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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a data communications system and is useful with systems employing groups of pulses directed to various receivers. The pulses in a particular group can represent different information to the same receiver. In more detail the present invention includes such a system in which one or more of the transmitted pulses functions as a "key", and this key is utilized by the specific receiver to determine the significance--in the qualitative sense, identifying the nature of the data represented--of other data pulses in the same group, or of pulses in other groups.
Different systems for transmitting data in a series of pulses groups are known and used. Examples of such systems are depicted and explained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,655, entitled "Bidirectional, Interactive Fire Detection System" which issued July 19, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,047, with the same title, which issued Sept. 4, 1984, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,652, with the same title, which issued Mar. 26, 1985. The teachings of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. In these patents a controller (transmitter) communicates with one or more transponders (receivers) over a two-wire system. Communication could also be over any other form of data bus. In those patents the communication is by data bursts or groups of pulses, as represented generally in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the '655 patent, and in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the other two references. In these systems the high-amplitude portions of a data pulse group were used to transmit commands from the controller, and the low-amplitude portions were used to return information from the addressed transponder to the controller. Such an arrangement has proved very effective in systems employed in the life safety and property protection fields. In these earlier patents four different bits of information could be returned in a single data pulse group. Increasing complexity of data communication systems and more widespread use of such arrangements has identified a need for returning more data than is possible with the described system, without significantly affecting the cost or complexity of the enhanced operating system, or the time required to send and/or receive all the desired data.
It is therefore a primary consideration of the present invention to provide an improved data communication system in which data is transmitted as different bits in a group of data bits, or pulse group, but in which the number of different data types which can be transmitted in a single pulse group substantially exceeds the number of data bits in a single group.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A communications system constructed in accordance with the present invention includes a transmitter for sending successive composite signals in successive polls, where each composite signal has successive segments or pulses which represent different data. The system includes one or more receivers operable to receive the successive polls of composite signals and to recognize the different data in each composite signal. The receiver includes memory means for storing information denoting the status of at least one segment of a composite signal.
Particularly in accordance with the present invention, the transmitter includes means for modifying at least one segment of a given composite signal in a predetermined manner within a given poll. At least one receiver in the system operates, when such a modified composite signal, with a modified segment in a poll immediately following a poll with no modification of any signal segment, is received, to assign a different significance to the data in at least one other segment of that modified composite signal, and/or in a different one of the received composite signals.
Such a system finds particular utility in, but is not limited to, communication systems of the type described in the above-identified patents. By way of example, the data pulses in a single composite signal or data group normally have the same significance at the transponder and in the controller. The controller can easily modify one (or more) pulses, for example, by extending the time duration of the high amplitude of the first pulse, in effect "telling" the transponder to send back different data in the low portions of that same pulse group, or in a different pulse group. Alternately the key pulse modified by the controller could notify the transponder that the significance of a pulse is changed in that pulse group, or in a different group. In this way the number of commands available and the different types of data which can be returned from a single transponder are not limited by the number of pulses or segments in a composite signal.
THE DRAWINGS
In the several figures of the drawings, like reference numerals identify like components, and in those drawings:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data communication system constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a graphical illustration of a composite signal for representing data as taught in the prior art;
FIG. 3 is a graphical illustration useful, with FIG. 2, to understand the operation of the present invention;
FIGS. 4A-4D and 6 are graphical illustrations, and FIG. 5 is an operations table, which together help to understand the operation of one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a transponder particularly useful for implementing the present invention; and
FIGS. 8A-8H are graphical illustrations useful in understanding operation of the inventive system.
GENERAL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 depicts a general arrangement for data communications in which a controller 20 sends and receives data over a pair of conductors 21, 22, to which a plurality of transponders 23, 24 and 25 are coupled. Only three transponders are shown but it will become apparent that large numbers of transponders can communicate over the same conductor pair with controller 20. Controller 20 includes a command circuit 26 having a switch S1 coupled in parallel with a resistor R1. One side of this parallel combination is coupled to a reference voltage V, and the other side is coupled both to conductor 21 and to an input of evaluation circuit 27. Another resistor R2 is coupled between the input to circuit 27 and a plane of reference potential, to which conductor 22 is also coupled. As shown in transponder 23, typically each transponder includes a resistor R3 coupled in series with a switch S2, and this combination is coupled to conductors 21, 22 as shown. When switch S1 in the controller is closed, a voltage V is applied over conductors 21, 22 to the various transponders. When switch S1 is opened, and all the switches S2 remain open, the voltage divider circuit including resistors R1 and R2 provides a voltage of V/2 at the input to evaluation circuit 27. All the resistors R1, R2 and R3 are of equal value. Thus with a voltage of V/2 on the line, and when S2 is then closed, R3 is placed in parallel with R2, and a voltage V/3 appears at the input of evaluation circuit 27. Accordingly closure of switch S1 can be used to send commands to the respective transponders, which then perform the commanded action. Additionally each transponder can return data from itself and/or from associated equipment, such as a combustion detector or unauthorized entry sensor, by closure of switch S2 when switch S1 is open. A detailed explanation of such system operation is set out in the three references identified above.
Sequential closing and opening of switches S1 and S2 can produce a successive composite signal, each of which includes successive segments as shown in FIG. 2. These different segments include the high amplitude portions 31, 33, 35, 37, and the low amplitude portions 32, 34, 36 and 38. In the referenced patents the high-amplitude portions were utilized to transmit commands to the different transponders, and the low-amplitude portions were employed to return data from a selected transponder to the controller. The significance (for example, "turn on light", "reset relay", and so forth) of the data bit or pulse width was always the same in the described system, whereas the variation in duration of a specific high or low amplitude portion of the composite signal signified the value or quantity of the particular data. Thus with four pulse highs the system was limited to four commands, and likewise only four types of data could be returned in the four pulse lows.
Particularly in accordance with the present invention, the number of data types which can be returned in a single composite signal or pulse group is substantially expanded by assigning one or more signal segments as a "key" which, when received in the transponder, effectively "unlocks" or assigns the significance of the other data segments in the same or successive composite data signals. As shown in FIG. 3, the first pulse high portion 40 is stretched or elongated in time as compared to the first pulse high in FIG. 2. The transponder includes means operative, responsive to detection of the key pulse(s), to assign different significance to the other pulses in that same group, or in one or more later received groups. For example the third pulse high 35 which denotes command B in FIG. 2 no longer has the same significance in the pulse signal of FIG. 3. As shown, while pulse 35 is electrically identical to the pulse 35 in FIG. 2, because key pulse 40 changed the significance of the data in the second round of polling, pulse 35 represents a command I in FIG. 3. Likewise the information returned from the addressed transponder in the second low represents information L in FIG. 3, whereas in the first round of polling the information connoted by the electrically identical pulse was information E.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a more complex key could be employed. For example the elongation of the first pulse could signify to the transponder that the actual key will be found in another segment of the composite signal. Similarly receipt of the key pulse could also indicate that the change in the data significance of earlier-received data should be made. This can be accomplished by storing the data in an array as it is received, and assigning the significance of the data only after the key is received. For ease of explanation the key will be assumed to be transmitted in the first high segment of the composite signal, and likewise the change in data significance will be in that composite signal and/or successive signals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D, taken with the tabulation of FIG. 5, depict one way of utilizing the key in one or more pulses of a system to expand the information content in the remaining number of bits in a pulse group. While the inventive concept is explained as implemented in connection with a bidirectional, interactive system of the type taught and claimed in the three patents noted above, the applicability of the key data bit to the expansion of the data content in a composite group will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in this art.
FIG. 4A depicts a composite signal with successive data segments representing different data, and is similar to the pulse group shown in FIG. 2. The first high level portion in FIG. 4A, and in each of the succeeding pulse groups, will be termed the key segment, as it denotes whether the polling action is a normal poll, with a normal pulse group, or whether some other significance is to be assigned to the other data bits, either in the same or in a subsequent poll. FIG. 4B is generally similar to FIG. 4A except that the key pulse has its duration extended as shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the poll which produces the extended key pulse will be termed the option select poll. To facilitate comparison of successive polls and the respective composite pulse groups, the letters of the alphabet A-Z have been used to denote the high and low level portions of the various pulses in a composite signal. In FIG. 4B the key pulse "tells" the addressed transponder that, while the remainder of the data bits signify the same information as in the preceding poll, the next subsequent poll--providing the key pulse is again extended to confirm the operation--will produce a different data assignment for the individual data segments. The extended key pulse in FIG. 4B is designated X, and no designation is given to the key pulse in FIG. 4A because in the illustrated embodiment no command has been associated with the key pulse in the normal poll.
As will be seen from the upper two rows in FIG. 5, the significance of the various high and low pulse portions remains the same in both the normal and the option select modes. Thus to read certain data stored in memory in the transponder, it is necessary in this preferred embodiment to confirm that a read of the data is actually desired by providing another successive poll, with the key pulse again extended as shown in FIG. 4C. In this case the key pulse duration is designated Y, and different letter assignments H-N have been given to the command and data return data segments in the remainder of this composite signal. From the third horizontal row in FIG. 5, it is seen that with the exception of the extended key at the beginning of this composite group, the other high portions H, I and J are not used to transmit command information in this poll. Instead various options can be read and these are designated L, M and N. In addition a calibration pulse can be returned, as designed by letter K, to let the controller know that some reference condition at the transponder is within or without preset standard limits. Such a calibration pulse has been fully explained in the above identified patents.
In the event it is desired to change the data stored in a given transponder array, in the next successive poll the key pulse is again extended, as shown in FIG. 4D. This again changes the significance of the high level and low level portions of the various pulse segments in the pulse group. In this write poll, the low level portions R, S, T and U are not used, but the high level portions O, P and Q are used to send certain commands to the replying transponder. Of course if the first pulse in FIG. 4D had not been extended, but was the same duration as the key pulse in FIG. 4A, the write mode would not be entered and the system would return to normal polling. In cerain equipment it is desired to periodically read information stored in an array, and to receive data such as a calibration pulse. This can be accomplished simply by extending the key pulse in two successive polls to enter the option read mode. The described system has particular utility in a system where a volatile memory is employed, and the information stored in the memory is lost every time there is a power failure or the system is shut down. When this occurs there is a non-volatile memory in the controller with the desired information for transmission to the individual transponders to control the respective operations of that equipment. Accordingly there is a small program in the controller to regulate the system operations during the first eight polls after power is turned off or lost, and then restored. The first poll is a normal poll, and the key has been extended in the second poll to enter the option select mode. The key is again extended in the third poll to enter the option read mode, but the data has been lost and this operation is not effective to read significant data at this time. However it is necessary to go through the option read poll to enter the fourth poll, with the key again extended, and then write or store the data in the appropriate array within the addressed transponders. Next the fifth poll is again a normal poll, and the sixth and seventh polls have the first pulse high extended to go through the option select mode and reach the option read mode. Thus in this seventh poll, with the system in the read condition, the data previously stored in the respective transponder arrays is read back to the controller and compared with the stored reference data to be certain that the proper data was in fact written during the fourth poll. Upon confirmation that such data was in fact produced at the appropriate locations, the system in the eighth polls goes to the normal operation, and remains in normal operation until there is either a power failure and restart, or a command issued from the controller to obtain selective information from a given one of the transponders.
It is again emphasized that the key bit must be present in successive polls to go from the normal poll to the option select, then to the option read, and then to the option write poll. A "successive poll", as used herein and in the appended claims, means not just later in time but the poll immediately following the previous poll. That is, between the select and read conditions represented in FIGS. 4B and 4C, there is no intervening poll. With this understanding of successive polls, another description of the polling operation will be given in connection with FIG. 6.
In the preferred embodiment the communication system used a composite signal of the type described in the above-identified patents, with each composite signal including four pulses shown in FIG. 6. The pulses addressed to different transponders in a single round of polling are shown across one line. In the first poll, the pulses transmitted to successive addresses or transponders 1, 63, 64, 95, 96 and 128 are shown. The extended high at transponder address 128 is used as a reset pulse as explained in the referenced patents. In each of the other composite signals, the first high--which is also the key in this embodiment--is not stretched. In the second poll, the key is present at address 63, and thus this transponder recognizes that if the key is again present in the next successive poll, the option read mode will be employed. The key is not present at address 95 or 96 in the second poll.
In the next successive round of polling, the third poll, the key is again present at address 63, which is thus in the option read mode, and the key is also present at address 95, so that this transponder enters the option select mode. At address 86 the key is not present.
In the next successive poll, the fourth poll in the illustration, the key is again present at transponder 63. Hence this transponder is in the write mode during this poll. Transponder 95 recognizes that the key is again present, and hence this transponder is in the option read mode. At address 96 the key is still not present, and this transponder remains in the normal operating mode.
Thus in these four successive polls, transponder 63 went through the option select and option read modes to enter the write mode. Transponder 95 went to the option select mode at the third poll, and the option read mode in the fourth poll. Transponder 96 never received a key bit and thus remained in the normal mode. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that additional modes can be added to the system by requiring the presence of the key bit in additional successive polls.
FIG. 7 depicts the general layout of one transponder suitable for use in the system of the invention. Data bus 21, 22 can be a pair of conductors as described above in connection with FIG. 1, a coaxial cable, or any other suitable passge for electrical signals. It is also understood that the transponders need not be physically connected, as by a solid, low-resistance electrical connection, but there can be intermediate transmission through the air or other medium without departing from the data transmission and recognition concept of the present invention.
Data received over bus 21, 22 is passed into counter and address comparator/detector 40, and into output command selector/controller and key detector/controller 41. When data is to be returned to the controller, answer selector/conditioner 42 develops the appropriate signal for transmission over the data bus to the controller. Composite signals appearing on the bus are received in circuit 40, where the composite signals are continually counted to determine the address of the transponder being signalled from the controller. A plurality of address switches 50 are preset in a certain code to identify the particular transponder in which the switches are physically positioned. Output conductors 43-49 thus indicate the state (open or closed) of seven switches (not shown) within address switch circuit 50 and circuit 40 continually compares this address with the address denoted by the incoming pulses from bus 21, 22. With seven switches a total of 128 addresses can be preset, but of course other numbers of switches can be utilized depending upon the number of transponders to be coupled in a single system. When the circuit 40 recognizes that the address on the bus is that of this specific transponder, the output circuit provides a respond select signal over line 51 to the answer selector/conditioner circuit 42 when highs are present and provides a command select signal over line 52 to circuit 41 when the lows are present. The signals on lines 51 and 52 are thus enabling signals, to effectively enable the associated circuits 41, 42 to accomplish the commands sent and/or return the data requested in the composite signal during the time that this specific transponder's address is valid.
A calibration reference circuit 53 is coupled over line 54 to circuit 42. When the key pulse has been stretched for two consecutive polls, the calibration signal designated K in FIGS. 4C and 5 is passed through circuit 42, and over the data bus to the controller. This is only done when circuit 41 recognizes that the first pulse in a composite signal has been stretched to indicate that, if the same pulse is again elongated in the next successive poll, the option read mode has been entered. Presence of the stretched first pulse, or key detection, is accomplished by comparator 55 in circuit 41. When this occurs a control signal--an "answer group select" signal, as will be explained--is passed from circuit 41 over line 56 to circuit 42, to effectively gate the calibration signal back to the controller on the first low in the read cycle. Of course circuit 41 also determines when the key is not present, that is, when the initial pulse is not modified, and then normal operation of the system continues.
In normal operation, as shown by the first block in the uppermost row of FIG. 5, the key or first pulse does not signify any command. The first low, designated D, and the second high, A, likewise are not used in this illustration. The second low segment in FIG. 4A is designated E, and this pulse is that used to instruct the transponder to return information concerning the status of an associated relay, designated 57 in FIG. 7. As there shown the relay is a latching relay having common, normally open, and normally closed connections. The relay is connected to receive a turn-on signal over line 58, and a turn-off signal over line 60, from an associated relay control logic circuit 61. This logic circuit in its turn receives a turn-on signal over line 62, and a turn-off signal over line 63, from output command circuit 41. The status of the last command signal--turn-on or turn-off--is stored in logic circuit 61, and continually presented over line 64 to circuit 42. Thus when the information designated E is to be returned, this is accomplished in the same manner as information is returned on the other lows.
In FIG. 4A, the third and fourth highs are designated B and C, commands to turn relay 57 on and off. The operation of this arrangement has just been described in connection with the relay state signal, designated E.
In FIG. 4A the third and fourth lows are designated F and G, and these portions of a composite data group are utilized to return information concerning the state of some switch associated with the transponder. In FIG. 7, a switch 66 is shown and it is the status of these switch contacts which are monitored by switch state determination circuit 67. Switch 66 can be internal to the transponder or external, such as a switch contact set positioned adjacent a door or window, which contact set is separated upon movement of one part relative to another. Alternatively the switch can represent a detector for particles of combustion, or some other unit which provides an analog signal which is modified in switch state determination circuit 76 so that its effective status is presented in the output latches 68 and 70.
All the circuit functions and operations in both the normal poll, and the first or option select poll, have now been described. Except for stretching the key pulse X in FIG. 4B, the commands transmitted in the high amplitude portions and information returned in the low level portions are exactly the same, as shown in the first two rows of FIG. 5. If comparator 55 indicates the next successive poll also has the key pulse elongated, as referenced by Y in FIG. 4C, then the significance of the data in the high and low portions is changed as shown in the third row of FIG. 5.
Upon receipt of the second consecutive stretched key pulse, designated Y, the output of comparator 55 provides the answer group select signal on line 56 to indicate which data is to be returned over circuit 42 and bus 21, 22 to the controller. On the first low pulse, K, the calibration reference is passed from circuit 53, over line 54 and circuit 42 to the data bus. The second, third and fourth highs, H, I and J, are not used in the read option of this system in the described embodiment. The second low, designated L, is effective to read the status of option I on line 71 at the output side of option memory circuit 72. This output is not employed in the system illustrated. The third low, designated M, is used to read option II, which appears on line 73 at the output side of option memory 72. The fourth low, designated N, is used to read option III on line 74 at the output side of option memory 72. The option commands I, II and III are passed over conductors 75, 76 and 77 to actuate associated equipment (not shown) or perform any directed commands.
In the next successive poll, the option write poll, if the key pulse is again stretched as designated by Z, the appropriate answer group select signal appears on line 56, and the significance of the data bits is again changed. The data return low amplitude portions R, S, T and U are not used in the option write mode in this embodiment. The second high, designated O, sets option I. This means a signal is passed from circuit 41 over line 80 to option memory circuit 72, to effectively set option I and provide a signal on lines 71 and 75. The third high, P, provides a set option II signal over line 81 to the option memory circuit 72. Option II controls the signal on lines 73 and 76. The fourth high portion, Q, effectively provides a signal over line 82 to set the third option in option memory circuit 72, controlling the output on lines 74 and 77. Thus the data stored in option memory circuit 72 is initially inserted, and can be modified, by providing signals over lines 80, 81 and 82. To do this the poll must go through three successive rounds of polling with the first pulse extended, that is, with whatever key is used present, to pass from the option select mode through the option read mode to the write mode. If the initial key pulse is only stretched for two successive rounds, the option write mode is not attained, and the data stored in the memory is not altered. However, because it is presented at the output conductors 71, 73 and 74, it can be and is read over circuit 42 back to the controller.
Though the logic shown in FIG. 7 has been implemented in a single integrated circuit, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the logic could be performed by a microprocessor and appropriate program, or by another form of discrete logic.
FIGS. 8A-8H depict eight different waveforms for returning information on the pulse lows in the system. As shown in FIGS. 8A-8H, eight different response signals are possible with a psuedo-binary system in which the signal interval is divided into three portions, starting at t0. The first portion ends at time t1, the second at time t2, and the third at time t3. FIG. 8A illustrates a data return signal in which a response is provided from a transponder by keeping its switch S2 open, and the voltage high at V/2, for the entire time period. The second response signal in FIG. 8B goes low (S2 closed) for the first portion and remains high for the second and third portions. The response signal in FIG. 8C goes low for the first two portions then goes high and remains high for the third portion. FIG. 8D shows a response signal which goes low and remains low throughout the response interval. One or more of the binary states may be applied to any type of response signal.
FIG. 8E shows a response signal which remains high for the first portion, is low for the second portion, and is again high for the third portion. In FIG. 8F the first portion is high and the second and third are low. The response is high for the first two portions of FIG. 8G and then goes low for the third portion of that pulse. FIG. 8H shows a response signal which remains low at V/3 (S2 closed) for the first portion, goes high at t1 and remains high for the second portion, and then goes low and remains low for the third portion.
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
With the system of the invention of a data transmission system employing groups of pulses can provide a number of data types substantially greater than the number of pulses in a given group. This is accomplished by assigning one or more bits in a composite signal as a key, which key is detected at each receiver or transponder and utilized to assign the appropriate significance to other data pulses in that group, or to pulses in successive groups. Error can be minimized by repeating a transmission with the same key again present to enter a specific program mode, with a second immediately successive repetition for the equipment to read data or assign different significance to the other signal bits. By again repeating the poll--the next successive poll--with the key present, a different significance is attached to the data bits, and in the described embodiment this deepest poll is employed as a write option. Manifestly any desired number of successive polls can be used, with an appropriate key for each successive poll, to continually change the significance of the data bits.
It is important to note that, while the system of the invention has particular utility with bidirectional, interactive data communication system of the type taught in the patents noted above and incorporated herein by reference, the principles of the invention are applicable to a broad spectrum of data communication systems.
In the appended claims the term "connected" means a d-c connection between two components with virtually zero d-c resistance between those components. The term "coupled" indicates there is a functional relationship between two components, with the possible interposition of other elements including air, between the two components described as "coupled" or "intercoupled".
While only a particular embodiment of the invention has been described and claimed herein, it is apparent that various modifications and alterations of the invention may be made. It is therefore the intention in the appended claims to cover all such modifications and alternations as may fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A communications system includes a transmitter for sending successive composite signals, each of which has successive segments which represent different data. A composite signal can be a pulse group with the segments denoted by individual pulses. A plurality of receivers are connected to receive the successive composite signals and recognize the data in each signal. Part of the transmitted composite signal is encoded by modifying at least one segment of a given composite signal in a predetermined manner. When an addressed receiver detects the encoded data or key in the composite signal, the receiver assigns a different significance to data in the remainder of that composite signal, and/or in at least one other composite signal. If the key is present in the next successive transmission, yet another significance is assigned to the data.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to the operation of power transformers and, more particularly, to the cooling of power transformers.
BACKGROUND ART
The capacity of power transformers, such as mobile power transformers or stationary power transformers located at substations, is impacted greatly by ambient temperature. During the summer, when the demand for electric power is high, ambient temperature can limit substation capacity. Eliminating this seasonal bottleneck will be advantageous for providing uninterrupted service during peak demand periods without having to provide additional transformer capacity to handle the peak loads. While cooling of power transformers is known, conventional systems for providing cooling to power transformers has had only limited effectiveness.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a system for cooling power transformers which can cool power transformers more effectively than can conventional power transformer cooling systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of this invention, are attained by the present invention, one aspect of which is:
A method for cooling a power transformer comprising:
(A) drawing air into a vaporizer having an intake and an exhaust, and passing air through the vaporizer from the intake to the exhaust;
(B) passing liquid cryogen from a storage vessel to the vaporizer, spraying liquid cryogen into the vaporizer, and cooling air within the vaporizer by direct heat exchange with the liquid cryogen; and
(C) passing cooled air from the vaporizer to a power transformer to provide cooling to the power transformer.
A further aspect of the invention is:
A method for cooling a power transformer comprising:
(A) passing air into a cooling device;
(B) cooling the air within the cooling device; and
(C) passing the cooled air from the cooling device to a power transformer to provide cooling to the power transformer.
Another aspect of the invention is:
Apparatus for cooling a power transformer comprising:
(A) a vaporizer having an intake and an exhaust, and having means for drawing cooling fluid into the intake of the vaporizer and for ejecting cooling fluid out from the exhaust of the vaporizer;
(B) a liquid cryogen storage vessel and means for passing liquid cryogen from the storage vessel to the vaporizer; and
(C) a power transformer positioned to be contacted by cooling fluid ejected out from the exhaust of the vaporizer.
Yet another aspect of the invention is:
Apparatus for cooling a power transformer comprising:
(A) a cryogen storage vessel;
(B) a power transformer having a radiator; and
(C) means for passing cryogen from the cryogen storage vessel to the power transformer, said means comprising conduit means having a cryogenic valve and having at least one spray nozzle for spraying cryogen onto the power transformer radiator.
As used herein the term “indirect heat exchange” means the bringing of entities into heat exchange relation without any physical contact or intermixing of the entities with each other.
As used herein the term “direct heat exchange” means the transfer of refrigeration through contact of cooling and heating entities.
As used herein the term “cryogen” means a fluid which, at atmospheric pressure, is a gas at a temperature of −109° F.
As used herein the term “power transformer” means a device for converting alternating current at one voltage to alternating current at a second voltage, used in the transmission or distribution of electric power.
As used herein the term “cryogenic valve” means a device used to regulate the flow of liquid or gas designed specifically for operation below −109° F.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified representation of one preferred embodiment of the power transformer cooling system of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a representation of the vaporizer used in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a head on or end view of the vaporizer illustrated in FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 is a simplified representation of another preferred embodiment of the power transformer cooling system of this invention.
The numerals in the Drawings are the same for the common elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The invention will be described in detail with reference to the Drawings. Referring now to FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 , liquid cryogen, such as liquid nitrogen, is stored in liquid cryogen storage vessel 8 . Other liquid cryogens which may be used in the practice of this invention include liquid argon, liquid carbon dioxide, liquid air produced by liquefying ambient air, and other mixtures of liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen.
Liquid cryogen is passed out from storage vessel 8 in line or conduit 10 , through cryogenic valve 7 and then in lines 11 and 12 into distributor volume or sparger 13 which rings vaporizer 2 .
Vaporizer or cooling device 2 has an intake and an exhaust and also has means for drawing or passing cooling fluid, e.g. ambient air, into the intake and ejecting cooling fluid out from the exhaust. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1–3 , this means is an electric motor 27 driving a fan 14 . By operation of the electric motor and fan, ambient air is drawn into intake 15 of vaporizer 2 as shown by arrows 16 , passed through vaporizer 2 , and ejected out of the exhaust 17 of vaporizer 2 as shown by arrows 18 . Preferably, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 , vaporizer 2 has a converging/diverging configuration from the intake to the exhaust. Such a configuration serves to accelerate the cooling fluid as it passes through the vaporizer which, in turn, enhances the cooling of the cooling fluid by the heat exchange with the liquid cryogen.
A plurality of cryogenic spray nozzles 19 are positioned in distributor volume 13 for passing liquid cryogen into vaporizer 2 . Preferably, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 , distributor volume or sparger 13 is positioned on vaporizer 2 downstream of fan 14 . By downstream it is meant between fan 14 and exhaust 17 . As liquid cryogen is sprayed into vaporizer 2 from cryogenic spray nozzles 19 downstream of fan 14 , the liquid cryogen contacts the cooling fluid, e.g. air, passing through vaporizer 2 and, by direct heat exchange, cools the air within vaporizer 2 as the cryogen vaporizes. The cooled air is then ejected from exhaust 17 along with the vaporized cryogen and possibly some unvaporized cryogen. Some vaporization of the cryogen and cooling of the cooling fluid may continue after the cooling fluid is ejected from the vaporizer exhaust.
Power transformer 4 having a radiator 3 is positioned such that the cooled cooling fluid ejected from vaporizer 2 contacts the radiator so as to provide cooling to the power transformer by indirect heat exchange within fluid radiator 3 .
Fluid radiator 3 contains oil that continuously circulates between the radiator and the transformer. As the oil moves through the transformer, it absorbs heat energy. This heat energy is produced because the transformer is unable to transfer electrical power at 100 percent efficiency. The oil conveys this heat from the transformer to the radiator where it is rejected. The rejection of heat is necessary to prevent the internal temperature of the transformer from exceeding specifications. By cooling the oil returned to the transformer, its capacity to absorb heat is increased thereby increasing the power handling capability of the transformer.
Although the cooling fluid is illustrated in FIG. 1 as passing sideways or horizontally from the vaporizer to the radiator of the power transformer, it may be preferable to position the vaporizer so that the cooling fluid passes in an upward or in a downward direction from the vaporizer exhaust to the power transformer radiator.
The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 is a preferred embodiment wherein a remote control and telemetry unit 6 receives a temperature measurement 5 from the power transformer. This control and telemetry unit controls the action of cryogenic valve 7 , which in turn regulates the flow of cryogen from the storage tank 8 to the vaporizer. The control and telemetry unit can communicate with a utility power dispatcher through a communication link such as a telephone circuit. The power dispatcher may use the information received from the remote telemetry unit to change the setting of the control and telemetry unit. The electrical signal means by which elements 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 communicate are illustrated by the dotted lines.
FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention wherein a separate vaporizer is not used but rather the cryogen is sprayed directly onto the surface of the power transformer radiator wherein it vaporizes or sublimates to provide cooling to the power transformer. The elements of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 4 which are similar to those of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 will not be described again in detail.
Referring now to FIG. 4 , cryogen is passed from cryogen storage vessel 8 in conduit 25 through cryogenic valve 7 to plurality of spray nozzles 26 which are positioned so as to spray the cryogen onto the surface of radiator 3 . The cryogen vaporizes and/or sublimates on the surface of radiator 3 thus cooling by indirect heat exchange the fluid within radiator 3 therefore cooling the power transformer.
Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that there are other embodiments of the invention within the spirit and the scope of the claims.
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A system for cooling a power transformer wherein cryogen in liquid or solid form is sprayed into a vaporizer or directly onto a power transformer radiator and the vaporizing and/or sublimating cryogen cools a cooling fluid within the vaporizer or cools the radiator directly to provide cooling to the power transformer.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/415,211, filed Mar. 31, 1995 abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to measuring a time delay of an event relative to a reference time for providing the range to a target. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring time delays between a reflected pulse from each of multiple targets relative to a reference pulse.
2. State of the Art
Devices for measuring a time delay using, for example, opto-electronic, electronic and ultrasonic range finders are known. Opto-electronic range finders, such as laser range finders, measure a time-of-flight of a transmitted laser pulse; that is, the time between transmission of the pulse and detection of a reflected laser return pulse from a target. To determine a time-of-flight of the transmitted laser pulse, a counter is typically started upon the emission of the laser pulse, and is then stopped upon receipt of the reflected pulse.
In addition, where multiple targets in the field of view are to be detected, devices have been developed to measure the time-of-flight to the additional targets. For example, a known opto-electronic range finder includes a counter which is started upon emission of a light pulse, and then stopped upon receipt of a reflected pulse. Once the counter has been stopped, the count information is transferred from the counter to an intermediate storage location. The counter then continues to count until the next reflected pulse is received.
Despite an ability to detect multiple reflected pulses, such devices suffer significant drawbacks. For example, the range finder device must be capable of transferring data from the counter to the intermediate storage in a time interval which is less than the resolution of the counter. That is, data must be transferred to the intermediate storage within one clock cycle so that the counter output does not change state during the transfer of data. Any practical implementation of such a range finder therefore requires use of a synchronous counter. However, it is difficult to implement a synchronous counter with a data width of 8 bits or more, and with counter resolutions on the order of 500 picoseconds.
Another known opto-electronic range finding device includes multiple counters. Each of the counters is started upon the emission of a light pulse, and each counter is stopped in sequence as multiple reflected pulses are received. However, this device suffers the drawback of requiring multiple counters, each having a wide data width and high resolution. The large area and very high power dissipation required for the use of multiple counters limits the number of targets which can be detected in a practical embodiment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,228 (Geiss et al) discloses another known apparatus for detecting a range to multiple targets in a field of view. This patent describes dividing a predetermined measurement cycle into multiple time intervals. A sequence of distances is associated with the round-trip transit time receivable within each time interval, and a digital memory is used to store the presence or absence of a target at each interval. A disadvantage of this device is that its maximum resolution is a function of the time required to write information to the digital memory. In addition, this device is limited to a measurement cycle which must detect the presence or absence of a reflected target pulse within every designated time interval. Consequently, when the number of time intervals in the measurement cycle is increased to improve range or resolution, the number of locations in the storage device must be increased linearly. For example, increasing the measurement cycle by a factor of two, requires an attendant increase in the size of the digital memory by a factor of two. Accordingly, this device is impractical when high resolution (that is, a short time interval) and/or a large measurement cycle are required. Further, because this device stores an entire history of reflected target pulses for a given measurement cycle before any information is read out to a signal evaluation device, it is unsuited for real-time operation.
Other conventional range finding devices are premised on the use of range gating, wherein a counter is enabled for only a small interval of time. For example, to locate a first target which is expected to be within ten meters from the transmitter, the counter is enabled to detect a reflected pulse within a period of time which corresponds to a distance of ten meters. If no target is detected within this range, then the counter is enabled to detect reflected pulses from a target within a range of 10-20 meters. This process continues for each gated range, until all designated ranges have been examined. A disadvantage of range gating is that an increase in resolution can significantly increase the time required to perform a single measurement cycle. For example, if each specified interval possesses one meter resolution, then a measurement sequence for a range of 2000 meters would require 2000 separate measurements. Such operation can be extremely timely, inefficient and unsuitable for real-time data acquisition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,184 (Endo) discloses a range finding device which suffers drawbacks similar to those described with respect to range gating. Here, a scanning laser is used to detect targets across an entire field of view. To achieve high resolution, each segmented portion of the field of view is relatively small. Because the time required to scan the entire field of view increases in proportion to the resolution desired, the disclosed device is unsuitable for achieving high resolution in real-time.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for determining ranges to multiple targets, in real-time, using a system having high resolution over a large maximum range. In so doing, it would be desirable to provide a practical, cost-effective system which can be easily reconfigured by the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and apparatus for detecting reflected pulses from multiple targets in a field of view such that a range to each target can be detected with high resolution, even when the targets are located over a relatively large measurement range. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can provide real-time acquisition of ranging data, and can be implemented in a practical cost-effective manner suitable for reconfiguration by the user.
In accordance with the present invention, a method and apparatus are disclosed for determining ranges to multiple targets. Exemplary embodiments comprise means for transmitting a pulse, means for receiving reflected pulses produced in response to said transmitted pulse; and means for determining a time delay between said transmitted pulse and a predetermined one of said reflected pulses. The determining means further includes a clock generator for producing clock pulses; a counter for counting said clock pulses; and means for controlling said counter by monitoring a number of said reflected pulses produced in response to said transmitted pulse and by disabling operation of said counter when a predetermined number of said reflected pulses has been received.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention can be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. In the drawings:
FIGS. 1A-1F illustrate exemplary timing diagrams showing reflected pulses from multiple targets in a field of view according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of a range finding device in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus for multiple target ranging shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of circuitry included in the FIG. 3 embodiment;
FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of the stop enable block in FIG. 4 for disabling the counter;
FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of the FIG. 4 control register; and
FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a flow chart for exemplary operation of the target ranging device described with respect to FIGS. 1-6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1A-1F illustrate exemplary timing diagrams for detecting reflected pulses of multiple targets in a field of view according to the present invention. To determine a range for multiple targets in the field of view, exemplary embodiments are initialized for the appropriate number of targets to be detected. Further, exemplary embodiments are initialized for the desired resolution, maximum target range, the order of target detection (that is, which target is to be detected first, which target is to be detected next, and so on) and the minimum detectable target range.
The number of pulses which are transmitted in a given ranging sequence, such as ranging sequence 100 of FIG. 1A, is equal to the maximum number "n" of targets to be detected. After initialization, a start command is issued which triggers emission of a reference pulse 102 (e.g., laser pulse) 102 and which enables a counter to begin counting. Once the laser pulse 102 has been transmitted, the receipt of reflected pulses from the targets is monitored. Where the closest target is to be detected first, the first reflected pulse 104 stops the counter. The count stored in the counter is then output to a control processor as a representation of range to the first target. In detecting the first reflected pulse 104, subsequently received pulses 106 and 108 are ignored.
After detecting range to the first target, the counter is reset and then a second start command 110 (FIG. 1C) of the first ranging sequence 100 is issued to detect range for the second target. Upon transmission of the second reference pulse 110, the counter is again enabled. However, the counter does not stop counting until the reflected pulse 114, representing the second target, is received and detected as illustrated in FIG. 1C. That is, the first reflected pulse 112 and a subsequent reflected pulse 116 are ignored such that the counter stores a count indicative of a distance to the target which reflected the second pulse 114.
The counter is then reset once again, and a third start command is issued to transmit a third start pulse 118 (FIG. 1D) of the ranging sequence 100. Because the first and second targets have already been previously detected, reflected pulses 120 and 122 are ignored. However, upon detection of the third reflected pulse 124, the counter is stopped such that the count stored therein represents range to the third target.
Once the nth start command has been issued and all targets in a given ranging sequence have been detected, the ranging sequence 100 is complete. A subsequent ranging sequence 126 can then be implemented, if desired. The ranging sequence 126 can repeat the ranging sequence 100, or can be reconfigured to, for example, detect any one or all of the targets with increased or reduced resolution.
FIG. 1E illustrates an exemplary use of this ranging operation for collision avoidance in a vehicle control environment, wherein potential targets include other vehicles. Using the operation described with respect to FIGS. 1A-1D, a reference pulse 128 is transmitted from the controlled vehicle 140. Reflected pulses 132, 134, 136 and 138 from the target vehicles 142, 144, 146 and 148, respectively are used to determine the range of each target vehicle from the controlled vehicle.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention permit multiple targets to be determined without requiring multiple counters, or counters that transfer data to an intermediate storage location within one clock cycle. Further, exemplary embodiments eliminate any need for a large digital memory which stores information for each of a plurality of pre-designated time intervals.
An exemplary embodiment of a device for implementing the ranging operation of FIGS. 1A-1F is illustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, a range finding device 200 constitutes an apparatus for determining the range to multiple targets. Range finding device 200 includes a means for transmitting a pulse, such as any conventional transmitter 202 for producing a laser pulse. A means for receiving reflected pulses produced in response to the transmitted pulse is represented as any conventional receiver 204. Means for determining a time between the transmitted pulse and a predetermined one of the reflected pulses includes a target ranging apparatus 300 for multiple target ranging. A processor which is either included within the target ranging apparatus 300 or which is external to the target ranging apparatus 300, such as external processor 206, supplies control information to the range finding device 200.
In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the external processor 206 can be a programmable gate array. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any conventional microprocessor can also be used to control operation.
To initiate a ranging operation, the external processor 206 issues a start command to the target ranging apparatus 300 via start signal line 208. This start command is also supplied to the transmitter 202 via start signal line 210 to initiate reference pulse transmission. Reflected pulses which are detected by the receiver 204 are used to supply signals to the target ranging apparatus 300 via a reflected pulse signal line 238. The reflected pulses are used to generate a counter stop signal.
The external processor 206 also communicates with the target ranging apparatus over a number of additional signal lines, such as clock and data signal lines 212 and 214, respectively. The clock signal line 212 is used to load data via the data signal line 214 into target ranging apparatus 300 during initialization or reconfiguration of the range finding device 200.
The information which is included in the data supplied via the data signal line 214 includes user configurable variables such as: (1) the maximum number of targets for a given ranging operation (MAXTGT); (2) a divide ratio reference value (DIV) for programming a timing interval that defines a minimum resolution and maximum range of the range finding device 200; (3) a minimum count used to disable a "stop counter" command until a specified count has been reached (MINCNT); (4) a mode command (MODE) used to distinguish a cascade mode (wherein one or more external counters are cascaded to the carry-out of an internal counter in the target ranging apparatus 300 to extend the maximum range) from a non-cascaded mode; and (5) a target value (TGT) which represents the value of a target being searched (note that the user can configure the system to search for the targets in any order, such as closest to furthest, furthest to closest, and so forth).
The external processor 206 also sends a strobe signal via a strobe signal line 216 for verifying when data has been sent via the data signal line 214. A reset signal line 218 resets parameters of the target ranging apparatus 300. A clock select signal line 220 is used to designate whether a system clock signal will be generated from: (1) an internal clock in the target ranging apparatus 300; or (2) an external clock received by the target ranging apparatus 300 via an external clock signal line 222. The internal clock of the target ranging apparatus 300 is driven in response to a reference oscillator input 236.
A data received signal line 224 is used by the processor 206 to acknowledge when data has been received from the target ranging apparatus 300. For example, when valid data corresponding to the range of a target currently being searched (that is, valid ranging data) has been received and stored by the external processor 206, a "received" signal is sent to the target ranging apparatus 300.
The target ranging apparatus 300 also sends information to the processor 206 over a variety of signal lines. The valid ranging data acquired by the target ranging apparatus 300 is sent to the external processor via data signal lines 226. This data is read by the processor 206 upon receipt of a "ready" signal from the target ranging apparatus 300 via ready signal line 228 and a data valid signal on data valid signal line 230.
A control ready signal line 232 is used by the target ranging apparatus 300 to inform the processor 206 when the target ranging apparatus 300 is between ranging sequences; whenever the control ready signal is asserted, the range finding device 200 can be reconfigured by supplying it with new variables via data lines 214. Finally, a carry-out signal line 234 is used to inform the processor 206 when the internal counter of the target ranging apparatus 300 has reached its maximum count value; the carry-out signal thus informs the processor 206 that no target has been detected for a given interval of the ranging sequence.
Features of the target ranging apparatus 300 will now be described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 3. As illustrated in the exemplary FIG. 3 embodiment, the target ranging apparatus 300 receives a two bit differential input via start signal line 208 and receives a two bit differential stop signal from the receiver 204 via the reflected pulse signal line 238. For each of the start and stop signals, the two bits constitute inverted and non-inverted start/stop signals. The inverted and non-inverted signals for each of the start and stop signals can be supplied to a buffer for comparison to improve edge detection in known fashion. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a single line can be used for each of the start and stop signals if desired.
The start and stop signal are supplied to a counter controller means 302, represented as a timing and control block 404. The timing and control block 404 also receives the initialization and reconfiguration data via clock signal line 212, data signal line 214 and strobe signal line 216.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the timing and control block 404 receives the reset signal line 218, the clock select signal line 220 and the external clock signal line 222. The clock select line 220 signifies whether an external clock signal supplied via external clock signal line 222 is to be used, or whether an internal clock driven by the reference oscillator input 236 is to be used to provide a system clock signal. In accordance with exemplary embodiments, a system clock signal on the order of 2 gigahertz can be used. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a clock frequency which is any order of magnitude less than or greater than 2 gigahertz can be used provided logic errors do not occur in processing the counter data.
A clock pulse generating means 304, represented as phase lock loop circuitry 402, produces the internal clock signal on internal clock signal line 306 in response to the reference oscillator input 236. In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the reference oscillator can be a relatively slow speed oscillator which produces pulses with a frequency on the order of 25 megahertz.
Outputs from the timing and control block 404 are supplied to a means 308 for counting the clock pulses, represented as a counter 406. In the exemplary FIG. 3 embodiment, the counter 406 is a 12-bit counter. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a counter having any number of bits can be used. A 12-bit output from the counter is supplied via counter output signal lines 312. Further, the counter supplies a carry-out signal on the carry-out signal line 234.
The 12-bit counter output, along with outputs from the timing and control block 404, are supplied to a means 310 for formatting data, represented as data formatting block 408. The data formatting block 408 ensures that a continuously changing count value on the counter output signal lines 312 is not supplied to the data signal lines 226 of the target ranging apparatus 300. The data formatting block 408 only supplies the count value of the counter 406 to the data signal lines 226 when a counter stop command has been generated by the timing and control block 404 in response to reflected pulses on the reflected pulse signal line 238.
When valid data has been supplied to the data signal lines 226, a ready signal is applied to ready signal line 228 and a data valid signal is supplied to data valid signal line 230. These signals, as well as any other signals between the target ranging apparatus 300 and the external processor 206, can be supplied by the timing and control block 404 to the external processor 206 via the data formatting block 408.
Power for the target ranging apparatus 300 is supplied via a power conditioning circuit 314. The power conditioning circuit 314 of the exemplary FIG. 3 embodiment, can include any conventional filtering, and receives power via an exemplary five volt power input 316 and a ground input 318.
FIG. 4 illustrates features of the FIG. 3 target ranging apparatus 300 in greater detail. In FIG. 4, the phase lock loop circuitry 402 is illustrated as including a conventional phase comparator 412 which receives the reference oscillator input 236. A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 414 can, in accordance with exemplary embodiments, be a two gigahertz oscillator. The voltage controlled oscillator output can be divided via a clock divider 416 for comparison with the reference oscillator input in phase comparator 412. Phase errors between the reference oscillator input 236 and the voltage controlled oscillator 414 are supplied to a low pass filter 418 to adjust the output frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator 414 in conventional fashion.
The phase compensated output from the voltage controlled oscillator 414 is supplied via internal clock signal line 306 to a 2:1 multiplexer 420 of the timing and control block 404. The multiplexer 420 receives the clock select signal line 220. Depending on the state of the clock select signal line 220, either the internal clock signal produced by the phase lock loop circuitry 402 or the external clock received via the external clock signal line 220 is output from the multiplexer 420.
The selected output from multiplexer 420 is supplied to a clock signal divider 422. The divide ratio (DIV) of divider 422 is a user configurable variable which is stored in a control register 600 and supplied to divider 422 via divider select signal line 424. The divide ratio is used to modify the clock frequency of the system clock signal which drives counter 406, and thereby control a timing interval of the counter 406. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that by modifying the clock frequency, the resolution and range of the target ranging apparatus 300 can be controlled.
For example, by increasing the divide ratio, the clock frequency used to drive counter 406 will be reduced thereby reducing resolution of a given ranging sequence. However, by reducing resolution, the maximum range over which the counter 406 can detect a reflected pulse will be extended. In contrast, decreasing the divide ratio will increase resolution and decrease maximum range. In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the divide ratio can be set to any value, including values of 1, 2, 4 and 8.
The counter 406 is enabled, via an enable signal line 428, to count the divided clock pulses on the clock signal line 426. The enable signal is supplied from a means for enabling the counter operation, represented as a counter enable block 430. The counter enable block 430 receives the start command via the start signal line 208. Further, the counter enable block 430 receives a stop command, via stop count signal line 446, from a means for disabling counter operation, represented as stop enable block 500.
The start command is provided coincident with the transmission of the pulse from the FIG. 2 transmitter 202. The stop enable block 500 (FIG. 5) disables the counter operation via a stop command on stop count signal line 446 when a target currently be searched in a given ranging sequence has been detected, or when a ranging sequence is complete.
In an exemplary embodiment, the stop enable block 500 can be configured to sequentially generate stop commands for each target in a ranging sequence until the maximum number of targets have been ranged. For example, where the targets are to be detected from closest to furthest, the stop enable block 500 can monitor each detected target in the ranging sequence. A first stop command is generated when the first, closest target has been detected. After the counter 406 has been reset, the stop enable block 500 will generate the next stop command when a reflected pulse from the second target is detected. This process continues until all targets in a given ranging sequence have been detected.
The maximum number of targets to be detected in a given ranging sequence is supplied to the stop enable block 500 from the control register 600 via a maximum target signal line 448. The maximum target is loaded into a register (for example, a counter) of the stop enable block 500 in response to a load command signal on load command signal line 538.
A ranging clock signal is supplied to the stop enable block 500 via a ranging clock signal line 542. The ranging clock signal is used by the stop enable block 500 to keep track of the number of targets which have been ranged. A stop clock signal line 454 supplies reflected pulses (that is, reflected pulses which are received subsequent to the counter 406 reaching its minimum count) to the stop enable block 500. The stop clock signal is used by the stop enable block 500 to track the number of reflected pulses which have been received when ranging to a given target. The stop enable block 500 also receives the system clock signal line 426.
Prior to each ranging sequence, the stop enable block 500 is reset via a clear signal line 540. After all reflected pulses in a ranging sequence have been detected, the stop enable block 500 generates a done signal on a done signal line 544.
The load, clear/CLR and clock signals on signal lines 454, 538, 540 and 542 are supplied to the stop enable block 500 from control circuitry 444 of the timing and control block 404. Further, the done signal which signifies the end of a ranging sequence is supplied via the done signal line 544 to the control circuitry 444.
Recall that the data signal line 214 (FIG. 2) can be used to supply a target value (TGT) representing a target to be searched during a ranging sequence. Where the user has input a target value via the data signal lines 214 to the control register 600, this target value can be supplied to the stop enable block 500 via a target value signal line 450.
The control circuitry 444 of FIG. 4 will now be discussed in greater detail. The control circuitry 444 receives an input via a filter control signal line 432. The filter control signal indicates when the count value of the counter 406 has exceeded a user specified minimum count value. The filter control signal is used to generate the clock signal on stop clock signal line 454 of stop enable block 500, and thereby prevents the counter 406 from being stopped until after the minimum count has been reached. The filter control signal line 432 can also be supplied to the stop enable block 500 to ensure that the stop command is not supplied to counter 406 on stop count signal line 446 until after the counter 406 reaches its minimum specified value. Thus, the minimum count value is used as a noise filter; that is, it eliminates reflected signals which are received within a predetermined time period following transmission of the reference pulse from being considered a target reflected pulse.
To generate the filter control signal, the count value of counter 406 is supplied to a comparator 434. The comparator 434 also receives a minimum count value via signal line 436. the minimum count value is specified by the user and stored in the control register 600. Based on a comparison of its two inputs, the comparator 434 generates the filter control signal when the count value is equal to or greater than the minimum count value. Only when the filter control signal has been generated can the stop enable block 500 generate the stop command on stop count signal line 446. Thus, the use of a minimum count specified by the user avoids the false detection of objects nearer to the range finding device 200 than the first target to be detected.
The output from the counter 406 is also supplied to the data formatting means 408, which includes latch circuitry 409 of FIG. 4. The latch circuitry 409 ensures that only valid ranging data will be supplied to data signal lines 226 of the target ranging apparatus 300. The latch circuitry 409 is loaded in response to a load command signal 442, which is generated by control circuitry 444 of the timing and control block 406. The control circuitry 444 generates the load command signal when the counter 406 has been stopped, such that its count value represents valid ranging data.
The control circuitry 444 of FIG. 4 receives the start signal on start signal line 208 and the reflected pulses via the reflected pulse signal line 238. The control circuity 444 receives a start signal from the external processor 206 each time ranging to another target is initiated. The external processor 206 generates a start signal each time data is received from the target ranging apparatus 300, and additional targets of a ranging sequence are to be searched. Because the control circuitry 444 receives the output from the comparator 434 which indicates when the count of counter 406 is greater than the minimum count specified by the user, the control circuitry 444 can determine when the reflected pulses correspond to pulses reflected by a target (as opposed to spurious reflections from objects closer to the receiver than the first target to be detected). Based on this information, the control circuitry 444 can generate the ranging clock signal on ranging clock signal line 542 of stop enable block 500.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the control circuitry also receives the cascade mode input signal on cascade signal line 452 from the control register 600. The cascade mode signal indicates whether the counter 406 is in a cascade mode. Further, the control circuitry 444 receives the reset signal on reset signal line 218, and the system clock signal on clock signal line 426.
The control circuitry 444 can receive the carry-out signal on carry-out signal line 234. The carry-out signal can be used by the control circuitry 444 to stop the counter 406 via stop enable block 500. Based on the value of the carryout signal, the control circuitry 444 can determine whether valid ranging data exists at the output of counter 406.
During a ranging sequence, the control circuitry 444 generates the control ready signal on signal line 232, the data valid signal on data valid signal line 230 and the ready signal on ready signal line 228. The control circuitry 444 receives the received signal from the external processor 206 via the received signal line 224. The control circuitry 444 also receives the stop signal on stop count signal line 446 and the done signal on done signal line 544 from stop enable block 500. The control circuitry 444 can use the stop signal to track when the most recently received reflected pulse, representing a currently detected target, corresponds with the target value currently being searched. The done signal can be used by the control circuitry 444 to track completion of a ranging sequence.
In response to these various signals, the control circuitry 444 generates the load signal for loading the maximum target value from the control register 600 into the stop enable block 500 at the start of each ranging sequence. The control circuitry 444 also generates the clear/CLR signal on clear/CLR signal line 540 after the ready signal has been output. The clear/CLR signal is used to reset the stop enable block 500 for a subsequent ranging sequence. Finally, the control circuitry 444 outputs the load signal to the latch 408 to supply data to the external processor 206 when valid data exists in the counter.
An exemplary embodiment of the stop enable block 500 in FIG. 4 will now be described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 5, the stop enable block 500 includes flip-flops 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, 514 and 516 which collectively constitute a shift register. In the exemplary FIG. 5 embodiment, all of these flip flops are D flip-flops, the first of which receives a logic level high (represented as a "1") at its D input.
Reflected pulses from the receiver, received via stop clock signal line 454, are supplied as the clock signal to each of these flip-flops. As reflected pulses are received, a corresponding number of flip-flops will possess a logic level high at their Q outputs. For example, when 3 pulses have been received by the receiver, each of the flip-flops 502, 504 and 506 will possess a logic level high at their Q output.
By examining the Q output for a selected one of these flip-flops, it can be determined whether the reflected pulse corresponding to a given target has been received. For example, by monitoring when the Q output of the third flip-flop 506 transitions to a logic level high, it can be determined when the reflected pulse of the third target has been received.
By using a shift register as illustrated in FIG. 5, the stop enable block 500 can be configured to sequentially detect each target during a ranging sequence. The output from each flip-flop is supplied to an 8:1 multiplexer 518. By controlling a select signal line 520 of the multiplexer, the flip-flop outputs can be examined one at a time.
In the FIG. 5 embodiment, the select signal line 520 is a 3-bit value supplied from a 2:1 multiplexer 546. One input to the multiplexer 546 is a target signal line 450 representing a user specified number of a target currently being searched in a ranging sequence. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the stop enable block 500 can be configured to produce a stop count signal in response to a user input specifying one or more targets of a given ranging sequence. As each different target in the ranging sequence is to be searched, the target value supplied by the user can be changed, thereby changing the 3-bit input on the target signal line 450.
For example, if the closest of eight maximum targets is being searched first, then the 3-bit value on the target signal line 450 can be set to 000. This 3-bit value can then changed as each subsequent target in the ranging operation is searched during subsequent ranging sequences (because the user can only select one target value in a ranging sequence according to an exemplary embodiment, a separate ranging sequence can be initiated to search each subsequent target). The order in which the targets are searched can therefore be specified by the user.
The stop enable block 500 is also configured to automatically sequence the select signal line 520 through one or more target values in a predetermined order during a ranging sequence. In an exemplary embodiment, the signal select line 520 can be automatically sequenced through a series of values using a select counter 522. The select counter 522 is driven by the ranging clock signal on ranging clock signal line 542. This clock signal produces a pulse each time the search for a new target in a ranging sequence is initiated. As each target in a ranging sequence is searched, the output from the select counter 522 changes. The select counter 552 also receives the system reset signal CLR via the clear/CLR signal line 540 each time a new ranging sequence is initiated.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the output of select counter 522 can be used to directly supply a sequence of values to the multiplexer 518 via the select signal line 520. However, to enhance flexibility of the stop enable block 500, the select counter output is supplied via an address signal line 524 to a look-up table 526. For the exemplary embodiment wherein a maximum of eight targets can be searched in a ranging sequence, a series of numbers from 0 to 8 can be stored in the look up table in any order. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the FIG. 5 embodiment can be modified to search any number of targets in a given ranging sequence.
The look-up table 526 can therefore be used to accommodate a ranging sequence wherein the targets are searched in a random order specified in advance by the user. For example, the look-up table 526 can be configured to accommodate a ranging sequence wherein every other target is searched; thus, as the select counter 522 is incremented, the look-up table 526 will sequentially gate the outputs from the flip-flops 504, 508, 512 and 516 through the multiplexer 518.
When a given target being searched has been located and detected, the Q output of an appropriate flip-flop transitions to a logic level high. This output is supplied via multiplexer 518 to an AND gate 532. The AND gate 532 ensures that the counter 406 (FIG. 4) has exceeded the minimum count value necessary for a stop count signal to be generated.
Only when the counter value exceeds the minimum count will the output of AND gate 532 be permitted to transition high to set a latching flip-flop 534. When a stop count signal is supplied via the multiplexer 518, and the counter count value exceeds the minimum count, a logic level high produced by the AND gate 532 is latched into D flip-flop 534 on the next system clock pulse. A counter stop signal is then supplied via the stop count signal line 446 to the counter enable block 430 of FIG. 4. The counter 406 will not be restarted until the search for the next target in the ranging sequence is initiated by the control circuitry 444. At that time, the flip-flop 534 is also cleared by the clear signal.
The stop enable block 500 as illustrated in FIG. 5 also includes a target counter 536. The target counter 536 can be loaded with the number of targets to be searched in a given ranging sequence. The load signal is supplied from the FIG. 4 control circuitry 444 via load signal line 538. The target counter 536 is thus loaded with the maximum number of targets to be searched in a given ranging sequence.
The target counter 536 is cleared via the same CLR signal on clear signal line 540 used to clear the select counter 522. The target counter 536 is clocked via ranging clock signal line 542 by the same ranging clock signal used for select counter 522.
In operation, at the start of a ranging sequence, the load signal on load signal line 538 goes high, thereby loading the maximum number of targets to be searched in the ranging sequence. With each reflected pulse which is received subsequent to the counter 406 reaching its minimum count, the target counter 536 is decremented. Once the target counter 536 has been decremented to zero, the done signal is produced on output signal line 544 to indicate to the control circuitry 444 that the current ranging sequence has been completed.
The control register 600 of FIG. 4 will now be described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 6. The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6 shows a control register 600 which includes a plurality of D flip-flops. The control register 600 is sequentially loaded with the data from the processor 206, this data representing each of the user configurable variables. Once the control register 600 has been loaded with all user-configurable variables, a ranging operation can be initiated.
More particularly, in response to the clock signal on clock signal line 212, data specified by the user is supplied from the processor 206 to the flip-flops of control register 600. The user specified data includes values for the maximum number of targets to be searched in a given ranging sequence, the divide ratio, the cascade mode, the minimum count value and the target to be searched in a given ranging sequence. This data is serially input to flip-flops 602-634. Once all such data has been transferred from the processor 206 (FIG. 2) to the target ranging apparatus 300, the strobe signal is supplied by the processor 206 via strobe signal line 216. As a result, the user specified data is transferred from the flip-flops 602-634 (FIG. 6) into flip-flops 636-668 of the control register 600.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the flip-flops 636, 638 and 640 store a 3-bit value representing the maximum number of targets being searched in a current ranging sequence, for input to the stop enable block 500 (FIG. 4). The flip-flops 642 and 644 of FIG. 6 store a 2-bit value representing the divide ratio of clock signal divider 422 (FIG. 4). The flip-flop 646 of FIG. 6 stores the cascade mode to inform the control circuitry 444 (FIG. 4) whether additional external counters have been cascaded to the carry-out of the counter 406 to extend the range of the target ranging device.
The flip-flops 648-662 of FIG. 6 store an 8-bit value representing the minimum count value supplied to the comparator 434 (FIG. 4). The flip-flops 664, 666 and 668 store a 3-bit value representing a particular target to be searched in a current ranging sequence; this value is supplied via the target signal line 450 (FIG. 5).
Having described an exemplary embodiment of a target ranging device 200 for multiple target range finding, operation of this exemplary embodiment, including operation of the control circuitry 444 (FIG. 4), will now be described with respect to the flow chart of FIGS. 7A-7D. As illustrated in FIG. 7A, system operation begins with user-configuring of the system as represented by block 700. The user specifies the maximum number of targets (MAXTGT), the divide ratio of the clock divider (DIV), the minimum count value (MINCNT), the cascade/non-cascade mode (MODE) and, if desired, a user specified target to be searched (TGT).
An initialization of the system in block 702 further includes initializing a target value to the first target which is to be searched. Where a specified target has been stored in the control register, the target value is initialized to correspond with the specified target. Otherwise, the target value is initialized to the first value stored in the look-up table 526 by clearing the select counter 522 (FIG. 5). A value representing the current number of targets which have been detected (CURRTGT) is initialized; the current target value is incremented as each target is detected until the current target value matches that of the target being searched. A value representing the number of targets which have been ranged (TGTRNGD) is also initialized in block 702; for example, after the three targets described with respect to FIGS. 1A-1D have been detected, the targets ranged value (TGTRNGD) is equal to 3.
The data valid, ready and control ready handshaking signals (that is, DATAVALID, RDY and CNTL RDY) are also initialized. The data valid signal, which is supplied from the target ranging apparatus 300 to the processor 206 when valid ranging data has been obtained (that is, when a stop command has been generated and the carry-out signal is false), is initialized false. The ready signal, which is supplied from the target ranging apparatus 300 to the processor 206 when data is available at the output of the target ranging apparatus 300 (that is, when a stop command has been generated in response to, for example, detection of a target or generation of the carry-out signal from counter having the most significant bits of the counter output), is also initialized false. The control ready signal, which is supplied by the target ranging apparatus 300 to the processor 206 when a ranging sequence has been completed, is initialized true. When a start command for a ranging sequence is received, the control ready signal becomes false to prohibit the user from reconfiguring the system until the current ranging sequence has been completed. As illustrated in the block 702, the counter 406 and the data signal lines 226 (FIG. 4) are also initialized to values of zero.
In block 704, the target ranging device 200 determines whether it has been configured to use its internal clock or whether an external clock has been supplied. If the clock select signal line has been set, the external clock is used as represented by block 706. If not, the internal clock is selected as represented by block 708. In accordance with exemplary embodiments, regardless of which clock is used, the clock signal is divided as represented by block 710 after which a target ranging operation is initiated in block 712.
Before determining the range to each target of a ranging sequence, the target ranging device reinitializes the counter, the data signal lines, the ready signal and the data valid signal. Recall that these values were initialized in block 702 prior to initiation of a ranging sequence, such that they need not be re-initialized in block 714 prior to ranging the first target in a ranging sequence. However, these values are re-initialized prior to ranging each subsequent target within the ranging sequence. Accordingly, once a target has been ranged, these values are re-initialized in block 714.
Before ranging each target, the user can be given the opportunity to reconfigure the target ranging device 200 as represented by the decision block 716. Alternately, the opportunity to reconfigure the target ranging device 200 can be restricted to the start of a ranging sequence by monitoring the control ready signal. If the user does wish to reconfigure the system and such an option is currently available, then operation is returns to the configuration blocks 700 and 702.
If the user does not choose to reconfigure the target ranging device 200, then the range finding device 200 awaits the input of a start command, represented by block 718, to initiate ranging of the first target in a ranging sequence. Once the start command has been received, the counter 406 begins counting as indicated in block 720.
Referring now to FIG. 7B, the counter 406 continues to count as indicated by block 722. During this time, the control ready signal is maintained false to indicate to the external processor 206 that a ranging sequence is currently being performed such that the target ranging device 200 can not be reconfigured.
During the ranging of a given target, decision block 724 reflects monitoring of the counter 406 to ensure that its count exceeds the specified minimum count. The use of a minimum count provides noise filtering of spurious reflections close to the transmitter.
Once the count has exceeded the minimum count for a given ranging operation, flow continues to the decision block 726 wherein monitoring for the stop command is performed. If a stop command has been received, a decision block 728 is implemented to determine whether a cascade mode has been selected or not. Recall that the cascade mode is used to extend the range of the counter 406. Accordingly, the cascade mode must be examined to take any cascaded counters into account when determining whether the maximum count has been detected in block 730.
If the maximum count is detected in block 730, then the carry-out signal is supplied from the counter 406 (or from an external counter if in the cascade mode), and operation of the counter is discontinued in block 732. An acknowledge operation represented by block 734 of FIG. 2C is then performed.
Returning to the decision block 726 of FIG. 7B, if a stop command is detected, then a decision block 736 examines whether the reflected pulse corresponds to the current target being searched. For example, if the current target being searched is the third target, and only a single reflected pulse has been received, then the current target value does not match the target value. The counter 406 therefore remains enabled, the current target value is incremented in block 738, and operation returns to the input of decision block 726 to continue monitoring for a stop command. Note that with the exemplary embodiment of the stop enable block 500 in FIG. 5, the stop command will not actually be generated until the current target value matches the value of the target being searched.
Once it is determined that the current target matches the target being searched, as represented in decision block 736, then the counter 406 is stopped in block 740. Data in the counter 406 is then output to the external processor 206, and the ready signal and data valid signal flags are set. Operation then flows to the acknowledge block 734 of FIG. 7C.
Referring to FIG. 7C, the acknowledge operation constitutes a verification by the processor 206 (FIG. 2) that valid data has been received. In decision block 742, the target ranging apparatus 300 examines whether the received signal line has set a flag to indicate that the external processor 206 received data.
Once the ready signal has been set, the processor 206 examines the carry-out of the counter 406 in block 744 to determine whether a counter overflow occurred. If so, the counter 406 has not detected a target range, such that the ranging must be reinitiated. Accordingly, in block 746, the target value is set to 1 and the carry-out signal is reset to 0. Note that the current target value is set to 1 so that when ranging is reinitiated a search will be performed for the second target in the ranging sequence. The subsequent ranging is initiated via block 748.
In contrast, if the carry-out is not detected in decision block 744, then a decision block 750 examines whether the number of targets ranged matches the maximum number of targets to be searched in the current ranging sequence. If not, the target ranged value is incremented in block 754, and the current target value reinitialized to 1. The current target to be searched in the ranging sequence is then incremented to the next value (for example, by incrementing the select counter 522 of FIG. 5), and ranging is reinitiated in block 748.
On the contrary, if the last target ranged does correspond to the maximum target in decision block 750, then the first ranging sequence is complete. In block 752, the variables associated with a ranging sequence are reinitialized so that a subsequent ranging sequence can be executed. As illustrated in block 752, the current target value is reset to 1, the target value is set to the first value, the targets ranged value is set to its initial value and the control ready signal is set to indicate that the system can be reconfigured by the user if desired. A subsequent ranging sequence can then be initiated in block 752 if desired.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiment of a target ranging device 200 and associated operation, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, is by way of example only, and that any number of variations can be implemented. For example, any of the components described with respect to FIGS. 2-6 can be combined in any desired manner to provide the functions associated therewith. The illustration of a processor separated from the target ranging apparatus is by way of example only. Further, cascaded counters for implementing the cascade mode need not be formed external to the target ranging apparatus.
The control register 600 (FIG. 6) can be formed as any known storage device, including any desired number of user specified variables. The exact variables selected for inclusion in the control register 600, and the number of bits selected for representing each control variable is by way of example only. For example, the control register 600 can be modified to accommodate any number of specified targets.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restricted. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that come within the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to be embraced therein.
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The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for detecting reflected pulses from multiple targets in a field of view such that range to each target can be detected with high resolution, even when the targets are located over a relatively wide measurement range. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can provide real-time acquisition of ranging data, and can be implemented in a practical cost-effective manner suitable for reconfiguration.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a feeding device of an automatic sewing arrangement for producing a stitch contour in a workpiece according to a predetermined program. A linkage system installed with a control disc and a workpiece clamping plate operates upon a workpiece as a needle of a sewing head performs the stitching. In particular, a new feeding device installed with a linear drive, makes it possible to displace the workpiece relatively with respect to the linkage system.
Feeding devices of such types are known from the German laid-open DE-OS No. 30 00 831 and also from German Pat. DE-PS No. 27 33 397. These are installed essentially with a linkage system having a parallelogram-shaped configuration, in which two levers operating upon a stationary pivot point cooperate by cam followers with two grooves of a control disc. As the control disc is rotated for one revolution, the linkage system will be driven in a two-dimensional preset movement as controlled by the cams of the control disc. Due to their simple construction, such feeding devices operate reliably and are well-proven in the field. Furthermore, by simply exchanging the control disc, another program having a differently shaped switch contour may be achieved.
With such feeding devices the work area, i.e. the maximum of distances the workpiece holder is capable to be moved, is limited by the size of the linkage system. Depending on the application, it may happen that the work area of such a feeding device is not large enough as to sew a certain stitch program in a workpiece.
Accordingly, it is a main object of the present invention to create a feeding device of the aforesaid type so as to achieve an enlargement of the work area of the workpiece holder in a constructive manner.
Another object of the invention is to provide a feeding device with an extended work area and with control elements which make possible an automatic sewing process, in which the sewing process is automatically interrupted, the workpiece holder displaced, and the sewing process restarted again.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a feeding device of the aforesaid type with a drive mechanism which is simple in construction and reliable in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the present invention are achieved by displaceably arranging the workpiece holder at the drive-off lever of the linkage system of the feeding device. Drive means and control elements are provided to automatically control the process cycle and to lock the workpiece holder in different positions. With the arrangement of a pneumatically controlled cylinder as a linear drive for the workpiece holder, a simple and reliable system is achieved. The feeding device according to the invention allows to at least double the work area of the automatic sewing arrangement in one direction for producing stitch rows of larger dimensions.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will appear from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which will now be explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an automatic sewing arrangement including a feeding device according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation taken in the direction of the arrow II shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the feeding device taken along line III--III in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic view for controlling a linear drive of the feeding device; and
FIG. 5 shows a workpiece to be sewn and the required individual working steps.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The automatic sewing arrangement according to the drawing includes a stand 1 carrying a feeding device 2 with a workpiece 3 and a sewing machine designated as a sewing head 4. The sewing head 4 is mounted on a plate 5, which is supported with respect to the stand 1 by means of posts 6.
The feeding device 2 is provided with a linkage system 7, which in principle consists of links pivotally arranged in a configuration of a parallelogram, wherein two links cooperate with a control disc 8. The control disc 8 is secured to a drive shaft 9 of a gear 10 mounted at the stand 1. The control disc 8 is driven via the gear 10 by the drive motor 11 of the automatic sewing arrangement situated inside the stand 1. The motor 11 drives, via a belt drive 12, a shaft 13, which is connected via a clutch 14 and a further belt drive 15 to a handwheel 16 of the sewing head 4. Due to this drive connection a needle 17 of the sewing head 4 will be driven or not driven depending on the shift condition of the clutch 14. The shaft 13 is drivingly connected to the gear 10 by means of a further belt drive 18.
The linkage system 7 has a fixed fulcrum formed by an axis 19, which is secured to the stand 1. Pivotably received on the axis 19 is a lever 20, which is arranged beneath the control disc 8 and provided with a roller 21 engaging a control groove 22 located at the lower surface of the control disc 8.
Pivotally supported on the axis 19 is a further lever 23, which is arranged above the control disc 8, i.e. in parallel to the main direction of the sewing head 4. Also, this lever 23 is provided with a downwardly projecting guide roller 24 engaging a control groove 25 formed in the upper surface of the control disc 8. The control grooves 22, 25 each extend as closed grooves over the total circumference of the control disc 8. They have, of course, no circular configuration.
To the free end of the lower lever 20 there is, in parallel to and in the plane of the upper lever 23, hingedly connected an intermediate lever 27 by means of a link 26. To the free ends of the upper lever 23 and the intermediate lever 27 there is hinged by means of links 28, 29, a drive-off lever 30, which extends in parallel with the lower lever 20. The drive-off lever 30 extends in a plane above the upper lever 23 and the intermediate lever. The linkage system 7 defined by the four joints 19, 26, 28, 29 is a parallelogram-link-system having nearly right angles and equal shanks. To the drive-off lever 30 there is connected a workpiece clamping plate 31 engaging the workpiece 3. The sewing arrangement described thus far is known in principle and is usual in the trade and known, for example, from German laid-open DE-OS No. 30 00 831.
A linear drive 32 is pivotably received on a horizontal axis 34, which is supported in a bearing block 33 of the drive-off lever 30. Furthermore, the axis 34 extends about rectangularly to the direction of the arrow 35 of the linear drive 32, while the latter extends in parallel to a connecting line of the two links 28, 29.
