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BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the design of networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for improving network and system utilization in a non-uniform network.
2. Related Art
The proliferation of mobile computing and communication devices is driving revolutionary changes in our society. As we transition from a personal computing age into a ubiquitous computing age, one can use, at the same time, several electronic devices to access information whenever and wherever the information is needed.
Mobile computing devices are typically designed to run specific types of applications. For example, mobile users can use cell phones to check e-mail and news. Travelers can surf the Internet with portable computers at airports, railway stations, and coffee shops. Tourists can use Internet-enabled Global Positioning System (GPS) in rental cars to locate attractions. Researchers can synchronize data and transfer files between their personal digital assistants (PDAs) and their office or home computers. Moreover, these computing and communication devices can have very different characteristics.
As a result, today's networks, both fixed and ad-hoc, have never been more dynamic and heterogeneous. Network nodes can frequently join, leave, or move within a network, causing the network topology to change constantly. Nodes may also have drastically different characteristics such as processing power, memory capacity, signal-detection strength, battery power, transmission range, etc. In addition, each node can have traffic-specific requirements for transmission power, bandwidth, or latency. For instance, a hand-held mobile device often requires low-latency for instant messaging or voice communications, but may not need large bandwidth. In contrast, a portable computer used for Internet browsing or media streaming may not be sensitive to latency but may require a high-bandwidth link.
To accommodate such dynamic network environments, researchers have proposed several ad-hoc routing schemes. Most ad-hoc routing schemes allow a mobile node to forward packets generated by other nodes. Hence, any ad-hoc node can function as a router.
However, the flexibility of ad-hoc routing comes with the inevitable inefficiency. An ad-hoc node typically has little knowledge of its next-hop neighbor (or neighbor's neighbor), except for the neighbor's Internet Protocol (IP) address and its ability to forward packets. Consequently, a node can “blindly” rely on a neighbor node which is not suitable for forwarding packets for a specific application. For example, a portable computer attempting to stream a high-resolution video clip via a nearby mobile phone can jam the phone and frustrate the user. Furthermore, the network utilization can suffer when a large amount of such unsuccessful forwarding is present.
Note that, in a wireless network, a node's neighbor is typically defined as another node within the transmission range. In a fixed network, a node's neighbor refers to any node that can receive the node's local link broadcast. Thus, the neighbor of a node's neighbor may not be reachable from the sender node, but certain conventional routing schemes allow the node to learn the number of hops and IP address of a neighbor's neighbor. Such knowledge may require flooding in the network, which is not ideal in an ad-hoc network in terms of energy consumption and network traffic. Alternatively, controlled flooding can be used for facilitating knowledge of the neighbor of a node's neighbor.
Hence, what is needed is a method that can improve the utilization of a dynamic, heterogeneous network while retaining the flexibility of ad-hoc routing.
SUMMARY
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates improved resource allocation in a network. During operation, the system determines a metric value for a node based on one or more characteristics of the node and assigns nodes within the network to access groups based on each node's characteristic-metric value and a grouping policy. The system further constructs a logical hierarchy of access groups based on the characteristic-metric values of the nodes within each access group. Additionally, the system allows a node to forward traffic to a next-hop node identified within an access group on a logical hierarchy level, thereby facilitating better resource allocation in the network. Thus, it is expected that embodiments of the present invention will improve total packet flow and reduce latency in the ad-hoc networks by reducing packet loss and taking an effective path based on the network conditions, traffic policy, and proper system utilization.
In a variation on this embodiment, the node characteristic based on which the metric value is determined comprises at least one of: transmission power, reception sensitivity, link bandwidth, link latency, storage capacity, and processing power.
In a variation on this embodiment, assigning the nodes to access groups involves arranging into the same access group nodes which can reach each other with one hop and whose characteristic-metric values are within a given range. Further, constructing the logical hierarchy involves forming a number of hierarchy levels based on different ranges of the characteristic-metric values.
In a further variation, each hierarchy level includes one or more access groups. An access group on each hierarchy level is a subset of an access group on a higher hierarchy level.
In a variation on this embodiment, allowing the node to forward traffic to the next-hop node involves identifying the next-hop node by performing the following steps (a) and (b) iteratively: (a) communicating with one or more nodes within the present access group, to which the node belongs, to determine whether at least one next-hop node exists in the present access group; and (b) under the condition that the next-hop node is not identified within the present access group, setting an access group on the next higher hierarchy level which is a parent of the present access group as the present access group. The conditions in steps (a) and (b) correspond to a policy-based hierarchy. Typically, at least one node, which is the next-hop node, in the access groups is accessible by the sender node.
Note that each access group is a policy-based group which at least contains the next-hop node. An access group may or may not contain information of additional nodes in the path to the destination. At least one next-hop node from each access group is reachable from the sender node. Furthermore, the access-group hierarchy is determined by the preferences of policies at the local node, i.e., sender node or forwarder node. An access group may be based on one or more routing metrics such as distance, transmission power, buffering capability, link capacity, etc.
In a variation on this embodiment, the system determines the node characteristic based on which the metric value is determined according requirements of the traffic.
In a variation on this embodiment, the system allows the node to join or leave an access group or move from one access group to another access group.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary heterogeneous network which includes fixed access points and mobile wireless devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a logical abstraction of access groups and construction of hierarchies in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary logical access-group configuration based on proximity and bandwidth of mobile devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary application of access-group based traffic forwarding in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 presents a flow chart illustrating the process of establishing an access group and forwarding traffic based on the access group in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computer system which performs access-group-based traffic forwarding in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
TABLE I presents a set of exemplary grouping and hierarchy configurations for a heterogeneous network as is illustrated in FIG. 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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 disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the claims.
The data structures and processes described in this detailed description are typically stored on a computer readable storage medium, which may be any device or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computer system. This includes, but is not limited to, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs), DVDs (digital versatile discs or digital video discs), or other media capable of storing computer readable media now known or later developed.
Overview
Today's ad-hoc networks drastically differ from conventional fixed networks. The mobile devices which constitute the network nodes often have different processing or communication capabilities, and can change their locations frequently. Consequently, the network topology can constantly evolve. Traditional routing approaches are inadequate for ad-hoc networks, because such approaches generally require dedicated, stable routers to establish substantially static routing tables, which is nearly impossible in an ad-hoc network.
Ad-hoc routing schemes obviate the need for static routing tables by allowing nodes to discover routes “on the fly.” Using ad-hoc routing, any node can function as a router and forward traffic from another node. Mobile devices therefore need not rely on fixed, dedicated routers to send or receive traffic. One drawback of existing ad-hoc routing schemes, however, is that an ad-hoc node does not differentiate next-hop nodes with regard to their processing and communication capabilities. Such “blind” forwarding can limit network utilization, throughput, and/or latency.
Embodiments of the present invention combine the flexibility of ad-hoc routing and the efficient resource utilization of fixed networks. Using grouping policies, which correspond to various node characteristics, ad-hoc nodes form so called “access groups” and selectively forward traffic based on access groups, traffic requirements, and physical connectivity.
Access Groups and Logical Hierarchy
In general, non-uniform networks include both mobile, ad-hoc nodes and fixed nodes with stable access to a fixed network infrastructure. In one embodiment, nodes in a non-uniform network are grouped based on a set of given policies. For example, nodes with a certain level of transmission power or signal detection strength, or nodes within certain proximity with each other, form the same access group. In general, a grouping policy includes one or more characteristic metrics, and the metric values of group members are within a given range. Such metrics can include transmission power, reception sensitivity, link bandwidth, link latency, storage capacity, and processing power. For example, an access group can include nodes which can communicate with each other with a transmission power lower than 20 dB, or nodes whose transmission speed is at least 64 kbps, or nodes which satisfy both conditions.
Different access groups with similar metrics then form a logical hierarchy, wherein an access group is always a subset of an access group on a higher hierarchy level. That is, an access group on a higher hierarchy level is a superset of access groups on a lower hierarchy level. For instance, on the first, or lowest, hierarchy level, an access group may include nodes which can communicate with each other with a transmission power lower than 20 dB. On the second hierarchy level, an access group includes nodes which can communicate with each other with a transmission power lower than 40 dB. In a further embodiment, an access group on the second level can simply include several first-level access groups.
When forwarding traffic, a node first searches its own access group for an available next-hop node. If unsuccessful, the node then expands the search space by searching within an access group on the second level which includes other level-one access groups based on preferences of policies at the local node. Typically, a higher-level group contains a lower-level group's nearest resources. The node performs this search process iteratively along the hierarchy with an increasing search space until a viable next-hop node is identified.
Note that the construction of logical hierarchy can be based on pre-determined rules, physical parameters, or on any user-defined policies. In one embodiment, an access group on a higher level can simply be a superset of a number of lower-level access groups. For example, an access group on level two can comprise several level-one access groups, and an access group on level three can comprise several level-two access groups. In a further embodiment, the formation of a higher-level access group can be based on a widened range of one or more metrics based on which the lower-level access groups are formed.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary heterogeneous network which includes fixed access points and mobile wireless devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. A fixed access network 104 couples three wireless access points, 108 , 110 , and 112 to the Internet 102 . Each access point is also in communication with a number of wireless devices.
For example, access point 108 is in communication with a PDA 114 and a mobile phone 118 ; access point 110 is in communication with mobile phone 118 , a hand-held device 120 , a PDA 122 , and a portable computer 124 ; and access point 112 is in communication with portable computer 124 and a hand-held device 126 . Assume that the nodes which can reach each other with a transmission power less than 20 dB form an access group. For illustration purposes, assume further that the nodes form the following level-one access groups as indicated by dashed-line circles: group G 11 includes access point 108 , PDA 114 , and mobile phone 118 ; group G 12 includes access point 110 , hand-held device 120 , and PDA 122 ; and group G 13 includes access point 112 , portable computer 124 , and hand-held device 126 . Note that G ij denote access group j on level i. Groups G 11 , G 12 , and G 13 are first-level access groups. On level two of the logical hierarchy are three access groups: G 21 =G 11 ∪G 12 , G 22 =G 11 ∪G 12 ∪G 13 , and G 23 =G 12 ∪G 13 . Furthermore, G 21 , G 22 , G 23 are the parent groups of G 11 , G 12 , and G 13 , respectively. Note that the group formation described above is only for a particular grouping policy. Other grouping policies can result in different formation.
When mobile phone 118 attempts to forward traffic destined to a server 106 through the Internet 102 , mobile phone 118 first selects a grouping policy based on the type of traffic and its own physical characteristics. Assume that mobile phone 118 adopts the 20-dB transmission-power grouping policy as is described above. Mobile phone 118 then obtains the grouping-formation information and searches group G 11 for an available next-hop node. If a next-hop node is not available, mobile phone 118 expands its search space to G 11 's parent group, G 21 , which includes both G 11 and G 12 . If the search is unsuccessful, the search can further include a level-three access group which is a parent of G 21 and includes G 21 and G 22 . Note that if the next-hop node is within G 12 , the transmission power required for mobile phone 118 to reach the next-hop node can be higher than 20 dB.
FIG. 2 illustrates a logical abstraction of access groups and construction of hierarchies in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fixed nodes R M , R N , and R O have static access to a fixed network 202 . Hence, R M , R N , and R O are one hop away from fixed network 202 .
Each fixed node is also in communication with a number of ad-hoc nodes. R M is in communication with ad-hoc nodes R 1 and R 2 ; R N is in communication with R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 ; and R O is in communication with R 5 and R 6 . In this example, these ad-hoc and fixed nodes can form different access groups and hierarchies based on different grouping policies, such as transmission power, buffering capacity, and available bandwidth. TABLE I presents a set of exemplary grouping and hierarchy configurations.
As is shown in TABLE I, under a bandwidth-based grouping policy, the level-one access groups are G 11 (R 1 , R M ), G 12 (R 2 , R M ), G 13 (R 3 , R 4 , R N ), and G 14 (R 5 , R 6 , R O ). The corresponding level-two parent groups are G 21 =G 11 ∪G 12 , G 22 =G 11 ∪G 12 ∪G 13 , G 23 =G 12 ∪G 13 ∪G 14 , and G 24 =G 13 ∪G 14 .
Under a buffering-capacity-based policy, the level-one access groups are G 11 (R 1 , R 2 , R M ), G 12 (R 3 , R 4 , R N ), and G 13 (R 5 , R 6 , R O ). The corresponding level-two parent groups are G 21 =G 11 ∪G 12 , G 22 =G 11 ∪G 12 ∪G 13 , and G 23 =G 12 ∪G 13 .
Under a transmission-power-based policy, the level-one access groups are G 11 (R 1 , R M ), G 12 (R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R N ), and G 13 (R 5 , R 6 , R O ). The corresponding level-two parent groups are G 21 =G 11 ∪G 12 , G 22 =G 11 ∪G 12 ∪G 13 , and G 23 =G 12 ∪G 13 .
TABLE I
Grouping Policy
Level-1 Access Groups
Level-2 Parent Groups
Bandwidth based
G 11 (R 1 , R M )
G 21 = G 11 ∪ G 12
G 12 (R 2 , R M )
G 22 = G 11 ∪ G 12 ∪ G 13
G 13 (R 3 , R 4 , R N )
G 23 = G 12 ∪ G 13 ∪ G 14
G 14 (R 5 , R 6 , R O )
G 24 = G 13 ∪ G 14
Buffering capacity
G 11 (R 1 , R 2 , R M )
G 21 = G 11 ∪ G 12
based
G 12 (R 3 , R 4 , R N )
G 22 = G 11 ∪ G 12 ∪ G 13
G 13 (R 5 , R 6 , R O )
G 23 = G 12 ∪ G 13
Transmission-power
G 11 (R 1 , R M )
G 21 = G 11 ∪ G 12
based
G 12 (R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R N )
G 22 = G 11 ∪ G 12 ∪ G 13
G 13 (R 5 , R 6 , R O )
G 23 = G 12 ∪ G 13
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary logical access-group configuration based on proximity and bandwidth of mobile devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. An ad-hoc node 302 can reach a number of nodes within one hop, which are shaded with cross-hatch patterns. In this example, node 302 selects a grouping policy based on available bandwidth. For example, only nodes which can be reached within one hop and which has at least 128 Kbps available bandwidth can be in the same access group. The resulting access group, indicated by a dashed-line circle, includes node 302 and four other nodes within one hop's reach from node 302 . Note that the other three shaded nodes can belong to other access groups on the same level.
Field Application
FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary military field application of access-group based traffic forwarding in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a number of “smart” land mines, such as land mine 412 , are deployed in the battlefield. Each land mine is equipped with a communication device and has a limited power supply. Hence, a land mine can periodically communicate with its neighbors regarding its state and location.
As a friendly troop approaches the battlefield, the soldiers would want to collect the location and status information of the land mines. Because each land mine has limited transmission power, several land mines can form an access group based on transmission power. As a soldier 410 approaches land mine 412 , soldier 410 's communication device joins the access group to which land mine 412 belongs, and can receive information from all the land mines within that group. Note that soldier 410 can leave the access group, and soldiers 414 and 416 can also join the access group at any time.
Soldier 410 's communication device further attempts to relay the land mine information back to a mobile station, which in this example is a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or “HUMVEE”) 404 . Note that soldier 410 's communication device cannot find another next-hop node within this access group, because all the other nodes within the group are land mines which cannot reach HUMVEE 404 . Hence, soldier 410 's communication device searches its parent group which includes the communication devices of soldiers 412 and 414 , and HUMVEE 404 . HUMVEE 404 subsequently relays the land-mine information to a command center 406 with a fixed access to a network 402 and a link to a satellite 408 .
Exemplary Implementation
In one embodiment, the access-group formation process and the construction of hierarchy can be performed by a central node. Each ad-hoc node collects the information regarding its neighbors and the metric values according to the grouping policy, and communicates this information to a central node. In a further embodiment, the grouping process and construction of hierarchy can be performed in a distributed manner by each node.
FIG. 5 presents a flow chart illustrating the process of establishing an access group and forwarding traffic based on the access group in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The system starts by determining a metric value for the local node and broadcasting its state information to the neighbor nodes (step 502 ). The system also receives state information from a neighbor node (step 504 ), and determines whether the neighbor node belongs to an access group based on the grouping policy (step 506 ). Optionally, the system further communicates the grouping information to a central node (step 508 ).
Note that the system is not limited to considering only one metric. The system can base its routing decision on multiple metrics, evaluate these metrics either independently or jointly, and can reach one or more routing decisions. One way to handle multiple node characteristics is to construct a per-characteristic node hierarchy. Then, based on the metric for which one is optimizing, the appropriate node hierarchy can be consulted. Where one wishes to optimize for multiple characteristics, for example link bandwidth and storage capacity, the respective access groups in both hierarchies can be intersected to produce a new access group containing the desirable nodes based on both characteristics.
The system then receives traffic which is to be forwarded (step 510 ). Based on the traffic characteristics, the system chooses an access group (step 512 ) and searches for a next-hop node within the chosen access group (step 514 ). Subsequently, the system determines whether a next-hop node is available (step 516 ). If available, the system forwards the traffic to the next-hop node (step 520 ) and returns. Otherwise, the system selects access groups with the next-preferred routes (step 518 ) and searches again (step 514 ).
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computer system which performs access-group-based traffic forwarding in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. A computer system 602 includes a processor 604 , a memory 606 , and a storage 608 . Further coupled to computer system 602 are a display 614 , an input device 610 , and a communication mechanism 625 .
Storage 608 contains applications 622 and 620 , and an access group-based traffic forwarding program 624 . During operation, computer system 602 runs program 624 to form access groups, construct logical hierarchies, and to forward traffic based on the access groups. Computer system 602 can be a mobile phone, a PDA, a hand-held device, a portable computer, or any communication device. Additionally, other implementations of embodiments of the present invention are also possible.
The foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the present invention have been presented only for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the forms disclosed. Accordingly, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Additionally, the above disclosure is not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
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One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates improved resource allocation in a network. During operation, the system determines one or more metrics value for a node based on a characteristic of the node and assigns nodes within the network to access groups based on each node's characteristic-metric value and a grouping policy. The system further constructs a logical hierarchy of access groups based on the characteristic-metric values of the nodes within each access group. Additionally, the system allows a node to forward traffic to a next-hop node identified within an access group on a logical hierarchy level, thereby facilitating better resource allocation in the network.
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This invention relates to a novel anti-chafe woman's undergarment having special simplified low cost construction.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Heretofore, there has been no satisfactory, cool garment to be worn under a skirt that will avoid or prevent leg chaffing. Garments characterized by functioning as a slip and pantie combination have been either too loose fitting, or too wide, in the crotch, or have been too straight and form-fitting, devoid of flexibility in the waistline. Tyical of such wide-crotch fabric structures are garments as illustrated in prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,066,308 and 3,164,843 and 2,665,428. Additionally, the prior art patents are of complicated construction and costly to manufacture. For example, the above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 3,066,308 requires bands of facing along the front slit to the body fabric along the opposed edge portions of the front split, and it hangs straight against the body instead of flaring and is thus devoid of freedom of movement. Likewise, the garment of U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,843 is form-fitting, and requires seams along the slit, and also requires a rear slide fastener, which fastener has a disadvantage in removal for sanitary purposes. Similarly the skirt of U.S. Pat. No. 2,665,428 is form-fitting and has a bulky and large crotch construction, as well having complicated construction certainly not conducive for use as an undergarment. Another tight form-fitting women's petticoat is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,861, composed of many panels of diverse specific shapes devoid of freedom of movement.
Either or both lack of freedom of movement resulting from tightness of the surrounding fit of the garment or the largeness of the crotch construction can contribute to chaffing when such garments are worn by women having fat or large thighs. The noted prior art patents are characterized with structures that would thus contribute to, rather than avoid chaffing of the woman's plump legs.
BROAD DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, objects of the invention include the obtaining of a womens lower undergarment in the nature of combined panties and half-slip, obviating and avoiding difficulties and disadvantages of the heretofore available women's undergarments, such as typified by the above-noted prior art patents, for example.
Another object is to obtain an antichafe undergarment that serves the functions of women's panties and half-slip simultaneously of a type suitable particularly for women having oversized or fat legs or thighs.
Another object is to obtain a womens antichafe undergarment of simple construction and from minimal numbers of panels and from basic specifically-shaped panels of a particular type of fabric, to result in economic manufacture and low cost and sales prices.
Another particular object of the invention is to obtain a novel ladies underware lower garment formed in a manner to fit the crotch snugly and simultaneously not to crowd the minimal space available, and accordingly to prevent the legs from contacting one-another to thereby avoid leg or garment-leg chaffing in hot weather by continuous rubbing during walking. Likewise, freedom of movement must be achieved to avoid a binding and thus irritating chaffing of the skin. It is an object to obtain fullness of the leg openings to allow for ventilation to the crotch area while concurrently providing proper crotch concealment essential for ladies wear, and while simultaneously providing body freedom and comfort for each of sitting, standing, or walking or running conditions such as encountered particularly during engagement in sports activities requiring substantial exercise and movement.
Another object is to obtain such an undergarment which while providing ventilation and allowing the wearer to feel cooler in hot weather when worn alone, will simultaneously inhibit wind and is of a nature that can be worn on top of other clothing of an underware type such as panties, corset or the like.
Another object is to utilize a type of undergarment fabric of a nature unlikely to cause chafe when rubbed between plump or fat or oversized legs, and which together with the special design of panels and panel portions of the garment of this invention, have a minimum of potentially-chaffing seams.
Another object, together with the particular fabric utilized therewith, is to obtain a combination that avoids undue stretching which stretching in and of itself is susceptible to causing sagging particularly in the crotch to expose opposing legs' fatty tissue to contact with each other with a resulting chaffing.
Another object, together with above-noted desire to achieve savings in cost, is to obtain an antichafe undergarment design by which efficient use of fabric materials.
Likewise, for the fat or plump or oversized lady, it is an object to obtain an antichafe garment having also a non-bulky waist construction of limited but sufficient stretch to allow for ease of putting on and removing the garment, together with associated construction of large leg holes and the use of the particular fabric preferred for the present invention.
Other objects become apparent from the preceding and following disclosure.
One or more objects of the invention are obtained by the invention as typically illustrated by the accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments given for purposes of enhancing a proper understanding of the invention while such illustrated embodiments are not intended to unduly limit scope of the invention.
Broadly the invention may be described as an antichafe lower undergarment for women, by virtue of its construction and design of the panel and panel portions achieves the above-noted objects, as follow. It is a composite of basically four panels or panel portions, noting that there may be two separate bilateral panels which include front and back panel portions in contrast to a preferred embodiment having two front panels and two rear panels. Either way, the left front and the left rear panels or panel portions are mirror images of the right front and right rear panels or panel portions. There are other elements in combination in preferred embodiments, to make a more complete and better functioning final garment better achieving the objects of the invention. For convenience of description, the panels and panel portions shall be referred to as front and rear and as left and right panels as illustrated in the drawings, in a front view the left panel or panel portion being to the left of the drawing and the right panel or panel portion being to the right of the drawing; likewise, the front panels or panel portions will be at the lower portion of the drawing of a perspective front view, and the rear portion or panel will be at the upper portion of the drawing of a perspective front view. A left edge of a panel or panel portion will be to the left of the drawing, and a right edge will be to a right edge of the drawing. The panel or panel portion top will be at the top of a drawing and the bottom will be at a bottom of the drawing.
Accordingly, the preferred embodiment includes four panels in the nature of first and second pairs of panels, the first pair being front first and second panels that in fact are front left and front right panels that are mirror images of each other. In like manner, the second pair is rear third and fourth panels as rear left and rear right panels that are mirror images of each other. The front first panel has substantially similar shape as that of the rear third panel, with the exception of a cut allowing greater fullness for the buttocks as shall be noted below. Likewise, the front second panel has substantially similar shape as that of the rear fourth panel, except likewise for greater fullness for the rear panel for the buttocks.
The method of making is inherent in the construction as defined by the manner in which the several panels are joined together at different points as follow. As above noted, each panel has a top and a bottom. Each of the front first panel and the rear third panel have first right and first left upright seam edges. Each of the front second panel and the rear fourth panel have second right and second left upright seam edges. The front first panel and the rear third panel each have first and second concavely-shaped arcuate edges extending between an upper portion of said first right upright seam edge and said top of said front first panel and extending between an upper portion of said second right upright seam edge and said top of said rear third panel respectively; and said front second panel and said rear fourth panel have each third and fourth concavely-shaped arcuate edges extending between an upper portion of said second left upright seam edge and said top of said front second panel and extending between an upper portion of said fourth left upright seam edge and said top of said rear fourth panel. Each of said first, second, third and fourth concavely-shaped arcuate edges are joined together along their lengths as a first seam that extends from a front centerline point at the waist level to a rear centerline point at the waist level. The front second panel's second left edge and the rear fourth panel's second edge are seamed together along their lengths as a second seam, and the first and third concavely-shaped arcuate edges are seamed together along their lengths as a third seam, with likewise the second and fourth concavely-shaped arcuate edges being seamed together along their lengths as a fourth seam. The front first panel's first left upright seam edge and the rear third panel's first left upright seam edge are seamed together along their lengths as a fifth seam, and the front second panel's second right upright seam edge and the rear fourth panel's second right upright seam edge are seamed together along their lengths as a sixth seam. From the above-noted centerline point at each of the front and the back, at the upper-most location of each of said third seam and said fourth seam, there are--as is well known conventionally in the garment and dress-making trade--imaginary lines extending downwardly vertically along the worn dress, for example, or slip or half-slip, and the like, along a surface of the panels; this imaginary line is known as the center lines front and back. There are accordingly here first, second, third and fourth centerlines respectively for each of the first, second, third and fourth panels respectively. The importance of identifying such centerline lies in the custom and necessity of defining the lay of the fabric as cut, with regard to or relative to the centerline of the particular panel or panel portion, as the case may be.
Accordingly, in accord with conventional definition in the trade, the first, second, third and fourth panels in this preferred embodiment are each cut at an angle ranging from about 105 degrees to about 125 degrees off grain of the undergarment knit fabric--the fabric of this invention being entirely and necessarily limited to undergarment knit fabric. The above-noted range in degrees is critical to the proper functioning of this inventive garment with regard to stretch and the like. A more preferred range obtaining by far more optimal results is from about 110 degrees to about 120 degrees. However, in an alternate embodiment, but with less optimal results, the cut of the fabric, with regard to the wale, may be at substantially zero degree--referred to as being on the straight. The above-noted cut at an angle of for example at 115 degrees is termed as on the bias, also with regard to the wale of the fabric. There of course may be accepted very minor variations off of the straight, above-referred to, plus or minus.
Preferably there is included a reinforcing tape extending over the seam lines of the third seam and of the fourth seam, seamed thereto. This obviates undue stretching which could ultimately lead to a sagging crotch area with an accompanying loss of antichafe benefits.
Also, preferably as above-noted, the third and fourth concavely-shaped arcuate edges are of greater lengths than the first and second concavely-shaped arcuate edges, thereby providing for greater fullness in the rear panels allowing for buttocks room and thereby further avoiding binding in the crotch by greater room for flexibility when worn.
As previously noted, there is another embodiment in which there are bilaterally merely two basic panel, of which each includes front and rear panel portions; in essence, as compared to the above-described preferred embodiments, the preferred embodiments front first panel's front left upright seam edge and the rear third panel's rear left upright seam edge have been eliminated in this embodiment by being already unified as originally cut from the undergarment fabric; likewise, the preferred embodiment's front second panel's front right upright seam edge and the rear fourth panel's rear right upright seam edge have been eliminated in this embodiment by being already unified as originally cut from the undergarment fabric. Thus, in this less-preferred embodiment, the first panel of this embodiment includes first and third panel portions folded-over in semicircular form with the third panel portion located substantially behind the first panel portion; likewise, the second panel includes second and fourth panel portions folded-over in semicircular form with the fourth panel portion located substantially behind the second panel portion. The first and second panels are mirror-images of each other in shape. The first and second panel portions are front panel portions, and the third and fourth panel portions are rear panel portions. The front first panel portion and the rear third panel portion respectively each have a front right and a rear right upright edge respectively. The front second panel portion and the rear fourth panel portion respectively have a front left and a rear left upright seam edge respectively. The front first panel portion and the rear third panel portion each have first and second concavely-shaped arcuate edges extending between an upper portion of said front right upright edge and said top of said front first panel portion, and extending between an upper portion of said rear right upright edge and the top of the rear third panel portion respectively; and the front second panel portion and the rear fourth panel portion have third and fourth concavely-shaped arcuate edges extending between an upper portion of the front left upright edge and the top of the front second panel portion, and extending between an upper portion of the rear left upright edge and the top of the rear fourth panel portion. Each of the first, second, third and fourth concavely-shaped arcuate edges are joined together at a lower end of each thereof, and the front first panel portion's right edge and the third panel portion's rear right edge are seamed together along their lengths as a first seam. Likewise, the front second panel portion's front left edge and the rear fourth panel portion's rear left edge are seamed together along their lengths as a second seam. The first and third concavely-shaped arcuate edges are seamed together along their lengths as a third seam, and the second and fourth concavely-shaped arcuate edges are seamed together along their lengths as a fourth seam.
For all embodiments, it is important that the panels, or panel portions, as the case may be, to be a full flared skirt in order to get preferred antichafe maximal benefits. Thus, for the bilateral two panel embodiment having each with front and rear panel portions, the widths of the respective panels and panel portions thereof are sufficiently larger at the bottom than at the top, that a full flared skirt exists preferably, thereby providing a fullness of drape when worn by the wearer.
Likewise, for the four-panel preferred embodiment, the widths of the first, second, third and fourth panels respectively are sufficiently larger at the bottom than at the top thereof, that a full flared skirt exists preferably, thereby providing a fullness of drape when worn by the wearer.
THE FIGURES
FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C all represent and illustrate graphically and diagrammatically a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1A illustrates a front perspective view of the preferred antichafe lower undergarment for women, with cut-away.
FIG. 1B illustrates a side perspective view of the preferred antichafe lower undergarment for women.
FIG. 1C illustrates a rear perspective view of the preferred antichafe lower undergarment for women.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view as taken along line 2--2 and 2'--2', of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the antichafe lower undergarment of FIG. 1, into its separate panels and other elements, in a front view thereof somewhat in perspective view.
FIG. 1B', FIG. 1C' and FIG. 3' correspond to the types of illustrations of FIGS. 1B, 1C and 3, except that for FIGS. 1B', 1C' and 3' there is illustrated a less-preferred embodiment having solely two basic bilateral panels each of which has front and rear panel portions.
Accordingly, FIG. 1B' illustrates a side perspective view of this embodiment, FIG. 1C' illustrates a rear perspective view of this embodiment, and FIG. 3' illustrates an exploded view of this embodiment, in a front view thereof somewhat in perspective view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The antichafe lower endergarment for women of this invention is made of a stretchable, smooth, slip-type fabric and has a configuration that allows a close fit around the waist with sufficient elasticity so that no bulky zipper closure is required for the garment to be easily slipped on or off, a convenience for sanitary purposes. It provides the wearer with a continuous comfortable waist and hip fit regardless of considerable variation in daily waist measurements, or in an increase or decrease of overall weight of several pounds. It is particualarly suited to, but not limited to, the woman with a full figure, the panels of which drape from the form-fitting waist in a flared manner that is flattering to the female figure.
The present garment as constructed makes efficient use of material and requires a minimum number of seams, thus reducing cost of materials and labor in construction, and making it thus economical to produce in quantity, i.e. on a large scale of production.
To keep the garment from stretching downward, particularly when the panels are cut on the bias, the above-noted reinforcing tape is included preferably in the seams of the front and back arcuate edges. The inner leg edges will normally stretch downwardly slightly and this is sufficiently overcome by shortening the hemline at the inner leg seam so that it will stretch down to conform to the rest of the hem after wearing.
By reason of the design and structure, this garment has a number of advantages in providing a waist that fits with only sufficient stretch to allow for ease in putting on or removing the garment without adding bulk at the waist to thicken the body, and in achieving wide leg openings for the admission of air.
It will be noted that the lower edges of all panels are curved, this being conventional.
In preferred embodiments, the top of the front panels are slightly wider than one-quarter of the wearer's body circumference.
The width at the lower edge of respective panels or panel portions may vary, but to obtain typical preferred fullness, is a length dimension of about three times the width at the top of those panels or panel portions.
As previously set-forth, the fabric of the present invention must be knit in nature and must be of the type fabric herein referred to as undergarment knit fabric. In order to further understand the exact nature of what, for purposes of this present invention, is intended to be included by that terminology--which is characteristic of the trade, some general discussion is herein given, as follows.
Different yarn size nomenclature is used by different spinning systems to designate the fineness or coarsness of yarn spun under the particular spinning system. For example, the size of yarn spun on the woolen system is called "run." The size of synthetic yarn is generally designated by the term denier which means the number of unit weights of 0.05 grams per 450-meter length (i.e., 1600 yards per lb.(pound), for example).
The straight or lengthwise yarn of the fabric also has different names. In woven fabric, the straight is called "warp" and the cross yarn is called "weft". In warp knitted fabrics, the lengthwise yarn is called "wale" and the horizontal yarn is "course."
In synthetics, a 20 weight denier yarn is a fine yarn, 30 denier is heavier and 40 is still heavier, i.e., the higher the number, the coarser the yarn. Frequently, one denier is used for the wale and a different denier is used for the course. Wale and course are often expressed as a fraction, the upper number of which represents the wale and the lower number, the course.
There are many other factors in production that affect the feel and texture of the fabric. For example, there is a fabric in which the inventor is interested of 30/20 denier which is shrunk in the process of manufacturing, and the fabric becomes heavier per square yard than other fabrics of the same denier not treated in this manner.
Fabric finer than 20/20 is found to be too light and to thin to perform sufficiently well or optimally for the present invention; and above 40/40 is found to be too heavy for utilization of a slip, and thus for the combined-half-slip of the present invention. Thus, the undergarment knit fabric as defined for the present invention is at least as heavy as 20/20 and not more than weight of about 40/40. A preferred denier is 40/20 with a yield of 7 square yards per pound of yarn, thus noting that while over 40/40 is too heavy weight, other combinations of "40" result in lighter and acceptable fabric. Likewise, while below 20/20 is too light weight, other combinations thereof are utilizable. The prefered above-noted 40/20 fabric represents non-shrunk fabric. The previously-noted shrunken fabric of 30/20 yields 5.40 square yards per pound. The undergarment knit fabric includes these bounds.
Light weight dress fabric (not underware) is made of about 70 denier with a 2.91 square yard per pound yield; in contrast, garments such as slacks or other such outer garments would be made of about 70 to 150 denier with varying lesser yields. Accordingly, such fabrics are not in the same category and do not overlap with the bounds above-noted of the undergarment knit fabric of the present invention, and such other fabrics would not have the novel antichafe utility of the antichafe lower undergarment for women, of the construction of the present invention.
Purely for informational purposes, it may be helpful to reiterate here, that "true" bias of fabric is a line at a 45 degree angle to the lengthwise or wale of the fabric. The term "bias" is also used for a diagonal line even though it is less or greater than 45 degrees angle to the wale, and it is in this latter sense that the term "bias" has been used in this disclosure.
Again, for informational purposes, the classical definition of denier is--a weight-per-unit length measure of any linear material. Officially, it is the number of unit weights of 0.05 grams per 450-meter length. This is numerically equal to weight in grams of 9,000 meters of the material. Denier is a direct numbering system in which the low numbers represent the finer sizes and the higher numbers represent the coarser sizes. In the U.S., the denier system has to some extent been replaced by the tex system.
With further reference to the illustrated embodiments, the FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, and 3 represent one preferred embodiment of the antichafe lower undergarment 4, whereas the FIGS. 1B', 1C' and 3' represent an alternate less-preferred embodiment.
However, the functional parts of both above-noted embodiments are substantially identical and accordingly numeral and indicia representing one embodiment are likewise utilized to illustrate the other except for the placing of a "prime" with the number of the embodiment of FIGS. 1B', 1C' and 3', such as 5a' for this embodiment as compared to 5a for the embodiment of FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 2 and 3, for example. Accordingly, for the elements and functions described with regard to the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 2 and 3, description is not hereinafter repeated for the FIGS. 1B', 1C' and 3' because to do so would be redundant.
Thus, with regard to the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 2 and 3, the description is as follows.
There is shown an antichafe lower undergarment 4 which is a composit of basically four separate panels. Those panels are panels 5b (front first panel), 5a (front second panel), 6b (rear third panel), and 6a (rear fourth panel). The panel 5b has a first right upright seam edge extending between the points 12b and 15b. The panel 6b likewise has a first right upright seam edge extending between points 12d and 16b. The panel 5b has a first left upright seam edge extending between points 22a and 17b; likewise the panel 6b has a first left upright seam edge extending between points 22b and 18b. In corresponding manner, the panel 5a has a second left upright seam edge extending between points 12a dna 15a, and has a second right upright seam edge extending between points 21a and 17a; likewise, the panel 6a has a second left upright seam edge extending between points 12c and 16a and a second right upright seam edge extending between points 22a and 18a. The panels 5b and 6b respectively have concavely-shaped arcuate edges 30b and 29b respectively, and panels 5a and 6a respectively have concavely-shaped arcuate edges 30a and 29a respectively. When sewn into an assembled composite, the unification seam between front first right upright seam edge and rear first right upright seam edge becomes a first seam 13b. Unification seam between the front second left upright seam edge and rear second left upright seam edge becomes a second seam 13a. Unification seam between 30b and 30a edges becomes a third seam 8. Unification seam between edges 29b and 29a becomes a fourth seam 9. Unification between front first left upright seam edge and rear first left upright seam edge becomes a fifth seam 11, and unification between front second right upright seam edge and rear second right upright seam edge becomes a seam 10. Each of points 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d are brought together and joined as shown in FIG. 2.
The top of the center lines seam 8 (the third seam 8) and seam 9 (the fourth seam 9) constitutes the beginning points for each of the center lines of the four panels, which centerline is for purposes of illustration as an imaginary line illustrates solely for the panel 5b, as centerline 26. It is between this centerline 26 and the wale (fabric wale line) line 25 that the angle 24 of cut, off the bias is illustrated.
Mounted in the top of the stitched garment as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B and 1C, there is an annularly-stitched elastic band 7.
Extending between the top centerline point at the top of the fourth seam, to the top centerline point at the top of the third seam, there is mounted (such as being sewn) the reinforcement tape 14.
As seen in the illustrated embodiments, each of the panels 5b, 5a, 6b, and 6a are fabric cut as panels of elongated shap from top to bottom; in effect, the same is true for the panel portions 5b', 5a', 6b' and 6a' of the FIGS. 1B' and 1C' and 3' embodiment.
For purposes of facilitating understanding as to which edges are brought together in the FIG. 3 illustration to result in the undergarment of FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, there are shown in the FIG. 3 connection-lines such as 33a, 33c, 32a, 32b, 33b, 33d, and the like (not all lines are numbered, but illustrate the points that are brought together in assemblage before seaming).
While such is purely ornamental, there is illustrated also the conventional bottom lace 31.
It will be seen in the FIGS. 1B' and 1C' and 3' that for that embodiment, there are no side-seams, and that the front panel portions and rear panel portions for each of the mirror image bilateral two panels, and that instead of side seams, the front and rear panel portions for each bilateral panel are unitary, i.e. unitaryily the front and rear panel portions are cut simultaneously as a unitary part of a common fabric undivided between those portions. Otherwise, this embodiment is the same as the preferred embodiment, except that in this embodiment the wale and cut relative thereto for either the front or the rear panel portions would differ considerably from the cut off of the bias of the other panel portion thereof. Normally the preferred off the bias angle of cut would apply to the front panel portion and there would be a shorter top-to-bottom length cut for the rear panel portions in order to allow for and compensate for immediate and future stretch of the undergarment knit fabric.
It is within the spirit and scope of the invention to make such variations and substitution of equivalents as would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in this art.
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In a preferred embodiment, a novel undergarment combining advantages of panties and a half-slip, constructed with a narrow crotch width between inner panel sections that become positioned between the legs, formed by seaming-together of precut panels of undergarment knit fabric of which left and right panels are mirror-images of each other, and forward and rearward portions being also substantially similar in shape except for rear additional fullness.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to optical waveguide sensors, and more particularly to a fiber Bragg grating optical waveguide sensors that dynamically senses strain induced by a stimuli acting upon a transduction mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is an optical element that is formed by a photo-induced periodic modulation of the refractive index of an optical waveguide's core. An FBG element is highly reflective to light having wavelengths within a narrow bandwidth that is centered at a wavelength that is referred to as the Bragg wavelength. Other wavelengths pass through the FBG without reflection. The Bragg wavelength itself is dependent on physical parameters, such as temperature and strain, that impact on the refractive index. Therefore, FBG elements can be used as sensors to measure such parameters. After proper calibration, the Bragg wavelength acts is an absolute measure of the physical parameters.
One way of using fiber Bragg grating elements as sensors is to apply strain from an elastic structure (e.g., a diaphragm, bellows, etc.) to a fiber Bragg grating element. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,702, issued Jan. 25, 2000, entitled “High Sensitivity Fiber Optic Pressure Sensor for Use in Harsh Environments” by inventor Robert J. Maron discloses an optical waveguide sensor in which a compressible bellows is attached to an optical waveguide at one location while a rigid structure is attached at another. A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is embedded within the optical waveguide between the compressible bellows and the rigid structure. When an external pressure change compresses the bellows the tension on the fiber Bragg grating is changed, which changes the Bragg wavelength.
Another example of using fiber Bragg grating elements as pressure sensors is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,084, issued Jul. 23, 2002, entitled “Bragg Grating Pressure Sensor” by Fernald, et al. That patent discloses optical waveguide sensors in which external pressure longitudinally compresses an optical waveguide having one or more fiber Bragg grating. The optical waveguide can be formed into a “dog bone” shape that includes a fiber Bragg grating and that can be formed under tension or compression to tailor the pressure sensing characteristics of the fiber Bragg grating. Another fiber Bragg grating outside of the narrow portion of the dog bone can provide for temperature compensation.
While the foregoing pressure sensing techniques are beneficial, those techniques may not be suitable for all applications. Therefore, fiber Bragg grating techniques suitable for dynamically sensing varying parameters such as pressure and strain would be useful. Also useful would be fiber Bragg grating techniques that provide for both static and dynamic measurements of parameters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Embodiment of the present invention generally provides for optical waveguide measurement techniques that are suitable for sensing dynamically varying physical parameters such as pressure and strain. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention also provide for both static and dynamic measurements of physical parameters.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, more particular descriptions of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. 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.
FIG. 1 illustrates an optical waveguide sensor having a sequence of sensors disposed along the optical waveguide;
FIG. 2 illustrates a dog bone pressure sensor having both a fiber Bragg grating pressure sensor and a fiber Bragg grating temperature sensor;
FIG. 3 illustrates a swept frequency optical waveguide measurement system that can be used for both dynamic and static measurements;
FIG. 4 schematically illustrates parking a narrow line width laser on the slope of a fiber Bragg grating; and
FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an optical waveguide AC strain measurement system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention provides for optical waveguide measurement systems that are suitable for sensing dynamically varying physical parameters such as pressure and strain. Some embodiments of the present invention enable both static and dynamic measurements of physical parameters. Embodiments of the present invention are suitable for use in harsh environments as found in oil and/or gas wells, engines, combustion chambers, etc.
FIG. 1 illustrates an optical waveguide sensor system 100 having a sequence of sensors 102 disposed along an optical waveguide 104 . Each sensor 102 includes at least one fiber Bragg grating 106 . Depending on the application and the specific configuration, the sensor system 100 can be operated in various ways. For example, a tunable light source 108 , such as a tunable laser or a broadband light source mated with a tunable filter, can inject light that is swept over a bandwidth into a coupler 110 . The coupler 110 passes the light onto the optical waveguide 104 . Reflections at the Bragg wavelengths of the various fiber Brag gratings 106 occur. The coupler 110 passes those reflections into a receiver 112 . The fiber Bragg gratings 106 are disposed such that the Bragg wavelengths depend on a physical parameter of interest. The output of the receiver 112 is passed to an analyzer 114 that determines from the Bragg wavelengths a measurement of the physical parameter of interest sensed by the sensors 102 . Alternatively, if each sensor in a string has a different wavelength, then a broadband light source without a tunable filter can be used as a signal can still be received from each sensor at the receiver 112 .
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary sensor 102 that is suitable for measuring parameters such as pressure and strain. The optical waveguide 104 includes a narrow core 202 that passes through a relatively thick cladding layer 204 . That cladding layer is thinned around the fiber Bragg grating 106 to form a narrow section that includes the fiber Bragg grating 106 . Around the narrow section is a shell 206 that is integrally mated with the cladding layer 204 . To adjust the characteristics of the resulting sensor 102 , when the shell 206 is mated with the cladding layer 204 the optical waveguide 104 could be under tension, under a slight compression (a large compression would tend to buckle the narrow section), or, more typically, unbiased. The result is a fiber Bragg grating having a particular Bragg wavelength. When external pressure or strain is applied to the shell 206 , longitudinal tension or compression occurs and the Bragg wavelength changes. A second fiber Bragg grating 212 outside of the narrow section can be included to provide a reference inside of the shell 206 for temperature compensation.
FIG. 3 illustrates a tunable laser method of using optical sensors 102 to provide dynamic (AC) measurements. In that method, a tunable laser 302 produces a narrow line width laser pulse 304 that is coupled by a coupler 110 into an optical waveguide 104 having at least one optical sensor 102 . The wavelength of the narrow line width laser pulse 304 is swept through a wavelength band that includes the Bragg wavelength of the fiber Bragg grating 106 in the optical sensor 102 . The shape function 306 of the fiber Bragg grating 106 , that is, its amplitude (Y-axis) verses wavelength (X-axis) characteristics, is determined by a high frequency receiver 112 and an analyzer 114 . Referring now to FIG. 4 , a particular power level, say the 3 dB point down from the peak 402 , is selected by the analyzer. Then, the analyzer sets the wavelength of the tunable laser 302 to the wavelength 404 that corresponds to the selected power level. Thus, the wavelength of the tunable laser 302 is set at a specific wavelength that is on the shape function 306 . Then the intensity of the reflected light is monitored. Variations in the intensity correspond to dynamic pressure changes impressed on the optical sensor 102 . The high frequency receiver 112 and the analyzer 114 can provide wavelength and amplitude information from the variations in intensity.
The foregoing method illustrated with the assistance of FIGS. 3 and 4 can also provide static pressure measurements. Since the position of the shape function 306 with respect to wavelength (shown in X-axis) depends on static pressure, the analyzer 114 can determine static pressure based on the wavelength position 409 of the peak 410 fiber Bragg grating reflection. It should be understood that while FIGS. 3 and 4 only illustrate one optical sensor 102 the optical waveguide 104 could have numerous optical sensors 102 .
In addition to providing dynamic pressure measurements, the principles of the present invention also provide for determining dynamic (AC) strain. One technique of doing this is illustrated in FIG. 5 . As shown, a light source 500 launches light into port 1 of a 4 port circulator 502 . That light is emitted from port 2 of the circulator 502 into an optical waveguide 104 . That waveguide includes a sensor 503 that is comprised of two fiber Bragg gratings, 504 and 506 . The gratings 504 and 506 , which have different Bragg wavelengths λ 1 and λ 2 , respectively, are separated by a long period grating 508 that is in a strain sensing field. When the light reaches gratings 504 and 506 those gratings reflect the Bragg wavelengths λ 1 and λ 2 , respectively. However, there is a strain induced loss within the long period grating 508 . Since λ 1 is reflected by grating 504 it signal is not attenuated by the long period grating 508 , and thus the power of wavelength λ 1 can act as a reference power. However, the power of λ 2 depends on the loss within the long period grating 508 , which in turn depends on the applied strain. Thus the ratio of the powers of λ 1 and λ 2 is a measure of strain on the long period grating. The long period grating 508 can also be disposed to measure strain due to applied pressure or some other stimuli.
Still referring to FIG. 5 , the reflected light λ 1 and λ 2 on the optical waveguide 104 enters the circulator 502 . Wavelength λ 2 passes through a wavelength filter 510 , but wavelength λ 1 is reflected. The passed wavelength λ 2 is received and amplified by a first receiver 514 . The output of receiver 514 is passed to an analyzer 516 . Meanwhile, λ 1 is output from port 4 of the circulator 502 . The wavelength λ 1 is received and amplified by a second receiver 518 . The output of the second receiver 518 is applied to the analyzer 516 . The analyzer 516 compares the ratio of the reflected wavelengths and determines the dynamic (AC) strain applied to the long period grating 508 .
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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Methods and apparatuses that sense physical parameters, such as pressure and strain, using optical waveguide sensors are described. A light source emits light at a predetermined wavelength along an optical waveguide having a fiber Bragg grating optical sensing element. That sensing element reflects light in accord with a sloped shape function of reflected light amplitude verses wavelength. A receiver converts the reflected light into electrical signals and an analyzer then determines a physical parameter based on changes of amplitude of the reflected light. The analyzer also maintains the wavelength of the light such that the wavelength corresponds to a slope wavelength of the shape function.
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PRIORITY TO RELATED APPLICATION(s)
This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 07110846.8, filed Jun. 22, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Receptors for the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), are divided into two main classes: (1) GABA A receptors, which are members of the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily and (2) GABA B receptors, which are members of the G-protein linked receptor family. The GABA A receptor complex which is a membrane-bound heteropentameric protein polymer is composed principally of α, β and γ subunits.
Presently a total number of 21 subunits of the GABA A receptor have been cloned and sequenced. Three types of subunits (α, β and γ) are required for the construction of recombinant GABA A receptors which most closely mimic the biochemical, electrophysiological and pharmacological functions of native GABA A receptors obtained from mammalian brain cells. There is strong evidence that the benzodiazepine binding site lies between the α and γ subunits. Among the recombinant GABA A receptors, α1β2γ2 mimics many effects of the classical type-I BzR subtypes, whereas α2β2γ2, α3β2γ2 and α5β2γ2 ion channels are termed type-II BzR.
It has been shown by McNamara and Skelton in Psychobiology, 21:101-108 that the benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonist β-CCM enhance spatial learning in the Morris watermaze. However, β-CCM and other conventional benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonists are proconvulsant or convulsant which prevents their use as cognition enhancing agents in humans. In addition, these compounds are non-selective within the GABA A receptor subunits, whereas a GABA A α5 receptor partial or full inverse agonist which is relatively free of activity at GABA A α1 and/or α2 and/or α3 receptor binding sites can be used to provide a medicament which is useful for enhancing cognition with reduced or without proconvulsant activity. It is also possible to use GABA A α5 inverse agonists which are not free of activity at GABA A α1 and/or α2 and/or α3 receptor binding sites but which are functionally selective for α5 containing subunits. However, inverse agonists which are selective for GABA A α5 subunits and are relatively free of activity at GABA A α1, α2 and α3 receptor binding sites are preferred.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides isoxazole-imidazole derivatives having affinity and selectivity for GABA A α5 receptor binding site, their manufacture, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and methods of enhancing cognition or of treating cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease with them.
In particular, the present invention provides aryl-isoxazol-4-yl-imidazole derivatives of formula I
wherein
R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen, halogen, or C 1-7 -haloalkoxy; R 3 is phenyl or 6-membered heteroaryl, each of which is optionally substituted by one or more
halogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, optionally substituted with halo, hydroxy or cyano, C 1-7 -alkoxy, —S(O) m —C 1-7 -alkyl, wherein m is 0, 1 or 2, cyano, nitro, —C(O)R a , wherein R a is
C 1-7 -alkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, hydroxy, —(CH 2 ) n —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, —(CH 2 ) n -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl), optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —O(CH 2 ) n —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl,
—NC(O)C 1-7 -alkyl, —NC(O)OC 1-7 -alkyl, —C(O)NR b R c , wherein R b and R c are independently
hydrogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, —(CH 2 ) p -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl), optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —(CH 2 ) p -(5- or 6-membered heteroaryl) or —(CH 2 ) r -phenyl, each optionally substituted by halo, C 1-4 -alkyl, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, cyano or nitro, —(CH 2 ) q —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, C 1-7 -alkynyl, or R b and R c together with the nitrogen to which they are bound form a 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, optionally containing one additional ring heteroatom selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, wherein the 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl is optionally substituted by one or more C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo;
n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; p is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; q is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; and r is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
The most preferred indication in accordance with the present invention is Alzheimer's disease.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following definitions of the general terms used in the present description apply irrespective of whether the terms in question appear alone or in combination.
As used herein, the term “alkyl” denotes a saturated straight- or branched-chain hydrocarbon group containing from 1 to 7 carbon atoms, for example, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, iso-butyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl and the like. Preferred alkyl groups are groups with 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
The terms “halo-C 1-7 -alkyl”, “C 1-7 -haloalkyl” and “C 1-7 -alkyl optionally substituted with halo” each denotes a C 1-7 -alkyl group as defined above wherein at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the alkyl group is replaced by a halogen atom, preferably fluoro or chloro, most preferably fluoro. Examples of halo-C 1-7 -alkyl include but are not limited to methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl or n-hexyl substituted by one or more Cl, F, Br or I atom(s), in particular one, two or three fluoro or chloro, as well as those groups specifically illustrated by the examples herein below. Among the preferred halo-C 1-7 -alkyl groups are difluoro- or trifluoro-methyl or -ethyl.
The terms “hydroxy-C 1-7 -alkyl”, “C 1-7 -hydroxyalkyl” and “C 1-7 -alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy” each denotes a C 1-7 -alkyl group as defined above wherein at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the alkyl group is replaced by a hydroxy group. Examples of hydroxy-C 1-7 -alkyl include but are not limited to methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl or n-hexyl substituted by one or more hydroxy group(s), in particular with one, two or three hydroxy groups, preferably with one hydroxy group, as well as those groups specifically illustrated by the examples herein below.
The terms “cyano-C 1-7 -alkyl”, “C 1-7 -cyanoalkyl” and “C 1-7 -alkyl optionally substituted with cyano” each denotes a C 1-7 -alkyl group as defined above wherein at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the alkyl group is replaced by a cyano group. Examples of hydroxy-C 1-7 -alkyl include but are not limited to methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl or n-hexyl substituted by one or more cyano group(s), preferably by one, two or three, and more preferably by one cyano group, as well as those groups specifically illustrated by the examples herein below.
The term “alkoxy” denotes a group —O—R′ wherein R′ is alkyl as defined above.
The term “halo” or “halogen” denotes chloro, iodo, fluoro and bromo.
The terms “C 1-7 -haloalkoxy” and “halo-C 1-7 -alkoxy” each denotes a C 1-7 -alkoxy group as defined above wherein at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the alkoxy group is replaced by a halogen atom, preferably fluoro or chloro, most preferably fluoro. Examples of halo-C 1-7 -alkoxy include but are not limited to methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl or n-hexyl substituted by one or more Cl, F, Br or I atom(s), in particular one, two or three fluoro or chloro atoms, as well as those groups specifically illustrated by the examples herein below. Among the preferred halo-C 1-7 -alkoxy groups are difluoro- or trifluoro-methoxy or -ethoxy substituted as described above, preferably —OCF 3 .
The term “aromatic” means the presence of an electron sextet in a ring, according to Hückel's rule.
The term “cycloalkyl” refers to a monovalent saturated cyclic hydrocarbon radical of 3 to 7 ring carbon atoms, preferably 3 to 6 carbon atoms, such as cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl, or cyclohexyl. Even more preferred is cyclopropyl.
The term “heterocycloalkyl” refers to a monovalent 3 to 7 membered saturated ring containing one, two or three ring heteroatoms selected from N, O and S. One or two ring heteroatoms are preferred. Preferred are 5 to 6 membered heterocycloalkyl, even more preferred are 6-membered heterocycloalkyl rings, each containing one or two ring heteroatoms selected from N, O and S. Examples for heterocycloclakyl moieties are tetrahydrofuranyl, tetrahydropyranyl, pyrrolidinyl, morpholinyl, thiomorpholinyl, piperidinyl, or piperazinyl. Preferred heterocycloalkyl moieties are tetrahydropyran-4-yl, morpholinyl, and thiomorpholinyl. Heterocycloalkyl is optionally substituted as described herein. As an example, thiomorpholinyl-1,1-dioxide may be mentioned.
The term “heteroaryl” refers to a monovalent aromatic 5- or 6-membered monocyclic ring containing one, two, or three ring heteroatoms selected from N, O, and S, the remaining ring atoms being C. Preferably, the 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl ring contains one or two ring heteroatoms. 6-membered heteroaryl are preferred. Examples for heteroaryl moieties include but are not limited to pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, or pyrazinyl.
The term “oxo” when referring to substituents on heterocycloalkyl means that an oxygen atom is attached to the heterocycloalkyl ring. Thereby, the “oxo” may either replace two hydrogen atoms on a carbon atom, or it may simply be attached to sulfur, so that the sulfur exists in oxidized form, i.e. bearing one or two oxygens.
When indicating the number of substituents, the term “one or more” means from one substituent to the highest possible number of substitution, i.e. replacement of one hydrogen up to replacement of all hydrogens by substituents. Thereby, one, two or three substituents are preferred. Even more preferred are one or two substituents or one substituent.
“Pharmaceutically acceptable,” such as pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, excipient, etc., means pharmacologically acceptable and substantially non-toxic to the subject to which the particular compound is administered.
The term “pharmaceutically acceptable salt” or “pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt” embraces salts with inorganic and organic acids, such as hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, formic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, methane-sulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid and the like.
“Therapeutically effective amount” means an amount that is effective to prevent, alleviate or ameliorate symptoms of disease or prolong the survival of the subject being treated.
In general, the nomenclature used in this Application is based on AUTONOM™ v.4.0, a Beilstein Institute computerized system for the generation of IUPAC systematic nomenclature.
In detail, the present invention provides compounds of the general formula (I)
wherein
R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen, halogen, or C 1-7 -haloalkoxy; R 3 is phenyl or 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl, each of which is optionally substituted by one or more
halogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, optionally substituted with halo, hydroxy or cyano, C 1-7 -alkoxy, —S(O) m —C 1-7 -alkyl, wherein m is 0, 1 or 2, cyano, nitro, —C(O)R a , wherein R a is
C 1-7 -alkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, hydroxy, —(CH 2 ) n —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, —(CH 2 ) n -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl), optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —O—(CH 2 ) n —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl,
—NC(O)C 1-7 -alkyl, —NC(O)OC 1-7 -alkyl, —C(O)NR b R c , wherein R b and R c are independently
hydrogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, —(CH 2 ) p -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl), optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —(CH 2 ) p -(5- or 6-membered heteroaryl) or —(CH 2 ) r -phenyl, each optionally substituted by halo, C 1-4 -alkyl, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, cyano or nitro, —(CH 2 ) q —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, C 1-7 -alkynyl, or R b and R c together with the nitrogen to which they are bound form a 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, optionally containing one additional ring heteroatom selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, wherein the 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl is optionally substituted by one or more C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo;
n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; p is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; q is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; and r is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
The compounds of formula I can contain asymmetric carbon atoms. Accordingly, the present invention includes all stereoisomeric forms of the compounds of formula I, including each of the individual enantiomers and mixtures thereof, i.e. their individual optical isomers and mixtures thereof.
The variables p and q are preferably 0 or 1, more preferable p is 0 and q is 1 or 0.
The terms —(CH 2 ) n —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl and —(CH 2 ) q —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl mean that a C 3-7 -cycloalkyl moiety is attached via a —(CH 2 ) n — or —(CH 2 ) q -linker, wherein n and q are 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4.
The terms —(CH 2 ) n -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl) and —(CH 2 ) p -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl) mean that a 3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl ring is attached via a —(CH 2 ) n — or —(CH 2 ) p -linker, wherein n and p are 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4. In case —(CH 2 ) n -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl) and —(CH 2 ) p -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl) are indicated to be optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, this means that the optional substituents are attached to the 3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl ring. The number of optional substituents is hereby one, two or three, preferably one or two.
The term —(CH 2 ) p -(5- or 6-membered heteroaryl) means that a 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl moiety is attached via a —(CH 2 ) p -linker, wherein p is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4. In case —(CH 2 ) p -(5- or 6-membered heteroaryl) are indicated to be optionally substituted by halo, C 1-4 -alkyl, C 1-7 haloalkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, cyano or nitro, this means that the optional substituents are attached to the 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl ring. The number of optional substituents is hereby one, two or three, preferably one or two.
In all embodiments, the attachment point of the 3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl is preferably a carbon atom for p or n being 0, and a carbon or nitrogen atom for p or n being >0, i.e. p or n being 1, 2, 3, or 4.
In certain embodiments, R 1 and R 2 are as described above, namely each independently hydrogen, halogen, or C 1-7 -haloalkoxy.
In further embodiments, R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen, halogen or OCF 3 . In preferred embodiments, R 1 and R 2 are hydrogen or halogen. In further embodiments, R 1 is hydrogen, fluoro or chloro, and R 2 is hydrogen or fluoro.
R 3 is phenyl or 6-membered heteroaryl, optionally substituted as described herein. Preferably, R 3 is phenyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, or pyrazinyl, for instance phenyl, pyrimidin-2-yl, pyridine-2-yl, or pyrazin-2-yl, all of them optionally substituted as described herein.
The aromatic ring of R 3 is optionally substituted by one or more substituents, preferred are one, two or three optional substituents, more preferred are one or two optional substituents or one optional substituent. In cases of one optional substituent on phenyl or 6-membered heteroaryl, substitution at the para-position is preferred.
In certain embodiments, the optional substituents for the aromatic ring of R 3 are as described above. Preferable optional substituents are
halogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, optionally substituted with halo, hydroxy or cyano, C 1-7 -alkoxy, cyano, nitro, —C(O)R a , wherein R a is
C 1-7 -alkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, hydroxy,
—C(O)NR b R c , wherein R b and R c are independently
hydrogen, 3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —(CH 2 ) q —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, wherein q is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, preferably 0 or 1, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, or R b and R c together with the nitrogen to which they are bound form a 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, optionally containing one additional ring heteroatom selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, wherein the 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl is optionally substituted by one or more C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo.
An example for a 3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl residue is tetrahydropyran-4-yl.
Examples for a 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl built from R b and R c including the nitrogen to which they are attached are morpholinyl, thiomorpholinyl, and thiomorpholinyl-1,1-dioxide.
Preferred examples with R 3 being optionally substituted phenyl are
3-phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, 4-[1-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, 1-{4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-phenyl}-ethanone, 3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-4-[1-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-isoxazole, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzonitrile, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester, 4-[1-(4-nitro-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, 3-phenyl-4-(1-p-tolyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, 4-[1-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, N-cyclopropylmethyl-4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzamide, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-benzamide, N-cyclopropyl-4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzamide, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-N-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-benzamide, morpholin-4-yl-{4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-phenyl}-methanone, {4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-phenyl}-thiomorpholin-4-yl-methanone, 1-(4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-ethanone, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4-[1-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-isoxazole, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzonitrile, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid methyl ester, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid, 2-(4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-propan-2-ol, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-[1-(4-nitro-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzamide, N-cyclopropylmethyl-4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzamide, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-benzamide, N-cyclopropyl-4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzamide, (1,1-dioxo-1λ6-thiomorpholin-4-yl)-(4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-methanone, 1-(4-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-ethanone, 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4-[1-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-isoxazole, 4-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzonitrile, and 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-4-[1-(4-nitro-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole.
Preferred examples with R 3 being optionally substituted pyridinyl are
2-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-5-trifluoromethyl-pyridine, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinic acid methyl ester, N-cyclopropylmethyl-6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinamide, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-nicotinamide, N-cyclopropyl-6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinamide, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-N-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-nicotinamide, morpholin-4-yl-{6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyridin-3-yl}-methanone, {6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyridin-3-yl}-thiomorpholin-4-yl-methanone, 1-(6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-ethanone, 6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinonitrile, N-cyclopropylmethyl-6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinamide, 6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-nicotinamide, N-cyclopropyl-6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinamide, 6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-nicotinamide, (1,1-dioxo-1λ6-thiomorpholin-4-yl)-(6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-methanone, 2-(6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-propan-2-ol, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-cyclopropylmethyl-nicotinamide, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-nicotinamide, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-cyclopropyl-nicotinamide, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-nicotinamide, (6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-(1,1-dioxo-1λ6-thiomorpholin-4-yl)-methanone, and N-cyclopropyl-6-{4-[3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinamide.
A preferred example with R 3 being optionally substituted pyrazinyl is
5-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid cyclopropylamide.
A preferred example with R 3 being optionally substituted pyrimidinyl is
2-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyrimidine.
In a certain embodiment of the invention, compounds of formula I are provided
wherein
R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen, or halogen; R 3 is phenyl or 6-membered heteroaryl, each of which is optionally substituted by one or more
halogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, optionally substituted with halo, hydroxy or cyano, C 1-7 -alkoxy, cyano, nitro, —C(O)R a , wherein R a is
C 1-7 -alkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, hydroxy,
—C(O)NR b R c , wherein R b and R c are independently
hydrogen, —(CH 2 ) p -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl), optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —(CH 2 ) q —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, or R b and R c together with the nitrogen to which they are bound form a 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, optionally containing one additional ring heteroatom selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, wherein the 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl is optionally substituted by one or more C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo;
p is 0; and q is 0, or 1;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
The present compounds of formula I and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts can be prepared by a process comprising the steps of:
a) reacting a compound of formula II:
with ethyl trifluoroacetate in a suitable solvent, such as tert-butylmethylether, in the presence of a base, such as sodium methoxide, to give a compound of formula III:
b) reacting the compound of formula III with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in the presence of a suitable base, such as sodium hydroxide, in a suitable solvent, such as ethanol, to give a compound of formula IV:
c) reacting the compound of formula IV with trifluoroacetic acid, to give a compound of formula V:
d) reacting the compound of formula V with a base, such as BuLi and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine in a suitable solvent such as THF followed by carbon dioxide, to give a compound of formula VI:
e) reacting the compound of formula VI with thionyl chloride in a suitable solvent such as toluene in the presence of a catalytic amount of DMF at elevated temperatures, for example 80° C., to give a compound of formula VI:
f) reacting the compound of formula VII with bis(trimethylsilyl) malonate in the presence of magnesium chloride in a suitable solvent, such as acetonitrile, in the presence of a base such as triethylamine, followed be heating in the presence of acid, such as HCl, to give a compound of formula VIII:
g) or alternatively, by reacting the compound of formula V with BuLi in a suitable solvent, such as dimethoxyethane at reduced temperature (−35 to −78° C.) followed by addition of a suspension of copper(I) cyanide and lithium chloride in a suitable solvent, such as THF, followed by the addition of acetyl chloride, to give a compound of formula VIII:
h) reacting the compound of formula VIII with bromine in acetic acid in a suitable solvent, such as chloroform, at elevated temperatures, such as 50° C., to give a compound of formula IX:
i) reacting the compound of formula IX with formamide and water at elevated temperatures, such as 80° C. or 140° C., to give a compound of formula X:
j) reacting the compound of formula IX with DMSO and water, to give a compound of formula XI which is then reacted with 2-hydroxy-2-methoxyacetic acid methyl ester and ammonium acetate in a suitable solvent, such as acetonitrile and water, give a compound of formula XII which is then reacted with a suitable base, such as lithium hydroxide monohydrate, in a suitable solvent, such as THF and water, to give a compound of formula X:
k) reacting the compound of formula X with a range of electrophiles with further derivatisation shown in Schemes 1-8, to give a compound of formula I:
wherein R 1 to R 3 are as described for formula I hereinabove,
and, if desired, converting a compound of formula I into a pharmaceutically acceptable salt.
The following schemes describe the processes for preparation of compounds of formula I in more detail.
In accordance with Scheme 1, compounds of formula I can be prepared following standards methods.
Hence, present invention provides for a process for the preparation of the compound of formula I
comprising the steps of reacting a compound of formula X
(a) with a compound of the formula R 3 —B(OH) 2 , or
(b) with a compound of the formula R 3 —Y, wherein Y is F or Cl,
wherein R 3 is phenyl or 6-membered heteroaryl, each of which is optionally substituted with one or more
halogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, optionally substituted with halo, hydroxy or cyano, C 1-7 -alkoxy, —S(O) m —C 1-7 -alkyl, wherein m is 0, 1 or 2, cyano, nitro, —C(O)R a , wherein R a is
C 1-7 -alkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, hydroxy, —(CH 2 ) n C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, —(CH 2 ) n -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl), optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —O(CH 2 ) n —C 3-7 -cycloalkyl,
—NC(O)C 1-7 -alkyl, —NC(O)OC 1-7 -alkyl,
(c) optionally converting the substituent —C(O)R a , wherein R a is C 1-7 -alkoxy or hydroxy, into a substituent of R 3 represented by
—C(O)NR b R c , wherein R b and R c are independently
hydrogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, —(CH 2 ) p -(3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl), optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —(CH 2 ) p -(5- or 6-membered heteroaryl) or —(CH 2 ) r -phenyl, each optionally substituted by halo, C 1-4 -alkyl, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, cyano or nitro, —(CH 2 ) q C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, C 1-7 -alkynyl, or R b and R c together with the nitrogen to which they are bound form a 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, optionally containing one additional ring heteroatom selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, wherein the 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl is optionally substituted by one or more C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo;
n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; p is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; q is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; r is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; and
(d) optionally converting the compound into a pharmaceutically acceptable salt.
In a certain embodiment, present invention provides for a process for the preparation of the compound of formula I
comprising the steps of reacting a compound of formula X
(a) with a compound of the formula R 3 —B(OH) 2 , or
(b) with a compound of the formula R 3 —Y, wherein Y is F or Cl,
wherein R 3 is phenyl or 6-membered heteroaryl, each of which is optionally substituted with one or more
halogen, C 1-7 -alkyl, optionally substituted with halo, hydroxy or cyano, C 1-7 -alkoxy, cyano, nitro, —C(O)R a , wherein R a is
C 1-7 -alkyl, C 1-7 -alkoxy, hydroxy,
(c) optionally converting the substituent —C(O)R a , wherein R a is C 1-7 -alkoxy or hydroxy, into a substituent of R 3 represented by
—C(O)NR b R c , wherein R b and R c are independently
hydrogen, 3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, optionally substituted by C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo, —(CH 2 ) q C 3-7 -cycloalkyl, wherein q is 0 or 1, C 1-7 -haloalkyl, or R b and R c together with the nitrogen to which they are bound form a 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, optionally containing one additional ring heteroatom selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, wherein the 5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl is optionally substituted by one or more C 1-4 -alkyl, halo, hydroxy, or oxo; and
(d) optionally converting the compound into a pharmaceutically acceptable salt.
Thereby, the schemes 1-8 describes the processes for preparation of compounds of formula I by the reaction of X with a corresponding electrophilic species, such as boronic acids in the presence of a copper source, for example [Cu(OH).TMEDA] 2 Cl 2 (or other systems previously reported and reviewed in Angew. Chem., 2003, 115, 5558) at ambient temperature. In addition preparation of compounds of formula I is preferably carried out by the reaction of X with a range of arylhalides such as electron deficient arylfluorides, arylchlorides and arylbromides in aprotic polar solvents such as DMF or DMSO at elevated temperatures>100° C. preferably in the presence of a base such a potassium carbonate. Aryl in this context means phenyl or 6-membered heteroaryl as described herein.
As mentioned earlier, the compounds of formula I and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts possess valuable pharmacological properties. It has been found that the compounds of the present invention are ligands for GABA A receptors containing the α5 subunit and are therefore useful in the therapy where cognition enhancement is required.
The compounds were investigated in accordance with the test given hereinafter:
Membrane Preparation and Binding Assay
The affinity of compounds at GABA A receptor subtypes was measured by competition for [3H]flumazenil (85 Ci/mmol; Roche) binding to HEK293 cells expressing rat (stably transfected) or human (transiently transfected) receptors of composition α1β3γ2, α2β3γ2, α3β3γ2 and α5β3γ2.
Cell pellets were suspended in Krebs-tris buffer (4.8 mM KCl, 1.2 mM CaCl2, 1.2 mM MgCl 2 , 120 mM NaCl, 15 mM Tris; pH 7.5; binding assay buffer), homogenized by polytron for ca. 20 sec on ice and centrifuged for 60 min at 4° C. (50000 g; Sorvall, rotor: SM24=20000 rpm). The cell pellets were resuspended in Krebs-tris buffer and homogenized by polytron for ca. 15 sec on ice. Protein was measured (Bradford method, Bio-Rad) and aliquots of 1 mL were prepared and stored at −80° C.
Radioligand binding assays were carried out in a volume of 200 mL (96-well plates) which contained 100 mL of cell membranes, [3H]flumazenil at a concentration of 1 nM for α1, α2, α3 subunits and 0.5 nM for α5 subunits and the test compound in the range of 10-10 −3 ×10 −6 M. Nonspecific binding was defined by 10 −5 M diazepam and typically represented less than 5% of the total binding. Assays were incubated to equilibrium for 1 hour at 4° C. and harvested onto GF/C uni-filters (Packard) by filtration using a Packard harvester and washing with ice-cold wash buffer (50 mM Tris; pH 7.5). After drying, filter-retained radioactivity was detected by liquid scintillation counting. Ki values were calculated using Excel-Fit (Microsoft) and are the means of two determinations.
The compounds of the accompanying examples were tested in the above described assay, and the preferred compounds were found to possess a Ki value for displacement of [3H]flumazenil from α5 subunits of the rat GABA A receptor of 100 nM or less. Most preferred are compounds with a Ki (nM)<35. In a preferred embodiment the compounds of the invention are binding selective for the α5 subunit relative to the α1, α2 and α3 subunit.
Example
No.
Ki[nM] hα5
1
53.2
3
12.5
4
39.7
5
41.2
7
19.7
8
84.2
9
46.1
10
23.6
11
17.6
12
11.7
13
41.2
17
31.5
23
91.1
27
22.1
28
76.7
29
28.4
31
17.1
35
87.4
36
17.2
37
32.3
39
4.9
40
4.1
43
38.2
47
58.6
51
8.5
54
73
55
14.1
The present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of the invention, for example compounds of formula I and their pharmaceutically suitable acid addition salts, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Such pharmaceutical compositions can be in the form of tablets, coated tablets, dragées, hard and soft gelatin capsules, solutions, emulsions or suspensions. The pharmaceutical compositions also can be in the form of suppositories or injectable solutions.
The pharmaceutical compounds of the invention, in addition to one or more compounds of the invention, contain a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include pharmaceutically inert, inorganic and organic carriers Lactose, corn starch or derivatives thereof, talc, stearic acid or its salts etc can be used as such excipients e.g. for tablets, dragées and hard gelatin capsules. Suitable excipients for soft gelatin capsules are e.g. vegetable oils, waxes, fats, semisolid and liquid polyols etc. Suitable excipients for the manufacture of solutions and syrups are e.g. water, polyols, saccharose, invert sugar, glucose etc. Suitable excipients for injection solutions are e.g. water, alcohols, polyols, glycerol, vegetable oils etc. Suitable excipients for suppositories are e.g. natural or hardened oils, waxes, fats, semi-liquid or liquid polyols etc.
Moreover, the pharmaceutical compositions can contain preservatives, solubilizers, stabilizers, wetting agents, emulsifiers, sweeteners, colorants, flavorants, salts for varying the osmotic pressure, buffers, masking agents or antioxidants. They can also contain still other therapeutically valuable substances.
The invention also provides a method for preparing compositions of the invention which comprises bringing one or more compounds of formula I and/or pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof and, if desired, one or more other therapeutically valuable substances into a galenical administration form together with one or more therapeutically inert carriers.
The dosage at which compounds of the invention can be administered can vary within wide limits and will, of course, be fitted to the individual requirements in each particular case. In general, in the case of oral administration a daily dosage of about 10 to 1000 mg per person of a compound of general formula I should be appropriate, although the above upper limit can also be exceeded when necessary.
The following examples illustrate the present invention without limiting it. All temperatures are given in degrees Celsius.
EXAMPLE A
Tablets of the following composition can be manufactured in the usual manner:
mg/tablet
Active substance
5
Lactose
45
Corn starch
15
Microcrystalline cellulose
34
Magnesium stearate
1
Tablet weight
100
EXAMPLE B
Capsules of the following composition can be manufactured:
mg/capsule
Active substance
10
Lactose
155
Corn starch
30
Talc
5
Capsule fill weight
200
The active substance, lactose and corn starch can be firstly mixed in a mixer and then in a comminuting machine. The mixture can be returned to the mixer, the talc can be added thereto and mixed thoroughly. The mixture can be filled by machine into hard gelatin capsules.
EXAMPLE C
Suppositories of the following composition can be manufactured:
mg/supp.
Active substance
15
Suppository mass
1285
Total
1300
The suppository mass can be melted in a glass or steel vessel, mixed thoroughly and cooled to 45° C. Thereupon, the finely powdered active substance can be added thereto and stirred until it has dispersed completely. The mixture can be poured into suppository moulds of suitable size, left to cool, the suppositories then can be removed from the moulds and packed individually in wax paper or metal foil.
The following examples 1-55 are provided for illustration of the invention. They should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, but merely as being representative thereof.
EXAMPLE 1
3-Phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
a) 3-Phenyl-5-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)isoxazoline
Prepared according to J. Org. Chem., 1995, 60, 3907. A solution of benzoyltrifluoroacetone (21 g, 97 mmol) was added dropwise over 1 h, at 20-30° C., to a solution of hydroxylamine HCl (6.82 g, 98 mmol) containing sodium hydroxide (2 N, 51 mL, 102 mmol) and the resulting mixture heated under reflux for 45 min. After cooling to room temperature, the mixture was poured into ice-water (500 mL), the precipitate was filtered off, washed with water and dried under vacuum to afford the title compound (20.51 g, 91%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=230.2 [M−H] − .
b) 3-Phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
Prepared according to J. Org. Chem., 1995, 60, 3907. A solution of 3-phenyl-5-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)isoxazoline (20.4 g, 88 mmol) in trifluoroacetic acid (602 g, 404 mL, 5.3 mol) was heated under reflux for 24 h. After cooling to room temperature, the mixture was added carefully to a sodium carbonate solution (3 N, 880 mL) under ice-bath cooling until the reaction mixture was pH 7. The mixture was then extracted with TBME and the combined organic layers dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated. The residue was then evaporated and triturated with water to afford the title compound (17.3 g, 92%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=214.1 [M+H] + .
c) 3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole-4-carboxylic acid
To a solution of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (7.7 g, 9.24 mL, 54 mmol) was in dry THF (62 mL) was added BuLi (1.6 M in hexane, 30.7 mL, 49 mmol) at 0° C. and the resulting mixture stirred at 0° C. for 30 min. Then a solution of 3-phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (8.72 g, 41 mmol) in dry THF (41 mL) was added dropwise at 0° C. and the resulting mixture stirred at 0° C. for 1 h. The mixture was then quenched with carbon dioxide gas and the resulting mixture stirred at 0° C. for 1 h. The mixture was then poured into HCl (1 N) and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate and the combined organic layers dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated to afford the title compound (10.32 g, 98%) which was obtained as a light brown solid. MS: m/e=256.1 [M−H] − .
d) 1-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone
To a suspension of 3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole-4-carboxylic acid (8.92 g, 35 mmol) in toluene (70 mL) was added thionyl chloride (3.8 mL, 52 mmol) and DMF (1 drop) and the resulting mixture heated at 80° C. for 20 h. After cooling to room temperature the mixture was evaporated to give the acid chloride as a dark brown oil (9.65 g). To a solution of magnesium chloride (3.66 g, 39 mmol) in acetonitrile (70 mL) at room temperature was added bis(trimethylsilyl)malonate (9.13 g, 37 mmol) and triethylamine (3.9 g, 5.4 mL, 39 mmol) and after 10 min the mixture was cooled to 0° C. Then a solution of the acid chloride (9.65 g, 35 mmol) in acetonitrile (14 mL) was added dropwise and the resulting mixture stirred at room temperature for 2 h and then HCl (5 N) was added and the mixture heated under reflux for 1 h. After cooling to room temperature, the mixture was poured into water and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate and the combined organic layers dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=0 to 1:1) afforded the title compound (2.88 g, 32%) which was obtained as a light yellow oil. MS (EI): m/e=255.1 [M] + .
Alternatively:
e) 1-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone
To a solution of 3-phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (5.0 g, 23 mmol) in 1,2-dimethoxyethane (50 mL) was added BuLi (1.6 M in hexane, 22 mL, 35 mmol) at −78° C. and the resulting mixture stirred for 1 h allowing to warm up to −35° C. and then re-cooled to −78° C. To this mixture was then rapidly added a solution of copper(I) cyanide (2.1 g, 23 mmol) containing lithium chloride (1.99 g, 47 mmol) in dry THF (30 mL) and then allowed to warm up to −35° C. and then this mixture was added to a solution of acetyl chloride (9.2 g, 8.37 mL, 117 mmol) in dry THF (50 mL) at room temperature. After 4 h at room temperature the mixture was diluted with aqueous sodium carbonate and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate and the combined organic layers washed with brine, dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=100:0 to 4:1) afforded the title compound (4.86 g, 82%) which was obtained as a light yellow oil. MS: m/e 254.2 [M+H] + .
f) 2-Bromo-1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone
To a solution of 1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone (2.88 g, 11 mmol) in chloroform (11 mL) and AcOH (0.6 mL) at 48° C. was added a solution of bromine (0.61 mL, 12 mmol) in chloroform (3.5 mL) over 5 min keeping the temperature below 50° C. After addition the reaction mixture was allowed to cool down to room temperature and poured into ice-water (200 mL). The layers were separated and the aqueous layer extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic layers were then washed with water and brine, dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate: 100:0 to 4:1) afforded the title compound (2.2 g, 59%) which was obtained as a light yellow oil. MS: m/e=334.3/336.4 [M+H] + .
g) 4-(1H-Imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
A suspension of 2-bromo-1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone (1.71 g, 5 mmol) in formamide (5.52 g, 4.88 mL, 123 mmol) and water (0.5 mL, 3.1 mmol) was heated at 80° C. for 16 h. The resulting mixture was then poured into water (5 mL) and neutralised to pH 7 and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic extracts were then made basic with sodium carbonate (1 N, 20 mL) and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic extracts were then dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=6:4 to 0:100) afforded the title compound (375 mg, 26%) which was obtained as brown oil. MS: m/e=280.1 [M+H] + .
Alternatively (Steps h and i):
h) 4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-1H-imidazole-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester
A solution of 2-bromo-1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone (300 mg, 0.9 mmol) in DMSO (2 mL) and water (20 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 4 days. The mixture was then evaporated and purified by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=100:0 to 0:100) afforded the glyoxal intermediate (116 mg, 45%) as a yellow gum which was then dissolved in acetonitrile (4 mL) and 2-hydroxy-2-methoxyacetic acid methyl ester (140 mg, 1.2 mmol) was added. This mixture was then added to a solution of ammonium acetate (88.6 mg, 1.2 mmol) in acetonitrile (1 mL) containing 2-hydroxy-2-methoxyacetic acid methyl ester (50 mg, 0.4 mmol) at 0° C. over 2 min. The resulting mixture was then stirred at 0° C. for 1 h and warmed up to room temperature over 30 min. The mixture was then extracted with ethyl acetate and the combined organic extracts washed with an aqueous saturated sodium hydrogen carbonate solution, brine, dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=6:4 to 0:100) afforded the title compound (55 mg, 43%) which was obtained as an off-white solid. MS: m/e=338.1 [M+H] + .
i) 4-(1H-Imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
To a solution of 4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-1H-imidazole-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.3 mmol) in THF (1 mL) was added a solution of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (24.8 mg, 0.6 mmol) in water (1 mL) and the resulting mixture stirred at room temperature overnight, and then at 50° C. overnight. After cooling to room temperature the mixture was acidified to pH 1 with HCl (25%, 3 drops) and methanol (2 drops) added. The mixture was then heated at 80° C. for 34 h and left at room temperature for 2 days. The mixture was then extracted with ethyl acetate and the combined organic extracts washed with an aqueous saturated sodium hydrogen carbonate solution, brine, dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated to afford the title compound (70 mg, 85%) which was obtained as an off-white solid. MS: m/e 280.1 [M+H] + .
j) 3-Phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
To a mixture of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (90 mg, 0.32 mmol) containing [Cu(OH).TMEDA] 2 Cl 2 (14.95 mg, 0.032 mmol) in dry methanol (5 mL) was added phenylboronic acid (81.0 mg, 0.64 mmol) under an air atmosphere and the resulting mixture stirred at room temperature overnight. After this time, the resulting mixture was diluted with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic extracts were then dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=9:1 to 3:2) afforded the title compound (48 mg, 42%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e 356.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 2
4-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1j, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.36 mmol) was converted, using 4-fluorophenylboronic acid instead of phenylboronic acid, to the title compound (70 mg, 52%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=374.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 3
1-{4-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-phenyl}-ethanone
To a solution of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (70 mg, 0.25 mmol) in DMF (2.5 mL) was added 4-fluoroacetophenone (35 mg, 0.25 mmol) and potassium carbonate (69.1 mg, 0.5 mmol) and the resulting mixture heated at 120° C. overnight. The resulting mixture was then poured into HCl (1 N, 200 mL) and extracted with ethyl acetate which was then washed with brine, dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by preparative HPLC on reversed phase eluting with an acetonitrile/water [0.1% aq NH 3 (25%)] gradient afforded the title compound (25 mg, 25%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=398.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 4
3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-4-[1-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-isoxazole
To a solution of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (69.8 mg, 0.25 mmol) in DMF (1.0 mL) was added 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride (32 μL, 41 mg, 0.25 mmol) and potassium carbonate (69.1 mg, 0.5 mmol) and the resulting mixture heated at 120° C. overnight. The resulting mixture was then poured into water and extracted with ethyl acetate which was then washed with brine, dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=60:40) afforded the title compound (68 mg, 64%) which was obtained as an off-white solid. MS: m/e=424.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 5
4-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzonitrile
As described for Example 4, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (90 mg, 0.32 mmol) was converted, using 4-fluorobenzonitrile instead of 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, to the title compound (60 mg, 49%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=381.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 6
4-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester
As described for Example 1j, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (450 mg, 1.6 mmol) was converted, using (4-methoxycarbonylphenyl)lboronic acid instead of phenylboronic acid, to the title compound (180 mg, 27%) which was obtained as a colourless oil. MS: m/e=414.3 [M+H] + .
Alternatively: As described for Example 4, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (450 mg, 0.1.6 mmol) was converted, using methyl 4-fluorobenzene instead of 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, to the title compound (280 mg, 42%) which was obtained as alight yellow solid. MS: m/e=414.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 7
4-[1-(4-Nitro-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 3, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (70 mg, 0.25 mmol) was converted, using 4-fluoronitrobenzene instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, to the title compound (12 mg, 12%) which was obtained as a yellow solid. MS: m/e=401.0 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 8
3-Phenyl-4-(1-p-tolyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1j, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.36 mmol) was converted, using p-tolylboronic acid instead of phenylboronic acid, to the title compound (55 mg, 42%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS (ESI): m/e=370.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 9
4-[1-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1j, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.36 mmol) was converted, using 4-methoxyphenylboronic acid instead of phenylboronic acid, to the title compound (90 mg, 65%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS (ESI): m/e=386.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 10
N-Cyclopropylmethyl-4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzamide
A solution of trimethylaluminium (2 M in toluene, 338 μL, 0.68 mmol) and cyclopropanemethylamine (60.4 μL, 0.68 mmol) in dioxane (9 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 1 h and then a solution of 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester (70 mg, 0.17 mmol) in dioxane (6 mL) was added. The resulting mixture was then heated at 85-95° C. overnight and then cooled to room temperature and then poured into water and extracted with ethyl acetate which was then washed with brine, dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=60:40) afforded the title compound (60 mg, 78%) which was obtained as a colourless oil. MS: m/e=453.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 11
4-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-benzamide
As described for Example 10, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester (70 mg, 0.17 mmol) was converted, using 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (40 mg, 49%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=481.0 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 12
N-Cyclopropyl-4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzamide
As described for Example 10, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester (70 mg, 0.17 mmol) was converted, using cyclopropylamine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (20 mg, 27%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=439.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 13
4-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-N-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-benzamide
As described for Example 10, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester (80 mg, 0.19 mmol) was converted, using 4-aminotetrahydropyran instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (75 mg, 80%) which was obtained as a white foam. MS: m/e=483.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 14
Morpholin-4-yl-{4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-phenyl}-methanone
As described for Example 10, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester (70 mg, 0.17 mmol) was converted, using morpholine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (32 mg, 40%) which was obtained as a white foam. MS: m/e=469.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 15
{4-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-phenyl}-thiomorpholin-4-yl-methanone
As described for Example 10, 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester (70 mg, 0.17 mmol) was converted, using thiomorpholine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (55 mg, 67%) which was obtained as a light yellow solid. MS: m/e=485.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 16
2-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-5-trifluoromethyl-pyridine
As described for Example 4, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.36 mmol) was converted, using 2-fluoro-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine instead of 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, to the title compound (120 mg, 79%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=425.0 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 17
6-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinic acid methyl ester
As described for Example 4, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (450 mg, 0.1.6 mmol) was converted, using methyl 6-chloronicotinate instead of 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, to the title compound (510 mg, 76%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=415.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 18
N-Cyclopropylmethyl-6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinamide
As described for Example 10, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinic acid methyl ester (90 mg, 0.22 mmol), instead of 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester was converted, to the title compound (50 mg, 51%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=454.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 19
6-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-nicotinamide
As described for Example 18, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinic acid methyl ester (90 mg, 0.22 mmol), was converted, using 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (60 mg, 57%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=482.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 20
N-Cyclopropyl-6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinamide
As described for Example 18, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinic acid methyl ester (90 mg, 0.22 mmol), was converted, using cyclopropylamine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (50 mg, 52%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=440.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 21
6-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-N-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-nicotinamide
As described for Example 18, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.24 mmol), was converted, using 4-aminotetrahydropyran instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (110 mg, 86%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=484.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 22
Morpholin-4-yl-{6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyridin-3-yl}-methanone
As described for Example 18, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinic acid methyl ester (90 mg, 0.22 mmol), was converted, using morpholine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (28 mg, 28%) which was obtained as a yellow oil. MS: m/e=470.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 23
{6-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyridin-3-yl}-thiomorpholin-4-yl-methanone
As described for Example 18, 6-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-nicotinic acid methyl ester (70 mg, 0.17 mmol), was converted, using thiomorpholine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (42 mg, 51%) which was obtained as a colourless oil. MS: m/e=486.0 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 24
1-(4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-ethanone
a) 4,4,4-Trifluoro-1-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-butane-1,3-dione
To a solution of ethyl trifluoroacetate (23.9 mL, 199 mmol) in TBME (230 mL) containing sodium methoxide (5.4 M, 39.6 mL, 214 mmol) was added 4-fluoroacetophenone (25 g, 181 mmol) and the resulting mixture stirred at room temperature for 3 h and then poured into ice-water. The mixture was then diluted with HCl (2 N, 200 mL) and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic extracts were then dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated to afford the title compound (40.9 g, 97%) which was obtained as an orange oil. MS: m/e=232.9 [M−H] − .
b) 3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-isoxazol-5-ol
As described for Example 1a,4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-butane-1,3-dione (12.39 g, 174.7 mmol), instead of benzoyltrifluoroacetone, was converted to the title compound (39.6 g, 92%) which was obtained as a light brown solid. MS: m/e=247.9 [M−H] − .
c) 3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1b, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-isoxazol-5-ol (35.6 g, 142.9 mmol), instead of 3-phenyl-5-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)isoxazoline, was converted to the title compound (32.2 g, 98%) which was obtained as a light brown solid. MS: m/e=298.1 [M+H] + .
d) 1-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone
As described for Example 1e, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (50.0 mg, 216 mmol), instead of 3-phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, was converted to the title compound (50.2 mg, 85%) which was obtained as a light yellow oil. MS: m/e=272.1 [M−H] − .
e) 2-Bromo-1-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone
As described for Example 1f, 1-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone (49.8 mg, 182 mmol), instead of 1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone, was converted to the title compound (60.2 mg, 94%) which was obtained as a light yellow solid. MS: m/e=350.9/351.9 [M−H] − .
f) 3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1g, 2-bromo-1-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone (20 g, 57 mmol), instead of 2-bromo-1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone, was converted to the title compound (3.32 g, 20%) which was obtained as a light brown solid. MS: m/e=298.0 [M−H] − .
g) 1-(4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-ethanone
As described for Example 4, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.34 mmol) and 4-fluoroacetophenone, instead of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole and 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, was converted to the title compound (70 mg, 50%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=416.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 25
3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4-[1-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-isoxazole
As described for Example 24, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.34 mmol), using 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (50 mg, 34%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=442.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 26
4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzonitrile
As described for Example 24, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.34 mmol), using 4-fluorobenzonitrile instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (90 mg, 67%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=399.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 27
4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid methyl ester
As described for Example 24, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (900 mg, 3.0 mmol), using methyl 4-fluorobenzoate instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (580 mg, 44%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=432.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 28
4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid
As described for Example 24, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (900 mg, 3.0 mmol), using methyl 4-fluorobenzoate instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (190 mg, 15%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=416.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 29
2-(4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-propan-2-ol
To a solution of 1-(4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-ethanone (50 mg, 0.12 mmol) in dry THF (2 mL) was added methylmagnesium bromide (3 M, 44 μL, 0.13 mmol) under nitrogen at room temperature and the resulting mixture stirred for 18 h, after which time methylmagnesium bromide (3 M, 40 μL, 0.12 mmol) was added and the resulting mixture stirred for 19 h. The mixture was then diluted with HCl (0.1 N) and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic extracts were then dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=1:3 to 0:100) afforded the title compound (25 mg, 48%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=432.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 30
3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-4-[1-(4-nitro-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 24, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.34 mmol), using 1-fluoro-4-nitrobenzene instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (100 mg, 71%) which was obtained as a yellow solid. MS: m/e=417.1 [M−H] − .
EXAMPLE 31
4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzamide
To a solution of 4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid (90 mg, 0.22 mmol) in THF (4 mL), was added 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide HCl (50.7 mg, 0.26 mmol) and N-hydroxybenzotriazole (40.5 mg, 0.0.6 mmol), followed by adding ammonium chloride (40.6 mg, 0.76 mmol) and N,N-diisopropylethylamine (199.2 μL, 1.1 mmol) and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. Then 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide HCl (50.7 mg, 0.26 mmol) and N-hydroxybenzotriazole (40.5 mg, 0.0.6 mmol), followed by adding ammonium chloride (40.6 mg, 0.76 mmol) and N,N-diisopropylethylamine (199.2 μL, 1.1 mmol) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. The mixture was then extracted with ethyl acetate and the combined organic extracts were then dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=1:3 to 0:100) afforded the title compound (38 mg, 42%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=417.4 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 32
N-Cyclopropylmethyl-4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzamide
As described for Example 10, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), instead of 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester was converted, to the title compound (75 mg, 69%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=471.0 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 33
4-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-benzamide
As described for Example 32, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol) was converted, using 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (100 mg, 87%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=498.9 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 34
N-Cyclopropyl-4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzamide
As described for Example 32, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol) was converted, using 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (70 mg, 66%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=457.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 35
(1,1-Dioxo-1λ6-thiomorpholin-4-yl)-(4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-methanone
As described for Example 32, 4-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzoic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol) was converted, using thiomorpholine 1,1-dioxide (125.4 mg, 0.9 mmol) instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (95 mg, 77%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=534.8 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 36
1-(6-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-ethanone
As described for Example 24, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (120 mg, 0.4 mmol), using 1-(6-chloro-3-pyridinyl)-1-ethanone instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (64 mg, 38%) which was obtained as a light yellow solid. MS: m/e=417.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 37
6-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinonitrile
As described for Example 24, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (150 mg, 0.51 mmol), using 6-chloro-3-pyridinecarbonitrile instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (149.5 mg, 74%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=398.3 [M−H] − .
EXAMPLE 38
N-Cyclopropylmethyl-6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinamide
a) 6-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester
As described for Example 4, 3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (700 mg, 2.4 mmol) instead of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole was converted, using methyl 6-chloronicotinate instead of 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, to the title compound (720 mg, 71%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=433.1 [M+H] + .
b) 6-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-nicotinamide
As described for Example 10, 6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), instead of 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester was converted, to the title compound (80 mg, 73%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=471.9 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 39
6-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-nicotinamide
As described for Example 38b, 6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), was converted, using 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine (74.19 μL, 0.9 mmol) instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (110 mg, 95%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=499.8 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 40
N-Cyclopropyl-6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinamide
As described for Example 38b, 6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), was converted, using cyclopropylamine (66.14 μL, 0.9 mmol) instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (40 mg, 38%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=458.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 41
6-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-nicotinamide
As described for Example 38b, 6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), was converted, using 4-aminotetrahydropyran (96.35 μL, 0.9 mmol) instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (115 mg, 99%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=501.8 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 42
(1,1-Dioxo-1λ6-thiomorpholin-4-yl)-(6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-methanone
As described for Example 38b, 6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), was converted, using thiomorpholine 1,1-dioxide (124.9 mL, 0.9 mmol) instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (120 mg, 97%) which was obtained as a colourless oil. MS: m/e=535.8 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 43
2-(6-{4-[3-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-propan-2-ol
To a solution of 1-(6-{4-[3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-ethanone (50 mg, 0.12 mmol) in dry THF (2 mL) was added methylmagnesium bromide (3 M, 44 μL, 0.13 mmol) under nitrogen at room temperature and the resulting mixture stirred for 18 h. The mixture was then diluted with HCl (0.1 N) and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic extracts were then dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=1:3 to 0:100) afforded the title compound (50.3 mg, 97%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=433.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 44
1-(4-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-ethanone
a) 1-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-4,4,4-trifluoro-butane-1,3-dione
As described for Example 24a, 4-chloroacetophenone (20.31 mL, 169 mmol), instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (42.4 g, 100%) which was obtained as a light red solid. MS: m/e=248.9 [M−H] − .
b) 3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-isoxazol-5-ol
As described for Example 1a, 1-(4-chloro-phenyl)-4,4,4-trifluoro-butane-1,3-dione (11.95 g, 168.5 mmol), instead of benzoyltrifluoroacetone, was converted to the title compound (39.6 g, 89%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=266.1 [M+H] + .
c) 3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1b, 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-isoxazol-5-ol (39.6 g, 149 mmol), instead of 3-phenyl-5-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)isoxazoline, was converted to the title compound (36.0 g, 98%) which was obtained as a light brown oil. MS: m/e=247.3 [M−H] − .
d) 1-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone
As described for Example 1e, 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (36 g, 145.4 mmol), instead of 3-phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, was converted to the title compound (25.2 g, 60%) which was obtained as a light orange oil. MS: m/e=287.9 [M−H] − .
e) 2-Bromo-1-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone
As described for Example 1f, 1-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone (29.3 g, 101 mmol), instead of 1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone, was converted to the title compound (31.15 g, 84%) which was obtained as a light yellow solid. MS: m/e=365.8/367.7 [M−H] − .
f) 3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1g, 2-bromo-1-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone (31 g, 84 mmol), instead of 2-bromo-1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone, was converted to the title compound (2.88 g, 11%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=313.9 [M+H] + .
g) 1-(4-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-phenyl)-ethanone
As described for Example 4, 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.32 mmol) and 4-fluoroacetophenone, instead of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole and 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, was converted to the title compound (60 mg, 44%) which was obtained as a light brown solid. MS: m/e=432.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 45
3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4-[1-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-isoxazole
As described for Example 44, 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.32 mmol), using 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (50 mg, 34%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=458.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 46
4-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-benzonitrile
As described for Example 44, 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.32 mmol), using 4-fluorobenzonitrile instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (70 mg, 53%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=415.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 47
3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-4-[1-(4-nitro-phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 44, 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (100 mg, 0.32 mmol), using 1-fluoro-4-nitrobenzene instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (105 mg, 76%) which was obtained as a yellow solid. MS: m/e=492.9 [M+OAc] + .
EXAMPLE 48
6-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-cyclopropylmethyl-nicotinamide
a) 6-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester
As described for Example 4, 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (700 mg, 2.2 mmol) instead of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole was converted, using methyl 6-chloronicotinate instead of 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, to the title compound (750 mg, 75%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=449.0 [M+H] + .
b) 6-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-cyclopropylmethyl-nicotinamide
As described for Example 10, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), instead of 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester was converted, to the title compound (90 mg, 83%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=488.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 49
6-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethyl)-nicotinamide
As described for Example 48b, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), was converted, using 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (110 mg, 96%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e 516.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 50
6-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-cyclopropyl-nicotinamide
As described for Example 48b, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), was converted, using cyclopropylamine instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (80 mg, 76%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=474.1 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 51
6-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-N-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-nicotinamide
As described for Example 48b, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), was converted, using 4-aminotetrahydropyran instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (90 mg, 78%) which was obtained as a light yellow solid. MS: m/e=516.4 [M−H] − .
EXAMPLE 52
(6-{4-[3-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-pyridin-3-yl)-(1,1-dioxo-1λ6-thiomorpholin-4-yl)-methanone
As described for Example 48b, 6-{4-[3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), was converted, using 4-aminotetrahydropyran instead of cyclopropanemethylamine, to the title compound (120 mg, 98%) which was obtained as a light yellow foam. MS: m/e=550.4 [M−H] − .
EXAMPLE 53
N-Cyclopropyl-6-{4-[3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinamide
a) 4,4,4-Trifluoro-1-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-butane-1,3-dione
As described for Example 24a, 3-fluoroacetophenone (126.1 g, 879 mmol), instead of 4-fluoroacetophenone, was converted to the title compound (186.2 g, 100%) which was obtained as a light red solid. MS: m/e=232.9 [M−H] − .
b) 3-(3-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-isoxazol-5-ol
As described for Example 1a,4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-butane-1,3-dione (111.8 g, 448 mmol), instead of benzoyltrifluoroacetone, was converted to the title compound (119.0 g, 100%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=250.3 [M+H] + .
c) 3-(3-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1b, 3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-isoxazol-5-ol (60 g, 241 mmol), instead of 3-phenyl-5-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)isoxazoline, was converted to the title compound (47.5 g, 85%) which was obtained as a light brown solid. MS: m/e=231.1 [M] + .
d) 1-[3-(3-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone
As described for Example 1e, 3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (20 g, 86.5 mmol), instead of 3-phenyl-4-(1-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole, was converted to the title compound (12.2 g, 51%) which was obtained as a light yellow oil. MS: m/e=272.1 [M−H] − .
e) 2-Bromo-1-[3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone
As described for Example 1f, 1-[3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone (12.2 g, 44.5 mmol), instead of 1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone, was converted to the title compound (7.2 g, 46%) which was obtained as a light yellow oil. MS: m/e=350.2/352.2 [M−H] − .
f) 3-(3-Fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole
As described for Example 1g, 2-bromo-1-[3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-ethanone (7.2 g, 20.3 mmol), instead of 2-bromo-1-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-ethanone, was converted to the title compound (1.0 g, 17%) which was obtained as a brown solid. MS: m/e=298.3 [M+H] + .
g) 6-{4-[3-(3-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester
As described for Example 4, 3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (500 mg, 1.68 mmol) instead of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole was converted, using methyl 6-chloronicotinate instead of 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, to the title compound (495 mg, 68%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=433.3 [M+H] + .
h) N-Cyclopropyl-6-{4-[3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinamide
As described for Example 12, 6-{4-[3-(3-fluoro-phenyl)-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl]-imidazol-1-yl}-nicotinic acid methyl ester (80.8 mg, 1.4 mmol), instead of 4-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-benzoic acid methyl ester was converted, to the title compound (118 mg, 75%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=458.3 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 54
2-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyrimidine
As described for Example 4, 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (67.4 mg, 0.48 mmol) was converted, using 2-chloropyrimidine instead of 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride, to the title compound (40 mg, 35%) which was obtained as a white solid. MS: m/e=358.2 [M+H] + .
EXAMPLE 55
5-[4-(3-Phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid cyclopropylamide
To a solution of 4-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazole (196 mg, 0.7 mmol) in DMF (1.0 mL) was added methyl 5-chloropyrazine-2-carboxylate (157 mg, 0.9 mmol) and potassium carbonate (194 mg, 1.4 mmol) and the resulting mixture heated at 120° C. overnight. After cooling to room temperature, sodium hydroxide (1 N, 2.1 mL) was added and after 1 h at room temperature the mixture was heated at 60° C. for 1 h. After cooling to room temperature, sodium carbonate (2 N, 10 mL) was added and the mixture extracted with TBME. The aqueous phase was acidified to pH 3 with citric acid and HCl (& N, 3 drops) and extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic extracts were then washed with brine, dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated to give the intermediate acid 5-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid cyclopropylamide (95 mg, 34%) as a brown solid. Then to a solution of 5-[4-(3-phenyl-5-trifluoromethyl-isoxazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid cyclopropylamide (90 mg, 0.22 mmol) in DMF (2 mL) was added TBTU (79 mg, 0.25 mmol) and N,N-diisopropylethylamine (145 mg, 190 μL, 1.1 mmol). After stirring at room temperature for 15 min, cyclopropylamine (15 mg, 20 μL, 0.26 mmol) was added. After 18 h, the mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate and washed with sodium carbonate (2 N) and water, and brine, dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated. Purification by chromatography (SiO 2 , heptane:ethyl acetate=60:40) afforded the title compound (20 mg, 20%) which was obtained as an off-white solid. MS: m/e=441.2 [M+H] + .
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The present invention is concerned isoxazole-imidazole derivatives having affinity and selectivity for GABA A α5 receptor binding site, their manufacture, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use for enhancing cognition or for the treatment of cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease. In particular, the present invention is concerned with aryl-isoxazol-4-yl-imidazole derivatives of formula I
wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as described in the specification.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to air pressure regulators. More specifically, the invention relates to an air pressure regulator in which the bias for opening the regulating valve is provided by inlet pressure communicating with a bias piston.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with all kinds of regulators for air pressure. An example is my own patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,867, assigned to my assignee and issued Nov. 23, 1971. In this patent, the downstream pressure is communicated to a diaphragm which is opposed by an adjustable spring pressure element. When the downstream pressure reaches the desired level, the pressure on the diaphragm is sufficient to oppose the spring to seat the regulating valve. For accuracy in the reading, the poppet valve which comprises the regulator is balanced, that is, exposed on both its upper and lower end to the outlet pressure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Under the present invention, instead of a spring in the aforementioned reference, the opening bias for the regulator valve is provided by a piston, the valve having a plurality of separate compartmentalized working chambers, each associated with a working face on the piston. Inlet air is selectively communicated to the chambers by individual solenoid valve units so that the regulated pressure can be instantly adjusted by activating selectively the solenoids, singly or in various combinations. In the preferred version, the respective individual working surfaces of the piston are carefully proportioned so that the pressure settings are equally spaced over the entire outlet pressure range.
Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the appended drawings, all of which illustrate an embodiment of the invention which is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a pressure regulator embodying the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken at the line 4--4 of FIG. 1 and showing the regulator and related circuitry;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view with part of the solenoid cover removed taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a solenoid as used in the embodiment shown;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7--7 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9--9 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10--10 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on the line 11--11 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on the line 12--12 of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a system embodying the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A regulator embodying the invention is shown in FIG. 1 and generally designated 10. It comprises a body 12 and a solenoid cover 14.
A general idea of the parts inside the body is set forth in FIG. 3, an exploded view, to comprise the stepped piston 16, received into the stepped recess 18 of the body 12 and the divider or insert 20 mounted firmly in the recess 18. In assembly the divider or insert 20 nests into the piston 16 which in turn is received into the recess 18 to complete the assembly.
More specifically, the body 12 in the version shown may be a machined casting, preferably formed with opposed, aligned inlet threaded opening 22 and outlet threaded opening 24. Centrally in the casting is formed a downwardly facing main regulator seat 26. Adapted to seat on seat 26 is the poppet 28 which is provided with a gasket seating surface 30, both the poppet and the gasket having a central exhaust opening 32. The poppet is surrounded by an inlet pressure annular well 34 connected to inlet 22.
Into a recess in the lower end of the body 12 is inserted a bottom plug 36 formed with openings and passages that will be described. A bottom cover plate 38 is also provided. Centrally the upper side of the plug 36 has an upward annular wall 40.
The poppet is formed with a circumferential rib 44, grooved and receiving an O-ring 46 sealingly engaging wall 40. Beneath the rib the poppet is formed with a flat inward balancing surface 48. Inward from the annular wall 40 the plug 36 is formed with an annular spring well 50 and inward from that, an inner annular wall 52. At its reduced lower end the poppet is formed with the outward rib 54 having a groove enclosing an O-ring 56 which rides sealingly against the inner annular wall 52.
The body 12 is formed with a vertical outlet balance passage 58 which extends downward from the outlet 24 to a horizontal balance passage 59 (FIG. 11) which connects the regulated pressure inwardly and then upward to the spring well 50, thus communicating the outlet pressure to the balance surface 48 to effect a balance between the outlet pressure working against the upper surface of the gasket 30 and working against the downwardly facing balance surface 48.
A spring 60 (FIG. 4) is disposed compressively between the bottom of the well 50 and the balance surface 48 and urges the poppet upwardly to seal against seat 26. In addition, the inlet air works against the downwardly facing surface 31 further urging the poppet upward.
As stated, the poppet is formed with a central exhaust bore 32 which permits exhaust air (as will be explained) to vent out to atmosphere down through bore 32 and into a central cavity 66 in the plug 36 which flares outwardly as at 68 (FIG. 11). As best shown in FIG. 10, above the plug 36 the recess 68 communicates with the exhaust channel 70 which extends upward through the body and communicates with the exhaust port 72 (FIGS. 8 and 1).
The annular inlet well 34 (FIG. 4) extends down to the plug 36 and is sealed off thereby. However, as best shown in FIG. 10 the plug is channeled downwardly as at 74 to intersect the passage 76 in the plate 38 which extends radially outward from the center of the plug to intersect a vertical inlet passage 78. The latter aligns with and communicates with a larger passage 80 which extends upwardly in the body (FIG. 4) to a reduced section 81, which intersects with a lateral auxiliary inlet opening 82 which is normally plugged (FIG. 7 and FIG. 1). The lateral auxiliary inlet opening 82 reduces inwardly and intersects as at 82a with the uppermost section 84 of the recesses 18 in the body.
Turning now to the formation of the recess 18 (FIG. 3), there is at its lower end a cylindrical wall 86 aligned with the inlet opening 22 and intersecting the outlet opening 24. Above this wall is a lower annular shelf 88 extending outward to a riser. Next above there is shelf 90 extending outward to another annular riser. Above that is annular shelf 92 extending outward to yet another annular riser. Above that is the narrow annular ledge 94.
Generally reflecting the shape of the recess 18 just described is the configuration of the piston 16 which is formed as a single plastic unitary molding comprising a series of progressively wider annular steps or working surfaces connected by annular risers. More broadly expressed, the piston is formed with a plurality of working surfaces arranged in non-overlapping fashion as seen in top plan view.
More specifically, from near the bottom up the piston comprises the first step or working surface 100 having an upward riser 100a; the second step or working surface 102 having the upward riser 102a; the third step a working riser 104 having upward annular riser 104a; the fourth step or working surface 106 having final upward annular riser 106a. At its lower end the piston is formed with a cylindrical passage 108 enlarged with a downward central recess 110. The piston 16 terminates in a beveled downward exhaust seat 112. As shown, the molded piston 16 may be formed with angled chamfers at its internal edges between risers and steps to make the structure more smooth so that it may be inserted more easily onto the divider or insert 20 without harm to the O-rings of the insert, as will be described.
The last major unit of the regulator of the invention is the divider or insert 20. This may be of plastic and is formed to cooperate with the piston 16. The upper wider section of the divider 20 is designated 120. From the bottom up the divider is formed with the flat end 122 and the upward narrow cylindrical section 122a (FIG. 3) therefrom. Thereabove the first annular outward overhang 124 merges into the upward section 124a. Thereabove the second annular outward overhang 126 merges into the upward section 126a. The third annular outward overhang 128 above that merges with the upward section 128a. Thereabove the fourth annular outward overhang 130 meets the upward section 130a. Each of the cylindrical sections is grooved adjacent its lower end, each groove carrying an O-ring sealingly engaging the piston.
Referring alternatively to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be understood that the plastic piston 16 may be assembled readily on to the divider 20 and that further, this entire subassembly may be inserted into the stepped recesses 18 of the body 12. It should be noted that the divider has mounted adjacent its upper end the mounting plate 136 which is rectangular and fits into a small recess 138 at the upper end of the body 12 and is held there by threaded fasteners (FIG. 6). The shoulder 132 of section 120 of the divider sits firmly on shoulder 94.
After this assembly (FIG. 4) it will be seen that the first step 100 of the piston is disposed just under the first overhang 124 of the divider 20 and the first step and the first overhang define betweem them a first pressure chamber 301. Likewise, the second step 102 of the piston is disposed just under the second overhang 126 and the second step and the second overhang define between them a second pressure chamber 302. Likewise, the third step 104 of the piston is disposed just under the third overhang 128 and the third step and the third overhang define between them a third pressure chamber 303. Similarly, the fourth step 106 of the piston is disposed just under the fourth overhang 130 of the piston and the fourth step and the fourth overhang define between them a fourth pressure chamber 304. As will be clear, the pressure chambers 301, 302, 303 and 304 are annular and they increase in size from the bottom up. The chambers are further defined by adjacent risers of the piston 16 and upward sections of the divider 20. In each of these pressure chambers, the associated step of the piston serves as working surface.
As stated, the lower end of the piston 16--that is, seat 112--rests on the gasket 30 of the poppet 28.
The internal formation of the divider or insert 20 will now be referred to. As will be noted in FIG. 3, the upper section 120 of the divider is formed with upper and lower O-rings, 140 and 142. At a level intermediate these O-rings 140 and 142, the inlet riser is formed with a deep circumferential channel 144 in alignment with the inlet passage 84. The upper end of the divider is formed with a central upward boss 150 which extends through an opening 152 in the mounting plate 136 to which the divider or insert is fixedly secured.
On the upper surface of the boss 150 in the embodiment shown individual solenoid mounting recesses 154 are formed and are tapped to threadingly receive individual solenoids 156, 156', 156", and 156'" (FIG. 6) as shown. The solenoids may be individually driven into their threaded openings by their slotted studs 158 which are formed at the upper end of each one, slotted to receive an ordinary screwdriver. O-rings 159 (FIG. 5) seal the solenoids to the divider. The solenoid cover 14 (FIG. 4) is provided and is appropriately apertured to receive the four studs 158. These studs are threaded as shown and receive cover securing nuts 162.
As best shown in FIG. 4, the divider or insert is drilled inwardly from the inlet circumferential channel 44 to form solenoid feed passages such as 164 and 166 as shown. These passages turn vertically and are enlarged and receive bushings 172 which are centrally bored and the upper end of which protrudes upwardly to form the solenoid valve seat 174.
For simplicity, the description now refers to FIG. 5 as typical of each of the solenoid installations. Outward from the seat 174 and bushing 172, the boss 150 is in each case formed with an armature-receiving recess 176. The solenoid 156 is formed with a core 178 which has an axial exhaust opening 180. The core has an armature-receiving recess 182 which receives the armature 184 which is formed on opposite ends with gaskets 186 and 188, respectively. The lower end of the armature is formed with an outward flange 190 and the recess within the solenoid has a downwardly facing shoulder 192. A solenoid spring 194 is disposed in compression between the shoulder 192 and the flange 190 to hold the solenoid normally seated on the seat 174.
It will be clear from reference to the drawings that the armature-receiving recess surrounding the individual seats lead respectively to the pressure chambers 301, 302, 303, and 304 as partially shown in FIG. 4. As an example, passage 200 extends from the armature-receiving recess of the solenoid 156' down to intersect to the overhang 124 is pressure chamber 301. Similarly, the passage 202 extends from the armature-receiving recess 176 (FIG. 5) of the solenoid 156 and slants down to intersect the overhang 126 in pressure chamber 302. Referring to FIG. 7, it will be clear that forwardly of the section of FIG. 4. the solenoid 156" has its passage 204 extending downward (not shown) to intersect overhang 128 in pressure chamber 303 and solenoid 156'" has its passage 206 slanting down (also not shown) to intersect overhang 130 in pressure chamber 304.
Further reference to FIG. 2 may be of help. It will be seen that activation of solenoid 1 (solenoid 156' in the FIG. 4 embodiment) will cause inlet pressure to pass to the first pressure chamber 301; activation of solenoid 2 (156) will cause air to pass to the second chamber 302; activation of solenoid 3 (156") will cause the third chamber 303 to be pressurized; and activation of solenoid 4 (156'") will cause the fourth chamber to be pressurized. As can be imagined, the more of the chambers that can be activated, generally speaking, the more force the piston exerts downwardly and unseat the poppet to permit inlet pressure to pass into the outlet 24.
It will be seen best from FIGS. 2 and 4 that opposing the force acting downward on the piston as the chambers 301, 302, 303, and/or 304 are pressurized is the upward force of the outlet pressure acting on the underside of the steps of the piston 16 in the space generally designated 220 between the stepped recess 18 and the underside of the piston. Also, opposing the unseating of the piston is the upward urging of the spring 60 and the upward force of the inlet pressure on the under surface 31 of the poppet 28.
OPERATION
In operation, the inlet air comes in threaded inlet 22 and enters the annular chamber 34 around the seat 26. The poppet 28 is seated, the gasket 30 engaging the seat 26, urged upward by pressure on its under-surface 31 and by the spring 60. Inlet air, as stated, also passes down channel 74, through channel 76 (FIG. 9) up passage 78, 80, and 82, (FIGS. 10, 11) into circumferential channel 144 and through the solenoid feed passages 164, 166, 208, and 210 to the solenoid seats 174 (FIG. 5).
Depending on how many of the solenoids 156-156'" are activated, corresponding chambers 301, 302, 303, and 304 will be pressurized as air feeds down passages 200, 202, 204, and 206, respectively. Assuming just solenoid 156' is energized, only the small first pressure chamber 301 will be pressurized through passage 200. The downward presure in this chamber working against step 100 will be sufficient to urge the piston 16 and poppet 28 down to open the seat 26. When the outlet pressure builds up so that the total of the upward force working on the under surface of the steps of the piston 16 in the chamber 220 equals the downward pressure exerted on step 100 in the first chamber 301, the spring 60 will raise the poppet to close the seat 26.
The above sequence of operations is true irrespective of how many solenoids are activated. For instance, if all four solenoids (156-156'") should be activated, each of the pressure chambers (301, 302, 303, and 304) will be pressurized with inlet air. This will drive the piston downwardly to unseat the poppet 28, permitting air to pass into the outlet until the outlet pressure is sufficient in chamber 220 combined with spring 60 to force the piston 16 upward against the downward force of the pressure in the chambers 301, 302, 303, and 304, so that the regulated pressure is reached.
Should it subsequently be necessary or desired to reduce the pressure in the line connected to outlet 24, one or more of the solenoids may be deactivated by the operator by opening one, or more of the switches S 1 , S 2 , S 3 , and S 4 in FIG. 2. This will vent to atmosphere through the related solenoid exhaust 180 (FIG. 4), and depressurize the associated pressure chamber. The consequent reduction in the force driving the piston 16 down will be more than offset by the pressure in the chamber 220 working on the under surface of the steps of the piston. The piston 16 will thereupon raise permitting the poppet 28 to seat and the piston 16 to raise its seat 112 off the gasket 30 and permit exhaust through passage 32, 66, 68 up passage 70 and out the outlet 72 until the upward force on the piston does not exceed the downward force and the piston again seats on gasket 30, closing the exhaust at the exact desired lesser pressure.
Referring further to the solenoids 156 (FIG. 5), each includes an exhaust passage 180 which permits (after the solenoid is de-energized) the corresponding pressure chamber 301, etc., to vent to atmosphere as stated. Thus, there will be no residual air pressure in the non-working chambers when the corresponding solenoid is not activated.
If it is desired to externally pipe inlet air to the solenoids the solenoid inlet 82 may be unplugged and used. To close off the internal communication between the inlet pressure well 34 and the inlet passage 80, it is only necessary to invert the plate 38 (FIG. 12). This may be done by removing the headed fasteners holding it, removing the plate 38, inverting it and replacing it, and replacing the fasteners.
The reason one may want to use external solenoid-feed piping through fitting 82 should be explained. It may be that the desired range of outlet pressures is markedly below the inlet pressure. For instance, suppose that the inlet pressure is 200 PSIG and that it is desired to have an outlet range of 0-50 PSIG. Rather than installing an expensive high-flow regulator upstream from inlet 22 to reduce the inlet pressure from 200 PSIG down to 50 PSIG to give the desired lower range at outlet 24, it is merely necessary under the structure shown to invert plate 38 as described and install an upstream T fitting and pipe the solenoid inlet through an inexpensive low-flow regulator set at 50 PSIG to the inlet 82.
UNIFORM INCREMENTS IN OUTLET PRESSURE
By virtue of the above structure and operation, it will be apparent that the inlet pressure can be divided so that depending on how many solenoids are activated, desired fractions of the inlet pressure can be achieved. For instance, the areas of the working surfaces of the piston steps can be related so that, for example, by selecting the appropriate combination of solenoid activation arrangements, the inlet pressure can be regulated to settings an equal distance from each other in the spectrum from 0 up to full pressure. This is highly desirable and may be achieved by having the working surface of, for instance, the first step 100 in the first pressure chamber 301 one half the area of the working surface of step 102 in chamber 302; the area of step 102 one half the working area of step 104 in chamber 303; and the working surface area of step 104 one half the area of the working surface of step 106 in chamber 304. Illustratively, taking an inlet pressure of 75 PSIG, the followng table shows how that pressure may be divided into fifteen equaldistance settings.
TABLE I__________________________________________________________________________ Working Surface Working Area OutletSol. 1 Sol. 2 Sol. 3 Sol. 4 Activated Activated Pressure__________________________________________________________________________Off Off Off Off None None 0 PSIGOn Off Off Off 100 A Units 5 PSIGOff On Off Off 102 2A 10 PSIGOn On Off Off 100 + 102 A + 2A = 3A 15 PSIGOff Off On Off 104 4A 20 PSIGOn Off On Off 100 + 104 A + 4A = 5A 25 PSIGOff On On Off 102 + 104 2A + 4A = 6A 30 PSIGOn On On Off 100 + 102 + 104 A + 2A + 4A = 7A 35 PSIGOff Off Off On 106 8A 40 PSIGOn Off Off On 100 + 106 A + 8A = 9A 45 PSIGOff On Off On 102 + 106 2A + 8A = 10A 50 PSIGOn On Off On 100 + 102 + 106 A + 2A + 8A = 11A 55 PSIGOff Off On On 104 + 106 4A + 8A = 12A 60 PSIGOn Off On On 100 + 104 + 106 A + 4A + 8A = 13A 65 PSIGOff On On On 102 + 104 + 106 2A + 4A + 8A = 14A 70 PSIGOn On On On 100 + 102 + 104 + 106 A + 2A + 4A + 8A = 15A 75 PSIG__________________________________________________________________________
It will thus be clear depending on which switches are activated in FIG. 2, that the additive function can be achieved and pressures changed from one setting to another instantaneously.
It can be readily envisioned that the outlet of the present valve can be connected to various uses in robotics and the solenoids can be connected directly with a microprocessor or computer controlling the input to the various solenoids.
The valve described above finds application in a wide variety of uses. For instance, it can be applied to control the pressure in a pneumatic cylinder so that the physical force applied by the connecting arm thereof exerts more or less force, depending on the setting. This is useful, for instance, in the controlling of robotic spot-welding equipment wherein less or greater electrode pressure is to be applied depending on the thickness of the material. As an example, in welding heavy gauge materials a relatively high electrode pressure is used while a lighter electrode pressure is used in thinner stock.
Another use of the regulator of the invention is in the tire making industry wherein the regulator can be used to instantly change the force acting to close the tire mold at various points in the molding process.
The regulator of the invention can be used as a three-way valve to control the stroke of a spring-opposed piston in a cylinder wherein the spring drives the piston on the return stroke after the cylinder is exhausted through the regulator of the invention. This is not possible with the ordinary regulator which is a two-way valve with no exhaust provision.
More generally, it can be imagined that by using a pair of regulators as described, one on each end of a piston can replace the conventional four-way valve for controlling cylinders. Not only is the use of a pair of regulators in accordacne with the present invention less complicated, less bulky, less cumbersome and less expensive, but also because inherent in the double arrangement described is the advantage whereby the exhaust is not open until the outlet is closed, and hence, there is no loss of air as the piston changes strokes. Such loss is inevitable in the conventional four-way poppet valves.
Further, it should be understood that the regulator of the invention as described may be simplified by dispensing with all but one of the solenoid valves and having between the remaining solenoid valve and the four pressure chambers as described in selector, for instance, a rotary disc having openings aligning with passages selectively, individually or in combination, to the chambers, depending on the setting of the selector. Indeed, if speed is not essential, all of the solenoids may be replaced by such a selector and a manually operated valve, and still attain some of the benefits of the invention.
A further number of uniform increments over a given pressure range can be achieved by using a pair of regulators 10a and 10b of the invention (FIG. 13). In such an arrangement, the primary regulator 10a has connected to its first pressure chamber 301 by means of the supply passage 200, the output of the auxiliary pressure regulator 10b. Conveniently, this may be done by attaching the outlet of the auxiliary regulator 10b to the exhaust nipple of the solenoid 156'. The outlet pressure of the primary regulator 10a may be controlled by the inexpensive regulator 322 in the external pilot supply 82 connected to the primary regulator as explained above. The outlet of the auxiliary regulator 10b may be adjusted to the appropriate magnitude by placing an inexpensive, ordinary, garden-variety, low-flow pressure regulator 320 in its inlet. The internal connections (76, 80, etc.) for the solenoid feed passages are used in the auxiliary regulator 10b.
The first step in setting the system disclosed in FIG. 13 is to, by manipulation of the ordinary regulator 322, adjust the desired setting the highest outlet of the primary regulator 10a. This fifteen increments of outlet of the auxiliary regulator 10b are then adusted by manipulation of regulator 320 so that when applied to chamber 301 they give the outlet of the primary regulator fifteen equal increments between "0" and the outlet of primary regulator 10a when its chamber 302 alone is activated without any input to chamber 301.
It will be seen that the fifteen increments of the chamber 301 may be used additive fashion for each of the pressure settings resulting from the combination of selections possible with chambers 302, 303, 304. Using this arrangement, it will be possible with a primary and auxiliary regulator each as structured in FIGS. 1 through 12 and using the seven solenoids (solenoid 156' of the primary regulator being permanently disconnected) to obtain 127 evenly spaced increments over a given pressure range.
TABLE II______________________________________When the primary regulator has a range of 0 PSIG to 112 PSIG:PrimaryRegulatorSol. Sol. Sol. Auxiliary Regulator Outlet2 3 4 Sol. 1 Sol. 2 Sol. 3 Sol. 4 Pressure______________________________________Off Off Off Off Off Off Off 0Off Off Off On Off Off Off 1 PSIGOff Off Off Off On Off Off 2 PSIGOff Off Off On On On On 15 PSIGOn Off Off Off Off Off Off 16 PSIGOn Off Off On Off Off Off 17 PSIGOn Off Off Off On Off Off 18 PSIGOn Off Off On On On On 31 PSIGOff On Off Off Off Off Off 32 PSIGOff On Off On Off Off Off 33 PSIGOff On Off On On On On 47 PSIGOn On Off Off Off Off Off 48 PSIGOn On Off On Off Off Off 49 PSIGOn On Off On On On On 63 PSIGOff Off On Off Off Off Off 64 PSIGOff Off On On Off Off Off 65 PSIGOff Off On On On On On 79 PSIGOn Off On Off Off Off Off 80 PSIGOn Off On On Off Off Off 81 PSIGOn Off On On On On On 95 PSIGOff On On Off Off Off Off 96 PSIGOff On On On Off Off Off 97 PSIGOff On On On On On On 111 PSIGOn On On Off Off Off Off 112 PSIGOn On On On Off Off Off 113 PSIGOn On On Off On On On 126 PSIGOn On On On On On On 127 PSIG______________________________________
The table has been broken to save space. The missing portions indicated by the dotted lines can be readily recreated, given the information in Table I and an understanding of the operation of the regulator as set forth hereabove.
It will be clear that using the system described and shown in FIG. 13 it is possible to punch in pressure instructions to a keyboard connected to a microprocessor which activates the solenoids in the sequence set forth in foreshortened Table II to give the desire of pressure. More realistically from a commercial standpoint, a computer can be used to direct any one of 127 pressures. Such a device will find great use where different precise pressures are to be selected over a given range of pressures.
There are a wide variety of other uses of the invention and it is also envisioned that other forms of the valve described may be useful. Thus, while this invention has been described in but a single embodiment, it is susceptible of many other forms limited only by the scope of the following claim language and equivalents thereof.
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A regulator is provided in which the bias which urges the unseating of the regulating valve is a piston having a plurality of radial working surfaces, each in its own separate pressure chamber. The chambers are connected to the inlet selectively, singly or in combination, by solenoid valves. The unseating of the regulating valve is opposed by the outlet pressure which works on the entire back side of the piston. In the preferred form a relationship exists between the relative sizes of the individual piston working surfaces so that all the possible outlet pressures attainable by the regulator are equispaced, all the way from 0 psig to the highest regulated pressure.
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This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. N00014-87-C-0739 awarded by the Department of the Navy. The Government has certain rights in this invention.
This application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 07/387,734, filed Aug. 1, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,903, entitled "Method For Optically and Remotely Sensing Subsurface Water Temperature," Harold E. Sweeney, inventor.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS
"Apparatus for and Method of Remotely Sensing Sub-Surface Water Temperatures," U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,564, issued Sep. 19, 1989.
"Apparatus for and Method of Remotely Sensing Sub-Surface Water Temperatures," U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,564, issued Sep. 19, 1989.
"Method of Remotely Detecting Submarines Using a Laser," U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,558, issued Sep. 19, 1989.
"Remote Subsurface Water Temperature Measuring Apparatus with Brillouin Scattering," U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,958, issued Aug. 14, 1990.
"Remote Subsurface Water Temperature Measuring Apparatus with Brillouin Scattering," Ser. No. 07/386,383, filed Jul. 28, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,853.
"Remote Subsurface Water Temperature Measuring Apparatus with Brillouin Scattering," U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,319, issued Oct. 9, 1990.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the remote measurement of properties of transparent media, such as subsurface ocean temperature profiles, and in particular to improved apparatus for and a method of remotely measuring such temperature profiles from surface or subsurfaces vessels or aircraft.
2. Description of Prior Art
There are several applications for remotely sensing or measuring the temperature of a bulk transparent medium such as water. One such application is the sounding of temperature profiles in the ocean which is useful for a variety of oceanographic purposes such as in measuring the depth of the thermocline, sensing internal waves, measuring heat content of the oceans for meteorological applications and mapping acoustical propagation paths sensitive to temperature gradients. Intrasensitive temperature sensors, such as thermistors, thermocouples, etc., have been used in the past for these purposes but, because they are not remote sensors, they are slow and awkward. A remote sensing technique in wide use is the monitoring of thermal radiation; this technique, however, is limited to measuring predominately surface temperatures.
This invention is directed to an improved technique for remotely measuring temperatures within, i.e., below the surface of suitable transparent media or substances, for example sea water.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing problems are generally solved and a technical advance achieved in an embodiment of the invention in a method for remotely and substantially instantly measuring the subsurface temperature of a transparent substance, such as water.
A further object is the provision of such a method that requires a relatively compact and highly portable apparatus.
Another object of this invention is the provision of such a method that has a high signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and, therefore, produces highly accurate measurements.
A broad object is the provision of such a method in which the signal level in the received return signal from the target substance is relatively high providing an excellent S/N ratio.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by generating a high power pulsed laser beam capable of producing stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), splitting this beam into two sub-beams and directing one sub-beam, designated the probe beam, into a transparent medium of unknown temperature (the sample medium) and thereby producing a phase-conjugate beam from the sample medium. The other sub-beam is directed into a transparent medium of known temperature (the reference medium) thereby producing a phase-conjugate beam from the reference medium. The return phase-conjugate beams from both mediums are mixed together to derive a difference frequency proportional to the difference between the temperature of the sample medium and the reference medium. The difference frequency value is then converted to a value indicative of the unknown temperature. The invention also comprehends using a cw laser beam to generate a continuous PC signal from the reference substance, and mixing the PC signals from both the pulsed laser and from the cw laser to produce a difference frequency proportional to the unknown temperature. The advantage of the later method is that the range of the test medium need not correspond to the range of the reference cell, and can be constantly changing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the invention reference is made to the following description which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating the principles of the method of the invention and useful in probing ocean water for temperatures at a constant depth.
FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing illustrating an alternate method of the invention and useful in probing ocean water for temperatures at varying depths.
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a modified form of the invention of FIG. 2 showing a variable focus lens and the effect thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates temperature measuring apparatus 10 useful in illustrating the basic principles of the invention. Such apparatus comprises a pulsed laser 12 having an output beam 13 and a partially transmitting beam splitter 15 which further divides beam 13 into a first sub-beam 17 and a second sub-beam 18, the directions of propagation of which are indicated by arrows 17 and 18. Sub-beam 17 passes through focussing lens 19 which focusses the beam at focal point P S in a sample cell 20 containing a transparent substance or medium, such as sea water, having an unknown temperature T S at the focal point P S .
Sub-beam 18 passes to mirror 21 which directs beam 18 to focussing lens 22 which focusses beam 18 at focal point P r in a reference cell 23 containing a transparent material or substance preferably similar to that of cell 20 and having an known temperature T r at focal point P r .
When the intensity or irradiance of the pulses comprising output beam 13 of laser 12 exceeds a predetermined threshold level, sub-beams 17 and 18 produce stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in cells 20 and 23 resulting in the generation of phase-conjugate or "time-reversed" beams whose rays run along the same trajectories, but in opposite directions, as sub-beams 17 and 18. The directions of the PC beams are designated by the arrows 17 pc and 18 pc . This phenomenon, called optical phase conjunction, is well known and is described in detail in articles entitled Optical Phase Conjugation by V. V. Shkunov et al., Scientific American, pp. 54-59 (September 1985) and Applications of Optical Phase Conjugation by D. M. Pepper, Scientific American, pp. 74-83 (January 1986).
The Brillouin backscatter optical wave from a spontaneously generated phonon interacts with the probe beam and the interaction produces a traveling electric field that travels exactly at the sound velocity in the particular substance. If the light intensity is great enough and the electrostrictive coefficient of the medium is sufficiently strong, this traveling electric field will create an acoustic field which aligns itself in a column with the probe beam and the backscattered beam at the expense of scattering in other directions. Hence the collection of light is more efficient in SBS than in spontaneous Brillouin scattering.
The presence of the induced electric field traveling at the sound velocity can be derived in the following manner. Assume that an electromagnetic wave (the probe laser) propagates in a substance in the +x direction with velocity c, then the electric field may be written as
E.sub.1 =E.sub.0 sin(ω.sub.1 t-ω.sub.1 x/c) (1)
where,
E 0 =magnitude of the wave,
ω=frequency, and
t=time parameter,
and assume that a wave of different frequency (the Brillouin scattering) propagates in the -x direction, the electric field of which is written as,
E.sub.2 =E.sub.0 sin(ω.sub.2 t+ω.sub.2 x/c) (2)
where,
ω 2 =frequency of the second wave.
The total electric field in their common region is
E=E.sub.1 +E.sub.2 =E.sub.0 sin(ω.sub.1 t-ω.sub.1 w/c)+sin (ω.sub.2 t+ω.sub.2 x/c)] (3)
which can be arranged by trigonometric identities to the form
E=2E.sub.0 {sin1/2[(ω.sub.1 +ω.sub.2)t-(ω.sub.1 -ω.sub.2)x/c]}{cos1/2[(ω.sub.1 -ω.sub.2)t-(ω.sub.1 +ω.sub.2)x/c]} (4)
which is of the form of a high frequency (ω 1 +ω 2 ) signal modulated with a low frequency (ω 1 -ω 2 ) envelope. The velocity of the envelope is found by making its argument constant, i.e.,
(ω.sub.1 -ω.sub.2)t-(ω.sub.1 -ω.sub.2)x/c=K. (5)
The envelope velocity is therefore,
dx/dt=(ω.sub.1 -ω.sub.2)c/(ω.sub.1 +ω.sub.2)=(f.sub.1 -f.sub.2)c/(f.sub.1 +f.sub.2) (6)
In the case of Brillouin scattering f 2 has been produced by Doppler shift by interacting with an acoustic wave at velocity v. The doppler equation, namely
f.sub.2 =f.sub.1 (c-v)/(c+v), (7)
which when solved results in the following expression:
c=(f.sub.1 +f.sub.2)v/(f.sub.1 -f.sub.2). (8)
A substitution into the prior expression (6) for dx/dt yields dx/dt=v. The envelope of the composite electric field wave therefore travels exactly at the acoustic velocity.
In order to achieve SBS, a predetermined threshold intensity level for the optical probe beam must be exceeded. This intensity level must be sufficient so that the following relationship exists:
exp[GIL]≧10.sup.13
or
exp[GIL]≧exp[30],
(since 10.sup.13 =exp[30]).
Or more simply, the intensity, I≧30/GL, where,
G=a gain parameter which is a property of the medium, m/W
I=intensity of the optical probe beam W/m 2 ) and,
L=interaction length, m,
see Principles of Phase Conjugation by Zel'dovich et al., Springer-Verlag, vol. 42, page 29, Springer Series on Optical Sciences (Springer Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 1985). For water G is typically 5×10 -11 m/W).
The sound velocity in water is related to the temperature and salinity and is given in the article entitled, Development of Simple Equations for Accurate and more Realistic Calculation of the Speed of Sound in Sea Water, by C. C. Leroy, Journal of Acoustical Society of America, No. 216, page 216 (1969), as follows:
v=1492.9+3(T-10)-0.006(T-10).sup.2 -0.04(T-18).sup.2 +1.2(S-35)-0.01(T-18)(S-35)+Z/61 (9)
where,
T=temperature in °C.,
S=salinity in parts per thousand,
Z=depth in meters.
The phase conjugate of sub-beam 17, designated 17 pc , propagates from cell 20 precisely along the same path as sub-beam 17, except in the opposite direction, reflected off beam splitter 15 to photodetector 25 such as a photodiode. Similarly, the phase conjugate of sub-beam 18, designated 18 pc , propagates from reference cell 23, through lens 22, off mirror 21, through splitter 15 and ultimately to photodetector 25.
A phase-conjugated beam derived from SBS has its optical frequency shifted by a frequency that produces an acoustical wavelength in the water equal to half the optical wavelength, i.e. ##EQU1## where Δv=the optical frequency shift,
v a =the acoustic velocity in water,
n=the index of refraction in water, and
λ=the wavelength of the incident beam in a vacuum.
Since both phase-conjugate beams 17 pc and 18 pc are conjugates of the same incident beam, their respective wavefronts are identical. Photodetectorss 25 mixes beams 17 pc and 18 pc and because their wavefronts are identical, ideal optical heterodyning occurs with high mixing efficiency. The heterodyne frequency produced by photodetector 25 is proportional to the difference of the shifted frequencies which is directly proportional to the difference in the acoustic velocities which in turn is predominately proportional to the difference in temperatures T s and T r at the respective focal point P s and P r of cells 20 and 23, respectively. By assigning cell 23 as a reference cell and accurately controlling its temperature, the unknown temperature T s of cell 20 can then be measured. The output of photodetector 25 is received by a frequency measuring device 26, such as a frequency discriminator, which directly converts it into a value of temperature equal to |T s and T r |. From this ΔT it is a simple matter to derive T s .
it is important that the pulses from phase-conjugate beams 17 pc and 18 pc arrive at the active mixing surface of photodetector 25 at the same time for effective heterodyning of these two signals. Since there is no optical storage mechanism, if the pulses from the two beams are not properly timed to arrive at photodetector 25 at substantially the same instant, the two pulses will not mix with each other. To this end, the optical spacing of the distance of focal points P r and P s from photodetector 25 need to be the same. This means that the optical path distance between photodetector 25 and each of the cell focal points must be equal.
Certain variations of the basic technique may be used to achieve beneficial results. For example, referring again to FIG. 1, the substances or media of cells 20 and 23 need not be the same. Rather the material of reference cell 23 and its temperature may be selected to produce a convenient heterodyne difference frequency for the expected test sample of cell 20. Also, by controlling the temperature of reference cell 23 advantageously enables selection of a reference temperature T r close to the expected temperature of the test cell, T s . This results in less demand on the speed of the photodetector. For example, if the expected temperature, T s , of the test media is 20° C., this produces a 7.45 GHz frequency shift from the frequency of the incident beam. By selecting the reference cell temperature T r to be 10° C., which corresponds to a frequency shift of 7.20 GHz, the frequency difference between the two is only 250 MHz (i.e., 7.45 GHz-7.20 GHz=250 MHz) as compared to 7.45 GHz without the reference cell. In addition, apparatus which utilizes two phase-conjugate beams provides optimum mixing performance.
As mentioned above, a precondition to successful utilization of the two-cell apparatus and technique is the necessity that phase-conjugate reference beam pulse 18 pc be present at the photodetector cathode at essentially the same time as the return phase-conjugate sample beam pulse 17 pc . In some applications, however, the probe range may be unknown or varying, as when the apparatus is mounted on an aircraft and thus time coincidence of pulse excitation of the photodetector is more difficult to control.
In order to overcome this limitation under such circumstances, a continuous-wave laser may be employed as is shown by apparatus 28 in FIG. 2. Apparatus 28 comprises a low-power spectrally-pure continuous wave (cw) laser 29, called a "seeder" laser, which feeds a low-level cw input to a pulse-amplifier laser 30, which is triggered by an optical pulse (flash) from a suitable source (not shown) on path 31. By way of example, laser 29 may be a Nd:YAG laser and laser 30 a flash-pumped Nd:YAG. The output beam 32 of pulse laser 30 comprises a low power level cw beam and periodic high power level pulses. Output beam 32 is incident on beam splitter 34 which divides laser beam 32 into sub-beams 35 and 36. Sub-beam 35 passes from splitter 34 to laser amplifier 37. Amplifier 37 operates near saturation to suppress the pulse components in sub-beam 35 and to amplify the cw component to an intensity level which exceeds that needed to produce SBS. The output beam 38 of amplifier 37 is incident on converging lens 39 which focusses the intense cw beam on reference cell 40 similar to cell 23 of FIG. 1. Cell 40 contains a transparent material such as water and acts as a temperature reference for the measuring apparatus. Lens 39 focusses sub-beam 38 at the point within reference cell 40 designated P r , the temperature of which T r is controlled and known. The other portion of beam 32 is partially reflected as sub-beam 36 which includes a low continuous power component and high power pulsed components. Converging lens 41 focusses sub-beam 36 on focal point P s below the surface of a body of water 43, the temperature T s of which at point P s is unknown.
As discussed above, the pulse power of sub-beam 36 and the continuous power of sub-beam 38 exceed the power threshold needed to produce SBS in body 43 and cell 40. The phase-conjugates 35 pc and 36 pc of those beams travel through or reflect off of splitter 34 to photo-detector 44. Said cw and pulse phased-conjugates 35 pc , 36 pc are mixed in photo-detector 44 and produce a difference frequency proportional to T s -T r . This difference frequency is then converted to a value of T s . Since the phase conjugate of the continuous wave from reference cell 40 is present at all times on the photocathode of detector 44, the heterodyning with pulse 36 pc from body 43 is assured regardless of variations in the spacings of focal point P s within body 43 and focal point P r in cell 40 from photodetector 44. In this manner, the range of test medium need not correspond to the range of the reference cell.
Referring to FIG. 3 the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2 may be modified to measure temperatures at varying ranges or depths in test body 43, designated in FIG. 3 as P s1 , P s2 and P s3 , by substituting for transmitter lens 41, a transmitter lens 47 with an adjustable focus.
While the invention has been described with reference to its preferred 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 true spirit and 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 scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.
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A method for remotely measuring an unknown temperature Ts of a transparent medium by comparison with the known temperature Tr of a transparent reference material consisting of the steps of
combining the outputs of a continuous-wave (CW) laser and a high intensity pulsed laser to form a combined laser output beam, wherein the high intensity pulse component of the output beam exceeds the intensity required to produce stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in the transparent medium;
splitting the combined laser output beam into first and second sub-beams;
amplifying the CW components of the first sub-beam to an intensity exceeding the intensity required to produce stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in the reference material while simultaneously suppressing the pulse components in the first sub-beam;
directing the first sub-beam with the amplified CW component into the reference material and thereby generating a CW phase-conjugate beam;
directing the second sub-beam into the transparent medium and generating a pulsed phase-conjugate beam;
mixing the CW and pulsed phase-conjugate beams in a photodetector and producing a difference frequency proportional to TS-Tr; and
converting this difference frequency into a value of Ts.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation, under 35 U.S.C. § 120, of copending international application No. PCT/EP02/12586, filed Nov. 11, 2002, which designated the United States; this application also claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of German patent application No. 101 56 857.6, filed Nov. 20, 2001; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to an inflatable body for pressing items of clothing and an apparatus with such an inflatable body.
[0004] More specifically, the invention pertains to an inflatable body formed with an opening and, in the vicinity of the edge of the opening, first fastening devices for releasable connection to second fastening devices of a bottom part. The apparatus for pressing items of clothing with a non-rigid inflatable body has a bottom part with second fastening devices and an inflation system for inflating the inflatable body. The apparatus is constructed such that the first fastening devices and the second fastening devices are releasably connected to one another.
[0005] For the purpose of pressing items of clothing, it has become known for the latter to be tensioned from the inside using an inflatable body in order to remove creases in the item of clothing. For this purpose, the inflatable body is connected to a bottom part, which can generate a positive pressure in the inflatable body. It is necessary here for an opening of the inflatable body to be connected to an opening of the bottom part so as to fluidically communicate. The connection is advantageously air-tight. In order for it to be possible for the inflatable body to be exchanged or cleaned, the inflatable body, furthermore, is advantageously connected to the bottom part in a releasable manner.
[0006] An apparatus for pressing shirts which has a bottom part with an inflatable body fastened thereon is known in the art. The inflatable body consists of a non-rigid material and has an opening at the bottom, through which air can be blown into the inflatable body and which can be connected to an opening of the bottom part. For this purpose, the inflatable body has a pulling cord at the bottom, along the edge of the opening, and the bottom part has an outwardly open groove along the periphery of the opening. In order to connect the inflatable body to the bottom part, the edge of the inflatable body with the cord is positioned in the groove and the cord is pulled tight. However, it has to be ensured that the cord is arranged right in the groove before it can be pulled tight. This takes up more time and requires particular care to be taken since, for the correct connection between the inflatable body and bottom part, the cord has to be positioned in the groove over the entire periphery. Furthermore, there is a risk of a user not positioning the cord in the groove over the entire periphery and being unaware of this. Although it is possible, in such a case, to connect the inflatable body to the bottom part, such a connection gives rise to an increased risk of leakage between the bottom part and the inflatable body, this resulting in air escaping and thus in a lower inflating pressure or in increased energy consumption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an inflatable body for pressing items of clothing and an apparatus with such an inflatable body, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which allows the inflatable body to be connected easily, reliably, and securely to the bottom part.
[0008] With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an inflatable body for pressing items of clothing, comprising:
[0009] an inflatable body formed with an opening and an edge adjoining the opening;
[0010] first fastening devices disposed in a vicinity of the edge adjoining the opening, for releasably connecting the inflatable body to second fastening devices on a bottom part; and
[0011] a shaped part in a vicinity of the first fastening devices.
[0012] With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, an apparatus for pressing items of clothing, comprising:
[0013] a non-rigid inflatable body formed with an opening defining an edge;
[0014] first fastening devices in a vicinity of the edge of the opening;
[0015] a rigid shaped part of the inflatable body in a vicinity of the first fastening devices;
[0016] a bottom part having second fastening devices for enabling a releasable attachment of the inflatable body to the bottom part; and
[0017] means for inflating the inflatable body.
[0018] By virtue of using a shaped part, there is only a very low risk of the inflatable body being connected inadequately to the bottom part and of this not being noticed by a user. The reason for this is that, for the rigid shaped part, there is only a very small range of intermediate positions, if any at all, in which the shaped part and the first fastening devices can be connected to the fastening devices of the bottom part such that the inflatable body can indeed be fastened on the bottom part, but not in the correct manner. Furthermore, using the shaped part makes it easier and quicker for the user to connect the inflatable body to the bottom part since, by virtue of this rigid shaped part, a relatively large section of the flexible inflatable body can be moved all at once into the position which is necessary for connection.
[0019] The first fastening devices may be a plurality of individual fastening means which are distributed over the periphery of the opening of the inflatable body and, in this case, may also be rigid. It is advantageous, however, for the first fastening devices to be flexible or non-rigid, with the result that they can better follow the periphery of the opening of the inflatable body. In the case of flexible or non-rigid first fastening devices, it is also possible for a single fastening means to be used and for this to be guided with not more than one interruption over the periphery of the opening of the inflatable body, with the result that a gap-free connection between the bottom part and inflatable body is achieved. Flexible fastening devices may be constituted, for example, by pulling elements such as a simple cord. A cord may be guided, for example, in a channel in the vicinity of the opening, with the result that the inflatable body can be fastened around a suitable counterpart on the bottom part by virtue of the cord simply being pulled tight.
[0020] If use is made anyway of first fastening devices made of an essentially rigid material, they may be configured integrally with the shaped part. In this embodiment, a single part forms both the shaped part and the first fastening devices. For example, in this case, the first fastening devices may be constituted by a bracket which extends around the periphery of the opening of the inflatable body and can interact with second fastening devices of suitable configuration. It is also possible here for the first fastening devices made of a rigid material to comprise a plurality of separate parts which are arranged one behind the other along the periphery of the opening of the inflatable body, in which case the parts can also overlap. In an advantageous development, rigid or solid first fastening devices and the second fastening devices interacting therewith are designed such that the connection between the two fastening devices is produced and/or assisted by a positive pressure prevailing in the inflatable body. For this purpose, the first fastening devices are set up such that an outwardly directed force, as is generated by the inflating pressure within the inflatable body, forces them into a position in which they are connected securely to the second fastening devices. For example, the first fastening devices may have an outwardly directed protrusion which engages beneath an inwardly directed undercut of the second fastening devices and is retained there by the inflating pressure in the inflatable body.
[0021] In an advantageous development, the shaped part is of resilient configuration. In such a case, it is possible for the shaped part to be fastened on a suitably configured counterpart on the bottom part. The counterpart on the bottom part is advantageously configured such that the spring force of the shaped part assists and/or secures the connection. For example, it is possible to provide a form-fitting connection between the shaped part and the counterpart, in which case, for connection purposes, the shaped part has to be deformed under the action of force and inserted into the counterpart. The spring force of the shaped part then forces the shaped part into a position in which the form-fitting connection in relation to the counterpart is produced.
[0022] If the inflatable body is fastened on the bottom part by a pulling element such as a pulling cord, which is pulled into a groove by being pulled tight, and the edge of the opening is curved inward in one region, the shaped part makes it considerably easier for the pulling element to be fed in since, otherwise, the pulling cord would have to be positioned in an S-shaped curve.
[0023] Use is made, particularly advantageously, of a shaped part in the inflatable body of an apparatus for pressing shirts which has a button-strip clamp or an arrangement for fixing a button strip and/or a buttonhole strip of a shirt. Such a button-strip clamp has the advantage that, rather than needing to be buttoned up, a shirt can be retained by the button-strip clamp at the open edges of the button strip. Such a button-strip clamp is usually arranged directly in front of the inflatable body, with the result that it can fix the button strip and/or the buttonhole strip at the location at which the button strip and/or buttonhole strip would be located if the shirt were buttoned up. This means, for the most part, that the button-strip clamp presses partially into the inflatable body, and thus that the periphery of the inflatable body is curved inwards in the region behind the button-strip clamp. The operation of fastening the inflatable body on the bottom part is more complicated in this region as a result of the inward curvature, fastening being rendered more difficult for the user, in addition, as a result of the button-strip clamp arranged in front.
[0024] Providing the shaped part on the inflatable body in the region behind the button-strip clamp vastly simplifies connection for the user since, rather than having to reach behind the button-strip clamp, he/she can arrange the inflatable body in this region by means of the shaped part.
[0025] The shaped part is advantageously arranged in a mount of the inflatable body together with the first fastening devices. If the first fastening devices do not require any direct contact with the second fastening devices, as is the case, for example, in the case of a pulling cord which is positioned in a groove and pulled tight, it is also possible for the mount to be a closed cavity. This makes it possible, with low outlay, for the shaped part and the first fastening devices to be arranged in the immediate vicinity of one another and connected to the inflatable body. In the case of an inflatable body made of a textile material or sheet-like structure, it is possible for the shaped part and a pulling cord, as first fastening devices, to be sewn in a pocket of the inflatable body, which can be formed along the opening of the inflatable body, for example, by virtue of the hem of the latter being stitched up.
[0026] Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
[0027] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in an inflatable body for pressing items of clothing, and apparatus for pressing items of clothing which is equipped therewith, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
[0028] The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] [0029]FIG. 1 is a schematic front elevational view of an apparatus according to the invention for pressing items of clothing with an inflatable body;
[0030] [0030]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bottom part of the apparatus according to FIG. 1 with the inflatable body removed;
[0031] [0031]FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of the top side of the bottom part with the shaped part inserted, without the inflatable body;
[0032] [0032]FIG. 4 is a plan view of the shaped part according to FIG. 3;
[0033] [0033]FIG. 5 is a cross section through part of a bottom region of the inflatable body with the shaped part inserted;
[0034] [0034]FIG. 6 is a sectional view, taken along the line VI-VI, of the top side of the bottom part shown in FIG. 3; and
[0035] [0035]FIG. 7 is a section through part of the hem of the inflatable body with a pull cord inserted.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0036] Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a shirt pressing apparatus according to the invention which serves for pressing shirts or shirt-like items of clothing. The apparatus has a bottom part 2 with an inflatable body 1 fastened thereon. The inflatable body 1 , also referred to as a pressing dummy, is shirt-like and is formed of a non-rigid and selectively air-permeable material.
[0037] The bottom part 2 contains a fan 6 which is driven by a motor 5 for blowing air into the inflatable body 1 through an air channel 4 . Furthermore, the air channel 4 contains an electric heater 7 for heating the air that is pumped into the pressing dummy, or inflatable body 1 . Furthermore, a button-strip clamp 3 is disposed on the bottom part 2 . The clamp 3 extends at a small distance in front of the inflatable body 1 , longitudinally in relation to the latter. The button-strip clamp 3 is used, in the operation of pressing shirts which are generally open at the front, for fixing the button strip and the buttonhole strip of a shirt which is to be pressed, in order that the shirt remains closed at the front when the inflatable body 1 is inflated.
[0038] [0038]FIG. 2 illustrates the bottom part 2 from above with the inflatable body 1 removed. The top side of the illustration has the mouth opening of the air channel 4 substantially in the center. Arranged around the mouth opening of the air channel 4 is a fastening device 8 which, on the front side of the bottom part 2 , has an interruption in which the button-strip clamp 3 is arranged. The fastening device 8 is illustrated in a horizontal section in FIG. 6. It is in the form of an angle, or inverted L-bracket, which has its vertical leg fastened on the top side of the bottom part 2 and its horizontal leg directed outward. The fastening device 8 thus forms, together with the top side of the bottom part 2 , a groove with an outwardly directed opening. The inflatable body 1 has, at the bottom, an opening of which the edge can be fastened on the bottom part 2 and, for this purpose, has a pulling element (cf. FIG. 7) which, in the exemplary embodiment, is a cord 14 . It will be understood that it is also possible, for example, for the pulling element to be a strap, a chain, or a rubber band. For the purpose of fastening the inflatable body 1 , the cord can be positioned in the groove formed by the fastening device 8 and pulled tight. The fastening device 8 need not necessarily be in the form of an angle. It is sufficient if the fastening device 8 has an undercut of any desired shape beneath which the cord can be positioned.
[0039] With the inflatable body 1 closed in position, it is intended to be arranged in relation to the bottom-strip clamp 3 advantageously such that the trunk region of a shirt can be tensioned uniformly, and without creasing, in the peripheral direction. For this purpose, the button-strip clamp 3 is arranged such that, with the inflatable body 1 inflated, it presses some way into the inflatable body 1 , and surfaces of the button-strip clamp 3 against which the button strip and/or the buttonhole strip are tensioned are located in extension of the surface sections of the inflatable body 1 on both sides of the button-strip clamp 3 .
[0040] Such a configuration of the inflatable body 1 and of the button-strip clamp 3 , however, means that, in the region in which the inflatable body 1 is located behind the button-strip clamp 3 , the cross section of the inflatable body 1 has an indent, which is also formed at the connecting location between the inflatable body 1 and the bottom part 2 . In order for it to be possible for the cord at the bottom of the inflatable body 1 also to be guided around the button-strip clamp 3 along the indentation, two further, rear fastening devices 9 are disposed behind the rear corners of the substantially rectangular cross section of the button-strip clamp 3 . The fastening devices 9 are likewise illustrated in section in FIG. 6 and, as shown, they have the same cross section as the fastening devices 8 . The horizontal legs of the rear fastening devices 9 , however, are directed inward (into the interior of the pressing dummy, pointing towards the rectangular opening 4 ).
[0041] It is disadvantageous, however, that, for the purpose of fitting the inflatable body 1 , the cord has to be positioned behind the button-strip clamp 3 , in the rear fastening devices 9 , from the rear. This is made difficult for a user by the button-strip clamp 3 , which is in the way and, in addition, blocks the view. In order to remedy this disadvantage, a shaped part 13 is fitted at the edge of the opening of the inflatable body 1 .
[0042] [0042]FIG. 3 illustrates on an enlarged scale that region of the bottom part 2 around the button-strip clamp 3 in which the front edges of the fastening device 8 and the two rear fastening devices 9 are also located. To give a better view, the shaped part 13 has been illustrated without the inflatable body 1 , in a position which it assumes when the inflatable body 1 is fastened on the bottom part 2 . The shaped part 13 , in addition, is illustrated on its own in FIG. 4.
[0043] The button-strip clamp 3 , which is illustrated on an enlarged scale in FIG. 3, has a rear part 12 , of which the front side forms tensioning surfaces along the edges and on the front of which two tensioning flaps 10 are fastened in a pivotable manner in the center, these flaps, in turn, having a non-slip coating 11 on their side which is directed toward the rear part 12 . The tensioning flaps 10 can be prestressed in relation to the rear part 12 by spring force in order for the button strip and/or the buttonhole strip of a shirt which has been placed in position to be forced against the tensioning surfaces for fixing purposes.
[0044] The shaped part 13 is resilient and is in the form of a bracket with its ends bent outward at right angles. On account of this shape, the shaped part 13 can be positioned around the two fastening devices 8 , 9 such that it is retained securely by them. For this purpose, it is forced forward at the ends by the fastening device 8 and forced rearward, on either side of the center, by the two rear fastening devices 9 . The height of the shaped part 13 is low enough to allow it to be positioned in the grooves of the two fastening devices 8 , 9 , with the result that it is retained in the vertical direction by the horizontal legs of the fastening devices 8 , 9 .
[0045] It is also possible, however, for the shaped part 13 to be connected to the bottom part 2 in other ways. For example, it is possible to form integrally on the shaped part 13 fastening devices which can interact with correspondingly configured fastening devices on the bottom part 2 . The shaped part 13 may thus have downwardly projecting hooks or protrusions which can be inserted into openings of the bottom part 2 and locked there.
[0046] [0046]FIG. 6 illustrates on an enlarged scale, the placement of the shaped part 13 within the grooves of the two fastening devices 8 and 9 . The section is taken along the interrupted section line VI-VI in FIG. 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.
[0047] For the purpose of fastening the inflatable body 1 , first of all the shaped part 13 is fastened on the bottom part 2 . For this purpose, it is possible for the shaped part 13 to be positioned in the rear fastening device 9 , by way of its central section, from the rear, to be bent forward at the ends by virtue of being pulled, and to be positioned in the fastening device 8 from the front by way of the ends. By virtue of the restoring force of the shaped part 13 , which forces the ends of the shaped part 13 against the vertical legs of the fastening device 8 , the shaped part 13 is retained securely in the two fastening devices 8 , 9 . Since the shaped part 13 is sewn in the hem of the opening of the inflatable body 1 together with the cord, the insertion of the shaped part 13 also results in the peripheral section of the inflatable body 1 and the cord in the region of the shaped part 13 being positioned in the fastening devices 8 , 9 at the same time. Advantageously, the shaped part 13 can only be connected securely to the bottom part 2 in the correct manner here, with the result that a less than adequate connection which goes unnoticed by the operator is ruled out. The rest of the hem of the inflatable body 1 together with the cord is then positioned beneath the undercut of the fastening device 8 and the cord is pulled tight.
[0048] The shaped part 13 , on the one hand, facilitates the fastening of the inflatable body 1 on the bottom part 2 and, on the other hand, ensures that the inflatable body 1 is fastened correctly on the bottom part 2 . This avoids the situation where the functioning of the apparatus for pressing items of clothing is adversely affected on account of a leaky connection between the bottom part 2 and the inflatable body 1 . Furthermore, in one embodiment, it may be provided that the shaped part 13 cannot be displaced along the hem of the opening of the inflatable body 1 and the shaped part 13 can only be inserted at a defined location of the bottom part 2 , with the result that the act of placing the shaped part 13 in position predetermines the fastening of the rest of the inflatable-body hem. This avoids the situation where the inflatable body 1 is fastened in a skewed alignment on the bottom part 2 .
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Items of clothing are smoothed by pulling them taut from within by way of an inflatable body that is detachably linked with a base that has a fan for inflating the inflatable body. In order to releasably fasten the inflatable body, the base has second fastening devices that are detachably linked with the first fastening devices of the inflatable body. In order to render it easier for an operator to fasten the inflatable body on the base and to reduce the risk of insufficiently fastening it, the inflatable body is provided with a rigid shaped element that is disposed next to the first fastening device.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to knife gate valves and in particular it relates to an improved sealing arrangement for knife gate valves.
2. Background of the Invention
Knife gate valves as contemplated herein are particularly suited for the paper processing industry for flow control of pulp and related admixtures of material suspended in a liquid sometimes referred to as a slurry. (However, knife gate valves are utilized in all types of liquid media.) The valve has a moveable steel plate referred to as a gate that in the open position is out of the flow path of the slurry. A lower edge portion of the knife gate is beveled to form an edge so that as it is closed, the gate shears through the solids of the slurry.
In one version of the knife gate valve contemplated herein, the gate valve does not have any seal other than the metal gate abutting a metal seat formed in the valve body. The design of the valve relies in part on the pressure of the slurry acting on the gate to force the gate against the seat to effect the seal.
The knife gate valve offers several advantages to a user. It has a low initial cost in comparison to other valve designs, it has a short face to face dimension so it takes up less room in the pipe line and the gate moves totally out of the flow path in the opened position.
The disadvantages of the knife gate valve are that normally the valve will seal or stop the flow of slurry in one direction only. Also, the gate of the valve by design does not provide a tight fit between the gate and the seat. Consequently, with the slurry under low pressure, increased and undesired leaking results.
In the applications where a bubble tight seal is required, (i.e. no leakage) resilient seals are incorporated into the valve. Typically, a strip of resilient material is adhered to the walls along the juncture with the gate edge when the gate is closed. The knife gate is moved into abutment with the resilient material to compress the material and effect bubble tight sealing. However, the cross sectional area of the flow path is reduced by the protruding strip to thereby reduce the flow capacity of the valve, and the seal strip, being in the path of the high pressure slurry flow are subject to rapid wear and damage, e.g. they will tear loose from the valve wall.
Other disadvantages addressed by this invention are the high cost of replacement of the valve, e.g. in the case of a damaged seal, the entire valve needs to be replaced and the need to carry an excessive inventory of the different types of gate valves, e.g. a metal-to-metal unidirectional gate valve, a bubble tight unidirectional gate valve, a bi-directional gate valve, a variable control valve, etc.
SUMMARY
The knife gate valve of the present invention provides the seat portion of the valve on a separate insert or carrier that is replaceable in the valve body. A resilient ring incorporated into the carrier will provide a bubble tight seal with the gate at all operating pressures. However, the carrier and its fit into the valve body is so designed that the seal is retained between the carrier and the body of the valve and is effectively out of the flow path of the slurry flowing through the valve. The carrier can be positioned on both sides of the gate for controlling flow in both directions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a knife gate valve of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the lower body portion of the knife gate valve;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the lower body portion of the knife gate valve, a slurry flow line being illustrated in dash lines;
FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative form of the invention; and
FIG. 5 is a section view taken on view lines 5--5 of FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a knife gate valve 10 of the present invention. The basic structure of the valve 10 is well known to the art and has a body 12, preferably of cast stainless steel, that has a through passageway or opening 14 for the flow of material through the valve 10. A shaped opening 11 in the top of the valve body 12 guides a knife gate 16 across the passageway and closes the slurry flow through the passageway 14. The knife gate 16 is preferably of stainless steel.
The upper end of the knife gate 16 is attached to a threaded stem 18, the stem being non-rotatable relative to the knife gate 16. The stem 18 is threadably engaged with a nut 20 that is rotatably retained in a yoke 22 that is affixed to the top of the body 12. A handwheel 24 is joined to the nut 20 to facilitate the rotation of the nut 20 which will impart motion to the stem 18 which in turn moves the knife gate 16 relative to the body 12 and passageway 14 of the valve 10. A stop nut 25 limits the downward stroke of the gate 16 to prevent over-extension of the gate relative to the body.
As is well known, the knife gate 16 is moved into the passageway 14 of the body 12 to stop the flow of material through the valve 10. Packing 26 is provided in the upper portion (often referred to as the packing box or stuffing box) of the body 12 surrounding the knife gate 16 to prevent leakage of slurry through the top of the valve 10. The upper portion of the valve 10 as depicted in FIG. 1 is typical of knife gate valves. While the structure may vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer, the basic concept is the same.
The knife gate 16 in the open position, (it is shown about half way open in FIG. 1) is moved out of the flow path so as not to obstruct the flow of slurry through the pipeline. Also, although a threaded stem 18 connected to a nut 20 is shown as the motion means, other means such as bevel gear drives, pneumatic cylinders, electric motors and other drive means are, or have been, employed to actuate the opening and closing of the valve 10.
The lower portion of the body 12 of the valve 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and previously discussed, has a passageway 14 that defines a flow path through which the material will flow when the gate 16 of the valve 10 is moved from the closed to the open position. The passageway 14 has at each end, identical rim shaped faces 28 which, when the valve is installed, will abut flanges 30 of pipeline 31. Lugs 32 which are internally threaded are provided to facilitate the mounting of the valve 10 to the adjoining sections of pipeline 31 by threaded fasteners (not shown).
At each end of the valve body 12 within the rim shaped faces 28, the valve body is recessed to provide a profiled inset 15. The insets 15 are each configured to accept the demountable installation of a carrier 34, that in the disclosed version includes a rigid seat 50 (preferably of TEFLON) and a resilient O-ring 62.
As shown, the carrier 34 is ring shaped and has an external flange 36 and an inwardly protruding rim 38 that defines the passageway 14 through the valve 10 (i.e. an eight inch valve will have a carrier 34 with an eight inch inside diameter rim). Multiple countersunk mounting holes 40 are provided in the flange 36 of the carrier 34 to facilitate the mounting of the carrier 34 in the profile inset 15 of the valve body. Threaded fasteners 41, preferably of stainless steel are utilized to fasten the carrier 34 to the valve body. Although holes 40 are provided in the flange to mount the carrier 34 by fasteners 41, they are more for convenience than utility. Once the valve is installed between the flanges of adjoining pipes 31 the carriers are captured at the valve ends and the fasteners are not required. The seat 50 and O-ring 62 are mounted on the rim 38 of the carrier 34. The external surface of seat 50 is contoured to conform to the profile inset 15 in the body of the valve.
As shown in FIG. 3, the assembly of the carrier 34, the seat 50 and the O-ring 62 is installed in each of the profile insets 15 at each end of the passageway 14. The profile 15 is also shown in the exploded view in FIG. 2. The profile of inset 15 has a circular recess 66 dimensioned to accept the flange 36 of the carrier 34. When installed in the inset 15, the surface 42 of the carrier 34 will be flush (i.e. on the same plane) with the face 28. Tapped holes 68 in the bottoms 70 of the recesses 66 are provided for the securement of the carrier 34 within the profile insets 15 by threaded fasteners 41.
From FIG. 3, the profile 15 has a beveled area 74 that matches a corresponding beveled surface 54 of the seat 50. The abutment of the bevel surface 54 of the seat 50 contacting the beveled area 74 limits the movement of the seat 50 in the direction toward the center of the valve body 12.
With this construction, the sealing members 50, 62 are captured between carrier 34 and the valve body 12. The O-ring 62 is resilient, (i.e. compressible) and is compressed during installation (of the assembly of the carrier 34, rigid seat 50 and the O-ring 62) to provide a biasing force to urge the seat 50 toward the center of the valve body 12. The O-ring 62, in addition to providing the biasing force, provides a seal between the carrier 34 and the body 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the edge 51 of seat 50 extends beyond the end 48 of the carrier rim 38. The end 51 of seat 50 is forcibly urged to be in contact with the face 17 of the knife gate 16 by the biasing force of the compressed O-ring 62. Note that when the knife gate is in the passageway 14, the end 51 in contact with the face 17 has moved the seat 50 against the O-ring 62, thus further compressing the O-ring 62 which provides added biasing force urging the seat 50 against the face 17 of the knife gate 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the beveled surface portion 54 of the seat 50 is spaced from the beveled area 74 of the profile inset 15. When the knife gate 16 is moved out of the passageway 14 (i.e. to the open position), the end 51 no longer contacts the face 17 of the knife gate and the biasing force caused by the compression of the O-ring 62 urges the seat 50 toward the center of the valve. The movement of the seat 50 is limited by the abutment of the beveled portion 54 with the bevel area 74.
The arrangement of a sealing seat 50 installed on each side of the knife gate 16 provides a knife gate valve 10 that will control the flow of fluid in both directions. The biasing force urging the seat 50 against the knife gate face 17 provides a bubble tight seal. If the pressure in the system is sufficient to cause movement of the knife gate 16, i.e. deflection of the knife gate 16, the seal on the opposite side of the gate becomes tighter due to the increased biasing force caused by the movement of the gate 16 against the seat 50 which further compresses the O-ring 62.
As shown in the alternate embodiment of FIG. 4, the unique arrangement of the replaceable carrier assembly also provides for the adaptation of a novel flow control valve 80. The carrier 34' of flow control valve 80 replaces the assembly of the carrier 34, seat 50 and O-ring 62 of the FIG. 1 valve. Carrier 34' is similar in construction to the carrier 34, but without the sealing member 50. (O-ring 62 is optionally provided.) The carrier is simply configured to fit profile 15 of the valve body, the same valve body described for the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3. Fixedly attached within the passageway 14 of the carrier 34' are V sections 92. As shown in the figure, the V sections are chordal segments that close the passageway down to a V shaped cross section. The sections 92 in cooperation with the bottom edge 19 of the knife gate 16 provide a triangular opening through the carrier 34' and thus through the valve. In a known manner, the control valve 80 may be automatically controlled to precisely control the volume of slurry permitted through the valve enabled in part by the triangular cross section of the passageway.
A further alternate embodiment is to provide a carrier similar to that of FIG. 4 but without the V sections 92. The rim of the carrier produces a metal-to-metal seal as can be seen in FIG. 5. The metal-to-metal seal is sometimes preferred.
The embodiments as set forth herein provide a knife gate valve with replaceable carriers. Should a seat of a carrier become damaged, the carrier is merely replaced at a fraction of the cost of a complete valve. In that all of the variations can utilize the same valve body, inventory requirements are also greatly reduced. That is, whatever type of valve is required, fitting the universal valve body with the appropriate carrier will satisfy that requirement. Finally, removing the resilient seal from direct exposure to the slurry flow greatly enhances the operating life of the seal.
Variations and modifications to the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the embodiments set forth but is to be determined by the appended claims.
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A knife gate valve wherein the seat for sealing against the knife gate is provided on a separate removable/replaceable carrier portion mounted to the body of the valve. The seat may be a metal rim for metal-to-metal sealing or it may carry a resilient seal. Removable, seat carrying carriers can be provided on both sides of the knife gate for bi-directional control of the slurry flow. The seats may include seals that are sandwiched between the body and the carriers to insure against dislodgement. The seals may include a two-part seal with a non-exposed resilient seal that is urged by a resilient O-ring into bubble tight sealing against the knife gate.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application corresponds to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/730,132, filed Oct. 25, 2005 and Ser. No. 60/735,545, filed Nov. 10, 2005, the complete disclosures of each of these applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to inkjet printing onto a coated substrate, and, more particularly, to coating compositions which enable the ink to be absorbed onto the substrate effectively.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] lnkjet printing is a highly successful method of forming images on different substrates such as paper, polyester, vinyl and canvas. However, it is desired to provide new and improved inkjet coating compositions which exhibit advantageous properties in commercial use. One such sought-after property, is an ability to absorb and retain the ink effectively.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] What is described herein is an inkjet coating composition of the invention which includes:
(a) poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (pDADMAC), (b) a crosslinkable cationic copolymer, (c) colloidal silica, (d) silica gel, (e) a binder, preferably vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer, and (f) water.
[0008] A suitable coating composition for forming an inkjet-receptive coating on a substrate comprises:
[0009] (a) p(diallyidimethyl ammonium chloride),
[0010] (b) a crosslinkable cationic polymer,
[0011] (c) colloidal silica,
[0012] (d) silica gel,
[0013] (e) a binder, and
[0014] (f) water.
[0015] Preferably, the coating composition comprises, by weight,
[0016] (a) is 0.1-30%,
[0017] (b) is 1-50%,
[0018] (c) is 0.1-50%,
[0019] (d) is 0.1-55%,
[0020] (e) is 0.1-45%, and
[0021] (f) to 100%.
[0022] Most preferably, the coating composition comprises, by weight,
[0023] (a) is 1-25%,
[0024] (b) is 5-45%,
[0025] (c) is 1-20%,
[0026] (d) is 5-50%,
[0027] (e) is 5-35%, and
[0028] (f) to 100%.
[0029] Optimally, the coating composition comprises, by weight,
[0030] (a) is 2-20%,
[0031] (b) is 10-35%,
[0032] (c) is 2-10%,
[0033] (d) is 10-45%,
[0034] (e) is 6-25%, and
[0035] (f) to 100%.
[0036] Preferably (b) is a terpolymer of quaternized vinyl caprolactam (VCL), dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide (DMAPMA) and hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate (HEMA), e.g. by weight, the terpolymer comprises 60-90% VCL, 10-30% DMAPMA and 2-10% HEMA.
[0037] Alternatively, (b) is a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone (VP) and dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide (DMAPMA).
[0038] Suitably, the coating composition of the invention may include one or more of the following optional ingredients: crosslinked PVP; PVP, polyvinyl alcohol, a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide neutralized with HCl or sulfuric acid, a crosslinker, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, barium sulfate, barium chloride, aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride, polyethyloxazoline, Disintex® 1000, and/or a surfactant.
[0039] Suitably the coating composition of the invention forms a matte-finished inkjet coating on polyester, vinyl, paper and canvas.
[0040] Generally, the coating composition has a solids content of about 15-30%, and a viscosity of about 200-400 cps.
[0041] Preferably, (e) is a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer; (c) has a particle size of about 20-150 nm, and (d) has a particle size of about 1.5 to 10μ, most preferably, (c) has a particle size of about 25-50 nm, and (d) has a particle size of about 4.5 to 8μ.
[0042] Suitably, in the coating composition (d) is a latex.
[0043] What is formed herein is an inkjet-receptive coated substrate coated with the dried composition of the invention, which forms color inkjet images which dry rapidly, has good color density, exhibits low color density loss, and is water-resistant and adhesive.
[0044] Another embodiment of the invention is an aqueous dispersion of the inkjet composition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0045] In the composition of the present invention, the crosslinkable cationic polymer (b) suitably can comprise tertiary amino groups and/or hydroxyl groups. Preferably, (a) is a crosslinkable polymer of a vinyl lactam/dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide/hydroxyethyl methacrylate terpolymer or a vinyl lactam/dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide copolymer. A preferred vinyl lactam is vinyl caprolactam. A particularly preferred example of such a cationic polymer is the resin ViviPrint™ 200 manufactured by International Specialty Products (ISP). Such terpolymer preferably comprises vinyl caprolactam (VCL), dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide (DMAPMA) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), uncrosslinked or crosslinked, unquatemized or quaternized, preferably quaternized and crosslinked. Suitable quaternizing agents include HCl and H 2 SO 4 . Preferably, the terpolymer comprises, by wt., 60-90% VCL, 10-30% DMAPMA and 2-10% HEMA, preferably 75-80% VCL, 13-16% DMAPMA and 4-6% HEMA.
[0046] Another preferred example of a cationic copolymer is the resin ViviPrint™ 131, 121 or 300, manufactured by ISP. For example, ViviPrint 131 is VP/DMAPMA copolymer neutralized with HCl.
[0047] The terpolymer suitably has a molecular weight of about 500,000 to about 1,500,000, preferably about 500,000 to about 1,000,000.
[0048] The cationic polymer suitably can be present in an amount by weight, of about 1 to about 50%, and, preferably, for ViviPrint™ 200, about 5 to about 45%, and, more preferably, of about 10 to about 40%, of the composition.
[0049] The colloidal silica (c) suitably are amorphous colloidal silica particles e.g. 20-150 nm. Preferred colloidal silicas are Silcron IJ-25 and IJ-50.
[0050] The silica gel (d) suitably are amorphous colloidal silica particles, e.g. 1.5-10μ. A preferred silica gel is Silcron G100.
[0051] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the binder (e) is a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer e.g. Airflex® 465 Emulsion, available from Air Products. Airflex® 465 emulsion is a rapid-setting vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer, which is a high-solids emulsion. This polymer adheres well to various substrates such as polyester, poly(ethylene terephthalate), tempered aluminum foil and polystyrene. This emulsion combines a high-solids content with a low viscosity, which is a combination that permits the addition of high-filler loadings, resulting in adhesive formulations with solid contents of 80%, or more. Furthermore, this emulsion does not thicken excessively on the addition of plasticizers which allows for the formulation of very high-solids adhesives. Airflex® 465 emulsion also is shear stable, and can be applied on high-speed packaging machines using roll, extrusion or spray equipment. The emulsion dries to a slightly tacky, clear, water-resistant film.
Typical Emulsion Properties of Airflex ® 465 % Solids 67 ± 1% Viscosity, cPs 800-1,300 pH 4.5-5.5 Copolymer Type Vinyl Acetate-Ethylene Protective Colloid PVOH Mechanical Stability Excellent Wet Tack High Density, lb/gal 8.9
[0052] Optional components in:the composition for optimization of the coating composition when coated on different substrates include pigments, clays, e.g. organoclays and water-swellable clays, acrylic polymers, acrylic copolymers, alginates, carrageenan, microcrystalline cellulose, gelatin, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose, guar and guar derivatives, locust bean gum, polyethylene oxide, polyvinylpyrrolidones, copolymers of polyvinylpyrrolidones, polyvinylalcohols, other water soluble polymers, silica, aluminates, zirconates, calcium carbonates, xanthan gum and the like, polymers or copolymers of a water soluble vinyl lactam optionally having in situ-formed particles of crosslinked vinyl lactam polymer or copolymer, crosslinked polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and crosslinkers to achieve advantageous inkjet printable surface coatings having light stability. Preferred components and optimal amounts of these components will depend upon the specific support coating and application and can be readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art.
[0053] The inkjet coating compositions of the invention can provide a matte finish coating on polyester, vinyl, paper or canvas.
Compositions of Invention
EXAMPLE 1
[0054]
TABLE 1
Solids
% Dry
Component
Mass
% Solids
Mass
Composition
(a) p(DADMAC)
55
35
19.25
10.22
(b) Silcron ® IJ-25
20
30
6
3.19
(c) Airflex ® 465
60
67
40.2
21.35
(d) Silcron ® G 100
80
100
80
42.49
(e) ViviPrint ™ PS-10
2
100
2
1.06
(f) ViviPrint ™ 131
350
11
38.5
20.45
(g) Heloxy ® 67
2
100
2
1.06
(h) Ancarez ® AR 550
0.6
55
0.33
0.18
Water
750
[0055] This formulation is a multifunctional composition for various substrates including, but not limited to, paper, vinyl, plastics and canvas.
(a) Aldrich Chemicals—polymer for matte finish (b) Millenium Corporation—colloidal silica—25 nm (c) Air Products—latex binder (d) Millenium Corporation—silica gel—5.5 microns (e) ISP—crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (f) ISP—VP/DMAPMA, HCI neutralized polymer (g) Resolution Performance Products—diglycidyl ether of butane diol (h) Air Products—polyepoxy resin—crosslinker
EXAMPLE 2
[0064]
TABLE 2
%
Ingredient
Mass
% Solids
Dry Mass
Composition
(a) p(DADMAC)
20
35
7
6.7
(b) Silcron ® IJ-25
20
30
20.9
20.1
(c) UCAR ® 313 (Dow)
15
48
7.2
6.9
(d) Silcron ® G 100
20.9
100
6
5.8
(e) ViviPrint ™ 200
53
30
15.9
15.3
(h) Ancarez ® AR 550
9
55
4.9
4.8
(i) Barium Sulfate
20.9
100
20.9
20.1
(j) Digitex ® 1000
20.9
100
20.9
20.1
Water
294
(c) Dow - Modified styrene-butadiene latex
(e) ISP - VCL/DMAPMA/HEMA terpolymer
(i) Aldrich - pigment, dye binding
(j) Engelhard - Kaolin
[0065] The composition in Table 2 is film-forming, dye bonding and crosslinkable, and is particularly suitable for coating on canvas substrates.
EXAMPLE 3
[0066]
TABLE 3
Wt (g)
Ingredient
(1)
(2)
Mix A
Silcron IJ-25
2
2
Silcron G-100
8
8
ViviPrint PS-10
0.2
0.2
Water
75
75
Mix B
p(DADMAC)-35% solid
5.5
5.5
Airflex 465
6
6
ViviPrint131 (as is)
35
35
Water
15
15
Coating Process
[0067] To 10 g of Mix A and B in (1) was added 0.1 g of Heloxy® 67 and 0.075 Ancarez® AR 550. The viscosity was 710 cps (#3, 50 rpm LV). The coating weight was 12-13 g. A #60 rod was used for vinyl and polyester terephthalate substrates; and a #40 rod for paper.
[0068] To 10 g of Mix A and B in (2) was added 0.1 g of XAMA-7 (polyaziridine crosslinker) and coated on both paper and vinyl.
[0069] Suitable (e) binders include a latex, polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin and starch. Preferred is a latex.
[0070] Suitable pigments include titanium dioxide, clay, alumina and calcium carbonate.
EXAMPLE 4
[0071]
TABLE 4
Water
675
Silcron IJ 50 (50 nm)
30
Silcron G 100
144
ViviPrint PS 10
6
NeoCar ® 820
48
Aquazol ® 200 (20% solids)
50
ViviPrint ™ 300
50.9
ViviPrint ™ 200
160.5
pDADMAC (35% Ciba)
45
Surfynol ® 440
3
Kodak CP349w
21
Heloxy ® 68
43
Ancarez ® AR 550
31
Isopropyl alcohol
25
Brookfield Viscosity
Brookfield Viscosity
Soln A (40 + 60 rod)
Soln B (70 rod)
LV
LV
50 RPMs
50 RPMs
SPDL #3
SPDL #3
1010 cps
1010 cps
Coated on Vinyl using a # 40, 60 and 70 rods
Heaters
A = 125
EXAMPLE 5
[0072]
TABLE 5
Water
720
SiLCRON G-100
120
ViviPrint PS-10
3
SiLCRON IJ-25
30
Airflex 465
90
ViviPrint 200
100
ViviPrint 131
280
Agefloc WT 35 VLV-P
82.5
Heloxy 68
3
Ancarez AR 550
0.9
Total
1429.4
Brookfield Viscosity, Spindle #3, 30 RPMS is 527 cps
EXAMPLE 6
[0073] Water, Silcron G-100, PS-10, barium sulfate, and titanium dioxide were well blended and homogenized. To this mixture was added Airflex® 465, Aquazol® 200 (20% solids), and ViviPrint™ 200 (30% solids). Using a LV Brookfield Viscometer, the viscosity was measured as ˜290 cPs ((6)4, 70 RPM). The compositions contained 22.5% solids in water.
EXAMPLE 7
[0000]
Step 1: Add 600 g of water to a 1.5 L beaker.
Step 2: Add 65 g of Silcron G-100 (ISP/Millenium), 13 g of BaSO 4 , 13 g of ViviPrint PS10 (ISP) and 2 g of TiPure TiO 2 (duPont). Homogenize.
Step 3: Add 130 g of Airflex 465 (Air Products). Mix thoroughly, homogenize if necessary.
Step 4: Add 390 g of Aquazol 200 (ISP/PCI, 20% solids in water, previously made). Mix thoroughly, homogenize if necessary.
Step 5: Add 197 g of ViviPrint 200 (ISP, “as is”). Mix thoroughly, homogenize if necessary.
EXAMPLE 8
[0079]
TABLE 6
Dry
Component
Mass
% Solids
Composition
ViviPrint 200
197.99
30.00
18.57
VCL/DMAPMA/HEMA HCl
terpolymer (ISP)
Silcron G-100 - Silica gel
65.00
100.00
20.43
Airflex 465 - vinyl acetate-
130.00
67.00
27.37
ethylene copolymer
Water
600.00
ViviPrint PS 10 - crosslinked
13.00
100.00
4.09
polyvinyl pyrrolidone 15μ
(ISP)
BaSO 4 - 5-10μ
13.00
100.00
4.09
TiPure - titanium dioxide
2.00
100.00
0.63
Aquazol 200
395.00
20.00
24.83
Percent Solids
22.49%
[0080] This coating composition was applied using a Rotary Coater Instrument equipped with either a #40 or #60 wire round rod. The resulting coating weights were ˜10 gsm or 24 gsm, respectively. To dry the coating, 3 IR driers and 3 zone heating were employed. The ovens were set for 145° C., 135° C., and 125° C. for the 10 gsm coating and 145° C., 135° C., 125° C for the 24 gsm coating.
EXAMPLE 9
[0081]
TABLE 7
Solids
% Dry
Component
Mass
% Solids
Mass
Composition
ViviPrint ™ 131
350
11
38.5
20.45
Silcron ® IJ-25
20
30
6
3.19
Airflex ® 465
60
67
40.2
21.35
Water
750
ViviPrint ™ PS-10
2
100
2
1.06
p(DADMAC)
55
35
19.25
10.22
Heloxy ® 67
2
100
2
1.06
Ancarez ® AR 550
0.6
55
0.33
0.18
Silcron ® G 100
80
100
80
42.49
[0082] Example 10 below illustrates a matte, inkjet printable coating applied to white Melanex film. The coating is fast drying and exhibits water resistance.
EXAMPLE 10
[0000]
Step 1: Add 18.4 g of water to a 50 mL beaker.
Step 2: Add 3.1 g of Silcron G-100 (ISP/Millennium). Homogenize. This is vessel 1.
Step 3: Add 1 g of pDADMAC, 0.75 g UCAR 313 (Dow), 2.65 g of ViviPrint 200 (ISP). Mix thoroughly. This is vessel 2.
Step 4: Slowly add vessel 2 to vessel 1.
[0087] Step 5: Add 0.45 g of Ancarez AR 550 (Air Products) and mix thoroughly. Add 0.05 g Surfynol 440. Mix thoroughly, homogenize if necessary.
TABLE 8 Component Mass % Solids Solid % Wt. Water 18.4 Silcron G-100 3.1 100.00 3.1 61.3 Silcron IJ-25 1 30.00 0.3 5.9 pDADMAC 1 20.00 0.2 4.0 UCAR 313 0.75 48.00 0.36 7.1 ViviPrint 200 2.65 30.00 0.795 52.4 Ancarez AR550 0.45 55.00 0.2475 4.9 Surfynol 440 0.05 100 0.05 1 Total 27.4 5.0525 Percent Solids 18.4%
EXAMPLE 11
[0088]
TABLE 9
Component
Mass
% Dry Composition
Water
107.00
IPA
5.00
Silcron G-100
18.00
50.66
ViviPrint PS-10
0.30
0.84
Silcron IJ-25
3.00
2.53
Airflex 465
10.00
18.86
ViviPrint 131
52.00
16.10
ViviPrint 300
3.00
2.53
Zetag 35VLV
8.70
7.35
Heloxy 67
0.30
0.84
Ancarez AR550
0.09
0.14
Easy Wet 20
0.05
0.14
% Solids
Total
207.44
100.00
17.13
EXAMPLE 12
[0089]
TABLE 10
Solid
% in Dry
Mass
Compo-
Product
Supplier
Mass
% Solids
(g)
sition
Water
1125
Silcron G-100
ISP
120
100
120
39.3
ViviPrint PS-10
ISP
3
100
3
1
Silcron IJ-25
ISP
30
30
9
2.9
Airflex 465
Air
90
67
60.3
19.7
Products
ViviPrint 121
ISP
525
11
57.8
18.9
Zetag 7115
Ciba
135
20
27
8.8
Berset 2003
Bercen
36
79
28.4
9.3
Easy Wet 20
ISP
5
1
0.05
0.02
(previously
diluted)
Phosphoric Acid
Total
2069
305.6
Percent Solids of Coating is ˜15, Viscosity ˜530 cPs (LV, # 3, 50 RPM)
[0090] The printable coating compositions of the invention can be applied to paper, polyester, vinyl, canvas, etc. using a suitable wire wound rod to achieve an approximate coat weight of 15 gsm. The coating typically is dried in an oven where the set point is 100° C.-150° C.
|
An inkjet coating composition for coating a substrate to absorb ink from an inkjet printer comprises a combination of (a) polydiallyldimethyl ammonium chloride (pDADMAC), (b) a crosslinkable cationic polymer, (c) colloidal silica, (d) silica gel, (e) a binder, preferably vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer, and (f) water.
| 1
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vertical superheater-separator for drying and superheating steam leaving a high-pressure expansion turbine before its admission to an expansion turbine at a lower pressure, by heat exchange with steam at a higher pressure, and with bleeding of a fraction of the dried steam before it is superheated. The superheater-separator is divided into a plurality of vertical sectors comprising, from a central zone outwards, a zone for separating the water entrained by the steam and a superheater zone.
PRIOR ART
Superheater-separators of this nature, divided into vertical separator and superheater sectors, but without bleeding of a fraction of the dried steam are disclosed in Swiss Pat. No. 494 920.
Such bleeding is necessary, in particular, in the heat exchanger circuits of light water nuclear power plants, where the water of the secondary circuit which is returned from the condenser to the heat exchanger with the steam coming from the reactor must be preheated by means of steam drained from the exhaust of the high-pressure expansion turbine. But the steam thus bled from the exhaust of the turbine contains a high proportion of water (about 11 to 13%), which gives rise to a great danger of erosion-corrosion in the pipes and equipment situated downstream from it bleeding point. If its is required to avoid the erosion-corrosion, these pipes and other equipment must be made of stainless steel, which makes their production much more expensive.
A possible solution would be to make the exhaust steam pass from the expansion turbine into a superheater-separator comprising a first zone provided with steam separators, surmounted by a second zone provided with steam superheater exchangers, with non-superheated dry steam being bled from between the first and the second zones. But due to the extra head loss in the nest of superheater tubes, the steam flow is not homogenous in the water separation zone, so that it is very difficult to obtain an even discharge of non-superheated steam and an even distribution of the steam to be superheated on the periphery of the superheater-separator, with minimal head loss. An irregular distribution of the steam to be superheated also causes local differences in temperature of the superheated steam, generating thermal stresses on the superheater-separator and on the superheated steam exhaust pipes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to remedy the above disadvantages and to provide a superheater-separator which ensures a uniform discharge of non-superheated steam and an even distribution of the steam to be superheated on the various superheater nests, with a temperature of its casing which is substantially uniform, preventing the occurence of thermal stresses, with minimal loss of head.
The present invention provides a vertical superheater-separator for drying and superheating the steam leaving a high-pressure expansion turbine before its admission to an expansion turbine at a lower pressure, the superheater-separator being divided into a plurality of vertical sectors comprising, from a central zone outwards, a zone for separating the water entrained by the steam and a superheater zone, wherein at least one vertical sector only comprises a zone for separating the water entrained by the steam for bleeding off a fraction of the dried steam before it is superheated.
The superheater-separator further preferably at least one of the following characteristics:
a peripheral zone occupied by the superheated steam;
the zone for the separation of the entrained water, which is not followed by a superheating zone, is separated by a double wall from the peripheral zone occupied by the superheated steam;
the wet steam is introduced in the lower part and the superheater-separator is provided with stacks of units for the separation of the entrained water and for superheating; the units for separating the entrained water are disposed progressively nearer to the axis of the central zone (going from the bottom to the top), so as to ensure a substantially constant discharge of wet steam from bottom to top; and
the steam is superheated by nests of tubes provided on the superheated steam side with grids for the homogenisation of the steam discharge in the tubes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A steam superheater-separator with bleeding of dry saturated steam in accordance with the invention is described hereinbelow by way of example and with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an axial cross-section of the superheater-separator;
FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-section taken along axis A--A of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section on an enlarged scale of a stack of separators and the corresponding nest of superheating tubes; and
FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-section on an even more enlarged scale of a separator and the corresponding nest of superheating tubes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The vertical superheater-separator shown in FIG. 1 comprises an external shell 1 provided at its lower end with an inlet nozzle 2 for wet steam coming from a high-pressure expansion turbine. The shell is provided with a conical internal bottom pan 3. A cylindrical case 4 whose lower edge is lower than the nozzle 2, forms a baffle with the conical pan and causes the web steam to change direction while the largest droplets of water contained in the steam are separated and gathered together on the pan. The empty central zone 5 of the superheater-separator is intended to allow the web steam to be distributed among the stacked superheating separation units shown generally at 6 and the non-superheating separation unit shown at 13. Between the various superheating separation units and the internal surface of the shell 1 there remains a space 7 which is occupied by the superheated steam, which ensures a uniformatly of the temperature of the shell and prevents the occurrence of thermal stresses both on the shell and on the connection pipes. This space is connected to an upper dome 7A of the superheater-separator and to a nozzle for removal of superheated steam towards a lower pressure expansion turbine.
The superheating separation units 6 are distributed in radial sectors. There are for example six superheating separation sectors 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and one non-superheating separation sector 26 (see FIG. 2).
These elements are not superposed vertically, but lean (going from bottom to top) towards the axis of the superheater-separator, so as to provide the wet steam with a passage having a substantially constant cross-section despite partial losses which flow into the successive stacks of superheater-separators. The central zone 5 thus has a substantially frustoconical shape. It is separated from the circulation zone of the superheated steam by a partition 19.
The superheater-separator comprises nests of tubes for circulating steam under a higher pressure, taken for example from the input of the high-pressure turbine. The steam inlet pipe leads to a torus, not shown, which feeds the various nests of superheating tubes, by means of expansion loops 10. At the output of the nest of tubes, which will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3, the condensed steam is collected in a pipe 11 which conveys it to a receiving receptacle 12.
The separator 13 collects the steam which is to be collected dry without being superheated from a sector of the periphery (26, FIG. 2). To avoid producing temperature differences in the shell 1, the output of the separator 13 is provided with a double wall 14. The separator 13 leads to an outlet nozzle 15. It will be observed that by substituting the separator 13, detachably fixed in the wall 14, by a separator whose passage has a smaller or larger cross-section, the bleeding rate of dry non-superheated steam can be varied without modifying any other member of the exchanger.
The water separated in the separators preceding the superheaters is collected in pipes such as 16 and the water collected in the separator 13 is collected in a pipe 17. These pipes lead into the bottom of the superheater-separator, where a nozzle 18 allows removal of the collected water.
The horizontal cross-section in FIG. 2 along the axis A--A in FIG. 1, at the dried steam removal nozzle shows the various superheating-separation sectors such as 20, 21, etc., each sector such as 20 comprising a separator unit 27 and a superheating unit 28. In contrast, the sector for drawing off the steam which is to be dried without being superheated (and whose angular extent can be different from that of the other sectors as a function of the maximum dry steam output which is required) comprises ony one separator unit 30, followed by a pipe surrounded by the double wall 14 and leading into the outlet nozzle 15.
FIG. 3 is an axial cross-section on a larger scale of a vertical stack of separator units and the corresponding nest of superheating tubes, while FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-section thereof. The separator units 41, 42, etc., shown schematically by cross-hatching, are of a known type, constituted, for example, by parallel corrugated sheets between which the wet steam flows. The sheets are distributed in two sets at an angle to each other and between which a supporting bracket 64 of generally triangular shape is disposed.
The separators rest against the partition 68 which delimits the wet steam chamber via sealing plates in the form of bent metal sheets 67 bolted at some points with a sufficient play to allow for differential expansion.
The water trapped by the separators 62, 63 runs downwards and is collected in pipes 16 extending to the bottom of the superheater-separator.
In the steam path, the separators are preceded by a grid 60 (or 61) and are followed by a grid 66 for homogenizing the discharge.
The nest of superheating tubes is composed of vertical tubes 44 connecting tubular plates 45 and 46. The upper tubular plate 45 is surmounted by a steam chamber 47 fed by a nozzle 48. Two distribution grids 49 and 50 provide a uniform discharge of the high-pressure steam through the tubes, despite the variable difference in temperature between the superheating steam at a uniform temperature and the dried steam to be superheated, whose temperature rises as it passes through the nest of tubes (from right to left in the figure). To do this, the diameters of the perforations of the grid 50 decrease (from right to left in the figure).
Horizontal partitions 51 separate the dried steam into partial flows each coming from a group of two superposed separators, so as to equalize the discharge of steam to be superheated passing through the nest of superheating tubes. On the opposite side of the nest of superheating tubes to the separators, a grid 52 equalizes the steam discharge.
The lower tubular plate 46 surmounts a chamber 53 for collecting condensed water, which is removed by a nozzle 54; the pipe 55 equalizes the pressure with the receiving receptacle 12 (FIG. 1).
The steam circuits are sealed with a packing box 56 which slides against the tubular plates and thus allows the expansion of the nest of tubes to be compensated.
Each set of separators and of a nest of superheating tubes can be dismantled independently from the others by bridging it into the free central zone and by extracting it through the orifice 65 situated in the upper end of the device after removing the bottom of the manhole 69 (see FIG. 1).
Although the superheater-separator which has just been described in detail with reference to the figures appears to be the preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various modifications can be made thereto without going beyond the scope of the invention, it being possible to replace some of its elements by others which would fulfill the same technical function. In particular, the separators can be of any other known type, such as baffle plates, metal gauzes and sealing means and the means for compensating expansions can be different.
|
A superheater-separator of steam coming from a high-pressure expansion turbine, before its admission into an expansion turbine at a lower pressure. The superheater-separator is divided into several vertical sectors comprising (from a central zone outwards) a zone for separating the water entrained by the steam and a superheating zone, at least one vertical section comprising only a zone for separating the water entrained by the steam for bleeding off a fraction of the dried steam before it is superheated.
| 5
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a knockdown stand assembly for supporting a container or other article. The knockdown stand assembly is particularly suited for inclusion in a kit which includes the components of the knockdown stand assembly, a container adapted to be supported by the knockdown stand assembly and a pedestal for alternatively supporting the container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to stands of the type which are employed to support an ice bucket, planter or similar containers. Currently available stands of this type are made of metal wherein the individual components are welded together or fastened by threaded fasteners. In other words, they comprise permanent assemblies which are difficult or impossible to dismantle for storage purposes. Since with the exception of restaurants and the like, a stand for supporting an ice bucket is used on a periodic basis, the types of stands presently available are impractical for private use.
In addition to the foregoing, currently available stands of this type are rather expensive. This is due in great part to the fact that such stands are made of metal, such as stainless steel or the like. The design of the instant invention permits the use of less costly plastic materials, such as polystyrene, which results in a less expensive lightweight stand. The unique design of the knockdown stand combines the required functional features in an aesthetic manner to produce a stand of exceptional utility and pleasing appearance.
In one application of the invention, the components of the knockdown stand are included in a kit which also includes a container adapted to be supported by the knockdown stand and a pedestal for alternatively supporting the container. Hence, the components of the kit can be used for a variety of purposes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The knockdown stand assembly of the instant invention includes a plurality of legs, preferably three, an intermediate retaining member including openings for receiving the leg members, and an upper retaining member including openings which are also adapted for receiving the leg members. The leg members include locating means for locating the intermediate retaining member and the upper retaining member relative to the leg members to thereby hold the leg members together at an intermediate point and at their upper ends. The leg members also include releasable snap locks for locking the intermediate and upper retaining members in place.
When manufactured in the form of a kit, the kit preferably includes the above-mentioned five components of the knockdown stand as well as a container adapted to be supported by a knockdown stand and a pedestal for alternatively supporting the container. It is intended that the kit be sold in a disassembled form for subsequent assembly by the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a knockdown stand constructed in accordance with the instant invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the five diassembled components of the knockdown stand;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of one of the leg members of the knockdown stand;
FIG. 4 is a view taken generally along line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a view taken generally along line 5--5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a view taken generally along line 6--6 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a view taken generally along line 7--7 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the intermediate retaining member of the knockdown stand;
FIG. 9 is a view taken generally along line 9--9 of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a plan view of the upper retaining member of the knockdown stand;
FIG. 11 is a view taken generally along line 11--11 of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the container component of the kit in accordance with the instant invention;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the pedestal component of the kit in accordance with the instant invention; and
FIG. 14 is an elevational view of the container component supported by the pedestal component.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring more particularly to the drawings, a knockdown stand constructed in accordance with the instant invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1.
The knockdown stand assembly 10 includes three leg members 11, 12 and 13. The leg members are held together at an intermediate point by an intermediate retaining member 14 which, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, includes three symmetrically located openings 16 for receiving the leg members 11, 12 and 13. The leg members 11, 12 and 13 are generally T-shaped in transverse cross section as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. It is noted, however, that other shapes may be employed. Due to the fact that the leg members 11, 12 and 13 are T-shaped in transverse cross section, the openings 16 in the intermediate retaining member 14 have a similar shape.
In order to establish a connection between the leg members 11, 12 and 13 and the intermediate retaining member 14, the leg members include locating means, generally indicated at 18 in FIG. 3, for locating the intermediate retaining member 14. The locating means 18 consists of a wedge-shaped enlarged section 20. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the wedge-shaped enlarged section is formed by abruptly increasing the size of the standard cross section 22 of the leg thereby forming a shoulder 24. The sides of the leg member are then tapered upwardly and inwardly until the standard cross section is again established. As shown in FIG. 3, the length of the tapered section is approximately equal to the thickness of the intermediate retaining member 14. The openings 16 in the intermediate retaining member 14, as shown in FIG. 9, include upwardly tapered walls 26 which correspond to the taper of the wedge-shaped enlarged section 20. Hence, the walls of the openings 16 in the intermediate retaining member 14 snugly engage and seat on the wedge-shaped enlarged sections 20.
In order to assemble the three leg members 11, 12 and 13 to the intermediate retaining member 14, the upper ends of the leg members are fed through the openings 16. The intermediate retaining member 14 is moved down the legs until the holes 16 register with the enlarged sections 20. At this position a mechanical interference is established which prevents the intermediate retaining member 14 from moving farther down the legs.
The intermediate retaining member 14 is releasably locked in place by releasable snap lock means which preferably consists of a projection 28 on each of the leg members. As shown in FIG. 6, the projection 28 comprises a small extension on the end of the middle branch of the T-shaped leg. The projection 28 is located above the wedge-shaped enlarged section 20 so that it snaps over the top of the intermediate retaining member 14 when it is properly seated on the wedge-shaped enlarged section 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the projection 28 consists of a sloped surface 30 which forms a ramp and an undercut 32 which forms a shoulder. Since the components of the knockdown stand are preferably made of a plastic material, there is sufficient resilience in the parts to permit the intermediate retaining member 14 to pass beyond the projection 28, the projection 28 snaps over the intermediate retaining member 14 so that the shoulder 32 holds the intermediate retaining member 14 in place.
The intermediate retaining member 14 includes a support surface, generally indicated at 34 in FIG. 9, for supporting an article, such as a planter 36 as shown in FIG. 1. The support surface 34 is formed by an annular section 38 in which the openings 16 are formed. An integral dish-shaped member having walls 40 and a floor 42 is formed integrally with the annular portion 38 thereby defining the support surface 34.
The knockdown stand assembly 10 further includes an upper retaining member 44 for holding the upper ends of the leg members 11, 12 and 13 together. The upper retaining member 44 includes openings 46 for receiving the ends of the leg members. The leg members 11, 12 and 13 include locating means for locating the upper retaining member 44. The locating means consists of tongue members 48 formed on the upper ends of the leg members. The tongue members 48 are of a suitable size and shape to fit in the openings 46 in the upper retaining member 44. As shown in FIG. 4, the tongue member 48 is smaller in its overall dimension than the cross section of the leg member. A shoulder 50 is thus formed around the base of the tongue member 48 against which the upper retaining member 44 abuts. The shoulder 50 prevents the upper retaining member 44 from moving farther down the legs.
In order to releasably lock the legs to the upper retaining member 44, the tongue members 48 are provided with releasable snap lock means consisting of projections 52 which extend laterally from the tongues 48. The projections 52 snap over the top of the upper retaining member 44 to hold it in place. Again, due to the resiliently deformable nature of the material used to make the stand components, the projection 52 can be forced through the opening 46 until it snaps over the top. It is noted here that the dimensions of the projections 28 and 52 are somewhat exaggerated to show the manner in which they function. It is to be recognized that these projections may be reduced in size and still produce a releasable connection.
The upper retaining member 44 comprises an annular section or ring 54 having three enlarged portions 56 in which the openings 46 are formed. The annular section 54 is adapted to receive and support a container, such as an ice bucket or planter 57. The container 57 is supported by the annular section 54 because the container 57 has sides which taper between an upper diameter which is larger than the diameter of the annular section 54 and a lower diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the annular section 54. Thus, the container 57 will seat itself in the annular section 54 when the outer diameter of the container 57 approximately equals the inner diameter of the annular section 54. Alternatively, the container 57 may include a flange or lip on its rim which overlies the annular section 54 thereby supporting the container 57.
The legs 11, 12 and 13 also include foot portions 59 for engaging a support surface. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the foot portions 59 are larger than the standard cross section 22 of the leg members. This feature provides an increased surface of contact with the support surface thereby increasing stability. Additionally, the enlarged foot portions 59 prevent misassembly of the legs to the intermediate retaining member 14. This is due to the fact that it is imposible to insert the lower ends of the legs 11, 12 and 13 through the openings 16 in the intermediate retaining member 14. Therefore, the only way in which the legs can be assembled to the intermediate retaining member 14 is to insert the upper ends of the legs through the openings 16.
The knockdown stand assembly 10 is particularly suited to be manufactured and sold in a disassembled form for subsequent assembly by the user. In other words, the knockdown stand assembly 10 can be manufactured in the form of a kit. In addition to the five components of the knockdown stand, the kit includes a container 57, as shown in FIG. 1, or the container 58, as shown in FIG. 12, both of which are designed to be supported by the knockdown stand assembly 10. More specifically, the body 60 of the container 58 is tapered and has a size which does not exceed the inner diameter of the upper retaining member 44. The container 58 further includes a lip or flange 62 which seats upon the upper retaining member 44 thereby supporting the container body 60.
In the event that the knockdown stand assembly 10 is being employed for supporting a container other than container 58, the kit also includes a pedestal 64, as shown in FIG. 13, for providing an alternative means for supporting the container 58. These seven elements, that is, the three legs 11, 12 and 13, the intermediate retaining member 14, the upper retaining member 44, the pedestal 64 and the container 58 comprise the elements of a kit for supporting the container.
It is also intended that the components of the knockdown stand assembly 10 be made of a plastic material, such as polystyrene. A plastic knockdown stand assembly offers significant advantages over permanent metal stands. The knockdown stand is significantly less expensive, it is lightweight, yet durable and is uniquely suited for achieving the knockdown characteristic. Since it is contemplated to manufacture the individual components out of plastic, for example, by means of an injection-molding process, features of these various components are intentionally designed to include tapers to permit separation of the injection-molding dies. For example, the openings 16 in the intermediate retaining member 14 are tapered. From the preceeding discussion it should be recognized that the tapered openings 16 serve a dual purpose. Primarily, the tapered openings 16 are designed to register with the wedge-shaped enlarged sections 20 of the leg members. Additionally, however, the tapered walls of the openings 16 are desirable for purposes of designing the appropriate injection molds. It is noted that other walls of the intermediate retaining member 14 and the walls of the upper retaining member 44 are also tapered for this same reason.
The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore, to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein and yet remain within the scope of the appended claims.
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A knockdown stand assembly for supporting a container or the like which is particularly adapted for use in a kit including a plurality of leg members, an intermediate retaining member for holding the leg members together at an intermediate point including openings for receiving the leg members, and an upper retaining member for holding the upper ends of the leg members together including openings for receiving the leg members, the leg members including locating sections for locating the intermediate retaining member and the upper retaining member relative to the leg members and releasable snap locks for locking the intermediate and upper retaining members in place. In kit form, the foregoing components are included with a container adapted to be supported by the knockdown stand assembly and a pedestal for providing an alternative means for supporting the container.
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[0001] The present application is based on provisional application No. 60/377,755 filed May 6, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a bracket assembly for rigidly securing a tandem, two-wheel cycle, such as a motorcycle, to the bed of a trailer, truck or other vehicle for transit purposes. In this regard, many owners of motorcycles desire to transport their machines to distant locations for various purposes, such as attending a show or rally. At the present time, the predominate technique for securing a motorcycle to the bed of a trailer, truck or other transit vehicle involves the use of multiple straps. These straps are time consuming to attach and unattach. Further, these straps often stretch or otherwise work loose during transit as the result of rough road conditions or centrifugal forces from turning of the transit vehicle at high speeds, all with potential exposure to damage to the motorcycle. The present invention obviates the use of straps by providing a bracket assembly that rigidly supports the motorcycle from the bed of a trailer, truck or other transit vehicle. The bracket assembly lends itself to inexpensive manufacture, easy installation and easy attachment to a motorcycle.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Attempts have been made to produce mechanisms that will support a motorcycle for transit purposes without using straps. Pilmore U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,494 shows such a device. This device consists of three subassemblies, a first subassembly that is attached to the bed of the trailer or other vehicle, a second subassembly attached to the motorcycle and a third subassembly which is detachably engaged with the first and second subassemblies. This arrangement has several disadvantages. First, the second subassembly is permanently attached to the motorcycle and detracts from the appearance of the cycle. Second, the third subassembly must be stored when the when the motorcycle is not supported for transit. Third, Pilmore mechanism does not provide for vertical adjustment thus forcing the user to locate or maneuver the cycle to a precise location on the bed prior to attachment. Finally, the mechanism disclosed in the '494 patent consists of many parts with consequent manufacturing expense.
[0006] Doyle U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,597 and Merritt U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,817 show motorcycle transit bracket assemblies. However, the mechanisms shown in these two patents attach to the tires of the motorcycle. Tires will flex in response to load forces to which the moving trailer or vehicle is subjected thereby permitting undesired movement of the cycle relative to the trailer or vehicle. Further, the shape of the tire will change in response to variances in tire pressure thus resulting in undesired movement of the cycle relative to the trailer or vehicle.
[0007] The following patents are of general interest: Slater, U.S. Pat. No. D375,472; Fonda U.S. Pat. No. 529,827, Mitchell U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,164; and Kallstrom U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,410. These patents disclose motorcycle stands; however, these stands are not adapted for transit purposes.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention provides a transit bracket assembly for rigid attachment to the frame, or other non-inflatable part, of a cycle for supporting the same on the bed of a trailer or other vehicle without the use of straps. Thus, a primary object of the invention is to obviate the prior art use of straps in supporting a cycle for transit purposes.
[0009] Another object of the invention is the provision of a motorcycle transit bracket assembly that can be rigidly secured to the frame, or other non-inflatable part, of the cycle.
[0010] Still another object of the invention is the provision of a transit bracket assembly which provides for adjustment along longitudinal, transverse and vertical directions thus making unnecessary precise location of the cycle on the bed of the trailer or vehicle prior to attachment.
[0011] Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a transit bracket assembly which has a minimum number of parts—all easy to manufacture—thus resulting in an assembly that is inexpensive.
[0012] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] [0013]FIG. 1 is a side view of the bracket assembly attached to the brake disc of a motorcycle (not shown);
[0014] [0014]FIG. 2 is an end view of the bracket assembly and brake disc;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 3 is a top view of the bracket assembly and brake disc;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 4 is a side view of a modified form of the bracket assembly attached to the brake disc of a motorcycle wheel, wherein the brake disc is of the type having radially and circumferentially spaced cooling openings;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 5 is a side view of a mounting plate forming part of the modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 4;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 6 is a side view of a further modified form of the invention adapted for connection to the axle (not shown) of a motorcycle; and
[0019] [0019]FIG. 7 is an end view of the modification shown in FIG. 6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 , the bracket assembly, generally designated 10 , is adapted to be mounted to the bed (represented by the line 12 in FIG. 1) of a trailer or truck (not shown). An elongated member 14 , that may be in the form of a tube with a circular cross-section, has sleeves 15 and 16 attached to its opposite ends. These sleeves freely receive respective fasteners that may be in the form of bolts 18 and 19 . The bolts 18 and 19 are threadingly engaged with the respective hubs of base plates 20 and 22 . These base plates may be secured to the bed 12 of the transit vehicle by any convenient means, such as the fasteners 24 - 27 shown on FIG. 3.
[0021] A sleeve 30 is slideably engaged with the tube 14 . The sleeve 30 is fastened, as by welding, to a foot plate 32 ; this foot plate has a flat bottom surface 32 a for engagement with the bed 12 of the trailer or truck. The various parts are preferably dimensioned such that the bottom surface 32 a of the foot-plate 32 will extend below a plane containing the bottom surfaces of the base plates 20 and 22 . Thus, upon tightening of the bolts 18 and 19 , the foot-plate 32 will act as a fulcrum (acting against the bed 12 of the trailer or truck) to bend and deform the tube 14 slightly thus causing binding engagement with between the tube 14 and the sleeve 30 . This binding engagement and the frictional engagement between the bottom surface 32 a and the bed 12 prevent sliding movement of the sleeve 30 relative to the tube 14 as well as rotary movement of the sleeve 30 relative to the tube 14 . Of course, in lieu of this binding engagement, a set-screw arrangement (not shown) may be provided for adjustably securing the sleeve 30 to the tube 14 .
[0022] As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sleeve 30 has a cylindrical member 34 attached thereto. The member 34 is slideably received within a sleeve 36 attached to a base assembly 38 . This base assembly has a flat bottom surface 38 a for engagement with the bed 12 of the trailer or truck. The sleeve 36 has a threaded aperture (not shown) for receiving a fastener, such as a bolt 40 (FIG. 3). This bolt acts as in the manner of a set-screw for adjustably positioning the member 34 relative to the sleeve 36 .
[0023] The sleeve 36 has an upward extension 42 (FIG. 2) slideably received within another sleeve 44 . The sleeve 44 has a threaded aperture (not shown) receiving a bolt 46 . Thus, the bolt 46 acts as a set-screw adjustably securing the sleeve 44 to the upward extension 42 . The sleeve 44 is secured, as by welding, to a plate 48 ; this plate is in turn secured to a vertically oriented plate 50 . The plate 50 is provided with a plurality of apertures 52 for receiving fasteners, preferably in the form of bolts 54 . A back plate 56 has a plurality of threaded openings (not shown) for threadingly receiving the bolts 54 .
[0024] As best seen in FIG. 2, the plates 50 and 56 are arranged to engage opposite sides of a brake disc 58 forming part of the wheel assembly of a motorcycle (not shown). Pads 60 and 62 , respectively attached to opposite sides of the plates 50 and 56 , may be provided to prevent marring or scratching of the motorcycle brake disc.
[0025] In use, a motorcycle is positioned with one of its wheels adjacent the installed bracket assembly 12 . The motorcycle need not be precisely positioned in view of the horizontal, transverse and vertical adjustment features of the bracket assembly to be referred to below. In this regard, it will be understood that one or both of the bolts 18 and 19 will be loosened to permit free sliding movement of the sleeve 30 relative to the tube 14 . Preferably, the adjustment bolts 40 and 46 will also be loosened. The user will first position the plates 50 and 56 to engage respective opposite sides of the brake disc 58 . The bolts 54 will then be tightened for secure engagement of the plates 50 , 56 with the brake disc. Next, the bolt 46 will be tightened to secure the sleeve 44 to the cylindrical formation 42 that is attached to the sleeve 36 . The fastener 40 will then be tightened to secure the sleeve 36 to the cylindrical formation 34 attached to the sleeve 30 . Finally, one or both of the bolts 18 and/or 19 will be tightened to bind the sleeve 30 to the elongated tube 14 .
[0026] It is preferable to mount a motorcycle for transit by providing two of the bracket assemblies, one for each wheel. The bracket assemblies may be of different sizes depending on the size and configuration of the motorcycle.
[0027] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a modified form of the present invention is provided for use with motorcycles having brake discs with radially and circumferentially spaced cooling openings. The parts of this embodiment that correspond to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 are indicated by the prime form of numeral.
[0028] As seen in FIG. 4, the sleeve 44 ′ mounts a plate 48 ′ that in turn supports a front plate 70 . The plate 70 is provided with a plurality of apertures 72 spaced for registry with cooling openings 74 in the brake disc 58 ′. A back plate 76 has a plurality of threaded openings 78 arranged for registry with the apertures 72 in the front plate 70 . A plurality of fasteners 80 , in the form of bolts, are passed through the openings 72 and 74 , in the front plate 70 and brake disc 58 ′, respectively, and then threaded into the openings 78 in the back plate 76 . Tightening of the bolts 80 will firmly secure the plates 70 and 76 to the brake disc 58 ′. In all other respects, the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 is the same as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 .
[0029] A still further embodiment or modification is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. This embodiment is provided for motorcycles wherein one or both of the front and rear wheel brake assemblies do not have brake discs or do not have brake discs with exposed portions adequate for gripping. Again, the parts corresponding with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 are indicated by the double form of prime numerals.
[0030] Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the sleeve 44 ″ mounts at its upper end a plate 82 , as by welding. A vertically oriented plate 84 is welded to the plate 82 and to a portion of the sleeve 44 ″. The plate 84 has a horizontally offset portion 84 a that is provided with a vertically oriented threaded opening (not shown). An adapter plate 86 includes a lug portion having an opening (not shown) for receiving a bolt 90 for threading engagement with the threaded opening in the plate portion 84 a . The adapter plate 86 includes an opening 92 for receiving the end portion of the axle (not shown) of a motorcycle wheel assembly. It will be understood that the adapter plate 86 will normally remain attached to the motorcycle axle. Of course, other forms of adapter plates may be provided for attachment to any non-inflatable part of the motorcycle, i.e., parts other than the tires.
[0031] When it is desired to use the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, the motorcycle will be positioned adjacent the bracket assembly 10 and the various parts of the bracket assembly will be adjusted such that the threaded opening in the plate portion 84 a is positioned just under the opening in the adapter plate offset portion 88 . The bolt 90 is then threaded in the opening in the offset portion 84 a of the plate 84 for securing the plate 84 to the adapter plate 86 . The other parts of the bracket assembly are positioned and secured in the manner described above with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 .
[0032] Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 8. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 with the exception of the means for achieving lateral adjustment. The parts of the FIG. 8 embodiment corresponding to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 3 are indicated by the prime form of numeral.
[0033] Referring now to FIG. 8, the trailer bed 12 is provided with a plurality of transverse slots 96 - 100 . The elongated member 14 ′ has fastening mean at its opposite ends in the form of nut and bolt assemblies 102 and 104 . These assemblies mount the elongated member 14 ′ in the set of transverse slots 96 , 98 or 97 , 100 . Of course, the elongated member 14 ′ may be secured in any lateral position as determined by the length of the slots 96 - 100 .
[0034] The sleeve 30 ′ includes a vertically extending cylindrical formation 106 slidably received within the sleeve 44 ′. Thus vertical adjustment is achieved by loosening and tightening of the bolt 46 ′. The sleeve 44 ′ is attached to a horizontally disposed plate 108 which in turn is connected to a bracket plate 110 . This bracket plate is provided with a plurality of openings 112 receiving fasteners 114 to facilitate attachment to the brake disc 58 ′ of a motorcycle.
[0035] The present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof However, variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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The apparatus for attachment to a non-inflatable part of a tandem, two-wheel cycle for rigidly mounting the cycle for transit purposes includes a bracket-like member adapted to be secured to the frame or other non-inflatable part of the cycle. A multi-part assembly is connected to the bracket for supporting the same for movement in longitudinal, transverse and vertical directions. The multi-part assembly includes a component adapted to be secures to the bed of a trailer or other transit vehicle. The multi-part assembly includes adjustable securing means for fixing the position of the bracket-like member.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/074,609, filed Nov. 3, 2014, which is expressly incorporated in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The invention relates to the field of medical devices, and more particularly medical devices or delivery systems for and methods of controllably deploying stents and reconstraining partially deployed stents.
[0004] In some applications, the invention relates to systems for delivering a self-expandable intraluminal graft (“stents”) for use within a body passageway or duct which are particularly useful for repairing blood vessels narrowed or occluded by disease.
[0005] 2. Related Devices and Methods
[0006] Transluminal prostheses have been widely used in the medical arts for implantation in blood vessels, biliary ducts, or other similar lumens of the living body. These prostheses are commonly known as stents and are used to maintain, open, or dilate tubular structures. An example of a commonly used stent is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,665 filed by Palmaz on Nov. 7, 1985, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. Such stents are often referred to as balloon expandable stents. Typically the stent is made from a solid tube of stainless steel. Thereafter, a series of cuts are made in the wall of the stent. The stent has a first smaller diameter which permits the stent to be delivered through the human vasculature by being crimped onto a balloon catheter. The stent also has a second, expanded diameter, upon the application, by the balloon catheter, from the interior of the tubular shaped member of a radially, outwardly extending force.
[0007] However, such stents are often impractical for use in some vessels such as the carotid artery or the superficial femoral artery. The carotid artery is easily accessible from the exterior of the human body, and is often visible by looking at one's neck. A patient having a balloon expandable stent made from stainless steel, or the like, placed in his or her carotid artery might be susceptible to severe injury through day-to-day activity. A sufficient force placed on the patient's neck, such as by falling, could cause the stent to collapse resulting in injury to the patient. In order to prevent this and to address other shortcomings of balloon expandable stents, self-expanding stents were developed. Self-expanding stents act like springs and will recover to their expanded or implanted configuration after being crushed.
[0008] One type of self-expanding stent is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,771, which stent has a radially and axially flexible, elastic tubular body with a predetermined diameter that is variable under axial movement of ends of the body relative to each other and which is composed of a plurality of individually rigid but flexible and elastic thread elements defining a radially self-expanding helix. This type of stent is known in the art as a “braided stent” and is so designated herein.
[0009] Other types of self-expanding stents use alloys such as Nitinol (Ni—Ti alloy) which have shape memory and/or superelastic characteristics in medical devices that are designed to be inserted into a patient's body. The shape memory characteristics allow the devices to be deformed to facilitate their insertion into a body lumen or cavity and then be heated within the body so that the device returns to its “memorized” shape. Superelastic characteristics on the other hand generally allow the metal to be deformed and restrained in the deformed condition to facilitate the insertion of the medical device containing the metal into a patient's body, with such deformation causing the phase transformation. Once within the body lumen the restraint on the superelastic member can be removed, thereby reducing the stress therein so that the superelastic member can return to its original un-deformed shape by the transformation back to the original phase, or close to it (as the implanted shape is designed to have some deformation to provide a force to prop open the vessel in which it is implanted).
[0010] Alloys having shape memory/superelastic characteristics generally have at least two phases. These phases are a martensitic phase, which has a relatively low tensile strength and which is stable at relatively low temperatures, and an austenitic phase, which has a relatively high tensile strength and which is stable at temperatures higher than the martensitic phase.
[0011] When stress is applied to a specimen of a metal such as Nitinol exhibiting superelastic characteristics at a temperature above which the austenite is stable (i.e. the temperature at which the transformation of martensitic phase to the austenite phase is complete), the specimen deforms elastically until it reaches a particular stress level where the alloy then undergoes a stress-induced phase transformation from the austenitic phase to the martensite phase. As the phase transformation proceeds, the alloy undergoes significant increases in strain but with little or no corresponding increases in stress. The strain increases while the stress remains essentially constant until the transformation of the austenite phase to the martensite phase is complete. Thereafter, further increase in stress is necessary to cause further deformation. The martensitic metal first deforms elastically upon the application of additional stress and then plastically with permanent residual deformation.
[0012] If the load on the specimen is removed before any permanent deformation has occurred, the martensitic specimen will elastically recover and transform back to the austenite phase. The reduction in stress first causes a decrease in strain. As stress reduction reaches the level at which the martensitic phase transforms back into the austenite phase, the stress level in the specimen will remain essentially constant (but substantially less than the constant stress level at which the austenite transforms to the martensite) until the transformation back to the austenite phase is complete, i.e. there is significant recovery in strain with only negligible corresponding stress reduction. After the transformation back to austenite is complete, further stress reduction results in elastic strain reduction. This ability to incur significant strain at relatively constant stress upon the application of a load and to recover from the deformation upon the removal of the load is commonly referred to as superelasticity or pseudoelasticity. It is this property of the material which makes it useful in manufacturing tube cut self-expanding stents. The prior art makes reference to the use of metal alloys having superelastic characteristics in medical devices which are intended to be inserted or otherwise used within a patient's body. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,905 (Jervis) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,445 (Sakamoto et al.).
[0013] A now conventional delivery system for a self-expanding stent is a so-called “pin and pull” system. The following is an example of a “pin and pull” system. The delivery system includes an outer sheath, which is an elongated tubular member having a distal end and a proximal end and a lumen therethrough. A typical outer sheath is made from an outer polymeric layer, an inner polymeric layer, and a braided reinforcing layer between the inner and outer layers. The reinforcing layer is more rigid than the inner and outer layers. It is this outer sheath which is “pulled” in the “pin & pull” system. The “pin & pull” system further includes an inner shaft located coaxially within the outer sheath. The shaft has a distal end, extending distal of the distal end of the sheath, and a proximal end, extending proximal of the proximal end of the sheath. It is this shaft which is “pinned” in the “pin & pull” system. A “pin & pull” system further has a structure to limit the proximal motion of the self-expanding stent relative to the shaft. This “stent stopping” structure is located proximal to the distal end of the sheath. Lastly, a “pin & pull” system includes a self-expanding stent located within the sheath. The stent in its reduced diameter state for delivery makes frictional contact with the inner diameter of the outer sheath, more specifically, with the inner diameter of the inner layer of the outer sheath. The stent is located between the stop structure and the distal end of the sheath, with a portion of the shaft disposed coaxially within a lumen of the stent. The stent makes contact with the stop structure during deployment as the sheath is withdrawn and moves the stent with it (due to the frictional contact between the stent and the inner diameter of the sheath). The proximal motion of the proximal end of the stent is stopped as it comes into contact with the stop structure and the stop structure provides a counteracting force on the stent, equal and opposite to the frictional force from the sheath on the stent.
[0014] To deploy a stent from a “pin & pull” system, the system is navigated to the treatment location. Then the inner shaft, which extends proximal of the proximal end of the outer sheath is held fixed against the patient with one hand of the operator (medical professional). This action fixes the location of the inner shaft along a longitudinal axis of the patient's lumen being stented. This action is the “pin” step in the “pin & pull” system. The physician takes his or her other hand and pulls the outer sheath proximally (drawing some of it out of the patient toward the “pinning” hand) to unconstrain, expose, and deploy the stent. This action is the “pull” step in the “pin & pull” system.
[0015] An early example of another “pin & pull” system is the Gianturco stent delivery system as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,568 issued Apr. 8, 1986. In this prior art delivery system, the outer sheath is a tube of a single material, which does not have a reinforcing structure within it. A cylindrical flat end pusher, having a diameter almost equal to the inside diameter of the sheath is inserted into the sheath behind the stent. The pusher or inner shaft is then used to push the stent from the proximal end of the sheath to the distal end of the sheath. Deployment of the stent is accomplished by holding the inner shaft fixed with respect to the patient's body and pulling back on the sheath to expose the stent, which expands upon removal of the radially restraining force, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 & 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,568, which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0016] Another early self-expanding stent on the market was the Wallstent. It was braided and changed both length, which shortened, and diameter, which increased, when it was deployed, and the change to its length was appreciable. U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,771 to Wallsten, herein after “Wallsten”, describes a couple of delivery systems for a braided stent, called a “tubular body” in the patent. One of the delivery systems is illustrated in FIG. 11 of Wallsten, which is described as follows, “[i]In FIG. 11 there is shown another embodiment of the assembly for use in expanding the tubular body. This assembly constitutes a flexible instrument intended to introduce the tubular body in contracted state into for example a blood vessel and then to expand the body when located therein. The parts of the instrument consist of an outer flexible tube 61 and a concentric also flexible inner tube 62. At one end of the outer tube an operational member 63 is arranged. Another operational member 64 is attached to the free end of inner tube 62. In this manner the inner tube 62 is axially displaceable in relation to the outer tube 61. At the other end of inner tube 62 a piston 65 is attached which when moving runs along the inner wall of outer tube 61. When the instrument is to be used the tubular expansible body 69 in contracted state is first placed inside tube 61, the inner tube 62 with the piston 65 being located in the rear part 66 of outer tube 61. The starting position of piston 65 is shown by dashed lines at 67 in FIG. 11. In this manner part of tube 61 is filled with the contracted tubular body 69 in the starting position. During implantation the flexible tubular part of the device is inserted to the location of a blood vessel intended for implantation. Member 64 is then moved in the direction of arrow 68, the contracted body 69 being pushed out through end 70 of tube 61, the part of the tubular body 69 leaving tube end 70 expanding until in its expanded position 71 it is brought to engagement with the interior of vascular wall 72. The tubular body 69, 71 is for sake of simplicity shown in FIG. 11 as two sinus-shaped lines. To the extent that the expanded body 21 comes into engagement with vascular wall 72 tube end 70 is moved by moving member 63 in the direction of arrow 73. The contracted body 69 is moved by the piston 65 pushing against one end of the body. Thus, the implantation takes place by simultaneous oppositely directed movements of members 64 and 63, the displacement of member 64 being larger than that of member 63.” Like the delivery system for the Gianturco stent, its sheath was not reinforced, but was a single material tube, and its inner shaft did not extend through the stent, but terminated at the proximal end of the stent constrained at the distal end of the outer sheath. The inner shaft was coaxial with the outer sheath, and had an outer diameter that was larger than the inner diameter of the reduced diameter “constrained” or crimped stent.
[0017] Many conventional self-expanding stents are designed to limit the stent foreshortening to an amount that is not appreciable (e.g., less than 10%). Stent foreshortening is a measure of change in length of the stent from the crimped or radially compressed state as when the stent is loaded on or in a delivery catheter to the expanded state. Percent foreshortening is typically defined as the change in stent length between the delivery catheter loaded condition (crimped) and the nominal deployed diameter (i.e., the labeled diameter which the stent is intended to have when deployed, i.e., a “10 mm stent” has a nominal deployed diameter of 10 mm.) divided by the length of the stent in the delivery catheter loaded condition (crimped), multiplied by 100. Stents that foreshorten an appreciable amount (e.g., equal to or more than [insert a value here]) can be more difficult to deploy where intended axially when being deployed in a body lumen or cavity, such as a vessel, artery, vein, or duct. The distal end of the stent has a tendency to move in a proximal direction as the stent is being deployed in the body lumen or cavity. And, in conditions where the distal end is stationary with respect to the vessel wall, the proximal end of the stent will move distally as a function of the foreshortening upon expansion. Thus foreshortening may lead to a stent being placed in an incorrect or suboptimal location. Delivery systems that can compensate for stent foreshortening would have many advantages over delivery systems that do not.
[0018] When a self-expanding stent is deployed in the vessel in an unintended location, an additional stent may be required to cover the full length of the diseased portion of the vessel, and some stent overlap may occur. Obviously, the ability to reposition a stent to correctly deploy it in the intended location is preferred. Often, repositioning a stent requires that the stent first be reconstrained within the outer tubular member of the delivery system (often referred to as a “sheath”). To reconstrain a stent, the outer tubular member is pushed distally to slide over the stent and radially compress it back to its crimped diameter. To resist the axial force of the sheath on the stent due to friction, the proximal end of the stent which is still in the sheath is typically restrained from distal motion relative to the sheath and inner member. A number of delivery system designs provide features to restrain the proximal end of the stent from distal motion, see, e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/573,527, Attorney docket number FSS5004USNP, filed Oct. 5, 2009, and Ser. No. 13/494,567, Attorney docket number FSS5004USCIP, filed Jun. 12, 2012, and European Patent Publication No. 0696442 A2, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0233224 A1.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0019] One aspect of the invention is a method of reconstraining a partially deployed self-expanding stent that uses a mechanism to move the inner shaft and the outer tubular member in opposite directions at rates that are proportional to each other in accordance to the foreshortening ratio of the stent being reconstrained.
[0020] Another aspect of the invention is a number of hand or motor actuated mechanisms that may be actuated to perform the above method.
[0021] One invention described and claimed herein is a method of reconstraining a foreshortening self-expanding stent with a known foreshortening ratio between the crimped diameter in an intraluminal catheter based delivery system and the nominal deployed diameter in the body lumen, wherein the proximal end of the stent is in releasable fixed relation about a location along the length of an inner member of a stent delivery system, the method comprising translating proximally the outer member with respect to the stent at a first rate, thereby exposing at least a portion of the stent, at the same time that the outer member is translating proximally, translating distally the inner member, thereby translating distally the proximal end of the stent at a rate equal to the known foreshortening ratio multiplied by the first rate at which the outer member is translating proximally, after exposing at least a length of the stent, but before translating proximally the distal end of the outer member past the proximal end of the stent, deciding to reconstrain the partially deployed stent, subsequently translating distally the outer member with respect to the stent at a second rate, thereby reconstraining the length of the stent exposed in the previous translating proximally step, and at the same time that the outer member is translating distally, translating proximally the inner member at a rate equal to the known foreshortening ratio multiplied by the second rate at which the outer member is translating distally.
[0022] Another invention described and claimed herein is a medical device delivery system comprising a first lead screw having a right-handed thread and a central longitudinal axis, a second lead screw having a left-handed thread and a central longitudinal axis, a first follower operationally coupled to the right-handed thread to translate without rotating, a second follower operationally coupled to the left-handed thread to translate without rotating, wherein when the first and second lead screws rotate, the first follower translates parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the first lead screw in a first linear direction and the second follower translates parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the second lead screw in a linear direction opposite the first linear direction.
[0023] Yet another invention described and claimed herein is a medical device delivery system comprising a first lead screw having a right-handed thread and a central longitudinal axis, a second lead screw having a left-handed thread and a central longitudinal axis, a first follower operationally coupled to the right-handed thread to translate without rotating, a second follower operationally coupled to the left-handed thread to translate without rotating, wherein the central longitudinal axis of the first and second lead screws are on a common line and are coupled together to rotate about the common line in the same rotational direction and at the same time, such that when the first and second lead screws rotate, the first follower translates parallel to the common line in a first linear direction and the second follower translates parallel to the common line in a linear direction opposite the first linear direction.
[0024] These and other features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent with reference to the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to structures that are either the same structures, or perform the same functions as other structures, across the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0025] The figures are merely exemplary and are not meant to limit the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a stent delivery system;
[0027] FIG. 2A illustrates a self-expanding stent in a constrained diameter and length;
[0028] FIG. 2B illustrates a self-expanding stent in a nominal deployment diameter and length;
[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates an assembly of two lead screws and two followers;
[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates the assembly of FIG. 3 connected to two elongated members;
[0031] FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a handle of a medical device delivery system including an embodiment of one aspect of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of the handle of FIG. 5 ;
[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of another embodiment of one aspect of the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 8 illustrates a front view of yet another embodiment of one aspect of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 9 illustrates a partial side view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 ;
[0036] FIG. 10 illustrates a front view of fourth embodiment of one aspect of the present invention;
[0037] FIG. 11 illustrates a partial side view of the embodiment of FIG. 10 ;
[0038] FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a follower;
[0039] FIG. 13 illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a follower with bearings;
[0040] FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of yet another alternative embodiment of the mechanism, in which the first and second lead screws can have their central longitudinal axes parallel to one another; and
[0041] FIG. 15 illustrates a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 14 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0042] As used herein, “foreshortening ratio” is defined as the result of dividing the value of the length of the nominal diameter stent subtracted from the length of the crimped diameter stent by the length of the crimped diameter stent.
[0043] In FIG. 1 , a stent delivery system 10 includes a self-expanding stent 12 at the distal end 14 of the lumen 16 of a flexible tubular member 18 , which surrounds a smaller diameter flexible tubular member 20 . Each of the tubular members is connected to a hard plastic structure ( 21 , 24 ), which serves, among other functions, as the piece with which to manipulate the tubular member. At the proximal end, the smaller diameter flexible tubular member 20 is connected to a stiffer tubular member 22 , which may be a hypotube, and the grip or handle 24 is connected to the proximal end of the hypotube 22 . Stiffer tubular member 22 and flexible tubular member 20 may have a lumen for tracking over a guidewire 25 . Structure 26 mounted on flexible tubular member 20 functions to keep stent 12 is releasable fixed relation to a longitudinal point on the length of tubular member 20 . Finally, stent delivery system may include a distal tip that is distal to the distal end of flexible tubular member 18 and acts as a dilator when entering the body, a blood vessel in particular.
[0044] The stents that are delivered to the treatment location may be self-expanding. FIG. 2A is a schematic representation of a fully connected, helical geometry self-expanding stent 29 in a state of crimped diameter and length. This is the state of the stent when completely constrained in the lumen of the outer tubular member of the stent delivery system. FIG. 2B is a schematic representation of the same stent 29 in the nominal deployed state, which has a larger diameter and a shorter length. The difference between the crimped length and the nominal deployed length is considered significant if it is greater than 10%. When deployed, if the distal end of the stent contacts the vessel wall when it expands, the distal end is then stationary with respect to the vessel. In these conditions, the proximal end of the stent must move distally from that time on to permit the stent to expand as it deploys.
[0045] Reconstraining includes pushing the outer tubular member distally to slide over the expanded stent until the tubular member constrains the entire length of the stent and the stent is no longer in contact with the vessel wall, and can be repositioned without risk of stretching the vessel which may lead to injury. Just as the proximal stent stop applied counteracting distal forces to the proximal end of the stent to counteract the proximal friction forces along the outer diameter of the stent in contact with the proximally translating outer tubular member, and allowed the tubular member to be withdrawn to expose the stent, a structure is needed to apply proximally acting forces to the stent to counteract the distally acting friction forces of the distally translating tubular member on the outer diameter of the stent. If insufficient counteracting force is provided, when the tubular member is advanced distally, since the distal end of the stent is in contact with the vessel wall, which resists distal motion, one possible outcome is that the tubular member does not slide over the stent, such that the portion of the stent that is exposed and unconstrained begins to evert around the advancing distal end of the tubular member as the constrained portion of the stent at a smaller diameter is advanced toward a relatively stationary expanded diameter distal end of the stent. Systems are known in the art for providing structures to provide such a counteracting proximal force, and examples are U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/573,527, Attorney docket number FSS5004USNP, filed Oct. 5, 2009, (a rotatable band which interfaces with the inner diameter of the crimped stent, protruding through it and holding that part of the stent in place, when against a stop on the inner shaft) and Ser. No. 13/494,567, Attorney docket number FSS5004USCIP, filed Jun. 12, 2012, (a rotatable stent lock with has axially extending protrusions that interface with the proximal end of the stent at the same radial location as the crimped stent, when against a stop on the inner shaft) and European Patent Publication No. 0696442 A2 (four radially projecting members fixes to the inner shaft which mechanically interfere with axial motion of the crimped stent (proximal or distal)), and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0233224 A1 (rotatable, but axially fixed (to the inner shaft) bumpers that stick to the inner diameter of the crimped stent). However, when a stent has an appreciable (relative to the length of the section of the vessel being treated) increase in length upon constraining (or, i.e., crimping), proximal motion of the structure that provides these counteracting forces may provide optimal conditions for reconstraining a stent.
[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of a mechanism 30 that can provide constant ratio relative motion by either advancing the inner tubular member while retracting the outer tubular member (for exposing and deploying a stent) or by alternatively retracting the inner tubular member while advancing the outer tubular member (for reconstraining a partially deployed stent). Thus when the proximal end of the stent is fixed longitudinally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the inner tubular member, the proximal end of the stent is translated the expected distance to account for the expected foreshortening distally upon deployment or forelengthening proximally into the outer tubular member during reconstraining. Turning to mechanism 30 , it includes a first lead screw 32 with a helical thread 34 over length L 1 . In the illustrated mechanism, helical thread 34 is right handed and has a predetermined pitch. Mechanism 30 includes a second lead screw 36 with a helical thread 38 over length L 2 . In the illustrated mechanism, helical thread 38 is left handed and has a predetermined pitch. First and second lead screws both have central longitudinal axes which are axially aligned along a common line 40 . In the illustrated mechanism 30 , first and second lead screws are fixedly connected to a smaller diameter shaft 42 , used for mounting the assembly of lead screws to a frame (not shown). Mechanism 30 includes a first follower 50 , illustrated in FIG. 3 as a square. First follower 50 interfaces with lead screw 32 and when constrained from rotating, translates parallel to common line 40 , when lead screw 32 rotates. Mechanism 30 includes a second follower 52 , illustrated in FIG. 3 as a square. Second follower 52 interfaces with lead screw 36 and when constrained from rotating, translates parallel to common line 40 , when lead screw 36 rotates. Initial positions of followers 50 and 52 are depicted in solid lines and final positions are depicted in broken lines. Arrows illustrate the translation parallel to common line 40 between the initial and final positions. The ratio of the pitches of the helical threads is, in the depicted embodiment, equal to the ratio of L 1 to L 2 . In FIG. 3 , it can be seen that followers 50 and 52 move in opposite directions, and at different rates given the same rotational input of their respective lead screw.
[0047] Mechanism 30 can be operated to translate at the same time two members in opposite directions at different rates with a single rotational input. In FIG. 4 , mechanism 30 is illustrated connected to two elongated tubular members. The first elongated tubular member 60 is operatively connected to follower 50 at its distal end 62 . As illustrated elongated tubular member 60 is hollow and has a lumen 64 . A second elongated tubular member 70 is operatively connected with follower 52 at its proximal end 72 . Elongated tubular member 70 has a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of elongated tubular member 60 , and as illustrated, a length less than the total length of 70 is inside the lumen 64 and co-axial with elongated tubular member 60 . When shaft 42 is rotated, follower 50 will translate proximally and elongated member 60 will translate an equal amount at the same time due to the operative connection between them. When shaft 42 is rotated, follower 52 will translate distally and elongated member 70 will translate an equal amount at the same time due to the operative connection between them.
[0048] FIG. 5 illustrates the assembly of mechanism 30 and elongated members 60 and 70 in half of a housing 90 . Housing 90 substantially encloses mechanism 30 , in addition to enclosing the proximal portions of elongated members 60 and 70 . Housing 90 defines opening 92 at its distal tip for the elongated members 60 and 70 to translate through. Housing 90 defines an opening 94 for a portion of a follower that may be used as an input 114 to the system by manipulation by a user. In some embodiments, opening 94 is a straight slot. Housing 90 defines an opening 96 to accommodate a rotatable input 110 operatively connected to shaft 42 . Shaft 42 is mounted in bearings 100 to housing 90 . In some embodiments, not depicted, housing 90 defines additional openings. In some embodiments of the present invention, housing 90 functions as a handle to a medical device delivery system. In some embodiments of the present invention, housing 90 is sized to be grasped by a human hand. Such sizing does not necessarily impact the length of housing 90 , just the circumference of a transverse cross section to common line 40 (like shown in FIG. 6 ). As housing 90 substantially encloses mechanism 30 , mechanism 30 is accordingly sized to housing 90 .
[0049] Input 110 as illustrated in FIG. 5 is a short cylinder with a knurled or otherwise grippable surface, for example, using facets 112 about the generally cylindrical circumference. It is envisioned that an operator of mechanism 30 may use a thumb or finger to apply tangential force to input 110 to rotate it about common line 40 . Input 110 is operatively connected to the two lead screws, such that rotation of input 110 results in rotation (in the same direction) of lead screws 32 and 36 , and translation of followers 50 and 52 , and translation of elongated members 60 and 70 . The larger the diameter of input 110 , the greater the mechanical advantage to operate the mechanism.
[0050] In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 5 & 6 , mechanism 30 is configured such that follower 50 can be used as an input to the system. To accommodate such manipulation of follower 50 in embodiments with a housing, follower 50 is configured to project through opening 94 to present a tab or other suitable structure for a user to manipulate by translation within opening 94 . Such structure is alternatively referred to herein as an input 114 . If a user translates input 114 , lead screw 50 rotates, resulting in lead screw 52 rotating in the same direction as lead screw 50 , follower 52 translating in an opposite direction from the input translation, and input 110 rotating in the same direction as lead screw 50 . Of course, due to the operative connections of elongated tubular members to the respective followers, translating input 114 will also translate the elongated members in opposite directions.
[0051] Gripping the outer elongated tubular member outside of the housing and translating it along its longitudinal axis is, in some embodiments, an acceptable input to the mechanism as well, resulting in the translation of the follower to which it is operatively connected to translate in the same direction, rotating the first lead screw, and producing the rest of the motions the mechanism is configured to produce as described above.
[0052] Thus, in some embodiments of a device incorporating such a mechanism 30 , a user may achieve the desired exposure of a constrained stent or reconstraint of a partially deployed stent by rotating input 110 , translating input 114 , or translating outer tubular member 60 external to the housing 90 and patient in the desired direction to accomplish the desired exposure or reconstraint.
[0053] FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of the complete housing in phantom lines, and the input 110 , shaft 42 , follower 50 , input 114 , follower 52 and elongated tubular members 60 and 70 to show other aspects of mechanism 30 . In the illustrated embodiment, a follower interfaces with its respective lead screw over an internal angle alpha, α, of less than 180 degrees, and more closely approximating 90 degrees. As long as the follower interfaces sufficiently with the threads of the lead screw, such an angle measurement over which the two parts are in contact is not necessary. Alternatively, followers 50 and 52 could be annular rings, like a nut, about and co-axial with the lead screw and its longitudinal axis, here the common line 40 . The follower must be prevented from rotating, so that elongated tubular members can translate in a straight line through housing 90 and out opening 92 . Another aspect illustrated in FIG. 6 is the portion of input 110 which extends through opening 96 in housing 90 . Here the knurled or faceted ring-like surface of input 110 may be manipulated by a user's thumb or finger for one handed operation (i.e., hold the handle and rotate input 110 with the thumb of the same hand, or by one or more digits on the hand not holding the handle for two handed operation via input 110 . FIG. 6 also illustrates input 114 extending through opening 94 to provide a structure that can be manipulated by the user to translate (in and out of the page in the view of FIG. 6 ) to actuate mechanism 30 and provide opposite and scaled translation between the two tubular members of the device.
[0054] Another embodiment of a rotatable input (with respect to the housing 90 ) is illustrated in FIG. 7 , which is another front view, to most easily show difference between this embodiment and the last. Here input 110 is an internal gear 120 with a larger diameter than the short cylinder illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 . The internal gear 120 has teeth 122 that engage mating teeth 124 of a spur gear 126 located within the internal opening of the internal gear 120 . Spur gear 126 is axially aligned with common line 40 and is operatively connected to lead screw 50 (and the rest of mechanism 30 ). Thus a greater mechanical advantage is obtained using the illustrated embodiment, and all other things being the same about mechanism 30 , fewer rotations of input 110 are needed to fully expose or reconstrain a stent with a delivery system including this embodiment.
[0055] Yet another embodiment of rotatable input 110 is illustrated in a front view in FIG. 8 and a partial side view in FIG. 9 . This input to the mechanism rotates about an axis 130 that is perpendicular to the common line 40 , and relies on a face gear 132 , that is, one with teeth 134 projecting along the axis 130 of the gear off of one “face” of the gear 132 , rather than projecting radially inward (as in an internal ring gear) or radially outward (as in an external ring gear). Here again, housing 90 is drawn in phantom lines to more clearly see arrangement of new components. Face gear 132 engages with a spur gear 136 , the same as or similar to the one illustrated in FIG. 7 , but the user interface is different. Instead of rotating the input 110 across the handle, a user rotates the input 110 in-line with the longitudinal axis of the handle. As illustrated, the rotatable input 110 would be on one lateral side or the other with respect to the longitudinal midplane 140 of the handle.
