes down to the lower surface side layer, an inner space is formed inside the fabric layer. The design of the lower surface side layer is a ribbed design in which two lower surface side warps aligned with each other pass over and under one lower surface side weft.
Like the above embodiment, since the longitudinal groove is formed between the upper surface side warps and the inner space is formed inside the layer, air permeability and water drainage property are improved, while good surface smoothness and good fiber supportability are obtained due to the increased number of the shooting counts of the wefts.
Seventh Embodiment
FIG. 13 is a design view showing a fabric of a seventh embodiment according to the present invention. The fabric of this embodiment is the same as the upper surface plain weave design including sixteen shafts. More specifically, the warps 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 are the pair of upper and lower warps consisting of the incomplete upper surface side warp (u′) and the lower surface side warp (d), while the warps 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 are the pair of warp binding warps consisting of the upper surface side warp (u″) and the warp binding yarn (B). The pair of upper and lower warps and the pair of warp binding yarn are arranged in an alternate manner. The ratio of the upper surface side weft (u) to the lower surface side weft (d) is 2:1. In this embodiment, the upper surface side warp forms a plain weave design, and there exists the incomplete upper surface side warp in which two knuckles are absent.
In addition, the pair of warp binding yarns consists of the upper surface side warp and the warp binding yarn, and the upper surface side warp of said pair complements the absent knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, while the warp binding yarn forms the knuckles aligned with the knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp. In the above embodiment, the incomplete upper surface side warp complements the design, or forms the knuckles aligned with each other by the warp binding yarn arranged to be on both sides thereof, whereas, in this embodiment, not only the warp binding yarns but also the upper surface side warp cooperating with the warp binding yarn to form a pair forms the knuckles for the complementing. Further, like the sixth embodiment, in this embodiment, the knuckles are complemented by the warp binding yarn and the upper surface side warp arranged not to be both sides of the incomplete upper surface side warp, but to be one side thereof adjacent thereto. Like this embodiment, the absent knuckles may be complemented not by the warp binding yarn, but by the upper surface side warp constituting the pair of the warp binding warps.
More specifically, as shown FIG. 14 , the incomplete upper surface side warp ( 1 u ′) is a plain weave design where the knuckles are absent at the portion of the upper surface side weft ( 6 ′ u ) and the upper surface side weft ( 14 ′ u ). In addition, the reference number 2 indicates a pair of warp binding yarn consisting of the upper surface side warp ( 2 u ″) and the warp binding yarn ( 2 B), so that the upper surface side warp ( 2 u ″) is woven with the upper surface side weft ( 6 ′ u ) and the upper surface side weft ( 14 ′ u ) to form a knuckle on the upper surface side. The upper surface side warp ( 2 u ″) shifts toward the incomplete upper surface side warp ( 1 u ′) so as to complement a portion where the knuckles are absent on the incomplete upper surface side warp ( 1 u ′) adjacent thereto. In addition, in the warp binding yarn ( 2 B), the upper surface side weft ( 2 ′ u ) and the upper surface side weft ( 10 ′ u ) are woven with each other to form a knuckle on the upper surface side. The incomplete upper surface side warp ( 1 u ′) adjacent thereto also forms the knuckle at this portion so that the knuckles formed by the upper surface side warp ( 1 u ′), and the warp binding yarn (B) are aligned with each other. A longitudinal groove is formed on the upper surface side of the warp 2 in the design diagram due to the fact that these shift toward each other.
The above is applied to other warps so that the longitudinal grooves spaced apart from each other with an equal distance are formed on the upper surface side.
In addition, the warp binding yarn is woven with the upper surface side weft to form a knuckle, and then goes down to the lower layer to be woven with the lower surface side weft, and then, is woven with the upper surface side weft again. A large inner space is formed inside the fabric so that good water drainage property and good air permeability are obtained (refer to a diagonal section in FIG. 17 ) due to the fact that the warp binding warp is arranged between the longitudinal grooves in addition to the above described design.
In the lower surface side layer, two lower surface side warps aligned with each other go down to one lower surface side weft, and then, pass over three lower surface side wefts, so that good wear resistance is obtained due to the design in which the lower surface side weft forms a long crimp corresponding to six warps.
Like the above embodiment, since the longitudinal groove is formed between the upper surface side warps and the inner space is formed inside the layer, air permeability and water drainage property are improved, while good surface smoothness and good fiber supportability are obtained due to the increased number of the shooting counts of the wefts.
Eighth Embodiment
FIG. 15 is a design view showing a fabric of an eighth embodiment according to the present invention. The number of the shafts, the arrangement of the yarns, etc. are the same as those of the seventh embodiment. However, in the seventh embodiment, knuckles are formed on the upper surface side in such a way that the warp binding yarn of the pair of warp binding yarns are aligned with be near the knuckles of the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto, and the upper surface side warp cooperating with the warp binding yarn to define a pair complements a portion where the knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp adjacent thereto are absent, whereas, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16 , the warp binding yarn (B) of the pair of warp binding yarns (u″,B) complements a portion where the knuckles of the incomplete upper surface side warp (u′) adjacent thereto are absent, and the upper surface side warp (u″) cooperating with the warp binding yarn (B) to define a pair is aligned with the knuckles of the upper surface side warp (u′) adjacent thereto.
This embodiment is similar to the seventh embodiment, so that either one of the pair of warp binding yarns may complement a portion where the knuckles are absent, or may be aligned with the upper surface side warp adjacent thereto.
BRIEF EXPLANATION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a design view showing a complete design of the first embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along warps 1 - 4 of the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a design view showing a complete design of the second embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along warps 1 - 4 of the second embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a design view showing a complete design of the third embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along warps 1 - 4 of the third embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a design view showing a complete design of the fourth embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along warps 1 - 4 of the fourth embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a design view showing a complete design of the fifth embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along warps 1 - 4 of the fifth embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a design view showing a complete design of the sixth embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along warps 1 - 4 of the sixth embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a design view showing a complete design of the seventh embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view taken along warps 1 - 4 of the seventh embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a design view showing a complete design of the eighth embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a cross sectional view taken along warps 1 - 4 of the eighth embodiment.
FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view showing an inner space of the fabric along the upper and lower warp binding yarns.
FIG. 18 is a view showing a principle in which a longitudinal groove is formed by aligning knuckles with each other.
EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS
1 , 2 , 3 . . . 8 : pair of upper and lower warps, pair of warp binding yarns
1 u , 2 u . . . : upper surface side warp
1 d , 2 d . . . : lower surface side warp
1 b , 1 B . . . : warp binding yarn
1 ′ u , 2 ′ u . . . : upper surface side wefts
1 ′ d , 3 ′ d . . . : lower surface side wefts
2 u ″, 2 u ″ . . . : upper surface side warp cooperating with warp binding yarn to form a pair
1 u ′, 2 u ′ . . . : incomplete upper surface side warps
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The object of the present invention is to provide an industrial two-layer fabric which exhibits good hydration property and good air permeability by forming a longitudinal groove on its upper surface side through a weave design without decreasing the number of warps, while at the same time exhibits good fiber supportability, good surface smoothness and high rigidity.
The present invention provides an industrial two-layer fabric constituted by at least one upper surface side warp to be woven with at least one upper surface side weft, at least one lower surface side warp to be woven with at least one lower surface side weft, and at least one warp binding yarn to be woven with the at least one upper surface side weft and the at least one lower surface side weft comprising at least one pair of upper and lower warps in which said upper and lower surface side warps are located to be upper and lower, respectively, and at least one pair of warp binding yarns in which at least one yarn constitutes the warp binding yarn, characterized in that all knuckles emerging on the upper surface side formed by the yarns of said pair of warp binding yarns are aligned with knuckles on the upper surface side formed by the upper surface side warp adjacent to said pair of warp binding warps to form a hydrating groove.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/615,835 filed on Dec. 22, 2006, and is also related to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/615,854 filed on Dec. 22, 2006, which applications claim priority to U.S. provisional application No. 60/758,494 filed on Jan. 12, 2006. These applications are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for sewing fabrics and attaching rings to fabrics wherein the fabrics are, for example, usable in coverings for architectural openings and more particularly to an apparatus that takes a single or multi-ply sheet of material and either forms hems, tunnels, hobbles, and/or attaches rings to the material so it is suitable for connection to a control system for a covering for an architectural opening.
[0004] 2. Description of the Relevant Art
[0005] While early forms of coverings for architectural openings consisted principally of draped fabrics or fabrics which were gathered along a top edge so as to form drapery, in recent years designer window coverings have taken on many numerous forms. Included in those forms are coverings that utilize fabric that can be raised or lowered and gathered in the process wherein rings or other guide systems are incorporated into the fabric to slidably confine lift cords or the like. Further, in Roman shade type products, horizontal droops in the fabric, otherwise referred to as hobbles, might be formed in the fabric for aesthetics.
[0006] While sewing machines have been used to form hobbles or attach rings to fabric, it was all hand operated with an operator literally moving and shifting the fabric as it was passed through an appropriate sewing machine for either stitching the fabric to provide hems or tunnels across the width of the fabric or to attach suitable guide rings.
[0007] There has, accordingly, been a need in the industry for automating the fabrication of fabric for use in coverings for architectural openings or in the use of fabrics that might have other uses wherein stitching, hobbles, the attachment of rings, or the like, is a requisite.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The apparatus of the present invention includes a vertically oriented and adjustable lift rack to which a top edge of a fabric material can be secured with the remainder of the material hanging by gravity through a lower housing where clamps are utilized to control the fabric during operations thereon.
[0009] A sewing carriage including a pair of tandem sewing machines having different capabilities are mounted together for movement in unison in a reciprocal path back and forth across the width of the fabric. One sewing machine is adapted to stitch the fabric from one side edge to the other while the other sewing machine is adapted to attach horizontally spaced rings to the fabric in a return movement of the sewing machines across the width of the fabric. When stitching the fabric, which might be a dual layer or dual panel fabric, the layers can be handled separately so that one layer might have hobbles formed therein while the other layer remains flat. Tunnels are also defined by the stitching in which rigidifying bars might be inserted. When forming tunnels and/or attaching guide rings to the fabric, a tucker blade is utilized to advance a horizontal section of the fabric into a position for engagement by the sewing machines with the tucker blade being retractable before stitching or the attachment of rings to the fabric. A vacuum chamber is also utilized in one embodiment to gather a horizontal segment of one layer of the fabric to form a hobble while the other layer is unaffected by the vacuum so that both layers can be stitched together with a hobble being formed in one layer. In a second embodiment, the hobble is formed by manipulating the layers with the lift rack.
[0010] A lower releasable clamp in the first embodiment is positioned beneath the sewing machines and has three distinct positions with an open position permitting the free passage of at least a layer of material therethrough, a soft clamp position providing some resistance to movement of the fabric with brushes for removing lint wrinkles or the like from the fabric and a hard clamp position where the fabric can be positively gripped during a sewing operation.
[0011] When the sewing machines have completed one operation of stitching, forming hobbles and/or sewing rings to the fabric, they are repositioned at a home position so the fabric can be elevated or dropped a predetermined amount, depending on the embodiment, for a repeat of the afore-described operation whereby vertically adjacent rows of hobbles, tunnels, rings, or the like, are formed in the fabric until the entire fabric has been treated. It can then be removed from the lift rack and is suitable for attachment to a control system for a covering for an architectural opening in which the fabric forms an integral part.
[0012] Other aspects, features, and details of the present invention can be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the drawings and from the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic fragmentary isometric of the apparatus of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a front isometric of a fabric formed from the apparatus of FIG. 1 .
[0015] FIG. 3 is a rear isometric of the fabric shown in FIG. 2 .
[0016] FIG. 4 is an isometric similar to FIG. 1 showing the sewing machines separated as they might be for maintenance purposes.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic isometric of the apparatus illustrating a first step in treating a fabric.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic isometric similar to FIG. 5 showing a second step in the treatment of a fabric.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic isometric similar to FIG. 6 showing a third step in the treatment of a fabric.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic isometric similar to FIG. 7 showing a fourth step in the treatment of a fabric.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic isometric similar to FIG. 8 showing a fifth step in the treatment of a fabric.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic isometric similar to FIG. 9 showing a sixth step in the treatment of a fabric.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic isometric similar to FIG. 10 showing a seventh step in the treatment of a fabric.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic isometric similar to FIG. 11 showing an eighth step in the treatment of a fabric.
[0025] FIG. 13 is an enlarged diagrammatic fragmentary section taken along line 13 - 13 of FIG. 5 .
[0026] FIG. 14 is an enlarged diagrammatic fragmentary section taken along line 14 - 14 of FIG. 7 .
[0027] FIG. 15 is a section similar to FIG. 14 showing the vacuum chamber advanced into a clamping position with the fabric.
[0028] FIG. 16 is a section similar to FIG. 15 with the vacuum chamber having drawn the fabric thereinto.
[0029] FIG. 17 is a section similar to FIG. 16 with one layer of fabric having been gripped by a lower clamp and removed from the vacuum chamber.
[0030] FIG. 18 is an enlarged diagrammatic section taken along line 18 - 18 of FIG. 8 .
[0031] FIG. 19 is a section similar to FIG. 18 with the tucker blade having been tilted.
[0032] FIG. 20 is an enlarged diagrammatic fragmentary section taken along line 20 - 20 of FIG. 9 .
[0033] FIG. 21 is an enlarged diagrammatic fragmentary section taken along line 21 - 21 of FIG. 10 .
[0034] FIG. 22 is a diagrammatic section similar to FIG. 21 showing hobbles and rings having been formed in the fabric in a plurality of horizontal rows.
[0035] FIG. 23 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 23 - 23 of FIG. 20 .
[0036] FIG. 24 is a section taken along line 24 - 24 of FIG. 23 .
[0037] FIG. 25 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 25 - 25 of FIG. 21 .
[0038] FIG. 26 is a fragmentary section taken along line 26 - 26 of FIG. 25 .
[0039] FIG. 27 is a section similar to FIG. 25 showing the ring and fabric having been shifted for receipt of the sewing needle within the ring.
[0040] FIG. 28 is a section taken along line 28 - 28 of FIG. 27 .
[0041] FIG. 29 is a fragmentary section taken along line 29 - 29 of FIG. 14 showing the lower clamp in a soft clamping position.
[0042] FIG. 30 is a section similar to FIG. 29 showing the lower clamp in a full clamping position.
[0043] FIG. 31 is a section similar to FIG. 29 showing the lower clamp in an open position.
[0044] FIG. 32 is a fragmentary section taken along line 32 - 32 of FIG. 14 .
[0045] FIG. 33 is a top plan view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 32 .
[0046] FIG. 34 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 34 - 34 of FIG. 32 .
[0047] FIG. 35 is a fragmentary section taken along line 35 - 35 of FIG. 26 .
[0048] FIG. 36 is a section taken along line 36 - 36 of FIG. 35 .
[0049] FIG. 37 is a section similar to FIG. 36 showing the ring clamp in an open position.
[0050] FIG. 38 is a section taken along line 38 - 38 of FIG. 14 .
[0051] FIG. 39 is an enlarged fragmentary section similar to FIG. 38 showing the drive mechanism for linearly translating the sewing machines with the view taken at the left end of the apparatus when the sewing machines are positioned at the left end.
[0052] FIG. 40 is a fragmentary section similar to FIG. 39 with the sewing machines positioned at their home position at the right end of the apparatus.
[0053] FIG. 41 is an isometric of a second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.
[0054] FIG. 42 is a front isometric of a fabric formed from the apparatus of FIG. 41 having hobbles formed on the front face thereof.
[0055] FIG. 43 is a rear isometric of the panel shown in FIG. 42 showing tucks and rings sewed to the panel.
[0056] FIG. 44 is an isometric similar to FIG. 41 showing the sewing machines separated as for maintenance purposes.
[0057] FIG. 45 is a front isometric of the apparatus of FIG. 41 with the upper edge of two sheets of fabric material anchored to lift towers of the apparatus in preparation for processing a fabric as viewed in FIGS. 42 and 43 .
[0058] FIG. 46 is an isometric similar to FIG. 45 with the panels of fabric having been elevated by the lift towers prior to processing the fabric panels.
[0059] FIG. 47 is an isometric similar to FIG. 46 with the panels of fabric material having been dropped into a position for initial operation of the apparatus.
[0060] FIG. 48 is an isometric similar to FIG. 47 with the tucker blade having been advanced into the sheets of fabric material for forming a tuck in the material.
[0061] FIG. 49 is an isometric similar to FIG. 48 with the tucker blade having been removed from the fabric sheets and the ring sewing machine positioned for initiating an attachment stitch into the fold of the sheets of material.
[0062] FIG. 50 is an isometric similar to FIG. 49 with the ring sewing machine positioned to initiate a stitch into a ring for attachment to a fold in the sheets of material.
[0063] FIG. 51 is an isometric similar to FIG. 49 with a complete fabric having been formed showing the lift tower at its lowermost position.
[0064] FIG. 52 is an isometric similar to FIG. 51 with the lift tower having elevated the completed fabric.
[0065] FIG. 53 is an enlarged section taken along line 53 - 53 of FIG. 45 .
[0066] FIG. 54 is an enlarged section taken along line 54 - 54 of FIG. 46 .
[0067] FIG. 55 is an enlarged section taken along line 55 - 55 of FIG. 47 .
[0068] FIG. 56 is an enlarged section taken along line 56 - 56 of FIG. 48 .
[0069] FIG. 57 is a section similar to FIG. 56 with the stabilizing clamp having been energized.
[0070] FIG. 58 is a section similar to FIG. 57 with the stitching machine sewing a tuck into the sheets of material.
[0071] FIG. 59 is a section similar to FIG. 58 with the ring sewing machine positioned to initiate a stitch along a folded edge of the sheets of material.
[0072] FIG. 60 is an enlarged section taken along line 60 - 60 of FIG. 49 .
[0073] FIG. 61 is an enlarged section taken along line 61 - 61 of FIG. 60 .
[0074] FIG. 62 is an enlarged section taken along line 62 - 62 of FIG. 58 .
[0075] FIG. 63 is a section taken along line 63 - 63 of FIG. 62 .
[0076] FIG. 64 is a section similar to FIG. 61 where the ring sewing machine is positioned for sewing a ring to sheets of material that do not have a hobble but are merely formed with tucks to which rings are attached.
[0077] FIG. 65 is a rear isometric showing a panel of fabric material having tucks and rings sewn thereto but with no hobbles.
[0078] FIG. 66 is a section similar to FIG. 64 wherein the ring sewing machine is positioned to sew a ring to the panels of fabric material where no tuck is formed in the material.
[0079] FIG. 67 is a rear isometric showing a panel where rings are sewn to the panel but no tucks or hobbles are formed on the panel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0080] Looking first at a first embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-40 , the apparatus 41 ( FIG. 1 ) can be seen to include a housing 42 on which a lift rack 44 is mounted. As will be described hereafter, the housing includes various components of the apparatus for handling fabric that is being treated while the lift rack supports an upper edge of the fabric and is vertically movable to raise or lower the fabric into or out of the housing. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a completed fabric 46 which could be formed with the apparatus of the present invention is illustrated. It is shown to include a backing or rear layer 48 and a front layer 50 with the front layer secured to the backing layer along horizontal vertically spaced tucks 52 in the fabric in a manner whereby a plurality of vertically aligned horizontally disposed hobbles or droops 54 in the fabric are formed so the fabric resembles a Roman shade. A tunnel 56 can be formed along the top and bottom edges of the fabric for receipt of a stiffening bar (not seen) with the tunnel possibly being formed from two horizontal lines of stitching that are vertically spaced or by folding the edge and with one stitch forming a hemmed edge. The top tunnel would typically be formed in the fabric before the fabric is treated with the apparatus of the present invention. The top edge of the fabric is then supported in the lift rack 44 so the fabric is properly disposed for processing within the apparatus.
[0081] The lift rack 44 consists of a pair of horizontally spaced vertically extending support towers 58 that are interconnected at their top ends to support a horizontal drive shaft 60 and a motor 62 for reversibly rotating the drive shaft. The lift towers have lift cords (not seen) disposed therein with the lift cords being operably connected to opposite ends of a vertically adjustable horizontally extending transverse lift bar 66 which is referred to hereafter as an upper clamp. Reversible rotation of the drive shaft raises or lowers the upper clamp for purposes to be described hereafter.
[0082] The housing 42 includes a number of operative components which will be described hereafter and which are adapted to grip and manipulate a virgin fabric 68 ( FIGS. 5-9 ) to properly position the fabric so that one or both of a pair of sewing machines 70 and 72 mounted on the housing for reciprocal horizontal translating movement can direct sewing operations to the fabric in a preselected manner.
[0083] One of the sewing machines 70 is provided to stitch horizontal lines in the fabric while the other 72 is provided to attach guide rings 74 ( FIGS. 3, 21 , 22 and 25 - 28 ) commonly found in certain coverings for architectural openings such as Roman Shades. Both sewing machines are conventional for their intended purpose and will therefore only be described broadly hereafter with specific regard to their operation and relationship to the fabric being treated.
[0084] The apparatus is designed to treat virgin fabric 68 in several different ways so the fabric can be formed with a plurality of hobbles 54 , a plurality of guide rings 74 attached thereto, a plurality of horizontal tunnels 56 on the front or rear of the fabric, and various combinations of the above. The treatments are accomplished in one continuous operation of the apparatus.
[0085] The apparatus is controlled through a conventional computer control module 76 that energizes various pumps, motors, and pneumatic pistons for achieving the various operations performed by the apparatus on the fabric. A detailed description of the software for driving the control module will not be described herein but suffice it to say the various operating mechanisms in the apparatus are controlled from the module and with an appropriate computer-controlled system.
[0086] The sewing machines 70 and 72 are mounted on two interconnected halves 78 and 80 , respectively, of a sewing machine carriage 82 with the halves typically being interconnected so the sewing machines move in unison but can be separated as shown in FIG. 4 for individual maintenance of the machines. One sewing machine 70 in the preferred embodiment is a walking foot/needle feed lock stitch machine used to stitch the fabric in a manner to become clear hereafter and might be for example a Seiko SSH-88LDC-DTFL machine manufactured by Seiko of Japan. The other machine 72 in the preferred embodiment is a conventional button sewing machine which might be for example a Pfaff 3307 button or ring-stitching machine manufactured by Pfaff of Belgium. The ring-stitching machine, while normally being used for sewing buttons, can sew rings of the type used as guide rings 74 on fabrics for coverings for architectural openings wherein the rings are retained in a hopper (not seen) on the machine and fed to the sewing head where they are connected to the fabric. It is not important which of the two sewing machines is on the right or on the left as they both move in unison across the entire width of the fabric being treated.
[0087] The interconnected halves 78 and 80 of the carriage 82 for the sewing machines 70 and 72 are mounted on a horizontally disposed linear bearing or guide track 84 for reciprocal horizontal movement as the carriage, with the sewing machines thereon, is reversibly translated across the width of the housing 42 . The sewing machines on the carriage are typically stationed at a home position at the right end of the apparatus as viewed in FIG. 1 and during one operation on a virgin fabric 68 , the carriage translates to the left for a stitching operation and then back to the right for a ring attaching operation where it remains in its home position until another row of operations is performed on the fabric. Movement of the carriage is accomplished with a tensioned timing belt 86 as best appreciated by reference to FIGS. 1 and 38 - 40 , which is anchored to the housing 42 at opposite ends with fixed brackets 88 . One of the carriage halves 78 has a motor (not seen) that reversibly drives a gear wheel 90 in operative engagement with the timing belt with the timing belt passing across idler pulleys 92 on opposite sides of the driven gear wheel. It can therefore be appreciated that rotation of the gear wheel in one direction causes the carriage 82 to translate linearly in one direction across the apparatus and rotation of the gear wheel in the opposite direction causes the carriage to translate linearly in the opposite direction so it can be moved from one side of the apparatus 41 to the other at predetermined and/or intermittent speeds.
[0088] FIGS. 5-12 illustrate diagrammatically the various steps that can be applied to a virgin fabric 68 with the apparatus 41 of the present invention in forming a completed fabric 46 of the type illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 . The completed fabric in the example shown includes a plurality of horizontal hobbles or loops 54 formed in vertically adjacent rows on the front layer of the fabric ( FIG. 2 ) and a plurality of horizontally extending vertically spaced tucks 52 having horizontally spaced guide rings 74 secured thereto formed on the rear layer 48 of the fabric as seen in FIG. 3 . Looking first at FIG. 5 , a virgin fabric consisting of two layers of sheet material that have been pretreated to form a tunnel 56 along a top edge thereof with a rigidifying slat (not seen) possibly inserted therein is clamped to the upper clamp 66 . The upper clamp includes a pair of horizontal bars 94 and 96 that can be clamped together or released. In the released position, the top edge of the virgin fabric 68 can be inserted between the bars and in the clamped position releasably secured between the bars. While the fabric could be positioned at any place across the width of the upper clamp, if in fact the fabric were narrower than the width of the lift rack 44 as illustrated, it is preferably positioned along one side edge (illustrated as the right side edge) for a purpose to be more clear hereafter.
[0089] After the virgin fabric 68 is secured to the upper clamp 66 , the upper clamp is elevated with the motor 62 and drive shaft 60 to the position of FIG. 6 so the fabric is substantially vertically suspended with its lower edge at the top of the housing 42 . The upper clamp is then lowered and depending upon the operations to be applied to the virgin fabric, the two layers of the fabric can be maintained together or separated so as to straddle various components within the housing. Once the layers of the fabric are positioned for the operations to be applied thereto within the housing, the upper clamp is lowered to an initial operative position shown in FIG. 7 . Thereafter, a hobble 54 is formed in the front layer 50 and a reciprocating horizontally disposed tucker blade 98 , which will be described in more detail later, which is normally in a retracted position adjacent to the front layer of the fabric, is advanced as shown in FIG. 18 to form a tuck 52 off the rear of the fabric on which the sewing machines 70 and 72 can operate. The tuck in the fabric is then gripped with a tuck clamp 100 (to be described later) and the tucker blade retracted so a first operation of the sewing machines as shown in FIG. 9 can be initiated with the sewing machines translating from their home position at the right end of the apparatus 41 to the left end of the apparatus. As shown in FIG. 10 , a subsequent pass of the sewing machines from the left end of the apparatus back to their home position allows one of the sewing machines to perform a separate operation. For example, in the fabric 46 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 where both hobbles 54 and guide rings 74 are applied to the fabric, the movement from the home position to the left as shown in FIG. 9 would be used to form a horizontal stitch with one of the sewing machines 70 along the tuck to hold the two layers of material in the tuck together and the reverse movement of the sewing carriage 82 , as shown in FIG. 10 , would be used for attaching the guide rings with the other sewing machine 72 along the edge of the tuck. After one such operation, one row of a tunnel 56 , defined by a tuck, with its associated guide rings is completed along with a hobble and at that time, the upper clamp 66 is elevated a predetermined distance, i.e. the height of a hobble, and the operation is repeated. By repeating the operation a new row is formed and the upper clamp is again elevated a predetermined amount as shown in FIG. 11 until the entire fabric 46 has been completed as illustrated in FIG. 12 .
[0090] Referring to FIG. 13 , which is a vertical section through the apparatus 41 with the layers 48 and 50 of virgin fabric having been connected to the apparatus as shown in FIG. 5 with the upper clamp 66 , the internal working components of the apparatus are shown diagrammatically. It will there be seen beneath the upper clamp is the tuck clamp 100 that includes an elongated horizontally disposed generally U-shaped rail 101 extending the width of the apparatus and connected to a pair of pneumatic cylinders 102 mounted at opposite ends of the rail with mounting brackets 104 on the rear face of the rail. A lower edge of the rail carries a beveled strip 106 supporting a spring steel upper clamp jaw 108 with a gripping edge of material 110 secured on its lower face along a distal edge thereof. The pneumatic cylinders 102 are operative to raise or lower the rail and the upper clamp jaw in a manner such that in a lowered position of the tuck clamp, as seen for example in FIG. 19 , the upper clamp jaw engages a tuck 52 of material and presses the material against a platen 112 with a gripping upper surface mounted vertically therebeneath on the housing 42 . In the normal elevated position of the tuck clamp, a space is defined between the upper clamp jaw and the platen through which a tuck in the fabric can be advanced for proper positioning relative to the sewing machine carriage 82 as will be discussed later.
[0091] In horizontal opposing relationship to the tuck clamp rail 101 and positioned horizontally between the pneumatic cylinders 102 and beneath a support plate 114 in the housing is a vacuum clamp 116 . The vacuum clamp includes an elongated horizontally disposed plenum 118 where a low pressure is maintained and a horizontally aligned elongated vacuum chamber 120 communicating with the plenum and having a horizontal slot-like opening 122 in a front wall 124 thereof facing the tuck clamp rail. While the opening 122 extends the full length of the vacuum chamber, an extendable closure tape 126 ( FIGS. 32-34 ) is mounted at one end of the chamber to be selectively extended across a portion of the chamber to close a portion of the opening if the fabric is not wide enough to cover the entire length of the opening. The plenum and vacuum chamber are reciprocally mounted on the plungers 128 of a second pair of pneumatic cylinders 130 secured to the support plate 114 so that when the plungers for the cylinders are extended, the front wall 124 of the vacuum chamber is advanced into engagement with the tuck clamp rail 101 . Of course, retraction of the vacuum chamber with a retraction of the plungers 128 of the second pair of pneumatic cylinders 102 withdraws the chamber and moves it to the left as viewed in FIG. 13 so as to define a space between the rail of the tuck clamp and the vacuum chamber. The plenum for the vacuum chamber is connected with a conventional conduit to a selectively operable vacuum pump 132 positioned within the housing.
[0092] The tucker blade 98 is a horizontal elongated blade of thin profile extending the full width of the apparatus 41 and mounted on a horizontal support plate 133 secured to the rack 134 of a rack and pinion reciprocal drive system 136 ( FIG. 13 ). The pinion 138 of the drive system is reversibly driven by a motor (not seen). Obviously, rotation of the pinion in one direction drives the rack and the tucker blade horizontally to the right as viewed in FIG. 13 into an extended position as seen in FIG. 18 while rotation of the pinion in the opposite direction retracts the tucker blade to its retracted position of FIG. 13 . In the extended position shown in FIG. 18 , it is extended between the upper clamp jaw 108 and platen 112 of the tuck clamp 100 with the front elongated edge 140 of the tucker blade being positioned beyond the tuck clamp immediately adjacent to the sewing carriage 82 . The horizontal support plate 132 on which the tucker blade is mounted is supported on a lever arm 142 pivotal about a pivot shaft 144 by a pair of low-pressure pneumatic cylinders 145 which could in fact be a gas spring even though in the disclosed embodiment it is a pneumatic cylinder carrying low pressure. The pneumatic cylinders are therefore adapted to pivot the lever arm and thus the tucker blade about the pivot shaft for a purpose to become clear hereafter.
[0093] A lower clamp 146 is positioned beneath the tucker blade 98 at an elevation also beneath the platen 112 . The lower clamp has a horizontally movable vertically disposed bar 148 that supports pairs of large 150 and small 152 pneumatic cylinders which are probably best appreciated by reference to FIGS. 29-31 . The movable vertically disposed bar confronts a second vertically disposed bar 154 that is fixedly mounted on a vertically movable support plate 156 . The fixedly mounted bar has an upper horizontal rearwardly directed brush 158 with a plurality of flexible bristles that overlaps a similar elongated horizontally disposed brush 160 mounted on the movable bar 148 . The lower clamp is a three-position clamp and movable between an open position as shown in FIG. 31 wherein the brushes 158 and 160 are not vertically overlapping but rather define a vertical passage therebetween, a soft closed position as shown in FIG. 29 where the brushes partially overlap as seen for example in FIG. 13 as well as FIG. 29 and a fully closed clamping position as shown in FIG. 30 where the lower brush 160 carried by the movable bar is engaged against the fixed bar 154 .
[0094] The plungers 162 of the large cylinders 150 are secured at their distal end to the fixed bar 154 such that extension of the plungers causes the movable bar 148 to retract or move to the left relative to the fixed bar and retraction of the cylinders causes the movable bar to move to the right toward the fixed bar. The plungers 164 on the small cylinders 152 merely extend into the space between the fixed and movable bars regardless of whether or not they are extended or retracted.
[0095] To move the lower clamp 146 between its three positions, and again with reference to FIGS. 29-30 , in the open position of FIG. 31 , the large pneumatic cylinder plungers 162 are fully extended so as to fully separate the two bars 148 and 154 and the brushes 158 and 160 mounted thereon to define a vertical gap between the brushes. The plungers 164 of the smaller cylinders 152 are also fully extended but non-engaging with the fixed bar 154 due to their relatively short length. To move the clamp to the soft clamping position of FIG. 29 , the large cylinder plungers are retracted to pull the movable bar toward the fixed bar until the plungers of the small cylinders engage the fixed bar to fix the spacing between the movable and fixed bars of the lower clamp. To move the lower clamp to its fully closed and full clamping position of FIG. 30 , the plungers on the small cylinders are fully retracted as are the plungers on the large cylinders so the lower brush 160 on the movable bar closely approaches the fixed bar in which position the fabric can be positively gripped for purposes to be described hereafter. A positive grip is best established with a horizontal channel member 166 ( FIG. 19 ) opening off the face of the movable bar 148 and a fixed leg 168 with gripping pads 170 on the fixed bar with the leg being inserted into the channel when the clamp is fully closed.
[0096] The fixed bar 154 , as mentioned previously, is mounted on the support plate 156 that is of L-shaped configuration and itself vertically reciprocably mounted on another pair of pneumatic cylinders 172 , which can elevate the fixed bar and movable bar 148 of the lower clamp 146 to the position of FIG. 13 , for example, or lower the fixed and lower bars of the lower clamp to the position of FIG. 17 .
[0097] Also provided within the housing 42 near the bottom thereof are a pair of support rods 174 that support a flexible cradle 176 of any suitable material in which the virgin fabric 68 can gather when the upper clamp 66 is lowered to the position of FIG. 5 , for example. In fact, with reference to FIG. 14 , a virgin fabric 68 is shown in the position of FIG. 5 and is gathered in the cradle from which it can be removed as the upper clamp is raised during processing of the fabric.
[0098] Referring to FIG. 14 , the apparatus 41 is postured for forming a fabric 46 of the type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 with hobbles 54 and guide loops 74 and for such a fabric, when the upper clamp 66 is lowered to the position of FIG. 5 , the rear layer 48 of the fabric is threaded through the lower clamp 146 , as shown in FIG. 14 , and the front layer 50 of the fabric is passed on the rear side of the movable bar 148 of the lower clamp so as to bypass the lower clamp. As will be appreciated from the description herein, the reference to the layers of the fabric as front 50 and rear 48 layers, for illustrative purposes, is the reverse of the reference to the parts of the apparatus since the fabric is mounted in the apparatus with its front layer facing the rear of the apparatus. It will also be appreciated in the positioning of the fabric in FIG. 14 , both layers of the fabric pass freely past the tuck clamp 100 and the vacuum clamp 116 and will also slide through the lower clamp even though the lower clamp is in its soft-clamping position with the rear layer of the fabric engaging the upper and lower brushes 158 and 160 of the lower clamp.
[0099] Referring to FIG. 15 , when forming the fabric 46 of FIGS. 2 and 3 , having both hobbles 54 and guide loops 74 , the first step in the operation is to grip the virgin fabric 68 with the vacuum clamp 116 so the fabric is pinched between the vacuum chamber 120 and the tucker rail 101 . The closure tape 126 can be pulled across the opening in the front wall of the vacuum chamber from the left edge of the opening to the left edge of the fabric to maintain adequate vacuum in the chamber. A vacuum is then drawn by energizing the vacuum pump 132 which pulls both layers of fabric into the vacuum chamber as seen in FIG. 16 as the upper clamp 66 is lowered to provide more fabric to the vacuum clamp. Typically, in a fabric of this type, the front layer 50 is less porous than the rear layer 48 so the vacuum is more effective on the front layer but there is enough vacuum to draw both layers into the vacuum chamber.
[0100] With both layers 48 and 50 of the fabric drawn a predetermined amount into the vacuum chamber 120 , which is permitted by the top clamp 66 being lowered a predetermined amount, the lower clamp 146 is moved into its full clamping position as shown in FIG. 17 so the rear layer of the fabric is fully gripped by the lower clamp but the front layer is free to move up or down. Thereafter, as also seen in FIG. 17 , the vacuum clamp 116 is withdrawn and simultaneously the lower clamp is lowered which pulls the rear layer of the fabric out of the vacuum chamber so it is relatively straight while the front layer still forms a loop within the vacuum chamber which will ultimately form a hobble 54 in the fabric.
[0101] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 18 , the tucker blade 98 is advanced with the rack and pinion system 136 while the tucker blade is in a horizontal orientation which forces both layers 48 and 50 of the fabric between the upper clamp jaw 108 and the platen 112 of the tuck clamp 100 thereby forming a tuck 52 in both layers of the fabric. Before the tucker blade is advanced, however, the lower clamp 146 is moved to its soft clamp position of FIG. 18 so the rear layer of the fabric is drawn through and across the lower clamp and across the brushes 158 and 160 to remove lint and any wrinkles while the front layer of the fabric, which is freely hanging can be moved therewith. When advancing the tucker blade in this manner, it will be appreciated that since both layers of the fabric are gripped by the vacuum clamp 116 , even though only the front layer 50 is drawn into the vacuum chamber 120 , all of the material is fed upwardly from below the tucker blade and therefore the material slides slightly across the leading edge 140 of the tucker blade 98 . If a hobble 54 was not being formed in the fabric during this step, the vacuum clamp would remain in a retracted position and there would be no loop or hobble of the front layer of fabric in the vacuum chamber. Rather, both layers would be in adjacent side-by-side relationship and by lowering the upper clamp as the tucker blade is advancing, equal amounts of material can be pulled downwardly from above the tucker blade as pulled upwardly from below the tucker blade to avoid having to draw the material across the leading edge of the tucker blade which minimizes any opportunity for damage to the fabric.
[0102] Referring to FIG. 19 , with the tucker blade 98 in the position of FIG. 18 , the tuck clamp 100 is lowered so the tuck 52 of fabric with the tucker blade therein is clamped between the upper clamp jaw 108 and the platen 112 of the tuck clamp and due to the bevel or inclination of the upper clamp jaw of the tuck clamp, the tucker blade is tilted which is permitted by pivoting of its support plate 132 about the pivot shaft 144 which is further permitted by the low pressure in the pneumatic cylinders 144 or if the pneumatic cylinders were replaced with a gas spring it would be permitted by the gas spring through minimal resistance to such pivotal movement.
[0103] The tucker blade 98 is coated with Teflon® or another low-friction material so that once the tuck 52 in the material has been gripped by the tuck clamp 100 , the tucker blade can be easily withdrawn, as shown in FIG. 20 , leaving the tuck of fabric positioned between the upper clamp jaw 108 and platen 112 of the tuck clamp. The low-friction coating of the tucker blade allows easy sliding removal of the tucker blade even though the tuck of fabric is positively gripped and held in position.
[0104] In the position of FIG. 20 , the sewing machine carriage 82 is energized so as to translate from the rest position at the right of the apparatus 41 to the left side of the apparatus and as it is making this pass, the stitching sewing machine 70 is activated while the ring-attaching sewing machine 72 is deactivated. The tuck 52 in material, as can be seen in FIGS. 20 and 23 , is aligned with the stitching needle 178 so that as the sewing machine carriage is advanced or translated across the apparatus, a stitch 180 ( FIG. 23 ) is formed in the fabric at a spaced parallel location from the fold 182 at the edge of the tuck. This establishes a tunnel 56 in the tuck between the stitching and the folded edge of the tuck in which a reinforcing bar (not shown) can be placed if desired.
[0105] After the stitch 180 has been formed and the carriage 82 is at the left side of the apparatus, the carriage is then driven to the right. The stitching machine 70 is deactivated and the ring-attaching sewing machine 72 is activated to attach rings 74 at predetermined spaced locations along the width of the fabric and along the folded edge 182 of the tuck 52 . The spacing of the rings is predetermined depending upon the number of rings desired per width of the fabric and this can all be calculated and computed within the control module.
[0106] As mentioned previously, the ring-attaching machine 72 is a conventional button sewing machine which includes a hopper (not seen) for a plurality of buttons or rings 74 and a ramp 184 ( FIG. 21 ) that might vibrate for example that confines a string of rings on a downward sliding path from the hopper to a linearly reciprocating ring gripper 186 as shown in FIGS. 21 , 25 - 28 , and 35 - 37 . In the Pfaff ring-stitching machine used in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sewing needle 178 on the head of the sewing machine 72 reciprocates up and down at a predetermined position but it is desired to stitch across one edge of a ring 74 so that some of the stitches are outside the ring and others are inside the ring so the ring is positively attached to the folded edge 182 of the tuck 52 . In order to establish the stitching across the ring, the ring gripper reciprocates forwardly and rearwardly shoving the ring and the edge of the fabric into one position for allowing the sewing needle to establish a stitch 188 ( FIG. 27 ) within the ring and then retracting the ring which allows the folded edge to also return therewith so the folded edge of the material is aligned with the needle. Accordingly, the next stitch 188 can go through the folded edge of the fabric. By repeating this operation, a predetermined number of threads secure an edge of the ring to the folded edge of the tuck. Thereafter, the ring-attaching machine is moved linearly toward its rest position until it is stopped by the control module at a location where the next ring is to be attached and the ring is attached at that location in the same manner.
[0107] With reference to FIGS. 25-28 and 35 - 37 , the ring clamp or gripper 186 has two spaced arms 190 with the distance between the spaced arms being adjustable in the Pfaff sewing machine so that in a gripping position shown in FIGS. 25-28 , 35 and 36 , the ring 74 is positively held so it can be advanced or retracted for desired alignment with the sewing needle 178 . After the ring has been attached to the tuck 52 , the arms of the ring clamp are retracted as shown in FIG. 37 and the ring clamp itself retracted so the sewing machine can be linearly advanced toward home base and once reaching its next position of attachment for a ring, the arms 190 receive the next ring in line which is dropped therebetween so it too can be gripped and handled as described previously.
[0108] As will be appreciated from the above, with one complete reciprocal pass of the sewing carriage 82 across the width of the fabric and back, a tunnel 56 can be formed along the edge of the fabric securing the tuck 52 and rings 74 can be attached at predetermined spaced locations to the tuck. On the opposite face or front layer 50 of the fabric, a hobble 54 is formed during the same operation as a loop of the front layer was confined during the operations within the vacuum chamber 120 . Accordingly, a hobble, tunnel and associated rings forming one row of the fabric are established each time the sewing carriage passes through a reciprocating path back and forth across the width of the fabric. After a row has been formed, the upper clamp 66 can be elevated a predetermined distance corresponding to the desired height of a hobble for another identical subsequent operation until a complete fabric 46 has been formed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . Once formed, the fabric is simply removed from the upper clamp where it is ready for incorporation into a control system for the architectural covering in which it is to be incorporated.
[0109] It will be appreciated from the above that by selecting various operations, a fabric 46 with hobbles 54 and guide rings 74 can be formed as described above or a one or more layer fabric can be formed with simply the guide rings by leaving the vacuum clamp 116 in an inoperative or retracted position so the hobbles are not formed. If tucks were desired with rings, both the stitching and ring attaching sewing machines would be used but if no tucks were desired in the finished fabric, a stitch would not be placed in the tuck established by the tucker blade but only rings would be attached at the folded edge established by the tucker blade. Similarly, if the rings were not desired for a fabric but the hobbles were, then the operation would be as described above except in the return path of the sewing carriage 82 , the ring-attaching sewing machine 72 would not be activated so a fabric would be formed with only hobbles.
[0110] If only tunnels 56 were desired for the fabric, the vacuum clamp 116 would again be deactivated or retained in its withdrawn position and the two layers 48 and 50 of the fabric would be handled together with both layers passing through the lower clamp 146 but other than this distinction, the formation of horizontal tunnels at vertically spaced locations would follow the above procedure. Again, however, only the stitching machine 70 would be operative and the ring-attaching machine 72 would be deactivated so that tucks 52 and tunnels were formed off the rear of the fabric along parallel vertically spaced lines. Of course, if the tunnels were desired on the front of the fabric, the virgin fabric 68 could be reversed in the upper clamp 66 so the tunnels were formed on the front of the fabric rather than the rear.
[0111] Clearly from the various options available with the apparatus, fabric for different types of coverings for architectural openings can be made automatically. Further, varying widths of fabrics can be handled up to the spacing of the lift towers on the lift rack.
[0112] The second embodiment 200 of the apparatus of the invention is shown in FIGS. 41-67 . This embodiment of the invention is somewhat similar to the previously described embodiment and accordingly, where appropriate, like parts have been given like reference numerals.
[0113] In the second embodiment, the vacuum clamp 116 of the first embodiment has been removed and replaced with a stabilizing clamp 202 so there is no longer a vacuum chamber 120 into which fabric is drawn when forming a hobble. Further, there is no lower clamp 146 . In addition, there are two lift racks 44 f and 44 r that are identical except the rear rack 44 r is higher than the front rack 44 f . The remainder of the apparatus is identical to the first-described embodiment including the sewing machines 70 and 72 and their mounting on a sewing machine carriage 82 . The tucker blade 98 is identical to that of the first-described embodiment and operates in the same manner so as to cooperate with the tuck clamp 100 and the sewing machines in forming tucks 52 and/or attaching rings 74 to the fabric. In the second embodiment to be described hereafter, the hobbles 54 are formed in a different manner since the vacuum system used for forming hobbles in the first embodiment has been removed.
[0114] The two lift racks 44 f and 44 r , as mentioned, are identical to each other and to the lift rack 44 of the first embodiment except the lift rack 44 r is slightly taller than the lift rack 44 f as can be seen in FIG. 41 .
[0115] With reference to FIG. 53 , the stabilizing clamp 202 can be seen to have replaced the vacuum clamp 116 of the first-described embodiment and includes a gripping head 204 for compressing engagement with the fabric to hold the fabric against the U-shaped rail 101 . The stabilizing clamp head is reciprocated with the pneumatic cylinder 130 in the same manner of operation as in the first-described embodiment. Similarly, the tuck clamp 100 is opened and closed through the use of the same pneumatic cylinder 102 which raises and lowers the upper clamp jaw 108 into and out of engagement with the lower clamp jaw or platen 112 . Also, the tucker blade 98 is again reciprocated in a horizontal plane with the rack and pinion reciprocal drive system 136 .
[0116] In initially describing the operation of the second embodiment of the apparatus, it will be described in connection with the fabrication of a fabric 46 as illustrated in FIG. 42 wherein a back or backing sheet of material 206 and a front sheet 208 are interconnected and horizontal hobbles 54 are formed in vertically spaced relationship with each other on the front sheet by forming loops of the front sheet material and securing the looped sheet material of the front sheet to the rear sheet. In accordance with the second embodiment of the invention, the front and rear sheets of material that are sewn together with the apparatus of the invention are pre-treated as in the first described embodiment by sewing a lower edge of the sheets of material together preferably defining a hem 210 in which a weighted bottom rail or ballast bar 212 can be inserted. The back sheet 206 , which lies toward the front of the machine, is shorter than the front sheet 208 as can be seen, for example, in FIG. 46 , and is clamped along its upper edge to an upper clamp 66 on the front lift rack 44 f . The upper edge of the front sheet is attached to the upper clamp 66 associated with the rear lift rack 44 r . This can be done with both lift racks being lowered as shown in FIG. 45 where the clamps are readily accessible to an operator.
[0117] After the top edges of the front 208 and back 206 sheets are attached to the associated upper clamps 66 of the lift racks, the lift racks are elevated as shown in FIG. 46 so the sheets are vertically suspended in abutting face-to-face relationship with each other with the longer front sheet extending above the shorter back sheet. The lower edges of the sheets, of course, are coincident with the weighted bottom rail 212 retaining the sheets in a fully-extended condition and with the bottom edges slightly above the housing 42 of the apparatus.
[0118] To begin forming the fabric of FIG. 42 , the bottom rail at the bottom edges of the front and back sheets of material is dropped below the tucker blade 98 a predetermined amount as shown, for example, in FIG. 55 . It will also be appreciated the front sheet 208 , which appears on the left in FIG. 5 , has been dropped slightly further than the back sheet 206 with the difference in dropped distance being equivalent to the height desired for a hobble 54 that will be formed in the finished fabric. For example, if a hobble is to be four inches in depth from top to bottom, the front sheet will be dropped four inches further than the back sheet so as to form a loop 214 for the first hobble to be formed in the fabric. With the sheets of material positioned as shown in FIG. 55 , the tucker blade is advanced as shown in FIG. 56 a predetermined distance so as to form a tuck 52 in the fabric of a predetermined depth. As the tucker blade is being advanced, the upper clamps 66 for both the front and back sheets of material are lowered a corresponding amount to the depth of the tucks while the bottom rail is lifted that same amount so the fabric does not slide around the leading edge 140 of the tucker blade but rather both sheets of fabric are pulled down and up equivalent amounts as the tucker blade forms the horizontal tuck. After the tuck has been formed, the upper jaw 108 of the tucker clamp is lowered by the pneumatic cylinder 102 until the upper jaw clamps the tucked sheets of material and the tucker blade between the upper jaw and the platen 112 . After the tuck is secured with the tuck clamp 100 , the stabilizing clamp 202 is advanced into engagement with the fabric having the rail 101 as the backing plate by activating the pneumatic cylinder 130 . The stabilizing clamp thereby grips the fabric and stabilizes the fabric so there is no movement in the fabric above the tucker blade when the tucker blade is withdrawn as shown in FIG. 58 .
[0119] With the tucker blade 98 withdrawn, as shown in FIG. 58 , the stitching sewing machine 70 ( FIGS. 62 and 63 ) commences it traverse along the width of the sheets of material so as to sew a seam in the fabric defining a tuck or tunnel 52 to the right of the seam between the stitching and the folded edge of the sheets of material. After the seam has been sewn across the entire width of the sheets of material, the ring attaching sewing machine 72 is positioned as shown in FIG. 59 above the tuck in the sheets of material so it can initially place a stitch through the folded edge of the sheets of material as shown in FIG. 60 and then after withdrawing the needle 178 , the first ring 74 , which has been positioned for attachment to the sheets of material, is advanced beneath the needle, as described with the first embodiment, so the needle's next stitch goes through the open center of the ring and by reciprocating the ring back and forth along with the folded edge of the sheets of material in synchronization with reciprocation of the needle, the ring is attached to the folded edge. It should also be appreciated that a hobble or loop 54 has been formed in the front sheet 208 of material during this process, which was initially set up by lowering the front sheet a greater distance than the back sheet 206 prior to the stitching operations.
[0120] The above process is repeated as many times as is necessary to complete a fabric 46 of the size desired.
[0121] If it were not desired to form hobbles 54 in the fabric, but rather to simply sew rings 74 to a tuck 52 to form a fabric panel 216 as shown in FIG. 65 , when the front 208 and rear 206 sheets of material were first dropped into position, as shown in FIG. 55 , the front and rear sheets would be dropped equivalent distances rather than dropping the front sheet a greater distance than the rear sheet. Accordingly, no loops or hobbles would be formed in the front sheet. This is illustrated in FIG. 64 and it will be appreciated the tucks are formed and sewn identically to that previously described as are the rings.
[0122] If it were desired to attach rings to a fabric panel 218 , as shown in FIG. 67 with no tucks, the tuck would be formed with the tucker blade 98 , as previously described, but the stitching previously described as being applied with the first sewing machine 70 would not be applied. Rather, only rings would be attached with the ring attaching machine 72 to the formed but not sewn tuck, as shown in FIG. 66 . Accordingly, when the formed but not sewn tuck is released from the tuck clamp 100 , it will be appreciated a ring has been attached to the sheets of material, but there is no tuck in the material.
[0123] These different forms of fabric which can be made with the second embodiment of the machine of the present invention are similar to those made with the first embodiment with the primary distinction being in the manner in which the hobbles are formed.
[0124] Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood the disclosure has been made by way of example and changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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An apparatus for forming fabrics for use, by way of example, in coverings for architectural openings includes a system for handling single or multi-layered fabrics by suspending the fabric from a lift tower, threading the fabric through various clamp systems within a housing for the apparatus, and subsequently forming horizontal rows of hobbles, tunnels, and/or attached rings by gripping and releasing the fabric with a vacuum clamp, upper and lower clamps, and a tucker blade clamp while a reciprocating tucker blade forms horizontal tucks in the fabric. The tucks which are selectively treated by forming a tunnel or attaching guide rings. Hobbles can also be formed in one layer of the fabric through use of the vacuum clamp which gathers a portion of one layer of the fabric while the other layer is handled differently. In doing so, hobbles are formed between tucks in the fabric with the hobbles establishing a fabric resembling a Roman shade.
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This application is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 08/067,178, filed May 24, 1993, now abandoned, which in turn is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 07/816,277, filed Jan. 3, 1992, now abandoned.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the field of exercise apparatus and more particularly to attachments to an exercise apparatus, which attachments, in combination with the exercise apparatus allow more varied development of muscles of the upper body and the legs.
BACKGROUND ART
U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,766, issued to the inventor of the present application and incorporated by reference herein, discloses an exercise apparatus including a base and a pivoted lever arm pivotably connected to the base with a free lever end spaced from and extending generally transversely from the base. The free lever end is adapted to receive weights and a handle is attached to a point on the lever arm spaced from the pivotable connection by which a user of the apparatus may exert effort against the weights borne at the free lever end.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,195, also issued to the inventor of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein, discloses further refinements, including an adjustable forearm pad, which provide greater ease and flexibility of use of the exercise apparatus.
Similarly, the attachments of the present invention, including a tower attachment and a shoulder bar attachment, provide yet further ease and flexibility of use, expanding the number and kinds of exercises which a user can accomplish with the exercise apparatus, concomitantly expanding the range of muscles which can be developed with the apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The attachments of the present invention are adapted to be used in combination with an exercise apparatus of the type having a pivoted lever arm extending generally transversely from a base, the free lever end of the lever arm adapted to receive weights. The attachments of the present invention include an elongate tower attachment by which a flexible tensile member whose intermediate portion engages a pulley at a high end of the tower attachment, has a first end attached to the lever arm at a point spaced from its pivotably fixed end. The other end of the flexible tensile member is adapted to receive a plurality of handles including a pull-down bar and a rowing handle.
A second attachment of the present invention includes a generally elongate shoulder bar having at one end a means of pivotable connection to the lever arm at a point spaced from its pivotably fixed end of the lever arm. The second end of the shoulder bar is adapted to receive the head of a user between a pair of transversely extending handles. The shoulder bar provides means by which a user can accomplish a number of exercises including inclined presses at a plurality of angles and squats and calf raises.
Other advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the pertinent art when the following description for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the tower attachment of the present invention connected to a pivotable lever arm exercise device, with a user illustrating a pull-down exercise;
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of connection means for connecting the tower attachment to an upright portion, also illustrated, of the base of an exercise device;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the tower attachment illustrating its use for a rowing exercise, with shadow line illustration of range of motion of both the pivoted lever arm and the user;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the shoulder bar attachment pivotably connected to the pivoted lever arm of an exercise device, with shadow line illustration of range of motion of both the exercise device and the user during an inclined press exercise;
FIG. 4 shows a side view of the shoulder bar in combination with the pivoted lever arm of an exercise device during a squat or calf raise exercise; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the shoulder bar attachment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 illustrates an exercise apparatus 10 of the type having a base 12 and a pivoted lever arm 14 pivotably connected at a fixed lever end 16 to the base 12. Lever arm 14 has a free lever end 18 which is forwardly spaced and extends generally transversely from base 12. Free lever end 18 is provided with a pin 20 which provides means for selectively receiving weights. In a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, pin 20 extends generally upwardly to engage the center hole of standard annular free weights. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that other means for selectively receiving weights at free lever end 18 also fall within the scope of the present invention.
The tower attachment of the present invention is generally designated 22 and has an elongate tower support 24 which, in a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, comprises vertical columns 26 and 28, although those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that such tower support 24 could take many other forms. The tower attachment 22 has a low tower end 30, which in the illustrated embodiment includes an upper connecting arm 32 and a lower connecting arm 34, with pin 35, by which tower attachment 22 can be connected to base 12 of exercise machine 10. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other design configurations for connecting elongate tower attachment 22 to base 12 fall within the scope of the present invention.
Upper connecting arm 32 is provided with connecting means 36 by which it can connect to elements of base 12. As best seen in FIG. 1A, the illustrated invention discloses that connection means 36 may be a slotted sleeve sized to engage a vertical post of base 12. A pin 37 passes through the slots of the connection means 36 and can receive any of a plurality of means by which the slotted sleeves may be tightened to the support element, such as a clamp or a winged nut where the pin is threaded. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, lower connecting arm 34 is provided with a free end sized to fit within an open end of a support element of base 12 and secured with a pin 35 or other removable fastener.
In a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a high tower end 38 of tower attachment 22 is provided with a horizontal support bar 40, having a pair of pulleys 42 and 44 at each end, respectively.
A flexible tensile member 46 has sufficient length to extend across pulleys 42 and 44 at the respective ends of horizontal support bar 40. A first end 48 of flexible tensile member 46 may include an adjustment strap 50 by means of which the effective length of flexible tensile member 46 may be selectively adjusted. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, adjustment strap 50 may be provided with articulating clips to attach to both first end 48 of flexible tensile member 46 and a connecting bracket 52, which may be selectively attached to a plurality of locations 54 disposed along lever arm 14 at positions distal from fixed lever end 16. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other designs pivotably connecting affixing first tensile member end 48 to the plurality of spaced locations 54, both adjustably and unadjustably, fall within the scope of the present invention.
Those skilled in the art will likewise appreciate that alternative designs of high tower end 38 also fall within the scope of the invention, including for example, replacement of horizontal support bar 40 and its respective pulleys 42 and 44 with a single pulley disposed at a height sufficient such that flexible tensile member 46 has sufficient clearance over elements of exercise machine 10 such as the adjustable elbow pad illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, the interrelated features which inform the many acceptable designs within the scope of this invention include the height of the tower support 24, the width of horizontal support bar 40, if any, the possibility of removal of any obstructions on exercise machine 10, such as the elbow pad, and the length of lever arm 14.
Furthermore, alternative embodiments of flexible tensile member 46 and the pulleys 42 and 44 which engage the intermediate portion of flexible tensile member 46 include flexible tensile member 46 being a cable and pulleys 42 and 44 having smoothed grooves to engage the cable, or flexible tensile member 46 being a chain and pulleys 42 and 44 being provided with teeth to engage said chain.
A second end 56 of flexible tensile member 46 extends below high tower end 38 and is adapted to engage a handle 58 such as a pull-down bar or to engage a second flexible tensile member 60. For this purpose, second tensile member end 56 or second flexible tensile member 60, or both, may be provided with a clip or other connector. It may be noted in FIG. 1 that tower support 24, and particularly vertical column 28 in the illustrated embodiment, may be provided with a storage means 62 such as a hook to selectively store either second flexible tensile member 60 or handle 58 when the other respective component of this pair is in use.
FIG. 1 further illustrates that low tower end 30 of tower attachment 22, and particularly vertical column 28 of tower support 24 of this embodiment, may be provided with a lower pulley 64 adapted to engage second flexible tensile member 60. The end of second flexible tensile member 60 which extends past lower pulley 64 includes connection means to selectively connect to a handle 66 such as a rowing handle. Low tower end 30 is also provided with a transverse foot block bar 68, which in turn engages a pair of foot blocks 70 by which a user may brace his feet during certain exercises such as a rowing exercise.
FIG. 2, in full and in shadow lines, show the operation of tower attachment 22 during a user's rowing exercise.
A shoulder bar attachment, generally designated 70, of the present invention is best illustrated in FIG. 5. Shoulder bar attachment 70 has a generally elongate body 72 with a first body end 74 and a second body end 76. The central region of elongate body 72 between first end 74 and second end 76 is generally aligned along a longitudinal axis. In a preferred embodiment, the elongate body 72 may comprise a pair of elongate members 78 and 80, respectively, which are spaced apart at least a distance which is sufficient to form a central opening to accommodate the head of a user of the shoulder bar 70 as attached to exercise machine 10. A pair of handles 82 is preferably padded and rotatably mounted upon elongate members 78 and 80 at first body end 74, the handles 82 extending along a transverse axis which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of elongate body 72. The second body end 76 is provided with pivotable connection means 84 for pivotally connecting the shoulder bar attachment 70 to any of a plurality of locations 54 disposed along lever arm 14.
In a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, pivotable connection means 84 comprises a bracket having a bracket arm and a rotatable sleeve which engages a connecting rod 86 disposed at second body end 76 and connecting elongate member 78 and elongate member 80. In an alternative embodiment, each of elongate members 78 and 80 may be a unitary tube whose ends at second body end 76 are connected by engaging a surrounding, rotatable sleeve upon which pivotable connection means 84 is disposed.
In a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, elongate members 78 and 80 are a pair of tubes each of which is of generally elongated U-shape. Thus, elongate members 78 and 80 each have a first section 86 which is generally elongate and lies along the longitudinal axis of generally elongate body 72. Each of elongate members 78 and 80 additionally has a second section 88 which extends generally orthogonally to both first section 86 and handles 82. As seen in both FIGS. 3 and 4, the purpose of the orthogonally oriented second section 88 of elongate members 78 and 80 is to allow the first body end 74 of shoulder bar 72, which is the user's end, to accommodate the shoulder of the user, in turn allowing the handles 82 to be grasped forward of the user's torso.
As seen in FIG. 5, as well as in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second body end 76 of shoulder bar 70 is also provided with an orthogonal section similar to second section 88 of elongate members 78 and 80 and which, in combination with second section 88 give elongate members 78 and 80 its earlier described generally elongate U-shape. As best noted in FIG. 4, the orthogonal section at second body end 76 provides a similar function to orthogonal section 88 located at first body end 74, but with respect to accommodating the user's lower torso and legs.
FIG. 3 illustrates use of the shoulder bar 70 of the present invention, in combination with exercise machine 10, during an inclined bench press exercise. It should be noted that while the shadow lines of FIG. 3 show a bench press which brings the user's arm from the solid line position to a single extended position, an additional advantage of the pivotable connection means 84 is that the user can perform an inclined bench press at various angles within a wide range. As a result, the user has greater flexibility to gear development at variable precise portions of involved muscle groups.
While the best mode for carrying out the invention has been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.
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Two attachments are provided for an exercise apparatus of the type having a lever arm with an end pivotably connected to a base and a free end adapted to receive weights. A tower attachment provides a flexible tensile member connected at an end to the lever arm, with intermediate portions borne across elevated pulleys, and connectable at another end to various handles, by which a user can perform various pull-down and rowing exercises. A shoulder bar attachment has an elongated body connected at one end to the lever arm and having another end which accommodates the user's head and shoulders and which is provided with handles, allowing a user to perform various press and leg raise exercises.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a 35 U.S.C. 371 National Phase Entry Application of International Application No. PCT/US2013/0033641 filed Mar. 25, 2013, which designates the U.S., and which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of the U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/615,982, filed Mar. 27, 2012, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to novel cationic lipids that can be used in combination with other lipid components such as cholesterol and PEG-lipids to form lipid nanoparticles with oligonucleotides, to facilitate the cellular uptake and endosomal escape, and to knockdown target mRNA both in vitro and in vivo.
Cationic lipids and the use of cationic lipids in lipid nanoparticles for the delivery of oligonucleotides, in particular siRNA and miRNA, have been previously disclosed. Lipid nanoparticles and use of lipid nanoparticles for the delivery of oligonucleotides, in particular siRNA and miRNA, has been previously disclosed. Oligonucleotides (including siRNA and miRNA) and the synthesis of oligonucleotides has been previously disclosed. (See US patent applications: US 2006/0083780, US 2006/0240554, US 2008/0020058, US 2009/0263407 and US 2009/0285881 and PCT patent applications: WO 2009/086558, WO2009/127060, WO2009/132131, WO2010/042877, WO2010/054384, WO2010/054401, WO2010/054405, WO2010/054406, WO2011/153493, WO2011/143230, and US 2012/0027803). See also Semple S. C. et al., Rational design of cationic lipids for siRNA delivery, Nature Biotechnology, 2010, 28, 172-176.
Other cationic lipids are disclosed in the following patent applications: US 2009/0263407, US 2009/0285881, US 2010/0055168, US 2010/0055169, US 2010/0063135, US 2010/0076055, US 2010/0099738, US 2010/0104629, WO2010/088537, WO2010/144740, US2010/0324120, U.S. Pat. No. 8,034,376, WO2011/143230, WO2011/000106, US2011/0117125, US2011/0256175, WO2011/141703, WO2011/141704 and WO2011/141705.
Traditional cationic lipids such as CLinDMA and DLinDMA have been employed for siRNA delivery to the liver but suffer from non-optimal delivery efficiency along with liver toxicity at higher doses. It is an object of the instant invention to provide a cationic lipid scaffold that demonstrates enhanced efficacy along with lower liver toxicity as a result of lower lipid levels in the liver. The present invention employs low molecular weight cationic lipids with one short lipid chain coupled with inclusion of hydrolysable functionality in the lipid chains to enhance the efficiency and tolerability of in vivo delivery of siRNA.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention provides for novel cationic lipids that can be used in combination with other lipid components such as cholesterol and PEG-lipids to form lipid nanoparticles with oligonucleotides. It is an object of the instant invention to provide a cationic lipid scaffold that demonstrates enhanced efficacy along with lower liver toxicity as a result of lower lipid levels in the liver. The present invention employs low molecular weight cationic lipids with one short lipid chain coupled with inclusion of hydrolysable functionality in the lipid chains to enhance the efficiency and tolerability of in vivo delivery of siRNA.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The various aspects and embodiments of the invention are directed to the utility of novel cationic lipids useful in lipid nanoparticles to deliver oligonucleotides, in particular, siRNA and miRNA, to any target gene. (See US patent applications: US 2006/0083780, US 2006/0240554, US 2008/0020058, US 2009/0263407 and US 2009/0285881 and PCT patent applications: WO 2009/086558, WO2009/127060, WO2009/132131, WO2010/042877, WO2010/054384, WO2010/054401, WO2010/054405, WO2010/054406, WO2011/153493. WO2011/143230, and US 2012/0027803). See also Semple S. C. et al., Rational design of cationic lipids for siRNA delivery, Nature Biotechnology, 2010, 28, 172-176.
The cationic lipids of the instant invention are useful components in a lipid nanoparticle for the delivery of oligonucleotides, specifically siRNA and miRNA.
In a first embodiment of this invention, the cationic lipids are illustrated by the Formula A:
wherein:
R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, heterocyclyl, and polyamine, wherein said alkyl, heterocyclyl and polyamine are optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′, or R 1 and R 2 can be taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached to form a monocyclic heterocycle with 4-7 members optionally containing, in addition to the nitrogen, one or two additional heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, said monocyclic heterocycle is optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
R 3 is independently selected from (C 4 -C 20 )alkyl and (C 4 -C 20 )alkenyl, said alkyl or alkenyl optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
R 4 is independently selected from (C 1 -C 16 )alkyl and (C 1 -C 16 )alkenyl, said alkyl or alkenyl optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
R 5 is independently selected from (C 4 -C 8 )alkyl and (C 4 -C 8 )alkenyl, said alkyl or alkenyl optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
R 6 is in (C 1 -C 2 )alkyl, said alkyl optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
Q 1 and Q 2 are each, independently, a bond, —OC(O)—, —C(O)O—, —SC(O)—, —C(O)S—, —OC(S)—, —S—S—, —C(R″)═N—, —N═C(R″)—, —C(R″)═N—O—, —O—N═C(R″)—, —C(O)(NR″)—, —N(R″)C(O)—, C(S)(NR″)—, —N(R″)C(O)—, —N(R″)C(O)N(R″)—, —OC(O)O—, OSi(R″) 2 O—, —C(O)(CR″ 2 )C(O)O—, or —OC(O)(CR″ 2 )C(O)—), with the proviso that when either Q 1 or Q 2 is a bond then the other is not a bond;
Each occurrence of R′ is independently selected from halogen, R″, OR″, SR″, CN, CO 2 R″ or CON(R″) 2 ;
R″ is independently selected from H and (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, wherein said alkyl is optionally substituted with halogen and OH;
n is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5;
or any pharmaceutically acceptable salt or stereoisomer thereof.
In a second embodiment, the invention features a compound having Formula A, wherein:
R 1 and R 2 are each methyl;
n is 0;
R 3 is independently selected from (C 4 -C 20 )alkyl and (C 4 -C 20 )alkenyl, said alkyl or alkenyl optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
R 4 is independently selected from (C 1 -C 16 )alkyl and (C 1 -C 16 )alkenyl, said alkyl or alkenyl optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
R 5 is independently selected from (C 4 -C 8 )alkyl and (C 4 -C 8 )alkenyl, said alkyl or alkenyl optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
R 6 is (C 1 -C 2 )alkyl, said alkyl optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′;
Q 1 and Q 2 are each, independently, a bond or —C(O)O—, with the proviso that when either Q 1 or Q 2 is a bond then the other is not a bond;
or any pharmaceutically acceptable salt or stereoisomer thereof.
Specific cationic lipids are:
(Z)-methyl 17-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)heptadec-8-enoate (Compound 1); methyl 7-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)heptanoate (Compound 2); (Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(hexyloxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 3); (Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(heptyloxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 4); (Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(nonyloxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 5); (Z)-methyl 16-(3-(decyloxy)-2-(dimethylamino)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 6); methyl 6-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(hexyloxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)hexanoate (Compound 7); methyl 6-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(heptyloxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)hexanoate (Compound 8); methyl 6-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(nonyloxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)hexanoate (Compound 9); methyl 6-(2-(8-(3-(decyloxy)-2-(dimethylamino)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)hexanoate (Compound 10); (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 11); (2-octylcyclopropyl)methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 12); (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(hexyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 13); (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(heptyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 14); (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(nonyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 15); (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(3-(decyloxy)-2-(dimethylamino)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 16); (2-octylcyclopropyl)methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(hexyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 17); (2-octylcyclopropyl)methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(heptyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 18); (2-octylcyclopropyl)methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(nonyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 19); (2-octylcyclopropyl)methyl 6-(3-(decyloxy)-2-(dimethylamino)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 20); (Z)-methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octadec-9-en-1-yloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 21); methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-octylcyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 22); (Z)-methyl 4-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octadec-9-en-1-yloxy)propoxy)butanoate (Compound 23); (Z)-methyl 5-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octadec-9-en-1-yloxy)propoxy)pentanoate (Compound 24); (Z)-methyl 7-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octadec-9-en-1-yloxy)propoxy)heptanoate (Compound 25); (Z)-methyl 8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octadec-9-en-1-yloxy)propoxy)octanoate (Compound 26); methyl 4-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-octylcyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)butanoate (Compound 27); methyl 5-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-octylcyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)pentanoate (Compound 28); methyl 7-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-octylcyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)heptanoate (Compound 29); methyl 8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-octylcyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)octanoate (Compound 30); methyl 4-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dien-1-yloxy)propoxy)butanoate (Compound 31); methyl 5-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dien-1-yloxy)propoxy)pentanoate (Compound 32); methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dien-1-yloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 33); methyl 7-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dien-1-yloxy)propoxy)heptanoate (Compound 34); methyl 8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dien-1-yloxy)propoxy)octanoate (Compound 35); methyl 4-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-((2-pentylcyclopropyl)methyl)cyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)butanoate (Compound 36); methyl-((8-(2-((2-pentylcyclopropyl)methyl)cyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)pentanoate (Compound 37); methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-((2-pentylcyclopropyl)methyl)cyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 38); methyl 7-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-((2-pentylcyclopropyl)methyl)cyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)heptanoate (Compound 39); methyl 8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-((2-pentylcyclopropyl)methyl)cyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)octanoate (Compound 40); (Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-methoxy-6-oxohexyl)oxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 41); methyl 6-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-methoxy-6-oxohexyl)oxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)hexanoate (Compound 42); (Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(4-methoxy-4-oxobutoxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 43); (Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((5-methoxy-5-oxopentyl)oxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 44); (Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((7-methoxy-7-oxoheptyl)oxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 45); (Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-methoxy-8-oxooctyl)oxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 46); methyl 6-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(4-methoxy-4-oxobutoxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)hexanoate (Compound 47); methyl 6-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((5-methoxy-5-oxopentyl)oxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)hexanoate (Compound 48); methyl 7-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-(6-methoxy-6-oxohexyl)cyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)heptanoate (Compound 49); methyl 8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-(6-methoxy-6-oxohexyl)cyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)octanoate (Compound 50); (Z)-methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-oxo-6-(undec-2-en-1-yloxy)hexyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 51); methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-((2-octylcyclopropyl)methoxy)-6-oxohexyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 52); (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(4-methoxy-4-oxobutoxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 53); (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((5-methoxy-5-oxopentyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 54); (Z)-methyl 7-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-oxo-6-(undec-2-en-1-yloxy)hexyl)oxy)propoxy)heptanoate (Compound 55); (Z)-methyl 8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-oxo-6-(undec-2-en-1-yloxy)hexyl)oxy)propoxy)octanoate (Compound 56); (2-octylcyclopropyl)methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(4-methoxy-4-oxobutoxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 57); (2-octylcyclopropyl)methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((5-methoxy-5-oxopentyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 58); methyl 7-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-((2-octylcyclopropyl)methoxy)-6-oxohexyl)oxy)propoxy)heptanoate (Compound 59); and methyl 8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-((2-octylcyclopropyl)methoxy)-6-oxohexyl)oxy)propoxy)octanoate (Compound 60);
or any pharmaceutically acceptable salt or stereoisomer thereof.
In another embodiment, the cationic lipids disclosed are useful in the preparation of lipid nanoparticles.
In another embodiment, the cationic lipids disclosed are useful components in a lipid nanoparticle for the delivery of oligonucleotides.
In another embodiment, the cationic lipids disclosed are useful components in a lipid nanoparticle for the delivery of siRNA and miRNA.
In another embodiment, the cationic lipids disclosed are useful components in a lipid nanoparticle for the delivery of siRNA.
The cationic lipids of the present invention may have asymmetric centers, chiral axes, and chiral planes (as described in: E. L. Eliel and S. H. Wilen, Stereochemistry of Carbon Compounds, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1994, pages 1119-1190), and occur as racemates, racemic mixtures, and as individual diastereomers, with all possible isomers and mixtures thereof, including optical isomers, being included in the present invention. In addition, the cationic lipids disclosed herein may exist as tautomers and both tautomeric forms are intended to be encompassed by the scope of the invention, even though only one tautomeric structure is depicted.
It is understood that substituents and substitution patterns on the cationic lipids of the instant invention can be selected by one of ordinary skill in the art to provide cationic lipids that are chemically stable and that can be readily synthesized by techniques known in the art, as well as those methods set forth below, from readily available starting materials. If a substituent is itself substituted with more than one group, it is understood that these multiple groups may be on the same carbon or on different carbons, so long as a stable structure results.
It is understood that one or more Si atoms can be incorporated into the cationic lipids of the instant invention by one of ordinary skill in the art to provide cationic lipids that are chemically stable and that can be readily synthesized by techniques known in the art from readily available starting materials.
In the compounds of Formula A, the atoms may exhibit their natural isotopic abundances, or one or more of the atoms may be artificially enriched in a particular isotope having the same atomic number, but an atomic mass or mass number different from the atomic mass or mass number predominantly found in nature. The present invention is meant to include all suitable isotopic variations of the compounds of Formula A. For example, different isotopic forms of hydrogen (H) include protium ( 1 H) and deuterium ( 2 H). Protium is the predominant hydrogen isotope found in nature. Enriching for deuterium may afford certain therapeutic advantages, such as increasing in vivo half-life or reducing dosage requirements, or may provide a compound useful as a standard for characterization of biological samples. Isotopically-enriched compounds within Formula A can be prepared without undue experimentation by conventional techniques well known to those skilled in the art or by processes analogous to those described in the Scheme and Examples herein using appropriate isotopically-enriched reagents and/or intermediates.
As used herein, “alkyl” means a straight chain, cyclic or branched saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having the specified number of carbon atoms.
As used herein, “alkenyl” means a straight chain, cyclic or branched unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having the specified number of carbon atoms including but not limited to diene, triene and tetraene unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons.
Examples of a cyclic “alkyl” or “alkenyl include, but are not limited to:
As used herein, “heterocyclyl” or “heterocycle” means a 4- to 10-membered aromatic or nonaromatic heterocycle containing from 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of O, N and S, and includes bicyclic groups. “Heterocyclyl” therefore includes, the following: benzoimidazolyl, benzofuranyl, benzofurazanyl, benzopyrazolyl, benzotriazolyl, benzothiophenyl, benzoxazolyl, carbazolyl, carbolinyl, cinnolinyl, furanyl, imidazolyl, indolinyl, indolyl, indolazinyl, indazolyl, isobenzofuranyl, isoindolyl, isoquinolyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, naphthpyridinyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, oxazoline, isoxazoline, oxetanyl, pyranyl, pyrazinyl, pyrazolyl, pyridazinyl, pyridopyridinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridyl, pyrimidyl, pyrrolyl, quinazolinyl, quinolyl, quinoxalinyl, tetrahydropyranyl, tetrazolyl, tetrazolopyridyl, thiadiazolyl, thiazolyl, thienyl, triazolyl, azetidinyl, 1,4-dioxanyl, hexahydroazepinyl, piperazinyl, piperidinyl, pyrrolidinyl, morpholinyl, thiomorpholinyl, dihydrobenzoimidazolyl, dihydrobenzofuranyl, dihydrobenzothiophenyl, dihydrobenzoxazolyl, dihydrofuranyl, dihydroimidazolyl, dihydroindolyl, dihydroisooxazolyl, dihydroisothiazolyl, dihydrooxadiazolyl, dihydrooxazolyl, dihydropyrazinyl, dihydropyrazolyl, dihydropyridinyl, dihydropyrimidinyl, dihydropyrrolyl, dihydroquinolinyl, dihydrotetrazolyl, dihydrothiadiazolyl, dihydrothiazolyl, dihydrothienyl, dihydrotriazolyl, dihydroazetidinyl, methylenedioxybenzoyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, and tetrahydrothienyl, and N-oxides thereof all of which are optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R″.
As used herein, “polyamine” means compounds having two or more amino groups. Examples include putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine.
As used herein, “halogen” means Br, Cl, F or I.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from H and (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, wherein said alkyl is optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′; or R 1 and R 2 can be taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached to form a monocyclic heterocycle with 4-7 members optionally containing, in addition to the nitrogen, one or two additional heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, said monocyclic heterocycle is optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from H, methyl, ethyl and propyl, wherein said methyl, ethyl and propyl are optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′; or R 1 and R 2 can be taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached to form a monocyclic heterocycle with 4-7 members optionally containing, in addition to the nitrogen, one or two additional heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, said monocyclic heterocycle is optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected from R′.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from H, methyl, ethyl and propyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 1 and R 2 are each methyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is independently selected from: (C 4 -C 20 )alkyl and alkenyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 14 -C 18 ) alkenyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 16 ) alkenyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 14 -C 18 ) alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 16 ) alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 4 -C 9 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 5 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 4 is independently selected from: (C 1 -C 16 )alkyl and alkenyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 4 is (C 11 ) alkenyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 4 is (C 11 ) alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 4 is (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 4 is (C 1 -C 2 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 4 is methyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 5 )alkyl and R 4 is (C 11 )alkenyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 5 )alkyl and R 4 is (C 11 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 16 )alkenyl and R 4 is (C 1 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 3 is (C 16 )alkyl and R 4 is (C 1 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 5 is independently selected from (C 4 -C 8 ) alkyl and alkenyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 5 is (C 4 -C 8 ) alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 5 is (C 5 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 6 is (C 1 -C 2 ) alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 6 is methyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R 5 is (C 5 )alkyl and R 6 is (C 1 )alkyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, Q 1 and Q 2 are each, independently a bond, —OC(O)—, —C(O)O—, —SC(O)—, —C(O)S—, —OC(S)—, —S—S—, —C(R″)═N—, —N═C(R″)—, —C(R″)═N—O—, —O—N═C(R″)—, —C(O)(NR″)—, —N(R″)C(O)—, C(S)(NR″)—, —N(R″)C(O)—, —N(R″)C(O)N(R″)—, —OC(O)O—, OSi(R″) 2 O—, —C(O)(CR″ 2 )C(O)O—, or —OC(O)(CR″ 2 )C(O)—, with the proviso that when either Q 1 or Q 2 is a bond then the other is not a bond.
In an embodiment of Formula A, Q 1 and Q 2 are each, independently a bond or —C(O)O—, with the proviso that when either Q 1 or Q 2 is a bond then the other is not a bond.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R′ is R″.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R″ is independently selected from H, methyl, ethyl and propyl, wherein said methyl, ethyl and propyl are optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from: halogen and OH.
In an embodiment of Formula A, R″ is independently selected from H, methyl, ethyl and propyl.
In an embodiment of Formula A, n is 0, 1, 2 or 3.
In an embodiment of Formula A, n is 0, 1 or 2.
In an embodiment of Formula A, n is 0.
In an embodiment of Formula A, “heterocyclyl” is pyrolidine, piperidine, morpholine, imidazole or piperazine.
In an embodiment of Formula A, “monocyclic heterocyclyl” is pyrolidine, piperidine, morpholine, imidazole or piperazine.
In an embodiment of Formula A, “polyamine” is putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine or spermine.
In an embodiment, “alkyl” is a straight chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having the specified number of carbon atoms.
In an embodiment, “alkenyl” is a straight chain unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having the specified number of carbon atoms.
Included in the instant invention is the free form of cationic lipids of Formula A, as well as the pharmaceutically acceptable salts and stereoisomers thereof. Some of the isolated specific cationic lipids exemplified herein are the protonated salts of amine cationic lipids. The term “free form” refers to the amine cationic lipids in non-salt form. The encompassed pharmaceutically acceptable salts not only include the isolated salts exemplified for the specific cationic lipids described herein, but also all the typical pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the free form of cationic lipids of Formula A. The free form of the specific salt cationic lipids described may be isolated using techniques known in the art. For example, the free form may be regenerated by treating the salt with a suitable dilute aqueous base solution such as dilute aqueous NaOH, potassium carbonate, ammonia and sodium bicarbonate. The free forms may differ from their respective salt forms somewhat in certain physical properties, such as solubility in polar solvents, but the acid and base salts are otherwise pharmaceutically equivalent to their respective free forms for purposes of the invention.
The pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the instant cationic lipids can be synthesized from the cationic lipids of this invention which contain a basic or acidic moiety by conventional chemical methods. Generally, the salts of the basic cationic lipids are prepared either by ion exchange chromatography or by reacting the free base with stoichiometric amounts or with an excess of the desired salt-forming inorganic or organic acid in a suitable solvent or various combinations of solvents. Similarly, the salts of the acidic compounds are formed by reactions with the appropriate inorganic or organic base.
Thus, pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the cationic lipids of this invention include the conventional non-toxic salts of the cationic lipids of this invention as formed by reacting a basic instant cationic lipids with an inorganic or organic acid. For example, conventional non-toxic salts include those derived from inorganic acids such as hydrochloric, hydrobromic, sulfuric, sulfamic, phosphoric, nitric and the like, as well as salts prepared from organic acids such as acetic, propionic, succinic, glycolic, stearic, lactic, malic, tartaric, citric, ascorbic, pamoic, maleic, hydroxymaleic, phenylacetic, glutamic, benzoic, salicylic, sulfanilic, 2-acetoxy-benzoic, fumaric, toluenesulfonic, methanesulfonic, ethane disulfonic, oxalic, isethionic, trifluoroacetic (TFA) and the like.
When the cationic lipids of the present invention are acidic, suitable “pharmaceutically acceptable salts” refers to salts prepared from pharmaceutically acceptable non-toxic bases including inorganic bases and organic bases. Salts derived from inorganic bases include aluminum, ammonium, calcium, copper, ferric, ferrous, lithium, magnesium, manganic salts, manganous, potassium, sodium, zinc and the like. Particularly preferred are the ammonium, calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium salts. Salts derived from pharmaceutically acceptable organic non-toxic bases include salts of primary, secondary and tertiary amines, substituted amines including naturally occurring substituted amines, cyclic amines and basic ion exchange resins, such as arginine, betaine caffeine, choline, N,N 1 -dibenzylethylenediamine, diethylamin, 2-diethylaminoethanol, 2-dimethylaminoethanol, ethanolamine, ethylenediamine, N-ethylmorpholine, N-ethylpiperidine, glucamine, glucosamine, histidine, hydrabamine, isopropylamine, lysine, methylglucamine, morpholine, piperazine, piperidine, polyamine resins, procaine, purines, theobromine, triethylamine, trimethylamine tripropylamine, tromethamine and the like.
The preparation of the pharmaceutically acceptable salts described above and other typical pharmaceutically acceptable salts is more fully described by Berg et al., “Pharmaceutical Salts,” J. Pharm. Sci., 1977:66:1-19.
It will also be noted that the cationic lipids of the present invention are potentially internal salts or zwitterions, since under physiological conditions a deprotonated acidic moiety in the compound, such as a carboxyl group, may be anionic, and this electronic charge might then be balanced off internally against the cationic charge of a protonated or alkylated basic moiety, such as a quaternary nitrogen atom.
EXAMPLES
Examples provided are intended to assist in a further understanding of the invention. Particular materials employed, species and conditions are intended to be further illustrative of the invention and not limitative of the reasonable scope thereof. The reagents utilized in synthesizing the cationic lipids are either commercially available or readily prepared by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Synthesis of the novel cationic lipids is a linear process starting from lipid alcohol (i). Alkylation with epichlorohydrin (or either of its pure chiral forms) gives epoxide (ii). This epoxide is opened regioselectively with an alcohol to give a secondary alcohol (iii) which is then silyl protected (iv). This alkene is hydroxylated to diol (v), which is oxidatively cleaved with sodium periodate to provide aldehyde (vi). This aldehyde is converted to the carboxylic acid containing olefin (vii) by a Wittig olefination. The acid is converted to the ester (viii) followed by silyl ether deprotection to give alcohol (ix). The alcohol is oxidized to the ketone (x) which is further converted to the cyclopropanated material (xi). Either ketone (x or xi) is reductively aminated to give final cationic lipids (xii or xiii, respectively).
Synthesis of ester containing lipids (xxii and xxiii) is achieved by oxidation of aldehyde vi to carboxylic acid xx, followed by ester formation (xxi). Conversion to xxii and xxiii is completed in a manner analogous to that described in General Scheme 1.
Synthesis of ester containing lipids xxxv and xxxvi is a linear sequence beginning with epoxide ii. The epoxide is opened with a monosilyl protected diol to give xxx, which was then deprotected to give xxxi. This diol is oxidized to xxxii then esterified to give xxxiii, which also may be cyclopropanted to xxxiv. xxxiii and xxxiv are converted to final amines xxxv and xxxvi by reductive amination.
Synthesis of diester amines is accomplished as outlined in General Scheme 4. Beginning with silyl protection of secondary alcohol xxx, similar steps to General Schemes 1 and 3 are used to produce diesters xlix and 1.
Synthesis of diester amines is accomplished as outlined in General Scheme 5. Beginning with silyl protected diol xlii, similar steps to General Schemes 1, 2, and 3 are used to produce diesters liii and liv.
(Z)-methy 17-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-octyloxy)propoxy)heptadec-8-enoate (Compound 1)
Oleyl alcohol (a) is mixed with tetrabutylammonium bromide, sodium hydroxide, and epichlorohydrin and stirred overnight. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude epoxide (b). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Epoxide (b) is mixed with octanol and tin tetrachloride in DCM and stirred overnight. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude alcohol (c). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Alcohol (c) is taken up in dichloromethane and treated with triethylamine and DMAP. To this solution is added TBDPSCl in a single portion at ambient temperature. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude silyl ether (d). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Silyl ether (d) is taken up in a mixture of tert-butanol, THF, and water and treated with osmium tetroxide and NMO. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude diol (e). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Diol (e) is taken up in a mixture of THF, dichloromethane, methanol and water and treated with sodium periodate. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude aldehyde (f). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Ylide precursor triphenylphosphinium bromide is taken up in THF and treated with HMPA and lithium hexamethyldisilazide to generate the ylide. To this solution is added aldehyde (f). Upon reaction completion, the reaction is worked up with 1 N HCl and hexanes, the hexanes layer evaporated to crude acid. This crude acid was treated with MeOH, EDC, and DMAP in DCM to obtain the methyl ester. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude ester (g). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Ester (g) is taken up in THF and treated with TBAF. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude alcohol (h). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Alcohol (h) is dissolved in DCM and treated with the Dess Martin reagent. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude ketone (i). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Ketone (i) is mixed with 2 M dimethylamine in THF and titanium isopropoxide and stirred overnight. The next day, EtOH and sodium borohydride are added. After 10 min, the reaction is loaded directly onto a silica column and purified by flash column chromatography to give (Z)-methyl 17-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)heptadec-8-enoate (Compound 1).
Methyl 7-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)heptanoate (Compound 2)
A solution of diethylzinc in dichloromethane is cooled to −1° C. and treated dropwise with TFA. After 30 minutes, diiodomethane is added and the resulting solution aged for 30 minutes in an ice bath. To this solution is added ketone (i) and the resulting solution is warmed slowly to ambient temperature. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude cyclopropane (j). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Ketone (j) is carried on to methyl 7-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)heptanoate (Compound 2) as described for Compound 1 above.
Compounds 3-10 are novel cationic lipids and are prepared according to the General Scheme 1 above.
Compound
Structure
Name
3
(Z)-methyl 16-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (hexyloxy)propoxy) hexadec-7-enoate
4
(Z)-methyl 16-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (heptyloxy)propoxy) hexadec-7-enoate
5
(Z)-methyl 16-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (nonyloxy)propoxy) hexadec-7-enoate
6
(Z)-methyl 16-(3- (decyloxy)-2- (dimethylamino) propoxy)hexadec- 7-enoate
7
Methyl 6-(2-(8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (hexyloxy)propoxy) octyl)cyclopropyl) hexanoate
8
Methyl 6-(2-(8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (heptyloxy)propoxy) octyl)cyclopropyl) hexanoate
9
Methyl 6-(2-(8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (nonyloxy)propoxy) octyl)cyclopropyl) hexanoate
10
Methyl 6-(2-(8-(3- (decyloxy)-2- (dimethylamino) propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl) hexanoate
(Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2-dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 11)
A solution of aldehyde (k) in DMF is treated with PDC at ambient temperature. The reaction is quenched with ammonium chloride solution and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude acid (l). This material is purified by flash chromatography.
A solution of acid (l) and the alcohol shown in DCM is treated with EDCI and DMAP. The reaction is quenched with ammonium chloride solution and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude ester (m). This material is purified by flash chromatography to give purified ester (m).
Conversion of (m) to Compound 11 is carried out in a manner analogous to that described for Compound 1 above.
(2-Octylcyclopropyl)methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octyloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 12)
Compound 12 is prepared from (m) in a manner analogous to that described for compound 2 above.
Compounds 13-20 are novel cationic lipids and are prepared according to General Schemes 1 and 2 above.
Compound
Structure
Name
13
(Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (hexyloxy)propoxy) hexanoate
14
(Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (heptyloxy)propoxy) hexanoate
15
(Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (nonyloxy)propoxy) hexanoate
16
(Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(3-(decyloxy)-2- (dimethylamino) propoxy)hexanoate
17
(2- Octylcyclopropyl) methyl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (hexyloxy)propoxy) hexanoate
18
(2- Octylcyclopropyl) methyl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (heptyloxy)propoxy) hexanoate
19
(2- Octylcyclopropyl) methyl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (nonyloxy)propoxy) hexanoate
20
(2- Octylcyclopropyl) methyl 6-(3-(decyloxy)- 2- (dimethylamino) propoxy)hexanoate
(Z)-methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-(octadec-9-en-1-yloxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 21)
Epoxide (b) is mixed with mono TBDPS protected diol and tin tetrachloride in DCM and stirred overnight. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude alcohol (n). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
A solution of silyl ether (n) in THF is treated with TBAF. The reaction is quenched with ammonium chloride solution and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude diol (o). This material is purified by flash chromatography.
A solution of alcohol (o) in DMF is treated with pyridinium dichromate at 0° C. The solution is warmed to ambient temperature. The reaction is quenched with water and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude acid (p). This material is purified by flash chromatography.
A solution of acid (p) in DCM is treated with MeOH, EDC, and DMAP at ambient temperature. The reaction is quenched with sodium bicarbonate solution and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude keto-ester (q). This material is purified by flash chromatography.
Ketone (q) is carried forward to Compound 21 in a manner analogous to that described above for Compound 1.
Ketone (q) may also be carried forward to methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((8-(2-octylcyclopropyl)octyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 22) in a manner analogous to that described above for Compound 2.
Compounds 23-40 are novel cationic lipids and are prepared according to General Scheme 3 above.
Compound
Structure
Name
23
(Z)-methyl 4-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (octadec-9-en-1- yloxy)propoxy) butanoate
24
(Z)-methyl 5-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (octadec-9-en-1- yloxy)propoxy) pentanoate
25
(Z)-methyl 7-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (octadec-9-en-1- yloxy)propoxy) heptanoate
26
(Z)-methyl 8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (octadec-9-en-1- yloxy)propoxy) octanoate
27
Methyl 4-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2- octylcyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) butanoate
28
Methyl 5-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2- octylcyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) pentanoate
29
Methyl 7-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2- octylcyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) heptanoate
30
Methyl 8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2- octylcyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) octanoate
31
Methyl 4-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((9Z,12Z)-octadeca- 9,12-dien-1- yloxy)propoxy) butanoate
32
Methyl 5-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((9Z,12Z)-octadeca- 9,12-dien-1- yloxy)propoxy) pentanoate
33
Methyl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((9Z,12Z)-octadeca- 9,12-dien-1- yloxy)propoxy) hexanoate
34
Methyl 7-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((9Z,12Z)-octadeca- 9,12-dien-1- yloxy)propoxy) heptanoate
35
Methyl 8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((9Z,12Z)-octadeca- 9,12-dien-1- yloxy)propoxy) octanoate
36
Methyl 4-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2-((2- pentylcyclopropyl) methyl)cyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) butanoate
37
Methyl 5-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2-((2- pentylcyclopropyl) methyl)cyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) pentanoate
38
Methyl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2-((2- pentylcyclopropyl) methyl)cyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) hexanoate
39
Methyl 7-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2-((2- pentylcyclopropyl) methyl)cyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) heptanoate
40
Methyl 8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2-((2- pentylcyclopropyl) methyl)cyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) octanoate
(Z)-methyl 16-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-methoxy-6-oxohexyl)oxy)propoxy)hexadec-7-enoate (Compound 41)
Alcohol (n) is taken up in dichloromethane and treated with triethylamine and DMAP. To this solution is added TBDPSCl in a single portion at ambient temperature. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude silyl ether (r). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
Silyl ether (r) is taken up in a mixture of tert-butanol, THF, and water and treated with osmium tetroxide and NMO. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude diol (s). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
A solution of diol (s) is taken up in THF, dichloromethane, methanol and water and treated with sodium periodate. The reaction is quenched with sodium bicarbonate solution and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude aldehyde (t). This material is purified by flash chromatography.
Ylide precursor triphenylphosphinium bromide is taken up in THF and treated with HMPA and lithium hexamethyldisilazide to generate the ylide. To this solution is added aldehyde (t). Upon reaction completion, the reaction is worked up with 1 N HCl and hexanes, the hexanes layer evaporated to crude acid. This crude acid was treated with MeOH, EDC, and DMAP in DCM to obtain the methyl ester. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude ester (u). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
A solution of silyl ether (u) in THF is treated with TBAF. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude alcohol. The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography to obtain diol (v).
A solution of diol (v) in DMF is treated with pyridinium dichromate. The reaction is quenched with water upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between 1 N aqueous HCl and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude acid. A solution of this crude acid in DCM is treated with MeOH, EDC, and DMAP at ambient temperature. The reaction is quenched with sodium bicarbonate solution and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude keto-ester (w). This material is purified by flash chromatography.
Ketone (w) is converted to Compound 41 in a manner analogous to that described for Compound 1.
Methyl 6-(2-(8-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-methoxy-6-oxohexyl)oxy)propoxy)octyl)cyclopropyl)hexanoate (Compound 42)
Ketone (w) is converted to Compound 42 in a manner analogous to that described for Compound 1.
Compounds 43-50 are novel cationic lipids and are prepared according to General Scheme 4 above.
Compound Structure Name 43 (Z)-methyl 16-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (4-methoxy-4- oxobutoxy)propoxy) hexadec-7-enoate 44 (Z)-methyl 16-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((5-methoxy-5- oxopentyl)oxy) propoxy)hexadec-7- enoate 45 (Z)-methyl 16-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((7-methoxy-7- oxoheptyl)oxy) propoxy)hexadec- 7-enoate 46 (Z)-methyl 16-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-methoxy-8- oxooctyl)oxy) propoxy)hexadec- 7-enoate 47 Methyl 6-(2-(8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (4-methoxy-4- oxobutoxy)propoxy) octyl)cyclopropyl) hexanoate 48 Methyl 6-(2-(8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((5-methoxy-5- oxopentyl)oxy) propoxy)octyl) cyclopropyl) hexanoate 49 Methyl 7-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2-(6-methoxy-6- oxohexyl)cyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) heptanoate 50 Methyl 8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((8-(2-(6-methoxy-6- oxohexyl)cyclopropyl) octyl)oxy)propoxy) octanoate
Diesters similar to Compounds 41 and 42 are prepared wherein modifications to the structure are similar to those outlined in the tables above, i.e. varying lipid chain lengths, methyl and ethyl esters, inclusion of cylcopropanes, modifying position of unsaturation or cyclopropane incorporation, homologation of the dimethylamine headgroup by one or two carbons, and all possible combinations of above.
(Z)-methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-oxo-6-(undec-2-en-1-yloxy)hexyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 51)
A solution of aldehyde (x) in DMF is treated with pyridinium dichromate. The reaction is quenched with water upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude acid (y). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
A solution of acid (y) and the alcohol shown in DCM is treated with EDCI and DMAP. The reaction is quenched with ammonium chloride solution and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude ester. This material is purified by flash chromatography to give ester (z).
A solution of silyl ether (z) in THF is treated with TBAF. The reaction is quenched with aqueous bicarbonate solution upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude alcohol. The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography to obtain diol (aa).
A solution of diol (aa) in DMF is treated with pyridinium dichromate. The reaction is quenched with water upon completion. The reaction mixture is partitioned between water and hexanes, the organics dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude acid (ab). The crude product is purified by flash column chromatography.
A solution of acid (ab) in DCM is treated with MeOH, EDC, and DMAP at ambient temperature. The reaction is quenched with sodium bicarbonate solution and partitioned between hexanes and water upon completion. The organics are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated in vacuo to give crude keto-ester (ac). This material is purified by flash chromatography.
Ketone (ac) is mixed with 2 M dimethylamine in THF and titanium isopropoxide and stirred overnight. The next day, EtOH and sodium borohydride are added. After 10 min, the reaction is loaded directly onto a silica column and purified by flash column chromatography to give Compound 51.
Methyl 6-(2-(dimethylamino)-3-((6-((2-octylcyclopropyl)methoxy)-6-oxohexyl)oxy)propoxy)hexanoate (Compound 52)
Ketone (ac) is converted to Compound 52 in a manner analogous to that described for Compound 1.
Compounds 53-60 are novel cationic lipids and are prepared according to General Scheme 5 above.
Compound Structure Name 53 (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (4-methoxy-4- oxobutoxy)propoxy) hexanoate 54 (Z)-undec-2-en-1-yl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((5-methoxy-5- oxopentyl)oxy) propoxy)hexanoate 55 (Z)-methyl 7-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((6-oxo-6-(undec-2- en-1- yloxy)hexyl)oxy) propoxy)heptanoate 56 (Z)-methyl 8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((6-oxo-6-(undec-2- en-1- yloxy)hexyl)oxy) propoxy)octanoate 57 (2- Octylcyclopropyl) methyl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- (4-methoxy-4- oxobutoxy)propoxy) hexanoate 58 (2- Octylcyclopropyl) methyl 6-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((5-methoxy-5- oxopentyl)oxy) propoxy)hexanoate 59 Methyl 7-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((6-((2- octylcyclopropyl) methoxy)-6- oxohexyl)oxy) propoxy)heptanoate 60 Methyl 8-(2- (dimethylamino)-3- ((6-((2- octylcyclopropyl) methoxy)-6- oxohexyl)oxy) propoxy)octanoate
Diesters similar to Compounds 51 and 52 are prepared wherein modifications to the structure are similar to those outlined in the tables above, i.e. varying lipid chain lengths, methyl and ethyl esters, inclusion of cylcopropanes, modifying position of unsaturation or cyclopropane incorporation, homologation of the dimethylamine headgroup by one or two carbons, and all possible combinations of above.
LNP Compositions
The following lipid nanoparticle compositions (LNPs) of the instant invention are useful for the delivery of oligonucleotides, specifically siRNA and miRNA:
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG 56.6/38/5.4;
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG 60/38/2;
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG 67.3/29/3.7;
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG 49.3/47/3.7;
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG 50.3/44.3/5.4;
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-C-DMA/DSPC 40/48/2/10;
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG/DSPC 40/48/2/10; and
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG/DSPC 58/30/2/10.
LNP Process Description:
The Lipid Nano-Particles (LNP) is prepared by an impinging jet process. The particles are formed by mixing lipids dissolved in alcohol with siRNA dissolved in a citrate buffer. The mixing ratio of lipids to siRNA are targeted at 45-55% lipid and 65-45% siRNA. The lipid solution can contain a novel cationic lipid of the instant invention, a helper lipid (cholesterol), PEG (e.g. PEG-C-DMA, PEG-DMG) lipid, and DSPC at a concentration of 5-15 mg/mL with a target of 9-12 mg/mL in an alcohol (for example ethanol). The ratio of the lipids can have a mole percent range of 25-98 for the cationic lipid with a target of 35-65, the helper lipid can have a mole percent range from 0-75 with a target of 30-50, the PEG lipid can have a mole percent range from 1-15 with a target of 1-6, and the DSPC can have a mole percent range of 0-15 with a target of 0-12. The siRNA solution can contain one or more siRNA sequences at a concentration range from 0.3 to 1.0 mg/mL with a target of 0.3-0.9 mg/mL in a sodium citrate buffered salt solution with pH in the range of 3.5-5. The two liquids are heated to a temperature in the range of 15-40° C., targeting 30-40° C., and then mixed in an impinging jet mixer instantly forming the LNP. The teeID can have a range from 0.25 to 1.0 mm and a total flow rate from 10-600 mL/min. The combination of flow rate and tubing ID can have the effect of controlling the particle size of the LNPs between 30 and 200 nm. The solution can then be mixed with a buffered solution at a higher pH with a mixing ratio in the range of 1:1 to 1:3 vol:vol but targeting 1:2 vol:vol. This buffered solution is at a temperature in the range of 15-40° C., targeting 30-40° C. The mixed LNPs are held from 30 minutes to 2 hrs prior to an anion exchange filtration step. The temperature during incubating is in the range of 15-40° C., targeting 30-40° C. After incubating the solution is filtered through a 0.8 um filter containing an anion exchange separation step. This process can use tubing IDs ranging from 1 mm ID to 5 mm ID and a flow rate from 10 to 2000 mL/min. The LNPs are concentrated and diafiltered via an ultrafiltration process where the alcohol is removed and the citrate buffer is exchanged for the final buffer solution such as phosphate buffered saline. The ultrafiltration process can use a tangential flow filtration format (TFF). This process can use a membrane nominal molecular weight cutoff range from 30-500 KD. The membrane format is hollow fiber or flat sheet cassette. The TFF processes with the proper molecular weight cutoff can retain the LNP in the retentate and the filtrate or permeate contains the alcohol; citrate buffer; final buffer wastes. The TFF process is a multiple step process with an initial concentration to a siRNA concentration of 1-3 mg/mL. Following concentration, the LNPs solution is diafiltered against the final buffer for 10-20 volumes to remove the alcohol and perform buffer exchange. The material can then be concentrated an additional 1-3 fold. The final steps of the LNP process are to sterile filter the concentrated LNP solution and vial the product.
Analytical Procedure:
1) siRNA Concentration
The siRNA duplex concentrations are determined by Strong Anion-Exchange High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (SAX-HPLC) using Waters 2695 Alliance system (Water Corporation, Milford Mass.) with a 2996 PDA detector. The LNPs, otherwise referred to as RNAi Delivery Vehicles (RDVs), are treated with 0.5% Triton X-100 to free total siRNA and analyzed by SAX separation using a Dionex BioLC DNAPac PA 200 (4×250 mm) column with UV detection at 254 nm. Mobile phase is composed of A: 25 mM NaClO 4 , 10 mM Tris, 20% EtOH, pH 7.0 and B: 250 mM NaClO 4 , 10 mM Tris, 20% EtOH, pH 7.0 with liner gradient from 0-15 min and flow rate of 1 ml/min. The siRNA amount is determined by comparing to the siRNA standard curve.
2) Encapsulation Rate
Fluorescence reagent SYBR Gold is employed for RNA quantitation to monitor the encapsulation rate of RDVs. RDVs with or without Triton X-100 are used to determine the free siRNA and total siRNA amount. The assay is performed using a SpectraMax M5e microplate spectrophotometer from Molecular Devices (Sunnyvale, Calif.). Samples are excited at 485 nm and fluorescence emission is measured at 530 nm. The siRNA amount is determined by comparing to the siRNA standard curve.
Encapsulation rate=(1−free siRNA/total siRNA)×100%
3) Particle Size and Polydispersity
RDVs containing 1 μg siRNA are diluted to a final volume of 3 ml with 1×PBS. The particle size and polydispersity of the samples is measured by a dynamic light scattering method using ZetaPALS instrument (Brookhaven Instruments Corporation, Holtsville, N.Y.). The scattered intensity is measured with He—Ne laser at 25° C. with a scattering angle of 90°.
4) Zeta Potential Analysis
RDVs containing 1 μg siRNA are diluted to a final volume of 2 ml with 1 mM Tris buffer (pH 7.4). Electrophoretic mobility of samples is determined using ZetaPALS instrument (Brookhaven Instruments Corporation, Holtsville, N.Y.) with electrode and He—Ne laser as a light source. The Smoluchowski limit is assumed in the calculation of zeta potentials.
5) Lipid Analysis
Individual lipid concentrations is determined by Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) using Waters 2695 Alliance system (Water Corporation, Milford Mass.) with a Corona charged aerosol detector (CAD) (ESA Biosciences, Inc, Chelmsford, Mass.). Individual lipids in RDVs are analyzed using an Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 (50×4.6 mm, 1.8 μm particle size) column with CAD at 60° C. The mobile phase is composed of A: 0.1% TFA in H 2 O and B: 0.1% TFA in IPA. The gradient can change from 60% mobile phase A and 40% mobile phase B from time 0 to 40% mobile phase A and 60% mobile phase B at 1.00 min; 40% mobile phase A and 60% mobile phase B from 1.00 to 5.00 min; 40% mobile phase A and 60% mobile phase B from 5.00 min to 25% mobile phase A and 75% mobile phase B at 10.00 min; 25% mobile phase A and 75% mobile phase B from 10.00 min to 5% mobile phase A and 95% mobile phase B at 15.00 min; and 5% mobile phase A and 95% mobile phase B from 15.00 to 60% mobile phase A and 40% mobile phase B at 20.00 min with flow rate of 1 ml/min. The individual lipid concentration is determined by comparing to the standard curve with all the lipid components in the RDVs with a quadratic curve fit. The molar percentage of each lipid is calculated based on its molecular weight.
Utilizing the above described LNP process, specific LNPs with the following ratios are identified:
Nominal Composition:
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG 60/38/2
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG/DSPC 58/30/2/10
Luc siRNA
(SEQ.ID.NO.: 1)
5′-iB- A U AAGG CU A U GAAGAGA U ATT -iB 3′
(SEQ.ID.NO.: 2)
3′-UU U A UUCC GA U A CUUCUC UAU -5′
AUGC—Ribose
iB—Inverted deoxy abasic
UC—2′ Fluoro
AGT—2′ Deoxy
AGU—2′ OCH 3
Nominal Composition
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG 60/38/2
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG/DSPC 40/48/2/10
Cationic Lipid/Cholesterol/PEG-DMG/DSPC 58/30/2/10
ApoB siRNA
(SEQ ID NO.: 3)
5′iB-CUUU AA C AA UUCCU GAAA U TsT -iB-3′
(SEQ ID NO.: 4)
3′-UsU GAAA U UG UU AAGGA CUs UsUsA -5′
AUGC—Ribose
iB—Inverted deoxy abasic
UC—2′ Fluoro
AGT—2′ Deoxy
AGU—2′ OCH 3
UsA—phophorothioate linkage
beta-catenin siRNA
(SEQ ID NO.: 5)
5′-iB- CU G UU GGA UU GA UU CGAAAUsU-iB-3′
(SEQ ID NO.: 6)
3′-UsU G A C A A C C U A A C UA AG CUUU -5′
AUGC—Ribose
iB—Inverted deoxy abasic
UC—2′ Fluoro
AGT—2′ Deoxy
AGU—2′ OCH 3
UsA—phophorothioate linkage
(SEQ ID NO.: 7)
5′-iB- A C GA C UA G U U C AGU U G C U U UsU-iB-3′
(SEQ ID NO.: 8)
3′-UsUUG CU G AUC AAGU C A A CG AA -5′
AUGC—Ribose
iB—Inverted deoxy abasic
UC—2′ Fluoro
AGT—2′ Deoxy
AGU—2′ OCH 3
UsA—phophorothioate linkage
(SEQ ID NO.: 9)
5′-iB- A C GA C UA GU U C AGU U G C U U UU-iB-3′
(SEQ ID NO.: 10)
3′-UUUG CU G AUC AAGU C A A CG AA -5′
AUGC—Ribose
iB—Inverted deoxy abasic
UC—2′ Fluoro
AGT—2′ Deoxy
AGU—2′ OCH 3
UsA—phophorothioate linkage
Oligonucleotide synthesis is well known in the art. (See US patent applications: US 2006/0083780, US 2006/0240554, US 2008/0020058, US 2009/0263407 and US 2009/0285881 and PCT patent applications: WO 2009/086558, WO2009/127060, WO2009/132131, WO2010/042877, WO2010/054384, WO2010/054401, WO2010/054405 and WO2010/054406). The siRNAs disclosed and utilized in the Examples are synthesized via standard solid phase procedures.
Example 1
Mouse In Vivo Evaluation of Efficacy
LNPs utilizing Compounds 1-60, in the nominal compositions described immediately above, are evaluated for in vivo efficacy. The siRNA can target the mRNA transcript for the firefly ( Photinus pyralis ) luciferase gene (Accession # M15077). The primary sequence and chemical modification pattern of the luciferase siRNA is displayed above. The in vivo luciferase model employs a transgenic mouse in which the firefly luciferase coding sequence is present in all cells. ROSA26-LoxP-Stop-LoxP-Luc (LSL-Luc) transgenic mice licensed from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute are induced to express the Luciferase gene by first removing the LSL sequence with a recombinant Ad-Cre virus (Vector Biolabs). Due to the organo-tropic nature of the virus, expression is limited to the liver when delivered via tail vein injection. Luciferase expression levels in liver are quantitated by measuring light output, using an IVIS imager (Xenogen) following administration of the luciferin substrate (Caliper Life Sciences). Pre-dose luminescence levels is measured prior to administration of the RDVs. Luciferin in PBS (15 mg/mL) is intraperitoneally (IP) injected in a volume of 150 μL. After a four minute incubation period mice are anesthetized with isoflurane and placed in the IVIS imager. The RDVs (containing siRNA) in PBS vehicle are tail vein injected in a volume of 0.2 mL. Final dose levels can range from 0.1 to 0.5 mg/kg siRNA. PBS vehicle alone is dosed as a control. Mice are imaged 48 hours post dose using the method described above. Changes in luciferin light output directly correlate with luciferase mRNA levels and represent an indirect measure of luciferase siRNA activity. In vivo efficacy results are expressed as % inhibition of luminescence relative to pre-dose luminescence levels.
Example 2
In Vitro ApoE Binding Assay
LNPs are incubated at 37° C. in 90% rhesus serum at a final LNP concentration of 4 ug/mL. Incubation is for 20 minutes with orbital rotation. After incubation, the samples are diluted 1:20 in PBS and 100 μL of each diluted sample is aliquoted to wells of an anti-PEG antibody coated 96-well plate (Life Diagnostics Cat. No. P-0001PL. After incubation at room temperature for 1 hour, the plate is washed 5× with 300 uL PBS. After washing, 50 uL of 0.2% Triton X-100 is added to each well and the plate incubated at 37° C. for 10 minutes, followed by shaking on a plate shaker for 1 minute at 750 rpm. Samples are frozen prior to performing the ApoE ELISA and stem loop PCR analysis of samples.
An ApoE ELISA assay is performed to quantitate ApoE bound to the LNPs after incubation in rhesus serum. Anti-ApoE antibody (Milipore, Cat No. AB947) is diluted 1:1000 in PBS and 100 μL of diluted antibody is added to each well of a polystyrene high binding plate. The plate with antibody is incubated overnight at 4° C., after which the plate is washed 2× with 200 μL of PBS. Next, 200 μL of buffer containing 1% BSA and 0.05% Tween-20 in PBS (Incubation Buffer) is added to each well followed by incubation at room temperature for 1 hour. Plates are washed 5× with PBS containing 0.05% Tween-20. Frozen Triton lysis test samples are thawed and diluted 1:6 with incubation buffer and 100 μL of test sample is aliquoted to wells of the ApoE antibody plate. Incubation is for 1 hour at room temperature followed by a 5× wash with PBS containing 0.05% Tween-20. After washing, 100 μL of biotinylated anti-ApoE antibody (Mabtech, Cat. ANo. E887-biotin), diluted 1:500 in incubation buffer, is added to each well and incubated for 1 hour at room temperature, followed by a 5× wash with 0.05% Tween-20 in PBS. 100 μL per well, of Streptavidin-HPR (Thermo, Cat. No. TS-125-HR), is then added and incubated for 1 hour at room temperature. After washing 5× with 0.05% Tween-20 in PBS, 100 μL of TMB Substrate (Thermo, Cat. No. 34028) is added to each well, followed by incubation at room temperature for 20 minutes in the dark. The colorimetric reaction is stopped with 100 μL of TMB Stop Solution (KPL, Cat. No. 50-85-04) and absorbance at 450 nm is determined. An ApoE standard curve is prepared by diluting rhesus Recombinant ApoE in incubation buffer with 0.03% Triton X-100 with concentrations ranging from 100 ng/mL to 0.78 ng/mL. ApoE standards are evaluated in the ELISA in parallel to the test samples. A rhesus serum only (no LNP) control is utilized to obtain a background subtraction for non-LNP dependent ApoE signal in the ELISA.
Stem Loop RT-PCR Protocol
To normalize to the ApoE bound to the amount of LNP bound to the anti-PEG antibody plate, the amount of siRNA retained in the anti-PEG antibody well is quantitated by stem-loop PCR and related to the number of siRNAs encapsulated per LNP, to give an approximate measure of total LNP particles bound per well.
Preparation of the Spiked Standard Curve Samples:
The standard curve is prepared using the molecular weight of the siRNA (13693 g/mol for ApoB 17063) to calculate the copy number. The high standard should contain 10 11 copies per 3 μl. A 10-fold serial dilution is performed across a row of an assay plate until the lowest standard contains 10 2 copies per 3 μl. One could dilute 0.2% Triton X-100 1:80 in water and pipette 20 μL of the diluted Triton X-100 into 10 wells of a 96 well plate. 30 μL of the serial diluted standard curve and mix is added to each well of the plate. 10 μL of the spiked standard curve is used in the reverse transcription reaction.
Stem-Loop RT-PCR—Test Samples and Standard Curve:
Triton lysates from the PEG antibody plate capture is diluted 1 to 2000 in nuclease free water. 10 μL of ‘RT-Primer Mix’ (Applied Biosystem's TaqMan MicroRNA Reverse Transcription Kit Cat. No. 4366596) is added to each well of a 96-well Micro-Amp QPCR plate (ABI Cat# N801-0560).
RT Primer Mix Components
μL/rxn
Final conc.
ApoB RT-primer (10 uM)
0.6
200 nM
10x buffer
2
Water
7.4
ApoB RT primer sequence:
(SEQ.ID.NO.: 11)
5′ GTCGTATCCAGTGCAGGGTCCGAGGTA
TTCGCACTGGATACGAC CTTTAACA 3′
10 μL of each test sample (diluted 1 to 2000) or spiked standard curve (above) is aliquoted into the 96-well plate. The plate is covered with a mat (ABI Cat. No. N801-0550), to minimize evaporation. The plate is briefly centrifuged at 800 rpm for 1 minute. Next, the plate is run on a thermocycler using the following cycling parameters:
Cycling:
94° C.
10
minutes
75° C.
2
minutes
60° C.
3
minutes
50° C.
3
minutes
40° C.
3
minutes
30° C.
3
minutes
4° C.
hold
Next, 10 μL of ‘RT Mix’ is added to each well (Applied Biosystem's TaqMan MicroRNA Reverse Transcription Kit Cat. No. 4366596)
RT Mix Components
μL/rxn
100 mM dNTP
0.3
10x RT buffer
1
Rnase Inhibitor
0.38
Multiscribe RT enzyme
1
Water
7.32
The RT cycling reaction is composed of 10 μL test sample, 10 μL of RT primer mix and 10 μL of RT Mix components for a total volume of 30 μL. The final concentration of the RT-primer in the total 30 μL total RT mix is 200 nM. The plate is then sealed with the same plate mat, briefly centrifuged at 800 rpm for 1 minute, then run on the thermocycler using the following cycling parameters:
Cycling:
16° C.
30
minutes
42° C.
30
minutes
85° C.
5
minutes
4° C.
hold
Next, 15 μL of Fast Enzyme/primer-probe mix is added to each well of a new Fast 96-well plate (Applied Biosystem's TaqMan Fast Universal PCR Master Mix, Cat. No. 4352042)
ApoB
PCR Master Mix Components
μL/rxn
Final Conc.
Fast Enyzme Mix (2x stock)
10
forward primer (100 uM)
0.18
900 nM
reverse primer (100 uM)
0.18
900 nM
probe (10 uM)
0.05
250 nM
Water
4.59
ApoB primers and probe sequence:
(SEQ.ID.NO.: 12)
17063DC F3 GGCGCGAAATTTCAGGAATTGT
(SEQ.ID.NO.: 13)
17063DC Pr2 CACTGGATACGACCTTTAACA
(SEQ.ID.NO.: 14)
Universal R2 AGTGCAGGGTCCGAG
5 μL of each RT reaction is added to the Fast Enzyme Mix plate. The plate is centrifuged for 1 minute at 1000 rpm and the QPCR analysis is performed on an ABI7900 with Fast Block. Cycling parameters is: 1 cycle—95° C. for 20 seconds, followed by 40 Cycles—95° C. for 1 seconds, 60° C. for 20 seconds.
The QPCR result is utilized to calculate the siRNA concentration in the PEG antibody capture plate Triton lysates. Based on an estimate of 500 siRNA per LNP particle, the number of LNPs retained in each well of the anti-PEG antibody plate can be calculated. Using the ApoE concentration per well, as determined by the ApoE ELISA and the number of LNP particles per well, an approximate ApoE molecules bound per LNP particle can be calculated.
Example 3
Heparin Sepharose HI-TRAP™ Binding Assay
Lipid nanoparticles (LNP) with neutral surface charge are not retained after injection onto heparin sepharose with 1× Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (DPBS) as the running buffer but elute in the column void volume. Serum apolipoprotein E (ApoE) exhibits high affinity binding with heparin sulfate and it can be shown that LNPs bind to heparin sepharose to an extent dependent on their intrinsic ability to bind ApoE (depending on both lipid nanoparticle composition and ApoE concentration) after incubation with purified and/or recombinant human ApoE or serum samples. Lipid nanoparticles with surface bound ApoE bind to heparin sepharose with high affinity can be eluted only at high salt (1M NaCl).
A heparin sepharose binding assay is developed to assess serum ApoE binding to lipid nanoparticles based on the high affinity interaction that ApoE-LNP complexes exhibit toward heparin sepharose.
Incubations
Lipid nanoparticles are incubated at 37° C. for 20 min at a final siRNA concentration of 50 μg/mL with various concentrations of either purified or recombinant human apolipoprotein E or 0.1-50% rat/mouse/rhesus monkey/human serum in 1× Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (DPBS). After incubation with ApoE or serum LNP samples are diluted 10-fold using 1×DPBS and analyzed by heparin sepharose chromatography. Peak area of retained LNP (after subtraction of appropriate blank signals) is compared to total peak area of LNP control without ApoE and/or serum incubation to determine the percentage of the LNP which undergoes shift to high affinity heparin interaction after incubation with ApoE/serum.
Heparin Sepharose HI-TRAP™ Chromatographic Conditions
A heparin sepharose HI-TRAP™ chromatography column (GE Healthcare; 1 mL bed volume) is equilibrated with either 1× or 2× Dulbecco's PBS; the higher 2× salt concentration is used for LNPs with higher intrinsic retention on heparin sepharose (presumably due to higher positive surface charge).
Mobile Phase A: 1× or 2×DPBS
Mobile Phase B: 1M NaCl in 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0
100% A delivered isocratically for 10 min followed by step gradient to 100% B; hold for additional 10 min; step gradient back to 100% A and reequilibrate for additional 10 min prior to injection of next sample
Flow rate: 1 mL/min
Sample injection volume: 50 μL.
Detection: UV @260 nm
Example 4
Rat In Vivo Evaluation of Efficacy and Toxicity
LNPs utilizing compounds in the nominal compositions described above, are evaluated for in vivo efficacy and increases in alanine amino transferase and aspartate amino transferase in Sprague-Dawley (Crl:CD(SD) female rats (Charles River Labs). The siRNA targets the mRNA transcript for the ApoB gene (Accession # NM 019287). The primary sequence and chemical modification pattern of the ApoB siRNA is displayed above. The RDVs (containing siRNA) in PBS vehicle are tail vein injected in a volume of 1 to 1.5 mL. Infusion rate is approximately 3 ml/min. Five rats are used in each dosing group. After LNP administration, rats are placed in cages with normal diet and water present. Six hours post dose, food is removed from the cages Animal necropsy is performed 24 hours after LNP dosing. Rats are anesthetized under isoflurane for 5 minutes, then maintained under anesthesia by placing them in nose cones continuing the delivery of isoflurane until ex-sanguination is completed. Blood is collected from the vena cava using a 23 gauge butterfly venipuncture set and aliquoted to serum separator vacutainers for serum chemistry analysis. Punches of the excised caudate liver lobe is taken and placed in RNALater (Ambion) for mRNA analysis. Preserved liver tissue is homogenized and total RNA isolated using a Qiagen bead mill and the Qiagen miRNA-Easy RNA isolation kit following the manufacturer's instructions. Liver ApoB mRNA levels are determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Message is amplified from purified RNA utilizing a rat ApoB commercial probe set (Applied Biosystems Cat # RN01499054_m1), The PCR reaction is performed on an ABI 7500 instrument with a 96-well Fast Block. The ApoB mRNA level is normalized to the housekeeping PPIB (NM 011149) mRNA. PPIB mRNA levels are determined by RT-PCR using a commercial probe set (Applied Biosytems Cat. No. Mm00478295_m1). Results are expressed as a ratio of ApoB mRNA/PPIB mRNA. All mRNA data is expressed relative to the PBS control dose. Serum ALT and AST analysis is performed on the Siemens Advia 1800 Clinical Chemistry Analyzer utilizing the Siemens alanine aminotransferase (Cat#03039631) and aspartate aminotransferase (Cat#03039631) reagents.
Example 5
Determination of Cationic Lipid Levels in Rat/Monkey Liver
Liver tissue is weighed into 20-ml vials and homogenized in 9 v/w of water using a GenoGrinder 2000 (OPS Diagnostics, 1600 strokes/min, 5 min) A 50 μL aliquot of each tissue homogenate is mixed with 300 μL of extraction/protein precipitating solvent (50/50 acetonitrile/methanol containing 500 nM internal standard) and the plate is centrifuged to sediment precipitated protein. A volume of 200 μL of each supernatant is then transferred to separate wells of a 96-well plate and 10 μl samples were directly analyzed by LC/MS-MS.
Standards are prepared by spiking known amounts of a methanol stock solution of compound into untreated rat liver homogenate (9 vol water/weight liver). Aliquots (50 μL) each standard/liver homogenate is mixed with 300 μL of extraction/protein precipitating solvent (50/50 acetonitrile/methanol containing 500 nM internal standard) and the plate is centrifuged to sediment precipitated protein. A volume of 200 μL of each supernatant is transferred to separate wells of a 96-well plate and 10 μl of each standard is directly analyzed by LC/MS-MS.
Absolute quantification versus standards prepared and extracted from liver homogenate is performed using an Aria LX-2 HPLC system (Thermo Scientific) coupled to an API 4000 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (Applied Biosystems). For each run, a total of 10 μL sample is injected onto a BDS Hypersil C8 HPLC column (Thermo, 50×2 mm, 3 μm) at ambient temperature.
Mobile Phase A: 95% H2O/5% methanol/10 mM ammonium formate/0.1% formic acid Mobile Phase B: 40% methanol/60% n-propanol/10 mM ammonium formate/0.1% formic acid The flow rate is 0.5 mL/min and gradient elution profile is as follows: hold at 80% A for 0.25 min, linear ramp to 100% B over 1.6 min, hold at 100% B for 2.5 min, then return and hold at 80% A for 1.75 min. Total run time is 5.8 min. API 4000 source parameters is CAD: 4, CUR: 15, GS1: 65, GS2: 35, IS: 4000, TEM: 550, CXP: 15, DP: 60, EP: 10.
Example 6
Rhesus Monkey In Vivo Evaluation of ApoB Efficacy
LNPs utilizing compounds in the nominal compositions described above, are evaluated for in vivo efficacy in male or female Macaca mulatta (rhesus) monkeys. The siRNA targets the mRNA transcript for the ApoB gene (Accession # XM 001097404). The primary sequence and chemical modification pattern of the ApoB siRNA is displayed above. The RDVs (containing siRNA) in PBS vehicle are administered by intravenous injection in the saphenous vein at an injection rate of 20 mL/minute to a dose level of 0.25 mg/kilogram siRNA. The injection volumes are from 1.9 to 2.1 mL/kilogram and monkeys can range in weight from 2.5 to 4.5 kilograms. The RDV or PBS control is administered to three monkeys. At multiple days post dose, 1 mL blood samples are drawn from the femoral artery for serum chemistry analysis. Monkeys are fasted overnight prior to blood draws. As a measure of efficacy, LDL-C is monitored as a downstream surrogate marker of ApoB mRNA reduction.
Example 7
Rhesus Monkey In Vivo Evaluation of β-Catenin Efficacy
On study day −7 predose liver biopsy samples (˜0.5-1 gram/sample) are collected from male rhesus monkeys by laparoscopic surgical resection (resection of one biopsy sample from outer edge of one randomly selected liver lobe per monkey). A 5 mm tissue punch is used to sample three non-adjacent ˜50 mg samples from each predose biopsy. Samples are preserved in RNAlater™ (Ambion) for later CTNNB1 mRNA analysis.
On study day 0 monkeys are administered suspensions of the lipid nanoparticle (LNP) test articles in phosphate buffered saline (0.05-0.1 mg siRNA/mL) via single-dose intravenous bolus injection at target doses of 0.67, 1.34 or 3.34 mg siRNA/m 2 . For dosing purposes, body surface area (m 2 ) is estimated from body weight according to the established allometric scaling relationship given below (1):
BSA (m 2 )=0.11 *BW (in kg) 0.65
On study days 2 and 7, at 48 hours and 168 hrs post LNP administration, liver biopsy samples (˜0.5-1 gram/sample) are collected from monkeys by laparoscopic surgical resection (2 separate randomly selected liver lobes were resected per monkey). A 5 mm tissue punch is used to sample three non-adjacent ˜50 mg samples per each 48 hr and 168 hr surgical biopsy sample. Samples are preserved in RNAlater™ (Ambion) for later CTNNB1 mRNA analysis.
CTNNB1 mRNA levels are measured by relative quantitative RT-PCR using a primer/probe set validated for CTNNB1 and normalized against mRNA levels of peptidylprolyl isomerase B (also known as PPIB or cyclophilin B) and RNA levels of 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA). Change in CTNNB1 mRNA liver expression are measured as the difference in PCR threshold cycle number (ΔΔCt) between post-dose samples and each corresponding monkey's predose liver samples.
Calculation of CTNNB1 mRNA knockdown (with respect to pretreatment levels) is calculated from ΔΔCt using the following relationship:
mRNA (% knockdown)=100−(100/2 −ΔΔCt )
(1) FDA Guidance Document: “Guidance for Industry: Estimating the Maximum Safe Starting Dose in Initial Clinical Trials for Therapeutics in Adult Healthy Volunteers” July 2005, US Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration—Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
Example 8
Rhesus Monkey In Vivo Evaluation of ALT Increases
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is measured in serum that is harvested from clotted monkey whole blood after centrifugation. A Roche Modular System automated chemistry analyzer measures the enzymatic activity of ALT in the serum by using International Federation of Clinical Chemistry standardized procedures and reagents. The analyzer's computer uses absorbance measurements to calculated ALT activity in the sample as compared to a standard curve. The ALT activity is reported in International Units per Liter (IU/L).
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Disclosed herein are novel cationic lipids that can be used in combination with other lipid components such as cholesterol and PEG-lipids to form lipid nanoparticles with oligonucleotides. The cationic lipids can demonstrate enhanced efficacy along with lower liver toxicity as a result of lower lipid levels in the liver. The present invention employs low molecular weight cationic lipids with one short lipid chain coupled with inclusion of hydrolysable functionality in the lipid chains to enhance the efficiency and tolerability of in vivo delivery of siRNA.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based upon and claims benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-124638 filed on May 12, 2008, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a load-driving circuit for driving a load such as a resistor of airbag squib, the load-driving circuit having two transistors that are switched to be equally heated.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Examples of a load-driving circuit for driving a resistor of an airbag squib by means of a high side transistor and a low side transistor are shown in JP-A-10-264765, JP-A-10-297420 and JP-A-2005-88748. The driving circuit supplies current, when a collision impact is detected by an acceleration sensor, to the resistor of the airbag squib by controlling the low side transistor to a full-on control while controlling the high side transistor to a constant current control. In this case, current is set in the high side transistor and the low side transistor as shown in FIG. 18A attached hereto. A drain-source voltage Vds of the low side transistor (constituted by an LDMOSFET, for example) is almost zero because the low side transistor is used under a full-on state as shown in FIG. 18C . Therefore, influence of heat in the low side transistor is negligible. On the other hand, drain-source voltage Vds of the high side transistor is almost equal to a power source voltage as shown in FIG. 18B . Therefore, the high side transistor is considerably heated, and the heat may exceed a heat margin in the high side transistor. Accordingly, a size of the transistor has to be enlarged, or circuit components which are sensitive to heat have to be separated from the transistor as shown in FIG. 19 .
[0006] To cope with the above problem, JP-A-2007-328683 proposes to switch the high side transistor and the low side transistor between the full-on control and the constant current control using a timer. However, it is required to provide a timer having a large size in the load-driving circuit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an improved load-driving circuit in which the high side transistor and the low side transistor are controlled to be equally heated without using a timer.
[0008] The load-driving circuit of the present invention is formed as an integrated circuit and is used as a driver for supplying current to a load, such as a resistor of an airbag squib. The load-driving circuit is composed of a high side current control circuit and a low side current control circuit, connected in series to each other. The resistor forming the airbag squib is connected between the high side current control circuit and the low side current control circuit.
[0009] The high side current control circuit includes a high side resistor, a high side driving transistor and a high side current mirror circuit for controlling the high side driving transistor. The high side resistor and the high side driving transistor are connected in series. The low side current control circuit includes a low side resistor, a low side driving transistor and a low side current mirror circuit for controlling the low side driving transistor. The low side resistor and the low side driving circuit is connected in series.
[0010] Components forming the load-driving circuit are positioned in the integrated circuit chip so that different temperature gradients are formed among the components. For example, the low side resistor is positioned close to the high side driving transistor generating heat, while the low side current mirror circuit is positioned apart from the high side driving transistor. In this manner, the low side resistor is well heated by the heat generated in the high side driving transistor, while the low side current mirror circuit is less heated.
[0011] The load-driving circuit is set so that the high side is controlled under a constant current control and the low side is controlled under a full-on control at the beginning of operation. The low side resistor positioned close to the high side transistor is heated by the heat generated in the high side driving transistor. As the low side resistor is heated, the low side is switched from the full-on control to the constant current control. On the other hand, the high side is switched from the constant current control to the full-on control. Under this situation, the low side resistor is cooled and the controls of the high side and the low side return to the original setting. The switching of the controls is performed one time or more than one time during one operation of the load-driving circuit. By switching the controls between the constant current control and the full-on control, the high side driving transistor and the low side driving transistor are evenly heated to thereby suppress an excessive heating of either one of the transistors.
[0012] Positioning of the components in the integrated circuit may be variously changed as long as different temperature gradients are formed among the components. A heat insulating trench may be formed between the components to reduce heat transfer therebetween. A heat conducting member may be placed between components to dissipate heat therethrough.