The linear drive 32 is provided with an oblong housing 36, which is open at the bottom and supported in the bearing block 33. The tilting of this housing 36 and thus the whole linear drive 32 is performed by a pneumatically actuated piston-cylinder-drive 37, which is pivoted at the drive-off lever 30, on one hand, and pivoted at the housing 36, on the other hand. When actuated, the piston-cylinder drive 37 is shortened, so that the workpiece supporting plate 31 is swung upwardly from the position as shown in the drawing into a position not illustrated.
The housing 36 is provided with a guide rod 38 extending in parallel with the direction of the arrow 35. Slidably secured to the guide rod 38, in the direction of the arrow 35, there is a slide bearing 39, which carries a connecting lever 40. At the free end of the latter, there is mounted a workpiece supporting plate 31.
Moreover, in the housing 36 there is located a piston-cylinder drive 41, the cylinder 42 of which is axially secured by means of a bolt 43 in the housing 36. The piston rod 44 of the piston-cylinder drive 41 extending from the cylinder 42 in the direction to the sewing head 4, is connected by a bolt 45 to the slide bearing 39 and thus to the connecting lever 40.
In the cylinder 42 the piston rod 44 ends in a piston 46, which is bilaterally actuatable by compressed air lines. The latter will further be described hereinafter. Consequently, the piston 46 and thus the workpiece supporting plate 31 are pneumatically displaceable between two end positions.
At these end positions there are provided limit switches 47, 48 which may be in the form of proximity switches operating without any physical contact. For this purpose, for instance, to the piston 46 there is mounted a permanent magnet 49, which actuates reed switches 50 secured to the outer surface of the cylinder 42. When the magnet 49 actuates the reed switches 50, an electrical circuit 51 transmits a signal to an electronic control circuit (not shown).
To the stand 1 there is secured an electrical switch 52 cooperating with trigger cams 53 provided at the outer circumference of the control disc 8. In a determined angular position of the control disc 8, the trigger cams 53 initiate a switching operation and thus an electrical signal transmitted to the already-mentioned electronic control circuit.
The pneumatic actuation of the drive 41 is performed by a central compressed air source 54 via a supply line 55 which is connected to control valves 56, 57, from which the two already mentioned supply lines 58, 59 lead to the cylinder 42. The control valves 56, 57 are formed as 3/2-way solenoid valves and operated by the solenoids 60. Energizing is performed by the electronic control (not shown) via electrical circuits 61 or 62 and is dependent on a signal from the switch 52 or a signal from the limit switch 47 or 48. Due to the configuration of the control valves 56, 57 the piston 46 and thus also the workpiece supporting plate 31 together with the workpiece 3 are pneumatically locked in one of the two end positions of the correspondent limit switches 47, 48, as, in the correspondent end position, the piston 46 remains constantly exposed to compressed air.
The operation of the feeding device according to the present invention may be described as follows:
For this operating description it may be assumed that the feeding device 2 is in such a position that the workpiece clamping plate 31 is placed as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4, wherein, however, the workpiece clamping plate 31 is lifted off the plate 5 by the pulling action of the piston-cylinder-drive 37. After inserting the workpiece 3 between the workpiece clamping plate 31 and the plate 5, a signal is given to the control by the operator so as to clamp the workpiece 3 on the plate 5 where the workpiece clamping plate 31 is lowered by the piston-cylinder-drive 37. In order to assure sufficient pressure acting upon the workpiece 3, the drive-off-lever 30 is provided with an arm 63 reaching under the workpiece clamping plate 31. The arm 63 is installed with a thrust bearing 64 which is supported by a plate 65 firmly received by the posts 6.
The actual sewing process will now be explained in connection with FIG. 5, in which the workpiece 3 represents a mitten 67 formed with a cuff 66 and a thumb 68. The cuff 66 forms the opening of the mitten 67. As the clutch 14 is engaged, the drive motor 11 drives the sewing head 4, on the one hand, and the feeding device 2, on the other hand.
The sewing operation starts at a point 70, which is placed on a cross line 69 positioned about in the range where the thumb 68 blends over in the cuff 66. The cross line 69 is placed so as to form at both sides, about equal halves of the mitten 67. In the direction of the arrow 72, the stitch row 71 is performed starting in point 70 and terminating in the first intermediate point 73, which is also positioned on the cross line 69, i.e. oppositely placed with respect to the point 70. As the first intermediate point 73 is reached, the switch 52 is operated by the trigger cam 53 causing a stop of the feeding device 2 and of the sewing head 4 where a thread cutting cycle is carried out. Consequently, by energizing the control valve 56 and de-energizing the control valve 57, the piston 46 with the piston rod 44 is operated by air pressure from an inner position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 into its outer position, at which the workpiece 3 is moved towards the operator for a distance "a" so as to finally position the needle 17 of the sewing head 4 above a second intermediate point 74 placed on a line 75, which is located outside of the area of the workpiece 3. Thus, the distance "a" equals the displacement distance performed by the linear drive 32. As shown, the displacement from the first intermediate point 73 to the second intermediate point 74 takes place in the direction of the arrow 35 which is directed perpendicular to the cross line 69.
As the second intermediate point 74 is reached, the limit switch 48 emits a signal triggering the disengaging of the clutch 14 for disconnecting the drive of the sewing head 4. In this phase, a displacement of the workpiece 3 is carried out by the linkage system 7, where the workpiece is moved by the drive motor 11 from the second intermediate point 74 to a point 76 with respect to the needle 17 of the sewing head 4. At this point a further signal is emitted by the switch 52 actuated by a corresponding trigger cam 53 so as to engage the clutch 14 and to consequently continue the sewing operation for performing the stitching to point 73. At this point, a further trigger cam 53 operates the switch 52 emitting a signal for stopping the drive motor 11, whereupon the sewing head 4 performs again a thread cutting cycle. Consequently, the clutch 14 will be disengaged so as to solely drive the workpiece clamping plate 31 with a workpiece 3 by the drive motor 11 in such a manner, that the point 70 of the workpiece 3 is positioned under the needle 17 of the sewing head 4. Due to a correspondent trigger cam 53, the switch 52 emits a further signal so as to engage the clutch 14 and to cause the drive motor 11 to start for terminating the sewing process, i.e. the stitch row 71 from point 70 to a point 77 located in the area of the parallel line 75 will be performed and terminated by a thread cutting cycle of the sewing head 4. Again by a correspondent trigger cam 53, the switch 52 emits a signal so as to disconnect the drive connection of the sewing head 4 and the control disc 8. Consequently, as a matter of sequential control, the control disc 8 is driven further, until the needle 17 of the sewing head 4 is positioned above a point 78 located on the line 75. The point 78 corresponds to the point 70, wherein both points are spaced by the distance of displacement "a". As the point 78 is reached, a final trigger cam 53 causes the switch 52 to emit a signal so as to stop the drive motor 11 and to engage the clutch 14. Furthermore, by this signal the control valves 56, 57 are oppositely energized or de-energized so as to cause a withdrawal of the workpiece clamping plate 31 by the action of air pressure on the piston 46 of the drive 41. As the piston 46 reaches its final position, i.e. its inner position, the limit switch 47 emits a signal so as to release the workpiece 3 due to the pull-action of the piston-cylinder drive 37 for removing the finished workpiece 3. As the control valves 56, 57 remain in the last-described shifted position, the piston 46 is locked in its position.
For allowing a displacing of the workpiece in two coordinate directions, a second linear drive may be installed by an adequate constructive adaption, wherein the second linear drive extends about in a horizontal plane, i.e. parallel to the plane of the first linear drive and perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the latter.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.
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A feeding device for an automatic sewing arrangement producing a stitch row according to a predetermined contour in a workpiece is installed with a linkage system having a control disc. The linkage system is provided with a workpiece clamping plate movably arranged in a plane and operably connected to the control disc. Furthermore, the workpiece clamping plate is movably received on a drive-off-lever of the linkage system. A linear drive with control elements is provided for displacing the workpiece clamping plate and locking the latter in at least two positions. Control means for at least interrupting the sewing operation during the displacement of the workpiece clamping plate are provided at the linkage system.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefits of prior filed, co-pending provisional patent application Serial No. 60/387644 filed of Jun. 11, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Transportable or rollable baby cribs are well known in the art. The usual baby crib design comprises two end members and two side members, which are attached together at the corers to provide a baby crib frame. The frame is provided with a mattress support which is held within the frame to support the crib mattress. Columnar legs support the frame at the corners and are equipped with swivel casters at the bottom ends.
[0003] The baby crib frame may either be of the fixed or foldable type. A typical fixed type is exemplified by the The Mini Crib model produced by L.A. Baby of Los Angeles, Calif. In this design, the side members and end members are made of metal tubes attached together at the crib corners by screws. The legs are provided with swivel casters to enable re-positioning the crib or rolling the crib from room to room.
[0004] Another type of frame is a foldable frame having hinged end members, which enable folding the crib into a smaller size for storage. Exemplary of a foldable frame is The Holiday Crib also produced by L.A. Baby.
[0005] A common problem with a transportable crib is that the legs or corners of the crib may strike and damage furniture when moving the crib about in the room, or may damage doorways or walls when moving the crib from room to room. This is a particularly difficult and costly problem with commercially available baby cribs used in hotels, where the cribs are frequently moved from room to room, or in and out of storage. It would be desirable to have a transportable baby crib, which would reduce the possibility of damage to surrounding objects and doorways when moving the crib about.
[0006] Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved transportable baby crib that reduces damage to surrounding objects.
[0007] Another object of the invention is to provide an improved transportable baby crib which protects both the crib and other property from damage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Briefly stated, the invention comprises an improvement to a baby crib of the type, which has opposed sides, opposed ends connected to the opposed sides at corners, a columnar leg depending from each corner, and a swivel caster disposed on the end of each said columnar leg to make the crib transportable, said improvement comprising a bumper disposed on each said columnar leg above the swivel caster, the bumper being substantially in the shape of a disk defining a central hole therein arranged to receive said columnar leg therethrough, the central hole being dimensioned so as to enable rotation of the bumper about the columnar leg when striking an object while transporting the crib on the swivel casters.
[0009] Preferably, the bumper is comprised of dense impact-absorbing, closed cell, plastic foam, is supported on top of the caster swivel plate, and has an outer diameter approximately the same as, or larger than that of the caster wheel.
DRAWINGS
[0010] The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0011] [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a transportable, foldable baby crib in open position,
[0012] [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the baby crib of FIG. 1 in folded position, and
[0013] [0013]FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one lower leg of the baby crib shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, a transportable baby crib is shown generally at 10 and comprises a pair of tubular metal side members 12 , 14 and a pair of tubular metal end members 16 , 18 . Both end members and side members include protective vertical bars designed to contain the infant within the frame. A horizontal carrier member 20 , and a mattress 22 are supported within the frame by attachments (not shown), which are not material to the present invention.
[0015] End members 16 , 18 are hinged in the middle with hinges, such as the one shown at 24 , and pivotally connected to the side members 18 at the corners by pivotal connections, such as the one shown at 26 .
[0016] The frame is supported on columnar legs at each of the four corners. One such columnar leg is indicated at 28 , which may conveniently be an extension of the side member 18 . At the terminating lower end of each columnar leg, is a swivel caster of conventional design, such as the one indicated at 30 .
[0017] Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawing, the crib 10 is illustrated in a folded position. The ends 16 , 18 have been folded at hinges 24 , and the two sides 12 , 14 have been drawn together by virtue of the pivotable connection 26 . Carrier member 20 and mattress 22 have been removed and may be conveniently stored in the space between sides 12 , 14 .
[0018] All of the above description is conventional and well known for a foldable transportable baby crib. Constructional details of transportable baby cribs will vary considerably in design. For example, the columnar legs are sometimes formed as extensions of the side members, as shown in the illustrated embodiment. However, other constructions may form the columnar legs as extensions of the end members. Such a construction is used in a fixed crib frame design, exemplified by The Mini Crib by L.A. Baby.
[0019] In accordance with the present invention, bumpers 32 of special design have been applied to each of the columnar legs 28 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 3, the details of the improvement of the present invention will be better understood. The swivel caster shown at 30 is of conventional design. The swivel caster comprises a swivel plate 34 with a connected expandable pin housing and pin (not shown) extending up into columnar leg 28 . The pin housing holds the swivel caster 30 in place by a friction fit and allows the caster to rotate about a vertical axis in columnar leg 28 . Swivel caster 30 includes a wheel 36 rotatably supported on an axle between side pieces 38 depending from swivel plate 34 . In some cases, a safety brake 40 is added to prevent the wheel 36 from turning.
[0021] In accordance with the present invention, a bumper member 32 comprised of dense impact-resistant, closed cell plastic foam is disposed around leg 28 on top of caster plate 34 . Bumper 32 is disc-shaped with a central hole like a donut. Central hole 42 is dimensioned to receive the columnar leg 28 . The outer diameter of bumper 32 is approximately the same as, or greater than, the diameter of wheel 36 .
[0022] Typically, in a swivel caster, the axle for the wheel does not lie directly below the axis of the pin about which the caster swivels, but is offset. This forces the caster to swivel about the vertical axis when the motion commences, and the wheel will follow the direction of movement. By dimensioning the outer diameter of the disc-shaped bumper substantially the same as, or greater than, the wheel diameter, this insures that the leading edge of bumper 32 is always in advance of the edge of the wheel. Therefore, the bumper 32 will be first to strike an object.
[0023] An important feature of the invention is to make the dimension of central hole 42 such that it fits snugly about columnar leg 28 , but yet is sufficiently loose to enable the bumper 32 to rotate about leg 28 when striking an object. This absorbs the impact and allows the bumper 32 to roll around the object in the path of the crib without damaging it.
[0024] A preferred material for the impact-resisting foam material of bumper 32 is polyurethane. The dimensions of a suitable bumper for the L.A. Baby Holiday Crib, model no. 82 is 3⅝ inches in diameter, ⅞ inch in thickness, with a central hole one inch in diameter. During assembly, the bumper is inserted first over the crib leg, and then the swivel caster is separately attached in the normal manner
[0025] While there has been described what is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is desired to secure all such modifications herein, which fall within the scope of the invention.
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Baby crib bumpers on the legs protect doorways, walls and furniture when transporting the crib on swivel casters. The bumpers are preferably high impact plastic foam disks, arranged to rotate on the crib legs when striking objects and prevent damage.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to the field of semiconductor devices and, in particular, to a pixel cell using a high-k dielectric film to create a strong accumulation region for providing isolation and optimizing characteristics of the cell.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A CMOS imager circuit includes a focal plane array of pixel cells, each cell includes a photosensor, for example, a photogate, photoconductor or a photodiode overlying a substrate for producing a photo-generated charge in a doped region of the substrate. A readout circuit is provided for each pixel cell and includes at least a source follower transistor and a row select transistor for coupling the source follower transistor to a column output line. The pixel cell also typically has a floating diffusion node, connected to the gate of the source follower transistor. Charge generated by the photosensor is sent to the floating diffusion region. The imager may also include a transistor for transferring charge from the photosensor to the floating diffusion node and another transistor for resetting the floating diffusion region node to a predetermined charge level prior to charge transference. Each pixel cell is isolated from other pixel cells in the array by a field oxide region (STI), which surrounds it and separates the doped regions of the substrate within that pixel cell from the doped regions of the substrate within neighboring pixel cells.
[0003] In a CMOS imager, the active elements of a pixel cell, for example a four transistor pixel, perform the necessary functions of (1) photon to charge conversion; (2) transfer of charge to the floating diffusion node; (3) resetting the floating diffusion node to a known state before the transfer of charge to it; (4) selection of a pixel cell for readout; and (5) output and amplification of a signal representing a reset voltage and a pixel signal voltage based on the photo converted charges. The charge at the floating diffusion node is converted to a pixel output voltage by a source follower output transistor.
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a CMOS imager device 100 having a pixel array 110 with each pixel cell being constructed as described above. Pixel array 110 comprises a plurality of pixels arranged in a predetermined number of columns and rows (not shown). The pixels of each row in array 110 are all turned on at the same time by a row select line, and the pixels of each column are selectively output by respective column select lines. A plurality of row and column lines are provided for the entire array 110 . The row lines are selectively activated by the row driver 145 in response to row address decoder 155 and the column select lines are selectively activated by the column driver 160 in response to column address decoder 170 . Thus, a row and column address is provided for each pixel.
[0005] The CMOS imager is operated by a control circuit 150 , which controls decoders 155 , 170 for selecting the appropriate row and column lines for pixel readout, and row and column driver circuitry 145 , 160 , which apply driving voltage to the drive transistors of the selected row and column lines. The pixel column signals, which typically include a pixel reset signal Vrst and a pixel image signal Vsig for each pixel are read by sample and hold circuitry 161 , 162 associated with the column device 160 . A differential signal Vrst-Vsig is produced for each pixel, which is amplified and digitized by analog-to-digital converter 175 . The analog to digital converter 175 converts the analog pixel signals to digital signals which, are fed to an image processor 180 to form a digital image.
[0006] Exemplary CMOS imaging circuits, processing steps thereof, and detailed descriptions of the functions of various CMOS elements of an imaging circuit are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,630, U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,868, U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,366, U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,652, U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,524, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,205, assigned to Micron Technology, Inc. The disclosures of each of the forgoing are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
[0007] A schematic diagram of an exemplary CMOS four-transistor (4T) pixel cell 10 is illustrated in FIG. 2 . The four transistors include a reset transistor 34 , source follower transistor 36 , row select transistor 38 and a transfer gate 32 . A photosensor 40 converts incident light into an electrical charge. A floating diffusion region 50 receives the charge from the photosensor 40 through the transfer gate 32 (when activated by a transfer gate control signal TG) and is connected to the reset transistor 34 and the gate of the source follower transistor 36 . The source follower transistor 36 outputs a signal proportional to the charge accumulated in the floating diffusion region 50 when the row select transistor 38 is turned on. The reset transistor 34 resets the floating diffusion region 50 (when activated by a reset control signal RST) to a known potential prior to transfer of charge from the photosensor 40 . The photosensor 40 may be a photodiode, photogate, or photoconductor. If a photodiode is employed, the photodiode may be formed below a surface of the substrate and may be a buried PNP photodiode, buried NPN photodiode, a buried PN photodiode, or a buried NP photodiode, among others.
[0008] In a conventional CMOS imager pixel with a buried photodiode, the photodiode converts incident light to an electrical charge. The photodiode accumulates this charge throughout the sampling period. At the end of the sampling period, the transfer gate closes (i.e., is activated) and the charge is drained from the photodiode through the transfer gate.
[0009] A buried photodiode has a shallow implant of a first conductivity (referred to herein as an accumulation region) above a deeper implant of another conductivity (referred to herein as a charge-collection region) in a substrate lightly doped with the first conductivity type. A depletion region exists at the interface between the accumulation region and the charge collection region. For example, in a p-type substrate, a shallow low-dose p-type implant is applied over an n-type photosensitive region. This also produces a dual-junction sandwich that alters the visible light spectral response (the sensitivity to optical radiation of different wavelengths) of the pixel. The upper junction is optimized for responding to lower wavelengths while the lower junction is more sensitive to the longer wavelengths.
[0010] However, the top surface of the photodiode is electrically connected to the bulk substrate via a portion of the accumulation region above the charge-collection region and a portion of the accumulation region between the field oxide region (referred to hereinafter as a STI region) and the charge-collection region. The depletion of charge from the substrate and accumulation region causes excessive leakage and creates a false signal, commonly known as “dark current.” Dark current is a current that is created without photoconversion of light. Dark current may be reduced by preventing depletion of the accumulation region.
[0011] Attempts to overcome a depletion of the accumulation region have involved increasing the doping level near the STI sidewall. However, increasing the doping level near the STI sidewall creates excess leakage, which is quite significant in the overall dark current leakage level in a pinned photodiode.
[0012] Therefore, it is desirable to create an isolation structure where pinned photodiode characteristics are maintained without increased doping levels.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The invention provides an isolation structure to maintain pinned photodiode characteristics without increasing doping levels around the photodiode. By creating a substrate region surrounding the charge-collection region of the photodiode, the photodiode may be electrically isolated from the bulk substrate. This region fixes the depletion region so that it does not migrate toward the surface of the substrate or the STI region. By doing so, the region prevents charge from being depleted from the substrate and the accumulation region, reducing dark current.
[0014] The region is achieved by depositing a high-k dielectric material on the surface of the substrate above the photodiode and on the sidewalls of the STI trench. The high-k dielectric material induces excess charge on the surface of the substrate above the photodiode and in the sidewalls of the STI region adjacent to the photodiode.
[0015] Aluminum oxide is one high-k dielectric material (a material with a dielectric constant greater than that of silicon dioxide) that induces an excess negative charge, as noted in Manchanda et al., “Si-Doped Aluminates for High Temperature Metal-Gate CMOS: Zr—Al—Si—O, A Novel Gate Dielectric for Low Power Applications,” IEEE IEDM Technical Digest (2000) pp.23-26; Lee et al., “Effect of Polysilicon Gate on the Flatband Voltage Shift and Mobility Degradation for ALD-Al 2 O 3 Gate Dielectric,” IEEE IEDM Technical Digest (2000) pp. 645-648; and Buchanan et al., “80 nm poly-silicon gated n-FETs with ultra-thin Al 2 O 3 gate dielectric for ULSI applications,” IEEE IEDM Technical Digest (2000) pp. 223-226.
[0016] Because of these properties, when using, for example, aluminum oxide (or other high-k dielectric material) to line or fill the STI regions and cover the surface of the substrate overlying a PNP photodiode, there will be an excess negative charge in the aluminum oxide layers that induces and maintains a hole-accumulation region between the aluminum oxide layer and the charge-collection region of the photodiode. Similarly, when using a high-k dielectric material in the STI trenches and on the surface of the substrate overlying an NPN photodiode, there will be an excess positive charge in the high-k dielectric material that induces and maintains an electron-rich accumulation region. By maintaining the accumulation region, the depletion region between the accumulation region and the charge-collection region is prevented from migrating toward the STI regions and the substrate surface, thereby electrically isolating the photodiode and decreasing charge leakage from the bulk substrate into the photodiode.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Additional advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and drawings which include various embodiments of the invention, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an imaging device;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a four-transistor (4T) pixel;
[0020] FIG. 3 a cross-section of an exemplary pixel cell of the present invention at an initial stage of fabrication;
[0021] FIG. 4 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 3 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0022] FIG. 5 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 4 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0023] FIG. 6 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 5 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0024] FIG. 7 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 6 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0025] FIG. 8 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 7 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0026] FIG. 9 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 8 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0027] FIG. 10 a is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 9 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0028] FIG. 10 b is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 7 at an alternative subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0029] FIG. 10 c is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 7 at an alternative subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0030] FIG. 11 a is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 10 a at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0031] FIG. 11 b is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 10 a at an alternative subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0032] FIG. 12 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 11 a at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0033] FIG. 13 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 12 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0034] FIG. 14 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 13 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0035] FIG. 15 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 14 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0036] FIG. 16 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 15 at a subsequent stage of fabrication;
[0037] FIG. 17 is an illustration of the pixel cell of FIG. 16 at a final stage of fabrication; and
[0038] FIG. 18 shows a processor system incorporating at least one imager device constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and that structural, logical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Additionally, processing steps described and their progression are exemplary of preferred embodiments of the invention. However, the sequence of steps is not limited to that set forth herein and may be changed as is known in the art, with the exception of steps necessarily occurring in a certain order.
[0040] The term “substrate” is to be understood as a semiconductor-based material including silicon, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) technology, doped and undoped semiconductors, epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductor foundation, and other semiconductor structures. Furthermore, when reference is made to a “substrate” in the following description, previous process steps may have been utilized to form regions or junctions in the base semiconductor structure or foundation. In addition, the semiconductor need not be silicon-based, but could be based on silicon-germanium, germanium, or gallium arsenide.
[0041] The term “pixel” refers to a photo-element unit cell containing a photosensor and transistors for converting light radiation to an electrical signal. For purposes of illustration, a representative pixel is illustrated in the figures and description herein and, typically, fabrication of all pixels in an imager will proceed simultaneously in a similar fashion. The following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
[0042] Referring now to the drawings, where like elements are designated by like reference numerals, FIG. 3 shows a pixel cell 10 an initial stage of processing in accordance with the invention. A substrate 15 with a first conductivity is provided. For the purposes of illustration, the first conductivity type is p-type. A silicon dioxide layer 22 is grown over the surface of the substrate 15 .
[0043] Referring to FIG. 4 , a nitride hard mask layer 23 is deposited over the silicon dioxide layer 22 . The nitride hard mask layer 23 protects the active area underneath during subsequent processing steps. The nitride hard mask layer 23 is approximately 200 Å to 1000 Å in thickness.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 5 , a photoresist mask 20 is formed and patterned with an opening 21 . The nitride hard mask layer and the substrate then undergo an etching process to create a trench 24 , as shown in FIG. 6 . In this illustration, only one trench 24 is shown. However, it should be appreciated that more than one opening and trench would be formed in a pixel cell array. Trenches of about 1,000 Å to about 4,000 Å in depth, preferably about 1,500 Å to about 3,000 Å, with a width of about 500 Å to about 10,000 Å, preferably about 1,000 Å to about 3,000 Å, are typically desired. The trench 24 is formed in the substrate 15 by anisotropic etching. The photoresist mask 20 is subsequently removed, as shown in FIG. 6 .
[0045] Referring to FIG. 7 , a layer of silicon dioxide 22 is grown on the sidewalls of the trench 24 over the surface of the substrate 15 . The silicon dioxide layer 22 in the trench 24 is optional and acts as a dielectric in the final structure. When the silicon dioxide layer 22 is grown as part of the final pixel cell 10 , the layer 22 enhances the dielectric effects of the final structure. However, layer 22 may be removed before the next stage of fabrication. Growing a layer of silicon dioxide over a silicon substrate heals the defects in the surface of the silicon substrate, even if the silicon dioxide is subsequently removed. For the purposes of illustration, the embodiment without removing the silicon dioxide layer 22 shall be discussed herein.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 8 , the substrate 15 is subjected to a conformal deposition process to deposit a high-k dielectric material such as, e.g., a thin aluminum oxide liner layer 26 over the silicon dioxide layer 22 on the surface of the substrate 15 and over the walls of the trench 24 . Although aluminum oxide is the material used in the present embodiment, any material with a high-k dielectric constant that induces excess negative charge is suitable for this embodiment. Materials such as aluminum nitride, silicon-rich aluminum oxides, and others are also suitable. Methods such as chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, plasma vapor deposition, or other suitable techniques may be employed in forming the aluminum oxide layer 26 . The aluminum oxide layer 26 is deposited to a thickness within the range of 30 Å and 500 Å, and preferably about 50 Å.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 9 , an insulating layer 28 of dielectric material is deposited over the aluminum oxide layer 26 , filling the trench 24 . The insulating layer 28 may consist of an insulating material such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, oxide-nitride, nitride-oxide, oxide-nitride-oxide, or other suitable insulating material. This material is deposited within the trench 24 by chemical vapor deposition, low pressure chemical vapor deposition, or other suitable techniques. As shown in FIG. 10 a , the substrate 15 is then planarized, removing excess insulating layer 28 , aluminum oxide layer 26 , and silicon dioxide layer 22 above the surface of the substrate 15 . Chemical mechanical polishing or RIE dry etching processes may be employed to achieve the resulting lined STI region 30 .
[0048] Alternatively, FIG. 10 b illustrates an embodiment where the aluminum oxide layer 26 entirely fills the trench 24 instead of using an insulating layer 28 , such that the resulting STI region 30 , uses aluminum oxide as the insulating material. By eliminating the step of depositing a separate dielectric layer 28 , this alternative offers additional processing simplicity. A further alternative, where the silicon dioxide layer 22 is removed prior to deposition of aluminum oxide layer 26 , is shown in FIG. 10 c . For the purposes of illustration, the embodiment having an STI region 30 with a silicon dioxide layer 22 , an aluminum oxide layer 26 , and insulating layer 28 ( FIG. 10 a ) shall be discussed herein. However, the following steps may also be performed on the FIG. 10 b and 10 c embodiments.
[0049] Referring to FIGS. 11 a and 11 b , the desired gate stacks, such as the stacks for transfer gate 32 , are layered, masked, and etched over the surface of the substrate 15 . A photoresist 31 is formed over the substrate 15 and patterned to partially overlap the gate stack of the transfer gate 32 , as shown in FIG. 11 a . A dopant implant 201 of a first conductivity type (i.e., p-type) is performed on the substrate 15 , forming a p-type well 25 region having p-type ions (e.g., boron) beneath the active area of the pixel 10 . Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11 b , the dopant implant 201 may be performed without photoresist 31 and can form a blanket p-well 25 in the substrate 15 . For discussion purposes only, the FIG. 11 a embodiment having a p-well region is used to describe the following stages.
[0050] Next, as shown in FIG. 12 , the substrate 15 is masked with photoresist 41 , leaving the portion of the substrate 15 where the photodiode is to be located exposed, and an angled ion implant 202 of a second conductivity type (i.e., n-type) is performed. This implant 202 can be performed by implanting appropriate n-type ions (e.g., arsenic, antimony, phosphorous, etc.) at an energy of about 10 KeV to about 400 KeV at an implant dosage of about 3×10 11 ions/cm 2 to about 1×10 15 ions/cm 2 , preferably 1×10 12 ions/cm 2 to about 1×10 14 ions/cm 2 . This implant 202 forms an n-type region 42 , which is the buried layer, or the charge-collection region, of the photodiode 40 .
[0051] Referring to FIG. 13 , a dopant implant 203 of a first conductivity type (i.e., p-type) is performed to form a p-type region 43 over the n-type region 42 . The p-type region 43 serves as the accumulation layer of the photodiode 40 , pinning the potential of the photodiode 40 to a constant value when it is fully depleted. The photoresist 41 may then be removed.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 14 , other conventional steps of masking and doping are performed to obtain a floating diffusion region 50 between the transfer gate 32 and the reset transistor 34 and a source/drain region 55 adjacent to the reset transistor 34 .
[0053] Referring to FIG. 15 , a layer of silicon dioxide 45 is grown on the surface of the substrate 15 and etched back such that it remains only over the STI region 30 and photodiode 40 . As with silicon dioxide layer 22 , layer 45 may be optionally removed. By forming a silicon dioxide layer over a silicon substrate and subsequently removing it, the silicon dioxide heals defects in the surface of the substrate, providing a more uniform surface. Therefore, while the embodiment having the silicon dioxide layer 45 removed would not provide the same dielectric properties as an embodiment keeping the layer 45 , it would still have the benefits of providing a substrate surface which is essentially free of defects. For the purposes of illustration, the embodiment without removing silicon dioxide layer 45 shall be discussed herein.
[0054] Referring to FIG. 16 , a thin aluminum oxide film 46 is selectively deposited over silicon dioxide layer 45 on the surface of the substrate 15 , over the STI region 30 and photodiode 40 , by methods such as chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, plasma vapor deposition, or other suitable techniques. The aluminum oxide film 46 may be deposited to a thickness within the range of about 30 Å to about 500 Å, preferably about 50 Å. A photo step may remove any excess aluminum oxide film from surfaces other than the tops of the STI region 30 and the photodiode 40 . Although the aluminum oxide film 46 is described as being deposited after the formation of the photodiode 40 , it may also be deposited before or after the formation of the photodiode 40 , depending on desired sequence of processing.
[0055] The high-k dielectric films (e.g., aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon-rich aluminum oxides) create a very shallow accumulation layer over the photodiode 40 and near the sidewalls of the STI region 30 . Aluminum oxide induces an excess negative charge in the sidewalls of the STI region 30 and above the photodiode 40 . Negative charge in these regions results in hole accumulation in the p-type regions of the substrate. This electrically disconnects the photodiode 40 from the bulk substrate 15 , preventing depletion of the substrate 15 and excessive leakage.
[0056] A spacer insulating layer 33 ( FIG. 17 ) is deposited over the pixel cell 10 and other conventional processing steps, such as conductive line formation to pixel cell 10 , may follow.
[0057] Although the above embodiments have been described with reference to the formation of n-channel devices, it must be understood that the invention is not limited to this embodiment. Accordingly, the invention has equal applicability to p-channel devices formed within an n-type substrate 15 . In such an embodiment the conductivity types of all structures changes accordingly. For example, in FIG. 17 , aluminum oxide layers 26 , 46 are replaced with layers 26 , 46 , having excess positive charge (e.g., silicon nitride), to induce electron-rich accumulation regions in the n-type region 43 and the n-type substrate 15 surrounding the p-type region 42 of the photodiode 40 .
[0058] FIG. 18 shows a system 300 , a typical processor-based system modified to include an imager device 100 , as in FIG. 1 , employing pixels of the present invention. Examples of processor-based systems, which may employ the imager device 100 , include, without limitation, computer systems, camera systems, scanners, machine vision systems, vehicle navigation systems, video telephones, surveillance systems, auto focus systems, star tracker systems, motion detection systems, image stabilization systems, and others.
[0059] System 300 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 302 that communicates with various devices over a bus 304 . Some of the devices connected to the bus 304 provide communication into and out of the system 300 , illustratively including an input/output (I/O) device 306 and imager device 100 . Other devices connected to the bus 304 provide memory, illustratively including a random access memory system (RAM) 310 , hard drive 312 , and one or more peripheral memory devices such as a floppy disk drive 314 and compact disk (CD) drive 316 . The imager device 100 may be combined with a processor, such as a CPU, digital signal processor, or microprocessor, in a single integrated circuit. The imager device 100 may be a CCD imager or CMOS imager constructed in accordance with any of the illustrated embodiments.
[0060] The above description and drawings are only to be considered illustrative of exemplary embodiments which achieve the features and advantages of the invention. Modification of, and substitutions to, specific process and conditions and structures can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be considered as being limited by the foregoing description and drawings, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
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An imager device that has an isolation structure such that pinned photodiode characteristics are maintained without increasing doping levels. The invention provides an isolation structure to maintain pinned photodiode characteristics without increasing doping levels around the photodiode. By creating a substrate region surrounding the charge-collection region of the photodiode, the photodiode may be electrically isolated from the bulk substrate. This region fixes the depletion region so that it does not migrate toward the surface of the substrate or the STI region. By doing so, the region prevents charge from being depleted from the substrate and the accumulation region, reducing dark current.
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REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims the priority of European patent application No. 00 128 475.1, filed on Dec. 23, 2000, the disclosure whereof is here included by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention concerns novel undercoats for improvement of the adhesion of substrates, in particular of porous bases, such as for example concrete, with one- or two-component adhesive systems.
STATE OF THE TECHNOLOGY
Undercoats, also described as primers, activators or bonding agents, are used everywhere where the adhesive used achieves only a limited or no adhesion to the substrate or base. In this, the components of the adhesive system, namely the pretreatment, i.e. the undercoat, and the adhesive are matched to one another and to the substrate. Such undercoats can be physically setting or chemically crosslinkable. Pretreatment systems for different substrates are known, however there are no undercoats for porous bases on the market which are single-component, free from isocyanates, free from aromatic solvents and applicable with simple aids, e.g. brushes, and in combination with moisture-reactive adhesives or sealants, especially with isocyanate-free sealants based on silane-group terminated prepolymers, known as polyurethane hybrid or MS-Kaneka systems, display good, ageing-resistant adhesion.
In EP 0 921 140 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,817, undercoats with isocyanate group-containing binders are described, these undercoats being used for the application of paint in automobile manufacture.
Already known from DE 100 26 148 are undercoats which contain an epoxy resin, a latent hardener, a solvent, and vinyltrimethylsiloxane.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide new undercoats for improving the adhesion of substrates, in particular of porous substrates, such as for example concrete, which are preferably isocyanate-free.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Surprisingly, it has now been found that an undercoat containing or consisting of at least one epoxy resin, at least one latent hardener, at least one bonding agent additive, which contains at least 2 functional groups, where at least one thereof is an epoxy group which can react with the latent hardener, and at least one thereof is a silane group or titanate group, and at least one solvent displays the desired good affinity to porous bases, such as for example concrete (DIN standardized or sandblasted), absorbent clinker, ceramics, garden paving stones, facing brick and various wood species (beech, pine, teak, etc.), and also to non-porous bases such as glazed clinker, and thus renders good adhesion of the coating material possible. Preferred coating materials are in particular single-component silane-based sealants. Moreover, the undercoats according to the invention are very simple to produce.
Means of Implementing the Invention
Substances preferably used in the undercoats according to the invention comprising at least one epoxy resin, at least one latent hardener, at least one bonding agent additive and at least one solvent are described in more detail below.
Possible epoxy resins are aliphatic and aromatic epoxy group-bearing compounds, especially those which are solid at room temperature. Preferred epoxy resins are: solid, bisphenol A-based resins of medium molecular weight.
Latent hardeners can be selected from the substance groups ketimines, aldimines or oxazolidines, cyclic, aliphatic ketimines being preferred. Preferred latent hardeners are: blocked, cycloaliphatic diamines and/or urethane bisoxazolidines.
For ecological reasons, possible solvents are preferably aliphatic solvents, such as for example ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, and other acetate-based solvents, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, hexane, heptane, ethyl alcohol, cyclohexane, etc. Particularly for application on porous bases, the solvent content in the undercoat according to the invention lies in the range from 20 to 80 wt. %, preferably in the range from 50 to 60 wt. %, and the viscosity should lie between 20 and 200 mPas, particularly between 40 and 80 mPas. With too low a viscosity, the covering of a porous base, such as for example concrete, is insufficient, which results in reduced adhesion quality. With too high a viscosity, the pores of porous bases are inadequately filled, which owing to reduced mechanical anchoring of the undercoat to the base leads to a loss in adhesion. In addition, the workability of the primer is impaired. The optimal layer thickness in the dry state lies between 10 μm and 200 μm, particularly between 40 μm and 90 μm. By addition of small proportions of thixotropizing fillers, a thickness of about 65 μm is attained with one brushstroke, without thixotropization a layer thickness is of usually ca. 48 μm.
Depending on the application and the requirements profile, additives such as drying agents, catalysts, pigments, fungicides, stabilizers, fillers, such as for example uncoated or coated silicon dioxide, etc., can be added.
Bonding agents according to the invention contain titanates or silane groups, and the bonding agent contains at least one epoxy group as second functional group. By means of this second functional group, the bonding agent is incorporated into the matrix during or after the hardening reaction under the influence of the amine compound of the latent hardener, which is liberated by moisture. Preferably the bonding agent additive is hydrophobic.
The bonding agent serves firstly to improve the quality of adhesion to the base by means of chemical and physical properties, and secondly to provide attachment groups to the coating material, which are preferably single-component and isocyanate-free sealants.
The undercoat according to the invention can be used for the production of a coating in such a way that it is applied in a suitable layer thickness and, if necessary after a hardening period of preferably 30 to 120 minutes, is overlaid with a single-component isocyanate-free silane-based adhesive.
Below, some examples will be demonstrated, which further illustrate the invention, but are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention. The undercoats according to the invention are simple to produce, stable on storage, and have good adhesion properties even after stressing, in particular after 1 week's storage in a saturated calcium hydroxide solution, and comply with the standards DIN 18540F and ISO 11600 25LM.
1) Production of the Coatings According to the Invention Ex. 1 and Ex. 2
Ex. 1
Ex. 2
Amount
Amount
Item
Chemical name
Function
Supplier
[wt. %]
[wt. %]
1
ethyl acetate
solvent
Impag AG
39.7
39.2
Zürich
2
solid bisphenol A-
film-forming
38.7
38.2
based epoxy resin,
agent
medium molecular
weight, EP No.:
1.9-2.0 Eq/kg
3
Aerosil 200
thixotro-
Degussa-
0.0
1.2
pizing
Hüls,
agent
Zürich
4
orthoformate
drying agent
2.0
2.0
5
epoxysilane
bonding
Degussa-
10.3
10.2
(Silquest A-187)
agent
Hüls,
Zürich
6
1,3,3-trimethyl-N-
latent
9.3
9.2
(2-methyl
hardener
propylidene)-5-
[(2-methyl-
propylidene)-
amino]cyclohexane-
methylamine
Total
100.0
100.0
All step were carried out under nitrogen. The epoxy resin (item 2) was divided into three portions of equal size. Each individual portion was completely dissolved before the next portion was added. Items 4, 5 and 6 were each added one after the other with constant stirring. The thixotropizing agent Aerosil 200 was dispersed into the epoxy resin solution by intensive stirring.
2) Test Results with the Undercoat According to the Invention in Combination with PUR Hybrid Adhesive, Sikaflex-20AT
Substrate
Reference
Example 1
Example 2
Concrete, sand-
2/5
1/2
1/1
blasted
Garden paving
1/5
1/1
1/1
slab
Concrete, DIN
1/5
1/1
1/1
standardized
Tiles
1/4
1/2
1/1
Clinker, porous
1/3
1/1
1/1
Clinker, glazed
1/5
1/1
1/1
Ceramic, porous
1/4
1/2
1/1
Beech
1/4
1/2
1/2
Key:
1 = >95% cohesive failure, OK
2 = 75% -95% cohesive failure, OK
3 = 25% -75% cohesive failure, not OK
4 = <25% cohesive failure, not OK
5 = 0% cohesive failure, not OK
The first number gives the assessment of the adhesion after 2 weeks storage in an air-conditioned room (23° C., 50% rel. atmospheric humidity).
The second number gives the adhesion after 2 weeks air-conditioned storage and 1 week storage in water at room temperature.
Examples 1 and 2 show that the undercoat according to the invention after the storage in water ensures very good adhesion compared to the reference.
While preferred embodiments of the invention are described here at present, it must clearly be understood that the invention is not limited to these, but in the context of the following claims can be implemented in many other ways.
|
Novel undercoats for use on porous bases such as, for example, concrete are disclosed. Said undercoats contain or comprise at least one epoxy resin, at least one latent hardener and at least one solvent. The above are characterize in being easy to produce, contain no isocyanate groups and form a good ageing-resistant adhesion, in particular, with single component isocyanate-free sealants, cross-linked by means of silane groups.
| 2
|
This is a division of application Ser. No. 08/905,333, filed Aug. 4, 1997 which is allowed U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,050 which is a cont. of Ser. No. 08/487,624 filed Jun. 7, 1995 abandoned, which is a cont. of Ser. No. 08/086,850, filed Jul. 7, 1993 abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to Published European Patent Application 108 565 relates to compounds of the General Formula:
and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, in which R 1 is an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 8-30 carbon atoms and the radicals R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are identical or different and are hydrogen or lower alkyl radicals, or in which the group NR 2 R 3 R 4 is a cyclic ammonium group, and n has the value 0 or 1. Antitumor and antifungal activity are indicated for these compounds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to alkyl or alkene phosphates in which the choline radical is part of a heterocyclic ring, to a process for the preparation of the class of compounds, to pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds as active ingredients and to processes for the preparation of said drugs.
More specifically, the present invention provides compounds of the General Formula I:
in which
R is a linear or branched alkyl radical having 10 to 24 carbon atoms, which can also contain one to three double or triple bonds, R 1 and R 2 independently of one another are hydrogen or in each case a linear, branched or cyclic saturated or unsaturated alkyl radical having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which can also contain a Cl, OH or NH 2 group, it also being possible for two of these radicals to be bonded together to form a ring,
A is a single bond or one of the groups of the formulae
—CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —O— (II),
—CH 2 —CH 2 —O— (III),
the groups (II) to (VI) being orientated in such a way that the oxygen atom is bonded to the phosphorus atom of compound (I), X is an oxygen or sulphur atom or NH when A is a single bond, or an oxygen or sulphur atom when A is one of the groups (II) to (VI),
y is equal to 0 or a natural number between 1 and 3, and
m and n independently of one another are 0 or natural numbers, with the proviso that m+n=2 to 8.
The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising, as the active ingredient, at least one compound according to General Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier therefor. The pharmaceutical composition may also include pharmaceutically acceptable excipients, adjuncts, fillers and diluents. The amount of active ingredient in the pharmaceutical dosage unit the pharmaceutical composition is preferably between 50 mg and 250 mg. Preferred compounds for the pharmaceutical composition are selected from the group consisting of octadecyl 1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-4-yl phosphate, octadecyl 1,1-dimethylperhydroazepinio-4-yl phosphate, octaecyl 1,1-dimethylperhydroazepinio-4-yl phosphate, erucyl 1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-4-yl phosphate and erucyl 1,1-dimethylperhydroazepinio-4-yl phosphate.
The present invention also provides methods of treating a tumor, autoimmune disease or skin disease or skin disease, and of combating protozoal and fungal diseases, which comprises administering to a host in need o such treatment an effective amount of a compound of General Formula (I). Such methods are particularly useful for treating leishmaniasis, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis.
In addition, the invention provides a method of treating bone marrow damage due to treatment with cytostatic agents and other myeloxtoxic active ingredients which comprises administering, to a host having bone marrow damage due to treatment with cytostatic agents or other myelotoxic active ingredients, an effective amount of a compound of General Formula (I).
The invention also provides a method of treating a viral disease which comprises administering to a host having such a disease an effective amount of a compound of General Formula (I). This method should be particularly useful in treating AIDS.
Surprisingly, the compounds according to the invention have better antitumor activity than the open-chain derivatives described in EP-A 108 565. The invention further relates to processes for the preparation and processes for the purification of the novel compounds.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a procedure for the preparation of compounds of general formula I—further referred to as process A—in which a compound of the general formula VII.
R—X—A—H (VII)
in which R, X and A are as defined above, is reacted with phosphorus oxytrichloride in the presence of a suitable auxiliary base, with or without a solvent, and then reacted with a compound of the general formula:
in which R 1 , R 2 , y, m and n are as defined above and Y − is halide, mesylate or tosylate, to give compounds of the general formula I, or optionally compounds of the General Formula IX:
in which R 1 , y, m and n as defined above can be used instead of compounds of the general formula VIII during the process mentioned above. Process B consists in the subsequent alkylation of compounds of general formula I obtained by process A, in which R 1 and/or R 2 are hydrogen, using alkylating agents R 2 —Y in which R 2 is as defined above and Y is chlorine, bromine, iodine, tosyl or mesyl, in a manner known per se.
The present invention also provides a process for the purification of the compounds of General Formula I in which a solution of the compounds of General Formula I, which have been prepared by means of known processes or by a process as described above, in an organic solvent is treated with a mixed bed ion exchanger or successively or simultaneously with an acid or basic ion exchanger.
The first step of process A consists in reacting phosphorus oxytrichloride with a compound of Formula VII in halogenated hydrocarbons, saturated cyclic ethers, acyclic ethers, saturated hydrocarbons having 5 to 10 carbon atoms or liquid aromatic hydrocarbons which can also be substituted by halogen (especially chlorine), or in mixtures of the above-mentioned solvents, or without a solvent, optionally in the presence of a basic substance conventionally used for this purpose.
Examples of possible halogenated hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, one or more or all of the hydrogen atoms being replaced with chlorine atoms. Methylene chloride, chloroform, ethylene chloride, chlorobenzene and dichlorobenzene, for example, can be used. In the case of halogen-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons, these are preferably substituted by one or two halogen atoms.
Examples of saturated cyclic ethers which can be used are ethers with a ring size of 5-6 which consist of carbon atoms and one or 2 oxygen atoms, examples of such ethers being tetrahydrofuran and dioxane.
The acyclic ethers consist of 2 to 8 carbon atoms and are liquid, possible examples being diethyl ether, diisobutyl ether, methyl tert-butyl ether and diisopropyl ether.
Possible saturated hydrocarbons are unbranched and branched hydrocarbons which consist of 5 to 10 carbon atoms and are liquid, possible examples being pentane, hexane, heptane and cyclohexane.
Examples of possible aromatic hydrocarbons are benzene and alkyl-substituted benzenes, the alkyl substituents consisting of 1 to 5 carbon atoms.
Possible basic substances both for the reaction of the phosphorus oxychloride with the long-chain alcohol and for the subsequent conversion to the phosphoric acid diester are amines, for example aliphatic amines of the formula NR 1 R 2 R 3 , R 1 , R 2 and R 3 being identical or different and being hydrogen or C 1 -C 6 -alkyl, or else aromatic amines such as pyridine, picoline and quinoline. The basic substance required for the conversion to the phosphoric acid diester can be added simultaneously with or before the amino alcohol or ammonium alcohol salt.
A solvent is necessary in every case for the second reaction, i.e., if the first reaction step is carried out without a particular solvent, one must now be added. The molar ratio of phosphorus oxychloride to the long-chain alcohol is for example between 1.5:1 and 0.8:1.
The amino alcohol or the ammonium alcohol salt is for example used in excess, based on the long-chain alcohol (about 1.1-1.5 molar excess).
If the reaction of the phosphorus oxychloride with the long-chain alcohol is carried out in the presence of a basic substance, the amount of the basic substance is for example 1 to 3 mol, based on 1 mol of POCl 3 . The amount of basic substance used for the subsequent conversion to the phosphoric acid diester is for example 1 to 5 mol, based on 1 mol.
The temperature of the reaction of phosphorus oxychloride with the long-chain alcohol is between −30° C. and +30° C., preferably between −15° C. and +5° C. and especially between −10° C. and −5° C.
The duration of this reaction is for example 0.5-5 hours, preferably 1-3 hours and especially 1.5-2 hours. If it is carried out in the presence of a basic substance, the reaction generally proceeds rapidly (about 30 minutes).
The amino alcohol or the ammonium alcohol salt is then added in portions or all at once. Possible ammonium alcohol salts are those with mineral acids (for example sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid) and also those with organic acids, for example acetic acid, paratoluene-sulphonic acid and the like. This reaction step takes place in an inert solvent. Possible solvents for this step are the same ones as those used for the reaction of the phosphorus oxychloride with the long-chain alcohol, in the case where this reaction is carried out in a solvent..
The basic substance is then added dropwise, either dissolved in one of the indicated solvents or without a solvent. The following are preferably used as solvents for the basic substance: halogenated hydrocarbons, saturated cyclic ethers, acyclic ethers, saturated hydrocarbons having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, liquid aromatic hydrocarbons or mixtures of the above-mentioned solvents.
These are the same solvents as those which can be used for the reaction of the phosphorus oxychloride with the long-chain alcohol.
The addition of the basic substance raises the temperature. Care is taken to ensure that the temperature is kept in a range of between 0° C. and 40° C., preferably between 10° C. and 30° C. and especially between 15° C. and 20° C.
The reaction mixture is then stirred at 5° C. to 30° C., preferably 15° C. to 25° C. (for example for 1 hour to 40 hours, preferably 3 hours to 15 hours).
The reaction mixture is hydrolyzed by the addition of water, during which the temperature should be kept at between 10° C. and 30° C., preferably between 15° C. and 30° C. and especially between 15° C. and 20° C.
The above-mentioned hydrolyzing liquids can also contain basic substances, such basic substances possibly being alkali metal and alkaline earth metal carbonates and bicarbonates.
To complete the hydrolysis, stirring is then continued for a further 0.5 hour to 4 hours, preferably 1 to 3 hours and especially 1.5 to 2.5 hours, at 10° C. to 30° C., preferably at 15° C. to 25° C. and especially at 18° C. to 22° C.
The reaction solution is then washed with a mixture of water and alcohols (preferably saturated aliphatic alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms) which can optionally also contain a basic substance. The mixing ratio water:alcohol can be for example between 5 and 0.5, preferably 1-3 (v/v).
Examples of possible basic substances for the washing liquid are alkali metal and alkaline earth metal carbonates and bicarbonates, as well as ammonia (for example aqueous ammonia). A 3% solution of sodium carbonate in water is particularly preferred.
The reaction solution can then optionally be washed with an acid solution. The acid washing is advantageous for removing basic components of the reaction solution which have not yet reacted, especially when methylene chloride is used as the solvent.
The washing solution consists of a mixture of water and alcohols. Mixtures of saturated aliphatic alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms are preferred, it optionally being possible for an acid substance to be present as well. The mixing ratio water:alcohol can be for example between 5 and 0.5, preferably 1-3 (v/v).
Examples of possible acid substances for the washing liquid are mineral acids and organic acids, for example hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, tartaric acid or citric acid. A 10% solution of hydrochloric acid in water is particularly preferred.
This is followed by a further washing with a mixture of water and alcohols. Mixtures of saturated aliphatic alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms are preferred, it optionally being possible for a basic substance to be present as well. The mixing ratio water:alcohol can be for example between 5 and 0.5, preferably 1-3.
The washed phases are then combined and dried in conventional manner, after which the solvent is removed (preferably under reduced pressure, for example at 5 to 100 mbar), optionally after the addition of 150-1000 ml, preferably 300-700 ml and especially 450-550 ml of an aliphatic alcohol (based on 1 molar part by weight of dry product). Preferred alcohols are saturated aliphatic alcohols with a chain length of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, particularly preferred alcohols being n-butanol and isopropanol. The purpose of this alcohol treatment is the complete removal of residual water and the avoidance of foaming.
Further purification of the product can be effected for example by dissolving the crude product in hot ethanol, filtering off the residue and treating the filtrate with a mixed bed ion exchanger such as, for example, Amberlite MB3 in ethanolic solution. Any commercially available acid and basic ion exchangers can be used, simultaneously or successively, instead of a mixed bed ion exchanger.
The solution is then recrystallized from ketones such as, for example, acetone or methyl ethyl ketone; digestion with the above solvents is sufficient in some cases. It may be convenient to purify the products by column chromatography or flash chromatography on silica gel using mixtures of chloroform, methylene chloride, methanol and 25% ammonia solution, for example, as the eluent.
Process variant B consists in the subsequent alkylation of products which are obtainable by process A using amino alcohols. Examples of alkylating agents which can be used are methyl p-toluenesulphonate or dimethyl sulphate. Possible solvents are those which have been mentioned above.
Alkali metal carbonates are examples of basic substances used. The reaction is carried out at elevated temperature, for example at the boiling point of the solvents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates Example 1 in the DMBA induced tumor-model, 4* per os, treatment day 0, 3, 7, 10.
FIG. 2 illustrates Example 1 in the DMBA induced tumor-model, 14* per os, treatment day 0-13.
FIG. 3 illustrates Example 1 in the DMBA induced tumor-model, ‘large tumors’, treatment day 0-27.
FIG. 4 illustrates Example 8 in the DMBA induced tumor-model, 4* per os, treatment day 0, 3, 7, 10.
FIG. 5 illustrates Example 13 in the DNBA induced tumor-model, 14* per os, treatment day 0-13.
FIG. 6 illustrates Example 13 in the DMBA induced tumor-model, ‘large tumors’, treatment day 0.
FIG. 7 illustrates Example 20 in the DMBA induced tumor-model, 4* per os, treatment day 0, 3, 7, 10.
FIG. 8 illustrates Example 21 in the DMBA induced tumor-model, 4* per os, treatment day 0, 3, 7, 10.
FIG. 9 illustrates Example 22 in the DMBA induced tumor-model, 4* per os, treatment day 0, 3, 7, 10.
FIG. 10 illustrates Example 1 in the KB tumor-model, 1* per os, treatment day 0.
FIG. 11 illustrates Example 8 in the KB tumor-model, 2* per os, treatment day 0, 7.
FIG. 12 illustrates Example 10 in the KB tumor-model, 2* per os, treatment day 0, 7.
FIG. 13 illustrates Example 17 in the KB tumor-model, 2* per os, treatment day 0, 7.
FIG. 14 illustrates Example 21 in the KB tumor-model, 2* per os, treatment day 0, 7.
FIG. 15 illustrates Example 22 in the KB tumor-model, 2* per os, treatment day 0, 7.
FIG. 16 illustrates Example 24 in the KB tumor-model, 2* per os, treatment day 0, 7.
FIG. 17 illustrates Example 25 in the KB tumor-model, 2* per os, treatment day 0, 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following examples illustrate the invention.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Name (IUPAC Nomenclature)
4-(((Octadecyloxy)hydroxyphosphenyl)oxy)-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium hydroxide internal salt
Abbreviated Name
Octadecyl 1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-4-yl phosphate
C 25 H 52 NO 4 P (461.66).1/2H 2 O
Preparation Variant A
10.3 ml (0.11 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride are placed in 100 ml of chloroform and cooled to 5-10° C. A solution of 27.0 g (0.10 mol) of 1-octadecanol in 100 ml of chloroform and 35 ml of pyridine is added dropwise over 30 min, with stirring. After subsequent stirring for 30 min at 5-10° C., 39.1 g (0.13 mol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium tosylate are added in a single portion. After the addition of 40 ml of pyridine and 30 ml of DMF, the mixture is stirred for 24 hours at room temperature. It is then hydrolyzed with 15 ml of water and subsequently stirred for 30 min and the organic phase is washed with 200 ml each of water/methanol (1:1), 3% Na 2 CO 3 /methanol (1:1) and finally water/methanol (1:1). The organic phase is concentrated, the residue is dissolved in 300 ml of hot ethanol and the solution is filtered after cooling. The filtrate is stirred with 80 g of Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger, the mixture is filtered and the filtrate is concentrated. The residue is recrystallized from 300 ml of methyl ethyl ketone, filtered off with suction and dried under vacuum over P 2 O 5 .
Yield: 4.71 g (10%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
65.26%
11.63%
2.62%
found:
64.38%
11.61%
2.73%
65.04%
11.80%
2.78%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.17
(1-butanol/glacial acetic acid/water 40:10:10)
Rf=0.12
Melting point: 270-271° C. (decomposition)
Preparation Variant B
20.1 ml (0.22 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride are placed in 100 ml of methylene chloride and cooled to 5-10° C. and a solution of 54.1 g (0.20 mol) of octadecanol in 400 ml of methylene chloride and 70.5 ml of pyridine is added over 30 min, with stirring. After subsequent stirring for one hour, 29.9 g (0.26 mol) of 4-hydroxy-1-methylpiperidine in 80 ml of pyridine are added dropwise. After stirring for 3 hours at 10° C., the mixture is hydrolyzed with 30 ml of water while being cooled with ice and is subsequently stirred for one hour. The organic phase is washed with 200 ml each of water/methanol (1:1), 3 percent hydrochloric acid/methanol (1:1) and water/methanol (1:1). The organic phase is dried over Na 2 SO 4 and concentrated until turbidity appears, and 1 liter of methyl ethyl ketone is added. The crystals are recrystallized from 1 liter of methyl ethyl ketone, filtered off with suction and dried under vacuum over P 2 O 5 .
Yield:
54.1 g (60%) of octadecyl 1-methylpiperidinio-4-yl phosphate
98.1 g (0.22 mol) of octadecyl 1-methylpiperidinio-4-yl phosphate are suspended in 500 ml of absolute ethanol and heated to boiling. Under reflux, a total of 71.8 g (0.39 mol) of methyl p-toluenesulphonate and 26.5 g (0.19 mol) of potassium carbonate are added alternately in eight portions over 2 hours. When the addition is complete, the mixture is refluxed for a further hour. After cooling, it is filtered, the filtrate is concentrated to half and 150 g of moist Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger are added to the solution. After stirring for two hours, the mixture is filtered with suction over kieselguhr/activated charcoal and the filtrate is concentrated and crystallized with acetone. The crystal cake is recrystallized from methyl ethyl ketone and dried under vacuum over P 2 O 5 .
Yield: 46.1 g (46%) of octadecyl 1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-4-yl phosphate
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
65.26%
11.63%
2.62%
found:
65.18%
11.62%
2.68%
65.07%
11.71%
2.70%
Melting point: 271-272° C. (decomposition)
Example 2
Hexadecyl piperidinio-4-yl phosphate
C 21 H 44 NO 4 P (405.558),
7.1 ml (77 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride are dissolved in 50 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran and, after cooling to 5-10° C., a solution of 17 g (70 mmol) of hexadecanol and 48 ml of triethylamine in 150 ml of tetrahydrofuran is added dropwise, with stirring. When the addition is complete, the mixture is subsequently stirred for 30 min in an ice bath and then left to warm up to room temperature. 10.1 g (100 mmol) of 4-piperidinol are dissolved in 100 ml of tetrahydrofuran and mixed with 17 ml of triethylamine and the mixture is added dropwise to the reaction solution, with stirring, so that the temperature does not exceed 40° C. When the addition is complete, the mixture is refluxed for one hour. While still hot, the solution is separated from the triethylammonium chloride by filtration and, after cooling, is poured into an ice/2 M hydrochloric acid mixture, with stirring. The product obtained on cooling in a refrigerator is taken up in methylene chloride, dried over MgSO 4 , concentrated and chromatographed on silica gel with methylene chloride/methanol/25% ammonia (70:30:5). The product fractions are combined and concentrated. After recrystallization from methanol, the product is dried under vacuum over P 2 O 5 .
Yield: 10.0 g (35%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
62.19%
10.94%
3.45%
found:
65.15%
11.14%
3.54%
62.41%
11.19%
3.34%
Thin-layer chromatogram
(chloroform/methanol/25% ammonia 70:20:10)
Rf=0.42
(1-butanol/glacial acetic acid/water 40:10:10)
Rf=0.33
Example 3
Hexadecyl 1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-4-yl phosphate
C 25 H 52 NO 4 P (461.64).H 2 O
5.7 g (14 mmol) of hexadecyl piperidinio-4-yl phosphate are dissolved in 100 ml of methanol and mixed with 11.6 g (84 mmol) of potassium carbonate. 4.0 ml (42 mmol) of dimethyl sulphate are added dropwise over 30 min, with thorough stirring. The mixture is subsequently stirred for 4 hours at 40° C., cooled, filtered and concentrated. The residue is digested with acetone and, after filtration with suction, is dissolved in 100 ml of 96% ethanol. 15 g of Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger are added and the mixture is stirred for 3 hours. After filtration, the filtrate is concentrated and recrystallized twice from methyl ethyl ketone. The crystals are dried under vacuum over P 2 O 5 .
Yield: 3.70 g (61%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
61.17%
11.16%
3.10%
found:
60.83%
11.14%
2.99%
60.92%
11.26%
3.00%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/25% ammonia 70:20:10)
Rf=0.28
(1-butanol/glacial acetic acid/water 40:10:10)
Rf=0.13
Melting point: 230° C. (decomposition)
Example 4
Erucyl 1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-4-yl phosphate
C 29 H 58 NO 4 P (515.765).H 2 O
10.3 ml (0.11 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride are placed in 50 ml of chloroform, and a solution of 32.5 g (0.10 mol) of erucyl alcohol cis-13-docosenyl alcohol and 32 ml of pyridine in 100 ml of chloroform is added dropwise at 5-10° C. After subsequent stirring for half an hour, 39.1 g (0.13 mol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium tosylate are added in a single portion. After the dropwise addition of 40 ml of pyridine, the mixture is left to warm up to room temperature and stirred for 3 hours. It is then hydrolyzed with 15 ml of water, subsequently stirred for half an hour and washed with 100 ml each of water/methanol (1:1), 3% sodium carbonate solution/methanol (1:1), 3% citric acid/methanol (1:1) and water/methanol (1:1). The residue obtained after concentration of the organic phase is digested with acetone and then dissolved in 150 ml of 96% ethanol. This solution is stirred for 3 hours with 20 g of Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger and filtered over kieselguhr to give a clear solution. This is concentrated and chromatographed on silica gel with chloroform/methanol/25% ammonia 70:40:10. The product fractions are combined and concentrated to dryness under vacuum.
Yield: 4.4 g (9%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
65.26%
11.63%
2.62%
found:
64.38%
11.61%
2.73%
65.04%
11.80%
2.78%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:20:10)
Rf=0.30
Example 5
Hexadecyl 1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-3-yl phosphate
C 23 H 48 NO 4 P (433.616).H 2 O
10.3 ml (0.11 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride are placed in 50 ml of chloroform and cooled to 0-10° C. 24.2 g (0.10 mol) of n-hexadecanol are dissolved in 100 ml of chloroform, 32 ml of pyridine are added and the mixture is added dropwise to the phosphorus oxychloride solution over one hour, with ice cooling. After subsequent stirring for half an hour, 39.2 g (0.13 mol) of 3-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium tosylate are added in a single portion and 40 ml of pyridine are added dropwise over 15 min at room temperature. After stirring for 16 hours at room temperature, the mixture is hydrolyzed with 15 ml of water, stirred for half an hour and washed with 100 ml each of water/methanol (1:1), 3% sodium carbonate solution/methanol (1:1), 3% citric acid/methanol (1:1) and water/methanol (1:1).
The organic phase is dried over sodium sulphate and concentrated. The residue is dissolved in 150 ml of 96% ethanol, the solution is filtered and the filtrate is stirred with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger. After the ion exchanger has been filtered off, the filtrate is concentrated and the residue is crystallized with acetone, filtered off with suction and dried under vacuum over P205.
Yield: 13.5 g (31%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
61.17%
11.16%
3.10%
found:
60.78%
11.41%
2.87%
60.85%
11.31%
2.86%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.37
Example 6
Octadecyl 1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-3-yl phosphate
C 25 H 52 NO 4 P (461.670).1/2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analgous to Example 5 from 10.3 ml (0.11 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 27.0 g (0.10 mol) of octadecanol, 32+40 ml of pyridine and 39.2 g (0.13 mol) of 3-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium tosylate.
Yield: 18.7 g (40%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
63.80%
11.35%
2.98%
found:
63.38%
11.72%
2.63%
63.61%
11.98%
2.61%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.35
Example 7
Hexadecyl (1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-2-yl)methyl phosphate
C 24 H 50 NO 4 P (447.643).1/2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 10.3 ml (0.11 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 24.2 g (0.10 mol) of hexadecanol, 32+40 ml of pyridine and 41.0 g (0.13 mol) of 2-hydroxymethyl-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium tosylate.
Yield: 22.9 g (51%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
63.13%
11.26%
3.07%
found:
63.69%
11.73%
3.04%
63.75%
11.71%
3.04%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.47
Example 8
Octadecyl (1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-2-yl)methyl phosphate
C 26 H 54 NO 4 P (475.697).1/2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 10.3 ml (0.11 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 27.0 g (0.10 mol) of octadecanol, 32+40 ml of pyridine and 41.0 g (0.13 mol) of 2-hydroxymethyl-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium tosylate.
Yield: 23.9 g (50%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
64.43%
11.44%
2.89%
found:
64.50%
11.61%
2.67%
64.11%
11.49%
2.77%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.47
Example 9
Hexadecyl (1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-3-yl)methyl phosphate
C 24 H 50 NO 4 P (447.643).1H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogously to Example 5 from 10.3 ml (0.11 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 24.2 g (0.10 mol) of hexadecanol, 32+40 ml of pyridine and 41.0 g (0.13 mol) of 3-hydroxymethyl-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium tosylate.
Yield: 17.2 g (39%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
61.91%
11.26%
3.01%
found:
62.32%
12.21%
2.86%
61.79%
11.96%
2.98%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.29
Example 10
Octadecyl (1,1-dimethylpiperidinio-3-yl)methyl phosphate
C 26 H 54 NO 4 P (475.697).H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 10.3 ml (0.11 mol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 27.0 g (0.10 mol) of octadecanol, 32+40 ml of pyridine and 41.0 g (0.13 mol) of 3-hydroxymethyl-1,1-dimethylpiperidinium tosylate.
Yield: 16.7 g (35%)
Example 12
Hexadecyl 1,1-dimethylhexahydroazepinio-4-yl phosphate
C 24 H 48 NO 4 P (445.62)
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 10.8 g (45 mmol) of hexadecanol, 4.6 ml (50 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 10+20 ml of pyridine and 21.3 g (67.5 mmol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylhexahydrotosylate. It is purified by flash chromatography on silica gel with methylene chloride/methanol/25% ammonia 70:30:10.
Yield: 5.0 g (25%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
64.69%
10.86%
3.14%
found:
63.90%
11.54%
3.22%
64.08%
11.59%
3.24%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/25% ammonia 80:25:5)
Rf=0.10
(1-butanol/glacial acetic acid/water 40:10:10)
Rf=0.10
Melting point: >250° C. (decomposition)
Example 13
Octadecyl 1,1-dimethylhexahydroazepinio-4-yl phosphate
C 26 H 54 NO 4 P (475.695).1/2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 12.1 g (45 mmol) of octadecanol, 4.6 ml (50 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 10+20 ml of pyridine and 21.3 g (67.5 mmol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylhexahydroazepinium tosylate. It is purified by flash chromatography on silica gel with methylene chloride/methanol/25% ammonia 70:30:10.
Yield: 5.5 g (26%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
64.43%
11.44%
2.89%
found:
64.54%
11.64%
2.82%
64.66%
11.58%
2.64%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.22
Melting point: >250° C. (decomposition)
Example 14
Cis-Δ 9 -octadecenyl 1,1-dimethylhexahydro azepinio-4-yl phosphate
C 26 H 52 NO 4 P (473.679).H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 12.1 g (45 mmol) of cis-.9-octadecenol, 4.6 ml (50 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 10+20 ml of pyridine and 21.3 g (67.5 mmol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylhexahydroazepinium tosylate. It is purified by flash chromatography on silica gel with methylene chloride/methanol/25% ammonia 70:30:10.
Yield: 4.5 g (21%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
63.51%
11.07%
2.85%
found:
64.05%
11.21%
3.10%
63.80%
11.06%
3.06%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.28
(1-butanol/glacial acetic acid/water 40:10:10)
Rf=0.10
Example 15
Eicosyl 1,1-dimethylhexahydroazepinio-4-yl phosphate
C 28 H 58 NO 4 P (503.754).H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 13.4 g (45 mmol) of eicosanol, 4.6 ml (50 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 10+20 ml of pyridine and 21.3 g (67.5 mmol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylhexahydroazepinium tosylate. It is purified by flash chromatography on silica gel with methylene chloride/methanol/25% ammonia 70:30:10.
Yield: 5.7 g (25%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
64.46%
11.59%
2.68%
found:
63.51%
11.48%
2.95%
64.00%
11.79%
2.91%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.12
Example 16
Erucyl 1,1-dimethylhexahydroazepinio-4-yl phosphate
C 30 H 60 NO 4 P (529.789).H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 16.2 g (50 mmol) of erucyl alcohol, 5.1 ml (55 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 18+30 ml of pyridine and 20.5 g (65 mmol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylhexahydroazepinium tosylate. It is purified by flash chromatography on silica gel with methylene chloride/methanol/25% ammonia 70:30:10.
Yield-4.1 g (15%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
65.78%
11.41%
2.56%
found:
65.76%
12.01%
2.97%
65.82%
11.63%
2.96%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.30
Example 17
Octadecyl 1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinio-3-yl phosphate
C 24 H 50 NO 4 P (447.643).1/2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 3.25 g (12 mmol) of octadecanol, 1.21 ml (13 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 3.7+4.8 ml of pyridine and 4.31 g (15 mmol) of hydroxy-1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinium tosylate. The crude product is purified by dissolution in 96% ethanol and treatment with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger.
Yield: 1.31 g (25%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
63.13%
11.26%
3.07%
found:
62.99%
11.28%
2.80%
62.74%
11.27%
2.89%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.25
Example 18
Hexadecyl 2-(1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinio-2-yl)ethyl phosphate
C 24 H 50 NO 4 P (447.643).H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 9.21 g (38 mmol) of hexadecanol, 3.9 ml (42 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 13+16 ml of pyridine and 15.8 g (50 mmol) of 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinium tosylate. It is purified by dissolution in 96% ethanol and treatment with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger.
Yield: 6.0 g (35%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
61.91%
11.26%
3.01%
found:
61.82%
11.69%
3.21%
61.93%
11.86%
3.28%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.38
Example 19
Octadecyl 2-(1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinio-2-yl)ethyl phosphate
C 26 H 54 NO 4 P (475.697).1/2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 10.3 g (38 mmol) of octadecanol, 3.9 ml (42 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 13+16 ml of pyridine and 15.8 g (50 mmol) of 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinium tosylate. It is purified by dissolution in 96% ethanol and treatment with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger.