[0056] Yet another embodiment of rotatable input 110 is illustrated in a front view in FIG. 10 and a partial side view in FIG. 11 to illustrate differences between this embodiment and the others. This embodiment builds on the last embodiment by incorporating an “in-line” rotatable input 110 on the handle, but additionally, it centers the input 110 along the longitudinal midplane 140 of the handle. This requires an additional rotatable structure, here the combination of a knurled short cylinder 144 fixedly connected to a spur gear 146 . The face gear of the last embodiment additionally must have external teeth 148 with which to engage the spur gear 136 , thus being a combination face and external gear 150 . The housing 90 and gears can be sized to optimize the desired ease of handling and gear ratio between the input and the gears in the chain (here 146 , 150 , and 136 ) that operate mechanism 30 and result in opposite movement of the two tubular members operatively connected to the followers.
[0057] A follower that is also going to function as a translatable input to the mechanism can have different forms than depicted in FIGS. 5-11 . FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of a follower 156 that provides a projection ( 158 , 160 ) laterally on either side of a vertical midplane 140 of the handle. Housing 90 is accordingly adjusted moving opening 94 from the “bottom” of the handle to a side and also defining an additional opening 162 for the lateral projection on the opposite side of the follower. That way, translating the lateral projection of the follower on either side of the handle can be used to actuate mechanism 30 and provide translation in opposite directions of the two elongated tubular members operatively connected to the two followers.
[0058] And an additional design option for operation requiring less actuating force is illustrated in FIG. 13 , which illustrates the incorporation of bearings into a mechanism utilizing followers similar to that illustrated in FIG. 12 . In this embodiment, followers 50 and 52 define an additional through-hole 164 which is a bearing surface against a bearing rod 166 , which runs parallel to common line 40 . Additionally, a round bearing 170 , the inner race of which surrounds a vertical post 172 extending down from the follower 50 , counteracts the moment exerted on the follower 50 from the rotation of the lead screw 32 . The lower bearing 170 rotates against one of two vertical walls 174 , 176 provided in housing 90 to prevent rotation of follower 50 .
[0059] In order to reduce system friction, it may be desirable to exchange the “threads” of lead screw and follower with more of a cam-follower setup. In this embodiment, follower 50 contains a bearing in contact with it and the leadscrew, which now longer is strictly a lead screw (as there are not interfacing grooves, i.e., mating threads, in follower 50 ). Instead structure 50 is actually a helical cam for that bearing to follow.
[0060] Reducing system friction to negligible amounts increases efficiency and allows backdriving so that translation of translatable input 114 can rotate lead screw 32 . The cam/bearing method is one way to achieve this. Also a ball nut could be used or simply very low friction materials, lubricants, etc.
[0061] FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the mechanism, in which the first lead screw 32 and second lead screw 36 have parallel central longitudinal axes ( 184 , 186 ), rather than axially aligned ones. The elongated members 60 , 70 attached to the first and second followers 50 , 52 have a common central longitudinal axis 182 parallel to each of the respective central longitudinal axis of the first and second lead screw. In such an embodiment, a single rotatable input 110 may be an internal ring gear 120 engaging with two spur gears 126 , 180 , one for each of the two parallel lead screws, similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, the axis of rotation 190 for the rotatable input is parallel to the central longitudinal axes of the first and second lead screws. The axis of rotation 190 of the rotatable input may be axially aligned with the common central longitudinal axis of the first and second elongated members, or it may be parallel to it, as depicted in FIG. 15 . The teeth of internal gear 120 and spur gears 126 , 180 are not shown, and instead the pitch circles of such gears are illustrated for ease.
[0062] Aspects of the present invention have been described herein with reference to certain exemplary or preferred embodiments. These embodiments are offered as merely illustrative, not limiting, of the scope of the present invention. Certain alterations or modifications which are possible include the substitution of selected features from one embodiment to another, the combination of selected features from more than one embodiment, and the elimination of certain features of described embodiments. Other alterations or modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of instant disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention, which is defined solely with reference to the following appended claims.
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A medical device delivery system including a mechanism to concurrently move an inner member and an outer member in opposite directions and at pre-set speed ratio can be operated, for example, to reconstrain a foreshortening self-expanding stent with a known foreshortening ratio between the crimped diameter in an intraluminal catheter based delivery system and the nominal deployed diameter in the body lumen. The mechanism can include two oppositely handed lead screws that concurrently turn and two followers, each follower operatively connected to one of the two shafts (e.g., the inner and outer member).
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BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a liquid-supply system, and more particularly to an anti-hammer device usable in such a system where liquids from two conduit streams are pulse-blended, and merged into a single output stream. The invention, while having clear applicability in a number of different settings, is described hereinbelow in connection with a film-processing, liquid-temperature-control system in which it has been found to offer particular utility.
By way of illustration, recently proposed for use in various film-processing machines is a system which, in recurrent pulses, alternately blends hot and cold water (from a conventional water-supply system) into a single temperature-controlled output stream. A full disclosure of this system is found in our copending U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 347,103, filed Feb. 19, 1982, for "DIFFERING-TEMPERATURE WATER-MIXING APPARATUS AND METHOD USING PULSED, DUTY-CYCLE TEMPERATURE CONTROL". In this system, as well as in other kinds of two-liquid pulse-blending systems, the quick-response alternate "shut-offs" of liquid flow in the two liquid input conduits presents a serious, and potentially quite irritating and damaging, liquid-hammer condition in the upstream plumbing.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a unique anti-hammer device usable in a two-liquid-stream plumbing system to eliminate substantially all hammer effects in both upstream conduits in the system.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the anti-hammer device takes the form of a split housing which is separated by a flexible diaphragm into two liquid-receiving plenums. Each plenum is connected to a different one of the two liquid-supply conduits in a plumbing system-upstream from where valving, for flow control, takes place. When liquid flow in one conduit is shut off, and flow in the other is started, the diaphragm flexes instantly away from that plenum in the device which is connected to the "shut-off" conduit due to the instantaneous pressure differential created. This action, utilizing the lower-pressure liquid condition in the "flowing" side of the system, absorbs "shut-off" shock, and prevents hammer in the associated conduit. The diaphragm flexes in the opposite direction when flow in the "other" conduit is stopped, and flow in the "one" conduit begun.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified fragmentary diagram illustrating a plumbing portion of a film-processing machine employing an anti-hammer device which is constructed according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the device shown schematically in FIG. 1, with portions of the device broken away to illustrate details of construction.
FIG. 3 is a view taken generally along line 3--3 in FIG. 2, also with portions broken away.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Turning now to the drawings, and referring first to FIG. 1, indicated generally at 10 is a temperature-controlling, liquid-stream blending apparatus including a shared anti-hammer device 11 which is constructed in accordance with the present invention. Apparatus 10 forms part of a film-processing machine such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,162. This apparatus is shown connected for use with a conventional water supply system, including the usual cold water supply conduit 12 and hot water supply conduit 13. Conduits 12, 13 herein have cross-sectional diameters of about 3/8-inches.
Generally speaking, device 11 includes a split housing with mirror-image halves 11a, 11b, divided into left and right fluid chambers, or plenums, (in FIG. 1) by a central flexible diaphragm 11c. In general terms, the diaphragm flexes back and forth between these chambers as water alternately flows, as will be explained, in pulses from conduits 12, 13.
Cold-water conduit 12 connects with the base of the left chamber in device 11, and hot-water conduit 13 connects with the base of the right chamber in the device. Extending from the top of the left chamber is a conduit 12a, and extending from the top of the right chamber is a conduit 13a. Conduits 12a, 13a have substantially the same inside diameters as conduits 12, 13.
Apparatus 10 further includes a pair of solenoid-actuated valves 16, 18, a copper heat-exchanging coil 20, a pair of thermistors 22, 24, and a control circuit 31. The inlets of valves 16, 18 are connected directly to conduits 12a, 13a, respectively, and their outlets are connected to the upper and lower ends (in FIG. 1) of a T-coupling 28. That portion of coupling 28 which extends to the right in FIG. 1 feeds a single, merged, output water stream to the feed end of coil 20 (the left end thereof in FIG. 1). The discharge end of coil 20 (the right end thereof in FIG. 1) connects with a suitable discharge conduit 30.
A control circuit 31, which includes a potentiometer shown schematically at 32 for selecting an output-stream regulation temperature, is connected electrically for actuating the solenoids for valves 16, 18. Such connections are indicated by lines 34, 36, respectively. Information respecting the temperature of water at two locations in the apparatus (i.e., substantially adjacent the opposite ends of coil 20), is fed to the control circuit from thermistors 22,24, as indicated by lines 38, 40, respectively. In accordance with the manner in which apparatus 10 operates herein, whenever valve 16 is open, valve 18 is closed, and vice versa.
Turning attention now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the two halves making up the housing in device 11 are generally cylindrical in construction, and are formed of any suitable material such as rigid plastic. Each of these halves has an outside diameter herein of about 5-inches, an inside diameter of about 3.5-inches, and an inside axial depth of about 1-inch. The overall axial length of each half is about 1.5-inches. The left and right chambers referred to above in connection with FIG. 1, are shown at 42, 44, respectively, in FIG. 2, with chamber 42 residing in housing half 11a, and chamber 44 in housing half 11b.
Diaphragm 11c is formed of a conventional reinforced neoprene diaphragm material with a thickness of about 1/8-inches, and a square outline (see FIG. 3) which is about 5-inches on a side. With the diaphragm seated as shown between the two halves of the housing, the four corners of the diaphragm project as is shown clearly in FIG. 3, and function, as will shortly be explained, to enable ready shock mounting of device 11.
The housing halves and the diaphragm are secured by eight nut and bolt assemblies such as those shown at 46. The entire assembly is mounted on any suitable rigid structure, such as the frame plate shown fragmentarily at 48 in FIG. 2, by means of four nut and bolt assemblies, such as assemblies 50 which include stand-off collars, like collar 52. These collars are disposed between a side of diaphragm 11c (the right side thereof in FIG. 2) and plate 48.
Completing a description of the structure which is shown in solid lines in FIGS. 2 and 3, conduits 12, 13 communicate with the insides of plenums 42, 44 through suitable fittings 54, 56, respectively. Similarly, conduits 12a, 13a communicate with the top sides of these two plenums through like fittings 58, 60, respectively.
Under circumstances with no water flowing in apparatus 10, the diaphragm in device 11 occupies the solid outline (non-flexed) condition shown for it in FIG. 2. When, for example, valve 16 is opened to allow water to flow in conduits 12, 12a, such flow takes place through plenum 42, and results in diaphragm 11c flexing and bowing to the left in FIG. 2, as indicated by the dashed line outline of the diaphragm in this figure. When, in the normal course of operation of apparatus 10, valve 16 quickly closes and valve 18 quickly opens, water flow in conduits 12, 12a stops, and water flow begins in conduits 13, 13a through plenum 44. On this occurrence, the diaphragm quickly flexes to the right in FIG. 2, as shown by the dash-dot outline of the diaphragm, with such flexing acting to transfer shock to the lower-pressure side of the system, thus to absorb liquid-hammer shock in conduit 12. When apparatus 10 cycles to reopen valve 16 and to close valve 18, a similar event takes place, with the diaphragm flexing back to its dashed outline condition in FIG. 2, thus to absorb shock in conduit 13. Because of the manner in which device 11 is mounted on plate 48, the flexible projecting corners, such as corner 11c, (see FIG. 3) of the diaphragm act as shock isolators between the device and the plate.
The device of the invention thus offers a unique solution to the problem of liquid-hammer in a two-conduit system. The device is simple and inexpensive in construction, and extremely effective and reliable in performance.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described hereinabove, it is appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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An anti-hammer device for use in a two-line liquid-mixing system, where liquids from the two lines are pulse-blended and merged into a single output stream. The device includes a housing divided by a flexible diaphragm into two liquid-receiving plenums, each of which communicates with a different one of the two lines.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement for two-dimensional DPCM coding comprising a controlled quantizer and comprising a quantizer controller to which the most-recently calculated picture element signal value and the adjacent picture element signal values of the preceding television line are respectively supplied.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is standard in the transmission of color television signals to split the color signal into a luminance signal and two chrominance signals or, respectively, color difference signals. Differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) is frequently employed for data reduction in the transmission of the individual components. After initial experiments with a one-dimensional DPCM coding, the calculation of the assessed value for the determination of the DPCM signals was expanded by a vertical prediction. In comparison to the one-dimensional DPCM process, this two-dimensional DPCM process yielded a noticeable quality enhancement of the transmitted television pictures by way of a corresponding coding of both the luminance and the chrominance.
A control of the quantization dependent on the activity, i.e. dependent on the contrast between corresponding picture elements of successive television pictures was investigated in the dissertation "Optimierung von Farbfernseh-DPCM-Systemen unter Berucksichtigung der Wahrnehmbarkeit von Quantisierungsfehlern", by Peter Pirsch at the Technische Universitat, Hannover, 1979. The introduction of this controlled quantization in two-dimensional DPCM usually produced an additional improvement in the pictures in the luminance path. Insofar as reasons of expense are not in opposition, controlled quantization can, of course, also be employed in the case of chrominance signals. The effects of controlled DPCM were simulated in a data processing system. Teachings to a technically-feasible realization are, however, lacking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for DPCM coding/decoding which can be realized in a simple manner.
The above object is achieved in that a plurality of registers connected in series are provided, the picture element values of the television line which are adjacent to the processing picture element signal being stored in these registers. The quantizer controller contains a comparison device which executes an amplitude comparison between the picture element signal values of the preceding television line. A selection control is connected to the outputs of the comparison device. A peak value control is provided which through-connects two peak values of the picture element signal values to a subtraction device via a multiplex device, the most recently-calculated picture element signal value also being supplied to the subtraction device and the difference between the most recently-calculated picture element signal value and the peak values, as well as between the peak values being formed therein. A difference selection control to which the operational sign bit of the differences are supplied is provided. A multiplexer is connected to the outputs of the subtraction device, the difference selection control through-connecting the highest, amount-wise, difference via the multiplexer to a threshold logic which controls the quantizer.
The assessed value x must be determined in the coder. In order for the decoder to be able to execute the same calculation as the coder, the assessed value may not be determined from the original picture element signal values, but only from the picture element signal values from the so-called local output which have already been calculated in the coder. The highest and the lowest picture element values, the extrema, are first identified in the coder from the picture element signal values of the preceding line. Only simple comparators and the multiplexer are required for this purpose. The computational operation with the last picture element signal value A is always time-critical. It is seen to by way of registers (digital memory) that the extrema are extant for further processing at the same time as the picture element signal value last-calculated. After a subtraction which, for example, is executed by way of addition of the two's complements, the greatest difference of the picture element signal values must be connected through to a threshold logic via which the quantizer is controlled. This is achieved by way of a difference selection control to which only the operational sign bits of the formed differences are respectively supplied. The difference selection control, as well as the extremum control are constructed in an extremely simple manner and only comprise two simple gate circuits.
It is advantageous that an inverter circuit be inserted between the output of the multiplexer and the threshold logic, the inverter circuit, given a negative operational sign of the greatest difference, emitting the amount of the maximum difference to the threshold logic by way of formation of the two's component.
The threshold logic becomes more simple due to the formation of the amount of the greatest difference, since the operational sign need not be taken into consideration.
It is expedient that three picture element signal values of the preceding television line are provided for the calculation of a vertical prediction value; that three comparators having two inputs each are provided; and that two electronic transfer switches are provided as the multiplexer.
A considerable improvement of the picture quality already occurs with the utilization of three picture element signal values of the preceding television line for the calculation of the vertical prediction value. The use of more than three preceding picture element signal values effects only an insignificant improvement; even a slight deterioration of the prediction value in special instances.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention, its organization, construction and operation will be best understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, on which:
FIG. 1 is a basic circuit diagram of a two-dimensional DPCM coder;
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a vertical coder;
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a quantizer controller;
FIG. 4 is a table for the identification of the highest picture element signal value and the lowest picture element signal value;
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of an extremum control;
FIG. 6 is a table for the identification of the greatest difference between the three picture element signal values;
FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram of a difference selection control; and
FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of an excerpt from a television picture.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, a DPCM coder is illustrated as comprising a horizontal coder H and a vertical coder 14. A first register 1, whose output is connected to a subtractor 2, is connected to the input 1 1 of the DPCM coder. The output of the subtractor is connected to the input of a limiter logic 3, whose output is connected to the input of a controllable quantizer 4. A second register 6 is connected to the output of the quantizer 4 and emits the quantized DPCM values Δx at its output 6 2 . An adder 7 is also connected to the output of the quantizer 4. The coder loop is closed via the subtractor 2 by the series connection of an adder 7, a second limiter logic 8, a register 9, a multiplexer 10 and an adder 11. The output 9 2 of the register 9, which is also referred to as a local output, is connected to the input of the vertical coder 14 via further registers 13 by way of which the picture signal values are delayed by approximately one television line. The output of the vertical coder 14 is connected via a register 12 to the second input of the adder 11. The first output of the adder 11 is again connected to the second input of the first adder 7. The control inputs of the quantizer 4 are connected to the output of the quantizer controller 5, whose inputs are connected to the output of the register 9 and to the outputs of the further registers 13.
Three of the further registers 13 and the vertical coder 14 are illustrated in detail in FIG. 2. The further registers 13 consist of a shift register including three series-connected single registers 15, 16 and 17. The outputs Q and the inverted outputs Q of the register 15 are connected to the first input of an adder 24 via a multiplier 18 and a register 21. The output Q, Q of the register 16 are connected to the second input of the adder 24 via a multiplier 19 and a register 22. The output Q, Q of the register 14 are connected via a multiplier 20 and a register 23 to the second input of an adder 25 whose first input is connected to the output of the adder 24. The multipliers 18, 19 and 20 respectively contain a multiplier circuit 181, 191, 201 and an adder 182, 192 and 202.
The output of the adder 25 is connected to the input of the second adder 11 via a register 26 and a limiter logic 27, and further via the register 12 comprising the output 12 2 . All registers serve as digital memories or transport delay units.
The essence of the invention, the quantizer controller 5, is illustrated in FIG. 3. For the purpose of a better understanding of the invention, the series-connected series-registers 15, 16 and 17 have likewise been illustrated again in FIG. 3. The outputs of the registers 15-17 are connected to the inputs of three comparators 29, 30 and 31. Therefore, the output of the register 15 is connected to the first input C 1 of the first comparator 29 and to the first input C 1 of the second comparator 30. The output of the register 16 is respectively connected to the second input C 2 of the first comparator 29 and of the third comparator 31, whereas the output of the register 17 is connected to the first input C 1 of the third comparator 31 and to the second input C 2 of the second comparator 30. The outputs C 11 , C 12 and C 13 of the three comparators 29-31 are connected to the inputs of an extremum control 32, whose outputs are connected to the control inputs of a first multiplexer MUX comprising two transfer switches 33 and 34.
The inputs C 1 , C 2 of the first transfer switch 33 are respectively connected to the output of the register 15 and to the output of the register 16. The inputs C 1 , C 2 of the second transfer switch 34 are respectively connected to the output of the register 16 and to the output of the register 17. The output of the first transfer switch 33 is connected to a register 37 via a converter 35 and the output of the second transfer switch 34 is connected to a converter 36 at whose output 36 2 the input signal is emitted inverted and at whose output 36 3 the input signal is emitted noninverted. The outputs of the second converter 36 are connected to registers 38 and 39, respectively.
The outputs of the registers 37, 38 and 39 are respectively connected to the first input of an adder 40, 41 and 42. The second inputs of the adders 40 and 41 are connected to the output 9 2 of the register 9 (FIG. 1). The second input of the adder 42 is connected to the output of the register 37. The data outputs of the adder 40-42 are connected to a multiplexer 44 whose control input 44 1 is connected to a difference selection control 43. The operational sign bits of the adders 40-42 are also supplied to the latter. The output of the multiplexer 44 is connected to the input of an inverter 45, which is likewise controlled by the difference selection control 43, and whose output is connected to the input of a threshold logic 46. The numerals at the data lines indicate the width of the data bus in bits.
The extremum control 32 and the difference selection control 43 are simple gate circuits whose structure depends on the type of comparator employed. One respective illustrated embodiment of the controls is set forth hereinbelow. The function of the two-dimensional DPCM coder with quantization control shall be explained first.
In this exemplary embodiment, a two-dimensional DPCM coding is to occur, for example, only for the luminance signal. The digitized picture element signals x (for example luminance signals) are supplied to the first register 1. The assessed value
x=αA+βB+γC+δD
is calculated in the DPCM coder, whereby A is the calculated picture element signal value of the picture element horizontally adjacent at the left to the picture element signal x, B is that line thereabove, C is the picture element signal of that above the picture element signal x to be coded, and B is the picture element signal value to the right of the value indicated by C (FIG. 8).
In order, for example, for the receiver to be able to make the same prediction as the transmitter, i.e. in order for the original picture element signal x to be calculated, the coder must not calculate with the original picture element signals. The picture element signal values appearing at the local output (corresponding to the output of the register 9) are therefore employed for the calculation of the assessed value x. What is thereby always meant by picture element signal values A, B, C and D are the signal values identified by the DPCM coder, and emitted at the local output. The prediction value αA is calculated by the horizontal coder; for the vertical component of the prediction, the picture signal values of the local picture traverse the further registers 13, in which they are delayed, and the vertical coder, in which the vertical component y of the prediction is determined by multiplying the picture signal values by constant factors. The horizontal prediction value α·A and the vertical prediction value
Y=βB+γC+δD
are added to one another in the second adder 11 and the result of this addition, the assessed value x, is supplied to the subtractor 2 for the calculation of the DPCM value Δx. Achieved by way of the registers in the DPCM coder is that the values to be processed are available in the time-suitable manner at the adders, subtractors and multipliers. These registers correspond to clocked memories. The bit width of the data to be processed in defined by the limiter logics. The calculated DPCM value Δx is emitted at the output 6 2 of the register 6 and is generally transmitted via a coder (not shown).
All picture element signal values A,B,C and D employed for the calculation of the prediction value x are supplied to the quantizer controller 5.
The picture element signal values A,B,C,D are stepped into the registers 17, 16 and 15 (FIG. 2) via the input 15 1 of of the register 15. The picture element signal values are respectively multiplied, generally with different factors in the multipliers 18-20, and are combined via the adders 24 and 25. The limiter logic reduces the data word width.
The quantizer controller illustrated in FIG. 3 compares all picture element signal values to one another, identifies the amount of the greatest difference and controls the quantizer 4 as a function of this difference. The identification of the maximum difference occurs in two steps. First, the two extrema E, F, for example B and D are identified from the picture element signal values BCD of the most recent television line. The comparators 29-31, the extremum control 32 and the transfer switches 33 and 34 are required for this purpose. The extrema E, F are then subtracted from the last picture element signal value A and the difference between the two extrema E and F is also formed. The maximum difference MD is determined from the operational sign of these differences. The maximum difference is interpreted via the simple threshold logic 46 and the quantizer 4 is correspondingly controlled.
The manner of operation of the quantizer controller shall now be described in detail.
The picture element signal values B,C and D are at the outputs of the registers 15,16 and 17. The first comparator 29 compares the picture element signal values D and C to one another; the second comparator 30 compares the picture element signal values B and D to one another; and the third comparator 31 compares the picture element signal values B and C to one another.
When the value at the input C 1 is greater than or the same size as the value at the input C 2 of the comparator, then the comparator emits a logical "0" at its output. A logical "1" is at the output only when the value at the input C 1 is smaller than the value at the input C 2 .
All possible cases are illustrated in the table of FIG. 4, whereby the first column represents the output signals of the comparators 29-31 at the outputs C 11 , C 12 and C 13 .
As a consequence of the extremum control 32, only the respectively identified extrema B, C or D need be through-connected, these being referred to as E and F at the output of the transfer switches 33 and 34. The mean value, referenced MW in the table of FIG. 4, is no longer required. A "0" as the output signal S1 or S2 of the extremum control 32 effects that the input of a transfer switch 33, 34, which is applied to the side of the control input, is through-connected.
The extremum control for three picture element signal values is illustrated in FIG. 5. It comprises two EXCLUSIVE-OR gates 47 and 49 having two of their inputs interconnected and connected to the output C 12 of the comparator 30. The second input of the EXCLUSIVE OR gate 47 is connected to the output C 11 and the second input of the EXCLUSIVE OR gate 49 is connected to the output C 13 of the comparator 31. The output of the EXCLUSIVE OR gate 47 is also followed by an inverter 48 at whose output the control signal S1 is available. The control signal S2 is correspondingly supplied by the EXCLUSIVE OR gate 49.
The control logic will end up different depending on the type of comparator employed; however, its realization with reference to a table corresponding to FIG. 4 presents no difficulties.
In accordance with FIG. 3, the extrema E and F in the exemplary embodiment are conducted via converters 35 and 36 for processing with a faster circuit technology, for example emitter-coupled logic (ECL) technology. The extrema E is thereby inverted, whereas the other extremum F exists in both inverted and non-inverted form after the conversion.
The differences A-E, A-F and F-E are formed with the assistance of the adders, 40, 41 and 42. Numerous variations are thereby possible. Instead of an inversion of the extrema before the addition, of course, the two's complements can be mathematically correctly formed. When this is omitted, then the error can be corrected by way of adding the value 1 with the assistance of the carry input of the adder. This error can also be ignored since all differences have the same error. It has been assumed in this example that the formation of the differences occurs correctly. Whereas the differences are supplied to the multiplexer 44, the operational sign are interpreted by the difference selection control 43.
FIG. 6 illustrates a table corresponding thereto. The maximum difference MD is connected through to the inverter 45 in accordance with the table of FIG. 6. When the difference is negative, then a complement formation by the inverter is effected via the difference selection control. As a result thereof, the amount of the maximum difference MD is always supplied to the threshold logic 46. When the amount formation is foregone, then the threshold logic must be correspondingly adapted. It is sufficient that the threshold logic evaluator, for example, the three most significant bits. A control signal S11, S12 which is two bits wide is output by the threshold logic; and four different quantization characteristics can be set by way of the control signal S11, S12.
The difference selection control 43 is illustrated in FIG. 7 and is constructed as a simple gate circuit which contains two EXCLUSIVE OR gates 50 and 51 whose first inputs are interconnected and connected to the operational sign output of the adder 40. The second input of the EXCLUSIVE OR gate 50 is connected to the operational sign output of the adder 41 and the second input of the EXCLUSIVE OR gate 51 is connected to the operational sign output of the adder 42. The operational sign output of the adder 40 is directly supplied to the inverter 45 and the two control bits S11, S12 at the outputs of the EXCLUSIVE OR gates 50 and 51 control the multiplexer 44.
Details which are insignificant to the invention, for example a control that sees to it that no vertical prediction is undertaken at the first line of each field, have been omitted for the sake of simplicity.
Although I have described my invention by reference to particular illustrative embodiments thereof, many changes and modifications of the invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. I therefore intend to include within the patent warranted hereon all such changes and modifications as may reasonably and properly be included within the scope of my contribution to the art.
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An arrangement for differential pulse code modulation coding comprises a controllable quantizer and a quantizer controller and is dependent on picture signal values. The quantizer controller contains a plurality of series-connected registers which store adjacent picture element signal values. A comparison device provides a differential formation between all picture signal values and a control is provided to which all results of the difference formations are supplied and which controls a multiplexer such that only the respectively highest and lowest picture signal values, the extrema, are through-connected for further processing. A subtractor, wherein the difference between the last picture element signal value and the extrema, as well as between the extrema themselves are identified is also provided. A difference selection control through-connects the maximum difference to a threshold logic which controls the quantizer in accordance with the amount of the maximum difference.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application relates to a skylight assembly, and more particularly, to a vented or ventilating skylight assembly.
Vented or ventilating skylights are known for mounting to a roof over an opening in the roof to permit light and/or air to pass into the building interior. The skylight usually includes a roof-mounting frame that carries a pivotable sash, which in turn carries a transparent or translucent member, such as glass. The sash is connected to the frame by a hinge connection at one end, usually the upper end. At the other end, usually the lower end, an operator mechanism, such as an advanceable chain, is connected to the mounting frame and sash for separating the sash and mounting frame, thereby opening the skylight for ventilation. Reverse operation of the operator draws the sash and mounting frame together for closing the skylight.
Weatherstrips associated with the mounting frame and sash, seal the skylight closed to prevent leakage therethrough, seal deterioration, operation jamming, etc.
Water running down a roof can leak into the building where the skylight is joined to the roof when the junction is in the roof plane. This leakage has been minimized by building a curb to surround the roof opening and raise the junction above the roof plane. The skylight is mounted to the curb. The curb is sealed to the roof using known flashing and sealing techniques. The curb mounting system raises the skylight above the roof plane, which creates a high profile for the skylight, which can be esthetically unpleasing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,680 there is disclosed a standing seam sealing system for a fixed-in-position, non-venting plastic, dome-type skylight that is affixed to a roof. While this patent provides an effective form of sealing, it does not disclose a low profile venting skylight.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a sealed, but low profile operating skylight.
It is another object to provide a skylight which can be directly secured to a roof so as to avoid use of the curb.
Since existing skylight frames are usually rectangular, the weatherstripping is usually cut in four lengths, each equal to the length of a side, and then the weatherstripping is fitted to the frame with the seal ends either butting against each other or mitred at the skylight corners. This style of weatherstripping can result in leakage at the corner joints.
It is another object to provide a weatherstripping system for operating vent skylights which minimizes leakage.
Glass-glazed skylights are desirable since flat glass is readily available. Therefore, it is another object to provide a system for utilizing glass in an operating skylight of the type described above.
When installing a skylight, it is normally necessary for a contractor to climb a ladder or otherwise carry the skylight from the ground to the roof. A fully assembled skylight can be heavy and awkward to carry. Furthermore, in existing systems, in the event of a maintenance problem with the sash or transparent member of a mounted unit, it may be necessary to remove the entire skylight (i.e., frame and sash) from the roof. This can be difficult and costly.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a skylight which can be easily disassembled for carrying and/or service.
It is another object to permit the sash to be separated from the frame.
Skylights may conduct heat therethrough or otherwise not maximize performance.
It is another object of this invention to minimize thermal conductivity through the skylight and maximize the performance thereof.
These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is provided herein an operating-vent glass-glazed skylight, which has a low profile, can be directly mounted to the roof, can be effectively sealed to a roof, has a substantially continuous weatherstrip that avoids corner butting, has a sash that can be readily separated from the frame for ease of installation and service and which is constructed to maximize thermal performance.
Structurally, the skylight includes a mounting frame for direct and substantially coplanar mounting to a roof and for carrying the sash. The side edges of the frame each have an upstanding elongated standing seam member for sealing to the roof above the roof plane. The sash and frame each carry a mating part of a separable-type, knuckle-type hinge assembly for pivoting of the sash relative to the frame and for easy separation of the sash from the frame. The operator for opening and closing the skylight is attached to the frame and sash by a clevis-and-pin assembly so that the operator can be disconnected by removal of the pin from the clevis when the sash is to be removed. The sash defines means and is constructed to carry a flat glass member. There has also been provided a reliable single joint weatherstripping system. Moreover, the weatherstripping is arranged to minimize thermal conductivity through the skylight.
This skylight construction results in a sealed low profile venting skylight.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective style view showing the skylight unit of this invention in the opened position and for mounting in a pitched style roof;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a closed skylight;
FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a closed skylight;
FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-section taken along line IV--IV of FIG. 1 showing the skylight opened and in chain-dotted lines the sash positioned for separation;
FIG. 4A is an enlarged perspective view of the clevis as in FIG. 4;
FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-section taken along line V--V of FIG. 1, but with the skylight closed;
FIG. 6 is a cross-section of the frame head member showing a part of the knuckle hinge;
FIG. 7 is a cross-section of the frame sill member;
FIG. 8 is a cross-section of the side member of the frame showing the standing seam member;
FIG. 9 is a cross-section of the sash head member showing a part of the knuckle hinge assembly;
FIG. 10 is a cross-section of the side members of the sash;
FIG. 11 is a cross-section of the sill member of the sash;
FIG. 12 shows horizontal and vertical ganging of a plurality of skylight units on a pitched roof;
FIG. 13 is a perspective-style view showing fragmentary portions of the frame and sash and an alternative connection operator; and
FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view of a fragment of an opened skylight with the alternative connection.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Introduction
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an operating-vent, standing-seam, glass-glazed skylight 10 generally, mounted in a pitched roof 12 between a pair of roof carrying trusses, such as 14 and 16.
The Frame and Sash
The roof-engaging or skylight mounting frame 18 is rectangular or of another polygonal shape and is fabricated of aluminum extrusions or members including a head member 20, sill member 22 and elongated side members or jambs 24 and 26. The sash member 28 is also rectangularly shaped and is fabricated of aluminum extrusions, such as head member 30, sill member 32 and a pair of elongated side members or stiles 34 and 36. The sash members form an inner frame for carrying a glass pane 38, which is bonded to the sash by an appropriate adhesive. The frame and sash are interconnected by a hinge assembly and an operator, as described hereinafter.
The Frame and Extrusions
FIG. 6 shows the head member 20 for the frame 18. The head member 20 is generally cross-shaped and includes an outer elongated roof engaging flashing member 20a and an inner leg 20b having an upstanding inner channel forming and weatherstrip engaging flange 20c. Vertically, there is provided a downwardly extending or depending inner frame forming flange 20d and an upwardly extending leg 20e. The upper leg 20e includes an inwardly positioned channel-shaped secondary weatherstrip-receiving-trough 20f and an outwardly extending hinge carrying leg 20g on which a cylindrical male part 20h for a knuckle-type hinge is carried and spaced from the upright 20e. The hinge member 20h is a generally cylindrical member having a diameter of about 0.250 inch and a flat or land 20i.
The land 20i is oriented at about 20° to the plane of the skylight The perpendicular distance from the land through the center to the opposite side of the knuckle is about 0.200 inch.
The lower frame or sill member 22, as shown in FIG. 7, is generally L-shaped and includes a wide roof-engaging outer flashing-like web 22a and an upstanding weatherstrip engaging flange 22b, which is carried along one edge of the flashing. A depending web 22c extends downwardly from said web for cooperation in defining an inner frame and carrying a decorative inner wooden frame or moulding.
The side or jamb members, such as 24 in FIG. 8, define a generally cross-shaped member having an outer or flashing leg 24a, which terminates in the upstanding standing seam or outer channel forming member 24b. The inner leg 24c terminates in a short upstanding inner channel forming and weatherstrip engaging flange 24d. The depending leg 24e cooperates in positioning the skylight in the roof, cooperates in defining the inner frame and carrying the decorative inner frame The upstanding central leg 24f includes a weatherstrip carrying channel 24g. The other side rail is exactly the same extrusion except that it is provided on the opposite side. It is to be noted from FIG. 1 that the standing seam is bent inwardly slightly at its lower end so as to provide a telescoping end adapted to interfit with the upper end of an adjacent skylight.
The frame is formed by joining (as by welding) the head member 20, sill member 22, and side or jamb members 24 and 26 together When the frame is formed, the seal receiving troughs, such as 24g and 20f, form a U-shaped primary seal receiving trough along the sides and head of the frame and the depending legs, such as 20d, 22c and 24e, form an inner frame for fitting in the roof opening and to which a decorative inner wooden frame is fitted. The flashings and legs 20a, 24a and 22a form a rectangular roof-engaging surface that is substantially coplanar with the roof.
An outer or primary inverted and U-shaped flow channel is formed by the head member portions 20a, 20e and the side member portions such as 24b, 24a and 24f. An inner or secondary inverted and U-shaped flow channel is formed by the head member portions 20e, 20b and 20c and side member portions such as 24f, 24c and 24d. Note that the inner flow channel is inward of the primary weather seal trough, such as 20f and 24g, and terminates to the exterior side of the skylight.
The Sash and Extrusion
The sash members are shown in section in FIGS. 9, and 11 and are shown assembled in the other drawings, such as FIGS. 4 and 5.
The sash head member is formed from the extrusion 30 as in FIG. 9 The extrusion 30 includes the inner frame forming leg 30a, the depending retaining frame leg 30b, and the angularly and depending outer hood-like leg 30c which terminates in the female hinge part 30d of the knuckle-type hinge. The female part is a downwardly open C-shaped member which is open at an angle of about 120° and is about 0.250 inch in diameter.
The side or stile members for the sash are formed from the same extrusion and include an inner frame-forming leg 34a, a depending web forming the retaining frame 34b, and the angularly and depending hood-shaped leg 34c.
The sash sill 32 is formed of an extrusion having an inner frame forming leg 32a, the hood-like section 32b, inner leg 32c, and web 32d which connects the leg 32c and hood 32b.
It is understood that these extrusions are welded together so as to form an inner rectangularly shaped glass retaining frame with legs such as 32c, 30b, and 34b. An insulating glass assembly, such as 38 is positioned within the retaining frame formed by the legs 30b, 32c and 34b and is bonded in position by an adhesive such as structural silicone 39 (see FIG. 4).
The Wooden Interior Frame
A decorative wooden interior frame formed of rails or stiles, such as 42, 44, 46 and 48, is fitted into the inner retaining frame formed by the mounting frame depending legs such as 20d, 22c, and 24e. The inner wooden frame is for cooperation with flanges, such as 24d, in positioning a primary or outer weather seal, for decorative appearance and for supporting the operator, screen and shade accessories. The wooden frame is secured to the metal frame by screws or similar fasteners. The interior of the wooden frame is provided with bored holes with releasable locking mechanisms (e.g., spring-loaded plungers) for securing a screen such as 50 across the opening for the skylight.
A drip channel such as 52 is secured and positioned in the wooden frame at the sill end 48 for catching condensate dripping from the pane 38 and for evaporation thereof.
The operator 54 is secured to the wooden frame sill and in operation advances the chain 56, which is secured at one end to the clevis assembly 58 on the sash by a pin 59.
The Clevis
The clevis 58 as shown in FIG. 4A is an elongated but narrow and thin member, which is secured by screws to the sash sill member and lies against the insulated glass assembly The clevis is made of nylon or other low-thermal conductivity plastic. The clevis has thin narrow body channel-like recess 58b is provided to accommodate the edge of the sash-sill wall 32c.
The head 58c extends downwardly from the body and includes a pin receiving bore 58d for receiving and cooperating with the pin 59 This clevis construction could conduct thermal energy between the weather side of the skylight and the building interior by contacting the sash sill 32 and the interior. However, the size and material of the clevis and the inner or secondary weatherstripping minimize thermal transfer.
The Seals
There are provided two seals in this assembly, the first one being the outer or primary seal and the second being the inner or secondary seal.
The primary seal 70 is a U-shaped, one piece weatherstrip and positioned in the seal receiving troughs such as 24g and 20f (see FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5). The primary seal forms a substantially inverted U-like shape as it extends upwardly along one side across the head member and downwardly along the other side of the skylight. The outer or primary seal 70 is positioned to engage the inner surface of the hoods of the sash member, such as 34c and 30c, to provide the sealing.
The inner seal or secondary seal 72 has a square-shaped periphery and is positioned between the inner legs of the extrusions, such as 20c, 22b and 22d, and their respective wooden frame members such as 42, 44, 46 and 48. The seal 72 is arranged so as to have only a single seam or junction 72a and that is usually positioned in the center of the head end of the frame. Thus there is no mitring and the seal member, in effect, turns the corners with the only seal-to-seal junction being at the center of the head. The seal is positioned to sealingly engage the pane 38 so as to minimize exterior moisture from entering the building interior through the skylight However, where the clevis is positioned, the seal engages the clevis, not the pane.
The inner or secondary flow channel formed by the head and side members is positioned between the primary and secondary weatherstrips.
Installation
Referring now to FIG. 5, a standing seam unit is shown installed in a roof The roof includes trusses, such as 14 and 16, which carry the roof decking, such as 80. Roofing felt 82 is secured to the decking and an L-shaped anchor 84, of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,680, is secured to the roof by nailing and engages the standing seam member, such as 24b. A row of shingling 86 is applied over the anchor and then an L-shaped flashing member 88 is applied to the shingle and abuts the standing seam. Another row of shingling 90 is placed thereover. Appropriate sealants may be applied to the various seam members and a batten or weather cap 92 is applied thereover.
The frame head wall 20e diverts water flowing down the roof to a flow channels such as those formed by the standing seam 24b and central web 24f and leg or floor 24a.
Installation and Operation
In order to install the skylight, the sash can be separated from the frame by removal of the clevis pin 59 and rotation of the sash 28 to a position where the female hinge part opening and male hinge part land are aligned so as to permit removal of the sash from the frame. This is shown in FIG. 4 in chain-dot lines This generally occurs at about 45° to the plane of the skylight The unit can then be carried onto the roof in two parts, namely the sash and the frame, and then installed and reassembled. The frame is mounted to the roof and the sash remounted to the frame, rotated downwardly and the operator reconnected by insertion of the pin 59. The unit is openable by operating the operator 54 to cause the chain 56 to advance, thereby separating the sash from the frame. Closure is achieved by reverse operation of the operator so as to draw the sash against the frame In the closed condition, the primary seal 70 engages the sash hoods for sealing and the secondary seal 72 engages the pane 38 and clevis so as to maximize sealing.
In the open position, light can pass through the skylight pane 38 and to the interior of the building, and air passes into the skylight through the screen and into the interior of the building In the closed position, light passes through the closed sash and pane 38, while air, water and the like are sealed from entry by the primary and secondary weatherstrips.
Water flowing down the roof primarily flows to the outer channel and downwardly therethrough. The standing seam seals the skylight to the roof so as to minimize leakage. In the event water were to penetrate the primary seal or drip from hood parts, such as 30c or 30b, it could be collected and disposed of via the inner or secondary channel, such as formed by head parts 20c, 20b and 20e, or side member parts 24d, 24c and 24f.
The units by virtue of this construction provide a low profile relative to the roof in that they do not extend significantly above the roof line. In this embodiment, the uppermost part of the skylight is only about two inches above the roof.
Skylight Ganging
The vertical and horizontal ganging of skylights is shown in FIG. 12. There the upper skylight 100 is fitted into the lower skylight 102 by overlapping and telescoping the standing seam members Horizontally the skylights 103 and 104 are positioned side-by-side with skylight 102 on the appropriate roof trusses and with the standing seam members abutting each other and sealed together.
Alternative Clevis
FIGS. 13 and 14 show an alternative clevis construction. A mounting frame 150 and a movable glazed sash 152 are separated by the cooperation of an operator 154, chain 156 and pinned clevis 158 In this case the clevis is adhesively bonded to the sash glazing 160. In this system the clevis is on the interior or building side of the skylight and thus there is no thermal path via the clevis between the inside and outside of the skylight. Thus performance of the skylight can be further increased.
Although the invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments, it is not to be so limited as changes and modifications can be made which are within the full intended scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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There is disclosed herein a skylight installation for a pitched roof having a planar section and for passing visible light from the ambient to the building interior while minimizing the ambient elements from entering the building through the skylight installation. The skylight unit includes a roof engaging mounting frame constructed to engage the planar roof section in a substantially coplanar manner and which defines a head end, a sill end and a pair of side edges. The side edges also include a pair of upstanding seam members for sealing to the roof. A sash is removably and hingedly connected to the mounting frame and carries a planar glass pane. Primary sealing means are associated with the frame for sealingly engaging the sash and secondary sealing means are provided in association with the frame for sealingly engaging the pane. The hinge includes one hinge element associated with the frame head member and a second hinge element associated with the sash head member. The hinge elements are removably and hingedly securable to one another. A novel weatherstripping and flow channel system is also provided. Aluminum extrusions are used for forming various frame and sash members. This assembly provides an effectively sealed low profile operating vent skylight unit.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a device and a method for transmission of information by means of using a spread spectrum technique.
BACKGROUND
In broadband data transmission, the transmission often has to meet certain requirements, and such requirements can be:
high data rate
short delay
exploitation of a large channel band width
low risk of detection or tapping
good noise immunity
Frequency hopping is a recognized method for creating a spread spectrum having a linear spectrum in an efficient manner, seen over a longer period. Frequency hopping is carried out by means of changing the transmitter and receiver carrier frequency in a predetermined manner. This puts high demands on time synchronization.
Frequency hopping does, however, not guarantee a high momentary band width and thereby high information band width. In order to obtain a high information band width, a modulation method, having a band width adapted to the requirements on information band width, in combination with the frequency hopping, is required.
A very large spread spectrum through frequency hopping also requires long hop sequences, which will result in practical limitations. The noise suppression of the method is directly dependent on the relationship:
signal energy * spread spectrum factor/noise energy
Furthermore, one drawback of the method is that it puts high demands on modulator and de-modulator, respectively, in order to change the frequency fast.
Another problem with this technique is that it is difficult to avoid detection, due to the high power density within a small frequency band, which results in that narrow band receivers also can be used for detecting such on-going traffic.
Another way of obtaining a spread spectrum is by means of direct sequence modulation. Direct sequence modulation is primarily used for obtaining a spread spectrum having a large momentary band width, thereby allowing a high information band width.
The direct sequence modulation is carried out by means of modulating the signal with a long, repeatable, random-like code sequence having a very high autocorrelation function. Since demodulation is carried out in a corresponding manner the signal will be re-created and possible noise will at the same time be suppressed by a factor corresponding to the length of the code sequence, i.e. more efficiently the longer the code sequence or direct sequence length are.
Hence, extreme broadband modulation will require extremely long code sequences, which will result in that, in particular, the demodulator becomes very complex. It can therefore be suitable to implement the demodulator in hardware instead of, which is commonly done, in software. However, also a hardware solution becomes very complex for long code sequences, having large circuit solutions as a result and thereby high costs.
The noise suppression is in the case of direct sequence modulation directly dependent on the relationship:
signal energy * direct sequence length/noise energy
A drawback of this method is that it puts high requirements on the accuracy of the synchronization in the receiver.
A further drawback is that the spectrum of the direct sequence spread spectrum signal is not linear, which reduces the theoretical process gain of the spread spectrum.
By means of combining direct sequence spread spectrum with frequency hop spread spectrum it is possible to obtain a larger spread spectrum than with the methods per se, since the implementations of the methods are limited by different factors, i.e. the limitations described above for the two methods.
In a combination of spread spectrum methods the spread spectrum is formed by the product of the two spread spectrum factors of the applied methods. Typically, the direct sequence modulation can provide for the power of the signal being spread over 10-20 MHz and the frequency can hop in the magnitude of GHz.
However, this technique also has some drawbacks. These mainly consist of higher implementation costs, but also in that even if the spectrum of the signal becomes relatively spread, it will still contain some spikes. This results in that the risk for detection becomes lower than, e.g. for pure frequency hop techniques, but still not minimum, due to the existence of the spikes in the spectrum.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,046 describes a spread spectrum technique which can be used for transmission of information by means of simultaneous sweeping from an intermediate frequency to the upper boundary of the channel and from the lower boundary of the channel to said inter-mediate frequency. Information is transmitted by modulating the sweep signals by means of phase switching.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,294 describes an optical transmission system which transmits and receives digital ones and zeros, as wave length shifted signals.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,792 discloses a method and apparatus for data transmission, using chirped frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation. In order to overcome the problem resulting from i.a. continuous wave (CW) carriers in power line communication systems, the offset frequency of the carrier frequency, representing the information, i.e. being responsive to a particular logic value of a data bit to be transmitted, is swept during the transmission time of the data bit. Thus, by slowly varying the offset frequency in the FSK modulation during transmission of the data bit the interference resulting from CW carriers is reduced.
SUMMARY
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device and a transmission system which overcome the problems with the prior art and which at the same time fulfil the requirements mentioned in the introduction, viz. a transmission system which can provide
high data rate
short delay
exploitation of a large channel band width
low risk of detection or tapping
good noise immunity
This object is obtained by transmitting data coded as pre-determined frequency sweeps in relation to a pre-determined frequency, a certain sweep corresponding to a certain symbol. Decoding is then carried out in a device comprising a corresponding number of receiver channels where sweeping reference oscillators, which generate reference signals, are used for verifying the presence of the transmitted, into frequency sweeps coded, symbols. The transmitter then transmits predetermined frequency sweeps during time intervals having a pre-determined duration. The receiver is then able to determine which symbol has been transmitted by means of determining the frequency sweep direction and/or the duration of the frequency sweep.
In order to shorten the time for synchronization in the receiver, each receiver channel can be equipped with a number of reference oscillators, which moreover can be made to follow different frequency sweep signals being displaced in time in relation to each other.
In order to further increase the channel band width and to make tapping and detection more difficult the selected given frequency can also be made to vary according to a pseudo-random scheme. In a preferred embodiment several reference oscillators are provided in each receiver channel, whereby the synchronization time can be reduced and also several, different, in relation to each other delayed, frequency sweep signals can be transmitted in the same frequency band.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described by way of non-limiting embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 a shows the momentary transmitted frequency in a transmission system using two coded symbols and the
FIGS. 1 b and 1 c show the momentary frequency of corresponding reference oscillators in decoding of the transmitted symbols.
FIG. 2 a shows the momentary transmitted frequency in a transmission system using four coded symbols and
FIGS. 2 b - 2 e show the momentary frequency of the corresponding reference oscillators in the decoding of the transmitted symbols.
FIG. 3 a shows the momentary transmitted frequency in a transmission system using four coded symbols, two of which are intended for a first receiver and the other two for a second receiver and
FIGS. 3 b - 3 e show the momentary frequency of the corresponding reference oscillators in decoding of the transmitted symbols.
FIGS. 4 a - 4 c show the momentary frequency of a transmitter and a receiver, respectively, during transmission of a sweep synchronization sequence.
FIGS. 5 a - 5 c show the momentary frequency of a transmitter and a receiver, respectively, during transmission of a frame synchronization sequence.
FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a receiver for reception of two different symbols.
FIG. 7 is a general block diagram of a transmission system using frequency sweeping for transmission of information.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In FIGS. 1 a - 1 c diagrams of the frequency as a function of time for point-to-point-transmission over a channel are shown. Two symbols, in FIG. 1 a. denoted a and b, are transmitted modulated by means of broad band sweeping upwards and downwards, respectively, from a certain centre frequency (f 0 ).
The centre frequency (f 0 ) can either be pre-set to a fixed frequency or also vary according to a pseudo-random scheme in order to reduce the risk of detection or in order to make tapping impossible, in the case someone finds the correct centre frequency. In order to accomplish this the centre frequency is changed at suitable times, for example once/second, which is controlled in a known manner by internal synchronizing clocks inside the transmitter and the receiver, respectively.
During a sweep, which in the examples below last for 1 microsecond (1 μs), the transmitted signal sweeps, preferably linearly, from the centre frequency upwards or downwards over, in this case, 100 MHz.
The information is then contained only in the sweep itself, i.e. sweep start frequency, sweep end frequency and the length of the time interval during which the sweep lasts, in this case 1 μs. In the shown preferred embodiment the frequency sweeps, depending on the transmitted symbol, either upwards or downwards from the given centre frequency during this 1 μs time interval. The following two sweeps are possible, wherefore the capacity of the transmission is 1000000 baud or 1 Mbit/s, the two sweeps representing the value of one symbol, i.e. for example a logical one and a logical zero.
a (0) Positive sweep from centre frequency (f 0 →f 0 +100 MHz)
b (1) Negative sweep from centre frequency (f 0 →f 0 −100 MHz)
In demodulation a receiver having two channels, which each comprises a sweeping reference oscillator, and each receiver channel being used for detecting a certain sweep, see FIGS. 1 b and 1 c, in order to recreate the transmitted symbol sequence. Thus, in FIG. 1 b a diagram of frequency sweeps which a first reference oscillator generates is shown as a function of time and in FIG. 1 c corresponding frequency sweeps which a second reference oscillator generates in the second receiver channel is shown.
In FIGS. 2 a - 2 e a method which is a variant of the one in FIGS. 1 a - 1 c, where four different symbols can be transmitted point-to-point on a channel, is shown. The information is in this case contained both in start frequency and sweep direction. The following four sweeps are possible, wherefore the capacity of the transmission is 2000000 baud or 4 Mbit/s. The four sweeps represent the value of a symbol, which for example consists of two binary bits, each being a logical one or logical zero.
a (00) Positive sweep from centre frequency (f 0 →f 0 +100 MHz)
b (01) Negative sweep from centre frequency (f 0 →f 0 −100 MHz)
c (10) Positive sweep towards centre frequency (f 0 −100 MHz)
d (11) Negative sweep towards centre frequency (f 0 +100 MHz→f 0 )
A transmitted sequence modulated according to this method is illustrated in FIG. 2 a, which shows the transmitted frequency as a function of time. In demodulation four receiver channels are used in the receiver which each is used for verifying the presence of a certain sweep, see FIGS. 2 b - 2 e which show the oscillator frequencies as a function of time for the four different receiver channels.
The method described above can also be used for providing transmission intended for transmission on two independent channels in the same frequency band, which is illustrated by the diagrams in FIGS. 3 a - 3 e. By using this method two transmitters can transmit to one or several receivers simultaneously in the same frequency band.
Thus, the same frequency band can be used for simultaneously transmitting information from two different transmitters to one and the same receiver or the frequency band can be used for simultaneously transmitting information from two different transmitters to two different receivers by means of using the method shown in FIG. 3 a.
Modulation is also in this case carried out by means of broad band sweeping by, in the chosen example, a 100 MHz sweep during the time of 1 microsecond.
The information for each of the two channels is here contained both in start frequency and sweep direction, see FIG. 3 a. For example, the sweeps shown in FIGS. 3 b - 3 e can be used for transmission on the two different channels, wherefore the capacity of the transmission is 1000000 baud or 1 Mbit/s per channel. The four sweeps represent the value of one symbol for the two channels, i.e. for example a logical one or a logical zero.
In demodulation four receiver channels each comprising a sweeping reference oscillator are used, as in the embodiment described in FIGS. 2 b - 2 e, each oscillator being used to detect a certain sweep, see FIGS. 3 b - 3 e. Channel 1 in the shown example corresponds to the continuous line on which the symbols a and b are transmitted, whereas channel 2 corresponds to the dotted line on which the symbols c and d are transmitted.
In all of the above described examples, a synchronization of the sweep oscillators of the receivers with the received signal and the synchronization of transmitted frames is required. For synchronization detection of the received signals a multitude of sub-receivers can be arranged per receiver channel and be used independently of each other if one-channel transmission or multi-channel transmission is used. I.e., in each receiver channel a multitude of reference oscillators having mutually delayed start times are arranged. Depending on the utilization of the transmission this gives different performance regarding synchronization times. The limitation in such an embodiment lies in the receiving equipment and depends on the number of available sub-receivers.
The synchronization is carried out in two steps, a sweep synchronization where the sweep generator of the receiver is synchronized with the sweep of the incoming signal followed by a frame synchronization where the frames, i.e. the delimiting elements of the information blocks, are identified in order to synchronize the channel coding, i.e. the error-correcting coding in the information transmission itself.
Before the sweep synchronization has been carried out the receiver is in a synchronization searching mode when the receiver searches over the time domain by delaying the sweep start time for the reference oscillators by inserting a time shift thereon, for example by inserting a delay constituting a part of the time interval between the start time for two consecutive frequency sweeps, for example a 0.1 μs long delay after each group of 10 sweeps before the next group of 10 sweeps starts. The effective band width of the receiver is in this example 10 MHz which results in that 100 sweeps may be required before sweep synchronization can take place. This results in that an expected synchronization time becomes approximately 50 * 1 μs=50 μs.
The synchronization sequence consists of a number of repeated identical sweep patterns. When the receivers detect a sweep they are automatically synchronized to this sweep.
FIGS. 4 a - 4 c show a sweep synchronization sequence which is received, see FIG. 4 a, in order to be compared to the signals which are generated by the sweep oscillators of the receiver, see FIGS. 4 b and 4 c. Thereupon the receivers switch to automatically follow the centre frequency and time position, in case this varies with time. This is carried out by means of reading and correcting the remaining errors in sweep start time and sweep start frequency for the upwards and downwards directed frequency sweep of the reference oscillators.
However, the synchronization time can be reduced if, in accordance with above, each receiver channel is equipped with a number of sub-receivers, which preferably have starting times delayed by 1/M μs in relation to each other, where M is the number of sub-receivers in each receiver channel.
By using such an arrangement a reduction of the expected value for the synchronization time to approximately 50/M μs is obtained. Furthermore, by using such an arrangement the receiver can be made to receive traffic from several transmitters simultaneously. This is obtained in the following manner:
First one set of sweep oscillators in a sub-receiver detects that a signal is transmitted. These are then locked on this signal and continues to follow this until the signal traffic ends. The rest of the sub-receivers continue to search the time domain for other signals which are displaced in time in relation to the first signal. This method is repeated until all sub-receivers follow their own signal. In this manner the entire channel band width of the receiver can be used.
Furthermore, the same frequency band can be used by different transmitters if the transmitted frequency sweeps from the different transmitters are transmitted during unequally long time periods, i.e. the sweep duration is different for different transmitters. Thus, a first transmitter could transmit a frequency sweep lasting during 1 μs and second transmitter could transmit the same frequency sweep but spread over another time interval, for example 2 μs. This, however, of course, requires that the receiver which is to receive the transmitted frequency sweeps has knowledge about the length of the frequency sweeps which a transmitter transmits, and that the corresponding reference oscillators which generate reference signals having a corresponding duration are arranged in the receiver.
After that the demodulators of the receiver have been synchronized according to the above the receivers switch to search for a special frame synchronization sequence. The received sequence is then compared to a particular sequence having a high autocorrelation function, for example a Gold sequence. Frame synchronization then takes place when the cross correlation between the received sequence and the sequence of the receiver exceeds a certain threshold value or when maximal cross correlation has been found. This comparison is carried out in a correlator intended therefor, which measures the cross correlation between a received sequence and the predetermined sequence.
After that a frame synchronization has been carried out the channel is in traffic mode, i.e. transmission of information has begun, which is shown in FIGS. 5 a - 5 c.
Frame synchronization is in a preferred embodiment carried out not only in the initial stage of the communication but is repeated periodically. In case of an absent frame synchronization the receiver returns to synchronization searching mode after a predetermined time period.
Each transmission is terminated with an end sequence or EOT-sequence (End Of Transmission) which makes it possible for the receivers to rapidly change from traffic mode to synchronization searching mode. In case a not received EOT-sequence transition from traffic mode to synchronization searching mode is carried out after that the frame synchronization has been absent for a predetermined time period.
The principal construction of a receiver used for receiving transmission of two different kinds of symbols will now be described with reference to FIG. 6, where the transmitted signal is assumed to be generated as described in conjunction with FIG. 1 a.
Thus, the block scheme in FIG. 6 shows the construction of a receiver without sub-receivers for transmission of information coded by means of two different symbols consisting of a receiver channel for each wave form (sweep) 601 and 603 respectively, one sweep synchronization logic unit 605 common for the two receiver channels, one common frame synchronization detector 607 and a decoder 609 , which combines the output from the two receiver channels and decodes these into symbols which are output as a flow of output data.
An incoming signal 611 is fed via two lines 613 and 615 , respectively, to respective difference forming circuits 617 and 619 . In the difference forming circuits 617 and 619 the difference between the input signal and signals generated by two sweep generators 621 and 623 is formed. The sweep generators 621 and 623 generate signals corresponding to the transmitted symbols, i.e. the sweep generator 621 generates a positive sweep from the centre frequency (f 0 →f 0 +100 MHz) and the sweep generator 623 generates a negative sweep from the centre frequency (f 0 →f 0 −100 MHz) during a time interval corresponding to the time interval during which the transmitted frequency sweep lasts, i.e. in this case 1 μs. The output signals from the difference forming circuits 617 and 619 is then fed both to integrators 625 and 627 and to detectors 629 and 631 . The integrators 625 and 627 integrate the output signals from the difference forming circuits 617 and 619 over a time interval. In a preferred embodiment the output signals are integrated during a time interval from the sweep start time of the reference oscillators to the sweep end time of the reference oscillators or over integer multiples thereof. Thereupon the output signal from the integrators is fed to the sweep synchronization logic block 605 .
Depending on the signals from the integrators 625 and 627 the sweep synchronization logic block decides whether sweep synchronization is decided to be established or not. If sweep synchronization is established the sweep synchronization logic block locks the sweep synchronization generators 633 and 635 in this time position whereupon the sweep synchronization logic block 605 emits a signal to the decoder 609 indicating that sweep synchronization is now completed. If sweep synchronization is decided not to be established the sweep synchronization logic block emits a signal to the sweep synchronization generators 633 and 635 , respectively, indicating that these shall insert a time shift in the generated frequency sweep.
The decision about when shift synchronization is determined can either be established depending on if the output signal level from any of the integrators 625 and 627 goes below a certain threshold value or depending on the time shift which generates the lowest output signal level from some one of the integrators 625 and 627 .
When synchronization is established the decoder 609 starts to receive the data which are generated by the two detectors 629 and 631 . The detectors 629 and 631 decide for each sweep, if a symbol corresponding to the sweep generated in the sweep generators 621 or 623 has been received as an input signal or not. Such a decision is taken in response to the output signal from the circuits 617 and 619 . If a detector 629 or 631 decides that an input signal corresponding to the one generated by a receiver channel 601 or 603 , respectively, has arrived, the detector 629 or 631 emits a signal to the decoder 609 indicating that a symbol corresponding to this receiver channel 601 or 603 has been detected.
The signals corresponding to the different symbols are also fed to the frame synchronization detector 607 . This searches for a certain frame synchronization sequence. When this sequence has been found the frame synchronization detector 607 emits a signal to the decoder 609 indicating that frame synchronization is now established. Thereupon the decoder 609 starts to emit signals corresponding to the symbols which are detected in the detectors 629 and 631 .
Finally, in FIG. 7, a general block diagram of a transmission system which uses frequency sweeping for transmitting information is shown. Thus, a transmitter 701 which via an antenna 703 transmits a sequence of frequency swept signals 705 according to the above described coding method is shown. This sequence of frequency sweep is then received via an antenna 707 by a receiver 709 in which frequency sweep detection, demodulation and other signal processing then is carried out.
The above described technique can be used for one-channel transmission of information or for multi-channel transmission in a number of different types of information transmission systems, the application area being civil as well as military.
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In a method and a system for transmission of information, broad band frequency sweeps are used. A certain sweep then denotes a certain symbol. The frequencies between which the sweeps occur are varied according to a pseudo-random scheme. Furthermore, a receiver for efficient detection of such broad band sweeps comprises reference oscillators in different receiving channels. The system has very good performance in terms of data rate, time delay, use of a large channel bandwidth, low probability of detection and low risk of tapping and good noise immunity.
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This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/056,757, filed Jun. 2, 1987, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stabilized benzimidazole derivative and a composition in which a benzimidazole derivative is stabilized.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is known a physiologically active benzimidazole derivative having the formula (I): ##STR2## wherein R 1 is hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group, phenyl group or an aralkyl group, R 2 is hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, or R 1 and R 2 together with the adjacent nitrogen atom form a ring, and each of R 3a , R 3b , R 4a , R 4b and R 4c independently is hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group, a lower alkoxycarbonyl group or an amino group.
The benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) shows a prominent inhibitory action on secretion of gastric acid as is described in GB 2,161,160A and GB 2,163,747A (corresponding to DE 3,531,487A1). Moreover, some benzimidazole derivatives of the formula (I) can be employed as cytoprotective agents for gastrointestinal tract.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors have made study for acturally utilizing the benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) as a physiologically active component of a pharmaceutical and found that these benzimidazole derivative is poor in storage stability.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a physiologically active benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) which is improved in storage stability.
Another object of the invention is provide a composition containing a physiologically active benzimidazole derivative under stabilized condition.
There is provided by the present invention a physiologically active benzimidazole derivative having the formula (I): ##STR3## wherein R 1 is hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group, phenyl group or an aralkyl group, R 2 is hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, or R 1 and R 2 together with the adjacent nitrogen atom form a ring, and each of R 3a , R 3b , R 4a , R 4b and R 4c independently is hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a flouroalkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group, a lower alkoxycarbonyl group or an amino group, which is in amorphous state or is kept in contact with an organic or inorganic basic material.
Particularly, the present invention provides a stabilized physiologically active benzimidazole derivative of the formula (II): ##STR4## wherein R 1 is hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group, phenyl group or an aralkyl group, R 2 is hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, or R 1 and R 2 together with the adjacent nitrogen atom form a ring, and each of R 3 and R 4 independently is hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, trifluoromethyl group, a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group, a lower alkoxycarbonyl group or an amino group, which is in amorphous state or is kept in contact with an organic or inorganic basic material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The benzimidazole derivatives of the formula (I) can be prepared by known processes. For instance, the benzimidazole derivative of the formula (II) can be prepared by the process according to the following equation: ##STR5## wherein X is a reactive group and each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 has the same meaning as defined hereinbefore. The benzimidazole derivatives of the formula (I) other than the derivative of the formula (II) can be prepared in similar manners.
Representative examples of the compounds of the formula (I) include:
Compound 1: 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 2: 2-(2-diethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 3: 2-(2-aminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 4: 2-(2-methylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 5: 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)-5-methoxybenzimidazole,
Compound 6: 2-(2-diethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)-5-methoxybenzimidazole,
Compound 7: 2-(2-dimethylamino-6-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 8: 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)-5-methoxycarbonylbenzimidazole,
Compound 9: 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)-5-methylbenzimidazole,
Compound 10: 5-chloro-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 11: 5-amino-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 12: 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 13: 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 14: 2-(2-piperidinobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole,
Compound 15: 2-[2-(N-cyclohexyl-N-methylamino)benzylsulfinyl]benzimidazole, and
Compound 16: 2-[2-(N-benzyl-N-methylamino)benzylsulfinyl]benzimidazole.
The benzimidazole derivative employed in the present invention preferably is a compound having the formula (I) wherein R 1 is an alkyl group containing 1-8 carbon atoms. R 2 preferably is a lower alkyl group. Preferably, each of R 3a and R 3b is independently hydrogen atom or an alkoxy group. Preferably, each of R 4a , R 4b and R 4c is independently is hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group. In the specification, the lower alkyl group and the lower alkoxy group mean those containing 1-6 carbon atoms.
As a result of the study of the present inventors, it has found that the benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I), which is prepared in the form of crystals according to known processes for the preparation, can be prominently improved in storage stability when it is formed in amorphous state.
The benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) can be converted into a amorphous compound, for instance, by freezing a crystalline compound in an organic solvent and then evaporating the solvent. However, it is advantageous to treat the crystalline compound in such a manner that the crystalline compound is dissolved in an organic solvent containing an organic polymer and then forcing to remove the solvent through evaporation or that the crystalline compound is dissolved in an organic solvent containing an organic polymer and then spray-drying the resulting solution.
In the above process, there is no need of dissolving the benzimidazole derivative and/or the organic polymer in the solvent. For instance, the benzimidazole derivative and/or organic polymer can be suspended in the organic solvent. For this reason, the organic solvent can be replaced with an aqueous organic solvent or replaced simply with water. In the case that water or an aqueous organic solvent is employed as the solvent, the organic polymer preferably is water-soluble. Further, in the case that water or an aqueous organic solvent is utilized, a surface active agent can be utilized as a dispersant.
Examples of the organic polymers employable for converting a crystalline benzimidazole derivative into an amorphous benzimidazole derivative include synthetic or natural polymers such as hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(sodium acrylate), sodium alginate, gelatin, gum arabic, α-starch, oxidized starch, heat-treated starch, enzyme-treated starch, agar and α-cyclodextrin. Preferred are cellulose derivatives.
As described above, the organic polymer preferably is a water soluble polymer in the case the solvent is water or an aqueous organic solvent. Examples of the water-soluble polymers include carboxymethylcellulose sodium, poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(sodium acrylate), sodium alginate, gelatin, gum arabic, α-starch, oxidized starch, heat-treated starch, enzyme-treated starch, and agar.
The organic polymer is preferably utilized in an amount of not less than 0.5 time, more preferably not less than 2 times as much as a weight of the benzimidazole derivative.
There is no limitation with respect to the organic solvent employed for the prepareation of a solution of the benzimidazole derivative and the organic polymer, so long as the derivative and the polymer are dissolved in the solvent. Advantageously employable are alcohols and halogenated alkyls. As described above, the organic solvent can be used in combination with water and optionally with a surface active agent.
It is not known why the benzimidazole derivatives of the formula (I) are prominently improved in the storage stability by converting a crystalline product into an amorphous product. However, it can be thought as follows.
It is observed that the benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) emits strong heat when it decomposes. Accordingly, it is assumed that when the benzimidazole derivative in crystalline state once starts decomposition locally at a certain area, decomposition is extended rapidly to other area by way of heat produced by the strong exothermic reaction. In amorphous state, the local decomposition of the benzimidazole derivative is extended slowly to other area because the produced heat is not transmitted to the surrounding area rapidly.
It is further assumed that the organic polymer introduced into the benzimidazole derivative composition serves for forcing the formation of an amorphous compound in the conversion procedure and further serves in the composition as a barrier between the resulting amorphous particles for suppressing transmission of heat from the decomposed area to other area, whereby further improving the storage stability of the benzimidazole derivative.
According to the present invention, the improvement of storage stability of the benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) can be accomplished by bringing the derivative into contact withand a basic material in an amount of not less than 5 weight %, preferably not less than 10 weight %, more preferably in the range of 10 to 200 weight %, based on an amount of the benzimidazole derivative. For instance, the contact between the benzimidazole derivative and the basic material can be attained by preparing a composition containing both the benzimidazole derivative and the basic material.
The basic material used herein means a material which shows pH 7 or higher, preferably pH 8 or higher, in the form of an aqueous solution or an aqueous suspension.
The basic material preferably is a hydroxide or a salt with a weak inorganic acid of a metal such as an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal and aluminum. More concretely, the basic material preferably is a hydroxide such as alumina magnesium hydroxide (2.5 Al 2 O 3 .Mg(OH) 2 ), aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide. Examples of the salts with a weak inorganic acid include carbonates such as potassium carbonate, calcium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate and magnesium carbonate; phosphates such as potassium monohydrogen phosphate, potassium phosphate and sodium phosphate; and coprecipitation products of hydroxide with carbonate such as aluminum hydroxide-sodium hydrogen carbonate coprecipitation product and aluminum hydroxide-magnesium carbonate-calcium carbonate coprecipitation product.
The basic material may be a salt of an organic acid (e.g., higher fatty acid) with an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, aluminum and amine. The basic material may be an amide, a basic amino acid, a thiamine and an amine. Examples of the organic acids are fatty acids having 12-22 carbon atoms, benzoic acid, alginic acid, edetic acid (EDTA), citric acid, glycyrrhizinic acid, glutamic acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, salicylic acid, and lactic acid. Preferred are higher fatty acids having 12-22 carbon atoms such as stearic acid, palmitic acid and myristic acid. Examples of the metals, include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and aluminum. Examples of the amines include isopropanolamine, diphenylamine, ethanolamine, and benzylamine.
Preferred salts of organic acids with an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal and aluminum are sodium stearate, potassium stearate, magnesium stearate, aluminum stearate, sodium palmitate, potassium palmitate, magnesium palmitate, aluminum palmitate, sodium myristate, potassium myristate, magnesium myristate, aluminum myristate, sodium benzoate, sodium alginate, sodium edetate, sodium citrate, sodium glycirrhizinate potassium glycillycinate, sodium glutamate, sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate, sodium succinate, sodium fumarate, sodium salicyate, and calcium lactate.
Examples of the amides include nicotinic amide and monomethylnicotinic amide. An example of the basic amino acid is hystidine. An example of the thiamine is vitamine B 1 . Examples of the amines include diisopropanolamine, diphenylamine, ethanolamine and benzylamine.
In the composition containing both the benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) and a basic material, the benzimidazole derivative preferably is present in the form of particles preferably having a mean diameter of not more than 10 μm. The benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) is more stable when it is in the form of such fine particles.
The benzimidazole derivative can be converted into fine particles using known micronizers for the preparation of fine particles. Examples of such micronizers include mechanical micronizers such as pin mill, attrition mill, screw crusher, ring roller mill, ball mill; and hydromechanical energy micronizers such as jet mill, jet pulverizer, micronizer, reductionizer jet pulverizer and air mill.
The stabilized amorphous benzimidazole derivative and the composition of the stabilized benzimidazole derivative shows prominent inhibitory action on secretion of gastric acid and also is employable as a cytoprotective agent for gastrointestinal tract. The stabilized benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I) and the composition containing the stabilized benzimidazole derivative can be administered orally or parenterally. Examples of the preparation forms for oral administration include tablets, capsules, powder, granules, and syrup. In the formulation of these preparations, there can be used excipients, disintegrants, binders, lubricants, pigments, diluents and the like which are commonly used in the art. Examples of the excipients include glucose, sucrose, lactose, and microcrystalline cellulose. Examples of the disintegrants include starch and carboxymethylcellulose calcium. Examples of the lubricants include hardened oil and talc. Examples of the binders include hydroxypropylcellulose, gelatin and polyvinylpyrrolidone. Other additives can be also used.
The dose is generally not more than 500 mg/day, preferably about 100 μg/day to 300 mg/day, for an adult. This value is expressed in terms of the amount of the physiologically active compound, namely the benzimidazole derivative of the formula (I). The dose can be either increased or decreased depending upon the age and other conditions.
The present invention is further described by the following examples.
Synthesis of 2-(2-Dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole
(1) 2-(2-Dimethylaminobenzylthio)benzimidazole:
2-Mercaptobenzimidazole (4.73 g) was dissolved in 150 ml of ethanol, and to the solution was added 6.18 g of 2-dimethylaminobenzyl chloride hydrochloride. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes. Precipitated crystals were collected by filtration. A saturated aqueous NaHCO 3 solution was added to the crystals, and the resulting mixture was extracted with chloroform. The chloroform layer was washed with saturated brine and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The solvent was distilled off under reduced pressure and the residue was recrystallized from a mixture of chloroform and acetonitrile to obtain 5.39 g of 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylthio)benzimidazole as a colorless crystalline product (m.p. 164° C.).
(2) 2-(2-Dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole
2-(2-Dimethylaminobenzylthio)benzimidazole (4.8 g) was dissolved in a mixture of 40 ml of chloroform and 5 ml of methanol. After the solution was chilled to 0° C., 3.86 g of m-chloroperbenzoic acid (purity: 70%) was added portionwise. Ten minutes later, a saturated aqueous NaHCO 3 solution was added to the reaction mixture, and the resulting mixture was extracted with chloroform. The chloroform solution was washed with saturated brine and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The chloroform was distilled off under reduced pressure and the residue was recrystallized from a mixture of chloroform and ether to obtain 2.97 g of 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole as a colorless crystalline product (m.p. 116° C., decomposed).
EXAMPLE 1
In 10 ml of methyl alcohol were dissolved 1.0 g of the colorless 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole and 3.0 g of hydroxypropylcellulose. The resulting solution was placed in a rotary evaporator for concentration. The concentrated residue was poured in a Petri dish, and placed overnight in a vacuum dryer at 35° C. The dried composition product was in the form of a pale yellow film.
The composition in the form of a film was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. No diffraction pattern was observed. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole in the composition was in amorphous state.
EXAMPLE 2
In 100 ml of chloroform were dissolved 3.0 g of the colorless 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole and 9.0 g of poly(vinylpyrrolidone). The resulting solution was spray dried using a minispray dryer (manufactured by Yamato Kagaku Co., Ltd., Japan) at a spraying rate of 3.5 ml/min. and a temperature of supplied air at 100° C., to obtain a fine powdery composition.
The powdery composition was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. No diffraction pattern was observed. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole in the composition was in amorphous state.
EXAMPLE 3
The procedure of Example 2 was repeated except for replacing the poly(vinylpyrrolidone) with the same amount of hydroxypropylcellulose to obtain a fine powdery composition.
The powdery composition was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. No diffraction pattern was observed. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole in the composition was in amorphous state.
EXAMPLE 4
The procedure of Example 2 was repeated except for replacing the poly(vinylpyrrolidone) with the same amount of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose to obtain a fine powdery composition.
The powdery composition was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. No diffraction pattern was observed. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole in the composition was in amorphous state.
EXAMPLE 5
The procedure of Example 2 was repeated except for replacing the poly(vinylpyrrolidone) with the same amount of methylcellulose to obtain a fine powdery composition.
The powdery composition was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. No diffraction pattern was observed. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole in the composition was in amorphous state.
EXAMPLE 6
In 30 ml of methylene chloride were dissolved 1.0 g of the colorless 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole and 1.0 g of a nonionic surface active agent (low HLB type) to obtain an oily solution. Independently, in 250 ml of water were dissolved 3.0 g of carboxymethylcellulose sodium and 1.0 g of a nonionic surface active agent (high HLB type) to obtain an aqueous solution.
The oily solution and the aqueous solution were combined and violently mixed to give an emulsion. The resulting emulsion was spray dried using a minispray dryer (manufactured by Yamato Kagaku Co., Ltd., Japan) at a spraying rate of 2.0 ml/min. and a temperature of supplied air at 120° C., to obtain a fine powdery composition.
The powdery composition was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. No diffraction pattern was observed. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole in the composition was in amorphous state.
COMPARISON EXAMPLE 1
In a mortar were mixed 1.0 g of the colorless 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole and 3.0 g of hydroxypropylcellulose to obtain a fine powdery composition.
The powdery composition was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. A diffraction pattern was observed. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole in the composition was in crystalline state.
COMPARISON EXAMPLE 2
The procedure of Comparison Example 1 was repeated except for replacing the hydroxypropylcellulose with the same amount of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose to obtain a fine powdery composition.
The powdery composition was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. A diffraction pattern was observed. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole in the composition was in crystalline state.
Evaluation on Storage Stability
The 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole-containing compositions obtained in Examples were stored in a thermostat at 70° C. for 6 days. In the course of the storage, an amount of 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole remaining in the composition (i.e., remaining amount) was determined at lapse of 2 days, 4 days, and 6 days, to evaluate storage stability of 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole.
The remaining amount of 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was determined by taking out approx. 900 mg of the stored sample, weighing the taken sample, adding methanol to the sample to make a total volume of precisely 100 ml under shaking for extraction by methanol, diluting the methanolic extract to make a total volume of 100 times as much as the methanolic extract, subjecting 20 μl of the diluted solution to determination based on HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography) method.
The results are set forth in Table 1. The numerals in Table 1 mean relative amounts of the remaining 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Period of StorageSample 0 day 2 days 4 days 6 days______________________________________Example 1 100 98.2 96.6 86.6Example 2 100 99.8 99.4 95.5Example 3 100 99.5 98.8 99.2Example 4 100 96.2 93.6 79.0Example 5 100 95.5 90.0 85.3Example 6 100 98.9 97.3 95.4Com. Ex. 1 100 94.8 87.2 56.2Com. Ex. 2 100 94.1 82.5 44.1______________________________________
EXAMPLES 7-14
1.0 kg of the colorless 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was pulverized by means of a jet mill 100AS (manufactured by Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd.) at stream pressure of 5.5 kg/cm 2 and rate of 1 kg/hr to obtain a white microcrystalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (decomposition point: 121°-127° C., mean diameter 2 μm) in 95% yield.
The microcrystalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was mixed with a basic material set forth in Table 2 at weight ratio of 1:1. The resulting composition was stored at 50° C., 75% RH for 16 days, and then the remaining 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was determined in the same manner described above.
The results are set forth in Table 2.
COMPARISON EXAMPLE 3
The procedure of Example 7 was repeated except that no basic material was mixed, to evaluate storage stability of the microcrystalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole. The result is set forth in Table 2.
COMPARISON EXAMPLES 4-11
The procedure of Example 7 was repeated except that the basic material was replaced with that set forth in Table 2, to evaluate storage stability of the microcrystalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole. The result is set forth in Table 2.
TABLE 2______________________________________ RemainingSample Added Material amount (%)______________________________________Example 7 Alumina magnesium hydroxide 88.1Example 8 Sodium carbonate 94.7Example 9 Calcium hydrogen phosphate 95.8Example 10 Aluminum hydroxide 80.8Example 11 Magnesium methasilicate aluminate 51.1Example 12 Anhydrous calcium phosphate 97.4Example 13 Magnesium carbonate 78.9Example 14 Sodium hydrogen carbonate 81.2Com. Ex. 3 -- 1.7Com. Ex. 4 Calcium sulfate 4.1Com. Ex. 5 Lactose 0.8Com. Ex. 6 D-Mannitol 0.9Com. Ex. 7 Microcrystalline cellulose 10.5Com. Ex. 8 Corn starch 3.0Com. Ex. 9 Polyethylene glycol 1.0Com. Ex. 10 Methylcellulose 1.4Com. Ex. 11 Succinic acid 0.0______________________________________ Remarks: The numerals in Table 2 mean relative amounts of the remaining 2(2-dimethyl-aminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole.
EXAMPLES 15-17
The procedure of Example 7 was repeated except that the basic material was replaced with that set forth in Table 3 and the storage period was changed to 30 days, to evaluate storage stability of the microcrystalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole. The results are set forth in Table 3.
TABLE 3______________________________________ RemainingSample Added Material amount (%)______________________________________Example 15 Alumina magnesium hydroxide 51.6Example 16 Aluminum hydroxide 37.3Example 17 Magnesium carbonate 55.0______________________________________ Remarks: The numerals in Table 3 mean relative amounts of the remaining 2(2-dimethyl-aminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole.
EXAMPLES 18 AND 19 AND COMPARISON EXAMPLES 12-13
The microcrylstalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole prepared in Example 7 was mixed with additives set forth in Table 4 to obtain a 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole-containing composition.
TABLE 4______________________________________ Example Comparison 18 19 Example 12______________________________________Benzimidazole derivative 30 30 30Lactose 47 37 57Corn starch 10 10 10Alumina magnesium hydroxide 10 20 --Hydroxypropylcellulose 3 3 3______________________________________
In Table 4, the numerals are expressed in terms of weight parts.
The resulting compositions and an untreated microcrystalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Comparison Example 13) were kept at 50° C., 75% RH for 5 days, 10 days and 20 days, for evaluating storage stability in the same manner as described above.
The results are set forth in Table 5. The numerals in Table 5 mean relative amounts of the remaining 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole.
TABLE 5______________________________________ Period of StorageSample 0 day 5 days 10 days 20 days______________________________________Example 18 100 99.6 95.2 93.4Example 19 100 99.6 94.8 92.9Com. Ex. 12 100 99.7 95.6 66.0Com. Ex. 13 100 95.1 1.6 --______________________________________
EXAMPLES 20-22
1.0 kg of the colorless 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was pulverized by means of a jet mill 100AS (manufactured by Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd.) at stream pressure of 5.5 kg/cm 2 and rate of 1 kg/hr to obtain a white microcrystalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (decomposition point: 121°-127° C., mean diameter 2 μm) in 95% yield.
The microcrystalline 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was mixed with a basic material set forth in Table 6 at weight ratio of 1:1. The resulting composition was stored at 50° C., 75% RH for 16 days, and then the remaining 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was determined in the same manner described above.
The results are set forth in Table 6.
TABLE 6______________________________________ RemainingSample Added Material amount (%)______________________________________Example 20 Nicotinamide 64.6Example 21 Magnesium stearate 63.3Example 22 Calcium stearate 35.8______________________________________ Remarks: The numerals in Table 6 mean relative amounts of the remaining 2(2-dimethyl-aminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole.
EXAMPLES 24 AND 24
The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was replaced with 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzyl)sulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Example 23) and 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Example 24) and the amount of hydroxy propyl cellulose was changed into 5.0 g., to obtain an amorphous product. The test for evaluation of storage stability was performed in the same manner as described above except that the temperature and the storage period were changed to 60° C. and 10 days, respectively. The results are set forth in Tables 7 and 8.
EXAMPLES 25 AND 26
The procedure of Example 7 was repeated except that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was replaced with 2-(dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Example 25) and 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Example 26). The test for evaluation of storage stability was performed in the same manner as described above except that the temperature and the storage period were changed to 60° C. and 10 days, respectively. The results are set forth in Tables 7 and 8.
EXAMPLES 27 AND 28
The procedure of Example 21 was repeated except that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was replaced with 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Example 27) and 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Example 28). The test for evaluation of storage stability was performed in the same manner as described above except that the temperature and the storage period were changed to 60° C. and 10 days, respectively. The results are set forth in Tables 7 and 8.
COMPARISON EXAMPLES 14 AND 15
The procedure of Comparison Example 1 was repeated except that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was replaced with 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Comparison Example 14) and 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Comparison Example 15). The test for evaluation of storage stability was performed in the same manner as described above except that the temperature and the storage period were changed to 60° C. and 10 days, respectively. The results are set forth in Tables 7 and 8.
COMPARISON EXAMPLES 16 AND 17
The procedure of Comparison Example 5 was repeated except that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was replaced with 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Comparison Example 16) and 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Comparison Example 17). The test for evaluation of storage stability was performed in the same manner as described above except that the temperature and the storage period were changed to 60° C. and 10 days, respectively. The results are set forth in Tables 7 and 8.
COMPARISON EXAMPLES 18 AND 19
The procedure of Comparison Example 11 was repeated except that the 2-(2-dimethylaminobenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole was replaced with 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Comparison Example 18) and 2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole (for Comparison Example 19). The test for evaluation of storage stability was performed in the same manner as described above except that the temperature and the storage period were changed to 60° C. and 10 days, respectively. The results are set forth in Tables 7 and 8.
TABLE 7______________________________________[2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzyl)sulfinylbenzimidazole] Storage PeriodSample 0 day 5 days 10 days______________________________________Example 23 100 99.8 99.5Example 25 100 99.2 95.9Example 27 100 99.6 96.9Com. Ex. 14 100 98.3 74.6Com. Ex. 16 100 99.2 78.1Com. Ex. 18 100 0 --Ref. Ex. 1 100 99.4 76.3______________________________________ Remarks: Sample of Ref. Ex. 1 is an untreated microcrystalline 2(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzyl-sulfinyl)benzimidazole. The numerals in Table 7 mean relative amounts of the remaining 2(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole.
TABLE 8______________________________________[2-(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzyl)sulfinylbenzimidazole] Storage PeriodSample 0 day 5 days 10 days______________________________________Example 24 100 99.2 99.2Example 26 100 75.4 49.5Example 28 100 87.5 71.8Com. Ex. 15 100 9.9 4.5Com. Ex. 17 100 60.1 0.1Com. Ex. 19 100 0 --Ref. Ex. 2 100 30.4 10.0______________________________________ Remarks: Sample of Ref. Ex. 2 is an untreated microcrystalline 2(2-dimethylamino-5-methoxybenzyl-sulfinyl)benzimidazole. The numerals in Table 6 mean relative amounts of the remaining 2(2-dimethylamino-5-methylbenzylsulfinyl)benzimidazole.
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A stabilized physiologically active benzimidazole derivative having the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R 1 is hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group, phenyl group or an aralkyl group, R 2 is hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, or R 1 and R 2 together with the adjacent nitrogen atom form a ring, and each of R 3a , R 3b , R 4a , R 4b and R 4c independently is hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group, a lower alkoxycarbonyl group or an amino group. The stabilized benzimidazole derivative is in amorphous form or present in contact with a basic material.
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RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional patent application No. 60/055591, filed Aug. 12, 1997.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to electrical plugs and, more particularly, to an ejector for ejecting an electrical plug from a wall socket.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many domestic and industrial appliances, such as sweepers and floor polishers, are used over large areas and have very long power cords which enable their use down long hallways to a location remote from where the power cord is plugged into a wall socket. In order to continue use of such an appliance, the operator must walk a long distance to unplug the cord, then walk back and plug the cord into a sequence of widely spaced wall outlets to complete the sweeping of polishing task. This consumes an excessive amount of unproductive time by the appliance operator.
There is a need for an appliance which does not require continual manual plugging and unplugging of the power cord. There have been many attempts to provide devices for enabling the remote unplugging of an appliance power cord by manipulating the power cord. Many of these have been patented, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,394,618; 2,490,580; 2,456,548; 2,696,594; 2,986,719; 3,737,835; 3,936,123; 4,114,969; and 4,045,106. It is noteworthy that, although this problem was recognized at least as early as 1944, there has been no successful commercialized solution.
Thus, there is a need for a device which enables an appliance operator to unplug the appliance cord from a remote electrical socket by ejecting the plug from the socket without moving from the appliance.
There is also a need for such a device which is an integral part of the plug mounted on the end of the appliance power cord. There is also a need for such a device which is a self-contained unit which can be used with existing appliances having conventional plugs.
It would also be advantageous to incorporate vibration-sensing or tilt-sensing actuators for causing ejection of the plug from the socket to disconnect appliances during earthquakes or other building-damaging events to reduce the possibility of an appliance-caused fire.
Older electrical sockets tend to be corroded, which increases the frictional force with which it retains plug prongs. Also, plugs that have been used many times may be crimped due to many instances of off-axis removal. To accommodate the vast variety of forces needed to remove all plugs from all sockets, the solenoid effecting the ejection must be very strong, and, hence, large and expensive.
Thus, there is a need for a device which is compact and inexpensive, and which will reliably eject a plug from a socket.
There is also a need for a plug ejector which is an integral part of an extension cord that is adaptable to all existing appliances.
There is a further need for a plug ejector which does not require additional wiring, but utilizes an appliance's power supply wiring and switch to activate the plug ejector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a device which is compact and inexpensive, and which will reliably eject a plug from a socket.
It is another object to provide a device which is an integral part of the plug mounted on the end of the appliance power cord.
It is yet another object to provide a device which is a self-contained unit which can be used with existing appliances having conventional plugs.
It is still another object to provide a device which incorporates vibration-sensing or tilt-sensing actuators for causing ejection of the plug from the socket to disconnect appliances during earthquakes or other building-damaging events to reduce the possibility of an appliance-caused fire.
It is a further object to provide a plug ejector which is compact and inexpensive, and which will reliably eject a plug from a socket.
It is a yet further object to provide a plug ejector which is an integral part of an extension cord that is adaptable to all existing appliances.
It is a still further object to provide a plug ejector which does not require additional wiring, but utilizes an appliance's power supply wiring and switch to activate the plug ejector.
It is an even further object to provide a plug ejector which incorporates ground fault interruption.
In a preferred embodiment, this invention features a plug ejector assembly for ejecting an electrical plug from an electrical supply socket which is an integral part of a power cord plug, comprising an adaptor for insertion into an electrical supply socket and having an adaptor socket, a plug housing, an ejector member mounted in the housing for sliding movement between a retracted position and an extended position, and an electric motor for moving the ejector member from retracted to extended position, whereby the plug prongs are inserted into the adaptor socket, subsequent energization of the electric motor extends the ejector member to impact the socket and eject the prongs from the adaptor socket apertures. plug ejector for ejecting an electrical plug from an electrical supply socket which is an integral part of a power cord plug. Preferably, the electric motor is a solenoid.
The plug may be mounted on the end of an elongated power cord of an electric appliance, which mounts an actuating switch for actuating the electric motor.
The actuating switch may also includes a sensor for sensing vibrations above a predetermined intensity and actuating the actuating switch in response thereto.
The actuating switch may include a sensor for sensing tilting of the plug beyond a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal and actuating the actuating switch in response thereto.
The terminal prongs are connected to the operating terminals of an operating switch of a remote electric appliance by an elongated electric cord, and a separate line connects the electric motor to an actuator on the appliance for operation thereby.
In another embodiment, the plug ejector is a self-contained unit having receptacle slots for receiving prongs of an electric appliance connector and electrically connecting them to the electrical plug terminal prongs. In this embodiment, the actuator includes a sensor which senses rapid sequential on-off operation of the appliance operating switch to energize the solenoid and eject the ejector terminal prongs from the socket apertures.
In another embodiment, the plug ejector is an integral part of an extension cord.
These and further objects and features of this invention will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cutaway perspective view of the one embodiment of an ejector plug according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the ejector plug illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is another cutaway perspective view of the ejector plug of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view of another embodiment of an ejector plug mounted on an extension cord;
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the ejector plug illustrated in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is another cutaway perspective view of the ejector plug of FIG. 4;
FIGS. 7a and 7b are side and top sectional views of another embodiment of ejector plug;
FIGS. 7c and 7d are front and other side elevational views of the ejector plug of FIGS. 7a and 7b;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the ejector plug shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a detailed, partially cutaway perspective view of the ejector plug of FIGS. 8 and 9;
FIGS. 11 and 12 are schematic circuit diagrams for the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, respectively;
FIGS. 13a and 13b are plan and side views of the improved embodiment of plug ejector assembly according to this invention;
FIGS. 14a and 14b are cutaway views of FIGS. 13a and 13b;
FIGS. 15a and 15b are partial cutaway views of FIG. 14b, showing different degrees of detail;
FIG. 16 a plan view of another improved embodiment;
FIG. 17 is a perspective cutaway view of yet another improved embodiment;
FIGS. 18a and 18b are perspective and side cutaway views of a still further improved embodiment;
FIG. 19 is a schematic wiring diagram of the FIG. 18a and 18b embodiment; and
FIG. 20 is a perspective sketch of another embodiment of plug ejector incorporating a GFI device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1-3 show and in-line ejector plug 20 that is mounted on the end of a three conductor power cord 22 which is connected to an electrical appliance, such as a vacuum sweeper or floor polisher (not illustrated). Power cord 22 contains a hot wire 24, a neutral wire 26 and a ground wire 28. These wires connect to respective plug prongs 30, 32 and 34, respectively, which protrude from the end of a molded plug housing 36.
An electric motor in the form of solenoid 38 is contained within housing 36 and includes an armature 40, having an impact tip 42 at one end, that is extensible from housing 36. The other end of armature 40 has an enlarged head 44. A compression spring 46 is confined between the body of solenoid 38 and head 44 to bias the armature to retract within housing 36.
Power cord 22 also includes another hot wire 48 that connects through an in-line fuse 50 to solenoid 38. The other end of wire 48 is connected to an actuating switch (not illustrated) which, when actuated momentarily, energizes solenoid 38 to rapidly extend armature 40 and impact tip 42.
In use, plug 20 is plugged into a conventional electrical outlet by inserting prongs 30, 32 and 34 into openings in the face 52 of a wall socket to provide power to the appliance connected to the other end of power cord 22. After the appliance is used and it is desired to remove plug 20 and withdraw it to the proximity of the appliance for redeployment in another outlet or for storage on the appliance, the actuating switch is actuated. This will energize solenoid 38 which quickly extends armature 40 so that impact tip 42 strikes socket face 72 and forcibly withdraws plug prongs 30, 32 and 34 from the openings in socket face 52 to eject plug 20. Power cord 22 is now free to be pulled by the operator to the appliance.
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate a similar ejector plug 54 in which elements similar to those of plug 20 in FIGS. 1-3 are indicated by primed numbers. In this plug, power cord 22° is an extension cord oriented perpendicular to plug prongs 30', 32' and 34'. Extension cord 22' has a plug mounting an actuating switch 53 mounted on the other end. Operation of switch 53 operates solenoid 38'o extend armature 40' to eject the plug from a socket.
FIGS. 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d illustrate a two-prong perpendicular ejector plug 56 that is similar to plug 54, except that a ground prong is not included. Like elements are also indicated by like numbers double primed. This embodiment differs from those previously described by including three impact tips 42".
The ejector plugs 20, 54 and 56 are all designed to be applied to appliances specially designed to incorporate the ejector plug. In contrast, FIGS. 8-10 illustrate yet a different embodiment of ejector plug in the form of an ejector plug unit 60, which is s self-contained unit designed for use with a conventional power cord 62 of an existing electrical appliance.
Here, the conventional appliance power cord plug 64 is plugged into the end 66 of housing 68 of ejector plug 60. an end cap 70 is snapped onto housing end 66 to retain plug 64. a solenoid 72 is contained within housing 68 and operates an armature 74 which has a head 76 and a retractor spring 78. In this embodiment, a control unit 80 is responsive to repeated fluctuations in line current (caused by repeated sequential operation of the appliance operating switch) to energize solenoid 72 and eject plug unit 60.
FIG. 11 is an electrical schematic for ejector plugs 20 and 54, and includes a remote actuating switch 90 mounted on a vacuum sweeper 92. FIG. 12 is an electrical schematic for plug 46 and includes remote actuating switch 94 mounted on a vacuum sweeper 96.
Referring to FIGS. 13a, 13b, 14a and 14b, a plug ejector assembly 102 comprises a plastic main ejector housing 104 located laterally of its integral adaptor plug 106 which Ohas 3 or 4 prongs 107 that conventionally plug into a wall socket 108 mounted in a socket cover plate 110. A special line cord 112 is connected at its distal end to an electrical appliance (not illustrated) an includes a special plug 114 having 3 or 4 prongs 116 plugged into, and ejectable from an adaptor socket 118.
Upon activation of a switch (not shown) by a user of the appliance, solenoid 120 will extend and forcibly eject adaptor plug 114, cutting power to the appliance.
As shown in FIGS. 14a, 14b, 15a and 15b, housing 104 contains a solenoid 120 and an optional return spring 122. A push block 124 is mounted for movement on rollers 126 that roll on the interior of housing 104. A snap action latch 128 is integral with the bottom roller retainer portion 130 of push block to retain solenoid 120 in its retracted position.
Upon activation, solenoid plunger 132 and push block 124 extend to engage and forcibly eject adaptor plug 114. Upon extension, rollers 126 engage latch ramps 126 to force retention latch tangs 136. Note that adaptor assembly 102 remains plugged into wall socket 108. Thus, with this embodiment, a separate ejector assembly 102 must be provided for each wall socket. However, the worker time save from having to walk 50 or 100 ft. to unplug the appliance plug, and then back again, saves productivity time that will quickly recoup the cost od the adaptor plug assemblies. Also, since the frictional force between the adaptor plug prongs and the adaptor socket can be controlled and minimized, the cost of components can be minimized.
While the FIGS. 13a, 13b, 14a, and 14b embodiment requires dedication of one of the wall sockets. However, FIG. 16 shows a modified embodiment which adds a plug through socket 106a which can accommodate any plug from any other electrical appliance, thus allowing full use of the socket.
FIG. 17 shows another embodiment which comprises a vertically-oriented ejector plug assembly 140 includes an ejector housing 142 that includes conventional prongs 144 which plug into a wall socket. An adaptor plug 146 is mounted on the end of line cord 148. Plug 146 contains 4 blade contacts 150 which slidingly mate with adaptor spring contacts 152. Operation is generally as above, except that frictional force exerted on contacts 150 is reduced.
FIGS. 18a and 18b show another embodiment of plug 152 which includes a power pulse-sensing solenoid driver 154 which functions to sense multiple power surges to actuate the solenoid. The circuit for operating this embodiment is schematically shown in FIG. 19. To operate, the appliance switch is rapidly cycled to eject the plug. This eliminates the need for a separate operating line and switch.
When the switch remote (not shown) is rapidly cycled, the SCR driver energizes the solenoid. At the plug 152, one of the wires carrying current passes through a current transformer 156. A voltage pulse that is proportional to current appears on the winding 158 and is amplified by amplifier 160. The envelope configuration at 162 is detected and converted to a fixed width pulse by a multi-vibrator 164. The pulse occurs only when current is interrupted. A pulse counter 166 accumulates the pulses that occur during a predetermined time period. If the number exceeds an established threshold, pulse counter 166 sends a signal to an SCR driver 168 to turn on, causing current to flow in the solenoid for a fixed time period to eject plug 152 from the wall socket.
In FIG. 20, another embodiment of plug ejector 170 incorporates a conventional ground fault interruption (GFI) device having "on" 172, "test" 174 and "reset" 176 buttons. This embodiment is particularly useful in construction jobs outside, which requires operation in all types of weather.
While only preferred embodiments have been illustrated and described, obvious modifications thereof are contemplated within the scope of this invention. For instance, the sensor could sense vibration levels exceeding a predetermined level, or by a tilt from the horizontal exceeding a predetermined angle (evidencing building damage caused by a natural or other catastrophe) to eject the ejector plug to minimize any electrical fires.
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A plug ejector comprises a solenoid incorporated into an electrical plug. An adapter plugs into a wall socket and presents an adapter socket for receiving the plug. Upon activation by a remote switch, the solenoid projects its armature to react against the adapter socket to eject the plug. The plug may be incorporated into an appliance cord, or an extension cord. The plug may incorporate a GFI protector, or a vibration sensor. Another embodiment utilizes an appliance's on-off switch to operate the ejector.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation reissue application of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/955,987, filed Dec. 13, 2007, now RE42312, which is a continuation reissue application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/658,849, filed Sep. 10, 2003, now RE40058, which itself is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,182; the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for discriminating toner bottle types, stirring toner, and detecting the amount of remaining toner, a toner bottle adapted to fit the apparatus for discriminating toner bottle types, and a toner bottle adapted for the apparatus for stirring toner.
A copying machine using a laser beam performs a copying process in which the surface of a photosensitive drum is negatively charged and exposed to a laser beam on the basis of an image signal, negatively charged toner is attracted to the exposed portion to form a visual image, and this visual image is transferred onto a transfer sheet and fixed on it.
To replenish the copying machine with toner, a toner bottle containing toner and a driving unit for rotating this toner bottle are used.
However, conventional copying machines have the following several problems about a toner bottle.
First, it is impossible to reliably eliminate the use of toner bottles other than genuine products by a simple method.
Second, it is necessary to stir toner in order to prevent inclination and gathering of toner in a toner bottle and thereby stabilize the replenishment. However, stirring of toner cannot be performed by a simple method.
Third, the amount of remaining toner in a toner bottle cannot be detected in real time. Conventionally, the amount of remaining toner is detected by, e.g., the following method. When a developing unit containing toner and a carrier for charging the toner detects a deficiency of the toner amount, it outputs a signal for requesting replenishment of toner from a toner bottle. If the deficiency of the toner amount does not improve although the signal is output three times, empty indication is performed to indicate that the toner bottle is empty.
However, this method cannot detect a toner deficiency in a toner bottle in real time. Hence, in some cases a toner deficiency is suddenly indicated and copying is interrupted during copying a large quantity of sheets. If this is the case, the operation is kept interrupted while the user who has started this large-quantity copying is away from the copying machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, the first object of the present invention to reliably eliminate the use of toner bottles other than genuine products by a simple method.
It is the second object of the present invention to stir toner in a toner bottle by a simple method.
It is the third object of the present invention to detect a toner deficiency in a toner bottle in real time to inform it before toner empty indication is performed, thereby improving the efficiency of copying.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of discriminating toner bottle types, comprising the object sensing step of rotating a toner bottle, sensing an object to be sensed formed on an outer surface of the toner bottle and, if the object is not sensed, outputting information indicating abnormality, and the ratio discrimination step of checking, if the object is sensed, whether the object is formed at a predetermined ratio on the outer surface of the toner bottle, outputting information indicating abnormality if the object is not formed at the predetermined ratio, and outputting information indicating normality if the object is formed at the predetermined ratio.
In this method, the object ratio discrimination step can comprise the steps of detecting a first time interval from the timing at which the sensor senses one end portion of the object of the toner bottle in rotation to the timing at which the sensor senses the other end portion, detecting a second time interval from the timing at which the sensor senses the other end portion of the object to the timing at which the sensor senses the one end portion, and checking whether the object is formed over a predetermined length on the outer surface of the toner bottle by using the first and second time intervals.
In this method, the object ratio discrimination step may be performed with reference to the timing at which a first end portion of the object of the toner bottle in rotation is sensed and the timing at which a second end portion of the object is sensed.
An apparatus for discriminating toner bottle types according to the present invention comprises a motor for rotating a toner bottle, a motor driver for driving the motor, a sensor for sensing an object to be sensed formed in a predetermined portion of the toner bottle and outputting a sensor signal, and a CPU for controlling the motor driver and discriminating the toner bottle by using the sensor signal, wherein the CPU rotates the toner bottle by controlling the motor driver, senses the object assumed to be formed on an outer surface of the toner bottle by using the sensor, outputs information indicating abnormality if the object is not sensed, checks, if the object is sensed, whether the object is formed at a predetermined ratio on the outer surface of the toner bottle, outputs information indicating abnormality if the object is not formed at the predetermined ratio, and outputs information indicating normality if the object is formed at the predetermined ratio.
In order to check whether the object is formed at the predetermined ratio on the outer surface of the toner bottle, the CPU can detect a first time interval from the timing at which the sensor senses one end portion of the object of the toner bottle in rotation to the timing at which the sensor senses the other end portion, detect a second time interval from the timing at which the sensor senses the other end portion of the object to the timing at which the sensor senses the one end portion, and check whether the object is formed at the predetermined ratio on the outer surface of the toner bottle by using the first and second time intervals.
A toner bottle according to the present invention is so formed as to be adapted to fit the toner bottle type discriminating apparatus described above.
A method of stirring toner according to the present invention comprises the steps of rotating a toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a forward direction, and rotating the toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a reverse direction.
A method of stirring toner and discriminating toner bottle types according to the present invention comprises the steps of rotating a toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a forward direction, sensing an object to be sensed assumed to be formed on an outer surface of the toner bottle and, if the object is not sensed, outputting information indicating abnormality, and rotating the toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a reverse direction, sensing the object by using the sensor and, if the object is not sensed, outputting information indicating abnormality, wherein toner is stirred by rotating the toner bottle through the predetermined angles in the forward and reverse directions.
An apparatus for stirring toner and discriminating toner bottle types according to the present invention comprises a motor for rotating a toner bottle, a motor driver for driving the motor, a sensor for sensing an object to be sensed formed in a predetermined portion of the toner bottle and outputting a sensor signal, and a CPU for controlling the motor driver and receiving the sensor signal, wherein the CPU controls the motor driver to rotate the toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a forward direction, senses the object assumed to be formed on an outer surface of the toner bottle by using the sensor, outputs information indicating abnormality if the object is not sensed, rotates the toner bottle through a predetermined angle in a reverse direction, senses the object by using the sensor, and outputs information indicating abnormality if the object is not sensed.
A toner bottle according to the present invention is so formed as to be adapted to fit the toner stirring apparatus described above.
A method of detecting the amount of remaining toner according to the present invention comprises the steps of rotating a toner bottle and sensing the rotational speed by using a sensor, and detecting the amount of remaining toner in the toner bottle on the basis of the sensed rotational speed.
Alternatively, a method of detecting the amount of remaining toner according to the present invention comprises the steps of rotating a toner bottle, sensing one end portion of an object to be sensed of the toner bottle by using a sensor, and detecting a first time interval from the timing of sensing to the timing at which the sensor senses the other end portion, detecting a second time interval from the timing at which the sensor senses the other end portion of the object to the timing at which the sensor senses the one end portion, calculating the rotational speed of the toner bottle by using the first and second time intervals, and detecting the amount of remaining toner in the toner bottle on the basis of the calculated rotational speed.
An apparatus for detecting the amount of remaining toner according to the present invention comprises a motor for rotating a toner bottle, a motor driver for driving the motor, a sensor for sensing an object to be sensed formed in a predetermined portion of the toner bottle and outputting a sensor signal, and a CPU for controlling the motor driver and detecting the amount of remaining toner by using the sensor signal, wherein the CPU controls the motor driver to rotate the toner bottle by the motor and detects the amount of remaining toner in the toner bottle on the basis of the output sensor signal from the sensor.
The CPU can control the motor driver to rotate the toner bottle by the motor, sense one end portion of the object of the toner bottle by using the sensor, detect a first time interval from the timing of sensing to the timing at which the sensor senses the other end portion, detect a second time interval from the timing at which the sensor senses the other end portion of the object to the timing at which the sensor senses the one end portion, calculate the rotational speed of the toner bottle by using the first and second time intervals, and detect the amount of remaining toner in the toner bottle on the basis of the rotational speed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an outline of the arrangement of a whole copying machine;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a toner bottle and a driving unit in the copying machine;
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a rotating mechanism in the driving unit;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control circuit in a toner bottle type discriminating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a toner stirring apparatus according to the second embodiment, and a remaining toner amount detecting apparatus according to the third embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a toner bottle and a sensor in the apparatuses according to the first, second, and third embodiments;
FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an output waveform when the sensor senses a rib of the toner bottle;
FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the operation of a toner bottle type discriminating method and apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the operation of a toner stirring method and apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the remaining toner amount and the rotational speed of the toner bottle according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the remaining toner amount and the possible number of copies according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the operation of a remaining toner amount detecting method and apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the continuation of the procedure of the operation of the remaining toner amount detection method and apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the arrangement of a whole copying machine. This copying machine 1 includes cassette paper feed units 2 containing a large number of transfer sheets in the lower portion of the machine.
The upper portion of the copying machine 1 includes an image reader 5 for reading an original, an automatic document feeder 6 for supplying an original to this image reader 5 , an image storage unit (not shown) for storing image data read by the image reader 5 , and a laser optical device 9 for extracting the stored image data and forming a visible image by irradiating an image forming unit 8 with a laser beam.
The image forming unit 8 is composed of a photosensitive drum 10 , a developing unit 11 , a cleaner 12 , a charger 13 , a discharge lamp 14 , and a transfer/separation charger 15 . The developing unit 11 has a toner bottle 16 and a driving unit for rotating the toner bottle 16 .
FIG. 2 shows the toner bottle 16 and the driving unit 17 . A cap 20 having a discharge port 21 is placed at an opening portion of the toner bottle 16 . A rib 24 is formed on a portion of the outer surface at the end portion away from the opening portion of the toner bottle 16 . This rib 24 has a predetermined positional relationship with the discharge port 21 of the cap 20 .
A rotating mechanism including driving gears and the like, which is a part of the driving unit 17 for rotating the toner bottle 16 , will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 . Referring to FIG. 2 , the driving unit 17 includes a motor 27 , a pulley 29 , a belt 28 for transmitting the rotation of the motor 27 to the pulley 29 , a driving gear A 30 to which the rotation of the pulley 29 is transmitted, a driving gear B (not shown) to which the rotation of the driving gear A 30 is transmitted, a conveyor auger for converting the rotation of the driving gear B into linear motion, and a driving gear C 33 for converting the linear motion of the conveyor auger into rotation. Referring to FIG. 3 , the driving unit 17 includes a driving gear D 34 for transmitting the rotation of the driving gear C 30 , a driving plate 36 attached to the rotating shaft of the driving gear D 34 , the driving gear D 34 attached to the driving plate 36 to slide along the axial direction, and a holder guide 37 attached to the driving plate 36 and rotated together with the driving plate 36 by the driving gear D 34 . The developing unit 11 has the toner bottle 16 and the driving unit 17 as described above.
The first, second, and third embodiments of the present invention include a control circuit shown in FIG. 4 in order to control the rotation of the toner bottle 16 and perform processing such as discrimination.
This control circuit includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 , a ROM 104 , a RAM 105 , a sensor 102 , and a motor driver 103 . The CPU 101 manages the whole operation of the copying machine 1 . The ROM 104 stores programs for designating the operation procedure of the CPU 101 . The RAM 105 stores data and data is read out from the RAM 105 where necessary under the control of the CPU 101 . The sensor 102 senses the rib 24 of the toner bottle 16 and outputs a sensor signal to the CPU 101 . The motor driver 103 receives a control signal from the CPU 101 and drives the motor 27 for rotating the toner bottle 16 .
In accordance with the procedures to be described later with reference to flow charts, the CPU 101 outputs a control signal to the motor driver 103 and causes the motor driver 103 to drive the motor 27 . The motor 27 rotates the toner bottle 16 , and the sensor 102 senses the rib and outputs a sensor signal to the CPU 101 . On the basis of this sensor signal, the CPU 101 discriminates the type of the toner bottle 16 , controls the number of times of rotation of the toner bottle for the purpose of stirring toner, or detects the amount of remaining toner.
First, the procedure of discrimination performed by a toner bottle type discriminating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a toner bottle adapted to fit this discriminating apparatus will be described below. FIG. 5 shows the positional relationship between the sensor 102 and the rib 24 of the toner bottle 16 . The sensor 102 can be any sensor as long as it can sense the presence of the rib 24 . An optical sensor and a mechanical limit SW are examples.
It is also possible to adhere a magnetic material to the surface of a toner bottle and allow a magnetic sensor to sense this material. Alternatively, it is possible to attach an optically sensible mark such as a bar code to the surface of a toner bottle and permit an optical sensor to sense this mark. That is, it is only necessary to allow a sensor to sense a portion to be discriminated.
Let α be the angle at which the rib exists on the outer surface of the toner bottle 16 and β be the angle at which it does not exist. When a spiral is cut in the outer surface of the toner bottle 16 as shown in FIG. 2 , the direction in which internal toner moves changes in accordance with the rotational direction. Therefore, the rotation of the toner bottle 16 includes forward rotation and reverse rotation. The forward rotation is rotation in a direction in which toner in the toner bottle 16 moves to the opening portion. The reverse rotation is rotation in a direction in which toner moves to the end portion opposite to the opening portion.
FIG. 6 shows an output waveform when the sensor 102 senses the rib 24 of the toner bottle 16 during rotation (regardless of whether it is forward rotation or reverse rotation). A high level is output in a period T 1 during which the sensor 102 senses the rib 24 . The output changes to low level in a period 12 during which the sensor 102 does not sense the rib 24 .
FIG. 7 shows the procedure of toner bottle discrimination according to this embodiment. In step S 100 , the CPU 101 starts rotating the motor 27 . The direction of this rotation is the reverse direction. This is so because this operation is to discriminate whether the toner bottle is a genuine product, unlike the original toner bottle operation of replenishing toner to the developing unit, so it is necessary to prevent discharge of toner from the opening portion.
In step S 102 , the CPU 101 waits until the rotation of the toner bottle 16 becomes stable. During this interval, the CPU 101 does not check for the output from the sensor 102 . This is so because the time required for the rotation of the motor 27 to become a constant velocity rotation changes in accordance with the amount of remaining toner in the toner bottle 16 , so the CPU 101 cannot accurately measure the time of one rotation of the toner bottle. This phenomenon is significant when a brush motor is used as the motor 27 .
In step S 104 , after the rotation of the motor 27 has become stable, the CPU 101 checks for the output from the sensor 102 , thereby checking whether the output has changed from low level to high level.
In step S 106 , if the output from the sensor 102 has not changed from low level to high level within a predetermined time, i.e., if the rib 24 does not exist in a predetermined position of the toner bottle 16 , the CPU 101 determines that this toner bottle 16 is not a genuine product, and displays information indicating abnormality on a control panel. If the output from the sensor 102 has changed from low level to high level within the predetermined time, in step S 108 the CPU 101 starts measuring a time T 1 during which the high-level output is maintained.
In step S 110 , the CPU 101 checks for the output from the sensor 102 to check whether the output has changed from high level to low level. If the CPU 101 determines in step S 112 that the output has not changed from high level to low level within a predetermined time, the CPU 101 determines that the toner bottle 16 is not a genuine product, and displays information indicating abnormality on the control panel. If the output has changed from high level to low level within the predetermined time, a high-level output period T 1 is determined at this point.
In step S 114 , the CPU 101 starts measuring a time T 2 during which the output maintains low level. In step S 118 , the CPU 101 checks whether the output has changed from low level to high level within a predetermined time. If NO in step S 118 , the CPU 101 displays information indicating abnormality on the control panel. If the output has changed from low level to high level within the predetermined time, a low-level output period T 2 is determined at this point.
In step S 120 , the rotation of the motor 27 is stopped under the control of the CPU 101 .
In step S 122 , the CPU 101 calculates the angle α (=T 1 /(T 1 +T 2 )) at which the rib 24 exists by using the high-level output period T 1 and the low-level output period T 2 .
In this embodiment, the rib angle α is detected by using the high-level output period T 1 and the low-level output period T 2 of the sensor as parameters, and is used as a criterion. However, various criteria can also be formed by combining the timings of the leading and trailing edges of the sensor output signal.
In step S 124 , the CPU 101 checks whether the calculated angle α corresponds to a genuine product. If the angle α corresponds to a genuine product, the CPU 101 determines that this toner bottle is a genuine product, and completes the process. If the angle α does not correspond to a genuine product, the CPU 101 displays information indicating abnormality on the control panel and completes the process.
In this embodiment as described above, it is possible to discriminate whether a toner bottle is a genuine product by using a simple method. Also, different toner bottle destination versions (e.g., a domestic version, a US version, and an European version) can be set by setting several different angles α.
A toner stirring method and apparatus and a toner bottle adapted to fit the apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 8 shows the procedure of this process. In step S 200 , a CPU 101 drives a motor to rotate a toner bottle 16 . This first rotational direction is a reverse direction. In step S 203 , the CPU 101 checks whether an output has changed to high level within a predetermined time. If NO in step S 203 , this means that the motor is locked, so the CPU 101 abnormally terminates the process.
In step S 202 , the CPU 101 checks whether the output from a sensor 102 has changed from high level to low level.
In step S 204 , the CPU 101 checks whether the output has changed from high level to low level within a predetermined time. If NO in step S 204 , the CPU 101 determines that the motor is locked, and abnormally terminates the process.
If the output has changed from high level to low level within the predetermined time, the CPU 101 stops the motor in step S 206 .
In step S 208 , the CPU 101 rotates the motor in a forward direction.
In step S 210 , the CPU 101 checks whether the sensor output has changed from high level to low level.
In step S 212 , the CPU 101 checks whether the output has changed from high level to low level within a predetermined time. If NO in step S 212 , the CPU 101 abnormally terminates the process.
If the output has changed from high level to low level within the predetermined time, the CPU 101 stops the motor in step S 214 .
In step S 216 , the CPU 101 checks whether the stirring operation has been performed twice. If the CPU 101 determined that the stirring operation has not been performed twice, the flow returns to step S 200 . If the CPU 101 determines that the stirring operation has been performed twice, the CPU 101 completes the process.
In the second embodiment described above, a toner stirring process can be performed by a simple method.
The number of times of the toner stirring operation is set to 2 in this embodiment, but this number of times can be freely set. When this is the case, the desired number of times is set as a stirring number N, and the stirring operation is repeated until this number is reached in step S 216 .
A remaining toner amount detecting method and apparatus and a toner bottle adapted to fit the apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, the amount of remaining toner is detected since the load of rotation of a toner bottle changes in accordance with the amount of remaining toner in the toner bottle.
FIG. 9 shows a change in the rotational speed when a toner bottle is rotated by giving it a fixed torque from the state in which the toner bottle is filled with toner to the state in which the remaining toner amount is 0 (toner empty). Let r 1 be the rotational speed when the toner bottle is full, r 3 be the rotational speed when the remaining toner amount is 0, and r 2 be the rotational speed when the remaining toner amount is a predetermined amount n (toner near empty) (g) close to 0. Also, let r be the rotational speed obtained by rotating the toner bottle when the remaining toner amount is m (g).
FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the remaining toner amount and the possible number of copies when a standard chart (a chart for use in testing with which the ratio of toner necessary to copy on one transfer material is approximately 6%) is used. Assume that the possible number of copies when the toner bottle is filled with toner is, e.g., 10,000, and the possible number of copies when the remaining toner amount is n (g) is, e.g., 2,000.
On the basis of the relationship between the remaining toner amount and the rotational speed shown in FIG. 9 , when the rotational speed r detected becomes higher than the rotational speed r 2 , it is determined that toner empty is approached, and information indicating toner empty is displayed.
FIG. 11 shows the process procedure leading to a remaining toner amount check routine. FIG. 12 shows the remaining toner amount check routine.
In step S 300 , a CPU 101 performs a copying operation.
In step S 302 , the CPU 101 counts the number of copies C for each copying.
In step S 304 , the CPU 101 checks whether the number of copies C exceeds a predetermined number of copies. If NO in step S 304 , the flow returns to step S 300 , If YES in step S 304 , the flow advances to the next step.
In step S 306 , the CPU 101 checks whether a developing unit has requested toner replenishment. If NO in step S 306 , the flow returns to step S 306 . If YES in step S 306 , the flow advances to a remaining toner amount check routine in step S 308 .
In step S 400 of FIG. 12 , the CPU 101 replenishes toner.
In step S 402 , the CPU 101 drives a motor 27 to rotate a toner bottle 16 . The direction of this rotation is a forward direction because replenishment of toner is the purpose.
In step S 404 , the CPU 101 waits until the rotation of the toner bottle 16 becomes stable.
In step S 406 , the CPU 101 checks whether the output from a sensor 102 has changed from low level to high level.
In step S 408 , the CPU 101 starts measuring a time T 1 during which the sensor output maintains high level.
In step S 410 , the CPU 101 checks whether the sensor output has changed from high level to low level. The time T 1 is determined when the sensor output has changed.
In step S 412 , the CPU 101 starts measuring a time T 2 during which the sensor output maintains low level.
In step S 414 , the CPU 101 checks whether the sensor output has changed from low level to high level. The time T 2 is determined when the sensor output has changed.
In step S 416 , the CPU 101 stops the motor.
In step S 418 , the CPU 101 calculates the rotational speed r (=1/(T 1 +T 2 )) of the toner bottle.
In step S 420 , the CPU 101 checks whether the calculated rotational speed r is higher than the predetermined rotational speed r 2 . If the rotational speed r is equal to or lower than the predetermined rotational speed r 2 , the flow returns to step S 310 in the flow chart of FIG. 11 , and the CPU 101 resets the counter of the number of copies C and completes the process. If the rotational speed r is higher than the predetermined rotational speed r 2 , the flow advances to step S 422 , and the CPU 101 displays near empty. The flow then returns to step S 310 in the flow chart of FIG. 11 , and the CPU 101 resets the counter of the number of copies C and completes the process.
In the third embodiment described above, the remaining toner amount can be detected in real time. Also, the remaining toner amount can be displayed in the state of near empty which is close to empty.
Each of the above embodiments is merely an example and hence does not restrict the present invention. The present invention can be modified without departing from the scope of right of the invention. For example, the outer shape of the toner bottle and the arrangement of the driving unit are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 . Also, the shape of the rib formed on the outer surface of the toner bottle is not restricted to the one shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 and can be deformed where necessary. In the second embodiment described above, both the toner stirring process and the toner bottle type discrimination process are performed. However, only the toner stirring process can also be performed.
Furthermore, when the CPU checks whether a toner bottle is a genuine product or whether toner is near empty, the result can be displayed on a dedicated screen or a screen for operations, such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT, commonly included in a copying machine.
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A method and apparatus for discriminating bottle types, for stirring the toner, and for detecting the amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle. A toner bottle is adapted to fit the apparatus for discriminating toner bottle types, and a toner bottle is adapted for the apparatus for stirring toner. The genuineness of the toner bottle product is checked by sensing a rib assumed to be formed with a predetermined length on the outer surface of the toner bottle. Toner is stirred by continuously rotating the toner bottle in forward and reverse directions. The toner bottle can be easily rotated in the forward and reverse directions by sensing the rib of the toner bottle by using the sensor. Since the load of rotation of the toner bottle changes in accordance with the amount of remaining toner, the rotational speed of the toner bottle is sensed by using the sensor to check whether toner is close to empty.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
Various exemplary embodiments relate generally to capacitive input coupling and, more particularly, to tuning a capacitive input coupler.
BACKGROUND
Many systems use cavity filters to define resonant frequencies for microwave or radio frequency (RF) signals. Such cavities may have an enclosed space surrounded by at least one electrically conductive wall. The dimensions of this enclosed space and the interaction of the electromagnetic waves that embody the signals with the at least one electrically conductive wall define particular frequencies.
A cavity filter is not useful without means for coupling energy into the cavity and from the cavity, so a coupler may be added to transfer a portion of the energy from the cavity filter to an external location. A simple coupler could be a direct metal to metal connection, such that the coupler directly taps energy from the conductive walls of the cavity.
However, such DC-grounded tapping has a number of drawbacks. For example, due to non-linearity in the electromagnetic waves at the metal-to-metal contacts, Passive Inter-Modulation (PIM) signals may appear when signals pass from the cavity walls into a conductive junction. Such degradation in performance is particularly likely when a conductive wall of a cavity is directly linked to a metallic coupler. PIM signals raise a number of issues, including distortion of a desired signal that may potentially degrade system performance.
PIM may be avoided, to some extent, by high quality workmanship, such that the metallic conductor is precisely soldered to a cavity wall. However, even one skilled in metallurgy may be unable to perfectly shape the junction, so some PIM signals will persist. Thus, an alternative solution may be needed that does not involve a metal-to-metal junction.
One alternative is to place a dielectric between the metallic wall of the cavity and the external conductor. Fixed capacitive tapping may use a coaxial structure. However, such a structure is not easily tunable, so it can only tap a set amount of energy from a cavity filter.
Another conventional method requires insertion of tuning screws into a microwave cavity. While rotating a screw to vary the depth of its penetration into the cavity does achieve tuning, it may be difficult to duplicate such tuning when the environment requires adjustment of a very large coupling range with a single design. Thus, it would be beneficial to have a tuning technique for a cavity that was repeatable, resulting in identical coupling each time the technique was used in the same way in a cavity having the same dimensions.
For the foregoing reasons and for further reasons that will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding this specification, there is a need for a capacitive coupling technique that is both easily tunable and adequately reduces PIM.
SUMMARY
In light of the present need for an improved technique for capacitive coupling from a cavity filter, a brief summary of various exemplary embodiments is presented. Some simplifications and omissions may be made in the following summary, which is intended to highlight and introduce some aspects of the various exemplary embodiments, but not to limit the scope of the invention. Detailed descriptions of a preferred exemplary embodiment adequate to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventive concepts will follow in later sections.
In various exemplary embodiments, a filter may provide tunable capacitive input coupling, the filter including one or more of the following: a housing having at least one conductive wall that defines a cavity operating at a default frequency; a conductive element extending inside the cavity from the at least one conductive wall along an axis; and a tuning assembly disposed adjacent the at least one conductive wall and separated from the conductive element by a tunable distance. The tuning assembly may include: a hollow sleeve inserted into a recess having a specified depth along the at least one conductive wall parallel to the axis, the hollow sleeve comprising a non-conductive material and having a particular depth; a wire having a first end inserted fully within the hollow sleeve to the particular depth and a second end bent in a direction orthogonal to said axis, thereby having the capacitive input coupling fixed to a value that is proportional to the particular depth; and a dielectric disposed circumferentially around the first end of the wire, the dielectric retaining the first end of the wire within the hollow sleeve at the particular depth.
In addition, in various exemplary embodiments, the particular depth may be determined through manual testing. Furthermore, in various exemplary embodiments, the wire may be L-shaped, having a bend so that the first end and the second end are orthogonal.
In various exemplary embodiments, the cavity may have a rectangular shape. Alternatively, the cavity may have a cylindrical shape. In various exemplary embodiments, the conductive element may have a cylindrical shape.
In various exemplary embodiments, the dielectric may compress the first end of the wire, thereby holding the wire in a fixed position. In various exemplary embodiments, the specified depth of the hollow sleeve may correspond to a default level of capacitive coupling for the cavity and the default frequency of the cavity.
In various exemplary embodiments, the sleeve may be inserted to the particular depth to tune a cavity to operate at a new level of coupling different from the default coupling, the particular depth being less than the specified depth. In various exemplary embodiments, the sleeve may further comprise a locking portion, the locking portion protruding outside of the recess and holding the sleeve in a fixed position within the recess.
In various exemplary embodiments, a tuning assembly may comprise: a hollow sleeve inserted into a recess having a specified depth along the at least one conductive wall parallel to an axis, the hollow sleeve comprising a non-conductive material and having a particular depth; a wire having a first end fully inserted within the hollow sleeve to the particular depth and a second end bent in a direction orthogonal to said axis, thereby having the capacitive input coupling fixed to a value that is proportional to the particular depth; and a dielectric disposed circumferentially around the first end of the wire, the dielectric retaining the first end of the wire within the hollow sleeve at the particular depth.
In various exemplary embodiments, the particular depth may be determined through manual testing. In various exemplary embodiments, the wire may be L-shaped, having a bend so that the first end and the second end are orthogonal.
In various exemplary embodiments, the dielectric may compress the first end of the wire, thereby holding the wire in a fixed position. In various exemplary embodiments, the specified depth of the recess may correspond to a default level of capacitive coupling.
In various exemplary embodiments, the sleeve may be inserted to the particular depth to tune a cavity to operate at a new level of coupling different from the default coupling, the particular depth being less than the specified depth. In various exemplary embodiments, the sleeve may further comprise a locking portion, the locking portion protruding outside of the recess and holding the sleeve in a fixed position within the recess.
In various exemplary embodiments, a method of assembling a filter includes one or more of the following steps: providing a housing with at least one conductive wall that defines a cavity; placing a conductive element within the cavity, the conductive element mounted on the at least one conductive wall and extending from the at least one conductive wall into the cavity along an axis; mounting a tuning assembly on the at least one conductive wall, the tuning assembly separated from the conductive element and having an internal recess with a specified depth parallel to the axis; inserting a non-conductive sleeve into the internal recess to a particular depth; inserting a first end of a wire fully into the sleeve to the particular depth, the wire having a second end bent in a direction orthogonal to the axis; and placing a dielectric around the first end of the wire to maintain the wire at the particular depth in the sleeve, thereby defining a tuned distance for capacitive coupling between the wire and the conductive element.
In various exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise performing manual testing to determine the particular depth. In various exemplary embodiments, the method may further comprise inserting the sleeve to the particular depth to tune the cavity to operate at a new coupling different from a default coupling, the particular depth being less than the specified depth.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order to better understand the various exemplary embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary cavity filter;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an exemplary tuning assembly within the filter of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the tuning assembly of FIG. 2 , showing partial removal of a sleeve from a recess in the exemplary tuning assembly; and
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for a method of assembling a cavity filter with a tuning assembly for capacitive coupling.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like components or steps, there are disclosed broad aspects of various exemplary embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary cavity filter 100 . In various exemplary embodiments, filter 100 may include a housing having a bottom portion 110 a , and four side walls 110 b , 110 c , 110 d , and 110 e . In operation, the housing may also have a top portion (not shown), but the top portion is absent in FIG. 1 to permit a view of the interior of filter 100 . Bottom portion 110 a , four side walls 110 b , 110 c , 110 d , and 110 e , and the top portion may all be made of conductive material, such as metal.
As depicted in FIG. 1 , filter 100 may be a cavity defined by its conductive walls in the shape of a rectangular solid. However, other suitable shapes will be apparent to those of skill in the art. For example, filter 100 could have a single side wall to define a cylindrical cavity. A cavity with only one wall might have a spherical spheroidal, or ellipsoidal shape. In general, filter 100 has at least one conductive wall defining a cavity that confines electromagnetic waves.
Filter 100 also has a conductive element 120 extending orthogonally from bottom portion 110 a into the cavity. In FIG. 1 , conductive element 120 is shown as a cylindrical post, but conductive element 120 may be designed to have other shapes, as will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art. Conductive element 120 may also act as a source for subsequent transfer of electrical energy.
Tuning assembly 130 may be disposed along one side wall 110 b of the cavity. Although tuning assembly 130 does not physically touch conductive element 120 , it has a virtual connection due to capacitive coupling. As will be described in greater detail below, a designer may vary the distance between conductive element 120 and tuning assembly 130 to change the amount of capacitive coupling.
While tuning assembly 130 may be disposed in a corner of a filter, as shown in FIG. 2 , tuning assembly 130 may be placed in any appropriate place for capacitive coupling in the filter 100 of FIG. 1 , as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. The position of tuning assembly 130 within the cavity may permit the distance between tuning assembly 130 and conductive element 120 to be precisely measured.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an exemplary tuning assembly 200 within the filter 100 of FIG. 1 . In various exemplary embodiments, tuning assembly 200 may comprise a recess 210 , a sleeve 220 , a locking portion 230 , a wire 240 , and a dielectric 250 . Tuning assembly 200 may be disposed on a corner of a rectangular cavity, as depicted in FIG. 2 , but its position may be varied to other locations within a cavity resonator, as will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art.
During manufacture, tuning assembly 200 is fabricated with a hollow recess 210 . Recess 210 may be cylindrical in shape, but other shapes may be applicable, as will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art. The specified depth of recess 210 should be designed for subsequent tuning of a cavity resonator.
Sleeve 220 fits into recess 210 within tuning assembly 200 . Sleeve 220 may be pushed fully into recess 210 , corresponding to a specified depth set during manufacture, or sleeve 220 may be inserted only to a particular depth within the recess. This procedure may permit repeated use of identical sleeves 220 in cavities to produce similar coupling characteristics.
Sleeve 220 may be fabricated from a non-conductive material, such as Teflon™. Sleeve 220 may also be cylindrical in shape, having a long axis that is parallel to the long axis of conductive element 120 , as depicted in FIG. 1 . Such alignment is exemplary and may keep sleeve 220 at a constant distance from conductive element 120 . However, sleeve 220 may be shaped differently, matching the contour of recess 220 , as will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art.
Locking portion 230 may ensure that sleeve 220 only reaches a predetermined depth within recess 210 . Exemplary locking portion 230 , as depicted in FIG. 2 , may comprise two tabs that extend beyond the perimeter of recess 210 . Locking portion 230 may be integral with sleeve 220 . In this case, sleeve 220 may be shaped somewhat like a mushroom, having a thin stem portion within recess 210 and thicker locking portion 230 protruding outside of recess 210 to hold sleeve 220 in position at a particular depth within recess 210 . The particular shape of locking portion 230 may vary, as will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, but locking portion 230 should be manufactured to secure sleeve 220 solidly within recess 210 .
A designer may wish to change the coupling from its default level. The default level of capacitive coupling corresponds to the specified depth of recess 210 . Thus, a designer would create a sleeve 220 having a particular depth, using manual testing to determine if that particular depth was appropriate for the desired operating frequency of the resonant cavity. This depth may be specified by determining the proper location of locking portion 230 along sleeve 220 .
Wire 240 may be L-shaped, bent so that a first end of wire 240 fits securely within sleeve 220 . A second end of wire 240 may form a right angle, extending orthogonally toward element 120 , as depicted in FIG. 1 . Wire 240 may be fully inserted into sleeve 220 at the particular depth, thereby defining a constant distance between the second end of wire 240 and conductive element 120 .
A specified depth of sleeve 220 may correspond to a particular level of capacitive coupling designed for a cavity. Therefore, a manufacturer may design a plurality of cavities to have identical sleeves, thereby ensuring that those sleeves 220 may produce a default coupling within the cavities when wire 240 is fully inserted into those sleeves 220 . However, it should be apparent to those skilled in art that such determination of an appropriate depth for sleeve 220 may be determined at times other than manufacture. For example, sleeve 220 could be adjusted prior to installation of the cavities in a work environment.
In either case, the designer will have flexibility to insert sleeve 220 firmly into recess 210 in tuning assembly 200 . Inserting sleeve 220 further into recess 210 may increase the distance between the second end of wire 240 and conductive element 120 , thereby reducing the capacitive coupling. Conversely, withdrawing sleeve 220 from recess 210 may decrease the distance between the second end of wire 240 and conductive element 120 , strengthening the capacitive coupling.
Dielectric 250 may surround the first end of wire 240 . Dielectric 250 may be fabricated from a non-conductive plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). When wire 240 is inserted into sleeve 220 , sleeve 220 may exert a compression force on wire 240 and dielectric 250 , thereby holding wire 240 in a fixed position within sleeve 220 . This fixed position may be the position at which wire 240 and dielectric 250 are inserted completely into sleeve 220 , such that the depth of wire 240 is at the particular depth of sleeve 220 within recess 210 .
Wire 240 may pass directly through a central axis of dielectric 250 , being aligned with the middle of sleeve 220 . However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that wire 240 may be disposed in other positions. Regardless of the actual location of wire 240 relative to dielectric 250 , dielectric 250 should firmly hold wire 240 in place after it has been moved to an appropriate position in sleeve 220 . Thus, locking portion 230 may encompass or otherwise engage the outer perimeter of recess 210 , locking both sleeve 220 and dielectric 250 into recess 210 at a particular depth.
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of tuning assembly 300 , showing partial removal of sleeve 320 from recess 310 in tuning assembly 300 . During manual testing, a designer may discover that the capacitive coupling is insufficient. In such a case, sleeve 320 may be built so that it only fills part of recess 310 , reaching a particular depth instead of the specified depth of recess 310 .
The designer may perform testing when creating sleeve 320 to correlate the shape of sleeve 310 to the desired capacitive coupling. Locking portion 330 may prevent sleeve 320 from being inserted beyond a particular depth in recess 310 . Dielectric 350 may prevent wire 340 from wobbling within sleeve 320 . Dielectric 350 may fill all space between wire 340 and sleeve 320 or only part of that space.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for a method 400 of assembling a cavity filter with a tuning assembly for capacitive coupling. The method starts in step 405 and proceeds to step 410 . In step 410 , the designer provides a housing having at least one conductive wall that defines a cavity. The wall may be metallic. The cavity may be shaped as a cube, a rectangular cuboid, or a parallelepiped.
In step 420 , the designer places a conductive element within the cavity and mounts the conductive element on a wall so that it extends from that wall into the cavity along an axis. The conductive element may, for example, have the shape of a cylindrical post. Like the wall, the conductive element may be made of metal.
In step 430 , the designer mounts a tuning assembly on the wall, the tuning assembly being separated from the conductive element and having an internal recess parallel to the axis. The tuning assembly may be cylindrical in shape. The recess may have a specified depth based upon default capacitive coupling levels.
In step 440 , manual testing may be performed to determine a particular depth for insertion of the sleeve into the recess. The sleeve may be cylindrical in shape. The sleeve may entirely fill the recess to obtain the default level of capacitive coupling. Alternatively, the designer may shape the sleeve so that it only fills the recess to a particular depth, performing testing to make sure that the sleeve is shaped to match this target.
In step 450 , the designer inserts the sleeve into the recess once testing is finished. The locking portion of the sleeve, which may be constructed to match the contour of the outer perimeter, will engage once the sleeve is inserted to the particular depth within the recess having the specified depth. Because the locking portion is wider than the width of the recess, the locking portion will prevent any further insertion, locking the sleeve to the particular depth within the recess.
In step 460 , the designer fully inserts a first end of a wire into the sleeve to a particular depth. The wire may have a second end bent in a direction orthogonal to the axis. The wire is fully inserted until it reaches the end of the sleeve. At this point, the locking portion of the sleeve ensures that the wire and the sleeve cannot be pushed any further into the recess, fixing both at their current positions.
In step 470 , a dielectric is placed around the first end of said wire to maintain the wire at the particular depth in the sleeve, thereby defining a tuned distance for capacitive coupling between the wire and a conductive element. The method ends in step 475 .
Thus, according to the foregoing, various exemplary embodiments provide a reliable and efficient method for capacitively coupling energy into or from a cavity filter. More particularly, the various exemplary embodiments provide a technique for tuning capacitive coupling in a reliable manner.
It should be apparent that the foregoing description of a cavity filter is only exemplary. Thus, the teachings of this disclosure are equally applicable to any system where selection of a particular frequency is important. For example, the teachings of this disclosure could be applied to any system that transfers electrical energy in a capacitive manner. Other suitable substitutes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Although the various exemplary embodiments have been described in detail with particular reference to certain exemplary aspects thereof, it should be understood that the invention is capable of other embodiments and its details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects. As is readily apparent to those skilled in the art, variations and modifications may be implemented while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing disclosure, description, and figures are for illustrative purposes only and do not in any way limit the invention, which is defined only by the claims.
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Various exemplary embodiments include a cavity having a tuning assembly with tunable capacitive coupling. The tuning assembly may have a recess having a specified depth, designed for a default magnitude of coupling into the cavity. A sleeve may be fully inserted within the recess to have the structure operate at that default coupling magnitude. If a different amount of coupling is desired, the sleeve may be inserted to a particular depth that only includes part of the recess, enabling repeatable tuning of a plurality of cavities.
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CONTINUITY
[0001] This application is a non-provisional application of provisional patent application No. 62/250,882, filed on Nov. 04, 2015, and to provisional patent application No. 62/131,147, filed on Mar. 10, 2015, and priority is claimed thereto.
FIELD OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to instruments for physical training and exercise. More specifically, the present invention relates to a manual treadmill that allows the user to perform nearly any strength training exercises including the simulation of an exercise sled in a stationary location.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0003] A variety of treadmill devices are widely used as a means of physical activity or therapy in confined areas, typically indoors. These treadmills generally are used to simulate walking or running to improve cardiovascular health and fitness. Treadmills allow users to walk or run in a stationary location by the use of a closed looped belt, conventionally rotated around two or more rollers. The belt can be driven manually by the user, or by a motor. A variety of exercise sleds are now also being widely used by athletes and the general population as a means of improving athletic performance, strength, and endurance. These exercise sleds allow users to push, pull, or drag the apparatus. These devices allow users to increase the amount of resistance at will. To do so, one must manually add weight plates or other objects to the apparatus. However, these exercise devices require great deal of indoor or outdoor space to be effectively used. Without adequate space, the workout quickly becomes tedious, and endurance cannot be exercised due to constant adjustment and turning of the apparatus within a confined space.
[0004] Additionally, conventional manual treadmills are equipped with a front treadmill roller and a rear treadmill roller, and often employ a surface with minimal friction between the rollers, to facilitate the movement of the treadmill belt when weight is applied. This can cause the treadmill belt to become difficult to reverse direction and hinder the ability to perform many resistance exercises. This is due to the amount of friction between the treadmill deck and the treadmill belt underneath the user's foot. If there were a multitude of small treadmill rollers positioned between the large front and rear treadmill rollers, internal friction could be minimized, and the resistance and weight could be more evenly distributed among the rollers, making it easier for the user to rapidly reverse the direction of the treadmill during exercise, as well as perform many resistance exercises.
[0005] Thus, there is a need for a device that can provide the exercise maneuvers of a mobile exercise sled, while remaining stationary for comfortable use indoors. Such a device is preferably equipped with a treadmill, capable of providing variable resistance levels while remaining mechanically driven. Additionally, such a device is ideally adjustable in size, and may be used with a variety of ropes and harnesses to achieve a wide assortment of exercises that workout every muscle group in the body.
[0006] Technogym™ offers a product known as a ‘Skill Mill,’ which provides a variety of exercises to the user, including resistance training exercises. However, the Skill Mill is not highly adjustable, and is not equipped with adjustable up/down and forward/reverse hand frames. Likewise, the Skill Mill cannot be used by a very large individual. This is in contrast to the present invention, which is equipped with an adjustable hand frame, as well as a modular cross bar. The Skill Mill deck is curved, and therefore limits the usable surface area of the exerciser, and reducing the number of resistance exercises that may be performed. The Skill Mill is also a slat belt treadmill, which increases production costs.
[0007] Additionally, Matrix Fitness™ has developed a treadmill capable of use for a variety of exercises. Unlike the present invention, the treadmill of Matrix Fitness™ is a traditional treadmill deck surface, and is built at a fixed incline. This surface increases friction and limits the amount of resistance exercises that can be performed. Likewise, the treadmill available by Matrix Fitness™ cannot easily be used by larger individuals. The present invention is the first treadmill to allow a user to perform every type of resistance exercise.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0008] The present invention allows a user to accomplish the exercises of a sled while remaining in a stationary location. The invention accomplishes this by creating a frame of an adjustable hand bar to a manual treadmill with adjustable resistance. The invention also adds user benefits to both the capabilities of a treadmill and exercise sled.
[0009] The present invention is equipped with an adjustable hand bar that adds two primary benefits to a traditional exercise sled: First, the hand bar allows the user to exercise from different angles allowing them to engage different muscles than a traditional sled. Namely, the hand bar can be positioned at any angle defined by the user. Second, it increases safety for users. A traditional sled can place a taller individual or an individual with certain physical limitations in a compromising position and not allow the user to safely and effectively perform the desired exercise.
[0010] The hand frame is constructed of two parallel posts. Both of these posts have parallel adjustments, running along the length of the posts, for a hand bar to be attached perpendicular to. The posts themselves can also be used for the user to place their hands on to push. The hand bar running perpendicularly to both vertical posts, and secured within at least one hand bar mount, allow the user to place their hands to push against. The hand bar also allows the user to attach a belt, rope, or harness from the hand bar to the user's body. This attaches the user to the frame allowing them to pull, drag, or run.
[0011] The present invention also adds many benefits to the traditional treadmill. A traditional treadmill successfully allows the user to almost perfectly simulate outdoor running or walking in a stationary location indoors. Unlike with treadmills designed for walking or running, the present invention has the ability to be used with an oscillating motion, with the user sliding up the treadmill via the treadmill belt suspended over a multitude of treadmill friction-reduction rollers, stopping, sliding back down the treadmill, and repeating the process.
[0012] Running treadmills are great for cardiovascular health/fitness, but do not allow the user to get the benefits of full body resistance workouts. By adding resistance to a belt of a manual treadmill, the user must activate and engage muscles to keep the belt moving. Resistance can be added to the treadmill in several ways. Any type of resistance (direct, magnetic, frictional, air, or any other type of resistance) can be placed by one skilled in the art to the rollers, flywheel or belt itself, or however one skilled in the art sees fit. This creates the resistance needed to simulate the load of a weighted sled or traditional weights such as dumbbells. The resistance is adjustable to fit physical needs of the user. This allows high performance athletes as well as general population to use the invention. It also allows the user to vary the exercises. It is envisioned that the user can employ a heavy resistance setting to exercise his or her muscle strength and power, or opt for a light resistance workout to exercise his or her speed or to achieve a cardiovascular workout. Similarly, the present invention also allows the user to get a full body workout. The present invention allows the user the ability to work all muscle groups by varying exercises and techniques, all while employing a single workout device.
[0013] The treadmill deck platform of the present invention is preferably modified to meet the needs of users of varying sizes. The modification of a conventional treadmill deck to suit the needs of the present invention may be accomplished in two ways. The deck/belt itself can be elongated. This allows users to have a long enough belt to accomplish exercises where a greater range of motion is needed. The second way to modify a treadmill into a functioning exercise sled is to make the frame adjustable. The present invention comprises two separate frames (namely a hand bar and a running deck) that are conventionally fixed together in adjustable manner. This allows users of different sizes to determine the best distance between the hand bars and the end of the running deck to successfully and safely complete the chosen exercise.
[0014] The present invention is made to be stored easily. The hand frame of the present invention can be easily removed, which allows individuals to be able to store the treadmill deck underneath furniture. The present invention is also foldable, making it ideal for home use and for easy storage. The running deck of the treadmill is configured to fold and rest vertically between the vertical support posts.
[0015] The present invention also has added safety features than a traditional treadmill. The present invention has the capacity to stop the belt immediately once the user disengages the belt without the need for an emergency stopping mechanism. Traditional treadmills typically take several seconds for the moving belt to come to a complete stop. The combination of weighted rollers, subtraction of a flywheel and a brake make the belt be able to come to an instant stop.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The present invention will be better understood with reference to the appended drawing sheets, wherein:
[0017] FIG. 1 exhibits two views of the preferred embodiment of the present invention as seen from the rear, denoting the adjustable vertical posts.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows the extendable frame of the present invention, as seen from the side.
[0019] FIG. 3 displays a close-up view of the treadmill rollers and treadmill belt of the present invention as seen from the side.
[0020] FIG. 4 exhibits a view of the braking system of the present invention as shown from above.
[0021] FIG. 5 displays an alternate embodiment of the present invention from the side, detailing the variable angle vertical post.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] The present invention is a strength training and manual sled exercise treadmill configured to provide a user with a means of achieving a variety of resistance exercises including sled-based exercises while remaining within a fixed location. As such, the present invention is applicable for performing a wider variety of exercises than traditional treadmills, including sled-based exercises, in addition to simulating running and walking movements. The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a treadmill belt ( 10 ), a treadmill assembly ( 20 ), treadmill rollers—including a front treadmill roller ( 30 ) and a rear treadmill roller ( 45 ), friction-reduction rollers ( 35 ), a hand bar ( 40 ), a conventional harness, and at least one anchor mount ( 50 ). The treadmill assembly ( 20 ) preferably comprises a treadmill deck ( 60 ), which provides the flat platform on which the user walks along the treadmill belt ( 10 ). The treadmill belt ( 10 ) of the present invention is configured to tightly wrap around the front treadmill roller ( 30 ) and rear treadmill roller ( 45 ), with the friction-reduction rollers ( 35 ) disposed between the front treadmill roller ( 30 ) and rear treadmill roller ( 45 ), as seen in FIG. 3 .
[0023] The friction-reduction rollers ( 35 ) function in tandem with the treadmill rollers, and help to avoid the conventional friction caused when employing solely conventional treadmill rollers. The removal of a portion of the friction of the system of the present invention via the friction-reduction rollers ( 35 ) helps to facilitate the quick change of direction of the front treadmill roller ( 30 ) and rear treadmill roller ( 45 ) during use, as well as the ability to perform resistance exercises. The treadmill deck ( 60 ) is preferably supported by feet ( 80 ), which are preferably adjustable vertically, to ensure the treadmill deck ( 60 ) of the present invention may be easily leveled on slightly uneven surfaces for use, as well as to easily increase or decrease the incline of the treadmill deck ( 10 ).
[0024] Additionally, at least one vertical post ( 70 ) is disposed at a first end ( 100 ) of the treadmill deck ( 60 ), as shown in FIG. 1 . The hand bar ( 40 ) and the at least one anchor mount ( 50 ) are preferably disposed on the at least one vertical post ( 70 ) of the present invention. The at least one vertical post ( 70 ) is preferably equipped with at least one hand bar mount ( 90 ), each instance of the at least one hand bar mount ( 90 ) is preferably disposed equidistantly from proximal iterations of the at least one hand bar mount ( 90 ). The at least one hand bar mount ( 90 ) is configured to hold the hand bar ( 40 ) level horizontally, so as to provide a sound mounting point for the user during use of the present invention for exercise. Alternate embodiments of the present invention may be equipped with at least one vertical post ( 70 ) that is configured to pivot the angle at which it contacts the first end ( 100 ) of the treadmill deck ( 60 ). Such an alternate embodiment with a variable angle vertical post enables the user to alter both the distance of the at least one vertical post ( 70 ) from the user, as well as the height of the at least one vertical post ( 70 ), as shown in FIG. 5 .
[0025] The preferred embodiment of the present invention preferably employs two instances of the at least one vertical post ( 70 ), which are oriented at opposing ends of the first end ( 100 ) of the treadmill deck ( 60 ). The at least one vertical post ( 70 ) are configured to move horizontally, such that the distance between the two instances of the at least one vertical post ( 90 ) may be adjusted to the preference of the user. Additionally, it is envisioned that the hand bar ( 40 ), at least one hand bar mount ( 90 ), and at least one vertical post ( 70 ) may be easily removed for storage. Additionally, the present invention may be configured to position the at least one vertical post ( 70 ), hand bar ( 40 ) and at least one hand bar mount ( 90 ) on an alternate mounting point ( 150 ) located at a second end of the treadmill deck ( 60 ).
[0026] Similarly, the distance between the treadmill belt ( 10 ) and the hand bar ( 40 ) of the present invention may also be adjusted in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. An extension portion ( 110 ) is disposed between the at least one vertical post ( 70 ) and the treadmill deck ( 60 ). The extension portion ( 110 ) permits the at least one vertical post ( 70 ) to extend, sliding the extension portion ( 110 ) out from under and within the treadmill deck ( 60 ) of the present invention, as seen in FIG. 3 , adjusting the overall size of the frame of the treadmill assembly ( 20 ) of the present invention. It is envisioned that users should elongate the frame of the present invention when performing certain exercises, or in the event that the user is tall.
[0027] The treadmill belt ( 10 ) of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is preferably made of a rubber composite material, capable of providing reliable and adequate traction for the user, while remaining flexible enough to traverse the treadmill rollers ( 30 ) and friction-reduction rollers ( 35 ) easily, without building heat. As shown, there are preferably two treadmill rollers ( 30 ), one positioned at the front of the treadmill deck ( 60 ) and one positioned at the rear of the treadmill deck ( 60 ). The friction-reduction rollers ( 35 ) are also preferably equipped with a silicone or rubber composite material to help the friction-reduction rollers ( 35 ) to maintain a stable grip with the treadmill belt ( 10 ), especially when high braking force is applied. The front and rear treadmill rollers ( 35 ) are weighted in order to have a flywheel effect while the belt is in motion.
[0028] Additionally, the friction-reduction rollers ( 35 ) make the treadmill deck ( 60 ) stronger and more durable than a traditional treadmill deck, and are more cost effective than other low-friction roller bearing systems, such as slat belt treadmills. The use of spacer plates ( 95 ) between each roller can also be used. This reduces the feeling of each individual roller and allows the deck to feel like a continuous surface. Resistance of the treadmill belt ( 10 ) may be increased or decreased by adjusting the treadmill rollers ( 30 ), applying a brake to the system either by limiting their rotational speed capacity with friction supplied by a variety of weighted wheels, via a resistance band configured to slow the rotation of the treadmill rollers ( 30 ), magnetic, or via other conventional means. The brake may be a uni-directional brake, which is configured to only provide resistance when the user is pulling forward, and is configured to allow free movement when the user slides back down the treadmill deck ( 60 ) via the treadmill belt ( 10 ). This allows the belt to have an oscillating movement. One of such braking system is shown in FIG. 4 , which displays a sprocket ( 15 ), a chain ( 25 ), a gear box ( 55 ), at least one axle ( 65 ), and a weighted flywheel ( 75 ).
[0029] It should be understood, particularly, that the present invention can be made with both a bi-directional brake and a uni-directional brake. While the present invention is in the bi-directional brake setting the treadmill belt ( 10 ) will have the same amount of resistance moving both forward and backwards. This allows users to be able to perform forward and backwards movement without the need to switch the hand frame from the front of the machine to the back of the machine. A uni-directional brake is configured to only provide resistance when the user is moving forward, and is configured to allow free movement when the user moves backward down the treadmill deck ( 60 ) via the treadmill belt ( 10 ). This allows the treadmill belt ( 10 ) to be able to retract back to its original position. The treadmill belt ( 10 ) is able to retract back to the original position of the treadmill belt ( 10 ) via gravity and body weight of the user when the front of the present invention is inclined—or via springs, cables, or other similar devices that cause force when the treadmill is not inclined but level. Thus, the present invention allows the user to perform both concentric and eccentric movements.
[0030] As such, it should be understood that the preferred embodiment of the present invention allows users to perform both eccentric and concentric muscle contraction. Additionally, an electro-magnetic brake could be employed to control the percentage of weight that is suspended or augmented as the user slides forward and backward during exercise on the treadmill belt ( 10 ). There are other means which allow for the treadmill belt to oscillate, such as having mechanical or electrical mechanisms apply force to the belt, or employing rollers or shafts to reverse direction of the treadmill belt ( 10 ) However, the uni-directional brake is preferred, as cost of the present invention is better managed. It is envisioned that a bi-directional brake may be employed in lieu of the unidirectional brake in some embodiments of the present invention.
[0031] Unlike traditional treadmills or elliptical machines, the exercise sled device of the present invention may be equipped with a padded knee area ( 120 ) rather than a simple, commonly plastic mechanical covering to cover the motor. Additionally, the present invention is equipped with an emergency stop mechanism ( 130 ), and a treadmill deck frame ( 140 ). The treadmill deck frame ( 140 ) lines the exterior of the treadmill deck ( 60 ), and provides the user a place to stand while not standing on the treadmill belt ( 10 ). The padded knee area ( 120 ) is preferably disposed at the front end of the treadmill ( 10 ), and provides the user with a safe location to rest their knees on for rest if needed. Additionally, the padded knee area ( 120 ) is in communication with the emergency stop mechanism ( 130 ), which is preferably activated when the padded knee area ( 120 ) is in use, or pressure is applied to the knee pad of the padded knee area ( 120 ). The padded knee area ( 120 ) can also be used by the individual as a seat or pad when performing certain resistance exercises that has the user in a seated or kneeling position.
[0032] Some embodiments of the present invention may be equipped with a battery or user-powered on-board computer, configured to measure the distance traversed on the treadmill ( 10 ), the elapsed time of the workout, potential calories burned by the user, and other conventional measurements. It should be noted that all embodiments of the present invention are envisioned to be mechanically driven by the user, requiring no AC power for the complete exercise functionality of the present invention to be utilized; however, it is envisioned that electrical components could be used. It is also envisioned that a digital screen or computer could guide users through workout programs, and make all manual adjustments necessary i.e. the adjustments of the hand frame, incline, or resistance. The present invention preferably employs manually applied resistance methods, such as those reinforced by weight, spring tension, friction-based, or other similar methods, to provide a variety of resistance levels to the treadmill belt ( 10 ) for the user to employ during a workout.
[0033] It should be noted that all embodiments of the present invention are configured to be easily stored, and are configured to occupy minimal space when stored. For example, the at least one vertical post ( 70 ) is preferably removable, so as to facilitate folding of the device. Additionally, the hand rail ( 40 ) may also be removed, and in some embodiments, the hand rail ( 40 ) is configured to fold within the treadmill deck ( 60 ).
[0034] Additionally, it should be understood that, during use, the present invention is preferably angled so that the incline of the treadmill deck ( 60 ) of the present invention causes gravity to provide resistance during the workout. However, the machine may be built at such an angle, or manufactured flat, depending on the intended functionality of the present invention. As such, the present invention preferably does not employ any springs, providing smoother oscillating movement of the body (when configured for oscillation), more control over the resistance of the exercise, and ultimately a more comfortable workout.
[0035] Similarly, it should be understood that the treadmill belt ( 10 ) can be retracted back to its original position after use. For example, as an individual uses straps via the at least one vertical post ( 70 ), to pull themselves forward, the treadmill belt ( 10 ) will retract backwards to the original position once the forward motion is stopped. This allows for users to execute eccentric and concentric muscle contractions that traditional exercise sleds are unable to perform. It should be understood that the retraction of the treadmill belt ( 10 ) preferably only occurs during a selected setting. Settings of the present invention may be set manually or electronically.
[0036] Unless in retraction mode, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the treadmill belt ( 10 ) is configured to stop movement immediately after the user stops engaging the treadmill belt ( 10 ). Most conventional treadmills, with or without a motor, often take several seconds for the belt to come to a complete stop. Having the belt immediately cease movement after it is disengaged or requested is safety feature of the present invention, which helps to prevent injury. The ceasing of the treadmill belt ( 10 ) is preferably facilitated by the treadmill rollers and resistance reduction rollers ( 35 ), which are preferably weighted.
[0037] It should be understood that the resistance reduction rollers ( 35 ) currently employed by the present invention are preferably 1.9 inch in diameter, although it is envisioned that 2.5 inch diameter resistance reduction rollers ( 35 ) may need to be used for weight capacity purposes. Smaller rollers may reduce the feel of the resistance reduction rollers ( 35 ) below the feet of the user. Spacer plates between each roller may be used in order for the user to not feel the rollers underneath them. The size of the font and rear treadmill rollers ( 30 ) are larger than the resistance reduction rollers ( 35 ) at 4 inches to add more surface area to transfer the braking force from the treadmill roller ( 30 ) to the treadmill belt ( 10 ).
[0038] Additionally, the preferred method of resistance is via a magnetic or direct friction brake, which is preferably housed within the gear box ( 55 ). Presently, the present invention is made with a hysteresis magnetic brake, which allows for smooth constant resistance across the treadmill belt ( 10 ). Magnetic brakes have a very long lifetime. The brake is attached to a shaft or chain ( 25 ) that runs to the gear box ( 55 ) to increase braking force. The gear box ( 55 ) is preferably in communication with the front roller ( 35 ). The brake can also be directly connected to the front roller ( 30 ), omitting the need for a gearing. Friction braking could be used to reduce the cost of manufacturing the present invention. It should be understood that the brake system of the present invention need not require the gear box ( 55 ) to function, as other braking methods may be employed. Additionally, some embodiments of the present invention may not include a braking system, but instead rely on the user to stop manually. During use, it should be understood that the present invention is preferably positioned at an incline or angle to facilitate gravity-based retraction of the belt for each exercise requiring oscillation of the treadmill belt ( 10 ).
[0039] There are two primary means by which the present invention may be configured to reverse. The first means is by placing a spring carriage, similar to one found in a Pilate's reformer, underneath the treadmill rollers ( 30 ) that slides back and forth. The springs of the spring carriage are attached to the rear of the treadmill deck ( 10 ) and the spring carriage are attached to a shaft in front of the treadmill, preferably by cables. When the treadmill belt ( 10 ) is moved forward, the shaft is rotated, which in turn brings the spring carriage forward elongating the springs. When the treadmill belt ( 10 ) stops moving forward, the springs of the spring carriage reverse the direction of the shaft, thereby reversing the treadmill belt ( 10 ). This method allows for the retraction of the treadmill belt ( 10 ) without the need to incline the treadmill deck ( 60 ).
[0040] A second method includes the use of a custom shaft coupling. One end of the shaft coupling is attached to the brake, and the other end is attached to the front roller or to a shaft that is connected to the front roller. The end of the coupling that is attached to the front roller or shaft is preferably made with bearings inside. The end that is attached to the brake is preferably fixed, meaning that when the shaft coupling is traveling in one direction, it transfers the braking power to the treadmill belt ( 10 ), and when it is traveling the other direction it is spinning freely inside the coupling due to the bearings. With no other mechanical pieces or force, the treadmill belt ( 10 ) can retract simply by gravity. To use gravity, the front of the treadmill must be at an incline. The angle of the incline is important, as the greater the incline, the faster the treadmill belt ( 10 ) will retract back and vice versa, which form a type of variable resistance for a workout. In such an embodiment, the hand frames are preferably placed both in the front and the rear of the treadmill deck ( 60 ). Otherwise, a gear box is required which can be set in forward or reverse.
[0041] Additionally, it is envisioned that the functionality of the present invention may be incorporated into conventional or traditional treadmills that employs motors, and not only on manually powered treadmills.
[0042] Having illustrated the present invention, it should be understood that various adjustments and versions might be implemented without venturing away from the essence of the present invention, including the use of electronics or a power source. Further, it should be understood that the present invention is not solely limited to the invention as described in the embodiments above, but further comprises any and all embodiments within the scope of this application.
[0043] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
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A manual non-motorized exercise treadmill with the ability to provide adjustable resistance to perform strength training resistance movements and simulate the movements of an exercise drive sled in a stationary location is described. A treadmill deck of the treadmill is supported by friction-reduction rollers, a front treadmill roller and a rear treadmill roller. The treadmill is operated by the user pushing and/or pulling with the feet of the user via a belt or harness attached to adjustable stationary hand bars. Variable resistance allows for increased or decreased difficulty in achieving the exercise according to the preference and ability of the user. The resistance is configured to be applied to the rollers and/or belt, making it more difficult for the user to manually move the treadmill belt. The adjustable hand bars are configured to allow the user to alter the angle at which he or she performs various exercises. The treadmill belt is configured to oscillate for both concentric and eccentric exercises not provided by conventional treadmills.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an evaporator housing for a refrigerator where the evaporator housing is recessed within the floor of the upper food storage compartment from a single liner. The present invention more specifically relates to a novel evaporator housing for use in a top mount or bottom mount refrigerator cabinet where the evaporator housing is held in place by foamed in place insulation as a portion of the partition wall between freezer and fresh food compartments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many present day household refrigerators include a freezer compartment maintained at a below-freezing temperature for the storage of frozen foods and a fresh food compartment maintained at an above-freezing temperature for storage of fresh foods. In many such refrigerators, an evaporator for providing cooling for both the frozen food compartment and the fresh food compartment is positioned outside both compartments and air is circulated over the evaporator and then through the compartments to cool the compartments. The evaporator itself is maintained at a temperature substantially below freezing. In order to maintain the greatly differing temperatures required in the two compartments, a substantially greater portion of the air flowing over the evaporator is directed to the frozen compartment. The air flow over the evaporator and into the freezer and fresh food compartments is controlled by baffles that regulate or reduce the air flow into the fresh food compartment.
In some refrigerators, the evaporator is mounted behind a false partition rear wall in the freezer compartment. The construction of the evaporator behind a rear wall of freezer compartment is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,157 issued Jul. 31, 1990 to Jenkins et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,874 issued Nov. 10, 1987 to Thompson et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,229 issued Mar. 7, 1978 to Gelbard et al. In each of these patents the refrigerator cabinet has a single cavity liner positioned within an exterior metal shell and a mullion partition divider mounted between the freezer compartment and the fresh compartment. The divider is secured relative to the liner side walls and rear wall. The evaporator is housed behind the false partition wall above the mullion partition.
In other refrigerators, the evaporator is mounted in the partition inserted into the single cavity plastic liner secured relative to the side walls and rear wall of the plastic liner. The construction of the evaporator in the partition divider dividing the single cavity of the refrigerator liner into a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,442 issued Aug. 17, 1991 to Robert S. Hanson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,976 issued Oct. 23, 1973 to Gelbard et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,090 issued to Gelbard et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,538 issued Sep. 23, 1980 to Braden et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,799 issued to Oct. 1, 1985 to Horvay et al. While each of these patents locates the evaporator in the mullion partition divider between the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment, the mullion partition is a separate component of the refrigerator cabinet that is inserted into the liner cavity of the refrigerator and secured relative to the rear and side walls of the liner. The mullion partition has a structural strength limitation that is dependent upon the mechanical fastening of the mullion partition to the rear and side walls of the liner cavity.
There is a need for an evaporator housing to be located within the partition wall between the freezer and fresh food compartments and forms a portion of the partition wall of the refrigerator and where the partition wall is integrally formed with the remainder of the rear and side wall of the refrigerator liner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a refrigerator cabinet having an exterior cabinet shell and a plastic liner insert defining a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment where foamed in place insulation extends between the exterior cabinet shell and the interior liner. The partition separating the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment is filled with rigid insulation to provide a rigid structure. The present invention has a recessed evaporator housing in the partition between the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment. The evaporator housing is inserted through an opening in the floor of the freezer compartment. This construction of the evaporator housing has the advantage associated with locating the evaporator in the space between the two compartments permitting for good air flow over the evaporator coils and into the freezer and fresh food compartments while at the same time enjoying the advantage associated with the rigid foam in place construction of the partition and liner to the exterior shell of the cabinet. It should be understood that the present invention has equal application in both top and bottom mount styles of refrigerator cabinets. That is refrigerator cabinets where the freezer is located respectively either above or below the fresh food compartment.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator cabinet comprising an exterior cabinet shell having a top wall, a rear wall, a bottom wall, side walls and an open front side. The cabinet includes an interior liner adapted to fit within the exterior cabinet shell and spaced therefrom by insulation. The interior liner has integrally formed therewith a partition which together define lower and upper food storage compartments. The partition includes a front mullion wall and spaced apart upper and lower walls extending generally horizontally and rearwardly of the front mullion wall within the plastic interior liner. The upper generally horizontal wall of the partition has an opening therein. The evaporator tray housing is recessed within the opening of the upper wall of the partition. The evaporator tray housing has a floor portion for supporting an evaporator coil, a motor and a fan blade connected to said motor. Insulation within cabinet further extends into the partition between the upper wall, the evaporator tray housing, the lower wall and the front mullion wall. The cabinet further includes a cover for overlaying the tray housing.
The evaporator tray housing preferably has tray side walls upstanding from the floor portion of which at least two of the tray side walls each includes an out-turned rim adapted to overlay a portion of the upper wall of the partition. The floor portion of the evaporator tray housing is spaced from the lower wall of the partition and the tray side walls are spaced from the mullion wall and the side walls of the exterior cabinet shell. The evaporator tray housing preferably includes a front upstanding wall having a hooked shaped flange that overlaps the mullion front wall to provide support on an additional surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention reference may be had by way of example to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a top mount refrigerator;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the refrigerator cabinet showing the interior plastic liner, the mullion strap and the exterior cabinet shell;
FIG. 3 an exploded perspective view showing the details of the construction of the evaporator housing relative to the interior plastic liner of the refrigerator cabinet;
FIG. 4 is a front sectional view taken along lines 4 — 4 of FIG. 1 showing the evaporator tray housing located within the refrigerator cabinet;
FIGS. 5 and 6 are enlarged partial views of FIG. 4 for the evaporator tray housing;
FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the evaporator housing located in the refrigerator cabinet between the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment;
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view similar to FIG. 7, where the section is taken through passage air inlets and the drain tube is located inside the fresh food compartment; and
FIG. 9 is a side sectional view similar to FIG. 8 showing the most preferred embodiment with the air inlet passage from the upper compartment extending through the mullion grill and the drain tube located within the partition wall.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a refrigerator 10 having an exterior cabinet shell 12 . The shell 12 is a thin sheet metal material. The refrigerator 10 includes an interior plastic liner 14 . Interior liner 14 defines upper and lower food compartments 16 and 18 separated by a partition 17 . The refrigerator cabinet 10 is a top mount refrigerator with the upper food compartment 16 is a freezer compartment and the lower food compartment 18 is a fresh food compartment. Access to the freezer compartment 16 and the fresh food compartment 18 is permitted at the front of the refrigerator 10 by opening doors 20 . Doors 20 have handles 22 which facilitate opening of the doors 20 . The bottom of the refrigerator 10 has a decorative kick plate 25 . Wile the preferred embodiment of the present invention is for a top mount refrigerator 10 , it should be understood that the invention alternatively may be used on a bottom mount refrigerator where the freezer compartment is located below the fresh food compartment.
FIG. 2 is an exploded illustrative view of the cabinet 26 components. During manufacture the interior liner 14 is inserted into open side 28 of the exterior cabinet shell 12 . This is represented by arrow 30 . A metal mullion strap 15 is shown positioned in the exterior cabinet shell 12 behind the liner 14 . Strap 15 extends across the open side 28 of the cabinet 26 inside partition 17 .
The exterior cabinet shell 12 has a shell edge flange 32 extending around the open side of the top wall 29 , bottom wall 31 and sidewalls 33 towards the opening of the open side 28 . The exterior cabinet shell 12 is made from sheet metal and includes a rear wall 35 .
The interior liner 14 is adapted to fit within the exterior cabinet shell 12 . The interior liner 14 includes an outwardly extending liner flange 34 . The liner 14 is a one-piece or uni-partite plastic material molded piece. A breaker strip (not shown) interconnects the liner flange 34 with the shell edge flange 32 . The liner 14 further includes openings 41 through which hinges (not shown) extend for the mounting of the refrigerator doors 20 .
The partition 17 separates the fresh food compartment 18 from the freezer compartment 16 . The partition 17 includes an upper partition wall 36 , a lower partition wall 38 and a front mullion wall 40 . The upper and lower partition walls 36 and 38 are spaced apart by the front mullion wall 40 . The upper and lower walls 36 and 38 , extend generally horizontally and rearwardly of the front mullion wall 40 . Preferably the walls 36 and 38 are angled slightly. The bottom partition wall is the upper wall of the lower food compartment 18 and the top partition wall 36 is the lower liner wall of the upper freezer compartment 16 . The upper partition wall 36 has an enlarged central opening 39 . Opening 39 is located rearwardly of the mullion wall 40 and extends back to the rear wall 44 of the upper food compartment 16 of the liner 14 . It is into opening 39 that the evaporator tray housing 46 of the present invention is seated in a recessed manner.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 9, the construction of the evaporator tray housing 46 for different preferred embodiments of the present invention with respect to the refrigerator cabinet is shown. In FIG. 3, a preferred construction for the evaporator tray housing 46 relative to the liner is shown. FIG. 4 is illustrative of the preferred tray housing 46 construction relative to the refrigerator liner 14 and the shell 12 of the refrigerator cabinet. FIG. 5 is an exploded view in more detail the relationship between the evaporator tray housing 46 and the interior liner 14 of the present invention. FIGS. 7 to 9 are cross-sectional views showing in detail the placement of the tray housing 46 relative to the interior liner 14 .
The evaporator tray housing 46 includes a tray cover 48 . The tray 46 has a floor portion 50 contoured to support evaporator coil 52 , motor 54 and fan blade 56 (see FIG. 8 ). The floor portion 50 is further provided with moisture runoff groove 58 and drain hole 60 connected to drain tubing 68 back through an opening in the lower partition wall 38 as shown in FIG. 8 .
In FIG. 9, the drain tube is located within partition 17 above the lower partition wall. The drain tubing 68 permits water to drain from the evaporator tray housing 46 when a defrost cycle for the refrigerator is initiated. During a defrost cycle, any frost build up on the evaporator coils is melted.
In accordance with the present invention the evaporator tray housing 46 is seated on the upper partition wall 36 recessed within the space of the partition 17 . After the insertion of the tray 46 into the freezer or upper freezer compartment 16 , a decorative grill 69 is secured on and over the mullion front wall 40 , the front portion of the top liner wall 36 and an edge portion of the tray 46 . A metallic plate or pan 72 is laid on the floor portion 50 of the tray housing 46 . The evaporator coil 52 , fan blade 56 , defrost heater 53 and motor 54 are assembled within the tray housing and suitable wiring extends through openings 74 located in a rear wall of the tray housing 46 (see FIG. 3 ). The cover 48 is placed over the tray housing 46 to close the evaporator tray 46 recessed within the partition 17 . A freezer floor plate 49 overlaps the cover 48 .
The metallic pan 72 is contoured to follow the shape of the floor portion 50 of the tray housing 46 . The pan 72 protects the plastic floor portion 50 by evenly dissipating heat generated from the evaporator coils during the defrost cycle and by preventing over-heating of plastic housing 46 . The plate 72 also drains water from underneath the evaporator coil to hole 60 . The pan 72 further includes a rear cut-out section 73 that allows heat transfer from the defrost heater 53 into the areas adjacent the fan blade 56 , the motor 54 and the drain area 58 . The defrost heater 53 is placed amongst coils 52 and is activated to accelerate the melting of frost during a defrost cycle. The heater 53 includes a metal shield cover 55 that deflects radiant heat away from the plastic cover 48 . Optionally, as shown in FIG. 8, an aluminum foil 57 with a drain heater attached is placed below the floor 50 of the tray housing 46 adjacent the fan blade 56 and motor 54 . The aluminum foil drain heater 57 is activated during a defrost cycle to prevent ice formation during and after the defrost cycle in the drain area 58 and the area of the fan blade 56 .
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6 , the preferred constructions of the evaporator tray housing 46 within the partition 17 is described. The upper partition wall 36 has two elongated edges 70 that extend along the sides of the opening 39 . As best seen in FIG. 6, each of the edges 70 includes a depressed apron 172 extending downwardly from the upper wall 36 of the partition 17 . The depressed apron 172 further includes an in-turned flange 174 that extends from the apron 172 into the opening 39 . The in-turned flange 174 is a hook shape having an edge lip 176 .
The evaporator tray housing 46 includes at least two out-turned rib portions 178 extending outwardly from tray upstanding wall 80 . The out-turned ribs 178 are adapted to overlie a corresponding one of the in-turned flanges 174 of the upper wall 36 of the partition 17 . The floor portion 50 of the evaporator tray housing 46 is thus spaced from the bottom wall 38 of the partition 17 and the tray side walls 80 are spaced from the partition mullion wall 40 and the side walls 33 of the exterior cabinet shell 18 . Each of the out-turned rims 178 of the evaporator tray housing 46 has a downwardly depending rib 90 that rests on a corresponding in-turned flange 174 of the upper wall 36 of the partition 17 . The out-turned rims 178 of the evaporator tray housing 46 are shown with the downwardly extending rib 90 resting on the in-turned flange 74 between the apron 172 and the edge lip 176 of the edge 70 of the partition 17 . The out-turned rims 178 further include a sealing spacer gasket member 92 which is attached either to the rim 90 or to the apron 172 . This allows for a close fit of the tray 46 within the opening 39 of the partition 17 and seals to prevent insulation from leaking into the open area 16 .
Referring to FIG. 7, the evaporator tray housing front wall 80 has a hooked shape flange 96 that hooks over the forward wall or forward portion 97 of the upper wall 36 of partition provided immediately behind the mullion wall 40 to seat the tray 46 relative to the front of upper wall 36 . The evaporator tray 46 further includes an upstanding rear wall 80 which has a hook portion 98 into which the rear wall 44 of the liner is hooked into place.
The cover 48 of the evaporator tray housing 46 is press fitted into the tray housing 46 and over the evaporator coils 52 . The freezer floor plate 49 has an edge portion 112 with a hooked that is held recessed groove 110 forming a rear extension from the mullion grill 69 . The freezer floor plate 49 also slides into engagement with the back wall of the freezer compartment and is secured relative to upper partition wall 36 by fastening screws (not shown).
Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9 , side cross-sectional views of the tray housing 46 , tray cover 48 evaporator coils 52 , and the airflow through the housing 46 are shown. The primary difference between the embodiment of FIG. 8 and the preferred embodiment of FIG. 9 is that the drain tube 68 of FIG. 9 is located within the partition 17 whereas the drain tube 68 of FIG. 8 is located within the fresh food compartment 18 .
In FIGS. 7 to 9 , the airflow through housing 46 is depicted by arrows 200 . Motor 54 is activated to drive fan 56 which creates the airflow 200 through the evaporator tray housing 46 . Air 200 is cooled as it passes over the evaporator coils 52 .
The evaporator tray housing 46 has at least one lower inlet passage 120 and at least one lower outlet passage 122 extending through corresponding openings 124 and 126 in the lower wall 38 of the partition 17 to permit the air flow between the lower food compartment 18 and through the evaporator tray housing 46 . Additional supporting spacers 130 interconnect the lower air inlet passage and the lower air outlet passages with the corresponding lower partition wall 38 . Spacers 130 further support the evaporator tray housing 46 recessed within the partition 17 and prevent the escape of insulation from the partition 17 into the lower food compartment 18 .
For air circulation into the upper food compartment 16 , the lower wall 38 has a plurality of openings 140 (FIG. 9) and the grill 70 has openings 132 (FIG. 8) located adjacent the front mullion wall 40 . The refrigerator cabinet further includes a vent stack 150 extending upwardly from the evaporator tray housing 46 behind the cover 48 and over the interior liner rear wall 44 . The vent stack 150 includes a plurality of air outlet openings 152 that permit the air flow between the upper food compartment 16 and the evaporator tray housing 46 in through the cover inlet openings and out through the vent openings.
As best seen in FIGS. 4, 5 , and 7 to 9 , the upstanding sidewalls 80 of the tray 46 are surrounded by foam in place insulation 100 . The rigid insulation 100 is blown into the space between the liner 14 and the walls of the exterior cabinet shell 12 . The foam 100 during curing expands to fill voids between the freezer compartment 16 and the fresh food compartment 18 and thereby rigidly hold the evaporator tray housing 46 recessed within the partition 17 . The foam 100 extends from the sidewalls 33 of the exterior cabinet shell 12 around the liner 14 and across the partition 17 between the food compartments 16 and 18 . Further, the use of the spacers or grommets 130 at the air outlets, and the overlapping and sealing relationship between the out-turned rims 90 of the tray 46 , the in-turned flanges 174 of the freezer floor 36 and the sealing gasket member 92 prevent foam insulation from leaking into the evaporator tray housing 16 .
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A refrigerator cabinet has an exterior cabinet shell and a plastic liner insert defining a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment where foamed in place insulation extends between the exterior cabinet shell and the interior liner. The liner has a partition with upper and lower walls extending rearwardly of a front mullion wall and between sidewalls of the liner. The upper sidewall has a cut-out recess adapted to receive an evaporator tray housing that is seated on edges of the upper wall of the partition. The tray supports an evaporator coil, motor, and fan. The tray has a cover that forms, together with the upper wall of the partition, the floor of the freezer compartment. By locating the evaporator tray recessed in the partition, in the partition space between the two compartments can be filled with rigid foam that extends between the upper and lower food compartments and to the exterior shell of the cabinet.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/006,409, filed Dec. 6, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/418,509, filed Apr. 16, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,903, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/141,652, filed May 7, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,210, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/695,757, filed Oct. 24, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,608, which issued Jul. 16, 2002. Each of the above identified applications is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0002] The U.S. application Ser. No. 10/418,509 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/016,116, filed on Oct. 30, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,559, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/823,620, filed Mar. 30, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,475, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/133,284, filed Aug. 12, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,636, which in turn claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/062,860, filed on Oct. 16, 1997; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/056,045, filed on Sep. 2, 1997; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/062,620, filed on Oct. 22, 1997 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/070,044 filed on Dec. 30, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The field of the invention relates to transmissions. More particularly the invention relates to continuously variable transmissions.
[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0006] In order to provide an infinitely variable transmission, various traction roller transmissions in which power is transmitted through traction rollers supported in a housing between torque input and output discs have been developed. In such transmissions, the traction rollers are mounted on support structures which, when pivoted, cause the engagement of traction rollers with the torque discs in circles of varying diameters depending on the desired transmission ratio.
[0007] However, the success of these traditional solutions has been limited. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,403 to Schievelbusch, a driving hub for a vehicle with a variable adjustable transmission ratio is disclosed. Schievelbusch teaches the use of two iris plates, one on each side of the traction rollers, to tilt the axis of rotation of each of the rollers. However, the use of iris plates can be very complicated due to the large number of parts which are required to adjust the iris plates during shifting the transmission. Another difficulty with this transmission is that it has a guide ring which is configured to be predominantly stationary in relation to each of the rollers. Since the guide ring is stationary, shifting the axis of rotation of each of the traction rollers is difficult. Yet another limitation of this design is that it requires the use of two half axles, one on each side of the rollers, to provide a gap in the middle of the two half axles. The gap is necessary because the rollers are shifted with rotating motion instead of sliding linear motion. The use of two axles is not desirable and requires a complex fastening system to prevent the axles from bending when the transmission is accidentally bumped, is as often the case when a transmission is employed in a vehicle. Yet another limitation of this design is that it does not provide for an automatic transmission.
[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a continuously variable transmission with a simpler shifting method, a single axle, and a support ring having a substantially uniform outer surface. Additionally, there is a need for an automatic traction roller transmission that is configured to shift automatically. Further, the practical commercialization of traction roller transmissions requires improvements in the reliability, ease of shifting, function and simplicity of the transmission.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention includes a transmission for use in rotationally or linearly powered machines and vehicles. For example the present transmission may be used in machines such as drill presses, turbines, and food processing equipment, and vehicles such as automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles. The transmission may, for example, be driven by a power transfer mechanism such as a sprocket, gear, pulley or lever, optionally driving a one way clutch attached at one end of the main shaft.
[0010] In one embodiment of the invention, the transmission comprises a rotatable driving member, three or more power adjusters, wherein each of the power adjusters respectively rotates about an axis of rotation that is centrally located within each of the power adjusters, a support member providing a support surface that is in frictional contact with each of the power adjusters, wherein the support member rotates about an axis that is centrally located within the support member, at least one platform for actuating axial movement of the support member and for actuating a shift in the axis of rotation of the power adjusters, wherein the platform provides a convex surface, at least one stationary support that is non-rotatable about the axis of rotation that is defined by the support member, wherein the at least one stationary support provides a concave surface, and a plurality of spindle supports, wherein each of the spindle supports are slidingly engaged with the convex surface of the platform and the concave surface of the stationary support, and wherein each of the spindle supports adjusts the axes of rotation of the power adjusters in response to the axial movement of the platform.
[0011] In another embodiment, the transmission comprises a rotatable driving member; three or more power adjusters, wherein each of the power adjusters respectively rotates about an axis of rotation that is respectively central to the power adjusters, a support member providing a support surface that is in frictional contact with each of the power adjusters, a rotatable driving member for rotating each of the power adjusters, a bearing disc having a plurality of inclined ramps for actuating the rotation of the driving member, a coiled spring for biasing the rotatable driving member against the power adjusters, at least one lock pawl ratchet, wherein the lock pawl ratchet is rigidly attached to the rotatable driving member, wherein the at least one lock pawl is operably attached to the coiled spring, and at least one lock pawl for locking the lock pawl ratchet in response to the rotatable driving member becoming disengaged from the power adjusters.
[0012] In still another embodiment, the transmission comprises a rotatable driving member, three or more power adjusters, wherein each of the power adjusters respectively rotates about an axis that is respectively central to each of the power adjusters, a support member providing a support surface that is in frictional contact with each of the power adjusters, wherein the support member rotates about an axis that is centrally located within the support member, a bearing disc having a plurality of inclined ramps for actuating the rotation of the driving member, a screw that is coaxially and rigidly attached to the rotatable driving member or the bearing disc, and a nut that, if the screw is attached to the rotatable driving member, is coaxially and rigidly attached to the bearing disc, or if the screw is rigidly attached to the bearing disc, coaxially and rigidly attached to the rotatable driving member, wherein the inclined ramps of the bearing disc have a higher lead than the screw.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a cutaway side view of the transmission of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the transmission of FIG. 1 .
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two stationary supports of the transmission of FIG. 1 .
[0016] FIG. 4 is a partial end, cross-sectional view of the transmission of FIG. 1 .
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a drive disc, bearing cage, screw, and ramp bearings of the transmission of FIG. 1 .
[0018] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a ratchet and pawl subsystem of the transmission of FIG. 1 that is used to engage and disengage the transmission.
[0019] FIG. 7 is partial perspective view of the transmission of FIG. 1 , wherein, among other things, a rotatable drive disc has been removed.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the transmission of FIG. 1 , wherein, among other things, the hub shell has been removed.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of the transmission of FIG. 1 , wherein the shifting is done automatically.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the shifting handlegrip that is mechanically coupled to the transmission of FIG. 1 .
[0023] FIG. 11 is an end view of a thrust bearing, of the transmission shown in FIG. 1 , which is used for automatic shifting of the transmission.
[0024] FIG. 12 is an end view of the weight design of the transmission shown in FIG. 1 .
[0025] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the transmission bolted to a flat surface.
[0026] FIG. 14 is a cutaway side view of the transmission shown in FIG. 13 .
[0027] FIG. 15 is a schematic end view of the transmission in FIG. 1 showing the cable routing across a spacer extension of the automatic portion of the transmission.
[0028] FIG. 16 is a schematic end view of the cable routing of the transmission shown in FIG. 13 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] The following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims. In this description, reference is made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may include several novel features, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes or which is essential to practicing the inventions herein described.
[0030] The present invention includes a continuously variable transmission that may be employed in connection with any type of machine that is in need of a transmission. For example, the transmission may be used in (i) a motorized vehicle such as an automobile, motorcycle, or watercraft, (ii) a non-motorized vehicle such as a bicycle, tricycle, scooter, exercise equipment or (iii) industrial equipment, such as a drill press, power generating equipment, or textile mill.
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a continuously variable transmission 100 is disclosed. The transmission 100 is shrouded in a hub shell 40 covered by a hub cap 67 . At the heart of the transmission 100 are three or more power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c which are spherical in shape and are circumferentially spaced equally around the centerline or axis of rotation of the transmission 100 . As seen more clearly in FIG. 2 , spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c are inserted through the center of the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c to define an axis of rotation for the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c. In FIG. 1 , the power adjuster's axis of rotation is shown in the horizontal direction. Spindle supports 2 a - f are attached perpendicular to and at the exposed ends of the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c. In one embodiment, each of the spindles supports have a bore to receive one end of one of the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c. The spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c also have spindle rollers 4 a - f coaxially and slidingly positioned over the exposed ends of the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c outside of the spindle supports 2 a - f.
[0032] As the rotational axis of the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c is changed by tilting the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, each spindle roller 4 a - f follows in a groove 6 a - f cut into a stationary support 5 a, 5 b. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3 , the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b are generally in the form of parallel discs with an axis of rotation along the centerline of the transmission 100 . The grooves 6 a - f extend from the outer circumference of the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b towards the centerline of the transmission 100 . While the sides of the grooves 6 a - f are substantially parallel, the bottom surface of the grooves 6 a - f forms a decreasing radius as it runs towards the centerline of the transmission 100 . As the transmission 100 is shifted to a lower or higher gear by changing the rotational axes of the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, each pair of spindle rollers 4 a - f, located on a single spindle 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, moves in opposite directions along their corresponding grooves 6 a - f.
[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3 , a centerline hole 7 a, 7 b in the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b allows the insertion of a hollow shaft 10 through both stationary supports 5 a, 5 b. Referring to FIG. 4 , in an embodiment of the invention, one or more of the stationary support holes 7 a, 7 b may have a non-cylindrical shape 14 , which fits over a corresponding non-cylindrical shape 15 along the hollow shaft 10 to prevent any relative rotation between the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b and the hollow shaft 10 . If the rigidity of the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b is insufficient, additional structure may be used to minimize any relative rotational movement or flexing of the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b. This type of movement by the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b may cause binding of the spindle rollers 4 a - f as they move along the grooves 6 a - f.
[0034] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 , the additional structure may take the form of spacers 8 a, 8 b, 8 c attached between the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b. The spacers 8 a, 8 b, 8 c add rigidity between the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b and, in one embodiment, are located near the outer circumference of the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b. In one embodiment, the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b are connected to the spacers 8 a, 8 b, 8 c by bolts or other fastener devices 45 a - f inserted through holes 46 a - f in the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b.
[0035] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 3 , the stationary support 5 a is fixedly attached to a stationary support sleeve 42 , which coaxially encloses the hollow shaft 10 and extends through the wall of the hub shell 40 . The end of the stationary support sleeve 42 that extends through the hub shell 40 attaches to the frame support and preferentially has a non-cylindrical shape to enhance subsequent attachment of a torque lever 43 . As shown more clearly in FIG. 7 , the torque lever 43 is placed over the non-cylindrical shaped end of the stationary support sleeve 42 , and is held in place by a torque nut 44 . The torque lever 43 at its other end is rigidly attached to a strong, non-moving part, such as a frame (not shown). A stationary support bearing 48 supports the hub shell 40 and permits the hub shell 40 to rotate relative to the stationary support sleeve 42 .
[0036] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2 , shifting is manually activated by axially sliding a rod 11 positioned in the hollow shaft 10 . One or more pins 12 are inserted through one or more transverse holes in the rod 11 and further extend through one or more longitudinal slots 16 (not shown) in the hollow shaft 10 . The slots 16 in the hollow shaft 10 allow for axial movement of the pin 12 and rod 11 assembly in the hollow shaft 10 . As the rod 11 slides axially in the hollow shaft 10 , the ends of the transverse pins 12 extend into and couple with a coaxial sleeve 19 . The sleeve 19 is fixedly attached at each end to a substantially planar platform 13 a, 13 b forming a trough around the circumference of the sleeve 19 .
[0037] As seen more clearly in FIG. 4 , the planar platforms 13 a, 13 b each contact and push multiple wheels 21 a - f. The wheels 21 a - f fit into slots in the spindle supports 2 a - f and are held in place by wheel axles 22 a - f. The wheel axles 22 a - f are supported at their ends by the spindle supports 2 a - f and allow rotational movement of the wheels 21 a - f.
[0038] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the substantially planar platforms 13 a, 13 b transition into a convex surface at their outer perimeter (farthest from the hollow shaft 10 ). This region allows slack to be taken up when the spindle supports 2 a - f and power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c are tilted as the transmission 100 is shifted. A cylindrical support member 18 is located in the trough formed between the planar platforms 13 a, 13 b and sleeve 19 and thus moves in concert with the planar platforms 13 a, 13 b and sleeve 19 . The support member 18 rides on contact bearings 17 a, 17 b located at the intersection of the planar platforms 13 a, 13 b and sleeve 19 to allow the support member 18 to freely rotate about the axis of the transmission 100 . Thus, the bearings 17 a, 17 b, support member 18 , and sleeve 19 all slide axially with the planar platforms 13 a, 13 b when the transmission 100 is shifted.
[0039] Now referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , stationary support rollers 30 a - l are attached in pairs to each spindle leg 2 a - f through a roller pin 31 a - f and held in place by roller clips 32 a - l. The roller pins 31 a - f allow the stationary support rollers 30 a - l to rotate freely about the roller pins 31 a - f. The stationary support rollers 30 a - l roll on a concave radius in the stationary support 5 a, 5 b along a substantially parallel path with the grooves 6 a - f. As the spindle rollers 4 a - f move back and forth inside the grooves 6 a - f, the stationary support rollers 30 a - l do not allow the ends of the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c nor the spindle rollers 4 a - f to contact the bottom surface of the grooves 6 a - f, to maintain the position of the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, and to minimize any frictional losses.
[0040] FIG. 4 shows the stationary support rollers 30 a - l, the roller pins, 31 a - f, and roller clips 32 a - l, as seen through the stationary support 5 a, for ease of viewing. For clarity, i.e., too many numbers in FIG. 1 , the stationary support rollers 30 a - l, the roller pins, 31 a - f, and roller clips 32 a - l, are not numbered in FIG. 1 .
[0041] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5 , a concave drive disc 34 , located adjacent to the stationary support 5 b, partially encapsulates but does not contact the stationary support 5 b. The drive disc 34 is rigidly attached through its center to a screw 35 . The screw 35 is coaxial to and forms a sleeve around the hollow shaft 10 adjacent to the stationary support 5 b and faces a driving member 69 . The drive disc 34 is rotatively coupled to the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c along a circumferential bearing surface on the lip of the drive disc 34 . A nut 37 is threaded over the screw 35 and is rigidly attached around its circumference to a bearing disc 60 . One face of the nut 37 is further attached to the driving member 69 . Also rigidly attached to the bearing disc 60 surface are a plurality of ramps 61 which face the drive disc 34 . For each ramp 61 there is one ramp bearing 62 held in position by a bearing cage 63 . The ramp bearings 62 contact both the ramps 61 and the drive disc 34 . A spring 65 is attached at one end to the bearing cage 63 and at its other end to the drive disc 34 , or the bearing disc 60 in an alternate embodiment, to bias the ramp bearings 62 up the ramps 61 . The bearing disc 60 , on the side opposite the ramps 61 and at approximately the same circumference contacts a hub cap bearing 66 . The hub cap bearing 66 contacts both the hub cap 67 and the bearing disc 60 to allow their relative motion. The hub cap 67 is threaded or pressed into the hub shell 40 and secured with an internal ring 68 . A sprocket or pulley 38 is rigidly attached to the rotating driving member 69 and is held in place externally by a cone bearing 70 secured by a cone nut 71 and internally by a driver bearing 72 which contacts both the driving member 69 and the hub cap 67 .
[0042] In operation, an input rotation from the sprocket or pulley 38 , which is fixedly attached to the driver 69 , rotates the bearing disc 60 and the plurality of ramps 61 causing the ramp bearings 62 to roll up the ramps 61 and press the drive disc 34 against the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c. Simultaneously, the nut 37 , which has a smaller lead than the ramps 61 , rotates to cause the screw 35 and nut 37 to bind. This feature imparts rotation of the drive disc 34 against the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c. The power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, when rotating, contact and rotate the hub shell 40 .
[0043] When the transmission 100 is coasting, the sprocket or pulley 38 stops rotating but the hub shell 40 and the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, continue to rotate. This causes the drive disc 34 to rotate so that the screw 35 winds into the nut 37 until the drive disc 34 no longer contacts the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c.
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 1, 6 , and 7 , a coiled spring 80 , coaxial with the transmission 100 , is located between and attached by pins or other fasteners (not shown) to both the bearing disc 60 and drive disc 34 at the ends of the coiled spring 80 . During operation of the transmission 100 , the coiled spring 80 ensures contact between the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c and the drive disc 34 . A pawl carrier 83 fits in the coiled spring 80 with its middle coil attached to the pawl carrier 83 by a pin or standard fastener (not shown). Because the pawl carrier 83 is attached to the middle coil of the coiled spring 80 , it rotates at half the speed of the drive disc 34 when the bearing disc 60 is not rotating. This allows one or more lock pawls 81 a, 81 b, 81 c, which are attached to the pawl carrier 83 by one or more pins 84 a, 84 b, 84 c, to engage a drive disc ratchet 82 , which is coaxial with and rigidly attached to the drive disc 34 . The one or more lock pawls 84 a, 84 b, 84 c are preferably spaced asymmetrically around the drive disc ratchet 82 . Once engaged, the loaded coiled spring 80 is prevented from forcing the drive disc 34 against the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c. Thus, with the drive disc 34 not making contact against the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, the transmission 100 is in neutral and the ease of shifting is increased. The transmission 100 can also be shifted while in operation.
[0045] When operation of the transmission 100 is resumed by turning the sprocket or pulley 38 , one or more release pawls 85 a, 85 b, 85 c, each attached to one of the lock pawls 81 a, 81 b, 81 c by a pawl pin 88 a, 88 b, 88 c, make contact with an opposing bearing disc ratchet 87 . The bearing disc ratchet 87 is coaxial with and rigidly attached to the bearing disc 60 . The bearing disc ratchet 87 actuates the release pawls 85 a, 85 b, 85 c because the release pawls 85 a, 85 b, 85 c are connected to the pawl carrier 83 via the lock pawls 81 a, 81 b, 81 c. In operation, the release pawls 85 a, 85 b, 85 c rotate at half the speed of the bearing disc 60 , since the drive disc 34 is not rotating, and disengage the lock pawls 81 a, 81 b, 81 c from the drive disc ratchet 82 allowing the coiled spring 80 to wind the drive disc 34 against the power adjusters 1 a, 1 b, 1 c. One or more pawl tensioners (not shown), one for each release pawl 85 a, 85 b, 85 c, ensures that the lock pawls 81 a, 81 b, 81 c are pressed against the drive disc ratchet 82 and that the release pawls 85 a, 85 b, 85 c are pressed against the bearing disc ratchet 87 . The pawl tensioners are attached at one end to the pawl carrier 83 and make contact at the other end to the release pawls 85 a, 85 b, 85 c. An assembly hole 93 (not shown) through the hub cap 67 , the bearing disc 60 , and the drive disc 34 , allows an assembly pin (not shown) to be inserted into the loaded coiled spring 80 during assembly of the transmission 100 . The assembly pin prevents the coiled spring 80 from losing its tension and is removed after transmission 100 assembly is complete.
[0046] Referring to FIGS. 1, 11 , 12 , and 15 , automatic shifting of the transmission 100 , is accomplished by means of spindle cables 602 , 604 , 606 which are attached at one end to a non-moving component of the transmission 100 , such as the hollow shaft 10 or the stationary support 5 a. The spindle cables 602 , 604 , 606 then travel around spindle pulleys 630 , 632 , 634 , which are coaxially positioned over the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c. The spindle cables 602 , 604 , 606 further travel around spacer pulleys 636 , 638 , 640 , 644 , 646 , 648 which are attached to a spacer extension 642 which may be rigidly attached to the spacers 8 a, 8 b, 8 c. As more clearly shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the other ends of the spindle cables 602 , 604 , 606 are attached to a plurality of holes 620 , 622 , 624 in a non-rotating annular bearing race 816 . A plurality of weight cables 532 , 534 , 536 are attached at one end to a plurality of holes 610 , 612 , 614 in a rotating annular bearing race 806 . An annular bearing 808 , positioned between the rotating annular bearing race 806 and the non-rotating annular bearing race 816 , allows their relative movement.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 15 , the transmission 100 is shown with the cable routing for automatic shifting.
[0048] As shown in FIGS. 1, 9 , 11 , and 12 , the weight cables 532 , 534 , 536 then travel around the hub shell pulleys 654 , 656 , 658 , through holes in the hub shell 40 , and into hollow spokes 504 , 506 , 508 (best seen in FIG. 12 ) where they attach to weights 526 , 528 , 530 . The weights 526 , 528 , 530 are attached to and receive support from weight assisters 516 , 518 , 520 which attach to a wheel 514 or other rotating object at there opposite end. As the wheel 514 increases its speed of rotation, the weights 526 , 528 , 530 are pulled radially away from the hub shell 40 , pulling the rotating annular bearing race 806 and the non-rotating annular bearing race 816 axially toward the hub cap 67 . The non-rotating annular bearing race 816 pulls the spindle cables 602 , 604 , 606 , which pulls the spindle pulleys 630 , 632 , 634 closer to the hollow shaft 10 and results in the shifting of the transmission 100 into a higher gear. When rotation of the wheel 514 slows, one or more tension members 9 positioned inside the hollow shaft 10 and held in place by a shaft cap 92 , push the spindle pulleys 630 , 632 , 634 farther from the hollow shaft 10 and results in the shifting of the transmission 100 into a lower gear.
[0049] Alternatively, or in conjunction with the tension member 9 , multiple tension members (not shown) may be attached to the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c opposite the spindle pulleys 630 , 632 , 634 .
[0050] Still referring to FIG. 1 , the transmission 100 can also be manually shifted to override the automatic shifting mechanism or to use in place of the automatic shifting mechanism. A rotatable shifter 50 has internal threads that thread onto external threads of a shifter screw 52 which is attached over the hollow shaft 10 . The shifter 50 has a cap 53 with a hole that fits over the rod 11 that is inserted into the hollow shaft 10 . The rod 11 is threaded where it protrudes from the hollow shaft 10 so that nuts 54 , 55 may be threaded onto the rod 11 . The nuts 54 , 55 are positioned on both sides of the cap 53 . A shifter lever 56 is rigidly attached to the shifter 50 and provides a moment arm for the rod 11 . The shifter cable 51 is attached to the shifter lever 56 through lever slots 57 a, 57 b, 57 c. The multiple lever slots 57 a, 57 b, 57 c provide for variations in speed and ease of shifting.
[0051] Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 10 , the shifter cable 51 is routed to and coaxially wraps around a handlegrip 300 . When the handlegrip 300 is rotated in a first direction, the shifter 50 winds or unwinds axially over the hollow shaft 10 and pushes or pulls the rod 11 into or out of the hollow shaft 10 . When the handlegrip 300 is rotated in a second direction, a shifter spring 58 , coaxially positioned over the shifter 50 , returns the shifter 50 to its original position. The ends of the shifter spring 58 are attached to the shifter 50 and to a non-moving component, such as a frame (not shown).
[0052] As seen more clearly in FIG. 10 , the handlegrip 300 is positioned over a handlebar (not shown) or other rigid component. The handlegrip 300 includes a rotating grip 302 , which consists of a cable attachment 304 that provides for attachment of the shifter cable 51 and a groove 306 that allows the shifter cable 51 to wrap around the rotating grip 302 . A flange 308 is also provided to preclude a user from interfering with the routing of the shifter cable 51 . Grip ratchet teeth 310 are located on the rotating grip 302 at its interface with a rotating clamp 314 . The grip ratchet teeth 310 lock onto an opposing set of clamp ratchet teeth 312 when the rotating grip 302 is rotated in a first direction. The clamp ratchet teeth 312 form a ring and are attached to the rotating clamp 314 which rotates with the rotating grip 302 when the grip ratchet teeth 310 and the clamp ratchet teeth 312 are locked. The force required to rotate the rotating clamp 314 can be adjusted with a set screw 316 or other fastener. When the rotating grip 302 , is rotated in a second direction, the grip ratchet teeth 310 , and the clamp ratchet teeth 312 disengage. Referring back to FIG. 1 , the tension of the shifter spring 58 increases when the rotating grip 302 is rotated in the second direction. A non-rotating clamp 318 and a non-rotating grip 320 prevent excessive axial movement of the handlegrip 300 assembly.
[0053] Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 , another embodiment of the transmission 900 , is disclosed. For purposes of simplicity, only the differences between the transmission 100 and the transmission 900 are discussed.
[0054] Replacing the rotating hub shell 40 are a stationary case 901 and housing 902 , which are joined with one or more set screws 903 , 904 , 905 . The set screws 903 , 904 , 905 may be removed to allow access for repairs to the transmission 900 . Both the case 901 and housing 902 have coplanar flanges 906 , 907 with a plurality of bolt holes 908 , 910 , 912 , 914 for insertion of a plurality of bolts 918 , 920 , 922 , 924 to fixedly mount the transmission 900 to a non-moving component, such as a frame (not shown).
[0055] The spacer extension 930 is compressed between the stationary case 901 and housing 902 with the set screws 903 , 904 , 905 and extend towards and are rigidly attached to the spacers 8 a, 8 b, 8 c. The spacer extension 930 prevents rotation of the stationary supports 5 a, 5 b. The stationary support 5 a does not have the stationary support sleeve 42 as in the transmission 100 . The stationary supports 5 a, 5 b hold the hollow shaft 10 in a fixed position. The hollow shaft 10 terminates at one end at the stationary support 5 a and at its other end at the screw 35 . An output drive disc 942 is added and is supported against the case 901 by a case bearing 944 . The output drive disc 942 is attached to an output drive component, such as a drive shaft, gear, sprocket, or pulley (not shown). Similarly, the driving member 69 is attached to the input drive component, such as a motor, gear, sprocket, or pulley.
[0056] Referring to FIG. 16 , shifting of the transmission 900 is accomplished with a single cable 946 that wraps around each of the spindle pulleys 630 , 632 , 634 . At one end, the single cable 946 is attached to a non-moving component of the transmission 900 , such as the hollow shaft 10 or the stationary support 5 a. After traveling around each of the spindle pulleys 630 , 632 , 634 and the spacer pulleys 636 , 644 , the single cable 946 exits the transmission 900 through a hole in the housing 902 . Alternatively a rod (not shown) attached to one or more of the spindles 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, may be used to shift the transmission 900 in place of the single cable 946 .
[0057] The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. The scope of the invention should therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.
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A continuously variable transmission is disclosed for use in rotationally or linearly powered machines and vehicles. The single axle transmission provides a simple manual shifting method for the user. An additional embodiment is disclosed which shifts automatically dependent upon the rotational speed of the wheel. Further, the practical commercialization of traction roller transmissions requires improvements in the reliability, ease of shifting, function and simplicity of the transmission. The disclosed transmission may be used in vehicles such as automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles. The transmission may, for example, be driven by a power transfer mechanism such as a sprocket, gear, pulley or lever, optionally driving a one way clutch attached at one end of the main shaft.
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BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an air current rectifier plate attached to an air nozzle in an air spinning device.
The so-called air spinning process for producing spun yarn comprises passing a yarn sliver through an air-jetting nozzle which imparts twist to the sliver by a swirling stream of jetted air. This process is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,079,746, U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,648, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,911.
In this air spinning process, large quantities of dust and fly wastes are scattered from the air jetting nozzle. When fly wastes are deposited in the vicinity of the spinning nozzle zone, the capacity of the nozzle is reduced and the yarn quality is degraded. Moreover, scattered fly wastes worsen the working environment.
In the past, fly wastes and dust have been removed from the nozzle zone by means of a dust box connected to a suction pipe. However, the air flow exerted by the suction pipe tends to create additional turbulence which redeposits dust in the nozzle zone.
The problem of air turbulance and dust redeposit is especially critical in air spinning systems which utilize multiple nozzle whose alignment and compactness must be maintained to avoid yarn breakage.
The present invention is intended to eliminate these troubles by providing an air current rectifier around the foremost air nozzle unit in order to reduce turbulence both in front of and behind the air nozzle unit and to channel air flow paths towards the dust box.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a nozzle unit of a spinning device which is not provided with an air current rectifier plate according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a nozzle unit of a spinning device which is provided with an air current rectifier plate according to the invention;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III--III of FIG. 2; and,
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. This 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 claims.
In an air spinning device as shown in FIG. 1, a dust box 3 connected to a suction pipe 2 is provided near the tip 1a of an air nozzle 1 for sucking debris such as fly fibers not sucked into the nozzle 1 and other fly fibers and dust discharged from the first nozzle 5 thrugh cutout portion 11.
However, in the device as shown in FIG. 1, fly waste and dust are deposited on the forward portion A of the nozzle 5 even if the suction force in suction pipe 2 is increased and the deposited debris is again sucked into the first nozzle 5, thereby causing breakage or other defects of yarn. Such troubles as above are caused more frequently when the feeding pressure for jetting air to the first nozzle 5 is raised.
It has been found that deposite of debris as above results from a phenomenon that the air jetted from the first nozzle 5 through the cutout portion 11 is not regularly sucked into the dust box 3. A pair of the air current flows backward (as shown by the arrow marked X) toward the tip of the nozzle unit 1 thereby disturbing the air current in the dust box 3.
Describing in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. 2, the numeral 1 indicates an air nozzle unit disposed in a zone subsequent to a drafting part 4 consisting of front rollers 6 and aprons 7. The air nozzle unit 1 is comprised of a first nozzle 5 and a second nozzle 8 fitted into and supported by a nozzle holder 10. A cutout part 11, bored in an appropriate position on the tip part 1a of nozzle 1, is directed downward for discharging air flowing from the first nozzle 5.
A dust box 3 is fixed so as to surround, from the downside, the air nozzle tip part 1a and front rollers 6. An air current rectifier plate 13 according to the present invention is fitted onto the tip part 1a of the air nozzle unit 1 and enclosed by said dust box 3.
The air current rectifier plate 13 is a disk, fitted on the air nozzle unit 1, having a concentric bore to be fitted rotatably on the nozzle tip part 1a. By defining the diameter of the plate 13 so as to fit the internal geometry of the dust box 3, the plate 13 is adapted to lightly rotate in said dust box 3 without producing a gap between the dust box 3 and the plate 13 (FIG. 3).
The upper half 13a of the rectifier plate 13 extends to a point which is slightly higher than the uppermost end of the top front roller 6 and close to the cradle cover 16. The lower half 13b is provided with a wide air flow path 17 which is bored in a position corresponding to the cutout jetting part 11 of said first nozzle 5 and comunicates with the cutout part. A wall 18 formed by the rectifier plate 13 serves as a partition between the path 17 for the air flowing from the first nozzle 5 and another flow path 20 for the air sucked from the front roller zone toward the dust box 3 across the nozzle unit 1.
The reference numeral 16 represents a cradle cover that can be opened upward. The air current rectifier plate 13 in this embodiment is rotatable around the nozzle tip 1a and devised so that the bottom edge of the cradle cover 16 is brought into contact, when completely closed, with a cutout step 14 of the rectifier plate 13. Closing cradle cover 16 thereby rotates plate 13 into a position in which the cutout 11 for the air flowing from said first nozzle 5 communicates with the air flow path 17.
Also, in the above embodiment, as the rectifier plate 13 is provided with a step 14 at the upper part 13a thereof, and is in the shape of a disk capable of rotating freely in the dust box 3, it can be automatically put into the correct position by closing the cradle cover whereby great convenience is provided for cleaning the interior of the dust box 3. The rear face 21 of said lower half part 13b of the plate 13 is brought into contact with the front face of the nozzle holder 10, which serves as a stopper.
Since the air current in the dust box 3 is rectified by provision of such rectifier plate 13 as above, the opening 22 on the bottom of the dust box 3 is enabled to be wider and in the form of a single opening rather than the two openings 23 and 24 in the dust box 3 shown in FIG. 1.
In the present invention the air flow path to the dust box 3 is partitioned into a path 20 for the sucked air current on the nozzle tip side and another path 17 for the discharged air current from the first nozzle 5. Therefore, fly waste and dust delivered from the drafting parts 6 and 7 but not sucked by the nozzle 1 is sucked by the sucked air current 20 smoothly into the dust box 3, without being deposited on or near the nozzle tip. The fly waste and dust discharged from the first nozzle 5 are sucked by discharged air current 17 into the dust box 3 as well, without reentering the drafting parts 6 and 7.
Since the upper end of the rectifier plate 13 in the above embodiment is adapted to be slightly higher than that of the front roller 6 and close to the cradle cover 16, the air current passing across the nozzle 1 is rectified as well. And, as the front wall 18 of the lower half part 13b of the rectifier plate 13 is shaped so as to gradually expand forward with the downward air flow, the air current 20 on the nozzle tip side is smoothly introduced into the suction pipe 2 without creating air turbulence within said dust box 3.
In the above embodiment, a wide air flow path 17 is formed by providing a cutout hole 11 bored in the lower half part 13b of the rectifier plate 13. However, it may be replaced by other differently formed air flow paths, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, with rectifier plate 13 shaped into a flange-like configuration whose flange portion 13c is positioned between the air nozzle tip 1a and the air discharge port 11 of the first nozzle 5. The back side of said flange portion 13c is adapted to serve as an air flow path 17 on the base end side of the air nozzle. The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 4 provides additional access for the cleaning and maintenance of air discharge port 11 when rectifier plate 13 is rotated.
As is apparent from the foregoing description, in the air spinning device equipped with an air current rectifier plate according to the present invention, the air current in the nozzle tip portion is appropriately rectified and, consequently, fly fibers and dust are not deposited in said air nozzle tip portion, thereby effectively preventing troubles and occurrence of yarn breakage and other defects.
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An air current rectifier plate surrounds the foremost air jet nozzle in an air spinning device. The rectifier plate produces a non-turbulent flow of air toward the waste suction pipe and prevents debris from back-flowing into the air jet nozzle.
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REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims an invention which was disclosed in Provisional Application No. 61/395,947 filed May 20, 2010, entitled “Buttstock pre-adjustment block.” The benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of the United States provisional application is hereby claimed, and the aforementioned application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This application relates to the field of firearms particularly telescoping buttstock mechanisms. More specifically it concerns an improvement to the M4 style and its derivative telescoping buttstocks found on many modern adjustable-for-length firearms.
[0004] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0005] The telescoping buttstock has been fielded by many nations since the advent of modern mechanized warfare moved soldiers into vehicles. Telescoping is defined as an axial longitudinal movement collinear with the barrel and action assembly of the firearm. Early submachine guns utilized a wire type telescoping buttstock in order to decrease the overall length of the weapon when it was not in use. The advantage to such a mechanism is the speed with which the arm can be readied from its collapsed position. Many styles of telescoping buttstock have been created since their introduction but none have been as ubiquitous as the M4 style that was originally created for the M16 family of rifles. Roy in U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,328 took the basic use of a telescoping buttstock and added the extra feature of a number of stopping positions located vertically in the buffer tube or receiver extension. Each position may be locked into by depressing the lever to disengage the locking pin in one position and sliding the stock lengthwise to another position and releasing the lever. This then allows the locking pin to engage vertically in the desired locking detent position. This shall henceforth be referred to as the M4 type adjustable buttstock.
[0006] Thus the trigger pull length could be tailored to each shooter that is issued a rifle. This new family of telescoping (or adjustable) buttstocks is today available for and used on rifles, submachine guns, shotguns (as shown by Kay in U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,485) and even belt fed machineguns. It has become the de facto standard due to its end user adaptability. It has a flaw in use, however, in that with the exception of the furthest position a user is unable to immediately ready their weapon from the completely collapsed position. This is due to the fact that there are a number of possibly positions and the user must pass over the undesired detents in order to find that which they prefer. This can be time consuming and in a combat situation, life threatening.
[0007] Fitzpatrick et al in U.S. Pat. No. 7,762,018 B1 creates a new assembly of parts to accomplish the length of pull adjustments but also includes the ability to preset the buttstock to a desired position. This however requires an entirely new buttstock to be installed on the gun after previously removing the older, more commonplace and standardized version.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention allows for any firearm with an attached M4 pattern collapsible buttstock to be able to preset to the users desired length. This includes civilian designated AR-15 and AR-10 variants as well as any other firearm that uses a receiver extension shaped tube on which to mount a buttstock using a longitudinal groove and multiple locking detent positions. The buttstock pre-adjustment block consists of a portion that locks into a locking detent position in the receiver extension and a portion that interferes with the rearward axial movement of the attached collapsible buttstock. The invention allows the firearm operator to preset the desired length by installing a buttstock pre-adjustment block into the receiver extension (buffer tube). By doing so, the user can immediately pull the stock to its desired length without needing to count spaces backwards or forwards. This is particularly useful for any shooter who may be wearing armor or heavy clothing and would need a position located in the middle of the receiver extension.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0009] FIG. 1 shows the preferred embodiment of the buttstock pre-adjustment block.
[0010] FIG. 2 shows possible alternate embodiments of the buttstock pre-adjustment block.
[0011] FIG. 3 shows the method of installation.
[0012] FIG. 4 shows a partial cutaway of an installed buttstock pre-adjustment block in a complete buttstock assembly.
[0013] FIG. 5 shows the buttstock extending to the limit set by the pre-adjustment block.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] An M4 (AR- 15 , AR- 10 , etc.) style telescoping buttstock as shown in FIGS. 4 , and 5 has a stock portion 24 as well as a release lever 26 and a locking pin 28 . This allows the user of the weapon to actuate the release lever 26 until locking pin 28 retracts from one of the numerous locking detents 20 located in receiver extension 18 . The buttstock 24 then is allowed to telescope axially while the locking pin 28 slides lengthwise in the receiver extension's longitudinal groove 22 until the desired position is located. This mechanism allows-for-a multitude of length of pull settings for a single given firearm as well as a more compact overall length for use in transportation scenarios.
[0015] The buttstock assembly is often in its most collapsed state when the firearm is not being used; that is actively carried or fired. This could mean that the firearm is simply sitting in a storage rack or has been collapsed for entry and exit of vehicles, buildings, or any other confined area. The transition for a firearm with a collapsible stock in a storage or transportation position to one of readiness can take fractions of a second or much longer, depending on which position the user desires.
[0016] For example, if the user's preferred position is where the buttstock is fully extended, the amount of time is minimized as the motion to retract the collapsible buttstock portion 24 until the locking pin 28 collides and stops against the rearmost position of the longitudinal adjustment groove 22 and releasing the adjustment lever 26 allowing the locking pin 28 to drop into the rearmost locking detent 20 can be done in one muscle movement. If however the user's desired position is not the rearmost, the movement becomes much more complicated. Should the user desire any middle position, they then must count locking detent positions 20 back or forth until the most comfortable or necessary point is found. This can take several seconds and in the heat of battle can be difficult.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 4 , the Buttstock pre-adjustment block 10 , when installed into a receiver extension (buffer tube) 18 limits the total travel that a buttstock 24 can travel. More specifically when the pre-adjustment block's upper cylindrical section is inserted into the receiver extension locking detent 20 as shown in FIG. 3 with its lower rectangular portion filling the longitudinal groove 22 in receiver extension 18 it effectively removes the detent position in which it is located as well as any positions behind it by blocking the locking pin 28 .
[0018] Thus with a buttstock pre-adjustment block 10 installed before the buttstock assembly 24 , as shown in FIG. 3 , onto the firearm receiver 16 the most desired position can be selected as the maximum length available. This means that the shooter can immediately adjust the buttstock from its storage position to its readily usable position in a single movement using the least amount of time possible.
[0019] The buttstock pre-adjustment block's installation can be done without training or tools. Installation is as follows as demonstrated by FIG. 3 .
(1) Remove the current buttstock (not shown) assembly. This is usually accomplished by fully extending the locking pin 28 and sliding the buttstock 24 rearward off the back of the firearm's receiver extension tube 18 . (2) Place block's 10 cylindrical protrusion into the detent position one space behind the preferred locking position (i.e. if you want it set to position five, place the block in position six.) Doing this will prevent the locking pin inside the buttstock assembly from travelling past the desired locking position. (3) Reinstall buttstock assembly while holding locking pin at full extension until it has passed over the block. The buttstock assembly keeps the pre-adjustment block from falling out.
[0023] Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.
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The invention presented here is an add-in part designed for the M4 and similar commercial AR-15 rifle variants or any other weapon using an adjustable multi position receiver extension based on the M4 pattern. Its purpose is to be installed in the longitudinal adjustment slot of the receiver extension tube limiting the buttstock's maximum extension travel to a preselected position.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a touch screen apparatus and digital equipment having the same, and a command-input method thereof.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Recently, navigation devices, personal multimedia players (PMPs), MP3 players, cellular phones and the like tend to be miniaturized in size so as to be easily moved and carried. Accordingly, instead of a conventional key button input method, a touch screen method is employed so that a user can more conveniently select and input information. In the touch screen method, a user can interface with a computer through a screen and directly input or output information, wherein when a user's finger or an object touches a character displayed on the screen or a specific point on the screen, the coordinates of the touch point are recognized. Then, a specific process corresponding to a menu at the selected coordinates is performed by software using the coordinates. Accordingly, the touch screen serves as an input unit as well as an information display unit.
[0005] In a portable information terminal employing such a touch screen, a selection menu displayed on the screen should be touched by a stylus pen or a fingertip.
[0006] However, the aforementioned conventional technique has the following problems.
[0007] That is, in order to display menus on the screen and to select and execute a certain menu in the portable information terminal employing such a touch screen described above, the menu should be directly touched on the touch screen. Thus, all the menus should be displayed. Accordingly, there is a problem in that all the menus are displayed on the screen, resulting in a complicated screen configuration.
[0008] Meanwhile, as the portable information terminal is gradually miniaturized, the size of the screen is also decreased. Accordingly, the size of a menu displayed on the screen also becomes smaller. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is difficult for a user to exactly touch the small menu, resulting in frequent input errors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention is conceived to solve the aforementioned problems in the related art. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a touch screen apparatus and digital equipment having the same, and a command-input method thereof, wherein a variety of execution commands can be executed according to promised touch patterns.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch screen apparatus and digital equipment having the same, and a command-input method thereof, wherein the apparatus is not operated through an exact touch to a point but an execution command is inputted using a pattern of successive touches.
[0011] According to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the objects, there is provided a touch screen apparatus comprising an input unit having a sensing unit for recognizing inputs of user's input signals and converting the input signals into electrical signals; a storage unit for storing execution commands corresponding to relative positions of two or more input signals; and a control unit for receiving the input signals from the sensing unit, retrieving an execution command corresponding to the input signals from the storage unit, and executing the retrieved execution command.
[0012] At this time, the execution commands stored in the storage unit may be stored in a form of a table categorized according to the number of successive inputs of the input signals and the relative positions of the input signals.
[0013] The number of successive inputs of the input signals may be the number of inputs successively inputted within a preset time interval.
[0014] The relative positions of the input signals may be calculated based on an input position of an initially inputted input signal.
[0015] The input signals may be divided into a long touch and a short touch depending on whether the duration of each of the input signals exceeds a specified time value.
[0016] The control unit may detect both the input of the user's input signal and release of the input of the input signal. If a final input signal among the plurality of input signals is a long touch, the control unit may continuously execute a corresponding execution command until the input of the final input signal is released.
[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital equipment comprising a touch screen apparatus that includes an input unit having a sensing unit for recognizing inputs of user's input signals and release of the inputs of the input signals and converting the input signals into electrical signals; a storage unit for storing execution commands corresponding to relative positions of two or more input signals; and a control unit for receiving the input signals from the sensing unit, retrieving an execution command corresponding to the input signals from the storage unit, and executing the retrieved execution command.
[0018] At this time, the execution commands stored in the storage unit may be stored in a form of a table categorized according to the number of successive inputs of the input signals and the relative positions of the input signals.
[0019] The relative positions of the input signals may be recognized as one of four directions, including up, down, left and right, based on an initially inputted input signal.
[0020] If a final input signal among the plurality of input signals is a long touch that is inputted over a specified time value, the control unit may continuously execute a corresponding execution command until the input of the final input signal is released.
[0021] The touch screen apparatus of the equipment may further comprise a buffer memory for storing information on input positions of the successive input signals, relative positions between the input signals, and the types of the input signals, from a time point when input of a user's initial input signal is detected to a time point when input of the successive input signals is completed.
[0022] According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of inputting a command in a touch screen apparatus, comprising the steps of: (A) receiving an input signal or input signals; (B) determining whether at least two input signals are inputted; (C) if it is determined in step (B) that at least two input signals are inputted, determining relative positions of the input signals based on reference position information contained in the input signals; (D) retrieving an execution command corresponding to a result of the determination in step (C); and (E) executing the retrieved execution command.
[0023] At this time, step (B) may comprise the steps of: (B 1 ) determining whether a preset time is elapsed after an input signal is inputted; (B 2 ) if it is determined that the preset time is not elapsed, waiting for input of another input signal; and (B 3 ) if it is determined that the preset time is elapsed, determining whether at least two input signals are inputted.
[0024] Step (B) may further comprise the step of storing input positions of the input signals in a buffer memory.
[0025] If a corresponding execution command does not exist in step (D), execution of the corresponding command may not be performed.
[0026] The method may further comprise the steps of (F) after executing a user command (the execution command), confirming whether a finally inputted input signal is a long touch; (G) if it is determined that the finally inputted input signal is a long touch, checking whether release of the input of the finally inputted input signal is detected; and (H) performing step (E) if release of the input of the finally inputted input signal is not detected, and deleting data stored in the buffer memory if release of the input of the finally inputted input signal is detected.
[0027] The execution commands stored in the storage unit may be stored in a form of a table categorized according to the number of successive inputs of the input signals and the relative positions of the input signals.
[0028] The relative positions of the input signals may be determined in step (C) by recognizing the relative positions as one of four directions, including up, down, left and right, based on an input position of an initially inputted input signal.
[0029] At this time, the preset time in step (B 1 ) may be defined by a user's input.
[0030] With digital equipment provided with a touch screen apparatus according to the present invention described above in detail, it can be expected to obtain the following effects.
[0031] That is, since a variety of execution commands are executed according to promised touch patterns in the present invention, there is an advantage in that a variety of execution commands can be correctly inputted even in touch panel electronic equipment having a small input unit.
[0032] Further, since a desired execution command can be inputted in the present invention without looking at a screen in order to input a command, convenience of use is improved. Particularly, in case of a navigation device mounted in a vehicle, there is an advantage in that a driver can safely input an execution command while looking ahead.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] FIGS. 3 a to 3 c are exemplary views showing operations of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing a state where the preferred embodiment of the present invention is operated in another mode.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0037] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a touch screen apparatus and a command-input method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0038] The term “input signal” used herein means a user's input. That is, the meaning of input of an input signal in a touch screen apparatus includes a variety of input methods including an input through a touch on a touch screen. However, for the sake of convenience of explanation, description will be made hereinafter on the assumption that input of an input signal means a user's touch input. Accordingly, the terms ‘touch’ and ‘input of an input signal’ described below (and illustrated in the drawings) are used in the same meaning.
[0039] The touch screen apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a variety of digital equipment. However, for the sake of convenience of explanation, a touch screen apparatus mounted on a navigation device will be described hereinafter by way of example.
[0040] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 3 a to 3 c are exemplary views showing operations of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing a state where the preferred embodiment of the present invention is operated in another mode.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 1 , the touch screen apparatus of the present invention includes an input unit 10 for performing functions of inputting and displaying information. The input unit 10 includes a display unit 14 for displaying a plurality of pieces of menu information (icons, etc.) and data thereon, and a sensing unit 12 for detecting a touch action that selects a menu or data displayed on the display unit 14 . When a user touches the input unit 10 to select a menu or data displayed on the input unit 10 using a fingertip or a stylus pen, the sensing unit 12 detects the touch action.
[0042] At this time, the display unit 14 is a general display device that may be one of various display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) and an organic light emitting diode (OLED). The sensing unit 12 is provided in the form of a thin layer on a front surface of the display unit 14 a to form a resistive or capacitive type touch screen. It will be apparent that a touch screen using an infrared beam or the like may be employed. However, the resistive or capacitive type touch screen is preferably used.
[0043] In the resistive type touch screen, two films coated with a resistive material are provided with a certain gap maintained therebetween, and an electrical current is applied to both the films. At this time, if pressure is applied to one of the films and thus the two films are brought into contact with each other, the amount of the flowing current is changed. The change of the current is sensed to detect a touch point. On the other hand, in the capacitive type touch screen, a conductive metallic material is coated on both sides of a glass panel, and a voltage is applied to corners. At this time, a high frequency wave flows in the touch screen, and the waveform of the high frequency wave is distorted if a finger touches the touch screen. The distortion is sensed to detect a touch point.
[0044] The sensing unit 12 is provided with a touch panel controller 16 for sensing the distortion of the waveform of the high frequency wave and converting the distortion into an electrical signal. The touch panel controller 16 controls the operation of the sensing unit 12 , detects touch information (touch point and time) and the like, converts the touch information into an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to a control unit 20 .
[0045] The control unit 20 for accessing a corresponding execution command in a storage unit 30 and displaying the execution command on the display unit 10 according to a detection result of the sensing unit 12 is connected to the input unit 10 .
[0046] The control unit 20 controls both the aforementioned displaying operation and overall operations of digital equipment. The control unit operates the digital equipment according to the detection result of the sensing unit 12 .
[0047] Meanwhile, the storage unit 30 for storing user commands, which are set according to relative positions of a plurality of touches and the types of touches, is connected to the control unit 20 . The execution commands to be executed by the control unit 20 are stored in the storage unit 30 . Preferably, the storage unit stores execution commands that are categorized by operation mode and correspond to the number of successive touches, relative positions of the touches, and the types of touches.
[0048] At this time, the number of successive touches is the number of touches inputted within a preset time value, and a touch inputted within a preset time value means the next touch inputted before the preset time value is elapsed after a previous touch has been inputted, and touches inputted within the preset time value after the next touch has been inputted. That is, this means that the intervals between touches do not exceed the preset time value. It is preferred that the time value be set by a user.
[0049] In addition, the types of touches are categorized by touch duration and preferably categorized into a short touch inputted in a time smaller than a specified time value and a long touch inputted in a time larger than the specified time value. At this time, it is also preferred that the time value be specified by a user.
[0050] Moreover, a buffer memory 40 for storing information on a touch until an execution command corresponding to the touch is executed after the touch has been inputted is preferably connected to the control unit 20 . Accordingly, the contents stored in the buffer memory 40 are preferably deleted after the execution command is executed.
[0051] Meanwhile, the execution commands stored in the storage unit 30 are preferably stored in the form of a table. A specific example thereof will be described in detail when an embodiment of the present invention is described later.
[0052] Hereinafter, the operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention constructed as above will be described in detail according to a command-input method thereof.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 2 , the touch screen apparatus according to the present invention starts to operate by detecting a user's touch through the sensing unit 12 (S 10 ).
[0054] Next, information on the position of the touch input and the duration of the touch is stored in the buffer memory 40 (S 20 ). This is to easily fetch touch data upon calculation of relationship among successive touches that are subsequently inputted.
[0055] Next, it is checked whether a preset time is elapsed after the touch (S 30 ). This is to determine whether input of the successive touches is completed. That is, if a new touch is not inputted until the preset time is elapsed after a previous touch, it is determined that input of successive touches is completed.
[0056] If the number of successive touches is set to a number such as two or three, step S 30 is not needed. However, if the various numbers of successive inputs are intended to be utilized, step S 30 is needed since whether user's successive inputs are completed should be recognized.
[0057] As described above, it is preferred that the time value be set or changed by a user.
[0058] Then, it is determined whether the number of successive touches is two or more (S 40 ). At this time, if the number of successive touches is less than two, i.e., if successive touches are not inputted but only one touch is inputted, a corresponding menu displayed on the input unit 10 is executed in the same manner as a conventional touch input method (S 50 ).
[0059] On the other hand, if the number of successive touches is two or more, relative positions of the respective touches are calculated (S 60 ).
[0060] The relative positions are calculated with respect to the position of an initially inputted touch (reference position). That is, the relative positions are determined by finding X-axis movement values and Y-axis movement values of the positions of second and subsequent touches with respect to the reference position. At this time, if the X-axis and Y-axis movement values are considerably small values (that can be defined by a user), the touches can be considered as touches inputted at the same position.
[0061] In addition, based on the X-axis and Y-axis movement values, the relative position can be determined simply as left, right, up or down. That is, it is determined whether the relative position is left/right or up/down by comparing absolute values of the X-axis and Y-axis movement values with each other, and the relative position can be determined as one of left, right, up and down according to the sign of the X-axis or Y-axis movement value. This is to minimize an input error by simplifying the relative position of an inputted touch.
[0062] Meanwhile, after the relative positions between the touches are calculated, an execution command corresponding to the number of successive touches, relative positions between the touches, and the types of the touches is retrieved from the storage unit 30 (S 70 ).
[0063] At this time, the execution commands stored in the storage unit 30 are categorized by mode and stored in the form of a table according to the number of successive touches, relative positions between the touches, and the types of the touches. The table can be constructed in a variety of ways according to the intention of a user or manufacturer, the purpose of usage and the like, and a specific example thereof will be described in detail when an embodiment of the present invention is described later.
[0064] Here, it is determined whether an execution command corresponding to the pattern of inputted touches exists in the storage unit 30 (S 80 ). If a corresponding execution command does not exist, the operation is stopped without executing an execution command.
[0065] If a corresponding execution command corresponding to the pattern of inputted touches exists, the execution command is executed (S 90 ).
[0066] Next, it is determined whether a finally inputted touch is a long touch (S 100 ). That is, the type of the final touch is determined. If the final touch is a short touch, data stored in the buffer memory are deleted (S 120 ) and the operation is stopped.
[0067] However, if the type of the final touch is a long touch, it is determined whether the final touch has been released (S 110 ).
[0068] Then, if the final touch has not been released, the execution command is continuously executed. If the final touch has been released, the data stored in the buffer memory are deleted (S 120 ) and the operation is stopped.
[0069] Examples of the operation of the present invention performed as above are shown in FIGS. 3 a to 3 c and 4 . Here, FIGS. 3 a to 3 c are views showing the operation of the present invention performed in a map search mode, and FIG. 4 shows an example of the operation of the present invention performed in a menu selection mode.
[0070] Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention performed in the map search mode will be first described from the viewpoint of a user.
[0071] First, as shown in FIG. 3 a , the user touches the input unit 10 with his/her finger. It will be apparent that it is possible to touch the input unit using a stylus pen or the like other than the finger.
[0072] At this time, touches at points marked with circles mean short touches, and all the touches are successive touches within a preset time value.
[0073] The control unit recognizes a user's screen touch, and touches shown in the figure are recognized as ‘rightward short touches’. Here, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the upper side is expressed as ‘U’, the lower side is expressed as ‘D’, the left side is expressed as ‘L’, and the right side is expressed as ‘R’. Further, a short touch is expressed as ‘S’, and a long touch is expressed as ‘L’.
[0074] Accordingly, the touches shown in FIG. 3 a are recognized as ‘RS’.
[0075] The control unit 20 searches the storage unit 30 and retrieves an execution command corresponding to the ‘RS’.
[0076] At this time, an example (a map search mode) of execution commands stored in the storage unit 30 in the form of a table is shown in Table 1 below.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Map search mode
Number of
successive touches
Position of second touch
Type of touch
Execution command
Twice
U
S
Shift screen upward by 50 mm
U
L
Shift screen upward at 50 mm/s
D
S
Shift screen downward by 50 mm
D
L
Shift screen downward at 50 mm/s
R
S
Shift screen rightward by 50 mm
R
L
Shift screen rightward at 50 mm/s
L
S
Shift screen leftward by 50 mm
L
L
Shift screen leftward at 50 mm/s
Position of
Position of
second touch
third touch
Type of touch
Execution command
Three times
U
U
S
Shift screen upward by 100 mm
L
Shift screen upward at 100 mm/s
R
S
Shift screen rightward by 100 mm
L
Shift screen rightward at 100 mm/s
L
S
Shift screen leftward by 100 mm
L
Shift screen leftward at 100 mm/s
D
Omitted
Omitted
Omitted
R
Omitted
Omitted
Omitted
L
Omitted
Omitted
Omitted
[0077] In Table 1 above, since ‘RS’ corresponds to a command for shifting the screen rightward by 50 mm, the map screen displayed on the input unit 10 is shifted rightward by 50 nm.
[0078] On the other hand, marked touches shown in FIG. 3 b represent ‘RL’, wherein a circle including afterimages means a long touch.
[0079] Accordingly, since the ‘RL’ in Table 1 means an execution command for shifting the screen rightward at 50 mm/s, the displayed map screen is shifted rightward at a rate of 50 mm/s. Thereafter, if the second touch is released, the shift of the screen is stopped.
[0080] Meanwhile, FIG. 3 c shows input of three successive touches. It is assumed in the figure that the touches are sequentially inputted from the lower side to the upper side.
[0081] The successive touches shown in the figure correspond to ‘UUL’. In Table 1, the UUL corresponds to a user command for shifting the screen upward at 100 mm/s. Accordingly, the screen is shifted upward twice as fast as the cases of FIGS. 3 a and 3 b . If the third touch is released, the shift of the screen is stopped as described above.
[0082] Meanwhile, FIG. 4 shows the operation of the present invention performed in the menu selection mode.
[0083] In the menu selection mode, a table suitable for the menu selection mode is stored. An example of the table is shown in Table 2 below.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Menu selection mode
Number of
successive touches
Position of second touch
Type of touch
Execution command
Twice
U
S
Shift selection menu upward by 50 mm
U
L
Shift selection menu upward at 50 mm/s
D
S
Shift selection menu downward by 50 mm
D
L
Shift selection menu downward at 50 mm/s
R
S
Shift selection menu rightward by 50 mm
R
L
Shift selection menu rightward at 50 mm/s
L
S
Shift selection menu leftward by 50 mm
L
L
Shift selection menu leftward at 50 mm/s
Position of
Position of
second touch
third touch
Type of touch
Execution command
Three times
U
U
S
Shift selection menu upward by 100 mm
L
Shift selection menu upward at 100 mm/s
R
S
Shift selection menu rightward by 100 mm
L
Shift selection menu rightward at 100 mm/s
L
S
Shift selection menu leftward by 100 mm
L
Shift selection menu leftward at 100 mm/s
D
Omitted
Omitted
Omitted
R
Omitted
Omitted
Omitted
L
Omitted
Omitted
Omitted
[0084] Since the touches shown in FIG. 4 are ‘DL’ (on the assumption that the upper point is first touched), it is understood through a search of the execution commands in Table 2 that the touches correspond to a command for shifting the selection menu downward at 50 mm/s.
[0085] Thereafter, if the second touch is released while the selection menu is moved downward, the shift of the selection menu is stopped.
[0086] Although the execution commands have been very limitedly described above by way of example, the execution commands can be set and stored in a various manners. That is, various kinds of execution commands, such as control of sound volume and setting of a playback location and speed during playback of a variety of files, can be inputted according to the present invention.
[0087] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but defined by the appended claims. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations and changes can be made thereto within the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.
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The present invention relates to a touch screen apparatus and a method of inputting a user command through the apparatus. A touch screen apparatus of the present invention comprises an input unit 10 having a sensing unit 12 for recognizing user's touches and converting the touches into electrical signals; a storage unit 30 for storing execution commands corresponding to relative positions of the successive touches; and a control unit 20 for receiving the signals from the sensing unit 12 and executing an execution command retrieved from the storage unit. According to the present invention constructed as such, a variety of execution commands can be inputted without using a pattern of touches rather than an input area narrowly partitioned in a screen space.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/185,884 of Nobuhito Matoba, filed Apr. 25, 1988 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to multistory parking garages for automobiles, more particularly, the invention relates to a multistory parking garage which moves vehicles to and from designated parking cells automatically, in a simple, reliable manner.
In urban areas particularly, but also in suburban areas, the growing commercialization of available land has produced rapid and large escalation of land values, to the extent that the use of large areas of land for parking automobiles and other vehicles is uneconomical from the standpoint of monetary return. Unfortunately, the very commercialization which enhances the land values creates an increased demand for vehicle parking space. It is obvious, therefore, that optimum economic usage of the land can only be achieved through the use of multistory parking garages.
One example of such a garage is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,083 of Jaulmes, the garage comprising a multistory structure of parking cells to which vehicles are delivered by an elevator which is movable both vertically and laterally. Automobiles are driven onto the elevator which then carries the car to an empty cell into which the car is driven by an attendant. Retrieval of a car requires the attendant to go to the designated parking cell and to drive the car onto the elevator. Other examples of such structures are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,815,429 of Canady; 2,948,421 of Smith et al and 4,664,580 of Matoba.
In the interests of both economy and safety, it is preferable to eliminate the necessity of parking attendants handling the cars by automating the parking operation. There are numerous examples in the prior art of such automated garages, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,257 of Saurwein. The Saurwein patent discloses a circular parking tower having an elevator with a turntable floor. A shuttle mechanism normally carried on the elevator moves under the car to be parked, lifts it up, and carries it on to the elevator. At the parking cell, the shuttle carries the car into the cell, deposits it, and returns to the elevator. The entrance ramp supports the car wheels on a plurality of spaced fingers which interdigitate with fingers on the shuttle so that the shuttle fingers pass through the ramp fingers to lift the car off of the ramp. A similar mechanism enables the shuttle to deposit the car in a cell or to lift the car out of a cell. A similar interdigitated finger arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,793 of Coursey. In both the Saurwein and Coursey arrangements, the apparatus for moving the vehicle is both complicated and costly, and must be capable of bearing the full weight of the car. Thus, automation is achieved, but a the cost of an expensive investment in heavy and complex machinery.
In these automated arrangements, the full weight of the car is borne by the transfer or shuttle mechanism, necessitating heavy, relatively expensive, and complicated mechanisms. There have been efforts to reduce complexity and expense in handling cars, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,994,445 of Roth and 1,803,583 of Aitken. In the Roth patent, a system is shown wherein the vehicle is driven onto an elevator adjacent to an endless belt conveyor having followers mounted thereon. In one embodiment, the followers engage lugs on a wheeled dolly upon which the car rests to move the dolly, and hence the car, into a parking cell. In another embodiment, the followers engage the automobile wheels to impel the unbraked automobile into or out of the parking cell. In the Aitken patent, a parking device consisting of a movable shuttle having rotatably powered lugs for engaging one wheel of the car impels the car into or out of a parking cell. Both the Roth and Aitken arrangements are much simpler than other devices in the prior art, and are not required to bear the full weight of the car. However, both operate on but a single wheel of the car, thus placing undue stress on the car's suspension system, and both engage the tire of the wheel, thereby creating the risk of damage to the tire. In addition, the mechanical linkage involved in the Aitken arrangement is quite complicated. A similar arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,611 of Nobukara, in which metallic fingers on a carriage engage a downwardly extending lug on the bottom of the wheeled vehicle. The arrangement requires that any vehicle to be moved have one or more downward extending lugs affixed to the underside thereof, which requirement prevents the parking of automobiles off the street.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,428,856 of Sinclair, there is shown an arrangement utilizing a carriage having a pair of upwardly extending arms which engage the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle, thus causing it to move with the carriage. Such an arrangement, in which the rigid areas positively bear against the vehicle, can cause damage to the vehicle, especially where the vehicle has no rigid, transverse bumpers. Another arrangement utilizing a carriage is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,113,986 of Kent, wherein coupling the carriage to the vehicle is achieved by a large electromagnet, which is quite expensive, or by actual physical engagement of the carriage with an operative part of the vehicle, such as the differential housing, which can result in damage to the vehicle.
In all of the arrangements of the foregoing prior art a degree of complexity exists which entails undue expense, wear, or as pointed out, possible damage to the running gear of the vehicle being parked. Thus, while much of the prior art achieves automation to at least some degree, it is at the sacrifice of economy, both in the structure and maintenance of such arrangements or of the protection of the vehicle from damage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, through its unique vehicle transport mechanism, achieves a high degree of automation in a relatively simple and economical manner.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention a multistory parking garage is formed in a manner similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,580 of applicant, having four inner vertical structural members arranged in a square configuration defining a central core or elevator shaft, and first and second pairs of outer vertical structural members, defining the outer ends of diametrically opposed parking cells. The outer members are joined to each other and to the inner members by substantially horizontal joist members, the joists defining the discrete floors of the multistory structure. A floor pan is mounted between pairs of joists at each floor level for supporting vehicles thereon. Each floor pan is designed with tracks for a vehicle defined by a pair of raised spaced guides.
An elevator is constrained to move vertically within the central core, and the floor of the elevator has a pair of raised spaced guides defining vehicle tracks on the elevator floor and a guide space between the pair of guides. The spacing of the guides is the same as the spacing of the guides on the floor pan of each parking cell so that when the elevator floor is flush with a parking cell floor, the vehicle tracks and the guide space are substantially continuous throughout the length of the parking cell and elevator. Mounted on suitable rollers within the guide space on the elevator floor is a vehicle carriage which is movable between the elevator floor and the parking cell.
The underside of virtually all automotive vehicles is extremely irregular, since much of the automobile equipment, such as mufflers, drive shaft, transmission, differential, and chassis cross braces are grouped within the space between the longitudinal frame members of the chassis. The present invention utilizes these irregularities to move the vehicle. To this end, there are mounted on the carriage a plurality of resilient, inflatable members, which, when inflated, intrude into the irregular shapes and cavities on the underside of the vehicle substantially conforming to the underside topography of the vehicle and thereby effectively connecting the carriage to the vehicle so that when the carriage moves, the unbraked vehicle moves with it. The resilient nature of the inflatable members minimizes the possibility of any damage to the vehicle or its components, while the carriage, driven by suitable propulsion means, applies movement force to the vehicle substantially along the centerline thereof. Thus the vehicle may be moved, on its own wheels, from the elevator to the parking cell or vice versa. Once the vehicle is deposited in a parking cell, the resilient members are deflated and the carriage returns to the elevator. In retrieving a vehicle from the parking cell, the carriage with resilient members deflated is moved from the elevator to a position under the vehicle. The members are then inflated and the vehicle is rolled onto the elevator.
In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the resilient inflatable members are used to raise and lower a resilient traction pad which engages and substantially conforms to the topography of the underside of the vehicle. The traction pad may be a pillow shaped member partially filled with a suitable fluid so that it readily moves into engagement with the irregularities and cavities on the underside of the vehicle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multilevel parking garage of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the elevator floor and a parking cell floor embodying the present invention;
FIGS. 3a and 3b are a side and end elevational view, respectively, of a portion of the vehicle transport system of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a diagram of the air supply system for inflatable elements of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the vehicle transport mechanism of the invention;
FIGS. 6a and 6b are partial elevational views illustrating the operation of a feature of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a cross-section of a modification of the platform 58 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a detail of the present invention;
FIGS. 9a through 9e are a series of line drawings depicting the sequence of operation of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a partial elevation view of the modified vehicle engaging apparatus of the second preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 11 is a partial plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is an elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 10, disengaged from the vehicle; and
FIG. 13 is an elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 10, engaged with the vehicle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 depicts a multistory parking garage 11 embodying the principles and features of the present invention. While the garage 11 of FIG. 1 is shown as having only two parking levels, it is to be understood that the unique design permits several parking levels, e.g., eight, ten or twelve or more, depending upon the demand for parking in the particular locale. In the following discussion, because certain structural features of the present invention are the same or similar to corresponding features in the multistory garage which is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,580 of the present applicant, frequent reference will be made to the disclosure of that patent, hence the disclosure of that patent is herein incorporated by reference.
Garage 11 comprises four inner pillars or vertical columns 12, 13, 14, and 16 formed of, for example, structural steel box columns. Inner columns 12, 13, 14, and 16 define a square inner core space 15 which functions as an elevator shaft. Spaced from columns 12 and 13, and defining a plane parallel to the plane defined by columns 12 and 13, is a first pair of columns 17 and 18, which define the outer end of the parking cells 19 and 21. In a like manner, a second pair of columns 22 and 23 are spaced from inner columns 14 and 16 and define the other end of parking cells 24 and 26. Columns 17 and 18 are joined to the corresponding inner columns 12 and 13 respectively, by structural joist members 27--27 and to each other by structural joist members 28--28. Columns 22 and 23 are joined in the same manner to each other and to the corresponding inner columns. For simplicity, the remainder of the discussion of FIG. 1 is directed to a single cell 19, it being understood that the remaining cells 21, 24 and 26 are the same in all respects as cell 19.
Supported in cell 19 by joists 27--27, 28, and a joist 29, best seen in FIG. 2, connected between columns 12 and 13, is a floor pan 31. The ends of floor pan 31 rest upon joists 28 and 29, and, intermediate its ends, the pan 31 is supported by wire rope members 32--32 strung between joists 27--27 and supported therefrom by eye-bolts or other suitable means 33--33 in the manner shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,580. Floor plan 31 is designed to bear the weight of a single vehicle, and, to this end, wire rope or cable members 32--32 are made of approximately 3/4 inch stranded steel cable. Pan 31 may be made of any suitable material having sufficient strength to bear the weight of the vehicle, such as, for example, 5 mm thick high strength, low carbon steel sheet.
Mounted on floor pan 31 intermediate the sides thereof are first and second longitudinal wheel guide members 34 and 36 extending the length of pan 31. Members 34 and 36 may also be made integral with pan 31 by forming ridges therein, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,580. Members 34 and 36 are spaced from each other a distance equal to the spacing between the inner tire walls of the narrowest gauge vehicles, such as subcompact cars, and function to prevent the vehicle from deviating from a substantially straight line as it enters or leaves the parking cell. A pair of chocks 37 and 38 function to prevent the vehicle from rolling too far. As will be explained hereinafter, chocks 37 and 38 are spring loaded and capable of a slight amount of movement, sufficient to actuate limit switches 39 and 41 mounted behind them. The function of limit switches 39 and 41 will be explained more fully hereinafter. To ensure that the wheels of the vehicle bear against the chocks 37 and 38, cell 19, including joists 27--27, 28 and 29 is constructed so that there is an approximate one degree slope from front to rear, that is, from the end of the cell adjacent the elevator core or shaft downward to the end adjacent columns 17 and 18. The one degree slope also ensures that in the event of a malfunction of the vehicle carriage, to be discussed hereinafter, the vehicle will tend to remain in, or will return to, the parking cell.
Within the central core space formed by members 12, 13, 14 and 16 is an elevator cage which, with the exception of elevator floor 43 is substantially identical to the elevator cage disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,580, but, in the present embodiment, is dimensioned to handle a single vehicle instead of a pair of side by side vehicles. Also in the manner disclosed in that patent, there is mounted on the top of columns 12, 13, 14, and 16 a machinery cell 44 containing the necessary motors and machinery, shown schematically as 46 for raising and lowering elevator cage 42 by means of elevator suspension means 47, shown schematically as a cable.
Mounted on floor 43 of elevator 42 is a pair of wheel guide members 48 and 49 which are spaced from each other the same distance as guides 34 and 36 in cell 19, so that when the elevator floor 43 is flush with floor pan 31, members 48 and 49 form, with guides 34 and 36, respectively, a continuous uninterrupted wheel guide pair extending across elevator floor 43 and the length of floor pan 31. Movably mounted between guides 48 and 49 is a vehicle carriage member 51 having mounted thereon a plurality of resilient, inflatable members 52--52 for engaging the underside of the vehicle to be transferred, either from the elevator to the cell, or vice versa.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing in more detail the relationships of the various components of floor pan 31 and elevator floor 43. Elevator 42 is constrained to move in a vertical direction by means of L-shaped angle members 53--53 which form the vertical corner members of cage 42 and which have mounted therein roller members 54--54 which bear against the column members 12, 13, 14, and 16. This is the same arrangement as is used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,580 wherein it is explained in greater detail. Located between guides 48 and 49 is a carriage member 51 which comprises first and second longitudinal members 56 and 57 upon which is mounted a platform 58. Mounted on platform 58 is a plurality of resilient inflatable members 52, a compressed air tank 59 and air compressor 61, and air conduits leading to each of the members 52. As will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter, carriage 51, which is mounted on rollers, not shown, is made to move by first and second electric motors 62, 63 of, for example, approximately 2 horsepower which drive pinion gears 64 and 66, respectively, through a gear reduction unit and bevel gear assemblies 67 and 68, respectively. Mounted on members 56 is a rack, not shown, which meshes with pinions 64 and 66 to impel carriage 51 toward or away from cell 19.