[0013] According to the present invention, overheating of one of the two driving transistors is avoided by switching controls between the full-on control and the constant current control. The control-switching is automatically performed without using a timer in the circuit. Other objects and features of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a better understanding of the preferred embodiments described below with reference to the following drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2A shows current set in a high side and a low side in the load-driving circuit;
[0016] FIG. 2B shows a drain-source voltage Vds in a high side transistor;
[0017] FIG. 2C shows a drain-source voltage Vds in a low side transistor;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the load-driving circuit;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the load-driving circuit in detail;
[0020] FIG. 5 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIGS. 6A , 6 B and 6 C show a set current and a drain-source voltage in the second embodiment, corresponding to FIGS. 2A , 2 B and 2 C, respectively;
[0022] FIG. 7 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIGS. 8A , 8 B and 8 C show a set current and a drain-source voltage in the third embodiment, corresponding to FIGS. 2A , 2 B and 2 C, respectively;
[0024] FIG. 9 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] FIGS. 10A , 10 B and 10 C show a set current and a drain-source voltage in the fourth embodiment, corresponding to FIGS. 2A , 2 B and 2 C, respectively;
[0026] FIG. 11 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIGS. 12A , 12 B and 12 C show a set current and a drain-source voltage in the fifth embodiment, corresponding to FIGS. 2A , 2 B and 2 C, respectively;
[0028] FIG. 13 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as a sixth embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIGS. 14A , 14 B and 14 C show a set current and a drain-source voltage in the sixth embodiment, corresponding to FIGS. 2A , 2 B and 2 C, respectively;
[0030] FIG. 15 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as a seventh embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 16 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as an eighth embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 17 schematically shows a layout of components of a load-driving circuit in an integrated circuit, as a ninth embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIGS. 18A , 18 B and 18 C show a set current and a drain-source voltage in a conventional load-driving circuit, corresponding to FIGS. 2A , 2 B and 2 C, respectively; and
[0034] FIG. 19 schematically shows a region where heat-sensitive elements cannot be positioned in a conventional load-driving circuit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0035] A load-driving circuit as a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1-4 . The load-driving circuit is used for supplying current to a resistor of an airbag squib. The load-driving circuit is formed as an integrated circuit (IC-chip). First, a structure of the load-driving circuit will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . The load-driving circuit 1 includes four terminals P 1 , P 2 , P 3 and P 4 . A power source terminal Vdd is connected to the terminal P 1 , a resistor 2 of the airbag squib is connected between the terminals P 2 and P 3 . The terminal P 4 is grounded. The terminal P 1 is referred to as a high potential terminal, and the terminal P 4 is referred to as a low potential terminal or a ground terminal (GND terminal).
[0036] The load-driving circuit 1 includes a high side control portion (referred to as a high side) HS and a low side control portion (referred to as a low side) LS. In the high side HS, a high side resistor R 1 and a P-channel MOSFET 4 (a high side driving transistor) are connected in series between the terminals P 1 and P 2 . In the low side LS, a low side resistor R 2 and an N-channel MOSFET 5 (a low side driving transistor) are connected in series between the terminals P 3 and P 4 . The MOSFETs 4 and 5 are constituted by LDMOS (Laterally Defused MOS) for example.
[0037] In the high side HS, a non-inverted input terminal of a comparator 7 H is connected to a junction of the resistor R 1 and the MOSFET 4 , and a constant voltage of a constant voltage source 8 is supplied to an inverted input terminal of the comparator 7 H. The comparator 7 H compares a source voltage of the MOSFET 4 with the constant voltage (a reference voltage) of the constant voltage source 8 and outputs a signal representing the comparison result to a driving circuit 9 . A control signal is supplied to the driving circuit 9 from a control logic 10 to thereby adjust a gate-source voltage Vgs of the MOSFET 4 .
[0038] In the low side LS, an inverted input terminal of a comparator 7 L is connected to a junction of the resistor R 2 and the MOSFET 5 , and a constant voltage of a constant voltage source 11 is supplied to a non-inverted input terminal of the comparator 7 L. The comparator 7 L compares a source voltage of the MOSFET 5 with the constant voltage (a reference voltage) of the constant voltage source 11 and outputs a signal representing the comparison result to a driving circuit 12 . A control signal is supplied to the driving circuit 12 from a control logic 13 to thereby adjust a gate-source voltage Vgs of the MOSFET 5 . The circuit structure shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to a circuit in which a timer, an AND-gate, a NAND-gate and a NOT-gate are removed from a circuit shown in FIG. 1 of JP-2007-328683 (mentioned above).
[0039] The load-driving circuit 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4 showing details of the circuit. In the high side (HS), a PNP transistor Tr 1 and a constant current source I 1 are connected in series between the terminal P 1 and the ground. A PNP transistor Tr 2 and a constant current source I 2 are connected in series between a source of the MOSFET 4 and the ground. The transistors Tr 1 and Tr 2 constitute a current mirror circuit 14 . Bases of both transistors Tr 1 and Tr 2 are commonly connected to a collector of the transistor Tr 2 . The collector of the transistor Tr 1 is connected to the gate of the MOSFET 4 . A mirror ratio of the transistors Tr 1 and Tr 2 is set to 1:n. A P-channel MOSFET 15 is connected between the terminal 1 and the gate of the MOSFET 4 . Control signals are fed to the gate of the MOSFET 15 .
[0040] In the low side (LS), a constant current source I 3 and an NPN transistor Tr 3 are connected in series between the power source Vdd and the ground. A constant current source I 4 and an NPN transistor Tr 4 are connected in series between the power source Vdd and the source of the MOSFET 5 . The transistors Tr 3 and Tr 4 constitute a current mirror circuit 16 . Bases of both transistors Tr 3 and Tr 4 are commonly connected to a collector of the transistor Tr 4 . The collector of the transistor Tr 3 is connected to the gate of the MOSFET 5 . A mirror ratio of the transistors Tr 3 and Tr 4 is set to 1:n. An N-channel MOSFET 17 is connected between the gate of the MOSFET 5 and the terminal P 4 . Control signals are fed to the gate of the MOSFET 17 .
[0041] When current I flows through the resistor R 1 in the high side (HS), the following relation exists between a base-emitter voltage Vbe 1 of the transistor Tr 1 and a base-emitter voltage Vbe 2 of the transistor Tr 2 under operation of the current mirror circuit 14 : Vbe 1 =R 1 ·I+Vbe 2 . The gate voltage of the MOSFET 4 is maintained to satisfy the above relation. Similarly, when current I flows through the resistor R 2 in the low side (LS), the following relation exists between a base-emitter voltage Vbe 3 of the transistor Tr 3 and a base-emitter voltage Vbe 4 of the transistor Tr 4 under operation of the current mirror circuit 16 : Vbe 3 =R 2 ·I+Vbe 4 . The gate voltage of the MOSFET 5 is maintained to satisfy the above relation.
[0042] In other words, the current mirror circuit 14 corresponds to the comparator 7 H, the constant voltage source 8 and the driving circuit 9 shown in FIG. 3 . Similarly, the current mirror circuit 16 corresponds to the comparator 7 L, the constant voltage source 11 and the driving circuit 12 shown in FIG. 3 . The high side resistor R 1 , the current mirror circuit 14 and the constant current sources I 1 , I 2 constitute a high side current control circuit 18 shown in FIG. 4 . Similarly, the low side resistor R 2 , the current mirror circuit 16 and the constant current sources I 3 , I 4 constitute a low side current control circuit 19 shown in FIG. 4 .
[0043] Operation of the load-driving circuit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1-4 . FIG. 1 schematically shows a layout of the components of the load-driving circuit 1 in an integrated circuit. For example, at a start of the operation, the low side MOSFET 5 is set to a full-on control while the high side MOSFET 4 is set to a constant current control. As shown in FIG. 1 , the low side resistor R 2 is positioned close to the high side MOSFET 4 (a distance X), and the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 forming the low side current mirror circuit 16 are positioned apart from the high side MOSFET 4 (a distance Y, Y>X).
[0044] When no current is supplied to the load 2 , both control logics 10 , 13 keep both FETs 15 , 17 turned on, maintaining both MOSFETs 4 , 5 turned off. When an acceleration sensor detects an acceleration exceeding a predetermined level, signals representing the acceleration are outputted to both control logics 10 , 13 , turning off both FETs 15 , 17 . In response to turning-off of the FETs 15 , 17 , both MOSFETs 4 , 5 are turned on. Current is supplied to the load 2 from the power source Vdd through the high side resistor R 1 , the MOSFET 4 , the load 2 , the MOSFET 5 and the low side resistor R 2 .
[0045] The high side current control circuit 18 and the low side current control circuit 19 are so set (by setting values of the resistors R 1 , R 2 , for example, to proper levels) that the high side (HS) starts from the constant current control and the low side (LS) starts from the full-on control. FIG. 2A shows current IH set in the high side (dotted line) and current IL set in the low side (solid line). The current set in the high side or the low side means an amount of current that can be supplied to the load 2 when the low side or the high side is separately operated as a single unit. Since the high side (HS) and the low side (LS) are connected in series in the present embodiment, an actual amount of current supplied to the load 2 is determined by the amount of current whichever lower in the high side and the low side.
[0046] Since the high side (HS) is set to start from the constant current control and the low side (LS) is set to start from the full-on control, current IH is supplied to the load 2 at the beginning of operation. At this time, the drain-source voltage Vds of the MOSFET 4 in the high side is close to the power source voltage and the drain-source voltage Vds of the MOSFET 5 in the low side is close to the ground level voltage (refer to FIGS. 2B , 2 C). Under this situation, the resistance of the low side resistor R 2 gradually increases because it is heated by heat generated in the MOSFET 4 . Accordingly, the amount of current supplied to the load 2 through the MOSFET 5 and the resistor R 2 decreases. On the other hand, the set current IH is constant because the high side current control circuit 18 is not affected by the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 . Therefore, the set current IL in the low side becomes gradually lower. When the set current IL in the low side becomes lower than the set current IH in the high side (IL<IH), the low side is operated under the constant current control. In the high side, the gate-source voltage of the MOSFET 4 becomes high due to increase in the current flowing through the high side resistor R 1 , and the high side is switched to the full-on control. As a result, the drain-source voltage Vds of the MOSFET 5 becomes close to the power source voltage, and the Vds of the MOSFET 4 becomes close to the ground level voltage (refer to FIGS. 2B , 2 C). At this stage, the MOSFET 5 becomes predominant in generating heat.
[0047] In the first embodiment described above, the resistor R 2 and the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 in the low side current control circuit 19 are positioned in the integrated circuit chip, so that they are differently affected by the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 . In this manner, the low side control circuit 19 is switched from the full-on control to the constant current control, while the high side control circuit 18 is switched from the constant current control to the full-on control. More particularly, the high side current control circuit 18 and the low side current control circuit 19 are constituted by the MOSFETs 4 , 5 connected in series to the resistors R 1 , R 2 and the current mirror circuits 14 , 16 that control operation of the MOSFETs 4 , 5 . The low side resistor R 2 is positioned close to the MOSFET 4 while positioning the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 forming the current mirror circuit 16 apart from the MOSFET 4 in the integrated circuit chip, as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0048] An amount of current flowing through the MOSFET 5 is proportional to temperature of transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 and inversely proportional to the resistor R 2 having a positive temperature coefficient. The full-on control and the constant current control in the high side (HS) and the low side (LS) can be switched by properly adjusting the distance X between the MOSFET 4 and the resistor R 2 and the distance Y between the MOSFET 4 and the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 (refer to FIG. 1 ). In this manner, it is avoided that one of the MOSFETs 4 , 5 is excessively heated by equally distributing heat to both of the MOSFETs 4 , 5 . The timer and the associated circuit used in the conventional load-driving circuit disclosed in JP-2007-328683 are not required to distribute heat to both MOSFETs 4 , 5 .
[0049] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 A- 6 C. FIG. 5 corresponds to FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, FIGS. 6A-6C correspond to FIGS. 2A-2C of the first embodiment. The low side MOSFET 5 is started from the full-on control and the high side MOSFET 4 is started from the constant current control as in the first embodiment.
[0050] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 constituting the high side current mirror circuit 14 are positioned close to the high side MOSFET 4 while the high side resistor R 1 is positioned apart from the MOSFET 4 in the integrated circuit chip (X>Y). Other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 6A , current IH (IH<IL) is supplied to the load 2 at the beginning of the control operation. The current IH gradually increases because transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 constituting the high side current control circuit 18 are heated by heat generated in the MOSFET 4 . On the other hand, the low side set current IL is constant. When the IH becomes higher than IL (IH>IL), the low side current control circuit 19 is switched from the full-on control to the constant current control and the high side current control circuit is switched from the constant current control to the full-on control. In this manner, the same merits attained in the first embodiment are attained in this embodiment, too.
[0052] A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A-8C . FIG. 7 corresponds to FIG. 1 of the first embodiment and FIGS. 8A-8C correspond to FIGS. 2A-2C of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the full-on control and the constant current control in the high side and the low side are switched several times in a period in which the current is supplied to the load 2 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 , the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 constituting the high side current mirror circuit 14 are positioned close to the high side MOSFET 4 , and the high side resistor R 1 is positioned close to the low side MOSFET 5 . A distance from the low side MOSFET 5 to the high side resistor R 1 is X 1 , and a distance to the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 is Y 1 (Y 1 >X 1 ). A distance from the high side MOSFET 4 to the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 is X 2 , and a distance to the high side resistor R 1 is Y 2 (Y 2 >X 2 ).
[0053] At the beginning of operation, as shown in FIG. 8A , current IH (IH<IL) is supplied to the load 2 . As heat is generated in the MOSFET 4 , the current IH gradually increases because the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 are heated by the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 . On the other hand, the current IL in the low side is constant. When the current IH becomes higher than IL (IH>IL), the low side current control circuit 19 is switched to the constant current control, and the high side current control circuit 18 is switched to the full-on control. In this situation, the high side resistor R 1 is heated by heat generated in the MOSFET 5 , and the current IH gradually decreases. When the current IH becomes lower than IL (IH<IL), the high side current control circuit 18 is switched to the constant current control, and the low side current control circuit 19 is switched to the full-on control. Switching of the control between the constant current control and the full-on control in the high side current control circuit and the low side current control circuit is repeated several times (refer to FIGS. 8 B, 8 C).
[0054] As described above, in the third embodiment, the high side resistor R 1 is positioned close to the low side MOSFET 5 , and the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 forming the high side current control circuit are positioned close to the high side MOSFET 4 . The full-on control and the constant current control in the high side and the low side can be switched several times, thus reducing a peak of heat generated in the MOSFETs 4 , 5 .
[0055] A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIGS. 10A-10C . FIG. 9 corresponds to FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, and FIGS. 10A-10C correspond to FIGS. 2A-2C of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 , the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 in the high side are positioned between the high side MOSFET 4 and the low side MOSFET 5 . The transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 are positioned close to both MOSFETs 4 , 5 . The high side resistor R 1 is positioned apart from the MOSFETs 4 , 5 . A distance from the MOSFET 4 to the resistor R 1 is X 1 , and a distance from the MOSFET 5 to the resistor R 1 is X 2 . A distance from the MOSFET 4 to the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 is Y 1 , and a distance from the MOSFET 5 to the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 is Y 2 . Relations between these distances are: X 1 >Y 1 and X 2 >Y 2 .
[0056] At the beginning of the control operation, current IH is supplied to the load 2 as in the second embodiment. The current IH gradually increases as the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 are heated by the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 . When the IH becomes higher than IL (IH>IL), the low side current control circuit 19 is switched to the constant current control, and the high side current control circuit 18 is switched to the full-on control. Then, the MOSFET 5 generates heat, and the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 are continuously heated by the heat of the MOSFET 5 , thereby further increasing the current IH (refer to FIG. 10A ). In this embodiment, the high side set current IH continues to increase after the low side current control circuit 19 is switched to the constant current control (refer to FIGS. 10A-10C ). Therefore, switching of the controls is further stably performed.
[0057] A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11 and FIGS. 12A-12C . FIG. 11 corresponds to FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, and FIGS. 12A-12C correspond to FIGS. 2A-2C of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11 , the low side resistor R 2 is positioned close to and between the MOSFETs 4 , 5 . The transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 are positioned apart from both MOSFETs 4 , 5 . A distance between the MOSFET 4 and transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 is X 1 , and a distance between the MOSFET 5 and the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 is X 2 . A distance between the MOSFET 4 and the resistor R 2 is Y 1 , and a distance between the MOSFET 5 and the resistor R 2 is Y 2 . Relations between these distances are: X 1 >Y 1 and X 2 >Y 2 .
[0058] At the beginning of the control operation, current IH (IH<IL) is supplied to the load 2 as in the first embodiment. As the MOSFET 4 is heated, the resistance of the low side resistor R 2 is increased by the heat of the MOSFET 4 , and thereby the current IL gradually decreases. When the IL becomes lower than IH (IL<IH), the low side current control circuit 19 is switched to the constant current control, and the high side current control circuit is switched to the full-on control. Then, the MOSFET 5 is heated, and the resistor R 2 is continuously heated, continuously decreasing the current IL (refer to FIGS. 12A-12C ). In this embodiment, the current IL set in the low side continues to decrease after the low side current control circuit 19 is switched to the constant current control. Therefore, the switching of operation is stably performed.
[0059] A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 13 and FIGS. 14A-14C . As shown in FIG. 13 , the low side resistor R 2 is positioned close to the MOSFET 4 (X 1 ) in a region where the MOSFET 4 is formed, while the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 are positioned apart from the MOSFET 4 (Y 1 ). In a region where the MOSFET 5 is formed, the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 are positioned close to the MOSFET 5 (Y 2 ) while the high side resistor R 1 is positioned apart from the MOSFET 5 (X 2 ). Relations between these distances are: X 1 <Y 1 and X 2 >Y 2 .
[0060] At the beginning of the control operation, the current IH (IH<IL) is supplied to the load 2 as in the first embodiment. As the MOSFET 4 is heated, the resistance of the resistor R 2 increases due to the heat of the MOSFET 4 , and the current IL gradually decreases. When the current IL becomes lower than IH (IL<IH), the low side current control circuit 19 is switched to the constant current control, and the high side current control circuit 18 is switched to the full-on control. Then; the MOSFET 5 is heated, and the current IH is increased because the transistors Tr 1 , Tr 2 are heated by the heat of MOSFET 5 . The current IL is maintained at the same level (refer to FIG. 14A )
[0061] In the sixth embodiment, the current IH set in the high side continues to increase after the low side current control circuit 19 is switched to the constant current control. Therefore, switching of controls is stably performed.
[0062] A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 15 . In this embodiment, the low side resistor R 2 is positioned close to the high side MOSFET 4 to transfer heat generated in the MOSFET 4 operated under the constant current control to the low side resistor R 2 . The transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 forming the low side current mirror circuit 16 are positioned so that the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 is not transferred thereto. For this purpose, trenches 22 in which insulation films 21 are disposed are formed between the MOSFET 4 and the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 . The heat generated in the MOSFET 4 can be interrupted by the insulation films 21 without making a distance between the MOSFET 4 and the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 large because a heat conductivity of the insulation film 21 is lower than that of a substrate of the IC chip such as silicon.
[0063] An eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 16 . In this embodiment, the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 are positioned apart from the MOSFET 4 to decrease effects of the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 operating under the constant current control. The low side resistor R 2 is positioned so that the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 is easily transferred thereto. For this purpose, metallic wiring 23 is positioned between the MOSFET 4 and the low side resistor R 2 . Since the wiring 23 made of a metallic material such as gold, copper or aluminum has a higher heat conductivity than an insulation material disposed between components or between wirings, the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 is easily transferred to the low side resistor R 2 . The wiring 23 may be either a wiring for signal transmission or a wiring for heat radiation.
[0064] A ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 17 . In this embodiment, the low side resistor R 2 is positioned to be heated by heat generated in the MOSFET 4 operating under the constant current. The transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 are positioned so that they are not heated by the heat generated in the MOSFET 4 . For this purpose, a metallic wiring 24 connected to a ground pattern is positioned between the MOSFET 4 and the transistors Tr 3 , Tr 4 . Since the ground pattern has a relatively large area to stabilize a reference potential, the heat is easily dissipated.
[0065] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but it may be variously modified. For example, though the control of the high side (HS) is started from the constant current control and the control of the low side (LS) is started from the full-on control in the foregoing embodiments, it is possible to reverse the controls between the high side and the low side. That is, the high side may be started from the full-on control and the low side may be started from the constant current control. In this case, the arrangement of the components in the high side and the low side is reversed.
[0066] Some of the embodiments described above may be selectively combined. The driving transistors 4 , 5 are not limited to the LDMOSFET, but other FETs, IGBTs or bipolar transistors may be used in place of the LDMOSFETs. The insulating film is not limited to SiO 2 , but other insulating materials may be used. The conductor is not limited to gold, copper or aluminum, but other materials may be used. The load 2 is not limited to the resistor for the airbag squib, but other loads may be driven by the load-driving circuit 1 of the present invention.
[0067] While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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A load-driving circuit supplies electric current to a load, such as a resistor of an airbag squib. The load-driving circuit includes high side and low side current control circuits, both connected in series. Each current control circuit is composed of a driving transistor, a resistor and a current mirror circuit for controlling operation of the driving transistor. The components in the load-driving circuit are positioned in an integrated circuit chip to generate different temperature gradients among the components. For example, the low side resistor is positioned close to the high side driving transistor, so that the low side resistor is heated by the high side driving transistor controlled under a constant current control. As the low side resistor is heated, the high side driving transistor is switched from the constant current control to a full-on control. In this manner, controls of both driving transistors are automatically switched thereby to avoid overheating of one of the driving transistors.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to routing communications within a computer network, and more specifically, to a method and system for finding shared risk diverse paths.
Communication in a computer network involves the exchange of data between two or more entities interconnected by communication links and subnetworks. Entities concerned primarily with the correct routing of information in the network are called routers, to distinguish them from end systems which process traffic but do not take part in routing it. There are two fundamentally different approaches to the distribution and use of routing information in a network, called Distance Vector Routing and Link State Routing. In the former, each router tells its immediate neighbors how it would reach each entity in the network, updating this as similar information is received from its neighbors. In the latter, each router arranges to send information about its own connectivity to its neighbors to all routers in the network. Each router then runs an algorithm called Shortest Path First (SPF) to find the best route from itself to each entity in the network. Early routing protocols (e.g. RIP) used the Distance Vector approach. Link State Routing protocols first appeared in the early 1980s, and became widely used in the Internet during the 1990s. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) and Integrated IS—IS (Intermediate System—Intermediate System) are widely used examples of such protocols. Although there are many detailed differences between them, the fundamental algorithms are the same for both of them. OSPF is a routing protocol developed for IP (Internet Protocol). IS—IS was originally designed for Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocols, and was subsequently extended to deal with IP.
With link state routing, each router must discover its neighbors and learn their network addresses. A cost (typically related to the link bandwidth) is associated, generally by network management, with each link. One or more link state packets are then constructed containing this information, and flooded to all routers in the network. Dijkstra's Shortest Path First algorithm is then used at each router to find the shortest path to every other router. This algorithm maintains a set of nodes whose shortest path is already known and operates by adding one node to this known set with each iteration. The next step is to the next closest router along this path, always choosing the one which has the lowest cost from the local node. This process continues until all reachable nodes are in the known set with costs assigned to each. If a failure occurs along the shortest path, a backup route is identified.
Network failures include, for example, node failure due to equipment breakdown or equipment damage and link failure due to inadvertent fiber cable cut. Service disruption due to a network failure can cause customers significant loss of revenue during the network down time, thus network survivability against physical failures is important. In order to provide highly available circuits, carriers establish diversely routed back up paths. Routing diversity is needed to achieve the reliability and survivability expected of modern transport networks. Algorithms currently exist for finding simple node and link diverse paths. This strategy assumes that the failure of a particular link or node is an independent event. However, due to the fact that links often share facilities such as muxes, fibers or conduits, such an assumption is not always true.
Manual provisioning techniques are commonly used to ensure routing diversity. Implicitly in the provisioning operation is the notion of a Shared Risk Link Group (SRLG). SRLG is a relatively new concept that has been introduced to provide inputs necessary to plan for reliability in transport networks (see, for example, S. Chaudhuri et al., “Control of Lightpaths in an Optical Network”, IETF Internet Draft, February 2000). A SRLG is a group of links that shat share a component whose failure causes the failure of all links of the group. The SRLG is associated with an entity at risk, typically a fiber span, and is a union of all links that ride on the fiber span. Links may traverse multiple fiber spans, and thus be in multiple SRLGs. In order to identify SRLGs, links are tagged with a token which indicates a particular facility which is at risk of failure. For example, a particular conduit may have a token ‘45’ and any circuit that passes through that conduit would carry the token ‘45’ (among a possible long list of other tokens). All of the links that carry this token are part of a SRLG. When looking for backup routes, a route which is independent of any SRLG that is associated with the primary path is sought.
Internet Gateway Protocols (IGPs) such as Open Shortest Path Forwarding (OSPF) may be used to propagate SRLGs and other physical link attributes. Neighbor discovery techniques are used to determine adjacent node connectivity. This local resource information is then advertised throughout the network via the IGP. Using this information, each node can obtain a complete view of the network. However, these techniques do not address SRLGs or diversity in routing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method for finding shared risk divers paths is disclosed. The method includes receiving route information at a node and running a shortest path algorithm to identify a first path. A shared risk metric is assigned to links and nodes with the first path. The method further includes running the shortest path algorithm with the shared risk metrics assigned to identify a second path and comparing the first and second paths. New shared risk metrics are assigned to links and nodes in the second path if the first and second paths are not diverse.
The method may further include repeating the running of the algorithm and comparing paths until diverse paths are found or a limit on iterations is reached.
In another aspect of the invention, a computer program product for finding shared risk diverse paths comprises code that receives route information at a node and runs a shortest path algorithm to identify a first path, code that assigns shared risk metrics to links and nodes within the first path and runs the algorithm with the shared risk metrics assigned to identify a second path. The product further includes code that compares the first and second paths and assigns new shared risk metrics to links and nodes in the second path if the first and second path are not diverse, and a computer-readable storage medium for storing codes.
The above is a brief description of some deficiencies in the prior art and advantages of the present invention. Other features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, drawings, and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a network system comprising a plurality of network elements.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer system that can be utilized to execute software of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the present invention for finding shared-risk diverse paths.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. Descriptions of specific embodiments and applications are provided only as examples and various modifications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principles described herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein. For purpose of clarity, details relating to technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention have not been described in detail.
The present invention provides a method and system for finding shared risk diverse paths. The concept of Shared Risk Link Groups (SRLGs) is used to express a risk relationship that associates a group of links with a single failure. As described below, the method and system focus on shared risks rather than a group of links, thus ‘shared risk’ as used herein applies to nodes as well as links. In service provider networks, risks are typically localized to limited area of the topology. The feasibility of finding a shared risk diverse path is therefore relatively high.
The invention operates in the context of a data communication network including multiple network elements. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network system, generally indicated at 10 , comprising a collection of network elements or nodes (N 1 –N 11 ). The algorithm may be used within a network from edge to edge (e.g., finding a path between nodes 1 and 11 ). Some of the nodes in a network that employs the present invention may be network devices such as routers and switches. The nodes may include source, destination, and intermediate routers. Some of the nodes may be, for example, suitably configured routers such as those available from Cisco Systems, Inc. of San Jose, Calif.
As used herein the term router is used to refer to devices that forward packets based on network and higher layer information. The router may include, for example, a master central processing unit (CPU), interfaces, and a bus. The CPU preferably includes memory and a processor. When acting under the control of appropriate software or firmware, the CPU is responsible for such router tasks as routing table computations, network management, and general processing of packets. It preferably accomplishes all these functions under the control of software including an operating system (e.g., a version of the Internetwork Operating System (IOS®) of Cisco Systems, Inc.) and any appropriate applications software. The CPU may include one or more processors such as a processor from the Motorola family or microprocessors of the MIPS family of microprocessors. In an alternative embodiment, the processor is specially designed hardware for controlling operations of the router. Memory may be non-volatile RAM and/or ROM. However, there are many different ways in which memory could be coupled to the system. In an alternative embodiment, a router or switch may be implemented on a general purpose network host machine such as the computer system of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 2 shows a system block diagram of computer system that may be used to execute software of an embodiment of the invention. The computer system may include subsystems such as a central processor 40 , system memory 42 , removable storage 46 (e.g., CD-ROM drive), and a hard drive 44 which can be utilized to store and retrieve software programs incorporating computer code that implements aspects of the invention, data for use with the invention, and the like. The computer readable storage may also include flash memory, or system memory. Other computer systems suitable for use with the invention may include additional or fewer subsystems. For example, the computer system may include more than one processor 40 (i.e., a multi-processor system) or a cache memory.
The system bus architecture of the computer system is represented by arrows 58 in FIG. 2 . However, these arrows are only illustrative of one possible interconnection scheme serving to link the subsystems. For example, a local bus may be utilized to connect the central processor 40 to the system memory 42 . The components shown and described herein are those typically found in most general and special purpose computers and are intended to be representative of this broad category of data processors. The computer system shown in FIG. 2 is only one example of a computer system suitable for use with the invention. Other computer architectures having different configurations of subsystems may also be utilized. It is to be understood that the network interface is not required. For example, all of the relevant topology information may be input manually.
Communication between computers within the network is made possible with the use of communication protocols, which govern how computers exchange information over a network. The computer may include an input/output circuit used to communicate information in appropriately structured form to and from parts of the computer and associated equipment. Preferably, each of these interfaces includes a plurality of ports appropriate for communication with the appropriate media, and associated logic, and in some instances memory. The associated logic may control such communication intensive tasks as packet integrity checking and media control and management.
The routers facilitate the flow of data packets throughout the system by routing the packets to the proper receiving stations. The packet typically contains the address of the final destination station. The final destination address remains constant as the packet traverses the networks. A key function of router is determining the next station to which the packet is sent. The routers typically execute routing algorithms to decide over which communication links incoming packets should be transmitted. A type of network layer routing protocol commonly employed by routers is a link state routing protocol. With link state routing, each router must discover its neighbors and learn their network addresses, measure the delay to each of its neighbors, construct a packet containing this information, send the packet to all other routers, and compute the shortest path to every other router.
When router is booted, its first task is to learn who its neighbors are. It accomplishes this goal by sending a special HELLO packet on each point-to-point line. The router on the other end is expected to send back a reply telling who it is. Once the information needed for the exchange has been collected, the next step is for each router to build a packet containing all of this data. The packet (a Link State Packet) starts with the identity of the sender, followed by a sequence number, age, and a list of neighbors. For each neighbor, the cost to that neighbor, a network management parameter, is given. The link state database is synchronized by having the routers exchange LSPs to build the link state database. The routers flood the networks with LSPs, check integrity using a checksum, and resend the LSPs by forwarding them out on all enabled interfaces except the interface on which each was received or on which the same LSP has already been received. The router's link state database is thus a combination of the router's own adjacency database and the LSP packets arriving from all other routers. When the link state database is complete in conventional systems, a copy of the database, which includes a map of the network and its links, services, and external routes for the area, is maintained in each router. It is to be understood that the above process for defining a topology database is provided only as an example. Any procedure that provides a suitable topology database may be used. For example, a net management station may query all of the switches for their topology information. Also, different types of routing protocols may be used to distribute the routing information.
Once a router has accumulated a full set of link state packets, it can construct the entire subnet graph since every link is now represented. The algorithm described below, is then run locally to construct the shortest path, while considering shared risks, to all reachable destinations. The output of the algorithm is the next hop (i.e., intermediate router) to the destination. The results of this algorithm are installed in the routing tables.
In the method of the present invention, multiple attempts are made to find paths through a network. Links that carry shared risks which are also included in a specific path are penalized (i.e., made to look less attractive in the Dijkstra algorithm). As the algorithm runs, the penalty associated with a risk that is common to a primary and backup path is increased. As the algorithm continues, the problem areas are avoided and diverse routes are usually found.
Details of this process are shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 . Shared risk metrics are assigned to links or nodes (or both links and nodes) at step 80 . Each Shared risk metric has a LongTerm and ShortTerm metric associated with it. The ShortTerm metric exists for the duration of one iteration of the algorithm. The LongTerm metric exists for the duration of the run. A quantity called SRmetric is calculated as the sum of the ShortTerm and LongTerm values (SRmetric=ShortTerm+LongTerm). Once a shared risk has been encountered along a path, it is not considered a second time. For example, if a path passes through two links, L 1 and L 2 , and Shared Risk A is assigned to both links, when the maximum SRmetric is computed for L 2 , the metric for Shared Risk A is not considered.
Many different methods may be used to select metrics for each node and link. For example, the link or node with the greatest shared risk may be assigned a metric that is five times greater than the metric assigned to other links and nodes in the path. Other methods for assigning metrics include those described in Survivable Networks: Algorithms for Diverse Routing, R. Bhandari (The Kluwer International Series in Engineering and Computer Sciences, 1999).
The ShortTerm and LongTerm metrics are initially set to zero for all shared risks (step 82 ). The first iteration is thus a standard Dijkstra algorithm run with the following metrics applied (step 84 ):
LinkMetric: link cost plus the maximum SRmetric over all shared risks associated with a link; and NodeMetric: maximum SRmetric over all shared risks associated with a node.
It is to be understood that many other methods may be used for deriving the link and node metrics. For example, a weighted average of the SRmetric over all shared risks may be used.
The path (first path) returned by the first run is walked and the ShortTerm metric is set to a constant value for every shared risk that is included in the path (step 86 ). This first path is now labeled as the PreviousPath (step 88 ).
Dijkstra is then run again and a new path (second path) is identified and labeled as the CurrentPath (step 90 ). The CurrentPath is compared to the PreviousPath to see if there is shared risk diversity (step 92 ). If the paths are diverse, the process is complete (steps 94 and 96 ). If the CurrentPath and the PreviousPath are not diverse, the CurrentPath is walked and the LongTerm metric associated with each shared risk that is common to the previous path is increased (steps 94 , 98 and 99 ). The increased LongTerm metric is defined as follows:
LongTerm=LongTerm+ShortTerm
This results in an increase of the LongTerm metric of every shared risk that was common to both paths by a constant value.
The path returned by the run is then walked and the ShortTerm metric is set to a constant value for every shared risk that is included in the path (step 86 ). This path is now labeled as the PreviousPath (step 88 ) and steps 90 – 94 are repeated until diverse paths are found or until a limit set on the number of iterations which are run is reached.
The present invention may be used in embedded control algorithms (e.g., MPLS-TE, GMPLS) in network elements or in network management tools (e.g., TunnelVision), for example.
Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, 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.
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A method for finding shared risk diverse paths is disclosed. The method includes receiving route information at a node and running a shortest path algorithm to identify a first path. A shared risk metric is assigned to links and nodes with the first path. The method further includes running the shortest path algorithm with the shared risk metrics assigned to identify a second path and comparing the first and second paths. New shared risk metrics are assigned to links and nodes in the second path if the first and second paths are not diverse. The second path then becomes the first path and the algorithm is repeated.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61/437,741 filed Jan. 31, 2011 and U.S. Provisional Application 61/451,761 filed Mar. 11, 2011, which applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
Fluids of enhanced thermal conductivity are prepared by dispersing nanomaterial(s) of high thermal conductivity into a dielectric base fluid to be used in a number of applications, for example cooling of electronics. Dispersion can be achieved by, for example, using physical or chemical techniques. Methods and fluid compositions are described that exhibit improved thermal conductivity due to the dispersion of the nanomaterial(s) in the dielectric fluid. The stability of the nanofluid is a function of, for example, concentration and formulation, but the long-term stability of the nanofluid will ultimately depend on the operating environment.
BACKGROUND
Cooling of modern electronics is becoming a major technical challenge due to the advancements in the design of faster and smaller electric components. As a result, different cooling technologies are being developed to effectively remove heat from these components. The use of liquid coolants has become an attractive alternative to air due to their material densities and high heat transfer coefficients which allows the removal of more heat. Coolants can be used in both single phase and two-phase formats.
Liquid submersion technology (LST) is one of the most promising and innovative methods for cooling computers such as desktop and server computers. LST utilizes dielectric liquid as a coolant medium instead of air.
Efficient cooling of electronics can help extend their operational lifetime. Keeping electronics at low temperatures allows operation at a higher speed (overclocking of CPU for example) since it is easier to remove the extra generated heat in the circuit by their contact with the flowing coolants. Moreover, heat extracted from electronic equipment in large data centers using LST can be recycled for later use in other heating applications, thus reducing their operational cost and negative impact on the environment. The capacity for recovering more heat by the LST technique could also be augmented by further increase of the thermal conductivity of fluids.
One of the promising methods of enhancing thermal conductivity of a fluid is to disperse into the fluid nanomaterial made of substances of relatively high thermal conductivities. Based on the predictions of the Mean Field Theory, one would expect the thermal conductivity of the new hybrid fluid to be higher than the base fluid alone.
Coolants of various types are used in equipment and in manufacturing processes to remove waste heat with water being the most efficient element due to its high thermal conductivity and heat capacity. In many applications water is not suitable and hence oil is used instead. Various types of natural or synthesized oils are used such as soy oil, mineral oil, polyalphaolefin, ester synthetic oil, and synthetic fluorinated oil. The value of the thermal conductivity of these oils is between 0.1-0.17 W/m-K at room temperature which is much lower than the 0.61 W/m-K of water.
Carbon nanotubes are a known thermally conductive material. Carbon nanotubes are macromolecules of the shape of a long thin cylinder and thus with high aspect ratio. There are two main types of carbon nanotubes: single-walled nanotubes (“SWNT”) and multi-walled nanotubes (“MWNT”). The structure of a single-walled carbon nanotube can be described as a single graphene sheet rolled into a seamless cylinder whose ends are either open or capped by either half fullerenes or more complex structures including pentagons. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes comprise an array of such nanotubes that are concentrically nested like rings of a tree trunk with a typical distance of approximately 0.34 nm between layers.
Basic research over the past decade has shown that carbon nanotubes could have a thermal conductivity of an order of magnitude higher than copper—3,000 W/m-K for MWNT and 6,000 W/m-K for SWNT. Therefore, the thermal conductivities of nanofluids containing nanoparticles is expected to be significantly higher than the conventional fluids alone. Experimental results have demonstrated that a carbon nanotube suspension showed the highest thermal conductivity enhancement—a 150% increase in conductivity of oil at about 1% by volume of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Choi, et al., App. Phys. Lett, 2001, 79(14), 2252).
Despite the extraordinary thermal properties of carbon nanotube suspensions, it is not easy to produce a nanoparticle suspension with a sustainable stability and consistent thermal properties. Due to the hydrophobic nature of graphitic structures, carbon nanotubes are not soluble in any known solvent. They also have a very high tendency to form aggregates and extended structures of linked nanoparticles, thus leading to phase separation, poor dispersion within a matrix, and poor adhesion to the host. However, stability of the nanoparticle suspension is important for practical industrial applications. Otherwise, the thermal properties of a nanofluid, such as thermal conductivity, will constantly change as the solid particles gradually separate from the fluid.
The superior thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes and their derivatives has been recognized for a long time, but their use in cooling of electronics has not been extensively tested due to the high electric conductivity of carbon. One reason for this is the potential interaction of carbon clusters with electric circuits if their concentrations reach critical level. This condition can be avoided if the concentration of the nanomaterial is kept well below the percolation threshold. Additionally, one might expect that the dielectric breakdown voltage of the fluid will become smaller with the addition of the nanomaterial thus leading to circuit breakdown.
SUMMARY
A fluid composition or nanofluid is described that includes a dielectric base fluid, a chemical dispersant, and nanoparticles dispersed in the dielectric fluid. The chemical dispersant is used to facilitate the nanoparticle dispersing process and also to increase the stability of the nanofluid thus produced. The nanofluid is compatible with electronics and has enhanced thermal conductivity for use in cooling electronics. Techniques are described that can be used to efficiently disperse different forms of nanoparticles, including but not limited to carbon nanotubes, into a base fluid and produce a stable nanofluid which is compatible with electronic circuitry and components.
A chemical dispersant, dispersing agent, or the like as used herein is a material that facilitates dispersion and stability of the nanomaterials in the base fluid. Dispersion can be caused by wetting/hydrophobic/surfactant chemical components that modify the surfaces of the nanomaterial so that the nanomaterials stay suspended as long as possible in the base fluid.
The term nanomaterial, nanoparticles, or the like as used herein refers to materials that have a particle size in the range of 1-100 nm in at least one of 3 spatial dimensions.
The term nanofluid as used herein refers to fluids, preferably dielectric fluids, that contain suspended nanomaterials. The fluids can be liquids, and the liquids can be single phase or two-phase.
In this invention, dielectric fluids of enhanced thermal conductivity are prepared by dispersing carbon nanotubes, or other nanomaterials of selected thermal conductivity measured in W/m-K, into modified synthetic polyalphaolefin fluid. The resulting nanofluid can be used for cooling of submersed electronics and computer servers or for other cooling applications. Dispersion of the nanomaterials throughout the selected dielectric fluid is achieved by physical and/or chemical treatments to yield a fluid composition of enhanced thermal conductivity as compared to the base dielectric fluid alone.
In one example, a fluid composition with enhanced thermal conductivity for cooling electronics includes a dielectric base fluid having a predetermined thermal conductivity, about 0.001 to about 1 percent by weight of a nanomaterial having a thermal conductivity greater than the predetermined thermal conductivity of the dielectric base fluid and having an aspect ratio of 500-2000 dispersed into the dielectric base fluid, and a chemical dispersing agent.
In another example, a thermally enhanced fluid composition includes a dielectric base fluid having a predetermined thermal conductivity, and up to about 1 percent by weight of a nanomaterial dispersed within the dielectric base fluid. The nanomaterial has an aspect ratio from 500-20000, and the nanomaterial has a thermal conductivity greater than the predetermined thermal conductivity of the dielectric base fluid. The fluid composition also includes a chemical wetting agent. The resulting fluid composition has an electric breakdown field that renders the fluid composition suitable for direct contact with electronic components.
In some applications, where the main function of coolants is to lubricate moving parts in a machine, adding a small amount of graphite solids can enhance both the lubrication and cooling functions. The size of the graphite materials are small enough (nano-scale) to keep them suspended at all-times, thereby avoiding a compromise in mechanical performance.
DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is chart illustrating the thermal resistance data of a base fluid, water and different nanofluids at different temperatures.
FIG. 2 is a chart illustrating the thermal conductance versus the thermal conductivity for the base fluid, water and different nanofluids.
FIG. 3 is a chart illustrating the breakdown voltages of the base fluid and a selected one of the nanofluids.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Methods are described herein for enhancing thermal conductivity of dielectric fluid using nanomaterial. The resulting nanofluid can be used to cool electronics, for example in direct cooling applications including but not limited to liquid submersion cooling or spray cooling, or indirect cooling applications including but not limited to directing the nanofluid through a heat transfer plate that is in heat exchange relationship with the electronics. Specific cooling applications of the nanofluid include, but are not limited to, cooling in a data center, a server computer, a desktop computer, a telecommunications switch, a laser, an amplifier, or a vehicle. The nanofluid can also be used in many other cooling applications in place of conventional cooling fluids.
The physical and chemical properties of carbon nanotubes depend on methods of their preparation; therefore, no universal method for their suspension exists. The high aspect ratio of nanotubes coupled with a strong intrinsic van der Waals attraction force between their surfaces have a tendency to produce ropes of hexagonal lattice of SWNT or bundles of non-crystalline MWNT. With the aid of ultra-sonication, some nanotubes can be moderately dispersed in some solvents, e.g., in dimethylformamide and dichlorobenzene, to produce nanotube suspensions. Once dispersed, the nanotubes can then be transferred into the base fluid to produce the final nanofluid.
Preparation of stable nanofluids is important for their successful uses in heat transfer applications. The stability of nanofluids includes several parameters: 1) kinetic stability: nanoparticles dispersed in the nanofluids have strong Brownian movements which could offset their tendency for sedimentation by gravity; 2) dispersion stability: due to aggregation of nanoparticles, the dispersion of the nanoparticles in fluids may deteriorate with time; 3) chemical stability: no chemical reactions between the suspended nanoparticles or between nanoparticles and the base fluid are desired during the working conditions of the nanofluids.
In a stationary state, the sedimentation velocity of small spherical particles in liquid follows the Stock law:
V
=
2
R
2
9
μ
(
ρ
P
-
ρ
L
)
·
g
where V is the sedimentation velocity of particles; R is the radius of spherical particles; μ is the viscosity of the base fluid medium, ρ p and ρ L are the density of the particles and the base fluid, respectively, and g is gravity.
This equation reflects the balance of gravity, buoyant force, and frictional force that are acting on the suspended nanoparticles. According to the above equation, the stability of the nanofluids is enhanced by: 1) reducing the size R of the nanoparticles; 2) increasing the viscosity μ of the base fluid; and 3) minimizing the density difference (ρ p −ρ L ) between the nanoparticles and the base fluid.
The above equation also indicates that the sedimentation velocity is very sensitive to particle size; V is proportional to square R. At critical size Rc the sedimentation will “stop” when equilibrium is established between sedimentation and Brownian motion of the nanoparticles (diffusion). On the other end, at small sizes, the surface energy of the nanoparticles becomes high and therefore increases the possibility of aggregation. The challenge is to use smaller nanoparticles while modifying their surface energy to prevent aggregation.
Preparation Methods
There are several generic chemical and physical methods for making nanofluids described herein. One method involves the dispersion of synthesized vapor phase nanoparticles directly into the base fluid. Another method involves an initial synthesis of the nanoparticles followed by their dispersion in the base fluid using ultrasonic agitation.
The chemical method for making nanofluids involves chemical formulation of the nanomaterial with added chemical agents or surfactants. Hydrophobic nanotubes can be wetted first before dispersion into the base fluid. The goal is to provide either electro-repulsive forces or steric hindrance that keeps the suspension from agglomerations. Moreover, the final nanofluid may also contain an amount of one or more chemical compounds such as antioxidant agents, friction reducing agents, and/or detergents that not only enhance dispersion but to provide long operational time, stable viscosity.
A suitable dielectric based fluid for forming the nanofluid can be obtained from DSI Fluids of Tyler, Tex.
Many different types of nanomaterial can be used. Examples of nanomaterials include, but are not limited to, carbon-based nanomaterials or oxides. Specific examples of nanomaterials include, but are not limited to, single- or multi-walled carbon nanotubes; graphite; single layer (graphene) or multilayer regular or white hexagonal boron nitride (hBN); and nanodiamonds.
In the case of carbon nanotubes, the diameter of the nanotubes can be around 3-10 nm, and their length can range from submicron to a few microns. For example, the length can be from 2-20 microns. The aspect ratio (length/diameter) can be from around a few hundreds to a few thousands. Suitable short multiwall carbon nanotubes are available from either Nano-lab, Inc. of Waltham, Mass. or from Sun Innovations, Inc. of Fremont, Calif., and can be used without further purifications.
In the case of graphite, the graphite can be of large thickness, or few layers of hexagonal shape lattice. For example, in one example, a graphite nanoplatelet (xGnP) used can be formed from around 10 layers of graphene. Suitable graphite nanomaterials can be obtained from Asbury Graphite Mills, Inc. of Asbury, N.J.
Another layered nanomaterial with high thermal conductivity that can be used is hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) which is also electrically insulative. Suitable hBN can be obtained from Lower Friction of Ontario, Canada.
In the case of carbon nanodiamonds, the nanodiamonds can be spherical shaped of about 3-5 nanometers. The surface properties of the nanodiamonds can be tuned using different chemical modification. The nanodiamonds are also electrically insulative. Suitable nanodiamonds can be obtained from SkySpring Nanomaterial, Inc. of Houston, Tex.
Testing
The thermal conductivity of a dispersion of nanomaterial in dielectric fluid was tested. The known thermal conductivities of base fluid (poor thermal conductor) and of water (excellent thermal conductor) were used as references for determining the final thermal conductivity of the new nanofluids.
The following bullets and table 1 summarizes some of the physical properties of the dispersed materials that were tested:
1. Carbon nanotubes, multiwalled, hollow structure 2. Short MWNT SN-6578943 with bulk density of 0.48 g/cm3 3. Synthetic graphite powder (4827-Asbury Mills) with a mean particle size of 3 4. Graphite nanoplatelets of 5 um thickness 5. Hexagonal Boron Nitride of 70 um thickness 6. Nanodiamonds of 3-5 nm diameter
TABLE 1 Spe- Inside Outside cific Pu- Diam- Diam- Length/ surface Nano- rity eter eter thickness area material (%) (nm) (nm) (um) (m2/g) MWNT-nano- 95 2-7 nm 15 ± 5 1-5 um 200-400 Long MWNT_Sun 95 2-5 >10 1-2 um 40-300 Short Graphite 95 Syn- N/A 3 um thickness 200 thetic Powder 3 um xGnP-M-5 99.5 Nano- 5 um 6-8 nm thickness 120-150 platelets Hex BN nano- N/A 70 nm flakes Nano- 95 3 5 N/A 260 diamonds
Dispersion of Nanomaterial in the Dielectric Liquid
There are a variety of common dispersant chemicals in the market for dissolving different types of materials, such as in the automotive and detergents. These chemicals can also be used to aid in dispersion of the nanoparticles. For example, chemicals used for dissolving carbon debris in gasoline engines can be used with little or no modifications. Another source of wetting agent can be those used in oil painting for wetting dry hydrophobic pigments. A combination of wetting chemicals and nonionic surfactant can also be used with the different carbon nanomaterials to enhance the dispersion and the stability of the new dielectric nanofluid.
The wetting agents can be made from slow or fast evaporating substances depending on the specific application. If wetting materials are added to the base dielectric fluid, the wetting material should be allowed to evaporate without altering the chemical composition of the base fluid. The wetting material and dispersant surfactants, if both are used, should also be highly miscible in the base fluid.
The physical properties of the base fluid obtained from DSI Fluids is provided in Table 2.
TABLE 2 Coefficient Kinematic Dynamic Heat Thermal Specific of Thermal Temperature Viscosity Viscosity Capacity Conductivity Density Volume Expansion C. cSt Poise J/Kg-C. W/m-C. kg/m{circumflex over ( )}3 m{circumflex over ( )}3/kg (CTE) 0 6.95 0.059 2055.00 0.1370 851.582 1.174E−03 0.00068 10 2092.70 0.1364 845.751 1.182E−03 0.00068 20 4.77 0.040 2130.40 0.1358 840.000 1.190E−03 0.00068 30 2168.10 0.1352 834.327 1.199E−03 0.00068 40 3.5 0.029 2205.80 0.1346 828.729 1.207E−03 0.00068 50 2243.50 0.1341 823.207 1.215E−03 0.00068 60 2.7 0.022 2281.20 0.1335 817.757 1.223E−03 0.00068 70 2318.90 0.1329 812.379 1.231E−03 0.00068 80 2.17 0.018 2356.60 0.1323 807.071 1.239E−03 0.00068 90 2394.30 0.1317 801.833 1.247E−03 0.00068 100 1.8 0.014 2432.00 0.1311 796.662 1.255E−03 0.00068
Physical Techniques of Dispersing Nanomaterial
An ultrasound technique was used for physical mixing of the nanomaterial into the base fluid. The materials were mixed using either a bath-type or a probe tip ultra-sonicator. A homogeneous mixture was obtained after one hour of mixing using a low power bath sonicator system. This time could be reduced when using longer nanotubes since high sonic energy can damage their structural integrity and reduce their thermal performances. In this case a low power bath sonicator is more than adequate. The nanotubes that were used were relatively small enough and therefore unlikely to be damaged by long time exposure to low or high powered sonication.
EXAMPLES
The previous and following specific compositions, methods, and embodiments are intended to illustrate the inventive concepts and are not to be construed as limiting the invention which is defined by the claims. Variation of these compositions, methods and embodiments are possible.
Example 1
Long Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes in Dielectric Base Fluid
Example 2
Short Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes in Dielectric Base Fluid
Example 3
Graphite Nanoparticles in Dielectric Base Fluid
To suspend the nanomaterial in the dielectric base fluids, a Virsonic 600 Ultrasonic tip-sonicator was used. We suspended 61.77 mg of MWNT (MWNT nano) in 300 ml of the base fluid. The MWNT nano in the base fluid was exposed to 20 minutes of 7 watts ultrasound energy from a probe sonicator. The sonication energy was delivered into the samples at on/off cycles using 20/10 seconds duration.
In order to further enhance the suspension of the nanomaterials, a few drops (about 2-5 ml) of dry ethanol was added to the base fluid during sonication. The ultrasound process was repeated two more times for better distribution of the material in the base fluid. The final suspension solution of the MWNT nano was around 0.025% by weight.
The same procedure was repeated for the short MWNT nanomaterial (about 51.65 mg of nanomaterials was added to about 300 ml of base fluid, together with the ethanol addition, to make a concentrated solution of about 0.021% by weight) and the graphite nanoparticles (about 320 mg of graphite was dispersed into about 300 ml of base fluid together with the ethanol addition). The final graphite solution was around 0.13% solution by weight.
Most of the materials stayed in suspension with little sign of settlement. Some settled residues are either due to un-dissolved materials or due to the presence of 5% of carbon ash contamination. All un-dissolved materials should be removed, for example using a cellulose filter, before using the nanofluid with electronics.
Overtime, some sedimentation of the nanomaterial occurred when the nanofluids were left at room temperature. However, the nanofluid preparations were stable for more than two months on shelves and without the aid of any mechanical agitation.
Measurement of Thermal Conductivity
Thermal conductivity was measured using a system that measures heat propagation along the length of a test tube filled with a given fluid. The test tube was surrounded by thermal insulation along the length of the tube, the top was exposed to room temperature and the bottom was in contact with a thermal bath. Data was collected using a transient method in which the temperature of the fluid is recorded over time during heating from the bottom side which was in contact with a large water thermal bath. Every time the bath temperature was changed, the system was allowed to reach equilibrium before changing the bath temperature to a higher value. The equilibrium values were used to calculate thermal conductivity. In addition, thermal simulation of the system was performed to make predictions of the expected temperature rises and the time it takes for the system to reach equilibrium.
The heat transfer flux along the Z-length of the test tube is given by Q/A=−k dT/dz, where Q/A is the heat flux; k is thermal conductivity; and A is the cross sectional area of the test tube, and dT/dz is the thermal gradient along the z-coordinate.
Also, Q_z=kA/L (T bath −T sample ), where kA/L is thermal conductance (or the reciprocal of the thermal conductance L/kA is the thermal resistance).
Delta T=T bath −T sample =L/kA*Q
At equilibrium, for samples of the same heights, the temperature at the midpoint of the fluid is proportional to the heat flux from the hot water bath to the fluid inside of the test tube. The magnitude of the temperature at the midpoint of the fluid is related to the thermal conductance of the sample height as measured from the bottom of the tube to the midpoint (location of the thermocouple). While the speed of the temperature rise is proportional to the diffusivity of the fluid, the steady state temperature value is proportional to the thermal conductivity of fluid. The higher the thermal conductivity of the fluid, the closer the final temperature is to the temperature of the heating water bath.
A sample of the fluid was placed in a test tube which is insulated from all sides except from the bottom (in contact with the water bath heat source) and the top (exposed to room temperature). Heat flows along the cylinder through the sample into air with a heat gradient from water bath to room temperature. The diameter and length of the test tube used were about 0.015 m and about 0.16 m, respectively. A 0.06 m long sample was chosen and a long thermocouple from Omega Engineering Inc., (OMEGA Engineering INC.; Connecticut USA) was placed at about 3 cm above the base of the test tube to measure T Sample at half the fluid's height. Another thermocouple was placed outside the insulating test tube and located at the bottom side to measure T Bath . The entire system was lowered into a water bath of around 15 liters volume. The water bath was heated by a 1000 watts Cole-Parmer® Polystat® Immersion Circulator from the Cole-Parmer Instrument Company of Vernon Hills, Ill.
The output of the thermocouple was connected to a NI USB-9211A data acquisition module system available from National Instruments Corporation of Austin, Tex., and the recorded data was stored and displayed.
The thermal bath was heated and the temperature of the sample was recorded every 500 ms. Data was collected continuously and the sample's temperatures were allowed to reach equilibrium with the external heating bath. The heat flows from the water bath into the sample and from the sample into room temperature. The thermal conductance of the sample, which is the reciprocal of thermal resistance, is proportional to thermal conductivity.
Initially, the thermal conductivity of the dielectric base fluid alone was measured. The thermal conductivity of the dielectric fluid with the dispersed long and short MWNT of carbon and graphite nanomaterial were also measured. In addition, the thermal conductivities of a water sample of the same height were also measured and used as a reference. These measurements were performed at different temperatures from about 25 C to about 80 C. Temperature differences between the water bath and the sample were plotted at different bath temperatures in order to calculate the thermal resistance or conductance at different temperatures.
FIG. 1 gives a summary of the thermal resistance (T bath −T sample ) data of the different fluids at different temperatures. The data of FIG. 1 can be summarized as follows:
1. Thermal resistance of the base fluid is the highest among all samples 2. Thermal resistance of MWNT is lower than the base fluid alone 3. Thermal resistance of short and long MWNT are similar to each other 4. Thermal resistance of the graphite sample was slightly lower than the base fluid alone at lower temperature. However at high temperature, its thermal resistance is higher than that of the base fluid. 5. Thermal resistivity of water is lower than all fluids
In summary, the thermal resistance of the nanofluids is clearly lower than that of the base fluid alone indicating that the nanofluids conduct heat more efficiently than the base fluid alone. Nonetheless, it is not as high in conducting heat as that of liquid water. The magnitude of thermal conductivity of the different nanofluid samples are somewhere between those of the base fluid and water.
Since we know that values of thermal conductivity of the different nanofluids are between water and the base fluid, the thermal conductivity values at different temperatures was calculated. The thermal conductivity of water and of dielectric fluids are known at all temperatures (see Table 2). The thermal conductivities of water at different temperature are also well known.
In order to calculate the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids, lines connecting the thermal conductance of water and the base fluid samples at different temperatures with the conductance is plotted on the y-axis and thermal conductivity on the x-axis. Thermal conductance is proportional to thermal conductivity, therefore water and dielectric fluid were used as a reference, and plot a line between the two values at each temperature. At each temperature, the projection of the thermal conductance of the nanofluid (the y-value) was projected onto the corresponding line between water and the base fluid to calculate its corresponding thermal conductivity value on the x-axis. These steps were repeated at different temperature to calculate thermal conductivities of the nanofluids.
FIG. 2 shows the lines connecting thermal conductance and thermal conductivity of water and the base fluid at different temperatures.
Table 3 includes a summary of the thermal conductance, the corresponding thermal conductivities, and the ratio of thermal conductivity of the nanofluid MWNT — nano over the base fluid. Similarly, thermal conductivity of other nanofluids can be calculated using this method.
TABLE 3
Temperature (K)
Thermal (nanoI)
K (nano/base)
Knano/Kbase
299
1.11
0.168
1.24
303
0.917
0.165
1.22
307
0.746
0.178
1.32
311
0.65
0.175
1.3
330
0.408
0.165
1.24
344
0.322
0.160
1.2
It is clear that a 0.02% w suspension of carbon MWNT in the base fluid increased the thermal conductivity by 20 to 30%. The thermal conductivity of the nanofluid is also correlated with the concentration of the suspended nanomaterial.
For the graphite sample, the increase of thermal resistance at high temperature can be attributed to the sedimentation of the nanomaterials which prevent the flow of heat due to the anisotropic thermal conductivity of graphite.
The thermal resistance of the nanofluid changes with the concentration of the dispersed materials. At higher concentration, it should increase towards the thermal conductivity of water, and at very low concentration should be close to the base fluid value.
Example 4
Graphite Nanoplatelets in Base Fluid
To disperse graphite nanoplatelets in the base fluid, about 200 mg of GNP-M-5 was slowly mixed in about 20-50 ml of the base fluid. The new suspension was sonicated for a few seconds using a probe tip sonication system. Eventually, the sample was slowly added to about a liter of the base fluid and exposed to further sonication. The sonication continued for total of about 30 minutes with about 20/10 seconds of on/off cycles. A very homogeneous and stable dark suspension was obtained at the end of sonication.
In another embodiment, a few milliliters (for example 10 ml per 1000 ml of base fluid) of 100% isopropanol was added directly to the dry nanoplatelets for wetting before sonication. The addition of the alcohol enhanced the dispersion and increased the stability of the resulting nanofluid. The observed enhancement of thermal conductivity of the nanofluid containing the graphite nanoplatelets was similar to the nanofluid containing carbon nanotubes.
Example 5
hBN in Base Fluid
About 120 milligrams of hBN of about 70 nm thickness was dissolved into a small sample (about 40-60 ml) of base fluid together with about 10 ml of isoproponal per 1000 ml of base fluid and slowly mixed in a glass beaker. Once the mix was homogeneous, the sample was sonicated using a tip probe sonicator for about 20 seconds followed by about a 10 second rest, and the sonication was repeated.
The sample was brownish in color and very well dispersed. The small sample was added to about one liter of base fluid. The resulting sample fluid was sonicated for about one hour with the sample exposed to on/off cycles of about 20/10 seconds.
At high concentration, the heat resistance was higher than that of the base fluid indicating lower thermal conductivity. At the end of the thermal measurement, white sedimentation was observed at the bottom of the test tube. By reducing the concentration of the sample by filtering out some of the sedimentation, the thermal conductivity improved.
Next, the sample was filtered using a micro-cellulose filter to remove any obvious sedimentation from the sample after one thermal cycle. This resulted in an increase in the thermal conductivity of the sample upon filtration.
Example 6
Nanodiamonds
Spherical shaped nanodiamonds of about 3-4 nanometers were tested due to their high thermal conductivity and for their electrical insulation. Like hBN, the nanodiamonds were dispersed into the base together with about 10 ml of isoproponal per 1000 ml of base fluid. However, the nanodiamonds could be dispersed into the base fluid without the use of isopropanol as a wetting agent if desired. The sample was then filtered to enhance the thermal conductivity.
Electrical Breakdown Measurements of Carbon Nanofluids
The nanofluid is designed to be useable in direct contact cooling of electronics, such as LST or spray cooling. Therefore, the breakdown voltage of the nanofluid needs to be sufficient.
Determining the breakdown voltage involves connecting two electrodes to a high voltage power source of 10-60 kV output. The electrodes were placed inside a container which was filled with the nanofluid under observation. The two electrodes were totally covered with the fluid to prevent electric arching in air. The distance between the electrodes were measured before applying external voltage. At a given separation distance, the voltage was turned on and increased until the first indication of electric discharge inside the nanofluid was observed. The same procedures were repeated at a larger distance and the new discharge voltage recorded.
Electric field breakdown voltage was calculated as the ratio of applied electrostatic voltage/separation distance of electrodes (V/d) and plotted as a function of the separation distance.
FIG. 3 illustrates the breakdown electric field of the base fluid and the base fluid loaded with a 0.02% w carbon nanotubes suspension. It is clear that there is no significant difference between the breakdown voltages of the two samples. The breakdown field for the base fluid is around 5.5 10 6 v/m versus about 5.0 10 6 v/m for the nanofluid which is not much difference given the error of measuring v or d. The small rise at lower distance could be due to the variation in measuring d or other effect. The concentration used for making the nanofluid was less than 1% by weight and the sizes of the newly prepared nano-dispersion were always small and uniform. With aging, some micro clusters can form which can affect the electrical properties of the nanofluid.
It is believed to be important to use the smallest amount of dispersed nanomaterial that gives the highest thermal conductivity. For nanomaterial, the threshold of electric percolation which can lead to voltage breakdown depends on many factors besides concentration of the nanomaterial, such as aspect ratio, dispersion uniformity and dispersion sizes.
Beside carbon MWNT and graphite, other nanomaterials can be used to form a nanofluid for cooling electronics. Oxide materials such as Al2O3, CuO, TiO2 are thermally conductive and electrical insulators, therefore could easily be adapted here with little modification.
Exemplary Applications
The observed substantial increases in the thermal conductivities of nanofluids permit broad industrial applications of the nanofluids. The enhanced heat transfer ability of the nanofluids can translate into high energy efficiency, better performance, and low operating costs of LST cooled computer data centers. The energy used to cool data centers consumes around 8% of the total electric consumption in the USA. Using LST with the enhanced nanofluids described herein would have an enormous impact on reducing energy consumption. An example of LST used in a server is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,106 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Of the electric energy used in running computer chips, 98% is wasted into heat. Therefore, having an efficient nanofluid for extracting heat away from computer chips and other electronics will allow for the heat to be recycled and reused. The heat absorbed by the nanofluid can be recycled and reused using techniques known in the art.
The embodiments disclosed in this application are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not limitative. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.
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A fluid composition or nanofluid is described that includes a dielectric base fluid, a chemical dispersant, and nanoparticles dispersed in the dielectric fluid. The chemical dispersant is used to facilitate the nanoparticle dispersing process and also to increase the stability of the nanofluid thus produced. The nanofluid is compatible with electronics and has enhanced thermal conductivity for use in cooling electronics. Techniques are described that can be used to efficiently disperse different forms of nanoparticles into a base fluid and produce a stable nanofluid which is compatible with electronic circuitry and components.
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BACKGROUND
The invention relates generally to stud welding and more particularly to a stud gun and method for using a stud gun having a stud confirmed in location for welding prior to initiating a welding sequence.
Stud welding guns are used to weld a variety of sizes of studs onto various work pieces for further attachment of additional items to the work pieces. Stud welding guns are widely used in the automotive industry to attach studs for further attachment of trim pieces on automobiles. Furthermore, stud welding guns can be used in both a manual and an automated system. Studs for use in a stud welding gun include a shaft or body often having a smooth or fastener threaded surface, and are formed of electrically conductive material. A welding current is passed through the stud which creates an arc used to fuse the stud to an electrically conductive surface (that is (i.e.), the work piece).
Common stud welding guns operate by feeding an individual stud to a collet or similar chuck device which temporarily holds the stud. The stud is then positioned approximate a work piece and a small electric current passed through the stud creates an arc between the stud and the work piece. Once the arc forms, a full welding current is applied between the stud and the work piece to generate a fusion area between the two. The stud is then rammed into the fusion area to complete the welding process. A disadvantage may result from a stud being misaligned or missing when the collet or chuck is positioned to weld. When a stud is not in position for welding, a welding arc generated between the collet and the work piece results in the collet potentially being welded to the work piece.
In either of the above situations, i.e., where the stud is missing and the process must be repeated to provide a stud in the appropriate location, and where the collet is inadvertently welded to the work piece, additional time and costs are incurred due to the delay in providing a stud or the rework required to remove the attached collet from the work piece. Stud welding gun systems are known which provide a conductivity check using a circuit path including the work piece such that the presence of a stud in position for welding is required before the arc current is generated to start the welding process. The potential for inadvertently welding the collet to the work piece is still present with these systems because the conductivity circuit is completed through the work piece, therefore requiring the stud welding gun and collet to be brought into close alignment with the work piece.
It is therefore desirable to provide a stud welding gun and stud welding gun system which reduces the potential for starting a welding process when a stud is not present and reduces the potential for welding the collet to the work piece.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a stud welding gun includes a gun body having a collet mechanically and electrically connected to a receiver. A ram disposed in the receiver section is contacted by a biased conductive element. A conductive stud is driven into physical contact with the collet by the ram which closes a conductivity path through the conductive element, ram, metallic stud, collet, and receiver. A closed conductivity path indicates a stud properly positioned for welding. The conductivity path is formed in the stud welding gun, independent of a work piece.
A conductivity detection circuit in communication with the stud welding gun is connected external to the stud gun. The conductivity detection circuit applies a small voltage potential across the conductivity path. The conductivity path is closed and a small conductivity current flows when a stud is present and open when a stud is absent. A stud welding gun having a conductivity detection circuit of the present invention prevents the application of a welding current if a stud is not present, and therefore the conventional potential to weld the collet to the work piece. A stud welding gun of the present invention also improves cycle time (i.e., the time to feed a new stud before attempting to weld).
The conductive element is mechanically connected to the stud welding gun and includes a biasing device to bias the conductive element into contact with the ram. By insulating the ram from the stud welding gun, the biased conductive element permits conductivity current flow through the ram, without shorting through the gun body. The addition of the conductive element of the present invention provides a low cost, efficient way to modify a known stud welding gun to connect a closed loop conductivity path to the stud welding gun.
A method of operating a welding gun with a stud and a method of detecting a stud presence in a stud welding gun are also provided.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view identifying a component system for performing stud welding using a modified stud welding gun according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view simplified from FIG. 1 , further showing an exemplary conductivity detection circuit connected to the stud welding gun;
FIG. 3 is a cross section view taken through the stud welding gun of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the preferred embodiment stud gun identifying a conductivity current flow path completed via the conductivity detection circuit and the conductive element;
FIGS. 5-9 are a series of diagrammatic views showing the preferred embodiment stud welding gun throughout a welding procedure;
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 5 showing the initial step of retracting the ram to initiate a stud welding sequence;
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 6 showing a new stud in position prior to pneumatic pressure being applied to the ram to press the stud into contact with the collet;
FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 7 showing the ram contacting the stud to drive the stud into contact with the collet;
FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 8 showing the new stud in contact with the collet, closing the conductivity path and initiating a next welding sequence;
FIG. 10 is a flow chart identifying the steps to operate the stud welding gun of the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a flow chart identifying the steps to detect a stud according to the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 12 is a flow chart identifying the sequence of logic and welding signals produced during a welding procedure for the preferred embodiment stud welding gun; and
FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic view of the conductivity signal path for the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
FIG. 1 shows a stud welding gun of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. A stud detection system 10 includes a stud gun 12 holding a stud 14 in position for welding to a work piece 16 . It is envisioned that work piece 16 is a steel, sheet metal automobile panel. Each stud 14 is provided via a stud feeder supply 18 and a pneumatic tube 20 to stud gun 12 . A weld tool process control unit 22 is connected via a welding current supply line 24 to stud gun 12 . Weld tool process control unit 22 is electrically connected on a feed side to a process control unit 26 via control lines 28 . The process control unit 26 also includes a welding current supply 27 . The process control unit 26 is connected to a conductive element 30 of stud gun 12 and a body of the stud gun 12 via conductivity signal lines 32 and 33 , respectively. Alternately, conductivity signal lines 32 and 33 can be included with welding current supply line 24 . Process control unit 26 also includes a microprocessor, a memory unit, an input device (e.g., a keyboard) and a display screen, as known in the art.
Referring now to FIG. 2 , stud gun 12 includes a receiver 34 , a collet 36 having a plurality of longitudinal slits 37 , and a union 38 which connectably joins collet 36 to receiver 34 . Longitudinal slits 37 provided in collet 36 enable the distal end of collet 36 to radially expand and contract about the changing diameter of a stud 14 in the direction of radial arrows “A”. A positive grip is therefore maintained on stud 14 by the biasing force provided by a plurality of deflectable portions 39 of collet 36 between longitudinal slits 37 . Conductive element 30 is releasably connected to receiver 34 such that conductive element 30 can be removed and replaced. In the preferred embodiment, the outer diameter of conductive element 30 has male threads (not shown) which engage associated female threads (not shown) of receiver 34 . An electrical ground connection 40 is also provided on receiver 34 whose purpose will be further described in reference to FIG. 4 .
Stud gun 12 is connected to a conductivity detection circuit 42 via a conductive element line 44 connected to conductive element 30 and a ground path line 46 connected to ground connection 40 . Conductivity detection circuit 42 is connected to weld tool process control unit 22 via at least one signal line 48 . Weld tool process control unit 22 is connected to welding current supply 27 of process control unit 26 via a conductivity signal line 50 . These lines are further described in reference to FIG. 12 .
A pneumatic pressure source 52 is connected to stud gun 12 via a pressure tube 54 and is connected to the stud feeder supply 18 via a stud supply pressure tube 56 . The pneumatic pressure source 52 provides a source of positive pressure for driving the stud 14 into the receiver 34 via the pneumatic tube 20 , and for driving the stud 14 into the welding position shown (as will be described in reference to FIG. 3 ). The pressure tube 54 connects to a piston head 58 of the stud gun 12 at a piston head cap 59 . A stud 14 shown in proper position for welding deflects the deflectable portions 39 of the collet 36 in the radial deflection direction “A” as shown.
As best seen in reference to FIG. 3 , piston head 58 receives air from pneumatic pressure source 52 (shown in FIG. 2 ) in a chamber 60 , operable to advance piston 62 in a linear direction “B”. The pneumatic fluid acts on a piston 62 having a distally extending ram 64 attached thereto. The ram 64 in turn contacts stud 14 to drive stud 14 into the position shown for welding in the linear direction “B”. Ram 64 is slidably disposed within receiver 34 in a bearing sleeve 66 . Ram 64 is electrically isolated from receiver 34 by insulation 68 circumferentially surrounding ram 64 . Bearing sleeve 66 is also preferably provided of a non-conductive material such as a polyamide to further electrically insulate ram 64 from receiver 34 .
An aperture 69 within insulation 68 is provided for exposing a contact surface of ram 64 . A conductive element housing 70 is removably disposed in receiver 34 in alignment with aperture 69 in insulation 68 . The conductive element housing 70 is a non-conductive material. Studs are received in receiver 34 in a stud loading direction “C” via a delivery tube 71 when ram 64 retracts in a piston upstroke direction “E” (as further described in reference to FIG. 6 ). This overall process is fully described with reference to FIGS. 5-9 . Collet 36 is necessarily a conductive material (e.g., copper) which is releasably fastened to the conductive material of receiver 34 via union 38 . The union 38 , receiver 34 , and ram 64 are electrically conductive materials such as copper or steel, which when mechanically linked, form a portion of a conductivity path for stud gun 12 , as further discussed below. The conductivity path is closed when a stud 14 is present, and open when a stud 14 is absent.
As detailed in FIG. 4 , a conductivity current flow path for the preferred embodiment is shown by arrows D through a closed conductivity path. A ball 72 is slidably disposed within conductive element housing 70 . A compression spring 74 is connectably attached to ball 72 at a first end and to an electrical contact 75 at a second end. Ball 72 , conductive element housing 70 , compression spring 74 , and electrical contact 75 form conductive element 30 . Compression spring 74 is preferably a coil spring (as shown) but can also be any type of spring or biasing means capable of providing an electrical contact path between ball 72 and electrical contact 75 . Compression spring 74 biases ball 72 into contact with ram 64 .
Ram 64 advances in the linear direction “B” until stud 14 contacts and is held by contact surfaces 76 at the distal end of collet 36 . With stud 14 in the position shown, a conductivity path closes between conductivity detection circuit 42 via conductive element line 44 , electrical contact 75 , compression spring 74 , ball 72 , ram 64 , stud 14 , contact surfaces 76 , collet 36 , union 38 , receiver 34 , receiver ground connection 40 , and ground path line 46 , respectively. The conductivity current flow path is exemplified by direction arrows D. When the conductivity circuit path closes as shown, conductivity detection circuit 42 directs a signal (described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 ) to weld tool process control unit 22 (shown in FIG. 2 ) indicating that a stud 14 is in position for welding. The weld tool process control unit 22 then signals welding current supply 27 (within process control unit 26 ) to initiate a welding sequence. When no stud 14 is present, the conductivity circuit path is open. A length of ram 64 is controlled to prevent ram 64 contacting the contact surfaces 76 for any position of ram 64 .
Referring now to FIGS. 5-9 , the sequence for loading a new stud, the delivery of the stud to the collet and the welding of the stud will be described. FIG. 5 shows stud welding gun 12 following a completed welding cycle (i.e., a previous stud is not shown) and ram 64 is fully extended in the ram linear direction “B”. Piston 62 is in a fully extended position within piston head 58 and chamber 60 is fully pressurized. Ball 72 is biased into contact with ram 64 , however, the absence of a stud results in an open conductivity path in conductivity detection circuit 42 .
FIG. 6 shows the initiation of a stud loading step. Pneumatic pressure from pneumatic pressure source 52 (shown in FIG. 2 ) is applied to a piston bottom face 78 to drive piston 62 in the piston upstroke direction “E” as shown. Pressure in chamber 60 is released to permit piston 62 to travel in piston upstroke direction “E”. Ram 64 , which is connectably disposed to piston 62 , retracts in piston upstroke direction “E”. Stud 14 is pneumatically delivered through delivery tube 71 of receiver 34 prior to reaching a stud chamber 80 .
FIG. 7 shows stud 14 positioned within stud chamber 80 prior to ram 64 being driven into contact with stud 14 . Piston 62 is fully retracted prior to pneumatic pressure entering chamber 60 .
In the step shown in FIG. 8 , pneumatic fluid (e.g., air) from pneumatic pressure source 52 (shown in FIG. 2 ) is directed into chamber 60 above piston 62 and is bled from the piston bottom face 78 side of piston 62 . This process is known and is therefore not further detailed herein. Piston 62 , connected to ram 64 , drives ram 64 into contact with stud 14 within stud chamber 80 . Although ball 72 is biased into contact with ram 64 , stud 14 has not yet reached contact surfaces 76 therefore the conductivity path is still open at this time.
Referring to FIG. 9 , ball 72 remains biased into contact with ram 64 . Stud 14 , driven by ram 64 , physically deflects or contacts contact surfaces 76 of collet 36 . A conductivity path as shown in FIG. 4 thereby closes and an electrical potential across the conductivity path induces a small current flow. The insulation 68 precludes the conductivity current from shorting between ram 64 and receiver 34 . As best shown in FIG. 4 , conductivity current flows through conductive element line 44 , ground path line 46 , and conductivity detection circuit 42 to complete the conductivity circuit. The direction of conductivity current flow is exemplary to demonstrate the components in the path.
As best described with reference to FIG. 10 , the steps to operate a stud welding gun having a stud detection conductivity path of the present invention are provided. In an initial step 100 , a first conductive portion of the gun is mechanically and electrically connected to a second conductive portion of the gun. Next, at step 102 , a third conductive portion of the gun is advanced to extend the stud toward the second conductive portion of the gun. As described by step 104 , the third conductive portion is electrically isolated from both the first and second conductive portions of the gun. Further at step 106 , a conductive element is biased into contact with the third conductive portion of the gun. Following at step 108 , an electrical current is conducted through a current path including the conductive element, the third conductive portion, the second conductive portion and the first conductive portion of the gun when the stud contacts the second conductive portion of the gun. For step 110 , a welding current supply initiating signal is generated when the electrical current flows through the current path. During final step 112 , the stud is welded when the electrical current supply initiating signal is generated.
As shown in FIG. 11 , a method of detecting a stud presence in a stud welding gun is provided. At the initial step 114 , components of the stud welding gun are mechanically and electrically joined to partially form a conductivity path. Next, in a step 116 , a conductivity detection circuit is connected in series with the partially formed conductivity path. In a following step 118 , the stud is disposed in the welding gun to close the conductivity path. In a final step 120 , a conductivity current is induced to flow from the conductivity detection circuit through the conductivity path and the stud.
As best described in FIG. 12 , the signals generated in the process control unit 26 (as shown in FIG. 2 ) during a conductivity path check are identified. At step 130 , a welding subroutine is initiated. Next, during the step 132 , a “start weld” signal is required to be present before a welding sequence can be initiated, and is examined if present. Following at a step 134 , if a “start weld” signal is sensed, a “stud present signal” must exist and is examined if present. If a stud is not present, (i.e., a high voltage is sensed across the conductivity path in the stud welding gun, at a step 136 , a “no stud present” at “head #” fault signal is generated. Following thereafter, during a step 138 , the process control unit 26 monitors for a change in condition, indicated by a “no fault, head #” status signal, and if a stud is thereafter sensed, the subroutine returns to step 132 . In a parallel step 140 , if the voltage across the conductivity path is low (as determined during the step 134 ), which indicates a stud present for welding, a weld cycle is initiated. At a step 142 , the process control unit 26 examines the status of a “weld complete, head #” signal and if complete, returns to step 132 to initiate a further stud welding cycle. Finally, at step 144 , the process ends when all welding is complete and the system is down-powered.
Referring finally to FIG. 13 , an exemplary circuit diagram for the preferred embodiment conductivity current path is shown. A conductivity current path 150 includes stud 14 which closes the conductivity path through stud gun 12 (best shown in FIG. 4 ) across conductive element 30 and ground connection 40 . When stud 14 closes the conductivity path, a circuit path is completed between conductive element line 44 and ground path line 46 across the conductivity detection circuit 42 . A 24 volt direct current (DC) voltage potential provided by a voltage source 152 in weld tool process control unit 22 causes a small current flow through conductivity detection circuit 42 . The voltage potential across signal line 48 and a ground path line 154 at process control unit 26 is “low”, dropping to approximately zero. Signal line 48 therefore produces a “low” voltage signal, indicating a “stud present” condition.
Conversely, if stud 14 is not present, the conductivity path across conductivity detection circuit 42 remains open. The voltage potential across signal line 48 and ground path line 154 at weld tool process control unit 22 is “high” (i.e., approximately 24 volts DC) owing to a resistor 156 connected between the positive terminal of voltage source 152 and signal line 48 . Signal line 48 therefore produces a “high” voltage signal, indicating a “no stud present” condition. The “no stud present” condition or signal is also traceable to a particular stud welding gun 12 or head number (i.e., head #) if more than one stud gun 12 is being monitored concurrently by process control unit 26 . Each “head #” is preassigned. It is noted that resistor 156 is identified as a 3.3 K-Ohm, ¼ Watt resistor. This resistor size is exemplary of a variety of resistor sizes possible for the stud detection system 10 of the present invention, and can vary with voltage potential across voltage source 152 and resistances in the various signal and ground lines, and equipment used.
The preferred embodiment for the stud welding gun of the present invention is exemplary in nature. In the preferred embodiment, the conductive element 30 includes a ball biased into contact with the ram by a compression spring. In alternate embodiments, the ball can be replaced by any suitable shape including a cone shape or a cylinder sized to slidably dispose within the contact the ram. The compression spring can alternately include any suitable type of biasing device including a leaf type spring, or an electrically conductive compressible material. The collet is herein described as a copper material due to the reduced expense of copper when the collet requires replacement due to wear. The collet, the receiver, the union nut, the conductive element housing, and the ram can alternately be provided of any suitable electrically conductive material including a copper alloy material, a carbon steel or a stainless steel. The conductive element housing can alternately be welded, press fit, or otherwise mechanically connected to the receiver.
The conductive element and conductivity detection circuit of the present invention can be modified to suit alternate stud gun designs without departing from the scope and gist of the present invention, although all of the present advantages may not be achieved. For example, stud welding guns having the collet or chuck electrically isolated from the stud gun body can be modified to have the conductive element connected to the collet or chuck. Studs can also be provided by a mechanical delivery device in place of the pneumatically driven device shown in FIG. 1 . While a preferred and alternate embodiments have been disclosed, it will be appreciated that other configurations may be employed within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A stud welding gun includes a closed conductivity path indicating a stud properly positioned for welding. Another aspect includes a conductivity detection circuit closed when a stud is present. A further aspect provides a method to operate a stud welding gun including closing a conductivity path to permit a welding operation. A still further aspect provides a method to detect a stud presence by passing a conductivity current from a conductivity detection circuit through a conductivity path closed by a stud.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to devices for washing brassieres, and, more particularly, to devices for washing plus size brassieres and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Brassieres (also commonly called “bras”) are commonly made with two cups, two shoulder straps, two back straps, a latching mechanism (hooks and eyelets), optional padding (soft foam, air, water, gel, or silicone), and, optionally, two under-wires. Padding can come as removable inserts or as an integral part of the bra. Some bras comprise extremely delicate fabric, such as lace, satin, silk, mesh, high-tech micro-fiber, stretch, and sheer fabric.
The under-wires, when used in the cups, often become misshapen during washing and drying. Over time, the under-wires can also tear through the bra's fabric. This can result in injury to the breast or bra, and can also damage other clothing and the washing machine drum.
The latching mechanism, located either on the two back straps or on the front in between the cups at the inter-cup bridge, typically has a couple to several hooks and eyelets or a plastic snap closure. In the washing machine and/or dryer the hooks frequently snag onto the bra itself, zippers, buttonholes, sweaters, and delicate fabrics, as well as becoming misshapen. A bra can also easily become tangled with other clothing and in crevices within the washer and dryer, causing further deformities to the cups, padding, under-wires, fabric, and straps. Repeated machine washing and drying can also substantially diminish the elasticity of bras. The padding, especially if made of thick and soft foam, often becomes indented and bunched. If made of air, water, gel, or silicone, it can become punctured and leak. Such deformities are visible, even through a T-shirt, and are especially noticeable when tight fitting garments are worn. These problems are well understood by women who wear padded or non-padded bras.
Another way to wash bras is to place it within a mesh washing bag, which is then placed in a washing machine. However, because of its soft material construction, the bag still does not adequately prevent the bra from being damaged—such as losing its original shape, collapsing inward and against the cups' curved shape, and becoming tangled with other bras or clothing within the same bag. In addition, padded bras (especially those using air, water, gel, or silicone) can be easily punctured, thus causing leakage to the bra cups. The time and money needed to replace a damaged bra can also be substantial.
Given all these inconveniences, many women have chosen to wash their bras by hand. However, hand-washing is very time-consuming and impractical. It can also induce back, hand, and wrist pain. Most bras that are hand-washed have to be air-dried, which causes water deposits where they are hung and thus slippery surfaces and more unnecessary cleanup.
The present inventor has previously been issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,683 (the '683 patent) on Jun. 1, 2004, which is entitled “Washing, Drying, and Storage Device for Brassieres and Bikini Tops”. The device disclosed in this patent is generally spherical in shape. It is entirely adequate for laundering of petite, small, regular and large size bras. For example, petite size bras are commonly marketed in the United States as size 32, small size bras as size 34, regular size bras as size 36 and large size bras as size 38. Other countries may use corresponding metric sizes. Depending upon the size and shape of the cups of the bra, the device disclosed in '683 patent may also be suitable for laundering of bras of larger size than size 38.
As used herein, “plus size” with respect to bras will generally mean size 40 or larger, such as size 42, size 44, size 46, size 48, and so forth. Such plus size bras typically do not fit into the washing device of the '683 patent, especially those bras over size 40 or 42.
Furthermore, making a larger generally spherical washing device to accommodate the plus size bras is possible, but not practical since it will not fit into most top-loading washing machines. That is, the spacing between the top of the agitator and the top edge of the drum of the washing machine is not large enough to accommodate a larger generally spherical washing device similar to that shown in the '683 patent. Thus, such a larger laundry device cannot be properly inserted into the washing machine.
A general object of the present invention is to therefore provide a washing device which will accommodate plus size bras and still be of a size or configuration which permits the washing device to be easily inserted into a washing machine.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a washing device for plus size bras which is of sturdy construction to withstand the agitation typically encountered in a washing machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a washing device for washing plus size bras. In accordance with one embodiment, the washing device includes a shell with an interior, the shell consisting of an upper shell portion and a lower shell portion, the upper shell portion and the lower shell portion are curved inwardly toward an internal center of the washing device. For example, the upper and lower shell portions may have relatively flat upper and lower surfaces, respectively, such that the height of the shell is less than the lateral dimension of the shell between opposite sides, a hinge disposed along one side of the upper shell portion and the lower shell portion, the hinge permitting opening of the upper shell portion with respect to the lower shell portion to insert a bra into the interior of the washing device, and a releasable latch mechanism to securely hold the upper shell portion and a lower shell portion together during a washing cycle. The height of the washing device is preferably about one-half, or less, of the lateral dimension of the washing device, such that the washing device may be easily inserted into the washing machine. The shell may include a generally flat rear surface and generally curved side and front surfaces.
In accordance with another embodiment, the washing device preferably includes an insert which is kept in a substantially fixed relationship to the shell when inserted therein. The insert may couple to the shell in a tab and slot arrangement. The insert may have a rounded portion to generally conform to the shape of a bra cup. Alternatively, at least a portion of the insert is substantially flat. A plurality of arms extends between the tabs and the rounded portion or the flat portion of the insert. The insert may have a pocket configured to receive at least one bra strap, and it may be configured to divide the interior of the shell into two spatial regions, and a passage connects the two spatial regions.
In accordance with a still further embodiment, the latch mechanism preferably includes a tongue and a loop on one portion of the shell, and a receptacle on the other portion of the shell, the receptacle configured to receive the tongue and the loop. The receptacle may further include a rail configured to contact the loop, and contact between the loop and rail preferably inhibit the latch mechanism from opening accidentally during washing. For example, the latch mechanism may include a resilient member on one shell portion, with the resilient member disposed between a pair of slots, and the slots do not overlap with the other shell portion when the latch mechanism is closed. The latch mechanism may be operated by simultaneously applying a force in an inward direction and a force in an upward direction.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, preferably, at least one of the shell portions includes a rim, and at least one of the shell portions includes a channel, such that a lip on one of the shell portions couples in the channel in the other shell portion when the shell is closed for improved durability of the washing device while being subjected to the agitation of a washing cycle in a washing machine.
The shell of the washing device preferably includes a plurality of openings, the openings being sized to inhibit a bra strap from extending out of the shell through the openings. The insert may also include a plurality of openings, and at least some of the openings in the insert are larger than the openings in the shell.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention, together with its objects and the advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the figures, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a rear and side elevational view of a washing device in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the washing device of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the washing device of FIGS. 1 and 2 in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the washing device of FIGS. 1-3 in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the washing device taken from the opposite side to that shown in FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the engaging rims and channels of the upper and lower shells of the washing device shown in FIGS. 1-5 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views of a removable insert which is contained within the washing device shown in FIGS. 1-5 during washing of a garment in accordance with the present invention;
FIGS. 8A and 8B are perspective views of an alternate removable insert which is contained within the washing device shown in FIGS. 1-5 during washing of a garment in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the latching mechanism for the washing device shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged elevational view of the latching mechanism for the washing device shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with the present invention;
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
It will be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details presented herein.
FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a washing device, generally designated 100 , according to one embodiment. Washing device 100 includes shell 102 and an insert 104 . Shell 102 includes upper shell portion 106 and lower shell portion 108 . Upper shell portion 106 and lower shell portion 108 may be pivotally connected at a hinge 109 . Shell 102 may be opened by swinging upper shell portion 106 away from lower shell portion 108 . Insert 104 may be removed from shell 102 when shell 102 is open. Shell 102 includes a latch mechanism 110 ( FIG. 2 ). Latch mechanism 110 may hold shell 102 in a closed position and it may be opened to place a bra or other garment therein, or to add or remove the insert 104 .
Washing device 100 may protect a garment from damage caused by the washer, dryer, or other clothing articles. Device 100 may also protect bra under-wires from becoming bent or protruding from the bra and thus piercing its fabric. In one embodiment, shell 102 and insert 104 are made out of polypropylene that is heat graded to protect it from heat damage.
As shown in FIG. 6 , shell upper portion 106 includes channel 115 between outer rim 111 and inner rim 112 . Shell lower portion 108 includes channel 114 between inner rim 128 and outer rim 126 . Inner rim 112 of upper shell portion 106 may nestle in channel 114 of lower shell portion 108 when shell 102 is closed. Outer rim 126 of lower shell portion 108 may nestle in channel 116 of upper shell portion 106 when shell 102 is closed. Engagement of inner rim 112 in channel 114 and/or rim 126 in channel 115 preferably inhibits lateral movement of upper shell portion 106 relative to lower shell portion 108 . Engagement of inner rim 112 in channel 114 and/or outer rim 126 in channel 115 may also inhibit deformation of the shell halves (e.g., flexure, buckling) near the junction of the upper shell portion and the lower shell portion. Inhibiting deformation may keep upper shell portion 106 and lower shell portion 108 from separating when external loads are encountered during washing and/or handling of device 100 . Engagement of inner rim 112 in channel 114 and/or outer rim 126 in channel 115 may also alleviate stress on latch mechanism 110 and hinge 109 .
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a top surface 107 of the upper shell portion 106 and the bottom surface 105 of the lower shell portion 108 are are curved inwardly toward an internal center of the washing device. For example, the top surface 107 of the upper shell portion 106 and the bottom surface 105 of the lower shell portion 108 may be approximately flat. Thus, the washing device 100 is reduced in height, as compared to a sphere of approximately the same diameter. As seen in FIG. 1 , a back or rear surface 113 , which accommodates hinge 109 is relatively flat. A left side surface 115 , a right side surface 116 and a front surface 117 are generally curved or semicircular in configuration. For example, a washing device 100 suitable for washing plus size bras may have the following approximate dimensions: height (bottom surface 105 to top surface 107 )=4.25 inches (10.8 cm.), lateral (right side surface 116 to left side surface 117 )=8.75 inches (22.2 cm.), and front to back (front surface 115 to back surface 113 )=7 inches (17.8 cm.). Thus, even though washing device 100 accommodates plus size bras, with the height of about 4.25 inches, washing device 100 can easily be inserted into a top loading washing machine between the top of the agitator and the top edge of the drum. Thus, the washing device 100 is reduced in height, as compared to a sphere of approximately 8.75 inches diameter, by approximately 4.5 inches (11.4 cm.).
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , insert 104 includes tabs 120 . Lower shell portion 108 includes slots 122 disposed in the bottom of channel 114 ( FIG. 6 ). Insert 104 may be coupled with lower shell portion 108 by inserting each of tabs 120 on insert 104 into a corresponding slot 122 on lower shell portion 108 . Tabs 120 of insert 104 and slots 122 of lower shell portion 108 may be distributed at various points along the circumference of lower shell portion 108 . At least one tab on an insert may be partially or fully opposed to one or more other tabs on the insert.
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate insert 104 when separated from shell 102 . Insert 104 includes a plurality of arms 124 . Each arm 124 preferably includes tab 120 at its unattached end. Tab 120 may be inserted into slot 122 on lower shell portion 108 . When shell 102 is closed, inner rim 112 of upper shell portion 106 (shown in FIG. 6 ) may hold one end of arm 124 in place on lower shell portion 106 . Thus, closure of shell 102 keeps insert 104 in a relatively fixed position relative to shell 102 .
Arms 124 of insert 104 may be integrally connected to a contoured surface, such as to a dome or rounded portion 146 suitable for holding a cup of a bra. Rounded portion 146 may have a contour similar to the inner sides of the breast cup sides they are to be used with, which helps preserve the curvature of under-wires and bra cups during a washing cycle. Arms 124 may have a curved portion 148 (e.g., concave) where the arms attach to the rounded portion 146 to allow for space to accommodate the padding of a padded bra cup.
When installed in shell 102 , insert 104 may serve to divide internal volume of shell 102 into two portions, which generally includes the volume above the rounded portion 146 and the volume below or underneath the rounded portion 146 . The volume underneath the rounded portion 146 may be referred to as a pocket 160 . Pocket 160 includes an access or opening 162 . Pocket 160 may house one or more bra straps (e.g., when a bra cup of the bra is placed on the rounded portion 146 ). Pocket 160 can also house delicate accessories, such as removable bra straps, demi-pads, pushup pads, shoulder pads, hosiery, panties, and scarves.
In one embodiment, shell 102 has sufficient space to accommodate, for example, one thickly-padded bra, or two stacked semi-padded bras, or three stacked non-padded bras. When more than one bra is placed inside shell 102 , they may be stacked so that the front sides of the cups of the second bra faces the breast sides of the cups of the first bra, etc.
In an embodiment, a system for washing garments includes a shell and one or more inserts. Each insert may be interchangeably installed in the shell. The inserts may have different shapes. Each of the shapes may accommodate a different type or shape of garment. For example, one insert may have a form suitable for washing a padded bra and another insert may have a form suitable for washing unpadded bras. A user of the device may select the appropriate insert or inserts for the garment or garments the user desires to wash, dry, or store.
In some embodiments, a washing device 100 may include a form suitable for washing a garment that holds one or prosthetic devices (e.g., a post-mastectomy bra). FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate an insert 174 for a washing device 100 which may be used for a bra having a prosthetic device. In this embodiment, insert 174 may include a flat surface 175 rather than a rounded portion 146 of insert 104 . Such a relatively flat surface may accommodate a bra cup which carries a breast prosthesis. Forms for carrying a prosthesis may also be a convex, concave, or other suitable shape. In one embodiment, a form for carrying prosthesis is customized for the garment. When insert 174 is installed within washing device 100 , the volume underneath surface 175 may be referred to as a pocket 180 . Pocket 180 includes an access or opening 182 . Additional garments may be placed in pocket 180 for washing. Washing devices (e.g., device 100 with insert 174 ) can also be used for washing, drying, or storing removable bra straps, demi-pads, pushup pads, shoulder pads, hosiery, panties, scarves and small clothing articles.
Alternatively, such items may be washed in shell 102 without any insert.
In some embodiments, the opposing sides of an insert may have different shapes For example, an insert may include a rounded surface on one side (e.g., for an unpadded bra cup) and a flat surface on the other side (e.g., for a bra cup with a breast prosthesis).
Because inserts 104 and 174 can each be inserted into a same shell (e.g., shell 102 ), a common shell can be used for washing different types of bras and other garments. Although only two inserts are shown in FIGS. 7-8 , a system may include less than two different inserts or more than two different inserts. Inserts may be provided for garments other than bras. For example, inserts may be provided for items such as hats, gloves, scarves, hosiery, or slippers.
In some embodiments, an insert may be attached to a shell without tabs or slots. An insert may include pins, flanges, arms, or beams that connect to one portion or both portions of a shell. For example, an insert may include a pin or pins that plug into holes in one shell portion. In certain embodiments, an insert, form or divider may be permanently or semi-permanently attached to an outer shell. An inner form connected by a hinge to an outer shell is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,683 to Phan.
Inserts 104 and 174 , upper shell portion 106 and lower shell portion 108 may be foraminous, e.g., they may have numerous holes. These holes may allow water, detergent, and air to freely penetrate to a bra inside (not shown) for thorough cleaning, drying, and storage. The numerous holes may allow detergent, water, and air to freely and thoroughly penetrate and flow between the bras when a garment or garments (e.g., two semi-padded or three non-padded bras are washed in the device. In one embodiment, the holes are between about 0.5 cm and about 1.0 cm. The holes may be smaller than the brats shoulder straps, which will prevent the straps from falling out through the holes. Small holes may also prevent bra's back straps and shoulder straps from losing elasticity and the hooks on the bra's back strap from catching onto other clothing articles, zippers, buttonholes, the washer and dryer's crevices, as well as the bra itself. In one embodiment, shell 102 has a diameter of about 12 to about 16 cm with each portion having about 60 to 80 holes (depending upon the device's size, which is determined by the bra's cup size). Insert 104 may have about 40 to 70 holes. In some embodiments, a flange, web or other portion of an insert connecting a form may also include openings.
FIGS. 5 , 7 A- 7 B and 8 A- 8 B illustrate a washing device 100 and two inserts 104 , 174 therefor. Upper shell portion 106 and lower shell portion 108 include shell openings 200 . Insert 104 includes insert openings 202 . In some embodiments, shell openings 200 are sized and shaped to inhibit the bra strap or portions thereof from extending outside of the shell. Holes may be large enough for water, detergent, and air to penetrate, but small enough to contain bra shoulder strap, back strap, and hooks, thus preventing them from becoming tangled with other clothing articles and the washer and/or dryer's crevices. Insert openings 202 may be larger than shell openings 200 . Relatively large insert openings 202 may allow for better flow through the insert, thereby increasing cleaning effectiveness.
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate latch mechanism 110 for the washing device 100 . FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of latch 110 in a latched position, and FIG. 10 is an enlarged elevational view of the latch 110 . Referring to FIG. 9 , upper shell portion 106 includes tongue 210 and loop 212 . Tongue 210 includes latch projections 214 . Tongue 210 may resiliently deflect when a load is applied to latch projections 214 toward the interior of upper shell portion 106 . U-shaped slot 216 may extend through the entire thickness of upper shell portion 106 , thereby creating a U-shaped gap between tongue 210 and loop 212 .
Referring to FIG. 10 , lower shell portion 108 includes receptacle 220 . Receptacle 220 includes a catch 228 . Raised front wall surface 226 and catch 228 may shield tongue 210 from normal wear and tear. In addition, having tongue 210 recessed may help keep device 100 from being accidentally opening during washing, drying, and storage.
During operation of latch mechanism 110 , tongue 210 and loop 212 are received in receptacle 220 . Latch projections 214 slide over catch tab 238 . The distal portion of tongue 210 deflects inwardly as tongue 210 and loop 212 advance into receptacle 220 . When latch projections 214 slide beyond catch tab 238 , tongue 210 may spring back outwardly such that latch projections 214 extend into finger opening 230 . Tongue 210 may snap into a latched position. Contact between latch projections 214 and catch 228 inhibit shell 102 from opening.
To open shell 102 , a user may engage the upper edge of outer rim 226 with one or more fingers and depress tongue 210 with the thumb of the same hand. The user may push inwardly on latch projections 214 of tongue 210 through finger opening 230 until tongue 210 bottoms out on back wall 232 . When tongue 210 bottoms out on back wall 232 , a portion of latch projections 214 (e.g., tips 239 ) may come just short of clearing catch tab 238 . The user may exert an upward force on tongue 210 so as to overcome the resistance of latch projections 214 against catch tab 238 and force latch projections 214 upward past catch tab 238 . The inner end of catch tab 238 and/or back wall 232 may deflect at least slightly under the upward force of latch projections 214 so as to allow latch projections 214 to pass catch tab 238 . Thus, a user releases latch mechanism 110 by simultaneously applying force in two directions (e.g., a force inward on tongue 210 against the resilient force of the tongue, and a force upward on tongue 210 against the resistance of catch tab 238 ). A latch mechanism that opens by the application of a force in two directions may be less prone to accidental opening during use in a washing machine. For example, in the embodiment described above, even if latch projections 214 directly strike a pointed surface (e.g., part of the agitator of the washing machine) when the device is agitated within the washing machine (thereby applying an inward force to tongue 210 ), latch mechanism 110 may remain latched because there is no upward force to impel latch projections 214 over catch tab 238 .
As noted above with respect to FIG. 11 , interior portion 224 of receptacle 220 includes rails 236 . Loop 212 on upper shell portion 106 may contact rails 236 when tongue 210 and loop 212 are inserted into receptacle 220 . Contact between loop 212 and rails 236 may inhibit the upper portion of tongue 210 from deflecting inwardly. In some embodiments, contact between loop 212 and rails 236 may inhibit latch mechanism 110 from opening accidentally during washing.
In certain embodiments, a tongue may be relatively short such that a relatively large force is required to deflect the end of the tongue.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that multiple bras can be thoroughly cleaned, dried, and stored in a single wash cycle. When two semi-padded or three non-padded bras are simultaneously washed in the device, holes may allow detergent, water, and air to freely penetrate and flow between the bras to thoroughly wash and dry as well as safely store each bra, including a middle placed bra when three bras are concurrently washed.
As used herein, “shell” includes any element that at least partially encloses, houses, or covers one or more other objects. Examples of such objects include garments, forms, inserts, and accessories. A shell can have one part or more than one part. For example, a shell may have two halves or two portions which are connected by a hinge. A shell may have closed or open surfaces (e.g., surfaces having openings).
Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and processes may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims. Terms relating to orientation such as “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, or “right” are used for reference only; the device herein may be used in any orientation.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.
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A washing device for plus size bras includes a shell which consists of upper and lower shell portions. The upper and shell portions are curved inwardly and may have flat upper and lower surfaces, respectively, such that the height of the shell is less than the lateral dimension of the shell between opposite sides. A hinge permits opening of the upper shell portion with respect to the lower shell portion to insert a bra into the washing device, and a releasable latch mechanism securely holds the upper shell portion and a lower shell portion together during a washing cycle. Preferably, the height of the washing device is about one-half, or less, of the lateral dimension of the washing device, thereby permitting easy insertion into the washing machine.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pressure-responsive surgical tool assembly, and more particularly, concerns a surgical retractor tool which provides an indication of the pressure being applied by the retractor against tissue or the like during surgery.
During surgical operations, a retractor is employed to expose the area on which the operation is contemplated; the retractor's purpose is to separate the edges of a surgical incision and then restrain the underlying tissues or organs from interfering with the operative process. Most retractors are hand-held by the surgeon who manipulates the retractor until the area to be worked on is properly exposed. Once the retractor is properly in position, it is often mounted in suitable framework in order to maintain that position and prevent the retractor from inadvertent movement.
Use of a retraction instrument during surgery of course necessitates caution when pressing the retractor blade against tissue, an organ or the like; extreme care is taken so that damage to the retracted item may be avoided. In most cases, the surgeon can visualize the retracted tissue clearly enough to determine that the retractive movements are not causing any harm to the patient. However, there are instances during surgery when the manipulation of the retractor may be causing damage to the tissue or organ unbeknownst to the surgeon due to the delicacy of the organ or lack of sufficient feedback data to indicate to the surgeon that excessive pressure by the retractor is occurring. These conditions arise, for example, during brain surgery wherein the retractor is utilized to hold back sections of the dura covering the brain or even portions of the brain itself. Inasmuch as the brain is very sensitive to application of pressure, use of the retractor in this area of the body could cause problems if not closely monitored. For instance, excessive pressure against the brain during craniotomies by a brain retractor have been known to cause significant edema in the area corresponding to retractor blade location. Excessive pressure by the brain retractor for protracted periods could even cause functional neurobiological changes in the patient. One reason for undue application of excessive pressure by the brain retractor is that the amount of pressure of the hand-held retractor against the brain tissue is based purely on the skill and judgment of the surgeon. Another explanation is that retraction pressure is generally excessive when that pressure surpasses local venous pressure in vessels within the retracted area, such that local blood flow is restricted or occluded. The relationship of hand-held retraction pressure to venous pressure is virtually indeterminable without some means of measurement. The surgeon's experience, skill and understanding of the operation are factors which dictate the utilization of the brain retractor and the pressure which is applied thereby, including the length of time the retractor is applied. In other words, the surgeon who uses this commonly employed hand-held brain retractor has had no real, monitored indication of the amount of pressure which is being applied against the brain surface during this surgery. As a result, reliance upon the "feel" of the surgeon could cause inadvertently high pressure being applied which, in the long run, may restrict or occlude blood flow and actually cause serious defects in the brain's function. It can be seen that there is a real and serious need to provide the surgeon with a retraction device for brain surgery and other delicate surgical operations which will allow him to monitor or even regulate the amount of pressure being applied by the retraction device.
There have been other devices used to assist medical staff in acquiring data particularly about the brain. For example, it has been known to monitor intracranial pressure to quickly locate areas of elevated pressure which may stem from a variety of different causes. One such device, commonly referred to as the "Numoto" switch is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,948. This Numoto-type switch is implanted within the skull of a patient to monitor intracranial pressure. The switch, which is generally flat and may be the size of a dime, consists of two contact electrodes sealed in a thin silicone rubber envelope and connected to an external manometer reservoir by a pneumatic tube. Pressure within the cranium is registered on the manometer. However, neither the Numoto-type switch described in the above patent nor other devices available to the surgeon have been employed in the sense of a retraction instrument in order to provide a surgeon with actual pressure data during the operation itself when the retraction instrument is being utilized to hold back tissue, organs, and sensitive areas of the body. Accordingly, in order to provide the surgeon with such a retraction device for indicating pressure levels applied by the retractor, the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A pressure-responsive surgical tool assembly comprises an inflatable enclosure and a pair of electrodes positioned therein. These electrodes are adapted to contact each other and operatively move away from each other under an increase of fluid pressure inside the enclosure until the electrical contact is broken. An electrical lead is connected to each electrode for electrically monitoring the condition of electrode contact and non-contact. The assembly includes means for providing fluid flow into the enclosure for regulating the pressure inside same. In addition, means is provided for receiving a surgical tool which is adapted to overlie at least one of the electrodes and which is adapted to transmit force applied from it to that associated electrode. Application of force by the tool, against a tissue or like surface initially causes the electrodes to contact each other and to remain in contact until the pressure inside the enclosure substantially balances the applied pressure from the tool, whereupon the electrode contact is broken.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the enclosure is a flexible housing adapted to expand when the volumes inside increases due to a pressure increase. Each electrode is attached to the interior surface of opposite, facing walls of the housing so that the operative movement of the electrodes is caused by the expanding walls of the housing when the pressure inside increases. This embodiment is adapted to be used with a standard retractor which commonly includes a retractor blade and a handle extending therefrom for grasping purposes by the surgeon. A pouch is connected to the assembly adjacent the housing into which the blade of the retractor is adapted to fit so that the retractor blade overlies one electrode. Long, rectangularly shaped electrodes, similar to the shape of the retractor blade, provides substantial distribution of force which is transmitted from the blade to the underlying electrode. In this structure, the entire electrode surface forms the sensitive retractor area.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the blade area of the retractor significantly exceeds the mating surface area of the underlying electrode. In order to transmit the force more effectively from blade to electrode, the surgical tool assembly includes a fluid-filled pocket overlying the other of the two electrodes so that the housing containing the electrodes is effectively sandwiched between the retractor blade pouch and the fluid-filled pocket.
In accordance with the principles of this invention, there is provided a surgical tool assembly which offers the advantage of providing the surgeon with an indication of the amount of pressure being applied by that tool during surgery. By providing an indication of applied pressure against a delicate tissue surface or the like, the surgeon can work within safe pressure levels such that tissue trauma may be avoided. In addition, the present invention is constructed to employ existing, standard retractor blades thereby minimizing change in standard operation procedures and equipment. Of course, the benefit to the patient offered by the present invention is paramount inasmuch as it presents a significant contribution to the surgeon in reducing the dangers which, up until now, stem from the un-monitored use of hand-held surgical retractors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred pressure-responsive assembly for housing a surgical tool;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a typical retractor instrument, the blade of which slides into the pouch portion of the preferred housing assembly as illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 illustrating the face to face aligning position of the electrodes within the housing of the assembly;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 1 illustrating the rectangular configurations of the housing and the electrode in this particular embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the embodiment of FIG. 3 with the electrodes in a complete surface to surface engaging contact;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 with the electrodes only in partial contact due to the local application of force by the retractor blade.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the surgical tool assembly in operation and being pressed against an edge of a typical incision during surgery;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the invention, illustrating the retractor instrument in position overlying one electrode, and a fluid-filled pocket overlying the other of the electrode for uniformity in force distribution by the blade during use; and
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 9 illustrating the small electrode attached to the interior surface of the housing wall.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While this invention is satisfied by embodiments in many different forms there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as exemplary of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment or embodiments illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.
Adverting to the drawings, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a pressure-responsive device 15 which is particularly useful with a surgical tool such as a retractor 16. Pressure-responsive device 15 generally includes a flexible housing 18, a length of flexible tubing 19 connected to the housing for providing the flow of fluid to the housing and for enclosing the electrical leads which are connected to elements inside the housing, and a pouch 20 located adjacent housing 18 and adapted to receive the blade portion 21 of retractor 16. In addition to having a substantially flat blade, retractor 16 also includes a handle 22 attached to the blade and being sufficiently long to extend beyond the housing after the blade is slidably and snugly fit inside the housing pouch. Handle 22 thereby facilitates usage of the tool assembly by the operator. Tubing 19 terminates at connector 17 at its remote end to provide a connection for receiving both fluid and electrical energy from respective sources of supply.
Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, in conjunction with FIG. 1, the details of the pressure-responsive device are more clearly illustrated. In particular, housing 18, in this preferred embodiment, is generally rectangularly shaped and may be fabricated from two sheets of flexible, thermoplastic material, an upper sheet 24 and a lower sheet 25, which are sealed about their entire peripheries in order to form an enclosure. Both upper sheet 24 and lower sheet 25 have bonded to the surface which will form the interior wall of the closure an electrode, an upper electrode 26 and a lower electrode 28 on the respective upper and lower flexible sheets. These electrodes are shaped substantially similarly to the rectangular shape of each flexible sheet, as more clearly seen by briefly referring to FIG. 5 wherein bottom electrode 28 is illustrated on bottom sheet 25. It is preferable to utilize a thin electrically conductive material, or an electrically coated material for these electrodes. These thin electrodes in addition, will be flexible and provide the ability to conform to the configuration of the flexible sheet to which it is bonded. Bonding, of course, may be accomplished by cementing the electrode to the sheet or by other convenient techniques. Thus, when the flexible housing expands due to increase of pressure inside, the walls of the housing formed by the flexible sheets will tend to spread apart and move away from each other, carrying the attached electrode with it in the direction of expanse. This feature will be described in greater detail hereinafter. Accordingly, as seen especially in FIG. 5, electrode 28 is rectangularly shaped and covers a major portion of bottom sheet 25 which forms one of the walls of the housing of the device.
Inasmuch as each electrode serves to make an electrical contact with the other, an electrical lead is connected to each electrode, one lead 29 to upper electrode 26, another lead 30 connected to bottom electrode 28. The connection may be soldered, ultrasonically bonded or joined by other means to make the attachment between electrical lead and electrode.
When housing 18 is being fabricated, the length of flexible tubing 19 is positioned between an edge surface of both upper and lower flexible sheets, and is sealed to the housing when the peripheries of the sheets are sealed together. It is appreciated that the tubing may be sealed to one sheet beforehand as a pre-assembly operation. Thus, the lumen 31 of tubing 19 communicates with the interior of housing 18, and it is through lumen 31 which fluid pressure from a pressure source is allowed to enter the interior of the housing. Moreover, electrical leades 29 and 30 are slipped through lumen 31 during fabrication so that these leads are free to make an electrical contact at the remote end of the tubing (not shown). Accordingly, flexible tubing 19 serves the dual purpose of providing a medium for pneumatic purposes and for electrical purposes. Thus, connector 17 may be an electropneumatic connector such as described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,948, or other similar connector to adequately provide this dual electric and pneumatic role.
In order to retain retractor 16 in the appropriate position regarding pressure-responsive device 15, a pouch 20 is provided. This pouch is formed by a thin cover sheet 32, similar to flexible sheets 24 and 25. During fabrication, cover sheet 32 is also sealed around its entire periphery to housing 18, however, the edge 34 adjacent to the edge where tubing 19 is connected, is left open. In many instances, it is preferred to use a single sheet of flexible plastic material to form the housing and pouch. By folding the single sheet twice into a flat "S"-shaped structure, the lower and middle legs of the "S" serve as the upper and lower walls of the housing, while the upper leg of the "S" serves as the pouch cover. In this type fabrication, only the open peripheries need to be sealed together to join the edges for a completed closure as described. This then forms a pouch 20 adjacent housing 18 into which blade 21 of the retractor is adapted to slidably fit. It is preferred to make this pouch so that the blade will also fit snugly and tightly to reduce or eliminate any undesirable movement or play of the tool itself during use. The handle of the retractor extends out of the pouch and beyond the housing for easy grasping of the operator of this assembly.
It can therefore be seen that the completed housing assembly 18 is constructed so that upper electrode 26 and lower electrode 28 face each other in substantial alignment. The operation of this embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 6-8. A typical incision "I" made on patient "P" is schematically illustrated in FIG. 8. The retractor tool assembly of the present invention is assembled so that retractor blade 21 is fit inside the pouch adjacent flexible assembly 18, with handle 22 extending therefrom. The hand of surgeon "S" grasps handle 22 and applies the retractor tool against tissue "T" so that bottom sheet 25 is in direct contact with tissue "T", blade 21 being on the opposite side of the device. From this structural configuration, it is noted that blade 21 overlies upper electrode 26 in the embodiment being described, blade 21 and electrode 26 also being substantially similar in effective surface area. At this time, tubing 19 is connected to a fluid pressure source (not shown), while the electrical leads connected to the electrodes are also connected to this source in order to monitor the condition of electrode contact or non-contact. When the hand of surgeon "S" presses blade 21 in the direction of tissue "T" bottom sheet 25 comes in direct contact with the tissue to be moved or separated. Accordingly, the applied force of the blade is transmitted to the underlying electrode; since the internal pressure of the housing is at or near barometric pressure, the same as the environmental pressure, this applied force causes both upper electrode 26 and lower electrode 28 to make contact with each other, as more clearly seen in FIG. 6 where the force distribution "F" coming from the tissue is applied substantially uniformly. The contact of the electrodes serves as a closed switch, sending a signal to the controlled fluid pressure source to supply air or other fluid from a reservoir in the pressure source through tubing 19 and into housing 18. This increase of pressure inside housing 18 causes electrodes 26 and 28 to move away from each other as the walls of the enclosure expand. When the pressure inside the housing is equal to or slightly greater than the applied pressure by retractor blade 21, the electrodes are completely separated from each other and electrical contact is broken. At this time, the electrical switch is opened, thereby causing the air supply through the tubing to terminate. Accordingly, this pressure balance between externally applied pressure and internal pressure in the housing may be monitored to provide an indication to the surgeon of the level of pressure exerted against the tissue of the patient. Various fluid pressure sources may be utilized to provide such an indication such as those systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,649,948; 4,080,653 and 4,114,606, or other such devices. It is appreciated that blade 21 is substantially rigid so that sufficient force may be applied against the tissue in order to perform effectively the function of the retractor tool. It can also be seen that an increase in force applied by the blade against the tissue, once the electrical contact of the electrodes is broken, will cause the electrodes to come in contact once again, thereby closing the switch, the signalling for an increase in the flow of air into the housing. On the other hand, if the pressure inside housing 18 exceeds the applied pressure, pressure may be reduced within the housing by venting the air from the housing, thereby urging the electrodes once again to come in contact with each other and then indicate a lower pressure level on the monitor being used. Therefore, the pressure being applied, which usually varies over a given time frame, may be monitored even as these variations occur, depending upon the response time of the pressure source monitoring system.
In FIG. 7, a variation of applied force "F" is shown wherein the blade, because of angular application or due to irregularities in the tissue surface against which it is applied, is essentially applied locally to a certain area of the tissue next to the incision. When using the flexible electrode which is compatible with the flexible housing sheets, a local force will urge only a segment of the electrodes to contact each other, this segment being less than the entire surface area of each electrode. This, of course, still effectively produces electrical contact to provide the closed switching feature. In this instance, air will continue to enter into housing 18 until the last point of electrical contact is broken. Thus, it can be seen that this tool may be used to retract large areas of tissue, organs or the like, or even small surfaces where virtually point contact between tool and tissue is required.
A variation of the above-described embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, wherein the surface of retractor blade 21a significantly exceeds the mating surface area of the underlying electrode 35. In this embodiment, upper electrode 35 on upper flexible sheet 24a and lower electrode 36 on lower flexible sheet 25a are substantially circular discs bonded to the respective interior surfaces of the housing walls. An electrical lead, such as lead 30a, is connected to each electrode to make an electrical contact. As can be seen when using electrodes of this type which are much smaller than the retractor blade, it is possible to have a force applied at the opposite end of the housing and, perhaps, not have the electrodes make electrical contact with each other. To overcome this problem, a pocket 38 is formed overlying electrode 36 on the opposite side of housing from pouch 20a. Another flexible sheet 39 is employed to form pocket 38 and, during fabrication, pocket 38 is sealed with a preferably incompressible fluid 40 inside the pocket. A saline solution or the like may be the fluid of choice. Thus, the electrodes are effectively sandwiched between the pouch and the fluid-filled pocket. This configuration assists in assuring that an electrical contact can be made by the electrodes even when the blade is applied against a tissue surface remote from the electrode surface. Thus, force from the blade may be transmitted to its underlying electrode from any point along the length of the blade to thereby cause the electrodes to make electrical contact.
While various materials may be employed to fabricate the present invention, the flexible housing sheets are preferably made of vinyl or other suitable thermoplastic material. Thin, light-weight material is normally chosen so as to not encumber the retractor during its normal use; also, in many instances, it is preferable to use a transparent material so that visual utilization of the retractor can be maintained. The electrodes are preferably formed of a thin, copper or gold-coated metallic strip, sufficiently pliant in nature so that they can conform to the flexible sheath as they expand with increased pressure. The retractor is preferably made of medical grade, malleable stainless steel or a comparable metal which may be typically used to make retractors. It can be appreciated that the size of the housing may vary according to the size of the retractor being used. Construction of the enclosure is such that approximately 1 mm. Hg. internal pressure will cause electrodes to separate and break electrical contact when the assembly is at rest in air at one atmosphere pressure.
Thus, the present invention provides a pressure-responsive surgical tool assembly which advantageously provides the user with the ability to monitor the amount of pressure which the tool applies against tissue, organs or the like during surgery, so that the surgeon will have knowledge immediately at hand during the operation of levels within which to work for purposes of safety to the patient.
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A pressure-responsive surgical tool assembly includes an inflatable enclosure and a pair of electrodes positioned therein. The electrodes are adapted to contact each other and operatively move away from each other under an increase of fluid pressure inside the enclosure until electrical contact is broken. An electrical lead is connected to each electrode for electrically monitoring the condition of electrode contact. A flexible tubing is connected to the enclosure to provide fluid flow therein to increase the pressure inside. A surgical tool overlies at least one of the electrodes and is adapted to transmit force applied from it to that associated electrode. Application of force by the tool initially causes the electrodes to contact each other and to remain in contact until the pressure inside the enclosure substantially balances the applied pressure from the tool whereupon electrode contact is broken.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to bridge decks and in particular to transversely compressed bridge decks comprised of timber and metal.
SUMMARY
The low modulus of elasticity of wood leads to excessive deflections and span length limitations of stressed timber deck bridges. By use of model testing, as well as static and dynamic testing of a 40 foot prototype deck, applicant has shown how the use of metal plates, sandwiched between timbers before transverse stressing of the timber deck, can reduce deflections considerably. Longer spans, smaller timber depths, better camber control, reduced creep, and better orthotropic behavior are all possible when metal plates are properly employed. Simple and continuous bridges with partial length plates become feasible. Moreover, timber butt joints and wood defects are very effectively spliced by the plates, permitting the use of lower grade timber in shorter lengths and smaller cross-sections. Bridge deck vibrational characteristics are improved. Fabrication and erection are simple. Most importantly, steel plates are hidden from view so that the natural beauty of this bridge-type is retained.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A stress-laminated bridge deck behaves like a solid plate with a width equal to the bridge width and a length equal to the span. The structural action of this deck differs from beam action in that stresses and strains are distributed in two rather than one direction (orthotropic behavior), which results in a strong and predictable structure. For long span bridges, this type of deck may be used to span between main girders or transverse floor beams.
This deck slab is formed from individual timbers placed side by side and then compressed tightly together with large lateral forces. High strength steel rods (thread bars), or tendons are usually used to provide these high forces in the neighborhood of 60,000 to 120,000 pounds per rod. Alternatively the tensioning members or rods may be made of high strength plastic, such as fiber glass reinforced plastic (fiber glass) or other plastics or polymers. These rods may be rigid, flexible or cable-like. Unlike bolt forces of the past used to hold laminated timber beams, frames, and trusses together where nuts on threaded bolts were wrench tightened, these high rod forces are produced with the use of hollow-core hydraulic jacks to very large precalculated design magnitudes, in a measured fashion. Such forces squeeze the timbers, greatly increasing frictional resistance between timbers and eliminating the need for mechanical connectors or glue used in various ways with laminated wood beams. As a consequence, increased strength properties and resistance to deflections are realized in the transverse as well as the longitudinal direction of the bridge.
Creep of the wood perpendicular to the grain occurs soon after jacking of the rods. Consequently, a second rod jacking is required after about 24 hours. Further creep has been found to occur very slowly. However, as a final safeguard, a third rod jacking is performed after about two months. Experience with existing bridges indicates that further jacking is unnecessary and that rod forces will be stable after the third jacking. Such strengthening allows timbers of short length to be butted at their ends in a staggered pattern to form the overall length of bridge deck.
The rod stressing and resulting transverse compression of the timbers improves bridge performance. This should not, however, be confused with the prestressing of timber beams and frames in flexure. No longitudinal flexural prestressing is imposed here prior to the application of bridge loads.
Stress-laminating was first used in Ontario, Canada in 1976. Since then this bridge type, without metal plates, has become popular in Canada and, more recently, in the United States. Results of tests conducted at the University of Wisconsin have shown that the major shortcoming of the stress-laminated bridge deck is lack of stiffness when used over a long span. The mode of failure is excessive deflection. Resulting timber stresses are usually well within allowable values. The Trout Road Bridge, built in May 1987 near Houserville, Pa., has been successfully monitored for one year. Dead and live load deflections, losses in bar forces, and moisture content of the creosoted timber deck were observed and analyzed. Results indicate a well-behaved and esthetically pleasing bridge type for short spans. However, measured live load deflections were found to be in excess of allowable deflections specified in highway bridge specifications. The 46' span of this bridge obviously required timbers to be butted together at intervals. The usual procedure has been to limit butt joints no closer than every fourth member at any given bridge cross-section. Large Douglas Fir timbers (4"×16") with a maximum length of 20 feet were used. Such large dimensions are scarcely procurable in most sections of the country. To fully utilize smaller timber cross-sections and lengths, butt joints must be spliced such that resulting bridge deflections remain within allowable values.
Renewed interest in the use of wood for bridge construction has arisen because of its cost effectiveness compared with other materials. The U.S.D.A. Forest Service is particularly interested in stress-laminated structures because they can be constructed by in-house labor in a very short period of time. State and township governments are also interested in stressed timber bridges to economically replace thousands of deficient structures in a rapid and efficient manner. But before the stress-laminated bridge deck can be fully utilized, the lack-of stiffness (excessive deflection) shortcoming must be properly addressed.
The use of metal plates described in this invention offers the solution to the reduction of excessive deflections and provides other structural advantages as well.
An object of this invention is to produce a compound timber-metal stressed deck in which permanent set (creep) caused by long-time loads is minimized; camber is better retained and dead and live load deflections are reduced.
Another object of this invention is to produce a stressed deck in which longer simple spans are possible, and in which reduced depth of timbers is possible.
Yet another object of this invention is to produce a stressed deck having continuous spans with plates in regions of high moments, leading to economy of materials.
Yet another objects of this invention is to design a compound timber-metal stressed deck in which the transverse sag of the deck cross-section can be countered by the addition of extra metal plates where the sag is largest.
Still another object of this invention is to produce a compound stress deck in which orthotropic action is improved as well as flexural rigidities parallel and perpendicular to the direction of traffic with improved torsional rigidity.
Yet another object of this invention is to produce a bridge span wherein the transverse wheel load distribution is improved.
Still another object of this invention is to produce a bridge span utilizing shorter timber lengths wherein camber is easier to form.
Still another object of this invention is to produce a compound timber-metal bridge span with smaller and nearly square cross-sections employed in two or more layers, allowing smaller diameter trees to be utilized.
Another object of this invention is to produce a bridge span in which low grade timber may be effectively used in combination with metal plates and in which the loss in bridge stiffness at butt joints is minimized.
Yet another object of this invention is to produce a bridge deck in which stressed rod forces are more uniformly distributed transversely through the timbers when metal plates are employed, giving better friction distribution; also, a higher percentage of initial rod forces are retained which allows smaller rod forces with reduced damage to facia timbers caused by compressive pressure under the bearing plates.
Still another object of this invention is to design a timber deck bridge with improved vibrational characteristics wherein the metal plates cause the structure to have a higher natural frequency and a lower amplitude of vibration.
Yet another object of this invention is to produce simple bridge fabrication in which the metal fabrication consists of plate shearing and hole drilling only.
Yet another object of this invention is to produce a bridge span in which high strength steel plates can be shipped in convenient lengths and butt welded at the site in which no painting or galvanizing of the metal plates is required.
Another object of this invention is to build a bridge of reduced depth with less constriction to the effects of high water.
Yet another object of this invention is to construct a bridge of reduced depth which will allow for more economical design of abutments, piers, and approaches.
A final object of this invention is to produce a bridge span having natural beauty of the timber deck - the metal plates are hidden from view.
These and other obvious features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description, drawings, and claims which show, for purposes of illustration, embodiments in accordance with the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1, is a three-dimensional view of this invention, incorporated in a bridge design, showing longitudinal timbers with metal plates interspersed between.
FIG. 2, is a partially exploded three-dimensional view (partially in section) showing of the bridge deck adjacent to a tensioning rod.
FIG. 3, is a broken cross-sectional view 2--2 indicated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4, is a three-dimensional view of a modification of the invention (partially in section) showing a two-layer bridge deck.
FIG. 5, is a vertical cross-sectional view (partially in section) taken through the tensioning rod of FIG. 4, showing two layers of approximately square timbers comprising the deck.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown a stressed bridge deck 10 in accordance with the present invention. The deck 10 rests upon sills 12 which in turn rest upon abutments 14. The timbers 16 are placed side by side in the direction of traffic flow on the bridge or longitudinally. The timbers 16 are staggered in length leaving butt joints 18 so staggered that butt joints 18 of longitudinal lengths of timbers are not located adjacent to each other. The butt joints 18 may be positioned sequentially as is indicated in FIG. 1, so as to be staggered. The deck 10 may also have a railing or side piece 20 (shown in broken section) attached to the deck. Sills 12 may be comprised of wood, plastic, neoprene, rubber or a combination of these.
Metal plates 22 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 sandwiched between timbers 16, may extend the entire length of deck 10. However, the metal plates 22 need not be the full length of the deck 10. Because the deck 10 deflects most near the center, more or thicker plates could be used in the central region. Near the outside edges of the deck, near railings 20, fewer and shorter plates may be utilized to effect economy. In any case plates 22 need not be placed between all timbers but must be placed in accordance with the engineering design to limit deflections, flexural stresses and creep. At regions of the bridge cross-section where wheel loads are most likely to be applied, plates 22 may be used in groups of two or three to give added structural resistance to large deflections. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the metal plates 22 are positioned one every four timbers 16 for purposes of illustration. Metal plates 22 may be placed between any sequence of timbers. For example, between every timber, between every 2, 3, 4, 5 . . . n. timber depending on the particular design requirements of the deck 10 (where n is any positive number).
Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, tensioning members or high strength tensioning rods 24 extend transversely through all of the timbers 16 and sandwiched plates 22. Each rod 24 is anchored on either side of the deck 10 by a bearing plate 26 positioned adjacent to a side timber 16 positioned on the side portion of deck 10. Tensioning member or rod 24 extends through bearing plate 26 and through a smaller anchor plate 28 adjacent thereto and is held in position by an anchor nut 30 which bears directly into anchor plate 28. Rods 24, extend through the deck 10 in a transverse direction with longitudinal spacing in accordance with good engineering design to provide adequate deck behavior with a suitable factor of safety. Rods 24 are anchored on the side portion of deck 10 by identical bearing plates 26, anchor plates 28 and anchor nuts 30. Tensioning members 24 may be externally threaded rods, flexible cables, or wires utilizing an appropriate tensioning and holding device. Likewise rods 24 without external threads may be used with proper tensioning and securing devices. Bearing plates 26 may be replaced by continuous metal channels running the length of the timbers 16 or by sections of suitable metal shapes. Tensioning members or rods 24 may be comprised of metal, usually high strength steel. They may also be made of high strength plastic such as fiber glass reinforced plastic (fiber glass) or other plastics or polymers.
In the construction of the bridge, a hollow-core hydraulic jack 32 is attached to the end portion of the rods 24 to bear against anchor plate 28. This hydraulic jack 32 produces an initial tensioning on rods 24 to a very high magnitude. In the Trout Road bridge design a tensioning of 80,000 pounds was used. Generally, rod tensioning and spacing are chosen after careful analysis for a particular bridge. Tension forces of from 60,000 to 120,000 pounds may be used. As may be seen, the timbers 16 and metal plates 22 are subjected to a very intense compressive force by the tensioning of rods 24. This high pressure causes interlocking friction between these elements to fuse the timber 16 and metal plates 22 into a unified deck which performs with great efficiency.
It is also in the contemplation of this invention that the metal plates 22 may have mechanical connectors on their lateral surfaces designed to engage and hold the adjacent timbers 16. Such connectors could be pointed protrusions, perforated plates or those with holes therethrough. Deformed plates and deck plates also could be used. Likewise timbers 16 could be secured by adhesive on their adjoining surfaces, securing them together and to metal plates 22. Gluedlaminated (glu-lam) panels may be used with plates 22 between the panels. It is further in contemplation of this invention that other structural shapes such as structural tees, wide-flange beams, or built-up metal sections may be used in place of metal sandwiched plates.
Butt joints 18 are necessary because, in most cases, timbers with lengths equal to the deck length are either not available or too expensive. In some bridge designs, the outside edges of the deck 10 may use fewer and shorter metal plates 22, to effect economy. In any case plates 22 need not be placed between all timbers but must be placed in accordance with the engineering design to limit deflections, flexural stresses, and creep to acceptable values. In the design of the deck 10, one-inch-diameter rods were spaced at 3'-6" along the bridge length. Rod spacing of from one to six feet is possible. Smaller rods used at close spacing but in a staggered pattern might also be used to give a more uniform pressure (friction) distribution between plates and timbers. Special bearing plates 26, anchor plates 28 and anchor nuts 30 are required for the high strength rods 24. Extra strong rod threads 40 are positioned on the outer surface of rods 24. These are required to guarantee sufficient friction between timbers 16 and metal plates 22 and between timber and timber. Bearing plates 26 with insufficient contact area have been known to cause excessive crushing of wood fibers at the plate edges. For this reason, Canadian engineers have used continuous steel channels along the bridge length in place of anchor plates. This procedure may be used with the present invention.
It should be noted that anchor plate 28 has a spherical indentation 34 into which a spherical bearing surface 36 of anchor nut 30 is positioned. These spherical surfaces 36 are necessary to insure a uniform distribution of pressure between components when slight rod bending takes place due to deflections caused by bridge weight. The hex portion 38 of this special anchor nut 30 is tightened inside of the hollow-core jack 32 during the jacking operation. Hex portion 38 engages rod threads 40 of rod 24. Again it should be noted that identical bearing plate 26, anchor plate 28 and anchor nut 30 are positioned at each end of rod 24 on each side of the deck 10. In American practice, bridge deck units 5 to 8 feet wide are prefabricated and shipped to the site where rod couplers (not shown) are employed between units prior to assembly and final rod tensioning. This practice may be utilized in this invention. In practice a road surfacing layer 50 (usually asphalt) is placed on the upper surface of deck 10 to resist the road traffic wear and to protect deck components from the weather.
Tests have shown that when about 7% of the timber cross-section is furnished as high strength steel plates (yield strength equals 50 Ksi) the bridge stiffness effectively doubles. This fact attests to the ability of steel, with its high modulus of elasticity, to compensate for the inability of timber, with a low modulus, in so far as excessive deflections are concerned. Moreover, timber lengths could be reduced by 40% when steel plates are present to more effectively splice butt joints and to allow butt joints to be employed every second instead of every fourth timber in a given bridge deck cross-section.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown a modification of the invention previously described using upper and lower layers of timbers instead of a single layer. Upon timber sills 12 is positioned a first layer of timbers 42 (usually square) adjacent to one another and extending the length of deck 10 with butt joints 48, as required. A second layer of timbers 44 (usually square) is positioned directly above the first layer of timbers 42 separated by a rod gap 46 through which high strength rods 24 pass transverse to the first and second layer of timbers 42 and 44. The rod gap 46 is usually, but not necessarily, equal to the diameter of the rod 24. In this modification, bearing plates 26, anchor plates 28 and anchor nuts 30 on each end of rods 24 bear against both the first and second layer of timbers 42 and 44, compressing them. Metal plates 22 (of appropriate size) are vertically positioned to connect the first and second layers of timbers 42 and 44. In this example, metal plates 22 are positioned between each individual timber 43 and 45 in the first and second layer of timbers 42 and 44. In practice, plates 22 may be positioned in any sequence between any number of timbers in said first and second layer of timbers 42 and 44. That is, between each timber, each second, third, fourth . . . or nth timber, (x being any positive number), or in an unsequenced manner depending on the design characteristics of the span. Plates 22 may extend the entire longitudinal length of the bridge deck. As with the invention of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, alternative arrangements of the metal plates 22 is possible. Butt joints 48 at the end of each timber are positioned alternately so that the butt joints at a given cross-section are staggered. Such arrangement permits the use of shorter length timbers.