Yield: 7.8 g (43%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
64.43%
11.44%
2.89%
found:
64.69%
11.77%
2.64%
64.84%
11.88%
2.69%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.35
Example 20
Hexadecyl (1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinio-2-yl)methyl phosphate
C 23 H 48 NO 4 P (433.616).1/2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 9.21 g (38 mmol) of hexadecanol, 3.9 ml (42 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 13+16 ml of pyridine and 15.1 g (50 mmol) of 2-hydroxymethyl-1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinium tosylate. It is purified by dissolution in 96% ethanol and treatment with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger.
Yield: 8.3 g (51%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
62.41%
11.16%
3.16%
found:
62.09%
11.48%
3.01%
62.25%
11.66%
3.09%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.33
Example 21
Octadecyl (1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinio-2-yl)methyl phosphate
C 25 H 52 NO 4 P (461.67).1/2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 10.3 g (38 mmol) of octadecanol, 3.9 ml (42 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 13+16 ml of pyridine and 15.1 g (50 mmol) of 2-hydroxymethyl-1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinium tosylate. It is purified by dissolution in 96% ethanol and treatment with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger.
Yield: 9.0 g (52%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
63.80%
11.35%
2.98%
found:
63.13%
11.57%
2.84%
63.55%
11.66%
2.82%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.35
Example 22
Hexadecyl 1-methylquinuclidinio-3-yl phosphate
C 24 H 48 NO 4 P (445.64).1.5 H 2 O
2.7 ml (30 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride are dissolved in 25 ml of chloroform and cooled to 5-10° C. and a solution of 6.4 g (26 mmol) of hexadecanol and 10 ml of pyridine in 50 ml of chloroform is added dropwise over one hour. After subsequent stirring for half an hour at room temperature, a solution of 4.5 g (35 mmol) of 3-hydroxyquinuclidine and 5 ml of pyridine in 10 ml of chloroform is added. After stirring for 5 hours at room temperature, the mixture is hydrolyzed with 15 ml of-water and subsequently stirred for half an hour. It is then washed twice with 100 ml of water/methanol (1:1) and the organic phase is dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated to dryness. The residue is chromatographed on silica gel with methylene chloride/methanol 80:25 and then methylene chloride/methanol/25% ammonia 80:25:5. The product fractions are purified, evaporated to dryness and crystallized with acetone. The crystals are dried under vacuum over P 2 O 5 .
Yield: 4.95 g (44%) of hexadecyl quinuclidinio-3-yl phosphate
4.95 g (11.5 mmol) of hexadecyl quinuclidinio-3-yl phosphate are dissolved in 30 ml of methanol, 13.7 g (69 mmol) of potassium carbonate and 8.5 ml of water are added and a solution of 3.3 ml (35 mmol) of dimethyl sulphate in 5 ml of methanol is added dropwise, with thorough stirring. After stirring for 14 hours at room temperature, the inorganic salts are filtered off, the filtrate is concentrated to dryness and the residue is taken up in methylene chloride. After filtration, the filtrate is chromatographed on silica gel with methylene chloride/methanol/25% ammonia 70:30:5. The product fractions are combined, evaporated to dryness and stirred with acetone until crystallization occurs. The crystals are dried under vacuum over P 2 O 5 .
Yield: 2.7 g (49%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
60.99%
10.88%
2.96%
found:
61.38%
11.04%
3.29%
61.46%
11.22%
3.25%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.44
Example 23
Octadecyl 1-methylquinuclidinio-3-yl phosphate
C 26 H 52 NO 4 P (473.68).2H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 18.3 g (67.5 mmol) of octadecanol, 7.0 ml (75 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 18+20 ml of pyridine and 28.3 g (90 mmol) of 3-hydroxy-1-methylquinuclidinium tosylate. It is purified by dissolution in 96% ethanol and treatment with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger.
Yield: 18.4 g (57%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
61.27%
11.07%
2.75%
found:
61.27%
10.91%
2.45%
61.95%
11.23%
2.51%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.37
(1-butanol/glacial acetic acid/water 40:10:10)
Rf=0.13
Example 24
Hexadecyl 1,1-dimethyltropanio-4-yl phosphate
C 25 H 50 NO 4 P (459.654).H 2 O
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 12.1 g (50 mmol) of hexadecanol, 5.1 ml (55 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 17+40 ml of pyridine and 21.3 g (65 mmol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethyltropanium tosylate. It is purified by dissolution in 96% ethanol, treatment with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger and recrystallization from acetone.
Yield: 11.3 g (49%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
62.86%
10.97%
2.93%
found:
62.45%
11.52%
2.82%
62.58%
11.52%
2.75%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.28
Example 25
Octadecyl 1,1-dimethyltropanio-4-yl phosphate
C 27 H 54 NO 4 P (487.708)
This compound is prepared in a manner analogous to Example 5 from 13.5 g (50 mmol) of octadecanol, 5.1 ml (55 mmol) of phosphorus oxychloride, 17+20 ml of pyridine and 21.3 g (65 mmol) of 4-hydroxy-1,1-dimethyltropanium tosylate. It is purified by dissolution in 96% ethanol and treatment with Amberlite MB3 ion exchanger.
Yield: 10.7 g (44%)
Elemental analysis:
C
H
N
calc.:
66.49%
11.16%
2.87%
found:
65.72%
11.48%
2.64%
66.27%
11.78%
2.65%
Thin layer chromatogram:
(chloroform/methanol/1 M sodium acetate in 25% ammonia 70:40:10)
Rf=0.22
EXPERIMENT 1
The inventors induced mammary carcinomas in female Sprague-Dawley rats (Mollegaard Breeding Center, DK-4236 Ejby) aged 50 days by administering a single dose of 20 mg 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) dissolved in 1 ml of olive oil to each rat by gavage. The first tumor appeared approximately one month after feeding the subject rats with DMBA.
Tumor weights were estimated on the basis of tumor volume. This was accomplished by palpating tumors and comparing the volumes of the palpated tumors with the volumes of prefabricated plasticine models in the manner taught by Druckrey, et al., “Experimentelle Beiträge zum Dosis-Problem in der Krebs-Chemotherapie und zur Wirkungsweise von Endoxan, Dtsch. Med. Wschr ., 88:651 (1963). Each of the relevant plasticine models was then weighed and converted to a tumor weight by means of a factor reflecting the relationship between the specific weight of each tumor tissue and its corresponding plasticine model. To ensure the accuracy of this method, the inventors simultaneously estimated the weights of 99 individual tumors by both palpation and direct weighing of extirpated tumors. A statistical evaluation of the resulting data indicated a correlation coefficient of 0.98.
Test rats having a total tumor weight of approximately 1 g were randomly allocated amongst various dosage and control groups, each group having a total of 6-7 rats. In this way, the inventors were able to ensure an approximately equal distribution amongst the experimental groups of tumors having different latencies, total tumor weight and numbers of tumor nodes.
After separating the rats into dosage and control groups, the inventors commenced therapy with the compounds of Examples 1, 8, 13, 20, 21 and 22 of the subject application. Each compound was dissolved in 0.9% NaCl and administered per os (stomach tube) in accordance with the regimen schedules detailed in Graphs 1-9 hereinbelow. The control group was given tap water in accordance with the same schedule.
Following treatment, the test rats were observed for a period of at least 4 days after administration of the last scheduled dose. During the observation period, tumor weights were determined for each of the test rats at regular intervals.
The test rats were all housed under specific pathogen free (SPF) conditions with unrestricted water supply (acidified to pH 3) and standard pellet lab chow (Altromin 1324).
EXPERIMENT 2
The inventors used female, nu/nu mice (strain NMRI) aged 9-10 weeks and weighing 21-29 g (Breeder: Bomholtgard Breeding and Research Center, DK-8680 Ry) for testing. Tumor fragments consisting of the human KB tumors (ATCC; Rockville, Md.; cell line ATCC CCL 17 KB, human epidermoid larynx tumors), and having an average diameter of 2 mm, were implanted subcutaneously into the right side of the test mice.
The test mice were randomly assigned to various treatment and control groups.
Tumor weights were estimated by first palpating the tumors and then comparing the volumes of the palpated tumors with the volumes of prefabricated plasticine models according to Druckrey, et al., “Experimentelle Beiträge zum Dosis-Problem in der Krebs-Chemotherapie und zur Wirkungsweise von Endoxan, Dtsch. Med. Wschr ., 88:651 (1963). After determining the weight of the models, the inventors converted each of these values to a tumor weight by determining the relationship between the specific weight of each tumor tissue and its corresponding plasticine model. To ensure the accuracy of this method, the inventors simultaneously estimated the weights of 99 individual tumors by both palpation and direct weighing of extirpated tumors. A statistical evaluation of the resulting data indicated a correlation coefficient of 0.98.
Once the KB tumor implants attained a weight of approximately 0.2 g, the inventors commenced therapy with the compounds of Examples 1, 8, 17, 21, 22, 24 and 25 of the subject application. Each compound was dissolved in 0.9% NaCl and administered per os (stomach tube) in accordance with the regimen schedules detailed in Graphs 10-17 hereinbelow. The control mice were treated with the vehicle alone.
The mice were observed for a period of at least 21 days following administration of the last scheduled dose. During the observation period, tumor weights were determined for each of the test mice at regular intervals.
The test mice were all housed under specific pathogen free (SPF) conditions with unrestricted water supply (acidified to pH 3) and standard pellet lab chow (Altromin 1324).
Results of Experiments 1 and 2
Results from Experiments 1 and 2 were calculated and expressed in accordance with the growth inhibition index (GII) described in Voegeli, et al., “Selective cytostatic activity of Hexadecylphosphocholine against tumor cells in vitro leads to the establishment of an in vivo screening system for phospholipid analogues,” Int. J. Oncol ., 2:161 (1993). The GII values from Experiments 1 and 2 are detailed in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1
Example
Dose
DMBA
KB
Number
(mg/kg)
(G.I.I. %)
(G.I.I. %)
1
1 × 511
103
4 × 100
119
14 × 31.6
108
28 × 68.1
137
8
4 × 100
125
8
2 × 316
100
10
2 × 316
99
13
1 × 511
145
14 × 46.4
129
17
2 × 100
90
20
4 × 100
99
21
4 × 100
116
2 × 316
106
22
4 × 100
105
2 × 383
102
24
2 × 215
108
25
2 × 316
110
G.I.I. = Growth Inhibition Index (>100 = Tumor regression)
The data presented in Graphs 1-17 and Table 1 hereinabove demonstrates that when the compounds of Examples 8, 10 and 20 are administered in accordance with specified dosage regimens, it is possible to achieve a reduction in tumor volume below that of initial tumor volume (GII=100%). It is further demonstrated by this data that when the compounds of Examples 1, 8, 13, 21, 22, 24 and 25 of the subject application are administered in accordance with specified dosage regimens, tumor regression is possible (GII>100%). Finally, this data shows that the compounds of Examples 1, 21 and 25 are capable of effecting tumor remission, leading to a complete disappearance of tumors.
Treating the DMBA-induced mammary carcinomas in test rats and the KB implanted tumors in test mice with standard cytostatics (e.g., Cyclophosphamide, Cisplatin and Adriamycin) proved relatively ineffective. This result demonstrates that the compounds described herein are superior to presently known cytostatics employed clinically in the treatment of tumors.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Thus, it is to be understood that variations in the compounds and uses thereof can be made without departing from the novel aspects of the invention as defined in the claims.
|
A method of treating protozoal and fungal diseases is described, in which an effective amount of a compound of formula I is administered to a host having a protozoal or fungal disease. Also described are methods of treating bone marrow damage composed of administering, to a host having bone marrow damage due to treatment with cytostatic agents or other myelotoxic active ingredients, an effective amount of a compound of formula I
| 2
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TECHNICAL FIELD
Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to orientation control and stabilization of vehicle sensors.
BACKGROUND
Many modern vehicles employ cameras or other sensors to help detect the presence of objects around the vehicle that are normally difficult for the driver to see. Perhaps the most common example of this is the backup camera that is found in many vehicles to help a driver see the area around the rear bumper to avoid backing the vehicle into an object or a person. Such a camera is particularly useful in large vehicles such as trucks or sport utility vehicles, in which the height of the vehicle from the ground as well as the presence of a tail gate or a swingable door makes it particularly difficult to see behind the vehicle due to the size and geometry of the vehicle. However, when mounted on a tailgate or swingable door, the field of view of the camera or sensor shifts from encompassing the area behind the vehicle as intended, to the ground or road proximate the rear of the vehicle. In this orientation, the sensor provides little if any coverage of the intended area behind the vehicle.
SUMMARY
In one aspect of the embodiments described herein, an apparatus structured for installation in a component of a vehicle is provided. The component is rotatable to any of a plurality of angular orientations relative to a remainder of the vehicle. The apparatus includes a sensing element and mounting means structured for coupling to the component so as to move with the component. The mounting means is also structured for operative coupling to the sensing element so as to enable free rotation of the sensing element with respect to the mounting means. Retention means is provided and is structured for coupling to the component. The retention means is operable to prevent rotation of the sensing element with respect to the mounting means.
In another aspect of the embodiments of the described herein, a vehicle is provided including a door rotatable between a first orientation and a second orientation relative to a remainder of the vehicle. A sensing element is rotatably coupled to the door so as to rotate freely with respect to the door, and so as to maintain a predetermined orientation with respect to the vehicle when the door is in the first orientation and when the door is in the second orientation. A retention mechanism is also coupled to the door. The retention mechanism is operable to prevent rotation of the sensing element with respect to the door when the door is in the first orientation and when the door is in the second orientation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a portion of a vehicle incorporating an-apparatus including a sensing element in accordance with one aspect of the invention.
FIG. 2A is a schematic cross sectional view of a component including an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment described herein, where the component is in a first angular orientation.
FIG. 2B is the schematic cross sectional view of FIG. 2A showing the component is in a second angular orientation different from the first orientation.
FIG. 2C is the schematic cross sectional view of FIG. 2B showing the component is in a third angular orientation different from the first and second orientations.
FIG. 3A is a schematic cross sectional view of a component including an apparatus in accordance with another embodiment described herein, where the component is in a first angular orientation.
FIG. 3B is the schematic cross sectional view of FIG. 3A showing the component is in a second angular orientation different from the first orientation.
FIG. 3C is the schematic cross sectional view of FIG. 3B showing the component is in a third angular orientation different from the first and second orientations.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The disclosure relates to a sensor mounting capable of self-adjusting its angular orientation with respect to a swingable door or tailgate of a vehicle so that the sensor continues to face in a desired direction, regardless of the angular orientation of the door on which it is mounted. In one example, the mounting enables a rear-facing sensing element (or sensor) mounted on a vehicle tailgate to rotate freely as the tailgate is rotated between closed (up) and open (down) configurations. This ensures that a sensing face of the sensor will face toward a rear or the vehicle regardless of the angular orientation of the tailgate. In addition, the apparatus includes one or more electromagnets mounted in the tailgate and configured for maintaining and stabilizing the sensor in a rear-facing orientation both when the tailgate is closed and when the tailgate is open. This prevents vibration or jostling of the freely-rotating sensor during driving.
FIG. 1 shows a rear portion of a vehicle 10 incorporating a gravity-oriented sensing element in accordance with an embodiment described herein. The vehicle 10 includes a number of components including a component 12 , which is most commonly envisioned as a swingable or rotatable rear door, tail gate, or lift gate, although it should not be limited thereto. In embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , vehicle 10 is in the form of a pickup truck and component 12 is in the form of a tailgate providing access to a bed 14 of the pickup truck 100 . Tailgate 12 is rotatably attached to the body or frame of the vehicle 10 so as to be movable between multiple component angular orientations relative to the body or frame. For example, the tailgate may be movable between an up, closed orientation (shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 3A ) in which the tail gate is latched to the body of the vehicle 10 to close the bed of the vehicle 10 and a down, open orientation (shown in FIGS. 2C and 3C ) in which the tail gate has been unlatched and dropped approximately 90 degrees to provide better access to the truck bed for loading and unloading.
In a rearward-facing surface 12 a of the tailgate, a cavity 12 b is formed which houses a handle assembly 16 that can be actuated in order to unlatch the tailgate 12 when it is opened, in a manner known in the art. A sensing element 20 is also mounted inside the cavity 12 b where a user's hand would enter to grasp and lift the handle assembly 16 . In some embodiments, the sensing element 20 is a camera unit, such as a backup camera configured to face the rear of the vehicle. However, the sensing element 16 might also be another type of sensor. For example, the sensing element may be a sensor selected from the group consisting of infrared sensors, lasers, Doppler sensors, radar, radio frequency sensors, microwave sensors, and optical sensors. Moreover, it is contemplated that there may be more than one sensing element or types of sensing element mounted in a given freely rotatable housing as described herein, and that these sensing elements may be used together to form a composite image. For example, the sensing elements might include a camera and infrared sensor and the combined data may be used to form a composite image for the driver providing both visual and heat map data. As another example multiple sensing elements may be implemented at different positions to perform functions such as, for example, calculating the distance to an object.
Sensing element 20 is rotatably coupled to the component 12 in a manner such that the angular or rotational orientation of the sensing element 20 with respect to the remainder of the vehicle remains the same responsive to rotation of the component 12 . In a particular embodiment, sensing element 16 is coupled to the tailgate 12 by a hinge mechanism structured to permit the sensing element to swing or rotate freely about the hinge mechanism responsive to rotation of the tailgate 12 during opening. Sensing element 20 may also be suitably weighted or otherwise structured so that its weight distribution causes a sensing face 20 f of the sensing element to remain in a rear-facing orientation during rotation of the tailgate 12 from an “up” or closed configuration to a “down” or open configuration. A sensing face 20 f of the sensing element 20 is a face or side of the sensing element through which the sensing function is performed (for example, in a camera, a face or side of the sensing element containing the camera lens). For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A-2C , the sensing element is structured so that its center of gravity is as low as possible (for example, by making a lowermost portion 20 a of the sensing element 20 heavier than other portions of the sensing element), so that the weight distribution of the element causes the element lowermost portion 20 a to always rotate downward due to gravity.
As shown in FIG. 2A , the sensing face 20 f may be spaced apart a distance D from a plane P defined by a rear-most edge or portion of the cavity 12 b . This recesses the sensing face 20 f within the cavity 12 b , to aid in protecting the sensing element from damage. In one embodiment, the sensing element mounting mechanism is in the form of a shaft or pin 22 extending through the sensing element and also between a pair of opposed ears 30 , 32 projecting from a side 12 c of the cavity 12 b . However, the mechanism may also have other, alternative forms.
FIGS. 2A-2C show the orientation of the sensing element 20 in various configurations of the tailgate 12 as it is lowered or rotated in direction “A”, from the closed configuration ( FIG. 2A ) to an intermediate configuration ( FIG. 2B ), then to the open configuration ( FIG. 2C ). As the tailgate 12 is rotated downward in direction “A”, the sensing element 20 correspondingly rotates in direction “B” ( FIG. 2B ) opposite direction “A”. Thus, throughout rotation of the tailgate 12 and when the tailgate has been completely opened as shown in FIG. 2C , the sensing face 20 f of sensing element 20 retains its rear-facing orientation.
Also, it may be seen that a field of detection V of the sensing element 20 (for example, a field of view of a camera) remains oriented toward the rear of the vehicle while dropping from a position spaced a relatively greater distance from the road ( FIG. 2A ) to a position higher position spaced a relatively smaller distance from the road ( FIG. 2C ).
Any wires (not shown) operatively connecting the sensing element 20 to the remainder of the vehicle may be structured and/or arranged so as to provide as little drag or resistance as possible to the rotation of the sensing element 20 as the tailgate is rotated. In a particular embodiment, wires electrically coupling the sensing element 20 to the remainder of the vehicle are passed through shaft 22 on which the sensing element 20 is rotatably mounted, to aid in minimizing drag and impediments to motion along exterior surfaces of the sensing element.
As the sensing element is freely-rotatable on shaft 22 , the sensing element may rotate or vibrate during vehicle movement unless constrained. To aid in stabilizing the sensing element 20 and maintaining its desired rear-facing orientation during vehicle movement, one or more actuatable locking or retention mechanisms may be incorporated into or operatively coupled to the tailgate 12 . In one embodiment, each retention mechanism is in the form of a conventional electromagnetic (EM) locking mechanism. FIGS. 2A-2C show an embodiment with two spaced-apart EM locking mechanisms 40 and 42 .
Mechanism 40 is configured to lock or secure the sensing element 20 in the rear-facing orientation when the tailgate is up, and mechanism 42 is configured to lock or secure the sensing element 20 in the rear-facing orientation when the tailgate is down.
Mechanism 40 includes a first electromagnet 40 a mounted inside or along a wall 12 e of cavity 12 b , and a first metallic or otherwise magnetically attractive element 40 b incorporated into sensing element 20 and positioned adjacent (or in contact with) the magnet 40 a . In one embodiment, the first magnetically attractive element 40 b is an armature plate affixed to a housing 20 h of the sensing element. In another embodiment, the sensing element housing 20 h (or a portion thereof) is formed from a metallic or other material that is attracted to the magnet 40 a when it is energized, and the portion of the housing serves as the magnetically attractive element 40 b.
Mechanism 42 includes a second electromagnet 42 a mounted inside or along a wall 12 c of cavity 12 b , and a second metallic or otherwise magnetically attractive element 42 b incorporated into sensing element 20 and positioned adjacent (or in contact with) the magnet 42 a . In one embodiment, the magnetically attractive element 42 b is an armature plate affixed to a housing 20 h of the sensing element. In another embodiment, the sensing element housing (or a portion thereof) is formed from a metallic or other material that is attracted to the magnets 42 a when it is energized, and a portion of the housing serves as the magnetically attractive element 42 b.
Electromagnets 40 a and 42 a are electrically coupled to a voltage source in the vehicle for energization, in a manner known in the art. Either of the retention mechanisms 40 and 42 and the associated electromagnets 40 a and 42 a is considered to be activated when the magnets are energized (i.e., when the engine is turned on and electric current flows to the associated magnet(s)). Any magnet and magnetically attractive elements used should have as little residual magnetism as possible when the electromagnet is de-energized, to help ensure that the sensing element 20 will rotate freely without undesirable interference from the magnets 40 a and 42 a even when non-energized. Thus, the magnet(s) 40 a and 42 a will secure the sensing element in the rear-facing orientation when the tailgate is up and also when the tailgate is down, whenever the magnet(s) are energized.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A-2C , sensing element 20 includes a projection 20 p incorporating the magnetically attractive element and extending toward the cavity wall 12 e . The projection is structured to touch the wall 12 e or to be spaced a small enough distance from the wall the tailgate is in the “up” position, so that energization of the magnet 40 a will draw the projection 20 p into contact with the magnet (or with the portion of the wall 12 e adjacent the magnet), thereby securing the sensing element in the orientation shown in FIG. 2A . Contact between the sensing element 20 and the magnet 40 a (and/or the wall 12 e ) is thus maintained while the magnet 40 a is energized. Alternatively, magnet 40 a may project or extend outwardly from wall 12 e so that it touches or lies closely adjacent to the magnetically attractive portion 40 b of the sensing element 20 .
Alternatively, the side 12 e of the cavity containing the magnet 40 a and/or the portion of sensing element housing 20 h adjacent the magnet 40 a and containing the magnetically attractive element 40 b may be otherwise shaped or contoured so as to contact each other (or so as to provide a small clearance between the parts) when the tailgate is in the “up” position and the sensing element 20 is in the rotational configuration shown in FIG. 2A . A variety of shapes or contours are contemplated.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A-2C , cavity wall 12 c has mounted inside or therealong the magnet 42 a . the wall 12 c and the portion of the sensing element 20 residing opposite the wall when the tailgate is down are structured to touch each other or to be spaced a small enough distance from each other that energization of the magnet 42 a will draw the sensing element into contact with the magnet (or with the portion of the wall 12 e adjacent the magnet), thereby securing the sensing element in the orientation shown in FIG. 2C . Contact between the sensing element 20 and the magnet 42 a (and/or the wall 12 c ) is thus maintained while the magnet 42 a is energized.
Alternatively, a portion of sensing element housing 20 h including the magnetically attractive portion 42 b may project or extend outwardly toward the sensing element 20 so that it touches or lies closely adjacent the magnet 42 a positioned along the wall. Alternatively, the side 12 c of the cavity containing the magnet 42 a and/or the portion of sensing element housing 20 h adjacent the magnet 42 a and containing the magnetically attractive element 42 b may be otherwise shaped or contoured so as to contact each other (or so as to provide a small clearance between the parts) when the tailgate is in the down position and the sensing element 20 is in the rotational configuration shown in FIG. 2C . A variety of configurations are contemplated.
The EM locks are configured so that, when the locks are electrically energized, the sensing element 20 is maintained by one of magnets 40 a and 42 a in one of the rear-facing configurations shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C . Thus, for example, an EM lock may be energized when the engine is running and the tailgate is either in the “up” ( FIG. 2A ) or “down” ( FIG. 2C ) position during vehicle movement.
The vehicle may be configured to energize both of magnets 40 a and 42 a whenever the vehicle engine is turned on. Alternatively, the magnet energization circuit may be configured so that only magnet 40 a is energized when the tailgate 12 is in the up position (shown in FIG. 2A ) and only magnet 42 a is energized when the tailgate 12 is in the down position (shown in FIG. 2C ). When the engine is turned off, neither of the magnets is energized. Thus, with the engine off, the tailgate may be raised or lowered and the sensing element will rotate freely so as to maintain the sensing face 20 f in a rearward-facing orientation.
FIGS. 3A-3C show an alternative embodiment in of the sensing element securement devices just described. In the embodiment shown, the sensing elements have the same configuration as that shown in FIGS. 2A-2C . However, for the securement mechanism, a single magnet 140 is employed rather than two separate magnets 40 a and 42 a . The magnet 140 is electrically coupled to a voltage source in the vehicle for energization, in a manner known in the art. As previously described, it is assumed that the sensing element 20 will be in one of the orientations shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C when the engine is started and the electromagnet 140 is activated.
If the magnet 140 is activated when the sensing element is in the orientation relative to the tailgate shown in FIG. 3A (i.e., when the tailgate is up), the sensing element 20 will be touching or spaced a small distance apart from the magnet 140 , at the location of the first magnetically attractive element 40 b or portion of sensing element housing 20 h . In addition, when the sensing element is in this orientation, the second magnetically attractive element 42 b or portion of sensing element housing 20 h is much farther away from the magnet 140 than element 40 b . Also, the location of element 40 b is the closest movable portion of the sensing element positioned next to magnet 140 . Therefore, when the tailgate is up and the magnet 140 is energized, the sensing element will immediately be drawn into contact with the magnet 140 (or wall 12 e ) at the location of element 40 b.
Similarly, if the magnet 140 is activated when the sensing element is in the orientation relative to the tailgate shown in FIG. 3C (i.e., when the tailgate is down), the sensing element 20 will be touching or spaced a small distance apart from the magnet 140 at the location of the second magnetically attractive element 42 b or portion of sensing element housing 20 h . When the sensing element 20 is in this orientation, the first magnetically attractive element 40 b or portion of sensing element housing 20 h is much farther away from the magnet 140 than element 42 b . Also, the location of element 42 b is the closest movable portion of the sensing element positioned next to magnet 140 . Therefore, when the tailgate is down and the magnet 140 is energized, the sensing element 20 will immediately be drawn into contact with the magnet 140 (or wall 12 c ) at the location of element 42 b.
It should be understood that the preceding is merely a detailed description of various embodiments of this invention and that numerous changes to the disclosed embodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the disclosure is not to be limited to these embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.
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An apparatus structured for installation in a component of a vehicle is provided. The component is rotatable to any of a plurality of angular orientations relative to a remainder of the vehicle. The apparatus includes a sensing element and mounting means structured for coupling to the component so as to move with the component. The mounting means is also structured for operative coupling to the sensing element so as to enable free rotation of the sensing element with respect to the mounting means. Retention means is provided and is structured for coupling to the component. The retention means is operable to prevent rotation of the sensing element with respect to the mounting means.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/658,125 filed Mar. 3, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an arrangement. In particular, the present invention relates to an arrangement of a first furnishing and a second furnishing, as well as a means of transportation.
In commercial transports, in particular means of transportation, providing passengers with sufficient comfort in the transport is often a concern. Sufficient comfort for the passengers means a sufficiently large space offered which may be occupied by the passengers.
A generous and roomy design of an interior makes an especially pleasant impression on the passengers. A compromise must often be made, since every available space and/or any arbitrary surface may not be used for placing passenger seats or making an occupancy area for passengers. Thus, for example, emergency exits must be kept free and may not be considered in the planning, for positioning passenger seats, for example. In addition, extensive safety and supply devices must be placed, because of which further space is not available.
There are furnishings, such as flight attendant seats, which must only be used during the takeoff and landing phases of an aircraft.
A flight attendant folding chair arrangement, which is attached to the wall of an aircraft cabin using multiple individual holders, is known from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,215. Moreover, a cabin attendant seat of thin profile, which folds together automatically when the occupant stands up, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,037.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Amongst other things, it may be an object of the present invention to provide a space-saving arrangement of furnishings.
This object maybe achieved by an arrangement of a first and a second furnishing and by a means of transportation having a corresponding arrangement having the features according to the independent claims.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an arrangement of a first and a second furnishing is provided, wherein at least one part of the first furnishing being movable in the direction of the second furnishing, and wherein at least one part of the second furnishing being movable to free a space to receive the at least one part of the first furnishing.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a means of transportation having an arrangement comprising the features described above is provided.
It may happen that in partitioned spaces, only limited space is available because of the spatial delimitation. In spite of this, it may be necessary to house different furnishings on this limited available space or room. Furnishings may, for example, be monuments, interior furnishing components, seats, particularly passenger seats, a partition wall, a safety or supply unit, or other furnishings for the aircraft interior.
It may be that a first furnishing is to be movable. Due to the movement, a space or room requirement for the first furnishing may be greater than for a corresponding statically attached first furnishing. The additional room requirement arises because of the deflection which is caused by the movement of at least one part of the first furnishing.
For example, a first furnishing may be seat, particularly a passenger seat. A seat may have a seat surface and a backrest. For a seat, particularly a reclining seat, the seat may have two operating position or modes of operation. A first operating position may be a seated position having an upright backrest, while a second operating position may be a rest position. The rest position may make it possible for the user to assume a reclining position on the seat in a relaxed posture. In this case, the backrest may be folded down to recline. An additional clearance zone may be necessary for the movement of the backrest.
An additional clearance zone may be necessary if a second furnishing is positioned so close to the seat that in the second operating position, the seat, in particular the rest, and the second furnishing do not obstruct one another. Upon a deflection of the seat in the direction of the second furnishing, the proximal arrangement of the second furnishing may obstruct the deflection of the rest.
The space or clearance zone required for the movement, inclination, or deflection of the backrest may result from the dimensions of the seat. For example, at a height of the backrest of approximately 1100 mm, a space of approximately 150 to 230 mm may be necessary.
However, the required clearance zone may be occupied by the second furnishing, for example. The second furnishing may be a partition wall or a flight attendant seat or another monument and/or furnishing element, for example. However, it may be that the second furnishing claims a space and/or clearance zone which would be required for the movement, particularly the pivot and/or inclination movement of a backrest. It may be, however, that the second furnishing must be installed in this obstructing position in order not to block exits, particularly emergency exits and/or areas or surfaces to be kept free.
If the first furnishing, particularly the seat rest, moves toward the second furnishing, such as a flight attendant seat or a partition wall having a flight attendant seat, at least a part of the second furnishing may be movable to free a space for receiving the first furnishing, particularly a part of the first furnishing. In other words, this means that, for example, the second furnishing frees a space which the first furnishing requires. The space or room may be any arbitrary spatial volume perpendicular to the base of the second furnishing in this case.
The space and/or room may be a partial space or three-dimensional partial volume of the room required by the second furnishing. This room may be positioned perpendicular to the base of the second furnishing. The first furnishing and/or a part of the first furnishing may penetrate into this new, freed clearance zone after the space is freed by the second furnishing.
Therefore, a chronological use of the first and second furnishings may be taken into consideration. In this case, time is mapped to a use of the different modes of operation. The two modes of operations of the seats may not occur simultaneously.
For example, the first furnishing may be a flight attendant seat and the second furnishing may be a passenger seat having an at least partially foldable back part and/or a backrest. Particularly in an aircraft and/or in an internal area of an aircraft fuselage, there may be different uses of the flight attendant seat and/or passenger seat at different times. During takeoff and landing, the backrest of the passenger seat should be placed upright. This may be a first mode of operation, for example. During takeoff and landing, the cabin personnel take their places on the flight attendant seats. A flight attendant seat may have a back area, in particular a partition wall, which projects into a spatial area of the aircraft interior.
During the flight, it may occur that the flight attendant seats are not used. The flight attendants normally pursue their activities during the flight. Therefore, their flight attendant seats remain free. During the flight phase, the passengers may be allowed to adjust the backrests of their seats. In particular, an inclination of the backrest may be desired for a rest and/or sleep phase. If the flight attendant seat and the passenger seat are close together, the inclination of the backrest may be obstructed by the space claimed by the flight attendant seat.
However, if the unused flight attendant seat, particularly the partition wall, also particularly a part thereof, may be moved out of the obstructing spatial area, an inclination, particularly a further inclination of the backrest of the passenger seat is possible. The passenger seat may thus be operated in a second mode of operation.
The second furnishing, particularly the flight attendant seat, does therefore not obstruct the first furnishing, particularly the passenger seat having its movable components, such as the movable backrest. Therefore, minimum dimensions of areas, such as occupancy area or entry/exit areas, may be maintained, although any arbitrary area may not be used.
According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second furnishing is implemented to free the space automatically. The obstructing part of the second furnishing may thus be automatically removed from the interfering area. For the automatic release, the second furnishing may have a device which recognizes nonuse of the second furnishing, for example, and therefore automatically frees the space occupied by the second furnishing. However, the automatic mechanism may also be triggered by a user.
For example, the second furnishing may have a flap which is folded down by the weight of a user. If the weight of a user falls away, the flap may fold away automatically and cause a movement of at least a part of the second furnishing. However, an automatic mechanism may also be a trigger device, for example, particularly a button or a lever, after whose actuation the movement of the part of the second furnishing is triggered.
Through an automatic mechanism, no additional force or only a slight additional force may be necessary for removing the at least one part of the second furnishing from the obstructing area. The operation of the second furnishing is thus simplified. For example, the automatic release may also be performed using electromechanical converters.
According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a movement of the at least one part of the second furnishing is coupled to a movement of the at least one part of the first furnishing.
A connection between the movement of the first furnishing and the movement of the second furnishing may thus be produced. The second furnishing may thus provide the required clearance zone for the first furnishing when the second furnishing requires this clearance zone for its movement. It may be a mechanical or an electrical coupling, for example.
The coupled movement between the first and second furnishings does not have to be executed uniformly and/or congruently. This means that a backward movement of the at least one part of the first furnishing may result in a forward movement i.e., in opposite direction, of the at least one part of the second furnishing. In addition, a rapid movement of a part of the first furnishing may also result in a slow movement of a part of the second furnishing and vice versa. For example, joints, gears, or gear wheels may be used in any arbitrary combination to reshape the movement.
According to further exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the second furnishing may be a passenger secondary seat, a partition wall, and particularly a partition wall which has a further furnishing. For example, a further furnishing on the partition wall may in turn be a passenger seat. This means a flight attendant seat may be integrated into a partition wall. A partition wall may be used for the spatial partitioning of an area. It may also be used as an information platform, however. Information such as posters or electronic data may be displayed on the partition wall. A draft for passengers may also be avoided using a partition wall, however. A partition wall may also be used for sound insulation.
According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second furnishing may have at least one pivot device, such as a joint, for pivoting the at least one part of the second furnishing. The joint may be positioned between parts of the second furnishing. It may thus be made possible for only a partial area of the second furnishing to be pivoted if additional space is claimed. A joint may allow the second furnishing, particularly a part thereof, to be permanently connected to a floor, particularly an aircraft floor, while a partial area of the second furnishing is movable and may free a space.
According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second furnishing has a displacement device, such as a friction bearing, for displacing the at least one part of the second furnishing. The second furnishing may completely free the spatial area required of it. Using a slide rail, it may be possible for a furnishing, particularly a partition wall, to be displaced into a free area at a time in which it is not required. The area into which the second furnishing is displaced may be free, since it is not required or used at the time in which the space claimed by the second furnishing is required.
According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the displacement device is a seat rail. Particularly in an aircraft in which monuments and/or furnishings may be mounted on seat rails, the furnishing may comprise a displacement device or a friction bearing which fits on a seat rail. The mounting of the second furnishing may thus be simplified.
According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an arrangement is specified in which the second furnishing has an elastic element for pivoting the at least one part of the second furnishing. The elastic element may be positioned between parts of the second furnishing.
The elastic element may be a rubber element or a spring element, for example, so that a part of the second furnishing which has an elastic element may be slightly inclined, tilted, or displaced. A deflection of the part of the second furnishing may thus occur. This deflection may occur against the return force of the elastic element. Due to the return force of the elastic element, the part of the second furnishing is moved back into its starting position when the part of the second furnishing is released.
A displacement device, a pivot device, a joint, a friction bearing, or an elastic element may be easily retrofitted in an existing furnishing. By exerting pressure or coupling on the at least one part of the first furnishing, a movement of the at least one part of the second furnishing may occur. This movement may be an inclination or a linear movement, for example.
In particular, an aircraft cabin which is already existing and/or equipped with conventional passenger seats or an aircraft interior may be provided with the arrangement according to the present invention.
According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an arrangement is specified in which the second furnishing has at least one upper part and at least one lower part. The at least one upper part of the second furnishing may be lowered into the at least one lower part of the second furnishing. The upper part is further from the attachment, such as a floor surface, than the lower part. By lowering the at least one upper part into the at least one lower part of the furnishing, a spatial area above the lower part of the second furnishing may be freed. The height, particularly the length, of the second furnishing may thus be reduced telescopically. The space thus obtained may be used for a part of the first furnishing, particularly for the movement of a part of the first furnishing.
According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a means of transportation is specified in which the second furnishing is positioned in front of the exit and/or in an exit area of the means of transportation. In particular, a means of transportation is specified in which the second furnishing is positioned between a seat and an exit of the means of transportation.
In a means of transportation, it may be necessary to keep an exit free, particularly an exit door or an entry or exit area, during a specific time, such as the entry or exit time. The area kept free may be unused during a usage time of the means of transportation, for example. The at least one part of the second furnishing may use the exit area to free the space, if the second furnishing is positioned in front of the exit area. For this purpose, the at least one movable part of the second furnishing may be displaced or deflected into the exit area in a time in which the exit area is not used.
Through this displacement of the at least one part of the second furnishing, a movement of the at least one part of the first furnishing in the direction of the second furnishing may be made possible. This may be particularly advantageous if the means of transportation is an aircraft. In an aircraft, flight attendants may use the flight attendant seats attached in the exit areas of the aircraft. The time in which the flight attendants use the flight attendant seats is the takeoff time and/or the landing time, i.e., the time during takeoff and landing. During the flight, the flight attendant seats are normally not used. They may be displaced and/or inclined into an area of the exit during this time. Additional space for seats, particularly passenger seats may thus be provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the figures, in which:
FIG. 1 shows an arrangement of a first and a second furnishing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a flight attendant seat and a passenger seat in a first mode of operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a flight attendant seat and a passenger seat in a second mode of operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a further arrangement of a flight attendant seat and a passenger seat in a first mode of operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows a further arrangement of a flight attendant seat and a passenger seat in a second mode of operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows a top view of the interior of an aircraft having an arrangement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 shows a detail of an aircraft interior having an arrangement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The illustrations in the figures are schematic and are not to scale. In the following description of FIG. 1 through FIG. 7 , identical reference numbers are used for identical or corresponding elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows the arrangement of a first furnishing 8 and a second furnishing 2 . The first furnishing 8 is a passenger seat 8 and the second furnishing 2 is a flight attendant seat 2 . The flight attendant seat 2 has a partition wall 4 and a seat surface 6 . The passenger seat 8 and the flight attendant seat 2 are mounted on the floor 22 of an aircraft. The passenger seat 8 and the flight attendant seat 2 are positioned at a distance 20 from one another. In this case, the flight attendant seat 2 is behind the passenger seat 8 . Behind is defined in this case as the direction located in the back area of a passenger during normal usage of the passenger seat 8 .
The passenger seat 8 is mounted on the floor 22 using a pedestal 14 . The armrest 16 and seat cushion 12 are mounted on the pedestal 14 . A passenger may sit on the seat cushion 12 . In this case, his viewing direction points to the front. The back rest 10 is movably mounted on the armrest 16 . The back rest 10 may be moved in the direction of the flight attendant seat 2 .
The distance 20 defines the movement space of the back rest 10 of the passenger seat 8 . During a movement of the back rest 10 in this area 20 , there is no obstruction of the back rest 10 by the flight attendant seat 2 .
FIG. 1 shows a seated position. The back rest 10 of the passenger seat 8 is in its upright position, i.e., it is essentially perpendicular to the floor surface 22 . A fixed distance 20 thus results between back rest 10 and flight attendant seat 2 , in particular the partition wall 4 of the flight attendant seat 2 . The flight attendant seat 2 has a seat surface 6 .
In FIG. 1 , the seat surface 6 is perpendicular to the floor 22 . The position of the seat surface 6 perpendicular to the floor 22 means that the flight attendant seat 2 is not used. To use the flight attendant seat 2 , the seat surface 6 is folded parallel to the floor surface 22 . A flight attendant may thus sit on the seat surface 6 .
The distance of the fixed mounting of the flight attendant seat 2 having attachment 24 on the floor 22 and the fixed mounting of the passenger seat 8 using floor frame 14 on the floor 22 determines the distance 20 between back rest 10 and partition wall 4 . Distance 20 is the clearance zone in whose extension the back rest may be moved in the direction of partition wall 4 .
The clearance zone required for inclining the back rest 10 results from the dimensions of the passenger seat 8 . At a height of the back rest 10 of approximately 1100 mm, a space requirement 20 of approximately 150 to 230 mm results. The clearance zone 20 may restrict the required clearance zone for the complete inclination of the back rest 10 because of the mounting of the passenger seat 8 and the flight attendant seat 2 , which is too close.
The seat surface 6 of the flight attendant seat 2 is in a horizontal position during a first mode of operation, so that the cabin personnel and/or a flight attendant may take a seat on this seat surface 6 .
FIG. 2 also shows the seat back rest 26 indicated in a completely inclined position. The flight attendant seat 2 is divided into two separate parts by the joint 28 . The two parts of the flight attendant seat are an upper part 4 a and a lower part 4 b . It may be seen that there is an overlap of the back rest 26 and upper part 4 a of the flight attendant seat 2 . In order to allow the complete inclination of the back rest 26 , the upper part 4 a of the flight attendant seat 2 must be folded away in order to free a spatial area for the back rest 26 . In other embodiments, the upper part 4 a of the flight attendant seat 2 may be lowered into the lower part 4 b , as depicted by arrow A, thus reducing the height of the flight attendant seat telescopically. The space thus obtained may be used for a part of the first furnishing, particularly for the movement of a part of the first furnishing.
FIG. 3 shows an inclination of the upper part 4 a counterclockwise around the joint 28 of the flight attendant seat 2 . The lower part 4 b of the flight attendant seat 2 is fixed on the floor 22 using attachment 24 and is not inclined.
The passenger seat 8 is also fixed on the floor 22 using the pedestal 14 . The distance between the lower part 4 b of the flight attendant seat 2 and the pedestal 14 is thus permanently predefined. Via inclination of the upper part 4 a , space may be provided above the lower part 4 b of the flight attendant seat 2 in order to allow the complete inclination of the back rest 26 . FIG. 3 shows the arrangement in a cruise mode or during flight operation.
During the flight in a second mode of operation, the flight attendants perform their activities and the flight attendant seat 2 remains free. This means that the seat surface 6 is folded essentially parallel to the upper part 4 a of the flight attendant seat 2 . The inclination of the back rest 26 in the direction of flight attendant seat 2 may be selected individually between the maximum inclination 26 and the vertical position 10 of the back rest as desired by the passenger. There is no restriction in relation to other passenger seats at other locations. This means that the flight attendant seat 2 and/or the upper part 4 a of the flight attendant seat 2 does not obstruct the inclination of the back rest 26 .
The upper part 4 a may be inclined automatically when the seat surface 6 is folded back into the position essentially parallel to the upper part 4 a . The lock of the flight attendant seat in the first mode of operation may be performed by folding down the seat surface of the flight attendant. This principle does not have to be operated by the flight attendant personnel. A coupling between the back rest 10 and upper part 4 a of the flight attendant seat 2 is also possible, so that the upper part 4 a of the flight attendant seat 2 is moved simultaneously with inclination of the back rest 10 . Like a flight attendant seat 2 , a partition wall may also be equipped with a buckle joint 28 .
FIG. 4 shows the passenger seat 8 and the flight attendant seat 2 in the first mode of operation. The first mode of operation identifies the takeoff or landing phase of an aircraft. In this case, the seat surface 6 is folded horizontally to the aircraft floor 22 . A flight attendant may take a seat on the seat surface 6 in this phase. The flight attendant seat 2 is positioned on the seat rail 32 using linear or friction bearings 30 . In the first mode of operation, the flight attendant seat is in the position on the seat rail 32 identified by the letter A.
The back rest 10 of the passenger seat and the partition wall 4 of the flight attendant seat 2 thus have a distance 34 . The passenger seat 8 is attached using pedestal 14 to the aircraft floor 22 or also to the seat rail 32 .
The seat rail 32 corresponds to a seat rail typical in aircraft construction and is positioned below the surface of the floor 22 . The friction bearing 30 allows displacement of the complete flight attendant seat 2 parallel to the floor surface 22 . The flight attendant seat 2 is attached in position A using a constructively secure lock. This secure lock may be easily opened by an operator, however, in order to allow easy displacement of the flight attendant seat 2 .
FIG. 5 shows the arrangement according to the present invention of the passenger seat 8 and the flight attendant seat 2 in a second mode of operation. The second mode of operation, for flight operation or cruise mode, is to allow inclination of the back rest 26 of the passenger seat 8 . In order to obtain the clearance zone 36 for the inclination of the back rest 26 , the flight attendant seat 2 is displaced during the flight into position B. The distance 36 corresponds to the maximum inclination of the back rest 26 from the vertical position.
The distance or clearance zone 36 in relation to the vertical inclination of the back rest 10 is greater in this position than the distance 34 in position A. Position B may be located in a work space or an exit space not used during the flight phase. During entry into and/or exit out of the aircraft, passengers near an entry or exit are to have sufficient movement freedom to walk and move. The rest 10 of a passenger seat remains in its vertical position.
For comfortable entry and exit, a specific space is provided for the aircraft attendant seat near the passenger seat. The entry/exit area is thus enlarged.
However, during the flight, the space in front of the exit is not used. Therefore, the flight attendant seat 2 may be displaced and/or moved into the space, in order to thus provide a clearance zone 36 for inclining the back rest 26 . In position B, the flight attendant seat 2 is also attached using a constructively secure lock. The adjustment from position A into position B and vice versa may also occur automatically. During the flight, the flight attendant seat 2 is not used by the flight attendant. Therefore, the seat surface 6 is folded against the partition wall 4 of the flight attendant seat in flight operation.
A linear bearing has the advantage that during a displacement of the entire flight attendant seat 2 , the flight attendant seat 2 is usable unrestrictedly.
FIG. 6 shows the top view of an interior of an aircraft fuselage 42 . Passenger seats are positioned in seat rows between the aircraft bow area 44 and the aircraft stern area 46 . Two diametrically opposite doors 40 and an entry/exit or working area 38 are located in each of the two occupancy areas 48 . Each occupancy area 48 also contains an arrangement of a passenger seat 8 having a flight attendant seat 2 positioned between passenger seat 8 and entry/exit area 38 .
In order to provide the largest possible entry and exit area 38 , the flight attendant seat 2 is positioned as close as possible to the passenger seat 8 . The flight attendant seat 2 or cabin attendant seat 2 thus obstructs a maximum inclination of the back rest 26 of the passenger seat 8 . In order to allow the inclination of the back rest 10 of the passenger seat 8 during the flight, the flight attendant seat 2 or part of the flight attendant seat 2 may be displaced and/or inclined into the entry or exit area 38 , particularly the occupancy area 48 .
FIG. 7 shows a detail from FIG. 6 . The aircraft fuselage 42 having the entry/exit doors 40 is shown. To board the aircraft, the entry/exit area 38 is used by the passengers. The free surface of the entry/exit area 38 is to be selected as largest possible in order to make the entry/exit of the passengers easier. Therefore, the flight attendant seat 2 is positioned as close as possible to the passenger seat 8 . During the entry phase, the back rest 10 of the passenger seat 8 is in an upright position.
During the flight phase, the entry area 38 is not used. Therefore, the flight attendant seat 2 or part of the flight attendant seat 2 may use the entry/exit area 38 and/or the work space 38 .
In addition, it is to be noted that “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps and “a” or “an” does not exclude multiples. Furthermore, it is to be noted that features or steps which have been described with reference to one of the above exemplary embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other exemplary embodiments described above. Reference numbers in the claims are not to be viewed as a restriction.
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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An arrangement, includes a first furnishing and a second furnishing, at least one part of the first furnishing being movable in the direction of the second furnishing, and at least one part of the second furnishing being movable to free a space for receiving the at least one part of the first furnishing.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to optical lithography used for fabricating semiconductor devices, and more particularly to optical lithographic phase-shifting masks and a method for fabricating such masks.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Photolithography methods are well-known for producing fine patterns on integrated circuits and other electronic devices. Typically, photosensitive resist material is deposited upon a substrate and a portion of the material is exposed in a predetermined pattern. The pattern is then developed by selective removal or retention, depending upon whether the resist material is a positive or a negative resist.
[0003] Exposure of the resist material is typically accomplished by transmitting light, e.g. ultraviolet light, through a mask. Exposure through a mask causes diffraction, image spreading, and/or other interference effects at the boundaries of opaque areas of the masks. Such effects may cause ghost patterns or lobes in the exposed pattern. This is partly because the masks must be at a distance from the resist material during exposure in order to ensure that the size of the pattern at the resist surface is reduced compared to the size of the pattern in the mask. Until fairly recently, these effects were relatively dimensionally small. However, recent increases in the integration density of integrated circuits has pushed minimum feature sizes of patterns such that the effects are now becoming significant.
[0004] To improve the clarity of the exposure patterns, phase-shifting masks have been developed to limit the image spreading effects. One type of phase-shifting mask, a rim type phase-shifting mask, assists in limiting image spreading in the exposure of features having a closed shape, such as contacts. Another type is a Levenson-type phase-shifting mask, which assists in limiting image spreading in the exposure of periodically repeated patterns, like parallel lines, such as arrays of parallel conductors.
[0005] The fabrication of phase-shifting masks generally has been difficult and expensive due to the need to form extremely small regions having differing optical lengths at the edges of opaque regions. Thus, either patterning must be done within the mask pattern or the opaque regions of the mask must be recessed from the regions of differing optical path length. Examples of known phase-shifting mask fabrication methods can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,196 (Chao et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,103 (DeMarco et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,089 (Adair et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,672 (Bajuk et al.). Known phase-shifting mask fabrication methods have had difficulty with ensuring a symmetric exposure of either a printable contact area on the mask or a printable line area on the mask without image spreading effects.
SUMMARY
[0006] The invention provides a fabrication process for a phase-shifting mask which ensures that a printable contact area or a printable line area is exposed symmetric to an adjacent phase shifting feature.
[0007] In one aspect, the invention provides a method of forming a mask. The method includes forming a first layer of material over a substrate and forming an opaque layer overlying the first layer of material. The opaque material layer has at least one opening filled with a second material, the second material residing over the first layer of material and defining areas of the first layer of material which are to be removed. The method also includes using the second material as a mask to remove the areas of the first layer of material, and then removing the second material. The result is a phase-shifting mask which ensures that a printable contact area or a printable line area is exposed aligned to an adjacent phase shifting feature.
[0008] In another aspect, the invention provides a method of forming a mask, which includes forming an opaque layer over a substrate, the opaque layer having at least one opening therein filled with a first material, the first material defining areas of the substrate which are to be removed. The method also includes using the first material as a mask to remove the areas of the substrate, and removing the first material. The result is a phase-shifting mask which ensures that a printable contact area or a printable line area is exposed aligned to an adjacent phase shifting feature.
[0009] These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] [0010]FIG. 1 is a top view of a mask-in-process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0011] [0011]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the mask-in-process of FIG. 1 taken along line II-II.
[0012] [0012]FIG. 3A is a top view like FIG. 1 showing an opening in a first resist layer.
[0013] [0013]FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the mask-in-process of FIG. 3A taken along line IIIB-IIIB.
[0014] FIGS. 4 - 5 are cross-section views, like FIG. 3B, showing subsequent processing steps to the mask-in-process of FIG. 1.
[0015] [0015]FIG. 6A is a top view like FIG. 1 showing a ring of resist material.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the mask-in-process of FIG. 6A taken along line VIB-VIB.
[0017] FIGS. 7 - 9 are cross-section views, like FIG. 6B, showing subsequent processing steps to the mask-in-process of FIG. 1.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a mask constructed in accordance with the process steps of FIGS. 1 - 9 .
[0019] [0019]FIG. 11A is a top view of a mask-in-process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the mask-in-process of FIG. 11A taken along line XIB-XIB.
[0021] FIGS. 12 - 19 are cross-sectional views, like FIG. 10, showing subsequent processing steps to a mask-in-process in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a mask constructed in accordance with the process steps of FIGS. 12 - 19 .
[0023] FIGS. 21 - 22 are cross-sectional views, like FIG. 10, showing alternative subsequent processing steps to a mask-in-process in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of a mask constructed in accordance with the process steps of FIGS. 12 - 18 and 21 - 22 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] The invention is directed to a mask fabrication process which may be used to ensure that printable contact areas and/or printable line areas will be laid symmetrical relative to an adjacent phase-shifter. A ring-like opening is exposed in a mask-in-process which leaves the printable contact area fully covered by an opaque layer. A resist is applied on a top surface and filling in the ring-like opening. The mask-in-process is exposed to ultraviolet light through a lower transparent material which leaves the resist only within the ring-like opening. Another resist is applied on an upper surface and covering the ring-like opening. Selective etching opens up the printable contact areas and/or printable line areas.
[0026] Through this process, openings can be exposed which are larger than the desired final printable contact areas. Thus, possible misalignments can be accounted for during the processing. Further, asymmetric rims can be laid and rims with different rim widths can be laid in different locations.
[0027] FIGS. 1 - 10 illustrate the processing of a mask 50 (FIG. 10) from a mask-in-process 10 in accordance with an aspect of the invention. The mask 50 will include a phase-shifter feature, which may be a rim type phase-shifter, once fabricated. The process described with reference to FIGS. 1 - 10 allows for printable contact areas or printable line areas to be opened up symmetrical to the adjacent phase-shifter feature.
[0028] The mask-in-process 10 includes a substrate 12 , a layer 16 , an opaque layer 22 , and a first resist layer 28 . The substrate 12 is formed of a transparent material, preferably quartz. A portion of the substrate 12 may eventually become either a printable contact area or a printable line area. A portion of the layer 16 adjacent to the printable contact area of the substrate 12 will eventually be fabricated into the phase-shifter. The layer 16 is preferably formed of a material or materials which allow for a one-hundred and eighty degree (180°) phase shift with respect to the open areas of the substrate 12 . The material or materials may be formed of molybdenum-silicide, chromium flouride, silicon nitride-titanium nitride, tantalum silicide, zirconium silicon oxide or other like material. The opaque layer 22 may be formed of chromium or other material suitable for blocking out ultraviolet light.
[0029] The first resist layer 28 is positioned on a first surface 24 of the opaque layer 22 . The opaque layer 22 is itself positioned on the layer 16 such that a second surface 26 of the opaque layer 22 is in contact with a first surface 18 of the layer 16 . The layer 16 is positioned on the substrate 12 such that a second surface 20 of the layer 16 is in contact with a first surface 14 of the substrate 12 .
[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, a first exposure 32 is directed toward portions of the first resist layer 28 . A preferred exposure method utilizes an electron or laser beam 32 from, respectively, an electron beam or laser writing tool 3 , such as, for example, MEBES 4500 or ALTA 3500. The exposed portions of the first resist layer 28 are removed, and the underlying portions of the opaque layer 22 are then etched (FIG. 3). The resist removal and opaque layer etching steps leave openings 30 within the mask-in-process 10 . If, as shown in FIGS. 1 - 10 , a rim type phase-shifter is being fabricated on the mask 50 , the openings 30 are a single ring-shaped opening (FIGS. 3 A- 3 B). The remaining first resist layer 28 is then removed. However, it should be understood that this technique is not limited by feature geometry.
[0031] The opening 30 is then filled with a second resist material 34 (FIG. 4), which covers the entire surface, including the exposed portions of the opaque layer 22 . Preferably, the second resist material 34 is a positive-tone resist which can be made to image reverse to a negative-tone by way of a post-exposure bake process. One such resist material is AZ5200, supplied by Hoechst Celanese Corporation. Alternatively, any negative-tone resist compatible with a positive-tone resist could be used as the second resist material 34 .
[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, a second ultraviolet exposure 36 is directed at the mask-in-process 10 . Unlike the first exposure 32 , the second is a flood exposure 36 , directed through the substrate 12 toward the resist materials 28 , 34 . The opaque layer 22 serves as a mask to prevent exposure of some of the second resist material 34 , and only the portion of the second resist material 34 within the ring-shaped opening 30 (shown within the opposing dotted lines in FIG. 4) is exposed by the second ultraviolet light 36 . The mask-in-process 10 is then baked for a sufficient period of time to reverse tone and harden the exposed second resist material 34 .
[0033] [0033]FIG. 5 illustrates a third ultraviolet exposure 38 directed at the mask-in-process 10 . The third exposure 38 is an ultraviolet flood exposure directed at the resist material 34 . Since the second resist material 34 within the openings 30 has been reversed tone (to negative) and hardened, the third ultraviolet exposure 38 will only expose the remainder of the second resist material 34 . As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the portions of the second resist material 34 not within the openings 30 are rendered soluble in, e.g. tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH), and then removed, leaving only a ring of the second resist material 34 . Alternatively, the mask-in-process 10 may be subjected to a chemical bath to remove the previously unexposed portions of the second resist material 34 .
[0034] A third resist material 40 is overlaid over the opaque layer 22 and the ring of the second resist material 34 (FIG. 7). The third resist material 40 is preferably a positive-tone resist material. To initiate the opening of printable contact areas within the ring of the second resist material 34 , the third resist material 40 is subjected to a lithography step, removing portions of the third resist material 40 to create an opening 42 bounded by the ring of the second resist material 34 (FIG. 8). The lithography step may be done with a larger than necessary opening 42 , so misalignment is not a factor in the lithography step.
[0035] The opening 42 will eventually be extended down to the substrate 12 to become the printable contact area of the mask 50 . Specifically, a portion of the opaque layer 22 and the layer 16 underlying the opening 42 is etched (FIG. 9) to open up a printable contact area 13 . Once the printable contact area 13 is completely etched to the substrate 12 , any remaining second and third resist materials 34 , 40 are removed (FIG. 10) finishing the mask 50 .
[0036] Through this process, a printable contact area 13 is opened interior to a ring of resist material, thereby ensuring alignment between the printable contact area 13 and the rim type phase-shifter formed by the portion of the layer 16 bounded by the printable contact area 13 and the opaque layer 22 . It is to be understood that the above method is equally capable of creating a mask having printable line areas adjacent to and symmetrical with a Levenson-type phase-shifter. It is further to be understood that asymmetrical printable areas may be created through the above method. Finally, it is to be understood that the phase-shifters of the mask 50 may be zero degrees while the printable contact area 13 may be 180 degrees, or the phase-shifters may be 180 degrees while the printable contact area 13 may be zero degrees, or the phase-shifters and the printable contact area 13 may be somewhere in between zero and 180 degrees.
[0037] With reference to FIGS. 11 - 20 , next will be described an alternative method for forming a mask 150 (FIG. 20) from a mask-in-process 110 . The mask-in-process 110 includes a substrate 112 having a first surface 114 , an opaque layer 122 having a first surface 124 and a second surface 126 , and a resist layer 128 . The opaque layer 122 is positioned relative to the substrate 112 such that the second surface 126 of the opaque layer 122 is in contact with the first surface 114 of the substrate 112 . Further, the resist material 128 is positioned such that it contacts the first surface 124 of the opaque layer 122 . Selective portions of the resist material 128 are exposed and subsequently removed, leaving generally parallel openings 130 and a generally ring-like opening 130 ′ (FIG. 11A).
[0038] The mask-in-process 110 is then etched (FIG. 12). Specifically, portions of the opaque layer 122 underlying the openings 130 and the opening 130 ′ are etched, thereby deepening the openings 130 , 130 ′ to opening extensions 132 and 132 ′ which are each contiguous with, respectively, the first openings 130 , 130 ′. Then, the first resist material 128 is completely removed (FIG. 13) and another layer of the first resist material 128 is deposited over the opaque layer 122 and the opening extensions 132 and 132 ′ (FIG. 14). Then a portion 128 a of the first resist material 128 overlying the opening extensions 132 is exposed. As shown in FIG. 15, an etching process is employed, which causes the opening extensions 132 to be further deepened into the substrate 112 . A portion of the first resist material 128 is left to protect the opening extension 132 ′ during the etching process.
[0039] The remainder of the first resist material 128 is removed from the mask-in-process 110 . After removal of the remaining first resist material 128 , a second resist material 134 is deposited over the opaque layer 122 and within the opening extensions 132 , 132 ′. The second resist material is similar to the resist material 34 of FIGS. 4 - 9 , in that preferably the second resist material 134 is a positive-tone resist which can be made to image reverse tone as a negative-tone would by way of a post-exposure bake process. By exposing the second resist material 134 through the substrate 112 , baking the mask-in-process 110 , and then exposing the second resist material 134 a second time (the second time not being through the substrate 112 ), portions of the second resist material 134 can be removed to leave a pair of walls of the second resist material 134 within and extending from the opening extensions 132 and a ring within and extending from the opening extension 132 ′ (FIG. 16).
[0040] A third resist material 140 is then deposited over the opaque layer 122 and the second resist material 134 . The third resist material 140 is subjected to a lithography step (FIG. 17). The openings may be larger than necessary, since overlay misalignment is not an issue. After the addition of the third resist material 140 , portions of the opaque layer 122 which are bounded by the second resist material 134 are removed (FIG. 18).
[0041] A fourth resist material 142 is then added and patterned through another lithography step to leave an opening bounded by the ring of the second resist material 134 . Again, the openings may be larger than necessary, since overlay misalignment is not an issue. The portion of the substrate 112 underlying the opening bounded by the ring of the second resist material 134 is etched leaving an opening 144 within the substrate 112 (FIG. 19), the base of which is a printable contact area 113 ′. Finally, as shown in FIG. 20, the resist materials 134 , 140 , 142 are all removed, leaving the mask 150 , and opening up printable line areas 113 and the printable contact area 113 ′.
[0042] The resulting mask 150 includes printable line areas 113 with a phase shifter area between the areas 113 . The mask 150 further includes a printable contact area 113 ′ within a surround phase shifter area.
[0043] With reference to FIGS. 21 - 23 , an alternative set of processing steps are described. After processing a mask-in-process 110 as shown in FIGS. 12 - 18 , the portions of the substrate 112 underlying the openings bounded by the second resist material 134 are etched leaving openings 144 and 144 ′, the bases of which are, respectively, printable contact areas 113 ′ and 113 ″. The fourth resist material 142 is then added and patterned through another lithography step to leave an opening bounded by the ring of the second resist material 134 . Again, the openings may be larger than necessary, since overlay misalignment is not an issue. An etching process is then performed on the opening 144 ′, creating an opening 146 which is deeper than and bounded by the openings 132 (FIGS. 15, 23). Finally, as shown in FIG. 23, the resist materials 134 , 140 , 142 are all removed, leaving the mask 150 , and opening up printable line areas 113 and the printable contact area 113 ′.
[0044] While the foregoing has described in detail preferred embodiments known at the time, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
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A method for fabricating a mask which includes a printable contact and/or line area which is aligned with a phase-shifter. The method includes preparing a mask-in-process comprising a substrate underlying a first layer, an opaque layer overlying the first layer, and a first resist material overlying the opaque layer, and subjecting the mask-in-process to a plurality of exposures and at least one etching to create a phase-shifter and to open a printable contact and/or line area surrounded by a second resist material, wherein the printable contact and/or line area is aligned with the phase-shifter.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation in part which claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 14/180,049 filed Feb. 13, 2014, itself a non-provisional application which claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 61/764,259 filed Feb. 13, 2013.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to drilling rigs, and specifically to slingshot rig structures for land drilling in the petroleum exploration and production industry.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0003] Land-based drilling rigs may be configured to be traveled from location to location to drill multiple wells within the same area known as a wellsite. In certain situations, it is necessary to travel across an already drilled well for which there is a well-head in place. Further, mast placement on land-drilling rigs may have an effect on drilling activity. For example, depending on mast placement on the drilling rig, an existing well-head may interfere with the location of land-situated equipment such as, for instance, existing wellheads, and may also interfere with raising and lowering of equipment needed for operations.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present disclosure provides for a land based drill rig. The land based drill rig may include a first and a second lower box, the lower boxes positioned generally parallel and spaced apart from each other. The land based drill rig may further include a drill floor. The drill floor may be coupled to the first lower box by a first strut, the first lower box and first strut defining a first substructure. The drill floor may also be coupled to the second lower box by a second strut, the second lower box and second strut defining a second substructure. The struts may be hingedly coupled to the drill floor and hingedly coupled to the corresponding lower box such that the drill floor may pivot between an upright and a lowered position. The drill floor may include a V-door oriented to generally face one of the substructures.
[0005] The present disclosure also provides for a land based drilling rig. The land based drilling rig may include a first and a second lower box, the lower boxes positioned generally parallel and spaced apart from each other. The land based drill rig may further include a drill floor. The drill floor may be coupled to the first lower box by a first strut, the first lower box and first strut defining a first substructure. The drill floor may also be coupled to the second lower box by a second strut, the second lower box and second strut defining a second substructure. The struts may be hingedly coupled to the drill floor and hingedly coupled to the corresponding lower box such that the drill floor may pivot between an upright and a lowered position. The drill floor may include a V-door oriented to generally face one of the substructures. The land based drilling rig may further include a mast coupled to the drill floor. The land based drilling rig may further include a tank support structure affixed to the first or second substructure. The tank support structure may include a tank and mud process equipment. The land based drilling rig may further include a grasshopper positioned to carry cabling and lines to the drilling rig. The grasshopper may be positioned to couple to the drill floor generally at a side of the drill floor, and the side of the drill floor to which the grasshopper couples may face towards the first or second substructure
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The summary and the detailed description are further understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, there are shown in the drawings exemplary embodiments of said disclosure; however, the disclosure is not limited to the specific methods, compositions, and devices disclosed. In addition, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a side elevation from the driller's side of a drilling rig consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 2 is an overhead view of a drilling rig consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a drilling rig consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, methods, applications, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. Also, as used in the specification, including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “plurality,” as used herein, means more than one.
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts a side elevation of drilling rig 10 from the “driller's side” consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Drilling rig 10 may include drill rig floor 20 , right substructure 30 , and left substructure 40 . Right and left substructures 30 , 40 may support drill rig floor 20 . Mast 50 may be coupled to drill rig floor 20 . As would be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure, the terms “right” and “left” as used herein are used only to refer to each separate substructure to simplify discussion, and are not intended to limit this disclosure in any way. V-door side 22 of drilling rig 10 may be located over right substructure 30 . The V-door side 52 of mast 50 may correspondingly face right substructure 30 . Pipe handler 24 may be positioned to carry piping through a V-door as understood in the art positioned on V-door side 22 of drilling rig 10 . In some embodiments, grasshopper 26 may be positioned to carry cabling and lines to drilling rig 10 . In other embodiments (not shown), V-door side 22 and mast V-door side may face left substructure 40 . In some embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 1 , blow out preventer 90 may be located between left substructure 40 and right substructure 30 , i.e. drilling rig 10 may be centered over a wellbore.
[0012] In some embodiments, tank support structure 80 and tanks 70 may be included in drilling rig 10 . Tank support structure 80 may be affixed to right substructure 30 or left substructure 40 by means known to those of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, welding and bolting. As shown in FIG. 1 , tank support structure 80 may be affixed to left substructure 40 . Tank support structure 80 may be located on the opposite substructure from V-door side 22 of drilling rig 10 . Tanks 70 may, for example, be mud tanks, auxiliary mud tanks, or other tanks useful in drilling operations and may be located within tank support structure 80 . In some embodiments, mud process equipment 100 may also be mounted within tank support structure 80 . Mud process equipment may include, for example, shakers, filters, and other equipment associated with the use of drilling mud.
[0013] FIG. 2 depicts an overhead view of drilling rig 10 consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure in which V-door side 22 of drilling rig 10 , drilling rig floor 20 , and tank support structure 80 are shown. In some embodiments, choke manifold 102 may likewise be located on the rig floor. In some embodiments, accumulator 104 may likewise be located on the rig floor. In some embodiments, accumulator 104 may be a Koomey Unit as understood in the art.
[0014] In some embodiments, substructures 30 , 40 may be fixed as depicted in FIGS. 1 , 2 . In some embodiments, as depicted in FIG. 3 , substructures 30 ′, 40 ′, may pivotably support drill rig floor 20 . Drill rig floor 20 may be pivotably coupled to one or more lower boxes 130 by a plurality of struts 140 together forming substructures 131 , 133 . Lower boxes 130 may support drill rig floor 20 . Lower boxes 130 may be generally parallel to each other and spaced apart. Struts 140 may be hingedly coupled to drill rig floor 20 and to lower boxes 130 . In some embodiments, struts 140 may be coupled to lower boxes 130 and drill rig floor 20 such that they form a bar linkage therebetween, allowing relative motion of drill rig floor 20 relative to lower boxes 130 while maintaining drill rig floor 20 parallel to lower boxes 130 . Thus, drill rig floor 20 may be moved from an upper position as shown in FIG. 3 to a lower position while remaining generally horizontal.
[0015] In some embodiments, the movement of drill rig floor 20 may be driven by one or more hydraulic cylinders 150 . In some embodiments, when in the upright position, one or more diagonals 160 may be coupled between drill rig floor 20 and lower boxes 130 to, for example and without limitation, maintain drill rig floor 20 in the upright position.
[0016] In some embodiments, with reference to FIGS. 1-3 , as they are mounted directly to a substructure ( 30 or 40 ) of drilling rig 10 , one or more pieces of equipment may travel with drilling rig 10 during a skidding operation. For example and without limitation, equipment may include tanks 70 , mud process equipment 100 , choke manifold 102 , accumulator 104 , mud gas separators, process tanks, trip tanks, drill line spoolers, HPU's, VFD, or driller's cabin 106 . As such any pipe or tubing connections between or taken from tanks 70 , mud process equipment 100 , choke manifold 102 , and/or accumulator 104 may remain connected during the skidding operations. This arrangement may allow, for example, more rapid rig disassembly (“rigging-down”) and assembly (or “rigging-up”) of drilling rig 10 before and after a skidding operation.
[0017] Additionally, by facing V-door side 22 of drilling rig 10 toward one of the substructures 30 , 40 , equipment and structures that pass through the V-door 23 or to drilling floor 20 from V-door side 22 of drilling rig 10 may, for example, be less likely to interfere with additional wells in the well field.
[0018] One having ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will understand that the specific configuration depicted in FIGS. 1-3 may be varied without deviating from the scope of this disclosure.
[0019] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and that such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of said disclosure. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claims cover all such equivalent variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of said disclosure.