Referring now to FIGS. 3a and 3b, there is shown a partial elevation view and end view of the drive means for moving carriage 51. The drive means comprises a reversible d.c. motor 62 of approximately 2 horsepower mounted to the floor 43 of the elevator 42 and held in place by suitable means, such as straps 71--71. A bevel gear assembly 67, contained in a gear box 72, is driven by motor 62 through a reduction gear assembly 73 and a clutch member 74 which preferably is of the magnetic type. Bevel gear assembly 67 drives pinion gear 64 which meshes with an elongated rack 76 mounted on longitudinal member 56. Member 56 is made movable over floor 43 by means of a plurality of rollers 77--77. When motor 62 is turned on and clutch 74 engaged, pinion 64 is rotated, thereby imparting to rack 76 and hence member 56 longitudinal movement. Member 56 is slightly spaced from guide 48 but may occasionally rub against it. Normally if the contacting surfaces are well oiled or greased there is no problem since friction is minimized. If desired, rollers or other type bearings may be mounted on member 56 to bear against the adjacent surface of guide 48. As will be apparent hereinafter, since floor 31 of cell 19 preferably has a slope of one degree, as pointed out heretofore, as carriage 51 is driven into cell 19, it reaches a point where it departs from level travel to a one degree downhill travel. With the gearing arrangement shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, this poses no problem since the pinion 64 will remain in engagement with the rack 76 regardless of the angular orientation thereof. Other gearing arrangements may be used other than that shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, however, in some instances it may be necessary to accommodate the change in angular orientation of the carriage 51 to ensure that the driving gears remain properly engaged throughout.
As shown in FIG. 2, a second drive motor 63 and gearing 66 and 68 is provided for moving the carriage 51 toward and away from the cell opposite cell 19. Normally, one motor is sufficient to drive carriage 51, hence, in operation, when motor 62 is driving carriage 51, the magnetic clutch on motor 63 is disengaged. Thus, as carriage 51 is driven into cell 19, rack 76 disengages from pinion 66. When carriage 51 is retrieved from cell 19, rack 76 readily re-engages with pinion 66, since pinion 66 is in an idler mode. Re-engagement may be facilitated by the provision of a slight taper at the extreme end of rack 76. As an alternative to the use of a second motor, a single motor may be used and be connected to pinion 66 by means of universal couplings and a drive shaft.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a preferred arrangement for inflating and deflating the resilient members 52--52, which comprises a compressed air tank 59 connected through a regulator valve 81 to air hoses 82 and 83. Air hoses 82 and 83 are connected through two-way valves 84 and 86 to the individual members 52--52, each of which is provided with a manual shut-off valve 87. Shut-off valves 87--87 make it possible to remove one or more of the members 52 from operation without closing down the entire system. Thus, if one of the members 52 springs a leak at, for example, a peak load time, it can be cut out of the system and subsequently replaced during a slack period. Valves 84 and 86 normally prevent air from tank 59 from reaching and inflating members 52--52. When members 52--52 are to be inflated, valves 84 and 86 are opened and the compressed air from tank 59 rapidly inflates the members 52--52. When inflated members 52--52 are to be deflated, valves 84 and 86 are actuated to close the lines 82 and 83 so that air from tank 59 can no longer reach members 52--52, and at the same time air from members 52--52 is directed to line 88, which is connected to compressor 61. Compressor 61 acts as a suction pump on its inlet or line 88 side, to speed the deflation process, and delivers the air back to tank 59 through line 91. When it is necessary to replenish the air in tank 59, compressor inlet valve 89 is opened and compressor 61 draws air from the outside, compresses it, and delivers it through the line or hose 91 to tank 59. It is to be understood that compressor 61 includes an electric motor, not shown, which can be, for example, approximately 2 horsepower. The air pressure of the compressed air may be, for example, approximately 22-25 psi, which ensures rapid inflation of the members 52--52.
In order that the entire operation of the system may be automatic, the valves are preferably electrically controlled, along with the motors and the magnetic clutches, and are supplied with actuating signals or current from a programmed control center, member 101 in FIG. 1, which is connected through suitable wiring, not shown, to the various electrical components. Power for center 101 and for the electrical components, including elevator motor 46, is supplied through cable 102 from a suitable power source.
The operation of the carriage 51 and the manner in which it engages and disengages with a vehicle can best be understood with reference to FIGS. 5, 6a and 6b. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the resilient inflatable elements 52 are arranged in groups. A preferred form of one such group is shown in perspective in FIG. 5, and comprises nine elements 52. Each element 52 comprises a hollow accordion pleated member of steel or nylon reinforced resilient material, such as, for example, Buna rubber, having a wall thickness of approximately 1/8 inch. Other resilient materials, such as rubber impregnated nylon or fiberglass can also be used provided such material can permit rapid inflation and deflation and still be able to resist punctures and tears. While nine elements 52--52 ar shown in the group of FIG. 5, more or fewer may be used, in any of a variety of configurations and shapes.
In FIG. 6a, a rough profile of the underside of an automobile has been shown, with the car resting on its wheels on floor 43, having been driven onto the elevator at the ground level or at some loading and unloading level and left in position with the brakes off and the car in neutral with the engine turned off. The elements 52--52, as shown in FIG. 6a, are deflated, just prior to actuation of the valves 84 and 86. When valves 84 and 86 are opened compressed air flows from tank 59 into each of the elements 52--52, producing the result shown in FIG. 6b. As can be seen in FIG. 6b, the elements 52--52 have inflated to where they bear against the underside of the car, substantially conforming to the topography thereof and at least partially filling the irregularities as shown. The pressure of the air from tank 59 is sufficient to inflate elements 52--52 and cause them to bear firmly against the underside of the car, but is not great enough to lift the car. As a consequence, the car remains standing on its unbraked wheels, but is held firmly in place on carriage 51. When carriage 51 moves, the car will move with it, rolling on its wheels but remaining attached to carriage 51.
The inflatable members 52 are shown in FIG. 5 as being partially inflated, but in FIG. 6a they are shown as being almost totally deflated. When totally deflated the height of carriage 51 above the floor is approximately eight inches, which allows the carriage to pass under virtually any present day vehicle. However, as vehicles are made lower and lower, a point may be reached where there is insufficient clearance for members 52--52. In this event, the platform 58 may be provided with an indented or recessed portion 92 in which members 52--52 are carried as shown in FIG. 7, which lowers the effective height of members 52--52 and hence the effective height of carriage 51. In addition, it can be seen that the group of elements 52--52 does not extend entirely across, but occupies approximately the center half of the platform 58. This is done to provide clearance for certain suspension components, e.g., coil springs, which extend substantially lower than the remainder of the components and frame on the underside of the vehicle. In present day automobiles, components of the body shell at the front of the car are often lower than the underside of the car, but hardly ever at the rear of the car. Thus it may be necessary to back the car onto the elevator, or to use a carriage in which the platform 58 has recessed portions 92--92, to ensure proper clearance for carriage 51.
In operation, when a vehicle has been driven onto the elevator floor at the loading-unloading level, straddling carriage 51, and left in neutral with the brakes and engine off, operation is initiated by an operator at control box 101. Valves 84 and 86 are opened and members 52 are inflated, as shown in FIG. 6b. The elevator lift mechanism then raises the elevator until the elevator floor is flush with the floor of an empty cell, as signaled by suitable sensors 103 and 104 in FIG. 2. The signal from sensors 103 and 104 is passed to control box 101 by suitable means, not shown, which then stops the lift mechanism 46. When the elevator has stopped, control box actuates magnetic clutch 74 and motor 62, causing carriage 51 to move the vehicle into the parking cell until the wheels thereof encounter chocks 37 and 38, actuating limit switches 39 and 41. The signal from switches 39 and 41 causes the control box to close valves 84 and 86, thereby deflating members 52--52 through hose 88 and vacuum pump 61. Motor 62, which was stopped by the control box is reversed, and the carriage withdrawn back onto the elevator floor. Since the one degree slope of the cell floor ensures that the wheels of the vehicle remain against chocks 37 and 38, thereby holding switches 39 and 41 in their actuated position as long as the vehicle remains parked in the cell, switches 39 and 41 continuously signal the control box that that particular cell is occupied.
In FIG. 8 there is shown a chock and switch arrangement in which chock 37 is hingedly mounted to floor 31 by means of a spring loaded hinge 40 which normally holds chock 37 in the position shown by solid lines. When the vehicle wheel encounters chock 37, it is forced back to the position indicated by the dashed lines, causing it to depress switch actuator 45 which actuates the limit switch 39.
When it is desired to retrieve a vehicle from a cell, the elevator is sent to the cell, the motor drives the carriage into the cell under the vehicle, members 52--52 are inflated, the motor reversed, and the vehicle is rolled out of the cell onto the elevator floor. The elevator then descends to the ground level, members 52--52 are deflated and the vehicle driven out of the elevator.
The parking sequence described in the foregoing is illustrated by a series of line drawings 9a through 9e. The sequence for removing a vehicle from a cell is basically the reverse of that shown in FIGS. 9a through 9e.
In FIG. 10 there is shown a second preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the carrier mechanism is modified to prevent the inflatable members from engaging the undersurface of the vehicle. As seen in FIG. 10, the array of inflatable members 52,52 supports a flat plate 111 to which they are attached. Plate 111 may be of any suitable material, but is preferably steel. Bolted or otherwise removably affixed to plate 111 is a second plate 112 upon which is disposed an elongated hollow pillow shaped traction pad 113 which is preferably made of a heat resistant flexible material such as, for example, nylon or fiberglass, impregnated with rubber. Pad 113 is partially filled with a suitable liquid, such as water or oil, or it may be partially inflated with a suitable gas. The ends and sides of plate 112 are curved upwardly so that plate 112 can retain any liquid that might leak from pad 113.
Pad 113 is retained in position on plate 112 and protected from direct contact with the underside of a vehicle by a sheet 114 of heat resistant flexible material, such as fiberglass, which overlays pad 113 and is attached to platform 58 by means of spring loaded stays 116,116, best seen in FIG. 11. Sheet 114 is sufficiently resilient to follow the contours of pad 113.
In operation, as best seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, a vehicle is disposed over carriage 51, with members 52, 52 uninflated. After the vehicle is in position, members 52, 52 are inflated, raising plates 111 and 112 and pad 113, until pad 113 engages and substantially conforms to the topography of the underside of the vehicle, as best seen in FIG. 13, thus joining the vehicle to carriage 51 so that it moves therewith.
The arrangement of FIGS. 10 through 13 protects members 52, 52 from damage, either mechanical or thermal, and substitutes a traction pad 113, itself protected by sheet 114, for engaging the vehicle. A traction pad, such as pad 113, is much easier to replace and is cheaper than a plurality of accordion pleated members 52, 52.
While inflatable members 52, 52 are used to raise and lower traction pad 113, it is possible, where space is not at a premium, to use, for example, a jack screw in lieu of members 52,52.
In both embodiments of the invention as thus far discussed, the link between the vehicle and the carriage is achieved through use of a resilient member or members which press against the underside of the vehicle. The resilience prevents in large measure any damage to the vehicle, the possibility of which, as pointed out heretofore, typifies the prior art arrangements.
The foregoing is illustrative of preferred embodiments of the invention and is in no way intended to be limiting. The principles of the invention may be readily extended to handling of two vehicles side by side, or to handling four vehicles by making the elevator two stories high. Thus the cruciform shape shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,580 could be used by having the bottom floor of the elevator rest below ground in, for example, a pit while the top elevator level was loaded, then raising the elevator to bring the bottom floor level to the ground for loading. In addition, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the vehicle carriage mechanism could be readily adapted for use in prior art structures, such as the circular structure of Saurwein. Additionally, the tracks and carriage mechanism could be mounted on a turntable on the elevator floor, thus permitting use of, for example, a cruciform shaped garage. Various other modifications and changes may occur to persons skilled in the art without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A multistory parking garage has an elevator constrained to move vertically within a central core to reach a plurality of vertically stacked parking cells. A vehicle transport carriage mounted on the elevator rolls the vehicle from the elevator into an empty parking cell and returns to the elevator or rolls a vehicle from the parking cell onto the elevator. The carriage includes resilient members for engaging and disengaging the underside of the vehicle without damage thereto.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of hydraulic actuators and, more particularly, to an actuator with a free-floating piston on a guide rod to control axial thrust.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An actuator of the type to which the present invention relates is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,033 to Van Winkle. This patent is incorporated herein by reference. The actuator of the '033 patent includes an arrangement for reciprocating a piston in a cylinder between alternate positions. It uses the same hydraulic fluid to power a blowout preventer (BOP) ram actuator piston to move the rams of the BOP to the open or closed position, and to power the pistons of a wedge locking mechanism to the locked or unlocked position.
The actuator shown and described in the '033 patent has been commercially successful and is still sold today. A modified version of the actuator of the '033 patent is depicted in FIGS. 5a and 5b of this disclosure. The structure and function of this actuator will be described below in greater detail, but suffice it to say here that the actuator includes a rubber diaphragm which separates ambient seawater from hydraulic fluid within the actuator.
Recently introduced hydraulic fluid has a specific gravity that is greater than that of seawater so that, if the actuator develops a leak, then hydraulic fluid will leak out of the actuator and no seawater will leak in. The disadvantage of having hydraulic fluid that is heavier than seawater is that the hydrostatic head of the hydraulic fluid tends to release the wedge which is locking the BOP ram actuator piston in the closed position.
Thus, there remains a need for an actuator of proven reliability that functions properly at extreme depths so that the locking mechanism remains in a locked position if no hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic fluid of the actuator. Such an actuator should operate properly in all phases of operation, despite the fact that the specific gravity (and thus the hydrostatic head) of the column of hydraulic fluid is heavier than the ambient seawater. Such an actuator should also operate properly regardless of the relative specific gravitates of the hydraulic fluid and ambient environment.
Aside from locking actuators, the design of blowout preventer (BOP) hydraulic operators is frequently a compromise between the strength of the ram attachment for retracting the ram from a closed position, and the force required to close the ram. Closing forces against the ram are transmitted mainly by way of the larger flat end area of the piston rod. Opening forces must be transmitted by way of the weaker, smaller area provided by means of grooves or threads. There are two times when this deficiency is particularly critical: (1) when high forces are required for shearing pipe; and (2) when the operator attempts to open the rams under pressure without first equalizing well pressures.
Shearing pipe requires a great force and consequently a large diameter cylinder which encloses the ram piston. When a large diameter cylinder is used, retracting forces may be excessive, and cause failure of the ram, and/or the piston rod.
Opening rams without first equalizing well pressure is critical since well pressure tends to keep the rams closed, and all hydraulic opening forces pull on the weaker connection between the ram and the piston rod.
While it is desirable to have the greater force closing the ram, the mechanical design criteria dictate that the opening force is always greater, when at operating well pressure.
Thus, there remains a need for a hydraulic actuator for a BOP that can provide the high force necessary for proper ram action, such as shearing a pipe, while providing an opening force that will not damage the BOP.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses these problems in the prior art of the actuator of the wedge-type locking mechanism by incorporating a free-floating piston. The free-floating piston provides the desired higher force to unlock the wedge, and a lesser force to lock the wedge, while maintaining the wedge actuator filled with hydraulic fluid, eliminating the potential imbalance caused by the hydrostatic differential between ambient sea water, and hydraulic fluid.
In the case of the actuator of the wedge-type locking mechanism, the free-floating piston prevents the wedge from unseating if the hydrostatic head of hydraulic actuator fluid exceeds that of ambient seawater. This structure permits a design wherein the entire wedge cavity is filled with hydraulic operating fluid, and therefor any variation in the hydrostatic head of sea water is inconsequential. If the piston herein described were not free-floating, the wedge would be set with such a high force that the unlocking force might not be adequate to unlock the wedge.
The present invention also addresses the problems in the prior art of the BOP actuators. In the embodiment of the application of this invention to BOP actuator piston, the free-floating piston permits the design of a high force for actuating the ram of the BOP and a lower force for retraction of the ram.
These and other features of the present invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from a review of the following detailed description along with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top section view of an actuator of the present invention with a ram in the open position with a locking mechanism oriented horizontally.
FIG. 2 is a top section view of an actuator of the present invention with a ram in the closed position with the locking mechanism oriented horizontally.
FIG. 2a is a detail section view of the floating piston of this invention.
FIG. 3 is a detailed section view of a sequencing valve which finds application with the actuator of this invention.
FIGS. 4a through 4c depict top section views of a blowout preventer to which the present invention has been applied.
FIGS. 5a and 5b depict section views of a known locking wedge actuator that may become unlocked under the influence of the hydrostatic head of hydraulic fluid with a specific gravity greater than that of the ambient seawater around the actuator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will be described in detail as it relates to its use in connection with a blowout preventer as a fluid pressure operated actuator, and one such ram is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. To those skilled in the art, it will be understood that an additional ram and arrangement of the present invention will be employed to the left of that shown and the rams are diametrically opposed so that a pair of rams move toward each other to accomplish their desired function to seal off around a member in connection with drilling and production operations in oil and gas wells. In practice, one or more set of rams may be employed. A lock member will be used with each actuator for each ram.
Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the present invention is applicable to actuators of a part to be moved, described herein as applied to a ram, but may also be applicable to other parts to be moved.
Before turning to the structure of a locking actuator which incorporates the present invention, an explanation of the actuator of FIG. 5a and 5b will show one problem of the prior which is solved by this invention.
FIGS. 5a and 5b depict an actuator 150 which is coupled to a ram (not shown) by way of a piston rod 152. The piston rod 152 extends from a piston 154 which is enclosed within a cylinder 156. On the opposite side of the piston 154 is a tail rod 158 which cooperates with a wedge 160 for locking the actuator. The wedge 160 is enclosed within a locking mechanism cylinder 162 which includes a bore 164 for receiving the tail rod 158. Attached to one end of the cylinder 162 is an expansion chamber 166 which encloses a rubber diaphragm or bladder 168. The diaphragm separates ambient seawater outside the diaphragm from the hydraulic fluid within it, maintaining the same hydrostatic pressure inside the wedge operator.
Operation of the BOP actuator and the wedge-type lock actuator is accomplished by variously porting hydraulic fluid to ports 170 and 172. As shown in FIG. 5a, porting hydraulic fluid to the port 172 moves the piston to the left in the figure, thus actuating the ram. The same hydraulic fluid flows around the tail rod through an orifice 174 into the cylinder 162. When the tail rod 158 clears the wedge 160, pressurized hydraulic fluid moves the wedge down, thus locking the wedge against the end of the tail rod. The diaphragm 168 simultaneously collapses by a volume equal to the volume of a chamber 176 within the cylinder 162. Seawater flows into expansion chamber 166 through an opening 178 as a result and hydraulic fluid is ported from a port 180. In this condition, the hydrostatic head of the seawater surrounding the actuator bears upon the locking mechanism at the region shown in FIG. 5b as Diameter A.
When hydraulic fluid pressure is released from the port 172, the locking mechanism will remain in the locked position so long as the pressure at Diameter A is equal to or greater than that at Diameter B, which experiences the hydrostatic pressure head of the hydraulic fluid. If this is greater than the head of ambient seawater, the wedge may be released from the locking position and the ram may be unactuated. It is this unsatisfactory condition that the present invention solves.
The Structure of a Locking Actuator
FIG. 1 depicts an actuator and associated ram wherein the locking mechanism for the actuator employs the present invention. A blowout preventer body 10 receives a ram 12 within an annular bore 14. A housing 16 extends laterally from the body by means of a mount 18, which is attached to the body 10 by any appropriate means, preferably by bolting the mount to the body. The housing 16 provides a cylinder 20 for receiving a piston 22. The cylinder 20 and the piston 22 provide a fluid actuator for actuating the ram 12, and a piston rod 24 is connected to one end of the piston 22 to extend through one end of the cylinder 20 and is also connected to the ram 12 by any suitable means such as indicated at 26. This structure is well known in the art.
A tail rod 28 extends from the piston 22 in the opposite direction relative to the piston rod 24 and extends through the opposite end of the cylinder 20 as shown. Any suitable bearing means 30 may be provided in the opening in the cylinder end through which the tail rod 28 extends.
The piston 22 is provided with suitable seal means 32 for accommodating sealable reciprocable movement of the piston 22 within the cylinder 20. A pair of ports 34 through the housing 16 provide access for hydraulic fluid on one side of the piston 22 and a similar pair of ports 36 provide access for hydraulic fluid on the other side of the piston 22. The ports 34 accommodate entry and exit of hydraulic fluid via a conduit 38. Similarly, the ports 36 accommodate entry and exit of hydraulic fluid via a conduit 40. The conduit connections to the lower port 34 and the upper port 36 are not shown for simplicity in the drawing of FIG. 1.
A locking mechanism body 42 is attached to the end of the housing 16 by any appropriate means, such as by bolts 44. The body 42 defines a cylinder 46 which provides a guideway that extends at a right angle to the cylinder 20. A locking mechanism body 42 is provided for each actuator, with one actuator per ram.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional BOP ram actuator is shown with the novel floating piston actuator of the present invention applied to wedge-type locking mechanism. The body 42 is provided with a bore 48 to receive the tail rod 28 when the ram is retracted (i.e., unactuated). A locking wedge 50 reciprocates within the cylinder 46 to lock and unlock the piston 22 relative to the cylinder 20 as described below. The wedge 50 has an opening 51 (see FIG. 2) formed therein to receive the tail rod 28 when the ram is retracted. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wedge 50 includes a wedge-shaped region above and another region below the opening so that, as shown in FIG. 1, the wedge-shaped region is disposed to one side of the tail rod when the ram is in the open position.
An annular member 52 is mounted on one end of the wedge 50. The drawing of FIG. 1 depicts the ram 12 in a top view, and thus the locking mechanism body 42 is oriented horizontally; the locking mechanism may also be oriented vertically, and thus the annular member 52 would in that orientation be mounted to the top of the wedge. Similarly, an annular member 54 is mounted to the opposite end of the wedge 50, or on the bottom of the wedge if it is oriented vertically. The annular member 52 provides a means of attaching a position indicator rod (see FIG. 3) to the wedge 50 and the annular member 54 provides a means of attaching the rod 56 to the wedge 50. This structure allows for lateral movement of the wedge 50 without unwanted lateral displacement of the piston rod 56.
Within the cylinder 46 and around the piston rod 56 is a free-floating piston 58. Permitting the piston 58 to freely slide up and down the piston rod 56 permits the design of an actuator which provides a greater variation of forces between the opening and closing operation. In one direction of travel, the piston 58 provides added force to the system. In the opposite direction, it de-couples in order to limit the force in that direction. The guide rod 56 reciprocates with the wedge 50 in its movement. The piston 58 reciprocates within the cylinder 46 independent of the movement of the wedge 50 and the guide rod 56.
FIG. 2a provides additional details of the piston 58 within the cylinder 46. The piston 58 is sealed to the rod 56 by an O-ring seal 55 and to the cylinder 46 by an O-ring seal 57. By this arrangement, any differential pressure on the piston 58 moves the piston, as will be described below with regard to the operation of the system.
The guide rod 56 retracts into a bore 60 when the wedge 50 moves down into a locking position. The bore 60 extends below a bottom shelf 61 on the cylinder 46. The end of the guide rod 56 is chamfered to mate with a countersink ledge on the entry into the bore 60 for ease of mating of the guide rod 56 with the bore 60. Further, the interior surface of the cylinder 46 has a hydraulic braking chamber 62 to prevent the piston 58 from slamming into the shelf 61.
The actuator is further provided with a sequencing valve 64. The sequencing valve 64 ensures, during an operation to retract the ram 12 (i.e. to withdraw the tail rod 28 into the bore 48, that the wedge 50 is properly aligned in the full up position (as depicted in FIG. 1) before porting pressurized hydraulic fluid into the port 34 for movement of the piston 22. In this way, the sequencing valve prevents the opening-sequence pressurized hydraulic fluid from starting the ram retraction, and excessive force of the piston tail rod upon the wedge, until the wedge has fully retracted to the open position as in FIG. 1. While desirable, the sequencing valve is not essential to the present invention, and an actuator with or without the sequencing valve which incorporates the novel piston arrangement herein described is fully within the scope of the present invention. Without a sequencing valve, a third hydraulic control line would be utilized to first release the wedge before applying hydraulic pressure to the other hydraulic line to open the ram.
The sequencing valve 64 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 3. The illustration of the sequencing valve of FIG. 3 is that of the closing sequence of FIG. 2, described below in greater detail.
The sequencing valve 64 comprises a valve body 66 mounted to the locking mechanism body 42 by any appropriate means, such as bolts 68. The hydraulic line 38 (see also FIG. 1) couples to a port 70 and a hydraulic line 72 couples to a port 74. The hydraulic line 72 is fed from a hydraulic line 73, which also provides hydraulic fluid to a line 75 which is coupled to a port 77 at the bottom of the bore 60. A chamber 76 encloses a check valve stem 78 which terminates in a ball 80. The ball 80 closes against a seat 82 to close off the chamber 76. The ball 80 may be forced off the seat 82 by a sequencing stem 84 which is enclosed within a chamber 86. An extension 88 from the stem 84 extends into the cylinder 46 of the locking mechanism body. The extension 88 is impacted by the top surface of the annular member 52 which is attached to the top of the wedge 50. The extension slides within a seal cap 90 which seals the lower end of the chamber 86. The extension 88 also rides within a sleeve 92 which forms a chamber 94 between the stem 84 and the sleeve 92. Fluid pressure between the cylinder 46 and the chamber 94 is communicated by an axial bore 96 through the stem 84 and a connecting radial bore 98.
The sequencing valve 64 further includes a position indicator 100 which penetrates the body 66 and is coupled to the annular member 52 so that the indicator 100 provides a visible indication of the position of the wedge 50. Another penetration of the body 66 is provided by a port 102 for flushing and maintenance of the interior of the locking mechanism.
Operation of the Invention
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sequence of operations of the actuator will be described. FIG. 1 depicts the ram 12 in the open position (i.e., at the completion of the open stroke), and the various arrows depict hydraulic fluid flow and pressure for this operation. Hydraulic fluid is ported to the line 73 where it flows to both lines 72 and 75. To reach the position depicted in FIG. 1, imagine that the ram is first in the closed position shown in FIG. 2.
For the opening operation, fluid enters the system through the line 73 and into the line 75. Fluid the pressurizes the chamber 60 which moves the piston 58 to abut the underside of the wedge 50. Note that fluid pressure is acting upon the full area of the end of the rod 56 and the area of piston 58, providing full motive force to move the wedge 50 to the position shown in FIG. 1. This is the full area of the region shown as Diameter D in FIG. 2a.
With the wedge in the full up position of FIG. 1, the opening 51 aligns with the tail rod 28, and hydraulic fluid pressure through the line 38 ports hydraulic fluid to the cylinder 20, which moves the piston 22 to the left, thereby retracting the ram 12. The tail rod 28 then drives into opening 51, but only after the wedge 50 is properly positioned. Release of all fluid pressure from the hydraulic lines 73 and 40 leaves the actuator in the open position.
With the actuator beginning in the position shown in FIG. 1 and ending up in the position shown in FIG. 2 (i.e., closing the ram), fluid enters the cylinder 20 through line 40, moving the piston 22 and tail rod 24 forward (i.e., to the right in FIG. 2), closing the ram 12. The tail rod 24 is not sealed at the at the bearing means 30, so hydraulic fluid enters the cylinder 46 moving the floating piston 58 down, abutting the shoulder 61 in the cylinder 42. Note that the force for locking the wedge into a position where it locks the ram in place is effectively the force determined by the area of Diameter C as shown in FIG. 2a, which is less than the force for the opening operation. The wedge thus moves downward behind the tail rod 24 to complete the closing sequence.
Operation of the Sequencing Valve
As previously described, a sequencing valve 64 may be included with the system of FIGS. 1 and 2. The following description details the sequence of events in the sequencing valve for opening and closing operations.
For the opening operation, as the wedge 50 travels up toward the fully released position, the upper side of the annular member 52 strikes the stem extension 88 (FIG. 3). This drives the stem 84 up, thus moving the ball 80 off its seat 82. Hydraulic fluid may now flow through the line 72, into the port 74, out the port 70, and into the line 38.
For the opening operation and regarding the operation of the sequencing valve 64, previous designs of the sequencing valve have relied on a spring to hold the stem 84 away from the ball 80, until the wedge 50 contacts the stem extension 88 and forces the ball off of its seat 82. The sequencing valve shown in FIG. 3 changes the operation because, in the previous design, the pressure of hydraulic fluid in the chamber 46 tended to overpower the force of the spring, and prematurely open the sequencing valve. Pressure in chamber 46 acting on the end of the stem extension 88 tends to move the stem up to open valve by moving the ball 80 off of its seat 82. However, hydraulic fluid in chamber 46 also travels through the axial bore 96, exits through the radial bore 98, and pressurizes the annular chamber 94. The net area of the annular chamber 94 is greater than the area of the stem extension 88, so the resultant force avoids contact between the stem 84 and the ball 80.
When the wedge 50 travels to the fully open position, the annular member 52 contacts the stem extension 88, moves upward so that the stem 84 contacts the ball 80, permitting flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid through the line 38 to force the piston 22 to the open position.
For the closing sequence, pressurization of the line 38 forces the ball off the seat, independent of any action of the stem 84, to permits fluid flow through the port 74 to the line 72.
BOP Operator
A novel hydraulic operator 110 illustrated in FIG. 4a, 4b, and 4c solves the dilemma of the compromise between opening and closing forces in a BOP. FIG. 4a depicts a hydraulic operator using this invention with the operator in the closed position. FIG. 4b depicts the operator during an opening operation and FIG. 4c shows the operator in the open position.
The operator 110 includes an actuator body 112 coupled to a BOP body 114 by any appropriate means such as by bolts 116. Pressurized hydraulic fluid is provided by a port 118 and a port 120, both of which penetrate the actuator body 112. Within the actuator body are a piston rod 122 coupled to a ram 123, a guide rod 124, and a contiguous flange 126 between the piston rod 122 and the guide rod 124. Note that the diameter of the piston rod 122 is smaller than the diameter of the guide rod 124. Mounted on the guide rod 124 for sliding reciprocal movement thereon is a free-floating piston 128 within a cylinder 130. The port 118 and the port 120 provide access for hydraulic fluid into the cylinder 130 in either side of the free-floating piston, respectively. The cylinder 130 is enclosed at one end by an end cap 132, to which is attached a bore housing 134 to receive the guide rod as the ram 123 is opened.
With the operator 110 beginning as shown in FIG. 4a, hydraulic fluid is ported to the port 120 and vented from the port 118. The free-floating piston is driven through its entire stroke along the guide rod to its open set position, and then the piston rod/guide rod/flange member begins to stroke. The force of this stroke is determined by the fluid pressure and is a function of the difference between the diameter of the piston rod and the diameter of the guide rod, a force that is smaller than the closing force for the opposite procedure.
To close the ram, hydraulic fluid is ported to the port 118 and permitted to vent from the port 120. Since the free-floating piston is now constrained in its movement by the flange 126, the closing force is determined by the hydraulic fluid pressure and the difference between the bore of the cylinder 130 and the diameter of the guide rod, a force that is much greater than the opening force.
By carefully selecting the diameters of the cylinder 130, the piston rod 122, and the guide rod 124, one may tailor the opening force relatively independently of the closing force, while ensuring the integrity of all of the components of the operator.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the floating piston actuator for the wedge-type lock may be used with a conventional BOP ram actuator, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or with a floating piston BOP ram actuator, as shown in FIGS. 4a-4c.
The principles, preferred embodiment, and mode of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. This invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed, since these are regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Moreover, variations and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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A method and apparatus for operating a fluid actuated actuator between one and another alternate positions provides different forces for locking and unlocking the actuator. The actuator may use the same fluid pressure to operate a primary piston within a cylinder and to operate the locking mechanism. Actuator fluid is communicated to unlock the lock member and to move the piston back to its open or unactuated position. A sequencing valve determines the proper sequence of actuating the primary piston before the locking mechanism is driven in place, and clearing the locking mechanism prior to reciprocating the piston back to its unactuated position. Different forces for locking and unlocking the locking mechanism is provided by a free-floating piston mounted on a guide rod. The invention may also be applied to a BOP or the like where different opening and closing forces are desired.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of jet entangling. The process of jet entangling, which is also called hydroentangling, hydraulic entangling, water jet needling, tanglelacing and spunlacing, is accomplished by forcing a liquid, usually water, at high pressures through nozzles or orifices to form fine columnar streams and directing a curtain of these streams or jets onto a fibrous web. The fibrous web to be treated is passed on a supporting screen through the curtain of water jets whereby the fibers are entangled to form a coherent textile web without the use of binders or resins. While the physical process of entanglement is not completely understood, it is believed that the turbulent breakup of the fine liquid streams as they impinge on and pass over the fibers in the web and the strands of the supporting screen causes physical intertwining of the fibers. The supporting screen can be of a suitable open area to impart its pattern on the entangled fabric giving a textile-like appearance, or the screen can be of sufficiently fine mesh to give a uniform, smooth appearance to the web.
The uniformity of product quality generated by the jet entangling process is directly affected by two variables, namely, (1) the quality of the supporting screen, and (2) the quality of the liquid jets. The present invention relates to the generation of high quality jets, which depends primarily on the uniform distribution of liquid to the nozzle strip and the precise filtering of the liquid medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,508,308 and 4,069,563 provide a general background description of the process of jet entangling.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,862 discloses a jet manifold for tanglelacing textile-like fabrics. The apparatus disclose in this patent includes a nozzle strip secured in place by a slotted retaining plate which is bolted to the manifold body. Liquid is delivered to the nozzle strip from a chamber which is fed through a series of drilled holes to a delivery tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,999 discloses an apparatus for jetting liquid onto a fibrous web which consists of an elongated body having a longitudinal chamber therein. A nozzle strip is enclosed within a cartridge device which can be inserted into the longitudinal chamber in the elongated body. The cartridge device has a slot in the bottom which aligns with a corresponding slot within the elongated body permitting the passage of liquid jets. The cartridge device has an open portion facing upwardly which has bolted thereto a filter through which pressurized liquid is supplied. Removal of the nozzle strip for cleaning is accomplished by first removing the cartridge device from the elongated body and then removing a series of bolts and the filter device.
The devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,403,862 and 3,513,999 have several disadvantages. These disadvantages include (1) the incomplete and non-uniform distribution of liquid to the nozzle strips and (2) the lengthy disassembly time required for the removal of the nozzle strips for cleaning. Incomplete and ineffective liquid distribution to the orifices in the nozzle strip result in turbulence and improper entry of liquid into the nozzle orifices which results in noncircular and/or deflected jets yielding streaks in the textile-like web. The downtime required to clean the nozzle strips is directly related to the ease with which the strip can be removed from the device and hence the number of bolts which must be removed to gain access to the strip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the general object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for jetting high velocity liquid jets onto fibrous material. More specifically, the improvements are directed to (1) an improved distribution of the liquid medium to the nozzle strip and (2) a means by which the nozzle strip can be removed from a cartridge assembly without the time consuming removal of bolts and cover plates when it is desired to effect cleaning of said strip.
Briefly stated, the general objects of the invention are achieved by a construction comprising a manifold having a body defining an elongated internal manifold chamber and an elongated internal cartridge chamber, said body having a flow distribution means therein providing flow communication between the manifold chamber and an upper portion of the cartridge chamber. The manifold body also has a bottom wall portion having an elongated slot therein providing communication between the lower portion of the cartridge chamber and the exterior of the manifold body. The apparatus includes an elongated cartridge adapted to be received in the cartridge chamber in a position to be supported by the bottom wall portion of the manifold body and to overlie the slot therein, said cartridge having a body defining an elongated internal chamber and a bottom wall portion adjacent the bottom wall portion of the manifold body and having an elongated slot therein aligned with the slot in the bottom wall portion of the manifold body. The cartridge also has a top wall portion spaced apart above the bottom wall portion thereof and having a plurality of flow ports therein providing flow communication between the exterior of the cartridge and the internal chamber thereof. There is provided a nozzle strip adapted to be positioned adjacent the bottom wall of the cartridge and having a plurality of orifices therein aligned with the cartridge slot. The apparatus includes screen means positioned in the cartridge internal chamber to extend thereacross at at least one location spaced apart between the top and bottom wall portions of the cartridge. By this arrangement, high pressure liquid delivered to the manifold chamber flows through the flow distribution means to the upper portion of the cartridge from which the liquid flows sequentially through the flow ports in the top wall portion of the cartridge into the cartridge chamber, through the screen means, and through the nozzle strip orifices, the liquid being discharged from said nozzle strip orifices in a plurality of high velocity jets passing through the cartridge slot and the manifold body slot.
The manifold body is also provided with an access opening providing access to one end of the cartridge body and including a cover plate adapted to be removably received in the access opening and means for holding the cover plate in position to retain the cartridge within the manifold. The cartridge has an end cap located adjacent the access opening and having a clearance slot formed therein providing communication between the access opening and the internal chamber of the cartridge at a location aligned with the position of the nozzle strip. The nozzle strip is of a length such that an end portion thereof extends outwardly from the endcap so that it is accessable for removal of the nozzle strip from the cartridge while the cartridge remains within the manifold body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevation of the apparatus in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the cartridge construction.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of a detail showing the arrangement for access to the end of the cartridge.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the Drawings in detail, there is shown in FIG. 1 an apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention for delivering high velocity liquid jets into a fibrous web for jet entanglement purposes. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 10 is supplied with high pressure liquid, preferably water, through a supply pipe 12 and delivers a plurality of liquid streams, or jets, 14 in a curtain-like array onto a layer of fibrous material 16 which passes beneath the curtain of liquid streams 14 while supported on a conveyer 18, which typically is a rotating hollow drum.
The apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention comprises a manifold having a body 20 having an upper portion 22 which defines an elongated internal manifold chamber 24 and a lower portion 26 which defines an elongated internal cartridge chamber 28. The liquid supply pipe 12 is connected to one end of manifold chamber 24 through an end wall 13 of the upper body portion 22. The other end wall 15 of upper body portion 22 has a flow fitting 30 connected therein to which a pressure gage 32 is connected by way of an elbow 31 as shown in FIG. 1. The pressure gage 32 is used to provide an indication of the liquid pressure in manifold chamber 24. The manifold body 20 is designed to contain liquid up to about 2000 psig. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper body portion 22 and the manifold chamber 24 have a circular cross-section. As best shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge chamber 28 has a rectangular cross-section.
The manifold is provided with flow distribution means providing flow communication between manifold chamber 24 and an upper portion of cartridge chamber 28. Such means comprises an elongated distribution chamber 34 located above the top portion of the cartridge chamber 28, and a plurality of flow ports 36 spaced apart along the length of the distribution chamber 34 and arranged to provide flow communication between manifold chamber 24 and the distribution chamber 34. The flow ports 36 are provided by a plurality of drilled holes which extend between chambers 24 and 34. The size and spacing of the drilled holes forming the flow ports 36 are selected such that the nonuniformity of liquid distribution is less than ten percent over the length of the manifold body. By this arrangement, the liquid flowing from the manifold chamber 24 is discharged into distribution chamber 34 in a manner to provide some smoothing of liquid flow before entry into a cartridge 40 contained in chamber 28 and constructed to provide the curtain of water streams 14 as will be described hereafter.
The bottom wall of the rectangular cartridge chamber 28 is provided by a retaining plate 38 which is secured onto the lower end of the lower body portion 26 by means of suitable bolts. The surface 37 of the retaining plate 38 facing the cartridge chamber 28 is accurately machined to provide a smooth surface for fluid sealing purposes. The retaining plate 38 serves to retain the cartridge 40 within the chamber 28, cartridge 40 being inserted into the cartridge chamber 28 through a side access opening as will be described in detail hereafter. The retaining plate 38 provides a bottom wall portion of the manifold body 20 and has an elongated slot 35 therein providing communication between the lower portion of cartridge chamber 28 and the exterior of the manifold body 20. Slot 35 diverges in the direction of flow and is of a size and length to permit clear passage of the curtain of water streams 14 while ensuring sufficient support of cartridge 40 by retaining plate 38.
Cartridge 40 is comprised of an elongated body defining an elongated internal cartridge chamber 42 and providing a bottom wall 44 facing the retaining plate 38 and having an elongated slot 46 therein aligned with slot 35 in the retaining plate 38. The cartridge 40 fits into the chamber 28 with sufficient clearance so that it can be manually slid into and out of the operative position shown in the Drawings through the access opening in lower body portion 26 as will be described hereafter.
As best shown in FIG. 3, the body of cartridge 40 comprises a generally U-shaped bottom member 50, an inverted U-shaped top member 51 and a pair of end caps 70 and 71 secured to the ends of members 50 and 51 by mounting screws. Top member 51 has downwardly extending legs 53 received within upwardly extending legs 52 of bottom member 50. Top member 51 also has laterally extending flanges 55 which mate with the upper end of the legs 52 of bottom member 50 for use in securing the two members 50 and 51 together by means of a plurality of bolts 58 as shown in FIG. 3. The base 57 of top member 51 defines a top wall portion spaced apart from a bottom wall portion provided by the base 54 bottom member 50. The base 57 of member 51 has a plurality of flow ports 59 therein arranged in a row and providing flow communication between the upper portion of the cartridge 40 and the internal cartridge chamber 42 which is defined by the inwardly facing surfaces of bases 54 and 57 and legs 53.
A nozzle strip 60 is adapted to be positioned at the lower end of cartridge chamber 42 adjacent base 54 providing the bottom wall of the cartridge 40. Nozzle strip 60 is supported between the upper surface of the base 54 of bottom member 50 and the lower ends of the legs 53 of top member 51 as is apparent from a consideration of the Drawings. Nozzle strip 60 has a plurality of orifices 62 therein spaced apart along the length thereof and arranged in a row to be aligned with the cartridge slot 46 as is shown in the Drawings. The orifices 62 are constructed and arranged so as to provide concentrated jets of liquid and to discharge them in the curtain-like array of water streams 14 as shown in FIG. 1.
Cartridge 40 comprises means to provide a seal between the downstream surface of nozzle strip 60 and the adjacent top surface of base 54 forming the bottom wall portion of the cartridge 40. This sealing means comprises an elastomeric O-ring type of seal 64 which is arranged to be received in a recess 65 in base 54. Seal 64 and recess 65 have a rectangular configuration so as to enclose slot 46, as is apparent from a consideration of the Drawings.
There is provided a second sealing means which provides a seal between the bottom wall 44 of the cartridge 40 and the adjacent supporting surface 37 of the retaining plate 38. This sealing means comprises an elastomeric O-ring type of seal 66 which is arranged to be received in a recess 67 in base 54. Seal 66 and recess 67 have a rectangular configuration so as to enclose both the cartridge slot 46 and the manifold body slot 35 as is apparent from a consideration of the Drawings.
It will be apparent that the liquid pressure within the manifold body 20 during operation produces the force required to seat the nozzle strip 60 on the seal 64 and also causes the bottom wall 44 of cartridge 40 to be seated against the seal 66 which is seated against the surface 37 of retaining plate 38.
The parts are constructed and arranged to provide clearance within the cartridge 40 such that the nozzle strip 60 fits loosely therein, the legs 53 of the top member 51 providing a measure of restraint to the nozzle strip 60 which would be useful in an application where the apparatus is oriented to jet liquid at an angle with respect to the vertical of greater than ninety degrees, in which case when the pressurized liquid is supplied to the nozzle strip 60, it will seat properly against the seal 64 as described above.
The apparatus 10 is provided with screen means positioned in the cartridge internal chamber 42 to extend thereacross. The arrangement is such that the screen means extends transversely across the direction of flow of the liquid from flow ports 36 to orifices 62 for a purpose to be described hereafter. More specifically, the screen means comprises a pair of screen members 74 and 75 located in spaced apart relation within the cartridge chamber 42. The upper screen member 74 has an upstream surface facing the top wall portion of the cartridge 40 and the lower screen member 75 has its downstream surface facing the nozzle strip 60. The upper screen member 74 preferably comprises an electroformed or photochemically etched perforated plate of approximately 18-25 percent open area. The lower screen member 75 preferably comprises a woven wire mesh of approximately 150-350 wires per inch and a 35-50 percent open area.
The outer edges of screen members 74 and 75 are received in recessed portions in the parts of the cartridge body defining chamber 42 and cooperate with sealing means for providing a seal between the recessed portions receiving each of the screen members 74 and 75 and the cartridge body. The recessed portions 76 and 77 in the cartridge 40 that receive the outer edge portions of the screen members 74 and 75, respectively, are formed by grooves in the legs 53 of top member 51 and in the end pieces 70 and 71, which grooves are aligned to in effect provide a rectangular border extending around and overlapping the outer edge portions of the screen members 74 and 75, as is apparent from a consideration of the Drawings. The screen members 74 and 75 are held in place in recessed portions 76 and 77, respectively, by means of elastomeric O-ring type seals 78 and 79, respectively, which are fit in the corresponding grooves with a press fit. The O-ring type of seals 78 and 79 provide a seal at the borders of the screen members 74 and 75 so as to prevent liquid from bypassing the screen members 74 and 75 and possibly causing a disturbance in the uniform perpendicular entry of the flow of liquid into the orifices 62 of nozzle strip 60.
The manifold body 20 is provided with an access opening for providing access to one end of the body of cartridge 40. To this end, a cover plate 80 is adapted to be removably received in a rectangular access opening 82 formed in the lower body portion 26 adjacent one end of cartridge chamber 28, which end is closed by an end cap 84. The other end of cartridge chamber 28 is closed by an end cap 85. End caps 84 and 85 are rectangular and each are secured to the lower portion 26 of manifold body 20 by four mounting bolts 86 and 87, respectively. The lower pair of each of the bolts threadedly engage retaining plate 38 for securing the same onto the lower end of lower body portion 26 (See FIGS. 1 and 2). Means are provided for holding the cover plate 80 in position and to retain the cartridge 40 within chamber 28 in the manifold body 20. To this end, the cartridge end cap 71, which is located adjacent the access opening 82, is provided with a clearance slot 73 formed therein providing communication between the access opening 82 and the cartridge chamber 42 at a location aligned with the position of the nozzle strip 60. Also, the cover plate 80 has a relief slot 83 formed therein located to be aligned with slot 73 and the position of the nozzle strip 60. Slots 73 and 83 are of a size to receive the nozzle strip 60 and the nozzle strip 60 is of such a length that an end portion 68 thereof extends through slot 73 and outwardly from the end cap 71 to be received in slot 83. The removal of cover plate 80 makes end portion 68 accessible for removal of the nozzle strip 60 from the cartridge 40 while the cartridge 40 is in position within chamber 28 of the manifold body 20. In the position of the parts shown in FIG. 4, slot 83 provides relief for the outwardly extending end portion 68 of the nozzle strip 60. The cover plate 80 has a spring 88 received in a bore 89 in its outer surface. Spring 88 is positioned in compression between the cover plate 80 and an access cover 90 which is threadedly secured in a threaded bore 91 extending through end cap 84, this arrangement being best shown in FIG. 4. Access cover 90 is sealed to end cap 84 by an elastomeric O-ring seal 92. Bore 91 is larger than cartridge 40 and cartridge chamber 28 so that removal of access cover 90 allows removal of cover plate 80 and cartridge 40 therethrough.
In the assembly of the apparatus 10, the cartridge 40 is placed into the cartridge chamber 28 by being slid through the access opening 82 while cover plate 80 and access cover 90 are removed. After cartridge 40 is completely inserted, the cover plate 80 is slid into position within access opening 82, as best shown in FIG. 4, and the access cover 90 is threaded into the threaded opening 91 in end cap 84 while the spring 88 is contained in the recess 89 in the cover plate 80. By this arrangement, the spring 88 loads the access cover 90 and urges the cover plate 80 against the end cap 71 and the cartridge body against end cap 85. When pressurized liquid is applied to the manifold chamber 24 the differential pressure between the internals of the cartridge 40 and the cartridge chamber 28 creates a force on the cover plate 80 that holds it tightly against the end cap 71 thereby preventing liquid from bypassing the screen members 74 and 75.
The above-described arrangement permits the quick and easy changing of a nozzle strip 60 contained in a cartridge 40 as has been demonstrated in tests. When it is required to clean a nozzle strip 60 due to contamination or the like, one simply has to remove the access cover 90, withdraw the cover plate 80 and grasp the protruding end portion 68 of the nozzle strip 60, as by a special tool (not shown), and withdraw the nozzle strip 60 from the cartridge 40. If one should desire to remove the cartridge 40 for replacing and cleaning of the screen members 74 and 75, for example, then the plug 95 in end cap 85 must be additionally removed and a special rod inserted to push the cartridge 40 from the body manifold 20. Plug 95 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of cartridge 40. This novel arrangement can save considerable downtime and provide savings in man hours when required to remove nozzle strips from the apparatus for cleaning. Moreover, the unique liquid distribution and screen devices additionally provide a heretofore unexcelled jet quality resulting directly in improved product quality and customer satisfaction.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the manifold body 20 is constructed of type 304 L stainless steel. Also, the cartridge 40 can be of a type of material suitable for operation with the liquid medium to be used and sufficiently close in electro-chemical potential to stainless steel to eliminate electrolytic reactions. It has been found that plastics with a high rigidity and low water absorbtion rate, such as "Delrin"®, are ideal for the application. The nozzle strip 60 is preferably made of a stainless steel suitable for the application.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the liquid as it passes through the cartridge 40 progresses successively from a lower open area to a higher open area and more concentrated jets to produce smooth flow patterns whereby the liquid approaches the nozzle strip orifices 62 in an essentially uniform, smooth flow while truly perpendicular to the nozzle strip 60. This is apparent from a consideration of the construction and arrangement of the single row of drilled holes 59, the large number of holes in the perforated plate 74 and the openings throughout the surface of wire mesh screen 75.
In the use of the apparatus 10 for delivering high velocity liquid jets 14 into the fibrous web 16, high pressure liquid is supplied through supply pipe 12 and passes into manifold chamber 24. From manifold chamber 24 the liquid passes through a first flow distribution means comprising the row of flow ports 36 which provide some smoothing of the flow of liquid as it is delivered to the distribution chamber 34. From distribution chamber 34 the liquid passes through a secondary flow distribution means comprising the row of flow ports 59 providing flow communication between the upper portion of cartridge 40 and the internal cartridge chamber 42. The secondary distribution means also comprises the two screen members 74 and 75 through which the liquid flows successively from the top to the bottom portion of cartridge chamber 42. The natural deflection of the screen members 74 and 75 under the differential pressure applied by the liquid flowing downwardly through cartridge chamber 42 serves to retain both screen members 74 and 75 in place and the O-ring seals 78 and 79 associated therewith in place within the recessed portions 76 and 77. A feature of the construction is the sealing of the screen members 74 and 75 throughout their outer edges with the end pieces 70 and 71 and the side legs 53 of the cartridge member 51 in a manner to prevent any liquid flow from bypassing the screen members 74 and 75. The flow of the liquid through the screen members 74 and 75 further smooths the flow of the liquid and improves the distribution of the liquid medium as it flows to the orifices 62 of nozzle strip 60. The liquid is discharged from cartridge chamber 42 through the orifices 62 in nozzle strip 60 and flows as high velocity liquid jets, i.e., liquid streams 14, in a curtain-like array through slots 46 and 35 onto the layer of fibrous material 16 which is supported on the conveyer 18. The arrangement is such that the screen members 74 and 75 deliver the liquid streams in a manner to allow the liquid streams to enter perpendicularly into the nozzle strip orifices 62 which improves the quality of the jets 14 passing onto the fibrous web 16.
It will be apparent that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, the design may consist of a rectangular body portion 22 with a circular manifold chamber 24.
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An apparatus for jetting high velocity liquid streams onto fibrous materials is constructed to provide a uniform distribution of the liquid medium to a nozzle strip through which the liquid streams are directed onto the fibrous material. The apparatus is constructed so that the nozzle strip can be removed from the cartridge containing the same quickly and with a minimum of part removal.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/698,317, filed Oct. 27, 2000 and entitled “High-Precision Orientation Alignment and Gap Control Stage for Imprint Lithography Processes”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/616,799, filed Jul. 10, 2003, entitled “Method of Manufacturing a Vacuum Chuck Used in Imprint Lithography”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/617,321, filed Jul. 10, 2003 and entitled “Method of Separating a Template from a Substrate During Imprint Lithography”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/775,707, filed Feb. 10, 2004, entitled “Apparatus to Orientate a Body with Respect to a Surface”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/785,248, filed Feb. 24, 2004, entitled “Method to Control the Relative Position Between a Body and a Substrate”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/788,685, filed Feb. 27, 2004, entitled “Method of Orientating a Template with Respect to a Substrate in Response to a Force Exerted on the Template”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/806,956, filed Mar. 23, 2004, entitled “Apparatus to Control Displacement of a Body Spaced-Apart from a Surface,” all having Byung J. Choi, Sidlgata V. Sreenivasan, and Steven C. Johnson listed as inventors, and all of the aforementioned patent applications being incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] The U.S. Government has a paid-up license in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided for by the terms of N66001-98-1-8914 awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). provided for by the terms of N66001-98-1-8914 awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The invention relates in general to techniques for small device manufacturing and specifically to a system, processes and related devices for high precision imprint lithography enabling the manufacture of extremely small features on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and components for the orientation and the alignment of a template about a substrate, as well as their separation without destruction of imprinted features.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Without limiting the invention, its background is described in connection with a process for the manufacture of sub-100 nm devices using imprint lithography. In manufacturing, lithography techniques that are used for large-scale production include photolithography and other application oriented lithography techniques, such as electron beam lithography, ion-beam and x-ray lithography, as examples. Imprint lithography is a type of lithography that differs from these techniques. Recent research has shown that imprint lithography techniques can print features that are smaller than 50 nm. As such, imprint lithography has the potential to replace photolithography as the choice for semiconductor manufacturing in the sub-100 nm regime. It can also enable cost effective manufacturing of various kinds of devices, including patterned magnetic media for data storage, micro optical devices, MEMS, biological and chemical devices, X-ray optical devices, etc. Current research in the area of imprint lithography has revealed a need for devices that can perform orientation alignment motions between a template, which contains the imprint image, and a substrate, which receives the image. Of critical importance is the careful and precise control of the gap between the template and the substrate. To be successful, the gap may need to be controlled within a few nanometers across the imprinting area, while, at the same time, relative lateral motions between the template and the substrate must be eliminated. This absence of relative motion leads is also preferred since it allows for a complete separation of the gap control problem from the overlay alignment problem.
[0005] For the specific purpose of imprinting, it is necessary to maintain two flat surfaces as close to each other as possible and nearly parallel. This requirement is very stringent as compared to other proximity lithography techniques. Specifically, an average gap of about 100 nm with a variation of less than 50 nm across the imprinted area is required for the imprint process to be successful at sub-100 nm scales. For features that are larger, such as, for example, MEMS or micro optical devices, the requirement is less stringent. Since imprint processes inevitably involve forces between the template and the wafer, it is also desirable to maintain the wafer surface as stationary as possible during imprinting and separation processes. Overlay alignment is required to accurately align two adjacent layers of a device that includes multiple lithographically fabricated layers. Wafer motion in the x-y plane can cause loss of registration for overlay alignment. Prior art references related to orientation and motion control include U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,001, entitled “Remote Center Compliance System;” U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,107, entitled “Remote Axis Admittance System,” both by Paul C. Watson; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,469 entitled “Folded Remote Center Compliant Device” by James L. Nevins and Joseph Padavano. These patents relate to fine decoupled orientation stages suitable for aiding insertion and mating maneuvers in robotic machines and docking and assembly equipment. The similarity between these prior art patents and the present invention is in the provision for deformable components that generate rotational motion about a remote center. Such rotational motion is generated, for example, via deformations of three cylindrical components that connect an operator and a subject in parallel. The prior art patents do not, however, disclose designs with the necessary high stiffness to avoid lateral and twisting motions. In fact, such lateral motion is desirable in automated assembly to overcome mis-alignments during the assembly process. Such motion is highly undesirable in imprint lithography since it leads to unwanted overlay errors and could lead to shearing of fabricated structures. Therefore, the kinematic requirements of automated assembly are distinct from the requirements of high precision imprint lithography. The design shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,469 is intended to accommodate larger lateral and rotational error than the designs shown in the first two patents, but this design does not have the capability to constrain undesirable lateral and twisting motions for imprint lithography.
[0006] Another prior art method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,905 (the '905 patent) by Stephen Y. Chou, which describes a lithographic method and apparatus for creating ultra-fine (sub-25 nm) patterns in a thin film coated on a substrate in which a mold having at least one protruding feature is pressed into a thin film carried on a substrate. The protruding feature in the mold creates a recess of the thin film. First, the mold is removed from the film. The thin film is then processed such that the thin film in the recess is removed exposing the underlying substrate. Thus, the patterns in the mold are replaced in the thin film, completing the lithography. The patterns in the thin film will be, in subsequent processes, reproduced in the substrate or in another material which is added onto the substrate.
[0007] The process of the '905 patent involves the use of high pressures and high temperatures to emboss features on a material using micro molding. The use of high temperatures and pressures, however, is undesirable in imprint lithography since they result in unwanted stresses being placed on the device. For example, high temperatures cause variations in the expansion of the template and the substrate. Since the template and the substrate are often made of different materials, expansion creates serious layer-to-layer alignment problems. To avoid differences in expansion, the same material can be used but this limits material choices and increases overall costs of fabrication. Ideally, imprint lithography could be carried out at room temperatures and low pressures.
[0008] Moreover, the '905 patent provides no details relative to the actual apparatus or equipment that would be used to achieve the process. In order to implement any imprint lithography process in a production setting, a carefully designed system must be utilized. Thus, a machine that can provide robust operation in a production setting is required. The '905 patent does not teach, suggest or disclose such a system or a machine.
[0009] Another issue relates to separation of the template from the substrate following imprinting. Typically, due to the nearly uniform contact area at the template-to-substrate interface, a large separation force is needed to pull the layers apart. Such force, however, could lead to shearing and/or destruction of the features imprinted on the substrate, resulting in decreased yields.
[0010] In short, currently available orientation and overlay alignment methods are unsuitable for use with imprint lithography. A coupling between desirable orientation alignment and undesirable lateral motions can lead to repeated costly overlay alignment errors whenever orientation adjustments are required prior to printing of a field (a field could be for example a 1″ by 1″ region of an 8″ wafer).
[0011] Further development of precise stages for robust implementation of imprint lithography is required for large-scale imprint lithography manufacturing. As such, a need exists for an improved imprint lithography process. A way of using imprint lithography as a fabrication technique without high pressures and high temperatures would provide numerous advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] An apparatus to control displacement of a body spaced-apart from a surface features an actuation system coupled to a flexure system to selectively constrain movement of a body coupled to the flexure system along a subset of the plurality of axes. In this manner, unwanted movement of the body may be constrained to facilitate improved imprinting techniques. To that end, the apparatus includes a first flexure member defining a first axis of rotation and a second flexure member defining a second axis of rotation. The first and the second flexure members are included in the flexure system. The body is coupled to the flexure system to move about a plurality of axes. The actuation system is coupled to the flexure system. In one embodiment, the actuation system provides resistance to translational displacement of said body with respect to a said subset of axes, while allowing free translation displacement with respect to axes outside of said subset, and resistance to rotational displacement of said body with respect to a subgroup of the plurality of axes, while allowing free rotational displacement of said body with respect to axes outside of said subgroup. To that end, the actuation system may include one or more piezo actuators. These and other embodiments are discussed more fully below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The above objects and advantages, as well as specific embodiments, are better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:
[0014] FIGS. 1A and 1B show undesirable gap between a template and a substrate;
[0015] FIGS. 2A through 2E illustrate a version of the imprint lithography process according to the invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing the sequence of steps of the imprint lithography process of FIGS. 2A through 2E ;
[0017] FIG. 4 shows an assembly of an orientation alignment and a gap control system, including both a course calibration stage and a fine orientation alignment and a gap control stage according to one embodiment of the invention;
[0018] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the system of FIG. 4 ;
[0019] FIGS. 6A and 6B show first and second orientation sub-stages, respectively, in the form of first and second flexure members with flexure joints according to one embodiment of the invention;
[0020] FIG. 7 shows the assembled fine orientation stage with first and second flexure members coupled to each other so that their orientation axes converge on a single pivot point;
[0021] FIG. 8 is an assembly view of the course calibration stage (or pre-calibration stage) coupled to the fine orientation stage according to one embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 9 is a simplified diagram of a 4-bar linkage illustrating the motion of flexure joints that results in an orientation axis;
[0023] FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the assembled orientation stage with piezo actuators;
[0024] FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate configurations for a vacuum chuck according to the invention;
[0025] FIG. 12 illustrates the method for manufacturing a vacuum chuck of the types illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B ;
[0026] FIGS. 13A through 13C illustrate use of the fine orientation stage to separate a template from a substrate using the “peel-and-pull” method of the present invention; and
[0027] FIGS. 14A through 14C illustrate an alternative method of separating a template from a substrate using a piezo actuator.
[0028] References in the figures correspond to those in the detailed description unless otherwise indicated.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Without limiting the invention, it is herein described in connection with a system, devices, and related processes for imprinting very small features (sub-100 nanometer (nm) range) on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, using methods of imprint lithography. It should be understood that the present invention can have application to other tasks, such as, for example, the manufacture of cost-effective Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (or MEMS), as well as various kinds of devices, including patterned magnetic media for data storage, micro optical devices, biological and chemical devices, X-ray optical devices, etc.
[0030] With reference now to the figures and specifically to FIGS. 1A and 1B , therein are shown arrangements of a template 12 predisposed with respect to a substrate 20 upon which desired features are to be imprinted using imprint lithography. Specifically, template 12 includes a surface 14 that has been fabricated to take on the shape of desired features which, in turn, are transferred to substrate 20 . Between substrate 20 and template 12 lies a transfer layer 18 , which receives the desired features from template 12 via an imprinted layer 16 . As is well known in the art, transfer layer 18 allows one to obtain high aspect ratio structures (or features) from low aspect ratio imprinted features.
[0031] In FIG. 1A , a wedge-shaped imprinted layer 16 results so that template 12 is closer to substrate 20 at one end of imprinted layer 16 . FIG. 1B shows imprinted layer 16 being too thick. Both of these conditions are highly undesirable. The present invention provides a system, processes and related devices for eliminating the conditions illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B , as well as other orientation problems associated with prior art lithography techniques.
[0032] Specifically, for the purpose of imprint lithography, it is necessary to maintain template 12 and substrate 20 as close to each other as possible and nearly parallel. This requirement is very stringent as compared to other proximity lithography techniques, such as proximity printing, contact printing, and X-ray lithography, as examples. Thus, for example, for features that are 100 nm wide and 100 nm deep, an average gap of about 200 nm or less with a variation of less than 50 nm across the imprinting area of substrate 20 is required for the imprint lithography process to be successful. The present invention provides a way of controlling the spacing between template 12 and substrate 20 for successful imprint lithography given such tight and precise gap requirements.
[0033] FIGS. 2A through 2E illustrate the process, denoted generally as 30 , of imprint lithography according to the invention. In FIG. 2A , template 12 is orientated in spaced relation to substrate 20 so that a gap 31 is formed in the space separating template 12 and substrate 20 . Surface 14 of template 12 is treated with a thin layer 13 to lower the template surface energy and to assist in separation of template 12 from substrate 20 . The manner of orientation including devices for controlling gap 31 between template 12 and substrate 20 is discussed below. Next, in FIG. 2B , gap 31 is filled with a substance 40 that conforms to the shape of the treated surface 14 . Essentially, substance 40 forms imprinted layer 16 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B . Preferably, substance 40 is a liquid so that it fills the space of gap 31 rather easily without the use of high temperatures and gap 31 can be closed without requiring high pressures.
[0034] A curing agent 32 , shown in FIG. 2C , is applied to template 12 causing substance 40 to harden and to assume the shape of the space defined by gap 31 between template 12 and substrate 20 . In this way, desired features 44 , shown in FIG. 2D , from template 12 are transferred to the upper surface of substrate 20 . Transfer layer 18 is provided directly on the upper surface of substrate 20 which facilitates the amplification of features transferred from template 12 onto substrate 20 to generate high aspect ratio features.
[0035] In FIG. 2D , template 12 is removed from substrate 20 , leaving the desired features 44 thereon. The separation of template 12 from substrate 20 must be done so that desired features 44 remain intact without shearing or tearing from the surface of substrate 20 . The present invention provides a method and an associated system for peeling and pulling (referred to herein as the “peel-and-pull” method) template 12 from substrate 20 following imprinting so the desired features 44 remain intact.
[0036] Finally, in FIG. 2E , features 44 transferred from template 12 , shown in FIG. 2D , to substrate 20 are amplified in vertical size by the action of transfer layer 18 , as is known in the use of bi-layer resist processes. The resulting structure can be further processed to complete the manufacturing process using well-known techniques. FIG. 3 summarizes the imprint lithography process, denoted generally as 50 , of the present invention in flow chart form. Initially, at step 52 , course orientation of a template and a substrate is performed so that a rough alignment of the template and the substrate is achieved. The advantage of course orientation at step 52 is that it allows pre-calibration in a manufacturing environment where numerous devices are to be manufactured with efficiency and with high production yields. For example, where the substrate comprises one of many die on a semiconductor wafer, course alignment (step 52 ) can be performed once on the first die and applied to all other dies during a single production run. In this way, production cycle times are reduced and yields are increased.
[0037] Next, at step 54 , the spacing between the template and the substrate is controlled so that a relatively uniform gap is created between the two layers permitting the type of precise orientation required for successful imprinting. The present invention provides a device and a system for achieving the type of orientation (both course and fine) required at step 54 . At step 56 , a liquid is dispensed into the gap between the template and the substrate. Preferably, the liquid is a UV curable organosilicon solution or other organic liquids that become a solid when exposed to UV light. The fact that a liquid is used eliminates the need for high temperatures and high pressures associated with prior art lithography techniques.
[0038] At step 58 , the gap is closed with fine orientation of the template about the substrate and the liquid is cured resulting in a hardening of the liquid into a form having the features of the template. Next, the template is separated from the substrate, step 60 , resulting in features from the template being imprinted or transferred onto the substrate. Finally, the structure is etched, step 62 , using a preliminary etch to remove residual material and a well-known oxygen etching technique is used to etch the transfer layer.
[0039] As discussed above, requirements for successful imprint lithography include precise alignment and orientation of the template with respect to the substrate to control the gap in between the template and the substrate. The present invention provides a system capable of achieving precise alignment and gap control in a production style fabrication process. Essentially, the system of the present invention provides a pre-calibration stage for performing a preliminary and a course alignment operation between the template and the substrate surface to bring the relative alignment to within the motion range of a fine movement orientation stage. This pre-calibration stage is required only when a new template is installed into the machine (also sometimes known as a stepper) and consists of a base plate, a flexure component, and three micrometers or higher resolution actuators that interconnect the base plate and the flexure component.
[0040] With reference to FIG. 4 , therein is shown an assembly of the system, denoted generally as 100 , for calibrating and orienting a template, such as template 12 , shown in FIG. 1A , about a substrate to be imprinted, such as substrate 20 . System 100 can be utilized in a machine, such as a stepper, for mass fabrication of devices in a production type environment using the imprint lithography processes of the present invention. As shown, system 100 is mounted to a top frame 110 which provides support for a housing 120 which contains the pre-calibration stage for course alignment of a template 150 about a substrate (not shown in FIG. 4 ).
[0041] Housing 120 is seen coupled to a middle frame 114 with guide shafts 112 a and 112 b attached to middle frame 114 opposite housing 120 . In one embodiment, three (3) guide shafts are used (the back guide shaft is not visible in FIG. 4 ) to provide a support for housing 120 as it slides up and down during vertical translation of template 150 . This up-and-down motion of housing 120 is facilitated by sliders 116 a and 116 b which attach to corresponding guide shafts 112 a and 112 b about middle frame 114 .
[0042] System 100 includes a disk-shaped base plate 122 attached to the bottom portion of housing 120 which, in turn, is coupled to a disk-shaped flexure ring 124 for supporting the lower placed orientation stage comprised of first flexure member 126 and second flexure member 128 . The operation and the configuration of flexure members 126 and 128 are discussed in detail below. In FIG. 5 , second flexure member 128 is seen to include a template support 130 , which holds template 150 in place during the imprinting process. Typically, template 150 comprises a piece of quartz with desired features imprinted on it, although other template substances may be used according to well-known methods.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 5 , three (3) actuators 134 a , 134 b and 134 c are fixed within housing 120 and are operably coupled to base plate 122 and flexure ring 124 . In operation, actuators 134 a , 134 b and 134 c would be controlled such that motion of flexure ring 124 is achieved. This allows for coarse pre-calibration. Actuators 134 a , 134 b and 134 c can also be high resolution actuators which are equally spaced-apart about housing 120 permitting the additional functionality of very precise translation of flexure ring 124 in the vertical direction to control the gap accurately. In this way, system 100 , shown in FIG. 4 , is capable of achieving coarse orientation alignment and precise gap control of template 150 with respect to a substrate to be imprinted.
[0044] System 100 of the present invention provides a mechanism that enables precise control of template 150 so that precise orientation alignment is achieved and a uniform gap is maintained by the template with respect to a substrate surface. Additionally, system 100 provides a way of separating template 150 from the surface of the substrate following imprinting without shearing of features from the substrate surface. The precise alignment, the gap control and the separation features of the present invention are facilitated mainly by the configuration of first and second flexure members 126 and 128 , respectively.
[0045] With reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B , therein are shown first and second flexure members 126 and 128 , respectively, in more detail. Specifically, first flexure member 126 is seen to include a plurality of flexure joints 160 coupled to corresponding rigid bodies 164 and 166 which form part of arms 172 and 174 extending from a flexure frame 170 . Flexure frame 170 has an opening 182 , which permits the penetration of a curing agent, such as UV light, to reach template 150 , shown in FIG. 5 , when held in template support 130 . As shown, four (4) flexure joints 160 provide motion of flexure member 126 about a first orientation axis 180 . Flexure frame 170 of first flexure member 126 provides a coupling mechanism for joining with second flexure member 128 , as illustrated in FIG. 7 .
[0046] Likewise, second flexure member 128 , shown in FIG. 6B , includes a pair of arms 202 and 204 extending from a frame 206 and including flexure joints 162 and corresponding rigid bodies 208 and 210 which are adapted to cause motion of flexure member 128 about a second orientation axis 200 . Template support 130 is integrated with frame 206 of second flexure member 128 and, like frame 170 , shown in FIG. 6A , has an opening 212 permitting a curing agent to reach template 150 , shown in FIG. 5 , when held by template support 130 .
[0047] In operation, first flexure member 126 and second flexure member 128 are joined, as shown in FIG. 7 , to form the orientation stage 250 of the present invention. Braces 220 and 222 are provided in order to facilitate joining of the two pieces such that first orientation axis 180 , shown in FIG. 6A , and second orientation axis 200 , shown in FIG. 6B , are orthogonal to each other and intersect at a pivot point 252 at the template-substrate interface 254 . The fact that first orientation axis 180 and second orientation axis 200 are orthogonal and lie on interface 254 provide the fine alignment and the gap control advantages of the invention. Specifically, with this arrangement, a decoupling of orientation alignment from layer-to-layer overlay alignment is achieved. Furthermore, as explained below, the relative position of first orientation axis 180 and second orientation axis 200 provides orientation stage 250 that can be used to separate template 150 from a substrate without shearing of desired features so that features transferred from template 150 remain intact on the substrate.
[0048] Referring to FIGS. 6A, 6B and 7 , flexure joints 160 and 162 are notch-shaped to provide motion of rigid bodies 164 , 166 , 208 and 210 about pivot axes that are located along the thinnest cross section of the notches. This configuration provides two (2) flexure-based sub-systems for a fine decoupled orientation stage 250 having decoupled compliant orientation axes 180 and 200 . The two flexure members 126 and 128 are assembled via mating of surfaces such that motion of template 150 occurs about pivot point 252 eliminating “swinging” and other motions that would destroy or shear imprinted features from the substrate. Thus, the fact that orientation stage 250 can precisely move template 150 about pivot point 252 eliminates shearing of desired features from a substrate following imprint lithography.
[0049] A system, like system 100 , shown in FIG. 4 , based on the concept of the flexure components has been developed for the imprinting process described above in connection with FIGS. 2A through 2E . One of many potential application areas is the gap control and the overlay alignment required in high-resolution semiconductor manufacturing. Another application may be in the area of single layer imprint lithography for next generation hard disk manufacturing. Several companies are considering such an approach to generate sub-100 nm dots on circular magnetic media. Accordingly, the invention is potentially useful in cost effective commercial fabrication of semiconductor devices and other various kinds of devices, including patterned magnetic media for data storage, micro optical devices, MEMS, biological and chemical devices, X-ray optical devices, etc.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 8 , during operation of system 100 , shown in FIG. 4 , a Z-translation stage (not shown) controls the distance between template 150 and the substrate without providing orientation alignment. A pre-calibration stage 260 performs a preliminary alignment operation between template 150 and the wafer surfaces to bring the relative alignment to within the motion range limits of orientation stage 250 , shown in FIG. 7 . Pre-calibration is required only when a new template is installed into the machine.
[0051] Pre-calibration stage 260 is made of base plate 122 , flexure ring 124 , and actuators 134 a , 134 b and 134 c (collectively 134 ) that interconnect base plate 122 and flexure ring 124 via load cells 270 that measure the imprinting and the separation forces in the Z-direction. Actuators 134 a , 134 b and 134 c can be three differential micrometers capable of expanding and contracting to cause motion of base plate 122 and flexure ring 124 . Alternatively, actuators 134 can be a combination of micrometer and piezo or tip-type piezo actuators, such as those offered by Physik Instruments, Inc.
[0052] Pre-calibration of template 150 with respect to a substrate can be performed by adjusting actuators 134 , while visually inspecting the monochromatic light induced fringe pattern appearing at the interface of the template lower surface and the substrate top surface. Using differential micrometers, it has been demonstrated that two flat surfaces can be oriented parallel within 200 nm error across 1 inch using fringes obtained from green light.
[0053] With reference to FIG. 9 , therein is shown a flexure model, denoted generally as 300 , useful in understanding the principles of operation for a fine decoupled orientation stage, such as orientation stage 250 of FIG. 7 . Flexure model 300 includes four (4) parallel joints—Joints 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 —that provide a four-bar-linkage system in its nominal and rotated configurations. The angles α 1 and α 2 between the line 310 passing through Joints 1 and 2 and the line 312 passing through Joints 3 and 4 , respectively, are selected so that the compliant alignment axis lies exactly on the template-wafer interface 254 within high precision machining tolerances (a few microns). For fine orientation changes, the rigid body 314 between Joints 2 and 3 rotates about an axis that is depicted by Point C. Rigid body 314 is representative of rigid bodies 164 and 208 of flexure members 126 and 128 , shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B , respectively.
[0054] Since a similar second flexure component is mounted orthogonally onto the first one, as shown in FIG. 7 , the resulting orientation stage 250 has two decoupled orientation axes that are orthogonal to each other and lie on template-substrate interface 254 . The flexure components can be readily adapted to have openings so that a curing UV light can pass through template 150 as required in lithographic applications.
[0055] Orientation stage 250 is capable of fine alignment and precise motion of template 150 with respect to a substrate and, as such, is one of the key components of the present invention. The orientation adjustment, which orientation stage 250 provides ideally, leads to negligible lateral motion at the interface and negligible twisting motion about the normal to the interface surface due to selectively constrained high structural stiffness. The second key component of the invention is flexure-based members 126 and 128 with flexure joints 160 and 162 which provide for no particle generation and which can be critical for the success of imprint lithography processes.
[0056] This invention assumes the availability of the absolute gap sensing approach that can measure small gaps of the order of 200 nm or less between template 150 and the substrate with a resolution of a few nanometers. Such gap sensing is required as feedback if gap control is to be actively measured by use of actuators.
[0057] FIG. 10 shows a configuration of orientation stage 250 with piezo actuators, denoted generally as 400 . Configuration 400 generates pure tilting motions with no lateral motions at template-substrate interface 254 , shown in FIG. 7 . Therefore, a single overlay alignment step will allow the imprinting of a layer on the entire wafer. For overlay alignment, coupled motions between the orientation and the lateral motions lead to inevitable disturbances in X-Y alignment, which requires a complicated field-to-field overlay control loop.
[0058] Preferably, orientation stage 250 possesses high stiffness in the directions where side motions or rotations are undesirable and lower stiffness in directions where necessary orientation motions are desirable, which leads to a selectively compliant device. Therefore, orientation stage 250 can support relatively high loads while achieving proper orientation kinematics between template 150 and the substrate.
[0059] With imprint lithography, a requirement exists that the gap between two extremely flat surfaces be kept uniform. Typically, template 150 is made from optical flat glass using electron beam lithography to ensure that it is substantially flat on the bottom. The wafer substrate, however, can exhibit a “potato chip” effect resulting in small micron-scale variations on its topography. The present invention provides a device, in the form of a vacuum chuck 478 , as shown in FIG. 12 , to eliminate variations across a surface of the wafer substrate that can occur during imprinting.
[0060] Vacuum chuck 478 serves two primary purposes. First, vacuum chuck 478 is utilized to hold the substrate in place during imprinting and to ensure that the substrate stays flat during the imprinting process. Additionally, vacuum chuck 478 ensures that no particles are present on the back of the substrate during processing. This is important to imprint lithography as particles can create problems that ruin the device and can decrease production yields. FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate variations of a vacuum chuck suitable for these purposes according to two embodiments.
[0061] In FIG. 11A , a pin-type vacuum chuck 450 is shown as having a large number of pins 452 that eliminates the “potato chip” effect, as well as other deflections, on the substrate during processing. A vacuum channel 454 is provided as a means of pulling on the substrate to keep it in place. The spacing between pins 452 is maintained so the substrate will not bow substantially from the force applied through vacuum channel 454 . At the same time, the tips of pins 452 are small enough to reduce the chance of particles settling on top of them.
[0062] Thus, with pin-type vacuum chuck 450 , a large number of pins 452 are used to avoid local bowing of the substrate. At the same time, the pin heads should be very small since the likelihood of the particle falling in between the gaps between pins 452 can be high, avoiding undesirable changes in the shape of the substrate itself.
[0063] FIG. 11B shows a groove-type vacuum chuck 460 with grooves 462 across its surface. The multiple grooves 462 perform a similar function to pins 452 of pin-type vacuum chuck 450 , shown in FIG. 11A . As shown, grooves 462 can take on either a wall shape 464 or have a smooth curved cross section 466 . Cross section 466 of grooves 462 for groove-type vacuum chuck 460 can be adjusted through an etching process. Also, the space and the size of each groove 462 can be as small as hundreds of microns. Vacuum flow to each of grooves 462 can be provided typically through fine vacuum channels across multiple grooves that run in parallel with respect to the chuck surface. The fine vacuum channels can be made along with the grooves through an etching process.
[0064] FIG. 12 illustrates the manufacturing process for both pin-type vacuum chuck 450 , shown in FIG. 11A , and groove-type vacuum chuck 460 , shown in FIG. 11B . Using optical flats 470 , no additional grinding and polishing steps are necessary for this process. Drilling at specified places of optical flats 470 produces vacuum flow holes 472 which are then masked and patterned ( 474 ) before etching ( 476 ) to produce the desired feature—either pins or grooves—on the upper surface of optical flat 470 . The surface can then be treated ( 479 ) using well-known methods.
[0065] As discussed above, separation of template 150 from the imprinted layer is a critical and important final step of imprint lithography. Since template 150 and the substrate are almost perfectly oriented, the assembly of template 150 , the imprinted layer, and the substrate leads to a uniform contact between near optical flats, which usually requires a large separation force. In the case of a flexible template or a substrate, the separation can be merely a “peeling process.” However, a flexible template or a substrate is undesirable from the point of view of high-resolution overlay alignment. In the case of quartz template and silicon substrate, the peeling process cannot be implemented easily. The separation of the template from an imprinted layer can be performed successfully either by one of the two following schemes or the combination of them, as illustrated by FIGS. 13A, 13B and 13 C.
[0066] For clarity, reference numerals 12 , 18 and 20 will be used in referring to the template, the transfer layer and the substrate, respectively, in accordance with FIGS. 1A and 1B . After UV curing of substrate 20 , either template 12 or substrate 20 can be tilted intentionally to induce a wedge 500 between template 12 and transfer layer 18 on which the imprinted layer resides. Orientation stage 250 , shown in FIG. 10 , of the present invention can be used for this purpose, while substrate 20 is held in place by vacuum chuck 478 , shown in FIG. 12 . The relative lateral motion between template 12 and substrate 20 can be insignificant during the tilting motion if the tilting axis is located close to the template-substrate interface, shown in FIG. 7 . Once wedge 500 between template 12 and substrate 20 is large enough, template 12 can be separated from substrate 20 completely using Z-motion. This “peel and pull” method results in the desired features 44 , shown in FIG. 2E , being left intact on transfer layer 18 and substrate 20 without undesirable shearing.
[0067] An alternative method of separating template 12 from substrate 20 without destroying the desired features 44 is illustrated by FIGS. 14A, 148 and 14 C. One or more piezo actuators 502 are installed adjacent to template 12 , and a relative tilt can be induced between template 12 and substrate 20 , as shown in FIG. 14A . The free end of the piezo actuator 502 is in contact with substrate 20 so that when actuator 502 is enlarged, as shown in FIG. 14B , template 12 can be pushed away from substrate 20 . Combined with a Z-motion between template 12 and substrate 20 ( FIG. 14C ), such a local deformation can induce a “peeling” and “pulling” effect between template 12 and substrate 20 . The free end side of piezo actuator 502 can be surface treated similar to the treatment of the lower surface of template 12 in order to prevent the imprinted layer from sticking to the surface of piezo actuator 502 .
[0068] In summary, the present invention discloses a system, processes and related devices for successful imprint lithography without requiring the use of high temperatures or high pressures. With the present invention, precise control of the gap between a template and a substrate on which desired features from the template are to be transferred is achieved. Moreover, separation of the template from the substrate (and the imprinted layer) is possible without destruction or shearing of desired features. The invention also discloses a way, in the form of suitable vacuum chucks, of holding a substrate in place during imprint lithography.
[0069] While this invention has been described with a reference to illustrative embodiments, the description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments.
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An apparatus to control displacement of a body spaced-apart from a surface includes a flexure system having a first flexure member defining a first axis of rotation and a second flexure member defining a second axis of rotation. A body is coupled to the flexure system to move about a plurality of axes. An actuation system is coupled to the flexure system to selectively constrain movement of the body along a subset of the plurality of axes.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handicraft needle puncher for use in the field of e.g. wool handicrafts such as appliqué.
2. Description of the Related Art
Needle punching technique is used typically in the manufacture of nonwoven fabric. In this technique, a plurality of webs of fibers are placed one on top of another and then, a needle is stuck through these webs to tangle fibers of different webs with each other, whereby the webs are combined. Such a needle punching technique is used also in the field of handcrafts. For instance, as a needle punching tool for handicrafts, a needle puncher is proposed which includes a plurality of needles attached to a grip member (see e.g. Patent Document 1 listed below).
In the field of handicrafts, a piece of felt which has a desired shape as a motif is placed on an appropriate sheet of cloth, and then, a needle is stuck through the cloth and the felt a number of times, so that fibers of the felt tangle with the fibers of the cloth, whereby an appliqué of the felt piece is made. According to the needle puncher disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of needles can be stuck at one time through a piece of felt, which allows the work of making an appliqué to be performed efficiently. Needle punchers are also used for wool felt crafting in which a needle is repetitively stuck through a fluffy material of wool to form the fluffy material into a desired three-dimensional shape.
To make an appliqué of a complicated design, the piece of felt to be sewed often has a complicated shape including a plurality of small linear parts. A needle puncher having a plurality of needles is not suitable for sticking a needle through such a small part. Patent Document 2 discloses a needle puncher having a single needle. This needle puncher is configured to stick the needle through a small part. In this needle puncher, however, the needle is held by a grip member at a head-side portion distant from the tip. Further, the portion to be gripped by the user is arranged generally in the middle of the grip member. Thus, to stick the needle precisely through a small part, the position of the tip of the needle, which is distant from the portion where the user grips, needs to be controlled precisely, which is difficult. This makes the handicrafts using a needle puncher less enjoyable. Moreover, in the case of a needle puncher having a single needle, the force applied during the work is concentratedly exerted on the single needle. This may lead to breakage or the like of the needle.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2004-308046 Patent Document 2: JP-U-3151522
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been proposed under the circumstances described above. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a needle puncher with which users can easily make an appliqué of a complicated design.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a needle puncher is provided, which includes: a needle having a tip and a head spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction, and further having a held portion disposed between the tip and the head; and a grip member holding the needle in a manner such that the tip of the needle is exposed from the grip member. The grip member includes a holding portion and a grip portion, where the holding portion holds the held portion of the needle, and the grip portion is configured to be gripped by a user of the needle puncher. The holding portion and the grip portion have front ends, respectively, and the front end of the holding portion is closer to the head of the needle than the front end of the grip portion is.
Preferably, the grip portion includes a tapered part increasing in diameter as proceeding toward the tip of the needle, and the front end of the holding portion is closer to the head of the needle than the tapered part is.
Preferably, the front end of the holding portion is closer to the head of the needle than the grip portion is.
Preferably, the holding portion is formed with a through-hole having an inner surface to beheld in contact with the held portion of the needle.
Preferably, the needle includes a small-diameter portion and a large-diameter portion, where the small-diameter portion is connected to the tip of the needle, and the large-diameter portion is closer to the head of the needle than the small-diameter portion is. The large-diameter portion is greater in diameter than the small-diameter portion. The held portion of the needle is included in the large-diameter portion.
Preferably, the grip member includes an outer cylinder providing the grip portion and housing the holding portion. The outer cylinder is formed with a front opening through which the needle can pass. The front opening is greater in diameter than the large-diameter portion of the needle.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a needle puncher according to a present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the needle puncher shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines III-III in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines IV-IV in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the needle puncher of FIG. 1 in the state for use; and
FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the needle puncher in the state for use, taken along lines VI-VI in FIG. 3 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 1-6 show an example of needle puncher according to the present invention. The needle puncher A of this embodiment is made up of a needle 1 , a grip member 2 and a cap 3 .
The needle 1 is made of a metal such as iron. As the needle 1 , a needle designed for a needle puncher for use in the manufacture of nonwoven fabric can be employed. As shown in FIG. 6 , the needle 1 includes a tip 11 , a head 12 , a small-diameter portion 13 , a middle-diameter portion 14 and a large-diameter portion 15 . The tip 11 has a sharp point so that the needle 1 can stick through a piece of felt in making e.g. an appliqué. The head 12 is provided at an end opposite from the tip 11 . In this embodiment, the head 12 is made by bending a portion of the needle 1 .
The small-diameter portion 13 , the middle-diameter portion 14 and the large-diameter portion 15 are arranged in the mentioned order from the tip 11 side toward the head 12 side. The small-diameter portion 13 is directly connected to the tip 11 . For instance, the small-diameter portion 13 has a plurality of small projections for catching fibers of felt. The middle-diameter portion 14 is directly connected to the small-diameter portion 13 and has a diameter slightly larger than that of the small-diameter portion 13 . The large-diameter portion 15 is positioned on the head 12 side of the middle-diameter portion 14 and has a diameter larger than those of the small-diameter portion 13 and middle-diameter portion 14 .
The needle 1 is held by the grip member 2 . The grip member 2 is a member to be gripped by the user. In this embodiment, the grip member 2 is made up of an outer cylinder 21 , an inner cylinder 22 and a press portion 23 . The structure of the grip member 2 is not limited to this, and the grip member 2 may be made up of a larger number of parts or a smaller number of parts. The grip member 2 may be formed as a single-piece member.
The outer cylinder 21 is made of e.g. resin and has a cylindrical shape as a whole. The outer cylinder 21 includes a tapered portion 211 , a grip portion 212 and an opening 213 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the outer cylinder 21 houses in it the inner cylinder 22 . A part of the needle 1 projects from the opening 213 . In this embodiment, the small-diameter portion 13 of the needle 1 projects from the opening 213 to be directly exposed to the outside. The diameter of the opening 213 is larger than that of the large-diameter portion 15 of the needle 1 .
The tapered portion 211 is a portion of the outer cylinder 21 at which the opening 213 is formed. The outer diameter of the tapered portion 211 reduces as proceeding toward the tip 11 of the needle 1 . The inner diameter of the tapered portion 211 gradually increases as proceeding from the opening 113 toward the deeper side (to the right in FIG. 6 ).
The grip portion 212 as a whole is closer to the head 12 of the needle 1 than the tapered portion 211 is. The portion indicated by the arrows with the reference sign 212 in FIG. 6 is the grip portion 212 . The grip portion 212 is a portion to be gripped by a user with fingers and has a shape suitable for gripping. Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-5 , the grip portion 212 is slightly constricted at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction and has a hexagonal cross section. The boundary between the grip portion 212 and the tapered portion 211 is a front end 212 a of the grip portion 212 . The front end 212 a corresponds to the tip-side end of the grip portion 212 in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6 , the point of the grip portion 212 at which the diameter is the maximum on the head 12 side of the needle 1 is the rear end 212 b of the grip portion 212 . A part of the grip portion 212 which is adjacent to the front end 212 a is a tapered part 212 c . The outer diameter of the tapered part 212 c increases as proceeding toward the tip 11 of the needle 1 .
The inner cylinder 22 is a portion for holding the needle 1 . In this embodiment, the inner cylinder 22 is housed in the outer cylinder 21 at a position deviated to the right in FIG. 6 . The inner cylinder 22 is made of e.g. a resin. The length of the inner cylinder 22 is shorter than that of the outer cylinder 21 and may be e.g. about one half of the outer cylinder 21 . The inner cylinder 22 includes a holding portion 221 . The holding portion 221 is a portion that holds the needle 1 and has a front end 221 a and a through-hole 221 b . The front end 221 a corresponds to the tip-side end of the holding portion 221 . The holding portion 221 holds a held portion 15 a of the needle 1 . The held portion 15 a is an elongated portion extending in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the held portion 15 a is a part of the large-diameter portion 15 . The inner cylinder 22 has a through-hole extending through the entire length, and a part of this through-hole which contributes to the holding of the needle 1 is the through-hole 221 b . In this embodiment, therefore, of the through-hole extending through the entire length of the inner cylinder 22 , the portion indicated by the arrows with the reference sign 221 in FIG. 6 is the through-hole 221 b . The diameter of the through-hole 221 b is substantially equal to or slightly larger than that of the large-diameter portion 15 of the needle 1 . The inner surface of the through-hole 221 b is in contact with the needle 1 . In other words, of the through-hole extending through the entire length of the inner cylinder 22 , the left portion in the figure has a diameter for coming into contact with the large-diameter portion 15 of the needle 1 , and this portion is the through-hole 221 b . Of the inner cylinder 22 , the portion in which the through-hole 221 b exists in the longitudinal direction is the holding portion 221 . Of the through-hole extending through the entire length of the inner cylinder 22 , the portion on the right side of the through-hole 221 b in the figure has a diameter somewhat larger than that of the large-diameter portion 15 and is normally out of contact with the large-diameter portion 15 . Of the large-diameter portion 15 , the portion that is in contact with the through-hole 221 b is the held portion 15 a.
In this embodiment, the entirety of the holding portion 221 , including the front end 221 a , is arranged closer to the head 12 of the needle 1 than the grip portion 212 is. In other words, in the grip member 2 , the grip portion 212 , which is the portion to be gripped with fingers Fg, is positioned closer to the tip 11 of the needle 1 than the holding portion 221 holding the needle 1 is.
The press portion 23 is made of e.g. a resin and provided to prevent the needle 1 from detaching from the inner cylinder 22 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the needle 1 is configured to be inserted into the inner cylinder 22 from the right side in the figure. The press portion 23 is removably attached to the outer cylinder 21 and the inner cylinder 22 by engaging the outer cylinder 21 . The press portion 23 includes a press plate 231 . For instance, the press plate 231 is a circular plate made of a metal. In the state in which the press portion 23 engages the outer cylinder 21 , the press plate 231 presses the head 12 of the needle 1 against the inner cylinder 22 .
The cap 3 is made of transparent resin, for example. The cap 3 is in the form of a cylinder with a bottom and tapers toward the front end. The shape and size of the cap 3 are configured to fit to both of the outer cylinder 21 and press portion 23 of the grip member 2 . FIG. 2 shows the state in which the cap 3 is fitted to the outer cylinder 21 . In this state, the needle 1 is covered by the cap 3 . Thus, this state is suitable for storing the needle puncher A. FIGS. 5 and 6 show the state in which the cap 3 is fitted to the press portion 23 . In this state, the needle 1 is exposed. The entire length of the needle puncher A in this state is longer than that in the state shown in FIG. 2 , which allows the user to easily hold the needle puncher. Thus, this state is suitable for using the needle puncher A.
Advantages of the needle puncher A are described below.
When using the needle puncher A, the user holds the grip portion 212 with fingers Fg as shown in FIG. 6 and presses the needle puncher A as a whole against a target such as a piece of felt toward the tip 11 side (the left side in the figure). The arrangement of the needle puncher A makes it easier to finely control the position of the tip 11 than such an arrangement as disclosed in Patent Document 2 in which the portion to be gripped by the user is more distant from the tip 11 than the portion at which the needle 1 is held is. Thus, when the piece of felt has a complicated shape including e.g. a large number of small straight parts, the user can easily stick the needle 1 precisely through a desired part. Moreover, the portion (held portion 15 a ) of the needle 1 where it is held by the grip member 2 is on the head 12 side of the grip portion 212 . While the needle puncher A is gripped with fingers Fg at the grip portion 212 that is relatively close to the tip 11 , the distance from the tip 11 to the held portion 15 a (distance from the tip 11 to the front end 221 a of the holding portion 221 ) is relatively long. Thus, the force applied to the needle puncher A for the work is exerted on this relatively long part of the needle 1 . If the force is exerted to only a short part of the needle 1 close to the tip 11 , a large stress is exerted on the short part, which may result in breakage of the needle 1 . In this embodiment, the force applied during the work is exerted on a relatively long part extending from the tip 1 of the needle 1 to the front end 221 a of the holding portion 221 , so that the stress exerted on the needle 1 is relatively small. This prevents problems such as breakage of the needle 1 . Thus, with the needle puncher A, an appliqué of a complicated design can be made properly.
The front end 221 a of the holding portion 221 is positioned close to the middle of the large-diameter portion 15 of the needle 1 . When a force is applied during the work, a large stress tends to be exerted on the held portion 15 a of the needle 1 or on the front end 221 a in particular. Since these portions are positioned at the large-diameter potion 15 , breakage of the needle 1 is reliably prevented.
As described above, to avoid breakage of the needle 1 while facilitating fine work, it is preferable that the grip portion 212 is closer to the tip 11 of the needle 1 than any point of the holding portion 212 is. However, the present invention is not limited to this arrangement. Most of the force with which the needle puncher A is pressed with fingers F is exerted on the tapered part 212 c of the grip portion 212 . Thus, arranging the front end 221 a of the holding portion 221 closer to the head 12 than the tapered part 212 c is prevents breakage of the needle 1 while facilitating fine work. Further, arranging the front end 221 a of the holding portion 221 closer to the head 12 than the front end 212 a of the grip portion 212 is prevents breakage of the needle 1 while facilitating fine work, as compared with e.g. the structure in which the grip portion 212 is more distant from the tip 11 than the holding portion 221 is.
The needle 1 is held with the large-diameter portion 15 held in contact with the inner surface of the through-hole 221 b which has a considerable length. This prevents unfavorable tilt or movement of the needle 1 relative to the grip member 2 .
The diameter of the opening 213 of the outer cylinder 21 is larger than the diameter of the large-diameter portion 15 of the needle 1 . This arrangement prevents the needle 1 from coming into contact with the outer cylinder 21 even when the small-diameter portion 211 of the needle 1 is bent during the work.
The tapered portion 211 provided on the tip 11 side of the grip portion 212 allows the user to easily see the position of the tip 11 during the work.
The needle puncher according to the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment. The specific structure of each part of the needle puncher according to the present invention may be changed in many ways in design.
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A needle puncher includes a needle and a grip member. The needle has a tip and a head spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of the needle. The needle also has a held portion disposed between the tip and the head The grip member is configured to hold the needle in a manner such that the tip of the needle is exposed from the grip member. The grip member includes a holding portion and a grip portion. The holding portion holds the held portion of the needle, and the grip portion is gripped by a user of the needle puncher. The holding portion and the grip portion include front ends, respectively. The front end of the holding portion is closer to the head of the needle than the front end of the grip portion is.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based on, and claims priority to, UK Patent Application No. 0117504.1 filed on Jul. 18, 2001, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a packaging system and method. In particular, the present invention relates to a packaging system and method for packaging articles in receptacles such as trays and boxes. More particularly, the present invention relates to a packaging system and method for packaging lightweight articles such as bags of potato chips and other snack foods.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Conventionally, bags of potato chips and the like are produced with a high degree of automation. It is then often desired to place bags in shallow trays, suitable for display at a point of sale. Single trays may be intended to receive a controlled mixture of different products (e.g., different potato chip flavors). At present, the loading of such boxes has to be done by hand.
[0006] There are particular problems about the handling of lightweight articles. For example, a lightweight article, such as a packet of potato chips, may travel at a speed along a conveyor such that it is very difficult to apply any force to adjust the article's orientation. Even a slight force applied to an article may send the article spinning off the conveyor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A first aspect the present invention provides a packaging system having an inlet for receiving articles (such as packets of snacks), typically delivered by a conveyor system. The articles are placed on a conveyor line in a controlled configuration and are conveyed along the conveyor line in predetermined arrays. The articles or arrays of articles are picked from the conveyor line and placed in receptacles.
[0008] Preferably, the articles are placed on the conveyor line by a receiving and dropping station that receives an article and, if necessary, adjusts its orientation prior to dropping the article onto the conveyor line. The receiving and dropping station may use, for example, a “bomb door assembly” having a hinged pair of bomb doors that are movable from a closed configuration, in which the bomb doors define a supporting floor, to an open configuration, in which the bomb doors allow an article to drop below the bomb door assembly. In the closed configuration, the bomb doors together define a receptacle having an input side through which an article is received into the receptacle. The bomb doors also form a support surface in the closed configuration that supports the received article to hold the article in the receptacle.
[0009] The bomb doors are preferably shaped so that, when in the closed configuration, the bomb doors taper from the input side of the bomb door assembly in a direction in which the article is received into the receptacle. The bomb doors also taper in a downward direction in which the article is dropped. The tapering and shaping of the bomb doors are such that an article arriving in an incorrect orientation is correctly reoriented. Thus, when the bomb doors open, the article drops properly onto the conveying line beneath the doors.
[0010] The bomb doors are preferably controlled by a common drive crank to which the bomb doors are connected by links. The links are arranged so that the bomb doors can be opened abruptly, allowing an article to fall unimpeded. The common drive crank may be controlled by, for example, a rotary actuator.
[0011] The arrival of an article at the receiving and dropping station may be detected automatically, for example, using a photocell. The photocell may send a signal to a first microprocessor that controls the operation of the receiving and dropping station and the conveying line.
[0012] The articles may be conveyed along the conveying line or output conveyor in predetermined arrays, for example, in shingled arrays. This may be achieved by controlling the operation of the bomb doors of the receiving and dropping station, generally, in conjunction with control of the output conveyor. Alternatively, the conveying line may comprise two in-line conveyors: a first (generally short) conveyor, which receives articles from the receiving and dropping station, and a second conveyor that receives articles from the first conveyor. The operations of the first and second conveyors may be controlled so that articles can be placed on the second conveyor in desired arrays, for example, in shingled groups of three, four, or five articles.
[0013] Preferably, a tray conveyor runs parallel and adjacent to the conveying line and in the opposite direction. Preferably, a tray detector (e.g., using a photocell) detects when a tray arrives in a loading region.
[0014] A pick-and-place robot assembly (robot device) transfers articles from the conveying line to a tray, and supports a pickup device that moves with three axes of motion.
[0015] The pickup device is preferably a suction device having a lower grill through which air can be sucked in to provide suction capable of lifting one or more articles. The suction is controllable, for example, by a gate assembly that is movable to obstruct the air flow. Thus, a fan that constantly runs can be provided.
[0016] The robot device may comprise, for example, a carriage capable of displacement along a rail parallel to the conveying direction. The carriage may support a forwardly-directed linear actuator to which the pickup device is connected. The forwardly-directed linear actuator is, for example, pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis extending in the conveying direction, and the forwardly-directed linear actuator is pivotable according to, for example, a vertical linear actuator device. These three displacement devices (two linear actuators and the displaceable carriage) are controlled (e.g., by the first microprocessor or by a second microprocessor) to permit coordination of their operations to achieve any desired motion of the pickup assembly. If a second microprocessor is used, it preferably communicates with the first microprocessor so that the second microprocessor “knows” when and where an array of articles is to be picked up.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a first detector detects an article entering the bomb door assembly. This synchronizes the operation of the bomb doors, and signals the first microprocessor, which causes the conveying line to operate to handle the article dropped by the bomb doors in the desired fashion, for example, to produce a shingled array of three articles conveyed on the second conveyor if two conveyors are used as the conveying line.
[0018] The first detector also sends a signal to the second microprocessor (or to the first microprocessor if the first microprocessor carries out both functions), which controls the robot device. The robot device also receives a signal from the first microprocessor relating to the operation of the conveying line. Thus, the second microprocessor “knows” the nature of the array being sent along the conveying line, and when the array will arrive in the region of the robot device. The second microprocessor also receives information from the tray detector. The second microprocessor knows that a tray is at the first detector at a particular time, and it knows the speed at which the tray moves. The second microprocessor likewise knows the position and speed of the array of the articles. The second microprocessor can therefore cause the robot device to operate so that the pickup device picks up the array (or a part thereof from the conveying line, which may be stopped to facilitate the picking up. The second microprocessor then assesses whether a tray is at a suitable location. If it is, then the robot device moves the pickup device so that the articles are deposited in the tray. If not, then the robot device returns to a “home” position, from which it moves once a tray is in a suitable position.
[0019] A second aspect of the invention provides a receiving and dropping station with a bomb door assembly as described above. The receiving and dropping station may also include a conveyor for conveying articles to the bomb door assembly. Preferably, the conveyor is disposed so that an article about to pass from the conveyor to the bomb door assembly is at a higher level than an article received in the bomb door assembly and ready to be dropped thereby.
[0020] In a third aspect, the invention provides an actuator assembly that may be used in the robot device. Preferably, the actuator assembly comprises an actuator for a robot arm comprising a servomotor, a threaded shaft coupled to the servomotor for rotation thereby, and a threaded element mounted, for example, on the shaft and displaceable by rotation thereof.
[0021] In a further aspect, the invention relates to methods of operating an apparatus according to the preceding aspects. The invention particularly relates to methods for handling articles in the form of, for example, pillow packs, such as potato chip packets having enclosures formed of a thin material. Such an enclosure has a seal region (and, usually, a pair of such seal regions, generally corresponding to the top and bottom of the article). A seal region is relatively stiff and flat and can thus be used for guiding a pack. Preferably, packs are conveyed to the bomb door assembly so as to present a seal region to the bomb door assembly. The bomb door assembly preferably has opposed guide regions dimensioned to guide a seal region into the bomb door assembly, correcting any minor misalignment. The guide regions (generally defined by guide creases) preferably extend horizontally at a level slightly below the adjacent conveyor level. Thus, the packs are conveyed into the bomb door assembly at a height and speed that provides a trajectory of the pack entering the bomb door assembly such that the front edge of the pack dips down and the seal portion of the pack hits the guiding crease in the bomb doors. This guides the leading edge of the pack into the door. Because the trailing edge of the pack is still clear of the bomb doors, the pack is realigned as it settles down into the profile of the bomb doors. This allows correction of the alignment of packs that may enter into the bomb doors displaced off center to the line of travel and/or twisted off square to the mechanism. The packs after alignment preferably come to rest for a few milliseconds, for example, for stabilization before being dropped. If a pack is not arrested prior to dropping, a lateral movement may occur as the pack falls, resulting in a poor presentation on the conveyor line or collation belt below the bomb door assembly.
[0022] The bomb door opening geometry allows the bomb doors to open to discharge the pack cleanly, preferably so that the pack does not touch the bomb doors as the pack drops. In other words, the pack is effectively left in free space when the bomb doors open. This provides a very repeatable drop, which, in turn, provides accurate collations that are formed for presentation to a pickup head of the pickup device.
[0023] The bomb door assembly can also be used to re-space bags fed from a source that may be intermittent or from a source that supplies a flow of packs on a variable mark space ratio. The bomb doors can be programmed to smooth out these variances so that a constant stream of packs is presented downstream of the bomb doors. This assists the pick-and-place robot assembly in working at very high efficiency without the need for high-tech camera systems. Also, picking and placing of packs are optimized, allowing for higher pickup rates, because of reduced placement distances and the pickup head readily finding the collation or pack.
[0024] A further aspect of the present invention provides a packaging method for receiving and holding each of a plurality of articles, dropping each article being held onto a conveyor, conveying the dropped articles on the conveyor in predetermined arrays, and picking up the articles or arrays of articles from the conveyor and placing the picked up articles in receptacles.
[0025] A further aspect of the present invention provides a packaging system including a receiving and dropping assembly comprising one or more doors that are displaceable between a holding configuration and a dropping configuration. The doors define a receptacle while in the holding configuration. The receptacle receives and holds an article, and the doors drop the article being held while in the dropping configuration. An output conveyor line receives the articles dropped by the receiving and dropping assembly. A controller controls the dropping and conveyance of the articles to convey the dropped articles along the output conveyor line in predetermined arrays. A pick-and-place robot system picks up the articles or arrays of articles from the output conveyor line and places the picked up articles in receptacles.
[0026] A further aspect of the present invention provides a packaging system including a receiving and dropping assembly comprising one or more doors that are displaceable between a holding configuration and a dropping configuration. The doors define a receptacle while in the holding configuration that is open at an input side and closed at an opposite side, and also define a supporting surface and a pair of opposed guide surfaces that extend away from the input side with a decrease in spacing. The receptacle successively receives and holds each of a plurality of articles. Each article has a leading edge and a trailing edge. The leading edge of each article is guided by the guide surfaces while the trailing edge of each article is still conveyed by the conveyor. Each received article is supported by the supporting surface. The doors drop each article supported by the supporting surface while in the dropping configuration. An output conveyor line receives the articles dropped by the receiving and dropping assembly. A controller controls dropping and conveyance of the articles to convey the dropped articles along the output conveyor line in predetermined arrays. A pick-and-place robot system picks up the articles or arrays of articles from the output conveyor line and places the picked up articles in receptacles.
[0027] A further aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus with a receiving and dropping assembly that has doors that are controllable to be in a closed configuration and an open configuration. When in the closed configuration, the doors together define a receptacle having an input side through which an article is received in the receptacle, and form a support surface which supports the received article to thereby hold the article in the receptacle. When an article is held in the receptacle and the doors are thereafter controlled to be in the open configuration, the held article is dropped below the assembly. The doors have a shape so that, when in the closed configuration, the doors taper from the input side in a direction in which the article is received into the receptacle and also taper in a downward direction in which the article is dropped, to thereby cause an article received into the receptacle in an incorrectly aligned position to be in a properly aligned position in the receptacle. The direction in which an article is received into the receptacle is approximately orthogonal to the downward direction in which the article is dropped. A conveyor conveys articles to the assembly so that, when the doors are in the closed configuration, the conveyor conveys a respective article into the receptacle to thereby be received into the receptacle, and when the doors are thereafter controlled to be in the open configuration and said respective article is dropped, the doors are subsequently controlled to again be in the closed position to thereby form a receptacle into which the conveyer conveys a next article.
[0028] These, together with other aspects and advantages that will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] [0029]FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0030] [0030]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
[0031] [0031]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows, along the section A-A of FIG. 2;
[0032] [0032]FIG. 4 is a front elevational view, on a larger scale, of a bomb door assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0033] [0033]FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a pickup assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0034] [0034]FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the pickup assembly shown in FIG. 5;
[0035] [0035]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the bomb door assembly of FIG. 4, including a first conveyor and a second conveyor;
[0036] [0036]FIG. 8 is another front elevational view of the bomb door assembly of FIG. 4;
[0037] [0037]FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the bomb door assembly of FIG. 4; and
[0038] [0038]FIG. 10 is a sectional view of an actuator assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0039] The invention is described by way of an example. The accompanying drawings show an apparatus used for packaging articles, such as packets of snack foods (e.g., potato chips). The articles 16 are delivered to a packaging apparatus via an infeed conveyor 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 9). A sensor of a photocell device 12 detects the arrival of an article 16 . An individual article 16 is delivered to a bomb door assembly 14 . From the bomb door assembly 14 , an article 16 is dropped a short distance onto a first conveyor belt 18 , which is generally short in length. These devices run intermittently, under the control of a microprocessor, which receives signals from the photocell device 12 and also controls the operation of the bomb door assembly 14 . The intermittent operation of the first conveyor 18 is controlled so that successive articles 16 are assembled into desired arrays. In FIG. 1, these arrays are shown, for example, as shingled pairs 20 . The arrays are conveyed on a main conveyor belt 22 . The main conveyor belt 22 also has controlled intermittent operation so that an array of articles is conveyed to a pickup location where the array is picked up while the main conveyor belt 22 is stationary. The picking up is effected by, for example, a pickup device 24 mounted on a robotic carrier 26 , which carries the array of articles to a tray 28 (see FIG. 3) that is conveyed on a parallel tray conveyor. FIGS. 5 and 6 show front and side elevational views of a pickup assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0040] The bomb door assembly 14 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 7. A pair of mirror-image doors 30 , for example, are pivotally mounted via bushings 32 so that the doors 30 are pivotable from a closed configuration, in which the doors 30 define a generally U-shaped floor, to an open configuration. For this purpose, each bushing 32 is, for example, fast with a short arm 34 that is pivoted to a respective C-shaped link 36 , which is pivoted, in turn, to a rotatable disc 38 fast with a rotary actuator 40 . The arrangement is such that rotation of the rotary actuator 40 causes rapid opening of the doors 30 , where the motion of the doors 30 approximates simple harmonic motion. In the illustrated apparatus of FIG. 4, the doors 30 are coupled together for motion. Alternatively, the doors 30 can be independently movable.
[0041] The doors 30 are shaped so that, in the closed configuration shown in FIG. 4, the doors 30 define a space that tapers in a downward direction, in the direction in which the article is dropped. The downward tapering, visible in FIG. 4, is achieved, for example, via a series of door portions that are connected to one another at angled joints. The lower region of the doors 30 may define a horizontal floor in the closed configuration. The tapering of the doors 30 is designed so that an article 16 coming into the doors 30 from the infeed conveyor 10 will come to rest in the correct position and orientation. Then, when the doors 30 open, the article 16 falls properly onto the first conveyor 18 beneath the doors 30 .
[0042] The doors 30 are shaped and mounted so that in the closed position, the doors 30 have a pair of spaced crease regions 130 (see FIG. 8) that extend horizontally, suitably spaced to guide an article 16 , primarily by engaging a leading seal region thereof. The mouths of the crease regions 130 (adjacent the infeed conveyor 10 ) splay out, but the bulk of the creases is straight. The creases 130 are at a level slightly below the level of the infeed conveyor 10 .
[0043] [0043]FIG. 7 shows that the outfeed conveyor onto which articles 16 are dropped by the bomb door assembly 14 may be a lateral conveyor, such as the first conveyor 18 as shown in FIGS. 1 - 3 , or the outfeed conveyor may have another orientation, such as an in-line conveyor 118 .
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a parallel rail 50 , on which a carriage 52 travels, is driven by a belt and pulley system 54 . The carriage 52 forms part of the robot device. The carriage 52 carries a pivotable arm 56 that is pivotally connected to the rear end of a forwardly-directed piston and cylinder assembly or actuator 58 . An intermediate region of this assembly 58 is coupled to a vertically acting piston and cylinder assembly or actuator 60 . Thus, the vertically acting piston and cylinder assembly 60 causes the forwardly-directed piston and cylinder assembly 58 to pivot in the plane of FIG. 3. The forwardly-directed piston and cylinder assembly 58 carries an arm 62 on which the pickup device 24 is mounted. Operation of the two piston and cylinder assemblies 58 , 60 and movement of the carriage 52 (which, together, provide three axes of movement) are controlled by a first microprocessor. Thus, the pickup head can move to any position within its range. In particular, the pickup head can be lowered towards the main conveyor belt 22 to pick articles 16 at any position within a predetermined range. The pickup head can then move forwardly to place the articles 16 in a tray 28 carried on the tray conveyor. A second microprocessor uses data on the speed and position of the tray 28 and the speed, position, and nature (such as an n-article shingled array) of an article 16 or array of articles to compute optimum paths for the pickup device to follow in picking up articles 16 and placing the articles 16 at correct locations in a tray 28 and/or moving to a home position where the pickup device 24 remains until it is determined that it is time to move to a calculated tray position or to a calculated array picking-up position.
[0045] [0045]FIG. 10 shows a preferred actuator assembly for the robot device. The actuator assembly uses a servomotor 100 , which is secured in a motor housing 102 . The motor housing 102 is mounted to a fixed frame 101 pivotally via a motor pivot 103 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10. The servomotor 100 rotates an actuator screw 104 . The coupling is indirect, via a flexible coupling 120 using a pair of angular contact bearings 106 housed in a bearing housing 108 fixed to the motor housing 102 .
[0046] The actuator screw 104 bears an actuator screw nut 110 , which is axially displaceable by rotation of the actuator screw 104 . The actuator screw 104 is attached to a thrust tube 112 , which is pivotally connected to a movable frame 114 via pivot bushes 116 and a pivot shaft 118 . In operation, rotation of the motor 100 in either sense causes the actuator nut 110 to move axially along the actuator screw 104 in a corresponding direction. The thrust tube 112 moves with the actuator nut 110 , thus increasing the distance between the motor pivot 103 and the pivot shaft 118 associated with the remote end of the thrust tube 112 .
[0047] The actuator assembly shown in FIG. 10 can give a robust and efficient system, very suitable for use in a robotic system as described herein. Preferably, the actuator assemblies are positioned outside the support and swinging members. This facilitates maintenance and makes the system very efficient, allowing lightweight, low power drives to be used without the need for costly gearboxes.
[0048] The resulting robot arm employing such an actuator assembly can be very fast, compared with existing robotic systems (e.g., cast type paint robots and x-y robots). This is due to the efficiency that results because the actuator assembly and framework move much less than the pickup head. The system formed by the actuator assembly and framework operates similar to a human leg with the muscles working beside the bone-supporting framework.
[0049] The present invention is applicable to packaging systems adapted to be operated in a continuous mode of article transportation, as well as in the intermittent mode of article transportation.
[0050] The conveyors are not limited to any particular size, shape, or type of conveyor. The articles are not limited to any particular size, shape, weight, or type of articles. The robot device and actuator assemblies are not limited to any particular configurations. The bomb door assembly is not limited to any particular number or size of bomb doors, angles providing downward tapering of the bomb doors, bushings, etc. The arrays of articles are not limited to any particular configuration. Instead, various modifications can be made to these features to achieve the intended operation of the present invention.
[0051] The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope 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 illustrated 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 packing system for articles. According to one embodiment of the invention, a receiving and dropping assembly comprising one or more doors that are displaceable between a holding configuration and a dropping configuration. The doors define a receptacle while in the holding configuration. The receptacle receives and holds an article, which is received by a leading edge of the article being guided by guide surfaces in the doors. The doors drop the article being held while in the dropping configuration. An output conveyor line receives the articles dropped by the receiving and dropping assembly. A controller controls the dropping and conveyance of the articles to convey the dropped articles along the output conveyor line in predetermined arrays. A pick-and-place robot system picks up the articles or arrays of articles from the output conveyor line and places the picked up articles in receptacles.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to German patent application number DE 10 2004 062 591.3, filed Dec. 24, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] And the invention relates to an apparatus for placing a FOUP on a loadport. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus for placing a FOUP on a loadport of a system for processing disc-shaped objects, whereby several indicator lights are provided at the loadport, which indicate a correct orientation and positioning of the FOUP on the loadport as well as clearance to load or unload the loadport.
[0003] Furthermore, the invention relates to a process for placing a FOUP on a loadport.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In semiconductor manufacturing, wafers or disc-shaped substrates, respectively, are sequentially processed in a multiplicity of processing steps during the production process. The disc-shaped substrates are transported to the systems in containers, the FOUPs. The various processing steps are then carried out in the systems.
[0005] According to the state-of-the-art, FOUPs are placed on the loadports of the systems. The correct position and orientation of the FOUPs on the loadport is recognized by sensors and visualized for the operator by a lighting device. The FOUP may not be removed from the loadport when processing of the disc-shaped objects of the FOUP is being carried out. If this occurs nonetheless, this event is indicated by an optical or acoustic signal. The alarm can be switched off by the operator.
[0006] US patent application 2002/0155641 A1 discloses an apparatus for orienting a loadport in a processing machine. The apparatus has a base plate in which at least two vertical bore holes are implemented that interact with the corresponding pins in the processing machine. And orientation block is provided for orienting in which at least one horizontal borehole is provided. The orientation of the loadport is determined via the borehole by means of a light source and a detector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The object underlying the invention is to create an apparatus with which the FOUPs may be safely placed on unused loadports and removed from these at any time without triggering an alarm.
[0008] This object is solved by an apparatus for placing a FOUP on a loadport of a system for processing disc-shaped objects. The loadport comprises several indicator lights that indicate a correct orientation and positioning of the FOUP on the loadport and clearance to load or unload the loadport. Furthermore, a operating element is arranged at the loadport, which, when activated, gives clearance for processing the disc-shaped objects in the FOUP.
[0009] A further object of the invention is to make available a process that enables the FOUPs to be placed safely and allows the FOUPs to the switched at will without triggering an alarm.
[0010] This object is solved by a process with the following characteristics:
placing a FOUP on an unused loadport; checking the correct orientation of the FOUP on the loadport; checking the activity of a operating element 30 that is provided at a loadport 20 ; and allowing multiple placements and/or removals of the FOUP when the operating element 30 is activated.
[0015] It is particularly advantageous if the loadport is implemented such that FOUPs may be placed on it before, for example, processing occurs in another system. The apparatus for placing a FOUP on a loadport of a system for processing disc-shaped objects is provided with several light indicators at the loadport. The light indicators indicate the correct orientation and positioning of the FOUP on the loadport. The type and correct positioning of the FOUP may be determined by means of sensors. An operating element is arranged at the loadport, which when activated gives clearance for processing the disc-shaped objects in the FOUP.
[0016] The operating element is provided with a light that indicates that processing of the disc-shaped objects has not yet started, and that the FOUP may therefore be removed at any time. The loadport is implemented in accordance with SEMI E15 and interlocks with a bottom side of the FOUP.
[0017] The process for placing a FOUP on a loadport comprises the following steps: setting a FOUP on an unused loadport; checking the correct orientation of the FOUP on the loadport; checking the activity of an operating element provided at a loadport; and allowing multiple placements and/or removals of the FOUP when the operating element is activated. The activity of the operating element is indicated by a light in the operating element. Activated, i.e., lit operating elements, enable and permit multiple placements and/or removals of the FOUP from loadport.
[0018] Further advantageous developments of the invention may be inferred from the subclaims.
[0019] The above and other features of the invention including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, and other advantages, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular method and device embodying the invention are shown by way of illustration and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] In the accompanying drawings, reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; emphasis has instead been placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Of the drawings:
[0021] The subject of the invention is schematically represented in the diagram and is described below based on the figures. They show:
[0022] FIG. 1 a schematic view of a first embodiment of the system, comprising a microinspection device and a macroinspection device;
[0023] FIG. 2 a perspective view of a loadport connected to a system for processing disc-shaped substrates;
[0024] FIG. 3 a perspective view of a loadport with the operating element according to the invention;
[0025] FIG. 4 a schematic view of the operating element that is provided on the base plate of the loadport; and
[0026] FIG. 5 a schematic representation of a flow diagram of the process according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a first embodiment of the system 100 , comprising a microinspection device 101 and a macroinspection device 102 . The macroinspection device 102 is implemented as a module and can therefore be quickly and simply connected to the system 100 . The front side and back side 2 , 3 of a disc-shaped object 4 (see FIG. 4 ) are imaged in the macroinspection device 102 . Furthermore, the system 100 is provided with at least one FOUP 103 via which the disc-shaped objects 4 are transported to and from the system 100 . The system is provided with a handler 104 that removes the disc-shaped objects 4 from the FOUPs 103 and places them in the FOUPs 103 , or transfers them on to the macroinspection device 102 or two a three-paddle handler 105 . The system 100 represented in FIG. 1 comprises a first transfer position, a second transfer position, and a third transfer position. The three-paddle handler 105 takes the disc-shaped object 4 from the handler 104 at the first transfer position. At the second transfer position, there is a pre-aligner 106 that takes the disc-shaped objects 4 from the three-paddle handler 105 . At the third transfer position, the microinspection device 101 takes the disc-shaped objects from the three-paddle handler 105 . It is evident that the aforedescribed system 100 is not limited to this concrete embodiment. Many other arrangements are conceivable in which one or several FOUPs 103 may interact with the system 100 for processing disc-shaped objects.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a loadport 20 connected to a system 100 for processing disc-shaped substrates. The loadport 20 is connected with the system 100 , and therefore forms an interface between the system 100 for processing the disc-shaped substrates. The loadport 20 is provided with a base plate 21 onto which a FOUP (not represented) 101 can be placed. The base plate 21 itself bears a connection plate 22 that is implemented in accordance with the SEMI E15 standard and interlocks with a bottom side (not represented) of the FOUP 101 . By interlocking, the FOUP 101 is securely seated on the loadport 20 . In addition to the aforedescribed interlocking, coupling elements (not represented) between the FOUP 101 and a loadport 20 grip each other to achieve a secure seat. A FOUP 101 filled with disc-shaped objects can therefore not be accidentally knocked off of the loadport 20 , so that an additional level of security to protect the disc-shaped objects is built in. In addition, several light indicators 23 are provided at the loadport 20 , which indicate the correct positioning of the FOUP 101 on the loadport 20 . Similarly, the light indicators 23 indicate whether the FOUP 101 has been placed on the loadport or whether the present FOUP may be removed. In addition, an opening 25 is provided in the loadport 20 , via which the disc-shaped objects are transported from the FOUP to the system 100 .
[0029] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the loadport 20 with the operating element 30 according to the invention. The operating element 30 makes it possible for a FOUP 101 to be placed on the loadport without initializing the lock device, by means of which the FOUP 101 is prevented from being removed before the disc-shaped objects contained in the FOUP 101 have been processed by the system 100 . Once the operator has placed a FOUP 101 on the loadport and presses or activates the operating element 30 , the disc-shaped objects contained in the FOUP 101 are processed. If the operator parks a FOUP 101 on the loadport 20 without activating the operating element 30 , the FOUP 101 is secured and fixed on the loadport 20 and can be removed and lowered again as desired.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an operating element 30 that is provided on the base plate 21 of the loadport 20 . The operating element 30 is provided with an internal light, which indicates that processing of the disc-shaped objects has not yet started, so that the FOUP may be removed from the loadport 20 at any time. The operating element 30 further comprises an activation element 31 , via which activation or deactivation, respectively, of the operating element 30 may be undertaken.
[0031] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a flow diagram of the process according to the invention. A free or unused loadport 20 is available. In a first step 40 , the operator can place or remove a FOUP on this loadport 20 . At this time, the loadport 20 tests to determine whether the FOUP is correctly placed. If the FOUP is not correctly placed, this can be corrected. In a first status inquiry 42 , the position of the FOUP is determined. Subsequently a status inquiry 43 a determines whether the light 33 in the operating element 30 is activated. If this is not the case, the process may be resumed, and a second status inquiry 44 determines whether the disc-shaped substrates in the FOUP may be processed or not. The decision whether to process or not is initiated by activating 45 the operating element 30 . In a further status inquiry 43 b , it is determined whether the light 33 in the operating element 30 is deactivated. If the light 33 in the operating element 30 is deactivated, then the disc-shaped objects in the FOUP are processed. Processing 46 of the FOUP ensues. Once processing is concluded, the FOUP may be removed from the loadport 20 . In other words, the FOUP is removed 47 from the loadport 20 . If the operating element 30 is not pressed, the FOUP may then be removed from the loadport 20 at any time.
[0032] While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
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An apparatus for placing a FOUP on a loadport 20 of a system for processing disc-shaped objects is disclosed. Several light indicators 23 are provided at the loadport 20 , which indicate a correct orientation and positioning of the FOUP on the loadport 20 as well as clearance to load or unload the loadport 20 . A operating element 30 is arranged at the loadport, which when activated gives clearance for processing the disc-shaped objects in the FOUP.
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[0001] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.______ (Attorney Docket Nos. ALTRP077, ALTRP082), to U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/887,918, 10/212,839, and 09/802,480 and to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,182,247, 6,247,147, 6,286,114 and 6,389,558, which are all hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to analysis of a hardware device in connection with a computer system. More specifically, the present invention relates to control of multiple debugging tools within a programmable logic device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In the field of electronics various electronic design automation (EDA) tools are useful for automating the process by which integrated circuits, multi-chip modules, boards, etc., are designed and manufactured. In particular, electronic design automation tools are useful in the design of standard integrated circuits, custom integrated circuits (e.g., ASICs), and in the design of custom configurations for programmable integrated circuits. Integrated circuits that may be programmable by a customer to produce a custom design for that customer include programmable logic devices (PLDs). Programmable logic devices refer to any integrated circuit that may be programmed to perform a desired function and include programmable logic arrays (PLAs), programmable array logic (PAL), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and a wide variety of other logic and memory devices that may be programmed. Often, such PLDs are designed and programmed by a design engineer using an electronic design automation tool that takes the form of a software package.
[0004] In the course of generating a design for a PLD, programming the PLD and checking its functionality on the circuit board or in the system for which it is intended, it is important to be able to debug the PLD because a design is not always perfect the first time. Before a PLD is actually programmed with an electronic design, a simulation and/or timing analysis may be used to debug the electronic design. Once the PLD has been programmed within a working system, however, it is also important to be able to debug the PLD in this real-world environment.
[0005] And although a simulation may be used to debug many aspects of a PLD, it is nearly impossible to generate a simulation that will accurately exercise all of the features of the PLD on an actual circuit board operating in a complex system. For example, a simulation may not be able to provide timing characteristics that are similar to those that will actually be experienced by the PLD in a running system; e.g., simulation timing signals may be closer or farther apart than what a PLD will actually experience in a real system.
[0006] In addition to the difficulties in generating a comprehensive simulation, circuit board variables such as temperature changes, capacitance, noise, and other factors may cause intermittent failures in a PLD that are only evident when the PLD is operating within a working system. Still further, it can be difficult to generate sufficiently varied test vectors to stress the PLD design to the point where most bugs are likely to be observed. For example, a PLD malfunction can result when the PLD is presented with stimuli that the designer did not expect, and therefore did not take into account during the design and simulation of the PLD. Such malfunctions are difficult to anticipate and must be debugged in the context of the complete system. Thus, simulation of an electronic design is useful, but usually cannot debug a PLD completely.
[0007] One approach to debugging a hardware device within a working system is to use a separate piece of hardware equipment called a logic analyzer to analyze signals present on the pins of a hardware device. Typically, a number of probe wires are connected manually from the logic analyzer to pins of interest on the hardware device in order to monitor signals on those pins. The logic analyzer captures and stores these signals for later viewing and debugging.
[0008] As an external logic analyzer may not always be optimal, embedding a logic analyzer within the hardware device is another technique used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,247 entitled “Embedded Logic Analyzer for a Programmable Logic Device” discloses such a technique, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,286,114 and 6,247,147 disclose enhancements. In addition, viewing internal nodes in a device may be performed as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/802,480. Embedding a logic analyzer into a design is also a technique used in the product “ChipScope ILA” available from Xilinx Inc., of San Jose, California. The product “ChipScope Pro” also available from Xilinx uses logic cores built directly into a PLD to allow a user to access internal signals and nodes for debugging.
[0009] As useful as these techniques are in debugging a PLD, there is room for improvement. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,114, a user controls a single embedded logic analyzer through a JTAG port. While such a technique is extremely useful, in many situations it would be desirable to have more than one internal debugging tool have access to the JTAG port, while still maintaining the benefits of a direct interface. In other words, it would be desirable for the user to be able to communicate with, and control, any number of internal logic analyzers, other debugging tools, or other applications through the JTAG port or a suitable serial interface.
[0010] For example, a PLD may use two different clock domains (or more) such as a 100 MHz and a 50 MHz clock. With two different clock speeds, a single embedded logic analyzer might not be able to capture debugging data from within the different clock domains. It would be useful to have two or more logic analyzers, each running at a different clock speed and still communicating to the user via a single, serial interface. The user may also wish to capture data from within different parts of the PLD using two or more different trigger conditions. Again, having more than one logic analyzer would be very useful.
[0011] The ChipScope product available from Xilinx, Inc. does provide the ability to have multiple logic analyzers within a PLD. It is believed, though, that these logic analyzers must be placed in series within the PLD which has disadvantages. For example, a user or software application desiring to access one of the logic analyzers using the ChipScope product needs to know about all of the internal logic analyzers and where the particular analyzer sits in the series chain. Requiring a user or software tool to be aware of all internal debugging tools and to coordinate amongst them can be confusing and inefficient.
[0012] It would be desirable to allow the user of an EDA tool to communicate with, and control, any number of embedded logic analyzers, debugging tools, or other internal applications that are within a PLD. Further, it would be desirable for the user to be able to control such a tool irrespective of any other internal tool, and to be able to do so via any single JTAG port or other serial interface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] To achieve the foregoing, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a PLD debugging hub is disclosed that allows any number of client modules embedded within a PLD to communicate to an external computer using a serial interface.
[0014] The present invention allows user logic present within a PLD to be debugged by way of the hub. The PLD includes a serial interface that allows communication with a host computer. Within the PLD may be any number of client modules that provide instrumentation for the PLD. Each client module has connections with the user logic that allows the instrumentation to work with the user logic. The hub communicates with each client module over a hub/node signal interface, and communicates with the serial interface over a user signal interface. The hub may route instructions from the host computer to any client module via the serial interface.
[0015] In one sense, the hub disclosed functions as a multiplexor, allowing any number of client modules (or “nodes”) to communicate externally though a serial interface of the PLD as if each node were the only node interacting with user logic. In this way, it is transparent that other nodes may also be present inside the PLD and control is simpler.
[0016] The hub described herein exists between a serial interface and user logic and provides a mechanism for sharing communication over a JTAG port (in one embodiment) amongst multiple, heterogeneous client modules. These client modules (such as logic analyzers, debugging tools or other) may operate independently and without knowledge of each of the other modules. These client modules include but are not limited to: a logic analyzer for capturing debugging data; a fault injector for forcing internal nodes to certain values for debugging; a debugging system controller used for controlling a debugging system within a microprocessor; and a signal source (also called a “programmable ROM”) for use as “soft” constants in DSP or other applications that make use of fixed values. Other types of client modules are also possible.
[0017] Unlike prior art techniques that might use multiple internal logic analyzers in a series within a PLD, the present invention does not require a user or software tool to know about such other modules within the PLD. The existence of other modules is transparent when a user is communicating with a single module. Any EDA tool communicating with and controlling a particular module need not be aware of, and need not coordinate with, any other internal client module. The advantage is that control is simplified by providing and maintaining a uniform client module interface, while allowing the flexibility and scalability of adding other, possibly unrelated, client modules to the hub. This allows the EDA tool to be designed to interface to its client modules in such a way that the communication appears to be exclusive to a module, regardless of the actual configuration of the hub or of the presence of other modules.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The invention, together with further advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0019] [0019]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a programmable logic device (PLD) that embodies the present invention.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 2 illustrates the functional relationship between external JTAG signals and the user debug signal interface.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the hub communicates outside the PLD using a serial interface.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 4 illustrates examples of possible client modules.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment in which a PLD is programmed for debugging.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment in which a PLD is debugged.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the hub.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a programmable logic development system.
[0027] [0027]FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a computer system suitable for implementing embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] [0028]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a programmable logic device (PLD) 10 that embodies the present invention. Included are user logic 20 , any number of client modules 30 - 36 , a hub 40 , interfaces 60 and 70 , and a JTAG interface 50 and 52 . User logic 20 is any electronic design created by a user that is programmed into a PLD; techniques for designing user logic and for programming a PLD are well known in the art. Client modules 30 - 36 (or “nodes”) may be any module programmed into the PLD. In general, a module is a specific piece of instrumentation used to analyze, control or debug the user logic 20 . As mentioned above, a module may be an embedded logic analyzer, a fault injector, a debugging system controller, a signal source, or other client instrumentation. FIG. 4 illustrates examples of possible client modules (or “nodes”). The core/node connections 22 - 28 are the responsibility of each module, i.e., the particular connections and how they are implemented will be specific to each module. Implementation of such connections is known in the art, and is also described in the above-referenced prior art in the Background.
[0029] PLD 10 highlights the interfaces between hub 40 , the JTAG State Machine (JSM) 52 , the nodes, the user logic 20 , and the external JTAG signals 50 (TCK, TMS, TDI and TDO). The hub, nodes, user logic and their interconnections are preferably soft (i.e., realized in core logic). The four JTAG pins, their connection to the JSM, and JSM itself are preferably hard (i.e., dedicated hardware resources provided by the PLD). Alternatively, the hub and nodes may be a dedicated hardware resource of a PLD, in which case a particular PLD would be designed specifically to provide certain nodes. Or, the JSM may be implemented in core logic, providing more flexibility for the invention to be implemented on any PLD, and not necessarily on a PLD with a dedicated JSM.
[0030] The JTAG port includes JSM 52 and pins 50 . A JTAG (Joint Test Action Group) port is implemented under the IEEE 1149.1 standard and is known to those of skill in the art. In this embodiment, the JTAG port includes signals TCLK, TMS, TDI and TDO. Signal TCLK is a clock signal that controls the rate of serial data in and out of the JTAG port. Signal TMS is a mode select signal used to direct traversal of the sixteen states of the JSM. Signals TDI and TDO are serial data in and serial data out, respectfully. JSM 52 is a standard part of the JTAG port and is preferably hard logic. It is also referred to as the test action port (TAP) controller.
[0031] Typically, a JTAG port is used either to program a PLD or to assist with testing a circuit board on which PLDs are located. Advantageously, it is realized that a JTAG port has traditionally been unused during the design and debugging of a particular PLD. Thus, it is further realized that a JTAG port on a PLD is under utilized and may be used during debugging of a PLD as a means of communicating with and controlling any number of internal client modules.
User Debug Signal Interface
[0032] The signal interface between JSM 52 and hub 40 is termed a user debug signal interface 70 . In one embodiment, it is a hard interface that includes 7 signals. These 7 signals are listed below in Table 1 . The hub signal port column shows the corresponding connection at hub 40 .
[0033] The user debug signals are provided by the JSM and may be connected to core routing resources. The user debug signals are active when either the USER0 or USER1 JTAG instruction is the active instruction in the JSM. This condition is referred to as user debug mode (UDM). Unlike other JTAG instructions that use dedicated hardware resources to 15 realize their target data registers, the target data register for these two instructions is realized in core logic. The user debug signals are used to control the communication to these registers.
[0034] The user debug signals are inactive when the instruction in the JSM is not USER0 or USER0 so that the content of their target data register is maintained while other operations are performed on the JTAG port.
TABLE 1 JSM Signal Hub Signal Port Port Description CLOCK_U → HUB_TCK A gated TCK, active when the JSM is in states CDR or SDR TDI_U → HUB_TDI Directly connected to TDI and always available RUNIDLE_U → HUB_RTI Indicates that the JSM is in the RTI state SHIFT_U* → HUB_SHIFT Indicates that the JSM is in the SDR state UPDATE_U → HUB_UPDATE Indicates that the JSM is in the UDR state USR1_U → HUB_USR1 Indicates that current instruction in the JSM is the USER1 instruction TDO_U HUB_TDO Connected to TDO when in UDM and the JSM is in state SDR
[0035] [0035]FIG. 2 illustrates the functional relationship 100 between external JTAG signals 50 and the user debug signal interface 70 . Shown are signals 102 that are signals present on the JSM signal port as described in Table 1. In this example, PLD 10 has a hub with three nodes and a maximum node instruction length of 10 . The first four timing signals in the FIG. are of JTAG signals 50 , while the next six timing signals are those from the JSM signal port (with the exception of signal TDO_U which in an input to the port). FIG. 2 illustrates one example of how particular combinations of JTAG signals 50 are used to produce outputs over user debug signal interface 70 . Of course, more signals may be added to the user debug signal interface, or there may be fewer. For instance, the TCK and TMS signals could be used, in addition to or in lieu of some signals in the user debug signal interface defined in Table 1, to provide more control and resolution into the current state of the JSM. Also, the signals may be encoded differently, outputs may be triggered on a falling edge instead of on a leading edge and vice-versa, etc.
[0036] Looking at FIG. 2 from left to right, the JSM moves from RTI (not shown) to SIR, where the USER1 instruction (0000001110) is shifted in (LSB to MSB). Upon the falling edge of TCK when the JSM is in UIR, the USR1_U signal goes high, indicating the USER1 instruction is now the active instruction in the JSM (i.e., the JSM is in user debug mode). Consequently, SHIFT_U goes low. Next, the JSM moves to SDR, where 12 bits of zero are shifted in. Since USER1 is the active instruction in the JSM, this corresponds to an instruction load for hub 40 with the HUB_INFO instruction (irsr[11 . . . 10]='00' and irsr[2 . . . 0=]'000'). The JSM then moves to SIR, where the USER0 instruction (0000001100) is shifted in, and then to SDR, where the first 4 bits held in hub 40 Info Store 632 are shifted out.
Alternative Serial Interface
[0037] [0037]FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment 200 in which hub 40 communicates outside the PLD 10 using a serial interface. The serial interface shown is by way of example, and other types of serial interfaces may be used. In this example, communication takes place over four pins of the PLD; of course, any number of pins may be used to perform a similar function. Pins 202 and 204 transmit respectively a data in signal and a data out signal to and from the PLD. Pin 206 is a clock signal provided by the external computer which is used to synchronize the serial transmission of commands, data and other information from the external computer to the PLD, and from the PLD to the external computer.
[0038] Mode select pin 208 is used to transmit commands, modes and other control information from the external computer to hub 40 . Mode select 208 may use more than one pin and may also be used to receive status or other information from the hub. Mode select may also transmit identifying information for a particular client module from the external computer to the PLD. Pin 208 may be connected to a separate mode input of hub 40 or to any of the signals listed in Table 1 as appropriate. In this fashion, the hub communicates with an external computer using a serial interface that is not necessarily a JTAG port.
Hub/Node Signal Interface
[0039] The signal interface between hub 40 and any node 30 - 36 is termed the hub/node signal interface. This is preferably a soft interface that includes 5 buses and 7 signals. The hub/node signals are connected using core routing resources. Such connections may easily be made by one of skill in the art. Table 2 below shows the hub/node signal interface with respect to a particular node. In other words, although hub 40 may be connected to any number of nodes, the second column of Table 2 shows only those connections on a single node. Should there be more than one node, each node would have the connections shown in the second column. In an embodiment where Hub/Node connections are made automatically by a netlist builder tool (e.g., an EDA tool), it is preferable that that connected nodes use the bus/signal name definitions shown in Table 2. By way of example, such a tool may be the “Quartus” product available from Altera Corporation, or other netlist builder tool.
TABLE 2 Hub Bus/Signal Port Node i Bus/Signal Port Description NODE_TCK → TCK Node clock (common to all nodes) NODE_TDI → TDI Node data in (common to all nodes) NODE_RTI → RTI Indicates that the JSM is in the RTI state (common to all nodes) NODE_SHIFT → SHIFT Indicates that the JSM is in the SDR state (common to all nodes) NODE_UPDATE → UPDATE Indicates that the JSM is in the UDR state (common to all nodes) NODE_USR1 → USRI Indicates that current instruction in the JSM is the USER1 instruction (common to all nodes) NODE_CLRN → CLRN Asynchronous clear (common to all nodes) NODE_ENA[i] → ENA Indicates that the current instruction in hub 40 is for node i NODE_IR_OUT[i] → IR_IN[N_NODE_IR_BIT Node i IR [N_NODE_IR_BITS(i)-1..0] S(i)-1..0] NODE_TDO[i] TDO Node i data out NODE_IRQ[i] IRQ Node i interrupt NODE_IR_IN[i] IR_OUT[N_NODE_IR_B Node i IR capture port [N_NODE_IR_BITS(i)-1..0] ITS(i)-1..0]
[0040] Details on the connections shown in Table 2 are as follows. The variable N_NODE_IR_BITS(i) is the number of instruction register bits required by a node i. The signals NODE_TCK, NODE_TDI, NODE_RTI, NODE_SHIFT, NODE_UPDATE and NODE_USR1 of the hub port for the nodes are directly connected to the signals HUB_TCK, HUB_TDI, HUB_RTI, HUB_SHIFT, HUB_UPDATE and HUB_USRI of the hub port for the JSM, respectively.
[0041] The NODE_CLRN signal is an asynchronous, active low clear signal that is activated when the JSM is in RTI after the HUB_RESET instruction becomes the active Hub instruction. Since hub 40 is also reset by this signal, the HUB_INFO instruction becomes the active Hub instruction.
[0042] The NODE_ENA[i] bus is a one-hot bus that is used to inform a node that the current hub instruction is for that node, e.g. if NODE 13 ENA[3] is 1, then an instruction for node 3 is the current instruction in the hub's instruction register. This means that when NODE_SHIFT is 1, the associated target register for their instruction is part of the JTAG TDI TDO scan chain. Moreover, this places the burden on nodes to provide a path between TDI and TDO. Preferably, there is no discontinuity between TDI and TDO when NODE_SHIFT is 1. For the HUB_INFO instruction, a 4-bit shift register is used between TDI and TDO. For other hub instruction patterns, hub bypass register 634 is between TDI and TDO.
[0043] Hub 40 provides the instruction register resource for all nodes, and nodes obtain their instruction from their respective NODE_IR_OUT[i] port of the Hub. Hub 40 stores the instruction for each node in instruction register file 630 . Node TDOs are fed to their corresponding NODE_TDO[i] input port of the Hub.
[0044] The NODE_IRQ[i] port is provided so that nodes may indicate that they need attention, i.e., a node has a result or stored information that should be communicated externally back to the user or EDA tool. For example, a node that is a logic analyzer may have captured data that needs to be sent back to a host computer to aid in debugging the PLD. In one embodiment, this interrupt feature is implemented as follows. All of the NODE_IRQ[i] inputs are OR'ed together, and made available on the MSB of USER1 data register scans (i.e., UDM instruction loads).
[0045] This single bit interrupt flag indicates the existence of a service request on one or more Nodes. Due to the nature of the shared JTAG user debugging access that hub 40 provides, a node should keep its IRQ signal high until the node is serviced. The host agent (such as an EDA tool running on a host computer) controlling the communication with the nodes polls each node it controls to see which (if any) nodes need to be serviced. All nodes share the same interrupt level, so the host agent should establish a pecking order if multiple nodes need to be serviced simultaneously. Alternatively, a rigid interrupt level may be established in which nodes are serviced in a particular order. When the host agent decides to service a particular node, the host agent executes the node's interrupt service routine. This series of operations is specific to a node, and is executed by issuing instructions and/or performing data exchange operations on the node. Once this routine is complete, it is either up to the host agent to direct the node to clear its IRQ signal, or the node's logic to automatically acknowledge that its interrupt has been serviced and clear the IRQ signal without further intervention from the host agent.
[0046] One method of communication from a node to the outside world that avoids the overhead of accessing the target data register of the node's instruction utilizes the NODE_IR_IN[i] bus and the hub's instruction register (IR) capture value. A given node i can use the NODE_IR_IN[i] bus of hub 40 to provide the IR capture value during UDM instruction loads when the current hub instruction is for node i. In this way, information may be transferred without accessing the target data register of the instruction currently being applied in the UDM instruction load sequence. It also allows for node i with an instruction that targets a read-only data register to save PLD resources and use a single register as the instruction's target data register, while providing the read-only information in the IR capture value assuming that the read-only data length is of equal or lesser value than the IR length of node i. The HUB_FORCE_IR_CAPTURE instruction may be used to force the IR capture value to be from a node other than the one targeted by the current hub instruction. This feature is very useful in that it may not be known which instruction currently resides in the hub (i.e., it may not be possible to ensure that an instruction for a particular node was the last one issued), and the IR capture value for a particular node is required. Issuing HUB_FORCE_IR_CAPTURE prior to the issuance of an instruction for node i will guarantee that the IR capture value is from node i. The IR capture value is undefined when hub 40 is in broadcast mode.
Examplary Flow Diagrams
[0047] [0047]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment in which a PLD is debugged. Of course, other similar design methodologies may be used, including those referenced in the Background section. A user first develops a design for a PLD using an EDA tool and then compiles the design. The design is then programmed into a PLD (such as PLD 10 with the capability to implement the present invention. The user then debugs the PLD, and, assuming that bugs are found in the design, proceeds as follows.
[0048] The user returns to the design and instructs the EDA tool to add a hub 40 and signal interfaces as described herein. The user then instructs the EDA tool to add the instrumentation needed (e.g., logic analyzers, fault injectors, etc.). Alternatively, the PLD may have been preprogrammed for this eventuality and already includes this logic. The commands may be given via a graphical user interface (GUI), by directly adding the required functionality to the design, or in other similar ways. Advantageously, any number and type of instrumentation may be added, constrained only by the size of the PLD. Techniques for adding a particular instrumentation will vary by the type, and are known to those of skill in the art. For each instrumentation, the user supplies a manufacturer identifier, a node identifier, a node version number, and a node instance number.
[0049] The user next performs a recompile to include all of the added instrumentation, hub, signal interfaces, etc. During the recompile, the EDA tool (or compiler) assigns each node a selection identifier to aid in sending instructions and data to a node, as well as to aid in receiving information from a node. The selection identifier is a unique identifier for a particular node in the PLD, and is preferably derived from a combination of the identifiers listed above, although the selection identifier may be derived from other information as well. The new design is then programmed onto a PLD and the user may debug once again using any of the instrumentation added.
[0050] [0050]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment in which a PLD is debugged. Once the instrumentation and hub have been added (for example, as shown in FIG. 5), the user is ready to begin using the instrumentation. To identify each node, and to keep operation of other nodes transparent for a chosen node, the EDA tool and hub use the selection identifier to direct instructions to a node and to poll a node for information. Preferably, the selection identifier precedes an instruction for a node, although this could be reversed. In a first step, an instruction is issued from the EDA tool to arm, enable, or otherwise turn on the embedded instrumentation. Each may be turned on separately, or all may be turned on together.
[0051] To provide an instruction to a node (e.g., run, stop, trigger condition, control command, etc.), the EDA tool provides the instruction to the hub via the JTAG interface preceded by the node's selection identifier. To receive information from a node, polling or interrupts may be used. Typically, the outside host agent (EDA tool or other software) periodically polls the JTAG interface for a signal that the node is ready with information. Alternatively, a node may send back an interrupt in an instruction scan. The interrupt may be a set flag, a particular instruction, etc. Once the host agent has detected that a node is ready with information (by polling, interrupt, etc.), the host issues a read instruction preceded by the node's selection identifier in order to receive the information, or take other appropriate action.
Hub Implementation Example
[0052] [0052]FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one embodiment of hub 40 . Hub 40 serves to allow communication between any number of nodes 30 - 36 and a JTAG port (or any other suitable serial interface) so that a node may interact with user logic 20 as a user desires. Typically, a node may be a logic analyzer and hub 40 facilitates control of that logic analyzer, for example. As previously described, signals 610 are received as input from JSM 52 , and signal 612 is output to the JSM. Buses 620 are input from any number of nodes, and signals and buses 624 and 628 are output to any nodes that are present.
[0053] The data registers associated with the JTAG USER0 and USER1 instructions are user-defined. To provide instructions and information to the hub or to a node, the operation of the hub mimics the instruction/data register (IR/DR) paradigm defined by the JTAG standard. This operation is accomplished by designating the user-defined DR for the USER1 instruction as the hub's instruction register, or instruction shift register (IRSR). Correspondingly, the USER0 instruction targets the hub's data register. All nodes also follow this paradigm. Therefore, to issue an instruction to either hub 40 or a Node, the USER1 instruction is the active instruction in the JSM, and the instruction is shifted in when the JSM is in the SDR state. Similarly, to shift in associated target register data, the USER0 instruction is the active instruction in the JSM, and the associated target register data is shifted in when the JSM is in the SDR state.
[0054] Hub 40 includes an instruction register file 630 , a hub information store 632 , a hub bypass register 634 , hub control logic 636 , and an instruction shift register 638 . Also included are multiplexors 650 - 656 . As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, hub 40 may implemented in other ways, yet still provide the same functionality.
[0055] Instruction register file (IRF) 630 consists of the instruction registers for all nodes. In other words, IRF 630 stores instructions for all nodes in hub 40 before the instruction is sent out to each node. Advantageously, each node need not store any instructions, and need not look at all instructions provided to hub 40 , thus providing greater efficiency. Instruction shift register (IRSR) 638 receives instruction information from the JSM via HUB_TDI serially and transfers it into the proper destination in the IRF 630 as directed by the hub control logic (HCL) 636 . In addition, IRSR 638 receives information from a node (i.e., the IR capture value) and transfers it serially back to the JSM via HUB_TDO 612 .
[0056] Hub information store 632 is a repository of hub configuration and node identification information. For example, store 632 keeps a record of: a manufacturer identifier, indicating from which manufacturer a node originates; a node identifier, indicating the type of instrumentation that the node embodies; a node version number, indicating the version of that particular type of instrumentation; and a node instance number, which uniquely identifies a node. Further details are provided below in Table 6 as an example of the type of information that is stored to ensure proper operation. Preferably, this information is compiled into the hub when first compiled. Other information may be included in store 632 as deemed necessary. For instance, PLD resource usage information for nodes may be kept in store 632 , or other important information necessary for proper use and control of a node.
[0057] Hub bypass register 634 is used to maintain JTAG continuity when there is no target register for the hub, or if a targeted node is outside the valid node selection space. Register 634 provides a default path for any instruction without a valid target register, or an invalid data register. Hub control logic (HCL) 636 generates the necessary control signals used throughout the Hub. The User Debug Signal Interface and the value in instruction shift register 638 (ISR) provide the input stimulus to the HCL. The outputs from the HCL control the multiplexors used to steer data to its proper destination, and serve as register enable controls. HCL 636 also has the function of maintaining JTAG continuity if an “out-of-bounds” instruction is issued, e.g., if an instruction targets a node outside the valid node selection space the HCL will maintain JTAG continuity by placing hub bypass register between HUB_TDI and HUB_TDO. Alternatively, HCL may be implemented as two logical boxes instead of the single one shown. For example, the HCL may be broken into those signals and logic that control the hub, and those that are used for controlling output.
[0058] The following parameters are used to specify the hub, and are provided by the netlist builder tool.
TABLE 3 Parameter Definition N_NODES The number of nodes connected to the hub N_IR_BITS MAX(N_NODE_IR_BITS(i)) NODE_INFO(i) A 32-bit value (described below)
[0059] The hub also makes use of the following constant definitions.
TABLE 4 Constant Definition N_SEL_BITS CEIL(LOG2(N_NODES + 1) N_HUB_IR_BITS N_SEL_BITS + N_IR_BITS SEL_MSB N_HUB_IR_BITS − 1 SEL_LSB N_IR_BITS
[0060] The length of the hub's instruction register (IRSR) is ‘N_HUB_IR_BITS’ bits, which is the sum of N_IR_BITS (i.e., MAX(N_NODE_IR_BITS(i)), the maximum of the node and the minimum hub IR lengths) and N_SEL_BITS (i.e., the number of bits required to encode the number of nodes plus the hub). This encoded value (SELect) allows for the hub and all nodes to have non-conflicting instruction codes. By definition, the minimum hub IR length N_NODE_IR_BITS(Hub)=N_SEL_BITS+3, SEL(Hub)=0 always, and SEL(Node(i))=i. Table 5 below shows the instructions supported by the hub.
TABLE 5 Instruction Value Description HUB_INFO 0 Provides information about the hub and all of the nodes HUB_START_BROADCAST 1 Delays instruction updates to nodes until HUB_END_BROADCAST is issued HUB_END_BROADCAST 2 Updates node instructions HUB_FORCE_IR_CAPTURE 3 Forces the instruction capture of the next instruction load to come from the specified node HUB_RESET 7 Asserts NODE_CLRN while JSM is in RTI
[0061] When the HUB_INFO instruction is issued, the data in hub information store 632 is shifted out 4 bits at a time, i.e., multiple cycles through the data register (DR) leg of the JSM are required to retrieve all the data. Each nibble is loaded on the rising edge of HUB_TCK when the JSM is in the CDR state. The information held in hub information store 632 is packed into lookup table (LUT) CRAM cells to reduce resource usage. The data is shifted out LSB to MSB as shown in Table 6.
TABLE 6 DWORD\BIT 31 27 26 18 7 0 19 8 0 HUB_VERSION N_NODES MFG_ID N_IR_BITS 1 NODE 1 NODE 1 ID NODE 1 NODE 1 INSTANCE VERSION MFG_ID . . . . . . . . . . . . N NODE N NODE N ID NODE N NODE N INSTANCE VERSION MFG_ID
[0062] HUB_VERSION and MFG_ID are embedded in the source logic of the hub. MFG_ID is a manufacturer's identification number assigned by an entity authorized to maintain unique identifiers for this invention. N_NODES is a parameter provided by the netlist builder tool, and N_HUB_IR_BITS is a constant computed as defined above. The NODE_INFO(i) parameters are concatenated by the netlist builder tool and are passed on as one long parameter to the hub. NODE ID, assigned by the manufacturer of the client module, identifies the type of client module functionality. For example, a NODE ID of 0 could represent a logic analyzer, a NODE ID of 1 could represent a fault injector, etc. NODE VERSION, also assigned by the manufacturer of the client module, represents the version of this particular type of client module. NODE INSTANCE, assigned by an FDA tool inserting the hub and client modules into the PLD design, identifies the instance of a particular NODE ID in the PLD. For example, if there are two logic analyzers in the same PLD from the same manufacturer and each is the same version, NODE INSTANCE distinguishes between the two.
[0063] The HUB_START_BROADCAST instruction is used to delay instruction updates to Nodes. This provides the ability to issue instructions simultaneously to the all of the Nodes.
[0064] An application of this feature would be to simultaneously arm multiple logic analyzers within the PLD. The HUB_END_BROADCAST instruction updates all NODE_IR_OUT[i] buses.
[0065] For nodes that use the instruction register (IR) capture value, the last instruction issued may have been for a different node, and the instruction register capture value will be for that other Node. The HUB_FORCE_IR_CAPTURE instruction can be used to force the IR capture from a particular Node. The format of this instruction for node i is shown below.
TABLE 7 N_HUB_IR_BITS−1 N_SEL_BITS+2 3 2 0 N_SEL_BITS+3 0 i 011
Programmable Logic Development System
[0066] In the course of developing an electronic design for programming a programmable logic device (PLD), a programmable logic development system is used. As used herein, “electronic design” refers to a design used to program circuit boards and systems including multiple electronic devices and multi-chip modules, as well as integrated circuits. For convenience, the present discussion generally refers to “integrated circuits”, or to “PLDs”, although the invention is not so limited.
[0067] [0067]FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a programmable logic development system 710 that includes a computer network 712 , a programming unit 714 and a programmable logic device 716 that is to be programmed. Computer network 712 includes any number of computers connected in a network such as computer system A 718 , computer system B 720 , computer system C 722 and computer system file server 723 all connected together through a network connection 724 . Computer network 712 is connected via a cable 726 to programming unit 714 , which in turn is connected via a programming cable 728 to the PLD 716 . Alternatively, only one computer system could be directly connected to programming unit 714 . Furthermore, computer network 712 need not be connected to programming unit 714 at all times, such as when a design is being developed, but could be connected only when PLD 716 is to be programmed.
[0068] Programming unit 714 may be any suitable hardware programming unit that accepts program instructions from computer network 712 in order to program PLD 16 . By way of example, programming unit 714 may include an add-on logic programmer card for a computer, and a master programming unit, such as are available from Altera Corporation of San Jose, California. PLD 716 may be present in a system or in a programming station. In operation, any number of engineers use computer network 712 in order to develop programming instructions using an electronic design automation software tool. Once a design has been developed and entered by the engineers, the design is compiled and verified before being downloaded to the programming unit. The programming unit 714 is then able to use the downloaded design in order to program PLD 716 .
[0069] For the purposes of debugging a PLD according to an embodiment of the present invention, any of the computers shown or others may be used by an engineer to compile a design. Furthermore, programming cable 728 may be used to receive data from the PLD, or a separate debugging cable may be used to directly connect a computer with device 716 . Such a programmable logic development system is used to create an electronic design. A user creates a design by specifying and implementing functional blocks.
[0070] The above-referenced U.S. patents disclose a design methodology for using a system design specification in order to develop a design with which to program a PLD. It should be appreciated that the present invention may be practiced in the context of a wide variety of design methodologies, and with diverse electronic design automation (EDA) software tools.
Computer System Embodiment
[0071] [0071]FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a computer system 900 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 9A shows one possible physical form of the computer system. Of course, the computer system may have many physical forms ranging from an integrated circuit, a printed circuit board and a small handheld device up to a huge super computer. Computer system 900 includes a monitor 902 , a display 904 , a housing 906 , a disk drive 908 , a keyboard 910 and a mouse 912 . Disk 914 is a computer-readable medium used to transfer data to and from computer system 900 .
[0072] [0072]FIG. 9B is an example of a block diagram for computer system 900 . Attached to system bus 920 are a wide variety of subsystems. Processor(s) 922 (also referred to as central processing units, or CPUs) are coupled to storage devices including memory 924 . Memory 924 includes random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). As is well known in the art, ROM acts to transfer data and instructions uni-directionally to the CPU and RAM is used typically to transfer data and instructions in a bi-directional manner. Both of these types of memories may include any suitable of the computer-readable media described below. A fixed disk 926 is also coupled bi-directionally to CPU 922 ; it provides additional data storage capacity and may also include any of the computer-readable media described below. Fixed disk 926 may be used to store programs, data and the like and is typically a secondary storage medium (such as a hard disk) that is slower than primary storage. It will be appreciated that the information retained within fixed disk 926 , may, in appropriate cases, be incorporated in standard fashion as virtual memory in memory 924 . Removable disk 914 may take the form of any of the computer-readable media described below.
[0073] CPU 922 is also coupled to a variety of input/output devices such as display 904 , keyboard 910 , mouse 912 and speakers 930 . In general, an input/output device may be any of: video displays, track balls, mice, keyboards, microphones, touch-sensitive displays, transducer card readers, magnetic or paper tape readers, tablets, styluses, voice or handwriting recognizers, biometrics readers, or other computers. CPU 922 optionally may be coupled to another computer or telecommunications network using network interface 940 . With such a network interface, it is contemplated that the CPU might receive information from the network, or might output information to the network in the course of performing the above-described described method steps. Furthermore, method embodiments of the present invention may execute solely upon CPU 922 or may execute over a network such as the Internet in conjunction with a remote CPU that shares a portion of the processing.
[0074] In addition, embodiments of the present invention further relate to computer storage products with a computer-readable medium that have computer code thereon for performing various computer-implemented operations. The media and computer code may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to: magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and holographic devices; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and execute program code, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) and ROM and RAM devices. Examples of computer code include machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher level code that are executed by a computer using an interpreter.
[0075] Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the described embodiments should be taken as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention should not be limited to the details given herein but should be defined by the following claims and their full scope of equivalents.
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User logic within a PLD is debugged by way of the hub. The PLD includes a serial interface (such as a JTAG port) that communicates with a host computer. Any number of client modules are within the PLD and provide instrumentation for the PLD. A module is a logic analyzer, fault injector, system debugger, etc. Each client module has connections with the user logic that allows the instrumentation to work with the user logic. The hub communicates with each client module over a hub/node signal interface and communicates with the serial interface over a user signal interface. The hub routes instructions and data from the host computer to a client module (and vice-versa) via the serial interface and uses a selection identifier to uniquely identify a module. The hub functions as a multiplexor, allowing any number of client modules to communicate externally though the serial interface as if each node were the only node interacting with user logic.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/786,659, filed Oct. 23, 2015, which is a U.S. National Phase of International Application No. PCT/BR2014/000324, filed Sep. 9, 2014, which claims priority to Brazilian Patent Application No. BR 10 2013 025343 0, filed on Oct. 1, 2013, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a detection system of washing basket and more particularly to washing machines consisting of attached washing basket and a modular and removable washing basket. The subject invention further relates to a method for detecting washing machines removable basket, which is particularly suitable for the detection system of washing machines removable basket now disclosed.
[0003] Together, the system and method disclosed herein allow an automatic, complementary or independent verification from the verification by the user, which allows determining if a removable basket is or not coupled to the stirrer of a washing machine capable of this type of coupling.
BACKGROUND
[0004] As is known to those skilled technicians in the art, washing machines and in particular clothes washing machines comprise machines for washing articles in general in an aqueous medium. Thus, it is evident to note that clothes washing machines comprise, among other functional components and elements, at least one washing basket.
[0005] Conventionally, a washing basket of a clothes washing machine defines an environment able to pack an aqueous medium (water and cleaning supplies) and a specific load of articles to be washed.
[0006] Also conventionally, a washing basket of a clothes washing machine provides means for mechanical association to a motive source (usually an electric motor) existing in the washing machine. Such means of mechanical association are responsible for transmitting the rotary motion of the motor to said washing basket. Different stages of the washing process require this movement of the washing basket.
[0007] Conventionally, a clothes washing machine comprises only one washing basket, that is, only an environment able to receive an aqueous medium and a load of articles to be washed.
[0008] In these cases, it is necessary to perform a kind of screening of the articles that will compose a washing load, that is, it is necessary for example to separate the white clothes from the colored ones so that they do not smear each other during the washing process.
[0009] This type of screening implies the need of conducting at least two complete washing processes. In the present example, at least one washing process for the white clothes and at least one washing process for colored ones.
[0010] The current state of the art provides the possibility of using removable baskets together with attached baskets in clothes washing machines.
[0011] An example of this kind of concept can be found in document U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,358, where it is described a clothes washing machine which provides, in addition to the main washing basket, a removable washing basket liable of attachment in the stirrer of the washing machine, which is arranged inside the main washing basket. In this example, both washing baskets have fluid communication with each other, that is, the same aqueous medium used in the main washing basket is used in the removable washing basket.
[0012] Another example of the same concept is disclosed in document U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,479, wherein the use of a removable washing basket liable of attachment to the bottom of a main washing basket is described. In this example, the two washing baskets also have fluid communication with each other, with the same aqueous medium being used for both baskets.
[0013] In both examples above, as well as other embodiments based on this same concept, there is, for practical purposes, no difference between using or not using the removable washing basket, after all, it is understood that the washing machine is liable of conventional operating with or without said removable washing basket.
[0014] This occurs mainly by the fact that both the main washing basket and the removable washing basket operate in a same aqueous medium. Therefore, systems for filling and draining the washing machine operate in a standard and independent manner from the use or not of the removable washing basket.
[0015] Moreover, the current state of the art also includes a second concept substantially different from the concept illustrated in documents U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,358 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,479.
[0016] In this second concept, a clothes washing machine also provides for the existence of two washing baskets, one main and attached and one modular and removable. However, in this second concept, the washing baskets do not present fluid communication with each other (at least not during the washing process) and depending on this, each washing baskets operate as own aqueous media and distinct from one another.
[0017] An example of this second concept can be found in document U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,020, wherein it is described a washing machine consisting of a storage tank of water and, within this, an attached washing basket and a removable washing basket.
[0018] In general, the removable washing basket is able to be attached to the upper end of the stirrer which is disposed inside the attached washing basket. It is also worth noting that the aforementioned removable washing basket still has water drainage holes facing the inside of the attached washing basket.
[0019] Anyway, during the washing process, the attached washing basket receives a first aqueous medium and a first washing load, while the removable washing basket receives a second aqueous medium and a second washing load. Obviously, said removable washing basket cannot be used and, in this context, the clothes washing machine receives only one aqueous medium and only one washing load.
[0020] Considering this second concept, it is within the knowledge of the versed technician that the user must insert or remove the removable washing basket and hence the user must “inform” the clothes washing machine if said removable washing basket is in conditions of use or not.
[0021] Unlike the first concept (where the washing baskets present fluid communication), the use or not of the removable washing basket alters all the functional dynamics of the washing machine, after all, two distinct filling steps and two distinct draining steps are required, in addition to other intermediate steps which guarantee the independent operation of both baskets.
[0022] Thus, it is extremely important to identify, preferably before the start of the washing process, if the removable washing basket is in conditions of use or not, and it is based on this premise that the present invention arises.
OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION
[0023] Thus, it is an objective of this invention to provide a detection system of removable basket of washing machine able to verify, independently, if a removable washing basket is in conditions of use or not. From this verification, the clothes washing machine, according to the subject invention, may take appropriate pre program mediation.
[0024] It is also an objective of the subject invention that said detection system of washing machines removable basket presents a simplistic and simultaneously robust constructiveness. In this context, the simplicity aims to avoid increasing the manufacturing costs of the washing machine, and the robustness aims to avoid failures and misuse of the washing machine.
[0025] It is another objective of the present invention to propose a method for detecting washing machines removable basket, which is especially suited to the detection system of washing machines removable basket now disclosed and its main objective is to verify the existence or not of the removable washing basket before the beginning of the washing process.
SUMMARY
[0026] An aspects of the present disclosure relates to a washing machine, comprising, a structure defining an interior of the washing machine, a first washing basket located within the interior of the washing machine and defining a first treating chamber, a second washing basket defining a second treating chamber and where the second washing basket is removable and configured to be selectively received within the first treating chamber, at least one sensor located within the interior of the washing machine or located on the second washing basket and at least one component configured to cause excitation of the at least one sensor and where the at least one component is located on the other of the interior of the washing machine or the second washing basket, wherein the sensor is configured to provide an output based on the excitation that is indicative of a presence of the second washing basket.
[0027] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for operating a washing machine having a first washing basket having a first open top and defining a first treating chamber for receiving laundry, the method comprising receiving, from a sensor, an output indicative of a presence or an absence of a removable second washing basket within the first treating chamber, identifying, by a controller, the presence or the absence of the removable second washing basket based on the received sensor output, and operating the washing machine based on the identifying of the presence or the absence of the removable second washing basket.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] The present invention will be detailed based on the figures listed below, which:
[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates in schematic section a washing machine fundamentally based on the second concept (two washing tanks, one attached and the other removable, free of fluid communication with each other) previously detailed;
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates in schematic prospective the detection system of washing machines removable basket according to the present invention; and
[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates in schematic top view the detection system of washing machines removable basket according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] As previously mentioned, it is within the knowledge of the technicians skilled in the art that washing machines can take an embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 1 .
[0033] In FIG. 1 , it is illustrated in schematic section a washing machine mainly composed of a structural set defined by an outer case and a movable lid which provides access to the interior of said outer case.
[0034] Inside the outer case, it is provided one washing basket 1 that, attached to the washing machine, is susceptible to rotational movement inherent to the steps of the washing process. The washing basket 1 , in its different possibilities of configuration and/or embodiment, is notorious to the technicians versed in the subject matter.
[0035] Inside said washing basket 1 , it is arranged a stirrer, which is essentially composed by a base and a column. The current state of the art provides for a wide range of configurations and/or embodiments of stirrers, and thus the stirrer is also evident to the technicians skilled in the art.
[0036] In general, both the washing basket 1 and the stirrer are functionally connected to a rotating mechanism (not shown) capable of transmitting rotation to these two components. This aspect is also within the knowledge of the technicians skilled in the subject matter.
[0037] Inside the washing basket 1 , it is provided for the existence of a washing basket 2 that, removable from the washing machine, is capable of rotational movement (inherent to the steps of the washing process) through a motive source 6 .
[0038] According to the mentioned FIG. 1 , the motive source 6 of the washing basket 2 is the column of the stirrer existing inside the washing basket 1 . However the motive source 6 of the washing basket 2 may comprise any set capable to transmit the rotational movement of the rotational mechanism (not shown) to said washing basket 2 .
[0039] The existence of a washing basket 2 removable from the washing machine and arranged within the washing basket 1 attached to the washing machine is also already described in documents belonging to the current state of the art. More particularly, the aforementioned document U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,020 already describes the use of a removable washing basket liable of coupling to the upper end of the column of the washing machine stirrer.
[0040] Still according to FIG. 1 , it is also noted that the washing machine comprises at least one structural component 3 attached to the washing machine. Such a structural component can comprise from one collector ring of washing inputs up to a connection element of between two or more internal components that make up the washing machine.
[0041] Thus, it is important to note that, according to the subject invention, the attached structural component 3 can comprise any component/part/element that, being located inside the washing machine, does not present any kind of movement (except eventual vibrating movements inherent to the conventional operation of the washing machine).
[0042] According to the present invention, said structural component 3 is an attached annular structure arranged (and free of physical contact) on the washing basket 1 .
[0043] All the features and descriptions explained above comprise the current state of the art.
[0044] The major inventive aspect of the subject invention mainly consists of allocating a sensor 4 in said structural component 3 and, in addition, allocating a component 5 (able to cause excitation in sensor 4 ) in the washing basket.
[0045] Optionally, the scheme of “allocation” could be otherwise. The sensor ( 4 ) could be allocated in the washing basket 2 and the component 5 (able to cause excitation in sensor 4 ) could be allocated in the structural component 3 .
[0046] With the addition of these two components, the main objective of the subject invention—provide a simplified system capable of detecting the presence of the washing basket 2 inside the washing basket 1 —is fully achieved.
[0047] According to the preferred embodiment of the subject invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the sensor 4 is, in fact, arranged in an attached manner along the structural component 3 , while the component 5 (able to cause excitation in the sensor 4 ) is, in fact, disposed on the top edge of the washing basket 2 .
[0048] Preferably, the sensor 4 and the component 5 (able to cause excitation in the sensor 4 ) are horizontally aligned.
[0049] In this preferred embodiment, the sensor 4 comprises an inductive sensor able to generate an output signal relatively variable to the accuracy of electromagnetic fields.
[0050] However, the sensor 4 may also comprise a magnetic or electromagnetic sensor.
[0051] Still in this preferred embodiment, the component 5 (able to cause excitation in the sensor 4 ) comprises a magnet of fixed magnetic field, which can even be injected together with the thermosetting material of the washing basket 2 .
[0052] However, the component 5 (able to cause excitation in the sensor 4 ) could comprise an electromagnet (although this embodiment is difficult to achieve, after all, the electromagnet feeding would have to be able to work together with the movement of the washing basket 2 ).
[0053] Anyway, the main idea is that the component 5 (able to cause excitation in the sensor 4 ), when approaching the sensor 4 , change the output signal of the latter, and that this change of the output signal of the sensor 4 is used (by a mechanical, electromechanical or electronic system) to detect the presence of the washing basket 2 . Obviously, the non-changing of the output signal of the sensor 4 comprises, however, an indication that the washing basket 2 is not coupled the upper end of the stirrer.
[0054] Considering this fundamental concept of the detection system of washing machines removable basket disclosed herein, it can be considered feasible the possible use of a sensor set 4+component 5 based on optical interaction (as opposed to magnetic interaction).
[0055] This means that the present system is functional if the sensor 4 comprises optical sensor 4 and the component 5 comprises a generating or refracting source of light.
[0056] The present invention further provides a method for detecting washing machines removable basket, which is particularly suitable to the detection system of washing machines removable basket detailed above.
[0057] In general, the subject method has the premise of forcing the approaching of the component 5 to the sensor 4 , if the washing basket 2 is coupled to the upper end of the stirrer. With this, it is intended to eliminate a possible “false negative” diagnosis that might occur if said washing basket 2 is properly attached to the washing machine, but with the component 5 away from the sensor 4 .
[0058] Accordingly, the subject method is to activate the motive source 6 (that in the preferred embodiment of the system is the stirrer itself, which is rotated from an electric motor) of the washing basket 2 by at least one mechanical turn, so that the entire circumference of the washing basket 2 is approximated to the sensor 4 .
[0059] Thus, it is guaranteed that, if the washing basket 2 is in conditions of use, the component 5 will approach to the sensor 4 in order to change its output signal.
[0060] Thus, it is guaranteed that the change of the output signal of the sensor 4 , along a mechanical turn of the motive source 6 , indicates that the washing basket 2 is not coupled to the washing machine.
[0061] On the other hand, the non-changing of the output signal of the sensor 4 , along a mechanical turn of the motive source 6 , indicates that the washing basket 2 is not coupled to the washing machine.
[0062] The above change of the output signal of the sensor 4 can be verified by microprocessor forms and systems already known, and the detection confirmation of the washing basket 2 may be triggered by a single peak of the output signal of the sensor 4 (if this sensor generates an output signal related to an electrical quantity easily measurable), or even, and the detection confirmation of the washing basket 2 may be triggered by comparing the change of the output signal of the sensor 4 and an analog parameter previously known (if this sensor generates an output signal related to an electrical quantity not easily measurable).
[0063] Also noteworthy is that the activating of the motive source 6 must preferably be performed before the initial step of the washing process (with a rotation lower than the conventional rotation) and can be stopped at the instant in that a variation in the output of the sensor is detected 4 .
[0064] The mechanical and/or electromechanical and/or electronic means able to activate or deactivate the motive source 6 from various stimuli (for example, the previous detection of the washing basket 2 ) are widely known by those skilled in the art and does not comprise, somehow, the inventive core of the subject invention.
[0065] The same occurs with the electronic (microprocessor and/or micro controlled) means able to verify, estimate and compare the change of the output signal of the sensor 4 , that is, such media are widely known by those technicians skilled on the subject and do not comprise, anyway, the inventive core of the subject invention.
[0066] Examples of the concepts of the present invention having been described and illustrated, it is to be understood that the scope thereof encompasses other possible variations, which are solely limited by the wording of the claims, including therein the possible equivalent means.
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The present invention relates to a washing machine having at least one washing basket defining a first treating chamber and at least one removable washing basket that is selectively receivable within the first treating chamber as well as at least one sensor and at least one component able to cause excitation in the sensor.
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This invention relates to novel liquid crystal compounds and to electro-optic devices including them. More particularly, this invention relates to nematic liquid crystal compounds having positive dielectric anisotropy and to field effect liquid crystal cells.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mesomorphic or liquid crystal compounds are of increasing interest in a variety of electro-optic display devices. Nematic liquid crystals are of particular interest for electrically controllable, flat panel displays such as watch faces, digital clocks, calculator displays, numeric displays for instruments and the like. Typically, a liquid crystal cell comprises a thin layer of a liquid crystal composition sandwiched between two closely spaced parallel conductive plates, at least one of which is transparent. When the conductive plates are connected to a source of current, an electric field is generated in the liquid crystal composition.
Nematic liquid crystal cells can operate in a dynamic scattering mode, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,112 to Heilmeier and Zanoni, or in a field effect mode. Field effect devices contain nematic compounds or mixtures of compounds having positive dielectric anisotropy, that is, the magnitude of the dielectric constant in a direction parallel to the long axis of the molecular chain is greater than the magnitude of the dielectric constant in a direction perpendicular to the long axis of the molecular chain, between conductive plates that have been treated so that the liquid crystal molecules align themselves in a particular direction, usuallly parallel, to the plane of the plates. When an electric field is applied, the positive dielectric anisotropy of the molecules causes the molecules to realign themselves in a direction parallel to the applied field and perpendicular to the plates. The change in alignment is made visible using a polarizer and an analyzer on either side of the cell. Field effect liquid crystal cells have the advantages of lower threshold voltages and wider viewing angle than dynamic scattering cells and have excellent contrast and long lifetimes.
Each mesomorphic compound has a particular temperature range in which it is an ordered liquid, ranging from the solid to nematic liquid crystal melting point up to the temperature at which it forms an isotropic liquid. This is the temperature range useful in electro-optic cells. Although, as is known, wide variations in use temperature can be effected by employing mixtures of liquid crystal compounds that are compatible with each other, no single liquid crystal compound or mixture of compounds can satisfy all use temperature ranges desired. Thus, new liquid crystal compounds which have different use temperature ranges are being sought to satisfy various temperature requirements for which the liquid crystal cells will be employed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has been discovered that certain nematic liquid crystal compounds derived from 4-cyano-4'-hydroxybiphenyl which have positive dielectric anisotropy and have a very broad mesomorphic temperature range are useful in flat panel electro-optic devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The FIGURE is a cross-sectional view of an electro-optic device embodying the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The novel liquid crystal compounds have the formula: ##SPC2##
wherein X can be hydrogen, R--, RO--, ##EQU3## wherein R is an alkyl group of 1-10 carbon atoms. Thus X can be hydrogen, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an acyloxy group or an alkylcarbonato group respectively. Both branched and straight chain alkyl groups are included but at the present time straight chain alkyl groups are preferred. These compounds are stable nematic compounds have high and very broad mesomorphic temperature ranges. They can be employed in electro-optic devices alone, in admixture with each other or in admixture with other liquid crystal compounds to broaden the use temperature range or vary the response of the cell.
The present compounds can be prepared by reacting 4-cyano-4'-hydroxybiphenyl with a benzoyl chloride. The nematic liquid crystal compound can be purified by conventional means, as by recrystallization, fractional distillation, or chromatography.
Referring to the FIGURE, a liquid crystal cell 10 comprises a layer of a liquid crystal composition 11 between a front transparent support plate 12 and a back support plate 13. The front support plate 12 is coated on the inside with a transparent conductive layer 14 to form an electrode. The back support plate 13 is also provided on the inside with a conductive layer 15 to form the other electrode. If light is to be transmitted through the cell, the back electrode 15 and the back support plate 13 are also transparent. If the liquid crystal cell is to reflect light, the back electrode 15 can be made reflective. As is known, additional compounds such as wetting agents, aligning agents and the like can be added to the liquid crystal composition to improve the optical or electrical performance of the cell. The electro-optic devices described above can be incorporated into various displays, such as electronic clocks, watches, advertising displays, numeric indicators and the like.
The invention will be further illustrated by the following examples but it is to be understood that the invention is not meant to be limited to the details described therein. In the examples, parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise noted.
The transition temperatures of the compounds prepared in the examples were determined using a Thomas-Hoover melting point apparatus, a differential scanning calorimeter and a polarizing hot stage microscope in conventional manner.
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of p-n-hexylcarbonato-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate
PART A
Preparation of p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoic acid
Eighty parts of sodium hydroxide was dissolved in 2000 parts of water and cooled below 10°C. P-n-hydroxybenzoic acid (138.1 parts) was dissolved in the sodium hydroxide solution and n-hexylchloroformate (164.6 parts) was added dropwise over a half hour period while stirring. Stirring was continued at 5°-10°C. for one hour and the resultant mixture extracted with 500 parts by volume of ether. An excess of 18 percent hydrochloric acid (200 parts by volume) was stirred into the aqueous solution to precipitate the product. The product was filtered and washed with water. It was then dissolved in 1500 parts by volume of ether, dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and the solvent evaporated.
The resultant product (239 parts) of p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoic acid had a melting point of 120°-126°C.
PART B
Preparation of p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoyl chloride
The product as prepared in Part A, 300 parts by volume of benzene and 150 parts by volume of thionyl chloride were charged to a vessel equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a reflux condenser having a drying tube thereon. The mixture was stirred and refluxed for five hours. The solvent was then evaporated under vacuum and the product redistilled twice at 140°-142°/0.08 mm. The product was obtained in 81.8 percent yield (209.7 parts).
PART C
Preparation of 4-cyano-4'-hydroxybiphenyl
A reaction mixture of 23.3 parts of 4-bromo-4'-hydroxybiphenyl, 11.2 parts of cuprous chloride and 60 parts by volume of dimethylformamide was charged to a vessel equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a reflux condenser with a drying tube. The mixture was refluxed for 24 hours and poured over 500 parts of an aqueous solution containing 50 parts by volume of concentrated hydrochloric acid and 50 parts of ferric chloride. The mixture was stirred at about 60°C. for 2 hours, cooled to room temperature and extracted three times with 300 parts by volume portions of ether. The combined ether extracts were washed three times with 500 parts of water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and the solvent evaporated. The product was recyrstallized from 200 parts by volume of a 2:1:1 mixture of acetone-hexane-chloroform.
Ten parts (51 percent yield) of 4-cyano-4'-hydroxybiphenyl were obtained having a melting point of 193°-195°C.
PART D
Preparation of p-n-hexylcarbonato-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate
A reaction mixture of 2.8 parts of p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoyl chloride as prepared in Part B, 50 parts by volume of benzene, 1.9 parts of 4-cyano-4'-hydroxybiphenyl and 5 parts by volume of pyridine was charged to a vessel equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser. The mixture was refluxed for one hour and stirred at room temperature overnight. The precipitate was removed by filtration. The filtrate was washed with 50 part portions of dilute (3.5 percent) hydrochloric acid three times and with 50 parts of saturated sodium chloride solution. The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and the solvent evaporated. The product was recrystallized once from 1500 parts by volume of hexane and once from 100 parts by volume of ethyl acetate.
P-n-hexylcarbonato-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate having the formula: ##SPC3##
was obtained in 50 percent yield (2.25 parts) as a white solid. The product had a crystal to nematic liquid transition temperature of 108°-108.5°C. and a nematic to isotropic liquid transition temperature of 238°C.
The structure was confirmed by infrared analysis which showed cyano group absorption at 2248 cm - 1 and carbonyl group absorptions at 1760 and 1735 cm - 1 ; and by elemental analysis. Theoretical: C, 73.12%; H, 5.68%; N, 3.16%. Found: C, 73.67%; H, 5.77%; N, 3.13%. A thin layer chromatogram developed with 9:1 hexane-tetrahydrofuran showed only one compound was present.
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of p-n-butylcarbonato-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate
Following the general procedure of Example 1 except substituting n-butylchloroformate for the n-hexylchloroformate, p-n-butylcarbonato-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate having the formula: ##SPC4##
was obtained. This compound had a crystal to nemataic liquid transition temperature of 109°-110°C. and a nematic to isotropic liquid transition temperature of 262°C.
EXAMPLE 3
Preparation of p-n-pentylcarbonato-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate
Following the general procedure of Example 1 except substituting n-pentylchloroformate for the n-hexylchloroformate, p-n-pentylcarbonato-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate having the formula: ##SPC5##
was obtained. This compound had a crystal to nematic liquid transition temperature of 109°-110°C. and a nematic to isotropic liqiuid transition temperature of 248°C.
EXAMPLE 4
Preparation of p-n-hexanoyloxy-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate
PART A
Preparation of p-n-hexanoyloxybenzoic acid
A reaction mixture of 19.0 parts of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 42.8 parts of n-hexanoic anhydride, 15 parts by volume of benzene and one part by volume of sulfuric acid was charged to a vessel equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a reflux condenser. The reaction mixture was refluxed while stirring for 15 minutes, and poured into 300 parts of an ice-water mixture. The mixture was extracted with 300 parts by volume of methylene chloride, the organic extract dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and the solvent evaporated. The resultant product was recrystallized from 700 parts by volume of hexane.
The product was a monotropic liquid crystal compound having a crystal to isotropic liquid melting point of 152°-153°C. and an isotropic to nematic liquid transition temperature of 138°C.
PART B
Preparation of p-n-hexanoyloxybenzoyl chloride
This compound was prepared following the general procedure of Example 1 Part B except substituting the compound of Part A above the the p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoic acid. The product was purified by distilling at 125°C/0.1 mm.
PART C
Preparation of p-n-hexanoyloxy-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate
Following the general procedure of Example 1 Part D except substituting p-n-hexanoyloxybenzoyl chloride for the p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoyl chloride, p-n-hexanoyloxy-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate was obtained having the formula: ##SPC6##
This compound had a crystal to smectic liquid transition temperature of 86°C., a smectic to nematic liquid transition temperature of 91°C. and a nematic to isotropic liquid transition temperature of 262.5°C.
EXAMPLE 5
Preparation of 4-cyano-4'-biphenylbenzoate
Following the general procedure of Example 1 Part D except substituting benzoyl chloride for the p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoyl chloride, the compound ##SPC7##
was prepared. This compound is a monotropic liquid crystal compound having a crystal to isotropic liquid melting point of 210°-213°C. Upon cooling, it exhibited an isotropic to nematic liquid transition temperature of 197.5°C.
EXAMPLES 6-12
Following the general procedure of Example 1 Part D, but substituting the appropriate p-alkyl and p-alkoxy substituted-benzoyl chloride compounds for the p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoyl chloride, additional liquid crystal compounds were prepared. The following Table summarizes the alkyl or alkoxy substituent and the transition temperatures, wherein C-N is the crystal to nematic liquid transition temperature and N-L is the nematic to isotropic liquid transition temperature.
TABLE______________________________________ Alkyl or AlkoxyExample Substituent C-N, °C. N-L, °C.______________________________________6 CH.sub.3 -- 193-195 279-279.57 C.sub.3 H.sub.7 -- 113-114 258.5-2598 C.sub.5 H.sub.11 -- 106-107 2399 C.sub.6 H.sub.13 -- 91-92 226.510 C.sub.4 H.sub.9 0-- 116-117 27211 C.sub.7 H.sub.15 O-- 93-94 240.512 C.sub.8 H.sub.17 O-- 95.5-96 234______________________________________
EXAMPLE 13
Preparation of p-n-decyl-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate
Following the general procedure of Example 1 Part D except substituting p-n-decylbenzoyl chloride for the p-n-hexylcarbonatobenzoyl chloride, p-n-decyl-p'-(4-cyano-4'-biphenyl)benzoate was prepared having the formula: ##SPC8##
This compound had a crystal to smectic liquid transition temperature of 89°C., a smectic to nematic liquid transition temperature of 198°C. and a nematic to isotropic liquid transition temperature of 202°C.
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Nematic liquid crystal compounds of the formula: ##SPC1##
Wherein X can be hydrogen, alkyl (R-), alkoxy (RO-), acyloxy ##EQU1## or alkylcarbonato ##EQU2## wherein R is an alkyl group of 1-10 carbon atoms, have positive dielectric anisotropy and are useful in electro-optic cells which comprise a thin liquid crystal layer between two closely spaced parallel electrodes.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for manufacturing high-density woven fabrics on a water-jet loom, and to a fabric produced using this process.
Discussion of Related Art
A process of this type is known from EP-A-0,747,267, for example, and comprises the following steps:
(a) feeding a warp having up to three catch threads on one edge,
(b) inserting weft threads into the warp,
(c) beating-up the weft threads in the direction of the catch threads to produce a woven fabric,
(d) joint twisting of the catch threads to place the weft threads under tension,
(e) severing the ends of the weft threads, and
(f) removing the ends of the weft threads together with the catch threads.
In producing high-density woven fabrics on a water-jet loom, it has been observed that the resulting fabric is looser at the edges than in the remainder of the fabric. The loose fabric edges make further processing of such fabrics difficult since the edges cannot be maintained under the same tension as the remaining fabric. Fabric producers refer to this as slobby selvedges. This fluttering is particularly noticeable when unrolling the fabrics or transferring them to another roll. The fluttering of the fabric edges becomes more pronounced as the fabric width increases.
To contend with this fluttering, high-density fabrics are normally produced in widths of at most 1.6 m. However, producers of airbags desire fabric widths of at least 1.7 m, and especially 2 m, since cutouts for manufacturing an airbag can then be made with minimum waste.
Frequently, high-density woven fabrics are coated after production with silicone, for example. The fluttering edges prove disadvantageous in the coating process as well and render uniform coating of the fabric almost impossible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a process as initially described, in which the aforementioned disadvantages are at least reduced. In particular, the weaving process is to be such that the fabric produced is easier to handle in follow-on processing. It is also an object of the invention to provide high-density fabrics that are easy to handle.
FIG. 2 represents a water-jet weaving machine as used in the present process including hot knives 7 and 8 , severed ends of the weft and support threads 9 , support threads 10 , base structure 11 , warp 12 , warp beam 14 , tensioning means 18 , first harness mechanism 24 , second harness mechanism 26 , water jet nozzle 28 , weft thread 30 , reciprocating reed 31 , cutting means 34 , catch cord 36 , catch plate 38 , vacuum line 40 , twister 42 , support brackets 52 and produced fabric 70 .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram of the thread routing to measure the static friction of two different threads against each other in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 represents a water-jet weaving machine used in the present process.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to the invention, the warp employed consists of catch threads, support threads, and the threads of the remaining warp. The warp therefore contains a total of four thread groups. These thread groups occur in the following order from one edge of the warp to the other in the direction of weft insertion:
(i) support threads,
(ii) threads of the remaining, actual warp,
(iii) support threads, and
(iv) catch threads,
wherein the catch threads, support threads, and threads of the remaining warp have different functions during the weaving process.
Surprisingly, it has been observed that when adhering to these conditions, the fabric edges have properties that are at least approximately the same as those of the remaining fabric. Handling of the. fabric produced according to the invention is considerably improved. Fluttering of the warp edges is rarely observed.
High-density woven fabrics in the context of the present invention are those in which the thread density is especially high in both the warp and weft directions and approaches the thread density achievable with the respective loom. For example, the resulting high-density woven fabrics have thread counts of 26 to 30 threads per cm when using threads with a yarn titer of 235 dtex, 18 to 28 threads per cm with a yam titer of 350 dtex, and 17 to 25 threads per cm with a yam titer of 470 dtex. The thread counts cited here apply in particular to plain weaves and are adjusted accordingly for other weaves. A common factor for these adjustments is the cover (kappa) factor.
The process of the invention succeeds particularly well if the distances between adjacent threads, including the support and catch threads, is the same over the entire width of the warp. Thus, the distance between two different thread groups is also the same as the distance between adjacent threads in the same group.
In the process of the: invention, it is advantageous if the support threads are fed to the edges of the warp by separate sectional warp beams onto which the support threads have been wound as a yarn sheet. In this manner, the tension required for the support threads can be adjusted particularly advantageously, by procedures that are known.
As a rule, it is sufficient if there is a yam sheet with 10 to 40 support threads on each edge of the warp.
It has proven particularly advantageous if the support threads are selected with a hot-air shrinkage, measured at 190° C., of 1% to 4%, and preferably 1% to 3%. Surprisingly, such threads allow an adjustment of the support thread tension required for the process of the invention that is particularly simple and uniform for all threads.
The process of the invention succeeds particularly well if twisted threads are used as the support threads. It has proven especially beneficial if the support threads have 200 to 700 turns per meter. The use of double-twisted threads as support threads is recommended. Double-twisted threads are those in which a multi-filament yarn is first twisted and then two or more of such twisted multi-filament yarns are in turn twisted together. For the second twisting as well, it is advantageous for the twisted multi-filament yams to have 200 to 700 turns per meter. Twisting of the twisted multi-filament yarns in the direction opposite the twist of the multi-filament yarns is recommended.
The process of the invention succeeds particularly well if support threads are selected that have a thread/thread friction between the weft and support threads of 20 to 70 cN.
The thread/thread friction is measured as follows: A Rothschild (Zurich) R-1188″F meter″ and R-1083″F meter winder″ are used. The principle for measuring the static friction of a thread against itself is described in sections 5.5 and 5.10 of the F meter user's manual.
To measure the static friction of two different threads against each other, the measurement arrangement was modified slightly. The rolls numbered 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 in the drawing and the thread tension meter 7 are components of the F-meter winder. Roll 3 was added. The drive for roll 6 can be regulated and takes up the measured thread at a rate of 10 mm/min.
The thread routing is indicated by the figure. One thread (F 1 , solid line) is loaded with a freely suspended 10 cN weight G 1 and routed from the right side over roll 4 , from the left side over roll 5 , past thread tension meter 7 , and once around roll 6 , and is then secured to the axis of the latter. The second thread (F 2 , dashed line) is also loaded with a 10 cN weight G 2 (freely suspended) and routed from the left side over roll 1 . Thread F 2 is then wrapped around thread F 1 four times toward the right and then routed to the left again prior to thread F 1 , yielding 3 ½ turns. Thread F 2 is routed under roll 2 and over roll 3 to take-up roll 6 , where it is secured as for thread F 1 . For the threads F 1 and F 2 , a length is selected such that weights G 1 and G 2 are suspended about 1 m below the measurement apparatus.
The motor (not shown) for roll 6 is now turned on. After 2-3 minutes running time to align the threads, thread F 1 is positioned in the thread tension meter. The measurements are displayed on the R-1188 F meter and recorded on an ABB Goerz SE 120 plotter. The force determined in this manner is used as a measure of the thread/thread friction.
It is important for the weft threads to be severed by fusion. Severing by fusion is commonly known. In this case, the thread is heated at one location to a temperature at least equal to, but generally higher than, the thread melting temperature. In the simplest case, a wire heated to high temperature can be used, against which the weft thread is positioned, heated until molten, and severed by moving it further. As a rule, the wire is heated to a temperature that renders it red-hot. However, a heated knife can also be used, such as described in EP-A-0 747 267 for severing the weft threads at the catch threads.
It is advantageous for severing by fusion to take place such that the ends of the weft threads in the molten state adhere to the threads at the edges of the warp. The molten end of the weft thread is used to attach the weft thread to at least one edge thread of the warp. In this manner, a particularly stable warp edge is attained, which significantly improves the handling of the fabric produced.
It is especially beneficial if severing by fusion is performed such that the ends of the weft threads are fused in the molten state with the threads at the edges of the warp. This severing by fusion can be performed such that edge threads of the remaining warp that are adjacent to the hot severing element are also heated to the melting point, so that a continuous weld is produced along the edges of the finished fabric and plays a role in avoiding the aforementioned fluttering of the selvedges.
The object of the invention is also satisfied by a woven fabric producible using the process of the invention. The fabric of the invention differs from fabrics produced using the conventional weaving process on water-jet looms in that the weft threads are severed on both edges of the fabric, while the weft threads in fabrics conventionally produced on water-jet looms are severed on only one edge of the fabric and protrude somewhat from the fabric on the other edge. In particular, when employing severing by fusion at the fabric edges, the fabrics produced using the process of the invention are distinguished from conventional fabrics produced on water-jet looms by the welds running longitudinally along both edges. The feel of the fabric of the invention in the edge region is at least nearly the same as the feel between the edges, such as in the center of the fabric.
The fabrics of the invention are excellently suited for producing airbags, parachutes, and sailcloths, and for all applications in which extremely dense woven fabrics are required. For example, yarns with an overall titer of 470 dtex can be woven at a density of up to 25 threads per cm in the warp and weft directions.
The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of the following example:
EXAMPLE
A warp with a width of 207 cm, consisting of nylon-6,6 threads, was fed to a water-jet loom. Each thread of the warp had an overall titer of 470 dtex and 72 filaments. The hot-air shrinkage of these yarns, measured at 190° C. after heating for 5 minutes, was 8.2%.
Two yarn sheets, consisting of 40 nylon-6,6 threads and each wound on a sectional warp beam, were also fed to the water-jet loom such that they were adjacent to the edge threads of the warp in the reed of the loom. These yarns acted as support threads and had an overall titer of 234 dtex and 68 filaments. The supportthread yarns were double-twisted threads according to a Z 476 S 637 scheme. This scheme is realized by initially twisting a yarn with 34 filaments in the S direction with 637 turns per meter, and then twisting two yams, previously twisted in this manner, in the Z direction with 476 turns per meter. The support threads had a hot-air shrinkage of 1.8%, measured under the same conditions as those for the hot-air shrinkage of the warp yarns.
Furthermore, the usual 4 catch threads for water-jet looms were fed outside the yarn sheet of support threads, which was opposite the weft-insertion jet of the water-jet loom.
The weft thread employed was a nylon-6,6 multi-filament yarn with an overall titer of 470 dtex and 72 filaments. The weft threads had a hot-air shrinkage of 8.2%. The thread/thread friction between the weft and support threads was 47.5 cN.
The threads of the warp, the support yarn sheet, and the catch threads were introduced adjacently into the reed of the water-jet loom, whereby the reed had 100 openings per 10 cm and two threads were drawn into each reed opening. The warp threads were maintained at a tension of 120 cN/tex and the support threads at a tension of 123 cN/tex.
A woven fabric was produced using the yarns thus described. The catch threads were twisted to place the weft threads under tension and removed by suction, after severing the weft threads outside the support threads, together with the severed weft thread ends. The resultant fabric was then further processed by directing a red-hot wire between each of the support threads and the respective outermost thread of the warp, severing the weft threads and fusing them with the outermost threads of the warp. This resulted in a weld that could be felt along each edge of the warp.
The fabric produced in this manner had 21.5 threads per cm in the warp direction and 21.5 threads per cm in the weft direction. The two edges of the fabric had the same feel as the fabric interior. When rolling the fabric from one beam to another, the fabric remained taut even into the edge regions, and the slobby selvedges known to those skilled in the art was not observable. This fabric also lent itself to particularly uniform coating with an aqueous silicone dispersion over the entire width of the fabric.
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Process for producing high-density woven fabrics on a water-jet loom, comprising
feeding a warp having up to three catch threads on one edge,
inserting weft threads into the warp in the direction of the catch threads,
beating-up the weft threads to produce a woven fabric,
severing the ends of the weft threads at the edges of the warp, and
removing the ends of the weft threads, characterized in that, seen from both edges of the warp, 5 to 60 threads of the warp, following the catch threads on the edge of the warp with the catch threads, are support threads that are maintained at a tension that is 2 to 20 cN/tex higher than that of the threads forming the remaining warp, that after production of the fabric the weft threads between the edges of the remaining warp and the support threads are severed by fusion and joined to threads at the edges of the remaining warp, and that the severed ends of the weft threads are removed together with the support threads and the catch threads.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority of German Application No. 100 41 892.9 filed Aug. 25, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to a method of directly determining setting values for the application point of regulation in a regulated draw frame for slivers. The control system of the draw frame in which the extent of draft of the sliver may be set has at least one preliminary control system for changing the draft of the sliver. Based on the drafted sliver, a number of quality-characterizing measured values, such as CV values may be sensed and utilized for formulating a function whose minimum represents an optimum application point of regulation for the control of the draw frame. The optimized application point of regulation may be determined in a pre-operational test run or a setting run of the draw frame.
[0003] The application point of regulation is an important setting magnitude in a draw frame to produce slivers with a high sliver uniformity, that is, with a small CV value.
[0004] In a known system, during a pre-operational setting run, the sliver is drafted between the mid rolls and the output rolls of the draw unit and is withdrawn by calender rolls which are adjoined by a measuring device for the CV value of the drafted sliver. In the pre-operational setting run a plurality of CV values are determined which represent a quality-characterizing magnitude for the drafted sliver. Based on such measured values, a function is formulated whose minimum value corresponds to a value which promises to be the best adaptation of the regulation actual sliver. The plurality of measured values which are plotted and based on which the function is formulated, are in each instance measured for a different setting value of the regulation. Thus, for the definition of the function to be evaluated, each incremental value of an incrementally changing parameter, for example, the application point of regulation of the “electronic memory”, has to be associated with one of the measured values. For this purpose, on command, the control system sets, in the preliminary control system, an arbitrary, in most cases estimated, first value Rmin obtained from empirical values (for example, from a table) for the application point of regulation.
[0005] After passage of a certain sliver quantity which should be just as long that an unequivocal CV value may be calculated therefrom, a CV value designated CV 1 is maintained fixed. This measured value taken from the measuring device is applied to a memory of the control system. Thereafter the first set application point of regulation R of the preliminary control is changed by at least one incremental magnitude. Again, the sliver is allowed to run for a certain time period until a corresponding CV 2 value is stored by the control system into the same memory range. In a similar manner a further incrementing of the application point of regulation is effected and a further measurement of a CV 3 value takes place, until a number of values is available between a minimum application point of regulation R min and a maximum application point of regulation R max . The distances between two measured values are identical to obtain a displacement-constant scanning (uniform distance of the measured values). A secured, storage-ready value as a quality value for the function becomes available only when the measurement of the CV value has occurred in a sufficiently large number of individual measurements.
[0006] It is a disadvantage of the above-outlined system that the minimum value is determined by a time-consuming search. In this process, starting from R min one proceeds in small steps along the function curve until the R max value is reached. This involves a great number of measurements in small, incremental steps which is a complex procedure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method of the above-outlined type from which the discussed disadvantages are eliminated and which in particular, ameliorates the determination and setting of the optimal application point of regulation at the regulating system of a draw unit and, more particularly, allows a more rapid determination of the application point of regulation. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method which also takes into consideration different, quality-characterizing magnitudes, such as different CV values.
[0008] These objects and others to become apparent as the specification progresses, are accomplished by the invention, according to which, briefly stated, the method of directly determining setting values for an application point of regulation in a draw unit for drafting sliver includes the following steps: obtaining at least three measured values of a quality-characterizing magnitude, such as the CV value, of the drafted sliver; utilizing the measured values for formulating a function having a minimum constituting an optimal application point of regulation for controlling the draw unit; determining the optimal application point of regulation in a pre-operational run of the draw unit; and numerically computing a function between the quality-characterizing magnitudes and application points of regulation from the measured values.
[0009] The optimal application point of regulation (optimal dead period or delay) is determined by the draw frame itself by using the steps according to the invention. Based on the CV values of the sliver measured on line, the draw frame control system determines the optimal application point of regulation, that is, the machine optimizes itself. By the placement of as few as three measured values (R min , R max and an intermediate value R x ) it is feasible to rapidly calculate the minimum of the function and thus the optimized application point of regulation. By virtue of the fact that only few measured values need to be taken and suffice for the calculation, it is feasible in a simple manner to achieve a double time-reduction, that is, a more rapid determination of the optimized application point of regulation. The time saving further makes possible to take into consideration different, further quality-characterizing magnitudes whereby an even more accurate determination of the optimized application point of regulation is feasible.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] [0010]FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a regulated draw frame including a system for practicing the invention.
[0011] [0011]FIG. 1 a is a block diagram of a separate preliminary control device.
[0012] [0012]FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic side elevational view of one part of the FIG. 1 structure, illustrating the principal drafting field with indication of the principal drafting point.
[0013] [0013]FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the effect of the application point of regulation on the on-line CV value.
[0014] [0014]FIG. 4 illustrates a visual representation of an automatic determination of the optimal application point of regulation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1 illustrates a draw frame 1 which may be, for example, an HSR model manufactured by Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG, Mönchengladbach, Germany.
[0016] The draw frame 1 includes a draw unit 2 having an upstream draw unit inlet 3 and a downstream draw unit outlet 4 . The slivers 5 are taken from non-illustrated coiler cans and are introduced into a sliver guide 6 which includes a measuring member 9 and from which they are withdrawn by calender rolls 7 , 8 .
[0017] The draw unit 2 is a 4 -over- 3 construction, that is, it is formed of a lower output roll I, a lower middle roll II and a lower input roll III as well as four upper rolls 11 , 12 , 13 and 14 . The draw unit 2 drafts the sliver 5 ′, composed of a plurality of slivers 5 , in a preliminary and principal drafting field. The roll pairs III, 14 and II, 13 constitute the preliminary drafting field whereas the roll assembly II, 11 , 13 and the roll pair I, 12 constitute the principal drafting field. The roll pair II, 13 is immediately followed by a pressure bar 30 . The drafted slivers 5 are introduced in the draw unit outlet 4 into a sliver guide 10 and are, by means of calender rolls 15 , 16 , pulled through a sliver trumpet 17 in which the slivers are combined into a single sliver 18 which is subsequently deposited in coiler cans. The direction of the sliver passing through the draw frame 1 is designated at A.
[0018] The calender rolls 7 , 8 , the lower input roll III and the lower middle roll II which are mechanically coupled to one another, for example, by means of a toothed belt, are driven by a regulating motor 19 to which a desired rpm value may be applied. The respective upper rolls 14 and 13 are driven by the respective lower rolls by friction. The lower output roll I and the calender rolls 15 , 16 are driven by a principal motor 20 . The regulating motor 19 and the principal motor 20 each have a respective regulator 21 , 22 . Each rpm regulation occurs by means of a closed regulating circuit which includes a tachogenerator 23 connected with the motor 19 and the regulator 21 , as well as a tachogenerator 24 connected with the motor 20 and the regulator 22 .
[0019] At the draw unit inlet 3 a mass-proportionate magnitude, for example, the sliver cross section is measured by the inlet measuring organ 9 which is known, for example, from German patent document DE A 44 04 326. At the draw unit outlet 4 the cross section of the exiting sliver 18 is sensed by an outlet measuring member 25 which is associated with the sliver trumpet 17 and which is known, for example, from German patent document DE-A-195 37 983. A central computer unit 26 (control and regulating device), for example, a microcomputer with microprocessor, transmits a setting of the desired value to the regulator 21 for the regulating motor 19 . The measured values from both measuring members 9 and 25 are transmitted to the central computer unit 26 during the drafting process. The desired rpm value for the regulating motor 19 is determined by the central computer unit 26 from the measured values sensed by the intake measuring member 9 and from the desired value for the cross section of the exiting sliver 18 . The measured values of the outlet measuring member 25 serve for monitoring the exiting sliver 18 . With the aid of such a regulating system fluctuations in the cross section of the inputted slivers 5 may be compensated for by suitable regulation of the drafting process to obtain an evening of the sliver. A monitor 27 , an interface 28 , an inputting device 29 and a memory 31 are also connected to the computer 26 .
[0020] While the preliminary control system may be integrated into the central computer unit 26 as shown in FIG. 1, according to FIG. 1 a, a separate preliminary control system 33 may be provided which is connected between the computer unit 26 and the regulator 21 . The computer unit 26 changes the application point of regulation R of the preliminary control system 33 .
[0021] The measured values, for example, thickness fluctuations of the sliver 5 , obtained from the measuring member 9 are applied to the memory 31 with a variable delay. As a result of such a delay the change in the draft of the sliver in the principal drafting field according to FIG. 2 occurs at a moment when the sliver region measured earlier by the measuring member 9 and deviating from the desired value is situated in the principal drafting point 32 . When such a sliver region reaches the principal drafting point 32 the respective measured value is called from the memory 31 .
[0022] The distance between the measuring location of the measuring member 9 and the drafting location at the principal drafting point 32 is the application point of regulation R.
[0023] The apparatus according to the invention makes possible a direct determination of the setting values for the application point of regulation R. A plurality of measured values of the sliver thickness for different lengths of the exiting sliver 5 ′″ (drafted sliver) are taken from the measuring member 25 in the sliver trumpet, and three CV values (CV 1 m , CV 10 cm , CV 3 cm ) are calculated as quality-characterizing magnitudes. In a similar manner the measuring member 9 in the sliver guide 6 takes thickness measurements of a determined length of the undrafted sliver 5 , and from these measured magnitudes quality-characterizing CV values (CV in ) are calculated. The determination of the CV values occurs preferably for four application points of regulation R. Expediently, in each instance two application points of regulations R are selected on the one side and two application points of regulation R are selected on the other side of the optimal application point of regulation R opt . In each instance a quality-characterizing number QK is determined by calculation from the CV values of the un-drafted sliver 5 and the drafted sliver 5 ′″. Further, a function between the numbers QK and the corresponding application points of regulation R are calculated in the computer 26 and displayed on the screen 27 (FIGS. 3 and 4). A polynomial of the second degree is determined from the four values of the application point of regulation R and the respective quality-characterizing numbers QK, and subsequently the minimum of the curve is calculated. The minimum point of the function corresponds to the optimum application point of regulation R opt (see FIG. 4). In this manner, based on the drafted sliver 5 ′″, several measured values of three different CV values and based on the un-drafted sliver 5 , several measured values of a CV value are utilized, and those CV values which correspond to one another in relation to the application point of regulation R are combined to a quality number QK. Based on several quality numbers QK a function is formulated by computation, whose minimum point corresponds to the optimum application point of regulation R opt .
[0024] During operation, in a setting run or test run, as a first step a predicted first value for the application point of regulation, for example, R −5 is set. This value is preferably an empirical value. Inputting may occur by the inputting device 29 or by calling the data from a memory. Subsequently, the following steps are taken:
[0025] The sliver quality measured on-line for each setting of an application point of regulation is determined in each instance over a sliver length of 250-300 m.
[0026] The measurements for optimizing the application point of regulation are performed on a sliver length without coiler can exchange; this may occur, for example, while the draw frame is at a standstill between the individual application points of regulation R.
[0027] The determination of the on-line measured sliver quality is effected based on the following quality values:
[0028] Output sliver quality: CV 3cm , CV 10cm , CV 1m (determined, for example, by a sensor arrangement 25 at the draw frame outlet 4 which may be a SLIVER-FOCUS model manufactured by Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG).
[0029] Input sliver quality is described by CV in (this is performed at the sensor device 9 ).
[0030] From the above different quality values a quality-characterizing number QK is determined by the following formula:
QK=CV
3cm
+CV
10cm
+CV
1cm
−CV
in
[0031] With the above quality-characterizing number a sliver quality is sufficiently determined:
QK high bad quality
QK low good quality.
[0032] Based on the QK equation, the natural scattering of the individual values is reduced and outlier values are not evaluated beyond what they are worth. The formation of a mean value leads to more exact predictions, and the influence of the regulation for both long and short wavelengths is taken into consideration. Even the influence of the input quality (sliver 5 ) is taken into consideration in the computation.
[0033] The QK values which are computed from the real CV values obtained during tests are utilized for developing steps 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 described below.
[0034] The course of the quality curve above the application point of regulation R is always symmetrical to the minimum value of the curve (FIG. 3), that is, in case of an optimum application point of regulation R=0, the CV value deterioration at −4 is of the same extent as at +4. The functional relationship is described based on the symmetry by a polynomial of the second degree.
[0035] Preferably, the region between −5 and +5 is to be considered so that the quality differences are sufficiently substantial and, at the same time, the level of the application point of regulation remains realistic.
[0036] Reductions of three to four values for the application point of regulation R yield sufficient locations of reference (four pieces):
[0037] −5 −4 −3 −1 0 1 2 3 4 5
[0038] A polynomial of second degree (symmetrical course) is determined, with the aid of numerical solution process, from the four values for the application point of regulation R and the respective QK values.
[0039] Thereafter, by means of numeric processes the minimum of the curve is determined.
[0040] Such a minimum value is the optimum application point of regulation R in the then applicable machine setting and given fiber material (FIG. 4).
[0041] By visual observation (monitor screen 27 ) an automatic determination of the application point of regulation may be displayed for the operator in a reproducible manner (FIG. 4).
[0042] A number of different CV values of different sliver length portions are compared with one another and in addition to the output quality (sliver 5 ′″), the input quality too, is taken into consideration as an important quality characteristic. Further, the principal drafting point is calculated from the minimum of a polynomial of the second degree, that is, a symmetrical course. Based on an algorithm, several different CV values are combined to a quality-characterizing number QK. From the application points of regulation R and the corresponding quality-characterizing numbers a function is constructed by approximation. The minimum is calculated from the resulting function course. The determination is effected during pre-operational test run or setting run. The optimum application point of regulation R opt is taken over prior to beginning of the regular production by the control system 26 , 33 and a consistency inquiry is performed, possibly with error reports, and the result is reproducibly shown to the operator in a graphical representation. Four quality-characterizing numbers QK are obtained for determined application points of regulation R. These four quality-characterizing numbers are stored in a memory and based thereon a function curve is approximated. Only thereafter is the minimum of the function curve calculated. For each quality-number a few meters of sliver are delivered. The quality-characterizing magnitude (CV value) is determined between the delivery roll and the location of sliver deposition (output) as well as the measuring device 9 at the draw unit input 3 . The test run is performed during the charging of one coiler can. Between the four application points of regulation R (reference locations) the draw frame is stopped. The defined four application points of regulation R have different distances from one another.
[0043] The automatic optimization according to the invention of the application point of regulation has, among others, the following advantages:
[0044] Faster optimization of the application point of regulation;
[0045] Optimization is performed with economy of material;
[0046] No need to utilize laboratory equipment or Uster-testers;
[0047] CV values for the optimization are no longer distorted by effects such as coiler can deposition, climatic influences, and the like. In this manner, a better optimization result is achieved;
[0048] Realization of a “self-optimizing draw frame”;
[0049] Effective utilization of the machine control system (computer 26 );
[0050] By means of the automatic optimization the optimum application point of regulation may be found even if the data of the working memory and the data of the mechanical setting do not agree with one another; and
[0051] Knowledge transfer for performing at the manual optimization to the utilizer (operator) is dispensed with.
[0052] By virtue of the automatic determination of the application point of regulation (principal drafting point) not only the sliver uniformity but also, to the same extent, the CV values of the yarn quality may be improved. This was found in wool spinning products and PES/BW mixtures.
[0053] The invention was explained in connection with a regulated draw frame 1 . It is to be understood that it may find application in other machines which include a regulated draw unit 2 , such as a carding machine, a combing machine and the like.
[0054] It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.
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A method of directly determining setting values for an application point of regulation in a draw unit for drafting sliver includes the following steps: Obtaining at least three measured values of a quality-characterizing magnitude, such as the CV value, of the drafted sliver; utilizing the measured values for formulating a function having a minimum constituting an optimal application point of regulation for controlling the draw unit; determining the optimal application point of regulation in a pre-operational run of the draw unit; and numerically computing a function between the quality-characterizing magnitudes and application points of regulation from the measured values.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transfer device for transferring objects between two sequential moving-surfaces, and more particularly to a conveyor for pedestrians fitted with such a transfer device.
There are known conveyors comprising a continuous conveyor belt made from a deformable material or from a series of elements with substantially flat transport surfaces, permitting the transportation of pedestrians at a higher speed than a normal walking pace. Such conveyors require an accelerator element between the conveyor belt and the stationary entry floor to gradually accelerate pedestrians from a walking pace to the higher speed of the conveyor belt, and a decelerator element to gradually decelerate pedestrians back to a normal walking pace between the exit of the conveyor belt and the stationary exit floor.
The reference EP-A-0 509 861 discloses a conveyor of the kind defined above. As mentioned in this reference, in order to cross the transition zones between the exit of the accelerator element and the entry of the conveyor belt, and between the exit of the conveyor belt and the entry of the decelerator element, pedestrians must drop from one level to a subsequent transportation element located on a lower level. This drop may cause pedestrians to lose their balance, particularly challenging disabled persons and persons of reduced mobility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the above-stated inconvenience of known conveyors and provides both a transfer device disposed between two transport elements, and a conveyor fitted with such a device.
The transfer device of the invention transports pedestrians between a first transport element and a second transport element arranged sequentially, each element comprising a substantially flat transport surface for transporting pedestrians. The transfer device comprises a platform for a first pedestrian bearing-surface located substantially in a plane common to the transport surfaces of both transport elements. The first pedestrian bearing-surface comprises rollers permitting the low-friction displacement of the pedestrians from one transport element to the next.
The transfer device also comprises a plate with teeth forming a comb that engages longitudinal grooves in a transport element. This plate is fastened to the transfer device's platform and comprises a second pedestrian bearing-surface also located on substantially the same plane as the platform and also having rollers.
According to a preferred embodiment, the rollers in both the platform and comb-shaped plate comprise balls rotatably accommodated within blind holes. The rollers project beyond the surfaces of the platform and the comb-shaped plate so as to define the aforesaid bearing surfaces for pedestrians. The balls in the platform are held within their corresponding blind holes by a plate fastened to the platform and comprising bores through which the balls extend. The bores have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the balls. The balls in the comb-shaped plate are kept within their corresponding blind holes by flat washers with frusto-conical central holes.
According to another embodiment, the rollers are cylindrical and are mounted for rotation about an axis transverse to the direction of displacement of the pedestrians. The rollers are disposed within semi-cylindrical recesses in the platform and in the comb-shaped plate. The rollers project beyond the surfaces of the platform and comb-shaped plate so as to define the aforesaid bearing surfaces for pedestrians.
In a further embodiment, the platform of the transfer device is pivotally supported on a support frame by supporting feet and loosely fastened to the support frame by two tie-bolts. These tie-bolts are located on either side of the platform beyond its bearing surface and allow the inclination of the platform to be adjusted so that the bearing surfaces are located in a plane substantially in common with the transport surfaces of both transport elements.
The supporting feet are accommodated within inclined supporting grooves in supporting parts fastened to the support frame. These supporting grooves extend transversely to the direction of displacement of the pedestrians, permitting a slight displacement of the platform, on the order of a few millimeters, when the longitudinal grooves of the transport element hits the teeth of the comb-shaped plate.
Each tie-bolt has a threaded end anchored in a tapped hole of a first transverse pin carried by a clevis on the platform. Each tie-bolt's other threaded end extends, with a clearance, through a bore in a second transverse pin that is carried by a clevis fastened to a supporting part that is itself fastened to the support frame. Two nuts on each tie-bolt located on either side of the second transverse pin provide limited axial play to permit the platform to pivot upwards about the supporting feet when an object becomes jammed between the longitudinal grooves of one of the transport elements and the teeth of the comb-like plate.
The invention also provides a conveyor for pedestrians that comprises a conveyor belt and an acceleration or deceleration element at each end of the conveyor belt for loading and unloading pedestrians. Transfer devices as previously defined are arranged between the acceleration element and the conveyor belt and between the conveyor belt and the deceleration element.
The features and advantages of the invention will be further understood from the following non-limiting description and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a belt-type conveyor according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a detailed half top-view of the conveyor of FIG. 1 as seen in the direction of the arrow II.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view from the line III--III of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view from the line IV--IV of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of the transfer device shown in FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The embodiments of the invention will be described as applied to the transportation of pedestrians, but it should be well understood that the invention is also applicable to the conveyance of other objects such as goods, luggage, and the like.
The conveyor shown in FIG. 1 disposed between two stationary floors 1 and 2 has a substantially flat belt 3 for carrying pedestrians in the direction shown by the arrow F, referred to as the longitudinal direction of the belt. The belt 3 is driven by one of two end-drums 4. The drums' 4 axes are arranged transversely to the direction of displacement of the pedestrians.
The conveyor belt 3 moves at a higher seed than a normal pedestrian's walking pace. To bring the pedestrians from their normal walking pace to the relatively high speed of the belt 3, and to bring the pedestrians from the speed of the belt 3 back to their normal walking pace, the conveyor comprises an acceleration element 5 disposed between the stationary entry floor 1 and the entry of the conveyor belt 3, and a deceleration element 6 disposed between the exit of the conveyor belt 3 and the stationary exit floor 2.
The acceleration and deceleration elements 5 and 6 are known as disclosed in the reference EP-A-0 509 861. More specifically, the acceleration element 5 and the deceleration element 6 comprise a series of parallel rolls, imbricated into each other to forming continuous transport surface for pedestrians. The rolls are driven at speeds that gradually increase from an entry roll of the acceleration element 5 to an exit roll of this element. The rolls' speed gradually decrease from an entry roll of the deceleration element 6 to an exit roll of this element. FIG. 3 shows the acceleration element 5 comprising rolls 7 imbricated into each other and defining the transport surface S1 for pedestrians.
A transfer device 8 is disposed in the transition zones between the acceleration element 5 and the conveyor belt 3, and between the conveyor belt 3 and the deceleration element 6, to allow pedestrians to cross these transition zones without any loss of equilibrium. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each transfer device 8 comprises a platform 9 having a pedestrian bearing-surface S2 located substantially in a plane common to the transport surface of the conveyor belt 3 and to the transport surface S1 of the acceleration element 5 or of the deceleration element 6. The transfer device comprises rollers 10 permitting low friction displacement of pedestrians between the acceleration element 5 to the conveyor belt 3 and from the conveyor belt 3 to the deceleration element 6.
The transfer device 8 comprises a comb-shaped plate 11 having teeth 12 that engage longitudinal grooves of the conveyor belt 3 defined between conveyor belt ribs 14. The comb-shaped plate 11 is fastened to the platform 9, for example by fastening screws 15. The pedestrian bearing-surface S3 of the comb-shaped plate 11 is in substantially the same plane as the bearing surface S2 of the platform 9. Bearing surface S3 is defined by rollers 16 that permit the low-friction displacement of the pedestrians from the comb-like plate 11 to the conveyor belt 3 or vice versa.
Preferably, the rollers of the platform 9 and of the comb-shaped plate 11 comprise balls 10 and 16. As shown more clearly in FIG. 5, balls 10 and 16 are disposed within blind holes 17 in the platform 9. Balls 16 are housed within blind holes 18 of the comb-like plate 11.
The balls 10 and 16 are kept within their respective holes 17 and 18 while protruding from the platform 9 and the comb-shaped plate 11 so as to define the bearing surfaces S2 and S3. These balls 10 and 16 revolve freely about themselves in these recesses 17 and 18 as pedestrians pass over them.
More specifically, blind holes 17 are formed in a plate 9a fastened to the platform 9 by screws 9b. A plate 19 is fastened to the plate 9a, for example by fastening screws 20. The plate 19 comprises bores 21 aligned with balls 10 but having a smaller diameter than that of balls 10.
The balls 16 are retained in therein corresponding blind holes 18 in the comb-like plate 11 by flat washers 22. Each washer is accommodated in a counter-bore 23 machined into the plate 11. Each washer 22 has a central frusto-conical opening 22a for retaining a ball 16 within its hole 18.
According to an alternative embodiment not shown, the rollers 10 and 16 are cylinders mounted transversely of the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt 3 within corresponding semi-cylindrical recesses in the platform 9 and of the comb-shaped plate 11. These cylindrical rollers protrude from platform 9 and plate 11 so to define bearing surfaces S2 and S3 for pedestrians.
Furthermore, the platform 9 of the transfer device 8 is pivotally supported on a support frame 24 by supporting feet 25 arranged symmetrically about the longitudinal axis XX' of the belt 3. The free ends 25a of supporting feet 25 are accommodated within inclined grooves 26 in supporting parts 27 and 28 that are secured to frame 24, the grooves 26 being aligned perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis XX' of the conveyor belt 3. Two supporting parts 27 are disposed symmetrically opposite each other about the longitudinal axis XX' of the belt 3 and are fastened to a flange of an inverted L-shaped cross member 29 by fastening screws 30. Cross member 29 is fixed to the frame 24, preferably by welding.
The platform 9 is bilaterally fastened to the support frame 24 by two tie-bolts 31 arranged symmetrically about the axis XX' and on either side of the bearing surface S2 of the platform 9. These tie-bolts allow the slope of platform 9 to be set to a position in which the bearing surface S2 lies in a plane substantially common to the transport surfaces of the conveyor belt 3 and the acceleration element 5 or the deceleration element 6.
Each tie-bolt 31 is oriented substantially in parallel with the axis XX' and has a threaded end portion 31a anchored in a first corresponding tapped hole 32a that extends through a transverse pin 32 carried by a clevis 33 that is itself fastened to an end portion 9c of the platform 9. Portion 9c also comprises a supporting foot 25 that is inserted into the groove 26 of supporting part 28. Supporting part 28 is fastened to the cross member 29 by fastening screws (not shown). The other threaded end portion 31b of the tie-bolt 31 extends loosely through a bore 34a formed through a second transverse pin 34 carried by a clevis 35 fixed to the supporting part 28. Two nuts 36 and 37 are screwed onto the threaded portion 31b of the tie-bolt 31 on either side of the transverse pin 34. However, the nut 37 is not fully tightened against the second transverse pin 34, leaving a clearance j of about 2 millimeters so as to permit a slight pivoting motion of the transfer device 8 about the free ends of the supporting feet 25 in a direction tending to space the comb-like plate 11 upwards from the conveyor belt 3, as seen in FIG. 3. This pivoting motion occurs when an object becomes jammed between the longitudinal grooves 13 of the conveyor belt 3 and the teeth 12 of the comb-shaped plate 11. This motion of the transfer device 8 preferably actuates a circuit that stops the powered end-drum 4 and thus stops the conveyor belt 3. Normally, however, the transfer device 8 is kept in a stationary position by the tie-bolts 31. A central nut 31c permits the accurate adjustment of the position of the bearing surfaces S2 and S3 of the transfer device 8 in relation to the transport surfaces of the conveyor belt 3 and the acceleration element 5 or the deceleration element 6. As shown in FIG. 3, bearing surfaces S2 and S3 of transfer element 8 may be offset below the transport surface of the conveyor belt 3 by up to about 5 millimeters without causing any loss of equilibrium in pedestrians who cross the very small transition zone between the end of the comb-like plate 11 and the conveyor belt 3.
The transverse grooves 26 in the supporting parts 27 and 28 permit a transverse displacement of the transfer device 8 as the free ends 25a of the supporting feet 25 slide along these grooves 26 by an amount on the order of a few millimeters. This sliding may occur when the longitudinal ribs 14 of the conveyor belt 3 hit the teeth 12 of the comb-like plate 11. The sliding permits the transfer device 8 to compensate for a side drift or deflection beyond the offset value d shown in FIG. 2, of the conveyor belt 3 with respect to roll 4. To permit such a transverse displacement, each transverse pin 34 is mounted into two oblong holes (not shown) of the clevis 35 extending in parallel to the axis XX' of the conveyor belt 3.
The transfer device according to the invention has an extremely simple structure, provides a bearing surface in the same plane as the adjoining elements, and permits a reversal in the conveyor belt's direction of operation. The transfer device according to the invention may also be used in conveyors called "travelators" wherein the conveyor belt consists of elements linked to each other. The device may further be installed between two sequential conveyor belts, either aligned end to end or at an angle. In embodiments disposed between two conveyors, the device will comprise two comb-shaped end plates whose teeth are inserted into the longitudinal grooves of both conveyor belts.
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A transfer device for transferring objects, including pedestrians, between sequential moving-surfaces disposed in a common plane. The device comprises first rollers housed in a platform and defining a first object bearing-surface disposed substantially in the common plane. In one embodiment, the rollers comprise balls; in another, they comprise cylinders. A plate mounted on the platform defines a comb that slidably meshes with ribs of a conveyor belt that defines one of the moving surfaces. Second rollers are housed in the plate, providing a second object bearing-surface. The platform pivots within a limited and adjustable angle towards and away from one of the moving surfaces, when an object becomes jammed between the platform and the moving surface, and slides perpendicularly to said angle, by a small amount, when the ribs force the comb laterally.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority of German application No. 10 2009 023 858.1 filed Jun. 4, 2009, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a method for fastening a component, for instance an inlet funnel, to an apparatus, for instance a system casing of an MR system, as well as a correspondingly configured fastening system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In the case of housing casings of MR systems, opposing requirements exist in terms of design, service and acoustics. On the one hand, the design should ensure that screw connections are as invisible as possible from the outside. On the other hand, the service requires all parts (inside the MR system) to be as easily accessible as possible, thereby almost inevitably requiring connecting elements which are easily visible from the outside. Furthermore, a vibration decoupling is advisable as a result of the acoustics, such that no direct screw connection with the base system of the magnet of the MR system is to be available. A screw connection of the inlet funnel of the MR system casing with the body coil (“HF pipe”, “bore”) generally results for instance in vibrations being transmitted from the body coil to the inlet funnel and this thus being induced to oscillate, thereby becoming negatively noticeable as noise in the manner of a loudspeaker.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It is thus the object of the present invention to improve the fastening of a casing in MR systems relative to the prior art.
[0005] This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by a fastening system a method for the releasable fastening of a component to an apparatus and a magnetic resonance system as claimed in the claims. The dependent claims define preferred and advantageous embodiments of the present invention.
[0006] Within the scope of the present invention, a fastening system is provided for the releasable fastening of a component to an apparatus. In this way, a detent spring fastened to the apparatus locks into a groove of a detent pin fastened to the component, with the detent spring being located in a locking position, if the component is fastened to the apparatus, i.e. if the detent spring is locked in the groove. Furthermore, a Bowden cable arranged on the apparatus is connected to the detent spring such that the detent spring can be released from the locking position in the groove by pulling on the Bowden cable, as a result of which the fastening of the component to the apparatus can also be released.
[0007] A corresponding arrangement of the detent spring, the detent pin and the Bowden cable enables the inventive fastening system to be configured such that no screw connections are visible from the outside and no decorative covers or other types of covers for screws are needed, as a result of which tool and part costs can be advantageously reduced compared with the prior art.
[0008] As it is only the detent spring that has to be locked in the groove of the detent pin, in order to attach the component to the apparatus, and only the Bowden cable that has to be actuated in order to release the component from the apparatus, the present invention has shorter disassembly and assembly times, by comparison with fastening systems as claimed in the prior art, which operate with a screw connection.
[0009] The fastening system also comprises a receptacle fastened to the apparatus, to which the detent spring is fastened. To fasten the component to the apparatus, the detent pin is inserted into the receptacle, with the detent spring in the locking position locking into the groove. To release the fastening of the component to the apparatus, the detent pin has to be guided out of the recess, the detent spring having being released (pulled) from the groove previously by actuating the Bowden cable, as a result of which the detent pin is no longer blocked by the detent spring and can be easily pulled out of the receptacle.
[0010] A first movement direction, in which the detent spring moves, is advantageously essentially at right angles to a second movement direction, in which the detent pin is moved into the receptacle when fastening the component to the apparatus and moved out of the receptacle when releasing the component from the apparatus. The second movement direction is also arranged here essentially in parallel to an axis of symmetry of the detent pin. The detent spring moves here in the first movement direction if the detent pin is guided into the recess or if the detent spring is moved by pulling on the Bowden cable. A movement direction is understood here to be both a forward direction and also a backward direction which is parallel to the forward direction.
[0011] In a preferred inventive embodiment of the fastening system, the receptacle has a bias spring fastened to the receptacle. When fastening the component to the apparatus, the detent pin is inserted into the receptacle counter to the bias spring, so that the bias spring is pretensioned after insertion of the detent pin into the receptacle. When releasing the fastening of the component from the apparatus, the detent pin is pushed out of the receptacle by the bias spring as a result of pretension (if the detent spring has previously been released from the locking position (from the groove) by way of the Bowden cable.
[0012] The bias spring almost automatically forces the detent pin out of the receptacle, provided it is no longer hindered by the detent spring and/or provided the Bowden cable is actuated. As a result, the component advantageously releases itself from the apparatus simply by actuating the Bowden cable, without a further manual operation by means of an operating person being needed herefor.
[0013] A direction of force, in which the bias spring is pretensioned upon insertion of the detent pin into the recess, is in particular essentially parallel here to the movement direction of the detent pin upon insertion into the receptacle or upon release from the receptacle. The direction of force is therefore essentially at right angles to the (previously described) first movement direction of the detent spring.
[0014] The detent pin advantageously has an upwardly tapered head, so that an insertion of the detent pin into the receptacle on the one hand and an insertion of the detent spring into the groove of the detent pin on the other hand is facilitated. This particularly facilitates the assembly, since large assembly tolerances are permitted, even if advantageously only small position tolerances are available.
[0015] Furthermore, the receptacle can comprise a stop, against which the detent spring strikes in the case of a pull by the Bowden cable, as a result of which a movement of the Bowden cable is limited when releasing the detent spring from the locking position in the groove, and the cable core of the Bowden cable (generally a non-magnetic wire or suchlike) is not overloaded (overstretched).
[0016] The detent spring can also further comprise a pretension, so that a tensile force applied to the detent spring by the Bowden cable has to release the detent spring from the locking position in the groove counter to the pretension.
[0017] In a preferred inventive embodiment of the fastening system, the fastening system has several of the previously described detent pints on the component and several of the previously described receptacles on the apparatus. Here the number of detent pins equates to the number of receptacles, with the detent pins being arranged on the component and the receptacles being arranged on the apparatus such that when fastening the component to the apparatus, each of the detent pins can be inserted into one of the receptacles. Furthermore, the fastening system according to this embodiment includes a releasing handle and a number of Bowden cables corresponding to the number of detent pins (or receptacles), said Bowden cables being actuated by way of the releasing handle. The Bowden cables are guided to the detent springs by the releasing handle such that each Bowden cable engages with one of the detent springs. When actuating the releasing handle, each detent spring is released from an engagement with the groove of its detent pin by way of the corresponding Bowden cable.
[0018] According to an inventive embodiment, the releasing handle has two detent points. With the first detent point, the releasing handle exerts almost no pull on the Bowden cables, so that the detent springs are locked into the grooves of the detent pins, if the component is attached to the apparatus. In the second detent point, which also retains the releasing handle, if the releasing handle is disengaged, the releasing handle exerts such a pull on the Bowden cable that all detent springs release out of the grooves and release the detent pins. On condition that the receptacles have no bias springs, the second locking point is used to release the engagement between the component and the apparatus, without releasing the component from the apparatus. To release the component from the apparatus, the component must be detached from the apparatus in this embodiment.
[0019] By each component having several detent pins and each apparatus having several receptacles, several detent pins can advantageously be arranged around an edge of the component, as a result of which the component can at the same time be fastened to the apparatus at several points.
[0020] Here the fastening system can include a power distributor and an additional Bowden cable. The additional Bowden cable is guided here to the force distributor by the unlocking handle, while the Bowden cables are guided from the force distributor to the assigned detent spring in each instance. Upon actuation of the unlocking handle, a force is transmitted from the unlocking handle, via the additional Bowden cable, to the force distributor and from the force distributor to the several Bowden cables and from there to the detent springs.
[0021] A length of the additional Bowden cable can be measured here such that the unlocking handle can be moved outside the apparatus in front of the component and can be actuated there. As a result, the component can be released by actuating the unlocking handle while the component can on the one hand be monitored by the operating person controlling the unlocking handle and if necessary, also be guided or moved manually.
[0022] The fastening system can also include an adjustable screw for each Bowden cable, with it being possible, with the aid of these adjustable screws, for a force transmission to be adjusted from the additional Bowden cable to the Bowden cable corresponding to the adjustable screw. If settling occurs on the section of a Bowden cable, this can herewith be balanced out.
[0023] The Bowden cables, the force distributor, the additional Bowden cable and the unlocking handle are preferably arranged here within the apparatus, in order not to interfere with the optical image of the apparatus (for instance a magnetic resonance system). E.g. by opening a service flap of the magnetic resonance system, the unlocking handle can then be removed from the apparatus in order to release the component from the apparatus.
[0024] To facilitate the fastening of the component to the apparatus, the component can include one or several guiding ridges, which are arranged on the periphery of the component. With the aid of the guide ridge or ridges, the component can be easily arranged in a position, in which the detent pins are inserted into the receptacles.
[0025] Furthermore, the fastening system can also include a securing leash, with which the component is attached to the apparatus so that when releasing the component from the apparatus (by actuating the unlocking handle), the component is prevented from falling out of the apparatus by means of a securing leash. In more precise terms, the length of the securing leash restricts the fall of the component, i.e. the length of the securing leash is generally defined such that the component does not fall onto the ground and/or onto the feet of the operating and/or service personnel, if it is released from the apparatus. To completely release the component from the apparatus, the securing leash must be manually released from the component or from the apparatus.
[0026] Within the scope of the present invention, a method for the releasable fastening of a component to an apparatus is also provided. When fastening the component to the apparatus, a detent spring arranged on the apparatus is engaged here with a groove of a detent pin arranged on the component such that the component is herewith fastened to the apparatus. When releasing the component from the apparatus, a Bowden cable is actuated, so that the engagement between the detent spring and the groove is released by actuating the Bowden cable.
[0027] The advantages of the inventive method essentially correspond to the advantages of the inventive fastening system, which are described in detail above, so there is no need for a repetition here.
[0028] The present invention is particularly suited to fastening a casing (component) to a magnetic resonance system (apparatus) or to fastening an inlet funnel (component) to a casing of a magnetic resonance system. The present invention is naturally not restricted to these preferred areas of application but can instead by used to fasten any components to any apparatuses.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The present invention is described in detail below with the aid of preferred embodiments with reference to the figures, in which;
[0030] FIG. 1 a represents an overview of a casing of a magnetic resonance system.
[0031] FIG. 1 b shows an exploded view of the components of the casing in FIG. 1 a.
[0032] FIG. 2 represents the inlet funnel attached to the casing when viewed from inside the casing.
[0033] FIG. 3 shows a detailed representation of the inlet funnel attached to the casing when viewed from inside the casing.
[0034] FIG. 4 represents an inventive force distributor.
[0035] FIG. 5 represents an inventive unlocking handle.
[0036] FIG. 6 represents an inventive detent pin.
[0037] FIG. 7 represents an inventive receptacle.
[0038] FIG. 8 is a side representation of an inventive receptacle with a detent pin locked therein.
[0039] FIG. 9 represents a top view of an inventive receptacle with a detent pin locked therein.
[0040] FIG. 10 represents inventive guiding ridges.
[0041] FIG. 11 represents a design sketch of an inventive fastening system.
[0042] FIG. 12 represents a design sketch of the individual components of an inventive fastening system.
[0043] FIG. 13 represents a design sketch of an inventive fastening system from below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0044] FIG. 1 a shows an inventive casing 1 of a magnetic resonance system 20 , to which an inlet funnel 9 is attached with the aid of the present invention.
[0045] FIG. 1 b represents an exploded view of components of the casing of the magnetic resonance system.
[0046] FIG. 2 shows an overall interior view of a rear and/or front casing of a magnetic resonance system with inventive rapid locking and unlocking system for fastening an inlet funnel 9 to the casing 1 . An unlocking handle 11 and a force distributor 12 can be seen on the inside. Bowden cables 13 are guided from the force distributor 12 to four receptacles 17 . A further Bowden cable 21 is located between the unlocking handle 11 and the force distributor 12 . By actuating the unlocking handle 11 , a force is guided to the force distributor 12 by way of the further Bowden cable 21 , which then forwards this force to the Bowden cables 13 , as a result of which the inlet funnel 9 is released, as is described again in detail below. Furthermore, a securing leash 18 is shown in FIG. 2 , with which the inlet funnel 9 is attached to the casing 1 , in order to prevent the inlet funnel 9 from falling onto the floor or from falling onto the feet of an operating person and/or damaging the casing 1 when the inlet funnel 9 is released from the casing 1 .
[0047] A section of FIG. 2 is shown in detail in FIG. 3 .
[0048] FIG. 4 shows the force distributor 12 in detail. When actuating the unlocking handle 11 , a force is applied to the force distributor 12 by way of the further Bowden cable 21 by means of a sphere 21 a . The force distributor 12 then in turn forwards this force via a sphere 13 a to the four Bowden cables 13 in each instance. Each Bowden cable 13 can therefore be mounted in the force distributor 12 or released from the force distributor 12 by means of its sphere 13 a.
[0049] FIG. 5 represents an unlocking handle 11 at close range. This unlocking handle 11 is normally arranged inside the casing 1 and/or magnetic resonance system 20 . The unlocking handle 11 can however be guided out of the casing 1 in order to release the inlet funnel 9 from the casing 1 , if the length of the further Bowden cable 21 connected to the unlocking handle 11 enables this.
[0050] FIG. 6 shows a detent pin 16 at close range. An upwardly tapered head 23 of the detent pin 16 can be seen, with the aid of which an insertion of the detent pin 16 into a receptacle 17 and thus a locking of a detent pin 14 in a groove 22 of the detent pin 16 is facilitated.
[0051] FIG. 7 shows a side view of a receptacle 17 , from which the detent pin 16 is inserted into the receptacle 17 in order to fasten the inlet funnel 9 to the casing 1 .
[0052] FIG. 8 shows a receptacle 17 obliquely from the side, with a detent pin 16 locked to the detent spring or a round wire spring 14 of the receptacle 17 being located in the receptacle 17 . It is apparent that the detent pin 16 engages with the round wire spring 14 , although a force is exerted onto the detent pin by means of a leaf spring 15 of the receptacle 17 . It is only when the Bowden cable 13 which is fastened to the round wire spring 14 by way of an eyelet 24 is actuated that the round wire spring 14 is pulled out of the groove 22 , so that the engagement between the round wire spring 14 and the detent pin 16 releases, as a result of which the detent pin 16 is moved out of the receptacle 17 by means of the pretensioned leaf spring 15 .
[0053] FIG. 9 shows an oblique top view of the receptacle 17 with the detent pin 16 of FIG. 8 which is locked therein. It is clearer in FIG. 9 (than in FIG. 8 ) that pulling on the Bowden cable 13 to the left (in FIG. 9 ) releases the catch mechanism between the detent pin 22 and the round wire spring 22 , since the round wire spring 14 is pulled to the left out of the groove 22 by means of the pull.
[0054] FIG. 10 shows two guiding ridges 19 , which are attached to the bottom of the inlet funnel 9 (on the lower edge). With the aid of these guiding ridges 19 , the inlet funnel 9 can be set up so as fasten to the casing 1 , as a result of which an engagement of the four detent pins 16 into the receptacles 17 is facilitated. Instead of the two guiding ridges 19 shown, only one guiding ridge or more than two guiding ridges can naturally also be present. Furthermore, the distance between the guiding ridges 19 can be selected to be greater than that shown in FIG. 10 .
[0055] FIG. 11 shows a design sketch of an inventive fastening system 10 in the zero position. In the zero position, all components (e.g. the leaf spring 15 ) are shown without a pretensioning, as a result of which the head 23 of the detent pin is shown as almost passing through the leaf spring 15 . The receptacle or the bearing 17 (counter bearing for the Bowden cable 13 ) is fastened to the actual front casing 1 (not visible in FIG. 11 ) from the inside, so that the receptacle 17 is not visible from the outside. A fastening of the receptacle 17 to the casing 1 is possible by means of adhesion or screwing for instance. The centering or detent pin 16 is fastened to the inlet funnel 9 from the rear, so that it is likewise not visible from the outside if the inlet funnel 9 is attached to the casing 1 .
[0056] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 , the leaf spring 15 has a pretension 2 of 3 mm. Since the components illustrated in FIG. 11 are shown to scale, the dimensions of the other components shown in FIG. 11 result accordingly by way of the pretension 2 of 3 mm. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 , the round wire spring 14 has no pretension. However, a pretension of 0 . 5 mm for instance is possible if the detent pin 16 is engaged with the round wire spring 14 .
[0057] FIG. 12 shows the fastening system 10 shown in FIG. 11 as a three-dimensional exploded view.
[0058] FIG. 13 shows the inventive fastening system 10 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 from below. A stop of the receptacle 17 is shown with reference character 4 . A movement of the round wire spring 15 as a result of the pull by the Bowden cable 13 is advantageously restricted by means of this stop 4 . This herewith prevents the round wire spring 14 or the receptacle 17 from being destroyed (overstretched) by way of the excessively large tensile force applied to the Bowden cable 13 .
[0059] The fastening and release of the inlet funnel 9 by means of the inventive snap-fit and securing mechanism 10 comprising the unlocking system to (from) the casing 1 is described again below with the aid of FIGS. 11 to 13 .
[0060] The detent pins 16 or more precisely the heads 23 of the detent pins 16 are inserted into a respective hole 3 of the corresponding receptacle 17 in order to fasten the inlet funnel 9 to the casing 1 (i.e. the centering and detent pins 16 are centered in the receptacle 17 ). The tapering head 23 herewith pushes the round wire spring 14 to the side on the one hand and pushes the leaf spring 15 upwards on the other hand. The round wire spring 14 engages in the guide groove 22 of the detent pin 16 if the detent pin 16 is inserted correspondingly far into the receptacle 17 . If the round wire spring 14 engages in the groove 22 , the detent pin 16 is locked to the receptacle 17 and can no longer be pulled out of the receptacle 17 (without actuating the Bowden cable 12 ).
[0061] To release the inlet funnel 9 from the casing 1 , a service flap (not shown) of the casing 1 is opened, behind which is arranged the unlocking handle 11 . The unlocking handle 11 is completely removed together with the additional Bowden cable 21 and guided and actuated upstream of the inlet funnel 9 . By actuating the unlocking handle 11 , the force, with which the unlocking handle 11 is actuated, is guided to the force distributor 12 by way of the additional Bowden cable 21 . By means of the force distributor 12 , this force is distributed equally onto the Bowden cables 13 and is guided to the receptacles 17 and/or more precisely to the round wire springs 14 . The round wire springs 14 are pulled out of the respective guide groove 22 by actuating the unlocking handle 11 , i.e. the round wire springs 14 snap out of the respective guide groove 22 . As a result of the pretension 2 , which prevails in the leaf springs 15 , the locking pins 16 are pushed out of their mounting and/or receptacle 17 , as a result of which the inlet funnel 9 releases from the casing 1 . The securing leash 18 prevents the inlet funnel 9 from falling onto the floor or onto the feet of an operating person.
[0062] The afore-described service flap of the magnetic resonance system 20 has screws, by way of which the service flap is opened and/or closed. As it is not only the unlocking handle but instead the electronics system of the magnetic resonance system 20 that can be accessed by way of the service flap, there is a rule in most countries that the service flap is only to be opened using a tool (e.g. a screwdriver).
[0063] As, in the embodiment shown, the inlet funnel 9 is only attached to the casing 1 , no vibrations are transmitted from the body coil or from the magnetic endspinning to the inlet funnel 9 and thus to the front or rear casing of the magnetic resonance system.
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A method and a fastening system for the releasable fastening of a component to an apparatus are described. Here the fastening system comprises a detent spring arranged on the apparatus, a detent pin with a groove arranged on the component and a Bowden cable arranged on the apparatus. If the component is fastened to the apparatus, the detent spring locks in the groove in a locking position. The Bowden cable is connected to the detent spring such that when pulling on the Bowden cable, the detent spring releases from the locking position in the groove, as a result of which the fastening of the component to the apparatus is released.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 410,837 filed Oct. 29, 1973, now abandoned which in turn is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 123,871 filed Mar. 12, 1971, now abandoned.
The present invention relates to crushed foam coated leather and leather substitutes useful in any area natural leather is employed; for example, shoes, purses garments, belts, upholstery, wallets and the like. In another aspect, it relates to a crushed foam coating on such materials and methods of accomplishing same.
Present techniques for the coating of leather and leather substitutes leave much to be desired, often involving as many as 5 to 6 coatings in order to achieve a tough, abrasion resistant topcoat on leathers of poorer quality. Even after coating, there still may be surface reflecting imperfections in the substrate.
Thus, in the art of finishing leather and leather substitutes, means for upgrading low grade materials is still being sought after. Also, much sought after is an attractive low cost alternative to the microporous urethane laminate presently used to surface the nonwoven base web of poromeric materials, such as Corfam.
Textile fabrics have been successfully coated with foamed polymeric compositions or foamable polymeric compositions which foam on the textile (U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,654). This procedure has not been successfully adapted to the nonwoven substrates, such as the leather finishing arts, because the balance of properties required for leather and leather-substitutes is different and more difficult to achieve than with conventional textile fabrics.
We have found that the properties of the crushed foam coated grain side leather and leather splits, when prepared according to the teachings of this invention, are better than those obtained with conventional systems. For example, the present techniques involve but a single coating and the thus-coated substrates are not stiffened by the coating. Also, such techniques may be used in a continuous production line. This invention eliminates many of the operations presently being employed in standard leather finishing methods.
One advantage of the present invention is that it provides crushed foam coated leather and leather-like materials rivaling natural leather. Also, this invention provides a more economical process for upgrading leather substrates.
Another advantage of this method is to mask many of the natural defects in the leather substrate. Still another advantage is to provide a controlled build up of the coating which results in lack of "photographing" of the underlying web.
SUMMARY
Broadly, the crushed foam coated leather and leather substitutes are prepared as follows:
A. foaming a compounded polymeric latex with a foam generator;
B. coating the foam on the leather or leather substitute at a thickness in the range of from 5 mils to about 60 mils;
C. partially drying the foam coating on the leather or leather substitutes at a temperature in the range of from about 120° F. to about 400° F. and, preferably, at a temperature in the range of from 125° F. to 300° F.; and simultaneously or separately:
D. crushing the partially dried foam coating at a pressure in the range of from 1 to about 50 psi; and
E. embossing and curing the crushed foam coated leather or leather substitutes to achieve optimum adhesion of the crushed foam coating to the substrate at a pressure in the range of from about 50 to 2000 psi at a temperature in the range of from 100° to about 200° F.
Thus, in accordance with the present invention, a leather or leather substitute, such as a substrate suitable for making a poromeric or other leather substitutes, has a crushed foam material securely adhered thereto. The term "leather substitute", is as defined in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,537,883; 3,100,721 and 3,000,757.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The latex compositions that produce the foams used in the present invention contain a copolymer prepared from the following groups of monomers:
i. 20-90% of butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene or any mixtures thereof;
ii. 40-95% of ethyl acrylate, vinyl chloride or any mixtures thereof;
iii. 20-50% of methyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, styrene, vinylidene chloride or any mixtures thereof;
iv. 10-30% of methyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate or any mixtures thereof;
v. 0.1-5% of acrylic acid, itaconic acid, methacrylic acid or any mixtures thereof; and
vi. 3-7% of hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methylol acrylamide, acrylamide, methylol methacrylamide or acrolein, or any mixtures thereof.
The copolymer may be prepared from any combination of the foregoing monomers provided that the sum thereof is 100%. It is not required that a monomer from each of the groups be present but the copolymers preferably contain at least one monomer from group vi to facilitate cross-linking. If more than one monomer is selected from any one group, such mixture must nevertheless not be outside the % range for that group of monomers.