The rods 24 of this modification, pass through rod gap 46 between the first layer of timbers 42 and the second layer of timbers 44, hence the timbers and metal plates 22 require no drilling of holes. The tensioning members or rods 24 could, of course, pass through top and bottom timber layers 42 and 44 if desired. The tensioning of rods 24, in this case, is done in the same manner as described relative to the deck illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 utilizing hollow-core hydraulic jack 32. It is also in contemplation of this invention that more than two layers of timbers be used with tensioning members or rods 24 between or through the layers of timbers to provide structural advantages similar to those described for one and two layer systems.
The first and second layer of timbers 42 and 44 are held in place and transfer stresses to the metal plates 22 by friction alone. Model tests have shown no slippage between the timbers and metal plates, even when an overload was applied to the structure. These tests have also shown that when 9% of the deck cross-section is steel, the flexual rigidity is increased to 2.25 times that of a structure with the same cross-sectional dimensions but with solid timbers and no metal plates. As with the deck of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, proper rod tensioning is imperative such that sufficient friction between the components exists to transfer flexural and vertical shear stresses adequately. Unlike the deck structure of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, where part of all the horizontal shear is taken by the timbers 16, the entire horizontal shear of this modification must be resisted by the metal plates 22.
Although this invention has been described with a degree of specificity, it is understood that numerous changes in construction and design may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention.
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This invention relates to a bridge deck comprised of longitudinally positioned timbers having metal plates inserted between the timbers. Transversely positioned rods apply compressive forces to the timbers and metal plates. Resulting friction causes bridge deck components to behave as a single unit. The metal plates are inserted between timbers of various sizes and lengths of the stressed deck bridge. Proper transverse stressing of component parts by use of high strength steel rods or tendons allows shear and flexural stresses, caused by applied loads, to be transferred between plates and timbers by friction alone without glue or metal fasteners. Deflections, caused by applied loads, are greatly reduced when properly designed plates are employed. Without plates, the use of stressed timber deck bridges, under today's highway loads, is limited to short spans with large timber dimensions. Such structures are handicapped economically when compared with other types of bridge systems such as prestressed concrete or composite concrete-steel bridges. Properly designed and inserted plates have been shown to greatly improve the structural performance of stressed timber decks.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/935,296, filed Aug. 21, 2001, which is currently pending. The contents of application Ser. No. 09/935,296 are incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention is in the field of cryosurgical catheters.
[0005] 2. Background Art
[0006] In the treatment of various medical conditions, it is sometimes beneficial to apply an extremely cold temperature at one or more selected, isolated locations in or near a selected organ in the patient's body. As an example, it can be beneficial in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia to apply cryosurgical temperatures at selected locations in the patient's heart, to create localized areas of necrotic tissue. Similarly, it can be beneficial to apply extremely cold temperatures at selected locations in other organs, or in a vascular system of the patient. The application of extremely cold temperatures can be achieved by inserting a flexible cryosurgical catheter through a vascular system to the desired location. The flexible catheter can have a heat transfer element at or near its distal end. The heat transfer element can be cooled to a cryosurgical temperature and placed in contact with a selected area of biological tissue.
[0007] It would be desirable to facilitate the application of cold temperatures by devising an apparatus with the ability to flex the tip of the cryosurgical catheter in a desired direction, to assist in guiding the catheter through a tortuous path to the selected location in or near a selected organ, or in a vascular system.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] According to certain embodiments of the invention, a surgical device is provided for applying cold temperatures at locations within the human body, via minimally invasive techniques. More specifically, the device may comprise a deflectable catheter, passable through the larger blood vessels and cavities of the heart, having a distal tip which can be deflected by remotely located means. The apparatus has conduits for the delivery and removal of refrigerant fluids within the catheter, and conductors for the monitoring of temperature and electrical impulse. A proximally located handle has a mechanism for activating the deflection of a distal catheter tip in a single plane. In certain embodiments, a flexible multiple conduit tubular vessel attached to the handle terminates in a dual channel quick connect plug for interfacing the catheter with a cryogenic fluid supply unit.
[0009] The catheter may have a torque transmitting tubular member extending from the handle to a distally located flexible tubular segment which, in turn, terminates in a high thermal conductivity tip. A deflection mechanism in the handle may manipulate the curvature of the distal flexible tubular segment of the catheter, and a braking or locking mechanism in the handle may be used to maintain a set curvature of the tip, with the tip deflection being in a predefined plane. A portion of the deflection mechanism in the handle insures that the axial tension imposed to effect deflection of the catheter tip is not transferred to the catheter shaft, thereby preventing transmission of force to the shaft. A mechanism is also incorporated into the handle to aid in the straightening of the distal tip section of the catheter, once deflection is released. A tensioning mechanism maintains a user adjustable, relatively constant tip deflection force throughout the range of motion.
[0010] Another feature that may be provided in the catheter is a device for monitoring interior catheter pressure near the catheter tip region. The conduits for refrigerant fluid delivery and removal, and the conduit for pressure monitoring are separated from the deflection mechanism in the handle, thereby relieving the need to hermetically seal the handle.
[0011] The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, will be best understood from the attached drawings, taken along with the following description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] [0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] [0013]FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal section view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the proximal end of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 4 is an elevation view of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4;
[0017] [0017]FIGS. 6 and 7 are transverse section views of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 8 is an elevation view of the distal portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
[0019] [0019]FIGS. 9 through 15 are transverse section views of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 16 is a longitudinal section view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 17 is a longitudinal section view of the distal end of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 16;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 18 is a longitudinal section view of an intermediate part of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 16;
[0023] [0023]FIGS. 19 and 20 are longitudinal section views of an alternate embodiment of the distal portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and
[0024] [0024]FIG. 21 is a partially exploded view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 100 includes a flexible catheter 16 attached to a handle 20 , which is attached by a flexible tube 25 to a cryogenic fluid unit (not shown). As seen in FIGS. 16, 17, and 18 , a spring wire 4 and a pull wire 5 are incorporated into the catheter 16 , to facilitate a controlled deflection of the distal portion of the catheter 16 .
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 8, 16, 17 , and 18 , the distal tip 1 of the catheter 16 is a closed end hollow tube which can be machined, formed, cast or molded from a highly conductive metal, preferably copper. The copper can be gold plated to insure biocompatibility. Proximal to the catheter tip 1 , there can be a tip union 3 formed from a weldable metal, preferably stainless steel. The tip union 3 and the catheter tip 1 can be attached and hermetically sealed together by soldering or brazing. The tip union 3 can in turn be attached to a particularly flexible segment at the distal end of the catheter 16 .
[0027] Within the chamber 2 of the catheter tip 1 , a plurality of electrical conductors 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , 7 d can be attached, for the transmission of electrical signals. The electrical conductors 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , 7 d can be seen best in FIGS. 7 and 9 through 13 . Two of the attached conductors can form a thermocouple, preferably a T type with one wire material being copper and the second being thermocouple grade constantan. A third conductor, preferably formed of nickel, can be attached to the interior of the catheter tip 1 , for monitoring of electro-physiological signals. The electrical conductors can be coated with an insulating material, such as polyimide. A capillary tube 6 can terminate, at a distal end, in the chamber 2 of the catheter tip 1 . The capillary tube 6 preferably has inner and outer diameters of 0.010 inches and 0.016 inches, respectively. The distal orifice of the capillary tube 6 can be located approximately 0.05 to 0.07 inches proximal to the distal end of the catheter tip 1 . The capillary tube 6 is the distal extension of a high-pressure refrigerant fluid line 29 which extends proximally through the catheter 16 , the handle 20 , and the flexible tubular connection 25 to the cryogenic unit. The distal portion of the capillary tube 6 and its distal orifice comprise a Joule Thomson expansion element.
[0028] Welded to the interior surface of the tubular tip union 3 are two metal components, a spring wire component 4 and a pull wire component 5 , both preferably stainless steel, which are located diametrically opposed to each other. The spring wire component 4 is composed of multiple flat wires, each of which is essentially rectangular in cross section, with each rectangular wire having one cross-sectional dimension significantly greater than the cross-sectional dimension perpendicular thereto. This spring wire component 4 extends proximally from the tip union 3 through, and just proximal to, the flexible segment of the catheter 16 .
[0029] The flat wires are stacked and attached to each other in the spring wire component 4 to essentially form a leaf spring. More specifically, the spring wire component 4 consists of a base flat wire with a length slightly longer than the length of the distal flexible segment of the catheter 16 . Near the proximal end of this base flat wire are stacked additional flat wires of progressively shorter lengths, with each having a proximal end terminating preferably a short distance distal to the proximal end of the base wire. In the preferred embodiment, there are at least three of these additional flat wires, with at least some of these having progressively shorter lengths than the base flat wire. All of the stacked flat wires preferably have similar rectangular cross-sectional dimensions.
[0030] The distal end of the base wire of the spring wire component 4 is firmly bonded or welded to the tip union 3 distal to the flexible catheter segment, and the proximal end of the base wire is firmly bonded or welded to a shaft union 15 proximal to the flexible catheter segment. The essentially rectangular leaf spring 4 functions as a spine through the flexible segment of the catheter 16 , with the smaller cross-sectional dimension of the spine 4 defining a direction in which deflection of the flexible segment of the catheter 16 will occur. The spine 4 also resists deflection of the flexible catheter segment in a direction perpendicular to the defined direction of deflection.
[0031] The second metal component attached to the tip union 3 is a pull or tendon wire component 5 which, when axially tensioned, imposes a bending moment on the flexible segment of the catheter 16 , with a resulting deflection in the direction defined by the spine component 4 . The tendon wire 5 extends proximally from the tip union 3 to a deflection mechanism in the handle 20 .
[0032] Located proximally from the catheter tip 1 is a multi-lumen core tube 9 , which extends proximally, from a point approximately two catheter diameters proximal to the catheter tip 1 , through the flexible segment of the catheter 16 . The core tube 9 can be extruded from a polymer material having a balance between its structural properties and its elastomeric properties. A preferred material for the core tube extrusion 9 is Pebax. The core tube 9 may consist of a continuous segment, or several axially arranged segments of Pebax. For a continuous core tube 9 , the hardness and the elastic modulus are constant throughout its length. For the multiple segment embodiment, each segment of core tube 9 can have a hardness and an elastic modulus less than the hardness and elastic modulus of the adjacent segment, progressing proximally to distally. This results in a core tube 9 which is softer and more flexible near its distal end than near its proximal end.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 14, the core tube 9 has multiple lumens, which can be geometrically shaped and positioned to give the flexible segment of the catheter 16 a mass moment of inertia lower in the defined direction of deflection than in the direction perpendicular to the direction of deflection. The preferred embodiment of the core tube 9 contains five lumens 10 a , 10 b , 10 c , 10 d , 10 e . The core tube 9 has a central lumen 10 d for passage of the tendon wire 5 , and a rectangular lumen 10 e positioned outwardly from the central lumen 10 d . The rectangular lumen 10 e is for passage of the spine wire 4 . Diametrically opposite the rectangular lumen 10 e , on the other side of the central lumen 10 d , is located a half-annular shaped lumen 10 a , through which the capillary tube 6 passes. This half-annular lumen 10 a also provides a return path for low pressure refrigerant gas. Two additional lumens 10 b , 10 c located outwardly from the central lumen 10 d carry the aforementioned electrical conductors 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , 7 d.
[0034] Located at the distal and proximal ends of the core tube 9 are two rigid multi-lumen coupler elements 8 , 11 , preferably fabricated from a metal such as stainless steel. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, each coupler 8 , 11 is a multi-lumen tubular structure with an outer diameter equivalent in size to the outer diameter of the core tube 9 . The preferred embodiment of the coupler 8 , 11 is a tubular structure with at least three lumens 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , as shown in FIG. 15. These are a center circular lumen 12 c , an essentially oval lumen 12 b located outwardly from the center lumen 12 c , and a partial annular lumen 12 a that essentially encircles about ¾ of the circumference of the center lumen 12 c . In the catheter assembly, the center lumen 12 c of each coupler 8 , 11 , through which the tendon wire 5 passes, axially aligns with the center lumen 10 d of the core tube 9 . The oval lumen 12 b of each coupler 8 , 11 , through which the spine wire 4 passes, aligns axially with the rectangular lumen 10 e of the core tube 9 .
[0035] The distal coupler 8 is encased in the tip union 3 , and the proximal coupler 11 is encased or captured in the shaft union 15 , which is also a stainless steel tube. In the preferred embodiment, the shaft union 15 is thin-walled, preferably having a wall thickness less than about 0.003 inch, and it has a length at least five times longer than the proximal coupler 11 . The proximal coupler 11 is rigidly held within the shaft union 15 by mechanical means, such as a swage or bezel, or by soldering means, brazing means, welding means, or a combination of the cited means.
[0036] In another embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, instead of the core tube 9 , a tubular compression spring 62 extends proximally through the flexible segment of the catheter 16 . The tubular spring 62 is located proximally from the tip union 3 and firmly attached thereto, by being bonded, welded, soldered, or brazed. The tubular spring 62 is composed of a flat wire having a rectangular cross section, with the smaller of the rectangular dimensions directed radially from the center of the tubular shape, and with the greater of the rectangular dimensions directed substantially axially along the tubular shape. The pitch between coils of the tubular spring 62 is designed to enable bending of the tubular spring 62 perpendicular to the axis of the catheter 16 . The pitch may be fixed or variable. In the preferred embodiment, the proximal portion of the tubular spring 62 has a smaller gap between coils than the distal portion of the tubular spring 62 , causing the tubular spring 62 to be more flexible near its distal end. The tubular spring embodiment also has a multi-lumen proximal coupler 11 and a shaft union 15 .
[0037] Inserted into, and rigidly fixed to, the center lumen 12 c of the proximal coupler 11 is a sheath union 17 . The sheath union 17 is a single lumen formed metal tube. In the preferred embodiment, the sheath union 17 is firmly held to the proximal coupler 11 by mechanical means, or by being soldered, brazed or welded to the center lumen 12 c of the proximal coupler 11 . Inserted into, and rigidly fixed to, the center lumen 12 c of the distal coupler 8 is a distal coupler union 19 . The distal coupler union 19 is a single lumen formed metal tube with a flared distal end. In the preferred embodiment, the distal coupler union 19 is firmly held to the distal coupler 8 by mechanical means, or by being soldered, brazed, or welded to the center lumen 12 c of the distal coupler 8 .
[0038] The pull or tendon wire 5 passes from the tip union 3 through the distal coupler union 19 , then through the center lumen 10 d of the core tube 9 or through the spring tube 62 , then into and through the sheath union 17 . The essentially rectangular spine 4 passes through the oval lumens 12 b of the couplers 8 , 11 and into the catheter shaft union 15 . The spine 4 may be firmly attached to the shaft union 15 by welding means. The sensor wires 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , 7 d passing through the core tube 9 or the spring tube 62 freely pass unobstructed through the partial annular lumens 12 a of the couplers 8 , 11 . Also passing through the partial annular lumens 12 a of the couplers 8 , 11 is the capillary tube 6 on the distal end of the high pressure fluid line 29 . The portions of the lumens 12 a , 12 b , 12 c of the couplers 8 , 11 not taken up by wires and tubes make up the low pressure refrigerant gas return.
[0039] A flexible jacket 14 covers all of the catheter elements from the shaft union 15 to the tip union 3 , encasing the core tube 9 or the spring tube 62 , and all other internal elements. The flexible jacket 14 is a tube extruded from an elastomeric polymer with a hardness and modulus of elasticity less than or equal to the material of the core tube 9 . The jacket 14 has sufficient wall thickness to maintain circularity without buckling, during the bending of the jacket 14 around a one inch radius, through a 180 degree angle. In the preferred embodiment, the jacket 14 has a length of about 5 centimeters, a diameter of about 0.130 inch and wall thickness of about 0.020 inch. The flexible tubular jacket 14 can be firmly attached to the distal portion of the outer diameter of the shaft union 15 and to the proximal portion of the outer diameter of the tip union 3 , by a combination of adhesive bonding and thermal fusion. The jacket tube 14 can also be thermally fused to the core tube 9 or the spring tube 62 . In the embodiment using the spring tube 62 , the spring tube 62 can impart additional hoop strength to the jacket tube 14 , thereby preventing buckling during bending. The adhesive bonding and thermal fusing of the jacket tube 14 to the tip union 3 and the shaft union 15 creates a hermetically sealed cavity extending from the catheter tip 1 to the shaft union 15 .
[0040] Two millimeters proximal to the catheter tip 1 , a sensor band 13 , preferably formed from platinum, is swaged, fitted or bonded around the flexible jacket tube 14 . Conductively attached to the platinum sensor band 13 is a nickel wire, which is passed through the wall of the jacket tube 14 , and either into and through one of the conductor lumens 10 b , 10 c of the core tube 9 or between the inner diameter of the jacket tube 14 and the outer diameter of the spring tube 62 , passing proximally past the shaft union 15 . The sensor band 13 and the nickel wire comprise a means for sensing ECG electrical impulses.
[0041] A tightly wound wire coil sheath 18 encases the pull or tendon wire 5 . The sheath 18 terminates on its distal end within the proximal portion of the sheath union 17 and is attached thereto. The sheath 18 extends proximally through the catheter 16 into the handle 20 . The sheath 18 preferably has an outer diameter of about 0.021 inch, and is fabricated of tightly wound 0.003 inch diameter wire. During deflection of the tip, axial displacement and tensile force are imposed upon the pull or tendon wire 5 . The sheath 18 prevents axial compression of the catheter body 16 . While preventing axial compression of the catheter body 16 , the coils of the sheath 18 pack together, and the sheath 18 behaves as an incompressible body, thereby allowing efficient transmission of tensile force and axial displacement to the flexible portion of the catheter 16 , which results in the deflection of the flexible portion of the catheter 16 .
[0042] Connected, bonded and thermally fused to the shaft union 15 and the flexible jacket tube 14 is the main catheter shaft 63 . The catheter shaft 63 is a tubular element with an outer diameter comparable in size to the outer diameter of the flexible jacket 14 , and with an inner diameter comparable to the outer diameter of the shaft union 15 . The catheter shaft 63 is a composite structure designed to transmit torque to the catheter tip 1 and the flexible portion of the catheter 16 during manipulation of the catheter 16 .
[0043] In one embodiment, the catheter shaft 63 includes a relatively stiff thin walled inner tube of thermoplastic, such as polyimide. A stainless steel wire braid is placed over the polyimide tube, and a more flexible polymer covers the wire braid. In this embodiment, the inner polyimide tube has a thickness of about 0.0015 to about 0.002 inch, the braid is woven from 0.001 inch wire, and the outer layer is a flexible polymer such as Pebax. The flexible outer layer thickness is significantly greater than the inner polyimide tube, preferably about 0.010 to about 0.015 inch. The catheter shaft 63 terminates on its distal end at the shaft union 15 and the flexible segment of the catheter 16 . The catheter shaft 63 extends proximally through the handle 20 , terminating proximal to the handle 20 .
[0044] In another embodiment, the catheter shaft 63 is comprised of a thermoplastic extrusion with an embedded stainless steel braid. The hardness and elastic properties of the extrusion, and the pitch and number of wires in the braid are chosen to give the desired torque transfer properties to the catheter shaft 63 , as is well known in the art.
[0045] The sensor conductors 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , 7 d , the sheath-encased pull wire 5 , and the capillary tube 6 exit the proximal coupler 11 , enter into and pass through the catheter shaft 63 , and exit the catheter shaft 63 within the interior of the handle 20 . An additional small diameter tube, the gauge tube 22 , is contained within the catheter shaft 63 for monitoring of the return fluid pressure. The gauge tube 22 has a preferable outer diameter of about 0.029 inches and inner diameter of about 0.024 inches. The gauge tube 22 terminates on its distal end adjacent to the proximal coupler 11 and extends proximally through the catheter shaft 63 , exiting the catheter shaft 63 within the interior of the handle 20 .
[0046] As shown in FIG. 7, a sheath tube 34 is employed about the sheath 18 . The sheath tube 34 has a preferable inner diameter of about 0.024 inch, thereby allowing free movement of the sheath 18 within the sheath tube 34 . During catheter usage, the pressure at the distal end of the sheath tube 34 is below atmospheric. The sheath tube 34 terminates proximally within the interior of the handle 20 , where pressure is essentially atmospheric. The length and dimensions of the sheath tube 34 are designed to provide a high resistance to fluid movement between the interior of the catheter 16 and the interior of the handle 20 . With the sheath 18 and the tendon 5 passing through the sheath tube 34 , the available space for fluid movement between the sheath tube 34 and the sheath 18 , and between the sheath 18 and the tendon 5 , is minimal. Utilization of a sheath tube 34 thusly configured allows the sheath 18 and the tendon 5 components of the deflection apparatus to exit the fluid filled interior of the catheter 16 with no subsequent leakage of fluid, thereby eliminating the need to hermetically seal the handle 20 .
[0047] The high pressure capillary tube 6 extends from the catheter tip 1 to a point about 10 inches proximal to the catheter tip 1 , where it transitions into a larger high pressure tube 29 . The transition site is hermetically sealed and can withstand pressures in excess of 1000 psi, without compromise. The high pressure tube 29 then extends proximally through the catheter shaft 63 and exits the catheter shaft 63 within the interior of the handle 20 .
[0048] As shown in FIG. 2, the handle 20 incorporates a means for securing the catheter shaft 63 , the articulation mechanism, an electrical connector or receptacle 31 , and a pathway for the catheter shaft 63 , the high pressure tube 29 , and the gauge tube 22 to pass through. As the catheter shaft 63 enters the handle 20 , it is firmly captured and bonded into the catheter support 33 . The catheter support 33 is a hollow tubular structure with features on its proximal end that allow for securing to slots within the handle 20 .
[0049] The catheter shaft 63 enters the handle 20 on the distal end of the handle 20 , passes through the handle 20 , and exits the handle 20 through an exit port on the proximal end of the handle 20 . Four exit site holes are made in the wall of the catheter shaft 63 within the handle 20 . The exit site holes are drilled or cut preferably at an angle of about 10 to 15 degrees off the axis of the catheter shaft 63 , thereby allowing tubes within the catheter shaft lumen to exit without deformation or buckling. One exit site hole (not shown) is provided to allow the high pressure tube 29 to exit the catheter shaft 63 . Another exit site hole (not shown) is provided to allow the gauge tube 22 to exit the catheter shaft 63 . A third exit site hole 46 is provided to allow the sensor wires 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , 7 d to exit the catheter shaft 63 . A fourth exit site hole is provided to allow the sheath tube 34 , the sheath 18 and the tendon wire 5 to exit the catheter shaft 63 .
[0050] In the preferred embodiment, the high pressure tube 29 exits the catheter shaft 63 within the handle 20 at the most proximal location, extends essentially parallel to the catheter shaft 63 , and exits the handle 20 through the exit port on the proximal end of the handle 20 . A hermetic seal is placed about the juncture where the high pressure tube 29 exits the catheter shaft 63 . Just distal to the high pressure tube exit site hole, is the gauge tube exit site hole. In the preferred embodiment, the gauge tube 22 exits the catheter shaft 63 within the handle 20 , extends essentially parallel to the catheter shaft 63 , and exits the handle 20 through the exit port on the proximal end of the handle 20 . A hermetic seal is placed about the juncture where the gauge tube 22 exits the catheter shaft 63 . At a site slightly distal to the gauge tube exit site hole, the sensor wires 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , 7 d exit the shaft 63 , pass across the handle 20 and are conductively connected, soldered, or crimped to an electrical receptacle 31 . Hermetic seals are placed about the connection of the wires to the receptacle 31 and about the wire exit site hole 46 on the shaft 63 .
[0051] At a site just proximal to the point where the catheter shaft 63 enters the handle 20 , the sheath tube 34 , the sheath 18 and the tendon wire 5 exit the catheter shaft 63 . A hermetic seal is place about the sheath tube 34 exiting the catheter shaft 63 . The tightly wound coil spring which makes up the sheath 18 exits the sheath tube 34 , is looped slightly, and then transitions into a larger tightly wound coil spring, the sheath extension 35 , 36 . The loop 37 in the sheath 18 as it exits the catheter shaft 63 is a service loop which allows the sheath 18 to move independently of the catheter shaft 63 , thereby preventing the imposition of tensile or compressive forces on the catheter shaft 63 .
[0052] The sheath extension 35 , 36 passes through, and is firmly bonded, welded, soldered, or brazed to an adjustment screw 44 with an attached adjustment nut 45 . The adjustment screw 44 and nut 45 are securely positioned within the handle 20 . Rotation of the adjustment nut 45 on the screw 44 moves the screw 44 and the attached sheath extension 35 , 36 distally or proximally, depending on the direction of rotation of the nut 45 . Use of the adjustment screw 44 and nut 45 allows for fine adjustment of the service loop 37 of the sheath 18 . The adjustment screw 44 also divides the sheath extension 35 , 36 into a compressive segment 35 distal to the screw 44 , and a tensile segment 36 proximal to the screw 44 . The purpose of this division will become apparent later.
[0053] The sheath extension 35 , 36 and the enclosed tendon wire 5 exit the proximal side of the adjustment screw 44 and pass around a pulley 38 , to a point where they are both firmly connected, preferably swaged or crimped, to a swivel connector 39 . In this connector 39 , the proximal end of the tightly wound coil spring of the sheath extension 36 and the proximal end of the tendon wire 5 are joined together. The swivel connector 39 is fastened to a lever arm 41 and allowed to swivel about the connection point. The lever arm 41 , an axle 42 , and an activation lever 23 make up the deflection lever mechanism.
[0054] Movement of the activation lever 23 in one direction rotates the axle 42 , which in turn moves the lever arm 41 to pull on the tendon wire 5 and the sheath extension 36 . Movement of the lever arm 41 in this direction imparts a proximally directed displacement to both the tendon wire 5 and the proximal portion of the sheath extension 35 . This proximal displacement is transmitted down the tendon wire 5 to the distal end of the distal flexible segment of the catheter 16 . The initial portion of the proximal displacement works to compress the tightly wound coil of the sheath 18 . The sheath 18 stiffens and prevents any further proximal displacement, and prevents compressive force from being transmitted to the catheter shaft 63 , thereby allowing all remaining displacement to be used to effect a bending of the distal bendable segment of the catheter 18 . During activation of tip deflection, the sheath 18 and the sheath extension 35 extending from the shaft union 15 in the catheter 16 to the adjustment screw 44 in the handle 20 are under compression. The sheath extension 36 extending from the proximal side of the adjustment screw 44 to the lever arm 41 is under tension.
[0055] Release of the activation lever 23 will cause the portion of the sheath extension 36 which is extending from the proximal side of the adjustment screw 44 to recoil and bring the lever mechanism back to its initial position. This forces the tendon wire 5 toward the catheter tip 1 , and along with the assistance of the spine wire 4 and the elastic properties of the distal jacket tube 14 , this results in a straightening of the distal deflection segment of the catheter 16 . During activation of the deflection mechanism, the service loop 37 in the sheath 18 inside the handle 20 allows the catheter 16 to be bent without affecting tip deflection.
[0056] A locking or braking mechanism is employed on the deflection lever mechanism to allow the user to set a desired level of tension in the articulation mechanism to restrain the recoil action of the sheath extension 36 , and this level of tension will then be held throughout the articulation of the tip. Also, by tightening the brake knob 24 , the tension level can even be set high enough to lock the movement of the articulation mechanism to hold deflection of the distal portion of the catheter 16 in any desired position from 0 to 270 degrees. Tightening of the brake knob 24 imparts an axial force to the tension shaft 64 by means of a metal threaded insert (not shown) that is pressed into the brake knob 24 . The two tabs of the tension shaft 64 in turn apply compression to drag washers (not shown). Reactive force generated by the drag washers forces the lever shaft 42 against the side of the handle 20 , resisting rotation of the lever shaft 42 .
[0057] Extending proximally from the handle 20 is a larger flexible tube 25 , the flex line, which houses the proximal portion of the catheter shaft 63 , the high pressure fluid line 29 , and the gauge line 22 , as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. In the preferred embodiment, the flex line 25 is a corrugated tube constructed from a polymer such as polyethylene. The distal end of the flex line 25 is connected to the handle 20 , and its proximal end is connected to a gas line connector 27 . Running essentially parallel within the flex line 25 are the high pressure fluid line 29 , the gauge line 22 , and a continuation of the catheter shaft 63 , which is the low pressure fluid line 47 . The gauge line 22 exits the flex line 25 just distal to the gas line connector 27 and terminates in a standard luer fitting 30 .
[0058] As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 , the high pressure fluid line 29 and the low pressure fluid line 47 enter into and pass through the gas line connector 27 , with the low pressure line 47 terminating at the distal portion of a dual gas line fitting 28 , and with the high pressure fluid line 29 passing all the way through the dual gas line fitting 28 . The tubes of the low and high pressure fluid lines 47 , 29 are potted to the gas line connector 27 to prevent fluid leakage. Where the low pressure fluid line 47 terminates, there are orifices 51 for the passage of fluid into a mating receptacle (not shown). Just distal to these low pressure orifices 51 is a quad o-ring 49 which prevents low pressure fluid leakage when the dual gas line fitting 28 is inserted into a mating receptacle (not shown). The high pressure fluid line 29 passes through the cavity of the gas line connector 27 and through the dual gas line fitting 28 . At the proximal extremity is a check valve actuator 53 which is actually a proximal extension of the high pressure fluid line 29 . High pressure orifices 52 are provided in the proximal extension of the high pressure fluid line 29 , to allow for the passage of high pressure fluid into the high pressure fluid line 29 . A second quad o-ring 50 is located about the dual gas line fitting 28 just distal to the high pressure orifices 52 , to prevent leakage of high pressure fluid when the dual gas line fitting 28 is inserted into the mating receptacle (not shown).
[0059] The dual gas line fitting 28 has a mating and locking means 48 which allows the dual gas line fitting 28 to be securely connected to the mating receptacle (not shown). The check valve actuator 53 located most proximally on the dual gas line fitting 28 acts to open a check valve in the precooler assembly (not shown) when the dual gas line fitting 28 is connected to the mating receptacle (not shown). Conversely, disconnecting the dual gas line fitting 28 from the mating receptacle (not shown) breaks contact between the check valve actuator 53 and the check valve (not shown), thus closing the check valve, minimizing gas escape from, or pressure change within, the cryo refrigerant system.
[0060] While the particular invention as herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of obtaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended other than as described in the appended claims.
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A flexible cryosurgical catheter having a deflectable segment adjacent its distal end, a pull wire through said catheter connected to the deflectable segment, and a deflection mechanism in its handle for pulling on the pull wire to establish a desired curvature in the deflectable segment.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to the monitoring and prediction of the remaining useful life of an electric storage battery, such as a Lead acid battery. It also relates to determination of the state of charge of the battery. It is thought that the present invention will assist current supply management for systems using batteries as alternative or primary sources of electric power.
[0003] 2. Summary of the Prior Art
[0004] The state of charge of a battery is a measure of the instantaneous energy level of the battery and is expressed as a percentage from 0%, when the battery is flat, to 100% for a fully charged battery, which has not yet been used. For a Lead acid battery the state of charge can be determined from the open circuit terminal voltage of the battery, as there is an approximately linear relationship between the two.
[0005] However the instantaneous state of charge of the battery does not give a good indication of the future life of the battery, or how many times it can be recharged before it will fail. Each time a Lead acid battery is discharged, and recharged, irreversible changes occur in the structure of the active components. These irreversible changes progressively degrade the ability of the battery usefully to store electrical energy. Eventually the ability of the battery to usefully store electrical energy is degraded to the point that the battery has to be replaced.
[0006] In this application the remaining “life” of the battery and similar terms refer to the remaining useful life (usually extending over many discharge/charging cycles) before this gradual degradation means that the battery can no longer function adequately and should be replaced. The point at which the battery should be replaced can be derived from the manufacturer's specification or criteria set by the battery's user. It may depend on the particular application and may be defined, for example, by the lowest acceptable battery capacity when the battery is fully charged. For example, the maximum acceptable degradation may be 60% of capacity; i.e. when due to degradation the battery, when fully charged, has a state of charge of only 60% (i.e. 60% of the maximum available capacity of the battery when it was new).
[0007] Previously the state of health of an electric storage battery has been monitored by measurements of the electrolyte specific gravity, internal resistance and battery voltage during a controlled discharge test. These methods require specialist test equipment, cannot be applied frequently and need detailed technical knowledge for the interpretation of the results.
[0008] Furthermore, it is intrinsic to sealed batteries that electrolyte is not accessible in the battery cells, and that the battery voltage is dependent on the conditions under which the battery is being used. These conditions include the ambient temperature and whether the battery is subject to a charge current or supplying a discharge current. Thus, when the state of charge is calculated from the terminal voltage, it is difficult to get a reliable reading of the terminal voltage from which to calculate the state of charge.
[0009] Another difficulty with the above approach is that the deliverable electrical capacity and the impedance of an electric storage battery do not change significantly during the majority of the life of the battery. Measurement of these characteristics as isolated events can only provide information about the current capability of the battery and does not allow predictive evaluation.
[0010] Towards the end of the battery's life, the capacity and impedance values of an electric storage battery change more rapidly and comparisons with earlier tests have been used to indicate that failure is imminent. When such measurements are made repeatedly, through the life of the battery, it is often difficult to assure that the tests are performed reproducibly and that records are maintained reliably enough for accurate technical evaluation to be performed.
[0011] GB2377833 discloses a battery monitor which indicates battery health by illuminating one of five LEDs on a display (each LED corresponding to a level of health from good to poor). The level of battery health is periodically estimated by determining the battery terminal voltage level as a percentage of the calibration voltage level measured when the battery was first used and adjusting this figure based on the change in battery internal resistance and voltage drop in service compared to that when the battery was first used. The resultant figure is used to decide which of the five LEDs to illuminate. However because the indicator is based on a comparison of instantaneous readings with the initial calibration, the battery's history is not properly taken into account. Therefore for some purposes the monitor may not give as accurate or timely prediction of the battery's future performance as desired. As noted above, in most cases the maximum state of charge and internal resistance of the battery only change significantly near the end of a battery's life, which limits the information given by this method.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,440 discloses a battery monitor which monitors the number of battery charging cycles, age of the battery and other parameters and displays them on an LCD display together with the measured state of charge of the battery. However, there is no analysis of these figures. Therefore the unskilled user is left essentially with no information on which to judge how much longer the battery will last and even the skilled user is in a similar position unless he has access to a calculating apparatus and/or battery tables.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The invention has been discussed above and will continue to be discussed below with reference to lead acid batteries and it is envisaged that the present invention will be particularly applicable to such batteries. However, the principles of the present invention can also be applied to other types of battery which have a measurable state of charge and which degrade over time with use.
[0014] The present invention aims to provide battery life monitor and/or a battery state of charge monitor that enables the above mentioned problems to be mitigated. In its various aspects the present invention may allow the battery user to:
Plan preventative maintenance and battery replacement to avoid failure. Avoid modes of operation that may not be achievable towards the end of battery life. Provide information to make cost effective battery replacement strategies.
At its most general, one aspect of the present invention proposes a battery monitor that subtracts a predetermined amount from a battery life counter representing the remaining available life of the battery whenever an event is detected which affects the battery life. Usually the battery monitor will be able to respond to several types of event and each event type will have its own corresponding predetermined amount to be subtracted from the battery life counter. The events may comprise discharge/charge cycles, the age of the battery, and the amount of time the battery has spent in a charging state, idle state, discharging or in a state of over or undercharge. The predetermined amounts may be based on predetermined patterns of battery performance, e.g. empirical data or the battery manufacturer's specification. The predetermined amount may differ according to the parameters of a particular event, e.g. the depth of discharge of a detected discharge/charge cycle.
[0019] Accordingly a first aspect of the present invention may provide a battery monitor for use with a Lead acid battery comprising:
a monitor for taking measurements from the battery, a memory for storing a life counter having a life counter value representing the remaining available life of the battery being monitored, and a processor configured to detect one or more types of event based on measurements taken by the monitor and to debit the life counter when an event is detected by subtracting from the life counter value a predetermined amount corresponding to the detected event to give a new life counter value representing the remaining available battery life after the event has been detected.
[0023] In this way the battery's history is taken into account by subtracting a predetermined amount from the life counter each time an event is detected. Usually the life counter will be initialized with a predetermined initial value depending on the type of battery with which the monitor is to be used. The life counter value held by the life counter will then gradually decrease as the processor debits the life counter when events (such as charging and discharging) are detected.
[0024] Preferably the battery monitor is permanently connected to the terminals of the battery. This ensures that readings can be continuously taken and that the battery's entire history can be taken into account. Most preferably the battery monitor is connected to the terminals of the battery when the battery is new, this may be as part of the manufacturing process of the battery. The battery monitor is preferably mounted on the battery itself. It can conveniently be made integral with the battery or the battery casing. If the battery monitor is not integral with the battery then preferably it is mounted suitably close to the battery.
[0025] Preferably the battery monitor comprises a voltage sensor for measuring the voltage across the terminals of the battery. This information can be used by the processor to determine if the battery is charging, discharging or to gauge the open circuit terminal voltage of the battery. It can also be used to calculate the state of charge of the battery.
[0026] Preferably the processor is capable of measuring the rate of change of voltage sensed by the voltage sensor. This enables the processor to use only the voltage readings taken when there is not excessive fluctuation, i.e. when the rate of change is below a given threshold.
[0027] Preferably the events comprise a battery discharge/charge cycle. Each time the battery is discharged and then recharged its life is reduced, so the processor subtracts a corresponding predetermined amount from the life counter. The degradation of the battery from a discharge/charge cycle is related to the depth of discharge of the cycle. Therefore the predetermined amount is preferably based on the depth of discharge of the cycle, which may be assumed to be the depth of discharge before the processor detected the charging part of the cycle.
[0028] A discharge/charge cycle of the battery can be detected on the assumption that the battery is charged (by the user) after it has been discharged. Thus, the processor can be configured to debit the appropriate predetermined amount for a discharge/charge cycle when it detects that a new charging event has begun. The processor may be configured to detect that the battery is charging when the voltage across the battery terminals detected by the monitor exceeds a first predetermined threshold. This first predetermined threshold may be the maximum possible theoretical open voltage of the battery, on the assumption that if the battery terminal voltage exceeds this then it must be due to an external voltage being applied across the terminals of the battery. However, this can lead to erroneous detection of a charging event due to small, random fluctuations in the battery terminal voltage. Therefore, it is preferred that the first predetermined threshold is significantly greater than the maximum possible open circuit terminal voltage of the battery; preferably at least 1% greater, more preferably at least 2, 3 or 4% greater. It is possible that the voltage across the terminals of the battery will dip during charging. Therefore it is preferred that the end of a battery charging event (i.e. when the battery is no longer charging) is determined by a drop of the voltage across the battery terminals to below a second predetermined threshold, which second predetermined threshold is less than said first predetermined threshold. Said second predetermined threshold may be below the maximum possible open circuit terminal voltage of the battery, for example 1% or 2% less. In one embodiment, where the battery monitor is for use with a battery having cells with a maximum possible open circuit voltage of 2.23 V per cell, the first predetermined threshold is 2.3 V per cell and the second predetermined threshold is 2.2 V per cell.
[0029] Independent from the degradation associated with each discharge/charge cycle, simply continuously charging a battery over an extended period of time can in itself degrade the battery. Therefore, the processor may be configured to subtract a predetermined amount from the life counter for each unit time it detects that the battery is charging. This debit of the life counter being in addition to any debit per discharge/charge cycle.
[0030] Preferably the events which the processor is configured to detect comprise one or more of the battery being in a state of over discharge, the battery being in a state of equilibrium and the battery being charged. Each of these battery conditions results in the life of the battery being reduced. Therefore the processor is configured to subtract a corresponding predetermined amount from the life counter according to the amount of time (e.g. measured in hours) that the battery is detected to be in each condition.
[0031] The various predetermined thresholds and debit amounts may be determined on the basis of the battery manufacturer's performance tables or empirical data relating to the battery with which the monitor is to be used. In most cases this approach should lead to the life counter value, stored in the life counter, accurately reflecting the health and future performance of the battery. However, there may be some ‘dud’ batteries which are defective. Equally, if a battery is used to power faulty equipment, then it may fail to perform as expected due to excessive demands made by the faulty equipment. It would be desirable to provide the battery monitor with a way of detecting such batteries and alerting the user that the battery may not perform as expected even if the life counter indicates that it is healthy. Therefore the processor may be configured to send an alert signal when the instantaneous voltage, across the terminals of the battery, detected by the monitor, falls below a predetermined threshold for at least a predetermined period of time or at least a predetermined number of times. Said predetermined threshold should be a relatively low value, which the terminal voltage of a healthy battery would not normally fall below, for example 70% of the maximum possible open circuit terminal voltage of the battery. The alert signal may be sent to a display to give a visual indication, for example by lighting an appropriate LED. Alternatively, it may give an audible signal.
[0032] Although the battery state of charge can be calculated from the open circuit terminal voltage of the battery, this is only possible if the battery is at or near a state of equilibrium. Accordingly a second aspect of the present invention may provide a battery state of charge measuring apparatus for use with a Lead acid battery comprising:
a voltage sensor for measuring the voltage across the terminals of the battery, a rate of change measurer for measuring the rate of change with respect to time of the voltage across the terminals of the battery, a state of charge calculator for calculating the state of charge of the battery based on the voltage measured by the voltage sensing means, an equilibrium determiner for determining that the battery is in equilibrium when the rate of change of the voltage measured by the rate of change measuring means is below a predetermined level; and an output means for outputting the calculated state of charge when the equilibrium determining means determines that the battery is in equilibrium.
[0038] In this way a relatively accurate reading of the state of charge can be achieved. Preferably the predetermined level is a threshold level below which the battery can be considered to effectively be in equilibrium.
[0039] The output means will usually output the calculated state of charge to a display means or a memory. Alternatively, it may output a signal to an external device.
[0040] The second aspect of the invention may be combined with the first aspect of the invention.
[0041] A dual function display may be provided for displaying the state of charge and state of life (as indicated by the life counter) of the battery, either alternately or simultaneously.
[0042] The battery monitor of the first aspect of the present invention may communicate battery history information to an external management system. It may be provided with a communication device for doing this, e.g. a data sending device for a non contacting data link. Preferably the information it is configured to communicate comprises one or more of: the number of charge cycles the battery has experienced, total charging time, total rest time, total discharge time, over-discharge time, mean depth of discharge, total operating time, maximum charging temperature, mean charging temperature, minimum voltage experience and the value of the life counter (i.e. the predicted remaining life of the battery).
[0043] Further preferred features of the first and second aspects of the invention can be found in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 in which:
[0045] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery and a battery monitor according to the present invention;
[0046] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a state of charge measuring apparatus according to the present invention;
[0047] FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between open circuit terminal voltage and state of charge for a Lead acid battery;
[0048] FIG. 4 is a graph showing the effect which the depth of discharge of a discharge/charge cycle has on the effective life of the battery;
[0049] FIG. 5 shows a display panel for displaying the state of charge or alternatively the remaining available life of a battery;
[0050] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of a processor for determining the state of charge and remaining available life of a battery; and
[0051] FIG. 7 is a graph showing instantaneous battery terminal voltage against time for a defective battery.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0052] A battery monitor 1 shown schematically in FIG. 1 is integrated into the casing of a Lead acid battery 5 . The battery monitor 1 comprises a monitor 10 for taking measurements from the battery. The monitoring means comprises a state of charge measuring means 15 including a voltage sensor 16 which is permanently connected to the terminals 25 of the battery and configured to measure the voltage across the terminals 25 . The monitor 10 also includes a temperature sensor 20 for measuring the temperature of the battery 5 . Because the battery monitor 1 is integrated into the battery casing the temperature sensor 20 effectively reads the battery temperature. In alternative embodiments in which the battery monitor is not integral with the battery the temperature sensor may be mounted on the battery and transmit data to the monitor 10 .
[0053] The battery monitor 1 also comprises a processor in the form of processor 25 and a memory 30 for storing a life counter 35 having a life counter value representing the remaining available life of the monitored battery 5 . The processor 25 is configured to detect events occurring in the battery based on measurements taken by the monitor 10 and to debit the value held in the life counter 35 by a predetermined amount corresponding to the detected event. When the processor “debits” the life counter it subtracts the predetermined amount from the value stored in the counter to arrive at a new life counter value. The new life counter value which is then stored in the life counter represents the remaining available life of the battery after occurrence of the detected event.
[0054] The memory 30 may also contain data pertaining to the type of battery 5 which it is designed to monitor, for example the number of cells, maximum theoretical open circuit voltage per cell and data relating to predetermined patterns of expected battery performance taken from empirical data or the battery manufacturer's specification.
[0055] While the monitor 10 , processor 25 and memory 30 have been shown separately in FIG. 1 in practice they may be provided by a single integrated chip, although it may be convenient to have the voltage sensor, the temperature sensor and any other apparatus taking direct physical measurements as separate parts or devices.
[0056] As shown schematically in FIG. 2 , the state of charge measuring apparatus 15 comprises a voltage sensor 16 , a rate of change measurer 40 , a state of charge calculator 45 , an equilibrium determiner 50 and an output means 55 . While they are shown as separate parts in FIG. 2 , some or all of these parts may in fact be integrated together as a single chip or provided as a single dedicated processor or program running on a processor, as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. The functions of the various parts will be described in more detail shortly, but first it is necessary to give some background.
[0057] The state of charge of the Lead acid battery 5 can only accurately determined from measurement of the open circuit terminal voltage (Voc) of the battery when there is a uniform acid concentration throughout the electrolyte volume of each cell of the battery. Typically this state of equilibrium can only be achieved after a stabilisation period, following either a charge or discharge event. The length of the stabilisation period will depend on the rate and duration of the previous charge or discharge event. In practice the battery never attains complete equilibrium even when there is no current flowing and conditions are stable. This is because a number of internal chemical reactions take place which result in loss of charge in the battery. So there will always be a continuous, but very slow background decay rate of the terminal voltage.
[0058] After a charge or discharge event, the rate of change decreases exponentially towards a stable voltage. This rate of change can be monitored, and once a sufficiently small value is reached it is indicative that an acceptably accurate state of charge value can be derived from the Voc measurement. For the purposes of this invention it is also acceptable to measure Voc when very small discharge currents continue to flow (e.g. due to background decay). Providing the voltage is stable, indicating that the difference from equilibrium conditions is negligible, the state of charge can be derived to within 5% of a true reading.
[0059] The relationship between the equilibrium Voc and state of charge for a particular model of valve regulated Lead acid battery is shown in the graph of FIG. 3 ; the x-axis represents state of charge and the y-axis the open circuit terminal voltage when the battery is in equilibrium. The relationship is temperature dependent. The values shown in FIG. 3 were recorded at 20° C. Therefore to calculate the state of charge accurately across the normal operating temperature range of the battery it is necessary to take account of the readings of the temperature measuring device 20 which is in intimate contact with the battery 5 that is being monitored.
[0060] The functions of the various notional components of the state of charge measuring means will now be described. There is a voltage sensor 16 which has already been described above, a rate of change measurer 40 for measuring the rate of change with respect to time of the voltage measured by the voltage sensor 16 and an equilibrium determiner 50 which determines whether or not the monitored battery 5 is in equilibrium on the basis of the rate of change of voltage measured by the rate of change measuring means 40 . When the rate of change is below a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the battery 5 is in equilibrium. The threshold is chosen to be above the background decay level mentioned above. In the present embodiment a threshold of 1.5 mV per minute per battery cell (e.g. 9 mV per minute if there are six cells) is used and the battery is deemed be in equilibrium if the rate of change is less than that. While it would in principle be possible to choose a lower threshold level down to the background decay rate, the resolution of the voltage sensing means and the expected time period between periods of charge and discharge need to be taken into account as these affect the minimum accurately measurable rate of change of the terminal voltage.
[0061] When the equilibrium determiner means 50 determines that the battery is in equilibrium, the state of charge calculator 45 calculates the state of charge of the battery 5 . The state of charge is calculated based on the voltage measured by the voltage sensing means and taking account of the relationship between open circuit terminal voltage and state of charge for the battery in question (e.g. as shown in FIG. 3 ) and the temperature measured by the temperature measuring device 20 . The state of charge is then output to processing means 25 from where it may be output to a display of the battery monitor 1 as described later or to memory 30 .
[0062] As the state of charge is only calculated when the battery is in equilibrium, a better accuracy is obtained than with prior art methods. Alternatively the state of charge may be calculated continuously, but only output when the battery is in equilibrium.
[0063] Optionally the equilibrium determiner 50 may also check that the battery is not being charged and only determine that the battery is in equilibrium if it is not being charged. The equilibrium determiner may be configured to determine that the battery is being charged when the voltage sensed by the voltage sensor is greater than the maximum possible open circuit voltage of the battery.
[0064] Operation of the processor 25 with regard to the memory 30 and the life counter 35 will now be described in more detail.
[0065] The life counter 35 in the memory 30 is initialized with an initial value when the battery monitor is first set up. The initial value is determined according to the characteristics of the battery type with which the battery monitor is to be used. The memory 30 may also contain instructions to be read by the processor and data relating to the predetermined amounts to be debited when events are detected.
[0066] The battery monitor 1 continually monitors the voltage at the battery terminals and the temperature of the battery as described above and also the elapsed time (by use of a timer in the processing means 25 ). This information is processed continually by the processor 25 to determine the mode of operation of the monitored battery 5 either as charging, discharging or open circuit state. Each of these modes has a different effect on the aging rate of the battery. The processor calculates the effects of each mode, based on data provided by the battery manufacturer, on the life of the product. The aging caused by each mode event is debited from a life counter that is initialised at the time of activation of the battery and battery monitor as explained above.
[0067] Each time that a Lead acid battery is discharged, and recharged, irreversible changes occur in the structure of the active components that progressively degrade the ability of the battery usefully to store electrical energy. Therefore one event which the processor 25 is configured to detect is a discharge/charge cycle of the battery.
[0068] The battery will be charged by the user after it has been discharged. Therefore, the processor is configured to detect a discharge/charge cycle of the battery when it detects that the battery 5 is being charged again after a period of non-charging. The processing means 25 determines that battery 5 is being charged when the voltage sensed by the voltage sensing means 16 is greater than a first predetermined threshold which is appreciably higher than the maximum possible open circuit voltage of the battery 5 . In this embodiment the maximum possible open circuit terminal voltage is 2.23 V per cell of the battery, making a total of 13.38 V as the battery 5 has six cells.
[0069] The first predetermined threshold is 2.3V per cell or 11.5V for a six cell battery. In general the thresholds and predetermined debit amounts discussed above may be set by reference to the battery manufacturer's reference tables or empirical data relating to the battery type with which the battery monitor is to be used. However, if the battery is defective or if it is used with fault equipment, then its performance may not reflect the expected standard given by this data. Therefore the processor 25 is configured to send an alert signal when the instantaneous voltage, detected by the monitor 10 across the terminals of the battery 5 , falls below a predetermined threshold for at least a predetermined period of time. This threshold is a low voltage, which a healthy battery would not normally fall below. For example, 70% of the maximum possible open circuit terminal voltage of the battery. In the present embodiment, which is designed for a battery having a maximum possible open terminal voltage of 2.23 V per cell, this threshold is set at 1.6 V per cell. The alert signal is generated by the processor 25 when the total amount of time which the battery has spent with a terminal voltage below this threshold is equal to or greater than 10 seconds. Other embodiments will have a different threshold or a different predetermined period of time which must be exceeded in order to generate the alert signal. The appropriate values will be determined by the battery with which the battery monitor is to be used. FIG. 7 is a graph showing terminal voltage against time for a defective battery. The alert signal is generated at point 420 when the instantaneous terminal voltage (as detected by the voltage sensor 16 ) has dropped below the threshold 410 for a total of 10 seconds. This 10 seconds is made up from 2 successive drops below the threshold 410 , the first lasting 8 seconds and the second lasting more than 2 seconds. The alert signal is then sent to a display to light an LED indicating that the battery is defective and/or liable to fail. This LED is not shown in the accompanying drawings illustrating the battery monitor display, but it can easily be added as will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art. In alternative embodiments the alert signal could be used to generate a different visual indication or even an audible alarm, so as to alert the user to the battery's status. The processor detects that the battery is no longer being charged (the end of a charge event) when the terminal voltage drops below a second predetermined threshold which is appreciably (e.g. 1%) below the maximum possible open circuit voltage of the battery. In this embodiment the second predetermined threshold is 2.2 V per cell. The first and second predetermined thresholds are set depending on the maximum possible open circuit voltage and the number of cells. They are entered into the memory 30 of the battery monitor when it is first set up. As will be clear to a person skilled in the art, the maximum possible open circuit voltage (both per cell and total) will depend on the type of battery being monitored.
[0070] When the processor detects a discharge/charge cycle event as described above it debits the life counter 35 by subtracting a predetermined amount from the value held in the life counter 35 to arrive at a new life counter value 35 reflecting the remaining life after the detected event has occurred. The predetermined amount that is subtracted is based on predetermined patterns of battery performance taken from the manufacturer's specification for the battery 5 . However, not all discharge/charge cycles result in equal degradation of the battery, therefore the debited amount depends upon the characteristics of the detected discharge/charge cycle.
[0071] The main factor that determines the amount of degradation of each cycle is the depth of discharge. The depth of discharge of the battery is a measure of how much the battery was discharged during the discharge part of the discharge/charge cycle. It can be expressed as 100%—the state of charge of the battery at the end of the discharge part of the cycle. For example if the state of charge at the end of the discharge part of the cycle is 80% then the depth of discharge is 20%.
[0072] The relationship between the depth of discharge and cycle life (i.e. number of cycles in the useful life of the battery) for a particular type of Lead acid battery is illustrated in FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a graph in which the x-axis represents the number of cycles and the y-axis represents the percentage of capacity available (measured from the battery state of charge after recharging) compared to the capacity of the battery when it was new. The line with crosses is where all the discharge cycles are to 30% depth of discharge, the line with triangles 50% depth of discharge, the line with squares 75% depth of discharge and the line with diamonds 100% depth of discharge. It can be seen that greater depths of discharge yield fewer cycles before the battery capacity is significantly reduced. Thus, if the available battery life is deemed to be up when the percentage of capacity is reduced to 60% then there is a cycle life of less than 400 cycles if the depth of discharge of the cycles is 100%, but around 1500 cycles if the depth of discharge of each cycle is only 30%.
[0073] Therefore the processor is configured to debit a predetermined amount from the life counter based on the measured depth of discharge of the detected discharge/charge cycle and predetermined patterns of battery performance such as those shown in FIG. 4 . The depth of discharge of the discharge/charge cycle is deemed to be the depth of discharge measured just before the processing means 25 detected that the battery 5 was being charged.
[0074] When a Lead acid battery is allowed to remain in a very low state of charge the degradation of the electrode plates is accelerated significantly, reducing life to a period of weeks rather than years. Therefore another event, which the processor 25 is configured to detect, is when the battery 5 is in a state of very low charge such that the battery performance will be permanently degraded (e.g. due to irreversible deterioration of active materials in the battery). The voltage level at which this occurs may depend on the particular type of battery being monitored. In the present embodiment the processor is configured to detect that the battery is in a state of ‘over discharge’ which will damage the battery when the voltage sensor measures a terminal voltage of less than 1.5V per cell of the battery (e.g. 9V if the battery has six cells, the overall voltage or number of cells of the battery being input into the memory 30 when the battery monitor is first set up). The processor monitors the amount of time which the battery 5 spends in this state of over discharge and debits (subtracts) a predetermined amount from the battery life counter 35 for each unit time (e.g. each hour) that it detects that the battery 5 is in a state of over discharge.
[0075] A common means of operating Lead Acid batteries is to attach them to a continuous DC electrical supply at a fixed voltage that will just allow sufficient current to flow into the fully charged battery to replace energy lost by spontaneous self discharge reactions. This is known as float charging. In this condition several corrosive side reactions also occur that degrade the life of the battery. Therefore, another event which the processor 25 is configured to debit from the life counter for, is when it detects that the battery is being charged.
[0076] The processor 25 is configured to detect that the monitored battery 5 is being charged as discussed above (with reference to the discharge/charge cycle). However, the debiting of life counter for charging of the battery is in addition to and independent of the debiting of the life counter each time a discharge/charge cycle is detected. The debit for charging is per unit time spent charging. The debit for a discharge/charge event is per discharge/charge event, as detected by the start of a new charging event.
[0077] The rate of degradation caused by charging is dependent both on battery temperature and charging voltage. By monitoring both these factors the device is able to derive life degradation for the specific conditions. The processor 25 records the time elapsed in the charging mode and debits the life counter by a suitable predetermined amount according to the specific conditions for each unit time elapsed in this mode.
[0078] Because the combination of components within a Lead acid battery are inherently thermodynamically unstable all Lead acid batteries have a finite life even if they are not subjected to periods of discharge and float charge. The rate of degradation is temperature dependent and by monitoring the amount of time elapsed during which the battery 5 is neither in charge, nor discharge, nor over-discharge mode the processor is able to debit the life counter 35 at a suitable rate (i.e. by a suitable predetermined amount per unit time the battery is idle and in none of the above modes). The processor detects that the battery 5 is idle when it detects that is in equilibrium (it does this by monitoring the rate of change of the voltage measured by the voltage sensor as discussed above) and that it is not charging.
[0079] The state of charge measured by the state of charge measuring apparatus 15 and the remaining available life of the battery as indicated by the life counter 35 may be stored in memory 30 , they are displayed on a display of the battery monitor or state of charge measuring apparatus. The state of charge and available remaining life may be displayed on separate displays or both on the same display (either simultaneously or alternately by way of a toggle switch or dependent on the detected mode of operation of the battery). For example the battery monitor can display the remaining available life when it detects that the battery is charging and the state of charge of the battery when the battery is not in a charging mode.
[0080] The display may have simple coloured indicators (e.g. green, amber, red lights or LEDs) to indicate the state of charge or available life. Alternatively it may use traditional analogue gauge representation, digitally displayed values, or could communicate electronically via a communication port and suitable protocol with an external device.
[0081] In general the thresholds and predetermined debit amounts discussed above may be set by reference to the battery manufacturer's reference tables or empirical data relating to the battery type with which the battery monitor is to be used. However, if the battery is defective or if it is used with fault equipment, then its performance may not reflect the expected standard given by this data. Therefore the processor 25 is configured to send an alert signal when the instantaneous voltage, detected by the monitor 10 across the terminals of the battery 5 , falls below a predetermined threshold for at least a predetermined period of time. This threshold is a low voltage, which a healthy battery would not normally fall below. For example, 70% of the maximum possible open circuit terminal voltage of the battery. In the present embodiment, which is designed for a battery having a maximum possible open terminal voltage of 2.23 V per cell, this threshold is set at 1.6 V per cell. The alert signal is generated by the processor 25 when the total amount of time which the battery has spent with a terminal voltage below this threshold is equal to or greater than 10 seconds. Other embodiments will have a different threshold or a different predetermined period of time which must be exceeded in order to generate the alert signal. The appropriate values will be determined by the battery with which the battery monitor is to be used. FIG. 7 is a graph showing terminal voltage against time for a defective battery. The alert signal is generated at point 420 when the instantaneous terminal voltage (as detected by the voltage sensor 16 ) has dropped below the threshold 410 for a total of 10 seconds. This 10 seconds is made up from 2 successive drops below the threshold 410 , the first lasting 8 seconds and the second lasting more than 2 seconds. The alert signal is then sent to a display to light an LED indicating that the battery is defective and/or liable to fail. This LED is not shown in the accompanying drawings illustrating the battery monitor display, but it can easily be added as will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art. In alternative embodiments the alert signal could be used to generate a different visual indication or even an audible alarm, so as to alert the user to the battery's status.
[0082] One suitable display will now be described and is shown in FIG. 5 . The display comprises a dual function display based on an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs). The display comprises 8 LEDs (although another number may be used; for reasons of resolution the number of LEDs will in most cases be a minimum of three and maximum of eight). The LEDs are arranged in a row. The first LED 105 is a green LED for showing full state of charge or full battery life available, the next five LEDs 110 are also green and are used to indicate progressively lower state of charge or lower amounts of remaining life. The seventh LED 115 is amber and is used to indicate very low state of charge or that the battery is close to the end of its life. The final, eighth, LED 120 in the array is red and is used to indicate a fully discharged battery (i.e. close to or at 0% state of charge) or that the end of the battery's useful life has been reached.
[0083] During discharge and open circuit periods (i.e. when the battery is not charging) the flashing of a relevant LED of the array indicates the state of charge. The duration, frequency and intensity the LED flashes may be chosen to limit discharge of the monitored battery to an acceptable level above the normal self discharge of the open circuit battery. During charging, when electrical supply is effectively unlimited, the LED array can be used to illuminate a relevant LED to indicate the state of life of the battery.
[0084] One or more of the LED units can also be used to transmit data concerning the battery 5 collected by the battery monitor 1 to a decoder and/or storage device where detailed information collated during the life of the battery can be analyzed further.
[0085] The dual information display for State of Life and State of Charge can be used to estimate the capability to perform particular discharge duties as the battery deteriorates towards the end of life. For example the State of Charge display may indicate that a particular duty cycle results in 90-100% depth of discharge of the battery. In this case it will not be possible perform this duty cycle for the full life duration indicated by the LED array. This is because the performance of the battery will fall below the initial level as indicated in FIG. 4 . In contrast a duty cycle resulting in only 50-60% depth of discharge will be supportable throughout the life indicated by the LED array.
[0086] This type of interaction between State of Charge and State of life (as represented by the life counter 35 ) is particularly useful where variable duty cycles are experienced in the battery application. For example where a battery is used to supply an electrically powered wheel chair, the available driving range will start to decrease before the battery becomes completely unserviceable. If the user only travels short distances a decision can be made delay replacement, but if a change to longer ranges is anticipated a decision can be made to purchase a new battery.
[0087] The functions of measurement, data processing and display may be carried out by way of a continuously recurring software routine embedded in the processing means 25 . FIG. 6 shows the operation of one suitable software routine. As will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, other routines would be possible. It would also be possible to have the software routine embedded on a custom made chip.
[0088] The routine starts in step 200 and progresses to step 210 where the processor 25 reads the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 20 of the monitor 10 . The processor 25 then reads the voltage across the battery's terminals as measured by the voltage sensor 16 and the rate of change of the voltage as measured by the rate of change measurer 40 of the state of charge measuring apparatus 15 in step 220 . The processor than proceeds to step 230 in which it determines whether or not the battery 5 is being charged. It determines that the battery 5 is being charged when the rate of change of the sensed terminal voltage is below a predetermined level and the measured terminal voltage is above a predetermined level corresponding to the maximum possible open circuit terminal voltage for the battery 5 . These predetermined levels are set when the battery monitor is initialised and depend on the characteristics of the battery with which it is to be used. For the battery in the present embodiment, 1.5 mV volts per minute per battery cell is a suitable predetermined threshold level for the voltage rate of change and the maximum possible open circuit voltage of the battery 5 is 2.23 V per cell of the battery.
[0089] If at step 230 the processor 25 determines that the battery 5 is being charged (on charge) then it progresses to step 240 where the life counter is debited (decremented) according to the depth of the last discharge (as described above) which is stored in memory 30 and according to the average values of the detected temperature. In other words a predetermined amount corresponding to the detected discharge/charge cycle is subtracted from the value of the life counter 35 . The new life counter value is broadcast in an information data stream to the display 200 in step 250 so that the appropriate LED is lit according to the remaining percentage of the battery's useful life as indicated by the life counter value, in step 260 .
[0090] The processor 25 then progresses to step 270 in which it updates the memory 30 to record the total amount of time that the battery 5 has spent respectively in the charge state, discharge state and the equilibrium state. This information can be read from the memory 30 and a processor 25 or output to an external unit as described below. The processor 25 then progresses from step 270 back to the start 100 of the program and the program cycle is repeated.
[0091] If at step 230 the processor 25 determines that the battery 5 is not being charged, then it progresses to step 280 in which it determines whether or not the battery 5 is in a state of equilibrium. The processor 25 determines that the battery is in a state of equilibrium if the rate of change of the measured battery terminal voltage is below a predetermined level as discussed above. If the processor 25 determines that the battery is in a state of equilibrium then it calculates the state of charge of the battery (and the corresponding depth of discharge) on the basis of the measured steady terminal voltage and with a correction according to the ambient temperature measured in step 210 . The processor carries out these calculations in step 290 of the program and updates the depth of discharge of the battery in memory 30 and also the minimum recorded voltage of the battery if the current measured terminal voltage is less than the previous lowest recorded terminal voltage.
[0092] After step 290 the processor progresses to step 300 in which it outputs the measured state of charge of the battery 5 to the display unit 100 . The appropriate LED is lit according to the measured state of charge (expressed as a percentage). If the processor at step 280 determines that the battery 5 is not in equilibrium then the measured state of charge and depth of discharge of the battery are not updated and the processor proceeds directly to step 300 in which it displays the measured state of charge of the battery (which has not been updated). From step 300 the processor 25 proceeds to step 270 in which the total amount of time which the battery has spent in charge, discharge and equilibrium states is updated in the memory 30 . The processor 25 then proceeds from step 270 back to the start of the program cycle as described above.
[0093] Another aspect of the battery monitor 1 is its data storage function, which allows the device to capture and record significant operational data relating to the battery and its environment. This information can be transmitted to an external reading device, preferably by a non-contacting method, to allow more detailed analysis of the service history of a battery. This can be used to investigate failure modes and assess the effects of design enhancements as part of continuous improvement activities. It can also be used as an integral part of a battery management system where information about each section of an electrical system can be co-ordinated to provide enhanced performance or life.
[0094] The type of information that can be logged for future display includes Charge cycle number, total charging time, total rest time, total discharge time, over-discharge time, mean depth of discharge, total operating time, maximum charging temperature, mean charging temperature, minimum voltage experienced and calculated remaining life account.
[0095] A preferred method for the communication of data is to utilise at least one of the LED components included in the array used to indicate the State of Charge and State of Life conditions. This LED is controlled by the processing chip of the device to switch on and off according to a standard digital communication code (e.g. RS485). This signal is received and decoded by an optical device for display and storage. For example an embodiment of the device uses the LED that indicates the final segment of life, which is conveniently coloured red, as the transmitting component. The meter transmits data at intervals while the battery is in charging mode, in alternation with display of the state of life of the battery.
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The electrolyte inside a lead and acid battery is inaccessible and measurements of the voltage across a battery's terminals do not necessarily give a good indication of the future performance of a battery. Furthermore, although the state of charge of a battery can be determined from measurement of the voltage across its terminals, these measurements will be misleading unless they are taken when the battery is in equilibrium. Accordingly, the present invention proposes a battery monitor which takes measurements from a battery and is configured to detect one or more types of event affecting the battery life and to subtract a predetermined amount from a life counter representing the remaining available life of the battery, each time such an event is detected. The monitor is also configured to calculate the state of charge of the battery, but only when the battery is in equilibrium.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority benefits under 35 § U.S.C. 119(e) of the U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/779,309, filed on Mar. 3, 2006.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing items upon receipt of payment, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for dispensing promotional and product items upon receipt of payment to promote sales of the product item. Even more particularly, one exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a wide neck bottle for dispensing a promotional item from a vending machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Vending machines and methods of dispensing product items from vending machines are well-known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,948,416 and 4,702,392 disclose vending machines, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,445,287 and 5,505,332 disclose methods of dispensing product items from vending machines.
[0004] Also known are apparatuses and methods for dispensing promotional items from vending machines. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,612 discloses a dispensable promotional item for a vending machine (herein incorporated by reference). The disclosed apparatus provides a means by which a promotional item, such as a T-shirt bearing a logo of the product, may be dispensed from a vending machine upon one's intended purchase of an actual product from the vending machine. The apparatus further encloses enough money so that an actual product item can be purchased from the vending machine after receipt of the promotional item.
[0005] In the prior art apparatus, the money is generally inserted into the container at the time of packaging the promotional item. This presents a problem when the promotional items are likely to be distributed to vending machines having different product prices or accepting different currencies. Therefore, the promotional items generally must be separately packaged and/or repackaged for each specific market. As such, the cost benefit of manufacturing such products in bulk overseas is diminished by requiring additional labor upon receipt.
[0006] What is desired, therefore, is a promotional item assembly to which money and/or coupons can be easily inserted after the promotional item is delivered to a promotional item distributor or the vending machine site.
[0007] What is further desired is a promotional item assembly requiring a minimal labor to implement at the vending machine site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensable promotional item assembly or container including a means to facilitate the addition of currency or small promotional items after the promotional item is packaged. Such currency may then be added by a promotional item distributor and shipped nationwide, or added at the particular vending sites.
[0009] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a promotional item container that is substantially similar in size to each of the particular product items (e.g., beverage bottles, cans, snack bags, etc.) with which it is dispensed. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a promotional item container in the shape of a bottle including a wide neck and slotted cap to facilitate the addition of currency or small promotional items.
[0010] Further objects of the present invention include providing a promotional item container that enables the amount of a currency refund (e.g., to be included in the promotional item) to be determined locally before being loaded into a particular vending machine. Further, the present invention allows for local promotional items (e.g., sporting event tickets, movie tickets, concert tickets, coupons, etc) to be added to the bottle prior to vending and/or prior to unpacking the wide neck bottles.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide promotional item assemblies or containers to which items such as currency may easily be added without removing the assemblies from the cartons in which they are shipped and thus reduce or eliminate the need for double-handling.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for Governments to promote the introduction of new currency to commercial commerce, such as U.S. dollar coins.
[0013] These and other objectives are achieved by providing a wide neck bottle for dispensing promotional items including a housing having a top section and a bottom section defining an interior cavity for receiving at least one promotional item, a securing element for removably securing the top section to the bottom section, a neck comprised in the top section including a substantially circular opening, and a cap removably connected to the neck and at least partially covering the opening, the cap including an elongated slot for inserting currency to the interior cavity via the neck, the elongated slot having a length greater than 24 millimeters.
[0014] Other objects are achieved by the provision of a container for dispensing promotional items including a housing for receiving at least one promotional item, the housing including a first section and a second section, a securing element for removably securing the first section to the second section, a neck defined by at least one of the first and second sections and including a substantially circular opening having a interior diameter greater than 24 millimeters, and a receiving element removably connected to the neck and at least partially covering the opening, the receiving element including an elongated slot.
[0015] Further provided is an apparatus for dispensing promotional and product item bottles including a payment receipt mechanism, a storage compartment, and a dispensing opening for dispensing bottles from the storage compartment upon receipt of a predetermined payment amount by the payment receipt mechanism, a plurality of product bottles stacked upon one another and stored for dispensing in the storage compartment, each of the product bottles having a predetermined size and shape, at least one wide neck bottle for dispensing a promotional item stored in the storage compartment among the product bottles, the at least one wide neck bottle having substantially the same predetermined size and shape of the product bottles, wherein the at least one wide neck bottle includes a housing having a top section and a bottom section defining an interior cavity housing at least one promotional item, a securing element for removably securing the top section to the bottom section, a neck included in the top section including a substantially circular opening, the neck having an interior diameter greater than an interior diameter of a neck of each of the product bottles, and a cap removably connected to the neck and at least partially covering the opening, the cap including an elongated slot for inserting currency to the interior cavity via the neck.
[0016] Other objects of the invention and its particular features and advantages will become more apparent from consideration of the following drawings and accompanying detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for dispensing promotional and product item bottles in accordance with the invention, where a cutaway portion reveals a stack of promotional and product item bottles;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a promotional item assembly in accordance with the invention;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective, exploded view of two pieces of container of the promotional item assembly shown in FIG. 2 and a promotional item;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the promotional item assembly of FIG. 2 with a product label being secured thereon;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the promotional item assembly of FIG. 2 with money being inserted; and
[0022] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a container of product items and promotional item assemblies in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of an apparatus 10 for dispensing promotional and product items in accordance with the invention, which includes an item dispensing machine 20 . The item dispensing machine 20 includes a machine housing 22 , a payment receipt mechanism 24 , an item selection panel 26 , an item dispensing outlet 28 , and a storage compartment 30 . The item dispensing machine 20 also includes a front housing member 32 which is preferably pivotally attached to the housing 22 to provide access to the interior of the item dispensing machine 20 .
[0024] The storage compartment 30 is shown storing promotional item assemblies 40 as well as product items 50 . The general size and the shape of the promotional item assembly 40 and the product item 50 are preferably substantially the same. This permits storage of the promotional item assemblies 40 and the product items 50 in the same storage compartment 30 . Furthermore, because of the substantial similarity in size and shape of the promotional item assemblies 40 and the product items 50 , they may be positioned in the storage compartment 30 and/or dispensed in any order and arrangement. In the exemplary embodiment, the promotional item assemblies 40 and product items 50 are shaped as bottles. However in other embodiments, the product items 50 and/or promotional item assemblies 40 are cans and/or snack bags. For example, in some embodiments the promotional item assembly 40 is a snack bag containing a promotional item and including a receiving element and/or slot for receiving currency between two layers or seals of the bag.
[0025] In FIG. 1 , the item dispensing machine 20 is illustrated as a soft drink vending machine (and particular type thereof). Accordingly, the product items 50 in the illustrated embodiment are soda containers, shown as bottles of soda. The exemplary product items 50 may of course likewise contain water, juice or any beverage. It should also be noted that the depiction of the item dispensing machine 20 as a soft drink or soda vending machine is for illustrative purposes only. In some embodiments, the item dispensing machine 20 is a snack dispensing machine containing a plurality of snack bag product items and promotional item assemblies. Further, it should be understood that the dispensing machine 20 may alternatively be any other type of vending machine, now known or later developed. For example, the dispensing machine 20 may be a glass front machine in which the product items 50 and promotional item assemblies 40 need not be stack upon one another.
[0026] The operation of the apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 is as follows. The storage compartment 30 of the item dispensing machine 20 is loaded with both promotional 40 and product 50 item bottles via the front housing member 32 . The number and arrangement of the promotional item assemblies 40 loaded in the storage compartment 30 are determined by a person loading the items 40 , 50 . Preferably, this determination is based upon whatever number and arrangement of the promotional items assemblies 40 as shown by experiment will most increase the sales of the product items 50 . Usually the promotional item assemblies 40 are placed randomly. The ratio of product to promotional item may vary, but a ratio between 100 to 1 and 5 to 1 provides adequate incentive for the purchaser.
[0027] When a purchaser inputs the purchase price into the payment receipt mechanism 24 and makes a selection from the item selection panel 26 , the next item 40 , 50 in position for dispensing is dispensed to the item dispensing outlet 28 . This dispensed item may be either the product item 50 or the promotional item assembly 40 . If the item dispensed is the promotional item assembly 40 , the purchaser not only receives a free item but is also provided with money (e.g., and/or coupons) with which to purchase the product item 50 (discussed in more detail below).
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 2 , there is shown the exemplary promotional item assembly 40 of FIG. 1 . The promotional item assembly 40 has an exterior shape and size substantially similar to that of the product items 50 . It should be noted that, as one will however understand from reading this specification, the shape and size is not identically similar in some embodiments because a neck portion of the assembly or bottle 40 may be different than that of the product item 50 . The promotional item assembly 40 includes a substantially cylindrical container 200 . The container 200 (e.g., housing) is preferably manufactured of a plastic material and may be comprised of two sections such as a top section 210 and a bottom section 220 as shown in FIG. 3 , or two vertical side sections.
[0029] In the exemplary embodiment the top section 210 includes an opening (e.g., substantially circular opening) such as a neck 230 . The neck 230 and/or opening is generally wider than a neck of a product item 50 . Preferably the neck 230 is at least as wide as necessary to easily accept a U.S. quarter (at least 24.26 mm). However, the neck 230 may wider if necessary to accept larger U.S. and/or foreign currency. Further included is a receiving element, or cap 240 . The cap 240 is wider than a cap of a typical product item 50 . The cap 240 is preferably a screw on cap. The cap 240 includes an access slot 242 for accepting the coins and/or promotional items. The slot 242 preferably has a length of at least 24.26 mm and a width of at least 1.75 mm. However, the slot 242 may be any size, e.g., to accommodate any number of particular coins or items. In some embodiments, the slot 242 has a particular size for receiving U.S. one dollar coins. The cap 240 may further include a removable seal (e.g., tape) over the slot 242 to prevent the added coins or promotional items from escaping.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 2 , the promotional item assembly 40 may further include a label 250 . In some embodiments, the label 250 provides a means to secure the top section 210 to the bottom section 220 . In some embodiments, the label 250 may cover substantially all of the promotional item assembly 40 . For example, for use in a glass front vending machine, a promotional item assembly 40 may include a label 250 or skin (e.g., under a second label) which provides the appearance of liquid in the assembly or otherwise masks the promotional item (e.g., 260 ). Therefore, such a label 250 sufficiently disguises the promotional item assembly 40 to one viewing the product items 50 and promotional item assemblies via a glass front vending machine.
[0031] Further included in the promotional item assembly 40 is at least one promotional item 260 . The promotional item 260 can be any prize or product capable of being stored in the container 200 . For example, the promotional item 260 may be a compressed fabric article bearing the logo and/or the trademark associated with the product item 50 (e.g., a T-shirt, towel, hat, boxer shorts, apron, smock, socks, underwear or visor). The promotional item 260 may further be a gift certificate and/or tickets (e.g., to a show or sporting event). In some embodiments, the promotional item 260 may also be a mobile telephone.
[0032] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the two pieces of the container 200 of the promotional item assembly 40 . Preferably, the container 200 includes a radial cut through its mid-section or vertically such that the promotional item 260 may be easily placed within one of the two sections 210 / 220 . The promotional item assembly 40 may then be assembled by placing the top section 210 onto the bottom section 220 . In some embodiments, the top section 210 and bottom section 220 interlock via a locking mechanism. For example, one or both of the sections may include a threads and/or a notch for screwing or joining the sections together. In some other embodiments, the top section 210 and bottom section 220 are secured together primarily via the label 250 (as shown in FIG. 4 ). In some other embodiments, the top section 210 and bottom section 220 are secured via a transparent shrink-wrap or tape around the container 200 . It should be noted that the container 200 need not be split top to bottom and, in some embodiments, the container includes a vertical split between two sides of the container 200 .
[0033] Directions for opening the promotional item may also be included on the label 250 . The label 250 , shrink-wrap or other means for securing the two sections may include a separate tear strip or other means for accommodating the removal of the securing means by a consumer.
[0034] FIG. 5 shows the promotional item assembly 40 with money 270 being inserted. Preferably each promotional item assembly 40 includes (by the time is it loaded into a dispensing machine) currency equivalent to the purchase price for the product item 50 . The money 270 need not take the form of cash or coins, but may, for example, take the form of a redeemable coupon or token representing the preselected amount. The money 270 may be used to purchase the product after the promotional item assembly 40 .
[0035] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary container 300 of product items and/or promotional item assemblies (e.g., 240 ) according to the present invention. The container 300 may be any container used for transporting any promotional item assemblies 40 from a manufacturer to a promotional item distributor and/or vending site. The containers 300 may also be used for transporting both product items and promotional items to a distributor and/or vending machine site. Preferably the promotional item assemblies 40 are stacked only one level high and situated such that money (and/or promotional items) may be easily added to one or more promotional item assemblies without having to remove any one of them from the container 300 . Therefore, money 270 may easily be inserted at any desired time and/or location. For example, a distributor of promotional items may receive the containers 300 (e.g., from an overseas manufacturer), insert currency or coupons via the slot of each assembly 40 with minimal labor and time, and drop ship the containers 300 to vending machine locations nationwide.
[0036] The promotional item assembly 240 is designed such that it will not collapse when stacked beneath product items 50 in the apparatus 10 . In one embodiment, the promotional item 260 substantially fills the width of the container 200 to prevent the container 200 from collapsing. In another embodiment, the top and bottom sections 210 / 220 are designed with a wall thickness sufficient to resist collapse regardless of the support provided by the promotional item 260 . As one of ordinary skill in the art will understand, some embodiments of the promotional item 40 are preferably of a sufficient weight to allow it to be dispensable from any vending machine (e.g., requiring an item to actuate an aperture or door in order to dispense).
[0037] It is to be understood that although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein in detail, such description is for purposes of illustration only and modifications may be made thereto by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention.
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A wide neck bottle for dispensing promotional items including a housing including a top section and a bottom section defining an interior cavity for receiving at least one promotional item, a securing element for removably securing the top section to the bottom section, a neck included in the top section including a substantially circular opening, and a cap removably connected to the neck and at least partially covering the opening, the cap including an elongated slot for inserting currency to the interior cavity via the neck, the elongated slot having a length greater than 24 millimeters.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/677,660, which entered the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 on Mar. 11, 2010. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/677,660 is a national-stage filing of PCT/GB2008/050951, filed Oct. 17, 2008. PCT/GB2008/050951 claims priority to GB 0720421.7, filed Oct. 19, 2007. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/677,660, PCT/GB2008/050951, and GB 0720421.7 are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of completing a well and also to one or more devices for use downhole and more particularly but not exclusively relates to a substantially interventionless method for completing an oil and gas wellbore with a production tubing string and a completion without requiring intervention equipment such as slick line systems to set downhole tools to install the completion.
2. History of the Related Art
Conventionally, as is well known in the art, oil and gas wellbores are drilled in the land surface or subsea surface with a drill bit on the end of a drillstring. The drilled borehole is then lined with a casing string (and more often than not a liner string which hangs off the bottom of the casing string). The casing and liner string if present are cemented into the wellbore and act to stabilise the wellbore and prevent it from collapsing in on itself.
Thereafter, a further string of tubulars is inserted into the cased wellbore, the further string of tubulars being known as the production tubing string having a completion on its lower end. The completion/production string is required for a number of reasons including protecting the casing string from corrosion/abrasion caused by the produced fluids and also for safety and is used to carry the produced hydrocarbons from the production zone up to the surface of the wellbore.
Conventionally, the completion/production string is run into the cased borehole where the completion/production string includes various completion tools such as:—
a barrier which may be in the form of a flapper valve or the like; a packer which can be used to seal the annulus at its location between the outer surface of the completion string and the inner surface of the casing in order to ensure that the produced fluids all flow into the production tubing; and a circulation sleeve valve used to selectively circulate fluid from out of the throughbore of the production tubing and into the annulus between the production string and the inner surface of the casing string in order to for example flush kill fluids up the annulus and out of the wellbore.
It is known to selectively activate the various completion tools downhole in order to set the completion in the cased wellbore by one of two main methods. Firstly, the operator of the wellbore can use intervention equipment such as tools run into the production tubing on slickline that can be used to set e.g. the barrier, the packer or the circulation sleeve valve. However, such intervention equipment is expensive as an intervention rig is required and there are also a limited number of intervention rigs and also personnel to operate the rigs and so significant delays and costs can be experienced in setting a completion.
Alternatively, the completion/production string can be run into the cased wellbore with for example electrical cables that run from the various tools up the outside of the production string to the surface such that power and control signals can be run down the cables. However, the cables are complicated to fit to the outside of the production string because they must be securely strapped to the outside of the string and also must pass over the joints between each of the individual production tubulars by means of cable protectors which are expensive and timely to fit.
Furthermore, it is not unknown for the cables to be damaged as they are run into the wellbore which means that the production tubing must be pulled out of the cased wellbore and further delays and expense are experienced.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to obviate the requirement for either cables run from the downhole completion up to the surface and also the need for intervention to be able to set the various completion tools.
SUMMARY
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is a completion apparatus for completing a wellbore comprising:—
a) a tool to alternatively open and close a throughbore of the completion; b) a tool to alternatively open and close an annulus defined between the outer surface of the completion and the Inner surface of the wellbore; c) a tool to alternatively provide and prevent a fluid circulation route through a sidewall of the completion from the throughbore of the completion to the said annulus; d) a signal processing tool capable of decoding signals received relating to the operation of tools a) to c); and e) a tool comprising a powered actuation mechanism capable of operating tools a) to c) under instruction from tool d).
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is a method of completing a wellbore comprising the steps of:—
i) running in a completion comprising a plurality of production tubulars and one or more downhole completion tools, the completion tools comprising:—
a) a means to alternatively open and close a throughbore of the completion;
b) a means to alternatively open and close an annulus defined between the outer surface of the completion and the inner surface of the wellbore;
c) a means to alternatively provide and prevent a fluid circulation route through a sidewall of the completion from the throughbore of the completion to the said annulus;
d) a signal processing means capable of decoding signals received relating to operation of tools a) to c); and
e) a tool comprising a powered actuation mechanism capable of operating tools a) to c) under instruction from tool d);
ii) wherein tool d) instructs tool e) to operate tool a) to close the throughbore of the completion;
iii) increasing the pressure within the fluid in the tubing to pressure test the completion;
iv) wherein tool d) instructs tool e) to operate tool b) to close the said annulus;
v) wherein tool d) instructs tool e) to operate tool c) to provide said fluid circulation route such that fluid can be circulated through the production tubing and out into the annulus and back to surface;
vi) wherein tool d) instructs tool e) to operate tool c) to prevent the said fluid circulation route; and
vii) wherein tool d) instructs tool e) to operate tool a) to open the throughbore of the completion.
Preferably, tool d) may further comprise at least one signal receiving means capable of receiving signals sent from the surface, said signals being input into the signal processing means and said signals preferably being transmitted from surface without requiring intervention into the completion and without requiring cables to transmit power and signals from surface to the completion and further preferably comprises transmitting data wirelessly and more preferably comprises either or both of:—
coding a means to carry data at the surface with the signal, introducing the means to carry data into the fluid path such that it flows toward and through at least a portion of the completion such that the signal is received by the said signal receiving means and most preferably the means to carry data comprises an RFID tag; and/or sending the signal via a change in the pressure of fluid contained within the throughbore of the completion and more preferably comprises sending the signal via a predetermined frequency of changes in the pressure of fluid contained within the throughbore of the completion such that a second signal receiving means detects said signal and typically further comprises verifying that tool b) has been operated to close the said annulus.
Additionally or optionally tool d) may comprise a timed instruction storage means provided with a series of instructions and associated operational timings for instructing tool e) to operate tools a) to c) wherein the method further comprises storing the instructions in the storage means at surface prior to running the completion into the wellbore.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is a method of completing a wellbore comprising the steps of:—
i) running in a completion comprising a plurality of production tubulars and one or more downhole completion tools, the completion tools comprising:—
a) a means to alternatively open and close a throughbore of the completion;
b) a means to alternatively open and close an annulus defined between the outer surface of the completion and the inner surface of the wellbore; and
c) a means to alternatively provide and prevent a fluid circulation route from the throughbore of the completion to the said annulus; and
d) at least one signal receiver means and a signal processing means;
ii) transmitting a signal arranged to be received by at least one of the signal receiver means of tool d) wherein the signal contains an instruction to operate tool a) to close the throughbore of the completion;
iii) increasing the pressure within the fluid in the tubing to pressure test the completion;
iv) transmitting a signal arranged to be received by at least one of the signal receiver means of tool d) wherein the signal contains an instruction to operate tool b) to close the said annulus;
v) transmitting a signal arranged to be received by at least one of the signal receiver means of tool d) wherein the signal contains an instruction to operate tool c) to provide a fluid circulation route from the throughbore of the completion to the said annulus and circulating fluid through the production tubing and out into the annulus and back to surface;
vi) transmitting a signal arranged to be received by at least one of the signal receiver means of tool d) wherein the signal contains an instruction to operate tool c) to prevent the fluid circulation route from the throughbore of the completion to the said annulus such that fluid is prevented from circulating; and
vii) transmitting a signal arranged to be received by at least one of the signal receiver means of tool d) wherein the signal contains an instruction to operate tool a) to open the throughbore of the completion.
Preferably, the completion tools of the method according to the second aspect further comprise e) a tool comprising a powered actuation mechanism capable of operating tools a) to c) under instruction from tool d).
Typically, the production tubulars form a string of production tubulars. Typically, the method relates to completing a cased wellbore, and the apparatus is for completing a cased wellbore.
Preferably, step ii) further comprises transmitting the signal without requiring intervention into the completion and without requiring cables to transmit power and signals from surface to the completion and further preferably comprises transmitting data wirelessly and more preferably comprises coding a means to carry data at the surface with the signal, introducing the means to carry data into the fluid path such that it flows toward and through at least a portion of the completion such that the signal is received by the said signal receiver means of tool d) and most preferably the means to carry data comprises an RFID tag.
Preferably step iii) further comprises increasing the pressure within the fluid in the tubing to pressure test the completion by increasing the pressure of fluid at the surface of the well in communication with fluid in the throughbore of the completion above the closed tool a).
Preferably step iv) further comprises transmitting the signal without requiring intervention into the completion and without requiring cables to transmit power and signals from surface to the completion and further preferably comprises transmitting data wirelessly and more preferably comprises sending the signal via a change in the pressure of fluid contained within the throughbore of the completion and most preferably comprises sending the signal via a predetermined frequency of changes in the pressure of fluid contained within the throughbore of the completion such that a second signal receiving means of tool d) detects said signal and typically further comprises verifying that tool b) has operated to close the said annulus.
Preferably step v) further comprises transmitting the signal without requiring intervention into the completion and without requiring cables to transmit power and signals from surface to the completion and further preferably comprises transmitting data wirelessly and more preferably comprises sending the signal via a change in the pressure of fluid contained within the throughbore of the completion and most preferably comprises sending the signal via a different predetermined frequency of changes in the pressure of fluid contained within the throughbore of the completion compared to the frequency of step iv) such that the second signal receiving means of tool d) detects said signal and acts to operate tool c) to provide a fluid circulation route from the throughbore of the completion to the said annulus.
Preferably step vi) further comprises transmitting the signal without requiring intervention into the completion and without requiring cables to transmit power and signals from surface to the completion and further preferably comprises transmitting data wirelessly and more preferably comprises coding a means to carry data at the surface with the signal, introducing the means to carry data into the fluid path such that it flows toward and through at least a portion of the completion such that the signal is received by the said first signal receiver means of tool d) and most preferably the means to carry data comprises an RFID tag.
Preferably step vii) further comprises transmitting the signal without requiring intervention into the completion and without requiring cables to transmit power and signals from surface to the completion and further preferably comprises transmitting data wirelessly and more preferably comprises sending the signal via a change in the pressure of fluid contained within the throughbore of the completion and most preferably comprises sending the signal via a different predetermined frequency of changes in the pressure of fluid contained within the throughbore of the completion compared to the frequency of steps iv) and v) such that the second signal receiving means of tool d) detects said signal and acts to operate tool a) to open the throughbore of the completion.
Preferably, tool c) is located, within the production string, closer to the surface of the well than either of tool a) and tool b).
Typically, tool c) is run into the well in a closed configuration such that fluid cannot flow from the throughbore of the completion to the said annulus via side ports formed in tool c). Typically, tool c) comprises a circulation sub.
Typically, tool a) is run into the well in an open configuration such that fluid can flow through the throughbore of the completion without being impeded or prevented by tool a). Typically, tool a) comprises a valve which may comprise a ball valve or flapper valve.
Typically, tool b) is run into the wellbore in an unset configuration such that the annulus is not closed by it during running in and typically, tool b) comprises a packer or the like.
Preferably, the at least one signal receiving means capable of receiving signals sent from the surface of tool d) comprises an RFID tag receiving coil and the second signal receiving means of tool d) preferably comprises a pressure sensor.
Preferably, tool d) and e) can be formed in one tool having multiple features and preferably tool e) comprises an electrical power means which may comprise an electrical power storage means in the form of one or more batteries, and tool e) further preferably comprises an electrical motor driven by the batteries that can provide motive power to operate, either directly or indirectly, tools a) to c). Typically, tool e) preferably comprises an electrical motor driven by the batteries to move a piston to provide hydraulic fluid power to operate tools a) to c).
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a downhole needle valve tool comprising:—
an electric motor having a rotational output; an obturating member for obturating a fluid pathway; wherein the obturating member is rotationally coupled to the rotational output of the electric motor; and wherein rotation of the obturating member results in axial movement of the obturating member relative to the electric motor and the fluid pathway such that rotation of the obturating member in one direction results in movement of the obturating member into sealing engagement with the fluid pathway and rotation of the obturating member in the other direction results in movement of the obturating member out of sealing engagement with the fluid pathway.
Preferably, the obturating member comprises a needle member and the fluid pathway comprises a seat into which the needle may be selectively inserted in order to seal the fluid pathway and thereby selectively allow and prevent fluid to flow along the fluid pathway.
Preferably, the needle valve tool is used to allow for selective energisation of a downhole sealing member, typically with a downhole fluid and piston, and more preferably the downhole sealing member is a packer tool and the downhole fluid is fluid from the throughbore of a completion/production tubing. Alternatively, the packer could be hydraulically set by pressure from a downhole pump tool operated by tool e) of the first aspect or by an independent pressure source.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:—
FIG. 1 is a schematic overview of a completion in accordance with the present invention having just been run into a cased well;
FIG. 2 is a schematic overview of the completion tools in accordance with the present invention as shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a further schematic overview of the completion tools of FIG. 2 showing a simplified hydraulic fluid arrangement;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a downhole device according to the second aspect of the invention;
FIGS. 5-7 are detailed sectional consecutive views of the device shown in FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 8 is a view on section A-A shown in FIG. 5 ; and
FIG. 9 is a view on section B-B shown in FIG. 7 .
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a motorised downhole needle valve tool used to operate the packer of FIGS. 1-3 ;
FIG. 11 is a schematic representation of a pressure signature detector for use with the present invention;
FIG. 12 is the actual pressure sensed at the downhole tool in the well fluid of signals applied at surface to downhole fluid in accordance with the method of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a graph of the pressure versus time of the well fluid after the pressure has been output from a high pass filter of FIG. 11 and is representative of the pressure that is delivered to the software in the microprocessor as shown in FIG. 11 ;
FIG. 14 is a flow chart of the main decisions made by the software of the pressure signature detector of FIG. 11 ; and
FIG. 15 is a graph of pressure versus time showing two peaks as seen and counted by the software within the microprocessor of FIG. 11 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A production string 3 made up of a number (which could be hundreds) of production tubulars having screw threaded connections is shown with a completion 4 at its lower end in FIG. 1 where the production tubing string 3 and completion 4 have just been run into a cased well 1 . In order to complete the oil and gas production well such that production of hydrocarbons can commence, the completion 4 needs to be set into the well.
In accordance with the present invention, the completion 4 comprises a wireless remote control central power unit 9 provided at its upper end with a circulation sleeve sub 11 located next in line vertically below the central power unit 9 . A packer 13 is located immediately below the circulation sleeve sub 11 and a barrier 15 , which may be in the form of a valve such as a ball valve but which is preferably a flapper valve 15 , is located immediately below the packer 13 . Importantly, the circulation sleeve sub 11 is located above the packer 13 and the barrier 15 .
A control means 9 A, 9 B, 9 C is shown schematically in FIG. 2 in dotted lines as leading from the wireless remote control central power unit 9 to each of the circulation sleeve sub 11 , packer 13 and barrier 15 where the control means may be in the form of electrical cables, but as will be described subsequently is preferably in the form of a conduit capable of transmitting hydraulic fluid.
As shown in FIG. 1 and as is common in the art, there is an annulus 5 defined between the outer circumference of the completion 4 /production string 3 and the inner surface of the cased wellbore 1 .
In order to safely install the completion 4 in the cased wellbore 1 , the following sequence of events are observed.
The completion 4 is run into the cased wellbore 1 with the flapper valve 15 in the open configuration, that is with the flapper 15 F not obturating the throughbore 40 such that fluid can flow in the throughbore 40 . Furthermore, the packer 13 is run into the cased wellbore 1 in the unset configuration which means that it is clear of the casing 1 and does not try to obturate the annulus 5 as it is being run in. Additionally, the circulation sleeve sub 11 is run in the closed configuration which means that the apertures 26 (which are formed through the side wall of the circulation sleeve sub 11 ) are closed by a sliding sleeve 100 provided on the inner bore of the circulation sleeve sub 11 as will be described subsequently and thus the apertures 26 are closed such that fluid cannot flow through them and therefore the fluid must flow all the way through the throughbore 40 of the completion 4 and production string 3 .
An interventionless method of setting the completion 4 in the cased wellbore 1 will now be described in general with a specific detailed description of the main individual tools following subsequently. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that an interventionless method of setting a completion provides many advantages to industry because it means that the completion does not need to be set by running in setting tools on slick line or running the completion into the wellbore with electric power/data cables running all the way up the side of the completion and production string.
The wireless remote control central power unit 9 will be described in more detail subsequently, but in general comprises (as shown in FIG. 3 ):—
an RFID tag detector 62 in the form of an antenna 62 and which provides a first means to detect signals sent from the surface (which are coded on to RFID tags at the surface by the operator and then dropped into the well); a pressure signature detector 150 which can be used to detect peaks in fluid pressure in the completion tubing throughbore 40 (where the pressure peaks are applied at the surface by the operator and are transmitted down the fluid contained within the throughbore 40 and therefore provide a second means for the operator to send signals to the central power unit 9 ); a battery pack 66 which provides all the power requirements to the central power unit 9 ; an electronics package 67 which has been coded at the surface by the operator with the instructions on which tools 11 , 13 , 15 to operate depending upon which signals are received by one of the two receivers 62 , 150 ; a first electrical motor and hydraulic pump combination 17 which, when operated, will control the opening or closing of the sleeve 100 of the circulation sleeve sub 11 ; a motorised downhole needle valve tool 19 (which could well actually form part of the packer 13 and therefore be housed within the packer instead of forming part of and being housed within the central power unit 9 ); and a second electric motor and hydraulic pump combination 21 which has two hydraulic fluid outlets 21 A, 21 B which are respectively used to provide hydraulic pressure to a first hydraulic chamber 21 U within the fall through flapper 15 and which is arranged to rotate the flapper valve 15 upwards when hydraulic fluid is pumped into the chamber 21 U in order to open the throughbore 40 and a second hydraulic fluid chamber 21 D also located within the fall through flapper 15 and which is arranged to move the flapper down in order to close the throughbore 40 when required.
In general, the completion 4 is set into the cased wellbore 1 by following this sequence of steps:—
a) the completion 4 is run into the cased hole with the flapper 15 in the open configuration such that the throughbore 40 is open, the circulation sleeve sub 11 is in the closed configuration such that the apertures 26 are closed and the packer 13 is in the unset configuration;
b) in order to be able to subsequently pressure test the completion tubing (see step C below) the flapper valve 15 must be closed. This is achieved by inserting an RFID tag into fluid at the surface of the wellbore and which is pumped down through the throughbore 40 of the production string 3 and completion 4 . The RFID tag is coded at the surface with an instruction to tell the central power unit 9 to close the fall through flapper 15 . The RFID detector 62 detects the RFID tag as it passes through the central power unit 9 and the electronic package 67 decodes the signal detected by the antenna 62 as an instruction to close the flapper valve 15 . This results in the electronics package 67 (powered by the battery pack 66 ) instructing the second electric motor plus hydraulic pump combination 21 to pump hydraulic fluid through conduit 21 B into the chamber 21 D which results in closure of the fall through flapper valve 15 ;
c) a tubing pressure test is then typically conducted to check the integrity of the production tubing 3 as there could be many hundreds of joints of tubing screwed together to form the production tubing string 3 . The pressure test is conducted by increasing the pressure of the fluid at surface in communication with the fluid contained in the throughbore 40 of the production string 3 and completion 4 ;
d) assuming the tubing pressure test is successful, the next stage is to set the packer 13 but because the flapper valve 15 is now closed it would be unreliable to rely on dropping an RFID tag down the production tubing fluid because there is no flow through the fluid and the operator would need to rely on gravity alone which would be very unreliable. Instead, a pressure signature detector 150 is used to sense increases in pressure of the production fluid within the throughbore 40 as will be subsequently described. Accordingly, the operator sends the required predetermined signal in the form of two or more pre-determined pressure pulses sent within a predetermined frequency which when concluded is sensed by the pressure signature detector 150 and is decoded by the electronics package 67 which results in the operation of the motorised downhole needle valve tool 19 (as will be detailed subsequently) to open a conduit between a packing setting chamber 13 P and the throughbore of the production tubing 3 to allow production tubing fluid to enter the packing setting chamber 13 P to inflate the packer. The setting of the packer 13 can be tested in the usual way; that is by increasing the pressure in the annulus at surface to confirm the packer 13 holds the pressure;
e) It is important to remove the heavy kill fluids which are located in the production tubing above the packer 13 . This is done by sending a second signal of two or more pre-determined pressure peaks sent within a different predetermined frequency which when concluded is sensed by the pressure signature detector 150 and is decoded by the electronics package 67 as an instruction to open the circulation sleeve sub 11 . Accordingly, the electronics package 67 instructs the first electric motor and hydraulic pump combination 17 to move the sleeve 100 in the required direction to uncover the apertures 26 . Accordingly, circulation fluid such as a brine or diesel can be pumped down the production string 3 , through the throughbore 40 , out of the apertures 26 and back up the annulus 5 to the surface where the heavy kill fluids can be recovered;
f) an RFID tag is then coded at surface with the pre-determined instruction to close the circulation sleeve sub 11 and the RFID tag is introduced into the circulation fluid flow path down the throughbore 40 . The RFID detector 62 will detect the signal carried on the coded RFID tag and this is decoded by the electronics package 67 which will instruct the electric motor and hydraulic pump combination 17 to move the circulation sleeve 100 in the opposite direction to the direction it was moved in step e) above such that the apertures 26 are covered up again and sealed and thus the circulation fluid flow path is stopped; and
g) the final step in the method of setting the completion is to open the flapper valve 15 and this is done by using a third signal of two or more pre-determined pressure peaks sent within a different predetermined frequency which travels down the static fluid contained in the throughbore 40 such that it is detected by the pressure signature detector 150 and the signal is decoded by the electronics package 67 to operate the electric motor and hydraulic pump combination 21 to pump hydraulic fluid down the conduit 21 a and into the hydraulic chamber 21 u which moves the flapper to open the throughbore 40 .
The well has now been completed with the completion 4 being set and, provided all other equipment is ready, the hydrocarbons or produced fluids can be allowed to flow from the hydrocarbon reservoir up through the throughbore 40 in the completion 4 and the production tubing string 3 to the surface whenever desired.
The key completion tools will now be described in detail.
The central power unit 9 is shown in FIGS. 4 to 9 as being largely formed in one tool housing along with the circulation sleeve sub 11 where the central power unit 9 is mainly housed within a top sub 46 and a middle sub 56 and the circulation sleeve sub 11 is mainly housed within a bottom sub 96 , each of which comprise a substantially cylindrical hollow body. In this embodiment, the packer 13 and the flapper valve 15 could each be similarly provided with their own respective central power units (not shown), each of which are provided with their own distinct codes for operation. However, an alternative embodiment could utilise one central power unit 9 as shown in detail in FIGS. 4 to 9 but modified with separate hydraulic conduits leading to the respective tools 11 , 13 , 15 as generally shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 .
The wireless remote controlled central power unit 9 (shown in FIGS. 4 to 9 ) has pin ends 44 e enabling connection with a length of adjacent production tubing or pipe 42 .
When connected in series for use, the hollow bodies of the top sub 46 , middle sub 56 and bottom sub 96 define a continuous throughbore 40 .
As shown in FIG. 5 , the top sub 46 and the middle sub 56 are secured by a threaded pin and box connection 50 . The threaded connection 50 is sealed by an O-ring seal 49 accommodated in an annular groove 48 on an inner surface of the box connection of the top sub 46 . Similarly, the top sub 96 of the circulation sleeve sub 11 and the middle sub 56 of the central control unit 9 are joined by a threaded connection 90 (shown in FIG. 7 ).
An inner surface of the middle sub 56 is provided with an annular recess 60 that creates an enlarged bore portion in which an antenna 62 is accommodated co-axial with the middle sub 56 . The antenna 62 itself is cylindrical and has a bore extending longitudinally therethrough. The inner surface of the antenna 62 is flush with an inner surface of the adjacent middle sub 56 so that there is no restriction in the throughbore 40 in the region of the antenna 62 . The antenna 62 comprises an inner liner and a coiled conductor in the form of a length of copper wire that is concentrically wound around the inner liner in a helical coaxial manner. Insulating material separates the coiled conductor from the recessed bore of the middle sub 56 in the radial direction. The liner and insulating material is typically formed from a non-magnetic and non-conductive material such as fibreglass, moulded rubber or the like. The antenna 62 is formed such that the insulating material and coiled conductor are sealed from the outer environment and the throughbore 40 . The antenna 62 is typically in the region of 10 meters or less in length.
Two substantially cylindrical tubes or bores 58 , 59 are machined in a sidewall of the middle sub 56 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the middle sub 56 . The longitudinal machined bore 59 accommodates a battery pack 66 . The machined bore 58 houses a motor and gear box 64 and a hydraulic piston assembly shown generally at 60 . Ends of both of the longitudinal bores 58 , 59 are sealed using a seal assembly 52 , 53 respectively. The seal assembly 52 , 53 includes a solid cylindrical plug of material having an annular groove accommodating an O-ring to seal against an inner surface of each machined bore 58 , 59 .
An electronics package 67 (but not shown in FIG. 4 ) is also accommodated in a sidewall of the middle sub 56 and is electrically connected to the antenna 62 , the motor and gear box 64 . The electronics package, the motor and gear box 64 and the antenna 62 are all electrically connected to and powered by the battery pack 66 .
The motor and gear box 64 when actuated rotationally drive a motor arm 65 which in turn actuates a hydraulic piston assembly 60 . The hydraulic piston assembly 60 comprises a threaded rod 74 coupled to the motor arm 65 via a coupling 68 such that rotation of the motor arm 65 causes a corresponding rotation of the threaded rod 74 . The rod 74 is supported via thrust bearing 70 and extends into a chamber 83 that is approximately twice the length of the threaded rod 74 . The chamber 83 also houses a piston 80 which has a hollowed centre arranged to accommodate the threaded rod 74 . A threaded nut 76 is axially fixed to the piston 80 and rotationally and threadably coupled to the threaded rod 74 such that rotation of the threaded rod 74 causes axial movement of the nut 76 and thus the piston 80 . Outer surfaces of the piston 80 are provided with annular wiper seals 78 at both ends to allow the piston 80 to make a sliding seal against the chamber 83 wall, thereby fluidly isolating the chamber 83 from a second chamber 89 ahead of the piston 80 (on the right hand side of the piston 80 as shown in FIG. 6 ). The chamber 83 is in communication with a hydraulic fluid line 72 that communicates with a piston chamber 123 (described hereinafter) of the sliding sleeve 100 . The second chamber 89 is in communication with a hydraulic fluid line 88 that communicates with a piston chamber 121 (described hereinafter) of the sliding sleeve 100 .
A sliding sleeve 100 having an outwardly extending annular piston 120 is sealed against the inner recessed bore of the middle sub 56 . The sleeve 100 is shown in a first closed configuration in FIGS. 4 to 9 in that apertures 26 are closed by the sliding sleeve 100 and thus fluid in the throughbore 40 cannot pass through the apertures 40 and therefore cannot circulate back up the annulus 5 .
An annular step 61 is provided on an inner surface of the middle sub 56 and leads to a further annular step 63 towards the end of the middle sub 56 that is joined to the top sub 96 . Each step creates a throughbore 40 portion having an enlarged or recessed bore. The annular step 61 presents a shoulder or stop for limiting axial travel of the sleeve 100 . The annular step 63 presents a shoulder or stop for limiting axial travel of the annular piston 120 .
An inner surface at the end of the middle sub 56 has an annular insert 115 attached thereto by means of a threaded connection 111 . The annular insert 115 is sealed against the inner surface of the middle sub 56 by an annular groove 116 accommodating an O-ring seal 117 . An inner surface of the annular insert 115 carries a wiper seal 119 in an annular groove 118 to create a seal against the sliding sleeve 100 .
The top sub 96 of the circulating sub 11 has four ports 26 (shown in FIG. 9 ) extending through the sidewall of the circulating sub 11 . In the region of the ports 26 , the top sub 96 has a recessed inner surface to accommodate an annular insert 106 in a location vertically below the ports 26 in use and an annular insert 114 that is L-shaped in section vertically above the port 26 in use. The annular insert 106 is sealed against the top sub 96 by an annular groove 108 accommodating an O-ring seal 109 . An inner surface of the annular insert 106 provides an annular step 103 against which the sleeve 100 can seat. An inner surface of the insert 106 is provided with an annular groove 104 carrying a wiper seal 105 to provide a sliding seal against the sleeve 100 . The insert 114 is made from a hard wearing material so that fluid flowing through the port 26 does not result in excessive wear of the top sub 96 or middle sub 56 .
The sleeve 100 is shown in FIGS. 4 to 9 occupying a first, closed, position in which the sleeve 100 abuts the step 103 provided on the annular insert 106 and the annular piston 120 is therefore at one end of its stroke thereby creating a first annular piston chamber 121 . The piston chamber 121 is bordered by the sliding sleeve 100 , the annular piston 120 , an inner surface of the middle sub 56 and the annular step 63 . The sleeve 100 is moved into the configuration shown in FIGS. 4 to 9 by pumping fluid into the chamber 121 via conduit 88 .
The annular piston 120 is sealed against the inner surface of the middle sub 56 by means of an O-ring seal 99 accommodated in an annular recess 98 . Axial travel of the sleeve 100 is limited by the annular step 61 at one end and the sleeve seat 103 at the other end.
The sleeve 100 is sealed against wiper seals 105 , 119 when in the first closed configuration and the annular protrusion 120 seals against an inner surface of the middle sub 56 and is moveable between the annular step 63 on the Inner surface of the middle sub 56 and the annular insert 115 .
In the second, open configuration, the throughbore 40 is in fluid communication with the annulus 5 when the ports 26 are uncovered. The sleeve 100 abuts the annular step 61 in the second position so that the fluid channel between the ports 26 and the throughbore 40 of the bottom sub 96 and the annulus 5 is open. The sleeve 100 is moved into the second (open) configuration, when circulation of fluid from the throughbore 40 into the annulus 5 is required, by pumping fluid along conduit 72 into chamber 123 which is bounded by seals 117 and 119 at its lowermost end and seal 99 at its upper most end.
RFID tags (not shown) for use in conjunction with the apparatus described above can be those produced by Texas Instruments such as a 32 mm glass transponder with the model number RI-TRP-WRZB-20 and suitably modified for application downhole. The tags should be hermetically sealed and capable of withstanding high temperatures and pressures. Glass or ceramic tags are preferable and should be able to withstand 20,000 psi (138 MPa). Oil filled tags are also well suited to use downhole, as they have a good collapse rating.
An RFID tag (not shown) is programmed at the surface by an operator to generate a unique signal. Similarly, each of the electronics packages coupled to the respective antenna 62 if separate remote control units 9 are provided or to the one remote control unit 9 if it is shared between the tools 11 , 13 , 15 , prior to being included in the completion at the surface, is separately programmed to respond to a specific signal. The RFID tag comprises a miniature electronic circuit having a transceiver chip arranged to receive and store information and a small antenna within the hermetically sealed casing surrounding the tag.
Once the borehole has been drilled and cased and the well is ready to be completed, completion 4 and production string 3 is run downhole. The sleeve 100 is run into the wellbore 1 in the open configuration such that the ports 26 are uncovered to allow fluid communication between the throughbore 40 and the annulus.
When required to operate a tool 11 , 13 , 15 and circulation is possible (i.e. when the sleeve 100 is in the open configuration), the pre-programmed RFID tag is weighted, if required, and dropped or flushed into the well with the completion fluid. After travelling through the throughbore 40 , the selectively coded RFID tag reaches the remote control unit 9 the operator wishes to actuate and passes through the antenna 62 thereof which is of sufficient length to charge and read data from the tag. The tag then transmits certain radio frequency signals, enabling it to communicate with the antenna 62 . This data is then processed by the electronics package.
As an example the RFID tag in the present embodiment has been programmed at the surface by the operator to transmit information instructing that the sleeve 100 of the circulation sleeve sub 11 is moved into the closed position. The electronics package 67 processes the data received by the antenna 62 as described above and recognises a flag in the data which corresponds to an actuation instruction data code stored in the electronics package 67 . The electronics package 67 then instructs the motor 17 ; 60 , powered by battery pack 66 , to drive the hydraulic piston pump 80 . Hydraulic fluid is then pumped out of the chamber 89 , through the hydraulic conduit line 88 and into the chamber 121 to cause the chamber 121 to fill with fluid thereby moving the sleeve 100 downwards into the closed configuration. The volume of hydraulic fluid in chamber 123 decreases as the sleeve 100 is moved towards the shoulder 103 . Fluid exits the chamber 123 along hydraulic conduit line 72 and is returned to the hydraulic fluid reservoir 83 . When this process is complete the sleeve 100 abuts the shoulder 103 . This action therefore results in the sliding sleeve 100 moving downwards to obturate port 26 and close the path from the throughbore 40 of the completion 4 to the annulus 5 .
Therefore, in order to actuate a specific tool 11 , 13 , 15 , for example circulation sleeve sub 11 , a tag programmed with a specific frequency is sent downhole. In this way tags can be used to selectively target specific tools 11 , 13 , 15 by pre-programming the electronics package to respond to certain frequencies and programming the tags with these frequencies. As a result several different tags may be provided to target different tools 11 , 13 , 15 at the same time.
Several tags programmed with the same operating instructions can be added to the well, so that at least one of the tags will reach the desired antenna 62 enabling operating instructions to be transmitted. Once the data is transferred the other RFID tags encoded with similar data can be ignored by the antenna 62 .
Any suitable packer 13 could be used particularly if it can be selectively actuated by inflation with fluid from within the throughbore 40 of the completion 4 and a suitable example of such a packer 13 is a 50-ACE packer offered by Petrowell of Dyce, Aberdeen, UK.
An embodiment of a motorised downhole needle valve tool 19 for enabling inflation of the packer 13 will now be described and is shown in FIG. 10 .
The needle valve tool 19 comprises an outer housing 300 and is typically formed either within or is located in close proximity to the packer 13 . Positive 301 and negative 303 dc electric terminals are connected via suitable electrical cables (not shown) to the electronics package 67 where the terminals 301 , 303 connect into an electrical motor 305 , the rotational output of which is coupled to a gear box 307 . The rotational output of the gearbox 307 is rotationally coupled to a needle shaft 313 via a splined coupling 311 and there are a plurality of O-ring seals 312 provided to ensure that the electric motor 305 and gear box 307 remain sealed from the completion fluid in the throughbore 40 . The splined connection between the coupling 311 and the needle shaft 313 ensures that the needle shaft is rotationally locked to the coupling 311 but can move axially with respect thereto. The needle 315 is formed at the very end of the needle shaft 313 and is arranged to selectively seal against a seat 317 formed in the portion of the housing 300 x . Furthermore, the needle shaft 313 is in screw threaded engagement with the housing 300 x via screw threads 314 in order to cause axial movement of the needle shaft 313 (either toward or away from seat 317 ) when it is rotated.
When the needle 315 is in the sealing configuration shown in FIG. 10 with the seat 317 , completion fluid in the throughbore 40 of the production tubing 3 is prevented from flowing through the hydraulic fluid port to tubing 319 and into the packer setting chamber 13 P. However, when the electric motor 305 is activated in the appropriate direction, the result is rotation of the needle shaft 313 and, due to the screw threaded engagement 314 , axial movement away from the seat 317 which results in the needle 315 parting company from the seat 317 and this permits fluid communication through the seat 317 from the hydraulic fluid port 319 into the packer setting chamber 13 p which results in the packer 13 inflating.
A suitable example of a barrier 15 will now be described.
The barrier 15 is preferably a fall through flapper valve 15 such as that described in PCT Application No GB2007/001547, the full contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, but any suitable flapper valve or ball valve that can be hydraulically operated could be used (and such a ball valve is a downhole Formation Saver Valve (PSV) offered by Weatherford of Aberdeen, UK) although it is preferred to have as large (i.e. unrestricted) an inner diameter of the completion 4 when open as possible.
FIG. 11 shows a frequency pressure actuated apparatus 150 and which is preferably used instead of a conventional mechanical pressure sensor (not shown) in order to receive pressure signals sent from the surface in situations when the well is shut in (i.e. when barrier 15 is closed) and therefore no circulation of fluid can take place and thus no RFID tags can be used.
The apparatus 150 comprises a pressure transducer 152 which is capable of sensing the pressure of well fluid located within the throughbore 40 of the production tubing string 3 and outputting a voltage having an amplitude indicative thereof.
As an example, FIG. 12 shows a typical electrical signal output from the pressure transducer where a pressure pulse sequence 170 A, 170 B, 170 C, 170 D is clearly shown as being carried on the general well fluid pressure which, as shown in FIG. 12 is oscillating much more slowly and represented by sine wave 172 . Again, as before, this pressure pulse sequence 170 A- 170 D is applied to the well fluid contained within the production tubing string 3 at the surface of the wellbore.
However, unlike conventional mechanical pressure sensors, the presence of debris above the downhole tool and its attenuation effect in reducing the amplitude of the pressure signals will not greatly affect the operation of the apparatus 150 .
The apparatus 150 further comprises an amplifier to amplify the output of the pressure transducer 152 where the output of the amplifier is input into a high pass filter which is arranged to strip the pressure pulse sequence out of the signal as received by the pressure transducer 152 and the output of the high pass filter 156 is shown in FIG. 13 as comprising a “clean” set of pressure pulses 170 A- 170 D. The output of the high pass filter 156 is input into an analogue/digital converter 158 , the output of which is input into a programmable logic unit comprising a microprocessor containing software 160 .
A logic flow chart for the software 160 is shown in FIG. 14 and is generally designated by the reference numeral 180 .
In FIG. 14 :—
“n” represents a value used by a counter;
“p” is pressure sensed by the pressure transducer 152 ;
“dp/dt” is the change in pressure over the change in time and is used to detect peaks, such as pressure pulses 170 A- 170 D;
“n max” is programmed into the software prior to the apparatus 150 being run into the borehole and could be, for instance, 105 or 110 .
Furthermore, the tolerance value related to timer “a” could be, for example, 1 minute or 5 minutes or 10 minutes such that there is a maximum of e.g. 1, 5 or 10 minutes that can be allowed between pulses 170 A- 170 B. In other words, if the second pulse 170 B does not arrive within that tolerance value then the counter is reset back to 0 and this helps prevent false actuation of the barrier 17 .
Furthermore, the step 188 is included to ensure that the software only regards peak pressure pulses and not inverted drops or troughs in the pressure of the fluid.
Also, step 190 is included to ensure that the value of a pressure peak as shown in FIG. 13 has to be greater than 100 psi in order to obviate unintentional spikes in the pressure of the fluid.
It should be noted that step 202 could be changed to ask:—
“Is ‘a’ greater than a minimum tolerance value”
such as the tolerance 208 shown in FIG. 15 so that the software definitely only counts one peak as such.
Accordingly, when the software logic has cycled a sufficient number of times such that “n” is greater than “n max” as required in step 196 , a signal is sent by the software to the downhole tool to be actuated (i.e. circulation sleeve sub 11 , packer 13 or barrier 15 ) such as to open the barrier 17 as shown in step 206 . The frequency pressure actuated apparatus 150 is provided with power from the battery power pack 166 via the electronics package 167 .
The apparatus 150 has the advantage over conventional mechanical pressure sensors that much more accurate actuation of the tools 111 , 113 , 115 is provided such as opening of the barrier flapper valve 17 and much more precise control over the tools 111 , 113 , 17 in situations where circulation of RFID tags can't occur is also enabled.
Modifications and improvements may be made to the embodiments hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the signal sent by the software at step 206 or the RFID tags could be used for other purposes such as injecting a chemical into e.g. a chemically actuated tool such as a packer or could be used to operate a motor to actuate another form of mechanically actuated tool or in the form of an electrical signal used to actuate an electrically operated tool. Additionally, a downhole power generator can provide the power source in place of the battery pack. A fuel cell arrangement can also be used as a power source.
Furthermore, the electronics package 67 could be programmed with a series of operations at the surface before being run into the well with the rest of the completion 4 to operate each of the steps as described above in e.g. 60 days time with each step separated by e.g. one day at a time and clearly these time intervals can be varied. Moreover, such a system could provide for a self-installing completion system 4 . Furthermore, the various individual steps could be combined such that for example an RFID tag or a pressure pulse can be used to instruct the electronics package 67 to conduct one step immediately (e.g. step f) of stopping circulation with an RFID tag) and then follow up with another step (e.g. step g) of opening the flapper valve barrier 15 ) in for example two hours time. Furthermore, other but different remote control methods of communicating with the central control units 9 could be used instead of RFID tags and sending pressure pulses down the completion fluid, such as an acoustic signalling system such as the EDGE™ system offered by Halliburton of Duncan, Okla. or an electromagnetic wave system such as the Cableless Telemetry System (CATS™) offered by Expro Group of Verwood, Dorset, UK or a suitably modified MWD style pressure pulse system which could be used whilst circulating instead of using the RFID tags.
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A completion apparatus for completing a wellbore includes a tool to alternatively open and close a throughbore; a tool to alternatively open and close an annulus between the outer surface of the completion and the inner surface of the wellbore; a tool to alternatively provide and prevent a fluid circulation route from the throughbore of the completion to the annulus; and at least one signal receiver and processing tool capable of decoding signals received. The apparatus is run into the well bore, the throughbore is closed and the fluid pressure in the tubing is increased to pressure test the completion; the annulus is closed and a fluid circulation route is provided from the throughbore to the annulus and fluid is circulated through the production tubing into the annulus and back to surface. The fluid circulation route is then closed and the throughbore is opened.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a method for the selective dry etching of a first semi-conductive compound, which contains no aluminium molecules, without the attacking of a second semi-conductive compound comprising an aluminium molecule in its formula. This method is applied to the hollowing out of the recess in which is deposited the gate metallization of a transistor of the field effect type, made with materials of the III-V group, one of which has aluminum in its formula. The invention also pertains to the transistor made by this method.
It is known that the access or contact resistances between the (source, drain and gate) electrodes of a transistor and the active layer of this transistor plays a major role in determining the electrical characteristics of the transistor. This is why the source and drain metallizations are deposited on a layer of material which is a good conductor. But this layer must be hollowed out, between the source and the drain, if the gate metallization is to be as close as possible to the active layer of the transistor: thus, a depression is formed, generally known as a recess, between the source and the drain. The etching of the recess can be done according to wet or dry methods, but it must stop at the active layer.
The invention therefore, pertains to a method of dry, reactive, ion etching which is anisotropic and which is highly selective between two materials deposited on one support and stacked, of which one material, the one which is in contact with the support, comprises aluminum in a range of 10% to 40% while the other material, the one which is at the surface of the stack, contains no aluminum. To make the description clearer, the invention will be explained on the basis of an example of a transistor, the active layer of which is made of AlGaAs-Al x Ga l-x As more exactly, and the layer of contact between the source and the drain is made of GaAs, although the invention more generally pertains to pairs of materials of the group III-V, only one of which has aluminum. According to the invention, the layer of GaAs is selectively etched by reactive ion etching using a freon plasma with the formula CCl 2 F 2 . In the plasma formed, the chlorine ions act with the gallium from the GaAs to give a compound of the GaCl y type which is volatile towards 100° C., while the fluorine ions act with the aluminum from AlGaAS to give a compound of the AlF z type which is not volatile before about 1300° and which, therefore, remains at the surface of the layer of AlGaAs, protecting it from attack at the etching temperature which must be less than about 130° C. to be compatible with the masking resins. The pressure conditions of the plasma can be used to control the anisotropism of the etching and, especially, to make a sub-etching of the layer under the resin layer which protects it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
More precisely, the invention pertains to a method for the dry etching of layers of semi-conductive materials of the III-V group, the etching being selective between a first layer, containing gallium and partially protected by a mask of resin, and a second layer containing aluminium in a proportion of 10 to 40%, the first layer alone having to be etched by this method which is done by reactive ion etching using a pure freon plasma CCl 2 F 2 in two stages:
In a first stage of anisotropic etching, the first layer is etched up to the interface with the second layer, with the pure freon plasma being at a pressure ranging between 0.5 and 2.5 pascals, at a flowrate of 2 cm 3 /min and a polarization voltage for the cathode of the reactive ion etching device that ranges from -50 to -130 V, under power of 1 W/cm 2 ,
In a second stage of isotropic etching, the first layer is sub-etched, under the resin mask, by increasing the pressure of pure freon plasma to within a range of 6 to 10 pascals at a flowrate of 2 cm 3 /min, the electrical conditions being the same as in the first stage.
The invention also pertains to a transistor made according to the method laid down, a transistor comprising, under the gate metallization, a fine layer of aluminium and fluorine compound with the formula AlF z .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the reactive ion etching method, applied to the making of a field effect transistor, this description being made with reference to the appended drawings which all refer to the invention. Of these figures,
FIG. 1 is a highly simplified cross-section view of the surface region of a transistor in which a layer of GaAs must be selectively etched,
FIG. 2 is a curve showing the speed of erosion of GaAs and AlGaAs as a function of the pressure of plasma,
FIG. 3 is a curve showing the CF 3 and Cl concentrations in the plasma as a function of the plasma pressure,
FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the surface region of a transistor after the sub-etching stage of the surface layer of GaAs,
FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the gate region of a transistor, the recess of which has been engraved by the method of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a highly simplified cross-sectional view of the surface region of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction transistor. In this figure, the transistor has not yet received its gate metallization. This figure will be used to explain the problem to be resolved as well as the method of the invention.
A heterojunction transistor comprises a support 1 which does not need to be described in detail because the various layers that comprise this support, such as the GaAs semi-insulating substrate and one or more layers of smoothing materials for example, are outside the field with which the invention is concerned. This transistor further comprises at least one active layer 2, made of a material such as Al x Ga l-x As, which is at the surface of the transistor, i.e. it is this layer that receives the gate metallization. Finally, the source and drain contacts are made through a highly doped n + type GaAs layer 3, so as to reduce the source and drain resistances R S and R D between the respective metallizations 4 and 5 and the active layer 2. The method for making the layer 3, whichever it may be, gives a united layer, and it is therefore necessary to hollow out a recess 5 in the layer 3 so as to firstly separate the highly conductive layer 3 of n + GaAs into two islands without any contact between them, and secondly, to come nearer to the gate metallization of the active layer or, depending on the type of transistor made, to control the gate metallization so as to control the threshold voltage.
This result is obtained in a known manner by depositing, on the layer 3 of n + GaAs, two source and drain metallizations 4 and 5 and then a layer 7 of photosensitive resin or electrosensitive resin, and to open a window in the resin layer 7 so that the recess 6 can be hollowed out by a suitable method.
After the recess 6 is hollowed out, the mask of resin 7 is also used to deposit the gate metallization, not depicted in FIG. 1, by self-alignment on the edges of the mask.
The method according to the invention concerns precisely a method of reactive ion etching which can be used to hollow out a recess 6 in a surface layer of a material comprising gallium in particular, without attacking and without damaging the surface of a subjacent layer of a material containing aluminum in particular, in a quantity ranging from 10% to 40%, with the aluminum present in a material as an impurity playing no part in the method.
According to this method, the recess 6 is hollowed out by means of a pure freon plasma with the formula CCl 2 F 2 . The circular washer out of which is made the batches of transistors, in which the recesses have to be engraved, is introduced into a reactive ion etching device, between two electrodes which are polarized between -30 V and -250 V at the cathode which supports this semiconductive circular blank. The plasma of CCl 2 F 2 is at high frequency, at 13.56 Mhz. The temperature in the instrument is maintained at below 130° C. and is in any case compatible with the nature of the mask 7 depending on whether it is made of resin or mineral materials such as silicon or silicon nitride.
In a reactive ion etching, there is a double effect: firstly, a physical etching by the ions which strike the surface of the layer to be etched and, secondly, a chemical etching. In a pure freon plasma, the CCl 2 F 2 molecule is split up into a large number of ions of greatly varying natures, especially the chlorine ions which chemically attack the layer 3 of GaAs, giving gallium chloride of the form GaCl x which is volatile at about 100° C., i.e. volatile under the temperature conditions of the method. The chemical analysis of the ions and molecules produced during the reaction, done by mass spectrometry and optical emission spectrometry, has shown that gallium chloride and arsenic are both present in gaseous form and that the layer 3 of n + GaAs is removed at the end of the attacking process by active ion engraving.
By contrast, when the fluorine ions produced in the plasma by the splitting up of the freon molecule come into contact with the layer 2 of GaAlAs, they give an aluminum fluoride with a general formula AlF y , which is volatile only at temperatures in the region of 1300° C. Consequently, the aluminum fluoride layer 8 formed on the surface of the active layer 2 AlGaAs is solid, stable and, on a thickness of several electron shells, it protects the AlGaAs and inhibits the continuation of the attack.
In FIG. 1, two lines drawn with dashes determine the sub-etching spaces 9 of the GaAs layer 3: this sub-etching at 9 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4. It corresponds to a second stage in the reactive ion etching method of the invention.
For the pair of materials GaAs/Al x Ga l-x As, with x equal to about 0.25, i.e. Al 0 .25 Ga 0 .75 As in which Al is at a concentration of 20.5%, the method of the invention gives an etching selectivity ratio of more than 1000, and the etching is clean and anisotropic. This result can be obtained by adjusting the pressure of the gas which produces the plasma.
This point is brought out in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 gives the speed of erosion, in nm per minute, for GaAs and for AlGaAs, as a function of the pressure, expressed on the x-axis in millitorrs, it being known that 1 torr=1.33×10 2 pascals. Within a range of about 10 to 80 millitorrs, i.e. 1.3 to 10.4 pascals, and with a constant flowrate of pure freon CCl 2 F 2 , the erosion rate of GaAs does not vary while the erosion rate of AlGaAs decreases rapidly with the increase in the gas pressure. This effect is in relation with the ratio of Cl/CF 3 in the plasma which decreases when the gas pressure increases, as can be seen in FIG. 3 which shows the pressure on the x-axis and the concentration of ions Cl and CF 3 on the y-axis. The increase in the CF 3 concentration and the really low rate of erosion for AlGaAs in a plasma of CCl 2 F 2 is in relation with the formation of the non-volatile compound AlF z , the most current form of which is AlF 3 which has a high sublimation level.
Thus, to control the attack of a layer of GaAs by a pure freon plasma CCl 2 F 2 , it is possible to:
Increase the gas pressure, and take it from 0.5 to about 10 pascals,
Reduce the flowrate of freon introduced in the reactive ion etching device so as to increase the resident time of an ion in the plasma. The flowrate used varies from 20 cm 3 /min to 0.5 cm 3 /min, measured under standard conditions, between the beginning and the end of the ion etching, or more precisely, between the first and second stages of ion etching,
Increase the electrical power applied to the two polarizing plates in the ion etching device without doing so excessively, so as to avoid the physical bombardment of the substrate by ions. This is why, according to the method, the polarization of the cathode is maintained between -30 V and about -130 V as can be seen in the broken-line curve shown in FIG. 2,
Play on the volume of plasma or the inter-electrode distance.
In fact, the polarization voltage and the inter-electrode distance are chosen in such a way that they favour chemical etching rather than physical etching by ion bombardment.
The ions formed in the pure freon plasma are accelerated perpendicularly to the plane of the anode and the cathode in the reactive ion etching device. Consequently, they give ion beams which are parallel to one another and provide perfectly anisotropic etching as depicted in FIG. 1: the etched sides of the GaAs layer 3 are perfectly perpendicular to the main plane of this layer. This is valid for a range of pressure of about 10 to 20 millitorrs, i.e. 1.3 to 2.6 pascals. For greater pure freon pressures, such as 50 millitorrs or 6.5 pascals, the selectivity between the two materials becomes greater, and a sub-etching of the surface layer of GaAs, under the mask 7, can be observed. In other words, the etching becomes less anisotropic when the pressure increases, following a rebounding of ions on the unoccupied surface of AlGaAs which causes them to attack the layer of GaAs sideways. This effect can be applied to the defintion of the gate recess in the manufacturing of a transistor and to the insulation of the gate metallization with reference to the n + GaAs contact layer 3.
This is what is shown in FIG. 4 which corresponds to the second stage of the method, during which the pressure has been increased from 0.5 to about 10 pascals while the gas flowrate may be decreased from 2 to 0.5 cm 3 /min.
FIG. 5 depicts the surface region of a transistor manufactured by using the method of the invention to hollow out the recess of the gate metallization. This figure repeats the resin mask 7 with a broken line: this is the same mask as the one used in FIGS. 1 and 4 for the two ion etching operations. It is ussed for the self-alignment of the gate metallization 10 by evaporation of metal. Owing to the fact that the contact layer 3 has been etched beneath the resin layer 7, there is a slight distance "d" between the edges of the metallization 10 and the edges of the contact layers 3; this distance prevents a short circuit between the gate metallization 10 and the conductive layers 3. This distance "d" can be controlled by several parameters such as the gas pressure during the reactive ion etching and the duration of the operation.
Of course, when the gate metallization 10 is being deposited, the evaporated metal is also deposited on the mask 7 although this layer is not depicted in FIG. 5. At the end of this metallizing operation, the mask 7 and the layer of metal which it supports are removed by an operation, known as lift-off, in which the resin is dissolved and the field effect transistor is completed.
This field effect transistor has a fine layer 8 of aluminium fluoride which is at the surface of its active layer 2 and in contact with the gate metallization 10. This fine layer of aluminum fluoride has a thickness of a few electron shells, and its electrical behaviour exhibits characteristics close to those of a Schottky contact.
The method according to the invention can be applied with a conventional reactive ion etching machine which is available in the market. This machine is first cleaned by making a vacuum of 10 -6 torrs in the chamber before pure freon is introduced. In order to perform the reactive ion etching process of the invention efficienty, this machine must have a power of about 0.8 W/cm 2 and means by which to control the flowrate of pure freon CCl 2 F 2 within a range of about 2 cm 3 /min. This reactive ion etching machine has connected to it, firstly, a mass spectrometer to analyze the molecules given by the plasma and a monochromator working within the range 200 to 600 nanometers, these two means being used in parallel to identify the molecules given.
The invention has been explained with reference to the example of the manufacture of a field effect transistor comprising a layer of GaAs on the surface and an underlying layer of AlGaAs. Of course, the invention applies to products other than transistors, such as light-emitting diodes or lasers and to other materials than the pair referred to. More generally, the surface layer must have an atom such as gallium that gives a volatile compound with chloride and the formula of the subjacent layer must have an aluminum atom giving a non-volatile compound with fluoride at the temperature at which the reactive ion etching is done. More generally, therefore, the method can be used for selective etching between the ternary and quaternary compounds of the III-V group, provided that one of the two compounds, the one which is not attacked, comprises aluminum.
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The invention pertains to a method for the selective etching of a surface layer which is automatically stopped at a subjacent layer.