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The drilling rig includes a first substructure and a second substructure. The second substructure is positioned generally parallel to and spaced apart from the first substructure and generally the same height as the first substructure. The drilling rig further includes a drill floor coupled to the first and second substructures, where the drill floor positioned substantially at the top of the first and second substructures.
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[0001] This non-provisional application takes priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/205,764 filed on May 19, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to the field of computer software and data processing, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for managing enterprise employee training systems.
[0004] 2. Background
[0005] Technology continues to evolve and becomes more complex over time. In the course of a single career, technology can antiquate an employee's skills. As a company grows, the need to train existing employees in new and changing technologies is critical to the success of the company. Modern companies must therefore strive to keep a stable and well-trained workforce. Many companies go about doing this by implementing a company wide employee-training program. However, for large companies, with many thousands of employees, managing employee training can be a daunting task that is fraught with complexity.
[0006] Enterprise Employee Training
[0007] Keeping a workforce up to date requires human resource departments and company management to constantly monitor, evaluate, and modify the constantly change and modify the computer system tasked with management of the training program. For enterprise companies, which are companies with thousands of employees stationed at sites around the world, a system to manage employee training must perform on a global scale.
[0008] One problem faced by large companies is that it is difficult to effectively manage the number of employees that must be trained while still enforcing the constraints placed upon such training by company needs. Moreover, it is difficult to make the system widely accessible to employees that speak different languages and reside in different parts of the world. Thus, there is a need for an enterprise employee training system that enforces the rules established by management but that is still directly accessible by employees. Such a system would benefit the company because it would reduce the overall costs associated with managing and maintaining the system
[0009] The user interface should be flexible enough to work well in multiple languages, and be easily customized to meet the regional requirements of each division within the company. In the past, such interfaces were generally written as graphical user interface computer programs. Such programs required programmers to rewrite the interface programs to reflect changing information and to meet the needs of different regional offices of the corporation. Thus, there is a need for a user interface to the system that easily changes according to the language requirements of the user.
[0010] Systems supporting large companies must handle many thousands of transactions per year, and generate useful reports to aid management decisions about training. In addition, such systems should manage classroom allocation, manage training products, handle in-house and external billing and chargebacks, track employee training history, and be easy to access while ensuring the security required of a global database.
[0011] Available commercial registration systems are not designed to work on a global scale. It would be desirable for such systems to provide support for a global training plan while allowing localized customization of the information in the system.
[0012] An additional limitation of existing commercial training system is that they are not scalable to the needs of very large companies. Small companies may use a single computer to run their database, authentication, and accounting servers. In very large companies, these functions often run on different and often remote computers. Thus large companies often require interfaces between multiple servers to occur on a scheduled, not an on-demand, basis. Existing systems do not offer the flexibility required for enterprise corporations to easily interface to multiple other in-house computer systems.
[0013] Automation is also a critical requirement in an enterprise employee training system. With thousands of employees requiring services from such a system, the overhead required to run a training program may become unmanageable. Functions that can be performed by the system on a scheduled basis can save many employee-hours and therefore reduce the cost of the training system. Available systems do not provide the level of reliable automation required to keep the cost of managing an enterprise employee training system contained.
[0014] To add further complication, the method of delivering education to employees is constantly changing. While tradition dictates gathering students for classroom lectures, many new methods of communication are now available for employee education. Existing educational management systems are not designed to manage a multitude of course delivery methods, or to be extensible to methods not yet devised.
[0015] Thus, there is a need for a system that allows large companies to meet many varied requirements for managing an enterprise employee-training system on a global scale.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] One embodiment of the present invention comprises a method and apparatus for managing an enterprise employee training system where classes are defined, registered for, delivered, managed, and tracked across a global intra-company network. The system provides facilities to allow a company to efficiently manage all aspects of an employee-training program.
[0017] Modern large global companies perform employee training through a multitude of class delivery formats. One embodiment of the present invention supports management of classes that are given in classrooms, broadcast by satellite, delivered on books or videotapes, given as collaborative web-based classes, or offered as self-paced classes given over a network, by book or by video. While one embodiment of the present invention is implemented on a global intranet, a person of ordinary skill in the art will see that this invention could be implemented on any form of interconnection fabric.
[0018] A system designed to manage enterprise employee training should correctly interface with a workforce that speaks multiple languages, works a varied calendar in multiple time zones, travels between work locations, and has regional training requirements in multiple continents. Such enterprise systems must typically be centrally controlled so that management decision about employee training may be uniformly propagated throughout the system. For enterprise systems, a common user-interface and a single point of maintenance are highly desirable features. Such features reduce user training, documentation, and management costs. One embodiment of the present invention provides all these advantages through one method and apparatus. With a centralized database, automated fault-tolerant notification, and flexible HTML-based user interfaces, present invention provides a global solution for large companies to manage a global employee-training program.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] [0019]FIG. 1 illustrates the overall system architecture of one embodiment of the invention.
[0020] [0020]FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the relationship between the objects used to implement one embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 3 provides an example of a general-purpose computer to be used with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 4A illustrates an overview of the process used by one embodiment of the invention of class lifecycle from definition to billing.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 4B illustrates the database record definitions required by one embodiment of the invention to define a class.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 5 illustrates the process of student registration as it occurs in one embodiment of the invention.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 6 illustrates the process used by one embodiment of the invention to manage class cancellation.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 7 illustrates the process used by one embodiment of the invention to manage pre-class and post-class record processing.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 8 illustrates the process used by one embodiment of the invention to process classes accounting records for product-based classes.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 9 illustrates the HTML Builder functionality in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 10 illustrates the HTML page generation process in one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] A method and apparatus for managing an enterprise employee training system is described. One embodiment of the present invention comprises a method for managing the data required to implement an enterprise employee training system. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more through description of one embodiment of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.
[0031] The term “class” and “course” may be used in this description in the sense that a class comprises an instance of a course. For example, a course catalog may describe courses offered by an educational department or institution, but a class schedule is required to know which courses are being offered in any given session. A course may comprise a title, description, and prerequisites, while a class typically has a course number, time, instructor, and location.
System Overview
[0032] The architectural elements that may be used to implement one embodiment of the present invention include a database server, a WWW server, a network, and one or more user workstations. As shown in FIG. 1, database server 100 comprises a computer system running a commercial database engine of sufficient computing power and storage capacity to sustain many thousands of transactions per year. WWW server 102 may be any extensible commercial web server framework. In one embodiment of the invention, the JavaWebServer™ made by Sun Microsystems, Inc. is used. However, the invention contemplates the use of other extensible web server frameworks. Servers 100 and 102 may execute on the same or on different computers in the network. All elements of one embodiment of the present invention may be connected by any interconnection fabric, including the Internet or any other type of network, to form a communications link between users and the enterprise educational training system. Users of the system may include students, instructors, administrators, managers, administrative assistants, vendors, new hires and others.
[0033] Software elements of the system may include web application interface 106 , which may run on any number of client devices 112 . Client devices 112 may be networked in any conventional fashion to WWW server 102 . Client device 112 may be a workstation, personal computer, or any other device capable of accessing one embodiment of the present invention via an interconnection fabric. Additional software elements of the system include extensions to WWW server 102 , extensions to database server 100 , batch processing 108 , and software configured to interface with accounting server 104 . In one embodiment of the invention, administrator tools and system maintenance tools are additional software elements of the invention.
[0034] The hardware architecture of one embodiment of the present invention assumes, in general, that data is stored and managed on database server 100 , and that WWW server 102 is the user's only interface to database server 100 . Users gain a view into the system using client device 112 and web application interface 106 . In one embodiment of the present invention, web application interface 106 is generally a web browser. The user navigates locally on client device 112 and data is requested by web application interface 106 from database server 100 via WWW server 102 as necessary. This arrangement of client, web server, and database server is a typical three-tier architecture that provides enhanced database security, and is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0035] Functional Elements
[0036] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system is composed of the following functional components: the course component, the class component, the registration component, the request component, the class products component, the miscellaneous administrative maintenance component, the database component, the batch processing component, and the notification and email component. Each of these functional components is responsible for different aspects of the overall employee training management system.
[0037] [0037]FIG. 1 illustrates the functional components used by an embodiment of the invention to manage enterprise employee training. Database server 100 , WWW server 102 , and email system 110 are commercially available programs customized by one embodiment of the present invention to meet the needs of an enterprise employee training system. An embodiment of the present invention interfaces with accounting server 104 . In one embodiment of the present invention, web application interface 106 is developed as a set of one or more HTML web pages. However, web application interface 106 may comprise other types of documents that are capable of being disseminated through a computer network in other embodiments of the invention. These web pages are sent to client device 112 by WWW server 102 , and they act as web application interface 106 . One embodiment of the present invention includes a batch processor that is described in more detail below. An embodiment of the invention contemplates building extensions to database server 100 and WWW server 102 . All the elements of one embodiment of the present invention described herein should be built in a scalable manner to meet the needs of an expanding large company or enterprise corporation.
[0038] An embodiment of the invention comprises one or more customized software programs. Such programs include, but are not limited to, the web server extensions, the request handler, the notification handler and the batch processor programs. Administrative tools such as the administrator's search handler and the HTML interface builder are also software elements of one embodiment of the present invention system that are described herein as part of one embodiment of the invention.
[0039] Overview of Course Definition and Maintenance
[0040] The process of defining and managing a training course utilizing the method of one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated below. In an embodiment of the present invention, training courses are described on two levels. Courses are first defined at the global (international) level. This feature of the method allows the corporation control of its overall education program. In one embodiment of the invention, the corporation may enact an approval cycle for course definitions before allowing a global course to be instantiated in the system. Access to the system to define a global course can be restricted to a certain class of user to provide additional control over what courses are offered to employees.
[0041] [0041]FIG. 4A provides an overview of the lifecycle of a course in one embodiment of the present invention. The process starts at step 400 , where a course manager, an employee with authority to define a course in the system, prepares a course description. At step 402 it is determined whether the course fee is an internal workgroup fee, a student fee, neither, or both. If the answer is neither (e.g. there is not fee for the course) then flow proceeds to step 406 . If the course is an internal workgroup course, or there is a student fee, or both, step 404 ensures that the correct accounting procedures are set up for the course revenue and charge-backs. For internal workgroup courses, charges may be split across departments. For example, if an employee from one department obtains permission to attend an internal workgroup course offered for another department, then two departments may be billed for the course. In addition, the instructor may come from a third department, and the revenue of the course will need to be allocated to a third department. Finally, any course may or may not charge a student fee, and the accounting records should be set up accordingly. Course charges can be adjusted at the local course level as required.
[0042] At step 406 , the course manager schedules the course and sends an information form about the course to the registrar. At step 408 the registrar enters a course description and sets up the class in the system. The registrar is an employee with permission to define and change records in the computer system of the invention. FIG. 4B demonstrates the process of defining a course in one embodiment of the present invention. In first step, the registrar defines global course record 401 in the system, and sets up a class description. A student interest list for the class may already exist, as tested in step 410 . If there is no student list the registrar prepares a course announcement in step 412 and sends it to the course manager, and the method proceeds to step 420 . If a student interest list exists at the time of course definition, then in step 414 the registrar may inform the students on the interest list by sending them email, via the batch processor, to notify them that the class will be held. Course and class records may be entered from multiple continents and in multiple languages.
[0043] After the course and class records have been defined, and the students have received an announcement of the class and they may enroll in step 416 . Students who do enroll receive an enrollment confirmation notice generated by the system at step 418 . At step 420 , all registered students receive automatically generated reminder notices at user-defined intervals before the class.
[0044] While the class is open for enrollment, the size of the enrollment is monitored by the invention at step 422 . In one embodiment of the invention, a waitlist will be generated if a class reaches its maximum enrollment. The registrar receives notice of any class that does not reach its minimum or maximum enrollment. In one embodiment of the invention, before a class is held the system automatically generates an instructor packet in step 424 .
[0045] The class is held at step 426 . Students attend the class and sign in. When the class is complete, students fill out class evaluations and receive their certificates of completion that were generated as part of the instructor packet in step 424 . After the class completes, at step 428 , the instructor sends the sign in sheet to the registrar. The registrar records attendance, records “no-shows” and “incompletes,” and enters information into the system to ensure the correct calculation of charge backs. The registrar also sends the course evaluations to the vendor. In one embodiment of the invention, at step 430 , charge backs are uploaded to the accounting system once a month for billing purposes.
[0046] Course Definition
[0047] [0047]FIG. 4B provides a more detailed view of the course definition process, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The course manager first defines a record for global course 401 . Global course record 401 contains information about the course manager, the course code, the course name, and the course family. Examples of course family, or general subject matter of a course in one embodiment of the invention include:
[0048] Advanced Internet Technologies
[0049] Business applications
[0050] Business practices
[0051] Computer Aided Design (CAD)
[0052] Communicating for Results
[0053] Employee Development
[0054] Executive management
[0055] Enterprise servers
[0056] Executive training
[0057] Finance courses
[0058] Function specific
[0059] Field sales
[0060] Computer languages
[0061] Management and leadership
[0062] New hire training
[0063] Networking
[0064] Object technology
[0065] Operating systems
[0066] Project management
[0067] Quality training
[0068] Self study courses
[0069] Software development
[0070] Self-paced products
[0071] Systems applications
[0072] Team effectiveness
[0073] Workstation applications
[0074] Work skills training
[0075] Course family designations are important in providing refined catalog searches for students and others using the system. The invention contemplates the use of other family designations. In one embodiment of the invention a family designation may be defined by the course manager and comprise a set of characteristics defined by the manager.
[0076] After global course record 401 is defined, the course manager may define local course record 403 . Local course record 403 specifies the delivery type of the class, the minimum and maximum class enrollment, course fees and revenue information, pre-work required of the students, the course manager, if testing is required, the status of the class, notification information, and if the class should have an interest list. A description of local course 403 comprises an abstract, general description, audience, objectives, methods, prerequisites, materials, and other notes. Local course record 403 cannot be defined unless global course record 401 exists. Local course records may be used as templates for other local course records and then customized to meet regional training needs. For example, a course manager may copy a local course record and then change the language of the notification information to suit the employees of another country.
[0077] Next, a record for course location 405 is defined, if the location record does not already exist. Course location record 405 contains a location code, a geographic region code, a location name, description, status, address, contact, phone number and special instructions fields. A course location represents a place where classes may be held, for example a training center or an office building. Courses may be entered and/or located in multiple continents and provided in multiple languages. Depending on the embodiment of the invention, course location 405 may or may not represent an individual classroom. Therefore, it may also be possible to define a classroom record. For example, classroom record 407 can contain the following information: classroom name, location code, location name, status, description and capacity. Classes may be entered and/or located in multiple continents and provided in multiple languages.
[0078] Classes may be taught, or training products may be supplied by, suppliers. For example, a supplier can be any company that provides instructors and or educational materials. Suppliers can be internal or external to the corporation. For example, a department of the corporation may be a supplier. A commercial school that provides teachers is also a supplier, as is a company that sells instructional videotapes. Even classes defined for internal workgroups require supplier. Supplier record 409 should be defined before an instructor record can be defined, as it is used to track instructor billing and revenue. Supplier record 409 contains the following information: id, supplier company name, address, country, email, and phone. In addition, internal suppliers may have a URL field in supplier record 409 .
[0079] After supplier record 409 is defined, an instructor can be assigned to the class. Instructor record 411 contains information as follows: instructor name, type, status, supplier record and rate. Instructors should be associated with a supplier for billing and revenue purposes.
[0080] After all the above-described records exist the class manager, registrar or course manager may define class record 413 . To define class record 413 an authorized user enters information into the system as follows: global course number, local course number, and supplier. If the course delivery type is classroom, the course manager will select a location and a classroom. The course manager also specifies if the class is an internal workgroup class, in which enrollment is restricted to certain employees and therefore the invention requires a password to allow student registration. Any class that is not an internal workgroup class may be an open enrollment class.
[0081] Next, the course manager sets the class status, which for a newly created class may be set to “new.” During the life of a class, its status can be one of the following values: new, available, full, post-class, cancelled, or completed. Class status is changed to “available” when the course manager wishes to open enrollment. Class notices and other information can be customized at the time class record 413 is defined.
[0082] Student Registration
[0083] To register for a class using the method of an embodiment of the present invention, a student follows the steps detailed in FIG. 5. The first step, shown as step 501 , requires the student to log into the registration system. In one embodiment of the invention, the log in function is performed by methods well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the method requires that the system verify the user's identity and authorization to perform a registration, by whatever method available. Registration may be performed from multiple continents and in multiple languages.
[0084] The method of one embodiment of the present invention does not require the prospective student to log into the system personally. In an enterprise environment, it is common for busy executives and others to have assistants perform functions such as registering the executive for a class. A manager may also direct an employee to register all the members of a group for a class. The ability of a user who is logged into the system to register one or more others for classes is a feature of one embodiment of the present invention that is an example of the flexibility provided by one embodiment of the present invention to support enterprise environment training needs.
[0085] At step 503 , the user searches the database of the invention for available classes that meet the user's criteria. Criteria may include the class title, number, delivery type, geographic region, and/or period during which the class will be offered. When a class has been identified, the user selects the class at step 505 . At step 506 it is determined whether the user is a registrar or a user with special authority. If the user is a registrar or a user with special authority, then flow goes to step 507 . If the user is not a registrar or a user with special authority, then flow goes to step 508 .
[0086] At step 507 , the user will select one or more employees or non-employees to register. One embodiment of the present invention provides the flexibility of registering non-employees because of the nature of an enterprise business environment. In a company with thousands of employees, the entry of new hires into the employee database is often not immediate. Yet, managers often wish to send their new hires to classes for training as soon as possible. By allowing users to register non-employees for classes, one embodiment of the present invention provides flexibility to let managers register new hires for classes, without requiring the employee database to reflect all new hires on a daily basis. At step 508 the system registers the student. In the final step of the registration process, step 509 , the system confirms the registration to the user.
[0087] Class Cancellation
[0088] The method for canceling a class in one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6. Step 600 asks what type of class is being cancelled. For internal workgroup classes, step 602 , the course manager and client are notified. The client may wish to reschedule the class, using the class setup process described in FIG. 4B. If the class is a standard class then, at step 604 , the course manager notifies the instructor of the cancellation. In either case at step 606 use of the classroom is cancelled and the educational coordinator, the employee responsible for the maintenance of the classroom, is notified of the cancellation. In one embodiment of the present invention, the course manager is responsible for notifying the registrar of the cancellation, which occurs at step 608 .
[0089] The registrar enters the cancellation into the computer system at step 610 . The system sends batch email notification to the students registered for the class indicating that the class has been cancelled. Students receive this notice at step 612 . The registrar, at step 614 , then emails confirmation of the cancellation back to the course manager. Step 616 shows that student records are retained for reporting purposes.
[0090] Pre and Post Class Tracking and Processing
[0091] One embodiment of the present invention provides support for an enterprise employee-training environment by performing a number of automated tracking processes and other pre-class and post-class processes. These processes are detailed in FIG. 7. Pre-class processing is described at step 700 , where the system automatically generates instructor class packet 701 . Instructor class packet 701 is made by batch process some days before the class. To support a global training environment instructor class packet 701 is posted on a web site, so instructors anywhere in the world can easily download their packets. Instructor class packet 701 may contain, for example: an evaluation sheet, a roster listing all students registered for the class, a sign-in sheet, a door sign, feedback forms, certificates of completion, and student name tents for each student registered in the class.
[0092] The system also tracks student registration and participation in classes. For example, on the final day of a class, at step 702 , the system automatically sets the class status to “post-class”, and notifies the registrar. The instructor sends the completed sign-in sheet to the registrar at step 704 . At step 706 , the registrar is responsible for updating the attendance, revenue, and charge-back information in the class records.
[0093] At step 708 it is determined what the class type is. If the class type is a self-paced, then the system sets the enrollment status to “complete” as soon as the student registers, at step 714 . At step 716 the system automatically updates revenue records for self-paced classes and ensures upload of the records to the corporate accounting system.
[0094] For all other class types (e.g. classroom, collaborative web, broadcast classes), at step 710 , on a designated day of the month all classes with status of “post-class” are accounted for, and the class status is automatically changed to “complete” by the system. At step 712 the charge backs entered by the registrar are uploaded to the corporate accounting system, and the registration records are then locked to prevent further changes. Tracking another pre-class and post-class processing may be performed from multiple continents and in multiple languages.
[0095] Product Accounting System Interface
[0096] [0096]FIG. 8 demonstrates the processes of the invention for managing accounting of employee training products, such as books, videos, and self-paced web classes according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, the product accounting system can be used to manage other class accounting needs such as providing a student with a class refund, or charging a department of other types of services rendered.
[0097] At step 800 , on the first day of the fiscal month, new revenue records are defined for each available training product. During the month, at step 802 , local revenue centers may adjust the price and revenue figures for any product in the catalog. At step 804 , on a particular day of the fiscal month so designated, the invention automatically uploads all revenue records for the previous fiscal month to the corporate accounting system. At step 806 , the system saves all the monthly revenue records for reporting purposes.
[0098] System Reporting
[0099] Frequent monitoring by management can be used to tailor an employee training system to meet the needs of an enterprise corporation. Monitoring and reporting may be performed from multiple continents and in multiple languages. One embodiment of the invention produces the following reports:
[0100] Daily Class Cancellations
[0101] Daily classes filled
[0102] Daily class confirmation summary
[0103] Daily class reminder summary
[0104] Daily enrollment deadline report
[0105] Daily merged student record report
[0106] Course schedule by course number/class contact
[0107] Room schedule by date
[0108] Monthly revenue detail by revenue account
[0109] Monthly revenue account (summary)
Software Programs and Administrator Tools
[0110] One embodiment of the present invention is implemented in Java, and makes use of Sun Microsystems' JavaWebServer™ product. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one embodiment of the present invention may be practiced without this specific detail. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.
[0111] In the following description, a distinction is made between an HTML page and an HTML form. For the purposes of this specification, an HTML form may be a page that requests the user to input data into fields on the page, or request information from the server. An HTML page may be a display-only page that may contain links to other pages or forms, but may not contain input fields or request elements.
[0112] A. Web Server Framework Extensions
[0113] Managing a Global Training Environment
[0114] In an enterprise environment, user interface web pages may be displayed in the languages spoken at different company sites around the world. Web browser applications, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, provide users the option to select which language they want a web page displayed in if the web page developer has provided the page in multiple languages. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the relationship between the objects used to implement one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, LocalizerManager 200 component allows an interface programmer to easily deal with multilingual labels, components, exceptions and objects by storing those items as strings in property files. The LocalizerManager reads the strings and selects the correct versions to appear on the interface display, based on the user's language choice as specified by the web browser making the request for the web page.
[0115] A LocalizerManager instance comprises Localizer objects 202 for a specific locale for the application. There is one Localizer object for each page (and/or form) in the local application. Each page is stored in its own property file. If we supported two languages for an application (for example, English and French), and the application contained 10 web pages, then there would be 20 property files: 10 in English and 10 in French. The browser language choice setting is determined by HTMLServlet object 204 , which reads, an HTML header sent by the browser.
[0116] The LocalizerManager class also contains static methods and static private members. It has a static hash table of LocalizerManager instances that contain the LocalizerManager objects for each locale. The static methods are called by the interface application to retrieve the correct LocalizerManager instance for a specific locale. Making the LocalizerManager instances static improves their performance, since property files need only to be read once for all instances of the application.
[0117] The WWW Server
[0118] One embodiment of the invention uses the JavaWebServer™ as WWW Server component (e.g. block 102 of FIG. 1). JavaWebServer™ supports the use of Java “servlets.” A servlets can almost be thought of as and applet that runs on the server side—without a face. JavaWebServer™ provides a Java class called HTTPServlet that can process HTTP Form Post and Get request from a browser. An application sub-classes HTTPServlet to implement the functionality to actually process the request. Then the application defines a servlet to JavaWebServer™ that points to this HTTPServlet sub-class. The user interface application, via the browser, contacts this servlet by specifying a URL that identifies this application servlet. The JavaWebServer™ product has the ability to assign a “session area” to a user (browser) when it contacts the JavaWebServer™ servlet to start a session. It is possible to store application information (including Java objects) in this session storage area.
[0119] User Authentication
[0120] One embodiment of the invention requires users to log into the system before registering for classes or administering the system. The LoginServer component builds on the feature of the web server to provide user session data storage. A user interface application using the LoginServer will sub-class a Java class called AuthHTTPServlet (which is part of the LoginServer package) instead of HTTPServlet. AuthHTTPServlet is a sub-class of HTTPServlet. However, one embodiment of the present invention's functionality is not dependent on the LoginServer. The invention may be practiced without this feature by implementing the system to use other authentication methods, or the invention could be implemented to use the JavaWebServer™ sessions directly.
[0121] On receipt of a browser HTTP Post or Get request, the application servlet (a subclass of the AuthHTTPServlet) checks to see if this user has an existing JavaWebServer™ session. If not, the AuthHTTPServlet will redirect the user to the login screen. Once the user has logged in successfully, the AuthHTTPServlet will assign this user a session in the JavaWebServer™. If the user later sends HTTP Post or Get requests from the application servlet, the LoginServer can recognize that the request belongs to an existing session, and retrieves stored information from the JavaWebServer™ session for this user. However, the LoginServer itself only stores user information such as the user's name, not the session data.
[0122] The HTMLFramework
[0123] The HTMLFramework is an extension of the JavaWebServer™. Session data may dictate what type of data to store in SessionModel 208 , how to manage it, how to define navigation from one page to the next, how to go back to a previous page, and to how display an error message with the user's erroneous input displayed. The HTMLFramework, according to an embodiment, is illustrated in FIG. 2A and 2B, and described below.
[0124] Session data is stored in an instance of a class called SessionModel, which is instantiated when a user session begins. The SessionModel object is used to store all application specific information for this user's application session.
[0125] The HTMLServlet initializes the user's SessionModel after the user has been authenticated by the LoginServer component. When the session's first request is passed to the HTMLServlet it will create a new SessionModel instance and populate it with any required system data, such as the JavaWebServer's™ host system fully qualified name. The HTMLServlet will also retrieve the appropriate LocalizerManager for this user's locale, and store this information in the SessionModel.
[0126] In one embodiment of the invention, the HTMLFramework's HTMLServlet Java class sub-classes HTTPAuthServlet (from the LoginServer component) to take advantage of its support for user authentication.
[0127] The HTMLServlet sub-class for an application is responsible for:
[0128] initializing an user's application session;
[0129] sending all HTML generated by HTMLPages and HTMLForms to the browser;
[0130] displaying and routing requests to the correct HTMLForm for processing; and
[0131] processing all HTTP Post and/or Get requests from the form elements on the application's HTML pages;
[0132] HTMLInterface class 206 is a Java interface which represents an object that can send HTML to a browser. It acts as a base class for the HTMLPage and HTMLForm classes.
[0133] The HTMLPage class 214 represents a page containing HTML, but does not contain a form element. HTMLPage class implements HTMLInterface 206 . It uses an HTMLGeneratorInterface object to generate this HTML. There can be many implementations of HTMLGeneratorInterface 210 . The default implementation in one embodiment of the present invention is called the HTMLBuilder. The HTMLPage sub-class can define which HTMLGeneratorInterface implementation can be used to generate the HTML for this page. The HTMLPage can be sub-classed by a user interface application to implement the specifics of what the page should display.
[0134] The HTMLForm class 216 represents a page containing HTML form elements. (An HTML form allows the user to enter data and/or make a request of the server for a particular action). An HTMLForm class knows how to process the data entered on the HTML page by the user and will return it's response in the form of the next HTMLPage or HTMLForm. An HTMLForm inherits all functionality of it's parent class HTMLPage (so it knows how to generate HTML to the browser) as well as process data from the form on this page. The HTMLForm can be sub-classed by an application to implement the specifics of what this page should display and where its form data should be sent.
[0135] ErrorPage 212 is simply a special kind of HTMLPage that displays an error message. It is not abstract and can be instantiated.
[0136] In one embodiment of the present invention, the HTMLFramework should have a one-to-one relationship between every HTML application page displayed on the browser and a Java class that supports it on the server (either an HTMLPage sub-class, HTMLForm sub-class, or the ErrorPage).
[0137] Dynamic HTML Generation
[0138] Each HTMLPage and HTMLForm sub-class is able to generate the HTML for its application display. Each HTMLForm sub-class knows how to process the data from its HTML form and perform the requested function (i.e. retrieving data from the database, saving data to the database, performing calculations, etc.) Each HTMLForm also knows the next HTMLForm or HTMLPage sub-class that should be displayed. In this way, the application controls user navigation. The next HTMLPage or HTMLForm to display might display the results of a database query or a calculation or simply collect additional information required. Each HTMLForm sub-class can also store data entered by the user on its form and display the data returned from a database query or calculation.
[0139] If an error occurs during the processing of user input data, an HTMLForm can decide that the next HTMLPage or HTMLForm should not be displayed—instead the HTMLForm will displayed an appropriate error message and display the entry form populated with the data the user entered.
[0140] Likewise, an HTMLPage sub-class can be designed to display data given to it. It can be given data during its construction, or before it is asked to generate its HTML. The HTMLPage can display this data by incorporating the data into the HTML it generates.
[0141] Alternatively, the navigation can be circular with the HTMLForm always redisplaying itself with the data the user entered, the results of the database retrieval or calculation. This gives the user the opportunity to enter another request.
[0142] Since an HTMLForm element can have many different buttons that define many different actions, an HTMLForm may actually navigate to many different HTMLPages or HTMLForms, one for each action defined on the HTMLForm element.
[0143] An HTMLForm sub-class can be implemented to give a newly created instance of itself a unique name that can identify this instance. Each HTMLForm uses the JavaWebServer™ application servlet URL for the application's HTMLServlet sub-class when specifying an action for its form element. By default, the HTMLForm will add hidden fields to its form element. These hidden fields are used by the HTMLServlet to identify which HTMLForm should process a request from a browser. In particular, it adds two hidden fields that contain the following information:
[0144] the Java class name of the HTMLForm sub-class that generated the HTML for this page; and
[0145] the unique name for this instance of that HTMLForm sub-class.
[0146] When the HTMLForm generates the HTML for its page, it will add these hidden fields to its form element. After the user enters data and presses a button on the form, the HTMLForm sends an HTTP Post or Get request to the application's HTMLServlet with all the data entered by the user in addition to the data in any hidden fields.
[0147] When an HTMLPage generates HTML, it actually is sent to the HTMLServlet who sends it back to the user's browser. If the HTML was generated from an HTMLForm, the HTMLServlet will save the instance of the HTMLForm that generated that page in SessionModel. This is so it can be retrieved to process any HTTP Post/Get request generated from the form element in the HTML that was just sent to the user by this HTMLForm.
[0148] When the HTMLServlet gets the HTTP Post and/or Get request, it locates the hidden fields containing the HTMLForm sub-class Java class name and the unique name for this instance of that HTMLForm sub-class. The HTMLServlet then attempts to retrieve the HTMLForm instance from the SessionModel that has the specified unique name. If the HTMLForm cannot find that unique instance it will instantiate a new instance of the proper HTMLForm sub-class, using the sub-class name.
[0149] In some cases, an HTMLForm instance may not be in the SessionModel. The user can navigate to a previous page using the browser's back/forward buttons, or other navigation elements on the application HTML page. Therefore, even when an HTMLForm is displayed the user may not enter data on that page at that time. One embodiment of the present invention therefore supports a model where the user may change his mind about what he is doing on any page and go to some other functional area in the application. The user could then come back to this HTMLForm page later.
[0150] Managing User State Data
[0151] Providing HTML user interface applications with user state information may tax system resources. HTML is an essentially stateless formatting language. In providing the user interface application with state information as described above, the SessionModel object may become full of HTMLForm instances that have been previously displayed. The HTMLFramework allows the application to be configured to specify the maximum number of HTMLForms that can be stored in the SessionModel. After this maximum is reached, the oldest HTMLForms are discarded.
[0152] Once the HTMLServlet retrieves (or creates) the proper HTMLForm, it passes the HTTP Post and/or Get request data to this HTMLForm sub-class for processing. The HTMLForm sub-class will retrieve the data entered by the user or perform the action specified by the user (as defined by which button was pressed on the HTML page). The HTMLServlet will then perform the specified function.
[0153] According to an embodiment, the HTMLServlet first decides which HTMLForm or HTMLPage sub-class should be displayed next. It then instantiates the appropriate page, populates the page with data retrieved from the database or generated from some calculation, and returns this new HTMLForm or HTMLPage to the HTMLServlet. In the case of an error, the HTMLForm that processed the HTTP Post or Get request might return itself to the HTMLServlet.
[0154] The HTMLServlet then asks the HTMLForm or HTMLPage sub-class it received from the HTMLForm to generate the HTML for its page and sends this page back to the browser. Additionally, the HTMLServlet sub-class for a specific application can get and store application-required system data in the SessionModel. For example, the user's name, email address, or application authority levels may be stored in the SessionModel.
[0155] When the HTMLServlet asks for an HTMLPage or HTMLForm to generate its HTML, or asks an HTMLForm to process an HTTP Get or Post request, the HTMLServlet will retrieve the SessionModel data for this session and pass that data to the HTMLPage or HTMLForm. This way the HTMLPage or HTMLForm can store or retrieve any data within the SessionModel it may need.
[0156] B. The HTML Builder Object
[0157] One embodiment of the present invention generates HTML pages on demand using an object called the HTMLBuilder. The HTMLBuilder is illustrated in FIG. 9. HTMLBuilder object 900 generates HTML code for the web browser based on information stored in data files called property files for HTML objects. The HTMLBuilder reads the property files, locates the special codes indicating the presence of a variable, and then processes the variables by inserting data values into the placeholders defined by the variables. The resultant HTML code 902 is sent to the browser for display.
[0158] [0158]FIG. 10 details the data flow to and from HTMLBuilder object 1020 in one embodiment of the present invention. When the user interface application is loaded by the browser and the application makes its first request to WWW server 1050 , HTMLBuilder object 1020 is invoked to generate the appropriate HTML code. The HTML code for each page to be delivered by server 1050 to the user's browser is generated on demand, with data being retrieved from or sent to database server 1000 as needed. A more detailed explanation of the HTMLBuilder functionality is as follows.
[0159] The first step in generating an HTML page for the user interface application is for HTMLBuilder 1020 to retrieve HTML property file 1010 from server 1050 . HTML property file 1010 may contain static HTML, database variables and macros, and HTMLBuilder 1020 variables.
[0160] When a browser sends a request to server 1050 the HTTPServlet receives the request. The HTTPServlet retrieves the appropriate data from the database for HTMLBuilder 1020 . HTMLBuilder 1020 will then use the data to generate “HTML snippets” 1030 . (HTML snippets 906 are HTML format commands elements that contain values that can only be determined at runtime.) HTMLBuilder object 1020 combines HTML property file 1010 , database values specified in HTML property file 1010 , and HTML snippets 1030 to generate completed HTML page 1040 . Completed HTML page 1040 is then returned to the user's browser for display. Competed HTML page 1040 appears to the browser to be a standard static HTML page.
[0161] Using HTML property file 1010 and database values to generate HTML pages on demand allows one embodiment of the present invention to provide multilingual support for a global employee training system. If a user interface application for a new user language is required, system personnel need only generate a new property file in that language. After a new property file 1010 is placed on server 102 , and the user selects a corresponding language using their web browser, the user interface will be displayed in the user's selected language. In one embodiment of the present invention, database 1000 is also designed to support multiple language character sets, allowing course descriptions and other information to be entered in any language. Thus, through the combination of the database design and HTMLBuilder object 1020 one embodiment of the present invention provides seamless support for a global enterprise employee training system.
[0162] C. Search Processing
[0163] One function of the present invention requires providing the user the ability to easily search various criteria of the database for registration, accounting, and maintenance purposes. One embodiment of the present invention provides two different user interfaces for searching the database. The first interface is provided to administrative users, and is a generic search capability. This interface is illustrated in FIG. 11. The second interface provided is for student registration, and is HTML-based. Both interfaces use the same underlying search server.
[0164] The approach for searching a large database with flexible criteria is as follows. The client process, either the administrator or student, sends a vector of search criteria objects to the search server. Each search criteria object contains a Business Object class name and method name that defines the field to search, a search qualifier selected by the user for this field, a value to use as a search criteria. The search criteria object also contains information defining which fields to return from the search by specifying the Business Object class name and method name. For example, a search may search for all courses with a course name containing the word “Management”. As a result, for each such course found by the search, the course name, course manager name and course price will be returned to the searcher.
[0165] According to an embodiment, the following is a list of currently defined search qualifiers:
[0166] 1=Starts with
[0167] 2=Ending with
[0168] 3=Contains
[0169] 4=Is exactly
[0170] 5=Less than
[0171] 6=Less than or equal to
[0172] 7=Greater than
[0173] 8=Greater than or equal to
[0174] 9=Equal.
[0175] The search server uses search criteria information to build a valid SQL statement and to execute the statement. Next, the search server looks for duplicate fields. If present duplicate fields can be joined by an “or” connector and surrounded by parentheses. The search server then looks up the appropriate SQL phrase for each search criteria in a table. Next, the search server checks to see if any joins are required. If any of the table names retrieved from the lookup table do not specify the same database table name then a join is required. If joins are required, they are also handled by lookup, in another lookup table. All SQL phrases retrieved from either of the lookup tables are then concatenated with “and” connectors, unless they are for duplicate fields, in which case they are connected with “or” connectors.
[0176] D. Notification System
[0177] A central feature of an embodiment of the invention is a reliable, fault-tolerate automated notification system. A notification is an email sent to someone regarding an event occurring within the system of one embodiment of the present invention. There are several types of notification. For example, when a student registers for a class a confirmation notification is sent to the to the student, as well as to the student's manager. A reminder is sent 21 days before the class, and this is sent to the person who enrolled the student (if the student was not self-enrolled) and to the student's manager.
[0178] A notification can be “immediate” or “scheduled”. For immediate notification, the server will send the notice after processing the client request. A scheduled notification is sent by batch processing program on a specified date.
[0179] Default notification information, for both scheduled and immediate notices, may be stored in a table in the database. An example of this table contains:
[0180] Notification type
[0181] The reference data type (e.g. class start date)
[0182] The number of days prior to the reference date when notification can be sent, for immediate notification this field is zero.
[0183] Generation type
[0184] Notification recipients (students, instructors, managers)
[0185] Default email text
[0186] Language of the default email text (e.g. English, French, etc.)
[0187] Notifications are copied from the course default notification to the class schedule notification table. All notifications may be modified by class. The Notification server uses the Email server to send the notifications.
[0188] For scheduled notification, a request can be made for the email server to send an email by writing the required data to the email server's queue, which is a table in the database. The batch program, which handles Scheduled notification, can also use the email server to send the emails. This ensures that all emails will be sent even if the batch program is interrupted or killed or if the server crashes. For each scheduled notification that the batch program is handling, it will use a single transaction to write the email requests to the email server's queue and to mark the scheduled notification as processed. By this method if any event in the database queue fails, all scheduled notices related to that event will also fails, ensuring that the notice system will reliably reflect the status of the database. This process is well known to those skilled in the art as double queuing. Using the database to queue email notification also automatically creates a record of the success or failure of the notification, which provides administrators the information they need to properly keep students informed of the status of classes in the system.
[0189] E. Batch Processing The following is a list of batch programs that may be used by one embodiment of the present invention. Batch processing optimizes interfaces to other systems in the corporation. Programs for batch processing can be written as scripts, programs or database stored procedures. The following functions of one embodiment of the present invention lend themselves to batch processing.
[0190] 1. Class Waitlist Processing and Auto-Promotion
[0191] When an enrolled student cancels his registration, this process may promote the first student on the waitlist to a “promoted” status, and notify the student that space is available in the class. If the student does not register for the class within a specified time, the next student on the waitlist will be notified. Typical time allowed for a student to respond to a waitlist promotion notice is 24 hours. However, in a corporate environment many students will not work on Saturday and Sunday and therefore will not receive their promotion notice until after the time to reply has expired.
[0192] Lengthening the time to respond, however, may cause eligible students to miss a class that is schedule to begin in the near future. The problem is complicated in an enterprise environment because the corporation operates on a global scale, and students work in many different countries with varied work schedules. The solution in one embodiment of the invention is for the auto-promote batch program to recognize the day of the week. If it is run on Friday or Saturday, the program will only auto-promote the waitlisted students if the class starts within the next 48 hours. Response time is lengthened to 72 hours, solving the problem of requiring a response when students are not available to receive their waitlist promotion notice.
[0193] 2. Notification
[0194] Nightly batch programs, which query the class notification table in the database, can send specified emails to enrolled students. If the student did not enroll himself then emails are sent to the person who enrolled the student, to that person's manager, and to the student. If the is student self-enrolled, only the student receives the email notification.
[0195] 3. Post Class Processing
[0196] Updating student status to “completed” and class status to “post class” may be done automatically by the invention via batch processing after the class end date. This batch process calculates the class price for each student based on the class type and charge method. This date is later uploaded into the corporate accounting system.
[0197] 4. Accounting System Upload
[0198] This batch process can calculate revenue from class registrations and product sales, and sends this data to the corporate accounting system on a regular basis. The dates this process executes should be determined relative to the fiscal needs of the corporate accounting system.
[0199] 5. Company Employee Record Database Download
[0200] Nightly batch processes can download the refreshed employee database to the employee table of one embodiment of the present invention. In an enterprise environment, changes to the employee database on a day-to-day basis can be significant. Since new employee data can be entered into one embodiment of the present invention separately, to allow new hires to register for classes before their company records catch up with them, the changes to the company employee records can be reconciled with the employee records of one embodiment of the present invention on a nightly basis.
[0201] Embodiment of General Purpose Computer Environment
[0202] An embodiment of the invention can be implemented as computer software in the form of computer readable program code executed on one or more general-purpose computers such as computer 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. A keyboard 310 and mouse 311 are coupled to a bidirectional system bus 318 (e.g., PCI, ISA or other similar architecture). The keyboard and mouse are for introducing user input to the computer system and communicating that user input to central processing unit (CPU) 313 . Other suitable input devices may be used in addition to, or in place of, the mouse 311 and keyboard 310 . I/O (input/output) unit 319 coupled to bidirectional system bus 318 represents possible output devices such as a printer or an A/V (audio/video) device.
[0203] Computer 300 includes video memory 314 , main memory 315 , mass storage 312 , and communication interface 320 . All these devices are coupled to a bi-directional system bus 318 along with keyboard 310 , mouse 311 and CPU 313 . Mass storage 312 may include both fixed and removable media, such as magnetic, optical or magnetic optical storage systems or any other available mass storage technology. The system bus 318 provides a means for addressing video memory 314 or main memory 315 . The system bus 318 also provides a mechanism for the CPU to transferring data between and among the components, such as main memory 315 , video memory 314 , and mass storage 312 .
[0204] In one embodiment of the invention, the CPU 313 is a microprocessor manufactured by Motorola, such as the 680X0 processor, an Intel Pentium III processor, or an UltraSparc processor from Sun Microsystems. However, any other suitable processor or computer may be utilized. Video memory 314 is a dual-ported video random access memory. One port of the video memory 314 is coupled to video accelerator 316 . The video accelerator device 316 is used to drive a CRT (cathode ray tube), and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), or TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) monitor 317 . The video accelerator 316 is well known in the art and may be implemented by any suitable apparatus. This circuitry converts pixel data stored in video memory 314 to a signal suitable for use by monitor 317 . The monitor 317 is a type of monitor suitable for displaying graphic images.
[0205] Computer 300 may also include a communication interface 320 coupled to system bus 318 . Communication interface 320 provides a two-way data communication coupling via a network link 321 to a network 322 . For example, if communication interface 320 is a modem, communication interface 320 provides a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line, which comprises part of a network link 321 . If communication interface 320 is a Network Interface Card (NIC), communication interface 320 provides a data communication connection via network link 321 to a compatible network. Physical network links can include Ethernet, wireless, fiber optic, and cable television type links. In any such implementation, communication interface 320 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.
[0206] Network link 321 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link 321 may provide a connection through local network 322 to a host computer 323 or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 324 . ISP 324 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “Internet” 325 . Local network 322 and Internet 325 both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams to files. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 321 and through communication interface 320 , which carry the digital data to and from computer 300 , are exemplary forms of carrier waves for transporting the digital information.
[0207] Computer 300 can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), network link 321 , and communication interface 320 . In the Internet example, server 326 might transmit a requested code for an application program through Internet 325 , ISP 324 , local network 322 and communication interface 320 .
[0208] The computer systems described above are for purposes of example only. An embodiment of the invention may be implemented in any type of computer system or programming or processing environment.
[0209] Thus, a method and apparatus for managing an enterprise employee training system has been described. Particular embodiments described herein are illustrative only and should not limit the present invention thereby. The claims and their full scope of equivalents define the invention.
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The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for managing an enterprise employee training system. For example, classes can be defined, registered for, delivered, managed, and tracked across a global intra-company network. The system supports management of classes that are given in classrooms, broadcast by satellite, delivered on books or videotapes, given as collaborative web-based classes, or offered as self-paced classes given over a network, by book or by video. The system correctly interfaces with a multi continental workforce that speaks multiple languages, works a varied calendar in multiple time zones, travels between work locations, and has regional training requirements in multiple continents. Tracking of student registration and class participation as well as other processes are used by the system to allow billing and management decisions about employee training to be uniformly propagated throughout the system. The system also provides for system interfaces in multiple continents and in multiple languages. A common user-interface and a single point of maintenance are also features and reduce user training, documentation, and management costs. Thus, the present invention presents a global solution for large companies to manage a global employee-training program by providing a centralized database, automated fault-tolerant notification, and flexible HTML-based user interfaces.
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FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to electrical connectors with mating connecting portions, and more particularly to low profile connectors for small electronic devices.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Audio and other devices requiring a connection to an external device, such as headphones, employ connectors which receive a plug. When the plug is inserted into the connector, an electrical connection is formed between the inserted plug and a circuit within the device.
[0003] More particularly, such connectors include a connector housing which physically supports an inserted portion of the plug. The connector housing in turn, generally is connected to a circuit board disposed within the device, and possibly to other structures within the device or the device housing. Forces transmitted to a plug inserted into the connector are transferred first to the connector housing, and then to the circuit board to which the connector housing is attached, and possibly to other structures within the device.
[0004] The size, especially the thickness, of handheld electronic devices continues to shrink. However, accommodating connectors and plugs in handheld devices is a challenge within a thinner profile. Often times these connectors face a side of the device that has a very thin profile making integration of a connector, for example a stereo headset connector, increasingly difficult.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various examples and to explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present disclosure, in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a front of a handheld electronic device with connectors located on a side;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 ;
[0008] FIG. 3 is an expanded view of a connector in FIG. 2 ;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a partial bottom view of the connector in an opening formed in a housing of the handheld electronic device;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a connector sleeve disposed within the opening formed in the housing of FIG. 4 ;
[0011] FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of the connector sleeve of FIG. 5 ;
[0012] FIG. 7 is an exploded side view of a connector assembly with a partial circular opening;
[0013] FIG. 8 is an expanded view of the connector in FIG. 7 prior to placement within a housing;
[0014] FIG. 9 is an expanded view of the connector in FIG. 7 after placement within a housing;
[0015] FIG. 10 is an exploded side view of another example of a connector assembly with electrical connectors coupled to a connector sleeve into a partial circular opening ;
[0016] FIG. 11 is an exploded side view of another example of a connector assembly with electrical connectors coupled to the housing;
[0017] FIG. 12 is an exploded side view of another example of a connector assembly with electrical connectors coupled to a connector sleeve inside a full circular opening;
[0018] FIG. 13 is an exploded side view of another example of a connector assembly with a connector sleeve inside a full circular opening and electrical contacts coupled to a printed circuit board;
[0019] FIG. 14 is a top front perspective view of another example of a connector assembly with a multipart sleeve disposed within the opening formed in the housing;
[0020] FIG. 15 is an example flow diagram of fabrication steps for the connector assembly; and
[0021] FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed view of a handheld electronic device with a connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] As required, detailed examples are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed examples are merely examples and that the systems and methods described below can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present subject matter in virtually any appropriately detailed structure and function. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting, but rather, to provide an understandable description of the concepts.
[0023] The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and “having”, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled”, as used herein, is defined as “connected”, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.
[0024] FIG. 1 is a front of an apparatus 102 , such as a handheld electronic device, with an audio connector 100 located on a side 102 . FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 3 is an expanded view of the connector in FIG. 2 . Other electronic devices which may advantageously employ a connector 100 include, but are not limited to, cell, radio, or other wireless phone; wired phones, music players, game devices, handheld computers, tablet computers, ebook readers, portable computers; laptop computers, and peripheral devices
[0025] FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a user 194 grasping apparatus 102 , which as illustrated, is a thin handheld electronic device. In this example the handheld device shown is slightly thicker than a 3 . 5 mm audio connector. Audio connector 100 is positioned along a side surface of apparatus 102 . Apparatus 102 has two connectors 100 , 190 positioned along one side of apparatus 102 , however any number of connectors may be positioned anywhere upon case 118 . Two mating cases 118 , 198 are illustrated; however, a single upper case 118 or any number of case portions may be joined to form a complete case. In the example shown, case 118 is provided with a connector 100 . An upper case 118 forms connector aperture 152 , and a lower case 198 forms connector aperture 192 . Line 196 represents a joining mating surface of upper case 118 and lower case 198 , and may form a smooth surface, or may form a relief, as dictated by a desired or practical physical appearance of apparatus 102 .
[0026] With respect to connector 100 , it may be seen that an overall thickness of apparatus 102 is close in size to a diameter or height of aperture 152 , which is possible due to the formation of aperture 152 from case material 116 . With respect to connector 190 , it may be seen that aperture 192 has relatively less height than aperture 152 ; however, an internal structure of connector 190 may require more height than a height of aperture 192 .
[0027] In other examples, as may be seen in FIG. 3 , the connector aperture 152 is formed within the upper case 118 , and a the lower case 198 may be provided to extend to surround an opening 110 into aperture 152 , or additional strength or protection, or for design or aesthetic purposes.
[0028] In this example, a connector 100 enables a thinner associated apparatus 102 , such as a handheld electronic device because the case 118 itself forms part of the connector as further described below. Connector 100 has a configuration of a headphone connector; however, many varieties of multimedia, data, power, antenna, network connector, outlet or may advantageously be formed in accordance with other examples described herein. A reduction is enabled in the overall size and footprint of a plug or connector 100 , while maintaining the requisite strength and reliability when used within apparatus 102 . Moreover, equivalent or improved reliability is enabled.
[0029] A further advantage is an improvement in tolerance stackup, or the potentially cumulative variation of multiple parts. As a location of connector 100 is closely coupled with housing 116 of apparatus 102 , an orientation of a connector in at least two directional dimensions is reliably established. Further, a reduction of a total parts count is enabled.
[0030] Referring now to FIG. 4 , shown is a partial bottom view of the connector in an opening formed in a housing of the apparatus 102 , such as the handheld electronic device discussed above.
[0031] In the example shown in FIG. 4 , stereo headset connector 100 , for example a a 2.5 or 3.5 mm connector, includes a thin-walled sleeve 104 for receiving a mating 2.5 or 3.5 mm male connector, not shown. Sleeve 104 is thin-walled in that the wall thickness is too thin, using typical prior art materials, to adequately support the manipulations and pressures to which the connector would normally be subjected during typical use, particularly over an extended period of time.
[0032] The example of sleeve 104 illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 includes non-conductive material. Example materials include polymers, for example polyamide, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride, but may also include, for example, epoxy, phenolic plastics, and ceramics. Sleeve 104 may be made with any insulating material generally considered suitable for the intended connection type.
[0033] In FIG. 4 , conductors 106 are positioned with interior contact portions 108 at locations disposed in an interior 110 of sleeve 104 , each conductor operative to form a current carrying connection with an appropriate portion of a mating plug, for example a mating male connector, inserted within sleeve 104 . Conductors 106 communicate electrical current from interior contact portions 108 to exterior contact portions 112 , located about the exterior of sleeve 104 . One or more passages 142 are provided within sleeve 104 through which conductors 106 may pass.
[0034] Further, in one example, sleeve 104 is press-fit into an opening, socket, or aperture 114 formed, in this example, as a substantially continuous cylindrical extension of the case material 116 . In this manner, case material 116 imparts additional rigidity to sleeve 104 , whereby the assembled aperture 114 and sleeve 104 , act together to form a connector 100 that is sufficiently strong and reliable for an intended use. The aperture 114 as a cylindrical extension to housing or case material 116 forms at least a portion of the case 118 . As such, the aperture 114 formed as cylindrical extension to the case material 116 is designed to be sufficiently thick or rugged to withstand the maximum amount of impact and pressure, or are intended to be, applied to apparatus 102 during use. By inserting at least a portion of sleeve 104 within the aperture 114 formed as cylindrical extension to the case material 116 , sleeve 104 leverages this additional inherent strength, while reducing a required bulk of a suitably strong connector.
[0035] If a gap exists between sleeve 104 and aperture 114 , as in a slip fit, case 118 and/or sleeve 104 would be required to bend before a reinforcement of sleeve 104 by case 118 may take place. Accordingly, a press-fit provides strong support between sleeve 104 and an aperture 114 formed as cylindrical extension to the case material 116 of case 118 . A press-fit, also known as an interference or friction fit, is a close conforming engagement of sleeve 104 and the aperture 114 formed in the case material 116 , whereby the parts are held in relative assembled position by a friction between them. Sleeve 104 undergoes pressure during and after insertion within aperture 104 , and may reduce in diameter or peripheral dimension during positioning. As such, case 118 directly imparts physical strength and support within the cylindrical extension to sleeve 104 , without requiring significant bending of sleeve 104 before supporting contact with case 118 is achieved. It should be understood that a press-fit may be accomplished with non-tubular shapes, and as such, it is not required that sleeve 104 be tubular or rounded.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a connector sleeve disposed within the opening or aperture 114 formed as cylindrical extension to the in the housing 116 of FIG. 4 . An opening 120 is provided within aperture 114 , in one example, operative to admit passage of exterior contact portions 112 through case material 118 as shown. In this manner, sleeve 104 may be assembled into case 118 or case material 116 , and thereafter an electrical contact may be formed between conductors 106 and circuit conductors 122 associated with other portions of apparatus 102 .
[0037] As may be seen in FIG. 4 , some of the conductors 106 may have a resilient contact 124 operative to bias exterior contact portions 112 in a direction of circuit conductors 122 , which may, for example, be positioned upon an electronic circuit board, for example a electrical circuit board or printed circuit board (PCB) 126 . In this manner, PCB 126 may be positioned in a specified location within case 118 , and the correct electrical connections are formed between connector 100 and PCB 126 , the connections aligned by respective alignments of connector 100 and PCB 126 , with case 118 .
[0038] Conductors 106 may be fabricated, for example, using brass, phosphor bronze, gold flash, gold, aluminum, steel, or any other conductive material, of suitable thickness for desired reliability, resiliency, and or current carrying capacity.
[0039] In one example, PCB 126 is slid or otherwise positioned into a retaining location within housing 116 , causing the resilient contact 124 to press upon designated contact locations 122 upon PCB 126 . Other examples of resilient contact 124 are further described below in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 . Resilient contact 124 may be formed by any known means, including a resilient pad biasing a contact in a direction extending away from sleeve 104 ; a resilient bent or curved portion of metal, for example a bent wire, band, spring, or strip; or, a spring backed blade or pad.
[0040] FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of the connector sleeve 104 of FIG. 5 . The sleeve 104 , in this example, has a blade shaped conductor 106 . The conductor 106 may be resiliently mounted to sleeve 104 as described, or may be relatively rigidly fixed to sleeve 104 .
[0041] Conductors 106 in further designs may further operate to add rigidity to a mounted position of sleeve 104 within housing 116 , and may additionally operate to guide sleeve 104 into a position within housing 116 , or to guide a path of circuit conductors 122 , and to thereby aid in aligning sleeve 104 and a circuit element associated with circuit conductors 122 .
[0042] Turning now to FIG. 7 , shown is an exploded side view of a connector assembly with a partial circular opening. Housing 116 is fabricated to form a press-fit or snap-fit support structure 702 to sleeve 104 . A snap-fit connection herein is a form of press-fit connection where the sleeve 104 is inserted into the opening 120 along support structure 702 . Housing 116 may be fabricated using any suitable known means, including for example molding, injection molding, insert injection molding, rotational molding, slush molding, casting, thermoforming, forming, extrusion encapsulation, lamination, wet or dry layup, extrusion, additive or ablative fabrication, drilling, milling, stamping, or combination thereof. Case material 116 may additionally be formed using a combination of fabrication steps.
[0043] Case material 116 , case portions 118 and 198 , or other connector 100 member, may be fabricated, for example, with a polymer, a metal, a synthetic material, or a composite material. More particularly, examples include plastic; aluminum; steel; magnesium; metal alloy; composite; alloy of polycarbonate resins; Thermocomp DX06313 polycarbonate glass (Thermocomp is a registered trademark of Sabic Innovative Plastics IP, B.V., Netherlands); polyarylamide with filler; IXEF 1622, a polyarylamide with glass filler (IXEF is a registered trademark of Solvay Corp., Belgium); a synthetic resin, or combination thereof.
[0044] An exemplary wall thickness of case 118 is 0.4 mm, although any thickness may be used, for example 0.01 to 10 mm, although the examples are not limited to any particular thickness.
[0045] In FIGS. 7-9 , snap fit support structure 702 is formed to extend along a substantial portion of the length of sleeve 104 , although support structure 702 may extend to a length longer than sleeve 104 , may be substantially shorter than sleeve 104 , or may be disposed intermittently along sleeve 104 . Snap fit connection is generally of a length sufficient to impart adequate holding and support of sleeve 104 to, for example, provide resistance to bending, or maintenance of alignment of separate parts, for an intended application of connector 100 .
[0046] A stop indent or stop feature 134 may be provided to prevent sleeve 104 from being displaced in a direction along a longitudinal axis of sleeve 104 , cooperative with a mating stop member 138 . In FIG. 7 , stop feature 134 is a recess or opening, and mating stop member 138 is a protrusion, although a protrusion may be formed on sleeve 104 , and a mating recess formed in case material 116 . Stop feature 134 and mating stop member 138 may be formed anywhere along the length of sleeve 104 , or a stop member may be positioned at an end of sleeve 104 , operative to interfere with movement of an end of sleeve 104 in a longitudinal direction. In an alternative example, stop feature 134 and or mating stop member 138 are not provided. In such designs, as other techniques are used to prevent a movement of sleeve 104 within snap-fit support structure 702 . For example, friction between sleeve 104 and snap-fit support structure 702 may be sufficient, particularly if, in one example, mating surfaces of sleeve 104 and snap-fit structure 702 are roughened, or knurled. Alternatively, an adhesive may be used between mating surfaces of sleeve 104 and snap-fit structure 702 . Other techniques include one or more straps, hooks, fasteners, screws, pins or a combination thereof.
[0047] Alternatively, or in addition to the foregoing, as may be seen in the example of FIG. 7 , circuit conductors 122 may operate to prevent movement of sleeve 104 , and particularly movement along a longitudinal axis of sleeve 104 . In one example, contact portions 108 extend through snap-fit holder apertures 140 in snap-fit structure 702 , and sleeve contact apertures 142 in sleeve 104 , and thus operate in a similar manner to stop feature 134 and mating stop member 138 , and may alone provide adequate longitudinal fixation, or may contribute to the fixation of the press-fit between sleeve 104 and snap-fit structure 702 .
[0048] Snap-fit structure 702 is formed with a partial cylindrical structure 120 extending an entire length of an opening into a shaped chamber 704 , although may be provided to extend only a portion of the length of shaped chamber 704 . The aperture is sufficiently large, and the case material 116 sufficiently resilient, that sleeve 104 may be forced upwards into chamber 704 , bending case material 116 apart in order to admit sleeve 104 . Once sleeve 104 is seated within chamber 704 , case material 116 may return to a former position, whereby sleeve 104 is advantageously secured within chamber 704 in close fitting conformity with housing or case material 116 . When case material 116 returns to a former position, a snapping sound may be to be emitted, so that an assembly worker may hear an auditory confirmation of a suitable positioning of sleeve 104 . In this example, the sleeve 104 may have thickness to enable a press-fit without deforming while being supported by chamber 704 to provide the requisite strength and reliability during use.
[0049] Turning now to FIG. 8 , shown is an expanded view of the connector in FIG. 7 prior to placement within a housing and FIG. 9 is an expanded view of the connector in FIG. 7 after placement within a housing. The sleeve 104 is positioned within chamber 704 , and an alternative manner of forming snap-fit structure 702 , in which connector 702 extends laterally from case material 116 . It should thus be understood that connector 702 may be oriented in any of a variety of ways, with respect to a remainder of case 118 , provided sufficient material 116 joins snap-fit structure 702 to case 118 for imparting a required strength to connector 100 .
[0050] With reference to FIG. 10 , shown is an exploded side view of another example of a connector assembly with electrical connectors coupled to a connector sleeve into a partial circular opening. One or more resilient contacts 124 are initially associated with sleeve 104 . By positioning contact portions 108 into 142 , the assembled sleeve 104 and contact 124 are subsequently inserted into snap-fit structure 702 . Alternatively, shown in FIG. 11 is an exploded side view of another example of a connector assembly with electrical connectors coupled to the housing. Resilient contacts 124 are initially inserted into chamber 704 , and sleeve 104 is subsequently inserted into chamber 704 , as illustrated in FIG. 11 . In either event, it may not be necessary to include snap-fit structure apertures 740 , if resilient contacts 124 are sufficiently thin, or if there is sufficient clearance within chamber 704 . Sleeve 104 may be press-fit or snap-fit within snap-fit structure 702 prior to assembly of PCB 126 into case 118 which mates with case material 116 , or simultaneously therewith. In each case, connectors 106 form required electrical connections with conductors 122 after assembly as described below.
[0051] In FIG. 11 , two types of PCB conductors are illustrated: resilient contact locations 130 , and pinching contact locations 132 ; however, any combination of non-resilient conductor 122 , resilient contact location 130 , or pinching contact location 132 may be used. Further, any type of conductor 106 or 122 , as described herein, may be positioned on snap-fit structure 702 , sleeve 104 , or PCB 126 , as meets requirements of an intended application, or as benefits the convenience or cost of manufacturing.
[0052] In another example, FIG. 12 is an exploded side view of a connector assembly with electrical connectors coupled to the housing. In this example, sleeve 104 is eliminated, and a suitably shaped connection aperture 152 is formed within case material 116 of case 118 . In the example shown in FIGS. 12-13 , connection aperture 152 is formed as a complete tube, although a circumference which is partially complete, but sufficient to retain an inserted mating connector portion, may alternatively be provided. While a tubular aperture is illustrated, it should be understood that connection aperture 152 may have any shape that is operative to mateably retain a mating connector portion.
[0053] In FIG. 12 , conductors 106 and exterior contact portions 112 extend from case material 116 . More particularly, housing or case 118 forms a substantial portion of an exterior surface of the apparatus, and extends to form the aperture. In one example, case material 116 continuously forms, as a monolithic or unitary piece, a substantial portion of an exterior surface of apparatus 102 and aperture 152 , where aperture 152 extends from an exterior of case 118 towards an interior formed by case 118 . In this manner, the strength and rigidity of case 118 is attributed to aperture 152 . As such, a mechanical force imparted to an inserted connector during use of apparatus 102 is transferred to case 118 , which is sufficiently strong to maintain integrity of aperture 152 , and to reduce or prevent damage to apparatus 102 .
[0054] Conductors 106 may be connected to case 118 by being partially embedded within case material 116 , or may be attached thereto by any suitable means, including for example, adhesive, pins, screws, resilient pressure of conductors 106 within connection aperture 152 , or a conforming fit, or molded within a recess within connection aperture 152 , for example by insert injection molding. Snap-fit holder apertures 140 may be eliminated if conductors 106 are molded within case material 116 , or if conductors 106 pass through connection aperture 152 . In each example, conductors 106 are supported along at least a portion of their length by case material 116 .
[0055] Alternatively, as may be seen in FIG. 13 , shown is an exploded side view of another example of a connector assembly with a connector sleeve inside a full circular opening and electrical contacts 108 coupled to a PCB 126 . The contact portions 108 enter connection aperture 152 , where they may contact a mating connector portion inserted within connection aperture 152 . In this example, conductors are advantageously correctly positioned as a result of assembling PCB 126 or other structure supporting conductors 106 , when the supporting structure is aligned and assembled into case 118 .
[0056] FIG. 14 is a top front perspective view of another example of a connector assembly with a multipart sleeve 1402 disposed within the aperture 152 in case 118 . Separate multipart sections 1402 may be insulated from each other in accordance with the requirements of the application of connector 100 . Insulation may be accomplished, for example, by spacing 1404 between sections 1402 , by providing one or more insulating rings 1406 , by insulating protrusions, projections 1408 in case material 116 or a combination thereof. The one or more sections 1402 may be assembled within case material 116 during manufacturing of case 118 , for example by insert injection molding, by being press-fit, adhered within a bore or connection aperture 152 in case material 116 , or a combination thereof. Conductors 106 may be formed in case material 116 by insert injection molding, may be molded within material 116 , or incorporated by any of the manufacturing methods described herein.
[0057] One or more electrostatic discharge (ESD) shields 1412 may be positioned relative to any of the examples of connector 100 , to reduce a potential for interference from, or to, a signal passing through connector 100 .
[0058] Turning now to FIG. 15 , shown is a flow diagram of example for fabricating the connector assembly. The process begins in step 1602 and immediately proceeds to step 1604 , in which a mold is filled with a material to form an exterior housing of an apparatus. The mold includes an aperture extending from the interior of the apparatus to the exterior of the apparatus. The aperture is dimensioned to receive an insertable portion of the electrical connector. The house is designed to withstand mechanical stress imparted to the insertable portion of the housing. Next, in step 1606 , an electrical conductor is inserted into the aperture. In one example, the electrical conductor has a length extending from a position communicating with the interior of the apparatus to a position away from the interior of the apparatus. The electrical conductor is supported along at least a portion of its length by the aperture in the material. The conductor forms an electrical connection with an insertable portion of the electrical connector. In an optional step, 1608 , at least one conductive sleeve is pushed into the aperture to form a press-fit connection between the aperture and the sleeve. The fabrication process ends in step 1610 .
[0059] Turning now to FIG. 16 , shown is a block diagram of a handheld electronic device and associated components 1600 that may house connector 100 . In this example, a handheld electronic device 1652 is a wireless two-way communication device with voice and data communication capabilities. Such electronic devices communicate with a wireless voice or data network 1650 using a suitable wireless communications protocol. Wireless voice communications are performed using either an analog or digital wireless communication channel. Data communications allow the electronic device 1652 to communicate with other computer systems via the Internet. Examples of electronic devices that are able to incorporate the above described systems and methods include, for example, a data messaging device, a two-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internet appliance or a data communication device that may or may not include telephony capabilities.
[0060] The illustrated electronic device 1652 is an example electronic device that includes two-way wireless communications functions. Such electronic devices incorporate communication subsystem elements such as a wireless transmitter 1610 , a wireless receiver 1612 , and associated components such as one or more antenna elements 1614 and 1616 . A digital signal processor (DSP) 1608 performs processing to extract data from received wireless signals and to generate signals to be transmitted. The particular design of the communication subsystem is dependent upon the communication network and associated wireless communications protocols with which the device is intended to operate.
[0061] The electronic device 1652 includes a microprocessor 1602 that controls the overall operation of the electronic device 1652 . The microprocessor 1602 interacts with the above described communications subsystem elements and also interacts with other device subsystems such as flash memory 1606 , random access memory (RAM) 1604 , auxiliary input/output (I/O) device 1638 , data port 1628 , display 1634 , keyboard 1636 , speaker 1632 , microphone 1630 , a short-range communications subsystem 1620 , a power subsystem 1622 , and any other device subsystems.
[0062] A battery 1624 is connected to a power subsystem 1622 to provide power to the circuits of the electronic device 1652 . The power subsystem 1622 includes power distribution circuitry for providing power to the electronic device 1652 and also contains battery charging circuitry to manage recharging the battery 1624 . The power subsystem 1622 includes a battery monitoring circuit that is operable to provide a status of one or more battery status indicators, such as remaining capacity, temperature, voltage, electrical current consumption, and the like, to various components of the electronic device 1652 .
[0063] The data port 1628 of one example is a receptacle connector 104 or a connector to which an electrical and optical data communications circuit connector 1600 engages and mates, as described above. The data port 1628 is able to support data communications between the electronic device 1652 and other devices through various modes of data communications, such as high speed data transfers over an optical communications circuits or over electrical data communications circuits such as a USB connection incorporated into the data port 1628 of some examples. Data port 1628 is able to support communications with, for example, an external computer or other device.
[0064] Data communication through data port 1628 enables a user to set preferences through the external device or through a software application and extends the capabilities of the device by enabling information or software exchange through direct connections between the electronic device 1652 and external data sources rather then via a wireless data communication network. In addition to data communication, the data port 1628 provides power to the power subsystem 1622 to charge the battery 1624 or to supply power to the electronic circuits, such as microprocessor 1602 , of the electronic device 1652 .
[0065] Operating system software used by the microprocessor 1602 is stored in flash memory 1606 . Further examples are able to use a battery backed-up RAM or other non-volatile storage data elements to store operating systems, other executable programs, or both. The operating system software, device application software, or parts thereof, are able to be temporarily loaded into volatile data storage such as RAM 1604 . Data received via wireless communication signals or through wired communications are also able to be stored to RAM 1604 .
[0066] The microprocessor 1602 , in addition to its operating system functions, is able to execute software applications on the electronic device 1652 . A specified set of applications that control basic device operations, including at least data and voice communication applications, is able to be installed on the electronic device 1652 during manufacture. Examples of applications that are able to be loaded onto the device may be a personal information manager (PIM) application having the ability to organize and manage data items relating to the device user, such as, but not limited to, e-mail, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items.
[0067] Further applications may also be loaded onto the electronic device 1652 through, for example, the wireless network 1650 , an auxiliary I/O device 1638 , data port 1628 , short-range communications subsystem 1620 , or any combination of these interfaces. Such applications are then able to be installed by a user in the RAM 1604 or a non-volatile store for execution by the microprocessor 1602 .
[0068] In a data communication mode, a received signal such as a text message or web page download is processed by the communication subsystem, including wireless receiver 1612 and wireless transmitter 1610 , and communicated data is provided the microprocessor 1602 , which is able to further process the received data for output to the display 1634 , or alternatively, to an auxiliary I/O device 1638 or the data port 1628 . A user of the electronic device 1652 may also compose data items, such as e-mail messages, using the keyboard 1636 , which is able to include a complete alphanumeric keyboard or a telephone-type keypad, in conjunction with the display 1634 and possibly an auxiliary I/O device 1638 . Such composed items are then able to be transmitted over a communication network through the communication subsystem.
[0069] For voice communications, overall operation of the electronic device 1652 is substantially similar, except that received signals are generally provided to a speaker 1632 and signals for transmission are generally produced by a microphone 1630 . Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on the electronic device 1652 . Although voice or audio signal output is generally accomplished primarily through the speaker 1632 , the display 1634 may also be used to provide an indication of the identity of a calling party, the duration of a voice call, or other voice call related information, for example.
[0070] Depending on conditions or statuses of the electronic device 1652 , one or more particular functions associated with a subsystem circuit may be disabled, or an entire subsystem circuit may be disabled. For example, if the battery temperature is low, then voice functions may be disabled, but data communications, such as e-mail, may still be enabled over the communication subsystem.
[0071] A short-range communications subsystem 1620 provides for data communication between the electronic device 1652 and different systems or devices, which need not necessarily be similar devices. For example, the short-range communications subsystem 1620 includes an infrared device and associated circuits and components or a Radio Frequency based communication module such as one supporting Bluetooth® communications, to provide for communication with similarly-enabled systems and devices, including the data file transfer communications described above.