Especially preferred are copolymers having the following compositions: 80 butyl acrylate/15 acrylonitrile/2 itaconic acid/3 methylol acrylamide; 66 butyl acrylate/30 methyl methacrylate/2 acrylic acid/2 acrolein; 95 ethyl acrylate/1.5 acrylic acid/3.5 methylol methacrylamide; 40 butyl acrylate/33 ethyl acrylate/20 methyl acrylate/2 itaconic acid/5 hydroxyethyl methacrylate; 86 ethyl acrylate/10 acrylonitrile/2.7 methylol acrylamide/1.3 acrylamide; 96 ethyl acrylate/3.5 acrylamide/0.5 acrylic acid.
The polymeric latices preferably are compounded with an aminoplast cross-linking agent prior to foaming. Such reagents include water soluble formaldehyde condensates with urea, melamine or N,N'-ethyleneurea. The aminoplast is used in an amount of about 1-10% by weight based on the copolymer solids of the latex. A preferred resin is a melamine-formaldehyde resin-forming precondensate, preferably used in an amount of about 3-5% by weight on copolymer solids. Certain of the copolymers will be self-crosslinking without the aminoplast, such as copolymers containing acrolein. The cross-linking helps to reduce tack and thereby eliminates or minimizes "blocking"-the sticking together of folds of foam-coated substrates. Therefore, cross-linking particularly by addition of the aminoplast, is preferred in the foamed polymeric emulsions of the invention.
A crushed foam coating means a coating which, after obtaining a cellular structure, is compressed by crushing or embossing. It is essential in the preparation of the crushed foam coated leather and leather substitutes that the embossed products possess a sharp and well-defined underlying pattern which is essential in yielding the leather-like surface and aesthetics required by the industry. This requires that after the system is crushed there will be minimal bounce back of the foam so that there will be substantially no loss of pattern definition. In a similar vein, if a smooth plate is used, a smooth appearance should be obtained. The crushed foam has a thickness in the range from about 3 mils to 25 mils with the preferred range being from about 5 mils to about 20 mils.
In the sequence of steps, it is necessary to conduct Steps (A) and (B) separately; however, it is possible to provide for various combinations of the subsequent crushing, embossing and final curing steps.
It is possible to crush and emboss in substantially one operation, i.e., to combine Steps (D) and (E) under suitable heat and pressure.
When a leather substitute is employed, postcuring after embossing and drying may be necessary to yield a product with improved physical performance in comparison to a product which is not postcured. This postcuring step completes many crosslinking reactions both in the foam and substrate itself. This postcuring is conducted at a temperature in the range of from 150° to about 500° F.
Regarding the maximum pressures that the substrate itself will tolerate:
On leather splits, for example, trials have been conducted up to 40 to 50 tons ram pressure, which is the equivalent of about one-thousand lbs./sq.in. On poromeric materials, however, or other types of leather substitutes, such high pressures are not required to achieve the embossing. Preferably, one would increase temperature rather than pressure to achieve satisfactory crushing and curing.
With material such as leather, splits or grain leathers, normally the preference here is for higher pressures such as 500 to 2000 psi, and preferably 500 to 1200 psi.
The pressure and temperatures that would be used on a commerical basis will depend on what the skilled artisan determines as providing a proper visual and textural effect for the system, in addition to ensuring satisfactory adhesion.
The pressures and temperatures will vary, depending upon the nature of the substrate, the smoothness of its surface, and further depending upon the inherent degree of adhesion of the crushed foam coating to different types of substrates. For example, with different types of leather, the optimum conditions will depend upon the manner of tanning. Different temperature and pressure combinations will be required to obtain adequate adhesion for a particular substrate.
Thus, we have set forth the optimum conditions for preparing a crushed foam coated leather and leather substitute. It can be seen how the various combinations of these steps can be put together by varying temperature and pressure to accomplish an acceptable product for a given type of substrate.
For example, where engaged in coating a web for a poromeric base, one could crush, emboss and cure in one operation, by applying a pressure in the range from 5 to 500 psi at a temperature in the range of from 175° to 350° F. With low crushing pressures it is desirable to operate at a temperature in the range of from about 300° to 350° F. to ensure adequate deformation of the web, if the web is bound by a polymer-like material, which itself is cured to some extent. These ranges apply to synthetic substrates, for the most part. Thus, in the range of 300° to 350° F., with a pressure in the range of 50 to 1000 psi, it is possible to crush the foam, emboss in the pattern and cure in one operation.
One can accomplish the same objective with a leather material by utilizing a pressure in the range of from 500 to 1200 psi, at a temperature in the range of from 175° to 300° F., whereby this would in substantially one operation, cause crushing, embossing and curing.
One can crush at room temperature, with minimal pressure, so as to place the substrate in a form that it can be handled. Then it goes through a combined embossing and curing step in one operation, but utilizing conditions similar to that just described for the crushing, embossing and curing sequence.
For embossing, the plate is either smooth, or grained, or can be textured to any of the various prints available for leather finishing.
It is possible to crush, separately from the embossing and curing steps, with almost any of the substrates of interest. One can crush and emboss in one operation with all the substrates, but with the poromerics, it is usual that curing occurs in the same operation. In the case of leathers, one can crush and emboss at low enough temperatures so as to require a subsequent curing step.
In Table I there is set forth a typical formulation for the foams that are useful in the coating of a nonwoven web used as a base for a poromeric material, side leather, and split leather.
TABLE I__________________________________________________________________________ Nonwoven Web Split and Side Leather LeatherFormulation (parts by wt.) (parts by wt.)__________________________________________________________________________Latices A or B 100.0 100.0China Clay 15.0 15.0Ammonium Stearate 33% 7.0 7.0 (Foam Stabilizer)Aerotex MW melamine/HCHO Condensate 2.3 2.3 (Amer. Cyanamid Co.)Ammonium Hydroxide 28% 2.0 2.0Colorants: PRIMAL® Black 110 15.0 85 Pts. PRIMAL® White Beige in 15.0 10 Pts. PRIMAL® Ochre Mixture 5 Pts. PRIMAL® D. BrownTOTALS 141.3 141.3__________________________________________________________________________ PRIMAL® is a registered trademark of the Rohm and Haas Company for a series of various pigments in a vehicle of a water soluble polymer binder a sulfonated tallow, an auxiliary dispersant and water.
The formulations were foam-coated on various substrates, including a (1) nonwoven web (Corfam) from Fleming-Joffe Company, (2) PRIMAL ®571 -- Impregnated Griess-Pfleger Combotan leather, (3) chrome tanned work shoe splits from Lannom Mfg. Co., (4) vegetable tanned splits, and (5) Hartland's chrome tanned splits.
The following copolymers were in the latices of the formulations (the monomer amounts are in parts by weight):
Latex A: 86 ethyl acrylate/10 acrylonitrile/2.7 methylol acrylamide/1.3 acrylamide
Latex B: 96 ethyl acrylate/3.5 acrylamide/0.5 acrylic acid
The formulations were partially cured and niprolled (crushed) smooth and then nip-rolled (crushed) over Warren's morocco-grained release paper to achieve a texture. After final curing, one set was topcoated with a vinyl urethane lacquer while another set was left without a topcoat.
By substituting the following latices for Latex A or B similar formulations and coated substrates may be obtained: 80 butyl acrylate/15 acrylonitrile/2 itaconic acid/3 methylol acrylamide; 66 butyl acrylate/30 methyl methacrylate/2 acrylic acid/2 acrolein; 95 ethyl acrylate/1.5 acrylic acid/3.5 methylol methacrylamide; 40 butyl acrylate/33 ethyl acrylate/20 methyl acrylate/2 itaconic acid/5 hydroxyethyl methacrylate.
The following physical tests were run on the foregoing crushed foam-coated substrates: Taber abrasion, Mul-Tech wet soak resistance, Satra Dome, Bally Flex, and Cold Crack (-20° C.) flexibility. Certain of the results are described immediately below and the data is summarized in Table II.
1. CORFAM WEB -- The Latex B-containing crushed foam-coated nonwoven web, nip-rolled smooth, and topcoated with a vinyl urethane lacquer had a good balance of properties and met commercial requirements.
______________________________________Typical Crushed FoamCommercial Requirements Coating Results______________________________________Good Wet Bally Flex adhesion >40,000 Wet Bally FlexesGood Wet Bally Flex flexibility >40,000 Wet Bally FlexesCold Crack Resistance at -20° C. No cracking at -28.9° C.Embossibility GoodReceptivity to Topcoats Good______________________________________
In addition, this system was passed over 1000 cycles on the Tabor Abraser without wear. It passed 750 cycles on the Mul-Tech, and passed the Satra Dome Test.
2. CORRECTED GRAIN SIDE LEATHER -- The Latex B-containing foam coating, nip-rolled smooth (crushed) on Griess-Pfleger's corrected grain side leather with PRIMAL 571 impregnated and topped with a vinyl urethane lacquer resulted in a good balance of properties. Results (following) are better than usually obtained with a conventional coating system:
______________________________________ Crushed Foam Coating Results______________________________________Mul-Tech Wet Soak Resistance 430 CyclesTaber Abrasion Resistance >1000 CyclesCold Crack Flexibility Slight CrackingAppearance Smooth and Well-filledCoverage Excellent______________________________________
4. SPLIT LEATHER -- The Latex A-containing foam coating nip-rolled smooth (crushed) on a reverse side of a vegetable split also had a good balance of properties. Results (following) are better than usually obtained with a conventional coating system:
______________________________________ Crushed Foam Coating Results______________________________________Appearance Smooth and well filledCoverage ExcellentTaber Abrasion Resistance 600 CyclesMul-Tech Wet Soak Resistance 270 CyclesBally Flex Flexibility (Wet) Slight cracking______________________________________
Table II presents the physical measurements made on a number of typical substrates which had been crushed foam-coated, according to the present invention, and demonstrates the significant results obtained.
Based on the data in Table II, certain meaningful comments are possible.
In general: The Latex A-containing foam coating resulted in good wet soak resistance and abrasion resistance, but poor Bally Flex and Cold Crack flexibility. The opposite is true with the Latex B-containing foam coatings. On the nonwoven web and side leather substrates, the best balance of properties is obtained with the Latex B-containing coating, nip-rolled smooth, and topcoated with lacquer. This system results in good Taber abrasion resistance, the best Bally Flex and Cold Crack flexibility. The Mul-Tech wet soak resistance is not as good as its Latex A counterpart, but is the best of the Latex B foam coatings.
Topcoat: The Latex B formulation combined with the vinyl urethane lacquer topcoat considerably upgraded the wet soak resistance, Taber abrasion, and in some cases, flexibility.
Surface Texture: Some of the physical parameters appear to have been affected by the surface texture (smooth or embossed). With a Latex A-containing coating, the smooth-coated, untopped Corfam web shows less cold cracking than its embossed counterpart. The Mul-Tech wet soak resistance of the embossed and untopped Latex A-containing coating was better than its smooth-coated counterpart; however, the reverse was true when it was topcoated.
Wet-soak Resistance: With the Latex B-containing coating, both the smooth and embossed untopped nonwoven web had equally poor Mul-Tech wet soak resistance, while the smooth topcoated nonwoven web had much better wet soak resistance than its embossed counterpart. The other substrates were all nip-rolled smooth.
Substrates: The nonwoven web is the easiest to foam coat as it is available in a continuous roll of uniform thickness. The impregnated side leathers give some mechanical handling problems because of low spots in the leather. Certain splits are more difficult to foam-coat, because the coating does not adhere to the loose "fuzz" on a heavily sueded surface. However, a vegetable tanned split which was foam coated with the Latex A-containing coating on a smoother surface and then topcoated, resulted in good abrasion resistance, respectable wet soak resistance, and wet Bally Flex flexibility, but to be foam coated, splits will have to be free of dust or "fuzz" to obtain adequate adhesion.
EXAMPLE II
Split leather was foam-coated with a composition containing Latex A, the coating was partially dried, and crushed at less than 5 psi and at room temperature. One piece was embossed at a pressure of 550 psi and a temperature of 200° F., and was subsequently cured at a temperature of 325° F. Another piece was embossed at a pressure of 1000 psi and a temperature of 200° F., and subsequently cured at a temperature of 325° F. Both sections were then topcoated with conventional side leather finishing materials.
The adhesion of the foam coating to the substrate for the low pressure embossed was inadequate, while the adhesion of the foam coating embossed at the higher pressure was adequate.
A third section was first cured at 325° F., and then embossed at a pressure of 1000 psi and a temperature of 200° F. The adhesion of the foam coating to the substrate for this process was also inadequate. The trial demonstrates that the sequence of operation described and the conditions of pressure and temperature set forth are necessary to achieve the desired end results.
EXAMPLE III
A piece of a nonwoven web coated with a foam coating composition, containing Latex B, was partially dried at 225° F., crushed with minimal pressure, subsequently topcoated with a urethane lacquer, and cured at 300° F. Another section was smooth embossed at a pressure of 10 psi and a temperature of 350° F. prior to topcoating.
The foam coating of the former section showed inadequate adhesion to the web, while the foam coating embossed according to the second sequence, showed adequate adhesion.
This trial further demonstrates the need for adequate pressure, combined with a temperature during embosssing, to adhieve the desired end result, including the critical good adhesion of the crushed foam coat.
TABLE II__________________________________________________________________________Physicals of Representative Acrylic Crushed Foam-Coated Substrates Latex Taber Abrasion.sup.1 Mul-Tech Wet Soak Resistance.sup.2 Wet Bally Used Initial Initial Cycles Flex Cracking in Surface Failure % Wear at Failure at 10% % Damage Amount AmountSubstrate Foam Topcoat Texture Cycles 1000 cycles Cycles Failure at/Cycles Failure Cracking__________________________________________________________________________Non-Woven Web L-A None Smooth 215 70 30 40 100/100 Moderate ModerateNon-Woven Web L-A Lacquer Smooth None >10,000.sup.6 >10,000.sup.6 None/10,000.sup.6 Moderate Consid.Non-Woven Web L-A None Embossed 185 20 110 200 10/200 Moderate Consid.Non-Woven Web L-A Lacquer Embossed None 300 >1,000 >10/1000 Moderate Consid.Non-Woven Web L-B None Smooth 165 100 at 550 20 23 100/50 Slight Very Slight cyclesNon-Woven Web L-B Lacquer Smooth None 750 800 100/1000 Very Slight NoneNon-Woven Web L-B None Embossed 120 100 at 350 15 20 100/50 Slight Very Slight cyclesNon-Woven Web L-B Lacquer Embossed None 65 80 15/100 Very Slight NoneImpregnated L-A None Smooth None 170 200 10/200 None Consid.Side LeatherImpregnated L-A Lacquer Smooth None >1,000 >1,000 None/1000 None Consid.Side LeatherImpregnated L-B None Smooth None 35 40 90/100 None NoneSide LeatherImpregnated L-B Lacquer Smooth None 430 450 90/500 Blister.sup.4 SlightSide LeatherReverse SideVegetable Split L-A None Smooth 300 40 40 60 50/100 Consid. Consid.Vegetable Split L-A Lacquer Smooth 600 15 270 285 40/300 Slight Consid.__________________________________________________________________________ .sup.1 Taber Abrasion: Wheel No. CS-17; Suction 60; 1000 g. Load. .sup.2 Mul-Tech: 1/2 hour soak; 4 lb. Load. .sup.3 Bally Flex: 1/2 hour soak; rated at 40,000 cycles. .sup.4 Blister: There was one large blister on this sample. .sup.5 Cold Crack: -20° F.; samples conditioned 3/4 hour. .sup.6 This was the only sample tested for this many cycles. Note: All the above foam-coated substrates passed the Satra Dome Test.
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Crushed foam coated leather and leather-like materials characterized by excellent foam adherence, are prepared by flowing foamed compounded polymeric latices into contact with a leather or leather-like substrate and partially drying same, followed by compressive crushing of the dried foam, plating or embossing to achieve optimum adhesion, and further heating and curing to develop maximum physical properties.
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BACKGROUND
1. Field
The present invention relates to servers and, more particularly, to networked platforms.
2. Background Information
One problem with accessing the Internet using software executing on a computer, such as a personal computer (PC), referred to in this context as a browser, is the delay or latency perceived by users until the web site or web page being accessed is displayed on the computer screen. Recently, so-called “auto-fetch” utilities have gained popularity with users who routinely browse the World Wide Web (the Web). These utilities are designed to “guess” and retrieve web objects or data objects of particular interest to the user in the background (e.g., while the user is reading a web page), thereby reducing the user's visible latency for page loading if the pages they subsequently browse are already available in a local cache on their PC. Another application of this approach is often used in off-line browsers, which allows users to browse these cached web pages without being connected to the Internet. When the user accesses the Web through a network proxy, that is, a network device or platform executing proxy software employed to access the Web, however, such auto-fetch utilities may have an undesirable adverse effect on a proxy cache, that is, the local cache for a platform executing proxy software, that uses a conventional least-recently-used (LRU)-based replacement policy, for example. Since the auto-fetch utility may continuously generate arbitrary large numbers of requests for web objects to the network proxy, popular objects or pages for the majority of so-called “typical users,” that is, those not using such auto-fetch utilities, are replaced by those objects requested by the auto-fetch utilities. As a result, typical users may experience a greater latency than they may otherwise, due at least in part to the abnormally large volumes of cached objects attributable to auto-fetch requests. A similar problem may also arise on a network server, such as a content server, which serves large numbers of users. Again, users may experience degraded performance when accessing such a server due at least in part to the inordinate resource demands of auto-fetching utilities.
Other on-line pre-fetching schemes have also been proposed to reduce the latency perceived by users by predicting and pre-fetching those web pages that are likely to be requested next, while the user is browsing through the currently displayed-web page. See, for example, “Using Predictive Pre-fetching to Improve World-Wide Latency”, by V. Padmanabhann and J. C. Mogul, appearing in ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review, pp. 22-36, 1996. The proposed scheme executes a prediction process on the server side to compute the probability or likelihood that a particular web page will be accessed next and conveys this information to the client. The client program executing on the client PC then decides whether or not to actually “pre-fetch” the page. Two recently introduced commercial products offer an on-line pre-fetching feature: Peak Net.Jet available from Peak Technologies Inc. and Blaze from Datatytics, Inc. Net.Jet does not rely on server computation information to make pre-fetching decisions. Instead, client Java code performs this operation. Blaze, however, implements a server side program to assist the pre-fetching.
Several problems exist with these proposed approaches. First, the server side program imposes extra computational load on already frequently overworked Web servers. In addition, technologies like Blaze employ the technique of making changes to all deployed Web servers in order to operate. However, these Web servers may number in the millions. Second, the technique employing pure client side pre-fetching typically generates a lot of network traffic and may jam Web servers with requests that may not ultimately improve performance.
A need therefore exists for a technique of predictive pre-fetching that overcomes the foregoing disadvantages.
SUMMARY
Briefly, in accordance one embodiment of the invention, a method of suspending a network connection used for low priority transmissions between a client platform and a server platform includes: determining a characteristic of a transmission between the client platform and the server platform, said characteristic consisting essentially of a high priority transmission and a low priority transmission; and suspending the connection if the characteristic of the transmission comprises a high priority transmission.
Briefly, in accordance with another embodiment, a method of using a network connection between a client platform and a server platform includes: producing on one of the platforms a list of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) from a requested network page, said list comprising links in said requested network page; and pre-fetching via said connection at least one of said URLs to said remote proxy server.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a topology between platforms coupled or communicating via the Internet in which an embodiment of a method of proxy-assisted predictive pre-fetching in accordance with the present invention may be employed;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of signal information between the platforms of FIG. 1 ; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating selected software modules of the client and server platforms of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The embodiments of the present invention may be implemented according to the general architecture described, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/772,164, titled “System for Enhancing Data Access Over a Communications Link”, by M. Tso, J. Jing, R. Knauerhase, D. Romrell, D. Gillespie and B. Bakshi, filed on Dec. 20, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,625; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/799,654, titled “System for Scaling Image Data”, by M. Tso D. Romrell and S. Sathyanarayan, filed on Feb. 11, 1997; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/925,276, titled “System for Dynamically Transcoding Data Transmitted Between Computers”, by M. Tso, T. Willis, J. Richardson, R. Knauerhase and D. Macielinski, filed on Sep. 8, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,421,733; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/943,215, titled “Dynamically-Chainable Network Proxy”, by R. Knauerhase and M. Tso, filed on Oct. 6, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,303; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/957,468, titled “Method for Dynamically Determining Effective Speed of a Communications Link”, by R. Knauerhase and M. Tso, filed on Oct. 24, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,774; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,711, titled “System for Dynamically Controlling a Network Proxy”, by R. Knauerhase, M. Tso, filed on Dec. 30, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,031; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,762, titled “Method for Detecting a User-Controlled Parameter from a Client Device Behind a Proxy”, by B. Bakshi and M. Tso, filed on Dec. 30, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,300; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/001,294, titled “Method for Dynamic Determination of Client Communications Capabilities”, by B. Bakshi, R. Knauerhase and M. Tso, filed on Dec. 31, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,215; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,635, titled “Method for Auto-Fetch Protective Cache Replacement”, by J. Jing and M. Tso, filed on Dec. 30, 1997; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,636, titled “System for Transparent Recovery from Disruption of a Data Transfer”, by D. Romrell, filed on Dec. 30, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,396,805; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,761, titled “Method for Reducing User-Visible Latency HTTP Transactions”, by B. Bakshi, filed on Dec. 301997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,054; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,760, titled “System for Providing Non-Intrusive Dynamic Content to a Client Device”, by B. Bakshi, R. Knauerhase and M. Tso, filed on Dec. 30 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,200; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,759, titled “Method and Apparatus for Dynamically Filtering Network Content”, by M. Tso. filed on Dec. 30, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,047; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,778, titled “System for Virus Checking Network Data by M. Tso and B. Baikshi, filed on Dec. 30, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,803; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/000,709, titled “System for Delivery of Dynamic Content to a Client Device”, by M. Tso, D. Romrell and B. Bakshi, filed on Dec. 30, 1997, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/002,164, titled “Method and Apparatus for Collecting Statistics from a Network Device”, by S. Sathyanarayan and R. Knauerhase, filed on Dec. 31, 1997; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/001,293, titled “System for Prevent Multiple Instances of the Same Dynamic Executable Module”, by B. Bakshi and M. Tso, filed on Dec. 31 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,328; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/928,645, titled “System for Collecting and Displaying Performance Improvement Information for a Computer”, by M. Tso, Ba. Bakshi and R. Knauerhase, filed on Sep. 12, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,050; all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Of course, the invention is not limited in scope to these embodiments.
Referring now to FIG. 1 , according to one embodiment of the present invention, a network device or platform, such as remote server 10 , may be coupled or communicate via the Internet with a client platform 20 and a content server platform 30 . In this embodiment, remote server 10 includes software that, when executing, allows a client, such as client platform 20 , to access the Internet, as explained in more detail below. Therefore, in this context, remote server 10 is referred to as a remote proxy server. Although the invention is not limited in scope in this respect, remote proxy server 10 , also referred to in this context as a network device, may include software executing on the network device capable of parsing text or other information provided in the form of electronic signals, such as parsing software module 50 . Likewise, remote server or remote proxy server 10 may also include software executing on the network device referred to in this context as a filtering module. In this particular embodiment, as suggested previously, the network device comprises a remote proxy server through which a plurality of client devices, such as client 20 , for example, may access network resources, such as content server 30 , for example. Of course, in other embodiments, network device 10 may comprise a client device, a content server, a network router, a bridge, a switch, or any other suitable data processing platform capable of being used in a communications network between a requesting client device and responding content server. As previously indicated, the parsing module and/or filtering module may be implemented as software modules executing on a network device or other platform, such as a PC, for example, including instructions for carrying out the particular functionality indicated. Remote proxy server 16 also includes bit stream interceptor 10 , such as a proxy or protocol stack, pre-fetching agent software module 30 including pre-fetching software policy software 40 , transcoding software module 12 , and cache memory 18 , as explained in more detail below.
In one embodiment, remote proxy server 10 may include a client preference table executed or executing in software coupled to communicate with or communicatively coupled with a parsing module and a filtering module. Although the invention is not restricted in scope in this respect, a client preference table may comprise in software, for example, a set of user controlled content selection criteria and preferences that may be indexed by a user name and/or an IP (Internet Protocol) address, for example. Each user name/IP address entry may optionally have an associated security password stored in the client preference table. According to this embodiment, when a user begins a session with remote proxy 10 for the first time, such as when client 20 requests a network data object via remote proxy server 10 , use of client 20 may be employed to “sign-on” to proxy server 10 . In this context, the term data object, web data object, or network data object refers to a set of related electrical data signals intended to be transmitted, stored, or received as a set.
Upon receipt of information identifying a user, such as a user name (e.g, user ID) or IP address, such as for client 20 , for example, contained in a registration request packet, for example, the parsing software module may be adopted to attempt to retrieve from the client preference tables any previously stored filtering parameters for that user or client, although the invention is again not limited in scope in this respect. The parsing software module may optionally be configured to perform authentication processing to ensure the user is properly authorized to access the remote proxy server. Such authentication may be accomplished using any existing or later developed authentication mechanism. If previously stored filtering parameters are found in the preference table, the parsing software module executing on the network device may store those parameters in a dynamic table keyed, for example, by IP address. This dynamic table may then be used in connection with dynamic filtering of content received via proxy server 10 in the form of electrical signals to be passed to client 20 during a session. In this context, the term session refers to a continual or persistent communication connection between the client platform executing software and the remote platform executing software. In addition to the foregoing, the parsing software module may include instructions for validating any existing entries and client preferences upon receipt of more up-to-date user preference information.
Likewise, in one embodiment, client 20 may include browser software, such as module 15 illustrated in FIG. 3 , executing on the network device, such as Netscape Navigator (™), for example, which enables a user of client 20 to retrieve and display network data objects, such as web pages, originating from, for example, content server 30 . Content server 30 may reside, for example, on the Internet and be accessible through standard HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) messages, however, the present invention, of course, is not limited to any particular network or communications method or protocol.
It is well known to deploy a network proxy, or proxy server, as an intermediary between one or more client computers and a network, such as the Internet, for example. Network proxies are described generally in HTML Source Book: A Complete Guide to HTML 3.0 (2d Ed., 1996). by Ian S. Graham and available from Wiley Computer Publishing, New York, N.Y. The network proxy is commonly used in conjunction with so-called a “firewall” software module to protect a local area network (LAN) from unauthorized access over the Internet. Such a firewall, typically installed on a “gateway computer,” that links a LAN to other networks, such as the Internet, restricts externally originated TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) packets from entering the local network, thereby protecting local devices from hazards, such as unauthorized access. Network proxies are often used to address this shortcoming. A firewall, however, also prevents network users from directly accessing external resources, such as the Web.
Network proxies are usually configured to have free access to both internal LAN resources and external resources, and include the capability to pass data in the form of electrical signals back and forth across the firewall. Users may then be given indirect access to Web resources by configuring the user's Web browser to reference the firewall proxy instead of external resources. When the Web browser is used to retrieve information in the form of electronic signals, such as packets, for example, from the other side of the firewall, it sends a request to the firewall proxy, which then completes the request and passes the result back via the firewall to the requesting device. This is illustrated by FIG. 2 , for example.
While firewall/network proxy architecture effectively shields a LAN from external hazards, this two staged access procedure is often relatively slow. It is, therefore, common for a network proxy to cache retrieved Web pages. In this context, a cache refers to a locally accessible, high speed memory to which electronic signal information may be stored and from which it may be retrieved. Typically, cache memory is distinguished from system random access memory or even slower memories, such as a hard drive, for example. The act of storing signal information in one of these high-speed memories is referred to as caching. For example, the first time a document from the Web is requested, the network proxy retrieves the document and forwards it to the browser for a presentation to the user, but also retains a copy of the document in its own local cache memory. If the same or another user makes the subsequent request for that same document, the network proxy returns the locally-cached copy of the document instead of retrieving it from the Web. An example of a cache for use by a network proxy is described in “A Hierarchical Internet Object Cache” by A. Chankhunthod at al., Nov. 6, 1995 (available from the Computer Science Department of the University of Southern California).
As previously described, proxy software or a proxy server executing on a PC may be located on a networked device or platform, such as on the Internet or on a content server. In this context, the term platform refers to a hardware and software system on top of which a software application may reside. Typically, an operation occurs, such as completing a request for accessing information in the form of electronic signals via the Internet, more quickly if the proxy software is physically located either near or on the client device. As was previously described, one technique for improving or reducing the latency associated with accessing a web page is employing prefetching. In this context, pre-fetching refers to a process in which network data objects are retrieved and stored in local cache before a specific user request for that data object has occurred. However, one disadvantage of this approach is that the cache may get overloaded. For example, on a remote proxy server that is shared by a large number of users, where it or any users' client device also fetches embedded links on the web page, the cache may be overloaded disproportionately by a small number of users. When this occurs, more cache misses may occur, as previously described, and, therefore, reduce or degrade performance. A content server may experience a similar problems as well.
Nonetheless, a proxy server provides a number of advantages. In addition to the previous advantage described with respect to employing the proxy server as a firewall, It also has the advantage of saving cost on Internet links because caching reduces the desirability of fetching pages from remote content servers.
As previously described in previously referenced patent application Ser. No. 09/000,635, one technique for addressing some of the disadvantages of an “auto-fetch” utility is to monitor he IP address of the requester, for example. Then, if a disproportionate number of requests originate from a single source, such as above a predetermined threshold, in one embodiment, the cached web pages associated with that source will no longer be maintained in the cache of the particular platform. This technique may also be employed on a remote proxy server in order to perform better load balancing of its received requests for web pages or other network data objects.
Referring to FIG. 1 , client device 20 includes software executing to communicate via a Internet connection with remote proxy server 10 . As illustrated, an embodiment of network device assisted pre-fetching in accordance with the invention may be used advantageously to provide benefits similar to traditional client side pre-fetching methods, but without some of the previously described disadvantages. In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the network device comprises a proxy server 10 including a cache 18 , a prefetching agent software module 30 , and a parsing software module 50 . In this embodiment, instead of just sending requested URLs to the client, on the remote proxy servers, the parsing software module parses the HTML files and creates a list of URLs which were linked or embedded in the HTML file. The proxy server may then fetch some or all of the URLs in that list and store them in its cache, without first waiting for the client to issue requests for these URLs. This has the desirable effect of reducing end user visible latency because instead of fetching the information from the content server after the client requests the linked URLs, the content is stored in the proxy server's cache ready to download to the user when the user request comes. In addition, transcoding services, such as by module 12 , such as language translation or compression, for example, may be performed on the data objects and cached, prior to the client requesting them. Caching of transcoded data objects may significantly speed up end user visible latency for applications, particularly on computationally intensive transcodings, such as on-the-fly language translation. In this context, the term transcoding refers to a process in which data signals coded for one particular medium are recoded so that they may be read, transmitted, stored and/or manipulated in another medium. In one embodiment, the proxy server would be multi-threaded or otherwise multitasking, such that pre-fetching and any subsequent transcode service applied to pre-fetched objects may take place in the background, while user requests are served as a relatively high priority. Prior to pre-fetching any URL, the pre-fetching agent may check to see if the data object it “points to” is stored in its cache already, and if it is, may check to see if it has “expired”. In this context, the term expired refers to a period of time that a cache management system may allow to elapse before determining whether any update to the data object have taken place. This may occur many possible ways well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. If the cached data object hasn't expired, then no pre-fetching occurs. If it is expired, then the prefetching agent may attempt to check with the content server to see if the data object has changed, using methods such as “get HTTP header,” which provides information in the terms of electronic signals regarding the last modified time and size. If the object hasn't changed, then the pre-fetching agent may reset the expired time according to any cache management process and no pre-fetching occurs. If the object has changed or has not been stored in the cache, then the prefetching agent may pre-fetch the data object from the content server.
One embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 , may advantageously include a policy software module 40 to be used in conjunction with the pre-fetching agent software module. Policy software modules may be used to balance pre-fetching's undesirable effects with its benefits. In general, these modules when executed implement tradeoffs between data manipulation applications (such as transcoding or caching) and resource constraints (such as network bandwidth usage or cache memory usage). One example pre-fetching policy capable of being implemented includes, instead of pre-fetching all linked URLs on an HTML page, pre-fetching only the embedded URLs (e.g., images and applets, for example). Embedded URLs may be identified by their HTML tag. For example, images may be identified by the tag or their file extension and applets may be identified by the tag. Pre-fetching only embedded URLs is advantageous for both cache utilization and compression applications. Most browsers will automatically request embedded URLs on an HTML page, so little or no bandwidth is used unnecessarily by the remote proxy to perform pre-fetching. It provides an additional advantage of putting the images through compression(or other transcoding applications), which may be computationally intensive, prior to the browser issuing a request for the image. Another example pre-fetching policy includes selective pre-fetching based on the likelihood that a user will actually access the linked URL, to reduce bandwidth and cache space used unnecessarily. This policy could be implemented by examining how “popular” a link is. This information may be obtained, for example, by implementing a special HTTP protocol extension where the pre-fetch agent software module when executed obtains signal information about the probability of any link on the page being accessed from the content server. Then, depending on the load on the proxy server and the relative “cost” of bandwidth, the pre-fetching agent software module may, in execution, set a cut off probability so that the links whose reported probabilities are above that cut off are pre-fetched. In one embodiment, embedded URLs are set to a probability of 1 because browsers fetch them automatically. Also, different pre-fetching policy methods may be combined with others. These previously described pre-fetching policy methods are included for example purposes and do not limit the scope of the invention, of course.
For example, the probability may be advantageously calculated as follows using access frequency information that is already available to a server, although the invention is not limited in scope in this respect. The probability of a linked URL being followed is equal to the total number of accesses (call it “A”) to the linked URL in a given time period, divided by the total number of accesses (call it “B”) to the “parent” HTML (the one that contains the linked URL) during the same time period. If “A” is bigger than “B,” then 1 is assigned to the probability. “A” may be bigger than “B” because the linked URL may be accessible without clicking a link on the parent HTML page (e.g., if a user types in the linked URL directly or it is linked from another page). The period of time before “A” and “B” gets reset may be advantageously chosen to start when either the content for either the linked URL or the parent HTML page are updated, or it may be periodically reset if the pages do not change often. Periodic resets of the time period may have the effect of keeping up with changes in user's browsing habits (e.g., as the content becomes less current, repeat visitors to the page may go down alternate linked URLs from those they had accessed on a prior visit). For content which Is dynamically generated (and, thus, certain objects may be different for different users), for example, for pages using cookies or ASP (active server pages), the server may optionally set the probability of the dynamically generated pages to “ 0 ” since there is little or no value in pre-fetching them.
Although a proxy server is used in the above description, it should be noted that other embodiments of the invention may be implemented on any network device capable of capturing the data signal stream and processing it. This particular embodiment employs a proxy server, but similar extensions may be implemented on other network devices, such as routers, switches, hubs, and bridges, for example.
Likewise, in this embodiment, the pre-fetching occurs up to one level of links, a similar technique may be applied recursively to the pages or other signal information that is pre-fetched. In one embodiment, the probability (and thus prioritization in the pre-fetching) advantageously decreases proportionally to the number of levels away from the page the user is currently accessing by multiplying the link probabilities. For example, the probability may be calculated as follows, although this approach makes several assumptions and where these assumptions are relaxed other approaches might be employed. Suppose HTML page A contains linked URL L 1 , which is itself an HTML page. Linked URL L 1 contains a link to URL L 2 . Assume the platform calculation for probability of L 1 access is P 1 , and for L 2 is P 2 . The probability the pre-fetch agent software module would assign to L 1 is P 1 since it is on the current page. The probability the prefetch agent software agent would assign to L 2 is P 1 ×P 2 , since P 2 can only be accessed if P 1 is accessed first. This method may be repeated for arbitrary levels of links by simply multiplying the probabilities of all the“parent” pages. In the case where multiple parent pages are possible, the probabilities may be calculated for each parent, and then averaged.
In this embodiment, client device 20 also includes local proxy software, so that operations typically performed by the remote proxy server may be off loaded to the client device advantageously. For example, in an embodiment of a method of using a network connection, such as via the Internet, between a local client platform and a remote proxy server platform in accordance with the present invention, the local proxy on the client device may implement parsing, such as previously described. When executing on the local client platform, parsing software module may produce a list of URLs that are linked in the requested page, which is parsed first. The parsing software module when executing on the local client platform may then send a request to pre-fetch these URLs to the remote proxy server. The pre-fetch request may be different from a regular request, so that the pre-fetching agent 30 executing on the remote proxy server can prioritize it so that it is assigned with a lower priority than regular user requests, as described before. The request may also include user preference information, such as language preference, for example. Pre-fetch agent 30 optionally pre-fetches and transcodes the content according to such preferences, and transmits the signal information to the parsing software module, executing on the client platform. The parsing software receives these data signals stores it in a cache on the client. When the browser or other locally executing application requests this stored signal data, the local proxy, which is one mechanism, for example, for intercepting requests locally, retrieves it from the cache instead of retrieving it from the network, resulting in reductions in user visible latency. This is advantageous over current approaches where pre-fetch requests appear identical to regular requests, resulting in network devices, such as proxy caches and content servers behaving inefficiently.
Although a local proxy implementation on a client platform, for example, is referenced in the previous description, this invention is not limited in scope to a proxy implementation. All client software that is capable of both intercepting network requests on the client, and implementing the pre-fetching protocol, as described, while executing on a platform would suffice. Other examples where this capability may be implemented on a platform include protocol stacks (e.g. TCP/IP), network interface card drivers, or browsers.
As previously suggested, one advantage of employing this approach with a client device is that load balancing is performed between the client device and the remote proxy server. In addition, where local proxy software is executed on the client device, this also provides compatibility between the browser on the client device and the remote proxy server. Without the local proxy executing on the client device, the browser on the client device may not be able to format pre-fetch requests differently from regular or typical user requests to the remote proxy server.
In yet another embodiment, when the client parsing software module 40 transmits a prefetching request to the pre-fetch agent software executing on the remote proxy server, the prefetching agent makes a determination regarding whether a given URL in the pre-fetching request is located in the cache of the remote proxy server. If the URL in the cache on the remote proxy, then the content of the URL may be transmitted to the client device. Alternatively, if the URL is not found in the cache, the remote proxy server transmits a “not found” message to the client device. This could be implemented as a pre-fetching policy where all pre-fetch URLs are assigned probability 0 (meaning never implement the request) unless they are in the cache, in which case they are assigned probability 1 (meaning always implement the request). An advantage of this approach is that it effectively implements pre-fetching without increasing traffic between the proxy and content servers. Keeping traffic and congestion reduced is a desirable attribute for networking and Internet-related technology.
Another advantageous capability may be implemented using the ability to distinguish low priority requests, such as pre-fetch requests, from high priority requests, such as regular requests. In an embodiment of a method of suspending a pre-fetched transmission between a local proxy client platform and a remote proxy server platform in accordance with the present invention, the local proxy client and the remote proxy server maintain a low priority transmission persistent network connection, such as via the Internet, such that low priority pre-fetched transmissions may be suspended or stopped relatively quickly once a high priority browser request transmission Is transmitted between the local and remote proxies. Once the pre-fetching transmission is stopped, the connection may be optionally closed or left open for use next time to avoid connection creation overhead. The local proxy executing on the client device may begin a new parsing process for the new requested browser page or data object and optionally establish another persistent preemptive pre-fetching connection with the remote proxy server or alternatively reuse the existing connection. It is desirable in order to quickly suspend the persistent connection that the relative size of the transmissions between the proxies be relatively small, such as on the order of 512 or 1024 bytes for Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) connections. The desirable packet size is related to a function of the bandwidth of the effective usable bandwidth between the network device and the client, approximately the amount of bytes that may be transmitted in a small time frame, such as 1 second or 500 milliseconds. The effective usable bandwidth across an Internet connection may be computed, such as described, for example, in previously referenced patent application Ser. No. 08/957,468, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,774. In this context, the desirable packet equals the desired time frame (e.g., 1 second) divided by the effective usable bandwidth. The reason this results in a relatively quick suspension of the connection is because typically a packet that is in transmission is completed before a new packet is transmitted. Alternatively, in another embodiment, a special escape character or other out of band signaling, for example, may be employed in the signal stream so that the transmission may be terminated once the special character or signal is received, without waiting for the packet to complete. Typically, it is desirable if the preemptive pre-fetching transmission not coexist with a browser request transmission because otherwise this will slow the “regular” browser request transmissions. Thus, the desirability of suspending the persistent preemptive connection between the local and remote proxies.
An advantage of employing this preemptive pre-fetching approach is a more efficient use of available bandwidth between the client device and the remote proxy server. Without this approach, regular browser requests compete with pre-fetching requests. Therefore, bandwidth may already be exhausted or utilized by pre-fetching requests when a user makes a request for a web page. This is an undesirable outcome because it increases the perceived latency experienced by the user. However, in the embodiment previously described, if the local proxy obtains a request from the user via the client device, a request is transmitted to the remote proxy server to stop pre-fetching so that the browser request may instead be accommodated. Therefore, advantages with regard to bandwidth management prioritization and resource allocation are accomplished. Ultimately, the latency that the user experiences when requesting a web page will be reduced.
While certain features of the invention have been illustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such embodiments and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
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Briefly, in accordance one embodiment of the invention, a method of suspending a network connection used for low priority transmissions between a client platform and a server platform includes: determining a characteristic of a transmission between the client platform and the server platform, said characteristic consisting essentially of a high priority transmission and a low priority transmission; and suspending the connection if the characteristic of the transmission comprises a high priority transmission briefly, in accordance with another embodiment, a method of using a network connection between a client platform and a server platform includes: producing on one of the platforms a list of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) from a requested network page, said list comprising links in said requested network page; and pre-fetching via said connection at least one of said URLs to said remote proxy server.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a paint spraying device and more particularly to a device for spraying lines in a parking lot or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices exist for painting lines on pavement in parking lots and other locations in which the line is sprayed onto the pavement by a paint spraying gun. The prior devices have serious drawbacks and limitations which include: (a) the inability to spray both the top and side of curbs during a single pass, (b) controlling the width of the stripe when a second gun is mounted at the end of an axle extension because the extension moves toward and away from the pavement as the frame tilts due to surface bumps acting on any one of the wheels, (c) the inability to control the radius in a curved striped spraying procedure, (d) a narrow range of parallel striping which can be applied in a single pass, and (e) inflexibility of the line striper device which prevents the device from being used as a conventional paint sprayer without additional attachments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for a device which overcomes the limitations described above by providing a three wheeled paint spraying device in which two spray guns can be selectively mounted on one side of the device allowing the operator to position one spray gun nozzle horizontal to the curb and another spray nozzle vertical to the curb. In this manner, both surfaces are painted simultaneously as paint is distributed downward and at a right angle at the same time. Thus, an entire curb can be sprayed in one pass.
Also, the spray guns are mounted to bushings on the wheel axles closely adjacent the wheels to prevent variations in stripe width on uneven surfaces. One of the wheels is mounted on an extendable axle such that two widely spaced stripes can be sprayed simultaneously while still having each spray head mounted closely adjacent a wheel.
The device has a single rear wheel which pivots for steering and this rear wheel can be locked in any rotated position to provide a fixed and accurate radius for striping. A pointer and dial are associated with the pivoting rear wheel to provide an accurate gauge in selecting a desired stripe radius.
Both spray guns can be mounted on one side of the device spraying downwardly or on opposite sides of the device to provide a range of spaced parallel stripes from overlapping to the width of the extended wheel base.
Another feature and advantage of the disclosed device is that the spray guns are not dedicated to the device, but are selectively removable to permit their use in a normal paint spraying mode such as spray painting a wall. Thus the device has versatility beyond being just a line striper.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a line striping device emboding the priciples of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear wheel.
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view through the front axle of the device.
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a paint spray gun.
FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing an alternate mounting arrangement for the spray guns for painting parallel stripes.
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing an alternate mounting arrangement for the spray guns for painting curbs.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1 there is shown a device generally at 10 for spray painting one or more stripes on a pavement. The device 10 has two spaced front wheels 12, 14 and a single pivotable rear wheel 16 which supports a frame 17 of the device for rolling movement over the pavement. A pair of manually graspable handles 18, 20 are connected to the frame 17 for pushing and steering the device.
A gasoline engine 22 drives an airless paint spraying pump 24, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,055, to pressurize paint drawn from a bucket or reservoir 26. The paint is directed by a tube or conduit 28 to a spray gun 30, such as the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,515,355 or 3,743,188, for selective spraying on the pavement.
As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the spray gun 30 has a trigger 32 which is activated by use of a Bowden cable 34 connected to a pivotable lever 36 mounted on the handle 18. By squeezing the lever 36 against the handle 18, the trigger 32 on the spray gun 30 is activated causing a valve within the spray gun to open resulting in a cone 38 of paint being sprayed from a nozzle 40 of the spray gun when pressurized paint is in the tube 28.
As best shown in FIG. 3, the front wheel 14 is mounted by means of a bearing hub 42 on a short non-rotating axle 44 telescopically received in an axle housing 46 which is in turn secured to a frame member 48. A bushing 50 is mounted on the axle 44 between the bearing 42 and the axle housing 46 providing an inward stop or shoulder for the wheel 14. An outer bushing 52 is mounted on an outside end of the axle 44 to provide an outward stop for the wheel bearing 42. Thus, the wheel is free to rotate on the fixed axle 44.
The second front wheel 12 is mounted by means of a bearing 54 on a relatively long axle 56 which is longitudinally slidable within the axle housing 46. A recessed keyway 58 is provided on the axle 56 and a set screw 60 is engageable with the keyway 58 to selectively lock the axle 56 to the axle housing 46. An inside bushing 60 and an outside bushing 62 are provided on either side of the wheel bearing 54 to provide lateral stops for the wheel as described above.
The outer bushings 52, 62 have a second function in addition to acting as lateral wheel stops. Referring to bushing 62, it is shown that there is a vertical cylindrical passage 64 therethrough for receiving a post 66. Selectively movably mounted on the post is a first mounting bracket 68 which has a horizontal passage 70 therethrough for receiving a mounting arm 72. The mounting arm 72 is in the shape of a T with a base portion 73 slidably received in the bracket 68 and the cross-bar portion 74 extending forwardly and rearwardly perpendicular to the post 66 and having apertures therethrough for receiving a pair of alignment rods 76 which can be moved vertically and locked in a selected position. The alignment rods 76 have a pointed lower end 78 which can be positioned closely adjacent to the surface on which the wheels 12, 14 ride to provide a visual means of guiding the device 10 along a predetermined marked path 80.
A second mounting bracket 82 is carried on the post 66 which has a mounting arm 84 slidably received therein. A mounting bracket 86 is movably secured to the arm 84. The bracket 86 has an adjustable opening 88 therein for receiving a grip portion 90 of the paint spray head 30. A set screw 92 is provided to selectively grip the handle 90.
FIGS. 3 and 4 also show the attachment of the Bowden cable 34 which is used to operate the trigger 32. The bracket 86 has a pair of outwardly projecting ears 94, 96, each having a pair of aligned apertures therethrough for receiving guide rods 98, 100. The guide rods 98, 100 are connected at their bottom ends by a cross-bar 102 which has a forwardly projecting finger 104 positionable below the trigger 32. An end 106 of the Bowden cable 34 is secured to the cross-bar 102. Thus, when the cable is pulled upwardly by activation of the handle levers 36, the trigger 32 is lifted as shown in phantom in FIG. 4 to open the spray head valve as described above.
As FIG. 3 shows in phantom, a second post 108 can be mounted in the mounting bushing 52 so that a second spray gun can be mounted on the opposite side of the device thus providing two independently controllable spray heads to allow for simultaneous parallel striping. To change the spacing between the two spray guns mounted on opposite sides of the device, the set screw 60 is loosened and the axle 56 is moved relative to the axle housing 46 to provide a lesser or greater distance between the spray guns. FIG. 3 shows an arrangement for minimum spacing between the two opposite sided guns. When the guns are to be spaced farther apart, not only do the guns move outwardly but also the wheel 12 moves outwardly and thus the gun is maintained in close proximity to the wheel to avoid uneven width of the stripes being painted on uneven terrain. This is in contrast to prior devices which move the gun outwardly relative to the wheel.
As shown in FIG. 1, if the second spray gun is not being used, the spray gun can be detached from the bracket 86 and its associated tubing can be stored on a portion of the frame 17 leading up to the handles 18, 20. A plurality of L-shaped brackets 109 are provided around which the excess tubing can be wrapped.
An alternate mounting arrangement is shown in FIG. 5 which shows the spray gun 30 mounted outboard of the wheel 12 as described above, and also shows a second spray gun 30a mounted inboard of the wheel 12 on the same side of the device. In this configuration, a mounting bracket 110 is mounted on the axle 56 similarly to bracket 62 and it carries a vertical mounting post 112. The second spray gun 30a is mounted vertically identically to the mounting described above with respect to the spray gun 30. A second Bowden cable 34a and second paint supply line 28a are connected to the second spray gun 30a to operate the gun as described above. With this mounting configuration, parallel stripes can be simultaneously applied to the pavement with the width between the stripes being less than the wheel base of the device. Again, the width between the two guns 30, 30a can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the axle 56 within the axle housing 46. Thus, it is seen that the device is capable of applying parallel stripes throughout a wide range of stripe spacing.
In FIG. 6 there is shown a second alternate mounting arrangement with two spray guns mounted outboard of the wheel 12. The first spray gun 30 is mounted as described above. The second spray gun 30b has a nozzle assembly 114 which can be pivoted to 90° such that the gun sprays parallel with the pavement surface. Thus, both the top horizontal surface and the side vertical surface of a curb can be painted simultaneously. This provides a significant advantage over presently available line stripers.
Although not shown in the drawings, it can be readily seen that two spray guns can be mounted on a single mounting arm outboard of the wheel 12 to provide parallel stripes so close as to be overlaping or selectively farther apart up to a distance equal to that when one gun is mounted inboard and one gun mounted outboard of the wheel 12. Thus, the dual outboard mounting arrangement further increases the range of parallel striping capabilities.
As mentioned above, the spray gun 30 can be removed from its mounting bracket 86 and can be used in a hand held configuration for conventional spray painting. The second spray gun can also be used independently in a hand held mode thus greatly increasing the versatility of the device.
As shown in better detail in FIG. 2, the rear wheel 16 is pivotably mounted to a frame member 116 of the device to allow for steering of the device. A foot operated brake pedal 118 is provided to lock the wheel 16 against rotation to prevent unwanted movement of the device.
The wheel 16 is mounted on a pair of upstanding brackets 120 which are connected at their top by a plate 122 which has a vertical post 124 extending upwardly therefrom. The frame member 116 has a vertical cylindrical portion 126 for receiving the post 124. A set screw-like lock mechanism 128 is provided to extend through the vertical cylinder portion 126 to engage the post 124 to prevent rotation of the post relative to the cylinder 126. Thus, the wheel 16 can be selectively locked in a specific pivotal placement.
Extending outwardly from the cylindrical portion 126 is a pointer 130 and on the top plate 122 are a plurality of indicia markings 132 which allow the user to select a specific radius for applying a stripe based on a specific location of a paint spray head. Thus, for straight line striping, the pointer can be set at 0 and the locking mechanism 128 tightened so that the device will roll in a straight line thus applying a straight stripe. When a curve is desired, the appropriate radius is selected by pivoting the wheel 16 so that the pointer 130 points to the selected radius shown on the indicia markings 132. Both right and left radii can be marked as well as dual sets of markings to allow for different lateral positions of the spray gun. Thus, it is seen that there is provided a precise ability to control the radius of the stripe being painted.
As is apparent from the foregoing specification, the invention is susceptible of being embodied with various alterations and modifications which may differ particularly from those that have been described in the preceeding specification and description. It should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art.
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A pavement line striper is provided which has a pair of spaced apart front wheels and a pivotable rear steering wheel. Paint spray guns may be mounted closely adjacent to one or both of the front wheels. One of the front wheels is laterally movable to allow for the painting of parallel stripes of selectively variable spacing. Two guns may be mounted on one side for vertical and horizontal spraying of a curb in one pass or for closely spaced parallel lines. The guns remain closely adjacent the wheels to minimize uneven thickness of the lines when spraying on uneven terrain. The rear wheel is lockable against pivoting movement and indicia markings are provided to permit selection of a radius for curved lines.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is the US national phase of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2013/068970, filed Sep. 13, 2013, which application claims priority to German Application No. 102012217573.3, filed Sep. 27, 2012. The priority application, DE 102012217573.3, is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The invention relates to an operator system for a machine, in particular for a beverage processing machine, to a mobile operator device, a signal generator and safety glasses.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Typically, a user of beverage processing systems operates the individual machines by an operator system. The operator system can be used, for instance, to initiate single processes in the machine, adjust parameters and/or receive alarm or warning signals. To this end, stationary operator devices, and increasingly also mobile operator devices are used. The mobile operator devices are compatible with the entire system, respectively, can be used for different machines. The user can carry a mobile operator device with him to the respective machine and carry out, or monitor, functions of other machines at the same time.
[0004] For instance, the user places the mobile operator device down in the area of a certain machine, and can keep an eye on the display of the mobile operator device during operating processes or also repairs for reading information therefrom. Also, he is able to control individual machine components with the operator device so as to carry out operating processes or repairs. In addition, alarm or warning signals from this and/or other machines are signaled to the user, and he can thus decide whether an urgent operating process or the repair of another machine should be given preference.
[0005] Operator systems including mobile operator devices of this type often prove to be non-ergonomic in practice since they are attached to the body or received in pockets or holding devices and are, thus, not constantly visible. If the user then takes the operator device into one of his hands, this hand is no longer available to carry out operating processes, repairs, maintenance works and/or setting up processes on the machine. At the same time, the user always has to avert his gaze from the machine component to be operated/repaired, to read the display of the operator device.
[0006] Also known are access authorization systems for which the user carries along a so-called “token”. These are electronic keys which can be read out by the machine using a reading device and, upon the successful identification, the user is given corresponding access rights. Systems of this type have the disadvantage that, on the one hand, the user has to carry the “token” with him. Also this “token” could be misused in case of loss. Moreover, each machine requires a cost-intensive reader to read the token. An augmented reality system is known from DE 100 63 089. The user of this system is displayed information on a head-mounted display of his goggles when servicing the machine. On the one hand, the user sees the area of the machine to be repaired, and superimposed virtual information, on the other hand. Accordingly, he need not avert his gaze to the display whilst working.
[0007] Another augmented reality system is known from DE 10 2005 045 855, by means of which the position of the user's head is located. The user is then displayed information on his head-mounted display so as to exactly position a sensor in the machine.
[0008] Augmented reality systems of this type have the disadvantage that an activation of the user is merely accomplished by visual signals which can be easily overlooked. This may be the case, for instance, if the user is concentrated on a specific activity/task. In addition, systems of this type do not provide enough work protection.
[0009] The present invention is based on the object to provide an operator system for a machine, which is ergonomic with regard to the handling thereof and offers sufficient work protection.
[0010] The object is achieved by an operator system according to claim 1 , according to which the operator system for a machine, in particular for a beverage processing machine, comprises a mobile operator device for the machine, a signal generator for reporting alarm and/or warning signals, and safety glasses for protecting the eyes of a user, wherein the safety glasses comprise a display system that is configured in particular as a head-mounted display, or a virtual retina display, or a projector, and wherein the operator device and/or the signal generator and/or the safety glasses each comprise a data transmitter for exchanging machine information and/or alarm and/or warning signals.
[0011] Due to the fact that the safety glasses comprise a display system, the eyes of the user are, on one hand, protected from dangerous foreign objects. On the other hand, work-supporting information are directly loaded into his safety glasses. For instance, the tightening torque for a screw can thus be displayed to him as he tightens the screw with a torque wrench. Also, he may be displayed information about the system status, such as temperatures or flow rates. At the same time, the user has both hands free in order to carry out repairs. In addition, it may be indicated to the user both in the display system and by means of the signal generator whether alarms or warnings from the machine or other machines exist. The signal generator allows the alarm and/or warning signals to be displayed by the display system independently of the optical stimulus, so that these signals cannot be overlooked by the user. Due to the fact that the operator device and/or the signal generator and/or the safety glasses each comprise a data transmitter both data for the display of information and alarm and/or warning signals can be exchanged between these units in an easy manner.
[0012] The operator system may be configured for operating and/or maintaining the machine, several machines, an entire plant and/or several plants. The operator system according to the invention thus supports the user during the operation and/or maintenance from an ergonomic point of view and, at the same time, protects the eyes of the user from dangerous foreign objects.
[0013] The machine may be arranged in a beverage processing plant. The machine may comprise a computer-based machine controller. The machine may be a beverage processing machine and/or a container treatment machine which, in particular, is a stretch a blow molding machine, a rinser, a filler, a closer, a labeler and/or a packaging machine, or another beverage processing machine and/or another container treatment machine.
[0014] The mobile operator device may comprise a microprocessor, a keyboard and/or a display which is, in particular, touch-sensitive. Also, the mobile operator device may comprise individual control knobs. The mobile operator device may be a tablet computer or a smart phone.
[0015] The signal generator may comprise a wristband, a chain to be hung around one's neck, a clip and/or a fastener to be fastened to an article of clothing and/or part of the user's body. The signal generator may also be integrated in the safety glasses or be fixed to headgear. Thus, the user can be activated by a vibration signal on the head, or by a visual signal at/in front of the eyes. The signal generator may comprise a microprocessor and/or a battery for the power supply.
[0016] The safety glasses may be configured for protection from mechanical, thermal, chemical, biological, electrical and/or optical risks. The safety glasses may be constructed in accordance with legal work protection standards.
[0017] The display system may be configured as a head-mounted display (HMD). In the head-mounted display an imaging optics may be arranged in front of the eye to generate a virtual image of a display in front of the eye of the user. The imaging optics of the head-mounted display may be configured semipermeable, in particular, wherein the user can see a superposition of the environment with the information of the display. Alternatively, the display system may be configured as a virtual retina display, in which case an image is directly projected onto the retina of the eye. The virtual retina display may comprise a laser. Also, the display system may be designed as a projector by means of which the information is projected onto a surface outside the safety glasses. The projector may comprise a laser and a scanning unit. Thus, by the deflection of the laser, an image can be directly projected onto the environment. Also, the projector may be designed as a miniature projector, wherein in particular a display is illuminated by an LED and imaged by an optics. The display of the head-mounted display, respectively, projector may be an LCD, DLP or LcoS.
[0018] The data transmitter may be configured to transmit data between the respective units by cable, glass fiber, or wirelessly via radio. In particular, the data transmitter may comprise a WLAN or Bluetooth interface. The data transmitter may comprise a receiver unit and/or a transmit unit.
[0019] In the operator system, the safety glasses may comprise a talk-listen unit which, in particular, is connected to the data transmitter of the safety glasses for transmitting speech information. Thus, the user is able to talk to colleagues while working, for instance, to obtain advice or pass on information about the progress of the work. Due to the fact that the talk-listen unit is connected to the data transmitter of the safety glasses for transmitting speech information same does not require an own transmission interface. The system furthermore allows that the user can view documents about the display system submitted by colleagues and, at the same time, discuss them with the colleagues. The talk-listen unit may comprise a loudspeaker or earphone, and a microphone. The earphone may be designed as an in-ear earphone.
[0020] The operator system can comprise safety glasses provided with a hearing protector for suppressing disturbing ambient noise which, in particular, works with an active sound suppression. Thus, the user does not need a separate hearing protector, which could cause a sensation of pressure on the head if the safety glasses are worn simultaneously. The hearing protector is able to suppress ambient noise which is too loud. The active sound suppression allows the generation of an acoustic counter-signal, so that disturbing ambient noise is extinguished in the ear by interference. This allow a particularly good suppression of disturbing ambient noise.
[0021] In the operator system, the talk-listen unit may be integrated in the hearing protector. This allows the use of existing systems of the talk unit for the hearing protector. The earphone of the talk-listen unit may be sealed to suppress disturbing ambient noise. Also, the microphone and the earphone from the talk-listen unit may be used for the active sound suppression. Thus, the user can use the talk unit for communicating with other colleagues and, at the same time, is protected from disturbing ambient noise.
[0022] In the operator system, the safety glasses may comprise a first camera for detecting objects in the field of vision of the user. The images detected by the first camera can be transmitted by the data transmitter for being stored and/or for the communication with colleagues. Thus, colleagues of the user are able to directly see the field of vision of the user, and support him in servicing the system. Moreover, the image of the surroundings of the first camera can be displayed to the user by the display system, in particular if the safety glasses are not transparent. The first camera may be designed as a CCD or CMOS camera with a lens. The operator system may comprise an image evaluation unit which, in particular, is configured to automatically identify objects in the image data. Thus, information concerning the objects present in the field of vision can be automatically displayed to the user in the display system of the safety glasses.
[0023] The operator system may comprise a gesture identification unit for processing gestures of the user to machine commands. Thus, the user is able to issue, with his hands, commands to the operator system by means of gestures in a contactless manner. This further facilitates the operation. The gesture identification unit may be configured to evaluate the image data of the first camera. The first camera may include an image detection zone which also detects the user's hands. Thus, gestures of the user made with his hands can be filmed by the first camera and processed to machine commands by the gesture identification unit. This allows a particularly easy operation of the operator system.
[0024] The operator system may comprise a locating system for detecting the position and/or orientation of the safety glasses which, in particular, is at least partially arranged on the safety glasses. The locating system may comprise acceleration sensors and/or position sensors. Also, the locating system can comprise a tracking system, and markers which are recognizable in particular by the tracking system. The tracking system can be in a fixed relationship with the machine, and the markers may be provided on the safety glasses. It is also possible that the tracking system is provided on the safety glasses, and the markers on the machine, whereby in particular the first camera records the markers as image data. Thus, it is possible to detect the position of the safety glasses and, thus, the field of vision of the user relative to the machine and, accordingly, only information relating to objects in the field of vision can be displayed to the user. Moreover, it is possible that the locating system determines the location of the user in the entire plant. Thus, the user can be located by his colleagues particularly easily. The detection of the position and/or the orientation of the safety glasses can be accomplished relative to the machine.
[0025] In the operator system, the safety glasses can comprise a second camera, which is configured to detect at least one eye of the user. Thus, the viewing direction of the user can be detected particularly easily. Correspondingly, the representation of the information in the display system can be adapted to the viewing direction of the user even more finely.
[0026] The operator system may comprise a biometric identification unit for identifying the user in order to issue an access authorization, in particular, wherein the biometric identification unit is configured to evaluate image data of an eye of the user. This allows the unique identification of the user, and the access to the machine can thus be controlled in a particularly secure manner. Moreover, the machine need not comprise an own receiver for an electronic key (token) to allow the access authorization. The second camera can generate image data of the eye of the user and transmit them to the biometric identification unit. The second camera can be connected to the biometric identification unit by the data transmitter.
[0027] The signal generator can be attached to the body of the user or to the safety glasses. The signal generator does thus not disturb the user at work. The integration into the safety glasses allows the user a particularly good perception of the signal generator.
[0028] The signal generator may comprise a vibrator, an acoustic and/or visual signal generator. The vibrator gives the user an activation stimulus which he can sense regardless of the sound volume in the environment. The same can be achieved by the visual signal generator. In addition, the user's attention may be drawn to the alarm and/or warning signals by the acoustic signal generator if he has no direct visual contact with the signal generator. The signal generator can provide different types of alarm and/or warning signals in the form of differently coded vibration, sound and/or light signals. The different codings may have different intensities or rhythms. The visual signal generator can display different types of alarm and/or warning signals in different colors. The visual signal generator may comprise a display.
[0029] In the operator system, the display system may be configured to present a different image to each eye of the user, in particular, to display 3D information. 3D information may be three-dimensional information. Thus, the information can appear to the user virtually in space. The user can thus distinguish between the information in a particularly easy manner.
[0030] In the operator system, the display system may be configured to display virtual operator devices to the user. The user can thus operate the virtual operator devices by means of gestures and, thus, alter the parameters of the machine in a particularly easy manner. In addition, the information is displayed to the user in a particularly ergonomic manner.
[0031] The operator system may be configured for a data transfer with an external service station, in particular for the remote diagnostic and/or maintenance. The external service station may be arranged in a service center on the plant grounds, or at a manufacturer of the machine. The external service station may be a computer including a service software. The data transmitter may be configured for the data transfer. In the data transfer image and sound data may be transmitted, in particular data for the display system, for the listen-talk unit, from the first camera, from the second camera and/or from the locating system. The remote diagnostic and/or maintenance allows the direct communication between the user and an expert in a service station, e.g. at the manufacturer.
[0032] The operator system may comprise a separate camera, and the display system may be configured to represent the image of the separate camera on call or request from the user. The separate camera may be configured to record conditions at single points of the machine. Thus, it would be conceivable that the filling conditions of preform containers, fastener containers, label containers or other containers is displayed, or also that critical plant sites are displayed which are more frequently subject to malfunctions or other problems. The separate camera may be designed to be mobile, so that the position thereof can be changed any time.
[0033] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be explained below by means of the exemplary figures. In the figures:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an operator system according to the invention;
[0035] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the safety glasses of the operator system according to the invention of FIG. 1 ;
[0036] FIG. 3 shows a front view of the mobile operator device for the machine of the operator system according to the invention of FIG. 1 ; and
[0037] FIG. 4 shows a lateral view of a signal generator of the operator system according to the invention of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0038] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an operator system 1 according to the invention. It can be seen that a user 7 is standing in front of a machine 6 for operating or maintaining same. The illustrated machine 6 is, in this case, a beverage processing machine.
[0039] The user 7 wears a belt on which a mobile operator device 2 is attached. At the same time, the user 7 wears safety glasses 4 which comprise a display system configured as a head-mounted display. Via same, information are displayed to the user 7 in his field of vision. On his left arm the user 7 wears a signal generator 3 . The signal generator 3 includes a vibrator as well as an acoustic and a visual signal generator, by means of which different alarm and/or warning signals can be transmitted to the user 7 independently of the display system in the safety glasses 4 . This reduces the likeliness that the user 7 does not perceive these signals.
[0040] While servicing or operating the machine 6 the user 7 has both of his hands free to carry out manual activities. At the same time, the user 7 is displayed corresponding information about the status of the machine 6 by the display system in the safety glasses 4 . It is also possible that documentations of the machine 6 are displayed to the user 7 by the display system on the basis of which he can carry out the service. Also, the display system displays virtual operator devices to the user 7 on which he can adjust parameters of the machine 6 .
[0041] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the safety glasses 4 of the operator system 1 according to the invention of FIG. 1 . It illustrates a spectacle frame 41 into which two safety lenses 42 are inserted. The safety glasses 4 furthermore comprise two temples 43 worn above the ears of the user 7 .
[0042] In front of each of the eyeglass lenses 42 of the safety glasses 4 display systems 44 a , 44 b are respectively arranged, which are each designed as a head-mounted display 51 a , 51 b . The head-mounted displays 51 a , 51 b include optical systems by means of which different images from LCD displays are displayed to each eye of the user 7 . The head-mounted displays 51 a , 51 b are semipermeable (semitransparent), so that the user 7 can simultaneously see the surroundings of the safety glasses 4 . The display systems 44 a , 44 b are able to display different images to each eye of the user 7 , permitting him to also view three-dimensional information. Consequently, the user 7 can see, on the one hand, the surroundings through the safety glasses 4 and, on the other hand, virtual information superimposed with same. Similar to a legend in a drawing the user 7 is displayed, for instance, the tightening torque for a screw located in the field of vision and/or the tool type suited therefor.
[0043] The safety glasses 4 furthermore comprise a listen-talk unit 46 a , 46 b , 47 a , 47 b , which is configured as a hearing protector 52 a , 52 b . The earphones 47 a , 47 b for each ear are designed as plugs (in-ear earphones), so that they seal the auditory canal. Thus, disturbing ambient noise is suppressed and cannot penetrate the auditory canal. At the same time, the microphones 46 a , 46 b externally sense the disturbing ambient noise and additionally emit a compensation signal through the earphones 47 a , 47 b , so that the remaining ambient noise is further reduced. In addition, wanted signals, e.g. human voices, are sensed by the microphones 46 a , 46 b and filtered out by a filtering unit (not shown) and played in, to the user 7 , through the earphones 47 a , 47 b isolated from the ambient noise. Thus, it is possible for the user 7 to communicate with the colleagues on site. In addition, the illustrated listen-talk unit 46 a , 46 b , 47 a , 47 b may be used as a telephone device in connection with a cellular phone or other units of the operator system 1 , for instance, in order to speak to colleagues not being on site. The listen-talk unit 46 a , 46 b , 47 a , 47 b may be connected to external units by the data transmitter 50 , in particular for transmitting speech data.
[0044] Also, a data transmitter 50 is illustrated, which is configured as a wireless radio interface. The radio interface may be a WLAN interface or Bluetooth interface. By the data transmitter 50 the safety glasses 4 are in communication with the mobile operator device 2 of FIG. 1 . Also, the safety glasses 4 may be connected to the signal generator 3 of FIG. 1 . This connection allows an exchange of data between the units.
[0045] The safety glasses 4 furthermore comprise a first camera 48 which points to the front and captures the field of vision of the user 7 . The first camera 48 generates image data of the environment directly in front of the user 7 . These image data can directly be forwarded by the data transmitter 50 to colleagues, allowing them to support the user 7 during the service. The first camera 48 furthermore captures the hands of the user 7 so as to record his gestures as image sequences. The so obtained images can be transmitted by the data transmitter 50 to the mobile operator device 2 for analyzing the gestures. Also, it is possible to automatically detect objects in the field of vision of the user 7 in the image data.
[0046] The safety glasses 4 additionally comprise a second camera 45 which is directed to one eye of the user 7 . Image data from the second camera 45 are passed on by the data transmitter 50 to the mobile operator device 2 where they serve to analyze the viewing direction and identify the user 7 on the basis of biometric identification features.
[0047] The safety glasses 4 additionally comprise a locating sensor 49 by means of which the location and position of the safety glasses 4 can be determined. The locating system 49 includes several acceleration sensors and position sensors, allowing the orientation and position of the head of the user 7 relative to the machine 1 to be determined, for instance to display, by the display system 44 a , 44 b , corresponding orientation information, towards which certain machine elements have to be positioned.
[0048] The safety glasses 4 furthermore comprise a microprocessor as a control unit and a battery for the power supply (not shown).
[0049] FIG. 3 shows a front view of the mobile operator device of the operator system 1 according to the invention of FIG. 1 . It shows a touch-sensitive display 21 with a handle 27 , on which menu elements 22 and information 23 are displayed, by means of which the user 7 can operate the machine 6 in the usual manner. The mobile operator device 2 also comprises a clip on the backside (not shown) allowing it to be fastened to the belt of the user 7 .
[0050] FIG. 3 also shows a data transmitter 24 having a data transmission standard (e.g. Bluetooth), which is compatible with the data transmitters 50 , 34 in the safety glasses 4 , respectively, signal generator 3 . Data are here transmitted wirelessly and exchanged between the operator device 2 , the signal generator 3 , respectively, the safety glasses 4 . In addition, a gesture identification unit 25 is recognizable, which is connected by the data transmitter 24 , 50 to the first camera 48 . As the latter records the hands of the user 7 and sends the images to the gesture identification unit 25 , these can now be analyzed by image processing algorithms. If corresponding gestures of the user 7 are identified they are translated, as machine commands, and outputted. These machine commands are codes which are assigned to the different gestures. For instance, such a machine command may have the meaning that the machine 6 pushes the beverages slightly forward.
[0051] Also, the biometric identification unit 26 is shown, which is likewise integrated in the mobile operator device 2 . The image data of the second camera 45 are transmitted by the data transmitter 50 , 24 from the safety glasses 4 to the biometric identification unit 26 where they are analyzed. Corresponding biometric identification algorithms then filter corresponding individual identification features of the user 7 out of the image data, and the user 7 is uniquely identified on the basis of same. For instance, the iris of the user's eye is analyzed and identified. If the user 7 is authorized he will receive corresponding access rights to the mobile operator device 2 , respectively, machine 6 . If the safety glasses 4 are worn by a non-authorized user 7 access rights will be refused to him, and an alarm will be triggered.
[0052] FIG. 4 shows a lateral view of the signal generator 3 of the operator system 1 according to the invention of FIG. 1 . It shows the signal generator 3 with a connection loop 35 provided on same for the attachment thereof on the wrist of the user 7 . The connection loop 35 comprises a closing mechanism 36 . In addition, the signal generator 3 comprises a data transmitter 34 for receiving data from the data transmitter 24 of the mobile operator device 2 . Alarm and warning signals can here be transmitted from the operator device 2 to the signal generator 3 via radio. The signal generator 3 furthermore comprises a vibrator 31 , an acoustic signal generator 32 and a visual signal generator 33 . Thus, the alarm and warning signals can be transmitted to the user 7 in a particularly broad spectrum of activation stimuli. It is also possible, however, that the signal generator 3 only includes one of the three aforementioned possibilities. The signal generator 3 is particularly light, with an ergonomic design. Moreover, the signal generator 3 includes a battery and a microprocessor for processing the alarm and warning signals.
[0053] In the operator system 1 according to the invention, illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the user 7 is thus supported particularly ergonomically in his servicing the machine 6 . In doing so, he need not avert his gaze from the presently carried out activity so as to receive information on the machine status. At the same time, he is able to communicate with colleagues through the listen-talk unit, and view corresponding documents by the display system. At the same time, the unique identification of the user 7 is possible by the second camera 45 on the safety glasses 4 and the biometric identification unit 26 so as to grant the user 7 a corresponding access authorization to the machine 6 . Moreover, the user 7 is reliably informed by the signal generator 3 if alarm or warning conditions occur.
[0054] It will be appreciated that the features mentioned in the above-described exemplary embodiments are not restricted to special combinations, but are practicable also in any other combinations.
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An operator system for a machine, in particular for a beverage processing machine, the system comprising a mobile operator device for the machine, a signal emitter for reporting alarm and/or warning signals and safely glasses for protecting the eyes of a user. The safety glasses have a display system that is designed in particular as a head-mounted display, or a virtual retina display, or a projector and the operator device and/or the signal emitter and/or the safety glasses have a respective data transmitter for exchanging machine information and/or alarm and/or warning signals.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention generally relates to a method and system to monitor environmental events and, in particular, relates to a monitoring system that detects an adverse condition within a structure and dispatches a service to correct the condition before damages escalate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with building utility systems and is best exemplified by methods and processes for detecting and repairing utility malfunctions such as water or gas leaks, for example.
[0003] Consumers spend millions of dollars each year to secure their investments in residences and businesses. Many consumers install security systems and hire monitoring services to prevent losses resulting from burglary or fire. When a burglar or fire alarm on the security system is triggered, the monitoring service may alert and summon police or firemen to the alarm address.
[0004] Fire and burglary are often catastrophic events that result in total or substantial loss. After such an event begins, the loss is usually significant unless the emergency service's response time is extremely short. Significant losses also occur, however, as a result of less monitored environmental conditions such as water damage caused by plumbing leaks or even explosions caused by gas leaks.
[0005] Although leaks and similar conditions may initially be relatively benign, these environmental conditions can also be catastrophic. In fact, if detected early, these conditions may be contained and repaired before significant and extensive damage occurs. Unlike burglary or fire, however, dedicated civil servants are not available for dispatch to a water leak. In fact, although systems to monitor water and gas leaks exist, most buildings are not equipped to monitor these or other detrimental environmental conditions.
[0006] Therefore, what is needed is a method and system for monitoring potentially damaging environmental conditions that does not rely solely on civil servants to respond to the condition. Additionally, a system for environmental monitoring is needed that does not allow a condition to escalate and cause additional damage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention includes a method of responding to an environmental event. One or more event detectors within an environment are monitored and an alarm is triggered when the event detectors indicate an environmental event has occurred. A monitoring service is automatically notified that the environmental event has occurred and the existence of the environmental event is then verified. Service is requested from a pre-approved vendor qualified to correct and/or address the environmental event. Correction and/or addressing of the environmental event are then verified.
[0008] In another embodiment of the invention, a system for responding to an environmental event has an event detector to detect the environmental event. A monitoring system is connected to the event detector and is configured to generate an alarm when the environmental event is detected. A dispatch system receives the alarm from the monitoring system. A database containing pre-approved vendors qualified to address the environmental event is accessible by the dispatch system.
[0009] In another embodiment of the invention, a method of responding to an environmental event has the steps of receiving a notification of the environmental event from an authorized source. The environmental event is then identified and a pre-approved vendor, which is qualified to address the environmental event, is selected. Service is then requested from the pre-approved vendor. Correction and/or addressing of the environmental event by the pre-approved vendor are verified.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, including its features and advantages, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals identify like parts and in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an environmental monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIGS. 2A and 2B are flow charts of an environmental monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
[0013] FIGS. 3A, 3B , 3 C and 3 D are flow charts of an environmental monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that may be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 1 , an environmental monitoring system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention serves to protect a client location 12 from damage caused by an environmental event. The client location 12 may be a house, business or associated premises and the like. One or more event detectors 14 are placed on or about the client location 12 . These event detectors 14 may be configured to detect one or more event indicators 16 such as gases, water, radiation, or extreme temperatures, for example. The environmental monitoring system 10 may also be configured to monitor or identify multiple environmental events such as water leaks, natural gas leaks, carbon monoxide or radon accumulation and the like. Event detectors 14 may be commercially available sensors that detect a particular event indicator 16 and trigger an alarm signal, which is sent to a monitoring service 18 .
[0016] The environmental monitoring system 10 may utilize an existing alarm monitoring service 18 that provides constant fire or burglary monitoring services. Alternatively, the monitoring service 18 may be performed by a computer within the environmental monitoring system 10 . When the detector 14 detects an event indicator 16 , the alarm signal may be sent to the monitoring service 18 via hardwire 20 or by a communications network 22 . The communications network 22 may be a global communications network such as the Internet, a telephone network, a wireless network, satellite communication system and the like.
[0017] The monitoring service 18 then relays the alarm signal to a dispatch system 24 over the communications network 22 . The dispatch system 24 may be a computer or it may be a human interface such as an operator assisted switchboard. The alarm signal may contain information regarding the characteristics of the environmental event such as time of the event, severity of the event, type of indicator 16 and the like. The dispatch system 24 then accesses a database 26 that contains information regarding one or more pre-approved vendors.
[0018] The vendors are pre-approved according to their qualifications and/or certifications to respond to a particular environmental event. For example, a pre-approved vendor for a water leak may be a licensed plumber whereas a pre-approved vendor for a chemical spill may be a firm licensed to handle hazardous materials. The database 26 uses information about the environmental event from the monitoring service 18 and/or the alarm signal to select a pre-approved vendor 28 .
[0019] The dispatch system 24 then contacts the selected vendor 28 to request service for the environmental event. Information regarding the environmental event is relayed to the selected vendor 28 so that service may be expedited. The selected vendor 28 then dispatches personnel 30 to the client location 12 . Personnel 30 may correct the environmental event and/or repair damage to the customer location 12 that may have resulted from the environmental event. The event detector 14 may be monitored continuously to ensure that the environmental event is corrected. After any corrections and/or repairs are completed, the selected vendor 28 confirms correction and/or repair to the dispatch system.
[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the monitoring service 18 , the dispatch system 24 and the database 26 may all be incorporated into an environmental detection and response system 32 . The detection and response system 32 may be a single location that efficiently houses monitoring and dispatch functions. Alternatively, the detection and response system 32 may be a computer that monitors event detectors 14 , detects alarm signals resulting from environmental events, selects the vendor 28 from the database, and confirms that the environmental events were corrected.
[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B , an environmental monitoring system 200 is initiated in block 202 when a client realizes a need to protect a location from an environmental event. In block 204 , the client and an environmental monitoring service provider determine which types of environmental events to monitor. For example, if the client is a homeowner, the client may want to monitor for water leaks, elevated relative humidity, carbon monoxide and the like. If the client stores perishable goods, the client may want to monitor temperature and humidity within a storage facility. In block 206 , appropriate event detectors are installed at the client's location to monitor the desired environmental conditions. The client then selects and prioritizes pre-approved vendors in block 208 . The pre-approved vendors are qualified to correct or repair damage caused if an environmental event occurs at the client's location.
[0022] In block 210 , information regarding the pre-approved vendors is entered into a database. The database is then configured to select a pre-approved vendor in response to an environmental event. As depicted in block 212 , the event detectors are monitored by the monitoring service. This monitoring may be in conjunction with monitoring ordinary alarm system functions such as fire or burglary. The monitoring service monitors the status of the event detectors continuously in block 214 . If an alarm condition is detected by the event detectors in block 216 , the monitoring service is alerted and may identify the alarm condition in block 218 . If no alarm condition is detected, the monitoring service continues to monitor for alarm conditions in block 214 .
[0023] If an alarm is detected in block 218 , the monitoring service attempts to contact the client in block 220 to verify the alarm. If the alarm is false, the false alarm is documented in block 222 . The time and date of the false alarm is noted and the client contact is recorded. If a positive alarm is verified or contact with the client is not made in block 224 , the monitoring service accesses an automated system for selecting a pre-approved vendor from the database in block 226 . In block 228 , the monitoring service enters client information into the automated system. The monitoring service follows instruction by the automated system to report the alarm in block 230 .
[0024] The alarm is acknowledged by the automated system in block 232 and then the automated system initiates a pre-approved vendor search in the database in block 234 . The automated system may select the pre-approved vendor according to information associated with the alarm such as type of environmental event, client, location, time of the alarm, and the like. Additionally, the automated system may select a list of one or more pre-approved vendors and prioritize the selected vendors according to client preference or other criteria such as distance from the client location, service ratings, average response time and the like.
[0025] After a pre-approved vendor is selected from the database, the automated system initiates communication with the approved vendor in block 236 . The communication may be a telephone call, an e-mail, a video conference or other form of communication. The communication may be over a telephone network, a wireless network, a global communications network such as the Internet, a satellite communication system and the like. Block 238 determines if the communication is answered by the selected vendor. If the communication is not answered, the automated system initiates a communication to the next selected pre-approved vendor in block 240 .
[0026] After a selected pre-approved vendor is contacted, in block 242 the monitoring service dispatches the vendor to the specified location to correct the environmental condition that caused the alarm. The automated system records the communication between the monitoring service and the selected vendor in block 244 . A time and date stamp corresponding to the communication is also placed in the record of the communication.
[0027] The selected vendor then travels to the client location, accesses the location and begins correcting the environmental event or alarm condition in block 246 . The selected vendor communicates with the automated system in block 248 and verifies the successful dispatch. In block 250 the automated system monitors the event detector to confirm that the environmental condition is addressed, corrected or abated. The monitoring service continues to monitor the event detector.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3D , an automated response system 300 according to one embodiment of the invention is depicted. In FIG. 3A , the automated response system 300 receives a communication from a user in block 302 . The user is typically the monitoring service as described above. The automated response system 300 may deliver a greeting to the user in block 304 and then in block 306 the user is prompted to either report a new environmental event or retrieve/update information regarding an existing event. The retrieve/update information for an existing event is depicted in FIG. 3D and will be described in detail below.
[0029] If the user chooses to report a new event, the automated response system 300 identifies the reporting entity using an authentication number in block 308 , which is depicted in FIG. 3B . If the reporting entity is not verified in block 310 , the automated response system 300 evaluates whether a predetermined number of authentication attempts has been exceeded in block 312 . If the number of attempts has been exceeded, the call is terminated in block 314 and the process ends in block 316 . If the number of attempts to verify the reporting entity has not been exceeded, the automated response system 300 attempts to verify the reporting entity again in block 308 . If the reporting entity is verified in block 310 , the client is identified by telephone number in block 318 . If the client is verified in block 320 , the user is prompted to specify the type of environmental event to be reported in block 322 . The user may provide additional information about the event in block 324 . If the user decides to provide additional information, a voice message may be recorded in block 326 and an event confirmation number is provided in block 328 . If the user does not provide additional information, the automated response system simply provides the event confirmation number to the user in block 328 . The call is terminated and a successful notification is logged in block 330 .
[0030] The automated response system then identifies the client's preferred solution provider in block 332 . If block 334 determines the client's list of preferred solution providers is exhausted, the automated response system 300 executes a process of contacting a system provider. One embodiment of this process is depicted in FIG. 3C and will be described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 3C . If the client's list of preferred solution providers is not exhausted, a call to a provider is initiated in block 336 .
[0031] If block 338 determines the call is not answered, block 340 terminates the call and block 332 identifies the next preferred solution provider on the client's list. When the automated response system 300 determines that a provider answers the call in block 338 , an automated greeting and event explanation is provided in block 342 . The automated response system 300 then obtains an acceptance or rejection of the event in block 344 . If the provider rejects that event, as determined by block 346 , block 340 terminates the call and another provider is selected. If block 346 determines that the provider accepts the event, block 348 provides an event confirmation number and the client's address. The call is then terminated and a successful dispatch is logged in block 350 .
[0032] Turning now to FIG. 3C , the automated response system 300 provides an event notification to a person associated with the provider of the automated response system 300 . This person may be an employee responsible for quality control or someone interested in customer satisfaction and service. Block 352 identifies the person associated with the provider of the automated response system 300 . Block 354 determines if the list of persons is exhausted. If the list has been exhausted, an alternate communication such as an e-mail, electronic page, text message or other electronic communication, is sent to all persons associated with the provider of the automated response system 300 .
[0033] If block 354 determines that the list has not been exhausted, the automated response system initiates a telephone call to the person identified in block 352 . Block 360 determines if the call is answered. If the call is not answered, block 362 terminates the call and the next person on the list is identified. If block 360 determines that the call has been answered, block 364 provides an event notification greeting to the person. Information regarding the event is then provided in block 366 . This provided information may include the time that the event was reported, the time that a service provider was contacted, whether the service provider has been dispatched, and other information related to the event.
[0034] In block 368 the contacted person elects whether to have the automated response system 330 send an alternate form of communication, such as an e-mail or a text message, for example. If the contacted person elects to have the alternate communication sent, the automated response system 300 sends the communication in block 370 . The call is then terminated and logged in block 372 . Otherwise, the call is simply terminated and logged in block 372 . The process then ends in block 374 .
[0035] Turning now to FIG. 3D , a process for retrieving or updating event information is depicted. The event information may include, for example, the date and time that an event is logged, the name of the party reporting the event, the phone number of the reporting party, the client name, the client phone number, the client address, a recorded message and/or the contact number of the provider of the automated response service. The caller is identified by an authentication number in block 376 . If the caller cannot be verified in block 378 , block 380 determines if the number of attempts to verify has been exceeded. If the attempts have been exceeded, block 398 terminates the call and logs user activity. If the attempts have not been exceeded, block 376 attempts to identify the caller again until the caller is verified in block 378 or block 380 determines the number of attempts have been exceeded.
[0036] Block 382 then attempts to identify the event using the confirmation number. Block 384 verifies the event and then block 386 prompts the user to retrieve event information or update event information. If the user chooses to update event information in block 386 , block 388 records a voice message and block 398 terminates the call and logs the user activity.
[0037] Alternately, if the user elects to retrieve event information in block 386 , block 390 allows the user to receive the event information by a voice message or in an electronic text format. If the user elects a voice message, block 392 provides the event information to the user by voice message. Block 394 allows the user to elect to also receive the event information in electronic text format.
[0038] If the user elects to receive event information by electronic text in block 390 or 394 , the event information is sent by e-mail, text message, instant message or other form of text communication. The call is then terminated and the user activity is logged in block 398 . Block 400 determines if the event has been updated. If the event has been updated, the automated response system 300 starts subroutine C, which is described with reference to FIG. 3C . If the event has not been updated, the process ends in block 402 .
[0039] Although this invention has been described with reference to an illustrative embodiment, this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. It is therefore intended that the appended claims accomplish any such modifications or embodiments.
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The present invention includes a method of responding to an environmental event. One or more event detectors within an environment are monitored and an alarm is triggered when the event detectors indicate an environmental event has occurred. A monitoring service is automatically notified that the environmental event has occurred and the existence of the environmental event is then verified. Service is requested from a pre-approved vendor qualified to address and/or correct the environmental event. Correction and/or addressing of the environmental event are then verified.
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PRIORITY CLAIMS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/885,316, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/243,356 filed on Sep. 17, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the delivery of content over a computer network, and more particularly relates to the delivery and display of content, such as advertising content.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Advertising has been, and continues to be, a leading business opportunity on the Internet. The Internet, being an interactive media, offers significant advantages over traditional media in offering dynamic methods of targeting advertisements to certain audiences, publishing customizable advertisements to certain audiences and tracking the effectiveness of an advertisement by evaluating audience reaction to an advertisement.
[0004] One mechanism for Internet advertising, introduced by Comet Systems, Inc. in 1999, used the image space on a user's computer generally associated with the user's cursor to deliver an advertisement. For example, Comet Systems introduced the use of a dynamic cursor image to provide a “branded” cursor that would correspond to the content or sponsor of the web page being visited. The Comet Cursor system is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,995,102, 6,118,449, 6,065,057, and 7,111,254, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
[0005] A user's cursor is an important display space since it generally represents the user's point of focus on a particular page being displayed. Nonetheless, although Comet System, Inc.'s “comet cursor” enjoyed initial popularity, the use of cursor-based advertising has not found widespread acceptance. It is believed that improvements to the features, delivery and operation of a cursor-based content delivery system can result in the highly effective use of the cursor space as a component of a powerful advertising delivery system.
SUMMARY
[0006] A system and method for delivering cursor-based content, such as advertising content is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system may include an advertising server having a network interface for coupling the server to a computer network. The server includes a processor having software associated therewith to implement a delivery method. The software may receive a request for cursor-based advertising content, select cursor-based advertising content based on the request, deliver the selected cursor-based advertising content, deliver instruction code for displaying the cursor-based advertising content on a user computer instead of, or in conjunction and association with, a cursor image displayed on a user's computer, and deliver instruction code for recording and reporting data related to a user's cursor position.
[0007] A method of operating a publisher server is also provided. The method may include receiving a request for content from a user, requesting cursor-based advertisement from an advertising server to deliver with the requested content, receiving the cursor-based advertisement from an advertising server, and delivering the content, the cursor-based advertisement, and instruction code for displaying the cursor-based advertisement on a display of a user computer in response to the user request for content.
[0008] A method of operating an advertising server is further contemplated. Such a method may include, for example, receiving a request for cursor-based advertising content, selecting cursor-based advertising content based on the request, delivering the selected cursor-based advertising content, delivering instruction code for displaying the cursor-based advertising content on a user computer instead of, or in conjunction and association with, a cursor image displayed on a user's computer, and delivering instruction code for recording and reporting data related to a user's cursor position. The method can further include receiving data related to a user's cursor position. In addition, the method may provide for analyzing the received data to determine user response to delivered advertising content. In response to this analysis, the method may deliver altered or replacement advertising content in response to the determined user response.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Embodiments of the present systems and methods are described in connection with the appended drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the interaction among various operational entities in the present advertising delivery and analysis system;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an example of an internet webpage displayed on a client computer when reviewing content provided at a website presented by a publisher server;
[0012] FIGS. 3-5 are examples of web pages illustrating the use of the present cursor-based advertising system to display a cursor-based advertisement and additional promotional material related thereto;
[0013] FIG. 6 is an example of additional promotional material deliverable using the present system and methods;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of an example of a publisher server, in accordance with the current disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of an example of an advertising server, in accordance with the current disclosure; and
[0016] FIG. 9 is a pictorial representation of a configurable “container” for delivering and displaying cursor-based content in accordance with the current disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the interaction among various operational entities in the present advertising delivery and analysis system. The present system generally provides an advertising server 110 which includes an interface to one or more advertiser computers 105 . The advertising server 110 provides an account management interface 140 that allows a user of an advertiser computer to define an advertisement, define campaign parameters, review advertising metrics and the like.
[0018] Typically, the account management interface includes a secure login to allow individual account owners to access and manipulate only their own accounts. The advertising server 110 also provides an interface to one or more publisher servers 115 . The publisher servers 115 generally provide content to users on a computer network, such as the Internet. The publisher servers 115 also receive advertising content from the advertising server 110 for presentation to one or more client computers 120 .
[0019] The client computers 120 , which may include any of a number of standard computing devices such as PC, laptop, PDA, cell phone, tablet computer and the like, can be coupled to a publisher server via a computer network, such as the Internet, using known wired or wireless networking techniques. The client computers generally include a graphical user interface (GUI), including a display device 125 and a pointing device 130 , such as a mouse, track ball, touch sensitive pad, touch screen and other known human interface devices. As is well known in the art, the GUI generally provides a cursor illustrating a visual position indication on the display device 125 and the position of the cursor can be controlled by the pointing device 130 . In certain devices, a touch screen may be used to implement a GUI. With a touch screen interface, a cursor may not need to be displayed since the user can select any spot on the interface as a touchpoint. In such an embodiment, the present cursor based systems and methods can be applied using the touchpoint as the location to display the cursor-based content or advertisement.
[0020] FIG. 2 is an example of an Internet webpage displayed on client computer 120 when reviewing content provided by a publisher server 115 . In this example, the user of the client computer 120 is visiting a website that is focused on sports related issues. In this example, the manufacturer of a sports drink has defined an advertising campaign in the advertising server 110 that includes a traditional display or banner advertisement 200 as well as an associated cursor-based advertisement 205 that are presented to the client computer. As used herein, the term “cursor-based content” includes content, such as advertising and other image and message content, that is displayed either instead of, attached to, associated with or in conjunction with a conventional cursor image, including being displayed under, over or next to a conventional cursor image. In this case, the cursor based advertisement 205 presents an image and or text message that relates to and preferably compliments the traditional display advertisement 200 . It has been found that the combination of a display advertisement with a cursor-based advertisement significantly increases advertising awareness and effectiveness when compared to using a display ad without the associated cursor-based advertisement.
[0021] In this example, the cursor-based advertisement can be presented simultaneously with the display advertisement. In order to minimize user distraction and potential annoyance, the cursor can revert to the standard cursor image after a predetermined time. For example, after five seconds, the cursor-based advertisement can fade back into a standard arrow. The cursor-based advertisement can also be displayed or removed based on some user activity. For example, if the cursor is moved over the display advertisement 200 , the cursor-based advertisement image can be re-displayed (or an additional cursor-based advertisement can be displayed). Alternatively, if the user engages in some action, such as a click of a particular mouse button or performing a predetermined cursor movement, the cursor-based advertisement can be immediately replaced with a conventional cursor image. This later feature provides the user with the option of discontinuing display of the cursor-based advertisement. Alternatively, the cursor based content can also be set to deploy if a user makes certain actions, such as movement towards a back button or towards a certain location on a page.
[0022] The selection of a particular cursor-based advertisement to be displayed to the user can be based on various targeting criteria. For example, known contextual analysis techniques can be used to evaluate the subject matter of the page being viewed to determine relevant advertising content to be provided to the publisher server 115 . The content being evaluated can include other advertisements that are presented on the page provided by third-party suppliers, in which case a suitable ad, either complementing or competing with the third-party advertisement, can be selected to be displayed. In addition, advertising content can be selected for delivery based on cookies, user registration information or other historical or demographic data available about the user. Further, the advertising content can be selected based upon a contextual analysis of the underlying content being viewed by the user such that a delivered cursor-based advertisement would be relevant to the underlying content. In this regard, a linguistic analysis program as known in the art can operate at the publisher server 115 or client computer 120 . The linguistic analysis program evaluates the content provided to the client computer and may derive one or more keywords that are relevant to the underlying content an provide these keywords to the advertising server 110 which then identifies and delivers an appropriate advertisement to the client computer 120 either directly or via the publisher server 115 . Linguistic analysis programs use various techniques to determine relevance, from simple word identification to complex analysis of the relationship of nouns, verbs, primacy, frequency and the like. The particular linguistic analysis tool used is not critical to the practice of the present system and method so long as some measure of relevance of the content to an advertisement is achieved.
[0023] The advertising content can also be selected or altered based on the time of day and/or the location of the user, if known. Other known techniques for determining advertising relevance or targeting can also be applied.
[0024] Unlike a traditional cursor graphic, which is typically limited to a 32×32 pixel display area, the present system provides for a more general display space to be defined and associated with the cursor or touchpoint location. For example, a generalized text or graphics display space can be coupled to the standard 32×32 pixel cursor display area and move in conjunction with this cursor display area as a modified cursor image. In this way, higher resolution graphics and more detailed textual information can be conveyed through the use of the modified cursor image. Preferably, when the user of the client computer addresses the publisher website, the content for the website is provided to the client computer, generally in the form of HTML, XML or other graphics/scripting based language or other suitable advertising programming code.
[0025] In the present system, the instructions that will be used by the client computer 120 to alter the cursor image from a standard image, such as an arrow, to an advertising specific image, such as the image of the spokesman for the sports drink being advertised, may be provided by the publisher website as a component of the website content code or as pass-through code supplied by the cursor advertising supplier. This allows the client computer to receive and respond to the cursor instructions without requiring the client to have previously received and installed software, such as an applet or browser plug-in, that would remain resident on the client computer or mobile device. For example, an instruction code such as <script src=“http://beta.f.adbull.com/79 — 33.js”></script> can be imbedded in or delivered with the advertising content. This instruction identifies the location, such as on advertising server 110 that can be invoked and operated by the client computer 120 . An example of the invoked code listing is set forth in Appendix 1, appended hereto. This implementation may alleviate concerns that arose with previous advertising delivery systems that the advertising delivery system was loading “spyware” or “mal-ware” onto a client computer 120 .
[0026] In other embodiments, the advertising code may be integrated into an RSS feed, or any suitable Java script, XML or similar supported environment that is known in various communication interfaces, such as web browsers and custom applications such as Twitter™ for easy distribution to the client computer or mobile device.
[0027] An overview of the general operation of the publishing server 110 is provided in the flow diagram of FIG. 7 . When a user of a client computer 120 requests content, that request is received at publisher server 115 in block 700 . The publishing server responds to the request by requesting appropriate cursor-based content from the advertising server in block 705 . A number of different methods may be used by the publishing server to request relevant cursor-based content, such as by the general subject matter of the publisher website, demographic data of the user, contextual/linguistic analysis of the requested content and the like. The publisher server receives cursor based content, such as from the advertising server 110 (block 710 ). The publisher server 110 may also receive, along with the cursor-based content, instruction code to be provided to the client computer to enable display and tracking of the cursor based content on the client computer 120 . The publisher server 115 then delivers the requested content, the cursor-based content and the instruction code for displaying the cursor based content, to the client computer 120 (block 715 ).
[0028] A simplified overview of the operation of the advertising server is provided in the flow diagram of FIG. 8 . A request for cursor-based content is received, such as from a publisher server 110 (block 800 ). The advertising server then selects appropriate cursor-based content in response to the request (block 805 ) and delivers the selected cursor-based content, or information such as a link to the content, to the publisher server (block 810 ). The advertising server 110 may also provide instruction code that enables the client computer to display the cursor based content. The instruction code may also provide code for tracking and reporting a user's cursor position and other cursor related metrics (block 815 ). In the event that it was desired to receive and record cursor metrics, such as cursor position and time data, the advertising server may receive such data from the client computers or indirectly via the publisher server 115 (block 820 ). The received data, which may include but does not require personal identification information, is provided to the cursor metrics analytics engine 145 which may evaluate cursor metrics, such as cursor position versus time, cursor velocity, and the like to determine whether a particular advertisement is meeting performance targets (block 825 ). If it is determined that the advertisement's performance does not satisfy the performance criteria, the cursor based content can be modified in some way to attract user attention or new cursor-based content may be selected (block 830 ). The new or modified cursor based content can then be delivered to the publisher server 115 .
[0029] FIGS. 3-5 illustrate another example of the current cursor-based advertising system. These figures illustrate a typical progression of a cursor-based advertising sequence which includes time-based and action-based triggers for the advertising content. In FIG. 3 , a client is reviewing content on a news based publisher website. When the user first enters the publisher website, no cursor-based advertisement is selected for delivery. As noted by the clock illustrated in FIG. 3 , the time is 11:39 am in this first example.
[0030] In the example illustrated in FIG. 4 , the time has advanced to 11:40 am. In this example, a food vendor has created an advertising campaign that targets viewers of the publisher website at a certain time, such as between 11:40 am and 12:40 pm, for delivery of advertising content related to its restaurant. Thus, at 11:40, the cursor displayed on the client computer 120 changes from a standard cursor image, such as the hand displayed in FIG. 3 , to the logo and message provided in FIG. 4 . The cursor-based advertisement of FIG. 4 further includes the invitation to “right click for $1 lunch deal,” prompting the user to take further action and thereby receive a coupon or further promotional material, such as illustrated in FIG. 5 . The cursor can continue to display the cursor-advertisement for a predetermined amount of time, until some activity at the client computer 120 is detected, or some combination of time and activity. For example, the advertisement can be displayed continuously so long as no cursor motion is detected and then change back to the standard cursor image following a predetermined time after some cursor movement is detected. This will provide an opportunity for the advertisement to be seen by the user even if they are away from the computer momentarily when the advertisement is first displayed, yet also revert to the standard image in a timely fashion to minimize user annoyance.
[0031] As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the coupon or promotional material provided to the user after an invited action associated with the cursor-based advertisement can include a number of features. For example, the promotional material can include a unique identifier that facilitates advertiser tracking of the promotion. This is helpful to the advertiser to determine the effectiveness of the promotion and to calculate return on investment (ROI) for the promotion. The promotion can also include an action button to print a redeemable coupon. The promotion can also include an information link 615 that can, for example, include a description of the advertising service delivering the cursor based advertisement. In certain instances, the approximate geographic location of the user can be determined based on user demographics or more precisely determined if the client computer has a positioning system, such as Global Positioning System (“GPS”) capability. When geo-tracking techniques are used, or the user's location is otherwise known, the promotion can be geo-targeted, such as by specifying a specific address or region where the coupon may be redeemed. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , the promotional material can be generic to a brand, or can be specifically targeted to a particular address when geo-targeting establishes that the user is close to a particular location for that brand, such as “101 E. South Street.”
[0032] The current system also contemplates the use of cursor position and motion to determine, at least in part, user behavior and advertisement responsiveness. Based on a study comparing eye-tracking and mouse pointer behavior, it has been shown that over 80% of the time a user moves their mouse cursor to an area of their screen, that same area was also looked at by the user. Similarly, this study demonstrated that approximately 88% of the time, regions that were not subject to eye-gaze were also not visited by the mouse cursor. Thus, there is believed to be a strong correlation between cursor location and eye-gaze.
[0033] Recognizing this phenomenon, it is believed that cursor position may be used as a reasonable proxy for determining where on a display a user's attention is drawn. By providing feedback from the client computer 120 on cursor position in connection with advertising variables, such as time, display advertising content, cursor-based advertisement content and the like, the effectiveness of various advertising vehicles in capturing the attention of a user can be measured using the current system. In this regard, the software embedded in the delivered advertisement may include instructions that allow the tracking and reporting of cursor position, such as to the advertising server 110 . Alternatively, other servers, not shown, may receive and process the cursor data. This client computer may provide data regarding cursor coordinates, time stamps, and the like, which are readily accessible parameters on a typical graphical user interface in a client computer or mobile device. This information can be sent to a cursor metrics analytics engine 145 residing in the advertising server 110 , or other computer server, without requiring personal identifying information (PII) and still provide useful feedback regarding the performance of the advertisement. If the client has authorized the release of PII, this information can be incorporated into that client's user profile to improve the delivery of future advertisements and services. This can be beneficial in CPM based display advertising, where an advertisement may be effective at enhancing brand reputation by being viewed even if there is no immediately measurable performance-based metric, such as a click-through, associated with the display of that advertisement.
[0034] In addition to cursor position, cursor movement in response to various events and relative dwell time of the cursor in certain locations on the display can also provide meaningful data regarding the effectiveness of an advertisement. For example, the direction of cursor movement towards or away from an advertisement being displayed may be an indication of relative interest in the advertising content. Further, the location within the advertising content that a cursor visits may also be indicative of which portion of the advertising content is most significant to the user. Thus, the advertising code provided with the cursor-based advertisement preferably includes code for determining cursor position and reporting the cursor position, and other desirable metrics, back to the advertising server. Cursor position can be used for post-display analytics as well as for dynamically controlling the advertising content to promote a further response. For example, if a particular cursor-based advertising image does not result in a desired cursor action, the content can be altered to capture the viewer's attention and promote further action. The cursor position data can also be presented to advertisers in various forms on an advertiser interface. For example, “heat maps” illustrating a color coded depiction of frequency of cursor position may be presented to visualize the regions of the display most frequented by the cursor. Other forms of data presentation, such as graphs and topographical charts, illustrating various cursor metrics can also be used to assist an advertiser in evaluating the effectiveness of particular advertising. Each of these functions may be performed in the cursor metrics analytics engine 145 .
[0035] The use of dynamic changes in advertising content can alter the cursor-based advertisement, a display advertisement or both. As an example, referring to FIG. 2 , if after 20 seconds of displaying the advertisement for the sports drink, no favorable cursor activity was detected (e.g., cursor movement over or towards the advertisement) a new cursor based image could be presented that more actively directs the user's attention to the display ad. This can be by way of a graphic that directs the user's attention towards the display add (such as by changing the image of the spokesman on the cursor-based advertisement to point towards the display advertisement) or by a simple text message, such as “see our ad on this page.”
[0036] It is known that a touch screen may be used to implement a GUI in a computing device. Indeed, such interfaces have grown in popularity, particularly in mobile devices, such as cellular phones, music players and tablet computers. With a touch screen interface, a cursor may not need to be displayed since the user can select any spot on the interface as a touchpoint. In such an embodiment, the present cursor based systems and methods can still be applied. In a touch screen device, the touchpoint is used as the location of the cursor-based advertisement. In a similar manner to that described above, various touchpoint based advertising can be delivered. Similar to cursor position, data regarding the location of touchpoints over time can be monitored and reported by the client computer. In a similar manner as described above with respect to cursor position, touchpoint position can also be used in performing the analytic methods described above.
[0037] The advertising server 110 may also include an accounting module 150 (in FIG. 1 ) to track advertising delivery and performance metrics and to assist in billing and revenue distribution functions. As is known in the art of network based advertising delivery, there are a number of revenue models that can be applied to advertising delivery. For example, an advertiser may pay to have an advertisement delivered to a certain number of users using a so-called CPM, or cost per thousand page view model. In this case, the advertising server would account for the number of times the advertisement was served and would base the advertising delivery charge on this number. Various performance based models, such as pay-per-click, pay for purchase and the like are also known. In such models the advertising server will track not only the number of times that an advertisement was delivered, but would also track the relevant performance based metric. The advertising server may also track the particular publisher server that requested and delivered the advertisement to provide an account record for any applicable revenue sharing relationship that may be in place between the operator of the advertising server 110 and the publisher server 115 . The specific implementation of the accounting module is not critical to the practice of the present systems and methods and those skilled in the art understand how to implement appropriate accounting modules for the various billing and revenue models.
[0038] Another aspect of the present systems and methods is the use of a “container” for delivering cursor based content. Referring to FIG. 9 , the container 900 can accept either standard IAB dimensioned or non-IAB standard advertising units 905 , within the container frame 910 . In addition, the container 900 allows an advertiser, via the advertiser interface 140 , to configure various features and options associated with the presentation of the cursor-based content. For example, the container may be configured to only display for a certain amount of time, which can be graphically displayed with the container either by a count down timer or graphical indication of the remaining time, such as an hour glass or other time-based symbol. The container definition can also include a specification that allows the cursor-based content to separate itself from the cursor after a predetermined action or period of time. As an example, after a predetermined time or a user clicking the X symbol 915 on the container, the cursor based content can detach from the current cursor position and move to a position on the display specified in the container parameters, such as top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right, or any particular X-Y coordinate specified by the advertiser and embedded in the container specification.
[0039] The foregoing discussion describes some example embodiments to perform cursor-based content delivery. Although the foregoing discussion has presented specific embodiments, persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments.
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A method of providing dynamic cursor related content is disclosed. The method can include sending a request for content to a server from a user device; receiving instruction code from the server in response to the sent request, the instruction code operable to collect cursor information related to a cursor position on a display of the user device; sending from the user device the cursor information collected in response to execution of the instruction code to generate from the received cursor information an indication of relative interest between regions displayed on the user device; and changing the content based on the indicated relative interest.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a single-motor drive for a shaftless spinning rotor of an open-end spinning machine, i.e., a rotor that is not mechanically guided radially.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As development of rotor spinning machines progresses, the goal is not only to improve the quality of the yarns produced, but above all to increase production capacity. A key factor in increasing production capacity is the rotary speed of the spinning rotor. For this reason, varied kinds of drives and bearings for spinning rotors have been developed, in order to reach rotary speeds of markedly over 100,000 rpm. Reducing the rotor diameter and mass and lowering friction losses enables not only greater rotary speed but also reduced energy consumption when driven.
In this respect, a shaftless spinning rotor, which is embodied as the rotor of an axial field motor, can be considered especially advantageous by providing a combined magnetic and gas bearing which assures relatively low friction losses.
An axial field motor with a combined magnet/gas bearing is disclosed in WO 92/01096, wherein the spinning rotor has a bearing face remote from the rotor opening in opposed facing relation to a bearing face the stator of the motor at a spacing defining an air gap between the two bearing faces which thereby form the combined magnetic/gas bearing. The axial field motor has means associated with both the stator and the rotor for conducting the magnetic flux of magnetic fields for driving and guiding the rotor. The stator is annular in shape and has a segmental winding, disposed symmetrically to the rotational axis of the rotor, for generating the surrounding driving magnetic field. This winding is embodied as a so-called gap winding, i.e., wrapped around the unslotted stator core, so that it extends in the region of the bearing face within the gap between the stator core and the rotor base. This kind of gap winding necessitates a limitation to a certain winding geometry, because the nonmagnetic properties of copper dictate keeping a relatively small width in the gap between the magnetically conductive materials of the stator core and of the rotor base in order to limit the magnetic reluctance. In such a gap winding, only one layer is therefore typically wound, and typically the copper wires also have a flattened cross-section, which limits the number of windings per phase and consequently the attainable magnetic saturation. Moreover, if the stator bearing face is damaged, the current-carrying winding can be directly exposed and damaged. Occupational safety aspects play an additional role.
To circumvent the unavoidable disadvantages of a gap winding, i.e., the large magnetic reluctance in the gap region and the limited magnetic field intensity attainable because of the limited maximum number of windings, the attempt has been made to place the winding, at least in the bearing region, in slots of the stator core. However, this leads to significant localized heating, especially of the parts of the rotor that conduct the magnetic flux. The consequence of this heating is thermal strain resulting from differing coefficients of thermal expansion of the rotor components, and deformation of the bearing face, which is especially critical at the relatively small widths typical across the air gap between the bearing faces, normally in the range of hundredths of a millimeter. Enlarging the gap, required in such cases to avoid damage to the bearing face, leads to a marked increase in air space and hence energy consumption. If drive magnets are used in the rotor of a brushless direct current motor, then over a relatively long period of time the heating which occurs can cause temperature-dictated reversible or nonreversible demagnetization, or detachment of the composite material of the powdered magnetic composition of the magnets. It must be remembered that as a rule the magnets are embedded in carbon fibers, which are incapable of dissipating the heat buildup because of their poor thermal conductivity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved single-motor drive for a shaftless spinning rotor of an open-end spinning machine which achieves an enhanced transfer of power and improved running properties.
According to the invention, this object is attained by providing an improved form of stator for use in a rotor assembly for an open-end spinning machine wherein the rotor assembly comprises an axial field motor having a rotor and a stator with the rotor defining an interior spinning chamber and an outward bearing face and the stator having a bearing face disposed opposite the bearing face of the rotor. Basically, means are provided for producing a combined magnetic and gas bearing for supporting the rotor at a spacing relative to the stator defining an air gap, the bearing means including means for producing a first field of magnetic flux for orienting and maintaining a rotational axis of the rotor in a stationary disposition and means for producing a second field of magnetic flux for driving rotation of the rotor about the axis.
According to the present invention, the stator is formed with an annular configuration and comprises a winding formed in segments arranged symmetrically about the axis of rotation of the rotor for generating the second field of magnetic flux for driving the rotor. The winding segments extend through channels that extend substantially radially with respect to the annular stator and are enclosed over at least a portion of their length by magnetically conductive material. As used herein, references that the channels extend "substantially" radially is intended to mean, and to encompass within the scope of the invention, channels that may not extend exactly on a radius toward the axis of rotation of the rotor but nevertheless depart from the radius by only a slight deviation.
The invention is based on the discovery that, in addition to a fundamental wave of magnetic flux revolving synchronously with the rotor, harmonics occur that travel in the same direction as, but with a decreasing angular speed or an opposite direction, compared with the fundamental wave, and that accordingly have an essentially significant relative speed with respect to the rotor, with the consequence being heating from eddy currents. Since eddy current losses increase with the square of the frequency, the eddy currents, at the high frequencies attendant to the high rpms typical of spinning rotors, are of such magnitude as to markedly affect heat development.
In the form of stator winding described above, i.e., wherein the winding is placed in slots of the stator core, the specific current density is concentrated at the slot openings. As a consequence, the magnetomotive force through the air gap of the magnetic/gas bearing has the character of a stairstep function with sharp edges. Depending on the slot arrangement, the permeance of the air gap also changes abruptly in the region of the channel openings, which causes the development of the aforementioned harmonics, with high frequencies and amplitudes. The consequence is the rapid magnetic reversal of the rotor yoke and magnets and also of nonmagnetic electrically conductive parts of the rotor, causing power losses and the aforementioned heating.
Embodying both the stator core and the stator winding in accordance with the present invention diminishes abrupt changes in magnetomotive force and marked changes in stator permeance in the region of the air gap, and greatly reduces the development of heat, which makes the bearing face of the stator substantially easier to machine and keep planar. The thermal strains that would ensue from differing coefficients of heat expansion do not occur. Because of the diminishment of the problems of deformation of the bearing face, the effective air gap can be kept smaller, in turn saving compressed air needed to establish the air gap and hence saving energy. Moreover, because of the resultant lower magnetic reluctance of the air gap, smaller and lighter weight drive magnets can be used which make the problems of rotor strength less critical.
The thickness of the magnetically conductive material between the channels and the bearing face (i.e., the height of the land or bridging portion between the channels) should be chosen to be sufficiently slight that magnetic saturation is achieved very rapidly, and the flux and hence power losses are as small as possible. The lower limit for the land height is determined for reasons of mechanical stability and based on a minimum magnitude of the magnetic flux, to enable the stairstep function of the magnetomotive force or permeability to be adequately smoothed. By comparison, on the side of the channels opposite the land that forms part of the bearing face, a yoke for developing the primary magnetic flux should be dimensioned such that the ratio between the main flux and the stray flux is at least 10:1, which is approximately equivalent to the ratio between the yoke height and the land height.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the stator bearing face is no longer covered by a potting or sealing compound that covers the gap winding but rather is formed by the solid stator core itself. As a result, it is also possible to make the stator bearing face wear-resistant by coating it or chemically treating it. This may be significant if the rotor comes to be seated on the stator bearing face while still rotating at a relatively high speed, for instance, in the event the bearing gas should fail.
Heating of the rotor is especially high in the peripheral region, particularly because of the increasing relative circumferential speeds of the two bearing faces as the spacing from the rotary axis increases, and the attendant increases in air friction. Reducing the generation of heat resulting from the eddy currents caused by the associated harmonics is therefore especially significant in this peripheral region. Moreover, as a result of the partial nonclosure of the channels on the bearing side in the internal region of the stator, the production of a stray flux in the region of the lands can be minimized, while rotor heating in this region has no significant negative influence.
Assembling the stator from multiple parts has the main advantage that introduction of the windings from the open side of the channel can be done substantially more easily. Alternatively, the possibility also exists of applying a toroidal winding to the main yoke of the stator, with the individual winding components being covered by the initially open channels when the stator is assembled.
It is also preferred that the stator core be formed of multiple component parts, which also enables making the stator core from different materials. The use of a powdered magnetic material bound to insulating material not only has the advantage that it can be produced as a molded part with little effort and shaped optimally in view of the required properties for use, it also has the advantage that eddy current losses can be minimized, especially such losses caused by the stray flux in the region of the lands that cover the channels toward the bearing side. This is due to the fact that the powdered magnetically conductive particles are insulated from one another and consequently reduce the eddy currents. Additionally, the soft magnetic laminated material used for this part of the stator provides good magnetic conductivity because of its slight magnetic reluctance so as to advantageously conduct the main flux by the yoke remote from the bearing face of the stator. However, since the shape of the molded part toward the bearing face can be optimally adapted to the magnetic flux, the magnetic reluctance in this part can also be limited sufficiently that the losses dictated by the lower permeance can be minimized. Thus, the ultimate effect is that the magnetomotive force required for operation of the axial field motor can be limited, which simultaneously leads to a decrease in copper, or I 2 R, losses.
However, the possibility exists of also using a powdered magnetic material bound to insulation material to make the part of the stator core that forms a magnetically conductive yoke disposed remote from the bearing face. In this case, this yoke would have to be somewhat oversized, compared with a part made of laminated material, to compensate for the lower permeance in the yoke. At the same time, because of the virtually arbitrary shaping enabled by this material, the possibility would exist of suitably rounding off the yoke in the lower part, so as to reduce the I 2 R losses as well. This option of arbitrary shaping is severely limited in a laminate whose laying is produced by winding.
The formation of the stator core of multiple components additionally affords the possibility of mechanically decoupling the stator components from one another. For instance, the part of the stator core toward the bearing face can be elastically suspended relative to the other stator parts or to the motor housing, which improves the anti-vibration performance of the motor by reducing the amplitude of any possible rotor vibration, because the mass of the part that receives the vibrational energy from the rotor is lower. This mechanical decoupling is also possible in a simple case wherein an advantageously magnetically conductive elastic layer is provided between the stator parts that decouples the two stator core parts mechanically from one another without significant magnetic losses. The elastic layer simultaneously has a damping effect.
The embodiment of the stator in accordance with the present invention also includes the possibility of disposing the windings in different planes, each of which leads to a tangential annular flow in the yoke in accordance with the drive rotation, or to an axial flow that revolves in the yoke. Both variants of magnetic fluxes are suitable for this drive.
In a stator winding extending parallel to the bearing face, the individual windings can be applied to individual segmented cores, which after being disposed in a ring are covered from both sides so as to form the radial channels according to the invention. The cores, made of a composite material, can be baked together with the winding package. These prefabricated coils are connected to a printed circuit board. In this way, a highly logical manufacture of the entire stator core can be achieved.
The virtually arbitrary shaping already mentioned when a powdered magnetic material bound to insulating material is used also allows the formation of niches at arbitrary points, into which elastic retainers or sensors, for instance, can be inserted. Moreover, it is possible to integrate the gas supply directly with the stator core. It is advantageous in this respect to insert into the stator bearing face small tubes which open into continuous preshaped openings, the tubes being connected to a supply of compressed air. Such gas outlet openings, when located for discharging at a significant distance from the axis of rotation, have the advantage of accomplishing a more secure bearing, especially with relatively large rotors. Moreover, the central opening of the stator core can be kept smaller, which results in a decrease in the magnetic reluctance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stator with a channel arrangement and windings according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an alternate embodiment of a stator according to the present invention, in which the stator comprises multiple prefabricated parts;
FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of a stator according to the present invention, with an alternative winding course as compared with FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a further alternative of a multiple part stator with a specific shaping according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of a stator according to the invention with an arrangement of segmental individual cores;
FIGS. 5a-5c illustrate the multi-phase course of windings for the stator shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 6 is a section through a stator according to the present invention showing its central components, including a modified gas supply to the bearing face; and
FIG. 7 is a diagram of the permeance and the specific current dependency of the stator as a function of the angle of revolution.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the accompanying drawings and initially to FIG. 7, a brief description of the course of the permeance and the specific current density that results if the winding package of the stator core is disposed in slots that are magnetically open toward the bearing side will follow. In this regard, it should be noted that slot closure by magnetically nonconductive material to attain the smoothest possible surface, has no effect on the course of the permeance and specific current density.
Reference numeral 102 indicates the curve of the course of the permeance λ as a function of the angle of revolution φ. Reference numeral 102' designates the various dips in permeance that are present in the slot region. The specific current density curve 103 is graduated with sharp edges at each of the same angles φ, because it is concentrated at the slots of the stator core.
The resultant stairstep function of the magnetomotive force causes the development of harmonics with high frequencies and amplitudes, resulting in high losses in the rotor and heating of the rotor, with the further consequences already described.
FIG. 1 shows a compact stator 1, whose stator core 2 has radially extending channels 4 each of which are separated from the stator bearing face 2' of the stator core 2 by lands 5 (2' indicates only a portion of the bearing face on the stator, which is supplemented by components located inside the annular stator core 2). A multi-phase winding 3 extends through the channels 4 in the stator core 2. Compared with the known gap winding, this arrangement makes possible both an arbitrary cross-sectional shape of the copper wire that forms the winding and also a multi-layer winding package. In this manner, the magnetic field intensity, which is dependent on the winding number, can be markedly increased, and as a result a correspondingly high motor power can be attained. Thus, the use of the stator is not limited to brushless direct current motors but can readily extend to hysteresis motors or asynchronous motors.
The lands 5, in which a magnetic stray flux occurs, markedly smooth the curves 102 and 103 shown in FIG. 7, which attenuates sharply the harmonics superimposed on the fundamental frequency used for the drive and, in turn, leads directly to a reduction in eddy current losses and in the heating on the rotor. To minimize losses on the stator from the stray flux in the region of the lands 5, the height of these lands 5 should be very slight. The result is relatively rapid magnetic saturation in the region of the lands, whereby the aforementioned stray flux can be markedly limited. The height of the yoke which conducts the main flux, and which extends substantially between the channels 4 and the underside 2'' of the stator core opposite the bearing face 2', should be at least ten times the height of the lands 5. Correspondingly, the main flux conducted by the yoke will also be at least ten times the stray flux transmitted by the lands. Depending on requirements, this ratio can be changed, to enable selective variation of the motor properties. In this respect, considerations of the possible harmless rotor heating, in proportion to tolerable losses in the region of the lands of the stator core, play a primary role. In any case, it should be assumed that the stator losses occurring in the regions of the lands are smaller than the loss reduction on the rotor.
It can also be seen in FIG. 1 that gas lines 6 for supplying air or other gas to the bearing gap are extended directly through the stator core 2. These gas lines 6, with their gas outlet openings 6', discharge in the region of the bearing face 2'. The gas lines 6 extend within the stator cross-section between each of the channels 4. The gas lines may either be continuous bores or small tubes inserted into the material of the stator core 2. Such small tubes will be used whenever powdered magnetic material bound to insulating material is employed for the stator core 2. This material has the further principal advantage that the form of the stator, including the channels 4, is easy to manufacture. Corresponding continuous openings can also be made, into which the small tubes that form the gas lines 6 can then be inserted.
If the aforementioned material is employed for the stator core 2, then still further opportunities arise in terms of the shaping of the stator, which will be described in further detail hereinafter in conjunction with FIG. 4.
A cylindrical hollow chamber 7 inside the stator core 2 serves to receive central parts of the stator, particularly means for generating guiding magnetic fields. Further explanation of this will be provided in conjunction with FIG. 6.
In the embodiment of a stator 8 according to the invention shown in FIG. 2, an upper stator part 9 ("upper" stator is not intended to mean that this part must be at the top in the installed state but rather merely refers to how it is shown in the drawings) is provided with radially extending open channels 10. This stator part 9 has a bearing face 9' and lands 9'' between the channels 10 and such bearing face 9'. In the middle of the annular upper stator part 9, there is a cylindrical hollow chamber 11, which is in alignment with the cylindrical hollow chamber 31 of a yoke 30 once the stator 8 has been assembled and serves to receive central devices as has already been described in conjunction with FIG. 1.
Hereagain, the yoke 30 has a height corresponding to a multiple of the height of the lands 9'', in order to establish the appropriate ratio between the stray flux and the main flux.
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, windings 12a-12c for the three phases of a brushless direct current motor are laid through the channels 10 of the stator part 9 before the yoke 30 is attached. Next, connections 14, 16, 19, 21, 24 and 26 are coupled to corresponding contacts, not shown individually, of a printed circuit board 28 that has an opening 28' coinciding with the cylindrical hollow chamber 31. The line connections 17, 22 and 27 can also be connected in a known manner via this printed circuit board 28. The printed circuit board 28 in turn has connection lines 29 for the three phases, connected to a corresponding energy supply means, e.g., an inverter output, of the axial field motor.
Coils 13 and 19, 18 and 20, and 23 and 25 are disposed parallel to the bearing face 9'. As a result, in contrast to a tangential annular flux of the kind that occurs in the winding arrangement of the first exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, flux that revolves in the yoke is produced. Both types of flux are suitable for the operation of an axial field motor.
The embodiment of the stator yoke in multiple parts as in FIG. 2 makes it possible to make the upper stator part 9 of powdered magnetic material bound to insulating material, and to make the yoke 30 of a soft magnetic laminated material. As a result, on the one hand, the upper stator part 9 may be formed without problems into virtually any arbitrary shape, while the yoke 30 can advantageously be formed of a lower magnetic reluctance for conducting the main flux. In this respect, it should be assured that the yoke 30 places no limitations on the desired shaping of the components and that its layering can readily be achieved by winding. In the upper stator part 9, the lesser permeance is moreover utilized in order to limit the stray flux still further in the region of the lands 9''.
FIG. 3 shows a further variant of the invention, in which a stator 32 has a winding package analogous to the first embodiment of FIG. 1, the only difference in this embodiment being that the stator is once again formed of two parts, an upper stator part 33 and a yoke 37, for better application of the winding package. However, laying of the winding can be done substantially more simply than in the first example. Unlike the second exemplary embodiment, the winding 38 is applied to the yoke 37, while the upper stator part 33 with its channels 34 fits around the part of the winding package 38 oriented toward the bearing face 33'.
Both the upper stator part 33 and the yoke 37 have concentric cylindrical hollow chambers 35 and 39. However, the cylindrical hollow chamber 35 has a smaller diameter than the cylindrical hollow chamber 39 because no further winding extends within this cylindrical hollow chamber 35 of the upper stator part 33, and consequently the entire diameter of this hollow chamber 35 is available for introducing central parts into the stator 32. Lands 33'' once again have only a very slight height compared with the height of the yoke, in order to minimize the stray flux.
The channels 34 of the upper stator part 33, in contrast to the preceding examples, are not closed as far as the cylindrical hollow chamber 35 but instead have land recesses 36 extending from the central hollow chamber 35 outward. These land recesses 36 cause the stray flux that spans the channels 34 to be suppressed in this region.
As a result, the harmonics that create eddy currents and arise through the open slots in this region are admittedly not suppressed. In the region of the rotor near the center, however, this is not problematic, since the relative speed between the rotor and the stator, which is markedly less than in the outer regions, also causes only slight heating from air friction. The more critical outer regions of the rotor where high heating from air friction can occur are not so severely heated by magnetic induction because of the suppression of the harmonics by means of the lands 33''. Depending on the rotor size, material, motor type and number of windings on the rotor, the height and also the radial length of the lands 33'' can each be optimized. Care must always be taken that the losses be kept slight and that the heating not exceed a critical value.
A fourth exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is similar to the second exemplary embodiment, in that the winding package is applied to the upper stator part 41 and disposed parallel to the bearing face 41'. However, the individual coils 44 and 45 each extend over only a partition between two adjacent channels 43. In this way, because of the arrangement of these coils, the rotary field can occur in only two planes, compared with three planes in FIG. 2. The coils 44 and 45 are interconnected via a printed circuit board 46, which in turn is connected to an energy supply of the motor via connecting lines 47. The interconnection of the coils 44 and 45 is equivalent to the interconnection shown in FIGS. 5a-5c, which will be addressed in further detail in connection with the next exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5.
Although the stator 40 of FIG. 4 is embodied in multiple parts, it comprises a powdered magnetic material bound to insulation material not only in its upper stator part 41 but also in its yoke 48. The cross-section 50 of the yoke 48, however, exhibits a pronounced rounding, as compared to the yokes shown in the preceding exemplary embodiments, made possible because of the powdered material utilized, which achieves a reduction in the magnetic reluctance. A further provision for reducing the magnetic reluctance of the material, which has a lower permeance compared with a laminated material, resides in the increase in yoke height. Compared with what is shown in FIG. 4, the height of this yoke can be markedly increased even further. Once again, optimal values with respect to motor running properties can be readily ascertained.
Besides the modified shaping of the yoke 48, it can also be seen in FIG. 4 that the upper stator part 41 likewise differs in shape from the preceding exemplary embodiments. This shaping likewise serves the purpose of optimally guiding the magnetic flux, with the goal of reducing the magnetic reluctance.
When the stator 40 is assembled or installed, care should be taken, as in the previous examples, that the central hollow chambers 42 and 49 and also the annular recess 46' of the printed circuit board 46 be in alignment with one another, to enable the central stator parts to be inserted without problems.
In a further exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, an upper stator part is formed solely by a disk 52 which also forms part of the stator bearing face 52' and defines a central recess 52''. The winding package here is applied in six segments 53, which are distributed around the circumference of the stator 51 when the stator is assembled or installed. Of these segments 53, only two are shown in FIG. 5, for the sake of simplicity.
Each of the segments 53 are formed of cores 54 and two opposed coils. The cores 54 are made of a composite material and can be baked together with the coils. These prefabricated coils are interconnected with a printed circuit board 83. By joining the parts of the stator 51 together, the channels, which in the previous exemplary embodiments were prefabricated, are likewise formed between the segments 53 at spacings from one another. The thickness of the disk 52 directly yields the land height, which must be at the appropriate ratio to the height of the yoke 85. The central recess 52'' of the disk 52, a central recess 83' of the printed circuit board 83, and a cylindrical hollow chamber 86 of the yoke 85 must be aligned with one another when these parts are joined together, to enable introduction of the central stator parts. The printed circuit board 83 is hereagain provided with connecting lines 84 for the power supply. The disposition of the coils and their wiring can essentially be seen from FIGS. 5a-5c, in which the three possible phases are shown with phase offsets of 120° each.
If the angle φ=0° is defined for the phase shown in FIG. 5a, then the phase in FIG. 5b is φ=120°, and the phase in FIG. 5c is φ=240°. The arrows in FIGS. 5a-5c indicate the current flow direction in each case. In the region of contact between adjacent coils through which current is flowing, it can be seen that the current flow directions are opposed to one another and, as a result, the corresponding magnetic fields cancel one another. The effect is as if adjacent coils through which current flows formed practically a single flow direction; consequently, each pair of adjacent coils can be considered the equivalent of one single coil, which is true for the coil pairs 61,69; 55,67; 57,71; 63,73; 75,77; and 79,81. The connections 56,68,62,70,58,72,64,74, 76,78,80 and 82 are each interconnected with the printed circuit board 83 shown in FIG. 5. The adjacent coils are likewise advantageously interconnected with one another via the printed circuit board 83 in such a way that the current flow direction represented by the directional arrows results.
In FIG. 6, one complete stator 87, which also includes the central stator components, is shown. These central components, especially magnets for generating guiding magnetic fields, i.e., retaining and centering magnetic fields, are particularly advantageous to use in such axial field motors in the vicinity of the axis of rotation of the rotor.
An upper stator part 88 and a yoke 89 are joined to one another via an elastic layer 90, and as a result they are mechanically decoupled from one another. Thus, the yoke 89, for example, is permanently attached to the rotor housing, while the upper stator part 88 is merely secured via this elastic layer 90 and consequently can vibrate within predetermined limits independently of the yoke 89 or the rotor housing. As a result, the upper stator part 88, which has a substantially lower mass than a compact stator, has the capability of absorbing rotor vibration, and as a result the running smoothness of the rotor can be improved significantly. This effect is further reinforced since the upper stator part 88 is also mechanically decoupled from the central part 98 by a further elastic layer 88'. It should be noted in this respect as well that the central magnet assembly for generating the guiding magnetic fields should be decoupled from the driving magnetic fields, in order primarily to restrict markedly any influence on the constant magnetic fields of the guiding magnets by the magnetic fields of the outer driving magnets, which have a component that changes both chronologically and spatially. However, details of a magnetic decoupling in the region of the stator have already been described in yet-unpublished German Patent Application P 43 42 582.8 (which corresponds to pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/355,643, filed Dec. 14, 1994), and so further explanation herein should not be necessary.
The section shown in FIG. 6 is placed between two channels within which the stator windings extend. The windings are embedded in a potting or sealing compound 88. The central part 98 of the stator 87 has a central magnet 93 in the region of the bearing face 88', which is surrounded by an annular magnet 101 from which it is spaced apart by an insulating composition 92. Above this magnet assembly, there is a cover layer 100 that is intended to protect the magnets from damage. A yoke 91 is provided on the back side of the magnet assembly and is intended to conduct the guiding magnetic fields. A corresponding magnet assembly may also be present on the opposite bearing side on the rotor. However, since such assemblies are known, from among other sources the International Patent Application WO 92/01096 described above, the illustration and description of the rotor is unnecessary herein.
A gas container 97 for the tank required for the magnet/gas bearing is also present in the central part 98. A connecting line 96 extends from this gas container 97 and discharges into an annular conduit 95. Branching off from this annular conduit are angled gas lines 94, which discharge in the region of the bearing face 88' at uniform spacings from one another and concentrically to the axis of rotation of the rotor. This disposition of gas supply lines outside the central part 98 of the stator 87 on the one hand has the advantage that tumbling motions can be counteracted, particularly in large rotors. Moreover, the central opening in the upper yoke part 88 can be embodied with a smaller diameter, since the gas supply lines no longer need to pass through this opening. This smaller inside diameter of the upper yoke part 88 contributes to reducing the magnetic reluctance. The gas container 97 communicates with a central gas supply (not shown) via a gas supply line 99 and a hose 99' connected to it.
The use of powdered magnetic material bound to insulating material offers not only the advantage of optimal shaping for conducting the magnetic flux and reducing the magnetic reluctance but also the advantage of incorporating retainers, sensors or the like at arbitrary points, because niches suitable for this purpose are provided.
It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of a broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.
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In a shaftless spinning rotor assembly wherein the spinning rotor is the rotor of an axial field motor, an improved transfer of power and improved running properties are attained by forming the stator windings in channels which extend substantially radially in the stator core and are enclosed over at least a portion of their length by magnetically conducting material. As compared with known gap windings, the windings can be placed in multiple layers while at the same time avoiding marked graduations in permeance and in the specific current density so that eddy currents in the rotor can in turn be reduced and rotor heating remains within reasonable limits. The stator is preferably formed of multiple component parts which allows optimized selections of materials.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/820,251, filed on Aug. 6, 2015, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/014,247, filed on Aug. 29, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,143,498, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/695,282 filed on Aug. 30, 2012, which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
An area of ongoing research and development is in improving access to networks, and in particular wireless networks. Wireless networks are frequently governed by 802.11 standards. While not all networks need to use all of the standards associated with 802.11, a discussion of the standards by name, such as 802.11n provides, at least partly because the standards are well-known and documented, a useful context in which to describe issues as they relate to wireless systems.
Companies often maintain private networks. Authentication typically ensures that employees and guests have the appropriate credentials for access to services on the network. Guest accounts are typically limited in service offerings and can be a burden to implement (typically borne by a receptionist), particularly when providing guest access on an individualized basis. Efforts to eliminate some of the burden of providing individual guest accounts have not solved trust issues, which are typically of non-trivial concern to private companies. From a technical perspective, joining an authentication federation requires some network infrastructure work. Specifically, setting up RADIUS servers, configuring firewalls for security, and creating a connection between the RADIUS servers at two companies.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. For Example, wireless clients may use different protocols other than 802.11, potentially including protocols that have not yet been developed. However, problems associated with performance may persist. Other limitations of the relevant art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.
SUMMARY
The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools, and methods that are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not necessarily limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been addressed, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements.
A technique for network authentication interoperability involves initiating an authentication procedure on a first network, authenticating on a second network, and allowing access at the first network. A system incorporating this technique can enable account holders of a first network to use a second network. In addition, account holders of the second network may be able to use the first network. Two subscribers to an authentication system can indicate that employees are to be mutually trusted. Employees of the first subscriber can use a network of the second subscriber and employees of the second subscriber can use a network of the first subscriber.
The technique can include filtering access to a network, thereby restricting access to users with acceptable credentials. Employees of a first subscriber may or may not be able to access a network of a second subscriber, depending upon the filtering rules at the second subscriber. A system incorporating the technique can be set up to accept requests only from certain peers. Offering a service that incorporates these techniques can enable incorporation of the techniques into an existing system with minimal impact to network configuration.
These and other advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art upon a reading of the following descriptions and a study of the several examples of the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts a diagram of an example of an internetwork authentication system.
FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of an example of a method for providing internetwork authentication services.
FIG. 3 depicts a diagram of an example of an internetwork authentication system.
FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of an example of a method of authenticating a station.
FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of an example of a method of facilitating internetwork authentication.
FIG. 6 depicts a diagram of an example of an internetwork authentication system including a cloud-based authentication management system (AMS).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 depicts a diagram 100 of an example of an internetwork authentication system. In the example of FIG. 1 , the diagram 100 includes a network 102 , networks 104 - 1 to 104 - 3 (collectively, the networks 104 ), an online authentication proxy 106 , an authentication proxy rules datastore 108 , a local authoritative user datastore interface (LAUDI) 110 , and an authoritative user datastore 112 .
In the example of FIG. 1 , the network 102 may be practically any type of communications network, such as the Internet or an infrastructure network. The term “Internet” as used in this paper refers to a network of networks that use certain protocols, such as the TCP/IP protocol, and possibly other protocols, such as the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) for hypertext markup language (HTML) documents that make up the World Wide Web (“the web”). More generally, the networks 102 can include, for example, a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), campus area network (CAN), or local area network (LAN), but the network 102 could at least theoretically be of any size or characterized in some other fashion (e.g., personal area network (PAN) or home area network (HAN), to name a couple of alternatives). Networks can include enterprise private networks and virtual private networks (collectively, private networks). As the name suggests, private networks are under the control of a single entity. Private networks can include a head office and optional regional offices (collectively, offices). Many offices enable remote users to connect to the private network offices via some other network, such as the Internet. The example of FIG. 1 is intended to illustrate a network 102 that may or may not include more than one private network. In specific implementations, the network 102 can be implemented as a WAN, public switched telephone network (PSTN), cellular network, or some other network or combination of similar or different networks capable of coupling two private networks, such as the networks 104 .
In a specific implementation, the network 104 - 1 includes a first LAN under the control of a first entity and the network 104 - 2 includes a second LAN under the control of a second entity. Techniques described in this paper may or may not be applicable to networks that are under the same administrative control. The network 104 - 3 is a network under the administrative control of an internetwork authentication service provider or an agent, partner, associate, or contractor thereof. Administrative control may or may not include ownership of hardware for an implementation that includes offering computing resources as a service. In a specific implementation, the network 104 - 3 includes a cloud network.
The networks 104 can include a wired network. The networks 104 may or may not also include a wireless network, such as a wireless LAN (WLAN). As used herein, a wireless network refers to any type of wireless network, including but not limited to a structured network or an ad hoc network. Data on a wireless network is often encrypted. However, data may also be sent in the clear, if desired. With encrypted data, a rogue device will have a difficult time learning any information (such as passwords, etc.) from clients before countermeasures are taken to deal with the rogue, assuming countermeasures are necessary.
In this paper, 802.11 standards terminology is used by way of relatively well-understood example to discuss implementations that include wireless techniques. For example, a station, as used in this paper, may be referred to as a device with a media access control (MAC) address and a physical layer (PHY) interface to a wireless medium that complies with the IEEE 802.11 standard. Thus, for example, stations and a WAP with which the stations associate can be referred to as stations, if applicable. IEEE 802.11a-1999, IEEE 802.11b-1999, IEEE 802.11g-2003, IEEE 802.11-2007, and IEEE 802.11n TGn Draft 8.0 (2009) are incorporated by reference. As used in this paper, a system that is 802.11 standards-compatible or 802.11 standards-compliant complies with at least some of one or more of the incorporated documents' requirements and/or recommendations, or requirements and/or recommendations from earlier drafts of the documents, and includes Wi-Fi systems. Wi-Fi is a non-technical description that is generally correlated with the IEEE 802.11 standards, as well as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and WPA2 security standards, and the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) standard. In alternative embodiments, a station may comply with a different standard than Wi-Fi or IEEE 802.11, may be referred to as something other than a “station,” and may have different interfaces to a wireless or other medium.
IEEE 802.3 is a working group and a collection of IEEE standards produced by the working group defining the physical layer and data link layer's media access control (MAC) of wired Ethernet. This is generally a local area network technology with some wide area network applications. Physical connections are typically made between nodes and/or infrastructure devices (hubs, switches, routers) by various types of copper or fiber cable. IEEE 802.3 is a technology that supports the IEEE 802.1 network architecture. As is well-known in the relevant art, IEEE 802.11 is a working group and collection of standards for implementing WLAN computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. The base version of the standard IEEE 802.11-2007 has had subsequent amendments. These standards provide the basis for wireless network products using the Wi-Fi brand. IEEE 802.1 and 802.3 are incorporated by reference.
In the example of FIG. 1 , the online authentication proxy 106 is coupled to the network 104 - 3 . The online authentication proxy 106 , and more generally any device connected to a network, can be referred to as “on” the network. For illustrative purposes, the online authentication proxy 106 is described in this example as a server. Accordingly, in this example, the online authentication proxy 106 can be referred to as a server, though it may or may not be appropriate to characterize the online authentication proxy 106 as a “proxy server.” A web server, which is one type of server, is typically at least one computer system that operates as a server computer system, is configured to operate with the protocols of the World Wide Web, and is coupled to the Internet. Unless context dictates otherwise, a server as used in this paper includes at least a portion of a computer system running server software.
A computer system, as used in this paper, is intended to be construed broadly. In general, a computer system will include a processor, memory, non-volatile storage, and an interface. A typical computer system will usually include at least a processor, memory, and a device (e.g., a bus) coupling the memory to the processor. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), such as a microprocessor, or a special-purpose processor, such as a microcontroller.
The memory can include, by way of example but not limitation, random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM). The memory can be local, remote, or distributed. As used in this paper, the term “computer-readable storage medium” is intended to include only physical media, such as memory. As used in this paper, a computer-readable medium is intended to include all mediums that are statutory (e.g., in the United States, under 35 U.S.C. 101), and to specifically exclude all mediums that are non-statutory in nature to the extent that the exclusion is necessary for a claim that includes the computer-readable medium to be valid. Known statutory computer-readable mediums include hardware (e.g., registers, random access memory (RAM), non-volatile (NV) storage, to name a few), but may or may not be limited to hardware.
The bus can also couple the processor to the non-volatile storage. The non-volatile storage is often a magnetic floppy or hard disk, a magnetic-optical disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), such as a CD-ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM, a magnetic or optical card, or another form of storage for large amounts of data. Some of this data is often written, by a direct memory access process, into memory during execution of software on the computer system. The non-volatile storage can be local, remote, or distributed. The non-volatile storage is optional because systems can be created with all applicable data available in memory.
Software is typically stored in the non-volatile storage. Indeed, for large programs, it may not even be possible to store the entire program in the memory. Nevertheless, it should be understood that for software to run, if necessary, it is moved to a computer-readable location appropriate for processing, and for illustrative purposes, that location is referred to as the memory in this paper. Even when software is moved to the memory for execution, the processor will typically make use of hardware registers to store values associated with the software, and local cache that, ideally, serves to speed up execution. As used herein, a software program is assumed to be stored at an applicable known or convenient location (from non-volatile storage to hardware registers) when the software program is referred to as “implemented in a computer-readable storage medium.” A processor is considered to be “configured to execute a program” when at least one value associated with the program is stored in a register readable by the processor.
In one example of operation, a computer system can be controlled by operating system software, which is a software program that includes a file management system, such as a disk operating system. One example of operating system software with associated file management system software is the family of operating systems known as Windows® from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., and their associated file management systems. Another example of operating system software with its associated file management system software is the Linux operating system and its associated file management system. The file management system is typically stored in the non-volatile storage and causes the processor to execute the various acts required by the operating system to input and output data and to store data in the memory, including storing files on the non-volatile storage.
The bus can also couple the processor to the interface. The interface can include one or more input and/or output (I/O) devices. The I/O devices can include, by way of example but not limitation, a keyboard, a mouse or other pointing device, disk drives, printers, a scanner, and other I/O devices, including a display device. The display device can include, by way of example but not limitation, a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), or some other applicable known or convenient display device. The interface can include one or more of a modem or network interface. It will be appreciated that a modem or network interface can be considered to be part of the computer system. The interface can include an analog modem, isdn modem, cable modem, token ring interface, satellite transmission interface (e.g. “direct PC”), or other interfaces for coupling a computer system to other computer systems. Interfaces enable computer systems and other devices to be coupled together in a network.
In the example of FIG. 1 , the authentication proxy rules datastore 108 is coupled to the online authentication proxy 106 . A datastore can be implemented, for example, as software embodied in a physical computer-readable medium on a general- or specific-purpose machine, in firmware, in hardware, in a combination thereof, or in an applicable known or convenient device or system. Datastores in this paper are intended to include any organization of data, including tables, comma-separated values (CSV) files, traditional databases (e.g., SQL), or other applicable known or convenient organizational formats. Datastore-associated components, such as database interfaces, can be considered “part of” a datastore, part of some other system component, or a combination thereof, though the physical location and other characteristics of datastore-associated components is not critical for an understanding of the techniques described in this paper.
Datastores can include data structures. As used in this paper, a data structure is associated with a particular way of storing and organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently within a given context. Data structures are generally based on the ability of a computer to fetch and store data at any place in its memory, specified by an address, a bit string that can be itself stored in memory and manipulated by the program. Thus some data structures are based on computing the addresses of data items with arithmetic operations; while other data structures are based on storing addresses of data items within the structure itself. Many data structures use both principles, sometimes combined in non-trivial ways. The implementation of a data structure usually entails writing a set of procedures that create and manipulate instances of that structure.
In the example of FIG. 1 , the LAUDI 110 is coupled to the network 104 - 1 . In a specific implementation, the LAUDI 110 includes an authentication engine (not shown). As used in this paper, an engine includes a dedicated or shared processor and, typically, firmware or software modules that are executed by the processor. Depending upon implementation-specific or other considerations, an engine can be centralized or its functionality distributed. An engine can include special purpose hardware, firmware, or software embodied in a computer-readable medium for execution by the processor. The network 104 - 2 may or may not include a LAUDI with the same or similar functionality as the LAUDI 110 .
In the example of FIG. 1 , the user datastore 112 is coupled to the LAUDI 110 . An authentication engine (not shown) can use the user datastore 112 to determine whether a device is authorized on the network 104 - 1 . The network 104 - 2 may or may not include a user datastore with the same or similar data structures as the user datastore 112 . In some cases, such as after a station has been off-network authenticated, the network 104 - 2 may have a copy of the relevant data from the user datastore 112 to ensure the station can continue to have access to appropriate network resources even if a connection between the network 104 - 2 and one or both of the networks 104 - 1 and 104 - 3 is severed. Alternatively, the user datastore 112 could remain synched through a persistent connection. In a specific implementation, the network 104 - 3 can also have a user datastore used for on-network or off-network authentication at the network 104 - 3 .
In the example of FIG. 1 , in operation, the online authentication proxy receives a request for policy-based identity routing and filtering service for the network 104 - 1 . The request can come from a device on the network 104 - 1 over the network 102 to the network 104 - 3 , a device on the network 102 to the network 104 - 3 , or a device on the network 104 - 3 . In the first case, a person, such as a site administrator, business owner, or home owner, to name a few, can submit a request for a subscription via a web server or other online portal to the online authentication proxy 106 . In the second case, a person acting on behalf of the network 104 - 1 could submit a request through a channel that is not necessarily associated with the network 104 - 1 . In the third case, a potential customer could call or meet with an agent of the internetwork authentication service provider, or a facilitator thereof, and the agent can enter the service request into a device on the network 104 - 3 .
In operation, the LAUDI 110 is implemented on a network device at the network 104 - 1 . Networks with authentication typically include a user datastore, such as the user datastore 112 . However, the interface to the user datastore is not authoritative for networks not under the administrative control of the entity controlling the network. In a specific implementation, the LAUDI 110 is implemented on an access point (AP). In other specific implementations, the LAUDI 110 is implemented on a wireless AP (WAP) or controller.
In the example of FIG. 1 , in operation, the provider can make the LAUDI 110 available to the network 104 - 1 , presumably to enable the network 104 - 1 to take advantage of the online authentication services. The LAUDI 110 can be provided as a software download for installation on a network device on the network 104 - 1 , or a network device with the LAUDI 110 installed can be shipped to a recipient associated with the network 104 - 1 and coupled to the network 104 - 1 in due course. Other applicable convenient techniques for providing the LAUDI 110 to the network 104 - 1 can also be used. In a specific implementation, an authentication engine (not shown) is subsumed by the LAUDI 110 . It may be noted that some or all of the authentication engine in the LAUDI 110 can be identical to some or all of the authentication engine that existed (or would have theoretically existed) prior to subsuming the authentication engine. Thus, advantageously, when the service is provided for the network 104 - 1 , the authentication engine can be maintained in the same manner as it was prior, assuming the implementation and configuration of the system so allows.
As is illustrated in the example of FIG. 1 , the LAUDI 110 , when installed, is coupled to the user datastore 112 . In a specific implementation, installing the LAUDI 110 does not change the user datastore 112 . Thus, advantageously, when the service is provided for the network 104 - 1 , the user datastore 112 can be maintained in the same manner as it was prior, assuming the implementation and configuration of the system so allows.
In the example of FIG. 1 , in operation, the online authentication proxy 106 obtains a set of rules for identity routing to the first network. In a specific implementation, the set of rules is received via an administrative interface (not shown), input by someone such as an agent of the provider. Depending upon the capabilities of the system, the rules can also be input automatically, in accordance with known network-related characteristics. In a specific implementation, an agent of the network 104 - 1 provides rules for identity routing to enable a server, such as an online authentication proxy, to request authentication for a station through the LAUDI 110 . The rules can filter based on credentials associated with a device, the source network, such as the network 102 - 2 , from which the authentication request is coming, or on other bases that are available in a specific implementation of the internetwork authentication service, or configurations thereof. Advantageously, using techniques described in this paper, the routing can be more than simply identity routing, specifically identity routing and filtering.
In the example of FIG. 1 , in operation, the online authentication proxy 106 establishes a connection 114 between the LAUDI 110 on the network device of the first network and the online authentication proxy 106 . In a specific implementation, the connection 114 is persistent. More specifically, an outbound encrypted tunnel can be created and left in place, persistently, to avoid firewalls. Advantageously, a persistent connection can prevent firewalls and other perimeter security devices from interfering with the internetwork authorization service. For related reasons, organizations can sign up for the service and implement the authorization techniques without having to configure perimeter security devices. An outbound connection can also synch and hold an appropriate piece of a user datastore for off-network authenticated stations.
Advantageously, in operation, the network 104 - 2 can send an authentication request to the online authentication proxy 106 , which can determine using the rules in the authentication proxy rules datastore 108 that the authentication request should be sent to the LAUDI 110 on the network 104 - 1 . At the network 104 - 1 , the LAUDI 110 can initiate an authentication procedure that includes accessing the user datastore 112 to compare credentials associated with the authentication request to entries in the user datastore 112 . The LAUDI 110 can then provide an authentication result to the online authentication proxy 106 , which the online authentication proxy 106 forwards to the network 104 - 2 . In a specific implementation, a successful authentication result is indicative of a station (not shown) at the network 104 - 2 being allowed access to services on the network 104 - 2 .
Due at least in part to the techniques employed, the online authentication proxy 106 can provide internetwork authentication service on computing resources delivered as a service via a third network (a subnetwork of the network 102 ). In a specific implementation, the online authentication proxy 106 is “in the cloud.”
FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart 200 of an example of a method for providing internetwork authentication services. The flowchart 200 and other flowcharts described in this paper can be reordered or reorganized for parallel execution, if applicable. The flowchart 200 is intended to illustrate a method for providing internetwork authentication services using a system such as is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 1 , but can be applicable to other systems, as well.
In the example of FIG. 2 , the flowchart 200 starts at module 202 with receiving a request for policy-based identity routing services for a first network. The request can be from theoretically any party. However, a business model associated with providing the internetwork service may involve collecting payment for the service in the form of an initial payment and/or ongoing periodic or occasional payments. As such, the request can come from appropriately selected parties. Eventually, the provider of the internetwork service will receive an electronic request, whether from a party having appropriate credentials over a network interface or from an agent of the provider after having received a request from an appropriate party over the phone or through some other channel.
In the example of FIG. 2 , the flowchart 200 continues to module 204 with providing a LAUDI to a network device of the first network. The LAUDI can be provided by way of a software download, or software provided on a drive or memory module, of a program that is ultimately installed or otherwise made available to the network device. The LAUDI can also be pre-installed on the network device or appliance and the network device shipped to an agent of, or implemented for, the first network. The network device can be implemented as a WAP or controller, as a stand-alone appliance, as a module in some other device, or in some other applicable manner. The LAUDI is coupled to a user datastore to enable the LAUDI to carry out authentication procedures. (At least conceptually, an authentication engine can be considered part of the LAUDI, even if the authentication engine was not provided, modified, or impacted in any way when providing and/or maintaining the LAUDI.)
In the example of FIG. 2 , the flowchart 200 continues to module 206 with obtaining a set of rules for identity routing to the first network. The set of rules can be input via an administrative interface by an agent of the provider of the service or an agent of the first network. The rules establish conditions under which an authentication request is sent to the first network based upon credentials associated with the authentication request. For example, an authentication request associated with a domain or subdomain managed by the administrative entity of the first network may be appropriate for identity routing to the first network. Advantageously, the rules can include filtering rules that filter authentication request from specific networks, filter based upon specific identities, or other criteria. In a specific implementation that includes filtering and identity routing, the station credentials can include more characteristics, both explicit in an authentication request, derivable from the contents of an authentication request, based upon an intermediate source of the authentication request, or based on other applicable factors appropriate to assist in filtering authentication requests as desired, to the limits of the specific implementation or configurations thereof.
The filter can be configured to exclude no identities, to allow identities with corresponding credentials that could conceivably or are likely to be authenticated on the first network (e.g., by domain), to allow identities with credentials within a subset of those that could conceivably be authenticated on the first network (e.g., by subdomain, known group, or specific credentials), or to filter all identities. It may be noted that if all subscribers to an internetwork authentication service restrict access completely, there is not much point in the service, but it is possible for internetwork authentication service to be one-way, non-reciprocal, or unbalanced in some other way.
In the example of FIG. 2 , the flowchart 200 ends at module 208 with establishing a connection between the LAUDI on the network device of the first network. In a specific implementation, the connection is persistent. Advantageously, a persistent connection can avoid problems with firewalls and peripheral security devices. After the flowchart 200 ends, internetwork authentication can in principle be characterized as “enabled” for the first network. If the first network is the first network to have enabled internetwork authentication, the first network will have no partners to take advantage of the internetwork authentication services. When a second network enables the internetwork authentication services, internetwork authentication becomes possible (though the two networks may still have to configure internetwork authentication service parameters to enable identity routing from one network to the other).
FIG. 3 depicts a diagram 300 of an example of an internetwork authentication system. The diagram 300 includes a network 302 , an online authentication proxy 304 , an authentication proxy rules datastore 306 , an administrative interface 308 , LAUDIs 310 - 1 and 310 - 2 (collectively, the LAUDIs 310 ), user datastores 312 - 1 and 312 - 2 (collectively, the user datastores 312 ), an access point 314 , and stations 316 - 1 to 316 -N (collectively, the stations 316 ).
In the example of FIG. 3 , the network 302 can include any number of networks. In a specific implementation, the network 302 includes four or more networks: The Internet (excluding the other three networks of this specific example for illustrative purposes); a first network, under the administrative control of a first entity, that includes the LAUDI 310 - 1 and the user datastore 312 - 1 ; a second network, under the administrative control of a second entity, that includes the LAUDI 310 - 2 , the user datastore 312 - 2 , the AP 314 , and (to a variable degree ranging from “no administrative control” to “administrative control”) the stations 316 ; and a third network, under the administrative control of an internetwork authentication service provider or facilitator thereof, on which the online authentication proxy 304 , authentication proxy rules datastore 306 , and the administrative interface 308 , or portions thereof, are implemented. This specific implementation is an example; variations will likely exist.
In the example of FIG. 3 , the online authentication proxy 304 is coupled to the network 302 . The authentication proxy 304 can be implemented in a manner similar to the online authentication proxy 106 ( FIG. 1 ).
In the example of FIG. 3 , the authentication proxy rules datastore 306 is coupled to the authentication proxy 304 . The authentication proxy rules datastore 306 can be implemented in a manner similar to the authentication proxy rules datastore 108 ( FIG. 1 ).
In the example of FIG. 3 , the administrative interface 308 is coupled to the authentication proxy rules 306 . The administrative interface 308 can be implemented as a portal through which permitted parties can create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) in accordance with their permissions. The internetwork authentication service provider, or a facilitator thereof, may have CRUD rights, the internetwork authentication service provider, or a facilitator thereof, may not have CRUD rights, or the internetwork authentication service provider, or a facilitator thereof, can have CRUD rights that are limited in certain circumstance (e.g., the internetwork authentication service provider may be able to delete only, in the event a party opts to stop service, but at other times the party has full CRUD rights).
In the example of FIG. 3 , the LAUDIs 310 are coupled to the network 302 . The LAUDIs 310 can be implemented in a manner similar to the LAUDI 110 ( FIG. 1 ). The LAUDI 310 - 2 can be implemented with additional functionality described in the following paragraphs and the LAUDI 110 ( FIG. 1 ) and/or the LAUDI 310 - 1 is not prohibited from including the same or similar functionality.
In the example of FIG. 3 , the user datastores 312 are coupled to the LAUDIs 310 . The user datastores 312 can be implemented in a manner similar to the user datastore 112 ( FIG. 1 ). In a specific implementation, a subset of data from the user datastore 312 - 1 can be provided to the user datastore 312 - 2 to facilitate on-network authentication of off-network accounts. In another specific implementation, a subset of data from the user datastore 312 - 1 can be provided to the user datastore 312 - 2 temporarily following off-network authentication of a station while the station is on the local network to avoid service loss in the event a network failure causes the second network to lose communication with the first network and/or the online authentication proxy 304 .
In the example of FIG. 3 , the AP 314 is coupled to the LAUDI 310 - 2 . In a specific implementation, the LAUDI is implemented on an AP, in which case the AP 314 is part of the same monolithic device that includes, at least in part, both the AP 314 and the LAUDI 310 - 2 . In a specific implementation, the AP 314 includes a WAP.
In the example of FIG. 3 , the stations 316 are coupled to the AP 314 . It may be noted that, particularly in a wireless context, the stations 316 can include stations that have not authenticated with the AP 314 . As such, the stations 316 can be thought of as devices within a basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), or wireless access area of the AP 314 , but not necessarily wirelessly connected to the wireless network. While stations could include rogue devices, a discussion of rogue devices is not critical to an understanding of the techniques described in this paper. Accordingly, the stations 316 are defined as stations that are either receiving network services or are attempting to authenticate for the purpose of describing the system, illustrated in the example of FIG. 3 , in operation.
Referring once again to the LAUDI 310 - 2 , in the example of FIG. 3 , the LAUDI 310 - 2 includes a policy-based identity routing engine 320 , an on-network authentication engine 322 , a guest authentication engine 324 , and an off-network authentication engine 326 . The policy-based identity routing engine 320 is configured to route authentication requests from the stations 316 to an appropriate authentication engine. The routing determination is configuration-specific, but for the purposes of this example, includes at least the ability to identify credentials that cannot be authenticated locally and to route any associated authentication requests to the off-network authentication interface 326 when such credentials are identified.
The on-network authentication engine 322 accesses the user datastore 312 - 2 to determine whether the stations 316 are entitled to receive network services. The on-network authentication engine 322 can be treated as a “conventional” authentication engine on top of which the policy-based identity routing engine 320 sits. In a specific implementation, the on-network authentication engine 322 is implemented in a known or convenient fashion. However, the on-line network authentication engine 322 only receives authentication requests from the stations 316 that meet the requirements of the policy-based identity routing engine 320 , which is a subset of all authentication requests.
The guest authentication engine 324 can be implemented to allow guest access regardless of credentials or to restrict access for the subset of the stations 316 that has credentials that fit the profile of neither off-network authentication nor on-network authentication. Alternatively or in addition, guest authentication can also be handled by the on-network authentication engine 322 . Advantageously, the policy-based identity routing engine 320 can provide filtering to determine whether special treatment of guests is appropriate.
The off-network authentication interface 326 is configured to forward authentication requests that meet the profile of off-network authenticatable stations. A successful authentication response is indicative of a station being entitled to have access to network services through the AP 314 . Depending upon the implementation, the user datastore 312 - 2 can be updated to include data associated with each of the authenticated stations 316 , regardless of whether the stations were authenticated locally or remotely. In a specific implementation, different ones of the stations 316 have access to different services based upon the credentials of the stations 316 , and the services may or may not be different for off-network authenticated and on-network authenticated stations 316 .
In the example of FIG. 3 , a connection 330 is illustrated between the LAUDI 310 - 1 and the online authentication proxy 304 . A similar connection may or may not exist between the LAUDI 310 - 2 and the online authentication proxy 304 . For example, authentication requests could be sent via a channel that does not require a connection between the LAUDI 310 - 2 and the online authentication proxy 304 . In a specific implementation, the connection 330 is persistent (and the connection between the LAUDI 310 - 2 , if one exists, may or may not also be persistent).
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, one of the AP 314 (or an upstream component) and one of the stations 316 engage in a transaction that causes the one of the stations 316 to send an authentication request to the AP 314 . The authentication request can be generated in accordance with an applicable convenient protocol, such as 802.11. The AP 314 provides the authentication request to the LAUDI 310 - 2 , which can entail sending or forwarding the authentication request if the AP 314 and the LAUDI 310 - 2 are not co-located.
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, the policy-based identity routing engine 320 determines whether the authentication request has characteristics that match a filtering or identity routing rule indicative of the need for off-network authentication. The policy-based identity routing engine 320 can also determine whether the authentication request has characteristics that match a filtering or identity routing rule indicative of the availability of on-network authentication. Depending upon the implementation, one or the other of the determinations can be a default determination. For example, the policy-based identity routing engine 320 can determine whether the authentication request has characteristics that match a filtering or identity routing rule indicative of the need for off-network authentication, and if the authentication request does not have the requisite characteristics, the policy-based identity routing engine 320 can resolve the authentication request with on-network authentication. Optionally, the policy-based identity routing engine 320 can include the ability to identify guests or off-network authentication parameters for a different off-network authentication service that that provided in association with the online authentication proxy 304 . Thus, the routing algorithm can enable three (or more) routing channels depending upon the specific implementation, or configurations thereof.
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, if the policy-based identity routing engine 320 determines explicitly or by default that the authentication request meets the parameters of an authentication request suitable for initiating an on-network authentication process, the on-network authentication engine 322 accesses the user datastore 312 - 2 to generate an authentication response. If successful, the relevant one of the stations 316 is authenticated and given access to an applicable set of services in an applicable convenient manner.
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, if the policy-based identity routing engine 320 determines that the authentication request meets parameters of an authentication request suitable for providing guest services, the guest authentication engine 324 generates a successful authentication response for the guest (or forwards the authentication request to an off-network authentication service and receives an authentication response thereto), and the guest is given access to an applicable set of services in an applicable convenient manner. It may be noted that guest access can be handled via the on-network authentication engine 322 in what would likely be considered a more conventional authentication process. Accordingly, the guest authentication engine 324 is not required for the purpose of handling guest authentications in some implementations.
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, if the policy-based identity routing engine 320 determines explicitly or by default that the authentication request meets the parameters of an authentication request suitable for initiating an off-network authentication process, the authentication request is sent via the off-network authentication interface 326 to the online authentication proxy 304 .
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, although it is not necessary for the LAUDI 310 - 2 to have a persistent connection to the online authentication proxy 304 , in a specific implementation a connection is established through the network 302 to the online authentication proxy 304 over which the LAUDI 310 - 2 sends the authentication request. In another specific implementation, the LAUDI 310 - 2 sends the authentication request via a persistent connection between the LAUDI 310 - 2 and the online authentication proxy 304 .
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, the online authentication proxy 304 consults the authentication proxy rules datastore 306 to determine whether the authentication request meets the parameters of an authentication request suitable for routing the authentication request to the LAUDI 310 - 1 . The parameters can include credentials of the station for which authentication is requested, characteristics of the local network on which the authentication was initially requested, characteristics of the remote network on which the authentication process is carried out, or other factors that assist in meeting the desired objectives of subscribers to the internetwork authentication service. The authentication proxy rules datastore 306 may or may not include rules from the first network (the network being requested to perform the authentication) regarding the subset of credentials the first network is willing to authenticate remotely. The authentication proxy rules datastore 306 may or may not include rules from the second network (the requesting network), though such rules could at least in some implementations alternatively be implemented at the policy-based identity routing engine 320 . The authentication proxy rules datastore 306 may or may not include rules from a party other than the first network and the second network regarding stations that are not permitted to authenticate using the internetwork service. In any of these cases, the rules may or may not have been input into the authentication proxy rules datastore 306 via the administrative interface 308 .
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, the online authentication proxy 304 sends the authentication request to the LAUDI 310 - 1 via the connection 330 . In a specific implementation, the connection 330 is persistent, which avoids problems with peripheral security equipment, firewalls, and the like. (In a specific implementation, a subset of authentication requests received at the online authentication proxy 304 are filtered at the online authentication proxy 304 , but unfiltered requests are the ones described here for narrative simplicity.)
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, the LAUDI 310 - 1 initiates an authentication process in association with the authentication request. The LAUDI 310 - 1 may or may not treat the authentication request differently from local authentication requests.
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, an authentication engine, which is at least conceptually part of the LAUDI 310 - 1 , accesses the user datastore 312 - 1 and generates an appropriate authentication response. The LAUDI 310 - 1 sends the authentication response through the connection 330 to the online authentication proxy 304 . In an alternative, the authentication response can be sent through a channel other than the connection 330 . In yet another alternative, the LAUDI 310 - 1 could send the authentication response to the LAUDI 310 - 2 , bypassing the online authentication proxy 304 on the return trip.
In the example of FIG. 3 , in operation, the LAUDI 310 - 2 receives the authentication response and treats the requesting one of the stations 316 accordingly. For example, if the response is a failure, the station can be given access to some free services or none at all. As another example, if the response is a success, the station can be given access to services appropriate for an associated access profile.
FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart 400 of an example of a method of authenticating a station. In the example of FIG. 4 , the flowchart 400 starts at module 402 with receiving at a network access point an authentication request for a station. In a specific implementation, the network access point is a WAP. In a specific implementation, the authentication request is an applicable convenient format. For illustrative convenience, the authentication request is treated throughout this example as the same authentication request even if parameters or fields change as the authentication request is passed through various components of the system, so long as the authentication request remains an authentication request for the station.
In the example of FIG. 4 , the flowchart 400 continues to decision point 404 where it is determined whether credentials of the authentication request make the authentication request appropriate for off-network authentication. The determination can take into consideration any applicable identifiable characteristics of the station (e.g., a domain).
If it is determined that the authentication request is appropriate for off-line authentication ( 404 -Y), then the flowchart 400 continues to module 406 with sending the authentication request off network. In a specific implementation, the authentication request is sent to an authentication proxy, such as an online authentication proxy. Alternatively, the authentication request could be sent to a network capable of authenticating the authentication request remotely.
In the example of FIG. 4 , the flowchart 400 continues to module 408 with receiving an off-network authentication result responsive to the authentication request from off network. In a specific implementation, the authorization request and the authentication response are sent over a connection that can be considered relatively secure, such as a persistent connection. In other implementations, particularly implementations with less secure connections, the authentication result can be subject to additional security checks. For the purposes of this example, an authentication result is considered successful if it is indicative of a successful off-network authentication and passes security check procedures, if any.
In the example of FIG. 4 , the flowchart 400 ends at module 410 with providing services at the network to the station in accordance with the off-network authentication result. If the authentication result is “success,” the station is granted access to appropriate services. If the authentication result is “failure,” the station is granted access to free services or no services.
If, on the other hand, it is determined that the authentication request is not appropriate for off-line authentication ( 404 -N), then the flowchart 400 instead continues to module 412 , from decision point 404 , with initiating on-network authentication of the station. The on-network authentication of the station may or may not be a “conventional” known or convenient authentication process.
In the example of FIG. 4 , the flowchart 400 continues to module 414 with obtaining an on-network authentication result responsive to the authentication request from the station, and ends at module 416 with providing services to the station in accordance with the on-network authentication result.
FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart 500 of an example of a method of facilitating internetwork authentication. In the example of FIG. 5 , the flowchart 500 starts at module 502 with making an internetwork authentication service available to a first network. Making an internetwork authentication service available can be accomplished as described by way of example with reference to FIG. 2 , above, or in some other applicable manner.
In the example of FIG. 5 , the flowchart 500 continues to module 504 with receiving an authentication request from a second network for a station. The second network may or may not be configured to remotely authenticate for other networks.
In the example of FIG. 5 , the flowchart 500 continues to module 506 with routing the authentication request based on an identity routing rule to a LAUDI of the first network. In a specific implementation, the identity routing rule is a filtering and identity routing rule.
In the example of FIG. 5 , the flowchart 500 continues to module 508 with receiving an authentication result from the LAUDI on the first network. In a specific implementation, the authentication request can be sent to and the authentication result received from the LAUDI over a persistent connection.
In the example of FIG. 5 , the flowchart 500 ends at module 510 with sending the authentication result to the second network. The second network can then grant access to services based upon the authentication result in accordance with policy at the second network.
The following discussion is highly implementation specific, and is intended to provide by way of example details of the internetwork authentication proxy and network device discussed in the preceding paragraphs.
To implement features such as directory integration and cross-organization authentication proxy, a command channel can enable sending requests to network devices behind a firewall or utilizing some form of network address translation making it such that a cross-organizational authentication proxy would not normally be able to initiate connections to the network devices. Although it would be possible for a customer to change network policy to enable connections, it is not clear security-conscious network operators would allow such exceptions.
To solve this problem, persistent connections can be used. It is likely that at least one network device will have permission to make outbound connections, especially if they are made to common well-known ports such as TCP port 80 for HTTP. Once a network device opens one of these connections to an internetwork authentication proxy, it will leave the connection open and act as a server, waiting for authentication requests. Essentially, the client and server roles are reversed once the connection is established.
Useful characteristics of a command channel include firewall friendliness and secure transport and connection identification capabilities. It is desirable for this command channel to work without having to change firewall settings or network policy within a customer's network. The process and politics found in some IT departments can cause enough friction during deployment to ruin the user experience. Advantageously, the internetwork authentication service can work “out of the box.” The command channel may need to traverse the public Internet. Because some applications of the internetwork authentication service involve transferring potentially sensitive data, the channel must provide confidentiality in certain implementations. If the internetwork authentication services provide for multi-tenancy, it is desirable for the command channel to associate each communication channel with a customer. In a specific implementation, the internetwork authentication proxy can verify the identity of the network device trying to establish a connection.
In a specific implementation, transport layer security (TLS) is enforced. TLS is a natural choice for establishing a secure connection between a network device and internetwork authentication proxy. A network device that has the ability to obtain a TLS client certificate identifying its owner can use the certificate to establish a mutually authenticated TLS session with an internetwork authentication proxy that has the capability. On the internetwork authentication proxy side, authentication gateways can generally accept TLS connections on, e.g., TCP ports 80 and 443. Because these ports are reserved for use by HTTP and HTTPS respectively, it is likely that connections to these ports will be allowed by most network security policies. Furthermore, the authentication gateways will most likely never run web services; so unorthodox use of these well-known ports will likely not interfere with anything.
When establishing the TLS session, each end must authenticate the other. The network device must be certain it is allowing requests from the true internetwork authentication proxy so that it can trust the incoming requests. The internetwork authentication proxy, as the TLS server, can perform client verification to obtain the network device's certificate. By verifying the certificate the internetwork authentication proxy can associate the proper customer account with the session being established. If either end cannot verify its peer, it may be desirable to abort the TLS session. It is risky from a security stand-point to let the TLS session continue to be built up if positive verification cannot be confirmed.
Because the communication channel is to be kept open indefinitely, the TLS handshake can negotiate the heartbeat protocol defined in RFC 6520, which is incorporated by reference, to warn either end if connectivity is lost. Both ends should be prepared to send and receive the heartbeat messages. If the network device detects that the TLS session is down, it can attempt to reestablish the connection if the customer has an active license for the feature. If the internetwork authentication proxy detects that the TLS session is down, it can stop using the channel for pending requests and try to find an alternate route. The internetwork authentication proxy may also terminate connections after necessary feature licenses expire.
In a specific implementation, once the TLS session is established, the network device and the internetwork authentication proxy agree on a purpose for the session. Each session should be dedicated to a single purpose defined by a higher-level application. Different applications should establish their own command channel connection. In a specific implementation, to establish purpose, the network device starts by sending the following four octet sequence:
1 octet—Major Version
1 octet—Minor Version
1 octet—Type
1 octet—Subtype
This sequence may remain constant through all future revisions of this protocol. If the internetwork authentication proxy understands and accepts the purpose, subsequent actions are defined by that particular purpose. Otherwise, the internetwork authentication proxy will terminate the TLS session. This signals to the network device that the purpose it proposed is not currently valid.
Optionally, the major version of the protocol is 1 and the minor version is 0. There is no hard requirement regarding when and how each of the version numbers change. The intent is to give a rough sense of the degree of change from one version to the next. For example, going from version 1.0 to 1.1 might imply minor changes that do not affect interoperability, whereas going from version 1.1 to 1.101 might imply substantial additions to the protocol. Ticking the major version should be construed as a major change in the protocol such that the previous version may not interoperate with the new one. Version numbers should generally be strictly increasing, but they need not be sequential.
The type field is intended to communicate the aforementioned purpose for the session to the internetwork authentication proxy. Based on this value, the internetwork authentication proxy can register the availability of the session to the appropriate application. Initially, the internetwork authentication proxy will support the following values for the type field:
0—Reserved
1—Authentication/Authorization
2—Data Synchronization
255—Testing
The type field is intended to communicate the aforementioned purpose for the session to the internetwork authentication proxy. Based on this value, the internetwork authentication proxy can register the availability of the session to the appropriate application. Initially, the internetwork authentication proxy will support the following values for the type field:
The Authentication/Authorization type is further divided into subtypes to indicate specific methods. Initially, the internetwork authentication proxy will use one subtype with value 0 for RADIUS. This subtype turns the session into a RadSec tunnel where the client and server roles are reversed. The network device should be prepared to receive and process RADIUS Access-Request messages once it indicates this purpose to the internetwork authentication proxy. The request format will follow RadSec, where a packet length is sent followed by that number of bytes representing the RADIUS message. Responses will be sent back to the internetwork authentication proxy in the same fashion. Where a RADIUS shared secret is required, the string “radsec” will be used as per RFC 6614, which is incorporated by reference. It is envisioned that additional subtypes can be introduced later to better leverage the access that network device has to a customer's directory service and internal network. Much of this additional functionality can probably be accomplished through creative uses of RADIUS, but allowing for different methods may offer more straightforward solutions.
The Data Synchronization type (value 2) will be used to distribute data to network devices such that it is available locally. The first use case will be caching credentials in the network device to allow authentication to succeed even when connectivity to the internetwork authentication proxy is lost. This use shall be designated subtype 0.
The Testing type (value 255) is reserved for testing the operation of the TLS processing in isolation of any particular application.
Some organizations deploy some form of directory service to store and manage user accounts. The internetwork authentication proxy would benefit from having access to these directory services. Such access would allow users from those organizations to authenticate using their home credentials at any location subscribed to the internetwork authentication service. However, it is unlikely that these organizations would allow connections to their directory from external entities beyond their control. These directories are typically only accessible from within an organization's private, internal network.
Although the internetwork authentication proxy cannot connect to private directories, network devices deployed in the same private network may have the capability to integrate with various directory services, which can bridge the gap between a directory service and the internetwork authentication proxy. By leveraging this capability, the internetwork authentication proxy can offer premium features built around a concept of allowing users to authenticate anywhere with the same password they use at their home organization.
In a specific implementation, the internetwork authentication proxy directory integration relies on directory integration capabilities in network devices, making it only available to customers who have deployed appropriate network devices. One use case is employee sponsorship of guests. This allows user accounts available in a customer's directory to have access to the internetwork authentication proxy web interface to create a guest account for somebody without creating a separate administrative account for each employee. The work to support employee sponsorship can include the ability to do basic proxy authentication, allowing users of one customer to authenticate against their home directory when visiting another internetwork authentication service customer. As the internetwork authentication service subscription base grows, this capability may become increasingly useful.
Employee sponsorship allows employees to authenticate and login to a simplified “Pretty” web application using their home directory credentials. When logging in, the internetwork authentication service, which can include local and remote components, determines whether it has a local account for the login name (and, if applicable, checks other parameters). If a local account is found, it is used to authenticate the user. If a local account is not found, then it examines, e.g., the domain portion of the login name to look for a customer that owns the domain and has the directory integration feature. If no customers match the domain, then the login fails. If the customer does match a directory, the internetwork authentication service can forward the authentication request there. Once logged in, the employee has the ability to create a guest account subject to the limit imposed by, e.g., an internetwork authentication service license.
Another use case, proxy authentication, occurs when a user from one internetwork authentication service customer organization visits another internetwork authentication service customer organization as a guest. If both customers have a directory integration license, the user will be able to authenticate with the same credentials he uses at his home organization.
As a multi-tenant system, an internetwork authentication system can create an illusion that each customer has an independent authentication server. Consequently, usernames are not necessarily globally unique. For example, the username alice@example.com can exist in multiple customer accounts, and each instance has no implied relationship with any of the others. It is as if each customer account is a unique realm.
Directory integration weakens this isolation by introducing the concept of domain ownership to the internetwork authentication system. Once a customer account has directory integration enabled, the customer must declare the domain names served by his directory. In a specific implementation, proxy authentication works among accounts that have directory integration enabled. For example, customers who do not purchase a directory integration license will function as they currently do, and will not be able to authenticate guests over the proxy network, even if the guest's organization is a an internetwork authentication service customer with directory integration enabled.
When a customer claims a domain, it is desirable for the internetwork authentication proxy to determine that the customer is the legitimate owner of that domain. In a specific implementation, domains must be unique; so, in this specific implementation, only one customer is associated with a domain at any given time. If different subdivisions of large organizations purchase the directory integration license independently, the first one to claim that organization's domain will be associated with it. Subsequent requests to claim that domain will be met with an error indicating that the domain is not available. Exceptions can be made as appropriate.
In a specific implementation, the internetwork authentication proxy can initiate requests to network devices that may be deployed behind corporate firewalls. Directory integration can use a TLS session initiated by a network device as the command channel over which requests will be sent. The command channel can terminate at an authentication gateway. After each command channel connection is established, the authentication gateway uses a customer ID from a client certificate to identify the source of the connection. The network device can use the same certificate that was issued to it for connecting to the internetwork authentication proxy's, e.g., RadSec server, if it has the customer ID encoded in it.
In a specific implementation, the authentication gateway runs a server on TCP ports 80 and 443 to process incoming command channel requests. It can also open a UDP port for incoming RADIUS requests from the internal network only. In a specific implementation, the only servers that have access to the UDP port are authentication servers. The authentication gateway does not necessarily process these RADIUS requests; the internetwork authentication proxy can forward them as-is over the command channel to a network device.
When each network command channel is created, the internetwork authentication proxy keeps a mapping of customer ID to authentication gateway. This mapping is used in a two-step lookup to find the correct authentication gateway to proxy requests to. If an authentication request cannot find a local account, it uses the domain portion of the username to find the customer ID. The customer ID then leads to the authentication gateway. When command channel connections are terminated, the corresponding mapping is deregistered. For now these mappings will be stored in an internetwork authentication proxy datastore for convenience. Should the mappings fall out of sync with reality, a periodic cleanup task could be run on the authentication gateways to fix stale data.
Some potentially valuable interfaces may include an interface to enable customers should be able to see their current license status and when it expires, an interface to set up domain ownership, an interface to set up domain whitelists and blacklists or filtering rules, an interface showing a user group to directory group mapping, and an interface for employee guest creation, to name several. Also, an operator interface could have an interface to mark domain ownership records as having been verified and to see some or all of a proxy “routing table.” The actual verification may or may not be a manual process.
Advantageously, use of the techniques described in this paper can resulting in improved reporting. It can be better reported how many guest accounts exist/were used over a given time, how many guests are online and how much data they are using, where guests come from, and what devices guests use.
FIG. 6 depicts a diagram 600 of an example of an internetwork authentication system including a cloud-based authentication management system (AMS). The diagram 600 includes a cloud-based AMS 602 , a user datastore 604 , an online authentication manager 606 , a corporate office system 608 , an AP/bridge 610 , an LDAP datastore 612 , a corporate office system 614 , a corporate office system 616 , an LDAP bind 618 , a remote LDAP 620 , hotspots 622 - 2 to 622 -N (collectively, the hotspots 622 ), and an eduroam system 624 .
In the example of FIG. 6 , the cloud-based AMS 602 can include an authentication management system for a private network. By placing the AMS in the cloud, the AMS can be offered as a service.
In the example of FIG. 6 , the user datastore 604 is coupled to the cloud-based AMS 602 . The user datastore 604 can be implemented as a multi-tenant datastore with “slices” for each customer. In this example, the user datastore 604 is assumed to take advantage of cloud storage resources.
In the example of FIG. 6 , the online management system 606 is coupled to the cloud-based AMS 602 . An automatic set-up creates a bridge from the cloud-based AMS 602 to the online management system 606 .
In the example of FIG. 6 , the corporate office system 608 is coupled to the cloud-based AMS 602 .
In the example of FIG. 6 , the corporate office system 608 includes the AP/bridge 610 . Radsec can use TCP for firewall and NAT compatibility. RADIUS can also be used, but may be less secure. In the example of FIG. 6 , an arrow from the AP/Bridge 610 to the cloud-based AMS 602 is labeled Radsec to indicate that specific implementation. As such, in this example, authentication requests can be sent to the cloud over Radsec.
In the example of FIG. 6 , the corporate office system 608 includes an LDAP datastore 612 . The LDAP datastore 612 is treated as an active directory. The LDAP datastore 612 can receive requests for on-premises directory and authorizations for remote sites, such as another office at the same (first) company, corporate office system 614 , or an office of a second company that recognizes guests from the first company, corporate office system 616 . If the cloud-based AMS 602 binds 618 to a remote LDAP 620 over a VPN, it is possible to cache auth requests when the first company's WAN has failed.
In the example of FIG. 6 , the cloud-based AMS is coupled to the hotspots 622 . Companies can “export” a user datastore for use at the hotspots 622 . Or can export a local user datastore to an eduroam system 624 .
Advantages of a cloud-based authentication system include removing an appliance from a customer premises, reducing compatibility testing and troubleshooting of authentication systems with providers of both ends, and can facilitate relatively simple free samples to potential customers. As a first example, some organizations may not have significant IT expertise and an existing network may only be PSK with no domain controller or servers. Cloud service could provide single-sign on control for many services with a RADIUS front end—may need to proxy from bridge or AP to cloud service. As another example, users may arrive at a company building and need network access for demos or the like. The best point of contact is the front desk, never an IT person, which can be accomplished the techniques described in this paper. It is also possible to create bulk accounts with relative ease. As another example, many networks begin with a single shared PSK (and do not move to 802.1X because it is perceived to be too complex). Cloud-based service to manage PPSKs can increase security without significantly increasing manageability. As another example, not all companies have coordination between IT groups in different offices. Users go from site 1 to site 2, then need to find IT at site 2 to ensure network access, which is time-consuming and additional overhead for IT. With a single SSID between sites, a RADIUS proxy-type configuration could route requests without seeing user credentials, acting as “glue” in place of deficient IT planning. As another example, many organizations have mobile users. IT buys access for users to hotspot networks. Users find a hotspot network that IT has purchased access to, and sign on using their corporate credentials. VPN is automatically configured to corporate for secure end-to-end connectivity, billing records are handled automatically, and can be done with iPass or other roaming consortium, or even Skype. As another example, some networks may have visitors willing to pay for access, such as health care organizations (hospitals, skilled nursing facilities for long-term care) with family visitors. “Hot spot in a box” can be offered retail. You can create an SSID for public access and pass requests to the service provider. Skype can detect Skype-enabled hotspots and pay for access with Skype credit.
These and other examples provided in this paper are intended to illustrate but not necessarily to limit the described embodiments. As used herein, the term “embodiment” means an embodiment that serves to illustrate by way of example but not limitation. The techniques described in the preceding text and figures can be mixed and matched as circumstances demand to produce alternative embodiments.
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A technique for network authentication interoperability involves initiating an authentication procedure on a first network, authenticating on a second network, and allowing access at the first network. The technique can include filtering access to a network, thereby restricting access to users with acceptable credentials. Offering a service that incorporates these techniques can enable incorporation of the techniques into an existing system with minimal impact to network configuration.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates generally to carabiner-type attachment devices adapted to use on portable personal communication devices such as telephone handsets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Carabiners have long been in use for providing a means for attaching articles to each other. Such devices have numerous applications, such as for example enabling multiple articles to be secured to a backpack, purse, handbag, key chain or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,266 discloses a typical carabiner-type attachment device.
[0003] Portable personal communication devices such as cellular telephones, pagers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are ubiquitous and are considered by many to be indispensable. However, even with advancements directed to reducing the size of these devices often it is inconvenient or undesirable to place these devices in a pocket because they can cause discomfort especially when the device is in a pants pocket and the owner is seated. These devices also tend to create an unsightly lump in any garment in which it is concealed. It is also often the case that a user prefers the device be easily accessible or in sight rather than stowed away in a pocketbook, briefcase or jacket pocket in order to be able to quickly ascertain the identity of a caller or respond to a call. Accordingly it is useful to be able to attach such devices to a garment, strap or bag. Such an adaptation is also desirable to avoid the misplacing of the device. It is commonplace for a cell phone, pager, PDA or the like to be left behind in a car, on the table of a restaurant, on a desk, on a kitchen counter or the like because the device was left out so it could be heard or viewed, only to be forgotten when it came time to leave.
[0004] Heretofore communication devices have been equipped with resilient clips for attachment purposes. These clips are not suitable for all applications, however. For instance, such clips are not well suited for securely attaching a communications device to a strap, belt loop or the like because of the tendency of the clip to disengage the article to which it is attached as the communication device is jostled. Most of the time these clips are attached to a case, which in turn contains the cell phone or other device. Where the clip is integral with the device, it is almost inevitable that the clip will break due to stress placed on the clip. In addition, known clips and attachment devices tend to add undesirable bulk to the communication device.
[0005] Moreover, when personal communication devices having an attachment device on the top end are attached to and depend from a belt loop the text screen is typically oriented right side up, resulting in an upside down screen when the device is flipped upward to view. This is impractical in many cases
[0006] U. S. Design Pat. No. 459,338 discloses an ornamental design for a carabiner radio in which the carabiner is integral with the top of the radio. However a radio is simply a device for receiving sound broadcasts and is not subject to the aforementioned considerations. That is, radios are not considered indispensable in our society, they are not items that must be “answered” or viewed periodically to determine callers, etc. Moreover, the attachment to the top of the device results in the aforementioned drawback of upside down text or controls when the device is flipped up to read when attached to a belt loop. In addition the ornamental design of the 459,338 patent does not teach or suggest a carabiner communication device in which a carabiner-type attachment device can be concealed in the body of the communication device until such time as it is needed.
[0007] Presently on the market are straps attached to carabiners wherein the strap is adapted to be mounted to a cell phone. These devices are designed to have the carabiner oriented near the top of the cell phone. Such a design is disadvantageous for the aforementioned reasons.
[0008] United States Published Patent Application 2002/0173279 discloses a mobile electronic communications device with a housing and an ornament attachment mechanism. The ornament attachment mechanism disclosed is not dimensioned for use as an attachment means for anything other than small ornaments such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces and the like. The disclosed device does not teach or suggest providing a carabiner for a communications device wherein the carabiner is oriented to provide a user an efficient way to attach the communication device to an article of clothing, purse or the like and still be easily readable.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,402 discloses a clip for a test telephone. The disclosure relates to an arrangement of a clip so that the clip can be easily engaged to an object to be hooked. This device relates to a test phone for telephone workers and does not address the concerns relating to a personal communication device mentioned hereinabove.
[0010] Therefore it would be a considerable advantage to be able to securely and selectively attach the communication device to an article such as a belt or belt loop in a manner that enables a user to easily read text on a message screen of the device. It would also be an advantage in that it would permit the secure, attractive and comfortable carriage of the device without the need to place the device in the pocket of a garment. It would also be advantageous for a personal communication device to be provided with a carabiner-type attachment device that could be concealed within the body of the device when not in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention provides novel carabiner-type attachment means for personal communication devices. In one embodiment the carabiner-type attachment device extends from the bottom of said communication device. The attachment device is in one embodiment integral with the communication device. Alternate embodiments provide novel means for concealing the carabiner-type attachment device within the body of the communication device.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0012] It is an object of the present invention to provide a carabiner-type attachment for a communication device.
[0013] It is another object of the present invention to provide a carabiner-type attachment for a communication device wherein the carabiner-type attachment device is integral with the communication device.
[0014] It is another object of the present invention to provide a carabiner-type attachment for a communication device wherein the carabiner-type attachment device extends from the bottom end of the communication device.
[0015] It is another object of the present invention to provide a carabiner-type attachment for a communication device wherein the carabiner-type attachment device is detachably connected to the communication device.
[0016] It is another object of the present invention to provide a carabiner-type attachment for a communication device wherein the carabiner-type attachment device is in one position concealed within said communication device and also extendible from said communications device.
[0017] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a carabiner-type attachment for a communication device wherein the carabiner-type attachment permits safe and secure attachment of the writing instrument to luggage, belt loops, towel racks, wall hooks, utility belts, backpacks and the like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 1A is a front exploded view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1 ;
[0020] FIG. 1B is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the attachment device of FIG. 1A ;
[0021] FIG. 1C is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the attachment device of FIG. 1A ;
[0022] FIG. 1D is a bottom view of a further preferred embodiment of the attachment device of FIG. 1A ;
[0023] FIG. 1E is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the attachment device of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 1F is a front view of a most preferred embodiment of the attachment device of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a front view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a back view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 3A is a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 taken through line A-A′;
[0028] FIG. 3B is a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 taken through line A-A′;
[0029] FIG. 3C is a back view of yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 4 is a back view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 4A is a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 4 taken through line B-B′;
[0032] FIG. 4B is a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 4 taken through line B-B′ when the attachment device is in an open position;
[0033] FIG. 5 is a back view of a further embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 5A is a back view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5 ;
[0035] FIG. 5B is a back view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0036] FIG. 5C is a back view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5B ;
[0037] FIG. 6 is a back view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 6A is a back view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention according to FIG. 6 when the attachment device is in an open position;
[0039] FIG. 6B is a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 6 taken through line D-D′;
[0040] FIG. 6C is a side cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 6A taken through line D-D′ when the attachment device is in an open position;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0041] In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one having ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known features may be omitted or simplified so as not to obscure the present invention. Furthermore, reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
[0042] Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 1 A a preferred embodiment of the device 2 comprises essentially a communication device 10 and at least one attachment device 30 . Communication device 10 may comprise any suitable communication device including but not limited to a cellular telephone, pager, PDA or the like as are well known in the arL Communication device 10 comprises a bottom end 12 , a top end 14 , a front side 16 and a back side 18 .
[0043] Attachment device 30 comprises at least one body member 32 and one openable gate member 38 . Now referring to FIG. 1 in a preferred embodiment body member 32 comprises at least a first elongated section comprising a first end 34 and a second end 36 and is typically fabricated of any material suitable for attachment devices such as but not limited to bare or coated metal, wood, rubber, plastic, combinations thereof or any other suitable material as is well known in the art. In a preferred embodiment gate member 38 comprises an elongated member pivotably attached at one end to an end 34 or 36 of said body member 32 . The other end of gate member 38 contacts or is in close proximity to the other end 34 or 36 of said body member 32 when said gate 38 is in a closed position. In a preferred embodiment gate member 38 is inwardly openable. Gate member 38 is fabricated of any suitable material as recited above for body member 32 , but does not necessarily need to be of the same material as that of body member 32 . Gate member 38 may be separately molded and attached to body member 32 by means of a pin or other means well known in the art. In a preferred embodiment body member 32 is curvilinear. In a most preferred embodiment attachment device 30 is formed in the shape of a carabiner but other shapes are contemplated by the present invention.
[0044] In another embodiment (not shown) attachment device 30 may comprise one elongated section extending from said communication device 10 , wherein gate member 38 is pivotably attached to said communication device 10 .
[0045] Now referring to FIG. 1E , in one embodiment body member 32 comprises an elongated section comprising at least a first end 34 . Gate member 38 comprises an elongated member integrally attached to said body member 32 and the integral body 32 and gate member 38 are fabricated of a resilient material such as but not limited to rubber, plastic, thin metal or any other suitable resilient material as is well known in the art. A first end 39 of gate member 38 contacts or is in close proximity to an end 34 of said body member 32 when said gate 38 is in a closed position. In this embodiment a resilient attachment device is formed without a pivoting hinge. The gate member 38 simply deforms when pressure is applied and resiliently returns to its original position when pressure is released. In a most preferred embodiment attachment device 30 is formed in the shape of a carabiner but other shapes are contemplated by the present invention.
[0046] Now referring to FIGS. 1-1F in a preferred embodiment attachment device 30 is adapted to be removably attachable to communication device 10 . Attachment device 30 is provided with a means for removably connecting attachment device 30 to communication device 10 . Now referring to FIG. 1B attachment device 30 comprises an opening 40 opposite gate member 38 for receiving bottom end 12 of communication device 10 . In a most preferred embodiment the opening 40 of attachment device 30 further comprises an interior lining 42 such as but not limited to a rubber lining which securely engages, such as by friction, the outer surface of communication device 10 . Lining 42 may optionally be a Velcro® lining adapted to engage a complementary Velcro® surface attached to said communication device 10 . Other means of releasably attaching said attachment device 30 to said communication device 10 include but are not limited to a clip-on means, such as for example at least one clip engagable to at least one lip disposed on said communication device.
[0047] Now referring to FIG. 1F , in a most preferred embodiment the means for removably connecting attachment device 30 to communication device 10 comprises a face plate 44 detachable from said communication device 10 extending from said attachment device 30 . Detachable face plate 44 may be any detachable face plate known in the art such as but not limited to those typically sold aftermarket to provide a user the ability to change the outward appearance of the communication device.
[0048] Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 1 A, in a most preferred embodiment attachment device 30 further comprises opening 46 that is oriented over the mouthpiece of a communication device when attachment device 30 is attached to said communication device 10 . Now referring to FIGS. 1B and 1C attachment device further comprises opening 48 to provide accessibility to the jacks (not shown) typically present on communication devices. Gate member 38 may be offset to provide easy access to said jacks through opening 48 when attachment device 30 is engaged to communication device 10 according to this embodiment.
[0049] The figures depict an embodiment in which attachment device 30 is receivable on the bottom end 12 of communication device 10 however it is contemplated the attachment device may be adapted to be attached to the top end 14 of said communication device 10 .
[0050] Now referring to FIG. 2 , in an alternate preferred embodiment attachment device 30 is integrally formed with communication device 10 . Such integral embodiment may be achieved by any means known in the art appropriate for the material employed in construction of the device 2 , such as for example molding where said attachment device 30 is fabricated of plastic.
[0051] Now referring to FIGS. 3-3C in an alternate preferred embodiment attachment device 30 , formed in substantially the same manner as described heretofore with respect to FIGS. 1-2 , is extendible from communication device 10 . Attachment device 30 is secured in a cavity 50 formed in communication device 10 . Engagement rails 60 extend from attachment device 30 and are slidably engaged in channels 52 formed in said communication device. Rails 60 preferably comprise means such as but not limited to enlarged ends 62 for preventing disengagement of said rails 60 with channels 52 when said attachment means is extended from said communication device 10 . Channels 52 may comprise a lip 54 to engage said enlarged end 62 to prevent disengagement. Attachment means 30 may be extended from a nested position within said communication device 10 by a flick of the wrist or optionally, referring to FIG. 3C (showing the attachment device extendible from the top portion 14 of the communication device 10 ), a cutout 56 may be formed in the back side 18 of said communication device 10 so that attachment device 30 may be manually extended. Alternatively attachment means 30 may include a means for extending the attachment device 30 such as a tab or flange (not shown) that may be grasped by a user. Preferably said cavity 50 and channels 52 are formed toward the back portion 18 of the communication device 10 to avoid interference with the electronics disposed closer to the front face 16 of the communication device 10 . While this embodiment of the present invention (as well as that of FIGS. 4-4B ) depicts two rails 60 it is contemplated that a single or multiple rails 60 may be employed. In addition, channel 52 may comprise many forms and the means for preventing disengagement of rails 60 may likewise take many forms as will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art.
[0052] Now referring to FIGS. 4-4B in a preferred embodiment the section of back portion 18 of communication device 10 that conceals attachment device 30 within chamber 50 when attachment device 30 is not extended in FIGS. 3-3C is removed, eliminating chamber 50 and leaving attachment device 30 exposed even when not extended from said communication device. In this way attachment device 30 nests snugly in a recess against communication device 10 . In this embodiment attachment device 30 may also be adapted to extend from top portion 14 .
[0053] Now referring to FIGS. 5-5C in an alternate preferred embodiment attachment device 30 , again formed in substantially the same manner as described heretofore with respect to FIGS. 1-2 , is rotatably extendible from communication device 10 . Attachment device 30 is secured in a cavity 70 formed in communication device 10 . Alternatively, similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 4-4B a section of back portion 18 may be removed or not included. In this way attachment device 30 nests snugly in a recess against communication device 10 . Attachment device 30 is engaged to said communication device by spindle 72 . If a section of back portion 18 is present covering at least a portion of said attachment device 30 , cutout 74 is provided so that a user can access attachment device 30 and rotatably move said device in the direction of arrow C. Alternatively, attachment device 30 may comprise a tab or flange (not shown) as discussed hereinabove that may be grasped by a user to rotatably move said attachment device 30 from its nested position. Attachment device 30 is rotatable proximal the bottom 12 ( FIGS. 5 and 5 A) or top 14 ( FIGS. 5B and 5C ) of communication device 10 and engaged to engagement means 76 . Engagement means 76 can be any device adapted to retain attachment device 30 in a fixed position such as but not limited to a clip. Where engagement means 76 is a clip it is preferably formed of a resilient material so that attachment device 30 can be easily disengaged using manual force. Engagement means 76 is adapted so that attachment device 30 will not be disengaged during normal use. Alternatively engagement means 76 may be another engagement means known to those having ordinary skill in the art. In yet a further alternative, the user of the device 2 can opt out of using the engagement means 76 and simply allow attachment device 30 to freely swing around spindle 72 .
[0054] Now referring to FIGS. 6-6C in yet a further alternate preferred embodiment attachment device 30 is rotatably extendible from communication device 10 . Attachment device 30 is rotatably secured in a recess 80 formed in communication device 10 . As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 6 B, in the closed position attachment device 30 preferably nests snugly in recess 80 against communication device 10 , thereby maintaining a smooth outer profile of device 2 . Attachment device 30 is engaged to said communication device by rotatable attachment means 82 . Now referring to FIGS. 6B and 6C attachment device 30 is rotatably movable outwardly from said communication device 10 in the direction of arrow E such that in a fully opened position ( FIG. 6C ) attachment device 30 is extended from and oriented in substantially the same plane as communication device 10 and proximal the bottom 12 ( FIGS. 6-6C ) or top 14 (not shown) of communication device 10 . Optionally, known engagement means (not shown) may be employed to retain attachment device 30 fixed in either an open or closed position.
[0055] While the preferred embodiments have been described and illustrated it will be understood that changes in details and obvious undisclosed variations might be made without departing from the spirit and principle of the invention and therefore the scope of the invention is not to be construed as limited to the preferred embodiment.
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A novel carabiner-type attachment means for personal communication devices is provided. In one embodiment the carabiner-type attachment device extends from the bottom of said communication device. The attachment device is in one embodiment integral with the communication device. Alternate embodiments provide novel means for concealing the carabiner-type attachment device within the body of the communication device.
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This application is a Continuation-In-Part of PCT/AU00/00165, filed Mar. 9, 2000.
This invention relates to a new class of chemical compounds and their use in medicine. In particular the invention concerns novel dimeric compounds, methods for their preparation, pharmaceutical formulations thereof and their use as antiviral agents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Enzymes with the ability to cleave N-acetyl neuraminic acid (NANA), also known as sialic acid, from other carbohydrates are present in many microorganisms. These include bacteria such as Vibrio cholerae, Clostridium perfringens, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Arthrobacter sialophilus, and viruses such as influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, mumps virus, Newcastle disease virus and Sendai virus. Most of these viruses are of the orthomyxovirus or paramyxovirus groups, and carry a neuraminidase activity on the surface of the virus particles. Many of these neuraminidase-possessing organisms are major pathogens of man and/or animals, and some, such as influenza virus and Newcastle disease virus, cause diseases of enormous importance.
It has long been thought that inhibitors of neuraminidase might prevent infection by neuraminidase-bearing viruses. Most of the known neuraminidase inhibitors are analogues of neuraminic acid, such as 2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid (DANA) and some of its derivatives (Meindl et al, Virology, 1974 58 457). Our International Patent Publication No. WO 91/16320 describes a number of analogues of DANA which are active against viral neuraminidase, and it has been shown in particular that 4-guanidino-2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid (Compound (A), code number GG167) is useful in the treatment of influenza A and B (N. Engl. J. Med., 1997 337 874-880). Other patent applications describe various closely-related sialic acid derivatives (eg. PCT Publications No. WO 95/18800, No. WO 95/20583 and No. WO 98/06712), and anti-viral macromolecular conjugates of GG167 have also been described (International Patent Application No. PCT/AU97/00771).
AC represents acetyl.
In addition to the sialic acid based inhibitors mentioned above, other types of highly active inhibitors of influenza virus neuraminidase have also been described, particularly those based on 5- and 6-membered carbocyclic ring systems (eg. International Patent Publications No. WO 96/26933 and No. 97/47194).
Recently, International Patent Publication No. WO 97/06157, No. WO 98/06712 and European Patent Application No. 0823428 have described certain derivatives of compound (A) in which the normal sialic acid 7-hydroxy group is replaced by various other functionalities, which inhibit multiplication of the influenza virus.
It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or in any other country.
We have now found that, surprisingly, when two neuraminidase-binding compounds are suitably linked together, through a region of the molecule that is not involved in binding to the active site, the resultant dimers show outstanding anti-viral activity. In particular we have found that, although an extra substituent attached to compound (A) at the 7-position generally causes a slight decrease in the anti-influenza activity, when two such 7-substituted molecules of compound (A) are both attached to a suitable spacer moiety, the anti-influenza activity can be greatly enhanced. The compounds have a longer duration of action than compound (A) alone. Though not wishing to be bound or limited by any proposed mechanism for the observed effect, we believe that the dimeric compounds of the invention have improved anti-influenza activity because they are able to bind to two separate neuraminidase molecules, and thereby cause aggregation of the neuraminidase tetramers and/or the influenza virions, or that by having one copy of zanamivir bound to the active site of the neuramindase, and a second copy in close proximity then the binding kinetics may be more efficient, in that as one copy dissociates the second copy can bind more rapidly than a free molecule of zanamivir. We have now shown that dimeric compounds have enhanced properties, including long duration of action. Again not wishing to be bound by theory, the basis for the long residence time in the lungs is thought to be due to the size and molecular weight of the macromolecule preventing entry through tight junctions in the respiratory epithelium, and the polarity of the macromolecule being such that passage through the cell membranes occurs very inefficiently. An alternative theory is that the compounds themselves interact with the phospholipids in the cell membrane or other components of the respiratory epithelium, and increase the residency time in the lungs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a first aspect the invention provides a dimeric compound which comprises two neuraminidase-binding groups attached to a spacer or linking group. The neuraminidase-binding group may be any compound which binds to the active site of influenza virus neuraminidase, provided that it is not cleaved by the enzyme. The neuraminidase binding group should itself have a high binding affinity; preferably the IC 50 or Kd for the neuraminidase binding group will be of 10 −6 M or better. Preferably the dimeric compound comprises two neuraminidase-binding neuraminic acid (sialic acid) derivatives or cyclopentyl or cyclohexenyl carboxylic acid derivatives covalently attached to a common spacer group.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a compound of General Formula I, and optical and geometric isomers thereof;
in which the neuraminidase binding group is a 2,3-dehydrosialic acid derivative which is attached to a spacer group Y via the 7-position;
R represents an azido group, a hydroxy group, an unsubstituted or substituted guanidino group, or an unsubstituted or substituted amino group;
R 2 represents COCH 3 , COCF 3 , SO 2 CH 3 or SO 2 CF 3 ;
X represents O, O(C═O), NH, NHCO, O(C═O)NH, O(C═S)NH, NH(C═O)NH, or NH(C═S)NH;
and the spacer group Y is an optionally substituted straight or branched or cyclic group or a combination thereof of up to 100 backbone atoms in length, with the backbone atoms selected from the group consisting of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof.
Preferably the spacer group Y is 8 to 100, more preferably 10 to 50, even more preferably 12 to 30 atoms long.
Preferably R is a substituted or unsubstituted amino or guanidino group, more preferably an amino or guanidino group.
Preferably R 2 is acetyl or trifluoroacetyl.
Preferably X is O or O(C═O)NH.
Most preferably:
R is an amino or guanidino group;
R 2 is acetyl or trifluoroacetyl;
X is O(C═O)NH; and
Y is a group of between 10 and 50 atoms in length.
The molecular weight of the compounds of the invention is generally in the range of from 650 to 500,000, preferably from 650 to 20,000, and even more preferably 650 to 2,000.
The biological activity of the compounds of the invention is based on the use of ligands on the backbone which are able to bind specifically to the active site of influenza virus neuraminidase, or of functionalised derivatives of such compounds. The term “neuraminidase binders” is used herein to refer to these compounds and their functionalized derivatives. The method and compounds of the invention can function either in the presence or the absence of compounds binding non-specifically to influenza virus neuraminidase. The neuraminidase binder may be any agent which binds to the active site of influenza virus neuraminidase, provided that it is not cleaved by the enzyme. The binding need not be irreversible, but the binding group should have a high binding affinity, preferably the IC 50 or the Kd will be of 10 −6 M or less. The person skilled in the art will readily be able to optimize the spacer length by routine experimentation.
In general it is intended that when any variable occurs twice in formula (I), the variable may be the same or different.
Where R is an amino or guanidino group, suitable substituents include, but are not limited to, C 1-6 alkyl, hydroxyC 1-6 alkyl, allyl, nitrile, C 1-6 alkoxycarbonyl and C 1-6 acyl.
Suitable spacer groups Y include, but are not limited to, optionally substituted straight or branched hydrocarbon chains, peptides, oligosaccharides, poly amino acids, cyclodextrins, polyamidoamines, polyetheylenimines, polyalkyl and polyaryl ethers, polyamidoalcohols, polyethylene glycol units, alkylamidoalkanes, oligoacetates, oligolycolates, alkylureidoalkanes, EDTA, aryl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclic rings and heteroaryl groups, wherein the heteroatoms are selected from N, S, and O. Any one of these groups may be used alone, in multiple forms or in combination. The spacer group Y may also optionally have attached to it an extra functionality to improve the pharmaceutical or pharmacokinetic properties of the compound. Such functionalities include lipophilic hydrocarbon groups, polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains and peptides. Preferably the spacer group includes optionally substituted straight or branched hydrocarbon chains, polyaminoacids or EDTA.
For the purposes of this specification, the terms “hydrocarbon”, “alkane” or “alkyl” are intended to include saturated, unsaturated and cyclic hydrocarbon groups, aromatic rings, and combinations of such groups. Suitable substituents on hydrocarbon chains include Br, Cl, F, I, CF 3 , NH 2 ,substituted amino groups such as NHacyl, hydroxy, carboxy, C 1-6 alkylamino and C 1-6 alkoxy groups such as methoxy, and are preferably F, Cl, hydroxy, C 1-6 alkoxy, amino, C 1-6 alkylamino or C 1-6 carboxy.
EDTA means ethylene dimeric tetraacetic acid.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the compounds of formula (I) may be modified to provide pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives thereof at any of the functional groups in the compounds of formula (I). Of particular interest as such derivatives are compounds modified at the carboxyl function, hydroxyl functions or at amino groups. Thus compounds of interest include C 1-6 alkyl esters, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl or isopropyl esters, aryl esters, such as phenyl, benzoyl esters, and C 1-6 acetyl esters of the compounds of formula (I).
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives of the compounds of formula (I) may be derivatised at more than one position.
The term “pharmaceutically acceptable derivative” means any pharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester or salt of such ester of a compound of formula (I) or any other compound which, upon administration to the recipient, is capable of providing a compound of formula (I) or an anti-virally active metabolite or residue thereof. Of particular interest as derivatives are compounds modified at the sialic acid carboxy or glycerol hydroxy groups, or at amino and guanidine groups.
Pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of formula (I) include those derived from pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic and organic acids and bases. Examples of suitable acids include hydrochloric, hydrobromic, sulphuric, nitric, perchloric, fumaric, maleic, phosphoric, glycolic, lactic, salicylic, succinic, toluene-p-sulphonic, tartaric, acetic, citric, methanesulphonic, formic, benzoic, malonic, naphthalene-2-sulphonic and benzenesulphonic acids. Other acids such as oxalic acid, while not in themselves pharmaceutically acceptable, may be useful in the preparation of salts useful as intermediates in obtaining compounds of the invention and their pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts.
Salts derived from appropriate bases include alkali metal (eg. sodium), alkaline earth metal (eg. magnesium), ammonium, and NR 4 + (where R is C 1-4 alkyl) salts.
The compounds of the invention may be prepared by the methods outlined below, in which Y, X, R and R 2 are as defined for formula (I).
Suitable monomeric intermediate compounds of general formula (II) can be prepared following methods described in International Patent Publications No. WO 97/06157 and No. WO 97/32214. Thus if the group at position 7 is an arylcarbonate (eg. Z=4-nitrophenoxy), the intermediate can be used to make 7-carbamate derivatives (Z=alkyl-NH) by reaction with various amines (alkyl-NH 2 ).
For example, the (6-aminohexyl)-7-carbamate derivative of GG167, compound (7) below, is a useful precursor to certain compounds of the invention.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it may be necessary or desirable to use protecting groups to protect one or more of the functional groups of the neuraminidase-binding molecule during the process of attaching the monomers to the spacer group. See for example “Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis” by Theodore W. Greene and P. G. M. Wuts (John Wiley & Sons, 1991).
Conventional amino protecting groups may include for example aralkyl groups, such as benzyl, diphenylmethyl or triphenylmethyl groups; and acyl groups such as N-benzyloxycarbonyl or t-butoxycarbonyl.
Hydroxy groups may be protected, for example, by aralkyl groups, such as benzyl, diphenylmethyl or triphenylmethyl groups; acyl groups, such as acetyl; silicon protecting groups, such as trimethylsilyl groups; carbonate groups; acetals; or as tetrahydropyran derivatives.
Carboxylic acid groups are conveniently protected as the methyl or diphenylmethyl esters.
Removal of any protecting groups present may be achieved by conventional procedures.
Where it is desired to isolate a compound of the invention as a salt, for example as an acid addition salt, this may be achieved by treating the free base of general formula (I) with an appropriate acid, preferably with an equivalent amount, in a suitable solvent (e.g. aqueous ethanol).
Compounds of formula (I) may be prepared by coupling compounds of formula (III);
where X* is CO 2 H, —COLG, NCO, -halide, —OH, —NHCOLG, —COLG, —OCSLG or —NHCSLG, where LG represents a leaving group such as halide or others obvious to those skilled in the art or protected derivatives thereof;
with compounds of formula (IV);
where X** represents NH 2 or OH or activated or protected derivatives thereof, followed by de-protection if necessary.
The bond between X** and the glycerol side chain is either up or down according to the chemistry that is carried out; for example preparation of an ether leads to inversion of the stereochemistry at this point, but ultimately delivers material with the bond up (as shown in compounds of formula (I).
Preferably the leaving group is a halide.
The compounds of formula (I) possess antiviral activity. In particular these compounds are inhibitors of viral neuraminidase of orthomyxoviruses and paramyxoviruses, for example the viral neuraminidase of influenza A and B, parainfluenza, mumps and Newcastle disease.
Thus in a second aspect the invention provides a compound of the invention, preferably a compound of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof, for use as an active therapeutic agent in the treatment of orthomyxovirus and paramyxovirus infections.
In a third aspect the invention provides a method for the treatment of a viral infection, for example orthomyxovirus and paramyxovirus infections in a mammal, comprising the step of administration of an effective amount of a compound of the invention, preferably a compound of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or derivative thereof, to a mammal in need of such treatment.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the invention there is provided a method for the treatment of influenza A or B in a mammal, comprising the step of administration of an effective amount of a compound of the invention, preferably a compound of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof, to a mammal in need of such treatment.
Preferably the mammal is a human.
An alternative embodiment is a method for the treatment of a mammal suffering from a viral infection, for example, influenza, comprising the step of administration of an effective amount of a dimeric compound comprising two neuraminidase-binding groups attached to a spacer or linking group wherein the administration occurs once. Preferably the dimeric compound is a compound of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof.
In a fourth aspect the invention provides use of a compound of the invention for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a viral infection.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that reference herein to treatment extends to prophylaxis against infection as well as to the treatment of established infections or symptoms.
The compounds of the invention may also be used in diagnostic methods, in particular methods for the detection of influenza virus. For use in such methods it may be advantageous to link a compound of the invention to a label.
It will be further appreciated that the amount of a compound of the invention required for use in treatment will vary not only with the particular compound selected but also with the route of administration, the nature of the condition being treated, and the age and condition of the patient, and will ultimately be at the discretion of the attendant physician or veterinarian. In general however, a suitable dose will be in the range of from about 0.01 to 100 mg/kg of bodyweight per day, preferably in the range of 0.1 to 20 mg/kg/day.
For treatment, the compounds are effective when given post-infection; for example after the appearance of symptoms.
For prophylaxis, the compounds are effective when given before or at the time of exposure to infection.
Suitably treatment is given 1-2 times a fortnight, 1-2 times a week or 1-4 times daily and continued for 3-7 days post-infection, eg. 5 days, depending upon the particular compound used.
The desired dose may be presented in a single dose or as divided doses administered at appropriate intervals, for example as two, three, four or more sub-doses per day.
Preferably treatment is given once to twice a week, most preferably once a week. Preferably the compounds are administered for prophylactic purposes once or twice a week for the duration of one month.
The compound is conveniently administered in unit dosage form, for example containing 1 to 100 mg, conveniently 2 to 50 mg, most conveniently 5 to 20 mg of active ingredient per unit dosage form.
While it is possible that, for use in therapy, a compound of the invention may be administered as the raw chemical, it is preferable to present the active ingredient as a pharmaceutical formulation.
Thus in a fifth aspect the invention provides a pharmaceutical formulation comprising a compound of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or derivative thereof, together with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers therefor and, optionally, other therapeutic and/or prophylactic ingredients. The carrier(s) must be “acceptable” in the sense of being compatible with the other ingredients of the formulation and not being deleterious to the recipient thereof.
The compounds of the invention may also be used in combination with other therapeutic agents, for example other anti-infective agents. In particular the compounds of the invention may be employed with other antiviral agents. The invention thus provides in a sixth aspect a combination comprising a compound of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or derivative thereof together with another therapeutically active agent, in particular an antiviral agent.
The combinations referred to above may conveniently be presented for use in the form of a pharmaceutical formulation, and thus such formulations comprising a combination as defined above together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier therefor comprise a further aspect of the invention.
Suitable therapeutic agents for use in such combinations include other anti-infective agents, in particular anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents such as those used to treat respiratory infections. For example, other compounds effective against influenza viruses, such as amantadine, rimantadine and ribavirin and the sialic acid analogues referred to above, may be included in such combinations.
The individual components of such combinations may be administered either sequentially or simultaneously in separate or combined pharmaceutical formulations.
When the compounds of the invention are used with a second therapeutic agent active against the same virus, the dose of each compound may either be the same as or different from that employed when each compound is used alone. Appropriate doses will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.
Pharmaceutical formulations include those suitable for oral, rectal, nasal, topical (including buccal and sub-lingual), vaginal or parenteral (including intramuscular, sub-cutaneous and intravenous) administration, or those in a form suitable for administration to the respiratory tract (including the nasal passages) for example by inhalation or insufflation. The formulations may, where appropriate, be conveniently presented in discrete dosage units, and may be prepared by any of the methods well known in the art of pharmacy. These methods include the step of bringing into association the active compound with liquid carriers or finely divided solid carriers or both, and then, if necessary, shaping the product into the desired formulation.
Pharmaceutical formulations suitable for oral administration may conveniently be presented as discrete units such as capsules, cachets or tablets each containing a predetermined amount of the active ingredient; as a powder or granules; as a solution, a suspension or as an emulsion. The active ingredient may also be presented as a bolus, electuary or paste. Tablets and capsules for oral administration may contain conventional excipients such as binding agents, fillers, lubricants, disintegrants, or wetting agents. The tablets may be coated according to methods well known in the art. Oral liquid preparations may for example be in the form of aqueous or oily suspensions, solutions, emulsions, syrups or elixirs, or may be presented as a dry product for constitution with water or other suitable vehicle before use. Such liquid preparations may contain conventional additives such as suspending agents, emulsifying agents, non-aqueous vehicles, which may include edible oils, or preservatives.
The compounds according to the invention may also be formulated for parenteral administration by injection, for example bolus injection, or continuous infusion, and may be presented in unit dose form in ampoules, pre-filled syringes, small volume infusion or in multi-dose containers with an added preservative. The compositions may take such forms as suspensions, solutions, or emulsions in oily or aqueous vehicles, and may contain formulating agents such as suspending, stabilising and/or dispersing agents. Alternatively, the active ingredient may be in powder form, obtained by aseptic isolation of sterile solid or by lyophilisation from solution, for constitution with a suitable vehicle, eg. sterile, pyrogen-free water, before use.
Formulations suitable for topical administration in the mouth include lozenges comprising active ingredient in a flavoured base, usually sucrose and gum acacia or gum tragacanth; pastilles comprising the active ingredient in an inert base such as gelatin or sucrose and gum acacia; and mouthwashes comprising the active ingredient in a suitable liquid carrier.
For administration to the respiratory tract, including intranasal administration, the neuraminidase inhibitors may be administered by any of the methods and formulations employed in the art for administration to the respiratory tract.
Thus in general for administration to the respiratory tract the compounds may be administered in the form of a solution or a suspension or as a dry powder.
Solutions and suspensions will generally be aqueous, for example prepared from water alone (for example sterile or pyrogen-free water) or water and a physiologically acceptable co-solvent (for example ethanol, propylene glycol or polyethlene glycols such as PEG 400).
Such solutions or suspensions may additionally contain other excipients for example preservatives (such as benzalkonium chloride), solubilising agents/surfactants such as polysorbates (eg. Tween 80, Span 80, benzalkonium chloride), buffering agents, isotonicity-adjusting agents (for example sodium chloride), absorption enhancers and viscosity enhancers. Suspensions may additionally contain suspending agents (for example microcrystalline cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose sodium).
Solutions or suspensions are applied directly to the nasal cavity by conventional means, for example with a dropper, pipette or spray. The formulations may be provided in single or multidose form. In the latter case a means of dose metering is desirably provided. In the case of a dropper or pipette this may be achieved by the patient administering an appropriate, predetermined volume of the solution or suspension. In the case of a spray this may be achieved for example by means of a metering atomising spray pump.
Administration to the respiratory tract may also be achieved by means of an aerosol formulation in which the compound is provided in a pressurised pack with a suitable propellant, such as a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), for example dichlorodifluoromethane, trichlorofluoromethane or dichlorotetrafluoroethane, carbon dioxide or other suitable gas. The aerosol may conveniently also contain a surfactant such as lecithin. The dose of drug may be controlled by provision of a metered valve.
Alternatively the compounds may be provided in the form of a dry powder, or a dry powder mixture, for example a powder mix of the compound in a suitable powder base such as lactose, starch, starch derivatives such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose and polyvinylpyrrolidine (PVP). The powder composition may be presented in unit dose form, for example in capsules or cartridges of eg. gelatin, or blister packs from which the powder may be administered by means of an inhaler.
In formulations intended for administration to the respiratory tract, including intranasal formulations, the compound will generally have a small particle size, for example of the order of 10 microns or less (Mass median aerodynamic diameter). Such a particle size may be obtained by means known in the art, for example by micronisation.
Preferably the compounds of the invention are administered to the respiratory tract by inhalation, insufflation, or intranasal administration.
When desired, formulations adapted to give sustained release of the active ingredient may be employed.
For the purposes of this specification it will be clearly understood that the word “comprising” means “including but not limited to”, and that the word “comprises” has a corresponding meaning.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention will now be described in detail by way of reference only to the following non-limiting examples.
Particular examples of compounds of the invention include those of Formula (Ia), in which the spacer group Y is as shown in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1
Compound
Number
Linking Group Y
(2)
(CH 2 ) 6 NHCONH(CH 2 ) 4 NHCONH(CH 2 ) 6
(3)
(CH 2 ) 6 NHCONH(CH 2 ) 12 NHCONH(CH 2 ) 6
(4)
(CH 2 ) 6 NH[COCH 2 NH] 3 CONH(CH 2 ) 6 NHCO[NHCH 2 CO] 3 NH(CH 2 ) 6
(5)
(CH 2 ) 6 NH[CO(CH 2 ) 5 NH] 2 CONH(CH 2 ) 12 NHCO[NH(CH 2 ) 5 CO] 2 NH(CH 2 ) 6
(6)
(CH 2 ) 6 NH[CO(CH 2 ) 5 NH] 4 CONH(CH 2 ) 6 NHCO[NH(CH 2 ) 5 CO] 4 NH(CH 2 ) 6
(8)
(CH 2 ) 6 NHCOCH 2 N[CH 2 CO 2 H]CH 2 CH 2 N[CH 2 CO 2 H]CH 2 CONH(CH 2 ) 6
(9)
(CH 2 ) 6 NHCO(CH 2 ) 2 CH[NH 2 · TFA]CONHCH 2 CONH(CH 2 ) 6
(10)
CH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of Bis-[7-(6′-ethylene-ureidohexyl)-carbamoyloxy-5-acetamido-4-guanidino-2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-enopyranosonic acid] (2)
To a solution of 5-acetamido-7-(6′-aminohexyl)-carbamoyloxy-4-guanidino-2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-enopyranosonic acid (7) (50 mg, 0.1055 mmole) in a mixture of DMSO (1 ml) and pyridine (2.5 ml) were added 1,4-diisocyanatobutane (7.39 mg, 0.0527 mmole) and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (12.87 mg, 0.1055 mmole). The whole mixture was stirred under argon at 50° C. for 7 days. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate was evaporated under high vacuum to dryness. The residue was stirred in acetone (2×20 ml) at room temperature for 24 hr and filtered. The filter-cake was washed with acetone (5 ml) and recrystallized from a mixture of methanol and water (7:3) to afford the title compound (2) as a white solid (18.6 mg, 32%).
MS 1090 (M+2) ++
1 H-nmr (CD 3 OD+D 2 O) δ (ppm): 1.30-1.70 (m, 20H), 2.01 (br s, 6H), 2.95-3.20 (m, 12H), 3.50-3.65 (m, 2H), 3.70-3.80 (m, 2H), 3.90-4.20 (m, 4H), 4.35-4.70 (m, 6H), 5.70 (br, 2H).
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of Bis-[7-(6′-hexyleneureodo)-carbamoyloxy-5-acetamido-4-guanidino-2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-enopyranosonic acid] (3)
To a solution of 5-acetamido-7-(6′-aminohexyl)-carbamoyloxy-4-guanidino-2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-enopyranosonic acid (7) (50 mg, 0.1055 mmole) in a mixture of DMSO (1 ml) and pyridine (2.5 ml) were added 4-dimethylaminopyridine (12.87 mg, 0.1055 mmole) and 1,12-diisocyanatododecane (13.31 mg, 0.0527 mmole). The whole mixture was stirred under argon at 50° C. for 7 days and then filtered. The filtrate was evaporated under high vacuum to dryness. The residue was taken up in acetone (2×30 ml), redissolved in DMSO (1 ml), then diluted with a mixture of acetone and ether (1:1) (100 ml) to afford a white precipitate. After filtration, the filter cake was washed with acetone (20 ml) and air-dried to give a crude product (3), which was then recrystallized from a mixture of methanol and water to afford the title compound (3) as a white powder (15 mg, 23.6%).
MS 1202 (M+2) ++
1 H-nmr (CD 3 OD+D 2 O) δ (ppm): 1.25-1.70 (m, 36H), 1.98 (br, s, 6H), 2.95-3.20 (m, 12H), 3.35-3.70 (m, 4H), 3.80-4.60 (m, 10H), 5.65 (br, 2H).
EXAMPLE 3
Preparation of amino acid-linked Bis-[GG167-7-carbamate]; Compounds No. (4), (5) and (6)
In a similar manner to that described in Examples 1 and 2, compounds (4), (5) and (6) were each prepared using the 6-aminohexyl-7-carbamate compound (7), or protected forms of (7), as the key starting material. Each compound was characterised by its mass spectrum and Nmr data.
EXAMPLE 4
Preparation of Bis-[7-(6′-methyleneamine-N-acetic acid-N-acetamido-hexyl)-carbamoyloxy-5-acetamido-4-guanidino-2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-enopyranosonic acid] (Compound Number (8))
To a solution of 5-acetamido-7-(6′-aminohexyl)-carbamoyloxy-4-guanidino-2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-enopyranosonic acid (7) (76 mg, 0.16 mmole) in a mixture of DMF (7.5 ml) and pyridine (2.5 ml) were added ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (20.5 mg, 0.08 mmole) and 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (3.5 mg, 0.028 mmole). The whole mixture was stirred at 50° C. for 18 hr, then evaporated to dryness under high vacuum. The residue was partitioned between dichloromethane (20 ml) and water (10 ml). The aqueous solution was washed with dichloromethane (10 ml), ethyl acetate (10 ml), then evapotated to dryness under high vacuum. The residue was triturated in acetone (50 ml×2) and filtered. The solid was dissolved in water (0.5 ml) and chromatographed on a Sephadex G-25 (50 ml) column using water as eluent and the product was freeze-dried, to afford the title compound (8) (30 mg, 31%).
MS 1206 ( M+2)
1 H-nmr (D 2 O) δ (ppm): 1.23-1.63 (m, 16H), 1.98 (brs, 6H), 3.00-3.20 (m, 8H), 3.35-3.55 (m, 6H), 3.60-3.92 (m, 10H), 4.08 (m, 4H), 4.43 (dd, 2H), 4.50 (dd, 2H), 4.84 (dd, 2H), 5.66 (br, 2H).
EXAMPLE 5
Preparation of D-glutam-γ-yl-α-ylamineacetyl, di-[7-(6′-aminohexyl)-carbamoyloxy-5-acetamido-4-guanidino-2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-enopyranosonic acid] as trifluoroacetic acid salt (Compound Number (9))
N-Boc-D-glutam-α-ylamineacetic acid (25 mg, 0.082 mmole) was dissolved in water (0.25 ml) containing triethylamine (16.6 mg, 0.164 mmole) and N-methylmorpholine (16.6 mg, 0.164 mmole). The clear solution was diluted with acetone (3 ml), then cooled to −20° C. in a dry ice-acetone bath. Into this solution was added isobutyl chloroformate (26.95 mg, 0.197 mmole). The reaction mixture was stirred at −15°±2° C. for 12 min., then combined with a solution of 5-acetamido-7-(6′-aminohexyl)carbamoyloxy-4-guanidino-2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-non-2-enopyranosonic acid (7) (116.9 mg, 0.246 mmole) and triethylamine (24.9 mg, 0.246 mmole) in water (2.5 ml). The resulting mixture was allowed to agitate at room temperature for 3 hr, then evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure. The residue was subjected to flash column-chromatography (silica gel, 2-propanol:acetic acid:water=3:1:1 as eluent) to afford the N-Boc derivative of the title compound (9), which was then treated with trifluoroacetic acid (2 ml) at room temperature for 1 hr, evaporated under vacuum to dryness. The residue was freeze-dried to give the title compound (9) as trifluoroacetic acid salt (31 mg, 30.4%)
MS 1118 (M+2)
1 H-nmr (D 2 O) δ (ppm): 1.22-1.62 (m, 16H), 1.98 (br., 6H), 2.20 (m, 2H), 2.41 (m, 1H), 2.57 (m, 1H), 2.90-3.25 (m, 8H), 3.59 (br dd, 2H), 3.68 (br dd, 2H), 3.76-4.01 (m, 3H), 4.10 (m, 4H), 4.43 (br dd, 2H), 4.53 (br dd, 2H), 4.95 (br dd, 2H), 5.85 (br., 2H)
EXAMPLE 6
Inhibition of Influenza Virus Replication by Compounds of the Invention
Compounds of the invention were tested for their ability to inhibit the replication of influenza A virus, essentially following the standard method that has been described in the literature (see for example Watanabe et al, J. Virological Methods, 1994 48 257). The assay was carried out using MDCK cells, and the results are shown in Table 2 below. The results are shown as ID 50 , the minimum compound concentration that inhibits cytopathic effect by 50% [(μg/ml)], calculated by using a regression analysis program for semi-log curve fitting. The results show that dimeric compounds (2), (3) and (4) are all more active against influenza than the monomeric ligand molecule (7), and that compound (2) of the invention is even more potent than the highly active compound (A) [GG167]. The therapeutic index for the compounds can be calculated by dividing the minimum cytotoxic drug concentration (MTC) by the ID 50 .
TABLE 2
Spacer Atoms
(Number of
ID 50
ID 50
MTC
Compound No.
Atoms)
μg/ml
(μg of (A))
μg/ml
(2)
22
0.007
0.013
>10
(3)
30
0.017
0.028
>10
(4)
42
0.084
0.11
>10
(5)
58
0.35
0.42
>10
(6)
78
0.63
0.62
>10
(A)
—
0.0095
0.028
>10
(7)
—
0.22
0.32
>10
EXAMPLE 7
Inhibition of Influenza Virus Replication by Compounds of the Invention
Compounds of the invention were tested for their ability to inhibit the replication of influenza A/Victoria/3/75 B010 in a standard CPE type assay similar to that described above in Example 6. The results for three separate experiments are shown in Table 3 below.
TABLE 3
Compound No.
EC 50 (μg/ml)
EC 90 (μg/ml)
CC 50 (μg/ml)
8 (test 1)
0.00971
0.0671
>0.1
9 (test 2)
0.002
—
>1
9 (test 3)
0.0004
—
>0.1
Compound (A) (test 2)
0.009
—
>1
Compound (A) (test 3)
0.009
—
>0.1
EXAMPLE 8
Assessment of Long Duration of Action
Rodents are anaesthetised and dosed with compound of interest by the intra-tracheal route at a dose volume of 0.8 ml/kg. The rodent is then held in the vertical position until full recovery is achieved. At different time points, for example, 2, 8, 24 and 48 hours post-dose, levels of compound in the lung tissue are assessed by analytical methods. The time at which levels of compound fall below the sensitivity of the analytical techniques identified will determine the residency time of the compound in lung tissue.
EXAMPLE 9
Alternative Assessment of Long Duration of Action and Efficacy
The protocol for infecting mice has been described previously (1, 2 ,3, 4). Mildly anaesthetised mice are inoculated into the external nares with influenza virus.
Treatment procedure and regimen. A single dose of compound is administered at a defined time point up to 10 days prior to infection, preferably 4-7 days prior to infection, or following infection, preferably immediately following infection and up to 48 hours post infection. In most experiments, a non-lethal strain of influenza is used, and efficacy is assessed by reductions in lung virus titre. For mice given compound prior to infection, lungs are removed post infection either on a single day, or on days following infection, preferably days 1-4 post infection. Homogenised lung samples are assayed for virus using established methods, and the titres of viral load estimated and compared to titres of virus in lungs of untreated mice.
In those experiments where a mouse-adapted lethal strain of influenza is used, efficacy is assessed by an increase in survival rate and/or numbers of survivors, as compared to untreated mice.
Ryan, D. M., J. Ticehurst, M. H. Dempsey, and C. R. Penn, 1994. Inhibition of influenza virus replication in mice by GG167 (4-guanidino-2,4-dideoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid) is consistent with extracellular activity of viral neuraminidase (sialidase). Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother. 38 (10):2270-2275.
von Itzstein M., W.-Y. Wu, G. B. Kok, M. S. Pegg, J. C. Dyason, B. Jin, T. V. Phan, M. L. Smythe, H. F. White, S. W. Oliver, P. M. Colman, J. N. Varghese, D. M. Ryan, J. M. Woods, R. C. Bethell, V. J. Hotham, J. M. Cameron, and C. R. Penn. 1993. Rational design of potent sialidase-based inhibitors of influenza virus replication. Nature (London) 363: 418-423
Woods, J. M. R. C. Bethell, J. A. V. Coates, N. Healey, S. A. Hiscox, B. A. Pearson, D. M. Ryan, J. Ticehurst, J. Tilling, S, A. Walcott, and C. R. Penn. 1993. 4-Guanidino-2,4-dideoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid is a highly effective inhibitor both of the sialidase (neuraminidase) and of growth of a wide range of influenza A and B viruses in vitro. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 37: 1473-1479
Robert J Fenton, Peter J Morley, Ian J Owens, David Gower, Simon Parry, Lee Crossman And Tony Wong (1999). Chemoprophylaxis of influenza A virus infections, with single doses of zanamivir, demonstrates that zanamivir is cleared slowly from the respiratory tract. Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother. 43, 11, 2642-2647
EXAMPLE 10
Powder Inhalation Formulation
Active Ingredient. 5 mg
Carrier e.g. lactose 20 mg
The active ingredient and the carrier are mixed together in a tumbling mixer.
It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that while the invention has been described in some detail for the purposes of clarity and understanding, various modifications and alterations to the embodiments and methods described herein may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concept disclosed in this specification.
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This invention relates to novel dimeric compounds, methods for their preparation, pharmaceutical formulations thereof, and their use as antiviral agents. The compounds are particularly useful against influenza virus. In particular the invention provides a dimeric compound which comprises two neuraminidase binding groups attached to a spacer or linking group. Preferably the dimeric molecule comprises two neuraminidase-binding neuraminic acid (sialic acid) or cyclopentyl or cyclohexenyl carboxylic acid derivatives covalently attached to a common spacer group. Pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment, prophylaxis and diagnosis are disclosed and claimed.
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FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
The subject disclosure relates generally to the field of oilfield exploration, production, and testing, and more specifically to swellable elastomeric materials and their uses in such ventures.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from a subterranean geological formation, referred to as a reservoir, by drilling a well that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. Once a wellbore has been drilled, the well must be completed before hydrocarbons can be produced from the well. A completion involves the design, selection, and installation of equipment and materials in or around the wellbore for conveying, pumping, or controlling the production or injection of fluids. After the well has been completed, production of oil and gas can begin.
Well pipe such as coiled or threaded production tubing, for example, is surrounded by an annular space between the exterior wall of the tubing and the interior wall of the casing or borehole wall. Frequently, it is necessary to seal this annular space between upper and lower portions of the well depth. It is often desired to utilize packers to form an annular seal in wellbores. Open-hole packers provide an annular seal between the earthen sidewall of the wellbore and a tubular. Cased-hole packers provide an annular seal between an outer tubular and an inner tubular. The sealing element of a packer is a ring of rubber or other elastomer that is secured and sealed to the interior wall surface which may be the interior casing wall or the borehole wall. By compression, for example, the ring of rubber is expanded radially against the casing or borehole wall.
Common types of packers include inflatable packers, mechanical expandable packers, and swell packers. Inflatable packers typically carry a bladder that may be pressurized to expand outwardly to form the annular seal. Mechanical expandable packers have a flexible material expanding against the outer casing or wall of the formation when compressed in the axial direction of the well. Swell packers comprise a sealing material that increases in volume and expands radially outward when a particular fluid contacts and diffuses into the sealing material in the well. For example the sealing material may swell in response to exposure to a hydrocarbon fluid or to exposure to water in the well. The sealing material may be constructed of a rubber compound or other suitable swellable material.
The benefits of using swellable seal materials in well packers are well known. For example, typical swellable seal materials can conform to irregular well surfaces and can expand radially outward without the use of complex and potentially failure-prone downhole mechanisms. Swell packers are isolation tools that utilize elastomer swelling to provide a barrier in casing/open hole and casing/tubing annuli. These packers may have a water reactive section, an oil reactive section or both. A water reactive section may consist of water-absorbing particles incorporated into a polymer. These particles swell by absorbing water, which in turn expands the rubber. An oil reactive section may utilize oleophilic polymers that absorbs hydrocarbons into the matrix. This process may be a physical uptake of the hydrocarbons which swells, lubricates and decreases the mechanical strength of the material as it expands, limiting the maximum differential pressure that can be applied across the packer. Moreover, the material deswells in the absence of a triggering fluid resulting in a loss of the annular seal upon changes to the wellbore fluid environment.
It would be an advance in the art if the elastomers used in swellable seals could be improved that when swollen are mechanically stronger and more durable. Further, it would be an advance in the art if the elastomer did not deswell in the absence of the triggering fluid.
The presently disclosed subject matter addresses the problems of the prior art by reinforcing the elastomeric composition. The presently disclosed subject matter discloses elastomer compositions that swell and stiffen but do not substantially degrade or disintegrate upon long term exposure to particular fluids.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
In view of the above there is a need for an improved mechanism for sealing applications. Further there is a need for an improved mechanism to reinforce the seal after swelling or setting. Finally, there is a need for the seal to remain swollen in the absence of the triggering fluid and not fully deswell. The subject technology accomplishes these and other objectives. The subject disclosure relates to a swellable downhole device, useful for downhole sealing. In non-limiting, examples, the swellable downhole device is useful for mechanical packers, swell packers or in certain situations may be used as a cement replacement. The swellable device comprises material which swells in response to a triggering fluid. The mechanism of swelling is via a chemical reaction between the reactive filler and the triggering fluid. Other triggering mechanisms may also be used, in non-limiting examples, temperature, pH or time. As used herein the term “reactive filler” is defined as a filler that undergoes a chemical reaction with the triggering fluid or another triggering mechanism. Additionally, the swellable device comprises a material that increases in volume after being triggered and also becomes less compliant.
In accordance with an embodiment of the subject disclosure a sealing system for use in a subterranean wellbore is disclosed. The sealing system comprises a seal assembly. The seal assembly comprises a base polymer and one or a plurality of reactive fillers combined with the base polymer. The seal assembly is compliant before contacting a triggering fluid and increases from a first volume to a second volume and becomes less compliant in response to contact with the triggering fluid.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the subject disclosure, a method for forming a seal in a wellbore is disclosed. The method comprises a step of providing a composition comprising a reactive filler and a base material. The method further comprises the step of deploying the composition into the wellbore and exposing the composition to a triggering fluid, thereby forming a seal in the wellbore. The formed seal isolates a particular wellbore zone from another wellbore zone or region of a subterranean formation. In non-limiting examples, the seal formed is an o-ring, a packer element, a flow control valve or a bridge plug.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the subject disclosure, a sealing system for use in a subterranean wellbore is disclosed. The sealing system comprises a swellable material. This swellable material comprises a base polymer and a reinforcing reactive filler disposed in the base polymer. The swellable material swells when in contact with a triggering fluid and is a compliant material having a first volume before swelling with the triggering fluid and is a less compliant material having a second volume after swelling with the triggering fluid.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the subject disclosure, a method of forming an annular barrier in a subterranean wellbore is disclosed. The method comprises a number of steps. The first step is the step of compounding a reactive material within a base polymer to thereby form a compliant seal assembly. The formed compliant seal assembly contacts a triggering fluid and increases from a first volume to a second volume and becomes less compliant in response to contact with a triggering fluid. Further, the compliant seal does not decrease to the first volume in response to termination of contact with the triggering fluid.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the subject disclosure, a method of constructing a well packer is disclosed. The method comprises a number of steps. The first step involves compounding a reactive material within a base polymer to thereby form a compliant well packer. The second step involves installing the compliant well packer on a base pipe. The third step involves the compliant well packer contacting a triggering fluid and increasing from a first volume to a second volume and becoming less compliant in response to contact with a triggering fluid. Finally, the compliant well packer does not decrease to the first volume in response to termination of contact with the triggering fluid.
Further features and advantages of the subject disclosure will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a schematic of a well system embodying principles of the present invention;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are graphs of volume change (%) and modulus ratio as a function of time for a typical oil swell material;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are graphs of volume change (%) and modulus ratio as a function of time for an improved water swelling compound described herein;
FIGS. 4A and 4B are graphs of volume change (%) and modulus ratio as a function of time for an improved water swelling compound described herein containing superabsorbent polymer (SAP) at two different concentrations: 10% mass SAP and 15% mass SAP;
FIG. 5 illustrates a graph of volume change (%) as a function of time for an improved water swelling compound described herein containing Magnesium oxide (MgO) at two different concentrations: 15% mass MgO and 45% mass MgO;
FIG. 6 illustrates a graph of % dry volume change as a function of time for an improved water swelling compound described herein containing Magnesium oxide (MgO) at two different concentrations: 15% mass MgO and 45% mass MgO. Dry volume means that samples were exposed to water for varying times as illustrated on the graph and then dried by exposure to air at 82° C.;
FIG. 7 is a stress-strain graph for an improved swelling compound according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 8A is a schematic, cross-section view of a downhole tool with a deployable sealing element (a water swellable elastomer as described herein) in its initial shape; and
FIG. 8B is a schematic, cross-section view of the downhole tool of FIG. 8A where the selectively deployable sealing element has been deployed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments herein are described with reference to certain types of downhole swellable fixtures. For example, these embodiments focus on the use of packers for isolating certain downhole regions in conjunction with the use of production tubing, strings, casing or liners. Further, embodiments disclosed herein may be used as an isolating material in conjunction with a production tubing, strings, casings, liners, sand-control screens, gravel pack assembly or casing hangers inside a casing or against a formation.
However, a variety of alternative applications may employ such swell packers, such as for well stimulation, completions or isolation for water injection. Additionally, alternative swellable fixture types, such as plugs, chokes, flow control valves and restrictors may take advantage of materials and techniques disclosed herein. Finally, these swellable fixtures may be used as an annular seal as an alternative to cement, in one non-limiting example, a re-entry well. Regardless, embodiments of downhole swellable fixtures disclosed herein are configured to have both reinforcement properties and a volume increase upon exposure to fluid in a wellbore.
Reinforced elastomeric compositions are described in the following co-owned patent application, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: “Reinforced Elastomers,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/577,121, filed, Oct. 9, 2009, and may be utilized in the construction of embodiments of downhole swellable fixtures disclosed herein.
The subject disclosure describes apparatus comprising an elastomeric material useful in oilfield applications, including hydrocarbon exploration, drilling, testing, completion, and production activities. As used herein the term “oilfield” includes land based (surface and sub-surface) and sub-seabed applications, and in certain instances seawater applications, such as when hydrocarbon exploration, drilling, testing or production equipment is deployed through seawater. The term “oilfield” as used herein includes hydrocarbon oil and gas reservoirs, and formations or portions of formations where hydrocarbon oil and gas are expected but may ultimately only contain water, brine, or some other composition. A typical use of the apparatus comprising an elastomeric component will be in downhole applications, such as zonal isolation of wellbores, although the invention is not so limited. A “wellbore” may be any type of well, including, but not limited to, a producing well, a non-producing well, an injection well, a fluid disposal well, an experimental well, an exploratory well, and the like. Wellbores may be vertical, horizontal, deviated some angle between vertical and horizontal, and combinations thereof, for example a vertical well with a non-vertical component. The use of the term “wellbore fluid” is intended to encompass completion fluids and reservoir fluids.
Representatively illustrated in FIG. 1 is a well system 101 which embodies principles of the subject disclosure. In the well system 101 , a tubular string 111 (such as a production tubing string, liner string, etc) has been installed in a wellbore 107 . The wellbore 107 may be fully or partially cased as depicted in FIG. 1 , with casing string 103 in the upper portion and uncased in the lower portion. An annular barrier is formed between the tubular string 111 and the casing string 103 by means of a swell packer 105 . Another annular barrier is formed between the tubular string 111 and the uncased wellbore 107 by means of another swell packer 113 . The swell packer 113 swells from an unexpanded state to an expanded state when it comes into contact or absorbs a triggering fluid. The triggering fluid can be present naturally in the wellbore, can be present in the formation and then produced into the wellbore, or can be deployed or injected into the wellbore. It should be understood that swell packers 105 and 113 are examples of uses of the principles of the subject disclosure. Other types of packers may be constructed, and other types of annular barriers may be formed, without departing from the principles of the subject disclosure. An annular barrier could be formed in conjunction with production tubing, strings, casings, liners, sand-control screens, gravel pack assembly or casing hangers inside a casing or against a formation. Thus, the subject disclosure is not limited in any manner to the details of the well system 101 described herein.
Downhole swellable fixtures may comprise in non-limiting examples an elastomeric material filled with a setting or reactive filler such as cement clinker (silicates, aluminates and ferrites) and may further comprise oxides such as magnesium oxide and calcium oxide. The elastomeric material may be a relatively inert rubber e.g., Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (HNBR) or an oil swellable rubber e.g. ethylene propylene diene Monomer (M-class) rubber (EPDM). These reactive fillers may be activated by a plurality of different triggering mechanisms, in non-limiting examples, oil/water, time or temperature and once activated increase elastomeric stiffness. These reactive or reinforcing fillers increase the volume of the elastomer/filler composite and through experimental data it has been determined that this increase in volume primarily comes from bound water and some unbound water. The unbound water is water diffusing into the elastomer/filler composite and bound water is water which hydrates the inorganic material. As a result, even after several days in a dry environment, the volume increase remains due to hydration and bound water. The volume increase may reach in non-limiting examples about 50%. Further, the volumetric swelling may be controlled in non-limiting examples, by modifying the total amount of fillers used or using more than one filler and in these instances the volumetric increase may reach greater than about 100%.
The use of swellable materials for sealing components requires control of the swelling kinetics. The downhole swellable fixture must be deployed in its correct position before it swells and seals. The elastomer/reactive filler composites allow control of the swelling kinetics by controlling the reaction kinetics of the one or plurality of fillers as well as the permeability of the elastomer to swelling fluid, for example, water or oil. Filler type, size, shape, concentration, porosity and chemical nature, and their combinations, as well as the chemical nature of the elastomer matrix can be used to control the reaction kinetics and consequently swelling kinetics of these composite materials.
Different particle filler size results in a variation in swelling of the downhole swellable fixtures. The rate at which cement hydrates varies with the cement particle size, specifically, larger cement particles require a greater amount of time to completely hydrate. The rubber matrix will also influence the diffusion rate of fluid which will affect the reaction kinetics of fillers. In one non limiting example, a reactive filler which reacts in the presence of water will have an increase in its reaction rate with a rubber matrix which facilitates faster diffusion of water and this in turn will increase the swelling rate of the rubber/filler composite.
Conventional mechanical packers are generally composed of NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) or HNBR (Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) with a reinforcing filler, for example, carbon black or silica. Conventional swell packers are generally composed of a swellable matrix, for example, ethylene propylene diene Monomer (M-class) rubber (EPDM) blends for oil swellable or swellable fillers, for example, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Polyacrylamide or Clay for water swellables. The composition used for conventional packers may determine if the packer deswells if the solvent is not present anymore, for example, water in the case of water swellables. Also, the swollen material loses mechanical properties, therefore lowering the maximum differential pressure the swollen packer can withstand. FIGS. 2A and 2B show a conventional oil swellable material. The graphs are of volume change (%) and modulus ratio as a function of time for an oil swell material. Oil swellable elastomers swell by fluid absorption in the rubber matrix, and as can be seen in FIG. 2B their modulus tends to decrease as they swell and this affects the amount of differential pressure the packer is able to sustain after setting.
Embodiments of the subject disclosure relate to downhole swellable fixtures composed of a swellable matrix comprising a reactive filler which reinforces the swellable matrix after swelling or setting. Further, embodiments of the subject disclosure relate to downhole swellable fixtures composed of a swellable matrix which remains swollen after the swelling fluid is removed, for example, water. The swellable matrix disclosed in the subject disclosure may be used for sealing applications, for example, packers. The material is initially a compliant material. After the filler reacts, for example, the cement sets, the material becomes a stiffer and swollen material with hydration increasing volume.
Base Material
The base material of the seal is generally selected from any suitable material known in the industry for forming seals. Preferably, the base material is a polymer. More preferably, the base material is an elastomer. Elastomers that are particularly useful in the present invention include nitrile rubber (NBR), hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR), carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR), carboxylated hydrogenated nitrile rubber (XHNBR), silicone rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer (EPDM), fluoroelastomer (FKM, FEPM) and perfluoroelastomer (FFKM), and any mixture or blends of the above. “Elastomer” as used herein is a generic term for substances emulating natural rubber in that they stretch under tension, have a high tensile strength, retract rapidly, and substantially recover their original dimensions. The term includes natural and man-made elastomers, and the elastomer may be a thermoplastic elastomer or a non-thermoplastic elastomer. The term includes blends (physical mixtures) of elastomers, as well as copolymers, terpolymers, and multi-polymers.