According to the invention, a first layer of a material containing gallium is selectively etched with respect to a second layer containing aluminium by reactive ion etching in the presence of a pure freon plasma C Cl 2 F 2 . At low pressures (0.5 to 2.5 pascals), the etching is anisotropic and makes it possible to etch the gate recess of a field effect transistor. At a higher pressure (6 to 10 pascals), the etching is isotropic and makes it possible to sub-etch the first layer.
Application to the manufacture of field effect transistors made of group III-V materials, with low access resistances.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] FIG. 1 depicts a functional block diagram of a portion of an operating system 100 including a memory manager 102 responsible for allocating and de-allocating pieces of memory from a memory pool 104 to requesting processes, e.g., internal memory requester 106 and external memory requester 108 , and de-allocating memory space freed from a requesting process to the memory pool. Internal memory requester 106 includes processes, e.g., sets of executable instructions, providing functionality such as one or more of user interface, job management, task management, data management, device management, security and other functionality, within operating system 100 which request memory pieces from memory manager 102 . External memory requester 108 includes processes providing functionality such as word processors, web browsers, spreadsheets, photo manipulation software, and other software not a part of the operating system, external to the operating system which request memory pieces from memory manager 102 . Memory pool 104 may be a hardware component, a software component, or combined component thereof providing a storage capability.
[0002] In response to a request for a piece of memory from one of memory requesters 106 , 108 , memory manager 102 allocates a piece of memory from memory pool 104 . In other instances, memory manager 102 allocates more than one piece of memory at a time.
[0003] Memory requesters 106 , 108 return allocated memory to memory manager 102 which, in turn, either returns the de-allocated memory to memory pool 104 or re-allocates the memory to one of memory requesters 106 , 108 in response to a new request. In returning memory to memory pool 104 , memory manager 102 waits until receiving an entire page of memory de-allocated from one or more memory requesters 106 , 108 before returning the memory to memory pool 104 . That is, memory manager 102 only returns complete pages of memory to memory pool 104 .
[0004] Due to the unpredictable nature of memory de-allocation by memory requesters 106 , 108 , it is possible that a memory requester 106 , 108 may retain portions of memory indefinitely and thereby prevent the return of a page of memory to memory pool 104 . In a period of high memory usage by memory requesters 106 , 108 , memory manager 102 may acquire and allocate multiple pages of memory from memory pool 104 to the memory requesters. After the high memory usage period passes, memory manager 102 attempts to gather the allocated pages of memory for return to memory pool 104 . If a portion of each previously allocated page of memory remains in use by one of the memory requesters 106 , 108 , memory manager 102 is unable to recover an entire page of memory for return to memory pool 104 .
[0005] During the period that memory manager 102 attempts to recover entire pages of memory for return to memory pool 104 , the memory manager receives additional memory requests from memory requesters 106 , 108 . Frequently, memory manager 102 fulfills the received memory request by using pieces of pages of memory that have been returned by a previous memory requestor. Thus, reallocation of memory by memory manager 102 in response to memory requests increases the difficulty of gathering all the pieces of any particular page in order to return the page to memory pool 104 .
[0006] Memory managers, such as memory manager 102 , generally operate in one of two ways storing returned memory from memory requesters 106 , 108 : a first-in, first-out (FIFO) queue and a last-in, first-out (LIFO) queue. A FIFO queue results in the least recently returned memory portion being soonest allocated. A LIFO queue results in recently returned pieces of memory being soonest allocated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein elements having the same reference numeral designations represent like elements throughout and wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a high level functional block diagram of a portion of a processing system;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a high level functional block diagram of a processing system according to an embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a detail view of a functional block diagram of a FIG. 2 high level memory manager according to an embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a detail view of a functional block diagram of a FIG. 2 high level memory manager according to an embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a detail view of the FIG. 4 embodiment after a period of time;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a high level process flow diagram of a portion of operation of a memory manager according to an embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a high level process flow diagram of a portion of operation of a memory manager according to another embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a high level process flow diagram of a portion of operation of a garbage collector according to an embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a high level process flow diagram of a portion of operation of a garbage collector according to another embodiment; and
[0017] FIG. 10 is a detail view of a functional block diagram of a FIG. 2 low level memory manager according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] FIG. 2 depicts a high-level functional block diagram of a portion of a processing device 200 . Processing device 200 comprises an operating system 201 which interfaces with a memory pool 204 providing a storage capability. Operating system 201 controls access to portions of memory pool 204 by processes such as memory requesters 206 , 208 (similar to the above-described internal and external memory requesters 106 , 108 ). Specifically, a memory manager 202 within operating system 201 controls memory allocation to memory requesters 206 , 208 . Memory manager 202 is described in further detail below and applies a method of categorizing memory in order to improve the probability of the memory manager being able to accumulate an entire portion of memory for return to memory pool 204 .
[0019] By performing the below-described method, the amount of memory available from memory pool 204 for other uses by memory manager 202 (and specifically memory requesters 206 , 208 ) is increased and the amount of memory fragmentation of the memory held by the memory manager is reduced. Memory fragmentation is a phenomenon where the memory space remaining available for use becomes divided into many small pieces. Allocating and deallocating (“freeing”) pieces of the memory space in many different sizes by memory manager 202 causes memory fragmentation with a result that although free memory space is available from the memory manager, all of the available space may not be usable by memory requesters 206 , 208 (e.g., due to not enough contiguous free memory space being available to satisfy a memory request), or may not be efficiently usable by memory requesters.
[0020] Internal memory requester 206 comprises processes providing functionality within operating system 201 which request memory from memory manager 202 and external memory requester 208 comprises processes providing functionality external to the operating system which request memory from the memory manager.
[0021] Memory pool 204 may be a hardware component and/or an intermediate software component interfaced with a hardware component providing access to memory by memory manager 202 .
[0022] Memory Manager
[0023] Memory manager 202 comprises a low level memory manager 210 , also referred to as a large page cache allocator, for interacting with memory pool 204 and a high level memory manager 212 , also referred to as an arena allocator, for interacting with the low level memory manager and memory requesters 206 , 208 .
[0024] Low Level Memory Manager
[0025] Low level memory manager 210 requests an allocation of memory (termed large pages) from memory pool 204 for subsequent provision as one or more pages of memory to high level memory manager 212 and returns a previously allocated large page of memory to the memory pool after obtaining the one or more pages of memory making up the allocated large page from the high level memory manager 212 . With reference to FIG. 2 , low level memory manager 210 divides a large page 214 of memory from memory pool 204 into one or more pages 216 of memory.
[0026] In an embodiment, low level memory manager 210 uses a buddy allocation method to divide large page 214 into multiple pages 216 of memory. Under the buddy allocation method, low level memory manager 210 divides large page 214 in half and then divides one half of the halved large page 214 in half and so on until the size of each of the two halves meets a predetermined minimum page size threshold 220 . In this manner, low level memory manager 210 generates multiple varying sized pages 216 for responding to requests from high level memory manager 212 . For example, given a large page 214 having 256 kilobytes (KB) of space and a minimum page size threshold 220 of 8 KB, low level memory manager 210 divides the large page into one page having 128 KB of space and an additional 6 pages having 64 KB, 32 KB, 16 KB, 8 KB, and 8 KB of space. In alternate embodiments, different allocation methods may be applied without departing from the scope and spirit of the present embodiments. Additionally, low level memory manager 210 selects a page 216 having a size larger than the requested amount of memory received from high level memory manager 212 to respond to the high level memory manager memory request.
[0027] Although FIG. 2 depicts a single large page 214 within low level memory manager 210 , the low level memory manager may comprise more than one large page of memory at a time.
[0028] High Level Memory Manager
[0029] High level memory manager 212 requests an allocation of a page of memory from low level memory manager 210 for subsequent provision as one or more pieces of memory to memory requesters 206 , 208 and returns a previously allocated page of memory to the low level memory manager after receiving the one or more pieces of memory from the memory requesters. With reference to FIG. 2 , high level memory manager 212 divides a page 216 of memory from low level memory manager 210 into one or more pieces 218 of memory.
[0030] In an embodiment, high level memory manager 212 divides a page 216 of memory into equal-sized pieces 218 of memory based on a predetermined minimum piece size threshold 222 . For example, given a page 216 having 8 KB of space and a minimum piece size threshold 222 of 1 KB, high level memory manager 212 divides the page into 8 pieces having 1 KB of space each. In alternate embodiments, different memory division methods, e.g., unequal division of pages, may be applied without departing from the scope and spirit of the present embodiments.
[0031] Although FIG. 2 depicts a single page 216 within high level memory manager 212 , the high level memory manager may comprise more than one page of memory at a time.
[0032] In operation, high level memory manager 212 receives a memory allocation request from an internal memory requester 206 and, if a piece 218 of memory is available in the high level memory manager, returns one or more pieces of memory to the memory requester 208 . Internal memory requester 206 uses the allocated memory piece 218 , e.g., storing data and information, etc., and high level memory manager 212 considers the allocated memory piece 218 to be retained by the internal memory requester during this allocated period. That is, high level memory manager 212 does not allocate the same piece 218 of memory to more than one memory requester 206 , 208 .
[0033] After internal memory requester 206 finishes using the allocated memory piece 218 , the internal memory requester returns (“frees” or “deallocates”) the memory piece to high level memory manager 212 . At this point, high level memory manager 212 either: retains the piece 218 of memory to fulfill another memory request from a memory requester 206 , 208 , or returns the memory piece to the low level memory manager 210 . If high level memory manager 212 is able to return the freed piece 218 of memory to the low level memory manager 210 , the piece 218 of memory is able to be used in other ways, e.g., allocated to a different high level memory manager, allocated to high level memory manager 212 for a different requester, changing hardware attributes of a memory page (such as memory translation, cacheability), etc.
[0034] High level memory manager 212 returns memory pieces 218 to low level memory manager 210 in the form of entire pages 216 of freed memory, i.e., the high level memory manager waits until a whole page 216 of freed pieces 218 is available to return the page to the low level memory manager. Because high level memory manager 212 is unable to predict the amount of time a memory requester 206 , 208 will retain an allocated memory piece 218 , the high level memory manager attempting to return a memory page 216 to low level memory manager 210 may retain freed memory piece(s) 218 and not use available piece(s) of a particular page to fulfill memory requests from memory requesters.
[0035] High Level Memory Manager Details
[0036] Turning now to FIG. 3 , a more detailed block diagram of a portion of high level memory manager 212 depicts a page 216 of memory obtained from low level memory manager 210 , minimum piece size threshold 222 , and three categorized memory lists 300 , 301 , and 302 . FIG. 3 also depicts another page 304 (dashed line and optional) obtained from low level memory manager 210 and another categorized memory list 303 (dashed line and optional) for an additional categorization of memory pieces 218 . FIG. 3 further depicts a garbage collector 306 usable in conjunction with one or more embodiments as described herein. Garbage collector (also referred to as a garbage collection module) is a sequence of executable instructions.
[0037] Categorized memory lists 300 , 301 , 302 store references to freed memory pieces 218 according to a predetermined categorization of the particular memory piece. In other embodiments, high level memory manager 212 comprises greater or fewer numbers of categorized memory lists.
[0038] Mostly Free Categorization List
[0039] High level memory manager 212 stores references to free memory pieces 218 which are part of a memory page 216 having a higher number of free (or unallocated) memory pieces remaining in the high level memory manager in categorized memory list 300 (also referred to as mostly free (MF) list 300 ). That is, if a memory page 216 has a ratio of the number of memory pieces 218 allocated to memory requesters 206 , 208 compared to the number of memory pieces 218 that remain unallocated in high level memory manager 212 that is below a predetermined threshold, the high level memory manager stores references to the memory pieces from the particular memory page in MF list 300 . MF list 300 comprises references to free memory pieces 218 from a memory page 216 whose ratio of allocated to unallocated pieces is below a predetermined threshold.
[0040] Mostly Allocated Categorization List
[0041] High level memory manager 212 stores references to free memory pieces which are part of a memory page 216 having a lower number of free (or unallocated) memory pieces remaining in the high level memory manager in categorized memory list 301 (also referred to as mostly allocated (MA) list 301 ). That is, if a memory page 216 has a ratio of the number of memory pieces 218 allocated to memory requesters 206 , 208 compared to the number of memory pieces 218 that remain unallocated in high level memory manager 212 that exceeds a predetermined threshold, the high level memory manager stores references to free memory pieces from the particular memory page in MA list 301 . MA list 301 comprises references to free memory pieces 218 from a memory page 216 whose ratio of allocated to unallocated pieces exceeds a threshold.
[0042] The above-described MF list 300 and MA list 301 provide a mechanism for high level memory manager 212 to categorize memory pieces 218 . In another embodiment, high level memory manager 212 comprises and uses a third categorization list to categorize memory pieces 218 which do not fit into MF list 300 or MA list 301 . In still other embodiments, other data structures may be used, e.g., a single sorted list, a tree structure or heap, etc.
[0043] Uncategorized List
[0044] High level memory manager 212 stores references to free memory pieces 218 which are from memory pages 216 that are between mostly free and mostly allocated on an uncategorized list 302 . Additionally, memory pieces 218 which have not been categorized may be placed on uncategorized list 302 . After a memory piece 218 is categorized by high level memory manager 212 , the high level memory manager moves the reference from uncategorized list 302 to the appropriate one of MF list 300 and MA list 301 .
[0045] In further embodiments, additional memory categorization lists may be used by high level memory manager 212 to categorize memory pieces 218 .
[0046] High level memory manager 212 may perform categorization of memory pieces 218 or, in other embodiments, may use garbage collector 306 to perform the categorization.
[0047] In order to operate efficiently and reduce the amount of time memory requesters 206 , 208 wait on high level memory manager 212 to fulfill a memory request, the high level memory manager attempts to minimize the amount of time required to fulfill memory allocation requests from the requesters 206 , 208 . In an embodiment, high level memory manager 212 , during the course of responding to memory requests, makes no attempt to determine whether a free page 216 has been accumulated prior to allocating memory to a requester 206 , 208 .
[0048] “Garbage collection” is a process whereby memory is periodically examined to determine when all pieces of a page are unallocated so that the page can be returned to the lower level memory manager. Particular embodiments of the invention take advantage of the already present garbage collection process by performing the above-described additional memory management tasks (categorization) according to one or more of the embodiments in conjunction with a garbage collection process without significantly reducing performance.
[0049] In previous embodiments of a high level memory manger, the high level memory manager 212 stores a reference to the free memory piece 218 on a list, e.g., uncategorized list 302 , which is periodically scanned by garbage collector 306 to determine whether a complete page has been freed, i.e., whether all of the pieces on a page have been unallocated. In at least some embodiment of the invention, having garbage collector 306 perform the categorization of memory pieces reduces the impact of a potentially time-consuming process from a performance critical path for the allocation and freeing of memory.
[0050] Garbage collector 306 categorizes free (“unallocated”) memory pieces 218 into MF list 300 and MA list 301 based on the proportion of the memory page 216 which is currently allocated to memory requesters 206 , 208 . Based on the categorized memory pieces 218 , high level memory manager 212 allocates memory pieces 218 from memory pages 216 having the smallest proportion of memory pieces 218 unallocated to memory requesters 206 , 208 . Stated another way, high level memory manager 212 attempts to retain memory pieces 218 from pages 216 which have a higher proportion of memory pieces 218 unallocated. If high level memory manager 212 has almost all of the pieces of a given memory page 216 in hand, i.e., unallocated to a memory requester, the high level memory manager selects from the remaining memory pieces from pages having a higher allocation of memory pieces in order to satisfy memory requests and thereby increase the chance that the high level memory manager will have the remaining pieces of the given memory page at the time a memory requester returns the last allocated memory piece of the given page. As stated above, high level memory manager 212 fulfills memory requests using pieces 218 from pages 216 which have a larger portion of pieces allocated to memory requesters.
EXAMPLE
[0051] An example of memory categorization is useful to describe the above process. FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of high level memory manager 212 and memory requesters 206 , 208 having requested and received memory from the high level memory manager. Specifically, five memory pieces 400 - 403 , and 406 of first memory page 216 and two memory pieces 409 , and 410 of second memory page 304 have been allocated to internal memory requester 206 as indicated by the reference A designation in the pieces of the first and second memory pages and two memory pieces 404 and 405 of first memory page 216 and one memory piece 408 of second memory page 304 have been allocated to external memory requester 208 as indicated by the reference B designation in the pieces of the first and second memory pages. As depicted, garbage collector 306 has scanned and categorized the remaining unallocated memory pieces 407 , and 411 - 415 according to the proportion of the corresponding memory page remaining unallocated. Accordingly, garbage collector 306 categorizes and places memory piece 407 on MA list 301 and memory pieces 411 - 415 on MF list 300 . Because more memory pieces than not have been allocated from memory page 216 , i.e., 7 ( 400 - 406 ) out of 8 memory pieces of the memory page, the remaining unallocated memory piece 407 belongs to a memory page which is mostly allocated.
[0052] Conversely, unallocated memory pieces 411 - 415 belong to a memory page, i.e., page 304 , which is mostly unallocated, i.e., 5 out of 8 memory pieces of the page have not been allocated, and are categorized and placed on MF list 300 by high level memory manager 212 , specifically garbage collector 306 .
[0053] FIG. 5 depicts the FIG. 4 block diagram after external memory requester 208 receives three additional memory pieces 407 , and 411 - 412 from high level memory manager 212 in response to a memory request from the external memory requester and after internal memory requester 206 returns memory piece 406 to high level memory manger 212 . As a result of the additional memory piece allocation and deallocation, garbage collector 306 categorizes remaining unallocated memory pieces 406 of memory page 216 and pieces 413 , 414 , and 415 of second memory page 304 as being part of mostly allocated pages and moves the remaining unallocated memory pieces from MF list 300 to MA list 301 .
[0054] In a particular embodiment, garbage collector 306 compares the proportion of allocated memory pieces of each page to a predetermined allocation proportion in order to determine on which list, i.e., MF list 300 and MA list 301 , to place the unallocated memory pieces from the particular page. If the proportion of allocated memory pieces of a particular page exceeds the predetermined allocation proportion, then garbage collector 306 categorizes unallocated memory pieces from the particular page as belonging to a mostly allocated page and places the memory pieces on MA list 301 . Otherwise, garbage collector 306 place the memory pieces on MF list 300 . In other embodiments, more than one predetermined allocation proportion may be used to allocate memory pieces among more than two memory categorization lists. For example, a series of proportion ranges may be used to categorize memory pages.
[0055] In an initial state in which high level memory manager 212 comprises a memory page 216 having no allocated memory pieces 218 , i.e., all memory pieces remain unallocated, the memory pieces may be initially placed in uncategorized list 302 until garbage collector 306 executes and categorizes the memory pieces as described above.
[0056] In another embodiment, garbage collector 306 sorts the memory pieces 218 on each categorized list 300 - 302 based on the amount of unallocated memory pieces per memory page 216 relative to other memory pages on the same categorized list 300 - 302 . For example, FIG. 5 depicts a sorted MA list 301 based on the amount of unallocated memory pieces of pages 216 , 304 . With respect to FIG. 5 , memory piece 406 is placed at the top of MA list 301 ahead of memory pieces 413 , 414 , 415 as more of memory page 216 has been allocated than memory page 304 . In this manner, page 216 which is less likely to become completely unallocated is placed before page 304 which is more likely, relative to page 216 , to become unallocated and able to be returned to low level memory manager 210 . In other embodiments, memory pieces 218 in categorized lists 300 - 302 are not sorted.
[0057] High Level Memory Manager Allocation Process Flow
[0058] In this manner, categorized memory lists 300 - 302 provide an order in which high level memory manager 212 proceeds to select memory pieces 218 for fulfilling memory requests from memory requesters 206 , 208 . FIG. 6 depicts a process flow 600 for allocation of memory performed by high level memory manager 212 responsive to a memory request from memory requesters 206 , 208 . First, high level memory manager 212 receives a request for an allocation of memory from a memory requester 206 , 208 at function 602 . The flow proceeds to function 604 and high level memory manager 212 checks MA list 301 for one or more unallocated memory pieces 218 to satisfy the given memory request.
[0059] If memory pieces 218 are available to fulfill the memory request, the flow proceeds to function 606 and high level memory manager 212 allocates (“returns”) the requested memory to memory requester 206 , 208 . If memory pieces 218 are unavailable in MA list 201 , the flow proceeds to function 608 and high level memory manager 212 checks uncategorized list 302 for one or more unallocated memory pieces 218 to satisfy the given memory request.
[0060] Similar to function 604 , if memory pieces 218 are available to fulfill the memory request, the flow proceeds to function 606 and high level memory manager 212 allocates the requested memory to memory requester 206 , 208 . If memory pieces 218 are unavailable in uncategorized list 302 , the flow proceeds to function 610 and high level memory manager 212 checks MF list 300 for one or more unallocated memory pieces 218 to satisfy the given memory request.
[0061] Similar to functions 604 , 608 , if memory pieces 218 are available to fulfill the memory request, the flow proceeds to function 606 and high level memory manager 212 allocates the requested memory to memory requester 206 , 208 . If memory pieces 218 are unavailable in MF list 300 , the flow proceeds to function 612 and high level memory manager 212 requests a memory page from low level memory manager 210 .
[0062] After high level memory manager 212 receives a memory page from low level memory manager 210 , the high level memory manager divides the memory page into memory pieces 218 via a memory division method and the flow proceeds to function 606 as described above and the high level memory manager returns the requested memory to memory requester 206 , 208 .
[0063] In another embodiment, after high level memory manager 212 receives a memory page from low level memory manager 210 at function 612 , the high level memory manager divides the memory page into memory pieces 218 and places the pieces on uncategorized list 302 . The flow proceeds (via dashed line indicated in FIG. 6 ) to function 608 and execution continues as described above.
[0064] By proceeding in the above-described manner, high level memory manager 212 is more likely to allocate memory from memory pages which are mostly allocated than from memory pages which are mostly free. By prioritizing the memory pages having more unallocated pieces over the memory pages having less unallocated pieces, high level memory manager 212 improves the possibility of gathering a complete unallocated memory page for return to low level memory manager 210 .
[0065] FIG. 7 depicts a version of the FIG. 6 embodiment in which an uncategorized list 302 is unavailable or not used. Process flow 700 proceeds similar to process flow 600 with the exception that the check of uncategorized list 302 at function 608 is not performed.
[0066] Garbage Collector Process Flow
[0067] FIG. 8 depicts a process flow 800 of a portion of the operation of garbage collector 306 according to an embodiment. In accordance with the embodiment, garbage collector 306 maintains a counter for each memory page, e.g., memory page 216 , allocated to high level memory manager 212 . The counter stores a value representing the number of unallocated memory pieces for a given memory page. In accordance with the embodiment, each memory page 216 is subdivided into a predetermined number of memory pieces. Based on the counter value, garbage collector 306 is able to determine a proportion of unallocated memory pieces for each memory page. The proportion of unallocated memory pieces is used as described above.
[0068] In at least some embodiments, garbage collector 306 maintains an additional ratio counter storing a value representing the proportion of unallocated memory pieces for each memory page.
[0069] The flow begins at function 802 and garbage collector 306 clears the counter(s) for each memory page, i.e., the garbage collector resets the counter(s) to a default value, e.g., zero. In at least some embodiments, function 802 may be omitted and the counter values updated as described below by execution of garbage collector 306 .
[0070] The flow proceeds to function 804 and garbage collector 306 examines unallocated memory pieces of each memory page and updates the value stored in a corresponding counter(s). Garbage collector 306 determines the number of unallocated memory pieces for each memory page and stores the number in a counter for the particular memory page.
[0071] The flow then proceeds to function 806 and garbage collector 306 determines whether memory page(s) includes only unallocated memory pieces and, if so, the garbage collector 306 returns the unallocated memory page(s) to low level memory manager 210 . That is, garbage collector 306 evaluates whether all of the memory pieces of a particular memory page are unallocated.
[0072] The flow then proceeds to function 808 and garbage collector 306 categorizes unallocated memory pieces 218 in order to determine whether to place the memory piece on MA list 301 or MF list 300 . Garbage collector 306 places unallocated memory pieces 218 from a memory page 216 having a higher proportion of allocated memory pieces than unallocated memory pieces on MA list 301 based on the above-described counter(s). Garbage collector 306 places unallocated memory pieces 218 from a memory page 216 having a higher proportion of unallocated memory pieces than unallocated memory pieces on MF list 300 based on the above-described counter(s).
[0073] In another embodiment having more than a single categorized memory list where each list corresponds to a particular range of proportions of unallocated memory pieces per memory page, garbage collector 306 determines within which range of a predetermined allocation proportion the memory page 216 of the memory pieces 218 fits and places the memory pieces 218 on the corresponding list.
[0074] In at least some other embodiments, one or more of process functions 804 , 806 , and 808 of process flow 800 may be performed concurrently. Additionally, in other embodiments, different and/or supplemental parameters may be used by garbage collector 306 in categorizing memory pieces 218 , e.g., performance requirements, anticipated memory request “spikes,” the number of requesting devices and other computational considerations. The parameters may be dynamically generated, or set to a predetermined value and/or be contingent on performance of the processing device.
[0075] In at least some other embodiments, a particular memory page may be divided into unequal sized memory pieces. In accordance with this particular embodiment, the above-described counter mechanism may store the amount of unallocated memory space of the unallocated memory pieces.
[0076] In at least some other embodiments, an aging process related to the memory allocation is used for categorizing memory pieces. For example, a long-lived list and a short-lived list may be used to indicate the age of the longest-lived allocation of a given memory piece from a particular memory page. Thus, memory pages having memory piece allocations which have been allocated longer in comparison with other allocations are less likely to become unallocated such that the memory page is able to be returned to low level memory manager 210 .
[0077] In at least one embodiment according to the above-described aging allocation mechanism, garbage collector 306 stores a sequence of values for a memory page corresponding to the memory pieces of the memory page and indicating which memory pieces are unallocated. During the operation of garbage collector 306 , the garbage collector updates the sequence of values to indicate which memory pieces are allocated, e.g., by use of one or more bitmaps. Each time garbage collector 306 updates the values, the garbage collector performs an operation, e.g., a logical AND, using the current values and one or more of previous values. For example, garbage collector 306 may perform an AND operation combining the three most recent sequence of values to determine which values have not changed, thereby indicating which memory piece allocations are longer lived in comparison to other memory piece allocations. That is, in some embodiments, an allocation age, i.e., the age or length of time of the allocation of a memory piece, is used to categorize memory pieces.
[0078] In accordance with the aging allocation and at least some embodiments, one approach is to then categorize memory pieces based on the age of the longest lived allocation of a memory piece of a given memory page and another approach is to categorize memory pieces based on the number of long lived memory piece allocations.
[0079] In the above-discussed embodiments, even though the “categorizations” performed by garbage collector 306 on the categorized memory lists 300 - 302 may become outdated, the categorized lists provide improved memory allocation and/or reduced fragmentation.
[0080] In at least some embodiments, garbage collector 306 process flow 800 executes periodically and in other embodiments the process flow executes based on a memory allocation and/or a memory deallocation by a memory requester 206 , 208 . That is, each time a memory requester 206 , 208 receives memory from high level memory manager 212 and/or returns memory to the high level memory manager, garbage collector 306 executes process flow 800 . In still further embodiments, another garbage collector executes a similar process flow to process flow 800 with respect to memory pages 216 of low level memory manager 210 based on a memory allocation by high level memory manager 212 .
[0081] FIG. 9 depicts a high level process flow 900 of garbage collector 306 according to another embodiment in which the process flow begins at function 902 wherein the garbage collector updates memory page counters similar to function 804 ( FIG. 8 ) responsive to a memory change, e.g., a memory allocation and/or a memory deallocation. The flow then proceeds to function 904 , similar to function 806 ( FIG. 8 ), wherein garbage collector 306 returns unallocated changed memory pages to low level memory manager 210 . The flow the proceeds to function 906 , similar to function 808 ( FIG. 8 ), wherein garbage collector 306 categorizes changed memory pieces of memory pages.
[0082] In yet another embodiment, high level memory manager 212 records further information on individual memory pages in order to help prevent memory pieces from the same page from being allocated or released while “sibling” or memory pieces from the same page are being held in one or another categorized memory list. Page tracking reduces the chances in which high level memory manager 212 allocates from MF list 301 so that other memory pieces from the same MF list-based page become preferred for future allocations over other MF list-based pages. If high level memory manager 212 must allocate memory from MF list 300 , page tracking enables the high level memory manager to make future memory allocations from the same page in order to reduce the likelihood of moving multiple pieces 218 from MF list 300 to MA list 301 . Similarly, tracking memory page information enables the return of unallocated memory pieces to MF list 300 .
[0083] In accordance with the page tracking embodiment, garbage collector 306 retains “page tracking information” (PTI) for each page 216 . In an embodiment, PTI comprises the number of memory pieces 218 allocated for a given memory page 216 . Garbage collector 306 counts or tracks the number of pieces outstanding or allocated by high level memory manager 212 and updates the PTI on a memory allocation (function 606 of FIG. 6 ), on a memory release by a memory requester, or both. In at least some embodiments, garbage collector 306 updates the PTI on each memory allocation.
[0084] The availability of each memory page 216 as stored in the PTI is updated and the respective memory pieces 218 are categorized by garbage collector 306 . In an embodiment, garbage collector 306 determines the matching memory page by parsing the first or target “digit” of the hex address of the memory piece 218 to be categorized. For example, “2ea5” would be memory page “2” if the page of memory were 4096 bytes in length. However, in other embodiments, pages may be other sizes or other indices, without limiting the scope of the embodiments.
[0085] Low Level Memory Manager Discussion
[0086] Returning now to FIG. 2 , low level memory manager 210 manages large-sized memory allocations (pages 216 ) of memory from pool 204 . Low level memory manager 210 comprises different-sized memory pages 216 of which a smaller number than memory pieces 218 in high level memory manager 212 are in use at the same time. The performance of low level memory manager 210 in executing memory allocation and memory release functions is not necessarily as time critical as in the high-level memory management embodiment 212 described above. However, as depicted in FIG. 2 , low level memory manager 210 divides large pages 214 into memory pages 216 of different sizes, which adds an extra level of complexity, not present in high level memory manage 212 .
[0087] Because low level memory manager 210 divides large pages 214 into smaller pages 216 , low level memory manager is subject to lower performance requirements than high level memory manager 212 . Therefore, low level memory manager 210 need not be as complex as high level memory manager 210 .
[0088] FIG. 10 depicts a detail view of low level memory manager 210 ( FIG. 2 ) similar to high level memory manager 212 including an MF list 1000 , an MA list 1001 , an uncategorized list 1002 , an optional large page 1004 (dashed line) of memory, and a garbage collector 1006 . Similar to high level memory manager 212 , low level memory manager 210 may comprise one or more additional large pages as indicated by optional large page 1004 (dashed line).
[0089] Further, low level memory manager 210 comprises categorized memory lists 1000 - 1002 for organizing unallocated memory pages 216 similar to organization of unallocated memory pieces 218 by high level memory manager 212 . In an embodiment, low level memory manager 210 operates in the same fashion with respect to large pages 214 , pages 216 , and high level memory manager 212 as the high level memory manager operates with respect to pages 216 , and memory pieces 218 , and memory requesters 206 , 208 ( FIGS. 6 , 7 ). Further, low level memory manager 210 comprises functionality similar to garbage collector 306 in garbage collector 1006 . In an embodiment, low level memory manager 210 comprises the described garbage collector 1006 functionality directly without a separate garbage collector component.
[0090] In one or more embodiments, operating system 201 further includes a physical memory allocator (not shown) and a kernel virtual address component (not shown) between memory manager 202 and memory pool 204 .
[0091] In another embodiment, a single categorization list, e.g., a single-linked or a double-linked categorization list, may be used in a sorted list fashion to categorize free memory in the memory managers 210 , 212 . However, a single-linked or double-linked categorization list requires additional time of an already time-critical memory allocation and deallocation path and/or increase the amount of memory required in an area with tight memory restrictions.
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A memory management system for managing memory of a processing device and a corresponding method thereof are described. The system comprises a memory manager and a garbage collector. The memory manager is configured to allocate memory after dividing discrete units of memory into smaller units. The garbage collector is configured to organize a memory availability collection of free units of memory in the memory manager. The collection is ordered based on at least one of the amount of each of the discrete units available and the allocation age of the discrete units.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to skin-care products in general and specifically to sunscreen formulations comprising an emulsion of water and at least one oil. In particular, it relates to oil and water emulsions containing organic sunscreens or containing organic and/or inorganic (physical) sunscreen components. It further relates to suncare/skincare compositions capable of providing a high degree of protection from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, such as sunburn and sun-induced premature aging.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is defined as radiation beyond the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum at its violet end. UVR consists of wavelengths from 200 to 400 nm and is subdivided into three bands from longer to shorter wavelengths as ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB), and ultraviolet C (UVC), respectively.
Human skin has a limited capacity to adapt to certain UV radiation when exposure to solar radiation is increased gradually. However, this protective mechanism fails when exposure increases abruptly. The sunburn response is generally associated with UVB exposure. Recent work, however has shown that large doses of UVA have detrimental effects on skin as well.
The damaging effects of sunlight on skin are well documented. The combination of a diminished ozone layer with the growing tendency for people to engage in outdoor activities is believed to increase the occurrence of skin cancer and also to accelerate premature aging of the skin.
As the body of evidence regarding the harmful effects of UV radiation grows, the cosmetic industry continues to formulate new products for providing enhanced protection against UVB and UVA radiation. Sunscreen agents or sunfilters are now incorporated into a variety of products for everyday use. These include moisturizers, creams, lotions, foundations, lipsticks, and other miscellaneous skin care products as well as shampoos and mousses. Such formulations are designed to at least partially protect human skin and hair from UV radiation.
The protective strength of a particular sunscreen agent on the skin depends on a variety of factors. Among these factors are distribution (or deployment) of the sunscreen molecules on the skin, the spectral UV properties of the sunscreen, the photostability of the sunscreen, the chemical structure, the concentration of the sunscreen, the penetration of the sunscreens into the stratum corneum, and the spreading properties of the vehicle and the subsequent adherence to skin.
Deployment of the sunscreen molecules over the surface of the skin determines to a major extent the protection delivered by various sunscreen formulations. Sunscreen formulations should be designed such that when applied to skin they deliver a film that covers both the peaks and the valleys of skin. Ideally, the sunscreen formulation can be applied to yield a film of uniform thickness on the skin with the sunscreen molecules homogeneously distributed within the film. The vehicle (the non-sunscreen component of the formulation) determines the manner in which the sunscreen molecules are deployed on the skin. In addition, the vehicle also controls to a large extent the ability of a sunscreen to protect skin after prolonged water exposure. Beyond protecting the skin from UV radiation, other formulation attributes such as product mildness and cosmetic elegance are also important to consumers.
The most common formulation type for topical sunscreens is an emulsion. Sunscreen products may be manufactured as either oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions. Consequently, it is important that the emulsification system be capable of creating stable emulsions with a variety of polar and non-polar sunscreen agents as well as cosmetic oils.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Cosmetic chemists have devoted much effort towards developing methods and compositions for improving the SPF ("sun protection factor") efficiency of sunscreen vehicles, i.e. delivering higher sun protection factor with a given amount of sunscreening agent. The present invention provides novel methods and compositions for unexpectedly improving the sun protection factor of formulations employing in some embodiments, relatively low levels of various organic and/or inorganic (physical) sunscreen components.
More specifically, the invention provides methods and compositions for increasing the sun protection factor of an oil and water sunscreen emulsion. The invention comprises adding a phthalic acid derivative to an oil and water sunscreen emulsion in an amount effective to increase the sun protection factor of the emulsion. The emulsions of the invention may be oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsions. Such emulsions are typically prepared by preparing and combining water and oil phases to produce an emulsion.
The phthalic acid derivatives useful in the invention are encompassed by the general structure shown below in Formula I: ##STR2## wherein R represents C 8 -C 40 alkyl, C 8 -C 40 alkenyl, alkylaryl where the alkyl portion is C 8 -C 40 alkyl, aryl, C 3 -C 7 cycloalkyl, or R 1 --O--R 2 where R 1 and R 2 independently represent C 1 -C 22 alkyl, C 1 -C 22 alkenyl, alkylaryl where the alkyl portion is C 1 -C 22 alkyl, aryl, or C 3 -C 7 cycloalkyl;
X represents a cation; and
m is an integer satisfying the valency of X.
The emulsions of the invention may be prepared by adding the phthalic acid derivative to either the water phase or the oil phase prior to preparing the emulsion.
The compositions of the invention provide important advantages. Among these advantages are increased sun protection factor efficiency, increased mildness to human skin and scalp, and an absence of soaping and minimal whitening when applied to the skin. Further, the inventive compositions are easy to spread, adhere well to the skin, and are waterproof.
As can be seen in the examples, the compositions of the present invention yield higher sun protection factors (SPFs) than do compositions without the phthalic acid derivative but having the same amount of active sunscreen agents. Consequently, sunscreen formulations prepared according to the invention require less of an active sunscreen agent to achieve SPFs similar to conventional sunscreen formulations. In addition, since the active sunscreen agent contributes a major portion of the cost of the final formulation, significant cost savings can be realized with this invention. Further, because high levels of organic sunscreens can irritate skin of certain individuals, formulations of the invention are generally more mild than conventional formulations having similar SPFs, due to the decreased concentration of organic sunscreens and the inherent mildness of the emulsification system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Sunscreen compositions according to the invention comprise an oil and water emulsion. Such oil and water emulsions comprise oil components, water, and, optionally, water soluble components. These inventive compositions further comprise at least one sunscreen compound and a sun protection factor enhancement system. Preferred compositions comprise a combination of sunscreen components. The sun protection factor enhancement system includes a low hydrophilic/lipophilic balance (HLB) emulsifier and a phthalic acid derivative of Formula I above.
The oil components include the sunscreen agents, the sunscreen enhancing system, various cosmetic oils and other oil soluble ingredients (e.g. polymers, waxes). The phthalic acid derivative may be incorporated into the emulsion either by way of the oil phase of the emulsion or alternatively by way of the water phase of the emulsion.
The oil component forming the vehicle may comprise one or more hydrophobic materials. These materials are hydrophobic oils that are insoluble in water. Representative oils suitable for use in the inventive compositions include, but are not limited to isopropyl palmitate (IPP), octyl isononanoate (OIN), octyl dodecyl neopentanoate (e.g. Elefac I-205), isohexadecane (e.g. Permethyl 101A), hydrogenated vegetable oil (e.g. Vegepure). Other suitable oils include mineral oil, petrolatum, isopropyl myristate, triglycerides, and various silicones including dimethicones and cyclomethicones, etc.
The sun protection factor enhancement system typically includes a low HLB emulsifier such as glycerol esters including glycerol monostearate (GMS) and glycerol monooleate (GMO), ethylene glycol distearate (EGDS), PEG esters such as polyethylene glycol monostearate, polyglyceryl esters such as polyglyceryl-10-decaoleate (e.g.Drewpol), and silicone emulsifiers such as polysiloxane based water-in-oil emulsifiers (e.g. Abil EM-90). These low HLB emulsifiers have HLB's of from about 1 to 6, and preferably from about 1.5 to about 3.8.
As noted above, the sun protection factor enhancement system also includes a phthalic acid derivative of formula I that may be added with the oils or with the water. The phthalic acid derivative is present in the final sunscreen emulsions in an amount of about 0.1 to about 15% by weight of the emulsion. Preferred sunscreen emulsions of the invention comprise about 0.5 to 10% of the phthalic acid derivative by weight of the emulsion. Most preferred sunscreen emulsions of the invention comprise about 1 to 5% of the phthalic acid derivative by weight of the emulsion.
Preferred compounds of Formula I are those where R represents straight or branched chain alkyl groups having from about 8-22 carbon atoms; m is 1; and X is sodium, potassium, ammonium, mono-, di-, or trialkanolamonium, more preferably ethanolammonium, mono-, di-, or trialkylammonium, more preferably ethanolammonium. Yet more preferred compounds of Formula I are those where R represents straight or branched chain alkyl having from about 12-20 carbons atoms; m is 1; and X is sodium, potassium, or triethanolammonium.
Representative cations, i.e., "X" groups, include Mg ++ , Ca ++ , Na + , K + , NH 4 +, and R 1 R 2 R 3 NH + , where R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 independently represent C 1-6 straight or branched chain alkyl groups or C 1-6 straight or branched chain alkylol groups.
Representative phthalic acid derivatives of formula I suitable for use in the sunscreen compositions include, for example, sodium soyaamido benzoate, sodium oleylamido benzoate, potassium cocoamido benzoate, and sodium stearylamido benzoate. Suitable phthalic acid derivatives are commercially available from Stepan Company, Northfield, Ill.
The level of oil components in the emulsion is generally from about 1 to 65% by weight of the emulsion. More preferred formulations of the invention comprise about 5-40% by weight of the oil components. Most preferred formulations of the invention comprise about 10-30% by weight of the oil components.
The sunscreen component for use in the inventive compositions may be a single sunscreen or a mixture of more than one sunscreen. The sunscreens may be organic or inorganic sunscreens, or a combination of organic and inorganic sunscreens. Suitable sunscreens are those capable of blocking, scattering, absorbing or reflecting UV radiation. Inorganic sunscreens, often referred to as physical sunscreens, typically scatter, reflect and absorb UV radiation while organic sunscreens generally absorb UV radiation. Representative sunscreen components capable of protecting human skin from the harmful effects of UV-A and UV-B radiation are set forth below in table 1.
TABLE 1______________________________________CTFA Name FDA Name/Chemical name______________________________________Benzophenone-3 Oxybenzone/2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy benzophenone Octylmethoxycinnamate 2-Ethylhexyl-p-methoxy cinnamate Benzophenone-4 Sulisobenzone/2-Hydroxy-4- methoxy benzophenone-5- sulfonic acid Octylsalicylate 2-Ethylhexyl salicylate Triethanolamine salicylate Triethanolamine o- hydroxybenzoate Glyceryl PABA Glyceryl p-aminobenzoate Padimate O Octyldimethyl p-aminobenzoate Homosalate Homomenthyl salicylate PABA p-Aminobenzoic acid Padimate A Amyldimethyl PABA Benzophenone-8 Dioxybenzone Octocrylene 2-Ethyl-hexyl-2-cyano-3,3- diphenylacrylate Phenyl Benzimidazole sulfonic 2-Phenylbenzimidazole-5- acid sulfonic acid Titanium dioxide Titanium dioxide Melanin coated titanium dioxide Zinc oxide Zinc oxide Avobenzone Butyldibenzomethane______________________________________
Preferred sunscreens and sunscreen combinations are ethyl hexyl-p-methoxy-cinnamate (commerically available from Givaudan as Parsol MCX), Benzophenone-3 (Oxybenzone commercially available from Haarmann & Reimer), 2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid (commercially available as Eusolex 232 from Rona), and octyldimethyl p-amino benzoic acid (octyl dimethyl PABA commercially available from Haarmann & Reimer).
Preferred inorganic (physical) sunscreens include appropriately sized particles of micronized titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) and zinc oxide (ZnO). In addition, these particles may have various surface treatments to render the surface non-reactive and/or hydrophobic. Inorganic sunscreens may be added to the inventive formulations on a dry basis or as predispersed slurries.
In the case of predispersed slurries, well dispersed sluries are prefered. Representative non-limiting examples of currently preferred inorganic sunscreens include a slurry of 40% by weight of aluminum stearate coated micronized titanium dioxide in Octyl dodecylneopentanoate (commercially available as TiOSperse I from Collaborative Laboratories); a slurry containing 40% by weight of a mixture of TiO 2 and aluminum stearate in caprylic/capric triglyceride (commercially available as TiOSperse GT from Collaborative Laboratories); a 40% slurry of glycerol coated TiO 2 in butylene glycol and glycerin (commercially available as TiOSperse BUG/Gly from Collaborative Laboratories); melanin coated TiO 2 (commercially available from MelCo); ultrafine silicone coated TiO 2 (commercially available as UV-Titan from Presperse, Inc.); Dimethicone coated ZnO (commercially available as Z-cote HP1 from SunSmart, Inc.); a 60% Tio 2 , aluminum stearate, an trifluoromethyl-C 1-4 alkyldimethicone in octyl dodecylneopentanoate (commercially available as ON60TA from Kobo Products, Inc.); and a 40% TiO 2 slurry in octyl palmitate (commercially available as Tioveil OP from Tioxide Specialties, Ltd.).
The sunscreen emulsions are typically prepared by combining water and aqueous components (the "water phase") with any oil components (the "oil phase") where each of the phases have been optionally heated to about 70-80° C., preferably heating the resulting mixture, and subsequently mixing, preferably at an elevated temperature such as, for example, about 70-80° C., to prepare the emulsion. After cooling, a preservative may optionally be added and the pH adjusted as necessary, with, for example, citric acid.
The oil phase used to prepare the emulsion includes the low HLB emulsifier, various oils, and the sunscreen component(s). The phthalic acid derivative may be present in the water phase, the oil phase, or in both, prior to combining the phases to prepare the emulsion.
The pH of the resulting sunscreen formulations is normally between about 6 and 9, preferably between about 7 and 8, and most preferably between about 7.5 and 8.
All documents, e.g., patents and journal articles, cited above or below are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
In the following examples, all amounts are stated in percent by weight of active material unless indicated otherwise.
One skilled in the art will recognize that modifications may be made in the present invention without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention. The invention is illustrated further by the following examples which are not to be construed as limiting the invention or scope of the specific procedures or compositions described herein.
In Vitro Determination of Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of Sunscreen Formulations
The following method for determining SPF for the formulations of the invention employs a synthetic substrate (Vitro-Skin™) that mimics the surface properties of human skin.
1. A series of 6 cm by 9 cm pieces of Vitro-Skin™ are placed in a humidity controlled chamber for about 16 hours. The humidity control chamber contains a solution of about 70% water and 30% glycerin and is maintained at 23° C.
2. 100 μl of the sunscreen formulation to be tested is drawn into a calibrated positive-displacement pipette.
3. A 6 cm×9 cm piece of Vitro-Skin™ substrate is removed from the hydration chamber and placed on a plastic-covered foam block such that the skin topography side (the dull or non-shiny side) is away from the foam block. The 100 μl of sample sunscreen formulation is pipetted evenly across a 6×8 cm section of the substrate by dotting it approximately at 30 equally spaced points across the substrate.
4. The sample sunscreen formulation is then rubbed into the substrate and with sufficient force to slightly deform the plastic covered flexible foam. The product is then allowed to dry for 15 minutes after which the substrate is trimmed and then mounted on a 6 cm×6 cm slide. A second piece of substrate (untreated) is removed from the hydration chamber and mounted on a separate 35 mm slide mount to be used as a control.
5. Sun protection factors are then determined using an Optometrics SPF-290 instrument. The control (untreated piece of substrate) is then placed above the integrating sphere of the instrument and a reference scan is obtained by recording the photocurrent at 5 nm increments between 290 and 400 nm. The in vitro sun protection factor for each formulation according to the invention is then determined by placing the product treated substrate above the integrating sphere. The sample scan is then obtained by recording the photocurrent at 5 nm increments between 290 and 400 nm. Monocromatic Protection Factors (MPF) are subsequently calculated by taking the ratio of the photocurrent untreated vs. treated at each wavelength.
In Vivo Determination of Waterproof Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of Sunscreen Formulations
The following method is used to determining the in vivo waterproof SPF for the formulations of the invention. The method employs a 150 watt xenon arc solar simulator commercially available as Model 12S, 14S, or 600 from Solar Light Co., Philadelphia, Pa., as a source of ultraviolet radiation. These models have a continuous emission spectrum in the UV-B range from 290-320 nm.
UV radiation is continuously monitored during a period of exposure using a Model DCS-1 Sunburn UV Meter/Dose Controller System (available from Solar Light Co.). Measurements are taken at a position within 8 mm of the skin surface. The field of irradiation is 1 cm in diameter.
The procedure for this study is essentially as described in the Federal Register, 43: 38264-38267 (1978).
A single test site area is used to determine a subjects minimal erythema dose (MED). This is accomplished by exposing the subject back to a series of timed incremental UV exposures at 25% intervals. An individual subject's MED is the shortest time of exposures that produces minimally perceptible erythema at 16 to 24 hours post irradiation. The test area is defined as the infrascapular area of the back to the right and left of the midline. A 8% homosalate standard is delivered to the test site through plastic volumetric syringe. The homosalate standard is evenly applied to a rectangular area measuring about 5 cm×10 cm for a final concentration of 2.0 mg/cm 2 .
Fifteen minutes after the application of the homosalate standard, a series of UV light exposures in 25% increments calculated from previously determined MED's bracketing the intended SPF were administered from the solar simulator to subsites within the treated area. On the actual day of testing another series of exposures similar to the one given on the previous day was administered to an adjacent untreated site of unprotected skin to re-determine the MED. An adjacent test site was then selected for a static determination of the test substance, conducted as above, prior to the immersion test.
WATERPROOF DETERMINATION
The following determination indicates the substantivity of a sun protection emulsion and its ability to resist water immersion.
On the day of the test, after exposure of the homosalate standard, MED's and static determination, another area measuring 5 cm×10 cm is designated. The test formulation is spread uniformly over the area at a concentration of 2.0 mg/cm 2 and allowed a fifteen minute drying period as before. Another adjacent site is selected for determination of a waterproof sunscreen standard. The standard has a known waterproof sun protection factor bracketing the expected sun protection factor of the test formulation. The following immersion schedule is employed:
20 minutes of moderate activity in water.
20 minutes rest period out of the water.
20 minutes of moderate activity in water.
20 minutes rest period out of the water.
20 minutes of moderate activity in water.
20 minutes rest period out of the water.
20 minutes of moderate activity in water.
Immersion is achieved indoors in a circulating whirlpool tub having a 1 h.p. pump operating at 3450 RPM delivering 8 g.p.m. through 8-1.5 cm diameter ports. The water is maintained at an average temperature of 75-80° F. The test area was air dried prior to exposure from the solar simulator. A second series of exposures on the test formulation is administered to the protected area, again using 25% increments. The exact series of exposures employed is determined by the controlled MED and the expected SPF of the product as defined above.
Sixteen to twenty four hours post exposure, the subjects are evaluated for delayed erythemic response. The smallest exposure or least amount of energy required to produce erythema (MED) in the treated site is recorded. SPF is then calculated according to the following equation: ##EQU1##
EXAMPLE 1
The following sunscreen formulations are prepared essentially as described above.
______________________________________ Formulation No.Component 1.sup.1 2______________________________________Stearic acid 3.0 -- Triethanolamine 1.5 -- Carbopol 934.sup.2 0.2 -- Stearyl amido benzoate, sodium salt -- 2.0 Glycerol mono stearate 1.0 1.0 Elefac I-205.sup.3 8.0 8.0 Ethylhexyl-p-methoxy cinnamate 5.0 5.0 2-Phenyl-benzimidazole-5-sulfonic 1.0 1.0 acid TioSperse I.sup.4 (% active TiO.sub.2 in 10.0 10.0 formulation) (4.0) (4.0) Water Q.S. to 100 Q.S. to 100 Stability.sup.5 stable stable pH 7.55 7.6 Sun Protection Factor 15.5 23.8 (in vitro)______________________________________ .sup.1 Comparative example. .sup.2 A homopolymer of acrylic acid crosslinked with an allyl ether of pentaerythritol or an allyl ether of sucrose, commercially available from BF Goodrich. .sup.3 Octyl dodecyl neopentanoate, commercially available from Bernel, Inc. .sup.4 A 40% by weight slurry of TiO.sub.2 coated with aluminum stearate in Elefac I205, commercially available from Collaborative Laboratories, Inc. .sup.5 Emulsion stability was evaluted via multiple criteria; specifically: 1) oven stability at 42° C. for 1 month, 2) comparison of emulsion micrographs obtained on day one vs. two weeks vs. one month, 3) measurement of conductivity and 4) rheological profile. Stable indicates that all criteria were satisfied.
EXAMPLE 2
The following sunscreen formulations are prepared essentially as described above.
______________________________________Waterproof sunscreen formulations Formulation No.Component 3.sup.6 4 5______________________________________Stearic acid 3.0 -- -- Triethanolamine 1.5 -- -- Carbopol 934 0.1 -- -- Stearyl amido benzoate, 2.0 2.0 sodium salt Glycerol mono stearate 1.0 1.0 1.0 Elefac I-205 8.0 8.0 8.0 Ethylhexyl-p-methoxy 3.5 3.5 3.5 cinnamate Benzophenone-3 1.5 1.5 1.5 Tiosperse I (% active 10.0 10.0 10.0 TiO.sub.2 in formulation) (4.0) (4.0) (4.0) Ganex V-220.sup.7 0.5 water Q.S. to Q.S. to Q.S. to 100 100 100 stability stable stable stable pH 7.6 7.65 7.6 sun protection factor 14 22.1 22 (in vitro) Waterproof sun 15.3 21.8 22.7 protection factor (in vivo)______________________________________ .sup.6 Comparative example. .sup.7 A polymer of vinylpyrrolidone and eicosene monomers, commercially available from GAF.
EXAMPLE 3
The following sunscreen formulations are prepared essentially as described above.
______________________________________The following sunscreen formulations are prepared essentially as described above. Formulation No.Component 6.sup.8 7______________________________________Stearic acid 3.0 -- Triethanolamine 1.5 -- Carbopol 934.sup.9 0.2 -- Stearyl amido 2.0 benzoate, sodium salt glycerol mono stearate 1.0 1.0 Elefac I-205 10.0 10.0 ethylhexyl-p-methoxy 7.5 7.5 cinnamate Benzophenone-3 3.0 3.0 2-Phenyl- 1.0 1.0 benzimidazole-5- sulfonic acid Water Q.S. Q.S. stability stable stable pH 7.65 7.6 sun protection factor 28.7 34.2 (in vitro)______________________________________ .sup.8 Comparative example. .sup.9 A homopolymer of acrylic acid crosslinked with an allyl ether of pentaerythritol or an allyl ether of sucrose, commercially available from Goodrich.
EXAMPLE 4
Formulations 8-10 are prepared essentially as follows:
Water and stearyl amido benzoate, sodium salt, are combined at room temperature and heated with mixing to about 75-80° C. An oil phase is prepared by combining the oil phase components and mixing with heating to about 77-82° C. When preparing compositions containing titanium dioxide, a slurry of titanium dioxide is added to a mixture of completely solubilized oil phase components at a temperature of about 55-60° C.; the mixture is then heated to about 75-80° C. and homogenized. Subsequently, the oil phase is added to the water phase with constant mixing. The resulting mixture is mixed at 75° C. for about 30 minutes and then allowed to cool with continuous mixing to about at least 30° C. At a temperature below 50° C., a preservative is optionally added and the pH is optionally adjusted with, for example, citric acid.
______________________________________ Formulation No.Components 4.sup.10 8 5.sup.10 9 10______________________________________Stearyl amido benzoate, 2 2 2 2 2 sodium salt Glycerol mono stearate 1 1 1 1 1 Elefac I-205 8 8 8 8 8 Ethyl hexyl p-methoxy 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 cinnamate Benzophenone-3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 TioSperse I (% active 10 10 10 10 10 TiO.sub.2 in formulation) (4) (4) (4) (4) Cetyl alcohol 1 1 Ganex V-220 0.5 Xantham Gum 0.1 0.2 Magnesium Aluminum 0.3 0.5 Silicate Water Q.S. Q.S. Q.S. Q.S. Q.S. to to to to to 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% SPF (in vitro) 22.1 19.1 22.0 -- 25.2______________________________________ .sup.10 From Example 2.
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Disclosed are methods and compositions for increasing the sun protection factor of oil and water sunscreen emulsions comprising adding a phthalic acid derivative to an oil and water sunscreen emulsion in an amount effective to increase the sun protection factor of the emulsion, the phthalic acid derivative having the general formula: ##STR1## where R represents an organic substituent, X represents a cation; and m is an integer satisfying the valency of X.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to the following applications, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: U.S. provisional application No. 60/323,928, entitled Process and System for Comparing and Reconciling Estimated Data with Actual Data in a Complex Project Workflow System, filed on 20 Sep. 2001; U.S. provisional application No. 60/336,390, entitled Offline Manager, filed on 01 Nov. 2001; U.S. provisional application No. 60/343,565, entitled Modularization of a Process and System for Comparing and Reconciling Estimated Data with Actual Data in a Complex Project Workflow System, filed on 18 Oct. 2001; U.S. provisional application No. 60/337,445, entitled Customization of Data Collection Methods in a Process for Comparing and Reconciling Estimated Data with Actual Data in a Complex Project Workflow System, filed on 18 Oct. 2001; and U.S. provisional application No. 60/338,228, entitled Customization Manager—Versioning, filed on 06 Dec. 2001.
This application is also related to the following applications, which are also each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/801,016 entitled Method and Process for Providing Relevant Data, Comparing Proposal Alternatives and Reconciling Proposals, Invoices, and Purchase Orders with Actual Costs in a Workflow Process, filed 6 Mar. 2001, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/672,938, entitled Process and System for Matching Buyers and Sellers of Goods and/or Services, filed 28 Sep. 2000.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to the field of automated business processes and systems therefore that match buyers with sellers of goods or services while also targeting marketing to such buyers. More specifically, the present invention relates to automated methods as part of a workflow process that provide for the comparison and reconciliation of estimated data to actual data determined at the conclusion of an event in a multistage project.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In today's complex, fast paced economy, many projects exist that require various goods and/or services to be provided by numerous organizations (hereafter, “sellers”) while also requiring relationships for providing and monitoring such goods/services to be quickly and efficiently established. Examples of such projects include drilling for oil, commercial and/or residential construction, manufacturing complex objects (for example, aircraft and special use objects), and providing specialized services (for example, brokering excess power and bandwidth, and developing unique software products). When planning such projects, the person(s) responsible for the project (hereinafter, the “buyer”) is often faced with the daunting tasks of: (1) designing the project and planning the phases of implementation; (2) determining which goods/services are needed; (3) determining providers (sellers) of such goods/services; (4) establishing a dialogue with such sellers; (5) selecting at least one seller to provide one or more goods/services; (6) starting, managing, and monitoring the project until completion or termination; (7) facilitating post-completion tasks (for example, paying sellers and other back-end processing); (8) analyzing the events of the project to identify areas of improvement for future projects and (9) other related tasks.
Commonly, when faced with such a challenge, many buyers rely upon antiquated systems and processes for accomplishing those tasks necessary implement a project from start to post-completion. Such antiquated systems include, for example: utilizing business listings and other directories to identify sellers; negotiating agreements with the sellers via facsimile, telephone, and other non-real-time responsive systems; and making best-guess judgments as to areas in which future improvements may be realized. As a result, many buyers relying upon such antiquated processes are often left behind in today's fast paced, Internet-driven, information economy. As such, a system is needed that allows buyers to be efficiently matched with sellers, and projects monitored, managed, and coordinated through all phases of the project.
For example, when constructing a building, a general contractor must decide which seller will provide excavation services, what type of materials to use, when the materials will be used, who will supply the materials, who will use the materials (i.e., who will actually construct the building) and other various factors. Currently, when constructing a building, the builder might use a Rolodex® or a personal data assistant (PDA) (for example, a PALM® device) with contacts to choose preferred sellers to provide the desired goods/services. Upon identifying a seller, the buyer may then engage in a dialogue with the seller about the project parameters, and may solicit proposals for methods to complete specific tasks. Since each seller may identify a unique manner for accomplishing the specified task, the buyer is often left to determine, for example, which seller has identified the best approach, will provide the best value, and can best meet the schedule. Since such determinations can be quite time consuming, buyers generally do not have time to shop for other than a limited number of sellers for any given project. As such, new sellers on the market, and/or new techniques may often be overlooked.
Further compounding the problems faced by buyers in identifying and coordinating goods/services from sellers is that sellers often dictate the purchase processes used to acquire goods/services needed for the project (e.g., auction, fixed price and quantity systems, and other systems well known in the art). For some of these purchase processes, most of the essential terms of the agreement are dictated or controlled by the seller, while the buyer has little input over terms such as price, delivery, location, and quantity. Examples of such seller driven processes include retail, mail order, telephone, and some on-line sales systems. For example, a builder desiring to procure nails might be required by a retail sales process or an on-line sales process to purchase nails only in bundles of 200, for a set price. Since the buyer cannot modify the goods/services or terms or conditions of the procurement process, the buyer's needs are often inadequately, untimely, and inefficiently fulfilled.
Additionally, recent automation of the aforementioned seller-driven processes (for example, via the Internet) has not adequately addressed this problem. While the new, automated processes generally enable a buyer to shop for goods and/or services, for example, without having to travel to the seller's location or obtain a catalog, such processes are commonly characterized by sellers offering items of commerce under seller specified terms and conditions. Such processes do not allow a buyer to identify a project in terms of its specifications, and have the specifications translated into requests for goods/services that are then fulfilled in a timely and efficient manner by a seller providing the requested goods/services or suitable alternatives. Additionally, such processes often do not identify sellers of specialty goods/services and, therefore, are often inadequate for the provisioning of goods and/or services that are not commonly mass marketed. In short, a more efficient process of matching buyers and sellers is needed.
Examples of presently available buyer driven processes include bidding processes and auctions. Regardless of the process (whether bid-based or auction-based), a buyer is generally first required to identify specific goods/services that are needed to complete a project. None of the available processes allow a buyer to specify a project in terms of project details or parameters that are then automatically converted into requests for proposals, requests for specific goods, or other such proposals. Additionally, none of the available processes provide ready access to information to help a buyer, or seller, determine the appropriate details necessary to adequately specify a project or respond to such a request. As is appreciated by those skilled in the art, converting specifications for complex projects into specific requests for goods/services is extremely time consuming, is often incomplete, and is extremely inefficient because the buyers often can not precisely identify and/or specify those goods/services available and needed to fulfill a project. As such, today's buyer driven processes do not provide the degree of flexibility, specificity, and efficiency necessary for many buyers of goods/services. Therefore, a process is needed that enables a buyer to procure those goods/services necessary to undertake and complete a project by providing a project's specifications to an automated process that facilitates the conversion of such specifications into requests for goods/service and matches the buyer with sellers of such goods/services.
Additionally, once an agreement has been entered into to provide goods/services needed to fulfill a project, systems are not available that enable both buyers and sellers to monitor the progress of the project, efficiently implement design changes, provide billing and other back-office functions, and determine areas for improvement by utilizing knowledge based systems. Thus, a process is needed that enables buyers/sellers to enter into agreements for projects and monitor such projects from initialization through post-completion/termination.
Similarly, once goods have been delivered or a service has been performed, processes are not available that enable both buyers and sellers to efficiently compare and reconcile actual costs and project outcomes with the estimated costs and technical specifications provided by a seller in response to a service request, provide for a revision and approval process, and ultimately provide invoices that accurately reflect the goods and services provided. With many complex projects deliveries are made and services are provided in discrete stages over the course of the project. For example, a commercial response for lumber, for a particular project, may detail the various types, sizes, and pricing for the lumber while providing a final total price. However, the delivery may actually be performed in stages over the course of the project. These services are generally documented by delivery tickets or tickets provided at the time deliveries are made and services rendered. In other instances, ongoing services may be recognized by tickets submitted on a regular basis, e.g., weekly or monthly.
Unfortunately, there is great difficulty in reconciling these tickets and allocating them to the appropriate project. Many times tickets are never received by the office accounting departments. For buyers, this means that they have no record of goods or services actually being provided. For sellers, this may mean that they are unable to or fail to invoice a buyer for goods or services rendered. Often it is a nightmare for buyer and seller accounting departments to keep track of tickets because proper routing and coding procedures often are overlooked in the field. As such, much time may be spent on the telephone attempting to contact foremen at job sites to confirm deliveries or services rendered or with the seller to determine to which project the ticket relates. Fraud is also an issue as many times false invoices are presented and paid under the assumption that the ticket was lost because it is too difficult or time consuming to identify the related tickets. Thus a process is needed to enable such reconciliation of proposal prices and project results with actual costs and technical specifications before approval and invoicing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
At least one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a process and system that matches buyers (in exemplary embodiments herein “operators”) and sellers (in exemplary embodiments herein “service providers”) of goods/services based upon specifications provided by a buyer for a project. Additionally, various embodiments of the present invention provide a forum for the negotiation of resulting agreements to provide goods/services needed for a project, while also allowing buyers and sellers to monitor the status of the project and/or the provision of the agreed upon goods/services. Systems and/or processes are also provided which enable sellers to directly communicate with a buyer, including providing documents and other information that are readily accessible by the buyer, the sellers, and others (e.g., engineers, subcontractors, project managers, and other project members) from anywhere, at any time, via a suitable communications link. Further, the completion of post-task accomplishment activities, such as back-end accounting and billing operations, reconciliation of proposed costs and other data with actual costs and other actual data, invoicing, resource management, and knowledge management may also be provided by various embodiments of the present invention.
More specifically, a system and/or process is provided that, upon identification of specifications for a project by a buyer, generates one or more requests for goods and/or services needed to fulfill the project and provides the requests to those sellers designated by the buyer and/or those sellers that can provide the requested goods/services. It is to be appreciated that a “project,” as used in this description, includes activities involving single operations (for example, procuring casing for a well), as well as activities involving numerous operations (for example, building a house), and is not to be construed as being limited to any specific classes of goods, services, activities, or projects. In response to such requests, the sellers may submit proposals, request additional information, recommend changes to project parameters and/or the goods/services requested, and perform various other activities.
When utilizing the systems and/or processes of the present invention, a buyer may specify one or more parameters that describe a project. Examples of such parameters include the following: physical parameters (e.g., size, weight, height); functional parameters (e.g., able to accelerate from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in less then 6.0 seconds); temporal parameters (e.g., to be delivered by Tuesday); financial parameters (e.g., to cost less than $10.00); transactional parameters (e.g., to be paid by check or money order); and/or geographical parameters (e.g., located in Colorado). The physical, functional, temporal, financial, and/or geographical parameters, or any other parameters that may be appropriate for completion of the project, are hereafter collectively referred to as “parameters.” Various embodiments of the present invention also enable users to compare various versions of a given proposal and/or different proposals for various purposes, for example, to manipulate the parameters in such proposals to ascertain different results based upon potential project outcomes. Thus, a process is provided which facilitates the matching of buyers with sellers of goods/services based upon project parameters, and not necessarily upon the specific identification of goods/services by a buyer.
Various embodiments of the present invention further enable buyers and sellers to access industry specific information, for example, to assist them in determining and providing the necessary goods and services for a given project. A knowledge management system may also be included as a component of the invention and may be used, in one respect, as a library of technical information to aid both buyers and sellers in formulating and responding to various kinds of requests. Technical information may include, for example, industry data, articles, general engineering publications, historical or archived data, and data specific to either a buyer's or seller's projects or team (e.g., company specific data). As is commonly appreciated, company specific data may include operational and transaction histories for projects and other data. Access to company specific data may be restricted to protect proprietary information, or it may be shared, for example, as between joint venturers involved in a specific project.
The present invention, in at least one embodiment, facilitates the sharing of such company specific data, as desired and/or permitted by individual companies. In many complex projects, various goods are delivered by a seller for use at various points throughout the project and documented by delivery tickets, even though the entire quantities and related total costs may have been indicated or estimated in a single technical and/or commercial response to the initial service request for the project. Similarly, services provided by a seller over the course of a project may be rendered and documented by what are known in some industries as field tickets. Rather than merely providing an invoice at the completion of the entire project, field tickets may be issued by sellers at various times during the project, for example, weekly, monthly, by hours expended, or by section completed.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a system and/or process is provided for tracking, matching, comparing, reconciling, and/or approving for payment delivery tickets or field tickets for goods/services rendered at the project site. One element of this field approval of delivery tickets process may provide for communications between buyers and sellers that are directly linked to the specific delivery or field document in question. This process may be further enhanced by using an electronic version of a delivery document, one example of which is an eField-Ticket™ provided by WELLOGIX®, Inc. It is to be appreciated, however, that other versions of delivery tickets, in electronic and other forms or methods of communicating field or other conditions may be utilized in conjunction with the various embodiments of the present invention. As such, collectively and individually, delivery tickets, field tickets, electronic tickets, and an eField-Ticket™ are herein considered to be synonymous and are hereinafter referred to as a “Field Document,” or on the various WELLOGIX user interface embodiments as an “eFT,” in both the singular and plural context, as particular uses require. Further, it is to be appreciated that a Field Document may be generated, provided, accessed and/or utilized in a hardcopy and/or a soft copy embodiment. More specifically, a Field Document may be provided in a hard copy embodiment as a printed page, document, memo, report, invoice, Field Document or the like. Similarly, a Field Document may be provided in a soft copy embodiment as a computer data file, on a screen display of a user or a system device, as an audible text message or via any other known or hereafter discovered method and/or system for communicating information to a person and/or to a computer or similar device.
Further, a historical record of the communications concerning the reconciliation and approval of payment for a specific delivery/Field Document may be provided to document and facilitate the process. In a related manner, actual project data (for example, quantities of lumber actually delivered, quantities of concrete used, time taken to drill a well to a certain depth, and other actual project data) can be compared and reconciled with amounts projected or estimated in technical responses to an original service request.
In one business scenario using a system or process embodiment of the present invention, an operator may award a job with a commercial response or a work order. Once the service provider has completed the designated work or an identifiable portion thereof, a Field Document may be prepared and submitted to the operator for approval. This may be accomplished, for one system embodiment, by logging into an Internet and/or Browser based system, such as the WELLOGIX® system, and communicating a Field Document (or an eField-Ticket™) to an operator.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an offline manager feature may be utilized by which a service provider may submit a Field Document to an operator, or send the Field Document to another employee within his company via an online connection with an Internet or other network connected server/web site, such as one provided by WELLOGIX, or offline using an “Offline Component.” An Offline Component is herein defined as a web page that may be accessed even when a connection can not be established with a provider of the web page. An Offline Component has in some literature been called a “sitelet.” In short, utilizing the offline manager feature of the present invention, a service provider can prepare a Field Document either online, for example, via the WELLOGIX system, or off-line, for example, via an Offline Component. Further, when an Offline Component is utilized, the Offline Component may be obtained directly, indirectly or even sent to them using, for example, Consilient technology, Microsoft.net™, or other wired or wireless communication technologies. Further, it is to be appreciated that an Offline Component may be provided by other communication mediums including, but not limited to, via computer readable mediums, IR beamed signals, RF signals, fiber optic signals, and other mediums. When the service provider has inputted the desired data into the Field Document, the Field Document may be communicated to the operator, to another member of the service provider company, or to others using wired and/or wireless communication technologies.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the offline manager manages Offline Components. Such Offline Components may be stored and/or utilized or created for a given project, for example, in a data array or other computer file data structure. The offline manager may also be configured to: 1) list Offline Components that have been checked out; 2) list who checked out an Offline Component including, for example, a date and time stamp; 3) allow a user to cancel an Offline Component; and 4) list the type of Offline Component checked out. The offline manager may also allow a user, itself or others to cancel an Offline Component. The necessity to cancel an Offline Component may arise as a result of some particular business need. For example, an Offline Component may need to be cancelled when a first employee, who may be scheduled to perform work on a job site and is sent the Offline Component prior to leaving the office, is unable to perform the work and a second employee must perform the work in place of the first. In such a situation, the Offline Component may be cancelled, transferred and used by the second employee, regenerated or otherwise processed. The offline manager may also be configured to manage Offline Components that are currently offline, such that a user may determine whether any Offline Components require their attention.
Depending upon their needs, different companies may use a Field Document differently. For instance, some companies may use a Field Document to capture rental equipment used at the drill site, while others may use a Field Document to capture detailed time information, and yet others may use a Field Document to capture payroll and human resources information. Therefore, flexibility in how a Field Document is designed may be provided so that a Field Document may be configured to display various types of information to meet the needs of different companies and/or users on a dynamic or static basis.
To meet this need, one embodiment of the present invention may include a modularization feature, whereby the format of the Field Document is modular. For example, a modular Field Document may include multiple pages, instead of a single page, multiple sections, and/or other partitions. These partitions/sections/pages in a modular Field Document enable a company to customize Field Documents by using only those modules the company needs instead of having one long form of which most is not utilized. It is to be appreciated that a customizable Field Document may reduce the quantity and time necessary to communicate a Field Document between the field, the front office and otherwise. Further, when modular Field Documents are provided and utilized, the amount of customization that can be done for each company that uses an embodiment of the present invention may be improved. Also, the amount of time that development resources are allocated to build custom features within an application may also be reduced.
In another embodiment of the invention, a modular data structure is provided for storing a compilation of actual data input to the system via a field document. A standard data array module correlating to a standard data input interface of the field document is provided. The standard data input interface receives input of standard actual data to populate the standard data array module. An optional data array module correlating to a respective optional data input interface of the field document is also provided. The respective optional data input interface receives input of optional data to populate the optional data array module. The optional data array module and the correlative optional data input interface are added to the workflow process as a conjunct to the standard data array and correlative standard data input interface.
Another embodiment of the present invention may include a customization manager that allows for easy customization of various screens to better conform to a company's needs. Further, versioning may be provided, which enables users to retrieve previous versions of Field Documents and/or other information that may be utilized in a system or process implementing a version or embodiment of the present invention.
These and other features and functions of the various system, process and/or user interface embodiments of the present invention are further described herein with reference to the drawing Figures, the detailed description and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
FIG. 1 is an information and interface flow diagram providing an overview of many of the operations supported by at least one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exemplary flow diagram of a process which may be used to process a Field Document according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an information and interface flow diagram depicting one embodiment of the present invention for processing a Field Document and providing payment thereof.
FIGS. 4A–B are flow diagrams depicting one embodiment of a process of preparing and pre-populating Field Documents based upon a commercial response.
FIGS. 5A–B are flow diagrams depicting one embodiment of a process of preparing and pre-populating Field Documents based upon a work order.
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting one embodiment of a process whereby a Field Document can be reviewed, approved for payment, and/or designated as held.
FIG. 7 is a flow diagram depicting one embodiment of a process whereby a service provider can update a Field Document which has been reviewed by an operator, submit a Field Document for invoicing, or designate a Field Document for further review.
FIGS. 8A–B are exemplary screen shots of one embodiment of an award page which may be utilized in an Internet or a Web browser based embodiment of the present invention, wherein a link to enter a Field Document into a reconciliation system is provided.
FIG. 8C is an exemplary screen shot of one embodiment of a Field Document management page for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention, wherein a list of submitted Field Documents may be provided for review.
FIGS. 9A–B are exemplary screen shots of two embodiments of Field Document summary pages in which pre-population tools are provided for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 10A–C are exemplary screen shots of one embodiment of a Field Document template page for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention in which time, materials, costs and/or fees may be provided.
FIGS. 11A is an exemplary screen shot of an embodiment of a Field Document template page for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention, wherein various line item charge categories have been collapsed into individual windows.
FIG. 11B is an exemplary screen shot of the Field Document template page shown in FIG. 11A after the “save” button has been selected and further providing an interface with which to attach a file to a Field Document.
FIG. 11C is an exemplary screen shot of another embodiment of a Field Document template page for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention, wherein the various line item charge categories have been collapsed into individual windows and collaboration windows for writing comments are provided.
FIG. 11D is an exemplary screen shot of the Field Document template page shown in FIG. 11C after the “save” button has been selected and further providing an interface with which to attach a file to the Field Document.
FIG. 11E is an exemplary screen shot of another embodiment of a Field Document template page for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention in which an “approve” button is provided for approving a Field Document.
FIG. 11F is an exemplary screen shot of the Field Document template page of FIG. 11E after the “approve” button has been selected and further providing an interface with which to attach a file to a Field Document, send a Field Document for approval, and/or send a Field Document to invoicing.
FIG. 12A is an exemplary screen shot of a Field Document template page in another Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention providing for the creation of customized fields within the Field Document.
FIG. 12B is an exemplary screen shot of a Field Document template page in another Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention showing one representation of how customized fields may be displayed on a customized Field Document.
FIGS. 13A–B are exemplary screen shots of a filtering tool for managing Field Documents in an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 14 A–B are flow diagrams of a process whereby a service provider is able to reconcile Field Documents according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 15A–D are exemplary screen shots of one embodiment of a Field Document reconciliation tool for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a flow diagram detailing a workflow history process for managing Field Document reconciliation according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 17A–H are exemplary screen shots of workflow history template pages for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention showing the information tracking entries for a Field Document made by a workflow history tool.
FIGS. 18A–G are exemplary screen shots of workflow history template pages for an Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention showing the information tracking entries for a Field Document made by a workflow history tool.
FIG. 19 is an exemplary flow diagram for one embodiment of the present invention depicting a process for assigning, managing, and tracking Field Documents, both online and offline as an Offline Component.
FIG. 20 is an exemplary screen shot of a price list Offline Component.
FIG. 21 is a flow diagram for one embodiment of the present invention depicting an exemplary process for canceling Offline Components.
FIGS. 22A–C are exemplary screen shots for one embodiment of the present invention of the offline manager used for canceling Offline Components.
FIG. 23 is an exemplary screen shot for one embodiment of the present invention of a workflow tracking screen showing a cancelled Offline Component.
FIGS. 24A–C are exemplary screen shots for one embodiment of the present invention of a job time and activity detail included in a modular Field Document.
FIGS. 25A–C are exemplary screen shots for one embodiment of the present invention of pricing page included in a modular Field Document.
FIGS. 26A–B are exemplary screen shots for one embodiment of the present invention of a product list page included in a modular Field Document.
FIGS. 27A–D provide a flow diagram describing for one embodiment of the present invention a customization manager process.
FIGS. 28A–C are exemplary screen shots for one embodiment of the present invention of a user interface which may be used to customize operator screens.
FIGS. 29A–H are exemplary screen shots for one embodiment of the present invention of a user interface which may be used to customize service provider screens.
FIGS. 30A–B provide a flow diagram describing for one embodiment of the present invention a process for versioning with the customization manager.
FIGS. 31 A–B are exemplary screen shots for one embodiment of the present invention of a customization manager with versioning features.
FIG. 32 is an exemplary system for implementing the various process embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A representative Internet or Web browser based embodiment of the present invention is depicted through a series of flow diagrams and screen shots of web page templates from an Internet based application provided by WELLOGIX™ and its predecessors WELLBID™ and eNersection.com. Those skilled in the art appreciate, however, that embodiments of the present invention and the WELLOGIX embodiment, in particular, may vary substantially or insubstantially in the features and functions provided by such systems without departing from, modifying, adding to, or deleting from the scope of the present invention as described herein and expressed in the claims.
FIG. 1 provides an information flow diagram depicting the various operations and processes of a WELLOGIX or other Internet or Web browser based embodiment of a system 100 , with particular reference to an embodiment designed primarily for the oil and gas industry. It is to be appreciated that this embodiment, and other embodiments discussed herein, may be used in other fields. More specifically, in this embodiment, buyers are generally large “operators” involved in oil and gas exploration and production. These operators procure goods, equipment, and services to drill and operate oil and gas wells from individual sellers, which are the “service providers.” For example, goods can include drill bits and concrete; equipment can include drilling rigs and transportation; and services can include drilling and cementing. Dashed line 160 marks the interface/integration boundary between those processes and/or services provided by the system 100 and those provided by an operator's system. Similarly, dashed line 162 marks the interface/integration boundary between those processes and/or services provided by the system 100 and those provided by a service provider's system. Also, dashed line 164 marks the boundary between operator accessible and service provider accessible components in the system 100 . It is to be appreciated, however, that these boundaries may vary depending upon the configuration and/or capabilities of actual systems implementing this or other embodiments of the present invention.
One embodiment of the workflow of a project proceeding through the system 100 may proceed as follows. An operator enters well project information 102 , preferably via an industry specific template for capturing project parameters, into the system 100 . The project parameter information may be entered by the operator manually, semi-manually (for example, by using drop-down menus) or automatically, for example, by uploading the information to populate the template from a system information database 114 (where prior projects may be suitably stored, for example, in a data array or other data structure), from an operator-side information source 104 external to the system 100 , and/or from other databases and/or sources of information. The operator-side information source 104 may include internal data created or maintained by the operator, data from any operator or third party application, and/or data from other information sources. Such data may also be stored in data arrays and other data structures. Additionally, such data may be stored as data objects in an object oriented database, such as one provided by Oracle®, and/or in a Structured Query Language format. It is to be appreciated, that these and/or other data structures may also be utilized throughout the various embodiments of the present invention. Further, in an Internet or other networked embodiment, data can be obtained from a variety of local and/or remote sources and that various third party processes and/or systems may be utilized, as necessary, to convert and utilize such data in accordance with particular needs.
In the system 100 , additional workflow operations may be undertaken to identify and/or specify those parameters utilized to describe the project. Similarly, various parameters may be used to specify the configuration of particular project related tasks or sub-tasks, such as specifying wells 106 to be drilled for an oil and gas project. Utilizing project level and task/sub-task/well level parameters, the system 100 may be automatically, semi-automatically or manually instructed to transform these and/or other parameters into a technical request for quote 108 . In one embodiment, a technical request may be generated by populating appropriate fields for the project in technical request templates. The population of such fields may also be streamlined by utilizing data provided by other systems, such as, Knowledge Management (“KM”) systems.
More specifically, information needed, desired and/or helpful to the preparation of technical requests may be available from several sources. Applications for modeling different aspects of a project may be made available for use within the system 100 . For example, in an oil and gas industry embodiment, an internal fracture design module 112 may be used by an operator to model how a formation can be fractured to enhance the oil or gas flow into the well. Further, parameters may be imported into such a modeling application module 112 , and modeling information may be exported and/or used to populate a technical request template 108 .
Further, the system information database 114 may also have a repository of industry specific parameters, information, references, links and/or addresses to providers of such information. The system information database 114 may also be part of a KM system, for example, one that automatically seeks out, stores, and catalogs relevant information, and further identifies particular information collected with particular operations, templates, or fields used to define parameters within the system 100 .
A third source of information for constructing technical requests 108 in the system 100 may be an operator-side information source 110 . This information source 110 may provide, for example, historical data captured by the operator, common project specifications and standards developed by the operator, and/or other internal or external information references. Information source 110 may also be a part of a single operator-side information source, such as one that includes information source 104 .
A fourth source of technical information support may be solicited from, or provided by, a service provider. A service provider may also use a technical response creation component 116 or a comparable component, for example, one provided by the system 100 . The service provider's technical response creation component 116 may access data and other relevant industry information from the internal information database 114 in the system 100 , from a service provider-side information and data source 117 , and/or from other sources of information. For example, in this embodiment, a service provider with particular experience or expertise could provide parameter information to help the operator develop a technical request 108 . In other instances, service providers familiar with the operator's projects may convince the operator to initiate a request for quote (“RFQ”) 118 by providing a technical response 116 to the operator indicating an alternative method of managing a project. Other types of complex projects, i.e., other than the oil and gas industry example, may have different components with greater or fewer operations or templates to adequately and accurately capture and describe the parameters of any particular project and convert those parameters into RFQs.
Ideally, the RFQ is eventually communicated to appropriate or chosen service providers who may be notified 119 by the system 100 that such an RFQ has been made. The RFQ may or may not include any additional information or data attachments. In certain embodiments, all service providers or a selection of service providers may be designated to receive the RFQ. The RFQ, including any technical request 108 and attachments, if any, may be reviewed 120 , upon receipt thereof, by the service provider and/or other recipients and a response (i.e., a proposal) or an alternate proposal may be provided to the operator. For one embodiment, the service providers/recipients may prepare the response by exporting the data from the technical request 108 and any attachments to a service provider-side system 122 . The service provider may analyze and manipulate the data as needed using the service provider's own applications and/or other applications in order to determine and generate, if desired, an appropriate response. The service provider may also import data provided in the RFQ into the system 122 for integration into a response or proposal 126 . The service provider may also import other information 124 into the system 124 , for example, industry or company standards, internal or external references, or other technical or commercial data. Similar to the operator-side, the system 124 may be configured to translate data, as necessary, to populate those templates utilized and/or necessary to respond to an RFQ. Additional information may also be provided as attachments to the response, or provided as reference links, for example, hyperlinks, which enable an operator to access information directly from the service provider or from a third party source via an Internet or other network connection.
The service provider may submit a completed response or proposal 128 to the system 100 . The response 128 may include a commercial response (i.e., one providing quantities, pricing, and similar transactional information), a technical response 116 (i.e., one detailing the service provider's rationale for the goods selected and/or a proposed method for providing the services requested), a request for more information and other responses. The system 100 notifies 129 the operator when a response from the service provider has been lodged. The operator can review the response 130 immediately upon notification or at a later time.
At this point in the process, the operator has several options. If a service provider provides a suggestion within the response 128 that the operator finds particularly helpful, the operator may want to revise the RFQ 132 with the service provider's suggestion and re-bid 118 the project to all of the service providers. In another instance, the proposals may have additional attachments of data, information, or references. In this case, the operator may want to review 134 this additional information by accessing it from remote sources or processing the data on operator-side applications 136 .
Within the service providers' response(s), alternate solutions for completing the project may be offered by different service providers or by a single service provider. The operator may wish to compare these alternate responses 138 , if any, to determine the best method for completing the project. Alternatively, the operator may determine the best price between multiple service providers of the same goods or services. If an alternate response is particularly desirable, the operator may wish to revise the RFQ 140 with the suggestion and resubmit a revised RFQ 118 to the service providers. Once the operator has compared a desired portion or all of the possible proposals and alternatives, the project, or portions thereof, may be awarded 142 to one or more service providers. Financial information detailing the project award is preferably transmitted to accounting, sales, and other financial management systems of both the operator 146 and the service provider 144 .
As the service provider completes performance on the project, it provides actual performance data 148 to the system 100 . This actual performance data preferably includes both costs for the goods and services provided, and information about the conditions encountered that the parameters attempted to define. Actual performance data may be provided by service provider-side systems 150 such as accounting programs, and in the case of oil and gas projects, by entry into Field Document(s) (as described herein below in greater detail). More specifically, a Field Document attempts to capture and/or describe many of the actual results of a project, in terms of financial, functional and/or other types of parameters. In general, a Field Document provides actual data, measurements or observations taken during the performance of the project. Such actual data observed may be provided to the system 100 using wired and/or wireless processing and communications technologies. The actual performance data may be used to update configuration parameters 152 with the actual information to aid in the request process for future projects involving the same or similar parameters. This actual information or data may further be stored by the operator system 154 for historical reference purposes or otherwise. Actual cost information may also be used by the system 100 to reconcile 156 purchase orders, field actuals, and final invoices in order to facilitate the expeditious and appropriate payment of service providers by operators.
In many industries, contracts for complex projects are often negotiated and entered into on a time and materials basis. Proposals from service providers generally indicate the time involved in providing necessary services and the quantity of materials they believe will be necessary to complete a given task for a given project. But, pricing is often based upon a per unit basis of time and materials. Therefore, the actual costs and fees incurred for a project may be higher or lower than the bid or contracted for price.
For example, in the construction industry, a shortage of construction materials or skilled labor in a certain region can drive project costs beyond the proposal because of higher priced substitute materials or the ability of labor to demand higher wages. Similarly, in the oil and gas industry, a drilling team may encounter an unforeseen-operational problem that increases the time necessary to reach a desired well level, thereby increasing the cost of the project. In time and materials projects such as these, the operator typically continues to manage the project through its completion despite time and cost overruns. Through ongoing management of the parameters, however, the operator is able to make decisions concerning any available options to reduce the time and cost.
Returning to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 , the system 100 enables a user to immediately begin the invoicing process for time, services, and materials actually used in a job or event of the project. In many industries, a “delivery Field Document” provides evidence of the delivery of a certain quantity of goods to a project site. In the oil and gas industry, discrete quantities of services render are documented by Field Documents. In other industries, immediate documentation of goods/services may be called an “actual.” For the purposes of the function of the processes described herein, the terms “delivery Field Document,” Field Document, and “actuals” are synonymous. Usually a representative of the operator either visits or oversees the project site to ensure that the work is progressing and Field Documents are documented accordingly.
At the conclusion of the job or a discrete event, the service provider's representative may prepare a Field Document detailing the actual work performed, time taken, and materials and equipment used, with the related costs and fees for the job. The operator's representative may approve payment directly from the Field Document or hold for payment until receipt of the official invoice. In many instances the Field Document merely operates as a verification that services have been performed, but not as a payment authorization. In the regular course of matters, there may be times when there is a discrepancy between the actuals reflected in the Field Document, the purchase order based upon the service provider's proposal, and the final invoice for the job. These discrepancies ultimately require reconciliation.
The Field Document process is similar to the project management control process in the construction industry. Before submitting invoices to the operator for work performed on a construction project, the service provider's work must usually first be approved by the field project manager, or perhaps a government certification officer, to give the operator assurance that the work was performed according to specifications. Many other industries use similar controls for ensuring appropriate performance from service providers, and various embodiments of the present invention provide an environment for the management and transfer of such approval information and invoicing.
Processing of a Field Document
For the system and process embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , once a service provider completes a project, operation 210 of FIG. 2 , a Field Document reflecting the actual work performed, goods and equipment used, and costs thereof may be prepared. Desirably the Field Document is prepared using a system and devices which facilitate communications over local and/or remote networks, such as the Internet, a private network, a public network, a local area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), or any other type of network, operation 220 . When the service provider's representative confirms the entries, notification that the Field Document is ready for review is communicated to the operator's representative, operation 230 . In one embodiment, the service provider accesses the Field Document via a wireless network connection from the field. In the alternative, if the project site is so remote that it may be impractical or impossible to connect with a wired or wireless network, the invoicing environment may be provided locally on the service provider's equipment and later interfaced with the system 100 when access to a network connection is available. The operator's representative, if present at the project site can approve the Field Document or negotiate changes before confirming the Field Document on the system. If the operator's representative is not at the project site, the operator's field and/or office representative may access the Field Document from the network once the Field Document is entered into the system. The system 100 facilitates the interchange between operator and service provider to reconcile any variances between the Field Document, purchase order, and the actual invoice(s) submitted by respective service providers.
Once a Field Document is issued and approved, the system 100 may pass the invoice information from the Field Document to the operator's accounting or “back office” system for payment processing, operation 240 . If the Field Document is not approved by the operator's representative, the Field Document actuals may still be passed to the operator's accounting system. In either case, payment processing may then include reconciliation of the Field Document with the service provider's final invoice before payment is made, operation 250 .
Integration of Field Documents with Accounting and Office Systems
Additionally, the system may be configured to integrate the operator and service providers' accounting systems. As shown in FIG. 3 , for another embodiment of the present invention, information transfers may occur automatically or upon command, for example, via a computer-to-computer electronic transfer, between the system 300 , the operator's accounting system 302 , and/or the service provider's accounting system 304 . Such information transfers may occur over any suitable communications network. Further, for one embodiment, the information transfer may be accomplished by implementing interface integration tools 306 , for example, Vitria®, Inc. software, in both the operator's accounting system and the service provider's accounting system. It is commonly appreciated that Vitria® software is designed to interface between large-scale enterprise resource planning software systems such as those provided by SAP®, J D Edwards®, and others. The system may also interface with such typical accounting software systems as QuickBooks® or Peach Tree®. However, the various embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the use of Vitria or any other software applications or systems and may be configured, as desired, to utilize any software applications which enable back-end accounting and business systems to interface and communicate data between operator and service provider systems.
Referring again to FIG. 3 , the system may also be configured to reconcile 316 a Field Document against a proposal award 312 or other form of a purchase order. Further, the system may be configured to provide for manual, semi-automatic or automatic payment authorizations 314 . Additionally, the system may be configured to utilize interface integration tools 306 to match and reconcile 316 an invoice 310 against either approved or held Field Documents 318 and coordinate payment 314 from the operator's accounting system 302 . If the system is unable to reconcile a Field Document with an invoice or purchase order, the system may also be configured to flag the Field Document for review and approvals before payment is made and/or other project related tasks are accomplished. As such, this embodiment facilitates the early and often reconciling and approval of Field Documents such that work discrepancies can be timely addressed and delays in the project minimized.
Pre-population of Field Documents
A method by which one embodiment of a workflow system may pre-populate a Field Document and submit a Field Document to an operator is detailed in the flow diagrams of FIGS. 4A and 4B . As shown, the method preferably begins when a user accesses a bid award page for a particular commercial response (operation 400 ). The bid award page generally includes project level information, parameters associated with a specific bid proposal, commercial response information, and links, if any, to submitted Field Documents (operation 402 ). When a user selects a link to a specific Field Document summary page for the commercial response (operation 404 ), the system displays a summary page listing those Field Documents previously created for that commercial response (operation 406 ), if any. If the user selects an option for creating a new Field Document (operation 408 ), the system queries whether any old/existing Field Documents exist(operation 410 ). If there are any old Field Documents, the system queries the user as to whether to pre-populate the new Field Document with data from an old Field Document (operation 412 ). Depending upon the user response, the system may take several actions.
If the user would like to pre-populate the new Field Document with data from a previous Field Document, the system determines whether multiple old Field Documents exist (operation 414 ). If there is only one previous Field Document, the system automatically populates the new Field Document with data from the old Field Document (operation 416 ). If there are multiple old Field Documents, the system determines whether the user has selected a particular old Field Document to use for the population data (operation 418 ). If the user has not selected one of the old Field Documents, the system requests the user to select a Field Document (operation 420 ). The system then queries the user as to whether the user wants to pre-populate the new Field Document with the identified old Field Document (operation 412 ). If the user has already selected a particular old Field Document, the system automatically pre-populates the new Field Document with data from the selected old Field Document (operation 422 ).
If the user does not wish to pre-populate the new Field Document with data from an old Field Document, the system determines whether data from a commercial response can be used to populate the new Field Document (operation 424 ). If data exists, the system queries the user as to whether to populate the new Field Document with the data provided in the commercial response. (operation 426 ). If pre-population is not desired, the system generates and displays a blank Field Document for manual population by the user (operation 428 ). On the other hand, if the user does want to populate the new Field Document with data obtained from the commercial response, the system will automatically populate the new Field Document(operation 430 ).
Once the new Field Document has been pre-populated with previously collected data or newly populated, the user may make changes to such data, as desired. After any additions or changes have been made by the user, if any, the system stores the data (operation 432 ). The system calculates a total cost for the services performed and any goods/products used and enters a total on the new Field Document (operation 434 ). If the service provider adds any comments or additional information to the Field Document, such information may also be stored with the Field Document (operation 436 ). The system saves the new Field Document on a workflow system, such as a system embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 . The new Field Document, generally, may be accessed through the system by others (operation 438 ). The system may also be configured to notify the user of the ability to attach files and other information to the new Field Document. Such attachments may provide, for example, supporting documentation or data for review by the operator (operation 440 ). At this point or at other times, the system may be configured to perform a query to determine whether any files have been attached (operation 442 ). If so, the system may store the files to the workflow platform or other systems and provide links between the files and the new Field Document (operation 444 ).
The system also queries whether the new Field Document is ready for submission to the operator (operation 446 ). If so, the system notifies the operator that a new Field Document is available for review (operation 448 ). If the service provider is not ready for the new Field Document to be submitted to the operator for review, the system may be configured to not notify the operator or otherwise make the new Field Document available for review and to indicate that the Field Document is still a draft (operation 450 ).
Generation of New Field Documents
In a similar manner, one embodiment of the present invention may provide a system which facilitates the generation of a new Field Document based upon a work order. Generally, pre-population of Field Document is not possible when a work order is the basis for the Field Document. This condition generally exists because work orders usually relate to needs that arise in the field and are only partially, if at all, addressed in the terms of a commercial response. As depicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B , upon a user selecting a link to a Field Document summary page for a work order (operation 500 ); the system may be configured to present a summary page providing a listing of those Field Documents, if any, previously created for a specific work order (operation 502 ). Upon the user selecting an option for creating a new Field Document (operation 504 ), the system determines whether an old Field Document exists(operation 506 ). If an old Field Document exists, the system queries the user as to whether the user desires to pre-populate the new Field Document (operation 508 ). Depending upon the user response, the system may take several actions.
If the user desires to pre-populate the new Field Document, the system determines whether multiple old Field Documents exist (operation 510 ). If only one old Field Document exists, the system populates the new Field Document with data from the old Field Document (operation 512 ). If multiple old Field Documents exist, the system queries the user as to whether to use data in a particular old Field Document to populate the new Field Document (operation 514 ). If the user does not select one of the old Field Documents, the system prompts the user to make a selection (operation 515 ). The system then queries the user as to whether the user wants to pre-populate the new Field Document with data from an old Field Document (operation 508 ). Referring again to operation 514 , if the user has selected an old Field Document, the system automatically pre-populates the new Field Document with data from the selected old Field Document (operation 516 ). If the user does not wish to pre-populate the new Field Document with data from an old Field Document, or there are no old Field Documents associated with the work order, the system generates and displays a blank Field Document for population by the user (operation 518 ).
Once the new Field Document has been pre-populated or a blank Field Document provided with new data provided by the user, and after any additions or changes have been made by the user, the system stores the data (operation 520 ). The system then calculates the total costs of services performed and products used as specified in the new Field Document or as otherwise specified (operation 522 ). The service provider may also add any comments and/or additional information to the new Field Document, such comments and/or additional information may also be saved and/or stored with the new Field Document (operation 524 ). The system saves the new Field Document preferably such that it is accessible, via the workflow system, by authorized users (operation 526 ). The system next notifies the user of the ability to add file attachments to the Field Document to provide any supporting documentation or data for review by the operator (operation 528 ). The system performs a query to determine whether any such files have been attached (operation 530 ). If so, the system stores the files, desirably with the workflow platform, and provides links them to the via the new Field Document (operation 532 ). The system then queries whether the new Field Document is ready for submission to the operator (operation 534 ). If the user indicates yes, the system notifies the operator that a new Field Document is available for review (operation 536 ). If the service provider is not ready for the new Field Document to be submitted to the operator for review, the system does not send notification to the operator or otherwise make the new Field Document available for review and designates the new Field Document as being a draft Field Document (operation 538 ).
Reviewing Field Documents
As shown in FIG. 6 , one embodiment is provided of a process for reviewing a Field Document by an operator after the Field Document has been submitted by a service provider. As shown, this process preferably begins with the operator receiving a notification that a Field Document has been submitted and is available to access and review (operation 600 ). When the operator accesses a particular commercial response, at least one Field Document related to the commercial response is presented to the operator for review (operation 602 ). Upon the operator selecting a particular Field Document, for example, from a summary list, (operation 604 ), a read only version of the Field Document may be displayed for review by the operator (operation 606 ). However, a writable versions of the Field Document may also be provided in alternative embodiments. If any comments are provided by the operator, these are suitably saved. Such comment may be inputted into a field specifically provided for such comments (operation 608 ). Similarly, comments made by the service provider relating to the Field Document or otherwise may also be saved. Comments by a service provider may, for example, be inputted into a second input field(operation 610 ).
Upon receiving an indication from the operator, the Field Document may be saved in a workflow system which provides to authorized users (operation 612 ). While the save operation is depicted as occurring in operation 612 , it is to be appreciated that a Field Document may be saved at any time. Also, notifications may be provided to the operator that files may be attached to the Field Document. Such attachments may include, for example, supporting documentation or data for review by the service provider or other authorized users (operation 614 ). Further, a query may be issued in order to determine whether any files have been attached to the Field Document (operation 616 ). This query may also be repeated throughout the process as desired. If a file has been attached to a Field Document, the file may be suitably stored with links being provided, as desired, to the Field Document and/or from the Field Document to the file (operation 618 ).
At this point, a determination may then be made as to whether the saved Field Document has been approved for invoicing (operation 620 ). If the Field Document has been approved, the Field Document may be suitably designated as approved (operation 622 ) and the service provider may be notified that the Field Document has been reviewed and approved by the operator (operation 626 ). If the Field Document has not been approved, the Field Document may be designated as held for approval and the service provider suitably notified that the Field Document has been reviewed by the operator but has not been approved and that the Field Document is available for review, revision and/or resubmission by the operator (operation 626 ).
Invoicing Field Documents
As shown in FIG. 7 , one embodiment of a process for revising and/or submitting for payment a Field Document that has already been reviewed by an operator is provided. This process generally begins when a service provider is notified that the operator has reviewed a Field Document and the operator again accesses the related commercial response (operation 700 ). When a user selects a link to the Field Document summary page for the commercial response, a summary page providing a listing of all Field Documents related to the commercial response may be provided (operation 702 ). When the service provider selects a Field Document previously reviewed by the operator, the selected Field Document is suitably presented (operation 704 ). If any internal comments are made by the service provider, for example, in a field specifically provided for such comments, these comments may be suitably stored (operation 706 ). Similarly, comments by the service provider for the operator may also be suitably entered, for example, in a second input field provided for that purpose, and/or suitably stored (operation 708 ). Further, changes, if any, by the service provider to the Field Document may also be temporarily or permanently stored (operations 710 ). Once any desired changes have been made to the Field Document, the Field Document may be suitably saved to a platform, server or other system implementing this process. The saving of the Field Document may be accomplished automatically, on a periodic basis, and/or upon input from the service provider(operation 712 ).
Further, the process also enables a service provider to add file attachments to the Field Document. Such file attachments may provide any supporting documentation or data for review by the operator. Such attachments may also, for example, be provided for invoicing purposes when the Field Document has been approved (operation 714 ). Queries may also be accomplished, as necessary, to determine whether any files have been attached to a Field Document (operation 716 ) and to save such attachments to a suitable system or workflow platform. Links between such attachments, if any, and the Field Document may also be provided (operation 718 ).
At this point in the process, a determination may be made as to whether the Field Document has been approved for payment by the operator (operation 720 ). If approved, a determination may be made as to whether the Field Document has been designated as ready for invoicing (operation 722 ). If so, the data necessary to pay an invoice may be extracted from the Field Document and suitably communicated to a designated accounting and invoicing system (operation 724 ). In certain embodiments, the process of communicating data to an accounting system may be accomplished via a network. In other cases, the accounting systems may be provided with a system implementing this process. As such, it is to be appreciated that local and/or remote systems may be used and interconnected in order to facilitate the before mentioned processes.
Further, when the Field Document has been approved by the operator, but has not been designated for invoicing by the service provider, service providers may display and edit the Field Document, as desired(operation 704 ).
Additionally, when the Field Document has not been approved by the operator, a determination may be made as to whether the Field Document has been or should be designated for resubmission to the operator (operation 726 ). If not, the Field Document, and/or any changes thereto, may be suitably saved for later review and revision by the service provider (operation 728 ). If the Field Document has been designated for resubmission, the updated Field Document may be saved for future access and review by the operator (operation 730 ). Appropriate notification may also be provided to the operator regarding the availability of the revised and saved Field Document for further review (operation 732 ).
User Interface for Generating a Field Document
As mentioned previously hereinabove, various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and processes for generating a Field Document. It is to be appreciated that such systems and/or processes may generate various user interfaces or series thereof, including those provided audibly and/or visually, which users may utilize to generate, edit, review, revise and/or approve Field Documents. One such embodiment of an user interface is shown in FIGS. 8A–8C . As shown, in FIG. 8A , an user interface may be provided as a Web page which can be displayed on a Web browser, such as Microsoft' Internet Explorers® or Netscape's Navigator®.
More specifically, one particular instantiation of an user interface, provided by a system implementing at least one embodiment of the present invention, that may be utilized to initiate the Field Document preparation process is depicted. In order to initiate the Field Document process in this embodiment, a service provider preferably accesses a Bid Award page 800 which may be configured to present Project Level information 802 as well as those parameters which relate to a specific request for which the proposal was awarded 804 (as shown in FIG. 8B ).
Further, this embodiment of a the Bid Award page 800 includes a View Field Document button 806 , which provides a hyperlink or other link to a Field Document. Upon selection of such button 806 , a user desirably is presented with a Field Document process page, at least one embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 8C . As shown, this page includes a list of previously created Field Documents 808 for a given project. Upon selecting a link to a Field Document item from the list, a previously saved and/or submitted Field Document, that has been prepared for a specific request, may be reviewed. Additionally, a link or button 810 may be provided which enables one to create a new Field Document.
In another embodiment of the present invention, multiple Field Documents may be associated with a single commercial response. In this embodiment, multiple, discrete aspects of an ongoing, complex project may be accounted for at the time the service is performed, rather than having to wait until the end of the entire project. Further, by providing for the linking and reconciling of multiple Field Document(s) with associated commercial response(s), performance and budget issues may be reviewed as the project progresses. Additionally, since multiple Field Documents for a single commercial response may be very similar, this embodiment provides for the pre-population of Field Documents from several sources of data.
User Interface for Reviewing a Field Document
When a Field Document already exists for a particular project, a system implementing an embodiment of the present invention may be configure to present a service provider with a user interface which enables the service provider to review summary information relating to one or more Field Documents. An example of such a user interface is shown in FIG. 9A as a Field Document summary template 900 . More specifically and as shown, the Field Document summary template 900 may include a header which identifies a particular project for which one or more Field Documents have been submitted. In an oil and gas embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A , the header may include the identity of the operator 902 , the project name 904 , the well name 906 , the hole section 908 , and the service type 910 . Further, the service type 910 may include a link which enables a service provider or other user to access additional and/or more detailed information about a parameter(s) of a given project. These fields may also be customized, as needed. For example, when well or hole section information for a discrete project is not available, the well name 906 and hole section 908 fields may not be shown in the header information.
The Field Document summary template 900 may additionally provide summary information for existing Field Documents previously populated. This summary information may include, for example, a Field Document reference number (i.e., an EFT ID) 912 , the date the Field Document was created 914 , the name of the person who created the Field Document 916 , a functional link to access and review the most recent version of the Field Document 918 , the status of the Field Document 920 (e.g., whether or not the Field Document has been approved ), the amount of charges detailed in the Field Document 922 , the estimated charges as originally specified in a commercial response, if at all, 924 , and a link to the workflow history of the Field Document 926 .
When creating a new Field Document, for example, when one or more Field Documents already exist, the Field Document summary template 900 may also be configured to provide the service provider/user with choices for pre-populating the Field Document. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9A , the service provider is provided the choose of whether to: not pre-populate the Field Document 934 and instead manually enter new information; pre-populate from a commercial response 936 (wherein the Field Document is populated with information obtained from the commercial response 936 using a process similar to that previously described hereinabove with reference to when a user initially generates a Field Document); and pre-populate the Field Document from an existing Field Document/EFT 938 . As shown, the service provider/user suitably selects one of these options (or other options, when available), for example, by clicking a radio button associated with the particular choice. Additionally, if the new Field Document is to be populated by data from a previous Field Document, a radio button 928 associated with the particular previous Field Document may be selected to indicate the desired data.
Further, by selecting a “Create New Field Document” button 940 , a new Field Document may be populated by the system. Also, when the “Reconcile Commercial Response and Field Document(s)” button 930 is selected, a system implementing this embodiment may be configured to generate a reconciliation tool template, one example of which is described in further detail herein below.
The system may also allow one or more new Field Documents to be pre-populated when the Field Documents are based upon a work order. In contrast to a commercial response, a work order is generally a document issued in the field requesting a discrete project be performed that was not considered in an original bid request or commercial response. For example, it may be necessary to construct a fence around a project site to keep out unanticipated trespassers (perhaps cattle on range land). When a work order template is provided for a particular project, the service provider may choose a function to create Field Documents for the work order. Further, when no previous Field Documents have been created for the work order, a system, implementing an embodiment of the present invention, may be configured to create an initial blank Field Document, for completion by the service provider or others. For such an embodiment, generally, it is not desirable to pre-populate a Field Document(s) with information obtained from a work order because a work order is commonly a request by an operator to have services performed rather than an estimate by a service provider to provide such services. Or in other words, a work order generally provides actual costs rather than estimates of such costs, and thus, there is commonly no value obtained by reconciling a work order against a Field Document However, in those rare cases where a work order does provide an estimate, the various embodiments of the present invention may be suitably configured to reconcile Field Documents against work orders.
Referring now to FIG. 9B , when a Field Document already exists for a particular work order, at least one embodiment of a system of the present invention may be configured to present the service provider or others, via a suitable user interface, a Field Document summary template 942 which may be specifically tailored to a specific work order. The Field Document summary template 942 may include header information to identify the particular project associated with the work order for which the Field Documents have been submitted. As discussed previously with reference to FIG. 9A , in an oil and gas embodiment, such header information may include an identity of the operator 944 , a project name 946 , a well name (if applicable), a hole section (if applicable), and/or a service type 948 . The service type 948 may also include a link to the work order entered by the operator which enables the service provider to access more detailed information about the parameters of the project.
As shown in FIG. 9B , this embodiment of a user interface of a Field Document summary template 942 may additionally include summary information for existing Field Documents previously populated. This summary information may include, for example, a Field Document reference number 950 , the date the Field Document was created 952 , the name of the person who created the Field Document 954 , a functional link to access and review the most recent version of the Field Document 956 , the status of the Field Document 958 (i.e., whether or not it has been approved by the operator), the actual charges detailed in the Field Document 960 , and a link to the workflow history of the Field Document 962 , to be described in greater detail below. It is to be appreciated that additional or less information may also be provided, as particular implementations require.
When one or more Field Documents already exist for a given project, the Field Document summary template 942 may also be configured to provide the service provider/user with various options for pre-populating a Field Document. These options include: not pre-populating the Field Document 970 and instead manually entering new information, and an option to pre-populate the Field Document from an existing Field Document/EFT 972 . A selection of either of these options may be suitably made, for example, by clicking a radio button associated with a particular choice.
Additionally, when the new Field Document is to be populated by data from a previous Field Document, a radio button 964 associated with the previous Field Document may be selected by the service provider/user to indicate the desired data to be used in the new Field Document. When the create new Field Document function 974 is selected, the system proceeds with generating a new Field Document which has been populated by the system as desired by the service provider. A service provider may further select the reconcile Field Documents function 930 from the Field Document summary template 942 to connect with reconciliation tool template, which is described in further detail herein below.
User Interface for Inputting Actual Costs in a Field Document
Referring again to FIGS. 8C , 9 A and/or 9 B, once a service provider/user selects a “Create New Field Document” button 810 , 940 , or 974 at least one embodiment of a system implementing the present invention may be configured to present a Field Document template page 1002 (as shown in FIGS. 10A–10C ). As shown, the Field Document template page 1002 provides an user interface via which a service provider/user may enter the costs of goods and services and/or other information related to a specific project request. More specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10A–10C , project level information 1004 may be pre-populated into the template as may information obtained from previous proposals or purchase orders if any. Such information may be pre-populated automatically or upon request by a service provider or other users.
Further, the template 1002 may be used to enter other information including, but not limited to, temporal information about the work performed on the project 1006 , descriptions and prices of services performed 1008 , descriptions and prices of products and materials used 1010 , and descriptions and costs of third party services utilized by the service provider in completing the project 1012 . The system may also be configured to total costs for the services performed and products used and to provide such totals in at least one field 1014 . The system and template may also be configured such that the service provider/user may enter any comments or explanations about entries and charges in the Field Document in a comment dialogue box 1016 .
Information entered into the Field Document template page 1002 may also be saved as desired, for example, the service provider may complete tasks and then record such tasks on the Field Document over a period of time by suitably entering such information and periodically selecting the save button 1018 . Further, when entries to the Field Document are final, the service provider may save such entries and simultaneously submit them to the system for review by the operator by selecting, for example, the “save and Submit to Operator” button 1020 .
Upon selection of button 1020 , for this embodiment, the operator may timely receive a message that a new Field Document has been prepared, which the Operator may access at any time. When the operator selects a given Field Document from the list on a summary page, the system may be further configured such that the operator may, for example, review the service provider's cost entries for the project and compare them to the original Bid Award amounts and any actual invoices received from the service provider. Further, the system and user interface shown in FIGS. 10A–10C (or other user interfaces) may be configured such that when an issue or subject matter arises that the operator desires to share with the service provider, the operator may submit comments to the service provider/vendor in a field, such as the “Comments for Vendor” field 1022 . Further, this embodiment may also be configured such that the operator's portion of the Field Document includes an additional comment section 1024 in which an operator may provide internal comments, for example, comments directed to the operator's accounting department.
As such it is to be appreciated that the system embodiment illustrated by the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 9A , 9 B, and 10 A to 10 C facilitate communications between an operator and at least one service provider. Such communications may be further enhanced by providing comment fields 1022 and 1016 . This and other information may be utilized, for example, to negotiate and agree upon a final cost figure or the like. Further, FIGS. 10A to 10C illustrate one embodiment of a user interface compatible with a system implementing the present invention. It is to be appreciated, however, that the operator's page may include additional buttons, for example, buttons, fields or other interfaces (all of which are well known in the art) which enable the operator/user to save any comments and submit them to the service provider.
Further, this system embodiment provides that during any negotiation, a Field Document is “alive” and changes may be made to such Field Document by the service provider, the operator or other authorized users.
When the operator and service provider reach agreement, buttons may be provided by which the operator may approve a Field Document while also submitting information on the Field Document to other interested parties, for example, an operator's accounting department. If the operator and service provider are unable to come to an agreement, the system/user interface may also be configured so that the operator may submit an unapproved Field Document which may include a hold for payment request designation or some other designation which indicates to an accounting department and/or others that a Field Document is not ready for payment. Further, once the operator submits an approved and/or an unapproved Field Document to an accounting department, the cost fields may also be locked by the system, while the operator and service provider may still be able to exchange communications with each other via the comment fields or other fields. Further, the system may be configured such that the operator may change any project level information and accommodate any other changes, if any, to the operator's internal project designations and record keeping. Thus, it is to be appreciated that the system embodiment as reflected by the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 9A , 9 B, and 10 A to 10 C may include many other additional features and functions and that buttons and other user interface devices (such as text entry fields, drop-down menus, and the like) may be provided.
User Configurable Field Documents
Another embodiment of a system for implementing at least one aspect of the present invention is illustrated through the user interfaces, screen displays, and/or templates shown in FIGS. 11A–F , 12 A and 12 B. As shown in FIG. 11A , the presentation of a Field Document may be modified to provide greater navigability and organization for the user. Each of the potential service and charge categories may be provided in a separate collapsible window or combinations thereof. For example, the service charges 1008 (in FIG. 10A ) may be collapsed into closed window 1102 (as shown in FIG. 11A ) with only the total cost shown. Similarly, product charges 1010 (in FIG. 10B ) may be collapsed into closed window 1104 and third party charges 1012 (in FIG. 10B ) may be collapsed into closed window 1106 . Each of these windows can be opened to display a full itemized list of entries, as desired. Further, the system or software processes implementing this embodiment, may be configured such that each time a window is closed, the entries in the Field Document are saved.
If a service provider desires to attach any supporting documentation to the Field Document, supporting documents may be attached after the entries to a particular Field Document have been saved by executing the “save” function 1108 . It is to be appreciated, however, for other embodiments, that supporting documents may be attached to a Field Document before or after the Field Document has been saved.
Referring again to the system embodiment shown in FIG. 11A , once the Field Document has been saved, the system suitably presents an “Add Attachment” dialog box 1110 , on the service provider's template, as shown in FIG. 11B . The system is preferably configured so that the attachment box 1110 function enables a service provider to attach any desired documentation (e.g., summary reports, core sample charting, and project designs), in any format (e.g., word processing files, spread sheet files, and computer aided design files) to the Field Document for subsequent review by the operator. When the Field Document is complete and any desired files are attached, the service provider may submit the Field Document to the system for review and/or approval by the operator, for this embodiment, by choosing the “submit” function 1112 . Upon submission of the Field Document, the system may automatically send notification to the operator that the Field Document is available for review.
When the operator accesses the Field Document, the system desirably presents an operator's user interface such as the one shown in FIG. 11C . As shown for this embodiment, the user interface includes collapsible windows, for example, the collapsed third party charges window 1114 . The interface also enables the operator to view a detailed enumeration of third party charges, by selecting the expand button 1116 which, as is commonly known in the art, expands a given window to occupy the entire viewable area of a given display. Further, the system may be configured such that the operator can view the entries and charges in a read only format. Read only formatting is preferably utilized so that the operator can not alter the information previously entered by the service provider. However, the system does provide the operator with the capability to enter internal comments about a given Field Document or an element thereof by including an internal comments box 1118 . Similarly, comments may also be directed to the service provider by making entries in the service provider comments box 1120 . Such comments to the service provider may be, for example, an indication of changes to the Field Document requested by the operator before payment will be approved. It is to be appreciated, that while the various embodiments of systems and user interfaces described herein generally provide for the entry of textual comments, the system and process embodiments of the present invention may also be configured to attach audio and/or video files, including audio commentary, to any Field Document, commercial response, work order and/or any other aspect of the present invention by which information is communicated between various parties.
When an operator desires to approve a Field Document for payment, the operator may select the “approve” function 1124 , which function is illustrated in FIG. 11C as being implemented by selecting an approve button. If the operator wants the service provider to make changes to the Field Document, for example, in response to comments entered in the service provider comments box 1120 , the operator so directs the system by choosing the “hold for approval” function 1126 . The operator may also save the Field Document template at any time by selecting the “save” function 1122 . Additionally, if the operator wishes to attach a document to the Field Document (for example, for review by the service provider), this action generally may be performed after the save function 1122 is selected, as shown in FIG. 11D . When the save function 1122 is selected, a file attachment box 1128 , similar to that provided to the service provider in FIG. 11B , may be provided to the operator with the same functionality of the service provider's attachment box 1110 . The operator may wish to provide updated, edited, and/or corrected versions of the attachments submitted by the service provider, or the operator may wish to provide entirely new attachments.
When the operator selects either the approve function 1124 or the hold for approval function 1126 , the Field Document is suitably saved by the system and the service provider may be notified that the Field Document has been reviewed by the operator. It is to be appreciated, that a Field Document and other data or information utilized in conjunction with the various embodiments of the present invention may be saved in local and/or remote databases in data arrays, as objects in a SQL structure or otherwise.
Desirably, the service provider may view the operator's comments when the Field Document is accessed. If the Field Document has been held for approval by the operator, the system desirably enables the service provider to adjust the Field Document and make any internal notes by providing an internal comment box 1130 , as shown in FIG. 11E . The service provider may further indicate the changes made, or provide any other communication to the operator, in the operator comment box 1132 . Again, the service provider may save the Field Document at any time and return to it to complete the entries at a later time by selecting the save function 1134 . Selecting the save function 1134 , as before, also allows the service provider to attach other files to the Field Document (see file attachment box 1138 in FIG. 11F ). If the Field Document is ready for resubmission for review by the operator, the “approve” function 1136 may be selected.
When the service provider selects the approve function 1136 , for this embodiment, the system may be configured to present the user interface shown in FIG. 11F . If the Field Document was previously approved by the operator, and no further corrections have been entered by the service provider, the system enables the service provider to send the Field Document directly to an invoicing program by providing an invoicing function which may be activated via the “Send to Invoicing” button 1140 . Further, if the service provider made any changes to the Field Document, after initial approval by the operator, the system enables the service provider to send such changes to the operator for approval before sending the Field Document to invoicing by providing the “Send to Operator for Approval” button 1142 .
In addition to the fields provided by the system for the Field Document, operators and services providers may also be provided user interfaces by which they may add their own, customizable fields to a Field Document. One example of a user interface for this customization process is the Field Document setup interface 1202 , as shown in FIG. 12A . By selecting the “add new custom field function,” 1204 an operator or service provider may insert a new field 1206 into the table, as shown. The custom fields may be labeled in any way desired, for example to keep track of particular account numbers or personnel responsible for a given Field Document. The custom fields may be designated as “read only,” “editable” by any party, or limited to “internal” presentation to agents of the customizing party by selecting either the read only function 1208 , the editable function 1210 , or the internal function 1212 , respectively. Once created, each customized field may be displayed as part of the Field Document template. For example, as shown in FIG. 12B , operator designated custom fields 1214 designated as “internal,” and therefore viewable desirably by the operator only, may be provided below the internal operator comment box 1216 .
Field Document Management Tool(s)
In order to manage a multiplicity of Field Documents associated with a multiplicity of projects, operators and service providers, another embodiment of the system may be configured to provide at least one Field Document management tool. An exemplary embodiment of a Field Document management tool is illustrated by the user interface templates shown in FIGS. 13A–B .
More specifically, a Field Document manager template 1300 provided for an operator is shown in FIG. 13A . This template 1300 enables an operator to sort and/or search Field Documents by various categories. Filters may be provided in the Field Document manager template 1300 and may be used by operators to select the Field Documents to be displayed. Possible filtering criteria may include, for example:
a) by service provider name 1302 , wherein the list of service providers may include all service providers that have submitted Field Documents; b) by project 1304 , wherein the selection list may include each project name for which Field Documents have been submitted; c) by well name 1306 , for example, when used in an oil and gas embodiment, wherein the list may include each well name for which a Field Document has been submitted; d) by Field Document status 1308 , whereby the Field Documents may be filtered by whether they have been received by the operator, approved, held for approval or have any other status; and e) by Field Document date range 1310 , wherein the filter may offer commonly used date ranges for selection, or allow the operator to enter a specific date range 1311 for Field Documents to review.
It is to be appreciated that other categories may also be utilized to filter Field Documents. Additionally, rather than showing only Field Documents related to a selected project, added functionality may be provided by allowing an operator to hide all Field Documents related to a specific project, for example, by selecting a check box 1305 . A similar option may also be provided with respect to well names, as depicted in the Field Document manager template 1300 by check box 1307 . Additionally, a particular system embodiment may be configured such that each filter may provide the option of displaying all Field Documents. If the operator selects “all” as the filter for the Field Document status filter 1308 , the date range filter 1310 will not be able to accept a specific date range 1311 . Further, the date range filter 1310 will show only Field Documents that have been modified to hold the selected Field Document status 1308 within the given time frame.
The Field Document manager template 1300 for a particular system embodiment, may also be configured to provide a listing of all Field Documents meeting the filter criteria. Preferably, such a listing is generated once the filtering criteria are established. But, the listing may also be generated as each filtering option is selected, it is anticipated that such “on-the-fly” filtering may enable users to detect subtle nuances between various Field Documents. The system also provides for the sorting of Field Documents based upon at least one of a plurality of data attributes, which may or may not be selectable by a user. For example, Field Documents may be sorted by service provider 1312 , project name 1314 , service type 1316 , Field Document status 1318 (e.g., whether or not the Field Document has been submitted, or perhaps has been approved or held by the operator), and Field Document approval date 1320 . Other data fields may likewise be used for sorting purposes as desired by particular system embodiments. The Field Document listing may also provide links to additional information associated with particular Field Document data, for example:
a) a service type link 1322 may provide access to the service request or work order; b) a commercial response link 1324 may provide access to a commercial response, for example, when the project was initiated by a service request and the service provider completed a commercial response; likewise, if the project was initiated with a work order a link may not be provided; c) a Field Document link 1326 may provide access to the most recent version of the Field Document and thereby enable the operator to approve, provide comment, or hold for approval a given Field Document; d) a reconciliation tool link 1328 may provide access to a reconciling process, which may or may not be an element of the system (one example of such a reconciling process is described in greater detail herein below); e) a collaboration link 1330 may provide access to a dialog interface where the operator may review existing messages or create new messages for the service provider regarding the particular Field Document or other aspects of the project; and/or f) a workflow link 1332 may provide access to a workflow history manager process (one embodiment of which is describe in greater detail herein below) which enables an operator to review significant changes that have been made to a given Field Document, by whom such changes were made and when such changes were made.
Additionally, the present system embodiment also provides a Field Document manager template 1350 , as shown in FIG. 13B , for a service provider. This template 1350 similarly enables a service provider to sort and/or search Field Documents based upon various categories. Filters may be provided in the template 1350 and suitably utilized to select Field Documents to be displayed. Possible filtering criteria may include, for example:
a) by operator's name 1352 , wherein the list of operators may include all operators that have submitted Field Documents; b) by project 1354 , wherein the selection list may include each project name for which Field Documents have been submitted; c) by well name 1356 , wherein the list may include each well name for which a Field Document has been submitted; d) by Field Document status 1358 , whereby the Field Documents may be filtered by whether they have or have not been submitted to the system, approved by the operator, held for approval by the operator, approved by the service provider, sent to invoicing, or otherwise designated; and/or e) by Field Document date range 1360 , wherein the filter may offer commonly used date ranges for selection, or allow the service provider to enter a specific date range 1361 .
It is to be appreciated that other categories may also be utilized to filter Field Documents.
Rather than showing only Field Documents related to a selected project, the system may be configured to provide additional functionality, for example by enabling a service provider to hide all Field Documents related to a specific project, for example, by selecting a check box 1355 . A similar option may be provided with respect to well names and/or other fields, as depicted on the template 1350 by check box 1357 . Additionally, each filter may be configured (depending upon particular system embodiments utilized) to provide the option of displaying all Field Documents. For example, if the service provider selects “all” as the filter for Field Document status filter 1358 , the date range filter 1360 is desirably configured to not accept a specific date range 1361 . However, in other system embodiments, the Template 1350 could be configured so that an “all” selection may relate to certain sub-fields, such as “all” Field Documents generated within a particular time period, regardless of other filter selections such as the Operator Name, the Project, or the Well Name. Further, the date range filter 1360 may also be configured to list only those Field Documents that have been modified and/or to hold the selected Field Document status 1358 within the given time frame.
The template 1350 , for a particular system embodiment, may also be configured to provide a listing of all Field Documents meeting the filter criteria. Preferably, such a listing is generated once the filtering criteria are established. But, the listing may also be generated as each filtering option is selected, it is anticipated that such “on-the-fly” filtering may enable users to detect subtle nuances between various Field Documents. The system may also be configured such that a Field Document listing may further be sorted by a selection of data attributes, for example, by operator 1362 , project name 1364 , service type 1366 , Field Document status 1368 (e.g., whether or not the Field Document has been submitted, or perhaps has been approved or held by the operator), and/or Field Document approval date 1370 . Other data fields may likewise be used for sorting purposes as desired by particular system embodiments. The Field Document listing may also provide links to additional information associated with particular Field Document data, for example:
a) a service type link 1372 may provide access to a service request or work order; b) a commercial response link 1374 may provide access to a commercial response, when the project was initiated by a service request and the service provider completed a commercial response; likewise, if the process was initiated with a work order, a link may not be provided; c) a Field Document link 1376 may provide access to the most recent version of the Field Document and thereby enable the service provider to submit, edit, provide comment, or take other possible action with regard to a given Field Document; d) a reconciliation tool link 1378 may provide access to a reconciling process, which may or may not be an element of the system (one example of such a reconciling process is described in greater detail herein below); e) a collaboration link 1380 may provide access to a dialog interface where the service provider may review existing messages or create new messages for the operator regarding the particular Field Document or other aspects of the project; and f) a workflow link 1382 may provide access to a workflow history manager process (one embodiment of which is describe in greater detail herein below) which enables a service provider to review significant changes that have been made to a given Field Document, by whom such changes were made, and when such changes were made.
Reconciliation of Field Documents
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a process for reconciling a Field Document and a commercial response. This process may be accomplished by utilizing a reconciliation tool (which ideally is provided in software that has been loaded into a system implementing an embodiment of the present invention). The processes performed by an embodiment of such a reconciliation tool are depicted in the flow diagrams of FIGS. 14A and 14B . It is to be appreciated, that for this and other embodiments, certain common processes may be made available to both the operator and service provider, such common processes are identified by operation 1400 and are further described in greater detail herein below.
Initially, this process begins when a reconciliation tool template, which may be provided in an user interface or otherwise, is accessed by a user (operation 1402 ). Once the tool is accessed, the user identifies at least one commercial response or work order in which they are interested in reconciling and a list of Field Documents associated with the selected commercial response(s) or work order(s) is presented to the user (operation 1404 ).
Next, the process may be configured to present an interface from which the user may select which, if any, of the Field Documents on the list to reconcile (operation 1406 ). Once a user's selection has been made, a query may then be initiated in order to determine whether the user has selected less than all of the Field Documents listed for the selected commercial response(s) and/or work order(s)(operation 1408 ). If all of the Field Documents have been selected by the user, the process continues the reconciliation functions using all the filed Field Documents (operation 1410 ). However, if the number of Field Documents selected is less than the total number of Field Documents, the process continues with performing the reconciliation functions with respect to only the selected Field Documents (operation 1412 ).
When the user selects the reconciliation function (operation 1414 ), the process provides, for the selected Field Documents, data totals that are generally provided in reference to the discrete categories or fields of data collected in the Field Document(s) (operation 1416 ). Next, it is determined whether a commercial response or work order is associated with each of the selected Field Document(s) (operation 1418 ). If there is a commercial response, a system implementing this process suitably retrieves data totals for the fields of data in the commercial response which relate to fields specified in a given related Field Document (operation 1420 ). It is to be appreciated that such data may be obtained from local and/or remote databases.
Next, a comparison is made between the estimated data in the commercial response and the actual data provided in a given Field Document, or a sum total when data is accessed from a plurality of Field Documents. The result of this comparison may be provided as the difference between the values (operation 1422 ). Additionally, a percentage difference between the values of the commercial response and the Field Document(s) may be calculated and provided to the user (operation 1424 ). The process may then end or may continue with the user reviewing the comparison data, and/or selecting other Field Document(s) to reconcile (operation 1406 ). Thus, it is to be appreciated that FIG. 14A provides one embodiment by which a user may select at least one commercial response and/or work order, identify Field Documents to be reconciled against the selected commercial response(s) or work order(s), and obtain value and percentage differences between estimates and actual work performed for a given project.
FIG. 14B depicts another embodiment of a process for reconciling Field Documents. This process may be directed towards an operator, however, comparable processes may also be provided for a service provider. More specifically, this process begins when a user accesses an operator user interface provided by a system or device implementing an embodiment of this process of the present invention (operation 1426 ). For the operator's benefit, this process may be configured to enable an operator to approve at least one Field Document for payment directly via a user interface which includes a reconciliation tool (operation 1428 ). The user interface and this process may be configured to provide the operator with a template which enables the operator to choose between at least two input options. It is to be appreciated, that providing the option of to pay or not to pay via a reconciliation tool may be highly desirable because a result of such a decision will likely be based upon the results of the reconciliation of at least one Field Document.
As shown, this process may also be configured to provide two function: an approval function, and a hold for approval function. When the operator selects the approval function (operation 1430 ), the operator may be provided an input field (for example, on a user interface), by which the user may add comments or information to the Field Document (operation 1432 ). Once any comments have been added (operation 1434 ), or if no comments were added, the Field Document is designated as approved and is saved (operation 1436 ). Ideally, the approved Field Document is saved to a workflow platform provided by a system implementing the present invention. Such workflow platform generally may be accessed by other authorized users at any time. Alternatively, the approved Field Document may be saved in other systems, as desired, and accessed via Internet connections or other connections.
Once a Field Document has been approved and/or saved, a notification may be communicated to the service provider(s) associated with the Field Document (operation 1446 ). This notification may be communicated via any suitable communications medium including, but not limited to, paging systems, e-mail, instant messaging, telephone messaging, teletype, facsimile, or the like.
Referring again to operation 1428 , should the operator select the hold for approval function, (operation 1438 ), the operator may be provided the opportunity to add any comments or information to the Field Document before submitting the Field Document to the service provider for revision (operation 1440 ). Once any comments have been entered (operation 1442 ), or if no comments were added, the Field Document may be designated as “held for approval” and saved (operation 1444 ). A notification may then be communicated to the service provider that the Field Document has been reviewed by the operator, designated as “held for approval” and is available for revision (operation 1446 ).
User Interfaces for Reconciling
FIGS. 15A–C provide an exemplary series of user interfaces/templates by which a service provider may utilize at least one embodiment of the before mentioned reconciliation process. Generally, the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 15A–15C provide a reconciliation tool which contains substantially the same fields and functions for both the operator and the service provider, since all but a few f the available functions of the reconciliation tool are provided to both parties. However, other embodiments may utilize user interfaces and reconciliation tools which may substantially vary from an operator's perspective to a service provider's perspective. All such variations are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15A , Field Documents may be linked to a particular commercial response. The reconciliatory tool template 1500 a suitably includes a header section in which project specific information may be provided, for example, the operator (or service provider) name 1502 , the well name 1504 , and a service type description 1506 . Further, a table 1511 may be provided in which comparisons between the totals of various fields of Field Documents 1512 , for example, the different categories of charges incurred, to the related commercial response 1508 may be displayed. Another data field in the table 1511 may also include an indication of the status 1509 of the Field Documents 1512 , i.e., whether the Field Document has been submitted for approval, approved, held, or has been transferred for invoicing. Hyperlinks and other types of links may also provide a user with access to the most recent version of each actual Field Document 1512 via links 1512 ′ and similarly to the commercial response 1508 via link 1508 ′. Similarly, links to the original service request 1510 may also be provided to allow for review and comparison of all the project documents.
Further, it is to be appreciated that access to Field Documents, commercial responses, original service requests and/or other information may be provided immediately or on a delayed basis, in accordance with particular system and/or user device configurations and/or limitations. For example, a user in the field may not have immediate access when communications links are inoperable between a user device and a system or database at which a given Field Document or commercial response is saved.
The table 1511 shown in FIG. 15A may further include a Field Document total calculation column 1514 in which combined total amounts for each discrete data field of the Field Documents 1512 may be presented. These totals may be obtained using, for example, known in the art column adding formulas. The user interface may also provide a comparison between the Field Document total amounts 1514 and the commercial response estimates 1508 as both an actual comparison 1518 (the difference) and a percentage comparison 1520 (the difference divided by the commercial response amount 1508 ). Again, such totals and percentages may be calculated utilizing well known in the art processes.
In essence, via the user interface provided in FIG. 15A , Field Documents related to a particular service request can be presented to a user via one reconciliation tool such as the table 1511 . This feature of the present invention may be especially advantageous when Field Document submissions or receipts may never reach a service provider or operator's accounting department, the service may never be billed, or an invoice may be received for which there is provided no evidence showing that the work was ever performed. Further, not only does this and other embodiments of the present system keep track of all Field Documents issued, it ensures that they are tied to the particular service request. Further, via a reconciliation tool, such as the embodiment shown in FIG. 15A , when multiple Field Documents are issued for the same service request, the Field Documents can be viewed together, along with the commercial response, to determine whether the Field Documents track the commercial response and/or whether there are discrepancies that require further investigation.
Further, the present invention suitably supports reconciliation tools which enable a user to select which Field Document(s) to include for comparisons and calculations. Such functionality may be provided in various manners, for example, by a Field Document selection bar 1516 , as shown in FIG. 15A . As shown in FIG. 15A , each of the Field Documents 1512 associated with the particular service request 1510 may be selected for display in the table 1511 . Similarly, FIG. 15B depicts a reconciliation tool template 1500 b for the same service request 1510 wherein a user has selected only two, 1516 b and 1516 c , out of the three Field Documents possible via the Field Document selection bar 1516 . In order to update the table 1511 to reflect the selected Field Documents 1516 a and 1516 b , a “reconcile” function 1522 may be provided whereby, upon selection, the table 1511 is recalculated with only the selected Field Documents 1512 .