[0072] A media reader 1660 is able to be connected to an auxiliary I/O device 1638 to allow, for example, loading computer readable program code of a computer program product into the electronic device 1652 for storage into flash memory 1606 . One example of a media reader 1660 is an optical drive such as a CD/DVD drive, which may be used to store data to and read data from a computer readable medium or storage product such as computer readable storage media 1662 . Examples of suitable computer readable storage media include optical storage media such as a CD or DVD, magnetic media, or any other suitable data storage device. Media reader 1660 is alternatively able to be connected to the electronic device through the data port 1628 or computer readable program code is alternatively able to be provided to the electronic device 1652 through the wireless network 1650 . The auxiliary I/O device 1638 in one example includes connector 100 .
NON-LIMITING EXAMPLES
[0073] Although specific examples of the subject matter have been disclosed, those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes can be made to the specific examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter. The scope of the disclosure is not to be restricted, therefore, to the specific examples, and it is intended that the appended claims cover any and all such applications, modifications, and examples within the scope of the present disclosure.
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An electrical device has a socket formed as a continuous integral portion of an outer case housing. Conductors connect an interior of the socket to circuits within the device, and may be integrally molded with the outer case housing. Separate case housings may be assembled together to form the socket. A resulting socket has a lower profile and a reduced impact to a height requirement within the case, and has a relatively greater strength attributable to the inherent robustness of the case.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power transmission shaft in a steering unit that shortens in an axial direction when impacted by a specified impact load and thereby absorbs impact, and a method for assembling thereof. The power transmission shaft herein is an intermediate shaft that is arranged between a steering shaft and a steering gear in an automobile steering unit. A steering column is arranged between the steering shaft and a steering wheel.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 4 shows a structure of a conventional steering unit in an automobile. In the FIG., 1 represents a steering wheel, 2 a steering column, 3 a steering shaft, 4 a steering gear, 5 and 6 universal joints respectively, and 7 represents an intermediate shaft.
The intermediate shaft 7 transmits turning power from the steering wheel 1 to the steering gear 4. Upon excessive impact owing to a collision, the intermediate shaft 7 shortens to thereby absorb impact so that such impact is not transmitted to the automobile driver.
FIG. 5 is a side view of an important portion of the intermediate shaft 7. The intermediate shaft 7 comprises a hollow shaft 8 and an insertion shaft 9 which are so connected as to be able to move in an axial direction respectively. A female serration is arranged on the inner circumference of the hollow shaft 8, while arranged on the outer circumference at the end of the insertion shaft 9 is a male serration 9a that engages with the female serration of the hollow shaft 8. A circumferential slot 10 is formed on the outer circumference of the insertion shaft 9 in the area having the male serration 9a. In the hollow shaft 8, two radial holes 11 are arranged at two positions that are opposite by 180 degrees. The holes 11 are positioned to correspond to the above-mentioned circumferential groove 10 when the insertion shaft 9 is inserted into the hollow shaft 8. Through the holes 11, a resin 12 is filled between the circumferential groove 10 and the hollow shaft 8. When the resin 12 is hardened, the hollow shaft 8 and the insertion shaft 9 are connected integrally.
In the intermediate shaft 7 of the structure mentioned above, when excessive impact occurs, the resin 12 is sheared, and the insertion shaft 9 goes into the hollow shaft 8. By this occurrence, the entire intermediate shaft 7 shortens, and thus absorbs the impact.
In the above conventional example, the resin 12 must be hardened in the course of production. Accordingly, the conventional example suffers bad working efficiency, and causes high production costs.
Further, the conventional steering unit, assembled in an engine room, will be subjected to high temperatures. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent deterioration of the strength of the resin 12. When the strength of the resin 12 is deteriorated for some reason, a desired, specified shear resistance may not be attained, leading to unpredictable variations of draft load. Draft load means an impact load sufficient to shear the resin 12 and thereby shorten the intermediate shaft 7. Moreover, when the resin 12 is sheared, draft load is apt to decline sharply, therefore, sufficient considerations must be paid to impact absorption.
The steering column 2 shown in FIG. 4 comprises a hollow shaft and an insertion shaft similar to the above-mentioned intermediate shaft 7. The hollow shaft and insertion shaft are connected integrally by use of the resin 12 as shown in FIG. 5 to form an impact absorbing structure. As a consequence, the steering column 2 also has nonconformities similar to those mentioned above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a power transmission shaft in a steering unit, that can be produced efficiently, thereby reducing the production and assembly process costs.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a power transmission shaft in a steering unit, that exhibits a constant draft load irrespective of ambient temperature.
Moreover, another object of the present invention is to provide a power transmission shaft in a steering unit, wherein draft load does not decrease rapidly upon impact, but remains for a while. Thereby, impact is absorbed more sufficiently and securely. The power transmission shaft of the present invention includes an insertion shaft formed with a male serration and a hollow shaft formed with a female serration. A concave portion is formed in the insertion shaft, and the insertion shaft is inserted into the hollow shaft. A portion of the hollow shaft is deformed into the concave portion of the insertion shaft, thereby forming a depressed portion in the hollow shaft. The insertion shaft is then further inserted into the hollow shaft so that the depressed portion leaves the concave portion and engages the male serration at a location spaced from the concave portion.
Other objects, constructions, operations, and effects of the present invention will become apparent more fully from the description given below, but it should be understood that the description and examples given below are intended to illustrate the present invention, and not to limit the scope of the present invention, since many modifications and variations of the examples disclosed herein are within the scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present invention. In all these Figures, like components are indicated by the same numerals.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side view of an intermediate shaft of a steering unit according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross section taken along line (2)--(2) in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an assembly method of the intermediate shaft;
FIG. 4 is a side view of a conventional steering unit; and
FIG. 5 is a side view of an intermediate shaft of the conventional steering unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1, 25 and 26 represent universal joints respectively, and 27 represents an intermediate shaft. The intermediate shaft 27 comprises a hollow shaft 28 and an insertion shaft 29 that are engaged with each other so that the intermediate shaft 27 can shorten in the shaft direction. The hollow shaft 28 and the insertion shaft 29 are made of metallic material.
A female serration 28a is formed on the inner circumference of the hollow shaft 28. A male serration 29a engages with the female serration 28a of the hollow shaft 28. The male serration 29a is formed on the outer circumference of the insertion shaft 29. The female serration 28a and the male serration 29a are formed by a pulling process or a rolling process.
On a portion of the circumference of the hollow shaft 28, there is formed a depressed portion 28b that protrudes inward in a radial direction. On the outer circumference of the insertion shaft 29, there is formed a circumferential slot or concave portion 29b for permitting the formation of the depressed portion 28b, as will be described later.
The depressed portion 28b is arranged on the hollow shaft 28 such that the male serration 29a of the insertion shaft 29 engages with the depressed portion 28b. The engagement causes the male serration 29a of the insertion shaft 29 to contact under pressure with the female serration 28a at 180 degrees opposite to the depressed portion 28b. Thereby, the hollow shaft 28 and the insertion shaft 29 are fixed in the axial direction, and there is no play between the hollow shaft 28 and the insertion shaft 29 in a circumferential direction.
Now, the assembly method of the intermediate shaft 27 is explained with reference to FIG. 3.
First, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the hollow shaft 28, having the female serration 28a on the inner circumference thereof is formed. Next, the insertion shaft 29, having the male serration 29a and the circumferential slot 29b on the outer circumference thereof is formed. The hollow shaft 28 and insertion shaft 29 are arranged coaxially, and, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the insertion shaft 29 is engaged halfway into the hollow shaft 28. The halfway position is short of the necessary engagement dimension, and a position where the circumferential slot 29b of the insertion shaft 29 goes into the inner circumference of the hollow shaft 28.
In this state, as shown in FIG. 3(c), roller 20 is contacted against the outer circumferential portion of the hollow shaft 28. The roller 20 is brought to bear against a portion of the hollow shaft 28 corresponding to the circumferential slot 29b of the insertion shaft 29. The roller 20 is pressed. A part of the circumferential surface of the hollow shaft 28 is impressed inward in a radial direction. This impression forms the depressed portion 28b.
The depressed portion 28b is formed on only part of the circumferential surface of the hollow shaft 28. Therefore, the circumferential slot 29b for forming the depressed portion 28b may also be formed on only part of the circumferential surface of the insertion shaft 29. By making the circumferential slot 29b extend completely around the circumference, as shown in the figures, circumferential positioning of the hollow shaft 28 and the roller 20 relative to the insertion shaft 29 is easy, which is advantageous.
The circumferential slot 29b is formed at a position spaced from the end of the insertion shaft 29. The roller 20 is engaged against the hollow shaft 28 at a position corresponding to the circumferential slot 29b. This relative positioning makes it possible to form the depressed portion 28b with excellent shape precision. As a counter example, if a small diameter portion were formed at the shaft end of the insertion shaft 29, the roller 20 would not engage into the circumferential slot 29b when forming the depressed portion 28b. The resulting shape of a depressed portion 28b, so formed, would not be constant. If a small diameter portion were formed at the shaft end of the insertion shaft 29, there would be no male serration 29a at the end of the insertion shaft 29. Therefore, positioning of the male serration 29a and the female serration 28a would not be possible when the end of the insertion shaft 29 is inserted from the end of the hollow shaft 28. The insertion shaft 29 would not engage smoothly with the hollow shaft 28. These problems will not occur with the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 3(d), the insertion shaft 29 is further inserted into the hollow shaft 28 to the extent that the length dimension of the intermediate shaft 27 is satisfactory. At this stage, the existence of the depressed portion 28b makes the inner diameter of the hollow shaft 28 small, so the insertion shaft 29 is held under pressure.
In this pressure insertion process, part of the male serration 29a of the insertion shaft 29 is engagedly caught by the depressed portion 28b of the hollow shaft 28. The catching occurs because the depressed portion 28b in the hollow shaft 28 causes an angle area θ1 in a circumferential direction to swell a little outward in a radial direction. Therefore, the female serration 28a floats a little away from the male serration 29a, while the female serration 28a of another angle area θ2 is contacted to the male serration 29a under pressure.
In the above-mentioned structure, upon an impact load, the intermediate shaft 27 does not shorten rapidly and without resistance after a resin portion shears and absorbs impact, as in the conventional manner. By the present invention, impact absorption is continued until the male serration 29a of the insertion shaft 29 passes the depressed portion 28b of the hollow shaft 28. After this point, the intermediate shaft 27 shortens rapidly without resistance.
By the present invention, sufficient impact absorption is realized. Impact absorption is made by the plastic deformation of the depressed portion 28b of the hollow shaft 28. This plastic deformation causes the male serration 29a of the insertion shaft 29 to have a slide resistance with the female serration 28a. Resin is not used as in the conventional manner. Therefore, the present invention does not suffer deterioration owing to an ambient temperature, during the forming process. As a result, the draft load is maintained constant, hence high reliability of the impact absorption value is achieved.
In the present invention, the draft load of the intermediate shaft 27 may be varied by appropriately setting the depressed dimension of the depressed portion 28b of the hollow shaft 28, such as the size of the depressed portion 28b in the shaft direction and circumferential direction. This draft load will be set normally according to safety requirements.
In the case of the intermediate shaft 27 of the present invention, there is no need to have a hole in the hollow shaft 28 for receiving resin, as seen in the conventional hollow shaft 8. Therefore, the number of production processes is reduced. The insertion shaft 29 may be produced in the same number of production processes as that for the conventional insertion shaft 9. Although it is necessary to add a pressure process to insert the insertion shaft 29 into the hollow shaft 28, the process is simple and less time-consuming, compared with the resin filling and hardening process in the prior art.
By the present invention, production costs may be reduced to a great extent. Since a relatively large depressed portion 28b is formed on the hollow shaft 28, by use of the circumferential slot 29b of the insertion shaft 29, even if the depressed portion 28b springs back, the shape precision of the depressed portion 28b can be maintained.
Thereby, a sufficient draft load can be attained. For instance, in the prior art, a method is disclosed where the hollow shaft 8 and the insertion shaft 9 are engaged through serration.
A part of the outer circumference of the hollow shaft 8 is deformed by a pressure, forming an engagement area of the shafts 8 and 9. However, in this case, only a little amount of the pressure deformation of the hollow shaft 8 can occur. Sufficient deformation is not possible because of a spring back of the deformed portion. Accordingly, the connection strength between the hollow shaft 8 and the insertion shaft 9 becomes insufficient. It is impossible to obtain sufficient draft load, and once again the nonconformities arising from the prior art occur.
Compared with these conventional methods, the structure according to the present invention appears to be excellent. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.
For example, the hollow shaft 28 and the insertion shaft 29 may be engaged by splines. The depressed portion 28b to be formed on the hollow shaft 28 may be arranged not on a single position, but on several positions in an axial direction. Further, the depressed portion 28b may be spotted on several positions in a circumferential direction. In this case, it is necessary to rearrange the hollow shaft 28 to adjacent positions in the circumferential direction.
In forming the depressed portion 28b, the roller 20, as mentioned above, need not be used. Instead, an appropriate material attached to a press rod of a press machine may be used. Moreover, a single ball, or several hard balls, may be used.
In the above embodiment, the power transmission shaft of a steering unit is the intermediate shaft 27 arranged between the steering shaft 3 and the steering gear 4 in the steering unit in an automobile, as shown in FIG. 4. However, the present invention may be used for the steering column 2, arranged between the steering shaft 3 and the steering wheel 1. In the case of the steering column 2, the steering column 2 comprises a hollow shaft and insertion shaft similar to those in the intermediate shaft 27. The hollow shaft and insertion shaft in this case would be arranged so as to have the same impact absorption structure as the above-mentioned embodiment.
While there has been described what is at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
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A power transmission shaft in a steering unit shortens in an axial direction when an impact load, over a specified impact load, is applied thereto, and thereby absorbs impact. The power transmission shaft includes a hollow shaft having a female serration on the inner circumference thereof. An insertion shaft has a male serration on the outer circumference thereof that engages with the female serration of the hollow shaft when inserted into the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft and the insertion shaft are connected with each other so that they can transmit power in the circumferential direction, yet they are displaceable in the axial direction . An inward depressed portion is formed on the hollow shaft to establish the impact absorption of the power transmission shaft. A concave portion, formed on the insertion shaft aids in the uniform formation of the depressed portion and thereby simplifies the assembly process.
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RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/895,811, filed Aug. 28, 2007, now abandoned and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 60/882,940, filed Dec. 31, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference. The present application also relates to the subject matter of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11,895,823, filed Aug. 28, 2007, entitled “Internal Sinus Manipulation (ISM) Procedure For Facilitating Sinus Floor Augmentation In Dental Procedures”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,662,188 issued Feb. 16, 2010, which is also incorporated herein by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
As stated in the above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 7,662,188, during the described procedure and following the formation of an upward channel in the bone leading to the sinus floor of a patient, there is a simultaneous and controlled lifting and lateral separation of an exposed portion of the sinus membrane from the sinus floor to form an open pocket between the sinus floor and the sinus membrane. Such sinus pocket formation is accomplished using a sinus lifting tool or instrument. The present invention is directed to a preferred form of that instrument.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Basically, the sinus lifting instrument of the present invention comprises a disk-shaped tip and an angled neck extending longitudinally from a handle portion of the instrument. The disk-shaped tip is designed to release the sinus membrane from the bony wall of sinus floor. The angled neck is designed to aid in the proper positioning of the working tip. An inflection portion of the angled neck extending from the working tip allows a clinician to feel the tension of the sinus membrane and to determine the amount of initial lateral and vertical membrane reflection.
As illustrated in FIG. 3 of the U.S. Pat. No. 7,662,188 by solid, dashed and broken line outlines of the instrument, in the formation of the sinus pocket, the instrument is simultaneously raised and turned back and forth on a vertically extending axis with the tip simultaneously lifting and laterally separating the membrane from the sinus floor to form and enlarge the pocket. This procedure of simultaneous membrane lateral release and elevation is continued until a planned amount of sinus extension is achieved and the small open pocket is defined.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred sinus lifting instrument including a central axially elongated handle portion having angled necks and disc-shaped tips extending from opposite ends of the handle portion.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the upper end portion of the instrument as illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the upper angled neck and disc-shaped tip thereof.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the lower end portion of the instrument as illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the lower angled neck and disc-shaped tip thereof.
FIG. 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary side view of the upper disc-shaped tip portion shown in FIG. 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
As depicted in FIG. 1 , the sinus lifting instrument 10 of the present invention comprises an elongated central handle portion 12 extending longitudinally on a longitudinal axis 14 of the instrument. Connected to and extending longitudinally from an upper end 15 of the central handle portion 12 is an upper frusto-conical connecting portion 16 extending longitudinally on the axis 14 and supporting at its upper end 17 an upper angled neck 18 including an inflection portion 19 . An upper end 20 of the inflection portion 19 supports an upper disc-shaped tip 21 . Connected to and extending longitudinally from a lower end 22 of the central handle portion 12 is a lower frusto-conical connecting portion 23 extending longitudinally on the axis 14 and supporting at its lower end 24 a lower angled neck 25 including an inflection portion 26 . A lower end 28 of the inflection portion 26 supports a lower disc-shaped tip 30 .
As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the upper connecting portion 16 extends upward longitudinally along the instrument axis 14 and at its upper end 17 connects to and supports the angled neck 18 . From its connection to the portion 16 , the angled neck 18 extends upwardly along an axis 32 that forms an obtuse angle with the axis 14 . As depicted in FIG. 2 , the axis 32 preferably forms an obtuse angle of about 120 degrees with the axis 14 . As also shown in FIG. 2 , the inflection portion 19 of the angled neck 18 also extends longitudinally upwardly along an axis 34 that forms an obtuse angle of preferably about 120 degrees with the axis 32 . Thus constructed, the upper end 20 of the inflection portion 19 supports the disc-shaped tip 21 .
As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 4 , a lower surface 35 of the disc-shaped tip 21 extends rearward from the inflection portion 19 along an axis 36 that forms an obtuse angle of preferably about 110 degrees with the axis 34 of the inflection portion. As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the lower surface 35 of the disc-shaped tip 21 is flat and substantially circular in the plane of the lower surface while an upper surface 38 of the tip 21 is upwardly curved, having a smooth substantially concave shape (when viewed from the bottom) and a diameter of about 1.8 millimeters.
Also, as illustrated most clearly in FIG. 4 , the inflection portion 19 of the angled neck 18 carries a series of evenly spaced marks 40 for indicating to the instrument user the distance that the instrument 10 has penetrated a sinus pocket in lifting and laterally separating the sinus membrane from the sinus floor during formation of the sinus pocket using the instrument 10 . In that regard, as the upper end of the instrument 10 shown in FIG. 1 penetrates an upper end of the bone channel leading to the sinus membrane, the curved upper surface 38 of the disc-shaped tip 21 engages and in combination with the angled neck 18 and its inflection portion 19 gently lifts the sinus membrane from the sinus floor of the patient. With lateral movement of the instrument 10 within the sinus pocket, the disc-shaped tip gently lifts more of the sinus membrane from the sinus floor to laterally enlarge the sinus pocket. With further upward movement of the instrument 10 within the sinus pocket, the curved upper surface 38 of the disc-shaped tip 21 further lifts the sinus membrane to enlarge the sinus pocket to its desired size and shape.
When the instrument 10 shown in FIG. 1 is inverted, the curved surface of the lower disc-shaped tip 30 in combination with the angled neck 25 and its inflection portion 26 provide the same functional features in gently lifting and laterally separating the sinus membrane from the sinus floor to form and enlarge a sinus pocket to a desired size and shape. In that regard, and with specific reference to FIG. 3 , the shape and dimensions of the lower portion of the instrument 10 shown in FIG. 3 follow those shown and described relative to FIG. 2 . Specifically, the lower connecting portion 23 extends downward and longitudinally along the instrument axis 14 and at its lower end 24 connects to and supports the angled neck 25 . From its connection to the portion 23 , the angled neck 25 extends downwardly long an axis 42 that forms an obtuse angle with the axis 14 . As depicted in FIG. 3 , the axis 42 preferably forms an obtuse angle of about 120 degrees with the axis 14 . As also shown in FIG. 3 , the inflection portion 26 of the angled neck 25 also extends longitudinally downward along an axis 44 that forms an obtuse angle of preferably about 120 degrees with the axis 42 . Thus constructed, the lower end 28 of the inflection portion 26 supports the disc-shaped tip 30 .
As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 4 and as described with respect to the upper portion of the instrument 10 , when the instrument is inverted a lower surface of the disc-shaped tip 30 will extend rearward from the inflection portion 26 along an axis that forms an obtuse angle of preferably about 110 degrees with the axis 44 of the inflection portion 26 . As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3 , a lower surface 46 of the disc-shaped tip 30 is flat and substantially circular in the plane of the lower surface while an upper surface of the tip 30 is upwardly curved, having a smooth substantially concave shape (when viewed from the bottom) and a diameter of about 1.8 millimeters.
While a particular preferred embodiment of the sinus membrane lifting instrument has been illustrated and described above, it is appreciated that changes and modifications may be made in the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of present invention is to be limited only by the terms of the following claims.
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A sinus membrane lifting instrument comprising a longitudinally extending handle portion, an angled neck extending longitudinally from the handle portion and a disc-shaped tip extending from the angled neck, the angled neck including means for sensing tension in a sinus membrane as it is being lifted by the instrument from its bony support floor.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This Continuation application claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 11/452,782 filed Jun. 14, 2006, now allowed, which in turn is a Continuation application which claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 10/642,366 filed Aug. 14, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,115,587, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/404,713 filed Aug. 20, 2002, now expired.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an aripiprazole inclusion complex with a substituted-β-cyclodextrin, an aripiprazole formulation which includes aripiprazole in the form of the above inclusion complex, an injectable formulation which contains the above complex of aripiprazole, a method for reducing irritation normally caused by aripiprazole at an intramuscular injection site employing the above injectable formulation and a method for treating schizophrenia employing the above formulation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,528 to Oshiro et al. discloses 7-[(4-phenylpiperazino)-butoxy]carbostyrils, which include aripiprazole, as dopaminergic neurotransmitter antagonists.
[0004] Aripiprazole which has the structure
[0000]
[0000] is an atypical antipsychotic agent useful in treating schizophrenia. It has poor aqueous solubility (<1 μg/mL at room temperature). When formulated as an intramuscular (IM) injectable solution, aripiprazole has been found to cause unacceptable (moderate to severe) tissue irritation at the muscular site with many water-miscible co-solvent systems, and water-immiscible solvent and co-solvent systems such as hexonoic acid:medium chain triglyceride (10:90), polyethylene glycol 400:ethanol:lactic acid (35:15:50), benzyl alcohol:sesame oil (10:90), benzyl alcohol:medium chain triglyceride (10:90), benzyl alcohol:tributyrin (5:95), and polysorbate 80 in 25 mM tartaric acid.
[0005] Cyclodextrins are known for their use in increasing solubility of drugs. They function by forming inclusion complexes with hydrophobic molecules. Unfortunately, there are many drugs for which cyclodextrin complexation either is not possible or produces no apparent advantages as disclosed by J. Szejtli, Cyclodextrins in Drug Formulations: Part II, Pharmaceutical Technology, 24-38, August, 1991.
[0006] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,134,127 and 5,376,645 each to Stella et al. disclose sulfoalkyl ether cyclodextrin derivatives and their use as solubilizing agents for water-insoluble drugs for oral, intranasal or parenteral administration including intravenous and intramuscular. Stella et al. disclose an inclusion complex of the water-insoluble drug and the sulfoalkyl ether cyclodextrin derivative and pharmaceutical compositions containing same. Examples of sulfoalkyl ether cyclodextrin derivatives disclosed include mono-sulfobutyl ether of β-cyclodextrin and monosulfopropyl ether of β-cyclodextrin. Examples of water-insoluble drugs are set out in column 7 starting at line 25 and include, among others, benzodiazepines, chlorpromazine, diazepam, mephorbarbital, methbarbital, nitrazepam, and phenobarbital.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,232,304 to Kim et al. discloses inclusion complexes of aryl-heterocyclic salts such as the tartrate salt of ziprasidone in a cyclodextrin such as cyclodextrin sulfobutyl ether (SBECD), and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD), and use of such inclusion complexes in oral and parenteral formulations.
[0008] Japanese Patent Application No. 09301867A2 dated Nov. 25, 1997 discloses antidepressant compositions in the form of tablets containing aripiprazole.
[0009] EP 1145711A1 dated Oct. 17, 2001 (based on U.S. Application Serial No. 2000-547948 filed Apr. 12, 2000) discloses flash-melt oral dosage formulations containing aripiprazole.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,929 to Uekama et al. discloses trans-mucosal and transdermal pharmaceutical compositions containing a drug and a peracylated cyclodextrin as a solubilizing agent. Examples of drugs include antidepressants such as amitriptyline HCl, amoxapine, butriptyline HCl, clomipramine HCl, desipramine HCl, dothiepin HCl, doxepin HCl, fluoxetine, gepirone, imipramine, lithium carbonate, mianserin HCl, milnacipran, nortriptyline HCl and paroxetine HCl; anti-muscarinic agents such as atropine sulphate and hyoscine; sedating agents such as alprazolam, buspirone HCl, chlordiazepoxide HCl, chlorpromazine, clozapine, diazepam, flupenthixol HCl, fluphenazine, flurazepam, lorazepam, mazapertine, olanzapine, oxazepam, pimozide, pipamperone, piracetam, promazine, risperidone, selfotel, seroquel, sulpiride, temazepam, thiothixene, triazolam, trifluperidol and ziprasidone; anti-migraine drugs such as alniditan and sumatriptan; beta-adrenoreptor blocking agents such as atenolol, carvedilol, metoprolol, nebivolol and propranolol; anti-Parkinsonian drugs such as bromocryptine mesylate, levodopa and selegiline HCl; opioid analgesics such as buprenorphine HCl, codeine, dextromoramide and dihydrocodeine; parasympathomimetics such as galanthamine, neostigmine, physostymine, tacrine, donepezil, ENA 713 (exelon) and xanomeline; and vasodilators such as amlodipine, buflomedil, amyl nitrite, diltiazem, dipyridamole, glyceryl trinitrate, isosorbide dinitrate, lidoflazine, molsidomine, nicardipine, nifedipine, oxpentifylline and pentaerythritol tetranitrate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an inclusion complex of aripiprazole in a substituted-beta-cyclodextrin. It has been found that the inclusion complex of aripiprazole is substantially more water-soluble relative to the non-complexed aripiprazole.
[0012] Surprisingly and unexpectedly, it has been found that when aripiprazole is complexed with a substituted β-cyclodextrin such as sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin, it may be formulated as an injectable which delivers aripiprazole to the muscular site with unexpectedly diminished irritation as compared to injectables containing uncomplexed aripiprazole.
[0013] In addition, in accordance with the present invention, a pharmaceutical formulation is provided which is formed of an inclusion complex of aripiprazole and a substituted-β-cyclodextrin, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier therefor.
[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the pharmaceutical formulation of the invention will be in the form of an aqueous parenteral or injectable formulation. However, the pharmaceutical formulation of the invention may be in other dosage forms such as lyophilized injectable, oral (for example tablets, capsules, elixirs and the like), transdermal or transmucosal forms or inhalation forms.
[0015] Further, in accordance with the present invention, a method is provided for administering injectable aripiprazole without causing unacceptable irritation at the site of injection wherein the above described injectable formulation is administered, preferably intramuscularly, to a patient in need of treatment.
[0016] Still further in accordance with the present invention, a method is provided for treating schizophrenia which includes the step of administering to a patient in need of treatment the above described formulation, preferably in injectable form, without causing undue irritation at the site of injection, whether it be at a muscular site or other site.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Aripiprazole has poor water solubility and thus is difficult to formulate as an aqueous injectable. In accordance with the present invention, it as been found that the water-solubility of aripiprazole may be sufficiently increased to allow it to be formulated as an aqueous injectable by complexing aripiprazole with a substituted-β-cyclodextrin. In effect, the cyclodextrin inhibits precipitation of the aripiprazole at the site of injection. The aqueous injectable formulation containing the complex of aripiprazole and the substituted-β-cyclodextrin may be administered preferably intramuscularly without causing unacceptable irritation at the muscular site. This is indeed surprising and unexpected since, as indicated above, a host of water-miscible co-solvent systems and water-immiscible co-solvent systems have been found to be unacceptable as carriers for injectable aripiprazole formulations because of the unacceptable irritation profile of such formulations. On the other hand, the aqueous injectable formulation of the invention delivers aripiprazole without causing unacceptable irritation at the site of injection.
[0018] As will be seen hereinafter, the aripiprazole formulation in the form of an aqueous injectable will include an acid buffer and a base to adjust pH to desired levels.
[0019] The substituted-β-cyclodextrin suitable for use herein refers to sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin (SBECD) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD), with SBECD being preferred.
[0020] The term “undue irritation” or “unacceptable irritation” at the site of injection or at the muscular site refers to moderate to severe irritation which is unacceptable to the patient and thereby impacts unfavorably on patient compliance.
[0021] The term “reduced irritation” at the site of injection or at the muscular site refers to generally minimal to mild irritation which is acceptable to the patient and does not impact unfavorably on patient compliance.
[0022] The aripiprazole will form a complex with the substituted-β-cyclodextrin which complex may be dissolved in water to form an injectable formulation. However, physical mixtures of aripiprazole and the substituted-β-cyclodextrin are within the scope of the present invention as well.
[0023] The complex or the physical mixture may also be compressed into a tablet or may be filled into capsules.
[0024] The aripiprazole formulations of the invention may be formed of dry physical mixtures of aripiprazole and the substituted-β-cyclodextrin or dry inclusion complexes thereof which upon addition of water are reconstituted to form an aqueous injectable formulation. Alternatively, the aqueous injectable formulation may be freeze dried and later reconstituted with water. Thus, the inclusion complex in accordance with the invention, may be pre-formed, formed in situ or formed in vivo (in the gastrointestinal tract or the buccal cavity). All of the above are contemplated by the present invention.
[0025] The aripiprazole formulation of the invention in the form of an aqueous injectable will include an acid buffer to adjust pH of the aqueous injection within the range from about 3.5 to about 5. Examples of acid buffers suitable for use herein include acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrobromic acid and the like, and organic acids such as oxalic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, acetic acid, methanesulfonic acid, toluenesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid and the like. Acid salts of the above acids may be employed as well. Preferred acids are tartaric acid, citric acid, and hydrochloric acid. Most preferred is tartaric acid.
[0026] The injectable formulation of the invention will have a pH within the range from about 3.5 to about 5, preferably from about 4 to about 4.6, and most preferably about 4.3. In formulating the injectable, if necessary, the pH may be adjusted with a base such as an alkali metal hydroxide such as NaOH, KOH, or LiOH, preferably NaOH, or an alkaline earth metal hydroxide, such as Mg(OH) 2 or Ca(OH) 2 .
[0027] In preparing the aqueous injectable formulation of the invention, the substituted-β-cyclodextrin will be employed in a weight ratio to the aripiprazole within the range from about 5:1 to 400:1, preferably from about 10:1 to about 100:1. Each type of cyclodextrin employed requires a different ratio to inhibit or prevent precipitation of aripiprazole at the injection site. In preferred embodiments of the aqueous injectable of the invention, the substituted-β-cyclodextrin will be SBECD which will be employed in a weight ratio to aripiprazole within the range from about 5:1 to about 400:1, preferably from about 20:1 to about 40:1. The cyclodextrin may be present in an amount greater than that needed to complex the aripiprazole since the additional cyclodextrin could aid in dissolution of the aripiprazole.
[0028] The aripiprazole will be present in the aqueous injectable formulation in an amount within the range from about 0.1 to about 2.5% by weight, preferably from about 0.2 to about 1.5% by weight based on the total injectable formulation.
[0029] In preferred embodiments, the aripiprazole will be present in the aqueous injectable formulation to provide from about 1 to about 20 mg/mL of formulation, preferably from about 1.5 to about 8 mg/mL of formulation.
[0030] In more preferred embodiments, the formulations of the invention will provide 2 mg aripiprazole/mL, 5 mg/mL and 7.5 mg/mL. Fill volumes will preferably be 0.5 mL and 2 mL.
[0031] A preferred injectable formulation is as follows:
(1) aripiprazole—in an amount to provide from about 1.5 to about 8 mg/mL of solution. (2) SBECD—in an amount from about 100 to about 200 mg/mL of solution. (3) acid buffer (preferably tartaric acid)—in an amount from about 7 to about 9 mg/mL of solution to adjust pH from about 3.5 to about 5. (4) base to adjust pH, preferably an alkali metal hydroxide, preferably NaOH—in an amount to adjust pH from about 4 to 4.6 (5) water qs to 1 mL.
[0037] The aripiprazole injectable formulation of the invention may be prepared as follows: Tartaric acid or other acid buffer is dissolved in water for injection. The substituted-β-cyclodextrin (preferably SBECD) is dissolved in the acid buffer-water solution. Aripiprazole is then dissolved in the solution. The pH of the solution is adjusted to within the range from about 3.5 to about 5, preferably about 4.3 by adding base, such as sodium hydroxide or other alkali metal hydroxide or alkaline earth metal hydroxide. Additional water for injection is added to obtain the desired batch volume.
[0038] The resulting solution is aseptically filtered, for example, through a 0.22μ membrane filter and filled into vials. The vials are stopped and sealed and terminally sterilized.
[0039] The aqueous injectable formulation of the invention will provide an amount of aripiprazole of at least 2 mg aripiprazole/mL, preferably at least 5 mg aripiprazole/mL, when the amount of aripiprazole provided by the complex is measured at a cyclodextrin concentration of 5% w/v in water.
[0040] The aripiprazole formulations of the invention are used to treat schizophrenia in human patients. The preferred dosage employed for the injectable formulations of the invention will be a 2 ml injection containing 7.5 mg aripiprazole/mL or a dose of 15 mg given three times daily at two hour intervals. The injectable formulation is preferably administered intramuscularly although subcutaneous and intravenous injections are effective as well.
[0041] The following example represents a preferred embodiment of the invention.
EXAMPLE
[0042] A clear colorless aripiprazole injectable solution (2 mg aripiprazole/mL, 4 mg/vial) essentially free of particulate matter by visual inspection was prepared as follows.
[0043] A stainless steel batching vessel was charged with an appropriate amount of water for injection USP.
[0044] With continuous stirring, 78 g tartaric acid granular USP and 1500 g sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin (SBECD) was added to the batching vessel and was dissolved in the water.
[0045] Aripiprazole 20 g was added to the batching vessel and stirring was continued until the aripiprazole was dissolved.
[0046] Sodium hydroxide 1N was added to the above solution to adjust the pH thereof to about 4.3.
[0047] Additional water for injection USP was added to the above solution to adjust to the final batch size to 10 L with stirring.
[0048] The above solution was aseptically filtered through a 0.22 μM membrane filter into a sterilized container 4 mg amounts of the above solution were aseptically filled into sterilized vials which were then aseptically stoppered with sterilized stoppers to seal the vials.
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An aripiprazole formulation is provided which includes the antipsychotic agent aripiprazole in the form of an inclusion complex in a β-cyclodextrin, preferably, sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin (SBECD), which in the form of an injectable produces reversible generally minimal to mild irritation at the intramuscular injection site. A method for minimizing or reducing irritation caused by aripiprazole at an intramuscular injection site and a method for treating schizophrenia employing the above formulation are also provided.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to pumps for dispensing personal products and, more particularly, to an improved lotion pump.
Pumps that are capable of dispensing relatively large amounts of viscous materials, such as lotions, creams, soaps and the like, are commonly referred to as lotion pumps. Similar types of pumps, which are characterized by the ability to dispense relatively large quantities of material as compared to dispensing pumps that only dispense a small, typically atomized, amount of material, can also be used in applications for dispensing a wet spray or stream of a less viscous liquid, e.g., household cleaners and the like.
Dispensing pumps of this type include a housing forming a pump chamber in which a piston is disposed for reciprocal movement. At the inner end of the pump chamber an inlet valve is provided, which is closed during dispensing and opens to refill the pump chamber on the return stroke. The most typical type of inlet valve is a ball check valve. An outlet valve is formed in the area of the piston and opens during dispensing to permit the outflow of material through an actuator spout as the actuator is depressed to move the piston inwardly in the pump chamber, and, thus, to dispense the fluid material.
Pumps of this nature in the past have suffered from various drawbacks, such as difficulty in manufacture and leakage under different conditions of use. Thus, there is a need for an improved pump of this nature, which is easy to manufacture, can be used in a variety of different applications, and is not subject to leakage when used, and even abused, by a consumer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The lotion pump of the present invention fills this need by providing a number of advantages over those of the prior art. The present invention employs an inlet ball check valve assembly in which the valve housing and valve seat may be integrally formed with the bottom of the pump housing. A ball valve member is retained between the valve seat and the return spring. The ball travel is restricted by the inner diameter of the return spring, which is smaller than the outer diameter of the ball. Optionally, a separate cage for retaining the ball of the inlet ball check valve assembly may be provided. This option enables construction of the check valve assembly as a separate subassembly. The pump utilizes a two piece actuator stem assembly having an outer or top stem and a inner or bottom stem. The piston is retained between the outer and inner stems. Surrounding the outer end of the outer stem is a locking sleeve, which is snap fit into the pump housing. The dispensing spout is formed in an actuator mounted on the outer end of the outer stem. The actuator used may be a lotion nozzle for dispensing lotions, creams, soaps, etc., or a spray actuator provided with a break-up insert or the like for dispensing a wet spray or stream of less viscous liquid.
The pump of the invention is designed as a modular pump, which greatly facilitates use of automatic assembly because of a construction that permits the preassembly of various subassemblies. The subassemblies then are assembled together into a pump module that may be shipped separately and can be used with different types of mounting caps, e.g., screw, crimped, etc. The assembly sequence of the modular pump of the invention may be as follows. In a first assembly machine, the outer stem is inserted in a central opening in the piston and the inner stem is pressed onto the inner end of the outer stem to hold the piston in place and form a first subassembly or module. The pump housing then is placed in a second machine assembly, the ball of the inlet ball check valve assembly is dropped into the pump housing and the first subassembly picks up a spring, which is slid over the inner end of the inner stem, to form a combined second subassembly. The second subassembly then is dropped into the housing and the locking sleeve is snap fit into the open end of the pump housing to form the final modular pump assembly, which may be separately shipped as discussed above. In a third machine, a gasket is placed over the pump module and a screw or other type of cap is snap fit onto the modular pump assembly to lock the parts in place. Thereafter, either a lotion nozzle or spray actuator is snapped onto the outer piston stem.
In addition to improved ease of assembly, the two part stem design also aids in the formation of radial flow inlets to a central stem passage leading to the actuator for dispensing product. Such inlets are formed by straight through molding of longitudinal slots in the outer stem. When the inner stem is placed over the inner end of the outer stem, these slots are transformed into radial inlets.
In addition to those features mentioned above, a particularly effective locking arrangement to prevent leakage also is provided. The piston abuts against the locking sleeve in the unactuated position to prevent leakage, even if the container is stepped upon by a consumer. The abutment of the piston against the locking sleeve is such that should the container be squeezed or stepped upon, the increased pressure applied in the pump chamber to the bottom of the piston simply increases the force by which an upper piston extension is held in place between the locking sleeve and pump chamber wall, thereby preventing leakage. Furthermore, the snap fit between the actuator and piston stem provides a positive connection, which allows pulling up of the piston stem assembly to further close the outlet valve and seal the piston extension to the locking sleeve, when the actuator is in its rotated, locked position.
The present invention also provides a lock for the actuator to prevent accidental dispensing. This is accomplished through rotation of the actuator relative to the locking sleeve to a detent position from which the actuator cannot be depressed. A further feature of the invention allows for repositioning of the actuator spout through rotation of the locking sleeve to effect a desired change in orientation by the ultimate end user or consumer. The top portion of the locking sleeve extending from the pump housing may be formed with longitudinal splines for gripping the locking sleeve to facilitate rotating it relative to the screw cap into the desired position against a controlled frictional surface provided on the locking sleeve. Even with this feature, the actuator may still be locked against accidental dispensing because the frictional force that must be overcome to rotate the actuator is much less than the frictional force that must overcome to rotate the locking sleeve relative to the screw cap.
Other features, advantages and embodiments of the invention are apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a modular lotion pump constructed according to the principles the invention;
FIG. 1A is an enlarged cross sectional view of the connection between the actuator and the outer piston stem of the modular lotion pump of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap, actuator and locking sleeve of the lotion pump of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the top of the locking sleeve of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of another embodiment of a modular lotion pump of the invention.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the inlet ball check valve assembly of FIG. 4 in which the integral pump housing and valve seat is illustrated.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the connection between the locking sleeve and the screw cap of FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the locking sleeve of FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the top of a modular lotion pump of the invention fitted with a spray actuator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a modular lotion pump constructed according to the present invention, which illustrates a cylindrical pump housing 11 having an inner wall 12 forming a boundary of pump chamber 13. At the inner end of housing 11, a small diameter section 15 receives a ball check valve assembly 17 comprising a, preferably, stainless steel ball 19 contained within a cage 21 into which the ball may be snapped. Instead of a separate cage, the ball may be retained between the bottom of housing 11, which forms a valve seat and the spring 32. This feature is discussed in more detail in connection with the description of FIG. 4 below. Within the chamber 13 a slidable piston 21 is supported for reciprocal motion therein. Extending through a central bore in piston 21 is an outer stem 23. Outer stem 23 is a hollow cylindrical member containing a central passage 25. At its inner end, outer stem 23 has a cylindrical portion 27 of reduced diameter. In the area where the diameter decreases, a plurality of longitudinal slots 29 are formed to provide openings into the central passage 25. The slots 29, along with a inner stem member 31, which is press fit over the inner end of the outer stem member 23, form radial inlets 37. By forming the radial inlets 37 to passage 25 in this manner, molding is simplified, slots 29 can be molded in a straight through mold; no radial pins are needed. Yet, when inner stem 31 is fitted in place, the required radial inlets are formed.
Inner stem 31 is a hollow cylindrical member having a conical portion 33 at its inner end and a radially extending flange 35 at its outer end from which a frustro-conical hollow portion 38 extends upwardly. A spring 32 biases inner stem 31 outwardly such that portion 38 sealingly abuts against a correspondingly formed inner portion of piston 21 to form an outlet valve, which closes the inlets 37 in the position shown. The piston 21 has outwardly extending upper and lower extensions 41 and 39, respectively, which are in sealing contact with the inner wall 12 of the housing 11.
Locking sleeve 45 is located outwardly from the piston and extends in the housing 11 into abutment with the upper extension 41 of the piston. Locking sleeve 45 has a generally hollow, cylindrical shape. Near its outer end it has a radially outwardly extending flange 47, which rests on a radially outwardly extending flange 48 provided at the outer end of the housing 11. Near the inner end of the locking sleeve 45 is an inwardly extending flange 49. This flange 49 cooperates with, and acts as a stop for, the outer stem 23, which has a radially outwardly extending flange 51. The innermost end of the locking sleeve 45 contains a portion 53 of slightly reduced diameter, which at its very end contains a tapered surface 55 shown in sealing abutment with the upper extension 41 of the piston 21.
By virtue of this arrangement, the force of spring 32 and any pressure acting in the pump chamber underneath the piston simply pushes the piston against surface 55 to further lock the piston between locking member 45 and the wall 12 of the housing 11, thereby making a seal that tightens as more pressure is applied and ensuring that there is no leakage past the piston and out of the pump chamber through and around the stem. Even if the container on which the modular pump is mounted is stepped upon, fluid will not leak past the piston.
A vent opening 57 may be provided in the wall of the housing 11 for venting the container on which the modular pump is attached. The location of the vent intermediate the piston extensions in the unactuated position ensures that any fluid forced through the vent cannot get past the piston and leak out of the pump.
The locking sleeve 45 has two channel-like slots 61a, 61b cooperating with longitudinal projections 71a, 71b, respectively, to guide the pump actuator 68, which is snap fit on top of the outer stem 23, for inward and outward movement. Also shown in FIG. 1 is a cap 75, which snaps over the housing flange 48 as a projection 77 passes the flange 48. Flange 47 is trapped between inner cap surface 79 and projection 77, thereby resulting in a positive connection between cap 75 and the flange 47.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap, actuator and locking sleeve of the lotion pump shown in cross section in FIG. 1, while FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the top of the locking sleeve 45. The actuator 68 mounted on top of the outer stem is shown in FIG. 2, as is the portion of the locking sleeve 45 that extends above the cap 75. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, cutaway portions 65a, 65b are disposed above slots 61a, 61b, respectively. Adjacent these cutaway portions are partially circumferentially extending slots 63a, 63b having formed in the wall thereof a respective stop or locking projection 67a, 67b. Slots 63a, 63b have larger inner diameters than the main portion of the sleeve 45 and extend longitudinally to bottom ledges 73a, 73b. The ends of ledges 73a, 73b adjacent cutaway portions 65a, 65b have sloped portions 75a, 75b, of which only sloped portion 75a is shown (FIG. 3). In the unactuated position shown in FIG. 1, circumferential slots 63a, 63b permit rotation of the actuator 68 such that the cooperating ribs 71a, 71b, which during actuation slide within respective slots 61a, 61b, may be rotated past sloped portions 75a, 75b and the locking projections 67a, 67b to the detent positions 101a, 101b where ledges 73a, 73b prevent inward movement. In this position, the actuator ribs 71a, 71b are not in alignment with slots 61a, 61b and the actuator cannot be depressed, thereby preventing accidental dispensing. The perspective view of FIG. 2, in which the actuator 68 is shown with the ribs 71a, 71b aligned with the cutaway portions 65a, 65b and, thus, with channels 61a and 61b, illustrates that rotation of the actuator relative to the locking sleeve 45 in the direction of arrows 100 will permit the ribs 71a, 71b to rotate in slots 63 a, 63b to detent positions 101a, 101b. As discussed above, in this position the bottoms 102 (FIG. 1) of the ribs 71a, 71b abut ledge 73a, 73b to prevent inward motion of the actuator and accidental dispensing.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the actuator 68 is connected to the outer piston stem 23 by a projecting annular bead 83 which snaps into a groove 82 formed in an inner surface of the actuator. This provides a positive connection, which allows pulling up of the outer stem and, hence, inner stem when positioning the actuator in its rotated, locked position. Pulling up of the inner piston stem 31 further seals the inner stem portion 38 to the piston 21 and further seals the piston 21 to the locking sleeve 45, in addition to the sealing action that occurs due to the force of spring 32.
The cap, pump housing, locking sleeve, piston, piston stems and actuator of the invention may be formed from plastic or other suitable materials.
In operation, with the actuator 68 disposed in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as the actuator 68 is pressed inwardly, the ribs 71a, 71b are guided for movement in the slots 61a, 61b. As the actuator is depressed, the stem 23, 31 moves inwardly against the biasing force of return spring 32. After the stem moves a short distance, the outlet valve, which is formed between the outer surface of the frusto-conical portion 38 of the inner stem 31 and the corresponding inner surface of the piston 21, is opened to establish communication between the radial inlets 37 and the pump chamber 13. Subsequently, the flange 51 contacts the top 22 of the piston 21 and carries the piston inwardly with the stem. As the piston moves inwardly, it forces the fluid material within the chamber 13 though the inlets 37 into the passage 25 to be dispensed via a passage 80 in the actuator 68. Once the piston has passed the vent 57, air is free to flow into the container. The air flow path is around the actuator and into the inside of the locking member 45, due to the clearance therebetween, and then through the gap between the flange 49 and the outer stem 23 and to the vent 57. During the inward stroke of the piston, the inlet ball valve 19 is seated, of course, due to the pressure in chamber 13. On the return stroke, as the piston moves outwardly, the ball is lifted from its seat and the pump chamber refills by virtue of the pressure differential between the pump chamber and container. The portion 81 of the housing below the ball check valve assembly 17 is of reduced diameter and a dip tube 88 is received therein. The dip tube extends to the bottom of the container for conducting fluid to the check valve assembly 17.
FIGS. 4-7 illustrate another embodiment of a modular lotion pump constructed according to the principles of the invention. In FIGS. 4-7 parts constructed similarly to those discussed in connection with FIGS. 1-3 are designated with the same reference numeral followed by a prime. As the operation of both illustrated embodiments is basically the same, only the major differences from the FIG. 1-3 embodiment, i.e., the inlet ball check valve assembly 17', the locking sleeve 45' and the venting of the container via grooves 43, are discussed in detail below.
The inlet ball check valve assembly 17' of FIG. 4 comprises a ball 19' and a valve housing that is integrally formed with the pump housing 11'. As shown best in FIG. 5, pump housing 11' is formed with a frusto-conically shaped valve seat 20' with which ball 19' mates to prevent flow into the pump chamber as the piston is depressed. The travel of the ball in the other, flow permitting, direction is restricted by the inner diameter of spring 32', which is smaller than the outer diameter of the ball.
A further difference in this embodiment lies in the locking sleeve 45', which is best shown in the perspective view of FIG. 7. Locking sleeve 45' contains all of the slots and grooves discussed above in connection with the FIG. 1-3 embodiment for guiding and locking the actuator against accidental dispensing, in addition to several other features. The first feature is an annular surface 44, which upwardly projects from the radially outward most portion of flange 47'. As shown in FIG. 6, surface 44 acts against the undersurface 79' of the housing cap 75' to provide a controlled frictional force, which must be overcome before the locking sleeve 45' may be rotated relative to housing cap 75'. To facilitate gripping of locking sleeve 45' to produce the relative rotation, splines 46 are provided in the upper peripheral surface of the locking sleeve that extends out of the housing cap 75'. With this arrangement, should the consumer or ultimate user desire to reposition the axial direction of the spout of actuator 68', the screw cap 75' is held in place while the splines 46 are gripped and rotated relative to housing cap 75' to move the actuator 68' into a desired position against the controlled frictional force. The actuator 68' can still be locked to prevent accidental dispensing because the frictional force required to rotate the actuator is much less than the controlled frictional force required to rotate the locking sleeve relative to the screw cap.
Another feature of locking sleeve 45' is the provision of vent grooves 43, four of which may be provided, although only two are shown in FIG. 7. These grooves cooperate with two opposed slots 85 formed in the housing (shown in FIGS. 4 and 6) via an annular vent path 87 formed between the inner diameter of the housing 11' and the outer diameter of the locking sleeve 45' to vent the container in a manner similar to the venting described in connection with the FIG. 1-3 embodiment. In the FIG. 4-7 embodiment, once the upper piston extension moves away from the end of the locking sleeve, air is free to flow into the container via a flow path that is more circuitous than the flow path of the FIG. 1-3 embodiment. In a manner similar to the FIG. 1-3 embodiment, the first portion of the air flow path is around the actuator 68', into the inside of the locking member 45', and then through the gap between the flange 49' and the outer stem 23'. However, instead of flowing through a vent hole in the container, in this embodiment the air then flows around the bottom 53' of the locking sleeve between the gap bridging the outer diameter of the locking sleeve and the inner diameter of the housing (which is no longer sealed by the piston), up the vent grooves 43 to annular vent path 87 (FIG. 6), through the housing slots 85 and into the container to replenish it with air. This arrangement is preferable to the vent hole 57 because it obviates the leakage that would occur in a vent hole arrangement were the container turned upside-down. However, in some instances, e.g., when a viscous material is dispensed, this may not be a concern and the vent hole may be used.
One particular advantage of the FIG. 4-7 embodiment is the ease with which the modular lotion pump may be automatically assembled. In a first assembly machine, the outer piston stem 23' is inserted in a central opening in the piston and the inner piston stem 31' is pressed onto the inner end of the outer stem to hold the piston in place and form a first subassembly or module. Next, the housing is placed in a second assembly machine, the ball 19' is dropped into the housing 11', the first subassembly picks up spring 32', which is slid over the inner end of the inner stem, and this combined second assembly is dropped into the housing. Thereafter, the locking sleeve 45' is snapped into the pump housing 11', via a discontinuous annular bead 91, which is received in groove 89 formed in an inner surface of the pump housing 11' to form the final modular pump assembly. (The FIG. 1-3 embodiment also employs a bead-groove type of connection, although it is not illustrated.) In a third machine, a gasket 78 is placed over the module and screw cap 75' is snap fit onto the modular pump to lock the parts in place, in a manner previously discussed in connection with FIGS. 1-3. A lotion nozzle or actuator, such as 68' shown in FIG. 4, or a spray actuator, such as 68" shown in FIG. 8 is snap fit at 83' onto the outer piston stem. The spray actuator 68' of FIG. 8 employs a break-up insert 69 to produce a spray upon dispensing in a manner known in the art.
The lotion pump of the invention has several advantages over the pumps heretofore known in the art. One advantage of the present invention is the modular construction, which includes the locking sleeve being inserted into the pump chamber and held therein by groove and interlocking bead connection that holds the other parts of the pump together. This permits using the basic modular pump assembly with different types of caps or covers other than the screw-type cap 75 shown. Also, the modular pump assembly may be shipped separately as modules such that the purchaser or customer could then assemble the cap, actuator and dip tube to the modular pump assembly.
Another particular advantage of the invention lies in the ease of manufacture of the pump due to the manner in which the two piece stem is constructed. The slots 29, which provide an inlet into passageway 25, are longitudinal slots and, thus, are extremely easy to mold. In effect, the two piece construction transforms the molded longitudinal slots 29 into horizontal side slots or radial inlets 37 leading into the passage 25.
A further advantage concerns the extension 41 of the piston being wedged between the locking sleeve 45 and the wall 12 of the pump chamber, which as previously noted provides a particularly effective seal. As the pressure within the pump chamber 13 increases, the effectiveness of this seal arrangement increases.
Another advantage is the rotatable locking sleeve, which permits reorientation of the actuator during filling or use by the consumer. The dual slots 61a and 61b in the locking sleeve provide an advantageous construction for guiding the actuator, which decreases the likelihood of tilting and jamming of the actuator. Furthermore, the use of circumferential slots 63a, 63b and cooperating ribs 71a, 71b provide a simple, yet effective way to prevent accidental dispensing.
Various modifications can be made to the lotion pump of the present invention and the features of the two embodiments discussed above may be interchanged. With respect to the FIG. 1-3 embodiment, in particular, the vent opening 57 can be provided at a different location, such as at a position disposed above the piston in its unactuated position. However, the location of the vent opening shown in FIG. 1 intermediate the piston is preferable for the reasons previously discussed. The use of the optional, separate ball cage described in the FIG. 1-3 embodiment also provides numerous advantages both in molding and assembly. The separate ball cage obviates the need for the ball valve housing to be molded into the pump housing. The seat and other tolerances associated with the ball valve can be better formed in the small, separate, ball cage. Furthermore, the ball cage can be made of a different, e.g., softer material, than the pump housing. Furthermore, in each of the described embodiments, the distance between flange 51 and the top 22 of the piston 21 can be increased, and a spring inserted therebetween. With such an arrangement, upon actuation the additional spring must first be compressed, thereby building up a pre-pressure. Only after a predetermined amount of pre-pressure in the spring, does the piston begin to move inwardly to open the inlet valve and permit communication with inlets 37. This spring pre-pressurization arrangement provides for smoother dispensing under a higher pressure, which avoids streaming of the material dispensed. Such an arrangement is disclosed, for example, in FIG. 27 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,145, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein.
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An improved modular lotion pump for dispensing personal products such as lotions, creams, etc., and a method of assembling same is disclosed. The modular pump is formed of several subassemblies that are subsequently assembled to form the modular pump assembly. A cap having means for attachment to a container from which material is to be dispensed may be snap fit onto the modular pump. The pump includes a rotatable locking sleeve for preventing leakage even if the container is squeezed or stepped upon by a consumer and for changing the orientation of the actuator. The actuator may be rotated relative to the locking sleeve to prevent accidental dispensing.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera of which the range finding direction is changeable, and more particularly relates to a camera of which the range finding direction is changeable and which can precisely indicate a range finding point in a viewfinder.
A range finding device is provided to a camera in order to find the range from the camera to a subject and adjust the focus of the lens. Since focus adjustment is conducted by placing a range finding point on a subject in order to find the range for the purpose of focal adjustment, subjects located in front of and behind the range finding point become out of focus.
Therefore, a camera is provided in which the range finding point (the target) can be changed by a photographer so that range finding of a predetermined subject can be conducted. The range finding system described above is called a moving target system.
In the case described above, the range finding point is changed by changing the direction of the range finding device. When the change of the range finding point is linked with the change of a target indication position displayed in a viewfinder, a photographer can easily operate the camera. For that reason, the viewfinder is provided with a plurality of target frames which are changed in accordance with the change of range finding point and which can be selected according to the range finding information. In the case of a range-finding-direction-changeable-camera having a zoom lens, if the moving target frame is set in accordance with a field angle of either telephotography or wide-angle-photography, the found range differs since the focal distances of telephotography and wide-angle-photography are different. Consequently, the indicating position of a moving target frame in a viewfinder differs from the range-finding-direction position of the range finding device. Especially when the moving target frame is set in accordance with the field angle of wide-angle-photography, the following problem is caused: in telephotography, the field angle is small, so that range finding is conducted outside the field angle.
Accordingly, in the case of a camera having a zoom lens, it is important that the position of an actual range finding point agrees with the indicating position of a moving target frame in a viewfinder.
Due to the circumstances described above, the present invention has been accomplished. A primary object of the present invention is to provide a range-finding-direction-changable-camera in which the indicating position of a moving target frame in a viewfinder agrees with the range finding direction position of a range finding device, so that the change of a range finding point can be prevented by changing the focal distance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention is to provide a camera having a variable focal lens, which is provided with a picture-taking lens optical system composed of a variable focal lens, a range finding optical system composed of a range finding device to measure the camera-to-subject distance, and a viewfinder optical system that changes magnification in accordance with a variable magnification operation of said picture-taking lens optical system, and which comprises: a focal distance detection means which detects focal distance information of said picture-taking lens optical system; a range finding direction changing means which can change the range finding direction of said range finding device; a range finding direction detecting means which detects the range finding direction that is set by said range finding direction changing means; and an indication means which indicates the range finding direction in a viewfinder according to the focal distance information detected by said focal distance detection means and according to the range finding direction information detected by said range finding direction detecting means.
When the range finding point is changed by changing the range finding direction in the camera of the invention, the indicating positional of the range finding direction in a viewfinder is determined according to the focal distance information of a zoom lens and the position information of the range finding direction. Therefore, it is possible that the indicating position of the range finding direction in a viewfinder agrees with the range finding position of a range finding device, so that the variation of the range finding point can be prevented when the focal distance is changed by selecting between telephotography and wide-angle-photography.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 to 3 show a camera to which the present invention is applied;
FIG. 1 is a front view of the camera;
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the camera;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the camera;
FIG. 4 is an illustration which shows the display in a viewfinder;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view which shows the liquid crystal display;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view which shows the lens barrel of a picture-taking lens;
FIG. 7 is a partly cutaway sectional view of the lens barrel;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a mechanism which drives a lens barrel;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line XI--XI in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line XII--XII in FIG. 6;
FIG. 11 is a drawing which shows a signal detection means for controlling shutter blades;
FIG. 12 is a diagram which shows a curve of lens movement;
FIG. 13 is an illustration which shows the principle of zoom focusing;
FIG. 14 is a graph which shows the principle of focus correction;
FIG. 15 is a drawing which shows an encoder for controlling a zoom position;
FIG. 16 is a timing chart of a zoom switch;
FIGS. 17(a) to 17(d) are timing charts of zooming operations;
FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b) are illustrations which show movement of a lens in the automatic zoom mode illustrated in FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b);
FIG. 19 is an illustration which shows the sequence of focusing drive;
FIG. 20 is a plan view of a range finding and photometry device;
FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken on line A--A' of the range finding and photometry device;
FIG. 22 is an illustration which shows a wiring diagram in which moving target information is obtained from the range finding device illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21;
FIG. 23(1) to FIG. 23(3) are illustrations which show inside a viewfinder;
FIG. 24 is a drawing which illustrates the correction of range finding information by changing the range finding direction;
FIG. 25 is a block diagram which shows the electrical circuit of a camera to which the present invention is applied;
FIG. 26 is a drawing which shows the interface between MAIN-CPU and SUB-CPU;
FIG. 27 is a timing chart which shows the transfer from MAIN-CPU to SUB-CPU;
FIG. 28 is a timing chart which shows the transfer from SUB-CPU to MAIN-CPU;
FIG. 29 to FIG. 78 are flow charts of the control circuit;
FIG. 29 and FIG. 30 are drawings which show the main routine of MAIN-CPU;
FIG. 32 to FIG. 63 are drawings which show the sub-routine of MAIN-CPU; and
FIG. 64 to FIG. 78 are drawings which show the sub-routine of SUB-CPU.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
EXAMPLES
With reference now to the drawings, the present invention will be explained in detail as follows.
FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 are drawings showing a camera to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a front view of the camera; FIG. 2 is a rear view of the camera; FIG. 3 is a plan view of the camera; FIG. 4 is an illustration which shows the display in a viewfinder; and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view which shows a liquid crystal display.
CAMERA BODY
The grip portions 1b which protrude in the optical path direction are formed on both sides of the camera 1. The grip portions 1b, the side portions 1c and the rear portion 1d are formed into a curved surface, so that a photographer feels comfortable when he holds the camera to take a photograph. The viewfinder ocular window 10 is located in the center of the rear portion of the main body with regard to the longitudinal direction, so that the photographer's hands do not interfere with the viewfinder ocular window 10 during camera operation. As a result, the photographer can hold the camera so firmly that camera-shake is seldom caused. Furthermore, the operation button 13 and the release button 9 are located on the camera body so that they can be easily operated.
The lens barrel 2 is provided to the central position of the front side la of the camera 1; the viewfinder 3 and the range finding light emitting window 4 are located in the upper portion of the lens barrel 2; the strobe light window 5 is located on the side of the viewfinder 3; and the range finding light receiving window 6 is located on the side of the range finding light emitting window 4. Three of the LED indicating units 15 are provided above the range finding light emitting window 4 and the viewfinder 3. When photographing is conducted by a self-timer operation, the lapse of time is indicated by the LED indicating units 15 which are turned on and off at a predetermined timing, for example three LED units are turned on and off in sequence. The photographer can check the direction of the moving target when the LED indicating unit 15 corresponding to the range finding position of the range finding device is turned on. The photometry unit 16 is placed above the lens barrel 2.
A large liquid crystal display unit 7 is provided on the upper portion 1e of the camera 1 so that many pieces of photographing information can be displayed. Further, the main switch 8 and the release button 9 are provided to the camera. In the initial pressing stroke of the release button 9, switch S1 is turned on, and after that switch S2 is turned on.
The rear lid composing the back 1d of the camera 1 is provided with the viewfinder ocular window 10, the patrone check window 11, various switch buttons 12 and the operation button 13. The operation button 13 is operated in such a manner that: when the operating portion 13a is pressed, the focal distance of the zoom lens is moved to the telephotography side; when the operating 13b is pressed, the focal distance is moved to the wide-angle photography side; when the operating portion 13d is pressed, the direction of the moving target is changed to the left; and when the operating portion 13c is pressed, the direction of the moving target is changed to the right. This operation button 13 conducts both the zooming operation and the moving target operation. A strap ring to which a strap is hooked, is provided to the side portion 1c of the camera 1.
Picture-Taking Lens
An inner focal type of zoom lens is used as a picture-taking lens. The lens structure is a 4-group-zoom. Zooming operation is conducted by an electrical zoom drive system which is activated by pressing the operation button.
VIEWFINDER
A real image zoom viewfinder is used. A real image is displayed in the viewfinder by a liquid crystal display which is placed on the real image surface in the optical path of the viewfinder. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a liquid crystal display is used for the display of the viewfinder.
FIG. 4 shows the state of the viewfinder in which all the segments are lit. In the viewfinder, there are displayed; the automatic parallax correction visual field frame 20 which automatically sets a visual field according to the focal distance information of the picture-taking lens and the subject distance information detected by range finding operation; the moving target mark 21 which lights the position corresponding to the range finding position of the range finding device, wherein the range finding position is adjustable; the strobe light emitting mark 22; the range finding distance indication 23; and the warning mark 24 which indicates possible blurring of the picture due to an unsteady hold on the camera.
FOCUS ADJUSTMENT
In the range finding device, infrared rays are projected by a light emitting element through a light projecting lens so that the emitted light is illuminated on a subject. An infrared ray active type of range finding device is used which detects the distance from the camera to a subject in such a manner that: the reflected light from the subject is received by a light receiving element through a light receiving lens; and the distance is detected by the light reviewing position on the light receiving element. In the case of the above-described range finding device, the range finding position can be changed to the right and left with regard to the optical axis of the picture-taking lens. The system explained above is called a moving target system.
The range finding device is activated by the operation of switch S1 ON which is attained by the first step operation of the release button 9, and the result of the range finding is held. Then, the result is displayed by the range finding distance indication 23 in the viewfinder. When the subject is located in a position closer than a predetermined distance, a warning is displayed by the range finding indication 23. When the operation of switch S2 ON is conducted, the focal lens is driven so that the subject can come into focus. When the distance measured by the above-described range finding operation is shorter than the predetermined value, a release lock is activated in order to prohibit photographing.
EXPOSURE CONTROL
The light receiving portion of the photometry device is composed of a 2-divided-silicon-photodiode, and provided with a photometry element for spot use which performs the photometry of the central portion of the picture, and provided with a photometry element for average use, which performs photometry for the peripheral portion of the picture. Exposure control is conducted in accordance with the subject luminance information detected by these two photometry elements and the film sensitivity information.
STROBE LIGHT
Charging of a strobe light device is conducted in such a manner that: an electrical current, the voltage of which is automatically boosted from the power source, is accumulated in a condenser by the operation of winding of a frame of film. The strobe light is activated by turning on the main switch, and pressing the release button.
Concerning strobe light selection modes, there are: an automatic light emitting mode in which emitting or non-emitting of strobe light is determined according to the luminance information of the subject, a forcible light emitting mode which emits strobe light without any relation to the luminance information of the subject, and a non-light emitting mode which does not emit strobe light, with no relation to the luminance information of the subject light.
LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY
The display of the liquid crystal display unit 7 is shown in FIG. 5, wherein FIG. 5 shows the state in which all the lights are lit for the purpose of explanation.
The display 30 is used as a film counter 30a which counts frame numbers in sequence. The following are displayed in the liquid display unit 7: the rear lid opening indication 31; the film state indication 32; the time indication 33 which shows the interval time and exposure time; the battery residual capacity indication 34; the strobe mode indication 35 (the automatic light emitting mode 35a, the forcible light emitting mode 35b and the non-light emitting 35c); the release operation indication 36; the drive mode indication 37 (the single shot mode 37a and the successive shot mode 37b); the self-timer photography mode 37c in which photographing is conducted in order to take a picture of the photographer himself 10 seconds after a release operation has been performed; the short period self-timer photography mode 37d which is mainly used for preventing blurred of pictures caused by an unsteady hold on the camera, and in which photographing is conducted 3 seconds after a release operation has been conducted; a fault indication 38; the special photographing mode indication 39 (INF mode 39a in which photographing is conducted by forcibly moving the focal lens to an infinite focus position without activating the range finding means); the NIGHT mode 39b in which a long period exposure is conducted; the TV mode 39c for taking a picture of a TV screen at a shutter speed of 1/30 second without using a strobe light; the swing mode 39d for multiple exposure in which the shutter is successively opened and closed 6 times for one frame of film; the AZ mode 39e in which a zoom lens is automatically driven so that a burst shot can be conducted according to the distance information obtained by the detection of the distance from the camera to a subject; the snow mode 39f in which photometry is conducted on a subject, the background of which is as white as a snow-covered landscape, and the higher the measured luminance is, the larger correction is conducted on the plus side; the SPOT mode 39g in which spot photometry is conducted; the +1.5 EV mode 39h in which photographing is conducted under the condition that the exposure is 1.5 EV higher than the proper one; the -1.5 EV mode 39i in which photographing is conducted under the condition that the exposure is 1.5 EV lower than the proper one; the ME mode 39i of multiple exposure photography in which the exposure time can be set; the TE mode 39k of bulb exposure photography in which the exposure time can be set; and INT mode 39l in which the number and interval of photographing are set so as to conduct an interval photographing.
ILM FEEDING
The automatic load system is used for film feed in which a conventional motor is applied for a drive power force. Film feed is started when the rear lid has been closed after a film was loaded in the camera, and four frames of film are fed without being exposed. The film is fed by a spool drive system, and the number of frames is indicated by a counter in sequence. The film is automatically rewound when it is tightly stretched or when the final frame of film has been photographed. Further, when a single switch is manually operated, the film is also rewound.
STRUCTURE OF LENS BARREL
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the lens barrel of a picture-taking lens; FIG. 7 is a side view of the lens barrel of the picture-taking lens, wherein a portion of the lens barrel is cutaway in the drawing; FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a mechanism which drives the picture-taking lens; FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line XI--XI in FIG. 6; FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line XII--XII in FIG. 6; and FIG. 11 is a drawing showing the signal detection means of shutter blade control.
The lens barrel 2 has a cylindrical fixed barrel 40 which is fixed to the front side of the main body of the camera 1. A plurality of sliding grooves 41 which are extended in parallel with the optical lens axis α, are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the fixed lens barrel 40. The cylindrical front sliding frame 42, the outer circumferential surface of which is provided with the sliding protrusion 42a which can be moved along the sliding groove 41 in the direction of lens optical axis α, is arranged inside the fixed lens barrel 40. The cylindrical movable barrel 43 is fixed to the front sliding frame 42. A plurality of sliding grooves 44 which are extended in parallel with the lens optical axis α, are formed in the same way on the inner circumferential surface of the front sliding frame 42. The rear sliding frame 45, from the outer circumferential surface of which is protruded the sliding protrusion 45a which can be moved along the sliding groove 44 in the direction of lens optical axis α, is arranged inside the front sliding frame 42. The fourth variable magnification lens group 46 is comprised of three lenses, assembled to the rear inside of the rear sliding frame 45. This fourth variable magnification lens group 46 is fixed by the ring screw 47 which is screwed to the inner circumference of the rear sliding frame 45.
Three lenses are installed in the partition portion 42b which separates the inside of the front sliding frame 42, and two lenses are installed in the rear side holder 48 which is placed in the position opposed to the partition portion 42b. The third variable magnification lens group 49a is comprised of these five lenses. The spring 50 is provided between the rear holder 48 and the rear sliding frame 45 so that the fourth variable magnification lens group 46 of the rear sliding frame 45 can be always pushed in such a manner that the fourth variable magnification lens group 46 is separated from the third variable magnification lens group 49a. Two shutter blades 51 are provided to the rear holder 48, and these shutter blades 51 are located in the third variable magnification lens group 49a.
The front holder 52 is fixed to the inside of the movable barrel 43, and the lens holder 53 is screwed to the front side of the front holder 52 in order to fix the first variable magnification lens group 49 composed of two lenses. This first variable magnification lens group 49b and the third variable magnification lens group 49a compose the first-third lens group 49 which is integrally moved.
The guide groove 54 is formed inside the front holder 52 in the direction of lens optical axis α. This guide groove 54 is engaged with the protrusion 56a of the lens holder 56 in which the second variable magnification lens group 55 composed of three lenses is assembled. The support portion 56b of the lens holder 56 is slidably provided to the sleeve 57. The guide pin 58 which is made from stainless steel and installed in the direction of lens optical axis α, is slidably inserted into the sleeve 57 in order to eliminate the play of lenses and improve the linearity. This guide pin 58 is supported between the tip portion of the front holder 52 and the plate 66 supported by the front supporting frame 42. The coil spring 59 into which the guide pin 58 is inserted, is provided between the support portion 56b of the lens holder 56 and the tip portion of the front holder 52, and the coil spring 59 always pushes the second variable magnification lens group 55 in the direction of the third variable magnification lens group 49a. The screw shaft 62 is rotatably supported between the bearing 60 mounted on the front holder 52 and the partition portion 42b of the front sliding frame 42. This screw shaft 62 is installed in parallel with the direction of lens optical axis α. The nut member 63 which is mounted on the support portion 56b of the lens holder 56, is screwed to this screw shaft 62, and when the screw shaft 52 is rotated, the second variable magnification lens group 55 can be moved through the lens holder 56 in the direction of lens optical axis α.