Reactive Filler Material
A reactive filler material selected from the group consisting of a cement, cementitious material, metal oxide, and mixtures thereof react and swell upon contact with water and stiffen the composite at the same time. In non-limiting examples the metal oxide is magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, manganese oxide, nickel oxide, copper oxide, berillium oxide and mixtures thereof. In other non-limiting examples the reactive filler may be a suitable epoxy comprising an epoxy resin and a hardener (or curing agent) which may react (or polymerize) together over time or temperature. The epoxy may further contain a suitable diluent. Polymerization of epoxy is called “curing”, and can be controlled through temperature and choice of resin and hardener compounds; the process can take minutes to hours. Some formulations benefit from heating during the cure period, whereas others simply require time, and ambient temperatures. Some common epoxy resins include but not limited to: the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), novolac resins, cycloaliphatic epoxy resins, brominated resins, epoxidized olefins, Epon® and Epikote®. Examples of hardeners include but not limited to: Aliphatic amines such as triethylenetetramine (TETA) and diethylenetriamine (DETA); Aromatic amines, including diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) and dimethylaniline (DMA); Anhydrides such as phthalic anhydride and nadic methyl anhydride (NMA); Amine/phenol formaldehydes such as urea formaldehyde and melamine formaldehyde; Catalytic curing agents such as tertiary amines and boron trifluoride complexes. Diluents and solvents are used to dilute or thin epoxy resins. Some examples are: Glycidyl ethers (reactive diluents) such as n-butyl glycidyl ether (BGE), isopropyl glycidyl ether (IGE) and phenyl glycidyl ether (PGE); Organic solvents such as toluene (toluol), xylene (xylenol), acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA), and glycol.
In non-limiting examples the cement is a Portland cement or a mixture of slag and Portland cement. Further examples include Portland cement blends, non-limiting examples include Portland blast furnace cement, Portland flyash cement, Portland pozzolan cement, Portland silica fume cement, masonry cements, expansive cements, white blended cements and very finely ground cements and mixtures thereof. Finally, non-Portland hydraulic cements may also be used, non-limiting examples include Pozzolan-lime cements, slag-lime cements, supersulfated cements, calcium aluminate cements, calcium sulfoaluminate cements and geopolymer cements. These filler materials improve the physical properties of the composition by acting as a reactive filler material. These fillers may impart many advantages to the composite materials produced from the formulations, such as increased volume and increased modulus. Embodiments of the subject disclosure relate to reactive fillers dispersed within a polymer matrix, wherein the reactive fillers swell on contact with water due to hydration and phase modification of the fillers upon reaction with a triggering fluid, in one non-limiting example, water. Reactive fillers in one non-limiting example are cement-like particles, about 1-50 microns, composed of Portland cement or a mixture of slag and Portland cement. FIGS. 3A and 3B are graphs of volume change (%) and modulus ratio as a function of time for an improved water swelling compound described herein. The novel water swelling compounds show an increase in modulus with swelling. FIG. 3A compares the volume change (%) with time for a pure rubber sample and samples containing Portland cement or a mixture of slag and Portland cement or a mixture of slag, Portland cement and MgO. The pure rubber sample has a volume change (%) of about ˜10%. The samples with Portland cement or a mixture of slag and Portland cement respectively swell to ratios of about ˜70% and ˜30%. Finally, the sample with cement and MgO swells to about 110%. FIG. 3B shows the increase in modulus of each of the samples. The pure rubber sample maintains the same modulus ratio over time. The rubber and Portland cement sample increases its modulus by a factor 10 over time. There is also an increase in the modulus ratio of samples containing rubber and a mixture of slag and Portland cement or rubber and a mixture of slag, Portland cement and MgO. MgO and other suitable oxides hydrate upon exposure to an aqueous fluid, in a non-limiting example, to an aqueous fluid during production. The hydration products of suitable oxides are less dense; therefore; there is a corresponding volume increase when they react with an aqueous fluid, e.g., water. Other suitable oxides include CaO, MnO, NiO, BeO and CuO and combinations thereof.
Manufacturing the Elastomeric Samples
The elastomeric compositions useful in downhole swellable fixtures of the subject disclosure may be readily made using conventional rubber mixing techniques e.g. using an internal rubber mixer (such as mixers manufactured by Banburry) and/or a twin roll mill (such as mills manufactured by PPlast). In non-limiting examples cement powder is added to rubber gum during mixing. Other materials such as Magnesium Oxide (MgO) or Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP) may also be added.
Superabsorbent Polymers (SAP) or Hydrogels
Recently there has been a growing interest in swellable elastomers for use in oilfield applications. In order to make elastomers swell in water, previous publications have disclosed elastomer formulations that contain superabsorbent polymers like hydrogels (See U.S. Pat. No. 7,373,991, entitled “Swellable Elastomer-based apparatus, oilfield elements comprising same, and methods of using same in oilfield applications”, filed Mar. 27, 2006). The main drawback of using hydrogels is that hydrogel containing swellable polymers do not possess long term physical integrity. This is because the hydrogel particles embedded in the elastomer tends to migrate to the surface of the elastomer part and into the water phase. As a result, elastomer/hydrogel blends show a nonuniform swelling and develop blisters on the surface when exposed to water. After a few days of exposure to water these blisters burst open and hydrogel particles are ejected out of the blend leaving behind cracks in the elastomer.
Water swellable packers often incorporate hydrophillic, swelling polymers (sometimes referred to as “superabsorbing particles” for example, cationic, anionic or zwitterionic polymers in an elastomeric matrix. Non-limiting examples include Polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, polyethyleneoxide, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene oxide, poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide), polymers made from zwitterionic monomers which includeN, N-dimethyl-N-acryloyloxyethyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)-ammonium betaine, N,N-dimethyl-N-acrylamidopropyl-N-(2-carboxymethyl)-ammonium betaine, N,N-dimethyl-N-acrylamidopropyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)-ammonium betaine, 2-(methylthio)ethyl methacryloyl-S-(sulfopropyl)-sulfonium betaine, 2-[(2-acryloylethyl)dimethylammonio]ethyl 2-methyl phosphate, [(2-acryloylethyl)dimethylammonio]methyl phosphonic acid, 2-(acryloyloxyethyl)-2′-(trimethylammonium)ethyl phosphate, 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, 2-[(3-acrylamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]ethyl 2′-isopropyl phosphate, 1-vinyl-3-(3-sulfopropyl)imidazolium hydroxide, (2-acryloxyethyl)carboxymethyl methylsulfonium chloride, 1-(3-sulfopropyl)-2-vinylpyridinium betaine, N-(4-sulfobutyl)-N-methyl-N,N-diallylamine ammonium betaine, N,N-diallyl-N-methyl-N-(2-sulfoethyl)ammonium betaine and the like. Superabsorbent polymers are hydrophilic networks which can absorb and retain huge amounts of water or aqueous solutions. These superabsorbing materials exhibit very fast kinetics of swelling which is useful for sealing applications. However, as discussed above these materials do not possess long term physical integrity. Further, a large amount of SAP fillers are often required (−30-40% by weight of the composite) to achieve swelling, resulting in a significant strength reduction upon swelling. A further limiting aspect of SAP materials is sensitivity to salt concentration, tending to deswell upon exposure to brine which results in loss of zonal isolation.
The present disclosure further relates to an embodiment of a downhole fixture comprising elastomeric material compounded with reactive fillers and SAP for use in swellable fixtures. The advantages of this embodiment are that SAP will absorb a large quantity of water and this water will then be available to the reactive fillers, thereby increasing the reaction rate and hence the swelling rate of the reactive fillers. The reactive fillers provide both swelling and reinforcement to the material thus providing long term physical integrity. Further, the amount of SAP needed is reduced as the SAP functions mainly for initial water uptake and the reactive filler provides the swelling.
Embodiments of the subject disclosure comprising elastomers and reactive fillers have a slower rate of swelling when compared to oil swellable elastomers. To improve the efficiency of water transport SAP may be used. Rubber compositions containing SAP fillers have often been used in the past to make water swellable packers. See commonly owned, U.S. Pat. No. 7,373,991, entitled “Swellable elastomer-based apparatus, oilfield elements comprising same, and methods of using same in oilfield applications”, filed Mar. 27, 2006, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
Embodiments of the subject disclosure disclose elastomeric compositions suitable for downhole swelling fixtures comprising reactive fillers and a small percentage of SAP. FIGS. 4A and 4B are graphs of volume change (%) and modulus ratio as a function of time for an improved water swelling compound for use in downhole fixtures described herein containing superabsorbent polymer (SAP) in addition to cement at two different concentrations: 10% mass SAP and 15% mass SAP. The samples swell rapidly especially in the first few hours due to the addition of SAP and the ability of SAP to absorb a large amount of water. The greater the amount of SAP added initially the higher the swelling ratio in the first few hours. The sample with about 15% of SAP swells to about 140% versus the sample with 10% which swells to about 60%. However, after some time, the swelling ratio of the samples decreases to equilibrium of about 50%-60% similar to the sample with no SAP added. The addition of SAP results in a significant increase in the volume of rubber even at very short durations. Volume increase is a result of the rapid absorption of water by SAP. SAP also is a water source for cement hydration resulting in faster hydration of cement. FIG. 4B shows the modulus increase with varying amounts of SAP. The modulus of samples containing SAP reduces significantly in the first few hours from an initial modulus of about 1 to as low as 0. The modulus increases again over time and the sample containing the highest amount of SAP (15%) has the highest percentage modulus increase of about 500% or by a factor of about 6. The increased availability of water inside the rubber matrix increases the rate of cement hydration, thus, increasing the modulus of the rubber matrix. The addition of SAP increases both the kinetics of swelling and stiffening upon incorporation of SAP to embodiments of the subject disclosure. Further, the rubber matrix is reinforced which is a significant advantage compared to rubber matrices containing only SAP which become soft upon swelling and therefore results in failure of the material under a high differential load.
FIG. 5 illustrates a graph of volume change (%) as a function of time for an improved water swelling compound for use in downhole fixtures described herein containing magnesium oxide (MgO) at two different concentrations: 15% mass MgO and 45% mass MgO. An increase in MgO compounded with cement increases the amount of swelling. The sample with 45% MgO has a volume change (%) of about 110% versus the sample with 15% MgO having a volume change of about 60%.
FIG. 6 illustrates a graph of % dry volume change as a function of time for an improved water swelling compound for use in downhole fixtures described herein containing magnesium oxide (MgO) at two different concentrations: 15% mass MgO and 45% mass MgO. Samples were exposed to water for varying times as illustrated on the graph and then dried by exposure to air at 82° C. The samples remained partially swollen after drying with a volume change (%) of about 80% for the sample containing 45% MgO.
FIG. 7 is a stress-strain graph for an improved swelling compound for use in downhole fixtures described herein according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The rubber/cement composite exhibits a large increase in strength after drying.
Brine Insensitive Water Swellable Polymers
Embodiments of the subject disclosure may need to swell in the presence of brine. As used herein, the term “brine” is meant to refer to any water-based fluid containing alkaline or earth-alkaline chlorides salt such as sodium chloride, calcium chloride, etc, sulphates and carbonates. The swelling characteristics may be variable in relation to the variability in salt concentration of the brine. That is, as the salt concentration increases, the amount of swell will also increase. It is important to have a seal whose swelling is less sensitive to the changes in brine concentration. The elastomer backbone of embodiments of the subject disclosure may be tailored with particular concentrations of cations and/or anions grafted thereto so as to reduce the sensitivity thereof to brine concentration. Materials may be used that swell to a given degree upon exposure to brine in the well. Additionally, the given degree of swell for the material remains substantially constant where the brine concentration fluctuates. Embodiments of the subject disclosure disclose a swellable fixture, in one non-limiting example a packer configured of brine-insensitive materials combined with reactive fillers.
Packer Seal Test Experiment
A mini-packer of an oil swellable material and a mini-packer of HNBR rubber, cement and MgO in varying percentages were tested and compared using methods known to those skilled in the art. The oil swellable packer failed at a differential pressure of about 1,200 psi and major material extrusion which is related to poor mechanical properties was observed. The novel water swellable packer failed at a differential pressure of 11,000 psi and minor material extrusion which is related to good mechanical properties was observed.
An example of using the water swellable elastomers described herein on a downhole tool 801 , in a specific case a packer, is schematically illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B . FIG. 8A shows the sealing assembly 805 which comprises a seal assembly of the subject disclosure in a first or initial compliant state which has formed around a tubing 803 . The first or initial compliant state allows the downhole tool to be put in the correct place easily. After contact with water or brine, the sealing assembly 805 will expand, swell to a second less compliant state or volume 819 , and will then conform to the borehole wall 821 of the subterranean formation 815 . In this manner, wellbore 813 is sealed.
While the subject disclosure is described through the above exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that modification to and variation of the illustrated embodiments may be made without departing from the inventive concepts herein disclosed. Moreover, while the preferred embodiments are described in connection with various illustrative structures, one skilled in the art will recognize that the system may be embodied using a variety of specific structures. Accordingly, the subject disclosure should not be viewed as limited except by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
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The subject disclosure relates to apparatus and methods that are particularly suited for creating a seal in a borehole annulus. More particularly, the subject disclosure relates to a seal with enhanced sealing capability. In one embodiment the subject disclosure relates to a reinforced and permanent swellable packer device.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 437,352 filed Jan. 28, 1974, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to knitting machines. More particularly, it relates to an automatic replacing apparatus for a knitting machine wherein a yarn released from a yarn engaging element is automatically placed into reengagement with the yarn engaging element.
Knitting machines are known in the art in which yarn engaging elements, e.g., so called stoppers are provided and yarn is fed to knitting needles through the stoppers or tripmechanism whereby when the yarn is placed under abnormal tension, the yarn is released from the stoppers and the knitting machine is stopped to prevent the occurrence of a "tight" or fault in the knitted fabric caused by the breaking of the yarn due to the abnormal tension applied to the yarn. The conventional stopper device of the above type is designed so that when abnormal tension is applied to yarn, the yarn is released from the stopper and simultaneously the knitting machine is stopped. Therefore, after checking the cause of the abnormality, the operator brings the yarn into reengagement with the stopper by a yarn replacing stick and then presses a button to bring the knitting machine into operation again. On the other hand, an analysis of the causes of the stoppage of the knitting machines by the conventional stoppers of the above described type showed that a majority of these stoppage were caused by the occurrence of abnormal tension due to tangling of filaments, napping, disorder in the traverse, knotting or the like, and the abnormal tension due to these causes were such that they did not usually result in the breaking of the yarn. Therefore, these causes were of the type that while the stopper would be brought into operation by a momentary abnormal tension, this abnormal tension would automatically disappear as the yarn was moved further, and the cases where it was necessary for the operator to effect adjustments or to change the yarn feed package accounted for few numbers of the total numbers of the stoppages of knitting machine.
Therefore, there has existed the need for an automatic replacing apparatus for a knitting machine of the above type, whereby when the knitting machine is stopped due to the occurrence of abnormal tension and when this abnormal tension spontaneously ceases to exist without interference by the operator, the yarn disengaged from the stopper is automatically placed into reengagement with the stopper.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Automatic yarn replacing apparatus of the above type are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,113 Levin et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,308 Levin and by Philip (The Knitting Times, Vol. 42, No. 16, Apr. 16, 1973). These prior art apparatus are all of the type in which the yarn is continuously engaged with the stopper while the automatic yarn replacing apparatus is in operation. In addition, these prior art replacing apparatus cannot be used with the conventionally used stoppers (e.g., the stoppers shown in British Pat. No. 716,549, etc.) and consequently the use of the conventional replacing apparatus makes it necessary to remove the conventional stoppers. Furthermore, their irregularity or fault detecting devices for detecting whether the abnormal tension applied to the yarn has been eliminated are relatively complicated in construction and their adjustments are also difficult.
On the contrary, the automatic yarn replacing apparatus according to the present invention is designed so that when abnormal tension is applied to yarn, the yarn is completely released from the stopper and this complete releasing of the yarn upon the application of abnormal tension has the effect of reducing detrimental effects on the yarn.
Further, the conventional stoppers of any type may be used as such with the apparatus of this invention and thus the apparatus of this invention is meritorious from a cost point of view. Still further, since the fault detecting device used in the apparatus of this invention is of a type which is operated electrically and very simple in construction, it is inexpensive to manufacture and is also positive and reliable in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic yarn replacing apparatus for a knitting machine of the type in which yarn is released from a yarn engaging element upon the application of abnormal tension to the yarn and the knitting machine is simultaneously stopped.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic yarn replacing apparatus which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple to operate and free from the danger of producing any detrimental effect on the quality of the fabric.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an automatic yarn replacing apparatus for a knitting machine of the above type comprising at least one vertical motion means for receiving yarn released from the yarn engaging element and moving the yarn upward into reengagement with the yarn engaging element, whereby the knitting machine is again brought into operation automatically upon the reengagement of the yarn with the yarn engaging element.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an automatic yarn replacing apparatus wherein vertical motion means is provided with fault detecting means for detecting an abnormal condition in the yarn, whereby when the abnormal condition of the yarn has been eliminated, the operation of the vertical motion means is continued, whereas when the abnormal condition of the yarn has not been eliminated, the operation of the vertical motion means is stopped, and the knitting machine is automatically brought into operation again only after the released yarn has been reengaged with the yarn engaging element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional knitting machine useful in explaining the manner in which yarn is fed.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of an automatic yarn replacing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction of arrow D.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the apparatus in FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the apparatus of this invention which is useful in explaining the manner in which the yarn is brought into reengagement with the stopper.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged front perspective view of a portion of the fault detecting means of the invention.
FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of an electric circuit of the apparatus according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the illustrated embodiment.
FIG. 1 shows the yarn feeding operation of a conventional knitting machine. In the normal condition of an operating knitting machine, a yarn 2' taken from a yarn feed package 2 is fed as shown at an actual line in FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrow to a knitting machine 20 through a guide 3 secured to the lower portion of a creel 1 while it is being held in engagement with a stopper 4. When a tension greater than a certain value is applied to the yarn, the yarn is released from the stopper 4 and eventually the yarn falls to the position shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 1. Such stopper is entirely conventional and may be of the type shown, for example in British Pat. No. 716,549. The automatic yarn replacing apparatus of this invention is arranged to cooperate with the stoppers 4, with FIG. 2 showing a schematic side view of an embodiment of the apparatus, FIG. 3 a partial plan view of FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 a front view of FIG. 2.
In accordance with the present invention, each of the stoppers 4 is provided with a device shown in FIG. 5 for bringing the released yarn into reengagement with the stopper 4. This stopper is similar to the already known stopper shown in British Pat. No. 716,549 except a little modification in minor portion. Though the internal structure of the stopper 4 proper is not shown in FIG. 5, the stopper of the type having the internal structure disclosed in British Pat. No. 716,549 has heretofore been used widely and the stoppers of the type shown in this British Pat. No. 716,549 are also used in the illustrated embodiment of this invention. Said a little modification of this means that to operatively associate the stoppers 4 with the automatic yarn replacing apparatus of this invention, an extension 4'" is provided on the opposite side of a yarn holding lever 4' on the outside of the stopper proper and the electric wiring from the inside of the stopper proper is connected to the electric circuit of the automatic yarn replacing apparatus. FIG. 5 shows the condition in which a yarn 2' which has been released from the stopper 4 is on the point of coming into reengagement with the stopper 4.
In the normal operating condition of the knitting machine, the yarn 2' is fed to the knitting machine through the yarn holding lever 4' with a sensing lever 4" being supported by the yarn 2'. When an excessive tension is applied to the yarn 2', the yarn holding lever 4' of the stopper 4 is rotated downwardly (into a position lower than that of FIG. 5) against the force of the spring (not shown) provided inside the body portion of the stopper 4 and thus the yarn 2' falls to release it from the stopper 4. The yarn 2' released from the stopper 4 falls along a pair of guide elements 7 onto a guide bar 8 and it is then received as shown at the one-dot chain line in FIG. 2 by a yarn receiving element 9' preliminarily arranged below the stopper 4 at position A in FIG. 2. As the yarn 2 disengages the yarn holding lever 4' of the stopper 4, the sensing lever 4" supported by the yarn 2' is also rotated downwardly and thus the electrical contact is closed in the body portion of the stopper 4 to stop the knitting machine through an electromagnetic brake. Such electromagnetic brake is conventional as for example shown in British Pat. No. 716,549 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,541,628 and 2,055,610. When the sensing lever 4" closes the electrical contact in the body portion of the stopper 4 so that the knitting machine is stopped through the electromagnetic brake constructed as will be described later, the automatic yarn replacing apparatus of this invention comes into operation. While the time required for the knitting machine to stop after the releasing of the yarn 2' from stopper 4 is usually several seconds, the time differs dependent on the condition of the knitting machine. Therefore the length of the yarn knitted from the releasing of the yarn to stoppage of the knitting machine differs dependent on the conditions of the knitting machine. If the length of this knitted yarn is great, there is a danger of knitting the portion of the yarn put under abnormal tension. Therefore it is preferable to make the distance between the stopper 4 and the knitting section of the knitting machine as large as possible and adjustable. The reason for this will be apparent further on in the specification.
The purpose of the guide elements 7 is to ensure that the yarn 2' released from the stopper 4 is positively guided to the yarn receiving element 9', and the two guide elements 7 are arranged as shown in FIG. 4 on both sides of each yarn 2' in such a manner that the guide elements 7 are out of contact with the yarn 2' during the normal operation of the knitting machine. Further, the guide elements 7 may be eliminated, if the yarn 2' released from the stopper 4 can be positively received by the yarn receiving element 9'. On the other hand, when the knitting machine stops operating in response to the closing of the electrical contact by the sensing lever 4", the automatic yarn replacing apparatus of the invention is brought into operation by an electric circuit that will described later (the electric circuit shown in the schematic wiring diagram of FIG. 7 and constituting a part of the electrical motor drive circuit of the knitting machine).
In other words, when the knitting machine stops operating and the yarn 2' falls onto a yarn receiving element 9', a driving motor 19 is brought into operation by a timer after the expiration of several seconds and a shaft 16 is rotated through a reduction gear (not shown) which is housed in a gear case 18 (See FIGS. 2, 3 and 6). The shaft 16 is integrally secured through a pair of brackets 15 to a rail 14 and a plurality of vertical motion members 17 mounted on the rail 14. An arm 9 is integrally secured to each of the vertical motion members 17, and the forward end of the arm 9 constitutes the yarn receiving element 9' and the backward end of the arm 9 constitutes a tension sensitive arm 9". Consequently, when the vertical motion members 17 are moved from the lower positions to the upper positions by rotating of shaft 16, the arm 9 with the yarn receiving element 9' are simultaneously raised from their lower positions A to upper positions B as shown in FIG. 2. The position B corresponds to the positions of the yarn 2' and the arm 9 which are shown by the two-dot chain lines in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the stopper 4 and the yarn receiving element 9' when the latter is at the position B. It is arranged so that when the arm 9 is moved to the position B, the rail 14 comes into contact with an upper limit switch 21 shown in FIG. 2. When the arm 9 is moved to the position B shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 so that the upper limit switch 21 operates, a solenoid 6' is energized and a shaft 6 is rotated in a direction of an arrow C thus rotating a stopper restoring lever 5 mounted on the shaft 6 in a downward direction. When this occurs, the stopper restoring lever 5 acts on the extension 4'" of the yarn holding lever 4' and the extension 4'" is rotated downwardly. Consequently, the extension 4'" is rotated from the solid line position to the two-dot line position shown in FIG. 5 so that the yarn holding lever 4' holds the yarn 2' and is rotated from its solid line position in FIG. 5 into a raised position at which the yarn holding lever 4' is held stationary by the spring in the stopper 4. (The raised position is not shown.) After the restoring lever 5 has acted on the extension 4'" of the yarn holding lever 4', the shaft 6 is rotated in the reverse direction and returned to the initial position by the spring in the solenoid 6'. When the yarn holding lever 4' holding the yarn 2' is held stationary at the raised position, the sensing lever 4" is also rotated upwardly by the yarn 2' and the electrical contact in the body portion of the stopper 4 is opened again. Thereafter, in response to the operation of the upper limit switch 21, the driving motor 19 is rotated in the reverse direction by the timer and the arm 9 is returned to the position A from the position B. It is also arranged so that when the arm 9 returns to the position A, a lower limit switch 22 shown in FIG. 2 contacts with the rail 14 and the driving motor 19 is stopped by the lower limit switch 22, thus bringing the knitting machine into operation again. The angle of rotation of the vertical motion member 17 is dependent on the length of the arm 9, the position of the stoppers 4, etc., and it is usually less than 90 degrees. The rotational angle preferred for the operation of this embodiment is in the range between 30° and 60°.
Next, an embodiment of fault detecting means used with the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 2. The fault detecting means is mounted on each of the vertical motion member 17 and it comprises the arm 9 having a yarn receiving element 9' and a tension sensitive arm 9", a pin 11, a microswitch 12 and a spring 13. The tension sensitive arm 9" is normally spaced from the microswitch 12. When abnormal tension applied to the yarn 2', causing it to be released from the stopper 4 and received by the yarn receiving element 9', has been eliminated, the tension sensitive arm 9" is spaced from the microswitch 12 so that the microswitch 12 does not operate and the vertical motion member 17 continues its upward movement to replace the knitting yarn 2'. On the other hand, when the abnormal tension has not been eliminated even after the releasing of the yarn 2' from the stopper 4, the tension sensitive arm 9" is rotated about the pin 11 against the force of the spring 13 to push against the pin lever of the microswitch 12 and actuate said microswitch. The output signal of the microswitch 12 stops the rotation of the shaft 16 to terminate the upward movement of the vertical motion members 17. In this way, the actuation of the fault detecting means causes the vertical motion members 17 to stop their movement on the way to the upper positions, thus warning the operator of the fault and the need to take necessary corrective steps.
Having described so far the mechanism of the automatic yarn replacing apparatus of this invention, an embodiment of a control circuit for the apparatus of this invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the control circuit shown in FIG. 7, a section A includes a number of contacts for the stoppers 4 in the apparatus of the invention and the value of n varies depending on the number of yarns fed to the knitting machine. Reference characters R 1 et seq., designated relay coils, and T 1 et seq. designate timer relay coils. Reference characters R 1-1 et seq., and T 1-1 et seq., designate relay and timer relay contacts. Reference character M designates a driving motor relay, L 1 the upper limit switch 21 which operates when the vertical motion members 17 are moved to the position B, L 2 the lower limit switch 22 which operates when the vertical motion members 17 are moved from the positions B to the positions A. M swl through M swn designate the microswitches 12 provided in the fault detecting means mounted on the vertical motion members 17 to detect abnormal conditions in the yarns 2', and the same number of microswitches as the number of yarns fed to the knitting machine must be provided. Reference character Lamp designates a lamp which operates only when the microswitch 12 in the fault detecting means detects an abnormal condition in the yarn 2', namely the lamp is designed so that when it operates, the knitting machine remains at rest and the operator is warned of the abnormal condition in the yarn 2'. Designated at P.sup.. B is a push button which is pressed by the operator to bring the yarn into reengagement with the stopper 4 after the abnormal condition in the yarn has been eliminated, and S o designates the solenoid 6' which rotates the shaft 6 predetermined degrees in the direction C and which when de-energized is returned to the initial position under the action of the spring.
When abnormal tension is applied to the yarn 2', the control circuit operates as follows. Namely, when abnormal tension is applied to the yarn 2', the yarn 2' is released from the stopper 4 and received by the yarn receiving element 9'. When this occurs, the sensing lever 4" of the stopper 4 is no longer supported by the yarn 2' so that the sensing lever 4" rotates downwardly and the electrical contact in the stopper 4 is closed to energize the relay coil R 1 . Consequently, the knitting machine is stopped through the contact R 1-3 (not shown) of the relay coil R 1 . On the other hand, the relay coil R 2 is held in the energized condition by the contact R 1-1 of the relay coil R 1 and the holding contact R 2-1 of the relay coil R 2 . An AC power supply is applied through the contact R 2-2 of the relay coil R 2 and the timer relay coil T 1 is energized through the contact R 1-2 of the relay coil R.sub. 1. At the expiration of about 2 to 3 seconds after the yarn releasing operation of the stopper 4, the timer relay coil T 1 closes the contact T 1-1 . The contact T 1-1 of the timer relay coil T 1 energizes the driving motor relay coil M and thus the driving motor 19 rotates to move the vertical motion members 17 upward or toward the positions B. At the instant that the vertical motion members 17 are moved to the positions B, the upper limit switch L 1 (21) which is arranged at a predetermined position comes into operation. The operation of the upper limit switch L 1 (21) energizes the relay coil R 32 and the timer relay coil T 2 . The relay coil R 32 is held in the energized condition by the contact R 32-1 and the upper limit switch L 1 (21) so that the solenoid S o (6') is energized and rotated in the direction C to bring the yarn 2' into reengagement with the stopper 4 and the solenoid 6' comes to a rest after rotating the predetermined degrees. The solenoid 6' is operated on DC power rectified from AC power supply. The contact R 32-3 of the relay coil R 32 de-energizes the timer relay coil T 1 . Also the driving motor relay M is de-energized through the contact R 32-4 and the contact T 1-1 of the timer relay coil T 1 . It is arranged so that the driving motor reversing relay coil R 31 is energized simultaneously with the relay coil R 32 so that when the driving motor relay M is operated again, the driving motor 19 is rotated in the reverse direction. The timer relay coil T 2 is energized through the upper limit switch L 1 (21). After the expiration of about 1 to 2 seconds, the driving motor relay M is operated through the contact T 2-1 of the timer relay coil T 2 and the driving motor 19 is rotated in the reverse direction to move the vertical motion members 17 from the position B toward the positions A. The contact T 2-2 holds the relay coil R 7 in the energized condition through the contact R 7-1 of the relay coil R 7 . The solenoid 6'(S o ) is de-energized through the contact R 7-2 of the relay coil R 7 held in the energized condition. When the vertical motion members 17 are moved back into the positions A, the lower limit switch L 2 (22) comes into operation. The lower limit switch L 2 (22) energizes the relay coil R 4 . In this case, since the contact R 2-3 of the relay coil R 2 is in the closed position, the relay coil R 4 is energized. Consequently, the relay coil R 4 is designed so that it is energized only when the stopper 4 operates. The contact R 4-1 of the relay coil R 4 is designed to open the driving motor relay M in such a manner that the vertical motion members 17 are positively stopped at the positions A. The contact R 4-2 serves to prevent the solenoid circuit from operating erroneously, and the contact R 4-3 serves to open the holding circuit for the relay coil R 7 . After the relay coil R 4 has been energized by the lower limit switch L 2 (22), the timer relay T 3 is energized to open the holding circuit for the relay coil R 2 . This means that the entire circuit is now in the same condition as under the normal operating conditions. This completes the operation of the control circuit for the time. Consequently, a start signal for the knitting machine may be generated from the contact R 4-4 of the relay coil R 4 which is not shown.
On the other hand, it is essential that the contact in the stopper 4 opens without fail when the yarn 2' is reengaged with the stopper 4 by the vertical motion member 17. If the contact remains closed, the knitting machine continues to stop operating. Where the yarn feed package 2 on the creel 1 runs out of the yarn 2' or when there is a break in the yarn 2', the vertical motion member 17 also operates in the same manner and the yarn holding lever 4' of the stopper 4 is restored into the original position thus completing the operation only for that once. However, since there is no yarn 2', the sensing lever 4" is not raised by any yarn and the contact in the stopper remains closed thus holding the knitting machine in the non-operated condition.
Where the abnormal tension applied to the yarn 2' has not been eliminated, the electrical control circuit operates as follows. When, during the upward movement of the vertical motion member 17, the abnormal tension in the yarn 2' acts on and operates the abnormal tension sensing microswitch 12(M sw ) so that the relay coil R 5 is energized and held in this energized condition through the microswitch 12 and the contact R 5-1 of the relay coil R 5 . As a result of the holding of the relay coil R 5 in its energized condition the lamp (Lamp) connected in parallel with the relay coil R 5 is lighted to warn the operator of the irregularity. The energization of the relay coil R 5 opens the driving motor relay M through the contact R 5-3 of the relay coil R 5 . Consequently, the rotation of the driving motor 19 is stopped and hence the movement of the vertical motion members 17 are stopped. When this occurs, the relay coil R 32 is held in the energized condition through the contact R 5-4 . In this case, it is also arranged so that in the same manner as previously described, the driving motor 19 is rotated in the reverse direction when the driving motor reversing relay R 31 is energized and the timer relay coil T 2 is then energized. The timer relay coil T 1 is de-energized through the contact R 32-3 . Since the solenoid 6' should not be energized in response to the energization of the relay coil R 5 and the relay coil R 32 , the contact R 5-2 of the relay coil R 5 is provided to prevent the energization of the solenoid 6'.
After the abnormal tension in the yarn 2' has been detected by the abnormal tension sensing microswitch 12, the vertical motion member 17 is returned to the position A. In this case, as previously described, the knitting machine remains at rest since the contact in the stopper 4 remains closed.
When the operator depresses the push button P.sup.. B after the abnormal condition of the yarn has been eliminated, the vertical motion member 17 again holds the yarn 2' and brings it into reengagement with the stopper 4. In this case, the relay coil R 6 is energized in response to the depression of the push button P.sup.. B. Consequently, the contact R 6-1 of the relay coil R 6 is opened to open the holding circuit for the relay coil R 32 and at the same time the holding circuit for the relay coil R 5 is opened through the contact R 6-2 , thus causing the lamp (Lamp) to go off. Consequently, the initial condition is restored, namely, the condition is restored which was existing when the contact in the stopper 4 was first closed. As a result, the relay coil R 1 is energized and the vertical motion member 17 is moved from the position A to the position B to bring the yarn 2' into reengagement with the stopper 4 in the same manner as mentioned earlier. After the yarn 2' has been reengaged with the stopper 4 by the vertical motion member 17 at the position B, the vertical motion member 17 is returned from the position B back into the position A in the manner mentioned previously and the knitting machine resumes its normal operation.
As will thus be seen from the foregoing description that an automatic replacing apparatus according to the present invention provides a mechanized knitting yarn replacing operation which has heretofore been carried out manually, and this has a very great benefical effect on the efficiency of production and the operation efficiency. It will further be seen that the simple construction of this automatic replacing apparatus enables it to be manufactured at a low cost and ensures greater reliability in performance. Moreover, it will be apparent that the use of fault detecting means ensures that no yarn under abnormal tension is forcibly replaced and that the occurrence of phenomena having a detrimental effect on the quality of the fabric such as a, "tight" or the breaking of yarn are completely prevented.
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In a knitting machine in which upon the application of abnormal tension to yarn, the yarn is released from a yarn engaging element and simultaneously the knitting machine is halted. A yarn replacing apparatus is provided comprising at least one vertical motion mechanism for receiving yarn released from a yarn engaging element and moving it upward into reengagement with the yarn engaging element. The vertical motion mechanism further includes a detecting device for detecting an abnormal condition in the yarn, whereby when abnormal tension applied to the yarn has been removed, the vertical motion mechanism continues to operate, whereas when the abnormal tension applied to the yarn has not been removed, the vertical motion mechanism is halted, and the knitting machine automatically again comes into operation only after the reengagement of the released yarn with the yarn engaging element.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to reproducing a digitized signal, in which the amplitudes of the individual scanning pulses representing the digitized signal are recorded in binary form. Prior to recording, these binary signals, which consist of single pulses, are treated by means of a run-length code. The invention also relates to an apparatus for performing this method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As is known, analog signals can be digitized by scanning their pattern with a specific frequency, so that pulses are obtained with an amplitude corresponding to the deflection of the information signal at the time of the particular scan. The numerical value of the amplitude of the scanning pulse is then converted into binary form and said binary signal is recorded on the particular record support. When reproducing a signal recorded in this way, the binary values of the amplitudes of the successively following scanning pulses are converted back into the corresponding analog pattern of the information signal.
The transition from level 0 or -1 to level +1 in the binary signal can be considered as the rising front of a single pulse in the binary signal. The transitions from level +1 to level 0 or -1 can be looked upon as the falling front of the single pulse. The binary signal, which reproduces the numerical value of the amplitude of one of the scanning pulses, normally contains several such single pulses and consequently also transitions between the -1 and +1 levels. The length located in the binary signal between two transitions is referred to hereinafter as the "run length" or just as "signal". A run length may comprise only a single bit or several directly succeeding bits or bit positions of the same level and/or value 0 or 1. Thus, the run length also gives the duration of the individual pulses in the binary signal.
If in a single binary signal, several single pulses succeed one another, wherein each comprises only one or only a few bit positions, then the time interval between the rising front and the falling front of the single pulse, i.e., the duration of the particular single pulse, is very short. The shorter the run length of the single pulse, the greater the demands on the width of the frequency spectrum to be transmitted by the system.
When recording the binary amplitudes of scanning pulses, problems occur if a binary-expressed numerical value of the amplitude of a scanning pulse has a frequent change of level between 0 and/or -1 and +1. In such a binary signal, the run lengths of the single pulses are short. In the case where such a signal is to be recorded, the pulse ratio is high and the demands made on the necessary frequency width of the system are correspondingly high. If the system does not have the necessary frequency width, then the single pulses are reproduced in distorted form in the binary form of the scan value.
In order to obviate this and other problems, the binary-expressed values of the amplitudes of the scanning pulses to be recorded are treated on the basis of a run-length code. A large number of such codes are known. One of the purposes for using such a code is that if the single pulses are short, the binary form is transformed in accordance with a given rule. In addition, if the single pulse happens to be large, the code can cause the time interval between its edges or sides to be reduced, in order to save space on the record support. One such run-length code called HDM-1 (cf J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 31, No. 4, 1983, pp. 228-234) provides run lengths or edge spacings between 1.5 T and 4.5 T, which can be varied in 0.5 T steps. T is the time or correspondingly the length necessary for recording s single bit cell of said code.
Certain problems occur when reproducing a binary signal recorded in this way. For example, the edges of a response or a single pulse in the reproduced binary signal has a finite instead of an infinite steepness. The 0 crossings of the edges in a single pulse of a reproduced binary signal can then, in certain circumstances, have a different spacing from one another than in the single pulse to be recorded. In addition, the phase response in the reproduced signal is not linearly dependent on the frequency. Thus, equalizers are used in the known reproduction systems for the purpose of improving the behavior of the reproduction electronics in the case of a step and/or phase response. Such equalizers deal with the incoming signals as analog signals. In principle, they are analog filters, which must be adapted to the parameters of the recording system (such as, e.g., tape speed, recording head characteristics, tape characteristics, etc).
In such known reproduction electronics, the equalizer is followed by a device for measuring the run length of the particular single pulse (step responses or 0 crossings), together with a circuit for quantifying the measured run lengths.
The primary disadvantage of this known reproduction electronics is essentially that the construction of such systems with equalizers is complicated. Furthermore, as stated, such systems must be set to specific parameters, and this setting procedure is labor-intensive. Further, if the parameters are modified, then resetting is necessary. In addition, several equalizers are often used in such systems and are connected in series and set to different values of one or more parameters of the system. However, such a solution is hardly feasible in reproduction equipment because it is prohibitively expensive and takes up an excessive amount of space in the equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages and provides method and apparatus which correct the transmission errors of a not ideally functioning system for reproducing digitized signals with limited expenditure and effort and which can be easily adapted to larger changes in the relative speed between support and reading device even in the case of recovering signals from a moving record support (tape, disk).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to non-limitative embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows the pattern of a binary signal indicated by the symbols 0 and 1 and which reproduces the numerical value of the amplitude of one of the scanning pulses of an analog information signal, which has been treated by means of a run-length code;
FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of the signal of FIG. 1 before it is recorded on a signal support or carrier;
FIG. 3 is a representation of the signal of FIG. 2 after it has been read from a record support;
FIGS. 4 and 5 show the signal of FIG. 3, which has been processed in the reproduction means in order to be able to evaluate the interlevel transitions of the signal in the vicinity of the pulse edges;
FIG. 6 shows a first embodiment of apparatus embodying the invention; and
FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a signal pattern in known digital form. FIG. 2 shows the same signal pattern as in FIG. 1, but expressed by a sequence of signals 28 to 33 defining several successive single pulses with run lengths, r i-2 , r i-1 , r i , r i+1 , r i+2 , etc. Such run lengths are proportional to the number of 0 or 1 bits following one another in groups in accordance with the representation of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows a signal pattern 2 approximately corresponding to signal pattern 1 of FIG. 2. It consists of signals 34 to 39, which define the run lengths of run lengths r' i , r' i-1 , r' i-2 , r' i+1 , r' i+2 . These differ from the run lengths r i , r i-1 , r i-2 , r i+1 , r i+2 , by signal deviations dr i , dr i-1 , dr i-2 , dr i+1 , dr i+2 .
In FIG. 4, the run lengths are determined by signals 40 to 45, which can be any sort of digital signal represented by signals such as 28 to 33. For example, such signals 40 to 45 can appear at the output of a playback head.
Unlike the case of signals 34 to 38 according to FIG. 3 which are obtained through the integration of signals 40 to 45 of FIG. 4, signals 46 to 51 in FIG. 5 are obtained by the differentiation of signals 40 to 45 of FIG. 4.
FIGS. 2 to 5 reveal run lengths or r i , r - i+n ,m,r' i and r' - i+n ,m, where n and m are positive or negative integers. The term "run length" is understood to mean the interval or time between two successive signals. The term "signal" is understood to mean a step-like signal 28, 29 as a transition between two stable levels, as shown in FIG. 2.
As can be seen from FIG. 4, a signal 40 which immediately returns to its original position is also conceivable. In such a case, the run length is considered to represent the spacing between comparable points of the signal, e.g., between maxima and minima. However, usually the signal is understood to mean the 0 crossing or the passage of a varying signal run through a predetermined level. This applies in the case of FIGS. 3 and 5. Signals 28 to 33 etc. of the signal pattern 1 according to FIG. 2 can be termed output signals, while signals 34 to 51 according to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 can be termed input signals. This relates to the apparatus in which they are to be processed. The run length are to be understood in such a way that the portions 52 or 53 (FIG. 5) of a signal pattern are not considered to be passages or zero crossings in the aforementioned sense. This also gives a rough definition of the run length.
FIG. 6 shows part of an apparatus for reproducing digitized data or signals recorded in accordance with a run-length code on a record support, e.g., a magnetic tape 2.
It is obvious that other record supports, such as disks, memories, etc. can be used. In the case of a magnetic tape 2, the reading device is in the form of a playback head 3, past which the tape 2 is moved in per se known manner. Upstream of the playback head 3 is connected in per se known manner a voltage transformer and amplifier 4 and, e.g., an integrator 5. If an integrator 5 is connected upstream, then signals 34 to 39 according to FIG. 3 are obtained. A differentiator can also be provided in place of an integrator 5. Then, signals 46 to 51 according to FIG. 5 are obtained. Without block 5, i.e., without an integrator or a differentiator, signals 40 to 45 according to FIG. 4 are obtained.
Deviations with respect to an input signal as shown in FIG. 2 are produced within the systems or apparatuses that transmit or record and reproduce such signals. Such deviations appear because each operation or processing of the signal they carry out are performed less than ideally, as is common in all technical processes. FIG. 2 therefore shows a signal prior to its recording on tape 2 and FIG. 3 shows the same signal after its reading from tape 2 and after its integration in block 5.
The deviations can be measured by test runs. With such test runs, signals whose run lengths are known are fed into the system and the runs are measured at the output of the system. Then the input run length and the output run length are compared and a deviation may result from this comparison. In the same way it is possible to have test runs with groups of successive run lengths and the deviation of a specific run length within this group may be produced. But, as digital signals can only assume discrete values, the number of deviations to be measured is limited. The system to which such test runs may be fed is, for example, a tape recorder or other equipment capable of transmitting digital signals. But if the inventive method or apparatus is designed to reproduce signals transmitted from a tape, then to measure the deviations the test runs have to be executed with a tape recorder. Of course deviations may also be calculated. Once the deviations are known corresponding deviation values are stored in the memory by means of well known programming operations. Such test runs and such programming need to be executed only once or twice in the lifetime of an apparatus embodying the invention.
The integrator of differentiator 5 is followed by a zero detector 56, which detects the zero crossings of signals 34 to 39 or 46 to 51 and supplies the same to a counter 57, which is started and stopped by intermediate signals produced by the zero crossings. Thus, a signal corresponding to the run lengths r' i is available at output 58 and counter 57. Components such as the integrator of differentiator 5, amplifier 4, zero detector 56 and counter 57 are known per se and consequently are not described further in detail here. The same also applies to their operation in such an arrangement.
Output 58 is followed by a selectable number of registers 59, 60 for individual values of the run length r' i+2 , r' i+1 , as they appear at output 58. In the same way as output 58, outputs 61 and 62 of registers 59, 60 are connected across quantizer 63, 64 and 65 to a read-only memory (ROM) 66.
Quantifiers 63, 64 and 65 are connected to inputs 67, 68 and 69 of ROM 66. An output 70 or ROM 66, as well as the output 62 of the last register 60 are connected to a summer or adder 6. Summer 6 is followed by further ROM's 7, 8. Signal deviations dr i are stored in memory 8 and the possible output signals r i , r i+1 , r i+2 , r i-1 , r i-2 are stored in memory 8. These are followed by further register 9, 10 for the individual output signals r i-1 ,r i-2 , etc. Outputs 12, 13, 14 of registers 8, 9, 10 are connected across lines 15, 16, 17 to a ROM 18.
Further signal deviation dr i are stored in ROM 18. An outgoing line 19 of memory 18 is connected to summer 6. Between memory 8 and memory 9, a line 20 is connected to output 14 and derives the output signals r i . Conventionally, this passes into a decoding unit 21.
FIG. 7 shows an apparatus, as in FIG. 6, in which the summers and ROM's 7 and 8 have been combined into a unit 71. The remaining components of the apparatus are identical and consequently have the same reference numerals.
In per se known manner, unit 71 comprises a ROM, in which all the signal deviations are stored. For example, unit 71 has inputs 73, 74 for succeeding run lengths, inputs 75, 76 for preceding run lengths and an input 77 for the actual or present run length. As in the construction according to FIG. 6, there is only one output 14 with line 20 connected thereto. Corrected run lengths r i appear at output 14. FIG. 7 also shows that a quantizer 78, 79 can be connected into each line 15, 16 and fulfills exactly the same function as quantizer 63, 64.
The reproduction of digitized data or signals has as a prior requirement that they have been previously recorded on an information carrier. Thus, for this purpose, it is necessary that the data or signals are recorded in the same code, for whose decoding decoding unit 21 is programmed. The per se known, but not shown, coding unit in the recording electronics of the reproduction equipment or a separate recording equipment converts the digital data or signals from a form according to FIG. 1 into a form according to FIG. 2. For example, signal 1 is stored on magnetic tape 2 as a magnetization changing between two magnetization states.
On reproduction, the signals at output 58 are fed on the one hand to register 59 and on the other to quantizer 63. For example, the run length r' i+2 last counted by counter 57 is stored in register 59 until the counter 57 supplies a new value r' i+3 for a run length. The value r' i+2 on the one hand is then fed into the next register 60 and on the other hand into the quantifier 64, etc.
New values (e.g., integral values)r" i+2 ,r" i+1 ,r" i are associated with the values of the run lengths, e.g., r' i+2 ,r' i+1 and r' i in quantizer 63, 64 and 65 and said new values are subsequently fed via inputs 67, 68 and 69 into ROM 66.
In ROM 66 the values r' i+2 ,r' i+1 ,r' i or r" i+2 ,r" i+1 , r" i are associated with the values of the signal deviations dr i+2 ,dr i+1 ,dr i , which are stored in ROM 66 as a function of the possible values for the run lengths r' i+2 ,r' i+1 ,r' i or r" i+2 ,r" i+1 ,r" i .
If a new value for a run length r' i+2 ,r' i+1 ,r' i appears at output 62, a value dr i+2 ,dr i+1 ,dr i always appears at output 70 of ROM 66. The values for the run lengths r' i+2 ,r' i+1 ,r' i and the values of the signal deviation dr 1+2 ,dr i+1 ,dr 1 are supplied to the summer or adder 6, where they are summed with further values for the signal deviations dr i-1 ,dr i-2 from ROM 18 and combined to produce on output value, which is supplied to ROM 7.
ROM 7 contains signal deviations dr i (r i ) which are dependent on their own run length r i . Thus, account is taken of the particular signal deviation which is a function of only its own run lengths.
In practice, run lengths r i can assume only a certain number of possible specific values. Therefore, memory 7 stores the values of the signal deviations associated with these specific run lengths which are dependent thereon. Thus, for memory 7, the input values r' i or the output values r i can be used via line 24 or 72 as addresses for the storage locations. The run lengths leaving memory 7 via line 25 are used as addresses for ROM 8, which stores the possible integral output values r i of the run lengths.
In ROM 8, the run length r' i is corrected by the signal deviation dr i (noise). The output values of the S/N-ratios r i leave ROM 8 via output 14. From there, the values of the run lengths r i , pass on the one hand into decoding unit 21 and on the other into register 9. Registers 9 and 10 can in each case receive only a single value for a run length. They are connected in such a way that each value of a run length r i first passes into register 9 and then into register 10. From the outputs 12 and 13 of registers 9 and 10, the values of the run length r i-1 ,r i-2 ,r i-3 are transmitted cyclically to ROM 18 via lines 15, 16, where they are used as addresses. The number of registers 9, 10 is a function of the number of values r i-1 ,r i-2 . . . r i-n used for determining the signal deviations.
ROM 18 stores signal deviations dr i in each case as a function of the preceding run lengths r i-1 ,r i-2 ,r i-3 , etc., as a function of the number of registers 9, 10, etc.
The run lengths r i-1 ,r i-2 ,r i-3 , read as addresses into memory 18, designate storage locations containing corresponding signal deviations dr i-1 ,dr i-2 ,dr i-3 .
Prior to read-out, they are again summed in memory 18 and are supplied as signal deviations dr(r i-1 ,r i-2 ,r i-3 ) to summer 6 via line 19. They are there summed with the corresponding run length r' i and the sum is passed in per se known manner through read-only memories 7 and 8.
In the apparatus according to FIG. 6, run lengths as known from FIGS. 3 or 5, and which appear at output 58 of FIG. 6, are corrected to run lengths r i in accordance with the following formula:
r.sub.i =r'.sub.i -dr.sub.i (noise) -dr.sub.i (r'.sub.i+1,r'.sub.i+2 . . . r'.sub.i+m)-dr.sub.i (r'.sub.i)-dr.sub.i (r'.sub.i-1,r'.sub.i-2, . . . r'.sub.i-n)
in which:
r i is the sought run length,
r' i is the erroneous run length fed in,
dr i (noise) signifies a signal deviation as produced in components which cause noise and/or results from the measurement of the run length with finite resolution,
dr i (r i ) is a signal deviation, which is dependent on the length of the run length r i or r' i ,
dr i (r i-1 ,r i-2 , . . . r i-n ) represents a signal deviation, which is influenced by the length of the preceding run length r i-1 ,r i-2 , etc.,
dr i (r i+1 ,r i+2 , . . . r i+m ) represents a signal deviation influenced by the length of the following run lengths r i+1 ,r i+2 , etc.
This relationship is based on the finding that a run length or run length is influenced by the immediately preceding run length. Long run lengths in particular undergo an additional modification due to inadequate reproduction of the low frequency components. Noise and measurement with finite resolution can in each case bring about a change in the run lengths. In the case of less critical transmission channels, the run lengths can be the same as the original run lengths on the basis of an initial approximation. In certain physical reproduction systems there can be influencing of future signals by signals already in the vicinity of the reproduction system.
This means that run lengths arriving at output 58 are subsequently delayed in registers 59, 60, 7, 8, 9, and 10 and that parallel thereto there are signal deviations, whereby after a first time lag, when the run length has reached output 62, this can provide signal deviations of little or undelayed (future) run lengths and signal deviations of more greatly delayed (old) run lengths.
For all of the discrete run lengths r i that occur, signal deviations dr i are stored in the read-only memories 7, 18 and 66. If required, it is also possible to provide all those signal deviations dr i (r i-1 ,r i-2 . . . r i-n ) or dr i (r i+1 ,r i+2 , . . . r i+m ), which are obtained by combinations of two, three of more successive run lengths. These combinations take account of reciprocal influencing of the distortion of succeeding signals.
The apparatus according to FIG. 6 can be varied by using quantizer lines 15 and 16 as well, or by omitting quantizer 63, 64, 65. Because quantifier 65 with input 69 and line 17 serve to determine signal deviations dr i as a function of the sought run length r i , it is possible to eliminate these components or memory 7 which serves the same purpose. Quantizers 63, 64, 65, ROM's 66, 18, 7, 8 and registers 59, 60, 9, 10 provided for storing a single value of a run length, together with summer 6, comprise per se known and consequently not further represented components. It will also be obvious to those expert in these arts that the complete apparatus can be controlled by instructions stored in a memory (not shown) in a particular operating cycle, which is dependent on the frequency of the input and/or output signals.
For example, quantizers 63, 64, 65 and 78, 79 are constructed in ROM form and make it possible to reduce the information flow. For example, they convert seven-bit input information into two- or three-bit output information. However, quantizers 63, 64, 65, 78, 79 can also be integrated into the programmable memories 66, 18. For example, known flip-flop circuits can be used as registers 9, 10, 59, 60.
The measurement of the run lengths in counter 57 can take place with a test frequency dependent on the speed with which an information carrier is moved while the information is being read from it. Thus, if the information carrier comprises, e.g., a magnetic tape 2, the test frequency can be coupled to the speed with which the magnetic tape 2 is moved past the playback head 3. However, it is also necessary to adapt the signal deviations dr i stored in the ROM's 7, 18 and 66 as a function of the run length r i ,r i+1 ,r i-1 , etc.
For example, the signal deviations dr i (r i ) can be determined by test runs. It is then possible to observe how a particular signal with a known run length fed into a recording means appears at the output 58 (FIG. 6). By comparing the known run length r i at the output of a recording means and the run length r' i at output 58, it is possible to determine the signal deviation dr i (r i ) for the particular run length r i . This process can then be carried out for the various provided values for r i .
The same method can be performed with a signal sequence, in order to determine the signal deviation dr i (r i-1 ,r i-2 , . . . r i-n ,r i+1 , . . . r i+m ). The signal deviation dr i is then determined when the preceding and succeeding run lengths r i-1 ,r i+1 ,r i-n ,r i+m are known. As the influence of its particular own run length is known, he signal deviations dr i (r i ) and dr i (r i-1 ,r i-2 , . . . r i-n ) or dr i (r i+1 ,r i+2 , . . . r i+m ) can be kept apart and stored separately in memory 7 and memories 18 and 66.
If the elements through which a signal must pass in order to bring about signal deviations are known, then it is also possible to calculate the signal deviations.
The run lengths r i transmitted via line 20 can also be carriers of particular signal patterns. For example, the latter can comprise a specific sequence of given run lengths r i . Such signal patterns are detected in an apparatus for reading signal patterns in a per se known and consequently not described manner.
In addition, decoding unit 21 can be constructed in such a way that the conversion of the run lengths into monovalent or non-valent bits always takes place together for the complete run length. This is possible because a run length in each case only covers non-valent or monovalent bits. This obviates the need of a conversion for each individual bit cell. A thus constructed decoding unit 21 consequently operates more slowly than when converting for each bit cell. The same operation also occurs in the apparatus according to FIG. 7.
As mentioned above, block 4, which may be an amplifier, produces signals as shown in FIG. 4. These signals may be processed in block 5. If block 5 is an integrator, the signals outputted from block 5 will correspond to the signals shown in FIG. 3. If block 5 is a differentiator, the signals outputted from block 5 will correspond to the signals shown in FIG. 5. In the case of any of the signals according to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, those signals define run lengths. But it is easier to read the run length from signals according to FIG. 3 or 5, since those signals have zero-crossings which are easier to detect than the peaks of the signals shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, block 5 is not absolutely necessary for operation according to the invention.
As mentioned above, block 56 is a zero-crossings detector. Block 57 is a counter. This counter is started and stopped when block 56 reports to the counter that a zero-crossing or a peak has been sensed. The counts are, for example, 7-bit numbers each representing or corresponding to the run length of a pulse of the digital signal. Therefore such 7-bit values can be added to other values in summer 6.
As described above, blocks 63, 64 and 65 which represent quantizers are designed to quantify the values transmitted from the counter of block 57. That means that they may transform the input 7-bit value to a roughly corresponding 2-bit value. The reason for this operation is to save memory space.
The invention has only been explained relative to the example of a reproduction means for a recorded signal. However, it can be seen that the invention can be used wherever digital data is obtained that is distorted due to a non-ideal preceding transmission.
The advantages achieved by the invention are essentially that two previously separate processing operations, namely equalization and restoration of the original quantified run lengths can take place in the same circuit. The processing of digital signals can now take place continuously in a digital manner. There is no need for components operating in analog manner, which leads to simple, space-saving circuits.
Another advantage is the problem-free adaptation of reproduction electronics to changes in the speed of the carrier or support.
The simple manner of signal processing according to the invention leads to lower processing rates in the circuits. This increases operating reliability in the case of great loading of the apparatus. This has an especially positive effect if the signals are processed in a time multiplexing process within reproduction electronics.
A further advantage resulting from the invention is that the apparatus can be set by feeding known signals with known run lengths into recording and reproduction or playback equipment connected to the apparatus and can be taken again at the output of the reproduction part and compared with the signal fed in. This comparison leads to direct values which can be fed into the apparatus. If this process is automated, there can be automatic setting of the apparatus according to the invention.
While the invention has been described in detail above, it is to be understood that this detailed description is by way of example only, and the protection granted is to be limited only within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.
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To compensate for transmission errors of a non-ideal system for transmitting digital signals, first signal deviations are determined and stored, and then there is a direct processing of the input signals into output signals by combining the input signals with the stored signal deviations. The invention includes both method and apparatus and provides a substantial reduction in equipment costs.
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This application is a continuation application of co-pending application Ser. No. 14/023,246, filed Sep. 10, 2013, which is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 13/244,916, filed Sep. 26, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,559,257 which issue on Oct. 15, 2013, which is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 12/533,661, filed Jul. 31, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,077,536, which issued on Dec. 13, 2011, and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/086,170, filed Aug. 5, 2008, which applications and patents are each hereby incorporated herein, in their entireties, by reference thereto. We claim priority to application Ser. Nos. 14/023,246; 13/244,916 and 12/533,661 under 35 U.S.C. Section 120 and claim priority to Application Ser. No. 61/086,170 under 35 U.S.C. Section 119.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to semiconductor memory technology. More specifically, the present invention relates to dynamic random access memory having an electrically floating body transistor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Semiconductor memory devices are used extensively to store data. Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) is widely used in many applications. Conventional DRAM cells consist of a one-transistor and one-capacitor (1T/1C) structure. As the 1T/1C memory cell feature is being scaled, difficulties arise due to the necessity of maintaining the capacitance values of each memory scale in the scaled architecture.
There is a need in the art for improve DRAM memory that can better retain capacitance values in the cells of a scaled architecture comprising many DRAM memory cells. Because of the rapid growth in the amounts of memory used by modern electronic devices, there is a continuing need to provided improvement in DRAM architecture that allow for a smaller cell size than the currently available 1T/1C memory cell architecture.
Currently existing DRAM memory must be periodically refreshed to maintain the viability of the data stored therein, as the stored charges have a finite lifetime and begin to degrade after a period of time. The charges therefore need to be refreshed to their originally stored values. To do this, the data is first read out and then it is written back into the DRAM. This process must be repeated cyclically after each passage of a predetermined period of time, and is inefficient, as it is both time consuming and energy inefficient.
Thus, there is a need for DRAM memory that is both space efficient and can be efficiently refreshed.
The present inventions satisfies these needs as well as providing additional features that will become apparent upon reading the specification below with reference to the figures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides methods of operating semiconductor memory devices with floating body transistors, using a silicon controlled rectifier principle and also provide semiconductor memory devices for such operations.
A method of maintaining the data state of a semiconductor dynamic random access memory cell is provided, wherein the memory cell comprises a substrate being made of a material having a first conductivity type selected from p-type conductivity type and n-type conductivity type; a first region having a second conductivity type selected from the p-type and n-type conductivity types, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type; a second region having the second conductivity type, the second region being spaced apart from the first region; a buried layer in the substrate below the first and second regions, spaced apart from the first and second regions and having the second conductivity type; a body region formed between the first and second regions and the buried layer, the body region having the first conductivity type; and a gate positioned between the first and second regions and adjacent the body region. The memory cell is configured to store a first data state which corresponds to a first charge in the body region in a first configuration, and a second data state which corresponds to a second charge in the body region in a second configuration. The method includes: providing the memory cell storing one of the first and second data states; and applying a positive voltage to a substrate terminal connected to the substrate beneath the buried layer, wherein when the body region is in the first state, the body region turns on a silicon controlled rectifier device of the cell and current flows through the device to maintain configuration of the memory cell in the first memory state, and wherein when the memory cell is in the second state, the body region does not turn on the silicon controlled rectifier device, current does not flow, and a blocking operation results, causing the body to maintain the second memory state.
In at least one embodiment, the memory cell includes, in addition to the substrate terminal, a source line terminal electrically connected to one of the first and second regions; a bit line terminal electrically connected to the other of the first and second regions; a word line terminal connected to the gate; and a buried well terminal electrically connected to the buried layer; the method further comprising: applying a substantially neutral voltage to the bit line terminal; applying a negative voltage to the word line terminal; and allowing the source line terminal and the buried well terminal to float.
In at least one embodiment, the memory cell includes, in addition to the substrate terminal, a source line terminal electrically connected to one of the first and second regions; a bit line terminal electrically connected to the other of the first and second regions; a word line terminal connected to the gate; and a buried well terminal electrically connected to the buried layer; the method further comprising: applying a substantially neutral voltage to the source line terminal; applying a negative voltage to the word line terminal; and allowing the bit line terminal and the buried well terminal to float.
A method of reading the data state of a semiconductor dynamic random access memory cell is provided, wherein the memory cell comprises a substrate being made of a material having a first conductivity type selected from p-type conductivity type and n-type conductivity type; a first region having a second conductivity type selected from the p-type and n-type conductivity types, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type; a second region having the second conductivity type, the second region being spaced apart from the first region; a buried layer in the substrate below the first and second regions, spaced apart from the first and second regions and having the second conductivity type; a body region formed between the first and second regions and the buried layer, the body region having the first conductivity type; and a gate positioned between the first and second regions and adjacent the body region. The memory cell further comprises a substrate terminal electrically connected to the substrate, a source line terminal electrically connected to one of the first and second regions, a bit line terminal electrically connected to the other of the first and second regions, a word line terminal connected to the gate, and a buried well terminal electrically connected to the buried layer; wherein each memory cell is configured to store a first data state which corresponds to a first charge in the body region in a first configuration, and a second data state which corresponds to a second charge in the body region in a second configuration. The method includes: applying a positive voltage to the substrate terminal; applying a positive voltage to the word line terminal; applying a substantially neutral voltage to the bit line terminal; and allowing voltage levels of the source line terminal and the buried well terminal to float; wherein, when the memory cell is in the first data state, a silicon controlled rectifier device is formed by the substrate, buried well, body region and region connected to the bit line terminal is in low-impedance, conducting mode, and a higher cell current is observed at the bit line terminal compared to when the memory cell is in the second data state, as when the memory cell is in the second data state, the silicon rectifier device is in blocking mode.
A semiconductor memory array is provided, including: a plurality of semiconductor dynamic random access memory cells arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, each semiconductor dynamic random access memory cell including: a substrate having a top surface, the substrate being made of a material having a first conductivity type selected from p-type conductivity type and n-type conductivity type; a first region having a second conductivity type selected from the p-type and n-type conductivity types, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type, the first region being formed in the substrate and exposed at the top surface; a second region having the second conductivity type, the second region being formed in the substrate, spaced apart from the first region and exposed at the top surface; a buried layer in the substrate below the first and second regions, spaced apart from the first and second regions and having the second conductivity type; a body region formed between the first and second regions and the buried layer, the body region having the first conductivity type; and a gate positioned between the first and second regions and above the top surface; a source line terminal electrically connected to one of the first and second regions; a bit line terminal electrically connected to the other of the first and second regions; a word line terminal connected to the gate; a buried well terminal electrically connected to the buried layer; and a substrate terminal electrically connected to the substrate below the buried layer; wherein each memory cell further includes a first data state which corresponds to a first charge in the body region, and a second data state which corresponds to a second charge in the body region; wherein each of the terminals is controlled to perform operations on each the cell; and wherein the terminals are controlled to perform a refresh operation by a non-algorithmic process.
In at least one embodiment, the data state of at least one of the cells is read by: applying a neutral voltage state to the substrate terminal, applying a voltage greater than or equal to zero to the buried well terminal, applying a neutral voltage to the source line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the bit line terminal and applying a positive voltage to the word line terminal.
In at least one embodiment, the data state of at least one of the cells is read by: applying a positive voltage to the substrate terminal, applying a neutral voltage to the bit line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the word line terminal and leaving the source line terminal and the buried well terminal floating.
In at least one embodiment, the first data state is written to at least one of the cells by: applying a positive voltage to the bit line terminal, applying a neutral voltage to the source line terminal, applying a negative voltage to the word line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the buried well terminal and applying a neutral voltage to the substrate terminal.
In at least one embodiment, the first data state is written to at least one of the cells by: applying a positive voltage to the substrate terminal, applying a neutral voltage to the source line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the bit line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the word line terminal and allowing the buried well terminal to float.
In at least one embodiment, the first data state is written to at least one of the cells by: applying a neutral voltage to the bit line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the word line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the substrate terminal and allowing the source line terminal and the buried well terminal to float.
In at least one embodiment, the second data state is written to at least one of the cells by: applying a negative voltage to the source line terminal, applying a voltage less than or equal to about zero to the word line terminal, applying a neutral voltage to the substrate terminal, applying a voltage greater than or equal to zero to the buried well terminal, and applying a neutral voltage to the bit line terminal.
In at least one embodiment, the second data state is written to at least one of the cells by: applying a positive voltage to the bit line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the word line terminal, applying a positive voltage to the substrate terminal, while allowing the source line terminal and the buried well terminal to float.
In at least one embodiment, a holding operation is performed on at least one of the cells by: applying a substantially neutral voltage to the bit line terminal, applying a neutral or negative voltage to the word line terminal, and applying a positive voltage to the substrate terminal, while allowing the source line terminal and the buried well terminal to float.
A semiconductor memory array is provided, including: a plurality of semiconductor dynamic random access memory cells arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, each semiconductor dynamic random access memory cell including: a substrate being made of a material having a first conductivity type selected from p-type conductivity type and n-type conductivity type; a first region having a second conductivity type selected from the p-type and n-type conductivity types, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type; a second region having the second conductivity type, the second region being spaced apart from the first region; a buried layer in the substrate below the first and second regions, spaced apart from the first and second regions and having the second conductivity type; a body region formed between the first and second regions and the buried layer, the body region having the first conductivity type; and a gate positioned between the first and second regions and adjacent the body region; wherein each memory cell further includes a first data state which corresponds to a first charge in the body region, and a second data state which corresponds to a second charge in the body region; wherein the substrates of a plurality of the cells are connected to a same substrate terminal; and wherein data states of the plurality of cells are maintained by biasing the substrate terminal.
In at least one embodiment, the cells are refreshed by a non-algorithmic process.
In at least one embodiment, the voltage applied to the substrate terminal automatically activates each cell of the plurality of cells that has the first data state to refresh the first data state, and wherein each cell of the plurality of cells that has the second data state automatically remains deactivated upon application of the voltage to the substrate terminal so that each the cell having the second data state remains in the second data state.
In at least one embodiment, the substrate terminal is periodically biased by pulsing the substrate terminal and wherein the data states of the plurality of cells are refreshed upon each the pulse.
In at least one embodiment, the substrate terminal is constantly biased and the plurality of cells constantly maintain the data states.
In at least one embodiment, the substrate has a top surface, the first region is formed in the substrate and exposed at the top surface; wherein the second region is formed in the substrate and exposed at the top surface; and wherein the gate is positioned above the top surface.
In at least one embodiment, the first and second regions are formed in a fin that extends above the buried layer, the gate is provided on opposite sides of the fin, between the first and second regions, and the body region is between the first and second regions and between the gate on opposite sides of the fin.
In at least one embodiment, the gate is additionally provided adjacent a top surface of the body region.
These and other features of the invention will become apparent to those persons skilled in the art upon reading the details of the devices and methods as more fully described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of a memory cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate various voltage states applied to terminals of a memory cell or plurality of memory cells, to carry out various functions according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates an operating condition for a write state “1” operation that can be carried out on a memory cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates an operating condition for a write state “0” operation that can be carried out on a memory cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 illustrates a holding operation that can be carried out on a memory cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 6-7 illustrate cross-sectional schematic illustrations of fin-type semiconductor memory cell devices according to embodiments of the present invention
FIG. 8 illustrate a top view of a fin-type semiconductor memory cell device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 .
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of array architecture of a plurality memory cells according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of array architecture of a plurality memory cells according to another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Before the present devices and methods are described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims.
Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Each smaller range between any stated value or intervening value in a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded in the range, and each range where either, neither or both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described. All publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited.
It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a memory cell” includes a plurality of such memory cells and reference to “the device” includes reference to one or more devices and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.
The publications discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention. Further, the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed.
DEFINITIONS
When a terminal is referred to as being “left floating”, this means that the terminal is not held to any specific voltage, but is allowed to float to a voltage as driven by other electrical forces with the circuit that it forms a part of.
The term “refresh” or “refresh operation” refers to a process of maintaining charge (and the corresponding data) of a memory cell, typically a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell. Periodic refresh operations of a DRAM cell are required because the stored charge leaks out over time.
Description
The present invention provides capacitorless DRAM memory cells that are refreshable by a non-algorithmic process. Alternatively, the memory cells may be operated to maintain memory states without the need to refresh the memory states, similar to SRAM memory cells.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a memory cell 50 according to the present invention. The cell 50 includes a substrate 12 of a first conductivity type, such as a p-type conductivity type, for example. Substrate 12 is typically made of silicon, but may comprise germanium, silicon germanium, gallium arsenide, carbon nanotubes, or other semiconductor materials known in the art. The substrate 12 has a surface 14 . A first region 16 having a second conductivity type, such as n-type, for example, is provided in substrate 12 and is exposed at surface 14 . A second region 18 having the second conductivity type is also provided in substrate 12 , and is also exposed at surface 14 . Second region 18 is spaced apart from the first region 16 , as shown. First and second regions 16 and 18 are formed by an implantation process formed on the material making up substrate 12 , according to any of implantation processes known and typically used in the art.
A buried layer 22 of the second conductivity type is also provided in the substrate 12 , buried in the substrate 12 , as shown. Buried layer 22 is also formed by an ion implantation process on the material of substrate 12 . A body region 24 of the substrate 12 is bounded by surface 14 , first and second regions 16 , 18 , insulating layers 26 and buried layer 22 . Insulating layers 26 (e.g., shallow trench isolation (STI)), may be made of silicon oxide, for example. Insulating layers 26 insulate cell 50 from neighboring cells 50 when multiple cells 50 are joined in an array 80 to make a memory device. A gate 60 is positioned in between the regions 16 and 18 , and above the surface 14 . The gate 60 is insulated from surface 14 by an insulating layer 62 . Insulating layer 62 may be made of silicon oxide and/or other dielectric materials, including high-K dielectric materials, such as, but not limited to, tantalum peroxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, and/or aluminum oxide. The gate 60 may be made of polysilicon material or metal gate electrode, such as tungsten, tantalum, titanium and their nitrides.
Cell 50 further includes word line (WL) terminal 70 electrically connected to gate 60 , source line (SL) terminal 72 electrically connected to one of regions 16 and 18 (connected to 16 as shown, but could, alternatively, be connected to 18 ), bit line (BL) terminal 74 electrically connected to the other of regions 16 and 18 , buried well (BW) terminal 76 electrically connected to buried layer 22 , and substrate terminal 78 electrically connected to substrate 12 at a location beneath buried layer 22 .
FIG. 2 illustrates relative voltages that can be applied to the terminals of memory cell 50 to perform various operations. For a read operation, a neutral voltage (i.e., about zero volts) is applied to the substrate terminal 78 , a neutral or positive voltage (greater than or equal to about zero volts) is applied to the BW terminal 76 , a neutral voltage (about zero volts) is applied to SL terminal 72 , a positive voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , and a positive voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , with the voltage at terminal 70 being more positive (higher voltage) that the voltage applied to terminal 74 . If cell 50 is in a state “1” having holes in the body region 24 , then a lower threshold voltage (gate voltage where the transistor is turned on) is observed compared to the threshold voltage observed when cell 50 is in a state “0” having no holes in body region 24 . In one particular non-limiting embodiment, about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 72 , about +0.4 volts is applied to terminal 74 , about +1.2 volts is applied to terminal 70 , about +0.6 volts is applied to terminal 76 , and about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 78 . However, these voltage levels may vary.
Alternatively, a neutral voltage is applied to the substrate terminal 78 , a neutral or positive voltage is applied to the BW terminal 76 , a neutral voltage is applied to SL terminal 72 , a positive voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , and a positive voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , with the voltage at terminal 74 being more positive (higher voltage) that the voltage applied to terminal 70 . If cell 50 is in a state “1” having holes in the body region 24 , then the parasitic bipolar transistor formed by the SL terminal 72 , floating body 24 , and BL terminal 74 will be turned on and a higher cell current is observed compared to when cell 50 is in a state “0” having no holes in body region 24 . In one particular non-limiting embodiment, about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 72 , about +3.0 volts is applied to terminal 74 , about +0.5 volts is applied to terminal 70 , about +0.6 volts is applied to terminal 76 , and about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 78 . However, these voltage levels may vary.
Alternatively, a positive voltage is applied to the substrate terminal 78 , a substantially neutral voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , and a positive voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 . The SL terminal 72 and the BW terminal 76 are left floating, as shown in FIG. 2 . Cell 50 provides a P 1 -N 2 -P 3 -N 4 silicon controlled rectifier device, with substrate 78 functioning as the P 1 region, buried layer 22 functioning as the N 2 region, body region 24 functioning as the P 3 region and region 16 or 18 functioning as the N 4 region. In this example, the substrate terminal 78 functions as the anode and terminal 72 or terminal 74 functions as the cathode, while body region 24 functions as a p-base to turn on the SCR device. If cell 50 is in a state “1” having holes in the body region 24 , the silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) device formed by the substrate, buried well, floating body, and the BL junction will be turned on and a higher cell current is observed compared to when cell 50 is in a state “0” having no holes in body region 24 . A positive voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 to select a row in the memory cell array 80 (e.g., see FIGS. 9-10 ), while negative voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 for any unselected rows. The negative voltage applied reduces the potential of floating body 24 through capacitive coupling in the unselected rows and turns off the SCR device of each cell 50 in each unselected row. In one particular non-limiting embodiment, about +0.8 volts is applied to terminal 78 , about +0.5 volts is applied to terminal 70 (for the selected row), and about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 74 . However, these voltage levels may vary.
FIG. 3 illustrate a write state “1” operation that can be carried out on cell 50 according to an embodiment of the invention, by performing band-to-band tunneling hot hole injection or impact ionization hot hole injection. To write state “1” using band-to-band tunneling mechanism, the following voltages are applied to the terminals: a positive voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , a neutral voltage is applied to SL terminal 72 , a negative voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , a positive voltage is applied to BW terminal 76 , and a neutral voltage is applied to the substrate terminal 78 . Under these conditions, holes are injected from BL terminal 74 into the floating body region 24 , leaving the body region 24 positively charged. In one particular non-limiting embodiment, a charge of about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 72 , a voltage of about +2.0 volts is applied to terminal 74 , a voltage of about −1.2 volts is applied to terminal 70 , a voltage of about +0.6 volts is applied to terminal 76 , and about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 78 . However, these voltage levels may vary.
Alternatively, to write state “1” using impact ionization mechanism, the following voltages are applied to the terminals: a positive voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , a neutral voltage is applied to SL terminal 72 , a positive voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , a positive voltage less than the positive voltage applied to BL terminal 74 is applied to BW terminal 76 , and a neutral voltage is applied to the substrate terminal 78 . Under these conditions, holes are injected from BL terminal 74 into the floating body region 24 , leaving the body region 24 positively charged. In one particular non-limiting embodiment, +0.0 volts is applied to terminal 72 , a voltage of about +2.0 volts is applied to terminal 74 , a charge of about +0.5 volts is applied to terminal 70 , a charge of about +0.6 volts is applied to terminal 76 , and about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 78 . However, these voltage levels may vary.
In an alternate write state “1” using impact ionization mechanism, a positive bias can be applied to substrate terminal 78 , a positive voltage greater than or equal to the positive voltage applied to substrate terminal 78 is applied to BL terminal 74 , a neutral voltage is applied to SL terminal 72 , a positive voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , while the BW terminal 76 is left floating. The parasitic silicon controlled rectifier device of the selected cell is now turned off due to the negative potential between the substrate terminal 78 and the BL terminal 74 . Under these conditions, electrons will flow near the surface of the transistor, and generate holes through the impact ionization mechanism. The holes are subsequently injected into the floating body region 24 . In one particular non-limiting embodiment, about +0.0 volts is applied to terminal 72 , a voltage of about +2.0 volts is applied to terminal 74 , a voltage of about +0.5 volts is applied to terminal 70 , and about +0.8 volts is applied to terminal 78 , while terminal 76 is left floating. However, these voltage levels may vary, while maintaining the relative relationships between the charges applied, as described above.
Alternatively, the silicon controlled rectifier device of cell 50 can be put into a state “1” (i.e., by performing a write “1” operation) by applying the following bias: a neutral voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , a positive voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , and a positive voltage is applied to the substrate terminal 78 , while SL terminal 72 and BW terminal 76 are left floating. The positive voltage applied to the WL terminal 70 will increase the potential of the floating body 24 through capacitive coupling and create a feedback process that turns the SCR device on. Once the SCR device of cell 50 is in conducting mode (i.e., has been “turned on”) the SCR becomes “latched on” and the voltage applied to WL terminal 70 can be removed without affecting the “on” state of the SCR device. In one particular non-limiting embodiment, a voltage of about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 74 , a voltage of about +0.5 volts is applied to terminal 70 , and about +3.0 volts is applied to terminal 78 . However, these voltage levels may vary, while maintaining the relative relationships between the voltages applied, as described above, e.g., the voltage applied to terminal 78 remains greater than the voltage applied to terminal 74 .
A write “0” operation of the cell 50 is now described with reference to FIG. 2B and FIG. 4 . To write “0” to cell 50 , a negative bias is applied to SL terminal 72 , a neutral voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , a neutral or negative voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , a neutral or positive voltage is applied to BW terminal 76 and a neutral voltage is applied to substrate terminal 78 . Under these conditions, the p-n junction (junction between 24 and 18 ) is forward-biased, evacuating any holes from the floating body 24 . In one particular non-limiting embodiment, about −2.0 volts is applied to terminal 72 , about −1.2 volts is applied to terminal 70 , about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 74 , about +0.6 volts is applied to terminal 76 and about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 78 . However, these voltage levels may vary, while maintaining the relative relationships between the charges applied, as described above. Alternatively, the voltages applied to terminals 72 and 74 may be switched.
Alternatively, a write “0” operation can be performed by putting the silicon controlled rectifier device into the blocking mode. This can be performed by applying the following bias: a positive voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , a positive voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , and a positive voltage is applied to the substrate terminal 78 , while leaving SL terminal 72 and BW terminal 76 floating. Under these conditions the voltage difference between anode and cathode, defined by the voltages at substrate terminal 78 and BL terminal 74 , will become too small to maintain the SCR device in conducting mode. As a result, the SCR device of cell 50 will be turned off. In one particular non-limiting embodiment, a voltage of about +0.8 volts is applied to terminal 74 , a voltage of about +0.5 volts is applied to terminal 70 , and about +0.8 volts is applied to terminal 78 . However, these voltage levels may vary, while maintaining the relative relationships between the charges applied, as described above.
A holding or standby operation is described with reference to FIGS. 2B and 5 . Such holding or standby operation is implemented to enhance the data retention characteristics of the memory cells 50 . The holding operation can be performed by applying the following bias: a substantially neutral voltage is applied to BL terminal 74 , a neutral or negative voltage is applied to WL terminal 70 , and a positive voltage is applied to the substrate terminal 78 , while leaving SL terminal 72 and BW terminal 76 floating. Under these conditions, if memory cell 50 is in memory/data state “1” with positive voltage in floating body 24 , the SCR device of memory cell 50 is turned on, thereby maintaining the state “1” data. Memory cells in state “0” will remain in blocking mode, since the voltage in floating body 24 is not substantially positive and therefore floating body 24 does not turn on the SCR device. Accordingly, current does not flow through the SCR device and these cells maintain the state “0” data. In this way, an array of memory cells 50 can be refreshed by periodically applying a positive voltage pulse through substrate terminal 78 . Those memory cells 50 that are commonly connected to substrate terminal 78 and which have a positive voltage in body region 24 will be refreshed with a “1” data state, while those memory cells 50 that are commonly connected to the substrate terminal 78 and which do not have a positive voltage in body region 24 will remain in blocking mode, since their SCR device will not be turned on, and therefore memory state “0” will be maintained in those cells. In this way, all memory cells 50 commonly connected to the substrate terminal will be maintained/refreshed to accurately hold their data states. This process occurs automatically, upon application of voltage to the substrate terminal 78 , in a parallel, non-algorithmic, efficient process. In one particular non-limiting embodiment, a voltage of about 0.0 volts is applied to terminal 74 , a voltage of about −1.0 volts is applied to terminal 70 , and about +0.8 volts is applied to terminal 78 . However, these voltage levels may vary, while maintaining the relative relationships therebetween. Alternatively, the voltages applied to terminals 72 and 74 may be reversed.
FIGS. 6-8 show another embodiment of memory cell 50 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, cell 50 has a fin structure 52 fabricated on substrate 12 , so as to extend from the surface of the substrate to form a three-dimensional structure, with fin 52 extending substantially perpendicularly to, and above the top surface of the substrate 12 . Fin structure 52 is conductive and is built on buried well layer 22 . Region 22 is also formed by an ion implantation process on the material of substrate 12 . Buried well layer 22 insulates the floating substrate region 24 , which has a first conductivity type, from the bulk substrate 12 . Fin structure 52 includes first and second regions 16 , 18 having a second conductivity type. Thus, the floating body region 24 is bounded by the top surface of the fin 52 , the first and second regions 16 , 18 the buried well layer 22 , and insulating layers 26 (see insulating layers 26 in FIG. 8 ). Insulating layers 26 insulate cell 50 from neighboring cells 50 when multiple cells 50 are joined to make a memory device. Fin 52 is typically made of silicon, but may comprise germanium, silicon germanium, gallium arsenide, carbon nanotubes, or other semiconductor materials known in the art.
Device 50 further includes gates 60 on two opposite sides of the floating substrate region 24 as shown in FIG. 6 . Alternatively, gates 60 can enclose three sides of the floating substrate region 24 as shown in FIG. 7 . Gates 60 are insulated from floating body 24 by insulating layers 62 . Gates 60 are positioned between the first and second regions 16 , 18 , adjacent to the floating body 24 .
Device 50 includes several terminals: word line (WL) terminal 70 , source line (SL) terminal 72 , bit line (BL) terminal 74 , buried well (BW) terminal 76 and substrate terminal 78 . Terminal 70 is connected to the gate 60 . Terminal 72 is connected to first region 16 and terminal 74 is connected to second region 18 . Alternatively, terminal 72 can be connected to second region 18 and terminal 74 can be connected to first region 16 . Terminal 76 is connected to buried layer 22 and terminal 78 is connected to substrate 12 . FIG. 8 illustrates the top view of the memory cell 50 shown in FIG. 6 .
FIG. 9 shows an example of array architecture 80 of a plurality of memory cells 50 arranged in a plurality of rows and columns according to an embodiment of the present invention. The memory cells 50 are connected such that within each row, all of the gates 60 are connected by a common word line terminal 70 . The first regions 16 within the same row are also connected by a common source line 72 . Within each column, the second regions 18 are connected to a common bit line terminal 74 . Within each row, all of the buried layers 22 are connected by a common buried word terminal 76 . Likewise, within each row, all of the substrates 12 are connected by a common substrate terminal 78 .
In one embodiment, the buried layer 76 or the substrate 78 can be segmented (e.g., see FIG. 10 ) to allow independent control of the applied bias on the selected portion of the memory array. For example, the buried layer terminals 76 a and 76 b are connected together to form a segment independent of the segment defined by common buried layer terminals 76 m and 76 n in FIG. 10 . Similarly, the substrate terminals 78 a and 78 b can form a segment that can be biased independently from other segments, for example, the segment defined by substrate terminals 78 m and 78 n . This array segmentation allows one segment of the memory array 80 to perform one operation (e.g., read), while the other segments perform another operation (e.g., holding).
From the foregoing it can be seen that with the present invention, a semiconductor memory with electrically floating body is achieved, and that this memory can be operated to perform non-algorithmic refreshment of the data stored in such memory. Additionally, such restore operations can be performed on the memory cells automatically, in parallel. The present invention also provides the capability of maintaining memory states without the need for periodic refresh operations by application of a constant positive bias to the substrate terminal. As a result, memory operations can be performed in an uninterrupted manner. While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.
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Methods of operating semiconductor memory devices with floating body transistors, using a silicon controlled rectifier principle are provided, as are semiconductor memory devices for performing such operations. A method of maintaining the data state of a semiconductor dynamic random access memory cell is provided, wherein the memory cell comprises a substrate being made of a material having a first conductivity type selected from p-type conductivity type and n-type conductivity type; a first region having a second conductivity type selected from the p-type and n-type conductivity types, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type; a second region having the second conductivity type, the second region being spaced apart from the first region; a buried layer in the substrate below the first and second regions, spaced apart from the first and second regions and having the second conductivity type; a body region formed between the first and second regions and the buried layer, the body region having the first conductivity type; and a gate positioned between the first and second regions and adjacent the body region. The memory cell is configured to store a first data state which corresponds to a first charge in the body region in a first configuration, and a second data state which corresponds to a second charge in the body region in a second configuration. The method includes: providing the memory cell storing one of the first and second data states; and applying a positive voltage to a substrate terminal connected to the substrate beneath the buried layer, wherein when the body region is in the first state, the body region turns on a silicon controlled rectifier device of the cell and current flows through the device to maintain configuration of the memory cell in the first memory state, and wherein when the memory cell is in the second state, the body region does not turn on the silicon controlled rectifier device, current does not flow, and a blocking operation results, causing the body to maintain the second memory state.
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FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a sewing machine with a stop motion for bobbin thread.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,902 discloses a sewing machine having a thread monitor with a light source and a light receiver arranged on the back of a shuttle. The loop taking body as well as a bobbin case received therein and a bobbin flange turned toward the thread monitor, the flange having an opening for the entrance and exit of control light rays, while the other bobbin flange bears a reflection surface. On the outer side of the loop taking body a second reflection surface, furnishing reference light rays, is applied. The light rays emitted by the light source are distributed by mirrors over the two reflection surfaces or respectively are collected after reflection and supplied to the light receiver shifted in time. The light receiver is connected to a control circuit by which the intensity of the signals formed from the control rays and from the reference rays is compared. As soon as the control rays reach a predeterminable intensity, the control circuit sends a warning signal announcing the end of the thread.
This setup, however, requires the adaptation both of the loop taking body and of the bobbin case as well as of the bobbin to the mode of operation of the thread monitor. In particular, the adaptation of the loop taking body is of great disadvantage if the thread monitor is retrofitted, as the changing of the loop taker body requires adjustment of the sewing machine.
German utility model No. 85 16 211 discloses a loop taker controllable by an opoelectronically thread monitor. For the entrance and exit of light rays separate inlet and outlet openings are provided in the bobbin case and in one of the bobbin flanges. The other bobbing flange is made to be reflecting. The outlet opening of the bobbin is machined in the truncated coneshaped bobbin hub and is relatively small.
Owing to this, the reflected rays can issue only after even the last layer of thread has been partially unwound. The quantity of residual thread is thus determinable with relative precision, but the arrangement operates with one signal only, the absolute magnitude of which must be picked up exactly.
SUMMARY AND OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to form parts of a rotary hook or loop taker for a sewing machine with a thread monitor in such a way that with inessential structural changes a predeterminable quantity of residual thread can be picked up relatively exactly.
According to the invention, the outlet openings have cross sections of different size and possibly different cross-sectional forms, the light rays issue as a function of their dimensions and arrangement in the bobbin flange, depending on the degree of filling of the bobbin, through one outlet opening only. For example, as long as only the larger outlet opening is cleared by the thread, with each revolution of the bobbin a light ray is delivered to the signal comparison circuit. The intensity of this ray changes little as compared with the previous one. If, on the contrary, the bobbin is unwound to the extent that also rays issue from the smaller outlet opening, the light receiver receives per revolution of the bobbin a second ray, arriving offset in time to the first, the intensity of which is several times lower. After receipt of the second ray, a warning signal announcing the end of the thread is given off in a controldependent manner either immediately or after the predeterminable number of additional revolutions of the bobbin.
By the arrangement of both reflection surfaces, or respectively of the inlet and outlet openings associates with them in the bobbin flanges, the loop taker or rotary hook can, in particular if a thread monitor is retrofitted in the machine, be adapted for its additional task at little cost, as it suffices to exchange the bobbin capsule removably disposed in the loop taker body, and the bobbin support therein, for a new bobbin capsule and another bobbin formed according to claim 1.
The centers of the outlet opening formed in the bobbin flange are located, because of the different size thereof, on different diameters of the bobbin flange or at different radial locations from the center of the bobbin flange. The larger outlet opening, for example, extends almost into the outside region of the bobbin flange. Owing to this, with the bobbin still partially filled, light rays emerge whose intensity is relatively great duee to the large dimensions of this outlet opening.
The smaller outlet opening, on the other hand, is cleared for the emergence of light rays only when the bobbin is less full (almost empty). As both outlet openings extend into the bobbin hub, the rays of the larger outlet opening get into the light receiver up to the last revolution of the bobbin and thus are available also after issuance of the rays from the smaller outlet opening, so that the ratio of the two signals can be formed.
The invention also includes an advanvtageous design of the bobbin hub and of the outlet openings formed therein. By arrangement of the smaller outlet opening in the bobbin hub, light rays emerge therefrom only when the last thread layer is partially unwound. This outlet opening is made relatively small, so that rays of low intensity emerge.
The design of the larger outlet opening according to the invention offers manufacturing advantages, in that the tappet slot already present in the bobbin flange and hitherto active only during the filling of the bobbin is used additionally as outlet opening for light rays.
Since the inlet openings according to claim 5 are provided on the same radius around the bobbin axis, one light source is sufficient for guiding the required rays into the bobbin successively without using any special light-dispersing means.
According to the invention, the required time for monitoring the signals received by the microprocessor is reducible to a minimum. The microprocessor starts to monitor the signals, not with the start of the signals but at a later time, when it is activated by a pulse delivered by the Schmitt trigger. The release time of this pulse is dependent upon a limit voltage adjustsable at the Schmitt trigger and of the response of an analogous voltage present at the input of the Schmitt trigger, which voltage triggers a switching process of the Schmitt trigger by exceeding the limit voltage.
According to another feature of the invention, an advantageous form of realization of a microprocessor is provided to end the monitoring of the digital signal just then present without activating the microprocessor by an external switching device. The digital signals are evaluated by the arithmetic unit of the microprocessor only as long as the quantity of the preceding signal value.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed 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 specific objects obtained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention is illustrated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the Drawings:
FIG. 1 shows a section through the shuttle of a sewing machine;
FIG. 2 shows a section along line II--II of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a simplified signal comparison circuit;
FIG. 4a shows diagrams to illustrate the response of the intensity I of the emerged light rays and following associated voltages U versus the time t;
FIG. 4b shows voltage U p1 at point P1 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 4c shows inverted voltage U i ;
FIG. 4d shows constant d.c. voltage U g ;
FIG. 4e shows voltage U p2 at point P2 of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 4f shows voltage U p3 at point P3 of FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawing, in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a sewing machine with a thread monitor 16 including a light source 17 and a light receiver 18 and a double lock stitch loop taker 2 for receiving a bobbin with a reflecting surface 8b and 8a on the inner side of a bobbin flange 7, the inner side facing toward the light source 17. A first outlet opening 13 is provided associated with one of the reflection surfaces in the bobbin flange 7 to allow for the emergence of reflected light rays which thereby enter the light receiver 18 in time relative to the light rays reflected at a second reflection surface 8b also on the inner side of the flange 7. The second oulet opening thereby providing different intensity of light for the formation of a signal of different intensity. The light receiver 18 is connected to a signal comparison circuit 19 to provide a warning signal at a given ratio of the two signals obtained from the light rays reflected. The second reflection surface 8b is arranged on the inner side of the bobbin flange 7 which also bears the reflection surface 8a. The bobbin flange 6 opposite the bobbin flange 7 is provided with a second outlet opening 12 associated with the second reflection surface 8b. The cross-section of the second outlet opening 12 differs from the cross-section of the first outlet opening 13 for the generation of signals.
The shuttle illustrated in FIG. 1 contains a loop taker or rotary hook drive shaft 1 on which a loop taker or rotary hook body 2, shown only in part, is non-rotationally fastened by a stud 3. In the loop taker body 2, a bobbin case or bobbin capsule 4 is supported in manner not shown. It carries a center pin on which a bobbin 5 wound with thread is rotatably mounted. Bobbin 5 is provided with flanges 6 and 7. The inner side of flange 7 carries a first reflection surface 8a and, angularly offset thereto, a second reflection surface 8b. The bobbin flanges 6 and 7 are joined together by a bobbin hub 9 to be placed on the center pin. Hub 9 has the form of a truncated cone, starting from its center toward the connection of the bobbin flanges 6 and 7, respectively.
In the outer region of bobbin flange 8, two inlet openings 10 and 11 are provided offset by 180° in each instance. Associated with the inlet opening 10 is an outlet opening formed by a tappet slot 12, and with the inlet opening 11 an outlet opening in the form of a bore 13. Bore 13 extends, starting from the outer side of flange 6, substantially parallel to the bobbin axis. The exit point of bore 13 is located in the truncated cone-shape bobbin hub 9. Bore 13 is several times smaller than the tappet slot 12. Tappet slot 12 is associated with the reflection surface 8b, bore 13 with the reflection surface 8a.
The bobbin case 4 has an inlet opening 14 to which a large rectangular outlet opening 15 is associated. In certain positions of the bobbin 5, the inlet opening 14 is aligned with one of the inlet openings 10, 11, while the outlet opening 15 is aligned with the tappet slot 12 or with bore 13. The openings of the bobbin capsule 4 are larger than those of the bobbin 5, to facilitate free passage of the light rays.
On the front of the shuttle, a thread monitor 16 with a light emitting diode 17 and a photo detector 18 designed as photo transistor is arranged. The light emitting diode 17 and the photo detector 18 are symbolized using a schematic representation in FIGS. 1 and 3.
FIG. 3 shows in a simplified circuit diagram the components required for the operation of a signal comparison circuit 19. From the positive pole of a controlled voltage source current flows via a resistor 20 and the light emitting diode 17 to ground. In like manner, current flows from the positive pole of the voltage source via a resistor 21 and the photo detector 18 to ground.
Connected to the collector of the photo detector 18 is an amplifier 22, which is connected to an inverting amplifier 23. The inverting amplifier 23 has an operational amplifier 24 which is wired at its inverting input to an input resistor 25 and to a feedback resistor 26. The ratio of feedback resistor 26 to input resistor 25 indicates the gain of the operational amplifier 24, the non-inverting input of which is connected to a potentiometer or variable resistor 27. The potentiometer 27 is inserted between the positive pole of a controlled voltage source and ground.
At the output of the inverting amplifier 23, a Schmitt trigger 28 and an A/D converter 29 are connected in parallel. Connected to the A/D converter 29 is a known clock generator 30. The outputs of the Schmitt trigger 28 and of the A/D are connected to a microprocessor 31 comprising an arithmetic unit 32. Connected to the microprocessor 32 are memories 33 and 34. At a further output of the micoprocessor 31 a display element 35 is connected, which is grounded via a resistor 36. In parallel to the display element 35 is connected at this output of the microprocessor 31 a switch 39 connected to the turnoff device 37 of a drive motor 38. The drive motor 38 drives a main shaft 40 of the sewing machine via a V-belt 41.
The arrangement operates as follows:
When the sewing machine is in operation, light rays emitted by the light diode 17 pass through the inlet openings 14 and 10 of the bobbin capsule 4 and bobbin flange 6 and impinge on the reflection surface 8b of bobbin flange 7. With the bobbin 5 rotated forward by 180°, the light rays again fall through the inlet opening 14 of capsule 4, but they pass through the inlet opening 11 to the rflection surface 8a of bobbin flange 7.
As soon as the thread of bobbin 5 has been used up to the extent that a part of the rays reflected at the reflection surface 8b can pass the tappet slot 12, rays impinge on the photodetector 18. The intensity curve of such a ray is indicated in FIG. 4a, the intensity maximum I max occurring when the openings of capsule 4 and of bobbin 5 are exactly aligned.
The photo detector 18 starts to conduct when it receives light rays, and current flows via resistor 21 to ground. Voltage builds up at resistor 21, owing to which the voltage U p1 present at photo detector 18 increases and reaches its minmum U min when the intensity of the light signal is maximum. The response of this voltage is illustrated in FIG. 4b.
The voltage U p1 is to be transformed in such a way that its curve corresponds to the intensity curve of the light signal. For this reason, the inverting amplifier 23 is connected, by which the voltage U p1 is inverted and assumes the shape illustrtated in FIG. 4c. Superposed on this voltage is a constant d-c voltage (FIG. 4d), the quantity of which is adjustable at the potentiometer 27. The resulting voltage curve of the voltage U p2 leaving the inverting amplifier 23 is shown in FIG. 4e. This voltage is supplied to the Schmitt trigger 28 and to the A/D converter 29.
The Schmitt trigger 28 transforms the voltage into a square voltage, the shape of which is illustrated in FIG. 4f. The respective swiching points S1 and S2 in FIG. 4e are adjustable at the Schmitt trigger 28 and determine the time interval t 2-t 1 in which the higher voltage value U H of the square voltage is present before the lower voltage value U L is assumed again. The voltage jump from U L to U H in the form of a pulse triggers in the microprocessor 31 a program interruption and the start of an interrupt routine.
By the interrupt routine the microprocessor 31 is caused to monitor digital signals present at the output of the A/D converter 29. To this end, the analogous voltage U p2 present at the input of the A/D converter 29 is, starting from point S1 in FIG. 4e, transformed into digital signals by the A/D converter 29 and relayed to the microprocessor 31. The latter correlates each newly received signal in the arithmetic unit 33 and is returned into the microprocessor 31 to form the correlation. As soon as a subsequent signal is smaller as to quantity than the preceding one, the microprocessor 31 ends the monitoring, stops the interrupt routine, and continues the normal program sequence. By this measure, the time span for monitoring the voltage values is clearly reduced, as the voltage is to be monitored only in the time interval between t 1 and t m (entered in FIG. 4e).
The clock generator 30 activates the A/D converter 29 as a function of the sewing speed, so that voltages received by the A/D converter 29 are always sampled at approximately equal intervals.
The maximum value of each of the digital signals is stored in memory 34. As soon as an additional maximum of a new signal is determined by the microprocessor 32, the preceding maximum is called up from memory 34 and is correlated with the new maximum in the arithmetic unit 32 of the microprocessor 31. As long as only one light ray coming from the tappet slot 12 gets into the photo detector 18 per revolution of the bobbin 5, the ratio of two such values differs little from the factor 1. But if a second light ray issues from bore 13, two rays of different intensity enter the photodetector 18. Thereby, signals with clearly different maxima are introduced into the arithmetic unit 32 of microprocessor 31. The ratio of these values is clearly different from the factor 1.
Depending on the programming of the microprocessor 31, the latter sends out a warning signal upon the first arrival of the smaller maximum either immediately or after a predeterminable number of additional revolutions of bobbin 5. By this warning signal, the display element 35 is turned on, thus indicating to the operator the approaching end of the bobbin thread. At the same time, with switch 39 closed, also the turnoff device 37 is actuated. Depending on the design, the turnoff device 37 can turn off the drive motor for example immediately or prevent its restart after the next stopping process.
When replacing the empty bobbin 5 by a thread-filled one, appropriately an electric signal is delivered to the microprocessor 31, so that the latter turns the display element 35 off and, if desired, releases the drive motor 38.
Appropriately both bobbin flanges 6 and 7 are provided with mutually oriented inlet and outlet openings 10, 11 and 12, 13, respectively, in order that the operation of the stop motion will be ensured in any desired position of insertion of bobbin 5 in capsule 4.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
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A sewing machine having a thread monitor associated with a bobbin mounted for rotation. The bobbin includes first and second reflecting surfaces associated with an inner side of a second bobbin flange, and first and second light outlet openings associated with a second bobbin flange. A light source is provided for directing light toward the reflecting surfaces. A light receiver is positioned so as to receive light emerging from the first and second outlet opening. The light receiver produces signals representing the light intensity received by the light receiver. A Schmitt trigger provides a pulse to a microprocessor coinciding with a revolution of the bobbin. For each revolution of the bobbin, an A/D converter converts signals received from the light receiver into digital signals which are compared. The digital signal having the maximum value for the revolution is stored in a memory and then compared with a subsequent maximum value. When the subsequent maximum value differs from the stored maximum value, a warning signal is generated by the microprocessor.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This Application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/830,266 filed on Aug. 19, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/718,806 filed on May 21, 2015, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/517,316 filed on Oct. 17,2014, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/049,537, filed Sep. 12, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into this application.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This disclosure relates to the field of preparation of 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine and intermediates therefrom. These intermediates are useful in the preparation of certain pesticides.
BACKGROUND
US 20130288893(A1) describes certain (3-halo-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)amides and carbamates and their use as pesticides. The processes therein to prepare these amides and carbamates result in low yields, rely on a starting material that is difficult to prepare (3-chloropyrazole), and provide a product that is difficult to isolate in a pure form. It would be desirable to have a process for preparing 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine that avoids these problems.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following definitions apply to the terms as used throughout this specification, unless otherwise limited in specific instances.
As used herein, the term “alkyl” denotes branched or unbranched hydrocarbon chains.
As used herein, the term “alkoxide” means an alkyl further consisting of a carbon-oxygen single bond, for example, methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, isobutoxy, and ten-butoxy.
The present disclosure provides an alternative process for preparing 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b) by cyclizing 3-hydrazinopyridine.dihydrochloride with an alkyl methacrylate to provide 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1), by chlorinating (1) to provide 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2), by oxidizing (2) to provide 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3), by further oxidizing (3) to provide 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4), and by decarboxylating (4) to provide 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b).
Thus, the present disclosure concerns a process for preparing 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b)
which comprises
a) cyclizing 3-hydrazinopyridine.dihydrochloride
with alkyl methacrylate,
wherein R represents (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl,
in a (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl alcohol at a temperature of about 25° C. to about 80° C. in the presence of an alkali metal (C 1 -C 4 ) alkoxide to provide 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1)
b) chlorinating 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1) with a chlorinating reagent in an organic solvent at a temperature of about 25° C. to about 100° C. to provide 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2)
c) oxidizing 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2) with an oxidant in a solvent at a temperature of about 25° C. to about 100° C. to provide 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3)
d) further oxidizing 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3) with an oxidant in a polar protic solvent at a temperature of about 50° C. to about 100° C. to provide 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4)
and
e) decarboxylating 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4) with copper oxide in a polar aprotic solvent at a temperature of about 80° C. to about 180° C. to provide 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b).
Scheme 1 outlines this process for preparing 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b).
In step 1a, 3-hydrazinopyridine.dihydrochloride is cyclized with a (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl methacrylate, in a solution further comprising a (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl alcohol and an alkali metal (C 1 -C 4 ) alkoxide, to provide 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1). Step a is conducted at a temperature from about 25° C. to about 80° C. While stoichiometric amounts of 3-hydrazinopyridine.dihydrochloride and (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl methacrylate may be used, it is often convenient to use about a 1.5 fold to about a 2 fold excess of (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl methacrylate compared to 3-hydrazinopyridine.dihydrochloride. The (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl alcohol is preferably selected from methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, and mixtures thereof. The alkali metal (C 1 -C 4 ) alkoxide is preferably selected from sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, and mixtures thereof. It is often convenient to use about a 2 fold to about a 3 fold excess of alkali metal (C 1 -C 4 ) alkoxide compared to 3-hydrazinopyridine.dihydrochloride. Furthermore, it is most preferred if sodium ethoxide and ethanol is used.
In another embodiment, 3-hydrazinopyridine.dihydrochloride is cyclized with methyl methacrylate in the presence of sodium ethoxide and ethanol and this mixture is heated at about 50° C. The crude 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1) is used as is without further purification or isolation.
In step 1b, 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1) is chlorinated with a chlorinating reagent in an organic solvent at a temperature from about 25° C. to about 100° C. to provide 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2). Suitable chlorinating reagents include phosphoryl chloride (phosphorous oxychloride), phosphorus pentachloride, and mixtures thereof. Phosphoryl chloride is currently preferred. It is often convenient to use about a 1.1 fold to about a 10 fold excess of the chlorinating reagent compared to 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1). The chlorination is performed in an organic solvent that does not substantially react with the chlorinating reagent. Suitable solvents include nitriles such as acetonitrile. It is currently preferred to use phosphoryl chloride as the chlorinating reagent and acetonitrile as the solvent.
In another embodiment, 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1) in acetonitrile is chlorinated with phosphoryl chloride and the mixture is heated to about 75° C. The 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2) can be isolated and purified by standard techniques.
In step 1c, 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2) is oxidized with an oxidant in an organic solvent at a temperature of about 25° C. to about 100° C. to provide 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3). Suitable oxidants include copper(I) chloride in the presence of oxygen, potassium ferricyanide, and manganese(IV) oxide. It is often convenient to use about a 1.5 fold to about a 15 fold excess of oxidant compared to 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2). The oxidation is performed in a solvent that does not substantially react with the oxidant. Suitable solvents include water, N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidinone, dichloromethane, tert-butanol, nitriles such as acetonitrile, aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene, and mixtures thereof. It is currently preferred to use copper(I) chloride in the presence of oxygen as the oxidant, with N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrolidinone, and mixtures thereof as the solvent. It is also preferred to use potassium-ferricyanide as the oxidant, with water as the solvent. It is also preferred to use manganese(IV) oxide as the oxidant, with dichloromethane, tert-butanol, acetonitrile, toluene, and mixtures thereof as the solvent. It is also preferred to use manganese(IV) oxide as the oxidant, with acetonitrile as the solvent.
In another embodiment, 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2) in acetonitrile is oxidized with manganese(IV) oxide and the mixture is heated at about 40° C. The 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3) can be isolated and purified by standard techniques.
In step 1d, 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3) is further oxidized with an oxidant in a protic solvent at a temperature of about 50° C. to about 100° C. to provide 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4). Suitable oxidants include potassium permanganate and sodium permanganate. It is often convenient to use about a 2.5 fold to about a 4.5 fold, preferably about a 3.0 fold excess of oxidant compared to 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3). The oxidation is performed in a protic solvent that does not substantially react with the oxidant. Suitable solvents include water, tert-butanol, tert-amyl alcohol, and mixtures thereof.
In another embodiment, 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3) is further oxidized by sodium permanganate in water and tert-butanol and heated at about 80° C. The 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4) can be isolated and purified by standard techniques.
In step 1e, 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4) is decarboxylated in the presence of copper oxide which may optionally be ligated with a bidentate ligand such as tetramethyl ethylenediamine in a polar aprotic solvent at a temperature from about 80° C. to about 180° C. to provide 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b). Suitable copper oxide sources include copper(I) oxide and copper(II) oxide as well as mixtures thereof. It is convenient to use about 5 wt % to about 20 wt % of copper oxide based on 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4). Suitable solvents include N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N-methylpyrrolidinone, and mixtures thereof.
In another embodiment, 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4) and copper(I) oxide are mixed with N,N-dimethylacetamide and heated to about 125° C. The 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b) can be isolated and purified by standard techniques.
An illustrative example of how 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b) may be used for preparing certain pesticidal (3-halo-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)amides is outlined in Scheme 2.
In step 2a, 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b) is nitrated with nitric acid (HNO 3 ), preferably in the presence of sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) to yield 3-(3-chloro-4-nitro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2-6). The nitration may be conducted at temperatures from about −10° C. to about 30° C.
In step 2b, 3-(3-chloro-4-nitro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2-6) is reduced to yield 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-amine (2-7). For example, 3-(3-chloro-4-nitro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2-6) may be reduced with iron in acetic acid (AcOH). 3-(3-Chloro-4-nitro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2-6) may also be reduced with iron and ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl). Alternatively, this reduction may be carried out using other techniques in the art, for example, 3-(3-chloro-4-nitro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2-6) may be reduced using palladium on carbon in the presence of hydrogen (H 2 ). This reaction may be conducted at temperatures from about −10° C. to about 30° C.
In step 2c, 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-amine (2-7) is acylated with acetylating agents such as acetyl chloride or acetic anhydride, preferably acetic anhydride (Ac 2 O) to yield N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)acetamide (2-8). The acylation is conducted in the presence of a base, preferably an inorganic base, such as, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ), and preferably, a polar solvent, such as ethyl acetate and/or tetrahydrofuran. This reaction may be conducted at temperatures from about −10° C. to about 30° C.
In step 2d, N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)acetamide (2-8) is alkylated with ethyl bromide (EtBr) in the presence of a base, such as sodium hydride (NaH) or sodium tert-butoxide (NaOt-Bu), in a polar aprotic solvent, such as tetrahydrofuran, at temperatures from about 20° C. to about 40° C., over a period of time of about 60 hours to about 168 hours, to yield N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-N-ethylacetamide (2-9). It has been discovered that use of an iodide additive, such as potassium iodide (KI) or tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) can decrease the time necessary for the reaction to occur to about 24 hours. It has also been discovered that heating the reaction at about 50° C. to about 70° C. in a sealed reactor (to prevent loss of ethyl bromide) also decreases the reaction time to about 24 hours.
In step 2e, N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-N-ethylacetamide (2-9) is treated with hydrochloric acid in water at temperatures from about 50° C. to about 90° C., to yield 3-chloro-N-ethyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-amine (2-10). Steps d and e of Scheme 2 may also be performed without the isolation of N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-N-ethylacetamide (2-8).
In step 2f, 3-chloro-N-ethyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-amine (2-10) is acylated with 3-((3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)thio)propanoyl chloride in the presence of a base preferably, sodium bicarbonate to yield pesticidal (3-halo-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)amide (2-11). The reaction may also be conducted in the absence of a base to yield pesticidal (3-halo-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)amide (2-11).
In step 2g, pesticidal (3-halo-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)amide (2-11) is oxidized with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in methanol to yield pesticidal (3-halo-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)amide (2-12).
EXAMPLES
These examples are for illustration purposes and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure to only the embodiments disclosed in these examples.
Starting materials, reagents, and solvents that were obtained from commercial sources were used without further purification. Anhydrous solvents were purchased as Sure/Sea1™ from Aldrich and were used as received. Melting points were obtained on a Thomas Hoover Unimelt capillary melting point apparatus or an OptiMelt Automated Melting Point System from Stanford Research Systems and are uncorrected. Examples using “room temperature” were conducted in climate controlled laboratories with temperatures ranging from about 20° C. to about 24° C. Molecules are given their known names, named according to naming programs within ISIS Draw, ChemDraw or ACD Name Pro. If such programs are unable to name a molecule, the molecule is named using conventional naming rules. 1 H NMR spectral data are in ppm (δ) and were recorded at 300, 400 or 600 MHz; 13 C NMR spectral data are in ppm (δ) and were recorded at 75, 100 or 150 MHz, and 19 F NMR spectral data are in ppm (δ) and were recorded at 376 MHz, unless otherwise stated.
1. Preparation of 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (1)
To a 250 mL three-neck round bottom flask equipped with a reflux condenser was introduced 3-hydrazinopyridine.dihydrochloride (15.0 g, 82.4 mmol). Sodium ethoxide (21 wt % in ethanol, 92.3 mL, 247 mmol) was added over 5 minutes and the pot temperature increased from 23° C. to 38° C. The resultant light brown-slurry was stirred for 10 minutes. Methyl methacrylate (17.7 mL, 165 mmol) was added slowly over 15 minutes and the pot temperature remained at 38° C. The yellow mixture was stirred at 50° C. under nitrogen for 4 hours. The mixture was then cooled down to 10° C. and hydrochloric acid (4 M in 1,4-dioxane, 20.6 mL) was added slowly to quench excess base leading to a light brown suspension. The mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure to afford the title compound as a brown solid as a mixture with sodium chloride (35.2 g, 241%): EIMS m/z 177 ([M] + ). The crude material was used directly in the next step.
2. Preparation of 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2)
Crude 4-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrazolidin-3-one (35.2 g, ˜82.4 mmol) was introduced into a 250 mL three-neck round bottom flask equipped with a reflux condenser. Acetonitrile (100 mL) was then added. To this yellow mixture was added phosphoryl chloride (11.56 mL, 124 mmol) slowly. The yellow slurry was stirred at 75° C. for 1 hour. The mixture was cooled down and concentrated to remove volatiles. The brown residue was carefully quenched with water (120 mL), and basified with NaOH (50 wt % in water) to pH 10 while keeping the temperature below 60° C. The mixture was then extracted with ethyl acetate (3×150 mL). The combined organic extracts were washed with water (80 mL) and concentrated under reduced pressure to afford the crude product as dark purple oil. The crude product was purified by flash column chromatography using 0-70% ethyl acetate/hexanes as eluent to provide the title compound as a brown oil (12.3 g, 76% over two steps): 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.27 (dd, J=2.8, 0.7 Hz, 1H), 8.15 (dd, J=4.6, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.38 (ddd, J=8.4, 2.9, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.18 (ddd, J=8.4, 4.7, 0.7 Hz, 1H), 4.17-4.06 (m, 1H), 3.47 (t, J=8.9 Hz, 1H), 3.44-3.34 (m, 1H), 1.37 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 3H); 13 C NMR (101 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 148.17, 142.07, 141.10, 134.74, 123.39, 119.92, 56.62, 43.62, 16.16; EIMS m/z 195 ([M] + ).
3. Preparation of 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (3)
To a solution of 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (1.0 g, 5.0 mol) in acetonitrile (10.0 mL) at 0° C. was added manganese(IV) oxide (1.3 g, 15 mmol) portionwise over 10 minutes. The mixture was slowly warmed to 22° C. over 40 minutes and then heated to 40° C. overnight. After 20 hours, additional manganese(IV) oxide (0.44 g, 5.0 mmol) was added in one portion and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour. The mixture was cooled down and filtered. The filter cake was washed with acetonitrile (3×15 mL). The organic filtrate was dried and concentrated to afford the title compound as a light yellow solid (0.92 g, 95%): 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.90 (dd, J=2.6, 0.8 Hz, 1H), 8.52 (dd, J=4.8, 1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.99 (ddd, J=8.3, 2.7, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (q, J=0.9 Hz, 1H), 7.39 (ddd, J=8.3, 4.8, 0.8 Hz, 1H), 2.13 (d, J=0.9 Hz, 3H); 13 C NMR (101 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 147.26, 142.87, 139.53, 135.90, 126.53, 125.69, 123.84, 116.86, 22.47; EIMS m/z 193 ([M] + ).
4. Preparation of 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (4)
To a mixture of 3-(3-chloro-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2.0 g, 10 mmol) in water (10.0 mL) and tert-butanol (5.0 mL) was added a solution of sodium permanganate (NaMnO4) (5.0 g, 35 mmol) in water (15 mL) over 20 minutes. The mixture was heated to 80° C. and stirred overnight. Additional sodium permanganate (0.711 g, 5.0 mmol) in water (2.0 mL) was added after 16 hours and the mixture was stirred for another 4 hours. The dark mixture was filtered through Celite®, washed with water (5.0 mL) and ethyl acetate (3×15 mL). The aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (25 mL) and acidified with concentrated hydrochloric acid to pH 5 leading to white precipitate which was collected by filtration. The filtrate was concentrated leading to white precipitate which was collected by filtration and washed with water (2.0 mL). The solid products were combined and dried under high vacuum to afford the title compound as a white solid (1.0 g, 46%): 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 9.11 (s, 2H), 8.59 (d, J=4.7, 1H), 8.28 (ddd, J=8.4, 2.7, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.58 (dd, J=8.0, 4.4 Hz, 1H); 13 C NMR (101 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 162.24, 148.35, 141.46, 140.21, 135.01, 134.01, 126.45, 124.23, 115.34; ESIMS m/z 224 ([M+H] + ).
5. Preparation of 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5b)
To a mixture of 3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (0.223 g, 1.0 mmol) in N,N-dimethylacetamide (3.0 mL) was added copper(I) oxide (0.022 g, 10 wt %). The mixture was heated to 125° C. and stirred for 6 hours. The brown mixture was filtered and washed with N,N-dimethylacetamide (1.0 mL) and acetonitrile (2×2 mL). The light yellow filtrate was analyzed by LC using di-n-propyl phthalate as internal standard (0.124 g, 69% in-pot yield); mp 66-68° C.; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.93 (d, J=27 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (dd, J=4.8, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.02 (ddd, J=8.3, 2.7, 1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.91 (d, J=2.6 Hz, 1H), 7.47-7.34 (m, 1H), 6.45 (d, J=2.6 Hz, 1H); 13 C NMR (101 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 148.01, 142.72, 140.12, 135.99, 128.64, 126.41, 124.01, 108.0; ESIMS m/z 180 ([M+H] + ).
6. Preparation of 3-(3-chloro-4-nitro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2-6)
To a 100 mL, round bottom flask was charged 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2.00 g, 11.1 mmol) and concentrated sulfuric acid (4 mL). This suspension was cooled to 5° C. and 2:1 concentrated nitric acid/sulfuric acid (3 mL, prepared by adding the concentrated sulfuric acid to a stiffing and cooling solution of the nitric acid) was added dropwise at a rate such that the internal temperature was maintained <15° C. The reaction was allowed to warm to 20° C. and stirred for 18 hours. A sample of the reaction mixture was carefully diluted into water, basified with sodium hydroxide (50 wt % in water) and extracted with ethyl acetate. Analysis of the organic layer indicated that the reaction was essentially complete. The reaction mixture was carefully added to ice cold water (100 mL) at <20° C. It was basified with sodium hydroxide (50 wt % in water) at <20° C. The resulting light yellow suspension was stirred for 2 hours and filtered. The filter cake was rinsed with water (3×20 mL) and dried to afford an off-white solid (2.5 g, quantitative): mp 141-143° C.; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 9.86 (s, 1H), 9.23-9.06 (m, 1H), 8.75-8.60 (m, 1H), 8.33 (ddd, J=8.4, 2.8, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.64 (ddd, J=8.5, 4.7, 0.7 Hz, 1H); 13 C NMR (101 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 149.49, 140.75, 136.02, 134.43, 132.14, 131.76, 127.22, 124.31; EIMS m/z 224 ([M] + ).
7. Preparation of 3-(3-chloro-4-amino-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2-7)
To a 100 mL, 3-neck round bottom flask was charged 3-(3-chloro-4-nitro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2.40 g, 10.7 mmol), acetic acid (4 mL), ethanol (4.8 mL) and water (4.8 mL). The mixture was cooled to 5° C. and iron powder (2.98 g, 53.4 mmol) was added portionwise over ˜15 minutes. The reaction was allowed to stir at 20° C. for 18 hours and diluted to 50 mL with water. It was filtered through Celite® and the filtrate was carefully basified with a sodium hydroxide solution (50 wt % in water). The resulting suspension was filtered through Celite® and the filtrate was extracted with ethyl acetate (3×20 mL). The organic layers were combined, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated to dryness to afford a tan colored solid, which was further dried under vacuum for 18 hours (2.20 g, quantitative): mp 145-147° C.; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 8.95 (dd, J=2.6, 0.8 Hz, 1 H), 8.45 (dd, J=4.7, 1.4 Hz, 1 H), 8.08 (ddd, J=8.4, 2.7, 1.4 Hz, 1 H), 7.91 (s, 1 H), 7.49 (ddd, J=8.3, 4.7, 0.8 Hz, 1 H), 4.43 (s, 2 H); 13 C NMR (101 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 146.35, 138.53, 135.72, 132.09, 130.09, 124.29, 124.11, 114.09; EIMS m/z 194 ([M] + ).
Alternate synthetic route to 3-(3-chloro-4-amino-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (2-7): In a 250 mL 3-neck round bottom flask was added 3-(3-chloro-4-nitro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (5.00 g, 21.8 mmol), ethanol (80 mL), water (40 mL), and ammonium chloride (5.84 g, 109 mmol). The suspension was stirred under nitrogen stream for 5 minutes then iron powder (4.87 g, 87.2 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was heated to reflux (˜80° C.) and held there for 4 hours. After 4 hours a reaction aliquot taken and the reaction had gone to full conversion as shown by HPLC analysis. Ethyl acetate (120 mL) and Celite® (10 g) were added to the reaction mixture and the mixture was let stir for 10 minutes. The black colored suspension was then filtered via a Celite® pad and rinsed with ethyl acetate (80 mL) The filtrate was washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution in water (30 mL) and the organic layer was assayed. The assay gave 4.19 g (99% yield) of product. The organic solvent was removed in vacuo to give a brown colored crude solid that was used without further purification.
8. N-(3-Chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)acetamide (2-8)
A 100 mL three-neck round bottom flask was charged with 3-chloro-1(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-amine (1.00 g, 5.14 mmol) and ethyl acetate (10 mL). Sodium bicarbonate (1.08 g, 12.9 mmol) was added, followed by dropwise addition of acetic anhydride (0.629 g, 6.17 mmol) at <20° C. The reaction was stirred at 20° C. for 2 hours to afford a suspension, at which point thin layer chromatography analysis [Eluent: ethyl acetate] indicated that the reaction was complete. The reaction was diluted with water (50 mL) and the resulting suspension was filtered. The solid was rinsed with water (10 mL) followed by methanol (5 mL). The solid was further dried under vacuum at 20° C. to afford the desired product as a white solid (0.804 g, 66%): mp 169-172° C.; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 9.84 (s, 1H), 9.05 (dd, J=2.8, 0.8 Hz, 1H), 8.82 (s, 1H), 8.54 (dd, J=4.7, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.20 (ddd, J=8.4, 2.8, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.54, (ddd, J=8.3, 4.7, 0.8 Hz, 1H), 2.11 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (101 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 168.12, 147.46, 139.42, 135.46, 133.60, 125.47, 124.21, 122.21, 120.16, 22.62; EIMS m/z 236 ([M] + ).
9. Preparation of N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-N-ethylacetamide (2-9)
In 125 mL 3-neck round-bottomed flask was added N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)acetamide (2.57 g, 9.44 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (55 mL), and sodium tert-butoxide (1.81 g, 18.9 mmol). The suspension was stirred for 5 minutes then ethyl bromide (1.41 mL, 18.9 mmol), and tetrabutylammonium iodide (67 mg, 0.2 mmol) were added. The resulting gray colored suspension was then heated to 38° C. The reaction was analyzed after 3 hours and found to have gone to 81% completion, after 24 hours the reaction was found to have gone to completion. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool to ambient temperature and quenched with ammonium hydroxide/formic acid (HCO 2 H) buffer (10 mL). The mixture was then diluted with tetrahydrofuran (40 mL), ethyl acetate (120 mL), and saturated sodium bicarbonate solution in water (30 mL). The layers were separated and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2×30 mL). The organic layers were combined and silica gel (37 g) was added. The solvent was removed in vacuo to give a solid that was purified using semi-automated silica gel chromatography (RediSep Silica 220 g column; Hexanes (0.2% triethylamine)/ethyl acetate, 40/60 to 0/100 gradient elution system, flow rate 150 mL/minute) to give, after concentration, an orange solid (2.19 g, 88%).
10. Preparation of 3-chloro-N-ethyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-amine (2-10)
A solution of N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-N-ethylacetamide (1.8 g, 6.80 mmol) in 1 N hydrochloric acid (34 mL) was heated at 80° C. for 18 hours, at which point HPLC analysis indicated that only 1.1% starting material remained. The reaction mixture was cooled to 20° C. and basified with sodium hydroxide (50 wt % in water) to pH>9. The resulting suspension was stirred at 20° C. for 2 hours and filtered. The filter cake was rinsed with water (2×5 mL), conditioned for 30 minutes, and air-dried to afford an off-white solid (1.48 g, 95%): 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 9.00 (dd, J=2.8, 0.8 Hz, 1H), 8.45 (dd, J=4.7, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.11 (ddd, J=8.4, 2.8, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.06 (d, J=0.6 Hz, 1H), 7.49 (ddd, J=8.4, 4.7, 0.8 Hz, 1H), 4.63 (t, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 3.00 (qd, J=7.1, 5.8 Hz, 2H), 1.19 (t, J=7.1 Hz, 3H); 13 C NMR (101 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 146.18, 138.31, 135.78, 132.82, 130.84, 124.08, 123.97, 112.23, 40.51, 14.28; ESIMS m/z 223 ([M+H] + ).
Alternate synthetic route to 3-chloro-N-ethyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-amine (2-10):
To a 3-neck, 100-mL round bottom flask was charged N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)acetamide (5 g, 21.13 mmol) and tetrahydrofuran (50 mL). Sodium tert-butoxide (4.06 g, 42.3 mmol) was added (causing a temperature rise from 22° C. to 27.6° C., followed by ethyl bromide (6.26 mL, 85 mmol). The reaction was stirred at 35° C. for 144 h at which point only 3.2% (AUC) starting material remained. The reaction mixture was concentrated to give a brown residue, which was dissolved in 1 N hydrochloric acid (106 mL, 106 mmol) and heated at 80° C. for 24 hours, at which point HPLC analysis indicated that the starting material had been consumed. The reaction was cooled to 20° C. and basified with sodium hydroxide (50 wt % in water) to pH>9. The resulting suspension was stirred at 20° C. for 1 hour and filtered. The filter cake was rinsed with water (25 mL) to afford a brown solid (5.18 g). The resulting crude product was dissolved in ethyl acetate and passed through a silica gel plug (50 g) using ethyl acetate (500 mL) as eluent. The filtrate was concentrated to dryness to afford a white solid (3.8 g, 80%).
11. Preparation of N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-N-ethyl-3-((3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)thio)propanamide (2-11)
A 100 mL three neck round bottom flask was charged with 3-chloro-N-ethyl-1-(pyridine-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-amine (5.00 g, 22.5 mmol) and ethyl acetate (50 mL). Sodium bicarbonate (4.72 g, 56.1 mmol) was added, followed by dropwise addition of 3-((3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)thio)propanoyl chloride (5.95 g, 26.9 mmol) at <20° C. for 2 hours, at which point HPLC analysis indicated that the reaction was complete. The reaction was diluted with water (50 mL) (off-gassing) and the layers were separated. The aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (20 mL) and the combined organic layers were concentrated to dryness to afford a light brown solid (10.1 g, quantitative). A small sample of crude product was purified by flash column chromatography using ethyl acetate as eluent to obtain an analytical sample: mp 79-81° C.; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 9.11 (d, J=2.7 Hz, 1H), 8.97 (s, 1H), 8.60 (dd, J=4.8, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.24 (ddd, J=8.4, 2.8, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.60 (ddd, J=8.4, 4.7, 0.8 Hz, 1H), 3.62 (q, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 2.75 (t, J=7.0 Hz, 2H), 2.66-2.57 (m 2H), 2.57-2.44 (m, 2H), 2.41 (t, J=7.0 Hz, 2H), 1.08 (t, J=7.1 Hz, 3H). EIMS m/z 406 ([M] + ).
12. Preparation of N-(3-chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-N-ethyl-3-((3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)sulfoxo)propanamide (2-12)
N-(3-Chloro-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-N-ethyl-3-((3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)thio) propanamide (57.4 g, 141 mmol) was stirred in methanol (180 mL). To the resulting solution was added hydrogen peroxide (43.2 mL, 423 mmol) dropwise using a syringe. The solution was stirred at room temperature for 6 hours, at which point LCMS analysis indicated that the starting material was consumed. The mixture was poured into dichloromethane (360 mL) and washed with aqueous sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ). The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure to provide a thick yellow oil. The crude product was purified by flash column chromatography using 0-10% methanol/ethyl acetate as eluent. The pure fractions were combined and concentrated to afford the desired product as an oil (42.6 g, 68%): 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 9.09 (dd, J=2.8, 0.7 Hz, 1H), 8.98 (s, 1H), 8.60 (dd, J=4.7, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.24 (ddd, J=8.4, 2.7, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.60 (ddd, J=8.4, 4.7, 0.8 Hz, 1H), 3.61 (q, J=7.4, 7.0 Hz, 2H), 3.20-2.97 (m, 2H), 2.95-2.78 (m, 2H), 2.76-2.57 (m, 2H), 2.58-2.45 (m, 2H), 1.09 (t, J=7.1 Hz, 3H); ESIMS m/z 423 ([M+H] + ).
Example A
Bioassays on Green Peach Aphid (“GPA”) ( Myzus persicae ) (MYZUPE.)
GPA is the most significant aphid pest of peach trees, causing decreased growth, shriveling of leaves, and the death of various tissues. It is also hazardous because it acts as a vector for the transport of plant viruses, such as potato virus Y and potato leafroll virus to members of the nightshade/potato family Solanaceae, and various mosaic viruses to many other food crops. GPA attacks such plants as broccoli, burdock, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, daikon, eggplant, green beans, lettuce, macadamia, papaya , peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watercress and zucchini among other plants. GPA also attacks many ornamental crops such as carnations, chrysanthemum , flowering white cabbage, poinsettia and roses. GPA has developed resistance to many pesticides.
Several molecules disclosed herein were tested against GPA using procedures described below.
Cabbage seedling grown in 3-in pots, with 2-3 small (3-5 cm) true leaves, were used as test substrate. The seedlings were infested with 20-5-GPA (wingless adult and nymph stages) one day prior to chemical application. Four posts with individual seedlings were used for each treatment. Test compounds (2 mg) were dissolved in 2 mL of acetone/methanol (1:1) solvent, forming stock solutions of 1000 ppm test compound. The stock solutions were diluted 5× with 0.025% Tween 20 in water to obtain the solution at 200 ppm test compound. A hand-held aspirator-type sprayer was used for spraying a solution to both sides of the cabbage leaves until runoff. Reference plants (solvent check) were sprayed with the diluent only containing 20% by volume acetone/methanol (1:1) solvent. Treated plants were held in a holding room for three days at approximately 25° C. and ambient relative humidity (RH) prior to grading. Evaluation was conducted by counting the number of live aphids per plant under a microscope. Percent Control was measured by using Abbott's correction formula (W. S. Abbott, “A Method of Computing the Effectiveness of an Insecticide” J. Econ. Entomol 18 (1925), pp. 265-267) as follows.
Corrected % Control=100*( X−Y )/ X
where X=No. of live aphids on solvent check plants and Y=No. of live aphids on treated plants
The results are indicated in the table entitled “Table 1: GPA (MYZUPE) and sweetpotato whitefly-crawler (BEMITA) Rating Table”.
Example B
Bioassays on Sweetpotato Whitefly Crawler ( Bemisia tabaci ) (BEMITA.)
The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), has been recorded in the United States since the late 1800s. In 1986 in Florida, Bemisia tabaci became an extreme economic pest. Whiteflies usually feed on the lower surface of their host plant leaves. From the egg hatches a minute crawler stage that moves about the leaf until it inserts its microscopic, threadlike mouthparts to feed by sucking sap from the phloem. Adults and nymphs excrete honeydew (largely plant sugars from feeding on phloem), a sticky, viscous liquid in which dark sooty molds grow. Heavy infestations of adults and their progeny can cause seedling death, or reduction in vigor and yield of older plants, due simply to sap removal. The honeydew can stick cotton lint together, making it more difficult to gin and therefore reducing its value. Sooty mold grows on honeydew-covered substrates, obscuring the leaf and reducing photosynthesis, and reducing fruit quality grade. It transmitted plant-pathogenic viruses that had never affected cultivated crops and induced plant physiological disorders, such as tomato irregular ripening and squash silverleaf disorder. Whiteflies are resistant to many formerly effective pesticides.
Cotton plants grown in 3-inch pots, with 1 small (3-5 cm) true leaf, were used at test substrate. The plants were placed in a room with whitefly adults. Adults were allowed to deposit eggs for 2-3 days. After a 2-3 day egg-laying period, plants were taken from the adult whitefly room. Adults were blown off leaves using a hand-held Devilbliss sprayer (23 psi). Plants with egg infestation (100-300 eggs per plant) were placed in a holding room for 5-6 days at 82° F. and 50% RH for egg hatch and crawler stage to develop. Four cotton plants were used for each treatment. Compounds (2 mg) were dissolved in 1 mL of acetone solvent, forming stock solutions of 2000 ppm. The stock solutions were diluted 10× with 0.025% Tween 20 in water to obtain a test solution at 200 ppm. A hand-held Devilbliss sprayer was used for spraying a solution to both sides of cotton leaf until runoff. Reference plants (solvent check) were sprayed with the diluent only. Treated plants were held in a holding room for 8-9 days at approximately 82° F. and 50% RH prior to grading. Evaluation was conducted by counting the number of live nymphs per plant under a microscope. Pesticidal activity was measured by using Abbott's correction formula (see above) and presented in Table 1.
TABLE 1
GPA (MYZUPE) and sweetpotato whitefly-crawler (BEMITA)
Rating Table
Example Compound
BEMITA
MYZUPE
Compound 2
C
C
Compound 3
C
C
Compound 2-11
A
A
Compound 2-12
A
A
% Control of Mortality
Rating
80-100
A
More than 0-Less than 80
B
Not Tested
C
No activity noticed in this bioassay
D
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This disclosure relates to the field of preparation of 3-(3-chloro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine and intermediates therefrom. These intermediates are useful in the preparation of certain pesticides.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a small, precision, passive one-way valve for medical applications which opens when a minimal pressure drop occurs across the valve, and more particularly to an improved valve for use in a medical infusion pump, which improved valve may be installed in a flat-top configuration allowing the portion of the housing on top of the valve to be flat rather than precision contoured, thereby allowing substantial reduction in the cost of the pump.
In the past there have been two techniques used to deliver drugs which may not be orally ingested to a patient. The first such technique is through an injection, or shot, which delivers a large dosage at relatively infrequent intervals to the patient. This technique is not always satisfactory, particularly when the drug being administered is lethal or has negative side effects when delivered in a large dosage. This problem results in smaller injections being given at more frequent intervals.
Alternatively, the second technique involves administering a continuous flow of medication to the patient through an IV bottle. Medication may also be delivered through an IV system with an injection being made into a complex maze of IV tubes, hoses, and other paraphernalia. As an alternative to these two techniques of administering medication to a patient, the recent addition of medication infusion pumps has come as a welcome improvement.
Infusion pumps are utilized to administer drugs to a patient in small, metered doses at frequent intervals or, alternatively, in the case of some devices, at a low but essentially continuous rate. Infusion pump therapy may be electronically controlled to deliver precise, metered doses at exactly determined intervals, thereby providing a beneficial gradual infusion of medication to the patient. In this manner, the infusion pump is able to mimic the natural process whereby chemical balances are maintained precisely by operating on a continuous time basis.
One of the essential elements of an infusion pump is a one-way valve, one or more of which is required in virtually any design for an infusion pump. Such a valve must be highly precise, operating in a passive manner to open with a relatively small break pressure or cracking pressure in the desired direction of flow through the valve. The valve must also be resistant to a substantially higher reverse pressure, not opening or leaking at all, since any reverse flow in the opposite direction would result a reduction in the amount of medication being delivered, and an imprecise infusion pump which would be totally unacceptable.
The valve must be easily manufactured, and must have both an extended shelf life and a long operating life. It must also be made from a material which is of a medical grade, and which will not be affected by any of the numerous medications which may be administered by the infusion pump.
An additional requirement has been imposed by the important design consideration of disposability. It is desirable that the pump portion of the infusion pump device be disposable, and therefore the valve must in addition to all the requirements previously mentioned be inexpensive, and must also be installable in the pump easily. Since the inexpensive nature of the disposable pump mandates against expensive molding techniques, it is a primary object of the valve that it be installable in the pump with only one half of the housing containing the valve requiring a complex form. More specifically, the top or inlet portion of the housing will be flat save for an opening through which the medication being pumped may flow into contact with and through the valve.
It is also necessary in order to minimize the number of parts required and therefore the cost of construction of the disposable pump that sealing means be included in the integral design of the pump. When the two portions of the pump housing are assembled with the valve therebetween, fluid will be able to flow only through the valve, and not around it. In addition, leaks from the pump between the two portions of the housing will be prevented by the sealing means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed above are overcome by the present invention. With this invention, an inexpensive valve of unitary construction having sealing means integrally included is taught which may be installed between two housing portions, one of which is essentially flat with an aperture therein from which fluid flows into contact with and through the valve.
The valve is molded in unitary fashion of a medical grade elastomer such as silicone rubber. A circular valve disk has on the top side thereof a protruding cylindrical dynamic sealing ridge, which is the actual valve element. A static seal ring having a larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the valve disc is located concentrically around the valve disk. The valve disk is supported from the static seal ring by a thin support web extending between the static support ring and the valve disk, which web has a plurality of holes therethrough to allow fluid passage.
The valve is installed by locating it in a first housing portion which has provision for receiving the static seal ring, and also includes a web support structure for supporting portion of the web adjacent to the static seal ring. The first housing portion has an aperture therein to allow fluid passing through the valve to exit, which aperture is located on the underside of the valve when it is installed in the first housing portion as described above.
A second housing portion is then installed on top of the valve as previously installed in the first housing portion. The second housing portion, which rests on top of the valve, is essentially flat, and has an aperture therein through which fluid may enter toward the valve. This aperture is located above the valve disk and concentrically within the dynamic sealing ridge. When the second housing portion is installed onto the first housing portion with the valve therebetween, the static seal ring is compressed to create a good seal.
In operation, when the pressure is greater on top of the valve disk than under the valve disk, the valve will tend to open, requiring only a small pressure to operate. However, when this small break pressure is not present, or when a reverse pressure is present, the valve will remain in a closed position. It may thereby be appreciated that the valve has a very positive sealing action when closed, and that it will open easily when the small break pressure (or a greater pressure in that direction) is present.
It is apparent that the valve as described herein may be simply constructed in a single molding operation in one piece, thereby minimizing both parts and costs. The valve may be molded of a medical grade elastomer, which is acceptable for use in an infusion pump, as well as having excellent shelf life and operating life characteristics.
As a result of the novel design of the valve, the portion of the housing mounted on the top side of the valve may be flat, and therefore of economical construction. Even so, an excellent seal is obtained, thereby preventing both leaks out of the pump and in either direction around the valve. Since the valve is highly precise and has only a small required break pressure to open it, it offers excellent operating characteristics. Finally, the economic construction of the valve and the resulting enablement of economic construction of the pump make the valve a valuable addition to the art, particularly for the construction of a disposable pump.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the top side of the valve of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the valve of FIG. 1 illustrating the configuration of the valve;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bottom side of the valve shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 is a view of the valve shown in FIGS. 1-3 installed between first and second housing portions, with the valve in the closed position;
FIG. 5 is a view of the valve of FIGS. 1-3 installed as shown in FIG. 4 between the first and second housing portions, with the valve in an open position;
FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of the operation of a pump using two of the valves of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment using valve stop ribs on the floor of the lower housing portion to prevent overtravel by the valve disk rather than using bumps on the bottom side of the valve disk; and
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the top side of the lower housing portion shown in FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A possible configuration for an infusion pump using two of the valves of the present invention is illustrated schematically in FIG. 6. Medication contained in a fluid source 10 is to be provided to a patient via a catheter 12, which is of standard design and well known in the art. The fluid driver may be generically described as a pump 14, which may be any of a number of different arrangements, the most common of which is a variable displacement piston and cylinder arrangement.
The pump 14 is driven by a pump driving mechanism 16, which may also be any of a number of different arrangements which are known for controlling an infusion pump. Two one-way valves 18A, 18B are used to control the pumping force generated by the pump 14. The first one-way valve 18A is located in the fluid path between the fluid source 10 and the pump 14, and will only allow fluid to pass from the fluid source 10 to the pump 14. The second one-way valve 18B is located between the pump 14 and the catheter 12, and will only allow fluid to pass from the pump 14 to the catheter 12.
When the displacement of the pump 14 is increasing, fluid will be drawn into the pump 14. Since the second valve 18B will not allow fluid to flow into the pump 14, fluid will be drawn from the fluid source 10 through the first valve 18A into the pump 14. Likewise, when the displacement of the pump 14 is decreasing, fluid will be forced out from the pump 14. Since the first valve 18A will not allow fluid to flow out from the pump 14, fluid will be forced out from the pump 14 through the second valve 18B into the catheter.
For a disposable pump, the two valves 18A and 18B, and the pump 14 would be the disposable components (presumably together with the associated tubing, the catheter, and the empty fluid source). The present invention focuses on the construction of the valves 18A and 18B, which are usually identical. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the present invention may be adapted to have application in virtually any infusion pump conceivable.
Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a valve 20 is illustrated which is constructed according to the teachings of the present invention. Basically, the valve 20 consists of three elements, the first of which is a rigid valve disk 22 which includes sealing means and which functions as the actual valve element. The second element of the valve 20 is a static seal ring 24 which acts both as a seal between upper and lower housing elements (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) and as a rigid support structure from which the valve disk 22 may be suspended. The third element is a thin support web 26 extending between the inner diameter of the static seal ring 24 and the outer diamerter of the valve disk 22. The support web is used both to support the valve disk 22 in the proper operating location within housing elements and to bias the valve disk 22 in a closed position which a preselected force in the proper direction may be overcome to open the valve 20.
The valve 20 is quite small, typically having a diameter of approximately 0.20-0.75 inches. For purposes of an example used to illustrate the preferred embodiment, a valve 20 will be described herein which has a diameter of 0.33 inches. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the teachings of the present invention are equally applicable to valves of differing sizes for use in such medical devices.
The valve disk 22 is relatively thick to prevent it from exhibiting a significant amount of flexure, particularly under situations when a high pressure in the direction opposite flow would otherwise tend to cause a deflection. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that infusion pumps have a relatively small pump displacement, and therefore even a small amount of flexure by the valve disk 22 during pumping would result in both a significant reduction in volumetric efficiency and in an imprecise amount of medication being delivered, making the pump unsuitable for the medical use for which it is intended. In the example used herein, the valve disk 22 has a diameter of 0.12 inches, and a thickness of 0.025 inches.
As used throughout this disclosure, the term "top" of the valve 20 shall be used to mean the side from which fluid originates, and the term "bottom" of the valve 20 shall mean the side of the valve 20 from which fluid exits as it passes through the valve 20. The side shown in the plan view of FIG. 1 is the top side of the valve 20, and the side shown in the plan view of FIG. 3 is the bottom side of the valve 20. The top side is shown in FIG. 2 at the top of the figure when viewed in the conventional manner, and the bottom is likewise shown at the bottom of the figure.
The valve 20 has on the bottom side thereof four protruding circular ridges or bumps 28, as shown best in FIG. 3. The four bumps 28 are mounted around and extend from the periphery of the valve disk 22 on the bottom side of the valve disk 22. They are evenly distributed around the bottom of the valve disk 22, at positions separated by ninety degrees. The purpose of the bumps 28 is to prevent the valve disk 22 from bottoming out and closing off the fluid path, as will be discussed later in this specification.
The valve disk 22 has on the top side of the valve 20 from which fluid originates a dynamic sealing ridge 30, shown best in FIGS. 1 and 2. The dynamic sealing ridge 30 is cylindrical and extends upwardly from from the outside edge of the valve disk 22. The dynamic sealing ridge 30 extends 0.01 inches above the surface of the valve disk 22 in the exemplar valve, and has a rounded top surface for enhanced sealing characteristics.
It of course will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the shape of the valve disk 22 may be other than circular as shown herein. Additionally, the configurations of the bumps 28 or the sealing ridge 30 may be different, the designs discussed above merely representing the preferred embodiment.
The static seal ring 24 is located concentrically around the valve disk 22, and functions to support and locate the valve disk 22 in position. The static seal ring also functions as a gasket or an O-ring to seal the space between the two housing portions, as will become more evident below in conjunction with the discussion of FIGS. 3 and 4. It is important to note that while the cross-sectional configuration of the static seal ring 24 shown in FIG. 2 is the preferred embodiment, other configurations are possible. The static seal ring must present both a conveniently sealing design and a structurally sound base from which the valve disk 22 is supported. The U-shaped cross-section static seal ring 24 shown in FIG. 2 accomplishes both objectives admirably.
The thin support web 26 is used to support the valve disk 22 from the static seal ring 24, with the valve disk being capable of movement in essentially one direction only--up and down. Since the entire valve 20 is constructed of elastomeric material, it will be appreciated that the web 26 will tend to bias the valve disk 22 in the position shown in FIG. 2 when no outside forces are applied to the valve 20. In this position the top surface of the static seal ring 24 and the support web 26 are entirely planar, with the dynamic sealing ridge and a portion of the valve disk 22 protruding above this plane.
By manufacturing the valve 20 with uniform dimensions, the force, and hence the fluid pressure, required to displace the valve disk 22 will be highly repeatable. Since the fluid pressure required to supply this force is to be very small, i.e. on the order of 0.1 PSI, it will be appreciated that the support web must be very thin.
An additional factor is the use in the valve 20 of the present invention of a plurality of apertures 32 through the support web, the apertures 32 being arranged uniformly around the circumference of the valve disk 22. In the preferred embodiment shown, there are 10 apertures 32 in the support web 26, each aperture 32 having a diameter of 0.042 inches. Since the outer diameter of the support web 26 where it is connected to the static seal ring 24 is 0.25 inches in the preferred embodiment, the apertures remove a substantial portion of the support web 26, thereby diminishing the force and the fluid pressure necessary to displace the valve disk. The practical effect of the apertures 32 is that the support web 26 may be made thicker, which in the manufacturing sense makes the valve 20 both easier and more inexpensive to fabricate. Of course, the apertures 32 also serve the purpose of allowing the passage therethrough of fluid entering the valve 20 when the valve disk 22 is open.
It will be appreciated that the valve 20 may be manufactured by molding procedures well known in the art, such as but not limited to injection molding or transfer molding, with the valve 20 illustrated being manufactured in one piece construction. The valve is typically molded of a medical grade elastomer such as silicone rubber. A critical design criteria is the hardness of the elastomer, which is a compromise between conflicting design considerations.
The static seal ring 24 must have a low stress relaxation characteristic in order to form a good seal after an extended shelf life. A durometer hardness of 30-70 on the Shore A scale encompasses the outer limits on hardness of the material used for the valve 20, with the hardness in the preferred embodiment being between 40 and 50 on the Shore A scale.
With the construction of the valve 20 being accomplished in sufficient detail, the installation of a valve 20 in the two housing portions is illustrated in FIG. 4. The static seal ring 24 of the valve 20 is inserted into a circular seal retaining slot 40 in a lower housing portion 42. The retaining slot 40 is of sufficient depth to accept the portion of the static seal ring 24 in a sealing manner.
An upper housing portion 44 is then lowered into position over the valve 20 and the lower housing portion 44, and secured in position by any of a number of techniques well known in the art, such as by snapping the upper housing portion 44 onto the lower housing portion 42. The installation of the upper housing portion 44 onto the lower housing portion will also compress the static seal ring 24 to form an excellent seal between the upper housing portion 44 and the lower housing portion 42 at the location of the static seal ring 24.
Also illustrated in FIG. 4 is an optional circular protruding ridge 45, which may be formed on the upper housing portion in a manner whereby the circular protruding ridge 45 will be located over a central portion of the top of the static seal ring 24 to ensure an even better seal. It should be noted that with the possible exception of the protruding ridge 45, the side of the upper housing portion 44 facing the valve 20 is flat, thereby accomplishing one of the objects of the present invention.
Centrally located above the valve disk 22 and within the dynamic sealing ridge 30 is an inlet aperture 46, through which fluid may be admitted to the valve. Since the side of the upper housing portion 44 facing the valve 20 is flat, it will be appreciated that the installation of the upper housing portion 44 over the valve 20 causes the dynamic sealing ridge 30 and the valve disk 22 to be moved downwardly, thereby prestressing the support web 26 and preloading the valve 20 in a closed position. The pressure differential must reach a threshold value in order to open the valve 20 by forcing the valve disk 22 and the dynamic sealing ridge 30 away from the upper housing portion 44. In the preferred embodiment described herein, the preload requires only a minimal break pressure to open the valve, typically about 0.1 PSI. It is important that the material of the valve 20 have characteristics such that this prestressing of the valve 20 not result in stress relaxation by the material, as discussed above.
It will be noted that the design of the valve 20 on the inlet side requires and allows only a very small volume of fluid to be stored therein in the cavity formed between the top of the valve disk 22, the interior of the dynamic sealing ridge 30, and the side of the upper housing portion 44 facing the valve 20. This is important to minimize the volume contained within this area on the inlet side of the valve 20 when the valve 20 is used as the valve 18B at the outlet side of the pump 14 shown in FIG. 6.
The design of the valve 20 also allows this volume to be minimized on the outlet side of the valve 20. Referring again to FIG. 4, a web support 48 is integrally fashioned in the lower housing portion radially inside the seal retaining slot 40, with the web support forming the interior side of the seal retaining slot 40. As its name implies, the web support also extends inwardly from the seal retaining slot slightly to support a small portion of the support web 26, in the process slightly increasing the force required to open the valve 20.
An additional function of the web support 48 is to minimize the volume in the chamber outside of the dynamic sealing ridge 30 and between the upper housing portion 44 and the lower housing portion 42, this chamber being on the outlet side of the valve 20. A valve chamber floor 50 is located beneath the valve disk 22, and an outlet aperture 52 is located in the valve chamber floor 50. The web support may be larger than depicted in FIG. 4, so long as it does not obstruct the valve disk 22 or the flow of fluid through the apertures 32 and around the valve disk 22. The web support 48 therefore minimizes the volume contained on the outlet side of the valve 20, which is important when the valve 20 is used as the 18A at the inlet side of the pump 14 shown in FIG. 6.
Since the force needed to open the valve 20 is very small, it is important to prevent the situation where a high inlet pressure could force the valve disk 22 to the valve chamber floor 50, thereby obstructing the outlet aperture 52 and the flow through the valve 20. The four protruding circular bumps 28, discussed above in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3, extend away from the bottom side of the valve disk 22 to prevent the valve disk 22 from blocking the outlet aperture 52 even under the conditions described above. The spaces between the bumps 28 and the facing surfaces of the valve disk 22 and the floor 50 of the lower housing portion 42 thereby provide a fluid path even when the valve disk 22 is forced downwardly by excessive force.
Alternatively, rather than having the bumps 28 molded into the bottom of the valve disk 22, apparatus for preventing the valve disk 22 from blocking the outlet aperture 52 under the conditions described above could be located on the floor 50 of the lower housing portion 42. The bottom side of the valve disk 22 would not have the protruding bumps 28 but rather would be essentially flat with a rounded bottom edge. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, one or more valve stop ribs 54 which protrude from the floor 50 of the lower support portion 42 prevent the valve disk 22 from bottoming out and obstructing the outlet aperture 52. The space between the valve stop ribs 54 would thereby provide a fluid path when the valve disk 22 is against the valve stop ribs 54.
The spring action of the support web 26 will maintain the dynamic sealing ridge 30 of the valve disk 26 against the upper housing portion 44 as shown in FIG. 4 when there is no fluid pressure, when the pressure differential across the valve is less than the break pressure, and when the pressure on the outlet side of the valve 20 is greater than the pressure on the inlet side of the valve 20. When the pressure on the inlet side of the valve 20 is greater than the pressure on the outlet side of the valve 20 by a value at least that of the break pressure, the valve 20 will open as shown in FIG. 5, allowing fluid to flow in the inlet aperture 46, around the dynamic sealing ridge 30, through the apertures 32 in the support web 26, and out the outlet aperture 52.
The support web 26 will act to return the valve 20 to a closed position when the pressure across the valve 20 drops below the break pressure. The valve 20 is highly resistant to reverse flow since the valve disk 22 is relatively thick to prevent substantial deflection therein, thereby maintaining the dynamic sealing ridge 30 tightly against the upper housing portion 44.
It is therefore apparent that the design of the valve 20 to have a desired break pressure is determined by three factors. First, the thicker the support web, the higher the spring rate and the greater the break pressure of the valve 20. Secondly, the apertures 32 in the support web act to reduce the spring rate and the break pressure of the valve 20 as the number and size of the apertures increase. Finally, the height by which the dynamic sealing ridge 30 projects above the support web 26 provides an offset which determines the preload of the valve disk 22 and the dynamic sealing ridge 30 against the upper housing portion 44.
The valve 20 of the present invention is highly precise, and may be economically manufactured. It is suitable for use in medical devices since it is precise, has good shelf and operating lives, and is made of medical grade materials. The valve 20 has a very small break pressure, yet it seals tightly when this break pressure is not met. It may be used in conjunction with a flat top surface (the upper housing portion 44), thereby making construction of a more economical infusion pump possible and making practical an inexpensive disposable pump with positive valve operation. The present invention thereby represents a valuable and highly desirable improvement in the art, while affording no relative disadvantages.
Although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit of the present invention. All such changes, modifications, and alterations should therefore be seen as within the scope of the present invention.
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A valve for use in medical applications is disclosed which is a highly precise, passive, one-way valve which makes an excellent inlet valve or outlet valve in a drug infusion pump. The valve operates with a very small forward pressure, requires only a small amount of fluid in the valve chamber, and operates in a positive and predictable fashion, even after an extended shelf life. The valve, may be inexpensively molded in one piece, thereby facilitating construction of a disposable pump, and may be installed with the portion of the pump housing contacting the top surface of the valve being flat, thereby further reducing manufacturing costs.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, it relates to an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus employing laser ablation method.
2. Description of the Background Art
When a target is irradiated with a laser beam, ablation so takes in a portion irradiated with the laser beam as to scatter particles of a material forming the target in states of atoms and molecules. The as-scattered particles are deposited on a substrate which is arranged to face the target, thereby providing a thin film of the material forming the target on the substrate.
When sputtering or MBE is employed for forming an oxide superconducting thin film, the interior of a thin film forming chamber must be maintained at a high degree of vacuum in general. When laser ablation method is employed, on the other hand, the interior of such a chamber may not be maintained at a high degree of vacuum but a film can be formed under a high gaseous oxygen pressure. Further, formation of a superconducting thin film by laser ablation method with an excimer laser, for example, is watched with interest in a point that a superconducting film of high quality can be formed at a high speed since scattered particles are deposited at a high speed and the composition of the as-formed film is hardly displaced from a target composition.
In formation of a superconducting film by such laser ablation method, an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5, for example, is employed in general. Referring to FIG. 5, this oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator 1, and a thin film forming chamber 3 having a laser entrance window 2. This laser oscillator 1 is set in the exterior of the thin film forming chamber 3. The thin film forming chamber 3 is provided therein with a target 4 containing components of an oxide superconductor, and a substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4.
The target 4 provided in the thin film forming chamber 3 is irradiated with a laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1, through the laser entrance window 2. The target 4 contains components of an oxide superconductor. Upon such irradiation with the laser beam, particles 5 of the material forming the target 4 are scattered from the target 4, to be deposited on the substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. Thus, a thin film of the material forming the target 4 is provided on the substrate 6.
In such formation of a superconducting film by laser ablation method, however, the particles are scattered from the target 4 not only toward the substrate 6 but toward the laser entrance window 2 during film formation, to adhere to the laser entrance window 2. Thus, laser transmissivity of the laser entrance window 2 is so reduced that power of the laser beam which is applied to the target 4 is reduced with time. When the laser power is thus reduced with time, it is impossible to obtain a superconducting film having high characteristics.
Particularly in formation of a large area film such as a tape wire, a long time is required for film formation and hence the as-formed tape wire is irregularized in film quality and film thickness along its longitudinal direction due to the aforementioned reduction in laser power with time. Thus, it is impossible to obtain an oxide superconducting film having high and uniform characteristics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, an object of the present invention is to provide an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus which can prepare an oxide superconducting film having high and uniform characteristics even if film formation takes a long time.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for manufacturing an oxide superconducting film using laser ablation method, which comprises a thin film forming chamber having a laser-transparent laser entrance window, a target being provided in the thin film forming chamber and containing components of an oxide superconductor, a laser beam source for applying a laser beam to the target from the exterior of the thin film forming chamber through the laser entrance window, and means for controlling power of the laser beam applied to the target at a constant level in order to prevent the power of the laser beam, being applied to the target, from reduction by contamination of the entrance window caused by scattered particles.
In an aspect of the present invention, a movable laser-transparent plate which is movable during film formation may be preferably provided as the control means between the laser entrance window and the target.
Such a movable laser-transparent plate may be linearly moved, rotated, or rotated with linear movement of its rotation axis. Further, the movable laser-transparent plate may be provided in the form of a sheet which is moved by a take-up supply.
In another aspect of the present invention, the control means may preferably comprise detection means for detecting intensity of light emission from a specific luminous species contained in particles which are scattered from the target during film formation, and means for controlling the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser beam source so that the intensity of light emission from the luminous species is constant during film formation in response to a light emission intensity detection output received from the detection means.
Still another preferable example of the control means may comprise first detection means for detecting intensity of light emission from a specific luminous species contained in particles scattered from the target during film formation, means for controlling the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser beam source so that the intensity of light emission from the luminous species is constant during film formation in response to a light emission intensity detection output received from the first detection means, second detection means for detecting a control limit of the control means, and means for moving the movable laser-transparent plate in response to a detection output of the second detection means.
The movable laser-transparent plate may be linearly moved, rotated, or rotated with linear movement of its rotation axis. Further, the movable laser-transparent plate may be provided in the form of a sheet which is moved by a take-up supply.
A further preferable example of the control means may comprise detection means for detecting intensity of light emission from a specific luminous species contained in particles which are scattered from the target during film formation, means for controlling the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser beam source so that the intensity of light emission from the luminous species is constant during film formation in response to a light emission intensity detection output from the detection means, and means for continuously moving the movable laser-transparent plate during film formation.
The movable laser-transparent plate may be linearly moved, rotated, or rotated with linear movement of its rotation axis. Further, the movable laser-transparent plate may be provided in the form of a sheet which is moved by a take-up supply.
According to the present invention, the power of the laser beam which is applied to the target is so controlled at a constant level that the laser beam being applied to the target is prevented from reduction in power by contamination of the entrance window caused by particles scattered during film formation. When the target is irradiated with the laser beam which is at a constant power level during film formation, a constant amount of particles are scattered and deposited on the substrate, whereby it is possible to obtain an oxide superconducting film having high and uniform characteristics. Thus, the present invention is remarkably effective for improving superconductivity of a large-area oxide superconducting film.
Further, the present invention is effective for improving quality of an oxide superconducting film which is formed at a high speed, whereby a particularly excellent effect can be attained when the inventive apparatus is applied to manufacturing of an oxide superconducting wire which is obtained by employing an elongated tape base material as a substrate and continuously forming an oxide superconducting film thereon, for example.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 typically illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 2 to 4 typically illustrate oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatuses according to other embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 5 typically illustrates an example of a conventional oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus;
FIG. 6 illustrates distribution of characteristics along the longitudinal direction of an oxide superconducting film manufactured according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 illustrates distribution of characteristics along the longitudinal direction of an oxide superconducting film manufactured by a conventional method;
FIG. 8 typically illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 illustrates distribution of characteristics along the longitudinal direction of an oxide superconducting film manufactured according to the present invention;
FIG. 10 typically illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a flow chart for illustrating an operation of the oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 10; and
FIG. 12 typically illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, this oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator 1, and a thin film forming chamber 3 having a laser entrance window 2. The thin film forming chamber 3 is provided therein with a target 4 containing components of an oxide superconductor, and a substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. Further, a laser-transparent plate 8 is provided between the laser entrance window 2 and the target 4. The laser-transparent plate 8, which is in the form of a rectangle, can be linearly moved along arrow 18.
The target 4 provided in the thin film forming chamber 3 is irradiated with a laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1 through the laser entrance window 2. The target 4 contains components of an oxide superconductor. Upon irradiation with the laser beam, particles 5 of the material forming the target 4 are so scattered that the material is deposited on the substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. At this time, the particles of the material forming the target 4 are scattered not only toward the substrate 6 but toward the laser entrance window 2. Such particles 7 being scattered toward the laser entrance window 2 adhere to the laser-transparent plate 8 before reaching the laser entrance window 2. The power of the laser beam which is applied to the target 4 is temporarily reduced by such adhesion of the particles 7. When the laser-transparent plate 8 is linearly moved along arrow 18, however, a clean surface appears in a portion for transmitting the laser beam, thereby recovering the laser power. Such movement of the plate 8 is repeated during film formation. This movement of the plate 8 may be controlled by a timer, or by detecting reduction of the laser power.
Although the plate 8 is intermittently moved in the aforementioned embodiment 1, this plate 8 may alternatively be continuously moved during film formation by reciprocation.
Embodiment 2
FIG. 2 illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, this oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator 1, and a thin film forming chamber 3 having a laser entrance window 2 as well as a target 4 and a substrate 6 arranged therein, similarly to the embodiment 1. Further, a laser-transparent plate 9 is provided between the laser entrance window 2 and the target 4. The laser-transparent plate 9, which is in the form of a disk, can be rotated along arrow 19.
Similarly to the embodiment 1, the target 4 is irradiated with a laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1, whereby particles of the material forming the target 4 are scattered not only toward the substrate 6 but toward the laser entrance window 2. Such particles 7 being scattered toward the laser entrance window 2 adhere to the laser-transparent plate 9 before reaching the laser entrance window 2. The power of the laser beam which is applied to the target 4 is temporarily reduced by such adhesion of the particles 7. When the laser-transparent plate 9 is rotated along arrow 19, however, a clean surface appears in a portion for transmitting the laser beam, thereby recovering the laser power. Such rotation of the plate 9 is intermittently repeated during film formation. This rotation of the plate 9 may be controlled by a timer, or by detecting reduction of the laser power.
Although the plate 9 is intermittently rotated in the aforementioned embodiment 2, this plate 9 may alternatively be continuously rotated during film formation.
Embodiment 3
FIG. 3 illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 3, this oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator 1, and a thin film forming chamber 3 having a laser entrance window 2 as well as a target 4 and a substrate 6 arranged therein, similarly to the embodiment 1. Further, a laser-transparent plate 39 is provided between the laser entrance window 2 and the target 4. The laser-transparent plate 39, which is in the form of a disk, can be rotated along arrow 19 while its rotation axis 40 can be linearly moved along arrow 29.
Similarly to the embodiment 1, the target 4 is irradiated with a laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1, whereby particles of the material forming the target 4 are scattered not only toward the substrate 6 but toward the laser entrance window 2. Such particles 7 being scattered toward the laser entrance window 2 adhere to the laser-transparent plate 39 before reaching the laser entrance window 2. The power of the laser beam which is applied to the target 4 is temporarily reduced by such adhesion of the particles 7. When the laser-transparent plate 39 is rotated along arrow 19, however, a clean surface appears in a portion for transmitting the laser beam, thereby recovering the laser power.
When the plate 39 is rotated by 360° along arrow 19, the rotation axis 40 of the plate 39 is linearly moved along arrow 29 and thereafter the plate 39 is again rotated. When the plate 39 is thus moved in combination of rotation and linear movement, it is possible to efficiently utilize the overall surface of the discoidal plate 39. Such movement of the plate 39 is intermittently repeated during film formation. This movement of the plate 39 can be controlled by a timer, or by detecting reduction of the laser power.
Although the plate 39 is intermittently moved in the aforementioned embodiment 3, this plate 39 may alternatively be intermittently moved during film formation.
Embodiment 4
FIG. 4 illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 4, this oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator 1, and a thin film forming chamber 3 having a laser entrance window 2 as well as a target 4 and a substrate 6 arranged therein, similarly to the embodiment 1. Further, a laser-transparent plate 10 is provided between the laser entrance window 2 and the target 4. The laser-transparent plate 10, which is made of sheet-type quartz, can be moved along arrow 20 by a take-up supply 21.
Similarly to the embodiment 1, the target 4 is irradiated with a laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1, whereby particles of the material forming the target 4 are scattered not only toward the substrate 6 but toward the laser entrance window 2. Such particles 7 being scattered toward the laser entrance window 2 adhere to the laser-transparent plate 10 before reaching the laser entrance window 2. The power of the laser beam which is applied to the target 4 is temporarily reduced by such adhesion of the particles 7. When the laser-transparent plate 10 is moved by the take-up supply 21 along arrow 20, however, a clean surface appears in a portion for transmitting the laser beam, whereby the laser power is recovered. Such movement of the plate 10 is intermittently repeated during film formation. This movement of the plate 10 may be controlled by a timer, or by detecting reduction of the laser power.
Although the plate 10 is intermittently moved in the aforementioned embodiment 4, this plate 10 may alternatively be continuously moved during film formation.
Experimental Example 1
An oxide superconducting manufacturing apparatus having a laser-transparent plate provided between a laser entrance window and a target as in any of the aforementioned embodiments was employed to form a superconducting tape sample while continuously moving the plate during film formation.
A substrate material was prepared from a flexible tape of YSZ (yittria-stabilized-zirconia), which was heated to a temperature of 700° to 750° C. A target was prepared from a Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 sintered body. A laser was prepared from an excimer laser of 248 nm in wavelength employing KrF as an excitation gas, with laser energy of 2.5 J/cm 2 and a laser frequency of 40 Hz. A film forming atmosphere was prepared from 200 mTorr of oxygen. The tape substrate was carried to continuously form a film.
FIG. 6 shows distribution of characteristics along the longitudinal direction of the as-obtained oxide superconducting film. Referring to FIG. 6, the axis of abscissas shows positions from a tape head and elapses of the film forming time, while the axis of ordinates shows changes in film thickness and those in critical current density (Jc) and critical current (Ic) at 77.3 K respectively.
As clearly understood from FIG. 6, it was confirmed that the film thickness, the critical current density Jc and the critical current Ic were stable along the overall length of the tape in the superconducting tape sample which was formed by the oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus having a mechanism for preventing contamination of the laser entrance window.
Comparative Example
For the purpose of comparison, the conventional oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 was employed to form a superconducting tape sample.
Other film forming conditions were similar to those in Experimental Example 1.
FIG. 7 shows distribution of characteristics along the longitudinal direction of the as-obtained oxide superconducting film. Referring to FIG. 7, the axis of abscissas show positions from a tape head and elapses of film forming time, while the axis of ordinates shows changes in film thickness and those in critical current density Jc and critical current Ic at 77.3 K respectively.
As clearly understood from FIG. 7, it was confirmed that the film thickness, the critical current density Jc and the critical current Ic were gradually reduced along the longitudinal direction in the superconducting tape sample which was obtained by the conventional apparatus having no mechanism for preventing contamination of a laser entrance window.
Embodiment 5
FIG. 8 shows an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 8, this oxide superconducting manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator 1, and a thin film forming chamber 3 having a laser entrance window 2. The thin film forming chamber 3 is provided therein with a target 4 containing components of an oxide superconductor, and a substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. The superconducting film manufacturing apparatus further comprises a camera 11 for catching light emitted from scattered particles, a spectroscope 13 for separating the as-caught light into its spectral components, an optical fiber 12 connecting the camera 11 with the spectroscope 13, an amplifier 15 for amplifying an input signal from the spectroscope 13, a computer 16 for transmitting a control signal so that intensity of light emission is constant on the basis of the amplified signal, and a laser control computer 17 for controlling laser power on the basis of the as-received control signal.
The target 4 provided in the thin film forming chamber 3 is irradiated with a laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1 through a laser entrance window 2. Upon irradiation with the laser beam, particles 5 of the material forming the target 4 are so scattered that the material forming the target 4 is deposited on the substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. At this time, the particles 5 scattered from the target 4 are excited by the high-energy laser beam, to emit light having a specific frequency. This light is caught by the camera 11, and transmitted to the spectroscope 13 through the optical fiber 12. The light which is separated in the spectroscope 13 into its spectral components is converted by a photoelectric element 14 to an electrical signal, which in turn is amplified through the amplifier 15, so that a signal of the spectral data is transmitted to the computer 16. The computer 16, in which light emission intensity I 0 from a determined luminous species in starting of film formation is registered, transmits a signal to the laser control computer 17 for controlling the as-received light emission intensity I so that 0.8≦I≦1.2 assuming that I 0 =1. On the basis of the as-received signal, the laser control computer 17 controls an applied voltage to adjust the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 1.
Experimental Example 2
The oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment 5 was employed to form a superconducting tape sample.
Other film forming conditions were similar to those in Experimental Example 1. Yttrium oxide was employed as a luminous species to be observed.
Table 1 shows changes over time in light emission intensity from yttrium oxide contained in particles being scattered from target in the film formed by the apparatus according to the embodiment 5. The values of light emission intensity were standardized assuming that the level was 1 in starting of film formation.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Light Emission IntensityElapsed Time (h.) of Yttrium Oxide______________________________________0 10.5 0.991.0 1.011.5 1.022.0 0.992.5 1.01______________________________________
For the purpose of comparison, Table 2 shows changes over time in light emission intensity from yttrium oxide contained in particles being scattered from target in a film formed by the conventional oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus as shown in FIG. 5.
TABLE 2______________________________________ Light Emission IntensityElapsed Time (h.) of Yttrium Oxide______________________________________0 10.5 0.951.0 0.831.5 0.612.0 0.322.5 0.10______________________________________
It is understood from Tables 1 and 2 that intensity of light emission from yttrium oxide was stable regardless of elapses of time in the sample manufactured by the oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment 5. It is also understood that intensity of light emission from yttrium oxide was gradually reduced with time in the sample manufactured by the conventional oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus.
FIG. 9 shows distribution of characteristics along the longitudinal direction of the oxide superconducting film formed by the oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment 5. Referring to FIG. 9, the axis of abscissas shows positions from a tape head and elapses of film forming time, while the axis of ordinates shows changes in film thickness and those in critical current density Jc and critical current Ic at 77.3 K respectively.
As clearly understood from FIG. 9, it was confirmed that the film thickness, the critical current density Jc and the critical current Ic were stable along the overall length of the tape in the superconducting tape sample manufactured by the oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment 5.
Embodiment 6
FIG. 10 illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 10, this oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator 1, and a thin film forming chamber 3 having a laser entrance window 2. The thin film forming chamber 3 is provided therein with a target 4 containing components of an oxide superconductor, and a substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. Further, a laser-transparent plate 8 is provided between the laser entrance window 2 and the target 4. The laser-transparent plate 8, which is in the form of a rectangle, can be linearly moved along arrow 18. The superconducting film manufacturing apparatus further comprises a camera 11 for catching light emitted from scattered particles, a spectroscope 13 for separating the as-caught light into its spectral components, an optical fiber 12 connecting the camera 11 with the spectroscope 13, an amplifier 15 for amplifying an input signal, a spectral data processing computer 22 for processing the as-amplified signal, a main computer 23 for judging the as-processed spectral data and transmitting a control signal to a laser control computer 24 or a plate carrying driver 25, and the laser control computer 24 for controlling laser power and the plate carrying driver 25 for moving the plate 8 on the basis of the control signal.
In the oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus having the aforementioned structure, automatic control for bringing the laser power into a constant level is carried out in the following manner. FIG. 11 shows a flow chart of this automatic control.
The target 4 provided in the thin film forming chamber 3 is irradiated with a laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1 through the laser entrance window 2. The target 4 contains components of an oxide superconductor. Upon irradiation with the laser beam, particles 5 of the material forming the target 4 are scattered so that the material forming the target 4 is deposited on the substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. At this time, the particles 5 scattered from the target 4 are excited by the high-energy laser beam, to emit light having a specific frequency. This light emission is caught by the camera 11, and transmitted to the spectroscope 13 through the optical fiber 12. The light which is separated into its spectral components is converted by a photoelectric element 14 to an electrical signal, so that its spectral data is processed by the spectral data processing computer 22 through the amplifier 15. Then, the spectral data is fed to the main computer 23, which in turn judges light emission intensity I from a certain luminous species. When the light emission intensity I is within a range of 0.8≦I≦1.2 assuming that light emission intensity I 0 immediately after starting of film formation is equal to 1, laser oscillation is continued as such. When I>1.2, the laser control computer 24 adjusts the laser power so that the light emission intensity I from the determined luminous species is constant on the basis of the spectral data, to thereafter continue laser oscillation. When I<0.8, a further judgement is made as to whether or not the laser power is at the maximum. If the laser power is not at the maximum, the laser control computer 24 adjusts the laser power so that the light emission intensity I from the determined luminous species is constant, to thereafter continue laser oscillation, similarly to the case of I>1.2. When the laser power is at the maximum, on the other hand, the plate 8 is linearly moved by the plate carrying driver 25. Thus, a clean surface appears in a portion for transmitting the laser beam, to recover the laser power and to thereafter continue laser oscillation.
Although the rectangular plate 8 is linearly moved in the aforementioned embodiment 6, a discoidal plate such as that shown in FIG. 2 may alternatively be rotated, or a discoidal plate such as that shown in FIG. 3 may be rotated with linear movement of its rotation axis. Further, a sheet-type plate such as that shown in FIG. 4 may be moved by a take-up supply.
Embodiment 7
FIG. 12 illustrates an oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 12, this oxide superconducting film manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator 1, and a thin film forming chamber 3 having a laser entrance window 2. The thin film forming chamber 3 is provided therein with a target 4 containing components of an oxide superconductor, and a substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. Further, a laser-transparent plate 8 is provided between the laser entrance window 2 and the target 4. The laser-transmittance plate 8, which is in the form of a rectangle, can be reciprocated along arrow 26. The superconducting film manufacturing apparatus further comprises a camera 11 for catching light emitted from scattered particles, a spectroscope 13 for separating the as-caught light into its spectral components, an optical fiber 12 connecting the camera 11 with the spectroscope 13, an amplifier 15 for amplifying an input signal from the spectroscope 13, a computer 16 for transmitting a control signal so that intensity of light emission is constant on the basis of the amplified signal, and a laser control computer 17 for controlling laser power on the basis of the as-received control signal.
The target 4 provided in the thin film forming chamber 3 is irradiated with a laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1 through the laser entrance window 2. Upon irradiation with the laser beam, particles 5 of the material forming the target 4 are scattered so that the material forming the target 4 is deposited on the substrate 6 which is arranged to face the target 4. At this time, the particles scattered from the target 4 are excited by the high energy laser beam, to emit light having a specific frequency. This light emission is caught by the camera 11, and transmitted to the spectroscope 13 through the optical fiber 12. The light separated into its spectral components is converted by a photoelectric element 14 to an electrical signal, which in turn is amplified through the amplifier 15, so that a signal of the spectral data is transmitted to the computer 16. The computer 16, in which light emission intensity I 0 from a determined luminous species in starting of film formation is registered, transmits a signal to the laser control computer 17 for controlling the as-received light emission intensity I so that 0.8≦I≦1.2 assuming that I 0 =1. On the basis of the as-received signal, the laser control computer 17 controls an applied voltage to adjust the power of the laser beam which is emitted from the laser oscillator 1.
On the other hand, particles 7 which are scattered toward the laser entrance window 2 adhere to the laser-transparent plate 8 before reaching the laser entrance window 2. When the laser-transparent plate 8 is continuously reciprocated along arrow 26 during film formation, however, it is possible to considerably reduce the speed of the particles 7 adhering to the plate 8, as compared with that in a case with no such reciprocation.
Although the rectangular plate 8 is linearly moved in the aforementioned embodiment 7, a discoidal plate such as that shown in FIG. 2 may alternatively be rotated, or a discoidal plate such as that shown in FIG. 3 may be rotated with linear movement of its rotation axis. Further, a sheet-type plate such as that shown in FIG. 4 may be moved by a take-up supply.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
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An apparatus for manufacturing an oxide superconducting film employing laser ablation method having a thin film forming chamber having a laser-transparent laser entrance window, a target being provided in the thin film forming chamber and containing components of an oxide superconductor, a laser beam source for irradiating the target with a laser beam from the exterior of the thin film forming chamber through the laser entrance window, and a controller for controlling power of the laser beam which is applied to the target for preventing the power of the laser beam, being applied to the target, from reduction by contamination of the entrance window caused by scattered particles. According to the present invention, it is possible to form an oxide superconducting film having high and uniform characteristics even if a long time is required for film formation, thereby attaining a remarkable effect in improvement of superconductivity of a large area oxide superconducting film.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to wire distribution flooring units for building floors, and more particularly, to a raceway forming member for converting the trough of a cellular or non-cellular flooring unit into at least two electrical raceways.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
The use of cellular and non-cellular metal flooring units in the construction of composite building floors is well known. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,636 (Albrecht et al), which describes a non-cellular profiled metal flooring unit having longitudinally inverted channels, with valleys or troughs disposed therebetween. The flooring unit is adapted to support an overlying layer of concrete to coact compositely. A metal cellular flooring unit differs in that it is provided with a lower metal sheet secured to the profiled upper metal sheet along contiguous portions thereof which cooperates with the inverted channels to form cells. Such metal cellular flooring units are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,812,636 (Albrecht et al), 3,397,497 (Shea et al), and 3,459,875 (Fork). The cells of a cellular flooring unit have been used to distribute electrical services, such as telephone, electrical power and the like to various locations in a floor.
It is also known that a trough of the cellular or non-cellular flooring unit may be capped to convert the trough into an electrical raceway. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,912,848 (Lee et al), 3,592,956 (Fork), and 4,194,332 (Fork). Typically, the capping of the trough and/or the positioning therein of inserts provides only a single raceway through which high voltage electrical wiring or low voltage single carrying wiring may be distributed.
A field-assembled cellular flooring unit is known wherein the trough of a non-cellular corrugated flooring unit presenting two inverted channels, receives a U-shaped element which divides the trough into three upright channels. A capping arrangement including alternating cover plates and preset access housings, caps the trough and converts the upright channels into enclosed raceways, see Bowman Construction Products advertisement appearing in the July 1983 issue of "Building Design & Construction" at pages 145-148.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a raceway forming member which divides the trough formed by and between the inverted channels of cellular and non-cellular flooring units into at least two raceways thereby to create a low cost electrical wiring distribution unit.
A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical/telecommunication distribution raceway system which utilizes only the flooring units, either cellular or non-cellular and field-installable raceway forming member.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a raceway forming member of generally inverted hat-shaped configuration which is coextensive in length with the flooring unit which eliminates the need for and the installation procedure of preset access housings.
The present invention provides a raceway forming member for use with cellular or non-cellular flooring units having at least two longitudinally extending inverted channels separated by a trough therebetween. The raceway forming member comprises a longitudinal cover element substantially coextensive in length with the flooring unit and having a width at least substantially the same as the trough. The cover element may comprise a single elongated piece or multiple pieces assembled in end-to-end relation. The cover element includes edge means adapted to engage the respective side walls or crests of the inverted channels. The cover elements caps the trough to form a lengthwise duct. The raceway forming member also includes a separator member depending from the cover and adapted to divide the duct into at least two raceways.
In one embodiment of this invention, the cover element has a hat-shaped profile including an upper wall, depending side walls, and outwardly extending flanges. The hat-shaped cover element is placed over the trough with the flanges secured to the crests of the inverted channels, and converts the same into an elongated duct. The upper wall of the hat-shaped cover element may be provided with access openings which are protected by knock-out pans against ingress of concrete. Alternatively, openings in the form of knock-out may be provided which allow the workmen to select those openings which are to be activated after pouring and curing of the overlying layer of concrete. A vertical separator member may be installed in the duct to divide the same into separate raceways. Alternatively, a hat-shaped insert may be inserted into the trough which cooperates with the web to form an enclosed raceway and which divides the duct into three separate raceways. The hat-shaped cover element eliminates the need for and the cost of installing presently used preset access housings.
In one embodiment of the invention, the separator member comprises and L-shaped member having a longitudinal vertical leg adapted to connect to the cover plate, and a bottom portion adapted to rest on the bottom of the trough. In a further preferred embodiment, the separator member is integrally formed with the cover element and has a lower edge adjacent to the bottom of the trough. In both cases, the separator member divides the thus-formed duct into at least two raceways and also provides support for the cover element when pouring the overlying layer of concrete.
It is also contemplated by the present invention to provide a plurality of separator members to provide more than two raceways within the trough.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a floor structure wherein a raceway forming member of the present invention is incorporated into a non-cellular/cellular flooring unit of a metal subfloor;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the raceway forming member shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a further embodiment of the raceway forming member;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 3, illustrating the raceway forming member of FIG. 4 installed in the trough of a non-cellular flooring unit;
FIG. 6 a fragmentary perspective view of a non-cellular flooring unit incorporating a hat-shaped raceway forming member;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hat-shaped insert;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a floor structure incorporating a hat-shaped raceway forming element and the hat-shaped insert of FIG. 9; and
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 10--10 of FIG. 9.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates an electrical wiring distributing floor structure 20 comprising a metal subfloor 22 and an overlying layer of concrete 24. The metal subfloor 22 is assembled from plural distribution or flooring units including non-cellular or corrugated flooring units 26 and cellular flooring units 28. It will be understood that depending upon the electrification requirements of the floor structure 20, the metal subfloor 22 may comprise plural non-cellular and cellular flooring units 26, 28, respectively, comingled as shown in FIG. 1; or may consist of only the non-cellular flooring units 26 or of only the cellular flooring units 28.
The non-cellular flooring unit 26 includes first and second spaced-apart, inverted, longitudinal channels 30, 32 connected by a web 34 which forms a trough 36 therebetween. Each of the channels 30, 32 includes side walls 38 connected by a crest 40. The trough 36 includes confronting ones of the side walls 38 connected by the web 34.
The cellular flooring unit 28 includes a corrugated upper metal sheet 42 presenting first and second spaced-apart, inverted, longitudinal channels 30A and 32A, connected by a web 34 which forms a trough 36A therebetween. Each of the channels 30A, 32A include side walls 38 connected by a crest 40. The trough 36A includes confronting ones of the side walls 38 joined by the web 34. Additionally, a correlative lower metal sheet 44 is secured to the upper metal sheet 42 along contiguous portions thereof and cooperates with the channels 30A and 30B to form enclosed cells or raceways 46,48.
Referring still to FIG. 1, a raceway forming member 50 is positioned to fit within the trough 36 to provide first and second raceways 52, 54. In a similar manner, the raceway forming member 50 could be positioned within the trough 36A of the cellular flooring unit 28 to provide additional raceways.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the raceway forming member 50 comprises an elongated cover element 56 including edge means, e.g., flanges 58 which are adapted to be positioned adjacent to the confronting side walls 38 of the inverted channels 30, 32. Preferably, each of the flanges 58 is substantially parallel with the adjacent side wall 38. Also, it is preferred that each edge means 58 includes a gasket 60 extending the length thereof and which is compressed between the edge means 58 and the adjacent side wall 38.
The raceway forming member 50 also includes a longitudinal separator member 62 depending from the cover element 56 to the web 34. The separator member 62 may be welded to the cover element 56 or, as shown, may have its upper edge captively retained between depending flanges 64, 66 to provide a friction grip and to permit field assembly and ease of shipment of the raceway forming member 50. Also as shown, the longitudinal separator 62 includes a base portion 68 adapted to rest on the web 34 and to be secured thereto by attachment means, such as spot welding. The base portion 68 facilitates field assembly of the separator 62 by allowing the separator 62 to rest upright on the web 34 so as to receive the cover 56.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cover element 56 may be provided with factory punched access openings 70, 72 which may be grommeted, as shown in FIG. 3, to provide access to the raceways 52, 54. Alternatively, the cover 56 may be provided with knock-outs 74, 76 which may be removed in the field. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an access housing 78 is secured to the channels 30, 32 in overlying relation with the access opening 70, 72. The top wall 80 of the housing 78 is provided with an outlet opening 82. As shown in FIG. 1, a knock-out pan 84 is secured to the top wall of the housing to protect the outlet opening against ingress of the concrete 24. When a selected housing 78 is to be activated, the concrete above the pan 84 is broken; the broken concrete and the pan 84 are removed; and a passageway 86 (FIG. 3) is formed in the concrete 24. Suitable closure means 88 is installed in the passageway 86 for gaining access to the interior of the housing 78.
As shown in FIG. 3, a suitable carrier 90 is installed within the housing and supports a duplex or triplex receptacle 92 adjacent to the upper surface of the concrete 24. The closure means 88 includes a removable cover 94 for gaining access to the raceway 54 through the access opening 72; and a fixed cover 96 having a removable cap or caps 98 for gaining access to the receptacle 92.
FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a raceway forming member 50' having the separator member 62' formed as an integral part of the cover portion 56'. Edge means 100 are adapted, as shown in FIG. 5, to rest on the crests 40 of the inverted channels 30, 32 and to be secured thereto by suitable attachment means, such as tack welding. Longitudinal grooves 102 provided adjacent to the edge members 100, tangentially abut the side walls 38 and serve to align the raceway forming member 50' with the trough 36. Access opening 70', 72' are provided in the cover portion 56'. The openings 70', 72' are so formed that adjacent edge portions thereof are presented in the separator element 62' and form shoulders 73 adapted to support a receptacle carrier. The access opening 72' is grommeted as shown in FIG. 5 and provides access to the raceway 54. The access housing 78' overlies the openings 70', 72' as explained above. When the housing 78' is activated, a carrier 104 is inserted into the housing and is secured to the top wall 80 by fasteners 75. The housing 104 supports a duplex or triplex receptacle 106. The carrier 104 has a bottom portion 108 extending downwardly through the access opening 70', supported on the shoulders 73, and which is provided with an access opening 110 for access to the raceway 52. When the housing 78' is activated, suitable closure means 88' close off the passageway 86' in the concrete 24. The closure means 88' includes a removable cover 94' for gaining access to the raceway 54 and a removable cover 112 for gaining access to the interior of the housing 78' for wiring the receptacle 106.
Further alternative embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in FIGS. 6-10 wherein corresponding numerals are employed to identify corresponding parts heretofor described.
In a further embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, a cover element 114 is provided having a hat-shaped profile including an upper wall 116 vertically spaced-apart from the crests 40 of the inverted channels 30, 32, depending side walls 118 and outwardly extending flanges 120 secured to the crests 40 by any suitable attachment means. The cover 114 functions simultaneously as the cover of the raceway forming member 50" and as a continuous preset access housing thereby eliminating the need for the separate, spaced-apart preset access housing 78, 78' described in connection with the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5. The raceway forming member 50' includes the vertical separator member 62 which divides the trough 34 into separate but now enlarged raceways 52', 54'. It will be appreciated that additional storage space for electrical, telephone, CRT and other service connectors would be provided in the upper portion of the raceways 52', 54'. The lower portions of the raceways 52', 54' would continue to function as wireways for the various services.
The upper wall 116 may be provided with factory punched access opening 122 for gaining access to the raceways 52', 54'. The access openings 122 would be capped by a knock-out pan 124 as explained above. Alternatively, the upper wall 116 may be provided with knockouts 126. The access openings 122 or the knock-outs 126 can be provided at any desired spacing in the cover element 114.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the flanges 120 are provided with up-punched loops 128 preferably at uniformed spacing along the length thereof. The loops 128 enhance the composite coaction between the overlying layer of concrete and the flooring unit 26.
In a further alternative embodiment, a hat-shaped insert 130 (FIG. 8) is employed, comprising a top wall 132 provided with access openings 134, depending side walls 136, and upwardly extending flanges 138 terminated in upturned edges 140. As shown in FIG. 9, the insert 130 is installed in the trough 36 and cooperates with the web 34 to form an enclosed raceway 142. The insert 130 divides the trough 36 into separate raceways 144, 146.
As shown in FIG. 9, the upper wall 116' of the cover desired spacing along the length thereof. A totally enclosed element 114' is provided with outlet openings 122' at any housing 114 is inserted through the access opening 122' and is secured to the insert 130 in covering relaion with the grommeted access opening 134. As best shown in FIG. 10, the housing 148 includes a first portion 150 providing the back and two sides of the housing 148 and a second portion 152 providing the front and top of the housing 148. The second portion 152 supports a duplex or triplex receptacle 154. The outlet opening 134 provides communication between the raceway 142 and the interior of the housing 148 for wiring connected to the receptacle 154.
Referring to FIG. 9, each of the access openings 122' would receive a knock-out pan which is removed during activation as explained above. The two-piece housing 148 is inserted through the access opening 122' and secured to the insert 130 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 10. Thereafter suitable closure means, such as the closure means 88' described above is installed in the passageway 86 presented by the concrete 24. The removable cover 94' provides access to the raceway 144 and to the receptacle 154.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purposes of illustration only, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be limited by the claims.
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A raceway forming member for use with a cellular or non-cellular flooring unit having at least two longitudinal, spaced-apart, inverted channels connected by a web to define a trough therebetween. The raceway forming member comprises a longitudinal cover element sized to span the trough at a selected upper point of said channels and having edge means adapted to abut said channels, and at least one longitudinal separator member depending from and coextensive in length with said cover element to define at least two cell raceway.
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This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 27,867 filed Apr. 6, 1979 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND
(1) Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of oral hygiene and more particularly to oral hygiene devices and processes which utilize a brushing instrumentality and fluid jet discharge in combination to effect enhanced massaging action, plaque and debris removal.
(2) Summary of Prior Art
The use of brushing means in conjunction with, or apart from, fluid jet means is known to be an important part of an individual's oral hygiene routine. It is also known that the use of brushing means alone provides the user with necessary massaging action in addition to the cleansing action of the brush abrading the surfaces of the teeth. Use of a fluid jet alone has a different beneficial effect, in that it is useful in clearing damaging bacterial products from relatively inaccessible gingival and subgingival areas where bacteria may proliferate and enhance the decay process.
The effectiveness of fluid jet devices alone is still controversial. However, clinical results suggest that such devices produce beneficial results in the mouths of patients with extensive bridgework, splints, or orthodonic bands, especially when used in conjunction with flossing and brushing.
The fluid jet device alone will not remove all plaque. The combination of brush (to dislodge the more tenacious deposits) and fluid jet, is more highly recommended in a plaque control program.
Of all the methods of plaque removal, the toothbrush is the most universally accepted, it is easy to use and is the most socially acceptable mode for cleaning the mouth. Its effectiveness, however, depends greatly upon the frequency of its use. Most persons will benefit from brushing more than one time per day. To promote repetitive use, the device should be simple, otherwise the user may be discouraged.
Brushing alone, however, often will not clean gingival and sub-gingival areas, and bacterial and plaque deposits will remain there, even after brushing. It is therefore beneficial to utilize both brushing means and fluid jet means simultaneously.
The use of both brushing and fluid jet action together has many beneficial effects. The fluid jet, when properly combined with the brushing action, serves to enhance the latter's efficacy and to reduce buildup of undesirable materials, missed by brushing; it also serves to carry the dislodged materials away from dental surfaces by reason of its irrigating properties.
Combined usage also produces a clean feeling in the mouth of the user.
Thus, it has long been an object, of those involved in the field of dental hygiene, to effectively combine brushing means and a fluid jet means, in order to realize the benefits described above.
The earliest attempts to combine the two resulted in devices wherein the brushing means and the fluid jet means were inextricably combined. It was thus impractical to use the fluid jet means apart from the brushing means. This is disadvantageous to the user, as the full advantages of using the fluid jet means alone will not be realized.
Subsequent designs were employed whereby a single fluid jet source could be utilized with two different attachments, one of which would be a brushing means combined with a fluid jet, a second being a solitary fluid jet attachment. This would allow the user to choose which of the two applications (brushing and fluid jet, or fluid jet alone) he desired, by attaching the appropriate outlet. These devices however employed designs which made it difficult for users to switch readily from one application to another.
The consequence of this deficiency may be seen by noting that the most logical and common method of using the fluid jet means is to first employ the brushing means in conjunction with a cleansing agent (e.g., toothpaste), and also in conjunction with the fluid jet means. The combination of these three agents allows the user to first remove all debris from the outer surfaces of the teeth by use of the brushing means, allows brushing means to further massage the gums and provide the salutory effects associated therewith, and simultaneously have the fluid jet action enhance the brushing action and dislodge debris. Following this the user would disengage the brushing means, at this point soiled, and utilize the fluid jet alone. The jet at this time may be utilized to carry away the remains of the cleansing agent and/or any debris which may yet remain on the surface of the teeth, as well as for its primary purpose of cleansing the gingival areas and providing stimulation to those areas. The prior art devices referred to above make it difficult for the user to conveniently follow this procedure, as the prior art devices are clumsy and difficult to implement. The user, in order to follow this procedure would have to employ a cumbersome and relatively time-consuming process, for he would have to first remove entirely the first (brushing) attachment and then engage the second (fluid jet) attachment.
Many of the prior art devices involve the use of screw-on attachments. Thus, the removal of one attachment and the securing of the other takes quite a bit of time. Even utilizing a clamp-on or snap-on technique, however, does not make the process simple or convenient. It is still necessary for the user to interrupt the procedure and disengage the brushing attachment. This pause will often occur while the user has his mouth full of the cleansing agent leaving a bad taste and uncomfortable feeling in the mouth. Furthermore, it is well known that complications tend to discourage the regular use that is essential to effective oral hygiene.
It is thus disadvantageous to minimize the amount of time the user must spend and actions he must take in changing or removing the brushing means.
Another disadvantage is found in those instruments which provide both hydraulic flow action and brushing action, and by the use of a movable connection allow the user to pivot or slide the fluid jet means away from the brushing means, or vice versa. By retaining the brushing means in relatively close proximity to the fluid jet means after this routine is followed, the brushing member is retained close to the face of the user. This is both inconvenient and unsanitary. Furthermore, the use of a movable interconnection may lead to the build up of debris and waste material in moving parts and inner recesses of the instrument, with consequential bacterial proliferation. This too is unsanitary. Furthermore, in certain applications, such as in institutional settings, it is often advantageous to allow the user to completely dispose of the soiled brushing member after use or to sterilize it. These features are not readily attained in the above described arrangements.
Finally these prior art designs are not susceptible to use with commercially available hydraulic flow means. This means that a potential user, who may already have a fluid jet cleaning instrument (such as that currently traded under the name of WATER-PIK) would have to purchase a completely new system. Furthermore, from a manufacturing and marketing standpoint, it is often more advantageous to make and market an adaptation to a popular preexisting device.
It should also be pointed out that the effectiveness of a toothbrush is derived from the stiffness of its bristles. The stiffness will deteriorate in a matter of weeks after continuous usage. An inexpensive brushing device, such as that described herein, will encourage users to dispose of used, ineffective brushes. The user will therefore benefit from an increased effectiveness of his oral hygiene routine.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide a brush-fluid jet oral hygiene instrument which allows the user to conventionally realize the salutory effects of brushing means alone, brushing combined and enhanced with fluid jet action, and fluid jet action alone.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined brush-fluid jet oral hygiene instrument which has simple and convenient means for selecting either brushing alone, brushing with fluid jet action, or fluid jet action alone.
It is a still further object of the device to provide an easily removable brushing member in a brush-fluid jet oral hygiene instrument so that sterilization or "throw-away" use may be readily accomplished.
Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive and easily manufactured attachment for a preexisting commercially available fluid jet oral hygiene instrument.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the brush component of one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is an elevational view partly schematic and partly sectional of an embodiment of the invention including the brush component of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an elevational view partly schematic and partly sectional of another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 3, along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The drawing depicts two preferred embodiments of the brushing means, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1, and 30 in FIG. 3.
Brushing means 10 of FIG. 1 includes a generally elongated body member 6 having a brushing member 2 at one end thereof, a flange 4 containing a cutout portion 5 at the opposite end thereof, and fluid conduit 8 in the brushing section. The body member 6 of the device may be made of any suitable material; a plastic such as polypropylene is illustrative. Member 6 is illustratively shaped much as a standard toothbrush, i.e., it has a generally rectangular head 3 on which the brushing member 2 is located, an intermediate tapering neck 7 and a larger shank section 9.
The brushing member 2 of the device is affixed to the underside 12 of the head 3, and is composed of a series of groups of standard bristles preferably in the soft to medium stiffness range arranged in rows and columns, as is done in conventional designs. In the midst of the groups of bristles is the exit port of the fluid conduit 8. (See also, FIG. 2)
The fluid conduit 8 extends through the head 3 from the topside 11 thereof to the underside 12. The exit port of the conduit on underside 12 is located between either the first and second row of bristles or the second and third rows of bristles. Experimentation has shown that superior performance is realized by such positioning. Both the jet action and the scrubbing action appear to be synergistically enhanced.
At the distal end of the trunk 9 is positioned the flange 4. The flange is generally resilient and biased at an acute angle to the shank 9. (The angle referred to being the interior angle between the planes of the flange 4 and shank 9.) The flange 4 is illustratively of a generally semi-circular nature, containing however, a cutout portion 5 shaped to accommodate the fluid jet means 20, now to be described.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the fluid jet means 20 is coupled to brushing means 10, and in the preferred embodiment is the discharge tube of the instrument marketed under the trade name WATER-PIK.
The fluid jet means 20 has at one end thereof, a collar 21 and a bushing 22, and at the other end an exit nozzle 23. The exit nozzle is inserted in the entrance port of conduit 8 of the brushing means 10 as illustrated. With fluid jet means 20 clipped to brushing means 10, the flange 4 has been contacted and deflected by the collar 21, causing a resilient pressure to be exerted axially along the fluid means 20 in the direction of the head 3. Inasmuch as the nozzle 23 of the jet flow device is constrained within the conduit 8, the fluid jet means 20 is removably secured to the brush holder 10.
To accomplish this engagement, the user attaches the brushing means 10 to the fluid jet means 20 by placing the exit nozzle 23 of the fluid jet means 20 into place. This "snapping" is effected by collar 21 deflecting flange 4 away from shank 9, and having flange 4 therefore exert pressure on the collar 21, as described above. The "snapping" effect is necessary because hydraulic jet devices are manufactured in different lengths. It is therefore possible to adapt the invention for use with several preexisting commercial devices. Improved engagement is provided by the cutout portion 5 of flange 4 designed to receive bushing 22. With this configuration, the fluid jet means 20 is better secured to the brushing means 10.
Once brushing means 10 and fluid jet means 20 are connected, and the latter is secured to the pulsing fluid jet source (FIG. 2), the system is ready for use. The user may apply a cleansing preparation to the bristles of the brushing member, if desired, to enhance the cleaning action of the instrument. Next the user may begin to follow his own preferred routine for dental hygiene, e.g., alternating the combination usage of brush and fluid jet with usage of the brush alone, followed by removal of the brush and usage of the fluid jet alone.
Typically, the user brushes his teeth to remove particles and plaque from dental surfaces. At his discretion, he may then employ the fluid jet to enhance the brushing action causing more debris and plaque to be removed and carried away from the teeth.
The brushing action, in addition to its cleansing function, performs an important stimulating activity. This massaging of the gums promotes healthy gingival tissue which is vital to proper oral hygiene.
After brushing alone or combined with the fluid jet, is concluded, the user may simply remove the brushing means 10 from fluid jet means 20, so that he may properly irrigate the gingival and sub-gingival areas to completely cleanse the oral periodontal apparatus.
Removal is accomplished simply by pushing the shank 9 of the brushing means 10 away from fluid jet means 20, thereby "un-snapping" the two members.
In this manner, the user may conveniently utilize the best features of both brushing and irrigating in an efficient and sanitary manner.
The embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 is similar to operation and structure to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the brushing means 30 of FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a groove 31 on the top side 11 thereof. The groove 31 is designed to accept the body of fluid jet means 20, and extends from the distal end 9 of the brushing means 10, to opening of conduit 8. By placing the fluid jet element 20, into groove 31 the instrument may be fabricated in a more narrow configuration and thus fit more readily into the user's mouth. To this end, flange 4' is shorter than flange 4. This narrower embodiment of the invention has the further advantage of bringing the outlet nozzle 23 of jet element 20 into a closer proximate relationship with the bristles 2, and therefore with the surfaces of the teeth. This serves to enhance the salutory effects mentioned above.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in this art that various changes may be made in the configuration of the invention.
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A combined fluid jet-brush oral hygiene device which provides a means for plaque removal on the buccal, lingual and interproximal surfaces of the teeth as well as gingival stimulation.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of oil well intervention. More particularly, the invention relates to a system of providing selective access to particular laterals for intervention wherein angle and orientation of the intervention string is ensured.
2. Prior Art
As one of skill in the art will undoubtedly appreciate one prior art method for intervening in a lateral was to simply measure the distance of pipe lowered into the hole. While this method has been used for many years, it has always been a difficult one because of the extreme distances involved. For example, where 100 feet of pipe is laid, a variance of two inches does not appear to be significant. This, however, is not the case when twenty thousand feet of pipe is contemplated. In keeping with the example, the two inches has become 400 feet. A distance off the mark of this magnitude can significantly hinder the working of the well. Therefore it is of interest to the industry to reduce variance to a minimum to maintain accuracy even at large depths.
It will be appreciated that spring loaded dogs are not new to the art and have been used for various purposes including positioning of tools however the combination of features that make the invention valuable have not before been contemplated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by the monobore diverter system of the invention.
The invention is a system comprising three distinct sections including: 1) an orientation device to align a guide stock angularly with a bore of a packer; 2) an adjustment sub adjustable prior to running the assembly which ensures the desired angular position of the guide stock relative to the alignment sub of the packer; and 3), if a six inch bore is desired, a centralization sub to provide centralization of the guide stock within the well bore. Where there is no requirement for a six inch bore the centralization sub is not necessary and only a spacer long enough to retain the top of the guide stock in the tail pipe of the packer will be necessary.
With respect to the orientation device, the device and system of the invention further comprise a collapsible key and a series of selectively profiled dogs. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art from a review of the drawings hereof, the key is picked up in a helical slot to rotate the device of the invention to the desired and predetermined orientation while the dogs engage a profile complimentary thereto to prevent further downhole movement of the device. Because of the selective profile, the device of the invention can be essentially, coded to seek out the correct packer by skipping over any nonconforming packers. It is important to note that the original deployment of packers must consider the likelihood of the dogs engaging the incorrect packer due to a larger profile than the dogs. Packer profiles should be set accordingly to avoid the problem. The key of the device, when it reaches the intended packer picks up on a helical slot in the packer and begins to spin the arrangement into the orientation desired. The helical slot ends with an alignment profile in the packer. Therefore, because the device of the invention provides a known orientation between the orientation sub and the guide stock, it is certain that the intervention string will penetrate the lateral as intended. When the dogs pick up on the selective profile downhole movement is halted and the dogs are locked in placed by a moveable internal mandrel. Where access to the bore of six inches is required, a centralization device is employed which comprises a set of arms normally held into the body of the tool by a reverse angled section constructed to facilitate such holding. The arms are not released until a shear pin is overcome. A garter spring is provided to assist in pulling the arms back to a position in which they are retained by the reverse angled section subsequent to being disengaged from the borehole. The arms may be driven out on an angled face when desired in order to centralize the device of the invention in the bore.
In another embodiment where tool runs intended do not employ tools with an OD of greater than 4.75 inches, the centralization sub is not necessary as noted above. Rather, the top of the guide stock is retained in the tailpipe of a packer above the chosen ML packer (commercially available from Baker Oil Tools in Houston, Tex.) in order to provide centralization, thus obviating the centralization sub for this embodiment.
Retrieval methods for both of the embodiments arc also disclosed.
The above-discussed and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES:
FIGS. 1A-1I are an extended view of one embodiment of the invention wherein a six inch bore is required and centralizing arms are illustrated;
FIGS. 2A-2G are an extended view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in the actuated position;
FIGS. 3A-3K are an extended view of a second embodiment of the invention wherein a narrower access diameter is necessary and no centralizing arms are required.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1I generally, and to FIG. 1H specifically, spring key 12 is provided in the orientation sub 14 of the device at an angle complimentary to that of a helical slot 16 in the inner wall the previously installed ML packer. It should be noted that the packer was installed to provide an anchor for a whipstock which initially was employed to drill the lateral the rigger is now interested in reentering. This provides for an excellent anchor from which to stage the reentry of the lateral. Upon key 12 picking up on slot 16 the device of the invention is rotated into a known orientation by tracking in the slot while moving downhole. When the key has traveled to the lowest point of the slot 16 the position of the diverter relative to the whipstock alignment sub is known. Adjacent to the downhole end of helical slot 16 is a selective profile 22 which is different in each of the packers downhole. Dogs 20 carry a complimentary profile to only one of the selective profiles 22 in one of the downhole packers. If the dogs 20 do not match profile 22 in a particular packer, the device of the invention will skip past that packer and move on to a packer lower downhole. It should be appreciated that care must be taken in arranging packers downhole with the selective profiles 22 such that a dog will not misengage a profile 22 in the wrong packer simply because it is smaller than the opening in the profile. When the dog 20 does engage profile 22, downward movement of the device of the invention is stopped and the orientation of the device of the invention is known due to the engagement of key 12 in helical slot 16. It should be noted that both key 12 and dogs 20 are spring loaded and will extend outwardly to engage their respective intended targets only if sufficient space is available for them to do so (i.e. the profile is the complimentary one).
In order to ensure that dogs 20 remain securely engaged with profile 22, weight is slacked from the surface which shears pin 24 illustrated in the sheared position in FIG. 2G. Upon shearing of pin 24, mandrel 26 moves downhole to support dog 20 in engagement with selective profile 22. To prevent mandrel 26 from moving uphole and consequently disengaging the support for selective dog 20, a collet 28 is provided at the downhole extremity of mandrel 26, said collet having a plurality of slots 30 and fingers 32, the fingers having upstruck portions 34. Upon mandrel 26 moving downhole as described, fingers 32 spring outwardly leaving upstruck members 34 exposed to an abutting surface 36. This prevents the unintended movement of mandrel 26 uphole since, in general, forces downhole are not sufficient to deflect fingers 32 the necessary amount to disengage collet 28 from surface 36. It is possible, however, to intentionally disengage collet 28 from surface 36 by providing sufficient pull from the surface to collapse fingers 32 and thereby disengage support for selective dogs 20.
Referring to FIGS. 1B and 1C another important aspect of the device of the invention is illustrated. Since many different orientations are possible for laterals on a primary bore in the field, it is necessary to provide an adjustment sub which will allow orientation of the diverter 40 relative to the orientation sub to position the angled face of diverter 40 toward the lateral to be entered. For this purpose, a spline sub 42 is preferred. Spline sub 42 includes splines 44 complimentary to splines 46 on centralization sub 48 spline sub 42 and centralization sub 48 are rotated relative to one another until the desired angle is achieved. They are then slit into an engagement with one another and maintained in the desired position by spline retainer 50 which includes box thread 52 complimentary to pin thread 54 on centralization sub 48. Spline retainer 50 prevents the splines from becoming disengaged.
Moving uphole from spline sub 42, centralization sub 48 includes a plurality of centralization arms 56 which are maintained for the run-in of the tool in a position adjacent to the body of centralization sub 48. Arms 56 are maintained in such a position by reverse angled section 66. Arms 56 are articulated with centralization sub 48 through pin 60 at various points of the OD of the device. At the downhole end of arms 56 are contact members 62 which ride up inclined plane 64 forcing arms 56 outward and into contact with the casing of the primary bore. Member 62 furthermore includes reverse angled section 66 which hooks onto retainer projection 68 to assist in maintaining the arms in the stowed position subsequent to the garter spring 58 urging the arms back toward the member 62.
Actuation of arms 56 is accomplished by slacking weight to shear a second shear pin of this embodiment and allowing or urging the diverter to move downhole to push the arms onto the angled surface and thereby urge the same outwardly and into contact with the casing of the primary bore. Referring to FIGS. 1B and 1C, key 70 provides both torsional resistance and linear slideability of the external portion of centralization sub 48. Shear pin 72 is provided to prevent such movement prior to the desired time which is indicated by further slacking the string providing sufficient weight to shear the pin. Key 70 is retained by key retainer 74 to transmit torsional force to the components of the tool downhole.
As will now be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the tool is moved downhole until first the key 12 picks up on the helical slot 16. The tool is rotated as it moves further downhole. Providing that the dogs match the profile of the profile 22 they will engage the same preventing further movement downhole of the tool. Slacking of the tool string will shear a first shear pin allowing a mandrel to slide behind the dogs and therefore support them in the locked position. Subsequently, a further slacking of the string will shear a second shear pin 72 allowing centralization sub 48 to slide downhole over the mandrel 76 and push centering arms outward on surfaces 64 to centralize the diverter 40 in the bore for diverting a subsequent tool intended to be inserted in the lateral. The tool is illustrated in the actuated position in extended FIG. 2.
In a second embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3K, a tool not requiring a centralization stub with extendable arms is illustrated. It should be understood, however, that this tool is for use only with other tools with an outside dimension not greater than 4.75 inches and most preferably for tools having an outer dimension of three inches or less. This embodiment also depends upon packers downhole being close enough to allow the top of the guide stock to remain in the tail of the packer. Where these parameters are met, the need for the centralization sub is eliminated thus reducing cost of the apparatus. The guide stock is maintained in a centralized location by maintaining the top of the same within the bore of the packer next uphole in the bore. In FIG. 3K one will recognize the parts that are identical to the previous embodiment and they are numbered alike. Moving uphole, elements of the packer through which the device of the invention has been passed are illustrated in FIGS. 3G-3J. These are conventional elements and farther discussion thereof is not required. Beginning in FIG. 3G, a spacer tube 112 of the invention is illustrated with a break line to indicate that length has been deleted from the drawings. The purpose of spacer tube 112 is to provide sufficient length of the overall tool including the guide stock diverter 114, for the top of the guide stock to remain in the tail 118 of the packer next uphole from the engaged packer. This provides centralization of the diverter as indicated above. It will be noted that profile 123 did not match dog 20 and, therefore, the selective orientation portion of the invention passed by the packer first illustrated in FIG. 3A-3D. It is not until dogs 20 of the invention reach the bottom of the packer illustrated in FIG. 3K that the dogs may spring out and engage profile 22. In all other respects the second embodiment of the invention functions as does the first.
Retrieval of these tools is accomplished by running conventional fishing tools which engage latching profiles on the guide stocks of the tools of the invention. With respect to the six inch access embodiment, an overshot tool (available from Baker Oil tools) through the packer bore above the guide stock to latch onto a profile 65 cut on the O.D. of the guide stock. This is illustrated In FIG. 1B. As weight is taken uphole the collet 28 collapses allowing the mandrel 26 to move uphole and desupport the dogs 20, the dogs collapse. Upon further pulling uphole the centralizing arms are drawn back to their resting position by the garter spring 58. Projection 68 is then engaged by reverse angled section 66 which maintains the arms in the stowed position.
Retrieval of the second embodiment of the invention is very similar to the first however an external fishing neck tool is employed (available from Baker Oil Tools, Houston, Tex.) to engage an internal profile cut in the top of the guide stock. The profile is indicated at 121 in FIG. 3E.
While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.
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The invention provides a selective system of placing a guide stock into a wellbore by braided line, coil tubing or drill pipe. The device facilitates selective intervention by providing a selective orientation key an angular relationship to the lateral through a system of selective keys and dogs allowing the diverter of the guide stock to be aligned at any desired angle with the orientation sub. The orientation sub includes a key for picking up on a helical slot in the packer to rotate the assembly and a set of selectively profiled dogs to engage a selected packer and halt downhole movement of the device.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a composition for use in making paper, pulp or paperboard; and a process of making paper, pulp or paperboard employing the composition, especially to add opacity to the paper, pulp or paperboard and a paper, pulp or paperboard produced using the composition.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In paper and paperboard manufacture, sheet formation is generally obtained on wire webs in a wet end from pulp slurry and is followed by the gradual removal of moisture in a press section and drier section. A calender section follows the drier section with the purpose of obtaining a desired finish, for example, smoothness, thickness or gloss.
[0003] Despite the real advantages of using mechanical action to impart certain characteristics to the sheet, these advantages are limited. Complementary solutions for improving even further certain paper or paperboard characteristics can be applied internally in the wet end or externally with size-presses or coaters when these are available. These solutions are related to the use of fillers and functional additives.
[0004] Fillers are generally white pigments that can be divided into two major categories:
a) regular fillers having wide application and cost lower than that of cellulosic fiber, e.g. kaolin clay, ground calcium carbonate and precipitated calcium carbonate; b) specialized fillers having usually lower volume applications and costs sometimes comparable with or even higher than cellulosic fiber; Some examples are: anatase titanium dioxide, rutile titanium dioxide, composite pigments, e.g. clay and titanium dioxide, PSS (precipitated synthetic silica—silica oxides and precipitated silicate—aluminum silicate), talc (industrial grade hydrated magnesium silicate), aluminum trihydrate, calcium sulfate, natural or precipitated barium sulfate, zinc oxide, zinc sulfur—surface treatments only, Satin White (calcium sulfo-aluminate complex)—surface treatments only, urea formaldehyde resin (organic pigment), plastic pigments (empty or full spheres)—surface treatments only.
[0007] The advantages brought by fillers in paper or paperboard manufacture are mostly related to cost reductions, except with some of the specialized fillers, especially titanium dioxide. The process disadvantages are however important and concern mostly wire, felt, doctor blade, refiners abrasion, machine deposits increase, increased linting dust, breaks related to sheet strength decrease and filler retention difficulties requiring retention program solutions.
[0008] On the other hand, the functional advantages, with respect to final product characteristics, brought by fillers are also important: optical properties, i.e. brightness and opacity, improvement, improved printability, better sheet formation, increased smoothness and improved dimensional stability. The functional disadvantages are mostly related to increased two sidedness, reduced rigidity, increased linting and decreased sheet strength.
[0009] Improving the paper or paperboard characteristics beyond the mechanical limits of a paper or paperboard machine often requires the use of fillers for their functional advantages and the use of functional additives for even better results.
[0010] Examples of functional additives which can improve the sheet characteristics are dyes and optical brighteners, coating polymers, wet and dry strength resins, sizing agents, fluorocarbons, traditional organic opacifying agents and other specialty additives, while process additives that improve the production process include biocides, deposit-control agents, felt conditioners and cleaners, defoamers, and effluent treatments.
[0011] Traditional organic opacifying agents are important functional additives used to improve the sheet characteristics obtained with mechanical means and with filler use. Resistance to water penetration, better printing characteristics, increased opacity brightness and whiteness, increased bulk and caliper, better formation, have been investigated and often obtained. Some process improvements related to reduced abrasion and cost reduction have also been noticed in some cases.
[0012] The following examples illustrate some of the traditional organic opacifiers:
[0013] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,296,024 and 5,292,363 disclose a composition for enhancing opaqueness in papermaking comprising the reaction product of a fatty acid and a diamine.
[0014] Different US patents related to U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,024 indicate that the resulting amide of the diamine, which forms the cationic softener base, is the fatty acid monoamide or the diamide or a mixture thereof.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,139 describes an opacifier which is a reaction product of an alkanol amine and a dimerized acid, wherein the diamine (aminoethylethanol amine) is preferred, in this Patent, the principal reactant with the amine is a dimerized acid.
[0016] Despite the clear advantages traditional opacifiers bring to papermaking, functional limitations on their use related especially to paper sheet strength and porosity have been noticed in mill conditions.
[0017] A particular category of chemical additives with both funtional and process applications are enzymes, which are proteins with catalytic properties.
[0018] The use of enzymes is ecologically interesting, and such enzymes can generally be applied anywere in the paper, paperboard or even pulp production. The following examples illustrate some of the present mill or laboratory applications for enzymes:
Xylanases—for prebleaching and bleaching pulps, especially Kraft. Pectinases and xylanases—for debarking. Laccases, proteases—for mechanical pulp refining Cellulases and xylanases—for chemical pulp refining Cellulases—for recycled pulp refining Cellulases—for KAPPA number reduction in Kraft cooking Xylanases—for brightness reversion Cellulases, amylases, xylanases, lipases—for deinking Cellulases—for tissue softness Laccases—for mechanical pulp strength Manganese peroxidases—for chemical pulp strength Cellulases—for chemical fibre Tinting reduction Laccases—for increased chemical fibre bulk Cellulases and xylanases—for increased chemical fibre flexibility Cellulases—for reduced porosity and increased fibrilation of chemical fibres Cellulases and amylases—for increased drainage Esterases—for stickies reduction Amylases, proteases, levan hydrolase—for paper machine cleaning Acetyl esterase, pectinases—for mechanical pulp white water treatments Peroxidases, laccases, catalases—for effluent treatments Pectinases for cationic demand reduction in peroxide bleached mechanical pulp
[0040] In the prior art, WO95/27825 discloses a preparation process for increasing the content of inorganic fillers while maintaining or increasing the Scott internal bond strength, by addition of a cellulase type enzyme. Increasing the content of inorganic fillers is known in the art to be needed for particular applications; inorganic fillers function as opacifiers.
[0041] Increasing the level of inorganic fillers for the majority of specific paper grades very often equates into one or more of the following disadvantages:
Increased paper machine blades abrasion Increased paper machine press rolls wear Increased paper machine inorganic deposits and breaks Increased chemical costs in papermaking (e.g. when TiO 2 is used) Increased printer equipment abrasion
[0047] All these reasons justify the use of traditional organic opacifiers rather than inorganic filleras as opacifiers.
[0048] In the prior art. it was known that increasing the levels of inorganic fillers favors opacity increase, but also results in decrease in strength.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0049] Surprisingly, while investigating porosity increase enzymatic applications, it has now been discovered that some enzymes also improve opacity without the drawbacks associated with traditional organic opacifiers. The handsheets made with enzyme treated fibres were often less porous, with increased tensile strength as compared with the untreated controls; and were much less porous, and exhibited much higher tensile strength as compared with the traditional organic opacifier treated handsheets.
[0050] In this invention, the opacity obtained with enzymes as opacifying agents was higher or similar to that obtained with traditional organic opacifiers while porosity and strength properties were clearly improved.
[0051] Although the prior art such as WO95/27825 shows that a cellulase can increase an internal bond strength of paper, the particular features of the present invention are absent from prior art. The prior art contains no showing that enzymes increase sheet opacity without an increase in the content of opacifying inorganic fillers.
[0052] The enzymes which function as organic opacifying agents may be added during the course of paper and paperboard manufacturing processes; and can also be used in the pulp manufacture stage.
[0053] It is an object of the present invention to provide an agent that adds opacity to paper, paperboard or pulp to which it is added.
[0054] It is another object of the present invention to provide an agent for adding to a pulp slurry of cellulosic fibers to enhance opacity without adversely affecting other properties.
[0055] It is another object of the invention to provide a method of enhancing opacity in a paper composition such as paper, paperboard or papermaking pulp.
[0056] It is yet another object of the invention to provide a process of producing paper or paperboard of enhanced opacity.
[0057] It is still another object of the invention to provide a papermaking stock, which stock may be formed into a paper or paperboard of enhanced opacity.
[0058] It is yet another object of this invention to provide an opacified paper composition, for example a paper, paperboard or papermaking pulp of enhanced opacity.
[0059] It is a specific object of the present invention to provide a process wherein an organic opacifying agent is added to recycled, deinked or virgin pulp of cellulosic fibers to form a paper, paperboard or pulp having desirable physical characteristics.
[0060] Still another specific object of the present invention is to provide a process for adding a composition to pulp slurry of cellulosic fibers in a papermaking process that results in a paper, paperboard or pulp having enhanced opacity.
[0061] Another specific object of the present invention is to provide a paper, paperboard, pulp or pulp slurry having the desirable characteristic of enhanced opacity.
[0062] In accordance with the invention, there is provided in a method of enhancing opacity in a paper composition, in which an organic opacifying agent is incorporated in the paper composition, the improvement wherein the organic opacifying agent comprises an enzyme selected from the group consisting of hydrolases and oxidoreductases.
[0063] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an opacifying agent for use in enhancing opacity in a paper composition selected from paper, paperboard and papermaking pulp, comprising an enzyme selected from the group consisting of hydrolases and oxidoreductases.
[0064] In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a papermaking stock comprising: pulp slurry of papermaking fibers and an organic opacifying agent in an aqueous vehicle; said organic opacifying agent comprising an enzyme selected from hydrolases and oxidoreductases.
[0065] In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided an opacified paper composition comprising papermaking fibers and an organic opacifying agent, wherein said organic opacifying agent comprises an enzyme selected from the group consisting of hydrolases and oxidoreductases.
[0066] In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a process of producing paper or paperboard of enhanced opacity comprising: i) providing a pulp slurry of papermaking fibers, ii) adding an organic opacifying agent to said slurry, and iii) forming paper or paperboard from said slurry, wherein said organic opacifying agent comprises an enzyme selected from hydrolases and oxidoreductases.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0067] The invention employs an organic opacifying agent which avoids disadvantages associated with traditional inorganic opacifying agents while providing superior physical properties as compared with prior organic opacifying agents.
[0068] The organic opacifying agents of the invention comprise a hydrolase or an oxidoreductase enzyme. A preferred hydrolase is a cellulose (E.C.3.2.1.4); a preferred oxidoreductase is laccase (E.C.1.10.3.2).
[0069] Hydrolases are enzymes that catalyse the hydrolysis of a chemical bond, whereby a molecule is cleaved into two parts by the addition of a molecule of water. The catalysed reaction would have the following form:
A-B+H 2 O→A-OH+B-H
[0070] The chemical bonds cleaved in this way by hydrolysis include C—O, C—N and C—C bonds or in the case of organophosphorous hydrolases even P—O, P—F and P—S bonds.
[0071] As shown indirectly in the pulp and paper enzymatic applications example list hereinbefore, hydrolases are a class of enzymes that benefit from the presence of an extremely large group of substrates available for enzymatic action, for example cellulose, hemicelluloses and many others, in conjunction with the presence of water in large quantities in the pulp, paper and paperboard processes.
[0072] Cellulases, in particular hydrolyse cellulose, which is an unbranched glucose polymer composed of 1,4 glucose units linked by β-1,4-glycosidic bonds, and is the main component of pulp, by cleaving the β-1,4-glycosidic bonds. Hydrolases which are cellulolytic enzymes can be classified into three major types:
1.0 ENDOGLUCANASES, hydrolyzing randomly the polymeric chain (EC 3.2.1.4) 2.0 EXOGLUCANASES, hydrolyzing the ends of the chain:
2.1.1 Cellobiohydrolases, eliberating cellobiose—the glucose dimer (EC 3.2.1.91)
Cellobiohydrolases I: hydrolyzing the reducing end Cellobiohydrolases II: hydrolyzing the non-reducing end 2.1.2 Glucanhydrolases, eliberating directly glucose (EC 3.2.1.74)
3.0 β-GLUCOSIDASES or cellobiases, acting on cellobiose or soluble cellodextrins (EC 3.2.1.21).
[0080] As shown indirectly in the pulp and paper enzymatic applications example list, oxidoreductases are a second class of enzymes that benefit from the presence of an extremely large group of substrates available for enzymatic action, for example lignin, cellulose, hemicelluloses and many others, in the pulp, paper and paperboard processes.
[0081] Oxidoreductases are enzymes that catalyse the transfer of electrons from one molecule (oxidant or hydrogen donor or electron donor) to another molecule (reductant or hydrogen acceptor or electron acceptor). The catalyzed reation would have the following form:
A − +B→A+B −
[0082] Laccases in particular (EC 1.10.3.2), surprisingly catalyse the oxidation of a large number of different substrates, while enzymes in general, for example cellulases, are usually substrate specific. Phenolic lignin units, lignin is an aromatic heteropolymer of phenyl-propanoid units, many phenolic compounds (diphenols, polyphenols, different substituted phenols), diamines, aromatic amines, benzenethiols and some inorganics (e.g. iodine) are oxidised directly with molecular oxygen as final electron acceptor through laccase action, the oxygen being reduced to water.
[0083] Besides the presence of molecular oxygen, laccases may require organic mediators which are sometimes already present in the pulp slurry.
[0084] Suitable mediators, by way of example, are 2-2′azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate); ABTS 1-hydroxybenzotriazole; HBT N-acetyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine or NHA violuric acid or VIO N-hydroxybenzotriazole or NHB methyl 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzoate; methyl syringate potassium octacyanomolybtate; 1-phenyl-3-methyl-pyrazolone sodium; 1-phenyl-3methyl-4-methylamino-pyrazolone-5-N(4)-methanesulfonate; PPNa 1-(3′sufophenyl)-3-methylpyrazolone-5); and SPP N-hydroxyphthalimide as well as numerous phenoxazines and phenotiazines.
[0085] The laccase active site contains four copper atoms. In a reported mechanism, the separate type 1 copper atom extracts one electron from the substrate, while the other copper atoms (one type 2 and two type 3) grouped in a trinuclear cluster receive the electron through presumably a conserved Hys-Cys-His tripeptide. Once the complete reduction in the trinuclear center takes place it is followed by the molecular oxygen reduction.
[0086] The organic opacifying agent of this invention is usually added to bleached wood pulp or recycled paper pulp.
[0087] The organic opacifying agent of this invention can be added alone or in conjunction with sizing agents, brighteners and other opacifying agents or any other functional or process additives.
[0088] The organic opacifying agent of this invention can be added to any pulp slurry, deinked or recycled pulp.
[0089] The amount of the opacifying agent and the other components added to the pulp slurry depends on the type of pulp slurry to which the opacying agent is added.
[0090] The opacifying agent of this invention provides an increase in opacity to the paper, paperboard or pulp and provides an improved strength and porosity.
[0091] The opacifying agent may be employed in conjunction with a surfactant and stabilizing agents
[0092] Even though the opacying agent can be applied as a powder, typically it is dispersed in water for addition to the pulp slurry and typically is added in an amount of 0.00002% to 2%, preferably 0.0002% to 0.2%, catalytic protein by weight, based on the oven dry weight of the pulp fibers.
[0093] The dispersion in water typically contains 0.1 to 30%, and preferably about 1-10%, by weight of the catalytic protein.
[0094] The opacifying agent of the invention is more efficient and more effective even at lower concentration than traditional organic opacifying agents.
[0095] The opacifying agent of the invention provides improved opacity to the treated paper, paperboard or pulp.
[0096] A particular advantage of the present invention is that for a given amount of inorganic filler, if present, in the paper, paperboard or pulp, which filler may or may not have opacifying properties, the opacity is enhanced by the organic, enzymatic opacifying agent. More especially, it is not necessary to use an inorganic opacifying agent and it is not necessary to increase the content of an inorganic filler having opacifying properties in order to increase the opacity, and which increase in content would result in loss of strength. The organic, enzymatic opacifying agent of the invention not only enhances the opacity but also increases the strength and lowers the porosity.
[0097] An inorganic filler is not required in order to provide opacity when employing the organic opacity agent of the invention; and the invention contemplates paper compositions containing the opacifying agent of the invention and being free of inorganic filler, although inorganic fillers may be included in the paper composition for the traditional purpose of reducing the pulp content, without their necessity to provide an opacifying function.
[0098] The invention is further illustrated by reference to the Examples.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0099] Laboratory opacity, brightness, porosity and tensile strength testing were performed with the following materials and methods:
[0000] Pulp Preparation:
[0100] Water deionized at pH 7.0
[0101] Furnish: 400 g a.d. pulp: 10% deinked market pulp (40 g), 25% Softwood Kraft (100 g a.d.), 65% Hardwood Kraft (260 g a.d.).
[0000] Additives:
[0000] Traditional organic opacifier (amide of fatty acid and diamine), Trizym DEO (trademark for a cellulase of Tri-Tex), PCC (without dispersant), TiO 2 (anatase), anionic PAM retention aid
[0000] Apparatus for Pulp Preparation:
[0102] Beater with controlled bedplate (Pile Valley Iron Works)
[0103] British disintegrator
[0104] Canadian standard freeness tester
[0105] 150 microns mesh
[0106] Hotplate (Termolyne Cimarec 2™)
[0107] pH meter (VWR scientific model 8000)
[0108] Thermometer (Fisherbrand)
[0109] Caframo stirrer RZR50™
[0110] 1000 ml beaker
[0111] In all trials (control/amide of fatty acid and diamine/cellulase) the pulp treatments were made as described below:
1) In a first stage refining was performed for the entire 400 g a.d. of pulp according to TAPPI T 200 om-85 to a freeness of 300 ml CSF. Following the refining, pulp consistency was adjusted to 3% by filtration through a 150 micron mesh. 2) In the second stage 30 g a.d./trial of fibre (1000 g pulp) were heated and maintained at 55° C. for 20 minutes with opacifier additions or with no opacifier additions (control) in a 1000 ml beaker on the hotplate, while stirring at 300 rpm. The opacifier additions were made at 0.2% as is/a.d. fibre for Trizym DEO (trademark for a cellulase of Tri-Tex) and at 0.2% dry/a.d. fibre for the traditional organic opacifier (amide of fatty acid and diamine) 3) In the third stage 15% PCC (4.5 g dry) and 15% TiO 2 (4.5 g dry) addition was followed by 10 minutes of stirring while maintaining 55° C. pulp temperature. 4) In the fourth stage the heating was stopped and the pulp was diluted to 1% with the addition of 2000 g deionized room temperature water, followed by 0.1% (0.03 g dry) anionic PAM addition and 2 minutes stirring at 200 rpm.
[0116] Handsheet preparation for optical testing was made with a slight modification of TAPPI T 218 om-83 without a dispersion stage, with conditioning (without preconditioning) according to TAPPI T 402 om-88 for 5 hours at 23° C. and 51% RH. The modification aimed at improved monitoring of the effect of fines and white water recirculation on opacity, concerned reusing three times the white water resulting from sheet formation and retaining for testing only each fourth sheet.
[0117] Handsheet preparation for physical testing was made with a slight modification of TAPPI T 205 om-83, with conditioning (without preconditioning) according to TAPPI T 402 om-88 for 5 hours at 23° C. and 51% RH. The second modification aimed at improved monitoring of the effect of fines and white water recirculation on porosity, concerned reusing three times the white water resulting from sheet formation and retaining for testing only each fourth sheet.
[0118] Handsheet printing opacity (ISO standard 2471) and ISO brightness testing were made in the conditioning temperature and humidity conditions after 5 hours from the handsheet preparation on a Technibrite Micro TB-1C™.
[0119] Handsheet tensile strength (TAPPI T 220 om-88 and TAPPI T 494 om-88) and the air resistance of paper (TAPPI T 460 om-88) were tested in the conditioning temperature and humidity conditions after 5 hours from the handsheet preparation with a MC TEC vertical tensile tester and a UEC-1012—A densometer tester.
ISO ISO Densometer Tensile Trial Brightness Opacity sec/100 ml Strength nr. % % air kN/m 1 Control 86.50 80.69 63 4.8 2 amide of 86.88 81.58 55 4.4 fatty acid and diamine 3 cellulase 86.91 82.71 121 5.4
Example 2
[0120] Laboratory opacity, brightness, porosity and tensile strength testing were performed with the following materials and methods:
[0000] Pulp Preparation:
[0121] Water deionized at pH 7.0
[0122] Furnish: 400 g a.d. pulp: 10% deinked market pulp (40 g), 10% Aspen BCTMP (40 g) 25% Softwood Kraft (100 g a.d.), 55% Hardwood Kraft (220 g a.d.).
[0000] Additives:
[0123] Traditional organic opacifier (amide of fatty acid and diamine), Trizym DLC (trademark for a laccase of Tri-Tex), PCC (without dispersant), TiO 2 (anatase), anionic PAM retention aid
[0000] Apparatus for Pulp Preparation:
[0124] Beater with controlled bedplate (Pile Valley Iron Works)
[0125] British disintegrator
[0126] Canadian standard freeness tester
[0127] 150 microns mesh
[0128] Hotplate (Termolyne Cimarec 2™)
[0129] pH meter (VWR scientific model 8000)
[0130] Thermometer (Fisherbrand)
[0131] Caframo stirrer RZR50™
[0132] 1000 ml beaker
[0133] In all trials (control/amide of fatty acid and diamine/laccase) the pulp treatments were made as described below:
5) In a first stage refining was performed for the entire 400 g a.d. of pulp according to TAPPI T 200 om-85 to a freeness of 300 ml CSF. Following the refining, pulp consistency was adjusted to 3% by filtration through a 150 micron mesh. 6) In the second stage 30 g a.d./trial of fibre (1000 g pulp) were heated and maintained at 55° C. for 20 minutes with opacifier additions or with no opacifier additions (control) in a 1000 ml beaker on the hotplate, while stirring at 300 rpm. The opacifier additions were made at 0.2% as is/a.d. fibre for Trizym DLC (trademark for a laccase of Tri-Tex) and at 0.2% dry/a.d. fibre for the traditional organic opacifier (amide of fatty acid and diamine) 7). In the third stage 15% PCC (4.5 g dry) and 15% TiO 2 (4.5 g dry) addition was followed by 10 minutes of stirring while maintaining 55° C. pulp temperature. 8) In the fourth stage the heating was stopped and the pulp was diluted to 1% with the addition of 2000 g deionized room temperature water, followed by 0.1% (0.03 g dry) anionic PAM addition and 2 minutes stirring at 200 rpm.
[0138] Handsheet preparation for optical testing was made with a slight modification of TAPPI T 218 om-83 without a dispersion stage, with conditioning (without preconditioning) according to TAPPI T 402 om-88 for 5 hours at 23° C. and 51% RH. The modification aimed at improved monitoring of the effect of fines and white water recirculation on opacity, concerned reusing three times the white water resulting from sheet formation and retaining for testing only each fourth sheet.
[0139] Handsheet preparation for physical testing was made with a slight modification of TAPPI T 205 om-83, with conditioning (without preconditioning) according to TAPPI T 402 om-88 for 5 hours at 23° C. and 51% RH. The second modification aimed at improved monitoring of the effect of fines and white water recirculation on porosity, concerned reusing three times the white water resulting from sheet formation and retaining for testing only each fourth sheet.
[0140] Handsheet printing opacity (ISO standard 2471) and ISO brightness testing were made in the conditioning temperature and humidity conditions after 5 hours from the handsheet preparation on a Technibrite Micro TB-1C™.
[0141] Handsheet tensile strength (TAPPI T 220 om-88 and TAPPI T 494 om-88) and the air resistance of paper (TAPPI T 460 om-88) were tested in the conditioning temperature and humidity conditions after 5 hours from the handsheet preparation with a MC TEC vertical tensile tester and a UEC-1012—A densometer tester.
ISO ISO Densometer Tensile Trial Brightness Opacity sec/100 ml Strength nr. % % air kN/m 1 Control 86.11 80.51 52 4.3 2 amide of 86.48 81.38 45 4.0 fatty acid and diamine 3 laccase 86.53 81.59 57 5.1
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An organic agent for enhancing opacity in paper, paperboard or pulp comprises a hydrolase or an oxido-reductase; this enzymatic opacifying agent overcomes drawbacks associated with traditional organic and inorganic opacifying agents but also serves to provide increased strength and reduced porosity in paper and paperboard.
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RELATED APPLICATION DATA
This application is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/699,649, filed Sep. 11, 2012, entitled “Axial Overhung Turbine and Generator System For Use In An Organic Rankine Cycle,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of turbine generator power systems for industrial waste heat recovery and other applications. In particular, the present invention is directed to an overhung turbine coupled to a direct-drive, electrical power generator.
BACKGROUND
Concerns about climate change and rising energy costs, and the desire to minimize expenses in various industrial operations, together lead to an increased focus on capturing waste heat developed in such operations. Organic Rankine Cycle (“ORC”) turbine generator electrical power systems have been used in industrial waste heat recovery. Unfortunately, known systems for capturing waste heat and converting it to electricity are often too large for the space available in certain industrial operations, are less efficient than desired, require more heat to operate efficiently than is available, are too expensive to manufacture for certain applications, or require more maintenance than is desired. In other applications, such as geothermal energy recovery and certain ocean thermal energy projects, abundant heat is available and an efficient ORC system is a satisfactory means for conversion of such heat to electricity. Even in such other applications, however, known ORC systems tend to be too expensive for some such applications, are less efficient than desired and/or require more maintenance than is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a system for conversion of heat energy into electricity. The system includes an electric generator having a power output of 5 MW or less, said generator having a proximal end, a distal end, a generator rotor and a stator, said generator rotor being disposed for rotational movement within said stator about a rotational axis, said generator also including a first magnetic radial bearing positioned adjacent said proximal end, and a second magnetic radial bearing positioned adjacent said distal end, said first and second magnetic radial bearings surrounding said generator rotor and retaining said generator rotor, during operation, in substantially coaxial alignment with respect to said rotational axis; and a turbine having at least one stator and at least one turbine rotor supported for rotational movement relative to said at least one stator about said rotational axis, said at least one turbine rotor being coupled with said generator rotor so as to rotationally drive said generator rotor, said turbine having a first end attached to said proximal end of said generator, wherein said at least one turbine rotor has an overhung configuration such that no radial bearings are included in said turbine for radially supporting said at least one turbine rotor for rotational movement, said turbine further including an inlet for receiving a working fluid at a first temperature and an outlet for exhausting said working fluid at a second temperature lower than said first temperature, said outlet being position proximate said first end of said turbine so as to minimize heat transfer to said generator.
In another implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a system for conversion of heat energy into electricity. The system includes an electric generator having a power output of 5 MW or less, said generator having a proximal end, a distal end, a generator rotor and a stator, said generator rotor being disposed for rotational movement within said stator about a rotational axis, said generator also including a first fluid film bearing positioned adjacent said proximal end, and a second fluid film bearing positioned adjacent said distal end, said first and second fluid film bearings surrounding said generator rotor and retaining said generator rotor, during operation, in substantially coaxial alignment with respect to said rotational axis; and a turbine having at least one stator and at least one turbine rotor supported for rotational movement relative to said at least one stator about said rotational axis, said at least one turbine rotor being coupled with said generator rotor so as to rotationally drive said generator rotor, said turbine having a first end attached to said proximal end of said generator, wherein said at least one turbine rotor has an overhung configuration such that no radial bearings are included in said turbine for radially supporting said at least one turbine rotor for rotational movement, said turbine further including an inlet for receiving a working fluid at a first temperature and an outlet for exhausting said working fluid at a second temperature lower than said first temperature, said outlet being position proximate said first end of said turbine so as to minimize heat transfer to said generator.
In yet another implementation, the present disclosure is directed to an axial turbine with interchangeable components. The axial turbine includes a housing having an interior and a first axis of rotation; a plurality of rotor plates, each having a centerline, a first contact surface and a second contact surface contacting said first surface, said first and second contact surfaces being substantially parallel and each of said first and second contact surfaces being flat in the range 0.00005″ to 0.020″, wherein said plurality of rotor plates are positioned proximate one another so that said centerlines thereof are mutually coaxial and are coaxial with said first axis of rotation so as to define rotor portions of a multi-stage rotor assembly, each of said plurality of rotor plates having a radially outermost portion; a plurality of stator plates, each having a centerline, a first contact surface and a second contact surface contacting said first surface, said first and second surfaces being substantially parallel and each of said first and second surfaces being flat in the range 0.00005″ to 0.020″, wherein said plurality of stator plates are positioned proximate one another so that said centerlines of said stator plates are mutually coaxial and are coaxial with said first axis of rotation so as to define stator portions of a multi-stage stator assembly, each of said plurality of stator plates having a radially innermost portion; wherein said plurality of rotor plates are positioned in alternating relationship with corresponding respective ones of said plurality of stator plates so as to define a multi-stage rotor assembly with an upstream direction, further wherein at least one of said plurality of rotor plates includes a first plurality of vanes with an axial chord and an adjacent one of said plurality of stator plates includes a second plurality of vanes with an axial chord, wherein said first plurality of vanes is axially spaced from said second plurality of vanes to define a space having an axial dimension that is no more than two axial chords to ¼ of 1% of an axial chord, as measured with respect to the axial chord of the one of said rotor plate and stator plate immediately upstream of said space.
In yet another implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a system for converting heat energy into electricity. The system includes a turbine having an inlet, an outlet, a stator and a turbine rotor, wherein said turbine is configured to receive a first volume of working fluid via said inlet and to exhaust said first volume of working fluid via said outlet, wherein said turbine rotor rotates about a rotational axis; a generator coupled with said turbine, said generator having a stator and a generator rotor, said generator rotor being coupled with said turbine rotor so as to be rotatably driven by said turbine rotor about said rotational axis, said generator including a gap between said generator rotor and said stator for receiving a second volume of said working fluid, said gap having an entrance port and an exit port; and wherein said first volume of said working fluid has a higher temperature than said second volume of working fluid when introduced into said gap and said second volume of working fluid present in said gap cools said generator rotor and said stator.
In yet another implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a multi-stage turbine cartridge. The turbine cartridge includes a plurality of rotor plates, each having a centerline, a first contact surface and a second contact surface contacting said first contact surface, said first and second contact surfaces being substantially parallel and each of said first and second contact surfaces being flat in the range 0.00005″ to 0.020″, wherein said plurality of rotor plates are positioned proximate one another so that said centerlines of said rotor plates are mutually coaxial; a plurality of stator plates, each having a centerline, a first contact surface and a second contact surface contacting said first surface, said first and second contact surfaces being substantially parallel and each of said first and second contact surfaces being flat in the range 0.00005″ to 0.020″, wherein said plurality of stator plates are positioned proximate one another so that said centerlines of said stator plates are mutually co-axial; and wherein said plurality of rotor plates are positioned in alternating relationship with corresponding respective ones of said plurality of stator plates so as to define a multi-stage rotor assembly with an upstream direction, further wherein at least one of said plurality of rotor plates includes a first plurality of vanes with an axial chord and an adjacent one of said plurality of stator plates includes a second plurality of vanes with an axial chord, wherein said first plurality of vanes is axially spaced from said second plurality of vanes to define a space having an axial dimension that is no more than two axial chords to ¼ of 1% of an axial chord, as measured with respect to the axial chord of the one of said rotor plate and stator plate immediately upstream of said space.
In yet another implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a system for conversion of heat energy into electricity. The system includes an electric generator having a proximal end, a distal end, a generator rotor and a stator, said generator rotor being disposed for rotational movement within said stator about a rotational axis, said generator also including a first magnetic radial bearing positioned adjacent said proximal end and a second magnetic radial bearing positioned adjacent said distal end, said first and second magnetic radial bearings surrounding said generator rotor and retaining said generator rotor, during operation, in substantially coaxial alignment with respect to said rotational axis; and a turbine having at least one stator and at least one turbine rotor supported for rotational movement within said at least one stator about said rotational axis, said at least one turbine rotor being coupled with said at least one generator rotor so as to rotationally drive said generator rotor, said at least one turbine rotor being attached to said proximal end of said generator in an overhung configuration such that no radial bearings are included in said turbine for radially supporting said at least one turbine rotor for rotational movement, said at least one turbine rotor having a radially outermost surface and said at least one stator having a radially innermost surface, said turbine further including at least one seat, a first brush seal engaging said radially outermost surface of said at least one rotor, and a second brush seal engaging said at least one seat.
In yet another implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a method of making a turbine for driving a generator, said turbine having a power output sufficient to drive the generator to produce electric power in the range 50 KW to 5 MW. The method includes providing a universal turbine hood having a floor with a first thickness; providing a rotor stage having a radial height, the rotor stage positioned in the turbine hood; and machining material away from the hood to decrease the thickness of the floor and machining material away to decrease the radial height of the rotor stage, said machining performed so as to produce a turbine having a power output sufficient to drive the generator to produce a maximum electric power output at a target value in the range 50 KW to 5 MW.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, the drawings show aspects of one or more embodiments of the invention. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of an ORC turbine-generator system;
FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of the turbine and generator of the system shown in FIG. 1 , with interior details of the generator being schematically illustrated;
FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1 , except that an alternative embodiment of the ORC turbine-generator system is depicted;
FIG. 4 a is a cross-sectional view of a multi-stage axial turbine embodiment of the turbine assembly depicted in FIG. 1 and a partially broken-away view of the generator depicted in FIG. 1 showing, schematically, bearings included in one embodiment of the generator, with the rotor and stator of the generator removed for clarity of illustration;
FIG. 4 b is similar to FIG. 4 a , except that a single-stage radial turbine embodiment of the turbine assembly depicted in FIG. 1 is shown;
FIG. 4 c is similar to FIG. 4 b , except that a multi-stage radial turbine embodiment of the turbine assembly depicted in FIG. 4 b is shown;
FIG. 4 d is similar to FIG. 4 c , except that the rotors of the multi-stage radial turbine assembly depicted in FIG. 4 c are arranged in back-to-back configuration;
FIG. 5 is cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a turbine cartridge usable in the turbine shown in FIG. 4 a;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the turbine shown in FIG. 4 a , illustrating a portion of the hood backplate and the entire turbine cartridge;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the relative placement of two stator plates and one rotor plate with its stationary spacer plate used in a multi-stage embodiment of the turbine depicted in FIG. 4 a;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of three rotor plates used in a multi-stage embodiment of the turbine depicted in FIG. 4 a showing the relative placement of the plates;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the turbine shown in FIG. 6 illustrating brush seals and other details of the turbine; and
FIG. 10 is similar to FIG. 9 , except that it depicts an alternative embodiment of the turbine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present disclosure is directed to a turbine powered electrical generator for use in an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), Kalina cycle, or other similar cycles, industrial operations that generates waste heat, or in connection with other heat sources, e.g., a solar system or an ocean thermal system. High-pressure hot gas from a boiler, which is heated by the heat source, enters the turbine housing and is expanded through the turbine to turn the rotor, which turns the generator shaft to generate electricity, as described more below.
Referring to FIG. 1 , turbine-generator assembly 20 is intended for use in an ORC system 22 . For convenience of discussion, system 22 is referred to and described as ORC system 22 . It is, however, to be appreciated that other thermodynamic processes, such as a Kalina cycle process and bottoming cycle processes, are also encompassed by the present invention. Turbine-generator assembly 20 includes a turbine 24 and a generator 26 connected to, and driven by, the turbine. Before discussing turbine-generator assembly 20 in more detail, discussion of ORC system 22 is provided.
ORC system 22 includes a boiler 28 that is connected to a heat source 30 , such as waste heat from an industrial process. Boiler 28 provides high-pressure hot vapor via connection 32 to turbine 24 . As discussed more below, the hot vapor, aka, the working fluid, is expanded in turbine 24 , where its temperature drops, and is then exhausted from the turbine and delivered via fluid connection 34 to condenser 36 . In condenser 36 , the vapor cooled in turbine 24 is cooled further, typically to a liquid state, and then a first volume of such liquid is delivered via fluid connection 38 to pump 40 , where the liquid is returned via connection 42 to boiler 28 . This liquid is then reheated in boiler 28 by heat from heat source 30 through a heat exchanger or other structure (none shown) in the boiler and then, repeating the cycle, is returned as high-pressure hot vapor via fluid connection 32 to turbine 24 .
Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a second volume of the cooled liquid exiting condenser 36 is, in one embodiment, delivered by pump 50 via fluid connection 52 to vaporizer 54 and from the vaporizer to generator 26 via fluid connection 58 . Fluid from pump 50 is also delivered via fluid connection 56 to generator 26 , in particular cooling jacket 76 , discussed more below. In other embodiments, it may be desirable to omit pump 50 and instead deliver liquid that is output from pump 40 via fluid connection 57 to fluid connections 52 and 56 . Vaporizer 54 vaporizes at least some of the second volume of liquid from condenser 36 and delivers the cooling vapor via fluid connection 58 to generator 26 . As illustrated in FIG. 2 , generator 26 includes a fluid gap 70 , a stator 72 and a generator rotor 74 , with the fluid gap (e.g., gas or atomized liquid) being positioned between the stator and rotor. Generator rotor 74 rotates relative to stator 72 about rotational axis 106 .
The cooling vapor is introduced into gap 70 , and as the vapor passes through gap 70 it extracts heat from stator 72 and generator rotor 74 , which vapor is then exhausted via fluid connection 34 , along with the hot vapor exhausted from turbine 24 , for cooling by condenser 36 . Optionally, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 , vapor exhausted from generator 26 may be delivered via fluid connection 37 directly to condenser 36 rather than being combined with vapor exhausted from turbine 24 . Turbine 24 has a through flow rate and, in one embodiment, the second volume of the vapor (working fluid) introduced into gap 70 travels through the gap with a flow rate that is no more than 50% of the through flow rate. Typically, although not necessarily, generator 26 is hermetically sealed to ensure working fluid present in gap 70 does not escape except via fluid connection 34 , or fluid connection 37 , if provided.
Referring now to FIGS. 1-4 , in one embodiment generator 26 is surrounded by a cooling jacket 76 ( FIGS. 2 and 4 ) for cooling the generator. Cooling liquid pumped by pump 50 to generator 26 via fluid connection 56 is delivered to cooling jacket 76 via inlets 77 ( FIG. 4 ). As the cooling liquid circulates through cooling jacket 76 , it extracts heat from stator 72 and other components of generator 26 . After completing its passage through cooling jacket 76 , the cooling liquid, now somewhat hotter, is removed from generator 26 via fluid connection 78 , after exiting fluid outlet 79 in the cooling jacket, and returned to condenser 36 .