For example, when the first Field Document 1516 a on the Field Document selection bar 1516 is not selected , the data associated with such Field Document may be excluded from the Field Documents 1512 displayed in the table 1511 . Further, in this example, because only two Field Documents 1512 are provided in the table 1511 , the actual comparison 1518 and percentage comparison 1520 figures are different in this template 1500 b than in the previous template 1500 a . Such comparison information between estimates and actuals, between all Field Documents, or only a subset thereof, may be used to manage a project by facilitating determinations as to whether there are cost overruns or savings, or additional work is yet to be performed because the Field Document totals 1514 do not reflect the totals in the commercial response 1508 .
It is to be appreciated that numerous variations may be made to the reconciliation tool and how such tool may be presented to a user. One such variation is shown in FIG. 15C . In this variation, a table 1511 may be provided wherein the Field Documents 1512 are related to a work order 1510 ′ rather than a commercial response 1510 (as shown in FIG. 15A ). The reconciliation tool, for this embodiment, may be configured to merely calculate the totals 1514 of the selected Field Documents 1512 . Since there generally is no underlying commercial response, there are no differences or percentages to calculate . Also, the user may be provided with the option of choosing which Field Documents 1512 to reconcile by using the Field Document selection bar 1516 and selecting the reconcile checked items function 1522 .
An embodiment of a user interface providing access to reconciliation tool by an operator is generally shown in FIG. 15D . As shown, this embodiment provides for additional functionality in the reconciliation tool template 1500 d Fig. In this operator embodiment, generally, most of the header information will be the same as that provided in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15A to 15C . However, the service provider information 1502 ′ for the project may be provided instead of operator information 1502 . In addition to the before mentioned comparison capabilities, this embodiment may also be configured to enable an operator to approve Field Documents for invoicing by the service provider, or if there is some discrepancy, hold the Field Document for approval pending resolution of the discrepancy. These Field Document review capabilities may be provided by the approve selected Field Document function 1524 and the hold selected Field Document function 1526 , respectively. Further, designation of particular Field Documents 1512 for approval or holding may be provided by the selection of one or more radio buttons 1528 on the template table 1511 next to the Field Document number 1512 . Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the availability of radio buttons 1528 is related to the status 1509 of the particular Field Document. For example, if a particular Field Document has already been approved by an operator, then a radio button 1528 may not be provided for selection of that particular Field Document for approval or holding. Such selecting may be accomplished by selecting the approve selected Field Document function 1524 or the hold selected Field Document function 1526 . In short, this and other system embodiments may be configured, as desired, to operate with other process embodiments described herein in order to provide an integrated system.
If an operator does select either the approve selected Field Document function 1524 or the hold selected Field Document function 1526 , a message may be generated inquiring whether the operator would like to enter internal comments or comments for the service provider. If the operator responds affirmatively, the particular Field Document may be accessed for entry of the comments or other information, thereby associating the information directly with the Field Document. If the operator chooses not to enter comments, the Field Document may be approved or held for later approval.
In another aspect of the invention, a workflow history tracking software application (i.e., a tool) may be provided to document the workflow of at least one of the various embodiments of the Field Document reconciliation and approval processes. This workflow history tracking tool may be configured to create a record providing various information relating to Field Documents and a project in general. For example, the tool may record an identification of a user (for example, an gent of the operator or service provider's team), the action(s) taken by the user, and the date and time of such action(s) while also providing an indication of the Field Document, project, commercial response, work order or other information accessed and/or modified by the user. It is to be appreciated that by creating a recorded history, uncertainty facing many projects can be reduced and/or eliminated. For example, the issue of whether a Field Document was ever submitted, by whom it was authorized, and by whom payment was authorized may be quickly resolved when a workflow history tracking tool is utilized. Similarly, a workflow tracking tool may also eliminate or at least significantly reduce the incidence of time consuming searches for paper and/or computerized documents, reconciliation of such documents against other documents, and the verification of, for example, payment approvals and authorization for write-offs. In general, the workflow history tracking tool may be configured to utilize a relational database to provide the before mentioned and other features and functions.
Workflow History Tracking Tool
One embodiment of a process which may be utilized to provide a workflow history tracking tool is shown in FIG. 16 . This embodiment is shown with respect to a Field Document approval process. It is to be appreciated, however, that other embodiments of a workflow tracking tool may be utilized for processes utilized in conjunction with the various embodiments of the present invention.
More specifically, for the embodiment shown in FIG. 16 , the workflow path status at each particular operation generally corresponds with an action taken in relation to a Field Document or other document and may correspond to the state of such a document in a system database wherein at least one version of a particular Field Document may be stored. For example, in operation 1602 , when a new Field Document is created by a service provider, the workflow path may be configured to record the action as “Field Document created” while a system database may indicate the status of Field Document as being unsubmitted.
Further, if the Field Document is modified before submission to the system, the workflow path may be configured to identify the actions taken as “current working copy of Field Document,” while a system database might continue to indicate the Field Document as being unsubmitted, operation 1604 . When the service provider submits a Field Document for approval, the database might recognize the status of a Field Document as being “submitted” while the workflow path may indicate to the service provider that the Field Document was “submitted to the operator,” operation 1606 .
Similarly, when observed from an operator's point of view, once the Field Document is submitted to the system by the service provider, the database may be configured to identify to the operator the Field Document as being “received,” while the workflow manager may indicate that no actions were taken and that the status of the Field Document was still “Submitted to the operator,” operation 1608 . Further, when the operator reviews, modifies, or comments upon the Field Document, the workflow path may be configured to indicate that the Field Document is a “current working copy,” while the database may indicate the status of the Field Document as being “received,” operation 1610 .
As mentioned previously with reference to other process embodiments, at this point, the operator may be provided with two choices: the Field Document can either be approved or held for later approval. If the Field Document is approved by the operator, the workflow path may be configured to record this action as “approved by the operator,” while the database suitably stores the status of the Field Document as being “approved by operator,” operation 1612 . Instead, if the Field Document is held for approval by the operator, the database suitably stores the status of the Field Document as being “held for approval by the operator” while the workflow path might be configured to record the actions as “held for approval by operator,” operation 1614 .
In either event and as discussed previously, future action is generally required by the service provider. In the case of an approved Field Document, the workflow path on the service provider side may be configured to indicate the approved status of the Field Document for example by designating the Field Document's workflow as “Field Document approved by operator” and designating the status of the Field Document in the database as being “approved by operator,” while also providing the service provider access to the approved version of the Field Document in the database, operation 1616 . If the service provider optionally decides to additionally modify the approved Field Document, a working copy may be saved in the database, and the workflow path may be configured to indicate the working status of the Field Document as “current working copy of Field Document,” operation 1618 . If the service provider approves of the modifications, or if optional modifications were not made, the service provider will normally approve the Field Document, either for invoicing or resubmission to the operator, the database may be configured to store the approved Field Document as being “approved by service provider,” and the workflow path may be configured to reflect the last action as “approved by service provider,” operation 1624 . Further, if the Field Document was not modified by the service provider after approval by the operator, the Field Document may be transferred to an invoicing process. In such event, the database may be configured to record the status of the Field Document as “sent to invoicing,” while the workflow path may be configured to indicate the last action for the Field Document as being “sent to invoicing,” operation 1626 .
Referring again to operation 1614 , in the case of a Field Document being held for approval by the operator, the service provider will generally be notified of such status by an indication of “held for approval by operator” while the workflow path may indicate that the last action on the Field Document was “held for approval by operator,” operation 1620 . If the service provider makes any modifications to the held Field Document, the workflow path may be configured to indicate the last action on the Field Document as being “current working copy,” while the database might be configured to continue to represent the status of the Field Document as being “held for approval by operator,” operation 1622 . Once any modifications are made, the service provider will generally approve the Field Document, either for invoicing or resubmission to the operator. The database may be configured to store the status of the approved Field Document as being “approved by service provider,” and the workflow path may be configured to reflect the last action as being “approved by service provider,” operation 1624 . At this point, the Field Document may then proceed with operations 1626 , as discussed hereinabove. More likely, however, because the Field Document was not approved by the operator originally, the service provider may desire to resubmit the Field Document to the operator for approval, whereby the database may be configured to indicate the status of the Field Document as being “submitted,” while the workflow path may indicated the last action taken as being “submitted to operator,” operation 1628 . Once resubmitted, the workflow path cycle returns to operation 1608 on the operator side for approval of the Field Document.
Therefore, as illustrated by the foregoing discussion and the process flow shown in FIG. 16 , the workflow history tracking tool essentially provides a process for tracking actions taken with respect to a given document or item of information. The foregoing example was provided with respect to a Field Document, it is to be appreciated, however, that various embodiments of the workflow tracking tool may also be utilized to track actions taken with respect to bids, commercial responses, work orders, invoices and any other identifiable piece of information.
User Interfaces for Providing Workflow History Tracking
One embodiment of a user interface for providing workflow history tracking is shown in FIGS. 17A–H . More specifically, FIG. 17A provides one embodiment of a user interface which includes a workflow tracking template that may be utilized to provide the point of view of an operator. As shown, the workflow history may be suitably presented via a table containing various columns, such as: a column 1702 indicating a path taken by a given Field Document; a view column 1704 providing link options by which an operator may view a specific version of a Field Document; a column 1706 identifying persons who have taken some action with respect to the Field Document; a column 1708 indicating such person's titles; and a column 1710 indicating the date and time a particular action occurred. As shown, for this first template, the operator may be advised, by corresponding entries in the table, that a Field Document has been created 1714 , and that the Field Document has been submitted to the operator for review 1716 . In this instance, if the operator wishes to review and modify the Field Document, this may be accomplished by selection of either the related links in the “view” column 1704 , or by selection of the “review and process” function 1712 . However, this functionality may not always be provided, because a given “view” link may not include or may only include a link which provides only access to historical copies of the Field Document. In contrast, for this embodiment, the review and process function 1712 is generally configured to provide access to the current working version of the Field Document.
FIG. 17B depicts the next operation in the workflow process after the operator has chosen to review the submitted Field Document. In this embodiment, the current working copy of the Field Document 1718 is listed as the next entry in the table. Generally, this version of the Field Document is only visible to the operator. The view link 1704 a may be configured to retrieve and present to the operator the original Field Document submitted by the service provider. Similarly, the view link 1704 b may be configured to retrieve and present the current working version of the Field Document. Upon selection of the review and process function 1712 the process may be configured to then access the current version of the Field Document with any changes to the submitted version 1716 .
FIG. 17C shows a next possible operation in the workflow process wherein the operator has previously chosen to hold the Field Document for approval 1720 . When the operator approves or holds a Field Document for approval, the process may be configured to remove the working copy of the Field Document 1718 (in FIG. 17B ), changes the approval status to held for approval 1720 , identify the name 1706 and title 1708 of the person who made the decision to hold the Field Document, and specify the date and time 1710 the decision to hold was entered or logged into a system implementing this embodiment. In this instance the review and process function 1712 (in FIG. 17B ) generally is not accessible by an operator because the service provider needs to take the next operation in the Field Document process. The view link 1704 a may be configured continue to access the original Field Document submitted by the service provider. Also, the view link 1704 c may be configured to access the Field Document in which the operator changes, which resulted in the held for approval by Operator workflow condition, have been recorded.
FIG. 17D shows a possible next operation in the workflow process. Once the operator has held the Field Document for approval, the service provider may resubmit 1722 the Field Document to the operator, perhaps with modifications to enhance the likelihood of approval. In this instance, the approval and hold options available to the operator may generally be the same as those described with reference to FIG. 17B . The operator may view and modify the resubmitted Field Document with the service provider's modifications, for example, by selecting the review and process function 1712 , or by selecting the view link 1704 d . Older versions of the Field Document may also be accessed by the selection of corresponding view links 1704 a and 1704 c , while information about previous reviewers 1706 and the dates and times 1710 of those reviews may also be provided.
FIG. 17E shows a next possible operation in the workflow process, the operator's review of the resubmitted Field Document 1722 . Preferably, the current working copy of the Field Document 1724 will only be visible to the operator. The corresponding name 1706 and date 1710 shown are presented as of the date and time of the last revision. The view link 1704 b may be configured to take the operator to the original version of the Field Document submitted by the service provider. This version should be different from the second submitted Field Document 1722 , which may be accessed through a separate view link 1704 d . Selection of the view link 1704 c similarly may be configured to provide access to the held version of the Field Document returned to the service provider. View link 1704 e and the review and process function 1712 may each be configured to provide access to the current version of the Field Document as modified by the operator from the resubmitted Field Document 1722 .
FIG. 17F shows the next operation in the workflow process, approval of the Field Document by the operator. Once the operator approves the Field Document, the working copy entry 1724 (in FIG. 17E ) may be replaced by an approved entry 1726 . The review and process function 1712 (in FIG. 17E ) is not active because the next process operation should be undertaken by the service provider. The view link 1704 f may be configured to provide access to the latest changes to the Field Document made by the operator. The other view links 1704 generally provide access to their respective Field Document versions, as previously described hereinabove.
FIG. 17G depicts a possible next operation in the workflow process, approval of the Field Document by the service provider. The workflow history process documents the service provider's approval and enables an operator to access an approved by service provider Field Document entry 1728 through a related view link 1704 g.
FIG. 17H shows another operation in a workflow history process for a particular Field Document. As shown, the template indicates, in a new entry, that the Field Document has been sent to invoicing 1730 . It should be noted, that this same workflow tracking tool may also be used to track the operations in an invoicing process while providing the same features and functions. Further, it is to be appreciated that other, less and/or additional workflow actions may also be displayed by this and/or other embodiments of a workflow tracking tool.
FIG. 18A depicts an initial workflow history user interface/template for managing a Field Document from the point of view of the service provider. As may be provided for an operator template, the workflow history may be represented via a table containing various columns, such as: a column 1802 indicating a path taken by a given Field Document; a view column 1804 providing link options by which a service provider may view a specific version of a Field Document; a column 1806 identifying persons who have taken some action with respect to the Field Document; a column 1808 indicating such person's titles; and a column 1810 indicating the date and time a particular action occurred. As shown, for this first template, the service provider may be advised, by corresponding entries in the table, that a Field Document has been created 1814 , and that a current working copy of the Field Document 1816 is available for review. In this instance, if the service provider wishes to review and modify the Field Document, this may be accomplished by selection of either the related links in the “view” column 1804 , or by selection of the “review and process” function 1812 . However, this functionality may not always be provided, because a given row on the table may not include a “view” link or may include a link which only provides access to historical copies of the Field Document. Further, for this embodiment, the review and process function 1812 is generally configured to provide access to the current working version of the Field Document.
If any changes are made to the Field Document after it is first created, the current working copy entry may be updated to show who made the most recent changes, by name 1806 a and title 1808 a , and when the changes were made, by date and time 1810 a , as shown in FIG. 18B . When the Field Document is submitted to the operator the working copy entry 1818 (as shown in FIG. 18B ) is replaced by a submitted entry 1820 as shown in FIG. 18C and the associated personnel and date information is updated.
After the Field Document is submitted, desirably no changes can be made to it. The ability to view the Field Document by selection of view link 1804 is generally provided as a read only link and the review and process function 1812 (in FIG. 18B ) is not active because the operator must perform the next operation in the process. Once the Field Document is approved by the operator, the workflow history may indicate such status in an entry 1822 and the service provider may be able to see who 1806 l approved the Field Document and when 1810 l . The view link 1804 k may be configured to access the originally prepared Field Document. Similarly, the view link 1804 l may be configured to enable to provide the service provider with read only access to the approved Field Document. To make changes to the Field Document or process a final approval, the service provider may select the review and process function 1812 . Further, if the service provider saves changes to the Field Document, a current working copy entry 1824 may be created in the workflow path (see FIG. 18E ).
The service provider may give final approval of the Field Document or resubmit a modified Field Document to the operator. A Field Document with final service provider approval may be listed as an entry in the workflow path 1826 in FIG. 18F . The service provider may then transfer the Field Document to an invoicing function for further processing. In this event, the workflow history tool may be configured to record the transfer of the Field Document to invoicing also as an entry 1828 in the table (see FIG. 18G ).
Field Document Management Tools
Various embodiments of the present invention may also include an offline manager that allows a user to work with a Field Document offline using, for example, an Offline Component. While in the field, a user can enter information into or make selections within the Offline Component, and once reconnected to the network, the information added or changes made to the Offline Component may be uploaded to the actual web site through a communications network.
One embodiment of a process for assigning, managing and tracking Field Documents, both online and offline as an Offline Component, is shown in FIG. 19 . As shown, this process may be suitably implemented when a user accesses a Field Document Pricing Page (operation 1900 ). Once the page is accessed, the process, and/or a system implementing the process, may be configured to display the pricing page with an input alternative which enables a user to assign a Field Document either online or offline (operation 1902 ). A query may be communicated to the user as to whether the user desires to select online or offline processing (operation 1904 ). If the online option is selected, the process continues with querying whether a team member has been selected by the user to receive the Offline Component (operation 1906 ). If a team member has been selected, a notification may be communicated to the designated team member, for example via an e-mail, that the team member is now responsible for some further action with respect to the Field Document (operation 1908 ). The workflow history, if any, may then be suitably updated to indicate that the assignment (operation 1928 ) has been given to a team member. Further updates the offline manager module may also be provided, as necessary, to indicate an additional activity with respect to the Field Document (operation 1930 ).
If a team member is not selected, a query may be generated as to whether the user has indicated that the Field Document is to be submitted to a customer representative of the operator (operation 1910 ). If so, another query may be issued as to whether the Field Document is in fact online or is offline (operation 1912 ). If the Field Document is online, notification of submission of the Field Document for review and approval may be sent to the operator (operation 1932 ). If the Field Document is offline, a notification may be sent to the user that a Field Document cannot be submitted to the operator while the Field Document is offline (operation 1934 ). The display or other presentation medium may then be reset to the Field Document Pricing Page to allow the user to make any desired inputs (operation 1904 ). If there is no user input directing submission of the Field Document to the operator, the user may be suitably informed that a team member must be selected in order to proceed with assigning a Field Document (operation 1914 ). This notification may also include resetting the display to the Field Document Pricing Page in order to enable the user to make any desired inputs (operation 1904 ).
Returning to the query of whether online or offline action is requested by the user (operation 1904 ), in the instance where the user has indicated an offline transmittal of the Field Document, a query may be generated as to whether the user has indicated that the Field Document is to be submitted to a customer representative of the operator (operation 1916 ). If this selection is affirmative, a check may be performed to determine whether the Field Document is online (operation 1912 ). If the Field Document is online, notification of submission of the Field Document for review and approval may be sent to the operator (operation 1932 ). If the Field Document is offline, a notification may be sent to the user that a Field Document cannot be submitted to the operator while the Field Document is offline (operation 1934 ). Again, the display may then be reset to the Field Document Pricing Page in order to enable the user to make any desired inputs (operation 1904 ). If there are no user inputs directing submission of the Field Document to the operator, then a notification may be sent informing the user that a team member must be selected in order to proceed with assigning a Field Document (operation 1914 ). Again, the display may be reset to the display to the Field Document Pricing Page in order to enable the user to make any desired inputs (operation 1904 ).
If the Field Document is not to be presently submitted to the operator, another query may be issued as to whether a team member has been selected by the user to receive the Offline Component (operation 1918 ). If a team member has been selected, a query may be issued to determine whether the team member is new to the workflow process platform (operation 1920 ). If so, information about team member may be obtained and the offline manager updated to include the additional information (operation 1922 ). After the team member information has been updated, or if the team member is not new, an Offline Component holding the Field Document may be created and the Offline Component may be synchronized to the workflow platform (operation 1924 ). The designated Offline Component may be communicated to the team member via a communications network. At this point in the process, the team member is now responsible for some further action with respect to the Field Document (operation 1926 ). The process then provides for the updating of the workflow history to indicate the assignment (operation 1928 ) and further updates of the offline manager module to indicate an additional activity with respect to the Field Document (operation 1930 ).
On-line and Off-line Field Document Management Using Offline Components
One embodiment of a user interface, which may be utilized in conjunction with the previously described above process is a Field Document Pricing Page and which includes the necessary functionality to enable a user to assign a Field Document online or offline, is shown in FIG. 20 . As shown, generally an user can choose whether the Field Document is to be sent offline or online using radio buttons 2002 and 2004 . Further, this particular embodiment enables the user to access an existing database of customer representatives using a drop down menu 2006 . Similarly, the user may access the existing database of team members by accessing a second drop down menu 2008 . The pricing page shown in FIG. 20 may also be equipped with button 2010 which enables the user to submit the Field Document to the selected operator and a second button 2012 which enables the user to send the Field Document to the selected team member.
Once assigned by the offline manager, Offline Components may further be canceled before they are resynchronized with the system. FIG. 21 provides one embodiment of a flow diagram depicting an exemplary process for canceling Offline Components. When a user first accesses the offline manager (operation 2100 ), a user device, for example, a lap top computer or a personal data assistant, which is configured to implement the process, suitably displays a list of Offline Components previously assigned and not yet synchronized with the system (operation 2102 ). A user may select to cancel a particular Offline Component (operation 2104 ). In this event, the device may query as to whether the user has entered a reason for canceling the Offline Component (operation 2106 ). If the user has not indicated a reason for cancellation and selects the save function (operation 2108 ), the device will then notify the user that a reason for cancellation must be entered before the Offline Component will in fact be cancelled (operation 2112 ). Likewise, if the user has not indicated a reason for cancellation and selects the cancel Offline Component function (operation 2110 ), he device will notify the user that a reason for cancellation must be entered before the Offline Component will in fact be cancelled (operation 2112 ).
The device or system implementing this process may further provide a selection of reasons for cancellation of an Offline Component. If the user did provide a reason for cancellation (in operation 2106 ), the device may further inquire as to whether any of the choices for cancellation provided by the device were used (operation 2114 ). If not, the user may be requested and/or required, in certain embodiments, to input a reason for cancellation in a field provided (operation 2116 ). Once a reason for cancellation has been secured, the user may then select the cancel Offline Component function (operation 2118 ). The device may be further configured to interject an interrogatory to confirm that the user indeed wants to cancel the Offline Component (operation 2120 ). If the user confirms cancellation (operation 2122 ), the device cancels the Offline Component and restores as active on the device and/or the system the Field Document version before the Offline Component was assigned (operation 2124 ). It is to be appreciated that when a user device does not have access to a system, the foregoing actions may be accomplished remotely and then updates provided, as necessary to the system. Similarly, when a user device is connected via a communications network or directly to a system, the foregoing actions may be suitably accomplished on either the user device and/or the system, with the necessary data and information passing therebetween to implement the desired changes.
Additional embodiments of an offline manager are shown in FIGS. 22A–22C . More specifically, as shown in FIG. 22A , for at least one embodiment, an offline manager may be configured to provide at least one of four major functions: a listing of all Offline Components that have been checked out, a listing of who checked out a particular Offline Component along with a date and time stamp, a listing of the type of Offline Component, and the ability to cancel an Offline Component. This embodiment (and other embodiments) of the offline manage may also include links to other pages provided by the various embodiments of the present invention discussed herein and/or to other pages. For example, the embodiment may include a link 2202 to an eFT Manager, a link 2204 to the service request or work order submitted by the operator, and a link 2206 to the eFT or Response Package.
When utilizing the offline manager feature, the current functionality of the workflow history may also be changed so that each time a new user modifies a current working copy of a Field Document, a new version of the Field Document may be created and listed in the workflow history. One embodiment of a system implementing such functionality is depicted by the user interface shown in FIG. 23 . As shown a “Previous Working copy of the eFT” 2302 may be created every time a user sends a Field Document to a different user either online or offline via an Offline Component. If an Offline Component is cancelled, such cancellation may also be shown in the workflow history. The Offline Component cancelled link 2304 may be configured to present to the user a screen display or user interface on which comments may be entered and/or presented as to why the Offline Component was cancelled. Such screen may also shows who cancelled the Offline Component and when the Offline Component was cancelled by providing a date and time stamp. If the Offline Component is offline, a View eFT link 2306 may be provided which enables the user to access generally a read only version of the Field Document before it was provided offline. This link 2306 may be further configured to present the given Field Document to the user and also to present a pop-up message stating something to the effect that “The Field Document is read only because it is currently offline.”
Another embodiment of system and/or process for processing Field Documents which operates separately or in conformance with the other embodiments of the present invention, may include a modularization feature whereby multiple pages may be provided within a modular Field Document. It is to be appreciated that a modularization function consistent with the present invention preferably enables a service provider to select the particular pages desired, and further to modify each page, as desired. As such, generally, a single long form containing multiple parts or pages that are not used for a particular embodiment may be avoided. Further, custom fields may also be created and/or designated by the service provider to appear on each modular page as desired, for example, tracking numbers and other similar data may be included on custom forms, while not being included on other, non-custom forms. Additionally, the modularization processes of the present invention generally make it more easy to add or subtract pages to a Field Document and to create Field Documents which are tailored to individual operators, as desired by a service provider.
In another embodiment of the present invention, which may be utilized in the oil and gas industry and/or other industries, a modularization feature may be utilized in which a user is encouraged and/or required to utilize a Job Time & Activity Detail page, for example, one as shown in FIG. 24A . The embodiment may also be configured to require a user to utilize a Field Document Pricing Page, such as one shown in FIG. 25A . Similarly, a user may be encouraged or required to utilize a Product List page, such as one shown in FIG. 26A . In other embodiments of the invention, additional optional pages may also be utilized, required, added to or subtracted from a modular Field Document as desired. Further, when utilizing these and other customization features, custom fields for the operator are generally located on the Pricing page while and custom fields for the service provider are generally located on the Job Time & Activity Detail page.
When viewing any one page of a modular Field Document, it is to be further appreciated that links to the other pages in the modular Field Document may be provided. Further, the status of each page may also be displayed next to each link. A page may also have a status associated with it, such as Final or Draft. However, generally, before a modular Field Document may be submitted to an operator, all of the pages in the Field Document should be saved and their status designated as Final. Modular Field Documents may also be configured to work with an Offline Manager in order to enable such modular Field Documents to be sent to other team members either offline or online.
User Interface for Job Time and Activity Monitoring
In another embodiment of the present invention, a user interface may be provided by a system via which a first user may enter and other users may verify job time and job activity details. As shown in FIG. 24A , a Job Time & Activity Detail page 2400 may be provided. This page may be designated, as desired, as the main modular Field Document page. When this page (or any other page) is designated as the main modular page, whenever a user clicks on a link to a particular Field Document, the system present page 2400 to the user instead of another page, such as, the Field Document Pricing Page. As depicted in FIGS. 24A to 24C , the Job Time & Activity page 2400 may be configured to include a header table 2402 , a work summary table 2404 , a work detail table 2406 , and an employee time table 2408 . Other fields may also be provided as specific implementations require.
Additionally, various fields may be made available for customization on this page 2400 . For example, custom fields may be provided in the header table 2402 . Currently, six custom fields are provided and include the following: company order no. 2410 , pick up # 2412 , trip miles 2414 , work done in state of 2416 , and type of work 2418 . These and/or other custom fields may be configured to utilize text entry boxes, drop down menus, or other data entry techniques (such as voice memos).
Similarly, customizable options may be provided for the work summary table 2404 . For example, it may be possible to rename the work summary 2404 , the 24 hour summary 2420 , and the 24 hour forecast 2422 fields, or to not include such fields at all, while including additional or other fields. The user may also be provided with the capability of hiding, minimizing, maximizing or otherwise displaying the work summary table 2404 .
Referring now to FIG. 24B , activity category 2424 and trouble type 2426 drop down menus may be also be provided and customizable within the work detail table 2406 . In addition, the user may choose to display or hide the employee time table 2408 . Further, as shown on FIG. 24C , links 2428 , 2430 , 2432 , 2434 and 2436 may be included on the Job Time & Activity page 2400 as desired. The links depicted are: application home 2428 , my workflow 2430 , eFT manager 2432 , eFT workflow 2434 eFT summary 2436 , and logout 2438 . Additional links to the eFT pricing page 2440 and eFT product list 2442 are shown on FIG. 24C along with their respective statuses (i.e. draft or final). Thus, it is to be appreciated that the job time and activity detail page may be customized as particular implementations of the present invention specify.
User Interface for Field Document Pricing
Referring now to FIG. 25A , one embodiment of a Field Document Pricing Page 2500 is shown. This embodiment may be provided for an implementation of the present invention similar to that which was described in reference to FIGS. 8A–C . Further, FIGS. 25B and 25C provide depictions of a Field Document Pricing Page 2502 which may be utilized, for example, as part of a modular Field Document. As shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B , a table 2504 containing an arrive location, job start, and job completion fields, as shown in FIG. 25A , may be replaced or augmented, for example, with an additional pages table 2506 containing a link 2508 to a Job Time & Activity page and or a second link 2510 to the a product list page.
Various custom fields may also be made available to the operator on the Field Document Pricing Page. For example and as shown in FIG. 25B , exemplary custom fields may be located on a header table 2512 , and may be described as follows: project mgt. system number 2514 , work order number 2516 , cost center 2518 , pay key code 2510 , API number 2522 and field supervisor name 2524 . Similar to the Job Time & Activity page, links to other locations may be provided including links to an application home 2526 , my workflow 2528 , eFT manager 2530 , eFT workflow 2532 , eFT summary 2534 , and logout 2535 .
Further, as shown in FIG. 25C , the bottom of the Field Document Pricing Page of the modular Field Document may also be modified to include radio buttons which enable a user to select, for example, whether to assign the modular Field Document online 2536 , or to send the Field Document offline 2538 , e.g., via an Offline Component. Additionally, the Field Document Pricing Page may include a button 2540 that enables a user to send the modular Field Document offline or online to a selected team member and a button 2542 that enables the user to submit the modular Field Document online to a customer representative of the operator.
User Interface for Product Listing
FIGS. 26A and 26B depict another embodiment of a user interface for the present invention in which a Field Document Product List page 2600 is included in a modular Field Document. As with other pages previously described hereinabove or to be described herein below, which may be included in a given modular Field Document page, a link to the Job Time & Activity page 2602 and a link to the Field Document Pricing Page 2604 may be provided and/or displayed along with their respective statuses. In addition, and similar to the before mentioned Job Time & Activity and the Field Document Pricing Pages, links may also be provided to the following locations: application home 2606 , my workflow 2608 , eFT manager 2610 , eFT workflow 2612 , eFT summary 2614 , and logout 2616 . The service provider name 2618 may also be displayed on the product list page 2600 . The date shown in the update field 2620 may also be the same date entered in, for example, a pricing current as field on a Field Document Pricing Page. The eFT number 2622 shown may also be provided as a system generated eFT ID. As further shown in FIG. 26A , some fields may also be pre-populated from the Field Document Pricing Page and/or other pages or information, for example, the operator name 2624 , well name 2626 , and field name 2628 may be pre-populated.
Referring now to FIG. 26B , the product list page may be configured such that the user can check radio boxes 2630 next to the items in the product list to specify what items were used on ajob site. The user may also choose check a pre-populate radio button 2632 in order to have the checked items pre-populated onto the Field Document Pricing Page. It is to be appreciated that pre-populating the Field Document Pricing Page with frequently used items reduces the need to duplicate information across entries as new Field Documents are created. Further, this function enables users to only enter quantities used and other task specific information while not having to repeatedly reenter commonly utilized categories on the Field Document Pricing Page and/or other pages.
Customization Manager
In another embodiment of the present invention, a customization manager may be provided. The customization manager enables a user to customize various aspects of systems, user interfaces, and/or process implementing the present invention. For example, the customization manager may provide for customization of the Job Time & Activity page, the price list page, and the product list page within a modular Field Document. Similarly, custom fields, which may also require custom processing, may also be provided on work orders and invoices.
One embodiment of a process illustrating how the customization manager feature may be utilized is provided with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. 27A–F . Although not necessary, it may be desirable to limit access to the customization manager in order to prevent the creation of duplicate custom fields. Limiting access the customization manager may be achieved by utilizing a login routine, for example, one requiring a username and password. Referring now to FIG. 27A , this process begins when a user first logs into the customization manager (operation 2702 ). Once logged into the customization manager, which may be suitably provided by a system or device configured commonly via software or via hardcoding to provide such features, the user may select a company type (operation 2704 ) and a unit type (operation 2706 ). Examples of company types are operator and service provider, and examples of unit type are SI and English. In this embodiment, the system then determines whether an operator or service provider has been selected as the company type (operation 2708 ).
If the system determines that an operator has been selected (operation 2708 ), the system displays the list of operating company names within a database (operation 2710 ). The user may then select a company name (operation 2712 ). The system then refreshes the page to display a list of pages available for customization (operation 2714 ) for the particular company selected. The system may also be configured to then record the user's customizations to various fields for display (operation 2722 , FIG. 27B ) and record the user's selections of pages where the customized fields will be displayed (operation 2724 ). In one embodiment of the present invention, the system may provide a user with a choice of displaying customized fields on the work order page, the Field Document, and/or the invoice page. In other embodiments, other customizable pages may be provided.
Once the user has completed any customizations to a selected page, the system determines if the user wishes to preview a particular page (operation 2728 ). If so, the system displays the particular page (operation 2730 ). If not, (the system determines if the user has requested to save the customizations as a draft version (operation 2732 ) and, if so, the system records the date of modification and the user's name (operation 2734 ). The system may then assign the customized page a status of “draft” and save the customized page in a database accessible by the system (operation 2736 ).
However, if the system determines that the user did not request to save a draft version of the page (operation 2732 ), the system determines if the user requested to save a final version of the page (operation 2738 ). If so, the system records the date of modification and the user's name (operation 2740 ), assigns the customized page a status of “final” and saves the customized page in a database accessible by the system (operation 2742 ).
Referring back to operation 2708 in FIG. 27A , if the system determines that an operator was not selected (i.e. a service provider was selected), the system displays the list of service provider company names obtained from a database accessible by the system (operation 2716 ). Upon the user selecting a company name (operation 2718 ), the system refreshes the page to display a list of pages available for customization (operation 2720 ) for the selected company. The system then displays the page chosen by the user for customization. In one embodiment of the present invention, the user may choose from among four pages for customization. The available customizable pages for a service provider may be the product/price, the Job Time & Activity page, the custom invoice setup page, and a rig report. However, in other embodiments additional and/or other pages may be available for modification, as particular needs require.
Referring now to FIG. 27C , the system may display the Job Time & Activity customization page if the operator so requests (operation 2744 ). Upon entry by the user, the system may then record the page title (operation 2746 ) and any user's selections as to whether various custom fields will be displayed (operation 2748 ). More specifically, the system may be configured to record text entered in the custom field by the user, text/entries selected via a drop down menu in a custom field and/or entries otherwise provided by the user (operation 2750 ). The system then determines whether the user has selected to use drop down menus in the custom fields (operation 2752 ). If the system determines that the user has selected to use drop down menus (operation 2752 ), a template may be provided for entering choices in the drop down menu (operation 2754 ).
Next, the system records the user's choices whether to display or hide custom fields on a Field Document (operation 2756 ). The system then records the time and activity and trouble type drop down menus entered by the user (operation 2758 ). The user then selects whether to display the drop down menus (operation 2760 ).
The system then records the employee information entered by the user (operation 2762 ). The system determines whether the user desires to display the employees' social security numbers (operation 2764 ). If so, the system creates a display field for the social security numbers (operation 2766 ).
Next, the system records the employee job classifications entered by the user (operation 2768 ). The system then proceeds with operations 2728 – 2742 , as discussed previously hereinabove.
Referring again to operation 2720 , on FIG. 27A , as mentioned above the service provider may choose between various pages to customize. When the service provider chooses to customize the product/price list screen for a service provider the process flow continues in FIG. 27D with operation 2770 . Upon entry by the user, the system will record the page title (operation 2772 ). The system then creates a new category for a category array upon input by the user (operation 2774 ). A category name is then stored in the array (operation 2776 ) and field information for each field in a category (i.e. product code, description, unit price, units of measure, and display) is recorded in the array (operation 2778 ). Essentially, the array provides descriptors of characteristics for a given good or service. Once these descriptors have been entered, the system then proceeds with operations 2728 – 2742 , as discussed previously hereinabove.
One embodiment of a user interface by which a system or device, providing the before mentioned customization features, may be accessed and/or utilized for at least one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 28A to 28C . As shown in FIG. 28A , the before mentioned customization manager features may be accessed via a system providing web pages. It is to be appreciated, that such features may also be accessed in non-Web browser configured applications, such as an application providing a JavaScript or other customized applications. As shown for this particular embodiment, the customization manager enables a user to specify, for example, via a drop down menu, a unit type (e.g. SI or English) 2802 , a company name 2804 , and a company type 2806 (e.g. operator or service provider). When the user selects an operating company or service provider company from the drop down menu, a system or device implementing this embodiment of a customization manager then lists those pages, if any, which are available for customization and the status of each page. One example, of such a listing is provided in the text box 2808 shown in FIG. 28B . As mentioned previously, this page may be configured to present status information for any and/or all customizable pages, if any, in a status box 2810 . For example, when the initial customization is started for a company, the status box 2810 may be instructed to display “ . . . ” indicating that no customizations have been created for the company. The status may also indicate draft, final or other conditions. Also, operators and service providers may have different pages available for customization.
In one embodiment of the invention, the operator may create, edit and display custom fields on the Work Order page, Field Document Pricing Page, and the Invoice page. FIG. 28C depicts one embodiment of a user interface which enables a user to select various custom fields to be displayed for an operator. The screen/user interface may be pre-populated with the operator name 2812 from the operator name selected in the customization manager. The screen shown in FIG. 28C may also display other information such as the status of the page 2814 (i.e. final or draft), when it was last modified 2816 , and who last modified it 2818 . Customizable fields 2820 may also be listed. The user may also be provided with a selection as to whether to display a particular custom field on a work order, a Field Document, and/or an Invoice by checking the display on work order check box 2822 , the display on Field Document check box 2824 , or the display on invoice checkbox 2826 , respectively. The user may also select whether a customizable field is to be read only, editable, or internal by clicking on the read only radio button 2828 , the editable radio button 2830 , or the internal radio button 2832 , respectively. When a field is selected to be read only, ideally both operators and service providers may view the field, but only the operators can make changes to the field. However, when a field is selected to be editable, either the service provider or the operator may be permitted to view and/or make changes to the field. Alternatively, when a field is selected to be internal, the system is configured such that only an operator may view and make changes to the field. The user may also add new custom fields by clicking on the add new custom field button 2834 . While and/or after the user has made any selections, the user may preview the custom fields on the work order page by clicking on the preview work order button 2836 . Similarly, the user may preview the custom fields on the Field Document Pricing Page by clicking on the preview eFT pricing page button 2838 . Similarly, the user may save the page as a draft by clicking the save draft button 2840 , or the page may be saved as a final version by clicking the save final button 2842 . Further, whenever the page is saved as a draft or a final version, the Last Modified Date field 2816 and the Last Modified By field 2818 may be automatically updated.
Referring now to FIG. 29A , as previously stated, when the user selects a service provider company from the drop down menu, the user interface/screen will refresh and list all the pages available for customization along with their respective statuses. For example, for the embodiment shown in FIG. 29A , the screens available for customization by the service provider include a price/product list setup page 2902 , a time/activity page setup 2904 , an invoice setup 2906 , and a rig report setup 2908 . The status 2910 of each page may also be displayed.
If the user selects to customize the time/activity page setup, an user interface/screen similar to those depicted in FIGS. 29B–29E may be displayed. The user interface/screen display may be pre-populated with the service provider name 2912 (as shown in FIG. 29B ). The service provider name and other information may be pre-populated from earlier entries/information provided to and/or obtained by the customization manager. The screen shown in FIG. 29B may also display other information such as the status of the page 2914 , when the page was last modified 2916 , and who last modified the page 2918 . The page name field 2920 preferably, by default, displays job time & activity detail, but may be changed by the user or may default to other information as desired for specific embodiments of the present invention. Further, the page name field 2920 generally will contain the name of the link listed on the Field Document Pricing Page and eFT Product List pages. It is to be appreciated that these pages may be provided within a modular Field Document or otherwise. Because the custom fields on the Job Time & Activity page generally pertain to service providers, the system may be configured so that operators may view the pages, but may not edit the pages. Additionally, in other embodiments, the service provider may also have other internally customized fields which an operator may not be able to view and/or edit.
As shown in FIGS. 29B and 29C , various custom fields 2922 may be identified and listed, for example, on the left hand side of the user interface/screen. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 29B and 29C , the service provider is allowed a maximum of six custom fields. However, in other embodiments, more or less fields may be customizable. The service provider may suitably select whether the custom field will be text boxes or drop down menus, for example, by selecting yes or no radio buttons, check boxes 2924 (as shown in FIG. 29B ) or drop down menu options 2926 (as shown in FIG. 29C ). In one embodiment, if the user selects to use a drop down menu, a maximum of twenty-five choices may be listed in the drop down menu. Similarly, the order of the custom fields may be altered by changing the rank order of each field (as identified by the numbers 2928 in the drop down menus on the left hand side of the screen). It is to be appreciated that other well known methods and techniques for ordering fields on a page may also be utilized. Additionally, text entry fields 2922 may also be provided in which a user may manually input or obtain from another listing a description for each custom field. As is provided for above with respect to the other options shown on FIG. 29C , the text entry fields may be pre-populated, populated via drop down menus, populated by manual text entry or otherwise populated, as necessary.
Referring now to FIG. 29D , the system may be configured to enable an user to also edit a work summary table 2930 . For example, in this embodiment, the name of the work summary table may be changed, and the names of the row headers within the table may also be changed. The default name of the work summary table may be Work Summary, and the default row header names may be Work Summary 2932 , 24 Hour Summary 2934 , and 24 Hour Forecast 2936 . Other header and/or row names may also be utilized as desired. The system may also be configured to enable the user to choose whether to display the work summary table on a Field Document. This choice may be made, for example, by selecting “yes” or “no” from a drop down menu 2938 . The fields may be displayed if the service provider wants to allow the operator to run a rig report.
The system may also enable the user to define Time & Activity details. More specifically, a plurality of categories 2940 may be provided. In the present embodiment a maximum of 25 categories are permitted. Further, The system may allow the user to enter names in the text fields of the various Time & Activity categories. Further, the user may be provided the option of designating particular categories to display in the Time & Activity drop down menu, by suitably providing check boxes 2942 , radio buttons, drop down menus or the like.
As shown in FIG. 29E , this embodiment of a system and user interface associated therewith may also enable a user may to enter employee information, for example, in an Employee Information table 2946 . For example, the user may be able to enter an employee's name 2948 and/or social security number 2950 in the appropriate fields. Further, inputted employee information may be recorded in a database accessible by the system once the user “clicks” on a Save and Add Employee button 2952 or otherwise designates that an entry is to be saved.
In a similar manner, the user may define various job classifications by entering a particular job classification in the Job Classification field 2954 . The system embodiment shown in FIG. 29E may be configured to record the entered job classification when the user clicks on the Save and Add a Job Classification button 2956 . As shown in FIG. 29E , the user may be provided some choices relating to where employee social security numbers are displayed and who may view them. For example, the system enables a user to designate whether a social security number should be displayed on a Field Document by providing the “Do not display Social Security Numbers on EFT radio button 2958 . However, the system also enables the user to choose to have social security numbers displayed on Field Documents, but on a restricted access basis, for example, so that only a service provider may view a social security number, by providing a “Display Social Security Numbers with name on eFT-Service Provider View Only” radio button 2960 . The system may also be configured to enable a user to choose to have employee social security numbers displayed on Field Documents for both the operator and service provider views by providing the “Display Social Security Numbers with name on eFT-Operator and Service Provider Views” radio button 2962 .
Further, the system enables a user to preview entries by providing a preview button 2964 . When this button 2964 is selected or “clicked,” the system displays a preview of the Job Time & Activity Detail page. The system also enables a user to choose whether to save the page as a draft version or a final version by providing the Save Draft 2966 or Save Final buttons 2968 . The system may also be configured to record the user's work and update the status of the page to draft or final when the save draft button 2966 or the save final button 2968 is selected.
As previously stated, an embodiment of the present invention may also enable a user to customize the Price/Product List page for a service provider. As shown in FIG. 29A , when a user clicks on the Price/Product List Setup link 2902 to access the customization screen, a page similar to that depicted in FIGS. 29F–29H may be displayed.
As shown in FIG. 29F , the user interface/screen may be pre-populated with the service provider name 2912 from the service provider name selected in the customization manager. Further, the screens shown in FIGS. 29 F, 29 G and/or 29 H may also display other information such as the status of the page 2914 (i.e. final or draft), when it was last modified 2916 , and who last modified it 2918 . Further, the system/user interface may provide a page name field 2920 in which the name of the link listed on the Field Document Pricing Page and/or the Product List pages may be presented. Because the custom fields on the Price/Product List page pertain mainly to service providers, the system may be configured so that operators may be able to view these pages, but may not edit them. In another embodiment, the service provider may also be presented or have access to internal customized fields that an operator may not be able to view and/or edit.
The customization manager also enables a user to specify a category and enter various items within a particular category. For example, the system/user interface allows a user to specify a category name in the Category Name field 2970 . In one embodiment, the category name may be limited to twenty-five characters. Also, the system allows an user to specify or provide data for each item in the, fields below the Category Name 2970 . One such field, is the Item # field 2972 , which is commonly referred to as the product code. In certain embodiments, the Item # field 2972 may be limited to fifteen characters and may be a required field. Further, the system may be configured so that duplicate item numbers may not be entered, and to notify the user when a page is saved and duplicate numbers have been entered.
The system also allows a user to enter a description of an item in a Description field 2974 . The Description field 2974 may be limited to fifty characters, and may be a required field for this and/or other embodiments. Similarly, the system allows a user to enter a unit of measure in the Unit Price 2976 and the Units of Measure field 2978 , for example, using a drop down menu. The Units of Measure field 2978 may be a required field, and the choices in the drop down menu may be the same as those provided in a given Field Document, if so desired. Examples of choices that may appear in the Units of Measure drop down menu include the following: BBL, BBLS, CUFT, DAY, EACH, GAL/SACKS, GALLONS, HOUR, JOB, LB, MILES, MONTH, SACKS, FT, and GAL.
The system/user interface may also be configured so that a user may choose a category from the drop down menu to insert into the WELLOGIX Category field 2980 . The WELLOGIX Category field 2980 may be a required field, and the choices in the drop down menu may be the same as those provided on a given Field Document. Examples of choices that may appear in the WELLOGIX Category drop down menu include the following: Delivery Charges, Setup Charges, Service Charges, Product Charges, Equipment Charges, Third Party Charges, and Taxes and Fees. The system desirably also allows the user to choose whether to display an item on the Product List page of a modular Field Document by providing a display check box 2982 which corresponds to a given item. Likewise, if the display radio button 2982 is not checked, the item, preferably, will not be displayed.
The system/user interface also provides the option of having entries recorded by the customization manager by providing a Save and Add Another Item button 2984 . When this button is selected, the customization manager desirably records the entries for the particular item and displays a new row of blank entry fields in which a next item, if any, may be entered by the user. Once the user has completed entry of all items pertaining to a particular category, the system enables the user to create a new category by providing an Add A New Category button 2986 . When this button 2986 is selected or “clicked” the system records the user's entries in the previous category and displays blank entry fields for the new category to be entered. Further, once the user has completed any desired entries, the system enables to the user to preview the work/entries to date by providing a preview button 2964 . When this button 2964 is selected, the system then displays a preview of the Price/Product List page. The user may also choose to save the page as a draft version or a final version by clicking on the Save Draft 2966 or Save Final buttons 2968 provided by the system on the user interface. The system will then record the user's work and update the status of the page to draft or final.
Versioning with the Customization Manager
Embodiments of the customization manager conforming to the present invention may also include a versioning feature. Versioning allows the user to change the operator and service provider custom fields and maintains a history of previously used custom fields. In one embodiment of the present invention, three types of customization manager versions may be provided: a working copy version, a current active version, and a previously created version. A version number may be assigned to each group of documents managed by the customization manager. The version numbers may start, for example, with the number one (1) for the oldest version and increment by one for each subsequently created version. Other numbering schemes may also be utilized. For example, a group of documents managed in the customization manager for use between a particular service provider and operator may have a working copy version number three, a current active version number two, and previously created version number one.
In one embodiment of the present invention, service providers may be provided access to four types of documents (time and activity, price/product list, invoice, and rig report). Each of these types of documents may be assigned unique version numbers. For example, the pages for service provider “A” and operator “B” within the customization manager with a version number six (6) may have the following version numbers:
Customization Manger - SP-A & O-B Version 6
Time and Activity Version
3
Price and Product Version
2
Rig Report Version
2
Invoice Version
3
Similarly, each custom page within the customization manager for operators (work order, Field Document and invoice) may have a unique version number. If changes are made to at least one page, the page may be assigned a new version number by a customization manager. Similarly, the particular document group may also be assigned version numbers. For example, if a service provider changes at least one of the four pages in a document, and the changes are saved with a new version number, the customization manager may be configured to also assign a new version number to the entire document. For instance, if the time and activity page from the previous example is saved with a new version number 4 , the customization manager may be configured to assign a new version number 7 to the document group, as follows:
Customization Manger - SP-A & O-B Version 7
Time and Activity Version
4
Price and Product Version
2
Rig Report Version
2
Invoice Version
3
The process describing how one embodiment of the versioning feature may be provided is further described herein with reference to FIGS. 30A and 30B . As shown in FIG. 30A , when a user accesses or “enters” an embodiment of a customization manger (operation 3002 ), a system providing a versioning feature may be configured to display a present working copy of a given document with a version number (operation 3004 ). The system may also be configured to issue a query as to whether a request has been made by the user to display a current active version (operation 3006 ). If such a request has been made (either contemporaneously or prior) to display the current active version, the system retrieves and displays the current active version (operation 3008 ). At this point, the user may then decide to close the current active version (operation 3010 ).
If the system determines that no request has been made to display the current active version (operation 3006 ), the system then determines whether a request has been made to display a previous version (operation 3012 ). If a request has been made to display a previous version, the system retrieves and displays the previous version (operation 3014 ). Again, the user may then decide to close the previous version (operation 3010 ). If the system determines that no request has been made to display a previous version (operation 3012 ), the system then determines whether a request has been made to edit the working copy (operation 3016 ).
If a request has been made to edit the working copy (operation 3016 ), the system then displays the selected Field Document page to be edited along with the version number of the page (operation 3018 ). As the user edits the page, the system may be configured to automatically, periodically or upon user request store the user edits made to the desired custom fields within the page (operation 3020 ). The user may also choose to save the page as final (operation 3022 ), choose not to keep the changes made to the page (operation 3024 ), or save the page as a draft (operation 3026 ). If the user saves the page as a draft (operation 3026 ), the system closes the page and again determines whether a request has been made to display a current active version (operation 3006 ).
If the user chooses to save the page as final (operation 3022 ), the system automatically updates the version number of the page (operation 3028 ). Alternatively, if the user chooses not to keep the changes made to the page (operation 3024 ), the system retains the previous version number of the page (operation 3030 ). The user may then choose to make the working copy into the current version. At this point, the system then determines whether a request has been made to lock and change the working copy into the current version (operation 3032 ). If no such request has been made, the system closes the page and again determines whether a request has been made to display a current active version (operation 3006 ).
If the system determines that a request has been made to lock and change the working copy into the current version (operation 3032 ), the system determines whether all pages have been saved as final (operation 3034 ). If all pages have not been saved as final, the system informs the user that all pages must be saved as final before the working copy can be converted into the current active version (operation 3036 ). However, if all pages have been saved as final, the system queries the user to confirm or cancel the user's instruction to convert the working copy into the current active version (operation 3038 ). The system then determines whether the user has confirmed or cancelled his decision (operation 3040 ). If the decision was cancelled, the system does not update the working copy in the current active version (operation 3040 ). In contrast, if the decision was confirmed, the system converts the working copy into the current active version (operation 3044 ) and retires and saves the prior active version (operation 3046 ). The user may then choose to exit or remain in the customization manager. If the system determines that a request has been made to exit the customization manager (operation 3050 ), the system exits the user (operation 3052 ) from the customization manager. If the system determines that a request has not been made to exit the system (operation 3050 ), the system again attempts to display present working copy along with version number (operation 3004 ).
One embodiment of a user interface/screen prints which facilitates the above described versioning processes for a customization manager is shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B . As shown, these user interfaces/screen prints illustrate how various attributes of a user interface may relate to at least one embodiment of the previously described versioning process. Referring now to FIG. 31A , as with the previously described customization manager, upon entry into the customization manager and after the user has selected a company type (i.e. operator or service provider), a unit type 3104 , and a company name 3106 , the screen may be refreshed to display links to the various pages 3108 available for customization. However, when utilizing the versioning feature, a system implementing this feature may also include a version number to a working copy. Further, the system may be configured to o display by default a present working copy of a version upon entry into the customization manager. If no working copy exists, the current active version may be displayed along with its version number. Whatever page is displayed, the system may be configured to display the version number of the current active version 3110 on the screen. The system may also inform the user which page is currently being displayed 3112 . For example, the screen depicted in FIG. 31A shows that the current active version is “2,” and the current view is of “Version 3—Working Copy.” The user may also be provided with the option of selecting a different page to display, for example, by selecting one from the drop down menu 3114 .
As with the previously described customization manager, the system may be configured so that the user interface enables the user to select which available page to customize by clicking on its respective link 3108 . After clicking on the link, the system preferably displays the selected page. Referring now to FIG. 31B , a price/product list page 3116 is displayed. The various attributes displayed on the page are not different from the previously described customization manager price/product list page with the exception that the version number 3118 of the page is displayed. Therefore, it is to be appreciated that any of the previously hereinabove described user interfaces/screen displays, web pages, documents or other information may be suitably identified by versioning.
One embodiment of a system which may be utilized in conjunction with and/or to implement any of the foregoing embodiments of the present invention is shown in FIG. 32 . As shown, this system 3200 is illustrated in the context of an Internet embodiment wherein there is one service provider, one operator and a plurality of agents/users for each out in the field. As such, it is to be appreciated that non-Internet embodiments, hybrid Internet and non-Internet embodiments and/or embodiments with multiple service providers and/or operators may be provided.
More specifically, as shown for this illustrative embodiment, a plurality of user devices (preferably for use in the office and/or in the field) may be used. These user devices include: a workstation 3202 , for example, a Intel processor or Apple processor based personal computer or the like that is utilized by a field operator # 1 ; a laptop computer 3204 , which may also be configured with an Intel processor, Macintosh processor or other processor, and may be suitably utilized, for example, a service provider's agent; and a personal data assistant (PDA) or the like 3206 which may also be suitably utilized, in this example by a field operator's agent. As shown, each of these user devices 3202 , 3204 , and/or 3206 may be suitably connected to the Internet 3210 , via a communications medium 3222 . It is to be appreciated that numerous mediums exist for establishing a communications link between a user device and the Internet, any of which may be utilized in particular embodiments of the present invention.
Further, the system 3200 also includes a server 3208 . The server 3208 provides the processing systems for implementing the above mentioned features and functions of the present invention. One embodiment of such a server is the WELLOGIX server which may be suitably accessed over an Internet connection via the URL www.wellogix.com. Other servers, singularly or in a plurality, may be utilized in conjunction with the various embodiments of the present invention. The system 3200 also suitably includes at least one database 3220 which may be accessed over the Internet 3210 or otherwise. The database (which may be a distributed database) suitably provides those storage functions discussed hereinabove and other data storage functions. Again, numerous embodiments of data storage devices, systems, and applications exist, any of which may be suitably utilized in conjunction with the present invention.
Also, generally the system 3200 includes a services provider's processor 3213 which provides those service provider unique functions and features. The processor 3213 may also be connected directly or indirectly to back-end office systems 3214 . Similarly, an operator processor 3216 may be included in the system 3200 . Such processor 3216 may also be connected directly or indirectly to back-end office systems. Therefore, in general a system implementing/facilitating/providing the above mentioned features and functions of the present invention may utilize practically any compatible data processing systems, databases, user devices, back-end accounting systems and communications mediums.
While the systems and processes of the present invention have been described as encompassing numerous features, capabilities, architectures, and configurations, and depicted in detail for an Internet based embodiment, it is to be appreciated that the process of the present invention encompasses any and all combinations of these and comparable embodiments and is not to be construed as being limited to any preferred embodiment, or the Internet based embodiments specified in detail herein. Additionally, modifications may be made to the process flow, techniques, equipment used, or any other element, factor, or operation without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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A modular data structure is provided for storing a compilation of actual data input to the a complex workflow system via a field document. A standard data array module correlating to a standard data input interface of the field document is provided. The standard data input interface receives input of standard actual data to populate the standard data array module. An optional data array module correlating to a respective optional data input interface of the field document is also provided. The respective optional data input interface receives input of optional data to populate the optional data array module. The optional data array module and the correlative optional data input interface are added to the workflow process as a conjunct to the standard data array and correlative standard data input interface.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention pertains to a remote-controlled lamp for use with artworks to cast the art in a favorable light.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Patrons of the arts who keep their art in the home or office recognize the need to show-off the art be it an oil, watercolor, etc., or a sculpture of whatever material under flattering light. One problem that is well recognized is that too much light can be detrimental to certain types of art works. The result is, that ofttimes guests at galleries and in homes, never see the art lit as it should be as the art light if present is kept in the off position.
[0003] Thus there is a need for an art lamp that can be easily actuated by remote control to enable the occasional visitors to see the art piece in a bath of flattering light. This invention can also be used by galleries to help them to enhance their individual pieces of art. Thus, the invention has widespread appeal.
[0004] The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features, properties, the selection of components, which are amplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.
[0005] For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0006] Applicant conducted a patent search and is aware of the following references, none of which anticipates or discloses the invention of this application.
INVENTOR PATENT NUMBER ISSUE DATE DAVIS ET AL 5,526,345 Jun. 11, 1996 BUIJ ET AL 5,459,376 Oct. 17, 1995 BENJAMIN 3,871,609 Mar. 18, 1975 BASACCHI 6,203,175 Mar. 20, 2001 HAKKARAINEN ET AL 5,637,964 Jun. 10, 1997
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] This invention is a picture light having at least one bulb therein, preferably wall mountable and capable of casting a flattering light on a piece of art. The unit features at least one bulb selected from among halogens, xenon, or incandescent for clean white bright light. Fluorescent is not preferred due to its color temperature. The lamp is actuated by the use of a handheld infrared or radio frequency remote controller somewhat similar to the handheld unit used for actuation of an automatic garage door. These controllers are available in the marketplace.
[0008] It is a first object therefore to provide a remote-controlled art light.
[0009] It is a second object to provide a remote-controlled halogen light that can be wall mounted.
[0010] It is a third object to provide a lamp that can flatter both paintings and sculpture.
[0011] It is fourth object to provide a lamp that can be easily adjusted to throw light at a specific angle.
[0012] It is a fifth object to provide a lamp that optionally can be selectively actuated in a room by the use of a specific frequency emission so that one lamp among many can be lit.
[0013] Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the remote control art lamp of this invention.
[0015] [0015]FIG. 2 is a top perspective view thereof.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a portion of this invention.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 4 is an underside rear perspective view of this device with the base cover removed.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 5 is a bottom front perspective view of this device.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an end cap for the shade which cap forms a part of this invention.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cap of FIG. 6.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the lamp lens having been partially removed.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the exposed light housing.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the lamp housing cover.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the handheld remote controller used in this invention.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 12 is a side elevational view showing the lamp portion of the device mounted on the wall above a picture to be lit up.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0026] In FIG. 1 there is seen a perspective view of the device 10 of this invention. Lamp 10 has a base 20 comprising a main housing 21 , in which there is an opening 22 for a master switch 23 . This master switch is a standard pushbutton on/off switch, more about which will be set forth infra. Also seen in FIG. 1 are a pair of spaced decorative stud nuts 26 , often of brass. These secure the housing underside 35 , seen in FIG. 4 to the main housing 21 .
[0027] As can be seen the main housing is an open bottom box having spaced parallel side walls disposed normal to spaced front and rear walls. The rear wall 25 has a threaded open centre bolt disposed therein, through which passes the electrical cord 27 for internal connection. Cord 27 terminates in a conventional electrical plug 37 .
[0028] An arm socket 28 is threaded into the main housing top wall 38 and arm 40 is threadedly engaged thereto at a first end of said arm, preferably distant from the cord entry location. A U-shaped, here tilted, shade 50 is threadedly engaged on the opposite end, which is the second end of the arm 40 . Near the arm socket is eye 68 which is used to receive the signal from the remote actuator not seen in this view. This eye is part of the controller disposed within the housing. Such eyes are well known in the art. The term “shade” is an art term to designate the bulb housing. Arm 40 may be of a fixed length or it may be adjustable as by telescoping one element into another and using a conventional locking mechanism to secure one tube with respect to the second tube to fix the adjusted length.
[0029] In FIG. 1, lens 52 is shown disposed in its normal operative location across the opening of the shade 50 . See infra and the discussion pertaining to FIG. 8. One of the two end caps 54 is also seen in this figure.
[0030] Cap nuts 24 are seen spaced apart holding the bottom cover plate 35 which is seen in detail in FIG. 3 in its assembled location. These cap nuts 24 fit over the respective studs 44 per FIG. 3. Upon assembly, these studs 44 are disposed through the spaced apertures 22 shown in FIG. 4, for engagement with the cap nuts 24 .
[0031] The discussion now moves to FIG. 2. This is a perspective view of the device of this invention. Here the connection of the U-shaped shade 50 to the hollow arm 40 is seen. A conventional ball swivel 51 is seen to be disposed at the upper end of hollow arm 40 . Swivel 51 has a receiving section 60 which is preferably threadedly engaged to the upper or second end of the arm 40 . A friction fit may also be employed. Receiving section 60 also has a socket usually at the top thereof for the receipt of a ball swivel 61 . Ball swivel 61 is threaded to a connector not seen or is soldered or welded or otherwise attached to the shade 50 . Both arm 40 and the swivel 51 are hollow such that wiring can pass therethrough to the interior of the shade 50 . The wiring will be discussed infra.
[0032] In FIG. 3 the housing bottom cover 35 is seen. This is a five sided box having a pair of notches 42 , and one in each of the two sidewalls 43 of the bottom cover which nests into base 20 . A pair of upstanding threaded studs 44 are suitably disposed to be able to engage the cap nuts 24 , shown in FIG. 4 overlying the apertures 22 in the housing, both of which can just be made out in FIG. 4. The spacing between the end walls- unnumbered, and the side walls 43 is slightly smaller than the opening size of the housing 21 to permit a snug function fit prior to the attachment of the cap nuts 29 to the two studs 44 . The notches 42 are positioned to permit clearance of the incoming wiring 27 and to grant clearance for the lock nut 41 which holds the arm 40 . The lamp is wall mounted by the sliding the two keyhole openings 73 seen in FIG. 3 over two screws disposed in wall anchors, or by using a less preferred picture hook for engaging said keyholes. While two such keyholes are shown, as an alternative, one central key hole may be employed.
[0033] In FIG. 4 the underside of the main housing is seen. Cord 27 passes through an internal plastic grommet 29 to the base interior. The cord 27 has two wires, positive and negative. Each of these is connected by conventional wire nuts 31 , 32 into which have been placed the input wires 30 WI of the remote control station 30 . The output wires 30 WO from the remote control station 30 , only one of which is visible in FIG. 4 is also disposed in wire nuts 34 and 33 respectively along with wires 62 , 63 that are placed through the arm 40 's lower end opening for delivery to the interior of the shade. A locknut 41 is seen retaining the arm 40 in its vertical position through the main housing.
[0034] In FIG. 5, one of he cap nuts 24 has been purposely removed to reveal the stud 44 seen in FIG. 3 disposed upwardly within the housing 21 and which protrudes slightly through aperture 48 for engagement with the cap nut 24 . Wiring 27 which terminates in a conventional plug 37 is dosed through grommet 29 for internal connection to be discussed infra. In this view also, the sensor eye 68 can be seen on the housing front surface.
[0035] Also seen in FIG. 5 is the bulb housing 50 previously discussed, and housing cover 53 having the two lenses 52 built in for light transmission. Cover 53 is retained by a pair of opposed grooves SOG at the termini of the generally U-shaped housing 50 . Lens 52 may be heat resistant plastic or thermally safe glass while the balance of the cover 53 is metal such as brass or aluminum. The location of the arm socket 28 which is disposed near the top of the housing front surface is seen in aperture 48 . The reader is advised that the lamp is mounted to a wall and does not sit on a desk. Thus, what would normally be a top surface is in fact a front surface when considered from the in-use position of the device. As can be seen, arm 40 is threadedly engaged into arm socket 28 .
[0036] The discussion turns now to FIGS. 6 and 7 which should be viewed together, as they are different views of the same part namely the end cap 54 one of which fits in each end of the U-shaped shade 50 . As can be seen in FIG. 6, end cap 54 has an outside periphery 54 P of a decorative nature of a generally U-shaped configuration. The end cap has a recessed lower portion or lip 54 L that nests inside of the housing, while aspect 54 P overlies the edge thereof. The end cap 54 is retained by the force of the two opposed springs 55 .
[0037] In FIG. 8, one of the two lenses 52 has been removed, from the underside of the cover 53 in order to show the shade interior 56 with one of its socket's 57 having a bulb 58 therein. In FIG. 9, the shiny reflector 59 disposed within the housing 50 , one of which is disposed behind each bulb 58 may be seen.
[0038] [0038]FIG. 10 is plan view of the shade cover 53 , the aspects of which have been discussed supra.
[0039] As noted earlier, the key to business success to this lamp is the ability of the remote control. Thus the handheld remote actuator 11 has a single actuation button 13 , one click of which turns the bulbs on, while a double click returns the bulb(s) off, while retention of finger pressure on button 13 serves to dim or brighten the bulb intensity of all bulbs present. While two are shown, the lamp could also include one to four bulbs or more. If two pairs are employed, they can be set out in two opposed pairs or linearly. Bulbs such as are shown may have a screw in or bayonet or bi-pin base and are available in the marketplace. The remote actuator and the remote station controller disposed within the base of the lamp are off the shelf units available from at least one Asian source. These may use an infra red light, radio frequency (rf) or ultra sound as the actuating signal.
[0040] In FIG. 12, lamp 10 is seen to be hanging on the wall 16 in its in use position, wherein it is casting light rays 67 upon art piece 15 . The actuation frequency for each remote station also known as the controller 30 can be of a different frequency, if so desired. If a plurality of lamps has the same actuating frequency, then a multiplicity of these can be placed in a home or art gallery and each one can be lit when the user is in the vicinity of that lamp to show-off a particular piece of art.
[0041] It is seen that the remote control lamp of this invention that permits the user to set the level of light intensity from afar as the mood suits him or her, or permits full on, full off as may be desired, is a significant improvement and benefit over conventional art mounted or art adjacent lamps.
[0042] While the lamp of this invention is seen to have two opposed bulbs with their bases facing toward each other, a similar lamp having only one bulb or up to about four spaced bulbs of bulbs, preferably of a variety offering full spectrum light capability, is within the skill of the art.
[0043] While the lamp of this invention has been shown to be an electrical lamp adapted to be plugged into a 110-volt 60 cycle AC wall outlet, no reason is seen why the power source cannot be of a different voltage and amperage.
[0044] Since certain changes may be made in the described apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, 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.
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A lamp for wall mounting above a piece of wall mounted art, having a base connected to a bottom cover to form an enclosed base interior, wherein a remote controller station is disposed, said lamp having an elongated arm mounted normal thereto, with the arm having a swivel mounted shade thereon. A remote coupled to the controller is disposed on the front surface of the housing. At least two bulbs are disposed in suitable sockets inside the housing. An optional reflector can be used behind each bulb set. A remote actuator having an actuator button activates the bulbs in the housing. A master on/off switch is provided in the base.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 437,245, filed Nov. 16, 1989 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,926 issued Oct. 01, 1991.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to electrical connector assemblies and, more particularly, to electronic cabinet cover panels with integrated electrical connector assemblies which are less costly to fabricate and assemble.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electronic equipment is often connected to other electronic equipment or to transmission facilities by means of multiconductor connectors. Such connectors are fabricated in mating pairs, one male and one female, which fit together to complete an electrical circuit between each of the conductors of one connector and the corresponding conductor of the other connector. For many applications, it is further necessary to provide electromagnetic and/or electrostatic shielding around the conductors to prevent the unwanted leakage of electromagnetic energy. Due to the necessity of providing all of these functions for a plurality of conductors, the design of such connectors has been complicated and required the assembly of many different parts, thereby increasing the cost and complexity of such connector assemblies. In some applications, the design of multiconductor connectors is aggravated by the need to provide a large number of such connectors in close proximity to each other. One such application is in a central connection box for local area data networks.
Many local area networks (LANs) have a ring architecture in which a plurality of stations are connected together in a ring. Messages are then transmitted from one station to another around the ring, using address information in the message header to deliver the messages to the proper destination. In such local area networks, such as within a single building, it is convenient to interconnect stations in a star network, with a central connection point, and with stations connected to such a central point by way of trunk transmission lines. In order to realize a ring network with a star architecture, it is necessary to route both an outgoing and an incoming trunk line between each station and the central point. At the central point, the trunk line terminations are interconnected into a serial ring. The various timing, framing and control circuits for enabling ring transmissions are also located at the central location. Finally, the central connection point is arranged to ensure ring transmission continuity in the absence of one or more stations from the star network. Such a central interconnection circuit is commonly known as a trunk access unit (TAU).
It will be noted that a trunk access unit includes many parts, both electronic and mechanical. The mechanical parts, and, in particular, the connectors which are used to connect the stations to the network must provide connections for the two trunk lines (four conductors) going to each station. Moreover, these connectors must provide bridging contacts which automatically connect the outgoing trunk line contacts to the incoming trunk line contacts when the station connector is unplugged from the TAU unit. connections must also be provided from the trunk line terminations to central control circuitry, preferable mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) mounted in the TAU. Due to the high data rate normally used in such networks, the connector contacts must be shielded to prevent interference from signals leaking from the different trunk lines terminating in the TAU. As might be expected, these many functions are accommodated by connector structures and shielding structures which must be assembled in very particular relationships. In the prior art, these complicated structural relationships have been accommodated by painstaking assemblies of many small parts into subassemblies which, in turn are assembled into the final TAU assembly.
Electromagnetic shielding, for example, has been provided in the prior art by individual conductive shrouds assembled to surround each set of connector contacts and electrically mating with similar shielding shrouds forming part of the mating connector. These shrouds were typically assembled from piece parts mounted around each set of contacts, using fastening devices such as screws or rivets, a costly and time-consuming operation.
The connectors themselves typically comprise several non-conductive housing pieces into which are assembled the contact pins and around which the shielding shrouds are secured. Finally, all of the shielded connector assemblies are assembled into a cover panel closing one face of an electronics cabinet. It can thus be seen that the fabrication of shielded connectors for access to electronic equipment cabinets involves the assembly of large numbers of parts involving many separate subassembly steps, thereby increasing the cost and reducing the reliability of the resulting assemblage. Lower cost and more reliable electronic equipment cabinets (such as TAUs) would result from reducing the number of parts required to be assembled in order to provide such equipment cabinets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a simple and reliable electronics equipment cabinet construction is provided for terminating multiple conductor connectors. Rather than following the usual construction technique of providing a plurality of access holes in a metallic chassis, one for each of the individual connectors, one entire face of the chassis is left open and a non-conductive, molded cover panel is used to close the open face of the chassis. Molded directly into the cover panel are the mounting supports for a plurality of snap-in connector contact pins as well as a mounting surface for metallic shielding shrouds surrounding the contact pins and completing the ground shield to the chassis housing. Finally, one end of each contact pin is formed and oriented for direct insertion into a soldering hole in a printed wiring board (PWB), thereby avoiding the necessity of soldering individual wires from the contact pins to the PWB.
In the event that a plurality of connector plugs must be terminated in the same equipment cabinet, as is required for the Trunk Access Unit (TAU) of a Local Area Network (LAN) with a ring architecture, all of the connector contact pin mountings for all of the connectors are molded into the same cover panel. Moreover, the shielding shrouds for all of the connector conductors are fabricated by using one or two conductive strips, progressively stamped to form a plurality of shrouds, one for each of the plurality of connectors, yet comprising only one or two piece parts requiring separate assembly steps.
In the case of a trunk access unit for a local area ring network, for example, a multiple connector box must provide a plurality of shielded receptacles for connection to each of a plurality of trunk line terminating plugs. In order to provide shielding for all of the contacts in all of the connector receptacles of the TAU, two continuous conductive ground strips are fabricated to provide a separate shielding shroud around each set of contacts and yet comprise a single, continuous ground plane which can be placed, as a unit, in contact with the conductive housing or chassis around the printed circuit board. Continuous shielding around all of the data line contact pins is thereby maintained with only a pair of ground plane strips, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of the TAU assembly. For ease in assembly, these ground strips are attached to the interior of a integral, non-conductive, molded cover plate for the TAU circuit box such that individual four-sided shrouds are formed for each connector position.
In further accord with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the single molded cover panel also provides a plurality of connector receptacle positions each adapted to receive one multi-conductor connector plug from outside equipment. Each receptacle contact pin is designed to be snap locked over shoulders molded into grooves in teh interior of the cover panel. Together, these contacts form a connector receptacle assembly for contacting the pins of a mating connector plug. The other end of each contact pin is formed and oriented for direct insertion into a soldering hole in a printed wiring board within the electronic cabinet.
In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the connector end of the contact pin is bent back on itself to provide contact surfaces at the free end having elastic freedom of movement in the plane of the contact pin. This free end is formed into a ramp-shaped brushing contact surface which makes contact with a mating ramp-shaped brushing contact surface on a connector pin in a mating connector plug. The free end of the contact pin also has a flat contact surface which is normally urged into engagement with a bridging contact. That is, when the mating connector contact pin is in engagement with the receptacle contact pin, the brushing contact on the ramp portion of the receptacle pin depresses the flat surface away from the bridging contact, breaking the bridging circuit. When the mating connector plug is removed from the receptacle, however, the flat surface of the receptacle contact pin, under the influence of the spring elasticity, is allowed to return to the bridging contact and thereby close the bridging circuit.
In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, in order to insure positional stability of the bridging contacts, and hence reliable bridging action, bridging contact strips are formed with shoulders parallel to the contact surface and locked into the molded cover panel at right angles to the direction of motion of the receptacle contact pins. In this way, the contact pressure does not tend to dislodge the bridging contact or change the contact spacing and a high degree of dimensional stability is maintained.
In summary, the interior of the molded cover plate serves as a mounting surface for both the receptacle connector contact pins, for the bridging contact strips and for the shielding shrouds. Once the receptacle connector contact pins, the bridging contact strips, and ground strips are mounted in the cover plate, the free ends of the connector contact pins can be soldered directly to the printed circuit board. The entire assembly of cover plate, contacts, grounding strips and printed circuit board can then be mounted in the electronic box with the cover plate covering the remaining open side of the circuit box and providing a plurality of shielded female connector receptacles for mating with shielded male connector plugs.
One of the major advantages of a trunk access unit in accordance with the present invention is the formation of shielding shrouds for a plurality of connector receptacles with only two grounding strips which can be pre-assembled to the cover plate to significantly reduce assembly time and cost. Another advantage of the present invention is the ability to directly solder the receptacle connector contact pins to the printed circuit board, thereby avoiding the need for interconnecting leads. Finally, the forming of the bridging contact strips with shoulders parallel to the contact surface substantially reduces the positional instabilities of the bridging contacts. Such instabilities can result in poor electrical contact or no contact at all, thereby rendering the entire ring network unusable.
Most importantly, however, is the ability to provide one or more multiconductor shielded connectors for an electronic equipment cabinet by molding the support structures for contact pins, shielding shrouds and, if necessary, bridging contacts, all in the same integral cover panel which closes a single open face in the equipment cabinet. The number and complexity of the assembly steps necessary to fabricate equipment cabinets in accordance with the present invention is significantly less than those required in the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A complete understanding of the present invention may be gained by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a simplified circuit diagram of a ring data network in which the improved multiple access equipment cabinet according to the present invention may be used;
FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of a portion of an electronic equipment cabinet such as a trunk access unit cabinet in accordance with the present invention showing portions of the grounding strips and cover panel assembly;
FIG. 3 shows a partial exploded perspective view of the contact assembly in the connector receptacle portion of the cover panel of FIG. 2, showing the contact arrangement and assembly in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the assembled electronic cabinet showing the connector receptacle portion of the cover panel of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 5 shows a rear elevational view of one of a portion of the assembled electronic cabinet of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.
To facilitate reader understanding, identical reference numerals are used to designate elements common to the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Before proceeding to a detailed description of the present invention, a typical application will be described in which a plurality of multiconductor connectors terminate in a single electronic cabinet. Referring more specifically to FIG. 1, there is shown a general block diagram of a local area ring network comprising two trunk access units (TAUs) 10 and 11 each providing a plurality 12 and 13, respectively, of connector receptacle positions. A plurality of data station units 14-15 are connected to trunk access unit 10 by way of transmission lines 16-17, terminated in male connector plugs each mating with one of the connector receptacle positions 12 of TAU 10. Similarly, a second plurality of data station units 18-19 are connected to trunk access unit 11 by way of transmission lines 20-21, terminating in male connector plugs each mating with one of the connector receptacle positions of TAU 11.
TAU 10 and TAU 11 each comprise a multiconductor, multiconnector electronic cabinet which are interconnected together to form a ring by way of transmission lines 22 and 23, each connected between connector receptacles at one end of TAU 10 and one end of TAU 11. TAUs 10 and 11 include electronic circuitry, preferable mounted on a printed circuit board, which, among other things, interconnects the multiplicity of connector positions in series to maintain the ring architecture. To this end, each of transmission lines 16-17 and 20-21 actually comprise two transmission lines, one outgoing transmission line to the associated station unit and one incoming transmission line back from the associated station unit.
In accordance with common practice, the connector receptacle positions on TAUs 10 and 11 are arranged to bridge the incoming and outgoing transmission lines when the male connector plug is removed from the connector receptacle position, thus maintaining the ring architecture regardless of how many of the connector positions are unoccupied. Trunk connector plugs suitable for mating with the connector receptacles 12 and 13 of TAUs 10 and 11 are the four position data connectors coded IBM P/N4760554, available from the International Business Machines Corporation, or AMP P/N 554922-1, available from AMP, Incorporated.
In many applications, the local area ring network of FIG. 1 is located in a geographically local area such as a single building or closely spaced buildings such as on a college campus. In that case, the transmission lines 16-17, 20-21, 22 and 23 can be simple twisted telephone pairs. TAUs 10 and 11 are preferably located in equipment closets so that all of the wiring can be brought to one or more central locations. It is, of course, obvious that the data ring network can be more dispersed geographically and the transmission lines made up of coaxial cables, optical fibers or other suitable transmission media. In any case, the electronic equipment within TAUs 10 and 11 suitably prepare data signals for launching on and reception from the transmission lines actually used.
While only two trunk access units are shown in FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes, it is clear that only one need be used, or a plurality greater than two can be used, depending on the number of station units to be interconnected. As shown in FIG. 1, a fixed number of station units can be accommodated with a single TAU (eight in FIG. 1, reserving two for inter-TAU connections). In any event, the cost of such ring networks is heavily influenced by the cost of fabricating and assembling trunk access units such as units 10 and 11. The present invention comprises improved mechanical arrangements for multiple access electronic cabinets, such as trunk access units 10 and 11, which can fabricated and assembled more quickly and less expensively than prior art cabinets.
Referring more particularly to FIG. 2, there is shown a partial exploded view of the TAU 10 or 11 of FIG. 1 comprising a conductive five-sided container box or cabinet 30 for containing and shielding all of the electronic and mechanical parts of the TAU. A non-conductive, molded cover plate 31 is mounted over the open end of cabinet 30 by a plurality of self-tapping assembly screws such a screw 32. Cover plate 31 has a plurality (ten in FIG. 2) of female connector receptacle positions 33 molded therein to receive, from the rear, contacts connected to electrical circuitry within cabinet 30 and to receive, from the front, a mating connector plug from a remote station unit such as units 14 . . . 15 and 18 . . . 19 of FIG. 1. Adjacent to each of cowlings 33 is an opening 34 through which a light emitting diode (LED) can be viewed from the front to determine if the corresponding TAU circuit is operative.
An upper ground strip 35 and a lower ground strip 36 are provided with holes 37 and 38, respectively, for attaching the ground strips 35 and 36 to the interior of front panel 31. Extensions 39 and 40 of upper ground strip 35 are positioned directly above the pairs of conductors forming the incoming and outgoing trunk lines, respectively, when the TAU unit is assembled, while extensions 41 and 42 of lower ground strip 36 are positioned directly below the pairs of conductors. Together with vertical extensions 43 and 44, extensions 39-42 form a four-sided shroud surrounding the conductors of the connector receptacle to be described below. Moreover, these conductive shrouds mate with corresponding shrouds in the mating plugs, thus insuring continuous shielding for the enclosed conductors. Upper ground springs 45 and lower ground springs 46 serve to electrically connect ground strips 35 and 36, respectively, at regular spaced intervals, to the interior of cabinet 30, thereby insuring an adequate ground connection. Vertical tabs 47 on lower ground strip 36 fit between extension 43 and the adjacent extension 44 to complete the ground shield across the open face of cabinet 30.
It will be noted that ground shrouds for a large plurality of connector receptacles are formed with only two grounding strips 35 and 36. Indeed, a single progressively stamped ground strip could be used in place of ground strips 35 and 36, but with a slight increase in assembly difficulty. In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, a two piece grounding strip is used for convenience. This is in contrast to prior art grounding shrouds formed of at least two grounding strips for each receptacle, and requiring separate assembly around each receptacle. The multiple receptacle grounding shrouds of the present invention provide a distinct advantage in ease of assembly.
The details of the receptacle contacts can be better seen in FIG. 3 which is an exploded partial view of the cover panel 31 of FIG. 2 viewed from the rear so as to reveal the contact details. Each receptacle includes four line contact pins 50, 51, 52 and 53 for making contact at one end to mating contact pins on a connector plug (not shown) and for making contact at the other end to a printed wiring board 54 having printed circuit wiring 55. The contacts 50-53 are each L-shaped with a tongue 56 (best shown in FIG. 4) at one end for insertion in printed wiring board 54 and being bent back on themselves at the other end to form resilient spring contacts having a ramplike wiping contact portion 57 which makes brushing contact with similar wiping contacts on the connector plug, and a flat tail portion 69 to make contact with bridge contact elements to be described below. Connector pins 50-53 are assembled to cover panel 31 by pushing them into grooves 58. To this end, a wider central portion of each of contacts 50-53 is dimensioned to fit snugly into slot 58 while the two end portions of contacts 50-53 are narrower, dimensioned to fit through slots 90 above slots 58. The bottom of slot 58 has a shoulder 92 molded therein (FIG. 4) over which detents 59, and matching detents 91 are snapped to lock the connector contacts 50-53 into position. As also can be better seen in FIG. 4, the tabs 60 on lower ground strip 36 serve to properly position printed wiring board 54 when the parts are assembled.
It will be noted that contact pins 50-53 are L-shaped to facilitate direct connection of the contact pins into the printed wiring board 54. Such direct connection to the printed wiring board, in contrast to the prior art technique of running wires from the ends of the contact pins to the printed wiring board, greatly simplifies the assembly of the TAU.
An upper front bridging contact 61 has horizontal shoulders 93 which fit into horizontal grooves 62 in cover panel 31 while a lower rear bridging contact 63 has similar horizontal shoulders 94 which fit into horizontal grooves 64 in cover panel 31. When assembled, bridging contact 61 interconnects tail portions 69 of contacts 51 and 53 while bridging contact 63 interconnects tail portions 69 of contacts 50 and 52. Cutouts 65 and 66 in front bridge 61 prevent bridge 61 from engaging contacts 50 and 52 while cutouts 67 and 68 in rear bridge 63 prevent bridge 63 from engaging contacts 51 and 53.
It will be noted that the bridging contacts 61 and 63 are assembled into cover panel 31 by insertion of shoulders 93 and 94 into slots 62 and 64, respectively, which are at right angles to the direction in which contact pins 50-53 exert pressure on the bridging contacts. In contrast to prior bridging contacts, fabricated as planar plates, such contact pressure is unable to dislodge or move the bridging contacts 62 and 64, and thereby interfere with secure electrical connection.
In FIG. 4 there is shown a partial cross-sectional view of the assembled TAU through a typical connector receptacle position. The cabinet 30 is seen to engage the ground springs 45 and 46 to complete the electrical shield. The cabinet 30 fits into grooves 70 and 71 in the rear of cover panel 31. Cylindrical studs 72 fit through holes 37 and 38 in upper ground strip 35 and lower ground strip 36, respectively. These ground strips can then be attached to the rear interior of cover panel 31 by heat staking, i.e., partially melting the studs 72 to form a globs 73 of plastic material larger than the holes 37 and 38 and hence holding the ground strips 35 and 36 tightly to the cover panel 31. An upper plug locking clip 74 and a lower plug locking clip 75 serve to retain the mating connector plug in the receptacle once it is inserted. The details of locking clips 74 and 75 form no part of the present invention and will not be further described here. These locking clips are, of course, designed to mate with the aforementioned IBM P/N4760554 and AMP P/N554922-1 plugs.
The perpendicular tabs 95 of upper grounding strip 35 fit into location boss 76 in the interior of cover panel 31 for positional stability while corresponding perpendicular tabs at the bottom of lower grounding strip 36 fit into location boss 77 for the same purpose. As can be best seen in FIG. 4, the extensions 39-40 of upper grounding strip 35 and the extensions 41-42 of lower grounding strip 36 completely encircle the contacts 50-53 through to the front side of cover panel 31, while the side extensions 43 and 44 (FIG. 5) complete the shielding shroud.
In FIG. 5 there is shown a partial rear elevation view of one of the connector receptacles of the present invention showing the assembled trunk access unit. The tongues 56 are soldered into printed wiring board 54 while the upper and lower ground strips 35 and 36 are attached to cover panel 31 by melted studs 73.
In FIG. 6 there is shown a partial front elevation of the cover panel 31 showing the details of the connector pin slots 58 separated by insulated lands 80 and 81. Grooves 84 at the front end of the connector pin slots 58 form the front end of shoulders 92 and receive the mating detent on the underside of connector pins 50-53, as best shown in FIG. 4. Upper locking clip 74 and lower locking clip 75 have not been shown in detail since they form no part of the present invention. Grooves 82 and 83 receive extensions 39 and 40 of upper ground strip 37.
The trunk access unit (TAU) is assembled as follows. First, the front bridge 61 is pressed into slots 62 or cover panel 31. Then the rear bridge 63 is pressed into slots 64 of cover panel 31. Next, all of the contact pins corresponding to contact pins 50-53 are soldered into printed wiring board 54 to form a first subassembly. The upper ground strip 35 and the lower ground strip 36 are then heat stamped to the rear of the cover panel 31 to form a second sub-assembly. The first and second subassemblies are then assembled to each other by pressing the contact corresponding to pins 50-53 into the slots 58, snapping the detents 59 into place, thereby forming a cover panel assembly. Finally, the entire panel cover assembly is assembled to cabinet 30 by inserting the printed wiring board 54 into the cabinet 30 and the cover panel assembly attached on the open face of cabinet 30 by means of screws 32. It is obvious that this procedure involves far fewer steps and is much less costly than prior art procedures requiring separate shrouds to be assembled for each connector receptacle and requiring individual electrical connections to be wired from each of the contact pins to the printed wiring board. Moreover, in the prior art, the cover panel itself had to be fabricated in several parts to permit the insertion of the bridging contacts.
While the illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of integrally molded connector receptacles, it is obvious that only one such connector receptacle need be provided. Such a single receptacle embodiment would be used, for example, to provide a wall receptacle for connecting an electronic device to concealed wiring within the walls of a building.
It should also be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments of the present invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
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An electronic equipment cabinet is shown having an integrated cover panel which provides a plurality of connector receptacle positions to which outside equipment may be connected. Connector contacts are snap locked into the receptacle positions. The connector receptacle contacts are automatically bridged when the mating connector plug is removed to short circuit the connector contacts. L-shaped bridging contacts maintain positional stability while L-shaped connector contacts permit direct insertion of the contacts into a printed circuit board within the equipment cabinet. Two unitary ground strips are fashioned to provide shielding shrouds around each of the plurality oconnector receptacles while attaching as single units to the cover panel and closing ground contact with the cabinet housing. This cabinet arrangement finds one use as a trunk access unit to interconnect a plurality of data stations into a local area ring network.
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This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/263,246 filed on Jun. 21, 1994, (abandoned Mar. 8, 1995) which was a continuation of Ser. No. 08/119,897 filed on Sep. 10, 1993, (abandoned Jun. 24, 1994) which was a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/635,757 filed on Dec. 31, 1990, (abandoned Sep. 30, 1993).
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer-aided persuasive argumentation and decision making, and more particularly to a tool to estimate the strength of a persuasive argument, to assist in making persuasive arguments stronger, to assist in the allocation of resources for a persuasive argument, and to assist in the organization of the components of a persuasive argument.
2. Background Art
The persuasion organizer and calculator assists anybody, especially litigating attorneys, required to evaluate a diverse set of evidence, apply that evidence to a set of rules, and persuade others--often a third party ("the factfinder") in the context of an adversarial contest (judge or jury)--of a position. Because clear understanding of one's own position is an essential prerequisite for rational persuasion, the present invention also assists the litigator in keeping chaotically changing information neatly organized during all stages of litigation.
Human cognition is limited. A fundamental cognitive limit is that human short term memory can hold only a half dozen chunks. (Herbert A Simon, Behavioral Invariants 17, 1990). In contrast, many human problem solving tasks require accurate perception, memory, evaluation, and retrieval of vast amounts of information.
A litigating attorney must collect and analyze a large number of potentially relevant facts, collect and analyze a large number of rules (case holdings and citations, statutes, regulations, and the like), and collect and analyze a large amount of evidence. The evidence may, to some extent, tend to make a fact more or less acceptable to the trier of fact. The facts, if accepted, may support a decision based on a given rule. The rules, if accepted as prevailing against a counter set of rules offered by adverse counsel, may persuade the judge or jury to decide in one's favor. And adverse counsel has a parallel task, to win support for its evidence, facts, and rules and to render its adversary's evidence, facts, and rules (EFR) less acceptable.
Even if precise probabilities were known, the mathematical task is difficult for unaided human cognition. But the probabilities of winning a positive decision are not simple, linear multiplications of the discrete probability of each element of a trial. Over the history of our legal system, certain distinct legal standards of proof have evolved. For example, in many civil trials, the plaintiff need only prevail on the basis of "the preponderance of the evidence"; in many criminal trials the prosecution must prevail "beyond a reasonable doubt." Other cases require "clear and convincing evidence." (Cf Dorothy K. Kagehiro & W. Clark Stanton, Legal vs Quantified Definitions of Standards of Proof, 9 Law and Human Behavior 159, June 1985; Terry Connolly, Decision Theory, Reasonable Doubt, and the Utility of Erroneous acquittals, 11 Law and Human Behavior 101, June 1987.)
These legal standards of proof--preponderance of the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, clear and convincing evidence--have been defined over centuries by common law and statute in words, not by mathematical probability estimates. The courts operate and instruct juries by these words. However, the rational litigator can better understand the strengths and weaknesses of his or her position by properly converting these verbal standards into mathematical estimates. Empirical studies have estimated the numerical values of these verbal descriptions as approximately 51%, 67% to 75%, and 90%, respectively. Kagehiro & Stanton at 160-161, 1985. Thus, under a "preponderance of the evidence" standard, remembered evidence which is at least 60% believable would be accepted, while the same evidence would fail under a "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard. The probability associated with a factfinder or judge believing any given evidence at a level to satisfy the applicable legal standard of proof may be termed as the legal probability.
Humans are often poor probability estimators. They don't learn well from experience. (Feest, Compliance with Legal Regulations: Observation of Stop Sign Behavior. 2 Law & Soc Rev 447, 1968.) Moreover, judgments are often biased by one's position in a trial. (Perter J. van Koppen. Risk Taking in Civil Law Negotiations. 14 Law & Human Behavior 151, 1990.) For a litigator to improve his or her judgment, an easy way of making predictions, saving the results of actual trial experience, and comparing predictions with final decisions is needed. With such information, a litigator may successively identify and reduce judgment biases, while improving his or her subjective legal probability estimates upon which resource allocation and litigation strategy are dependent. Subjective legal probability estimates are made by litigators to predict whether each piece of evidence will be sufficiently believed by the jury to satisfy the appropriate legal standard.
In any process of persuasive argumentation, all evidence need not prevail. Several parallel pieces of evidence may all serve to support a key fact. If only one item of evidence establishes that fact, that fact is not less established by the failure of the parallel evidence. Introducing additional evidence to support the same fact has two potential disadvantages. First, if the additional evidence is weaker than the primary evidence, it may cause the trier of fact to doubt the strength and validity of the primary evidence. Second, resources devoted toward gathering and introducing the secondary evidence are not available for other tasks in litigation.
An efficient litigator, therefore, seeks to obtain sufficient evidence to support all the facts and points of law needed to win and sufficient evidence to discount the facts and points of law the adverse party is expected to introduce. With limited resources of time, money, and human attention, there is a need for a guide to help indicate when sufficient evidence has been obtained to prevail on each issue in dispute. The present invention satisfies that need.
Trials are human endeavors, and the human frailties of perception, memory, communication, and sincerity were well known by Wigmore (Roalfe, 1977) and are well known by current judges and juries. Judges and juries do not simply add the pieces of evidence introduced by each side and award a judgment to the heavier side; nor are lawsuits decided by a random dart throw. Judges and juries are human, and within the limitations of human memory and judgment, they attempt to give a just decision. To successfully predict the judge or jury's decision, the litigator must consider the human frailties of the fact finder, as well as the fact finder's assessment of the sincerity and accuracy of the witness.
Moreover, triers of fact know that all witnesses are not perfectly honest. Even if a witness seeks to be honest, he or she may have misremembered the facts of some years ago. Even if the witnesses' memory is correct, the witness may not have correctly perceived the event in the first place. Bad lighting, poor hearing, illegible handwriting, ambiguous human communications all make the trier of fact's task difficult. The litigator's task of meeting his or her required legal standard of proof is, therefore, further complicated by attempting to predict the reactions of judge and jury and allocate scarce resources to those issues most in need of persuasive support.
To properly prepare for trial, an attorney must continually and routinely organize the evidence, facts, and rules; assess their likely impact upon the trier of fact; and compare his or her case to the evidence, facts, and rules of adverse counsel. If the evidence to support a key fact is early found to be weak, resources may be marshaled to gather additional evidence, to support alternative facts which would also lead to favorable judgment, to discover additional favorable rules, and to probe weaknesses in the opposition's evidence, facts, and rules.
Rote litigation practice is difficult enough. In simple cases, rote litigation practice may suffice. However, in more complex cases or when the stakes are high, additional information may be squeezed out of the litigator's documents, and if properly organized, analyzed, evaluated, and displayed, enable the dynamic analytic litigator to better allocate resources and to better predict the trial's outcome.
In addition to legal probability analysis, effective and successful litigation requires case management and several legal case management systems exist as prior art (for example, William S. Feiler, Litigation Support System and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,180). When legal case management is integrated with easy EFR legal probability analyses, case management makes the collection of the required legal probability information feasible and simple. Therefore, the persuasion organizer and calculator may be readily combined with a traditional legal case management system.
Because typical human decision making processes cannot adequately process the large amount of available information, humans often cannot find optimal solutions under conditions of uncertainty and risk. The prior art has sought to aid human decisionmaking by utilizing artificial intelligence theory and expert computer systems. The prior art has sought to replace the human decisionmaker by a computerized expert, utilizing a computerized knowledge base created and maintained by expert knowledge engineers, not lay persons. The typical expert system interviews the user, offers advice, and prescribes the best solution for the user. Hardy et al., Basic Expert System Tool, U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,641, 1989, at column 5.
The most difficult step in building expert systems involves encoding unstructured, often even unarticulated, knowledge into machine readable form. Hardy et al. '641 at column 1. The encoding process is performed by a "knowledge engineer" who must be adept at both the milking of knowledge from a human expert and the encoding of the knowledge into the machine readable expert system language. Id. Due to the lack of knowledge engineering tools based on a transparent, easily understandable expert system language, a person needs a good deal of formal education in computer science as well as specialized training in knowledge engineering to become a skilled knowledge engineer. Id.
To build an expert system it is far easier for the knowledge engineer to become a pseudo-expert in the knowledge domain of the human expert than it is for the human expert to learn knowledge engineering and directly encode his or her knowledge into machine readable form. Id. The knowledge engineer does most of his or her work in the expert system computer language. Id. at col. 6. Typical expert system knowledge base languages have included the intricate PROLOG and lower level assembly language. Id.
Traditional expert systems are centrally dependent on the skills of a professional knowledge engineer. The knowledge engineer creates the knowledge base computer file and then debugs it. Id. at col 5. The knowledge engineer writes facts and rules into the knowledge base. Id. As the expert system is tested in consultation mode, the engineer traces the flow of inferences and conclusions. Id. Additional commands allow the knowledge engineer to add or remove entries from the loaded knowledge base. Id.
During the consultation mode of an expert system, the consultation user receives advise from the computerized system. Id. The expert system asks the user questions and the user is to supply the required information, in the order as requested by the computer. Id.
In summary, a traditional expert system is designed and programmed by a professional knowledge engineer. The knowledge engineer seeks to embody in the computerized knowledge base what the knowledge engineer can learn of the rules and facts of the subject matter. During the consultation mode, the expert system controls the questions and answers given to the lay user. While the lay user may be able to ask the computerized expert system the reasons for the computer's advise, the lay user cannot directly modify the knowledge base, its inferential logic, nor any of its programming. If the lay user does not agree with the expert system, he can address his concerns to the knowledge engineer, but the lay user cannot directly modify or even "tune" the traditional expert system. Under traditional expert systems, the lay user, or the expert user--a non-computer professional--is passive and only receives advise constructed by the professional knowledge engineer. The prior art teaches away from the present invention.
In marked contrast to traditional expert system design, which seeks to train lay users to use expert systems designed and augmented by knowledge engineers, the persuasion organizer and calculator makes computer-assisted organization and calculation accessible to the lay user. In the present invention, the knowledge base and its logic are directly accessible and definable by the lay user. The major function of the present invention is not to give the system user advice gathered from other experts, but to organize the information the system user knows, calculate the logical implications of the known information, and readily present the results to the system user. In essence, the system user becomes his or her own expert, defining their own knowledge base and persuasive calculus.
Because most models underrepresent reality, the system user him or her self is able to access the extent to which the model comports with their own intuitive sense. For example, the system user is able to assign and modify his or her subjective legal probability estimates based on his or her intuition. Furthermore, the system user of persuasion organizer and calculator has constant access to modifying the logic and linkages of the knowledge base and persuasion calculus, as well as to the parallel resource allocation decision. Therefore, the system user, even though not an "expert" or a knowledge engineer has the full capability to modify and design the persuasion organizer and calculator without the need for a "knowledge engineer," as required by prior art expert systems--he or she is a "non-expert" system user.
If the system user doesn't like the results the persuasion organizer and calculator shows and the logic and persuasion calculus are believed valid, likely choices are then to devote more resources to finding additional supporting evidence and case law, or, depending on the cost/benefit analysis, seek settlement of the dispute. Contrary to the traditional expert system, which assumes a fixed state of the world, the present invention recognizes the constantly changing and difficult-to-predict world of persuasive argumentation.
Fundamental to both to the present invention and traditional prior art expert systems is the recognition of the powerful but still limited cognitive abilities of the human mind. Expert systems seek to replace lay user decisionmaking with the "expert" prescription of a computer. The present invention seeks to help the system user more fully utilize his or her own decision-making and judgment abilities, reducing the cognitive complexity by appropriate, flexible organization and calculation, completely under the system user's control.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide computer-assisted decision-making and persuasive argument analysis for a lay user who creates, modifies, and fully controls the system without the need for a knowledge engineer.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a structure with which a litigator can create a decisional framework for a persuasive argumentation process and predict the likely outcome of non-linear human thought processes.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an aid for attorneys and others involved in persuasive and adversarial endeavors, in order to: determine accurate legal probabilities for the acceptance of evidence, facts, and rules; permit learning from past legal probability assessments as compared with judge and jury decisions; permit ready identification of weak links in the legal persuasion process-both of one's own side to allocate resources for strengthening and of the adverse side to allocate resources for attacking; and have a neat, well ordered display of the elements of a persuasive legal argument.
Yet another objective of this invention is to allow simple, non-expert modification of all aspects of a knowledge base and persuasive calculus.
Another objective of the invention is to provide to the litigator clean, neat, comprehensive lists of hierarchical interrelated data.
A final objective of the present invention is to eliminate ambiguity and confusion between system users, knowledge engineers, and experts while providing a direct link between a system user and the system components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of the Persuasion Calculus Logical Model.
FIGS. 2 through 23 are pictorial diagrams of components of the invention in one preferred embodiment ("CUDGEL") when the persuasion organizer and calculator is operated using a "HELIX" database platform on a "MACINTOSH" personal computer.
FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram showing the interactively dynamic knowledge base collection of Relations and Users.
FIG. 3 is a pictorial diagram showing the interactively dynamic knowledge base Global Inputs: Title/Date Window (including user inputs for subjective legal probability and legal standard of proof).
FIG. 4 is a pictorial diagram showing the top of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Evidence Window (including user inputs for evidence characteristics).
FIG. 5 is a pictorial diagram showing two samples (in which evidence is accepted, FIG. 5a (upper) and rejected, FIG. 5b (lower)) of the bottom of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Evidence Window (including user inputs for the legal standard of proof and subjective legal probabilities).
FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram showing the interactively dynamic knowledge base Fact Window (including user inputs for fact characteristics).
FIG. 7 is a pictorial diagram showing the interactively dynamic knowledge base Law Window (including user inputs for law characteristics).
FIG. 8 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Evidences Window showing a display of hierarchically defined evidences variables.
FIG. 9 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Facts Window showing a display of hierarchically defined facts variables.
FIG. 10 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Laws Window showing a display of hierarchically defined laws variables.
FIG. 11 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Issues Window showing a display of hierarchically defined issues variables.
FIG. 12 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Matters Window showing a display of hierarchically defined matters variables.
FIG. 13 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Witnesses with Exhibits Window showing a display of hierarchically defined and related witnesses and exhibits variables.
FIG. 14 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Facts from Evidence Window showing a display of hierarchically defined and related facts and evidence variables.
FIG. 15 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Laws from Facts Window showing a display of hierarchically defined and related laws and facts variables.
FIG. 16 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic knowledge base Issues from Laws Window showing a display of hierarchically defined and related issues and laws variables.
FIG. 17 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic persuasive calculus Logical Evidence Subjective Probability Calculation, 2EvEst+.
FIG. 18 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic persuasive calculus Multiplied Evidence Subjective Probability Calculation, 2EvEst %.
FIG. 19 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic persuasive calculus Truth Standard Threshold Calculation for Evidence, IsEvTruthE+.
FIG. 20 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively persuasive calculus Accuracy Proof Threshold Calculation for Evidence, IsEvAccur+.
FIG. 21 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic persuasive calculus Proof Threshold Linkage, GetProof % E.
FIG. 22 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic persuasive calculus Customized Threshold Acceptance Linkage, GetSet % E.
FIG. 23 is a pictorial diagram of the interactively dynamic persuasive calculus 100/E Abacus used for standard calculation and display purposes.
FIGS. 24 through 28 are flowchart diagrams showing various processes utilized in one specific embodiment of the persuasion organizer and calculator ("CUDGEL") using a "HELIX" database platform on a "MACINTOSH" personal computer.
FIG. 24 is a flowchart diagram showing the general physical layout of the persuasion organizer and calculator (flowchart boxes 1-15).
FIG. 25 is a flowchart diagram showing the operation of the persuasion organizer and calculator and the relation between the interactively dynamic knowledge base and interactively dynamic persuasive calculus (flowchart boxes 20-45).
FIG. 26 is a flowchart diagram showing the process for setting the standard of proof in the interactively dynamic knowledge base (flowchart boxes 50-57).
FIG. 27 is a flowchart diagram showing the process for assigning probabilities in the interactively dynamic knowledge base (flowchart boxes 60-74).
FIG. 28 is a flowchart diagram showing process for evaluating evidence within the interactively dynamic persuasive calculus (flowchart boxes 80-83).
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment of the present invention was initially programmed in "DOUBLE HELIX," a data based management environment for the Apple "MACINTOSH" computer. "DOUBLE HELIX" is a non-procedural, non-hierarchical, iconic, object-oriented programming language; there is no command line source code. (Computer Program Written in On-Screen Icons Copyrighted, Guide to Computer Law ¶60,011, Jun. 8, 1989.) A copy of the full source code is enclosed on the enclosed computer disk; key aspects of the source code are presented below and in the accompanying paper documentation.
A hundred page manual has been written for the first version of the preferred embodiment of this invention (CUDGEL v1.02 Manual) and is incorporated herein by reference. It, together with the widely available instruction manuals for the "MACINTOSH" computer (Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino Calif.) and "DOUBLE HELIX" database software User's Guide and Reference Manual (Helix Technologies, Northbrook, Ill.), can readily permit an ordinary "DOUBLE HELIX" programmer to understand and build, with the commercially available "HELIX" software platform, the basic "CUDGEL" v1.02 structure. The system user of the invention, however, need not be a "HELIX" programmer. Software application platforms other than "DOUBLE HELIX" and computers other than Apple's "MACINTOSH" could also be utilized by this invention, although the "MACINTOSH" and "HELIX" platforms currently appear the most powerful, flexible, and user-friendly combination.
By providing a clear yet comprehensive structure, virtually all of the critical data for litigation may be readily entered into the computer system. By use of a graphic user interface, such as the "MACINTOSH" computer, the system user is provided with easy data entry. (See "CUDGEL" v 1.02 Manual pages 23-41; note some calculation elements for this invention have been added since the v 1.02 manual was written.) Using the relationally linked lists and associated queries, the system user can readily retrieve neat, clean, comprehensive lists on any aspect of the litigation. (See "CUDGEL" v1.02 Manual pages 42-50.)
FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of the logical model of the preferred embodiment of the Persuasion Organizer and Calculator ("CUDGEL"). Much litigation focuses on Statements of Law and proving Facts. Witnesses introduce Evidence; Evidence supports Facts; Facts and points of Law support Issues; Issues define Matters to be decided by the court; Papers are filed to influence the decisions on various Matters.
FIG. 2 shows a complete listing of the relational, hierarchically defined variables, ranging from Actor to Zap, of the preferred embodiment. The hierarchical and relational aspects of this invention permit the various key litigation elements to be shown in functional slices of the underlying data matrix. (See "CUDGEL" v1.02 Manual pages 50-55.) Witnesses for Exhibits and Exhibits for Witnesses (FIG. 13) may be shown; Evidence supporting Facts (FIG. 14), Facts supporting Laws (FIG. 15), Laws supporting Issues (FIG. 16), and Papers supporting various Matters may all be readily seen. Opposing facts, evidence, laws, and papers may also be programmed in parallel fashion (FIG. 6, "-F Pair field").
One of the key tasks of the litigator is to ensure that he or she has evidence for each needed fact and facts for each point of law (FIGS. 4,6,7). Moreover, the litigator may attempt to have more persuasive evidence than the opposition, which has its own set of facts. Some combination must be used to estimate how the fact finder will evaluate the conflicting set of evidence.
FIG. 25 discloses the major processes of the invention. The process starts at block 20, with the persuasion organizer and calculator allowing the system user to select the appropriate legal standard of proof (Proof %), based on the type of case (block 21 and FIG. 26, blocks 50-54). Criminal trials in the United States require a higher legal standard of proof than common civil matters. Whatever the legal standard of proof selected, the invention allows a system user to choose their own threshold, or subjective legal probability (Set %), at which they predict the fact finder will accept a data element as true (FIG. 25, block 22). The appropriateness of a given threshold will be influenced by the decisional framework chosen by the system user (FIG. 27, blocks 60-64; FIG. 28, blocks 80-83). Multiplicative models yield lower scores than straight true/false logical models. The invention then makes the appropriate standard of proof a part of the interactively dynamic knowledge base.
The invention then allows the system user to enter the data of the litigation into the interactively dynamic knowledge base of the calculator (FIG. 25, block 24), generally using the keyboard (FIG. 24, block 2) and mouse (block 3), although direct entry by floppy disk (block 7) or multitasking computer operating another program (RAM in block 8) are also feasible. Data on Evidence, Facts, Laws or rules, Issues, Matters, Actors or Witnesses, and other elements of the persuasion process may all be entered (EFL IMA+) and stored (block 25). A convention of the invention is that the user defines evidence, facts, laws, and the like that support his or her position as positive and those that counter the position as negative. The adverse attorney, if using this invention, would usually assign positive and negative values in reverse order to the same evidence, fact, or law.
The invention then allows the user to view a display of each relevant data element entered, such as evidence, and calculates the legal probabilities (block 26). Depending on the complexity of the decisional framework chosen by the system user, the legal probabilities may range from a single estimate of the acceptance of that item of evidence as the truth, to multidimensional models estimating witness sincerity (block 71), witness perception (block 72), witness memory (73), witness communication ability (block 74), the memory impact of the fact finder struggling to remember all the testimony and exhibits (block 68), and the emotional impact of the evidence (block 69). The invention stores the calculated legal probabilities in association with their evidence data (block 27) in the interactively dynamic knowledge base.
The invention next allows the system user to link to each fact to be proved the relevant evidence. This is done by the conventional data base method of entering in a field of the data record for each evidence element a pointer (record number) identifying the fact to be proved. Likewise the system user links to each point of law or rule those facts that must be proved for the rule to be invoked. Finally, the system user links to each issue to be decided the rules that must be found applicable and supported by the factual findings and evidence. The invention stores the links between the hierarchically defined variables in the interactively dynamic knowledge base.
The invention next evaluates whether a hierarchically-higher level variable is found to be true using a mathematical model chosen by the computer user and defined in the persuasion calculus. For example, to evaluate whether a fact will likely be found true, the invention will calculate the legal probabilities of the lower level dimensions of the system user's chosen decisional framework, including facts and evidence. If the system user chooses a straight true/false logical model, underlying facts necessary and sufficient to satisfy the applicable legal standard of proof must be found to be true. On the other hand, if a subjective probability straight multiplicative model is chosen, the product of all evaluated dimensions must reach or exceed the acceptance threshold, Set %, based on the appropriate legal standard of proof.
For example, FIG. 5a (upper) shows one estimate of the persuasive variables Truth (90%), Accuracy (90%), and Impact (90%) for a combined multiplicative acceptance of 81%. Since 81% is greater than the applicable legal standard of proof (51%, preponderance of the evidence) that item of evidence is predicted as accepted as true. That item of evidence is also predicted as accepted as true if a Set % (discussed below) acceptance threshold of 70%, for example, is used. FIG. 5b (lower) shows another estimate of Truth (20%), Accuracy (30%), and Impact (80%) for a combined multiplicative acceptance of 6%. Since 6% is less than the legal standard of proof (51%), that item of evidence is predicted as accepted as false.
The interactively dynamic persuasive calculus automatically calculates equations that are to be displayed on active windows of the computer monitor (block 1). Therefore, if evidence probabilities (blocks 26, 66-70) are entered and no such programmed fact window is displayed, then the evidence probability data is simply stored in RAM (block 27). However, if a window is actively displayed showing the evidence relevant to a given fact, then after the entry of a relevant evidence datum and its probabilities, the computer CPU (block 5) may be instructed to evaluate the evidence for the given fact (blocks 32-35, 38, 39) and display the accepted fact (block 39). Similar hierarchical calculations may store and display whether a rule is accepted (blocks 40-42), how a contested issue may be decided, and the like.
After data are entered (blocks 21, 22, 24, 26), acceptances are predicted (blocks 32-42), and the results are displayed (blocks 31, 34, 36, 39, 42) via monitor (block 1), printer and paper (block 13 and 14), or other means, the invention may reassess any of the user controllable elements of the simulation and calculation: assigned subjective legal probabilities (block 26), acceptance threshold (block 22), appropriate legal standard of proof (block 21), and the underlying decisional framework (blocks 60-74, 80-83). The invention allows calculations to be made under different parameter settings (block 45) and resulting in the "tuning" of the decisional framework to maximize performance.
To calibrate litigators and tune the decisional framework, the invention allows the system user to enter data from cases already decided. This is best done with cases the litigator or his or her firm has been involved with, but may also be done with well selected published cases. As a litigator utilizes the case management functions of this invention (blocks 28-31, 43), final judgment data against which decision models and probability assessments may be tested will be automatically collected. With time and accumulated data, highly accurate prediction of key decision making model parameters may be made for judges, expert witnesses, arbitrators, insurance adjusters, legislators, and the litigators themselves.
Evaluations of dimensions of evidence may be done by True/False logic (FIG. 17), by multiplication of legal probabilities (FIG. 18), or by other mathematical models. The invention provides these two common models (FIG. 28). The logical model requires that both truth and accuracy be true for the evidence to be accepted as true. The multiplication model simply multiplies the legal probabilities of truth and accuracy. The interactively dynamic persuasive calculus contains the two fundamental decision making models--logical true/false and multiplicative subjective probability. Because of the user-friendly graphic user interface of a data base platform such as "HELIX", alternative persuasive variables and elements (blocks 32, 70) and alternative decisional frameworks (blocks 60, 63, 64, 83) may readily be employed using this invention.
Because a series of percentages can readily become a small number, the invention allows the system user to set his or her own subjective legal probability acceptance levels. For example, a 90% rating for Truth, Accuracy, Memory Impact and Emotional Impact falls to an overall 64% rating; a four series of 75% factors falls to 32%. Depending on the sophistication and numerical behavior of the combination model the user wishes to employ, the proper threshold for acceptance or rejection of a persuasive element may simply be the standard 51%, 67%-75%, 90% level, or may be adjusted, either linearly, multiplicatively, exponentially, or by any other model the user chooses (FIG. 26). Assessing subjective legal probabilities accurately is a difficult skill, which often can be improved. Improvement requires review of past estimates and comparison with actual outcomes. This invention makes the collection, review, revision, and analysis of such subjective legal probability estimates feasible.
The invention further allows the system user to readily add customized calculations to those provided in the interactively dynamic persuasive calculus in the preferred embodiment. For particular types of litigation, the system user may can supplement the basic Truth and Accuracy dimensions with additional or alternative dimensions.
From a mass of conflicting evidence, this invention readily permits the litigator to obtain neat, orderly listings of facts likely to be accepted as true, of rules based on those supporting facts likely to be invoked, and of which way contested issues are likely to be decided (blocks 36, 39, 42). If the litigator does not like the predicted outcome, litigation resources may be redeployed to obtain more credible witnesses, to discovery additional evidence, to research supporting law, and the like (block 44).
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that numerous changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope, spirit, and intent of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
REFERENCES
Apple Computer, Inc, Macintosh SE Owner's Guide, Apple Computer, Inc, Cupertino, Calif., 1988.
Computer Program Written in On-Screen Icons Copyrighted, Guide to Computer Law ¶60,011, Jun. 8, 1989.
Connolly, Terry, Decision Theory, Reasonable Doubt, and the Utility of Erroneous acquittals, 11 Law and Human Behavior 101, June 1987.
Feest, Compliance with Legal Regulations: Observation of Stop Sign Behavior. 2 Law & Soc Rev 447, 1968.
Feiler, William S., Litigation Support System and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,180, issued Oct. 27, 1992.
Hardy, Steven et al., Basic Expert System Took, U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,641, issued Feb. 7, 1989.
Helix Technologies, Double Helix User's Guide and Reference Manual, Odesta Corporation, Northbrook, Ill.
Kagehiro, Dorothy K. & W. Clark Stanton, Legal vs Quantified Definitions of Standards of Proof, 9 Law and Human Behavior 159, June 1985
Kegan, Daniel. Cudgel Manual, v1.02, 1990.
Roalfe, William R. John Henry Wigmore: Scholar and Reformer. Northwestern University Press, 1977.
Simon, Herbert A., Invariants of Human Behavior, 41 Annu. Rev. Psychol. 1, 1990.
van Koppen, Peter J. Risk Taking in Civil Law Negotiations. 14 Law & Human Behavior 151, 1990.
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A persuasion organizer and calculator with which attorneys and others required to form and develop persuasive arguments may create, modify, and control a knowledge base and a persuasive calculus without the need for a knowledge engineer. By eliminating the knowledge engineer from the process of creating and maintaining a knowledge base, the present invention minimizes the problems of ambiguity and confusion found in the prior art. The present invention provides a structure for litigators that allows simple, non-expert creation and modification of decisional frameworks, objective and subjective probabilities, and standards of proof. Furthermore, the present invention allows the user to analyze the elements of a persuasive argument (including matters, issues, facts, laws, evidence, witnesses, and the like) to predict the strength of such an argument and determine elements which may require additional support and resource allocation. Since the persuasion organizer and calculator is computer controlled and computer operated, it provides clear displays of hierarchically related information, accurate calculation of probabilities, and the ability for users to make simple, non-expert modifications. When coupled with a traditional legal case management system, administrative and psychological incentives are provided for users to enter and maintain detailed evidence and subjective probability estimates necessary for rational litigation management and evaluation of litigation strategies, current and past.
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This is a continuation of PCT/EP99/04464, filed Jun. 28, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The invention concerns a method and a system of detection of a run-flat condition of a vehicle tire as well as tires, wheels and safety inserts designed to facilitate that detection.
When a mounted assembly—tire and wheel assembly—contains means of support for the tire tread in case of running flat, which means of support make it possible to avoid a forced stop of the tire in case of serious loss of air pressure in the tire. Those means of support can be a safety insert placed radially outside the rim of the wheel of the mounted assembly or reinforcing elements placed inside the structure of the tire sidewalls and/or beads. Such tires are called “self-supporting” tires.
The bearing of the tire on those means of support is accompanied by a more or less marked degradation of its performance, which may not be perceptible to the driver through the behavior and comfort of the vehicle. Furthermore, the operating lifetime of those means of support is limited. It is therefore useful for the driver to be alerted as soon as a tire bears on its means of support so that he can follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Patent application WO 94/03338 proposes a system of detection of the bearing of a tire on a safety insert. That system comprises one accelerometer per wheel, placed on one of the suspension elements of the wheel and measuring the vertical accelerations linked to a central processing unit. The analysis is based on detection of the appearance, upon bearing, of a resonance mode of the system consisting of the tire bearing on the safety insert, of the unsuspended weights and of the suspension springs. That resonance mode is characteristic of running flat and is situated above 100 hertz.
However, for some safety supports, made, for example of elastomeric material, the sensitivity of the aforesaid analysis may prove insufficient.
In the case of mounted assemblies not containing the aforesaid means of support, on a run-flat condition, the tread bears on the beads and the rim flanges. That can result in a rapid deterioration of the tire and movement of the beads into the rim mounting groove, not to mention degradation in the behavior of the vehicle. As soon as such a support comes into play, it is also very useful to alert the driver.
In what follows, the “run-flat condition” of a tire means running when the air pressure in the tire is no longer sufficient to guarantee that the tire will carry the load of the tire. The tire tread then bears on the support elements. Those support elements can be provided for that purposes (such as safety inserts arranged around the rim or rim flanges).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The obdfject of the invention is a method of detection of a run-flat condition of a vehicle tire, the tire being mounted on a wheel, the sensitivity and reliability of which are improved.
The method of detection according to the invention is such that:
a quantity f(α, t) is sensed, which varies with the angular displacement of the wheel in time; measuring signals are developed from that quantity, which vary with the angular speed of the wheel dα(t)/dt; a quantity characteristic of the dispersion of measuring signals is calculated; an alarm is set off when the characteristic quantity satisfies a given ratio.
The characteristic quantity can simply be the value of the standard deviation of the measuring signals.
Advantageously, in order to determine the characteristic quantity of dispersion of the measuring signals:
the rotation frequency of the wheel is determined; the energy of the measuring signals is calculated in at least one narrow frequency band centered on one of the first harmonics of said rotation frequency; and an alarm is set off when said energy satisfies a given ratio.
The rotation frequency of the wheel can be determined from the measuring signals.
It has been surprisingly observed that analysis of the dispersion of the rotation speeds of the wheels reveals notable changes on a run-flat condition of a tire, that is, when the tread bears on any support element. That method has the advantage of not necessitating, as in previously known methods, specific sensors such as accelerometers, but can rather use simple measurement of angular rotation of the wheels. Those measurements are often already available, as in the case of vehicles equipped with antilock devices on the wheels.
Furthermore, upon bearing of the tread of a tire in run-flat condition on any support element, that method of detection is very sensitive and very reliable, because the applicant observed that the energy of the measuring signals varies preferably in the frequency bands centered on the different harmonics of the turn of a wheel.
That method of detection analyzes preferably the development of energy of the spectrum of speeds in at least two narrow frequency bands centered on harmonics of the turn of a wheel, with the exception of harmonic 1 .
Advantageously, after having detected that the sum of the energies of the measuring signals in at least two narrow frequency bands centered on one of the first harmonics satisfies a given ratio, the energy of the measuring signals is compared in each of those frequency bands to a given corresponding threshold and an alarm is set off when, for at least two of those frequency bands, the energy of the signals is higher than the corresponding threshold.
That supplementary test has the advantage of limiting the influence of possible disturbances, such as those due to engine vibrations. In fact, such disturbances are usually limited to a single frequency band.
The analysis can be conducted wheel by wheel or by comparing the wheels with each other. Wheel by wheel comparison has the advantage of making it possible to identify the tire in run-flat condition. On the other hand, comparison among several tires makes detection more reliable. The analysis can also use measuring signals which vary with angular acceleration of the wheels d 2 α(t)/dt.
To avoid false alarms, it is advantageous also to follow the development of energy of the measuring signals in at least a second frequency band where the measuring signals are substantially independent of the run-flat condition and of not setting off an alarm when the measuring energy in those second frequency bands exceeds a given threshold.
Such second frequency bands are preferably situated outside the multiple frequencies of the wheel rotation frequencies.
An alarm can also fail to be set off when the speed of the vehicle is below a given threshold.
The invention also concerns a system of detection of a run-flat condition of a vehicle tire, the tire being mounted on a wheel, comprising:
first means for sensing a quantity f(α,t) which varies with the angular displacement of the wheel in time, second means for elaborating measuring signals which vary with the angular speed of the wheel dα(t)/dt, calculating a characteristic quantity of dispersion of the measuring signals and setting off an alarm when said characteristic quantity satisfies a given ratio; third means for transmitting that alarm to the driver of the vehicle; and fourth means arranged in the mounted tire/wheel assembly to generate vibrating warning signals on a run-flat condition of the tire.
The vibrating warning signals can advantageously generate at least one sinusoidal function, the period of which is a submultiple of a turn of the wheel. Such signals are easily detected by the system according to the invention, even in case those means appreciably generate only a single sinusoidal function, the period of which is a submultiple of a turn of the wheel.
Those warning means can belong to the tire, to the wheel or to a safety insert placed radially outside the wheel.
The invention also concerns a safety insert intended to cooperate with the aforesaid detection method in order to offer a reliable detection of any run-flat condition of the tire.
The safety insert according to the invention, intended to be radially mounted outside the rim of said wheel, contains on its radially outer surface axially oriented bars. That safety insert is characterized in that those bars have sides whose inclination from normal to the tread in the longitudinal direction varies as a function of azimuth in order to generate vibrating warning signals on running in a run-flat condition. Those warning signals reinforce, on running flat, rotation speed fluctuations of the wheel.
Preferably, the longitudinal inclination according to the azimuth is at least a sinusoidal function, the period of which is a submultiple of a turn of the insert. That has the advantage of generating running speed variations specifically at harmonic frequencies of a turn of the wheel of the insert and, therefore, of being very easily detected by the aforesaid detection method with great reliability.
The invention also concerns a tire intended to equip a wheel, the tire containing a tread, two sidewalls and two beads as well as support elements intended to support the tread in case of run-flat condition. That tire is characterized in that the support elements contain means for generating vibrating warning signals on a run-flat condition.
The means for generating those vibrating warning signals preferably entail a variation as a function of azimuth of the radius under load of the tire on running with a tire deflection above a given threshold. That variation as a function of azimuth of the radius under load of the tire is advantageously a sinusoidal function, the period of which is a submultiple of a turn of the insert.
The invention concerns, finally, a wheel intended to receive a tire, characterized in that it contains means for generating vibrating warning signals of a run-flat condition of the tire.
Those means can be a variation as a function of the azimuth of the radial height of least one of its flanges. That variation can be obtained by the addition of an extra part at least partially covering the radial end of the flanges.
As previously, the variation of radial height as a function of azimuth is at least a sinusoidal function, the period of which is a submultiple of a turn of the insert.
Several embodiments are now described nonlimitatively by means of the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 represents, in axial section, a mounted assembly equipped with a safety insert;
FIGS. 2 a and 2 b schematically represent, in side view, a first embodiment of a safety insert according to the invention;
FIG. 3 represents the course of the longitudinal inclination of axial bars of the insert of FIG. 2 b as a function of the azimuth;
FIG. 4 represents, in meridian section, a diagram of a second insert with an outer radius variation;
FIG. 5 represents, in meridian section, a diagram of a third insert with a radial stiffness variation;
FIG. 6 represents, in meridian section, a diagram of a fourth insert with a combination of radial stiffness and outer radius variations;
FIG. 7 schematically represents a detection system according to the invention;
FIG. 8 represents a general diagram of the method of detection according to the invention;
FIG. 9 represents two spectra of measuring signals as a function of frequency in inflated and run-flat condition on an ordinary road;
FIG. 10 represents, in axial half-section, a tire according to the invention;
FIG. 11 represents the course as a function of azimuth of the radial height of a tire reinforcement;
FIG. 12 represents, in axial section, a wheel according to the invention;
FIG. 13 represents, in interior side view, the wheel of FIG. 9 ; and
FIG. 14 represents the course as a function of azimuth of the radial height of the interior flange of the wheel of FIGS. 12 and 13 .
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a wheel rim 10 equipped with an annular safety insert 13 resting on the bearing 11 of the rim 10 . The particular geometry of that wheel rim 10 is described in French patent application No. 2,713,558. It represents two bead seats of different diameters and is particularly adapted for easy placement of that safety insert 13 . This assembly makes running possible in spite of a considerable pressure drop in the tire 12 . In the case of such running, the interior of the deformed tire rubs on the outer surface of the insert, producing heat which limits the radius of action available; it is therefore important for the driver to be informed as soon as a tire bears on its insert 13 .
For that purpose, a safety insert containing means for generating harmonic vibrating warning signals of the turn of the wheel (that is, of the rotation frequency of the tire) is advantageously used as insert.
The insert shown on FIGS. 2 a and b is made of soft elastomeric material. It contains a generally ring-shaped base 14 , reinforced by a ply (not represented) longitudinally oriented roughly at 0°, a generally ring-shaped crown 15 with axial bars 19 on its radially outer wall ( FIG. 2 b ) and arched walls 16 . Between walls 16 there are recesses 17 which can axially cross the insert 13 completely or partly. The base can contain an abutment 18 to be placed on the outer side next to the tire bead.
The axial orientation bars 19 have sides 191 whose inclination from normal to the tread in the longitudinal direction varies as a function of azimuth, as represented on FIG. 3 . That inclination follows a roughly sinusoidal course submultiple of order 2 of the turn of the insert. On running flat on the insert, the bars supporting the tire will be crushed with a slight longitudinal displacement of amplitude and direction variable with the inclination of those bars. That displacement will be transmitted to the tire by adherence between the insert and the inner surface of the tire and results in the appearance of instantaneous rotation speed fluctuations of the mounted assembly and, therefore, of the wheel. Those fluctuations will, in the present case, preferably be centered on harmonic 2 of the spectrum of wheel rotation speeds. Such an insert therefore comprises an example of means for generating rotation speed variations of the wheel it equips on running flat.
A similar result can be obtained by varying the radial stiffness of the insert as a function of the azimuth or its radius.
FIG. 4 represents a diagram of an insert 20 having a variation of outer radius among three values R1, R2 and R3 such that R1>R2>R3 with a progressive variation of that radius between maxima and minima. The two zones of outer radii R1 are at 180° from one another and so are the two zones of radii R2; the four minima of radii R3 are each between two maxima R1 and R2. This result, on running flat, in a variation of that radus as a function of α with two fundamental harmonics, the first of frequency 2 , due to the first two maxima of radus R1 and the second of frequency 4 due to the presence of the four maxima of radius R1 and R2 and of the four minima of radius R3. In that example, the R1−R3 difference is equal to 5 mm and the R2−R1 difference is equal to 3 mm.
FIG. 5 represents a diagram of an insert 30 which has a variation of radial stiffness among three values K1, K2 and K3, such that K1>K2>K3, with a progressive variation of that stiffness between the maxima and the minima. As previously, the two zones of stiffness K1 are at 180° from one another and so are the two zones of stiffness K2; the four minima of stiffness K3 are each between two maxima K1 and K2. This results, on running flat, in a variation of that stiffness as a function of a with two fundamental harmonics, the first of frequency 2 , due to the first two maxima of stiffness K1 and the second of frequency 4 due to the presence of the four maxima of stiffness K1 and K2 and of the four minima of stiffness K3.
FIG. 6 represents a diagram of an insert 40 presenting a combination of a variation of outer radius and a variation of radial thickness. Each characteristic presents two maxima (R1, K2 respectively) and two minima (R2, K1 respectively), shifted angularly by 90° from one another. The radial thickness maxima are sufficiently localized to produce on the insert 40 assembly a crushed radius variation on bearing with four maxima.
Consequently, that insert also produces an harmonic excitation concentrated on harmonics 2 and 4 , but presents the advantage of having a weighting variable as a function of speed. The applicant observed, in fact, that the radial variations of stiffness were more perceptible at low speed and that the outer radius variations were more perceptible at high speed.
FIG. 7 represents a vehicle equipped with a system of detection of a run-flat condition according to the invention. The vehicle contains four wheels 1 a , 1 b , 1 c and 1 d equipped with tires. Each mounted assembly (tire and wheel) contains means for generating vibrating warning signals on running-flat of the tire, for example, one of the safety inserts presented in FIGS. 2 to 6 . Close to each tire there is a sensor of angular displacement 2 a , 2 b , 2 c and 2 d of the wheel concerned. Each sensor is coupled to a notched disk 21 a , 21 b , 21 c and 21 d respectively, as well known. The notched disks 21 a , 21 b , 21 c and 21 d are made of magnetic disks attached coaxially with the corresponding wheels. The sensors 2 a , 2 b , 2 c and 2 d are placed close to the notched disks 21 a , 21 b , 21 c and 21 d at such distance that rotation of the notched disk near the sensor creates a signal variable with the angular displacement of the notched disk. The average frequency of that signal gives the angular rotation speed of the wheel. The variable signal of each sensor 21 , 2 b , 2 c and 2 d is entered in a central unit 3 . The central unit 3 comprises a signal analyzer which analyzes those signals. The result of the analysis is transmitted to a display 4 in order to inform the driver of the vehicle when a roll-flat condition of a tire is detected.
When the vehicle is equipped with a wheel antilock device, the aforesaid sensors 2 and the central unit 3 can be those of the antilock device. Under these conditions, all of the stages of the method according to the invention can be ensured by specific software incorporated in the computer of the antilock device. It is advisable to provide a suitable display 4 .
FIG. 8 represents a general diagram of the method of detection according to the invention. From the measurements f(α,t) of the sensors 2 a , 2 b , 2 c and 2 d , the central unit 3 performs the following operations for each wheel:
calculating dα(t)/dt corresponding to the angular rotation speed of the wheel; performing an harmonic analysis of dα(t)/dt by known means, for example, with a Fourier transform, in order to obtain dα(v)/dv (see FIG. 9 ); determining the angular rotation speed of the wheel v 0 , corresponding to the frequency of harmonic 1 ; determining the energy E sol of the spectrum of speeds dα(v)/αv in a frequency band not including an harmonic of the turn of the wheel, for example, between harmonics 5 and 6 ; determining the energies of the spectrum of speeds dα(v)/αv in two narrow bands of width in the order of 2 to 10 Hz centered on harmonics 2 to 4 , namely, energies E v2 and E v4 , and adding them in order to obtain ΣE vi ; comparing v 0 to a threshold A, and if v 0 is lower than A, resuming the cycle of measurements; if v 0 is higher than A, comparing ΣE sol to a threshold B, and if E sol is higher than B, resuming the cycle of measurements; if E sol is lower than B, comparing ΣE vi to a threshold C; and if ΣE vi is higher than C, setting off an alarm, unless resuming the cycle.
For each harmonic analyzed, a suitably programmed microprocessor calculates the energy of the harmonic by the integral of the peak emerging from the background noise, the background noise being determined from a frequency band encompassing the narrow band analyzed.
Value ΣE vi is a function of the speed of the vehicle and of the energy level of the spectrum of speeds linked to the unevenness of the road. Several values of threshold C can thus advantageously be used as a function of speed of the vehicle and of the value of E sol .
The first test using v 0 entails not setting off any alarm when the rotation speed of the wheel and, therefore, the speed of the vehicle is less than a given threshold, in the order of 20 to 30 km/h.
The second test also entails neutralizing the alarms when the energy E sol is higher than threshold B, that is, when the unevenness of the road is very great and thus likely to disturb the measurements markedly.
Those two tests make it possible to limit the number of false alarms very appreciably.
As it is always possible for one or more peaks to be disturbed by other sources, for example, by engine vibrations, it is useful to complete that overall energy analysis by verifying that at least two of the harmonics analyzed have had a significant energy evolution. That additional step appreciably improves the reliability of detection.
FIG. 9 represents an example of a spectrum of speeds of the wheels on running at normal inflation pressure (white curve) and in run-flat condition bearing on a safety insert (black curve). The vehicle is a Peugeot 405, running at 70 km/h on a standard course. The tire 12 , considered in run-flat condition, is supported on the radially outer wall of a standard safety insert not containing means generating warning signals arranged around the rim of the wheel. Such an insert is described in patent application EP 0 796 747.
The white curve (running at normal inflation pressure) presents a notable maximum centered on harmonic 1 . That explains why it is preferable to exclude that harmonic in analysis of the spectrum of wheel vibrations.
The black curve (running flat) presents substantially higher energy levels for each harmonic starting from harmonic 2 . That well illustrates the effectiveness of analysis of harmonic 2 and 4 in order to detect a run-flat condition of the tire.