The pinion gear 64 is fixed to the screw shaft 62; the gear 65 is fixed to the shaft of this pinion gear 64; this gear 65 is engaged with the gear shaft 67 shown in FIG. 8; the gear 65 is engaged with the drive pinion 70 of the focusing motor 69 through the gear 68; and when the focusing motor 69 is driven, the drive force is transmitted through the gear mechanism and the second variable magnification lens group 55 can be moved in the direction of lens optical axis α. On the other hand, the pinion gear 64 mounted on the screw shaft 62, is engaged with the gear 72 mounted on the gear shaft 71; the gear 73a of the stopper member 73 is engaged with the gear shaft 71; the rotation is restricted when the stopper portion 73b comes into contact with the edge of the fan-shaped cut-out portion 42c which is formed on the partition portion 42b of the front sliding frame 42; and the movement of the second variable magnification lens group 55 can be restricted. These gear mechanisms are supported between the plate 66 and the partition portion 42b, and between the plate 66 and the plate 75.
The three-blades 76 are mounted on the rotative shaft 69a of the focusing motor 69, and pulse LDPI can be obtained by the photointerrupter 77 provided in the position opposed to the three-blades 76 when the focusing motor 69 is rotated.
The gear 78 is mounted on the gear shaft 71; the gear 78 is engaged with the pinion gear 81 mounted on the rotative shaft 80 which is rotatably provided to the plate 79; and one-blade 82 is mounted on the rotative shaft 80. The photointerrupter 83 is installed in the position opposed to this one-blade 82 so that pulse LDP2 can be obtained when the focusing motor 69 is rotated.
The above-described three-blades 76 and one-blade 82 are made from polyacetal, a resin which does not transmit light. Since the blades are made from polyacetal, the rotative shaft 69a of the motor can be easily press-fitted into the blades, and further the blades can be easily positioned with regard to the rotative direction after press-fitting.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the cam cylinder 40 is rotatably provided to the fixed barrel 40, wherein the cam cylinder 40 can be rotated around the center of the fixed barrel 40. The circumferential surface of the above-described cam cylinder 90 is provided with the first correction cam groove 91 which moves the front sliding frame 42 and movable barrel 43 in the direction of lens optical axis α, and corrects the amount of movement in accordance with the change of magnification, and provided with the second correction cam groove 92 which moves the rear sliding frame 45 in the direction of lens optical axis α, and corrects the amount of movement in accordance with the change of magnification. The front cam pin 93 protruded from the outer circumferential surface of the front sliding frame 42, penetrates the slot 94 formed on the circumferential surface of the fixed barrel 40 in parallel with the lens optical axis α and protrudes into the first correction cam groove 91 so that the front cam pin 93 can be moved in the direction of lens optical axis α in accordance with the rotation of the cam cylinder 90. The rear cam pin 95 protruded from the outer circumferential surface of the rear sliding frame 45 penetrates the slot 96 formed on the circumferential surface of the fixed barrel 40 in parallel with lens optical axis α, and the clearance groove 97 of the front sliding frame 42, and protrudes into the second correction cam groove 92.
The ring gear 98 is fixed to the position close to the base portion on the outer circumferential surface of the above-described cam cylinder 90, and the ring gear 98 is connected with the drive pinion 100 of the zoom drive motor 99 which is fixed to the camera body, through the reduction gear train 101. Accordingly, when zoom operations are conducted, the ring gear 98 and the cam cylinder 90 are rotated by the zoom drive motor 99 in the direction of wide-angle photography or telephotography, the first to third variable magnification lens system 49 is moved in the same direction, and the adjusted position of the fourth variable magnification lens system 46 is automatically determined according to the amount of movement of the first to third variable magnification lens system 49.
The barrier 103 is provided inside the movable barrel 43. When the above-described movable barrel 43 is moved from the wide-angle position to the stored position, the above-described barrier 103 is moved from the open position shown in the drawing to the closed position shown by a two-dotted-chain-line in the drawing so that the lens can be protected.
Lens Position Control
Next, the position control of an inner focal type of lens will be explained in detail.
FIG. 12 is a graph showing a lens movement curve, wherein the horizontal axis represents the rotation angle of the zoom lens and the vertical axis represents the distance from the camera to the surface to be photographed. The first-third variable magnification lens system 49 is composed of the first variable magnification lens group 49b and the third variable magnification lens group 49a, wherein both of them are connected and moved integrally. The fourth variable magnification lens group 46 is provided on the side of the surface to be photographed and linked with the first-third variable magnification lens system 49 through a zoom-cam-mechanism, and both of them are moved by different distances.
The second variable magnification lens group 55 are placed between the first variable magnification lens group 49b and the third variable magnification lens group 49a, and moved by the focusing motor 69 which is a focusing actuator. The second variable magnification lens group 55 is moved in such a manner that the distance from the first-third variable magnification lens group 49 or the fourth variable magnification lens group 46 is changed.
The zooming control of the fourth variable magnification lens group 46 is conducted in such a manner that: the angle of rotation from the wide-angle photographing end to the telephotographing end is 140°; and step control of 24 steps is conducted, wherein one step is set to about 6°.
FIG. 13 is an illustration showing the principle of zoom-focusing. This drawing shows the control of the focal lens of the second variable magnification lens group 55.
As described above, pulse LDP 1 can be obtained from the photointerrupter 77 which detects the rotation of the three-blades 76. This pulse LDP 1 is used in order to maintain the accuracy of focusing operation and to determine the final focusing position when the pulse is corrected, for example when correction is conducted at each zoom.
Pulse LDP 2 is obtained from the photointerrupter 83 which detects the rotation of one-blade 82. This pulse LDP 2 is used in order to roughly determine the zoom zone which is moved in zooming, and is used as a trigger pulse by which counting of pulse LDP 1 is started. When 54 pulses of pulse LDP 1 are inputted, one of pulse LDP 2 is inputted.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, the stop positions are set on both sides which mechanically restricts the movement of the focal lens, and the focal lens is moved between the stop positions. When the focal lens is to be stored, it is stopped in the position of the front stopper. The focusing motor 69 is controlled by pulse LDP 1 and pulse LDP 2 so that focusing can be conducted. In the drawing, when the motor is reversely rotated, the focal lens is moved to the left, and when the motor is normally rotated, the focal lens is moved to the right.
When the focal lens is in the position shown by a solid line, it is in the state of wide-angle-photography of infinity and telephotography of infinity. When the focal lens is in the position shown by a broken line, it is in the state of wide-angle-photography of 0.8 m and telephotography of 0.8 m. When the focal lens is in the position shown by a one-dotted-chain-line, it is in the initial position, and while the camera is in the waiting condition, the focal lens is maintained in this position.
Accordingly, when the main switch is turned on, the stored barrel is zoom-driven as far as the wide-angle-photography position; the focusing motor 69 is energized so that it can be rotated reversely; and after five pulses of LDP 2 have been counted, the focusing motor is stopped. At this moment, when the focal lens has reached the stop position, which is the front bump of the focal lens, the camera is in the state for wide-angle-photography. In this way, the focal lens is moved to the initial position for focusing which is shown by a one-dotted-chain line, and when the lens barrel is in the position of wide-angle photography, the focus is controlled forward from this position. When the focal lens is zoom-driven and moved to the position of telephotography, the focus is zoom-adjusted from the initial moving position on the wide-angle-photography side to the initial moving position on the telephotography side. When photographing is conducted in the condition described above, the focus is controlled forward, In this example, an inner focus is used, so that the amount of focal lens movement needed for focusing in the case of telephotography is different from that in the case of wide-angle-photography when focusing is conduced on a finite distance. When the focal lens placed in a predetermined position on the wide-angle-photography side, is moved to the telephotography side, the positions of the focal lens differ.
FIG. 14 is an illustration which shows the principle of focusing position correction.
In the case of inner focus, the correction of focusing position illustrated in FIG. 14 is necessary. The distance from the camera to a subject is set on the horizontal axis by 0.8 m to infinity, and the numerals for automatic focusing are set with regard to this distance. The amount of lens movement is shown on the vertical axis, and the number of pulses on the wide-angle-photography side is set to 160 and that on the telephotography side is set to 180.
In this drawing, the movement of the focal lens on the telephotography side is shown by a solid line, and that on the wide-angle-photography side is shown by a one-dotted-chain-line. In the case described above, even if the infinite position is set in both the wide-angle-photography side and the telephotography side, the amount of lens movement on the telephotography side and that on the wide-angle-photography side are different when the focus is adjusted to a subject, the distance of which from the camera is 1.2 m, for example. On the wide-angle-photography side, the control is conducted under the condition that the lens is stopped down, and especially when the subject is closer to the camera, the lens is further stopped down in order to improve the resolution. In other words, the position where the resolution becomes a peak value is varied according to the stop value, so that the amount of focal lens extension is supplemented in the case in which the focus is adjusted to a subject close to the camera.
The focus position correction is conducted as follows: when the camera-to-subject distance is 1.2 m to infinity, the drive pulse is set to the value of P1×AFZ/128; and when the camera-to-subject distance is 0.8 m to 1.2 m, the amount of lens extension is corrected by the value of P1+P2 (AFZ-128) of the drive pulse 1 on the telephotography side, and the amount of lens extension is corrected by the value of P1+P2 (AFZ-128)/64+P3 of the drive pulse on the wide-angle photography side.
The above-described pulse data is stored in EEPROM at 24 stepped zooming stop positions.
The infinity position is corrected by the pulse LDP 2 and shift pulse.
FIG. 15 is a drawing showing an encoder which is used for position control; and FIG. 16 is a zoom switch timing chart.
FIG. 15 shows an encoder comprised of a sliding pattern and sliding contact piece by which signals for zoom controlling can be obtained, and the zoom position signal is obtained by the sliding resistance pattern 300 and the sliding contact piece 310. The sliding resistance pattern 300 and sliding contact piece 310 are placed in the position where the reduction gear train 101 is located which transmits the dynamic force of the zoom drive motor 99 to the cam cylinder 90. The sliding contact piece 310 is fixed to a gear of the reduction gear train 101 so that it Can be rotated together with the gear, and the sliding resistance pattern 300 is placed in the position opposed to the sliding contact piece 310 on the camera body side. The sliding contact piece 310 is rotated in accordance with the extension of the lens and slid on the sliding resistance pattern 300.
This sliding resistance pattern 300 is composed of the first pattern 301, the second pattern 302, the third pattern 303 and the fourth pattern 304 which are arranged from the inside to the outside. The sliding contact piece 310 is composed of the first contact piece 311, the second contact piece 312, the third contact piece 313 and the fourth contact piece 314.
The fourth pattern 304 is composed of a sliding resistance, the edge portion on the wide-angle-photography side of which is connected with GRND and that on the telephotography side of which is impressed with a voltage of 3 V. Zoom position signal Z1 of analog voltage, which is shown in FIG. 16, is obtained by the first pattern 301, the fourth pattern 304, the first contact piece 311 and the fourth contact piece 314. This zoom position signal Z1 is A/D-converted and used in order to obtain zoom zone ZZ from the table which is stored in EEPROM shown in Table 1. In this table are set zoom correction value FZ corresponding to zoom zone ZZ and photometry correction value AE.
The second pattern 302 and the third pattern 303 form a digital pattern. By the second contact piece 312 and the third contact piece 313 are obtained zoom close position signal ZC, zoom wide-angle photography edge signal ZW, zoom telephotography edge signal ZT and digital zoom moving pulse signal ZP which are shown in FIG. 16.
Consequently, when the zoom operation signal is inputted by the operation of the operation button 13, zoom position signal Z1 is A/D-converted so that zoom zone ZZ shown in Table 1 can be obtained, before the zoom drive motor 99 is rotated for zoom operation. In the way described above, the present position of the focal lens can be obtained. However, when zoom wide-angle-photography edge signal ZW or zoom telephotography edge signal ZT is inputted, zone position [0] or [23] can be obtained without A/D conversion.
Then, the zoom drive motor 99 is driven in accordance with the input of the zoom operation signal. After the operation button is released, the zoom drive motor is stopped at a predetermined position of the zoom extension pulse signal ZP. Zoom zone ZZ is obtained by A/D-converting zoom position signal ZI which is obtained in the above-described process.
The difference between focus zone FZ in zoom zone ZZ which has been obtained before the zoom operation and focus zone FZ in zoom zone ZZ which has been obtained after the zoom operation, is found.
The position of the focal lens is changed in order to adjust the zoom focus according to the obtained difference.
TABLE 1______________________________________Z1 INPUT TABLEZZ Sw ZI [A/D] FZ AE______________________________________ 0 Zw -- 0 0 1 0 > 13 1 0 2 14 > 24 1 1 3 25 > 35 1 1 4 36 > 46 1 2 5 47 > 57 1 2 6 58 > 68 2 3 7 69 > 79 2 3 8 80 > 90 2 4 9 91 > 101 3 410 102 > 112 3 511 113 > 123 3 512 124 > 134 3 613 135 > 145 4 614 146 > 156 4 715 157 > 167 5 716 168 > 178 5 817 179 > 189 5 818 190 > 200 6 919 201 > 211 6 920 212 > 222 6 1021 223 > 233 6 1022 243 > 255 6 1123 ZT -- 6 11______________________________________
FIGS. 17(a), 17(b), 17(c) and 17(d) are timing charts of zooming operations.
FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b) are timing charts zooming-up operations. According to the timing chart of FIG. 17(a), operations are conducted as follows: when zoom moving pulse signal ZP is OFF, zoom-up signal ZU is changed from ON to OFF by releasing press operation portion 13a of the operation button 13; and at the timing in which zoom moving pulse signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON, the electrification of the zoom drive motor is changed from the state of normal operation to reverse operation so that the zoom lens can be stopped in the position of ON between the zoom moving pulse signals 3 and 4.
According to the timing chart of FIG. 17(b) , the operations are conducted as follows: when zoom moving pulse signal ZP is ON, zoom-up signal ZU is changed from ON to OFF by releasing press operation portion 13a of the operation button 13; and after zoom moving pulse signal ZP has become OFF, at the timing in which pulse signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON, the electrification of the zoom drive motor is changed from the state of normal operation to reverse operation so that the zoom lens can be stopped in the position of ON between the zoom moving pulse signals 4 and 5.
FIGS. 17(c) and 17(d) are timing charts of zoom-down. According to FIG. 17(c), the operations are conducted as follows: when zoom moving pulse signal ZP is OFF, zoom-down signal ZD is changed from ON to OFF by releasing the press operation portion 13b of the operation button 13; at a timing in which zoom moving pulse signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON, the electrification of the zoom drive motor is changed from the state of reverse rotation to normal rotation; and at a timing in which the subsequent zoom moving pulse signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON, the electrification of the zoom drive motor is changed from the state of normal operation to reverse operation so that the zoom lens is stopped in the position of ON between the zoom moving pulse signals 8 and 9.
According to FIG. 17(d), the operations are conducted as follows; when zoom moving pulse signal ZP is ON, zoom-down signal ZD is changed from ON to OFF by releasing press operation portion 13b of operation button 13; after zoom moving pulse signal ZP has become OFF, at a timing in which zoom moving pulse signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON, the electrification of the zoom drive motor is changed from the state of reverse rotation to normal rotation; and at a timing in which the subsequent zoom moving pulse signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON, the electrification of the zoom drive motor is changed from the state of normal operation to reverse operation so that the zoom lens is stopped in the position of ON between the zoom moving pulse signals 7 and 8.
In the manner described above, zoom stop is conducted as follows: when zoom-up signal ZU or zoom-down signal ZD is inputted during a normal drive of the zoom lens, zoom operation is stopped immediately after zoom moving pulse signal ZP has been changed from OFF to ON. Only when the position in which zoom moving pulse signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON during a normal rotation is utilized, can the accuracy of zoom stop position be improved.
Before the zoom operation is stopped, it is grasped that the switch of zoom moving pulse signal ZP is in the state of OFF, and the zoom motor is controlled at a timing in which the switch becomes ON. Since the motor is controlled in the state of ON, chattering can be eliminated. In the way described above, the overrun of the drive motor 99 in the chattering mask time can be shortened, and the dependence on moving speed and temperature can be absorbed, and further the difference between individual mechanisms can be also absorbed, so that the accuracy of the stop position of the zoom drive motor 99 can be improved.
When the zoom motor is stopped during reverse rotation, the zoom motor is normally driven to a point just before the stop, position so that the backlash of the mechanical structure can be absorbed. In this case, the stroke driven normally is at least the pulse width of zoom moving pulse signal ZP, so that even when a voltage fluctuation occurs, the stroke driven normally is constant. Accordingly, the motor stopping accuracy can be improved.
Furthermore, just before the motor is stopped, it is reversely electrified for braking so that overrun can be shortened when it is stopped. Consequently, the dependence on temperature can be absorbed. Furthermore, the dependence on the battery voltage can be absorbed since the normal and reverse rotations are conducted by the same voltage.
The periods in which this reverse electrification is impressed is controlled according to the atmospheric temperature, the battery voltage and the information about the individuals.
FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b) show the zoom lens movement in the automatic zoom modes illustrated in FIGS. 17(b) and 17(d). In an automatic zoom timing chart in which the focal distance is moved to the telephotography side by two pulses according to the information about the camera-to-subject distance, zoom moving pulse signal ZP is counted from OFF to ON and 1 is added.
FIG. 18(a) shows an example in which the zoom lens is normally moved by 2 pulses, and when the counting operation has been completed, the stop operation is carried out in the same manner as when the zoom-up operation has been completed.
FIG. 18(b) shows an example in which the zoom lens is reversely moved by 2 pulses, and operations are conducted as follows: when counting has been completed in the same manner as when zoom-down has been completed, the mechanism waits for OFF of zoom moving pulse signal ZP; at a timing when signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON, the zoom drive motor is changed from the state of reverse electrification to the normal state; and then, at a timing when the subsequent zoom moving pulse signal ZP is changed from OFF to ON, the zoom drive motor is changed from the state of normal electrification to reverse electrification and stopped.
In the way described above, even when the zoom lens is on the reverse rotation side, stop processing is conducted in the same manner as when it is normally rotated, by rotating the zoom lens normally. Further, as described above, when the pulse count has been completed, the zoom drive motor is immediately stopped without using a special chattering mask, so that the movement of the zoom lens can be quickly stopped by predetermined processing and further, overrun can be reduced.
Accordingly, the above-described control is effective for an automatic zoom system in which the camera-to-subject distance is automatically computed and the amount of zooming is changed according to the results of the computation.
FIG. 19 shows a focusing drive sequence.
When the focusing operation is stopped, the control is always conducted while the focal lens is being extended forward, in other words while the focusing motor is being normally rotated. The stop operation is carried out as follows: the focusing motor 69 is driven so as to focus the lens; the count of pulse LDP 1 is started, wherein the fall point of the first pulse LDP 2 is used as a trigger signal; and when the above-described pulse has been inputted, the stop control of the focusing motor is started. A brake is applied for a short time to the focusing motor 69, and constant voltage reverse electrification is conducted for t1 of reverse A time. Then, constant voltage normal electrification is conducted. A brake is applied for a short time again, and constant voltage reverse electrification is conducted for t2 of reverse B time. Further, constant voltage reverse electrification is conducted for t3 of reverse C time, and finally the zoom motor is stopped in a predetermined period of time.
Time t1 of reverse T time depends on the number of control pulses. As shown in FIG. 14, this control pulse depends on the results of range finding, and pulse LDP 1 which is set as the amount of motor rotation corresponding to the amount of targeted rotation control, depends on a shift pulse so that the infinity position can be determined. The setting of the control pulse on the telephotography side and that on the wide-angle photography side are different and they are set in each zoom zone ZZ.
Time t1 of reverse A time becomes longer in the case of many control pulses and becomes shorter in the case of few control pulses. Time t2 of reverse B time and time t3 of reverse C time function as follows: the brake time is set according to the moving speed of the focal lens; the stop control is conducted according to the moving speed of the focal lens; the zoom lens can be stopped, never exceeding a predetermined overrun; and further the amount of overrun can be reduced.
In the way described above, time t1 of reverse A time depends on the control pulse, and as an example it may be set as described in Table 2.
TABLE 2______________________________________COMPUTATION OF T1 LDP (t1) msec______________________________________ 0-15 5.5 16-31 6.0 32-63 6.5 64-127 7.0 128-255 7.5______________________________________
Time t2 of reverse B time is set depending on: the brake time; time t1 of reverse A time in which constant voltage reverse electrification is conducted; and the operating time of predetermined pulses (P A ), for example 14 pulses, which are inputted during the period of constant voltage normal electrification.
Further, time t3 of reverse C time is set depending on: the brake time; time t2 of reverse B time in which constant voltage reverse electrification is conducted; and the operating time of predetermined pulses (P B ), for example 8 pulses, which are inputted during the period of constant voltage normal electrification.
These times t2 of reverse B time and time t3 of reverse C time are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3______________________________________COMPUTATION OF t2 AND t3LDT1 + (t1) + 0.2 msec (t2) msecLDT2 + (t2) + 3.5 + 0.2 msec (t3) msec______________________________________ 0-8 smaller than 3.0 8-8.5 2.8 8.5-9 2.6 9-9.5 2.4 9.5-10 2.2 10-10.5 2.010.5-11 1.8 11-11.5 1.611.5-12 1.4 12-12.5 1.212.5-13 1.0 13-13.5 0.813.5-14 0.6 14-14.5 0.414.5-15 0.215 not less than 0______________________________________
In order to avoid affecting the zoom motor, the brake time, before time t1 of reverse A time and time t2 of reverse B time, is limited to a very short period, for example 200 μsec. The brake time after reverse time C is set to 200 msec, for example. Each of them is set to a predetermined value, and the focusing motor 69 is stopped in a short period of time with the brake.
As described above, the MAIN-CPU 200 is provided with : a stop means which stops the focusing motor 69 by repeatedly applying the brake of reverse and normal electrification; and a control means which sets the subsequent electrification time according to the electrification time needed for the brake operation by reverse and normal electrification. The MAIN-CPU 200 can control the brake operation in accordance with the moving speed of the focal lens, make the amount of overrun constant, and further stop the movement of the focal lens in a short period of time very accurately.
Time t1 of reverse A time, t2 of reverse B time and t3 of reverse C time are corrected according to the temperature, the voltage of the power source and the information about the difference between individuals.
Range Finding and Photometry Device
The range finding device of a camera is made in such a manner that: the range finding point is variable; and the range finding direction can be changed stepwise to the right and left by the pressing operation of an operation button. The photometry direction of the photometry device can be also changed integrally with the range finding device.
FIG. 20 is a plan view of the range finding and photometry device; and FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken on line A--A' in the drawing of the range finding and photometry device.
The range finding light projecting portion 501, the range finding light receiving portion 502 and the photometry portion 503 are located in the position close to the front cover 500 of the camera, and each of them is mounted on the range finding base 504.
This range finding base 504 is engaged with the supporting shaft 506 mounted on the moving target base 505 which is fixedly held by the main body, wherein the range finding base 504 can be rotated to the right and left around the support shaft 506 so that the directions of the range finding light projecting portion 501, the range finding light receiving portion 502 and the photometry portion 503 can be changed. The support shaft 506 is provided with the position restricting spring 507, one end 507a of which is held by the stopper 508 which is fixed to the moving target base 505, and the other end 507b of which is held by the photometry base 504. This position restricting spring 507 restricts the backlash of the support shaft 506 in the circumferential and axial directions.
The range finding base 504 is provided with the connecting pin 509, which is engaged with the cut-out portion 510a of the adjustment plate 510. The adjustment plate 510 is fixed to the drum 511, and when the drum 511 is rotated to the right and left around the support shaft 524, the range finding base 504 is linked and rotated by a predetermined angle. In the adjustment plate 510, the long hole 510b is formed circumferentially in such a manner that the support shaft 524 of the drum 511 is the center of the long hole 510b. The pin 511f of the drum 511 is inserted into the long hole 510b, and the positional relation can be adjusted by the eccentric pin 511g so that the position of range finding can be adjusted in assembly.
Two steps of operating grooves 511a and 511b are formed in the position opposed to the drum 511. The operating grooves 511a and 511b are engaged with the feed claws 513 and 514 which are rotatably provided around the shafts 512a and 512b mounted on both ends of the moving target lever 512 that is rotatably provided to the support shaft 523 of the moving target base 505, and are engaged with the fixed claws 517 and 518 which are rotatably provided to the support shaft 515 and 516 of the moving target base 505. The moving target lever 512 is operated as follows: when one end of the moving target lever 512 is pushed, the feed claws 513 and 514 of the other end are released from the operating grooves 511a and 511b and withdrawn; and at the same moment, the rising portions 517b and 518b of the fixed claws 517 and 518 are pushed so that the fixed claws are released from the operating grooves and withdrawn.
The downward stopper portions 517a and 518b are formed on the drum side of the fixed claws 517 and 518, and the upward rising portions 517b and 518b are formed on the non-drum side. The support shafts 515 and 516 are provided with the springs 519 and 520, ends 519a and 520a of which are fixed to the fixed claws 517 and 518, and the other ends 519b and 520b of which are fixed to the stoppers 521 and 522 provided on the moving target base 505 so that the fixed claws 517 and 518 can be always pushed and contacted with the operating grooves 511a and 511b of the drum 511.
The moving target lever 512 is rotatably provided to the support shaft 523 of the moving target base 505. The mounting shaft portion 550 which is screwed to the support shaft 523, is provided with the return spring 528; both end portions 528a of the return spring 528 are engaged with the stopper portion 551d formed on the shaft portion 551c of the mounting shaft portion 551 screwed to the support shaft 524; and the moving target lever 512 is always pushed to the initial position through the stopper portion 512c.
The cut-out portion 511e is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drum 511, and the spring portion 526a of the center click plate 526 is engaged with the cut-out portion 511e. The center click plate 526 is fixed on the moving target base 505 with the screw 527; the drum 511 is held in the initial position by the action of the center click plate 526; and the range finding light emitting portion 501, the range finding light receiving portion 502 and the photometry portion 503 are placed in the center.
The return spring 525 is mounted on the shaft portion of the drum 511; both ends 525a of the return spring 525 are engaged with the shaft portion of the moving target lever 512; and the drum 511 is always pushed toward the initial position by the return spring 528 through the stopper portion 511c.
The feed claws 513 and 514, which are mounted on both ends of the moving target lever 512, and which are rotatably pushed toward the drum 511 by the springs 519 and 520, engage with the operating grooves 511a and 511b of the drum 511, and rotates the drum 511 stepwise to the right and left of the moving target lever 512. The fixed claws 517 and 518 are placed below the feed claws 513 and 514.
The moving target lever 512 is rotated to the right and left around the support shaft 523 when the operation button 13 is pressed. When the moving target lever 512 is rotated, the feed claws 513 and 514 placed in the rotative direction, are engaged with the operating grooves 511a and 511b of the drum 511 and moved. In the way described above, the drum 511 is rotated; the fixed claws 517 and 518 placed in the rotative direction are engaged with the subsequent operating grooves 511a and 511b on the drum 511; and the drum 511 is rotated by an angle corresponding to a step of the operating grooves 511a and 511b, and then the drum 511 is held in position. At this moment, the feed claws 513 and 514 in the non-rotative direction come into contact with the rising portions 517b and 518b of the fixed claws 517 and 518 by the rotation of the moving target lever 512, and rotate the fixed claws 517 and 518 against the force of the springs 519 and 520 so that engagement with the operating claws 511a and 511b in the rotative direction can be released and the drum 511 can be rotated. When the moving target lever 512 is returned to the initial position, the fixed claws 517 and 518 are released from the feed claws 513 and 514, so that the fixed claws 517 and 518 are engaged with the subsequent operating grooves 511a and 511b and the rotation of the drum 511 is restricted.
The protrusions 13e and 13f are provided in the upper and lower portions of the operation button 13, and the mounting portions 13g and 13h are provided in the right and left portions of the operation button 13, so that the operation button 13 can be used for zooming and moving target operations.
Namely, when the operating portion 13a of the operation button 13 is pressed, the protrusion 13e pushes the contact piece portion 552a of the switch 552 which is made from elastic conductive rubber and which is installed on the moving target base 505, so that the pattern of a flexible printed-circuit base, which is connected with the control unit of the main body, becomes continuous, and the focal distance of the zoom lens is moved to the telephotography side.
On the other hand, when the operating portion 13b of the operation button 13 is pressed, the protrusion 13f pushes the contact piece portion 552b, so that the pattern of the flexible printed-circuit base, which is connected with the control unit of the main body, becomes continuous, and the focal distance of the zoom lens is moved to the wide-angle-photography side.
When the operating portion 13d of the operation button 13 is pressed, the left side of the moving target lever 512 is pushed by the mounting portion 13h, and the drum 511 is rotated to the right through the feed claw 514, so that the range finding base 504 is rotated to the left and the direction of range finding and photometry is changed.
When the operating portion 13c of the operation button 13 is pressed, the right side of the moving target 512 is pushed by the mounting portion 13g, and the drum 511 is rotated to the left through the feed claw 513, so that the range finding base 504 is rotated to the right and the direction of range finding and photometry is changed to the right.
The pin 529 installed on the drum 511 is engaged with the cut-out portion 530a of the position detecting lever 530; the position detecting lever 530 is rotatably provided to the support shaft 531; when the position detecting lever 530 is rotated, the contact piece 532 is slid on a pattern not illustrated in the drawing so that the information about drum rotation is outputted; and the information about the position of the range finding base 504 can be obtained in the range finding control.
The release lever 533 is rotatably provided to the support shaft 531; the contact piece 534 is mounted on the release lever 533; and the release lever 533 is operated by the operation of the main switch 8 which can select two positions by a click. The shaft portion 533a provided to the release lever 533 is engaged with the cut-out portion 535a of the release plate 535 which is rotatably provided to the shaft portion 511c of the drum 511, and when the release lever 533 is operated, the release plate 535 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise.
Consequently, when the main switch 8 is turned off, the release lever 533 is rotated clockwise. When the release plate 535 is rotated counterclockwise in the state described above, its operating portions 535b and 535c contact with and push the stoppers 517a and 518a of the fixed claws 517 and 518. Therefore, the fixed claws 517 and 518 are rotated around the support shaft 515 and 516 against the force of the springs 519 and 520 in a direction so that the fixed claws 517 and 518 can be separated from the operating grooves 511a and 511b. Since the restriction of the drum 511 position is released in the way described above, the drum 511 is returned to the initial position by the return spring 525, and the cut-out portion 511e of the drum 511 is engaged with the click portion 526a of the center click plate 526, so that the drum 511 is kept in this initial position. Consequently, when the main switch 8 is turned off, the moving target is always automatically returned to the central position, so that subsequent photographing is ready without any special operations.
Range Finding Control
Next, the information set of a moving target will be explained as follows. FIG. 22 is a schematic illustration to obtain the moving target information from the range finding device shown in FIGS. 20 and 21.
The direction of the range finding base 504 is changed according to the rotation of the drum 511 shown in FIG. 20; by the operation described above, the contact piece 532 of the position detecting lever 530 is connected with the patterns 0-4 illustrated in FIG. 22; and then analog voltage MVI can be obtained in accordance with the patterns 0-4. This analog voltage MVI is A/D converted and range finding direction position information MVZ is found from this A/D value. In this example, the deviation angle of the range finding device can be detected as follows: when range finding direction position information MVZ is 0, the deviation angle is 6.6° to the left; when MVZ is 1, it is 3.3° to the left; when MVZ is 2, it is central; when MVZ is 3, it is 3.3° to the right; and when MVZ is 4, it is 6.6° to the right.
According to this range finding direction position information MVZ and focal distance information ZZ, moving target position information MV is selected from the moving target table shown in Table 4.
TABLE 4______________________________________ 0 1 3 4f (Left (Left 2 (Right (Right(nm) ZZ 6.6°) 3.3°) (Center) 3.3°) 6.6°)______________________________________(35)36 0 5 6 7 8 938 1 5 6 7 8 940 2 5 6 7 8 943 3 4 6 7 8 1045 4 4 6 7 8 1047 5 4 6 7 8 1050 6 4 6 7 8 1053 7 4 5 7 9 1055 8 4 5 7 9 1058 9 3 5 7 9 1161 10 3 5 7 9 1164 11 3 5 7 9 1167 12 3 5 7 9 1170 13 3 5 7 9 1173 14 3 5 7 9 1177 15 3 5 7 9 1180 16 2 5 7 9 1284 17 2 4 7 9 1288 18 2 4 7 10 1271 19 1 4 7 10 1274 20 1 4 7 10 1397 21 1 4 7 10 13100 22 1 4 7 10 13(105)103 23 1 4 7 10 13 MVI 0-31 32-95 96-159 160-223 224- A/D Value______________________________________
According to the selected moving target position information MV, one of 1-13 LCDs on the left side is selected and lit in the viewfinder display.
The display in the viewfinder is conducted in the way described above. Consequently, the photographer can easily check the position on which range finding is performed. In this example, the deviation angle of the range finding device can be changed over to the right and left by two steps, wherein the optical path of the picture-taking lens is used as the center. When the optical system is moved in the zooming operation, slippage is caused at a deviation angle other than the center of the above-described optical path, between the target frame display in the viewfinder and the range finding point of the range finding device. The reason why this slippage is caused, is as follows: when a zooming operation is conducted, the focal distance is varied, and as a result the magnification in the viewfinder is also varied, however the deviation angle of the range finding device is not varied. The correction can be conducted as follows: when the display position of the moving target in the viewfinder is varied, the range finding point can correspond to the moving target display, so that the variation of range finding between telephotography and wide-angle-photography can be eliminated.
Further, the information set of parallax correction will be explained as follows. Parallax correction is conducted when the photographing range of a picture-taking lens does not agree with the photographing range of a viewfinder. Parallax correction is conducted by controlling the turning on and off of the automatic parallax correction visual field frame 20 of the liquid crystal display which is provided in the optical path of the viewfinder.
FIGS. 23(1) to 23(3) are illustrations showing the inside of the viewfinder. The display condition of the parallax which controls the visual field by turning on and off the visual field frames 20a and 20b, is selected as follows: range finding zone information AFZ is found according to camera-to-subject distance information X; and the display condition is selected form the parallax correction table shown in Table 5 according to this range finding zone information AFZ and focal distance information ZZ.
TABLE 5______________________________________ (ZZ) 16-23 0-7 8-15 Tele-X (m) (AFZ) Wide angle Standard photograph______________________________________ ∞-3 0-63 1 1 1 3-1.2 64-127 1 1 21.2-0.8 128-192 1 2 3______________________________________
Namely, in the case where range finding information AFZ is 0 to 63, the correction shown in FIG. 23(1) is conducted without any relation to focal distance information ZZ. In the case where range finding zone information AFZ is 64 to 127, correction is conducted as follows: when focal distance information ZZ is on the telephotography side, the correction shown in FIG. 23(2) is conducted. In the case where range finding zone information AFZ is 128 to 192, correction is conducted as follows: when focal distance information ZZ is 8 to 15, the correction shown in FIG. 23(2) is conducted; and when focal distance information ZZ is 16 to 23, the correction shown in FIG. 23(3) is conducted. When the main switch is turned on and only zooming information is obtained, the display is set to the state illustrated in FIG. 23(1). After photographing, the display is returned to the state illustrated in FIG. 23(1).
FIG. 24 is an illustration showing the method to correct the range finding error which is caused by the variation of the angle of refraction of range finding light which is transmitted through a dustproof panel surface when the range finding direction is varied.
The dustproof panel 600 protecting the range finding unit is provided in the front position of the range finding device, and the dustproof panel 600 is fixed to the camera case, so that it can not be moved when the range finding point is changed. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 24, the range finding light projected from the light emitting element 601 to the subject 602 is refracted according to deviation angle α of the range finding direction when the range finding light is transmitted through the dustproof panel 600. For that reason, error x is caused on the range finding surface PSD of the light receiving element 604 through AF lens 603, so that an accurate range finding result can not be obtained.
Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 24, the deviation angles θ and α of the error x are found previously, as follows: ##EQU1## where t' is the distance between the optical path and AF lens and the distance t' can be found by the following equation. ##EQU2## Then, the angle of refraction θ' of the dustproof panel 600 is found by the following equation. ##EQU3## where n is the index of refraction of the dustproof panel 600. For example, n=1.5 approximately.
The error x0 due to the refraction of the dustproof panel 600 is found by the following equation.
Error x0=d·(tan θ-tan θ') Equation 3
The distance xl between the range finding light refracted and the range finding light not refracted is found by the following equation.
x1=x0 cos θ Equation 4
Accordingly, the error x of the light receiving element 604 on the range finding surface is found by the following equation. ##EQU4##
These are the means to obtain the positional information of the range finding direction and the means to correct the range finding information according to this positional information of the range finding direction. When the range finding information obtained from a previously stored table is corrected according to the range finding direction positional information, the range finding error, which is caused when the refraction of range finding light transmitted through the dustproof panel is changed by the deviation angle of the range finding direction can be eliminated, so that an accurate range finding result can be obtained. The light flux of the projected light of the range finding device is also refracted by the dustproof panel 600. In this case, the correction may be conducted as follows: the moving target mark 21 in the viewfinder is previously adjusted by the amount of light flux slippage which is caused by the above-described refraction.
Control Circuit
FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing the outline of the circuit of the camera to which the present invention is applied.
MAIN-CPU 200 and SUB-CPU 201 are utilized in this camera, and information is reciprocally exchanged by a serial interface.
MAIN-CPU 200 mainly carries out the control of the drive system which needs a large amount of current and the control sequence of photographing operation of the camera. SUB-CPU 201 controls MAIN-CPU, and drives the outer LCD 202 displaying photographing information and the LCD 203 in the viewfinder.
As illustrated in FIG. 25, MAIN-CPU 200 has input and output terminals.
Input terminal DO and output terminals DI, SK, and CS are used to control volatile memory (which will be called EEPROM hereinafter) which can be changed. The initial state of terminal DO is an L level, and the initial state of terminals DI, SK and CS is also an L level.
Output terminals SST, SCK,SIO and input terminals SRQ, SI are used for serial transmission with SUB-CPU 201; the initial state of terminal SST is an H level; the initial state of terminal SRQ is an H level; the initial state of terminal SCK is an H level; the initial state of terminal SIO is an L level; and the initial state of terminal SI is an L level.
Input terminal AFE, output terminal AFR, A/D conversion input terminal AFI and output terminal SYNC are utilized to control the range finding IC 205. The initial state of terminal AFE is an H level, and the initial state of terminal AFR is an H level. At terminal AFI, the range finding information obtained by computing the output from the distance detecting element (PSD), is outputted from terminal AFI. Output terminals IR1 to IR3 are utilized to control the light emitting element 20 for use in range finding, and the resistance connected to each of them is varied so that the amount of light emission can be varied, the level of which is the initial state H.
Output terminals NT1 to NT3 are utilized to drive the LED display 207, and its initial state is an H level.
Output terminal PHS is used to maintain the self-power-source. When terminal PHS becomes an L level, the transistor 220 is turned on, and the voltage from the regulator 221 is supplied to MAIN-CPU 200. The initial state of this terminal PHS is an L level.
The initial state of output terminals PHP and PH3 is an L level. Terminal PHP is used for controlling the VB power source 208 which supplies the voltage from the regulator 221 to a predetermined circuit, and terminal PH3 is used for controlling the VD3 power source 209 which directly supplies the voltage from a power source battery to a predetermined circuit.
Input terminal FFUL, output terminals FSTP, FTRG and FCHG are used to control the strobe circuit 210. Terminal FFUL is used to detect the completion of strobe-charging. When the charging of a strobe-condenser has not been completed, the state of terminal FFUL is an H level, and when the charging has been completed, it becomes an L level. The initial state of terminal FSTP is an H level. Terminal FSTP is used to control the stop operation of strobe-charging, and when the stop operation is conducted, the state of terminal FSTP is changed over to an L level. The initial state of terminal FTRG and FCHG is an H level, and terminal FTRG controls strobe light emission. When strobe light is emitted, the state of terminal FTRG is changed over to an L level. Terminal FCHG is used to control the start of strobe-charging. When charging of a strobe condenser is started, the state of terminal FCHG is changed over to an L level.
Input terminals DX2, DX3 and DX4 are used to input DX codes sent from a DX film 211 so as to detect the sensitivity of a film. Output terminals MO, Ml and M2 are used to control the feed motor 212 and the first motor control IC213 of the zoom drive motor 99. The state of terminal MO is set as follows: when terminal MO drives the film feed motor 212, the state is set to ah L level; when it drives the zoom drive motor 99, its state is set to an H level; and the initial state of terminal MO, in which the rotation of each motor is controlled by electrification of terminals Ml and M2, is an L level. Output terminals SLS, SFR, SBMI and SBM2 are used for the focusing motor 69 and the second motor control ICI 214 of the shutter drive motor 87, and the initial state of the terminals is an L level. When the focusing motor 69 is driven, the state of terminal SLS is set to an L level, and when the shutter drive motor 87 is driven, the state of terminal SLS is set to an H level. When the focusing motor 69 and the shutter drive motor 87 are driven at a high speed, the state of terminal SFR is set to an L level, and when they are driven at a low speed, the state of terminal SFR is set to an H level. Terminals SBM1 and SBM2 are used for rotation control, which is shown in Table 6. The initial state of terminal SHL is an H level, and terminal SHL is used for a constant voltage level control, which is shown in Table 7. Switches S1 and S2 are used for the first release signal and the second signal, and the initial state of the switches is an H level. When the state becomes an L level, the switches are turned on.
TABLE 6______________________________________SB1 SB2 Rotation of motor______________________________________H H BrakeH L Normal rotationL H Reverse rotationL L OFF______________________________________
TABLE 7______________________________________SB1 SB2 Rotation speed______________________________________H H High speedL H Low speed 1L L Low speed 2______________________________________
Low speed 1<Low speed 2
Input terminal AEI and output terminals S/A, CB and CA are used to control the photometry IC 215, and terminal AEI obtains the luminance information by computing the output from photometry element (PD) with the photometry IC 215. The initial state of terminal S/A, CB and CA is an L level. Terminal S/A conducts the control of selecting between the light receiving element for use in central photometry and the light receiving element for use in peripheral photometry. When the state of terminal S/A is an L level, the light receiving element for use in central photometry is selected, and when the state of terminal S/A is an H level, the light receiving element for use in peripheral photometry is selected.
Input terminal MV is used for detection in a moving target operation. When the moving target is not operated, an H level is inputted into input terminal MV; and when the moving target is operated, an L level is inputted into input terminal MV, and the moving target position signal is inputted from A/D conversion input terminal MVI.
Input terminal BRIA is used to detect the opening operation of a barrier conducted by the switch 216. When the barrier is opened, an H level is inputted, and when the barrier is closed, an L level is inputted.
Input terminal MAIN is used for operation and detection of the main switch 8. When the main switch 8 is turned on, the state of terminal MAIN becomes an H level so that the camera circuit can be operated, and when the main switch 8 is turned off, terminal MAIN becomes inactive.
Input terminal ZU is used for zooming-up operation by the operation button 13. When a zooming-up operation is not performed, an H level is inputted, and when a zooming-up operation is performed, an L level is inputted so that zoom-drive can be conducted. Terminal ZD is used for a zooming-down operation, and when the operation is not conducted, an H level is inputted and zoom-drive is not conducted. When the operation is conducted, an L level is inputted and zoom-drive is conducted.
A/D conversion input terminal BCI is used for the detection of battery voltage; A/D conversion input terminal ZI is used for the detection of the zooming position; A/D conversion input terminal MVI is used for detection of the moving target position; A/D conversion input terminal THI obtains the signal of temperature compensation from reference voltage VDD; and A/D conversion input terminal AFI obtains range finding information from reference voltage AVDD.
Input terminals ZP, ZT, ZW and ZC are used for zoom control, and terminal ZP detects one bit of digital information which is outputted in accordance with the drive of the zoom lens. Terminal ZT is used to detect the telephotography end of the zoom lens, and when the zoom lens is set to the most telephotography end, an L level is inputted. Terminal ZW is used to detect the wide-angle photography end of zoom lens, and when the zoom lens is set to the most wide-angle photography end, an H level is inputted. Terminal ZC is used to detect the close end of zoom lens when the main switch is turned off and the picture-taking lens is placed in a storing position. When the picture-taking lens is placed in the storing position, an L level is inputted.
Terminal ST is used to input shutter blade opening information sent from the photointerrupter 102 and conducts the detection of opening and closing of the shutter blade 51.
Input terminals LDP1 and LDP2 are used to input the focusing pulses 1, 2 sent from the photointerrupters 77, 83 in accordance with the focusing lens drive of the picture-taking lens.
Input terminal SSP is used to detect film feed information sent from the switch 217, and a digital signal outputted in accordance with film feeding is inputted into input terminal SSP.
Output terminal DTRG and input terminal WCI are used for the date control IC 218. When data is copied, the level is set to an L level and light is emitted from a data copying lamp. The initial state of terminal DTRG is an H level.
SUBCPU 201 is provided with the following input and output terminals.
Input terminal MAINL is used to detect the operation of the main switch 8. When the main switch 8 is turned on, an H level is inputted and when the main switch is turned off, an L level is inputted.
Input terminal SB is used to detect the signal sent from the rear lid switch 219 which is turned on and off when the rear lid is opened and closed, wherein when the rear lid is opened, an H level is inputted, and when rear lid is closed an L level is inputted.
Input terminal S1L is used to detect the signal sent from switch S1 of the released button 9. When the release button 9 is pressed in the first step, an L level is inputted. When the release button is not operated, an H level is inputted.
Input terminal ZMR is used to detect the signal of a zoom operation sent from the operation button 13. When the zoom button is operated, an H level is inputted. When the zoom button is not operated, an L level is inputted.
Input terminal MVL is used to detect the operation of the moving target. When the moving target is operated, an H level is inputted. When the moving target is not operated, an L level is inputted.
Input terminal MREW is used to detect the rewinding operation of the manual rewinding switch 222. When the manual rewinding switch 222 is operated, an L level is inputted in order to start the rewinding operation. When the manual rewinding switch 222 is not operated, an H level is inputted.
Input terminal TEST is used to detect the test mode of the camera.
Input terminal KEYO is used as Common.
Input terminal STO is used to input the change of the strobe mode. When it is pressed, an L level is inputted. According to the pressing operation of the strobe setting switch, one of "AUTO" mode in which the strobe light is emitted automatically, "ON" mode in which the strobe light is always emitted, and "OFF" mode in which the strobe light is not emitted regardless of the luminance, is cyclically selected in regular sequence.
Input terminal D is used to input the change of the drive mode. Usually, an H level is inputted, and when a pressing operation is performed, an L level is inputted. According to the pressing operation of the drive mode setting switch, the drive mode is changed over into one of the single shot mode, the consecutive shot mode, and the self-timer mode, cyclically in regular sequence.
Input terminal FNC is used for ON-OFF operation of the input of function change. Usually, an H level is inputted, and when a pressing operation is performed, an L level is inputted.
Input terminal ROLL is used to input the change of function. Usually, an H level is inputted, and when a pressing operation is performed, an L level is inputted.
Input terminals SEL and SET are used to change the function data, and output terminal PHM is used to control the power source of MAIN-CPU. When the apparatus is operated, an H level is set, and when not operated, an L level is set.
Output terminal SRQ and input terminal SST are used for serial transmission. Input terminal LIVE is used to monitor the power source of MAIN-CPU200. Output terminal RSTO is used to output the reset signal of MAIN-CPU. Further, output terminals to output signals into outside LCD202 and LCD203 in the viewfinder are provided.
EXECUTION MODE, MODE FLAG, AND DATA TRANSMISSION
Execution Mode, Mode Flag, and Data Transmission shown in the flow chart of MAIN-CPU200 are as follows.
__________________________________________________________________________MAIN-CPU (SUB-CPU → MAIN-CPU)Actual mode Mode flag Transmission__________________________________________________________________________ Mode AUTO ( ) ON1 (Mode) - 1 OFF Drive mode S (Single shot) (DRV) C (Burst shot)1 Self 1 (10 sec)2 (MODE) - 1 Self 2 (2 sec)3 WORK Mode S1 (S1) - 1 S1 Transmission Initial (INITIAL) - 1 Initial transmission Auto load (AL) - 1 Auto load transmission WAKE (WAKE) - 1 WAKE Transmission SLEEP (SLEEP) - 1 SLEEP Transmission Zoom (ZMR) - 1 Zoom transmission Rewind (REW) - 1 Rewind transmission BC Demand (BCR) - 1 BCR Transmission Follow (FOLLOW) - 1 Follow transmission MV (MV) - 1 MV Transmission Function mode Normal (NORM) - 1 Normal transmission INF (INF) - 1 INF Transmission NIGHT (NIGHT) - 1 NIGHT Transmission SNOW (SNOW) - 1 SNOW Transmission Swing (SWING) - 1 Swing transmission AZ (AZ) - 1 AZ Transmission AZ2 (AZ2) - 1 AZ2 Transmission SPOT (SPOT) - 1 SPOT Transmission +1.5EV (+1.5EV) - 1 +1.5EV Transmission -1.5EV (-1.5EV) - 1 -1.5EV Transmission ME (ME) - 1 ME Transmission TE (TE) - 1 TE Transmission INT (INT) - 1 INT Transmission ME Continuation (MECNT) - 1 ME Continuous transmission ME End (MEEND) - 1 ME End transmission TE End (TEEND) - 1 TE End transmission INT Continuation (INTCNT) - 1 INT Continuous transmission TV (TV) - 1 TV Transmission TEST (TEST) - 1 TEST Transmission (Work transmission) Counter data 0 (C) or (K)0 Counter (Number) Transmission 11 Counter (Number) Transmission . . . . . . . . . 38 38 Counter (Number) Transmission 39 39 Counter (Number) Transmission LDP Data 0 (LDP)0 LDP Transmission 2 1 1 LDP Transmission 2 2 2 LDP Transmission 2 . . . . . . . . . 244 244 LDP Transmission 2 255 255 LDP Transmission 2__________________________________________________________________________
Next, the data transmission from MAIN-CPU to SUB-CPU will be explained as follows.
FIG. 26 is a transmission interface between MAIN-CPU and SUB-CPU; and FIG. 27 is a transmission timing chart from MAIN-CPU to SUB-CPU.
The transmission from MAIN-CPU200 to SUB-CPU201 is conducted by serial transmission as shown in the transmission timing chart in FIG. 27.
When terminal SST is in the state of last transition (a), the start of transmission is commanded by MAIN-CPU200; and when terminal SRQ is in the state of last transition (b), the preparation of transmission is completed in SUB-CPU201. Data is discharged from terminal SIO by MAIN-CPU200, and data is read in from terminal SIL by SUB-CPU201 synchronously with the H level and L level of terminal SCK (c). When terminal SRQ rises (d), the transmission by SUB-CPU201 is completed, and when terminal SST rises (e), the transmission by MAIN-CPU200 is completed.
After the serial transmission has been completed, terminal SCK is set to the outside lock input mode, and terminals SIO and SIOL are set to the input mode.
The execution mode, mode flag and transmission shown in the flow chart of SUB-CPU201 are as follows.
__________________________________________________________________________SUB-CPU (SUB-CPU → MAIN-CPU)Actual mode Mode flag Transmission__________________________________________________________________________ B.C. Data Battery FULL (BC)0 BC transmission 1/21 BC transmission Check2 (BCF) - 1 BC transmission Lock3 BC transmission Photographing trigger Print (PRINT) - 1 PRINT transmission DX Data ISO 50 (DX)0 DX transmission 1001 DX transmission 2002 DX transmission 4003 DX transmission 8004 (DXF) - 1 DX transmission 16005 DX transmission 32006 DX transmission NONDX7 DX transmission AELCD Data Unuse ( AE)0 AE transmission Put out all lights Unuse1 AE transmission Ae Interlock Unuse2 (LDCF) - 1 AE transmission Camera-shake Use3 AE transmission OK Charging Use4 AE transmission Camera-shake Parallel data Parallel 0 (PARA)0 Parallel transmission Put out lights Parallel 11 Parallel transmission (LDCF) - 1 Parallel 22 Parallel transmission Parallel 33 Parallel transmission AFLCD Data AFO (AFL)0 AF transmission Put out lights (LDCF) - 1 11 AF transmission AF2 □ □ □ □ □ □ (AFL)2 AF transmission 3 □ □ □ □ □ 63 AF transmission 4 □ □ □ □4 AF transmission 5 □ □ □5 AF transmission 6 □ □6 (LDCF) - 1 AF transmission 7 □7 AF transmission 88 AF transmission 99 AF transmission MV Data MVO (MV)0 MV transmission Put out lights 1 (Left end)1 MV transmission 22 MV transmission . . . . . . . . (MVF) - 1 . 7 (Center)7 MV transmission . . . . . . . . . 1212 MV transmission 13 (Right end)13 MV transmission Counter data Film count0 (C)0 Counter transmission1 Counter transmission . . . . . (CF) - 1 . . . . 38 38 Counter transmission 39 39 Counter transmission Processed data Charge (CHG) - 1 Charge transmission processing Auto load end (ALEND) - 1 AL End transmission NON Auto load (NONAL) - 1 NONAL transmission Auto load error (ALERR) - 1 AL Error transmission Rewind start (REWST) - 1 REW Start transmission Rewind end (REWEND) - 1 REW End transmission Rewind error (REWERR) - 1 REW Error transmission ME Processing (MEWORK) - 1 MEWORK transmission out of photographing SW Normal end (SWEND) - 1 SW End transmission SW Abnormal (SWERR) - 1 SW Error transmission Error (ERR) - 1 Error transmission Transmission (TESTD) - 1 TESTD transmission start of test data10. LDP Data 0 (LDP)0 LDP transmission I 11 LDP transmission I 22 LDP transmission I . . . . . . . . . 254 254 LDP transmission I 255 255 LDP transmission I__________________________________________________________________________
Next, data transmission from SUB-CPU to MAIN-CPU will be explained.
FIG. 28 is a transmission timing chart from SUB-CPU to MAIN-CPU.
The transmission from SUB-CPU to MAIN-CPU is conducted by the serial transmission shown by a transmission timing chart in FIG. 28.
When terminal SRQ falls (a), the start of transmission is commanded by SUB-CPU201; and when terminal SST falls (b), the preparation of transmission receiving is completed. SUB-CPU201 outputs data into terminal SIOL synchronously with terminal SCK (c), and data is read in from terminal SI by MAIN-CPU200. When terminal SRQ rises (d), the transmission by SUB-CPU201 is completed, and when terminal SST rises (e), the transmission by MAIN-CPU200 is completed.
After this serial transmission has been completed, terminal SCK is set to the outside lock input mode, and terminals SIO and SIOL are set to the input mode.
Flow Chart of Control Circuit
[MAIN-CPU Main Routine]
FIG. 29 shows operations of MAIN-CPU 200 whose operations are controlled by SUB-CPU 201. First, SUB-CPU 201 gives terminal RSTO, by causing it to be on level L, to terminal RESET of MAIN-CPU 200 thereby causing MAIN-CPU 200 to be on a state of reset, and then turns transistor 220 on with terminal PHM being on level L, thus supplies power from regulator 221 to terminal LIVE of SUB-CPU 201 and to terminal VDD of MAIN-CPU 200. Terminal LIVE detects aforesaid power and judges that terminal VDD is also supplied with power when aforesaid power is supplied. When MAIN-CPU 200 is caused to be in its workable state with aforesaid terminal RSTO being on level H, MAIN CPU 200 first inputs DX information on a film cartridge loaded in a camera with RAM cleared. An input of DX information is carried out according to DX information SUB-ROUTINE (step 1 - 1).
Next, out of EEPROM data, battery check voltage compensation data BCD and temperature compensation data THD are inputted (step 1 - 2). Temperature information is inputted from terminal THI as analog voltage information, and after A/D conversion of this analog voltage information, TEMP corresponding to the table in FIG. 70 is stored in RAM of MAIN-CPU 200 (step 1 - 3).
A timer of 500 m sec is operated and during timer counting, a state of terminal SRQ is detected and when it arrives at level L, work mode is transferred from SUB-CPU 201 to MAIN-CPU 200 in a serial way (step 1 - 4). In this case, when the work mode is set to S1, namely when terminal SIL of SUB-CPU 201 detects level L through operation of release button 9, the step advances to S1 in the flow chart (step 1 - 5). When the work mode is set to WAKE, namely when terminal MAINL of SUB-CPU 201 detects level L through operation of main switch 8, the step advances to WAKE operation in the flow chart (step 1 - 8). When the work mode is set to SLEEP, namely when terminal MAINL of SUB-CPU 201 detects level H through operation of main switch 8, the step advances to SLEEP operation in the flow chart (step 1 - 9). When the work mode is set to ZOOM, namely when terminal ZMR of SUB-CPU 201 detects level L through operation button 13, the step advances to ZOOM-UP or ZOOM-DOWN operation in the flow chart (step 1 - 10). When a mode is set to REWIND, namely when terminal MREW of SUB-CPU 201 detects level L, the step advances to rewinding operation in the flow chart (step 1 - 11). When the work mode is set to light load BATTERY CHECK, battery check for light load is conducted and voltage information divided from terminal BCI is inputted and then it is converted to digital information through an A/D converter in MAIN-CPU 200, thus the step advances to light load BATTERY CHECK operation (step 1 - 12). When the work mode is set to MOVING, namely when terminal MVL of SUB-CPU 201 detects level L through operation of moving target by means of operation button 13, the step advances to the operation of moving target in the flow chart (step 1 - 14). Further explanation will be omitted for simplification.
Initial Main Routine
In FIG. 29, when flag INITIAL is set to `1` in a flow chart (step 1 - 13), the step advances to INITIAL shown in FIG. 45. First, battery check is conducted (step 2 - 1), the zoom lens-barrel is returned to its collapsed position (step 2 - 2), and the focusing lens is also returned to its housed position (step 2 - 3). A shutter blade is driven toward its closing direction to be in its initial state (step 2 - 4). Next, information of DX data is judged whether it is `7` (NON DX) or not (step 2 - 5), and when DX data are not `7`, 4 is set to N (step 2 - 6), and 1 sec is set to timer 1 (step 2 - 7). Film-feeding motor MF is operated in a normal direction (step 2 - 8) for film-winding. SSP generated through linkage with film winding is detected (step 2 - 9), a state of flag TO is detected (step 2 - 10), and when it is `0`, a brake is applied on film-feeding motor MF (step 2 - 11), `1` is set on a counter (step 2 - 12), and information of the counter is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 (step 2 - 13). In step 2 - 15, when DX data information is `7`, the counter is set to `0` (step 2 - 14) and information of the counter is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 (step 2 - 15). In step 2 - 9, when flag TO is `1`, the counter is set to `0` (step 2 - 16).
Wake Main Routine
In FIG. 29, when flag WAKE is set to `1` (step 1 - 8) in the flow chart, the step advances to WAKE shown in FIG. 31. Battery check is conducted (step 4 - 1). Zoom lens-barrel initial position set sub-routine is executed (step 4 - 2), a state of flag TO is detected (step 4 - 3) and when it is `0`, focusing lens initial position set sub-routine is executed (step 4 - 4). A state of flag TO is detected again (step 4 - 5) and when it is `0`, NTLED is controlled to flicker in arbitrary timing and NTWAKE is executed (step 4 - 6), a strobe capacitor is controlled to be charged (step 4 - 7), and information of wake operation ending is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 (step 4 - 8). In step 4 - 3 and step 4 - 5, when a state of flag TO is `1`, this is judged to be operation trouble and error information is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 (step 4 - 9).
Sleep Main Routine
In FIG. 29, when flag SLEEP is set to `1` step 1 - 9) in the flow chart, the step advances to SLEEP shown in FIG. 31. The sub-routine for collapsing a zoom lens-barrel is executed (step 5 - 1) and a state of flag TO is detected (step 5 - 2), and when it is `0`, the sub-routine for collapsing position for focusing is executed (step 5 - 3) and information of completion of SLEEP operation is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 (step 5 - 4). When a state of flag TO is `1` in step 5 - 2, information of error is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 as operation trouble (step 4 - 9).
Zoom Main Routine
In FIG. 29, when flag ZMR is set to `1` on a flow chart (step 1 - 10), the step advances to ZOOM shown in FIG. 32. First, battery check is conducted (step 6 - 1), and ZI is inputted and FZ is inputted in ZID 1 (step 6 - 2). A state of zoom operation is detected and then, a state of ZU that is a terminal zoom up of MAIN-CPU 200 is detected (step 6 - 3) is detected. When it is `0`, terminal ZT information for detecting TELE end of zoom in MAIN-CPU 200 is detected (step 6 - 4), while when it is `1`, zoom driving motor is operated in a normal direction (step 6 - 5). Then, a timer is set to 5 sec (step 6 - 6) and a state of ZU that is a terminal zoom up is detected again (step 6 - 7). When it is `0`, information of terminal zoom TELE of MAIN-CPU 200 is detected (step 6 - 8) and when the result of the detection shows `0`, zoom driving motor is stopped (step 6 - 9) and the step advances to MVZ that is a sub-routine for a moving target (step 6 - 10). This sub-routine for stopping a zoom driving motor is shown in FIG. 33.
A state of terminal zoom up ZU is detected (step 6 - 11), and when it is `1`, a state of terminal ZD is detected (step 6 - 12) and when the result of the detection shows `1`, ZMLD is executed (step 6 - 13). A state of terminal ZU is detected (step 6 - 14) and when it is `1`, a state of terminal ZD is detected (step 6 - 15) and when the result of the detection shows `1`, a camera is caused to be in a non-operation state.
In step 6 - 3, a state of terminal ZD is detected (step 6 - 16) and when it is `0`, terminal ZW for detecting WIDE end for zoom in MAIN-CPU 200 is detected (6 - 17). When it is `1`, a zoom driving motor is operated in a reverse direction (6 - 18). Then a timer is set to 5 sec (step 6 - 19) and a state of terminal ZD is detected again (step 6 - 20). When it is `0`, information of terminal ZW in MAIN-CPU 200 is detected (step 6 - 21) and if the result of the detection shows `0`, the zoom driving motor is stopped (step 6 - 22).
In FIG. 29, when flag MV is set to `1` in a flow chart (step 1 - 14), the step advances to MV shown in FIG. 34. Battery check is conducted (step 8 - 1), and MVZ 2 that is a moving target sub-routine is executed (step 8 - 2). Next, light-emitting LED arranged on the front side of the camera corresponding to the direction of moving target is lit (step 8 - 3). Moving target operation signals generated by moving target operation on an operation button are detected (step 8 - 4), and when the result of the detection shows `1`, the camera is caused to be in a non-operation state. When the result of the shows `0` in step 8 - 4, the step returns to step 8 detection
Sion Main Routine
In FIG. 29, when flag S1 is set to `1` in a flow chart (step 1 - 5), the step advances to S1 shown in FIG. 35. FIG. 35 shows flow chart S1. First, battery check is conducted. This battery check advances to BC 1 (step 2 - 1). Serial transfer of setting of predetermined strobe mode and drive mode is conducted (step 9 - 2) as stated above. In the same manner, the transfer of counter information (step 9 - 3), the transfer of information of the number of photographing such as interval photographing and continuous photographing (9 - 4) and transfer of determined function mode information (step 9 - 5) are conducted. Then, photographing is judged as to whether it is normal photographing or not (step 9 - 6), and when it is normal photographing, analog information on terminal ZI in MAIN-CPU 200 is detected. The results of detection are converted by an AD converter to digital information, and ZZ shown on the focal distance input table in FIG. 89 and corresponding to aforesaid digital information is stored. This ZZ represents focal distance information obtained by dividing a focal distance range from the shortest focal distance to the longest one into 24 divisions.
By using aforesaid focal distance information, moving target information shown in FIG. 36 is inputted as shown in FIG. 50 (step 10 - 1). From EEPROM, photometry compensation data, range-finding compensation data, focusing compensation data and shutter driving compensation data are inputted (step 10 - 2). First, photometry is conducted (step 10 - 3) and then range-finding is conducted. Range-finding is conducted as shown in FIGS. 51 and 52 (step 10 - 4). From the results of the photometry and range-finding, operations for shutter control and focusing control are conducted (step 10 - 5). Based on information of distance and focal distance both stored in RAM of MAIN-CPU 200, parallax compensation information is calculated (step 10 - 6) through a parallax data table, and it is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 (step 10 - 7). Distance information AFZ is judged whether it is on a level of short distance warning or not (step 10 - 8), and when it is not short distance warning level, a strobe mode is first detected (step 10 - 9) as charging of strobe capacitor is shown in FIG. 37, and it is judged (step 10 - 10) whether or not the operation button 13 has been operated for zooming during charging for a strobe. When flag ZINT is `1`, operation button 13 is judged to have been operated and the step advances to 5E, while when it is `0`, the button is judged to have not been operated and the step advances to the next one (step 10 - 11). Serial transfer of range-finding data from MAIN-CPU 200 to SUB-CPU 201 is made (step 10 - 12). Next, NTLEDD that indicates the direction of the moving target to the outside is lit, thereby enabling the direction for range-finding for the subject to be observed (step 10 - 13). Next, a test mode is executed (step 10 - 14), and when a shutter blade is in its initial position in the detection of flag ST, `1` is set and the step advances to 11A (step 10 - 15), while when it is not in the initial position, the shutter blade is judged not to be set in its initial position, thus error information, meaning erroneous initial position of a shutter blade, is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 (step 10 - 16).
Flag SWING is detected to detect whether a swing mode to be set in a function mode has been set or not (step 10 - 17), and when the result of the detection shows `1`, flag MEC is set to `1` (step 10 - 18). Next, focusing driving is conducted (step 10 - 19) and a state of switch S1, whether it is turned on or turned off, is detected, and when it is turned on, the step advances to the next one (step 10 - 20). When switch S2 is turned on after switch S1 is turned on (step 10 - 21), the existence of signals for opening barrier 103 for a camera lens is detected (step 10 - 22), and when the signals for opening are inputted, drive mode is detected (step 10 - 23). When a drive mode is set to `1` for setting to single photographing S or to continuous photographing C, PRINT transfer is conducted (step 10 - 24) for the purpose of synchronizing the start of photographing operation of SUB-CPU 201 with that of MAIN-CPU 200.
Next, as shown in FIG. 38, terminal DTRG is set to `L` (step 10 - 25), 1 m sec counting is conducted (step 10 - 26), and ISO data are detected. When the result of the detection is 4 - 6, 30 m sec counting is conducted and when it is 0 - 3, 60 m sec counting is conducted to go to the next step (step 10 - 27). After terminal DTRG is set to `H` (step 10 - 28) and flag MEC is detected, if the result of the detection shows `0`, focusing driving is conducted (step 10 - 29), shutter driving is conducted (step 10 - 30) and judgment is made whether driving mode is set to continuous photographing or not (step 10 - 31). When it is not set to continuous photographing, a focusing motor is charged to its initial position (step 10 - 32). Charge transfer is made to SUB-CPU 201, and when SUB-CPU 201 receives the charge transfer, an indication of `in process of film-winding` appears on a liquid crystal display (step 10 - 33).
Next, flag C is detected and when it is not `0` (step 10 35), N is set to 4 (step 10 - 36) and timer is set to 500 m sec (step 10 - 37), and after film-winding for one frame is detected, a brake is applied on film-feeding motor MF to stop it (step 10 - 38).
When the result of detection of flag TO shows `0`, `1` is added to counter C (step 10 - 39). When counter C is greater than 39, the number 39 is set, while it is smaller than 39, the number (step 10 - 40) is transferred (step 10 - 41).
Next, as shown in FIG. 39, when the detection (step 10 - 42) of flag C shows `0`, a strobo capacitor is charged (step 10 - 43). When the detection of flag TO shows `0` (step 10 - 44), flag DRV is detected. When the result of the detection is the one other than `1` (step 10 - 45), switch S1 is detected. When it is in the state of OFF (step 10 - 46), pieces of information for erasing (step 10 - 47) range-finding information and erasing photometry information both on a liquid crystal indicator are transferred (step 10 - 48) to SUB-CPU 201.
In FIG. 48, when the detection of the states of switch S1 (step 11 - 1), zoom switch ZU (step 11 - 2), and zoom switch ZD (step 11 - 3) show that all of them are In the state of OFF, I/O port is reset (step 12 - 1), terminals PH 3, PHP, FCFG and FTRG are set to level H (step 12 - 2) as shown in FIG. 48, terminal PSH is set to level H (step 12 - 4) after counting of 20 m sec (step 12 - 3), and MAIN-CPU 200 completes its operation (step 12 - 5) after 100 m sec.
When any one of flag INT, SPOT, +1.5 EV, and -1.5 EV is set to `1` (from step 9 - 7 to step 9 - 10) on a flow chart in FIG. 35, the step advances to FIG. 36 and each photographing mode is executed.
When any one of flag ME, TE, INT, NIGHT, STAR, SWING, AZ, MECNT, MEEMD, TEEND, INTCNT, TV and AV is set to `1` (from step 9 - 11 to step 9 - 25) on a flow chart in FIG. 35, the step advances to any of FIGS. 40 - 47 depending on each circumstance, and each photographing mode is executed.
Moving Target Position-Detection Sub-Routine
Input of moving target information is conducted as shown in FIG. 50. In the case of MVZ1, terminal ZI is detected, and based upon the data obtained from the detection, focal distance information ZZ in Table-1 (ZI input table), focusing lens position information FZ, and exposure compensation information ZAEZ are set (step 3 - 1), and then focusing lens position information FZ is set on ZIDI to be used in automatic zooming (step 3 - 2). Terminal MVI is detected (step 3 - 3), and based on the data obtained from the detection, moving target position information MV is selected from the moving target table shown in Table-4 (step 3 - 4) and is transferred to SUB-CPU 201 (step 3 - 5). Other items of MVZ 2, MVZ 3 and MVZ 4 are executed as shown on a flow chart.