Turning next to FIGS. 2 and 3 , in another embodiment of ORC system 22 , atomized cooling liquid, rather than vaporized liquid, is provided to gap 70 in generator 26 . Except as specifically discussed below, the embodiment of ORC system 22 illustrated in FIG. 3 is essentially identical to the embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 1 , and so description of identical elements is not provided in the interest of brevity. Unlike the embodiment of ORC system 22 illustrated in FIG. 1 , no vaporizer is provided in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 . Instead a portion of the cooling liquid delivered via fluid connection 56 to generator 26 is provided by fluid connection 80 to atomizer 82 positioned proximate to the generator. Atomizer 82 atomizes the cooling liquid, which is then delivered to gap 70 in generator 26 , where the relatively cool atomized liquid extracts heat from stator 72 and generator rotor 74 as it travels through the gap, including through the latent heat of vaporization with respect to portions of the atomized liquid that are vaporized by the heat in the stator and rotor. The atomized liquid is then extracted from generator 26 via fluid connection 34 along with the working fluid exhausted from turbine 24 . In FIGS. 2 and 3 , atomizer 82 is depicted in dotted view to indicate that it is an optional element used in connection with one embodiment of the invention. As discussed above, in one embodiment, the second volume of the atomized liquid (working fluid) introduced into gap 70 travels through the gap with a flow rate that is no more than 50% of the through flow rate of turbine 24 .
In some applications, it may be desirable to provide just cooling of stator 72 via cooling jacket 76 , and not provide vapor or atomized liquid to gap 70 . In other applications, the reverse may be desired.
Various high molecular weight organic fluids, alone or in combination, may be used as the working fluid in system 20 . These fluids include refrigerants such as, for example, R125, R134a, R152a, R245fa, and R236fa. In other applications fluids other than high molecular weight organic fluids may be used, e.g., water and ammonia.
System 22 also includes a power electronics package 86 connected to generator 26 . Package 86 converts the variable frequency output power from generator 86 to a frequency and voltage suitable for connection to the grid 87 , e.g. 50 Hz and 400 V, 60 Hz and 480 V or other similar values.
Discussing generator 26 in more detail, in one embodiment the generator is a direct-drive, permanent magnetic, generator. Such a construction is advantageous because it avoids the need for a gearbox, which in turn results in a smaller and lighter system 20 . Various aspects of the invention described herein may, of course, be effectively implemented using a generator having a gearbox mechanically coupled between turbine rotor 104 of turbine 24 and generator rotor 74 of generator 26 , and a suitable wound rotor that does not include permanent magnets, e.g., a doubly wound, induction-fed rotor. In addition, in certain applications direct-drive synchronous generators may be used as generator 26 . The rated power output of generator 26 will vary as a function of the intended application. In one embodiment, generator 26 has a rated power output of 5 MW. In another embodiment, generator 26 has a rated power output of 50 KW, and in yet other embodiments, generator 26 has a rated power output somewhere in between these values, e.g., 200 KW, 475 KW, 600 KW, or 1 MW. Rated power outputs for generator 26 other than those listed in the examples above are encompassed by the present invention.
To permit high-speed (e.g., on the order of 20,000-25,000 rpm) operation, and to minimize maintenance, it may be desirable in some embodiments of generator 26 to support generator rotor 74 for rotational movement using magnetic radial bearings 88 (see FIG. 4 ). In one embodiment, magnetic radial bearing 88 a is positioned adjacent an end of generator rotor 74 proximate turbine 24 and magnet radial bearing 88 b is positioned adjacent an opposite end of the rotor. As discussed more below, this placement of bearings 88 enables in large part the overhung construction of turbine 24 . Similarly, axial movement of generator rotor 74 may be controlled through the use of magnetic axial thrust bearing 89 . Magnetic radial bearings 88 and magnetic axial thrust bearing 89 are controlled by a controller 90 that adjusts power delivered to the bearings as a function of changes in radial and axial position of generator rotor 74 , as detected by sensors (not shown) coupled to the controller, all as well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
In another embodiment of the invention, fluid-film bearings may be used in place of magnetic radial bearings 88 and thrust bearing 89 . For purposes of illustration, the schematic depiction of magnetic bearings 88 and 89 in FIG. 4 should be deemed to include, in the alternative, fluid-film bearings. As is known, fluid-film bearings support the total rotor load on a thin film of fluid, i.e., gas or liquid.
Optionally, in addition to magnetic bearings 88 and 89 , rolling element radial bearings 92 , e.g., radial bearings 92 a and 92 b , may be provided at opposite ends of rotor shaft 93 of generator rotor 74 surrounding the rotor shaft, typically adjacent magnetic bearings 88 a and 88 b , respectively. Rolling element radial bearings 92 support generator rotor 74 and its shaft 93 in substantially coaxial relation to rotational axis 106 when magnetic bearings 88 and 89 are not energized. More particularly, rolling element radial bearings 92 provide a rest point for generator rotor 74 when magnetic bearings 88 are not activated and provide a safe landing for the generator rotor in the event of a sudden electronic or power failure. It may be desirable in some cases to size rolling element radial bearings 92 to support generator rotor 74 with a relatively loose fit so that during operation when magnetic bearings 88 and 89 are energized, the rotor has limited, if any contact, with rolling element radial bearings 92 , even during times of maximum radial deflections of generator rotor 74 due to perturbations in the operation of magnetic bearings 88 . When fluid-film bearings are used in place of magnetic radial bearings 88 , rolling element radial bearings 92 are typically not required, although in some applications it may be desirable to include such radial bearings.
In one embodiment, rolling element radial bearings 92 are sized to permit rotor shaft 93 to deviate radially from perfect coaxial alignment with rotational axis 106 an amount that is 1.01 to 5 times as great as the maximum radial deviation of shaft 93 from rotational axis 106 that may occur when magnetic radial bearings 88 are fully activated, including during times of major radial deflection that may occur due to perturbations of the magnetic radial bearings, e.g., from a fluid dynamic instability or a failed control system or a power failure (without backup). In another embodiment, this deviation permitted by radial bearings 92 is about 2 to 3 times as great as the radial deviation of shaft 93 from rotational axis 106 that occurs when magnetic bearings 88 are activated, again including during major perturbations that occur over time. Rolling element radial bearings 92 are often referred to as “bumper bearings” or “backup bearings” in the art.
While beneficial for the reasons discussed above, rolling element radial bearings 92 also present a challenge because the radial clearance of such bearings is much higher than the desired clearances for the conventional seals (not shown in detail) of turbine 24 . Typical rolling element radial bearings 92 have a radial clearance on the order of 0.005 to 0.015 inch. By contrast, desired radial clearances for the seals of turbine 24 are typically on the order of 0.000-0.001 inch. As generator 26 is assembled, shipped and stored, or during a loss of levitation of generator rotor 74 during operation due to failure of magnetic bearings 88 , the generator rotor will drop to rolling element radial bearings 92 . A consequence of such “play” in generator rotor 74 is that portion of shaft 93 proximate rolling element radial bearings 92 , along with seals in turbine 24 , can be damaged over time. Indeed, in certain applications, as few as 1-10 “bumper” events can cause sufficient damage to components of turbine-generator assembly 20 that disassembly and repair/replacement of such components is required.
A solution to this problem is to add a radial brush seal 94 ( FIG. 4 ) adjacent one or more of magnetic bearings 88 and/or rolling element radial bearings 92 , or to substitute a brush seal for the rolling element radial bearings (i.e., the bumper bearings). As used in such context, brush seal 94 is designed to withstand substantial radial forces before deforming. Such deformation is temporary, with brush seal 94 being constructed so that it springs back quickly to its prior configuration. In other words, brush seal 94 is self-healing. The stiffness of each brush seal 94 is selected based upon the weight of generator rotor 74 and turbine rotor 104 (discussed below) coupled with the generator rotor, and the extent of radial movement of the rotors 74 and 104 that is permissible given the overall design and operating parameters, respectively, of generator 26 and turbine 24 . In one embodiment, the stiffness of brush seals 94 is selected so that the extent of radial deviation of generator rotor 74 from co-axial alignment with rotational axis 106 that occurs when the rotor is supported by just the brush seals is 1 to 5 times greater than the extent of maximum radial deviation of generator rotor 74 from co-axial alignment with rotational axis 106 that occurs when magnetic bearings 88 are fully activated and supporting generator rotor 74 for rotational movement through the course of normal operation. In another embodiment, such extent of radial deviation is 1.2 to 4 times greater than the extent of radial deviation of generator rotor 74 from co-axial alignment with rotational axis 106 that occurs when magnetic bearings 88 are fully activated and supporting generator rotor 74 for rotational movement through the course of normal operation. In another implementation, generator rotor 74 is free to move a first radial distance out of co-axial alignment with rotational axis 106 when magnetic bearings 88 are not activated and the generator rotor does not move radially more than a second radial distance out of co-axial alignment with rotation axis when supported by brush seals 94 . In this implementation, the second radial distance is no more than 0.8 times the first radial distance, and in some implementations ranges from 0.2 to 0.6 times the first radial distance.
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4 - 10 , turbine 24 will be described in more detail. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 a , turbine 24 is an overhung axial turbine and includes a housing 98 having an axial inlet 100 and a radial outlet 102 . Turbine 24 , in one embodiment, is a multi-stage turbine, with the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 a having three stages. In other embodiments discussed more below, turbine 24 may be a single-stage overhung radial turbine as show in FIG. 4 b , and a multi-stage overhung radial turbine as shown in FIG. 4 c . Consistent with this overhung configuration, no radial bearings are included in turbine 24 , 324 , 424 for radially supporting the rotor in the turbine for rotational movement, As discussed above, turbine 24 is constructed so that the working fluid is expanded as it is transported through the turbine, with the result that the cold end of the turbine, i.e., the end proximate radial outlet 102 , is positioned adjacent generator 26 . This arrangement reduces heat transfer from turbine 24 to generator 26 .
Turbine 24 includes a turbine rotor 104 that rotates about rotational axis 106 and a stator 108 that is fixed with respect to housing 98 . As discussed more below, in one example of turbine 24 featuring a modular design, turbine rotor 104 includes a plurality of individual bladed plates 110 and stator 108 includes a plurality of individual plates 112 positioned in alternating, inter-digitated relationship with the rotor plates, as best seen in FIGS. 5 , 6 and 9 . Rotor plates 110 and stator plates 112 are positioned within housing 98 in the cavity 114 formed at the region between inlet 100 and outlet 102 . As best illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 , radially innermost portions of stator plates 112 are spaced from portions of turbine rotor 104 positioned between rotor plates 110 so as to form a gap 115 sealed by seals 116 provided on such radially innermost portion of the stator plates. In the portion of turbine 24 illustrated in FIG. 5 , a plurality of stator spacer segments 117 , one corresponding to each rotor plate 110 , is provided in alternating, inter-digitated relationship with radially outer portions of stator plates 112 . Each spacer segment 117 is positioned radially outwardly of a corresponding respective rotor plate 110 . In the alternative embodiments of turbine 24 illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 , spacer segments 117 are formed as an integral portion of stator plates 112 (spacer segments are not separately labeled in FIGS. 9 and 10 ). In any event, in each of these embodiments, each spacer segment 117 is sized with respect to its corresponding respective rotor plate 110 so that a gap 118 is provided between a radially outermost portion of the rotor plate and the radially innermost portion of the spacer segment. Seals 119 (see FIG. 9 ) may be provided in gap 118 in certain embodiments of turbine 24 .
As best illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 , each rotor plate 110 includes a first contact surface 130 and a second contact surface 132 that contacts the first contact surface. Similarly, each stator plate 112 includes a first contact surface 134 and a second contact surface 136 that contacts the first contact surface. Contact surfaces 130 , 132 , 134 and 136 are substantially flat and substantially parallel. Further, they are arranged to be substantially perpendicular to rotational axis 106 . In one embodiment, contact surfaces 130 , 132 , 134 and 136 are flat in the range 0.00005″ to 0.020″, and in certain embodiments in the range 0.0005″ to 0.005″, as measured with respect to a root mean square version of such surfaces. Further, in one embodiment contact surfaces 130 and 132 of rotor plates 110 , and contact surfaces 134 and 136 of stator plates 112 , deviate from perfectly parallel by an amount in the range 0.0001″ to 0.015″, and in certain embodiments in the range 0.0005″ to 0.005″. Spacer segments 117 , when provided, preferably have contact surfaces that are similarly flat and parallel to contact surfaces 130 , 132 , 134 , and 136 , as discussed above.
Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8 , in certain implementations of turbine 24 , it may be desirable to circumferentially clock one rotor plate 110 with respect to an adjacent rotor plate, e.g., clocking rotor plate 110 a with respect to plate 110 b . Similarly, it may be desirable to circumferentially clock one stator plate 112 with respect to an adjacent stator plate, e.g., clocking stator plate 112 a with respect to plate 112 c . Desired performance specifications for turbine 24 will influence the extent of clocking provided, as those skilled in the art will appreciate. When pairs of rotor plates 110 being clocked both have an equal number of vanes 140 , in one embodiment a first rotor plate 110 , e.g., plate 110 a , is clocked with respect to a second adjacent rotor plate, e.g., plate 110 b , zero to one vane pitch, i.e., (0)S to (1)S. Similarly, when pairs of stator plates 112 being clocked both have an equal number of vanes 142 , in one embodiment a first stator plate 112 , e.g., plate 112 a is clocked with respect to an adjacent stator plate, e.g., plate 112 c , zero to one vane pitch, i.e., (0)S to (1)S. When pairs of rotor plates 110 being clocked both have an unequal number of vanes 140 , in one embodiment a first rotor plate 110 , e.g., plate 110 a , is clocked with respect to a second adjacent rotor plate, e.g., plate 110 b , somewhere in the range of 0 to 360 degrees. Similarly, when pairs of stator plates 112 being clocked both have an unequal number of vanes 142 , in one embodiment a first stator plate 112 , e.g., plate 112 a is clocked with respect to an adjacent stator plate, e.g., plate 112 c , somewhere in the range of 0 to 360 degrees. Known turbine flow analytical and experimental methods are used to guide selection of the optimal amount of clocking in this range of 0 to 360 degrees.
With continuing reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 , in one embodiment adjacent stator plates 112 are clocked with respect to one another using an alignment system featuring a plurality of circumferentially spaced bores 160 positioned along a peripheral section 162 of a stator plate 112 , e.g., stator 112 c , only five of which are illustrated in FIG. 7 for convenience of illustration. In one implementation, adjacent bores 160 are circumferentially spaced one vane pitch S. The alignment system also includes a bore 164 in a peripheral section 166 of spacer segments 117 . Further, a blind bore 168 may be provided in a peripheral section 170 of a stator plate 112 , e.g., stator plate 112 a , immediately adjacent the stator plate, e.g., stator plate 112 c , in which bores 160 are provided (rotor plate 110 b and spacer plate 117 are intervening, of course). In one embodiment, bores 160 , 164 and 168 are spaced a substantially identical radial distance from rotational axis 106 , and have a substantially identical diameter. The alignment system further includes pin 172 , which is sized for receipt, typically using a mild friction fit, in a selected one of bores 160 and in bore 164 . When so positioned, pin 172 locks stator plate 112 c in selected circumferential alignment with adjacent spacer segment 117 . The selected circumferential clocking between adjacent stator plates, e.g., plates 112 a and 112 c , is achieved by next locking spacer section 117 to stator plate 112 a using pin 174 inserted in bores 164 and 168 . A similar system for clocking adjacent rotor plates 110 may also be employed, as discussed more below in connection with FIGS. 9 and 10 . As discussed above, selection of one of the plurality of bores 160 that receives pin 172 is determined based on the extent of circumferential clocking desired between adjacent stator plates 112 . The present invention encompasses other approaches to circumferentially clocking adjacent rotor plates 110 and stator plates 112 , as those skilled in the art will appreciate.
With particular reference to FIG. 9 , rotor plates 110 and stator plates 112 are, in one implementation, spaced so that axial distance 178 between vanes 140 of a rotor plate 110 and vanes 142 of an adjacent stator plate 112 is in the range of two axial chords to ¼ of 1% of an axial chord, and in certain embodiments ⅓ to 1 chord, as measured with respect to the chord of the immediately upstream one of the rotor or stator plates. For example, vanes 140 of rotor plate 110 identified as R 3 in FIG. 9 are axially spaced distance 178 a from immediately adjacent vanes 142 of stator plate 112 identified as S 3 a chord distance C x ,S 3 that is in the range of two axial chords to ¼ of 1% of an axial chord, and in certain embodiments is spaced ⅓ to 1 chord. Additionally, the stage reaction for turbine 24 may be of any conventional level. When, however, axial thrust levels must be controlled to meet available thrust capability of generator 26 , then very low stage reaction may be desirable, with common values in one example ranging from −0.1 to 0.3 and often falling in the range of −0.05 to +0.15. When very low stage reaction cannot be achieved, for example with multi-stage radial inflow turbine 424 illustrated in FIG. 4 c , then the second stage may be reversed so that the two radial turbines work back-to-back, leaving the last stage discharge still facing the generator.
Referring to FIGS. 4-6 , 9 and 10 , in connection with the assembly of this embodiment, rotor plates 110 and stator plates 112 are positioned in alternating, inter-digitated relationship. In one embodiment, rotor plates 110 include a plurality of bores 186 (see FIG. 5 ) in radially inner portions of the plates, which bores are sized to receive a fastener, such as bolt stud 188 , which extends through the plates and is secured to stub shaft 189 via threaded bores 190 in the stub shaft. Generator rotor shaft 93 may include a threaded male end 192 that is received in a threaded bore 194 in stub shaft 189 .
Stator plates 112 , and spacer segments 117 if provided, may, for example, be secured together in alternating, inter-digitated relationship so as to form a unitary cartridge 198 . The latter may be releasably secured in cavity 114 ( FIG. 6 ) of housing 98 using known fasteners and other devices. In one embodiment, cartridge 198 may be secured in cavity 114 by lock ring 200 , which is engaged with a snap fit in a correspondingly sized recess 201 in the cavity. With this construction, when lock ring 200 is installed, stator plates 112 , and segments 117 when provided, are driven against shoulder 202 formed in cavity 114 in housing 98 , thereby holding the plates and segments securely in place. In certain embodiments of turbine 24 , rotor plates 110 may be secured together with pins 203 (see FIGS. 9 and 10 ) received in bores 204 (see FIGS. 8 , 9 and 10 ) to ensure no relative rotational movement occurs between rotor plates. Similarly, in other embodiments of turbine 24 , stator plates 112 and spacers 117 may be secured together with pins 172 (see FIGS. 9 and 10 ), as discussed above, to ensure no relative rotational movement occurs. Pins 172 may also penetrate into floor 204 of housing 98 (such penetration not being shown) from the downstream-most spacer 117 or stator plate 112 , if desired to assure no relative motion. A nose cone 206 may be provided, with one embodiment being threadedly engaged with threaded bore 208 in the furthest upstream stator plate 112 (identified in FIGS. 9 and 10 as S 1 ). Alternatively, machine screws may be used to fasten nose cone 206 to first stator plate 112 . With reference to FIGS. 5 , 6 , 9 and 10 , in some implementations it may be desirable to rotationally align and secure together rotor plates 110 , stator plates 112 , and if provided, spacers 117 , using one or more pins 210 and/or one or more bolt studs 212 that extend through the rotor plates, stator plates and spacers. Pins 210 may be used for precision rotational alignment of rotor plates 110 , stator plates 112 and spacers 117 , and if received in these components with a sufficient force fit, may also hold these components together to form a unitary structure, namely unitary cartridge 198 . Bolt studs 212 , in addition to providing some measure of rotational alignment, also draw together the rotor plates, stator plates and spacers to form a unitary structure, namely unitary cartridge 198 .
By providing separate rotor plates 110 and stator plates 112 , and by making such plates relatively flat as discussed above, these plates may be assembled as a cartridge 198 (see FIG. 5 ) that may be positioned in and removed from cavity 114 in housing 98 as a unitary assembly. As discussed more below, the provision of cartridge 198 permits a universal turbine 24 to be readily adapted for its intended application and interchanged for maintenance or new loading requirements.
In some applications, it will be desirable to more substantially isolate generator 26 from turbine 24 . To achieve this objective, as best illustrated in FIG. 6 , it may be desirable to include a seal 220 surrounding stub shaft 189 of turbine 24 proximate the radially innermost portion of backplate 250 . Seal 220 may be implemented as a labyrinth seal, a brush seal, a close-tolerance ring seal or using other seals known in the art.
The embodiment of turbine 24 shown in FIGS. 4-6 , is designed to permit ready manufacture of versions of the turbine having differently sized rotors 104 and stators 108 . By providing a single housing 98 for turbine 24 while permitting construction of turbines with varying operating parameters using that single housing, the turbine can be manufactured on a cost-efficient basis to the specifications of a given application. This flexible design is achieved in part by designing and sizing housing 98 of turbine 24 so that the largest-diameter turbine rotor 104 contemplated for the turbine may be received within cavity 114 and through the use of the cartridge design discussed above. In particular, after the desired operating parameters of turbine 24 are determined for the application in which the turbine will be used, then the number and size of plates 110 used in turbine rotor 104 , and plates 112 and spacer segments 117 used in stator 108 , are determined.
Consistent with the objective of providing a turbine 24 that can be readily modified to meeting desired operating parameters, housing 98 is designed to facilitate such modification. One aspect of such design of housing 98 involves providing floor 204 with a thickness sufficient to accommodate turbine rotor 104 and stator 106 having varying radial heights. Δr, as measured between said rotational axis and an outermost portion of said at least one turbine rotor, said axial turbine including a hood having a floor with a first thickness, wherein said first thickness is selected to permit said floor to be machined on the inside to a thickness sufficient to accommodate said at least one turbine rotor with a radial dimension that varies between Δr and 1.4Δr. Further, housing 98 is provided with a configuration that permits easy access to floor 204 by conventional machine tools, e.g., a 5-axis CNC milling machine or a CNC lathe, that can be used to machine the floor so as to create a cavity 114 sized to receive turbine rotor 104 and stator 106 with the desired radial heights.
Another aspect of providing a modifiable housing 98 is to include a backplate 250 having a thickness that may be adjusted so as to selectively vary width l 4 , i.e., the distance l 4 between backplate 250 and housing wall 252 , and to selectively vary width l 1 , i.e., the exit width. In this regard, width l 4 may be varied so that it ranges from one half to four times the width of diffuser exit l 1 . Backplate 250 may be an integral portion of housing 98 in some embodiments and a separate element in others, as illustrated in FIG. 4 . Backplate 250 preferably includes one or more ports 254 through which vapor in gap 70 may be exhausted and delivered to the exhaust flow path of turbine 24 and ultimately via fluid connection 34 to condenser 36 . If desired, flow splitter 256 may be provided immediately downstream of turbine rotor 104 and stator 106 as another way to tailor the performance of turbine 24 . As another optional feature, an extension plate 258 may be added to nose 260 of floor 204 of housing 98 , as best seen in FIG. 6 .
Housing performance depends on several factors, but alignment of the entry flow at the housing inlet 100 and housing base dimensions are important as taught in the literature. A very good flow entry provides for diffuser exhaust flowing up the housing backplate 250 , as configured in FIG. 4 . An essential design variable is to set L 4 =l 4 /l 1 to a value of 0.5 to 4, often in the range of 2 to 3, in order to have high performance (maintaining good diffuser Cp). This means that the diffuser exit width (l 1 ) and the hood floor width (l 4 ) must be controlled. The exit width l 1 also controls the performance of the diffuser as it controls the diffuser overall area ratio, which is a first order design parameter; hence a conflict can arise. If l 1 is increased for the diffuser, it will hurt the housing. This is controlled by starting with a generous housing design to cover a wide range of power levels (up to 5 MW for certain designs) and then adjusting operating parameters by modifying backplate 250 and the nose 260 of floor 204 . Another design variable is to introduce diffuser splitter 256 ( FIG. 6 ), which gives independent control on l 1 , thereby permitting a selected change in the diffuser exit value. Further performance tailoring can be achieved by selection of an extension plate 258 ( FIG. 6 ) of suitable height and thickness.
Turbine 24 is depicted in FIG. 4 a as a multi-stage axial turbine 24 , but turbine-generator system 20 is not so limited. In this regard, and with reference to FIG. 4 b , in an alternative embodiment, turbine-generator system 20 may include a radial turbine 324 having a single stage. Like numbers are used in FIG. 4 a and FIG. 4 b to identify like elements, and for brevity, a description of like elements is omitted in connection with the following description of radial turbine 324 . The latter includes a single rotor 104 and a single stator 108 . Like the axial turbine 24 depicted in FIG. 4 a , radial turbine 324 may be implemented as a unitary cartridge 198 that may be releasably secured to generator shaft 93 with a bolt stud 188 . Turbine 324 may include an inlet flange ring 333 , and an outer flow guide 334 attached to housing 98 with known fasteners. Nose cone 206 and stator 108 may be releasable secured to housing 98 with a known fastener, such as bolts 337 .
Turning next to FIG. 4 c , in an alternate embodiment, turbine-generator system 20 may include a multi-stage radial turbine 424 . Like numbers are used in FIG. 4 a and FIG. 4 b to identify like elements, and for brevity, a description of like elements is omitted in connection with the following description of radial turbine 424 . The latter includes two rotors 104 and two stators 108 . Radial turbine 424 may be implemented as a unitary cartridge 198 that may be releasably secured to generator shaft 93 with a bolt stud 188 . Turbine 424 may include an inlet flange ring 333 , and an outer flow guide 334 attached to housing 98 with known fasteners. Nose cone 206 and stators 108 , together with intermediate flow guide 441 positioned between the stators, may be releasable secured to housing 98 with a known fastener, such as bolts 337 . The two stators 108 of turbine 424 and intermediate flow guide 441 may be secured together with bolts 339 or other known fasteners so as to create unitary cartridge 198 . Intermediate flow guide 441 is functionally analogous to stator spacers 117 in the version of turbine 24 illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 .
Depending on the desired balancing of thrust in turbine-generator system 20 , it may be desirable to configure rotors 104 of a multi-stage radial turbine in a back-to-back arrangement, as illustrated in FIG. 4 d with respect to radial turbine 524 . In this regard, rotor 104 a is positioned so it backs up to rotor 104 b , with the rotors being coupled to rotate together. Stator 108 is positioned between rotors 104 a / 104 b , and includes bearings 526 for rotatably supporting a portion of rotor 104 b that extends through the stator. Turbine 524 further includes a front face plate 550 through which gas transfer tubes 552 extend, with the gas transfer tubes terminating at interior plenum 554 . Gas flow entering turbine 524 flows into tubes 552 , is delivered to interior plenum 554 , exits the plenum causing rotor 104 a to rotate, flows over stator 108 , then drives rotor 104 b and finally exits the turbine.
Although not specifically illustrated, turbine-generator system 20 may also be implemented using a mixed-flow turbine. The latter is very similar in design to radial turbine generators 324 and 424 , and so is not separately illustrated.
By placing rotor 104 in a reverse orientation so that the low-pressure, cooled working fluid is discharged from the last rotor stage of turbine 24 proximate generator 26 , heat transfer to the generator is minimized, thereby prolonging generator life. The low-pressure exhaust of turbine 24 , as a consequence of its reverse orientation, draws the second volume of working fluid out of gap 70 in generator 26 via ports 254 and into the discharge stream of turbine 24 while balancing thrust forces sufficiently so that the generator thrust bearing 89 can handle the remaining axial load of turbine 24 . Such a design is efficient, compact and thermally efficient.
Exemplary embodiments have been disclosed above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions and additions may be made to that which is specifically disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
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A turbine-generator device for use in electricity generation using heat from industrial processes, renewable energy sources and other sources. The generator may be cooled by introducing into the gap between the rotor and stator liquid that is vaporized or atomized prior to introduction, which liquid is condensed from gases exhausted from the turbine. The turbine has a universal design and so may be relatively easily modified for use in connection with generators having a rated power output in the range of 50 KW to 5 MW. Such modifications are achieved, in part, through use of a modular turbine cartridge built up of discrete rotor and stator plates sized for the desired application with turbine brush seals chosen to accommodate radial rotor movements from the supported generator. The cartridge may be installed and removed from the turbine relatively easily for maintenance or rebuilding. The rotor housing is designed to be relatively easily machined to dimensions that meet desired operating parameters.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sewing aids and, more particularly, to a quilt holding clamp for aiding in the sewing of the finishing bias about the unfinished edges of a quilt.
2. General Background
Quilting is a past time enjoyed by many women young and old. Some women belong to quilting clubs where several women meet together to form quilts. Quilts are very popular for covering beds and throws over the back of sofas or other furniture.
While finishing bias for quilts can be sewn completely by machine, there are still many who prefer to hand stitch the folded end of the finishing bias to the quilt. One of the disadvantages of sewing the finishing bias is the need to pin the looped over finishing bias in place over the quilt. Pinning is tedious and time consuming. Since many older women quilt, arthritis can be a deterrent from quilting because of the need to pin the finishing bias.
As will be seen more fully below, the present invention is substantially different in structure, methodology and approach from that of other sewing aids.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The preferred embodiment of quilt holding clamp of the present invention solves the aforementioned problems in a straight forward and simple manner.
Broadly, the present invention contemplates a quilt holding clamp for securing a quilt and finishing bias for said quilt comprising: a top clamp member having a “J”-shaped forward end for elevating a folded end of said finishing bias above said quilt and a back end; a bottom clamp member a forward end and a back end; and, a “U”-shaped spring biased to close together, about said quilt, said “J”-shaped forward end and said forward end of said bottom clamp member.
The present invention further contemplates a method of attaching a finishing bias to an unfinished edge of a quilt using a quilt holding clamp comprising the steps of: sewing the folded in half finishing bias to a first side of the quilt to create a seam and to attach a unfinished end of the finishing bias to the quilt; aligning the seam in a recess of a bottom clamp member of the quilt holding clamp wherein the recess is adapted to recess multiple layers of said finishing bias; feeding a folded end of said finishing bias in a channel of a top clamp member of the quilt holding clamp; and, sewing by hand the folded end of the finishing bias to the quilt.
In view of the above, a feature of the present invention is to provide a quilt holding clamp that is relatively easy to use.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a quilt holding clamp that is relatively simple structurally and thus simple to manufacture.
A further feature of the present invention is to provide a quilt holding clamp that eliminates the need for pining the folded end of the finishing bias to a quilt.
The above and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the drawings, the description given herein, and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are given like reference numerals and, wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a top plan view of the quilt holding clamp of the present invention holding a quilt and finishing bias;
FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom plan view of the quilt holding clamp of the present invention holding a quilt and finishing bias;
FIG. 3 illustrates a side elevational view of the quilt holding clamp of the present invention in a closed clamping position;
FIG. 4 illustrates a side elevational view of the quilt holding clamp of the present invention showing the opening of the clamp from the closed position;
FIG. 5A illustrates a front elevational view along the plane 5 A- 5 A of the embodiment in FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 5B illustrates a rear elevational view along the plane 5 B- 5 B of the embodiment in FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 6A illustrates a bottom view of the top clamp member of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6B illustrates a top view of the top clamp member of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6C illustrates a side view of the top clamp member of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6D illustrates a front view of the top clamp member of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6E illustrates a rear view of the top clamp member of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 7A illustrates a bottom view of the bottom clamp member of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 7B illustrates a top view of the bottom clamp member of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 7C illustrates a side view of the bottom clamp member of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 8 illustrates a side perspective view of the quilt holding clamp in accordance with the present invention clamping a quilt and folding the finishing bias; and,
FIGS. 9A-9C illustrates the steps of sewing finishing bias to an unfinished edge of a quilt.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIGS. 1-4 and 5 A- 5 B, the quilt holding clamp of the present invention is generally referenced by the numeral 10 . The quilt holding clamp 10 comprises, in general, a “U”-shaped spring 20 and a top clamp member 30 and a bottom clamp member 40 . The top clamp member 30 and the bottom clamp member 40 are held in spatial relation from the other via the “U”-shaped spring 20 .
The “U”-shaped spring 20 includes a center section 22 having top and bottom parallel slots 22 a and 22 b (shown in phantom) formed therein. The center section 22 is made of a thin lightweight but sturdy metal material. Integrally formed with the center section 22 are top and bottom spring members 24 and 26 which project from the top and bottom edges, respectively, of the center section 22 , as best seen in FIG. 3 . The top and bottom spring members 24 and 26 are generally a flat planar substrate made of metal.
In the exemplary embodiment, the “U”-shaped spring 20 is a solid metal piece of material that is bent or curved about elbows A and B wherein the distance between elbows A and B defines the center section 22 . The length of the metal between elbow A and the top free end defines the top spring member 24 . The length of the metal between elbow B and the bottom free end defines the bottom spring member 26 .
In operation, the “U”-shaped spring 20 is spring biased to close together the top clamp member 30 and a bottom clamp member 40 , as best seen in FIG. 3 . The top clamp member 30 is coupled to the underside of the top spring member 24 and journalled through the top slot 22 a . The bottom clamp member 40 is coupled to the top side of the bottom spring member 26 and journalled through the top slot 22 b . The forward end of the top and bottom clamp members 30 and 40 extend through the slots 22 a and 22 b , respectively.
In the exemplary embodiment, the spring biasing is created by the obtuse angle of elbows A and B such that the top spring member 24 and the bottom spring member 26 are not parallel. Instead, the free end of the top spring member 24 and the free end of the bottom spring member 26 flare so that the distance between the two is greater than the forward ends of the top and bottom spring members 24 and 26 coupled to elbows A and B, respectively. Thus, the forward ends of the top and bottom clamp members 30 and 40 are sloped together such that they generally touch.
As best seen in FIG. 4 , applying pressure to the top free end of the top spring member 24 and the bottom free end of the bottom spring member 26 reduces the distance between the free ends of the top and bottom spring members 24 and 26 . As the distance reduces, the forward ends of the top and bottom clamp members 30 and 40 separate from each other.
In the exemplary embodiment, the top and bottom clamp members 30 and 40 are adjustably coupled to the top and bottom spring members 24 and 26 . The top spring member 24 has formed therein a channel 25 a that receives a screw 25 b . The screw 25 b is adapted to be attached to the top clamp member 30 , as best seen in FIGS. 6A-6C . Likewise, the bottom spring member 26 has formed therein a channel 27 a that receives a screw 27 b . The screw 27 b is adapted to be attached to the bottom clamp member 30 , as best seen in FIGS. 7A-7C . The details of adjustment will be described in relation to the operation of the quilt holding clamp 10 .
Referring now to FIGS. 6A-6E , the top clamp member 30 includes a parallelogram member 32 that has integrally formed therewith a “J”-shaped forward end 34 . The “J”-shaped forward end 34 is wider with than the parallelogram member 32 , as best seen in FIGS. 6A and 6B . The parallelogram member 32 is adjustable and fits and slides within the top slot 22 a of the “U”-shaped clamp 20 . Furthermore, the parallelogram member 32 has formed therein a threaded aperture 36 for receiving the screw 25 b.
Tightening the screw 25 b tightly sandwiches the top clamp member 24 between the screw head and the parallelogram member 32 and secures the top clamp member 30 in place. Loosening the screw 25 b enables the screw 25 b to move along the length of channel 25 a . Thereby, the parallelogram member 32 and thus the “J”-shaped forward end 34 can be slid back or forward.
In the preferred embodiment, the “J”-shaped forward end 34 includes a top sloped surface 34 a and a generally flat bottom surface 34 b that is parallel with the bottom surface of the parallelogram member 32 but not aligned therewith. The “J” shape is created by the formation of a channel 38 formed between the flat bottom surface 34 b and the bottom surface of the parallelogram member 32 . The channel 38 creates a overhang 37 , between lines 37 a and 37 b , parallel with the parallelogram member 32 and aligned or integrally formed with the flat bottom surface 34 b . Line 37 a defines the end of the channel 38 where the fold of the folded end 5 b of the finishing bias 5 should be slid. Line 37 b illustrates the end of the overhang 37 and thus end of channel 38 .
Channel 38 is adapted to receive therein the folded end 5 b of the finishing bias 5 . Sliding the “J”-shaped forward end 34 allows the folded end 5 b of the finishing bias 5 to be moved or slid into the channel 38 . Nevertheless, the folded end 5 b of the finishing bias 5 can be threaded into the channel 38 without sliding the “J”-shaped forward end 34 .
Referring now to FIGS. 7A-7C , the bottom clamp member 40 includes a parallelogram member 42 that has a “L”-shaped forward end 44 that is integrally formed therewith. The “L”-shaped forward end 44 is wider with than the parallelogram member 42 , as best seen in FIGS. 7A and 7B . The parallelogram member 42 is adjustable and fits and slides within the bottom slot 22 b of the “U”-shaped clamp 20 . Furthermore, the parallelogram member 42 has formed therein a threaded aperture 46 for receiving the screw 27 b.
Tightening the screw 27 b tightly sandwiches the bottom clamp member 26 between the screw head and the parallelogram member 42 and secures the bottom clamp member 40 in place. Loosening the screw 27 b enables the screw 27 b to move along the length of channel 27 a . Thereby, the parallelogram member 42 and thus the “L”-shaped forward end 44 can be slid back or forward to adjust for the seamline.
The “L”-shaped forward end 44 includes a raised forward area that is flat and aligned with the flat bottom surface 34 b of the “J”-shaped forward end 34 . The raised forward area is hereinafter referred to as the “flat raised surface 44 a ”. The flat raised surface 44 a is raised above the plane of the parallelogram member 42 and creates a recess 48 for the receipt of the four (4) layers of finishing bias 5 , as best seen in FIG. 8 . Moreover, edge defined by line 44 b creates a seam aligner for adjusting the “L”-shaped forward end 44 .
Regarding FIGS. 9A-9C , the general method of sewing finishing bias 5 to an unfinished edge 3 of quilt 1 is shown. The finishing bias 5 is generally folded evenly in half so that the inside unfinished sides of the finishing bias material are in contact. As best seen in FIG. 9A , the unfinished ends 5 a of the folded finishing bias 5 is aligned with the unfinished edge 3 of quilt 1 .
Referring now to FIG. 9B , the a seam 4 is created when finishing bias 5 is sewn directly to one side of the quilt 1 wherein the unfinished edge 5 a of the finishing bias 5 aligned with the quilt's unfinished edge 3 . The folded end 5 b of the finishing bias 5 can be laid flat on top of the quilt 1 during sewing. The seam width is approximately ⅝ of and inch. Nevertheless, other seam widths can be used as desired. In the exemplary embodiment, the finishing bias 5 is first sewn to the top side of quilt 1 .
Referring now to FIG. 9C , the remaining finishing bias 5 is looped around the quilt's unfinished edge 3 . Typically, the seamstress will then pin the looped over finishing bias to the bottom of the quilt 1 . After the pining is complete, the seamstress can sew by hand the looped over finishing bias about the folded end 5 b.
Referring now to FIG. 8 , the quilt holding clamp 10 eliminates the need to pin the looped over finishing bias 5 . Pinning is tedious and time consuming. Moreover, since many older women quilt, arthritis can be a deterrent from quilting because of the need to pin the finishing bias 5 .
In operation, after the seam 4 is sewn ( FIG. 9B ), the edge defined by line 44 b of the “L”-shaped forward end 44 is aligned with seam 4 by loosening the screw 27 b and sliding the “L”-shaped forward end 44 into alignment. Thereafter, the screw 27 b is tightened to secure the “L”-shaped forward end 44 .
In view of the foregoing, the recess 48 is adjusted to the length of the seam width including the thickness of the looped over thickness of the finishing bias 5 , as best seen in FIG. 8 . The length of the recess 48 is adjusted based on the distance between center section 22 and line 44 b (edge). As seen in FIG. 8 , four (4) layers of the finishing bias is recessed in recess 48 to minimize bunching or misalignment during operation of the quilt holding clamp 10 .
Next, the “J”-shaped forward end 34 and thus the top clamp member 30 is moved forward by loosening screw 25 b and sliding the top clamp member 30 forward. The folded end 5 b is pulled forward and oriented as it would normally for pinning to eliminate gaps, bunching, etc. By slightly lifting the folded end 5 b and moving the “J”-shaped forward end 34 backward, the folded end 5 b is slid into channel 38 . The “J”-shaped forward end 34 is moved backward until the folded end 5 b adjacent to, in close proximity to, or touches the forward end of channel 38 at line 37 a . Thus, the folded end 5 b is elevated above the quilt 1 .
The top and bottom clamp members 30 and 40 are made of a lightweight smooth plastic that is adapted to be easily slid along the quilt 1 . In the preferred embodiment, the plastic is slightly transparent to allow the seamstress to observe the alignment of seam 4 along the edge 44 b and the folded end 5 b in channel 38 . Preferably, the top and bottom clamp members 30 and 40 automatically oriented to a clamping position as the result of the biasing of the “U”-shaped spring 20 . Nevertheless a tighter hold can be created by holding together the “J”-shaped and “L”-shaped forward ends 34 and 44 , as the quilt holding clamp 10 is slid along the edge of quilt 1 . The tighter hold is needed as the quilt holding clamp 10 is slid along the edge of quilt 1 as a another length of the folded end 5 b needs to be sewn.
Because many varying and differing embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught and because many modifications may be made in the embodiment herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirement of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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A quilt holding clamp for securing a quilt and finishing bias to eliminate the need for pining when attaching the finishing bias to the unfinished edge of the quilt. The clamp includes a top clamp member having a “J”-shaped forward end for elevating a folded end of the finishing bias above the quilt. A bottom clamp member is provided with a “L”-shaped forward end. A “U”-shaped spring biases the “J”-shaped forward end and the “L”-shaped forward end together. The “L”-shaped forward end provides a recess for recessing multiple layers of the folded finishing bias.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0072660, filed on Aug. 1, 2006, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to an image sensor package, a method of manufacturing the same, and an image sensor module including the image sensor package, and more particularly, to an image sensor package which prevents itself from being contaminated by fine particles and can be made slimmer, a method of manufacturing the same, and an image sensor module including the image sensor package
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Optical electric devices such as semiconductor image sensors (for example, CMOS image sensors) are generally packaged so that they can be connected to high level packages such as large circuit assemblies. Image sensor packages serve several functions including facilitating electrical connection to large circuit assemblies, protecting an image sensor chip from the surrounding environment, and making light or another type of radiation pass through a sensing circuit disposed in the image sensor chip.
[0006] As the semiconductor industry grows, manufacturing companies are developing various packaging methods for manufacturing smaller and more reliable semiconductor components. In particular, in a market where miniaturization and slimness are required such as camera phones, Chip On Board (COB), Chip On Film (COF), Chip Size Package (CSP), and similar technologies are widely used.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor module packaged by a conventional Chip On Board (COB) method. The COB formed image sensor module illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an image sensor chip 10 , a PCB 20 on which the image sensor chip 10 is mounted, a lens unit 30 disposed on the PCB 20 on which the image sensor chip 10 is installed, and a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) 40 through which the PCB 20 is connected. The lens unit 30 consists of a lens 32 , an infrared ray blocking film 36 , and a housing 34 , wherein the lens 32 concentrates light into an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) 12 of the image sensor chip 10 and the infrared ray blocking film 36 blocks infrared rays from light that is incident to the image sensor chip 10 .
[0008] In the COB formed image sensor module of FIG. 1 , the PCB 20 and the rear surface of the image sensor chip 10 are adhered using a die adhesive 22 and then input/output electrodes of the image sensor chip 10 are connected with the electrode of the PCB 20 using a bonding wire 24 . Since this method is similar to a semiconductor manufacturing process, productivity improves. However, as a space for wire bonding is needed, the size of the image sensor module increases, and as the height of the bonding wire 24 and the space for the infrared ray blocking film 36 are increased, the height of the image sensor module also increases.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor module packaged by a conventional Chip On Film (COF) method. In the COF image sensor module illustrated in FIG. 2 , the image sensor chip 10 is bonded to a flexible PCB or a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 42 using an Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) 23 . In this case, bonding wires are not used so as to reduce the width and height of a lens unit 31 and thus a miniaturized and slim image sensor module can be manufactured. However, in order to transmit light to the APS 12 of the image sensor chip 10 , a hole at least as wide as the width of the APS 12 should be bored in the flexible PCB or the FPC 42 . In this case, the image sensor chin 10 may be contaminated by fine particles originating from the cut part of the FPC 42 . In addition, an alignment of the bored flexible PCB or the FPC 42 , the image sensor chip 10 , and the ACF 23 may be difficult.
[0010] As described above, conventional methods of packaging image sensor chips suffer from several drawbacks including large package height, fine particle contamination, and difficult alignment during manufacturing. The present invention addresses these and other disadvantages of the conventional methods.
SUMMARY
[0011] The present invention provides a miniaturized and slim image sensor package having reduced susceptibility to contamination by fine particles. The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing the miniaturized and slim image sensor package having reduced susceptibility to contamination by fine particles. The present invention further provides a miniaturized and slim image sensor module using the image sensor package.
[0012] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image sensor package including: a transmissive substrate, the transmissive substrate comprising a depression disposed at the center of the transmissive substrate and a plurality of recesses connecting with the depression disposed along a circumference of the depression; a plurality of external connection pads in which one end of each of the external connection pads is disposed on the transmissive substrate in the depression and the other end of each of the external connection pads is disposed to extend to the edge of the transmissive substrate along the upper surface of the transmissive substrate projected between the recess; and an image sensor chip on which an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) is disposed to face the depression and a plurality of interconnection pads electrically connecting with the external connection pads are disposed around the APS.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor module packaged by a conventional Chip On Board (COB) method;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor module packaged by a conventional Chip On Film (COF) method;
[0016] FIG. 3A through 3C are plan view and cross-sectional views schematically illustrating an image sensor package according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor module according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor module according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 6A through 6G are cross-sectional diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing the image sensor package of FIGS. 3A through 3C according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0020] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor package manufactured using an ultrasonic bonding method.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being 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 concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like reference numerals denote like elements, and the sizes and thicknesses of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity.
[0022] FIG. 3A is a plan view of an image sensor package 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIGS. 3B and 3C are cross-sectional views of the image sensor package 100 of FIG. 3A taken along line I-I′ and line II-II′, respectively. In FIG. 3A , an adhesive is not illustrated in order to show the structure of the image sensor package 100 more clearly. FIG. 3B illustrates a transmissive substrate 120 of the image sensor package 100 in which light enters, wherein a bottom surface of the transmissive substrate 120 is illustrated at the top. In FIG. 3C , the image sensor package 100 of FIG. 3B is turned upside down. Also, an image sensor chip 110 disposed in the transmissive substrate 120 is not illustrated in FIG. 3C .
[0023] In the image sensor package 100 illustrated in FIGS. 3A through 3C , the image sensor chip 110 is included in a depression 125 of the transmissive substrate 120 using a flip-chip method. In this case, an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) 112 of the image sensor chip 110 is disposed to face the bottom of the depression 125 of the transmissive substrate 120 . An IR cutting film 121 is coated on the opposite surface from the depression 125 of the transmissive substrate 120 . Therefore, light entering through the bottom of the depression 125 of the transmissive substrate 120 may be incident onto the APS 112 of the image sensor chip 110 , while infrared rays are blocked by the IR cutting film 121 . The APS 112 is disposed approximately at the center of the image sensor chip 110 , and an interconnection pad 113 is disposed approximately at the outer circumference of the APS 112 . The interconnection pad 113 of the image sensor chip 110 is connected with a chip connection unit 122 a of an external connection pad 122 in the transmissive substrate 120 , and the chip connection unit 122 a of the external connection pad 122 is extended to a circuit board connection unit 122 b disposed at an upper portion of the side wall of the depression 125 . In FIG. 3A , an inclination of the side wall of the depression 125 is not illustrated in order to simplify the drawing. However, as illustrated in FIG. 3B , the side wall of the depression 125 may be inclined so as to easily form the external connection pad 122 .
[0024] In the image sensor package 100 , the depth of the depression 125 in the transmissive substrate 120 is larger than the height of the image sensor chip 110 and thus the image sensor chip 110 may be substantially completely inserted into the depression 125 in the transmissive substrate 120 , thereby reducing the width and height of the image sensor package 100 . In addition, as the image sensor chip 110 is sealed in the depression 125 in the transmissive substrate 120 using an adhesive 116 , contamination of the image sensor package 100 by fine particles during a manufacturing process of a semiconductor imaging device module can be prevented.
[0025] In the current embodiment of the present invention, a recess unit 126 is formed on the side wall of the depression 125 in the transmissive substrate 120 wherein the recess unit 126 is interposed between the circuit board connection units 122 b as illustrated in FIGS. 3A through 3C . Accordingly, the side wall of the transmissive substrate 120 has a glass post structure in which the circuit board connection unit 122 b is disposed on a post defined by the recess unit 126 . Therefore, the circuit board connection units 122 b may be substantially completely separated by the recess unit 126 and thus a short circuit can be prevented between the adjacent circuit board connection units 122 b . The depth of the recess unit 126 may be the same as or different to the depth of the depression 125 . If the depth of the recess unit 126 is different from the depth of the depression 125 , the depth of the recess unit 126 may be less than the depth of the depression 125 . In addition, the transmissive substrate 120 can be used even if no recess unit 126 is formed on the side wall of the depression 125 .
[0026] The image sensor chip 110 is bonded to the transmissive substrate 120 , for example, using the adhesive 116 . The adhesive 116 seals the space between the APS 112 of the image sensor chip 110 and the transmissive substrate 120 from the outside of the interconnection pad 113 . Accordingly, the APS 112 is not exposed to the outside of the image sensor package 100 and thus a possibility of contamination can be reduced. In order to bond the image sensor chip 110 to the transmissive substrate 120 , the adhesive 116 such as an epoxy film or a dam material may be used. When the adhesive 116 is heated while bonding, outgassing materials may be generated by the adhesive 116 . The outgassing materials may contaminate the APS 112 of the image sensor chip 110 if not vented. A groove for outgassing materials emission 127 is formed on the transmissive substrate 120 , wherein the groove for outgassing materials emission 127 is extended from the bottom of the depression 125 in the lower part of the adhesive 116 to the recess unit 126 , and thus the outgassing materials generated by the adhesive 116 during bonding are moved along the groove for outgassing materials emission 127 and then emitted through the recess unit 126 .
[0027] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor module 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4 , the image sensor package 100 illustrated in FIGS. 3A through 3C is installed on a circuit board 140 through the external connection pad 122 using, for example, a flip-chip method. The external connection pad 122 may include a seed metal layer 123 and a metallic layer 124 stacked on the seed metal layer 123 . The circuit board 140 may be a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC). In addition, a lens unit 130 in which a lens 132 and a lens housing 134 are included is formed on the circuit board 140 on which the image sensor chip 110 is disposed. Here, the lens 132 is arranged above the APS 112 of the image sensor chip 110 and light collected through the lens 132 passes through the IR cutting film 121 and the transmissive substrate 120 to be incident onto the APS 112 of the image sensor chip 110 . Since the size of the image sensor package 100 is small, the size of the lens unit 130 may be decreased and the size of the image sensor module 200 may also be decreased.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional diagram of an image sensor module 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the lens unit 130 can be directly installed on the image sensor package 100 instead of being installed on the circuit board 140 . Here, the lens unit 130 can be installed on a portion of the transmissive substrate 120 from which the IR cutting film 121 has been removed or directly on the IR cutting film 121 . In this case, the area of the circuit board 140 that was previously occupied by the lens unit 130 is no longer used and thus the size of the image sensor module 200 may be further decreased. Here, the side wall of the transmissive substrate 120 in the image sensor package 100 is coated with a black coating 136 so that the amount of light entering from the side of the image sensor package 100 without passing through the lens 132 can be reduced. The black coating 136 may be an opaque material. On the other hand, since a light blocking material is used as the adhesive 116 disposed around the image sensor chip 110 , light entering from the side of the image sensor chip 110 can be further blocked by the adhesive 116 . Accordingly, noise of the image sensor module generated by light entering into the APS 112 from places other than the lens 132 can be prevented.
[0029] FIG. 6A through 6G are cross-sectional diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing the image sensor package of FIGS. 3A through 3C according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 6A , a mask layer is deposited on a side of the transmissive substrate 120 which is opposite to the side of the transmissive substrate 120 on which the IR cutting film 121 is disposed, and is patterned to form a mask layer pattern 128 . The transmissive substrate 120 may have a thickness of approximately 200 to 350 μm. The mask layer may be formed of a photoresist. A transmissive substrate 120 on which the IR cutting film 121 is not coated can also be used. In this case, an IR cutting film 121 can be formed at any convenient stage during the manufacture of a package, for example, in a stage after the image sensor chip 110 is installed on the transmissive substrate 120 and before the image sensor chip 110 is singulated from a wafer.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 6B , using the mask layer pattern 128 as an etch mask, the transmissive substrate 120 is etched to form the depression 125 at the center of the transmissive substrate 120 . The transmissive substrate 120 can be wet-etched using a HF+H 2 PO 3 solution. The depression 125 may have a thickness of approximately 100 to 300 μm in order for the image sensor chip 110 to be completely inserted into the depression 125 . Here, the side wall of the depression 125 should be inclined to form an external connection pad thereon later. Then, the mask layer pattern 128 is removed.
[0032] A plurality of recesses (not illustrated) can be formed while the depression 125 is formed, wherein the recesses are connected to the depression 125 . The recesses are disposed around a circumference of the depression 125 . The recesses isolate circuit board connection units of the external connection pad 122 adjacent to the upper surface of the side wall of the depression 125 . Due to these recesses, the side wall of the depression 125 projects between the recesses forming a series of pillar shaped projections. Here, the depth of the recesses are the same as the depth of the depression 125 .
[0033] Alternatively, the recesses may be formed at any appropriate stage after the depression 125 is formed.
[0034] Referring to FIG. 6C , in order to form the external connection pad 122 , the seed metal layer 123 is formed on the transmissive substrate 120 on which the depression 125 is formed. The seed metal layer 123 acts as a seed to form the metallic layer 124 thereon. The seed metal layer 123 can be formed using a sputter deposition process including a Ti/Cu layer, a Ti/Ni layer, or a Ti/Au layer. Then, a polymer dielectric pattern 129 is formed on the seed metal layer 123 at a portion of the seed metal layer 123 which exposes a portion in which the external connection pad 122 will be connected.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 6D , the metallic layer 124 is formed on the part of the seed metal layer 123 in which the external connection pad 122 will be connected. The metallic layer 124 , for example, a Ni or Au layer, can be formed on the part of the seed metal layer 123 on which the polymer dielectric pattern 129 is not formed by electroplating.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 6E , the polymer dielectric pattern 129 is removed and then the part of the seed metal layer 123 on which the metallic layer 124 is not formed is removed. Accordingly, the external connection pad 122 formed of the seed metal layer 123 and the metallic layer 124 is formed. The seed metal layer 123 on which the metallic layer 124 is not formed can be removed by wet etching. One end of the external connection pad 122 is disposed on the transmissive substrate 120 in the depression 125 and the other end thereof is disposed to extend to the edge of the transmissive substrate 120 along the upper surface of the transmissive substrate 120 projected between the recesses (not illustrated). The part of the external connection pad 122 which is disposed on the transmissive substrate 120 in the depression 125 is connected to the interconnection pad 113 of the image sensor chip 110 as described below. In addition, the part of the external connection pad 122 which is extended to the edge of the transmissive substrate 120 along the upper surface of the transmissive substrate 120 is connected to an external circuit board in a subsequent step. Therefore, an electric signal of the image sensor chip 110 can be transmitted to the external circuit board of the image sensor module through the external connection pad 122 .
[0037] Meanwhile, when the recesses disposed around the depression 125 are not formed at the same time as the depression, recesses can be formed after the external connection pad 122 is formed. In this case, the depth of the recesses can be the same as or different from the depth of the depression 125 . When the depths of the recesses and the depression 125 are different, the depth of the recesses may be smaller than that of the depression 125 .
[0038] Referring to FIG. 6F , the image sensor chip 110 is arranged in the depression 125 of the transmissive substrate 120 so that the interconnection pad 113 of the image sensor chip 110 connects with the external connection pad 122 of the transmissive substrate 120 . In this case, the adhesive 116 , which is for example a Non Conductive Film (NCF), is punched so that portions are removed, leaving behind the portions through which the external connection pad 122 is connected with the interconnection pad 113 of the image sensor chip 110 . Then, the punched NCF is disposed on the external connection pad 122 . Subsequently, the image sensor chip 110 is arranged on the transmissive substrate 120 to perform thermal compression. Then, the interconnection pad 113 of the image sensor chip 110 is connected with the external connection pad 122 of the transmissive substrate 120 through a metal bump 114 formed on the interconnection pad 113 , and the image sensor chip 110 can be bonded to the transmissive substrate 120 by the adhesive 116 .
[0039] Alternatively, the image sensor chip 110 can be connected to the transmissive substrate 120 using an ultrasonic bonding method as illustrated in FIG. 7 and then an adhesive 117 such as dam material can be applied and hardened to bond the image sensor chip 110 thereto. Here, the dam material has less mobility so as not to flow into the APS 112 and seals the image sensor chip 110 in the depression 125 of the transmissive substrate 120 . In the case of ultrasonic bonding, the interconnection pad 113 of the image sensor chip 110 can be connected to the external connection pad 122 of the transmissive substrate 120 through the metal bump 114 .
[0040] Referring to FIG. 6G , the transmissive substrate 120 on which the image sensor chip 110 is bonded is diced so that the image sensor package 100 can be individually separated. Although not illustrated, the side of the transmissive substrate 120 is coated with a black material after the transmissive substrate 120 is diced into the individual image sensor package 100 , so as to reduce light entering from the side of the transmissive substrate 120 . Also, the side of the transmissive substrate 120 may be coated with an opaque material.
[0041] In the image sensor package according to the present invention, the image sensor chip is disposed in the depression of the transmissive substrate so as to reduce size and contamination of the image sensor package. Meanwhile, since the recesses are formed between the circuit board connection units disposed on the side wall of the depression of the transmissive substrate, a short circuit can be prevented between the adjacent circuit board connection units when the image sensor package is connected to the circuit board to form the image sensor module.
[0042] In addition, the groove, which is extended from the bottom of the depression in the lower part of the adhesive to the recesses disposed on the side wall of the depression, allows outgassing materials generated by the adhesive, which is used to bond the image sensor chip to the transmissive substrate, to be emitted and thus outgassing materials can be prevented from remaining in the depression of the transmissive substrate and contaminating the image sensor chip.
[0043] Meanwhile, in the image sensor module, the lens unit is disposed on the transmissive substrate to reduce the size of the image sensor module. In this case, the outer side wall of the transmissive substrate is coated with a black or opaque material to reduce light entering from the side wall of the transmissive substrate into the image sensor chip.
[0044] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image sensor package including: a transmissive substrate, wherein a depression is formed at the center of the transmissive substrate and a plurality of recesses connecting with the depression are formed along the depression; a plurality of external connection pads in which one end of each of the external connection pads is disposed on the transmissive substrate in the depression and the other end of each of the external connection pads is disposed to extend to the edge of the transmissive substrate along the upper surface of the transmissive substrate projected between the recesses; and an image sensor chip on which an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) is disposed to face the depression and a plurality of interconnection pads electrically connecting with the external connection pads are formed around the APS.
[0045] An IR cutting film may be formed on the opposite surface on which the depression is formed in the transmissive substrate.
[0046] The depth of the depression may be larger than the height of the image sensor chip.
[0047] The external connection pads of the transmissive substrate may include a first part to which the interconnection pads of the image sensor chip are connected, the first part being disposed at the bottom of the depression, and a second part to which a circuit board is connected, the second part being disposed at an upper surface of the transmissive substrate.
[0048] The image sensor package may further include a metal bump interposed between the external connection pad of the transmissive substrate and the interconnection pad of the image sensor chip.
[0049] The image sensor package may further include an adhesive which seals around the image sensor chip and bonds the image sensor chip to the transmissive substrate.
[0050] The image sensor package may further include a plurality of grooves which extend from the bottom of the depression on which the adhesive is formed to the recesses disposed around the depression, in order to emit gas generated during bonding using the adhesive.
[0051] The external connection pad may include a Ni or Au metal layer formed on a seed metal layer, wherein the seed metal layer comprises Ti/Cu, Ti/Ni, or Ti/Au.
[0052] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image sensor module including: a circuit board; an image sensor package comprising: a transmissive substrate electrically bonded to the circuit board, wherein a depression is formed at the center of a first surface in the transmissive substrate and a plurality of recesses connected with the depression are formed along the depression; a plurality of external connection pads formed on the first surface of the transmissive substrate, wherein one end of each of the external connection pads is disposed in the depression and the other end of each of the external connection pads is disposed to extend to the edge of the transmissive substrate; and an image sensor chip on which an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) is formed to face the depression and a plurality of interconnection pads electrically connecting with the external connection pads are formed around the APS; and a lens unit disposed above a second surface of the transmissive substrate to face the APS.
[0053] The second surface of the transmissive substrate may include an IR cutting film formed thereon.
[0054] The lens unit may be installed on the second surface of the transmissive substrate or on the circuit board. In this case, the outer side wall of the transmissive substrate of the image sensor package may be coated with an opaque material.
[0055] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an image sensor package including: forming a depression on a first surface of a transmissive substrate; forming a plurality of external connection pads, wherein one end of each of the external connection pads is disposed on the transmissive substrate in the depression and the other end of each of the external connection pads is disposed to extend to the edge of the transmissive substrate along the upper surface of the transmissive substrate projected between a plurality of recesses; and installing in the depression an image sensor chip, on which an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) is formed and interconnection pads are formed around the APS, so that the APS faces the transmissive substrate and the interconnection pads connect with the external connection pads.
[0056] The depth of the depression may be about 100-300 μm.
[0057] The forming of the depression on the first surface of the transmissive substrate may be performed when the recesses which connect with the depression are formed along the depression, or the method may further include forming a plurality of recesses which connect with the depression along the depression on a first surface of the transmissive substrate after the external connection pads are formed on the transmissive substrate and before the image sensor chip is installed on the transmissive substrate.
[0058] The forming of the depression may include forming a mask pattern on the first surface of the transmissive substrate; etching the transmissive substrate using the mask pattern as an etching mask; and removing the mask pattern after the transmissive substrate is etched.
[0059] The etching of the transmissive substrate may include etching using a solution obtained by mixing a hydrofluoric acid (HF) and a phosphoric acid (H 2 PO 3 ).
[0060] The forming of the external connection pads may include forming a seed metal layer on the first surface of the transmissive substrate on which the depression is formed; forming a mask layer pattern on the seed metal layer; forming a metallic layer on the seed metal layer exposed by the mask layer pattern by electroplating; removing the mask layer pattern after the metallic layer is formed; and removing the on which the metallic layer is not formed, the seed metal layer having removed mask layer pattern. Here, the seed metal layer may comprise Ti/Cu, Ti/Ni, or Ti/Au and the metallic layer may comprise Ni or Au.
[0061] The image sensor chip may be installed onto the transmissive substrate by a flip-chip method.
[0062] The image sensor chip may further include a metal bump on the interconnection pad, and installing the image sensor chip onto the transmissive substrate may include forming an epoxy film at one end of each of the external connection pads in the depression; and arranging the interconnection pad of the image sensor chip on which the metal bump is formed, to be disposed at one end of the external connection pad on which the epoxy film is formed; and performing thermal compression of the transmissive substrate and the image sensor chip, or arranging the interconnection pad of the image sensor chip on which the metal bump is formed, to be disposed at one end of the external connection pad in the depression to perform ultrasonic bonding; and filling dam material between the outer surface of the image sensor chip ultrasonically bonded and the side wall of the depression to harden the dam material.
[0063] The epoxy film or the dam material may be a light blocking material.
[0064] The method may further include forming a plurality of grooves which extend from the bottom of the depression of the transmissive substrate to the recesses, after forming the external connection pads and before installing the image sensor chip onto the transmissive substrate.
[0065] The method may further include forming an IR cutting film on a second surface of the transmissive substrate which is opposite to the first surface of the transmissive substrate, before forming the depression.
[0066] The method may further include forming an IR cutting film on the second surface of the transmissive substrate after installing the image sensor chip onto the transmissive substrate.
[0067] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an image sensor module including: bonding the image sensor package manufactured according to the method described above to a circuit board; and placing a lens unit above a second surface of a transmissive substrate.
[0068] While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
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An image sensor package, a method of manufacturing the same, and an image sensor module including the image sensor package are provided. In the image sensor package, an image sensor chip is installed onto a depression of a transmissive substrate. An adhesive bonds the image sensor chip to the transmissive substrate and seals an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) on the image sensor chip, protecting it from fine particle contamination. An IR cutting film is disposed on the transmissive substrate to minimize the height of the image sensor package. The image sensor package is electrically connected to external connection pads in the depression. Consequently, the image sensor package has a minimum height, is not susceptible to particle contamination, and does not require expensive alignment processes during manufacturing.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This application relates to shock absorbing and impact-attenuating hand grips. More specifically, the invention relates to hand grips particularly suited for use with devices that tend to transmit shocks to the arms, shoulders and back of the operator, such as the handle bars of motorcycles, off-road mountain bikes, all-terrain vehicles, snow mobiles and the like as well as power tools, hand tools, sporting goods such as golf clubs and baseball bats, and various other mounted and mountable grips.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Handlebar grips have been utilized on the ends of handlebars for decades. These grips are typically made of a soft polymer that both improves a users' ability to grasp the handlebars and cushions the hand against the effect of vibrations and sudden impacts.
[0003] The handlebar grips are preferably made of anti-skid, relatively elastic and low durometer polymer such as rubber or urethane to enhance the cushioning effects. In off-road cycling, whether self-propelled, as in mountain biking, or powered by an internal combustion engine, as in a motorcycle, or riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), the rider tends to grip the handle bars tightly for balance and control. Under competitive conditions, the rider may need to enhance his/her grip for prolonged periods of time while traversing difficult terrain. Such tight gripping by the rider tends to cause shocks to be transferred to the rider's hands, wrists, forearms and related extremities. Over a period of time, these various forces can induce fatigue, and fatigue can compromise riding enjoyment and competitive results in racing.
[0004] By creating a torsional, rotational, linear and axial cushioning effect on the handlebar the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly insure that the riders hands, wrists, forearms and related extremities are relieved from the shocks incurred during prolonged activity.
[0005] Although attempts have been made to provide handle-bar grips that are comfortable to use, ones that are too-soft do not provide adequate motion control. Those that provide good motion control tend to be too-stiff to be comfortable. Thus, there is a need for a handle bar grip that is comfortable to use, that provides precise motion control, that has good endurance, and that can be readily retro-fitted on existing handle bars.
[0006] Numerous innovations for the handlebar grip have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present design as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of those prior art patents most relevant to this application at hand, as well as a description outlining the difference between the features of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly and the prior art.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,533 of Wayne R. Lumpkin describes a grip for a cycle that includes a cylindrical liner extending along a liner axis between a first and a second end. The cylindrical liner has at least two elongate slots extending axially along a lengthwise portion of the cylindrical liner, each elongate slot overlapping a lengthwise part of another elongate slot, the overlapping elongate slots being radially offset. An over molding overlies a lengthwise of the cylindrical liner. The elongate slots are preferably disposed in a first set of at least two elongate slots extending along a first axial line in the liner and a second set of at least two elongate slots extending along a second axial line in the liner. The first and second axial lines are radially offset and the first set of elongate slots overlaps the second set of elongate slots. A first elongate slot may intercept a first end of the cylindrical liner. A compression member is provided in operative association with a circumference of an axial segment of the cylindrical liner. The axial segment includes at least a lengthwise portion of the first elongate slot. The compression member is operable between a relaxed state not compressing the axial segment and a compression segment compressing the axial segment about its circumference. The axial segment is preferably proximate the first end of the cylindrical liner.
[0008] This patent describes a grip with a cylindrical liner that has at least two elongate slots extending axially along a lengthwise portion of the cylindrical liner, each elongate slot overlapping a lengthwise part of another elongate slot, the overlapping elongate slots being radially offset. This patent does not use the elastomeric isolator members to isolate the grip portion from the handle bar giving the secure but floating sensation.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 8,484,806 of Gregory S. Rarick describes an ergonomic hand grip assembly. The assembly includes an outer resilient cover having an open proximal end surrounded by an annular flange. The cover is preferably molded of elastomeric material, such as rubber, that provides a satisfactory co-efficient of friction with respect to the palm of a human hand when gripped adjacent the cover flange. The elastomeric material is of conventional rubber-like composition known in art for use on outdoor equipment having a handle bar control member. The control member has a free end portion which is moveable by a user's hand to provide control motion inputs to a vehicle and to assist the vehicle rider in maintaining balance while riding the vehicle.
[0010] This patent describes an ergonomic hand grip assembly but does not use the elastomeric isolator members to isolate the grip portion from the handle bar giving the secure but floating sensation.
[0011] None of these previous efforts, however, provides the benefits attendant with the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly. The present design achieves its intended purposes, objects and advantages over the prior art devices through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing readily available materials.
[0012] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly in detail, it is to be understood that the design is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The principle advantage of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is to absorb the shock to the hands, wrists, arms, back and shoulders when holding the grip on a wide variety of vehicles, motorcycles, off-road mountain bikes, all-terrain vehicles, snow mobiles and the like as well as power tools, hand tools, sporting goods such as golf clubs and baseball bats, and various other mounted and mountable grips as well as landscape equipment.
[0014] Another advantage of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is that it is a shock absorbing, suspension grip that when mounted is suspended and isolated from handlebar movement, and can easily be installed or removed from a handlebar.
[0015] Another advantage of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is that it has a firm but floating sensation when holding the grip, and isolates hand and grip from the shock and vibration of the handlebar.
[0016] Another advantage of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is that it can be used by a wide variety of bicycles, creating a hand grip movement that is essentially free-floating and independent of the handlebar.
[0017] Another advantage of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is that it can be used by a wide variety of motorized vehicles, and facilitates reducing hand and arm fatigue, reducing arm pump, and reducing joint stress and impact.
[0018] Another advantage of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is that it can be used by a wide variety of tools such as power tools, hand tools, gardening equipment like tillers and mowers, and sporting goods such as golf clubs and baseball bats.
[0019] The Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly has been designed to give a controlled free-floating action to the grip that can be adjusted by varying the different cushioning elastomeric isolator mechanisms within the grip, including varying the durometer of the material used to create the elastomeric isolator inserts.
[0020] The Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is comprised of a slotted grip end clamp to be attached to a handlebar by the means of a screw restricting the diameter against the handlebar. One or more (preferably three or four) elastomeric or spring equipped isolator members are inserted into three or four cavities in the slotted grip end clamp and two O-rings are slid over the handle bar to be centrally located within the grip. The O-rings control and limit some of the flexibility of the grip sleeve with an elastomer grip and they are an optional part of the assembly.
[0021] A grip sleeve with an elastomer grip bonded to it is slid over the O-rings on the handlebar. The grip sleeve has three or four recesses on either end, creating protruding engagement members to fit within the spaces between the three or four elastomeric isolator members inserted in the cavities in the slotted grip end clamp. One or more (preferably three or four) elastomeric or spring equipped isolator members are located on the distal end of the grip sleeve with an elastomer grip, and fit into cavities within the second slotted grip end clamp to be attached to the handlebar by the means of a screw restricting the diameter against the handlebar. The Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is firmly attached to the handlebar by the slotted clamp fasteners on both ends.
[0022] A handlebar end cap is affixed to the second slotted grip end clamp to be secured by the means of one or more screws. A variety of different elastomeric isolator members having different shapes and durometers are used for adjusting the flexibility of the grip.
[0023] Alternate embodiments will include a different shape of elastomeric isolator members and the addition of leaf springs against the ear sections of the grip sleeve between each of the elastomeric isolator members and one having the leaf springs with coil compression springs replacing the elastomeric isolator members.
[0024] Additional alternate embodiments include varying the durometer of the elastomeric isolator inserts to fine tune the feel of the cushion for the grip, as well as the addition of tuning washers to increase or decrease the distance the protruding engagement members into the clamp cavities, to again vary the cushion of the grip.
[0025] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly in order that the detailed description of the application that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art may be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the design will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of this disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification illustrate embodiments of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.
[0027] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a typical bicycle handle bar with two of the preferred embodiments of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assemblies.
[0028] FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly.
[0029] FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly.
[0030] FIG. 4 depicts an end view of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly.
[0031] FIG. 5 depicts a cross section of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly with the preferred embodiment of the elastomeric isolator members in place between the protruding engagement members of the grip sleeves.
[0032] FIG. 6 depicts an enlarged cross section through the slotted grip end clamp and the preferred embodiment of the elastomeric isolator members.
[0033] FIG. 7 depicts a full cross section through the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly.
[0034] FIG. 8 depicts a side view of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly.
[0035] FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of the slotted grip end clamp.
[0036] FIG. 10 depicts a side view of the slotted grip end clamp.
[0037] FIG. 11 depicts a front view of the slotted grip end clamp.
[0038] FIG. 12 depicts a perspective view of the slotted grip end clamp with the three preferred embodiments of the elastomeric isolator members inserted.
[0039] FIG. 13 depicts a perspective view of one of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly illustrating the grip sleeve with the elastomer grip bonded to it and the grip sleeve having three recesses creating protruding engagement members to fit within the spaces between the three preferred embodiments of the elastomeric isolator members.
[0040] FIG. 14 depicts a side view of the first alternate embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly using spring inserts.
[0041] FIG. 15 depicts a cross section view of the first alternate embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly with leaf spring inserts.
[0042] FIG. 16 depicts a cross section view of the second alternate embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly with leaf and coil compression spring inserts.
[0043] FIG. 17 depicts a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the elastomeric isolator member.
[0044] FIG. 18 depicts a front view of preferred embodiment of the elastomeric isolator member.
[0045] FIG. 19 depicts a front view of alternate embodiment of the elastomeric isolator member.
[0046] FIG. 20 depicts a perspective view of the grip sleeve.
[0047] FIG. 21 depicts a side view of the grip sleeve.
[0048] FIG. 22 depicts an end view of the grip sleeve.
[0049] FIG. 23 depicts a perspective view of the elastomer grip.
[0050] FIG. 24 depicts a side view of the elastomer grip.
[0051] FIG. 25 depicts an end view of the elastomer grip.
[0052] FIG. 26 depicts an exploded view of the third alternate embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly.
[0053] FIG. 27A depicts a side view of the elastomer grip with the four protruding engagement members on each end.
[0054] FIG. 27B depicts a typical end view of the elastomer grip.
[0055] FIG. 28A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with the clamp screw and one of the elastomeric isolator members exploded away.
[0056] FIG. 28B depicts a front view of the inner clamp with the elastomeric isolator members in place.
[0057] FIG. 28C depicts a front view of the inner clamp with the elastomeric isolator members removed.
[0058] FIG. 28D depicts a front view of four elastomeric isolator members.
[0059] FIG. 29A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with a one piece elastomeric isolator member in place.
[0060] FIG. 29B depicts a front view of the inner clamp with a one piece elastomeric isolator member.
[0061] FIG. 29C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with a one piece elastomeric isolator member removed exposing the four alignment posts.
[0062] FIG. 29D depicts a front view of the inner clamp with a one piece elastomeric isolators removed exposing the four alignment posts.
[0063] FIG. 29E depicts a perspective view of the one piece elastomeric isolator member.
[0064] FIG. 29F depicts a front view of the one piece elastomeric isolator member.
[0065] FIG. 30A depicts a cross section side view of a portion of the elastomer grip with grip sleeve having a plurality of nubs on inner surface.
[0066] FIG. 30B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip with the four protruding engagement members.
[0067] FIG. 30C depicts a perspective view of a portion of the elastomer grip with the four protruding engagement members.
[0068] FIG. 31A depicts a cross section side view of a portion of the elastomer grip with the grip sleeve having a matrix of horizontal and vertical ribs on inner surface.
[0069] FIG. 31B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip with the four protruding engagement members.
[0070] FIG. 31C depicts a perspective view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip with the four protruding engagement members.
[0071] FIG. 32A depicts a side view of a portion of the elastomer grip with eight tear shaped engagement members.
[0072] FIG. 32B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip with the eight protruding tear shaped engagement members.
[0073] FIG. 33A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with one of the elastomeric isolator members exploded away.
[0074] FIG. 33B depicts an end view of the inner clamp with the elastomeric isolator members in position.
[0075] FIG. 34A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with a one of the elastomeric isolator members exploded away.
[0076] FIG. 34B depicts an end view of the inner clamp with the elastomeric isolator members in position.
[0077] FIG. 35A depicts a side view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip with eight protruding engagement posts.
[0078] FIG. 35B depicts an end view of the end of the elastomer grip with eight protruding engagement posts.
[0079] FIG. 35C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with a one of the O-ring elastomeric isolators exploded away.
[0080] FIG. 35D depicts an end view of the inner clamp with the O-ring elastomeric isolator members in position.
[0081] FIG. 36A depicts a side view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip with two protruding engagement members.
[0082] FIG. 36B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip with two protruding engagement members.
[0083] FIG. 36C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with a one of the elastomeric isolator member exploded away.
[0084] FIG. 36D depicts an end view of the inner clamp with the two elastomeric isolator members in position.
[0085] FIG. 37A depicts a side view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip with three protruding engagement members.
[0086] FIG. 37B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip with three protruding engagement members.
[0087] FIG. 37C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with a one of the elastomeric isolator members exploded away.
[0088] FIG. 37D depicts an end view of the inner clamp with the elastomeric isolator members in position.
[0089] FIG. 38A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with the single elastomeric isolator member exploded away.
[0090] FIG. 38B depicts an end view of the inner clamp with the single elastomeric isolator member in position.
[0091] FIG. 39A depicts a side view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip with three configured protruding engagement members.
[0092] FIG. 39B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip with three configured protruding engagement members.
[0093] FIG. 39C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with one of the elastomeric isolator members exploded away.
[0094] FIG. 39D depicts an end view of the inner clamp with the elastomeric isolator members in position.
[0095] FIG. 40A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp with the elastomeric isolator member and compression disk in position.
[0096] FIG. 40B depicts an end view of the inner clamp with the single elastomeric isolator member and compression disk in position.
[0097] FIG. 40C depicts a front view of the single elastomeric isolator member.
[0098] FIG. 40D depicts a perspective view of the single elastomeric isolator member.
[0099] FIG. 40E depicts a rear view of the single elastomeric isolator member.
[0100] For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the design and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0101] Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar parts of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A, 10 B, 10 C and 10 D are identified by like reference numerals, there is seen in FIG. 1 a perspective view of a typical bicycle handle bar 12 with two of the preferred embodiment Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly's 10 A attached at either end.
[0102] FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A illustrating the handlebar 12 with two optional O-rings 14 . The first slotted grip end clamp 16 will be locked in place on the handlebar by the means of the screw 18 . The three cavities 20 in the slotted grip end cap 16 will house the three elastomeric isolator members 22 A at assembly. The protruding engagement members 24 created by the three recesses 26 on both ends of the grip sleeve 28 connect between the depressions 30 on either side of each elastomeric isolator members 22 A. A cover plate 32 is attached to the outer slotted grip end 16 by the means of three screws 34 . The elastomer grip 36 that will cover the grip sleeve 28 is set aside for clarity.
[0103] FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A including the handlebar 12 . The first slotted grip end clamp 16 and the grip sleeve 28 with the elastomer grip 36 outer covering are shown next to the second slotted grip end clamp 16 with the cover plate 32 attached.
[0104] FIG. 4 depicts an end view of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A illustrating the cover plate 32 and the location of the three attaching screws 34 (shown in FIG. 2 ).
[0105] FIG. 5 depicts a cross section of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A through the preferred embodiment of the elastomeric isolator members 22 A illustrating how the protruding engagement members 24 on the grip sleeve 28 fit within the depressions 30 on either side of each elastomeric isolator members 22 A. The elastomeric isolator members 22 A are shown inset within the three cavities 20 of the slotted grip end clamp 16 .
[0106] FIG. 6 depicts an enlarged cross section through the handle bar 12 and slotted grip end clamp 16 with the elastomeric isolator members 22 A showing how the protruding engagement members 24 on the grip sleeve 28 fit within the depressions 30 of the elastomeric isolator members 22 A.
[0107] FIG. 7 depicts a full cross section through the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A.
[0108] FIG. 8 depicts a side view of the handle bar 12 and the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A illustrating the location of the screws 18 that clamp the slotted grip end clamps 16 to the handle bar 12 .
[0109] FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of the slotted grip end clamp 16 with the three cavities 20 on the side surface.
[0110] FIG. 10 depicts a side view of the slotted grip end clamp 16 .
[0111] FIG. 11 depicts a front view of the slotted grip end clamp 16 with the three cavities 20 on the front surface.
[0112] FIG. 12 depicts a perspective view of the slotted grip end clamp 16 with the three elastomeric isolator members 22 A inserted.
[0113] FIG. 13 depicts a perspective view of one end of the preferred embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A illustrating the grip sleeve 28 with the elastomer grip 36 bonded to it and the grip sleeve 28 having three recesses 26 creating protruding engagement members 24 to fit within the spaces between the three elastomeric isolator members 22 A.
[0114] FIG. 14 depicts a side view of the first alternate embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 B using spring inserts.
[0115] FIG. 15 depicts a cross section view of the first alternate embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 B with leaf spring inserts 42 between the inner surface of the slotted grip end clamp 16 and the protruding engagement members 24 on the grip sleeve 28 . The first alternate embodiment of the elastomeric isolator members 22 B is used in this application.
[0116] FIG. 16 depicts a cross section view of the second alternate embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 C with leaf spring inserts 42 and coil compression spring 44 replacing the elastomeric isolator members 22 B.
[0117] FIG. 17 depicts a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the elastomeric isolator member 22 A illustrating the location of the depressions 30 on either end.
[0118] FIG. 18 depicts a front view of the preferred embodiment of the elastomeric isolator member 22 A.
[0119] FIG. 19 depicts a front view of the second alternate embodiment of the elastomeric isolator member 22 C with a recessed flat surface 46 on each side.
[0120] FIG. 20 depicts a perspective view of the grip sleeve 28 depicting the locations of the protruding engagement members 24 on the grip sleeve 28 on both ends.
[0121] FIG. 21 depicts a side view of the grip sleeve 28 .
[0122] FIG. 22 depicts an end view of the grip sleeve 28 .
[0123] FIG. 23 depicts a perspective view of the elastomer grip 36 .
[0124] FIG. 24 depicts a side view of the elastomer grip 36 .
[0125] FIG. 25 depicts an end view of the elastomer grip 36 .
[0126] FIG. 26 depicts an exploded view of the third alternate embodiment of the Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 D illustrating the inner clamp 62 with the screw 16 with the four elastomeric isolator members 64 . A variety of different durometers are available in fabricating all the elastomeric isolator members 64 and tuning washers 66 described giving a harder or softer compression to the parts. One or more tuning washers 66 are shown at each end of the elastomer grip 60 with the elastomeric isolator members 64 and outer clamp 68 . The grip sleeve 70 of the elastomer grip 60 is shown with four protruding engagement members 72 on each end. The handle bar 12 end cap 74 is additionally shown. Additional alternate embodiments include varying the durometer of the elastomeric isolator inserts to fine tune the feel of the cushion for the grip, as well as the addition of timing washers to increase or decrease the distance the protruding engagement members into the clamp cavities, to again vary the cushion of the grip.
[0127] FIG. 27A depicts a side view of the elastomer grip 60 with the grip sleeve 70 having the four protruding engagement members 72 on each end.
[0128] FIG. 27B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip 60 with the grip sleeve 70 having the four protruding engagement members 72 .
[0129] FIG. 28A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 62 with the clamp screw 16 and one of the elastomeric isolator members 64 exploded away. One of the isolator cavities 76 is shown within the inner clamp 62 along with the compression grooves 78 .
[0130] FIG. 28B depicts a front view of the inner clamp 62 with the elastomeric isolator members 64 in place.
[0131] FIG. 28C depicts a front view of the inner clamp 62 with the elastomeric isolator members 64 removed.
[0132] FIG. 28D depicts a front view of four elastomeric isolator members 64 .
[0133] FIG. 29A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 82 with a one piece elastomeric isolator member 84 in place illustrating the engagement member cavities 86 and the four alignment posts 90 positioned in the four locator post orifices 88 .
[0134] FIG. 29B depicts a front view of the inner clamp 82 with a one piece elastomeric isolator member 84 in place indicating the locations of the engagement member cavities 86 and the four alignment posts 90 positioned in the four locator post orifices 88 .
[0135] FIG. 29C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 82 with a one piece elastomeric isolator member 84 removed exposing the four alignment posts 90 .
[0136] FIG. 29D depicts a front view of the inner clamp 82 with a one piece elastomeric isolator member 84 removed exposing the four alignment posts 90 .
[0137] FIG. 29E depicts a perspective view of the one piece elastomeric isolator member 84 indicating the locations of the engagement member cavities 86 and the locator pin orifices 88 .
[0138] FIG. 29F depicts a front view of the one piece elastomeric isolator member 84 indicating the locations of the engagement member cavities 86 and the locator pin orifices 88 .
[0139] FIG. 30A depicts a cross section side view of a portion of the elastomer grip 94 with grip sleeve 96 having a plurality of nubs 98 and four protruding engagement members 100 .
[0140] FIG. 30B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip 94 with the four protruding engagement members 100 and a plurality of nubs 98 .
[0141] FIG. 30C depicts a perspective view of a portion of the elastomer grip 94 with the four protruding engagement members 100 and a plurality of nubs 98 on the grip sleeve 96 .
[0142] FIG. 31A depicts a cross section side view of a portion of the elastomer grip 104 with the grip sleeve 106 having a matrix of horizontal ribs 108 and vertical ribs 110 on inner surface 112 and four protruding engagement members 114 .
[0143] FIG. 31B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip 104 with the four protruding engagement members 114 .
[0144] FIG. 31C depicts a perspective view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip 104 with a matrix of horizontal ribs 108 and vertical ribs 110 on grip sleeve 106 and four protruding engagement members 14 .
[0145] FIG. 32A depicts a side view of a portion of the elastomer grip 116 with eight tear shaped engagement members 118 on the grip sleeve 120 .
[0146] FIG. 32B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip 116 with the eight protruding tear shaped engagement members 118 on the grip sleeve 120 .
[0147] FIG. 33A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 122 with one of the elastomeric isolator member 124 having the engagement member cavities 125 exploded away from the isolator cavity 126
[0148] FIG. 33B depicts a front view of the inner clamp 122 with the elastomeric isolator members 124 having the engagement member cavities 125 in position.
[0149] FIG. 34A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 130 with a one of the elastomeric isolator member 132 having the engagement member cavities 133 exploded away from the isolator cavity 134 .
[0150] FIG. 34B depicts a front view of the inner clamp 130 with the elastomeric isolator member 132 having the engagement member cavities 133 in position.
[0151] FIG. 35A depicts a side view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip 138 with eight protruding engagement posts 140 on the grip sleeve 142 .
[0152] FIG. 35B depicts a front view of the end of the elastomer grip 138 with eight protruding engagement posts 140 on the grip sleeve 142 .
[0153] FIG. 35C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 146 with a one of the O-ring elastomeric isolators 148 exploded away from the isolator cavity 150 .
[0154] FIG. 35D depicts a front view of the inner clamp 146 with the O-ring elastomeric isolators 148 in position.
[0155] FIG. 36A depicts a side view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip 154 with two protruding engagement members 156 on the grip sleeve 158 .
[0156] FIG. 36B depicts an end view of the end of the elastomer grip 154 with two protruding engagement members 156 on the grip sleeve 158 .
[0157] FIG. 36C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 162 with a one of the elastomeric isolator member 164 with engagement member cavities 165 exploded away from the isolator cavity 166 .
[0158] FIG. 36D depicts a front view of the inner clamp 162 with the two elastomeric isolator members 164 in position.
[0159] FIG. 37A depicts a side view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip 170 with three protruding engagement members 172 on the grip sleeve 174 .
[0160] FIG. 37B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip 170 with three protruding engagement members 172 on the grip sleeve 174 .
[0161] FIG. 37C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 178 with one of the elastomeric isolator member 180 having engagement member cavities 181 exploded away from the isolator cavity 182 .
[0162] FIG. 37D depicts a front view of the inner clamp 178 with the elastomeric isolator members 180 having engagement member cavities 181 in position.
[0163] FIG. 38A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 186 having three indexing and anti-rotation members 188 in the isolator cavity 190 with the single elastomeric isolator member 192 with engagement member cavities 194 , indexing depressions 196 and scalloped shock absorbing inner surface 198 exploded away.
[0164] FIG. 38B depicts a front view of the inner clamp 186 having the single elastomeric isolator member 192 with engagement member cavities 194 , indexing depressions 196 and scalloped shock absorbing inner surface 198 in position.
[0165] FIG. 39A depicts a side view of a portion of the end of the elastomer grip 202 with three configured protruding engagement members 204 on the grip sleeve 206 .
[0166] FIG. 39B depicts an end view of the elastomer grip 202 with three configured protruding engagement members 204 on the grip sleeve 206 .
[0167] FIG. 39C depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 210 with the elastomeric isolator member 212 exploded away from the isolator cavity 214 .
[0168] FIG. 39D depicts a front view of the inner clamp 210 with the elastomeric isolator members 212 in position within the isolator cavity 214 .
[0169] FIG. 40A depicts a perspective view of the inner clamp 218 with the elastomeric isolator member 220 in position behind the compression disk 222 with three engagement slots 224 and three sets of compression disk absorbing cavities 216 .
[0170] FIG. 40B depicts a front view of the inner clamp 218 with the single elastomeric isolator member 220 behind the compression disk 222 having three engagement slots 224 and three sets of compression disk absorbing cavities 216 .
[0171] FIG. 40C depicts a front view of the compression disk 222 having three engagement slots 224 and three sets of compression disk absorbing cavities 226 .
[0172] FIG. 40D depicts a perspective view of the single elastomeric isolator member 220 with three engagement member cavities 228 .
[0173] FIG. 40E depicts a rear view of the single elastomeric isolator member 220 .
[0174] Alternatively, the elastomeric inserts may be omitted altogether in place of protrusions on the sleeve that have shock absorbing characteristics. The “protrusions, attachment members,” or the like are made of a material that allows the grip to move independent of the handlebar without the need for separate inserts. This design may or may not be used with elastomeric inserts. Essentially, the clamp cavities would mate with the protrusions on the grip tube assembly directly and without the “buffer” of the inserts, while still providing a free-floating feel and independent cushioning of the grip.
[0175] Another alternate design is the inverse of the represented design whereas the grip end clamp has protruding engagement members and the grip sleeve contains one or more cavities that mates with said protruding engagement members. The inverse design can be used with or without elastomeric inserts just as the prior described Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly invention as described herein demonstrates.
[0176] The Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A, 10 B and 10 C shown in the drawings and described in detail herein disclose arrangements of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present application. It is to be understood, however, that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements thereof, other than those illustrated and described may be employed for providing a Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly 10 A, 10 B and 10 C in accordance with the spirit of this disclosure, and such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this design as broadly defined in the appended claims.
[0177] 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, engineer 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.
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The present invention is directed to a Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly that has been designed to give a controlled floating action to the grip that can be adjusted by varying the different cushioning isolator mechanisms within the grip, or by varying the number of tuning washers. The Shock Absorbing Grip Assembly is comprised of one or more grip end clamps; one or more cavities in said grip end clamps; a grip sleeve having one or more protruding engagement members; one or more elastomeric isolator inserts housed within each of said one or more cavities in said grip end clamps, wherein said one or more protruding engagement members mates within said cavities housing said elastomeric isolator inserts; and an outer elastomer grip; whereby said grip sleeve is free floating and has torsional, rotational, linear and axial shock absorbing capacity. The isolator inserts may be elastomer inserts of varying durometer material.
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STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to sensing, monitoring and alerting functions. In particular, it employs novel electronic circuits to detect, monitor and alert to a present condition based on the location of the interface between materials having different coefficients of refraction, such as may occur typically at the interface between water in a stream and sediments thereunder during a scour event.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Scour is a severe problem that results in millions of dollars of damage to infrastructure and substantial loss of life annually. Scour occurs during times of high tides, hurricanes, rapid river flow, and icing conditions, when sediment, including rocks, gravel, sand, and silt, are transported by currents, undermining bridge and pier foundations, submarine utility cables, and pipelines, and filling in navigational channels. Scour is dynamic; ablation and deposition can occur during the same high-energy hydrodynamic event. The net effect of scour has not been easily predicted, nor readily monitored, in real-time heretofore.
Bridge scour monitoring technologies are known. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,338, issued Jul. 21, 1998 to Norbert E. Yankielun et al, an instrument called a “time domain reflectomer” (TDR) is directly connected to a parallel transmission line consisting of a pair of robust, specially fabricated non-corroding rods or wires (hereinafter “leads”). The principle of TDR is generally known, described in the technical literature, and applied to numerous measurements and testing applications. The technique was applied to scour detection and monitoring in the aforesaid '338 patent, which is incorporated herein by reference. TDR operates by generating an electromagnetic pulse, or a fast rise time step, and coupling it to a transmission line. The pulse travels down the transmission line at a fixed and calculable velocity, a function of the speed of light and the electrical and physical characteristics of the transmission line. The pulse propagates down the transmission line until the end of the line is reached, and is then reflected back toward the source. The time in seconds that it takes for the pulse to propagate down and back the length of the transmission line is called the “round trip travel time” and is calculated as described in the '338 patent. For a two-wire parallel transmission line, changes in the dielectric media in the immediate surrounding volume cause a change in the roundtrip travel time of a pulse initiated thereon. Further, at any boundary between differing media located along the transmission line (e.g., air/water, water/sediment, etc.) a discontinuity exists that is characterized by a change in the refractive index from one medium to the next. As a pulse imposed on the transmission line encounters these boundaries, a portion of the pulse is reflected back to its source. The remaining portion of the pulse continues on to encounter other boundaries with like results, or the end of the transmission line from which it is reflected, in whole or part, back to its source. Measuring the time of flight of the reflected pulse(s), while knowing the refractive index of the media through which it passes enables one to determine where along the transmission line these boundaries are
Freshwater has a relatively high dielectric constant and dry sedimentary materials (e.g.: soil, gravel and stone) have a relatively low dielectric constant. Wet sediment has a dielectric constant that is a mixture of the constants of water and dry soil. The dielectric constant of this mixture will vary, depending upon the local sedimentary material constituency. However, in all cases of bulk dielectric, the bulk index of refraction of the mixture will be less than that of liquid water alone and significantly greater than that of the dry sedimentary materials. Some sediment materials, particularly clay-based sediments, can be extremely “lossy”. This lossy behavior of the soil is exhibited by a severe attenuation of an electromagnetic pulse as it propagates along a transmission line surrounded by such materials. The pulse, when launched from a TDR, dissipates as it travels along the transmission line. Sufficient dissipation reduces the reflected pulse energy below a detectable level. For lossy consolidated soils, such as clay, the electromagnetic signal is attenuated greatly as it propagates along transmission line leads embedded in these soils. Levels of signal attenuation may be as great as tens of dBs/m in clay, yielding undetectable reflected signals in some cases. To protect the transceiver from scour action in a stream, it may be beneficial to bury it in the sediment below the expected level of scour. In this scenario, the soil, typically clay, may absorb all or most of a pulse's energy, some on transmission, and the rest on reflection. For the case in which the transceiver is located in the water above the sediment, a pulse will be minimally attenuated in the water and will reflect strongly from the boundary with the sediment, the sediment having a significantly different refractive index. This occurs because the amplitude of the reflection correlates directly to the ratio between the refractive indices at the boundary.
In either of the above scenarios, once a portion of the transmitted pulse is reflected from the water/sediment boundary, the remainder of the pulse propagates to the end of the transmission line leads whereupon it also is reflected. If the reflection from the water sediment/boundary is difficult to detect, the reflection of its complement that must traverse the entire distance of the transmission line will be even more difficult to detect. Discernment of the occurrence of these two significant events thus complicates the problem of identifying a location at which scour in a streambed is occurring, for example.
Thus, needed is a real time scour detection and monitoring system that uses information gleaned from its own operation to set optimal operating parameters for purposes of establishing reflected signals that are able to be differentiated. Further, this system should be both operationally and fiscally efficient, able to broadcast continuous data, if need be, in real time using inexpensive narrow-bandwidth transmitters and data processors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A system for efficiently and cost effectively monitoring the status of the interface between two dissimilar media is provided. The system uses principles applied from the theory of time domain reflectometry (TDR), together with novel circuitry and low cost narrow band telemetry, to provide real time monitoring on a continuous basis, as needed.
In a preferred embodiment, a system employing TDR techniques using a pulsed signal generator but having novel circuitry unique to this invention, is emplaced in an environment that permits access to a boundary between one media and a second media of interest. This may be, e.g., a streambed in which the first media is water and the media of interest is the sediment thereunder. Using basic principles of TDR, an electromagnetic pulse is imposed on parallel transmission lines embedded so as to traverse portions of both media, traversal through the interface therebetween being of most importance. The time of travel of this pulse to a first boundary, that is ostensibly the boundary of interest, is used in a feedback line to establish the pulse repetition frequency of operation of the pulse generator of the system via operation of a portion of the circuitry that is unique to this invention. The reflected pulse is also provided to a signal processing circuit that prepares the pulse for transmission on a low cost narrowband telemetry system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention as installed to monitor a boundary between differing media together with relative amplitude and polarity of representative pulses appearing on a transmission line thereof.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 inverted in a similar installation.
FIG. 3 depicts representative circuitry associated with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as connected to the transmission line leads via an impedance matching transformer.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Refer to FIG. 1. A boundary monitoring system 112 of the present invention is shown emplaced such that an electronics package 114 , including a pulse generator circuit 116 employing TDR techniques internal thereto, are located at an uppermost position with respect to the generally parallel transmission line leads 110 to be pulsed via connection with the pulse generator circuit 116 . In a more permanent installation, the electronics package 114 may be powered via an external source, preferably a DC power supply, connected via a cable to the electronics package 114 . Neither the source nor cable is separately shown.
As depicted, the boundary 120 of interest includes a first media having a refractive index, n 1 , and a second media having a refractive index, n 2 , where n 1 >n 2 . In operation, a transmitted pulse 130 , that may be of positive polarity as depicted, is imposed on the transmission line leads 110 in the direction indicated by the arrow 122 . At the boundary 120 , a portion 132 of the transmitted pulse 130 , is reflected back towards the source, i.e., the pulse generator circuit 116 . The remainder (not separately shown) of the transmitted pulse 132 continues along the transmission line leads 110 to the termination 118 thereof. Depicted in FIG. 1 is a short circuit termination 118 . At the termination 118 , this remainder portion is reflected back, in whole or in part, as depicted by the reflected pulse 134 of opposite polarity. Note that as the pulse travels further along the transmission line leads 110 and encounters media of a smaller refractive index, because a portion of the transmitted pulse has already been reflected and then enters a media having a lower refractive index, n 2 , the reflected pulse 134 is attenuated significantly as shown by comparing the amplitude of the reflected pulse 134 from the termination 118 with that of the reflected pulse 132 from the boundary 120 . In some cases the reflected pulse 134 from the termination 118 may not be detectable by a standard detector.
Refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The transmission line leads 110 , comprising wires or rods as used in a system for monitoring scour in a streambed or along a shoreline, may be approximately 1-2 meters (3-6 ft) in length. The diameter of the wire or rods 110 , nominally approximately 1.6-3.2 mm ({fraction (1/16)}-⅛), as well as spacing thereof, may be selected to achieve an impedance match with a first media into which the leads 110 of the system 112 are installed. As is seen by comparing FIGS. 1 and 2, this first media may be either that comprising the greater refractive index, n 1 , as in FIG. 1 or that of the lesser refractive index, n 2 , as shown in FIG. 2 . The leads 110 may be terminated in a short circuit 118 as indicated in FIG. 1 or have an open circuited termination 218 as shown in FIG. 2 . An open-circuited transmission line results in a reflected pulse 244 at its termination 218 of the same polarity as is transmitted whereas a short-circuited transmission line, as depicted in FIG. 1, reverses the polarity of the reflected pulse 134 at its termination 118 .
In FIG. 2, note that because the transmitted pulse 240 initiated in the direction indicated by the arrow 224 first traverses media having a refractive index, n 2 , then encounters a boundary of media having a refractive index, n 1 , where n 1 >n 2 , the reflected pulse 242 from the boundary 120 is reversed in polarity. This fact is key in designing installations of the present invention. Also note that the relative amplitude of the initiating pulse 240 of FIG. 2 is shown as being greater than that of the initiating pulse 130 of FIG. 1 while that of the reflected pulse 242 from the boundary 120 is less than that of the reflected pulse 132 of FIG. 1 . This pictorially conveys the significant attenuation encountered when a preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed so that the transmission line's “transmitting end” is installed in media having a relatively low refractive index, n 2 .
The amplitude of a reflected pulse 132 , 134 , 242 , 244 reflected from a boundary 120 between media having refractive indices of n 1 and n 2 , respectively, is proportional to a reflection coefficient, ρ, given by: ρ = ( n 1 - n 2 ) ( n 1 + n 2 ) ( 1 )
such that Eon. (1) describes the reflection coefficient of the configuration of FIG. 1, since the first media encountered by the transmitted pulse 130 is that with the refractive index n 1 . Substituting n 2 for n 1 and vice versa in Eon. (1) yields the reflection coefficient for the configuration of FIG. 2 . Thus, since n 1 >n 2 , ρ is positive for the configuration of FIG. 1 and negative for the configuration of FIG. 2 . The reflected pulse 132 at the boundary 120 for the configuration of FIG. 1 is thus positive polarity while the reflected pulse 242 at the boundary 120 of the configuration of FIG. 2 reverses polarity to the negative.
For either configuration represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, the terminal reflected pulses 134 , 244 are of opposite polarity to their respective “boundary reflected” pulses 132 , 242 . This phenomenon is useful in designing a simple circuit to make use of this difference in polarity so that even relative amplitude does not have to be determined or employed. It is particularly useful in those cases where pulse amplitude of these reflected pulses 132 , 134 , 242 , 244 may be severely attenuated by passing through, not once, but twice, media having a relatively low refraction coefficient. Thus, the difficulty induced in having to detect low amplitude signals due to significant signal attenuation has been removed if one deals only in ascertaining the polarity of the reflected pulses 132 , 134 , 242 , 244 .
Either the configuration of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 may be used to determine the location of the boundary 120 , such as a water/sediment boundary at a pre-specified location in a streambed, while monitoring and alerting to changes therein in real time. Although either configuration represented by FIGS. 1 and 2 may be suitable for operation with the present invention, the configuration of FIG. 1 is preferred because of the greater relative amplitude levels available in the reflected pulses 132 , 134 . This inherent capability of the configuration of FIG. 1 also means that the transmit pulse imposed on the transmission line leads 110 may be of lower amplitude than that of the configuration of FIG. 2 to achieve a minimally discernible signal with a low cost detector while requiring less energy to power and a concomitant smaller physical embodiment to achieve its function.
Refer to FIG. 3. A pulse generator 320 , capable of being triggered in real time, generates a narrow pulse that may be conditioned in a first conditioning circuit 321 where it may be amplified as needed for a specific application by an amplifier 322 . A pulse thus generated is provided to a circulator 324 or Tee (not separately shown). From the circulator 324 , the pulse is provided to an impedance matching transformer 326 , if needed. This impedance matching transformer 326 may be designed with an impedance ratio that assures that “boundary reflected” pulses 132 , 242 will have either the same polarity of the transmitted pulses 130 , 240 , i.e., the configuration of FIG. 1, or the reverse polarity, i.e., the configuration of FIG. 2 . In some applications an impedance matching transformer may not be needed so that the physical configuration of the transmission leads 110 may be set to match the expected impedance of the environment into which it is inserted given that the environment maintains relatively constant impedance. As required for a specific application, the impedance matching transformer 326 permits the impedance of the circuit 321 to approximate that of the media, e.g., water or sediment for an in-stream installation, that will initially surround the “transmitter ends” of the transmission line leads 110 . Once imposed on the transmission line leads 110 , the pulse traverses the length of the leads 110 , reflecting at least in part from any boundary 120 and in whole or part from the termination 118 , 218 of the leads 110 . Upon reflection, the individual reflected pulses 132 , 134 , 242 , 244 re-enter the impedance matching transformer 326 (if present), are blocked from returning to the pulse generator 320 by the circulator 324 and thus encounter a second conditioning and selection circuit 323 incorporating an amplifier 328 , where they are amplified to a usable level prior to being provided to a half-wave rectifier 330 . It is within the half-wave rectifier 330 that a first novel implementation of the present invention occurs. The half-wave rectifier 330 is configured to pass only the reflected pulses 132 , 242 from the boundary 120 , thus its polarity is chosen to match whatever configuration in which the system 112 is installed, i.e., only a positive polarity pulse 132 would be processed for the configuration of FIG. 1 and only a negative polarity pulse 242 for the configuration of FIG. 2 . The relative amplitude of these pulses 132 , 242 is immaterial, it being necessary only for them to be sufficient amplitude for use by the half-wave rectifier 330 . The “boundary reflected” pulse 132 , 242 is then provided to a first inverting amplifier 332 where its polarity is reversed and then on to a first low pass filter (LPF 1 ) 334 . The LPF 334 removes the DC component of the signal and provides a “cleaner” pulse 132 , 242 for further use.
The half-rectified pulse 132 , 242 is then provided for further processing along two paths 336 , 340 . The first 336 inputs to an output circuit 327 providing the system 112 output while the second 340 inputs to a feedback circuit 325 . Feedback may be initialized through an optional time delay device 344 , generating a time delay, τ, that may be used to establish a minimum pulse repetition frequency (prf) to cycle the transmitted pulses 130 , 240 . Once the delay, τ, has been imposed on the conditioned half-rectified pulse 132 , 242 , it is provided to a diode limiter 346 for further conditioning. The pulse 132 , 242 is configured to have a steep rise time and a “flat top” suitable for use as a trigger pulse. It is then amplified by a third amplifier 348 for use as a trigger pulse to the pulse generator 320 . Thus, a trigger pulse is initiated at the pulse generator 320 based on an interval of time required for a transmitted pulse 130 , 240 to travel to the boundary 120 of interest and return as “boundary reflected” pulses 132 , 242 to the amplifier 348 providing the trigger pulse. This “roundtrip time” (and its inverse, the prf of the transmitted pulses 130 , 240 ) will vary with the position of the boundary 120 , thus the instantaneous prf of the transmitted signal 130 , 240 provides information that may be translated to a distance value suitable for use in real time monitoring, such as for determining the level of scour in a streambed. Thus, by monitoring the operating parameters of the pulse generator 320 , one may glean useful, precise, time-critical information on occurrences being observed with the sensor system 112 . Further, since it is performed in real time, it provides other useful information, such as the instantaneous rate of scour, so that it may be used for predicting events, taking preventive action, and issuing timely warnings.
The output of the system is provided via an output circuit 327 by amplifying, via a fourth amplifier 350 , the conditioned half-rectified pulse 132 , 242 . The amplified conditioned half-rectified pulse is then provided to a mixer 352 where it is mixed with a signal from a local oscillator (LO) 358 . The operating frequency of the LO 358 is chosen to correlate to that of the prf of the system 112 , generating a frequency difference within the mixer 352 suitable for creating a signal of narrow bandwidth for transmission via a cable (not separately shown) or a low cost telemetry system (not separately shown). This signal is then provided to a second low pass filter (LPF 2 ) 354 to remove any high frequency elements and amplified by a fifth amplifier 356 prior to being output for transmission to a remote location for its ultimate use.
A cable-based system 112 based on TDR principles may be used for long term or permanent monitoring scenarios in which an umbilical, low-loss coaxial cable (not separately shown) is easily installed in a permanent configuration. This configuration implies a physically short distance, typically a few hundred feet, between the leads 110 and the pulse generator 320 . An implementation using batteries (not separately shown) and a wireless communications device (not separately shown), or submerged acoustic telemetry link (not separately shown), may be used in temporary installations in which the sensor system 112 is retrieved periodically for replacement of batteries and refurbishing as needed.
Refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. In a practical installation, a preferred embodiment of the present invention, e.g., a scour sensor system 112 , is buried in river bottom sediments having a refraction coefficient, n 2 , and anchored (not separately shown) at a point below the maximum expected depth of scour. For low-loss sediments, the sensor system 112 may be installed with the electronics package 114 buried deeply in the sediment as shown in FIG. 2, thus providing some protection from scouring action for the electronics package 114 . In those cases where the sediment is consolidated soil, such as clay, the attenuation of the pulsed signal may be severe. For this scenario, the configuration of FIG. 1 is preferred, although some risk of damage to the electronics package 114 from scour events is unavoidable.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention may be installed in a streambed or at other water/sediment interfaces by “air jetting” or “hydro-jetting.” In soft sediment, it may be installed by “pile driving” it in or hydraulically forcing it into the sediment. Once emplaced, the top of the sensor system 112 is “surveyed in” relative to a local survey benchmark (not separately shown) to permit ready identification of the geographic location being monitored.
After emplacement of the system 112 in a streambed or other waterway, an initial reference level is established for the response of the sensor system 112 to an imposed (transmitted) pulse 130 , 240 , thus establishing an initial location for the water/sediment boundary 120 . This is done by determining the travel time for a boundary reflected pulse 132 , 242 to return as well as the roundtrip time for a transmitted pulse 130 , 240 imposed on the leads 110 to traverse to the termination 118 , 218 and return to the source 116 . This roundtrip time may be used to assist in calibrating the sensor system 112 and the travel time of the boundary reflected pulse 132 , 242 is used for initializing the feedback 325 and output 327 circuitry. This information is stored in a suitable storage device such as a computer (not separately shown).
Responses received during subsequent operation of the system 112 are acquired, processed, and compared with the stored reference data. A computer algorithm, operated in real time, may be used to compare the reference values with real time data and trigger an alarm when a pre-specified threshold has been exceeded. In one embodiment, output of the sensor system 112 may be multiplexed with signals from other sensor systems 112 that may be used in an array (not separately shown) to monitor the foundation of a structure or sediment field of interest.
It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particular constructions herein disclosed and/or shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modification or equivalent within the scope of the claims.
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A system for efficiently and cost effectively monitoring the status of the interface between two dissimilar media is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the system uses principles applied from the theory of time domain reflectometry (TDR), together with novel circuitry and low cost narrow band telemetry, to provide real time monitoring on a continuous basis, as needed. The circuitry involved permits operation of the system without relying on relative values of signal amplitude while employing a novel feedback function that sets the pulse repetition frequency instantaneously to permit an optimum data collection rate as well as a separate measure of the status based on the system operating parameters. It has particular application to real time monitoring and alerting to the effect of scour events in waterways.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods for producing a structured metal layer, in particular a method for producing an electrode and, in particular, a method for producing an electrode for a storage capacitor of an integrated memory device.
In order to be able to read out reproducibly the charge stored in a storage capacitor of a memory cell, the capacitance of the storage capacitor should have a value of at least approximately 30 fF. At the same time, it has been and is necessary continuously to reduce the lateral extent of the capacitor in order to be able to achieve an increase in the storage density. These inherently contradictory requirements placed on the capacitor of the memory cell have led and lead to an ever more complex structuring of the capacitor (trench capacitors, stack capacitors, crown-shaped capacitors), in order to be able to provide sufficient capacitor area despite the ever smaller lateral extent of the capacitor. Consequently, however, the production of the capacitor is becoming ever more complicated, and therefore ever more expensive.
A further way of ensuring sufficient capacitance of the capacitor is to use other materials between the capacitor electrodes. Consequently, instead of the conventional silicon oxide/silicon nitride, use has been made recently of newer materials, in particular high-∈ paraelectrics and ferroelectrics, between the capacitor electrodes of a memory cell. These novel materials have a substantially higher relative dielectric constant (>20) than the conventional silicon oxide/silicon nitride (<8). Consequently, the required capacitor area, and thus the required complexity of the structuring of the capacitor, can be substantially reduced in conjunction with the same capacitance and the same lateral extent of the memory cell by using these materials. Use is made, for example, of barium strontium titanate (BST, (Ba,Sr)TiO 3 ), lead zirconate titanate (PZT, Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 ) and lanthanum-doped lead zirconate titanate or strontium bismuth tantalate (SBT, SrBi 2 Ta 2 O 9 ).
In addition to conventional DRAM memory chips, an important role will also be played in the future by ferroelectric memory devices, so-called FRAMs. By contrast with conventional memory devices, such as DRAMs and SRAMs, for example, ferroelectric memory devices have the advantage that the stored information is not lost, but remains stored even in the event of an interruption to the voltage or current supply. This non-volatility of ferroelectric memory devices is based on the fact that in the case of ferroelectric materials the polarization impressed by an external electric field is essentially maintained even after the external electric field is switched off. The abovenamed novel materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT, Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 ) and lanthanum-doped lead zirconate titanate or strontium bismuth tantalate (SBT, SrBi 2 Ta 2 O 9 ) also come into use for ferroelectric memory devices.
Unfortunately, the use of the newer paraelectrics or ferroelectrics also requires the use of novel electrode materials. The newer paraelectrics or ferroelectrics are usually deposited on already present electrodes (lower electrode). The processing is performed at high temperatures, where the materials of which the capacitor electrodes normally consist, for example doped polysilicon, are easily oxidized and lose their electrically conducting properties, something which would lead to failure of the memory cell.
Because of their good oxidation resistance and/or the formation of electrically conductive oxides, 4d and 5d transition metals, in particular precious metals such as Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir and, in particular, Pt count as promising candidates which could replace doped silicon/polysilicon as electrode material.
Unfortunately it has been found that the abovenamed electrode materials being newly used in integrated circuits can be structured only with difficulty. For example, these materials can be etched chemically only with difficulty, or even not at all, so that the etching erosion is based, even when “reactive” gases are used, predominantly or almost exclusively on the physical component of the etching. Moreover, these materials prove to be extremely resistant even in the case of the use of so-called CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) methods.
In conventional polishing methods, a polishing solution, a so-called slurry which contains abrasive particles, is applied to the substrate to be polished. During the actual polishing operation, a so-called pad is then pressed against the surface of the substrate, and pad and substrate are moved relative to one another. The pressure exerted by the pad then presses the abrasive particles against the surface of the substrate, and the relative movement of pad and substrate removes material from the surface of the substrate. As a rule, the rate of such removal depends on the pressure exerted, the relative speed and the selected abrasive particles. In order to increase the rate of removal and/or to remove only very specific materials from the surface, it is possible to add to the slurry chemical components which react with the material of the substrate surface and/or with a specific material on the surface. Thus, for example, when wiring areas are being produced, components which react with the aluminum on the surface are added to the slurry. Such a CMP step results in an aluminum wiring in which aluminum structures form a flat surface with the insulating structures. Aluminum conductor tracks can thus be produced in a simple and cost effective way (damascene technology).
Because of the inertness of the novel electrode materials, the mechanical component of a CMP step, that is to say the mechanical action of the abrasive particles, is very important for the purpose of removing the materials from a substrate surface. Consequently, these materials can be removed from the substrate surface only at a very low rate of removal. Moreover, there is increased risk of the formation of scratches which can render a chip unusable. Experiments with very aggressive chemical components in the slurry have not, on the other hand, led to the desired results.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method for producing a structured metal layer that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices and methods of this general type, which permits metal electrodes including even precious metal electrodes to be structured.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for producing a structured layer comprising the steps:
a) providing a prestructured substrate;
b) applying to the prestructured substrate a precious metal and a donor material containing an additive which is not a precious metal in two or more layers;
c) subjecting the layers to heat treatment at a temperature of between approximately 400° C. and approximately 800° C., such that the additive diffuses into the precious metal and an alloy layer is produced; and
d) polishing the alloy layer by chemical and mechanical means.
The structured layers so produced are preferably used as electrodes in memory cells and other advantageous embodiments and refinements as shown below and in the attached drawings.
In accordance with another feature of the invention there is provided a method for producing a structured layer comprising the steps:
a) providing a prestructured substrate;
b) simultaneously applying to the prestructured substrate a precious metal and an additive which is not a precious metal using a PVD method, such that an alloy layer is produced; and
c) polishing the alloy layer by chemical and mechanical means.
The methods according to the invention have the advantage that even precious metal electrodes can be structured by means of conventional CMP steps, in particular with the aid of conventional slurries, such as are already used for structuring non-precious metals. Without wishing to limit themselves the inventors are of the opinion that this can be explained by the fact that the chemically active components of the slurry attack the additive to the precious metal in the alloy, as a result of which the surface of the alloy layer is roughened and the chemical mechanical removal of the precious metal is thereby increased. However, the good electric conductivity and the inertness, in particular with regard to gas phase CVD processes with subsequent heat treatments, of the original precious metal layer are essentially maintained in the case of the alloy layer thus formed. Thus, according to the invention, there is created an electrode which has a very good electrical conductivity. Moreover, in the case of gas phase CVD depositions and subsequent heat treatments (annealing processes), the electrode is inert to the greatest possible extent. The behavior of the electrodes in the case of wet-chemical polishing and structuring operations is, however, changed by the modification according to the invention in such a way that the electrodes can be treated with conventional slurries.
The donor material can preferably comprise essentially only the additive. Thus, for example, it is possible to produce a pure titanium layer on a platinum layer. The subsequent heat treatment diffuses titanium into the platinum, thus producing a platinum/titanium alloy. However, it is also possible to use a titanium oxide layer (TiO x ) as donor material. The subsequent heat treatment diffuses only the titanium into the platinum, such that, on the one hand, a platinum/titanium alloy is produced, while on the other hand a titanium oxide layer with a different stoichiometric composition is left behind on the alloy layer. This titanium oxide layer is removed from the alloy layer by an additional etching step, for example with HF or HCL.
Preferred precious metals which are used in conjunction with the present invention are the precious metals from the transition Group 8b of the Periodic Table of the Elements, and gold (Au). Osmium (Os), iridium (Ir) and platinum (Pt) belong to Group 8b, Ir and Pt being particularly preferred.
The additive, which is not a precious metal, can preferably be selected from Ti, Ta, W, Bi, Ru and/or Pd and oxides thereof.
The donor material, which contains the additive, can preferably be selected from Ti, TiN, Ta, TaN, W, WN, Bi, BiO x , IrO x , IrHfO x , RuO x and/or PdO x .
It has proved to be particularly effective and easy to carry out the treatment when the proportion of non-precious metals in the alloy layer is between approximately 5 and approximately 30 at %.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the alloy layer is made up of several layers. Both the layer sequence of precious metal (EM)/donor material (X) and the reverse sequence X/EM are possible. Also suitable are multiples of the said layer sequences, for example, EM/X/EM/X, EM/X/EM/X/EM/X etc. and X/EM/X/EM, X/EM/X/EM/X/EM etc. Finally, the advantages according to the invention are also afforded by a sequence of an odd number of layers such as X/EM/X, X/EM/X/EM/X etc. and EM/X/EM/X/EM etc.
In accordance with a further preferred embodiment, a slurry which contains water, abrasive particles and at least one oxidant is used for the chemical mechanical polishing. It is preferred, in particular, when Al 2 O 3 particles or SiO 2 particles are used as abrasive particles and/or H 2 O 2 is used as oxidant. Furthermore, it is preferred when the slurry has at least one stabilizer, preferably polyacrylic acid.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in methods for producing a structured metal layer, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1–8 show a method for producing a structured layer according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, with reference to the production of a memory cell,
FIGS. 9–12 show a further method for producing a structured layer according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention, and
FIGS. 13–18 show a method for producing a structured layer according to a third exemplary embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a silicon substrate 1 with previously fabricated transistors 4 . Together with the storage capacitors still to be produced, the transistors form memory cells which serve the purpose of storing binary information. The transistors 4 each have two diffusion zones 2 , which are disposed on the surface of the silicon substrate 1 . The channel zones, which are separated from the gate electrodes 3 by the gate oxide on the surface of the silicon substrate 1 , are disposed between the diffusion zones 2 of the transistors 4 . The transistors 4 are produced using the methods known in the prior art, which are not explained here in more detail.
An insulating layer 5 , for example an SiO 2 layer, is applied to the silicon substrate 1 bearing the transistors 4 . Several insulating layers can also be applied, depending on the method used for producing the transistors 4 . The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 1 .
The contact holes 6 are subsequently produced by a photographic technique. These contact holes 6 make a connection between the transistors 4 and the storage capacitors still to be produced. The contact holes 6 are produced, for example, by anisotropic etching with fluorine-containing gases. The resulting structure is shown in FIG. 2 .
A conductive material 7 , for example polysilicon doped in situ, is subsequently applied to the structure. This can be performed, for example, by a CVD method. The contact holes 6 are completely filled up by the application of the conductive material 7 , and a continuous conductive layer is produced on the insulating layer 5 ( FIG. 3 ). This is followed by a CMP step (Chemical Mechanical Polishing), which removes the continuous conductive layer on the surface of the insulating layer 5 and produces a flat surface.
Subsequently, depressions are formed in the insulating layer 5 in a fashion overlapping the contact holes 6 . These depressions are now filled with barrier material 8 , for example iridium oxide, up to a prescribed depth. This is performed by depositing the barrier material 8 over the entire surface and subsequently carrying out anisotropic etching. The anisotropic etching is carried out until the prescribed depth is achieved in the depressions. The structure produced thereby is shown in FIG. 4 .
This concludes the first step a) of the method according to the invention. A prestructured substrate has been provided to which the precious metal and/or the donor material can now subsequently be applied.
In this embodiment of the present invention, a precious metal, for example platinum is subsequently deposited over the entire surface of the structure shown in FIG. 4 . The precious metal layer 9 is applied by a sputtering method at a temperature of approximately 500° C. The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 5 . Subsequently, a titanium layer 10 is produced as donor material on the precious metal layer 9 . This can be performed, for example, by a sputtering method. The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 6 .
Heat treatment (annealing) then follows at a temperature of approximately 700° C. such that the titanium of the titanium layer 10 diffuses as additive into the platinum layer 9 , producing an alloy layer 11 . The thickness of the titanium layer 10 is selected such that the titanium diffuses completely into the platinum layer 9 with the result that essentially no titanium remains behind on the surface of the alloy layer 11 . The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 7 .
A CMP step is subsequently carried out, the alloy layer 11 being removed from the surface of the substrate. Only the portions of the alloy layer 11 located in the depressions above the barriers 8 remain behind. These parts of the alloy layer 11 later form the lower electrodes 12 for the still to be produced capacitors of the memory cells. A slurry with 1 to 5% by weight of abrasive Al 2 O 3 particles and 2 to 10% by weight of H 2 O 2 is used, for example, as oxidant for the CMP step. The use of a conventional slurry is possible, since the properties of the alloy layer are altered by the titanium which has diffused in such that chemical mechanical removal can be achieved even with conventional slurries.
After the CMP step, the insulating layer 5 is etched back by anisotropic etching so that the electrodes 12 protrude somewhat from the surface of the insulating layer 5 . This appreciably increases the capacitor area of the storage capacitor still to be produced. A ferroelectric layer is then produced. An SBT film 13 is deposited with the aid of a CVD process onto the substrate thus prepared. The CVD process is carried out at a substrate temperature of 385° C. and a chamber pressure of approximately 1200 Pa. The oxygen fraction in the gas mixture is 60%. In this way, the SBT film 13 is deposited as an amorphous film. Consequently, the SBT film 13 essentially does not yet exhibit ferroelectric properties. The deposited, amorphous SBT 13 is subsequently annealed at a temperature of between 600 and 750° C. for 10 to 30 minutes in an oxygen atmosphere, the ferroelectric properties of the SBT 13 being produced.
The upper electrode of the storage capacitors is subsequently deposited over the entire surface. Again, because of their good oxidation resistance and/or the formation of electrically conductive oxides, 4 d and 5 d transition metals, in particular platinum metals (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt) and especially platinum itself are used as electrode material. The precious metal layer 14 , for example platinum, is applied, for example, by a sputtering method with a sputtering temperature of approximately 300 to 550° C. After the application of the upper electrode, annealing is carried out again in order to heal the boundary layer between the ferroelectric layer 13 and the upper electrode 14 . The precious metal layer 14 and the ferroelectric layer 13 are subsequently structured with the aid of an anisotropic etching method so as to produce the structure shown in FIG. 8 .
The memory cells are thereby essentially completed. Further steps follow for the purpose of insulating the individual memory cells and of producing the wiring of the memory device. The methods used in this case belong, however, to the prior art and will not be explained here in more detail.
FIGS. 9 to 12 show a further method for producing a structured layer according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention. The first step a) of the method in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention corresponds in this case to what was explained in connection with FIGS. 1 to 4 , and so repetition can be dispensed with.
Also in this embodiment of the present invention, a precious metal, for example platinum, is deposited over the entire surface of the structure shown in FIG. 4 . The precious metal layer 9 is applied by a sputtering method at a temperature of approximately 500° C. The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 9 . A titanium oxide layer 15 is subsequently produced as donor material on the precious metal layer 9 . This can be performed, for example, by a CVD method. The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 10 .
Heat treatment (annealing) follows at a temperature of approximately 700° C. in an oxygen atmosphere, such that the titanium of the titanium oxide layer 15 diffuses as additive into the platinum layer 9 and an alloy layer 16 is produced. A portion of the titanium also diffuses along the grain boundaries within the platinum layer 9 . The titanium is oxidized by the oxygen of the oxygen atmosphere on the path along the grain boundaries, and so titanium oxide is also present along the grain boundaries. The heat treatment leaves a titanium oxide layer with a different stoichiometric composition on the alloy layer. This titanium oxide layer is removed from the alloy layer 16 by means of an additional etching step, for example with HF or HCL. The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 11 .
A CMP step is subsequently carried out again, the alloy layer 16 being removed from the surface of the substrate. Only the parts of the alloy layer 16 which are disposed in the depressions above the barriers 8 remain behind. These parts of the alloy layer 16 later form the lower electrodes 12 for the still to be produced capacitors of the memory cells. A slurry with 1 to 5% by weight of abrasive Al 2 O 3 particles and 2 to 10% by weight of H 2 O 2 is used, for example, as oxidant for the CMP step. The use of a conventional slurry is possible, since the properties of the alloy layer are altered by the titanium which has diffused in such that chemical mechanical removal can be achieved even with conventional slurries.
This is followed again by etching back of the insulating layer 5 , the application and annealing of the ferroelectric layer 13 and the application of the upper electrode 14 and the structuring of the upper electrode 14 and of the ferroelectric layer 13 , resulting in the situation shown in FIG. 12 .
FIGS. 13 to 18 show a further method for producing a structured layer according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention. The first steps of the method correspond in this case to what was explained in connection with FIGS. 1 to 2 , and so repetition can be dispensed with.
Conductive material 7 , for example polysilicon doped in situ, is now applied to the structure. This can be performed, for example, by a CVD method. The contact holes 6 are completely filled up by the application of the conductive material 7 , and a continuous conductive layer is produced on the insulating layer 5 ( FIG. 13 ). This is followed by a CMP step (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) which removes the continuous conductive layer on the surface of the insulating layer 5 and produces a flat surface.
Depressions in the insulating layer 5 are subsequently formed in a fashion overlapping the contact holes 6 . These depressions are now filled down to a prescribed depth with barrier material 8 , for example iridium oxide. This is performed by depositing the barrier material 8 over the entire surface ( FIG. 14 ) and subsequently carrying out a CMP step. Subsequently, a further insulating layer 20 , for example SiO 2 , is deposited which is structured in accordance with the electrodes 12 still to be produced. The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 15 .
This concludes the first step a) of the method according to the invention. A prestructured substrate has been produced on which it is now possible subsequently to apply the precious metal and/or the donor material.
In this embodiment of the present invention, a precious metal, for example platinum is subsequently deposited over the entire surface of the structure shown in FIG. 15 . The precious metal layer 9 is applied by a sputtering method at a temperature of approximately 500° C. Subsequently, a titanium layer 10 is produced as donor material on the precious metal layer 9 . This can be performed, for example, by a sputtering method. The structure resulting therefrom is shown in FIG. 16 .
Heat treatment (annealing) then follows at a temperature of approximately 700° C. such that the titanium of the titanium layer 10 diffuses as additive into the platinum layer 9 , producing an alloy layer. The thickness of the titanium layer is selected such that the titanium diffuses completely into the platinum layer 9 , with the result that essentially no titanium remains behind on the surface of the alloy layer.
A CMP step is subsequently carried out, the alloy layer being removed from the surface of the substrate. Only the portions of the alloy layer which are disposed in the depressions in the insulating layer 20 above the barriers 8 remain behind. These parts of the alloy layer later form the lower electrodes 12 for the still to be produced capacitors of the memory cells. A slurry with 1 to 5% by weight of abrasive Al 2 O 3 particles and 2 to 10% by weight of H 2 O 2 is used, for example, as oxidant for the CMP step. The use of a conventional slurry is possible, since the properties of the alloy layer are altered by the titanium which has diffused in such that chemical mechanical removal can be achieved even with conventional slurries.
After the CMP step, the insulating layer 20 is etched back by anisotropic etching so that the electrodes 12 protrudes somewhat from the surface of the insulating layer 20 . This subsequently increases the capacitor area of the storage capacitor still to be produced. This is followed again by the application and annealing of the ferroelectric layer 13 and the application of the upper electrode 14 and the structuring of the upper electrode 14 and of the ferroelectric layer 13 , resulting in the situation shown in FIG. 12 .
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The invention provides methods which can be used to structure even precious metal electrodes with conventional CMP steps, in particular with the aid of conventional slurries such as are already used to structure non-precious metals. Owing to the formation of an alloy, the chemically active components of the slurry are capable of attacking the additive to the precious metal in the alloy, as a result of which the surface of the alloy layer is roughened and the mechanical removal of the precious metal is increased.
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BACKGROUND
There are millions of employees and independent contractors who do not have checking accounts. Instead of receiving a payroll check, an employee or independent contractor can receive a payroll card. The payroll card can be provided by an employer. The employer can make funds available on the payroll card automatically using card account information. The employee or independent contractor can then use the payroll card at a bank or an ATM to withdraw funds.
When an employee leaves an employer, the employer may retain the payroll card or close the account on the payroll card. The employee looses the use of the payroll card for receiving payments from a new employer. A new payroll card must be issued in some cases.
Independent contractors have multiple or zero employers at any given time. When an employer terminates an independent contractor, the employer may retain the payroll card or close the account on the payroll card. For this reason, the independent contractor must have a separate payroll card for each employer. Similarly, an employee with multiple employers may also need a separate payroll card for each employer.
Embodiments of the present invention address these and other problems, individually and collectively.
BRIEF SUMMARY
Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods, computer readable media, and systems that allow an employee to use their portable consumer device such a payroll card after leaving their current employer.
One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method that determines that a first relationship between a holder of a portable consumer device and a first employer is terminated. In response to determining that the first relationship is terminated, the method further disassociates the account information of the portable consumer device from the first employer while retaining an association between the portable consumer device and an issuer of the portable consumer device. The method also establishes a second relationship between the holder and a second employer and links the account information of the portable consumer device with the second employer.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method that determines that a first relationship between a holder of a portable consumer device and a first employer is terminated. In response to determining that the first relationship is terminated, the method further disassociates account information of the portable consumer device from the first employer while retaining an association between the portable consumer device and an issuer of the portable consumer device. The method also strips one or more benefits associated with the first employer from the portable consumer device. The method further determines a status of the portable consumer device. If the status of the portable consumer device is one of a plurality of pre-determined statuses, the method also places the portable consumer device in an orphan standing.
These and other embodiments of the invention are described in further detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a flowchart illustrating a method according to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of the invention may solve above-noted problems by allowing an employee to retain the use of their portable consumer device after leaving their current employer. In addition, the employee can use the same portable consumer device to receive payments from a new employer. When the relationship between an employee and their current employer ends, benefits provided by the current employer are stripped. The account for the portable consumer device is placed in orphan standing and is assigned a standard fee schedule. When the employee establishes a relationship with a new employer, benefits with a new fee schedule are provided by the new employer. In addition, a direct deposit number and a routing number for depositing funds available on the portable consumer device are given to the new employer. Thus, the employee can use the same portable consumer device to receive payments and benefits from their new employer. Similarly, embodiments of the invention allow an independent contractor to use the same portable consumer device with any number of employers.
Certain embodiments of the invention may provide one or more technical advantages to a number of entities. Such entities may include issuers, merchants, employers, and employees.
The technical advantage to an employer is that portable consumer devices such as payroll cards are less expensive to issue than paper checks. Also, the management (including reconciliation) of the employer's payroll using portable consumer devices is easier than using checks, since all payments are in electronic form.
One technical advantage to an employee is that portable consumer devices are more convenient to use than paper checks. Another technical advantage to the employee is that the portable consumer devices can be used after leaving a current employer. In addition, the employee can use the same portable consumer device with a new employer. Similarly, if the employee has multiple employers, the employee can use the same portable consumer device to receive payments from multiple employers.
One technical advantage to an issuer is that certain embodiments may reduce the cost of customer acquisition for the issuer. For example, the same portable consumer device will be used with several employers. Therefore, an issuer can retain the accounts of the employees and does not lose them as customers. Another technical advantage to the issuer is that certain embodiments may increase the use of portable consumer devices. For example, by allowing portability of these devices, employees will use the devices to pay for more goods and services.
Certain embodiments of the invention may include none, some, or all of the above technical advantages. One or more other technical advantages may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures, descriptions, and claims included herein.
FIG. 1 illustrates a system 20 according to an embodiment of the invention. System 20 includes an employee 30 , a current employer 31 ( a ), a new employer 31 ( b ), a portable consumer device 32 , an issuer 34 , a merchant 36 , an acquirer 38 , and a payment processing network 40 .
System 20 includes an employee 30 in operative communication with either current employer 31 ( a ) or new employer 31 ( b ). Employee 30 is also in operative communication with a portable consumer device 32 . Current employer 31 ( a ) may have given employee 30 portable consumer device 32 in exchange for work performed, or may provide portable consumer device 32 with additional value if portable consumer device 32 is in the form of a reloadable card, cell phone, key fob, etc. Issuer 34 is in operative communication with current employer 31 ( a ) and/or new employer 31 ( b ). Issuer 34 may have an account with employee 30 associated with portable consumer device 32 . Portable consumer device 32 is in operative communication with merchant 36 to make purchases or withdraw cash. Merchant 36 is in operative communication with acquirer 38 . In some cases, merchant 36 may have an account with acquirer 38 and therefore, may be affiliated with acquirer 38 . Acquirer 38 is also in operative communication with issuer 34 through payment processing network 40 .
Employee 30 may refer to any suitable entity or entities that use portable consumer device 32 to receive payments from employers 31 ( a ) and 31 ( b ). An employee 30 may be a traditional employee, an independent contractor, or another entity that might receive payments from employers 31 ( a ) and 31 ( b ). In some cases, employee 30 may include multiple entities. For example, employee 30 may be an organization that receives payments from employers for performance by members of the organization.
Employer, such as current employer 31 ( a ) and new employer 31 ( b ), may refer to entities that make payments to employee 30 using portable consumer device 32 . For example, payments could be made from a business to its employees, a governmental entity such as a state or local government to a benefit recipient (e.g., a social security benefit recipient for social security payments, a disability benefit recipient for disability payments), insurers to their insured individuals (e.g., reimbursement payments to insured individuals for insurance claims), etc.
The relationship between an employer and employee 30 refers to any arrangement that results in payments received using portable consumer device 32 . In some cases, the relationship may include an agreement.
Portable consumer device 32 may be in any suitable form. For example, suitable portable consumer devices 32 can be hand-held and compact so that they can fit into a consumer's wallet and/or pocket (e.g., pocket-sized). They may include smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, keychain devices (such as the Speedpass™ commercially available from Exxon-Mobil Corp.), etc. Other examples of portable consumer devices 32 include cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, payment cards, security cards, access cards, smart media, transponders, and the like.
Portable consumer device 32 may comprise a computer readable medium 32 ( a ) and a body 32 ( b ). Computer readable medium 32 ( a ) may be on body 32 ( b ). Body 32 ( b ) may in the form a plastic substrate, housing, or other structure. Computer readable medium 32 ( a ) may be a memory that stores data and may be in any suitable form. Exemplary computer readable media 32 ( a ) may be in any suitable form including a magnetic stripe, a memory chip, etc. If portable consumer device 32 is in the form of a card, it may have an embossed region ER 32 ( c ) which is embossed with a PAN (primary account number). Computer readable medium 32 ( a ) may electronically store the PAN as well as other data such as PIN data.
Payment processing network 40 may include data processing subsystems, networks, and operations used to support and deliver authorization services, exception file services, and clearing and settlement services. An exemplary payment processing network may include VisaNet™. Payment processing networks such as VisaNet™ are able to process credit card transactions, debit card transactions, and other types of commercial transactions. VisaNet™, in particular, includes a VIP system (Visa Integrated Payments system) which processes authorization requests and a Base 11 system which performs clearing and settlement services. Payment processing network 40 may use any suitable wired or wireless network, including the Internet.
Merchant 36 may also have, or may receive communications from, an access device 42 that can interact with portable consumer device 32 . In the illustrated embodiment, access device 42 is located at merchant 36 . However, access device 42 may be located at any other suitable location in other embodiments of the invention. Merchant 36 may be a department store, a gas station, a drug store, a grocery store, or other suitable business.
Access device 42 may be in any suitable form. Examples of access devices include point of sale (POS) devices, cellular phones, PDAs, personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, handheld specialized readers, set-top boxes, electronic cash registers (ECRs), automated teller machines (ATMs), virtual cash registers (VCRs), kiosks, security systems, access systems, websites, and the like. Access device 42 may use any suitable contact or contactless mode of operation to send or receive data from portable consumer devices 32 .
If access device 42 is a point of sale terminal, any suitable point of sale terminal may include a reader 42 ( a ), a processor 42 ( b ) and a computer readable medium 42 ( c ). Reader 42 ( b ) may include any suitable contact or contactless mode of operation. For example, exemplary card readers can include RF (radio frequency) antennas, optical scanners, bar code reader, magnetic stripe readers, etc. to interact with portable consumer device 32 .
Acquirer 38 is typically a bank that has an account with merchant 36 . Employer 30 may have an account with issuer 34 and merchant 36 may have an account with acquirer 38 .
Issuer 34 may refer to any suitable entity that issues portable consumer device 32 to employee 30 . For example, issuer 34 may be a bank. In another example, issuer 34 may be a business entity such a retail store. In some embodiments, issuer 34 may be current employer 31 ( a ). Some entities are both acquirers 38 and issuers 34 , and embodiments of the invention include such entities.
Issuer 34 may have or operate a server computer 44 and a database 46 . In the illustrated embodiment, issuer 34 comprises server computer 44 communicatively coupled to database 46 . Server computer 44 may include any hardware, software, other logic, or combination of the preceding for servicing the requests from one or more client computers. Server computer 44 may use any of a variety of computing structures, arrangements, and compilations for servicing the requests from one or more client computers. In one embodiment, server computer 44 may be a powerful computer or cluster of computers. For example, server computer 44 can be a large mainframe, a minicomputer cluster, or a group of servers functioning as a unit. In one example, server computer 44 may be a database server coupled to a Web server. Server computer 44 services the requests of one or more client computers.
Database 32 may include any hardware, software, firmware, or combination of the preceding for storing and facilitating retrieval of information. Also, database 46 may use any of a variety of data structures, arrangements, and compilations to store and facilitate retrieval of information. In the illustrated embodiment, database 32 is located on issuer 34 . Database 46 may be located on other components of system 20 in other embodiments. For example, database 46 may be located on portable consumer device 32 .
Monetary values associated with portable consumer device 32 may be stored on database 46 on issuer 34 , on portable consumer device 32 , or on another component of system 20 . In some embodiments, portable consumer device 32 may have an identification number. The identification number may be stored in database 46 with the monetary value (e.g., $500) associated with portable consumer device 32 . In this example, data representing the monetary value (e.g., $500) would not be stored on portable consumer device 32 . In other embodiments, data representing the monetary value associated with portable consumer device 32 could be stored in computer readable medium 32 ( a ) of portable consumer device 32 .
Account information refers to information related to holder's account with issuer 34 associated with portable consumer device 32 . Account information may be stored in database 46 on issuer 34 , on portable consumer device 32 , or on another component of system 20 . Account information 50 includes any suitable information associated with making transactions using portable consumer device 32 . In some embodiments, server computer 44 may manipulate account information 50 stored in database 46 . In other embodiments, other components of system 20 may manipulate account information 50 stored on database 46 .
Examples of account information include employer account information, portable consumer device 32 identification data, pin data, direct deposit number and routing number, benefits information, and device status. In one embodiment, account information may include an account number such as a direct deposit number and a routing number. For example, current employer 31 ( a ) and new employer 31 ( b ) may use a direct deposit number and a routing number to automatically deposit funds to the account on portable consumer device 32 . Account numbers are associated with a bank account in some cases.
Benefits information describes benefits provided by an employer to employee 30 when using portable consumer device 32 . In one embodiment, benefits information includes a fee schedule which lists fees charged to employee 30 when using portable consumer device 32 to conduct transactions. Fees may be, for example, some percentage of the value of the transactions conducted. In one case, the percentage may be less than about 5, 2, or 1 percent. Issuer 34 may collect the fees charged to employee 30 and pay all or a portion of the collected fees to the acquirer and/or merchant 36 for participating in the transactions. Transactions may include cash withdrawals which may be free to employee 30 in another example of a fee.
Device status refers to a state or a condition of portable consumer device 32 at a particular time. Examples of statuses include “active,” “pending issuance,” “issued,” “suspended,” “administratively suspended,” “lost,” “stolen,” “expired,” “pending account closure,” “closed,” “closed for fraud,” “returned,” “voided,” “fraud lock,” “hold,” “research required,” “stale,” and “damaged.” Current employer 31 ( a ), new employer 31 ( b ), employee 30 , issuer 34 , or combination thereof, may define the status of portable consumer device 32 . In one case, a portable consumer device 32 that has been activated has the device status of “active.” In another case, portable consumer device 32 that has been closed for fraudulent transactions has the device status of “closed for fraud.” Portable consumer device 32 may be associated with any suitable number of device statuses.
In the illustrated embodiment, current employer 31 ( a ) gives employee 30 portable consumer device 32 in exchange for performance. Employee 30 leaves current employer 31 ( a ) and keeps portable consumer device 32 . Benefits provided by current employer 31 ( a ) are denied to or stripped from employee 30 by removing or modifying benefits information in account information 50 . Employee 30 is transferred to a standard fee table. Employee 30 may be notified that the benefits have been stripped in one case. Employer may also loose access to account information 50 in another case. After employment begins with new employer 31 ( b ), benefits are provided by new employer 31 ( b ) by adding benefits information to account information 50 . Also, an account number such as a direct deposit number and a routing number from account information 50 are automatically transferred to new employer 31 ( b ). Thus, employee 30 retains the use of portable consumer device 32 and can receive payments from their new employer 31 ( b ).
The account associated with portable consumer device 32 may be placed in orphan standing after employee 30 terminates the relationship with current employer 31 ( a ). An account in orphan standing refers to an account of portable consumer device 32 with an employee that is not linked with either current employer 31 ( a ) or new employer 31 ( b ). Thus, no employer has a financial obligation to employee 30 in orphan standing. While in orphan standing, the account on portable consumer device 32 may be given a standard set of benefits according to a standard fee schedule. Employee 30 may pay for any charges associated with the standard fee schedule in one example. In another example, current employer 31 ( a ) may pay for the charges for a certain period of time or until employee 30 becomes employed by new employer 31 ( b ). The standard set of benefits may be defined by any entity such as issuer 34 , employee 30 , or other suitable entity. In some embodiments, the standard set of benefits may be pre-defined when portable consumer device 32 was issued. In other embodiments, the standard set of benefits may be defined when employee 30 leaves current employer 31 ( a ). Employee 30 may have the opportunity to modify the standard set of benefits in some cases.
In one embodiment, a portable consumer device 32 must qualify for placement in orphan standing and for transfer to new employer 31 ( b ). In one embodiment, portable consumer device 32 must have one or more device statuses to qualify for placement in orphan standing and for transfer to new employer 31 ( b ). Current employer 31 ( a ), new employer 31 ( b ), employee 30 , issuer 34 , or any combination thereof, may designate the one or more qualifying statuses. For example, current employer 31 ( a ) may want only those portable consumer devices 32 that have been activated to be transferred to new employer 31 ( b ). Current employer 31 ( a ) may designate that a portable consumer device 32 must have “active” status to be transferred to orphan standing. In another example, current employer 31 ( a ) may want only portable consumer devices 32 with a plurality of designated statuses to be transferred to orphan standing. In this case, the portable consumer device 32 can only be transferred to orphan standing when all the designated statuses are established.
In another embodiment, portable consumer device 32 that has a disqualifying status cannot be placed in orphan standing or transferred to new employer 31 ( b ). Current employer 31 ( a ), employee 30 , issuer 34 , or any combination thereof, may designate the one or more disqualifying statuses. For example, current employer 31 ( a ) may want to stop the transfer of portable consumer device 32 that has been closed because it was used in fraudulent transactions. Current employer 31 ( a ) may designate that portable consumer device 32 with a device status of “closed for fraud” cannot be transferred to new employer 31 ( b ).
Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to system 20 without departing from the scope of the invention. The components of system 20 may be integrated or separated according to particular needs. Moreover, the operations of system 20 may be performed by more, fewer, or other system modules. Additionally, operations of system 20 may be performed using any suitable logic comprising software, hardware, other logic, or any suitable combination of the preceding.
As shown in FIG. 2 , current employer 31 ( a ) provides holder with portable consumer device 32 (step 502 ). Portable consumer device 32 may have been created by issuer 34 or provisioned by issuer 34 . For example, issuer 34 may issue portable consumer devices to the holders on behalf of current employer 31 ( a ). They could be provided directly to holder from issuer 34 , from current employer 31 ( a ), or from a third party operating on behalf of current employer 31 ( a ). A separate wage statement may also be sent from current employer 31 ( a ) to holder. It may include information such as tax information, benefits and/or salary accrued to date, etc.
As used herein, “holder” refers to any suitable entity that uses portable consumer device to make transactions. Holder may be an employee 30 of current employer 31 ( a ). In another embodiment, holder may be an agent of employee 30 using portable consumer device 32 for the benefit of employee 30 . In yet another of embodiment, holder may be an entity that has obtained the use of portable consumer device by any suitable means.
Portability refers to the concept of retaining the association between issuer 34 and the holder after the relationship initiating the issuance of portable consumer device 32 ends. Initially, for example, current employer 31 ( a ) may provide a holder with portable consumer device 32 in exchange for services. The holder may then be terminated by current employer 31 ( a ). Even though the initiating relationship between the holder and current employer 31 ( a ) is extinguished, holder's account with issuer 34 associated with portable consumer device 32 may remain open. Thus, the holder continues to have use of their portable consumer device 32 after the initiating relationship ends.
A portability trigger refers to any suitable event that initiates the transfer of the account of holder from current employer 31 ( a ) to orphan standing or to next employer 31 ( b ). In one embodiment, the end of the relationship between current employer and holder may be a portability trigger. In another embodiment, the closing of the bank account of current employer 31 ( a ) may be a portability trigger. In yet another embodiment, the use of portable consumer device 32 in fraudulent transactions may be a portability trigger. Issuer 34 may be notified of the occurrence of the portability trigger from current employer 31 ( a ), from the holder, or from any other suitable entity.
Current employer 31 ( a ) terminates the relationship with holder of portable consumer device 32 (step 506 ). Current employer 31 ( a ) notifies issuer 34 that the relationship between current employer 31 ( a ) and holder has ended. The end of the relationship triggers portability. In response, server computer 44 on issuer 34 unlinks the holder from current employer 31 ( a ) in holder's account information 50 stored in database 46 . Holder's account with issuer 34 remains open so that holder can continue to use portable consumer device 32 .
As used herein, “terminates the relationship” or “terminating the relationship” may refer to any suitable way of ending the relationship between the employer and employee 30 . For example, employee 30 may resign or retire. In another example, employer may terminate or layoff the employee 30 .
Server computer 44 on issuer 34 places holder's account of portable consumer device 32 into orphan standing (step 510 ). The holder is not associated with an employer while holder's account is in orphan standing. Accordingly, current employer 31 ( a ) does not have a financial obligation to holder while holder's account is in orphan standing. Server computer 44 on issuer 34 removes access of current employer 31 ( a ) to account information 50 of holder (step 512 ).
Server computer 44 on issuer 34 alerts holder that the account on portable consumer device 32 is in orphan standing. Server computer 44 on issuer 34 also sends holder information concerning the terms and conditions of orphan standing (step 514 ). In one embodiment, an email is sent to holder with: information discussing orphan standing, a link to terms and conditions, and a letter with information regarding a direct deposit number and a routing number that apply while the account is in orphan standing.
Server computer 44 on issuer 34 transfers the account on portable consumer device 32 to a standard fee schedule (step 518 ). The standard fee schedule may be pre-defined by issuer 34 or other entity. In some cases, holder may pay for any charges incurred under the standard fee schedule. Server computer 44 on issuer 34 also updates account information 50 stored on database 46 (step 522 ). Account information 50 is updated to reflect that holder is no longer associated with current employer 31 ( a ) and that the standard fee schedule applies.
Holder may initiate a relationship with new employer 31 ( b ) in one embodiment. New employer 31 ( b ) may notify issuer 34 that the relationship with holder has initiated. In response, server computer 44 on issuer 34 may link the holder to new employer 31 ( b ) in holder's account information 50 stored in database 46 on issuer 34 . New employer 31 ( b ) may provide benefits information to issuer 34 describing the benefits that new employer 31 ( b ) will provide to employee 30 including a new fee schedule. Server computer 44 on issuer 34 may transfer the account to the new fee schedule. In some cases, new employer 31 ( b ) may pay for some or all of the charges incurred under the new fee schedule. Server computer 44 on issuer 34 may also update account information 50 stored on database 46 to reflect the new relationship with new employer 31 ( b ) and the new fee schedule. Server computer 44 on issuer 34 may also provide new employer 31 ( b ) with a direct deposit number and a routing number so that new employer can deposit funds into holder's account with issuer 34 to make funds available to holder on portable consumer device 32 . In one case, new employer 31 ( b ) may also be current employer 31 ( a ). For example, current employer 31 ( a ) may hire employee 30 , terminate employee 30 , and then re-hire employee 30 . By re-hiring employee 30 , current employer 31 ( a ) also becomes new employer 31 ( b ).
In some embodiments, holder may have multiple or zero employers at any time. In these embodiments, the relationship between the holder and any one employer may terminate or begin at any time. Holder's account with issuer 34 associated with portable consumer device 32 may remain open even though relationships with employers end. A terminating employer may notify issuer 34 that the relationship ends. In response, server computer 44 on issuer 34 may unlink the holder from the terminating employer in holder's account information 50 stored in database 46 . In these embodiments, holder's account may use a standard fee schedule that is stored in database 46 . Server computer 44 on issuer 34 may provide any new employers 31 ( b ) with a direct deposit number and a routing number for depositing funds into holder's account to make funds available to holder with portable consumer device 32 . Server computer 44 on issuer 34 may update account information 50 stored in database 46 to reflect the existing relationships.
Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the method without departing from the scope of the invention. The method may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order without departing from the scope of the invention.
It should be understood that the present invention as described above can be implemented in the form of control logic using computer software in a modular or integrated manner. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will know and appreciate other ways and/or methods to implement the present invention using hardware and a combination of hardware and software.
Any of the software components or functions described in this application, may be implemented as software code to be executed by a processor using any suitable computer language such as, for example, Java, C++ or Perl using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. The software code may be stored as a series of instructions, or commands on a computer readable medium, such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as a hard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a CD-ROM. Any such computer readable medium may reside on or within a single computational apparatus, and may be present on or within different computational apparatuses within a system or network.
A recitation of “a”, “an” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more” unless specifically indicated to the contrary.
The above description is illustrative and is not restrictive. Many variations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the disclosure. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the pending claims along with their full scope or equivalents.
One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention.
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A method determines that a first relationship between a holder of a portable consumer device and a first employer is terminated. In response to determining that the first relationship is terminated, the method also disassociates account information of the portable consumer device from the first employer while retaining an association between the portable consumer device and an issuer of the portable consumer device. In addition, the method establishes a second relationship between the employee and a second employer and links the account information of the portable consumer device with the second employer.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a computer-assisted navigation method for a vehicle equipped with a terminal. The invention also relates, to the terminal in the vehicle and to a traffic information center.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Navigation systems for computer-assisted navigation of a vehicle equipped with a terminal in a traffic network, which use a digital map of the traffic network, are known. A route to be recommended to the driver of the vehicle equipped with the terminal can either be determined in the terminal or determined in a traffic information center and transmitted to the terminal. However, a traffic jam, an accident, a recently closed road, a driver error, or other types of anomalies may mean that the route actually taken by the vehicle differs from the recommended route. Systems which use a digital map to lead the driver back onto the recommended route which he/she has left are known.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to achieve optimum navigation for a vehicle even if the vehicle leaves a recommended route. The object is achieved by a method for computer-assisted navigation of a vehicle having a terminal in a traffic network, comprising the steps of receiving a desired destination at the terminal in the vehicle as a user input, determining the first recommended route to the desired destination, monitoring a current position of the vehicle as the vehicle travels toward the desired destination, determining whether the vehicle turns off of the first recommended route, performing a plausibility check when it is determined that the vehicle has turned off of the recommended route to determine whether the turn off of the recommended route was inadvertent, and determining a second recommended route in response to the step of performing the plausibility check.
Whereas known systems attempt in all cases to lead a driver leaving a recommended route back to the recommended route as soon as possible, the invention is based on the assumption that the driver has not always left a recommended route inadvertently each time, but that the driver has reasons for a preference which is different than the first recommended route. If a discrepancy is detected between the current position and/or direction of travel and the recommended first route, a route or route section which is preferred by the driver of the vehicle and is assumed to exist, at least up until a plausibility check is performed, is determined and is taken into account. A second recommended route to the destination position is determined, at least to the extent that a plausibility check is carried out and that, provided that the plausibility check is positive, it is used in the second route. The method is in this case independent of the way in which data about a route is transmitted. A vehicle may leave a route on the basis of the current vehicle position and/or on the basis of the current direction of travel of the vehicle; the way in which the departure is associated with the recommended route depends on how the recommended route is shown. A preferred route section is a route which differs from the first recommended route only in part, e.g. in a section in the direction of travel.
Previous driving habits can be taken into account not only when a vehicle leaves a recommended route but also when a route is first calculated.
On the basis of the recommended route, the terminal in the vehicle provides the user of the terminal, i.e. the driver of the vehicle, with navigation advice. For example, the terminal provides information about opportunities for turning off which the driver is to take and/or a graphical representation of the route or a section of the route.
The route can be calculated in the terminal. This can also be done in a traffic information center, in which case data about the recommended route are transmitted to the terminal by radio, particularly mobile radio. Determining the route in the terminal has the advantage of autonomous navigation, whereas determining the route in a traffic information center has the advantage that a terminal is inexpensive and that traffic data in a traffic information center can be used directly.
The principle of assuming that, at least in some cases, the driver leaves the recommended first route because of a preferred route or route section which differs from the first recommended route can be implemented in different ways. Thus, for example, when a vehicle leaves a route, a plausibility check can first be carried out to determine whether it is plausible that the driver has left the recommended route on account of a preferred route or route section (for example on account of traffic jams known to the driver or which the driver can see, traffic obstacles, etc.), that is to say that the driver has not left the route inadvertently. The parameters for the plausibility check in the terminal can be modified by radio via a traffic information center.
It is also possible for a vehicle's departure from a route to be taken into account in a traffic information center in that, particularly when a number of vehicles are leaving a route in the same area, there can be assumed to be an obstacle, such as a traffic jam, or an accident on the first route, so that, for recommending routes for other vehicles, at least one section of the first route after the point of departure is avoided.
If a plausibility check determines a known point of departure, i.e. a preferred route differing from the recommended route, the preferred route or route section can be determined in different ways and used to determine a second recommended route, which includes the known point of departure, to the destination position.
For example, it is possible to prevent a road from being rejoined, that is to say the first recommended route from being overlapped by the second recommended route on a section of road extending up to a minimum distance behind the point of departure on the first recommended route—if this is possible and helpful in the traffic network; this means that, in particular, an assumed traffic jam, or accident can be bypassed after the point of departure.
The current position and direction of travel of the vehicle can be recorded in different ways. The position can be recorded by a GPS. The direction of travel can be recorded by repeated GPS recording and difference formation and/or by taking into account turns of the steering wheel of a vehicle and/or by a compass and/or by a system which records changes in direction. Furthermore, a position for determining the direction of travel is alternatively or additionally possible on the basis of the journey of a vehicle being followed on a digital map, in particular taking into account turns of the steering wheel or changes in direction and/or a distance meter (odometer).
Data is expediently transmitted from the terminal to a traffic control center by radio, in particular by mobile radio.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the invention can be found in the other subclaims and in the description below of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a first example of a vehicle departing from a first recommended journey route through a traffic network, necessitating recalculation of the route,
FIG. 2 shows a second example of a vehicle departing from a recommended journey route, and
FIG. 3 shows a third example of a vehicle departing from a journey route.
FIG. 4 shows a terminal and a traffic information center of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows part of a detail of a traffic network, namely the freeway and federal road network around Cologne. On the basis of its starting position (for example Düsseldorf) and its desired destination position 2 (situated in the south of Cologne, for example), a vehicle 1 is recommended a first route along which the vehicle 1 is initially moving, in the example shown, on the A 57 from north to south, i.e. from top to bottom in FIG. 1 . For this, the vehicle receives navigation advice regarding the first recommended route, that is, for example, advice about necessary turns to be made etc. Refering also to FIG. 4, the position of the vehicle 1 is recorded continuously in the vehicle 1 via a positioning device 15 such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) connected to a terminal 10 in the vehicle 1 . In addition, the direction of travel is recorded continuously, for which purpose a number of subsequent GPS positions with difference formation were used in each case. The direction of travel and the position of the vehicle are continuously compared with the recommended route in memory 18 of the terminal 10 . To this end, a controller 16 or 26 uses a suitable method was used to associate the position, in particular, with a stretch of road on a digital map of the traffic network. The digital map may be in the memory 18 of the terminal 10 and/or in a memory 28 of a traffic information center 20 . If navigation takes place autonomously in the vehicle alone, then there is a digital map and a route calculation program in the terminal 10 in the vehicle; if the vehicle is navigated by the traffic recording center 20 then position and/or direction data is repeatedly transmitted from the vehicle to a traffic information center by radio 12 , 22 , in this case mobile radio, and compared in the controller 26 of the traffic information center 20 with the recommended route that has been calculated there. Data regarding the recommended route is transmitted by radio 12 , 22 from the traffic information center 20 to a terminal 10 of vehicle 1 for display there or for providing navigation advice there for a terminal user.
In the present case, the terminal 10 (or alternatively or additionally the traffic information center 20 ) establishes that the vehicle is not on a section of road belonging to the recommended route on a digital map of the traffic network (in the memory 18 of terminal 10 and/or in the memory 28 of traffic information center 20 ). In the present example, the vehicle 1 is to the west, i.e. to the left in FIG. 1, of the A 57 freeway which the recommended route uses. This means that, firstly, a plausibility check is carried out to ascertain whether the driver had cause to leave the recommended route. In the present case, there are no freeways, federal roads etc. leading to the destination 2 in the vicinity of the current position or in the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 , so that the assumption can be made that there is a local reason for the vehicle 1 to have turned off such as a traffic jam, or accident on the A 57 in the area where the vehicle 1 departed from the stretch of road. The assumption is therefore that the driver turned off because of a preferred route, and this information is included in the calculation of a second recommended route. The calculator of the second recommended route can be done, for example, such that the driver is not directed back to the A 57 or such that the A 57 is not rejoined until after a certain distance. In the former case, the vehicle 1 is directed via village roads (not shown here) to the route B 59 N and on to the destination 2 .
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the position of the vehicle 1 to the side of the route A 57 indicates that it has left the route A 57 . However, in this case the destination 2 is close by, so that it is possible that the vehicle has inadvertently turned off from the A 57 freeway at an exit which is too early. Therefore the plausibility check shows that this is not definitely a preferred route different than the recommended first route. Hence, it is recommended that the vehicle 1 rejoin the route A 57 in this example.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, the traffic information center 20 detects an area 3 of slow-moving traffic in the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 on the recommended first route, using stationary and/or mobile traffic detectors 24 , for example, so that the plausibility check shows that the vehicle has departed from the first recommended route on account of a route preferred by the driver of the vehicle because of the traffic jam 3 . A second recommended route is therefore determined here such that the vehicle 1 is not directed back to the A 57 and hence into the traffic jam 3 , but rather the traffic jam 3 is bypassed using minor roads, and the A 57 is rejoined only after this. Alternatively a completely new route to the destination 2 , bypassing the A 57 , is planned via route B 59 N, route A 1 , route E 40 or route A 53 .
In addition to recalculating the route when a vehicle leaves a route, the method according to the invention also optimizes the first calculation of a route.
The method can be implemented as a program in the terminal 10 in the vehicle 1 and/or the traffic information center 20 . The program comprises, particularly in the terminal and/or in the information center, a route calculation subroutine, a subroutine for requesting the starting position and the desired destination position, a subroutine for recording the vehicle position and/or the direction of travel and a program for associating the journey position and/or direction of travel with a digital map in the terminal or in the traffic information center.
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Navigation of a vehicle in a traffic network is optimized by a terminal, a traffic information center and a computer-assisted navigation method for a vehicle equipped with a terminal in a traffic network, using a digital map of the traffic network, in which a user requests a desired destination from the terminal and in which a route to the destination is determined, taking into account previous driving habits.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/991,763, filed on Nov. 21, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,530, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/455,063, filed on Dec. 6, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,390, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/130,688, filed Aug. 6, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,618, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to the improved method and system for digital encoding of speech signals, more particularly to Linear Predictive Analysis-by-Synthesis (LPAS) based speech coding.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
LPAS coders have given new dimension to medium-bit rate (8–16 Kbps) and low-bit rate (2–8 Kbps) speech coding research. Various forms of LPAS coders are being used in applications like secure telephones, cellular phones, answering machines, voice mail, digital memo recorders, etc. The reason is that LPAS coders exhibit good speech quality at low bit rates. LPAS coders are based on a speech production model 39 (illustrated in FIG. 1 ) and fall into a category between waveform coders and parametric coders (Vocoder); hence they are referred to as hybrid coders.
Referring to FIG. 1 , the speech production model 39 parallels basic human speech activity and starts with the excitation source 41 (i.e., the breathing of air in the lungs). Next the working amount of air is vibrated through a vocal chord 43 . Lastly, the resulting pulsed vibrations travel through the vocal tract 45 (from vocal chords to voice box) and produce audible sound waves, i.e., speech 47 .
Correspondingly, there are three major components in LPAS coders. These are (i) a short-term synthesis filter 49 , (ii) a long-term synthesis filter 51 , and (iii) an excitation codebook 53 . The short-term synthesis filter includes a short-term predictor in its feed-back loop. The short-term synthesis filter 49 models the short-term spectrum of a subject speech signal at the vocal tract stage 45 . The short-term predictor of 49 is used for removing the near-sample redundancies (due to the resonance produced by the vocal tract 45 ) from the speech signal. The long-term synthesis filter 51 employs an adaptive codebook 55 or pitch predictor in its feedback loop. The pitch predictor 55 is used for removing far-sample redundancies (due to pitch periodicity produced by a vibrating vocal chord 43 ) in the speech signal. The source excitation 41 is modeled by a so-called “fixed codebook” (the excitation code book) 53 .
In turn, the parameter set of a conventional LPAS based coder consists of short-term parameters (short-term predictor), long-term parameters and fixed codebook 53 parameters. Typically short-term parameters are estimated using standard 10–12th order LPC (Linear predictive coding) analysis.
The foregoing parameter sets are encoded into a bit-stream for transmission or storage. Usually, short-term parameters are updated on a frame-by-frame basis (every 20–30 msec or 160–240 samples) and long-term and fixed codebook parameters are updated on a subframe basis (every 5–7.5 msec or 40–60 samples). Ultimately, a decoder (not shown) receives the encoded parameter sets, appropriately decodes them and digitally reproduces the subject speech signal (audible speech) 47 .
Most of the state-of-the art LPAS coders differ in fixed codebook 53 implementation and pitch predictor or adaptive codebook implementation 55 . Examples of LPAS coders are Code Excited Linear Predictive (CELP) coder, Multi-Pulse Excited Linear Predictive (MPLPC) coder, Regular Pulse Linear Predictive (RPLPC) coder, Algebraic CELP (ACELP) coder, etc. Further, the parameters of the pitch predictor or adaptive codebook 55 and fixed codebook 53 are typically optimized in a closed-loop using an analysis-by-synthesis method with perceptually-weighted minimum (mean squared) error criterion. See Manfred R. Schroeder and B. S. Atal, “Code-Excited Linear Prediction (CELP): High Quality Speech at Very Low Bit Rates,” IEEE Proceedings of the International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing , Tampa, Fla., pp. 937–940, 1985.
The major attributes of speech-coders are:
1. Speech Quality
2. Bit-rate
3. Time and Space complexity
4. Delay
Due to the closed-loop parameter optimization of the pitch-predictor 55 and fixed codebook 53 , the complexity of the LPAS coder is enormously high as compared to a waveform coder. The LPAS coder produces considerably good speech quality around 8–16 kbps. Further improvement in the speech quality of LPAS based coders can be obtained by using sophisticated algorithms, one of which is the multi-tap pitch predictor (MTPP). Increasing the number of taps in the pitch predictor increases the prediction gain, hence improving the coding efficiency. On the other hand, estimating and quantizing MTPP parameters increases the computational complexity and memory requirements of the coder.
Another very computationally expensive algorithm in an LPAS based coder is the fixed codebook search. This is due to the analysis-by-synthesis based parameter optimization procedure.
Today, speech coders are often implemented on Digital Signal Processors (DSP). The cost of a DSP is governed by the utilization of processor resources (MIPS/RAM/ROM) required by the speech coder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing the computational complexity and memory requirements (MIPS/RAM/ROM) of an LPAS coder while maintaining the speech quality. This reduction in complexity allows a high quality LPAS coder to run in real-time on an inexpensive general purpose fixed point DSP or other similar digital processor.
Accordingly, the present invention method provides (i) an LPAS speech encoder reduced in computational complexity and memory requirements, and (ii) a method for reducing the computational complexity and memory requirements of an LPAS speech encoder, and in particular a multi-tap pitch predictor and the source excitation codebook in such an encoder. The invention employs fast structured product code vector quantization (PCVQ) for quantizing the parameters of the multi-tap pitch predictor within the analysis-by-synthesis search loop. The present invention also provides a fast procedure for searching the best code-vector in the fixed-code book. To achieve this, the fixed codebook is preferably formed of ternary values (1,−1,0).
In a preferred embodiment, the multi-tap pitch predictor has a first vector codebook and a second (or more) vector codebook. The invention method sequentially searches the first and second vector codebooks.
Further, the invention includes forming the source excitation codebook by using non-contiguous positions for each pulse.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the speech production model on which LPAS coders are based.
FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are block diagrams of an LPAS speech coder with closed loop optimization.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an LPAS speech encoder embodying the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-tap pitch predictor with so-called conventional vector quantization.
FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a multi-tap pitch predictor with product code vector quantized parameters of the present invention.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams illustrating fixed codebook vectors of the present invention, formed of blocks corresponding to pulses of the target speech signal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Generally illustrated in FIG. 2 a is an LPAS coder with closed loop optimization. Typically, the fixed codebook 61 holds over 1024 parameter values, while the adaptive codebook 65 holds just over 128 or so values. Different combinations of those values are adjusted by a term
1 A ( z )
(i.e., the short term synthesis filter 63 ) to produce synthesized signal 69 . The resulting synthesized signal 69 is compared to (i.e., subtracted from) the original speech signal 71 to produce an error signal. This error term is adjusted through perceptual weighting filter 62 , i.e.,
A ( z ) A ( z / γ ) ,
and fed back into the decision making process for choosing values from the fixed codebook 61 and the adaptive codebook 65 .
Another way to state the closed loop error adjustment of FIG. 2 a is shown in FIG. 2 b . Different combinations of adaptive codebook 65 and fixed codebook 61 are adjusted by weighted synthesis filter 64 to produce weighted synthesis speech signal 68 . The original speech signal is adjusted by perceptual weighted filter 62 to produce weighted speech signal 70 . The weighted synthesis signal 68 is compared to weighted speech signal 70 to produce an error signal. This error signal is fed back into the decision making process for choosing values from the fixed codebook 61 and adaptive codebook 65 .
In order to minimize the error, each of the possible combinations of the fixed codebook 61 and adaptive codebook 65 values is considered. Where, in the preferred embodiment, the fixed codebook 61 holds values in the range 0 through 1024, and the adaptive codebook 65 values range from 20 to about 146, such error minimization is a very computationally complex problem. Thus, Applicants reduce the complexity and simplify the problem by sequentially optimizing the fixed codebook 61 and adaptive codebook 65 as illustrated in FIG. 3 .
In particular, Applicants minimize the error and optimize the adaptive codebook working value first, and then, treating the resulting codebook value as a constant, minimize the error and optimize the fixed codebook value. This is illustrated in FIG. 3 as two stages 77 , 79 of processing. In a first (upper) stage 77 , there is a closed loop optimization of the adaptive codebook 11 . The value output from the adaptive codebook 11 is multiplied by the weighted synthesis filter 17 and produces a first working synthesized signal 21 . The error between this working synthesized signal 21 and the weighted original speech signal S tv is determined. The determined error is subsequently minimized via a feedback loop 37 adjusting the adaptive codebook 11 output. Once the error has been minimized and an optimum adaptive contribution is estimated, the first processing stage 77 outputs an adjusted target speech signal S′ tv .
The second processing stage 79 uses the new/adjusted target speech signal S′ tv , for estimating the optimum fixed codebook 27 contribution.
In the preferred embodiment, multi-tap pitch predictor coding is employed to efficiently search the adaptive codebook 11 , as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 . In that case, the goal of processing stage 77 ( FIG. 3 ) becomes the task of finding the optimum adaptive codebook 11 contribution.
Multi-tap Pitch Predictor (MTPP) Coding:
The general transfer function of the MTPP with delay M and predictor coefficient's g k is given as
P ( z ) = 1 - ∑ k = 0 p - 1 g k z - ( M - [ p / 2 ] + k )
For a single-tap pitch predictor p=1. The speech quality, complexity and bit-rate are a function of p. Higher values of p result in higher complexity, bit rate, and better speech quality. Single-tap or three-tap pitch predictors are widely used in LPAS coder design. Higher-tap (p>3) pitch predictors give better performance at the cost of increased complexity and bit-rate.
The bit-rate requirement for higher-tap pitch predictors can be reduced by delta-pitch coding and vector quantizing the predictor coefficients. Although use of vector quantization adds more complexity in the pitch predictor coding, the vector quantization (VQ) of the multiple coefficients g k of the MTPP is necessary to reduce the bits required in encoding the coefficients. One such vector quantization is disclosed in D. Veeneman & B. Mazor, “Efficient Multi-Tap Pitch Predictor for Stochastic Coding,” Speech and Audio Coding for Wireless and Network Applications , Kluwner Academic Publisher, Boston, Mass., pp. 225–229.
In addition, by integrating the VQ search process in the closed-loop optimization process 37 of FIG. 3 (as indicated by 37 a in FIG. 4 ), the performance of the VQ is improved. Hence perceptually weighted mean squared error criterion is used as the distortion measure in the VQ search procedure. One example of such weighted mean square error criterion is found in J. H. Chen, “Toll-Quality 16 kbps CELP Speech Coding with Very Low Complexity,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing , pp. 9–12, 1995. Others are suitable. Moreover, for better coding efficiency, the lag M and coefficient's gk are jointly optimized. The following explains the procedure for the case of a 5-tap pitch predictor 15 as illustrated in FIG. 4 . The method of FIG. 4 is referred to as “Conventional VQ”.
Let r(n) be the contribution from the adaptive codebook 11 or pitch predictor 13 , and let s tv (n) be the target vector and h(n) be the impulse response of the weighted synthesis filter 17 . The error e(n) between the synthesized signal 21 and target, assuming zero contribution from a stochastic codebook 11 and 5-tap pitch predictor 13 , is given as
e ( n ) = s tv ( n ) - ∑ j = 0 j = n h ( n - j ) ∑ k = 0 k = 4 g k r ( n - ( M - 2 + k ) )
In matrix notation with vector length equal to subframe length, the equation becomes
e=s tv −g 0 Hr 0 −g 1 Hr 1 −g 2 Hr 2 −g 3 Hr 3 −g 4 Hr 4
where H is impulse response matrix of weighted synthesis filter 17 . The total mean squared error is given by
E=e T e=s tv T s tv −2 g 0 s tv T Hr 0 −2 g 1 s tv T Hr 1 −2 g 2 s tv T Hr 2 −2 g 3 s tv T Hr 3 −2 g 4 S tv T Hr 4 +g 0 2 r 0 T H T Hr 0 h +g 1 2 r 1 T H T Hr 1 h +g 2 2 r T H T Hr 2 h +g 3 2 r 3 T H T Hr 3 h +g 4 2 r 4 T H T Hr 4 h +2 g 0 g 1 r 0 T H T Hr 1 h +2 g 0 g 2 r 0 T H T Hr 2 h +2 g 0 g 3 r 0 T H T Hr 3 h +2 g 0 g 4 r 0 T H T Hr 4 h +2 g 1 g 2 r 1 T H T Hr 2 h +2 g 1 g 3 r 1 T H T Hr 3 h +2 g 1 g 4 r 1 T h T Hr 4 h +2 g 2 g 3 r 2 T H T Hr 3 h +2 g 2 g 4 r 2 T H T Hr 4 h +2 g 3 g 4 r 3 T H T Hr 4 h Let g=[g 0 ,g 1 ,g 2 ,g 3 ,g 4 , −0.5 g 0 2 , −0.5 g 1 2 , −0.5 g 2 2 , −0.5 g 3 2 , 0.5 g 4 2 , −g 0 g 1 , −g 0 g 2 , −g 0 g 3 , −g 0 g 4 , −g 1 g 2 , −g 1 g 3 , −g 1 g 4 , −g 2 g 3 , −g 2 g 4 , −g 3 g 4 ] Let c M =[s tv T Hr 0 , s tv T Hr 1 , s tv T Hr 2 , s tv T Hr 3 , s tv T Hr 4 , r 0 T H T Hr 0 h , r 1 T H T Hr 1 h , r 2 T H T Hr 2 h , r 3 T H T Hr 3 h , r 4 T H T Hr 4 h , r 0 T H T Hr 1 h , r 0 T H T Hr 2 h , r 0 T H T Hr 3 h , r 0 T H T Hr 4 h , r 1 T H T Hr 2 h , r 1 T H T Hr 3 h , r 1 T H T Hr 4 h , r 2 T H T Hr 3 h , r 2 T H T Hr 4 h , r 3 T H T Hr 4 h ] E=e T e=s tv T s tv −2 c M T g
The g vector may come from a stored codebook 29 of size N and dimension 20 (in the case of a 5-tap predictor). For each entry (vector record) of the codebook 29 , the first five elements of the codebook entry (record) correspond to five predictor coefficients and the remaining 15 elements are stored accordingly based on the first five elements, to expedite the search procedure. The dimension of the g vector is T+(T*(T−1)/2), where T is the number of taps. Hence the search for the best vector from the codebook 29 may be described by the following equation as a function of M and index i.
E ( M,i )= e T e=s tv T s tv −2 c M T g i
where M olp −1≦M≦M olp −2, and i=0 . . . N.
Minimizing E(M,i) is equivalent to maximizing c M T g i , the inner product of two 20 dimensional vectors. The best combination (M,i) which maximize c M T g i is the optimum index and pitch value. Mathematically, (M,i) max{c M T g i }
where M olp −1≦M≦M olp −2, and i=0 . . . N.
For an 8-bit VQ, the complexity reduction is a trade-off between computational complexity and memory (storage) requirement. See the inner 2 columns in Table 2. Both sets of numbers in the first three rows/VQ methods are high for LPAS coders in low cost applications such as digital answering machines.
The storage space problem is solved by Product Code VQ (PCVQ) design of S. Wang, E. Paksoy and A. Gersho, “Product Code Vector Quantization of LPC Parameters,” Speech and Audio Coding for Wireless and Network Applications , Kluwner Academic Publisher, Boston, Mass. A copy of this reference is attached and incorporated herein by reference for purposes of disclosing the overall product code vector quantization (PCVQ) technique. Wang et al used the PCVQ technique to quantize the Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) parameters of the short term synthesis filter in LPAS coders. Applicants in the present invention apply the PCVQ technique to quantize the pitch predictor (adaptive codebook) 55 parameters in the long term synthesis filter 51 ( FIG. 1 ) in LPAS coders. Briefly, the g vector is divided into two subvectors g 1 and g 2 . The elements of g 1 and g 2 come from two separate codebooks C 1 and C 2 . Each possible combination of g 1 and g 2 to make g is searched in analysis-by-synthesis fashion, for optimum performance. FIG. 5 is a graphical illustration of this method.
In particular, codebooks C 1 and C 2 are depicted at 31 and 33 , respectively in FIG. 5 . Codebook C 1 (at 31 ) provides subvector g i while codebook C 2 (at 33 ) provides subvector g j . Further, codebook C 2 (at 33 ) contains elements corresponding to g 0 and g 4 , while codebook C 1 (at 31 ) contains elements corresponding to g 1 , g 2 and g 3 . Each possible combination of subvectors g j and g i to make a combined g vector for the pitch predictor 35 is considered (searched) for optimum performance. The VQ search process is integrated in the closed loop optimization 37 ( FIG. 3 ) as indicated by 37 b in FIG. 5 . As such, lag M and coefficients g i and g j are jointly optimized. Preferably, a perceptually weighted mean square error criterion is used as the distortion measure in the VQ search procedure. Hence the best combination of subvectors g i and g j from codebooks C 1 and C 2 may be described as a function of M and indices i,j as the best combination of (M,i,j) which maximizes C M T g ij (the optimum indices and pitch values as further discussed below).
Specifically, g ij =g 1 i +g 2 j +g 12 ij
max{C M T g ij }(M,ij)
where M olp −1≦M≦M olp −2, i=0 . . . N 1 , and j=0 . . . N 2 . T is the number of taps. N=N 1 *N 2 . N 1 and N 2 are, respectively, the size of codebooks C 1 and C 2 .
Where C 1 contains elements corresponding to g 1 , g 2 , g 3 , then g 1 i is a 9-dimensional vector as follows.
g 1 i =[0 ,g 1i ,g 2i ,g 3i ,0,0,−0.5g 1i 2 ,0.5 g 2i 2 ,−0.5 g 3i 2 , 0,0,0,0,0 ,−g 1i g 2i ,−g 1i g 3i ,0 ,−g 2i g 3i ,0,0]
Let the size of C 1 codebook be N 1 =32. The storage requirement for codebook C 1 is S 1 =9*32=288 words.
Where C 2 contains elements corresponding to g 0 ,g 4 , then g 2 j is a 5 dimensional vector as shown in the following equation.
g 2 j =[g 0j 0,0,0, g 4j ,−0.5 g 0j 2 ,0,0,0,−0.5 g 4j 2 0,0,0 ,−g 0j g 4j ,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Let the size of C 2 codebook be N 2 =8. The storage requirement for codebook C 2 is S 2 =5*8=40 words.
Thus, the total storage space for both of the codebooks=288+40=328 words. This method also requires 6*4*256=6144 multiplications for generating the rest of the elements of g 12 ij which are not stored, where
g 12 ij =[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0, −g 0j g 1i ,−g 0j g 2i ,−g 0j g 3i ,0,0,0, −g 1i g 4j ,0 ,−g 3i g 4j ]
Hence a savings of about 4800 words is obtained by computing 6144 multiplication's per subframe (as compared to the Fast D-dimension VQ method in Table 2). The performance of PCVQ is improved by designing the multiple C 2 codebook based on the vector space of the C 1 codebook. A slight increase in storage space and complexity is required with that improvement. The overall method is referred to in the Tables as “Full Search PCVQ”.
Applicants have discovered that further savings in computational complexity and storage requirement is achieved by sequentially selecting the indices of C 1 and C 2 , such that the search is performed in two stages. For further details see J. Patel, “Low Complexity VQ for Multi-tap Pitch Predictor Coding,” in IEEE Proceedings of the International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing , pp. 763–766, 1997, herein incorporated by reference (copy attached).
Specifically,
Stage 1: For all candidates of M, the best index i=I[M] from codebook C 1 is determined using the perceptually weighted mean square error distortion criterion previously mentioned.
For M olp −1≦M≦M olp −2
I [ i M ] = max { c M T g1 i } i = 0 … N1
Stage 2: The best combination M, I[M] and index j from codebook C 2 is selected using the same distortion criterion as in Stage 1 above.
g I[M]j =g 1 I[M] =g 2 j =g 12 I[M]j max {c M T g I [M] J }(M,I[M]j)
where M olp −1≦M≦M olp −2, and j=0 . . . N 2 .
This (the invention) method is referred to as “Sequential PCVQ”. In this method c M T g is evaluated (32*4)+(8*4)=160 times while in “Full Search PCVQ”, c M T g is evaluated 1024 times. This savings in scalar product (c M T g) computations may be utilized in computing the last 15 elements of g when required. The storage requirement for this invention method is only 112 words.
Comparisons:
A comparison is made among all the different vector quantization techniques described above. The total multiplication and storage space are used in the comparison.
Let T=Taps of pitch predictor=T 1 +T 2 ,
D=Length of g vector=T+T x , T x =Length of extra vector=T(T+1)/2 N=size of g vector VQ, D 1 =Length of g 1 vector=T 1 +T 1 x , T 1 x =T 1 (T 1 + 1 )/2, N 1 =size of g 1 vector VQ, D 2 =Length of g 2 vector=T 2 +T 2 x , T 2 x =T 2 (T 2 +1)/2, N 2 =size of g 2 vector VQ, D 12 =size of g 12 vector=T x −T 1 x −T 2 x , R=Pitch search range, N=N 1 *N 2 .
TABLE 1
Complexity of MTPP
Total
Storage
VQ Method
Multiplication
Requirement
Fast D-dimension
N*R*D
N*D
conventional VQ
Low Memory D-
N*R*(D + T x )
N*T
dimension
conventional VQ
Full Search Product
N*R*(D + D12)
(N1*D1) + (N2*D2)
Code VQ
Sequential Search Product Code
N1*R*(D1 + T1 X ) +
(N1*T1) + (N2*T2)
VQ
N2*R*(D2 + T2 x )
For the 5-tap pitch predictor case,
T=5,N=256, T 1 =3, T 2 =2,N 1 =32,N 2 =8,R=4, D=20, D 1 =9, D 2 =5, D 12 =6, T x =15, T 1 x =6, T 2 x =3.
All four of the methods were used in a CELP coder. The rightmost column of Table 2 shows the segmental signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) comparison of speech produced by each VQ method.
TABLE 2
5-Tap Pitch Predictor Complexity and Performance
Total
Storage
Seg. SNR
VQ Method
Multiplication
Space in Words
dB
Fast D-dimension VQ
20480
5120
6.83
Low Memory D-
20480 + 15360
1280
6.83
dimension VQ
Full Search Product
20480 + 6144
288 + 40
6.72
Code VQ
Sequential Search
1920 + 256 + 6144
96 + 16
6.59
Product Code VQ
Referring back to FIG. 3 , after optimizing the adaptive codebook 11 search according to the foregoing VQ techniques illustrated in FIG. 5 , first processing stage 77 is completed and the second processing stage 79 follows. In the second processing stage 79 , the fixed codebook 27 search is performed. Search time and complexity is dependent on the design of the fixed codebook 27 . To process each value in the fixed codebook 27 would be costly in time and computational complexity. Thus the present invention provides a fixed codebook that holds or stores ternary vectors (−1,0,1) i.e., vectors formed of the possible permutations of 1,0,−1, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 and discussed next.
In the preferred embodiment, for each subframe, target speech signal S′ tv is backward filtered 18 through the synthesis filter ( FIG. 3 ) to produce working speech signal S bf as follows.
S bf ( j ) = ∑ n = j n = NSF - 1 S tv ′ ( n ) h ( n - j ) 0 ≤ j ≤ NSF - 1
where, NSF is the sub-frame size and
h
(
n
)
=
1
A
(
z
/
γ
)
.
Next, the working speech signal S bf is partitioned into N p blocks Blk 1 , Blk 2 . . . Blk N p (overlapping or non-overlapping, see FIG. 6 ). The best fixed codebook contribution (excitation vector v) is derived from the working speech signal S bf . Each corresponding block in the excitation vector v(n) has a single or no pulse. The position P n and sign S n of the peak sample (i.e., corresponding pulse) for each block Blk 1 , . . . Blk N p is determined. Sign is indicated using +1 for positive, −1 for negative, and 0.
Further, let S bf max be the maximum absolute sample in working speech signal S bf . Each pulse is tested for validity by comparing the pulse to the maximum pulse magnitude (absolute value thereof) in the working speech signal S bf . In the preferred embodiment, if the signed pulse of a subject block is less than about half the maximum pulse magnitude, then there is no valid pulse for that block. Thus, sign S n for that block is assigned the value 0.
That is, For n = 1 to N p If S bf (P n )*S n < μ*S bf max S n = 0 EndIf EndFor
The typical range for μ is 0.4–0.6.
The foregoing pulse positions P n and signs S n of the corresponding pulses for the blocks Blk ( FIG. 6 ) of a fixed codebook vector, form position vector P n and sign vector S n respectively. In the preferred embodiment, only certain positions in working speech signal S bf are considered, in order to find a peak/subject pulse in each block Blk. It is the sign vector S n with elements adjusted to reflect validity of pulses of the blocks Blk of a codebook vector which ultimately defines the codebook vector for the present invention optimized fixed codebook 27 ( FIG. 3 ) contribution.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 7 , the working speech signal (or subframe vector) S bf (n) is partitioned into four non-overlapping blocks 83 a , 83 b , 83 c and 83 d . Blocks 75 a , 75 b , 75 c , 75 d of a codebook vector 81 correspond to blocks 83 a , 83 b , 83 c , 83 d of working speech signal S bf (i.e., backward filtered target signal S′ tv ). The pulse or sample peak of block 83 a is at position 2 , for example, where only positions 0 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 and 12 are considered. Thus, P 1 =2 for the first block 75 a . Corresponding sign of the subject pulse is positive; so S 1 =1. Block 83 b has a sample peak (corresponding negative pulse) at say for example position 18 , where positions 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 are considered. So the corresponding block 75 b (the second block of codebook vector 81 ) has P 2 =18 and sign S 2 =−1. Likewise, block 83 c (correlated to third codebook vector block 75 c ) has a sample positive peak/pulse at position 32 , for example, where only every other position is considered in that block 83 c . Thus, P 3=32 and S 3 =1. It is noted that this block 83 c also contains S bf max, the working speech signal pulse with maximum magnitude, i.e., absolute value, but at a position not considered for purposes of setting P n .
Lastly, block 83 d and corresponding block 75 d have a sample positive peak/pulse at position 46 for example. In that block 83 d , only even positions between 42 and 52 are considered. As such, P 4 =46 and S 4 =1.
The foregoing sample peaks (including position and sign) are further illustrated in the graph line 87 , just below the waveform illustration of working speech signal S bf in FIG. 7 . In that graph line 87 , a single vertical scaled arrow indication per block 83 , 75 is illustrated. That is, for corresponding block 83 a and block 75 a , there is a positive vertical arrow 85 a close to maximum height (e.g., 2.5) at the position labeled 2 . The height or length of the arrow is indicative of magnitude (=2.5) of the corresponding pulse/sample peak.
For block 83 b and corresponding block 75 b , there is a graphical negative directed arrow 85 b at position 18 . The magnitude (i.e., length=2) of the arrow 85 b is similar to that of arrow 85 a but is in the negative (downward) direction as dictated by the subject block 83 b pulse.
For block 83 c and corresponding block 75 c , there is graphically shown along graph line 87 an arrow 85 c at position 32 . The length (=2.5) of the arrow is a function of the magnitude (=2.5) of the corresponding sample peak/pulse. The positive (upward) direction of arrow 85 c is indicative of the corresponding positive sample peak/pulse.
Lastly, there is illustrated a short (length=0.5) positive (upward) directed arrow 85 d at position 46 . This arrow 85 d corresponds to and is indicative of the sample peak (pulse) of block 83 d /codebook vector block 75 d.
Each of the noted positions are further shown to be the elements of position vector P n below graph line 87 in FIG. 7 . That is, P n ={2,18,32,46}. Similarly, sign vector S n is initially formed of (i) a first element (=1) indicative of the positive direction of arrow 85 a (and hence corresponding pulse in block 83 a ), (ii) a second element (=−1) indicative of the negative direction of arrow 85 b (and hence corresponding pulse in block 83 b ), (iii) a third element (=1) indicative of the positive direction of arrow 85 c (and hence corresponding pulse of block 83 c ), and (iv) a fourth element (=1) indicative of the positive direction of arrow 85 d (and hence corresponding pulse of block 83 d ). However, upon validating each pulse, the fourth element of sign vector S n becomes 0 as follows.
Applying the above detailed validity routine/procedure obtains:
S bf (P 1 )*S 1 =S bf (position 2 )*(+1)=2.5 which is >μS bf max; S bf (P 2 )*S 2 =S bf (position 18 )*(−1)=−2*(−1)=2 which is >μS bf max; S bf (P 3 )*S 3 =S bf (position 32 )*(+1)=2.5 which is >μS bf max; and S bf (P 4 )*S 4 =S bf (position 46 )*(+1)=0.5 which is <μS bf max,
where 0.4≦μ≦0.6 and S bf max=/S bf (position 31 )/=3. Thus the last comparison, i.e., S 4 compared to S bf max, determines S 4 to be an invalid pulse where 0.5<μS bf max. So S 4 is assigned a zero value in sign vector S n , resulting in the S n vector illustrated near the bottom of FIG. 7 .
The fixed codebook contribution or vector 81 (referred to as the excitation vector v(n)) is then constructed as follows:
For n = 0 to NSF−1 If n = =P n v(n) = S n EndIf EndFor
Thus, in the example of FIG. 7 , codebook vector 81 , i.e., excitation vector v(n), has three non-zero elements. Namely, v(2)=1; v(18)=−1; v(32)=1, as illustrated in the bottom graph line of FIG. 7 .
The consideration of only certain block 83 positions to determine sample peak and hence pulse per given block 75 , and ultimately excitation vector 81 v(n) values, decreases complexity with substantially minimal loss in speech quality. As such, second processing phase 79 is optimized as desired.
EXAMPLE
The following example uses the above described fast, fixed codebook search for creating and searching a 16-bit codebook with subframe size of 56 samples. The excitation vector consists of four blocks. In each block, a pulse can take any of seven possible positions. Therefore, 3 bits are required to encode pulse positions. The sign of each pulse is encoded with 1 bit. The eighth index in the pulse position is utilized to indicate the existence of a pulse in the block. A total of 16 bits are thus required to encode four pulses (i.e., the pulses of the four excitation vector blocks).
By using the above described procedure, the pulse position and signs of the pulses in the subject blocks are obtained as follows. Table 3 further summarizes and illustrates the example 16-bit excitation codebook.
p1 = j max { abs ( s bf ( j ) ) } j = 0 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 12 v ( p1 ) = s bf ( p1 ) p2 = max j { abs ( s bf ( j ) ) } j = 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 v ( p2 ) = s bf ( p2 ) p3 = max j { abs ( s bf ( j ) ) } j = 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 v ( p3 ) = s bf ( p3 ) p4 = max j { abs ( s bf ( j ) ) } j = 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 v ( p4 ) = s bf ( p4 )
where abs(s) is the absolute value of the pulse magnitude of a block sample in S bf .
MaxAbs = max(abs(v(i)))
where i = p1, p2, p3, p4; and
v(i) = 0 if v(i) <0.5 *MaxAbs, or
sign (v(i)) otherwise
for i = p1, p2, p3, p4.
Let v(n) be the pulse excitation and v h (n) be the filtered excitation ( FIG. 3 ), then prediction gain G is calculated as
TABLE 3
16-bit fixed excitation codebook
G
=
∑
n
=
0
n
=
NSF
-
1
S
tv
′
(
n
)
v
h
(
n
)
∑
n
=
0
n
=
NSF
-
1
V
h
(
n
)
v
h
(
n
)
Bits
Bits
Block
Pulse Position
Sign
Position
1
0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
1
3
2
14, 16, 18, 20,
1
3
22, 24, 26
3
28, 30, 32, 34,
1
3
36, 38, 40
4
42, 44, 46, 48,
1
3
50, 52, 54
EQUIVALENTS
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described specifically herein. Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed in the scope of the claims.
For example, the foregoing describes the application of Product Code Vector Quantization to the pitch predictor parameters. It is understood that other similar vector quantization may be applied to the pitch predictor parameters and achieve similar savings in computational complexity and/or memory storage space.
Further a 5-tap pitch predictor is employed in the preferred embodiment. However, other multi-tap (>2) pitch predictors may similarly benefit from the vector quantization disclosed above. Additionally, any number of working codebooks 31 , 33 ( FIG. 5 ) for providing subvectors g i , g j . . . may be utilized in light of the discussion of FIG. 5 . The above discussion of two codebooks 31 , 33 is for purposes of illustration and not limitation of the present invention.
In the foregoing discussion of FIG. 7 , every even numbered position was considered for purposes of defining pulse positions P n in corresponding blocks 83 . Every third or every odd position or a combination of different positions for different blocks 83 and/or different subframes S bf and the like may similarly be utilized. Reduction of complexity and bit rate is a function of reduction in number of positions considered. There is a tradeoff however with final quality. Thus, Applicants have disclosed consideration of every other position to achieve both low complexity and high quality at a desired bit-rate. Other combinations of reduced number of positions considered for low complexity but without degradation of quality are now in the purview of one skilled in the art.
Likewise, the second processing phase 79 (optimization of the fixed codebook search 27 , FIG. 3 ) may be employed singularly (without the vector quantization of the pitch predictor parameters in the first processing phase 77 ), as well as in combination as described above.
|
A method and apparatus for reducing the complexity of linear prediction analysis-by-synthesis (LPAS) speech coders. The speech coder includes a multi-tap pitch predictor having various parameters and utilizing an adaptive codebook subdivided into at least a first vector codebook and a second vector codebook. The pitch predictor removes certain redundancies in a subject speech signal and vector quantizes the pitch predictor parameters. Further included is a source excitation (fixed) codebook that indicates pulses in the subject speech signal by deriving corresponding vector values. Serial optimization of the adaptive codebook first and then the fixed codebook produces a low complexity LPAS speech coder of the present invention.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of electrical circuits and more particularly to high speed push pull circuits having speed up circuits coupled thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
High speed push pull circuits such as interface drivers are well known to the prior art and generally have slow rise times due to relatively high value pull up resistors and low voltages.
In each of these circuits high speed operation is desired especially when such circuits are used in memory configurations where speed of the circuit is a critical factor. However, in transistor circuits there exists various capacitances, such as stray capacitance, depletion capacitances resulting from the natural unavoidable depletions formed in the device during operation and the unavoidable interelectrode capacitances that mutually links the terminals of a transistor. Because these capacitances, hereinafter referred to collectively as the interelectrode capacitances are so significant they are disruptive and can cause uncontrolled and undesired shunting currents to be passed through transistors causing variations in the output of the circuit and subsequent losses of speed before the output voltage of the circuit is stabilized in its steady state condition.
In push pull circuits this problem caused by this interelectrode capacitance is especially acute because it can significantly delay the response of the pull down transistor and thus delay the response of the output.
In the prior art, common methods of removing this interelectrode capacitance were to apply a reverse current to the base terminal of the output transistor or to include a parallel resistor-capacitor combination in the base circuit of the transistor. Both solutions leave much to be desired and indeed in some instances it can interject additional problems into the operation of the circuit.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,241 there is described a circuit for rapidly removing excess stored minority carriers from the base region of a saturated transistor and rapid charging of the interelectrode capacitance of this transistor by a pull down transistor. This patent describes a solution which is very desirable in many circuits. However, this circuit suffers the drawback that it requires additional D.C. power to the pull down transistor in order to maintain the output in a high state. Thus in circuits where D.C. power is limited such a solution is not satisfactory.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,619 teaches that means can be provided in electronic circuits for canceling stray direct current outputs in the circuits by means of an injected transistor feeding an impedance which connects the injected transistor to the output circuit. Again, however, although the solution depicted is desirable in some circuits, it will also require additional D.C. power to be supplied to the pull down transistor in order to maintain the output in a high state.
Both of the above described prior art solutions are therefore unsatisfactory in situations where it is necessary to achieve fast high speed stable outputs with limited D.C. power.
None of the above described prior art suggested the introduction of a speed up circuit, in such circuits, which would contribute to fast rise times of the output and virtual elimination of uncontrolled and undesired shunt currents from the output to ground through the pull down transistor that would utilize only the A.C. power of the circuit and that would not require the use of D.C. power to operate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Broadly speaking the present invention teaches a unique circuit for reliably and unambiguously discharging the interelectrode capacitance inherent in the pull down transistor of a transistor circuit.
The circuit of the invention is also unique and particularly designed so as to utilize only A.C. power to discharge this interelectrode capacitance of the pull down transistor and not to require the comsumption of D.C. power. The circuit of the invention thus overcomes the drawbacks of all the known prior art speed up circuits utilized in such electronic apparatus and further avoids the requirements of utilizing additional power.
The present invention is best realized by the addition of a capacitively coupled resistor-transistor circuit connected to the base of the pull down transistor so as to discharge the inherent interelectrode capacitance of the pull down transistor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features, advantages and object of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention taking in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 schematically shows a prior art interface driver circuit having push pull amplification.
FIG. 2 shows the driver of FIG. 1 provided with the novel speed up circuit of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a plot of time vs the drive voltage at the base of the pull down transistor of the circuit of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a plot of time vs drive voltage at the base of the pull down transistor of the circuit of FIG. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings a circuit employing the present invention will be described in detail as to its construction and mode of operation.
FIG. 1 illustrates in simplified form an NPN transistorized push pull amplifier circuit the principle features of the present invention. The push pull amplifier circuit shown here comprises an input transistor Q1 whose base 11 is coupled to a source of input signals 12 and whose collector 13 is coupled through a collector resistor 18 to a +V voltage source 10 and directly to the base 15 of a reference transistor Q2. The collector 16 of the reference transistor Q2 is coupled directly to the voltage source 10. The emitter 17 of transistor Q2 is coupled, through an emitter resistor 20 to an output line 24 and also directly to the base 25 of an emitter follower transistor Q3. The collector 26 of the emitter follower transistor Q3 is connected to the voltage source 10 while its emitter 27 is coupled directly to the output line 24.
Also coupled to the output line 24 is the collector 22 of a pull down transistor Q4. This pull down transistor Q4 has its emitter 23 coupled directly to ground and its base 21 connected to the emitter 14 of the transistor Q1 which is coupled through an emitter resistor 19 to ground. To the output line 24 is coupled a suitable load simulated by capacitor 35.
The operation of the circuit of FIG. 1 will be now described in conjunction with the drive voltage time plot curve illustrated in FIG. 3.
The curve shown in FIG. 3 depicts the drive voltage appearing at the base 21 of the pull down transistor Q4 when the speed up circuit of the invention is not used.
For purposes of example only, it will be assumed that at time T03 transistor Q1 initially has a positive voltage signal impressed upon its base 11 such that it is in a conductive state and current is flowing through it from the positive voltage source 10 to ground. This current flow causes the base 15 of transistor Q2 to be held low such that transistor Q2 is in a nonconductive state as is the emitter follower transistor Q3.
This same current flowing through transistor Q1 further holds the base 21 of transistor Q4 at a high voltage level V on as indicated by the initial portion 40a of the curve of FIG. 3. Because the base 21 of transistor Q4 is held high, the transistor Q4 is also conductive and the output line 24 is held at a low voltage, i.e. substantially ground. The output line 24 will remain at this low voltage level as long as the input signal supplied to the base 11 of transistor Q4 is sufficient to assure that transistor Q4 remains conductive.
The sequence for switching the output line 24 to a positive or high voltage level +V is as follows:
At time T13, shown in FIG. 3, the positive voltage signal impressed upon the base 11 of transistor Q1 is pulled negative an amount sufficient to render transistor Q1 nonconductive. When transistor Q1 becomes nonconductive its collector 13 and hence the base 15 of transistor Q2 rapidly rises toward the positive voltage level +V applied by source 10. This positive voltage appears as a D.C. pulse applied to the base 15 of transistor Q2 causing the transistor Q2 to become conductive pulling up the base 25 of the emitter follower transistor Q3 to cause transistor Q3 to also turn on and thus apply a positive voltage from the positive voltage source +V at the source 10 to the output line 24.
Simultaneously, as transistor Q1 becomes nonconductive its emitter 14 and the base 21 of transistor Q4 begins to be pulled toward ground by virtue of the emitter resistor 19 causing the drive voltage V on at the base 21 of transistor Q4 to begin to fall as indicated by the falling portion 41a of the curve of FIG. 3. The pull down transistor Q4 has a large interelectrode capacitance between its collector 22 and its base 21 here indicated by the capacitor C shown in phantom. This interelectrode capacitance acts as a source of drive voltage causing the base 21 of transistor Q4 to be pulled back up to V on as indicated by the rising portion 42a of the curve shown in FIG. 3. This interelectrode capacitance C is especially significant when the pull down Q4 transistor is a large power transistor. The action of the interelectrode capacitor C will continue to maintain transistor Q4 in a conductive condition, for a significant period of time, i.e. to time T23 as indicated by the portion 43 of the curve shown in FIG. 3, until at time T23 the charge stored in capacitance C is depleted a sufficient amount to permit transistor Q4 to turn off.
Of course, in the circuit shown in FIG. 1 the actual length of time transistor Q4 will remain on is a function of the value of resistor 19 and the size of the interelectrode capacitance C. However, in practical operating circuits of the type described it typically takes 25 nanoseconds from time T13 to time T23 for the drive voltage V on applied to the base 21 to be reduced sufficiently, usually about 265 millivolts, as indicated by numeral 44 on the curve shown in FIG. 3. When the drive voltage on the base 21 of the pull down transistor Q4 is so reduced the transistor Q4 is rendered nonconductive.
When the drive voltage at the base 21 of transistor Q4 finally falls low enough to turn off the transistor Q4 the output line becomes uncoupled from ground and is pulled up towards +V by the action of transistors Q2 and Q3.
We will now consider the circuit of FIG. 1 when it is provided with the speed up circuit of the invention, as shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 illustrates the NPN transistorized push pull amplifier circuit shown in FIG. 1 together with a speed up circuit added thereto that incorporates all the principle features of the present invention. In this description of FIG. 2 in the push pull amplifier circuit like numbers will refer to like components as shown in FIG. 1. This circuit thus comprises an input transistor Q1 whose base 11 is coupled to a source of input signals 12 and whose collector 13 is coupled through a collector resistor 18 to a +V voltage source 10 and directly to the base 15 of a reference transistor Q2. The collector 16 of the reference transistor Q2 is coupled directly to the voltage source 10. The emitter 17 of transistor Q2 is coupled, through an emitter resistor 20 to an output line 24 and also directly to the base 25 of an emitter follower transistor Q3 and to the collector 33 of a diode transistor Q6. The collector 26 of the emitter follower transistor Q3 is also coupled to the voltage source 10 while its emitter 27 is coupled directly to the output line 24.
Also coupled to the output line 24 is the collector 22 of a pull down transistor Q4. This pull down transistor Q4 has its emitter 23 coupled directly to ground and its base 21 coupled to the emitter 14 of the transistor Q1 which is coupled through an emitter resistor 19 to ground. The base 21 of the pull down transistor Q4 is also coupled to the collector 28 of a speed up transistor Q5 whose emitter 30 is connected to ground and whose base 29 is coupled through a diode here shown by diode-transistor Q6 to the base of transistor Q3. The transistor Q6 is coupled as a diode by connecting its base 31 to its emitter 32. The emitter 32 of transistor Q6 and the base 29 of the speed up transistor Q5 are both connected to ground through an emitter resistor 34. To the output line 24 is coupled a suitable load simulated by capacitor 35. It is thus clear that the transistors Q5 and Q6 as well as the emitter resistor 34 coupled to the base of the pull down transistor Q4 have been added to the circuit of FIG. 1 and comprise the speed up circuit of this invention.
The operation of the circuit of FIG. 2 will be now described in conjunction with the drive voltage time plot curve illustrated in FIG. 4 which shows that a significant change in the fall time of the drive voltage on the base 21 of transistor Q4 is achieved.
The curve shown in FIG. 4 depicts the drive voltage appearing at the base 21 of the pull down transistor Q4 when the speed up circuit of the invention is used.
For purposes of example only, it will be assumed that at time T04 transistor Q1 initially has a positive voltage signal impressed upon its base 11 such that it is in a conductive state and current is flowing through it from the positive voltage source 10 to ground. This current flow again causes the base of transistor Q2 to be held low such that transistor Q2 is in a nonconductive state as is the emitter follower transistor Q3.
This same current flowing through transistor Q1 further holds the base 21 of transistor Q4 at a high voltage level V on as indicated by the initial portions 40b of the curve of FIG. 4. Because the base 21 of transistor Q4 is held high, the transistor Q4 is also conductive and the output line 24 is held at a low voltage, i.e. substantially ground. The output line 24 will remain at this low voltage level as long as the input signal supplied to the base 11 of transistor Q4 remains conductive.
The sequence for switching the output line 24 to a positive or high voltage level +V is as follows:
At time T14, shown in FIG. 4, the positive voltage signal impressed upon the base 11 of transistor Q1 is pulled negative in amounts sufficient to render transistor Q1 nonconductive. When transistor Q1 becomes nonconductive its collector 13 and hence the base 15 of transistor Q2 rapidly rises toward the positive voltage level +V applied by source 10. This positive voltage thus appears as a D.C. pulse applied to the base 15 of transistor Q2 and causes the transistor Q2 to become conductive rapidly pulling up the base 25 of the emitter follower transistor Q3 to cause transistor Q3 to also turn on and thus apply a positive voltage from the positive voltage source +V at the source 10 to the output line 24.
Now, however, the application of voltage from source 10 to the base 25 of transistor Q3 through transistor Q2 is also now applied to the collector of transistor Q6. It is noted that the transistor Q6 has its collector 33 and its emitter 32 coupled by a phantom capacitor indicated by C CE which represents the collector to emitter capacitance of transistor Q6.
Although the diode transistor Q6 acts as a D.C. block to the pulse applied to the base 25 of transistor Q3 it will not block the A.C. components of the pulse. Thus immediately with the appearance of the pulse on base 25 and collector 33 the A.C. component of this pulse i.e. the leading edge of the pulse, causes a voltage, equal to the voltage appearing on collector 33 of transistor Q6, to appear on the emitter 32 of transistor Q6 and thus appear upon the base 29 of transistor Q5 causing transistor Q5 to become conductive. When transistor Q5 becomes conductive it couples the base 21 of transistor Q4 to ground.
Simultaneously, of course, at time T14 as transistor Q1 becomes nonconductive the base 21 of transistor Q4 is pulled toward ground causing the base drive voltage V on to fall as indicated by the portion 41b of the curve of FIG. 4. However, because the pull down transistor Q4 once again has a large interelectrode capacitance between its collector and the base 21 it will act as a source of drive voltage again returning the base 21 of transistor Q4 to the drive voltage V on . Now, however, the speed up circuit comprising transistors Q5 and Q6 come into play causing the base 21 of transistor Q4 to be rapidly pulled toward ground. Because of the time constant of transistor Q1 and the propagation delay from the collector of Q1 to the base of transistor Q5 through devices Q2 and Q6 there still remains a slight delay of approximately 8 nanoseconds between time T14 and time T24 at which time the drive voltage on the base 21 of transistor Q4 is pulled down sufficiently, i.e. by 265 millivolts, to the point indicated by numeral 45 at which the transistor Q4 is rendered nonconductive.
Once again, of course, it is understood that the actual length of time transistor Q4 remains on is a function of the propagation delay of the signal from the collector 13 of transistor Q1 through transistor Q2 and Q6 to the base of Q5 as well as the inherent delay in the turning off transistor Q1 itself as to cause its emitter to become pulled toward ground. All of these factors add into the length of delay that will occur before the speed up circuit acts to pull the base 21 sufficiently low enough to cause the interelectrode capacitor C, across the collector and base of transistor Q4, to be discharged such that transistor Q4 can be rendered nonconductive.
If desired the collector 33 of the diode-transistor Q6 could be connected to the output line 24 instead of the base 25 of the emitter follower transistor 23. However, if the collector 33 of transistor Q6 is so connected to the output line the circuit is slightly slower than the circuit shown in FIG. 2.
Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with particular applications and embodiments hereof it is intended that all modifications, applications and embodiments which will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of teachings of this invention be included within the spirit and scope of the invention and limited only by the following wherein claims wherein.
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An improved speed up circuit, especially useful with high speed, push pull circuits, is disclosed. This uses only A.C. power to discharge the interelectrode and depletion capacitances of an output transistor thereby eliminating uncontrolled shunt current from the output to ground through the output transistor thereby allowing the output to reach the desired level in a shorter period of time. These desirable results are accomplished by capacitively coupling a resistor-transistor speed up circuit to the base of the output transistor to actively pull the base of the output transistor to ground and discharge the inherent interelectrode and depletion capacitances of the output transistor.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical scanning apparatus which is used for a laser beam printer or the like, and more particularly to an optical scanning apparatus for preventing occurrence of a stray light.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As one example of optical scanning apparatuses used for a laser beam printer, etc., conventionally known is an optical scanning apparatus including a semiconductor laser, a collimator lens and a rotary polygon mirror disposed in a straight line and further including a converging lens and a photosensitive material disposed on other straight line
In this conventional optical scanning apparatus, the semiconductor laser is a laser beam source, and the laser beam source emits a laser beam towards the collimator lens. The collimator lens is located about halfway between the semiconductor laser and the rotary polygon mirror, and serves to convert the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser into parallel rays. The rotary polygon mirror is rotated in one direction, and a laser beam reflected on one surface of the polygon mirror is subjected to deflection scanning by the rotation thereof so as to be guided to the converging lens. The converging lens has f·θ characteristics, and functions not only to converge a laser beam into an extremely small spot to irradiate therewith a photosensitive material of a drum shape made of a photoconductive material but also to convert the deflection scanning at a predetermined rotational speed into a linear scanning at a predetermined linear speed. Thus converted laser beam raster-scans the rotating photosensitive material to form a two-dimensional electrostatic latent image thereon. A deflection mirror is disposed on the scanning starting position side between the converging lens and the photosensitive material to guide a laser beam going to the photosensitive material through the converging lens to a synchronous detector. The synchronous detector serves to adjust timing of image formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,492 given to Youji Houki in Jul. 11, 1989, discloses an optical beam scanner including a deflection means having a mirror surface on which an optical beam emitted from an optical light source is applied, the beam being deflected by rotating the mirror surface about an axis of the deflection means; an f·θ lens for performing an scanning operation at a uniform speed on a scanning surface; an optical compensation means for compensating for an inclination of the mirror surface of the deflection means, the optical compensation means including a cylinder lens or a cylinder mirror disposed in a space between the f·θ lens and the scanning surface; and a detection means for receiving the deflected optical beam and detecting a scanning starting position of the optical beam. The detection means is disposed between the f·θ lens and the optical compensation means.
In the above-mentioned optical scanning apparatuses, the synchronous detector or the detection means for adjusting the scanning starting position is arranged on a scanning beam path which does not contribute to image formation. That is, a total scanning region of the laser beam includes a region for the synchronous detector not contributing to the image formation in addition to a region contributing to the image formation on the photosensitive material. During one scanning period, accordingly, there are present not only a period contributing to the image formation (i.e., period in which an image is formed) but also a period not contributing to the image formation (i.e., period in which an image is not formed).
However, if an edge surface of the converging lens or the f·θ lens in the scanning direction or a side surface of the deflection mirror is irradiated with a laser beam in the region not contributing to image formation, a stray light occurs, and the stray light is sometimes applied onto the photosensitive material as a light other than a light of image information. The stray light applied onto the photosensitive material causes unevenness in image density or blurring of an image, resulting in deterioration of an image quality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical scanning apparatus having a simple structure which can prevent occurrence of a stray light caused by irradiating an edge surface of a converging lens with a laser beam and can form an image of high quality free from unevenness in density or blurring.
According to the present invention, there is provided an optical scanning apparatus for converting a laser beam into a scanning beam by an optical deflection means and for raster-scanning a photosensitive material with the scanning beam through a converging lens to form an image on the photosensitive material, which includes a light-shielding member, disposed between the optical deflection means and the converging lens, for shielding the scanning beam incident on an edge portion of the converging lens, the edge portion being located on the scanning starting position side. The optical scanning apparatus of the invention may further include a deflection mirror, disposed between the converging lens and the photosensitive material, for guiding a scanning beam not contributing to image formation immediately after starting of the scanning to a scanning beam detection means.
In the optical scanning apparatus of the invention, a laser beam emitted from a laser beam source is converted into a scanning beam, and the scanning beam is applied onto the photosensitive material through the converging lens. Between the optical deflection means and the converging lens is disposed a light-shielding member for shielding a scanning beam which is incident on an edge portion of the converging lens, the edge portion being located on the scanning starting position side. Therefore, the scanning beam incident on the above-mentioned edge portion of the converging lens is blocked by the light-shielding member. Accordingly, occurrence of a stray light can be prevented, and an image of high quality free from unevenness of an image or blur of an image caused by the stray light can be formed.
Further objects, features and other aspects of this invention will be understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a conventional optical scanning apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a view showing one embodiment of an optical scanning apparatus according to the invention.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a structure of a light-shielding member in the invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a light-shielding member and a converging lens in the embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a relationship between a light-shielding member and a lens holder in the embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a view showing one example of variation of output signals from a synchronous detector with time in the embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a state of laser beams at the time when the scanning is started in the embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a structure of other embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 is a view showing a state of laser beams on one surface of a rotary polygon mirror of the optical scanning apparatus shown in FIG. 8 at the time when the scanning is finished.
FIG. 10 is a view showing a state of a bundle of laser beams at the time when the next scanning is started from the state of laser beams shown in FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The embodiments of the present invention are now described in detail referring to the attached drawings.
For better understanding of the present invention, first, a conventional optical scanning apparatus will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. The conventional optical scanning apparatus is constituted of a semiconductor laser 1 for emitting laser beams, a collimator lens 2 for converting the laser beams into parallel rays, a rotary polygon mirror 3 on which the paralle rays are reflected, a converging lens 4 for converging the reflected rays, a photosensitive material 5 on which a latent image is formed, a deflection mirror 6 for deflecting a part of beams reflected from the polygon mirror and a synchronous detector 7 for detecting the deflected beams.
In this optical scanning apparatus, a laser beam is modulated by, for example, a scanner controller in accordance with image signals, and is output from the semiconductor laser 1. The laser beam output as above goes through the collimator lens 2, the rotary polygon mirror 3 and the converging lens 4, and raster-scans the photosensitive material 5 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive material 5.
The scanner controller sends image signals with a fixed timing after the laser beam is applied on the synchronous detector 7, to keep the same starting position of image formation on the photosensitive material 5.
In the conventional optical scanning apparatus, if an edge surface of the converging lens 4 and a side surface of the deflection mirror 6 are irradiated with a laser beam, a stray light occurs as indicated by arrows in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 shows a structure of an optical scanning apparatus which is one embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the optical scanning apparatus includes a semiconductor laser 1, a collimator lens 2, a rotary polygon mirror 3, a converging lens 4, a photosensitive material 5, a deflection mirror 6 and a synchronous detector 7. Further, between the rotary polygon mirror 3 and the converging lens 4, a light-shielding plate 8a (i.e., a first light-shielding member) is arranged at an edge portion of the converging lens 4 on the scanning starting position side in such a manner that the edge portion of the converging lens 4 is shielded with the light-shielding plate 8a. Furthermore, between the deflection mirror 6 and the converging lens 4, other light-shielding plate 9 (i.e., a second light-shielding member) is arranged at an edge portion of the deflection mirror 6 on the side of the center of the converging lens in such a manner that a beam directed to the edge portion of the deflection mirror 6 is shielded with the light-shielding plate 9.
The converging lens 4 has a size which is large enough to cover the scanning region contributing to the image formation (i.e., a region wherein an image is formed).
The tip of the light-shielding plate 8a (the first light-shielding member) on the side of the center of the converging lens 4 is so positioned that the scanning beam reflected from the rotary polygon mirror 3 toward the deflection mirror 6 is not shielded.
As shown in FIG. 3, the light-shielding plate 8a is constituted of a support member 21 made of aluminum and a light-shielding and reflection-preventing member 20 made of, for example, black felt, adherent to the support member 21.
As shown in FIG. 4, the light-shielding plate 8a is fixed to a lens holder 30 for holding the edge portion of the converging lens 4.
FIG. 5 shows an alignment mechanism of the light-shielding plate 8a.
As shown in FIG. 5, the light-shielding plate 8a is fixed to the lens holder 30 in close contact with the holder 30 by means of a fixing screw 41 and a holding spring 42 for holding the upper face of the plate 8a. The light-shielding plate 8a is provided with a guiding hole 80 in an oval shape. The light-shielding plate 8a can be moved within a length of the guiding hole 80 for receiving the fixing screw 41 which is fitted to the lens holder 30 through the guiding hole 80. Further, on a side surface of the light-shielding plate 8a is provided a tapped hole 81, into which is screwed an adjust screw 45 through a compression spring 46, the adjust screw 45 being inserted through a hole 82 formed in a protruded part 30a of the lens holder 30.
The light-shielding plate 8a is adjusted in its position to be fitted to the lens holder 30 in the following manner. That is, the rotary polygon mirror 3 is rotated keeping the laser beam source on, and it is ascertained that a laser beam is applied on the synchronous detector 7 by observing output signals from the detector 7, as shown in FIG. 6. After the incident laser beam is confirmed, the adjust screw 45 is turned to move the light-shielding plate 8a along a guiding surface 30b (FIG. 4) of the lens holder 30. The fixing screw 41 is tightened to fix the light-shielding plate 8a to the lens holder 30 slightly before the rising time (t 1 -t 0 ) of the output signal shown in FIG. 6 starts to change.
In the optical scanning apparatus shown in FIG. 2, an edge portion of a light-shielding plate 9 (the second light-shielding member) on the side of the center of the converging lens 4 is so located that the scanning beam passing through the converging lens 4 toward the photosensitive material 5 within the scanning region contributing to the image formation is not shielded, and other edge portion of the light-shielding plate 9 on the side of the synchronous detector 7 is so located that the scanning beam passing through the converging lens 4 toward approximately the center of the deflection mirror 6 is not shielded. In the concrete, as shown in FIG. 7, the edge portion of the light-shielding plate 9 on the side of the center of the converging lens 4 is so located that the laser beam directed to a fixed range within the scanning region contributing to the image formation is not shielded therewith, the fixed range being determined by a distance L 1 from the center of an image on an image surface. Further, other edge portion of the light-shielding plate 9 is so located that the incident beam on the synchronous detector 7 is not shielded therewith. The above-mentioned distance L 1 is a length obtained by addition of allowance ΔL to a half length of W (W is a length of scanning region contributing to the image formation on the photosensitive material). That is, the distance L 1 can be obtained by the following formula:
L.sub.1 =W/2+ΔL
The allowance ΔL generally is approximately 2 mm. This light-shielding plate 9 has the same structure as that of the light-shielding plate 8a, and is position-adjustably fitted to an edge portion of the deflection mirror 6 in the same manner as that of the light-shielding plate 8a.
In the optical scanning apparatus, an optical deflection means is constituted of the rotary polygon mirror 3, and a scanning beam detection means is constituted of the synchronous detector 7.
The operation of the optical scanning apparatus of the invention having the above-mentioned structure will be described below.
A laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 1 passes through the collimator lens 2 to reach the rotary polygon mirror 3, and is deflected by the rotary polygon mirror 3 to be incident on the converging lens 4. The laser beam incident on an edge surface of the converging lens 4 is blocked by the light-shielding plate 8a, to prevent occurrence of a stray light due to the laser beam incident on the edge surface of the converging lens 4.
The laser beam moves in the scanning direction in accordance with rotation of the rotary polygon mirror 3. The beam passing near the edge portion of the light-shielding plate 8a on the side of the center of the converging lens 4 is incident on the deflection mirror 6 through the converging lens 4. This laser beam is reflected by the deflection mirror 6 to be incident on the synchronous detector 7. In a predetermined period after detection of the laser beam by the synchronous detector 7, the laser beam is modulated by a modulation means based on image data, and thus modulated laser beam is output from the semiconductor laser 1.
The laser beam which further moves in the scanning direction reaches the light-shielding plate 9, and this laser beam is blocked by the light-shielding plate 9, whereby, occurrence of a stray light due to the laser beam incident on the edge portion of the deflection mirror 6 is prevented.
The laser beam furthermore moves in the scanning direction, then passes by an edge portion of the light-shielding plate 9 on the side of the center of the converging lens 4, and is applied onto the photosensitive material 5. The photosensitive material 5 is raster-scanned with the laser beam modulated as above in accordance with the rotation of the rotary polygon mirror 3, to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive material 5.
FIG. 8 shows a structure of other embodiment of the optical scanning apparatus according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 8, the optical scanning apparatus of this embodiment is further provided with a light-shielding plate 8b (a third light-shielding member) in addition to the light-shielding plate 8a (the first light-shielding member). This light-shielding plate 8b has the same structure as that of the light-shielding plate 8a, and is fitted to the edge portion of the converging lens 4 in the same manner as that of the light-shielding plate 8a. In the concrete, the light-shielding plate 8b is arranged between the rotary polygon mirror 3 and the converging lens 4 in such a manner that a laser beam directed to the edge portion of the converging lens 4 on its scanning finishing position side is shielded with the light-shielding plate 8b, as shown in FIG. 8. The edge portion of the light-shielding plate 8b on the side of the center of the converging lens 4 is so located that the scanning beam reflected from the rotary polygon mirror 3 toward the photosensitive material 5 and going through the converging lens 4 within the scanning region contributing to the image formation is not blocked therewith. In more concrete, as shown in FIG. 9, the edge portion of the light-shielding plate 8b on the side of the center of the converging lens 4 is so located that the laser beams directed to a fixed range within the scanning region contributing to the image formation is not blocked, the fixed range being determined by a distance L 2 from the center of an image on an image surface on the scanning finishing position side. The above-mentioned distance L 2 is, likewise the aforementioned distance L 1 , a length obtained by addition of allowance ΔL to a half length of W (W is a length of scanning region contributing to the image formation). That is, the distance L 2 can be obtained by the following formula:
L.sub.2 =W/2+ΔL
The size of the converging lens has a size which is large enough to cover the scanning region contributing to the image formation, similarly to the size of the converging lens 4 of the optical scanning apparatus shown in FIG. 2. Concretely, the converging lens 4 is required to have at least such a diameter that even if the two light-shielding plates 8a and 8b are provided on the respective edge portions of the converging lens 4, a beam passing between the two light-shielding plates 8a and 8b can scan entirely the scanning region contributing to the image formation.
In the optical scanning apparatus of this embodiment, a laser beam directed to a region other than the region contributing to the image formation is blocked by the light-shielding plate 8b. Therefore, occurrence of a stray light caused by a laser beam incident on the edge portion of the converging lens 4 on the scanning finishing position side can be prevented.
The same effect as given by the light-shielding plate 8b can be also obtained by turning off the laser beam source for a certain period of time.
In detail, if the rotation angle of the rotary polygon mirror 3 at the time when the scanning is finished is determined at an angle of θ 1 between a line l 1 extended on the center 0 of the mirror 3 and a corner A thereof and a reference angular position P r shown in FIG. 9, the laser beam is incident on the synchronous detector 7 when the polygon mirror 3 is further rotated from a position shown in FIG. 9 in the counterclockwise direction. The rotation angle of the rotary polygon mirror 3 at that time is an angle of θ 2 shown in FIG. 10. Thereafter, the beam scans the photosensitive material 3 until the polygon mirror 3 takes the position shown in FIG. 8.
Accordingly, if the semiconductor laser 1 as a laser beam source is turned off while the rotation angle of the rotary polygon mirror 3 varies from θ 1 to θ 2 , any laser beam is not applied onto the edge surface of the converging lens 4 on the scanning finishing position side, even when the above-mentioned light-shielding plate 8b is not provided. That is, the same effect as given by the light-shielding plate 8b can be obtained.
For turning off the semiconductor laser 1 (laser beam source) while the rotation angle of the rotary polygon mirror 3 varies from θ 1 to θ 2 , there is provided, for example, a light source-controlling means C (FIG. 10) to control the ON-OFF timing of the semiconductor laser 1 in accordance with the pulse number counted by a timer.
According to the invention, as described above in detail, occurrence of a stray light caused by a laser beam incident on the edge portion of the converging lens and the edge portion of the deflection mirror can be effectively prevented by the light-shielding members. Accordingly, the present invention can provides an optical scanning apparatus of a simple structure capable of preventing occurrence of a stray light and forming an image of high quality.
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An optical scanning apparatus includes a light-shielding member, disposed between an optical deflection unit and a converging lens, for shielding a scanning beam incident on an edge portion of the converging lens on the scanning starting position side, and the apparatus converts a laser beam into a scanning beam by the optical deflection unit and raster-scans a photosensitve material with the scanning beam through the converging lens to form an image on the photosensitive material. The apparatus may further include a deflection mirror with another light-shielding member, disposed between the converging lens and the photosensitive material, for guiding the scanning beam which does not contribute to image formation immediately after starting of the scanning to a scanning beam detection unit. In the optical scanning apparatus, occurrence of a stray light can be prevented owing to the light-shielding member, whereby an image of high quality free from uneveness of an image or blurring of an image can be formed.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to frequency dividers that divide a set of multiphase signals such that the multiphase characteristic of having a monotonic and equally spaced phase increase with 50% duty cycle is still maintained in the divided multiphase output signals.
2. Description of Background
A multiphase signal is defined as a set of sinusoidal or rectangular signals with the individual signal components having equally spaced phase differences and a monotonic increase of phase when going from one signal to the next one. A typical example of a multiphase signal generator is a ring oscillator used for instance as voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) in a phase-locked loop circuit (PLL). Such a ring oscillator consists of a ring of N identical delay cells each having a delay of τ D . The oscillation frequency is then given by f osc =1/T=½Nτ D . If each delay cell output is fed to the output of the VCO, the oscillator provides N output signals each oscillating with f osc but also each having a phase difference of 2π/N with respect to its neighboring signal. The total of N signals is termed multiphase signal whereas the phase of the individual signals monotonically increases by the equal spacing of 2π/N when going from one signal to the next one. In terms of time units the phase differences between the individual components of the multiphase signal can also be expressed as T/N where T denotes the period of the multiphase signal.
A conventional multiphase divider is shown in FIG. 1 . It consists of N toggle flip-flops according to the N components of the multiphase input signal. All of the toggle flip-flops are operated in parallel to each other. They are implemented as D-flip flops with a cross-connected feedback path from the inverting output Qb to the data input D. By cascading M of these toggle flip-flops a frequency division ratio of M can be obtained. The concatenation is carried out by connecting the non-inverting output Q of the previous divider stage to the clock input of the D-flip flop belonging to the succeeding divider stage. As will be explained in more detail below the straightforward implementation as shown in FIG. 1 has the drawback of suffering from a so-called phase ambiguity problem. That phase ambiguity problem is associated to the cross-connected feedback path (connection from Qb to D) in the toggle flip-flops that can assume an arbitrary state (either logical one or zero) at start-up and is a consequence of the mutual independency of the individual dividers. Because of this non-well defined initial state the dividers may start dividing in such a way that the divided output signal is no longer a valuable multiphase signal as the characteristic of having a monotonic increase of equally spaced phases got lost. This characteristic is however of great importance for the application of a multiphase division as will be explained below.
FIG. 2 shows another multiphase divider configuration known in the art. This multiphase divider consists of a set of resetable dividers and a reset delay circuit, which is clocked by one of the multiphase input signals and delays a reset signal coming from an external source. The dividers only take one out of N multiphase signals for the division. To generate a plurality of divided multiphase signals at their output, each of the individual dividers receive a reset signal from the reset delay circuit, which is basically a shift register (sequential logic) for the reset signal and thereby defines the starting point for the division of each individual divider such that the divided outputs are appropriately time-shifted to represent the desired divided multiphase phase signal. The shortcoming of this prior art configuration is that a true multiphase division is not performed but rather a single phase division because only one out of N multiphase inputs is actually used for the division. Consequently, the phase ambiguity problem does not occur; however, the division scheme completely relies on a single phase of the multiphase input. If the phase signal is affected by timing jitter or duty cycle distortion, all of the divided multiphase outputs are affected in the same way, which may be detrimental to the application of such a multiphase divider in a serial link receiver. Moreover, the duty cycle distortion may become a problem because one of the multiphase signals at the input will be much more loaded (higher driving capacity) than all the others because that single phase signal has to drive all of the dividers and also provides the clock for the reset delay circuit. Furthermore, the timing of the multiphase output may also be affected to a certain degree by the timing accuracy of the shift register in the reset delay circuit.
The implementation of a multiphase divider is not as straightforward as it is compared to the case when just having to divide a single-ended or a differential signal. A phase ambiguity problem occurs because of the mutual independency of the dividers when only using a number of conventional dividers in parallel.
When a multiphase signal consisting of, for example, six phases is divided by means of three parallel differential conventional dividers, the divided outputs may have phase ambiguity. An exemplary graph of such phase ambiguity is shown in FIG. 3 . It can be seen that the important requirement of having the phases of the six signals monotonically increasing is violated because two out of the six signals got swapped during the division. The incorrect phases are encircled with a dashed circle. The dashed straight line indicates how the individual phases should run if they were a correct multiphase signal with monotonic phase increase and equal spacing between the individual phases. The swapping can be regarded as a 180-degree phase shift applied to the corresponding signals. This is an example of the phase ambiguity problem that is caused by the fact that the feedback paths in a conventional divider (typically implemented as a cross-coupled feedback connected D-flip flop also known as toggle flip flop) either assumes a 0-degree (e.g. logical 0) or a 180-degree (e.g. logical 1) state with respect to the pertinent input signal.
One solution to the phase ambiguity problem is to have the parallel dividers be dependent on each other. However, this approach suffers from requiring the introduction of internal feedback loops that may affect the required 50% duty cycle requirement, which is of great importance to prevent bimodal jitter effects in a half-rate receiver architecture. Another solution is to have appropriate startup conditions that remedy these shortcomings.
Currently, no designs employ a multiphase divider in their feedback path from the VCO to the phase detector in order to make the phase-rotating PLL (P-PLL) a frequency multiplying PLL. Since no feedback divider is used (the feedback division ratio equals 1 in that case), most current designs have to use a reference signal for the P-PLL that equals in frequency the output signals of the P-PLL used to drive the sampling latches in the serial link receiver.
If for instance the serial data stream is transmitted at 10 Gb/s, the P-PLL needs to provide a 5 GHz multiphase signal with a perfect 50% duty cycle if the serial link receiver is of a half-rate architecture with 3-fold oversampling per bit and a multiphase signal consisting of 6 phases is assumed. As a consequence thereof, the reference signal of the P-PLL also needs to be at 5 GHz for this 10 Gb/s serial link. Typically there are tens or hundreds of serial links on a chip that all need to receive a reference signal for their P-PLL type of link receiver. Distributing for instance a 5 GHz clock signal to all of these many link receivers consumes a considerable amount of power because the power consumption P is in a first order proportional to the frequency (P=C·VDD 2 ·f where C denotes the load capacitance, VDD the supply voltage and f the frequency). Reducing the frequency of the reference clock signal would therefore help save a lot of power.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the provision of a multiphase divider, comprising: a plurality of resetable dividers configured for performing resetable divider stages to a plurality of multiphase signals forming a plurality of divided multiphase signals having a monotonic increasing phase with equal spacing and an ideal duty cycle of 50%, wherein the plurality of divided multiphase signals have no phase ambiguity; and a reset signal generator configured for producing a plurality of periodic reset signals to the plurality of resetable dividers to enable the plurality of resetable dividers to divide the plurality of multiphase signals in a timely correct sequence to form the divided multiphase signal, the plurality of periodic reset signals being produced by a combinational network of the reset signal generator, the combinational network is configured for generating a number of pulses based on the plurality of multiphase signals and performing a plurality of decimation stages to reduce the number of pulses within the pulse traces.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention. For a better understanding of the invention with advantages and features, refer to the description and to the drawings.
TECHNICAL EFFECTS
As a result of the summarized invention, technically we have achieved a solution for implementing a multiphase divider that solves the phase ambiguity problem and forms a plurality of divided multiphase signals having a monotonic increasing phase with equal spacing and an ideal duty cycle of 50%.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a conventional multiphase divider scheme that suffers from phase ambiguity;
FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of another conventional multiphase divider scheme using a reset delay circuit and deriving a multiphase output from a single phase signal of a plurality of multiphase inputs;
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary timing diagram showing a divided multiphase signal having phase ambiguity;
FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a multiphase divider in accordance with one exemplary embodiment being incorporated in a feedback path from an oscillator to a phase detector in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary timing diagram showing a divided multiphase signal using the multiphase divider in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of the multiphase divider in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a resetable divider used in the multiphase divider in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 8 illustrates a timing diagram of signals of the multiphase divider in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The detailed description explains the preferred embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The inventor herein has recognized that appropriate startup conditions can be provided by means of a reset signal generation such that independent parallel dividers are forced to divide the multiphase signal in a correct order without phase ambiguity while maintaining a duty cycle that is ideally 50%.
Multiphase signals are typically used in serial link receivers to provide the required sampling phases for the latches that sample the received serial data stream. An example of a serial link receiver used in conjunction with the multiphase divider of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4 . The serial link receiver communicates with a phase-rotating PLL (P-PLL) that provides, according to one example, six phases to the sampling latches of the receiver. The P-PPL may be any conventional P-PPL known in the art. The sampling latches take a number of edge and data samples (e.g. 4 edge samples and 2 data samples taken from 2 received bits) of the incoming serial data stream from the link transmitter, which could for instance be located in the input-output device (I/O) of a central-processing-unit (CPU) whereas the receiver might reside for instance in the I/O of a memory chip attached to the CPU. The edge and data samples are then further processed in a clock-data-recovery (CDR) unit of the serial link receiver that provides the received data bits to a succeeding higher level logic. In addition, the CDR unit also outputs a control signal to a phase detector in the P-PLL that indicates whether the P-PLL has to increase or decrease the reference phase of its multiphase output signal. The reference phase could be any one of the multiphase signals that is correctly aligned to one of the edges of the received serial data stream. If for instance the edge of the sampling signal occurs prior to the edge of the data signal, the control signal generated by the CDR unit indicates that the phase should be increased (up control signal) because the sampling of the incoming data bit has occurred too early. Likewise, a signal for decreasing (down control signal) is indicated by the CDR unit if the sampling edge occurs after the data edge. In other words, if the phase needs to be adjusted, the P-PLL increments or decrements all of the phases of its multiphase signal by the same amount (e.g., α·2π/N, where α is a fractional number between 0 and 1).
The rotation of the phase is performed by means of a phase interpolation within the phase detector. A non-limiting example of how phase interpolation or phase blending works can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/216,952, filed Aug. 31, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto. The phase detector in the P-PLL needs for a proper operation a multiphase signal with the characteristics of having a monotonic increase of equally spaced phases as described above. The P-PLL includes other components, such as the I/V-converter and the loop filter, which may be any conventional converter and loop filter used in a conventional PLL that does not rotate the phase of its output signal(s).
An example of a correctly performed multiphase division using the proposed multiphase divider as will later be described in greater detail below is shown in FIG. 5 . It can be seen that the phase of the divided multiphase signal is monotonically increasing with equal spacing and a 50% duty cycle. The dashed straight line indicates how the phase gets increased when going from one component of the multiphase signal to the next one. The boxes shown around the first cycles of the divided multiphase signal indicate where the correcting measures imposed by the reset signals come into play. During these time intervals the individual divider output signals are forced to assume the correct states.
Now turning to a discussion of a multiphase divider in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a multiphase divider 100 in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The multiphase divider 100 may be incorporated in the feedback path from an oscillator (e.g., VCO) to a phase detector in order to make a P-PLL a frequency multiplying PLL as shown in FIG. 4 . The multiphase divider 100 addresses the phase ambiguity problem occurring when dividing a multiphase signal with mutually independent divider stages. The multiphase divider 100 may be applied to a P-PLL type of serial link receiver. The multiphase divider 100 includes a first multiphase division section 102 (odd) and a second multiphase division section 104 (even) each dividing by a factor of two. The multiphase divider 100 further includes a reset signal generator 106 having combinational logic for producing periodic reset signals reset 1 , reset 2 , reset 3 to a resetable divider stage 108 of the multiphase divider 100 .
The multiphase divider 100 includes six input phases 109 (in_ph0, in_ph60, in_ph120, in_ph180, in_ph240 and in_ph300-degrees). In an actual P-PLL receiver the six phases 109 could be used to implement a half rate system with 2 data samples (obtained by the phases in_ph60 and in_ph240) and 4 edge samples (obtained by the phases in_ph0, in_ph120, in_ph180 and in_ph300).
In FIG. 6 , the input phase signals 109 are first combined by XOR gates 110 , 112 , 114 in the following way:
x 1 =(i0;i180) XOR (i60;i240)
x 2 =(i60;i240) XOR (i120;i300)
x 3 =(i120;i300) XOR (i180;i0)
where for instance (i0;i180) denotes the differential input phase pair consisting of phases 0 and 180-degrees. To simplify matters in_ph0 equals i0, and likewise this nomenclature also applies to the other phase signals. The input phase signals 109 are correspondingly combined by exclusive OR gates or XOR gates resulting in signals or pulse traces x 1 , x 2 and x 3 as shown in FIG. 8 . Signals x 1 , x 2 and x 3 contain the desired reset pulses that need to be filtered out by means of the succeeding decimation stages applied to the signals x 1 , x 2 and x 3 in the next steps. The succeeding decimation stages are configured to reduce the number of pulses within the pulse traces as shown in FIG. 8 .
To perform the required filtering of the pulse traces x 1 , x 2 , x 3 obtained after the XOR-operation of the input phase signals 109 , two steps of decimation are performed. In the first decimation stage, the signals x 1 , x 2 and x 3 are fed to AND-gates 120 , 122 and 124 , respectively whose second input signals correspond to those in-phase input signals 109 that have not been used at the XOR-gates 110 , 112 , 114 of that branch. For instance at the AND-gate 120 the signal i120 is used because the second input signal x 1 was derived from a subset of the input signals—namely (i0;i180) and (i60;i240)—that did not contain the signal i120. Likewise the phase signal i0 is taken as the second input for the AND-gate 122 , while phase signal i240 is used as the second input for the AND-gate 124 . This mapping of phase signals to the inputs of the AND-gates 120 , 122 , 124 of the first decimation stage takes into account that there are three independent in-phase components in this multiphase input signal 109 —namely i0, i60 and i120, and three out-of-phase components—namely i180, i240 and i300 that are just the complement of the in-phase components. This first decimation stage yields the following signals:
y 1 =x 1 AND i120
y 2 =x 2 AND i0
y 3 =x 3 AND i240
which are also shown in FIG. 8 . This decimation stage reduces the number pulses in y 1 through y 3 by a factor of two with respect to the number of pulses in x 1 through x 3 .
In the second decimation stage, the output (r60;r240) of a replica divider 126 located in the reset signal generator 106 performs a replica divide-by-2 stage. The replica divide-by-2 stage is performed in order to make sure that no feedback latency occurs that may deteriorate the duty cycle of the divided output signal. The replica divider 126 is considered a master divider performing a master divider stage. The differential outputs of the replica divider 126 labeled r60 and r240 are used to select the three final reset pulses reset 1 , reset 2 , reset 3 that are then applied to resetable dividers 160 , 162 , 164 in the resettable divider stage 108 in order to force them to divide in a timely correct synchronous way.
Because the replica divider 126 is operated in parallel to the combinational logic (XOR-gates 110 , 112 , 114 and AND-gates 120 , 122 , 124 ) used to generate and decimate the reset pulses, the rising or falling edges of the replica divider output signals r60 and r240 do not occur within the pulse width of one of the pulses in signals y 1 through y 3 . As such, outputs of the first decimation stage (XOR-gates 110 , 112 , 114 followed by the AND-gate 120 , 122 , 124 )—namely y 1 , y 2 and y 3 , are delayed by a delay τ 130 , 132 , 134 such that none of their pulses occur at the transitions of the replica divider signal. In other words, the delay τ is used to match the latency of the replica divider and the combinational logic so that the signals r60 and r240 can optimally be used in the final decimation stage to obtain the reset signals reset 1 , reset 2 and reset 3 . The value of τ 130 , 132 , 134 implemented for instance as a cascade of inverter stages can be determined at the time of the circuit design based on simulation results of the replica divider latency Δt 1 and the latency Δt 2 through the first part of the combinational network whereas all of the three branches (XOR gate 110 and AND gate 120 , XOR gate 112 and AND gate 122 , XOR gate 114 and AND gate 124 ) ideally have the same latency Δt 2 and hence the same amount of τ is needed for all of the three branches in the combinational network.
In FIG. 8 , an example is shown of how the signals y 1 , y 2 , y 3 are shifted (delayed) by τ. It can be seen that some of the pulses in y 3 are hit by the edges of r60 and r240 (see for instance the encircled pulse in y 3 ). The criterion for choosing τ is to avoid such a constellation between y60, r240 and y 1 , y 2 , y 3 . In this example y 1 , y 2 , y 3 are therefore delayed by τ such that the edges of r60, r240 do not hit any of the pulses of y 1 , y 2 , y 3 .
The delayed signals y 1 , y 2 , y 3 are indicated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 by a prime symbol:
y 1 ′=y 1 (t+τ)
y 2 ′=y 2 (t+τ)
y 3 ′=y 3 (t+τ)
Ideally the rising or falling edges of the replica divider output signals r60, r240 have to occur in the middle of the spacing between two adjacent pulse pairs (e.g., in the middle of the spacing between the y 3 ′-pulses and y 1 ′-pulses). The spacing between two adjacent pulse pairs has a width of ⅙ of the period Tc 0 of the input signal 109 . Thus, the inserted delay τ 130 , 132 , 134 does not need to be very accurate as long as the condition is met that the edges of r60 and r240 occur within the period of time of ⅙·Tc 0 . This also greatly relaxes the requirements in terms of allowable process variations (PVT).
The last decimation stage finally yields the required reset signals by another AND-operation 140 , 142 , 144 applied to the delayed pulse patterns y 1 ′, y 2 ′, y 3 ′ of the previous decimation stage and the replica divider output signals r60, r240. It can be expressed as
reset 1 =y 1 ′ AND r240
reset 2 =y 2 ′ AND r60
reset 3 =y 3 ′ AND r240
Note that the signals reset 1 and reset 3 are obtained by the AND-operation 140 , 144 with r240 and signal reset 2 is obtained by the AND-operation 142 with r60. The same reset signals may be obtained even if the replica divider 126 starts dividing with an opposite polarity. Thus, the phase ambiguity of the resetable dividers 160 , 162 , 164 can be removed because the reset signals reset 1 , reset 2 , reset 3 still remain the same regardless of how the replica divider 126 starts dividing with respect to the multiphase input signal 109 .
FIG. 7 illustrates a transistor-level schematic of each of the resetable dividers 160 , 162 , 166 as used in FIG. 6 . It is implemented in complementary pass-gate transistor logic (CPL) comprising of a master 166 and a slave 168 part of a D-flip flop with differential reset, data and clock inputs and a differential output signal out and outb. The reset signals reset 1 , reset 2 and reset 3 of FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 force the internal feedback paths 170 to assume well-defined states such that the phase ambiguity problem does not occur.
The reset signal generation performed in the first multiphase division section 102 as described above and illustrated in FIG. 6 results in a divided multiphase signal 172 , which is in reversed order of the phase order of the input phase signal 109 . This is indicated in FIG. 6 by the order of how the individual components of the multiphase signals 109 , 172 and 174 are labeled. For instance, the input phase signal 109 at the first multiphase division section 102 —the odd multiphase divider stage (left block), are labeled from top to bottom starting with in_ph0 down to in_ph300. At the output 104 of the first multiphase division section 102 , the signals are labeled from top to bottom starting with div 2 _ph300 and ending with div 2 _ph0. At the second multiphase division section 104 —the even multiphase divider stage (right block), outputs 174 are reversed so that the signal labeling starts with div 4 _ph0 at the top and ends with div 4 _ph300 at the bottom. This alternating order of multiphase signals is caused by the chosen definition of the XOR-operation and the successive decimation operations and makes it necessary to distinguish between odd and even divider stages. The distinction between the odd and even divider stages is associated to the last decimation stage where the reset 1 and reset 3 signals are generated with r60 instead of r240 (see FIG. 6 ). In sum, the reset signals at the last decimation stage in the odd and even sections are as follows:
reset 1 _odd=y 1 ′ AND r240
reset 1 _even=y 1 ′ AND r60
reset 2 _odd=reset 2 _even=y 2 ′ AND r60
reset 3 _odd=y 3 ′ AND r240
reset 3 _even=y 3 ′ AND r60
However, if only a multiphase divide-by-two division is to be performed, it is sufficient to just use the above described odd divider stage. If the multiphase divider should perform a divide-by-four division, an odd followed by an even divider stage must be used. Analogously, at a divide-by-eight division, the succession of divider stages is: odd-even-odd and so forth for a higher division factor (e.g., 1/32: odd-even-odd-even-odd, where each odd and even stage is defined as shown in FIG. 6 ).
If a different definition of the XOR-operation is applied, like for instance
x 1 _alt=(i0;i180) XOR (i300;i120)
x 2 _alt=(i300;i120) XOR (i240;i60)
x 3 _alt=(i240;i60) XOR (i180;i0)
where _alt stands for ‘alternative’, the direction of phase increase indicated by the dashed diagonal lines in FIG. 8 is reversed. Likewise the definition of the first and second decimation stages has to be changed as well:
y 1 _alt=x 1 AND i60
y 2 _alt=x 2 AND i180
y 3 _alt=x 3 AND i300
y 1 ′_alt=y 1 _alt(t+τ)
y 2 ′_alt=y 2 _alt(t+τ)
y 3 ′_alt=y 3 _alt(t+τ)
reset 1 _alt=y 1 ′ AND r60
reset 2 _alt=y 2 ′ AND r60
reset 3 _alt=y 3 ′ AND r240
This is an example of another implementation. It should be understood that there are many other versions of implementation depending on how the pulse generation, the pulse decimation and the replica divider input signals are defined with respect to each other. All of these potential implementations rely in principle on using a reset signal generator consisting of a replica divider and a combinational network to produce a set of reset signals that force the actual divider stages in the multiphase divider to divide in a timely correct manner such that the phase ambiguity problem is eliminated.
Advantageously, the present invention described above includes, without limitation: the application of a multiphase divider in a P-PLL type of serial link receiver to accomplish a frequency multiplication within the P-PLL, which in turn allows reducing the external reference signal by a factor equal to the division ratio of the multiphase divider and hence allows saving power in the clock distribution network because of the slower reference clock signal.
The flow diagrams depicted herein are just examples. There may be many variations to these diagrams or the steps (or operations) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps may be added, deleted or modified. All of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention.
While the preferred embodiment to the invention has been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described.
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A multiphase divider includes a plurality of resetable dividers configured for performing resetable divider stages to a plurality of multiphase signals forming a plurality of divided multiphase signals having a monotonic increasing phase with equal spacing and an ideal duty cycle of 50%, wherein the plurality of divided multiphase signals have no phase ambiguity; and a reset signal generator configured for producing a plurality of periodic reset signals to the plurality of resetable dividers to enable the plurality of resetable dividers to divide the plurality of multiphase signals in a timely correct sequence to form the divided multiphase signal, the plurality of periodic reset signals being produced by a combinational network of the reset signal generator, the combinational network is configured for generating a number of pulses based on the plurality of multiphase signals and performing decimation stages to reduce the number of pulses within the pulse traces.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION
[0001] The present patent application claims the right of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) of German Patent Application No. 102004035869, filed Jul. 23, 2004.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a process for the preparation of cellulose derivatives containing amino groups by the reaction of alkali cellulose with reagents containing amino groups, it being possible to obtain water-soluble or water-dispersible reaction products in one reaction step starting from unsubstituted cellulose or cellulose derivatives.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Especially chitosan—2-amino-2-deoxycellulose—has a broad range of possible uses, inter alia as an acid-stable thickener in cosmetic formulations, as paper auxiliaries, chelating agents and flocculants. However, the isolation of this natural polysaccharide is an expensive process, which is reflected in high product prices. The high price has hitherto hampered the wide use of chitosan and polysaccharide derivatives.
[0004] It is known that cellulose and its derivatives, principally cellulose ethers containing hydroxyethyl groups, can be converted to cellulose derivatives containing amino groups, e.g. by reaction with aminoalkyl chlorides of the general formula Cl—(CH 2 ) n —NR 2 . The necessary thorough mixing of the batch is assured by the use of comparatively large amounts of organic solvents, as described e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 2,623,042. The degrees of etherification achieved here are only low in most cases and the amount of unwanted by-products is high.
[0005] DE-A 1 946 722 suggests that this problem can be counteracted by the use of kneaders. In this case predominantly already water-soluble cellulose derivatives were kneaded in a solvent/water mixture and reacted with N-(2-chloroethyl)-N,N-diethylammonium chloride to achieve degrees of substitution of 0.3 to 1.0 per anhydroglucose unit. The disadvantage here, however, is that safety when handling combustible and volatile organic solvents (primarily peroxide-forming dioxane in the cited patent) in the industrial-scale reaction can only be assured by increased expenditure.