The method of detection according to the invention is already effective when the tire is supported on a safety insert not generating vibrating warning signals. But that method is particularly well suited for detecting a support on inserts containing such warning means and, notably, means generating harmonic signals of the turn of the wheel.
The invention also concerns a tire 50 ( FIG. 10 ) equipped with means 60 generating vibrating warning signals on running at camber higher than a given threshold.
That tire 50 contains a crown 51 , a sidewall 52 and a bead 53 . The sidewall 52 and the bead 53 are equipped with inserts 54 , 55 , 56 enabling that tire to support its load on running at zero inflation pressure.
The insert 54 contains a reinforcement 60 in the bead and sidewall, the radial height of which varies according to an harmonic function of the azimuth, as shown on FIG. 11 . That reinforcement 60 will result, on running at a tire deflection higher than a given threshold, in a variation of radius under load of the tire and in the appearance of a multiple harmonic signal of the turn of the wheel detectable by the system and method previously described. The reinforcement 60 can be placed on both sides of the tire or on only one side. In the latter case, it is preferable for it to be the inner side in order not to degrade the behavior of the tire on turning. That also has the advantage of not setting off an untimely alarm on turns taken at high speed.
FIGS. 12 and 13 represent a wheel 70 having a disk 71 and a rim 72 equipped with means for generating vibrating warning signals on running flat.
The rim 72 contains an interior flange 73 . The radial height of that interior flange 73 varies as a function of its azimuth according to a law presented on FIG. 14 . The variation involves less than half the circumference.
The variation of radial height of the rim flange can also be obtained by fastening a complementary part.
Consequently, when the wheel 70 is equipped with an ordinary tire under a load or with an inflation pressure such that the deflection taken by the tire is higher than in normal conditions of use, the radial variation of height of the interior flange will result in the appearance of vibrating warning signals. Those signals can be detected by the system or method previously described.
On running under normal load and inflation pressure conditions of the tire and, therefore, of tire deflection, modification of the rim flange of FIGS. 12 and 13 only results in a minimal modification of the bearing conditions of the bead on the interior flange.
As previously, it is important to arrange that variation of radial height of the flange on the interior flange in order not to disturb performance of the tire on a turn and to favor detection on running in a straight line.
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A method of detection of a run-flat condition of a vehicle tire, said tire being mounted on a wheel, wherein:
a quantity f(α, t) is sensed, which varies which the angular displacement of the wheel in time; measuring signals are elaborated, which vary with the angular speed of the wheel dα(t)/dt; a quantity characteristic of the dispersion of measuring signals is calculated; an alarm is set off when the characteristic quantity satisfies a given ratio.
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PRIORITY INFORMATION
This application is a continuation-in-part to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/833,602, filed Apr. 28, 2004, which claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 60/465,930, filed Apr. 28, 2003. The content of both applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
This invention was made in connection with Grant Numbers NIH 1 R01 GM63812-01 and NIH 1 R01 GM60637-01A1, from the National Institutes of Health. The United States Government has rights to this invention.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of chiral chemistry. More particularly, the present invention relates to the separation of enantiomers, i.e., those isomers in which the arrangement of atoms or groups is such that the two molecules are not superimposable.
The present inventor has developed a new class of chiral columns that can resolve a large number of racemic compounds. These columns are stable and can be used with a number of mobile phase solvents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Stereoisomers are those molecules which differ from each other only in the way their atoms are oriented in space. Stereoisomers are generally classified as diastereomers or enantiomers; the latter embracing those which are mirror-images of each other, the former being those which are not. The particular arrangement of atoms that characterize a particular stereoisomer is known as its optical configuration, specified by known sequencing rules as, for example, either + or − (also D or L) and/or R or S.
Though differing only in orientation, the practical effects of stereoisomerism are important. For example, the biological and pharmaceutical activities of many compounds are strongly influenced by the particular configuration involved. Indeed, many compounds are only of widespread utility when employed in a given stereoisomeric form.
Living organisms usually produce only one enantiomer of a pair. Thus only (−)-2-methyl-1-butanol is formed in yeast fermentation of starches; only (+)-lactic acid is formed in the contraction of muscle; fruit juices contain only (−)-malic acid, and only (−)-quinine is obtained from the cinchona tree. In biological systems, stereochemical specificity is the rule rather than the exception, since the catalytic enzymes, which are so important in such systems, are optically active. For example, the sugar (+)-glucose plays an important role in animal metabolism and is the basic raw material in the fermentation industry; however, its optical counterpart, or antipode, (−)-glucose, is neither metabolized by animals nor fermented by yeasts. Other examples in this regard include the mold Penicillium glaucum , which will only consume the (+)-enantiomer of the enantiomeric mixture of tartaric acid, leaving the (−)-enantiomer intact. Also, only one stereoisomer of chloromycetin is an antibiotic; and (+)-ephedrine not only does not have any drug activity, but it interferes with the drug activity of its antipode. Finally, in the world of essences, the enantiomer (−)-carvone provides oil of spearmint with its distinctive odor, while its optical counterpart (+)-carvone provides the essence of caraway.
Thus, as enzymes and other biological receptor molecules possess chiral structures, enantiomers of a racemic compound may be absorbed, activated, and degraded by them in different manners. This phenomenon causes that in many instances, two enantiomers of a racemic drug may have different or even opposite pharmacological activities. In order to acknowledge these differing effects, the biological activity of each enantiomer often needs to be studied separately. This and other factors within the pharmaceutical industry have contributed significantly to the need for enantiomerically pure compounds and thus the need for chiral chromatography.
Accordingly, it is desirable and oftentimes essential to separate stereoisomers in order to obtain the useful version of a compound that is optically active.
Separation in this regard is generally not a problem when diastereomers are involved: diastereomers have different physical properties, such as melting points, boiling points, solubilities in a given solvent, densities, refractive indices etc. Hence, diastereomers are normally separated from one another by conventional methods, such as fractional distillation, fractional crystallization or chromatography.
Enantiomers, on the other hand, present a special problem because their physical properties are identical. Thus they cannot as a rule—and especially so when in the form of a racemic mixture—be separated by ordinary methods: not by fractional distillation, because their boiling points are identical; not by conventional crystallization because (unless the solvent is optically active) their solubilities are identical; not by conventional chromatography because (unless the adsorbent is optically active) they are held equally onto the adsorbent. The problem of separating enantiomers is further exacerbated by the fact that conventional synthetic techniques often produce a mixture of enantiomers. When a mixture comprises equal amounts of enantiomers having opposite optical configurations, it is called a racemate; separation of a racemate into its respective enantiomers is generally known as a resolution, and is a process of considerable importance.
Chiral columns that can resolve a large number of racemic compounds (general chiral columns) are in high demand. They are needed routinely in many laboratories, especially in pharmaceutical industry. Prior to the present invention, Daicel columns, macrocyclic antibiotic columns, and the Whelk-O columns were probably known as the industrial leaders in this type of general chiral columns. The present inventor has developed a new class of general chiral columns based on the use of proline and its analogues.
Furthermore, and importantly, the columns of the present invention have the capability of resolving at least a similar or higher percentage of the compounds tested. Furthermore, the columns of the present invention provide better separation on some of the compounds tested and can resolve certain compounds that cannot be resolved with the commonly used commercial columns listed above.
The columns of the present inventions are stable and can be used with a large number of mobile phase solvents. Therefore, the columns of the present invention should find important applications as general chiral columns.
A large number of chiral columns have been prepared in the past; however, only a few demonstrated broad chiral selectivity. As stated above, the successful examples include the popular Daicel columns, the Chirobiotic columns, and the Whelk-O1/2 columns. The Daicel columns are prepared by coating sugar derivatives onto silica gel. Chirobiotic columns are prepared by immobilizing macrocyclic glycopeptides onto silica gel. Whelk-O 1/2 columns contain both electron rich and electron deficient aromatics. These columns have broad chiral selectivity and have been applied successfully to resolve a fair number of racemic compounds. They have different selectivity and stability profiles. Their selectivities complement each other in some cases, while they duplicate each other in other cases. Some of the columns are more suited for reversed phase conditions and others for normal phase conditions. Each column has its own strengths and weaknesses. Despite these progresses, there are still many compounds that cannot be resolved or resolved well using these commercial available columns. Therefore, there is still a significant need to develop new columns that have relatively broad chiral selectivity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a chiral selector that represents an improvement in the art of enantiomeric separation. Thus, one embodiment of the present invention is a general chiral column with a multiple proline-based chiral selector.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a chiral stationary phase made of peptides with 2 or more prolines, including chiral selectors with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 10 prolines. Also included within the scope of the present invention are analogs and isomers of prolines, and analogs and isomers of the chiral selector compounds of the present invention.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a chiral stationary phase (or column) of the following formula:
wherein n is any integer of 2 or greater, and analogs and isomers thereof. Another embodiment of the present invention is where n is any integer from 2–10.
The separations achieved for analytes are comparable or superior to those achieved on Daicel AD, Daicel OD, and Whelk O2 columns. The multiple proline-based chiral columns of the present invention show promise as a superior general chiral column.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the structure for amino acid L-Proline and its associated stationary phases Fmoc-Pro-(Me)Ahx-APS(CSP1), Fmoc-Pro 2 -(Me)Ahx-APS(CSP2), Fmoc-Pro 4 -(Me)Ahx-APS(CSP3); and Fmoc-Pro 6 -(Me)Ahx-APS(CSP4). CSP2-4 are embodiments of compounds of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows the synthesis of one embodiment of the present invention, Fmoc-Pro 4 -(Me)Ahx-APS chiral stationary phase (CSP3): Synthesis of Fmoc-Pro 4 -(Me)Ahx-APS chiral stationary phase (CSP3): (a) Fmoc-(Me)Ahx-OH, DIC; (b) (1) Piperidine; (2) Fmoc-Pro-OH, HATU; (c) AcOH; (d) aminopropyl-silica gel, HATU.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present inventor has developed a new chiral column that has relatively broad chiral selectivity, when compared with Daicel columns and Whelk O2 column, as industry standards or industry models. Additionally, the chiral columns of the present invention are stable in a number of mobile phase conditions.
The success rate of the chiral column of the present invention compares well with the best commercially available general chiral columns developed over the last few decades. For 22 racemic compounds chosen based on their availability (see example 4), our Pro4 column (CSP 3) resolved 17 compounds; our Pro2 column (CSP2) resolved 16 compounds; our Pro6 column (CSP4) resolved 15 compounds. In comparison, Daicel OD column resolved 18, Daicel AD resolved 16, and Whelk-O2 resolved 15 compounds. The monoproline column (CSP1) is much less effective, as it can resolve only 6 out of the 22 compounds tested. The achieved resolutions with the monoproline column are also very modest.
Proline is a unique amino acid in many ways ( FIG. 1 ). Instead of having a primary amino group as in other α-amino acids, it contains a secondary amine. Because of the cyclic structure, rotation around the nitrogen-α-carbon bond is restricted. Also because of the cyclic structure, proline is not ideally suited for α-helix or β-sheet conformation; instead, polyproline forms its own unique helical conformation (Polyproline I and polyproline II). The amide bond in polyproline is sterically hindered compared with other oligopeptides. The distinctly different conformational and structural features of polyprolines suggest that they may behave quite differently from other short oligopeptides that have been studied in chiral chromatography.
The present inventors discovered that proline based chiral selectors, including the embodiment tetraproline based chiral stationary phase 3 ( FIG. 1 ), diproline based chiral stationary phase 2, hexaproline based chiral stationary phase 4 have relatively broad chiral selectivity, while mono-proline stationary phase 1 is largely ineffective.
Immobilization of the chiral selectors of the present invention to silica gel is accomplished through a linker group. One example of a linker group of the present invention is a disubstituted amino group. A second example is a N-methylamino group. Another example is 6-N-methylaminohexanoic acid. The amide bond between these linkers and proline residue is more sterically hindered due to the N-methyl or N-alkyl group. (The particular linker group can be selected by one of ordinary skill in the art depending on the analyte to be tested.) For example, when the selector Fmoc-Pro-Pro is immobilized using 6-N-methylaminohexanoic acid, it may resolve about 16 out of about 22 analytes tested. For the same chiral selector, when immobilized using 6-aminohexanoic acid, it resolved only 4 out of the same group of analytes.
Additionally, the stationary phase compounds of the present invention may comprise various end-capping groups as known in the art.
By use of the term proline with respect to the present invention, it is understood that analogs and isomers of proline are included. For example all stereoisomers are included. Additionally, analogs are included. Examples of the analogs that are included herein are those with the following skeleton structure feature such as in D-proline, hydroxyproline, and pipecolinic acid:
wherein n is an integer (such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.), X is a heteroatom such as O, S, or N, and other unspecified atoms can be carbon or heteroatoms. For simplicity, unless otherwise noted, proline includes L-proline in this application.
These covalently bound columns of the present invention are stable in common organic solvents, including CH 2 Cl 2 and CHCl 3 . Therefore, a wide selection of mobile phase conditions could be applied in method development. For several analytes, the present inventor attempted resolution with CH 2 Cl 2 /hexane as the mobile phase and effective separation was also achieved (example 6). Wider solvent choices have advantages in that some racemic analytes are soluble in only certain solvents and some compounds can be resolved better in certain solvents.
In terms of potential interaction modes with the analytes, examples of the chiral selectors of the present invention are forming attractive hydrogen bonds with the analyte and they may also have attractive polar interactions with the analyte. In addition, steric interaction between analyte and chiral selector could also be important.
The following examples and experimental section are designed to be purely exemplary in nature. Thus, this section should not be viewed as being limiting of the present invention.
EXAMPLES
Throughout this section, various abbreviations are used, including the following: DIC, diisopropylcarbodiimide; HATU, O-(7-Azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-N,N,N,′,N′-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate; DIPEA, N,N-Diisopropylethylamine; DMF, N,N-Dimethylformamide; DCM, Dichloromethane; DMAP, 4-(dimethylaminopyridine); NMM: N-methylmorpholine; Fmoc, 9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl; (Me)Ahx: 6-methylaminohexanoic acid; Fmoc-(Me)Ahx-OH, 6-[(9H-fluoren-9-ylmethoxy)carbonyl]methylamino hexanoic Acid; Fmoc-Ahx-OH, 6-[(9H-fluoren-9-ylmethoxy)carbonyl]aminohexanoic acid; Fmoc-Pro-OH, N-α-Fmoc-L-proline.
General Supplies and Equipment:
Amino acid derivatives were purchased from NovaBiochem (San Diego, Calif.). All other chemicals and solvents were purchased from Aldrich (Milwaukee, Wis.), Fluka (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), or Fisher Scientific (Pittsburgh, Pa.). HPLC grade Kromasil® silica gel (particle size 5 μm, pore size 100 Å, and surface area 298 m 2 /g) was purchased from Akzo Nobel (EKA Chemicals, Bohus, Sweden). Selecto silica gel (32–63 μm) from Fisher Scientific was used for flash column chromatographic purification of target compounds. Thin-layer chromatography was completed using EM silica gel 60 F-254 TLC plates (0.25 mm; E.Merck, Merck KGaA, 64271 Darmstadt, Germany). Elemental analyses were conducted by Atlantic Microlab, Inc. (Norcross, Ga.). HPLC analyses were completed with a Beckman analytical gradient system (System Gold). UV spectra were obtained with a Shimadzu UV 201 spectrometer (cell volume 3 mL; cell pass length 10 mm).
Example 1
Preparation of Chiral Stationary Phase Fmoc-Pro-(Me)Ahx-APS(CSP1)
To 0.80 g of (Me)Ahx-APS silica (the surface (Me)Ahx concentration is 0.64 mmol/g) are added mixtures of Fmoc-Pro-OH (3 equiv., 0.52 g), HATU (3 equiv., 0.58 g), and DIPEA (3 equiv., 0.20 g) in 8 mL of DMF. After agitating for 6 h, the resulting silica is filtered and washed with DMF, Methanol, and DCM to yield the desired chiral stationary phase. The surface Pro concentration is determined to be 0.57 mmol/g based on the Fmoc cleavage method. The resulting chiral stationary phase is packed into a 50×4.6 mm HPLC column using a standard slurry packing method.
Example 2
Preparation of Chiral Stationary Phase Fmoc-Pro 2 -(Me)Ahx-APS(CSP2)
To 0.80 g of (Me)Ahx-APS silica (the surface (Me)Ahx concentration was 0.64 mmol/g) were added mixtures of Fmoc-Pro-OH (3 equiv., 0.52 g), HATU (3 equiv., 0.58 g), and DIPEA (3 equiv., 0.20 g) in 8 mL of DMF. After agitating for 6 h, the resulting silica was filtered and washed with DMF, Methanol, and DCM. The surface Pro concentration was determined to be 0.55 mmol/g based on the Fmoc cleavage method. The Fmoc protecting group was then removed by treatment of the silica with 10 mL of 20% (V/V) piperidine in DMF for 1 h. The deprotected silica, Pro-(Me)Ahx-APS, was collected by filtration and washed with DMF, Methanol, and DCM. Then another module, Fmoc-Pro-OH, was coupled to the resulting silica following an identical reaction sequence and yielded the desired chiral selector on the silica gel. The surface Fmoc concentration was determined to be 0.52 mmol/g based on the Fmoc cleavage method. The resulting chiral stationary phase was packed into a 50×4.6 mm HPLC column using the standard slurry packing method.
Example 3
Preparation of Chiral Stationary Phase Fmoc-Pro 4 -(Me)Ahx-APS(CSP3)
To Rink acid resin (100–200 mesh, 3.0 g, 0.43 mmol/g) preswelled with DCM (20 mL, 30 min) was added the mixture of Fmoc-(Me)Ahx-OH (1.42 g, 3.87 mmol), DMAP (0.16 g, 1.29 mmol), NMM (0.39 g, 3.87 mmol), and DIC (0.49 g, 3.87 mmol) in DCM-DMF (1:1 V/V, 10 mL). After agitating for 6 h, the resin was collected by filtration and washed with DMF, DCM, and Methanol (20 mL×3). The Fmoc group was then removed by treatment with 20 mL of 20% (V/V) piperidine in DMF for 30 min. The deprotected (Me)Ahx-O-Rink resin was collected and washed with DMF, DCM, and Methanol (20 mL×3).
To (Me)Ahx-O-Rink resin was added the mixture of Fmoc-Pro-OH (1.31 g, 3.87 mmol), HATU (1.47 g, 3.87 mmol), and DIPEA (0.50 g, 3.87 mmol) in 20 mL of anhydrous DMF. After agitating for 3 h, the resin was filtered and washed with DMF, DCM, and Methanol (20 mL×3). The Fmoc group was then removed and the second, third and fourth modules, Fmoc-Pro-OH, were coupled by following exactly the same procedures as described above to yield the desired Fmoc-(Pro) 4 -(Me)Ahx-O-Rink resin.
The resin was then treated with 1% TFA in DCM (20 mL, 10 min) to release Fmoc-(Pro) 4 -(Me)Ahx-OH from the resin. This cleavage reaction was repeated one more time to ensure complete reaction. The crude product obtained was purified by flash column chromatography on silica gel (mobile phase: 5% Methanol in DCM) to yield the desired Fmoc-(Pro) 4 -(Me)Ahx-OH as a white solid (0.90 g, 92%). 1 H NMR (CD 2 Cl 2 ): d 1.2–1.7 (m, 6H), 1.9–2.4 (m, 18H), 2.80 (s, 3H), 3.2–3.6 (m, 10H), 4.2–4.7 (m, 7H), 7.1–7.6 (m, 8H), 9.6 (br, 1H). ESI-MS: m/z 756.0 (M+H + ).
A mixture of Fmoc-(Pro) 4 -(Me)Ahx-OH (0.90 g, 1.19 mmol), HATU (0.45 g, 1.19 mmol), and DIPEA (0.15 g, 1.19 mmol) in 8 mL of anhydrous DMF was added to 0.7 g of 3-aminopropyl silica gel (APS). APS was prepared from Kromasil® silica gel (5 μm spherical silica, 100 Å, 298 m 2 /g) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The surface amino concentration is 0.66 mmol/g, based on elemental analysis data of nitrogen (C, 3.11; H, 0.83; N, 0.93). After agitating the mixture for 4 h, the stationary phase was collected by filtration and washed with DMF, DCM, and Methanol (10 mL×3). The surface Fmoc concentration was determined to be 0.27 mmol/g based on Fmoc cleavage method. The resulting chiral stationary phase was packed into a 50×4.6 mm HPLC column using the standard slurry packing method.
The following examples set forth various chromatographic measurements. Therein, retention factor (k) equals to (t r −t 0 )/t 0 in which t r is the retention time and t 0 is the dead time. The separation factor (α) equals k 2 /k 1 , ratio of the retention factors of the two enantiomers. Separation factor of 1 indicates no separation. The larger the separation factor, the better the separation is. Dead time t 0 was measured with 1,3,5-tri-t-butylbenzene as the void volume marker. Flow rate at 1 mL/min., UV detection at 254 nm.
Example 4
This example compares chromatographic resolution of racemic compounds with chiral columns, including embodiments of the present invention (Pro 2 (CSP2), Pro 4 CSP3), Pro 6 (CSP4)). In the following table, k 1 is the retention factor of the least retained enantiomer and the separation factor (α) is defined earlier. This example also shows that a mono-proline chiral column does not perform sufficiently.
Furthermore, this example shows embodiments of the present invention in comparison with known commercial columns.
TABLE 1
Chromatographic resolution of racemic compounds with chiral columns.
k 1 is the retention factor of the least retained enantiomer. Mobile phases are solutions of
specified percentage of IPA and acetic acid in hexanes.
Daicel
Daicel
Whelk-
Analyte name
Analyte Structure
Pro1
Pro2
Pro4
Pro6
OD
AD
O2
Benzoin
a: 1k 1 : 5.783% IPA
a: 1.07k 1 : 8.223% IPA
a: 1.09k 1 : 6.353% IPA
a: 1.12k 1 : 16.05% IPA
a: 1.61k 1 : 4.683% IPA
a: 1.32k 1 : 3.4615% IPA
a: 2.12k 1 : 1.835% IPA
Hydrobenzoin
a: 1k 1 : 17.714% IPA
a: 1.12k 1 : 21.154% IPA
a: 1.13k 1 : 17.984% IPA
a: 1.15k 1 : 25.798% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 7.354% IPA
a: 1.08k 1 : 5.158% IPA
a: 1.33k 1 : 4.184% IPA
Benzoin oxime
a: 1k 1 : 12.2820% IPA
a: 1.09k 1 : 16.0820% IPA
a: 1.13k 1 : 15.3620% IPA
a: 1.20k 1 : 41.4530% IPA
a: 1.13k 1 : 2.8210% IPA
a: 1.24k 1 : 4.5515% IPA
a: 1.31k 1 : 1.4010% IPA
2,2,2-Trifluoro-1-(9-anthryl)ethanol
a: 1k 1 : 16.4010% IPA
a: 1.28k 1 : 23.4410% IPA
a: 1.56k 1 : 18.4810% IPA
a: 1.78k 1 : 22.5825% IPA
a: 1.13k 1 : 1.2615% IPA
a: 1.47k 1 : 1.9910% IPA
a: 1.13k 1 : 0.6210% IPA
α-(pentafluoroethyl)-α-(trifluoromethyl)-Benzenemethanol
a: 1k 1 : 19.313% IPA
a: 1.06k 1 : 16.083% IPA
a: 1.10k 1 : 8.913% IPA
a: 1.10k 1 : 8.625% IPA
a: 1.16k 1 : 0.901% IPA
a: 1.11k 1 : 0.793% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 0.703% IPA
Warfarin
a: 1k 1 : 13.9110% IPA &1% AcOH
a: 1.11k 1 : 10.5710% IPA &1% AcOH
a: 1.08k 1 : 11.1910% IPA &1% AcOH
a: 1.18k 1 : 17.5010% IPA &1% AcOH
a: 2.49k 1 : 6.4015% IPA
a:3.94k 1 : 5.0220% IPA
a: 1.97k 1 : 10.0620% IPA
Sec-Phenethylalcohol
a: 1k 1 : 6.671% IPAin hexane
a: 1.02k 1 : 11.31% IPAin hexane
a: 1.02k 1 : 8.071% IPAin hexane
a: 1.04k 1 : 19.421% IPAin hexane
a: 1.37k 1 : 8.301% IPAin hexane
a: 1k 1 : 4.122% IPAin hexane
a: 1.03k 1 : 3.642% IPAin hexane
a-Methyl-2-Naphthalene-methanol
a:1k 1 : 13.361% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 22.361% IPA
a: 1.04k 1 : 17.621% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 18.813% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 6.253% IPA
a: 1.05k 1 : 1.9810% IPA
a: 1.02k 1 : 4.393% IPA
1-Acenaphthenol
a: 1k 1 : 7.833% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 13.363% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 10.283% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 28.063% IPA
a: 1.16k 1 : 5.463% IPA
a: 1.08k 1 : 6.583% IPA
a: 1.28k 1 : 4.963% IPA
3-Phenyl-Glycidol
a: 1k 1 : 5.233% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 5.643% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 6.773% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 10.385% IPA
a: 1.15k 1 : 16.8710% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 8.018% IPA
a: 1.37k 1 : 8.7410% IPA
1,1′-Bi-2-naphthol
a: 1.04k 1 : 11.4875% IPA
a: 1.16k 1 : 32.8075% IPA
a: 1.29k 1 : 23.8375% IPA
a: 1.42k 1 : 9.9490% IPA
a: 1.16k 1 : 4.498% IPA
a: 1.13k 1 : 3.5825% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 1.265% IPA
2,2′-Diol-5,5′,6,6′,7,7′,8,8′-octahydro-1,1′-binaphthalene
a: 1.14k 1 : 12.5810% IPA
a: 1.17k 1 : 11.1010% IPA
a: 1.32k 1 : 10.9510% IPA
a: 1.67k 1 : 19.7525% IPA
a: 1.32k 1 : 3.985% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 8.5310% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 4.475% IPA
1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-5-pyrimidinecarboxylicacid ethylester
a: 1.05k 1 : 14.8115% IPA
a: 1.18k 1 : 18.6815% IPA
a: 1.24k 1 : 12.6015% IPA
a: 1.20k 1 : 23.5315% IPA
a: 1.15k 1 : 2.1315% IPA
a: 1.40k 1 : 3.4415% IPA
a: 1.16k 1 : 2.2715% IPA
1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-5-Pyrimidine-carboxylic acidethyl ester
a: 1.12k 1 : 44.6630% IPA
a: 1.20k 1 : 27.8050% IPA
a: 1.41k 1 : 25.0730% IPA
a: 1.32k 1 : 30.1370% IPA
a: 1.30k 1 : 2.8715% IPA
a: 1.36k 1 : 4.6215% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 2.2315% IPA
1-[1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-5-pyrimidinyl]ethanone
a: 1k 1 : 27.0315% IPA
a: 1.20k 1 : 40.6015% IPA
a: 1.21k 1 : 25.7215% IPA
a: 1.34k 1 : 33.9025% IPA
a: 1.18k 1 : 2.6215% IPA
a: 1.70k 1 : 3.6215% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 1.8315% IPA
Hexobarbital
a: 1k 1 : 28.861% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 22.281% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 16.981% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 11.263% IPA
a: 1.12k 1 : 6.265% IPA
a: 1.46k 1 : 2.428% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 1.955% IPA
Temazepam
a: 1.09k 1 : 22.032% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 25.542% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 20.242% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 25.525% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 3.3925% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 4.1225% IPA
a: 1.19k 1 : 3.4025% IPA
5-Methyl-5-(2,5-dichloro-phenyl)hydantoin
a: 1k 1 : 11.2115% IPA
a: 1.16k 1 : 14.615% IPA
a: 1.17k 1 : 8.5515% IPA
a: 1.34k 1 : 11.6425% IPA
a: 1.08k 1 : 4.298% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 4.808% IPA
a: 1.11k 1 : 1.9610% IPA
5-Methyl-5-phenylhydantoin
a: 1k 1 : 16.248% IPA
a: 1.10k 1 : 25.008% IPA
a: 1.15k 1 : 15.68% IPA
a: 1.32k 1 : 10.720% IPA
a: 1.09k 1 : 4.068% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 3.248% IPA
a: 1.46k 1 : 1.6710% IPA
Mephenytoin
a: 1k 1 : 5.862% IPA
a: 1.14k 1 : 7.862% IPA
a: 1.14k 1 : 6.932% IPA
a: 1.27k 1 : 9.853% IPA
a: 1.10k 1 : 5.204% IPA
a: 1.37k 1 : 3.564% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 3.354% IPA
sec-Butylcarbanilate
a: 1k 1 : 3.621% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 7.301% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 7.641% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 15.343% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 6.182% IPA
a: 1.04k 1 : 3.352% IPA
a: 1.05k 1 : 3.361% IPA
MethylMandelate
a: 1.02k 1 : 7.971% IPA
a: 1.10k 1 : 10.81% IPA
a: 1.17k 1 : 8.311% IPA
a: 1k 1 : 17.493% IPA
a: 1.25k 1 : 2.823% IPA
a: 1.08k 1 : 1.8510% IPA
a: 1.07k 1 : 1.1210% IPA
Example 5
Specific Embodiments, for Exemplary Purposes, of the Stationary Phase Compounds of the Present Invention and Silica Supports
This example sets forth poly-proline compounds of the present invention, including embodiments with different end-capping groups. The end-capping groups are bonded to the nitrogen atom that is further away from the support. As is noted in the example, some end-capping groups such as pivaloyl (PIV) (CSP-6) are more effective for some analytes than others, such as TAPA. Overall, several different end-capping groups useable with the present invention such as Piv, Fmoc, Boc, Cbz, Aca, Dmb, Tpa all work well. CSP-5, which has no end-capping group, did not perform as well with respect to some analytes.
TABLE 2
Impact of end-capping groups.
Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-5
Piv-Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-6
Fmoc-Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-2
Boc-Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-7
Cbz-Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-8
Aca-Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-9
Tapa-Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-10
Dmb-Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-11
Tpa-Pro-Pro-N(Me)-Ahx-APS: CSP-12
Analyte name
CSP-5
CSP-6
CSP-2
CSP-7
CSP-8
CSP-9
CSP-10
CSP-11
CSP-12
Benzoin
a: 1
a: 1.12
a: 1.07
a: 1.07
a: 1.08
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.10
a: 1.07
k 1 : 5.84
k 1 : 6.34
k 1 : 8.22
k 1 : 4.45
k 1 : 4.63
k 1 : 7.71
k 1 : 19.02
k 1 : 7.76
k 1 : 6.00
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
Hydrobenzoin
a: 1.07
a: 1.22
a: 1.12
a: 1.11
a: 1.11
a: 1.10
a: 1.14
a: 1.13
a: 1.16
k 1 : 16.71
k 1 : 17.00
k 1 : 21.15
k 1 : 10.71
k 1 : 13.33
k 1 : 16.81
k 1 : 26.41
k 1 : 18.09
k 1 : 15.17
4% IPA
4% IPA
4% IPA
4% IPA
4% IPA
4% IPA
4% IPA
4% IPA
4% IPA
Benzoin oxime
a: 1
a: 1.12
a: 1.09
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.10
a: 1.08
k 1 : 11.44
k 1 : 14.65
k 1 : 16.08
k 1 : 10.09
k 1 : 12.23
k 1 : 13.44
k 1 : 16.03
k 1 : 15.00
k 1 : 11.71
20% IPA
20% IPA
20% IPA
20% IPA
20% IPA
20% IPA
20% IPA
20% IPA
20% IPA
2,2,2-Trifluoro-1-
a: 1
a: 1.58
a: 1.28
a: 1.28
a: 1.33
a: 1.16
a: 1.28
a: 1.30
a: 1.40
(9-anthryl)
k 1 : 17.23
k 1 : 22.4
k 1 : 23.44
k 1 : 15.08
k 1 : 15.82
k 1 : 20.02
k 1 : 31.59
k 1 : 20.47
k 1 : 16.03
ethanol
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
α-
a: 1
a: 1.14
a: 1.06
a: 1.11
a: 1.10
a: 1.06
a: 1.10
a: 1.09
a: 1.09
(pentafluoroethyl)-
k 1 : 9.72
k 1 : 8.89
k 1 : 16.08
k 1 : 7.55
k 1 : 5.76
k 1 : 6.18
k 1 : 8.13
k 1 : 13.80
k 1 : 5.75
α-(trifluoromethyl)-
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
Benzenemethanol
Warfarin
a: 1
a: 1.20
a: 1.11
a: 1
a: 1.16
a: 1.12
a: 1
a: 1.16
a: 1.14
k 1 : 41.10
k 1 : 12.41
k 1 : 10.57
k 1 : 19.53
k 1 : 11.55
k 1 : 14.34
k 1 : 28.61
k 1 : 13.41
k 1 : 12.68
90% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
25% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
25% IPA
10% IPA
& 1%
& 1%
& 1%
& 1%
& 1%
& 1%
AcOH
AcOH
AcOH
AcOH
AcOH
AcOH
Sec-Phenethyl
a: 1
a: 1.08
a: 1.02
a: 1.03
a: 1
a:1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
alcohol
k 1 : 6.47
k 1 : 8.42
k 1 : 11.3
k 1 : 6.30
k 1 : 6.02
k 1 : 6.84
k 1 : 9.37
k 1 : 19.34
k 1 : 1.90
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
a-Methyl-2-
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.02
a: 1.10
a: 1
a: 1.04
a: 1
Naphthalene-
k 1 : 15.30
k 1 : 17.31
k 1 : 22.36
k 1 : 13.07
k 1 : 12.96
k 1 : 14.89
k 1 : 17.15
k 1 : 7.65
k 1 : 1.19
methanol
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
5% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1-Acenaphthenol
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
k 1 : 8.12
k 1 : 10.78
k 1 : 13.36
k 1 : 7.34
k 1 : 8.45
k 1 : 11.04
k 1 : 21.41
k 1 : 13.90
k 1 : 8.95
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
7% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3-Phenyl-
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
Glycidol
k 1 : 9.54
k 1 : 11.13
k 1 : 5.64
k 1 : 10.75
k 1 : 9.12
k 1 : 11.29
k 1 : 20.85
k 1 : 15.49
k 1 : 9.78
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
3% IPA
1,1′-Bi-2-
a: 1.05
a: 1.34
a: 1.16
a: 1.17
a: 1.17
a: 1.35
a: 1
a: 1.18
a: 1.30
naphthol
k 1 : 13.31
k 1 : 20.90
k 1 : 32.80
k 1 : 13.21
k 1 : 17.07
k 1 : 15.73
k 1 : 28.63
k 1 : 21.89
k 1 : 19.51
75% IPA
75% IPA
75% IPA
75% IPA
75% IPA
75% IPA
75% IPA
75% IPA
75% IPA
2,2′-Diol-
a: 1
a: 1.08
a: 1.17
a: 1.06
a: 1.14
a: 1.33
a: 1.34
a: 1.24
a: 1
5,5,6,6′,7,7′,8,8-
k 1 : 13.03
k 1 : 17.92
k 1 : 11.10
k 1 : 8.80
k 1 : 12.16
k 1 : 12.33
k 1 : 7.83
k 1 : 13.54
k 1 : 12.73
octahydro-1,1′-
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
10% IPA
binaphthalene
1,2,3,4-
a: 1
a: 1.30
a: 1.18
a: 1.19
a: 1.15
a: 1.22
a: 1.48
a: 1.21
a: 1.26
Tetrahydro-4-(4-
k 1 : 11.52
k 1 : 11.34
k 1 : 18.68
k 1 : 7.91
k 1 : 12.93
k 1 : 13.36
k 1 : 23.07
k 1 : 12.98
k 1 : 9.61
methoxyphenyl)-
10% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
6-methyl-2-thioxo-5-
pyrimidinecarboxylic
acid ethyl ester
1,2,3,4-
a: 1.07
a: 1.49
a: 1.20
a: 1.40
a: 1.36
a: 1.37
a: 1.26
a: 1.40
a: 1.36
Tetrahydro-4-(4-
k 1 : 36.72
k 1 : 39.00
k 1 : 27.80
k 1 : 23.11
k 1 : 31.14
k 1 : 27.18
k 1 : 28.56
k 1 : 24.64
k 1 : 16.80
hydroxyphenyl)-
70% IPA
30% IPA
50% IPA
30% IPA
30% IPA
30% IPA
40% IPA
40% IPA
30% IPA
6-methyl-2-
thioxo-5-
Pyrimidine
carboxylic acid
ethyl ester
1-[1,2,3,4-
a: 1
a: 1.29
a: 1.20
a: 1.24
a: 1.11
a: 1.34
a: 1
a: 1.34
a: 1.23
Tetrahydro-4-(4-
k 1 : 26.54
k 1 : 26.27
k 1 : 40.60
k 1 : 19.00
k 1 : 32.93
k 1 : 31.72
k 1 : 50.85
k 1 : 34.45
k 1 : 17.30
methoxyphenyl)-
10% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
6-methyl-2-
thioxo-5-
pyrimidinyl]ethanone
Hexobarbital
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.22
a: 1.10
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.
k 1 : 29.92
k 1 : 11.51
k 1 : 22.28
k 1 : 7.21
k 1 : 13.11
k 1 : 15.02
k 1 : 9.74
k 1 : 14.94
k 1 : 15.27
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
2% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
Temazepam
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
k 1 : 20.77
k 1 : 17.73
k 1 : 25.54
k 1 : 12.52
k 1 : 17.34
k 1 : 27.75
k 1 : 25.44
k 1 : 20.24
k 1 : 27.30
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
10% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
5-Methyl-
a: 1
a: 1.30
a: 1.16
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.22
a: 1.16
5-(2,5-dichloro
k 1 : 9.35
k 1 : 10.00
k 1 : 14.6
k 1 : 12.39
k 1 : 15.78
k 1 : 8.27
k 1 : 7.52
k 1 : 9.91
k 1 : 7.30
phenyl)hydantoin
10% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
15% IPA
5-Methyl-5-
a: 1
a: 1.18
a: 1.10
a: 1.08
a: 1.16
a: 1
a: 1.16
a: 1.10
a: 1
phenyl
k 1 : 18.12
k 1 : 17.91
k 1 : 25.00
k 1 : 12.93
k 1 : 14.71
k 1 : 13.54
k 1 : 13.44
k 1 : 19.00
k 1 : 14.25
hydantoin
8% IPA
8% IPA
8% IPA
8% IPA
8% IPA
8% IPA
8% IPA
8% IPA
8% IPA
Mephenytoin
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.14
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.10
a: 1
a: 1.07
k 1 : 7.42
k 1 : 5.73
k 1 : 7.86
k 1 : 5.43
k 1 : 5.43
k 1 : 6.27
k 1 : 9.74
k 1 : 8.09
k 1 : 9.00
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
2% IPA
sec-Butyl
a: 1.47
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.04
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
carbanilate
k 1 : 4.09
k 1 : 9.04
k 1 : 7.30
k 1 : 5.91
k 1 : 5.91
k 1 : 7.74
k 1 : 11.89
k 1 : 9.64
k 1 : 9.61
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
Methyl
a: 1
a: 1.23
a: 1.10
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1.10
a: 1
a: 1
a: 1
Mandelate
k 1 : 9.24
k 1 : 9.00
k 1 : 10.8
k 1 : 6.50
k 1 : 8.46
k 1 : 6.27
k 1 : 19.37
k 1 : 19.00
k 1 : 17.64
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
1% IPA
Example 6
This example compares chromatographic resolution of racemic compounds with Fmoc-Pro-Pro-Pro-Pro-N(Me)Ahx-APS (CSP-3) which is an embodiment of the present invention, in two mobile phase systems. Accordingly, this example helps demonstrate the flexibility of chiral stationary phases of the present invention in different mobile phase systems.
TABLE 3
Chromatographic resolution of racemic compounds with Fmoc-Pro-
Pro-Pro-Pro-N(Me)Ahx-APS (CSP-3) in two mobile phase systems
Analyte name
IPA/Hex
DCM/Hex/MeOH
Benzoin
a: 1.09
a: 1.07
k 1 : 6.35
k 1 : 11.61
3% IPA
5% DCM
in Hexane
Hydrobenzoin
a: 1.13
a: 1.12
k 1 : 17.98
k 1 : 12.93
4% IPA
40% DCM
in Hexane
Benzoin oxime
a: 1.13
a: 1.08
k 1 : 15.36
k 1 : 15.85
20% IPA
100% DCM
2,2,2-Trifluoro-1-
a: 1.56
a: 1.20
(9-anthryl)
k 1 : 18.48
k 1 : 9.54
ethanol
10% IPA
100% DCM
α-(pentafluoroethyl)-
a: 1.10
a: 1.06
α-(trifluoromethyl)-
k 1 : 8.91
k 1 : 28.23
Benzenemethanol
3% IPA
30% DCM
in Hexane
Warfarin
a: 1.08
a: 1
k 1 : 11.19
k 1 : 5.84
10% IPA &
30% DCM
1%
in Hexane &
AcOH
1% AcOH
Sec-Phenethyl
a: 1.02
a: 1.02
alcohol
k 1 : 8.07
k 1 : 13.08
1% IPA
10% DCM
in Hexane
a-Methyl-2-
a: 1.04
a: 1
Naphthalenemethanol
k 1 : 17.62
k 1 : 23.66
1% IPA
10% DCM
in Hexane
1-Acenaphthenol
a: 1
a: 1
k 1 : 10.28
k 1 : 7.31
3% IPA
30% DCM
in Hexane
3-Phenyl-Glycidol
a: 1
a: 1
k 1 : 6.77
k 1 : 7.39
3% IPA
30% DCM
in Hexane
1,1′-Bi-2-naphthol
a: 1.29
a: 1.06
k 1 : 23.83
k 1 : 12.21
75% IPA
1% MeOH
in Hexane
2,2′-Diol-
a: 1.32
a: 1
5,5′,6,6′,7,7′,8,8′-
k 1 : 10.95
k 1 : 12.08
octahydro-1,1′-binaphthalene
10% IPA
50% DCM
in Hexane
1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-4-
a: 1.24
a: 1.18
(4-methoxyphenyl)-
k 1 : 12.60
k 1 : 6.26
6-methyl-2-thioxo-
15% IPA
60% DCM
5-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid
in Hexane
ethyl ester
1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-4-
a: 1.41
a: 1.19
(4-hydroxyphenyl)-
k 1 : 25.07
k 1 : 12.72
6-methyl-2-thioxo-5-
30% IPA
3% MeOH
Pyrimidinecarboxylic acid
in Hexane
ethyl ester
1-[1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-4-
a: 1.21
a: 1.22
(4-methoxyphenyl)-
k 1 : 25.72
k 1 : 12.20
6-methyl-2-thioxo-
15% IPA
60% DCM
5-pyrimidinyl]ethanone
in Hexane
Hexobarbital
a: 1
a: 1
k 1 : 16.98
k 1 : 8.08
1% IPA
30% DCM
in Hexane
Temazepam
a: 1
a: 1
k 1 : 20.24
k 1 : 4.62
2% IPA
10% DCM
in Hexane
5-Methyl-
a: 1.17
a: 1.12
5-(2,5-dichloro
k 1 : 8.55
k 1 : 13.56
phenyl)hydantoin
15% IPA
100% DCM
5-Methyl-5-phenyl
a: 1.15
a: 1.11
hydantoin
k 1 : 15.6
k 1 : 18.51
8% IPA\
100% DCM
Mephenytoin
a: 1.14
a: 1.17
k 1 : 6.93
k 1 : 17.10
2% IPA
20% DCM in Hexane
sec-Butyl carbanilate
a: 1
a: 1.12
k 1 : 7.64
k 1 : 4.16
1% IPA
10% DCM in Hexane
Methyl Mandelate
a: 1.17
a: 1
k 1 : 8.31
k 1 : 8.18
1% IPA
10% DCM in Hexane
The invention being described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the Attachments be considered as exemplary only, and not intended to limit the scope and spirit of the invention.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, experimental results, and so forth used in the Specification and Attachments are to be understood as being modified by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless specifically indicated to the contrary, are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention.
REFERENCES
The following references are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
a. Stinson, S. C. Chemical & Engineering News 1995, 73, 44–74. b. Okamoto, Y.; Kawashima, M.; Hatada, K. Journal of the American Chemical Society 1984, 106, 5357–5359. c. Yashima, E.; Yamamoto, C.; Okamoto, Y. Journal of the American Chemical Society 1996, 118, 4036–4048. d. Berthod, A.; Chen, X.; Kullman, J. P.; Armstrong, D. W.; Gasparrini, F.; D'Acquarica, I.; Villani, C.; Carotti, A. Analytical Chemistry 2000, 72, 1767–1780. e. Ekborg-Ott, K. H.; Wang, X.; Armstrong, D. W. Microchemical Journal 1999, 62, 26–49. f. Welch, C. J. Journal of Chromatography A 1994, 666, 3–26. g. Dobashi, A.; Dobashi, Y.; Kinoshita, K.; Hara, S. Analytical Chemistry 1988, 60, 1985–1987. h. Billiot, E.; Warner, I. M. Analytical Chemistry 2000, 72, 1740–1748. i. Wang, Y.; Li, T. Analytical Chemistry 1999, 71, 4178–4182. j. Poole, C. F.; Poole, S. K. Chromatography today; Elsevier: N.Y., 1991. k. Creighton, T. E. Proteins. Structures and Molecular Properties. 2 nd ed; W. H. Freeman and Company: New York, 1993. l. Carpino, L.; El-Faham, A.; Minor, C. A.; Albericio, F. Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications 1994, 201–203.
|
A general chiral column with a multipleproline-based chiral stationary phase. Embodiments include chiral stationary phases of the following formula:
wherein n is any integer of 2 or greater, and analogs and isomers thereof.
| 2
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application relates to U.S. patent application, Ser. No. ______ (not yet assigned) entitled Content Management System and Methodology Employing a Tree-Based Table Hierarchy Which Accommodates Opening a Dynamically Variable Number of Cursors (Docket No.: 31509.9 (SVL9-2002-0034-USI), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The disclosures herein relate generally to databases and more particularly to methods and apparatus for accessing information stored in content management systems.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Conventional content management systems, such as that shown in FIG. 1A, typically include a Library Server (LS), one or more Resource Managers (RMs) and a client access application program interface (API). A client is coupled by a network to the API and seeks information stored in the Resource Manager. The Library Server stores metadata relating to all objects or data stored in the Resource Manager. The Library Server also controls the particular objects that a particular client user can access. Client users can submit requests known as queries through the API to search or retrieve metadata stored in the Library Server or objects stored in the Resource Manager.
[0004] One approach employed to store items in a content management system is to model an item in a single table. Unfortunately, such as single table approach results in many fields among the rows and columns of the table being unused. Such an approach is inefficient from the storage viewpoint. In the past, flat data models have been used to store data in a content management system. For example, FIG. 1B shows an Item Type which is represented by one root table to form such a flat data storage model.
[0005] What is needed is a methodology and apparatus for providing a superior manner of storing and retrieving information in a content management system through the use of improved table structures.
SUMMARY
[0006] The disclosure herein involves a content management system which employs a hierarchical item type tree-based structure including tables at different levels to store metadata for items. A principal advantage of the embodiment disclosed herein is the ability to arbitrarily select or group component tables forming a complex tree-based structure and to then retrieve items therefrom in response to a query.
[0007] In one embodiment of the disclosed methodology, a method is provided for organizing information in a content management system including the step of creating a database including a root table and at least one child table together forming a tree hierarchy which stores information. The method also includes providing a stored procedure for accessing a selected arbitrary portion of the tree hierarchy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] [0008]FIG. 1A is a high level block diagram of a conventional content management system showing both server and client.
[0009] [0009]FIG. 1B is a representation of a flat storage data model showing one root table.
[0010] [0010]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the content management system.
[0011] [0011]FIG. 3A shows two representation complex tree structure data storage hierarchies as Item Type 1 and Item Type 2 .
[0012] [0012]FIG. 3B is a more detailed representation of tables within a tree hierarchy.
[0013] [0013]FIG. 4 shows a representative multi-level tree structure data storage hierarchy including views thereof in more detail.
[0014] [0014]FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing more detail regarding the operation and capabilities of the GetItem Stored Procedure (GetItem SP) employed to retrieve information from arbitrary locations within a tree-based data storage hierarchy.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] [0015]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of content management system 10 . A client computer 15 is coupled to content management system 10 via the system's application program interface (API) 20 . A library server (LS) 25 is coupled to API 20 and receives queries from client 15 . These queries seek information which is stored in library server 25 and/or resource manager 30 . Library server 25 is coupled to resource manager 30 and contains metadata concerning the data or objects that are stored in resource manager 30 . Many types of data can be stored in resource manager 30 , for example, business information, applications, operating systems, text, audio, video and streaming data, just to name a few.
[0016] Content manage system 10 employs a hierarchical item type tree structure in terms of a group of component tables (or views) at different levels to store metadata for items. A “GetItem” Stored Procedure 35 in library server 25 is used to arbitrarily select or group the component tables (or views) from a complex tree structure and then retrieve item information from selected component tables. Such a complex tree structure is shown in FIG. 3A which depicts a tree structure for Item Type 1 and another tree structure for Item Type 2 . More particularly, the Item Type 1 tree structure includes a root table 100 with child tables 105 and 110 extending therefrom. In turn, child tables 115 and 120 extend from child table 105 . Child table 125 extends from child table 120 . In this example, root table 100 and child tables, 105 , 110 , 115 , 120 and 125 are component tables. Together all of these tables form a complex tree hierarchy for Item Type 1 .
[0017] A second complex tree structure data storage hierarchy is shown in FIG. 3A as Item Type 2 . The Item Type 2 tree structure includes a root table 150 with child tables 155 and 160 extending therefrom. Child table 165 extends from child table 160 and child table 170 extends from child table 165 . In this example, root table 150 and child tables, 150 , 155 , 160 , 165 and 170 are component tables. Together all of these tables form the complex tree hierarchy of Item Type 2 .
[0018] [0018]FIG. 3B illustrates a representative tree hierarchy in more detail. This tree hierarchy includes a user-defined component table 200 alternatively called a root table. Table 200 includes the columns ITEM ID, COMPONENT ID, and other system and user defined columns. The ellipses indicate that the table can extend further both vertically and horizontally from the representative portion shown. A child table 205 extends from root table 200 and includes a COMPONENT ID column and a PARENT COMPONENT ID column. The PARENT COMPONENT ID column is a foreign key that points back to a particular unique COMPONENT ID in root table 200 . Another child table 210 extends from child table 205 and includes a COMPONENT ID column and a PARENT COMPONENT ID column. The PARENT COMPONENT ID column is a foreign key that points back to a particular unique COMPONENT ID in child table 205 . A representative multi-level tree-based data storage hierarchy is thus shown in FIG. 3B.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 4 is a more detailed representation of the tree hierarchy shown in FIG. 3A as Item Type 1 . It is often desirable to mask certain portions of a database from certain users. A “view” function is used to achieve this end. For example, it might be desirable for a particular database user to have access to another employee's home address but not their salary information. Views are used to accomplish this task. In FIG. 4 such views are shown as component view 100 A, component view 105 A, child view 110 A, child view 115 A, child view 120 A and child view 125 A.
[0020] Returning to FIG. 2, the GetItem stored procedure 35 allows application users to arbitrarily select a group of component tables (or views) from any hierarchical levels within an item type (or item type view). Advantageously, this feature allows skipping levels in the tree hierarchy and/or skipping of siblings of the selected component table or component tables. Moreover, in an operational scenario where there are several item types (or item type views) in tree structures, users may select or group component tables (or views). The user can then retrieve items in a similar fashion in several different item types (or item type views) simultaneously.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing more detail regarding the operation and capabilities of the GetItem Stored Procedure (GetItem SP) 35 . GetItem SP 35 begins at start block 300 . At block 305 the following inputs are provided to GetItem SP 35 : 1) the number of Item Types (or views), 2) the Item Type ID or Item Type View ID of each Item Type (or view), 3) Component Type (or Component View) to start, 4) Item ID's or Component ID's with version information, and 5) Level Information. The above input parameters are parsed from LOB into structures at block 310 . LOB is a large object which is a data type used in DB2 to manage unstructured date. A “For Each Item Type (view)” loop is commenced at block 315 . At decision block 320 a determination is made regarding at which level the subject of the current input query request is located, namely 1) the current level, 2) the next level, or 3) all levels of the hierarchy.
[0022] If a determination is made that the subject of the current input query is the current level, then process flow continues to block 325 . A query of the component table is then conducted based on the input item ID's/component ID's. A cursor is opened using a dynamic linked library (DLL). Process flow then continues to block 330 where the system builds component type ID's (view ID's) sequence information into an LOB and sends the LOB back to the client 15 via API 20 . Then process flow continues back to start block 300 .
[0023] If a determination is made at decision block 320 that the subject of the current input query is the next level of the tree hierarchy, then process flow continues to block 335 . A query is then conducted of a system table to find all child component tables forming the next level. At block 340 , for each child table, a “Do query” is performed based on the parent child relation of the component ID using foreign keys in the child tables. A cursor is opened by invoking a DLL as described earlier. Process flow then continues to block 330 where the system builds component type ID's (view ID's) sequence information into an LOB and sends the LOB back to the client 15 via API 20 . Then process block continues back to start block 300 .
[0024] However, if a determination is made at decision block 320 that all levels in the tree hierarchy are the subject of the current input query, then process flow continues to block 345 . Note that a “for loop” within a “for loop” within still another “for loop” follows. More particularly, for each level in the tree hierarchy ( 345 ), for each table at this level all child tables are found ( 350 ) and for each of these child tables a query is performed ( 355 ) based on the parent-child relation of the component ID using the foreign key in the child table. A cursor is opened by invoking a DLL as earlier described. A determination is then made at decision block 360 to see if the bottom of the hierarchical tree has been reached. If the bottom of the tree has not been reached, then process flow continues back to block 350 at which GetItem SP 35 continues to cycle through levels. When decision block 360 ultimately determines that the bottom of the hierarchical tree has been reached, then process flow continues to decision block 365 . Decision block 365 checks to see if all Item Types (views) have been exhausted. If all Item Types (views) have not been exhausted than process flow continues back to block 315 where GetItem SP 35 cycles or moves on to the next Item Type (or view). However, when decision block 365 ultimately determines that all Item Types (or views) have been exhausted, then process flow continues to block 330 . At block 330 the system builds component type ID's (view ID's) sequence information into an LOB and sends the LOB back to the client 15 via API 20 .
[0025] In summary, to permit GetItem SP 35 to arbitrarily select or group the component tables (or views) from different hierarchical levels of the tree vertically and across several item types or item type views horizontally, “GetItem” stored procedure 35 is responsive to data at its input 35 A which 1) instructs GetItem SP 35 to retrieve items from a particular component table (or view) at any hierarchical level; 2) instructs GetItem SP 35 to retrieve items from all next-level child tables (or views) belonging to a specified component table (view) at any hierarchical level; and 3) instructs GetItem SP 35 to retrieve items from a specified component table (or view) and all of its child tables (or views) of all hierarchical levels below.
[0026] Moreover, a list of item types (or multiple item types) or item type view ID's can also be provided as input to GetItem SP 35 . Each ID can be repeated several times. It is noted that the number of the Item Type, or Item Type view IDs (sNumOf ItemType ViewID) should be specified as an input to GetItem SP 35 . For example, a representative input ID to GetItem SP 35 could be “ItemTypeView1, ItemTypeView1, and ItemTypeView2) wherein ItemTypeView1 appears twice. In this particular example, the input for sNumOf ItemType would be 3 .
[0027] The combination of GetInfo SP 35 input and sLevel and the list of item types or item type view IDs (including the repeated IDs) during an invocation of the GetItem SP provides application users with the ability to arbitrarily select component tables in multiple hierarchical structures.
[0028] In conclusion, when the GetItem 35 stored procedure is invoked and provided with the following data from a query from the client 1) number of Item Types (Item Type 20 views; 2) Item Type ID (or Item Type View ID) for each Item Type (or view) 3) Component Type (or component view)—a starting point, 4) Item ID or Component ID and 5) Level (current level, immediate child or all children below), the disclosed content management system and methodology permit the user to locate information in virtually any arbitrary location in the often complex tree hierarchy which stores data in the system.
[0029] The disclosed content management system methodology and apparatus advantageously solves the problem of accessing information in a complex tree-based table data hierarchy. The content management system can be stored on virtually any computer-readable storage media, such as CD, DVD and other magnetic and optical media in either compressed or non-compressed form. Of course, it can also be stored on a server computer system or other information handling system.
[0030] Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of an embodiment may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.
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A content management system is provided including a plurality of tables forming a tree-based storage hierarchy. The system includes a stored procedure which enables information to be retrieved from different arbitrary locations throughout the storage hierarchy. Advantageously, the system retrieves information from both simple and complex tree-based storage hierarchies.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a table tennis game employing end goals and particularly to a conversion kit by which a conventional table tennis table can be readily adapted to play the game.
The conventional table tennis game is universally popular as is evidenced by the many millions of players in the United States alone. Alternatives to the conventional game have been suggested from time to time in an attempt to provide the players with variety, and in addition, to assist in polishing the skills required in certain aspects of the game. However, known variations have required that the table be irreversibly modified, for example by providing cut-out goal holes in the table top. Practice net devices are also known but, in general, provide a single net mounted at one end of the table and having a return apparatus for the convenience of a single player. Such apparatus tends to be cumbersome and not readily removable from the table for conventional play.
The present game overcomes these deficiencies in a manner not disclosed in the known prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This table tennis game provides an alternative to the conventional game in the form of a variation which employs end goals.
An important object of this invention is to provide a conversion kit which includes a pair of end goals each formed from a frame having upper, lower and side members and a net attached to the frame in depending relation to the lower member to form a ball-receiving pocket below the table top.
Another important object is to provide end goals which are readily attachable to the table top and immediately removable when resumption of normal play is desired.
It is an object to provide a goal attachment means which does not affect the table top for regular play.
Yet another object is to provide a table tennis conversion kit which is simple to manufacture, and provides end goals which are readily installed for use in conjunction with conventional equipment to play a game which is easily understood.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the game equipment;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of a goal;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail illustrating the mounting means for the goal;
FIG. 5 is a similar detail illustrating a modified mounting means; and
FIG. 6 is a similar detail illustrating another modified mounting means.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing, and first to FIG. 1, it will be understood that in the preferred embodiment the table 10, center net 11, paddles 12 and ball 13 are those used in conjunction with the conventional table tennis game. In addition to these items a pair of goals, generally indicated by numeral 14, provide the means by which the conventional game is converted into an end goal game. As clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each goal 14 extends above the table top 15 and is symmetrically disposed relative to the center line 16. And as will appear each goal is attached in removable relation to one of the opposed ends 17 of the table top 15.
As disclosed in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 each goal 14 includes a frame 20, of wire or plastic, which includes an upper member 21, side members 22 and a lower transverse member 23. The lower transverse member 23 extends between said side members 22 and is attached to said side members as by end loops 24. Each goal 14 is provided with a net, indicated generally by numeral 25, which is attached as by peripheral sleeve elements such as those indicated by numerals 26 and 27 to associated frame members 21, 22 and 23. Importantly, the net 25 is formed from relatively limp material similar to that used for fishnets. The net 25 includes upper and lower portions indicated by numerals 30 and 31. The upper portion 30 extends between the upper and lower members 21 and 23 and is thereby substantially exposed above the table top 15. The lower pouch portion 31 is disposed below said lower member 23 and constitutes a ball-receiving pocket which hangs below the table top 15.
It is important for the goals 14 to be removed rapidly from the table 10 and the goal mounting means by which this is achieved will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 which illustrate alternative means of attachment. Essentially, the goals 14 are provided with end portions which are releasably secured to the cooperating means provided at the table top end 17. In the embodiment clearly shown in FIG. 4, the frame side members 22 include downwardly projecting portions 32 which are received within the associated socket portions 34 of a pair of transversely spaced brackets 33. The brackets 33 are attached to the table top end 17 as by wood screws 35, and it will be understood that the bracket socket portions 34 are suitably configurated to hold the corresponding projecting portions 32 in frictional relation. As also shown in FIG. 4, the lower frame member 23 is held in place as by seating the end loops 24 on a frictionally fitted short plastic sleeve 29 provided on each side member 22. Alternatively, the lower member 23 can be positioned by engagement of loops 24 with the table top 15 or, if desired, by engagement of the loops 24 with the bracket 33. In any event, the lower frame member 23 is either substantially at the same level as, or slightly below, the level of the table top 15 so as not to obstruct the entry of the ball 13 into the net 25.
FIGS. 5 and 6 disclose two other means of releasably attaching the goal 14 to the table top end 17. For example, FIG. 5 discloses the use of a pair of spaced screw eyes 33a which are screwed into the table end 17. The downwardly projecting portion 32a of each side member 22 is received within the eye 34a and in this embodiment the transverse member, indicated by numeral 23a is welded, or otherwise fixedly attached, to each side member 22 and engages the screw eye 33a to limit the extent to which the projecting portion 32a is received within said screw eye and thereby position the goal. FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment, in which the table top ends 17 are provided with a pair of spaced, pre-drilled holes 33b constituting socket portions. As shown, the projecting portions 32b of said side member 22 are bent inwardly to be received within associated holes 33b. The loops 24 of the lower member 23 are engageable with said outstanding projections 32a to effectively position the goal 14.
The size of the end goals 14 used in conjunction with a conventional 9 feet 0 inches × 4 feet 6 inches table top are best shown by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 2 the height of each goal 14 above the table top 15 is substantially equal to the play surface of the paddle 12 shown in phantom outline. The width of the goal 14 between side members 22 is approximately three and one-half times the height. The net pouched portion 31 depends below the table top 15 substantially the same amount as the exposed portion 30 extends above said table top.
It is thought that the structural features of the end goals and the attachment thereof to the table have become fully apparent from the foregoing description of parts but for completeness of disclosure the method of play, which by virtue of the end goals has aspects of a table hockey game as well as a table tennis game, will be briefly described.
It will be understood that the means of attachment of the goals 14 form a permanent part of the table 10 so that said goals can be installed and removed instantly. In the case of the disclosure of FIG. 4 the brackets 33 are permanently attached to the table top end 17 as by the screws 15 or by adhesive means. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 the screw eyes 33a are maintained permanently in position while in the embodiment of FIG. 6 the pre-drilled holes 33b are likewise a permanent feature. The method of attachment in each case provides absolutely no obstruction to normal play when it is desired to resume the conventional table tennis game.
Following the positioning of the goals at each end of the table 10 by inserting the side frame projecting portions 32 with the associated socket portions provided at the table top end 17, the game for two players is played as follows:
The Play:
1. Server serves to opposing player.
2. Opposing player makes return of ball.
3. Server tries to score goal with his second return of ball.
4. Opposing player tries to block the shot and also tries to score in opponent's goal with his return.
5. Play continues until a goal is scored or the ball is hit off the table or into the center net.
6. The last player to hit the ball, if the ball goes off the table, will be the return player on the next play.
7. After the ball has been returned once to the server it may be hit without first hitting the table.
8. Goals may be scored anytime by a player after his second hit of the ball.
Special rules:
Serving:
1. Service ball must hit both sides of the table with the serve.
2. The serve must be from one corner to the diagonally opposite corner.
3. If the service ball hits the center net or the goal or the wrong side of the center line, play is over and the opposing player serves.
4. If the table is missed by the serve the opposing player is awarded a PENALTY shot.
Return of service:
1. The ball must be returned so as to give the server a good hit.
A. no slams or spin returns are allowed.
B. no returns into center net or goal are allowed.
C. ball must be returned to the same side of the table from which the server served and must hit on server's side to constitute a good return.
2. Any of the above infractions A, B and C gives the server a penalty shot.
Penalty shot:
1. All penalty shots are taken as soon as they are awarded.
2. The penalized player places his paddle in front of his goal at the goal center with the handle up. He may hold the paddle at the upper end to steady it but may not move it to block a penalty shot.
3. The player shooting the penalty shot attempts to serve the ball into the goal. Ball must hit the table on server's side. It need not hit the table on opposing player's side.
4. After a penalty shot the player taking the shot starts the play over with a regular serve.
Blocking shots:
1. Shots may be blocked with paddle only, anything else such as arm, hand, etc. results in a penalty.
2. Shots may be blocked to within 18 inches in front of own goal.
Scoring:
1. 5 goals wins the game. 2 out of 3 games wins the match.
2. No goals on serve or first return count.
3. The ball must be retained in the goal to count.
4. Pushing on the goal to keep the ball out of the goal is not allowed. Goal is allowed if this happens.
5. Ball hitting center net or player and rebounding into goal counts for opposing player.
Center Net:
If the ball hits the center net in play it may be continued in play or the player on whose side it is may start play over with a serve.
The above rules can be modified to some extent without departing from the basic end goal game.
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This table tennis game utilizes a conventional table, paddles, center net and ball together with end goals which are supplied in the form of a conversion kit. The conversion kit includes a pair of end goals detachably mounted to the table, each goal being formed from a frame having upper, lower and side members and a net of relatively limp material, which is attached to the frame and hangs below the table top to form a ball-receiving pocket.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of malononitrile.
2. Background of the Invention
Malononitrile is a starting material and intermediate of central importance for the preparation of an extremely wide range of, for example, pharmaceutical or agrochemical active ingredients (Ullmann's Encyklopadie der technischen Chemie, 4 th revised and expanded edition, Verlag Chemie Weinheim, Volume 16, pp. 419-423).
Although a large number of processes are known for the preparation of malononitrile, the only one to have achieved significance on an industrial scale is the high-temperature reaction of acetonitrile with cyanogen chloride at temperatures above 700° C.
BROAD DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to develop an alternative process with the potential for use on an industrial scale. The object of the invention is achieved by the process of the invention.
According to the invention, a (2-cyano-N-alkoxy)acetimidoyl halide of the general formula: ##STR1## in which R 1 and R 2 are identical or different and are hydrogen or alkyl, R 3 is alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl or a group: ##STR2## in which R 4 is an alkyl, aryl or arylalkyl group, and X is a halogen atom, is converted into malononitrile at a temperature of from 500° to 1000° C.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Alkyl group is expediently taken to mean a C 1-6 -alkyl group, namely, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, t-butyl, pentyl and its isomers or hexyl and its isomers. A preferred meaning of R 1 is methyl.
Cycloalkyl is expediently a C 3-6 -cycloalkyl group, namely, cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl or cyclohexyl.
Aryl is expediently optionally substituted phenyl or naphthyl, and arylalkyl is expediently a benzyl group. Both the alkyl and the aryl group can be provided with suitable substituents. Examples which may be mentioned are: C 1-4 -akyl, C 1-4 -alkoxy, C 1-4 -alkanoyl, halogen, nitro, amino, alkylamino or dialkylamino.
Halogen has the meaning of fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine, preferably bromine or chlorine. The (2-cyano-N-alkoxy)acetimidoyl halides, as starting compound for the high-temperature treatment, can be expediently prepared by halogenation of a (2-cyano-N-alkoxy)acetamide of the general formula: ##STR3## in which R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as defined above.
The halogenation is preferably a chlorination and is carried out using suitable halogenating agents, such as, phosphorus pentachloride, phosgene, phosphorus oxychloride or tetrachloromethane in conjunction with triphenylphosphine.
The reaction is expediently carried out in a suitable solvent, preferably a halogenated solvent, such as, chloroform or methylene chloride.
The reaction temperature for the halogenation is expediently from -20° to 150° C. The corresponding (2-cyano-N-alkoxy)acetimidoyl halide can be obtained from the reaction mixture in an expert manner, e.g., by extraction, and, following removal of the solvent, can be used for the further conversion.
The high-temperature conversion according to the invention preferably proceeds at a temperature of from 700° to 1000° C. The reaction is usually carried out in a tubular reactor. The conversion time is generally a few seconds.
The reaction is advantageously carried out in the presence of a hydrogen donor, such as, in the presence of alkyl-substituted aromatics, preferably toluene.
Unreacted starting material can be recycled.
The malononitrile can be obtained from the reaction product, e.g., by extraction using a hydrocarbon and water, the aqueous phase being saturated with sodium chloride, and the malononitrile being re-extracted with an ether.
The (2-cyano-N-alkoxy)acetimidoyl halides of the general formula: ##STR4## in which R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as defined above, are hitherto not known in the literature and are thus also provided by the invention.
Preferred (2-cyano-N-alkoxy)acetimidoyl halides are (2-cyano-N-methoxy)acetimidoyl chloride and (2-cyano-N-ethoxy)acetimidoyl chloride.
EXAMPLE 1A
Preparation of (2-cyano-N-methoxy)acetimidoyl chloride
13.8 g (119.7 mmol) of (2-cyano-N-methoxy)acetamide was introduced at room temperature into 200 ml of chloroform. The solution was cooled to 3° C., and then 29.6 g (139 mmol) of PCl 5 in 70 ml of chloroform was carefully added. After the evolution of gas had subsided, 90 ml of water was carefully added at 5° C. The aqueous phase was separated off and extracted two more times with 50 ml of methylene chloride. The combined organic phases were washed with NaHCO 3 until neutral, dried and concentrated by evaporation. The brown residue (11.34 g) was subjected for further purification to distillation at 85° C./10 mbar. This gave 8.5 g (53 percent) of a colorless liquid which, according to 1 H-NMR, was pure. Other data concerning the product was:
1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=3.60 (s, 3H, CH 2 ); 4.01 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ).
13 C-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=128.3 (s); 113 (s); 63.4 (q); 26.3 (t).
EXAMPLE 1b
Preparation of (2-cyano-N-ethoxy)acetamide
13.69 g (135.3 mmol) of triethylamine was slowly added dropwise at room temperature to a solution of 12.0 g (123.0 mmol) of O-ethylhydroxylamine hydrochloride and 11.61 g (117.2 mmol) of methyl cyanoacetate in 100 ml of methanol, and the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 60 hours. Although the conversion was not yet complete, the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness. Flash column chromatography (silica gel, firstly 1:1 ethyl acetate/hexane, then ethyl acetate) of the residue produced 8.20 g (55 percent) of the title product as a white solid. Other data concerning the product was:
1 H-NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): 67 =11.2 (s, broad, NH); 2.80 (q, 2H); 3.55 (s, 2H); 1.15 (t, 3H).
13 C-NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ=159.37 (C═O); 115.53 (C.tbd.N); 70.88 (OCH 2 ); 22.89 (CH 2 ); 13.27 (CH 3 ).
EXAMPLE 1c
Preparation of (2-cyano-N-ethoxy)acetimidoyl chloride
A suspension of 7.60 g (0.037 mmol) of phosphorus pentachloride in 30 ml of chloroform was slowly added dropwise at 3° C to a solution of 3.90 g (0.030 mol) of (2-cyano-N-ethoxy)acetamide in 70 ml of chloroform. The slightly cloudy reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for one hour. 40 ml of H 2 O was added dropwise with ice cooling. The phases were separated and the aqueous phase was extracted with chloroform (2×50 ml). The combined organic phases were washed with a Na 2 CO 3 solution (pH 11; 2×20 ml), dried using Na 2 SO 4 , and the solvent was distilled off on a rotary evaporator. Kugelrohr distillation (2-4 mbar, 150° C. oven temperature) of the residue produced 3.21 g (72 percent) of the title compound as a clear, colorless oil. Other data concerning the product was:
1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=4.25 (q, 2H); 3.60 (s, 2H); 1.32 (t, 3H).
13 C-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ=127.78 (Cl--C═N); 113.46 (C.tbd.N); 71.62 (OCH 2 ); 26.41 (CH 2 ); 14.36 (CH 3 ).
EXAMPLE 2a
Preparation of malononitrile
129 mg of (2-cyano-N-methoxy)acetimidoyl chloride was dissolved in 10 ml of toluene. This solution was injected in portions, divided into 100 μl portions, over the course of 45 minutes into a spherical vaporization flask, which was connected to a quartz pyrolysis tube (length 30 cm, internal diameter 2.5 cm and heated to 870° C.) such that the pressure, reduced by means of the vacuum pump, was maintained at 0.2 mbar. The reaction products were collected in a cold trap cooled to -196° C. Analysis of the reaction mixture using 1 H-NMR and GC-MS indicated, as well as unreacted starting material and bibenzyl, a yield of malononitrile of 27 percent, based on the starting material used.
EXAMPLE 2b
Preparation of malononitrile
146 mg of (2-cyano-N-ethoxy)acetimidoyl chloride was dissolved in 10 ml of toluene. This solution was injected in portions, divided into 100 μl portions, over the course of 45 minutes into a spherical vaporization flask, which was connected to a quartz pyrolysis tube (length 30 cm, internal diameter 2.5 cm and heated to 870° C.) such that the pressure, reduced by means of the vacuum pump, was maintained at 0.2 mbar. The reaction products were collected in a cold trap cooled to -196° C. Analysis of the reaction mixture using 1 H-NMR and GC-MS indicated, as well as unreacted starting material and bibenzyl, a yield of malononitrile of 25 percent, based on the starting material used.
EXAMPLE 3
Preparation and purification of malononitrile
510 mg of (2-cyano-N-methoxy)acetimidoyl chloride was dissolved in 50 ml of toluene. This solution was injected in portions, divided into 100 μl portions, over the course of 130 minutes into a spherical vaporization flask, which was connected to a quartz pyrolysis tube (length 30 cm, internal diameter 2.5 cm and heated to 870° C.) such that the pressure, reduced by means of the vacuum pump, was maintained at 0.3 mbar. The reaction products were collected in a cold trap cooled to -196° C. The contents of the cold trap were transferred to a separating funnel, and the cold trap was rinsed with 50 ml of hexane and twice with 40 ml of water. The combined solutions were extracted with water (a total of 150 ml) and the phases separated. 52 g of sodium chloride was added to the aqueous phase, which was then extracted by shaking three times with diethyl ether (a total of 700 ml). The etheric phase was dried using MgSO 4 , and the solvent was removed under reduced pressure. According to 1 H-NMR, the residue consisted of 95 percent of malononitrile and 5 percent of the starting material. The yield was 26 percent, based on the starting material used.
The following experiments were carried out as in Example 2 but with different quartz tube temperatures.
______________________________________Temperature Yield in % of Starting ° C. malononitrile Material Bibenzyl______________________________________4 570° 2 74 5 5 670° 13 26 9 6 770° 15 19 15 7 820° 18 9 17 8 870° 27 11 29 9 920° 23 11 20 10 970° 23 7 25______________________________________
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A novel process for the preparation of malononitrile which involves subjecting a (2-cyano-N-alkoxy)acetimidoyl halide to a high-temperature treatment.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention concerns the provision of heat to a screen covering the guttering on the roof of a house or other building.
[0002] Mesh materials are commonly installed as screens over guttering along the edge of building roofs for the purpose of preventing the entry of unwanted materials such as sticks, leaves, and other tree debris, large insects, litter and the like into the guttering while still allowing water to flow from the roof into the guttering. In some places such guttering is called a gutter or spouting, but the general shape remains the same being an open topped channel, usually made of metal or plastics material, positioned to collect rainwater as it runs off a roof and gently sloped to deliver the collected water to one or more discharge points, usually downwardly directed downpipes.
[0003] It is well known that the collection of unwanted materials in guttering causes overflowing of the guttering, blockage of the outflow pipes, constitutes a fire hazard and contributes to corrosion of the guttering. It also contaminates any water collected from the roof for drinking or other domestic purposes.
[0004] Many systems are in use, and more have been proposed, which provide a screen of mesh to cover the top of the guttering. Some of these systems require the mesh to be tensioned between rigid fastenings on the roof and the top outer edge of the guttering. Such mesh must be kept somewhat tensioned in order for the leaves and sticks to slide over the edge of the gutter. The present invention is particularly adapted to such systems.
[0005] Many types of mesh have been used to produce a screen which successfully excludes foreign matter from guttering. Types of mesh that have been tried include punched metal, expanded (slit) metal, woven wire meshes and fibreglass flyscreen fabric. However in recent years moulded plastic meshes have been the most widely used.
[0006] However such meshes can bring disadvantages in regions prone to snowfall. As snow builds up, its weight can create substantial downwards pressure on the mesh, so causing it to stretch or tear or otherwise distort its fastenings to the roof or guttering. But if the mesh is not retained in a slight tension, the appearance and effectiveness of the mesh is reduced as the mesh sags into the gutter and does not shed the foreign material as readily. The present invention provides a means of reducing the weight/duration of snow loading on such mesh.
[0007] Snow and ice sliding down along roofs and from roofs of buildings is a source of damage to the roofs, to the guttering along the edges of the roof to people and other objects below. Roof tiles are dislodged and/or broken, guttering is bent and supporting brackets pulled out. Large chunks falling commonly cause serious injury to people and damage motor vehicles and other items below. An object of some embodiments of the present invention is to reduce such damage even in instances where guttering does not require a screen over it to prevent entry of leaves and sticks.
[0008] Another problem with using mesh screening in snow-prone regions is that as snow which has packed onto a roof then slides off the roof in a sheet, the mesh can suffer substantial damage if the snow does not slip smoothly across it. An object of preferred embodiments of the present invention is to reduce the tendency of such damage by providing a relatively smooth upper surface on the mesh.
[0009] Most attempts to use meshes to cover guttering have used a mesh which is so coarse that much foreign material passes through. Although this material is often small enough to be flushed away without blocking downpipes and drains, it can build up in the guttering and can also contaminate the water if it is stored in tanks for drinking. Perhaps more importantly though is that such mesh is so coarse that sticks and leaf stems easily become caught in it. Trapped in this way, the materials so caught protrude up from the mesh thus creating a barrier to the escape of other debris and the mesh thus provides a solid anchor for the build-up of further debris around the guttering area on a roof.
[0010] But if a mesh is fine enough to screen out the desired level of fine materials, this commonly impacts adversely on the mesh's ability to allow water to pass through, particularly at times of high rates of rainfall. An object of preferred embodiments of the present invention is to provide a mesh which has improved water transmission because sheeting of the water flow across the mesh is reduced and water is encouraged to break free from the underside of the mesh to fall into the gutter.
[0011] Some prior art proposes that a heated wire or tape be placed in the gutter to melt the snow therein. However such heating is somewhat distant from the roofline where heating would be most effective. Also as the heating means is in contact with the gutter, substantial heat loss occurs from conduction through the gutter material to the surrounding air instead of it being directed into melting snow/ice.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In one aspect the present invention provides a screen applied to overlay a gutter on an outside edge of a roof of a building, said screen comprising a panel of generally planar mesh affixed along one edge of the panel to the roof and along the opposite edge of the panel to the top outside edge of the gutter, the mesh being formed of moulded plastics material and the panel having an electrically powered heating strand extending along the panel in the direction of said one edge of the panel.
[0013] The mesh is preferably formed of an electrically insulating polymer material. Preferably the heating strand is a wire having an electrically insulating coating thereon.
[0014] The heating strand may be integrally moulded into the mesh, may be threaded through the holes in the mesh or may be tied to the mesh. Alternatively it may be retained by being looped around, (or otherwise caught upon) free ends or protruberances formed on the mesh. Alternatively the strand may be retained by clips which are in turn themselves retained within holes in the mesh. Alternatively the strand may be retained by being clipped into a channel formed longitudinally in the mesh. The heating strand may be affixed to the mesh by being looped into or around itself through holes in the mesh.
[0015] In another aspect the invention provides a sheet mesh of plastics material for application upon or above a roof gutter to prevent the entry of unwanted materials into the gutter, said mesh comprising:
a first face and a second face on respective opposite sides of the mesh, and a first array of parallel strands aligned in a first direction integrally moulded with a second array of parallel strands aligned substantially at right angles to the first array, said strands defining mesh apertures therebetween,
wherein a pair of ribs or strands in the first array are adapted to clasp therebetween an electrical resistance heating wire.
[0018] Preferably the mesh comprises:—
a top face and a bottom face on respective opposite sides of the mesh, a first array of parallel strands hereinafter called longitudinal strands aligned in the direction of said one edge of the panel, and a second array of parallel strands hereinafter called lateral strands integrally moulded with and aligned at right angles to the first array,
said first and second arrays of strands defining mesh apertures therebetween extending from said top face to said bottom face.
[0022] Preferably the thickness of the longitudinal strands extends for substantially the full thickness of the mesh from said top face to said bottom face, and the thickness of the lateral strands extends along their full length, from said top face to less than 80% of the thickness of the mesh. The lateral strands are preferably spaced closer to each other than are the longitudinal strands.
[0023] Water flow through the mesh may be increased if strands in the mesh aligned in the direction of the gutter are formed to extend below the strands at right angles to them. But this introduces a series of contradictory performance requirements. In particular, if the mesh strands aligned longitudinally to the gutter project below the general plane of the mesh in order to facilitate water removal on the underside of the mesh, there is the adverse effect that this increased depth of longitudinal strand increases the longitudinal stiffness of the mesh so that it is difficult to bend along a tight radius during the important tailoring of the mesh to the profile of the roofing material during the installation process. Moulding the mesh from an especially flexible plastics material would facilitate such bending, but this would be strongly detrimental to the necessary rigidity required for the lateral strands in the mesh which support the span of the mesh between the roof and the outer edge of the gutter. Conventionally a compromise would therefore be required whereby stiffness in the lateral direction would be compromised in order to obtain satisfactory flexibility in the longitudinal direction and flexibility in the longitudinal direction would be compromised in order to achieve sufficient stiffness in the lateral direction.
[0024] Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present invention the lateral strands are made from a stiffer material than that from which the longitudinal strands are made. Preferably the lateral strands are formed from a material having a greater elastic resilience than the material from which the longitudinal strands are made. Preferably the lateral strands are at least mostly high density polyethylene and the longitudinal strands are at least mostly low density polyethylene and the mesh is formed using a plastics co-extrusion process.
[0025] It is highly desirable that a mesh readily discards any leaf litter and the like which falls onto or is washed onto it. Non discarded material catches other material and also organically breaks down to drop fine material into the guttering. The invention therefore provides that the thickness of the longitudinal strands may extend for substantially the full thickness of the mesh from said top face to said bottom face, and the thickness of the lateral strands may extend along their full length from said top face to less than 80% of the thickness of the mesh. The mesh would accordingly have a smooth top face, with the longitudinal strands and the lateral strands extending through to the top face, while the bottom face would carry ridges aligned in the direction of the lateral strands. The lateral strands may be spaced closer to each other than are the longitudinal strands, and the apertures may have an oval shape with their longer axis parallel to the lateral strands.
[0026] Preferably the apertures have a longer axis having a length in the range 4.0 to 5.5 mm and have a shorter axis having a length in the range 2.5 to 3.0 mm. Preferably a flat strip portion lies along said opposite edge of the panel and parallel to the longitudinal strands, said strip portion being substantially flat on its top face which blends gently with said top face of the remainder of the mesh.
[0027] The affixation of the mesh to the gutter may be by screws through the flat strip portion, with or without an overlying metal strip. Alternatively the affixation of the mesh to the gutter may be by means of mated strips of a textile hook and loop fastening system adhered to said flat strip portion and to said top outside edge of the gutter.
[0028] In a further aspect the invention provides a method of reducing the downward force of snow upon a mesh screen extended above a gutter on an outside edge of a roof of a building for the purpose of preventing the entry of unwanted materials into the gutter, said screen comprising a panel of mesh in a generally planar form affixed along one edge of the panel to the roof and along the opposite edge of the panel to the top outside edge of the gutter, said method comprising applying, when snow is covering the mesh, an electric current to an electrical heating strand extending along the mesh in the direction of said one edge of the panel. The mesh is preferably formed of moulded plastics material.
[0029] The invention may also be applied for a similar purpose over the valley drains on the roofs of buildings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] In order that the invention may be more fully understood there will now be described, by way of example only, preferred embodiments and other elements of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings where:
[0031] FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically the general structure of an installation of a mesh to a tiled roof in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0032] FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically the general structure of an installation of a mesh to a corrugated sheet steel roof in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;
[0033] FIG. 3 is a top view of a portion of the mesh in FIGS. 1 and 2 and in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention;
[0034] FIG. 4 is a section view of part of the mesh along A-A indicated in FIG. 3 ;
[0035] FIG. 5 is a section view of part of the mesh along B-B indicated in FIG. 3 ;
[0036] FIG. 6 is a section view of part of the mesh along C-C indicated in FIG. 3 ;
[0037] FIGS. 7 and 8 show two views of a clip which may be used to affix heating strand to the mesh shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 ;
[0038] FIG. 9 shows portion of a modified form of the mesh shown in FIG. 4 which is adapted for quickly affixing a heating strand; and
[0039] FIG. 10 is a plan view of an installation of a mesh screen to a roof in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0040] Referring to the installation shown in FIG. 1 , the edge of a roof has roofing tiles 11 , fascia 12 , soffit 13 and gutter (also called guttering) 14 . A panel 15 of mesh is fixed over the gutter 14 to prevent the entry of unwanted materials while allowing the free flow of water through the mesh and into the gutter 14 . The panel 15 is formed by unrolling a roll of mesh along the length of the guttering 14 and attaching one edge 33 of the mesh to the roof and the other edge 34 to the guttering. The panel 15 is attached to the roof by the weight of the second bottom row of tiles 11 and to the guttering by means described later in this specification. A rounded lip 18 forms the top outside edge of the guttering 14 and lies at the top of the guttering's outer face 20 . The mesh is flexible enough for the panel to easily bend to the profile of the roofing tiles 11 so that the tiles continue to be located by correct engagement with neighbouring tiles. A similar configuration of installation may be used for a shingle roof.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 2 , wherein the roof is made from corrugated sheet steel 21 , a first long edge 33 of the mesh panel 25 is cut and tailored and attached to the roof with appropriate cleats or clips 23 screwed through the mesh at the ridge tops of every second corrugation and wings on the cleats 23 press the mesh down into each corrugation valley of the roof metal. The opposite long edge 34 of the mesh is attached to the outer lip 28 of the guttering by clamping the outer edge of the mesh between the outer lip 28 of the guttering and a length of angle trim 26 which is screwed at intervals to the lip 28 .
[0042] In the case (not shown in the Figures) of a roof with a metal tray or deck cladding, the mesh panel would be cut at each high point of the cladding profile, fixed to the roof by screwing the mesh to the sides of the ribs of the profile, and the edges sealed to the pan of the profile by means of silicone sealant.
[0043] A preferred form of the mesh 15 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 3 to 6 . The mesh has the form of a semi-rigid sheet formed from a plastics material (preferably UV stabilised polyethylene) and is provided in a roll of constant width which would preferably be within the range of 25 cm to 100 cm wide, the actual width depending on the particular application. The mesh as installed has a top face 38 and bottom face 40 .
[0044] Parallel strands 42 of the mesh material in a first array run longitudinally of the mesh so when it is installed, the strands 42 run in the direction of the length of the guttering 14 . Parallel strands 44 in a second array run laterally of the mesh so, when installed, they run in the direction of the width of the guttering. FIG. 4 is cross-section A-A indicated in FIG. 3 and this runs along the centre line of one of the lateral strands 44 . FIG. 5 is cross-section B-B indicated in FIG. 3 and this runs along a line halfway between two lateral strands 44 .
[0045] The intersecting strands 42 and 44 define between them apertures 48 through which the water flows into the gutter 14 . Running longitudinally and centrally of the mesh is a strand of electrically insulated resistance heating wire 50 . The wire is attached by looping it through apertures 48 at appropriate intervals and intertwining/knotting the wire to its own loops in the general manner of a crochet construction, and is best seen in FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a stylised representation, somewhat different from actual appearance, in order to more clearly show the path taken by the wire. Such a construction results in there being two effective rows 51 of wire 50 above the strands 44 , and one row 52 of wire 50 below the strands 44 . All the rows 51 and 52 in combination comprise a single convoluted path of a single length of wire. An appropriately shaped hook would be used to accomplish this looping and knotting procedure whereby the wire 50 is linked with this mesh. The heating of the wire 50 may be achieved by connection to any suitable voltage such as 120-250 volt mains power, but is preferably by a lower voltage such as 6 to 24 volt. The wire is preferably a standard type of resistance heating type cable fully surrounded by an extruded UV-protected plastic cover, such as HDPE or PVC. The wire 50 is preferably heated at a rating of about 24 w/m but this value could be from about 1 w/m to 50 w/m as suited to the particular situation.
[0046] The wire is preferably fastened to the mesh at the time the mesh is first installed over the gutter. For mains-voltage operation, an appropriately certified electrician would oversee the installation and electrical connection using appropriate safety circuit breakers to react if the wire becomes damaged; but this degree of protection may not be required if a low voltage connection is chosen.
[0047] Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8 , a clip 54 is shown which provides an alternative means of attaching the strand 50 , which has the form of a wire, to the mesh. The clip 54 is a plastic moulding having an oval shaped base 56 attached to one end of a neck portion 58 at the other end of which are two arms 60 sized to snugly engage and retain the strand 50 between them. The longer axis of the oval base 56 is set at right angles to the direction of spread of the arms 60 . In use the base 56 of such a clip is inserted upwards, fron the face 40 to the face 38 , through an oval aperture 48 in the mesh, and then turned through 90° before the wire 50 is clipped into engagement between the arms 60 . The neck 58 has a length which matches the thickness of the mesh. This embodiment has the advantage that the wire 50 remains completely below the mesh where it is less likely to be caught by moving snow.
[0048] Referring to FIG. 9 , one of the longitudinal strands 42 is modified such that it is longitudinally bifurcated having two ribs 43 defining a channel 45 therebetween into which the wire 50 may be clipped.
[0049] An alternative method of attaching the wire 50 to the mesh is to simply thread it up and down through the mesh along its length.
[0050] Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 10 . The panel 64 of mesh extends between the roof 21 and the outer lip of the guttering where it is held in place by the angle trim 26 . Heating wire 62 is fastened to the mesh such that it adopts a zig-zag path 63 back and forth across the panel 64 at an angle of approximately 45° to the direction of the guttering. The wire may be fastened to the mesh by interweaving generally in the manner described above with reference to FIG. 6 , or by clips as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , or by any other suitable means.
[0051] With the wire 62 tracking back and forth across the width of the mesh panel 64 in this manner, the snow and ice tends to melt into smaller chunks which are not as dangerous or damaging if/when they slide off the roof.
[0052] The electric current may be passed through the wire 50 in either a constant or pulsed manner. The source may be a low voltage, such as 6 or 12 volts for example, or may be a much higher voltage such as that used by an electric fence.
[0053] The longitudinal strands 42 extend for the full thickness of the mesh; that is for their full length they occupy the full depth between the top face 38 and bottom face 40 of the mesh. The lateral strands 44 extend from the top face 38 down about halfway to the bottom face. In other embodiments the depth of the lateral strands 44 may be up to 80% of the thickness of the mesh and down to as little as 20% of the thickness. Preferably the depth of the lateral strands is between 30% and 70% of the depth of the longitudinal strands.
[0054] Referring in particular to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 , running along the gutter-side edge 34 of the mesh is a flat strip portion 46 . This is approximately 20 mm wide and its thickness is approximately equal to the depth of the lateral strands 44 . The top face 38 of the mesh is smooth and flat apart from minor irregularities due to non-uniform shrinkage of the plastics material as it solidifies during manufacture. Such shrinkage is somewhat greater at the longitudinal strands due to their greater depth. The strip 46 provides physical reinforcement to the outer edge 34 of the mesh and also provides a strengthened region for the means by which the mesh is affixed to the lip 18 of the guttering. Preferably the flat strip portion 46 is not perforated.
[0055] The longitudinal strands 42 have a generally trapezoidal cross-section as best seen in FIG. 5 while the lateral strands 44 have a generally semi-circular cross-section as seen in FIG. 6 . Where the strands 42 and 44 intersect, that intersection is heavily gusseted in the plane of the mesh thus rounding off the corners of the holes. The apertures 48 in the mesh are accordingly of a generally elliptical or oval shape and their longer axis is aligned in the direction of the lateral strands. The gusseting provides a strengthening feature to the mesh which increases its resistance to tearing and/or splitting. The oval shaped aperture, with its alignment in the direction of water flow, provides good water transmission through the mesh and reduces the incidence of entry of pine needles.
Typical dimensions for the mesh are: centre to centre spacing of longitudinal strands 42 7.0 to 8.5 mm and preferably 7.5 mm centre to centre spacing of lateral strands 44 4.5 to 5.5 mm and preferably 5.0 mm depth of longitudinal strands 42 2 mm depth of lateral strands and flat strip portion 1 mm major axis of apertures 48 4.0 to 5.5 mm minor axis of apertures 48 2.5 to 3.0 mm
[0056] The smooth top face 38 on the mesh is particularly advantageous. It should be appreciated that the whole of the surface that can be seen in FIG. 3 is substantially flat. The smoothness of the top face provides outstanding “slip-off” of debris and minimises the possibility of sliding snow catching on the mesh and so damaging it. Experiments have indicated that a 60% improvement in “slip-off” of pine needles is achieved by this mesh compared with a corresponding mesh where the strands form a rippled or ridged top surface. Any deviation from flatness (for example that caused by differential shrinkage during manufacture) is preferably kept to less than 0.25 mm.
[0057] The ridged bottom face 40 on the mesh provides a substantial advantage in that the water flow down the underside of the mesh is substantially disturbed from a smooth flow and each longitudinal strand 42 provides a break-off point for the water flow.
[0058] A suitable material for the mesh is produced by a co-extrusion process whereby the second array (lateral strands 44 ) is moulded from a less flexible material than the first array (longitudinal strands 42 ). A particularly desirable combination of materials is for the shallower strands 44 (ie those running across the width of the guttering) to be moulded from high density polyethylene (HDPE) while the strands 42 extending in the direction of the gutter are moulded from a mixture of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and HDPE in a co-extrusion process. By this means the mesh may be made stiffer in the lateral direction than in the longitudinal direction, despite the strands in the longitudinal direction having a deeper profile. The mesh thus has an improved resistance to sagging into the guttering.
[0059] In order to improve bonding of the two types of polyethylene, a small proportion of LDPE may be blended with the HDPE and/or a small proportion of HDPE may be blended with the LDPE. HDPE has a greater elastic resilience than LDPE. HDPE thus tends more to spring back to its originally moulded position whereas LDPE tends to more readily retain the shape to which it is bent during tailoring of the mesh to suit the profile of the roof to which it is installed.
[0060] In localities with a high fire danger, the mesh material preferably has a self-extinguishing fire retardant characteristic which desirably conforms to a fire rating of 3 under Australian Standard AS3959 when tested according to AS1530 Part 2.
[0061] In an alternative arrangement for fastening the panel 15 of mesh to the guttering, where the outer edge of the panel 15 of mesh reaches the outer lip 18 of the guttering 14 no angle trim or screws are employed to fix the mesh to the guttering. This is the fastening arrangement used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 . This fastening arrangement employs a mating pair of fastening strips of a textile hook and loop fastening system, an example of which is marketed under the trade mark Velcro. The fastening strips are held by adhesive to the top of the guttering lip 18 and to the underside of the strip portion 46 respectively and run continuously along the guttering and the mesh. The inner or roof side edge of the mesh is first securely affixed to the roof in the conventional manner and the mesh is then tensioned across the guttering and pressed down to contact the mating strips of hook and loop textile.
[0062] In some embodiments the present invention may provide heat to continuously melt snow and ice overlying the mesh so as to gradually eliminate relatively large amounts. The melt would run through the mesh in many circumstances, but when the gutter freezes solid with ice, the melt water could flow over the outer lip of the gutter.
[0063] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications which fall within its spirit and scope.
[0064] It will be also understood that where the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and “comprising”, are used in this specification, unless the context requires otherwise such use is intended to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or features but is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other feature or features.
[0065] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art.
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A screen ( 15 ) applied to overlay a gutter ( 14 ) on an outside edge of a roof ( 11 ) of a building. The screen comprises a panel ( 15 ) of generally planar mesh affixed along a first edge to the roof ( 11 ) and along the opposite edge of the panel to the top outside edge ( 18 ) of the guttering ( 14 ). The mesh is formed of moulded plastics material and the panel ( 15 ) has an electrically powered heating strand ( 50 ) extending along the panel in the direction of said first edge. A screen ( 15 ) applied to overlay a gutter ( 14 ) on an outside edge of a roof ( 11 ) of a building. The screen comprises a panel ( 15 ) of generally planar mesh affixed along a first edge to the roof ( 11 ) and along the opposite edge of the panel to the top outside edge ( 18 ) of the guttering ( 14 ). The mesh is formed of moulded plastics material and the panel ( 15 ) has an electrically powered heating strand ( 50 ) extending along the panel in the direction of said first edge.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION
[0001] This application is related to U.S. Ser. No. 09/346,213, filed Jul. 1, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,225,429, issued May 1, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to processes for making vinyl caprolactam (VCL)-based polymers, and, more particularly, to a suspension polymerization process for making such polymers in water without requiring the addition of protective colloids, and which are obtained thereby as substantially odor-free polymers, without residual monomers, and in an environmentally friendly solvent.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] J. Kroker et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,195, described a process for preparing an aqueous solution of 10-60% polyvinyl caprolactam (PVCL) homopolymer at a temperature above its cloud point in the presence of 0.1-20% by weight based upon vinyl caprolactam (VCL) monomer of a water-soluble synthetic polymeric protective colloid. Aqueous polyvinyl caprolactam homopolymer made with a protective colloid present in the starting materials was homogeneous, whereas protective colloid free systems were inhomogeneous, which were not readily dilutable with water except stirring for a prolonged period of time. Addition of an emulsifier to the starting material also formed an appreciable portion of PVCL polymer remained attached to the stirrer element.
[0006] Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a process for making VCL-based polymers in water without requiring addition of a water-soluble synthetic protective colloid in the reaction mixture.
[0007] Another object herein is to provide a process of making VCL-based copolymers and terpolymers by suspension polymerization in which the monomers are fed into the reaction vessel at a predetermined feeding schedule.
[0008] Still another object herein is to provide an aqueous solution of VCL-based polymers which are substantially odor-free, monomer-free and uncontaminated by the presence therein of protective colloids.
[0009] A feature of the invention is the provision of an aqueous suspension polymerization process for making VCL-based copolymers or terpolymers wherein a suitable dispersing agent for the copolymer product is generated in-situ during the polymerization.
[0010] These and other objects and features of the invention will be made apparent from the following description thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] What is described herein is an aqueous suspension polymerization process for making VCL-based polymers without an added protective colloid, in which the monomers are introduced into the reaction vessel at a predetermined feeding schedule, and wherein the dispersing agent to keep the copolymer product in a stirrable state during the polymerization is generated in situ during the course of the polymerization. In this invention, accordingly, the polymerization process proceeds smoothly to form a uniform suspension of fine polymer particles in water at a temperature above the cloud point of the polymer without developing large lumps of polymer material during polymerization.
[0012] The product of this process is an odor-free, monomer-free, aqueous solution of the desired VCL-based polymer uncontaminated by a protective colloid.
[0013] The process is adaptable to any VCL-based polymers, which are made by copolymerizing VCL monomer with one or more substantially water-soluble monomers. Examples of representative copolymers, are copolymers of VCL and vinyl pyrrolidone (VP); copolymers of VCL and N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide (VIMA); terpolymers of VCL/VP/M 3 , where M 3 is a linear, acylic N-vinylamide monomer which is N-vinyl formamide, N-vinyl acetamide or N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide (VIMA), in predetermined proportions of each monomers, preferably at least 40% by wt. VCL, most preferably at least 50% by wt., the rest being VP and/or a linear, acylic N-vinylamide; and mixtures thereof.
[0014] The product can be used to provide completely alcohol-free, hair care compositions, e.g., 0% VOC hair fixatives and hair conditioners, gas hydrate inhibitors and ink-jet printing media.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The polymerization process of the invention is carried out at a temperature of at least 15° C., preferably 35° C., above the cloud point of the polymer, as a suspension polymerization. In this protective colloid-free system, the monomers are fed into the reaction vessel at a predetermined feeding schedule to generate a polymer product in-situ at an early stage of the reaction as the dispersing agent to maintain the copolymer particles suspended in water during the polymerization. Accordingly, no added protective colloid is necessary in this process. The polymer product thus is a fine dispersion of polymer particles in water before cooling, without any polymer build-up on the agitator shaft and/or reactor wall, which causes agitation problems and a prolonged period of time to re-dissolve the polymer in water.
[0016] In a typical run, about 2-25%, preferably 3-15%, of the total amount of VP, or a substantially water-soluble monomer (M 3 ) or VP/M 3 , with initiator is fed into water at the reaction temperature over 30 minutes, followed by metering in the remaining monomer pre-mix with initiator over 1-4 hours. Alternatively, the initiator can be fed separately into the reaction vessel. After holding the reaction mixture for one hour, 2-4 additional booster shots of initiators are added to react out any residual monomer to the desired low level. At the end of the reaction, the batch is cooled to ambient conditions to form a clear, viscous polymer solution.
[0017] As described, the VCL-based copolymers of the present invention, copolymers are made by copolymerizing VCL monomer with one or more substantially water-soluble monomers in predetermined proportions of each monomer. Examples of representative water-soluble comonomers, but not limited to, are vinyl amides such as vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylformamide, N-vinylacetamide and N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide.
[0018] Usually the polymerization processes in water is performed at a temperature between 50° to 100° C. under nitrogen atmosphere, although polymerization can also be carried out at a temperature above 100° C. under pressure, or at a temperature below 50° C. using redox initiators. Suitable polymerization initiators typically have a half-life of 1-5 hours at a given polymerization temperature. Representative polymerization initiators include azo compounds such as 2,2′-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (VAZO-52), 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (VAZO-64), 2,2′-azobis(methylbutyronitrile) (VAZO-67) and 1,1′-azobis(cyanocyclohexane) (VAZO-88, du Pont); peroxyesters such as t-butyl peroxypivalate (Lupersol 11M75), t-amyl peroxypivalate (Lupersol 554M75) and t-amyl peroxy-2-ethylhexanote (Lupersol 575, Elf Atochem); peroxydicarbonates such as di-(2-ethylhexyl) peroxydicarbonate (Lupersol 223, Elf Atochem) and di-(4-t-butylcyclohexyl) peroxydicarbonate (Perkadox 16S, Akzo Nobel). During the residual monomer reduction period, a second polymerization initiator, if needed, can be used to speed up the polymerization cycle. The residual monomers can be eliminated by treatment with hydrogen peroxide thereby to minimize odor in the product.
[0019] The process of the invention enables the synthesis of VCL-based polymers directly in water. Water is an environmentally friendly solvent and is preferred in many end uses, for example, hair care formulations such as hairsprays, mousses, styling gel, etc., gas hydrate inhibition, ink jet printing, and the like.
[0020] The term polymer, copolymer or terpolymer, as used herein, refers to VCL-based polymers with one or more monomers, and allows for copolymers, terpolymers, tetrapolymers, etc. as desired. Suitably such VCL-based polymers should contain at least about 40% VCL, and preferably 50% or more, by weight, in the composition.
[0021] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of Vinyl Caprolactam (VCL)/Vinylpyrrolidone (VP)/N-Vinyl-N-Methylacetamide(VIMA) (75/5/20) Terpolymer in Water without Protective Colloid
[0022] 300 g of distilled water was charged into a 1-I resin kettle, fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube, an anchor agitator, a thermal watch/thermocouple probe and a heating mantle. Nitrogen sparging was started and continued throughout the run. The kettle was then heated to 80° C. and maintained 80° C. with an agitation speed at 200 rpm. A pre-charge mixture of 5 g of VP, 5 g of VIMA and 0.20 g of Lupersol 11, was charged into the resin kettle over a period of 30 minutes. Thereafter, a mixture of 75 g of VCL, 15 g of VIMA and 0.80 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator was pumped into the resin kettle over the next 60 minutes. After completion of monomer feeding, the reaction mixture was held at 80° C. for 60 minutes. Residual monomers were reduced by treatment with 0.50 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator every 90 minutes for three times. The copolymer product was a milky-white dispersion in water at 80° C. Upon cooling, the reaction product was a clear viscous solution at room temperature.
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of Vinyl Caprolactam (VCL)/Vinylpyrrolidone (VP)/n-Vinyl-N-Methylacetamide (VIMA) (71/24/5) Copolymer in Water without Protective Colloid
[0023] This example illustrates the preparation of a vinyl caprolactam-based hair fixative polymer, namely VCL/VP/VIMA (71/24/5) copolymer, directly in water according to a predetermined monomer feeding sequence, and without adding a protective colloid. It further describes the use of hydrogen peroxide as the chase initiator, which generates water as the sole by-product, to minimize offensive odor due to the use of excessive amounts of organic initiator.
[0024] 300.00 g of distilled water was charged into a 1-I resin kettle, fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube, an anchor agitator, a thermal watch/thermocouple probe and a heating mantle. After pH adjustment to 10 with 2 drops of concentrated ammonium hydroxide, nitrogen sparging was started and continued throughout the run. The kettle was then heated to 80° C. and maintained 80° C. with an agitation speed at 250 rpm. A pre-charge mixture of 4.80 g of distilled VP, 1.00 g of VIMA and 0.20 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator (t-butyl peroxypivalate, 75% active), corresponding to 5.8% of total monomers, was pumped it into the resin kettle over a period of 30 minutes. Thereafter, a mixture of 71.00 g of VCL (V-CAP/RC®, ISP), 19.20 g of VP, 4.00 g of VIMA and 0.80 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator was pumped into the resin kettle over the next 60 minutes. The reaction mixture turned milky within 5 minutes upon the charging of the monomer pre-mix. After completion of monomer feeding, the reaction mixture was held at 80° C. for 60 minutes. Residual monomers were reduced by treatment with 2.00 g of hydrogen peroxide(30% active) every 90 minutes for three times. The copolymer product was a milky-white dispersion in water at 80° C. Upon cooling, the reaction product gained in viscosity at about 50° C. and became a clear, viscous solution at room temperature. The solids content was adjusted to 25% in water. Gas chromatography (GC) analysis indicated that it contained only 0.0080% VCL, 0.0021% VP and ≦0.010% VIMA. The polymer had a cloud point of 45° C. (0.5% in water) and a relative viscosity of 1.765 (1% in water).
EXAMPLE 3
Preparation of Vinyl Caprolactam (VCL)/N-Vinyl-N-Methylacetamide (VIMA) (75/25) Copolymer in Water
[0025] 300 g of distilled water was charged into a 1-I resin kettle, fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube, an anchor agitator, a thermal watch/thermocouple probe and a heating mantle. Nitrogen sparging was started and continued throughout the run. The kettle was then heated to 80° C. and maintained 80° C. with an agitation speed at 200 rpm. A pre-charge mixture of 10 g of VIMA and 0.20 g of Lupersol 11, was charged into the resin kettle over a period of 30 minutes. Thereafter, a mixture of 75 g of VCL, 15 g of VIMA and 0.80 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator was pumped into the resin kettle over the next 60 minutes. After completion of monomer feeding, the reaction mixture was held at 80° C. for 60 minutes. Residual monomers were reduced by treatment with 0.50 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator every 90 minutes for three times. The copolymer product was a milky-white dispersion in water at 80° C. Upon cooling, the reaction product was a clear viscous solution at room temperature.
EXAMPLE 4
Preparation of Vinyl Caprolactam (VCL)/N-Vinyl-N-Methylacetamide (VIMA) (60/40)Copolymer in Water
[0026] 300 g of distilled water was charged into a 1-I resin kettle, fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube, an anchor agitator, a thermal watch/thermocouple probe and a heating mantle. Nitrogen sparging was started and continued throughout the run. The kettle was then heated to 80° C. and maintained 80° C. with an agitation speed at 200 rpm. A pre-charge mixture of 10 g of VIMA and 0.20 g of Lupersol 11, was charged into the resin kettle over a period of 30 minutes. Thereafter, a mixture of 60 g of VCL, 30 g of VIMA and 0.80 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator was pumped into the resin kettle over the next 60 minutes. After completion of monomer feeding, the reaction mixture was held at 80° C. for 60 minutes. Residual monomers were reduced by treatment with 0.50 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator every 90 minutes for three times. The copolymer product was a milky-white dispersion in water at 80° C. Upon cooling, the reaction product was a clear viscous solution at room temperature.
EXAMPLE 5
Preparation of Vinyl Caprolactam (VCL)/N-Vinyl-N-Methylacetamide (VIMA) (75/25) Copolymer in Water
[0027] 300 g of distilled water was charged into a 1-I resin kettle, fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube, an anchor agitator, a thermal watch/thermocouple probe and a heating mantle. Nitrogen sparging was started and continued throughout the run. The kettle was then heated to 80° C. and maintained 80° C. with an agitation speed at 200 rpm. A pre-charge mixture of 2.5 g of VCL and 7.5 g of VIMA and 0.20 g of Lupersol 11, was charged into the resin kettle over a period of 30 minutes. Thereafter, a mixture of 72.5 g of VCL, 17.5 g of VIMA and 0.80 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator was pumped into the resin kettle over the next 60 minutes. After completion of monomer feeding, the reaction mixture was held at 80° C. for 60 minutes. Residual monomers were reduced by treatment with 0.50 g of Lupersol 11M75 initiator every 90 minutes for three times. The copolymer product was a milky-white dispersion in water at 80° C. Upon cooling, the reaction product was a clear viscous solution at room temperature.
[0028] While the invention has been described with particular reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made which are within the skill of the art. Accordingly, it is intended to be bound only by the following claims.
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A process of making a vinyl caprolactam (VCL)-based polymer which comprises suspension polymerizing the monomers in aqueous medium in the absence of an added protective colloid, wherein polymer formed at an early stage of the polymerization functions as a dispersing agent to maintain polymer particles suspended in water throughout the polymerization.
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This is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 782,746, filed Oct. 1, 1985 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spacecraft rocket propulsion systems and, more particularly, to the utilization of fluid bipropellant by spacecraft rocket propulsion systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
A recurrent objective in the implementation of spacecraft rocket propulsion systems powered by a fluid bipropellant is the efficient utilization of the bipropellant. Surplus bipropellant which remains after a rocket engine has boosted a spacecraft to a desired trajectory above the earth represents excess mass carried aloft with the spacecraft. This excess mass can add to the cost of launching a spacecraft and can degrade spacecraft performance by, for example, adding to the total spacecraft mass which must be moved during station keeping maneuvers when a spacecraft is in geostationary orbit.
Unfortunately, the relative rates at which the respective constituents of a bipropellant are consumed is not easily predictable. Thus, enough of each bipropellant constituent typically is provided so that the spacecraft will not run short of one or the other bipropellant constituent before reaching the desired trajectory even if one constituent is consumed more rapidly than origianlly predicted. When the spacecraft does not consume the extra bipropellant, however, a surplus results.
In the past, various techniques have been employed in order to more efficiently utilize the bipropellant in order to avoid such surpluses. For example, during the firing of a rocket engine, the rate of consumption of each bipropellant constituent has been measured, and its flow rate to the rocket engine has been adjusted accordingly in order to achieve more complete consumption of both bipropellant constituents. Furthermore, in the case of some spacecraft of the type which have had large numbers of launchings, sufficient data on their rocket engine in-flight performance has been compiled to provide a relatively accurate estimate of how much of each bipropellant constituent is needed for a given mission.
While earlier techniques for efficiently utilizing fluid bipropellant generally have been successful, there have been shortcomings with their use. For example, the measurement and adjustment of a bipropellant constituent's flow rate during the firing of a rocket engine often cannot be performed with sufficient accuracy. Furthermore, when a type of spacecraft has not had the benefit of numerous launchings in which to compile bipropellant consumption rate statistics, there may be insufficient data to accurately predict the rates of consumption of the bipropellant constituents during a particular mission.
Thus, there has been a need for a method for more efficiently controlling the utilization of fluid bipropellant by a spacecraft. The present invention meets this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one implementation, the present invention comprises a method for controlling the utilization of a fluid bipropellant including two respective constituents, for example, an oxidizer and a fuel, which are contained separately in respective tanks aboard a spacecraft and which are consumed by a spacecraft rocket engine. The method comprises the step of actuating the rocket engine. During the actuation of the rocket engine, the bipropellant constituents flow to the rocket engine in a first proportion. After the actuation of the rocket engine, the amount of bipropellant constituents contained in the bipropellant tanks is measured. The pressure level within bipropellant tank is adjusted based upon the amount of bipropellant constituents measured in the bipropellant tanks. After the measuring step, the rocket engine is fired once again. During this subsequent actuation of the rocket engine, the bipropellant constituents flow to the rocket engine in a second proportion based upon the above-described adjusted pressure level.
Thus, the present invention provides a method for efficiently utilizing bipropellant in a spacecraft rocket engine by advantageously measuring the amount of bipropellant constituents remaining within the bipropellant tanks between the firings of the rocket engine. In this manner, a relatively accurate measurement of the remaining constituents can be made and appropriate adjustment to the constituent flow rate during a subsequent firing of the rocket engine can be made so that both constituents of the bipropellant are more completely utilized by the rocket engine.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The purpose and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an elevation view, partially exploded, of the spacecraft in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the booster stage and an interstage structure of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a sequence of trajectories during ascent of the spacecraft to a geosynchronous orbit;
FIG. 4 shows a trajectory during a descent maneuver of a recoverable stage after separation from a payload;
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a spacecraft engine and of a bipropellant delivery system of the invention for applying fuel and oxidizer to a spacecraft engine, the figure further showing tanks and controls of propellant utilization by a pressurant gas manifold and valves for regulation of the pressurant gas;
FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating dependency of fuel flow rates on inlet pressure from storage tanks to the pumps of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a controller of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of an alternative system for pressurizing spacecraft bipropellant tanks.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention comprises a novel method for controlling the utilization of a fluid bipropellant in a spacecraft rocket engine. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred method will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other methods and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the methods shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features dislcosed herein.
With reference to FIGS. 1-2, a spacecraft (200) comprises a payload (202), a reusable engine stage (204), and an interstage structure (206) which connects the engine stage (204) to the payload (202). In accordance with the invention, the engine stage (204) includes a propulsion motor (37) fed by fuel from relatively lightweight tanks such as the tanks (30, 32, 34) and a fourth tank not visible in the views of FIGS. 1-2.
As will be described below, the interstage structure (206) allows for a disconnection of the engine stage (204) from the payload (202) after the spacecraft (200) is inserted into a geosynchronous orbit. The interstage structure (206) is discarded, and the engine stage (204) undergoes a descent maneuver which returns the engine stage (204) to a parking orbit of a space shuttle (not shown) for recovery and return to earth.
As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the engine stage (204) includes a telemetry and command antenna (212) and a solar panel (214) which converts solar energy into electrical energy for powering electrical circuitry (not shown) coupled from the antenna (212). The electrical circuitry also provides for command and control function relating to the operation of the propulsion motor (37). The antenna (212) is located at the end of the stage (204) opposite the engine (37) to allow communication with the payload (200) and stage (204) throughout the mission.
A grapple fixture (216) is located on the front of the stage (204) for well-known interaction with the shuttle remote manipulator system for recovery of the stage (204) into the shuttle. Attachment fixtures (218) on the exterior of the stage (204) facilitate connection and disconnection of the spacecraft (200) to the space shuttle. The interstage structure (206) is also provided with attachment fixtures (224) to aid in securing the spacecraft (200) to the space shuttle via a cradle.
In operation, the spacecraft (200) is loaded on board a space shuttle and carried to a parking orbit above the earth. The spacecraft (200) is launched from the shuttle for insertion into the transfer orbit. The propulsion motor (37) burns propellant provided by the stage tanks to boost the spacecraft from the parking orbit and then the geosynchronous orbit into the transfer orbit. Thereupon, the interstage structure (206) is activated, in well-known fashion, by electronic signals of well-known electrical circuitry (not shown) carried by the engine stage (204) to disconnect the payload (202) from the stage (204). The interstage structure (206) is separated in turn from the stage and discarded. The engine stage (204), which has become separated from the payload (202), is reactivated by signals from the foregoing electrical circuitry to maneuver into a descent trajectory which brings the engine stage (204) back to the parking orbit of the shuttle. The engine stage (204) is then recovered by the shuttle to be returned to earth for future use in the launching of future payloads.
In the foregoing description of the operation, mention has been made of the maneuvering of the spacecraft (200), the payload (202), and the reusable engine stage (204) in various trajectories and orbits in order to accomplish the purposes of the invention. These trajectories and orbits will now be further described with reference to FIGS. 3-4.
FIG. 3 illustrates typical orbit maneuvers required for injecting the payload (202) into a geostationary orbit. After ejection from the shuttle, the spacecraft (200) is rotated about its longitudinal axis providing a spin-up to approximately 15 RPM (revolutions per minute). There follows a half orbit (45 minutes) drift at the end of which the first burn of the main engine occurs, actuated by a timer (not shown) for imparting a velocity increment of 2300 ft/sec, the acceleration of the spacecraft to the foregoing velocity being terminated by a signal from a well-known velocity meter (not shown).
The new orbit has a period of about two hours. After one orbit, a second main engine burn is inaugurated by the timer at perigee and terminated by the velocity meter at 2900 ft/sec, this increasing the orbit period to three hours and forty minutes. After completion of one revolution in this new orbit, a third burn is initiated by command of the timer and has a velocity increment of 2800 ft/sec, this latter burn being terminated by the velocity meter. This third burn achieves geosynchronous transfer orbit, which orbit has a ten hour and thirty-three minute period.
Reorientation for the apogee maneuver is accomplished by radio command during the first transfer orbit, and apogee firing start is commanded by radio command at the optimum time, namely, at a second apogee of the transfer orbit thereby propelling the spacecraft (202) into the geostationary orbit above the earth. The apogee burn imparts a velocity increment of 5800 ft/sec to achieve the desired orbit. The total elapsed time from shuttle deployment is twenty-two hours and fifteen minutes.
Prior to the payload (202) separation from the stage (204) after injection of the spacecraft (200) into geosynchronous orbit, the stage (204) with payload (202) attached may be despun. After separation the stage (204) is spun up again to 15 RPM. The separation is accomplished in dual fashion wherein the payload (202) first separates from the interstage structure (206), the structure (206) then separating from the stage (204). The stage (204) is then prepared for its return voyage to the shuttle. The first step in the return voyage is to reorient the stage (204) approximately 15° in preparation for a descent maneuver commencing 13 hours after apogee injection. The timing is chosen to align the node of the stage (204) with that of the shuttle. In the descent maneuver, from geosynchronous orbit shown in FIG. 4, a velocity increment of 5800 ft/sec is started by radio command and is terminated by the velocity meter.
The stage (204) is now in the ten hour and thirty-three minute transfer orbit with a perigee at the shuttle orbit altitude. The stage (204) is reoriented during this orbit via radio command and control in preparation for the application of the perigee velocity increment, which increment occurs at the perigee. The perigee burn is sized to create a new orbit of a slightly longer period than that of the shuttle, so that the shuttle can catch up with the stage (204).
The final maneuver is a synchronizing maneuver, performed by radio command. The entire mission up to the shuttle catch-up phase lasts about fifty-two hours, allowing twenty hours for touch-up mnaneuvers and despin during the catch-up to complete the recovery within three days of deployment.
The final stages of the rendezvous are completed by the shuttle crew, using first optical and then radar tracking to home in on the stage. When the stage is within range of a remote manipulating system (not shown) of the shuttle, an arm thereof is visually guided by an astronaut to attach itself to the stage (204) at the grapple fixture (216) thereof, and then return the stage (204) to the cargo bay of the shuttle. The foregoing description is typical of an exemplary geostationary orbit two-way mission. Other mission profiles, of course, are possible. Planetary missions may require variations in the procedure, for example, a fast reorientation after payload injection, but the equipment disclosed above will accomplish the requisite tasks for such planetary missions.
A significant feature of the present invention which enables efficient operation of spacecraft engines and, more particularly, the engine (37) of the separable booster stage (204) in a spacecraft so equipped, is the employment of the bipropellant delivery system which introduces adjustable pressures within the stage tanks to compensate for inaccuracies in bipropellant flow rates. Such inaccuracies develop because of variations in the vapor pressures and propellant pressure heads within the stage tanks during operation of the engine (37). The bipropellant delivery system of the invention provides a novel method for making pressure adjustments between engine burns in a sequence of such burns to insure efficient burning and the avoidance of excess bipropellant in the stage tanks at the end of a sequence of burns. Since the weight of such excess bipropellant militates against success of a spacecraft mission, this feature of the invention greatly enhances the chances of a successful mission. This feature will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5-7.
FIG. 5 shows a propulsion system (300) incorporating the invention for driving a rocket stage of a spacecraft. The system (300), however, may also be used for driving a spacecraft which does not have staged engines. The system 300 includes a rocket engine (302) and a bipropellant delivery system (304) which supplies fuel and oxidizer via conduits (306, 308), respectively, to the engine (302). The fuel and oxidizer are the two constituents which make up the bipropellant. The engine (302) comprises a valve (310), pumps (312, 314) for pumping fuel and oxidizer, a turbine (316) which drives the pumps (312, 314), a gas generator (318) and a thrust chamber (320). Gas emitted by the generator (318) propels the turbine (316), and spent gases from the turbine (316) are conducted via an exhaust duct (322) to the mouth of the thrust chamber (320) for diposal of the spent gases. The thrust chamber (320) is cooled by the fuel applied by the pump (312) prior to the combination of the fuel and the oxidizer at the chamber (320). Upon combination of the fuel and oxidizer, the fuel burns to provide the thrust which propels the spacecraft. Operation of the valve (310) and the pumps (312, 314) for establishing rates of flow for the fuel and the oxidizer is accomplished in a well-known fashion. In particular, these elements are operated by well-known timing circuitry (not shown) which initiate and terminate a burn of the engine (302) at prescribed instants of time so as to accomplish desired trajectories in a spacecraft mission.
The bipropellant delivery system (304) is constructed with symmetry about a spin axis of the spacecraft, and comprises two fuel tanks (324, 326) which are located opposite each other on a diameter passing through the spin axis. A liquid manifold (328) connects with the two tanks (324, 326) for conduction of liquid fuel therefrom to the conduit (306), and via the conduit (306) to the valve (310). The delivery system (304) further comprises two oxidizer tanks (330, 332) which are connected by a liquid manifold (334) for the conduction of liquid oxidizer to the conduit (308), and via the conduit (308) to the valve (310). The oxidizer tanks (330, 332) also are positioned opposite each other on a diameter passing through the spin axis.
Also included within the delivery system (304) is a pressurant gas tank (336), a gas manifold (338) for conducting pressurant gas to the fuel tanks (324, 326), and a gas manifold (340) for conducting pressurant gas to the oxidizer tanks (330, 332). A regulator (342) couples the pressurant gas tank (336) to the gas manifolds (338, 340). Two differential pressure sensors (344, 346) are provided between the respective liquid and gas manifolds for sensing the differential pressure between their respective two gas manifolds and two liquid manifolds. The sensor (344) connects between the liquid manifold (328) and the gas manifold (338) which connect with the fuel tanks (324, 326). The sensor (346) connects between the liquid manifold (334) and the manifold (340) which are connected to the gas oxidizer tanks (330, 332).
Two valves (348, 350) are inserted into the gas manifold (338) for regulating gas pressure therein, the valve (348) serving as an inlet valve and the valve (350) serving as an exhaust valve. Opening of the valve (348) tends to increase pressure in the gas manifold (338), while an opening in the valve (350) tends to reduce pressure in the manifold (338). It is noted that the two pressurant gas manifolds (338, 340) are joined together at the outlet of the regulator (342). Thereby, operation of the valves (348, 350) permits different pressures to be maintained in the two pressurant gas manifolds (338, 340).
The fuel tanks (324, 326) are shown partially filled with fuel (352). Similarly, the oxidizer tanks (330, 332) are shown partially filled with oxidizer (354). Due to the spinning of the spacecraft, the fuel (352) and the oxidizer (354) are forced outwardly away from the spin axis. The regulator (342), the sensors (344, 346), and the valves (348, 350) are electrically connected to a controller (356) which applies signals to these elements for the regulation of the delivery of fuel and oxidizer as will be described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 7.
In operation, the engine (302) has the form of a turbopump-fed rocket engine employing a spinning propellant storage arrangement. The method of the invention assures that the fuel and the oxidizer are consumed in the correct proportions for simultaneous depletion of the stored fuel and oxidizer in their respective tanks. The invention employs measurements of the amount of fuel and oxidizer present between rocket engine burns in a multi-burn mission to adjust the relative flow rates between the fuel and the oxidizer for each succeeding burn as required to provide for the desired ratio in the utilization of the bipropellant constituents. This results in an increase in the effectiveness of the rocket engine, and is substantially easier to implement than a control of flow rates during an actual burn.
The oxidizer, typically nitrogen tetroxide, and fuel, typically mono-methyl hydrazine, are introduced into the pumps (314, 312) via the valve (310) at low pressure from the respective tanks (330, 332 and 324, 326). The oxidizer and fuel are pumped to a relatively high pressure by the pumps (314, 312), these pumps being driven by the turbine (316) in response to hot gas applied by the generator (318). The bipropellant (fuel and oxidizer) then are introduced into the thrust chamber (320) wherein combustion takes place. The fuel first flows through the outer walls of the chamber to cool the walls of the chamber and, thereafter, is burned in the presence of the oxidizer within the chamber (320) to produce the desired engine thrust.
The relative flow rates of the bipropellant constituents is determined primarily by the design of the pumps (312, 314), and upon the pressures in the tanks (324, 326, 330, 332). The dependence of fuel flow rate on pressure within the tanks (324, 326) is shown in the exemplary graph of FIG. 6. The dependence of fuel flow rate on tank pressure, as set forth in FIG. 6, is exploited in the present invention so as to adjust the fuel flow rate in accordance with the amounts of fuel and oxidizer remaining in their respective tanks upon the conclusion of each burn by the rocket engine (302).
In the operation of the delivery system (304), the system is pressurized by a gas, typically nitrogen or helium, stored at relatively high pressure in the tank (336), and delivery through the pressure regulator (342). This arrangement provides the desired bipropellant constituent tank pressure. The differential pressure sensors (344, 346), respectively for fuel and oxidizer element measurements, measure the amounts of the respective bipropellant constituents in their respective tanks. This permits computation of the masses of the fuel and oxidizer by the controller (356).
The pressure of the fuel can be adjusted by operation of the inlet valve (348) and the exhaust valve (350). The fuel pressure is lowered by shutting the inlet valve (348) and opening the exhaust valve (350); and the pressure is increased by opening the inlet valve (348) and closing the exhaust valve (350). The fuel flow rate is adjusted for the next burn by adjusting the fuel pressure between burns. The interval of time between burns typically is long enough for measurement of the amounts of fuel and oxidizer within the repsective tanks and regulating the relative pressure within the respective tanks. The desired flow rate compensates for the ratio of the mass of the remaining oxidizer to the mass of the remaining fuel found at the conclusion of the previous burn in order to prevent surplus fuel or oxidizer after the final burn. It should be noted that slight variations in the mixture ratio of oxidizer and fuel will have negligible effect on the engine burn efficiency as compared to the payload mass delivery penalties incurred by not preventing surplus fuel or oxidizer after the final burn.
The gas calculations for correcting the rates of propellant utilization, and the calibration of the differential pressure sensors to achieve the high accuracy desired for a spacecraft mission can be done either aboard the spacecraft or stage carrying the rocket engine (302), or can be accomplished with ground-based computers employing telemetry and command for operation of the spacecraft.
The manifolds (338, 340) contact their respective tanks at sites facing the spin axis. The liquid manifolds (328, 334) contact their respective tanks at sites diametrically opposed to the points of connection of the tanks with the manifolds (338, 340). Due to the spinning of the spacecraft, the contents of the tanks, namely, the fuel (352) in the tanks (324, 326) and the oxidizer (354) in the tanks (330, 332), are directed outwardly towards the manifolds (328, 334) and away from the manifolds (338, 340). Thus, vapor within the partially filled tanks communicates with the gas of the gas manifolds (338, 340), while liquid contents of the tanks communicate with the liquid manifolds (328, 334). This configuration of the vapor and liquid matter within each of the tanks (324, 326, 330, 332) enables the pressurant gas of the tank (336) to provide a back pressure which urges the liquid fuel and liquid oxidizer towards their respective manifolds and into the engine (302).
The desired fuel flow rate for the next burn can be expressed as a set of three equations based on the following parameters:
M o is the initial oxidizer mass,
M f is the initial fuel mass,
m o is the last measured oxidizer mass,
m f is the last measured fuel mass,
dm o is the oxidizer mass to be used in the next burn, and
dm f is the fuel mass to be used in next burn.
The first equation gives the desired ratio R of oxidizer mass to fuel mass, namely: ##EQU1## Measurements of fuel and oxidizer actually consumed may indicate a deviation from the desired ratio, expressed as an error ε given by: ##EQU2## Compensation for the error is accomplished in the next burn by use of adjusted, or corrected flow rates which are described mathematically by substituting equation (2) into equation (1) to give:
Rdm.sub.f =dm.sub.o -m.sub.f ε (3)
With reference also to FIG. 7, the controller (356) comprises two sampling units (358, 360), a timing unit (362), two memories (364, 366) which are constructed as read-only memories, a memory (368) constructed as a random-access memory, a computer (370), and an output buffer (372). The sampling unit (358) is connected to the differential fuel pressure sensor (344) for the measurement of fuel. The sampling unit (360) is coupled to the differential oxidizer pressure sensor (346) for the measurement of oxidizer. Both of the sampling units (358, 360) are strobed by timing signals of the timing unit (362).
As is shown by a graph (374), within the block of the timing unit (362), the sampling units (358, 360) are strobed after each burn of the rocket engine (302) (FIG. 5). The sampling units (358, 360) may also be strobed prior to the first burn to determine the initial quantities of fuel and oxidizer.
The sampling units (358, 360) output the differential pressure measurements to the memories (364, 366). There is a relationship between differential pressure and the mass of bipropellant constituent stored in a tank; this relationship depends in part on the shape of the tank. This relationship is established experimentally during the construction of the delivery system (304) and, thereafter, is stored in a corresponding one of the memories (364, 366). The relationship between pressure and mass for the fuel contained within the tanks (324, 326) is stored in the memory (364), and the relationship between pressure and mass for the oxidizer contained within the tanks (330, 332) is stored within the memory (366). The memories (364, 366) serve as converters for converting the measured pressure to the corresponding mass of fuel or oxidizer remaining in the respective tanks. The stored mass of fuel and the stored mass of oxidizer are provided by the memories (364, 366) to the memory (368) for use by the computer (370).
With reference also to the foregoing set of three equations (1), (2) and (3), it is noted that each of the parameters is expressed in terms of mass, this being either the mass of oxidizer or the mass of fuel. The values of mass of stored oxidizer and fuel, prior to a burn and subsequent to burn in a sequence of burns, are stored in the memory (368). The desired ratio of oxidizer mass to fuel mass may be inputted directly to the memory (368) by conventional means (not shown) or may be calculated by the computer (370) in accordance with equation (1) from the initial values of oxidizer mass and fuel mass. The error in the desired mass ratio is calculated by the computer (370) in accordance with equation (2). Finally, the relationship between oxidizer mass and fuel mass to be employed in the next burn is calculated by the computer (370) in accordance with equation (3).
The relationship expressed by equation (3) for oxidizer mass and fuel mass to be employed in the next burn is recognized as being linear, this relationship being depicted in a graph (376) presented within the block of the computer (370). The slope of the line in graph (376) is dependent on the desired ratio of oxidizer mass to fuel mass, while the line is displaced along the horizontal axis (oxidizer mass) by an amount dependent on the foregoing error. A suitable amount of oxidizer mass and fuel mass is readily determined from the foregoing relationship. The computer (370) then sends appropriate signals to the buffer (372) to command further openings and/or closings of the regulator (342), the inlet valve (348), and the outlet valve (350) to establish suitable back pressures in the tanks (324, 326, 330, 332) for correction of the flow rates of the fuel and the oxidizer to the engine (302). The buffer (372) may contain well-known storage units for storing the output values of the computer (370), and well-known line drivers for applying the command signals to the regulator (342), and the valves (348, 350). It is also noted that the opening and/or closing of regulators and valves for the control of pressure is employed in numerous industrial processes, and is sufficiently well-known so as not to require a detailed explanation herein. Thereby, the controller (356) operates the delivery system (304) to correct the flow rates of oxidizer and fuel in accordance with the invention for improved deployment of a spacecraft in its missions.
Alternatively, pressure within the respective fuel tanks (324, 326) and the respective oxidizer tanks (330, 332) may be permitted to alternate between a substantially fixed regulated pressure and a variable blow-down pressure in order to achieve optimal bipropellant utilization. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, a source of high pressure pressurant gas (410), such as nitrogen or helium, may be provided which is pressurized at approximately 4000 psi. The pressurant gas is provided on line (412) to a regulator (414) which regulates the gas pressure on line (416) to approximately 70 psi. Valve (418) is connected via line (420) to a bipropellant tank (422) containing one of the bipropellant constituents. The valve (418) is interposed between lines (416, 420) such that, when open, the pressure within the bipropellant tank (420) is maintained at 70 psi.
It will be appreciated that adjustment of the rate of utilization of a bipropellant constituent within the tank (422) can be achieved by selectively opening or closing the valve (418). For example, after an engine burn is accomplished with the valve (418) closed, the pressure within the tank (422) will be below 70 psi due to the discharge of some bipropellant constituent from the tank (422) during the burn. Thus, after that rocket engine burn and before a next burn, a measurement of bipropellant mass within the tank (422) is made. Based upon this measurement, it is determined whether optimum bipropellant utilization will be achieved by opening the valve (418) and repressurizing the tank (422) to 70 psi prior to the next engine burn or by performing the next engine burn in the blow-down mode in which the pressure within the tank (422) at the start of the engine burn is below 70 psi. It will be appreciated that adjustment of pressure within other bipropellant tanks (not shown) in a similar manner also can be performed between engine burns such that the relative pressures within bipropellant tanks containing oxidizer and bipropellant tanks containing fuel is optimized for optimum utilization of both bipropellant constituents. Furthermore, the determination of whether to adjust a bipropellant tank pressure to 70 psi or to operate in a blow-down mode during a subsequent burn can be determined in a manner similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 7.
It will be understood that the above-described embodiments and methods are merely illustrative of many possible specific embodiments and methods which can represent the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can readily be devised in accordance with these principles without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the foregoing description is not intended to limit the invention which is defined by the appended claims in which:
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A method is provided for controlling the utilization of a fluid bipropellant including two respective constituents separately in respective tanks aboard a spacecraft for consumption by a spacecraft rocket engine, comprising the steps of actuating the rocket engine; during the actuation of the rocket engine, providing a flow of bipropellant constituents to the rocket engine in a first proportion; after the actuation of the rocket engine, measuring the amount of at least one bipropellant constituent in a bipropellant tank containing the constituent; adjusting a pressure level within at least one bipropellant tank relative to a pressure level within another bipropellant tank based upon the amount of said at least one bipropellant constituent in a bipropellant tank containing said at least one constituent; after the measuring step, actuating the rocket engine; during the actuation of the rocket engine after the measuring step, providing a flow of bipropellant constituents to the rocket engine in a second proportion based upon said adjusted pressure level within said at least one bipropellant tank relative to a pressure level within said another bipropellant tank.