Focusing Sub-Routine
Focusing drive shown in FIG. 51 will be explained as follows. First, t1 is calculated from lens LDP (step 5 - 1) as shown on Table-2 and event counter 1 is set and MRI is set to `1` (step 5 - 2). Focusing drive motor ML runs at high speed in the normal direction (step 5 - 3) to execute EVENT 1 that counts LDP 2 which will be stated later. Flag TO is detected to judge whether there is an erroneous operation in EVENT 1 or not. When the detection shows `1`, this means an erroneous operation and the camera is caused to be in a non-operation state, while when the detection shows `0`, the step advances to the next one (step 5 - 5). The rotation of a focusing drive motor is detected by a photointerrupter (step 5 - 6), and event counter 0 is set (step 5 - 7) by detecting pulse rise, and EVENTO counts LDPI (step 5 - 8). Flag TO is detected and when the detection shows `1`, a camera is caused to be in a non-operation state, while when the detection shows `0`, the step advances to the next (step 5 - 9). Then, focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 5 - 10) and BRAKE is applied on focusing drive motor ML (5 - 11). Timer 1 is set to 200 micro sec to start counting time (step 5 - 12). Event counter 0 is set to start and MRO=14 is set (step 5 - 13) and the state of timer 1 is detected. When timer 1 shows time-over (step 5 - 14), focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 5 - 15) and is caused to rum at high speed in the reverse direction (step 5 - 16). This is continued for a period of 8 m sec (step 5 - 17) and then focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 5 - 18). Next, focusing drive motor ML is operated to run in the normal direction under the prescribed voltage (step 5 - 19) to advance to FIG. 52 and timer 2 is counted (step 6 - 1), EVENTO is executed (step 6 - 2) and flag TO is detected (step 6 - 3). When the detection shows `0`, focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 6 - 4) and then BRAKE is applied on focusing drive motor ML (step 6 - 5) and timer 1 is set to 200 micro sec to start counting (step 6 - 6). Event counter 0 is set to start and at the same time, MRO=8 is set (step 6 - 7) and then timer 2 is stopped and a period of time from the start to the stop is set on LD 1 (step 6 - 8). Then, t2 is selected from Table-2 (step 6 - 9) and the state of timer 1 is detected. When the detection shows time-over (step 6 - 10), focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 6 - 11) and then is operated to run in the reverse direction under the prescribed voltage (step 6 - 12). This running is continued for a period of time including aforesaid t2 and a value added by temperature data compensation TET (step 6 - 13), and then focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 6 - 14) and is operated to run in the normal direction under the prescribed voltage (step 6 - 15). Timer 2 starts counting time (step 6 - 16) to execute EVENTO (step 6 - 17). Flag TO is detected (step 6 - 18) and when the detection shows `0`, the step advances to FIG. 53, focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 7 - 1), then focusing drive motor ML is operated to run in the reverse direction under the prescribed voltage (step 7 - 2), counting on timer 2 is stopped and a period of time from the start to the stop is set on LDT 2 (step 7 - 3), t3 is selected from Table-3 (step 7 - 4), and the motor running is continued for a period including t3, temperature data compensation TET and 5 m sec (step 7 - 5), and the step advances to FIG. 54 `E`.
In FIG. 54, focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 7 - 6), then BRAKE is applied on focusing drive motor ML (step 7 - 7), and it continues for 30 m sec (step 7 - 8), then focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 7 - 9) and flag TO is detected (step 7 - 10). When the detection shows `0`, the step returns to the main routine.
Focusing Charge Sub-Routine
Drive of focusing shown in FIG. 54 will be explained. LDP is judged (step 8 - 1) and when the result of the detection is not `0`, event counter 0 is set and setting is made to (MRO)=(LDP) to start (step 8 - 2). Focusing drive motor is operated to run in the reverse direction (step 8 - 3), EVENTO is executed (step 8 - 4) and flag TO is detected (step 8 - 5). When the result of the detection is not `0`, event counter 1 is set for starting and for setting to MR1=1 (step 8 - 6), EVENT 1 is executed (step 8 - 7), flag TO is detected (step 8 - 8), focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 8 - 9), focusing drive motor ML is operated to run at high speed in the normal direction (step 8 - 10), event counter 1 is set for starting and for setting to MR1=1 (step 8 - 11), a timer is set to 1.5 m sec for starting (step 8 - 12), and the state of LDPI is detected (step 8 - 13). When the detection shows `1`, the state of a timer is judged (step 8 - 16). Focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 7 - 6) and then BRAKE is applied on focusing drive motor ML (step 7 - 7), and it continues for 30 m sec (step 7 - 8), focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 7 - 9) and flag TO is detected (step 7 - 10). When the detection show `0`, the step returns to main routine.
Focusing Wake Sub-Routine
Drive for initial setting of focusing lens shown in FIG. 54 will be explained. Event counter 1 is set for starting and is set to (MR1)=5 (step 9 - 1). Focusing drive motor ML is operated to run in the reverse direction under the prescribed voltage (step 9 - 2). After that the step advances to step 8 - 7.
Focusing Sub-Routine by Zoom
Drive for initial setting of focusing lens shown in FIG. 54 will be explained. Focal distance information ZZ, focusing lens position information FZ and compensation information ZAEZ for open F-value are inputted (step 10 - 1), and then ZIDI is subtracted from focusing lens position information FZ for FZLD (step 10 - 2), event counter 1 is set for starting and for setting to MR1=FZLD (step 10 - 3). Then, the state of FZLD is detected (step 10 - 4), and when the result of the detection is smaller than `0`, focusing drive motor ML is operated to run in the normal direction under the prescribed voltage (step 10 - 5) and EVENT 1 is executed (step 10 - 6). Flag T.O is detected (step 10 - 7), and when the detection shows `0`, event counter 0 is set for starting and for setting MRO=16 (step 10 - 8) and EVENTO is executed (step 10 - 9). Flag T.O is detected (step 10 2 - 10), and when the detection shows `0`, focusing drive motor ML is turned off (step 10 - 11) and then is operated to run in the reverse direction at high speed (step 10 - 12). Then, the step advances to D.
Focusing Sleeve Sub-Routine
Focusing sleeve sub-routine shown in FIG. 55 is performed as follows. First, focusing drive motor is operated in the normal direction at high speed (step 11 - 1). Then, 100 m sec is counted (step 11 - 2) and timer 1 is set to 10 m sec for starting (step 11 - 3). Voltage rise of LDP 1 is detected (step 11 - 4), and when the detection shows `1`, timer 1 is set to 10 m sec for starting (step 11 - 5). Voltage rise of LDP 1 is detected (step 11 - 6) and returns to step 11 - 3. The timer is detected at step 11 - 3 (step 11 - 7) and when the detection shows time-over, focusing drive motor ML is suspended (step 11 - 8 to step 11 - 11).
LDP 1 Event Counter Sub-Routine
LDP 1 event counter sub-routine shown in FIG. 56 is a routine for counting a falling edge of LDP 1 which is a pulse-shaped signal generated when the focusing lens moves. First, a timer is set to 1 sec and counting for this is started (step 12 - 1). Whether the rising edge of predetermined LDP 1 has been counted or not is judged (step 12 - 2), and when the judgment shows that no counting has been made, whether counting of timer 1 has been completed or not is judged (step 12 - 3). When the judgment shows that counting has not been completed, the step returns to 12 - 2. When counting is completed in step 12 - 3, flag T.O is set to `0` (step 12 - 4). In step 12 - 3, flag TO is set to `1` (step 12 - 5)
LDP 2 Event Counter Sub-Routine
LDP 2 event counter sub-routine shown in FIG. 57 is a routine for counting pulses of pulse-shaped signals LDP 2 generated when focusing lens moves. First, timer 1 is set to 1 sec and counting for this is started (step 13 - 1) and the rise of LDP 2 is detected (step 13 - 2), and when the detection shows `1`, falling of LDP 2 is detected (step 13 - 3) and whether event counter 1 has been completed or not is judged (step 13 - 4). When event counter 1 has not been completed, count-up for LDP 1 is conducted (step 13 - 5) and timer 1 is set to 1 sec to start counting (step 13 - 6). Rise of LDP 2 is detected (step 13 - 7), and when the detection shows `1`, falling of LDP 2 is detected (step 13 - 8). When counting of LDP 1 (step 13 - 9) shows the predetermined number, whether event counter 1 has been completed or not is judged (step 13 - 10) and when event counter 1 is judged to have been completed, flag T.0 is set to `0` (step 13 - 11). Now, in steps 13 - 2, 13 - 3, 13 - 7, and 13 - 8, when counting for time 1 has been completed, flag T.0 is set to `1`, while when counting has not been completed, the step advances to the next.
Range-Finding Sub-Routine
FIG. 58 shows how range-finding is conducted. On a range-finding device of an infrared active type in the present example, an infrared-light-emitting element in a projector is caused to make a plurality of pulse-shaped emission, and reflected light from a subject is received by a photoreceptor element (PSD) in a photoreceptor device, thus a photoelectric current is accumulated, and when such photoelectric current arrives at a prescribed level of voltage, emission of infrared light is suspended and range-finding information from the range-finding device are inputted.
Terminal CTRL of MAIN-CPU 200 is changed from level H to level L, and after counting 32 m sec, terminal DATA of range-level finding IC is changed from level L to level H. This is detected by MAIN-CPU 200 and after counting t1, terminal CTRL is changed from level L to level H by which range-finding information is set. Then, above-mentioned range-finding information is read after being stabilized. After that, terminal CTRL is returned to level H, and aforesaid sequence is repeated. Second range-finding and thereafter are started after waiting for a period of t4.
Next, range-finding sub-routine shown in FIG. 59 will be explained. First, range-finding compensation information AFLEN and AFSFT are inputted from EEPROM (step 14 - 1), then, flag INF is detected (step 14 - 2) and when the detection shows `0` terminal IRC is set to level L (step 14 - 3). Thus, range-finding is conducted based on aforesaid timing chart, and DATA is inputted (step 14 - 4). Terminal IRC is set to level H (step 14 - 5) and AEZ operation, which will be explained later, is conducted (step 14 - 6). Next, a judgment is formed whether aforesaid AFZ is the shortest photographing limit or not (step 14 - 7), and when it is within a photographable range, range-finding is conducted four times (step 14 - 8) and the mean value of aforesaid four results of range-finding is calculated (step 14 - 9). The mean value thus obtained is calculated together with range-finding compensation information AFLEN read from EEPROM (step 14 - 10), and the result of aforesaid calculation is calculated together with range-finding compensation information AFSET read from EEPROM (step 14 - 11). Judgment is formed whether range-finding information AFZ thus calculated is an infinite focusing position or not (step 14 - 12), and when AFZ is less than `6`, range-finding information is set to `6` (step 14 - 13).
FIG. 60 shows a zoom sleep sub-routine wherein focus position information ZZ, focusing lens position information FZ and exposure compensation information ZAEZ are inputted from ZI Table (step 22 - 1), and then aforesaid FZ is replaced with ZID1 (step 22 - 2) and flag T.O is set to `0` (step 22 - 3). The state of collapsed zoom lens barrel is conducted by detecting the state of terminal ZC that detects zoom close edge (step 22 - 4), and when the detection shows `1`, it is judged to be an uncollapsed state and zoom driving motor MZ is rotated reversely (step 22 - 5), a timer is set to 5 sec and counting is started (step 22 - 6). Judgment is formed whether it is time-over or not (step 22 - 7), and when it is not time-over, the state of terminal ZC is detected (step 22 - 8). When the detection shows `0`, zoom driving motor MZ is stopped (step 22 - 9). When a period of time set in step 22 - 7 is exceeded, zoom driving motor MZ is stopped (step 22 - 10) and flag T.0 is set to `1` (step 22 - 11).
Zoom Wake Sub-Routine
FIG. 61 shows a zoom wake sub-routine wherein focusing lens position information FZ is first inputted in ZID 1 from ZI Table (step 23 - 1). Then, flag T.O is set to `0` step 23 - 2) and thereby the state of wide angle edge position of a zoom barrel is checked by detecting the state of terminal ZW that detects zoom wide angle edge (step 23 - 3). When the detection shows `1`, it is judged not to be set at a wide angle edge position, thus zoom driving motor MZ is rotated in the normal direction (step 23 - 4), a timer is set to 500 m sec and counting is started (step 23 - 5). Judgment is formed whether it is time-over or not (step 23 - 6), and when it is not time-over, the state of terminal ZW is detected (step 23 - 7). When the detection shows `0`, zoom driving motor MZ is stopped (step 23 - 8). When the period of time set in step 23 - 6 is exceeded, zoom driving motor MZ is stopped (step 23 - 9), zoom sleep sub-routine is conducted (step 23 - 10) and flag T.O is set to `1` (step 23 - 11).
FIG. 62 shows a flow wherein zoom driving motor MZ in FIGS. 60 and 61 is stopped. FIG. 63 shows a self-timer sub-routine and the explanation of its flow will be omitted.
SUB-CPU Routine
In FIG. 64, an input/output terminal is set (step 1 - 1), RAM is cleared (step 1 - 2), and external LCD and LCD in a view-finder are totally lit (step 1 - 3). Terminal LIVE is detected (step 1 - 4), and when the detection shows OFF, a release mark flickers (step 1 - 5) and terminal SIL is detected (step 1 - 6). When the first signal of release is ON, an indication such as release indication 36 shown in FIG. 7 is made (step 1 - 7). Display in step 1 - 7 represents the states of a film counter and a film, and indication of the state of the film is made by flag C. When flag C is `0`, the display is put out without fail.
Terminal S1L is detected again (step 1 - 8) and when the first signal of release is OFF, preparation for the transfer from SUB-CPU 201 to MAIN-CPU 200 is made (step 1 - 9), initial transfer is conducted (step 1 - 10) and terminal TEST1 is detected (step 1 - 11). When the terminal TEST1 is detected to be `0`, (TEST) is caused to be `1`, (step 1 - 12), while when TEST1 is detected to be `1`, (TEST) is caused to be `0` (step 1 - 13) and advances to FIG. 70.
In FIG. 70, an indication of step 1 - 7 is made (step 6 - 1), terminal PMH is caused to be 1 (step 6 - 2), each flag is cleared (step 6 - 3), and terminal LIVE is detected (step 6 - 4). When the terminal LIVE is detected to be on level L, flag MEERR is detected (step 6 - 5), and when MEERR is `1`, flag MEERR is caused to be `0` and advances to 6B, while, when MEERR is `0`, the step advances to FIG. 65.
In step 6 - 4, when terminal LIVE is on level H, terminal SST is detected (step 6 - 7), while, when it is on level L, information is transferred from MAIN-CPU 200 to SUB-CPU 201, and each flag is set (step 6 - 8) based on aforesaid information. Flag CHG is detected (step 6 - 9), and when film charge is conducted with `1`, flag C is detected (step 6 - 10). When flag C is not `0`, charging is conducted (step 6 - 11). In (step 6 - 9), when flag CHG is `0`, flag REWST is detected (step 6 - 12) and when the detection shows `1`, the step advances to 2A in FIG. 66, while, when the detection shows `0`, flag ERR is detected (step 6 - 13). When the detection shows `1`, error correction is made, while, when it is `0`, flag CF is detected (step 6 - 14) and when the detection shows `1`, counter display is conducted (step 6 - 15).
In step 6 - 14, when flag CF is `0`, flag LCDF is detected (step 6 - 16) and when the detection shows `1`, LCD display such as BC, AE and AF is made (step 6 - 17) and when the detection shows `0` flag MVF is detected (step 6 - 18) wherein when the detection shows `1`, MV display is made (step 6 - 19).
In step 6 - 18, when flag MVF is `0`, flag SWERR is detected (step 6 - 20), and in the case of error in the detection, error correction is made (step 6 - 21) and then terminal MAINL is detected (step 6 - 22). After that, when a main switch is turned off, SWERR is caused to be `0` (step 6 - 23) and the step advances to FIG. 65.
In FIG. 65, terminal PHM is caused to be on level H (step 0 - 1), terminal MAINL is detected (step 0 - 2), mode-reset is conducted when a main switch is OFF (step 0 - 3), flag NBC is caused to be `0` (step 0 - 4), terminal PHM is caused to be on level H again (step 0 - 5), terminal LIVE is detected in terms of its ON and OFF (step 0 - 6), the step advances to FIG. 70 in the case of ON, flag SLWK is detected in the case of OFF (step 7), flag SWERR is detected in the case of WAKE (step 0 - 8), sleep operation is conducted when the detection shows no error (step 0 - 9) and the step goes to step 0 - 5. In the case of error in step 0 - 8, SWERR is caused to be `0` (step 0 - 10), the level with which SUB-CPU 201 returns from STOP mode to interruption is set to be opposite to the present state of terminal SB (step 0 - 11), the level with which the terminal MAINL returns to interruption is caused to be `0` (step 0 - 12), the level with which terminals SIL, MVL, ZML and MREW return to interruption is caused to be `0` (step 0 - 13), STOP mode is executed (step 0 - 14), the levels set for returning to interruption are detected (step 0 - 15), and the state of STOP mode of SUB-CPU 201 is released to go to step 0 1 in the case of interruption returning level.
In step 0 - 7, terminal MREW is detected (step 0 - 16) in the case of SLEEP, and when the detection shows ON, the step goes to FIG. 66, while, when the detection shows OFF, flag C is detected (step 0 - 17) and when the detection shows `0`, terminal SB is detected (step 0 - 18) wherein when a back lid is opened, flag AL is caused to be `1` (step 0 - 19). When the back lid is closed, flag AL is detected (step 0 - 20) and battery check is conducted during the steps from 0 - 21 to 0 - 25. Then, flag BC is detected (step 0 - 26) and when a battery shows the voltage lower than the prescribed level, flag AL is caused to be 0 (step 0 - 27) to go to step 0 - 11. When a battery shows the voltage higher than the prescribed level, the step goes to FIG. 67.
When terminal MAINL is on level L in step 0 - 2, terminal LIVE is detected (step 0 - 28), and when it is ON, the step goes to FIG. 70, while, when it is OFF, terminal MREW is detected (step 0 - 29) wherein, when it is ON, the step goes to FIG. 66, while, when it is OFF, flag NBC is detected (step 0 - 30) wherein, when it is `0`, NBC is set to `1` (step 0 - 31) and battery check and information transfer are conducted (step 0 - 32) under the condition of light load such as, for example, of peripheral equipment in the non-operation state, then flag BC is detected (step 0 - 33) wherein, when a battery is equal to or lower than a prescribed voltage, the LCD's are not lit (step 0 - 34), while when the battery is higher than the prescribed voltage flag C is detected (step 0 - 35) and when the result of the detection is not `0`, flag SLWK is detected (step 0 - 36) and when the detection shows SLEEP, the step goes to FIG. 68.
As stated above, the first battery-checking means checks a battery with light load when a main switch is turned on, and it is possible to detect in advance whether or not a battery voltage is on the level capable of preventing malfunctioning and runaway of an electronic control device caused by a sudden drop of battery voltage in a battery check with a heavy load of operating peripheral equipment, because battery check is conducted with a light load such as, for example, the load of equipment in non-operation state in the battery check by means of the first battery check means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent malfunctioning and runaway of an electronic control device through battery check.
In the case of WAKE in step 0 - 36, terminal SIL is detected (step 0 - 37) and when the first signal of release is inputted, the step goes to FIG. 69, and when it is not inputted, terminal ZML is detected (step 0 - 38) and when zoom operation signals are inputted, the step goes to FIG. 75. When zoom operation signals are not inputted, terminal MVL is detected (step 0 - 39) and when MV operation signals are inputted, the step goes to FIG. 76, and when they are not inputted, Key processing are conducted at steps 40 and 41, and then terminal S1L is detected (step 0 - 42) and when the first signal of release is inputted, the step goes to FIG. 109 and when it is not inputted, the step goes to FIG. 70.
Further, in step 0 - 35, when flag C is `0`, terminal SB is detected (step 0 - 43) and when the back lid is opened, flag AL is caused to be 1 (step 0 - 44) and the step goes to step 0 - 36, while, when the back lid is closed, flag AL is detected (step 0 - 45) and when the detection does not show automatic loading, the step goes to step 0 - 36, while, when automatic loading is shown, the step goes to FIG. 67.
In FIG. 66, transfer preparation is conducted (step 2 - 1), REW transfer is conducted from SUB-CPU 201 to MAIN-CPU 200 (step 2 - 2), counter 1 transfer is conducted (step 2 - 3), and mode resetting is conducted (step 2 - 4). Terminal PHM is caused to be on level H (step 2 - 5), and each flag is cleared (step 2 - 6). Display of `in process of rewinding` is indicated (step 2 - 7), terminal LIVE is detected (step 2 - 8) and when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, flag REWERR is caused to be 1 (step 2 - 9), while, when MAIN-CPU power monitor is ON in step 2 - 8, terminal SST is detected (step 2 - 10) and when SST is Yes, counter transfer is conducted from MAIN-CPU 200 to SUB-CPU 201 (step 2 - 11) and then flag CF is detected (step 2 - 12) wherein, when the detection shows `1`, counter processing is conducted (step 2 - 13) and goes to step 2 - 7, while, when `0` is shown, A timer is set to 10 sec for starting (step 2 - 14) and display shown in FIG. 7 is indicated and indications of AL error 32 and back lid open 31 in FIG. 7 are caused to flicker (step 2 - 15).
Terminal SB is detected (step 2 - 16), and when the back lid is opened, flag AL is caused to be 1 (step 2 - 17), flag C is caused to be 0 (step 2 - 18), flags are totally cleared (step 2 - 19) and flag ERR is detected (step 2 - 20), and in the case of error the step goes to step 2 - 30, while, when there is no error, the step goes to FIG. 65.
When the back lid is closed in step 2 - 16, terminal LIVE is detected (step 2 - 21) and when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, flag REWERR is detected (step 2 - 22) and in the case of an error, terminal SIL is detected (step 2 - 23), while, when the first signal is ON , the step goes to step 2 - 1 for another rewind processing.
In step 2 - 22 wherein REWERR is detected, when the detection does not show an error, flag C is caused to be 0 (step 2 - 24) and terminal MREW is detected (step 2 - 25) wherein when the detection shows ON, the step goes to step 2 - 1, while, when the detection shows OFF, terminal MAINL is detected (step 2 26) wherein when a main switch is ON, the step keeps going to step 2 - 15 until A timer shows time-over, and after the time-over, the step goes to step 2 - 30.
Interruption return levels for terminals MAINL and SB are set (step 2 - 30), interruption return levels of terminals S1L, MVL, ZML and MREW are caused to be `0` (step 2 - 31), STOP mode is executed (step 2 - 32) and interruption return which has been set is detected (step 2 - 33), and when the detection shows the interruption return level, STOP mode of SUB-CPU 201 is released and the step goes to step 2 - 14.
In FIG. 67, transfer preparation is conducted (step 3 - 1), AL transfer from SUB-CPU 201 to MAIN-CPU 200 is conducted (step 3 - 2), each flag is cleared (step 3 - 3) and BC transfer is conducted (step 3 - 4). Flag BC is detected (step 3 - 5) and when the battery voltage is not higher than the predetermined voltage, the step goes to FIG. 65, which forms the second battery checking means, and when the battery voltage is not lower than the predetermined voltage, terminal PHM is caused to be on level H (step 3 - 6), 50 m sec is set (step 3 - 7) and no indication is made during automatic loading in NONAL.
The second battery checking means performs, after a light-load battery check, a heavy load battery check with peripheral equipments in operation, and this second battery checking means is constituted so that a battery may be checked with a heavy load of electrification for driving shutter blades to be closed. Since a battery check with a heavy load is made by means of the second battery checking means after a battery check with a light load by means of the first battery checking means as stated above, when the voltage supplied by a battery is equal to or lower than the predetermined voltage in a battery check by means of the first battery checking means, an operation of an electronic control device can be stopped, thus it is possible to prevent the electronic control device from running into malfunction and runaway.
Further, since the second battery checking means is constituted so that it may check a battery with a heavy load of electrification for driving shutter blades to be closed, a camera does not operate during the course of a battery check and an electric current of a certain level can flow, thus, it is possible to detect voltage of the power supply simply and accurately.
Terminal LIVE is detected (step 3 - 8), flag ALERR is caused to be 1 (step 3 - 9) when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, automatic erroneous indication is set, and the step goes to FIG. 66 2(B), and when MAIN-CPU power monitor is ON in step 3 - 8, terminal SST is detected (step 3 - 11) and when SST is NO, `In Process of Automatic Loading` is indicated (step 3 - 12) and the step goes to step 3 - 8, while when SST is Y, serial transfer from MAIN-CPU 200 to SUB-CPU 201 (AL completion, NONAL transfer or AL error transfer) is conducted (step 3 - 13). Flag ALERR is detected (step 3 - 14) and when the detection shows an automatic load error, the step goes to step 3 - 10 and when it is not an error, flag ALEND is detected (step 3 - 15) and when an automatic loading is completed normally, flag C is caused to be 1 (step 3 - 16) and `Normal Completion of Automatic Loading` is indicated (step 3 - 17), while in step 3 - 15, when no film is loaded, it is indicated that no automatic loading is conducted (step 3 - 18).
In FIG. 68, flag clearance (SWERR and SWEND) is conducted (step 4 - 1), transfer preparation is made (step 4 - 2), flag SLWK is detected (step 4 - 3) and WAKE transfer is conducted (step 4 - 4) in the case of SLEEP (the state of main switch OFF), and then BC transfer is conducted (step 4 - 5). Flag BC is detected (step 4 - 6) and when the battery voltage is not higher than the predetermined voltage in checking by means of the second battery checking means, the step goes to FIG. 65, while in the case of the battery voltage not lower than the predetermined voltage, terminal PHM is caused to be level H (step 4 - 7). In the case of WAKE (the state of main switch ON) in step 4 - 3, SLEEP transfer is conducted (step 4 - 8) to go to step 4 - 7. Terminal LIVE is detected (step 4 - 9) and when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, flag SLWK is detected (step 4 - 10) and when the detection shows WAKE FAULT, the step goes to FIG. 70 6B, while in the case of SLEEP FAULT, error processing is conducted (step 4 - 11) for returning. In step 4 - 9, when MAIN-CPU power monitor is ON, terminal SST is detected (step 4 - 12), and when SST is NO, the step goes to step 4 - 9, while when SST IS Y, SW completion transfer from MAIN-CPU 200 to SUB-CPU 201 or SW error transfer is conducted (step 4 - 13). Flag SWERR is detected (step 4 - 14) and in the case of an error, the step goes to step 4 - 10, while when the detection does not show an error, flag SLWK is detected (step 4 - 15) and in the case of SLEEP processing completion, flag SLWK is caused to be 0, SLEEP setting is conducted (step 4 - 16), and a display in a view-finder is put out (step 4 - 17) for returning. In the case of WAKE processing completion in step 4 - 15, flag SLWK is caused to be 1, WAKE setting is made (step 4 - 18), a display I in FIG. 122 which is initialized for compensation of moving target and parallax is conducted (step 4 - 19), and the step goes to FIG. 65.
In FIG. 69, transfer preparation is made (step 5 - 1) and flag TEST is detected (step 5 - 2) wherein in the case of `1`, the step goes to a test mode, while in the case of `0`, S1 transfer is conducted (step 5 - 3), terminal PHM is caused to be on level H (step 5 - 4) and BC transfer is conducted (step 5 - 5). Flag BC is detected (step 5 - 6) and when a battery shows its voltage not higher than the predetermined voltage in checking by means of the second battery checking means, the step goes to step 5 - 32, while when the voltage of the battery is not lower than the predetermined value, set transfer is conducted in step 5 - 7 through step 5 - 10, flag BC is detected (step 5 - 11) and flag BC is detected again, and when the voltage is not higher than the predetermined value, flag FUNC is detected (step 5 - 12), while in the case of an interval mode of function, the step goes to step 5 - 35, and in the case of another mode, it goes to step 5 - 13. In the case of the voltage not lower than the predetermined value, the remaining amount is indicated according to battery indication 34 in FIG. 7 (step 5 - 13).
Terminal LIVE is detected (step 5 - 14) and when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, the step goes to step 5 - 35, while when MAIN-CPU power monitor is ON in step 5 - 14, terminal SST is detected (step 5 - 15), and when SST is NO, the step goes to step 5 - 13, while when SST is Y, transfers of AE, AF, PRINT, ERR, MEWORK, MV, PARA, TESTD and SWERR are conducted (step 5 - 16), an error judge is made (step 5 - 17) and flag ST is detected (step 5 - 18) and when the detection shows `1`, the step goes to FIG. 70 6A. When flag ST is 0, flag PRINT is detected (step 5 - 19) and when the detection shows `0`, flag MEWORK is detected (step 5 - 20) and when the detection shows `1`, the step goes to FIG. 71, while in the case of `0`, flag TESTD is detected (step 5 - 21) and when the detection shows `0`, the step goes to step 5 - 13, while in the case of `1`, flag TEST transfer is conducted (step 5 - 22) and flag TESTD is caused to be `0` for going to step 5 - 13.
In the case of `1` in step 5 - 19, flag DRV is detected (step 5 - 24), and when the detection shows `0` or `1`, the step goes to step 5 - 38 with single photographing or continuous photographing respectively, when the detection shows `2`, 10 sec is set on a timer by self 1 (step 5 - 25), and in the case of `3`, 3 sec is set on a timer by self 2 (step 5 - 26). After these settings, flag PRINT is caused to be 0 (step 5 - 27) and timer processing is conducted (step 5 - 28) and indication processing is executed (step 5 - 29).
Terminal LIVE is detected (step 5 - 30) and when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, indication of self-cancel is conducted (step 5 - 31), and flag MECNT is detected (step 5 - 32). When the detection shows `0`, the step goes to FIG. 70 and when it is `1`, terminal LIVE is detected (step 5 - 33) and when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, the step goes to FIG. 71. When MAIN-CPU power monitor is ON in step 5 - 30, terminal SST is detected (step 5 - 34) and when SST is NO, the step goes to step 5 - 28, and when it is Y, the transfer is conducted (step 5 - 35) and flag PRINT is detected (step 5 - 36) wherein when the detection shows `0`, the step goes to step 5 - 31, while when the detection shows `1`, function indication is conducted (step 5 - 37).
In the detection of flag FUNC in steps 38 through 42, when the detection shows `0 - 5, 7, 8 and 9`, the step goes to FIG. 70, while in the case of `10`, the step goes to FIG. 71, in the case of `11`, step goes to FIG. 74, in the case of `12`, the step goes to FIG. 73 and in the case of `6`, the step goes to FIG. 71. When the detection shows numbers other than the foregoing, flag MECNT is detected (step 5 - 43) and when the detection shows `0`, the step goes to FIG. 65, while when `1` is shown in the detection, the step goes to FIG. 71.
In FIG. 71, terminal LIVE is detected (step 7 - 1) and when MAIN-CPU power monitor is ON, flag SST is detected (step 7- 2) and when the detection shows `0`, transfer is conducted (step 7 - 3), error judge is conducted (step 7 - 4), and flag ST is detected (step 7 - 5) wherein when the detection shows `1`, flag SWERR is detected (step 7 - 6), while when it is `0`, the step goes to FIG. 70 and when the detection shows `1`, the step goes to step 7 - 28. A routine in error judgment in step 7 - 4 is shown in FIG. 72.
In the case of `0` in step 7 - 5, flag REWST is detected (step 7 - 7) and when the detection shows `1`, the step goes to FIG. 73, while when the detection shows `0`, indication B is conducted (step 7 - 8) for advancing to step 7 - 1.
When MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF in step 7 - 1, flag DRV is detected (step 7 - 9) and when detection shows continuous photographing with `1` and SWING in a swing mode, ME resetting is conducted (step 7 - 10) and the step goes to FIG. 65, while the detection does not show `1`, flag SWING is detected (step 7 - 11). In the case of `1` in step 7 - 11, the step goes to step 7 - 10, while in the case of `0`, processings of steps 7 - 12 and 7 - 13 are conducted and ME indication processing is conducted (step 7 - 14).
Flag K is detected (step 7 - 15) and when the detection shows `0`, ME resetting id conducted (step 7 - 16) and then the step goes to step 7 - 31, while when the detection does not show `0`, terminal MAINL is detected (step 7 - 17) wherein when the detection shows level H, the step goes to step 7 - 30, while when the detection shows level L, terminal SIL is detected (step 7 - 18) and then terminal ZML is detected (step 7 - 19) in the case of level H wherein when the detection shows level H, terminal MVL is detected (step 7 - 20) and then processings of steps 21 and 22 are conducted in the case of level H to go to step 7 - 15. In the case of level L in the steps 18 - 20, the step goes to FIG. 69.
In step 7 - 23, flags PRINT, MVF and SWERR are cleared, and then terminal LIVE is detected (step 7 - 24) wherein when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, the step goes to step 7 - 15, while when it is ON, flag SST is detected (step 7 - 25) wherein when the detection shows `1`, the step goes to step 7 - 24, while when `0` is shown, transfer is conducted (step 7 - 26). Terminal MVF is detected (step 7 - 27) wherein when `1` is shown, MV display processing is conducted (step 7 - 28) to go to step 7 - 24, while when `0` is shown, SWERR is detected (step 7 - 29) wherein when `0` is shown, the step goes to step 7 - 24, while when error of `1` is shown, ME is released (step 7 - 30) and then LIVE is detected (step 7 - 31) wherein when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, flag MECNT is caused to be 0 and flag MEEND is caused to be 1 (step 7 - 32). Then, transfer preparation, follow transfer and setting for causing set transfer flag PHM to be 1 are conducted (step 7 - 33) and then SWERR is detected (step 7 - 34) and flag MEERR is caused to be 1 (step 7 - 35) to go to FIG. 70.
In FIG. 73, flags MVF, PRINT, CHG, REWST, CF, INTVCNT and LCDF are cleared (step 8 - 1), interval indication is conducted (step 8 - 2) and then terminal LIVE is detected (step 8 - 3). When the detection in step 8 - 3 shows that MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, FUNC is released (step 8 - 4) to go to step 8 - 17, while when the detection shows that MAIN-CPU power monitor is ON, terminal SST is detected (step 8 - 5) wherein when SST is NO, the step goes to step 8 - 2, while when SST is Y, transfer is conducted (step 8 - 6), error judge is conducted (step 89 - 7) and then flag ST is detected (step 8 - 8). When `1` is shown in step 8 - 8, the step goes to FIG. 70, while when `0` is shown, flag CHG is detected (step 8 - 9) wherein when `1` is shown, CHG processing of film charging is conducted (step 8 - 10) to go to step 8 - 1, while when `0` is shown, flag REWST is detected (step 8 - 11). When `1` is shown in step 8 - 11, FUNC is released (step 8 - 12) to go to FIG. 66, while when `0` is shown, flag CF is detected (step 8 - 13). When `0` is shown in step 8 - 13, the step goes to step 8 - 2, while when `1` is shown, K is caused to be K-1 (step 8 - 14) and then K is detected (step 8 - 15). When `0` is shown in step 8 - 15, interval resetting is conducted (step 8 - 16) and then AF indication and AE indication both in a range-finder are cleared (step 8 - 17) and flag CF is caused to be 0 (step 8 - 18) to go to FIG. 70.
When K is not `0` in step 8 - 15, timer setting is conducted (step 8 - 19) and terminal MAIN is detected (step 8 - 20) wherein when `1` is shown and a main switch is OFF, the step goes to step 8 - 4, while when `0` is shown and a main switch is ON, timer processing is conducted (step 8 - 21), interval indication processing is conducted (step 8 - 22) and then flag INTVCNT is detected (step 8 - 23). When `1` is shown in step 8 - 23, timer judgment is conducted in step 8 - 24 wherein when the value not longer than the set period of time is shown, the step goes to step 8 - 1, while when the value not shorter than time set is shown, the step goes to step 8 - 20.
When flag INTVCNT is `0` in step 8 - 23, terminal LIVE is detected (step 8 - 25) wherein when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, timer judgment is made in step 8 - 26 wherein when the judgment shows what is not more than the set period of time, flag INTVCNT is caused to be 1 (step 8 - 27) and then settings are conducted in steps 8 - 28 through 8 - 31 to go to step 8 - 20.
In FIG. 74, TE transfers are conducted in steps 9 - 1 through 9 - 3 during which, when conditions are normal, PRINT transfer is received, and then a timer is started (step 9 - 4) to conduct TE transfers again in steps 9 - 5 through 9 - 7. Then, processings in steps 9 - 8 and 9 - 9 are made, timer processing is made (step 9 - 10), TE indication processing is made (step 9 - 11) and terminal LIVE is detected (step 9 - 12) wherein when MAIN-CPU power monitor is OFF, terminal MAIN is detected in step 9 - 13 (step 9 - 13). In the case of time-over in step 9 - 14, processings in steps 9 - 15 through 9 - 18 are conducted to go to FIG. 70.
In FIG. 75, transfer preparation (step 10 - 1), zoom transfer (step 10 - 2) and BC transfer (step 10 - 3) are conducted to go to FIG. 70.
In FIG. 76, transfer preparation (step 11 - 1), MV transfer (step 11 - 2) and BC transfer (step 11 - 3) are conducted to go to FIG. 70.
Transfer Preparation Sub-Routine
In the transfer preparation, as shown in FIG. 78, terminal RSTO is caused to be level L (step 1 - 1), terminal PHM is caused to be level L (step 1 - 2) and direct reading is conducted in steps 1 - 3 and 1 - 4, and then terminal RSTO is caused to be level H (step 1 - 5) for returning.
As described above, in the present invention, the display position of the range finding direction of the view-finder is set according to the focal distance information of the zoom lens and the positional information of the range finding direction. Accordingly, when the range finding point is changed by changing the range finding direction, it is possible to make the display position of the range finding direction of the view-finder agree with the range finding direction position of the range finding device, so that the variation of the range finding point can be prevented by changing the focal distance to the telephotography side or the wide-angle photography side.
Especially, in the case of telephotography, the field angle becomes large, so that the range finding outside the field angle can be prevented.
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A zoom camera being capable of changing a distance measuring direction to measure an object distance, and more particularly a camera which indicates the distance measuring direction overlapped on an object image in a view finder display. An object image is displayed in a finder display through an optical system, thereby the magnification of the object image in the view finder changes in accordance with a zooming of the camera. An indicator array is arranged on the view finder display, and the distance measuring direction is indicated by an activation of an indicator element of the indicator array located at a corresponding position to an object position in the distance measuring direction. For the purpose of coordinating with the change of magnification of the view image, the corresponding position is determined based on the focal length information obtained by a focal length detector in addition to distance measuring direction information and distance information, each obtained by each of a direction detector and a distance detector.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation of PCT application No. PCT/EP03/01019, entitled “METHOD FOR PREPARING FIBRES CONTAINED IN A PULP SUSPENSION”, filed Feb. 3, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a method for preparing fibers contained in a pulp suspension and/or for preparing coating color for coated papers.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] During papermaking fillers, such as, precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) or comminuted or ground calcium carbonate (GCC) are usual substances which are used for the purpose of reducing the fiber content and of improving the optical properties of the paper.
[0006] The commercially available PCC or GCC fillers are mass-produced products which are produced in specific manufacturing operations, which can be associated with a paper mill as a satellite plant. However, online production of PCC has never been or is never considered in the paper industry, which can be attributed to the special process properties which are necessary for the production of PCC. Instead, PCC or GCC is transported to the paper mills as a bulk material or in the form of a suspension.
[0007] Moreover, PCC and GCC fillers are employed as coating pigments in sizes of 0.3 μm and above. Since the small particles of GCC fillers do not bring with them the necessary optical properties, TiO 2 is added. During coating, the necessary optical properties can be achieved by the use of TiO 2 , but this is a very expensive and abrasive pigment, which can be up to 10 times as expensive as the PCC or GCC pigments. Since the optical properties of the GCC and PCC pigments, which are common, at present, are limited as a result of the production methods, hitherto TiO 2 has been used in order to improve these properties.
[0008] Loading with an additive, for example, a filler can be carried out, by way of a chemical precipitation reaction, that is to say in particular by way of what is known as a “Fiber Loading™” process, as described inter alia in U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,090. In such a “Fiber Loading™” process, at least one additive, in particular a filler, is deposited on the wetted fiber surfaces of the fiber material. In the process, the fillers can for example be loaded with calcium carbonate. For this purpose, calcium oxide and/or calcium hydroxide are added to the moist, disintegrated fiber material such that at least part thereof associates with the water present in the fiber material. The fiber material treated in this way is subsequently treated with carbon dioxide. During the addition of the calcium oxide and/or of the medium containing calcium hydroxide to the pulp suspension, a chemical reaction with an exothermic property proceeds. The calcium hydroxide is preferably added in liquid form, known as milk of lime. This means that the water, possibly deposited in or on the pulps of the pulp suspension, is not absolutely necessary to cause the chemical reaction to start and proceed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention includes a method for preparing fillers contained in a pulp suspension and/or for preparing coating color for coated papers consisting of the following steps:
providing fibers in the form of a suspension with a predefined solids concentration, loading the fibers with a precipitation product, grinding the fibers loaded with the precipitation product to produce precipitation product particles with maximum dimensions in a range from about 0.05 to about 5 μm, crystalline precipitation product particles being produced and the production of the crystalline precipitation product particles being carried out in an online process directly in the stock preparation line.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:
[0015] The FIGURE depicts a fiber loading system used in an embodiment of the present invention
[0016] The exemplification set out herein illustrates one preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention at least one of the following devices can be used: a cleaning device, in particular HC cleaner, a mixing device, in particular a static mixer, a lime slaking device, a press, in particular a screw press or belt press, a balancing reactor, a crystallizer, a further mixing device, in particular a static mixer, a CO 2 supply device or additional CO 2 recovery device, an optional CO 2 heater, an optional chemical bleaching agent addition and/or a press water tank.
[0018] The formation of crystalline precipitation product particles is associated, inter alia, with the advantage that, if required, relatively high gloss values for the end product can be achieved. It is to be noted that, as a rule, only loaded fibers are ground. The coating color is not ground as a rule but can be ground. In general, this depends on the respective definition, but also on the respective crystallization operation. If CaCO 3 crystals are produced in the coating kitchen, then there are no fibers in the suspension, which means that the pump crystallizer operates only as a highly efficient chemical reactor or mixer. Of course, a grinding component could also be provided in the mixing and reaction process, specifically by the friction of the particles in the suspension, assisted by the rotor and the stator.
[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the press water is used as dilution water on the crystallizer side.
[0020] The further mixing device can be used, in particular, for the fine adjustment of the pH of the pulp suspension, preferably in a range of between 6 and 8. The first mixing device is used for mixing the milk of lime into the pulp suspension.
[0021] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning device is used to prevent contamination, occurring during the process, by heavier materials such as sand, stones and pieces of metal.
[0022] Advantageously, at least some of the CO 2 needed is provided by a CO 2 recovery system. Thus, it can be recovered, for example, from the flue gas of boilers or the flue gas of power plants.
[0023] According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the precipitation product is calcium carbonate.
[0024] During the addition of the calcium oxide, and/or of the medium containing calcium hydroxide, to the pulp suspension, a chemical reaction with an exothermic property proceeds. The calcium hydroxide being added is in a liquid form, known as milk of lime. This means that the water, possibly incorporated in or on the pulps of the pulp suspension, is not absolutely necessary to cause the chemical reaction to start and proceed.
[0025] It is possible, for example, to produce precipitation product particles of rhombohedral form with a respective cube size in a range from about 0.05 to about 2 μm. In specific cases, it is also advantageous to produce precipitation particles of a scalenohedral form with a respective length in a range from about 0.05 to about 2 μm and a respective diameter in a range from of about 0.01 to about 0.05 μm.
[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the solids concentration of the pulp suspension provided is chosen to be in a range from about 5% to about 60% and preferably in a range from about 10% to about 35%.
[0027] It is particularly advantageous if, in order to load the fibers with calcium carbonate, calcium oxide and/or calcium hydroxide is/are added to the pulp suspension and the precipitation is initiated by treating the pulp suspension with carbon dioxide.
[0028] In the case of, for example, loading the fibers with filler, it is possible for calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) to be deposited on the wetted fiber surfaces by calcium oxide (CaO) and/or calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2 ) being added to the wet fiber material, and that at least a part thereof to associate with the water of the quantity of pulp. The fiber material treated in this way can then be treated with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ).
[0029] The term “wetted fiber surfaces” applies to all the wetted surfaces of the individual fibers. This also covers the case in which the fibers are loaded with calcium carbonate or with any other desired precipitation product both on their outer surface and in their interior, also known as lumen.
[0030] Accordingly, for example, the fibers can be loaded with the filler calcium carbonate, the deposition on the wetted fiber surfaces being carried out by what is known as a “Fiber Loading™” process, as described as such in U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,090. In this “Fiber Loading™” process the carbon dioxide reacts with the calcium hydroxide to form water and calcium carbonate. The calcium hydroxide can be supplied to the pulp suspension in liquid form or in dry form.
[0031] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the carbon dioxide is added to the pulp suspension at a temperature in a range of from about −15° to about 120° C. and preferably in a range from about 20° to about 90° C.
[0032] The paper produced can contain fillers of the order of magnitude of about 0.05 to about 5 μm, which means the optical properties of the end product are enhanced. The filler can be, in particular, calcium carbonate, which occurs in nature, for example, as calcite or calc-spar, aragonite and in the rarer form vaterite. The filler can be composed mainly of the form calcite, of which over 300 different crystal forms are supposed to exist. The shape of the filler particles used can be, for example, rhombohedral with a respective cube size range from about 0.05 μm to about 2 μm or, for example, scalenohedral with a respective length in a range from about 0.05 μm to about 2 μm and a respective diameter in a range from about 0.01 μm to about 0.05 μm, depending on the grade of paper respectively to be produced.
[0033] The filler is distributed uniformly on, around and within the fibers, which means that no agglomeration of crystals in bundles is to be encountered. The respective filler particle, namely the crystal, is provided on the fiber, spaced apart individually or separated. The filler particle covers the fiber as a result of deposition on the fiber, by which the optical properties of the end product are improved. The particle size is important in order to achieve an optimum opacity. A high opacity is achieved when the color spectrum of visible light is scattered well. If the color spectrum is absorbed, then the result is the color black. If the size of the filler particles falls below 0.2 μm to 0.5 μm, the result is a tendency to transparency and higher gloss.
[0034] In order to achieve the aforementioned results, the relevant production process for producing the filler crystals can be configured as follows, for example, and can have the following variables:
moist, that is to say not yet dried, pulp or stock calcium hydroxide in liquid or dry form CO 2 gas zone rotor stator production of crystals in a gas atmosphere without the introduction of mixing energy mixing with low shear no pressure container
[0044] The pulp suspension previously mixed with Ca(OH) 2 is put into a fluffer, a refiner, a disperger or the like at a consistency, or solids concentration, in the range of from about 5% to about 60%, preferably in a range from about 10% to about 35%. The Ca(OH) 2 can be added in liquid or dry form. The pulp suspension is treated with CO 2 . The CO 2 can be added, for example, at temperatures in a range of between about −15% and about 120° C. and preferably at temperatures in a range between about 20° and about 90° C.
[0045] The pulp suspension passes into the gas zone, where each individual fiber is subjected to a gas atmosphere, followed by the precipitation reaction, with which the CaCO 3 results directly. The form of the CaCO 3 crystals can be, for example, rhombohedral, scalenohedral or spherical. The quantity of crystals depend in particular, on the selected temperature range for the pulp suspension and on the CO 2 content and the Ca(OH) 2 content in the pulp suspension. After the pulp suspension, with the crystals formed, has passed through the gas zone, and the PCC formed or the pulp suspension with the crystals in the lumen, on the fiber and between the fibers, is led through a rotor and a stator, where the distribution of the crystals in the pulp suspension is completed by a low shear mixing.
[0046] While the pulp/crystal suspension is passing the rotor, a shear distribution occurs which brings about a size distribution of the crystals from about 0.05 μm to about 0.5 μm and preferably from about 0.3 μm to about 2.5 μm.
[0047] The shape of the filler particles used is, for example, rhombohedral with a respective cube size in a range from about 0.05 μm to about 2 μm, or scalenohedral with a respective length in a range from about 0.05 μm to about 2 μm and a respective diameter in a range from about 0.01 μm to about 0.5 μm, depending on the grade of paper to be produced.
[0048] The further the pulp suspension strikes the rotor disk, the lower is the shear, depending on the H 2 O added for the purpose of dilution. The concentration of the pulp suspension passing the rotor disk is about 0.1% to about 50% and preferably about 35% to about 50%.
[0049] The pressure acting on the CO 2 feed line is in a range from about 0.1 bar to about 6 bar, and preferably in a range from about 0.5 bar to about 3 bar, in order to ensure a constant CO 2 supply to the gas ring for the desired chemical reaction. Just like a water supply via a garden hose, the pressure has to be increased when there is a high demand for water, in order to deliver more through the hose. Since CO 2 is a compressible gas, the quantity required can also be increased in order to ensure a complete reaction. The CO 2 supply and therefore the precipitation reaction bringing forth the CaCO 3 can be controlled and/or regulated by way of controlling the pH.
[0050] For instance, it is possible to consider pH values in a range from 6.0 to about 10.0, preferably a range from about pH 7.0 to about 8.5, for the final reaction of the CaCO 3 crystals. The energy used for this process lies in a range between about 0.3 kWh/t and about 8 kWh/t and preferably in a range between about 0.5 kWh/t and about 4 kWh/t. Dilution water can be added and mixed with the pulp suspension in order to obtain a final dilution at which the pulp suspension, with filler produced, has a consistency, or solids concentration, in a range from about 0.1% to about 16% and preferably in a range from about 2% to about 6%. The pulp suspension is then exposed to the atmosphere in a machine, in a container or the next process machine.
[0051] The rotational speed, at the external diameter of the rotor disk, can lie in a range from about 20 m/s to 100 m/s and preferably in a range from about 40 m/s to about 60 m/s.
[0052] The gap between the rotor and the stator is, about 0.5 mm to about 100 mm and preferably about 25 to about 75 mL The diameter of the rotor and of the stator is in a range from about 0.5 m to about 2 m.
[0053] The reaction time is in a range from about 0.001 min. to 1 min., and preferably in a range from about 0.1 sec to about 10 sec.
[0054] The method described above permits the production of individual particles, which are spaced apart equally from one another and are deposited onto the fibers, and covering the fibers in the required manner, in order to satisfy the requirements for the desired level of white or glossy paper. The particle size lies in a range from about 0.05 μm to about 5 μm, the preferred size for the rhombohedral form of a cube lies in a range from about 0.05 μm to about 2 μm or, for a scalenohedral form, in a range from about 0.05 μm to about 2 μm with respect to the length and a range from about 0.01 μm to about 0.5 μm with respect to the diameter. For high gloss applications, the particle size should expediently lie below 0.2 μm to 0.5 μm.
[0055] In particular, an online process for the production of filler particles consisting of precipitated calcium carbonate directly in the stock preparation line is specified.
[0056] The advantages of the filler particles obtained consist, inter alia, in the following:
It is now possible to distribute the requisite filler particles uniformly over the fiber surface, which means that the best optical properties are achieved online in the stock preparation, it being possible for the filler level achieved to be below or above 40%. Since filler particles are also embedded within the fiber lumen, the tendency to blackening as a result of calendering is considerably reduced. A new way of incorporating pigments is created, in order to achieve the desired optical properties and the desired printability, in and on the paper sheet directly during the paper production and not during the coating process. In one of the present embodiments, the coating process can be provided only for the fine adjustment of the properties of the paper surface. Alternatively exerting a corresponding influence in the coating process is also possible. Since the filler particles are incorporated in the fibers, they can no longer be washed out in the wire section or Fourdrinier section of a papermaking machine. As such, it is not necessary to deal with these particles in the same way as in connection with the GCC or PCC particles normally used by way of a coating process, which means that coating particles can be saved. This leads to higher machine speeds, since a lower amount of coating color has to be applied. Since the filler particles are deposited on the fibers in an online process, that is to say are crystallized in the pulp preparation system, economic advantages can be achieved. Some of the economic advantages include savings in retention aids, reductions of fibers and sludge, a reduction of the white water contamination and the saving of energy and raw material. The production of high gloss paper with the filler particles formed is possible. Since the precipitated filler particles are scouring or abrasive to a low extent, a longer lifetime of the coating equipment and of the paper machine felts and fabrics result. The use of TiO 2 can be reduced, since a higher whiteness and better optical properties is achieved.
[0065] The method according to the invention can be used in particular for coating color for coated papers as well. The PCC production can be part of the coating process, it being possible to form the aforementioned crystal forms.
[0066] In this case, it is in particular possible to influence an online coating machine between the predrying and afterdrying, as well as the use of a coating device or converting machine, independently of the papermaking machine in the following manner:
Less TiO 2 has to be used. The paper surface is improved by small crystals. Less coating slurry is needed. The result is better printability, since the fibers are covered uniformly with crystals. Since the fibers are covered uniformly with crystals, the water absorption and the oil absorption are also reduced. In addition, the wear in the coating equipment and in the papermaking machine is reduced if online coating is carried out.
[0073] Consequently, the method according to one embodiment of the present invention is also applied in combined form in a coating machine and a papermaking machine. In principle, both offline and online operations are possible.
[0074] Distinct from the conventional PCC fillers, according to the present invention, special crystal forms are produced which, inter alia, can be changed in the desired manner, for example even during the coating process.
[0075] The possible paper grades include, amongst others:
[heading-0076] Printing and writing papers:
[none]
These can be produced from newsprint.
Woody or wood free coated printing and writing papers.
Uncoated woody or wood free printing and writing papers.
Paper grades determined by ground wood or chemical pulp:
Known as woody paper grades with ground wood or chemical pulp in a range from 25% to 100%. Chemical pulp is added in order to increase the strength and the runnability of coating machines and papermaking machines, etc.
Newsprint grades:
Can contain up to 100% recycled fibers or up to 100% ground wood or chemical pulp, which can be either mechanically ground wood, thermo-mechanical pulp (TMP), pressure ground wood pulp (PGB), or CTMP (chemithermomechanical pulp). The use of chemical pulp reaches as far as 30%. The use of recycled fibers (RCF) raises the filler content.
SC papers:
These are paper grades which are determined by the use of chemical pulp and have a filler content of up to 30%.
Coated paper grades:
These paper grades are determined by mechanical pulp, that is to say mechanical ground wood or chemical pulp, up to 100%.
Chemical pulp grades:
These contain up to 10% mechanical pulp. Both hardwood and softwood chemical pulps are used.
Copy paper:
This is composed of up to 90% or even up to 100% new chemical pulp fibers but can contain up to 100% recycled fibers; a filler content up to about 30% can be provided.
Printing and writing papers:
These can be produced from newsprint.
Woody or non-woody coated printing and writing papers.
Woody and non-woody uncoated printing and writing papers.
Board grades:
These contain a top layer made from a mixture of bleached hardwood (up to 90%) and bleached softwood (up to 30%), the top layer or the bottom layer being coated. It can also be employed in the underlayer, which can contain mixtures of deinked pulp, OCC and computer printouts. The middle layer contains, for example, a mixture of waste and production broke, while the base layer can contain unbleached softwood and production broke as well as OCC.
[0098] Referring now to the FIGURE there is shown an apparatus utilizing the method, according to the present invention, implemented, for example, as a “Fiber Loadingm” system.
[0099] According to the FIGURE, at least one of the following devices can be used for the online process: cleaning device 10 , in particular a High Consistency (HC) cleaner 10 , a mixing device 12 , in particular a static mixer 12 , a lime slaking device 14 , a press 16 , in particular a screw press 16 or a belt press 16 , a balancing reactor 18 , a crystallizer 20 , a further mixing device 22 , in a particular static mixer 22 , a CO 2 supply device 24 or an additional CO 2 recovery device, an optional CO 2 heater 26 , an optional chemical bleaching agent additions and a press water tank 28 .
[0100] Cleaning device 10 , or an equivalent device, is equipped with at least one mechanism which carries out a protective function.
[0101] Mixing device 10 , and further mixing device 22 are constructed in accordance with the apparatus disclosed in German laid-open specification DE 41 25 513 A1 for mixing suspended pulp. An apparatus of this type include an introduction line for a suspended pulp (“thick stock”), which opens into the wall of a section of a pipe, in particular a curved section of a pipe, which carries thin stock. The speed at which the thick stock flows out of the introduction line is preferably at least three times the speed of the thin stock flowing in the opening area. Furthermore, the introduction line opens in the central area of the section of the pipe.
[0102] In a further refinement, mixing device 10 and/or further mixing device 22 are equipped with or without a known buffer chest.
[0103] Control valve 28 is provided in a line to cleaning device 10 ; a lime pump 30 is provided between lime slaking device 14 and first mixing device 12 ; a press water pump 32 is provided between press water container 28 and crystallizer 20 , a mixing container 34 and also a CO 2 pump 36 are provided between CO 2 supply 24 and CO 2 heater 26 .
[0104] While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
[heading-0105] List of Designations
[none]
10 Cleaning device
12 First mixing device
14 Lime slaking device
16 Press
18 Balancing reactor
20 Crystallizer
22 Further mixing device
24 CO2 supply device or additional CO2 recovery device
26 Optional CO2 heater
28 Press water tank
30 Lime pump
32 Press water pump
34 Mixing container
36 CO2 pump
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A method for one of preparing fibers contained in a pulp suspension and preparing coating color for coated papers including the steps of providing fibers in a suspension form having a predefined solids concentration; loading the fibers with a precipitation product; grinding the fibers with the precipitation product to thereby produce precipitation product particles having a dimension. The dimension being from approximately 0.05 μm to 5 μm. With an additional step of producing crystalline precipitation product particles using the precipitation product particles in an online process directly in a stock preparation line.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/501,467, filed Feb. 9, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/350,620, filed on Jul. 9, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,366, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/335,257, filed on Jun. 17, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,365; this application is also a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/406,264, filed on Sep. 24, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,309. These parent applications are herein entirely incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
All U.S. Patents cited herein are entirely incorporated by reference.
This invention relates generally to coated inflatable fabrics and more particularly concerns airbag cushions to which very low add-on amounts of coating have been applied and which exhibit extremely low air permeability. The inventive inflatable fabrics are primarily for use in automotive restraint cushions that require low permeability characteristics (such as side curtain airbags). Traditionally, heavy, and thus expensive, coatings of compounds such as neoprene, silicones and the like, have been utilized to provide such required low permeability. The inventive fabric utilizes an inexpensive, very thin coating to provide such necessarily low permeability levels. Thus, the inventive coated inflatable airbag possesses a coating comprising an elastomeric material (or materials) in contact with the target fabric wherein the elastomeric material possesses a tensile strength of at least 2,000 psi and an elongation at break of at least 180%. The coating is then applied to the airbag surface in an amount of at most 3.0 ounces per square yard (and preferably forms a film). The inventive airbag exhibits a characteristic leak-down time (defined as the ratio of inflated bag volume to bag volumetric leakage rate at 10 psi) of at least 5 seconds after inflation. The resultant airbag cushions, particularly low permeability cushions exhibiting very low rolled packing volumes, are intended to reside within the scope of this invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART
Airbags for motor vehicles are known and have been used for a substantial period of time. A typical construction material for airbags has been a polyester or nylon fabric, coated with an elastomer such as neoprene, or silicone. The fabric used in such bags is typically a woven fabric formed from synthetic yarn by weaving practices that are well known in the art.
The coated material has found acceptance because it acts as an impermeable barrier to the inflation medium. This inflation medium is generally a nitrogen or helium gas generated from a gas generator or inflator. Such gas is conveyed into the cushion at a relatively warm temperature. The coating obstructs the permeation of the fabric by such gas, thereby permitting the cushion to rapidly inflate without undue decompression during a collision event.
Airbags may also be formed from uncoated fabric which has been woven in a manner that creates a product possessing low permeability or from fabric that has undergone treatment such as calendaring to reduce permeability. Fabrics which reduce air permeability by calendaring or other mechanical treatments after weaving are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,735; U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,016; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,418 (all incorporated herein by reference).
Silicone coatings typically utilize either solvent based or complex two component reaction systems. Dry coating weights for silicone have been in the range of about 3 to 4 ounces per square yard or greater for both the front and back panels of side curtain airbags. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in this art, high add on weights substantially increase the cost of the base fabric for the airbag and make packing within small airbag modules very difficult. Furthermore, silicone exhibits very low tensile strength characteristics that do not withstand high pressure inflation easily without the utilization of very thick coatings.
The use of a particular type of polyurethane as a coating as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,666 to Menzel et al. (herein incorporated by reference) permits low add on weights reported to be in the range of 0.1 to 1 ounces per square yard but the material itself is relatively expensive and is believed to require relatively complex compounding and application procedures due to the nature of the coating materials. Patentees, however, fails to disclose any pertinent elasticity and/or tensile strength characteristics of their particular polyurethane coating materials. Furthermore, there is no discussion pertaining to the importance of the coating ability (and thus correlated low air permeability) at low add-on weights of such polyurethane materials on side curtain airbags either only for fabrics which are utilized within driver or passenger side cushions. All airbags must be inflatable extremely quickly; upon sensing a collision, in fact, airbags usually reach peak pressures within 10 to 20 milliseconds. Regular driver side and passenger side air bags are designed to withstand this enormous inflation pressure; however, they also deflate very quickly in order to effectively absorb the energy from the vehicle occupant hitting the bag. Such driver and passenger side cushions (airbags) are thus made from low permeability fabric, but they also deflate quickly at connecting seams (which are not coated to prevent air leakage) or through vent holes. Furthermore, the low add-on coatings taught within Menzel, and within U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,186 to Li et al., would not provide long-tern gas retention; they would actually not withstand the prolonged and continuous pressures supplied by activated inflators for more than about 2 seconds, at the most. The low permeability of these airbag fabrics thus aid in providing a small degree of sustained gas retention within driver and passenger airbag cushions to provide the deflating cushioning effects necessary for sufficient collision protection. Such airbag fabrics would not function well with side curtain airbags, since, at the very least, the connecting seams which create the pillowed, cushioned structures within such airbags, as discussed in greater detail below, would exhibit too high a leakage rate upon inflation at requisite high gas pressures. As these areas provide the greatest degree of leakage during and after inflation, the aforementioned patented low coating low permeability airbag fabrics would not be properly utilized within side curtain airbags, in particular side curtain airbags intended to provide extended rollover protection.
As alluded to above, there are three primary types of different airbags, each for different end uses. For example, driver-side airbags are generally mounted within steering columns and exhibit relatively high air permeabilities in order to act more as a cushion for the driver upon impact. Passenger-side airbags also comprise relatively high air permeability fabrics which permit release of gas either therethrough or through vents integrated therein. Both of these types of airbags are designed to protect persons in sudden collisions and generally burst out of packing modules from either a steering column or dashboard (and thus have multiple “sides”). Side curtain airbags, however, have been designed primarily to protect passengers during side crashes provide rollover protection by retaining their inflation state for a long duration, and generally unroll from packing containers stored within the roofline along the side windows of an automobile (and thus have a back and front side only). Side curtain airbags therefore not only provide cushioning effects but also provide protection from broken glass and other debris. As such, it is imperative that side curtain airbags, as noted above, retain large amounts of gas, as well as high gas pressures, to remain inflated throughout the longer time periods of the entire potential rollover situation. To accomplish this, these side curtains are generally coated with very large amounts of sealing materials on both the front and back sides. Since most side curtain airbag fabrics comprise woven blanks that are either sewn, sealed, or integrally woven together, discrete areas of potentially high leakage of gas are prevalent, particularly at and around the seams. It has been accepted as a requirement that heavy coatings were necessary to provide the low permeability (and thus high leak-down time) necessary for side curtain airbags. Without such heavy coatings, such airbags would most likely deflate too quickly and thus would not function properly during a rollover collision. As will be well understood by one of ordinary skill in this art, such heavy coatings add great cost to the overall manufacture of the target side curtain airbags. There is thus a great need to manufacture low permeability side curtain airbags with less expensive (preferably lower coating add-on weight) coatings without losing the aging, stability, and permeability characteristics necessary for proper functioning upon deployment. To date, there has been little accomplished, if anything at all, alleviating the need for such thick and heavy airbag coatings from side curtain airbags.
Furthermore, there is a current drive to store such low permeability side curtain airbags within cylindrically shaped modules. Since these airbags are generally stored within the rooflines of automobiles, and the area available is quite limited, there is always a great need to restrict the packing volume of such restraint cushions to their absolute minimum. However, the previously practiced low permeability side curtain airbags have proven to be very cumbersome to store in such cylindrically shaped containers at the target automobile's roofline. The actual time and energy required to roll such heavily coated low permeability articles as well as the packing volume itself, has been very difficult to reduce. Furthermore, with such heavy coatings utilized, the problems of blocking (i.e., adhering together of the different coated portions of the cushion) are amplified when such articles are so closely packed together. The chances of delayed unrolling during inflation are raised when the potential for blocking is present. Thus, a very closely packed, low packing volume, low blocking side curtain low permeability airbag is highly desirable. Unfortunately, the prior art has again not accorded such an advancement to the airbag industry.
OBJECTS AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In light of the background above, it can be readily seen that there exists a need for a low permeability, side curtain airbag that utilizes lower, and thus less expensive, amounts of coating, and therefore exhibits a substantially reduced packing volume over the standard low permeability type side curtain airbags. Such a coated low permeability airbag must provide a necessarily long leak-down time upon inflation and after long-term storage. Such a novel airbag and a novel coating formulation provides marked improvements over the more expensive, much higher add-on airbag coatings (and resultant airbag articles) utilized in the past.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a coated airbag, wherein the coating is present in a very low add-on weight, possessing extremely high leak-down time characteristics after inflation and thus complementary low permeability characteristics. Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive side curtain airbag cushion. A further object of this invention is to provide an highly effective airbag coating formulation which may be applied in very low add-on amounts to obtain extremely low permeability airbag structures after inflation. An additional object of this invention is to provide an airbag coating formulation which not only provides beneficial and long-term low permeability, but also exhibits excellent long-term storage stability (through heat aging and humidity aging testing). Yet another object of the invention is to provide a low permeability side curtain airbag possessing a very low rolled packing volume and non-blocking characteristics for effective long-term storage within the roofline of an automobile.
Accordingly, this invention is directed to an airbag cushion comprising a coated fabric, wherein said fabric is coated with an elastomeric composition in an amount of at most 3.0 ounces per square yard of the fabric; and wherein said airbag cushion, after long-term storage, exhibits a characteristic leak-down time of at least 5 seconds. Also, this invention concerns an airbag cushion comprising a coated fabric, wherein said fabric is coated with an elastomeric composition; wherein said elastomeric composition comprises at least one elastomer possessing a tensile strength of at least 2,000 psi and an elongation of at last 180%; and wherein said airbag cushion, after long-term storage, exhibits a characteristics leak-down time of at least 5 seconds. Additionally, this invention encompasses a coated airbag cushion which exhibits a rolled packing volume factor (measured as the rolled diameter of the airbag cushion to depth of coverage measured from the attachment point of the target automobile's roofline to lowest point of coverage below the roofline after inflation) of at least 17.
The term “characteristic leak-down time” is intended to encompass the measurement of time required for the entire amount of inflation gas introduced within an already-inflated (to a peak initial pressure which “opens” up the areas of weak sealing) and deflated airbag cushion upon subsequent re-inflation at a constant pressure at 10 psi. It is well known and well understood within the airbag art, and particularly concerning side curtain (low permeability) airbag cushions, that retention of inflation gas for long periods of time is of utmost importance during a collision that results in rollover and other subsequent problems. Side curtain airbags are designed to inflate as quickly as driver- and passenger-side bags, but they must deflate very slowly to protect the occupants during roll over and side impact. Thus, it is imperative that the bag exhibit a very low leakage rate after the bag experiences peak pressure during the instantaneous, quick inflation. Hence, the coating on the bag must be strong enough to withstand the shock and stresses when the bag is inflated so quickly. Thus, a high characteristic leak-down time measurement is paramount in order to retain the maximum amount of beneficial cushioning gas within the inflated airbag. Airbag leakage after inflation (and after peak pressure is reached) is therefore closely related to actual pressure retention characteristics. The pressure retention characteristics (hereinafter referred to as “leak-down time”) of already-inflated and deflated side curtain airbags can be described by a characteristic leak-down time t, wherein: t ( second ) = Bag volume ( ft 3 ) Volumetric leakage rate ( SCFH * ) at 10 Psi × 3600
*SCFH: standard cubic feet per hour.
It is understood that the 10 psi constant is not a limitation to the invention; but merely the constant pressure at which the leak-down time measurements are made. Thus, even if the pressure is above or below this amount during actual inflation or after initial pressurizing of the airbag, the only limitation is that if one of ordinary skill in the art were to mere the bag volume and divide that by the volumetric leakage rate (at 10 psi), the resultant measurement in time would be at least 5 seconds. Preferably, this time is greater than about 9 seconds; more preferably, greater than about 15 seconds; and most preferably, greater than about 20 seconds.
Alternatively, and in a manner of measurement with uninflated side curtain airbags, the term “leak-down time” may be measured as the amount of time required for at half of the introduced inflation gas to escape from the target airbag after initial peak pressure is reached. Thus, this measurement begins the instant after peak initial pressure is reached upon inflation (such as, traditionally, about 30 psi) with a standard inflation module which continues to pump gas into the target airbag during and after peak initial pressure is reached. It is well understood that the pressure of gas forced into the airbag after peak initial pressure is reached will not remain stable (it decreases during the subsequent introduction of inflation gas), and that the target airbag will inevitably permit escape of a certain amount of inflation gas during that time. The primary focus of such side curtain airbags (as noted above) is to remain inflated for as long as possible in order to provide sufficient cushioning protection to vehicle occupants during rollover accidents. The greater amount of gas retained, the better cushioning effects are provided the passengers. Thus, the longer the airbag retains a large amount of inflation gas, and consequently the greater the characteristic leak-down time, the better cushioning results are achieved. At the very least, the inventive airbag must retain at least half of its inflated gas volume 5 seconds subsequent to reaching peak initial pressure. Preferably, this time is 9 seconds, more preferably 15 seconds, and most preferably 20 seconds.
Likewise, the term, “after long-term storage” encompasses either the actual storage of an inventive airbag cushion within an inflator assembly (module) within an automobile and/or in a storage facility awaiting installation. Furthermore, this term also encompasses any storage which is intended to simulate such long-term storage (through oven-aging, as one example) as well. Such a measurement is generally accepted, and is well understood and appreciated by the ordinarily skilled artisan, to be made through comparable analysis after representative heat and humidity aging tests. These tests generally involve 107° C. oven aging for 400 hours, followed by 83° C. and 95% relative humidity aging for a subsequent 400 hours and are universally accepted as proper estimations of the conditions of long-term storage for airbag cushions. Thus, this term encompasses such measurement tests. The inventive airbag fabrics must exhibit proper characteristic leak-down times after undergoing such rigorous pseudo-storage testing.
The inventive elastomeric coating composition must comprise at least one elastomer that possesses a tensile strength of at least 2,000 psi and an elongation to break of greater than about 180%. Preferably, the tensile strength is at least 3,000 psi more preferably, 4,000, and most preferably at least about 6,000 (the high end is basically the highest one can produce which can still adhere to a fabric surface). The preferred elongation to break is more than about 200%, more preferably more than about 300%, and most preferably more than about 600%. These characteristics of the elastomer translate to a coating that is both very strong (and thus will withstand enormous pressures both at inflation and during the time after inflation and will not easily break) and can stretch to compensate for such large inflation, etc., pressures. Thus, when applied at the seams of a side curtain airbag, as well as over the rest of the airbag structure, the coating will most preferably (though not necessarily) form a continuous film. This coating acts to both fill the individual holes between the woven yarns and/or stitches, etc, as well as to “cement” the individual yarns in place. During inflation, then, the coating prevents leakage through the interstitial spaces between the yarns and aids in preventing yarn shifting (which may create larger spaces for possible gas escape).
The utilization of such high tensile strength and high elongation at break components permits the consequent utilization, surprisingly, of extremely low add-on weight amounts of such coating formulations. Normally, the required coatings on side curtain airbags are very high, at least 3.0 ounces per square yard (with the standard actually much higher than that, at about 4.0). The inventive airbag cushions require at most 3.0 (preferably less, such as 2.0, more preferably 1.8, still more preferably, about 1.5, and most preferably, as low as 0.8) ounces per square yard of this inventive coating to effectuate the desired high leak-down (low permeability). Furthermore, the past coatings were required to exhibit excellent heat and humidity aging stability. Unexpectedly, even at such low add-on amounts, and particularly with historically questionable coating materials (polyurethanes, for example), the inventive coatings, and consequently, the inventive coated airbag cushions, exhibit excellent heat aging and humidity aging characteristics. Thus, the coating compositions and coated airbags are clearly improvements within this specific airbag art.