[0006] The work-up and recovery of aqueous solvents and solvent mixtures demands high investment, e.g. in distillation columns, and incurs disposal costs, e.g. for distillation residues. In addition, the use of combustible solvents carries an increased risk of fire and explosion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The object of the invention was therefore to provide an environmentally friendly, safe and cost-effective process for the preparation of cellulose derivatives containing amino groups.
[0008] The invention therefore provides a process for the preparation of cellulose derivatives containing amino groups by the reaction of alkali cellulose or alkali cellulose derivatives with reagents of the general formula
X—(CH 2 ) n —NR 1 R 2
in which,
X is chlorine, bromine, iodine or a sulfonic acid radical R′SO 3 , R′ being an aromatic or aliphatic radical comprising 1-24 C-Atoms, e.g. Methyl, p-Toluyl, n must be at least 2, and the radicals R 1 and R 2 independently of one another are aliphatic or branched or cyclic alkyl or aryl substituents optionally substituted by heteroatoms, or H, or two radicals R 1 and R 2 can form a ring together with the nitrogen, R 1 and R 2 independently comprising 1-24 C-Atoms, characterized in that water is used as the reaction medium and the ratio of cellulose to water is 1:5 to 1:40 mol per mol of anhydroglucose unit (AGU).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The process according to the invention makes it possible to avoid the disadvantages described. It has been found, surprisingly, that it is possible totally to dispense with the use of organic solvents during the reaction. According to the invention, water is used as the reaction medium. Despite the expected increase in hydrolysis of the reagents, the yields are surprisingly so good that water-soluble or at least water-dispersible cellulose derivatives can be prepared in one step from cellulose. Dispensing with organic solvents also considerably simplifies the work-up of the batches. The products obtained contain no residues of organic solvents used in the preparation, e.g. dioxane.
[0014] Cellulose of very diverse origin and property profiles can be used in the process according to the invention, preference being given to mechanically comminuted cellulose (beech, spruce, pine, eucalyptus, cotton), e.g. in the form of shavings, fibres or powder.
[0015] Cellulose derivatives can also be used, examples being carboxymethyl, hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl, methyl and ethyl cellulose and polysaccharides with mixed carboxymethyl, hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl, methyl and ethyl substituents. Methyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose and ethyl hydroxypropyl cellulose are particularly preferred.
[0016] It is preferable to use a water-insoluble cellulose ether or a cellulose ether with a thermal flocculation point in water.
[0017] The overall degree of substitution of the cellulose derivatives used for the reaction is preferably between 0.01 and 4 and particularly preferably between 0.1 and 3. The mean degree of substitution of alkyl substituents (DS alkyl ) is between 0 and 2.5 and preferably between 0 and 1.7. The molar degree of substitution of hydroxyalkyl substituents (MS hydroxyalkyl ) is between 0 and 3.5 and preferably between 0 and 2.5.
[0018] Suitable etherifying agents are compounds of the general formula
X—(CH 2 ) n —NR 1 R 2
in which
X is a leaving group, preferably chlorine, bromine, iodine or a sulfonic acid radical R′SO 3 , R′ being an aromatic or aliphatic radical, comprising 1-24 C-Atoms e.g. para-toluyl or methyl, n must be at least 2 , and the radicals R 1 and R 2 independently of one another are aliphatic or branched or cyclic alkyl or aryl substituents optionally substituted by heteroatoms, or H. Two radicals R 1 and R 2 can form a ring together with the nitrogen, R 1 and R 2 independently comprising 1-24 C-Atoms, X is particularly preferably chlorine.
[0023] Examples of etherifying reagents to be used according to the invention are N-2-chloroethyldiisopropylamine, N-2-chloroethyldiethylamine, N-3-chloropropyldiethylamine, N-2-chloroethyldimethylamine and N-2-chloropropyldimethylamine. The radicals R 1 and R 2 can form a cyclic radical together with the nitrogen. Examples of etherifying reagents used according to the invention in which two radicals R 1 and R 2 form a ring together with the nitrogen are N-2-chloroethylpyrrolidine, N-2-chloroethylpiperidine and N-2-chloroethylmorpholine. The etherifying reagents can be used in the form of the ammonium salts, preferably a hydrochloride. It is possible to use either the solid or a solution of e.g. 65 wt. % or 50 wt. % in water or another solvent.
[0024] It is preferable to use N-2-chloroethyldiisopropylamine hydrochloride and N-2-chloroethyldiethylamine hydrochloride.
[0025] About 0.1-3 mol, preferably about 0.3-2 mol and particularly preferably about 1-2 mol of etherifying reagent are used per mol of anhydroglucose if cellulose is used as the starting material.
[0026] If a cellulose derivative is used, 0.01-1.5 mol, preferably. 0.1-1 mol and particularly preferably 0.1-0.8 mol of etherifying reagent per mol of anhydroglucose is sufficient.
[0027] Before the reaction, the cellulose or cellulose derivative is alkalized with an aqueous solution of about 5-60 wt. % and preferably 30-55 wt. % of a base, preferably sodium hydroxide. The alkalization can be carried out directly in the reaction apparatus.
[0028] Also before the reaction, for example, the cellulose or cellulose derivative can be treated with a 5-60 wt. % aqueous solution of a base, preferably sodium hydroxide, and stirred for 10-120 min at room temperature. This is followed by squeezing-off to a definite residual moisture content. The cellulose activated in this way, e.g. alkali cellulose or a cellulose optionally swollen with ammonium hydroxides, or an activated cellulose derivative is then transferred to the reaction apparatus. Apart from cellulose, water-insoluble cellulose derivatives are also suitable for this form of activation.
[0029] In principle, it is also possible to use e.g. tetraalkylammonium hydroxides or sodium carbonate as the base, but it is preferable to use alkali metal hydroxides, particularly sodium hydroxide. Part of the base can be added as the solid.
[0030] Preferably at least 0.1 equivalent and particularly preferably at least 0.3 equivalent of base is used per mol of etherifying reagent. The amount of base used per mol of etherifying reagent should be at most 2 equivalents, preferably at most 1.5 mol and, in one particularly preferred embodiment, at most 1.2 mol.
[0031] The amount of base has to be increased accordingly if the etherifying reagent is used in the form of an ammonium salt, e.g. as the hydrochloride. In that case it is necessary additionally to introduce at least an equimolar amount of base, based on the ammonium salt, in order to liberate the amine from the ammonium salt, e.g. from the hydrochloride.
[0032] The ratio of cellulose to water should be 1:5 to 1:40 mol per mol of anhydroglucose unit and preferably between 1:10 and 1:30 parts by weight.
[0033] The reaction mixture is treated at a temperature of 15-95° C. for a period of 30 min-12 h, the chosen parameters preferably being as follows: 40-80° C. and 1-4 h.
[0034] To avoid and minimize a molecular weight degradation, the reaction can be carried out totally or partially under an inert gas, e.g. nitrogen or argon.
[0035] Suitable reaction apparatuses are known to those skilled in the art and can be determined by sizing experiments. The apparatuses should allow thorough mixing and heating of the reaction material.
[0036] Particularly suitable reaction apparatuses are e.g. kneaders based on a divided trough kneading chamber in which two often Z-shaped or sigma-shaped kneading blades rotate, optionally scraping one another, and cover almost the whole of the kneading space. High compressive, tensile and shear forces prevail overall in the kneading material due to the blade surfaces moving alternately closer together and further apart. This also enables highly viscous substances to be mixed thoroughly. [Ramesh R. Hemrajani in: Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, “Mixing and Blending; 12. Mixing of Dry Solids and Pastes”; John Wiley & Sons, 1995. DOI: 10.1002/0471238961.1309240908051318.a01, Article Online Posting Date: Dec. 4, 2000.]
[0037] The reaction batch is taken up in water or a solvent/water mixture, optionally neutralized washed with a suitable solvent, dried and optionally ground.
[0038] Suitable solvents for washing the product are those in which the product swells only a little or not at all. In the process according to the invention, cellulose derivatives containing amino groups are preferably purified with water if neutralization is omitted. Provided the filtrate has a pH of >7 and preferably >8 (measured in a 1 wt. % aqueous solution), the products swell or dissolve only slightly. Further washing can then be carried out with optionally aqueous, organic solvents or solvent mixtures, e.g. acetone, if desired. The product can then be processed further in the form of the free amine or completely or partially converted to the ammonium form with an acid and then processed further.
[0039] If desired, the reaction batch can also be treated, after the reaction, with an acid taken from the class comprising mineral acids or organic acids, preferably with hydrochloric acid. It is then advisable to carry out further washing with optionally aqueous, organic solvents or solvent mixtures, e.g. aqueous acetone. If the product is neutralized in this way, its pH is preferably 7-4 and particularly preferably about 6.5-5.
[0040] If required, the reaction product can be subjected to a further reaction of the same type without special purification, in order to increase the nitrogen content and hence the DS. A further possibility, according to the method described in the process according to the invention, is a mixed etherification with different etherifying reagents containing amino groups.
[0041] The process according to the invention is distinguished by a simple procedure and mild treatment of the cellulose. It is universally applicable to a large number of celluloses. Cellulose derivatives containing amino groups with degrees of substitution of between 0.5 and 1.5 can be obtained from unsubstituted celluloses in one reaction step. By dispensing with organic solvents, the use of explosion-proof apparatuses is superfluous in most cases.
[0042] The invention also provides cellulose derivatives containing amino groups which
[0043] a) contain substituents of the type —(CH 2 ) n —NR 1 R 2 , bonded to the cellulose or a side chain, e.g. hydroxyalkyl chain, in which n is at least 2 and the radicals R 1 and R 2 independently of one another are aliphatic or branched or cyclic alkyl or aryl substituents optionally substituted by heteroatoms, or H, or two radicals R 1 and R 2 can form a ring together with the nitrogen, R 1 and R 2 independently comprising 1-24 C-Atoms,
[0044] b) contain alkyl substituents of the type R 3 , R 3 preferably being —(CH 2 ) m —CH 3 , where m=0-3 and DS alkyl is >0.1,
[0045] c) contain hydroxyalkyl substituents preferably from the group comprising hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl and hydroxybutyl, MS hydroxyalkyl being >0.1, and
[0046] d) have an overall degree of substitution (sum of the individual degrees of substitution) of the substituents —(CH 2 ) n —NR 1 R 2 , R 3 and hydroxyalkyl of between 0.8 and 2.5, determined from the nitrogen content [for substituents —(CH 2 ) n —NR 1 R 2 ] or after Zeisel cleavage [DS alkyl for substituents R 3 and hydroxyalkyl].
[0047] The resulting cellulose derivatives containing amino groups can have a variety of uses, e.g. in cosmetic formulations, especially hair care products and shampoos. They can also be used in water treatment, especially as flocculation aids, or in paper manufacture, especially as retention aids. These indicated uses are also provided by the present invention.
EXAMPLE 1
[0048] 243 g (1.5 mol) of ground spruce sulfite pulp containing atmospheric moisture are alkalized in 5 l of 24% sodium hydroxide solution, squeezed off to an AGU:NaOH:water ratio of 1:4:29 and transferred to a horizontal kneader of 5 l capacity. After heating to 65° C., a solution of 600 g (3 mol) of N,N-diisopropyl-aminoethyl chloride hydrochloride in 323 g of water (65% solution) is added with intense kneading, and the kneading is continued for a further 3 h. This gives a reactant ratio AGU:NaOH:agent:water of 1:4:2:40 in the liquor. The reaction product formed is separated from the excess reaction liquid by suction and washed with warm water until the pH of the effluent wash water remains constant. The white powder obtained after drying has a nitrogen content of 5.80% (DS=1.14).
EXAMPLE 2
[0049] 5 l of 25% sodium hydroxide solution are poured over 243 g (1.5 mol) of pulp and the mixture is stirred for 1 h at room temperature. It is then squeezed off until the anhydroglucose:NaOH:water ratio is 1:4:20. 491 g (3 mol) of N,N-diisopropyl-aminoethyl chloride (free base) are added over 5 min to the alkali cellulose formed and the temperature is raised to 65° C. After a reaction time of 3 h, the highly viscous mass formed is taken up in water and mechanically comminuted. Salts and by-products are removed by intense washing. The nitrogen content determined by elemental analysis is 5.85% (DS=1.44).
EXAMPLE 3
[0050] 243 g (1.5 mol) of cellulose are alkalized in 5 l of 31% sodium hydroxide solution and the partially squeezed-off filter cake is then squeezed off again until the anhydroglucose:NaOH:water ratio is 1:4:20. After heating to 55° C., 600 g (3 mol) of N,N-diisopropylaminoethyl chloride hydrochloride are added in solid form and the mixture is kneaded intensely for 3 h at 40 min −1 . The reaction product is washed with water. The nitrogen content determined after drying is 5.45% (DS=1.26).
EXAMPLE 4
[0051] 595 ml of 17% sodium hydroxide solution are added to 169 g (1 mol) of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl cellulose (% N: 0.87-DS: 0.10), bringing the AGU:NaOH:water ratio to 1:3:32.5, and the mixture is then kneaded thoroughly. After heating to 80° C. in the kneader, 327 g (2 mol) of N,N-diisopropylaminoethyl chloride are added. After kneading for 4 hours, the reaction mixture is treated with ethanol/water (1:1 v/v) and neutralized with dilute hydrochloric acid. The polymer solubilized in this way is precipitated by the addition of NaOH, rinsed with acetone and dried. The nitrogen content is determined again and is now 6.03% (DS=1.22).
EXAMPLE 5
[0052] 327 g (2 mol) of N,N-diisopropylaminoethyl chloride are added to 162 g (1 mol) of wood pulp and the mixture is stored for 12 h at room temperature with the exclusion of air. 300 ml of 30% sodium hydroxide solution are then added and the batch is kneaded for 4 h at 60° C. The resulting reactant ratio in the liquor is as follows: anhydroglucose:NaOH:agent:water=1:3:2:15.5. When the reaction has ended, the product is squeezed off and washed repeatedly with water until the effluent wash water is almost neutral. After drying, the white product is granulated. The nitrogen content found by elemental analysis is 5.97% (DS=1.50).
EXAMPLE 6
[0053] 50% sodium hydroxide solution (6 mol) is added to 243 g (1.5 mol) of ground pulp containing atmospheric moisture, in a mixer, and the ingredients are mixed for 45 min. 3 mol of N,N-diisopropylaminoethyl chloride (65% solution) are added and the reaction is continued for a further 4 h. The resulting reactant ratio AGU:NaOH:agent:water in the reaction mixture is 1:4:2:21.5. The reaction product formed is separated from the excess reaction liquid by suction and washed with warm water until the pH of the effluent wash water remains constant. The white powder obtained after drying has a nitrogen content of 5.80% (DS=1.14).
[0054] Although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing for the purpose of illustration, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be limited by the claims.
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A process is described for the preparation of cellulose derivatives containing amino groups that involves reacting, in the presents of water as a reaction medium, alkali cellulose or alkali cellulose derivatives with reagents represented by the following formula,
X—(CH 2 ) n —NR 1 R 2
in which: X is selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and a sulfonic acid radical R′SO 3 , in which R′ is an aromatic radical or an aliphatic radical; n is at least 2; and R 1 and R 2 independently of each other are selected from the group consisting of aliphatic substituents, branched alkyl substituents, cyclic alkyl substituents, aryl substituents, aryl substituents substituted by heteroatoms, H, and R 1 and R 2 together form a ring with the nitrogen. In the process, the mole ratio of cellulose to water, of said reaction medium, is 1:5 to 1:40 mol water per mol of anhydroglucose unit (AGU). Amino functional cellulose derivatives prepared in accordance with the method of the present invention are useful in cosmetic formulations and aqueous paper treatment compositions.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/789,249, filed Jan. 28, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,346, issued Jan. 11, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to display devices, and particularly to lightweight display devices designed to be removably affixed to various fabric articles such as articles of clothing.
Many types of displays are known and extensively used, including promotional, ornamental, informational, inspirational and warning displays, among others. Stickers are a well known type of lightweight display device that can be readily adhered to a supporting surface for static display of printed text and/or graphics. However, there has not heretofore been a self-contained sticker with an electronically controlled dynamic display, that is, a display with changing characteristics such as light or sound effects that attract the attention of a desired observer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,602 to Meyerowitsch discloses a sticker for an alarm system having an LED that flashes under control of an integrated circuit included as part of the sticker along with the LED. However, the sticker requires an external power source, and is provided with electrical wires for that purpose that are longer than the sticker itself. U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,140 to Tuttle discloses a postage stamp or mailing label having an integrated circuit transceiver and an associated battery cell mounted therein. Tuttle mentions, but does not describe, LEDs or laser diodes for the propagation of light signals to an interrogator. However, no such propagation occurs without a separate interrogation unit. Moreover, there is no indication that the electro-optical coupling technique suggested by Tuttle would or should be capable of generating humanly perceptible light or flashing action.
Lighted displays have been proposed for various articles of clothing as a way to enhance aesthetic appeal, which is a fundamental goal of fashion design. Examples of such displays are found in the following patents:
Patent No.
Inventor
Issue Date
4,164,008
Miller et al.
Aug. 7,
1979
4,308,572
Davidson et al.
Dec. 29,
1981
4,709,307
Branom
Nov. 24,
1987
4,774,434
Bennion
Sep. 27,
1988
4,823,240
Shenker
Apr. 18,
1989
5,371,657
Wiscombe
Dec. 6,
1994
5,440,461
Nadel et al.
Aug. 8,
1995
5,455,749
Ferber
Oct. 3,
1995
However, such displays are designed either to be permanently affixed to an article of clothing, or to have different parts of the display located in different places in the article of clothing, or both. Typically, there is a requirement for holes in the fabric or other modification of the clothing itself. For example, in the devices disclosed in the above-referenced patents to Miller, Davidson and Shenker, holes are provided to allow LEDs to protrude through the fabric, and a control circuit, battery, and electrical wiring are located within a pocket or other portion of the garment. Miller teaches the use of a heat-sensitive adhesive for permanently connecting a flexible printed circuit sheet to a garment, and VELCRO* or snaps for temporary connection thereof. Ferber discloses the use of VELCRO* for connection of a battery and control circuit to a set of LEDs which are removably connected to electrically conductive lines printed, screened, painted or coated on or molded into a garment.
Bennion discloses a lighted display with LEDs mounted on a flexible circuit board that is permanently affixed to the surface of a shirt by means of a temperature-sensitive adhesive. A battery pack for the circuit board is carried in a pocket of the shirt and electrically connected to the circuit board by electrical wiring and a snap-terminal arrangement with prongs that puncture the shirt material. Branom discloses an LED flasher circuit on an overlay or patch secured to the back of a jacket or exercise vest by adhesive or sewing or the like, with a battery removably disposed in a pocket of the garment.
Readily removable, adhesively affixed name tags suitable for use on clothing are widely available, but such tags have heretofore been available only with static displays. There remains a need for a simple, inexpensive, self-contained sticker with an electronically controlled, dynamic display capable of being readily affixed to and readily removed from an article of clothing or other fabric article, and having minimal weight, thickness, and stiffness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention meets these needs and offers other advantages with a display sticker with an integral flasher and power source adapted to be adhesively affixed to but readily removed from an article of clothing or other fabric article. A thin flexible sheet has a pressure-sensitive adhesive applied to its back surface, on which is mounted a printed circuit board having integrally mounted thereon an LED, a control circuit to energize the LED to flash at a humanly perceptible rate to attract attention to indicia printed on the front surface of the sticker, and a battery. The LED is visible through a portion of the flexible sheet. The adhesive has a tacky surface enabling the sticker to be readily affixed to fabric and yet readily removed therefrom, i.e., without substantial force and without damage to the fabric such as by removing portions thereof or leaving adhesive residue thereon.
Integral mounting of an LED or other component having electrical leads is considered to include mounting of the component by its leads, with the body of the component located off the circuit board, as well as direct mounting of the component body on the board.
It is an object of the present invention to provide enhanced eye-catching or otherwise attention-getting characteristics beyond those attainable with conventional printed stickers.
Another object is to provide a self-contained display sticker that may be attached to a garment without causing noticeable sag in the garment or producing a noticeable bulge on the surface of the garment or sticker.
A further object is to provide a compact flasher circuit and power source on a sticker.
Yet another object is to attract greater attention to a sticker with a minimum of additional parts, weight and thickness.
Still another object is to maintain design and manufacturing simplicity, low cost, and ease and comfort of use while providing a sticker with dynamic display capabilities.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded rear view of the preferred embodiment of a display sticker according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control circuit and an alternate LED arrangement for the display sticker of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
FIG. 1 shows an exploded rear view of a display sticker 10 according to the present invention. A thin flexible sheet 12 has a printed circuit board 14 adhesively affixed to its back surface 16 by a layer of adhesive 18 which preferably covers the entire back surface of the flexible sheet. The front surface of the sticker may have printed thereon a product or company name, slogan or design, or other advertising indicia or indicia of other types.
The sticker is preferably provided with a peel-off backing 20 which covers the portion of adhesive layer 18 around the area occupied by the circuit board. A second peel-off backing 22 may be provided to cover the circuit board area before the circuit board is affixed to the sticker, if desired. The sticker preferably includes a pre-punched hole 24 through the flexible sheet 12 for an LED 26 . The front surface of the circuit board is flat and free of components except for an LED and is affixed to the back surface of sheet 12 in the area exposed after removal of backing 22 . LED 26 protrudes through hole 24 when the circuit board is affixed to sheet 12 .
A suitable material for flexible sheet 12 is 60# white high gloss paper, and a 40# release liner is suitable for backing sheets 20 and 22 . Such materials are commercially available from Brown-Bridge Industries of Troy, Ohio. Brown-Bridge B-82 rubber-based, pressure-sensitive adhesive is suitable for adhesive layer 18 .
The printed circuit board may have a diameter of approximately 1″, and a maximum height of approximately ⅛″ which is defined by the height of a battery or batteries 28 . In an alternative embodiment having a lithium battery described later, the circuit board has a diameter of approximately 1.5″ and a maximum height of approximately {fraction (3/16)}″. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the entire circuit board is small in relation to the height and width of sheet 12 , and is positioned near the center thereof so as to be spaced apart from the periphery thereof. So constructed, the display sticker may be placed on an exposed surface of a shirt, sweater, dress, jacket or other fabric article without producing a noticeable bulge in the fabric surface or the surface of flexible sheet 12 . The circuit board is also sufficiently lightweight as to avoid causing any noticeable sag in the surface of a garment to which it is attached.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the control circuit may have one LED as depicted on printed circuit board 14 in FIG. 1, or may have multiple LEDs driven by an LED decoder which is suitably included in a signal generator IC 46 along with a clock, a binary counter and a device control and power management circuit interconnected as shown in the drawing. A pushbutton membrane switch 44 is provided on the printed circuit board adjacent to the IC to trigger the IC into an active state in which it energizes the LED to flash at a predetermined humanly perceptible rate. The circuit is preferably designed to operate at a flashing rate of about 100 msec. or more between flashes. Preferably the LED is a high-brightness LED, whereby a flash duration of approximately 3 msec. or less is sufficient to generate enough light to attract attention from a reasonable distance.
IC 46 is preferably a monolithic CMOS integrated circuit with an on-chip capacitor in the clock circuit, and is fabricated according to well known techniques. The device control circuit provides a battery-saving sleep state for the IC. The device control circuit is continually supplied with power via the VDD input connected to the battery, but it controllably supplies power to the other circuit blocks, which, like the device control circuit, incorporate CMOS technology. Consequently, the device control circuit enables the IC to draw 1 μA or less of battery current when the IC is in its dormant or sleep state, during which the supply of power to the clock, counter and decoder is switched off by the device control circuit.
The device control circuit is suitably a flip-flop which is set in response to a first closure of the membrane switch, whereupon the device control circuit goes into the active state and supplies battery power to all of the circuit blocks of the IC. The clock then begins oscillation at a frequency determined by the RC time constant of the external resistor 48 and the internal on-chip capacitor. This clock frequency then drives the binary counter which, in turn, drives the LED decoder. The decoder converts binary data from the counter into an LED firing signal at a preset duty cycle. If LEDs are connected to more than one output of the decoder, the decoder converts binary data from the counter into a sequential firing of the LED outputs at the same duty cycle. The device control flip-flop is reset in response to a second closure of the membrane switch and thereby switches the IC back into the sleep state. IC 46 is preferably supplied in die form and wire bonded onto the circuit board.
The circuit board as shown in FIG. 1 has a pair of 1.5V alkaline manganese dioxide button cell batteries mounted thereon in series so as to provide a 3V DC source. Each battery, and thus the series connection of the two cells, preferably has a capacity of 20-50 mA-hr. Alternatively, a 3V lithium manganese dioxide coin cell with 200 mA-hr capacity may be used. The capacity of the power source may be less than 20 mA-hr although it is preferably at least 20 mA-hr. For example, commercially available button cells having a nominal capacity of 19 mA-hr and 13-14 mA-hr, the latter corresponding to Type AG1, are contemplated as useful in certain desired applications.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected. For example, if added flexibility is desired, the circuitry may be mounted on a flexible printed circuit board instead of a rigid circuit board. Also, a sound source may be employed as an indicator in place of an LED or other light source. A metal dome switch may be used instead of a membrane switch. In addition, flexible sheet 12 may be made of vinyl, Tyvek®, or other materials suitable for stickers, and is preferably paper-thin, e.g., 0.002-0.006″ in thickness. The paper substrate of the preferred embodiment is 0.004″ thick. Thicknesses of up to 0.020″ or so are also contemplated for certain applications. The material may be clear and in such cases may have printed indicia on the same surface as the printed circuit board instead of the opposite surface as described above.
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A display sticker with integral LED flasher circuit and power source adapted to be adhesively affixed to and readily removed from a fabric article. A printed circuit board having an LED, a control circuit and a battery is adhesively affixed to the back surface of a thin flexible sheet having printed indicia on its front surface. A rubber-based, pressure-sensitive adhesive is provided on the back surface of the flexible sheet to adhere the circuit board thereto, and also to adhere the sticker assembly to a fabric article such as an article of clothing.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/723,804 filed Nov. 28, 2000.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for providing FTTH (Fiber to the Home) bidirectional communications over a single optical fiber, and more specifically to NRZ (Non-Return to Zero) coded signals at a first frequency transmitted downstream and a Manchester coded signal at a second frequency modified by ON-OFF keying and transmitted upstream. The upstream and downstream coded signals are both used to modulate a carrier light wave having a selected wavelength of light, such as, for example, 1310 nanometers of light. The invention further relates to methods and apparatus for transmitting and recovering bursts of data with a minimal number of preamble bits and without first requiring phase lock.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The communications industry is using more and more optical or light fibers in lieu of copper wire. Optical fibers have an extremely high bandwidth thereby allowing significantly more information than can be carried by a copper wire transmission line such as twisted pairs or coaxial cable.
[0004] Of course, modem telephone systems require bidirectional communications where each station or user on a communication channel can both transmit and receive. This is true, of course, whether using electrical wiring or optical fibers as the transmission medium. Early telephone communication systems solved this need by simply providing separate copper wires for carrying the communications in each direction, and this approach is still exclusively used in many locations and as part of the transmission path in many others. It is used to a greater degree as the signals get closer to the home or business end users. Although twisted pairs and coaxial cables are more likely to be used in distribution terminals close to the end user and homes, some modem telecommunication systems now use microwave and end-to-end optic fibers as the transmission mediums. In addition, various techniques are often used in optical transmission so that a signal optical fiber can carry more communication in both directions.
[0005] However, because of extremely high bandwidths available for use by an optical fiber, a single fiber is quite capable of carrying a great number of communications in both directions. One technique of optical transmission is WDM (Wavelength Divisional Multiplexing) which uses different wavelengths for different types of transmissions. Typical examples are the use of 1550 nanometers of light for TV signals transmission and 1310 nanometers of light for bidirectional telephony transmission.
[0006] It is noted that the term telephony is used rather than telephone to underscore the fact that communication transmission will include vocal telephone use but is not so limited. Typical telephony systems operate at a single frequency or wavelength of light which is divided into upstream and downstream carefully synchronized time windows for transmitting bursts of data. The use of such upstream and downstream synchronized windows is referred to as TDM (Time Division Multiplexing). This type of telephony systems use a single optical fiber and often may use only a single diode, for both converting electrical signals to optical signals and converting received optical signals to electrical signals.
[0007] However, as mentioned above, optical fibers have extremely high bandwidths and use of an optical fiber as a single bidirectional telephone channel is a very ineffective use of the fiber and, in fact, the available bandwidth of an optical fiber is what makes it possible to use two different and unrelated transmission techniques such as the transmission of bidirectional TDM telephone techniques at one wavelength, and the use of another technique, such as straightforward broadcasting of TV signals downstream at a second wavelength. Typically, two wavelengths regardless of the two techniques being used are combined by the use of WDM technology.
[0008] A major problem for the bidirectional telephony signals is light reflection typically occurring at optical connections or interfaces along the optical fiber, and in a worse case situation, the reflected energy may be interpreted as an actual signal transmission in the bidirectional communication. In addition, the typical use of NRZ (Non-return To Zero) coding and the need for increasing data transmission efficiency by using a minimum number of preamble bits are at odds with each other. Furthermore, clocking pulses and initial pulses of a transmitted signal are typically recovered by establishing a PLL (phase lock loop) by evaluating the time period between high to low and low to high transitions. Thus, since a consecutive string of “1”s or “0”s, using NRZ coding may result in the absence of any transition for an excessive period of time, the effect may be a shift in the timing of a data frame or “wander.” Therefore, a simple and straightforward technique to solve these problems would be of great value.
[0009] Therefore, a technique for transmitting bidirectional telephony signal bursts having minimal energy overlap, occurring from reflection and fast clocking recovery would allow the use of readily available hardware and make efficient and effective use of an optical fiber.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Shortcomings of the above-discussed bidirectional communication system are overcome by the apparatus and methods of the present invention which comprises generating a first NRZ (Non-Return to Zero) data stream having a first clocking frequency and then transmitting the first NRZ data stream by an optical fiber from a first location to a second location. The data stream is transmitted by modulating a carrier having a selected wavelength of light such as, for example, 1310 nanometers. The selected wavelength of light from the first location is received at the second location and the NRZ data stream is recovered. A second NRZ data stream intended for travel to the first location and also having the first clocking frequency is converted to a Manchester coded data stream at the first clocking frequency. The Manchester coded data stream frequency is then further modified by ON-OFF keying at a second frequency which is a selected multiple of the first clocking frequency, such as, for example, eight times (8×) the first clocking frequency. A particular combination coding discloses as a preferred embodiment herein as MOOSE (Manchester OOK Serial Encoding). The modified combination coded data stream or MOOSE coded data stream generated at the second location is transmitted to the first location by the same optical fiber used by the first NRZ coded data stream and at the same selected wavelength of light. The modified MOOSE coded data stream is then received at the first location where it is converted back to an NRZ data stream having the first clocking frequency without having to first determine clocking signals or establish phase lock loop by reconstructing the Manchester code. The reconstruction is accomplished by delaying the combination coded data stream for a period of time substantially equal to one-half cycle of the second frequency and then combining the delayed signal with an undelayed stream of the combination coded signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] These and other features of the present invention will be more fully disclosed when taken in conjunction with the following Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment(s) in which like numerals represent like elements and in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a prior art block diagram showing transmission and distribution of a typical coaxial TV and POTS telephone system;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a prior art POTS telephone system and a fiber optic TV distribution system having 1550 nanometer light carrying TV signals in one direction and 1310 nanometers of light carrying telephony signals in both directions;
[0014] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a FTTH (Fiber to the Home) communication system using the present invention and a single optical fiber for carrying the TDM telephony signals in both directions at 1310 nanometers;
[0015] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the apparatus and data flow of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 5A shows a stream of clocking pulses at about 25 MHZ;
[0017] FIG. 5B shows an example of an NRZ (non-return to zero) data stream also at approximately 25 MHZ and having a series of data bits 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1 and 0;
[0018] FIG. 5C shows the same series of data bits of FIG. 5B using Manchester coding at about 25 MHZ;
[0019] FIG. 5D shows the same series of data bits of FIG. 5B using Manchester coding modified by ON-OFF keying or “MOOSE” coding at approximately 100 MHZ;
[0020] FIG. 5E shows the same series of data bits of FIG. 5D with a selected delay of about 4.8 nanoseconds;
[0021] FIG. 5F shows the result of combining the signals FIGS. 5D and 5E with an OR gate element. FIG. 5F is substantially the same as FIG. 5C ; and
[0022] FIGS. 6A and 6B show the resulting power spectrum of the downstream and upstream signals, respectively, as a function of frequency.
[0023] FIG. 7A shows an overlay of the downstream power spectrum and a 14 dB upstream reflection power spectrum as a function of frequency, and FIG. 7B shows the resulting isolation of the two power spectrums of FIG. 7A as a function of frequency.
[0024] FIG. 8A shows an overlay of the upstream power spectrum and a 14 dB downstream reflection power spectrum as a function of frequency, and FIG. 8B shows the resulting isolation of the two power spectrums of FIG. 8A as a function of frequency.
[0025] FIGS. 9A and 9B show the recovered “eye” pattern of the received 25 MHZ signal and the received 100 MHZ signal, respectively, with no reflection or attenuation.
[0026] FIGS. 10A and 10B show the recovered “eye” pattern of the received 25 MHZ signal and the received 100 MHZ, respectively, in the presence of 14 dB reflection and 17 dB attenuation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is shown a typical transmission and distribution system for cable TV and normal telephone service, referred to as POTS (plain old telephone service). As shown, cable TV source location 10 has cable TV transmission equipment 12 which may originate from several sources including a satellite receiver 14 . The TV equipment 12 would then amplify this signal and send it out typically on a coaxial line, such as line 16 , to a distribution system which may include several terminals, such as terminal 18 , where the signal is again amplified and further distributed to an even larger multiplicity of locations. It is possible, of course, that there is no further amplification or distribution, or alternately, such re-amplification and further distribution may occur several times. In any event, the signal will eventually arrive at a local distribution terminal 20 by means of a coaxial cable 12 a from which it is then distributed to a home or building 22 by a coaxial cable 12 b. As shown, distribution terminal 20 may also provide TV signals to other buildings or homes, such as indicated by bracket 24 . Once the TV signal is received at building 22 , it will then typically be provided to a TV set 26 directly or to a set-top or cable TV box 28 . If the signal is first provided to the set-top box 28 , it is then directly provided to TV set 26 . It should be appreciated that the direction of travel for such signals may be totally or primarily unidirectional and downstream. That is, it travels primarily from the cable TV signal source 10 to the set-top box 28 in the building or home 22 at frequencies within a frequency band of between 55-870 MHZ, and which TV channels have frequencies of between 55-870 MHZ.
[0028] Also shown is a typical telephone system or POTS which, of course, is two-way communication typically carried by means of a twisted pair of wires. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , if someone at the cable TV signal source location 10 wishes to talk with someone at building 22 , the telephone 30 a is used in its normal manner. After substantial switching and routing, the two-way conversation is carried on between the person in building 10 using telephone 30 a and by a person using telephone 30 b in the home or building 22 . This communication is typically carried through a twisted pair of wires such as indicated by 32 , 32 a, and 32 b. In recent years, the regular telephone distribution system has also been used to provide communications between computers. This is done by the use of a modem 34 which connects a computer to the telephone line. As was the case with the TV signal distribution, there are typically several stations or substations such as substation 18 a between the two telephones 30 a and 30 b located at the building 10 and the building 22 , respectively. Such distribution terminals or stations allow telephone services between all subscribers with which we are all well aware. However, as shown in portion 20 a of distribution terminal 20 , there may also be several other buildings or homes connected to telephone distribution terminal 20 as indicated by bracket 24 a. As was discussed earlier, communications between buildings 10 and 22 were typically accomplished through regular telephone service by individuals talking to each other. However, with more efficient automation, telephone lines may also be connected up to the set-top box 28 as indicated by wires 36 . In addition, in the distribution terminal 38 at the cable TV signal location, there is also a telephone connection 39 to the TV signal equipment 12 , such that it is now possible that a request to purchase movies or information concerning the TV signals and TV equipment can be communicated between the two locations without human intervention.
[0029] As demands increase for more and more TV channels and better and more efficient transmission techniques without disruption and interference, the long runs of coaxial cable are simply becoming inefficient and inadequate. Thus, as is shown in FIG. 2 , there is an improved system for the transmission of TV signals between the TV signal source location 10 and the building or home 22 . In the systems shown in FIG. 2 , there is also shown a standard telephone or POTS system as discussed above.
[0030] In the improved television transmission system, however, the transmission is achieved by a fiber optical cable as indicated by fiber optical cables 42 and 42 a. As shown in FIG. 2 , the same coaxial cable 12 b exists between the distribution terminal 20 and the home or building 22 . However, also as shown, distribution terminal 20 includes new equipment 46 which receives the light transmitted on fiber optic 42 and converts it to electrical signals and conversely receives electrical signals from 12 b and converts the electrical signals to light signals for transmission on fiber optic 42 a. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the TV signals from the TV signal source building 10 normally travel downstream only and are continuous. Thus, it is seen that it is possible by the use of a single fiber optic cable, as well as using existing infrastructure copper wiring such as coaxial cable, to transmit a continuous broad frequency band of TV signals carrying multiple channels of TV information at one wavelength of light. The individual TV channels are then converted to electrical signals at a specific frequency within a selected frequency band, such as, for example, only the 55-870 MHZ frequency band.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 3 there is shown a simplified block diagram of the operation of one embodiment of the FTTH (Fiber to the Home) present invention, illustrated as using a single series of optical fibers 42 and 42 a for the bidirectional telephone transmission between the Optical Interface Unit or OIC 18 located at Central Office 19 and the building or home 22 . It should be noted that, although the following discussion is in terms of a single series of optical fiber cables 42 and 42 a between the Central Office 19 and Home 22 , there may also be one or more amplification stations located at various locations in the distribution path.
[0032] Further, as is shown, in addition to the series of optical fibers 42 and 42 a traveling between OIU (Optical Interface Unit) 18 at Central Office 19 and a distribution terminal 20 , hereinafter referred to as the HNU (Home Network Unit), there will be other optical fibers as indicated by optical fibers 42 b through 42 d which extend between one-to-four Optical Splitter/Coupler 44 and other home distribution terminals or HNU's similar to HNU 20 . Each of the optical fibers 42 b through 42 d may carry light at both 1550 nanometers and 1310 nanometers.
[0033] As shown, TV signal source location 10 provides signals from equipment 12 and, in this illustrated embodiment, the TV signals may be 55-870 MHZ signals provided to a coupler or WDM (Wave Division Multiplexer) 50 . It will be appreciated that cable 16 could be either an optical fiber or a coaxial cable. A copper coaxial cable 16 would carry the TV signals having a bandwidth of 55-870 MHZ to circuitry 51 which uses the electrical TV signals to modulate light having a selected wavelength which is directed or focused onto optical fiber 52 . In one preferred embodiment, a particular selected wavelength for such TV signals is 1550 nanometers. Thus, the 1550 nanometer light waves are provided to optical fiber 42 by WDM 50 , and according to one embodiment, travel in a single direction from WDM 50 through optical fibers 42 and 42 a to distribution terminal or HNU 20 in house or building 22 . Of course, once the 1550 nanometer light carrying the TV signal arrives at HNU 20 , photo-diode or PD 57 strips out the TV signals such that they can be distributed throughout home or building 22 , as shown by coaxial cable 12 b carrying the signals to set up top box 28 and/or television 26 .
[0034] Also as shown, electrical telephony or POTS (Plain Ole Telephone) signals may be carried to Central Office 19 by copper wires, such as copper wires 48 , which represent a twisted pair of normal telephone communication wires. Circuitry or OIU 18 in Central Office 19 receives these electrical telephony signals as well as other broadband data signals traveling downstream. As will be discussed in detail later with respect to FIG. 4 , Circuitry 18 generates a coded form of these data signals to modulate light at a selected wavelength (typically by a laser diode—(LD) 53 ). In the same manner, light at that same wavelength traveling upstream and also previously modulated by electrical telephony signals is detected (typically by a photo detector—(PD) 55 ) and processed to recover the telephony signals. Thus, the fiber optic cables 42 and 42 a shown between OIU 18 and home or destination 22 carries telephony signals at a single wavelength of light typically selected to be about 1310 nanometers, fibers 42 a through 42 d, there will be a plurality of additional optical fibers 54 a through 54 c also carrying many other telephony signals at 1310 nanometers.
[0035] Thus, ONU 18 which is connected to fiber optic cable 42 (through SWX 50 ) for carrying the 1310 modulated light may also receive 55-870 MHZ TV signals from the TV signal source location 10 . The 55-870 MHZ electrical signals may, as an example, be used to modulate light having a wavelength of 1550 nanometers. SWX (Splitter with Division Multiplexing) 54 then combines by WDM (Wave Division Multiplexing) the plurality of 1310 nanometer wavelength signals along with the 1550 nanometer wavelength signals such that cables 42 and 42 a carrying the TV signals in a downstream direction on 1550 nanometer light and carries bidirectional telephony signals in both directions at 1310 nanometers of light. Of course, fiber optical cables 42 b through 42 d and connected to coupler/splitter 44 carry the 1550 nanometer light and the 1310 nanometer light in a similar manner.
[0036] At the downstream destination, the bidirectional telephony signals traveling on 1310 nanometer light waves are routed to equipment in HNU 20 in Home 22 which recovers the electrical telephony signals by a photo detector—(PD) 56 from the 1310 nanometer light waves traveling downstream and uses the electrical telephony signals traveling upstream to modulate light waves having a wavelength of 1310 nanometers by laser diode—(LD) 58 . The electrical telephony signals are then distributed from HNU box 20 by wire pair 32 b to the telephone 30 b or other telephony equipment such as the 56K telephone modem 34 at home or building 22 .
[0037] As was discussed above, the extremely broad bandwidth available with the use of optical fibers as a transmission medium offers many advantages and vastly increases subscriber density on a single fiber. Unfortunately, new uses and demands continue to grow at ever-increasing rates. Consequently, what may have appeared to be an overabundance of bandwidth for years to come a couple of years ago is already or threatens to become crowded in the near future. In addition, every technology has its own special set of problems and the use of optical fiber as a transmission medium for telephony communication is no exception. More particularly, using present techniques, a light wave traveling through a fiber is particularly vulnerable to reflection if the connector joining the two fibers is dirty or improperly fitted. The present invention, however, discloses transmission techniques, coding, or protocols to minimize the effects of reflective overlap of the transmitted energy spectrum, and rapid clocking recovery.
[0038] Referring now to FIG. 4 , there is shown a block diagram illustrating the features of the present invention. It should be noted that elements of FIG. 4 , which are common with the elements of FIG. 3 , may carry the same reference numbers. To aid in understanding the invention, the following embodiment of the invention is described assuming a two-way communication exchange extending at least between OIU 18 at a first location or Central Office 19 and a second location or HNU 20 in Home 22 .
[0039] According to the described embodiment, a first data stream of electrical pulses in NRZ (Non-Return to Zero) format and clocking signal having a selected frequency are received through the back plane by FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) 60 for conditioning at inputs 62 and 64 , respectively. Control and synchronizing information along with addresses and alarm data is added to the data stream by FPGA 60 . The stream of conditioned NRZ coded signals are then transmitted by line 65 to a low pass filter 66 located in OIU 18 at Central Office 19 . In a preferred embodiment, the NRZ electrical pulses have a frequency of around 25 MHZ. More specifically, using standard and readily-available components and parts, this frequency will actually be about 25.92 MHZ. Low pass filter 66 will typically be chosen so as to readily pass frequencies less than about 25 MHZ, while substantially blocking all frequencies above about 30 MHZ. Referring briefly to FIG. 6A , and, as will be discussed in more detail later, line 68 represents the attenuation vs. frequency of low pass filter 66 . As shown, LPF 66 substantially allows all frequencies to the left of line 68 to pass, while substantially attenuating everything to the right of line 68 . The 25 MHZ NRZ data stream is then provided to laser driver 70 which adjusts or regulates the signal to provide for diode bias, power output of the diode and modulation level. The properly adjusted and regulated signal is then provided to laser diode (LD) 53 in duplexer 73 for modulating light waves having a nominal wavelength of about 1310 nanometers. This modulated light at 1310 nanometers is injected or focused directly onto optical fiber 42 , or alternatively, as shown in dashed lines, the modulated light may first be provided to a WDM (Wave Division Multiplexer) 50 which combines the modulated 1310 nanometer light with another light frequency (such as 1550 nanometer) from optical fiber 52 .
[0040] The 1310 nanometer light carrying the NRZ data stream on fiber 42 is then provided through a splitter such as 1×4 splitter 44 to optical cable 42 a and then to the distribution panel 20 in home or building 22 . Splitter 44 also provides individual fiber optical cables 42 b, 42 c and 42 d to other homes or buildings which also receive the data stream. Cable 42 a is then provided to a Quplexer 82 located in distribution panel 20 , which separates out the 1550 nanometer light carrying the TV signals, if any, as shown at 84 , and passes the 1310 nanometer light modulated by the NRZ coded data stream to photo diode 56 . Photo diode 56 in Quplexer 82 along with the very low noise amplifier recovery circuit 86 recovers the 25 MHZ NRZ coded data stream adds gain and converts this data stream to a differential voltage output on a pair of electrical conductors 88 a and 88 b. The two different voltage outputs are provided to low pass filter 90 and then onto Comparator or Quantizer 92 . Comparator 92 uses the two signals on line 88 a and 88 b to regenerate the 25 MHZ NRZ data stream by improving the signal and increasing the signal-to-noise ratio such that the output of Comparator or Quantizer 92 is suitable for use by TLL Logic. This output of Quantizer 92 is then provided to PLL (Phase Lock Loop Circuit) 94 to recover the 25.92 NRZ data as well as the 25.92 clocking pulses. The 25 MHZ NRZ data is then provided by line 96 to receiving equipment.
[0041] The transmission path from the HNU 20 in the second location or Home 22 to OIU 18 at the Central Office 19 in earlier optical transmission systems might well have been a mirror image of the transmission sequence from OIU 18 to HNU 20 as discussed above. However, to assure efficiency and transmission integrity, the present invention uses a first NRZ coded transmission protocol to carry information in one direction at a first frequency of 25.92 MHZ as just discussed, and a modified Manchester coded transmission protocol at a second frequency to carry information in the opposite direction. The modified MOOSE coded data is referred to herein as Manchester/OOK coded data and provides transitions which are eight times (8×) the first frequency.
[0042] Referring now to FIGS. 5A through 5F , there is shown a first clocking signal of approximately 25 MHZ (actually 25.92 MHZ) at FIG. 5A and an NRZ digital data stream at FIG. 58 having bits 98 through 110 which represent binary bits 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1 and 0, respectively. FIG. 5C shows a typical Manchester coded data stream representing the same data stream of “1”s and “0”s as shown in the NRZ code of FIG. 5B . That is, FIG. 5B shows the NRZ code and FIG. 5C shows the Manchester code for the data sequence 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0. As is recognized by those skilled in the art, one advantage of Manchester code over NRZ coding is that there are twice as many signal transitions or leading and trailing edges as present in an NRZ stream of data. In fact, when an NRZ data stream has a string of consecutive “1”s or “zeros,” there are no transitions at all during such a consecutive stream.
[0043] Referring again to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the modified Manchester code protocol for data transmission from HNU 20 to in Home 22 to OIU 18 at Central Office 19 according to this invention will be discussed. As shown, in FIG. 4 and FIGS. 5B and 5C , an NRZ data stream ( FIG. 5B ) is provided along an electrical conductor 112 to circuitry 114 which converts the NRZ coded data stream on line 112 to an equivalent standard Manchester coded data stream on line 116 ( FIG. 5C ), also at 25.92 MHz. As discussed above, there are no signal transitions during the stream of connector “1”s represented by bits 104 , 106 and 108 for the NRZ data stream of FIG. 5B . However, each of the Manchester coded data bits 104 , 106 and 108 shown in FIG. 5C have two transitions. It will be appreciated that coding circuitry 114 could simply convert the 25 MHz NRZ data stream to a 25 MHz Manchester coded data stream as shown in FIGS. 5A and 58 and then transmit this 25.92 MHz Manchester coded signal to OIU 18 for information traveling from HNU 20 to OIU 18 with improved performance. It is noted that converting a 25.92 MHz NRZ coded signal to a 25.92 MHz Manchester coded signal requires a clocking signal which is twice the original 25.92 MHz clock. However, even significantly greater improved performance can be achieved by first converting the data stream traveling from HNU 20 to OIU 18 to a modified Manchester coded data stream which includes transitions at a frequency which is a multiple of the frequency of a 25.92 MHz Manchester coded data stream.
[0044] Referring again to FIG. 5C , there is shown the Manchester coded data stream which is the equivalent of the original 25 MHz NRZ data stream of FIG. 5D . FIG. 5D is a combination Manchester code passed through an ON-OFF Keying code device 118 and will be referred to herein as MOOSE coded signal according to the teachings of this invention. The ON-OFF coding device 118 receives the Manchester code and simply provides a reference voltage level such as a zero or “off” output for those portions of the Manchester coded bit that are already at zero and a repetitive switching between on-off, “one”-“zero,” or “first level”-“second level” output for those portions of the Manchester coded bit that are “on” or equal to “1.” For example, the first half 120 of bit 100 of FIG. 5C , is zero volts, so according to one embodiment, the first half 122 of bit 100 of the Manchester/OOK coded signal shown in FIG. 5D is also zero. However, the second half 124 of bit 100 of FIG. 5C is a “1,” and therefore the repetitive ON-OFF keying by device 118 results in the second half 128 of bit 100 which is shown in FIG. 5D as a series of on-off pulses. It should be understood that the reference voltage could be selected by a “1” rather than a “zero” such that the high or “one” portion of the bit results in a continuous “1” and the “zero,” or low portion of the bit could be switched between the reference “high” voltage and a second voltage which is, for example, “zero.” Likewise, it is possible to set the reference voltage for a voltage level different than the voltage level of the portion of the bit it represents. The rate of the on-off cycle depends on the clocking signal as determined by clock multiplier 130 on line 132 to ON-OFF keying device 118 . In the embodiment shown, clock multiplier 130 increases the 25.92 MHZ input clocking rate eight times (8×) to 207.36 MHz. Consequently, the ON-OFF portions of the Manchester/OOK coded data of FIG. 5D has a frequency four times (4×) that of the NRZ data of FIG. 5B . More specifically, for every NRZ coded bit ( 98 through 110 ) shown in FIG. 5B , there is a Manchester coded bit in FIG. 5C with at least two voltage level transitions. However, there are a minimum of four transitions as shown in FIG. 5D for the 103.68 MHz Manchester/OOK coded signals. The increased number of leading edge and trailing edge transitions of the data stream of FIG. 5D helps to assure data integrity, and, as will be discussed later, provides greater isolation or separation of the signal power spectrum and allows a fast clock recovery without first having to obtain a data lock by a phase lock loop.
[0045] The unique Manchester ON-OFF Keying or MOOSE coded data signal is then provided from ON-OFF keying device 118 to BPF 134 , TX driver circuit 136 and then to diode 58 in Quplexer 82 where it is used to modulate light directed onto optical fiber 80 for transmission to distribution terminal 18 . Referring to FIG. 6B line 140 between about 50 and 60 MHz and line 142 between about 150 and 160 MHz shows the pass-no pass threshold of Band Pass filter 134 . That is, only the signals which occur between line 140 and 142 can pass through the filter 134 to diode 58 to modulate the 1310 nanometer light. The 1310 nanometer light modulated by the MOOSE coded data stream is then provided to photo diode PD 55 and TIA or Transimpedance Amplifier 146 such that the MOOSE coded electrical signal data is recovered as a pair of voltage differential signals on lines 148 and 150 . A transimpedance amplifier is a low noise amplifier which converts current to voltage. Low Pass Filter 152 operates on the MOOSE coded signal in the same manner as discussed above with respect to the NRZ signal traveling from OIU 18 to HNU 20 . However, unlike the processing of the NRZ data stream discussed above, the two outputs of low pass filter 152 are provided to a Limiting Amplifier 154 . Limiting amplifier 154 amplifies each of the signal excursions as necessary to obtain an output signal where all of the “peak” values are at a predetermined level even if the “peak” values provided by Low Pass Filter 152 varied significantly. The two differential voltage outputs of Limiting Amplifier 154 are then provided to another Band Pass Filter 156 to again remove any noise or signals outside of the 50 MHZ to 160 MHz frequency band.
[0046] The output 158 is split and applied to delay line 160 and multiplier 162 . Similarly, the reference output 164 is split and applied to delay line 166 and multiplier 168 . According to the present embodiment, delay lines 160 and 166 provide a delay of approximately 4.8 nanoseconds as shown in FIG. 6E .
[0047] Referring now to FIG. 6D , there is shown an idealized version of the recovered MOOSE code on line 158 prior to being applied to combining circuit 162 . FIG. 6E shows an idealized version of the MOOSE code after being delayed for 4.8 nanoseconds as would be present on line 146 and prior to being applied to combining circuit 168 . FIG. 5F shows the output of combining circuit 168 after combining the data streams of FIGS. 5D and 5E . It will be appreciated that FIG. 5F is the same as the Manchester coded data stream of FIG. 5C , and thus the original upstream signal has been recovered without first establishing the timing clock signals or a phase lock. After further conditioning by Comparator 170 and Low Pass Filter 172 , the Manchester coded data stream at 25.92 MHz will again be suitable for use by TTL circuitry. The 25.92 MHZ Manchester coded output of Low Pass Filter 172 is then provided to Manchester decoder 174 to recover the transmitted clock and to convert the Manchester coded data stream back to an NRZ data stream which is the original form of the data. The clocking signal and the recovered NRZ data stream are then provided to FPGA 60 for further routing of the signals through the back plane.
[0048] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B , there is shown the power spectrum of the downstream and the upstream signal transmissions, respectively, according to the teachings of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6A , there is also shown the threshold line 68 of the low pass filter circuitry 90 shown in FIG. 4 . As can be seen, the low pass filter 90 is chosen to readily pass all frequencies less than about 20 MHZ and to substantially attenuate frequencies (for example, 40-50 db of attenuation) above about 30 MHZ. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6A , the single burst 176 of NRZ data to the left of line 68 and which is about 25 MHz and less along with harmonics and other noise is transmitted and received at the downstream distribution terminal 20 . However, after being passed through LPF 90 , all of the higher frequency signals to the right of line 68 are heavily attenuated and will not be passed to Comparator 92 .
[0049] In a similar manner, the data transmitted and received upstream at terminal 18 is passed through a band pass filter 156 which readily passes frequencies of between about 50 MHz and 150 MHz while substantially attenuating frequencies having a frequency of less than about 50 MHz and greater than about 150 MHz. The threshold (pass-no pass) lines 140 and 142 thus clearly illustrate how the upstream transmitted data is limited to the center burst of data 178 between 50 MHz and 150 MHz.
[0050] FIG. 7A shows the overlay of the signal 176 transmitted downstream and received at terminal 20 after it has passed the low pass filter 90 . Curve 180 shows the power spectrum of a “reflected” signal (intended for transmission from terminal 20 to terminal 18 ) due to a bad optical connection or other anomaly in the optical line. Since all of the downstream data is carried by a burst of data of about 25 MHz and since the frequency above about 25 MHz are substantially attenuate, the only portion of the reflected transmission that can cause cross-talk or noise is that portion of curve 180 to the left of line 182 which is less than 25 MHz.
[0051] Referring now to FIG. 7B , the portions of the power spectrum of FIG. 7A between 0 and 25 MHz is expanded and line 184 illustrates that the isolation between the actual signal and the reflected signal is between 75 dB and a worse case of 50 dB which is still excellent.
[0052] Similarly, FIG. 8A shows an overlay of the signal 178 transmitted upstream and received at terminal 18 after it has passed through band pass filter 156 . Curve 186 shows the power spectrum of a reflected signal originally intended for transmission downstream from terminal 18 to terminal 20 . Since all of the data is carried by a power burst at frequencies between about 50 MHz and about 150 MHz and, since all of the frequencies outside of this band are substantially attenuated, the only portion of the reflected transmission that can cause noise and/or create cross-talk are those portions of curve 186 which is between 50 and 150 MHz. Therefore, the curve or line 188 of FIG. 8B expands the frequency band between about 50 MHz and 150 MHz and illustrates the isolation between the transmitted signal 178 and the reflected signal 186 . As shown, the isolation is still very substantial. As shown, it varies from a worse case of about 35 dB up to about 75 dB.
[0053] Referring now to FIGS. 9A and 9B , there is shown the “eye” pattern for the recovered upstream and downstream signals with a good, clean signal and no reflection. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, what is meant by the “eye” pattern is the volume level separation between the digital high and low or “1”s and “0”s signals. As shown, there is a substantial separation of the received 25 MHz downstream signal and the received 100 MHz upstream signal.
[0054] FIGS. 10A and 10B show the eye patterns for the same upstream and downstream signals when they are also subjected to a 14 dB reflected signal and a 17 dB attenuation. As shown, the “eye” patterns are still very distinct, although the amplitude separation of the 25 MHz received signal is reduced as is the amplitude separation for the 100 MHz.
[0055] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed.
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A method of transmitting and rapidly recovering a burst of data without first having to establish a timing or phase lock. The signals are transmitted as modified Manchester coded signals having pulse transitions at a clocking pulse rate which is a multiple of the clocking pulse rate at which the signals are originally generated, and wherein the MOOSE coded signal is modified by ON-OFF keying.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/703,468 entitled “MANIPULATABLE DELIVERY CATHETER FOR OCCLUSIVE DEVICES (II)”, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/643,085 entitled “MANIPULATABLE DELIVERY CATHETER FOR OCCLUSIVE DEVICES” filed Aug. 21, 2000, now pending and incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention is in the general field of surgical instruments and is specifically a catheter having a flexible, proximally-manipulated hinge region. The inventive catheter may include a balloon. The catheter may have a shaft of varying flexibility which contains several lumen. The inner, or delivery, lumen generally may be used with a guide wire to access target sites within the body through the flexible, small diameter vessels of the body. The delivery lumen may be also used for placement of occlusive materials, e.g., in an aneurysm. Inflation of the optional micro-balloon, located near the distal tip of the catheter, is effected using the inflation lumen. The push/pull wire tubing contains a wire, which when manipulated, flexes the catheter's distal tip.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Endovascular therapy has been used to treat different conditions, such treatments including control of internal bleeding, occlusion of blood supply to tumors, and occlusion of aneurysm. Often the target site of the malady is difficult to reach. Because of their ability to access remote regions of the human body and deliver diagnostic or therapeutic agents, catheters are increasingly becoming components of endovascular therapies. Vascular catheters may be introduced into large arteries, such as those in the groin or in the neck, and then pass through narrowing regions of the arterial system until the catheter's distal tip reaches the selected delivery site. To be properly utilized, catheters are often stiffer at their proximal end to allow the pushing and manipulation of the catheter as it progresses through the body but sufficiently flexible at the distal end to allow passage of the catheter tip through the body's blood vessels without causing significant trauma to the vessel or surrounding tissue.
[0004] Microcatheters, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,884,579 and 4,739, 768, each to Engleson, allow navigation through the body's tortuous vasculature to access such remote sites as the liver and the arteries of the brain. Although other methods of causing a catheter to proceed through the human vasculature exist (e.g., flow directed catheters), a guidewire-aided catheter is considered to be both quicker and more accurate than other procedures. Catheters with deflectable or variable stiffness distal ends (which increase the flexibility of the catheter's distal end) have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,222, to Klein et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,169, to Furukawa; U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,973, Saab; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,715, to Berg et al.
[0005] The addition of a fluid-expandable balloon on the distal end of the catheter and a coupler on the proximal end allows various percutaneous medical treatments such as pressure monitoring, cardiac output and flow monitoring, angioplasty, artificial vaso-occlusion, and cardiac support. Balloon catheters generally include a lumen that extends from the proximal end and provides fluid to the balloon for inflation. Examples of balloon catheters are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,934 to Engleson et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5, 437,632 to Engelson et al. A balloon catheter with an adjustable shaft is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,012, to Ren et al.
[0006] For certain vascular malformations and aneurysms, it may be desirable to create an endovascular occlusion at the treatment site. A catheter is typically used to place a vaso-occlusive device or agent within the vasculature of the body either to block the flow of blood through a vessel by forming an embolus or to form such an embolus within an aneurysm stemming from the vessel. Formation of an embolus may also involve the injection of a fluid embolic agent such as microfibrillar collagen, Silastic beads, or polymeric resins such as cyanoacrylate. Ideally, the embolizing agent adapts itself to the irregular shape of the internal walls of the malformation or aneurysm. Inadvertent embolism due to an inability to contain the fluid agent within the aneurysm is one risk which may occur when using fluid embolic agents.
[0007] Mechanical vaso-occlusive devices may also be used for embolus formation. A commonly used vaso-occlusive device is a wire coil or braid which may be introduced through a delivery catheter in a stretched linear form and which assumes an irregular shape upon discharge of the device from the end of the catheter to fill an open space such as an aneurysm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,069, to Ritchart et al, discloses a flexible, preferably coiled, wire for use in a small vessel vaso-occlusion.
[0008] Some embolic coils are subject to the same placement risks as that of fluid embolic agents in that it is difficult to contain the occlusive coil within the open space of the aneurysm. A need exists for a delivery system which accurately places the occluding coil or fluid and ensures that the occluding coil or fluid does not migrate from the open space within the aneurysm. The delivery catheter must have a small diameter, have a highly flexible construction which permits movement along a small-diameter, tortuous vessel path, have a flexible method of placement to ensure accuracy, and must have a method to prevent coil or embolizing agent leakage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] This invention is a catheter or catheter section. Although it desirably has a balloon region located from distal of an inflatable member to proximal of that inflatable member, where the inflatable member is within the balloon region, it need not have a balloon region or an inflatable member. The inventive catheter has a flexible joint region located generally in the distal area of the catheter, often within that balloon region. The catheter includes a wire configured to flex the flexible joint region. Where the catheter includes an inflatable member, the flexible joint may variously be distal of the inflatable member, within the inflatable member, or proximal of the inflatable member. The flexible joint region preferably has a flexibility of up to about 90°. The flexible joint region, because the catheter wire may be too rigid, may also be manipulatable in a circular direction relative to the axis of the catheter.
[0010] The wire may be slidingly held, e.g., within a separate tubing. This tubing may potentially be used to aid in adjusting the flexibility of the joint region. This may be accomplished by several different variations. One variation utilizes a wire tubing having collinear consecutive sections of decreasing wall thickness. Alternatively, the wire tubing may be tapered according to the desired degree of joint flexibility. The tubing itself may be a braided tubing which may be of varying flexibility.
[0011] The flexible joint itself may be, for instance, a coil member, perhaps having a section with a pitch which is larger than adjacent coil pitches. The flexible joint may instead be a braid, perhaps with a section with a pic which is larger than the pic of one or more adjacent sections. The flexible joint may also be made up of a polymer tubing with a section which is softer than adjacent tubing polymers or a region having a wall thickness that is thinner than adjacent wall thickness.
[0012] In taking advantage of the flexibility and capabilities of the present invention, a variation capable of twisting in a helical or corkscrew-like manner may be accomplished with or without an inflatable member or balloon region. This variation is particularly useful in traversing tortuous vasculature and in making difficult approaches to aneurysms. This alternative varation utilizes a wire which may be wound about the guidewire or inner tubing and fixedly attached. It is thus possible to wind the wire any number of times or just a few degrees off the wire axis depending upon the vasculature being traversed and the degree of flexibility or twisting desired. Moreover, different variations may be developed capable of twisting in a left or right handed orientation.
[0013] The present invention may also incorporate various rapid exchange variations.
[0014] The inflatable member or balloon may be of a material selected from the group consisting of elastomers such as silicone rubber, latex rubber, natural rubber, butadiene-based co-polymer, EPDM, and polyvinyl chloride or thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] [0015]FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1 C are external views of several variations of the inventive catheter device.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 2A depicts a cross sectional view of a proximally placed hinge region a variation of the distal region of the inventive catheter.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 2B depicts a cross sectional view of a mid-balloon hinge region placement for a variation of the distal region of the inventive catheter.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 2C depicts a cross sectional view of a distally placed hinge region in a variation of the distal region of the inventive catheter.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 2D depicts a cross sectional view of an additional mid-balloon hinge region placement for one variation of the distal region of the inventive catheter.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 3A depicts a cross-sectional view of an alternate hinge region construction for the distal region of the inventive catheter. The hinge region of FIG. 3A is composed of a section of material which is surrounded by regions of greater stiffness.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 3B depicts a cross-sectional view of an alternate hinge region construction for the distal region of the inventive catheter. The hinge region of FIG. 3B is composed of a coil of varying pitch.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 3C depicts a cross-sectional view of an alternate hinge construction for the distal region of the inventive catheter. The hinge of FIG. 3C is composed of a region of thinned tubing wall surrounded by regions of thickened tubing wall.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 3D depicts a cross-sectional view of an alternate hinge region construction for the distal region of the inventive catheter. The hinge region of FIG. 3B is composed of a braided region which is flanked by regions of higher braid density.
[0024] FIGS. 4 A- 4 H are cross-sectional views of catheter shafts displaying the various relative positions of the push/pull wire lumen, inflation lumen, and delivery lumen.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 5 depicts the positions of the radio-opaque markers positioned within the distal end of the catheter tip.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 6A depicts the relative position of the distal end of the catheter tip when not flexed.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 6B depicts the relative position of the distal end of the catheter when flexed by pulling the push/pull motion wire.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 6C depicts the relative position of the distal end of the catheter when flexed by pushing the push/pull motion wire.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 7A depicts a variation having a push/pull wire tubing with consecutively smaller cross-sections.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 7B depicts an alternative variation having a tapering push/pull wire tubing.
[0031] [0031]FIG. 7C depicts a cross-sectional view of the sectioned push/pull wire tubing from FIG. 7A.
[0032] [0032]FIG. 7D depicts a cross-sectional view of the tapered push/pull wire tubing from FIG. 7B.
[0033] [0033]FIG. 8A depicts a variation where the push/pull wire may be partially wound about the guidewire tubing.
[0034] [0034]FIG. 8B depicts a cross-section of FIG. 8A where the push/pull wire is wound in a right-handed orientation.
[0035] [0035]FIG. 8C depicts a cross-section of FIG. 8A with an alternative variation where the push/pull wire is wound in a left-handed orientation.
[0036] [0036]FIG. 9 depicts a variation having a catheter tip which may be rotated by a twisting push/pull wire.
[0037] [0037]FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10 C are external views of several variations of the inventive catheter device incorporating a rapid exchange variation.
[0038] [0038]FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11 C, and 11 D depict the steps of using the inventive catheter by respectively inserting the distal end of the inventive catheter into a blood vessel, placing a vaso-occlusive device within an aneurysm, and removing of the catheter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] This invention involves a multi-lumen, catheter having a manipulatable distal tip and is for the delivery of vaso-occlusive materials or implants. The inventive catheter may include one or more distally placed balloon members. The device is shown in detail in the Figures wherein like numerals indicate like elements. The catheter preferably includes a shapeable, flexible distal section. The flexible section, or “hinge region”, preferably is manipulated from outside the body during the process of delivering the verso-occlusive device or material. The terms “hinge region”, “hinge”, or “flexible joint” may be used interchangeably for our applications.
[0040] [0040]FIG. 1A shows a catheter assembly 23 made according to one variation of the invention. This variation of the catheter assembly 23 includes a catheter shaft 25 comprised of a flexible, thin walled body or tube 26 having an inner lumen which extends between proximal and distal catheter ends 24 , 37 , respectively. The tube 26 is preferably a generally nondistensible polymer having the appropriate mechanical properties for this application, and preferably polyethylene (e.g., HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, MDPE, etc.), polyesters (such as Nylon), polypropylene, polyimide, polyvinyl chloride, ethylvinylacetate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane (e.g. Texin such as that made by Bayer Corporation), PEBAX, fluoropolymers, mixtures of the aforementioned polymers, and their block or random co-polymers.
[0041] This variation of the inventive catheter assembly generally has several overall functions: a.) access through the vasculature to the brain (or other vascular site) often, but not necessarily, using a guide wire; b.) inflation of the inflatable member or balloon to close or to restrict an artery or the mouth of an aneurysm prior to or during placement of a vaso-occlusive device, thereby requiring a fluid pathway for inflation of the inflatable member; c.) flexion of a “hinge region” in the neighborhood of the distal end of the catheter by a wire extending proximally through the catheter; and d.) introduction of a vaso-occlusive device or material for eventual placement in the vasculature, thereby requiring a pathway or storage region for the vaso-occlusive device. These functions may be achieved by features found at the proximal and distal regions of the catheter.
[0042] The proximal catheter end 24 may be provided with a fitting 18 (e.g., a “LuerLok”) through which fluid may be supplied to the catheter's inflation lumen through a side port 16 . The proximal end of the catheter is provided with a second port 20 and a fitting 22 through which a push/pull wire may be used to manipulate the hinge region 32 in the distal catheter tip. The proximal end fitting 18 includes an axially extending port 14 which communicates with the catheter's delivery/guide wire lumen. The optional guide wire 12 may have any suitable construction for guiding the flexible catheter to its intended site within the body. The proximal end of the guide-wire 12 may be equipped with a handle 10 for applying torque to the guide wire 12 during catheter operation. The guide-wire may have a variable stiffness or stepped diameter along its length which typically, e.g., a larger-diameter, stiffer proximal region and one or more smaller-diameter, more flexible distal regions.
[0043] The distal portion 35 of the catheter is made of an inflatable member 30 , typically a balloon, a hinge region 32 , and an opening or aperture 36 for delivery of the vaso-occlusive device or material. This opening 36 may also be used for delivery of drugs and the vaso-occlusive device to the selected vascular site. The distal end region 35 of the catheter 25 is provided with an inflatable balloon 30 which, when inflated, aids in the placement of vaso-occlusive materials or devices by blocking the entrance to the aneurysm or the artery adjacent to the aneurysm.
[0044] The balloon wall section (discussed in greater detail below) is preferably formed from a thin sleeve of polymeric material and attached at its opposite sleeve ends to a relatively more rigid tube section. FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1 C display various configurations of the distal catheter tip 35 positioning based on the placement of the flexible hinge region. FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1 C respectively show variations of the inventive catheter 23 in which the hinge region 32 is placed proximal to (FIG. 1A), within (FIG. 1B), and distal to (FIG. 1C) the inflatable member region 30 . Flexion of the hinge region is achieved through remote manipulation of the push/pull wire 21 .
[0045] [0045]FIGS. 2A through 2D illustrate variations of the distal end region 35 and hinge region 32 of the catheter illustrated in FIG. 1A, 1B, and 1 C.
[0046] The catheter tube 40 of FIG. 2A has an inflatable member 44 , preferably a balloon, which is formed by an inflatable sleeve secured at its ends 41 , 43 to the catheter tube wall 40 . The inflatable member or balloon 44 may be of a shape, thickness, and material as is typical of balloons used in neurovascular balloon catheters. Preferably, though, the inflatable member or balloon 44 is formed of a thin polymeric material, and preferably an elastomeric, stretchable material such as silicone rubber, latex rubber, polyvinyl chloride, complex co-polymers such as styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymers such as C-FLEX, or alternatively, a non-stretchable film material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyamides such as Nylon. Attachment of the sleeve ends to the catheter tube may be by gluing, heat shrinkage, mechanical fastener, or other suitable method. The inflation lumen 42 allows communication between the inflation fluid source and the balloon 44 through at least one opening 50 formed in the catheter tube 40 . Inflation and deflation of the balloon are effected by the passage of radio-opaque fluid, saline, or other fluid. The push/pull wire tubing 60 extends throughout the catheter tube 40 and protects the passage of the push/pull wire 62 which is connected to the inner wall of the catheter tube 40 . To assist in preventing collapse of the tube 60 enclosing the push/pull wire 62 and to prevent kinking or bulging during actuation, the push/pull wire tubing 60 may have additional structure preferably provided by a layer of higher stiffness polymer (e.g., a polyimide), a support coil, or a support braid.
[0047] Axial manipulation of the push/pull wire 62 via the proximal wire port ( 20 in FIG. 1A) allows flexion of the distal end 35 of the catheter ( 25 in FIG. 1A). The guide wire 57 extends through the delivery lumen 55 which lies interior to the catheter tube 40 . The push/pull wire 62 extends through the push/pull wire tubing 60 and may be bonded to the radio-opaque band 67 which surrounds the catheter's distal end 65 . Radio-opaque bands may be made of any number of conventional radio-opaque materials, e.g., platinum. The hinge region 58 at which the distal catheter tip 65 flexes due to proximal manipulation of the push/pull wire 62 may be located proximal to, within, or distal to the balloon, as displayed respectively in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2 C.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 2A, when the hinge region 58 is placed proximally of the balloon 44 , the push pull wire tubing 60 extends to a region which is proximal of the distal end of the balloon 44 to allow flexion of the region of the catheter's distal end 65 which includes the entire balloon 44 . If the hinge region 58 is placed interior to the balloon, as in FIG. 2B, flexion of the catheter's distal end 65 occurs such that the point of flexion is within the balloon (also displayed in FIG. 1B). FIG. 2C shows the placement of hinge 58 distal to the balloon; flexion during distal-hinge placement occurs such that the manipulatable region of the catheter's distal end 65 does not include any portion of the balloon 44 .
[0049] [0049]FIG. 2D shows placement of the hinge region 58 interior to the balloon 44 . The balloon 44 extends between the guidewire/delivery tube 56 and the outer catheter tube 40 enclosing the annular inflation lumen 42 . The push/pull wire 62 is attached to the distal end 65 of the guidewire/delivery tube 56 .
[0050] In each of the variations shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2 C, and 2 D, the push/pull wire 62 is distally attached to a radio-opaque band 67 . Although this is a preferred variation, other attachment sites for attachment of the push/pull wire 62 distal to the hinge region 58 will be apparent.
[0051] The hinge region may be made up of any material or structural configuration which allows flexion based on remote manipulation by movement of the push/pull wire 62 . Several variations of preferred configuration are shown in FIGS. 2D, 3A, 3 B, and 3 C.
[0052] In FIG. 2D, extension of the delivery tube 56 beyond the end of the inflation lumen 42 allows remote manipulation of the catheter's distal end 65 if the push/pull wire 62 is attached to a marker or platinum band 67 which is located distal to the end of the inflation lumen. In this configuration, remote manipulation of the push/pull wire allows flexion to occur between the end of the inflation lumen 42 and the marker 67 to which the push/pull wire 62 is attached. The delivery tube 56 may be made of any of the materials listed above with respect to tube 26 in FIG. 1.
[0053] [0053]FIG. 3A displays a cross section of the catheter 70 wall. The hinge section of FIG. 3A is made from contiguous regions of tubing where one section of the catheter wall 77 is made from a material with a stiffness which is less than the stiffness of the material of the flanking sections of catheter wall 75 , 79 . These regions of tubing are preferably made through extrusion, by doping, or heat treating a region of the tubing.
[0054] [0054]FIG. 3B displays a hinge region 88 which utilizes a coil 90 of varying pitch imbedded in the catheter wall. Because the variation in pitch of the coil 90 produces regions of varying flexibility, the lower pitch region 88 is more flexible than the region of higher pitch 89 . The higher pitch region 89 is stiffer during manipulation of the push/pull wire 86 .
[0055] As shown in FIG. 3C, if a thinned region of catheter wall 105 is flanked by regions of greater wall cross-sectional area 100 , 108 , the section 108 of the catheter wall which is distal to the thinned section 105 will act as a hinge when the distal end of the catheter is manipulated using the push/pull wire 96 . The variations in wall cross sectional area may preferably be created during an extrusion process.
[0056] [0056]FIG. 3D displays a hinge which utilizes a braided ribbon 94 with varying braid pitch, that is embedded between outer 101 and inner 103 layers of the catheter wall. The variation in pitch of the braided ribbon 105 produces regions of varying flexibility. If a region of lower braid pitch 92 is flanked by regions of higher braid pitch 90 , the region of greater pitch 89 is stiffer during manipulation of the distal catheter tip. The braid 94 is preferably made from a number of metallic ribbons or wires which are members of a class of alloys known as super-elastic alloys, but may also be made from other appropriate materials such as stainless steel or polymers such as liquid crystal polymers (LCP's). Preferred super-elastic alloys include the class of titanium/nickel materials known as nitinol. Additional treatment to the braid prior to assembly, such as heat-treatment, may be required or desired to prevent braid unraveling, changes in diameter, or spacing during handling. The braids which may be utilized in this invention are preferably made using commercially available tubular braiders. The term “braid” is meant to include tubular constructions in which the ribbons making up the construction are woven radially in and in-and-out fashion as they cross to form a tubular member defining a single lumen. The braid is preferably made from a suitable number of ribbons or wires.
[0057] Some of the various configurations of the catheter's lumina (inflation, push/pull, and delivery) are displayed in FIGS. 4A through 4H. In FIG. 4A, the inflation lumen 122 and push/pull wire lumen 124 are formed interior to the catheter wall 120 , while the interior catheter wall forms the guide wire lumen 128 . In FIG. 4B, the catheter wall 120 forms the guide wire lumen 128 which contains the inflation lumen 122 and push/pull wire lumen 124 . The inflation lumen 122 is formed interior to the catheter wall 120 of FIG. 4C, while the push/pull wire lumen 124 lies within the larger coil lumen 128 (which is formed by the catheter wall 120 ). FIG. 4D is a variation of FIG. 4C in which the push/pull wire lumen 124 lies interior to the catheter wall 128 while the inflation lumen 122 lies within the larger coil lumen 128 . In FIG. 4E, the interior catheter wall 120 forms the inflation lumen 122 , and the push/pull wire lumen 124 and the guide wire lumen 128 are found within the inflation lumen 122 . The inflation lumen 122 surrounds the guide wire lumen 128 and lies within the region formed interior catheter wall 120 in FIG. 4F, while the push/pull wire lumen 124 lies within the catheter wall 120 . In FIG. 4G, one shared lumen 123 serves as the push/pull and inflation lumen; the shared push/pull and inflation lumen 123 along with the guide wire lumen 128 lie within the catheter wall 120 . Another alternate variation of the lumina positioning, shown in FIG. 4H, has the push/pull wire lumen 124 lying interior to the inflation lumen 122 which is contained within the catheter wall 120 , while a separate lumina for the guide wire 128 also is contained within the catheter wall.
[0058] The tube constructions, hinge region construction, and other tubing forming the various lumina discussed herein may be created through extrusion, sequential production (in which the parts are manufactured separately and later assembled together), or some other method.
[0059] As displayed in FIG. 5, another variation of the present invention may involve the addition of radio-opaque markers 190 . The lengthened distal section 200 may be provided with a number of spaced radio-opaque markers 190 , 191 , 192 , and 193 . Balloon markers 195 , 196 may be provided to indicate the position of the balloon during the vascular procedure. The markers may be spaced, for instance, such that the inter-marker distance corresponds to the length of the coil to be delivered. Markers 195 , 196 may be spaced apart by a known or predetermined distance, e.g., 3 cm, both proximally and distally of the balloon member. Also, the various markers, particularly those located adjacent the balloon member, may be disposed outside the balloon member, as depicted, or optionally inside.
[0060] [0060]FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6 C show the operation of the inventive flexible distal catheter tip.
[0061] In FIG. 6A, the remotely-manipulatable distal end 136 extends beyond the hinge 135 and allows greater access to the delivery site of the vaso-occlusive member 137 during surgical procedures. Manipulation of the push/pull wire 143 allows flexion of the catheter distal tip 136 .
[0062] If the push/pull wire 143 is pushed or axially manipuliated, as shown in FIG. 6B, the distal tip 145 is flexed upward through an angle determined by the pressure applied to the push/pull wire. Generally, the deflection angle of the catheter 140 as the push/pull wire 143 is pushed may approach up to about 90° in one direction.
[0063] If the push/pull wire 143 is pulled as in FIG. 6C, rotation from the un-manipulated position through an angle up to about 90 ° opposite the direction shown in FIG. 6B is initiated; again, this angle is in a direction which is opposite to that of the pull-manipulation but generally in the same plane. The push/pull wire 143 extends through out the push/pull wire lumen 141 and may be bonded to the radio-opaque band 142 found at the distal end 145 of the catheter 140 tip.
[0064] [0064]FIG. 7A depicts an alternative variation 210 which is similar to that shown in FIG. 2D. The tubing 56 itself may be a braided tubing which may be of varying flexibility. However, variation 210 depicts a push/pull wire tubing 212 having a stepped distal end 213 . Stepped push/pull wire tubing 212 may be comprised of similar materials and structures as push/pull wire tubing 60 but having a series of successively decreasing cross-sectional areas on stepped distal end 213 . The number of successively decreasing cross-sections and the associated lengths of each decreased section may vary depending upon the degree of flexibility necessary or desired within catheter distal end 65 . Moreover, variation 210 depicts stepped distal end 213 extending into inflatable member 44 ; however, the relative positioning of stepped push/pull wire tubing 212 to inflatable member 44 may be altered again depending on the desired flexibility of catheter 40 . Push/pull tubing 212 may itself be a braided tubing which may be of varying flexibility. Also, the figure depicts push/pull wire tubing 212 as a separate tube, but it may also be in any of the variational cross-sections discussed herein having the push/pull wire tubing 212 disposed, e.g., within the tubing and any braiding or coils, or disposed exteriorly of any braiding or coils.
[0065] [0065]FIG. 7C depicts the cross-sectional view of the stepped push/pull wire tubing 212 from FIG. 7A. Tubing 212 may be attached or held to tubing 56 by any of the various methods discussed herein, e.g., shrink-wrap. The figure depicts tubing 212 with three sections for illustrative purposes and tubing 212 may comprise any number of sections with variable thickness depending upon the degree of flexibility necessary or desired.
[0066] [0066]FIG. 7B depicts an additional alternative variation 214 which is similar to variation 210 . However, variation 214 depicts push/pull wire tubing 216 having a tapering distal end 217 . Here, the degree of tapering may be varied depending upon the degree of flexibility necessary or desired, as above.
[0067] [0067]FIG. 7D depicts the cross-sectional view of the tapered push/pull tubing 216 from FIG. 7B. Tubing 216 may also be attached or held to tubing 56 by any of the various methods discussed herein, e.g., shrink-wrap. Tubing 216 may be made to have any degree of tapering again depending upon the degree of flexibility necessary or desired.
[0068] [0068]FIG. 8A depicts another variation 218 which enables a user to not only manipulate catheter distal end 65 within generally one plane, but also to manipulate or to twist catheter distal end 65 , e.g., in a helical or corkscrew-like manner. As illustrated, push/pull wire 62 emerges from push/pull wire tubing 60 and may be rotated about guidewire/delivery tube 56 for attachment to an attachment point, e.g., radio-opaque band 67 as shown, at some point not on the axis with the tubing 60 . Instead it may be attached preferably on an opposite side from where push/pull wire 62 emerges. The attachment point is preferably located distally from push/pull wire tubing 60 , but may vary depending upon the degree of torque desired. Also, attachment of push/pull wire 62 along radio-opaque band 67 may also vary depending upon the desired range of torquing or twisting of catheter distal end 65 . For example, push/pull wire 62 may be placed along, e.g., radio-opaque band 67, in any location ranging from about 0 ° where little or no twisting occurs and up to about 180° where full rotation of catheter distal end 65 occurs about a longitudinal axis defined by catheter tube 40 and guidewire/delivery tube 56 . At about 0°, push/pull wire 62 is attached to radio-opaque band 67 at a point in aposition to where wire 62 emerges from tubing 60 . At about 180°, as depicted in FIG. 8A, push/pull wire 62 is attached to radio-opaque band 67 at a point on an opposite side of guidewire/delivery tube 56 from where wire 62 emerges.
[0069] In variation 218 , push/pull wire tubing 60 may be held relative to guidewire/delivery tube 56 by any conventional shrink-wrap material 220 or by any number of fastening methods discussed herein. Moreover, any number of cross-sectional arrangements described herein for guidewire/delivery tube 56 and push/pull wire tubing 60 may be utilized as well. Also, the arrangement of variation 218 for wire 62 may be utilized with or without inflatable balloon member 44 and is shown in FIG. 9 without balloon member 44 .
[0070] Although FIG. 8A depicts push/pull wire 62 wrapped half-way around guidewire/delivery tube 56 , push/pull wire 62 may be wrapped any number of times around tube 56 before being attached at a desired location on radio-opaque band 67 .
[0071] [0071]FIG. 8B shows section A-A from FIG. 8A depicting push/pull wire 62 wrapped in a right-handed orientation about guidewire/delivery tube 56 . Wire 62 may alternatively be wrapped in a left-handed orientation about guidewire/delivery tube 56 , as shown in FIG. 8C, which depicts the same cross-section of FIG. 8B.
[0072] In wrapping push/pull wire 62 about tube 56 , manipulation of catheter distal end 65 forces wire 62 to not only undergo tensile and compressive forces along its longitudinal axis, but also torquing forces about its axis. FIG. 9 depicts variation 221 without a balloon member. Alternatively, the inventive catheter design also allows twisting of the catheter tip without having to attach push/pull wire 62 along band 67 at variable positions. This may be accomplished by utilizing open area 222 , the area without push/pull wire tubing 60 , and the stiffness of wire 62 . Wire 62 may be torqued or twisted about its own axis at its proximal end by a user to bring about a rotation of the distal end of wire 62 and, in turn, catheter distal end 65 . The degree of torquing or twisting of catheter distal end 65 may be controlled not only by the choice of catheter tubing materials, as discussed herein, but also by the length of open area 222 as well as by the choice of material and desired stiffness of wire 62 . This variation may allow a catheter having a combined ability to not only be pushed and pulled in a single plane, but to also be twisted in a helical or corkscrew-like manner, if desired. Although FIG. 9 depicts this variation without a balloon member, it may be used with one as described in the other variations herein. Any number of materials having sufficient strength and elasticity may be used for wire 62 . Some materials which may be used include stainless steels, titanium, superelastic alloys (e.g., nitinol), or any of their combinations and alloys.
[0073] As depicted in the Figures, particularly FIGS. 7 A- 7 B and 8 A- 8 C, radio-opaque bands 67 may optionally be used in conjunction with the different variations as marking known or predetermined distances between the bands 67 , as discussed above.
[0074] [0074]FIG. 10A depicts variation 230 of the present invention which may incorporate rapid exchange catheter apparatus and methods. A typical rapid exchange catheter is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,982 entitled “Reinforced Balloon Dilatation Catheter with Slitted Exchange Sleeve and Method” by Horzewski et al., which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In this variation 230 , the apparatus and methods of the present invention, as described herein, may be used with guidewire 12 . Rather than having guidewire 12 inserted from the proximal end of the catheter, guidewire 12 may instead be inserted through entry 232 , which may be located along catheter 25 at a predetermined location proximal of distal end 35 . This variation 230 may facilitate rapid exchanges of the inventive catheter assembly from a body lumen with other catheters, as desired by the operator.
[0075] [0075]FIGS. 10B and 10C depict entry 232 and insertable guidewire 12 used in conjunction with the manipulatable balloon catheter.
[0076] A remotely flexible distal tip is particularly useful when treating an aneurysm by placement of a vaso-occlusive device or material in the aneurysm. FIGS. 11 A- 11 D depict such a placement.
[0077] [0077]FIG. 11A displays an inventive catheter 156 that has its distal end positioned outside the mouth of an aneurysm 149 to deliver a vaso-occlusive coil. The device is positioned using a guidewire 159 .
[0078] Introduction of the catheter's distal end 165 into the aneurysm neck 147 , shown in FIG. 11B, displays the advantages of the inventive remotely manipulatable catheter. Flexion of the catheter's distal tip using the push/pull wire allows for greater maneuverability when accessing the aneurysm neck and aneurysm sac. The push/pull wire system allows the distal end to be positioned as desired during the procedure, instead of before the procedure begins. Once the distal tip 165 has been properly positioned in the aneurysm neck 147 , inflation of the balloon 157 is then commenced to occlude the aneurysm neck 147 , as shown in FIG. 1C. Full occlusion of the aneurysm neck is desirable to ensure that the coils 175 do not escape into the vessel when the coils are discharged into the aneurysm sac 149 . Once the coil or coils 175 have been completely discharged 180 into the aneurysm sac 149 , deflation of the balloon 157 allows retraction of the catheter's distal end 165 from the aneurysm (shown in FIG. 11D).
[0079] The applications of the inventive catheter discussed above are not limited to the treatment of aneurysms, but may include any number of vascular maladies. Modification of the above-described methods for carrying out the invention, and variations of the mechanical aspects of the invention that are obvious to those of skill in the mechanical and guide wire and/or catheter arts are intended to be within the scope of the claims.
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This is in the general field of surgical instruments and is specifically a delivery catheter with a flexible, proximally-manipulated hinge or joint region. The inventive catheter may have a balloon region. The catheter may have a shaft of varying flexibility which contains several lumen. The inner, or delivery, lumen generally may be used with a guidewire to access target sites within the body via the flexible, small diameter vessels of the body. The delivery lumen may be also used for placement of occlusive materials, e.g., in an aneurysm. Inflation of the micro-balloon, located near the distal tip of the catheter, is effected using the inflation lumen. The push/pull wire lumen contains a wire, which when manipulated, flexes the catheter's distal tip. The push/pull wire tubing may have a variable thickness to aid in adjusting the degree of flexibility. Moreover, the delivery catheter may be capable of twisting in a helical or corkscrew-like manner for traversing certain vasculature. This may be accomplished by winding the push/pull wire within the catheter and fixedly attaching it. The catheter may further include an entry in the catheter wall to allow for the insertion of a guidewire; this may facilitate the rapid exchange of catheter devices as desired by the user.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates in general to an improved action for a firearm and, more particularly to a system for releasing an action from a muzzleloader without the need for tools.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] It is known in the art of muzzleloading firearms to provide a firing system or action which may be removed from the frame for cleaning, inspection or repair. Such actions typically require the use of tools, which may or may not be available in the field. Additionally, such prior art systems typically involve a plurality of parts, including, but not limited to, various springs, which may become lost or damaged if removed in the field. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an action which may be easily removed in the field, but provides for secure and safe operation when the muzzleloading firearm is being fired. It would also be desirable to provide a system for cleaning, inspecting and repairing a firing system of a muzzleloading firearm which limits loss and damage associated with field removal of the system. The difficulties encountered in the prior art discussed hereinabove are substantially eliminated by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In an advantage provided by this invention, a firing system is provided which directs smoke and debris away from a shooters face.
[0006] Advantageously, this invention provides a firing system which shields a firing mechanism for a firearm from moisture and other elements.
[0007] Advantageously, this invention provides a positive engagement ignition system for a firearm which reduces smoke and debris associated with ignition.
[0008] Advantageously, this invention provides a firing system for a firearm which prevents undesired contact with the ignition system prior to firing.
[0009] Advantageously, this invention provides a firing system for a firearm which is quick and easy to operate.
[0010] Advantageously, this invention provides for a firing system for a muzzleloading firearm which allows the use of a scope or similar optics.
[0011] Advantageously, this invention provides a firing system for a firearm which is capable of being field stripped and cleaned without the requirement of additional tools.
[0012] Advantageously, this invention provides a firing system for a firearm which reduces the collection of soot and other debris in the firing mechanism.
[0013] Advantageously, this invention provides a firing system for a firearm with a plurality of safety mechanisms.
[0014] Advantageously, in a preferred example of this invention, an improved action is provided for a firearm having a grip, a receiver, a forwardly extending barrel and a trigger assembly. The improvement comprises a frame and a hammer pivotably coupled to the frame. Means are provided on a carriage for releasably engaging the hammer when the carriage is pivoted a first direction, and for releasing the hammer when the carriage is pivoted in an opposite, second direction. Means are also provided for pivotably coupling the carriage to the frame in manner which allows the carriage to disengage from the frame upon pivoting the carriage a predetermined angle relative to the frame.
[0015] Preferably, the carriage is pivotable between the first position which protects the ignition system from the elements and second position, allowing for access to, removal and reinsertion of the ignition system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a rear perspective view of the improved firearm of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the improved action of the firearm of FIG. 1 , shown in the initial position;
[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates a rear perspective view of the carriage of the improved action of FIG. 2 ;
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates a front perspective view in partial phantom of the trigger guard assembly of the improved action of FIG. 2 ;
[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates a top elevation in cross-section of the safety mechanism of the improved action of FIG. 2 , shown in the safe position;
[0022] FIG. 6 illustates a top elevation in cross-section of the safety mechanism of the improved action of FIG. 2 shown in the fire position;
[0023] FIG. 7 illustrates a rear perspective view of the rear carriage catch of the improved action of FIG. 2 ;
[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the retractable face assembly of the improved action of FIG. 2 , shown in the safe position;
[0025] FIG. 9 illustrates a front perspective view of the retractable face of the retractable face assembly of FIG. 8 ;
[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the retractable face assembly of FIG. 8 , shown in the fire position;
[0027] FIG. 11 illustrates a rear perspective view of the forward carriage release of the improved action of FIG. 2 ;
[0028] FIG. 12 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the improved action of FIG. 1 , showing the action being cocked;
[0029] FIG. 13 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the improved action of FIG. 1 , showing the action being removed from the frame;
[0030] FIG. 14 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the improved action of FIG. 1 , shown as an ignition system is inserted into the frame;
[0031] FIG. 15 illustrates a top elevation of the improved action of FIG. 1 , shown with the ignition system being moved into battery;
[0032] FIG. 16 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the improved action of FIG. 1 , shown immediately prior to the ignition system being engaged into battery;
[0033] FIG. 17 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the improved action of FIG. 1 , shown in battery;
[0034] FIG. 18 illustrates a side elevation in cross-section of the improved action of FIG. 1 , showing the action in the fired position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0035] Referring to FIG. 1 , a firearm ( 10 ) according to this invention is shown with a frame ( 12 ), preferably constructed of stainless steel or similar material. The frame ( 12 ) is preferably provided with an upper aperture ( 14 ) and a lower aperture ( 16 ). Extending through the upper aperture ( 14 ) is a portion of the carriage assembly ( 18 ), described in more detail below. Extending through the lower aperture ( 16 ) is the trigger guard ( 20 ) and trigger ( 22 ). As shown in FIG. 1 , the frame ( 12 ) connects a grip, such as a rear stock ( 24 ) to the front stock ( 26 ) and barrel ( 28 ).
[0036] As shown in FIG. 2 , the rear stock ( 24 ) is coupled to the frame ( 12 ) by a rear stock retaining screw ( 30 ) in a manner such as that known in the art. Similarly, the front stock ( 26 ) is provided with a slot ( 32 ), configured to receive a lug ( 34 ) constructed of stainless steel, with a rectangular cross-section. The lug ( 34 ) is welded or otherwise secured directly to the barrel ( 28 ). The lug ( 34 ) is provided with a threaded hole ( 36 ) which receives a forward retaining screw ( 38 ), which is threadably received in a hole ( 40 ) provided on the frame ( 12 ) to retain the barrel ( 28 ) and front stock ( 26 ) in engagement with the frame ( 12 ).
[0037] As shown in FIGS. 2-3 , the carriage assembly ( 18 ) contains the entire firing assembly, including a carriage ( 42 ), preferably constructed of 10 / 20 steel hardened to Rockwell 55. The carriage ( 42 ), of course, may be constructed of any suitable material known in the art. As shown in FIG. 3 , the carriage ( 42 ) includes a front plate ( 44 ), a bottom plate pair ( 46 ) and a back strap ( 48 ). Provided on the bottom plate pair ( 46 ) are a plurality of holes and a slot ( 50 ). The slot ( 50 ) is preferably cut at a forty-five degree angle, with parallel walls ( 52 ) opening to a circular recess ( 54 ), having a diameter greater than the distance between the walls ( 52 ). As shown in FIG. 2 , provided through the circular recess ( 54 ) is a flat-sided pin ( 56 ) which has a diameter across a first dimension only slightly smaller than the diameter of the circular recess ( 54 ), and a distance across a transverse direction only slightly smaller than the distance between the walls ( 52 ) of the slot ( 50 ). Preferably, this narrower distance is maintained across the entire dimension of the flat-sided pin ( 56 ), allowing the carriage assembly ( 48 ) to be removed from the frame ( 12 ) when the carriage assembly ( 18 ) is rotated a predetermined angle relative to the frame ( 12 ). The flat-sided pin ( 56 ) is secured to the frame ( 12 ) in such a manner that the carriage assembly ( 18 ) must be rotated in excess of forty-five degrees before the flat-sided pin ( 56 ) is in proper alignment with the walls ( 52 ) of the slot ( 50 ) to allow the carriage assembly ( 18 ) to be removed from the frame. The flat-sided pin ( 56 ) is frictionally engaged with the frame ( 12 ) to prevent rotation of the flat-sided pin ( 56 ) relative to the frame ( 12 ). Rotation of the flat sided pin ( 56 ) would prevent the desired removal of the carriage assembly ( 18 ) from the frame ( 12 ) upon rotation to the predetermined angle.
[0038] The bottom plate pair ( 46 ) is provided with a pair of receiving holes ( 58 ). As the bottom plate pair ( 46 ) is also provided with a first sidewall ( 60 ) and a second sidewall ( 62 ), one of the receiving holes ( 58 ) is provided in each one of the sidewalls ( 60 ) and ( 62 ) in a manner so as to receive a pin ( 64 ). The pin ( 64 ) is provided with a diameter only slightly smaller than that of the receiving holes ( 58 ) to provide a frictional fit therein, and to prevent rotation of the pin ( 64 ) relative to the sidewalls ( 60 ) and ( 62 ) of the bottom plate pair ( 46 ) of the carriage ( 42 ).
[0039] As shown in FIG. 2 , the firearm ( 10 ) is provided with a hammer ( 66 ), preferably constructed of 10/18 steel hardened to Rockwell 55. The hammer ( 66 ) is provided with a shaft ( 68 ), a head ( 70 ) and a tail ( 72 ). Provided on the shaft ( 68 ) is a bore ( 74 ), sized slightly larger than the diameter of the pin ( 64 ). The diameter of the bore ( 74 ) is slightly larger than the diameter of the receiving holes ( 58 ) to allow pivotal movement of the hammer ( 66 ) around the pin ( 64 ) without rotating the pin ( 64 ) relative to the receiving holes ( 58 ). Integrally formed into the tail ( 72 ) of the hammer ( 66 ) is a nib ( 76 ). As shown in FIG. 2 , the nib ( 76 ) is preferably constructed of a length, dimension and orientation so that as the hammer ( 66 ) is cocked, the nib ( 76 ) protrudes into the finger area ( 78 ), defined by the trigger guard ( 20 ), and retracts from the finger area ( 78 ) when the hammer ( 66 ) is no longer cocked. The tail ( 72 ) is provided with an outward catch ( 80 ) and an inward catch ( 82 ). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the back strap ( 48 ) of the carriage ( 42 ) is provided with a slot ( 84 ) through which the outward catch ( 80 ) of the hammer ( 66 ) protrudes.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 2 , the head ( 70 ) of the hammer ( 66 ) is provided with a firing pin ( 86 ), such as those known in the art, retained on the hammer ( 66 ) by a pin ( 88 ), which engages a scallop ( 90 ), provided on the firing pin ( 86 ). The length of the firing pin ( 86 ) is preferably sufficient to detonate, but insufficient to puncture, a primer.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 4 , the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) includes the trigger guard ( 20 ), a base plate ( 100 ) and a pair of side plates ( 102 ) and ( 104 ). The base plate ( 100 ) is preferably provided with two holes ( 106 ) and ( 108 ) to accommodate the trigger ( 22 ) and nib ( 76 ) of the hammer ( 66 ) respectively. Similarly, the side plates ( 102 ) and ( 104 ) are provided with a plurality of hole pairs ( 112 ), ( 114 ), ( 116 ) and ( 120 ). The side plates ( 102 ) and ( 104 ) are provided with risers ( 122 ) and ( 124 ) integrally formed therewith. The risers ( 122 ) and ( 124 ) are also provided with a hole pair ( 126 ). As shown in FIG. 4 , the trigger guard assembly is provided with a front face ( 130 ) and a stop ( 132 ) which coact to form a slot ( 134 ) to accommodate the slotted pin ( 56 ). ( FIGS. 2-4 ).
[0042] The slot ( 134 ) comprises a pair of walls ( 136 ) and a circular recess ( 138 ) similar in dimension to the walls ( 52 ) and circular recess ( 54 ) described above in association with the carriage ( 42 ). As shown in FIG. 2 , the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) is positioned within the carriage ( 42 ) and pinned in place by the various pin placements described above and below. A double torsion spring ( 140 ) is provided around the flat sided pin ( 56 ) biased between the back ( 142 ) of the hammer ( 66 ) and the base plate ( 100 ) of the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ).
[0043] As shown in FIG. 2 , the trigger ( 22 ) is provided with a hole ( 146 ) to receive a pin ( 148 ), which also passes through the hole pair ( 150 ) in the carriage ( 42 ) and the hole pair ( 116 ) in the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ). ( FIGS. 2-4 ). The trigger ( 22 ) is also provided with a sear engagement head ( 152 ) and a safety tail ( 154 ), including two safety fingers ( 156 ) and ( 158 ). ( FIGS. 2 and 5 ). As shown in FIG. 5 , a safety pin ( 160 ) is provided through the hole pair ( 114 ) in the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ). The safety pin ( 160 ) is provided with a pair of rings ( 162 ) and ( 164 ), welded or otherwise secured to the safety pin ( 160 ). The safety pin ( 160 ) is provided with a plurality of spring loaded balls ( 166 ), motivated by springs ( 168 ), provided in recesses ( 170 ) in the safety pin ( 160 ). As shown in FIG. 5 , the balls ( 166 ) ride in detents ( 172 ) provided in the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ). The system is preferably designed to allow the safety pin ( 160 ) to be shifted from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 6 , with the mechanism engaging the safety pin ( 160 ) in the desired orientation until specifically moved therefrom.
[0044] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , when the safety pin ( 160 ) is in the position shown in FIG. 5 , the rings ( 162 ) and ( 164 ) prevent the fingers ( 156 ) and ( 158 ) of the trigger ( 22 ) from rotating past the safety pin ( 160 ), thereby preventing rotation of the trigger ( 22 ) itself. However, when the safety pin ( 160 ) is moved into the position designated in FIG. 6 , the rings ( 162 ) and ( 164 ) are moved out of the way, thereby allowing the fingers ( 156 ) and ( 158 ) to pass, and the trigger ( 22 ) to rotate. Of course, any desired safety mechanism known in the art may be utilized to prevent actuation of the trigger.
[0045] As shown in FIG. 7 , a rear carriage catch ( 174 ) is provided with a tab ( 176 ), a body ( 178 ) having a keeper ( 180 ), a head ( 182 ), a beak ( 184 ) and a hole ( 186 ). Provided through the hole ( 186 ) is a pin ( 188 ), secured through the hole ( 186 ) to the frame ( 12 ). ( FIGS. 2 and 7 ). Provided around the pin ( 188 ) is a double a torsion spring ( 192 ) biased between the body ( 178 ) of the rear carriage catch ( 174 ) and the frame ( 12 ). As shown in FIG. 7 , the double torsion spring ( 192 ) extends around the pin ( 188 ) and around the body ( 178 ), back around the pin ( 88 ) and back to the frame ( 12 ), in a manner which motivates the rear carriage catch ( 174 ) in a counter-clockwise direction. Alternatively, any desired resilient motivation or securement may be utilized to maintain the rear carriage catch ( 174 ) in a closed position.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 2 , a hammer catch ( 194 ) is provided with a wide body ( 196 ), having a center slot ( 198 ). The slot ( 198 ) is provided around a pair of pins ( 200 ) and ( 202 ) having a diameter only slightly less than the height of the slot ( 198 ). The pins ( 200 ) and ( 202 ) are preferably secured to the frame ( 12 ) to allow the hammer catch ( 194 ) to slide forward and reverse, along a substantially even plane. Depending from the body ( 196 ) is a catch block ( 204 ). Extending forward from the body ( 196 ) is an integrally formed tapered nose ( 206 ), which is preferably narrow enough to extend between the slot ( 84 ) provided in the carriage ( 42 ). ( FIGS. 2-3 ). The hammer catch ( 194 ) is preferably motivated into a forward orientation by a spring ( 208 ) coupled between a tail ( 210 ) of the hammer catch ( 194 ) and the rear pin ( 200 ). Of course, any suitable motivation mechanism may be utilized.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 2 , a release lever ( 212 ) is pivotally secured to the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) by a pin ( 214 ) secured within the hole pair ( 112 ). The release lever ( 212 ) is preferably motivated in a clockwise direction by a torsion spring ( 216 ) secured between the release lever ( 212 ) and the frame ( 12 ) around the pin ( 214 ). A stop ( 218 ) is preferably welded or otherwise secured to the frame ( 12 ) to prevent over rotation when the release lever ( 212 ) is actuated. Pivotally secured to the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) by a pin ( 220 ) secured through the hole pair ( 126 ) is a sear ( 222 ). The sear is preferably motivated in a clockwise rotation by a compression spring ( 110 ) secured within recesses provided within the sear ( 222 ) and the sear engagement head ( 152 ) of the trigger ( 22 ).
[0048] Provided near the top of the carriage assembly ( 18 ) is a primer pocket ( 224 ), provided with two hole pairs ( 226 ) and ( 228 ). ( FIG. 3 ) A hole ( 230 ) is also provided in the rear of the primer pocket ( 224 ). As shown in FIG. 8 , provided within the primer pocket ( 224 ) is a retractable face ( 232 ). As shown in FIG. 9 , the retractable face is preferably a hollow, open-bottomed spool having a barrel ( 234 ), a front flange ( 236 ) and a rear flange ( 238 ). As shown in FIG. 8 , the rear flange ( 238 ) does not obstruct entry into the interior ( 240 ) of the barrel ( 234 ), while the front flange ( 236 ) covers the barrel ( 234 ) except for a small hole ( 242 ), having a diameter twice the widest diameter of the firing pin ( 86 ). While the retractable face ( 232 ) may be constructed of any suitable material, in the preferred embodiment it is constructed of stainless steel, and is preferably covered with Teflon® or similar low friction material to allow the retractable face ( 232 ) to move back and forth within the primer pocket ( 224 ). As shown in FIG. 8 , the retractable face ( 232 ) is biased toward a forward orientation by a compression spring ( 244 ), which contacts the rear flange ( 238 ). A pair of pins ( 246 ) and ( 248 ) extend through the hole pairs ( 226 ) and ( 228 ) in the primer pocket ( 224 ). By engaging the front of the rear flange ( 238 ), the pins ( 246 ) and ( 248 ) maintain the retractable face ( 232 ) within the primer pocket ( 224 ).
[0049] As shown in FIG. 8 , in the preferred embodiment, an ignition system ( 250 ) comprising a plastic jacket ( 242 ) and a primer ( 254 ) is provided. While any ignition system of suitable dimensions may be used, in the preferred embodiment, a full plastic jacket such as that sold by Knight Rifles of Centerville, Iowa is utilized in association with a 209 Primer, such as that known in the art for use in association with muzzleloaders. As shown in FIG. 8 , the primer ( 254 ) is inserted into the jacket ( 252 ). The ignition system ( 250 ) is provided in front of the retractable face ( 232 ) in a manner described in more detail below. As shown in FIG. 8 , when the ignition system ( 250 ) rests in front of the retractable face ( 232 ), the spring ( 244 ) motivates the retractable face ( 232 ) into a forward position, maintaining the primer ( 254 ) out of reach of the firing pin ( 86 ). The firing pin ( 86 ) remains out of reach until the carriage ( 42 ) and primer pocket ( 224 ) are rotated into battery, where the sleeve ( 256 ) encircles the nipple ( 258 ) of the breech plug ( 260 ). As the carriage ( 42 ) rotates, the nipple ( 258 ) motivates the sleeve ( 256 ) outward, placing the bore ( 262 ) in airtight communication with the bore ( 264 ) of the breech plug ( 260 ). The breech plug ( 260 ) may also be provided with a lip ( 266 ) to prevent the escape of gasses during ignition. As the carriage ( 42 ) rotates, the breech plug ( 260 ) prevents the sleeve ( 256 ) of the jacket ( 252 ) from moving forward with the carriage ( 42 ). The carriage ( 42 ) continues to rotate, compressing the spring ( 244 ) until the ignition system ( 250 ) is to a point where upon release of the hammer ( 66 ), the firing pin ( 86 ) is capable of engaging and igniting the primer ( 254 ). ( FIGS. 2 and 10 ).
[0050] A forward carriage release ( 268 ) is shown in FIG. 2 , pivotably coupled to the frame ( 12 ) by a pin ( 270 ). As shown in FIG. 11 , the forward carriage release ( 268 ) includes a bottom plate ( 272 ) provided with a finger recess ( 274 ). The forward carriage release ( 268 ) is also provided with an upwardly extending neck ( 276 ), curving laterally toward a catch plate ( 278 ). The forward carriage release ( 268 ) is resiliently motivated into a counter-clockwise rotation by a compression spring ( 280 ), secured within recesses provided within the catch plate ( 278 ) and the frame ( 12 ). ( FIGS. 2 and 11 ). As shown in FIG. 2 , the frame ( 12 ) is provided with a recess ( 282 ), formed by an overhang ( 284 ). The overhang ( 284 ) prevents the forward carriage release ( 268 ) from over rotating. Although the catch plate ( 278 ) of the forward carriage release ( 268 ) may be of any suitable design or configuration, it is preferably designed to engage the stop ( 132 ) of the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) to prevent over rotation of the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ).
[0051] When it is desired to utilize the firearm ( 10 ) of the present invention, the tab ( 176 ) of the rear carriage catch ( 174 ) is moved rearward sufficiently to allow the keeper ( 180 ) to clear the lip ( 286 ) of the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ). ( FIG. 2 ). The trigger guard ( 20 ) is then utilized to rotate the carriage assembly ( 18 ) in a counter-clockwise rotation around the flat sided pin ( 56 ). As the carriage assembly ( 18 ) rotates, the primer pocket ( 224 ) motivates the hammer ( 66 ) in a counter-clockwise rotation. As the carriage assembly ( 18 ) rotates, the outward catch ( 80 ) of the hammer ( 66 ) contacts the sloped nose ( 206 ) of the hammer catch ( 194 ). The sloped nose ( 206 ) biases the hammer catch ( 194 ) rearward against the tension of the spring ( 208 ) until the outward catch ( 80 ) passes the nose ( 206 ), and allows the spring ( 208 ) to again motivate the hammer catch ( 194 ) forward. As shown in FIG. 12 , the nose ( 206 ) of the hammer catch ( 194 ) is shaped with a flat bottom to prevent the outward catch ( 80 ) from passing by the hammer catch ( 194 ) in a clockwise motion until the hammer catch ( 194 ) is motivated rearward.
[0052] If it is desired to remove the entire carriage assembly ( 18 ) for cleaning, inspection or repair, a finger of a user (not shown) may be placed into the recess ( 282 ) to engage the finger recess ( 274 ) of the forward carriage release ( 268 ). Using the trigger guard ( 20 ) as a handle, the forward carriage release ( 268 ) is rotated clock-wise against the compression spring ( 280 ) until the catch plate ( 278 ) is retracted sufficiently so as to allow the stop ( 132 ) of the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) to pass. To release the carriage assembly ( 18 ) the carriage assembly ( 18 ) must be rotated enough to align the flat sided pin ( 56 ) with the walls ( 52 ), to allow the flat sided pin ( 56 ) to move through the slot ( 50 ) and allow the carriage assembly ( 18 ) to disengage from the rest of the firearm ( 10 ). ( FIG. 13 ). Although the flat sided pin ( 56 ) and slot ( 50 ) may be constructed of any suitable design or orientation, in the preferred embodiment, the flat sided pin ( 56 ) and slot ( 50 ) are oriented so that the flat sided pin ( 56 ) can slide through the slot ( 50 ) when the carriage assembly is oriented at an angle greater than thirty degrees, more preferably greater than forty degrees, and most preferably, forty-five degrees. Whatever angle for release is selected, it is important that the forward carriage release ( 268 ) and stop ( 132 ) be constructed in a manner such that the carriage assembly ( 18 ) cannot be released from the remainder of the firearm ( 10 ) unless the forward carriage release ( 268 ) has been manually rotated in a clockwise manner.
[0053] After the carriage assembly ( 18 ) has been inspected, cleaned and/or repaired, the carriage assembly ( 18 ) is moved into the frame ( 12 ) with the flat sided pin ( 56 ) provided through the slot ( 50 ), until the flat sided pin ( 56 ) reaches the circular recess ( 54 ). The forward carriage release ( 268 ) may then be manually rotated in a clockwise manner sufficiently to allow the stop ( 132 ) to clear the catch plate ( 278 ) as the carriage assembly ( 18 ) is rotated in a clockwise manner. Once the stop ( 132 ) has cleared the catch plate ( 278 ), the forward carriage release ( 268 ) may be released.
[0054] If it is desired to fire the firearm ( 10 ) the carriage assembly ( 18 ) is rotated as described above sufficiently to allow the carriage assembly ( 18 ) to clear the upper aperture ( 14 ) in the frame ( 12 ). The ignition system ( 250 ) is then inserted into the primer pocket ( 224 ) until it rests in an orientation such as that shown in FIGS. 8, 14 and 15 . Once the ignition system ( 250 ) has been so positioned, the carriage assembly ( 18 ) is rotated clockwise until the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) contacts the rear carriage catch ( 174 ). ( FIG. 16 ). The angle of both the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) and the rear carriage catch ( 174 ) allow the rotation of the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ) to push the rear carriage catch ( 174 ) against the torsion of the torsion spring ( 192 ). Contact of the beak ( 184 ) with the hammer catch ( 194 ) prevents the rear carriage catch ( 174 ) from over rotating through either manual motivation or motivation by the trigger guard assembly ( 96 ). As the carriage assembly ( 18 ) rotates, the nose ( 206 ) of the hammer catch ( 194 ) engages the outward catch ( 80 ) of the hammer ( 66 ), while the sear ( 222 ) engages the inward catch ( 82 ), thereby preventing the hammer ( 66 ) from rotating with the carriage assembly ( 18 ).
[0055] As the carriage assembly ( 18 ) moves into battery, the release lever ( 212 ) engages the catch block ( 204 ) of the hammer catch ( 194 ), motivating the hammer catch ( 194 ) rearward against the motivation against the spring ( 208 ) and out of contact with the outward catch ( 880 ) of the hammer ( 66 ). Accordingly, once the carriage assembly ( 18 ) has been moved into battery as shown in FIG. 16 , the release lever ( 212 ) has completely motivated the hammer catch ( 194 ) out of engagement with the outward catch ( 80 ) of the hammer ( 66 ). Thereafter, only the sear ( 222 ) prevents the hammer ( 66 ) from moving rapidly clockwise in response to the motivation of the double torsion spring ( 140 ).
[0056] Once the carriage assembly ( 18 ) has been moved into battery, the lip ( 286 ) is received by the keeper ( 180 ) of the rear carriage catch ( 174 ), thereby locking the carriage assembly ( 18 ) into battery. As shown in FIG. 17 , when the hammer is cocked, the nib ( 76 ) extends into the finger area ( 78 ), allowing a user to immediately determine by feel whether the hammer is cocked. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 17 , when the carriage release ( 18 ) is in battery, the breech plug ( 260 ) positions the ignition system ( 250 ) and retractable face ( 232 ) into positions which allow the primer ( 254 ) to come in contact with the firing pin ( 86 ) as the hammer ( 66 ) is thrown.
[0057] When it is desired to fire the firearm ( 10 ), the safety pin ( 160 ) is moved from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 6 to allow the trigger ( 22 ) to rotate. Once the safety pin ( 160 ) has been released, the trigger ( 22 ) may be rotated. The trigger ( 22 ) is rotated sufficiently to cause the sear engagement head ( 152 ) to engage the sear ( 222 ) to move the sear ( 222 ) out of engagement with the inward catch ( 82 ) of the hammer ( 66 ). This action allows the double torsion spring ( 140 ) to motivate the hammer ( 66 ) and firing pin ( 86 ) clockwise. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 18 , as the hammer ( 66 ) rotates, the firing pin ( 86 ) enters the primer pocket ( 224 ) through the hole ( 242 ), and into contact with the primer ( 254 ). Contact with the primer ( 254 ) ignites a plasma charge which travels through the bore ( 262 ) of the jacket ( 252 ), and through the bore ( 262 ) of the breech plug ( 260 ) to ignite a powder or similar charge (not shown) located within the barrel ( 28 ) to propel a projectile (not shown). The frame ( 12 ) acts as a shield to direct smoke and shrapnel downward. As shown in FIG. 18 , once the firearm ( 10 ) has been fired, the nib ( 76 ) no longer extends into the finger area ( 78 ) of the trigger guard ( 20 ), thereby allowing a user to readily determine that the hammer ( 66 ) is not cocked. The firearm ( 10 ) may then be reloaded, cleaned or stored.
[0058] As noted above, an important feature of the present invention is the coverage of the aperture ( 14 ) by the back strap ( 48 ) of the carriage ( 42 ) during firing. This coverage directs smoke, debris and concussion away from a user's face and out of the sight line of the firearm ( 10 ). When it is desired to rearm the weapon, the foregoing process is repeated, with the spent ignition system ( 250 ) being removed through the aperture ( 14 ) and replaced with a new ignition system ( 250 ).
[0059] Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it to be also understood that is not to be so limited, since changes and modifications can be made therein which are within the full, intended scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, although all assemblies described herein are preferably constructed within a 90% variance, and more preferably within a 25% variance from the dimensions listed above, they may be constructed of any suitable size or materials.
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A firearm having an improved action for a muzzleloading firearm which allows the toolless field removal of the firing system for inspection, cleaning and repair. The system provides for quick release, removal and reinsertion of the firing system while maintaining safe and secure operation of the firearm during firing.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless device capable of multiple wireless schemes, and a reception method.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] As performance of recent wireless devices increases, wireless devices capable of multiple wireless schemes have emerged. This is partly because increased performance of high-frequency parts or the like has enabled high-frequency circuits to be partly shared by multiple different frequency systems and such systems may thereby be created with few additional components. Such multiple wireless schemes implemented in one wireless device are expected to cooperate to create new added value. For example, studies are in progress to create wireless devices capable of cellular communication such as W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), and wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication. Conventional wireless devices are adapted to the multiple wireless schemes by implementing independent processing sections corresponding to the multiple wireless schemes. The conventional wireless devices, for example, are provided with an independent processing section that performs synchronization processes such as AGC (Auto Gain Control), AFC (Auto Frequency Control), and timing synchronization during a preamble period, for each wireless scheme.
[0003] The wireless devices capable of the multiple wireless schemes, however, consume higher power due to the implementation of the independent processing section corresponding to each of the multiple wireless schemes.
[0004] PTL 1 discloses a technique for fast AFC process while maintaining low power consumption in a wireless device capable of multiple wireless schemes, in order to solve this problem.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[0000]
PTL 1
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-267304
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0007] Time required for the AGC process generally accounts for the largest percentage of time required for the respective synchronization processes in the preamble period. In addition, the AFC and establishment of the synchronization cannot be performed unless the AGC is completed. Accordingly, quick completion of the AGC process in the wireless device can increase time available for the AFC process, the timing synchronization process and the like, thereby improving overall communication performance.
[0008] A technique for reducing the time required for the AGC process in the conventional wireless devices capable of the multiple wireless schemes, however, has not been sufficiently studied.
[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless device that is capable of the multiple wireless schemes and can reduce the time required for the AGC process, and a reception method thereof.
Solution to Problem
[0010] To achieve the abovementioned object, a wireless device reflecting one aspect of the present invention includes a first antenna that receives a first signal modulated by a first wireless scheme; a second antenna that receives a second signal modulated by a second wireless scheme; a first variable gain section that adjusts a level of the first signal; a second variable gain section that adjusts a level of the second signal; a first gain control section that adjusts a first gain based on the first signal whose level has been adjusted by the first variable gain section, the first gain being a gain of the first variable gain section; a setting section that sets an initial gain based on the first signal, the initial gain being a second gain that is a gain of the second variable gain section, the initial gain being used by the second variable gain section at start of gain adjustment; and a second gain control section that sets the initial gain to the second gain at the start of the gain adjustment, and adjusts the second gain based on the second signal whose level has been adjusted by the second variable gain section.
[0011] To achieve the abovementioned object, a reception method reflecting one aspect of the present invention includes a first receiving step of receiving a first signal modulated by a first wireless scheme; a second receiving step of receiving a second signal modulated by a second wireless scheme; a first adjustment step of adjusting a level of the first signal; a second adjustment step of adjusting a level of the second signal; a first gain control step of adjusting a first gain based on the first signal whose level has been adjusted by the first adjustment step, the first gain being a gain in the first adjustment step; a setting step of setting an initial gain based on the first signal, the initial gain being a second gain that is a gain in the second adjustment step, the initial gain being used by the second adjustment step at start of gain adjustment; and a second gain control step of setting the initial gain to the second gain at the start of the gain adjustment, and adjusting the second gain based on the second signal whose level has been adjusted by the second adjustment step.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0012] According to the present invention, the wireless device capable of the multiple wireless schemes can reduce the time required for the AGC process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a wireless device according to Embodiment 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of a gain control section in a reception processing section for an “A system” according to Embodiment 1;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of a gain control section in a reception processing section for a “B system” according to Embodiment 1;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operations of the wireless device according to Embodiment 1;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of variable gain sections in the reception processing sections for the A and B systems according to Embodiment 1;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configurations of the variable gain sections in the reception processing sections for the A and B systems according to Embodiment 1;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table stored in an initial gain setting section according to Embodiment 1;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the gain control section in the reception processing section for the “A system” according to Embodiment 2;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the gain control section in the reception processing section for the “B system” according to Embodiment 2;
[0024] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a relationship among the differences P 1 , Q 1 , P 2 , Q 2 , P 3 and Q 3 ;
[0025] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the table stored in the initial gain setting section according to Embodiment 2; and
[0026] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating another example of the table stored in the initial gain setting section according to Embodiment 2.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0027] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1
[0028] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Wireless system 100 of FIG. 1 includes wireless device # 1 200 and wireless device # 2 300 . The case will be described below where wireless device # 1 200 and wireless device # 2 300 are capable of two wireless communication systems, an “A system” and a “B system,” by way of example. The two wireless systems, for example, correspond to different wireless standards like a cellular communication system such as W-CDMA, and a wireless LAN communication system.
[0029] Wireless device # 1 200 includes processing section for the “A system” 210 and processing section for the “B system” 220 . Wireless device # 2 300 includes processing section for the “A system” 310 and processing section for the “B system” 320 .
[0030] Processing sections 210 and 310 for the “A system” perform transmission and reception processes for the “A system”. Processing sections 220 and 320 for the “B system” perform transmission and reception processes for the “B system”.
[0031] The case will be described below where wireless device # 1 200 receives signals of the A and B systems that are transmitted from wireless device # 2 300 . Communication of the “B system” may or may not be performed simultaneously with communication of the “A system”. Hereinafter, the communication of the “A system” is assumed to have been performed prior to the communication of the “B system”.
[0032] Wireless device # 1 200 knows in advance that it receives the signal transmitted from wireless device # 2 300 , next in the communication of the “B system”. Wireless device # 1 200 has obtained this information through previous arrangements made between wireless device # 1 200 and wireless device # 2 300 , statistics of past communication, or information shared among members in the communication.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless device according to the present embodiment. Wireless device 400 of FIG. 2 is applied to wireless device # 1 ( 200 ) of FIG. 1 . In order to avoid complicated descriptions, FIG. 2 illustrates only components associated with the reception of the signals of the A and B systems, which is closely related to the present invention. FIG. 2 omits illustrations and descriptions of components associated with the transmission of the signals of the A and B systems.
[0034] Wireless device 400 includes antennas 410 - 1 and 410 - 2 , reception processing section 420 - 1 for the “A system”, reception processing section 420 - 2 for the “B system,” and initial gain setting section 460 .
[0035] Antenna 410 - 1 receives the signal of the “A system”.
[0036] Antenna 410 - 2 receives the signal of the “B system”.
[0037] Reception processing section for the “A system” 420 - 1 includes high-frequency circuit 430 - 1 , demodulation section 440 - 1 and gain control section 450 - 1 .
[0038] High-frequency circuit 430 - 1 includes orthogonal demodulation section 431 - 1 , variable gain section 432 - 1 and AD (Analog to Digital) conversion section 433 - 1 .
[0039] Orthogonal demodulation section 431 - 1 performs an orthogonal demodulation process on the signal of the “A system” received via antenna 410 - 1 , and generates a baseband IQ signal of the “A system”. Orthogonal demodulation section 431 - 1 outputs the baseband IQ signal of the “A system” to variable gain section 432 - 1 .
[0040] Variable gain section 432 - 1 adjusts the level of the baseband IQ signal of the “A system”. Specifically, variable gain section 432 - 1 adjusts the level of the baseband IQ signal of the “A system” based on a gain designated by gain control section 450 - 1 (hereinafter referred to as “first gain”). Variable gain section 432 - 1 outputs the baseband IQ signal of the “A system” after the level adjustment, to AD conversion section 433 - 1 .
[0041] AD conversion section 433 - 1 converts the analog baseband IQ signal of the “A system” after the level adjustment, into a digital signal. AD conversion section 433 - 1 outputs the digital IQ signal of the “A system” after the conversion, to demodulation section 440 - 1 and gain control section 450 - 1 .
[0042] Demodulation section 440 - 1 demodulates the digital IQ signal of the “A system”.
[0043] Gain control section 450 - 1 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (the first gain) while monitoring the power of the digital IQ signal of the “A system”. Specifically, gain control section 450 - 1 sets the first gain such that the power of the digital IQ signal of the “A system” remains constant. The internal configuration and operations of gain control section 450 - 1 will be described later.
[0044] Reception processing section 420 - 1 for the “A system” thus uses the output of variable gain section 432 - 1 to perform an AGC process in which gain control section 450 - 1 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (this is, the first gain).
[0045] Initial gain setting section 460 sets an initial gain to be used by variable gain section 432 - 2 at the start of the gain adjustment (hereinafter referred to as “converted second initial gain”), based on the first gain. A method of setting the converted second initial gain will be described later. Initial gain setting section 460 outputs information on the set converted second initial gain, to gain control section 450 - 2 .
[0046] Reception processing section for the “B system” 420 - 2 includes high-frequency circuit 430 - 2 , demodulation section 440 - 2 and gain control section 450 - 2 .
[0047] High-frequency circuit 430 - 2 includes orthogonal demodulation section 431 - 2 , variable gain section 432 - 2 and AD conversion section 433 - 2 .
[0048] Orthogonal demodulation section 431 - 2 performs the orthogonal demodulation process on the signal of the “B system” received via antenna 410 - 2 , and generates a baseband IQ signal of the “B system”. Orthogonal demodulation section 431 - 2 outputs the baseband IQ signal of the “B system” to variable gain section 432 - 2 .
[0049] Variable gain section 432 - 2 adjusts the level of the baseband IQ signal of the “B system”. Specifically, variable gain section 432 - 2 adjusts the level of the baseband IQ signal of the “B system” based on a gain specified by gain control section 450 - 2 (hereinafter referred to as “second gain”). Variable gain section 432 - 2 outputs the baseband IQ signal of the “B system” after the level adjustment, to AD conversion section 433 - 2 .
[0050] AD conversion section 433 - 2 converts the analog baseband IQ signal of the “B system” after the level adjustment, into a digital signal. AD conversion section 433 - 2 outputs the digital IQ signal of the “B system” after the conversion, to demodulation section 440 - 2 and gain control section 450 - 2 .
[0051] Demodulation section 440 - 2 demodulates the digital IQ signal of the “B system”.
[0052] Gain control section 450 - 2 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the second gain) while monitoring the power of the digital IQ signal of the “B system”. Specifically, gain control section 450 - 2 uses the converted second initial gain set by initial gain setting section 460 , as the initial gain at the start of the gain adjustment. Gain control section 450 - 2 then sets the second gain such that the power of the digital IQ signal of the “B system” remains constant. The internal configuration and operations of gain control section 450 - 2 will be described later.
[0053] Reception processing section 420 - 2 for the “B system” thus uses the output of variable gain section 432 - 2 to perform the AGC process in which gain control section 450 - 2 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the second gain).
[0054] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of gain control section 450 - 1 in reception processing section 420 - 1 for the “A system”.
[0055] Gain control section 450 - 1 includes IQ power measurement section 451 - 1 , initial gain storage section 452 - 1 , and adjustment section 453 - 1 , and adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (the first gain).
[0056] IQ power measurement section 451 - 1 measures a power value of the digital IQ signal of the “A system”, and outputs the measured power value to adjustment section 453 - 1 .
[0057] Initial gain storage section 452 - 1 stores an initial gain to be used by variable gain section 432 - 1 at the start of the gain adjustment (hereinafter referred to as “first initial gain”). Initial gain storage section 452 - 1 then outputs information on the first initial gain to adjustment section 453 - 1 , at the start of the gain adjustment.
[0058] Adjustment section 453 - 1 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (the first gain) based on the power value of the digital IQ signal of the “A system”. Adjustment section 453 - 1 outputs the information on the first initial gain, as information on the first gain, to variable gain section 432 - 1 at the start of the gain adjustment.
[0059] Adjustment section 453 - 1 includes coarse adjustment section 454 - 1 and fine adjustment section 455 - 1 .
[0060] Coarse adjustment section 454 - 1 coarsely adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 based on the power value of the digital IQ signal of the “A system”.
[0061] Fine adjustment section 455 - 1 finely adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 , within an adjustment range smaller than a gain adjustment range in coarse adjustment section 454 - 1 .
[0062] Adjustment section 453 - 1 then sets the final first gain while adjusting the first gain in coarse adjustment section 454 - 1 and fine adjustment section 455 - 1 . Adjustment section 453 - 1 outputs information on the set final first gain to initial gain setting section 460 .
[0063] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of gain control section 450 - 2 in reception processing section 420 - 2 for the “B system”.
[0064] Gain control section 450 - 2 includes IQ power measurement section 451 - 2 , initial gain storage section 452 - 2 , adjustment section 453 - 2 , and selection section 456 , and adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (the second gain).
[0065] IQ power measurement section 451 - 2 measures a power value of the digital IQ signal of the “B system”, and outputs the measured power value to adjustment section 453 - 2 .
[0066] Initial gain storage section 452 - 2 stores an initial gain to be normally used by variable gain section 432 - 2 at the start of the gain adjustment (hereinafter referred to as “normal converted second initial gain”). Initial gain storage section 452 - 2 then outputs information on the normal converted second initial gain to selection section 456 , at the start of the gain adjustment.
[0067] Information on a normal converted second initial gain is input to selection section 456 from initial gain storage section 452 - 2 . In addition, the information on the converted second initial gain is input to selection section 456 from initial gain setting section 460 . If the information on the converted second initial gain is input from initial gain setting section 460 , selection section 456 outputs the information on the converted second initial gain, as information on a second initial gain, to adjustment section 453 - 2 . In contrast, if the information on the converted second initial gain is not input from initial gain setting section 460 , selection section 456 outputs the information on the normal converted second initial gain, as the information on the second initial gain, to adjustment section 453 - 2 .
[0068] Adjustment section 453 - 2 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 based on the power value of the digital IQ signal of the “B system”. The information on the second initial gain is input to adjustment section 453 - 2 from selection section 456 . Adjustment section 453 - 2 outputs the information on the second initial gain, as information on the second gain, to variable gain section 432 - 2 at the start of the gain adjustment. Adjustment section 453 - 2 then adjusts the second gain based on the digital IQ signal of the “B system”.
[0069] Adjustment section 453 - 2 includes coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 and fine adjustment section 455 - 2 .
[0070] Coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 performs the coarse adjustment on the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 .
[0071] Fine adjustment section 455 - 2 performs the fine adjustment on the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 , within an adjustment range smaller than a gain adjustment range in coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 .
[0072] Adjustment section 453 - 2 then sets the final second gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 while adjusting the second gain in coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 and fine adjustment section 455 - 2 .
[0073] Operations of wireless device 400 will be described next.
[0074] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operations of wireless device 400 .
[0075] In step S 101 , antenna 410 - 1 receives the signal of the “A system” transmitted from wireless device # 2 300 (not illustrated).
[0076] In step S 102 , orthogonal demodulation section 431 - 1 performs the orthogonal demodulation process on the signal of the “A system”, and generates the baseband IQ signal of the “A system”.
[0077] In step S 103 , variable gain section 432 - 1 adjusts the level of the baseband IQ signal of the “A system”.
[0078] In step S 104 , gain control section 450 - 1 then adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (that is, the first gain), based on the baseband IQ signal of the “A system” after the level adjustment.
[0079] In step S 105 , initial gain setting section 460 sets the initial gain of gain control section 450 - 2 (that is, the converted second initial gain), based on the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (that is, the first gain) set by gain control section 450 - 1 . The method of setting the converted second initial gain will be described later.
[0080] In step S 106 , antenna 410 - 2 receives the signal of the “B system” transmitted from wireless device # 2 300 (not illustrated).
[0081] In step S 107 , orthogonal demodulation section 431 - 2 performs the orthogonal demodulation process to generate the baseband IQ signal of the “B system”.
[0082] In step S 108 , variable gain section 432 - 2 adjusts the level of the baseband IQ signal of the “B system”.
[0083] In step S 109 , gain control section 450 - 2 then adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (the second gain), based on the baseband IQ signal of the “B system” after the level adjustment.
[0084] In FIG. 1 , signals of the A and B systems leave wireless device # 2 300 , pass through the same propagation path, and arrive at wireless device # 1 200 . The reception levels of the signals of the A and B systems then decrease due to propagation losses. As described above, gain control section 450 - 1 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (that is, the first gain) such that the power of the digital IQ signal of the “A system” that is input to demodulation section 440 - 1 remain constant. In other words, gain control section 450 - 1 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (that is, the first gain) to be a value that compensates for the propagation loss of the signal of the “A system”. Thus, the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (that is, the first gain), adjusted by gain control section 450 - 1 , includes information on the propagation loss.
[0085] Accordingly, initial gain setting section 460 sets the gain to be used by variable gain section 432 - 2 (the converted second initial gain), based on the first gain, at the start of the gain adjustment. Gain control section 450 - 2 thereby starts the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss, and thus reduces the time required for the gain adjustment in variable gain section 432 - 2 . Wireless device 400 thereby increases the time to be assigned to establishment of timing synchronization and an AFC process in a preamble period, and improve communication performance.
[0086] The method of setting the converted second initial gain in initial gain setting section 460 will be described next.
[0087] The case of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 including multiple VGAs (Variable Gain Amplifiers) will be considered below. In addition, the case of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 having the same internal configuration will be described by way of example.
[0088] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 . Variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 of FIG. 6 include VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ]. Among them, VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 2 ] are VGAs for the fine adjustment, while VGA[ 3 ] to VGA[ 5 ] are those for the coarse adjustment.
[0089] VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ] switch between whether or not to amplify the input signal, depending on gain setting values C[ 0 ] to C[ 5 ]. If C[k]=1, for example, VGA[k] amplifies the amplitude level of the input signal by 2 k dB. In contrast, if C[k]=0, VGA[k] directly outputs the input signal without an amplification operation.
[0090] [Setting Method #1-1]
[0091] Initial gain setting section 460 directly sets the first gain to the converted second initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 .
[0092] Gain control section 450 - 1 , for example, is assumed to have set the gain setting values C[ 0 ] to C[ 5 ] of VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ] in variable gain section 432 - 1 (the first gain) as follows:
[0093] C[ 5 ]=1, C[ 4 ]=0, C[ 3 ]=1, C[ 2 ]=0, C[ 1 ]=1, C[ 0 ]=0.
[0094] Initial gain setting section 460 then directly sets the above setting to the converted second initial gain of VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ] included in variable gain section 432 - 2 .
[0095] Gain control section 450 - 2 then starts the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain to adjust the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the second gain) such that the amplitude level of the digital IQ signal of the “B system” remains constant.
[0096] In Setting Method #1-1, gain control section 460 thus directly sets the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (the first gain) that has already been adjusted by gain control section 450 - 1 , to the converted second initial gain. Variable gain section 432 - 2 then uses the first gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 , for the converted second initial gain, and performs the level adjustment. If frequencies of the A and B systems are close to each other and a difference between the propagation losses of the signals of the A and B systems is small, for example, gain control section 450 - 2 can complete the gain adjustment in a short time.
[0097] [Setting Method #1-2]
[0098] Initial gain setting section 460 sets an initial gain of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 based on the first gain.
[0099] Gain control section 450 - 1 , for example, is assumed to have set the gain setting values C[ 0 ] to C[ 5 ] of VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ] in variable gain section 432 - 1 (the first gain) as follows:
[0100] C[ 5 ]=1, C[ 4 ]=0, C[ 3 ]=1, C[ 2 ]=0, C[ 1 ]=1, C[ 0 ]=0.
[0101] Initial gain setting section 460 then sets the converted second initial gain that has at least C[ 5 ]=1, C[ 4 ]=0 and C[ 3 ]=1, among the gain setting values C[ 0 ] to C[ 5 ] of VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ] in variable gain section 432 - 2 .
[0102] In Setting Method #1-2, variable gain section 432 - 2 thus uses the initial gain of the VGAs for the coarse adjustment in variable gain section 432 - 1 , in the first gain, for the initial gain of the VGAs for the coarse adjustment in variable gain section 432 - 2 , and performs the level adjustment. The first gain includes the information on the propagation loss as described above. Accordingly, for example, even if the A and B systems have different frequencies and propagation losses, gain control section 450 - 2 can start the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss. Gain control section 450 - 2 can thereby reduce the time required for the gain adjustment.
[0103] Setting Methods #1-1 and #1-2 are preferred in the case of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 having the same internal configuration.
[0104] Additionally, setting methods applicable in the case of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 (that is, Setting Methods #1-3 and #1-4) have different internal configurations and will be described next.
[0105] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configurations of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 .
[0106] Variable gain section 432 - 1 of FIG. 7A includes VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ]. Among them, VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 2 ] are the VGAs for the fine adjustment, while VGA[ 3 ] to VGA[ 5 ] are those for the coarse adjustment.
[0107] VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ] switch between whether or not to amplify the input signal, depending on the gain setting values C[ 0 ] to C[ 5 ]. If C[k]=1, for example, VGA[k] amplifies the amplitude level of the input signal by 2 k dB. In contrast, if C[k]=0, VGA[k] directly outputs the input signal without the amplification operation.
[0108] Variable gain section 432 - 2 of FIG. 7B includes VGA[ 6 ] to VGA[ 9 ]. Among them, VGA[ 6 ] and VGA[ 7 ] are the VGAs for the fine adjustment, while VGA[ 8 ] and VGA[ 9 ] are those for the coarse adjustment.
[0109] VGA[ 6 ] to VGA[ 9 ] switch between whether or not to amplify the input signal, depending on gain setting values C[ 6 ] to C[ 9 ]. If C[k]=1, for example, VGA[k] amplifies the amplitude level of the input signal by 3 k dB. In contrast, if C[k]=0, VGA[k] directly outputs the input signal without the amplification operation.
[0110] [Setting Method #1-3]
[0111] Initial gain setting section 460 compares the first gain with a predetermined range, and based on a result of the comparison, selects a candidate from a list of candidates for the converted second initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 . Initial gain setting section 460 then sets the selected candidate to the converted second initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 .
[0112] Specifically, initial gain setting section 460 compares the first gain with the predetermined range, and determines the electric field level of the propagation path. Initial gain setting section 460 then sets the converted second initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 , depending on the determined electric field level.
[0113] Initial gain setting section 460 , for example, compares the first gain with the eleventh range (from 0 dB to 20 dB), the twelfth range (from 21 dB to 42 dB), and the thirteenth range (from 43 dB to 63 dB). If the first gain is in the eleventh range (from 0 dB to 20 dB), in the twelfth range (from 21 dB to 42 dB), or in the thirteenth range (from 43 dB to 63 dB), the initial gain setting section 460 is assumed to determine the electric field level to be a strong electric field level, a medium electric field level, or a weak electric field level, respectively.
[0114] Gain control section 450 - 1 is assumed to have set the gain setting values C[ 0 ] to C[ 5 ] of VGA[ 0 ] to VGA[ 5 ] in variable gain section 432 - 1 (that is, the first gain) as follows:
[0115] C[ 5 ]=1, C[ 4 ]=0, C[ 3 ]=1, C[ 2 ]=0, C[ 1 ]=1, C[ 0 ]=0.
[0116] According to the above setting, the first gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 becomes 26(=32×1+16×0+8×1+4×0+2×1+1×0) dB.
[0117] Accordingly, initial gain setting section 460 determines that the electric field level of the propagation path is the medium electric field level, based on the result of the comparison between the first gain (=26 dB) and the above ranges.
[0118] After determining the electric field level from the first gain, initial gain setting section 460 then sets the converted second initial gain depending on a result of the determination.
[0119] It is assumed that, for example, there are three candidates G 21 , G 22 and G 23 in the list of candidates for the initial gain C[ 9 : 6 ] of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 . For example, G 21 is assumed to be C[ 9 ]=0, C[ 8 ]=1, C[ 7 ]=0, C[ 6 ]=1. G 22 is assumed to be C[ 9 ]=1, C[ 8 ]=0, C[ 7 ]=0, C[ 6 ]=0. G 23 is assumed to be C[ 9 ]=1, C[ 8 ]=1, C[ 7 ]=0, C[ 6 ]=0.
[0120] In the case of the weak electric field level, initial gain setting section 460 sets the initial gain of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 to G 21 . In the case of the medium electric field level, initial gain setting section 460 sets the initial gain of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 to G 22 . In the case of the strong electric field level, initial gain setting section 460 sets the initial gain of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 to G 23 .
[0121] In Setting Method #1-3, initial gain setting section 460 thus classifies the status of the propagation path into the strong electric field level, the medium electric field level, or the weak electric field level, based on the first gain. Initial gain setting section 460 then sets the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (the converted second initial gain), depending on the status of the propagation path. The first gain includes the information on the propagation loss as described above. Initial gain setting section 460 then determines the status of the propagation path depending on the first gain, and sets the converted second initial gain suitable for the status of the propagation path. Accordingly, even in the case of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 having the different internal configurations, gain control section 450 - 2 can start the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss. Gain control section 450 - 2 can thereby reduce the time required for the gain adjustment.
[0122] In the above description, initial gain setting section 460 classifies the electric field level into three classes depending on the first gain, and selects the candidate from the three candidates for the initial gain depending on the electric field level, which is not limited thereto. The number of classes into which the electric field level is classified, and the number of candidates for the converted second initial gain depend on requested precision of variable gain section 432 - 2 .
[0123] In addition, in the above described case, initial gain setting section 460 sets only the initial gain of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 depending on the electric field level, which is not limited thereto. Initial gain setting section 460 may set the initial gains of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 and fine adjustment section 455 - 2 , depending on the electric field level.
[0124] Setting Method #1-3 is also applicable to the case of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 having the same internal configuration.
[0125] [Setting Method #1-4]
[0126] In Setting Method #1-4, initial gain setting section 460 stores a table that includes the first gain associated with the corresponding second gain, and sets the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the converted second initial gain) based on the first gain.
[0127] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the table stored in initial gain setting section 460 . The first gain is associated with the corresponding second gain based on the effects of the propagation losses through the propagation path and due to the difference between the frequencies of the signals of the A and B systems. In other words, this table includes a first gain associated with a corresponding second gain that is obtained by applying a frequency characteristic conversion to the first gain and depending on the difference between the propagation losses of the signals of the A and B systems.
[0128] Initial gain setting section 460 then selects the second gain associated with the first gain from this table, and sets the selected second gain to the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the converted second initial gain).
[0129] In Setting Method #1-4, initial gain setting section 460 thus sets the gain obtained by applying the frequency characteristic conversion to the first gain, to the converted second initial gain, depending on the difference between the propagation losses of the signals of the A and B systems. Accordingly, even in the case of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 having the different internal configurations, gain control section 450 - 2 can start the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss. The time required for gain adjustment is thereby reduced. Setting Method #1-4 is also applicable to the case of variable gain sections 432 - 1 and 432 - 2 having the same internal configuration.
[0130] As described above, in wireless device 400 according to the present embodiment, initial gain setting section 460 sets the converted second initial gain based on the first gain. Here, the first gain is the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 that has been adjusted by gain control section 450 - 1 . The converted second initial gain is the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 at the start of the gain adjustment.
[0131] Gain control section 450 - 2 then sets this converted second initial gain to the second gain at the start of the gain adjustment, and adjusts the second gain based on the IQ signal of the “B system” whose level has been adjusted by variable gain section 432 - 2 . Wireless device 400 thereby starts the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss and reduces the time required for the gain adjustment. In other words, wireless device 400 can reduce time required for the AGC process. Wireless device 400 therefore improves the communication performance by an increase in the time available for AFC processing and the timing synchronization process in the preamble period.
[0132] After the converted second initial gain is set, only fine adjustment section 455 - 2 may perform the gain adjustment, without coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 . This reduces power consumption in subsequent gain adjustment without coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 .
Embodiment 2
[0133] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless device according to the present embodiment. Wireless device 500 of FIG. 9 is applied to wireless device # 1 ( 200 ) of FIG. 1 . In FIG. 9 , components common to FIG. 2 are assigned the same reference numerals as FIG. 2 , and descriptions thereof will be omitted. In contrast to wireless device 400 of FIG. 2 , wireless device 500 of FIG. 9 includes reception processing section for the “A system” 510 - 1 , and reception processing section for the “B system” 510 - 2 , instead of reception processing section for the “A system” 420 - 1 , and reception processing section for the “B system” 420 - 2 . In contrast to wireless device 400 of FIG. 2 , wireless device 500 of FIG. 9 also includes initial gain setting section 530 instead of initial gain setting section 460 .
[0134] In contrast to reception processing section for the “A system” 420 - 1 , reception processing section for the “A system” 510 - 1 includes gain control section 520 - 1 instead of gain control section 450 - 1 .
[0135] Gain control section 520 - 1 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 1 (that is, the first gain) while monitoring the power of the digital IQ signal of the “A system,” similarly to gain control section 450 - 1 . Gain control section 520 - 1 further estimates received power of the signal of the “A system” at the end of antenna 410 - 1 (hereinafter also referred to as “received power of the ‘A system’”), based on the digital IQ signal of the “A system” and the information on the final first gain. Gain control section 520 - 1 then outputs information on the received power of the “A system,” to initial gain setting section 530 . The internal configuration and operations of gain control section 520 - 1 will be described later.
[0136] Initial gain setting section 530 sets the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the converted second initial gain), based on the received power of the “A system” during communication. The method of setting the converted second initial gain will be described later.
[0137] In contrast to reception processing section for the “B system” 420 - 2 , reception processing section for the “B system” 510 - 2 includes gain control section 520 - 2 instead of gain control section 450 - 2 .
[0138] Gain control section 520 - 2 adjusts the gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (the second gain) while monitoring the power of the digital IQ signal of the “B system”. Specifically, gain control section 520 - 2 uses the converted second initial gain set by initial gain setting section 530 , as the initial gain at the start of the gain adjustment during wireless communication using the “B system”. Gain control section 520 - 2 then sets the second gain such that the power of the digital IQ signal of the “B system” remains constant. The internal configuration and operations of gain control section 520 - 2 will be described later.
[0139] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of gain control section 520 - 1 in reception processing section for the “A system” 510 - 1 . In FIG. 10 , components common to FIG. 3 are assigned the same reference numerals as FIG. 3 , and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.
[0140] Gain control section 520 - 1 includes IQ power measurement section 451 - 1 , initial gain storage section 452 - 1 , adjustment section 453 - 1 , and received power estimation section 521 - 1 .
[0141] IQ power measurement section 451 - 1 measures the power value of the digital IQ signal of the “A system”, and outputs the measured power value to adjustment section 453 - 1 and received power estimation section 521 - 1 .
[0142] Adjustment section 453 - 1 sets the final first gain while adjusting the first gain in coarse adjustment section 454 - 1 and fine adjustment section 455 - 1 . Adjustment section 453 - 1 outputs the information on the set final first gain to received power estimation section 521 - 1 .
[0143] Received power estimation section 521 - 1 estimates the received power of the signal of the “A system” at the end of antenna 410 - 1 (that is, the received power of the “A system”), based on the power value of the digital IQ signal of the “A system” and the information on the final first gain. Received power estimation section 521 - 1 then outputs the information on the received power of the “A system,” to initial gain setting section 530 .
[0144] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of gain control section 520 - 2 in reception processing section for the “B system” 510 - 2 . In FIG. 11 , components common to FIG. 4 are assigned the same reference numerals as FIG. 4 , and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.
[0145] Gain control section 520 - 2 includes IQ power measurement section 451 - 2 , initial gain storage section 452 - 2 , adjustment section 453 - 2 , selection section 456 , and received power estimation section 521 - 2 . Received power estimation section 521 - 2 does not operate in the actual communication, but operates only at the time of preadjustment (that is, prior to actual communication).
[0146] IQ power measurement section 451 - 2 measures the power value of the digital IQ signal of the “B system,” and outputs the measured power value to adjustment section 453 - 2 . IQ power measurement section 451 - 2 outputs the measured power value to adjustment section 453 - 2 and received power estimation section 521 - 2 only at the time of the preadjustment.
[0147] Adjustment section 453 - 2 sets the final second gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 while adjusting the second gain.
[0148] Received power estimation section 521 - 2 estimates received power of the signal of the “B system” at the end of antenna 410 - 2 (that is, the received power of the “B system”), based on the power value of the digital IQ signal of the “B system” and the information on the second gain, at the time of the preadjustment. Received power estimation section 521 - 2 then outputs the information on the received power of the “B system,” to initial gain setting section 530 .
[0149] The method of setting the converted second initial gain in initial gain setting section 530 will be described next.
[0150] [Setting Method #2-1]
[0151] Received power estimation sections 521 - 1 and 521 - 2 estimate the received power of the signals of the A and B systems, at the time of the preadjustment, in two cases of a long distance between wireless device 500 (that is, wireless device # 1 ) and transmitter wireless device # 2 , and of a short distance therebetween.
[0152] Initial gain setting section 530 stores the following information (P 1 , Q 1 , P 2 , Q 2 ) into an internal memory:
[0153] P 1 : A difference between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “A system” in the case of the long distance between wireless device # 1 and wireless device # 2 .
[0154] Q 1 : A difference between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system” in the case of the long distance between wireless device # 1 and wireless device # 2 .
[0155] P 2 : The difference between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “A system” in the case of the short distance between wireless device # 1 and wireless device # 2 .
[0156] Q 2 : The difference between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system” in the case of the short distance between wireless device # 1 and wireless device # 2 .
[0157] The information on the received power of the signal of the “A system” is input to initial gain setting section 530 during communication. Initial gain setting section 530 then calculates a difference P 3 between the transmitted power and this received power of the signal of the “A system”.
[0158] Initial gain setting section 530 then estimates a difference Q 3 between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system,” based on the difference P 3 between the transmitted power and this received power of the signal of the “A system”.
[0159] Specifically, assuming that the difference between the transmitted power and the received power has linearity, initial gain setting section 530 estimates the difference Q 3 between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system”.
[0160] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a relationship among the differences P 1 , Q 1 , P 2 , Q 2 , P 3 and Q 3 . As illustrated in FIG. 12 , initial gain setting section 530 estimates the difference Q 3 by using Equations 1 and 2, according to a relationship between the differences P 1 , Q 1 , P 2 and Q 2 previously obtained at the time of the preadjustment, and the difference P 3 obtained during communication.
[0000] ( Q 3 −Q 1)=( Q 2 −Q 1)( P 3 −P 1)/( P 2 −P 1) (Equation 1)
[0000] Q 3=( Q 2 −Q 1)( P 3 −P 1)/( P 2 −P 1)+ Q 1 (Equation 2)
[0161] The difference Q 3 indicates an estimated value of the propagation loss of the signal of the “B system” through the propagation path.
[0162] Initial gain setting section 530 then sets the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the converted second initial gain) depending on the difference Q 3 .
[0163] In Setting Method #2-1, initial gain setting section 530 thus previously obtains association between a difference PA between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “A system,” and a difference PB between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system”. Initial gain setting section 530 then estimates the difference Q 3 based on this association and the difference P 3 . Here, the difference P 3 is a difference between the transmitted power of one signal of the “A system” and the received power of the signal of the “A system” that has been estimated by received power estimation section 521 - 1 . The difference Q 3 is the difference between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system”. Initial gain setting section 530 then sets the converted second initial gain based on the estimated difference Q 3 . Initial gain setting section 530 thus sets the gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss of the signal of the “B system,” to the converted second initial gain, from the received power of the “A system”. Gain control section 520 - 2 can thereby reduce the time required for the gain adjustment.
[0164] [Setting Method #2-2]
[0165] In Setting Method #2-1, initial gain setting section 530 used Equation (2) to estimate the received power of the signal of the “B system,” from the received power of the signal of the “A system”. In Setting Method #2-2, instead of Equation (2), initial gain setting section 530 sets the converted second initial gain by using an association table of PA and PB, where the difference PA between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “A system,” is associated with the corresponding difference PB between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system,”.
[0166] Received power estimation sections 521 - 1 and 521 - 2 estimate the received power of the signals of the A and B systems, at multiple distances between wireless device 500 (that is, wireless device # 1 ) and transmitter wireless device # 2 , at the time of the preadjustment.
[0167] Initial gain setting section 530 stores a table including the difference PA associated with the difference PB at each of the multiple distances between wireless device 500 (wireless device # 1 ) and transmitter wireless device # 2 , into the internal memory. Here, the difference PA is the difference between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “A system”. The difference PB is the difference between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system”.
[0168] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the table stored in initial gain setting section 530 . Initial gain setting section 530 stores the table including the difference PA associated with the corresponding difference PB at each distance.
[0169] The information on the received power of the signal of the “A system” is input to initial gain setting section 530 in the actual communication. Initial gain setting section 530 then calculates the difference P 3 between the transmitted power and this received power of the signal of the “A system”.
[0170] Initial gain setting section 530 then estimates the difference Q 3 between the transmitted power and the received power of the signal of the “B system,” based on the difference P 3 between the transmitted power and this received power of the signal of the “A system,” with reference to the above table.
[0171] Subsequently, initial gain setting section 530 sets the converted second initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 , depending on the difference Q 3 , similar to Setting Method #2-1.
[0172] In Setting Method #2-2, initial gain setting section 530 stores the table including the difference PA associated with the corresponding difference PB. Initial gain setting section 530 then sets the converted second initial gain, based on the difference PB associated with the difference between the transmitted power of the signal of the “A system” and the received power of the signal of the “A system” that has been estimated by received power estimation section 521 - 1 .
[0173] Initial gain setting section 530 thus sets the gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss of the signal of the “B system”, to the converted second initial gain, from the received power of the “A system”. Gain control section 520 - 2 thereby reduces the time required for the gain adjustment.
[0174] [Setting Method #2-3]
[0175] Initial gain setting section 530 determines the electric field level of the propagation path, from the received power of the signal of the “A system”. Initial gain setting section 530 then sets the converted second initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 depending on the determined electric field level.
[0176] Initial gain setting section 530 , for example, compares the received power of the signal of the “A system” with the twenty-first range (from 43 dB to 63 dB), the twenty-second range (from 21 dB to 42 dB), and the twenty-third range (from 0 dB to 20 dB). The received power of the signal of the “A system,” for example, is assumed to be in the twenty-first range (from 43 dB to 63 dB), in the twenty-second range (from 21 dB to 42 dB), or in the twenty-third range (from 0 dB to 20 dB). In this case, initial gain setting section 530 is assumed to determine the electric field level to be the strong electric field level, the medium electric field level, or the weak electric field level, respectively.
[0177] Now, the received power of the signal of the “A system” is assumed to be 38 dB. In this case, initial gain setting section 530 determines that the electric field level of the propagation path is the medium electric field level, from the received power of the signal of the “A system” (=38 dB).
[0178] After determining the electric field level from the received power of the signal of the “A system,” initial gain setting section 530 then sets the initial gain of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 depending on a result of the determination.
[0179] A method of setting the initial gain of coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 is similar to Setting Method #1-3, and thus a description thereof will be omitted.
[0180] In Setting Method #2-3, initial gain setting section 530 thus classifies the status of the propagation path into the strong electric field level, the medium electric field level, or the weak electric field level, based on the received power of the signal of the “A system”. Initial gain setting section 530 then sets the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the converted second initial gain) depending on the status of the propagation path. The received power of the signal of the “A system” includes the information on the propagation loss as described above. Initial gain setting section 530 then determines the status of the propagation path depending on the received power of the signal of the “A system,” and sets the converted second initial gain suitable for the status of the propagation path. Accordingly, gain control section 520 - 2 starts the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss. Gain control section 520 - 2 thereby reduces the time required for the gain adjustment. Since Setting Method #2-3 does not need the estimation of the received power of the signal of the “B system” during communication and at the time of the preadjustment, gain control section 520 - 2 can employ a configuration without received power estimation section 521 - 2 .
[0181] [Setting Method #2-4]
[0182] In Setting Method #2-4, initial gain setting section 530 stores a table including the difference PA associated with the corresponding second gain, and sets the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the converted second initial gain) based on the difference PA.
[0183] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the table stored in initial gain setting section 530 . The difference PA is associated with the corresponding second gain based on the effects of the propagation losses through the propagation path and due to the difference between the frequencies of the signals of the A and B systems. In other words, this table includes the difference PA associated with the corresponding second gain required for compensating for the difference PB obtained by applying the frequency characteristic conversion to the difference PA, depending on the difference between the propagation losses of the signals of the A and B systems.
[0184] Initial gain setting section 530 then selects the second gain associated with the difference PA, from this table, and sets the selected second gain to the initial gain of variable gain section 432 - 2 (that is, the converted second initial gain).
[0185] In Setting Method #2-4, initial gain setting section 530 thus stores the table including the difference PA associated with the corresponding second gain, depending on the propagation losses of the signals of the A and B systems through the propagation path. Initial gain setting section 530 then sets the second gain associated with the corresponding difference P 3 between the transmitted power of the signal of the “A system” and the received power of the signal of the “A system” that has been estimated by received power estimation section 521 - 1 , to the converted second initial gain. Accordingly, gain control section 520 - 2 starts the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss. Gain control section 520 - 2 thereby reduces the time required for the gain adjustment, since Setting Method #2-4 does not need the estimation of the received power of the signal of the “B system” during communication and at the time of the preadjustment. Gain control section 520 - 2 therefore employs a configuration without received power estimation section 521 - 2 .
[0186] As described above, in wireless device 500 according to the present embodiment, initial gain setting section 530 sets the converted second initial gain based on the received power of the signal of the “A system”. Gain control section 520 - 2 then sets this converted second initial gain to the second gain at the start of the gain adjustment, and adjusts the second gain based on the IQ signal of the “B system” whose level has been adjusted by variable gain section 432 - 2 . Wireless device 500 thereby starts the gain adjustment with the converted second initial gain suitable for compensating for the propagation loss, and reduces the time required for the gain adjustment. In other words, wireless device 500 reduces the time required for AGC processing. Wireless device 500 therefore improves the communication performance according to an increase in the time available for the AFC process and the timing synchronization process in the preamble period.
[0187] After the converted second initial gain is set, only fine adjustment section 455 - 2 may perform the gain adjustment, without coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 . The present embodiment thereby reduces the power consumption in the subsequent gain adjustment without coarse adjustment section 454 - 2 .
[0188] The entire content of the disclosure of the description, drawings and abstract included in Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-048965 filed on Mar. 7, 2011 is incorporated herein by reference.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0189] The wireless device and the reception method according to the present invention are useful for wireless devices capable of multiple wireless schemes and the like.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0000]
100 Wireless system
200 , 300 , 400 , 500 Wireless device 210 , 310 Processing section for the A system
220 , 320 Processing section for the B system
410 - 1 , 410 - 2 Antenna
420 - 1 , 510 - 1 Reception processing section for the A system
420 - 2 , 510 - 2 Reception processing section for the B system
430 - 1 , 430 - 2 High-frequency circuit
431 - 1 , 431 - 2 Orthogonal demodulation section
432 - 1 , 432 - 2 Variable gain section
433 - 1 , 433 - 2 AD conversion section
440 - 1 , 440 - 2 Demodulation section
450 - 1 , 450 - 2 , 520 - 1 , 520 - 2 Gain control section
451 - 1 , 451 - 2 IQ power measurement section
452 - 1 , 452 - 2 Initial gain storage section
453 - 1 , 453 - 2 Adjustment section
454 - 1 , 454 - 2 Coarse adjustment section
455 - 1 , 455 - 2 Fine adjustment section
456 Selection section 460 , 530 Initial gain setting section
521 - 1 , 521 - 2 Received power estimation section
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The purpose of the present invention is to shorten a time required to perform Auto Gain Control (AGC) processing in a wireless device that can be applied to a plurality of wireless systems. On the basis of a first gain adjusted by means of a gain control unit ( 450 - 1 ), an initial gain setting unit ( 460 ) sets, for a variable gain unit ( 432 - 2 ), an initial gain (converted second initial gain) at the start of gain adjustment. Then, a gain control unit ( 450 - 2 ) sets the initial gain to a second gain at the time of starting the gain adjustment, and adjusts the second gain on the basis of IQ signals of a system, the IQ signals having the level adjusted by means of the variable gain unit ( 432 - 2 ).
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to construction equipment such as backhoes and, more particularly, to a movable thumb or closure element, which operates in conjunction with a hydraulically controlled bucket. While the present invention is described in terms of a backhoe bucket, the present invention may be utilized with other construction equipment having a pivotally mounted bucket for operation on a hydraulic arm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most backhoes are equipped with a hydraulically pivotal bucket. If only the backhoe bucket is used, it is very difficult to pick up objects such as a tree because if the object or tree is not perfectly balanced on the bucket, then the object or tree will tend to fall off. As well, it may be difficult to grasp objects such as trees for lifting or pulling purposes.
Because of this problem, a fixed thumb or hydraulic control thumb may be attached for use with a bucket. As used herein a thumb is a closure element of some type against which the bucket may be rotated for grasping purposes. A movable thumb in accord with the present invention is discussed hereinafter.
The disadvantage of a fixed thumb or closure element is that the fixed thumb must be pushed against the object, such as a tree by lowering the lifting boom and moving the stick boom of the backhoe toward the object. Then the bucket is rotated against the thumb. Another problem with a fixed thumb is that the fixed thumb may interfere with other operations of the bucket. The fixed thumb does not permit wide range of different size objects to be manipulated. The fixed sum is also not in the right position to be of any use to pick up a pile of loose dirt or other material.
The prior art hydraulically operated movable thumb requires the movable thumb to be moved toward the object, whereupon the bucket is rotated against the thumb. This action requires the operator's use of multiple levers, which is slow and over time becomes tedious. The operation may also be complex. The hydraulically operated thumb and bucket operation may require the operator to use three levers simultaneously for grasping and lifting. The limited range of movement of the hydraulically operated thumb limits the variation in size of the objects, such as trees or poles, which can be manipulated by the backhoe.
The above cited prior art does not disclose a movable thumb that permits the operator to use a single lever to control pivotal motion of the backhoe bucket and the movable thumb simultaneously. The solutions to the above described and/or related problems have been long sought without success. Consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate the present invention that addresses the above and other problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general purpose of the present invention to provide an improved movable thumb assembly.
An object of the present invention is to provide a movable thumb assembly which operates in conjunction with a pivotal bucket.
An advantage of the present invention is that an operator can control both the bucket and the movable thumb utilizing only one hydraulic lever control.
A movable thumb assembly for use with a hydraulically operated bucket may comprise a first hydraulically operated arm segment, a second hydraulically operated arm segment connected to the first hydraulically operated arm segment, and a bucket pivot connection which pivotally connects the hydraulically operated bucket to the second hydraulically operated arm segment.
A moveable thumb, i.e., a closure member is pivotally connected with respect to the hydraulically operated bucket.
A link member is pivotally connected to the second hydraulically operated arm segment. The link member is also pivotally connected to the closure member. The closure member and the hydraulically operated bucket are connected for pivotal movement in opposite directions with respect to each other.
The movable thumb assembly may further comprise a bucket bracket mounted to the hydraulically operated bucket for providing the pivotal connection between the closure member and the hydraulically operated bucket.
In one embodiment, the bucket bracket may preferably be positioned adjacent to or in the vicinity of the bucket pivot connection.
The movable thumb assembly may further comprise a first link member pivotal connection for providing that the link member is pivotally connected to the second hydraulically operated arm segment, a second link member pivotal connection for providing that the link member is pivotally connected to the closure member, and a closure member pivotal connection for providing that the closure member is pivotally connected with respect to the hydraulically operated bucket.
In one embodiment, the first link member pivotal connection, the second link member pivotal connection, and the closure member pivotal connection each comprise removable pins, whereby the link member and the closure member are removable from the hydraulically operated bucket.
In one embodiment, the closure member comprises a closure member axial shaft portion. In this embodiment, the bucket bracket is pivotally connected to the shaft.
The second link member pivotal connection may be positioned further from the bucket pivot connection along the closure member axial shaft than the bucket bracket.
In one embodiment, the closure member comprises a length which is approximately equal to a length of an open end of the hydraulically operated bucket. However, the closure member could be longer or shorter than the open end of the hydraulically operated bucket.
In one embodiment, the closure member and the link member are mounted with removable pins, which have fasteners, latches, or fastening mechanisms to keep them in position during operation. By removing the removable pins, the closure member and the link member are removable from the hydraulically operated bucket.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for mounting a movable thumb assembly for use with a hydraulically operated bucket.
The method may comprise steps such as pivotally connecting a closure member with respect to the hydraulically operated bucket, pivotally connecting a first portion of a link member to the second hydraulically operated arm segment, and pivotally connecting a second portion the link member to the closure member whereby the closure member and the hydraulically operated bucket are connected to pivot in opposite directions with respect to each other.
The method may further comprise mounting a bucket bracket to the hydraulically operated bucket for providing the pivotal connection between the closure member and the hydraulically operated bucket.
The method may further comprise mounting the bucket bracket adjacent to the bucket pivot connection.
The method may further comprise steps such as providing a first link member pivotal connection for implementing that the link member is pivotally connected to the second hydraulically operated arm segment, providing a second link member pivotal connection for implementing that the link member is pivotally connected to the closure member, and providing a closure member pivotal connection for implementing that the closure member is pivotally connected with respect to the hydraulically operated bucket.
In one embodiment the method may comprise providing that the first link member pivotal connection, the second link member pivotal connection, and the closure member pivotal connection each comprise removable pins, whereby the link member and the closure member are removable from the hydraulically operated bucket.
In one embodiment, the method may further comprise providing that the closure member comprises a closure member axial shaft and providing that the second link member pivotal connection is positioned further from the bucket pivot connection along the closure member axial shaft than the bucket bracket. In this embodiment, the method may comprise providing that the bucket bracket is pivotally connected to the closure member axial shaft.
The method may comprise providing that the closure member comprises a length which is approximately equal to a length of an open end of the hydraulically operated bucket.
The method may comprise mounting the closure member and the link member utilizing removable pins, whereby the closure member and the link member are removable from the hydraulically operated bucket.
In another embodiment, the movable thumb assembly may comprise a bucket bracket mounted to the hydraulically operated bucket, a closure member pivotally connected to the bucket bracket, and a link member.
A link member first pivotal connection pivotally connects the link member to the second hydraulically operated arm segment. A link member second pivotal connection pivotally connects the link member to the closure member.
In this embodiment, the bucket bracket is positioned closer to the bucket pivot connection then the link member second pivotal connection.
In this embodiment, the link member first pivotal connection is positioned on or adjacent to one end portion of the link member and the link member second pivotal connection is positioned on an opposite end portion of the link member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereto will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a backhoe with the moveable thumb and bucket in an open position, in accord with one possible embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a backhoe with the moveable thumb and bucket in a closed position, in accord with one possible embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a top elevational view, partially in hidden lines, which shows a bucket bracket mounted to the backhoe bucket, in accord with one possible embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a top elevational view, partially in hidden lines, which shows a movable thumb, in accord with one possible embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5A is a top elevational view, partially in hidden lines, which shows two link members that pivotally connect the backhoe arm to the movable thumb, in accord with one possible embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5B is a top elevational view, partially in hidden lines, which shows a single link member that pivotally connects the backhoe arm to the movable thumb, in accord with one possible embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The presently described backhoe with movable thumb provides a simplified grasping action, which operates more quickly and effectively than prior art backhoes.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a generalized backhoe arm and backhoe bucket to which movable thumb mechanism 10 may be detachable you mounted. It will be appreciated that the present invention may be utilized with other construction equipment, which comprises a pivotally mounted bucket for use on a hydraulic arm.
The backhoe arm may typically comprise components such as lift boom 12 , stick boom 14 , hydraulic cylinders 16 A and 16 B, and hydraulic cylinder 18 . These components may be utilized to operate a backhoe bucket 20 by positioning backhoe bucket 20 where needed and moving backhoe bucket 20 as desired.
In FIG. 1 , backhoe bucket 20 and movable thumb 22 are in the open or dumping position. Accordingly, thumb 22 rotates away from the open end of bucket 20 towards the backhoe arm.
In FIG. 2 , movable thumb 22 and backhoe bucket 20 are rotated relative to each other to close the gap there between, which enables dirt to be pushed into the bucket or enables clamping onto a tree or other object.
Movable thumb mechanism 10 may be permanently mounted or may be removable as desired. In this embodiment, movable thumb mechanism is pin mounted so as to be easily removable, as discussed in more detail hereinafter.
Bucket bracket 24 may in one embodiment be fixed to bucket 20 whereupon bucket bracket 24 rotates with bucket 20 , as controlled by the operator utilizing a single hydraulic control. Bucket bracket 24 may preferably mounted near a hinge such as hinge 28 upon which bucket 20 rotates. The purpose of bucket bracket 24 is to provide a hinge for pivotally mounting arm 30 of movable thumb 22 . In one embodiment, bucket bracket 24 may comprise two rectangular elements welded to one side of bucket 20 as shown in FIG. 3 . Holes 25 may be utilized for insertion of hinge pin 26 .
Bucket bracket 24 may be welded to backhoe bucket 20 . In another possible embodiment, bucket bracket 24 may be removable and comprise an arm which is inserted into a socket and pinned into position so as to be removable if desired. As noted above, bucket bracket 24 provides a hinge or pivot for arm 30 of movable thumb 22 . In this case, the hinge may utilize removable pin 26 to permit removal of movable thumb 22 . The hinge or pin 26 may be provided closer to or further away from the edge of the open end of bucket 20 , as desired.
In this embodiment, bucket bracket 24 is positioned near the side of the bucket closest to the backhoe arm which avoids interference with operation of bucket 20 during digging or the like. Bucket bracket 24 may also extend away from the open side of bucket 20 . However, hinge 26 provided by bucket bracket 24 could also be located somewhat within the interior of bucket 20 but is then preferably near the bucket hinge 28 .
At least one link member 32 is pivotally or pin mounted to backhoe stick 14 on one end or end portion, and is also pin mounted to arm 30 of movable thumb 22 on the opposite end or end portion. Holes 35 and 37 , as shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B , may be utilized for respective pin members 34 and 36 .
Pins 26 , 34 , and 36 may be removable pins. The pins may have holes in one end, which are held or latched in place by Cotter pins or other clips, pins, latches, or the like, which prevent pins 26 , 34 , and 36 from unintentional removal. Because pins 26 , 34 , and 36 are removable, link member 32 and movable thumb 22 are readily removable from bucket 20 .
FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show different embodiments of a link member, which connects between is stick boom 14 and arm 30 of movable thumb 22 . If desired, length adjust segments, such as length adjust segment 42 , may be added to or removed from link member 32 to vary the closure distance between movable thumb 22 and bucket 20 . For example, it may be desired to have an offset of a few inches between the rim of bucket 20 and movable thumb 22 when these components are rotated to the closed position. Alternatively, it may be desired that movable thumb 22 engage or almost engage bucket 20 .
Movable thumb 22 may be referred to herein as a movable closure element, movable lid, hinged flap, or the like. Movable thumb 22 may take various shapes as desired.
It will be appreciated that the pins, fasteners, and the like for the elements of bucket bracket 24 , movable thumb 22 , in link members 32 discussed above may be provided in various ways, positions, and arrangements. For example, there are many ways that link members 32 may be pivotally attached to backhoe stick 14 . Pins could be welded to backhoe stick 14 for connection to link members 32 . A single pin may connect both laying members 32 to backhoe stick 14 . Alternatively, a bracket (not shown) may be mounted to backhoe stick 14 and utilized to pivotally connect to link members 32 .
Link member(s) 32 may be relatively straight as shown but could also be bent, curved, angled, or the like as needed, desired, are most convenient for proper opening and closing movable thumb 22 with respect to bucket 20 .
It will be appreciated that the length of link members 32 , and position of hinges 26 and 34 on movable thumb 22 , as well as the position and length of bucket bracket 24 will determine the opening and closing positions of movable thumb 22 with respect to bucket 20 . As discussed above, an offset between movable thumb 22 and bucket 20 in a closed position can be adjustable utilizing adjustment sections, if desired.
FIG. 4 shows one possible embodiment for movable thumb 22 . Many possible variations may be utilized. For example, movable thumb 22 may comprise a flap hinged to bucket 20 , which may completely or almost completely covers the opening of bucket 20 . In one embodiment, bucket bracket 24 may be positioned on the sides of bucket 20 to provide a hinge for the flap. In this embodiment, link member 32 is modified accordingly to pivotally engage and pivotally connect to a wider flap. Movable thumb 22 might also comprise a screen or the like. In any case, it will be understood that movable thumb 22 may be of various shapes and designs. However, in accord with the present invention, bucket 20 and a movable thumb 22 moves in concert with each other for opening and closing.
Referring to FIG. 1 , during operation, if bucket 20 is rotated clockwise as controlled by hydraulic cylinder 18 , then movable thumb 22 rotates counterclockwise relative to bucket 20 . This is because link member 32 pulls movable thumb in this direction in response to clockwise rotation of bucket 20 . Movable thumb 22 is constrained to rotate around pivot 26 .
Referring to FIG. 2 , if bucket 20 is rotated counterclockwise by hydraulic cylinder 18 , then movable thumb 22 is rotated clockwise. Because one hydraulic cylinder controls rotational movement of both bucket 20 and movable thumb 22 , it is very easy for an operator to control both of these functions quickly and conveniently as compared to the prior art hydraulic movable thumb.
The invention does not require another control lever to operate the movable thumb assembly nor does it require operation of three levels almost at the same time to push the dirt or object in order to perform the task. In this way, the results of the job can be performed better and faster. By utilizing only one hydraulic control lever to operate bucket 20 and movable thumb assembly 10 , the operator has more precise control, gets the job completed faster, more simply, and provide easier and more accurate placement of material. Also, the gap between the thumb and the bucket is greater when in the open position to allow handling of bigger objects.
Many additional changes in the details, components, steps, and organization of the system, herein described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention. It is therefore understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise pulls as specifically described.
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A closure member is pivotally connected with respect to a hydraulically operated bucket. A link member is pivotally connected to a hydraulically operated arm segment. The link member is also pivotally connected to the closure member. The closure member and the hydraulically operated bucket are connected for simultaneous pivotal movement in opposite directions with respect to each other.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/223,059, filed Dec. 30, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,455,354, issued Sep. 24, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a “chip-on-board” (COB) semiconductor assembly and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for reducing stress resulting from lodging of filler particles present in encapsulant and glob top materials between a surface of a semiconductor die and a corresponding surface of a semiconductor substrate and for visual inspection of the attachment of the semiconductor die to the semiconductor substrate with the use of tape attachment material.
2. State of the Art
Definitions: The following terms and acronyms will be used throughout the application and are defined as follows:
COB—Chip-On-Board: The techniques used to attach a semiconductor die to a semiconductor substrate, such as a printed circuit board.
Glob Top: A glob of encapsulant material (usually epoxy or silicone or a combination thereof) surrounding a semiconductor die or portion thereof in a COB assembly.
Wire Bonding: Conductive wires attached between a semiconductor die and a circuit board or leadframe to form an electrical connection therebetween.
TAB—Tape Automated Bonding: Conductive traces are formed on a dielectric film such as a polyimide (the structure also being termed a “flex circuit”), and the film is precisely placed to electrically connect a semiconductor die and a circuit board or leadframe through the conductive traces. Multiple connections are simultaneously effected.
FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate exemplary COB assemblies 200 each comprising a semiconductor die 202 back-bonded with an adhesive layer 204 to a semiconductor substrate 206 . The semiconductor die 202 is in electrical communication with the semiconductor substrate 206 through electrical elements extending between bond pads 208 on the semiconductor die 202 and traces 212 on the semiconductor substrate 206 . The electrical elements are generally bond wires 214 , as illustrated in FIG. 14 , or TAB connections 216 , as illustrated in FIG. 15 .
In wire bonding, as illustrated in FIG. 14 , a plurality of bond wires 214 is attached, one at a time, to each bond pad 208 on the semiconductor die 202 and extends to a corresponding lead or trace 212 on the semiconductor substrate 206 . The bond wires are generally attached through one of three industry-standard wirebonding techniques: ultrasonic bonding—using a combination of pressure and ultrasonic vibration bursts to form a metallurgical cold weld; thermocompression bonding—using a combination of pressure and elevated temperature to form a weld; and thermosonic bonding—using a combination of pressure, elevated temperature, and ultrasonic vibration bursts.
With TAB, as illustrated in FIG. 15 , TAB connectors 216 (generally metal leads carried on an insulating tape, such as a polyimide) are attached to each bond pad 208 on the semiconductor die 202 and to a corresponding lead or trace 212 on the semiconductor substrate 206 .
An encapsulant 218 , such as a plastic resin, is generally used to cover the bond wires 214 ( FIG. 14 ) and TAB connectors 216 ( FIG. 15 ) to prevent contamination, aid mechanical attachment of the assembly components, and increase long-term reliability of the electronics with reasonably low-cost materials.
An exemplary technique of forming the encapsulant 218 is molding and, more specifically, transfer molding. In the transfer molding process (and with specific reference to COB die assemblies), after the semiconductor die 202 is attached to the semiconductor substrate 206 (e.g., FR-4 printed circuit board) and electrical connections made (by wire bonding or TAB) to form a die assembly, the die assembly is placed in a mold cavity in a transfer molding machine. The die assembly is thereafter encapsulated in a thermosetting polymer which, when heated, reacts irreversibly to form a highly cross-linked matrix no longer capable of being re-melted. Additionally, another common manner of forming encapsulants for COB assemblages is “glob top” polymeric encapsulation. Glob top encapsulation can be applied by dispensing suitably degassed material from a reservoir through a needle-like nozzle onto the die assembly.
The thermosetting polymer of transfer molding generally is comprised of three major components: an epoxy resin, a hardener (including accelerators), and a filler material. Other additives such as flame retardants, mold release agents and colorants are also employed in relatively small amounts. Furthermore, glob top encapsulation can comprise a non-linear thixotropic material that also includes fillers to achieve the desired degree of thixotropy.
While many variations of the three major components are known in the art, the present invention focuses on the filler materials employed and their effects on the active semiconductor die surfaces and corresponding semiconductor substrate surfaces.
Filler materials are usually a form of fused silica, although other materials such as calcium carbonates, calcium silicates, talc, mica and clays have been employed for less rigorous applications. Powdered fused quartz is currently the primary filler used in encapsulants. Fillers provide a number of advantages in comparison to unfilled encapsulants. For example, fillers reinforce the polymer and thus provide additional package strength, enhance thermal conductivity of the package, provide enhanced resistance to thermal shock, and greatly reduce the cost of the polymer in comparison to its unfilled state. Fillers also beneficially reduce the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the composite material by about fifty percent in comparison to the unfilled polymer, resulting in a CTE much closer to that of the silicon or gallium arsenide die. Filler materials, however, also present some recognized disadvantages, including increasing the stiffness of the plastic package, as well as the moisture permeability of the package.
Two problems encountered in transfer molding are bond wire sweep and connection detachment. Bond wire sweep occurs in wire bonded packages wherein the encapsulant material, which is injected into the mold under pressure, deforms the bond wires which can cause shorting. Connection detachment can occur in either TAB connections 216 or bond wires 214 , wherein stresses created by the pressurized encapsulant material result in the detachment of the TAB connections 216 or bond wires 214 from either the bond pad 208 or the trace 212 .
To alleviate this problem and to reduce the thickness of the semiconductor assembly, as illustrated in FIG. 16 , a technique of face-down attachment of a semiconductor die 232 onto a semiconductor substrate 234 with an adhesive tape 236 has been developed. With this technique, the semiconductor substrate 234 has an opening 238 therethrough with electrical connections 240 (shown as bond wires) extending through the opening 238 to connect the bond pads 242 on an active surface 262 of the semiconductor die 232 to the traces 244 on an active surface 250 of the semiconductor substrate 234 . The adhesive tape 236 used in these assemblies is generally narrow and does not extend to an edge 246 of the semiconductor die 232 , resulting in exterior voids 248 , and does not extend to an edge 252 of the opening 238 , resulting in interior voids 254 . The opening 238 is filled and the electrical connections 240 are covered with a glob top material 256 injected into the opening 238 , as shown in FIG. 17 . Thus, the electrical connections 240 are protected from bond wire sweep and connection detachment. As shown in FIG. 18 , an encapsulant material 258 is molded over the semiconductor die 232 .
Unfortunately, a significant disadvantage of using glob top materials and encapsulant materials having filler particles is the potential for damage to the active surface 262 of the semiconductor die 232 and/or a back surface 264 of the semiconductor substrate 234 resulting from the lodging or wedging of filler particles 266 between the semiconductor die active surface 262 and the semiconductor substrate back surface 264 , as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 .
As shown in FIG. 19 , which is an enlarged view of the inset 19 of FIG. 17 , if filler particles 266 are used in the glob top material 256 , the filler particles 266 may be jammed between the semiconductor die active surface 262 and the semiconductor substrate back surface 264 within the interior void 254 . Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20 , which is an enlarged view of the inset 20 of FIG. 18 , if filler particles 266 are used in the encapsulant material 258 , the filler particles 266 may also be jammed between the semiconductor die active surface 262 and the semiconductor substrate back surface 264 within the exterior void 248 due to non-uniform polymer flow patterns and flow imbalances of the encapsulant material 258 in the mold cavity during transfer molding. The jammed filler particles 266 place the semiconductor die active surface 262 and the semiconductor substrate back surface 264 under residual stress at the points of contact with the jammed filler particles 266 . The particles may then damage or crack the semiconductor die active surface 262 and/or the semiconductor back surface 264 when the assembly is stressed (i.e., mechanically, thermally, electrically, etc.) during post-encapsulation handling and testing. This damage can result in failure of the semiconductor assembly, alteration of the performance characteristics, and/or, if the damage is not immediately detected, unanticipated shortening of device life.
While it is possible to employ a lower volume of filler particles 266 in the encapsulant material 258 to reduce the potential for the filler particles 266 lodging or wedging, a drastic reduction in filler volume raises costs of the polymer to unacceptable levels. Additionally, while the size of the filler particles 266 may be reduced to reduce the potential for the filler particles 266 lodging or wedging, currently available filler technology imposes certain limitations as to practical beneficial reductions in particle size and in the shape of the filler particles 266 . Furthermore, while it is desirable that filler particles 266 be of generally spherical shape, it has thus far proven impossible to eliminate non-spherical flakes or chips which when jammed between the semiconductor die active surface 262 and the semiconductor back surface 264 are more prone to damage the semiconductor die active surface 262 and/or the semiconductor back surface 264 . Moreover, an underfilling could be used to seal the interior voids 254 and the exterior voids 248 . However, such underfilling would be prohibitively expensive.
The problem of semiconductor assembly damage due to jammed filler particles 266 in association with assembly stressing (i.e., mechanically, thermally, electrically, etc.) during post-encapsulation handling and testing will continue to worsen as ongoing advances in design and manufacturing technology provide increasingly thinner conductive, semiconductive, and dielectric layers. The resulting semiconductor assemblies will be more susceptible to stressing due to the minimal strength provided by the minute widths, depths and spacings of the constituent elements of the semiconductor assemblies. Thus, with increasing stress susceptibility, the semiconductor assemblies are more prone to damage from jammed filler particles 266 .
In addition to solving the problems associated with filler particle 266 lodging and damage, it is desirable to improve the ability to visually inspect for proper attachment of the semiconductor die 232 to the semiconductor substrate 234 (i.e., inspect for misaligned or missing adhesive tape 236 ). Prior art COB die assemblies have been unsuccessful, not only in preventing damage due to the filler particles 266 , as explained above, but also in providing an eye point for enhanced visual inspection (generally by a computerized optical detection apparatus) of the proper attachment of the semiconductor die 232 to the semiconductor substrate 234 prior to encapsulation.
This lack of proper inspection is generally due to the use of narrow adhesive tape 236 which does not extend to an edge 246 of the semiconductor die 232 , nor to an edge 252 of the opening 238 , as shown in FIGS. 14–18 and as discussed above. The use of such narrow adhesive tape 236 makes visual inspection of the proper tape attachment extremely difficult, because inspection must be made by looking longitudinally between the semiconductor die 232 and the semiconductor substrate 234 along the respective attachment surfaces where spacing is microscopic. Visual inspection cannot be made looking vertically either (i.e., looking upward through the opening 238 or downward at the semiconductor substrate back surface 264 ) because the adhesive tape 236 is enclosed between the semiconductor die 232 and the semiconductor substrate 234 . Furthermore, the use of narrow adhesive tape 236 also limits the contact surface area available for semiconductor die 232 to semiconductor substrate 234 adhesion and attachment.
Furthermore, it is desirable to increase or enhance the stability of the semiconductor assembly in order to reduce or eliminate localized stress failures occurring during encapsulation. These failures can cause subsequent cracking. Semiconductor assembly stability, in the past, has been approached from the perspective of improving adhesives employed with carrier films, rather than by sealing the gaps or spaces between the semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor die.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,800 issued Mar. 31, 1998 to Moden (“the Moden patent”) discloses a “leads over chip” (LOC) die assembly, wherein a seal between a leadframe and a die is created by underfill material introduced into and extending between the bonding location of the die and the edge of the die. However, the Moden patent relates to an LOC assemblage which utilizes a narrow tape segment and requires the added expense of introducing underfill material in between the leadframe and the semiconductor die in order to seal the gap or space proximate the tape segment. In addition, the use of LOC assemblages, as in the Moden patent, does not create the type of visual inspection problems discussed above and inherent in COB assemblages because tape segments can be viewed when looking between leads of the leadframe.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,888 issued Nov. 14, 1995 to Beng et al. (“the Beng patent”) discloses a LOC semiconductor device utilizing an electrically insulating film interposed between the leads and the chip for strengthening adherence of the film to packaging material and to the chip. However, as with the Moden patent, the Beng patent relates to a LOC assemblage.
From the foregoing, the prior art has neither provided for visual die assembly inspection, nor recognized the stress phenomenon associated with encapsulant materials having filler particles with COB assemblies. Thus, it can be appreciated that it would be advantageous to develop a semiconductor assembly and a technique to fabricate the same which eliminate potential damage due to filler particles and allow for pre-encapsulation semiconductor die to semiconductor substrate attachment and sealing visual inspection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for preventing damage to a semiconductor assembly due to encapsulation filler particles causing damage to the semiconductor die active surface and/or to a corresponding substrate surface. The present invention also provides a semiconductor assembly which allows for visual inspection of the semiconductor die to semiconductor substrate attachment.
One embodiment of the present invention comprises a semiconductor die assembly including a semiconductor substrate having an opening defined therethrough and a semiconductor die having a plurality of electrical connection areas, such as bond pads and hereinafter referred to as “bond pads,” on an active surface thereof. The semiconductor die is attached to the semiconductor substrate such that the bond pads are aligned with the semiconductor substrate opening. The semiconductor die is attached to the semiconductor substrate with an adhesive tape which preferably extends proximate an edge of the semiconductor die and proximate an edge of the semiconductor substrate opening. Such an adhesive tape configuration maximizes the contact area between the semiconductor die and the semiconductor substrate. This increased contact area assists in preventing the semiconductor die from flexing, twisting, or bending away from the semiconductor substrate, thus reducing or eliminating localized stress failures occurring during subsequent molding processes.
Electrical connections are then attached between the semiconductor die bond pads and traces on an active surface of the semiconductor substrate through the semiconductor substrate opening. The semiconductor substrate opening is filled and the electrical connections are covered with a glob top material injected into the opening. The adhesive tape extending proximate the semiconductor substrate opening edge substantially prevents glob top material from residing between the semiconductor die active surface and the semiconductor substrate back surface, thereby virtually eliminating previously discussed problems associated with filler particles used in the glob top material.
An encapsulant material is molded over the semiconductor die and the glob top material. Again, the adhesive tape extending proximate the semiconductor die edge substantially prevents encapsulant material from residing between the semiconductor die active surface and the semiconductor substrate back surface, thereby eliminating previously discussed problems associated with filler particles used in the encapsulant material.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive tape is extended past the semiconductor substrate opening edge to provide a detectable surface within the semiconductor substrate opening. The adhesive tape detectable surface can be visually detected through the semiconductor substrate opening. Thus, a visual inspection system may be used to detect the presence and/or misalignment of the adhesive tape. Thus, a conductive tape can be sized and configured both to prevent filler particle lodging and to allow for visual detection of the presence and/or misalignment of the adhesive tape. It is, of course, understood that the adhesive tape may also extend past the semiconductor die edge.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive tape includes a carrier film which carries the first adhesive layer on a first planar surface of the carrier film and a second adhesive layer on a second planar surface of the carrier film. The first adhesive layer and the second adhesive layer are preferably different adhesives. The use of differing adhesives compensates for the disparity in thermal expansion values typically existing between semiconductor substrates and semiconductor dice. For example, the first adhesive layer may be used to attach the carrier film to the semiconductor die active surface, wherein the first adhesive layer would be selected to accommodate the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), adhesion, and modulus properties of the semiconductor die. The second adhesive layer may be used to attach the carrier film to the semiconductor substrate back surface, wherein the second adhesive layer would be selected to accommodate the CTE, adhesion, and modulus properties of the semiconductor substrate. Additionally, the adhesive tape may include only the first adhesive layer laminated with the second adhesive layer without the use of a carrier film. Such a configuration is acceptable so long as the configuration prevents filler particle penetration, as described above. Furthermore, the first adhesive layer and the second adhesive layer could be of varying thicknesses as needed or required for a specific semiconductor assembly.
Additionally, at least one fillet can be created at the junction between an adhesive layer and the semiconductor die active surface and/or the semiconductor substrate. Filleting of the adhesive layers is caused by flow of the material in the adhesive layers during attachment of the semiconductor die to the semiconductor substrate by processes known in the art, such as heating processes, which causes the adhesive layers to momentarily flow out from the space between the semiconductor die and the carrier film and out from the space between the carrier film and the semiconductor substrate, and thereafter solidify. The degree of filleting can be manipulated by varying the thickness of the adhesive layers. Such filleting of the adhesive layers accords additional protection against the possibility of filler particles lodging or wedging between the adhesive layers and the semiconductor die and/or the semiconductor substrate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming that which is regarded as the present invention, the advantages of this invention can be more readily ascertained from the following description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an intermediate semiconductor assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of an adhesive tape material according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of an intermediate semiconductor assembly including bond wire connections according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of an intermediate semiconductor assembly including TAB connections according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an intermediate semiconductor assembly including a glob top encapsulation according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor assembly shielded by an encapsulation material according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of an intermediate semiconductor assembly including an extended adhesive tape according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of inset 8 of FIG. 7 according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view along line 9 — 9 of FIG. 7 of an intermediate semiconductor assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of another intermediate semiconductor assembly including an extended adhesive tape according to the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of filleting of the adhesive layers according to the present invention;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of filleting of the adhesive layers according to the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional side view of yet another embodiment of filleting of the adhesive layers according to the present invention;
FIGS. 14 and 15 are cross-sectional side views of prior art back bonded semiconductor assemblies;
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional side view of a prior art intermediate semiconductor assembly;
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side view of the prior art intermediate semiconductor assembly of FIG. 16 having a glob top encapsulation;
FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional side view of the prior art intermediate semiconductor assembly of FIG. 17 shielded by an encapsulation material;
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional side view of inset 19 of FIG. 17 ; and
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional side view of inset 20 of FIG. 18 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1–13 illustrate various views of semiconductor assemblies according to the present invention. It should be understood that the illustrations are not meant to be actual views of any particular semiconductor assembly, but are merely idealized representations which are employed to more clearly and fully depict the present invention than would otherwise be possible. Additionally, elements common between FIGS. 1–13 retain the same numerical designation.
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an intermediate semiconductor die assembly 100 according to the present invention, wherein a semiconductor die 102 , such as those known in the art, extends over and is attached to a semiconductor substrate 104 having an opening 106 defined therein. The semiconductor substrate 104 can be an FR-4 printed circuit board, a ceramic substrate or other known substrates including multiple layered substrates. In addition, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the use of one substrate per die assembly.
For purposes of illustration, the semiconductor die 102 can comprise memory devices, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM), and other semiconductor devices wherein COB assemblies are used.
Adhesive tape 108 is positioned between the semiconductor die 102 and the semiconductor substrate 104 on opposing sides of the semiconductor substrate opening 106 , thereby attaching an active surface 112 of the semiconductor die 102 to a back surface 114 of the semiconductor substrate 104 . The adhesive tape 108 is preferably a planar dielectric or insulative carrier film 116 having a first adhesive layer 118 on a first planar surface 122 of the carrier film 116 and a second adhesive layer 124 on a second planar surface 126 of the carrier film 116 , as shown in FIG. 2 .
Referring back to FIG. 1 , the adhesive tape 108 (shown generally as a width) preferably extends proximate an edge 128 of the semiconductor die 102 and proximate an edge 132 of the semiconductor substrate opening 106 . Such a configuration of the adhesive tape 108 maximizes the contact area between the semiconductor die 102 and the semiconductor substrate 104 . This increased contact area assists in preventing the semiconductor die 102 from flexing, twisting, or bending away from the semiconductor substrate 104 , thus reducing or eliminating localized stress failures occurring during subsequent molding processes.
The semiconductor die active surface 112 is aligned such that at least one bond pad 134 is aligned with the semiconductor substrate opening 106 . As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , electrical connections 136 (shown as bond wires in FIG. 3 and TAB connections in FIG. 4 ) are then attached between the semiconductor die bond pads 134 and traces 138 (which are in electrical communication with electrical components either internal or external to the semiconductor substrate 104 ) on an active surface 142 of the semiconductor substrate 104 through the semiconductor substrate opening 106 .
The semiconductor substrate opening 106 is filled and the electrical connections 136 are covered with a glob top material 144 injected into the opening 106 , as shown in FIG. 5 . The adhesive tape 108 extending proximate the semiconductor substrate opening edge 132 substantially prevents glob top material 144 from residing between semiconductor die active surface 112 and the semiconductor substrate back surface 114 , thereby virtually eliminating problems associated with filler particles used in the glob top material 144 . Thus, the electrical connections 136 are protected from bond wire sweep and connection detachment by the glob top material 144 .
As shown in FIG. 6 , an encapsulant material 146 is molded over the semiconductor die 102 . It is, of course, understood that the encapsulant material 146 could be a glob top material applied over the semiconductor die 102 and that the encapsulant material could also be molded to encase the glob top material 144 . Again, the adhesive tape 108 extending proximate the semiconductor die edge 128 substantially prevents encapsulant material 146 from residing between semiconductor die active surface 112 and the semiconductor substrate back surface 114 , thereby eliminating problems associated with filler particles used in the encapsulant material 146 .
In another embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive tape 108 is extended past the semiconductor substrate opening edge 132 , as shown in FIG. 7 , to provide a detectable surface 152 within the semiconductor substrate opening 106 , as shown in FIG. 8 (an enlargement of inset 8 of FIG. 7 ). As shown in FIG. 9 (a view along line 9 — 9 of FIG. 7 ), the adhesive tape detectable surface 152 can be visually detected through the semiconductor substrate opening 106 . Thus, a visual inspection system may then be used to detect the presence and/or misalignment of the adhesive tape 108 . Thus, an adhesive tape 108 can be sized and configured both to prevent filler particle lodging, described above, and to allow for visual detection of the presence and/or misalignment of the adhesive tape 108 . It is, of course, understood that the adhesive tape 108 may also extend past the semiconductor die edge 128 , as shown in FIG. 10 , with visual inspection being conducted viewing the semiconductor substrate back surface 114 .
Referring to FIG. 2 , an embodiment of the adhesive tape 108 includes the carrier film 116 , such as Upilex® (UBE Industries, Ltd., Ube City, Japan), Kapton® (E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Midland, Mich., USA), or other such films, which carries the first adhesive layer 118 on a first planar surface 122 of the carrier film 116 and a second adhesive layer 124 on a second planar surface 126 of the carrier film 116 . The first adhesive layer 118 and the second adhesive layer 124 are preferably different adhesives. The use of differing adhesives compensates for the disparity in thermal expansion values typically existing between semiconductor substrates and semiconductor dice. For example, the first adhesive layer 118 may be used to attach the carrier film 116 to the semiconductor die active surface 112 , wherein the first adhesive layer 118 would be selected to accommodate the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), adhesion, and modulus properties of the semiconductor die 102 , such as a high Tg thermoplastic adhesive. The second adhesive layer 124 may be used to attach the carrier film 116 to the semiconductor substrate back surface 114 , wherein the second adhesive layer 124 would be selected to accommodate the CTE, adhesion, and modulus properties of semiconductor substrate 104 , such as a low Tg thermoset adhesive. Additionally, the adhesive tape 108 may include only the first adhesive layer 118 laminated with the second adhesive layer 124 without the use of a carrier film (not shown) by processes known in the art. Such a configuration is acceptable so long as the configuration prevents filler particle penetration, as described above. Furthermore, the first adhesive layer 118 and the second adhesive layer 124 could be of varying thicknesses as needed or required for a specific semiconductor assembly. Preferably, the overall adhesive tape thickness is between about 80 and 200 μm so as to electrically insulate and attach the semiconductor die 102 to the semiconductor substrate 104 .
Additionally, at least one fillet can be created at the junction between an adhesive layer and the semiconductor die active surface 112 and/or the semiconductor substrate 104 . FIG. 11 illustrates the adhesive tape 108 extending past the semiconductor die edge 128 , wherein a first fillet 156 is formed from the first adhesive layer 118 and a second fillet 158 is formed from the second adhesive layer 124 . FIG. 12 illustrates the adhesive tape 108 extending past the semiconductor substrate opening edge 132 , wherein a third fillet 162 is formed from the first adhesive layer 118 and a fourth fillet 164 is formed from the second adhesive layer 124 . FIG. 13 illustrates the adhesive tape 108 extending just short of the semiconductor die edge 128 due to a slight misalignment of the adhesive tape, wherein a fillet 166 composed of a portion of the first adhesive layer 118 and a portion of the second adhesive layer 124 is formed. Such a fillet formation can compensate for slight adhesive tape 108 misalignments by filling any potential voids between the semiconductor die 102 and the semiconductor substrate 104 .
Filleting of the adhesive layers is caused by flow of the material in the adhesive layers during attachment of the semiconductor die 102 to the semiconductor substrate 104 by processes known in the art, such as heating processes, which cause the adhesive layers 118 , 124 to momentarily flow out from the space between the semiconductor die 102 and the carrier film 116 and out from the space between the carrier film 116 and the semiconductor substrate 104 , and thereafter solidify. The degree of filleting can be manipulated by varying the thickness of the adhesive layers. Such filleting of the adhesive layers accords additional protection against the possibility of filler particles lodging or wedging between the adhesive layers and the semiconductor die 102 and/or the semiconductor substrate 104 .
Having thus described in detail preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention defined by the appended claims is not to be limited by particular details set forth in the above description, as many apparent variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.
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An apparatus and method for preventing damage to tape attachment semiconductor assemblies due to encapsulation filler particles causing damage to a semiconductor die active surface and/or to a corresponding semiconductor substrate surface by providing an adhesive tape which extends across areas of contact between the semiconductor die active surface and the semiconductor substrate. The present invention also includes extending the adhesive tape beyond the areas of contact between the semiconductor die active surface and the semiconductor substrate to provide a visible surface of visual inspection of proper adhesive tape placement.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 13/727,274, filed on Dec. 26, 2012, which '274 application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 12/592,537, filed on Nov. 24, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,341,846 issued Jan. 1, 2013, which '274 and '537 applications are incorporated by reference herein. Applicant claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 therefrom. Application Ser. No. 12/592,537 is based upon provisional application Ser. No. 61/117,434 filed Nov. 24, 2008, which application is also incorporated by reference herein. Applicant claims priority under 35 USC§119(e) therefrom.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hair cutting.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electrically operated hair clippers have been used for many years. Some of the commonly available models have a manual lever on the side to incrementally adjust the relative position between the stationary and the reciprocating blades in a blade set to adjust the minimum length of hair that is being clipped. Other prior art patents show infinite adjustability over a range. The prior art does not reveal motor-powered continuous adjustability of the blade set which affords the barber the ability to perform the adjustment even during the clipping activity by simply activating a switch and/or having a flexing compliance blade set that adjusts around the contours of the scalp of a flex clipper is described which, in addition to the aforementioned powered hair cutting length adjustment feature, provides an additional feature to help the cutting blade set float more effortlessly by adjusting automatically to the contours of a client's head, to prevent the blade set getting stuck and causing cuts and irritation to the scalp of the customer.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a flexing hair clipper with a flexing cutting blade adjuster which adjusts automatically to the contours of a client's head to prevent the blade set getting stuck and causing cuts and irritation to the scalp.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a hair clippers device with infinitely variable blade distances from the scalp of the patron.
Other objects which become apparent from the following description of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The hair clippers of this invention use a self-contained motor-driven adjustment mechanism to adjust the relative position of the stationary and reciprocating blades of a common type of blade set, preferably with a flexing blade set to adjust to the contours of the scalp of the customer having his or her hair being cut and trimmed.
While other on/off switches can be used, preferably two momentary switches operable by the thumb of the hand holding the clipper afford a barber total automatic adjustment with the clipper itself in an on or off condition. There is no need for two-handed fidgeting or selection of only a few discrete increments of length adjustment as with the commonly available models. Since the small gear motors used for the adjustment are brush type or brushless permanent magnet motors which are operated by direct current, the adjustment feature is most compatible with cordless clippers already using an on-board DC source in the form of a re-chargeable battery to drive the reciprocating blade. The invention will be described as a modification of a cordless clipper, although AC driven corded type clippers can also be modified with this feature by the addition of an on-board AC to DC power supply for the adjustment motor.
In the first embodiment, a modified blade set is used such that a gear rack is attached to the stationary blade. It is engaged with a worm gear pinion driven by a low speed gear motor through a reversible drive circuit. Either limit switches, limit sensors, or over-current sensors are used to disable the adjustment motor at either the long or short hair end limits. The motor then can only be driven in the opposite direction.
In the second embodiment, a conventional blade set is used. The modification is such that a motor-driven final gear replaces the manual handle thereby retaining the original mechanism (of any type) that is used to move the stationary blade relative to the reciprocating blade in the conventional blade set. A timing belt couples a rear mounted adjustment motor to a front side-mounted gear train coupled to the shaft of the blade shifting mechanism. Attached to the timing belt for linear back and forth excursions is a magnet with a pointer. The magnet is used to operate two normally closed magnetic reed switches placed at the opposite distal ends of the permissible excursion thereby serving the limit switch function. The pointer moves over a tri-colored linear scale viewable by the barber from the top of the hair clipper; this quickly indicates the hair length setting. A plastic housing cover over the adjustment motor at the back and over the timing belt and gear train at the side encloses the entire compact mechanism.
In a preferred third embodiment, a flex clipper is described which, in addition to the aforementioned powered hair cutting length adjustment feature, provides an additional feature to help the cutting blade set float more effortlessly, by adjusting automatically to the contours of a client's head to prevent getting stuck and causing cuts and irritation to the scalp.
To achieve this automatic adjustment, the blade set with motor driven length adjuster in now housed in a separate module. Compliance is introduced between this module and the main housing of the flex clipper. The blade set can now tilt a small amount in any direction to automatically adjust to the local scalp contours while the cutting process is controlled as usual by grasping the main housing. The rigid attachment of the blade set to the housing is replaced by a flexing compliant attachment. Two methods are described, one is by using a large diameter short bellows while the other method uses a short length (a ring) of thick-walled elastomeric foam tubing which provides similar function.
Both flexing compliant attachments permit tilting and a small amount of linear axial movement between blade set and main housing, but both resist any relative rotational movement between blade set and main housing. This rotational resistance insures good control of the blade set by keeping the cutting edge always aligned with the top surface of the housing (as in a normal rigid attachment) except for any minor local tilting. This rotational stiffness must also resist the driving torque of the motor driving the reciprocating cutter blade.
Since the drive motor for the reciprocating cutter blade is in the main housing and the crank mechanism and blade set are in a separate module, a flexing compliant motor coupling that can follow any blade movements relative to the main housing is required. A metal bellows coupling of a diameter which fits inside the hollow interior of coupling bellows or foam ring is used. To keep the mass and size of the forward blade set module low, a modified cutting length adjuster mechanism is used; for example, in one embodiment, it uses a miniature stepper motor with a lead screw. The powering and control cable from the stepper motor driver in the main housing is also guided through the hollow interior of the coupling member.
The flexing compliance (i.e. spring characteristics) of the coupling member as well as the damping characteristics can be determined by the geometric design and material selected. The proper “feel” can be achieved through simulation and actual prototype testing known to those skilled in the art of hair clippers technology. While the damping characteristics are not as important as the compliance, they determine the smoothness and sound deadening performance.
For the bellows, a wide variety of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE's) or rubbers can be used. By using thin material crossection, even normally rigid plastics such as nylons or polypropylene can be used. Geometric design of the bellows includes overall length and diameter as well as number and shape of convolutions. By using filled TPE's or alloys of rubber/TPE a wide variety of damping characteristics can be designed in. Foamed rubbers or TPE's can be used for a foam ring coupling; other parameters that can be selected include type of cell (open or closed) and size of the cells. Material selection must also pay attention to longevity and compatibility with lubricants and hair conditioners.
In this third embodiment for a flexing hair clipper, the hair clipper is provided with a flexing cutting blade set which adjusts automatically to the contours of a client's head to prevent the blades from getting stuck and causing cuts and irritation to the scalp.
The flexing hair clipper includes a flexing cutting blade set having an adjustable comb plate and a reciprocating cutter blade housed in a blade set module separate from a main housing. The main housing has a power supply, a cutter blade drive motor, switches, and an electronic drive module for a comb plate adjuster motor therein. The blade set module has a crank mechanism for driving the reciprocating blade, and a motor and mechanism for adjusting the comb plate for hair cutting length adjustment
The blade set and the main housing are connected by a flexible compliant conduit located between the blade set module and the main housing of the flexing hair clipper. The flexible compliant conduit resists any relative rotational movement between the blade set and the main housing, which insures control of the blade set by keeping a cutting edge of the blade set always aligned with a top surface of the main housing except for minor local tilting. The flexible compliant conduit also resists the driving torque of the motor driving the reciprocating cutter blade adjacent to the comb plate of the blade set.
The blade set in the blade set module tilts a predetermined amount in any direction to automatically adjust to the local scalp contours while the hair cutting process is controlled by the user barber or hair stylist grasping the main housing and controlling movement of respective blades of the blade set by manual manipulation of the user adjustable blade controls.
It is further noted that the flexing compliant feature can also be made with a conventional hair clippers, without the preferred length adjustment feature. In this further alternate embodiment, the flexing cutting blade set has a comb plate and a reciprocating cutter blade with a crank mechanism for reciprocating the cutter blade housed in a blade set module separate from a main housing. which has a power supply, a cutter blade drive motor, and an on/off switch within. The blade set and the main housing are connected by a flexible compliant conduit located between the blade set module and the main housing of this flexing hair clipper. The flexible compliant conduit resists any relative rotational movement between the blade set and the main housing; thereby insuring control of the blade set by keeping a cutting edge of the blade set always aligned with a top surface of the main housing except for minor local tilting. This flexible compliant conduit also resists the driving torque of the motor driving the reciprocating cutter blade adjacent to the comb plate of the blade set in the blade set module tilts a predetermined amount in any direction to automatically adjust to the local scalp contours, while the hair cutting process is controlled by the user barber or hair stylist grasping and moving the main hair clipper housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention can best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical prior art hair clipper with manual adjustment lever at the side.
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the prior art hair clippers of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a motor-driven mechanism for adjusting the stationary blade of a clipper blade set showing a rack and worm gear pinion of the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the hair clipper of this invention incorporating the mechanism of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 4A is a side view in crossection of the hair clipper of this invention, showing the primary motor therein.
FIG. 5 is a wiring diagram of the adjustment motor using an “H-bridge” type of reversible driver.
FIG. 6 is a top view of a second embodiment hair clipper with motor-driven adjustment of this invention.
FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the second embodiment clipper with the housing cover removed to reveal the timing belt and gear train mechanism.
FIG. 8 is a side exploded elevation of the flex clipper embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 9 is an assembled perspective view of the flex clipper of FIG. 8 .
FIG. 10 is a side elevation of a compliant coupling between blade set module and main housing based on the use of an elastomeric foam ring.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an elastomeric foam ring.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the cutting length adjuster mechanism as attached to the adjustable comb plate.
FIG. 13 is a high level schematic diagram of the electrical elements of the flex clipper of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 show two views of a conventional cordless electric hair clipper 1 with on/off switch 3 , conventional blade set 2 , and side manual incremental adjusting handle 4 . The detents 5 engage handle 4 to set the minimum hair cutting length at one of the selections.
FIG. 3 shows the mechanism which uses gear motor 10 driving worm gear pinion 11 to perform an adjustment of stationary blade 14 relative to reciprocating blade 13 in blade set 12 . A gear rack 15 subassembly is attached to blade 14 and engages pinion 11 . Also shown in this view are limit switches 16 and 17 at the longest and shortest settings respectively. FIGS. 4 and 4A show clipper housing 20 with the adjustment feature. Conventional on/off switch 25 connected to clipper motor 24 (shown schematically as an encircled “M”) is at one side while momentary (or “tap”) switches 21 and 22 on the top surface are used to energize gearmotor 10 in a direction toward longer settings or shorter settings respectively. Gearmotor 10 is enclosed in descending housing 26 , which descends below clipper housing 20 . While FIGS. 3, 4 and 4A show a worm gear, it is anticipated that other gears may be used, such as rack and pinion gears or other gears known to those skilled in the art.
FIG. 5 is a wiring diagram for the first embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein gearmotor 10 is a simple brush type permanent magnet type driven by a common “H-bridge” drive module 35 . Battery 30 is used primarily to power clipper motor 24 through on/off switch 25 . It is also used as the power source for the adjustment feature. Drive module 35 has two direction inputs for clockwise and counter-clockwise operation, an “ON” input, and power input and motor output connections as shown. In operation, if normally open switch 22 is pushed, a signal will flow through normally closed limit switch 17 energizing the ON input through isolation diode 36 ; motor 10 will be driven clockwise until either switch 22 is released or limit switch 17 is opened at the end of the excursion. Similarly, if switch 21 is pushed, counter-clockwise operation is achieved through limit switch 16 and isolation diode 37 . Once a limit switch is opened, motor 10 can only be driven in the opposite direction until the open limit switch is again closed.
FIGS. 6 and 7 show top and side views of the second embodiment of motor-driven minimum hair length adjustable hair clippers. The same circuit shown in FIG. 5 is completely applicable to this embodiment as well. The same momentary (“tap”) switches 21 and 22 are used to control motor 10 which is now placed at the back end of hair clipper 40 . Except for the addition of switches 21 and 22 , the housing 41 and internal mechanism is identical to that of the prior art cordless clipper shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . In this embodiment, a conventional blade set 12 and internal blade adjusting mechanism is used. The feature of this embodiment couples through the shaft formerly engaged with a manual handle 4 . This is shown at the center of output gear 51 . In the top view of FIG. 6 , housing cover 42 is a plastic shell used to enclose the feature mechanism. In FIG. 7 , this cover 42 is removed to reveal the mechanism; the position is shown in dashed lines. On the top edge of cover 42 is a tri-colored strip 43 with green region 45 denoting the long settings, yellow region 46 denoting medium length settings, and red region 47 denoting short settings. This scale is meant to be read relative to the position of pointer assembly 44 which is attached to timing belt 55 transmitting power and torque from pulley 57 mounted on motor 10 to pulley 56 attached to the input gear of gear train 50 .
Gear train 50 is used to adjust the torque at output gear 51 and to match the speed and torque of gear motor 10 and the desired indicating excursion of belt 55 so as to form an ergonomic range. Besides the pointer on top, pointer assembly 44 also carries a small powerful magnet to operate limit switches 16 and 17 which are now implemented as normally closed magnetic reed switches. On/off switch 25 fits between timing belt 55 and pokes through a side switch hole in housing cover 42 . While FIGS. 6 and 7 show a particular embodiment for an exterior mounted embodiment, it is anticipated that other exterior mounted embodiments may be used, such as those known to those skilled in the art.
While this third embodiment will be described as for a flex hair clipper with both powered hair cutting length adjustment as well as flexing compliance introduced between the main housing and blade set module, it should be noted that the flexing compliance feature to permit the blade set to automatically adjust to scalp contours and irregularities can be afforded to hair clippers without the powered hair cutting length adjustment. If the latter feature is not implemented, the blade set module will just contain the blade set and crank mechanism with coupling to the drive motor in the main housing which operates the reciprocating cutting blade; there would not be a cutting length adjustor motor, adjuster mechanism attached to the comb plate, nor a housing for the adjuster motor.
FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of the major components of this embodiment. Flex clipper 100 has main housing 110 which contains drive motor 116 with shaft 112 which drives the reciprocating cutter blade 113 , rechargeable battery 135 (unless it is an AC driven corded model), and a electronic driver module 160 for the hair cutting length adjuster motor 145 located in blade set module 140 at the left of the FIG. 8 . Rigid coupling ring 118 is attached at the coupling end of housing 110 . Blade set module 140 carries adjustable comb plate 114 , reciprocating cutter blade 113 , internal crank mechanism 143 for reciprocating cutter blade 113 , drive shaft 142 for crank mechanism 143 housing 144 for internal hair length adjustment motor 145 internal hair length adjustment direct comb plate mechanism 114 (shown in FIG. 12 ), and a rigid coupling ring 146 .
Also shown in FIG. 8 is molded compliant bellows 120 with integral mounting rings 126 and 128 is shown between blade module 140 and main housing 110 , which it couples together. Metal bellows 130 couples drive motor 116 in main housing 110 and crank drive shaft 142 in blade module 140 . Cable 148 powers and controls motor 145 for hair cutting length adjustment from electronic step driver module 160 contained in housing 144 ; it is passed through the hollow interior of bellows 120 .
FIG. 9 shows an assembled flex clipper 100 showing tap switches 21 and 22 for adjusting cutting length and clipper operating switch 25 . A thumb operable reverse direction wheel 23 can also be optionally used. Bellows 120 is shown coupling blade module 140 to housing 110 in a flexing compliant fashion. The length of bellows 120 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be shorter than shown based on the design and materials of the bellows. Bellows integral collars 126 and 120 fit over fixed collars 146 and 118 on blade module 140 and housing 110 respectively. Fasteners, such as self tapping screws, are used to secure the bellows collars to collars 146 and 118 which preferably have transverse holes in registration.
FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment of an assembly of resilient foam ring 152 with attached metal collars 154 , which are adhesively attached or vulcanized as appropriate to the collar material. The assembly of FIG. 10 can be used in lieu of custom molded bellows 120 . Depending on many variables known to those skilled in the hair clippers technology, such as desirable product life, product price point, manufacturing cost, performance, volume, and materials used, either the bellows or the foam ring assembly may be the better choice.
FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the foam ring prior to attachment of coupling rings 154 .
Although other types of flexing compliant motor couplings can be used, such as a variety of spring type couplings, the preferred coupling between shaft 112 and shaft 142 for reciprocating blade drive is a metal bellows coupling 130 such as those supplied by Servometer of Cedar Grove, N.J. This type of coupling easily fits inside the hollow bellows 120 or foam ring 152 central hole while not interfering with the degrees of freedom of the bellows or foam ring.
FIG. 12 shows the simple direct comb plate 114 adjustment mechanism which includes preferably stepper motor 145 , and a fastening mechanism, such as, for example, threaded bracket 149 and fine lead screw 147 . Although other methods can be incorporated, a stepper motor 145 is preferred to a DC gearmotor due to size and complexity. At about 6 mm diameter and 9.5 mm long, a FDM0620 stepper motor from Micromo of Clearwater, Fla. is very compact and is driven with 20 steps per revolution to drive lead screw 147 .
FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram for the flex clipper. It is noted that no limit switches are required because step motors can just “lose steps” with no damage when a hard stop is encountered. Tap switches 22 and 24 determine the direction of rotation of stepper motor 145 by supplying the proper sequence of steps from step driver module 160 over cable 148 . Reciprocating blade motor 116 for reciprocating cutter blade 113 is directly powered through switch 25 . Battery 135 (or equivalent DC power supply for corded versions) supplies power to both reciprocating blade motor 116 , and to stepper motor 145 , through step driver module 160 .
In the foregoing description, certain terms and visual depictions are used to illustrate the preferred embodiment. However, no unnecessary limitations are to be construed by the terms used or illustrations depicted, beyond what is shown in the prior art, since the terms and illustrations are exemplary only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.
It is further known that other modifications may be made to the present invention, without departing the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended Claims.
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A flex clipper provides a feature to help the cutting blade set float more effortlessly by adjusting automatically to the contours of a client's head to prevent getting stuck and causing cuts and irritation to the scalp. The hair clippers preferably also uses a self-contained motor-driven adjustment mechanism to adjust the relative position of the stationary and reciprocating blades of a common type of blade set. Two momentary switches operable by the thumb of the hand holding the clipper afford a barber total automatic adjustment with the clipper itself in an on or off condition.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for preparing insulating substrates, more specifically electrically insulating substrates suitable for preparing printed circuits by electroless deposition techniques.
It is widely known to utilize substrates comprised of a plurality of fibrous sheets or webs impregnated with thermosettable resin, most usually epoxy resin, as a base on which to form a firmly adherent metal layer or pattern by electroless deposition in order to form printed circuit boards. In the art, prior to electroless deposition or preparatory steps therefor (e.g., etching, seeding or the like), the substrate is subjected to heat and pressure conditions to cure the thermosettable resin and thus form a cured integral laminate onto and/or in which printed circuit patterns are to be formed.
Hereinafter, the above-described type of thermosettable resin impreganted fibrous material, prior to the curing step, will be referred to as an "insulating substrate." After the curing step, the material is referred to as a "cured insulating substrate."
In the prior art, difficulties have been encountered in forming a strong bond between the surface of the cured insulating substrate and an electroless deposited metal layer. Peel strength on the order of 8-10 pounds/square inch or higher is desired but difficult to achieve. One approach in the prior art to improve the bonding strength between a surface of a cured insulating material and an electrolessly deposited metal thereon has been the application of an intermediate adhesive layer prior to electroless metal coating or precursor steps thereof. The prior art describes the application of the adhesive in at least a partially cured state from a transfer base material to the surface of the insulating substrate and thereafter removing the transfer base material and laminating the coated insulating substrate in a conventional manner to form a cured insulating substrate. If the adhesive was not completely cured prior to the transfer operation, curing is completed under the heat and pressure conditions of lamination, say 1,000-1,500 psi at 340° F. for 45 minutes for phenolic impregnated substrate and 200-275 psi at 340° F. for 1/4-1/2 hour for epoxy impregnated substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,041 by Polichette et al. discloses a transfer sheet process where a metal foil or plastic transfer sheet is coated with an adhesive composition whch is partially hardened to the "B" stage to produce a solvent-free, non-tacky, not completely hardened surface. Adhesives comprising nitrile rubber/thermosetting phenolic resin are contemplated. The adhesive surface of the transfer material is brought into contact with the surface of an insulating substrate. After subjecting the laminate to the conventional heat and pressure conditions, the transfer base material is removed, e.g., by peeling and then electroless metal plating is carried out.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,925,138 and 4,001,460 by Shaul et al. disclose processes which in certain embodiments appear to be similar to Polichette et al., except that the adhesive is substantially fully cured on the transfer base material prior to lamination.
The transfer base material of the prior art can be paper, plastic sheeting, metal foil and the like. Most usually, the transfer base material is selected so that it can be peeled off of the laminate after consolidation by heat and pressure. However, with the use of metal foil transfer base materials, a release agent of some type is preferred to aid peeling, or the metal foil could be etched (dissolved) away after consolidation. See the Shaul et al. patents and U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,701 to Fasbender et al. Also, see the Fasbender et al. patent concerning at least some degree of preliminary hardening, i.e., preliminary condensation in the case of hardening by the condensation mechanism, of the adhesive on the transfer base or carrier material prior to lamination with the insulating substrate.
MacDermid, Inc. of Waterbury, Conn., markets products under the trade name Pladd II®. One of these products is believed to be a metal foil carrying a cured resin. The product is designed for application to a substrate for printed circuit boards. The foil is to be etched away after a laminating cycle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved adhesive coated, cured, insulating substrate usable as a printed circuit board base.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cured, insulating substrate to which an adherent, firmly bonded electrolessly deposited metal layer can be applied.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a cured insulating substrate usable as a printed circuit board base and carrying an adhesive layer as an integral part thereof to which a metal layer can be deposited through conventional electroless plating techniques, with bond strength of the order of 8-10 pounds/square inch between the deposited metal layer and the substrate.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved adhesive coated cured insulating substrate usable as a printed circuit board base wherein the adhesive layer is very thin but still yields high bond strength with electrolessly deposited metal.
Other objects of the invention will be apparent to the skilled artisan.
The above, as well as other objects, are provided by the present invention wherein a transfer base material carrying a coating of substantially solvent-free, uncured nitrile rubber/phenolic thermosetting adhesive is laminated to an insulating substrate, with the adhesive contacting the substrate, and, thereafter, the transfer base material is removed from the laminate.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the adhesive is a mixture of a phenolic thermosetting resin and butadiene-acrylonitrile rubbery polymer, the insulating substrate is impregnated with completely uncured or substantially uncured epoxy resin (i.e., at most, a B-stage cure has been carried out), and the transfer base material is a plastic film which can be peeled off of the adhesive after curing the composite.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As described hereinbefore, nitrile/phenolic adhesives have been applied in at least a B-stage cure condition via a transfer film to the surface of insulating substrates suitable for printed circuit board use. The present invention is an improvement of this art. Accordingly, the insulating substrate, the nitrile/phenolic adhesive and the transfer film or carrier film can be as described in the prior art.
The insulating substrate is most usually a laminated material comprising prepregs of glass fiber cloth impregnated with thermosettable resin. Phenolic and epoxy thermosettable resins are conventional. In the present invention, epoxy resin is preferred, as will be discussed hereinafter. It is important to the present invention that the thermosettable resin be at most cured to the B-stage. This allows, theoretically, for inter-reaction between the thermosettable resin and the subsequently to be applied adhesive. Preferably, the thermosettable resin of the insulating substrate is applied to the prepreg lamina from a liquid and dried at a temperature below that at which any reaction between components takes place. This can be determined by routine chemical analysis, for example, by infrared spectrophotometry analysis and differential scanning colorimetry.
The nitrile rubber/phenolic adhesives are well known and available from a number of sources. These adhesives comprise a nitrile copolymer and a phenolic thermosetting resin. Most usually, the nitrile copolymer is acrylonitrile/butadiene copolymer known as a nitrile rubber. Another possibility would be inclusion of a third comonomer, such as styrene, i.e., acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene terpolymer. Likewise, the phenolic thermosetting resins are well known, such as those used to impregnate prepregs, and need not be detailed herein. A commercially available adhesive is BR-238, nitrile/phenolic adhesive, from American Cyanamid, Harve de Grace, Maryland.
As discussed above, epoxy impregnated insulating substrate is preferred for use with the nitrile/phenolic adhesive. This is because of the extremely strong bonds formed. The adhesive becomes an integral part of the cured insulating substrate during the curing and laminating cycle of heat and pressure. In effect, the adhesive transfers to the insulating substrate and cures with the epoxy. During this mutual curing which would involve condensation and cross-linking reactions, it is believed that active hydrogen atoms of the adhesive (provided by --OH, --NH, etc, moieties) react with the oxirane moieties of the epoxy to become an integral part of the cured insulating substrate. It has been experimentally determined that BR-238 does not cure, even to a B-stage, at temperatures at or below about 150° F. Thus, when this particular material is used, it should not be subjected to temperatures above about 150° F. before being brought into contact with the insulating substrate. Using infrared spectrophotometry and differential scanning colorimetry techniques, the skilled artisan can determine the maximum temperature to which a specific nitrile rubber/phenolic thermosettable adhesive can be raised without curing taking place.
The transfer base or carrier sheet of the present invention may be selected from coated papers, plastic sheets and metallic foils. Preferably, a plastic sheet is employed, such as polyethylene, poly (vinyl chloride), poly (vinyl fluoride), polyester, polypropylene, polyoxymethylene and the like. At this time, a preferred transfer base material is Tedlar® brand poly (vinyl fluoride) film available from DuPont.
Preferably, the transfer base material is selected to be peelable from the cured insulating substrate. It is believed any of the above transfer base materials can be utilized, sometimes requiring a mold release agent, such as a silicone resin, to aid removal. Furthermore, and particularly with metal foils, removal can be carried out using prior art etching procedures.
The adhesive can be coated on the transfer base material using any conventional procedure, usually the adhesive being applied from a volatile solvent solution or suspension of the adhesive, for example, using a draw down bar, spraying, dipping, doctor blade, web coating or the like techniques. The volatile solvent must not react with the adhesive and must be removable at a temperature below that causing curing of the adhesive. As an example, methyl ethyl ketone can be used as a volatile solvent and be flashed off at about 150° F. after application of the adhesive coating to the transfer base material. Other solvents will be apparent to the skilled artisan, such as methyl isobutyl ketone, benzene, acetone and mixtures of solvents.
One advantage of the present invention is that an extremely thin film of adhesive can be used to provide unusually high bond strengths. For example, the thickness of the adhesive applied to the insulating substrate prior to curing can be about 0.0003-0.0006 inches.
Once the transfer base material coated with adhesive is laminated to the insulating substrate, the composite is cured, the carrier film or foil removed and the cured insulating substrate is ready for electroless metal plating. The particular techniques used for electroless plating do not form part of the present invention. In general, the cured adhesive surface of the cured insulating substrate would probably be etched, seeded and the like prior to metal deposition. Furthermore, as is known in the art, the adhesive itself could contain various additives to further facilitate plating, such as seed nuclei and the like.
EXAMPLE
BR-238 adhesive is admixed with methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone solvent (1:4) to form a 10-20% by weight solids solution.
The adhesive solution is applied to a Tedlar® film using a draw down bar. The coated film is heated to 150° F. for 30 minutes to evaporate the solvent, leaving an adhesive layer about 0.3-0.6 mil thick (0.0003-0.0006 inches).
Then, the adhesive coated film is brought into contact with the surface of an epoxy prepreg where the epoxy is substantially uncured. The laminate, with the adhesive in contact with the prepreg, is heated to 340° F. for 1 hour at 500 psi pressure. Thereafter, the Tedlar® film is peeled off of the laminate, revealing cured adhesive layer integral with the prepreg.
Following a chrome-sulfuric acid etch, seeding and application of a resist pattern, electroless metal plating is carried out. Subsequent removal of the resist reveals a printed circuit board.
Variations of the invention will be apparent to the skilled artisan, such as the drilling of holes into or through the adhesive-coated insulating substrate after curing.
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A process for preparing an epoxy impregnated laminate having an adhesive surface conductive to electroless plating wherein the adhesive surface is applied from a transfer sheet as a substantially uncured phenolic thermosetting resin/nitrile rubber polymer adhesive layer which is thereafter cured by subjecting the laminate to heat and pressure curing conditions.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a modular electronic supply device for a discharge lamp that may be used in particular for an outside lighting system or a system for illuminating an industrial building.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In the field of outside lighting, it is known, for example from EP-A-0 933 979, to use an electronic supply device, sometimes called “electronic ballast”, for an arc lamp such as a fluorescent tube, a sodium vapour lamp, a metal halid lamp or an equivalent lamp. In the known systems, the ballast is generally arranged either in the luminaire or at the foot of a public lamp post. In this latter case, a conductor cable connects the ballast and its peripherals to the lamp, over the height of the lamp post which is generally between 5 and 20 meters. The starting voltage of a discharge lamp being of the order of 4000 volts, the electrical supply line of the lamp over the height of the lamp post must be able to resist such a voltage and its section must be provided to be relatively large. At the present time, there exist two large families of electronic ballasts: those which directly supply the lamp with high-frequency current, generally several tens of kilohertz, and those which supply the lamp with a so-called square-wave current. The ballasts belonging to the second square-wave family deliver a current whose frequency is generally of some hundreds of hertz. The inductance of the cable connecting the ballast to the lamp creates an impedance proportional to the frequency of the current that it conveys and this impedance may significantly affect the performances of the ballast, in particular in the case of high-frequency supply. On the other hand, the impedance of the cable considerably attenuates the starting pulse delivered by the ballast when the lamp is lit. These phenomena make it necessary to reduce the distance between the ballast and the lamp. It is not always possible to install the ballast in height in the lamp post due to the question of space requirement. Moreover, if a ballast presenting an insulation transformer were used, the lower part of the lamp post would in that case be traversed by the mains current, which would cancel the safety procured by the galvanic insulation.
[0003] Furthermore, systems for regulating groups of discharge lamps exist, in which the supply voltage of all the lamps is varied, this voltage being able to be D.C. These systems do not allow an individualized control of the lamps and/or the connection of temporary accessories or material, as the network conveys a variable D.C. voltage incompatible with the majority of this material. These known systems in which control is effected in voltage, render the use of a ballast downstream of the D. C. supply line necessary.
[0004] Similar limitations exist with the known system of US-A-4,751,398 in which ballasts are mounted downstream of a single common supply, these ballasts having to generate the supply current of a lamp and be dedicated to that lamp.
[0005] The problems set forth hereinabove are also encountered in the systems for illuminating industrial buildings in which the supply devices must be grouped together near the lamps, in particular in the upper part of the superstructure of a hall.
[0006] It is a more particular object of the invention to overcome these drawbacks by proposing a supply device with galvanic insulation which may be used with different types of individually controlled discharge lamps, in particular lamps functioning with high-pressure sodium vapour and metal iodide lamps, and whose space requirement is adapted to its environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] To that end, the invention relates to a supply device for discharge lamps, characterized in that it comprises, for each lamp:
[0008] a first module or current injection circuit comprising, inter alia, a high-frequency inverter delivering a current adapted to ensure stabilization of the discharge in the lamp, a high-frequency transformer providing galvanic insulation of this current with respect to a supply network, then a rectifier and a filter adapted to produce a direct current at the output of this module,
[0009] a second module or starter-converter circuit, installed near the lamp and adapted to generate, by periodic inversions of the sign of the direct current at the output of the first module or current injection circuit, an alternating current in square-wave form for supplying the lamp, and
[0010] a bifilar electrical link between the first module and the second module.
[0011] The modular nature of the device of the invention makes it possible to install the second module in the immediate proximity of the lamp, for example in the lantern of a lamp post or in a cable trough or path of an industrial hall, while the current injection module may be installed at a considerable distance, the length of the D.C. supply line not being a hindrance since its impedance does not interfere with the performances of the device. In practice, this line may present a length of several hundreds of meters without this length significantly affecting the performances of the system. The fact that the first module constitutes an insulated source of current, in particular from the mains voltage at 50 or 60 Hz, makes it possible to render secure the different elements located downstream of this first module and, in particular the supply line, which, to a wide extent, eliminates the risks of electrocution associated with this type of equipment. The nature of current source of the first module enables it to perform the role of a ballast for the lamp that it supplies, thanks to the inversion of current obtained by the second module. In this way, it is unnecessary to provide a ballast in the proximity of each lamp. The current transiting in this D.C. supply line may be relatively weak, of the order of some amps, at a voltage of the order of some hundreds of volts. For these reasons, this line does not require particular precautions as to its insulation with respect to its environment.
[0012] According to advantageous but non-obligatory aspects of the invention, the device incorporates one or more of the following characteristics:
[0013] The second module or starter-converter circuit is compatible with lamps of different powers or of different types, while the first module or injection circuit is dedicated to a given power of lamps, the lamps being able to be of different types for a given power. The second module may therefore be mass-produced and installed by default in the lanterns of certain lamp posts or in the floodlights of certain industrial hall lamps, before the lamp is placed in position, the final choice of the lamp making it possible to associate a first module as a function of the exact type of the lamp.
[0014] The device comprises a third module or control circuit adapted to transmit information, particularly orders to start, to stop or to reduce power, to the first module or current injection circuit, as a function of instructions furnished by an outside system, while the exchange of information between the first and third modules takes place via a wireless, for example infra-red, link, in order to guarantee the galvanic insulation between these modules. The third module makes it possible to manage the possibly progressive start up, variation of power and interruption of the functioning of the lamp. This third module in fact makes it possible to transmit to the first module all types of instructions furnished by an outside system such as a system for remote-management of the lighting. This third module may be provided to receive information from the first module or current injection circuit concerning the functioning of the lamp and/or the modules and to transmit it to the outside system, which allows a return of information to that system. According to variant embodiments, the third module may be specific for one first module or injection circuit or associated with a plurality of first modules or injection circuits.
[0015] The first module or injection circuit comprises, inter alia, a first rectifier of the mains current supplying the high-frequency inverter associated with a power factor corrector and supplying the high-frequency inverter.
[0016] The second module or starter-converter circuit comprises four power transistors in a full bridge configuration and associated with an electronic control unit for starting and supplying the lamp with alternating current.
[0017] The second module or starter-converter circuit comprises a high-voltage transformer intended for starting the lamp.
[0018] In the case of a public lighting system comprising lamp posts, the lamp and the second module are installed in or in the immediate proximity of the lantern of the lamp post, while the first module is installed at the foot of this lamp post. In the case of an interior lighting system, the lamp may be installed in a deflector close to the ceiling of a building, the second module being housed in the vicinity of this deflector, in particular in a trough or path for cables supplying this lamp, while the first module is installed at ground level, in an easily accessible place.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The invention will be more readily understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly on reading the following description of two embodiments of a supply device in accordance with its principle, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0020] [0020]FIG. 1 schematically shows a public lighting installation incorporating supply devices according to the invention.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 2 is a diagram of a supply device used in the installation of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 schematically shows an industrial lighting installation incorporating supply devices according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Referring now to the drawings, the public lighting installation shown in FIG. 1 comprises lamp posts 1 and 1 ′ supplied with electric current from a low voltage network 2 conveying alternating current of frequency equal to 50 or 60 hertz. Each lamp post 1 , 1 ′ is composed respectively of a post 3 , 3 ′ and a lantern 4 , 4 ′ inside which is arranged a discharge lamp 5 , 5 ′, for example a metal iodide lamp.
[0023] According to the invention, the device supplying the lamp 5 comprises a first module 10 disposed in the foot zone 3 a of the post 3 and connected to the network 2 by a cable 6 .
[0024] The device also comprises a second module 20 forming “starter-converter” or “starter reverser” circuit for the lamp 5 and disposed in the immediate proximity of this lamp in the lantern 4 . A bifilar supply line 30 extends over the height of the post 3 and allows the output of the first module 10 to be connected to the input of the second module 20 .
[0025] As is more particularly visible in FIG. 2, the module 10 comprises, at the input, a filter 11 at the output of which is connected a rectifier 12 including a power factor corrector. Elements 11 and 12 are such that, when the module 10 is supplied, for example, by a voltage of about 230 volts at a frequency of about 50 hertz, the D.C. voltage U 1 at the output of the rectifier 12 is of the order of 400 volts. An inverter 13 of half-bridge type transforms the voltage U 1 into an A.C. voltage U 2 of amplitude equal to about 200 volts and of frequency equal to about 50 kilohertz. I 2 denotes the output current of the inverter 13 . The inverter 13 is configured so that the current I 2 and the voltage U 2 are adapted to supply the lamp 5 , this current and this voltage being able to be assimilated to ballast output current and voltage. In that sense, the current I 2 is adapted to ensure stabilization of the discharge in the tube of the lamp 5 . The current I 2 and the voltage U 2 are supplied to the primary winding 14 of an insulation transformer 15 of which the secondary winding 16 is connected to a rectifier 17 incorporating a filter 18 . The rectifier 17 generates a direct current 13 of the order of some amps, the voltage U 3 depending on the load connected at the output of the module 10 . The voltage U 3 is included between 0 and 350 volts, depending on the state of the lamp 5 .
[0026] The inverter 13 is advantageously of the type known from EP-A-0 933 799.
[0027] The module 10 therefore functions as a current generator for the line 30 in which it injects current I 2 .
[0028] A third module 40 is placed next to the first module 10 and constitutes a box for controlling this module as a function of orders emitted by a system managing the installation, these orders being transmitted by any appropriate means, for example by hertzian route or thanks to a carrier current system using the supply network 2 .
[0029] The box or module 40 is supplied by a branch line 41 from the cable 6 and its output 42 is connected by an optical connector 43 to the module 10 , which makes it possible to address to the inverter 13 a reference signal C controlling functioning of the module 10 , in particular for start up, reduction of power or stop of the lamp 5 , as a function of a timetable or of conditions of luminosity and respecting a certain progressivity for these phases of transition.
[0030] The module 20 comprises four switches 21 , 22 , 23 and 24 formed by power transistors in a full bridge configuration and making it possible to create, from the voltage U 3 and the current I 3 transiting via line 30 , an A.C. voltage U 4 and current 14 , of frequency equal to about 100 hertz. More precisely, an electronic control unit 25 monitors the functioning of the four transistors 21 to 24 , allowing, during starting of the lamp, a voltage pulse to be sent via a transformer 26 whose secondary winding 28 is connected to a conductor 27 for supplying the lamp 5 . When the lamp is started, this unit 25 ensures commutation of the transistors 21 to 24 so as to obtain, at the output of the bridge, an A.C. voltage U 4 , the value of this voltage determining the state of the system. In effect, the value of the voltage U 4 depends on the state of the lamp 5 , the value of the voltage U 3 between the conductors of the line 30 varying with that of the voltage U 4 . It was determined that the value of the voltage U 4 is of the order of 100 volts when the lamp 5 is hot, of the order of 20 volts when the lamp 5 is cold, and of the order of 350 volts when the lamp 5 is extinguished, burnt out or absent. The variable nature of the voltage U 3 is due to the fact that the module 10 functions as a generator of current I 3 .
[0031] As the module 20 functions by periodic inversions of the sign of the direct current I 3 , it generates the current I 4 and the voltage U 4 of square-wave form without modifying their root mean square values with respect to those of I 3 and of U 3 .
[0032] The module 20 may be adapted to different lamp powers. For example, a type of module 20 may be compatible with lamps of power included between 50 and 150 watts, while another type of module 20 is compatible with the lamps of power included between 250 and 400 watts. The first type of module 20 is of small space requirement, which allows it to be integrated in lanterns 4 of relatively narrow dimensions, in relation with the size of the lamps 5 in question. The second type of module 20 may be of larger size since the lamps 5 and the lanterns 4 with which it is associated are of larger dimensions. In this way, in a production comprising two types of lanterns 4 adapted to two lamp power series, the starter-converter modules 20 may be pre-assembled in the lanterns 4 before the definitive choice has been made of the lamp 5 used.
[0033] As for the module 10 , it is chosen as a function of the exact power of the lamp 5 , so that the characteristics of the current generator which it constitutes are optimalized with respect to this power.
[0034] Similar modules 10 ′, 20 ′ and 40 ′ are used in the second lamp post 1 ′, with a line 3 ′′ connecting the modules 10 ′ and 20 ′, module 10 ′ being housed in the foot 3 ′ a of the post 3 ′ while the module 20 ′ is housed in lantern 4 ′.
[0035] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, module 40 is associated with each module 10 , which allows a point-by-point control of a public lighting network. According to a variant of the invention (not shown), a common control unit may be associated with a plurality of supply modules.
[0036] In the second embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 3, elements similar to those of the first embodiment bear identical references increased by 100 . This embodiment concerns an installation for lighting an industrial hall comprising floodlights 101 and 101 ′ supplied from the network 102 and supported by a frame structure 103 . Each floodlight comprises a deflector 104 or 104 ′ inside which a lamp 105 or 105 ′ is housed.
[0037] According to the invention, the devices supplying the lamps 105 and 105 ′ each comprise a first module 10 or 110 ′ forming insulated source of direct current from the mains 102 and a second module 120 or 120 ′ installed near the deflector 104 or 104 ′, for example in a cable trough or path 107 . Lines 130 and 130 ′ make it possible to electrically connect the modules 110 and 120 on the one hand, 110 ′ and 120 ′ on the other hand. As before, a direct current transits in the bifilar lines 130 and 130 ′ and the modules 120 and 120 ′ have a function of starter-converter or starter reverser for the lamps 105 and 105 ′.
[0038] The modules 110 and 110 ′ are installed at ground level, in an easily accessible place in the building, which facilitates maintenance thereof. They are associated with a common control unit 140 making it possible to monitor their start up and/or the stop of their functioning.
[0039] According to a variant of the invention (not shown), a control module of the type of unit 140 may be associated with each module 110 , 110 ′ or equivalent.
[0040] Lines 30 , 30 ′, 130 and 130 ′ convey a current of relatively low intensity, under a relatively low voltage. They may be constituted by small-section cables, for example of 1.5 mm 2 or of 2.5 mm 2 . These cables, of section less than 4 mm 2 , are easily positioned inside a post, as in the first embodiment, or in a cable trough or path, as in the second embodiment.
[0041] Whatever the embodiment in question, the control modules 40 , 40 ′ or 140 may be provided to be capable of receiving information from the or each first module 10 , 10 ′, 110 or 110 ′ and of transmitting it to the telemonitoring system. In addition, the exchange of information between the first and third modules 10 and 40 may take place via a wireless link, as indicated with reference to the connector 43 of the first embodiment, an infra-red emitter likewise being able to be associated with a receiver adapted to form this link.
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This invention relates to a supply device for discharge lamps, which comprises, for each lamp:
a first module or current injection circuit comprising, inter alia, a high-frequency inverter delivering a current adapted to ensure stabilization of the discharge in the lamp, a high-frequency transformer providing galvanic insulation of this current with respect to a supply network, then a rectifier and a filter adapted to produce a direct current,
a second module or starter-converter circuit, installed near the lamp and adapted to generate, by periodic inversions of the sign of the direct current at the output of the first module or current injection circuit, an alternating current in square-wave form for supplying the lamp, and
a bifilar electrical connection between the first module and the second module.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a method of degumming jute fibres, in particular, relates to a method of degumming jute fibres with complex enzyme.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Bast fabrics have gained more and more popularity with people, due to better moisture absorption & breathing, low electrostatic susceptibility, and the antibacterial strength of bast fibres. For making the bast fabrics, the materials adopted can mainly be linen fibre, and ramie fibre, or the fibre combination of said fibres with other fibres, such as cotton fibres, wool fibres, chemical fibres, silk fibres after being blended spun. Linen or ramie is expensive, and this is also the reason why the bast-fabric clothing has not been applied widely. However, Jute, which is cheaper than linen and ramie, has better hygroscopicity and drapability than linen and ramie, and also has great antibiotic ability. Therefore, jute has huge potentiality and application value in clothing making industry. As the content of lignin within jute is relatively high (reaching 10-13%), which is several times as much as that within linen, it is not effective to degum jute fibres and remove the lignin from jute by using the existing degumming technology. And this greatly restrains the application of jute in making clothing. <The Effect of Enzyme Treatment on Jute fibres >published in Jounal of Tianjin Industrial University volume 24 of August 2005 introduces the effect of cellulose, hemicellulase, ligninase and pectin depolymerise used in processing the jute fibres, but this article only introduces the method of processing jute fibres using single one of above mentioned enzymes. Although, there are some paragraphs in which the methods of complex enzyme treatment are mentioned, it only refers to the complex enzyme obtained via mixing laccase and cellulose enzyme or mixing hemicellulase enzyme and cellulose enzyme. However, it is testified in practice that it is not effective to remove lignin from jute fibres using the degumming method published in this article. Chinese Patent publication No CN 1232691C introduces a method of degumming jute with complex enzyme. In the method, pectinase and laccase are used to produce a complex enzyme for degumming jute fibres, and the degmmed jute fibres, after blended spun or interlaced with other fibres such as cotton fibres and chemical fibres, can generally meet the requirements for clothing materials. However, the effect of removing lignin from jute fibres in the method, is still not good enough, as the removal rate is only about 76%. The content of lignin remaining in the jute fibres is still very high. Therefore, there is a need of blended spinning or interlacing jute fibres with other fibres such as cotton fibres, and chemical fibres, when making the clothing materials. However, the quality of clothing materials made through blended spinning or interlacing jute fibres with other fibres such as cotton fibres, and chemical fibres still needs to be improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to a method of degumming jute fibres with complex enzyme to effectively remove pectin and lignin from said jute fibres.
[0004] In the present invention, a method of degumming jute fibres with complex enzyme, wherein said complex enzyme comprises pectinase and laccase, comprises the steps of:
a. soaking the jute fibres in the water solution of said complex enzyme made from pectinase and laccase, where the weight proportion of said complex enzyme water solution and jute fibres ranges from 12:1 to 40:1. b. adjusting the PH value of said complex enzyme water solution to 5.0-5.5, and adjusting the temperature of said complex enzyme water solution to 55□-60□, then keeping said complex enzyme water solution with such temperature for 20-120 minutes. c. adjusting the PH value of said complex enzyme water solution to 7.5-9.5, and adjusting the temperature of said complex enzyme water solution to 40° C.-70° C.; then, keeping said complex enzyme water solution with such temperature for 20-120 minutes. d. conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres processed with said complex enzyme.
[0009] The method, wherein said jute fibres are accumulation stored before the step d.
[0010] The method, wherein the duration for accumulation storing said jute fibres ranges from 6 to 24 hours.
[0011] The method, wherein the enzyme deactivation of jute fibres in the step d is through washing with hot water or adjusting the PH value of jute fibres, or through the combination of the two means.
[0012] The method, wherein the weight percentage of pectinase in said complex enzyme ranges from 30% to 90%.
[0013] The method, wherein the weight proportion of said complex enzyme and jute fibres ranges from 0.5:100 to 5:100.
[0014] The method, wherein the temperature of said hot water is above 75° C.; the PH value of jute fibres is adjusted to above 10.0 or below 4.0.
[0015] The method, wherein said jute fibres is pre-processed before the step a.
[0016] The method, wherein the pre-processing of said jute fibres is either through one of the means of water bath, acid bath, and soaking with hydrogen Peroxide, or through the combination of at least two of the three means.
[0017] The method, wherein that the temperature of water bath ranges from 30° C. to 100° C.; Said acid is sulphuric acid or acetic acid.
[0018] This invention also provides another method of degumming jute fibres with complex enzyme, wherein said complex enzyme comprises pectinase and laccase, said method comprises the steps of:
a. soaking the jute fibres in the water solution of said complex enzyme made from pectinase and laccase, where the weight proportion of said complex enzyme water solution and jute fibres is 15:1, and the weight proportion of said complex enzyme and said jute fibres is larger than 2:100, and not larger than 5:100. b. adjusting the PH value of said complex enzyme water solution to 5.0-5.5, and adjusting the temperature of said complex enzyme water solution to 55° C.-60° C., then keeping said complex enzyme water solution with such temperature for 25-50 minutes. c. adjusting the PH value of said complex enzyme water solution to 7.5-8.0, and adjusting the temperature of said complex enzyme water solution to 60° C.-70° C.; then, keeping said complex enzyme water solution at such temperature for 25-50 minutes. d. conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres processed with said complex enzyme.
[0023] The method, wherein that said jute fibres are accumulation stored before the step d.
[0024] The method, wherein that the duration for accumulation storing said jute fibres ranges from 6 to 24 hours.
[0025] The method, wherein the enzyme deactivation of jute fibres in step d is through washing with hot water or adjusting the PH value of jute fibres, or through the both of the two means.
[0026] The method, wherein that the weight percentage of pectinase in said complex enzyme ranges from 30% to 90%.
[0027] The method, characterized in that the weight proportion of said complex enzyme and jute fibres ranges from 0.5:100 to 5:100.
[0028] The method, wherein that the temperature of said hot water is above 75° C.; the PH value of jute fibres is adjusted to above 10.0 or below 4.0.
[0029] The method, wherein that said jute fibres is pre-processed before the step a.
[0030] The method, wherein that pre-processing said jute fibres is either through one of the means of water bath, acid bath, and soaking with Hydrogen Peroxide, or through the combination of at least two of the three means.
[0031] The method, wherein that the temperature of water bath ranges from 30° C. to 100° C.; Said acid is sulphuric acid or acetic acid.
[0032] This invention further provides a method of degumming jute fibres with complex enzyme, wherein said complex enzyme comprises pectinase and laccase, said method comprises the steps of:
a. soaking the jute fibres in the water solution of said complex enzyme made from pectinase and laccase, where the weight proportion of said complex enzyme water solution and jute fibres ranges from 12:1 to 40:1. b. adjusting the PH value of said complex enzyme water solution to 5.0-5.5, and adjusting the temperature of said complex enzyme water solution to 55□-60□, then keeping said complex enzyme water solution with such temperature for 25-50 minutes. c. adjusting the PH value of said complex enzyme water solution to 7.5-8.0, and adjusting the temperature of said complex enzyme water solution to 60° C.-70° C.; then, keeping said complex enzyme water solution at such temperature for 51-120 minutes. d. conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres processed with said complex enzyme.