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This application is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 07/852,447 filed on Mar. 16, 1992, now abandoned which is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 07/414,482 filed on Sep. 29, 1989, abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to composite elastic materials and a method of making the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There has been a continuing need for pile fabrics and lanate materials having a high degree of flexibility, elasticity, bulk and strength and which may be manufactured at a low cost. This need has persisted in spite of the fact that such fabrics could readily be utilized to manufacture a wide variety of garments of both the disposable type, such as disposable work wear and disposable diapers, or the durable type, such as pants, dresses, blouses and sporting wear, for example, sweat suits. Further, such fabrics could also be utilized in, for example, upholstery, drapery, and liner applications. Lanate materials have a woolly or fleecy structure which may be particularly well suited in applications where insulation properties are desired.
In some situations, the value of the pile fabric or lanate material relates to the density at which the fibrous materials are attached to the substrate as well as the overall flexibility and elasticity of the material. Pile fabrics and lanate materials having high densities of fibrous materials typically have richer surface textures and greater market value.
Pile fabrics and lanate materials may be formed by attaching fibrous materials such as, for example, fibers or fiber bundles to a substrate. Fibers may be inserted into a substrate utilizing processes such as, for example, mechanical needling. In some situations, pile fabrics may be formed by adhering fibers onto the surface of a substrate utilizing flocking techniques. Pile fabrics and lanate materials may also be formed by tufting or stitchbonding fiber bundles, such as, for example, yarns or threads into a substrate.
While pile fabrics and lanate materials having a high density of attached fibrous materials often have a pleasing surface appearance and feel, such fabrics may be so stiff so that the fabric is unsuitable for applications where flexibility and suppleness are desirable. For example, fabrics that are stiff and inflexible will conform poorly to the body of a wearer or to an item and are unsuitable for some apparel and upholstery applications.
When pile fabrics and lanate materials are made by attaching fibrous materials to a substrate utilizing mechanical needling, the density at which the fibrous materials may be attached to the substrate is limited by the distance between the mechanical needles. The density at which the fibrous materials are attached to the substrate may be increased by subjecting the fibrous materials and substrates to multiple passes through the mechanical needling apparatus. However, multiple passes result in matted, highly entangled materials that, in most situations, have low bulk and are essentially nonelastic. Post entanglement stretching may be used to return some elasticity to such composites, but such stretching may reduce the strength and durability of the composite material.
An elastic laminate material may be made by mechanically needling a coherent nonwoven web of textile fibers to an elastic substrate only at spaced-apart locations. One such laminate material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,189 to Romanek which discloses that a nonwoven textile fabric layer and a layer of generally elastic material are superposed and needlepunched to secure the fabric layer to the layer of generally elastic material at a plurality of needle punch locations each spaced a predetermined distance from the next adjacent needle punch location. The needle punched layers are drafted in at least one direction to permanently stretch the nonwoven textile fabric layer where it is not joined to the elastic layer. The superposed layers are allowed to relax so the elastic layer returns to substantially its original dimensions and the bulk of the stretched nonwoven textile fabric is increased between the needle punched locations.
A hydroentangled elastic nonwoven fabric may be made by stretching an elastic substrate in at least one direction before the elastic substrate is hydraulically entangled with a preformed fibrous web. A hydroentangled elastic fabric is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,579 to Hagy et al. and may be prepared by stretching an elastic meltblown continuous filament web in at least one direction prior to hydraulic entanglement with a preformed web of wood pulp and absorbent staple length fibers.
DEFINITIONS
The term "elastic" is used herein to mean any material which, upon application of a biasing force, is stretchable, that is, elongatable, to a stretched, biased length which is at least about 125 percent of its relaxed unbiased length, and which, will recover at least 40 percent of its elongation upon release of the stretching, elongating force. A hypothetical example would be a one (1) inch sample of a material which is elongatable to at least 1.25 inches and which, upon being elongated to 1.25 inches and released, will recover to a length of not more than 1.15 inches. Many elastic materials may be stretched by much more than 125 percent of their relaxed length, for example, 400 percent or more, and many of these will recover to substantially their original relaxed length, for example, to within 105 percent of their original relaxed length, upon release of the stretching force.
As used herein, the term "nonelastic" refers to any material which does not fall within the definition of "elastic," above.
As used herein, the terms "recover" and "recovery" refer to a contraction of a stretched material upon termination of a biasing force following stretching of the material by application of the biasing force. For example, if a material having a relaxed, unbiased length of one (1) inch is elongated 50 percent by stretching to a length of one and one half (1.5) inches, the material would be elongated 50 percent (0.5 inch) and would have a stretched length that is 150 percent of its relaxed length. If this exemplary stretched material contracted, that is recovered to a length of one and one tenth (1.1) inches after release of the biasing and stretching force, the material would have recovered 80 percent (0.4 inch) of its one-half (0.5) inch elongation. Recovery may be expressed as [(maximum stretch length-final sample length)/(maximum stretch length-initial sample length)]×100.
As used herein, the term "percent elongation" refers to the relative increase in the length of an elastic material during tensile testing. Percent elongation may be determined utilizing tensile testing equipment such as, for example, an Instron Model 1122 Universal Testing Instrument. Percent elongation is expressed ratio of the difference between the stretched length and the initial length of a sample divided by the initial length of the sample utilizing the following equation:
percent elongation=[(stretched length-initial length)/(initial length)]*100
As used herein, the term "nonwoven web" means a web having a structure of individual fibers or threads which are interlaid, but not in an identifiable, repeating manner. Nonwoven webs have been, in the past, formed by a variety of processes such as, for example, meltblowing processes, spunbonding processes and bonded carded web processes.
As used herein, the term "sheet" means a layer which may either be a film or a nonwoven web.
As used herein, the term "meltblown fibers" means fibers formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usually circular, die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into a high velocity gas (e.g. air) stream which attenuates the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be to microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly disbursed meltblown fibers. Such a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Butin, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
As used herein, the term "microfibers" means small diameter fibers having an average diameter not greater than about 100 microns, for example, having an average diameter of from about 0.5 microns to about 50 microns, or more particularly, microfibers may have an average diameter of from about 4 microns to about 40 microns.
As used herein, the term "spunbonded fibers" refers to small diameter fibers which are formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular, capillaries of a spinnerette with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidly reduced as by, for example, eductive drawing or other well-known spun-bonding mechanisms. The production of spun-bonded nonwoven webs is illustrated in patents such as, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appel et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al. The disclosures of these patents are hereby incorporated by reference.
As used herein, the term "increased pile density" refers to a pile or collection of fibrous materials such as fibers or fiber bundles that are attached to an elastic sheet while the elastic sheet is stretched in at least one direction so that, upon recovery of the elastic sheet, the fibrous materials are positioned closer together than before recovery of the elastic sheet. Upon recovery of the elastic sheet, the fibrous materials are typically positioned from about 10 percent to about 300 percent closer together, for example, from about 25 to about 100 percent closer together than before recovery of the elastic sheet. Factors that affect the positioning of the fibrous materials closer together include, for example, the elongation at which the elastic sheet is maintained while the fibers or fiber bundles are attached to the elastic sheet, the retractile force of the elastic sheet, the physical proximity and/or size of the fibers or fiber bundles attached to the elastic sheet, and the volume occupied by any fibers or fiber bundles which are inserted into the elastic sheet.
As used herein, the term "increased pile density composite elastic material" refers to an elastic material having at least one elastic sheet and fibrous materials such as fibers (e.g., synthetic fibers, natural fibers, or monofilament strands) or fiber bundles (e.g., yarns, threads, or multifilament strands) projecting in a substantially perpendicular direction from the elastic sheet to form a pile of fibrous materials which may be in the form of strands or loops that are substantially parallel with one another. The elastic sheet and the fibrous materials may be substantially united by inserting the fibrous materials into the elastic sheet utilizing stitchbonding, malipole stitchbonding, or tufting techniques. Alternatively, the elastic sheet and the fibrous materials may be substantially united by adhering the fibrous materials onto the elastic sheet utilizing processes such as, for example, electrostatic flocking to produce a composite elastic material having an increased pile density as described above.
As used herein, the term "lanate composite elastic material" refers to an elastic material having at least one elastic sheet and fibrous materials such as fibers (e.g., synthetic fibers, natural fibers, or monofilament strands) or fiber bundles (e.g., yarns, threads, or multifilament strands) inserted into the elastic sheet by mechanical needling techniques to provide a woolly or fleece-like material having stretch and recovery properties. Lanate composite elastic materials also are drapable, bulky (e.g., low density) and have good insulation properties.
As used herein, the term "superabsorbent" refers to absorbent materials capable of absorbing at least 10 grams of aqueous liquid (e.g. water) per gram of absorbent material while immersed in the liquid for 4 hours and holding the substantially all absorbed liquid while under a compression force of up to about 1.5 psi.
As used herein, the term "polymer" generally includes, but is not limited to, homopolymers, copolymers, such as, for example, block, graft, random and alternating copolymers, terpolymers, etc. and blends and modifications thereof. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically limited, the term "polymer" shall include all possible geometrical configurations of the material. These configurations include, but are not limited to, isotactic, syndiotactic and random symmetries.
As used herein, the term "consisting essentially of" does not exclude the presence of additional materials which do not significantly affect the desired characteristics of a given composition or product. Exemplary materials of this sort would include, without limitation, pigments, antioxidants, solvents, stabilizers, surfactants, waxes, flow promoters, particulates and materials added to enhance processability of the composition.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the problems discussed above by providing both lanate composite elastic materials and increased pile density composite elastic materials as well as methods of making the same.
According to the present invention, the method of making a lanate composite elastic material includes the steps of applying a tensioning force to elongate at least one elastic sheet; inserting substantially individualized fibrous materials into the elastic sheet by mechanical needling the elastic sheet while it is maintained in an elongated condition; and releasing the tensioning force so the attached fibrous materials are positioned closer together by the recovery of the elastic sheet. The resulting lanate composite elastic material has stretch and recovery properties, bulk, and desirable insulation properties.
In one aspect of the present invention, an increased pile density composite elastic material is made by a method which includes the step of inserting substantially individualized fibrous materials into an elongated elastic sheet by stitchbonding, malipole stitchbonding, or tufting or, alternatively, the step of adhering substantially individualized fibrous materials to an elongated elastic sheet by flocking techniques. The density of attached fibrous materials in the resulting increased pile density composite elastic material is greater than could be achieved by conventional fiber insertion or adherence techniques while still maintaining desirable elastic properties, bulk, drape and conformability.
The present invention also contemplates multilayer materials composed of at least one layer of a lanate composite elastic material and/or increased pile density composite elastic material and at least one other layer of material.
Generally speaking the elastic sheet, such as, for example, an elastic nonwoven web, should be elongated at least about 15 percent, for example, from about 20 to about 400 percent and maintained in that elongated condition while the individualized fibrous materials, such as, for example, a carded batt of staple fibers are attached to the elastic sheet. Additional attachment between the inserted fibrous materials and the elastic sheet may be achieved by using a pressure sensitive adhesive elastic sheet or by using a thermal binder. The thermal binder may be in the form of bi-component or multi-component fibers having a low-melting sheath and a high-melting core, or a blend of low-and high-melting fibers. The thermal binder may be used in the elastic sheet or in both the fibrous materials and the elastic sheet.
The elastic sheet may be an elastic film or an elastic nonwoven web of fibers such as, for example, an elastic bonded carded web, an elastic spunbonded web, or an elastic web of meltblown fibers. If the elastic nonwoven web contains meltblown fibers, the meltblown fibers may include meltblown microfibers. The elastic nonwoven web may have multiple layers such as, for example, multiple spunbond layers and/or multiple meltblown layers.
The elastic sheet may be made of an elastic polymer selected from, for example, elastic polyesters, elastic polyurethanes, elastic polyamides, elastic copolymers of ethylene and at least one vinyl monomer, and elastic A-B-A' block copolymers wherein A and A' are the same or different thermoplastic polymer, and wherein B is an elastomeric polymer block. A polyolefin may also be blended with the elastomeric polymer to improve the processability of the composition when the elastic sheet is made using nonwoven extrusion processes. Polyolefins which may be blended with the elastomeric polymer include, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene and polybutylene, including ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers and butylene copolymers. Other substances may be used in addition to or in place of a polyolefin (e.g., a low molecular weight hydrocarbon resin and/or a mineral oil).
The individualized fibrous materials may be nonelastic fibers or nonelastic fiber bundles. The fibers may be in the form of an un-bonded web or batt of individualized fibers, such as, for example, a carded batt of staple fibers or a web of loose meltblown fibers. Useful staple fibers have a denier, for example, from about 0.5 to about 20 and an average length, for example, from about 1/2 inch to about 6 inches. If the fibrous materials are fiber bundles, they may be, for example, threads, yarns, or multifilament strands.
The fibrous materials may be natural fibers, such as, for example, plant, animal or mineral fibers. For example, the fibrous materials may be cotton, wool, or glass fibers. The fibrous materials may also be man-made fibers, such as, for example, reconstituted cellulose or synthetic polymer fibers including, for example, fibers formed from nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polybutylene, polyethylene copolymers, polypropylene copolymers, and polybutylene copolymers.
In one aspect of the present invention, at least one layer of the lanate composite elastic material and/or the increased pile density composite elastic material may be combined with at least one other layer of material to form a multilayer material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary process for making the materials of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings where like reference numerals represent like materials or process steps and, in part, to FIG. 1, there is schematically illustrated at 10 a process for forming the materials of the present invention.
An elastic sheet 20 is unwound from a supply roll 22 and travels in the direction indicated by the arrow associated therewith as the supply roll 22 rotates in the direction of the arrows associated therewith. The elastic sheet 20 passes through a nip 24 of a S-roll arrangement 26 formed by the stack rollers 28 and 30.
The elastic sheet 20 may be formed by known nonwoven extrusion processes, such as, for example, known meltblowing processes or known spunbonding processes, and passed directly through the nip 24 without first being stored on a supply roll.
A layer of generally individualized fibrous materials 40 is unwound from a supply roll 42 and travels in the direction indicated by the arrow associated therewith as the supply roll 42 rotates in the direction of the arrows associated therewith. The layer of fibrous materials 40 passes idler roller 44 as it is overlaid onto the elastic sheet 20. Generally speaking, the fibrous materials 40 may be formed by extrusion processes such as, for example, meltblowing processes or other processes such as, for example, carding processes and overlaid onto the elastic sheet 20 without first being stored on a supply roll. Desirably, the fibrous materials 40 may be in the form of an individualized fiber web or batt such as an un-bonded web of fibers (e.g., a carded web of fibers or a layer of loose fibers deposited directly upon a carrier sheet) which is transported to elastic sheet 20.
The elastic sheet 20 passes through the nip 24 of the S-roll arrangement 26 in a reverse-S path as indicated by the rotation direction arrows associated with the stack rollers 28 and 30. From the first S-roll arrangement 26, the elastic sheet 20 is overlaid with the layer of fibrous materials 40 as both the elastic sheet 20 and the layer of fibrous materials 40 pass through a nip 50 of a first drive roller arrangement 52. Because the peripheral linear speed of the rollers of the S-roll arrangement 26 is controlled to be less than the peripheral linear speed of the rollers of the first drive roller arrangement 52, the elastic sheet 20 is tensioned between the S-roll arrangement 26 and the nip of the drive roller arrangement 52. By adjusting the difference in the speeds of the rollers, the elastic sheet 20 is tensioned so that it stretches a desired amount. The layer of fibrous materials 40 may also pass through the nip 24 of the S-roll arrangement 26 and be stretched along with the elastic sheet between the S-roll arrangement 26 and the first drive roller arrangement 52.
The elastic sheet 20 is maintained in a uniformly stretched condition as the fibrous materials 40 are attached to the stretched elastic sheet 20 during their passage through the fiber attachment apparatus 60 because the peripheral linear speed of the rollers of a second drive roller arrangement 70 is controlled to be approximately the same as the peripheral linear speed of the rollers of the first drive roller arrangement 52. After passing drive rollers 70, the tension which elongates the elastic sheet 20 with the attached fibrous materials 40 is released so that the attached fibrous materials 40 are positioned more closely together by the recovery of the elastic sheet 20 to form a resulting composite elastic material 75 that is stored on a wind-up roll 80.
Other methods of stretching the elastic sheet 20 while the fibrous materials 40 are attached to the elastic sheet 20 may be used such as, for example, tenter frames or other cross-machine direction stretcher arrangements that expand the elastic sheet in one or several other directions such as, for example, in both the machine and the cross-machine direction.
Generally, any suitable elastomeric sheet forming resins or blends containing the same may be utilized for the elastic nonwoven web of fibers. For example, the elastic sheet 20 may be made from block copolymers having the general formula A-B-A' where A and A' are each a thermoplastic polymer endblock which contains a styrenic moiety such as a poly (vinyl arene) and where B is an elastomeric polymer midblock such as a conjugated diene or a lower alkene polymer.
The elastic sheet 20 may be formed from, for example, (polystyrene/ poly(ethylene-butylene)/polystyrene) block copolymers available from the Shell Chemical Company under the trademark KRATON G. One such block copolymer may be, for example, Kraton™ G-1657.
Other exemplary elastomeric materials which may be used to form the elastic sheet 20 include polyurethane elastomeric materials such as, for example, those available under the trademark ESTANE® from B.F. Goodrich & Co., polyamide elastomeric materials such as, for example, those available under the trademark PEBAX® from the Rilsan Company, and polyester elastomeric materials such as, for example, those available under the trade designation HYTREL® from E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Company. Formation of elastic sheets from polyester elastic materials is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,949 to Morman et al., hereby incorporated by reference. The elastic sheet may also be formed from elastic copolymers of ethylene and at least one vinyl monomer such as, for example, vinyl ester monomers, unsaturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acids and alkyl esters of such unsaturated monocarboxylic acids. These elastic copolymers and methods of forming elastic sheets from such materials are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,117, hereby incorporated by reference.
A polyolefin may also be blended with the elastomeric polymer to improve the processability of the composition when using nonwoven extrusion processes. The polyolefin must be one which, when so blended and subjected to an appropriate combination of elevated pressure and elevated temperature conditions, is extrudable, in blended form, with the elastomeric polymer. Useful blending polyolefin materials include, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene and polybutylene, including polyethylene copolymers, polypropylene copolymers and polybutylene copolymers. A particularly useful polyethylene may be obtained from the U.S.I. Chemical Company under the trade designation Petrothane NA 601 (also referred to herein as PE NA 601 or polyethylene NA 601). Two or more of the polyolefins may be utilized. Extrudable blends of elastomeric polymers and polyolefins are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,220 to Wisneski et al., hereby incorporated by reference.
The elastic sheet 20 may also be a pressure sensitive elastomer adhesive sheet. For example, the elastic material itself may be tacky or, alternatively, a compatible tackifying resin may be added to the extrudable elastomeric compositions described above to provide an elastic sheet 20 that can act as a pressure sensitive adhesive, e.g., to help bond the elastic sheet 20 with the fibrous materials 40. In regard to the tackifying resins and tackified extrudable elastomeric compositions, note the resins and compositions as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,699 to Kieffer et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Any tackifier resin can be used which is compatible with the elastomeric polymer and can withstand the high processing (e.g., extrusion) temperatures. If blending materials such as, for example, polyolefins or extending oils are used, the tackifier resin should also be compatible with those blending materials. Generally, hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins are preferred tackifying resins, because of their better temperature stability. REGALREZ™ and ARKON™ P series tackifiers are examples of hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins. ZONATAK™501 lite is an example of a terpene hydrocarbon. REGALREZ™ hydrocarbon resins are available from Hercules Incorporated. ARKON™ P series resins are available from Arakawa Chemical (U.S.A.) Incorporated. Of course, the present invention is not limited to use of such three tackifying resins, and other tackifying resins which are compatible with the other components of the composition and can withstand the high processing temperatures, can also be used.
Thus, a pressure sensitive elastomer adhesive sheet which is useful for the composite elastic materials of the present invention may be formed from a blend containing, for example, about 40 to about 80 percent, by weight, A-B-A' block copolymer; about 5 to about 40 percent, by weight, polyolefin; and about 5 to about 30 percent, by weight, tackifying resin.
Tackiness may also be imparted to the elastic sheet 20 by using a solvent that causes the elastic to become tacky without substantially weakening the elastic. The solvent is then substantially evaporated from the elastic sheet after the elastic sheet 20 and the fibrous materials 40 have been joined.
The elastic sheet 20 may also be a multilayer material in that it may include two or more individual coherent webs before being combined with the fibrous materials 40. Additionally, the elastic sheet 20 may be a multilayer material in which one or more of the layers contain a mixture of elastic and nonelastic fibers or particulates. An example of the latter type of elastic sheet, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,563, incorporated herein by reference, in which elastomeric and non-elastomeric fibers are commingled to form a single coherent web of randomly dispersed fibers. Another example of such a composite web would be one made by a technique such as disclosed in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,949. That patent discloses nonwoven materials which include a mixture of meltblown thermoplastic fibers and other materials. The fibers and other materials (e.g., wood pulp, staple fibers or particulates such as, for example, hydrocolloid (hydrogel) particulates commonly referred to as superabsorbents) are combined in the gas stream in which the meltblown fibers are carried so that an intimate entangled commingling of the meltblown fibers and the other materials occurs prior to collection of the fibers upon a collecting device to form a coherent web of randomly dispersed fibers.
The fibrous materials 40 may be fibers or fiber bundles. If the fibrous materials are fibers, they may be in the form of a nonwoven web of individualized fibers such as, for example, a nonwoven web in which the fibers are substantially un-bonded so that they are loose and may be easily adhered to and/or inserted into the elastic sheet 20. Such an un-bonded web or batt of fibers may be, for example, a carded batt of staple fibers or a web of loose meltblown fibers.
If the nonwoven web contains meltblown fibers, the meltblown fibers may also include microfibers. The meltblown fibers may be made of fiber forming polymers such as, for example, polyolefins. Exemplary polyolefins for use in the nonwoven web include one or more of polypropylene, polyethylene, polybutylene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers, and butylene copolymers. Useful polypropylenes include, for example, polypropylene available from the Himont Corporation under the trade designation PC-973, polypropylene available from the Exxon Chemical Company under the trade designation Exxon 3445, and polypropylene available from the Shell Chemical Company under the trade designation DX 5A09.
The fibrous materials 40 may also be a mixture of two or more different fibers or a mixture of fibers and particulates. Such mixtures may be formed by adding fibers and/or particulates (e.g., wood pulp, staple fibers and particulates such as, for example, hydrocolloid (hydrogel) particulates commonly referred to as superabsorbent materials) to the gas stream which carries the meltblown fibers. As a result, the meltblown fibers and the other materials may be intimately entangled and mixed prior to collection of the meltblown fibers upon a collecting device to form a coherent web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers and other materials such as disclosed in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,949.
The fibrous materials 40 may also be in the form of a loose batt or web of individualized staple fibers, wood pulp fibers or mixtures of the above. Typical mixtures of wood pulp fibers and staple fibers contain from about 20 to about 90 percent by weight staple fibers and from about 10 to about 80 percent by weight wood pulp fibers.
The staple fibers may have a denier in the range of about 0.5 to about 100 and an average length in the range of about 0.5 inch to about 6 inches. The fibrous materials 40 may be natural fibers such as plant, animal or mineral fibers, such as, for example, cotton, wool or asbestos. The staple fibers may be either crimped or uncrimped fibers. Pulp fibers including long natural fiber pulps such as, for example, hardwood pulps may also be used. The fibrous materials 40 may also be man-made fibers such as reconstituted cellulose fibers or synthetic polymer fibers. For example, the fibers may be one or more of rayon, polyester, polyamides, and acrylics. Polyolefins may also be used, including, for example, one or more of polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polyethylene copolymers, polypropylene copolymers and polybutylene copolymers. Bi-component or multi-component fibers may also be used including, for example, side-by-side and sheath-core bicomponent fibers. Microdenier fibers may be used in situations such as, for example, when flocking processes are utilized. Fibers used in flocking processes may have an average length as low as 0.075 inch.
As noted previously, the individualized fibrous materials 40 may be fiber bundles such as, for example, yarns, threads, twines or multifilament materials. Fiber bundles may be used with equipment such as, for example, tufting machines or stitchbonding machines which individually insert the fiber bundles into the stretched elastic sheet 20 by tufting processes or stitchbonding processes rather than by being deposited directly upon the stretched elastic sheet 20 and then inserted by a needling operation or adhered by a flocking operation.
The type of individualized fibrous materials 40 which are attached to the elastic sheet 20 as well as the density at which they are attached will affect the basis weight of the resulting composite elastic material 75. The composite elastic material 75 may have a basis weight ranging from about 10 gsm to 150 gsm or more.
The density at which the fibrous materials 40 are attached to the elastic sheet will vary depending on, for example, the type of fibrous materials used, the elongation at which the elastic sheet is maintained while the fibrous materials are being attached to the elastic sheet, and the amount that the elastic sheet recovers upon release of the stretching force.
If the fibrous materials 40 are individualized fibers, they may be attached to the elastic sheet 20 by mechanical needling. Mechanical needling may be carried out on needlepunching machines such as, for example, down-punch board machine Model No. DS-2E, up-punch board machine Model No. SM-4E and double-punch needling machine DF-4E, available from Asselin America, Inc., Charlotte, N.C. Needle boards having a needle density from about 30 needles per inch to greater than 240 needles per inch may be used for most applications.
The fibers of the fibrous materials 40 may also be attached to the elastic sheet 20 while the elastic sheet 20 is in the stretched condition utilizing flocking processes such as, for example, electrostatic flocking or vibration flocking. In flocking processes, an adhesive is applied to a substrate and fibers are implanted into the adhesive using electrostatic forces, compressed air or by applying fibers onto the adhesive and then vibrating the substrate with a beater bar to drive the fibers into the adhesive. An adhesive which remains elastic after it sets should be used if a flexible and elastic flocked composite material is desired. Suitable adhesives include, for example, latex-based flock adhesives such as, for example, adhesives available from the B.F. Goodrich Company under the trade designation Geon® and Hycar®; adhesives available from the Rohm & Haas Company under the trade designation Rhoplex®; and adhesives available from Permuthane, Incorporated under the trade designation Permuthane®. The adhesives may be applied to the elastic sheet 20 by knife-coating, screen-printing or spraying and will set to form a flexible, elastic, and tack free coating which will adhere to many substrates and fibers.
If the fibrous materials 40 are fiber bundles, the fiber bundles may be attached to the elastic sheet 20, utilizing conventional tufting equipment such as tufting machines available from the Card-Monroe Corporation, Hixon, Tenn., and the Cobble Tufting Machine Company, Dalton, Ga. The needle gauge of the tufting machines may vary from about 5/32 inch to about 1/20 inch with the pile height varying from about 5 mm to about 3 mm. The tuft density may range from about 39 tufts per 10 square centimeters to about 106 tufts per 10 square centimeters as measured while the elastic sheet is maintained in an elongated condition.
The elastic sheet 20 should be held under substantially uniform tension while being mechanically needled or tufted to avoid damage to the punch needles or tuft needles. If the elastic sheet 20 is not held securely so that the tension is uniform while it is mechanically needled or tufted, the punch needles or tuft needles may bend and break if they are deflected by non-uniform movements of the elastic sheet 20. The elastic sheet 20 may be held using methods such as, for example, a set of nip rolls rotating at the same speed positioned before and after the mechanical needling apparatus. It is also advantageous to hold the elongated elastic sheet under uniform tension during other fibrous material attachment processes such as, for example, flocking processes to increase the uniformity of the resulting increased pile density composite elastic material.
Stretching the elastic sheet 20 while fibrous materials 40 are being attached onto the elastic sheet will provide desirable characteristics to the resulting composite material as well as advantages to the fiber attachment process. These characteristics include, for example, increased pile density, and/or enhanced fleeciness or lanate characteristics, improved retention of the fibrous materials in the elastic sheet, and improved elongation over equivalent elastic composite materials in which the fibers are attached while the elastic is unstretched. Additionally, the method of the present invention is especially well suited for mechanical needling because high densities of fiber insertion can be accomplished without multiple passes through the needling apparatus. Such multiple passes typically cause matting of the fibers and may destroy the lanate or fleece-like characteristics of the composite material. Materials having lanate or fleece-like characteristics are desirable not only for their insulation properties but also for soft hand and fabric texture.
Materials of the present invention having lanate characteristics typically have low densities. For example, the materials may have a density ranging from about 0.2 to about 0.04 grams per cubic centimeter. The lanate composite elastic materials also have desirable insulation properties. Lanate composite elastic materials of the present invention may have a normalized dry heat transfer rate of at least about 15 Clo/gram/cubic centimeter. For example, the lanate composite elastic materials may have a normalized dry heat transfer rate from about 16 to about 30 Clo/gram/cubic centimeter. More particularly, the lanate composite elastic materials may have a normalized dry heat transfer rate from about 18 to about 21 Clo/gram/cubic centimeter.
Lanate composite elastic materials of the present invention may have a wet heat transfer rate of less than about 3.1 Watts/M 2 ·°C. For example, the lanate composite elastic materials may have a wet heat transfer rate from about 3.0 to about 2.7 Watts/M 2 ·°C. More particularly, the lanate composite elastic materials may have a wet heat transfer rate from about 2.9 to about 2.8 Watts/M 2 ·°C.
The lanate composite elastic materials of the present invention may have desirable moisture vapor transmission rates, that is, moisture vapor easily penetrates the materials to improve the comfort of a person wearing a garment which contains the composite material. For example, the lanate composite material may have a permeability index of at least about 0.5. For example, the lanate composite elastic materials may have a permeability index greater than about 0.55. More particularly, the lanate composite elastic materials may have a permeability index greater than about 0.57.
One important feature of the materials of the present invention is that they may be designed to combine softness, drapeability, conformability, insulation and permeability with highly desirable elasticity. Insulation having elastic properties is expected to be very useful in applications such as apparel and blankets. Generally speaking, the stretch and recovery properties of the present materials is believed to provide insulation having longer life and enhanced performance when subjected to stretching and compression and similar forces commonly encountered in apparel and bedding applications.
Although the inventors should not be held to a particular theory of operation, the mechanical needling of individualized nonelastic fibrous materials into an elastic sheet while the elastic sheet is maintained in a stretched condition improves the elasticity of the resulting composite material because the process appears to minimize fiber-to-fiber entanglement between the nonelastic fibrous materials which restricts the ability of the elastic sheet to stretch.
The effective needling density or needling rate of a fiber inserting apparatus such as, for example, a mechanical needling machine, tufting machine or a stitchbonding machine may be increased without increasing the number of needlestrokes per minute or the density of the needles. This may be accomplished by elongating an elastic sheet and then passing the elongated elastic sheet through the fiber inserting apparatus. For example, a needle punch machine having a needle-stroke rate of 2000 strokes/minute and operating at a speed of 20 meters/minute will punch the elastic sheet approximately 100 times/meter with each needle. If the elastic sheet is elongated to a length which is 200% of its relaxed length (i.e., 100 percent elongation) and the elongated elastic sheet is processed at the same needlestroke rate of 2000 strokes/minute and the same speed of 20 meters/minute then, upon relaxation of the elastic sheet, the needlepunch machine will have punched the elastic sheet the equivalent of 200 times/meter with each needle.
When used with mechanical needling equipment, the method of the present invention may be used to produce composite elastic materials having a much more lanate or fleece-like appearance than conventional mechanically needled composite materials (i.e., where the substrate remains unstretched during needling), especially when the materials are subjected to multiple passes of mechanical needling. Furthermore, conventional hydraulic entangling processes, especially multiple-pass processes may produce composites of fibrous materials and elastic substrates having good fiber retention but which are so intertwined that the entangled fibrous materials are unable to protrude from the substrate to form a lanate or fleece-like material. Such hydraulically entangled materials may also have high densities and relatively low drape or conformability. Utilizing the method of the present invention, composite elastic materials may be made in which the attached fibrous materials protrude at least about 1 millimeter from the surface of the elastic sheet to form a dense pile or lanate, fleece-like surface with desirable fiber retention. Composite elastic materials may be produced having fibrous materials which protrude from about 1 millimeter to more than 3 millimeters from the surface of the elastic sheet.
For example, an elastic sheet may be elongated approximately 100% (i.e. approximately 200% of its relaxed length) and fibrous materials may be mechanically needled into the elongated elastic sheet, then if the elastic sheet is allowed to recover to about its original unstretched dimension (e.g., within about 20% to 25% of its original unstretched dimension because of the added bulk of the inserted fibrous materials), the mechanical needling sites spaced 1" apart in the elongated elastic sheet will contract to a spacing of 0.6" to 0.625" apart in the relaxed fabric. This decrease in the separation between mechanical needling sites upon recovery of the elastic sheet will cause fibers that are attached to the elastic sheet at multiple punch sites to extend further out from the elastic sheet because the length of the fibrous material between the punch sites, also commonly known as the runner length, remains constant. That is, a fiber extending above the elastic substrate, for example, about 0.25" and anchored at, for example, two punch sites about 1" apart when the elastic is stretched will typically, upon relaxation of the elastic sheet so the punch sites are spaced about 0.6" apart, extend about another 0.2" from the elastic substrate which is about the same distance as the recovery of the elastic material.
Composite elastic materials according to the present invention may be made utilizing low basis weight elastic nonwoven webs because the method of the present invention allows individualized fibrous materials to be incorporated into low basis weight elastic nonwoven webs without substantially deteriorating the elastic nonwoven webs and because the retraction of the elastic nonwoven webs helps to hold or lock the pile fibers into the low basis weight elastic sheet.
EXAMPLES
An unstretched elastic sheet of meltblown ARNITEL® polyetherester fibers made in accordance with the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,398 and having a basis weight of 1 ounce per square yard (osy) was joined to a batt of 3 denier polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers having a basis weight of approximately 1.5 osy. ARNITEL® is the trade designation for a melt processable polyetherester that is from available A. Schulman, Inc. of Akron, Ohio or DSM Engineering Plastics, North America, Inc., of Reading, Pa. The elastic sheet and the batt of PET fibers were joined by mechanical needling at a rate of about 500 strokes/minute traveling at a speed of 5.4 meters/minute (92.6 strokes/meter) on an Asselin Model SD 351M04 Needlepunch machine utilizing a down punch needle board with 6 rows of 36 RBA needles at a density of about 139 needles/inch. The needlepunch machine was set so that the needle penetration was 18.4 mm. The physical characteristics and Grab Tensile Test results for this composite material were determined utilizing the equipment and procedures detailed below and are reported in Table 1 under the heading "Unstretched".
A section of the same elastic sheet of meltblown polyetherester fibers having a basis weight of 1 osy was elongated approximately 263 percent in the machine direction and was joined while in the elongated condition to an un-bonded 1.5 osy batt of 3 denier polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers which was also elongated approximately 263 percent in the machine direction. The elastic sheet and the batt of fibers were joined utilizing the Asselin needle punching machine with the same needle board and at the same conditions as the unstretched material except that the mechanical needling of the elongated materials was carried out at a rate of about 850 strokes/minute and at a speed of 9.2 meters/minute (92.4 strokes/meter). The physical characteristics and Grab Tensile Test results for this composite material were determined utilizing the equipment and procedures detailed below and are reported in Table 1 under the heading "Stretched".
The lanate composite elastic material produced using the method of the present invention had a basis weight of 4.9 osy. The composite elastic material produced by mechanically needling the unstretched elastic sheet had a basis weight of 5.5 osy. The inventors attribute the lower basis weight of the increased pile density material to the incomplete recovery of the elastic base sheet because of the inserted fibrous materials and the void volume between the fibrous materials held within the elastic base sheet.
Grab Tensile Tests were conducted essentially in accordance with Method 5100 of Federal Test Method Standard No. 191A, utilizing samples of the entangled material having a width of about 4 inches and a length of about 6 inches. The samples were held at opposite ends by a one (1) square inch gripping surface. The samples were tested using an Intellect II tensile testing apparatus available from Thwing Albert having a (3) inch jaw span and a crosshead speed of about (12) inches per minute. Values for peak load, peak energy absorbed, peak percentage elongation, total energy absorbed and total percentage elongation were determined.
Drape stiffness measurements were performed using a stiffness tester available from Testing Machines, Amityville, Long Island, N.Y. 11701. Test results were obtained in accordance with ASTM standard test D1388-64 using the method described under Option A (Cantilever Test).
The air permeability of each sample was determined in accordance with Method 5450 of Federal Test Method Standard No. 191A.
The following Table 1 includes the basis weight, bulk, density, tensile test data, drape and air permeability results for the lanate composite elastic material of the present invention and the previously described unstretched mechanically needled composite elastic material. Tensile test data indicates significant differences in load, elongation and energy at greater than the 90% confidence level. The tensile load and energy values for the materials are also expressed as the tensile load and energy per unit weight of the material. This was accomplished by dividing the test results for each material by the material's basis weight.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Unstretched StretchedType of Material: Mean s Mean s______________________________________Basis weight 5.53 osy 0.27 4.90 osy 0.29Bulk 0.034 in. 0.005 0.033 in. 0.006Density 0.13 oz/in.sup.3 0.11 oz/in.sup.3______________________________________Machine Direction Grab Tensile Test ResultsTensile Load.sup.1 9.3 1.1 10.2 2.5Tensile Load.sup.2 1.7 2.4Percent Elong. 148.8 10.9 177.1 37.2Energy.sup.3 19.0 2.9 26.8 9.7Energy.sup.4 3.4 5.5Cross-Machine Direction Grab Tensile Test ResultsTensile Load.sup.1 9.1 3.4 14.0 6.4Tensile Load.sup.2 1.6 2.9Percent Elong. 56.8 7.9 82.3 15.4Energy.sup.3 5.9 2.6 11.5 7.4Energy.sup.4 1.1 2.1______________________________________Drape.sup.5Machine Direction 2.71 0.258 2.66 0.774Cross-Machine Direction 3.98 0.940 3.70 0.570Air Permeability.sup.6 111.5 5.59 112.8 12.1______________________________________ .sup.1 = lbs.sub.f .sup.2 = lbs.sub.f /ounce .sup.3 = (lbs.sub.f * inch)/inch.sup.2 .sup.4 = (lbs.sub.f * inch)/(inch.sup.2 * ounce) .sup.5 = inches .sup.6 = cubic feet per minute
An elastic sheet of meltblown ARNITEL® polyetherester fibers as described above (e.g., basis weight of about 1 osy) was stretched approximately 15 percent and maintained in its stretched condition while it was joined to two batts of crimped polyester staple fibers (i.e., one batt on each side of the elastic sheet). The polyester staple fiber batts contained a mixture of about 50 percent, by weight, 6 denier crimped fibers and about 50 percent, by weight, 15 denier crimped fibers. The staple fibers had an average length of about 3 inches. Each batt of polyester fibers had a basis weight of about 3.5 osy.
The layers were joined utilizing two needling machines arranged in series. First, the fiber batts were tacked to the elastic layer utilizing a conventional tack needling machine. The tack needled fiber batts then were passed through a conventional top and bottom needling machine (available from Oskar Dilo of Eberbach, Germany) which needled both sides of the composite. The top and bottom needling machine was equipped with 25 gauge Groz-Beket needles mounted on a low-density needle board having a needle density of about 80 needles per inch. The needling was carried out under standard conditions for the particular fiber batt and low-density needle board. Upon recovery of the elastic sheet, the basis weight of the needled composite was about 8 osy.
Physical properties of the needled composite material were measured. The elongation of the composite was measured by the Grab Tensile Test method described above. Bulk or thickness of the sample was measured at an applied pressure of about 25 grams force per square centimeter.
The needled composite material was sandwiched between two pieces of a conventional nylon textile, each piece having a basis weight of about 6.5 osy. This was done to simulate apparel construction in which an insulating layer is located between an outer and inner fabric shell.
Thermal resistance and permeability of this apparel construction were determined in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the needlepunched composite as an insulation material. The thermal analyzing system was composed of two parts: (1) an environmental control chamber which was maintained at a standard condition: 21 degrees Centigrade, 65% Relative Humidity; and (2) a component to stimulate the skin/body.
The environmental control chamber was a Tabai ESPEC's Platinous Lucifer Model PL-2G, programmable temperature and humidity chamber. This chamber housed a sub-chamber made from Lucite plastic that provided precise control of air velocity. A skin simulating guarded hot plate, or sweating hot plate, was positioned inside the sub-chamber. Air currents impinged vertically on the surface of the guarded hot plate at a rate of about 20 cm/sec.
Simultaneous heat and moisture transfer was measured using a sweating hot plate. This sweating hot plate featured four simulated sweating glands that supplied water to the heated surface at the rate of 0.077 ml/min per gland. The water flow was controlled using an Ismatec cartridge peristaltic pump while the surface of the hot plate was covered by a highly wettable and dimensionally stable polyester/rayon-spunlace nonwoven membrane to allow water to easily spread over the surface. Two simulated skin-clothing models were used: (1) a standard dry model, and (2) a standard wet model. A guarded hot plate was used as a heat source for the standard dry model. A sweating hot plate was used as the heat source for the for the standard wet model. In both models, specimens were placed directly on the heat source.
The amount of heat and rate of heat flow through a specimen during testing was measured utilizing a box containing a thin copper heat capacitor fitted with a temperature sensing device. These components were placed between the heat source (i.e., the hot plate) and the specimen to detect the rate at which heat was pulled from a finite thermal capacity (e.g., simulated skin) through a fabric.
The Dry Heat Transfer rate was measured and reported in units of Watts/M 2 ·°C. Thermal resistance was calculated from the measured Dry Heat Transfer rate utilizing the following equation:
Thermal Resistance=(1/Dry Heat Transfer Rate)/0.155
Thermal resistance is reported in units of clo. The clo is a unit of thermal resistance defined as the amount of thermal resistance provided by an arbitrarily selected standard set of clothing. It may be expressed by the following equation:
1clo=((0.18° C.) (meter).sup.2 (hour))/(kilocalories)
The highest clo value represents the lowest heat flow through the material and is predicted to be the better insulator. For the purpose of comparison, values for thermal resistance was calculated from the reported Wet Heat Transfer rate.
The Permeability Index (I m ) of the sample was calculated from the measured Dry Heat Transfer rate and Wet Heat Transfer rate. The permeability index is defined as the ratio of the thermal and evaporative resistance of the fabric to the ratio of thermal and evaporative resistance of air. This ratio (i.e., the permeability index), which may have a value that is between 0 and 1, serves as a measure of how readily moisture vapor and heat pass from the body through a material to help maintain body comfort. A higher index value (>1) is generally equated with better comfort. The permeability index may be calculated using the following formula:
I.sub.m =0.0607(E/H)(Ts-Ta)/(Ps-Pa)
where,
E=heat transfer rate (W/m 2 ·°C.▴T) due to moisture evaporation, (Wet Heat Transfer-Dry Heat Transfer)
H=heat transfer rate (W/M 2 ·°C.▴T) due to heat, (Dry Heat Transfer)
Ps(T)=exp (16.6536-4030.183/(T+235))
Pa(T)=(RH/100)Ps (T) Ts and Ta are the temperature on the skin surface and the ambient environment, respectively, and RH is the relative humidity.
Ts=35° C., Ta=21° C. Rh=65%
Ps and Pa are water vapor pressures (kPa) on skin surface and in ambient environment, respectively.
Dry Heat Transfer rates and Wet Heat Transfer rates were also measured for a batt of standard goose down used as thermal insulation in apparel (80%, by weight, goose down, 20%, by weight, goose feathers); a sample of Thinsulate® thermal insulation material available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) of Saint Paul, Minn.; and Thermoloft protective insulation of Dacron® polyester fibers available from E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Company. The results of these tests are reported in Table 2.
As can be seen from Table 2 the samples were not uniform in weight or bulk. Accordingly, the data was normalized to provide a meaningful comparison. The test results indicate that composite materials of the present invention provide a level of desirable insulation properties which is generally similar to such well known insulation materials as goose down, Thinsulate®, and a batt of Dacron® polyester fibers while also providing desirable stretch and recovery properties which are especially desirable for applications such as, for example, apparel, blankets, sleeping bags and the like.
TABLE 2______________________________________PHYSICAL Basis Stretch &PROPERTIES Bulk.sup.1 Weight.sup.2 Density.sup.3 Recovery.sup.4______________________________________Goose Down 20.146 18.69 0.031 --Thinsulates ® 7.117 14.18 0.067 --Needle Punched 9.183 15.69 0.057 221Demique ®Dacron ® Polyester 7.983 11.27 0.047 --______________________________________ .sup.1 = millimeters .sup.2 = ounces per square yard .sup.3 = grams per cubic centimeter .sup.4 = percent
DRY HEAT TRANSFER Clo Clo/cm Clo/g/cm.sup.3______________________________________Goose Down 1.33 0.66 42.90Needle Punched Demique ® 1.13 1.23 19.82Thinsulate ® 1.08 1.52 16.22Dacron ® Polyester 1.00 1.25 21.28______________________________________WET HEAT TRANSFER Watts/M.sup.2 °C. Clo______________________________________Dacron ® Polyester 3.10 0.291Thinsulate ® 3.07 0.294Needle Punched Demique ® 2.98 0.303Goose Down 2.73 0.331______________________________________PERMEABILITY INDEX______________________________________Down 0.639Needle Punched Demique ® 0.579Thinsulate ® 0.563Dacron ® Polyester 0.510______________________________________
Thus, it is apparent that the present invention provides a composite elastic material that reduces problems associated with previous pile-type and lanate, fleece-like materials.
At least one layer of the lanate composite elastic material and/or the increased pile density composite elastic material may be combined with at least one other layer of material to form a multilayer material. For example, a layer of the lanate composite elastic material may be sandwiched between a layer of lining fabric and a layer of shell fabric to form a multi-layer material that may be cut, shaped, formed, sewn or otherwise used directly in the manufacture of apparel.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, the disclosed embodiments are intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention. It is understood that those of skill in the art should be capable of making numerous modifications without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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Disclosed is a lanate composite elastic material made by a method including the steps of applying a tensioning force to elongate at least one pressure sensitive elastomer adhesive sheet; inserting substantially individualized fibrous materials into the elastic sheet by mechanical needling the elastomer sheet while it is maintained in an elongated condition; and releasing the tensioning force so the attached fibrous materials are positioned closer together by the recovery of the elastic sheet. The resulting lanate composite elastic material has stretch and recovery properties, bulk, and desirable insulation properties. One or more layers of the lanate composite material may be combined with other layers of material to create a multi-layer structure. Also disclosed is a method of making in increased pile density composite elastic material including the step inserting substantially individualized fibrous materials into an elongated pressure sensitive elastomer adhesive sheet by stitchbonding, malipole stitchbonding, or tufting or adhering substantially individualized fibrous materials to the elongated elastomer sheet by flocking techniques. The density of attached fibrous materials in the resulting increased pile density composite elastic material is greater than could be achieved by conventional fiber insertion or adherence techniques while still maintaining desirable elastic properties and bulk.
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RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
Patent application Ser. No. 09/678,242, filed Oct. 4, 2000, entitled Dual Grindstone.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to tire uniformity machines. The present invention more particularly relates to a grinding apparatus in a tire uniformity machine. Most particularly, the present invention relates to a linearly actuated grinding apparatus used for removing material from tires in a tire uniformity machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In tire uniformity machines, a tire is tested by rotating it at various speeds to ensure that the tire has been constructed and performs within quality standards. During this testing process, the tire is rotated and the tire uniformity machine examines the tire's shape and surface characteristics to a high degree of accuracy. At times, during this examination, the tire uniformity machine detects irregularities in the tire. Any irregularity in the surface and shape of the tire may be corrected by removing material from appropriate portions of the tire.
To remove material, known tire uniformity machines typically employ a grinder having a single cylindrical grindstone rotating in relations to the rotation of the tire. As the tire rotates, the grindstone is selectively brought into contact with the tire to remove material.
In known grinders, the application of the grindstone occurs in a rotary fashion. The typical grinder has a pivoting arm on which the grindstone and its motor are mounted. Often a motor and gear box arrangement is used to control the speed and direction of rotation of the grindstone. The motor is then connected to the grindstone by belts or chains and a series of pulleys or sprockets. As will be appreciated, the motor and gear box are bulky and the positioning of this unit is limited. In fact, the typical motor housing projects to such an extent that the confines of the tire uniformity machine prevent the grindstone from being actuated in a linear fashion.
To overcome this, known tire uniformity machines attach the motor distally from the grinder on an arm that houses the drive belt or chain. In this way, the motor is located away from the instrumentation, the load wheel, and other devices that must be placed proximate to the test tire, where there is more space. The arm is mounted on a pivot such that the motor housing moves radially in a limited area. The pivot is located between the motor and grindstone, and the arm rotates under the force of a hydraulic cylinder attached to the arm on one side of the pivot. The typical hydraulic cylinder acts transversely of the arm and thus is mounted on a separate frame member than the frame member on which the arm pivots. So mounted, the hydraulic cylinders reduce visibility and access to the grinder and the area surrounding the grinder.
Due to the rotation of the arm, the grinder may not be aimed directly at the tire center. In other words, the center line and the contact point of the grinder travel in an arc in an attempt to tangentially contact the tire. As will be readily understood, initiating contact with the tire in this manner makes it difficult to make good, accurate contact in a repeatable manner. Further, the housing of the grinder must be adjusted to clear the machine housing and attempt to make proper contact between the grinder and the tire. Specifically, the grinder housing often is connected to a vacuum supply to remove particles created by the grinding process, and this housing must be made to closely fit the grindstone. Since this housing closely fits about the grindstone, in these devices, simple rotation of the arm may cause the housing to contact the rotating tire. As will be appreciated, such contact could significantly damage the grinding apparatus and may cause damage to the tire.
To avoid such contact and to better position the grindstone to remove material, known devices adjust the position of the housing and grindstone by rotating the housing relative to the arm. To make this adjustment, known devices incorporate a series of linkages. In some cases, as many as five linkages may be used. Due to machining tolerances, each link is a source of error. When multiple links are used, this error is compounded making it more significant in terms of accurate removal of the tire material. These errors make it difficult to achieve good contact with the tire.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In light of the current status of the art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a grinder that reduces the error associated with the use of multiple linkages.
It is a further object of the present invention to linearly actuate the grinder into contact with the tire.
In view of at least one of these objects, the present invention provides a grinder in a tire uniformity machine that receives a tire for testing, the grinder including an arm received in bearings; a grinding head supported on the arm, the grinding head having a rotatably grinding stone and a motor causing the rotation of the grinding stone; and a linear actuator operatively engaging the arm to selectively cause axial movement thereof causing the grindstone to selectively contact the tire.
The present invention further provides a grinder in a tire uniformity machine receiving a tire having a central axis for testing, the grinder including a support member; linear bearings mounted on the support members; an arm carried on the bearings and moveable toward or away from the tire; a grinding head supported on an end of the arm proximate the tire, the grinding head having a pair of rotatable grindstones adapted to contact the tire and at least one motor causing the rotation of the grindstones; and a linear actuator operatively engaging the arm causing the grindstone to move linearly to contact the tire.
The present invention further provides a method of removing material from a tire in a tire uniformity machine that rotates a tire for testing, the method including providing an arm; carrying a rotatable grindstone on an end of the arm; supporting the arm on linear bearings; driving the arm linearly toward the tire causing the grindstones to contact the tire; and rotating the grindstone as the grindstone contacts the tire.
The present invention further provides a grinding head in a grinder for a tire uniformity machine having a frame, the tire uniformity machine receiving a tire for testing within the frame, the grinding head including a grindstone rotatably supported in a shroud and directly driven by a motor mounted adjacent to the grindstone.
It accordingly becomes a principal object of this invention to provide a tire uniformity machine grinder of the character above-described with other objects thereof becoming more apparent upon a reading of the following brief specification considered and interpreted in view of the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a grinder in a tire uniformity machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view thereof.
FIG. 4 is a fragmented sectional view of the grinding head and motor as might be seen along line 4 — 4 in FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A grinder according to the present invention is generally referred to by the numeral 10 in the accompanying drawing figures. Grinder 10 is used to remove material from a tire T. Tire T is located in a tire uniformity apparatus and accordingly is rotatably mounted within the tire uniformity machine. During operation of the tire uniformity machine, tire T may be caused to rotate, by an appropriate drive mechanism, such that the tire T rotates about a central axis CA. The tire uniformity machine causes the tire T to rotate to evaluate aspects of the tire T including its surface characteristics.
To that end, a load wheel, which is moved into and out of contact with the rotating tire, and various sensors may be employed to obtain information about the tire's integrity, shape, and surface qualities. Irregularities in the surface S of tire T may be corrected by appropriate removal of material from the surface S. To remove material, grinder 10 is selectively brought into contact with the surface S of tire T.
Grinder 10 is suitably supported proximate to tire T to affect such contact, for example, by a frame F. Frame F may be an independent support or a part of the tire uniformity machine, as shown. Grinder 10 generally includes a support member 12 attached to frame F. As shown in FIG. 1, support member 12 may be provided with a pivot 14 to allow for radial adjustment of support member 12 relative to the frame F. Pivoting of the support member 12 allows the grinder 10 to be aligned with the tire to ensure proper contact between the grinder 10 and tire T. The center line CL of grinder 10 may be aligned with the central axis CA of tire T to achieve simultaneous contact of the grindstones of grinder 10 .
Once aligned, the grinder 10 may be positively locked into place such that it remains aligned during the grinding process. To that end, support member 12 may be provided with a pivot stop 11 extending from support 12 . Further, a bumper 13 and shim 15 may be provided between the frame and support member 12 to adjust spacing. It will be appreciated that, shim 15 and bumper 13 may be located between the frame F and pivot stop 11 . Thus, the radial position of support member 12 may be adjusted by varying the size of the shim 15 and then the grinder 10 may be locked against Frame F. Alternatively, a dynamic adjustment system may be used incorporating appropriate sensors for determining the position of the grinder 10 relative to the tire T and its center line CL and an appropriate actuator, responsive to the sensors, for changing the radial position of the grinder 10 by movement of support member 12 relative to the frame F. In this way, the grinder 10 may be appropriately aligned with respect to the tire T. Preferably, the center line CL of grinder 10 will be aligned with the axis CA of the tire T.
One or more arms 16 are held in spaced relation by support member 12 . Arms 16 are supported on bearings 18 that facilitate substantially linear movement of the arms 16 toward and away from the tire T. Bearings 18 , as shown in FIG. 3, are linear bearings and may include rollers 19 suitably mounted on support member 12 . Rollers 19 are vertically aligned to receive edges 21 of arms 16 . Offset bearings 18 , such as those shown in FIG. 3, may be employed and located at either side of the edges 21 of arm 16 to help resist forces acting on the arm 16 and maintain the position of the arm 16 . Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, bearings 18 may be located in fore and aft positions on the support member, and longitudinally aligned to guide the arm 16 upon actuation.
The arms 16 are actuated by a suitable linear actuator generally referred to by the numeral 20 , including fluid driven actuators, such as, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, motor driven actuators, electric actuators and the like. In the embodiment shown, actuator 20 includes a pair of cylinders 22 that expand to drive the arms 16 toward tire T and retract to pull the arms 16 away from the tire T.
As previously discussed, the manipulation of grinder 10 may be controlled by various methods available in the art. For example, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders 22 may be employed to extend and retract the arm 16 carrying grinding heads 30 . In such a case, supply lines (not shown) carrying fluid from a fluid supply may be used to selectively direct fluids to the cylinders 22 and to apply a motive force. The activation of these cylinders 22 may be coordinated by sensor 37 located in sensing relation to tire T or grinding head 30 . The sensor 37 being in communication with a controller 39 that controls the fluid supply to the cylinders 22 . In the embodiment shown, a servo valve 41 is used to control the flow of fluid passing through a manifold 43 that supplies the cylinders 22 . As a result of the flow control, position of the grinding head 30 relative to the tire T is controlled.
Additionally, the position of grinding heads 30 relative to each other and tire T may be adjusted as required by the particular tire T. To that end, arms 16 are provided with a separation adjuster 24 and a tilt adjuster 26 engaging ends 28 of arms 16 . The ends 28 may be made pivotable to allow spacing of grinding heads 30 relative to each other or arms 16 . To provide further manipulation of grinding head 30 , grinding head 30 may be pivotally attached to ends 28 of arms 16 . As best shown in FIG. 7, grinding head 30 may be pivotally mounted between spaced members 29 of ends 28 and rotate or tilt therebetween. While the grinder 10 may be oriented in any position and the tilting may be varied accordingly, the grindstone 32 substantially lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the tire T. When the grindstone 32 is tilted, the grindstone 32 deviates from this plane and generally rotates between a plane substantially parallel to that of the tire T to a plane substantially perpendicular to that of the tire T. As can be appreciated, the amount of tilt may be limited by appropriate stops or limiters, and the tilt adjuster 26 may control the amount and rate of tilt. Tilt adjuster 26 extends from arm 16 or end 28 to grinding head 30 to control the amount of tilt of grinding head 30 . To limit the range of motion of grinding head 30 , an adjustable pivot lock 31 may engage grinding head 30 . In this way, the adjustment members 24 , 26 may be used to alter the spacing of grinding head 30 , or to tilt the grinding heads 30 relative to the tire T and arms 16 . Various adjustment members 24 , 26 may be used including mechanical actuators such as threaded members, gears, ratchet members, fluid cylinders, or cams; or electric actuators including linear rails. Alternatively, spacing and tilt may be adjusted by moving the grinding heads 30 on the frame F, or support member 12 .
Grinding heads 30 are supported on ends 28 of arms 16 and generally include a grindstone 32 driven by at least one motor 35 . Further, the motor 35 is supported adjacent to a shroud 40 and may be mounted to the ends 28 of arms 16 or to the shroud 40 itself. The grindstone 32 is operatively attached to the motor 35 and may be driven directly thereby. By directly driving the grindstone and eliminating the belts and pulleys used in known systems, the size of the motor may be reduced. The elimination of the belt or chain system and the reduced size of the motor 35 results in reduced inertia of motor 35 . This reduced inertia allows the motor 35 to quickly reverse directions, when a reversible motor 35 is used. In the embodiment shown, a reversible motor 35 is used to directly drive the grindstone 32 . By reversing the grindstone 32 quickly the directly drive motor 35 may significantly reduce processing time, when reversal is necessary.
As best shown in FIG. 7, the motor 35 may be secured adjacent to the shroud 40 . The shaft 42 of motor 35 extends through an opening formed within the shroud and extends into the grinding chamber 44 , defined by the shroud 40 , where it is coupled to the grindstone 32 . Power to the motor 35 is supplied conventionally by cables, which may connect to the motor 35 at a junction box 46 . To protect the components of motor 35 , a housing 48 is provided to substantially cover the exposed surfaces of motor 35 .
To help contain and remove these particles, the shroud 40 closely fits over grindstone 32 . The shroud 40 may generally define an opening 50 located radially outwardly from the axis of rotation of grindstone 32 and spaced therefrom such that the grinding surface 52 of grindstone 32 is exposed. Further, shroud 40 may define an opening 55 axially spaced from the grindstones 32 to allow access to the interior of shroud 40 for purposes of cleaning or to repair or replace the grindstone 32 . During operation, the axially spaced opening 55 may be closed by a suitable cover 58 .
The shroud 40 may be provided with a nozzle 60 attached to a vacuum source for the removal of particulate created during the grinding process. When the shroud 40 has a curved wall 61 , as shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle 60 . may open into chamber 44 tangentially, as best shown in FIG. 3. A nozzle 60 may be fluidly connected to the vacuum source by a hose 62 . To further aid in the removal of particulate, a jet nozzle 64 may direct a supply of fluid toward the tire T to attempt to expel particulate lodged within the treads of tire T or on the surface S thereof. Jet 64 is fluidly connected to a supply distal from the grindstone 32 . Jet 64 may be located outside of or within shroud 40 . Preferably, jet 64 is located near the tire T and may be positioned such that it is centrally located within the vacuum stream created by the vacuum source, as discussed in copending application referred to above.
The shroud 40 is open toward the tire T exposing a portion of the grindstone 32 to the tire T. The sensor 37 may be mounted on the shroud 40 or proximate thereto to determine the amount of material removed from the tire T. Sensor 37 communicates with controller 39 which accordingly controls the movement of grindstone 32 .
When removing material from the tire T, contact is made by grindstone 32 . Depending on the particular tire T and desired grinding effect, the rotation of grindstone 32 may be changed relative to the direction of rotation of tire T.
As previously discussed, the position of the arms 16 and thus the grinding heads 30 may be controlled by selectively extending or retracting the arms 16 by way of the linear actuator 20 . Extension of the arms 16 drives the grinding head 30 in a substantially straight line to place grindstone 32 of the grinding head 30 into contact with surface S of tire T. In this way, the grinding head 30 is directly driven by a single actuator 20 into contact with the tire T. Once sufficient material is removed from the tire T, the linear actuator 20 retracts the arm 16 pulling the grindstone 32 away from the tire T.
Since grinding may occur at the treads, sidewall, or the shoulder therebetween, the grinding head 30 , shroud 40 , and motor 35 may be made pivotable about an axis 70 . In the embodiment shown, the end 28 of the arm 16 attaches to the shroud 40 of grinding head 30 at a pair of pivot points 72 , 74 located on either side of the shroud 40 . As shown in FIG. 5, the pivot points 72 , 74 may be located generally at the base 76 of the motor 35 and in substantial alignment with the top portion 78 of the shroud 40 . A tilt adjuster 80 may extend between the arm 16 and the housing of the motor 35 , wherein displacement of the tilt adjuster 80 pivots the grinding head 30 about the axis 70 defined by pivot points 72 , 74 . In this way, the grindstone 32 may be actuated to contact the sidewall, shoulder, or tread in substantially parallel relation to the surfaces if desired. It will be appreciated that depending on the type of irregularity that is to be removed from the tire, the grinding surface 52 of the grindstone 32 may be positioned at various angles.
It will further be appreciated that it may be desirable to obtain different surface characteristics for different tires T or portions thereof. Consequently, differing grinding treatment of tires T may be required as various tires T are tested at the tire uniformity machine. To accommodate the variance in tires T, the speed and direction of rotation of grindstone 32 may be varied either through controlling the speed of the motor 35 , or through the use of other known means including pulley or gear differentials. Further, grindstone 32 having a different grit may be selected to obtain a desired surface characteristic.
It will still further be appreciated that the grinding head 30 and motor head 35 may be retrofit to existing grinders with little or no modification.
While a full and complete description of the invention has been set forth in accordance with the dictates of the patent statutes, it should be understood that modifications can be resorted to without departing from the spirit hereof or the scope of the appended claims.
Thus, the invention has been illustrated and described with regard to a grinding head carrying dual grindstones but the linear actuation with respect to the tire and the direct drive of the grindstone would also have application to a grinding having only one grindstone.
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A grinder in a tire uniformity machine that receives a tire for testing, the grinder including an arm received in bearings; a grinding head supported on the arm, the grinding head having a rotatable grinding stone and a motor causing the rotation of the grinding stone; and a linear actuator operatively engaging the arm to selectively cause axial movement thereof causing the grindstone to selectively contact the tire.
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CROSS REFERENCE DATA
This application is a continuation application of U.S. Pat. No. 8,518,672, issued on Aug. 27, 2013, which is a continuation of PCT App. No. PCT/US2010/039481, filed Jun. 22, 2010, which claimed priority from provisional application U.S. Patent App. No. 61/219,764 and provisional application U.S. Patent App. No. 61/219,759, each filed Jun. 23, 2009.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates, in general, to the extraction of hemicelluloses from biomass prior to thermal conversion of the biomass to energy and the treatment of the extracted hemicelluloses for the production of alcohol and other bioproducts. The invention also relates, in general, to the enzymatic conversion of cellulosic fiber to glucose and other monomeric sugars and specifically the re-utilization of existing process equipment in pulp and paper mills.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 . illustrates a conceptual flow sheet example of an embodiment of the invention process.
FIG. 2 . illustrates a flow sheet example of an embodiment of the invention process steps.
FIG. 3 . illustrate a flow sheet of a further embodiment of the invention relating to enzymatic conversion of cellulosic fiber.
Note: The method steps illustrated in the figures are preferred embodiments and not intended to restrict the scope of the invention. The invention may be practiced with fewer or addition steps in any plausible combination even if not shown in the drawings or in the detailed description.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Renewable energy generation from forest residues is commonly practiced in the forest products industries. The U.S. forest products industry consumed 27.1 million tons of wood derived biomassin the generation of steam. By comparison, the power generation industry used 11.9 million tons of biomass of which 80% is wood derived. The biomass consumption in energy and power generation is expected to double in every 10 years until 2030.
The major components of cellulosic biomass are lignin, hemicelluloses and cellulose. The forest products industry practices the addition of steam to wood chips, to dissolve predominantly hemicelluloses at temperatures above 160 degrees C.; this process is termed “steam explosion”. Hemicelluloses removed in this process is termed “extract”. A concentration of the extract through evaporation is energy intensive, although it is currently practiced in industry to produce molasses.
Previous research indicates that ethanol, acetic acid and their byproducts can be derived from the extract. Hardwood in particular, and softwood to a lesser extent produces an extract rich in acetic acid and sugars as taught by Amidon et al. in (U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0079944 A1, Apr. 12, 2007).
The present inventors found, inter alia, an alternative method to extract hemicelluloses from biomass prior to thermal conversion of the biomass to energy and have developed a process wherein the hemicelluloses in the extract can be converted to alcohol and other chemical bioproducts in an energy efficient process.
In a further embodiment, there is disclosed enzymatic conversion of cellulosic fiber to glucose and other monomeric sugars and specifically the re-utilization of existing process equipment in pulp and paper mills.
The current practice in proposed cellulosic ethanol processes is to add enzymes to 6-15% solids cellulosic fiber stock, termed medium consistency stock, and wait for completion of cellulose hydrolysis in 24-72 hours. This process is inefficient, because mixing of medium consistency stock consumes disproportionally more energy than mixing of low consistency (1-6% solids) stock. However, the equipment required for the storage and processing of low consistency stock are larger than for medium or high consistency (16-35% solids) stock.
The activity of the enzymes reduces upon time, because of binding to non-specific sites, e.g., lignin. Mixing at high consistency is not efficient and slows enzymatic reaction. Over the hydrolysis period, the stock consistency decreases thus improving both mixing efficiency and enzyme activity, however high dissolved sugar concentration from the hydrolyzed cellulose fiber has a negative impact on enzyme activity.
Phillips et al. have taught in U.S. patent application “HIGH CONSISTENCY ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL” (US20120036768) a method of converting biomass to sugars using a two-step process, where enzymes are adsorbed on biomass at approximately 5% consistency for 5-10 minutes and then dewatered to 20-30% consistency for 24-48 hours. Phillips et al. further taught that these steps can be repeated and the filtrate recycled to the previous step.
The current inventors have discovered, inter alia, that a stepwise addition of enzymes improved the hydrolysis yields at lower enzyme dosage and at low consistency typical of the stock consistencies used in pulp and paper mills. This advantageous because existing pulp and paper mill equipment and vessel infrastructure can be redeployed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention describes a process for the extraction of hemicelluloses from biomass by steam explosion prior to thermal conversion of the biomass to energy and the treatment of the extracted hemicelluloses through hydrolysis, evaporation, fermentation and distillation steps to recover and concentrate alcohol, acetate, and other chemical bioproducts. The process is integrated with the host biomass thermal energy plant and/or host facility to minimize process energy and water consumption. Also disclosed is a biorefinery process to extract hemicelluloses from cellulosic biomass destined for thermal conversion to energy, while maintaining full cellulose material utilization. The process may use steam for extraction of the hemicelluloses. The process my further include steam extraction pressure at between 5 and 30 atmospheres and/or where the steam extraction time is between 2 minutes and 1 hour. The process may also include evaporation for the concentration of the hemicelluloses containing extract up to 25% or more. The process may also include the use of mechanical vapor recompression evaporation for said evaporation. The process may also include having extract maintained below acetic acid dissociation point of pH 4.8 to remove acetic acid by evaporation. The process may also include using stillage from distillation bottoms as biomass for thermal conversion to energy. The process may also include using a host facility steam generator feed water heated with waste heat from the biorefinery process. The process may also include a biorefinery process integrated with a host facility to minimize overall steam and water. The process may also include using steam and acetic acid for extraction of the hemicelluloses and/or where steam and sulfur dioxide is used for extraction of the hemicelluloses and or where steam and a mineral acid is used for extraction of the hemicelluloses. The process may also include using a biorefinery process comprising an extraction reactor, washing, low solids evaporation, hydrolysis, post hydrolysis evaporation, fermentation, distillation, product drying, distillation. product drying, and solid biomass dewatering. The process may also include using mechanical vapor recompression evaporators for said evaporation.
To summarize the alternate embodiment relating to enzymatic conversion of cellulosic fiber to glucose and other monomeric sugars, there is disclosed a process which proposes that a stepwise enzymatic break down of cellulose fibers from a pulping operation is performed using the equipment and vessels contained within typical pulp and paper manufacturing facilities. The preferred cellulose fiber feedstock to an enzymatic hydrolysis process is highly delignified pulp from an acid or alkaline pulping process, or bleaching process. Cellulase enzymes are used to break down the cellulose fibers to glucose and hemicellulases are used to free hemicelluloses side chains. These enzymes are added stepwise to the pulp suspension. High efficiency mixing vessels termed pulpers are used to disperse and adsorb the enzymes on cellulose fibers at a pulp consistency of 3-12% solids. After short adsorption time, the pulp suspension is transferred to agitated vessels which are used for retention storage during the hydrolysis. At specified times, additional enzymes are added in one or more steps to boost the hydrolysis to completion. Hydrolyzed glucose may be filtered and the remaining pulp suspension may be concentrated or diluted in between the enzyme additions.
Also disclosed in the second embodiment is a process using stepwise addition of enzymes and pulp for the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose fiber. The process further includes pulp being added stepwise to maintain optimum consistency for mixing and enzymatic activity. The process further includes enzyme being added stepwise to maintain hydrolysis activity during the extended period. The process further includes dissolved sugars being removed to reduce enzymatic inhibition. The process further includes utilizing existing pulp and paper mill equipment in enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose fibers. The process further includes pulp and paper machine pulpers being used to promote enzymes contacting cellulose fibers. The process further includes pulp and paper machine stock chests being used for retention storage to provide enzyme reaction time. The process further includes pulp and paper machine saveall filters being used for dewatering of a pulp suspension. The process further includes pulp and paper machine fourdrinier sections being used for dewatering of unhydrolyzed solids.
The above summary is not a limitation of the scope of the invention which are defined by the claims and supported by the entire patent application document.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Reference should be had to FIGS. 1 and 2 which include legends which correspond to the description below.
The following steps may be taken in any order plausible and steps may be omitted and still conform to the invention.
The first step of the process is extraction. Cellulosic biomass is charged into a batch or continuous extraction reactor vessel and steam is added to heat the biomass at a pressure of 5-30 atmospheres for a duration of 2 minutes or more to obtain 10-30% yield of dissolved solids comprised mostly of hemicelluloses and lignin. This extraction process is termed steam explosion. The reaction is catalyzed by formation of acetic acid from the cellulosic biomass. Additional catalyst, such as acetic acid or a mineral acid or sulfur dioxide may be used to increase the dissolved solids fraction or to speed the extraction process.
The second step of the process is washing. Following extraction by steam explosion, the heated biomass is washed with water, and/or recirculated wash filtrate, and drained to recover the majority of the dissolved cellulosic biomass components. The wash filtrate, termed extract, contains dissolved xylan, glucan, mannan, arbinan, galactan and acetyl groups in oligomeric form of hemicelluloses as well as lignin. The extract has a low organic solids concentration of 1%-12% by weight. The majority of the water in the extract must be removed before an economic treatment of hemicelluloses is possible.
The third step of the process is dewatering of the biomass. The remaining solid biomass is dewatered to approximately the same moisture content that it was when fed to the extraction reactor, typically 40%-60% solids, by pressing it to approximately 30 atmospheres or more mechanical pressure through a commercial plug screw feeder, other pressing device, or other thermal/mechanical dewatering device. The host facility therefore experiences little or no change in the moisture content of its biomass feedstock available to be fed to the existing equipment for thermal conversion to energy.
The fourth step of the process is low solids evaporation. Evaporation is used to concentrate the low solids extract from the second step, in-reactor washing, from 1-5% solids to around 25% or more. This concentration is preferably performed using a mechanical vapor recompression evaporator which is suitable because the boiling point rise of the extract is small. Evaporated vapor is compressed, and condensed in the hot side of the evaporator to produce an almost equivalent amount of evaporation. If the extract feed concentration is over 5% solids, this step may be omitted. When the pH of this step is kept below the acetic acid dissociation point of pH 4.8, acetic acid in the extract, a fermentation inhibitor, is volatilized to the vapor fraction.
The fifth step of the process is hydrolysis. Concentrated extract from the low solids evaporation is hydrolyzed using sulfuric acid, heat or enzymes. Oligomer hemicelluloses in the concentrated extract are converted into monomer sugars and acetyl groups are released. The hydrolyzate resulting from the hydrolysis is controlled to pH 3-4.8 to maintain acetic acid in unassociated form.
The sixth step of the process is post hydrolysis evaporation. Hydrolyzate from hydrolysis is concentrated up to 50% solids by evaporation, preferably using a mechanical vapor recompression evaporator. More of the remaining acetic acid and water is evaporated in this step. Under the appropriate economic criteria, this step could be done with steam evaporation.
The seventh step of the process is fermentation of sugars. Sugars in the concentrated hydrolyzate are fermented in a continuous or batch fermentation tanks with one or more micro-organisms capable of converting five and six carbon sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The majority of acetic acid, which may inhibit fermentation, was removed in the previous evaporation step. Some additional acetic acid may be formed during fermentation. Nutrients and pH adjustment chemicals as well as make-up fermentative organism are added in this fermentation step as and if needed. Carbon dioxide is removed from the fermenters and scrubbed with cool water for alcohol recovery. This purified gas can be further compressed and sold as industrial grade carbon dioxide. The fermentation broth, commonly termed “beer”, from the fermentation step is sent to a distillation column.
The eighth step of the process is distillation of ethanol. The beer from the fermentation step is sent to a beer distillation column to separate the alcohol from the solids and residual sugars. Alcohol leaving as the overhead from the distillation column is recovered at approximately 30-50 mass-% strength. The final concentration of the alcohol product is performed in a rectifying column and drying system, preferably a molecular sieve, to obtain over 99-mass % alcohol.
The ninth step of the process is the solids concentration from the stillage. The solids, commonly termed “stillage”, from the beer distillation column bottom can be further evaporated in an optional concentrator, preferably a mechanical vapor recompression concentrator to achieve zero-liquid discharge operation.
The tenth step of the process is combustion of biomass. The dewatered biomass from the third step and the concentrated stillage from the ninth step are fed to the host facility existing equipment for thermal conversion to energy
the eleventh step of the process is the integration of the biorefinery with the existing host facility. The physical plant combining the process steps as a whole or in part to produce alcohol and other chemical bioproducts is termed “biorefinery”.
An energy integration analysis of the proposed biorefinery process indicates that utilizing mechanical vapor recompression evaporators achieves the minimum need for cooling water. The waste heat generated in the process is absorbed into the evaporator and column condensate streams, which can be utilized in the host facility to minimize overall steam and water consumption, and is preferably used for steam generator feedwater heating.
In the second embodiment related to enzymatic conversion of cellulosic fiber to glucose and other monomeric sugars, the detailed description is as follows. Reference should be had to FIG. 3 which include legends which correspond to the description below.
The first step of the process is the pulp mixing at 3-10% consistency, using a low dosage of enzymes. The cellulose fiber feedstock, termed pulp, is prepared by chemical pulping of wood chips in acidic or alkaline conditions and may be partially bleached to have residual lignin content below 3% by weight of the feedstock. The pulp at a consistency of 3%-10% solids is mixed with an enzyme formulation which is preferably at less than 3% by weight in proportion to cellulose and hemicellulose content of the delignified pulp. Mechanical mixing is performed to promote enzymes contacting the cellulose fibers. Mixing tanks in existing pulp and paper mills include broke and stock pulpers these are among the existing equipment and vessels that can be redeployed for this purpose.
The second step of the process is the retention of pulp suspension, while maintaining moderate mixing. Following step 1, retention time must be provided to achieve the desired enzyme reaction on the pulp stock to produce a partially hydrolyzed pulp suspension. Retention tanks in existing pulp and paper mills include high density storage, low density storage, machine chests, bleach towers, and broke surge tanks; these are the among the existing equipment and vessels that can be redeployed for this purpose.
The third step of the process is an addition of a small amount of enzymes. On reaching 25-50% dissolution of sugars, as measured by pulp weight loss, the partially hydrolyzed pulp suspension from the second step may be dewatered back to 3-10% consistency, without significant loss of adsorbed enzymes. Dissolved sugars in the filtrate are removed to reduce enzymatic inhibition. Filtrate from subsequent steps may also be used to wash the pulp in the dewatering process. A small amount of enzyme formulation used in the first step is then added to the dewatered pulp suspension to maintain hydrolysis activity during the extended period. New pulp from the first step is also added as needed to maintain optimum consistency for mixing and enzymatic activity. Dewatering devices in existing pulp and paper mills include side hill screens, stock washers, savealls, fourdrinier wire sections and press sections of pulp and paper machines; these are the among the existing equipment and vessels that can be redeployed for this purpose.
The second and third steps may be repeated one or more times to achieve complete hydrolysis.
The final step of the process is to remove unhydrolyzed solids, consisting mainly lignin in the pulp feedstock. The lignin is filtered from the sugar solution. The filter cake may be washed and pressed to minimize the sugar content. The lignin filtering devices in existing pulp and paper mills include stock washers, screw presses, fourdrinier wire sections and press sections of pulp and paper machines; these are among the existing equipment and vessels that can be redeployed for this purpose.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
5 grams of O.D. pine pulp at 18.5% consistency from alcohol sulfite process was dissolved with deionized water to 100 ml of pulp suspension. 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks were used. Enzyme stock solution was prepared in 50 mM acetate buffer (pH 5.02). Final volume was made up to 100 mL with deionized water. 100 mg of Novozymes Ctec/Htec enzymes were added at [8:1]ratio. Enzymatic reaction was incubated on a water bath at 50° C. and mixed at 200 rpm.
After the first 36 hour retention period, 25 mg of enzyme formulation was added. The hydrolysis was allowed to proceed another 36 hours, at which point another 25 mg of enzyme was added.
The procedure resulted 84.7% weight loss. In comparison, the hydrolysis of same pulp with the same 150 mg enzyme dosage in one step resulted 84% weight loss.
Example 2
5 grams of O.D. pine pulp at 18.5% consistency from alcohol sulfite process was dissolved with deionized water to 100 ml of pulp suspension. 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks were used. Enzyme stock solution was prepared in 50 mM acetate buffer (pH 5.02). Final volume was made up to 100 mL with deionized water. 50 mg of Novozymes Ctec/Htec enzymes were added at [8:1]ratio. Enzymatic reaction was incubated on a water bath at 50° C. and mixed at 200 rpm.
After 36 hours, 50 mg of enzyme formulation was added. The hydrolysis was allowed to proceed another 36 hours, at which point another 50 mg of enzyme was added.
The procedure resulted to 75.7% weight loss. In comparison, the hydrolysis of same pulp with the same 150 mg enzyme dosage in one step resulted 84% weight loss.
Example 3
5 grams of O.D. pine pulp at 18.5% consistency from alcohol sulfite process was dissolved with deionized water to 100 ml of pulp suspension. 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks were used. Enzyme stock solution was prepared in 50 mM acetate buffer (pH 5.02). Final volume was made up to 100 mL with deionized water. 100 mg of Novozymes Ctec/Htec enzymes were added at [8:1]ratio. Enzymatic reaction was incubated on a water bath at 50° C. and mixed at 200 rpm for 12 hours.
The suspension was dewatered to 10% consistency. The hydrolysis proceeded to approximately 32% weight loss in 24 hours. A fresh buffer and 25 mg of enzyme formulation was added to 5% consistency. The hydrolysis was allowed to proceed another 12 hours, at which point the consistency was increased to 10% for 24 hours.
The hydrolysis proceeded to approximately 47% weight loss, at which point fresh buffer and 25 mg of enzyme formulation was added to 5% consistency. The hydrolysis was allowed to proceed another 12 hours, at which point the consistency was increased to 10% for 24 hours.
The procedure resulted to 84.8% weight loss. In comparison, the hydrolysis of same pulp with the same 150 mg enzyme dosage in on step resulted 84% weight loss.
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A method is disclosed for the production of alcohol and other bioproducts hemicelluloses extracted from biomass prior to thermal conversion of the biomass to energy. The process can be integrated with the host plant process to minimize the energy loss from extracting hemicelluloses. Also disclosed is a stepwise enzymatic break down of cellulose fibers from a pulping operation which is performed with the redeployment of equipment and vessels contained within typical existing pulp and paper manufacturing mills. The preferred feedstock is highly delignified pulp from acid or alkaline pulping process or from bleaching stage.
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This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 09155123.4 filed Mar. 13, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a mould for fabricating a micromechanical part using galvanoplasty and the method of fabricating said mould.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Galvanoplasty has been used and known for a long time. LIGA type methods (a well know abbreviation for the German term “rontgenLIthographie, Galvanoformung & Abformung”) are more recent. They consist in forming a mould by photolithography using a photosensitive resin, and then, by galvanoplasty, growing a metal deposition, such as nickel, therein. The precision of LIGA techniques is much better than that of a conventional mould, obtained, for example, by machining. This precision thus allows the fabrication of micromechanical parts, particularly for timepiece movements, which could not have been envisaged before.
However, these methods are not suitable for micromechanical parts with a high slenderness ratio, such as a coaxial escape wheel made of nickel-phosphorus containing, for example 12% phosphorus. Electrolytic depositions of this type of part delaminate during plating, because of internal stresses in the plated nickel-phosphorus, which cause it to split away at the interface with the substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks, by proposing an alternative mould that offers at least the same fabrication precision and allows fabrication of parts with several levels and/or a high slenderness ratio.
The invention therefore concerns a method of fabricating a mould that includes the following steps:
a) depositing an electrically conductive layer on the top and bottom of a wafer made of silicon-based material; b) securing said wafer to a substrate using an adhesive layer; c) removing one part of said conductive layer from the top of the wafer; d) etching said wafer as far as the conductive layer on the bottom thereof in the shape of said part removed from the top conductive layer to form at least one cavity in said mould.
According to other advantageous features of the invention:
after step d), the method includes step e): mounting a part on the conductive layer the top of said wafer to form a second level in said mould; step e) is obtained by structuring a photosensitive resin by photolithography or by securing a pre-etched part made of silicon-based material; after step d), the method includes step f): mounting a rod in said at least one cavity to form a shaft hole in said part; the adhesive layer and the conductive layer on the bottom are inverted; the adhesive layer includes a photosensitive resin; the substrate includes a silicon-based material; the method includes step d′): etching the substrate as far as the conductive top layer to form at least one recess in the mould. after step d′), the method includes step e′): mounting a part on a conductive layer deposited on the top of the substrate to form an additional level in the mould; after step d′), the method includes step f′): mounting a rod in said at least one hollow to form a shaft hole in the part; step d) includes the following phases g): structuring a protective mask by photolithography using a photosensitive resin on the portion of the top conductive layer that has not been removed, h): performing an anisotropic etch of the wafer along the parts that are not covered by said protective mask, and i): removing the protective mask; step d) includes phase h′): performing an anisotropic etch of the wafer using the top conductive layer as a mask to etch the wafer in the parts removed from said conductive layer; several moulds are fabricated on the same substrate.
The invention also relates to a method of fabricating a micromechanical part by galvanoplasty, characterized in that it includes the following steps:
j) fabricating a mould in accordance with the method of one of the preceding variants; k) performing an electrodeposition by connecting the electrode to the conductive layer on the bottom of the wafer made of silicon-based material, to form said part in said mould; l) releasing the part from said mould.
Finally, the invention advantageously relates to a mould for the fabricating of a micromechanical part by galvanoplasty, characterized in that it includes a substrate, a part made of silicon-based material mounted on said substrate and comprising at least one cavity that reveals an electrically conductive surface of said substrate, allowing an electrolytic deposition to be grown in said at least one cavity.
According to other advantageous features of the invention:
the mould has a second part, which is mounted on the first and includes at least one recess that reveals an electrically conductive surface and at least one cavity of said first part for continuing the electrolytic deposition in said at least one recess after said at least one cavity has been filled; the substrate is formed of a silicon-based material and includes at least one hollow that reveals an electrically conductive surface of said substrate, allowing an electrolytic deposition to be grown in said at least one hollow; the mould includes an additional part, which is mounted on the substrate and includes at least one recess revealing an electrically conductive surface and at least one hollow in said substrate for continuing the electrolytic deposition in said at least one recess after said at least one hollow has been filled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages will appear more clearly from the following description, given by way of non-limiting illustration, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:
FIGS. 1 to 7 are diagrams of the successive steps of a method of fabricating a micromechanical part in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method of fabricating a micromechanical part in accordance with the invention;
FIGS. 9 to 13 are diagrams of the final successive steps of a method of fabricating a micromechanical part in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As FIG. 8 shows, the invention relates to a method 1 of fabricating a micromechanical part 41 , 41 ′ by galvanoplasty. Method 1 preferably includes a method 3 of fabricating a mould 39 , 39 ′ followed by galvanoplasty step 5 and step 7 of releasing part 41 , 41 ′ from said mould.
Mould fabrication method 3 includes a series of steps for fabricating a mould 39 , 39 ′ that includes at least one part 21 made of silicon-based material. In a first step 9 of method 3 , a wafer 21 made of silicon-based material is coated on the top and bottom thereof with electrically conductive layers, respectively referenced 20 and 22 as illustrated in FIG. 1 . Conductive layers 20 , 22 may include, for example, gold or copper.
In a second step 11 , a substrate 23 , which may also be silicon-based, is coated on the top thereof with a layer 24 of adhesive material, as illustrated in FIG. 2 . This material may, for example, be a non-activated photosensitive resin or more generally an easily removable photosensitive resin. In the third step 13 , adhesive layer 24 is used for at least temporarily securing wafer 21 , coated with substrate 23 , as illustrated in FIG. 3 .
According to an alternative of the invention, the adhesive layer 24 and bottom conductive layer 22 are inverted, as explained below.
In a fourth step 15 , one part 26 of the conductive layer 20 on the top of wafer 21 is removed to reveal part of wafer 21 as illustrated in FIG. 3 . In a fifth step 17 , wafer 21 is etched until the bottom conductive layer 22 is revealed. According to the invention, etching step 17 is preferably made in the same pattern as part 26 which was removed from conductive layer 20 in step 15 .
Etching step 17 preferably includes an anisotropic dry attack of the deep reactive ion etching type (DRIE).
According to a first variant of step 17 , the material of the conductive layer 20 on the top of wafer 21 is chosen to act as a protective mask. Thus, when the assembly of mask 20 -wafer 21 is subjected to the anisotropic etch, only the unprotected parts 26 of the wafer are etched. At the end of step 17 , at least one cavity 25 is thus obtained in wafer 21 , the bottom of which partially reveals bottom conductive layer 22 as illustrated in FIG. 4 .
According to a second variant of step 17 , firstly, a protective mask is coated on wafer 21 , preferably in the same shape as removed parts 26 for example, via a photolithographic method using a photosensitive resin. Secondly, when the mask-wafer assembly is subjected to the anisotropic etch, only the unprotected parts of the wafer are etched. Finally, in a third phase, the protective mask is removed. At the end of step 17 , at least one cavity 25 is thus obtained in wafer 21 , the bottom of which partially reveals the bottom conductive layer 22 as illustrated in FIG. 4 .
In the case of the aforecited alternative illustrated in triple lines in FIG. 8 , in which adhesion layer 24 and bottom conductive layer 22 are inverted, it is no longer necessary, in a step 18 , to continue said cavity 25 into adhesive layer 24 to reveal said bottom conductive layer 22 . Preferably, the material used in this alternative is then a photosensitive resin which is exposed to radiation in order to continue cavity 25 .
After step 17 , the invention provides two embodiments. In a first embodiment, illustrated in a single line in FIG. 8 , after step 17 , mould fabricating method 3 is finished and micromechanical part fabricating method 1 continues immediately with galvanoplasty step 5 and step 7 of releasing the part from said mould. Galvanoplasty step 5 is achieved by connecting the deposition electrode to bottom conductive layer 22 of wafer 21 so as to grow, firstly, an electrolytic deposition in cavity 25 of said mould, and then in step 7 , the part formed in cavity 25 is released from said mould.
According to this first embodiment, it is clear that the micromechanical part obtained has a single level whose shape is identical throughout the entire thickness thereof.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, illustrated in double lines in FIG. 8 , step 17 is followed by step 19 for forming at least one second level in mould 39 . Thus, the second level is achieved by mounting a part 27 on one part of the top conductive layer 20 , which was not removed in step 15 .
Part 27 is preferably formed on conductive layer 20 in a recess 28 of larger section than the removed parts 26 , for example, via a photolithographic method using a photosensitive resin.
Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , in step 19 , a rod 29 is preferably mounted to form shaft hole 42 for micromechanical part 41 straight away during the galvanoplasty. This not only has the advantage of meaning that part 41 does not need to be machined once the galvanoplasty has finished, but also means that an internal section of any shape can be formed, whether uniform or not, over the entire height of hole 42 . Rod 29 is preferably obtained in step 19 at the same time as part 27 , for example, via a photolithographic method using a photosensitive resin.
In the second embodiment, mould 39 fabrication method 3 ends after step 19 , and the micromechanical part fabrication method 1 continues with galvanoplasty step 5 and step 7 of releasing the part from said mould.
Galvanoplasty step 5 is achieved by connecting the deposition electrode to conductive layer 22 on the bottom of wafer 21 , firstly, to grow an electrolytic deposition in cavity 25 of said mould, and then, exclusively in a second phase, in recess 28 , as illustrated in FIG. 6 .
Indeed, advantageously according to the invention, when the electrolytic deposition is flush with the top part of cavity 25 , it electrically connects conductive layer 20 , which enables the deposition to continue to grow over the whole of recess 28 . Advantageously, the invention allows fabrication of a part with a high slenderness ratio, i.e. wherein the section of cavity 25 is much smaller than that of recess 28 , avoiding delamination problems even with a nickel-phosphorus material containing, for example, 12% phosphorus.
Owing to the use of silicon under conductive layer 20 , delamination phenomena at the interfaces decrease, which avoids splitting, caused by internal stresses in the electrodeposited material.
According to the second embodiment, fabrication method 1 ends with step 7 , in which the part 41 formed in cavity 25 and then in recess 28 is released from mould 39 . Release step 7 could, for example be achieved by delaminating layer 24 or by etching substrate 23 and wafer 21 . According to this second embodiment, it is clear, as illustrated in FIG. 7 , that the micromechanical part 41 obtained has two levels 43 , 45 , each of different shape and perfectly independent thickness.
This micromechanical part 41 could, for example, be a coaxial escape wheel, or escape wheel 43 -pinion 45 assembly with geometrical precision of the order of a micrometer, but also ideal referencing, i.e. perfect positioning between said levels.
According to second variant of method 1 illustrated by a double dotted lines in FIGS. 1 to 5 and 8 to 13 , it is possible to add at least a third level to mould 39 . The second variant remains identical to method 1 described above as far as step 17 , 18 or 19 , depending upon the alternative or variant used. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 13 , we will take the second embodiment as illustrated in double lines in FIG. 8 , as the starting point.
Preferably, according to this second variant, substrate 23 is formed from a silicon-based material and is etched to form a hollow 35 in mould 39 ′.
As can be seen, preferably between FIG. 5 and FIG. 9 , a deposition 33 has been performed in one part of the first cavity 25 to provide a conductive layer that is thicker than layer 22 alone, for the purpose of mechanically withstanding the steps of the second variant of method 1 . Preferably, this deposition 33 is performed by starting step 5 up to a predetermined thickness. However, this deposition can be performed in accordance with a different method.
As illustrated in double dotted lines in FIG. 8 , the second variant of method 1 applies steps 17 , 18 and/or 19 of the end of method 3 to substrate 23 . Thus, in the new step 17 , substrate 23 is etched until conductive layer 22 is revealed. Etch step 17 preferably includes deep reactive ion etching (DRIE).
Preferably, firstly, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , a protective mask 30 is coated on substrate 23 , comprising pierced parts 36 for example, via a photolithographic method using a photosensitive resin. Secondly, the mask 30 -substrate 23 assembly is subjected to the anisotropic etch, with only the unprotected parts of the substrate being etched.
Thirdly, protective mask 30 is removed. At least one hollow 35 is thus obtained in substrate 23 , the bottom of which partially reveals adhesive layer 24 , as illustrated in FIG. 10 . Finally, fourthly, hollow 35 is extended into layer 24 and, possibly, also into layer 22 . The material used for adhesive layer 24 is preferably a photosensitive resin which is exposed to radiation to continue hollow 35 . At the end of step 17 , at least one hollow 35 is thus obtained in substrate 23 , the bottom of which partially reveals conductive layer 22 or, possibly, deposition 33 .
Of course, in a similar way to that explained above, a conductive layer can also be deposited on substrate 23 instead of photostructured resin mask 30 , the material of which is chosen so that it can act as protective mask.
Likewise, in the case of the aforecited alternative in which adhesive layer 24 and bottom conductive layer 22 are inverted, it is no longer necessary to continue said hollow 35 into adhesive layer 24 to reveal conductive layer 22 or, possibly, deposition 33 .
After step 17 of the second variant of method 1 , the invention can also provide the two aforecited embodiments, i.e. continuing with galvanoplasty step 5 and release step 7 , or continuing with a step 19 to form at least one additional level on substrate 23 . To simplify the Figures, FIGS. 11 to 13 are realised from the first embodiment.
Preferably, whichever embodiment is chosen, as illustrated in FIG. 11 , a rod 37 is mounted to form hole 42 ′ for micromechanical part 41 ′ immediately during the galvanoplasty. Preferably, if rods 29 and 37 are formed respectively in cavity 25 and hollow 35 , they are aligned. Preferably, rod 37 is obtained, for example, via a photolithographic method using a photosensitive resin.
After the new steps 17 or 19 , galvanoplasty step 5 is performed by connecting the deposition electrode to conductive layer 22 to grow an electrolytic deposition in hollow 35 , but also to continue the growth of deposition 33 in cavity 25 , and then, exclusively in a second phase, in recess 28 , as illustrated in FIG. 12 . Fabrication method 1 ends with step 7 , in which part 41 ′ is released from mould 39 ′ as explained above.
According to this second variant, it is clear, as illustrated in FIG. 13 , that the micromechanical part 41 ′ obtained has at least three levels 43 ′, 45 ′ and 47 ′, each of different shape and perfectly independent thickness, with a single shaft hole 42 ′.
This micromechanical part 41 ′ could, for example, be a coaxial escape wheel 43 ′, 45 ′ with its pinion 47 ′, or a wheel set with three levels of teeth 43 ′, 45 ′, 47 ′ with geometrical precision of the order of a micrometer, but also ideal referencing, i.e. perfect positioning between said levels.
Of course, the present invention is not limited to the example illustrated, but is open to various alterations and variants, which will be clear to those skilled in the art. In particular, part 27 could include a pre-etched silicon-based material, and then be secured to conductive layer 20 .
Moreover, several moulds 39 , 39 ′ are fabricated from the same substrate 23 to achieve series fabrication of micromechanical parts 41 , 41 ′, which are not necessarily identical to each other.
Likewise, a rod 29 can be formed in cavity 25 to form a shaft hole 42 for the future part 41 , even within the scope of the first, single level embodiment. One could also envisage changing silicon-based materials for crystallised alumina or crystallised silica or silicon carbide.
Finally, layer 20 formed in step 9 , and then partially pierced in step 15 , can also be obtained via a single, selective, deposition step 15 . This step 15 could then consist, firstly, in depositing a sacrificial layer in the same shape as section 26 , prior to deposition of conductive layer 20 . Secondly, a conductive layer 20 is deposited on top of the assembly. Finally, in a third phase, the sacrificial layer is removed and, incidentally, the conductive layer part deposited thereon, which provides the same layer 20 as that visible in FIG. 3 . This step 15 is known as “lift-off”.
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The invention relates to a method ( 3 ) of fabricating a mold ( 39, 39 ′) including the following steps: (a) depositing ( 9 ) an electrically conductive layer on the top ( 20 ) and bottom ( 22 ) of a wafer ( 21 ) made of silicon-based material; (b) securing ( 13 ) the wafer to a substrate ( 23 ) using an adhesive layer; (c) removing ( 15 ) one part ( 26 ) of the conductive layer from the top of the wafer ( 21 ); and (d) etching ( 17 ) the wafer as far as the bottom conductive layer ( 22 ) thereof in the shape ( 26 ) of the one part removed from the top conductive layer ( 22 ) to form at least one cavity ( 25 ) in the mold. The invention concerns the field of micromechanical parts, particularly, for timepiece movements.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-157011 filed Jun. 14, 2007. The entire content of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to an image-selecting device and an image-selecting method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image selecting device and an image selecting method enabling the user to select or deselect a plurality of desired image data from a plurality of images displayed on a display device through simple operations.
BACKGROUND
[0003] There is known an image-selecting device that is provided with a touch panel arranged on a display screen on a display on which a plurality of images are displayed. Then, when a user touches the touch panel by a finger, an image corresponding to the touched position on the touch panel is selected. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-92386 discloses that an image-selecting device is capable of selecting the image data for the images in a path traced by the finger from a position where the finger touches the touch panel to a position where the finger is removed from the touch panel.
SUMMARY
[0004] However, since the image-selecting device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-92386 selects only the image data for the images in the path traced by the finger on the touch panel, the user must touch each image individually when selecting numerous images, resulting in tedious operations for the user.
[0005] In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image-selecting device and an image-selecting method enabling the user to select or deselect a plurality of desired image data from a plurality of images displayed on a display device through simple operations.
[0006] To achieve the above and other objects, one aspect of the invention provides an image-selecting device including a storing unit, a displaying unit, a detecting unit, a reading unit, an identification data storing unit, a display controlling unit, an image data identifying unit, and an image data selecting unit. The storing unit stores a plurality of pieces of image data. The displaying unit displays a plurality of images based on a plurality of pieces of image data and has a plurality of display regions for the plurality of images. The detecting unit detects each of the plurality of display regions receiving direct input by an indicator. The reading unit reads the plurality of pieces of image data from the storing unit. The identification data storing unit stores identification data for identifying the plurality of pieces of image data read by the reading unit and assigns a prescribed order to the identification data for the plurality of pieces of image data. The display controlling unit controls the displaying unit to display the plurality of images according to the prescribed order. The image data identifying unit identifies each of the plurality of pieces of image data for the image displayed in the display region detected by the detecting unit. When the image data identifying unit identifies two pieces of image data among the plurality of pieces of image data, the image data selecting unit, selects or deselects image data from one image data of the two pieces of image data to the other image data of the two pieces of image data according to the prescribed order of the identification data.
[0007] In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image-selecting method for an image-selecting device including a storing unit that stores a plurality of pieces of image data, a displaying unit that displays a plurality of images based on the plurality of pieces of image data and has a plurality of display regions for each of the plurality of images, a detecting unit that detects each of the plurality of display regions receiving direct input by an indicator, and an identification data storing unit. The image-selecting method includes:
[0008] reading the plurality of pieces of image data from the storing unit;
[0009] storing identification data for identifying the plurality of pieces of image data read in the reading step and assigning a prescribed order to the identification data for the plurality of pieces of image data;
[0010] controlling the displaying unit to display the plurality of images according to the prescribed order;
[0011] identifying each of the plurality of pieces of image data for the image displayed in the display region detected by the detecting unit; and
[0012] selecting or deselecting, when two pieces of image data among the plurality of pieces of image data is identified in the image data identifying step, image data from one image data of the two pieces of image data to the other image data of the two pieces of image data according to the prescribed order of the identification data.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In the drawings:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external structure of a multifunction peripheral according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of the multifunction peripheral;
[0016] FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing a sample relationship between thumbnails of image files displayed on an LCD and their display position numbers;
[0017] FIG. 3B is a table showing sample content of a thumbnail list stored in a thumbnail memory area;
[0018] FIG. 3C is a table showing sample content of a temporary selection list stored in a temporary selection list memory area;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a printing process performed on the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a temporary selection process performed on the multifunction peripheral;
[0021] FIGS. 6A-6D are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of selecting image files by touching a touch panel and tracing a path over thumbnails displayed on the LCD;
[0022] FIGS. 7A-7D are tables showing the content of the thumbnail list memory area and the temporary selection memory area modified according to the operation in FIG. 6 ;
[0023] FIGS. 8A-8D are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of changing the selection status flag for image files from “selected” to “unselected” by touching the touch panel and tracing a path over thumbnails displayed on the LCD;
[0024] FIGS. 9A-9D are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of selecting images files by operating a scrolling arrow SA 2 to scroll thumbnails displayed on the LCD;
[0025] FIGS. 10A-10C are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of selecting images files by operating the scrolling arrow SA 2 to scroll thumbnails displayed on the LCD;
[0026] FIGS. 11A-11D are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of selecting images files by operating a scrolling arrow SA 1 to scroll thumbnails displayed on the LCD;
[0027] FIGS. 12A-12C are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of selecting images files by operating the scrolling arrow SA 1 to scroll thumbnails displayed on the LCD;
[0028] FIGS. 13A-13H are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of operating the touch panel when thumbnails are displayed in a single row on the LCD;
[0029] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a printing process executed by the multifunction peripheral according to a second embodiment;
[0030] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a continuous selection process executed on the multifunction peripheral; and
[0031] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of selecting image files by individually touching two thumbnails displayed on the LCD.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described while referring to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external structure of a multifunction peripheral (hereinafter abbreviated to “MFP”) 1 having an image-selecting device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 1 , the MFP 1 is integrally provided with a printer 21 disposed in a lower section thereof, a scanner 20 disposed in an upper section thereof, and a control panel 6 disposed on the front surface of the scanner 20 . Through these components, the MFP 1 implements various functions, including a printer function, scanner function, and copier function.
[0034] The scanner 20 includes a document scanning bed (not shown), and a document cover 8 rotatably attached to the document scanning bed via hinges provided on the rear side.
[0035] The printer 21 functions to record images on printing paper. An opening 5 is formed in the front surface of the MFP 1 , and specifically in the front surface of the printer 21 . A paper tray 3 and a discharge tray 4 are disposed in the opening 5 so as to be completely accommodated therein. The paper tray 3 and discharge tray 4 are arranged in two levels vertically, with the discharge tray 4 disposed above the paper tray 3 .
[0036] Memory card slots 22 are provided in the front surface of the printer 21 above the opening 5 . The memory card slots 22 accept the insertion of memory cards 22 a (see FIG. 2 ). When a memory card 22 a is inserted into one of the memory card slots 22 , the MFP 1 can store image data scanned by the scanner 20 in the memory card 22 a as an image file. Some examples of the types of memory cards 22 a that may be inserted into the memory card slots 22 include CompactFlash (registered trademark), SmartMedia (registered trademark), Memory Stick (registered trademark), SD Card (registered trademark), and xD Card (registered trademark).
[0037] The connector of a USB interface 23 is also exposed in the front surface of the printer 21 above the opening 5 . The MFP 1 can be connected to a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated to “PC”) by inserting one end of a USB cable (not shown) into the connector of the USB interface 23 and the other end of the USB cable into the connector of a USB interface provided in the PC, enabling the MFP 1 and the PC to communicate via the USB cable. The method of connecting the PC and the memory card 22 a to the MFP 1 is not limited to a specific interface (i.e., the USB interface 23 and the memory card slots 22 ), but may be established through another type of interface, such as a parallel interface or network interface, provided in the MFP 1 . Further, if the memory card 22 a is connected to a card slot or USB interface provided in another device, the MFP 1 may connect to the memory card 22 a via the above interfaces.
[0038] The control panel 6 provided on the front of the document cover 8 has a laterally elongated rectangular shape and includes operating keys 15 , an LCD 16 , a touch panel 17 , and a speaker 18 (see FIG. 2 ).
[0039] The operating keys 15 allow the user to input commands and data for controlling the MFP 1 . In this embodiment, the operating keys 15 include a Print Image File button 15 a , a Cancel button 15 b , and a Print button 15 c.
[0040] The touch panel 17 is an input device superposed over the surface of the LCD 16 . The user touches the touch panel 17 to select images and the like displayed on the LCD 16 . For example, when thumbnail images (hereinafter simply referred to as “thumbnails”) are displayed on the LCD 16 and the user touches the touch panel 17 , the touch panel 17 identifies a thumbnail displayed at a display position on the LCD 16 corresponding to the touched position.
[0041] Here, the touch panel 17 is not limited to any particular position detecting method. For example, the MFP 1 may employ a touch panel using a pressure sensor for detecting pressure by the user's finger or an indicating device, or a touch panel employing an infrared or electric field sensor detecting proximity of a finger or indicating device.
[0042] The speaker 18 issues notifications to the user in the form of operating sounds when the user presses the operating keys 15 , or warning sounds when errors occur. With the MFP 1 having the above construction, if the user presses the Print Image File button 15 a while a memory card 22 a storing image files is inserted into one of the memory card slots 22 provided in the front surface of the MFP 1 , the MFP 1 reads all image data stored on the memory card 22 a and displays thumbnails of the image data on the LCD 16 . Here, thumbnails are small images formed by reducing the image files.
[0043] At this time, the user can touch the touch panel 17 with a finger to indicate a desired thumbnail among thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 . When the user touches a thumbnail on the LCD 16 , the printer 21 is configured to print the image from the image file corresponding to the touched thumbnail on printing paper.
[0044] Next, the electrical structure of the MFP 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing this electrical structure. As shown in FIG. 2 , the MFP 1 is primarily configured of a CPU 11 , a ROM 12 , a RAM 13 , the operating keys 15 , the LCD 16 , the touch panel 17 , the speaker 18 , the scanner 20 , the printer 21 , the memory card slots 22 , and the USB interface 23 . The CPU 11 , ROM 12 , and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus line 26 .
[0045] Further, the bus line 26 is connected to the operating keys 15 , LCD 16 , touch panel 17 , speaker 18 , scanner 20 , printer 21 , memory card slots 22 , and USB interface 23 via an I/O port 27 .
[0046] The CPU 11 of the MFP 1 serves to control the various functions of the MFP 1 based on fixed values and programs stored in the ROM 12 and RAM 13 and to control each component of the MFP 1 connected to the I/O port 27 based on various signals exchanged with the USB interface 23 .
[0047] The ROM 12 is a non-rewritable memory storing control programs and the like executed on the MFP 1 . The image selection program shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 , 5 , 14 , and 15 is also stored in the ROM 12 .
[0048] The RAM 13 is a nonvolatile rewritable memory for temporarily storing various data when the CPU 11 executes operations of the MFP 1 . The RAM 13 is provided with an image memory area 13 a storing image files acquired from the memory card 22 a for images to be printed by the printer 21 on printing paper; a thumbnail list memory area 13 b storing a thumbnail list including such data as the filenames and reference numbers described later of image files stored in the memory card 22 a ; a temporary selection list memory area 13 c storing reference numbers of image files identified when the user touches the touch panel 17 in a temporary selection process described later (see FIG. 5 ) as a temporary selection list; a temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d storing the reference number of the image file initially identified in the temporary selection process; and a temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e storing the reference number of the image file last identified in the temporary selection process.
[0049] Next, the thumbnail list memory area 13 b , temporary selection list memory area 13 c , temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d , and temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C .
[0050] FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating an example of relationships between thumbnails for image files displayed on the LCD 16 and display position numbers. FIG. 3B is a table conceptually illustrating sample content of a thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . FIG. 3C is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating sample content of a temporary selection list stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c.
[0051] The display position numbers for thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 3A . As shown in FIG. 3A , a total of eighteen thumbnails arranged in three rows and six columns are displayed on the LCD 16 . Scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 are also displayed on the LCD 16 to the right of the thumbnails in a seventh column.
[0052] To simplify the description of display positions for thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 , the display position of the thumbnails will be referred to based on a combination of a letter and number, where letters from “A” to “C” indicate the rows of thumbnails (as well as the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 ) in order from top to bottom and numbers from “1” to “7” indicate the columns of thumbnails (as well as the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 ) in order from left to right. The combination of letters and numbers will be referred to in the following description as the display position number. For example, “A 1 ” denotes the display position number of the thumbnail displayed in the first row and first column, and “C 6 ” denotes the display position number of the thumbnail displayed in the third row and sixth column.
[0053] Coordinates for a two-dimensional rectangular shape are established for the LCD 16 and the touch panel 17 superposed over the surface of the LCD 16 , with (0, 0) being the point of origin in the upper left corner and (X, Y) being the ending point in the lower right corner. Each of the display position numbers “A 1 -C 7 ” described above is associated with separate coordinate positions on the LCD 16 .
[0054] For example, the display position number “A 1 ” is associated with a rectangular display region whose four vertices have coordinates (a, b), (a, d), (c, b), and (c, d). A thumbnail is displayed within this display region. In the same way, each of the other display position numbers “A 2 -C 7 ” is associated with a separate rectangular display region. When the user touches one of the thumbnails (or the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 ) displayed on the LCD 16 , the user actually touches the touch panel 17 superposed over the LCD 16 . The touch panel 17 detects the coordinates at the touched position, enabling the MFP 1 to identify the image file corresponding to the thumbnail (or scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 ) displayed in a position on the LCD 16 corresponding to the touched coordinates.
[0055] For example, when the user touches a position on the touch panel 17 within the rectangular region whose four vertices have coordinates (a, b), (a, d), (c, b), and (c, d), the MFP 1 identifies the image file corresponding to the thumbnail displayed at display position number “A 1 ” of the LCD 16 .
[0056] FIG. 3B conceptually illustrates sample content of a thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . When the MFP 1 executes a printing process described later with reference to FIG. 4 , the MFP 1 searches for all image files stored in the memory card 22 a . Subsequently, the MFP 1 creates a thumbnail list that includes the filename, reference number, and other data for each image file found when searching the memory card 22 a and stores this thumbnail list in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b.
[0057] As shown in FIG. 3B , the thumbnail list is configured of sequential reference numbers having no duplication, display position numbers indicating display positions of thumbnails on the LCD 16 , filenames of the image files, and selection status flags indicating whether the image files are selected or unselected. Each row in the thumbnail list corresponds to a single image file.
[0058] The reference numbers are assigned sequentially to the image files based on an arbitrary order, such as the chronological order of creation dates, the alphabetical order of filenames, or the like. The display position number in the thumbnail list may be set to one of the display position numbers on the LCD 16 described above or to no value. If the display position number is set in the thumbnail list, then a thumbnail of an image file is displayed in the display position of the LCD 16 indicated by the display position number. If no value is set for the display position number in the thumbnail list, a thumbnail of an image file is not displayed on the LCD 16 .
[0059] Display position numbers in the thumbnail list are assigned to image files sequentially in increasing order of the reference numbers, beginning from an arbitrary reference number in the thumbnail list. The display position numbers are assigned in order from “A 1 ” to “A 6 ”, followed by “B 1 ” to “B 6 ”, followed by “C 1 ” to “C 6 ”.
[0060] In the thumbnail list shown in FIG. 3B , the row having reference number “ 1 ” is the starting position for display position numbers and, hence, the display position number in this row is set to “A 1 ”. The display position number in the next row having reference number “ 2 ” is set to “A 2 ”. In this way, the display position numbers are assigned sequentially to rows in the thumbnail list up to display position number “C 6 ” in increasing order of the reference numbers. The case of no display position number being assigned to a row in the thumbnail list occurs when the number of image files stored in the memory card 22 a exceeds the number of thumbnails that can be displayed on the LCD 16 at one time (eighteen thumbnails in this embodiment).
[0061] In such cases, the user can display thumbnails not currently displayed on the LCD 16 by touching one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 displayed in display position numbers “A 7 ” and “C 7 ” on the LCD 16 . Thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 are shifted one row upward when the user touches the scrolling arrow SA 2 displayed at display position number “C 7 ”. In other words, the thumbnails displayed at display position numbers “B 1 -B 6 ” are shifted upward to display position numbers “A 1 -A 6 ”; thumbnails displayed at display position numbers “C 1 -C 6 ” are shifted upward to display position numbers “B 1 -B 6 ”; and new thumbnails are displayed at display position numbers “C 1 -C 6 ”.
[0062] More specifically, when the user touches the scrolling arrow SA 2 at display position number “C 7 ” on the LCD 16 , first display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” are modified in the thumbnail list. That is, display position number “A 1 ” is moved to the row of the thumbnail list with reference number “ 7 ”, display position number “A 2 ” is moved to the row with reference number “ 8 ”, and subsequent display position numbers are moved in the same way, with display position number “C 6 ” being moved to the row having reference number “ 24 ”. Hence, each display position number “A 1 -C 6 ” stored in the thumbnail list is moved down six lines in the list. Subsequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to the modified display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” in the thumbnail list are displayed at display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” on the LCD 16 .
[0063] Further, when the user touches the scrolling arrow SA 1 at display position number “A 7 ”, first display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” are modified in the thumbnail list. For example, if the row with reference number “ 13 ” in the thumbnail list is the starting position for display position numbers and, hence, has display position number “A 1 ”, display position number “A 2 ” is set to the next row with reference number “ 14 ”, and subsequent display position numbers are set sequentially in increasing order of reference numbers. When the user touches the scrolling arrow SA 1 at display position number “A 7 ”, display position number “A 1 ” is moved to the row with reference number “ 7 ”, display position number “A 2 ” is moved to the row with reference number “ 8 ”, and subsequent display position numbers are moved similarly, with display position number “C 6 ” being moved to the row having reference number “ 24 ”. Hence, each display position number “A 1 -C 6 ” stored in the thumbnail list is moved up six lines in the list.
[0064] Hence, thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 are moved downward one line. That is, the thumbnails displayed at display position numbers “A 1 -A 6 ” are shifted to display position numbers “B 1 -B 6 ”; thumbnails displayed at display position numbers “B 1 -B 6 ” are shifted to display position numbers “C 1 -C 6 ”; and new thumbnails are displayed at display position numbers “A 1 -A 6 ”.
[0065] The selection status flag indicates whether the image file is “selected” or “unselected.” When the selection status flag is “selected,” the thumbnail of the image file is highlighted on the LCD 16 , as are thumbnails at display position numbers “A 2 ” and “A 3 ” in the example of FIG. 3A . When the selection status flag is set to “unselected” or is modified from “selected” to “unselected,” the corresponding thumbnail displayed on the LCD 16 is not highlighted, as in the thumbnail at display position number “A 1 ” in the example of FIG. 3A . In the following description, highlighted thumbnails will be referred to as thumbnails displayed in a selected state, while unhighlighted thumbnails will be referred to as thumbnails displayed in an unselected state.
[0066] FIG. 3C is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating sample content of the temporary selection list stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . When the user touches the touch panel 17 , the MFP 1 identifies the image file corresponding to the thumbnail displayed on the LCD 16 at a position identical to the coordinate position touched on the touch panel 17 . Further, if the user continues to touch the touch panel 17 with a finger while moving the position of the finger, the MFP 1 identifies the image file corresponding to the thumbnail displayed at the position of the LCD 16 having coordinates corresponding to the coordinate position of the moved finger.
[0067] The temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d stores the reference number of the image file initially identified while the user's finger was touching the touch panel 17 . The temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e stores the reference number of the image file identified from the coordinates at the new position when the user's finger moves to a new position while remaining in contact with the touch panel 17 .
[0068] The temporary selection list memory area 13 c stores each reference number in the thumbnail list ranging in succession from the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to the reference number stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . Thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in a format different from that for selected and unselected thumbnails, such as the format for the thumbnail at display position number “C 5 ” in the example of FIG. 3A . In the following description, thumbnails in this format differing from the format for selected and unselected thumbnail displays will be referred to as thumbnails displayed in a temporarily selected state.
[0069] For example, if the user touches the thumbnail at display position number “C 5 ” on the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 3A , reference number “ 17 ” of the image file corresponding to the touched thumbnail is stored in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . As long as the user continues to touch the touch panel 17 , the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 17 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c is displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state.
[0070] Next, the printing process executed by the CPU 11 of the MFP 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps in this printing process and is executed when the user presses the Print Image File button 15 a while a memory card 22 a is inserted into one of the memory card slots 22 .
[0071] In this printing process, the user can select desired image files from those stored in the memory card 22 a through simple operations and direct the printer 21 to print images on printing paper based on the selected image files. Accordingly, the MFP 1 can select desired image files from those stored in the memory card 22 a through simple operations and direct the printer 21 to print images on printing paper based on the selected image files.
[0072] In S 1 of the printing process, the CPU 11 initializes the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . In S 2 the CPU 11 searches the memory card 22 a for all image files, creates a thumbnail list based on the image files found in this search, and stores the thumbnail list in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . When the thumbnail list is created (i.e., when in its initial state), selection status flags for all image files are set to “unselected.” Further, “A 1 ” is set as the display position number in the line having reference number “ 1 ” in the thumbnail list, “A 2 ” is set as the display position number in the line having reference number “ 2 ”, and subsequently display position numbers are set sequentially in increasing order of the reference numbers up to display position number “C 6 ”.
[0073] In S 3 the CPU 11 displays thumbnails on the LCD 16 for image files corresponding to display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b and sets each thumbnail to the selected state or the unselected state based on the selection status flag for the corresponding image file.
[0074] In S 4 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's fingers touching the touch panel 17 is a display position on the LCD 16 for displaying a thumbnail. If the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 is a display position for a thumbnail (S 4 : YES), the CPU 11 executes a temporary selection process in S 5 . However, if the position of the user's finger does not correspond to a display position for a thumbnail (S 4 : NO), the CPU 11 skips S 5 -S 8 and advances to S 9 .
[0075] Here, the temporary selection process of S 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating steps in the temporary selection process and serves to determine reference numbers of image files whose selection status flags have changed in the thumbnail list and the range of reference numbers for image files whose selection status flags have changed based on the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 . During the period that the CPU 11 is executing the temporary selection process, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to the temporarily selected state on the LCD 16 .
[0076] In S 21 at the beginning of the temporary selection process, the CPU 11 initializes the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . In S 22 the CPU 11 identifies the display position number of the thumbnail displayed at the display position on the LCD 16 identical to the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 and stores the reference number of the image file corresponding to the identified display position number in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . In S 23 the CPU 11 sets only thumbnail of image file corresponding to the reference number stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c to the temporarily selected state on the LCD 16 .
[0077] In S 24 the CPU 11 determines whether the user's fingers has separated from the touch panel 17 . If the user's finger has separated from the touch panel 17 (S 24 : YES), the CPU 11 ends the temporary selection process and advances to S 6 in FIG. 4 .
[0078] However, if the user's finger is still touching the touch panel 17 (S 24 : NO), in S 25 the CPU 11 identifies the display position number of the thumbnail, or scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 displayed at the display position on the LCD 16 corresponding to the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 .
[0079] In S 26 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 has moved to the display position of a different thumbnail. If the user's finger has moved to the display position of a different thumbnail (S 26 : YES), then in S 27 the CPU 11 stores the reference number of the image file corresponding to the display position number identified in S 25 in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e.
[0080] In S 28 the CPU 11 stores all reference numbers in sequence from the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to the reference number stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c , and subsequently returns to S 23 to repeat the process in S 23 -S 28 described above. However, if the CPU 11 determines in S 26 that the position of the user's finger touching the touch panel 17 has not moved to the display position of a different thumbnail (S 26 : NO), then the CPU 11 skips S 27 -S 28 and advances to S 29 .
[0081] In S 29 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 has moved to a display position for one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 . If the position of the user's finger has not moved to a display position for one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 (S 29 : NO), then the CPU 11 repeats the process in S 23 -S 29 described above. However, if the position of the user's finger has moved to a display position for one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 (S 29 : YES), in S 30 the CPU 11 updates the display position numbers in the thumbnail list based on the display position number for the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 displayed on a position of the LCD 16 corresponding to the finger touching the touch panel 17 .
[0082] In S 31 the CPU 11 displays thumbnails of image files corresponding to the display position numbers in the thumbnail list on the LCD 16 and sets each thumbnail to a selected state or an unselected state based on the selection status flag of the corresponding image file. Next, in S 32 the CPU 11 stores the reference number of the image file corresponding to display position number “C 6 ” in the thumbnail list in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e if the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 corresponds to the display position of the scrolling arrow SA 2 having display position number “C 7 ”, and stores the reference number of the image file corresponding to display position number “A 6 ” in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e if the position of the user's finger corresponds to the display position of the scrolling arrow SA 1 having display position number “A 7 ”.
[0083] In S 33 the CPU 11 stores in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c all reference numbers in a continuous range from the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to the reference number stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . In S 34 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 has moved outside the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 . If the user's finger continues to touch the display position of the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 (S 34 : NO), in S 35 the CPU 11 waits for a prescribed time (2 seconds, for example) and returns to S 30 to repeat the process in S 30 -S 35 described above.
[0084] However, if the user's finger has moved outside the display positions of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 (S 34 : YES), then the CPU 11 returns to S 23 and repeats the process in S 23 -S 34 described above.
[0085] Through the temporary selection process of S 5 shown in FIG. 5 , the MFP 1 can specify either a reference number for an image file whose selection status flag has changed in the thumbnail list, or a range of reference numbers for image files whose selection status flags have changed, based on the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 . Further, while executing the temporary selection process, the MFP 1 can display thumbnails of image files corresponding to reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c in a temporarily selected state on the LCD 16 . After completing the temporary selection process of S 5 , the CPU 11 returns to FIG. 4 and advances to S 6 .
[0086] In S 6 of FIG. 4 the CPU 11 determines whether the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “unselected.” If the selection status flag for this image file is “unselected” (S 6 : YES), then in S 7 the CPU 11 changes selection status flags for all image files corresponding to reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c to “selected” in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . However, if the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “selected” (S 6 : NO), in S 8 the CPU 11 changes the selection status flags for all image files corresponding to reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c to “unselected” in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . Subsequently, the CPU 11 returns to S 3 and repeats the process in S 3 -S 8 described above.
[0087] If the CPU 11 determines in S 4 that the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 does not correspond to a display position of a thumbnail on the LCD 16 (S 4 : NO), then the CPU 11 skips S 5 -S 8 and advances to S 9 . In S 9 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 corresponds to a display position for the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 .
[0088] If the position of the user's finger does correspond to a display position for either the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 (S 9 : YES), in S 10 the CPU 11 updates the display position numbers in the thumbnail list based on the display position number of the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 displayed at the position of the user's finger. However, if the user's finger is not at a display position of the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 (S 9 : NO), the CPU 11 skips S 10 and advances to S 11 .
[0089] In S 11 the CPU 11 determines whether the Cancel button 15 b has been pressed. If the Cancel button 15 b has been pressed (S 11 : YES), the CPU 11 ends the printing process. However, if the Cancel button 15 b has not been pressed (S 11 : NO), in S 12 the CPU 11 determines whether the Print button 15 c has been pressed.
[0090] If the CPU 11 determines that the Print button 15 c has been pressed (S 12 : YES), in S 13 the CPU 11 reads image files having a selection status flag set to “selected” in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b from the memory card 22 a , stores these image files in the image memory area 13 a , controls the printer 21 to print an image of each file on printing paper, and subsequently ends the printing process. However, if the Print button 15 c has not been pressed (S 12 : NO), the CPU 11 returns to S 3 and repeats the process in S 3 -S 12 described above.
[0091] Through the printing process of FIG. 4 described above, the user can specify two image files through a simple operation of sliding a finger over thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 and then lifting the finger therefrom. Specifically, the image file corresponding to the thumbnail first touched by the user and the image file corresponding to the thumbnail last touched by the user are set as the two image files, and all image files with reference numbers ranging in sequence from the reference number for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail to the reference number for the image file corresponding to the last touched thumbnail are specified. All image files within this specified range are either selected or deselected.
[0092] Specifically, if the selection status flag of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail is “unselected,” selection status flags for all image files within the range specified by sliding a finger over the thumbnails are set to “selected.” If the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail is “selected” initially, then selection status flags for all image files within the specified range are set to “unselected.” In other words, the selection status flags for all image files within the range specified by the user's sliding finger are set based on the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail, enabling the user to perform the process through a simple, easy-to-understand operation.
[0093] Next, a method of operating the touch panel 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A-13H . First, a method of selecting image files in which the user traces a path over thumbnails while touching the touch panel 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A-7D .
[0094] FIGS. 6A-6D are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method in which the user selects image files by touching the touch panel 17 with a finger and tracing the finger over thumbnails. FIGS. 7A-7D conceptually illustrate the content of the thumbnail list memory area 13 b and temporary selection list memory area 13 c that changes according to the operation shown in FIGS. 6A-6D .
[0095] When the user presses the Print Image File button 15 a of the operating keys 15 while a memory card 22 a storing image files is inserted into one of the memory card slots 22 , thumbnails for the image files stored in the memory card 22 a are displayed on the LCD 16 . In this description, it will be assumed that the thumbnail list memory area 13 b stores the thumbnail list shown in FIG. 7A . Accordingly, thumbnails for image files corresponding to display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” in the thumbnail list are displayed at display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” on the LCD 16 . Since the selection status flags in the thumbnail list are all set to “unselected” in FIG. 7A , the thumbnails are all displayed on the LCD 16 in an unselected state.
[0096] At this time the user touches the thumbnail corresponding to display position number “A 2 ”, as shown in FIG. 6A . Accordingly, the reference number “ 2 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “A 2 ” is stored in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . The thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c is displayed on the LCD 16 in a temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 6A .
[0097] Next, the user traces a path to the thumbnail having display position number “B 5 ” while the finger remains in contact with the touch panel 17 . At this time, reference number “ 11 ” for the line having display position number “B 5 ” in the thumbnail list is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . Consequently, reference numbers “ 2 - 11 ” from reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 11 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are all stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c , as shown in FIG. 7 B. Therefore, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 2 - 11 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in a temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 6B . Since the selected thumbnails remain displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state while the user's finger remains in contact with the touch panel 17 , the user can easily visualize which image files are selected.
[0098] If the user subsequently traces a path to the thumbnail at display position number “B 3 ” while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 6C , reference number “ 9 ” for the line having display position number “B 3 ” in the thumbnail list is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e.
[0099] Accordingly, the range of reference numbers “ 2 - 9 ” from the reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to the reference number “ 9 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c , as shown in FIG. 7C . Hence, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 2 - 9 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 6C .
[0100] The thumbnails of image files corresponding to reference numbers not stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 based on the selection status flags in the thumbnail list. Therefore, the user can modify the range of selected image files any number of times by moving the position of the user's finger while the finger remains in contact with the touch panel 17 . Since only thumbnails for selected image files are displayed in the temporarily selected state on the LCD 16 , the user can easily visualize which image files are selected.
[0101] If the user lifts the finger from the touch panel 17 at this time, all selection status flags for lines having reference numbers “ 2 - 9 ” in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to “selected” in the thumbnail list, as shown in FIG. 7D , because the selection status flag is set to “unselected” in the line having reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d . Consequently, thumbnails for image files having a selection status flag set to “selected” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the selected state, as shown in FIG. 6D .
[0102] In the first embodiment described above, the user can select (or deselect) image files for reference numbers ranging sequentially from the reference number of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail to the reference number of the image file corresponding to the last touched thumbnail by performing a simple operation (single operation) of tracing the user's finger over a plurality of thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 . If the user wishes to select (or deselect) three or more image files, the user need only touch two thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 since three or more image files corresponding to all reference numbers between reference numbers of the image files corresponding to the two touched thumbnails (including the reference numbers for these two image files) are selected in order of reference number. Hence, the user need not touch all thumbnails corresponding to the three or more image files being selected (or deselected).
[0103] Conventionally, thumbnails displayed within rectangular regions on the LCD 16 were identified when a corresponding rectangular region on the touch panel 17 was indicated, and the image file corresponding to the identified thumbnail was selected (or deselected).
[0104] Accordingly, when selecting (or deselecting) a plurality of thumbnails, the user had to indicate at least two regions on the touch panel 17 when the thumbnails that the user wished to select (or deselect) started or ended in the middle of a row. However, in the first embodiment described above, the user can select (or deselect) image files having reference numbers ranging sequentially from the reference number for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail to the reference number for the image file corresponding to the last touched thumbnail, enabling the user to select (or deselect) a plurality of image files through a simple operation. The user can also adjust the selected (or deselected) range of images any number of times while the user's finger remains touching the touch panel 17 , making this technique more user-friendly.
[0105] The MFP 1 of the first embodiment described above is particularly convenient when selecting (or deselecting) thumbnails displayed successively along the direction of rows. For example, when the user wishes to select image files for thumbnails displayed at display position numbers “A 1 -C 1 ”, the user need only touch the thumbnail at display position number “A 1 ” and slide the finger downward over the touch panel 17 to the thumbnail at display position number “C 1 ”, a simple operation in which the user slides the finger a short distance to select all image files between display position numbers “A 1 ” and “C 1 ”.
[0106] Next, a method of deselecting image files whose selection status flags are set to “selected” will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A-8D . In this method, the user traces a path over thumbnails with the user's finger in contact with the touch panel 17 .
[0107] FIGS. 8A-8D are explanatory diagrams conceptually illustrating the method of changing the “selected” setting of the selection status flag to “unselected” for image files corresponding to thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 by sliding a finger over these thumbnails on the touch panel 17 . As shown in FIG. 8A , the selection status flags for image files corresponding to thumbnails displayed at display position numbers “A 2 -B 3 ” are set to “selected,” resulting in these thumbnails being displayed in the selected state on the LCD 16 .
[0108] If the user touches the touch panel 17 at a position corresponding to the thumbnail at display position number “A 2 ” at this time, as shown in FIG. 8B , reference number “ 2 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “A 2 ” is stored in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c is displayed in a temporarily selected state on the LCD 16 , as shown in FIG. 8B .
[0109] Next, while a keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , the user slides the finger to the thumbnail at display position number “A 4 ”, as shown in FIG. 8C . At this time, reference number “ 4 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “A 4 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . Next, all reference numbers “ 2 - 4 ” ranging in succession from reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 4 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 2 - 4 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 8C .
[0110] If the user lifts the finger from the touch panel 17 at this time, all selection status flags for reference numbers “ 2 - 4 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to “unselected” in the thumbnail list since the selection status flag for reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is “selected” in the thumbnail list. Consequently, the thumbnails for these image files having selection status flags now set to “unselected” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the unselected state, as shown in FIG. 8D .
[0111] Next, a method of selecting image files when the number of image files stored in the memory card 22 a exceeds the number of thumbnails that can be displayed on the LCD 16 (eighteen thumbnails in this embodiment) will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A-12C . In this method, the user operates the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 to scroll thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 .
[0112] FIGS. 9A-10C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the method of selecting image files by operating the scrolling arrow SA 2 to scroll thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 .
[0113] In the following example, it will be assumed that 48 image files are recorded in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b , each image file being assigned a unique reference number from “ 1 ” to “ 48 ” and the selection status flags for all image files being set to “unselected.” Accordingly, all thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 are in an unselected state.
[0114] In the thumbnail list, the line having reference number “ 1 ” is the starting position for display position numbers and, hence, the display position number in this line is set to “A 1 ”, while the display position number in the next row having reference number “ 2 ” is set to “A 2 ”. In this way, the display position numbers are assigned sequentially to lines in the thumbnail list up to display position number “C 6 ” in increasing order of the reference numbers.
[0115] If the user touches the thumbnail at display position number “A 2 ” at this time, as shown in FIG. 9A , reference number “ 2 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “A 2 ” is stored in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c is displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 9A .
[0116] In this example, the user next slides the user's finger to the thumbnail at display position number “B 5 ” while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 9B . At this time, reference number “ 11 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “B 5 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e , and all reference numbers “ 2 - 11 ” ranging in succession from reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 11 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 2 - 11 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 9B .
[0117] Next, the user slides the finger through the thumbnail at display position number “C 6 ” to the scrolling arrow SA 2 at display position number “C 7 ” while the finger remains in contact with the touch panel 17 , as illustrated in FIGS. 9B and 9C . Since the user's finger first contacted the thumbnail at display position number “C 6 ”, reference number “ 18 ” in the thumbnail list having display position number “C 6 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e and all reference numbers “ 2 - 18 ” ranging in succession from reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 18 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 2 - 18 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in a temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 9C .
[0118] Next, when the position of the user's finger has moved to the scrolling arrow SA 2 at display position number “C 7 ”, the thumbnails are scrolled in the LCD 16 . Specifically, all thumbnails displayed in the second row of the LCD 16 are moved to the first row, all thumbnails in the third row are moved to the second row, and new thumbnails are displayed in the third row.
[0119] More specifically, when the user's finger touches the scrolling arrow SA 2 at display position number “C 7 ” on the LCD 16 , first display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” are modified in the thumbnail list. That is, display position number “A 1 ” is moved to the line of the thumbnail list with reference number “ 7 ”, display position number “A 2 ” is moved to the line with reference number “ 8 ”, and subsequent display position numbers are moved in the same way, with display position number “C 6 ” being moved to the line having reference number “ 24 ”. Hence, each display position number “A 1 -C 6 ” stored in the thumbnail list is moved down six lines in the list.
[0120] Next, thumbnails for image files corresponding to the modified display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” in the thumbnail list are displayed at display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” on the LCD 16 , and the reference number for the image file corresponding to the new thumbnail displayed at display position number “C 6 ” on the LCD 16 is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . Next, all reference numbers ranging in succession from the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to the reference number stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to the reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state. The above process is repeated at prescribed intervals (every 2 seconds, for example) while the user's finger remains in contact with the scrolling arrow SA 2 , thereby continuing to scroll the thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 .
[0121] FIG. 9D shows the state of thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 after the thumbnails were scrolled six times from the state shown in FIG. 9C . That is, display position number “A 1 ” has been moved to the line in the thumbnail list having reference number “ 31 ”, display position number “A 2 ” has been moved to the line having reference number “ 32 ”, and subsequent display position numbers have been moved in the same way, with display position number “C 6 ” being moved to the line with reference number “ 48 ”.
[0122] Therefore, reference number “ 48 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e , and all reference numbers “ 2 - 48 ” ranging in succession from reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 48 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e have been stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 2 - 48 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 9D .
[0123] If the user further slides the finger to the thumbnail at display position number “C 4 ” while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 10A , reference number “ 46 ” for the line in the thumbnail list having display position number “C 6 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e , and all reference numbers “ 2 - 46 ” ranging in succession from reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 46 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 2 - 46 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 10A .
[0124] If the user lifts the finger from the touch panel 17 at this time, the selection status flags for all reference numbers “ 2 - 46 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to “selected” in the thumbnail list since the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to image number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “unselected.” Consequently, thumbnails for image files having selection status flags set to “selected” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the selected state, as shown in FIG. 10B .
[0125] However, if the user lifts the finger from the touch panel 17 in FIG. 9D while still contacting the scrolling arrow SA 2 , then selection status flags for all reference numbers “ 2 - 48 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to “selected” in the thumbnail list since the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the reference number “ 2 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “unselected.” Accordingly, thumbnails for image files having selection status flags set to “selected” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the selected state, as shown in FIG. 10C .
[0126] Next, a method of selecting image files will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A-12C . In this method, the user operates the scrolling arrow SA 1 to scroll thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 .
[0127] FIGS. 11A-12C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the method of selecting image files by operating the scrolling arrow SA 1 to scroll thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 .
[0128] In the following example, it will be assumed that 48 image files are recorded in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b , each image file being assigned a unique reference number from “ 1 ” to “ 48 ” and the selection status flags for all image files being set to “unselected.” Accordingly, all thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 are in an unselected state.
[0129] In the thumbnail list, the line having reference number “ 25 ” is the starting position for display position numbers and, hence, the display position number in this line is set to “A 1 ”, while the display position number in the next row having reference number “ 26 ” is set to “A 2 ”. In this way, the display position numbers are assigned sequentially to lines in the thumbnail list up to display position number “C 6 ” in increasing order of the reference numbers.
[0130] If the user touches the thumbnail at display position number “C 4 ” at this time, as shown in FIG. 11A , reference number “ 40 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “C 4 ” is stored in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 40 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c is displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 11A .
[0131] In this example, the user next slides the user's finger to the thumbnail at display position number “A 6 ” while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 11B . At this time, reference number “ 30 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “A 6 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e , and all reference numbers “ 30 - 40 ” ranging in succession from reference number “ 40 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 30 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 30 - 40 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 11B .
[0132] Next, the user slides the finger to the scrolling arrow SA 1 at display position number “A 7 ” while the finger remains in contact with the touch panel 17 , as illustrated in FIG. 11C . When the position of the user's finger reaches the scrolling arrow SA 1 at display position number “A 7 ”, the thumbnails are scrolled in the LCD 16 . Specifically, all thumbnails displayed in the first row of the LCD 16 are moved to the second row, all thumbnails in the second row are moved to the third row, and new thumbnails are displayed in the first row.
[0133] More specifically, when the user's finger touches the scrolling arrow SA 1 at display position number “A 7 ” on the LCD 16 , first display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” are modified in the thumbnail list. That is, display position number “A 1 ” is moved to the line of the thumbnail list with reference number “ 19 ”, display position number “A 2 ” is moved to the line with reference number “ 20 ”, and subsequent display position numbers are moved in the same way, with display position number “C 6 ” being moved to the line having reference number “ 36 ”. Hence, each display position number “A 1 -C 6 ” stored in the thumbnail list is moved up six lines in the list.
[0134] Next, thumbnails for image files corresponding to the modified display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” in the thumbnail list are displayed at display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” on the LCD 16 , and the reference number for the image file corresponding to the new thumbnail displayed at display position number “A 6 ” on the LCD 16 is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . Next, all reference numbers ranging in succession from the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to the reference number stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to the reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state. The above process is repeated at prescribed intervals (every 2 seconds, for example) while the user's finger remains in contact with the scrolling arrow SA 1 , thereby continuing to scroll the thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 .
[0135] FIG. 11D shows the state of thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 after the thumbnails were scrolled once from the state shown in FIG. 11C . That is, display position number “A 1 ” has been moved to the line in the thumbnail list having reference number “ 19 ”, display position number “A 2 ” has been moved to the line having reference number “ 20 ”, and subsequent display position numbers have been moved in the same way, with display position number “C 6 ” being moved to the line with reference number “ 36 ”.
[0136] Therefore, reference number “ 24 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e , and all reference numbers “ 24 - 40 ” ranging in succession from reference number “ 40 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 24 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e have been stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 24 - 40 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 11D .
[0137] If the user further slides the finger to the thumbnail at display position number “A 5 ” while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 12A , reference number “ 23 ” for the line in the thumbnail list having display position number “A 5 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e , and all reference numbers “ 23 - 40 ” ranging in succession from reference number “ 40 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to reference number “ 23 ” stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 23 - 40 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 12A .
[0138] If the user lifts the finger from the touch panel 17 at this time, the selection status flags for all reference numbers “ 23 - 40 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to “selected” in the thumbnail list since the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to image number “ 40 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “unselected.” Consequently, thumbnails for image files having selection status flags set to “selected” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the selected state, as shown in FIG. 12B .
[0139] However, if the user lifts the finger from the touch panel 17 while still contacting the scrolling arrow SA 1 , then selection status flags for all reference numbers “ 24 - 40 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to “selected” in the thumbnail list since the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the reference number “ 40 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “unselected.” Accordingly, thumbnails for image files having selection status flags set to “selected” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the selected state, as shown in FIG. 12C .
[0140] In the first embodiment described above, when the user moves a finger over thumbnails to either the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , the MFP 1 scrolls the thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 so that new thumbnails can be displayed. Without touching the newly displayed thumbnails, the newly displayed thumbnails will be set to the same selected state that would be set if the user touched the thumbnail displayed immediately to the left of the touched scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 , making the operation simpler and more user-friendly.
[0141] Further, since the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 are displayed slightly above the bottom edge of the thumbnails displayed in the first row (uppermost row) on the LCD 16 or slightly lower than the upper edge of thumbnails in the third row (lowest row), the user is less likely to perform an unintentional scrolling operation by accidentally touching one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 when touching thumbnails in the second row (middle row).
[0142] Further, since the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 are displayed on the right side of the thumbnails in the sixth column (rightmost column) on the LCD 16 , the user is less likely to perform an unintentional scrolling operation by accidentally touching one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 when touching thumbnails in the first through fifth columns. Further, by displaying both of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 on the same end of the LCD 16 , the user can scroll images intuitively.
[0143] While the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 are provided on the right side of the screen in this embodiment described above, the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 may be provided on the left side instead. In this case, the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 are preferably displayed to the left of thumbnails in the first column (leftmost column) displayed on the LCD 16 . When the user touches the scrolling arrow SA 1 in this case, the CPU 11 stores reference numbers for the line in the thumbnail list having display position number “A 1 ” in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . When the user touches the scrolling arrow SA 2 , the CPU 11 stores the reference number in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “C 1 ” in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e.
[0144] Further, while the thumbnails are scrolled upward or downward in this embodiment described above, the thumbnails may be scrolled leftward or rightward instead. In this case, the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 are displayed above thumbnails in the first row (uppermost row) or below thumbnails in the third row (lowermost row). By displaying both the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 on the same edge of the LCD 16 , the user can scroll thumbnails more intuitively.
[0145] Next, a method of operating the touch panel 17 when thumbnails are displayed in a single row on the LCD 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A-13H .
[0146] FIGS. 13A-13H illustrate the method of operating the touch panel 17 for thumbnails displayed in one row on the LCD 16 .
[0147] In the following example, it will be assumed that ten image files are recorded in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b , with unique reference numbers “ 1 - 10 ” assigned to the image files and the selection status flags for all image files set to “unselected.” Hence, thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 are in the unselected state.
[0148] As shown in FIG. 13A , three thumbnails are displayed on the LCD 16 , with the corresponding reference number displayed in the lower right corner of each thumbnail. In this description, the thumbnail displayed in the left of the LCD 16 has display position number “A 1 ”, the thumbnail displayed in the center has display position number “A 2 ”, and the thumbnail displayed on the right has display position number “A 3 ”. Further, a scrolling arrow SA 3 displayed to the left of display position number “A 1 ” has display position number “A 0 ”, while a scrolling arrow SA 4 displayed to the right of display position number “A 3 ” has display position number “A 4 ”.
[0149] In FIG. 13A , the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 3 ” in the thumbnail list is displayed at the display position on the LCD 16 having display position number “A 1 ”, the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 4 ” is displayed at the display position having display position number “A 2 ”, and the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 5 ” is displayed at the display position having display position number “A 3 ”.
[0150] If the user touches the thumbnail at display position number “A 2 ” at this time, as shown in FIG. 13B , reference number “ 4 ” in the line having display position number “A 2 ” in the thumbnail list is stored in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Consequently, the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 4 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c is displayed on the LCD 16 in a temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 13B .
[0151] If the user subsequently slides the finger to the thumbnail at display position number “A 3 ” while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 13C , reference number “ 5 ” having display position number “A 3 ” in the thumbnail list is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e , and reference numbers “ 4 - 5 ” are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Therefore, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 4 - 5 ” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 13C .
[0152] If the user further slides the finger to the scrolling arrow SA 4 at display position number “A 4 ” while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 13D , the thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 are scrolled. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13E , the thumbnail corresponding to reference number “ 4 ” is displayed at the display position having display position number “A 1 ”, the thumbnail corresponding to reference number “ 5 ” is displayed at the display position having display position number “A 2 ”, and the thumbnail corresponding to reference number “ 6 ” is displayed at the display position having display position number “A 3 ”. Reference number “ 6 ” for the image file corresponding to the thumbnail displayed at display position number “A 3 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e and reference numbers “ 4 - 6 ” are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Accordingly, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 4 - 6 ” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 13E .
[0153] The thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 continue to scroll at prescribed intervals while the user continues touching the scrolling arrow SA 4 at display position number “A 4 ”. For example, after a prescribed time, the thumbnail corresponding to reference number “ 7 ” is displayed at the display position having display position number “A 1 ”, the thumbnail corresponding to reference number “ 8 ” is displayed at the display position having display position number “A 2 ”, and the thumbnail corresponding to reference number “ 9 ” is displayed at the display position having display position number “A 3 ”. At this time, reference number “ 9 ” for the image file corresponding to the thumbnail displayed at display position number “A 3 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e , and reference numbers “ 4 - 9 ” are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Accordingly, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 4 - 9 ” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state.
[0154] At this time, if the user slides the finger leftward to the thumbnail at display position number “A 2 ” while continuing to touch the touch panel 17 , as shown in FIG. 13F , reference number “ 8 ” for the image file corresponding to the thumbnail displayed at display position number “A 2 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e and reference numbers “ 4 - 8 ” are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Accordingly, thumbnails for image files corresponding to reference numbers “ 4 - 8 ” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state.
[0155] If the user lifts the finger from the touch panel 17 at this time, selection status flags for all reference numbers “ 4 - 8 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to “selected” in the thumbnail list since the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 4 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “unselected” in the thumbnail list. Consequently, thumbnails for image files having a selection status flag set to “selected” are displayed in the selected state on the LCD 16 , as shown in FIG. 13G .
[0156] Since the scrolling arrow SA 3 is displayed leftward of the right edge of the thumbnail displayed in the leftmost display position and the scrolling arrow SA 4 is displayed rightward of the left edge of the thumbnail displayed in the rightmost display position when thumbnails are displayed in a single row on the LCD 16 , the user is less likely to perform an unintended scrolling operation by mistakenly touching the scrolling arrow SA 3 or SA 4 when touching one of the middle thumbnails (thumbnails other than those on the left and right ends of the row). Aligning the thumbnails and the scrolling arrows SA 3 and SA 4 laterally in the display in this embodiment described above reduces the required vertical dimension of the display region. The horizontal dimension of the display region can also be reduced by positioning the scrolling arrows SA 3 and SA 4 as shown in FIG. 13H .
[0157] While the thumbnails are displayed in the direction of rows in this embodiment described above, the thumbnails may be displayed in the direction of columns instead. In this case, the scrolling arrows SA 3 and SA 4 are displayed in the top or bottom of the screen, and preferably above the lower edge of the thumbnail displayed in the topmost position of the LCD 16 or below the upper edge of the thumbnail displayed in the bottommost position. Naturally, the horizontal dimension of the display region can be conserved when aligning the thumbnails and the scrolling arrows SA 3 and SA 4 in the vertical direction of the screen, while the vertical dimension of the display region can also be reduced by employing the display format shown in FIG. 13H , except arranged vertically instead of horizontally.
[0158] With the first embodiment described above, the user can perform a simple operation of sliding a finger over thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 and subsequently lifting the finger to specify all image files for reference numbers ranging continuously from the reference number of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail to the reference number of the image file corresponding to the last touched thumbnail, selecting or deselecting all image files within the specified range.
[0159] Specifically, selection status flags for all image files within the range specified by sliding a finger over the thumbnails are set to “selected” if the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail was set to “unselected,” and to “unselected” if the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail was “selected.” Therefore, this operation is simple and easy to understand for the user since selection status flags of all image files within the range specified by sliding the finger are set based on the selection status flag of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail.
[0160] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the user performs a simple operation to individually specify two thumbnails by touching two thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 . Through this simple operation, the user can specify all image files having reference numbers ranging sequentially from the reference number for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail to the reference number for the image files corresponding to the next touched thumbnail in order to select or deselect all image files within this range.
[0161] As a result, the selection status flags for all image files within the specified range are set to “selected” when the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail is set to “unselected” and are set “unselected” when the selection status flag for the image files corresponding to the first touched thumbnail is set to “selected.” In other words, selection status flags for image files within the specified range are determined based on the setting of the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail, thereby making the operation simple and user-friendly.
[0162] Next, the printing process executed by the CPU 11 of the MFP 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14 . FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating steps in this printing process and is executed when the user presses the Print Image File button 15 a while a memory card 22 a is inserted into one of the memory card slots 22 .
[0163] In this printing process, the user can select desired image files from those stored in the memory card 22 a through simple operations and can direct the printer 21 to print images on printing paper based on the selected image files.
[0164] In S 41 of the printing process, the CPU 11 initializes the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . In S 42 the CPU 11 searches the memory card 22 a for all image files, creates a thumbnail list based on the image files found in this search, and stores the thumbnail list in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . When the thumbnail list is created (i.e., when in its initial state), the selection status flags for all image files are set to “unselected.” Further, “A 1 ” is set as the display position number in the line having reference number “ 1 ” in the thumbnail list, “A 2 ” is set as the display position number in the line having reference number “ 2 ”, and subsequent display position numbers are set sequentially in increasing order of the reference numbers up to display position number “C 6 ”.
[0165] In S 43 the CPU 11 displays the message “Select an image (press and hold to enter the continuous selection mode)” in the bottom of the display on the LCD 16 , as shown in FIG. 16A . In S 44 the CPU 11 displays thumbnails on the LCD 16 for image files corresponding to the display position numbers “A 1 -C 6 ” in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b and sets each thumbnail to the selected state or the unselected state based on the selection status flag for the corresponding image file.
[0166] In S 45 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's finger touching the touch panel 17 is a display position on the LCD 16 for displaying a thumbnail. If the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 is a display position for a thumbnail (S 45 : YES), in S 46 the CPU 11 identifies the display position number of the thumbnail displayed at the display position on the LCD 16 matching the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 .
[0167] However, if the position of the user's finger does not correspond to the display position for a thumbnail (S 45 : NO), the CPU 11 skips S 45 -S 51 and advances to S 52 .
[0168] In S 47 the CPU 11 determines whether the user's finger has touched the thumbnail at the display position number identified in S 46 for at least a prescribed interval (1 second, for example). If the user's finger has not continually touched this thumbnail for a period exceeding the prescribed interval (S 47 : NO), in S 48 the CPU 11 determines whether the selection status flag of the image file corresponding to the display position number identified in S 46 is “unselected.”
[0169] If the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the identified display position number is “unselected” (S 48 : YES), in S 49 the CPU 11 changes the selection status flag for this image file to “selected.”However, if the selection status flag is not “unselected” (S 48 : NO), then in S 50 the CPU 11 changes the selection status flag for this image file to “unselected.” Subsequently, the CPU 11 returns to S 44 and repeats the process in S 44 -S 50 described above.
[0170] On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines in S 47 that the user's finger has touched the thumbnail at the display position number identified in S 46 for a period exceeding the prescribed interval (S 47 : YES), then the CPU 11 executes a continuous selection process in S 51 .
[0171] Here, the continuous selection process of S 51 will be described with reference to FIG. 15 . FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating steps in the continuous selection process. This process serves to determine a sequential range of reference numbers from the reference number corresponding to the thumbnail touched by the user for the prescribed interval to the reference number corresponding to a thumbnail directly touched by the user after first removing the finger from the touch panel 17 , and to change the selection status flags for all image files corresponding to the reference numbers in the determined range to “selected” or “unselected.”
[0172] In S 61 at the beginning of the continuous selection process, the CPU 11 initializes the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . In S 62 the CPU 11 identifies the display position number of the thumbnail displayed at the display position on the LCD 16 identical to the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 and stores the reference number of the image file corresponding to the identified display position number in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . In S 63 the CPU 11 sets thumbnails of image files corresponding to the reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c to the temporarily selected state on the LCD 16 .
[0173] In S 64 the CPU 11 waits as long as the user's finger has not separated from the touch panel 17 (S 64 : NO). When the user's finger has separated from the touch panel 17 (S 64 : YES), in S 65 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 after the finger separated from the touch panel 17 and subsequently touched the touch panel 17 corresponds to a display position for one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 . If the position of the user's finger does not correspond to a display position for one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 (S 65 : NO), then the CPU 11 skips S 66 -S 67 and advances to S 68 .
[0174] However, if the position of the user's finger corresponds to a display position for one of the scrolling arrows SA 1 and SA 2 (S 65 : YES), in S 66 the CPU 11 updates the display position numbers in the thumbnail list based on the display position number for the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 displayed at a position on the LCD 16 corresponding to the finger touching the touch panel 17 . In S 67 the CPU 11 displays thumbnails of image files corresponding to the display position numbers in the thumbnail list on the LCD 16 and sets each thumbnail to a selected state or an unselected state based on the selection status flag of the corresponding image file.
[0175] In S 68 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 corresponds to a display position for a thumbnail. If the position of the user's finger does not correspond to a display position for a thumbnail (S 68 : NO), then the CPU 11 returns to S 65 and repeats the process in S 65 -S 68 described above. However, if the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 corresponds to a display position for a thumbnail (S 68 : YES), then in S 69 the CPU 11 identifies the display position number of the thumbnail displayed at a display position on the LCD 16 matching the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 and stores the reference number of the image file corresponding to the identified display position number in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e.
[0176] In S 70 the CPU 11 stores in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c all reference numbers in a continuous range from the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d to the reference number stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . In S 71 the CPU 11 determines whether the selection status flag of the image file corresponding to the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “unselected.”
[0177] If the selection status flag for this image file is “unselected” (S 71 : YES), then in S 72 the CPU 11 changes selection status flags for all image files corresponding to reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c to “selected” in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . However, if the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the reference number stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “selected” (S 71 : NO), then in S 73 the CPU 11 changes the selection status flags for all image files corresponding to reference numbers stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c to “unselected” in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b . Subsequently, the CPU 11 ends the continuous selection process of S 51 .
[0178] Through the continuous selection process of S 51 described with reference to FIG. 15 , the MFP 1 can determine a sequential range of reference numbers from the reference number corresponding to the thumbnail touched by the user for the prescribed interval to the reference number corresponding to a thumbnail directly touched by the user after first removing the finger from the touch panel 17 , and can change the selection status flags for all image files corresponding to the reference numbers in the determined range to “selected” or “unselected.” After completing the continuous selection process of S 51 , the CPU 11 returns to S 44 in FIG. 14 and repeats the process of S 44 -S 51 in FIG. 14 .
[0179] In S 52 of FIG. 14 the CPU 11 determines whether the position of the user's finger on the touch panel 17 corresponds to a display position for either the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 displayed on the LCD 16 . If the position of the user's finger does correspond to a display position for the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 (S 52 : YES), then in S 53 the CPU 11 updates the display position numbers in the thumbnail list based on the display position number of the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 displayed at the position of the user's finger. Subsequently, the CPU 11 returns to S 44 and repeats the process in S 44 -S 53 described above.
[0180] However, if the user's finger is not at a display position of the scrolling arrow SA 1 or SA 2 displayed on the LCD 16 (S 52 : NO), then the CPU 11 skips S 53 and advances to S 54 .
[0181] In S 54 the CPU 11 determines whether the Cancel button 15 b has been pressed. If the Cancel button 15 b has been pressed (S 54 : YES), the CPU 11 ends the printing process. However, if the Cancel button 15 b has not been pressed (S 54 : NO), in S 55 the CPU 11 determines whether the Print button 15 c has been pressed.
[0182] If the CPU 11 determines that the Print button 15 c has been pressed (S 55 : YES), in S 56 the CPU 11 reads image files having a selection status flag set to “selected” in the thumbnail list stored in the thumbnail list memory area 13 b from the memory card 22 a , stores these image files in the image memory area 13 a , controls the printer 21 to print an image of each file on printing paper, and subsequently ends the printing process. However, if the Print button 15 c has not been pressed (S 55 : NO), the CPU 11 returns to S 44 and repeats the process in S 44 -S 55 described above.
[0183] Through the printing process of FIG. 14 described above, the user can specify two thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 through a simple operation of touching the two thumbnails individually. In this way, the user can specify all image files having reference numbers ranging sequentially from the reference number of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail to the reference number of the image file corresponding to the next touched thumbnail and can select or deselect all image files in the specified range.
[0184] Further, since the continuous selection process begins when the user touches and holds one thumbnail for a prescribed interval, the user is less likely to perform this operation by accident or another operation that unintentionally executes the continuous selection process.
[0185] Specifically, selection status flags for all image files within the specified range are set to “selected” if the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail was set to “unselected,” and to “unselected” if the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail was “selected.” Therefore, this operation is simple and easy to understand for the user since selection status flags of all image files within the specified range are set based on the selection status flag of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail.
[0186] Next, a method of operating the touch panel 17 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16A-16E .
[0187] FIGS. 16A-16E are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method in which the user selects image files by touching two individual thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 with a finger.
[0188] The following description assumes that the line having reference number “ 1 ” in the thumbnail list is the starting position for display position numbers and, hence, the display position number in this line is set to “A 1 ”. The display position number in the next line having reference number “ 2 ” is set to “A 2 ”. In this way, the display position numbers are assigned sequentially to lines in the thumbnail list up to display position number “C 6 ” in increasing order of the reference numbers. Further, the following description assumes that all selection status flags in the thumbnail list have been set to “unselected.” Therefore, all thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 are in the unselected state.
[0189] If the user touches the thumbnail at display position number “B 3 ” for at least a prescribed interval (1 second, for example), as shown in FIG. 16A , the reference number “ 9 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “B 3 ” is stored in both the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d and the temporary selection list memory area 13 c . Hence, the thumbnail for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 9 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c is displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state, as shown in FIG. 16B .
[0190] If the user then lifts the finger from the touch panel 17 and subsequently touches the thumbnail at display position number “C 4 ”, as shown in FIG. 16C , the reference number “ 16 ” in the line of the thumbnail list having display position number “C 4 ” is stored in the temporary selection ending position memory area 13 e . Accordingly, reference numbers “ 9 - 16 ” are stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c.
[0191] Hence, all selection status flags for reference numbers “ 9 - 16 ” stored in the temporary selection list memory area 13 c are set to “selected” in the thumbnail list because the selection status flag for the image file corresponding to reference number “ 9 ” stored in the temporary selection starting position memory area 13 d is set to “unselected” in the thumbnail list. Consequently, thumbnails for image files having a selection status flag set to “selected” are displayed on the LCD 16 in the selected state, as shown in FIG. 16D .
[0192] In the second embodiment described above, the user can perform a simple operation to touch two thumbnails individually among the thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 to specify image files for all reference numbers ranging sequentially from the reference number of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail to the reference number of the image file corresponding to the next touched thumbnail in order to select or deselect all image files within the specified range.
[0193] Here, selection status flags for all image files within the specified range are set to “selected” when the selection status flag of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail is “unselected” and set to “unselected” when the selection status flag of the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail is “selected.” In other words, the selection status flags of image files within the specified range are set based on the setting of the selection status flag associated with the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail, thereby making the operation simpler and more user-friendly.
[0194] While the invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the attached claims.
[0195] For example, in the second embodiment described above, the continuous selection process of S 51 shown in FIG. 15 is executed when the user presses and holds an initial thumbnail among thumbnails displayed on the LCD 16 . However, it is also possible to provide a Continuous Selection Mode button on the display and execute the continuous selection process of S 51 when the user touches this Continuous Selection Mode button. In the continuous selection process in this case, all image files having reference numbers ranging in succession from the reference number for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail to the reference number for the image file corresponding to the next touched thumbnail are specified and all specified image files are selected or deselected.
[0196] Further, in the first embodiment described above, thumbnails for user-selected image files remain displayed on the LCD 16 in the temporarily selected state while the user's finger is in contact with the touch panel 17 . However, two types or patterns of temporarily selected states may be used so that the user can visually determine whether the image files are selected or unselected. In other words, the style of the temporarily selected state of thumbnails displayed on the touch panel 17 is switched based on the selection status flag setting for the image file corresponding to the first touched thumbnail.
[0197] In both the first and second embodiments described above, image data stored in the memory card 22 a is used as the target of selection, but the user may also select image data generated by the scanner 20 or image data acquired from a PC, external hard drive, or the like.
[0198] Further, while the MFP 1 having an image-selecting device was described in the first and second embodiments, the image-selecting device of the present invention is not limited to that in a multifunction peripheral. The present invention may also be applied to an image-selecting device provided in a digital still camera or the like.
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An image-selecting device includes a storing unit, a displaying unit, a detecting unit, a reading unit, an identification data storing unit, a display controlling unit, an image data identifying unit, and an image data selecting unit. The displaying unit displays a plurality of images based on a plurality of pieces of image data and has a plurality of display regions for the plurality of images. The detecting unit detects each of the plurality of display regions receiving direct input by an indicator. The reading unit reads the plurality of pieces of image data from the storing unit. The identification data storing unit stores identification data for identifying the plurality of pieces of image data read by the reading unit and assigns a prescribed order to the identification data for the plurality of pieces of image data. The display controlling unit controls the displaying unit to display the plurality of images according to the prescribed order. The image data identifying unit identifies each of the plurality of pieces of image data for the image displayed in the display region detected by the detecting unit. When the image data identifying unit identifies two pieces of image data among the plurality of pieces of image data, the image data selecting unit, selects or deselects image data from one image data of the two pieces of image data to the other image data of the two pieces of image data according to the prescribed order of the identification data.
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This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 10-2002-0074067 filed on Nov. 26, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laundry drier, and more particularly, to a laundry drier control method in which a temperature variation rate per unit time is used to control drying time as needed.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A laundry drier is an apparatus for drying wet objects, e.g., clothes, after completion of a washing cycle or the like. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a laundry drier according to a related art, with FIG. 2 showing a cross-section taken along a line I-I in FIG. 1 .
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a drier according to a related art is comprised of a body 100 having an entrance 101 at a front side in which a door 105 is installed, a drum 30 rotatably installed in the body and having a plurality of stirrers 30 a protruding from an inner circumferential surface of the drum, a motor 50 fixed to an inner side surface of the body to generate and transfer via a belt 60 a slow and directionally controllable rotational force with respect to the drum, first and second hot air passages 10 a and 10 b for guiding an air flow of external air ( 10 a ) to drum's interior to be discharged ( 10 b ) to the exterior of the laundry drier, a heater 20 installed inside the first hot air passage to heat the air therein, and an exhaust fan 40 for generating a forcible blowing force to discharge air through the second hot air passage and thereby draw in external air through the first hot air passage.
Referring to FIG. 3 , illustrating a laundry drying method according to the related art, with wet laundry placed in the drum 30 , drying is initiated in a step S 10 to actuate each of the exhaust fan 40 , the heater 20 , and the motor 50 . As the exhaust fan 40 starts to operate, external air is drawn in through the first hot air passage 10 a , where it is heated by passing through the heater 20 and forcibly led into the drum 30 , to evaporate the water content of laundry placed therein. Thus, the drying action is realized by a negative blowing force of the exhaust fan 40 , whereby a circulation of air is achieved by drawing in external air through the first hot air passage 10 a and discharging the air through the second hot air guide passage 10 b . Meanwhile, the drum 30 is rotated according to a predetermined cycle, and the stirrers 30 a pull the laundry up one side of the drum's interior to fall back down into a lower area thereof. The laundry is dried in a step S 20 through the above-explained process.
As drying thus proceeds, if it is determined in a step S 30 that a predetermined time has passed, the heater 20 and motor 50 are stopped in a step S 40 . Here, the exhaust fan 40 continues to operate for a fixed predetermined time of say, five minutes, to perform a cooling of the interior of the laundry drier in a step S 50 , after which the door 105 may be opened. Thus, the cooling is performed according to a procedure similar to that of the steps S 20 ˜S 40 in which a constant operation is continued for a fixed duration.
As above, the laundry drier of the related art completes its assigned task by execution according to a predetermined time. That is, the drying procedure is performed for a fixed time, as set by the manufacturer, regardless of the amount or type of laundry being dried. Therefore, drying may be incomplete or excessive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method of controlling drying time of a drier that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention, which has been devised to solve the foregoing problem, lies in providing a laundry drier control method which, by reading a temperature variation rate per unit time, dynamically varies the drying time according to the amount and type of an object being dried.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a laundry drier control method, by which drying is performed accurately according to the amount and type of object being dried.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a laundry drier control method, by which a proper drying is determined according to the amount and type of object being dried.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a laundry drier control method, by which improved drier operation can be achieved.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from a practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the subject matter particularly pointed out in the specification and claims hereof as well as in the appended drawings.
To achieve these objects and other advantages in accordance with the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a laundry drier control method comprising steps of initiating a drying procedure; measuring a temperature variation rate per unit time over the drying procedure; calculating an overall drying time based on the measured temperature variation rate per unit time; and performing the drying procedure for the calculated overall drying time.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing explanation and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and illustrative and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a laundry drier according to a related art;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along a line I-I in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a laundry drying control method according to a related art;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a laundry drier according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a graph of temperature over time, showing respective temperature plots for a relatively short drying time and a relatively long drying time, occurring in a laundry drier adopting a control method according to the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a laundry drier control method according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, like elements are indicated using the same or similar reference designations where possible.
A laundry drier control method according to the present invention reads a temperature variation rate per unit time to adjust a drying time of a drying procedure according to an amount and type of objects, i.e., laundry, being dried. That is, a drying procedure according to the method of the present invention is controlled such that a drying time is determined using a temperature variation rate per unit time, from the point of initiating the drying procedure.
Referring to FIG. 4 , a laundry drier adopting the control method according to the present invention is comprised of an input unit 210 for inputting user commands, a display 220 for displaying the respective operational states of drying and cooling procedures based on the input user commands, a moisture sensor 230 for measuring the water content of laundry during the drying procedure and for outputting a sensed water content signal, a temperature sensor 240 for detecting an internal temperature during the drying and cooling procedures and for outputting a sensed temperature signal, a microcomputer 250 for controlling the drying and cooling procedures based on the sensed signals and user command input, to determine the state of the drying procedure and to control accordingly each of heater, motor, and exhaust fan drivers 260 , 270 , and 280 .
Upon initiating a drying procedure, the microcomputer 250 reads the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 240 according to the drying time, whereby the temperature variation (slope) differs as the drying of a drying object proceeds. That is, the temperature varies sharply as the drying object begins to dry, varies more gradually when the drying object is substantially dried, and again varies sharply as the drying object nears a dry state.
Referring to FIG. 5 , a time period Δt 1 is a period for preheating the drying object, a time period Δt 2 is a period during which the drying object is substantially dried at a peak drying temperature, and a time period Δt 3 is a period for high temperature drying that continues for a predetermined time after the peak drying temperature. Based on such a drying procedure, a laundry drier adopting the control method according to the present invention differentially drives the heater and motor drivers 260 and 270 for the preheating and peak drying temperature periods (Δt 1 and Δt 2 ) and for the high temperature drying period (Δt 3 ), according to whether a maximum drying temperature has been reached. As may be seen in FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, period Δt 1 , Δt 2 and Δt 3 refer to the large laundry load. Furthermore, as may be seen in FIG. 5 , the incidence of the three periods over the course of the drying procedure depends on the laundry load.
Specifically, a laundry drier adopting the control method according to the present invention determines a proper drying time by sensing the variation of the temperature per unit time as the drying procedure progresses as well as sensing any change in the temperature variation rate per unit time. The temperature variation rate per unit time, measured from the initiation of the drying procedure, decreases over time at a known rate, and after a predetermined time passes, the temperature variation rate per unit time increases when the drying object is nearly dry as indicated in FIG. 5 at point A. This increase in temperature variation rate per unit time is used to calculate the remaining drying time and in turn an overall drying time. In accordance with one embodiment, this temperature variation rate may be 1° C. per minute. In other words, when a small laundry load is being dried, the drying time is reduced since the increase in the temperature variation rate per unit time occurs sooner than when a large laundry load is being dried, and vice versa.
Referring to FIG. 6 , illustrating a laundry drier control method according to the present invention, with the drying object placed in the drum 30 , the input unit 210 is manipulated to initiate the drying procedure in a step S 100 , thus actuating the heater and motor drivers 270 and 280 . In doing so, the temperature sensor 240 immediately begins outputting a sensed temperature signal to the microcomputer 250 , indicating the drying temperature effected within the drum 30 , and the microcomputer determines a drying temperature variation rate per unit time. In a step S 200 , shortly after initiating the drying procedure, the temperature rapidly rises (high rate) to a predetermined temperature set according the input from the input unit 210 , and upon reaching the predetermined temperature, the drying of the drying object continues until there is no substantial variation (low rate) of the temperature. That is, based on the sensed temperature signal output from the temperature sensor 240 , the microcomputer 250 determines in a step S 300 whether the high temperature variation rate per unit time has been sufficiently reduced. A substantially increased rate of temperature variation indicates that the temperature inside the drier is rapidly rising, signaling that the drying object is nearly dry.
As soon as an increase in the temperature variation rate per unit time is detected, the remaining drying time is calculated in a step S 400 . In a step 500 , the drying procedure continues for the calculated remaining time, until completion in a step S 600 . The microcomputer 210 then controls the display 220 to display a “drying complete” status, and the operation of the heater and motor drivers 260 and 270 is stopped. Operation of the exhaust fan driver 280 continues for a cooling procedure according to a step S 700 .
Accordingly, the laundry drier control method of the present invention determines the drying time after an increase in the temperature variation rate per unit time with respect to the rate at the time of initiating the drying procedure. Hence, the overall drying time can be dynamically controlled, to differentiate the drying time according to the amount and type of laundry put in the drier. Thus, an improved operation of a laundry drier is achieved by determining a proper drying time whereby drying time is reduced when the drying object (laundry load) is small or can be dried quickly and is increased for larger loads or loads that may take longer to dry.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations, provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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A laundry drier control method reads a temperature variation rate per unit time, to enable drying according to the amount and type of an object being dried. The method includes steps of initiating a drying procedure; measuring a temperature variation rate per unit time over the drying procedure; calculating an overall drying time based on the measured temperature variation rate per unit time; and performing the drying procedure for the calculated overall drying time. The drying time determining step is repeated if a substantial increase in the temperature variation rate is detected.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/964,034, filed Sep. 26, 200. The aforementioned related patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to well completions using expandable components. More particularly, the present invention relates to a profiled recess incorporated into an expandable sand screen or other expandable downhole tubular. The profiled recess houses instrumentation lines or control lines in a wellbore.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Hydrocarbon wells are typically formed with a central wellbore that is supported by steel casing. The steel casing lines the borehole formed in the earth during the drilling process. This creates an annular area between the casing and the borehole, which is filled with cement to further support and form the wellbore.
[0006] Some wells are produced by perforating the casing of the wellbore at selected depths where hydrocarbons are found. Hydrocarbons migrate from the formation, through the perforations, and into the cased wellbore. In some instances, a lower portion of a wellbore is left open, that is, it is not lined with casing. This is known as an open hole completion. In that instance, hydrocarbons in an adjacent formation migrate directly into the wellbore where they are subsequently raised to the surface, typically through an artificial lift system.
[0007] Open hole completions carry the potential of higher production than a cased hole completion. They are frequently utilized in connection with horizontally drilled boreholes. However, open hole completions present various risks concerning the integrity of the open wellbore. In that respect, an open hole leaves aggregate material, including sand, free to invade the wellbore. Sand production can result in premature failure of artificial lift and other downhole and surface equipment. Sand can build up in the casing and tubing to obstruct well flow. Particles can compact and erode surrounding formations to cause liner and casing failures. In addition, produced sand becomes difficult to handle and dispose at the surface. Ultimately, open holes carry the risk of complete collapse of the formation into the wellbore.
[0008] To control particle flow from unconsolidated formations, for example, well screens are often employed downhole along the uncased portion of the wellbore. One form of well screen recently developed is the expandable sand screen, known as Weatherford's ESS® tool. In general, the ESS® is constructed from three composite layers, including an intermediate filter media. The filter media allows hydrocarbons to invade the wellbore, but filters sand and other unwanted particles from entering. The sand screen is attached to production tubing at an upper end and the hydrocarbons travel to the surface of the well via the tubing. In one recent innovation, the sand screen is expanded downhole against the adjacent formation in order to preserve the integrity of the formation during production.
[0009] A more particular description of an expandable sand screen is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,789, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. That patent describes an expandable sand screen which consists of a perforated base pipe, a woven filtering material, and a protective, perforated outer shroud. Both the base pipe and the outer shroud are expandable, and the woven filter is typically arranged over the base pipe in sheets that partially cover one another and slide across one another as the sand screen is expanded. The sand screen is expanded by a cone-shaped object urged along its inner bore or by an expander tool having radially outward extending rollers that are fluid powered from a tubular string. Using expander means like these, the sand screen is subjected to outwardly radial forces that urge the walls of the sand screen against the open formation. The sand screen components are stretched past their elastic limit, thereby increasing the inner and outer diameter of the sand screen.
[0010] The biggest advantage to the use of an expandable sand screen in an open wellbore like the one described herein is that once expanded, the annular area between the screen and the wellbore is mostly eliminated, and with it the need for a gravel pack. Typically, the ESS® is expanded to a point where its outer wall places a stress on the wall of the wellbore, thereby providing support to the walls of the wellbore to prevent dislocation of particles.
[0011] In modern well completions, the operator oftentimes wishes to employ downhole tools or instruments. These include sliding sleeves, submersible electrical pumps, downhole chokes, and various sensing devices. These devices are controlled from the surface via hydraulic control lines, mechanical control lines, or even fiber optic cable. For example, the operator may wish to place a series of pressure and/or temperature sensors every ten meters within a portion of the hole, connected by a fiber optic line. This line would extend into that portion of the wellbore where an expandable tubular has been placed.
[0012] In order to protect the control lines or instrumentation lines, the lines are typically placed into small metal tubings which are affixed external to the completion tubular and the production tubing within the wellbore. In addition, in completions utilizing known non-expandable gravel packs, the control lines have been housed within a rectangular box. However, this method of housing control lines or instrumentation downhole is not feasible in the context of the new, expandable sand screens now being offered.
[0013] First, the presence of control lines behind an expandable completion tubular or tool interferes with an important function of the expandable tubular, which is to provide a close fit between the outside surface of the tubular and the formation wall (or surrounding casing). This is particularly true with the rectangular boxes normally used. The absence of a close fit between the outside surface of the expandable tubular and the formation wall creates a vertical channel outside of the sand screen, allowing formation fluids to migrate between formations therein, even to the surface. This, in turn, causes inaccurate pressure, temperature, or other readings from downhole instrumentation, particularly when the well is shut in for a period of time.
[0014] There is a need, therefore, for a protective encapsulation for control lines or instrumentation lines which does not hinder the expansion of the expandable tool closely against the formation wall (or casing). There is further a need for an encapsulation which does not leave a vertical channel outside of the expandable tubular when it is expanded against the formation wall (or casing). Still further, there is a need for an encapsulation device which defines a recess in the wall of an expandable sand screen or other expandable downhole tool, and which provides enhanced protection to the control lines/fiber optics as it is expanded against the wall of a wellbore, whether cased or open.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The present invention provides a recess for housing instrumentation lines, control lines, or fiber optics downhole. In one aspect, the encapsulation defines a recess in the wall of an expandable tubular such as an expandable sand screen. Because the encapsulation resides within the wall of the downhole tool, no vertical channeling of fluids within the annulus outside of the tool, e.g., sand screen, occurs. The recess of the present invention may be employed whether the completion is cased or open.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and objects of the present invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.
[0017] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a section view showing an open hole wellbore with an expandable sand screen disposed therein. A recess of the present invention is shown in cross-section within the wall of the expandable sand screen as an example of an expandable tubular. A traditional rectangular box is shown, in cross-section, running from the surface to the depth of the sand screen.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a top section view of an expandable sand screen within an open wellbore. Visible is a profiled recess of the present invention residing in the outer layer of the sand screen wall. The sand screen is in its unexpanded state with an enlarged view showing a portion of the sand screen expanded against the formation.
[0020] FIG. 3 is also a top section view of an expandable sand screen within an open wellbore, with the recess in an alternate configuration. The sand screen is disposed within a cased wellbore in its unexpanded state.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a top section view of an expandable sand screen before expansion, and a blow-up view of a portion of the expandable sand screen as expanded against a wellbore formation. An alternate embodiment of an encapsulation is demonstrated within the recess.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] FIG. 1 is a section view showing an open hole wellbore 40 . The wellbore 40 includes a central wellbore which is lined with casing 42 . The annular area between the casing 42 and the earth is filled with cement 46 as is typical in well completion. Extending downward from the central wellbore is an open hole wellbore 48 . A formation 50 is shown adjacent to the wellbore 48 .
[0023] Disposed in the open wellbore 48 is an expandable sand screen 20 . The expandable sand screen 20 is hung within the wellbore 40 from a hanging apparatus 32 . In some instances, the hanging apparatus 32 is a packer (not shown). In the depiction of FIG. 1 , the hanging apparatus is a liner 30 and liner hanger 32 . A separate packer 34 is employed to seal the annulus between the liner 30 and the production tubular 44 .
[0024] Also depicted in FIG. 1 is an upper hole encapsulation 12 . The upper hole encapsulation 12 shown is a cross-section of a standard rectangular-shaped box typically employed when running instrumentation lines or cable lines downhole. However, a specially profiled encapsulation may be used which contains arcuate walls, as disclosed in the pending application entitled “Profiled Encapsulation for Use With Expandable Sand Screen,” having U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/964,160.
[0025] The upper hole encapsulation 12 is shown running from the surface to the depth of the sand screen 20 . The encapsulation 12 is secured to the production tubular 44 by clamps, shown schematically at 18 . Clamps 18 are typically secured to the production tubular 44 approximately every ten meters. The upper hole encapsulation 12 passes through the liner hanger 32 (or utilized hanging apparatus), and extends downward to a designated depth within the wellbore 40 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the encapsulation 12 extends to the top 21 of the sand screen 20 .
[0026] At or near the depth of the hanging apparatus 32 , the upper hole encapsulation 12 terminates. However, the instrumentation lines or cable lines 62 continue from the upper hole encapsulation 12 and to a desired depth. In FIG. 1 , the lines 62 travel to the bottom 25 of the sand screen 20 and the open hole wellbore 48 .
[0027] In accordance with the present invention, the lines 62 reside within a novel recess 10 within the wall of an expandable tubular 20 . The exemplary expandable tubular 20 depicted in FIG. 1 is an expandable sand screen. The recess 10 is visible in FIG. 1 along the outside wall 26 of the sand screen 20 . The recess 10 serves as a housing for instrumentation lines or control lines 62 . For purposes of this application, such lines 62 include any type of data acquisition lines, communication lines, fiber optics, cables, sensors, and downhole “smart well” features.
[0028] FIG. 2 presents a top section view of a recess 10 of the present invention. In this view, the recess 10 is shown to reside within the outer layer 26 of an expandable tubular 20 . An enlarged section of the tubular 20 is shown expanded against the formation. Again, the depicted expandable tubular 20 is an expandable sand screen. However, it is within the scope of this invention to utilize a profiled recess 10 in any expandable tubular or tool.
[0029] In the embodiment of FIG. 2 , the sand screen 20 is constructed from three composite layers. These define a slotted structural base pipe 22 , a layer of filter media 24 , and an outer protecting sheath, or “shroud” 26 . Both the base pipe 22 and the outer shroud 26 are configured to permit hydrocarbons to flow therethrough, such as through perforations (e.g., 23 ) formed therein. The filter material 24 is held between the base pipe 22 and the outer shroud 26 , and serves to filter sand and other particulates from entering the sand screen 20 and the production tubular 44 . Again, it is within the scope of this invention to utilize a profiled recess 10 in an expandable tool having any configuration of layers.
[0030] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the recess 10 is specially profiled to conform to the arcuate profile of the expandable tubular 20 . To accomplish this, the recess 10 includes at least one arcuate wall 12 . In the embodiment of FIG. 2 , the recess 10 defines an inner arcuate wall 12 , an outer arcuate wall 14 , and two end walls 16 . In this embodiment, the outer arcuate wall 14 includes an optional through-opening 14 o to aid in the insertion of lines 62 . In addition, the control or instrumentation lines 62 are housed within optional metal tubulars 60 . Finally, the embodiment in FIG. 2 includes an optional filler material 64 in order to maintain the one or more lines 62 within the recess 10 . The filler material 64 may be an extrudable polymeric material such as polyethylene, a hardenable foam material such as polyethylene, or other suitable material for holding the lines 62 within the recess 10 .
[0031] Numerous alternate embodiments exist for the configuration of the recess 10 of the present invention. One exemplary alternate configuration for a recess 10 is shown in FIG. 3 . There, the recess 10 comprises a first inner arcuate wall 12 and a second outer arcuate wall 14 . The two arcuate walls 12 and 14 meet at opposite ends 16 ′. However, it is within the scope of this invention to provide any shaped recess 10 formed essentially within any layer of the wall 26 of an expandable downhole tubular 20 . When the recess 10 of FIGS. 2 or 3 or equivalent embodiments are employed, no vertical channel is left within the annular region 28 between the sand screen and the formation 50 after the sand screen 20 is expanded.
[0032] In another embodiment of the present invention, a separate profiled encapsulation 10 ′ is provided within the recess 10 of the expandable tubular 20 . Such an encapsulation 10 ′ is shown in FIG. 4 where the expandable tubular 20 is again, by way of example only, an expandable sand screen. FIG. 4 presents a portion 20 e of an expandable sand screen 20 in an expanded state. This demonstrates that the sand screen 20 remains sand tight after expansion. (Note that the expanded depiction is not to scale.) Radial force applied to the inner wall of the perforated base pipe 22 forces the pipe 22 past its elastic limits and also expands the diameter of the base pipe perforations 23 . Also expanded is the shroud 26 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the shroud 26 is expanded to a point of contact with the formation 50 . Substantial contact between the sand screen 20 and the formation wall 48 places a slight stress on the formation 50 , reducing the risk of particulate matter entering the wellbore 48 . It also reduces the risk of vertical fluid flow behind the sand screen 20 .
[0033] The encapsulation 10 ′ is shown in FIG. 4 to expand and deform with the recess 10 . The encapsulation 10 ′ is generally shaped to conform to the walls 12 , 14 , 16 of the recess 10 . In this manner, the encapsulation 10 defines at least a first arcuate wall 12 ′. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 , the encapsulation 10 ′ includes an inner arcuate wall 12 ′, an outer arcuate wall 14 ′, and two end walls 16 ′. The encapsulation 10 ′ serves as the housing for the instrumentation lines or cable lines 62 . The encapsulation 10 ′ may be inserted into the recess 10 either as part of the manufacturing process, or at the well site during downhole tool run-in. The encapsulation 10 ′ is fabricated from a thermoplastic material which is durable enough to withstand abrasions while being pushed or press-fit into the recess 10 . At the same time, the encapsulation 10 ′ material must be sufficiently deformable to allow the encapsulation 10 ′ to generally comply with the expandable tubular 20 as it is expanded against the formation 50 .
[0034] Other embodiments for an encapsulation 10 ′ exist. For example, a crescent-shaped encapsulation (not shown), designed to reside within the profiled recess 10 of FIG. 3 could be employed. In each of the above embodiments, the recess 10 may optionally also house metal tubulars 60 for holding the control or instrumentation lines 62 . Metal tubulars 60 are demonstrated in the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3 .
[0035] The sand screens 20 depicted in FIGS. 1-4 are designed to expand. Expansion is typically done by a cone or compliant expander apparatus or other expander tool (not shown) to provide a close fit between the expandable tubular 20 and the formation 50 . In FIG. 1 , the sand screen 20 has already been expanded against an open hole formation 50 so that no annular region remains. The sand screen 20 is thus in position for the production of hydrocarbons. The absence of an annular region substantially prohibits vertical movement of fluid behind the sand screen 20 .
[0036] On the other hand, the expandable tubular 20 in FIG. 2 is in its unexpanded state. An annular region 28 is thus shown in FIG. 2 between the sand screen 20 and the formation 50 within the wellbore 48 . In FIG. 3 , the sand screen 20 is again in an unexpanded state. However, in this embodiment recess 10 is disposed within an expandable tubular 20 within a cased wellbore. Casing 52 is shown circumferential to the sand screen 20 , creating an annulus 28 . Further, cement 54 is present around the casing 52 . Perforations 23 ′ are fired into the casing 52 in order to expose hydrocarbons or other formation fluids to the wellbore 48 . Thus, the recess 10 of the present invention has utility for both open hole and cased hole completions.
[0037] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
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The present invention provides a recess within an expandable downhole tubular, such as an expandable sand screen. The recess resides within the wall, such as the outer shroud of an expandable sand screen. The recess serves as a housing for instrumentation lines, fiber optics, control lines, or downhole instrumentation. By placing the lines and instrumentation within a wall of the expandable downhole tool, the tool can be expanded into the wall of the wellbore without leaving a channel outside of the tool through which formation fluids might vertically migrate. The recess is useful in both cased hole and open hole completions. In one embodiment, the recess serves as a housing for an encapsulation which itself may house instrumentation lines, control lines, and downhole instrumentation.
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This is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 07/806,840 filed on Dec. 9, 1991 and now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/586,423 filed on Sep. 21, 1990 and now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of producing torque sensor shafts and more particularly it relates to a method of producing magnetostriction type torque sensor shafts adapted to detect changes in permeability particularly during torque application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Magnetostriction type torque sensor shafts have been known, as one is shown in Japanese Patent No. 169,326, wherein the surface of a sensor shaft adapted to have torque transmitted thereto is formed with a magnetically anisotropic section by forming spiral grooves therein by cutting or rolling so as to detect changes in the permeability of the magnetic anisotropic section, when torque is applied, to expess them in terms of electrical quantities.
Hitherto, however, no torque sensor of such grooved type has been put in actual use in the art. The reason for this is that a torque sensor shaft constructed of a structural steel material through a mere process such that the material is formed with spiral grooves and then subjected to suitable heat treatment is liable to hysteresis, usually of the order of about 2 to 20% FS, and could not be used as such in any practical application. Recently, in order to put the basic principle of such torque sensor shaft into practical use, a knurled type magnetostrictive torque sensor has been proposed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580 of the present inventors, wherein shot peening is applied to the grooved portion to decrease hysteresis and improve sensitivity.
The achievement of hysteresis reduction through the process of peening the grooved portion after heat treatment as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580 is explained by the fact that broadly peening has two kinds of effect, mechanical and magnetic.
More specifically, the mechanical effect of shot peening includes the effect of mending microcracks produced during the process of groove forming, and the effect of improving the mechanical strength. The improvement of the mechanical strength is brought about in the form of hardened surface layer of the shaft and reduced crystal grain size of the surface layer which result from the collision of small shot particles blown. Such mechanical effect results in reduced hysteresis of the sensor.
The magnetic effect of shot peening includes improvement in the process of surface magnetization and intensification of the magnetic anisotropy of the sensor. The improvement of surface magnetization occurs as a result of the fact that by virtue of shot peening the process of surface magnetization changes from magnetization through domain wall displacement, a process which tends to cause magnetic hysteresis, to revolving magnetization, a process which is unlikely to cause magnetic hysteresis. Such improvement in the process of magnetization results in reduced hysteresis and improved sensor sensitivity. The intensification of the magnetic anisotropy results from the fact that shot peening induces development of residual stress on the shaft material as will be described hereinafter. By virtue of the intensified magnetic anisotropy the non-linearity of the sensor is corrected.
In the past, the effect of shot peening was well known in that the hardness of the outermost surface layer of the shaft was increased and some compressive residual stress was provided, which would result in improved mechanical strength (fatigue strength). However, the past recognition in the art that the effect of shot peening was limited to the improvement of such mechanical strength involves the following inconsistency. While, as is well known, shot peening brings about increased hardness of the surface layer of the material and, in conjunction therewith, improved surface layer strength of the material, it must be pointed out that the magnetic hardness of the material is also increased and accordingly the retentivity of the material becomes so large that the material can hardly be magnetized further. As a matter of practice, therefore, mere improvement in mechanical strength is generally likely to lead to decreased sensitivity.
According to experiments conducted by the present inventors, wherein a shaft material was hardened by carburizing, tempered and heat treated to thereby increase the hardness of its surface layer, while for the purpose of comparison a similar shaft material was hardened in a carburization-prevented condition, and then tempered and heat treated, that is, bright-handened, tempered and heat treated without so much increase in the hardness of the shaft surface, the higher the shaft hardness resulting from carburization, the lower was the sensitivity of the torque sensor using the shaft.
As is apparent from this, the effect of shot peening presents some aspect that cannot be explained only on the basis of increased mechanical hardness and/or increased mechanical strength; and improvements in all sensor characteristics, such as reduced hysteresis, reduced non-liniarity, and improved sensitivity, can be obtained as an overall effect of shot peening, or a combination of mechanical effect and magnetic effect as above stated. In the earlier known shot peening technique as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,022, the effect of shot peening for mechanical strength improvement, as intended mainly for improvement of fatigue strength, was only taught. In the prior art, the above cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580 was the first disclosure which referred to the above stated magnetic effect.
More particularly, in the invention of a magnetostrictive torque sensor described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580, shot peening is applied to the grooved portion of a sensor shaft and to areas therearound thereby to mechanically, metallurgically and magnetically improve the outermost surface layer of the grooved portion to reduce hysteresis and increase sensitivity. That is, the following techniques are disclosed therein.
(1) Improvement of Mechanical and Metallurgical Strength of Grooves and Areas therearound:
Application of shot peening to grooves and areas therearound martensitizes the residual austenite in the outermost surface layer produced during carburization to shafts to thereby increase hardness and it decreases crystal grain size, whereby the strength of the outermost surface layer through which magnetic flux passes is increased to a great extent.
As a result, when torque is applied, sufficient strength is provided to resist the stress concentrated in the grooves. Even if a large stress is applied, there is little possibility of producing a macroscopic mechanical plastic deformation or a plastic deformation on the microscopic crystalline level which causes the first mentioned plastic deformation or, in other words, a magnetic plastic deformation. As a result, the hysteresis characteristic is improved.
An auxiliary effect obtained is that the sensitivity is increased owing to the nonmagnetic residual austenite being converted to ferromagnetic martensite.
(2) Effect of Mending Microcracks in Grooves and Areas therearound:
Generally, microcracks are often produced in grooves and areas therearound during machining, particularly rolling.
Such microcracks aggravate the hysteresis characteristic and lower the sensitivity of sensors.
As is well known, shot peening has the effect of mending such microcracks and hence it is useful for improving the hysteresis characteristic and increasing the sensor sensitivity.
(3) Improvements in Magnetization of Outermost Surface Layers of Sensors:
Usually, magnetostrictive sensors are magnetized in a low magnetic field having a magnetic intensity of tens of oersteds at 10 kHz to 100 kHz. In most cases, the skin depth is about 0.1 mm immediately below the outermost surface layer and the magnetization process is based mostly on the domain wall displacement.
In this case, the presence of impurities and nonmagnetic inclusions in the skin depth region forms a cause of magnetic hysteresis, and since shaft materials in common use cannot avoid these impurities, it has been usual that the hysteresis characteristic is bad.
On the other hand, application of shot peening results in forming microscopic unevenness in the outermost surface layer of the grooves and areas therearound which form the magnetically anisotropic section of the sensor.
According to the teachings of physics of magnetism, formation of microscopic pits on a metal surface by plastic deformation results in formation of stable magnetic domains around the microscopic pits due to annular residual stress, with the magnetization process in the annular stable magnetic domains converting to magnetization rotation with less magnetic hysteresis, thereby lowering the hysteresis characteristic of the sensor.
With the above effects organically coupled together, application of shot peening brings about a decrease in hysteresis and an increase in sensitivity.
The action based on the effect (3) above is based on the action of residual stress distribution applied to a region in the vicinity of the outermost surface layer.
According to the known technique as described in the above cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580, when shot peening is applied to the surface of a sensor shaft, only shot particles of uniform size are used. If the size of shot particles is large, a stress distribution in which the compressive residual stress is at a maximum and approximately constant is formed in a deep region below the shaft surface in a wide range as seen in the direction of the depth. Further, if the size of shot particles is small, a peak value of compressive residual stress is obtained in a shallow region, but in this case the region where the compressive residual stress is approximately constant is narrow.
For this reason, in the case where the size of shot particles is small, excitation conditions using high frequency ac currents are utilized to ensure shallow penetration of magnetic flux; in this manner, optimum excitation conditions are provided. However, since the region where the compressive residual stress is approximately constant is narrow, it is necessary that the range of utilizable excitation frequencies be from 50 kHz to 100 kHz, which are considerably high frquencies.
In the case where the size of shot particles is large, excitation conditions using low frequencies (usually, about 10 kHz) to enable magnetic flux to penetrate into depths are selected so that the depth of penetration of magnetic flux is greater than when the size of shot particles is small and so as to minimize the influence on the outermost surface layer of the shaft where the changes in stress distribution is large and where the compressive residual stress is small; in this manner, hysteresis and sensitivity are improved. However, in this case, the region of the shaft near its surface aggravates the sensor characteristics. Therefore, when it is desired to obtain satisfactory hysteresis characteristics, it is necessary to use a large excitation current.
In torque sensor shafts having such conventional shot peening methods applied thereto, the range in which the compressive residual stress is approximately constant does not necessarily have a sufficient expanse, so that there is a problem that the range of usable excitation frequencies is narrow.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to solve such problems and its object is to enlarge the range in which the compressive residual stress is approximately constant from the outermost surface layer toward the shaft center to thereby enlarge the optimum excitation frequency range.
To achieve this object, in accordance with the invention, a method of producing torque sensor shafts of magnetostrictive type adapted to detect changes in permeability when torque is applied, is characterized in that a plurality of shot peening operations are applied to the surface of a torque sensor shaft material including at least a magnetostrictive portion by successively using shot particles of different diameters, from larger to smaller, whereby a torque sensor shaft having improved mechanical characteristics and, in particular, improved magnetic characteristics is obtained which is suitable for use in making a magnetostriction type torque sensor having improved performance characteristics in respect of hysteresis, sensitivity, and non-lininearity in particular, based on stress and magnetic characteristics of the sensor, when the torque sensor shaft is used in making the torque sensor.
With this scheme, first with shot particles of large diameter, a distribution in which the compressive residual stress is at a maximum and constant is obtained in a deep region below the shaft surface. Subsequently, by successively applying shot peening operations using shot particles of successively smaller diameters, the region in which the compressive residual stress is at a maximum and approximately constant is progressively enlarged toward a shallower region below the outermost surface layer of the shaft. Therefore, finally, the region in which the compressive residual stress is at a maximum and approximately constant lies over a wide range as seen in the direction of the depth. As a result, a reduction in hysteresis and an increase in sensitivity are attained and, as shown in the following embodiments, the nonlinearity can be improved and it becomes possible to use a wide range of excitation conditions.
The relation of the present invention to above cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580 and also to above cited U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,022 will be explained below. The present invention is an improvement on the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580. According to the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580, the hysteresis level which was as high as 2 to 20% FS in the case of no shot peening being effected can be improved to a level of not more than 1% FS. In contrast to this, the present invention provides for further improvement in hysteresis and, in addition, for good improvement in sensitivity and nonlinearity; thus, sensor characteristics can be remarkably improved.
In the description to follow, the process of shot peening in which one kind of shot particles with single particle size is used is referred to as "single peening", and the process of shot peening in which two kinds of shot particles different in particle size is referred to as "double peening".
Referring to the aspect of mechanical strength improvement, it is already known that improvement in mechanical strength is obtained in the case where single peening is effected. It is also known from the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580 that shot peening results in a decrease in the hysteresis of a torque sensor. Again, it is already known from the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,022 that where double peening is effected, greater improvement in mechanical strength can be obtained as compared with the case of single peening being effected. It may possibly be inferred from a combination of teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,022 that double peening would bring about greater improvement in hystersis characteristic than single peening, but nothing can be inferred for the aspect of sensor sensitivity and nonlinearity improvement.
Referring to the aspect of magnetic characteristic improvement, it is already known that where single peening is applied, the hysteresis of torque sensors is reduced and sensor sensitivity is improved. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,022, however, no teaching is given with regard to improvement in magnetic characteristic by double peening. It has for the first time been disclosed by the present invention that double peening can bring about further improvement in magnetic characteristic and can amazingly improve sensor characteristics. Nonlinearity in particular cannot be improved unless improvement in magnetic characteristic is achieved.
The effect of shot peening for magnetic characteristic improvement will be explained in detail hereinbelow.
The effect of improved magnetization for hysteresis reduction is first described in detail, although it has already been briefly referred to. When shot peening is applied, an annular compressive residual stress will develop around shot depressions. This annular region of compressive residual stress acts as a magnetic domain, and the process of its magnetization is such that a rotating magnetization process is predominant wherein magnetic rotation occurs in the direction of an acting stress when the stress is applied. Generally, the process of domain wall displacement is non-reversible and is likely to cause magnetic hysteresis, whereas the process of rotating magnetization is reversible and is unlikely to cause magnetic hysteresis. As a result of shot peening, the magnetizing process in which a non-reversible process of domain wall displacement has been predominant changes into a reversible process of rotating magnetization, and this leads to improvement in the hysteresis characteristic.
Nextly, the effect of sensitivity improvement through improvement of the magnetizing process will be explained. The entire process of magnetization (M) consists of the magnetizing process of domain wall displacement (MW) and the magnetizing process of rotating magnetization (MR). The magnetizing process of domain wall displacement (MW) is divided into a 90° domain wall displacement process (MW 90) and a 180° domain wall displacement process (MW 180). This may be expressed by the following equations:
M=MW+MR
M=MW90+MR180+MR
The magnitude of the entire magnetizing process (M) is proportional to the permeability or a voltage detected when no torque is applied. It is the 90° domain wall displacement process (MW 90) and rotating magnetization process (MR) that relates to magnetostriction characteristics which influence the sensitivity characteristic. In the present invention, a greater part of the magnetizing process of domain wall displacement (MW 90, MW 180) changes into the rotating magnetization process (MR) because of the annular compressive residual stress due to shot peening and, therefore, the proportion of the magnetizing process which influences the sensitivity characteristic is increased, so that sensitivity improvement can be obtained.
Further, according to the invention, improvement in nonlinearity is obtained through the improvement in the magnetizing process, which will be explained on the basis of the following description of the embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a distribution of residual stress in the interior of a torque sensor shaft according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing frequency characteristics versus hysteresis and nonlinearity for a torque sensor using a torque sensor shaft representing an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a view showing a knurled portion of a torque sensor of knurled type;
FIGS. 4 to 9 are sectional views showing modified forms of the knurled portion; and
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between shot peening coverage and sensor hysteresis.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a distribution of compressive residual stress in the interior of a shaft when the surface of the material (structural steel SNCM 815, specified in JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard)) of the shaft is subjected to shot peening first with shot particles of large diameter (0.6 mm) and then with shot particles of small diameter (44 μm). The vertical axis represents the magnitude of the compressive residual stress and the horizontal axis represents the depth measured from the shaft surface. In the diagram, the dash-dot line indicates a compressive residual distribution obtained by effecting shot peening with shot particles of large diameter (0.6 mm) alone and the broken line indicates a compressive residual stress distribution obtained by effecting shot peening with shot particles of small diameter (44 μm) alone. The solid line indicates a stress distribution obtained by effecting shot peening first with shot particles of large diameter (0.6 mm) and then with shot particles of small diameter (44 μm).
As previously described, in the case where shot peening is effected with shot particles of large diameter (0.6 mm) alone, an area where the compressive residual stress is at a maximum and approximately constant appears in a deep region from the shaft surface in a wide range (from 0.05 mm to about 0.15 mm) as seen in the direction of the depth. In the case where shot peening is effected with shot particles of small diameter (44 μnm), an area where the compressive residual stress is at a maximum and approximately constant appears in a shallow region from the shaft surface in a narrow range (from about 0 to 0.05 mm).
In the case where shot peening is effected first with shot particles of large diameter (0.6 mm) and then with shot particles of small diameter (44 μm), the range in which the compressive residual stress is at a maximum and approximately constant is wide (from about 0 to 0.15 mm in the direction of depth), extending close to the shaft surface. Therefore, as compared with the case of using shot particles of one fixed diameter alone, it becomes possible to use a wide range of excitation conditions to enlarge the range of use of torque sensors.
FIG. 2 shows an example of frequency characteristic versus hysteresis and nonlinearity for a torque sensor shaft produced by the method of the present invention. The shaft material used was SNCM 815 steel specified in JIS. The shaft was subjected to shot peening first with steel particles of 0.6 mm in diameter at a shot pressure of 7 kgf/cm 2 and a coverage of not less than 70% and then with steel particles of 44 μm in diameter at a shot pressure of 5 kgf/cm 2 and a coverage of not less than 70%. The sensor characteristic was measured by constant voltage drive with an effective excitation current of 35.5 mA while changing the frequency. In the figure, the lower group of curves show the hysteresis and nonlinearity measured. The upper group of curves are for a comparative example, showing the result obtained by a measurement under the same conditions for the same shaft material when shot peening was effected only with steel particles of 0.6 mm in diameter at a shot pressure of 7 kgf/cm.sup. 2 and a coverage of not less than 70%.
As is clear from the figure, according to the method of the present invention, as compared with the case of using only one kind of particles, not only hysteresis but also nonlinearity is improved.
As for the magnitude of the compressive residual stress in the outermost surface layer due to shot peening, in the case of shot peening with steel shots of 0.6 mm in diameter, as shown in FIG. 1, a compressive residual stress of about 50 kgf/mm 2 appears both axially and circumferentially, while application of shot peening first with shots of 0.6 mm in diameter and then with shots of 44 μm in diameter results in a compressive residual stress of about 70 kgf/mm 2 appearing both axially and circumferentially, achieving improvements in hysteresis, nonlinearity and sensitivity.
Experiments of shot peening were conducted by changing shot peening conditions. As a result, it was found that if the compressive residual stress in the outermost surface layer was not less than about 20 kgf/mm 2 and a region where the compressive residual stress was not less than about 20 kgf/mm 2 , extends from the outermost surface layer to an area not less than 0.1 mm deep, this was very effective for improving hysteresis, nonlinearity and sensitivity.
What should be noted here is that while U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,580 discloses that shot peening is useful for greatly decreasing hysteresis and increasing sensitivity, the present invention has proved that shot peening is also useful for improving nonlinearity. In other words, special mention should be made of the fact that shot peening greatly improves all of the fundamental performance characteristics required of a sensor, i.e., hysteresis, nonlinearity and sensitivity; thus, the utility value of shot peening is very high.
Further, as is clear from FIG. 2, according to the present invention, as compared with the case of effecting shot peening with steel particles of 0.6 mm in diameter alone, both hysteresis and nonlinearlity are improved over the entire range of excitation frequency used in measurement. The reason is that shot peening first with steel particles of 0.6 mm in diameter and then with steel particles of 44 μm in diameter ensures that the residual stress distribution in the vicinity of the outermost surface layer where a maximum stress occurs when stress is measured by a torque sensor is a uniform distribution in which when excitation is effected using a wide excitation frequency range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz, the residual stress is at a maximum and uniform over the entire skin depth range through which the magnetic flux passes.
The reason why nonlinearity is improved as described above is that the magnetic anisotropy of grooves is heightened by shot peening.
According to a recent study of the present inventors, application of shot peening to the grooved portions which are magnetically anisotropic portions results in generation of residual stress in the magnetically anisotropic portions. As may be understood from the knurling configuration shown in FIG. 3, in the case where the dimension in the direction of the grooves is longer than that in a direction orthogonal thereto (i.e., in the direction of the width), in other words, in the case where elongate grooves are formed, compressive residual stress due to shot peening may be expressed by the following relation: (compressive residual stress in the direction of the grooves)<(compressive residual stress in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the grooves) (see Symposium Material entitled "Residual Stresses and Shot Peening", Jan. 28, 1990, p. 19, Isuke Iida, Professor at Meiji University). Thus, the direction becomes the easy direction of magnetization. Primarily, the grooves which are of an elongate configuration have a geometrical magnetic anisotropy with an easy-to-magnetize axis. Yet, a further magnetic anisotropy due to residual stress is provided by shot peening, and this results in improved nonlinearity and further hysteresis reduction.
Further, according to the present invention, since shot peening is effected first with shot particles of large diameter and then with shot particles of small diameter, microcracks often produced by shot particles of large diameter are mended by shot particles of small diameter. As a result, the surface quality of the torque sensor shaft is improved and the strength of the shaft is increased; this fact also contributes to improvement in hysteresis and nonlinearity characteristics.
Nextly, the relationship between shot-particle size and groove bottom radius will be explained. In the knurled groove portion shown in FIG. 3, the groove bottom is subject to large stress concentration and, therefore, should preferably have a radius of not less than 0.2 mm. Further, in order to provide improved mechanical strength and improved magnetic characteristic through shot peening, it is necessary that shot particles should uniformly impinge upon the entirety of the knurled portion, and the coverage should preferably be not less than 98%. Generally, in the art of shot peening, a 98%, coverage is called "full coverage".
The knurled portion shown in FIG. 3 has a groove pitch P of 2 mm, a groove length L of 15 mm, a groove bottom radius R of 0.4 mm, and a groove height D of 1 mm. The knurled portion was subjected to shot peening with two kinds of shot particles different in particle diameter. First shot particles had a nominal particle diameter of 0.6 mm (SAE S170) (JIS S-S160), a median particle diameter of 0.6 mm, and a hardness of Hv=700. Second shot particles had a nominal particle diameter of 44 μm, a median distribution of 44 μm, a distribution of not more than 90 μm, and a hardness of Hv=700. Shot peening conditions were: arc height after first shot, 0.30 mmA; arc height after second shot, 0.33 mmA; coverage after first shot, 200%; and coverage after second shot, 600%.
In this way, in order to achieve good shot peening effect, it is important that the nominal particle diameter for second and subsequent, if any, shots in particular be smaller than two times the radius R of the rounded groove bottom. In other words, it is essential that the following relation should hold:
φs(mm)<2R(mm)
This relation should hold constant even when the sectional configuration of grooves of the knurled portion varies in different ways as shown in FIGS. 4 to 9. This relation may hold true with respect to particle diameters of not only second and subsequent shots but also of first shot.
FIG. 10 shows the results of a study on the relationship between coverage and hysteresis. Improvement in sensor characteristics can be obtained when the coverage is 70% and above, but preferably the coverage should be 98% and above.
Nextly, mention is made of heat treatments. In order to obtain improved fatigue strength of sensor shafts, it is effective to subject the sensor shaft first to heat treatments in general practice, such as hardening by carburization, induction hardening, carbontriding, and nitride heat treatment, and subsequently to subject it to shot peening first with shots of large diameter particles and then with shots of small diameter particles.
Finally, the relationship between the hardness of a shaft material heat treated but prior to shot peening and the hardness of shot particles will be explained. In order that shot peening may result in satisfactory compression hardening and good improvement in magnetic characteristics of the surface layer of the magnetically anisotropic section of the sensor shaft, it is desirable that the hardness Hvs of shot particles be greater than the surface hardness Hvk of the magnetically anisotropic section. In other words, it is desirable that the following relation should hold:
Hvs>Hvk
The foregoing example refers to the case of using two groups of shot particles having large and small diameters respectively. However, three or more groups of shot particles differing in diameter may be used so long as a plurality of shot peening operations are effected using shot particles with successively decreasing diameters. If, however, the order is reversed to use shot particles of small diameter first and then shot particles of larger diameter, the effects brought about by shot particles of small diameter are killed by shot particles of larger diameter, so that the intended frequency characteristics cannot be attained. Similarly, if a mixture of shot particles of large and small diameters is used for a single shot peening operation, neither hysteresis nor nonlinearity is improved.
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The invention relates to a method of producing magnetostriction type torque sensor shafts adapted to detect a change in permeability when a torque is applied. A plurality of shot peening operations are applied to the surface of a torque sensor shaft in such a manner that the diameter of shot particles to be used is decreased each time. This arrangement ensures that the region in which the residual stress is at a maximum and approximately constant lies over a wide range as seen in the direction of the depth from the outermost surface of the shaft and extends from a deep area to an area close to the surface of the shaft. As a result, the hysteresis and nonlinearity of the shaft are improved and it becomes possible to use a wide range of excitation frequencies.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to large bearings with rolling elements and, more particularly, to bearing retainers for rolling element bearings operated at very low rotational speeds.
A bearing retainer in a rolling element bearing serves to separate and align the rolling elements and may also restrict radial movement of the rolling elements. If the bearing retainer restricts the rolling elements in both radial directions, the bearing retainer is also known as a bearing "cage." In large bearings with rolling elements, i.e., bearings having a diameter greater than 0.5 meters, the bearing retainer is made very rugged for reliable service and to sustain loads during lifting that is required for installation and removal of the bearing retainer and rolling elements.
Surface damage commonly occurs in large bearings with spherical, tapered and cylindrical rolling elements that are operated at very low rotational speeds. Due to lack of sufficient centrifugal loading to maintain spin velocity of rolling elements, rolling elements slide or skid against the outer raceway of the bearing during part of their orbit of the bearing. Specifically, centrifugal loading is not adequate to assist in the separation of the surfaces with hydrodynamic or elastrohydrodynamic films. Such surface damage may act as points of initiation of fatigue cracks and may severely limit the service life of bearing components.
Another problem occurs because these large bearings are typically mounted with loose or transition fits when installed in large equipment. In addition, radial internal clearance within the bearings is often desired in such applications to provide ease of installation of bearing elements and to accommodate expected thermal differentials. As a result of these clearances, the rolling elements of the bearings are loaded for only a portion of their orbit of the bearing. Frictional forces within the bearing and lack of traction of the rolling elements due to normal load at the raceway contact cause the rolling elements to lose spin velocity, resulting in surface damage when raceway contact is reestablished.
Previous proposals to reduce such surface damage have focused primarily on improved lubrication. For example, various coatings for the retaining pins have been proposed to reduce drag between the retaining pins and the rolling elements. Other proposals have attempted to improve lubricant entry to the rolling elements, have suggested special treatment of bearing raceways and rolling elements to reduce wear, or have considered use of small clearances and traction fluids. However, none of these proposals has been successful in solving the underlying problem.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present bearing retainers for large bearings with rolling elements. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the invention, this is accomplished by providing a spring loaded bearing retainer subassembly for use between inner and outer bearing races of a rolling element bearing. The subassembly comprises rolling elements, a bearing retainer, and biasing means within the bearing retainer for biasing the rolling elements toward one of the inner and outer bearing races to extend a zone of contact between the rolling elements and said one bearing race.
The foregoing and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered with the accompanying drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a partial cross sectional view of a rolling element bearing illustrating one embodiment of spring loaded bearing retainer of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the spring loaded bearing retainer and rolling element bearing of FIG. 1, taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of a rolling element bearing illustrating a second embodiment of spring loaded bearing retainer of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the spring loaded bearing retainer and rolling elements of FIG. 3, taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view of a rolling element bearing illustrating a third embodiment of spring loaded bearing retainer of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the spring loaded bearing retainer and rolling elements of FIG. 5, taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a partial cross sectional view of a rolling element bearing illustrating a fourth embodiment of spring loaded bearing retainer of the present invention; and
FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the spring loaded bearing retainer and rolling elements of FIG. 7, taken along the line 8--8 of FIG. 7.
In this specification, identical elements in different embodiments are given identical reference characters.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The bearing retainer of the present invention utilizes a precision spacer that is spring loaded to generate a nominal radial force against a rolling element, so that a tractive effort turns the rolling element outside the usual zone of contact, or "load zone" area, of the bearing.
Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a rolling element bearing 10 having an outer race (cup) 12 with outer raceway 14, an inner race (cone) 16 with inner raceway 18, and rolling elements 20 within an annulus between inner and outer raceways 14 and 18. Although rolling elements 20 are of tapered roller configuration as illustrated in FIG. 1, rolling elements 20 could alternatively be spherical or cylindrical. Rolling element bearing 10 also includes a bearing retainer 22.
Bearing retainer 22 includes a first cage ring 24, second cage ring 26, and retaining pins 28 joining first and second cage rings 24 and 26 at regular intervals along their circumference. Rolling elements 20 have a bore 30 along their axes within which retaining pins 28 are received to align, guide and retain rolling elements 20. Ends of retaining pins 28 are mounted within first and second cage rings 24 and 26 by press-fit, welding, staking or other means. First and second cage rings 24 and 26 are substantially flat (or cone shaped) within a plane normal to the axes of rolling elements 20 and may also be angled at surfaces 32, for example, to provide desired clearances.
Unlike typical pin-type bearing retainers, bearing retainer 22 includes first and second spacers 34 and 36 providing an axial space between rolling elements 20 and first and second cage rings 24 and 26, respectively. First and second spacers 34 and 36 are biased radially outwardly by compression springs 38 and 40 to apply a radial load to rolling elements 20 at rolling element counterbore surfaces 42 and 44. Appropriate known manufacturing methods and materials are selected to minimize frictional drag at counterbore surfaces 42 and 44. Compression springs 38 and 40 are selected with spring rates to allow tractive effort to spin rolling elements 20.
Radially outward "sides" of ends of retaining pins 28 ar flat to serve as seats for compression springs 38 and 40 and to prevent rotation of compression springs 38 and 40 and spacers 34 and 36 with respect to retaining pins 28. Clearances are provided between rolling elements 20 and retaining pins 28, and between rolling elements 20 and spacers 34 and 36, to permit radially outward movement of rolling elements 20 to contact outer raceway 14. Compression springs 38 and 40 are confined by first and second cage rings 24 and 26 and by first and second spacers 34 and 36, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively.
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention within a rolling element bearing 46. Cylindrical rolling elements 48 are positioned by a multi-piece bearing retainer 50 between outer and inner raceways 52 and 54 of outer and inner races 56 and 58, respectively. Alternatively, rolling elements 48 may be spherical or tapered. Bearing retainer 50 comprises cage ring 60 and end plate 62 which are joined by rivets or retaining bolts 64, by welding, or by other appropriate means. Spacers 66 are housed by cage ring 60 and end plate 62 and are biased radially outwardly by compression springs 68.
As shown in FIG. 4, spacers 66 are substantially square and are received within elongated openings 70 within cage ring 60 to permit radially outward movement of spacers 66. "Free floating" retaining pins 72 are received within rolling element bores 74 such that clearance allows radially outward movement thereof. Flat areas 76 along "sides" and near ends of retaining pins 72 are mounted within spacers 66 by press-fit, staking or other means. Flat areas 76 also provide a keying action between retaining pins 72 and spacers 66 to prevent rotation of retaining pins 72 with rolling elements 48.
Compression springs 68 are confined by cage ring 60 and end spacers 62 in one direction, and by elongated openings 70 within cage ring 60 in the other direction, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. Additional means for installation, constraint and alignment of compression springs 68 may be provided, such as, for example, recesses within cage ring 60 or spacers 66, projections or flanges on cage ring 60 or spacers 66, or aligning pins located within compression springs 68. As with the first embodiment, manufacturing methods and materials and spring rates are selected to minimize frictional drag and allow tractive effort to spin rolling elements 48.
Clearances are sufficient to permit retaining pins 72 to move rolling elements 48 radially outwardly in response to outward biasing of spacers 66 by compression springs 68. FIG. 3 shows only one side of rolling element bearing 46 and bearing retainer 50 since the bearing and retainer are symmetrical, each side being a mirror image of the other. End plate 62 may be formed of two pieces, a substantially flat radially inward portion and a separate end cap providing flange portion 78 to key and interlock cage ring 60. Lift holes 80 may be provided within end plate 62 to facilitate lifting bearing retainer 50 when loaded with rolling elements 48.
For some applications where very high loads are supported by the rolling element bearing at very low rotational speeds, rolling mills and continuous casters, for example, apertured rolling elements as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 may not be considered desirable. In such applications, a variation of the above embodiments may be employed, for example, as illustrated within rolling element bearing 82 of FIGS. 5 and 6.
In this third embodiment, rolling elements 84 are positioned by a multi-piece bearing retainer 86 between outer and inner raceways 88 and 90, respectively. Rolling elements 84 have trunnion ends 92 and no bores, in contrast to rolling elements 20 and 48 of the first and second embodiments. Bearing retainer 86 comprises cage ring 94 and end plate 96 which are joined by crossbars 98. "Spacers" 100 are housed and guided by cage ring 94 and end plate 96 in a manner similar to that of the second embodiment. Spacers 100 are substantially square and are received in elongated openings 102 of cage ring 94 to permit their radially outward movement.
Similar to the first embodiment, spacers 100 of the third embodiment are biased radially outwardly by compression springs 104 against rotating trunnion ends 92, rather than against non-rotating retaining pins. Again, manufacturing methods and materials and spring rates are selected to minimize frictional drag and allow tractive effort to spin rolling elements 84 by contact with outer raceways 88. Compression springs 104 are confined between cage ring 94 and end plate 96 by elongated openings 102 and may be confined by additional installation, constraint and alignment means as described above with respect to the second embodiment.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a variation of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 which employs finger springs rather than helical coil compression springs for ease of assembly. Rolling element bearing 106 has rolling elements 108 aligned and retained by bearing retainer 110 between outer and inner raceways 112 and 114, respectively Bearing retainer 110 comprises cage rings 116 joined by retaining pins 118, by press-fit, welding, or other convenient means. Retaining pins 118 have flat keyway areas 120 on radially outward "sides" of their end portions for keyed engagement with cage rings 116 and spring assemblies 122.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, spring assemblies 122 have spring fingers 124 projecting from a spring hub 126 having an axis 128 offset radially inwardly (with respect to rolling element bearing 106) from axis 130 of retaining pins 118. Spring fingers 124 have a locus 132 in the unrestrained state which is offset with respect to the axis of rolling elements 108. Spring fingers 124 are confined within counterbore surfaces 134 of rolling elements 108 to bias rolling elements 108 radially outwardly into contact with outer raceway 112. Because of the keyed engagement with retaining pins 118, spring assemblies 122 do not precess as they orbit rolling element bearing 106 and maintain a radially outwardly directed bias.
Each of the above embodiments illustrates a radially outward biasing of rolling elements to extend a zone of contact between the rolling elements and an outer raceway. However, the present invention can also be used to provide radially inward biasing of the rolling elements for particular applications. For example, at very low rotational speed with massive rolling members, the present spring loaded retainer can assist gravitational force to extend a zone of contact with an inner (not outer) raceway. In such applications, centrifugal force on the rolling elements, forcing them radially outwardly, may be less significant and more easily overcome than the gravitational force.
Although the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, 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, as defined by the claims appended hereto. For example, other types of springs and other biasing means may be employed.
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A bearing retainer subassembly for use between inner and outer bearing races of a rolling element bearing comprises rolling elements, a bearing retainer, and biasing elements within the bearing retainer for biasing the rolling elements toward one of the inner and outer bearing races to extend a zone of contact between the rolling elements and said one bearing race. The biasing elements may be compression springs, finger springs or similar devices and spacers for applying force on the rolling elements or on aligning pins penetrating the rolling elements to move the rolling elements.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to apparatus for receiving fabric produced by a circular knitting machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned with an improved apparatus for receiving and storing fabric from a circular knitting machine having a rotary unit which includes a cage structure for centering a movable fabric receiving container under the rotary unit. The cage structure is provided to connect the container with the rotary unit so that it rotates coaxially with the rotary unit. With the present invention, it is possible to quickly assemble the fabric receiving container under the rotary unit so that it is centered and aligned therewith.
According to the invention, there is provided apparatus for receiving fabric from a circular knitting machine having a rotary unit, said apparatus comprising carriage means movable along the ground, container means for the fabric, said container means being movable by the carriage means, means for engaging the carriage means beneath the rotary unit of the machine such that the carriage means rotates with the rotary unit, and means for centering the carriage means in its engaged position beneath the rotary unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a circular knitting machine incorporating a first embodiment of fabric-receiving apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a section, to an enlarged scale, of the upper portion of the knitting machine;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, to an enlarged scale, showing lifting and locking means of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a section, taken on line IV--IV of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 shows a detail of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section of a second embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a horizontal section of the apparatus shown in FIG. 6; and
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the apparatus of FIG. 6 during loading of a fabric-receiving container.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
There is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a circular knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder 1 which is rigid with a ring 3 which is supported via ball bearings or any other suitable means, from a stationary structure 7. A jacket or shell 9 surrounding the needle cylinder 1 and serving to control the needles of the cylinder through appropriate cams is also supported by the structure 7. Around the upper zone of the needle cylinder, which is the working zone of the needles, there is provided a structure 10 which cooperates with members to be operated in combination with the needles. Above the needle cylinder 1 there are provided yarn feed devices 14 of a known type. The ring 3 is rigid with a toothed rim 3A which is rotated by a gear 16 having a drive shaft which is driven by a pulley 18 actuated by a drive belt. Associated with the toothed rim 3A are braking means, for example one or more electromagnetic brakes 20, which act on gears 22 engaged with the toothed rim 3A to obtain a braking action against the relatively high inertia of the rotating unit formed by the needle cylinder 1 and the parts rotating with the needle cylinder 1, for the hereinafter stated reasons. Apart from the presence of the braking means, the hitherto described arrangement is known per se.
An assembly of supporting arms 24 extending from a lower supporting ring 26 which serves to support a container for a tubular fabric M which is knitted on the machine is connected with the rotating unit 1, 3, 3A. On the ring 26 there are located two diametrically opposed boxes 28 which support a pair of rollers 30 arranged side-by-side to stretch and tension the tubular fabric M knitted on the machine. At least one of the boxes 28 contains a speed reducer actuated by a friction wheel or by a gear 32 engaging, respectively a rolling track or a stationary ring 34 borne by a frame 36, from which the structure 7 is carried during rotation of the needle cylinder 1, the gear 32 rolls along the ring 34 and thus drives the rollers 30 to stretch and tension the fabric M.
As stated above, the inner ring 26 serves to support a container for the fabric being formed. For this purpose the ring 26 has pairs of struts 38, to which a corresponding number of pneumatic cylinders 40 are linked to form pneumatic lifting units. The piston rod 40A (FIGS. 3 and 4) of each cylinder 40 has a seat for a removable pin 42 for the hereinafter indicated purposes.
In the ring 26 there are formed substantially frusto-conical and downwardly open seats 44, in correspondence of which above the ring 26 there are provided members 46 which are axially and vertically bored. In each member 46, around the bore therein, there is formed an upper seat 48 for a plurality of elastic split-pinned locked washers 50 (FIG. 5) which are arranged in the seat 48 to cooperate with the outer wall of the seat 48. A cover member 52 is arranged above each of the members 46 and has an inner annular edge which engages the split-pinned washers 50. Springs 54, arranged around studs 56 engaging each member 46, act on the cover member 52 to deform the split-pinned washers 50 in a sense to flatten the washers 50 and reduce their inner diameter. This arrangement forms a locking system for a pin 58 which is inserted in the bore of the member 46. This locking system can be released by raising the cover member 52. This may be obtained by means of a forked lever 60 which is linked at 62 to the member 46 and which acts through rollers 64 to raise the cover member 52 against the action of the springs 54. Each of the levers 60 is operable by a respective pneumatic jack 66 which is carried by the ring 26, or by suitable electrically-operated means. The corresponding jacks 66 are simultaneously operated in the hereinafter indicated manner for releasing the locking means while locking of the pin 58 takes place by the action of the springs 54. Also the cylinders 40 are simultaneously operated for the hereinafter indicated purposes.
A large capacity cylindrical container 68 is hooked under the ring 26 to receive the fabric formed during a relatively long period of time of the operation of the machine. The container 68 is mounted on a carriage or trolley 70. The carriage 70 comprises a platform 72 (on which the container 68 rests or which forms a part of the container), rollers 74, at least some of which are in the form of castors, and columns 76 arranged around the container 68 and preferably provided with bands 78 which surround and center the container. The container may also be made and combined with the carriage 70 in such a manner to allow the possible removal of the container from the carriage, if this is required. Each of the columns 76 has, at its upper end, a tapered and preferably frusto-conical spigot 80 which cooperates with a respective one of the seats 44 and from which a corresponding pin 58 extends upwardly.
The carriage 70 with the container 68 may be moved on the floor, with respect to which the knitting machine is fixedly positioned at a preset position; the height of the annular ring 26 from the floor is such that the carriage, including the pins 58, may move under the ring 26. Appropriate means are provided to center the carriage 70 and its columns 76, in such a manner to axially align the spigots 80 and the pins 58 with the seats 44. Lugs 82 are provided on the carriage 70 (and preferably on the columns 76 thereof) to receive the pins 42 of the cylinders 40 when the cylinders are in their extended state, whereby to connect the lower ends of the piston rods 40A with the lugs 82. Once this connection is effected with the machine at a stand-still, the cylinders 40 and the jacks 66 can be actuated to lift the carriage 70 and the container 68 until the pins 58 and the spigots 80 penetrate the seats 44; the actuation of the jacks 66 to lift the cover members 52 facilitates the insertion of the pins 58 into the washers 50, although actuation of the jacks 66 is not essential. After lifting of the carriage and the container, the springs 54 which act on the washers 50 in the flattening direction ensure locking of the pins 58 in the assembly 26, 46 and thus prevent the release of the carriage and of the container from the rotary unit formed by the needle cylinder and the parts rotating therewith. At this stage, supply of compressed air to the cylinders 40 can be terminated.
The feed of the compressed air and possibly also of the electric power to the components mounted on the rotary unit is provided by means of a loose conduit which extends from a stationary supply socket. The outer end of the conduit is plugged into an appropriate socket arranged on the ring 26 or in another suitable position on the rotary unit. At the end of knitting when the fabric is stored in the container 68 and with the knitting machine stopped it is possible to feed compressed air to the jacks 66 for releasing of the carriage 70 and the container 68 from the ring 26, and to feed the cylinders 40 to lower the carriage and the loaded container to the floor for removal and replacement. The arrangement of the conduit, its plug, and the sockets is such that the machine cannot be started until the plug at the end of the conduit has been removed from the socket on the rotary unit and inserted into the stationary supply socket; thus, the possibility of damage to the conduit is reduced.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 the rotary unit comprises three vertical rods 92, which are fixed at their lower ends to a rotary table or platform 94 arranged at the level of the floor P below the machine; the table 94 is rotatably mounted by means of a pin 96 on a support 98 embedded within the floor. The table 94 has a pair of rails 100 which serve to guide the wheels 102 of a container 104 and can be used to center the container 104 in one direction. In the FIGS. 6-8 embodiment, four boxes are connected with lower supporting ring 26. While only two boxes are shown, four are necessary. Each of the rods 92 are linked with a box 28, although a separate linkage (not shown) directly to the ring 26 can be provided. The orientation of the rails 100 is such as to allow the insertion of the container 104 according to the arrow f10 within the cage structure formed by the three rods 92; a fourth rod 106 is linked at 108 to the box 28, so that it can be raised (as shown in FIG. 8) to allow the insertion of the container 104; the rod 106 may be retained in the raised position by means of a retaining collet 110, and can be lowered in the direction of the arrow f12 to a substantially vertical position and fixed to the table 94 to complete the cage which retains the container 104 in position. The rods 92, 106 are equally spaced around the table 94. Suitable pads 112 may be provided to center the container 104. The vertical rods 92 and cooperative pads 112 assure coaxial rotation of the container 104 relative to the driving rotary unit. A carriage is provided which includes plate 102C which carries wheels 103 and may be connected with the base of container 104 or be formed integral therewith.
In this arrangement, the container may be moved along the floor P and onto the table 94, so as to be introduced into the cage formed thereby and by the rods 92, 106. Once the rod 106 is locked in its vertical position, the container forms a part of the rotary unit of the machine to receive the fabric being knitted. The container together with the fabric stored therein may be rolled out of the cage after opening the cage by lifting the rod 106.
With the apparatus described, it is possible to store a relatively large amount of knitted fabric thus reducing the frequency of the interruptions in the operation of the machine, to replace the container. Further, the apparatus permits the production of very long pieces of fabric with few junctions in the fabric. This results in a high saving of material and labor. The saving derives from: the smaller number of stops in the operation of the machine; the shorter duration of each stop; the smaller number of junctions to be made; the smaller overall reject due to the smaller number of junctions; and higher operational manoeuvrability.
On the other hand, the container even if very heavy can be readily attached to, and detached from, the rotary unit thus reducing the idle time. Also with a large quantity of fabric which has been stored in the container, the rotary unit can be stopped relatively quickly by using the brake means 20 or other suitable brakes.
In a modified form of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the table 94 may be raised and reached by an inclined ramp along which the wheels 102 of the container 104 can move.
The apparatus particularly described is particularly suitable for use with imitation fur or other bulky fabrics.
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Apparatus for receiving and storing fabric knitted on a circular knitting machine comprises a carriage movable along the ground and which carries a fabric-receiving container. The carriage is engaged beneath the needle cylinder and other rotary parts of the machine to rotate therewith so that the container receives the fabric during knitting.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable, hand-held shock producing devices which can be used as prods for livestock or for controlling crowds and the like.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Electric shock prods are generally hand-held devices that are thrust axially and sometimes laterally against the subject, usually human or animal, to apply an electric shock. Every prod contains a housing which provides a handle or other holding fixture and contains the electrical components of the device. Every prod also provides some prescribed separation or extension between the operator and the point of electrode-to-subject contact. Prior prod designs can be placed in one of the following categories:
(1) The configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 which comprises a component housing and the prod extension combined in one structure such as tube 2. Insulator 5 covers the end of the tube from which electrodes 6 and 7 extend. For component preservation, the tube 2 must be rigid and not subject to significant deformation or deflection. Furthermore, the cross-section of tube 2 must be large enough to house the components which include batteries. Tube 2 usually has an internal diameter on the order of 3/4 inch to one inch and a thickness usually on the order of 1/32 inch. A typical prod with a one inch I.D. and 0.035 inch thick wall can be shown by basic strength formulas to have a bending moment of well over 200 foot-pounds. Such a prod is very hazardous to the operator if the prod were to become wedged between, for example, a fence post and a large moving animal. The 200 foot-pound strength is sufficient to throw a man or cause him to lose control and drop the prod. Additionally, the extended center of gravity, shown at 3, of such a prod assembly makes the prod extremely unwieldy. With a typical 12 inches between the handle 1 and the center of gravity 3, the torque exerted through the operator's hand is unacceptable. Examples of patents which disclose prods similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,998,459 to Henderson; 3,917,268 to Tingey; 2,441,819 to Haffner; and 2,204,041 to Jefferson.
(2) The most practical and popular prod designs available today are represented by the prod shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in which the handle 11 is integral with the electrical component housing 10. A separate prod extension pole 14 is connected to the housing 10. Consequently, the design of the prod extension pole 14 is not compromised by the component-housing requirements. The prod extension pole 14 is usually a round fiberglass pole approximately 3/8 inch in diameter containing two conductors 18, 19 connected to the electrodes 16, 17 which are secured by a plastic fixture 15. A simplified collet-chuck arrangement 13 secures the cantilevered extension pole 14 to the main housing. A comfortable balance can be achieved with the center of gravity 12 usually located close to the handle grip area. Replaceable extensions of various lengths are generally available. This type of prod design can be seen in U.S. Design Pat. No. 175,158.
Some designs electrify the periphery of the rigid portion of the electrode mounting by use of appropriately spaced conductors. As seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,981,465 to Bartel, such electrode extensions are helically wound around the rigid electrode head. The prod otherwise is similar to that shown in FIG. 2. Another example of exposed peripheral electrodes can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,108 to Jordan. In Jordan, conductors are located about the periphery of a rigid cylindrical pole or stick which is similar in construction to the tubular body of FIG. 1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,554 to Fagan et al shows another example of external electrodes used on an electric shock prod. In Fagan et al, the conductors are located axially along the periphery of an insulating rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,561,122 to Juergens shows a highly resilient coupling used between the prod pole extension and the housing/handle. The coupling is analagous to the well-known coil-spring vehicular antenna mounts. Such a spring coupling is functional for simple lateral loads applied near the free end of the pole. However, bending moments or lateral loads near the resilient mounting could result in severe lateral deflection of the mounting, which deflection is restrained ultimately only by the strength of the mounting or the pole. In other words, the resilient coupling would not stop the pole or other prod parts from breaking in the presence of loads or torques which tend to cause extreme lateral excursions of the couplings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,390 to Levine shows a prod assembly with an extendable electrode. Several mechanisms are used for extending the electrode including a pneumatically-actuated rolled tube which is similar to a "blow-out" party favor and a self-unwinding preformed spring web or strip in which the unwinding portion forms a thin-walled cylindrical type tube. The inherent weakness of such extendable beam designs is limited lateral rigidity. Lateral impacts easily cause local buckling deformation or rupture of the thin-walled extendable shells. This characteristic lack of flexural rigidity results in the inability to survive slashing or whipping strokes which are unavoidable in any hostile environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,362 shows an electric slapper prod. The electrode extension is in the form of a flat belt-like or razor-strap-like assembly of pliable material such as fabric or leather with embedded flexible wires running lengthwise to two laterally, not axially, projecting screws which serve as electrode tips. This invention is characterized by its construction from high plasticity materials with a consequent lack of lateral and axial flexural rigidity. Accordingly, the device is used strictly for slapping. Useful extension of the slapper occurs only as a result of the tensile load imposed by centrifugal or inertial forces caused by the rotating or swinging action of the operator's hand.
Various major problems are inherent in known prod assemblies. For instance, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, fiberglass prod extensions 14 tend to snap frequently. This is due to the fact, as shown by basic structural deflection formulas, that the minimum bending radius which can be attained before fracture for a 3/8-inch diameter polyester fiberglass pole is approximately 17 inches. Thus, it is obvious that a prod extension would necessarily snap when caught in a tight squeeze between, for example, an animal and a loading chute. Also, the electrode fixture 15 and electrodes 16 and 17 are subject to extreme bending loads during routine encounters with the ground and other objects. Typical brass electrode pins 3/16 inch diameter by one inch in length are frequently bent by the impacts encountered which in turn usually fractures the plastic electrode fixture 15. Further, the torque exerted by the typical prod extension pole is on the order of 210 inch-pounds when flexed to near its limit. This torque applies up to 300 pounds of force to the small area of contact within a typical plastic chuck assembly 13. This kind of cantilever coupling is not capable of reliably withstanding the bending moments applied and thus often fractures.
Switch constructions in electric prods are also a problem. On-off switching in electric prods of the FIG. 1 configuration is often accomplished by axial pressure against the subject which depresses either the electrode assembly 5 or the tube 2 so as to close switch contacts. This type of switch construction is impractical in realistic environments of, for example, livestock processing, where debris quickly clog telescoping fittings or switches. The on-off switch in a design similar to FIG. 2 is usually located under the handle portion 11 for easy access by the index finger. With no wraparound shield, the switch and any additional items such as a charger connector are fully exposed to dirt and impact breakage, although to a lesser extent than is characteristic in designs similar to FIG. 1.
Also, on-off switches, particularly in the current fed induction coil high-voltage generators used in electric prods, are subject to high-voltage arcing and consequent contact destruction at the instant the switch is turned off, and during contact bounce periods. This is related to the voltage generated when current feeding a charging inductance is cut off. Depending upon transient conditions prevailing in an oscillating inductance-charging circuit when the switch contacts are opened, the voltage spikes appearing across the switch terminals may be of either or both polarities and, unchecked, can reach several hundred volts. Prior prod devices have done nothing to suppress this arcing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide an electric shock prod having a stiff, elastic prod extension of wide thin cross section to minimize breakage to levels which are not attainable in the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric shock prod having a prod extension with a low bending moment which, by virtue of the wide thin cross section, reduces the restraining torque that must be resisted by an operator as well as by the extension-to-housing attachment points thus reducing the probability of breakage at the attachment points.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric shock prod which eliminates the need for protruding electrode tips and thus diminishes the problem of skin or hide puncture damage. The protruding tips are eliminated by virtue of the geometrical properties of the prod itself which allow electrodes to be exposed and capable of contacting a subject without the need of using protruding electrodes.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an electric shock prod having a wide flat prod extension geometry which permits conductors to be embedded in the extension in any one of several configuratrions without sustaining strain rupture of the conductors in the presence of severe flexing of the extension.
Another object of the present invention is to provide, by virtue of the wide thin extension cross section, an extension that readily lends itself to the application of any one of a variety of electrode conductor patterns exposed along the edges and even surfaces of the prod extension so as to most efficiently apply electric shock to the intended subject.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide, by virtue of the thin wide cross section, a prod extension in which the electrode geometry is maintained over any desired length thereof, and which is, therefore, easily replaceable or repairable in the field in the event of end damage or fracture.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an electric shock prod having a housing assembly with an integrally formed handle, which housing assembly connects to the prod extension such that the prod extension acts as a protective shield or guard for the operator's hand and operative components such as the on-off switch and battery charger connector terminal of the prod.
Another object of the present invention is to provide various electronic circuit functions in an electric shock prod, including: charger connector short circuit of the internal battery pack; battery charging indicator; transient supression circuitry; electronic limiting of no load output voltage pulses; and audio/visual operating status indicators.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects of the present invention will become more readily apparent as the same is more fully set forth in the detailed description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout, and in which:
FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing one basic structural configuration of a conventional prior art prod;
FIG. 2 is an end view of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of a prior art prod;
FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along a plane passing through line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view of an electric shock prod according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of the shock prod of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the shock prod of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is an end sectional view taken through line 8--8 of FIG. 7 showing the construction of the prod extension of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a side view of a second embodiment of a prod extension according to the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the prod extension of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a side view of a third embodiment of a prod extension according to the present invention;
FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the prod extension of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of a fourth embodiment of a prod extension according to the present invention;
FIG. 14 is an elevational plan view of a fifth embodiment of a prod extension according to the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the prod extension of FIG. 14;
FIG. 16 is a bottom plan view of a sixth embodiment of a prod extension according to the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a side elevational view of a typical prod extension housing according to the present invention;
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the electric prod circuit features of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show a first embodiment of the electric shock prod of the present invention. The shock prod comprises a housing 20 which is attached to a prod extension 23 by bolts 26, 27 and 29. Simple flat-surface bolting of the prod extension 23 to the prod housing 21 affords a strong, easily-replaceable extension mounting, eliminating the need for precision highly-stressed cantilever coupling nuts and fittings which are inherently subject to much higher restraining force levels.
The prod extension 23 comprises a stiff, elastic beam of wide, thin cross-section. Excellent results have been obtained by producing the beam from epoxy glass laminate. The beam can be approximately 1/8 inch thick, 11/4 inch wide and approximately two feet long (beyond the housng point of attachment). The beam structure cross-section should either be solid or thick walled to avoid local buckling or rupture damage. The flexural rigidity must be sufficient to avoid excessive deflection during quick lateral movements as well as to exert sufficient axial compressive loads during axial movements such as thrusting impacts against the body of a subject. Increasing the flexural rigidity increases the maximum bending moment that must be resisted by the prod operator. It also increases the minimum bending radius of the prod extension. The thin-beam concept of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 5-8 provides a shorter minimum bending radius and a lower bending moment than have been achieved by prior devices.
Using the epoxy glass material discussed above, a minimum bending radius as low as three inches can be achieved in the case of a typical 1/8 inch thick prod extension. The bending torque is likewise minimal, being for a typical flat prod extension of 11/4 inch width and 1/8 inch thickness, about 82 inch-pounds or 6-8 foot pounds.
While epoxy glass material has proven to be highly effective in use, other materials can be used. The following chart lists material properties and ranges of each property which are deemed to be suitable for use in the prod extension of the present invention.
______________________________________ Typical G-10 EpoxyProperty Range Glass Material______________________________________Flexural Strength (S) 10-60 × 10.sup.3 psi 36-50 × 10.sup.3 psiFlexural Elastic .25-5 × 10.sup.6 psi 2.5 × 10.sup.6 psiModulus (E)Modulus of 100-300 psi 250 psiResilience (S.sup.2/2E) 100-300 psi 250 psiFlexural Rigidity 400-800 lb.-in..sup.2 400 in-lb..sup.2 (for(EI) (for an 18 inch an 18 inch length) length)Minimum Bending Less than 12 3 inchesRadius inches______________________________________
Due to the high width-to-thickness ratio of the beam, severe deflection occurs in a preferred plane which is parallel to the thickness dimension. Deflecting loads in other planes produce torsional deflection which allows bending to occur in the preferred plane. Consequently, all significant lateral deflection occurs in one plane, that being parallel to the thickness dimension.
Prod extension 23, shown in FIGS. 5-8, may be fabricated from two sheets of material, 24 and 25, bonded together with conductors 33 and 34 sandwiched between so as to remain in the neutral bending plane. This avoids fatigue-inducting strain on the conductor material. The prod extension can be fabricated by using a sheet of epoxy glass material such as NEMA grade G-10 for member 24 with electrode conductors 33 and 34 being in the form of a printed circuit on sheet 24. A second piece of blank G-10 material 25 is positioned on and bonded to sheet 24 so as to leave the mounting area of sheet 24 exposed. This simplified construction eliminates the need for plated-through holes for contacting bolts 26 and 27. Holes can be drilled or punched in sheet 24 to allow bolts 26 and 27 to pass through. The ends of conductors 33 and 34 are naturally exposed as shown at 31 and 30. A relief 32 can be cut between ends 31 and 30 to complete the prod extension. Since the cross-section of the extension is narrow, intimate contact with the shock subject is readily obtained without excessive pushing of the prod extension. The relief cut 32 enhances tip penetration by further reducing contact area.
This construction, maintaining electrode spacing over the length of the extension, makes it possible to restore operation of a damaged prod extension. In the event of damage, the end can simply be trimmed if necessary and resanded to the desired shape to fully restore the prod. Even snapped extensions can be restored in this manner. Of course, the length of the refurbished extension is limited by the point of fracture.
The prod extension 23 is primarily mounted to housing 20 by bolt 29 which passes through a stress distribution piece 28 and prod extension 23 into a mating threaded hole formed in housing 20 forward of handle 21. Piece 28 is merely a square or rectangular blank of material similar to that from which sheets 23 and 24 are formed. Piece 28 is cut to match the shape of the housing forward of handle 28 against which extension 23 lies. The mounting surface on housing 20 against which extension 23 lies is normally a flat surface approximately 13/4 inch long and 11/4 inch wide thus affording a high bending moment resisting mount. The handle itself is formed along a recess 37. The prod extension beam extends completely across recess 37 and thus serves to protect operative elements of the prod such as the start switch and external battery charger connector which are disposed in the recess. The deflection of extension 23 across recess 37 is not significant and thus bolts 26 and 27 are not noticeably stressed by deflection of the extension. Accordingly, the mounting structure for bolts 26 and 27 need not be excessively strong.
The prod extension 23 does not flex laterally; i.e., in the plane of the width dimension, but is restrained by the sides of the housing 20 at both sides of recess 37. Recess 37 is typically six inches in length. Bending torque applied laterally cannot appreciably deflect the extension, but instead torsionally deforms the extension until a degree of twist is achieved which allows flexure in the thickness plane. Because of the long moment arm, the reaction forces between the housing sides and prod extension are small and readily accommodated by the normal structural strength of the housing sides and the mounting bolts 26, 27 and 29.
The housing is basically rectangular in shape except for indentation 37 which provides a handle at region 21. The size of the portions on each side of handle 21 and the distribution of components within housing 20 can be adjusted to permit an optimum balance point in the center of handle 21 at 22. Furthermore, as discussed above, the portion of the prod extension spanning recess 37 naturally shields the operator's hand along with switches, connectors, indicators and the like mounted in the recess.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a second embodiment of the prod extension which can be used with housing 20. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is adapted for law enforcement use in that the electrode conductors are brought to the edges of the extension beyond the handle region at 43 and 44, respectively. The conductors terminate in ends 45 and 46 at the free end of the extension. Typical mounting holes are clearly indicated at 40, 41 and 42 through which bolts 26, 27 and 29 would pass to attach the prod extension to housing 20. The electrified edges at 43 and 44 serve to shock anyone attempting to grab the prod extension to remove the prod from the hands of the user.
FIGS. 11 and 12 show a third embodiment of the prod extension which can be attached to housing 20 by use of the appropriate mounting holes. The embodiment of FIGS. 11 and 12 includes an additional thickness of material over a portion of the extension to increase flexural rigidity. The additional thickness is achieved by bonding sheets 47 and 50 to sheets 48 and 49. Sheets 47 and 50 extend only partway beyond the handle section of the prod extension. Sheets 47 and 50 may be of the same material as sheets 48 and 49 and bonded to those sheets in any convenient manner.
FIG. 13 shows a fourth embodiment of a prod extension according to the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 13 demonstrates a low-cost method of manufacture wherein only a single thickness of material, 51, is used. Foil conductors 52 and 53 are connected to material 51 using, for example, printed circuit techniques and have a zigzag pattern designed to minimize the unit strain induced by deflection, to an acceptable value. Severe strain results from the outer surface location of the conductors. Being away from the neutral bending plane, the conductors are subject to severe stretching and compressing in accord with basic principles of bending. The steeper the slope of the zigzag pattern, the lower the unit strain. To electrify the extreme edges of the prod extension of FIG. 13, the patterns extend to the edges as shown at 55 and 56. A mechanically and electrically protective coating 54 may be applied over the surface of material 51 on which conductors 52 and 53 are contained.
Electrification of each of the exposed wide surfaces of the prod extension of any of the exemplary embodiments may be achieved as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, by passing conductive eyelet rivets, 57, terminals or the like through the flat surfaces, so that each one contacts its respective conductor. A number of pairs of such eyelets may be arranged in accord with design requirements.
FIG. 16 shows a sixth embodiment of the prod extension of the present invention. The embodiment of FIG. 16 consists of a single piece of printed circuit board material 59 such as G-10 described hereinabove with double-sided copper foil, etched away to form complimentary conducting paths 60, 61. One conducting path is formed on each side of the board with holes 66 and 67 plated through, if desired. A zigzag pattern is provided for minimizing strain as discussed above. Additionally, in the embodiment of FIG. 16, the edges of the extension are cut in a saw-tooth pattern 65 as shown so as to reduce contact area and increase penetration into, for example, the gloves covering the hand of a person attempting to grab the prod away from the user. The saw-tooth edges, combined with a sufficiently high, no-load prod output voltage, minimize the possibility that a hand grabbing the prod extension can avoid shock. Similar saw-tooth edges may be used with any embodiment of the invention.
To reduce the probability of strain failure of the conductors, the thickness of material 59 may be reduced considerably, limited only by dielectric strength and applied voltage. For a strength of 500 v/mil, and a maximum voltage of 10 kv, a 20 mil thickness would suffice. Such a double-sided material may be centrally sandwiched between two other sheets to provide necessary flexural rigidity. A saw-tooth profile pattern 65 may be cut or otherwise formed along the edges of the prod extension to increase contact pressure, as discussed above. The alternating points 63 and 64 of the complimentary zigzag conductor patterns are exposed along the edges providing electrode pairs along any desired length of both edges of the extension. Of course, the ends of electrodes 60 and 61 can be brought out to the tip of the prod extension as in the previously described embodiments. An insulative or mechanically protective coating 62 may also be applied to the prod extension, if desired.
FIG. 17 shows a typical practical prod arrangement which may be used in law enforcement and other heavy duty applications. A finned heat sink structure 74 is positioned to dissipate heat generated by internal components and also serves as a protective mounting for battery-charger connector 75, charge indicator 76 and operating indicator 77. Another finned structure 78 is used to house one or two operating indicators 79 so as to display a more menacing appearance and warning to hostile individuals subject to shock prod use. Protection is also afforded the user's hand by prod extension 72. On-off switch 73 is positioned for index finger operation. Internal components such as batteries and transformer are positioned within handle 20 to obtain the desired balance and connect with high voltage terminals 68, 69. Electronic components may be mounted within the handle portion 21. Two prod extension mounting bolts are shown.
FIG. 18 shows a representative circuit block diagram, detailing only what is pertinent to the invention. Each block represents a known circuit configuration and thus, a detailed description of the individual blocks will not be entered into. A battery charging and indicator network 81 verifies that battery pack 83 is being charged by illuminating an L.E.D. when charging network 80 is attached through connector 75. Typically, network 81 can comprise an L.E.D. in series with a resistor with the L.E.D. and resistor connected in parallel with another resistor. Should connector 75 become short circuited, diode 82 is reverse-biased by the battery 83, thereby isolating the battery and high-voltage generator from the otherwise-disabling and hazardous short-circuit.
High-voltage transients experienced in high-voltage generators when the on-off switch 73, is turned off, or opens during contact-bounce periods, can reach several hundred volts of either polarity, and the resulting switch-contact arcing greatly reduces switch life. This can be prevented by installing a zener diode capacitor network or the like, as shown at 84.
In a typical current-fed high-voltage blocking-oscillator type of pulse generator, a pulse of several hundred volts may be developed across the inductor winding 87, of transformer 88, when the transistor 92 is cut off, and when the output secondary winding 90 is unloaded. To protect the transistor 92, and to limit the secondary voltage to a safe level (to avoid arcing or corona effects) a peak limiter network 85 is added. Newtork 85 may comprise a resistor.
In typical blocking oscillator circuits, transformer feedback winding 90 drives semiconductor 92 through feedback/biasing network 91. The prod extension conductors are connected to the high-voltage output winding 89.
Other circuits or means of high voltage generation may be used in accordance with the objects of this invention, and any circuit details shown are only exemplary. The use of different semiconductor devices and arrangements will often necessitate logical changes in polarity of various diodes, etc., as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. Even electromechanical induction coil generators of the "Model T Spark Coil" type are applicable.
One, two, or more L.E.D. operation indicators may be incorporated in an audio/visual operating status indicator network 86, to signal that the high voltage generator is working, and to warn potential subjects of the impending shock/pain. When high voltage pulses are generated, the LEDs are forward biased and will therefore light. The LEDs of network 86 may be connected in series with the peak limiter network 85.
A loud buzzing is often produced by inexpensive shock prod designs as a result of a loose transformer lamination or core assembly, but is usually an adequate acoustic signal. In more expensive reliable designs, the potential deterioration of a vibrating core is prevented by clamping or encapsulating the transformer, thereby eliminating the loud buzzing noise. In such instances, an auxiliary audible indication may be desirable and can be installed in a manner analagous to the L.E.D. visual example.
The foregoing is considered illustrative of the present invention but should not be considered limitative thereof. Obviously, numerous other modifications, additions and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.
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The shock prod comprises a circuit for producing high-voltage electrical pulses. The circuit is mounted in a housing and communicates electrically with two conductors integral with a prod extension. The prod extension extends from the housing in a fixed predetermined direction with respect to the housing. The extension is elongated in the fixed direction, terminates in a free end, and is generally flat with a high width-to-thickness ratio, having sufficiently high flexural rigidity and buckling resistance to avoid excessive deflection or deformation in use. With this novel configuration, the extension is constrained to bend in a preferred plane parallel to the thickness dimension. Loads applied in the other planes produce torsional deflection so as to allow bending in this preferred deflection plane. This wide, thin cross-section permits a wide electrode spacing simultaneously with a thin bending surface, resulting in the following: A minimum bending radius which greatly reduces instances of breakage; allows electrification and desired electrode spacing over any desired portion of the prod extension; eliminates need for separate electrode mounting hardware; remains operational even if the extension is snapped in two, when a sufficient electrode-conductor spacing geometry exists along the length of the prod extension.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to maple tree sap but more particularly to sap device that processes that sap into syrup.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Collecting the sap of maple trees to make maple syrup and other derivative products has been known for centuries by North-American Indians and more recently, it has been eagerly taken over by the colonists and is now a thriving industry in the north east United States and south east of Canada. Like most industry, it has to modernize in order to remain profitable and a number of inventions have automated the process.
[0003] That is why, over the years, various systems have been used to improve the production of maple syrup. The most expensive and time consuming part of the process of making maple syrup has to do with the boiling of the sap so as to create the sugary concentrate—the maple syrup.
[0004] It has been found that by using reverse osmosis, a more concentrated sap can be produced, which requires less boiling time, thus a saving in energy cost. Reverse osmosis for the purpose of filtering water has been known for decades and by discarding the pure water and keeping the concentrate, an improved process for making maple syrup was born.
[0005] The prior art shows several systems whether for water desalination or water purification. Although none of the systems were developed specifically for the maple syrup industry, similar systems are currently in use in that industry. The major drawback is that those systems work on high voltage (240V) and require up to 50 amps. The high voltage and amperage is to operate the high pressure pumps. The systems are quite huge, heavy and bulky. Moreover, they require to be located where they won't be in a temperature below freezing.
[0006] By its very nature, the maple syrup industry remains mostly a small scale business and many small producers cannot afford the large equipment that larger producers can. There is therefore a need for smaller efficient and low cost devices to make the processing of maple sap profitable even for small producers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known devices now present in the prior art, the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide objects and advantages which are:
[0008] To provide for a device that is quick to install on site. That is simple to use; That does not take up much space; That does not require a heated location to operate in; That easily adapts to any maple sap tank size;
[0009] That Works at low pressure; That works on regular 110-120 volts AC; That uses only one tank for both the sap and the concentrate; That reduces operating costs by 50% or more.
[0010] In order to do so, the invention comprises most of the components usually found on larger machines but in smaller size and with a unique system of a two step pumping system that allows for the use of a single tank instead of three, the use of low cost low pressure pumps. Moreover, the maple sap reverse osmosis device has a support rack configured and sized to rest atop a tank. In this art, both osmosis membranes and nanofiltration membranes are used. For the sake of simplicity, the term membrane is used throughout as well as reverse osmosis device. Also, the membrane itself is housed in a module, known hereinafter as “module” to differentiate it from the osmosis membrane itself.
[0011] The support rack supporting a reverse osmosis device. The reverse osmosis device has a pump line and a dump line both located within the same tank. The pump line is located at an upper region of the tank. A pumping means to pump the maple sap from the pump line. The pumping means pushes maple sap towards a module containing the osmosis membrane. The dump pipe purges concentrate, resulting from sap by-passing the membrane—that is, passing into the module but not passing through the osmosis membrane—and into the deepest region of the tank.
[0012] More specifically, the pumping means is a feed pressure pump consisting of a rotary vane pump.
[0013] The pumping means is a feed pressure pump capable of sustaining a pressure of between 200 and 300 psi.
[0014] The pump line has a float so that it pumps only sap water located at the top of the sap contained in the tank, which determines the upper region of the tank.
[0015] The pumping means takes the sap from the tank and brings the pressure between 200 to 270 psi at a volume of between 1.66 to 5 gallons per minute The pressure of between 200 to 270 psi pushes the sap through a 5 to 10 micron filter located between the feed pump and the osmosis membrane. The sap is piped through to the recirculating pump having a capacity of between 14 to 75 GPM at 28 PSI so as to increase pressure to between 228 to 298 psi. The recirculating pump pushes the sap towards the membrane which results in pure water passing through the membrane and concentrate resulting from sap by-passing the membrane. A restrictor, located down line from the osmosis membrane and before the recirculation pump provides additional pressure necessary for reverse osmosis pressure. Pure water resulting from the reverse osmosis process is sent away. Away meaning that it is either disposed of or stored in a water suitable container. Concentrate resulting from sap not passing through the osmosis membrane is poured directly at the bottom of the tank by way of the dump line. The pump line and the dump line are at opposite ends of the tank. The dump pipe pours its content proximal a tank outlet located at the bottom of the tank, and the tank outlet leads directly to an evaporator.
[0016] There are variations in the embodiments for other pressure and volume values.
[0017] The restrictor provides a pressure drop of 16 psi.
[0018] After concentration of maple sap, there is a method of quick rinsing the reverse osmosis device that does require a lot less volume of pure water for rinsing. Because of the efficient draining before rinsing due to a series of valves optimally located facilitate quick and easy draining. The draining and rinsing consists of following steps:
Disconnecting the pump line and the dump line. Opening all valves to recuperate the concentrate and draining the system. Shutting all the valves. Running a small amount of pure water through to quick rinse the system, that is the reverse osmosis device.
[0023] Opening all valves and draining the reverse osmosis device;
[0024] Running the pumping means a few seconds to drain it so that there is no water that could cause damage to all the components of the system when temperature drops below freezing. With no water, no freezing damage can occur.
[0025] Optionally, a washing step can be inserted into the preceding method wherein, following the step of rinsing and draining, shutting all the valves, admixing soap with water and running through the system.
[0026] Opening all valves and drain. Run water to rinse the system and let the water drain. Run the pumping means a few seconds to drain it.
[0027] There is also a method of restarting the reverse osmosis device, even if frozen, which consists in the steps of:
Connecting the pump line and the dump line. Warming up the feed pressure pump; Starting the feed pressure pump; until sap comes out of a first valve
[0031] Note: the water flow will defrost the balance of residual frozen water left in the reverse osmosis device.
[0032] Repeating the sequence of shutting valves after sap comes out from any given valve.
[0033] Preferably, the support rack has a telescopic handle capable of adapting and locking in to a variety of tank sizes . Also, the support rack is movable by way of a set of wheels.
[0034] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
[0035] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0036] As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0037] Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
[0038] These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter which contains illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] FIG. 1 Schematic view of an installation with system of the prior art.
[0040] FIG. 2 Side view of an installation of this invention.
[0041] FIG. 3 Schematic detail of FIG. 1 .
[0042] FIG. 4 Schematic detail of FIG. 2 .
[0043] FIG. 5 Isometric view of the invention.
[0044] FIG. 6 Isometric view with the complete system.
[0045] FIG. 7 Isometric reverse angle view of FIG. 6 .
[0046] FIG. 8 Isometric view of the invention when it is in a vertical configuration.
[0047] FIG. 9 Isometric view of the invention showing the eight valves.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0048] A maple sap reverse osmosis device ( 20 ) has a filter ( 1 ) a pumping means, also known as feed pressure pump ( 2 ), at least one osmosis membrane ( 3 ), a recirculating pump ( 4 ). In a preferred embodiment, the filter ( 1 ) is a 5 micron filter which is most appropriate for this specific task. Also, the housing for this filter ( 1 ) has to be sturdy so as to take on a pressure that is higher than that of the prior art since the device described herein uses a higher pressure at this stage. The feed pressure pump ( 2 ) configured so as to be capable of sustaining a pressure of about 250 psi. This insures that it is no longer necessary to use a conventional feed pump as is done in the prior art. The feed pressure pump ( 2 ) actually performs the function normally done with two pumps (feed pump and pressure pumps) in prior art systems. Hence the higher pressure at this stage. In order to keep costs low for the small entrepreneur, the maple sap reverse osmosis device ( 20 ) uses the most economical components. For example, the feed pressure pump ( 2 ) is a low cost, 120 volts, highly efficient rotary vane pump. The pump has the advantage of not warming up the sap, since a warm sap could cause the proliferation of bacteria and thus be harmful to the resulting maple syrup's quality.
[0049] The prior art uses a 4 in membrane capable of a capacity of 150 GPH at 500 psi. In a preferred embodiment, the osmosis membrane ( 3 ) is used at a rate of 100 GPH at 250 psi. This lower pressure allows for the use of the low cost feed pressure pump ( 2 ) described hereinabove and which is typically able of a maximum capacity of 250 psi. The advantage of using a lower 250 psi over the more conventional 500 psi is that the osmosis membrane ( 3 ) has a lesser tendency to foul at the lower pressure. The other advantage, the use of low pressure membrane housing reduces the cost of this one significantly, up to 4 times, the same economic advantages apply to the cost of plumbing parts which are less expensive when rated at low pressure.
[0050] An electrical control box ( 6 ) contains all the electronics and electrical components which are similar to those found on devices of the prior art. Also, flow meter gauges ( 7 ) give a visual indication of the permeate and the concentrate. All the components are held together on a support rack ( 9 ) which is comprised of a telescopic handle ( 5 ) which changes the overall length of the support rack ( 9 ) and locks in place when the adequate length is obtained so that it can adapt to a variety of tank ( 10 ) sizes. To make the device truly mobile, the support rack ( 9 ) can act as a hand truck that is easily movable by way of a set of wheels ( 8 ). In the alternate embodiment as seen in FIG. 8 , by simply moving the electrical control box ( 6 ), the flow meters ( 7 ) and filter ( 1 ) the maple sap osmosis device ( 20 ) can be used vertically, which make it usable in a fashion similar to that of FIG. 1 .
[0051] In order to operate, depending upon a variety of factors such as the size and capacity of the feed pressure pump ( 2 ), the size of the membrane ( 3 ) and so on, different pressures and volumes will be required and obtained.
EXAMPLE 1
[0052] A system that operates at 100 GPH (one 4″ membrane) with a 75% recovery, the device takes sap from the tank ( 10 ) and passes it through the feed pressure pump ( 2 ) which brings the pressure to between 200 and 270 psi at a volume of 1.66 gallons per minute. This pressure is strong enough to push the sap through the filter ( 1 ) (since this pressure is higher than in the prior art, the filter housing has to be made stronger) this filter must support that high pressure) which is used for removing all the suspended particles which would unnecessarily foul the osmosis membrane ( 3 ).
[0053] The sap is then piped through to the recirculating pump ( 4 ) with a capacity of 16 GPM at 28 PSI which increases the pressure by an additional 28 psi. —The recirculating pump ( 4 ), besides the function described hereinabove, also provides constant motion of sap tangentially on the surface of the osmosis membrane ( 3 ) at 16 GPM with a pressure drop on the osmosis membrane ( 3 ) of 12 PSI so as to reduce the fouling factor on the osmosis membrane ( 3 ). An optional restrictor ( 11 ) located just outside the osmosis membrane ( 3 ), where the concentrate comes out, creates a pressure drop of 16 PSI so that the 12 PSI pressure drop at the membrane along with the 16 PSI from the restrictor ( 11 ) adds 28 PSI to the 200 to 270 PSI of the pressure pump ( 2 ) for a total of between 228 to 298 PSI, at the inlet of the osmosis membrane ( 3 ), which is sufficient to push the sap through the osmosis membrane ( 3 ), all the while protecting the membrane from too strong a flow rate and efficiently separating the sugar from the water. Moreover, the recirculating pump ( 4 ) increases the volume to around 16 gallons per minute at a pressure of around 28 psi within the osmosis membrane ( 3 ). Every psi gain achieved in a low pressure system is important in improving system performance.
EXAMPLE 2
[0054] A system that operates at 200 GPH (two 4″ membranes in series) with a 75% recovery, the device takes sap from the tank ( 10 ) and passes it through the feed pressure pump ( 2 ) which brings the pressure to between 200 and 258 psi at a volume of between 3,33 gallons per minute. This pressure is strong enough to push the sap through the filter ( 1 ) which is used for removing all the suspended particles which would unnecessarily foul the osmosis membrane ( 3 ).
[0055] The sap is then piped through to the recirculating pump ( 4 ) with a capacity of 16 GPM at 40 PSI which increases the pressure by an additional 40 psi. —The recirculating pump ( 4 ), besides the function described hereinabove, also provides constant motion of sap tangentially on the surface of the osmosis membrane ( 3 ) at 16 GPM with a pressure drop on the two osmosis membranes ( 3 ) of 24 PSI so as to reduce the fouling factor on the osmosis membrane ( 3 ). An optional restrictor ( 11 ) located just outside the osmosis membrane ( 3 ), where the concentrate comes out, creates a pressure drop of 16 PSI so that the 24 PSI pressure drop at the two membrane along with the 16 PSI from the restrictor ( 11 ) adds 40 PSI to the 200 to 258 PSI of the pressure pump ( 2 ) for a total of between 240 to 298 PSI.
EXAMPLE 3
[0056] A system that operates at 300 GPH (one 8″ membrane) with a 75% recovery, the device takes sap from the tank ( 10 ) and passes it through the feed pressure pump ( 2 ) which brings the pressure to between 200 and 270 psi at a volume of 5 gallons per minute. This pressure is strong enough to push the sap through the filter ( 1 ) (this filter must support that high pressure) which is used for removing all the suspended particles which would unnecessarily foul the osmosis membrane ( 3 ).
[0057] The sap is then piped through to the recirculating pump ( 4 ) with a capacity of 65 to 75 GPM at 28 PSI which increases the pressure by an additional 28 psi. —The recirculating pump ( 4 ), besides the function described hereinabove, also provides constant motion of sap tangentially on the surface of the osmosis membrane ( 3 ) at 65 to 75 GPM with a pressure drop on the osmosis membrane ( 3 ) of 12 PSI so as to reduce the fouling factor on the osmosis membrane ( 3 ). An optional restrictor ( 11 ) located just outside the osmosis membrane ( 3 ), where the concentrate comes out, creates a pressure drop of 16 PSI so that the 12 PSI pressure drop at the membrane along with the 16 PSI from the restrictor ( 11 ) adds 28 PSI to the 200 to 270 PSI of the pressure pump ( 2 ) for a total of between 228 to 298 PSI.
[0058] Continuing with EXAMPLE 1, the permeate, which is obtained at the rate of 1.245 GPM is pure water, passes through the osmosis membrane ( 3 ) and is sent away or in a container ( 12 ) to provide clean water for rinsing the osmosis device ( 20 ). Any extra water is disposed of. The concentrate which is obtained at the rate of 0.415 GPM is directed towards outlet ( 24 ) leading to the evaporator (not shown) for further processing.
[0059] When the concentrate is not directed to the evaporator (not shown) it remains in the tank ( 10 ) and settles at the bottom of it because it is denser than sap and therefore, it will settle at the bottom and not readily mix with the lighter sap. By providing the pump line ( 26 ) with a float ( 27 ), only to top, that is the sap, is pumped into the system. The benefit of doing this is that only one tank is needed instead of two as per the prior art. Concentrate at bottom and maple sap at top instead of one tank for concentrate and one for maple sap.
[0060] The maple sap osmosis device ( 20 ) has a method of operation which consists of the following steps:
[0061] Sap is pumped from the tank ( 10 ) into the osmosis device ( 20 ) by way of a pump line ( 26 ). The resulting concentrate is poured directly into an open outlet ( 24 ) located at the bottom of that same tank ( 10 ) by way of a dump line ( 22 ). The configuration is such that the pump line ( 26 ) and the dump line ( 22 ) are at opposite ends of that same tank ( 10 ).
[0062] With the use of a single tank ( 10 ) and taking the sap from one extremity of the tank ( 10 ) by way of an intake pipe ( 26 ), the sap is processed through the maple sap osmosis device ( 20 ), and then the concentrate, by way of an outlet pipe ( 22 ), is poured into a tank outlet ( 24 ), and the tank outlet ( 24 ) leads directly to an evaporator (not shown).
[0063] Even if the evaporator (not shown) is not in function, the osmosis device ( 20 ) can still be in function and make concentrate since the connection between the concentrate outlet pipe ( 22 ) and the tank outlet ( 24 ) is not a closed connection but rather an open connection, which means that the concentrate will remain at the bottom of the tank ( 10 ) until the tank outlet ( 24 ) is opened to feed the evaporator (not shown) if it is in operation. When the evaporator enters in function, it will siphon the concentrate directly from the outlet pipe ( 22 ), which is located proximal the tank outlet ( 24 ). If the evaporator consumes more than the osmosis system ( 20 ) can provide, it can be supplemented with the concentrate already present at the bottom of the tank ( 10 ). With this system, using only one tank ( 10 ) instead of, as per the prior art of FIG. 1 , using one concentrate tank ( 10 ′) and one sap tank ( 10 ″), there is no need to monitor the level of the concentrate in the single tank ( 10 ), especially if the evaporator boils more liquid than the produced concentrate coming from the osmosis system ( 20 ). Also, with this process, the tank ( 10 ) can be continually filled with new sap.
[0064] After concentration of maple sap, there is a method of quick rinsing the reverse osmosis device ( 10 ) that does require a lot less volume of pure water for rinsing. Because of the efficient draining before rinsing due to a series of valves optimally located to facilitate quick and easy draining. The draining and rinsing consists of following steps:
Draining the reverse osmosis device ( 10 ) by disconnecting the pump line ( 26 ) and the dump line ( 22 ). Opening all valves ( 28 ) to recuperate the concentrate and draining the system. Shutting all the valves ( 28 ). Running pure water through the reverse osmosis device ( 20 ). Draining the reverse osmosis device ( 20 ) by opening all valves ( 28 ). Running the feed pressure pump ( 2 ) a few seconds to drain it, so that there is no water that could cause damage to all the components of the system when temperature drops below freezing. With no water, no freezing damage can occur.
[0071] There is also a method of restarting the reverse osmosis device ( 20 ) even if frozen which consists in the steps of:
Connecting the pump line ( 26 ) and the dump line ( 22 ). Warming up the feed pressure pump ( 2 ). Starting the feed pressure pump ( 2 ) until sap comes out of a first valve ( 28 ). Repeating the sequence of shutting valves ( 28 ) after sap comes out from any given valve ( 28 ).
[0076] There is a valve before an after each component of the reverse osmosis device ( 20 ), for a total of eight, as shown in FIG. 9 , including one underneath each of the two flow meter gauges ( 7 ).
[0077] Balancing flow between concentrate and pure water is done by using valve V 1 , as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 .
[0078] As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
[0079] 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.
[0080] 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.
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A maple sap reverse osmosis device has a support rack configured and sized to rest atop a tank. The support rack supporting a reverse osmosis device. The reverse osmosis device has a pump line and a dump line both located within the tub. The pump line being located at an upper region of the tank. A pumping means to pump the maple sap from the pump line. The pumping means pushing maple sap through an osmosis membrane. The dump pipe purging concentrate resulting from sap not passing through the osmosis membrane into the deepest region of the tub.
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