[0037] The method, wherein said jute fibres are accumulation stored before the step d.
[0038] The method, wherein that the duration of accumulation storing said jute fibres ranges from 6 to 24 hours.
[0039] The method, wherein that the enzyme deactivation of jute fibres in the step d is through washing with hot water or adjusting the PH value of jute fibres, or through the combination of the two means.
[0040] The method, wherein that the weight percentage of pectinase in said complex enzyme ranges from 30% to 90%.
[0041] The method, wherein that the weight proportion of said complex enzyme and jute fibres ranges from 0.5:100 to 5:100.
[0042] The method, wherein that the temperature of said hot water is above 75□; the PH value of jute fibres is adjusted to above 10.0 or below 4.0.
[0043] The method, wherein that said jute fibres is pre-processed before the step a.
[0044] The method, wherein that the pre-processing of said jute fibres is either through one of the means of water bath, acid bath, and soaking with hydrogen Peroxide, or through the combination of at least two of the three means.
[0045] The method, wherein that the temperature of water bath ranges from 30° C. to 100° C.; said acid is sulphuric acid or acetic acid.
[0046] In comparison with the prior art, the present invention has several advantages as follows:
(1) In the present invention, the process parameters that match with each other are used in treatment of degumming jute fibres with complex enzyme. Via adjusting the PH value of enzyme water solution to more than 8.0 (pectinase is in its highest activity when the PH value is within 8.0-9.0, and the activity of pectinase declines gradually along with the decline of PH value from 8.0 or the rise of PH value from 9.0), or adjusting the use of complex enzyme to the amount that is larger than 2% of jute fibre in weight, keeping the enzyme water solution within a PH value interval in which the pectinase is in a relatively high activity, and prolonging the holding time of the enzyme water solution up to 50 minutes or more, and accordingly adjusting other process parameters, in order to gain the best degumming effect. In addition, it is effective to remove pectin and lignin from jute fibres through accumulation storing the jute fibres before conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres treated with complex enzyme via washing such jute fibres with hot water, or adjusting the PH value of such jute fibres. The removal rate of pectin can general reach about 90%, even up to 96% as the highest value, while the removal rate of lignin can generally reach about 78%, even up to 86% as the highest value. The jute fibres treated through above mentioned method have relatively high spinability. (2) In addition, pre-processing jute fibres before being degummed can swell the jute fibres, so as to better reduce the interacting force among the single fibres, facilitate the contact between enzyme water solution and jute fibres, and remove the pectin and lignin from the jute fibres.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
Example 1
[0049] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through water bath, while the temperature of water bath is 65□, and the holding time is 2 hours; then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 3:7, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 0.5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 12 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.5 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating up the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 20 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.5 with sodium bicarbonate, heating up the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 20 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 24 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 80° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0050] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 2
[0051] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through both acid bath and water bath, while the acid used for acid bath is concentrated sulphuric acid with the concentration of above 90%.The temperature of water bath is 30□ and the holding time is 1 hour; then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 9:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 40 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating up the complex enzyme water solution to 60° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 120 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 9.5 with sodium bicarbonate, heating up the solution to 55° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 40 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 6 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 95° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0052] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 3
[0053] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through both acid bath, while the acid used for acid bath is acetic acid with the concentration of above 90%. then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 1:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 1:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 20 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.5 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating up the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 40 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.5 with sodium bicarbonate, heating up the solution to 50° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 50 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 10 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 85° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0054] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 4
[0055] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through soaking the jute fibres in hydrogen peroxide with the concentration of 5 g/L, then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 2:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 30 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating up the complex enzyme water solution to 59° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 50 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 9.0 with sodium bicarbonate, heating up the solution to 60° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 80 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 15 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 90° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0056] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 5
[0057] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through water bath, while the temperature of water bath is 100□, and the holding time is half an hours; then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 5:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 3:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 12 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.1 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating up the complex enzyme water solution to 60° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 60 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.5 with sodium bicarbonate, heating up the solution to 45° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 70 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 20 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with water solution, the PH value of which is 11.0; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0058] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 6
[0059] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 4:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 4:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 14 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.2 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating up the complex enzyme water solution to 58° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 70 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 9.0 with sodium bicarbonate, heating up the solution to 40° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 90 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 12 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with water solution, the PH value of which is 3.0; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0060] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 7
[0061] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:3, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 1:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 13 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.3 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating up the complex enzyme water solution to 57° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 80 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.3 with sodium bicarbonate, heating up the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 100 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 8 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 85° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0062] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 8
[0063] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 3:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 2:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 13 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.4 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 56° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 90 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.1 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 70° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 110 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water, the PH value of which is 10.0 and the temperature of which is 75° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0064] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 9
[0065] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 1:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 16 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.5 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 100 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.2 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 55° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 120 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water, the PH value of which is 3.5 and the temperature of which is 80° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0066] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 10
[0067] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through water bath, while the temperature of water bath is 65□, and the holding time is 2 hours; then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 3:7, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 2.1:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.5 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 25 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.5 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 60° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 25 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 24 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 80° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0068] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 11
[0069] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through both acid bath and water bath, while the acid used for acid bath is concentrated sulphuric acid with the concentration of above 90%.The temperature of water bath is 30□ and the holding time is 1 hour; then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 9:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 60° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 50 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.5 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 40 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 6 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 95° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0070] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 12
[0071] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through acid bath, while the acid used for acid bath is acetic acid with the concentration of above 90%. then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 1:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 4:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 40 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.0 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 60° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 50 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 10 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 85° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0072] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 13
[0073] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through soaking the jute fibres in hydrogen peroxide with the concentration of 5 g/L. then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 4:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.3 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 58° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 50 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.8 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 70° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 30 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 12 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 90° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0074] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 14
[0075] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through water bath, while the temperature of water bath is 100□, and the holding time is half an hours; then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 5:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 3.5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 30 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.7 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 40 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 20 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with water solution, the PH value of which is 11.0; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1. The result of experiment shows that this is one of the most preferred embodiments of this invention.
[0076] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 15
[0077] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 4:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 3:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 60° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 45 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.0 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 45 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 15 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with water solution, the PH value of which is 3.5; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1. The result of experiment shows that this is one of the most preferred embodiments of this invention.
[0078] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 16
[0079] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:3, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 2.5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.2 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 57° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 35 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.0 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 35 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 8 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 85° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0080] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 17
[0081] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 3:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 4.5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 58° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 35 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.8 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 70° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 45 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water, the PH value of which is 10.0 and the temperature of which is 75° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0082] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 18
[0083] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 2.5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 15 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.4 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 56° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 25 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.6 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 30 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water, the PH value of which is 3.0 and the temperature of which is 80° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0084] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 19
[0085] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram, and pre-processing the jute fibres via water bath, wherein the temperature of the water is 65° C. and the holding time is 2 hours; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 3:7, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 0.5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 12 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.5 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 50 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.5 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 60° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 51 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 24 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water, the temperature of which is 80° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0086] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 20
[0087] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through both acid bath and water bath, while the acid used for acid bath is concentrated sulphuric acid with the concentration of above 90%.The temperature of water bath is 30□ and the holding time is 1 hour; then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 9:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 5:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 40 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 60° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 25 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.5 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 120 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 6 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 95° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0088] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 21
[0089] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through acid bath, while the acid used for acid bath is acetic acid with the concentration of above 90%. then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 1:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 1:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 20 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 30 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.0 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 70° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 60 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 10 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 85° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0090] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 22
[0091] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through soaking the jute fibres in hydrogen peroxide with the concentration of 5 g/L. then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 2:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 30 times in weight as much as the jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.3 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 58° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 40 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.8 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 69° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 90 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 15 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 90° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0092] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 23
[0093] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs 0.5 kilogram; secondly, pre-processing the bits of jute fibres through water bath, while the temperature of water bath is 100□, and the holding time is half an hours; then, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 5:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 3:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 12 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 55° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 50 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.7 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 80 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 20 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with water solution, the PH value of which is 3.0; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1. The result of experiment shows that this is one of the most preferred embodiments of this invention.
[0094] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 24
[0095] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 4:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 4:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 14 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 60° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 40 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.0 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 65° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 70 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 12 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with water solution, the PH value of which is 11.0; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1. The result of experiment shows that this is one of the most preferred embodiments of this invention.
[0096] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 25
[0097] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:3, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 1:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 13 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.2 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 57° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 30 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 8.0 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 60° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 100 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution, and accumulation storing the jute fibres for 8 hours; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the accumulation stored jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water at 90° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0098] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 26
[0099] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 3:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 2:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 13 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.0 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 58° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 25 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.8 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 70° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 110 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water, the PH value of which is 10.0 and the temperature of which is 75° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0100] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
Example 27
[0101] An experiment is conducted through the following steps: firstly, dividing the jute fibres into several bits, wherein each bit of jute fibres weighs about 0.5 kilogram; secondly, mixing the pectinase and laccase into complex enzyme, wherein the weight proportion of pectinase and laccase is 2:1, and the weight proportion of such complex enzyme and the jute fibres is 1:100; next, diluting the complex enzyme with water, in order to produce complex enzyme water solution which is 16 times in weight as much as jute fibres; after that, soaking the jute fibres in the diluted complex enzyme water solution; then, adjusting the PH value of the diluted complex enzyme water solution to 5.4 with acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate; next, heating the complex enzyme water solution to 56° C. and keeping the solution at such temperature for 50 minutes; after that, adjusting the PH value of the heated solution to 7.6 with sodium bicarbonate, heating the solution to 55° C., and keeping the solution at such temperature for 100 minutes; then, taking the jute fibres out of the solution; next, conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres by washing the jute fibres with hot water, the PH value of which is 3.5 and the temperature of which is 80° C.; finally, the degummed jute fibres are obtained. The removal rate of pectin and lignin from jute fibres is indicated in the table 1.
[0102] Said degummed jute fibres will be highly spinnable, after being bleached, stamped, washed, dehydrated, and dried via the prior art.
[0103] The pectinase (Bioprep) and the laccase (Denilite) mentioned in above examples are produced by the a Danish company called Novozymes. Table 1 illustrates the removal rates of pectinase and lignin from jute fibres of the different examples.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Examples
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Removal rate of pectinase
86%
95%
92%
91%
95%
96%
91%
90%
87%
Removal rate of laccase
80%
79%
80%
82%
84%
86%
82%
79%
78%
Examples
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Removal rate of pectinase
89%
95%
94%
94%
96%
96%
91%
95%
89%
Removal rate of laccase
86%
79%
87%
86%
81%
88%
86%
82%
81%
Examples
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Removal rate of pectinase
88%
96%
91%
90%
95%
96%
91%
91%
89%
Removal rate of laccase
79%
80%
80%
80%
84%
86%
78%
80%
78%
[0104] While this invention has been described as having several preferred embodiments, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from this present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
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A method of degumming jute fibres with complex enzyme, wherein said complex enzyme comprises pectinase and laccase, comprises the steps of: a. soaking the jute fibres in the water solution of said complex enzyme made from pectinase and laccase and adjusting the weight proportion of said complex enzyme water solution and said jute fibres; b. adjusting the PH value of said complex enzyme water solution, and adjusting the temperature of said complex enzyme water solution to a first temperature, then keeping said complex enzyme water solution with the first temperature for a certain period of time; c. adjusting the PH value of said complex enzyme water solution, and adjusting the temperature of said complex enzyme water solution to a second temperature; then, keeping said complex enzyme water solution with the second temperature for another period of time; d. conducting enzyme deactivation of the jute fibres processed with said complex enzyme.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/948,575 filed on Jul. 9, 2007, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein in their entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the installation and mounting of electrical wires and cables. In particular, the present invention relates to vertically-mounted support brackets suitable for securing electrical wires or optical cables thereto. Even more particularly, this invention relates to wall-mounted support brackets which secure cables and wires in close proximity to electrical enclosure in compliance with electrical safety standards.
Certain electrical safety standards dictate the proper installation and securing means for wiring and cabling entering and exiting enclosures, such as an electrical circuit breaker panel or a junction box. One such standard, the National Electrical Code (NEC) calls for wires entering and exiting the top of a circuit breaker panel be supported at a distance of twelve inches above the panel. National Electrical Code and NEC are trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association, Inc.
One commonly used method to comply with this requirement, includes mounting a piece of wood to the wall above the panel and securing the wires to the wood with stables or another suitable fastener. An alternative method includes using a channel-shaped sheet metal bracket and cable ties to secure the wires.
While these approaches may work as intended, they are very time consuming. These installation methods require that the electrician or installer obtain a suitable piece of wood or metal, cut and/or shape the material into a custom bracket, and then fit the bracket into place. Furthermore, per at least the NEC, wires installed in this manner must be secured a minimum of one and a quarter inches (1¼″) back from the face of adjacent studs to prevent standard drywall screws or nails from inadvertently coming into contact with the wires. Complying with this requirement further increases the time and effort needed to fabricate and install the custom bracket.
If the electrical circuit panel or enclosure is mounted to a masonry wall, or if the panel is otherwise surface mounted, proper fasteners, including masonry nails that can be nailed or otherwise fastened into the block or concrete, are needed. Because electrical enclosures such as circuit breaker panels typically accommodate a variety of different cable types (e.g., two, three, or more conductor power cables, multi-wire service entrance cables such as a 4 wire/0 gauge cable, as well as larger feeder cables), these cable types must also be secured to comply with the electrical safety regulations.
In response to these and other wiring problems, a number of wiring brackets have been designed in an attempt to facilitate the installation of wiring. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,949 discloses a method of manufacturing a wiring harness which includes a plate on which wire clips are mounted to facilitate the positioning of individual wires. While the disclosed method and tooling device are both suitable for their intended purpose of manufacturing a wiring harness made up of individual wires, they are not suitable for producing harnesses capable of holding three-wire, and larger, cables above an electrical box. First, the clips for the disclosed harness are not suitable for holding larger diameter cables. Second, there are no elements provided to facilitate mounting of the harness to a wall. Third, there are no provisions for ensuring the required 1¼ inches of spacing to reduce the likelihood of inadvertent contact with screws and nails.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,558 discloses a fixture for supporting a splicing module for telecommunications cables. The fixture has a body member, generally the size of a comb, formed with a series of raised teeth, spaced opposite edges, corresponding to the spacing of the contacts, and wire receiving channels in the splicing module. The teeth are spaced apart so as to receive and locate the wires in relationship to a splicing module placed on the body member between the rows of teeth. A retainer body member has an elongated planar portion with an upper and a lower surface which includes registration alignment posts on the body which cooperate with openings in the ends of the base to insure proper alignment of the body and base. Although this device is useful as a splicing fixture, it has the same drawbacks as the '949 patent for use as a cable support bracket.
Other prior art devices and methods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. D326,999, D336,421, 3,659,319, 4,253,629, 4,097,106, 4,601,530, 4,836,803, 5,554,053. These devices and methods are suitable for their intended purposes, but each is deficient in some way for use as a cable support bracket.
Notwithstanding these developments, what is needed in the art is a cable support bracket which, when properly installed, provides sufficient spacing from associated walls and which securely holds the cables.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the invention includes a cable support bracket having a backplate with a front surface and an opposed rear surface extending between a first and second end. At least one cable restraint is partially defined by the backplate and a transverse post that extends a first predetermined distance from the backplate. A first spacer is connected to the backplate and extends transversely from the backplate a second predetermined distance, wherein the second predetermined distance is greater than the first predetermined distance by a third predetermined distance.
The invention comprises, in another form thereof, a cable support bracket which includes a backplate having a front surface, an opposed facing rear surface, a first end, and a second end opposed to the first end. First and second spacers are connected to the backplate at the first and second ends, respectively, and extend transversely therefrom. A number of cable restraints are located between the spacers and are partially defined by the backplate and at least one transverse post. A number of partitions transversely extend from the backplate and act to separate a first set of cable restraints from a second set of cable restraints. Partitions are separated from other partitions by a wide and open slot.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a cable support bracket with integral spacers which separate the cable restraints, and corresponding cables, a minimum distance from an interior wall, such as one formed of drywall.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it can accommodate a variety of different cable types, such as three (or more) wire power cables; multi-wire service entrance cables; as well as larger feeder cables.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it does not require an electrician and/or installer to fabricate a custom bracket.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it does not require special tools, such as an electric power saw or other power tool, for installation.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it is cost effective to manufacture.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it saves the electrician's and/or installer's time during the installation of an electrical box or panel.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it can easily be made of a fire resistant and/or electrically insulating material, such as fire resistant polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or other suitable materials.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an electrical arrangement including an electrical box mounted between studs on a wall and an embodiment of the cable support bracket constructed in accordance with one aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cable support bracket of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 3 - 3 of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 , but showing an alternative mounting arrangement;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cable support bracket of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 6 is a front view of the cable support bracket of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 7 is a top view of the cable support bracket of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 8 is an side view of the cable support bracket of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 9 is a rear view of the cable support bracket of FIG. 1
FIG. 10 is a top view of a cable support bracket constructed in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention.
The following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, an electrical arrangement 10 includes an electrical enclosure, or box, 12 mounted in close proximity to a first wall 14 , such as an interior wall formed of drywall having an inner surface 16 . The electrical box 12 and drywall 14 may be mounted to a pair of adjacent studs 18 , which are themselves secured to a second wall 20 , such as a concrete or masonry exterior or structural wall. A number of multi-wire cables 22 , 24 (see FIG. 4 ) extend from the electrical box 12 and are secured to and supported by a cable support bracket 26 constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The cables 22 , 24 extend into and are terminated inside of the electrical box 12 with any number of various electrical termination devices (not shown), including, but not limited to, circuit breakers, fuse blocks, terminal strips, connectors, transformers, controllers and other similar electrical terminating components.
The first, smaller, set of cables 22 are illustrated as two or three copper conductor cables having a ground wire. One such type of cable is known as type NM-B (nonmetallic-sheathed) and is primarily used in residential wiring as branch circuits for outlets, switches, and other loads. Branch cable sizes suitable to be secured by the bracket 26 include 14/2 (two fourteen gauge conductors and a ground), 14/3 (three fourteen gauge conductors and a ground), 12/2, 12/3, 10/2, 10/3, 8/2, 8/3, 6/2, and 6/3, a number of which are illustrated in FIG. 3 .
Such a cable 22 is required by certain electrical safety regulations, such as the NEC to be secured at least a minimum distance above the box 12 and at least a minimum distance from the inner surface 16 of the first wall 14 .
The second multi-wire cable 24 , as illustrated, is a multi-wire service entrance (SE) cable such as a four conductor 4/0 SER aluminum cable. Feeder cable sizes suitable to be secured by the bracket 26 include two or three conductor with bare ground, sized 4/0 SER, 2/0, 1/2, #1, or #2, a number of which are also illustrated in FIG. 3 . These larger feeder cables 24 are secured to the cable support bracket 26 with one or more tie wraps 28 , or other suitable fasteners as shown in FIG. 4 .
Referring more particularly to FIGS. 2-9 , the cable support bracket 26 includes a backplate 30 having a front surface 32 and an opposed rear-facing surface 34 . The backplate 30 extends longitudinally between a first end 36 and a second end 38 . The bracket 26 further includes a number of posts 40 extending transversely from the backplate 30 . As shown in FIG. 3 and explained in greater detail below, each post 40 extends a first predetermined distance 42 outwardly from the rear surface 34 .
The support bracket 26 further includes a first spacer, or side wall, 44 connected to the backplate 30 at the first end 36 and a second spacer 46 connected to the backplate 30 at the second end 38 . The first and second spacers 44 , 46 extend transversely from the backplate 30 a second predetermined distance 48 from the rear surface 34 . The second predetermined distance 48 is greater than the first predetermined distance 42 by a third predetermined distance 50 .
The cable support bracket 26 includes fastener holes 52 formed in each of the first spacer 44 , second spacer 46 and backplate 30 . Fasteners, such as masonry nails 54 , may be used to mount the cable support bracket 26 to either the adjacent studs 18 (see FIG. 3 ), the second wall 20 (see FIG. 4 ), or both. Together, the spacers 44 , 46 and/or the backplate 30 are the support structure for the cable support bracket 26 which is able to support a multitude of cables 22 , 24 mounted thereto.
The cable support bracket 26 further includes a number of partitions 56 extending transversely from the backplate 30 . Each partition 56 separates a series of posts 40 from a feeder cable slot 58 . The partitions 56 extend a fourth predetermined distance 60 from the rear surface 34 , where the fourth predetermined distance 60 is between the first predetermined distance 42 and the second predetermined distance 48 . Each partition 56 includes a slot 62 formed therein. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the slots 62 are oblong-shaped to facilitate the insertion of tie-wraps 28 therethrough. It is contemplated that the slots 62 may be formed at various locations on the partition 56 and in alternate shapes depending on the particular application.
As shown best in FIG. 7 , the cable bracket 26 includes a number of cable restraints 64 for securing the two and three conductor cables 22 therein. Each cable restraint 64 includes a retaining slot, 66 defined by a first side 68 that is either one of the spacers 44 , 46 , posts 40 , or partitions 56 , a second side 70 that is a portion of the backplate 30 , and a third side 72 that is either an adjacent spacer 44 , 46 , post 40 , or partition 56 . The cable restraints 64 may have different size slots 66 for different types of cable. For example, narrow cable restraints 65 and wide cable restraints 67 are illustrated.
Each cable restraint 64 further includes a series of hooked projections 74 on each of the first and third sides 68 , 72 (i.e., spacer 44 , 46 , post 40 , or partition 56 ). In the embodiment shown, the hooked projections 74 are acutely angled inwardly towards the backplate 30 and culminate with a pointed tip 80 . Each post 40 includes a series of projections 74 on a first face 76 and a series of projections 74 on a second, opposing face 78 . Each spacer 44 , 46 and partition 56 includes a series of matching projections 74 such that any of the posts 40 , spacers 44 , 46 , and partitions 56 may function as the first or third side 68 , 72 of the cable restraint 64 .
In one aspect of the present invention, each series of projections 74 includes one larger barbed projection 82 and a number of smaller barbed projections 84 . In each series of projections 74 , the larger projection 82 is located furthest away from the backplane 30 (such as at a tip 86 of each post 40 ) and thus, closest to the inner wall 14 . The smaller projections 84 are spaced apart and extend between the larger projection 82 and the backplate 30 . Each of the projections 74 on the posts 40 , spacers 44 , 46 and partitions 56 are formed so as to be aligned with the projections 74 on adjacent posts 40 . Together, an opposing series of projections 74 form a pair of opposed barbs that act to maintain and secure cables 22 within the slots 66 .
To secure a branch circuit cable 22 within a cable restraint 64 , a pressing force is applied to the cable 22 directed towards the backplate 30 . After a sufficient pressing force has been applied, the cable 22 is inserted into the cable receiving space 66 by any of the deformation of the projections 74 , the compression of the cable 22 , and the outward flexing of the first and third side 68 , 72 of the cable restraint 64 . After the cable 22 has been fully inserted into the receiving space 66 , the projections 74 and sides 68 , 72 (i.e., posts 40 or partition 56 ) return to their normal position. The inwardly pointed tips 80 of the projections 74 contain the cable 22 within the space 66 and prevent the cable 22 from moving at least in a transverse direction.
As discussed above, the cable bracket 26 includes a plurality of partitions 56 . Each partition 56 separates a series of cable restraints 64 from an adjacent series of cable restraints 64 . The space between partitions 56 functions as a feeder cable slot 58 . The feeder cable slot 58 accommodates larger types of cables and cable bundles. As shown in FIG. 4 , feeder cable 24 is secured within the feeder cable slot 58 with tie wraps 28 .
In order to ensure that the branch circuit cables 22 are installed at least the minimum distance away from the inner surface 16 of the drywall 12 as required by the aforementioned electrical safety standards, the third predetermined distance 50 is approximately one and one quarter inches (1.25″). Therefore, regardless of the positioning of the bracket 26 between the first and second walls 14 , 20 , at least the minimum required distance is maintained between the inner surface 16 and the cables 22 .
For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the ends 88 of the spacers 44 , 46 are aligned with the front faces 90 of the studs 18 and mounted flush with the inner surface 16 of the inner wall 14 . The minimum distance is maintained because each of the conductors 22 are maintained greater than the third predetermined distance (here 1.25″) away from the inner surface 16 of the inner wall 14 . In FIG. 4 , the bracket 26 is mounted to the outer wall 20 so as to provide the minimum distance between the inner surface 16 and the feeder cable 24 .
In one embodiment, the bracket 26 has an overall width of fourteen and one eighth inches (14⅛″) inches to match the standard spacing between studs 18 , although other widths are considered to be within the scope of this invention. In a still further embodiment, the bracket 26 is made out of fire resistant polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or other similar plastics materials.
An alternative, low voltage, cable support bracket 126 for use in communication cable installations is illustrated in FIG. 10 . Like the bracket 26 shown in FIGS. 1-9 , the low voltage bracket 126 includes cable restraints of different widths. A first set of cable restraints 165 accommodates at least four twisted pair (i.e., CAT5e) cables 124 . A second set of cable restraints 167 accommodates up to four coaxial (i.e., RG6) cables 122 . A third set of cable restraints 169 accommodates at least two bundled cable 125 , wherein the bundled cable 125 includes a number of twisted pair and coaxial cables. A number of wide slots 158 are also provided and used for other low voltage communication cables as needed.
As shown, the projections 74 extend over a substantial length of the posts 40 . As shown, a single cable 124 may be firmly secured within a cable restraint 165 against the backplate 30 because of projections 74 . Alternatively, more than one cable 124 may be pressed together into a cable restraint 165 and held tightly in place together.
While there has been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims. Therefore, various alternatives and embodiments are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention.
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A cable support bracket includes a backplate with a number of structures extending transversely therefrom and defining a plurality of cable restraints and slots. The cable restraints have a series of projections formed on the transversely extending structures. Each cable restraint has a series of projections aligned so as to create matching barbs that secure electrical cables within the restraints. At least one transversely-extending structure acts as a spacer to ensure that electrical safety requirements regarding the distance between cables and internal walls are met when the bracket is installed.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 743,411 filed Nov. 19, 1976, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The human body is a tremendous complex of chemical, biochemical and physiological processes all being carried on simultaneously. The incredibly complex control of these thousands of chemical and physiological processes is coded into the DNA and RNA of the genes. It is postulated that as people became older and the RNA and DNA and their messages became increasingly "blurred" with time, the control of this enormous complex would begin to lose its ability, among other things, to repair wear and tear.
The body is subject to huge numbers of destructive forces including physical, chemical and biological insults. Among the noxious physical insults is ionizing radiation from many different sources that are completely unavoidable in everyday life. Chemical insults are derived not only from synthetic but from many natural chemicals that are noxious and to which we are exposed. Biological insults are in the form of organisms such as viruses, bacteria and fungi and many of their wastes and noxious products. There is, in sum, a literal barrage of insults which make up our daily environment. It is the repair mechanism which must circumvent these destructive forces. Clearly, if the coded DNA information which controls the repair processes becomes damaged, the stigmata of age will begin.
If you look at the aging process in the last several decades of human life, you can see the repair process is increasingly impaired. Elastic tissue cannot be repaired and wrinkles occur. Muscles and joints can no longer take the punishment of youth. Cancer and other disease-producing agents which are omni-present can no longer be easily rejected. Thus, the body becomes more susceptible to infections, malignant tumors, and a host of other effects of age which, in youth, was of no concern because the body could cope with such everyday challenges.
Coenzyme Q is now generally recognized as an important component of the mitochondrial electron transport processes of respiration and coupled oxidative phosphorylation, and therefore is of fundamental importance to the intracellular energy-producing systems. Evidence has been obtained for the existence of coenzyme Q deficiencies in some pathological processes in: human cardiac, gingival and dystrophic tissues, rats with induced hypertension, mice with hereditary muscular dystrophy, Friend virus induced leukemia and others. The therapeutic application and potential of coenzyme Q was reviewed by Folkers in Iternat. J. Vit. Res. 39:334 (1969) and Cancer Chemoth. Rep. 4:19 (1974).
Coenzyme Q is now among the agents being used experimentally and clinically to enhance nonspecifically the host resistance. In contrast to other materials in use for this purpose, extensive toxicological studies, including those of the New England Institute, revealed no significant abnormalities that would contraindicate the use of coenzyme Q in humans.
Administration of various members of the coenzyme Q family into experimental animals results in increased resistance to a variety of bacterial and protozoal infections, as well as viral and chemical carcinogeneses. It has been postulated that this enhanced resistance is mediated via stimulation of various parameters of the host defense system, a process which has high cellular energy requirement.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention involves the adminstration to a host, man or lower animals, of coenzymes Q 4 to at least Q 13 , particularly Q 10 , in a sufficient amount to control, e.g., stabilize and/or reverse the immunological senescence or aging in the particular host being treated.
It has been found that host defense system is subject to age-related changes occurring in both animals and man, although it is only in laboratory animals that the phenomenon has been well studied. These age-related changes are characterized in general as a gradual decline of the activity of many parameters of the host defense system. This decline forms the base for a definitive relationship between senescence and an increased rate of incidence and mortality due to infectious diseases and cancer in animals and man.
The present invention utilizes the decline of the humoral immunological responsiveness in aged mice as a representative parameter of the host defense system and the compensation and restoration of this decline by administration of coenzyme Q 10 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The coenzymes Q used according to this invention are well known and have the formula ##STR1## where n is 4 to at least 13.
The coenzymes are generally commercially available or can be readily made by known processes.
The term "Q 4 to at least Q 13 " is used to describe the coenzymes according to the invention and is based on present knowledge. Experiments to date show little activity for the coenzymes lower than Q 4 . Coenzymes higher than Q 13 have not been available for testing and therefore no useful upper limit can be mentioned at this time. It can be scientifically assumed, however, that coenzymes above Q 13 would be useful, Q 14 and Q 15 for example, and that there will be some upper limit where the activity of the coenzymes will begin to fall off. When these higher coenzymes are available for testing, it would be a simple matter for one skilled in the art to test them for activity, for example, as shown in the detailed description of the invention below. Q 10 has been noted as being most advantageous and this is particularly so in human use since Q 10 predominate in the cells of the human body. With regard to other animals, other coenzymes Q might be more advantageous. For example, in animals where Q 9 or Q 8 predominate, Q 9 or Q 8 might be more effective than Q 10 . The term Q 4 to at least Q 13 thus includes those coenzymes above Q 13 which are capable and operative to control and/or reverse the immunological senescence in animals and humans.
The coenzymes can be administered in conventional and well known manner, such as by injection or orally. Injection is more convenient with the lower animals, but oral administration is preferred with humans. The optimum amount in mice is 125 μg, as can be seen from FIG. 2. In humans and other animals the optimum dosage can be readily determined by similar routine experimentation. The amount should obviously be sufficient to accomplish the purposes of this invention, e.g., to reverse the depression of the host defense resistance which has been depressed or weakened due to aging. Coenzymes Q, particularly Q 10 , are extremely non-toxic and very high doses can be tolerated without toxic effect. Generally the dose for humans would be between about 300 to 500 mg. per week. As with many other drugs or medicines such as cortisone, the dosage level and dosage protocol can be determined by laboratory testing and/or clinical response for each individual patient.
EXAMPLE
Materials and Methods
Female CFI young adult (10 weeks old) and aged (22 months old) mice were used throughout the experiment. They were purchased from Charles River Breeding Laboratories, Inc., Wilmington, Md. (Carworth Division) and were maintained in airconditioned room (22°±1° C.) on a 12-hour light and dark cycle in metal cages with free access to food and water.
Fresh sterile sheep red blood cells (SRBC, Baltimore Biological Laboratories, Baltimore, Md.) were centrifuged and washed three times with sterile 0.9% sodium chloride solution (saline). Primary immunization was accomplished with a dose of 5.7×10 7 SRBC per mouse, suspended in 0.2 ml saline, and administered via the tail vein. The day of the antigen administration is designated as day 0.
Commercially available, substantially pure, coenzyme Q 10 (2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decaprenyl benzoquinone) was used and was administered as an emulsion in sterile 5% glucose solution containing 0.4% of Tween 20 (polyoxyethylene sorbitol monolaurate) used as emulsifier. The concentration of coenzyme Q 10 in the emulsion was 250 μg/ml. The emulsion (total volume 200 ml) was prepared in a 500 ml Waring blender, kept in a water bath at 60° C. and protected from light. The time of homogenization was 45 seconds. The particle size of the emulsion was under 5 μm. The method used to prepare the emulsion and the subsequent handling are of critical importance.
On day four after the SRBC administration, and 4 h before the first blood collection, six groups of 22 months old mice (25 mice in each group) were treated with six different doses of coenzyme Q 10 emulsion injected into the tail vein, namely 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 μg/mouse.
The control mice (50 mice, 22 months old and 50 mice, 10 weeks old) were injected with the same mixture, omitting coenzyme Q 10 .
At suitable intervals as shown in FIG. 1 after the administration of coenzyme Q 10 , blood was collected from each mouse with heparinized capillary tubes by retroorbital venus plexus puncture. Equal volumes of blood from all animals in a group were pooled, the plasma was separated by centrifugation and the samples were stored at -40° C. until hemolysin titers were determined. This determination was carried out using the 50% end point method. (Experimental Immunochemistry, 2nd Edition, C.C. Thomas--publisher 1961). Eight to ten plasma dilutions were used. The best fitting regression line between probit percent hemolysis and the log of the plasma dilution was determined by computer analysis. The experimental points shown on the figures represent the determined values, with standard deviation indicated.
Control mice (25 mice, 22 months old, and 25 mice, 10 weeks old) were sacrificed, weighed and organs (spleen, liver and thymus) were excised and weighed. The data obtained were statistically analyzed by the student's t-test.
All glassware was heated for 5 hr. at 170° C. Nonpyrogenic sterile saline and sterile glucose solutions (Travenol Laboratories, Deerfield, Illinois), syringes, needles and pipets were used throughout.
Possible contamination with bacterial endotoxin (a strong toxic stimulant of the host defense system activity) of the components used for preparation of emulsions was precluded by the exclusive use of only nonpyrogenic materials. Criteria recommended by the U.S. Pharmacopeia were used for evaluation.
FIG. 1 shows the hemolytic primary immune response in 10 weeks and 22 months old CFI female mice, and compensation of the age dependent supression of this response by intravenous administration of coenzyme Q 10 emulsion (125 μg/mouse). The experimental points shown represent the determined values on pooled plasma from 25 mice with standard deviations indicated.
FIG. 2 shows the compensation of the suppressed hemolytic primary immune response in 22 months old mice on the peak antibody day (day 5 after the antigen administration) as a function of the dose of coenzyme Q 10 . The experimental points shown represent the determined values on pooled plasma from 25 mice with standard deviations indicated.
The results of the experiment showed marked suppression of the humoral hemolytic, primary immune response as a function of age of the mice and is demonstrated in FIG. 1. Clearly, the hemolytic antibody level in 22 months old mice is less than 50% of the level obtained in 10 weeks old mice, and this is not accompanied by any shifting of the appearance of the peak antibody level day.
The profound hemolytic antibody depression in old mice can be partially reversed by a single intravenous administration of coenzyme Q 10 on day 4 (FIG. 1).
FIG. 2 illustrates the dose (coenzyme Q 10 )--response (hemolytic antibody level on day 5) relationship in 22 months old mice.
The organs' weight data and the ratio between liver, spleen and thymus weight and body weight are presented in Table 1. The results show that the body, liver and spleen weight continue to increase with age, but the ratio between the liver and the spleen and the body weight remains practically constant. In contrast, the thymus weight continues to increase with age, but this increase is at a much slower rate than the body weight increase which results in a significantly lower value of the thymus weight/body weight ratio. This ratio in 22 months old mice represents only 69.6% of the same ratio in 10 weeks old mice.
Although bone marrow (B) lymphocytes are directly involved in antibody formation, it is now a well recognized postulate that their collaboration with thymus derived (T) lymphocytes is necessary for the development of a normal humoral immunological response to certain antigens. This resulted in the concept of two distinct groups of antigens, thymus-dependent and thymus-independent, or as some prefer to designate them, antigens that can activate T cells and those which cannot. For some antigens the interaction of T cells--B cells is initiated by accessory cells (A cells, macrophages) which act by processing the antigen or by supplying necessary extracellular factor(s).
Systemic investigations on deficiencies of immunocompetent cells of aged mice indicate that both B cells and T cells mediated-immune responses decline with advancing age. In contrast, macrophage populations from young and old mice are indistinguishable. This implies that the afferent compartment of the immune system is not engaged in the immunological impairment manifested in old mice.
Table I__________________________________________________________________________BODY, LIVER, SPLEEN AND THYMUS WEIGHT IN 10 WEEKS AND 22 MONTHS OLD CF1FEMALE MICEMICE AGE MEAN BODY WT MEAN LIVER WT MEAN SPLEEN WT MEAN THYMUS WT ##STR2## ##STR3## ##STR4##gm % mg % mg % mg % Ratio % Ratio % Ratio %__________________________________________________________________________10Weeks 22.04 100.0 1365 100.0 90.4 100.0 40.0 100.0 62.10 100.0 4.12 100.0 1.81 100.022Months 37.85 171.7 2477 181.5 161 178.1 47.9 119.8 65.48 105.4 4.26 103.4 1.26 69.6 P < 0.0001__________________________________________________________________________
furthermore, a 10-fold reduction in the proliferative capacity of T cells and a 5- to 10-fold reduction in B cell proliferative capacity in old mice has been reported. As a result, the T - B cell ratio is altered. Their studies revealed also that an optimal ratio of T - B cells is required to generate a maximal response to SRBC and that the optimal ratio is the same for both young and old cells.
In a more recent study it has been observed that in humans absolute and percentage B cell counts showed no significant and gradual depression with advancing age. Although B cell numbers remain stable, B cell functions were impaired with aging.
Surprisingly, there have been few reports on age-related changes in the functional capacity of the thymus. It has been shown that the extent to which T cells can mature is dependent upon the degree of involution the thymic tissue has undergone with age. It was suggested that the thymus dependent T cells are the key system whose exhaustion is responsible for aging in mammals and probably other vertebrates and that with aging the thymus begins producing not only fewer cells, but also less efficient T cells. More recently it has emphasized that physiologic thymic function(s) must continue throughout life in order to maintain T cell functions.
The results of this invention clearly demonstrate the profound suppression of the primary immune response in aged mice to SRBC, a thymus-dependent antigen. This suppression is accompanied by a lower value of thymus weight/body weight ratio. In contrast, the ratio spleen weight/body weight and liver weight/body weight in 10 weeks and in 22 months old mice remains almost constant. A single administration of coenzyme Q 10 emulsion, a stimulant of the host defense system, partially but significantly compensates the age-dependent suppression of the humoral immune response. This compensation is dependent on the dose of coenzyme Q 10 . The nonlinear response of the host defense system upon stimulation has been extensively studied. This response forms a W- and M-shaped curve (depending on the selection of parameters used for the representation) and is the property of the host defense system and not of the stimulant used.
Indirect evidence suggest that coenzyme Q stimulates both the B cell and T cell mediated responses. Furthermore, administration of coenzyme Q in experimental animals and humans induces no significant cellular proliferative effect on the host defense system. Thus the stimulating effect is believed to be mediated via a more efficient performance by existing cells rather than by an increased number of cells. This more efficient performance conferred by coenzyme Q 10 compensates for the decline of B cell and especially T cell dependent immunological responsiveness in aged mice and probably restores the functional balance of T - B cells required for an optimal response to SRBC. A possible effect via the afferent compartment of the immune system (macrophages) is not considered here because of the delayed administration of coenzyme Q 10 (on day 4 after the antigen).
An additional intriguing possibility is suggested by some limited studies, by others implying an impairment of the intracellular process of respiration at the mitochondrial level in senescence. This is accompanied also by changes in the mitochondrial ultrastructure. Similarly, it has been demonstrated that energy linked processes are partially or completely lost during aging of mitochondria but this is within certain limits, a reversible phenomenon. Further qualitative and quantitative studies at this mitochondrial level should shed light on the relationship between immunological impairment and the resulting increased incidence of cancer and infections in senescence as well as the compensation of this impairment by coenzyme Q.
The data set forth here show a pronounced suppression of the humoral hemolytic primary immune response in 22 months old mice as compared with this response in 10 weeks old mice. The suppression is associated with a lower value of thymus weight/body weight ratio. In contrast, the ratio spleen weight/body weight and liver weight/body weight in 10 weeks and 22 months old mice remain almost constant.
A single administration of coenzyme Q 10 , a nontoxic, nonspecific stimulant of the host defense system, partially compensates the age-determined suppression of the humoral immune response.
The results are statistically significant and they are unequivocal. At the age of 22 months, there was a depression of host defense resistance in mice. This resistance was lowered by a very significant factor; more than 50%. One injection of coenzyme Q 10 restored 90% of the depressed resistance.
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The invention relates to a method of controlling and/or reversing the immunological senescence in animals and humans by administering thereto coenzymes Q 4 to at least Q 13 and particularly coenzyme Q 10 .
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[0001] This is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 10/122,775, filed Apr. 15, 2002.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is directed to a product and a process for producing a “pre-made” heavy metal sulfide slurry, which can be used for the removal of heavy metal pollutants from and the reduction of hexavalent chromium in wastewater.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Various chemical precipitation methods have been employed as one aspect of a complete system for the removal of heavy metal pollutants from aqueous solutions. Sulfide precipitation is often employed because sulfide salts may be used to remove heavy metal pollutants such as lead, copper, silver, cadmium, zinc, mercury, and nickel. Sulfides are also used as a reducing agent to convert hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium. There are two basic types of sulfide precipitation processes—the soluble sulfide process and the insoluble sulfide process.
[0004] By the soluble sulfide process, a soluble sulfide salt such as sodium sulfide or sodium hydrosulfide is added to a wastewater stream containing at least one heavy metal pollutant. The soluble salt quickly dissociates into sodium ions and sulfide ions and the heavy metal pollutant ions rapidly react with the sulfide ions to form a relatively insoluble heavy metal salt, which precipitates out of solution. There are two common problems associated with the soluble sulfide process. First, the relatively insoluble heavy metal pollutant sulfide salt often forms as very fine colloidal particles, which are not easily filtered or otherwise separated from the wastewater stream. Of even greater concern is the formation of odorous and highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas, which invariably results from the high concentration of soluble sulfides present in the soluble sulfide process. Thus, the soluble sulfide process must be carefully monitored and controlled in order to avoid discomfort and harm to the treatment personnel.
[0005] Sulfur dioxide and sodium metabisulfite are used for chromium reduction, and again, close pH control is necessary to balance the efficiency of use, and the evolution of corrosive and toxic sulfur dioxide gas.
[0006] Ferrous sulfate and ferrous chloride are used alone and in conjunction with sodium metabisulfite. The same concerns are present with sulfur dioxide gas evolution, and the iron salts generate unacceptable amounts of sludge, which is considered a hazardous waste.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,331 represents an early attempt to exploit the benefits of the soluble sulfide process while avoiding the formation of hydrogen sulfide gas. A soluble heavy metal salt was added either immediately after or immediately before the addition of the soluble sulfide salt to the wastewater stream. The heavy metal of the soluble heavy metal salt was chosen based on its relative equilibrium sulfide ion concentration as compared to that of the given pollutant heavy metal. That is, the slightly less insoluble heavy metal ion of the soluble heavy metal salt was added to the wastewater stream during the soluble sulfide process to act as a scavenger for excess sulfide thereby avoiding the formation of H 2 S.
[0008] The insoluble sulfide process is a variation on the chemistry disclosed in the '331 patent. By the insoluble sulfide process, a freshly prepared slurry of an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt is added to a wastewater stream. Hereagain, the heavy metal of the essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt is chosen based on its relative equilibrium sulfide ion concentration as compared to that of the given pollutant heavy metal. Specifically, the essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt must be slightly less insoluble than the heavy metal pollutant salt, which will eventually be formed. Thus, as the essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt dissociates in solution, the heavy metal pollutant salt is formed. The essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt can only further dissociate as the sulfide ions are consumed in the formation of the heavy metal pollutant salt. Therefore, there is never an excess of sulfide ions such that H 2 S formation is avoided.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,784 discloses an insoluble sulfide process, which is concerned with avoiding the formation of very fine, colloidal particles of the resultant heavy metal pollutant salt. By the process set forth in the '784 patent approximately 90% of the insoluble sulfide particles must have a diameter of at least 50 microns or more. The '784 patent also requires that the insoluble sulfide slurry is maintained at a pH of greater than 7 in order to avoid H 2 S formation. Further, although the slurry disclosed in the '784 patent is formed in the absence of pollutant heavy metal ions to avoid the production of colloidal particles such as that patent asserts are formed in accordance with the method of the '331 patent, discussed above, the slurry of the '784 patent is, nevertheless, formed on site at the wastewater treatment facility and must be constantly, carefully agitated and temperature controlled prior to addition to the wastewater stream. Because the slurry is formed on-site, it must be maintained and fed to the wastewater stream at a pH of greater than 7 in order to reduce the formation of hydrogen sulfide gas which will form in the presence of any excess sulfide ions.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,943 discloses an insoluble sulfide process, which employs iron pyrite, FeS 2 , rather than a ferrous or ferric sulfide slurry. That process requires that the slurry is made on-site at the wastewater treatment facility and is added to the wastewater stream at a pH above 7 in order to avoid the formation of H 2 S gas, which will form in the presence of any excess sulfide ions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a heavy metal sulfide slurry for use in a wastewater treatment process, which includes a mixture of a liquid medium, preferably water, and an essentially insoluble salt, which is the reaction product of heavy metal ions and sulfide ions. Preferred heavy metal ions include Mn ++ ions, Fe ++ ions, and Fe +++ ions. Preferably the sulfide ions are derived from hydrogen sulfide, sodium sulfide, sodium hydrosulfide, potassium sulfide, potassium hydrosulfide, calcium sulfide, or magnesium sulfide. In one preferred embodiment the essentially insoluble salt is ferrous sulfide. An important aspect of the invention is the small particle size of the essentially insoluble salt within the slurry. Preferably the salt has a particle size distribution wherein at least about 50 percent of the particles have a size of less than about 10 microns; most preferably at least about 75 percent of the particles have a size of less than about 10 microns. It is also preferred that at least about 50 percent of the particles have a size of less than about 1 micron. The salt comprises greater than 2 percent by weight of the slurry.
[0012] In another aspect the present invention is directed to a heavy metal sulfide slurry for use in a wastewater treatment process which is made by a method which includes the steps of: (a) precipitating an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt from a solution comprising a soluble heavy metal salt and a soluble sulfide; (b) separating the salt from the solution, thereby forming a slurry having greater than 2% by weight of the salt. Step (b) may be achieved by essentially completely separating the salt from the solution and then dispersing the salt into a liquid medium such that a slurry having greater than 2% by weight of the salt is formed or by concentrating the solution, that is, removing excess solution such that a slurry having greater than 2% by weight of the salt is formed. If the former means is employed preferably the salt is washed subsequent to separation from the solution, thereby removing residual soluble salts. The step (a) of precipitating an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt may be performed in one of at least two ways. In one embodiment step (a) is achieved by the substeps of (i) preparing an initial solution of a soluble heavy metal salt; (ii) raising the pH and thereby forming a heavy metal hydroxide; and (iii) adding a soluble sulfide, thereby forming an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt which is the reaction product of the heavy metal hydroxide and the soluble sulfide. In an alternative embodiment step (a) is achieved by the substeps of (i) preparing an initial solution of a soluble sulfide; and (ii) adding a soluble heavy metal salt, thereby forming an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt which is the reaction product of the soluble heavy metal salt and the soluble sulfide.
[0013] Additionally, the present invention is directed to a method for treating wastewater which includes the steps of: (a) providing an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide slurry which is a mixture of a liquid medium, preferably water, and an essentially insoluble salt which is the reaction product of heavy metal ions, preferably Mn ++ ions, Fe ++ ions, or Fe +++ ions, and a soluble sulfide, the insoluble salt having a particle size distribution wherein at least about 50 percent of the particles have a size of less than 10 microns and the salt is greater than 2 percent by weight of the slurry; and (b) adding the slurry to a wastewater stream containing at least one heavy metal pollutant. Exemplary pollutants, which may be removed by the present process, are heavy metals such as Zn ++ , Ni ++ , Sn ++ , Co ++ , Pb ++ , Cd ++ , Ag + , Bi ++ , Cu ++ , and Hg ++ . Further, hexavalent chromium may be reduced to trivalent chromium by the present process. The slurry may be added to the wastewater stream at a pH in the range of from about 2.5 to about 11. Solids formed by the addition of the slurry to the wastewater stream may be collected and monitored for color. The collected solids, which are essentially black in color, may be returned to the process and added to a subsequent wastewater stream in order to advantageously employ any unreacted heavy metal sulfide salt.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] The present invention is directed to a heavy metal sulfide slurry for use in a wastewater treatment process, which includes a mixture of a liquid medium, preferably water, and an essentially insoluble salt, which is the reaction product of heavy metal ions and sulfide ions. While ferrous ions (Fe ++ ) are preferred, manganese ions (Mn ++ ions) and ferric ions (Fe +++ ions) may also be employed as the heavy metal component of the essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt of the present inventive slurry. Preferably, the salt comprises greater than 2 percent by weight of the slurry, the balance comprising water and, optionally, one or more additives, discussed below.
[0015] Of particular importance to the present invention is the particle size distribution of the essentially insoluble heavy metal salt. At least 50 percent of the particles are less than 10 microns in diameter. Preferably, at least 75 percent of the particles are less than 10 microns in diameter; and most preferably, all of the particles are less than 10 microns in diameters. Furthermore, it is preferred that at least 50 percent of the particles are less than 1 micron in diameter. More preferably, at least 75 percent of the particles are less than 1 micron in diameter. It is also within the scope of the present invention for all of the particles to be less than 1 micron in diameter.
[0016] Small particle size is of particular importance to the present invention for a variety of reasons. First, smaller particle size means greater surface area of the salt is exposed to the wastewater stream for rapid and efficient reaction with the pollutant heavy metal ions. While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the exceedingly small particle size contributes to the efficient reaction of dissociated sulfide ions with heavy metal pollutant ions and the reduced dissociation of excess sulfide ions.
[0017] Second, it is believed that small particle size allows for the preparation of a manageable slurry having a greater percent by weight of the salt than could be achieved if the salt had a larger particle size. That is, although it may be possible to form a slurry having greater than 2 percent by weight of a salt having a particle size greater than that of the present inventive salt, such slurry would not exhibit the ease of handling, specifically pumpability and injectability, of the present slurry.
[0018] Third, and perhaps most important, it is believed that it is the small particle size is one reason the present slurry may be prepared ahead of time, at a site remote from the final wastewater treatment site. A slurry containing larger particles must be constantly agitated in order to keep the large particles in suspension. Thus, all prior art insoluble sulfide processes have required preparation on-site at the wastewater treatment facility immediately prior to addition to wastewater stream. In addition to precluding centralized, remote preparation of the insoluble sulfide slurry, the requirement that prior art slurries are constantly agitated also increases the likelihood of air entrapment. Heavy metal sulfide salts are especially vulnerable to oxidation and any exposure to air will reduce the effectiveness of the slurry. Thus, the present inventive slurry is preferably maintained in closed containers during preparation, storage and shipment. This, in combination with the ability of the small particles to remain suspended in the slurry without stirring or agitation, limits the exposure of much of the volume of the slurry to oxygen such that the possibility of oxidation is reduced. However, it has been found, unexpectedly, in accordance with the present invention that, even given equal opportunities for oxygen exposure, dilute slurries are more greatly effected by oxidation than the present concentrated slurry, possibly because exposure of the slurry surface to the air will only oxidize a small percentage of the more concentrated slurry. Oxidation of particles in a more dilute slurry will have a greater adverse effect.
[0019] Thus, all prior insoluble sulfide processes have required that the personnel performing the wastewater treatment process must freshly prepare an insoluble sulfide slurry, including monitoring temperature, pH, and agitation, on-site and then feed the slurry to the wastewater stream at a tightly controlled pH in order to avoid the formation of noxious H 2 S gas. That is, the pH must be carefully controlled and maintained above 7 because of the possibility that excess sulfide salts may have been employed in preparing the slurry and, therefore, excess sulfide ions may be present. The present heavy metal sulfide salt slurry can be prepared at a centralized facility, stored, if necessary, and then shipped to wastewater treatment facilities for turnkey use in their treatment processes.
[0020] In addition to the essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt and the liquid medium, which is preferably water, the present inventive slurry may also include one or more additives. Such additives may include components that merely enhance the physical characteristics or the performance of the slurry. Exemplary of this class of additive are thickeners, dispersants, flow enhancers, surfactants, perfumes, and fillers. For example, a polyacrylic acid-based dispersant is preferably employed in order to evenly disperse the salt in the liquid medium. Other types of additives may include components that are, themselves, employed in wastewater treatment and which may provide a complementary treatment to or enhancement of the insoluble sulfide process. Such may include, for example, sodium dimethyldithiocarbamate, calcium dimethyldithiocarbamate, calcium sulfide, calcium polysulfide, sodium borohydride, sodium sulfite, potassium sulfite, sodium sulfide, sodium hydrosulfide, sodium metabisulfite, potassium sulfide, potassium hydrosulfide, potassium metabisulfite, additional iron salts such as ferric chloride, ferrous chloride, ferrous sulfate, ferric sulfate, ferric hydroxide, ferrous hydroxide, short chain low molecular weight high charge density polymers, quaternary amine polymers, polyquatenary amine polymers, melamine formaldehyde polymers, aluminum hydroxide, sodium aluminate, sodium hydroxide, caustic potash, calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium chloride, manganese chloride, manganese dioxide, calcium chloride, aluminum chlorhydrate, sodium silicate, aluminum chloride, polyaluminum chloride, sodium polyacrylate polymers (anionic, cationic and nonionic), antifoam agents, dispersants, and methylcellulose-based materials. It should be noted that even though, as is discussed in greater detail below, it is a benefit of the present inventive slurry that it may be added to a wastewater stream at an acidic pH because of the absence of excess sulfide ions, the present list of possible additives includes a variety of soluble sulfide salts which will effectively add excess sulfide ions. This is because, in accordance with the present invention, for wastewater streams having an unusually high concentration of heavy metal pollutant ions the present insoluble sulfide process may be advantageously and safely combined with the prior art soluble sulfide process. That is, the present slurry including one or more soluble sulfide salts may be added to such a heavily concentrated wastewater stream, even at an acid pH, and the sulfide ions will be immediately, essentially consumed by the pollutant ions prior to the formation of any appreciable amount of hydrogen sulfide gas. When all of the sulfide ions from the soluble sulfide salt have been consumed, the present essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt will dissociate in accordance with its equilibrium sulfide ion concentration and the remaining heavy metal pollutant ions will be precipitated without the formation of H 2 S.
[0021] As discussed above, the preferred heavy metal sulfide salt of the present inventive slurry is ferrous sulfide, FeS. Less preferred, but also within the scope of the present invention are manganese sulfide, MnS, and ferric sulfide, Fe 2 S 3 . As has been noted in the prior art, any heavy metal sulfide may be employed to remove from a wastewater stream any heavy metal pollutant ion, which has a lower equilibrium sulfide ion concentration. Thus, in theory, a variety of heavy metals may be used, but in order to effectively remove the greatest number of differing pollutants, ferrous sulfide is most preferred.
[0022] The present heavy metal sulfide slurry is preferably made by a process which includes the steps of: (a) precipitating an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt from a solution comprising a soluble heavy metal salt and a soluble sulfide; and (b) separating the insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt from the solution in order to form a slurry comprising greater than 2% by weight of the slurry. Step (b) may be achieved by essentially completely separating the salt from the solution, such as by filtering, and then dispersing the salt into a liquid medium such that a slurry having greater than 2% by weight of the salt is formed or by concentrating the solution, that is, removing excess solution such that a slurry having greater than 2% by weight of the salt is formed. If the former means is employed preferably the salt is washed subsequent to separation from the solution, thereby removing residual soluble salts.
[0023] If the essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt is ferrous sulfide, then a preferred soluble heavy metal salt for use in this process is ferrous chloride, although a variety of other soluble ferrous salts may be employed. Preferably, the sulfide ions are derived from hydrogen sulfide, sodium sulfide, sodium hydrosulfide, potassium sulfide, potassium hydrosulfide, calcium sulfide, or magnesium sulfide.
[0024] In accordance with the present invention, step (a) may be performed in one of two ways. Preferably, step (a) is achieved by preparing an initial solution of a soluble heavy metal salt, raising the pH, through the addition of, preferably, sodium hydroxide and thereby forming a heavy metal hydroxide, and adding a soluble sulfide, thereby forming an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt which is the reaction product of the heavy metal hydroxide and the soluble sulfide. In an alternative embodiment step (a) is achieved by preparing an initial solution of a soluble sulfide and adding a soluble heavy metal salt, thereby forming an essentially insoluble heavy metal sulfide salt which is the reaction product of the soluble heavy metal salt and the soluble sulfide. After the essentially insoluble heavy metal salt is formed, it is preferably separated from the original solution and washed to remove any residual soluble salts. Then, in order to avoid prolonged exposure to air, the insoluble heavy metal salt is dispersed in a liquid medium. Although water is preferred, other liquids such as organic or polymeric solvents may be employed. Further, as noted above, it is also within the scope of the present invention to concentrate the original solution in which the salt was formed rather than separating the salt from that solution and then dispersing it in a second liquid medium.
[0025] In another aspect the present invention is directed to a method for treating wastewater, which includes, at least, the step of adding the present inventive slurry to a wastewater stream, which includes at least one heavy metal pollutant. Exemplary pollutants, which may be removed by the present process, are heavy metals such as Zn ++ , Ni ++ , Sn ++ , Co ++ , Pb ++ , Cd ++ , Ag + , Bi ++ , Cu ++ , and Hg ++ , although other heavy metal pollutants, which have an equilibrium sulfide ion concentration less than that of the present essentially insoluble heavy metal salt, also may be removed by the present inventive wastewater treatment process. Further, hexavalent chromium may be reduced to trivalent chromium by the present process.
[0026] A unique feature of the present process is that the inventive slurry may be added to the wastewater stream at a pH in the broad range of from about 2.5 to about 11. All other known insoluble sulfide processes require addition of the insoluble sulfide slurry to the treatment stream at a pH of greater than 7 in order to avoid the formation of H 2 S gas. The present slurry essentially precludes the formation of hydrogen sulfide gas even at an acidic pH.
[0027] As another aspect of the present invention precipitated heavy metal pollutant sulfide salts formed upon treatment by the present process may be monitored for color. Generally, such salts will be brown or reddish in color. A black color indicates that excess, unreacted ferrous sulfide is present in the precipitant. Such solids may be returned to subsequent wastewater streams in order to advantageously employ any unreacted heavy metal sulfide salt.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0028] An essentially insoluble ferrous sulfide salt in accordance with the present invention was prepared as follows. Two parts of a stock solution of commercial ferrous chloride, FeCl 2 (approximately 26% FeCl 2 ) was diluted with one part water. Caustic (sodium hydroxide) was then added in excess to precipitate all of the iron as ferrous hydroxide. Sodium hydrosulfide was then added to convert the ferrous hydroxide to ferrous sulfide. Additional water was added to dilute the soluble salts. The ferrous sulfide was then separated from the solution containing soluble salts by means of a filter press. The ferrous sulfide was then dispersed in water to form a slurry having 6.8% percent by weight ferrous sulfide. At least 75 percent of the ferrous sulfide particles were less than 1 micron in diameter. Two percent by weight of a polyacrylic acid-based dispersant was then added.
Example 2
[0029] An essentially insoluble ferrous sulfide salt in accordance with the present invention was prepared essentially as set forth in Example 1. However, following separation by means of a filter press from the original solution, the ferrous sulfide was then dispersed in water to form a slurry having 20% by weight ferrous sulfide. At least 75 percent of the iron sulfide particles were less than 1 micron in diameter. Two percent by weight of a polyacrylic acid-based dispersant was then added.
Example 3
[0030] An essentially insoluble ferric sulfide salt in accordance with the present invention was prepared as follows. A stock solution of commercial ferric chloride, FeCl3 (approximately 30% FeCl3) was diluted 2:1 with water. Caustic was then added in excess to precipitate all of the iron as ferric hydroxide. Sodium hydrosulfide was then added to convert the ferric hydroxide to ferric sulfide. Additional water was added to dilute the soluble salts. The ferric sulfide was then separated from the solution by means of a filter press. The ferric sulfide was then dispersed in water to form a slurry having 6.8% percent by weight ferric sulfide. Two percent by weight of a polyacrylic acid-based dispersant was then added.
Example 4
[0031] An essentially insoluble ferrous sulfide salt in accordance with the present invention was prepared as follows. A concentrated solution of sodium hydrosulfide was diluted 10:1 with water. Commercially available ferrous chloride solution diluted 10:1 was added to precipitate the iron as ferrous sulfide. Caustic was added to maintain the pH of the mixture at or around 11. Additional water was added to dilute the soluble salts. The ferrous sulfide was separated from the solution by means of a Buchner funnel and then washed with water to remove any residual soluble salts. The ferrous sulfide was then dispersed in water to form a slurry having about 6.5% percent by weight ferrous sulfide. At least 75 percent of the ferrous sulfide particles were less than 1 micron in diameter. Two percent by weight of a polyacrylic acid-based dispersant was then added.
Example 5
[0032] The essentially insoluble ferric sulfide salt of Example 3 was used to remove metal ions from a wastewater stream as follows. The wastewater stream contained 31 mg/l of hexavalent chrome, 13.9 mg/l of nickel, and 18.7 mg/l of copper. A 1000 ml sample was taken and approximately 2.04 grams of material were added to the jar. The solution was mixed. The pH was adjusted to 2.08 with 10% sulfuric acid. The contents of the jar were allowed to mix for two hours. The amount of hexavalent chrome at that time was found to be 6.9 ppm. The pH of the solution was raised to 9.0 with 10% sodium hydroxide. The analysis of a filtered sample showed the total chrome to be less than 10 ppm. Copper was non-detectable and nickel was 0.48 ppm. No odor was detected at any time during the experiment. Additional material would be required to reduce the hexavalent chrome to lower levels.
Example 6
[0033] The essentially insoluble ferrous sulfide salt of Example 2 was used to remove metal ions from a wastewater stream essentially as set forth in Example 5. Once again, following treatment with the present inventive ferrous sulfide slurry and addition of an anionic flocculent, analysis of the clear supernate by ICP showed non-detect levels of chrome, nickel and copper. As above, this example simulates a typical chrome plater and shows how the present inventive heavy metal sulfide slurry performs. There was no odor detected at any time during the reaction.
Comparative Example 7
[0034] A magnesium hydroxide-sodium sulfide blend was used to remove metal ions from a wastewater stream as follows. The wastewater stream contained 31 mg/l of hexavalent chrome, 13.9 mg/l of nickel, and 18.7 mg/l of copper. A 1000 ml sample was taken. The pH was adjusted to a pH of 7 in order to prevent gassing of sulfide. Approximately 1.055 grams of the magnesium hydroxide-sodium sulfide blend was added to the jar. The solution was mixed and allowed to settle. Analysis of the clear supernate showed 0.02 mg/l of hexavalent chrome. Most of the hexavalent chrome had been converted to trivalent chrome. In order to get clarity of the solution a coagulant was added at a dosage of 0.1 ml/l. The pH of the solution was raised with sodium hydroxide to a pH of 9. Again the solution was mixed. Then 3.7 mg/l of anionic flocculant was added. The solution was then allowed to settle. Analysis of the wastewater by ICP showed the chrome, nickel and copper levels to be non-detect. This example shows a prior art process wherein a blend of sulfide and magnesium hydroxide was used to remove the heavy metals. There was significant odor associated with this set of experiments because of the soluble sulfide being used.
Example 8
[0035] The essentially insoluble ferrous sulfide salt of Example 2 was used to remove metal ions from a wastewater stream as follows. The wastewater stream contained 83 mg/l of hexavalent chrome. A 1000 ml sample was taken and approximately 3.0030 grams of material was added to the jar. The solution was mixed for 10 minutes. Analysis of a filtered solution showed no hexavalent chrome remaining. The pH of the solution was raised using sodium hydroxide to a pH of 9. The solution mixed and then 5 mg/l of anionic flocculant was added. The solution was allowed to settle. Analysis of the clear supernate by ICP showed the levels of chrome to be non-detect. No odor was detected during the experiment.
Comparative Example 9
[0036] A commercially available solution of 30% by weight of sodium metabisulfite was used to remove metal ions from a wastewater stream as follows. The wastewater stream contained 83 mg/l of hexavalent chrome. A 1000 ml sample was taken and the 30% sodium metabisulfite solution was fed under pH and ORP control. Approximately 2 ml of the sodium metabisulfite solution was added. The solution was checked for hexavalent chrome and the result was non-detect. All of the hexavalent chrome had been converted to trivalent. A coagulant was added to improve clarity. The dosage rate was 0.150 ml/l. The pH of the solution was raised to 9 by the addition of sodium hydroxide. Then 4.0 mg/l of an anionic flocculant was added. The solution was allowed to settle. Analysis of the wastewater by ICP showed chrome levels to be non-detect. However, sulfur dioxide fumes were present during the entire experiment. Most users of SO 2 and sodium metabisulfite must use a fume scrubber to avoid this problem.
Example 10
[0037] The precipitated solids from Example 6 were allowed to settle and were collected on a filter paper. The solids still contained black, unreacted insoluble iron sulfide. Theses solids were then added to another 1000 ml sample of the same wastewater employed in Example 6. The same procedure was then followed except no additional insoluble sulfide was added. Initial analysis of the chrome showed 83 ppm. Analysis of a sample of clear supernate showed the hexavalent chrome level was reduced 66 ppm. This example demonstrates how settled solids containing unused insoluble sulfide are available for reuse and can be recycled and used in subsequent waste streams. This can be visually determined by the color of the solids present: Black solids indicate that there is still chemical activity available in the solids while increasing shades of brown ending in light brown show that the insoluble sulfide has been used.
Example 11
[0038] An aluminum extruder was using sodium metabisulfite to reduce hexavalent chrome. The extruder was having difficulty meeting the desired discharge limits while processing the necessary amount of wastewater. The extruder changed to a soluble sulfide precipitant containing sodium sulfide and was able to process more water, meet their discharge limit, and generate less sludge. The personnel involved liked the performance of the sulfide material but did not like the smell associated with its use. An insoluble ferrous sulfide slurry made in accordance with Example 1 was introduced at the facility, replacing the soluble sulfide product. The extruder was able to meet their discharge requirements and process the required amount of wastewater, with the added benefit of not generating any odor.
Example 12
[0039] A manganese sulfide material was made by adding hydrochloric acid to manganese dioxide and then neutralizing this solution with sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydrosulfide solution was added to excess to convert the manganese hydroxide to manganese sulfide. The manganese sulfide slurry was diluted with water and filtered. The manganese sulfide solids were collected and re-slurried with water, creating a mixture that was about 10% by weight manganese sulfide.
Example 13
[0040] The essentially insoluble manganese sulfide salt slurry of Example 12 was used to remove metal ions from a wastewater stream as follows. The wastewater stream contained 83 mg/l of hexavalent chrome. A 1000 ml sample was taken and approximately 4.5 grams of material was added to the jar. The pH was adjusted to around 2 and allowed to mix for two hours. Then the solution was checked for hexavalent chrome. The hexavalent chrome level was found to be 24 mg/l. The pH of the solution was raised with sodium hydroxide to a pH of 9. The solution was mixed and 3.5 mg/l of an anionic flocculent was added. The solution was allowed to settle. Analysis of the clear supernate by ICP showed chrome to be 24 mg/l. There was no odor detected in this experiment.
[0041] Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departing from the principles and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Accordingly, such modifications may be practiced within the scope of the following claims. Moreover, Applicants hereby disclose all sub-ranges of all ranges disclosed herein. These sub-ranges are also useful in carrying out the present invention.
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A product and method for the removal of pollutant heavy metals from aqueous solutions which precludes the end user from storing, handling, feeding and controlling hazardous soluble sulfide materials. The product is a slurry which includes a mixture of a liquid medium and an essentially insoluble salt wherein the salt is the reaction product of heavy metal ions, preferably selected from Mn ++ ions, Fe ++ ions, and Fe +++ ions, and sulfide ions derived from soluble sulfide sources such as sodium sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and sodium hydrosulfide. Addition of the subject slurry to a wastewater stream will effect the precipitation of heavy metals with lesser equilibrium sulfide ion concentrations than that of the essentially insoluble salt. Solids collected by this method may be returned to subsequent wastewater streams for additional removal of heavy metals by any excess heavy metal sulfide salt.
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BACKGROUND
Well operators in the hydrocarbon recovery industry often seal tubulars to downhole wellbores such as casings and liners. Several systems exist for sealing the tubulars to the downhole wellbores and many function adequately. Most of these systems, however, include complex actuation devices. For example, many systems axially compress an elastomeric sleeve causing it to expand radially into sealing engagement with the downhole wellbore. This axial compression includes valves, pistons and actuators each having multiple moving parts and sliding seals that have potential failure modes associated therewith. Such systems are complex, costly and difficult to effectively deploy. Accordingly, the industry is receptive to simple, cost effective systems for plugging a downhole wellbore.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Disclosed herein is a method for plugging a downhole wellbore. The method includes, running an anchor and swellable seal disposed at a mandrel within the downhole wellbore, setting the anchor within the downhole wellbore, releasing the anchor and the swellable seal, and swelling the swellable seal into contact with another downhole structure.
Further disclosed herein is a downhole wellbore plugging system. The system includes, a mandrel that is runnable within a downhole wellbore and releasable therewithin, an anchor disposed at the mandrel being anchorable to the downhole wellbore, and a swellable seal disposed at the mandrel being sealable with the downhole wellbore and the mandrel.
Further disclosed herein is a method for plugging a downhole wellbore. The method includes, running a tool having an anchor and a swellable seal into the downhole wellbore with a wireline, anchoring the tool within the downhole wellbore, retrieving the wireline, and swelling the swellable seal into contact with another downhole structure subsequent to retrieval of the wireline.
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 depicts a schematic view of a wellbore plugging system according to an embodiment disclosed herein.
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 FIGURE.
Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of a wellbore plugging system disclosed herein is illustrated generally at 10 . The system 10 , among other things includes a downhole tool 12 having, a mandrel 14 with a swellable seal 18 and an anchor 22 mounted thereat. The tool 12 is positionable downhole within a wellbore 26 by a wireline 28 that is disconnectable from the mandrel 14 by a disconnectable connector 30 . The swellable seal 18 can be made of a variety of materials that swell when exposed to certain well fluids, such as hydrocarbons and water, for example. Additionally, the swellable seal 18 can swell in response to exposure to certain conditions that are commonly encountered in downhole environments, such as, high temperatures and high pressures as well as exposure to certain chemicals. The swellable seal 18 , can forcibly contact structures it comes in contact with in response to the increase in volume that occurs during swelling. Such contactable structures include walls 32 of the wellbore 26 , which may be a casing, liner or other tubular member, or open hole, or an outer surface 34 of the mandrel 14 , for example. These contact forces are sufficient to create a seal between the swellable seal 18 and the outer surface 34 as well as between the swellable seal 18 and the walls 32 . The swellable seal 18 can also be sealed to the mandrel 14 based on the original construction such that swelling of the swellable seal 18 is not needed to form the seal with the outer surface 34 . A duration of time needed from initiation of swelling to formation of a seal is dependent upon various factors, some of which will be reviewed below.
The swell rate, or the rate of increase in volume, of the swellable seal 18 , can vary depending upon a variety of parameters. For example, the chemical make up of both the swellable seal 18 itself and the well fluid into which the swellable seal 18 is submerged, can greatly affect the swell rate. Additionally, clearance dimensions between the swellable seal 18 and the surfaces 32 , 34 as well as the dimensions of the swellable seal 18 itself will also affect the time required to form a seal. Typically, the greater the clearance the longer the duration before a seal is formed. A designer can, therefore, use these parameters to set a desired time duration from initiation of swelling to initiation of sealing. Delay in swelling to the point of sealing may be desirable to allow time for an operator to run the tool 12 into the desired position downhole prior to forming a seal with the walls 32 , for example. Such delays may be set from just a few hours to several days or more.
In embodiments of the invention, an operator will set the anchor 22 prior to forming the seal. The anchor 22 has slips 44 that are deployable and engagable with the walls 32 of the wellbore 26 to fixedly attach the system 10 to the wellbore 26 . Although the system disclosed herein has the anchor 22 positioned above the swellable seal 18 , along the mandrel 14 , alternate embodiments could just as well have the anchor 22 positioned below the swellable seal 18 . Regardless of the relative positions of the anchor 22 with the swellable seal 18 , initiation to actuate the setting of the anchor 22 can be carried out in various ways.
For example, setting of the anchor 22 can be initiated, and optionally actuated, from surface via the wireline 28 . The wireline 28 can be used to initiate a trigger 36 that actuates an actuator 40 , or the wireline 28 can be used to actuate the actuator 40 directly. For example, in embodiments wherein the wireline 28 is an electric wireline 28 an electrical signal could be transmitted along the wireline 28 and used to open a valve (the trigger 36 ) that permits downhole fluid under hydrostatic pressure access to a chamber containing a piston and a compressible gas at atmospheric pressure, to thereby move the piston (the actuator 40 ) to set the anchor 22 . In an alternate embodiment, the electrical transmission can be used to energize a motor (the trigger 36 ) that drives a pump (the actuator 40 ) to hydraulically set the anchor 22 . Still other embodiments, of the system 10 , could employ timing devices (the trigger 36 ), or other means, that initiate actuation in response to exposure to a specific downhole parameter, such as, elevated pressure, elevated temperature and chemical exposure, for example.
Regardless of the trigger 36 and the actuator 40 employed to set the anchor 22 , the anchor 22 should be set prior to setting of the swellable seal 18 . In embodiments wherein the swellable seal 18 begins swelling as soon as it is exposed to certain downhole conditions, the duration to set the swellable seal 18 needs to be longer than the time it will take to run the tool 12 to the desired depth. This will prevent rubbing damage due to excess friction between the swellable seal 18 and the walls 32 while the tool 12 is being run. Once the tool 12 is in position the swelling of the swellable seal 18 can continue until a seal is formed.
Optionally, an operator is free to disconnect the wireline 28 from the tool 12 , at the disconnectable connector 30 , once the anchor 22 is set, even if the swellable seal 18 has not yet sealingly engaged the walls 32 . As such, a swellable seal 18 that takes several days to fully swell and seal with the walls 32 may be a desirable condition to assure that the operator has adequate time to fully run the tool 12 to the desired depth. It may be advantageous to position the disconnectable connector 30 between the actuator 40 and the anchor 22 to thereby allow an operator to remove the trigger 36 and the actuator 40 with the wireline 28 thereby minimizing a portion of the tool 12 that remains downhole.
The foregoing embodiments allow a well operator to quickly and inexpensively run the tool 12 with the wireline 28 to a position within the wellbore 26 , set the anchor 22 and then retrieve the wireline 28 and then wait for the swellable seal 18 to permanently plug off the wellbore 26 . Since it is not uncommon for wells to water out from the bottom up, several of the tools 12 could be used in a single well to sequentially plug off zones from the bottom up as they begin producing water.
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 method for plugging a downhole wellbore including, running an anchor and swellable seal disposed at a mandrel within the downhole wellbore, setting the anchor within the downhole wellbore, releasing the anchor and the swellable seal, and swelling the swellable seal into contact with another downhole structure.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block useful as material of an artificial bone.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In a medical field such as medical science and dentistry, the first choice as a means of restoring a large bone defect or void is autogenous bone grafting onto such a defect or void. However, grafting using bone graft material that can be substituted for an autogenous bone is widely done because invasive surgery has to be done on a healthy part in order to take an autogenous bone, and there is a limit on the amount of a bone to be taken. Mechanical characteristics, biosafety, osteogenic potential and so on, which are similar to those of a in vivo bone are required from this bone graft material.
[0003] Bone graft material is categorized as: an allogeneic bone taken out of a dead body; a xenogeneic bone taken out of another animal such as cattle; and a chemically synthesized artificial bone. While an allogeneic bone and a xenogeneic bone may carry a risk of infectious diseases due to contamination by factors originated from another organism, an artificial bone does not carry such a risk, which is superior. Thus, artificial bones have been developed in recent years.
[0004] A ceramic artificial bone whose main component is calcium phosphate is known as an artificial bone. Material most studied is hydroxyapatite. Hydroxyapatite is an extremely useful bone graft material because of its osteoconductivity. However, hydroxyapatite is non-bioresorbable material and does not disappear. Thus, hydroxyapatite remains in a body as a foreign body semipermanently. This might cause leakage from a grafted defect, and inflammation due to infection of a graft. Therefore, bioresorbable bone graft material is desired.
[0005] Therefore, a ceramic artificial bone consisting of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), which is bioresorbable material, has been developed (for example, see Patent Literature 1). This artificial bone is superior in bioresorbability, and thus, disappears in the end. However, the mechanism of its resorbence does not depend on that of a living body such as physicochemical solution. Thus, if a bone defect is large or the like, there is a possibility that an artificial bone disappears before the bone is sufficiently ossified.
[0006] In contrast, carbonate apatite has been developed in recent years as bone graft material resorbed according to a mechanism of a living body (for example, Patent Literature 2). Carbonate apatite has a composition similar to an in vivo bone, and thus, is resorbed according to a mechanism of a living body. Therefore, it is said that a bone can be repaired with high predictability because bone formation by osteoblast cells and resorbence of bone substitute material by osteoclast cells (remodeling) are properly carried out.
[0007] A method of immersing a precursor of calcium carbonate in a phosphate solution is effective as a method for manufacturing carbonate apatite (for example, Patent Literature 2 described above). Here, only carbonate apatite over a certain size, which can have, for example, a granular or block-like shape, can be applied to a living body because it is known that, a living body recognizes, for example, powdery bone graft material under a certain size as foreign bodies, to induce inflammation. On the other hand, for example, large block-shaped carbonate apatite is preferable because capable of a large bone defect or the like.
[0008] Large block-shaped calcium carbonate is necessary as a precursor in order to obtain, for example, large block-shaped carbonate apatite. However, calcium carbonate is powdery, and is necessary to be artificially shaped into a block. For example, sintering cannot be employed because calcium carbonate is decomposed if sintering is carried out thereon. Although there is some disclosure of shaping calcium carbonate into a block, such disclosure cannot be employed for a raw material of an artificial bone that requires biosafety. For example, an inorganic filler such as calcium carbonate are bound by an organic and/or inorganic binder to be hardened, to obtain a calcium carbonate block that is generally called cultured marble (for example, see Patent Literature 3). Such a calcium carbonate block cannot be employed because there is a possibility that impurities that might have a bad influence on a human body remain.
[0009] In contrast, in Patent Literature 2 described above, powder of calcium hydroxide is compression-molded and the resultant compressed body is subjected to carbonation under a stream of carbon dioxide with a relative humidity of 100% to obtain calcium carbonate blocks. According to this method, calcium carbonate blocks can be obtained without a problem about biosafety because safe calcium hydroxide according to Japanese Pharmacopoeia or the like is available, and the powders bond with each other at the same time of the carbonation, to give the blocks strength.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[0010] Patent Literature 1: H5-237178A
[0011] Patent Literature 2: JP 4854300B2
[0012] Patent Literature 3: JP H8-290949A
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0013] However, the method of Patent Literature 2 is not practical because the speed of carbonation is slow. For example, it needs a long time (for example, 168 hours) to completely carbonate a compressed body having a relatively small size of no less than 0.1 cm in diameter and thickness. Further, the center part is not completely carbonated even if a longer time (for example, 672 hours) has passed in case of the compressed body of no less than 1 cm in diameter and thickness. Therefore, there is a problem that calcium hydroxide remains at the center part of an obtained calcium carbonate block, thereby the center part of the block does not become carbonate apatite when the block is made to become carbonate apatite in the next process.
[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block of no less than 0.1 cm in diameter and thickness, not including any impurities, and able to be employed as a raw material of an artificial bone that requires biosafety.
Solution to Problem
[0015] As a result of the intensive studies of the inventors and so on to solve the above problems, they found that: calcium hydroxide is shaped into a block and exposed to carbon dioxide, to partially carbonate the surface of the block, and then is immersed in carbonate ion containing solution; even if calcium hydroxide, which does not react, remains, this remaining calcium hydroxide reacts with carbonate ions in the solution, to produce calcium carbonate; thus, a calcium carbonate block of no less than 0.1 cm in diameter and thickness, not including any impurities, is surely obtained. Then, they completed the present invention.
[0016] That is, a first embodiment of the present invention is:
a method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block comprising:
(a) shaping a calcium hydroxide block; (b) exposing carbon dioxide; and (c) immersing in a carbonate ion containing solution.
[0021] In addition, a second embodiment of the present invention is:
a method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block comprising:
(a) shaping a calcium hydroxide block; (b) being exposed to carbon dioxide; and (c) immersing in a carbonate ion containing solution; and further comprising: (d) mixing a pore-forming substance; and (e) forming a pore.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0028] The method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block able to be employed as a raw material of an artificial bone that requires biosafety, and is an outstanding method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block, capable of manufacturing a calcium carbonate block of no less than 0.1 cm in diameter and thickness, and not including any impurities.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Hereinafter the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
[0030] (a) a step of shaping a calcium hydroxide block is a step of shaping calcium hydroxide that is a precursor of calcium carbonate into a block. Generally, calcium hydroxide is available in a shape of powder. Thus, a compression mold is filled with calcium hydroxide powder, to compress the powder using a compression molding machine, which makes it possible to shape the powder into a block. The strength of a block to be obtained can be changed by controlling molding pressure. Molding pressure ranging from 10 to 300 kg/cm 2 is preferable.
[0031] The shape of a block can be also realized by, after mixing calcium hydroxide powder with a solvent such as water, removing the solvent.
[0032] A size of the shaped block is, preferably, 0.1 cm to 50 cm in diameter and 0.1 cm to 5 cm in thickness. Especially, the size of 3 cm to 10 cm in diameter and 1 cm to 2 cm in thickness is preferable. Examples of a shape of the block include a round column, a rectangular parallelepiped and a flat plate.
[0033] Non-limiting calcium hydroxide can be used as a raw material as long as not including any impurities. Calcium hydroxide according to the Japanese Pharmacopoeia is especially preferable because safety is secured. It is also possible to mix calcium hydroxide with another substance to be shaped into a block. Examples of this substance include hydroxyapatite, β-tricalcium phosphate and calcium sulphate.
[0034] Prior to (a) the step of shaping a calcium hydroxide block, (d) a step of mixing a pore-forming substance can be included. (d) the step of mixing a pore-forming substance is a step of mixing a substance that is soluble in a specific solvent (pore-forming substance) with calcium hydroxide that is a raw material. Including this (d) step of mixing a pore-forming substance and (e) a step of forming a pore, which will be described later, a porous calcium carbonate block where pores are distributed all over can be obtained. The mixing ratio of this calcium hydroxide to a pore-forming substance ranges preferably from 2:1 to 1:2. A size of the pore-forming substance is preferably 50 μm to 300 μm. A specific solvent can be water, and a substance soluble in water can be sodium chloride, trisodium citrate or the like.
[0035] (b) a step of being exposed to carbon dioxide is a step of being exposed to a calcium hydroxide block that is obtained in (a) the step of shaping a calcium hydroxide block to carbon dioxide, to be carbonated. According to this step, calcium hydroxide react with carbon dioxide, to produce calcium carbonate. Whereby, a partial calcium carbonate block at least a part of which is calcium carbonate is obtained. However, when a size of the block is large, or when compression pressure upon shaping the block is high, there is a possibility that calcium hydroxide remains in, especially, the center part even if it takes long for the reaction time (for example, 672 hours).
[0036] Examples of a method for realizing a carbonation atmosphere include a method of using a carbonic acid incubator. While carbonation conditions depend on a size of the block, compression pressure and so on, carbonation conditions such as the concentration of carbonic acid gas, a relative humidity and a temperature can be properly controlled by using a carbonic acid incubator. Preferable carbonation conditions are: 5% to 20% of the concentration of carbonic acid gas, 90% to 100% of a relative humidity and 20° C. to 40° C. of a temperature. Time for carbonation is, for example, 1 hour to 168 hours.
[0037] (c) a step of immersing in a carbonate ion containing solution is a step of immersing the partial calcium carbonate block obtained in (b) the step of being exposed to carbon dioxide, in a carbonate ion containing solution. According to this step, calcium hydroxide remaining in the partial calcium carbonate react with carbonate ions, to produce calcium carbonate. That is, a calcium carbonate block not including any impurities is obtained. In this step, because a carbonate ion containing solution directly reacts with calcium hydroxide, it is possible to completely carbonate calcium hydroxide a part of which cannot be carbonated in (b) the step of being exposed to carbon dioxide, and to carry out carbonation faster than (b) the step of being exposed to carbon dioxide. Immersion time is, for example, 1 hour to 168 hours.
[0038] Examples of a method for preparing a carbonate ion containing solution include a method of dissolving a carbonate ion supplying substance other than a method of dissolving carbonic acid gas in water. Non-limiting carbonate ion supplying substances can be used as long as not including impurities and being soluble in water. A carbonate ion supplying substance according to the Pharmacopoeia is especially preferable because safety is secured. Examples of such a substance include sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogencarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium hydrogencarbonate, ammonium carbonate and ammonium hydrogencarbonate. A higher temperature of a solution is desirable because carbonation is more effective and progress of reaction is faster. More specifically, no less than 20° C. is desirable. The solution can be prepared to have a temperature of the boiling point or over, using a reflux apparatus, a hydrothermal reaction apparatus that can apply pressure, etc. In view of the simplicity of the apparatus, 20° C. to 95° C. is preferable, and 60° C. to 90° C. is more preferable. While the concentration of carbonate ions in the solution is not especially specified, a higher concentration is desired because carbonation is more effective and progress of reaction is faster. When a carbonate ion supplying substance is used, the concentration depends on the solubility of the substance in water. In view of a cleaning step or the like after the reaction, the concentration of carbonate ions is desirably 0.5 mol/L to 1.5 mol/L.
[0039] In a case where (d) the step of mixing a pore-forming substance described above is included prior to (a) the step of shaping a calcium hydroxide block, (e) a step of forming a pore can be included after (b) the step of being exposed to carbon dioxide or (c) the step of immersing in a carbonate ion containing solution. (e) the step of forming a pore is a step of dissolving the substance soluble in a specific solvent, which is mixed in (d) the step of mixing a pore-forming substance, in the specific solvent. This step makes it possible to obtain a porous calcium carbonate block where pores are distributed all over. The specific solvent can be water, and the substance soluble in water can be sodium chloride, trisodium citrate or the like.
[0040] The calcium carbonate block obtained by the method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block according to the present invention is a calcium carbonate block not including impurities as described above. Thus, if this is immersed in a phosphate solution to react, a carbonate apatite block of a large size which does not include impurities is obtained. Including (d) the step of mixing a pore-forming substance and (e) the step of forming a pore makes it possible to obtain a porous calcium carbonate block, to form a porous carbonate apatite block as well.
[0041] In the present invention, (b) the step of being exposed to carbon dioxide is carried out and thereby, at least an outer surface of the calcium hydroxide block obtained in (a) the step of shaping a calcium hydroxide block becomes calcium carbonate, and generated calcium carbonate molecules are in a state of being chemically bonded to each other organically. Whereby, a calcium carbonate block can be obtained without decay even if (c) the step of immersing in a carbonate ion containing solution is carried out. In contrast, in a case where (c) the step of immersing in a carbonate ion containing solution is carried out without carrying out (b) the step of being exposed to carbon dioxide, calcium hydroxide molecules in the calcium hydroxide block obtained in (a) the step of shaping a calcium hydroxide block are just pressed and hardened, and not chemically bonded with each other. Thus, if this is immersed in a carbonate ion containing solution, the block easily decays. Thus, a calcium carbonate block cannot be obtained.
[0042] Employing the above described technical idea makes it possible to obtain a calcium carbonate block not including any impurities by covering at least the outer surface of the block with calcium carbonate in (b) the step of being exposed to carbon dioxide and rapidly completing carbonation of its inside in (c) the following step of immersing in a carbonate ion containing solution, especially even if the block is no less than 1 cm in diameter and thickness, which is relatively large and difficult to be completely carbonated with conventional methods. Therefore, the present invention is outstandingly effective.
[0043] Hereinafter concrete examples will be given and the method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block according to the present invention will be described. The present invention is not limited to the examples.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0044] Calcium hydroxide according to the Japanese Pharmacopoeia of 10 g underwent uniaxial pressing at 50 kg/cm 2 of axial force using a circular metal mold of 30 mm in diameter, to shape a compressed body of calcium hydroxide. The resultant compressed body of calcium hydroxide was left to stand in a carbonic acid incubator of the concentration of carbon acid gas: 5%, a relative humidity: 100% and a temperature: 30° C., to be carbonated thereon for 24 hours. A resultant partial calcium carbonate block was immersed in a sodium hydrogen carbonate solution of 1 mol/L at 80° C., and after 48 hours, underwent washing and drying. A resultant calcium carbonate block was divided, and a phenolphthalein solution was dropped on an exposed center part thereof. As a result, the center part was white as calcium carbonate was, and no coloration was observed. Whereby, it was confirmed that unreacted calcium hydroxide did not remain.
[0045] Example 2
[0046] Calcium hydroxide according to the Japanese Pharmacopoeia of 5 g and sodium chloride according to the Japanese Pharmacopoeia of 5 g, whose average particle diameter was 300 μm, were uniformly mixed using a V-type mixer. The resultant mixed powder underwent uniaxial pressing at 100 kg/cm 2 of axial force using a circular metal mold of 30 mm in diameter, to shape a compressed body of calcium hydroxide/sodium chloride. The resultant compressed body of calcium hydroxide/sodium chloride was left to stand in a carbonic acid incubator of the concentration of carbon acid gas: 20%, a relative humidity: 100% and a temperature: 30° C., to be carbonated for 24 hours. A resultant partial calcium carbonate/sodium chloride block was subjected to displacement washing with distilled water five times, to remove sodium chloride. A resultant porous partial calcium carbonate block was immersed in an ammonium carbonate solution of 0.5 mol/L at 100° C., and after 48 hours, underwent washing and drying. A resultant porous calcium carbonate block was divided, and a phenolphthalein solution was dropped on an exposed center part thereof. As a result, the center part was white as calcium carbonate was, and no coloration was observed. Whereby, it was confirmed that unreacted calcium hydroxide did not remain.
Comparative Example 1
[0047] After a compressed body of calcium hydroxide was shaped under the same conditions of Example 1, carbonation using a carbonic acid incubator was carried out thereon, to obtain a partial calcium carbonate block. However, immersion in a sodium hydrogen carbonate solution was not carried out after that. The resultant partial calcium carbonate block was divided, and a phenolphthalein solution was dropped on an exposed center part thereof. As a result, while a portion outside the center part was white as it had been and no coloration was observed, the center part was colored red. Whereby, it was confirmed that unreacted calcium hydroxide remained.
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An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a calcium carbonate block of no less than 0.1 cm in diameter and thickness, not including any impurities, and able to be employed as a raw material of an artificial bone that requires biosafety: the method includes: (a) shaping a calcium hydroxide block; (b) being exposed to carbon dioxide; and (c) immersing in a carbonate ion containing solution.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(i) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an endless transmission belt suitable for use in V-belt type stepless or continuous transmissions.
(ii) Description of the Prior Art
In our prior application, Japanese laid-Open Patent Application No. 58-21043 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,779) proposes an endless drive belt for transmitting torque between a couple of pulleys of the type having a pair of conical contact surfaces opposingly disposed in coaxial relation with each other. The endless belt comprises a multitude of chained trapezoidal metal blocks each having inclined contact surfaces formed on part or entire areas of lateral side surfaces for engagement with the contact surfaces of the pulleys. More particularly, the endless drive belt of our prior application employs metal blocks each comprising a plate of trapezoidal shape in front view, having the inclined contact surfaces formed on part or entire areas of its lateral side surfaces and having, bored through its thickness, one or two apertures with predetermined dimensions in widthwise direction or one or two notches opened on the outer pheripheral edges thereof, and an endless link chain comprising a multitude of link units of uniform lengths connected with each other at the opposite ends thereof. The link chain has a width which can be fitted in the above-mentioned aperture or notch, the links being longitudinally inserted in the apertures or notches of the metal blocks crosswise. The metal blocks are each connected to the link chain by at least one shaft and are successively mounted along the length of the link chain, transferring the transmitted force from a preceding metal block to a succeeding metal block through the link chain. In this case, the blocks are retained in position by pins (connecting means) in order not to subject the links to unnecessary forces other than the transmitting torque.
However, as each metal block is located between adjacent pins in the endless transmission belt of the above-described arrangement, there is a possibility of impairing durability of the blocks which have to bear relatively large loads.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an endless transmission belt in which, in order to overcome the above-mentioned problem, a pair of metal blocks are located between adjacent joint means which hold the blocks in position, receiving loads by the paired blocks between the adjacent joint means to enhance durability of the blocks.
According to the present invention, there is provided an endless transmission belt, comprising: a plural number of link units each comprising a series of link elements having opposite end portions overlapped alternately with end portions of link elements of adjacent link units; joint means pivotally connecting the overlapped end portions of adjacent link units; and paired first and second blocks fitted successively on the link units and retained in position between adjacent joint means by engagement therewith; the first block having an outer lapping face in abutting engagement with an outer lapping face of an adjacent second block and an inner lapping face having a connecting portion in engagement with a joint means; and the second block having an outer lapping face in engagement with an outer lapping face of a adjacent first block and an inner lapping face having a connecting portion in engagement with the joint means.
The endless transmission belt with the above-described arrangement according to the invention has a number of advantages as follows.
(a) A couple of blocks are located between adjacent joint means which hold the blocks in position on the links, to receive the load by the two blocks between two adjacent joint means. It follows that the blocks are contacted with the pulleys of a V-belt type stepless transmission through increased number of contact surfaces and therefor improved in durability to a significant degree.
(b) The machining process is facilitated since it suffices to form a joint groove on only one face of each of the paired blocks which engage the joint means.
(c) The blocks comprise plates of a small thickness and are therefore easy to machine.
(d) Since the first and second blocks are engaged with the joint means pivotally in a predetermined range, the paired blocks between the joint means are successively brought into contact with the pulleys in a posture lying in the direction of the center of rotation of the pulleys when the endless transmission belt is passed around the pulleys. Therefore, as compared with the endless transmission belt having only one block between the adjacent joint means, it is possible to reduce the variations in speed which occur when an endless transmission belt takes a polygonal shape on a pulley.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show by way of example some preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention in a partly sectioned side view;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line A--A of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of major components of the endless transmission belt according to the invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of terminal blocks on the endless transmission belt;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the invention; .
FIG. 6 is a front view of blocks of a third embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a front view of blocks of a fourth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a front view of blocks of a fifth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 9 is a front view of a sixth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 10 is a side view of a seventh embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 11 is a side view of an eighth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 is a side view of a ninth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the first block in the endless transmission belt of FIG. 12; and
FIG. 14 is a side view of a tenth embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Hereafter, the endless transmission belt of the invention is described more particularly by way of preferred embodiments shown in the drawings.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is illustrated a first embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, wherein the belt 1 comprises a series of links units L each comprising a number of longitudinally extending link elements 6 having end portions thereof overlapped alternately with end portions of link elements 6 of adjacent link units L, cylindrical pins PA serving as joint means for pivotally connecting adjacent link units L, a first block Ba retained on one side of each cylindrical pin PA, and a second block Bb retained on the other side of the cylindrical pin PA.
The first block Ba of a metal, synthetic resin or ceramic material is formed in a trapezoidal shape having its width reduced from its top edge 22 toward its bottom edge 23 to provide inclined contact surfaces 24 on the opposite lateral sides 21a and 21b for engagement with the conical contact surfaces of pulleys of a V-belt type stepless or continuous transmission, and has a suitable thickness for forming inner and outer lapping faces 25b and 25a to be contacted with opposing inner and outer lapping faces 35a and 35b of the adjacent second blocks Bb. The lapping face 25b of each block Ba is provided with a tapered surface 251 which converges toward the center to permit flexing movements of the endless transmission belt 1. An opening 26 of a rectangular shape is formed from one lapping face 25a to the other lapping face 25b to receive a link L therein. The other lapping face 25b of the block Ba is centrally provided with banks 27a and 27b, and a pin holder groove 28, a first connecting means, is formed across the opening 26 in the longitudinal direction thereof.
The second block Bb of a metal, synthetic resin or ceramic material is likewise formed in a trapezoidal shape having its width reduced from its top edge 32 toward its bottom edge 33 to provide inclined contact surfaces 34 on the opposite lateral side surfaces 31a and 31b for engagement with the conical contact surfaces of the pulleys of the V-type stepless transmission, and has a suitable thickness for forming inner and outer lapping faces 35b and 35a to be contacted with the inner and outer lapping faces 25a and 25b of adjacent first blocks Ba. One lapping face 35a of each second block Bb is provided with a tapered surface 351 which is converged toward the center to permit flexing movements of the endless transmission belt 1. Similarly, an opening 36 of a rectangular shape is bored from one lapping face 35a to the other lapping face 35b to receive a link therein. A pin insertion groove 38, serving as a second connecting means, is formed centrally on the other lapping face 35b of the block Bb longitudinally across the opening 36.
The links L each comprises a number of link elements 6 of thin metal strips which are juxtaposed in the transverse direction and provided with pin receiving holes 4 and 5 in the opposite end portions. The end portions of the adjacent links are overlapped alternately such that the pin receiving holes 4 and 5 are aligned with each other, and pivotally connected to each other by a cylindrical pin PA which has its circumference formed in a round shape at least in a major portion to be fitted in the pin receiving holes 4 and 5. The link elements 6 have a height slightly smaller than the width of the openings 26 and 36 in the first and second blocks Ba and Bb, that is to say, slightly smaller than the width of the spaces between the upper and lower edges 22 and 23 of the opening 26 and between the upper and lower edges 32 and 33 of the opening 36. The distance between the pin receiving holes 4 and 5 in the opposite end portions of the link elements 6 is determined such that, when the cylindrical pins Pa are fitted in the holes 4 and 5, they are engaged with the joint grooves 28 and 38 to hold the first and second blocks Ba and Bb in position without dislocations.
The cylindrical pin PA has a length and an outer shape corresponding to the pin holder groove 28 extending longitudinally across the opening 26 of the block Ba.
The endless transmission belt 1 of the invention, having the paired first and second blocks Ba and Bb successively retained in position by the links L and cylindrical pins PA, is assembled in the manner as described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
(a) The link elements 61a in the left-hand rows (in FIG. 2) of the first joint are fitted into the opening 36a of the block Bb1 in the first position from the side of the lapping face 35b, and then the holes 42a in on end portions of the link elements 62a in the right-hand rows are aligned with the pin insertion groove 38a of the block Bb1 in the first position. Next, the holes 51a in the other end portions of the link elements 61a in the left-hand rows of the first joint are aligned with the holes 42a in one end portions of the link elements 62a in the right-hand rows of the first joint, and pivotally connected with each other by insertion of a first cylindrical pin PA1. The block Ba1 in the first position is fitted on the link elements 61a in the left-hand rows of the first joint from the side of the pin holder groove 28a.
(b) The block Bb2 of the second position is fitted on the link elements 61a in the left-hand rows of the first joint from the same direction as the block Bb1 in the first position. In the next place, the connecting holes 41a in one end portions of the link elements 61a in the left-hand rows of the first joint are aligned with the joint holes 38b of the block Bb2 in the second position, and joint holes 38a in one end portions of the link elements 61a in the left-hand rows of the first joint are aligned with and pivotally connected to joint holes 52b in the other end portions of the link elements 62b in the right-hand rows of the second joint by means of a second cylindrical pin PA2. Then, the block Ba2 in the second position is fitted on the link elements 62b in the right-hand rows of the second joint from the side of the pin holder groove 28b.
The foregoing procedures are repeated before assembling the terminal links and blocks as follows.
(1) After fitting the block Ban-1 in the n-1 position on the link elements 61n in the left-hand rows of the final joint, the block Ban of the final position is fitted on the link elements 62a in the right-hand rows of the first joint from the side of the lapping face 25a as shown also in FIG. 4, and the block Bbn of the final pair is fitted on the link elements 6an in the left-hand rows of the final joint from the side of the lapping face 35b. The joint holes 41n in one end portions of the link elements 6an in the left-hand rows of the final joint are aligned with pivot holes 52a in the other end portions of the link elements 62a in the left-hand rows of the first joint, the pin insertion hole 27 of the terminal first block Ban and the pin insertion hole 27 of the terminal first block Ban and the pin insertion hole 38 of the final second block Bbn, and pivotally connected to the link elements 62a of the first joint by a terminal cylindrical pin PAn. The terminal first and second blocks Ban and Bbn are provided with notches 29a, 29b, 39a and 39b on the opposite lateral sides 21a, 21b, 31a and 31b, respectively, to caulk the end portions 13a and 13b of the terminal cylindrical pin PAn or to fit snap rings on the end portions 13a and 13b or to mount pin stopper covers on the end portions 13a and 13b to prevent fall-off the terminal pin PAn.
Illustrated in FIG. 5 is a second embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, in which the component parts common to the foregoing first embodiment in function are designated by like reference numerals.
More particularly, the second embodiment of FIG. 5 employs first and second blocks Ba and Bb which are provided with link insertion notches 26A, 26B, 36A and 36B open on the opposite lateral side walls 21a, 21b, 31a and 31b, respectively. The lapping face 25b of the first block Ba is centrally formed with a groove 27A which constitutes the first connecting means to be stopped by a cylindrical pin PA. The lapping face 35a of the second block Bb is centrally formed with a groove 37A which constitutes the first connecting means to be stopped by a cylindrical pin PA. On the other hand, the links L have the link elements fitted on the opposite end portions of a cylindrical pin PA which oppose the link insertion recesses 26A and 26B, and the opposite end portions of the cylindrical pin PA which has its center portions 13 fitted in the grooves 27A and 37A are caulked to prevent drop-off of the pin PA.
Illustrated in FIG. 6 is a third embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, in which the first block Ba has the opposite corner portions of its upper edge 22 cut off the provide link insertion notches 26C and 26C, and a groove 27B is formed in a center portion of the lapping face 25b at a position closer to the top edge 22.
Illustrated in FIG. 7 is a fourth embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, in which the first block Ba has a center portion of its top edge 22 cut off to provide a link insertion notch 26E, and a groove 27C is formed on the opposite sides of the link insertion notch 26E on the lapping face 25b.
Illustrated in FIG. 8 is a fifth embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, in which the first block Ba has the opposite corner portions of its bottom edge 23 cut off to provide link insertion notches 26F and 26G, and a groove 27D is formed centrally on the lapping face 25b at a position closer to the bottom edge 23.
Illustrated in FIG. 9 is a sixth embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, in which the first block Ba has a center portion of its bottom edge 23 cut off to provide a link insertion notch 26H, and grooves 27E and 27F are formed on the opposite sides of the link insertion notch 26H on the lapping face 25b.
Illustrated in FIG. 10 is a seventh embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, in which the first and second blocks Ba and Bb are provided with tapered surfaces 251, 252, 351 and 352 on the lapping faces 25a, 25b, 35a and 35b, respectively, to permit flexing movements of the belt.
Illustrated in FIG. 11 is an eighth embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, wherein the first block Ba is provided with a curved projection at each end of the pin holder groove 28A which is formed centrally on the lapping face 25b of the block as a connecting groove, and the second block Bb is similarly provided with a curved projection 381 at each end of the pin insertion groove 38A which is formed centrally on the lapping face 25a. Rod-like pins PB which serve as connecting means each has its diameter reduced arcuately toward a center portion 15c from the opposite end portions 15a and 15b, with the center portion 15c abutted on the afore-mentioned projections 281 and 38 to hold the first and second blocks Ba and Bb in position. The link elements 6 of each link L are provided with projections 41 and 51, with curved configurations corresponding to the projections 281 and 381, on the inner walls 4a and 5a of the pivot holes 41 and 5A, the projections 41 and 51 being held in rolling contact with the center portion 15c of the rod-like pin PB to permit articular movements of the belt.
Illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 is a ninth embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, in which rolling contact pins PCa and PCb are provided with abutting curved surfaces 16a and 16b along with curved surfaces 16c and 16d of the same curvature as curved wall surfaces 42 and 52 in the articulate holes 4 and 5 of the link elements 6, the curved surfaces 16a to 16d being connected by flat surfaces 16e to 16h. The first block Ba is provided with rectangular pin holder grooves 27G and 27H on the lapping face 25b at the opposite ends of a link inserting opening 26 to serve as connecting means, and semi-circular projections 29A and 29B are formed at the outer ends of the pin holder grooves 27G and 27G to prevent fall-off of the joint pin.
In this embodiment, the curved surfaces of the rolling contact pins Pca and Pcb are formed over the ranges in which the pins are contacted with the rectangular pin holder grooves 27G and 27H of the first block Ba and the rectangular pin insertion groove 37B of the second block Bb. The flat surfaces 16e to 16h are provided to prevent rotational sliding movements of the rolling contact pins Pca and Pcd relative to the link elements 6.
Illustrated in FIG. 14 is a tenth embodiment of the endless transmission belt of the invention, in which the first block Ba is provided with a pin holder groove 28b on the lapping face 25b as the second connecting means, the pin holder groove 28b having concentric upper and lower curved walls 271 and 272 and an arcuate bottom wall 273 connecting the upper and lower curved walls 271 and 272, and a semi-circular formed at each end of the pin holder groove 28B to prevent drop-off of the pin. The second block Bb is provided with a pin insertion groove 38B on its inner lapping face 35a as the first connecting means, the pin groove 38B having concentric upper and lower curved walls 382 and 383 and an arcuate bottom surface 384 connecting the upper and lower curved surfaces 382 and 383. The rolling contact pins Pea and Peb, which serves as a joint means, consists of an arcuate plate member 17b with a curved abutting face 17a protruding toward the joint point from the inner lapping face 25b of the first block Ba, and an arcuate plate member 17d with a curved abutting face 17c protruding toward the joint point from the inner lapping face 35a of the second block Bb. In this case, adjacent links are joined by a pair of rolling contact pins Pea and Peb instead of a single joint pin. The use of the rolling contact pins Pea and Peb which are rotatable by rolling can contribute to improvement of durability of the links L by reduction of friction.
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An endless transmission belt adapted for extension between a pair of pulleys for a V-belt type continuously variable transmission, the belt comprising: a plurality of linking units, each link unit comprising a plurality of link elements having opposite end portions thereof over lapped alternately with link elements of adjacent link units; joint members pivotally connecting the overlapped end portions of adjacent links; paired first and second blocks disposed over each of the link units between adjacent joint members, each block having side surfaces engageable with the pulleys; each of the first blocks having an outer lapping face in abutting engagement with an adjacent second block and having an inter lapping face with a connecting portion in engagement with one of the joint members, each of the joint members pivotally supporting one of the first blocks in a radial position providing a clearance between each first block and each link unit; and, each of the second blocks having an outer lapping face in abutting engagement with an adjacent first block and an inter lapping face with a connecting portion in engagement with one of the joint members, each of the joint members pivotally supporting one of the second blocks in a radial position providing a clearance between each second block and each link unit.
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This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/128,925 filed May 12, 2011, which is a national stage application of PCT/EP2009/065335 filed Nov. 17, 2009, which claims priority to FR 08/06456 filed Nov. 18, 2008.
The present invention relates to a combined power supply and charging electric device and an associated method and is situated in the field of motors or alternators powered by rechargeable batteries.
The invention is advantageously applicable in the field of electric motor vehicles in which the batteries can power the motor via an inverter and be recharged when the motor vehicle is at a standstill.
However, although particularly designed for such an application, the device and the associated method can be used in other fields, and notably in wind-turbine or hydraulic-type energy generation devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, an electric vehicle is equipped with high-voltage batteries delivering a DC current to an inverter which transforms this DC current into an AC current making it possible to power an electric motor, the latter ensuring the movement of the vehicle.
So as to ensure the recharging of these high-voltage batteries, it is known to equip the vehicle with an embedded charging device mainly comprising an AC/DC converter making it possible to rectify the AC power from the electrical network to charge the batteries. The device also advantageously comprises a DC-DC converter adapting the network voltage level to that of the batteries.
The electronic components of the power supply subsystem on the one hand and of the charging subsystem on the other hand are costly. Moreover, the powering of the motor and the charging of the batteries are performed with different phases, so it has been proposed, in the applications EP 0 603 778 and WO97/08009, to reuse a part of the motor and of the components used to power it to implement the battery charging device.
To this end, the battery charging device uses the inverter to form an AC-DC converter and the windings of the motor to form the inductances. The switchover from the motor power supply mode to the battery charging mode is handled by switching means with power contactors by disconnecting the neutral.
The use of power connectors is, however, problematical in the sense that, because they carry current for the electric machine, they have to be overengineered. To overcome this drawback, one solution consists in producing a structure having integrated switching means with H-shaped bridges.
However, in the two abovementioned cases, the use of the phases of the motor as inductance for rectifying the current of the electrical network causes disturbances on the rotor of the motor. In practice, the inductances are magnetized by the alternating currents, thus creating magnetic fields. These magnetic fields act on the rotor which may start to move, for example by vibrating, and even, depending on the magnetic fields and characteristics of the rotor, start rotating. This setting in motion poses problems with regard to both comfort and safety in the case of a use of the combined electric device in an electric vehicle, even if the latter may be equipped with a system for decoupling the axle system from the machine during charging.
SUBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the present invention is to propose a device and a method that make it possible to power the motor and charge the battery by using elements of the motor and of the inverter and such that the device and the method make it possible to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks when charging the energy energy storage means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To this end, the invention targets a combined power supply and charging method includes a control step making it possible to switch from a motor power supply mode to an energy energy energy storage means charging mode on an electrical network and vice versa. It also includes a step for compensating for the magnetic fields during the energy energy storage means charging step making it possible to limit or eliminate the movements of the rotor.
This method can be implemented in a device equipped with a motor and linked to an electrical network the number of phases of which is less than the number of phases of the motor, the compensation step then being able to include an operation consisting in injecting, into the phase or phases of the motor that are not linked to a phase of the network, a compensation current. This compensation current can be slaved to the position of the rotor of the motor and/or to the charge current injected into the phases of the motor that are linked to a phase of the electrical network.
Alternatively, or in addition, the compensation step may include an operation consisting in rectifying, by a diode bridge, the electrical network, as well as an operation consisting in injecting the charge current via the mid-point of at least one inductive winding of the stator of the motor. In this case, during said current injection operation, the same current can be injected into each of the halves of said inductive winding, which makes it possible to lower the inductance of the corresponding winding, leaving only its leakage inductance apparent.
The method can be implemented in a device equipped with a three-phase motor and linked to a single-phase electrical network, the compensation step including an operation consisting in rectifying, by a diode bridge, the electrical network, and an operation consisting in injecting, into the phase or phases of the motor that are not linked to a phase of the network, a current equal to the charge current injected into the phase or phases of the motor that are linked to a phase of the network.
The method can also be implemented in a device equipped with a three-phase motor and linked to a single-phase electrical network, the compensation step including an operation consisting in injecting, into the phase or phases of the motor that are not linked to a phase of the network, a current equal to the charge current injected into the phase or phases of the motor that are linked to a phase of the network.
The method can also be implemented in a device equipped with a three-phase motor and linked to a single-phase electrical network, the compensation step including an operation consisting in rectifying, by a diode bridge, the electrical network, and an operation consisting in injecting the charge current via the mid-point of at least one coil of the stator of the motor.
The method can also be implemented in a device equipped with a three-phase motor, and linked to a single-phase electrical network, the compensation step including an operation consisting in injecting the charge current via the mid-point of at least one coil of the stator of the motor.
The method can also be implemented in a device equipped with a three-phase motor and linked to a three-phase electrical network, the compensation step includes an operation consisting in rectifying, by a diode bridge, the electrical network and in reversing a phase of the motor.
The method can also be implemented in a device equipped with a three-phase motor and linked to a three-phase electrical network in which the compensation step includes an operation consisting in injecting the charge current via the mid-points of the coils of the stator of the motor.
Another aspect of the invention targets an electric device suitable for implementing the method defined above. Such an electric device may comprise an alternating current motor, an inverter of the energy storage means and of the switching means making it possible either to enable the powering of the motor or to enable the charging of the energy storage means by the inverter, said electric device being characterized in that it comprises means for compensating for the magnetic fields generated during the charging of the energy storage means making it possible to limit or eliminate the movements of the rotor of the motor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood from reading about a detailed exemplary embodiment, with reference to the appended drawings, supplied by way of nonlimiting example, in which:
FIG. 1 schematically represents an exemplary embodiment of a three-phase inverter with a single-phase electrical network, the compensation being performed by a diode bridge;
FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically represent two exemplary embodiments of a three-phase inverter with a single-phase electrical network, the compensation being performed by current injection;
FIG. 3 schematically represents an exemplary embodiment of a three-phase inverter with a single-phase electrical network, the compensation being performed by injection of the charge current via the mid-points of the coils;
FIG. 4 schematically represents an exemplary embodiment of a three-phase inverter with a three-phase electrical network, the compensation being performed by diode bridges;
FIG. 5 schematically represents an exemplary embodiment of a three-phase inverter with a three-phase electrical network, the compensation being performed by injection of the charge current via the mid-points of the coils;
FIG. 6 schematically represents an exemplary embodiment of the connection of the motor, inverter, energy energy storage means assembly and network outlet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring mainly to FIG. 6 , a device 1 according to the invention can be seen represented, with an inverter 2 and switching means 4 comprising three H-shaped bridges, 3 , 3 ′, 3 ″. Each bridge 3 , 3 ′, 3 ″ comprises four switches (consisting, in the present example, of power transistors) distributed on arms referenced A to F. The device 1 also comprises energy energy energy storage means 5 , a motor 6 , represented partially, the windings 7 of which serve as inductance.
The device 1 also comprises a connector system 8 making it possible to connect to the outlet of the electrical network 11 .
The switching from the power supply mode to the charging mode is managed by a control circuit 9 (in FIG. 6 , the link between the control circuit 9 and the switches 12 has not been represented to make it easier to read the figure). Referring to FIG. 6 , it can be seen that the device 1 also comprises a DC/DC converter 10 arranged between the H-shaped bridges and the energy energy energy storage means 5 , the latter makes it possible to adapt the voltages and consequently optimize the dimensioning of the inverter without degrading efficiency.
FIG. 1 targets an embodiment combining a three-phase motor and a single-phase charging electrical network, the compensation being performed by rectification of the network. FIG. 1 represents an inverter 2 with a control circuit 9 and a single-phase electrical source or network 11 . The single phase of the network 11 is connected to the first phase of the motor 6 to make it possible to charge the energy energy energy storage means 5 . More specifically, the phase of the network 11 is connected so as to use the first coil 7 of the stator of the motor 6 as inductance during charging.
During this charging step, a magnetic field is created in the motor that includes a homopolar component which attracts and repels in succession the poles of the rotor of the motor 6 . Depending on the rotor types, it is thus possible for the rotor to vibrate or start rotating during the charging of the energy storage means 5 and, in particular, in the case of use of a permanent-magnet rotor. Even in the case of a wound rotor, if the latter is not insulated from its power supply, spurious induced currents can appear in the rotor and set the latter in motion. The use of a diode bridge 14 as compensation means makes it possible to create a unipolar field that varies only in amplitude. These compensation means prevent the appearance of the attraction repulsion phenomena in a permanent-magnet rotor.
FIGS. 2A and 2B target an embodiment combining a three-phase motor and a single-phase charging electrical network, the compensation being performed by current injection. FIG. 2A represents an inverter 2 with a control circuit 9 and a single-phase electrical network 11 . In this example, the compensation consists in injecting into the remaining phase a current identical to that used for charging. The compensation consequently makes it possible to thus inhibit the effect of the charge current with respect to the rotor.
The compensation of the magnetic fields during the charging step is in this case performed by a compensation operation during which the control circuit 9 drives the switches 12 so as to inject, into each of the two phases of the motor that have remained free (that is to say, into the two coils of the stator of the motor 6 that are not linked to the network 11 ), a compensation current determined by the control circuit 9 so that the vector sum of the magnetic fields created by each of the three coils 7 is zero. This makes it possible to reduce or eliminate the movements of the rotor due, for example, to dissymmetries of the motor.
As an example, compensation currents identical to the charging current can be injected, thus inhibiting the effect of the charging current with respect to the rotor. The control circuit 9 thus determines the compensation current by slaving it to the charge current.
As a variant, or in addition, the compensation currents can also be determined by the control circuit 9 according to the position of the rotor of the motor 6 supplied, for example, by a sensor. The compensation current is then slaved to the physical position of the rotor, that is to say that it is modified until the rotor is immobilized or exhibits an acceptable movement.
FIG. 2B shows a variant in the connection of the single-phase network to the H-shaped bridges ( 3 , 3 ′, 3 ″). The link from the control circuit 9 to the transistors of the H-shaped bridges has not been represented to keep the figure simple. These links are identical to those of FIGS. 1 and 2A .
In all the figures, the points that can be seen in proximity to the motor windings 7 define the winding direction of the winding in the notches provided for this purpose. The winding is such that if balanced three-phase currents supply the coils 7 of the motor 6 via each of the terminals indicated by the point, the magnetomotive force system is a balanced three-phase system. In a misuse of language, it is said that the terminal of coil 7 marked by a point is the positive terminal.
In FIG. 2B , the single-phase network is connected so that the neutral of the network is on a coil 7 terminal that is said to be positive and the phase is on a negative terminal. Thus, from the viewpoint of the motor 6 , the currents passing through its first two coils are in phase. It is then sufficient to inject into the remaining coil 7 a current that is in phase. Thus, the fields generated on the stator of the motor 6 are in fact on the rotor because the vector sum of the currents of the coils 7 of the motor taking into account their spatial offset is zero.
During charging, one of the possible commands is to drive the arms B and C in phase opposition. For example, the arms B and C can be controlled according to a conventional PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control in order to produce the PFC (Power Factor Corrector) function. There will be no more detailed discussion here concerning how to control the current to produce all the functionalities of a battery charger, which is known to those skilled in the art. To produce the compensation, the arms E and F are driven in the present example so as to generate a current equal in amplitude and in phase on the corresponding coil 7 , the role of which is to compensate for the stator field created by the first two coils 7 . The arms A and D are represented in dotted lines because they are not controlled during this charging phase. The compensation is thus produced by the arms E and F.
A variant of the embodiment of FIG. 1 consists in complementing the compensation by rectification of the network with a compensation by current injection into the remaining free phase of the motor, as in the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B .
FIG. 3 targets an embodiment combining a three-phase motor and a single-phase charging electrical network, the compensation being performed by current injection at the mid-points of the windings 7 of the motor 6 . FIG. 3 represents an inverter 2 with a control circuit 9 and a single-phase electrical network 11 . In this example, the compensation means are produced by connecting the terminals 15 of the electrical network 11 via the mid-points 16 of two coils of the stator of the motor 6 . During the charging step, the current is input at the mid-points 16 . This introduction means that the charge currents are balanced between each half-coil and consequently do not create any magnetomotive force.
The arms A and B as well as C and D are driven in the present example so as to generate currents that are equal in amplitude but in phase opposition from the viewpoint of the motor 6 . For example, the arms B and C can be controlled according to a conventional PWM control in order to produce the PFC function. Since the currents of each half-coil flow in the same notches but in opposite directions, as indicated in the figure, the magnetomotive force is therefore zero. There is no field created on the stator by virtue of this compensation. Nevertheless, these currents are in phase from the viewpoint of the battery charger.
The battery charging is handled, as in a conventional charger, by the arms A, B, C and D and by the leakage inductances of each pair of half-coils. In practice, the coupling of the two half-coils is not perfect even though they pass through the same notches, this being due to the inevitable shape imperfections of the coils. These imperfections therefore form an inductive element for the charger function. The arms E and F are not controlled during this charging phase.
As a variant, the coils can be arranged so that the currents of each half-coil do not flow in the same notches.
FIG. 4 targets an embodiment combining a three-phase motor and a three-phase charging electrical network, the compensation being performed by rectification of the network. FIG. 4 represents an inverter 2 with a control circuit 9 and three-phase electrical network 11 . In this exemplary embodiment, the compensation means comprise diode bridges 14 . To improve the compensation and prevent any rotation of the rotor, the compensation may include an additional step consisting in reversing a phase of the rotor of the motor 6 . This reversal can be produced simply by reversing the connection of one of the inductive windings of the stator (see FIG. 4 in which, for the leftmost winding 7 in the figure, the point is to the right of this winding whereas, for the other two windings 7 , the point is to the left of the corresponding winding).
FIG. 5 targets an embodiment combining a three-phase motor and a three-phase charging electrical network, the compensation being performed by current injection at the mid-points of the windings 7 of the motor 6 . FIG. 5 represents an inverter 2 with a control circuit 9 and a three-phase electrical network 11 . In this exemplary embodiment, the compensation means are produced by connecting the electrical network 11 to the mid-points 16 of the coils of the stator of the motor 6 . All the arms A to F are in this case controlled according to a conventional PWM control in order to produce the PFC function.
The input of the current, during the energy energy energy storage means charging mode, at the mid-points means, in the same way as was described in the example of FIG. 3 for a single-phase electrical network, that the charge currents are balanced between each half-coil and consequently do not create any magnetomotive force.
This solution for compensation by current injection into the mid-points of the coils has the advantage of advantageously reducing the apparent inductance of the charger (this is also valid for the embodiment of FIG. 3 ). In practice, in order to produce a device producing the PFC function, the inductance of the coils must not be too great so as not to distort the wave of the current. When the power factor is unitary, the current is in phase with the voltage. The slope of the current is maximum when the voltage is zero. If the inductance is high, the rise of the current will take longer and will reach its maximum slope with a delay. The consequence is a distortion of the current during the transition to zero. This distortion is a source of harmonics. As it happens, the leakage inductance is much less than the magnetizing inductance. Generally, the ratio of the leakage inductance to the magnetizing inductance is from 1 to 10%. In the case of a high-voltage machine, the value of the inductance increases with the square of the control voltage. For high-voltage systems, the inductances of the stator coils of the electric machines are too high to produce a charger with control of the power factor. The solution of FIGS. 3 and 5 makes it possible to divide this inductance by 10 or even 100. For example, a 50 KW machine engineered for an inverter with a 900 V H-shaped bridge may exhibit an inductance of 4 mH. This value is not suitable for a 3 KW charger at 230 V. The use of the leakage inductance makes it possible to reduce this value between 400 and 40 μH. The drawback may be a ripple on the current that is greater than the chopping frequency. This ripple can be reduced by increasing the chopping frequency. Bearing in mind that the 3 to 6 KW charger does not use the full capacity of the electronics engineered for a 50 KW inverter, there is no drawback in increasing the switching losses in battery charging mode.
Consequently, in the case of a current injection at the mid-points of one or more coils of the stator ( FIGS. 3 and 5 ), and when the same current is injected into the two half-coils (formed by the existence of the mid-point), the inductances of the two half-coils are canceled out. Only the leakage inductance associated with the imperfections of the coils remains apparent, this inductance being much lower and better suited to use in a charger.
Other features of the invention could also have been envisaged without thereby departing from the scope of the invention defined by the claims below. Thus, in the various examples taken up in the description the compensation means are detailed with a three-phase motor, but the teachings of this description can be transposed and extended generally to polyphase electric machines.
As in the examples cited the inverter has an H-shaped bridge structure, the invention however is not limited to this structure and notably can be extended to a conventional structure with an inverter produced with three-phase bridges and switching means of power contactor type to switch from a battery charging mode to a motor power supply mode. Moreover, the various embodiments described here can be combined, just as the compensation step can be performed by a combination of the various compensation means described.
In the examples cited, the expression “mid-point”, when it relates to a coil, may designate not only the point of connection of two half-coils with the same number of turns, but also the point of connection of two half-coils with different numbers of turns. The expression “mid-point” is therefore used here in accordance with its usual meaning in electronics, equally covering a point taken at the exact middle of a coil, and a point dividing the coil into two unequal portions (for example, one portion comprising two thirds of the total number of turns and another portion comprising one third of the total number of turns). In the same spirit, the terms “half” or “half-coil” designate one of these portions, even if the latter comprises a number of turns that is different from half the total number of turns of the coil. The charge currents are then distributed in each half-coil in such a way as to reflect the ratio between the number of turns of the half-coil concerned and the total number of turns of the coil.
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A combined power supply and charging method includes controlling switching from a motor power supply mode to an energy storage charging mode on an electrical network and vice versa, and compensating for magnetic fields during the energy storage charging mode in order to limit or eliminate movements of a rotor of the motor.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to techniques for recovering from errors detected in a data processing apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] It is known to provide a data processing apparatus that has processing logic which can be considered to be formed of a series of serially connected processing stages, one example being a pipelined processing logic circuit. Between each of the stages is a signal-capture element (also referred to herein as a latch) into which one or more signal values are stored. The logic of each processing stage is responsive to input values received from other processing stages or elsewhere to generate output signal values to be stored in an associated output latch. The time taken for the logic to complete its processing operations determines the speed at which the data processing apparatus may operate. If the logic of all stages is able to complete its processing operation in a short period of time, then the signal values may be rapidly advanced through the output latches resulting in high speed processing. Such a known system does not advance signals between stages more rapidly than the slowest processing stage logic is able to perform its processing operation of receiving input signals and generating appropriate output signals. This limits the maximum performance of the system.
[0003] In some situations it is desired to process data as rapidly as possible and accordingly the processing stages will be driven so as to advance their processing operations at as rapid a rate as possible until the slowest of the processing stages is unable to keep pace. In other situations, the power consumption of the data processing apparatus is more important than the processing rate and the operating voltage of the data processing apparatus will be reduced so as to reduce power consumption up to the point at which the slowest of the processing stages is again no longer able to keep pace. Both of these situations in which the slowest of the processing stages is unable to keep pace will give rise to the occurrence of processing errors (i.e. systematic errors), and hence conventional systems have built in safety margins in selection of clock frequency, etc to ensure that such errors do not occur.
[0004] In contrast to such conventional techniques, commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Publication No. U.S. 2004-0199821 describes an integrated circuit in which a sampling circuit is arranged to sample a digital signal value at a first time and at a second later time, with a difference in the digital signal value sampled being indicative of an error in operation of the integrated circuit. Error repair logic is then used to repair the error in operation. This technique recognises that the operation of the processing stages themselves can be directly monitored to find the limiting conditions in which they fail. When actual failures occur, then these failures can be corrected such that incorrect operation overall is not produced. It has been found that the performance advantages achieved by the avoidance of excessively cautious performance margins in the previous conventional approaches compared with the direct observation of the failure point when using the technique of the above US patent application more than compensates for the additional time and power consumed in recovering the system when a failure does occur.
[0005] However, in accordance with the techniques described in U.S. patent publication no. U.S. 2004-0199821, it is necessary to perform error detection and any necessary error recovery within a single clock cycle. In particular, considering the pipeline example described in that U.S. patent publication, a global recovery technique is performed in which on detection of an error, the entire pipeline is stalled, the correct data is reinserted into the relevant pipeline stages, and a global recovery signal is then asserted. The global recovery signal is asserted by performing a sequence of steps which comprise detecting a local error in a particular sampling circuit, propagating that local error to a logical OR gate, evaluating that OR gate's inputs to determine assertion of the global recovery signal, and then propagating the global error recovery signal to the relevant sampling circuits. Given that half of a clock cycle may be required to detect the presence of the error, this only leaves half a cycle for signal propagation of the global recovery signal to the required sampling circuits.
[0006] Given current technology trends, namely increasing frequency and more complex design requiring a larger number of sampling circuits, the above recovery process may not be feasible in future systems. In particular, it is likely that in the future the half cycle left for performing recovery may not provide enough time for the system to completely recover from the error.
[0007] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a technique for recovering from errors in a data processing system, which alleviates the above time constraint.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Viewed from a first aspect, the present invention provides a data processing apparatus comprising: processing logic operable to perform a data processing operation; a plurality of sampling circuits, each sampling circuit being located at a predetermined point in the processing logic and operable to sample a value of an associated digital signal generated by the processing logic at that predetermined point; each of said sampling circuits including a backup latch operable to store a backup copy of the associated digital signal value, and at least one of the sampling circuits being operable to temporally sample the value of the associated digital signal at a first time and at at least one later time and to store as the backup copy a selected one of the sampled values representing a correct value, the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time being initially output from that sampling circuit; the at least one of the sampling circuits being operable to determine an occurrence of an error in the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time, and to issue an error signal upon determination of said error, the data processing apparatus further comprising: error recovery logic operable in response to the error signal to implement a recovery procedure during which selected sampling circuits are operable to output as their sampled associated digital signal value the value stored in their backup latch.
[0009] In accordance with the present invention, each of the sampling circuits includes a backup latch operable to store a backup copy of the digital signal value sampled by that sampling circuit. The term latch used herein encompasses any circuit element operable to store a signal value irrespective of triggering, clock and other requirements. At least one of the sampling circuits temporally samples its associated digital signal value at a first time and at at least one later time, and a selected one of those sampled values representing a correct value is stored as a backup copy. The backup copy may be the correct value itself, or a value from which the correct value can be derived. To enable high performance, the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time is initially output from the sampling circuit.
[0010] It is possible that this value initially output from the sampling circuit may include an error. This error may be a processing error resulting from sampling the signal before the logic producing that signal had finished performing the required processing operation, or alternatively may be some random error, also known as a soft error. One example of such a soft error is a single event upset (SEU). An SEU is a random error (bit-flip) induced by an ionising particle such as a cosmic ray or an alpha particle in a device. The change of state is transient i.e. pulse-like, so a reset or rewriting of the device causes normal behavior thereafter.
[0011] The at least one sampling circuit is arranged to determine the occurrence of such an error and to issue an error signal when such an error is detected. The data processing apparatus further comprises error recovery logic which, in response to the error signal, implements a recovery procedure during which selected sampling circuits output as their sampled associated digital signal value the value stored in their backup latch.
[0012] Since the selection of the value to retain as the backup copy is off of the critical path, time can be taken to ensure that the backup copy contains the correct value. By ensuring that this correct value is backed up in such a manner, at the sampling circuit level, this relaxes the previous time constraint for performing error detection and any associated error recovery, and in particular provides a full extra cycle for performing the required recovery.
[0013] By storing a backup copy in each sampling circuit, this in effect provides checkpointing at the sampling circuit level, and hence provides a checkpointing procedure without in-depth knowledge of the micro-architecture of the data processing apparatus. Hence, such an approach is largely design independent, with the decoupled backup copy ensuring correct machine state at the sampling circuit level. The operation of the processing logic can hence be recovered from the retained checkpointed copies of sampled data retained at the sampling circuit level.
[0014] Such an approach hence enables the performance benefits associated with the technique described in U.S. patent publication no. U.S. 2004-0199821 to be realised, whilst relaxing the timing constraints for performing error detection and associated error recovery within such a data processing apparatus.
[0015] The selected sampling circuits that are arranged to output the value stored in their backup latch during the error recovery procedure will be selected dependent on the implementation. However, in one embodiment, the error signal is a simple signal merely identifying the occurrence of an error, and not providing any additional information about the type of error, and in such embodiments the selected sampling circuits comprise each of the plurality of sampling circuits. Hence, in such embodiments, all sampling circuits that are arranged to keep a backup copy will be arranged during the recovery procedure to output as the sampled associated digital signal value the value stored in their backup latch.
[0016] In one embodiment, the at least one of the sampling circuits is operable to sample the value of the associated digital signal at the first time and at a second later time, and to store as the backup copy the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the second later time. The at least one of the sampling circuits is further operable to determine an occurrence of a timing error in the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time, and to issue the error signal upon determination of said timing error. In this embodiment, processing errors resulting from too early a sampling of the associated digital signal are corrected by the resampling of the digital signal at the second later time, at which stage it can be ensured that the digital signal has the correct value. This later sampled value is stored as the backup copy, and hence when the error recovery procedure is implemented will be output from the sampling circuit.
[0017] In one particular embodiment, the at least one of the sampling circuits is operable to determine the occurrence of the timing error by detecting a difference in the associated digital signal value as sampled at the first time and at the second later time. The second later time will typically be chosen to be a time that it can be guaranteed that the digital signal being sampled will be at a stable level, and accordingly any difference between the first sampled value and the second sampled value will indicate an error in the first sampled value.
[0018] In one particular embodiment, the at least one of the sampling circuits comprises a main latch operable to store the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time, a shadow latch operable to store the value of the associated digital signal re-sampled at the second later time value, and error detection logic operable to compare the values stored in the main latch and the shadow latch in order to determine the occurrence of the timing error. In such embodiments, the backup latch may be arranged to store as the backup copy the value stored in the shadow latch.
[0019] In one embodiment, the at least one of the sampling circuits is operable to determine an occurrence of a soft error in the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time, and to issue the error signal upon determination of said soft error, the at least one of the sampling circuits further being operable to determine from the sampled values one of the sampled values not incorporating the soft error and to cause that value to be stored as the backup copy.
[0020] The manner in which one of the sampled values not incorporating the soft error is determined can take a variety of forms. For example, in one embodiment, three or more samples of the digital signal value may be taken, with the value most consistently sampled being considered to be the one not containing the soft error. Alternatively, some filtering logic may be inserted in the path over which a second sample is taken, with the second sample being taken at the output of the filtering logic. The filtering logic can be arranged such that it only outputs a value once the input to the filtering logic has been stable for a predetermined period that would exceed that expected in the presence of a soft error, and accordingly by the time the second sampled value is taken, it can be assumed that that second sampled value does not include a soft error, and that accordingly that second sampled value can be stored as the backup copy. Since such a process occurs away from the critical path of the data processing apparatus (it does not delay output of a signal from the sampling circuit), the process can be performed without adversely affecting speed of operation of the data processing apparatus.
[0021] Clearly, when employing the above technique, it is only appropriate to seek correction of a soft error if that soft error has actually occurred in the value of the digital signal sampled at the first time, since it is that value that is initially output from the sampling circuit, and hence will be used by a further processing stage.
[0022] Whilst the data processing apparatus may include only a single sampling circuit that temporally samples the value of the associated digital signal at multiple times and is arranged to determine the occurrence of an error in the first sampled value, in other embodiments there are multiple of such sampling circuits provided, and the error recovery logic is operable in response to an error signal from any of the multiple sampling circuits to implement the recovery procedure.
[0023] Whilst in one embodiment each sampling circuit only includes a single backup latch, in other embodiments the plurality of sampling circuits comprise multiple backup latches operable to store backup copies of the associated digital signal value as sampled in multiple clock cycles, thereby enabling the recovery procedure to be implemented over said multiple clock cycles. This hence enables a further relaxation in the timing constraints for performing error detection and recovery.
[0024] The data processing apparatus may take a variety of forms. However, in one embodiment, the data processing apparatus is an integrated circuit.
[0025] Viewed from a second aspect, the present invention provides a data processing apparatus comprising: processing means for performing a data processing operation; a plurality of sampling means, each sampling means being located at a predetermined point in the processing means for sampling a value of an associated digital signal generated by the processing means at that predetermined point; each of said sampling means including a backup means for storing a backup copy of the associated digital signal value, and at least one of the sampling means being arranged to temporally sample the value of the associated digital signal at a first time and at at least one later time and to store as the backup copy a selected one of the sampled values representing a correct value, the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time being initially output from that sampling means; the at least one of the sampling means being arranged to determine an occurrence of an error in the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time, and to issue an error signal upon determination of said error, the data processing apparatus further comprising: error recovery means for implementing, in response to the error signal, a recovery procedure during which selected sampling means are operable to output as their sampled associated digital signal value the value stored in their backup means.
[0026] Viewed from a third aspect, the present invention provides a method of recovering from errors in a data processing apparatus having processing logic operable to perform a data processing operation, and a plurality of sampling circuits, each sampling circuit being located at a predetermined point in the processing logic and operable to sample a value of an associated digital signal generated by the processing logic at that predetermined point, the method comprising the steps of: storing in each of said sampling circuits a backup copy of the associated digital signal value; in at least one of the sampling circuits, performing the steps of: (a) temporally sampling the value of the associated digital signal at a first time and at at least one later time; (b) storing as the backup copy a selected one of the sampled values representing a correct value; (c) initially outputting the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time; (d) determining an occurrence of an error in the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time, and issuing an error signal upon determination of said error; in response to the error signal, implementing a recovery procedure during which selected sampling circuits output as their sampled associated digital signal value the value stored in their backup latch.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] The present invention will be described further, by way of example only, with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0028] FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a plurality of processing stages to which the technique of embodiments of the present invention may be applied using a first clocking scheme;
[0029] FIG. 1B schematically illustrates a plurality of processing stages to which the technique of embodiments of the present invention may be applied using a second clocking scheme;
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates a data processing apparatus incorporating a number of latch circuits in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating in more detail the structure of the razor latch circuits of FIG. 2 in accordance with one embodiment;
[0032] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating in more detail the structure of the non-razor latch circuits of FIG. 2 in accordance with one embodiment;
[0033] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating in more detail the operation of the error recovery logic of FIG. 2 in accordance with one embodiment;
[0034] FIG. 6 is a timing diagram illustrating the error detection and recovery process in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the locations of the various signals referred to in FIG. 6 ; and
[0036] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of the razor latch circuits of FIG. 2 .
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0037] FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a portion of a data processing apparatus in which the techniques of embodiments of the present invention may be applied. In particular, FIG. 1A illustrates a part of an integrated circuit, which may for example be a part of a synchronous pipeline within a processor core, such as an ARM processor core produced by ARM Limited of Cambridge, England. The synchronous pipeline is formed of a plurality of processing stages. The first stage comprises logic 2 followed by a non-delayed latch 4 in the form of a flip-flop together with a comparator 6 and a delayed latch 8 . The term latch used herein encompasses any circuit element operable to store a signal value irrespective of triggering, clock and other requirements. Subsequent processing stages are similarly formed.
[0038] A non-delayed clock signal 10 drives the processing logic and non-delayed latches 4 within all of the processing stages to operate synchronously as part of a synchronous pipeline. A delayed clock signal 12 is supplied to the delayed latches 8 of the respective processing stages, the delayed latches being transparent (i.e. open) when the delayed clock signal is low (as indicated by the bubble at the clock input of those delayed latches in FIG. 1A ). The delayed clock signal 12 is a phase shifted version of the non-delayed clock signal 10 . The degree of phase shift controls the delay period between the capture of the output of the processing logic 2 by the non-delayed latch 4 and the capture of the output of the processing logic 2 at a later time performed by the delayed latch 8 .
[0039] If the logic 2 is operating within limits given the existing non-delayed clock signal frequency, the operating voltage being supplied to the integrated circuit, the body bias voltage, the temperature, etc, then the logic 2 will have finished its processing operations by the time the non-delayed latch 4 is triggered to capture its value. Consequently, when the delayed latch 8 later captures the output of logic 2 , this will have the same value as the value captured within the non-delayed latch 4 . Accordingly, the comparator 6 will detect no change occurring during the delay period and error-recovery operation will not be triggered.
[0040] Conversely, if the operating parameters for the integrated circuit are such that the logic 2 has not completed its processing operation by the time that the non-delayed latch 4 captures its value, then the delayed latch 8 will capture a different value and this will be detected by the comparator 6 , thereby forcing an error-recovery operation to be performed.
[0041] FIG. 1B illustrates the same example portion of a data processing apparatus as shown in FIG. 1A , but in which an alternative clocking scheme is used which avoids the need for two different clocks. In accordance with the FIG. 1B approach, the delayed latches 8 are provided with the same non-delayed clock signal 10 as provided to the non-delayed latches 4 , but are arranged to be transparent (i.e. open) when the clock signal is high. Whilst transparent, the value output from the delayed latch 8 corresponds to the value input to the delayed latch, and the delayed latch then samples the input value on the falling edge of the clock signal. This approach is hence equivalent to supplying the delayed latch 8 with a clock signal delayed by an entire phase, assuming that the mark-space ratio of the clock signal is 50:50 (i.e. both high and low phases of the clock signal are of equal length). For the purpose of describing the remaining FIGS. 2 to 8 , it will be assumed that the clocking scheme of FIG. 1B is employed.
[0042] Commonly-assigned U.S. patent publication no. U.S. 2004-0199821, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes an example of an error detection and recovery technique which may be used within a data processing apparatus including circuitry such as that shown in FIG. 1A . However, in accordance with the techniques described therein, the error detection and recovery needs to performed within a single cycle, and in particular with up to half of the cycle being taken to detect the presence of errors, the remaining half cycle may be insufficient in future designs to enable full recovery to take place.
[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of a data processing apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, in which the time constraint for detecting errors and recovering from them is alleviated. The apparatus shown in FIG. 2 comprises a sequence of latch circuits 100 , 120 , 140 , also referred to herein as sampling circuits, these various latch circuits being interconnected by logic 110 , 130 arranged to perform particular data processing operations. The latch circuits 100 , 120 referred to in FIG. 2 as “razor” latch circuits in one embodiment have the form illustrated in FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 3 , each razor latch circuit includes a main latch 200 for latching the value of an input digital signal D received by the latch circuit at a first time. In particular, in the example illustrated in FIG. 3 , the main latch 200 is an edge-triggered latch which is arranged to latch the value of the signal D on the rising edge of the clock signal.
[0044] The razor latch circuit 100 also includes a shadow latch 210 which also receives the clock signal, but is arranged as a level sensitive latch so as to sample the value of the digital signal D at a second later time. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, this latch circuit 100 is also provided with a backup latch 220 which is arranged on the rising edge of the clock signal to latch as a backup copy the content of the shadow latch 210 .
[0045] The latch circuit 100 also provides error detection logic 230 for detecting the presence of an error in the value Q output from the main latch 200 . In particular, the error detection logic 230 includes an exclusive OR gate 232 for detecting any discrepancy between the value output by the main latch 200 and the value output by the shadow latch 210 , this being indicative of a processing error in the output from the main latch 200 resulting from the main latch 200 sampling the value of the digital signal D before the logic producing that value had completed its operation. The error detection logic 230 may also include other error detection logic, such as a meta-stability detector which serves to detect meta-stability in the output of the main latch 200 , this also triggering generation of an error signal. As shown in FIG. 2 , any error signal detected by a razor latch circuit 100 , 120 is output over a corresponding path 102 , 122 to error recovery logic 150 .
[0046] As also shown in FIG. 3 , a multiplexer 240 is provided at the input to the main latch 200 , which receives as one of its inputs the digital signal D, and at its other input receives the contents of the backup latch 220 . If the error recovery logic 150 determines based on the error signals received that a recovery process should be invoked, it will set a restore signal on path 155 which will be propagated to each of the latch circuits 100 , 120 , 140 . As shown in FIG. 3 , this restore signal will be received by the multiplexer 240 within each razor latch circuit 100 , 120 , and will cause the contents of the backup latch 220 to be propagated into the main latch 200 and also at some later time into the shadow latch 210 . Since the backup copy in the backup latch 220 is the correct value, it will be seen that the latch circuit 100 , 120 will then output the correct value Q. Also, it will be noted that since the main latch 200 and the shadow latch 210 will then contain the same data, the error signal will be de-asserted by the error detection logic 230 .
[0047] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the elements provided within the non-razor latch circuit 140 of FIG. 2 . Such a latch circuit 140 is used in situations where the logic producing the value input to that latch circuit is guaranteed to have had time to complete its operation and produce a stable output by the time that output is sampled by the latch circuit 140 . Hence, the main latch 300 is arranged to sample the input data signal D on the rising edge of the clock signal, and it is known that this value will not include any processing errors. The latch then outputs as the digital signal Q the value that it has latched on the rising edge of the clock signal, and on the next rising edge of the clock signal that value is stored as a backup copy within the backup latch 310 , which is also driven by the same clock signal. As with the razor latch circuit of FIG. 3 , a multiplexer 320 is provided at the input to the main latch 300 , which is arranged to receive as one of its inputs the input digital signal D, and is arranged to receive at its other input the output from the backup latch 310 . Upon assertion of the restore signal over path 155 by the error recovery logic 150 of FIG. 2 , the multiplexer 320 will be arranged to cause the content of the main latch 300 to be updated with the backup copy stored in the backup latch 310 .
[0048] Accordingly, it can be seen that by arranging the razor latch circuits 100 , 120 as shown in FIG. 3 , and the non-razor latch circuits 140 as shown in FIG. 4 , it can be ensured that upon detection of an error by one of the razor latch circuits, all of the latch circuits 100 , 120 and 140 can be “wound back” to a point where the correct state is restored in each of the main latches of those latch circuits, thereby enabling the error to be corrected. Although such an error recovery process takes significant time when it occurs, it has been found that the impact on processing speed resulting from such a recovery process is far outweighed by the potential speed improvement resulting from operating the apparatus at a frequency that is so high, or a voltage that is so low, that processing errors do occasionally occur. Further, through the provision of a backup latch in each of the latch circuits 100 , 120 , 140 , this relaxes the time constraint for detecting such errors and recovering from the errors, and in particular removes the requirement for error detection and recovery to occur within a single cycle.
[0049] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating some of the logic provided within the error recovery logic 150 of FIG. 2 . In particular, an OR gate 400 is provided for receiving the error signals generated by any razor latch circuit in the apparatus, with the output from the OR gate being set whenever an error is detected by any such razor latch circuit. It will be appreciated that in practice the OR gate 400 may not be a single structural gate, but rather may be implemented by a sequence of gates. A latch 420 is arranged to store the output from the OR gate 400 , but an AND gate 410 is interposed between the output from the OR gate 400 and the latch 420 to ensure that the restore signal is reset in the cycle following the cycle in which it is set.
[0050] In particular, the output from the latch 420 is fed back in an inverted version as one of the inputs to the AND gate 410 . Hence, if the latch 420 contains a logic zero value, indicating that the restore operation is not being invoked, then this will prime one of the inputs to the AND gate to a logic one value. Accordingly, as soon as the OR gate 400 produces a logic one value indicating the presence of an error for which the recovery process needs to be invoked, this will cause that logic one value to be propagated to the latch 420 , where it will be sampled on the rising edge of the clock. This causes the restore signal to be set to indicate that the restore operation is to be invoked. At this point, the logic one value in the latch is then routed back as a logic zero value to one input of the AND gate 410 , which ensures that irrespective of the signal output from the OR gate in the next clock cycle, the latch 420 will latch a logic zero value on the next rising edge of the clock, thereby resetting the restore signal.
[0051] FIG. 6 is a timing diagram illustrating the error detection and recovery process in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating the various signals referred to in FIG. 6 . FIG. 7 shows a simple example in which two latch circuits 510 , 560 are separated by logic 550 . The first latch circuit 510 is a razor latch circuit, and accordingly includes a main latch 520 , a shadow latch 530 and a backup latch 540 . As discussed earlier, such a latch circuit also includes error detection logic and is arranged to generate an error signal (“error-1”) to error recovery logic 500 in the event of detection of an error. The second latch circuit 560 is non-razor latch circuit, and hence as discussed earlier with reference to FIG. 4 will include a main latch 570 and a backup latch 580 . Both latch circuits 510 , 560 are operable to receive a restore signal from the error recovery logic 500 in the event that the error recovery logic determines that a error recovery procedure needs to be invoked.
[0052] Also shown in FIG. 7 is a producer 590 responsible for producing the data input into the razor circuitry 510 , 550 , 560 , 500 , and a consumer 595 that receives the data output from that razor circuitry. Both the producer 590 and the consumer 595 need to be able to cope with the effect of an error detected by a razor latch circuit, and this requires that they are responsive to the error/restore signals. In particular, the producer 590 must be able to stall production of data when an error is detected by a razor latch circuit, until such time as the restore activity has completed. The consumer 595 can use the restore signal to determine if the data it is presented with is valid. If the restore signal is asserted this indicates that the data produced in the current and immediately following cycle is incorrect and must not be used.
[0053] The handling of an error detected by a razor latch circuit will now be discussed further with reference to FIG. 6 . In FIG. 6 , the terms D 0 , D 1 , D 2 , D 3 represent particular signal values, and D IN - 2 has corresponding signal values related to the original values D 0 to D 3 by a function “F”, this function being implemented by the logic 550 . Where a razor error results in an incorrect value this is shown in FIG. 6 by the relevant signal value being greyed out.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 6 , on the rising edge 600 of a first clock cycle, the signal D IN - 1 is asserting valid data D 0 . The data value D 0 will be sampled by the main latch 520 on the rising edge 600 of the first clock cycle, and will accordingly result in the output of the signal MAINFF- 1 shortly after that rising edge. During the whole of the following clock cycle until the next rising edge 610 , the main latch 520 will output the value that it sampled on the rising edge 600 of the first clock cycle.
[0055] In contrast, the shadow latch 210 is a level sensitive latch, and accordingly its output SH- 1 varies dynamically with the input received as signal D IN - 1 during the first half of the clock cycle, with the value then being sampled on the falling edge of the clock. Accordingly, the output SH- 1 from the shadow latch 530 will transition to the value D 0 some time following the rising edge of the clock signal.
[0056] As discussed earlier with reference to FIG. 3 , the backup latch 540 samples on the rising edge of the clock signal the contents of the shadow latch 530 , resulting in the output signal BACKUP- 1 .
[0057] Considering now the second latch circuit 560 , the input signal D IN - 2 will represent a valid data value F(D 0 ) some time during the first clock cycle, the exact time at which that data value is produced being dependent on the time taken to process the D 0 input value within the combinational logic 550 . On the rising edge 610 of the second clock cycle, this data value F(D 0 ) is latched by the main latch 570 and output as a signal MAINFF- 2 . The backup latch 580 , as discussed earlier with reference to FIG. 4 , latches the contents of the main latch 570 on the rising edge of the clock cycle, and accordingly its contents at any point in time reflect the contents of the main latch 570 in the preceding cycle, resulting in the signal BACKUP- 2 .
[0058] Considering again the signal D IN - 1 , the production of data value D 1 is delayed, and hence on the rising edge 610 of the second clock cycle, the main latch 520 samples an invalid value. This invalid value may be the wrong value (i.e. the old D 0 value) or an invalid (intermediate) voltage level which does not correspond to either a logic 0 or a logic 1 level. However, since the shadow latch 530 is a level sensitive latch, its output will transition to the value D 1 shortly after the signal D IN - 1 transitions to the value D 1 , and accordingly at the falling edge 615 of the second clock cycle, the error detection logic within the latch circuit 510 will detect a discrepancy between the contents of the main latch 520 and the shadow latch 530 , and will accordingly cause the error signal ERROR- 1 to be asserted shortly thereafter.
[0059] With regard to the second latch circuit 560 , the data value of the signal D IN - 2 produced during the second clock cycle will also be invalid, due to the invalid value sampled by the main latch 520 of the first latch circuit, and hence output to the logic 550 . Accordingly the main latch 570 will sample an invalid value on the rising edge 620 of the third clock cycle and will output that invalid value during the third clock cycle. Further, during the third clock cycle, the backup latch 580 will output the previous contents of the main latch 570 , namely F(D 0 ).
[0060] During the remainder of the second clock cycle, the ERROR- 1 signal will be routed via the OR gate 400 and AND gate 410 of FIG. 5 to cause a logic one value to be latched in the latch 420 of the error recovery logic 500 on the rising edge 620 of the third clock cycle.
[0061] The error recovery logic 500 then needs to generate a restore signal (“RESTORE”) which is fanned out to each latch circuit, and typically there will be significantly more latch circuits than the two latch circuits shown in FIG. 7 . This results in significant delay between the restore signal generated by the error recovery logic and the restore control inputs to the latch circuits.
[0062] By the rising edge 620 of the third clock cycle, the value of the signal D IN - 1 has transitioned to the value D 2 , and accordingly this will be sampled by the main latch 520 at that time and output as the signal MAINFF-1 shortly following the rising edge. Further, the shadow latch 530 will also latch the value D 2 at some point following the transition of the signal D IN - 1 to the value D 2 . As a result, the signal D IN - 2 will output the value F(D 2 ) some time during the third clock cycle.
[0063] On the rising edge 630 of the fourth clock cycle, the set restore signal will cause the main latch 520 of the latch circuit 510 to store the correct data value D 1 , since the set restore signal will have caused the multiplexer in the latch circuit 510 to have fed to the input of the main latch 520 the current contents of the backup latch 540 , which on the rising edge 630 still represents the data D 1 . The shadow latch 530 will then latch the value D 1 during the first part of the fourth clock cycle.
[0064] A similar process will occur within the second latch circuit 560 to cause the main latch 570 of that circuit to store the data value F(D 0 ). The backup latch 580 will during the fourth clock cycle store the invalid data stored in the main latch 570 during the third cycle.
[0065] Due to the earlier described operation of the error recovery logic 500 , the restore signal will be de-asserted one clock cycle after it is asserted, as shown in FIG. 6 .
[0066] The ERROR- 1 signal is only valid for one cycle, and in the following cycle could be at a logic 0 level, at a logic 1 level, or at an invalid logic level (because this is a function of the timing of data in the next cycle). For the cycle where the ERROR_ 1 signal is invalid, the ERROR_ 1 signal is shown as greyed out in FIG. 6 . The guaranteed de-assertion of the ERROR_ 1 signal is achieved by restoring the master 520 and shadow 530 latches to the same value (in this example D 1 ) via the set RESTORE signal, this correspondence being detected by the error detection logic within the first latch circuit 510 on the falling edge 635 of the fourth clock cycle.
[0067] Hence, it can be seen from FIG. 6 that, following detection of an error in the first latch circuit 510 in a particular clock cycle, the error recovery logic 500 causes both latch circuits 510 , 560 to perform an error recovery process, during which the main latches 520 , 570 in both latch circuits 510 , 560 are restored to the correct data values appropriate for that clock cycle. Having particular regard to the first latch circuit 510 , the actual data value supplied to the main latch 520 comes from the backup latch 540 , which in turn has obtained its value from the shadow latch 530 , which as discussed earlier will hold the correct value required to ensure correct operation, and accordingly the processing error detected previously will have been removed.
[0068] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the razor latch circuit 100 of FIG. 3 , where additional filtering logic 250 is provided prior to the input to the shadow latch 210 to enable the removal of any soft error in the sample to be taken by the shadow latch 210 . As will be appreciated from a comparison of FIG. 8 with the earlier-described FIG. 3 , the remainder of the latch circuit is unchanged.
[0069] The soft error filter logic 250 can operate in a variety of ways. For example, in one embodiment the soft error filter 250 may be arranged to produce a time-delayed output based on its input, such that an output signal is only produced once the input signal has been stable for a predetermined period, this predetermined period being chosen to exceed that period of time over which a soft error may be observed. By this approach, it can be ensured that any soft error is suppressed, and hence that the value stored in the shadow latch 210 does not exhibit any soft error. By this approach, if a soft error was present in the value as stored in the main latch 200 , there will be a discrepancy detected by the error detection logic 230 , hence causing propagation of an error signal, which in turn will result in the earlier-described error recovery processing being invoked. Since the result of the error recovery process will be that the master latch 200 will be restored to a value obtained from the backup latch 220 , which in turn is derived from the shadow latch 210 , then it can be seen that this restored value will be a value in which the soft error is not present, and accordingly this will enable the data processing apparatus to recover from the soft error.
[0070] In an alternative embodiment, the soft error filter logic 250 can be arranged to itself take a sequence of temporal samples, and to select as its output that value most frequently found in the samples, such a process hence reducing the likelihood that the value stored in the shadow latch 210 contains a soft error. Although time is needed for the operations performed by the soft error filter 250 , this time is not required on the critical path, and in particular does not delay output of a signal from latch circuit 100 .
[0071] From the above description, it will be appreciated that the technique of embodiments of the present invention provides a sampling circuit level checkpointing approach, which splits error detection and recovery into two phases by employing-backup latches at the sampling circuit level. This enables an additional cycle to be provided for performance of error detection and subsequent error recovery, and accordingly alleviates the timing constraint observed in previous systems. In an alternative embodiment, multiple backup latches may be provided thereby enabling the recovery procedure to be implemented over multiple clock cycles. This may be useful in particularly complex systems where the global recovery signal needs to be propagated to a large number of sampling circuits.
[0072] A significant benefit of the proposed approach is that it provides checkpointing at the sampling circuit level, which does not require in-depth knowledge of the microarchitecture of the data processing apparatus. Accordingly, such an approach is largely design independent, and regardless of any particular design, the decoupled backup copy ensures correct machine state at the sampling circuit level, and hence ensures that the data processing apparatus can recover from an error detected at a particular sampling circuit.
[0073] In accordance with the techniques of embodiments of the present invention, the data processing apparatus can be run at operating frequencies and/or voltages which are likely to induce processing errors due to an early sampling of outputs from particular processing stages, but which provides a mechanism to enable such errors to be detected and recovered from in a controlled manner. This provides significant performance benefits over more conservative prior art approaches where signals are not sampled until such time as it is ensured that the processing stage producing those signals will have finished its operation. Further, with regard to soft errors, steps can be taken away from the critical path to remove these soft errors, and the same error detection and recovery mechanism can be used to then recover from any soft errors present in the initially sampled value.
[0074] Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described herein, it will be apparent that the invention is not limited thereto, and that many modifications and additions may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, various combinations of the features of the following dependent claims could be made with the features of the independent claims without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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A data processing apparatus and method are provided for recovering from errors in the data processing apparatus. The data processing apparatus comprises processing logic operable to perform a data processing operation, and a plurality of sampling circuits, each sampling circuit being located at a predetermined point in the processing logic and operable to sample a value of an associated digital signal generated by the processing logic at that predetermined point. Each of the sampling circuits includes a backup latch for storing a backup copy of the associated digital signal value, and at least one of the sampling circuits is operable to temporally sample the value of the associated digital signal at a first time and at at least one later time, and to store as a backup copy a selected one of the sampled values representing a correct value. The value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time is initially output from that sampling circuit, and that sampling circuit is operable to determine an occurrence of an error in the value of the associated digital signal sampled at the first time, and to issue an error signal upon determination of that error. The data processing apparatus further comprises error recovery logic operable in response to the error signal to implement a recovery procedure during which selected sampling circuits output as their sampled associated digital signal value the value stored in their backup latch.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present Application claims the benefit of priority to the following international Applications: PCT Patent Application No. PCT/EP03/05689 titled “Method for the Treatment of Covering Materials for Interior Fitting Pieces in Particular for Vehicle Interiors and Interior Fitting Pieces” filed on May 30, 2003 which published under PCT Article 21(2) on Dec. 18, 2003 as WO 03/1034574 A2 in the German language and German Patent Application No. 102 25 084.7 filed on Jun. 5, 2002 (which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety).
FIELD
[0002] The invention relates generally to a method for the treatment of covering materials of vehicle interior fitting pieces; and in particular, to a method for the treatment of covering materials suitable for use with pieces of trim or seats of a motor vehicle, in which the moisture content of the covering material is temporarily increased. The invention further relates to a vehicle interior fitting piece treated by this method.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A method of the generic type is generally known in practice. For example, it is known to subject a vehicle seat to a manual treatment with steam after assembly of the metal structures, the upholstering thereof and the covering of the upholstery with a covering material (for example woven fabric, knitted fabric or leather). For this purpose, a nozzle which is connected via a flexible tube to a mobile steam generator is placed onto those regions of the seat cover at which folds or creases have formed as they were being covered. Under the action of the steam and a mechanical treatment (ironing) optionally taking place at the same time, the seat cover is smoothed. The seat is subsequently ready for installation in the motor vehicle.
[0004] This generally customary procedure requires intensive use of labor and is furthermore associated with the risk that, with the local, intensive action of the steam, undesirable changes occur locally to the appearance of the seat cover.
[0005] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method capable of bringing about a uniform treatment of the seat cover with little outlay.
SUMMARY
[0006] According to one exemplary embodiment, a method of treating a cover material for use with an interior vehicle component includes the steps of placing a cover material into a treatment chamber for moistening, moistening the cover material in the treatment chamber to soften the cover material, and smoothing the cover material by providing a drawing force that extends the cover material.
[0007] According to a further embodiment, a method of treating a cover material for use with an interior vehicle component includes the steps of providing a cover material, identifying the cover material, selecting treatment parameters that are suitable for the treatment of the cover material, placing the cover material into a treatment chamber, and moistening the cover material in the treatment chamber.
[0008] According to a further embodiment, a method of treating a cover material for use with an interior vehicle component includes the steps of providing a cover material, placing a cover material into a treatment chamber for moistening, determining the contour of the cover material, establishing a predetermined distance between a steam nozzle and the cover material, and moistening the cover material in the treatment chamber.
[0009] According to a further embodiment, an interior fitting piece is treated by any of the above mentioned methods such as seats, roof linings, and trim pieces for motor vehicles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating a method of treating a cover material according to an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] With reference to the FIGURE, a method is provided for the treatment of a cover material (e.g., a seat cover, covering material, etc.). The method is shown and described as a method for the treatment of a cover material suitable for use with a vehicle component (e.g., vehicle seat, head restraint, arm rest, roof lining, dashboard, door and/or pillar trim, etc.); and in particular, to a method for the treatment of a cover material for use as a seat cover of a vehicle seat.
[0012] The method generally includes the steps of softening the fibers of the covering material in a treatment chamber 8 by the supply of moisture and smoothing the covering material by the action of a drawing force extending the covering material.
[0013] The moisture content of the covering material (e.g., the fibers of the covering material, etc.) after the moistening in treatment chamber 8 is between approximately 2 and 10% by weight, preferably approximately 5% by weight. In order to obtain an optimum treatment result, the moisture content of the covering material may be measured (e.g., directly or indirectly), and the moistening can be continued until a predetermined moisture content is reached.
[0014] The moistening in treatment chamber 8 advantageously takes place at an air temperature of between approximately 100 to 150° C., preferably between approximately 125 and 130° C.
[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, provision can be made for the surface temperature of the covering material (and/or an added-on accessory part) to be measured and for the air temperature and/or the treatment time to be set in such a manner that a permissible temperature load is not exceeded. The addition of moisture to treatment chamber 8 preferably takes place by the supply of steam, in particular water vapor. In this case, additives, in particular odorous substances, smoothing agents and/or stain-inhibiting addition agents can be added to the steam.
[0016] The drawing force provided to smooth the covering material may be produced by the depositing of the covering material onto an elastically compressible base, such as (for example) an elastically deformable foam material. The covering material can either be moistened in treatment chamber 8 after the covering material is deposited onto the elastically compressible base or alternatively can be moistened in treatment chamber 8 and only subsequently be deposited onto the base with elastic compression of the latter.
[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method of treating the covering material further includes the step of drying the covering material. According to such an embodiment, the covering material is preferably dried after the moistening, in which case the moisture content of the covering material after the drying is to be between approximately 0 and 1.0% by weight, preferably between approximately 0.05 and 0.25% by weight.
[0018] In order to reduce the outlay on investment, provision may be made for the drying to take place in the same treatment chamber as the moistening (e.g., treatment chamber 8 ). However, depending on the number of components to be treated, it may be advantageous to carry out the drying in a second treatment chamber, shown as a second treatment chamber 11 , following the treatment chamber for the moistening or to carry it out outside the treatment chamber. According to one particularly advantageous method, the moisture of the covering material is measured (directly or indirectly) and the covering material is dried until a predetermined residual moisture is reached.
[0019] In order to rationalize the treatment, a plurality of covering materials provided for moistening can be grouped, if appropriate connected to the entire interior fitting piece, on a transport auxiliary device such as (for example) a pallet, and can be supplied together to the treatment chamber.
[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method of treating a covering material may provide for a largely automatic operation of the treatment device, in particular with the treatment product (e.g., the covering material) continuously changing. For example, the method may include the step of recognizing (e.g., identifying, etc.) the covering material to be treated in the treatment chamber (and/or an accessory part to be treated at the same time in the treatment chamber as a consequence of being connected (directly or indirectly) to said covering material). Once recognized, treatment parameters can be selected which are suitable for the treatment of the covering material, and/or an accessory part to be treated at the same time, (e.g., treatment parameters intended to avoid damaging, etc.). The method further includes the step of using the selected treatment parameters to treat the covering material, and/or an accessory part to be treated at the same time.
[0021] To provide for the recognition of the covering material (and/or an accessory part) to be treated, the covering material, the accessory part, and/or a transport auxiliary device (used if appropriate) may be provided with means for identifying the covering material and/or the accessory part. These identification means preferably permit automated recognition and comprise, for example, a bar code and/or a chip coding.
[0022] The method of treating a covering may further include the step of protecting regions of the covering material (and/or an accessory part) having differing resistance to heat and moisture. According one exemplary embodiment, the moisture- and/or temperature-sensitive regions of the covering material (and/or an accessory part) are covered during the treatment in the treatment chamber. According to another exemplary embodiment, provision may be made for moisture- and/or temperature-sensitive regions of the covering material (and/or an accessory part) to be protected during the treatment in the treatment chamber by localized reduction of the effect of treatment devices or to be brought into direct or indirect connection with said covering material only after treatment of the latter in the treatment chamber.
[0023] The method of treating a cover material may further include the step of determining the contour of the cover material. The steam which is preferably used for the supply of the moisture can be introduced into the treatment chamber via nozzles, for example. By determining the contour of the covering material to be treated, a predetermined distance between the nozzles supplying the steam and the covering material can be set, and the covering material can then be treated in the treatment chamber.
[0024] According to one exemplary embodiment, the determination of the contour takes place by mechanical scanning of the covering material. According to various alternative embodiments, the determination of the contour takes place without contact (e.g., using ultrasonic or laser sensors).
[0025] According to another exemplary embodiment, the method of treating a cover material may further include the step of subjecting the covering material to automatic mechanical processing, in particular by means of brushes or rollers.
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates, by way of example and schematically, a method sequence according to a preferred embodiment using the example of treating vehicle seats.
[0027] Vehicle seats 1 , which are already provided with a seat cover (e.g., cover material, etc.) and can be seen in top view, are grouped and orientated, prior to the treatment, on a transport auxiliary device in the form of a pallet 2 which can be moved through the manufacturing hall in the direction of the arrow A by means of a transport device 3 . An identifier, shown as a programmable chip 4 , in which information items about the particular product being transported are stored (e.g., information items concerning the covering material used or about special fitting features of the vehicle seats 1 ) is attached to the side of pallet 2 . These information items can be already used in order to direct preceding manufacturing sequences.
[0028] The information items stored in chip 4 are read out by means of a reading device 5 and passed on to a computer 6 which, on the basis of them, selects suitable values from previously stored treatment parameters (e.g., treatment parameters for temperature, air moisture or treatment duration) and passes the treatment parameters onto a steam generator 7 (phase A). Pallet 2 is then transported into a first treatment chamber 8 in which the contour of vehicle seats 1 is established by means of ultrasonic sensors 9 . The measured values are likewise passed on to computer 6 which subsequently moves steam nozzles 10 (which can be displaced by motor) to a predetermined distance in front of vehicle seats 1 . In treatment chamber 8 , the treatment of the covering material by a temporary increase in its moisture content now takes place by means of the supply of a heated air/steam mixture from steam generator 7 , the fibers softening by the supply of moisture (phase B). By the action of a drawing force which extends the covering material and is generated by the compression of the seat cushion and the application, which is associated therewith, of tensile stresses into the covering material, an automatic smoothing process takes place.
[0029] After the treatment time provided for the treatment of vehicle seats 1 concerned finishes, pallet 2 is conveyed further into a further treatment chamber 11 (phase C) in which the covering material and vehicle seats 1 are dried in their entirety. For this purpose, hot air is blown into treatment chamber 11 by means of a fan 12 and a heating system 13 , said hot air escaping again on the opposite side of treatment chamber 11 via an outlet connection 14 . Arranged in outlet connection 14 is a moisture sensor 15 which measures the moisture content of the escaping air and passes it on to a computer 16 . The drying process is ended only when the measured moisture has reached a predetermined value. Pallet 2 is subsequently moved out of treatment chamber 11 (phase D). Vehicle seats 1 can now be conveyed further for installation into the associated motor vehicle.
[0030] According to an exemplary embodiment, a vehicle component (e.g., an interior fitting piece for use in a motor vehicle, etc.) is provided that is treated by any of the above described methods. The vehicle component can comprise, for example, an elastically upholstered vehicle seat and/or elastically upholstered seat add-on parts (head restraints, arm rests or the like) with an upholstered cover, but also an extensive piece of trim for the vehicle interior with a rigid support, a covering material and an upholstered layer arranged between the support and covering material, in particular a roof lining, a door or pillar trim or a dashboard.
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A method for the treatment of covering materials for use with a vehicle component, in particular for pieces of trim or vehicle seats, whereby the moisture content of the covering material is temporarily increased, such that the covering material is softened in a treatment chamber by the introduction of moisture and then smoothed by the action of a drawing force extending the covering material is disclosed. A vehicle component treated by the above method, in particular seats, roof linings, and trim pieces for motor vehicles is further disclosed.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to filtering apparatus and more particularly, to an improved method and apparatus for filtering gasoline and the like which virtually eliminates all spillage during replacement of the filter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fuel pumps and the like often contain filtering apparatus for removing minute particles from fuel or other liquid as it is pumped through an apparatus and dispensed. These filters are typically constructed using an outer metallic can and an inner filter element. Usually the outer metallic can and the inner filter element are a single unit and must be replaced entirely when dirty. When these filters are removed for replacement, the liquid contained within the filter, as well as that contained within the apparatus to which the filter is attached, is often spilled. Such spillage is environmentally unsafe as well as wasteful.
Recently it has become a goal to minimize the spillage of fuel and the accompanying environmental hazards of such spillage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,093 assigned to the assignee of the present invention represents one example of a device directed at this problem. The '093 patent teaches a technique of utilizing valves which shut off when the filter can is removed in order to trap fluid within the pumping apparatus. As further described in the '093 patent, the inner filter element is removed from the outer can, and the fluid within the outer can may then be disposed of properly and a new filter element installed. The outer can may then be re-attached and is thus reusable for the life of the apparatus.
While the '093 patent makes significant progress toward achieving a solution to the loss of liquid from the dispensing apparatus, there remains the problem of spillage from the outer can. First, when the outer can is removed from the dispensing apparatus, often the inner filter element remains stuck to the dispensing apparatus. This means that all of the fluid trapped in the filter element begins dripping onto the ground, thereby creating an environmental hazard. Additionally, if the entire filtering apparatus is mounted horizontally, then when it is removed from the dispensing apparatus, the fuel within the can will simply spill.
Other prior attempts to solve the foregoing problems have resulted in less than perfect solutions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,559 to Mack represents still another attempt at a solution to the foregoing problems. Once again however, drawbacks similar to those described with respect to the '093 patent have prevented widespread commercial use of such an apparatus.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need in the art for an improved filtering apparatus which includes: (1) a technique for allowing the inner filter to be replaced separately from the outer can; (2) insuring that such filter does not remain stuck to the pumping apparatus when the outer can is removed; and (3) further minimizing spillage and waste when the can is removed from the dispensing apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other problems of the prior art are overcome in accordance with the present invention which relates to an improved filtering apparatus including an outer can and an inner filtering element which filters the fluid. The inner filtering element is preferably constructed as a cylinder with faceplates at the ends thereof and an opening running centrally there through. The faceplate is of such diameter as to substantially seal against the inner surface of the filter can when the filter can is removed from the pumping apparatus. Accordingly, fluid is trapped within the filter can and does not leak. Moreover, the central opening through the filter element is equipped with a valve which springs closed when the filter can is removed from the pumping apparatus. Accordingly, no fluid may escape through the central opening of the filter element.
Finally, the filter element is also equipped with means for firmly attaching itself to the bottom of the filter can. Accordingly, when the filter can is removed from the pumping apparatus, it pulls the filter element with it so that the filter element does not remain stuck to the pumping apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side cross section view of the outer filter can of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of an inner filter element for use with the invention;
FIG. 3 is a cutaway view of a portion of the filter element;
FIG. 4 depicts a faceplate used to construct the filter element;
FIG. 5 depicts a second faceplate used to construct the filter element;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the faceplate of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 shows a valving component for use with the invention;
FIG. 8 shows a portion of the valving component of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 depicts a side view of the valving component;
FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the valving component; and
FIG. 11 shows a closeup of a "finger" connected to the valving component.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows a side view of filter can 101 used with the present invention. The can 101 is intended to house the filter element as will be explained later herein. The can includes a threaded portion 102 for screwing onto a connecter of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,093, the teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Additionally, the outer can 101 includes a spring 103 mounted at the bottom thereof and a stub 105 mounted at the bottom of can 101 and including a tapered portion 106 to form a lip 107. The construction and purpose of the foregoing items will be described in more detail later herein.
Within filter can 101 there is disposed a filter element, not shown in FIG. 1, in order to filter fluid which enters through a plurality of openings and exits through a center pipe as more fully described in the previously incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,093. In accordance with known techniques, liquid to be filtered enters the can 101 and is forced through a filter material before exiting.
FIG. 2 shows a more detailed view of a filter element 210 for use in the present invention, said filter element including apparatus for implementing several of the improvements described herein. Specifically, filtering material 201 is folded in the standard back and forth fashion around a central opening 202 as is typical in the prior art. The filter material is wrapped around a cylindrical component 301 shown in FIG. 3, said cylindrical component including a plurality of openings 302. The cylindrical component 301 is mounted between faceplates 401 and 501 as shown. As shown in FIG. 3, cylindrical member 301 includes a plurality of tabs 303 for locking through slots in faceplates 401 and 501 during assembly. Other techniques of assembling the filter element, such as bonding the faceplates to the filter material and/or the cylindrical member 301, may also be used. Thus, the resulting filter element includes filter material 201 wrapped around cylindrical member 301 and sandwiched between faceplates 401 and 501.
Turning to FIG. 5, shown therein is the faceplate 501 which mounts to cylindrical member 301 on the opposite end from faceplate 401. Faceplate 501 differs slightly from faceplate 401 in that faceplate 501 includes valve openings 502-504 through the center 505 thereof Specifically, the three triangular openings 502-504 operate in conjunction with a valving component and serve to assist in cutting off the flow of liquid when the filter can is removed from the dispensing apparatus or other machine to which it is connected as will be described later herein.
Turning to FIG. 6, shown therein is a side view of faceplate 501 which depicts the central elongated portion 602. It is understood that the length of central portion 602 designated as 603 is circular in cross-sectional shape, while the length of central portion 602 designated as 604 is hexagonal in shape. The six triangular sections formed by the hexagon alternate between being openings and being solid, for reasons more fully described below. Additionally, along every other outer wall of the hexagon, preferably those walls which form one side of the triangles which are open, are shallow ribs 507 which assist in gripping a shaft from the pumping apparatus to which the filter will be attached as shown in the previously incorporated patent. The faceplate 501 also includes a plurality of slots 506 for attaching to cylindrical member 301.
Returning to FIG. 2, shown therein is the inner filter element almost assembled, where it can be seen that faceplates 401 and 501 are utilized to connect to opposite ends of the cylindrical member 301 with the filter material disposed there between. Lips 404 and 606 serve to contain the filter material within the circular shape, as is known in the prior art. It is noted that the opening that runs through cylindrical member 301 from one end to the other end of the filter is not left entirely open but rather, a valving component 701 of FIG. 7 is inserted therein.
The valving component contains a shaft 702 connecting a surface 703 to a bottom member 704. The bottom member 704 and surface 703 are each constructed to implement specific functions as more fulling described hereafter.
Surface 703 contains three valve plates 705 on solid triangular portions, each separated by open triangular portions, as can be appreciated from FIG. 8, which shows a top view of surface 703. The solid portions 802 each support a valve plate 705 and are separated by triangular openings 801.
FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the valving component, including bottom member 704. The bottom member 704 includes a perimeter portion 901 and a central portion 902. The perimeter portion 901 is cylindrical as shown in FIG. 10, and the central portion 902 comprises a plurality of fingers 1001 which can resiliently be bent in and out under pressure as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 10. Each of the fingers 1001 includes a small lip 1101 as best shown in the exploded view of one of three fingers 1001 in FIG. 11. Lip 1101 will assist in gripping tapered portion 107 of FIG. 1 when the filter is installed in can 101.
In assembling the filter, the filter material is first wrapped around cylindrical member 301 and placed within faceplate 401. Prior to putting faceplate 501 on top of cylindrical member 301 and attaching the same, valving component 701 is inserted into cylindrical member 301 with bottom member 704 being placed into the end of cylindrical member 301 which is attached to faceplate 401. The other faceplate 501 is then attached to cylindrical member 301 as shown in FIG. 2. The plates 705 are inserted into openings 502-504 in faceplate 501. Using such an arrangement, it will be appreciated that the valve plates 705 may slide longitudinally up and down within the openings 502-504 of faceplate 501. Additionally, the openings 502-504 of faceplate 501 align with the solid portions 802 of surface 703, while the openings in surface 703 align with the solid portions of faceplate 501. Accordingly, when surface 703 is pressed against faceplate 501, the flow of liquid through channel 203 is cut off.
It can then be appreciated from a review of FIGS. 2, 5 and 8 that the valve plates 705 will be pushed downwardly in FIG. 2 by a central shaft from the dispenser apparatus as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,093 when the filter is connected to the dispenser. This downward force on the valve plates 705 will then force the valve component to separate from the faceplate 501 and thus allow fuel to flow through the openings 502-504 and 801.
In operation, the entirely assembled inner filter element 210 is dropped within filter can 101 with faceplate 401 facing down in FIG. 1 so that faceplate 401 contacts the stub 105. The can is then screwed onto a shaft which fits into the hexagonal shape at the end of the inner filter element. Fingers 1001 then grip around tapered portion 106 of FIG. 1 to cause the valving component 701, and of course the attached entire inner filter element, to grip around lip 107 created by tapered portion 106 so that the lip 107 and the fingers 1001 are inseparable.
Additionally, spring 103 contacts faceplate 401 at the portion between 901 and 902, thereby tending to push the valving component 701. However, the shaft from the pumping apparatus matches the hexagonal shape created by faceplate 501 and fits snugly into faceplate 501. As the can is screwed on, the dispensing apparatus shaft forces valve plates 705 downwardly, pushing valving component 701 against the force created by spring 103. Accordingly, the surface 703 of valving component 701 separates from faceplate 501 and allows fuel to flow from the openings in faceplate 501 as well as the openings 801 shown in FIG. 8 of surface 703.
When the outer can is unscrewed however, tapered portion 106 pulls the entire filter element from the shaft of the dispensing apparatus to which it is attached. Accordingly, the shaft from the dispenser no longer pushes down on valve plates 705, but rather, spring 103 forces valving component 701 upwardly and locks closed the entire central opening of the inner filter element. Additionally, since faceplate 501 is of substantially the same circumference as the inner circumference of filter can 101, substantially no spillage can occur from the space between the filter element and the can 101, nor can any spillage occur from the central portion of the filter element since the arrangement described allows valving member 701 to lock closed the central opening.
The foregoing describes the preferred embodiment of the invention. Other modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims are covered hereby.
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A filter for fuel and the like comprising an inner filter element and an outer metal filter can which allows the element and can to work together so that when the filter can is removed from the dispensing apparatus, the filter element springs closed and locks against the filter can so that no fuel is spilled. Additionally, the filter can grasps the filter element and pulls it from the dispensing apparatus.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to the field of track mounted devices. Such devices historically have primarily comprised trains mounted on tracks. Such designs can be utilized for advertising, monitoring or amusement or as play things for young and old alike. They can be used commercially for advertising and attention gathering. They can be used for side-by-side racing when more than one individual tracks are provided adjacent one another. They can be formed in planer 2-dimensional arrangements similar to train track designs or can be configured with track segments in three dimensions similar to a roller coaster. The same blower can be utilized to provide pressurized air to both tracks to save on expenses and to equalize such competition. More particularly the present invention deals with a pneumatic track powered by pressurized air flow therethrough for moving of an object therealong as desired through one or more track sections. The present invention provides a unique system for controlling the movement of the object and maintaining fully effective and efficient operation thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous prior art devices have been patented for various track related and particularly pneumatically powered track related device which are distinguishable from the present invention such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,128,690 patented Aug. 30, 1938 to M. L. Burke et al on a “Pneumatically Operated Educational Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,081 patented Oct. 9, 1951 to J. C. Wilson on a “Pneumatic Racing Game Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,630,320 patented Mar. 3, 1953 to R. N. Francis on a “Racing Game Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,771 patented Dec. 21, 1965 to F. A. Altieri and assigned one-half to Charles Trivinia on a “Fluid Pressure Drive Racing Game Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,043 patented Sep. 9, 1969 to L. H. McRoskey et al and assigned to Republic Tool & Manufacturing Corp. on “Combined Passing Race Track And Self-Propelled Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,524 patented Dec. 28, 1971 to J. Cooper et al on a “Racing Game With Selectively Actuated Lane Switching Members”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,953 patented Feb. 22, 1972 to J. S. Fixler and assigned to Industrial Patent Development Corp. on a “Fluid Pressure Operated Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,071 patented Oct. 10, 1972 to J. E. Anderson on a “Fluid Actuated Track System With Constant Flow Valve”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,024 patented Jan. 24, 1978 to N. Hamano and assigned to Tomy Kogyo Co., Inc. on a “Continuous Racetrack Having Vehicle Accelerating Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,562 patented May 30, 1978 to C. Kimura and assigned to Okuma Seisakusho Co. Ltd. on a “Toy Railway System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,935 patented Jul. 1, 1980 to H. Parker on an “Apparatus For Rocket Sled Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,005 patented Oct. 21, 1980 to G. A. Barlow et al and assigned to Gordon Barlow Design on a “Track Racing Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,053 patented Aug. 11, 1981 to H. Parker et al on an “Air Powered Rocket Sled Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,602 patented Jul. 10, 1984 to W. Vandersteel on a “Pneumatic Pipeline Transport System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,256 patented Feb. 16, 1988 to J. J. Sassak on a “Pneumatic Construction Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,188 patented May 15, 1990 to R. S. McKay et al on a “Toy Race Track And Lap Counter”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,116 patented Oct. 16, 1990 to J. J. Huber on a “Race Water Track Toy”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,301 patented Jul. 5, 1994 to J. C. Woodside on an “Air Propelled Toy Dragster Car”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,434 patented Aug. 15, 1995 to K. B. Caulkins on a “Magnetic Conveyance System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,453 patented Jul. 23, 1996 to L. G. Johnson on an “Air Pressure Toy Rocket Launcher”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,614 patented Dec. 17, 1996 to S. H. Aidlin et al on an “Air Handling System For A Pneumatic Conveyor”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,736 patented Jul. 29, 1997 to J. D. Myers on a “Racer Toy Utilizing Water-Driven Boats”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,198 patented Aug. 19, 1997 to Y. Nagasaka et al and assigned to Imagic, Inc. and Tomy Co., Ltd. on a “Pneumatic Running Toy”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,773 patented to J. F. Oullette on May 16, 2000 and assigned to Oullette Machinery Systems, Inc. on an “Infeed Assembly For Use With An Air Conveyor System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,951 patented Jul. 18, 2000 to E. Ostendorff and assigned to Mattel, Inc. on a “Toy Vehicle And Trackset Having Lap-Counting Feature”.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a propulsion track apparatus including an object designed for movement therealong. This construction of this object preferably includes a first frame and a second frame maintained spatially disposed therefrom and flexibly resiliently movable with respect thereto by an interconnecting frame suspension such as a spring or other flexibly resilient member. This spring will maintain the first and second frames flexible with respect to one another and also slightly spatially disposed from one another to aid in such flexibility. Each of the frame means includes a wheel means rotatably mounted thereon to facilitate guiding of movement thereof through the pneumatic track and through the air tunnel. Preferably the first frame will include four such individual wheels and the second frame will include four additional such wheels to aid in this movement.
The pneumatic track of this apparatus extends generally longitudinally between a starting end and a terminating end in such a manner as to provide a path for movement of the object therealong. The pneumatic track includes an enclosed pneumatic conduit as the preferred construction thereof. The pneumatic track also includes a track air relief device which is positioned therein which is designed to allow excess air flow pressure within the track to be expelled. The track air relief means preferably will include a plurality of longitudinal slots defined therein extending longitudinally approximately parallel to the pneumatic track at a position adjacent to the starting end thereof. Preferably seven or some other odd number of longitudinal slots will be included in order to prevent interaction or engagement thereof with respect to the even number of wheels in the object to prevent interaction between the object and the longitudinal slots themselves.
The pneumatic track itself will preferably also include two individual track sections connected in parallel with respect to one another defined preferably as a primary track and a secondary track. At least one wide section will be positioned immediately upstream of the terminating end of the pneumatic track to urge movement of the object means to the track inlet irrespective of whether the object is moving within the primary section or the secondary section thereof.
A uniquely configured air control device is also preferably included in the present invention which is designed to be connected to the pneumatic track for the purpose of providing a continuous supply of pressurized air thereto in a controlled manner in order to continuously and effectively urge movement of the object therealong.
The air control device preferably includes an air control housing which defines a track inlet defined therein which is connected with respect to the terminating end of the pneumatic track to be in fluid flow communication therewith. In a similar manner a track outlet is defined by the air control housing spatially disposed from the track inlet and connected with respect to the starting end of the pneumatic track to be in fluid flow communication therewith. This air control device can be connected to more than one set of pneumatic tracks for the purpose of driving more than one object therethrough for providing the capability of side-by-side competitive racing using a single air control system. The system could include separate speed controls to aid in providing a competitive racing device.
An air tunnel is defined within the air control device which extends from the track inlet to the track outlet for maintaining fluid flow communication therebetween within the air control housing. In this manner the housing through the air tunnel will allow the object to move from the track inlet to the track outlet and then throughout the pneumatic track itself.
The air tunnel can preferably include an air recycling orifice therein to facilitate movement of the air into an air recycling chamber if necessary. The air tunnel preferably will include an inwardly tapered surface area immediately upstream from the air recycling orifice to urge an object passing therethrough to move toward the center of the air tunnel as it passes by the air recycling orifice in order to minimize contact and interaction therebetween.
The air control housing preferably further defines an entrance opening therein which facilitates the introduction of the object into the pneumatic track by movement thereof into the air tunnel. An entrance conduit is also included extending from the entrance opening to the air tunnel to facilitate movement of the object into the air tunnel and then into the pneumatic track.
A blower chamber is also defined within the air control means which defines a blower inlet and a blower outlet therein. A blower means is included to be positioned within the blower chamber which is adapted to draw air into the blower chamber through the blower inlet and to expel air flow under pressure therefrom outwardly through the blower outlets. One such blower outlet can supply air to a first set of pneumatic tracks and a second pneumatic track set can be attached to the other blower outlet to receive pressurized air therefrom for competitive racing side-by-side. The use of a single blower will aid in equalizing such a competitive usage.
An air pressure chamber is in fluid flow communication with respect to these blower outlets in order to facilitate the receiving of air flow under pressure therefrom. The air pressure chamber is positioned extending around the air tunnel means to provide pressurized air in the area immediately surrounding the air tunnel to aid in the flow of pressurized air thereinto. The flow of pressurized air into the air tunnel is achieved by the positioning of a directional flow tapered air inlet in the air tunnel within the air pressure chamber.
The directional flow tapered air inlet will be inclined from the track inlet toward the track outlet to facilitate introducing of pressurized air therethrough into the air tunnel to aid in propelling of objects therethrough in the direction from the track inlet toward the track outlet and urging movement of the object along the pneumatic track from the starting end thereof to the terminating end.
The directional flow tapered air inlet preferably includes a first angled tapered edge which is circular in shape and is defined in the air tunnel. It also preferably includes a second angular tapered edge which is circular in shape and is defined in the air tunnel spatially disposed from the first angular tapered section in order to define an annulus means therebetween which is inclined in the direction of movement of the object therethrough from the track inlet toward the track outlet. In this manner propulsion thereof will be facilitated along the air tunnel. The second angular tapered edge is movable relative to the first angular tapered edge in such a manner adjustably in order to vary the size of the annulus defined therebetween to vary the magnitude of air flow under pressure therethrough. Furthermore the annulus can be adjustably positioned to be completely closed under some circumstances for example in order to facilitate the supply or more air for a certain temporary period of time to be supplied through another flower outlet for powering of a different section of the pneumatic track or for powering a separate pneumatic track.
An outer sleeve may preferably be included which is movably mounted with respect to the air tunnel with the second angular tapered edge defined thereon such that the size of the annulus is variable responsive to relative movement of the outer sleeve with respect to the air tunnel to control the magnitude of air flow therethrough. This outer sleeve can be movable with respect to the air tunnel by being threadably engaged in the air control housing or by being tightly fitted to the outside diameter of the air tunnel and movable under force at various positions therealong.
A pressure release valve may be included extending from the air pressure chamber to the external ambient environment in order to facilitate the exhausting of air under pressure beyond the predetermined value to prevent excessive air pressure build up within the air pressure chamber. The pressure release valve also may include a one-way valve responsive to allow air only to exit from the air pressure chamber. Additionally, the pressure release valve can be adjustable to vary the level of air pressure that it is able to exhaust in order to in this manner provide a means for reducing or increasing the air under pressure within the track. In this manner the pressure release valve will operate similar to a throttle and can truly be used as a throttle by the individual making use of the pneumatic track apparatus of the present invention. Thus adjustment of the throttling of the pressure release valve can control the actual speed of movement of the object through the track.
An air recycling device may be included having an air recycling chamber defined within the air control body in fluid flow communication with respect to the air recycling orifice in the air tunnel to receive air flow pressure therefrom. The air recycling device may also include an air recycling conduit extending from the air recycling chamber to the blower inlet to allow air flow under pressure from the air recycling orifice flowing into the air recycling chamber to move on through the air recycling conduit to the blower inlet for recycling.
An adjustable suction cap may also be included positioned extending over the blower inlet to control the amount of air flow thereinto to further control the amount of air under pressure entering the air pressure chamber responsive to various different configuration of the pneumatic track. The adjustable suction cap is variable in order to increase or decrease the amount of atmospheric air drawn into the blower. The suction cap is operable when moved to a more closed position to create an input vacuum adjacent the input into the blower. Since the air recycling conduit flows into a location between the blower and the suction cap this vacuum will be experienced therein. This vacuum will tend to draw or suck air toward the blower from the air recycling chamber which is drawn from the air tunnel extending therethrough by being drawn therefrom through the air recycling orifice means. The movement of air in this manner exiting the air tunnel is very effective in eliminate deadspots. These dead spots are areas within the air tunnel or in the air track adjacent the air tunnel where the object can hesitate or stop due to inadequate air flow therethrough. Thus by careful adjustment in positioning of the suction cap these dead zones can be eliminated or at least minimized.
One or more removable caps may be included positioned detachably extending across the entrance opening for selectively sealing thereof to prevent the flow of air inwardly therethrough after the introduction of an object therethrough into the air tunnel. The removable cap may be responsive to excess air flow pressure within the air pressure chamber to allow air flow leakage outwardly there passed from the air pressure chamber and to relieve excessive back pressure.
A switching device may also be usable with the present invention which is attached with respect to the track outlet of the air control body and is attached with respect to the starting end of the pneumatic track. This switching means is movable between at least one or more recirculating positioned to allow the object to recirculate through the pneumatic track through a primary or secondary section thereof or through a second pneumatic track and an exit position which allows the object to exit for removal thereof from all pneumatic tracks. The switching device may include two or more such recirculating positions as needed based upon the configuration of the particular track.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which is easy to maintain.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which has a minimum amount of moving parts to minimize maintenance requirements.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which is capable of projecting an object through very sharply curved portions of the track due to the flexibly resilient frame construction and multiple wheels included in the object.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which does not include any small parts and, as such, can be easily and safely operated by young persons.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which can be utilized as an advertising or promotion vehicle for commercial purposes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which can be formed with transparent track members to facilitate viewing of the object as it travels through the path.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which eliminates all problems associated with back pressure and in this manner provides a steady force to the object to maintain its continuous rapid movement through the pneumatic track and the air tunnel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which can be configured to include two separate and distinct pneumatic tracks both of which can be supplied with air from one blower means having a divider which separates the outgoing air into two streams passing through two separate track outlets to facilitate competitive side-by-side racing as a utility of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus wherein the pressure release valve can include a throttle means to provide instantaneous control of the purposeful release of pressurized air therethrough in order to function as a throttle for competitive racing modes of operation and other modes where use of such a throttle adds to the level or enjoyment or utility of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic propulsion track apparatus which can be utilized for advertising or promotional purposes or other commercial purposes as an attention grabber or for more utilitarian purposes such as use as a means of conveyance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portions herein, a preferred embodiment is set forth in the following detailed description which may be best understood when read in connection with accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the pneumatic track of the pneumatic propulsion track apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of the air control means and switch means of an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 a side view of an embodiment of the air control body of the present invention showing in broken view the air recycling chamber and the air pressure chamber;
FIG. 4 is a showing of FIG. 3 along lines 4 — 4 to show the air recycling chamber and conduit more clearly;
FIG. 5 is a side plan view of an embodiment of the air pressure chamber;
FIG. 6 is an end plan view of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of the air control housing of the present invention illustrating in detail the configuration of the air recycling orifice and the inwardly tapered surface area within the air recycling chamber;
FIG. 8 is a perspective illustration of the air control means clearly showing the adjustable suction cap means;
FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of the air control means showing the pressure release valve and the divider wall separating the air recycling chamber from the air pressure chamber;
FIG. 10 is a side plan view of the track air relief device of the present invention showing the longitudinal slots therein;
FIG. 11 a cross-sectional view of FIG. 10 along lines 11 — 11 ;
FIG. 12 is a perspective schematic illustration of an embodiment of the air control means of the present invention;
FIG. 13 a top cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the switching device of the present invention;
FIG. 14 is a side view of FIG. 13 along lines 14 — 14 ;
FIG. 15 is a front plan view of an embodiment of an object of the present invention showing the dual frame construction spaced apart and flexibly movable with respect to one another by a flexibly resilient interconnecting frame suspension;
FIG. 16 is a top view of the object device shown in FIG. 15; and
FIG. 17 is a perspective illustration of a embodiment of a decorative body usable on a object.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention provides a pneumatic track 10 designed to receive an object means 34 for traveling therethrough and recirculating therewithin. The pneumatic track 10 preferably includes a starting end 12 and a terminating end 14 wherein the object 34 moves from starting end 12 toward terminating end 14 .
The configuration of the pneumatic track 10 preferably is as an enclosed pneumatic conduit 16 which preferably is made of clear material to facilitate viewing of the object as it travels therealong. The pneumatic track 10 preferably will include a track air relief means 18 somewhat close to the starting end 12 thereof to facilitate the release of excessive air flow pressure within the track. This air relief 18 is provided preferably through a plurality of longitudinal slots 20 defined in the tubular track air relief member 18 . Preferably such longitudinal slots 20 are seven in number but can be any number as desired.
The pneumatic track 10 preferably includes a primary track section 22 and a secondary track section 24 . A switching means 28 is positioned immediately adjacent to the starting end 12 of the pneumatic track 10 and is movable between one or more individual recirculating positions to urge movement of the object after it passes through the switch 28 to move to one or more of the individual sections of pneumatic track 10 . Additionally the switch 28 will preferably include an exit position 32 to which it can be moved in order to allow removal of the object 34 from the pneumatic track 10 entirely.
A y-section 26 can be included adjacent to the terminating end 14 of the pneumatic track 10 for the purpose of gathering an object traveling in either section of the pneumatic track 10 to move to the terminating end 14 and on into the air control means 58 . One y-section is needed for a pneumatic track 10 which includes two individual sections and an additional y-section is needed for each additional section included thereafter.
The object 34 preferably is of a specific construction in order to facilitate movement thereof in a continuous manner subject to air pressure thereagainst through the pneumatic track 10 . The object 34 preferably includes a first frame 36 and a second frame 38 . A frame suspension means 40 is included preferably being flexibly resilient and most preferably being a flexibly resilient spring which will maintain the first frame and the second frame 36 and 38 somewhat spaced apart and flexibly resiliently movable with respect to one another. The first frame 36 will include a first frame wheel means 42 adapted to engage the interior of the enclosed pneumatic conduit 16 . Similarly the second frame 38 will include second frame wheels 44 also adapted to engage the interior of the enclosed pneumatic conduit 16 of the pneumatic track 10 . First frame wheels 42 will preferably include four individual first frame wheels 46 . In a similar manner second frame wheel means 44 will include four individual second frame wheels 48 . The number of wheels can vary however the preferred configuration is to have eight total wheels for the object 34 . The first frame wheels 46 are mounted upon first axle means 50 on the first frame 36 . The second frame wheels 48 are mounted on the second axle means 52 of the second frame 38 .
In operation the movement of the object 34 throughout the track is enhanced due to the flexibly resiliently mounted relationship between the first frame wheels 46 and the second frame wheels 48 . This flexibility will allow the object to distort slightly as it travels through curved portions of the enclosed pneumatic conduit 16 in order to prevent binding and more freely and easily move therealong. The air control means 58 of the present invention includes an air control housing 60 . Housing 60 will define a track inlet 62 for receiving the terminating end 14 of pneumatic track 10 . Track outlet 64 will define a point of attachment for the switching means 28 or the track air relief device 18 . However it will be attached indirectly or directly with respect to the starting end 12 of pneumatic track 10 . An air tunnel 66 extends from track inlet 62 to track outlet 64 for maintaining fluid flow communication and providing a path therebetween for movement of the object 34 therethrough.
An entrance opening 72 is defined in the air control housing 60 which is adapted to receive the object 34 placed therein for movement toward the air tunnel 66 and on into the pneumatic track 10 . An entrance conduit 74 extends from the entrance opening 72 to the air tunnel 66 to allow object 34 to move thereinto.
A blower chamber 76 is defined within the air control housing 60 and defines a blower inlet 78 for receiving air therethrough and a blower outlet 80 for expelling air outwardly therefrom. A blower or other motor device 82 is positioned within the blower chamber 76 and is adapted to draw air inwardly through the blower inlet 78 and expel air outwardly through the blower outlet 80 .
Blower outlet 80 is connected to an air pressure chamber 84 defined within the air control housing 60 . Air pressure chamber 84 is defined to receive air flow under pressure from the blower outlet by operation of the blower 82 such that the air within the air pressure chamber 84 will flow therein and be pressurized therewithin.
The air pressure chamber preferably will be positioned extending adjacent to or, preferably in this configuration, surrounding the air tunnel 66 at the point where the air tunnel defines a directional flow tapered air inlet 86 . This directional flow air inlet 86 will be adapted to receive pressurized air flow therethrough from the air pressure chamber 84 for supplying of pressured air into the air tunnel 66 for urging movement of the object 34 through the air tunnel 66 and thereafter through the pneumatic track 10 .
The directional flow tapered air inlet means 86 is defined as the annulus 92 positioned between the first angular tapered edge 88 and the second angular tapered edge 90 . This design is most clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 9. It is also preferable that the size of this annulus 92 be variable in order to vary the amount of air introduced into the air tunnel 66 for powering of various different configurations and sizes of the pneumatic track 10 . The size of the annulus 92 can be changed to zero wherein no air flow therethrough is possible. This adjustable position would usually be for the purpose of supplying greater quantities of air to another pneumatic track section or to another pneumatic track being used currently.
For this purpose the size of the annulus 92 can be adjustable by various means. One such means would be the movement of the second angular tapered edge 90 relative to the first angular tapered edge 88 thereby increasing or decreasing as necessary the size of the annulus 92 and therefore the air flow under pressure therethrough. This preferred configuration is shown in FIG. 5 by the inclusion of an outer sleeve member 94 which is movable longitudinally with respect to the air tunnel 66 . Since the outer sleeve 94 defines the second angular tapered edge 90 thereon, movement of this outer sleeve means 94 relative to the air tunnel 66 will cause a change in the total cross-sectional air flow area of the annulus 92 . This outer sleeve means 94 can be movable relative to the air tunnel 66 by being threadably engaged to the external surface of the air tunnel or can be merely a tight fit on the outside diameter of the air tunnel 66 in such a manner as to be forcibly slidable therealong.
The present invention also includes a pressure release valve 96 which is defined to release any excess pressure created within the pneumatic track 10 and within the air tunnel 66 as necessary. This is a one-way valve allowing flow only outwardly from the interior portion of the pneumatic track 10 and air tunnel 66 to the external ambient environment.
An air recycling means 98 may also be included and has an air recycling chamber 100 defined adjacent the air tunnel 66 at a point within the air control housing 60 upstream from the air pressure chamber 84 . This air recycling chamber 100 will be positioned adjacent to the air tunnel 66 at a position where the air recycling orifice means 68 is defined in the air tunnel 66 . This orifice is adapted to allow excessive air pressure within the air tunnel 66 immediately adjacent the air recycling chamber 100 to be expelled therethrough and thereafter move through the air recycling conduit 102 to be supplied through the blower inlet 78 for recycling of the air to the blower 82 . This air movement will help eliminate dead zones caused by back pressure and will facilitate continuous movement of the object as it passes through the air tunnel at the position therein where the directional flow tapered air inlet 86 is located. Furthermore this amount of vacuum created within the air recycling conduit 102 can be varied by selective positioning of the adjustable suction cap 104 . Positioning cap 104 such that increased suction or vacuum is created adjacent the input of blower 82 will cause suction to extend through air recycling conduit 102 thus drawing air under pressure through air recycling orifice 68 from within air tunnel 66 thereby further reducing the possibility of experiencing any deadzones as object 34 moves therethrough.
As the object 34 passes by the air recycling orifice 68 it is important that interaction between the object and particularly the wheels of the object and the air recycling orifice 68 be minimized. To achieve this inwardly tapered surface areas 70 are positioned within the air tunnel 66 immediately upstream from the air recycling orifice 68 to move the object 34 to the centralmost portion of the air tunnel 66 as it passes by the air recycling orifice 68 . The male end of the air tunnel 66 also has tapered areas 71 as shown in FIG. 7, which are spatially disposed from the inwardly tapered surface areas 70 to define an narrow open area in the air tunnel 66 . In this manner contact or engagement between the air recycling orifice 68 and the object 34 will be minimized and most likely eliminated.
The present invention may include an adjustable suction cap 104 means positioned extending over the blower inlet 78 of blower chamber 76 . This adjustable suction cap 104 is operative to move or rotate in some manner as to control the total volume of air made available through the blower inlet 78 to the blower 82 for movement thereof into the air pressure chamber 84 . This adjustable suction cap 104 will preferably have various positions pre-set as necessary for different track configurations and/or sizes and/or shapes. These setting will each provide a different vacuum or suction applied through the air recycling conduit 102 which will draw different volumes and flows of air therefrom from the air tunnel 66 through air recycling orifice 68 . Thus the positioning of the suction cap means 104 can be prechosen for various configurations of possible shapes of the track 10 of the present invention such that deadzones are minimized under each of the many different possible track configurations.
Removable cap members 106 may be included in the present invention positioned over the entrance opening 72 to eliminate movement of air therethrough into the air tunnel 66 except during those times when an object 34 is being introduced therethrough. Preferably the removable caps 106 will also be responsive to pressurized air flow through the entrance conduit 74 to slightly dislodge to from the entrance opening 72 and release pressure externally therefrom. This will be an important supplemental source of pressured relief.
The objects 34 used with the present invention may preferably include decorative bodies such as 108 on the exterior surface thereof to facilitate aesthetic enjoyment of the pneumatic propulsion track apparatus of the present invention. Also, the switching device 28 of the present invention preferably will include an exit hole 110 to allow the objects 34 to be expelled from the pneumatic propulsion track apparatus.
In a preferred configuration as shown best in FIGS. 3, 7 and 9 the air recycling chamber means 100 will extend around the air tunnel means 66 and the air pressure chamber area 84 will also extend around the air tunnel 66 . Preferably, as shown in these drawings, the air pressure chamber 84 will be immediately downstream from the air recycling chamber 100 . These chambers can be similar in shape and are preferably separated by a divider wall 112 .
While particular embodiments of this invention have been shown in the drawings and described above, it will be apparent, that many changes may be made in the form, arrangement and positioning of the various elements of the combination. In consideration thereof it should be understood that preferred embodiments of this invention disclosed herein are intended to be illustrative only and not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
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An apparatus for propelling an object by pneumatic air flow along one or more individual track sections utilizing a unique air controller providing a conduit for entrance of the object thereinto and an exit as well as a switching means for moving the object from one track to another and for maintaining uniform flow such that the object continuously moves through the tracks and the tunnel defined in the air controller therefore. The design includes a unique directional flow tapered air inlet for receiving air under pressure from an air pressure chamber for the main powering pneumatically of an object through the propulsion track. Also included is a uniquely configured object which may include a decorative body externally thereon for aesthetics. An air recycling chamber is included for minimizing the effects of back pressure and maximizing efficiency of operation of the object. This device could be used for amusement purposes or commercial purposes. It also includes a variable air input control for the main blower for customizing the action thereof based upon the parameters of the pneumatic track and object being utilized.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to gold coated natural fibre as electrode materials comprising natural fibres and gold. Particularly, the present invention relates to utilisation of cost effective, flexible, mechanically strong and wire shaped coir fibre, jute fibre, banana fibre, sisal fibre, and human hair for electrode preparation. More particularly the natural fibre electrode materials were obtained through sputter coating of thin layered gold on the surface of different natural fibres. Still more particularly, the invention relates to use of gold coated natural fibre electrodes as (i) conducting wire, (ii) working electrode materials for the study of cyclic volatammogram of different redox couple in both aqueous and non aqueous media and also in presence of acidic electrolyte, (iii) electrode for amperometric sensing of hydrogen peroxide, and (iv) anodic stripping voltammetry for detection and quantification of toxic heavy metal ions.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The liquid metal, Hg, several metallic solids such as Pt and Au, and other conducting substrates such as graphite are well known electrode materials. Semiconducting materials are also well studied as electrodes in photo-electrochemical processes. Electrochemical processes are conducted on bare electrode surfaces or after various types of modifications such as direct chemical functionalization or through coating of conducting polymers, clays, zeolites, silica, and graphene. Conducting coatings over non conducting substrates are also reported, for example, indium-tin oxide coating on glass that serves as an optically transparent electrode. Although carbon electrodes such as graphite and carbon paste are well known, such carbon is derived either from a mineral resource or petroleum coke. With the growing interest in the value addition of discarded bioresources, tailor-made electrode materials fabricated from biomaterials will rise in demand. Weavable fibers have been converted into electro active textiles used in super capacitors. Twisting configurations of working and counter electrodes in dye-sensitized-solar-cells have also been studied. Reports on the use of bioresources as electrode material are scant.
[0003] Reference may be made to the article by Ghosh et al. in JACS, 1983, 105, 5691-5693, wherein fabrication of clay modified electrode is disclosed.
[0004] Reference may be made to the article by Yang et al. in Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 7545-7548, wherein photovoltaic wire derived from a graphene composite fiber achieving an 8.45% energy conversion efficiency is reported.
[0005] Reference may be made to Gui et al. in ACS Nano 2013, 7, 6037-6046, wherein natural cellulose fiber as substrate for super capacitor is disclosed.
[0006] Reference may be made to Chen et al. in Chem. Soc. Rev. 2013, 42, 5031-5041, wherein novel solar cells in a wire format is reviewed.
[0007] Reference may be made to the article by Kozan et al. in Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 2010, 25, 1143-1148, wherein amperometric detection of benzoyl peroxide in pharmaceutical preparations using carbon paste electrodes with peroxidases naturally immobilized on coconut fibres is disclosed.
[0008] Reference may be made to the article by Kozan et al. In Analytica Chimica Acta, 2007, 591, 200-207, wherein biosensing hydrogen peroxide utilizing carbon paste electrodes containing peroxidases naturally immobilized on coconut ( Cocus nucifera L.) fibres is disclosed.
[0009] Reference may be made to JP 2004277847A dated 7 Oct. 2004 by Hiramatsu et al., wherein metal-coated coconut fibres and their manufacture by electroplating are disclosed.
[0010] Reference may be made to KR 2004034631A dated 28 Apr. 2004 by Lee et al., wherein electrode for electric double layer capacitor and method for manufacturing the same is disclosed.
[0011] Reference may be made to JP 63091953A dated 22 Apr. 1988 by Fuji et al., wherein electrodes and their preparations are disclosed. Composites of woven or nonwoven cloth of conductive fibres mixed with synthetic or natural or regenerated fibres and a polymer of an aromatic compound is used for electrodes.
[0012] Reference may be made to JP 2002237374A dated 23 Aug. 2002 by Iwakoshi et al., wherein Woven, knitted, or nonwoven fabric made of conductive fibres and equipped with electrodes at certain points are claimed.
[0013] The conductive fibres are obtained by electro less or electroplating of metals on surfaces of synthetic fibres or their mixtures with natural fibres and the electrodes are formed on the fabric by sewing metal thin wires thereon.
[0014] Reference may be made to an article by Bruno et al. in Chemical Communications, 2005, 47, 5896-5898, wherein porous carbon-carbon composite replicated from a natural fibre is disclosed.
[0015] Reference may be made to a Patent U.S. 005298048A wherein heat treatable sputter coated glass system is disclosed.
[0016] Reference may be made to an article by Bismark et al. in Green Chemistry, 2001, 3, 100-107, wherein Surface characterization of natural fibers; surface properties and the water up-take behavior of modified sisal and coir fibers are disclosed.
[0017] Reference may be made to an article by Swift et al. in SCANNING VOL. 22, 310-318 (2000), wherein surface morphology of human hair was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM).
[0018] Reference may be made to a review article in Advances in Polymer Technology, Vol. 18, No. 4, 351-363 (1999), wherein natural fiber based polymer composites have been documented.
[0019] Reference may be made to the ongoing project at “Central Coir Research Institute” Kottayan, India entitled “Design, Development and Analysis of Thin Coated Coir Fiber for Electronic and Other Industrial Applications”, wherein the coir fibers were cut in to small tiny pieces and were heated up to a temperature of 1300-1500° C. for two hours. It was then powdered and pelletized and coated with silver to use in electronic applications. [http://www.ccriindia.org/thin_film.html; as on 10 Sep. 2014].
[0020] Reference may be made to an article in Materials Research 2013, 16(4), 903-923, wherein the authors have coated the gold coir fiber for taking SEM images as a protocol of SEM imaging. The coating is too thin and cannot be used in electrode applications.
[0021] Reference may be made to an article in Electrochemistry Communications 11 (2009) 764-767, wherein the authors fabricated the gold micro-electrode through chemical liquid deposition method in multiple steps. The conducting surface was achieved after 10-20 cycles of consecutive deposition taking about 2 days.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0022] The main object of the present invention is to provide gold coated natural fibre as electrode materials.
[0023] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a process for the preparation of sustainable and biodegradable electrode materials thorough simple way from naturally occurring wire shaped fibrous and flexible materials which can be used as alternatives to conventional and synthetic electrode materials.
[0024] Yet another objective of the present invention is to use mechanically strong coir fibre, jute fibre, sisal fibre, banana fibre, and human hair as non conducting substrate for electrode fabrication.
[0025] Yet another objective of the present invention is to use gold as noble metal for coating purpose on the surface of natural fibres.
[0026] Yet another objective of the present invention is to use simple sputter coating technique for gold coating on the surface of the natural fibres.
[0027] Yet another objective of the present invention is to fine tune the coating time to raise conductivity of the naturals fibres electrode and to value add the fibre for different electro chemical processes.
[0028] Yet another objective of the present invention is to check the suitability of the natural fiber electrode materials as working electrode for the study of cyclic voltammetry in both aqueous and non-aqueous media.
[0029] Yet another objective of the present invention is to verify the suitability of the natural fiber electrode materials for further surface modification through electro polymerisation process taking aniline as an example.
[0030] Yet another objective of the present invention is to prove the suitability of the natural fibers electrodes toward detection and quantification of toxic heavy metal ions present in aqueous solution through anodic stripping voltammetry.
[0031] Yet another objective of the present invention is to check the suitability of these fibers electrodes for amperometric sensing using hydrogen peroxide as an example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0032] Accordingly, present invention provides gold coated natural fibre electrode materials comprising 5-7% (w/w) of gold and 95-97% (w/w) of natural fibre wherein the natural fibres comprise coir fibre, jute fibre, banana fibre, sisal fibre and human hair.
[0033] In an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the natural fibre is in the range of 2-200 μm.
[0034] In another embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the gold on the fibre is in the range of 80-200 nm.
[0035] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the electrical resistivity of the natural fibre electrodes is in the range of 2×10 −5 -4×10 −4 ohm cm at 20-30° C.
[0036] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the Young's Modulus of gold coated natural fibre electrodes is in the range of 2-30 GPa and % strain at break point in the range of 1-40.
[0037] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, thermal stability of the gold coated natural fibre electrodes is in the range of 190-250° C.
[0038] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, said electrode materials are useful as working electrode in electrochemical applications including cyclic voltammetry in aqueous and non-aqueous media, anodic stripping voltammetry for detection of lead [Pb(II)], arsenic [As(III)] and mercury [Hg(II)] with detection limit of 69 ppb, 12 ppb and 40 ppb, respectively, and amperometric detection of H 2 O 2 .
[0039] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, said fibre can be further coated with conducting polymer or subjected to other forms of modification to expand their utility.
[0040] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, it can be employed in microelectronics by virtue of their electrical conductivity, flexibility, mechanical stability and micron level thickness.
[0041] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, it can also be readily obtained as aligned fibres such as in the form of a naturally aligned bundle of jute fibre or human hair.
[0042] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the gold coated fibre can be calcined to recover and recycle the gold.
[0043] In yet another embodiment, present invention provides a process for the preparation of electrically conducting natural fibres comprising the steps of:
i. picking individual fibres from sources such as mature coconut, banana stem, jute bark, sisal leaves and head full of hair; ii. washing and drying the fibres if required; iii. alternatively, collecting a bundle of naturally aligned fibres which are fastened at one end through use of a rubber band or clip or glue to retain the alignment; iv. placing the fibres in a conventional sputter coater and carrying out gold coating at 7-8 Pa pressure, 3-4 mA applied plasma current and 20-30° C. temperature over 30-90 minutes to obtain fibres having thickness in the range of 50-200 nm; v. preparing ohmic contact for their functioning as working electrode.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0049] FIG. 1 represents EDX of gold coated coir fibre electrode as obtained in example 1.
[0050] FIG. 2 represents cyclic voltammogram of 0.5 M sulphuric acid on Au coated human hair electrode (red), and bare gold electrode (black) at scan rate=50 mV/s.
[0051] FIG. 3 represents Chronoamperometric response recorded at −0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl potential for successive addition of 100 μL of 0.05 M H 2 O 2 to an initial concentration of 100 μM H 2 O 2 . [Inset: calibration curve of limiting current vs. concentration of H 2 O 2 ]. The details are given in example 5.
[0052] FIG. 4 represents anodic stripping voltammogram (ASV) traces for As (III) along with the calibration plot at different concentration of Pb (II) as described in example 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0053] The invention relates to a cost effective and disposable electrode materials fabricated from natural fibres namely, coir fibres, jute fibres, banana fibres, sisal fibres and human hair through sputter coating of gold. The invention recognised that the natural fibres derived from different bio-resources comprise several useful properties e.g. wire like appearance, flexibility, high mechanical strength, and rough surface. In targeting a suitable method, the invention recognised ease of sputter coating technique and was adopted accordingly. Gold was chosen as coating metal recognizing its noble nature and simplicity towards sputter coating. By suitably tuning the gold sputter coating time natural fibres based composites electrode was fabricated which exhibit lower electrical resistivity. By utilizing the composites fibre electrodes in turn, commonly used electrochemical process such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical polymerization was tested. The composites fibre electrodes were evaluated in both aqueous and non aqueous solvent. Amperometric sensing of H 2 O 2 and toxic metal ions detection by anodic stripping voltammetry using composites fibre as working electrodes was also demonstrated.
[0054] Accordingly, a cost effective and flexible natural fibre based composite electrode materials is disclosed. The preparation of gold coated natural fibre electrodes comprising:
(i) Physically picking individual coir fibre strands from mature coconut; banana fibres from chemically treated banana stem as taught in the prior art; jute fibres from physically treated jute bark; sisal fibres from sisal leaves; and human hair from head full of hair; (ii) washing and drying the fibres before used whenever required; (iii) Alternatively, collecting a bundle of naturally aligned jute fibres or human hair which are clipped or glued to retain the alignment; (iv) Placing a bundle of natural fibres in a conventional sputter coater and carrying out gold coating. (v) Removing the gold coated natural fibres from sputter coater chamber and ensuring ohmic contact for their functioning as electrode materials. (vi) Finally, testing of the composite fibre electrodes for well known electrochemical experiments such cyclic voltammetry, electro-polymerisation of aniline. (vii) Testing the suitability of the natural fibre electrodes towards amperometric detection of H 2 O 2 and detection of toxic heavy metal ions by anodic stripping voltammetry.
[0062] The term pristine is used for raw material as obtained.
[0063] The novel inventive steps related to the present invention are as follows:
1. Recognising that low cost, flexible, high mechanical strength, wire shaped natural fibres are an ideal sustainable resource for fabrication of electrically conducting wires and electrodes. 2. Recognising that some of the natural fibres such as jute fibre are extremely fine and wires made from these may be quite useful in microelectronics. 3. Recognising further that such fibres are, in many cases, naturally aligned, such as a headful of straight hair, and can be utilized for naturally aligned mat electrodes. 4. Recognising that gold can be easily sputter coated on the surface of the natural fibres to create such conducting wires for their functioning as gold electrodes particularly in sensing and detection applications where typically low current densities are encountered. 5. Recognizing that not only is gold easy to coat, gold electrodes have many useful applications as electrodes by virtue of its inert nature. 6. Further recognising that an 80-200 nm gold coating suffices for this purpose, this amounting to 5-7% of the total weight of the composite electrode. 7. Further demonstrating best performance with jute fibre and human hair in so far as electrical resistivity and peak-to-peak separation in cyclic voltammetry are concerned. 8. Further demonstrating the utility of the electrode made from human hair in anodic stripping voltammetry with ppb level detection.
EXAMPLES
[0072] Following examples are given by way of illustration and should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.
Materials and Methods
[0073] Dry coir fibres of uniform diameter (150-200 μm), having Young's modulus 5-7 GPa and strain 7-11% was physically picked from fully matured coconut fruit (Prerna Stores, Waghawadi Road, Bhavnagar, Gujarat-364002, India) and selected for the study without any chemical pre-treatment. Banana fibre (Prerna Stores, Waghawadi Road, Bhavnagar, Gujarat-364002, India) was extracted by known method of chemical pretreatment. Thus obtained banana fibres had thickness 10-30 μm, Young's modulus 7-10 GPa and strain 2-4%. Jute and sisal fibres (Prerna Stores, Waghawadi Road, Bhavnagar, Gujarat-364002, India) with thickness of 2-10 μm and 40-80 μm respectively, used in the present invention had Young's modulus 25-26 GPa and 20-25 GPa respectively and strain 1-3% and 8-12% respectively. The human hairs used in the present invention had thickness 30-50 μm and Young's modulus 2-3 GPa, strain 35-40%, This example teaches the extraction/source of different natural fibres and their mechanical properties which were used in the present invention. Tensile strength testing was carried out using a universal testing machine (Zwick Roell, type X force P, S/N 756324). Young's modulus (Y) was determined from the regression slope in the elastic region of the stress-strain curve. Au coating of coir fiber was performed using Polaron SC7620 mini-sputter at 8 Pascal pressure. The thickness of Au coating on the surface of the fibre was determined using the following equation.
[0000] d=KIVt (1)
[0074] where d is the coating thickness in angstrom; K is an experimentally determined constant (for Au used with air, K=0.07 approximately); I is the plasma current in mA (5 mA in present invention), V is the bias voltage in kV (1 kV in present invention), and t is the sputtering time in seconds (3600 s in present invention). Current-voltage (I-V) measurements were performed using a Keithley 2635A source meter unit (SMU). The contacts on the natural fibre electrodes for measurement of I-V characteristics were made using conducting silver paste and copper wire. The copper wire was connected to the source meter unit (SMU) with a crocodile clip. The bias current of ±1.0 mA was applied, and corresponding voltage was measured. The sweep was generated by the instrument, and 32 measured data points were averaged automatically. The averaged and stored data were collected and plotted to obtain the I-V curve. The electrical resistances of the natural fibre electrodes were calculated from the slope of the curve. The specific resistance of the coating was calculated considering it as a sheet and applying the equations: Specific resistance ρ=R×(W×L)/H; wherein W is the width of the sheet (thickness of the coating), L is length of the sheet (circumference of the coating, i.e., 2πr), H is height (length of the fiber between two contacts); and R is measured resistance (from slope of I-V curve). Electrochemical experiments were performed using a Princeton applied research potentiostat (PAR-STAT 2273) at room temperature (24±2° C.). A three-electrode assembly was used in all measurements in which Au-coated coir fiber or Au wire (in control experiment) was used as working electrodes, while platinum foil and Ag/AgCl (sat KCl) were used as auxiliary and reference electrodes, respectively. The contact in the working electrode was made through a spring-loaded clip, which was suitably modified.
Example 1
[0075] For coatings of Au, a bundle of coir fibers (75 to 100) as described in materials and method section were placed into the chamber of a sputter coater (100 mm diameter×100 mm height). The vapor pressure of gold was maintained uniformly in the chamber which facilitated uniform coating. After 60 min of coating, the fibers were removed from the coater and characterized. The data on physical properties of different fibres are provided in Table 1 and EDX of gold coated coir fibre is given as FIG. 1 .
[0076] This example teaches that Young's modulus and strain at breaking point of the natural fibres were in the range of 2-30 GPa and 1-40%. The example further teaches that maximum strain at breaking point was 35-40% in case of human hair. This example also teaches amount of gold coated on natural fibres was 5-7% (w/w) and specific resistivity was in the range of 4e −4 to 2e −5 Ω cm. Further this example teaches that lowest resistivity was obtained with 2B and 4B respectively. Thickness of gold coating for all samples were in the range of 80-200 nm.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Different physical properties of uncoated and gold coated natural fibre
electrode.
Young's
Strain at
Thickness
Moisture
Gold
modulus
breaking
Resistivity (Ω cm)
Sample
(μm)
(%)
(% w/w)
(GPa)
(%)
at 25° C.
1A
100-200
13.9
—
6.5
9.5
ND
1B
″
11.8
5.6
8.3
14.0
4.4 × 10 −4
2A
30-50
14.2
—
2.6
38.05
ND
2B
″
13.9
5.8
3.2
39.02
3.18 × 10 −5
3A
40-70
12.5
—
25.8
9.03
ND
3B
″
8.5
5.3
28.1
9.85
7.38 × 10 −5
4A
2-10
10.4
—
26.4
1.74
ND
4B
″
11.1
6.5
27.6
2.00
2.87 × 10 −5
5A
10-30
9.7
—
7.6
2.78
ND
5B
″
8.2
5.1
8.3
3.05
8.83 × 10 −5
ND = Not determined;
1A = uncoated coir fibre;
1B = Au coated coir fibre;
2A = uncoated human hair;
2B = Au coated human hair;
3A = uncoated sisal fibre;
3B = Au coated sisal fibre;
4A = uncoated jute fibre;
4B = Au coated jute fibre;
5A = uncoated banana fibre; and
5B = Au coated banana fibre.
Example 2
[0077] Cyclic voltammogram of 0.5 M sulphuric acid was recorded in a 10 mL open cell where gold coated human hair and bare gold act as working electrode while platinum foil and Ag/AgCl (sat KCl) were employed as counter and reference electrode respectively. Scan rate 50 mV/s and potential range −0.2V to 1.6 V was chosen for this experiment. The cyclic voltammogram is provided in FIG. 2 .
[0078] This example teaches the stability and cleanness of gold coated natural fibers in acid media and the similarities of CVs with that of pure gold. The gold coated human hair had clean surface and stable in acidic media.
Example 3
[0079] Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple were recorded at 100 mV/s scan rate in a solution having 10 mM potassium ferrocyanide in 0.1 M KCl using gold coated coir fibre, sisal fibre, jute fibre, banana fibre and human hair as working electrode. Comparison was also made with a conventional gold wire electrode. The data on peak to peak separation are provided in Table 2.
[0080] Cyclic voltammetry study in acetonitrile medium was carried out using Au coated natural fibres as working electrode CVs were recorded under N 2 atmosphere in an airtight cell. One mM solution of [Ru(bpy) 3 ]Cl 2 was prepared in dry acetonitrile in the presence of 0.1 M tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (supporting electrolyte). N 2 was purged for 10 min before start of the experiment. CVs were recorded at 350 mV/s scan rate without any agitation. The data on peak to peak separation is given in Table 2.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Peak to peak separation in aqueous and non aqueous
media for different natural fibre electrodes.
Natural
10 mM Fe(CN) 6 3−/4− in
1.0 mM Ru(bpy) 3 3+/2+ in 0.1 M
fibre
0.1 M KCl; 100 mV/s
tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate/
electrode
scan rate (mV)
CH 3 CN; 350 mV/s scan rate (mV)
1 B
265
305
2 B
150
124
3 B
172
160
4 B
151
107
5 B
170
172
Gold wire
85
—
1 B = Au coated coir fibre;
2 B = Au coated human hair;
3 B = Au coated sisal fibre;
4 B = Au coated jute fibre; and
5 B = Au coated banana fibre.
[0081] This example teaches that the peak to peak separation in aqueous and nonaqueous media mirrored the trends of specific resistivity as mention in Table 1, the separations being the least for jute fibre and human hair. For comparison, the peak-to-peak separation recorded on conventional gold wire electrode is also shown in the table.
Example 4
[0082] An attempt was made to electrochemically coat polyaniline over the surface of the natural fibre electrodes. Anilinium sulfate monomer was prepared by dissolving 0.1M aniline in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 followed by sonication for 6 min. Electro-polymerization was carried out in an open glass cell using 10 mL of freshly prepared monomer. A total of 5-35 potentiodynamic cycles were run in potential window of −0.2 to 0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl. All the natural fibre electrodes could be coated in this manner.
[0083] This example teaches that the surface of the natural fibre electrode can be further modified through electro polymerisation.
Example 5
[0084] Hydrogen peroxide was detected using Au coated coir fibre electrode. Amperometric measurements were done in open glass cell containing 10 mL H 2 O 2 (100 μM) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 5.2) under continuous stirring. The indicator electrode (coir electrode) was potentiostated at −0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl. An aliquot of 100 μL of 0.05 M H 2 O 2 [prepared in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 5.2)] was added successively and the limiting current was measured after 2 minutes, although the response was instantaneous. The data on H 2 O 2 sensing is given FIG. 3 .
[0085] This example teaches amperometric detection of hydrogen peroxide can done using coir fibre electrode. The responses were found instantaneous indicating efficient electron transfer through the coir electrode. The detection limit was found to be 6×10 −4 M.
Example 6
[0086] Anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) detection of heavy metal ions [Pb (II), Hg (II), and As (III)] was attempted on Au coated human hair used as working electrode. Pt foil and Ag/AgCl (saturated KCl) were used as counter and reference electrodes, respectively. 0.1 M acetate buffer of pH 4.0 was used as electrolyte. For ASV of Pb (II), a stock solution of 25 ppm (concentration of stock solution was cross checked by ICP analysis) was prepared from 1000 ppm solution of PbCl 2 . Initially, a blank experiment (without any analyte) was run to check the background current. Thereafter certain volume (10-40 μL) of Pb (II) stock solution was added successively in a cell containing 10 mL acetate buffer. Electrode position was carried out by applying −0.8 V for 10 minutes under stirring condition. Subsequently, a square wave voltammetry waveform was applied in the range of −0.3 to 0.3V to obtain a stripping voltammogram maintaining 25 mV pulse width for 10 millisecond and step height 2 mV. The electrode was washed after each experiment by applying 0.8V potential in blank electrolyte for 10 minutes. To insure complete washing the process was repeated several time and checked for any oxidation peak if there. Peak current values were corrected from background current associated with blank scan. The corrected values of peak current and concentration were used to draw calibration plot. For ASV of Hg (II), 25 ppm stock solution of Hg (II) was prepared from 1000 ppm solution of HgCl 2 . The scanning potential range was −0.6 to 0.7V. The other experimental conditions were same as mentioned above. For ASV of As (III), 25 ppm stock solution of As (III) was prepared from 1000 ppm solution of As 2 O 3 . The scanning potential range was −0.5 to 1.0V. The other experimental conditions were same as mentioned above. FIG. 4 shows the ASV traces for As(III) along with the calibration plot. Table 3 provides data on the detection limits of Pb(II), Hg(II) and As(III).
[0000]
TABLE 3
Data on lower detection limit of Pb (II),
Hg (II), and As(III) as obtained by anodic
stripping voltammetry on gold coated
human hair as working electrode.
Detection Limit/ppb
Pb(II)
Hg (II)
As (III)
69
16
12
[0087] This example teaches use of human hair electrode for ppb level detection and quantification of toxic heavy metals and As(III) in water by ASV.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0088] The advantages of the present invention are—
(i) Use of inexpensive natural fibres bestowed with excellent properties such as high strength, flexibility and natural alignment of bundles of fibres in several cases as sustainable resources for fabrication of electrically conducting wires and electrodes. (ii) Ease of preparation of such electrically conducting natural wires and electrodes through sputter coating of gold. (iii) A true composite electrode wherein useful properties such as flexibility, mechanical strength, fineness are drawn from the inexpensive natural fibres whereas electrical conductivity is drawn from precious gold, and as a result minimizing the requirement of gold to only 5-7% of total weight as compared to a conventional gold electrode. (iv) Recognising that although gold coated natural fibre electrodes would have lower current carrying capacity than bulk gold wire, such electrodes adequately serve the purpose in electrochemical sensing applications where low current density is required. (v) Gold can be recycled and reused after burning the natural fibre.
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The present invention relates to gold wires and electrodes fashioned from natural fibres. In particular, fine natural fibres such as coir fibre, jute fibre, sisal fibre, banana fibre, and human hair, which are mechanically strong and flexible, were used as templates over which an 80-200 nm layer of gold was coated by sputter coating. The composite materials were shown to have low electrical resistivity and functioned normally as electrodes in conventional electrochemical applications such as cyclic voltammetry and anodic stripping voltammetry. Although the present invention focused on the use of single fibres and gold coating exclusively, bundles of naturally aligned fibres and coatings of metals other than gold are logical extensions of the invention.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical waveguide capable of converting a mode field diameter at a desired portion thereof, such as a mode field diameter conversion fiber and a planar light waveguide device.
2. Related Background Art
A conventional beam expanding fiber is disclosed in the reference titled as "Beam Expanding Fiber Using Thermal Diffusion of the Dopant" in Journal of Lightwave Technology. Vol. 8, No. 8 August 1990. The beam expanding fiber of the above reference has a core in which Ge is induced and the induced Ge is thermally diffused so that a spot size of the propagating mode, which corresponds to "mode-field diameter of the optical fiber", is partially expanded.
By increasing the mode field diameter at the end of the optical fiber as shown in the above reference, it is possible to insert an optical device between the fibers with the expanded mode fields without significant loss increase.
The above conventional fiber, however, includes a problem that a long time heating is needed to increase the mode field diameter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mode field diameter conversion optical element capable of changing the mode field diameter (the spot size of the propagating mode) in a desired portion thereof.
In order to solve the above problems, the optical waveguide according to the present invention comprises a core portion made of a light propagating material; and a cladding portion, a first dopant and a second dopant being induced into said core portion, the first dopant having a function of increasing a refractive index of the light propagating material and having a first thermal diffusion coefficient to said light propagating material at a predetermined temperature, the second dopant having a function of decreasing the refractive index of said light propagating material and having a second thermal diffusion coefficient to said light propagating material at the predetermined temperature, the second thermal diffusion coefficient being larger than the first thermal diffusion coefficient at the predetermined temperature.
In one form of dopant distribution, the first dopant and the second dopant have substantially uniform concentration distribution in the core portion. In other form of dopant distribution. The second dopant has a substantially uniform concentration distribution in the core portion but the concentration distribution in the core portion of the first dopant is high at a substantially center area and low in a peripheral area so that a refractive index in the periphery of the core is smaller than that of a cladding portion. The concentration distribution of the first dopant in this case is substantially parabolic or stepwise.
An optical waveguide in accordance with another aspect of the present invention is further featured by that a spot size of a propagating mode of the optical waveguide at a predetermined portion thereof is smaller than that of the other portion thereof and the formation of the smaller portion in the spot size is performed by heating the predetermined portion at the predetermined temperature.
In an optical waveguide according to the present invention, a predetermined portion of the optical waveguide is heated and a spot size of a propagating mode is changed at the predetermined portion. In a method for converting a spot size of a propagating mode of the present invention, a predetermined portion of the optical waveguide is heated and the spot size is changed at the predetermined portion.
By heating the predetermined portion of the optical waveguide, the first and second dopants are thermally diffused from the predetermined portion of the core portion. In this case, since the second thermal diffusion coefficient is larger than the first thermal diffusion coefficient at a predetermined temperature, the second dopant diffuses to a more distant area from the center of the core than the first dopant does. As a result, in both forms of the dopant distribution described above, a difference between a refractive index in the area close to the center of the core and a refractive index of the area distant from the center of the core relatively increases. Consequently, the spot size of the mode is reduced at the predetermined area having thermal processing applied thereto. In the second form of the dopant distribution, the spot size of the mode is reduced by an effect of substantial increase of the core size in which the refractive index is larger than that of the clad by the diffusion of the second dopant.
When the predetermined portion of the other optical waveguide is heated, the first dopant diffuses from the predetermined portion of the core portion to the cladding portion and the second dopant diffuses from the clad to the core portion. Since both diffusions have effects of lowering the differential refractive index Δn between the core portion and the cladding portion, the spot size of the mode is increased at the predetermined portion having the heat treatment applied thereto at a faster speed than that of the prior art.
Here, the differential refractive index Δn between the core portion and the cladding portion means the following.
Δn=((n1×n1)-(n2×n2))/(2×n1×n1)≃(n1-n2)/n1
The n1 is a refractive index of the core portion, and the n2 is a refractive index of the cladding portion.
As a result, the optical waveguide having the spot size of the mode changed at the desired portion is attained. Such an optical waveguide may be used as not only a mere optical transmission line but also an optical device for converting the spot size of the mode at a small loss.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustartion only, and thus are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art form this detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A shows a structure of an optical fiber according to the present invention,
FIGS. 1B-1D are drawings for explaining the convertion of a mode field diameter of an optical fiber according to the first embodiment,
FIG. 2 shows a graph of a relation between a core diameter and a refractive index distribution, and a mode field diameter, in the first embodiment,
FIGS. 3A-3D show a manufacturing process of the fiber of the first embodiment,
FIG. 4A shows a structure of an optical fiber according to the second embodiment,
FIGS. 4B-4D are drawings for explaining the convertion of a mode field diameter of an optical fiber according to the second embodiment,
FIG. 5 shows a graph of a relation between the core diameter and the refractive index distribution, and the mode field diameter, in the second embodiment,
FIGS. 6A-6D show a manufacturing process of the fiber of the second embodiment,
FIG. 7A shows a structure of an optical fiber according to the third embodiment,
FIGS. 7B-7D are drawings for explaining the convertion of a mode field diameter in the optical fiber of the third embodiment,
FIGS. 8A-8D show a manufacturing process of the fiber of the third embodiment,
FIG. 9 shows an example of application of the optical waveguide, and
FIG. 10 shows an example of application of the present invention to an optical waveguide.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The embodiments of the present invention are now briefly explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First Embodiment
FIG. 1A shows a structure of an optical fiber of a first embodiment. The optical fiber has a core to which Ge and F are added at a substantially uniform concentration as shown in FIG. 1A.
A thermal diffusion coefficient of the F is larger than that of the Ge at the temperature of 1600° C. to 2200° C. That is, the F is diffusing faster than the Ge above 1600° C.
FIGS. 1B-1D schematically show a structure and changes in distributions before and after the heat treatment for converting the mode field diameter. FIG. 1B shows a change in a concentration distribution of the first dopant added to the core, FIG. 1C shows a change in a concentration distribution of the second dopant added to the core, and FIG. 1D shows a change in a refractive index near the core. A graph in FIG. 2 shows relation between the mode field diameter and core diameter, and a difference of refractive indices between the core and the cladding when the distribution of the refractive index in the fiber is stepwise.
The fiber prior to heating shown in FIG. 1A is a single mode fiber and is formed by a known VAD method in a process shown in FIGS. 3A-3D. Soot preform for the core made of quartz having germanium (Ge) added thereto as the first dopant (see FIG. 3A) and fluorine (F) is added as the second dopant before it is made transparent (see FIG. 3B). Then, the soot preform for the core is made transparent and elongated to an appropriate outer diameter, and soot for the cladding is formed around it using it as an axis (see FIG. 3C). Then, the soot for the cladding is made transparent to form preform for forming the optical fiber. The preform is drawn under an appropriate condition (see FIG. 3D). In this manner, the optical fiber for the mode field diameter conversion having Ge and F added to the core is formed.
Referring to FIG. 1B to FIG. 1D and FIG. 2, a method and a principle of forming the above optical fiber into the mode field diameter conversion fiber are described. In the following discussion, it is assumed herein that fluorine diffuses sufficiently faster than germanium by heating and after the heating the concentration distribution of fluorine substantially uniformly decreases and the concentration distribution of germanium does not substantially change. The diameter of the core of the optical fiber before the heat treatment is 4 μm.
As shown in FIG. 1B, in the core area of the optical fiber before the thermal diffusion, Ge is added in the core area at a substantially uniform concentration. Further, as shown in FIG. 1C, F is also added to the core area at a substantially uniform concentration. It is assumed that a contribution Δ(Ge) of Ge to the differential refractive index is 0.5%, and a contribution Δ(F) of F to the differential refractive index is -0.3%. The heat treatment is applied to a desired portion of the optical fiber to thermally diffuse Ge and F. Ge does not substantially diffuse as shown on the right hand of FIG. 1B but F widely diffuses as shown on the right hand of FIG. 1C and the contribution Δ(F) of F in the core to the differential refractive index changes to -0.2%.
Referring to FIG. 1D, a change in the refractive indices near the core before and after the thermal diffusion is discussed. The optical fiber before the thermal diffusion exhibits a substantially uniform refractive index distribution in the core area as shown by a solid line. A differential refractive index Δ(n) between the core and the cladding is 0.2%. A broken line shows a refractive index distribution due to Ge or F. When heat treatment is applied to the desired portion of the optical fiber to thermally diffuse Ge and F, the core diameter does not substantially change as shown by a solid line on the right hand of the drawing, and the differential refractive index Δ(n) is 0.3%. The change in the mode field diameter for the above changes is discussed with reference to FIG. 2. Before heating, the differential refractive index Δ(n) is 0.2% and the core diameter is 4 μm which corresponds to a point A in the graph of FIG. 2, and the mode field diameter is 32 μm. After the thermal diffusion by heating, the differential refractive index Δ(n) is 0.3% and the core diameter is 4 μm which corresponds to a point A' in the graph of FIG. 2, and the mode field diameter decreases to 14 μm.
Second Embodiment
FIG. 4A shows a structure of an optical fiber of the second embodiment. The optical fiber has a core to which Ge is added at a substantially radial concentration distribution which is one of graded distributions and F is added at a substantially uniform concentration.
A thermal diffusion coefficient of the F is larger than that of the Ge at the temperature of 1600° C. to 2200° C. That is, the F is diffusing faster than the Ge above 1600° C.
FIG. 4B-4D schematically show a structure and changes in distributions before and after the heat treatment for converting the mode field diameter. FIG. 4B shows a change in a concentration distribution of the first dopant added to the core, FIG. 4C shows a change in a concentration distribution of the second dopant added to the core, and FIG. 4D shows a change in the refractive index near the core. A graph of FIG. 5 shows a relation between the mode field diameter and the core diameter, and the differential refractive index between the core and the cladding when the distribution of the refractive index in the fiber is of graded type.
The optical fiber before heating shown in FIG. 4A is a single mode fiber and it is formed by a known VAD method or rod-in-tube method in a process shown in FIGS. 6A-6D. Soot preform for the core made of quartz having germanium (Ge) added thereto as the first dopant is formed (see FIG. 6A), and before it is made transparent, fluorine (F) is added as the second dopant (see FIG. 6B). Then, the soot preform for the core is made transparent and elongated and inserted into a cylindrical cladding preform to form a fiber preform (see FIG. 6C). Then, the fiber preform is drawn under an appropriate condition (see FIG. 6D). In this manner, the optical fiber for the mode field conversion having Ge and F added to the core is formed.
Referring to FIGS. 4B to 4D, a method and a principle of forming the above optical fiber to the mode field diameter conversion fiber are explained. In the following discussion, it is assumed that fluorine diffuse sufficiently faster than germanium, and after heating the concentration distribution of fluorine substantially uniformly decreases and the concentration distribution of germanium does not substantially change. The core diameter of the optical fiber before heat treatment is 10 μm.
As shown in FIG. 4B, in the core area of the optical fiber before the thermal diffusion, Ge is added at a substantially radial concentration distribution which is one of graded distributions and as shown in FIG. 4C, F is added at a substantially uniform concentration. It is assumed that the contribution Δ(Ge) of Ge to the differential refractive index is 0.4% and the contribution Δ(F) of F to the differential refractive index is -0.2%. Heat treatment is applied to a desired portion of the optical fiber having the structure described above to thermally diffuse Ge and F. Ge does not substantially diffuse as shown on the right hand of FIG. 1B but F widely diffuses as shown on the right hand of FIG. 4C so that the contribution Δ(F) of F to the differential refractive index in the core area changes to -0.12%.
Referring to FIG. 4D, the change in the refractive indices near the core before and after the thermal diffusion is discussed. The optical fiber before the thermal diffusion exhibits a substantially parabolic refractive index distribution in the core area as shown by a solid line. In the core periphery, the contribution by F to the increase of the refractive index is larger than the contribution by Ge to the increase of the refractive index and the diameter of the substantial core area having a larger refractive index than that of the cladding is smaller than the core diameter formed in the process of FIGS. 6A-6D. A broken line shows a refractive index distribution due to Ge or F. When heat treatment is applied to the desired portion of the optical fiber to thermally diffuse Ge and F, the refractive index of the core area increases and the core diameter substantially increases as shown on the right hand of the drawing. The change of the mode field diameter for the above changes is discussed with reference to FIG. 5. Before heating, the differential refractive index contribution Δ(Ge) of Ge is 0.4%, the differential refractive index contribution Δ(F) of F is -0.2%, and the substantial core diameter is no larger than 10 μm. From the coordinate of a point B on the graph of FIG. 5, the mode field diameter is at least approximately 40 μm. After the thermal diffusion by heating, the differential refractive index contribution Δ(Ge) of Ge is 0.4%, the differential refractive index contribution Δ(F) of F is -0.12% and the substantial core diameter is approximately 10 μm, which corresponds to a point B' on the graph of FIG. 5, and the mode field diameter is reduced to approximately 11 μm. In the present embodiment, the increase of the differential refractive index between the core and the cladding of the first embodiment as well as the increase of the substantial core diameter contribute to the reduction of the mode field diameter by heating so that efficient reduction of the mode field diameter is attained.
Third Embodiment
FIG. 7A shows a structure of an optical fiber of a third embodiment. The optical fiber has a core area to which Ge is added at a substantially stepwise (two steps) concentration distribution and F is also added at a substantially uniform concentration.
A thermal diffusion coefficient of the F is larger than that of the Ge at the temperature of 1600° C. to 2200° C. That is, the F is diffusing faster than the Ge above 1600° C.
FIGS. 7B-7D schematically show a structure and changes in distributions before and after the heat treatment for converting the mode field diameter. FIG. 7B shows a change in the concentration distribution of the first dopant added to the core, FIG. 7C shows a change in the concentration distribution of the second dopant added to the core, and FIG. 7D shows a change in the refractive index near the core.
The fiber prior to heating shown in FIG. 7A is a single mode fiber and is formed by a known VAD method or rod-in-tube method in a process shown in FIGS. 8A-8D. Soot preform for the core made of quartz having germanium (Ge) added thereto as the first dopant (see FIG. 8A) and fluorine (F) is added as the second dopant before it is made transparent (see FIG. 8B). Then, the soot preform for the core is made transparent and expanded and inserted into a cylindrical cladding preform to form a fiber preform (see FIG. 8C). Then, the fiber preform is drawn under an appropriate condition (see FIG. 8D). In this manner, the optical fiber for the mode field diameter conversion having Ge and F added to the core is formed.
Referring to FIG. 7B to FIG. 7D, a method and a principle of forming the above optical fiber into the mode field diameter conversion fiber are described. In the following discussion, it is assumed herein that fluorine diffused sufficiently faster than germanium by heating and after the heating the concentration distribution of fluorine substantially uniformly decreases and the concentration distribution of germanium does not substantially change.
As shown in FIG. 7B, in the core area of the optical fiber before the thermal diffusion, Ge is added in the core area at a substantially stepwise (two steps) concentration distribution and as shown in FIG. 7C, F is also added to the core area at a substantially uniform concentration. The heat treatment is applied to a desired portion of the optical fiber to thermally diffuse Ge and F. Ge does not substantially diffuse as shown on the right hand of FIG. 7B but F widely diffuses as shown on the right hand of FIG. 7C.
Referring to FIG. 7D, a change in the refractive indices near the core before and after the thermal diffusion is discussed. The optical fiber before the thermal diffusion exhibits a substantially stepwise refractive index distribution in the core area as shown by a solid line. The contribution to the decrease of the refractive index by F is larger than the contribution to the increase of the refractive index by Ge and the substantial core diameter in which the refractive index is larger than that of the cladding is smaller than the core diameter formed in the process of FIGS. 6A-6D. A broken line shows a refractive index distribution due to Ge or F. When heat treatment is applied to the desired portion of the optical fiber to thermally diffuse Ge and F, the refractive index of the core increases and the substantial core diameter increases. In the present embodiment, since the increase of the differential refractive index between the core and the cladding of the first embodiment as well as the increase of the substantial core diameter contribute to the decrease of the mode field diameter by heating, so they do in the second embodiment, efficient reduction of the mode field diameter is attained.
The optical waveguide capable of changing a spot size of a propagating mode may be used in various applications which require to narrow a spot size of a propagating mode. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, an optical device 2 such as a filter, an isolator and so on, can be inserted between fibers 3 for optical communication which has a small mode field diameter, through an optical waveguide 1 of the present invention, resulting in no significant loss increase. That is, one end of the optical waveguide 1 having a large spot size 16 of a propagating mode are optically connected to the optical device 2 having a large spot size of a propagating mode decreases the diffraction loss due to the insertion of the optical device 2, and the other end of the optical waveguide having a narrowed spot size 1a is optically connected to the optical fiber 3 having a small mode field diameter. The narrowed spot size portion 1a of the optical waveguide 1 is formed by heating the portion 1a at the predetermined temperature, such as 1600° C. to 2200° C.
Further, the optical fiber 3 and the optical waveguide 1 also may be fused at the predetermined temperature to be connected to each other. Additionally, an interface between the optical device 2 such as a filter and the optical waveguide may be slightly inclined with respect to a light transmission direction of them. The core diameter of the waveguide for the above embodiments is desired to be smaller than one in which minimizes a spot size of a propagating mode, because the change of the spot size by thermal diffusion can be increased as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5.
Further, the above embodiments are directed to an optical fiber, but the present invention can be applied to a planar optical waveguide as shown in FIG. 13. In the case of the planar optical waveguide, the light guide path may be formed by flame hydrolisys deposition or plasma induced chamical vapor deposition. In FIG. 10, a core 10a is formed as a rectangular and a spot size of a propagating mode is narrowed by heating a portion 10b.
While the present invention has been explained with reference to the embodiments, various modifications thereof may be made. For example, the optical waveguide capable of change a spot size of the mode of the present invention may be formed by various methods including MCVD method, OVD method and double crucible method. The first and second dopants are not limited to Ge and F but various other dopants may be used. The differential refractive index between the core portion and the cladding portion may be set to a desired value depending on the setting condition of the thermal diffusion temperature. Not only the single mode fiber but also a multi-mode type optical waveguide attains the same effects.
In accordance with the optical waveguide according to the present invention, the first dopant which increases the refractive index is added to the core and the second dopant which decreases the refractive index and has a larger thermal diffusion coefficient than that of the first dopant at a predetermined temperature is added to the core and the clad with the distribution. Accordingly, by heating the predetermined portion at the predetermined temperature, the difference between the refractive index in the area close to the center of the core and the refractive index distant from the center of the core relatively increases or decreases and the mode field diameter increases or decreases in a short time at the predetermined portion which has been heat-treated. When the optical waveguide having a spot size of a propagating mode which decreases by heating is used, the core diameter is set to be smaller than one which minimizes the spot size in the propagating mode and the dopant distribution is set to increase the substantial core diameter by heating so that the spot size is efficiently reduced. As a result, the optical waveguide having the spot size of a propagating mode changed at the desired point is formed. With such an optical waveguide, an optical waveguide having a larger or smaller spot size can be connected to an optical part having a smaller or larger mode field diameter with a small loss.
From the invention thus described, it will be obvious that the invention may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
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There is disclosed an optical waveguide comprising a core portion made of a light propagating material and a cladding portion, a first dopant and a second dopant being induced into said core portion, the first dopant having a function of increasing a refractive index of the light propagating material and having a first thermal diffusion coefficient to said light propagating material, the second dopant having a function of decreasing the refractive index of said light propagating material and having a second thermal diffusion coefficient to the light propagating material larger than the first thermal diffusion coefficient under a predetermined temperature.
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