Of particular interest as the elastomer components within the inventive elastomeric compositions are, specifically, polyamides, polyurethanes, acrylic elastomers, hydrogenated nitrile rubbers (i.e., hydrogenated NBR), fluoroelastomers (i.e., fluoropolymers and copolymers containing fluoro-monomers), ethylene-vinylacetate copolymers, and ethylene acrylate copolymers. Also, such elastomers may or may not be cross-linked on the airbag surface. Preferably, the elastomer is a polyurethane and most preferably is a polycarbonate polyurethane elastomer. Such a compound is available from Bayer Corporation under the tradename IMPRANIL®, including IMPRANIL® 85 UD, ELH, and EHC-01. Other acceptable polyurethanes include BAYHYDROL® 123, also from Bayer; Ru 41-710, EX 51-550, and Ru 40-350, both from Stahl USA. Any polyurethane, or elastomer, for that matter, which exhibits the same tensile strength and elongation at break characteristics as noted above, however, are potentially available within the inventive coating formulation and thus on the inventive coated airbag cushion. In order to provide the desired leak-down times at long-term storage, however, the add-on weights of other available elastomers may be greater than others. However, the upper limit of 3.0 ounces per square yard should not be exceeded to meet this invention. The desired elastomers may be added in multiple layers if desired as long the required thickness for the overall coating is not exceeded. Alternatively, the multiple layer coating system may also be utilized as long as at least one elastomer possessing the desired tensile strength and elongation at break is utilized.
Other possible components present within the elastomer coating composition are thickeners, antioxidants, flame retardants, coalescent agents, adhesion promoters, and colorants. In accordance with the potentially preferred practices of the present invention, a dispersion (either solvent- or water-borne, depending on the selected elastomer) of finely divided elastomeric resin is compounded, or present in a resin solution, with a thickener and a flame retardant to yield a compounded mix having a viscosity of about 8000 centipoise or greater. A polyurethane is potentially preferred, with a polycarbonate polyurethane, such as those noted above from Bayer and Stahl, most preferred. Other potential elastomeric resins include other polyurethanes, such as WICOBOND™ 253 (35% solids), from Witco, and SANCURE®, from BFGoodrich; Cleveland, Ohio; hydrogenated NBR, such as CHEMISAT™ LCH-7335X (40% solids), from Goodyear Chemical, Akron, Ohio; EPDM, such as EP-603A rubber latex, from Lord Corporation, Erie, Pa.; butyl rubber, such as Butyl rubber latex BL-100, from Lord Corporation; and acrylic rubber (elastomers), such as HYCAR™, from BFGoodrich. This list should not be understood as being all-inclusive, only exemplary of potential elastomers. Furthermore, the preferred elastomer will not include any silicone, due to the extremely low tensile strength (typically below about 1,500 psi) characteristics exhibited by such materials. However, in order to provide effective aging and non-blocking benefits, such components may be applied to the elastomeric composition as a topcoat as long as the add-on weight of the entire elastomer and topcoat does not exceed 3.0 ounces per square yard and the amount of silicone within the entire elastomer composition does not exceed 20% by weight. Additionally, certain elastomers comprising polyester or polyether segments or other similar components, may not be undesirable, particularly at very low add-on weights (i.e., 0.8-1.2 oz/yd 2 ) due to stability problems in heat and humidity aging (polyesters easily hydrolyze in humidity and polyethers easily oxidize in heat); however, such elastomers may be utilized in higher add-on amounts as long, again, as the 3.0 ounces per square yard is not exceeded.
Among the other additives particularly preferred within this elastomer composition are heat stabilizers, flame retardants, primer adhesives, and materials for protective topcoats. A potentially preferred thickener is marketed under the trade designation NATROSOL™ 250 HHXR by the Aqualon division of Hercules Corporation which is believed to have a place of business at Wilmington, Del. In order to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302 flame retardant requirements for the automotive industry, a flame retardant is also preferably added to the compounded mix. One potentially preferred flame retardant is AMSPERSE® F/R 51 marketed by Amspec Chemical Corporation which is believed to have a place of business at Gloucester City N.J. Primer adhesives may be utilized to facilitate adhesion between the surface of the target fabric and the elastomer itself. Thus, although it is preferable for the elastomer to be the sole component of the entire elastomer composition in contact with the fabric surface, it is possible to utilize adhesion promoters, such as isocyanates, epoxies, functional silanes, and other such resins with adhesive properties, without deleteriously effecting the ability of the elastomer to provide the desired low permeability for the target airbag cushion. A topcoat component, as with potential silicones, as noted above, may also be utilized to effectuate proper non-blocking characteristics to the target airbag cushion. Such a topcoat may perform various functions, including, but not limited to, improving aging of the elastomer (such as with silicone) or providing blocking resistance due to the adhesive nature of the coating materials (most noticeably with the preferred polyurethane polycarbonates).
Airbag fabrics must pass certain tests in order to be utilized within restraint systems. One such test is called a blocking test which indicates the force required to separate two portions of coated fabric from one another after prolonged storage in contact with each other (such as an airbag is stored). Laboratory analysis for blocking entails pressing together coated sides of two 2 inch by 2 inch swatches of airbag fabric at 5 psi at 100° C. for 7 days. If the force required to pull the two swatches apart after this time is greater than 50 grams, or the time required to separate the fabrics utilizing a 50 gram weight suspended from the bottom fabric layer is greater than 10 seconds, the coating fails the blocking test. Clearly, the lower the required separating shear force, the more favorable the coating. For improved blocking resistance (and thus the reduced chance of improper adhesion between the packed fabric portions), topcoat components may be utilized, such as talc, silica, silicate clays, and starch powders, as long as the add-on weight of the entire elastomer composition (including the topcoat) does not exceed 3.0 ounces per square yard (and preferably exists at a much lower level, about 1.5, for instance).
Two other tests which the specific coated airbag cushion must pass are the oven (heat) aging and humidity aging tests. Such tests also simulate the storage of an airbag fabric over a long period of time upon exposure at high temperatures and at relatively high humidities. These tests are actually used to analyze alterations of various different fabric properties after such a prolonged storage in a hot ventilated oven (>100° C.) (with or without humid conditions) for 2 or more weeks. For the purposes of this invention, this test was used basically to analyze the air permeability of the coated side curtain airbag by measuring the characteristic leak-down time (as discussed above, in detail). The initially produced and stored inventive airbag cushion should exhibit a characteristic leak-down time of greater than about 5 seconds (upon re-inflation at 10 psi gas pressure after the bag had previously been inflated to a peak pressure above about 15 psi and allowed to fully deflate) under such harsh storage conditions. Since polyurethanes, the preferred elastomers in this invention, may be deleteriously affected by high heat and humidity (though not as deleteriously as certain polyester and polyether-containing elastomers), it may be prudent to add certain components within a topcoat layer and/or within the elastomer itself Antioxidants, antidegradants, and metal deactivators may be utilized for this purpose. Examples include, and are not intended to be limited to, IRGANOX® 1010 and IRGANOX® 565, both available from CIBA Specialty Chemicals. This topcoat may also provide additional protection against aging and thus may include topcoat aging improvement materials, such as, and not limited to, polyamides, NBR rubbers, EPDM rubbers, and the like, as long as the elastomer composition (including the topcoat) does not exceed the 3.0 ounces per square yard (preferably much less than that, about 1.5 at the most) of the add-on weight to the target fabric.
Other additives may be present within the elastomer composition, including, and not limited to, colorants, UV stabilizers, fillers, pigments, and crosslinking/curing agents, as are well known within this art.
The substrate to which the inventive elastomeric coatings are applied to form the airbag base fabric in accordance with the present invention is preferably a woven fabric formed from yarns comprising synthetic fibers, such as polyamides or polyesters. Such yarn preferably has a linear density of about 105 denier to about 840 denier, more preferably from about 210 to about 630 denier. Such yarns are preferably formed from multiple filaments wherein the filaments have linear densities of about 6 denier per filaments or less and most preferably about 4 denier per filament or less. In the more preferred embodiment such substrate fabric will be formed from fibers of nylon, and most preferred is nylon 6,6. It has been found that such polyamide materials exhibit particularly good adhesion and maintenance of resistance to hydrolysis when used in combination with the coating according to the present invention. Such substrate fabrics are preferably woven using fluid jet weaving machines as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,503,197 and 5,421,378 to Bower et al. (incorporated herein by reference). Such woven fabric will be hereinafter referred to as an airbag base fabric. As noted above, the inventive airbag must exhibit extremely low permeability and thus must be what is termed a “side curtain” airbag. As noted previously and extensively, such side curtain airbags (a.k.a., cushions) must retain a large amount of inflation gas during a collision in order to accord proper long-duration cushioning protection to passengers during rollover accidents. Any standard side curtain airbag may be utilized in combination with the low add-on coating to provide a product which exhibits the desired leak-down times as noted above. Most side curtain airbags arm produced through labor-intensive sewing or stitching (or other manner) together two separate woven fabric blanks to form an inflatable structure. Furthermore, as is well understood by the ordinarily skilled artisan, such sewing, etc., is performed in strategic locations to form seams (connection points between fabric layers) which in turn produce discrete open areas into which inflation gasses may flow during inflation. Such open areas thus produce pillowed structures within the final inflated airbag cushion to provide more surface area during a collision, as well as provide strength to the bag itself in order to withstand the very high initial inflation pressures (and thus not explode during such an inflation event). Other side curtain airbag cushions exist which are of the one-piece woven variety. Basically, some inflatable airbags are produced through the simultaneous weaving of two separate layers of fabric which are joined together at certain strategic locations (again, to form the desired pillowed structures). Such cushions thus present seams of connection between the two layers. It is the presence of so many seams (in both multiple-piece and one-piece woven bags) which create the aforementioned problems of gas loss during and after inflation. The possibility of yarn shifting, particularly where the yarns shift in and at many different ways and amounts, thus creates the quick deflation of the bag through quick escaping of inflation gasses. Thus, the base airbag fabrics do not provide much help in reducing permeability (and correlated leak-own times, particularly at relatively high pressures). It is this seam problem which has primarily created the need for the utilization of very thick, and thus expensive, coatings to provide necessarily low permeability in the past.
Recently, a move has been made away from both the multiple-piece side curtain airbags (which require great amounts of labor-intensive sewing to attached woven fabric blanks) and the traditionally produced one-piece woven cushions, to more specific one-piece woven fabrics which exhibit substantially reduced floats between woven yarns to substantially reduce the unbalanced shifting of yarns upon inflation, such as in Ser. No. 09/406,264, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,309, and Ser. No. 09/668,857, both to Sollars, Jr., the specifications of which are completely incorporated herein and described in greater depth hereafter:
The term “inflatable fabric” hereinafter is intended to encompass any fabric which is constructed of at least two layers of fabric which can be sealed to form a bag article. The inventive inflatable fabric thus must include double layers of fabric to permit such inflation, as well as single layers of fabric either to act as a seal at the ends of such fabric panels, or to provide “pillowed” chambers within the target fabric upon inflation. The term “all-woven” as it pertains to the inventive fabric thus requires that the inflatable fabric having double and single layers of fabric be produced solely upon a loom. Any type of loom may be utilized for this purpose, such as water-jet, air-jet, rapier, and the like. Patterning may be performed utilizing Jacquard weaving and/or dobby weaving, particularly on fluid-jet and/or high speed rapier loom types.
The constructed fabric may exhibit balanced or unbalanced pick/end counts; the main requirement in the woven construction is that the single layer areas of the inflatable fabric exhibit solely basket-weave patterns. These patterns are made through the arrangement of at least one warp yarn (or weft yarn) configured around the same side of two adjacent weft yarns (or warp yarns) within the weave pattern. The resultant pattern appears as a “basket” upon the arrangement of the same warp (or weft) yarn to the opposite side of the next adjacent weft (or warp) yarn. Such basket weave patterns may include the arrangement of a warp (or weft) yarn around the same side of any even number of weft (or warp) yarns, preferably up to about six at any one time, most preferably up to about 4.
The sole utilization of such basket weave patterns in the single layer zones provides a number of heretofore unexplored benefits within inflatable fabric structures. For example, such basket weave patterns permit a constant “seam” width and weave construction over an entire single layer area, even where the area is curved. As noted above, the standard Oxford weaves currently utilized cannot remain as the same weave pattern around curved seams; they become plain weave patterns. Also, such basket weave seam patterns permit the construction of an inflatable fabric having only plain woven double layer fabric areas and single layer “seams” with no “floats” of greater than three picks within the entire fabric structure. Such a fabric would thus not possess discrete locations where the air permeability is substantially greater than the remaining portions of the fabric. Additionally, such a weave structure permits the utilization of as low as two different weave densities (patterns, etc.) in the area of the produced seam. Thus, the seam itself is of one weave pattern and the weave pattern in the area directly adjacent to the seam is another weave pattern. No other patterns are utilized in that specific seam area. By directly adjacent, it is intended that such a described area is within at most 14 yarn-widths, preferably as low as 2 yarn-widths, and most preferably between about 4 and 8 yarn-widths, from the actual seam itself. Such a limitation on different weave densities has never been accomplished in all-woven airbags in the past.
Generally, the prior art (such as Thornton et al., supra) provides seam attachments exhibited at least three different weave densities within the directly adjacent area of the seams themselves. Furthermore, the prior art weaving procedures produce floats of sometimes as much as six or seven picks at a time. Although available software to the weaving industry permits “filling in” of such floats within weave diagrams, such a procedure takes time and still does not continuously provide a fabric exhibiting substantially balanced air permeability characteristics over the entire structure. The basket-weave formations within the single fabric layers thus must be positioned in the fabric so as to prevent irregularities (large numbers of floats, for example) in the weave construction at the interface between the single and double fabric layers (as described in FIG. 2, below). Another benefit such basket weave patterns accord the user is the ability to produce more than one area of single layer fabric (i.e., another “seam” within the fabric) adjacent to the first “seam.” Such a second seam provides a manner of dissipating the pressure from or transferring the load upon each individual yarn within both seams. Such a benefit thus reduces the chances of deleterious yarn shifting during an inflation event through the utilization of strictly a woven fabric construction (i.e., not necessarily relying upon the utilization of a coating as well). The previously disclosed or utilized inflatable fabrics having both double and single fabric layer areas have not explored such a possibility in utilizing two basket-weave pattern seams. Furthermore, such a two-seam construction eliminates the need for weaving a large single fabric layer area within the target inflatable fabric. The prior art fabrics which produce “pillowed” chambers for airbag cushions (such as side curtains), have been formed through the weaving of entire areas of single fabric layers (which are not actually seams themselves). Such a procedure is time-consuming and rather difficult to perform. The inventive inflatable fabric merely requires, within this alternative embodiment, at least two very narrow single fabric layer areas (seams) woven into the fabric structure (another preferred embodiment utilizes merely one seam of single layer fabric); the remainder of the fabric located within these two areas may be double layer if desired. Thus, the inventive fabric permits an improved, cost-effective, method of making a “pillowed” inflatable fabric.
The inflatable fabric itself is preferably produced from all-synthetic fibers, such as polyesters and polyamides, although natural fibers may also be utilized in certain circumstances. Preferably, the fabric is constructed of nylon-6,6. The individual yarns utilized within the fabric substrate must generally possess deniers within the range of from about 40 to about 840; preferably from about 100 to about 630.
As noted above, coatings should be applied to the surface as a necessary supplement to reduce the air permeability of the inventive fabric. Since one preferred ultimate use of this inventive fabric is as a side curtain airbag which must maintain a very low degree of air permeability throughout a collision event (such as a rollover where the curtain must protect passengers for an appreciable amount of time), a decrease in permitted air permeability is highly desirable. With such a specific weaving pattern within the inventive inflatable fabric, lower amounts of coatings are permissible (as compared to other standard additions of such materials) to provide desired low inflation gas permeability. Any standard coating or laminate film, such as a silicone, polyurethane, polyamide, polyester, rubber (such as neoprene, for example), and the like, as discussed above, may be utilized for this purpose and may be applied in any standard method and in any standard amount on the fabric surface. However, the necessary amount of such a coating (or layers of coatings or laminate film or layer of laminate films) required to provide the desired low permeability is extremely low and is discussed in greater depth above. Again, the particular weave structures of the inventive inflatable fabric permits the utilization of such low coating amounts to provide the desired low permeability characteristics.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice for the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of preferred embodiments are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not to be viewed as in any way restricting the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.
With such an improvement in one-piece side curtain airbags (and inflatable fabrics), the possibility of high leakage at seams is substantially reduced. These airbags provide balanced weave constructions at and around attachment points between two layers of fabrics such that the ability of the yarns to become displaced upon inflation at high pressures is reduced as compared with the standard one-piece woven airbags. Unfortunately, such inventive one-piece woven bags are still problematic in that the weave intersections may be displaced upon high pressure inflation such that leakage will still most likely occur at too high a rate for proper functioning. As a result, there is still a need to coat such one-piece woven structures with materials which reduce and/or eliminate such an effect. However, such one-piece woven structures permit extremely low add-on amounts of elastomeric coatings for low permeability effects. In fact, these inventive airbags function extremely well with low add-on coatings below 1.5 and as low as about 0.8 ounces per square yard.
Furthermore, although it is not preferred in this invention, it has been found that the inventive coating composition provides similar low permeability benefits to standard one-piece woven airbags, particularly with the inventive low add-on amounts of high tensile strength, high elongation, non-silicone coatings; however, the amount of coating required to permit high leak-down times is much higher than for the aforementioned Sollars, Jr. inventive one-piece woven structure. Thus, add-on amounts of as much as 1.5 and even up to about 2.2 ounces per square yard may be necessary to effectuate the proper low level of air permeability for these other one piece woven airbags. Even with such higher add-on coatings, the inventive coatings themselves clearly provide a marked improvement over the standard, commercial, prior art silicone, etc., coatings (which must be present in amounts of at least 3.0 ounces per square yard).
Additionally, it has also been found that the inventive coating compositions, at the inventive add-on amounts, etc., provide the same types of benefits with the aforementioned sewn, stitched, etc., side curtain airbags. Although such structures are highly undesirable due to the high potential for leakage at these attachment seams, it has been found that the inventive coating provides a substantial reduction in permeability (to acceptable leak-down time levels, in fact) with correlative lower add-on amounts than with standard silicone and neoprene rubber coating formulations. Such add-on amounts will approach the 3.0 ounces per square yard, but lower amounts have proven effective (1.5 ounces per square yard, for example) depending on the utilization of a sufficiently high tensile strength and sufficiently stretchable elastomeric component within the coating composition directly in contact with the target fabric surface. Again, with the ability to reduce the amount of coating materials (which are generally always quite expensive), while simultaneously providing a substantial reduction in permeability to the target airbag structure, as well as high resistance to humidity and extremely effective aging stability, the inventive coating composition, and the inventive coated airbag itself is clearly a vast improvement over the prior airbag coating art.
Of particular importance within this invention, is the ability to pack the coated airbag cushions within cylindrical storage containers at the roof line of a target automobile in as small a volume as possible. In a rolled configuration (in order to best fit within the cylindrical container itself, and thus in order to best inflate upon a collision event downward to accord the passengers sufficient protection), the inventive airbag may be constricted to a cylindrical shape having a diameter of at most 23 millimeters. In such an instance, with a 2 meter long cylindrical roofline storage container, the necessary volume of such a container would equal about 830 cm 3 .(with the volume calculated as 2[Pi]radius 2 ) Standard rolled packing diameters are at least 25 millimeters for commercially available side curtain airbag cushions (due to the thickness of the required coating to provide low permeability characteristics). Thus, the required cylindrical container volume would be at least 980 cm 3 . Preferably, the rolled diameter of the inventive airbag cushion during storage is at most 20 millimeters (giving a packed volume of about 628 cm 3 ) which is clearly well below the standard packing volume. In relation, then, to the depth of the airbag cushion upon inflation (i.e., the length the airbag extends from the roofline down to its lowest point along the side of the target automobile, such as at the windows), the quotient of the inventive airbag cushion's depth (which is standard at approximately 17 inches or 431.8 millimeters) to its rolled packed diameter should be at least about 18.8. Preferably this quotient should be about 21.6 (20 millimeter diameter), and, at its maximum, should be about 24 (with a minimum diameter of about 18 millimeters). Of course, this range of quotients does not require the depth to be at a standard of 17 inches, and is primarily a function of coating thickness, and thus add-on weight.
Surprisingly, it has been discovered that any elastomer with a tensile strength of at least 2,000 psi and an elongation at break of at least 180% coated onto and over both sides of a side curtain airbag fabric surface at a weight of at most 3.0 ounces per square yard, and preferably between 0.8 and 2.0, more preferably from 0.8 to about 1.5, still more preferably from 0.8 to about 1.2, and most preferably about 0.8 ounces per square yard, provides a coated airbag cushion which passes both the long-term blocking test and long-term oven aging test with very low, and extended permeability upon and after inflation. This unexpectedly beneficial type and amount of coating thus provides an airbag cushion which will easily inflate after prolonged storage and will remain inflated for a sufficient amount of time to ensure an optimum level of safety within a restraint system. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the less coating composition required, the less expensive the final product. Additionally, the less coating composition required will translate into a decrease in the packaging volume of the airbag fabric within an airbag device. This benefit thus improves the packability for the airbag fabric.
While the invention will be described and disclosed in connection with certain preferred embodiments and practices, it is in no way intended to limit the invention to those specific embodiments, rather it is intended to cover equivalent structures structural equivalents and all alternative embodiments and modifications as may be defined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalence thereto.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Two potentially preferred elastomer compositions of this invention was preferably produced in accordance with the following Tables:
TABLE 1
Standard Water-Borne Elastomer Composition
Component
Parts (per entire composition)
Resin (30-40% solids content in water)
100
Natrosol ® 250 HHXR (thickener)
10
Irganox ® 1010 (stabilizer)
0.5
DE-83 R (flame retardant)
10
TABLE 2
Standard Solvent-Borne Elastomer Composition
Component
Parts (per entire composition)
Resin (30-40% solids content in solvent)
100
Irganox ® 1010 (stabilizer)
0.5
DE-83 R (flame retardant)
10
TABLE 3
Standard Solvent-Borne Elastomer Composition
Component
Parts (per entire composition)
Resin (25-40% solids content in solvent)
100
Irganox ® 1010 (stabilizer)
0.5
DE-83 R (flame retardant)
10
Desmodur CB-75 (adhesion promoter)
2
(The particular resins are listed below in Table 4 and thus are merely added within this standard composition in the amount listed to form preferred embodiments of the inventive coating formulation).
The compounded compositions exhibited viscosities measured to be about 15,000 centipoise by a Brookfield viscometer. Once compounding was complete, the individual formulations were applied to separate articles being both sides of one-piece Jacquard woven airbags (having 420 denier nylon 6,6 yarns therein) as discussed within the Sollars, Jr. application noted above. Such applications were performed through a fixed gap coating procedure. The bag were then dried at an elevated temperature (about 300° F. for about 3 minutes) and thus form to form the necessarily thin coatings. As noted above, scrape coating may also be followed to provide the desired film coating; however, fixed gap coating provides the desired film thickness uniformity on the bag surface and thus is preferred. Scrape coating, in this sense, includes, and is not limited to, knife coating, in particular knife-over-gap table, floating knife, and knife-over-foam pad methods. The final dry weight of the coating is preferably from about 0.6-3.0 ounces per square yard or less and most preferably 0.8-1.5 ounces per square yard or less. The resultant airbag cushion is substantially impermeable to air when measured according to ASTM Test D737, “Air Permeability of Textile Fabrics,” standards.
In order to further describe the present invention the following non-limiting examples are set forth. These examples are provided for the sole purpose of illustrating some preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. These examples involve the incorporation of the below-noted preferred elastomers within the coating formulations of TABLES 1-3, above.
Each coated bag was first subjected to quick inflation to a peak pressure of 30 Psi. Air leakage (SCFH) of the inflated bag was then measured at 10 Psi pressure. The characteristic leak-down time t(sec) was calculated based on the leakage rate and bag volume.
TABLE 4
Coating
Tensile
Elonga-
T (sec).
T (sec.)
add-
Example Number/
Strength
tion at
Before
Post-
on weight
Elastomer
(Psi)
break (%)
aging
aging*
(oz/yd2)
1. Impranil ® 85
6000
400
18.1
16.3
0.8
UD
2. Ex 51-550
3100
320
110.2
105
0.8
3. Impranil ®ELH
7200
300
120.2
125
0.9
4. Ru ® 41-710
7000
600
27.3
26.4
0.8
5. Ru ® 40-350
7000
500
34.4
36.2
0.8
6. Bayhydrol ®
6000
300
8.6
5.7
0.8
123
7. Dow Corning
700
90
<2
<2
2.1
3625**
8. Silastic 94-595-
1400
580
<2
<2
1.8
HC**
9. Ru ® 40-415
5000
180
<2
<2
0.8
10. Sancure ® 861
3000
580
25.2
<2
0.8
11. Witcobond ®
6000
600
28.4
<2
0.8
290H
*Aging conditions: 107° C. oven aging for 16 days, followed by 83° C. and 95% relative humidity aging for 16 days.
**The resins are silicone rubbers.
As noted above, Examples 1-6 work extremely well and are thus within the scope of this invention. Examples 10 and 11 show some limitations, polyester based elastomers (Witcobond® 290H) exhibit excellent heat aging (oxidation) stability but tend to hydrolyze easily at high humidity; polyether based elastomers (Sancure® 861) have excellent hydrolysis resistance, but poor oxidation performance. However, these elastomers have proven to be acceptable permeability reducers at higher add-on weights below the maximum of 3.0 ounces per square yard. Furthermore, although silicones show excellent resistance to heat aging and hydrolysis (humidity aging), they, however, possess limited tensile strength and tear resistance resistance. Natural rubber, SBR chloroprene rubbers and others containing unsaturated carbon double bonds have excellent hydrolysis resistance. But the unsaturated carbon double bond that gives their elasticity oxidizes readily and the properties of the rubber change after heat aging. Elastomers that have good physical properties and excellent resistance to hydrolysis and oxidation are preferred for this application. Polyurethanes based on polycarbonate soft segments are the preferred materials for this application.
The airbag of Example 3 exhibited a sliding coefficient of friction constant of roughly 0.6. A comparative thick silicone-coated side curtain airbag which included a non-woven layer, exhibited a constant of about 0.8.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an inventive all-woven inflatable fabric showing the preferred double and single layer area including two separate single layer areas.
FIG. 2 is a weave diagram illustrating a potentially preferred repeating pick pattern formed using repeating plain weave and basket weave four-pick arrangements.
FIG. 3 depicts the side, inside view of a vehicle prior to deployment of the inventive side curtain airbag.
FIG. 4 depicts the side, inside view of a vehicle after deployment of the inventive side curtain airbag.
FIG. 5 depicts a side view of a side curtain airbag.
FIG. 6 provides a side view of a side curtain airbag container.
FIG. 7 provides a cross-sectional perspective of the stored airbag within the container of FIG. 6 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Turning now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a cross-section of a preferred structure for the double fabric layers 12 , 14 , 18 , 20 , 24 , 26 and single fabric layers 16 , 22 of the inventive inflatable fabric 10 . Weft yarns 28 are present in each of these fabric layer areas 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 over and under which individual warp yarns 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 have been woven. The double fabric layers 12 , 14 , 18 , 20 , 24 , 26 are woven in plain weave patterns. The single fabric layers 16 , 22 are woven in basket weave patterns. Four weft yarns each are configured through each repeating basket weave pattern within this preferred structure; however, anywhere from two to twelve weft yarns may be utilized within these single fabric layer areas (seams) 16 , 22 . The intermediate double fabric layer areas 18 , 20 comprise each only four weft yarns 28 within plain weave patterns. The number of such intermediate weft yarns 28 between the single fabric layer areas 16 , 22 must be in multiples of two to provide the maximum pressure bearing benefits within the two seams 16 , 22 and thus the lowest possibility of yarn shifting during inflation at the interfaces of the seams 16 , 22 with the double fabric layer areas 12 , 14 , 24 , 26 .
FIG. 2 shows the weave diagram 30 for an inventive fabric which comprises two irregularly shapes concentric circles as the seams. Such a diagram also provides a general explanation as to the necessary selection criteria of placement of basket-weave patterns within the fabric itself Three different types of patterns are noted on the diagram by different shades. The first 32 indicates the repeated plain weave pattern throughout the double fabric layers ( 12 , 14 , 18 , 20 , 24 , 26 of FIG. 1, for example) which must always initiate at a location in the warp direction of 4X+1, with X representing the number of pick arrangement within the diagram, and at a location in the fill direction of 4X+1 (thus, the pick arrangement including the specific two-layer plain-weave-signifying-block 32 begins at the block four spaces below it in both directions). The second 34 indicates an “up-down” basket weave pattern wherein an empty block must exist and always initiate the basket-weave pattern at a location in the warp direction of 4X+1, with X representing the number of repeating pick arrangements within the diagram, and at a location in the fill direction of 4X+1, when a seam (such as 16 and 22 in FIG. 1) is desired (thus, the pattern including the pertinent signifying “up-down” block 34 includes an empty block within the basket-weave pick arrangement in both the warp and fill directions four spaces below it). The remaining pattern, which is basically a “down-up” basket weave pattern to a single fabric layer (such as 16 and 22 in FIG. 1) is indicated by a specifically shaded block 36 . Such a pattern must always initiate at a location in the warp direction of 4X+1 and fill of 4X+3, or warp of 4X+3 and fill of 4X+1, when a seam is desired. Such a specific arrangement of differing “up-down” basket weave 34 and “down-up” basket weave 36 pattern is necessary to effectuate the continuous and repeated weave construction wherein no more than three floats (i.e., empty blocks) are present simultaneously within the target fabric structure. Furthermore, again, it is believed that there has been no such disclosure or exploration of such a concept within the inflatable fabric art.
As depicted in FIG. 3, an interior of a vehicle 110 prior to inflation of a side curtain airbag (not illustrated) is shown. The vehicle 110 includes a front seat 112 and a back seat 114 , a front side window 116 and a back-side window 118 , a roofline 120 , within which is stored a cylindrically shaped container 122 comprising the inventive side curtain airbag (not illustrated). Also present within the roofline 120 is an inflator assembly 124 which ignites and forces gas into the side curtain airbag ( 126 of FIG. 4) upon a collision event.
FIG. 4 shows the inflated side curtain airbag 126 . As noted above, the airbag 126 is coated with at most 2.5 ounces per square of a coating formulation (not illustrated), preferably polyurethane polycarbonate. The inventive airbag 126 will remain sufficiently inflated for at least 5 seconds, and preferably more, as high as at least 20 seconds, most preferably.
FIG. 5 shows the side curtain airbag 126 prior to storage in its uninflated state within the roofline cylindrically shaped container 122 . The thickness of the airbag 126 , measured as the rolled packing diameter (as in FIG. 7, below) as compared with the depth of the airbag measured from the roofline cylindrically shaped container 122 to the bottom most point 128 of the airbag 126 either in its uninflated or inflated state will be at least 17 and at most 29, as noted above.
FIGS. 6 and 7 aid in understanding this concept tough the viewing of the rolled airbag 126 as stored within the container 122 along line 2 . The diameter measurement of the airbag 126 of Example 3, above, is roughly 20 millimeters. The standard depth of side curtain airbags is roughly 17 inches or about 431.8 millimeters. Thus, the preferred packing volume factor is about 21.6. A comparative silicone-based thick coating add-on weight of about 4.0 ounces per square yard provided a diameter of about 25 millimeters for a factor of about 17.3.
There are, of course, many alternative embodiments and modifications of the present invention which are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
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Coated inflatable fabrics, more particularly airbags to which very low add-on amounts of coating have been applied, are provided which exhibit extremely low air permeabilities. The inventive fabrics are primarily for use in automotive restraint cushions which require low permeability characteristics (such as side curtain airbags). Traditionally, heavy, and thus expensive, coatings of compounds such as neoprene, silicones and the like, have been utilized to provide such required low permeability. The inventive fabric utilizes an inexpensive, very thin coating to provide such necessary low permeability levels. Thus, the inventive coated airbag possesses a coating of at most 3.0 ounces per square yard, most preferably about 0.8 ounces per square yard, and exhibits a leak-down time (a measurement of the time required for the entire amount of gas introduced within the airbag at peak pressure during inflation to escape the airbag at 10 psi) of at least 7 seconds. All coatings, in particular elastomeric, non-silicon coatings, and coated airbags, meeting these criteria are intended to reside within the scope of this invention.
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This application is a Divisional application of application Ser. No. 242,349, filed May 13, 1994 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,524.
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and device for cleaning a continuously advancing web-form textile material, wherein the material is soaked in a washing-active liquid that contains one or more surfactants and a compound that has a high adsorptivity for the contaminants being washed out and no affinity for the fibers of the textile material, and is subjected to a steam treatment immediately thereafter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
DE 32 13 840 Al teaches the application of a foam to the pile side to wash or rinse a textile web of material and then to subject the textile material immediately thereafter to a steam treatment, in order then to rinse it with water to wash out the dissolved contaminants. It is also intended to perform the foam application in two stages, with the first applied foam initially being vacuumed off with the dissolved contaminants or squeezed out of the textile material and only then is the textile material precleaned in this fashion, fed into the steamer with a second applied foam. It is important for both stages that the foam prepared from one or more surfactants that have no affinity for the fibers of the textile material but exhibit a high adsorptivity for the contaminants being washed out, be prepared before the application to the textile material and be merely applied. This method does not ensure any intensive contact between the foam and the fibers of a thick pile, especially not over its complete length down to the roots. Complete cleaning is therefore not possible with this method.
Another treatment method is disclosed in DE 30 26 349 Al which teaches a cleaning method in which a foam is likewise poured onto the textile material, and is worked into the textile material before steaming. This treatment method, which has a pronounced influence on the pile, destroys the pile at least partially and produces a great deal of fluff, so that such working of foam is not suitable for textile materials with a pile.
Of course, the same applies when, as in foam dyeing as known from DE 30 45 644 Al, a liquid is applied to the textile material but the foam must then be produced by fulling or the like on the textile material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The goal of the invention is to provide a method and a device with which the above-mentioned problems can be overcome. The textile material, especially with a pile, must be deep-cleaned without using large amounts of water or washing agent in a simple and brief continuous processing method without fluff being produced by forced mechanical working of the nap.
Taking its departure from the method of the type heretofore disclosed, the invention proposes the following for achieving the stated goal: the textile material is saturated with a liquid containing chemicals such as foaming agents to generate foam in a steam atmosphere, the textile material is transported to a steamer wherein the washing-active foam is generated; there the textile material is steamed under saturated steam conditions; and after passing through the steamer, the textile material is vacuumed from the visible or exposed side.
The advantage of this method is that the added liquid can be immediately conveyed without any difficulty down to the base of the pile into the textile material. When the foam is created under the influence of temperature in the steamer, it rises from the roots of the fibers to the tips thus transporting the contaminants to the surface of the textile material. There the contaminants can easily be vacuumed off in an environmentally friendly manner without additional washing water.
Of course, the process can be repeated or the textile material can be fed once again into the steamer without adding further liquid in order to align the nap laid down during vacuuming without disturbing the pile side.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The device for working this method consists of an assembly of elements which are known of themselves. Advantageously, the elements are associated with one another in a special arrangement for this method and are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a shaft steamer in the transport direction of the web of textile material; and
FIG. 2 is a shaft steamer similar to the one shown in FIG. 1 but with a different arrangement for guiding the textile material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a cleaning or washing device for a textile web wherein a steamer, here shaft steamer 1 is used. For cleaning and especially prewashing a continuously advancing web of textile material 2, which can have a pile 3, initially a liquid is applied to the pile through the application device 4 located below steamer 1 and then the web 2 is transported into the steam atmosphere for foaming the washing-active liquid. This foam, which transports the contaminants to the surface of the textile material, is then vacuumed away outside steamer 1 at vacuum device 5, whereupon cleaning is complete.
The cleaning device according to FIG. 1 consists individually of a stand or support frame 6, which supports application device 4, steamer 1, and vacuum device 5. Web 2, which travels with pile 3 upward, is deflected around deflecting rollers 7, 8, so that the pile is facing downward and then travels through a liquid outlet slot 9. Slot 9 extends only over the working width and ensures a uniform application of liquid over the length of the slot. For this purpose, the device consists of a beam 10 to which the liquid is supplied by one or more connections not shown. By suitable distribution of the liquid in beam 10 similar to the device according to DE 40 26 198.0 Al it is uniformly distributed and passes over the length of slot 9 into the pile of web 2. Above web 2, at its back, a pressure roller 11 travels in order to influence the penetration of the liquid into pile 3. It is possible then to feed web 2 directly into steamer 1 or to deflect it again in the direction of trough 12, formed by an immersion roller 13 and a gutter 13'. Trough or channel 13' extends with a runoff sheet 14 below beam 10 to catch excess liquid. On roller 13, pile 3 of web 2 can be dipped or the web can be sprayed only from above with liquid. For this purpose, a spray tube 15 is directed into the gap between the downward traveling web 2 and the dip roller 13, so that the liquid is forced by roller 13 from the back into textile material or web 2.
The liquid which is guided at the application device into the web, especially into the pile thereof, is a special mixture of washing-active chemicals and foaming agents that foam under thermal energy. The adsorptivity of the washing-active substances for the contaminants contained in the textile material and the simultaneous lack of affinity for the fibers causes the contaminants to be loosened from the fibers. Then each particle of dirt is carried by the resultant foam upward to the tips of the fluff fibers in order to be vacuumed easily therefrom.
For steaming in a saturated steam atmosphere, web 2 then travels upward into shaft steamer 1 which is open at the bottom, for which purpose the steamer deflecting roller 16 which is located at the top and is preferably driven is provided in the steamer housing. Web 2 travels over spreading guide rollers 17 back to stand 6 in which, ahead of the next deflecting roller 18, vacuum device 5 is positioned relative to the pile or the visible side of the webs of goods. The web then goes to the next treatment assembly over a speed-controllable roller 19 as shown in FIG. 1 or over a dancer roller control 19' as shown in FIG. 2.
Shaft steamer 1 consists of a simple housing open at the bottom, likewise mounted on stand 6. The endwise inlet wall 20 ends further down than wall 21 on the outlet side, so that only excess steam can escape from steamer I. This steam-is then captured and vented by means of hood 22 located outside wall 21. The required steam is supplied at the top through pipes 23 and then passes through perforated walls 24 into the processing chamber. Any condensate that is present flows down the sloping or vertical inside walls of the steamer into the gutters or troughs 25 that may be heated.
The steamer according to FIG. 2 resembles the steamer shown in FIG. 1 but the web guidance is provided for only a double input of the web. For this purpose, vacuum device 5 is directed upward in order to vacuum the horizontally aligned web from below. In the gore or space between downwardly traveling web 2 and deflecting roller 18 a spray tube 28 can also be provided to force other washing fluid at roller 18 through the textile material and vacuum it away at the same time. After passing around driven roller 27, the web then travels with the pile outward back into steamer 1, upward to steamer deflecting roller 26 and back down again to dancer roller control 19' as indicated. By means of the second steaming process, the nap or pile of the textile material can be evened out under the effects of heat in simple fashion.
The liquid for foaming under a steam atmopshere is sold for example by the Bayer company under the trademark "Levalin VKU-N." It consists basically of an alkylamide with an alkyl polyglycol sulfate. It is acid-resistant and is used essentially for polyamide tufting carpets. The same liquid is sold by the Ciba-Geigy company under the trade name "Irgapadol PN" and is prepared on the basis of a fatty acid amide and an alkyl polyglycol sulfate. The liquid is anionic and has a pH of 6.5-7.5.
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Textile webs that are to be dyed, printed, or otherwise finished must be fed to such a treatment process in a clean condition. For continuous cleaning without large apparatus and without environmental impact, the pile of the textile web is saturated with a liquid containing washing-active substances and compounds which are caused to foam under the effects of heat especially under steam. After steaming, the foam that is produced in the steam for cleaning is vacuumed away with the contaminants it contains.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to amusement rides and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for cable rides such as zip lines.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Zip lines have existed for decades. In its most basic form, a zip line is a cable (wire rope) extending from an upper anchor to which it is fixed to a lower anchor to which a lower end of the cable is fixed. A rider suspends from a pulley traveling along the cable. The pulley may support a user holding on to a simple cross-bar handle, seated in a climbing harness, or seated on some other contrivance, such as a boatswain's (bo'sun's) chair or the like.
[0005] Cable cars and various cable and transporting systems have existed for over a hundred years, many dating to mining technologies of the nineteenth century. Some rely on a rolling pulley connecting a vehicle traveling along a fixed cable. Some rely on a moving cable fixed to a vehicle. Yet others may rely on a cable to pull a vehicle along a track, road, path, or body of water. Meanwhile, various cable-supported chairs and gondolas exist in the ski industry as lifts for skiers, but they operate on a very different principle.
[0006] Cable rides are problematic in that an uncontrolled descent is dangerous, perhaps even fatal. Meanwhile, hand controlled brakes have been proposed by the inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,360, issued Jul. 29, 2008, U.S. Pat. No. 7,966,940, issued Jun. 28, 2011, U.S. Pat. No. 8,333,155, issued Dec. 18, 2012, and automatic braking systems as documented in U.S. Pat. No. 7,637,213, issued Dec. 29, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,634, issued Sep. 23, 2003, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,773, issued Dec. 23, 2003, and retrieval systems in U.S. Pat. No. 7,299,752, issued Nov. 27, 2007, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,240,254, issued Aug. 14, 2012, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. They describe towers, cables suspended between the towers, and various trolleys, braking systems, retrieval systems, and the like.
[0007] What is needed is a system that will provide safe absorption of the kinetic energy of motion of a rider suspended under a trolley of any particular type. Also needed is a system for minimizing or eliminating recoil. Also needed is a system that will stop and position a user sufficiently gently to cause no injury to the rider, no damage to the system, and not risk leaving a rider spaced an inconvenient distance away from the cable termination point. Thus, what is needed is a system that can reliably stop a rider through an extended distance of space, and yet return the rider to the same predicable unloading station every time. A system is needed to return the rider to a predetermined, preferably consistently identical unloading station, typically at a deck proximate a lower end of a descending cable ride.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A system in accordance with the invention includes one or more cables suspended between two towers (an upper and a lower). Multiple cables may also be suspended in sequence to form a canopy tour or other multiple-leg route. Typically, a trolley assembled with fasteners and one or more supporting axles will travel downward on a corresponding number of wheels or pulleys along the cable. Any suitable trolley may be handled by the systems, devices, apparatus, and methods described hereinbelow in accordance with the invention. Specifically, each and all of the trolleys disclosed in the documents incorporated hereinabove by reference, are contemplated as serving with at least one embodiment of a recoil attenuation apparatus and method in accordance with the invention.
[0009] In one embodiment, an apparatus may include a cable having a central axis defining a longitudinal direction and extending therealong between first and second ends and central to a diameter of the cable. The cable, being held in suspension may be a clear span extending unsupported between the first end and the second end, the second end being lower than the first end. A trolley, comprising at least one wheel rollable along the cable may interact with a
[0000] launch block fixed to the cable proximate the first end. The trolley may include a hanger selectively removable from and securable in at least one hanger slot in the trolley to support a seat and rider below the trolley.
[0010] The launch block is typically shaped to register the trolley with respect to the cable, in all directions (axially along the cable, and circumferentially, while the cable itself secures both of them together radially). That is, the trolley may be shaped to register with the launch block in two dimensions, and simply be constrained by the cable to register in a third dimension distinct from the first and second dimensions.
[0011] A link registers the launch block with the trolley in the longitudinal direction at the upper end of the cable. That is, it holds the trolley against or in close proximity to the launch block, which is fixed to the cable. A key extends from at least one of the trolley and the launch block to register the trolley in a circumferential direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. Meanwhile, a receiving slot formed in the other of the trolley and the launch block has side surfaces registering with the key to resist relative rotation therebetween about the cable.
[0012] At the lower end of the cable an attenuator comprising springs arranged along the cable in a first set is arranged along the lower end of the cable. A latch block comprising a latch shaped to capture the trolley upon arrival thereof at or near the latch block is connected to a recoil leash that will restrain movement of the trolley and latch block away from the attenuator once the latch block and trolley engage one another.
[0013] Spacers, each comprising a spacer mass corresponding thereto and positioned between adjacent ones of the springs are sized and shaped to travel along the cable absorbing momentum from the trolley, at the end of its run down the cable, by at least one of acceleration of the spacer mass thereof and frictional drag with respect to the cable. An impact leash has a fixed end and a movable end, the movable end being connected to constrain the first set of springs against movement away from the second end more than a pre-selected first distance. A recoil leash connects to the latch block to constrain a second set (subset) of the springs to remain between the latch block and the movable end of the impact leash. The second set is typically a “proper subset” (less than all) of the first set. The impact leash and the recoil leash define an equilibrium position of the latch block for receiving the trolley repeatedly and repeatably.
[0014] The latch block is further provided with a release slot receiving the cable and sized to provide to the latch block a degree of freedom with respect to the cable in a vertical direction. The latch is operable to be removable from engagement with the trolley when the trolley stops stably at an equilibrium position proximate the second end. Thus, the trolley may be moved back up the cable or removed for transport in another way or to another location. Particularly, the “touring” type of trolley is sized and shaped to be readily removable from the cable at the equilibrium position without the use of tools.
[0015] A seat suspended from the trolley is shaped to support a user below the cable. It may be a climbing harness, fabric chair, rigid chair, or the like. From it, a release may be operable, by at least one of an operator proximate the seat or a rider in the seat, to free the trolley from the launch block.
[0016] Springs each have a spring constant corresponding thereto and defining a force per unit of deflection. Between springs may be placed spacers, each comprising a spacer mass corresponding thereto. They aborb momentum by virtue of acceleration of their mass. Spring absorb momentum by virtue of acceleration of their mass and compression of their length (spring force according to Hooke's law).
[0017] The recoil leash is connected to the latch block to capture the second set (the subset) of the springs to restrain travel of the latch block and trolley in recoil resulting from a tendency to launch the trolley and rider backwards by release of the force of compression among the first set of the springs stopping the trolley and its load.
[0018] Configured as an amusement ride, one embodiment may include a cable having a central axis defining a longitudinal direction and extending therealong between first and second ends and central to a diameter of the cable being held in suspension as a clear span extending unsupported between the first end and the second end, the second end being lower than the first end. A loading station comprising a space proximate the first end and therebelow and sized for receiving a rider may be matched by an unloading station comprising a space proximate the second end and therebelow and sized for admitting the rider. The trolley is shaped to register with the launch block in two dimensions, and constrained by the cable to register in a third dimension, distinct from and orthogonal to the first and second dimensions.
[0019] A link secures, and may register, the launch block with the trolley in the longitudinal direction.
[0020] In certain embodiments, a suspension system shaped to support a rider below the trolley may include a rod sized and shaped to fit between side plates of the trolley when oriented along the direction of the cable. The rod is selectively positionable between a first position oriented longitudinally parallel to the cable and movable up and down between the side plates, a second position transverse to the cable and extending through the window portion of the slot in each of the side plates, and a third position below the second position, with the rod captured by the well portion of the slot in each of the side plates. It is so positionable without the use of tools. Once in the well portion, the rod is pivotable (fore and aft0 with respect to the side plates during the capture in the well portions.
[0021] A method of use may include providing an amusement ride comprising a cable having an upper end and a lower end, a trolley operable along the cable and supporting a seat sized to accommodate a rider, a launch block fixed to the cable proximate the upper end, an attenuator comprising springs proximate the lower end, and a latch block leashed to constrain the springs against movement more than a pre-selected distance from the lower end. Engaging, by the trolley, the cable will sustain the trolley thereon. Locking the trolley to the launch block may be done direction or with a link therebetween to fix the trolley to the block which is fixed to the cable. Thus the trolley is stable in all dimensions for loading a rider into the harness suspended therebelow.
[0022] The ride begins by releasing the trolley to travel from its position at or against the launch block near the upper end of the cable to an attenuator at or near the lower end. Impact of the trolley transfers the momentum of the trolley (with that of its rider) to the attenuator, which compresses springs. As the springs recoil, they transfer back to the trolley a portion of the momentum. The attenuator restrains recoil of the trolley from being flung back due to the recoil of that portion of the momentum.
[0023] In one embodiment of a method of attenuating recoil of a trolley on a cable, selecting a cable having an upper end proximate a first support and declining toward a lower end proximate a second support is followed by selecting a trolley. The trolley is securable to travel along the cable from proximate the upper end to proximate the lower end where a group of springs or other resilient members are distributed along a portion of the cable.
[0024] A first leash limits the distance from the second support to a first (first to see trolley impact) resilient member. A second leash does the same for a subset (less than all) of the springs selected in stiffness and number from those closest to the impact location of the trolley. The second leash limits recoil. Also, the first leash limits the entire set of springs (resilient members) from over shooting their initial positions from which they originally limited (absorbed momentum from) the forward motion of the trolley and rider.
[0025] a spacer, and thus a spring associated with it, is positioned intermediate the first spacer (and its corresponding resilient member) and the second support (e.g., lower tower). Typically, all the resilient members are distributed and separated from each other by spacers positioned between adjacent resilient members. This saves damage, tangling, drooping, buckling, and other failures of operation or materials.
[0026] In one alternative embodiment a system may include a trolley comprising a frame, at least one wheel positioned to carry the frame along a line suspended between an upper end and lower end thereof, and a first engagement mechanism secured to the frame. A recoil attenuation system comprising spacers and resilient members, each separated from adjacent ones by a spacer. A fixture riding between the trolley and the recoil attenuation system has a latch positioned and shaped to secure the trolley to the recoil attenuation system by selectively securing the engagement mechanism.
[0027] Recoil attenuation is accomplished by a first leash constraining the spacers against movement away from the lower end more than a pre-determined distance and a second leash constraining motion of the fixture and trolley away from the second end by engaging in compression at least one, but not typically all, of the resilient members.
[0028] The fixture has a first connector secured against traveling away from the lower end by the first leash. The fixture has a second connector securing the second leash to the midst of the spacers among the springs. the leashes may be threaded through apertures formed through the spacers and sized to receive them therethrough.
[0029] At or near the initiation or top of the descent path of a trolley along the cable, the trolley may be registered in a launch block and maintained in position by a link, which may have a pin and bail. For example, a snap shackle on a cable link may hold the trolley in close proximity to a launch block such that a key on the trolley or launch block will match and fit into a slot on the other. Thus, the snap shackle and the associated line or link may keep the trolley and the launch block in close enough proximity to maintain the key in the slot to maintain registration (position). Upon pulling a lanyard or handle, a pin in the snap shackle or other such release device may release a bail freeing the trolley from the launch block to roll down the cable.
[0030] The trolley may include a rider-operable braking system, an automatic braking system, or no braking system at all. Such systems are described in the above identified patent documents incorporated herein by reference.
[0031] After the trolley descends down the cable from the upper end to the lower end, an attenuator will absorb the kinetic energy of the trolley and rider. In certain embodiments, a latch block may connect to a first spacer or first mass terminating a stack of springs. The springs will be compressed by the kinetic energy of the trolley and rider. In certain embodiments, the latch block is free enough to ride up and down on the cable as well as sliding along it under the influence of the springs, the trolley, or both.
[0032] For example, a coupler may be formed to be positioned next to a termination spacer or block connected to the extreme uppermost end of a spring stack (stack of springs, typically compression coils, which may be graduated in stiffness). The coupler holds the latch block, but permits the latch block a degree of freedom vertically. Otherwise, the latch block travels with the coupler longitudinally along the cable.
[0033] As the rider and trolley arrive at the attenuator, the latch block captures a spur on the trolley as the trolley impacts a face of the latch block. Thus, a bumper portion of the trolley may strike the latch block, and the latch block may lift or otherwise move in order to engage a spur or barb on the trolley. Thus, the latch block and trolley are then fixed together with respect to an axial direction along the longitudinal direction of the cable.
[0034] As the momentum of the trolley and rider continue to compress the stack of springs, the momentum compresses a series of springs, separated by spacers therebetween. Eventually, the spring force overcomes the momentum, acting according to Hooke's law. That is, the force is equal to the distance traveled multiplied by the spring contact, and acting opposite to the direction of motion.
[0035] Once the trolley has come to a stop, the springs then begin to recoil, extending away from the lower tower and back upwardly or in the upward direction along the cable. Thus, the trolley and rider are accelerated in reverse of the direction that they traveled down the cable. However, leashes are connected between certain portions of the system. These leashes limit the amount of recoil and counter recoil that may occur.
[0036] For example, one leash is connected from proximate the lower tower, and extends out to the last or most distant spacer that forms the effectual end cap for the last or most distant spring. That terminal or impact spacer is the first affected by an arriving trolley. The latch block is not secured to that last impact spacer or end spacer.
[0037] Meanwhile, another leash extends from the latch block, passing through several of the spacers and eventually terminating by securement to one of the spacers that serves as a terminal spacer. We may refer to the impact spacer as the spacer closest to the latch block, and thus the first to feel the impact of the trolley. The recoil spacer is responsible to trap a subset of the springs and compress them against the impact spacer during recoil. Upon initial compression, the springs operate in a normal way, with each of the spacers acting as a friction producing element as well as a mass element absorbing momentum by their own acceleration.
[0038] During recoil, the springs all begin to expand again toward their original lengths. However, the momentum of the trolley and rider will be reversed from their original impact direction. That momentum backward may (and typically would) launch the rider and trolley out away from the spring stack. To resist this, the recoil leash captures between the recoil spacer and the impact spacer a certain number of intervening springs and spacers, preselected, and engineered as to their dimensions and spring constants.
[0039] Meanwhile, the impact leash does not permit any of the springs to extend past their initial positions where they were when initially engaged by the trolley. Thus, the impact spacer serves as a stop for the compression of the springs captured between it and the recoil spacer.
[0040] The recoil spacer is drawn by the momentum of recoil (reversed direction of the trolley) away from the end tower and back in the upper direction along the cable by the momentum of the recoil of the trolley and the rider. However, once again, the momentum of the trolley and rider must eventually be terminated by the continuing deflection of the springs, bringing the rider and the trolley to a stop from the recoil. Thus, the rider and trolley are again accelerated toward the entire spring stack, where they will impact and come to a halt.
[0041] Eventually, the two spring stacks, the one (full set) running from proximate the tower to the impact terminal spacer and the other (subset) extending between the recoil terminal spacer and the impact terminal spacer, will resist recoil. Eventually, the spring stack must come back to its initial equilibrium position because the impact leash terminates the attenuator at the impact spacer.
[0042] The rider is thus brought to a halt, at the same predictable location every time. The rider may exit the harness or seat suspended from the trolley. Thereafter, the latch on the latch block may be released to remove the trolley or to permit the trolley to be drawn back to the upper reaches of the cable for another run.
[0043] Thus, in general, the process begins by setting the trolley at a location on the cable, which may include setting the trolley on the cable. This may include securing the trolley to the cable so that it may not exit or jump off. This may be done previously or may be done subsequently depending on whether the ride is an amusement ride or whether it is a canopy tour where a rider may move a trolley from line to line (cable to cable) along a route.
[0044] Next, registering the trolley with the launch block involves securing the tongue or key in a slot after which they are shackled together. At this point one may secure the suspension system for the trolley, which may or may not be pre-secured to the trolley. Typically an operator will verify that the rigging is proper before loading or making ready a rider in the harness or seat suspended by the trolley.
[0045] Releasing the trolley from the launch block permits descending by the rider and the trolley either with a brake operated by the user, an automatic, self-controlling brake, or with no brake. The impacts are first the trolley against the latch and then against a face of the entire latch block. Then, the recoil is followed by again recompressing (to a lesser extent) the spring stack, and possibly additional recoil.
[0046] Meanwhile, the impact of the latch block against the trolley is matched by the oblique impact of the latch itself (part of the latch block) against a barb or spur on the trolley to latch the two together.
[0047] The mass and spring response then occurs with the trolley and rider being secured to the spring stacks since they may not separate from the latch block.
[0048] The system comes to a stop (which is only temporary), followed by recoil which is also temporary. Recoil moves the trolley and rider in the backward direction compared to that in which they were traveling in the descent. Again, counter-recoil then also occurs in conjunction with recoil until both spring stacks (impact or full, and recoil or subset) come to a halt, and the trolley and rider come to a full stop. At this point, unloading the rider and resetting the ride from the beginning or onto another cable may proceed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0049] The foregoing features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings in which:
[0050] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of a system in accordance with the invention illustrating a launch block, a trolley with a hanger for supporting a rider, a latch block, spacers, and the springs for end-of-ride momentum absorption, all foreshortened onto a single length of cable, notwithstanding it would normally be distributed between an upper end of a cable ride, and a lower or terminal end thereof;
[0051] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of certain details of a launch block, trolley, and latch block in accordance with the invention
[0052] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of a trolley;
[0053] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the system of FIG. 2 , showing installation of one embodiment of a spreader bar for supporting a rider harness or seat, and showing the latch block separated from the trolley, with the coupler separated (exploded view) from its normal position of sliding up and down with respect to the latch block;
[0054] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 4 ;
[0055] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a rider-controlled-braking trolley connected to a launch block by a gauge link, snap shackle, and so forth, and absent the harness, which would typically suspend from the attachment or bracket rail (frame or lever) toward the left side of the illustration; and
[0056] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of a process for operating a system in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0057] It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system and method of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of various embodiments of the invention. The illustrated embodiments of the invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout.
[0058] Referring to FIG. 1 , while referring generally to FIGS. 1 through 7 , an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention may include a system 10 suspended between two towers, one higher than the other, thus providing a declining route along a cable 12 . Typically, fasteners 13 may pull together the components that form a trolley 14 . The trolley 14 supports axles 15 . The actual axles 15 permit rotary motion of any particular type of friction reducing mechanism, whether slides, wheels, pulleys, or the like, including (as shown here) the pulleys 17 or wheels 17 .
[0059] In the illustrated embodiment, the trolley 14 registers near the upper end of the cable 12 typically near the launch tower or the launch platform that is supported at such a tower or the like. The launch block registers (fixes the position) of the trolley 14 at an upper end of the cable. Typically, the fasteners 13 on the launch block 16 also operate as clamps to hold the launch block 16 in rigid position with respect to the cable 12 .
[0060] Meanwhile, a latch block 18 is illustrated, but is illustrated next to the trolley 14 with which it will interact. In reality, the trolley 14 is launched from the launch block 16 at the upper end of the cable 12 and is captured by the latch block 18 at the lower end of the cable 12 near the lower tower, supporting tower. Thus, the launch block 16 and latch block 18 may be a quarter mile, a half mile, a mile, or more apart along the cable 12 .
[0061] The launch block 16 does not move with respect to the cable 12 . The latch block 18 does move with respect to the cable 12 . Meanwhile, the trolley 14 rolls along the cable 12 from the launch block 16 at the upper end of the cable 12 to the latch block 18 at the terminal end of the cable 12 .
[0062] One may see ports 19 that are basically apertures 19 formed in the trolley 14 in order to be able to see the inner workings thereof. Better seen in other illustrations is the pulley 17 or pulleys 17 that operate as the wheels 17 on the axles 15 . These provide the reduced rolling friction, as opposed to any sliding, along the cable 12 by the trolley 14 .
[0063] At the terminal end or near the terminal (downhill) tower supporting the cable 12 is situated an attenuator 20 . The attenuator 20 operates to provide both momentum absorption, and attenuation or dissipation of that momentum through several mechanisms including spring compression, spring extension, frictional movement, acceleration of distributed masses of springs, spacers, and other components, and so forth.
[0064] In the illustrated embodiment, a way 21 is formed in a coupler to receive a slide 23 within the way 21 . The significance of the way 21 and slide 23 is that the coupler 22 is responsible to guide the latch block 18 vertically. The coupler couples to the cable 12 and to a recoil leash that interacts with the system of spacers 24 and springs 25 interconnecting the spacers 24 . The coupler 22 is not connected directly to the springs 25 in the spring stack 27 of the attenuator 20 .
[0065] One will note that multiple springs 25 are separated from one another by intervening spacers 24 . The spacers 24 serve as masses 24 , and stabilizers 24 for the springs 25 , to assure that the springs do not tangle or damage one another. Spacers 24 also operate as friction producers 24 .
[0066] For example, each spacer 24 has a preselected weight or mass that will have to be accelerated in order for that particular spacer 24 to move. Similarly, each of the springs 25 has a spring constant, which spring constant will control the resistance of that spring to compression by the incoming momentum of a rider and trolley 14 .
[0067] Thus, the springs 25 and spacers 24 may be engineered to each have their own specific mechanical properties. For the springs 25 , there is a mass, and a spring constant that will be significant. For each of the spacers 24 there will be a mass, a coefficient of friction against the cable 12 and a connection to adjacent springs 25 . The connection to adjacent springs 25 assures that the springs 25 will not collapse, buckles fall, entangle with one another, or the like, but will stay centered about the cable 12 .
[0068] Any two spacers 24 , and any two springs 25 may thus be somewhat or entirely distinct from one another. Also, certain groups of each may be distinct from other groups thereof in their outermost diameters, their lengths, their masses, the wire diameter of which a spring 25 is formed, and so forth. In particular, different specific spacers 24 may provide distinct functionality as well.
[0069] For example, an impact spacer 26 or terminal impact spacer 26 may be the first spacer 24 contacted by the latch block 18 or its coupler 22 , and the first to feel the impact of the trolley 14 . Moreover, the spacer 26 or impact spacer 26 is also connected by a leash 30 to a fixed location near the terminal end or lower tower end of the cable 12 . The leash 30 leashes the impact spacer 26 , thereby maintaining or defining the maximum distance that the impact spacer 26 may move away from the lower tower or the lower end of the cable 12 .
[0070] In the typical embodiment, the springs 25 will all remain at all times subject to a slight amount of compression. By slight is meant not necessarily enough compression to dramatically effect the stopping of the trolley 14 without considerably more motion. Nevertheless, by maintaining each of the springs 25 in slight compression, the registration distance or length of the leash 30 positions the impact spacer 26 at the same location every time that the trolley 14 arrives.
[0071] One my also note a recoil spacer 28 or terminal recoil spacer 28 . The recoil spacer 28 is located at the end of another leash 32 or recoil leash 32 . The recoil leash 32 , connects the recoil spacer 28 back to the coupler 22 . The coupler 22 serves to register the latch block 18 along the cable 12 . Nevertheless, the way 21 in the coupler 22 allows the slide 23 of the latch block 18 to slide up and down (vertically, radially with respect to the cable). Accordingly, the latch block 18 my lift up with respect to the cable 12 in order to allow the trolley 14 to impact the latch block 18 . Thereafter, the latch block 18 drops down to capture the trolley 14 .
[0072] In operation, the momentum of a rider suspended from the trolley 14 , along with the weight of the trolley 14 , will strike the latch block 18 , causing the latch block 18 to first lift up and then settle back into a capture position. Therein, the coupler 22 , latch block 18 , and the trolley 14 are now connected in an axial direction (along the longitudinal direction of the cable 12 ). Axially, they move together in substantially rigid body motion, since they are coupled at least in that longitudinal direction.
[0073] As the various springs 25 are compressed due to the applied loads, and various spacers 24 are accelerated by absorbing momentum from the rider and trolley 14 , the spacers 26 all move to the right in the illustrated embodiment, as does each of the spacers 24 . When the momentum of the trolley 14 and rider have been completely absorbed, the trolley 14 and rider will come to a stop.
[0074] Then the springs 25 will all begin to re-expand to their original length, moving the spacers 24 toward the left in the illustrated embodiment. At some point, the trolley 14 and latch block 18 connected together will reach the location where the impact leash 30 stops the impact spacer 26 . Since momentum will not instantly change or will not instantly dissipate, the trolley 14 , rider, and latch block 18 will continue moving with the coupler 22 away (to the left in the illustration) from the impact spacer 26 .
[0075] This opens up a gap between the impact spacer 26 and the coupler 22 . However, the leash 32 , which is the recoil leash 32 , now begins to compress all of the springs 25 captured between the recoil spacer 28 (in the stack on the right) and the impact spacer 26 (on the left). Thus, a subset of the entire stack 27 is now being compressed by the recoil momentum of the trolley 14 and rider. This compression occurs because backward moment of the trolley 14 , latch block 18 , and rider are drawing the recoil spacer 28 toward the now fixed (by the impact leash 30 ) impact spacer 26 . This compresses any intervening springs therebetween.
[0076] One may see how the subset of springs 25 captured by the recoil spacer 28 will eventually bring the trolley 14 and rider to a stop some distance away from the impact spacer 26 . At that time, the trolley 15 , latch block 18 , and rider will come to a standstill with respect to the cable 12 for a moment before they all commence to return toward the impact spacer 26 again.
[0077] Arriving at the impact spacer 26 , the components and rider again compress the springs 25 , move the spacers 24 , and otherwise transfer momentum. One may see that the acceleration of the spacers 24 and springs 25 , and the forces applied by the springs 25 , resist the trolley 14 approaching the lower end of the cable 12 . The springs 25 push the trolley 14 and rider back in recoil. Then the subset of springs 25 draws the trolley again toward the impact spacer 26 and the lower end of the cable 12 .
[0078] Springs 25 may be advantageously made of metal in order to minimize their mass and consequent momentum. Typically, helical compression springs 25 have been found effective. However, other shapes may be selected, engineered, or otherwise employed, including blocks, tubes, cages, grids, plates, disks, and so forth. Likewise, any resilient material including polymers such as elastomeric polymers can serve as material for springs 25 , regardless of shapes of these spring elements 25 . For example springs 25 may be foamed, solid, or shaped (e.g., helical, oblate, polygonal, spherical, disk, cylinder, dished Bellville disks, hollow, filled, or the like, and so forth) in order to optimize their spring constants, masses, momentum transfer, energy absorption, and so forth.
[0079] For example, in certain embodiments, a spring may be an elastomeric foam ball, elastomeric foam egg, an elastomeric foam cylinder, polymeric Bellville washer/spring, plastic helical spring, “rubber” (any elastomeric material) block as a solid, matrix, foam, or the like. The selection of material may be based on absorption of energy, elastic and inelastic recovery, mass per unit length, total mass, and the like. Thus, mass, momentum, energy, elastic modulus, restitution (fraction of energy or momentum recovered on recoil), and other mechanical parameters may weigh in the decision.
[0080] The energy loss due to the force of cable friction of the various components, notably the spacers 24 and the latch block 18 , will result in an eventual total attenuation of the momentum originally introduced by the trolley 14 and rider. Thus, at that time and at that point in space, each of the leashes 30 , 32 will typically be fully extended to establish the maximum lengths, thus positioning the coupler 22 next to the impact spacer 26 .
[0081] The actual locations of connections, the total lengths, and the enclosed number of springs 25 within the length of each leash 30 , 32 may be engineered to obtain a desired performance. For example, stiffer springs 25 (higher spring constant) will result in a faster, more abrupt, more intense, braking and recoil force. Fewer enclosed springs 25 (captured by a leash 30 , 32 ) may result in a softer response, but may risk “bottoming out” (fully collapsing) the springs 25 enclosed thereby. More springs 25 having a comparatively lower spring constant provide a longer and more gentle stop, with more intermediate spacers 24 absorbing momentum, for a more sluggish response to any loading (application of force; force is also mass times acceleration). This means a softer, slower acceleration and deceleration in both braking and recoil directions.
[0082] Moreover, as a general proposition, the number and location of “grouped” springs 25 captured by each leash 30 , 32 is a matter of engineering design. Considerations may include and a certain amount of “rider preference” as to softness of the “stops” forward and backward. Likewise, other considerations are economical, such as optimizing throughput design, the speed of loading riders in and bringing riders off the ride. It is even conceivable to have separate stacks of springs 25 for a braking stage and a recoil stage, but that “complexifies” structures, and may even require parallel systems. The simplest arrangement is with a braking set of springs 25 , and recoil subset of springs 25 , all in series.
[0083] The trolley 14 and rider are both ultimately registered at the unloading station or unloading location. This occurs when the springs 25 and their capturing leashes 30 , 32 come to equilibrium. Typically, this will be above a deck onto which the rider may step when released from the harness, seat, or other support system suspended from the trolley 14 .
[0084] At the upper end of the cable 12 a rider begins a descent from a position of registration of the trolley 14 with the launch block 16 . In the illustrated embodiment, a key 34 may be formed as part of the launch block 16 or the trolley 14 . In the illustrated embodiment, the key 34 happens to be connected as part of the trolley 14 . Accordingly, a slot 36 in the launch block 16 receives the key 34 , thus registering the trolley 14 against rotation about the cable 12 . Since the launch block 16 is fixed with respect to the cable 12 , the registration in an axial direction and a circumferential direction about the cable 12 is effected by the key 34 in the slot 36 . In some embodiments, a lock may secure the key 34 in the slot 36 .
[0085] Meanwhile, a slot 38 may alternatively be formed in the latch block 18 . Because the latch block 18 may need to rise with respect to the cable 12 in order to receive the trolley 14 , a long oval or elongated circular hole may provide a slot 38 for accommodating vertical motion by the latch block 18 .
[0086] Meanwhile, a rod 40 or hanger 40 may be secured into, or as part of, the trolley 14 . In the illustrated embodiment, side plates 39 of the trolley 14 may capture between them other structures secured by the fasteners 13 and axles 15 . However, near the bottom of the plates 39 may be positioned a gap between the side plates 39 . The side plates 39 may be perforated to form a window portion 41 of a slot 42 , and a well portion 43 below the window portion 41 . Thus, the slot 42 may be shaped as a “T” or as an “L.” Thus, the well 43 may be formed as the toe of the “T” or as the toe of the “L.” The rod 40 or hanger 40 may be secured to or be formed as part of a spreader bar 44 .
[0087] The rod may be turned such that it will slide upward between the side plates 39 until it is beside the window 41 or visible in the window 41 of each of the side plates 39 . At that point, the rod 40 may be rotated end for end by about 90 degrees. Thus, the rod 40 then may extend out through the windows 41 in the side plates 39 . A relief groove near each end of the rod 40 may then match the thicknesses of the side plates 39 , in order to capture the rod 40 as it slides down into the well portion 43 of the slot 42 .
[0088] At this point, the rod 40 becomes a pivot 40 by which the spreader bar 44 may be supported. Meanwhile, carabiners 46 may be inserted into the slot 42 in order to occupy the window 41 of the slot 42 . This prevents the rod 40 from jumping out of the well portion 43 of the slot 42 . In certain embodiments, a single carabiner 46 may suffice. In other embodiments, multiple carabiners 46 may be necessary.
[0089] Referring to FIGS. 2 through 5 , while continuing to refer generally to FIGS. 1 through 7 , the various components described hereinabove are illustrated in various embodiments. The trolley 14 may be provided with a bumper 48 or a bumper portion 48 that will collide or otherwise contact the face 49 of the latch block 18 . As the latch block 18 approaches the trolley 14 , the latch block 18 is riding (supported but slidable) the cable 12 .
[0090] The encounter between the latch 50 (of the latch block 18 contacting the trolley 14 ), and a spur 52 or barb 52 may force the latch 50 to rise, thus lifting the latch block 18 with respect to the cable 12 . Since the slot 38 in the latch block 18 is elongated, the vertical motion of the latch 50 is permitted. Thus, the latch 50 may tend to pitch 50 or lift 50 , and the slide 23 will assure that the latch block 18 lifts vertically through the ways 21 of the coupler 22 .
[0091] Thereafter, the sequence of momentum transfers between the trolley 14 and rider connected to the latch block 18 as they contact the impact spacer 26 will proceed as described hereinabove.
[0092] Referring to FIG. 6 , while continuing to refer generally to FIGS. 1 through 7 , at the launch block 16 , a trolley 14 may be registered by the key 34 in a slot 36 . However, this provides rotational stability or rotary stability with respect to the cable 12 . In the illustration of FIG. 6 , the trolley 14 is of the rider-controlled brake type. As described in the references incorporated herein and by reference, a rider suspended from the trolley 14 may control the brake during descent. By contrast, the trolley 14 of FIGS. 1 through 5 need not involve any braking except the terminal attenuation of momentum at the bottom end of the ride.
[0093] Referring to FIG. 6 , a gauge link 54 , or simply a link 54 of pre-selected length, may connect the launch block 16 to the trolley 14 . The gauge link may include a line 56 or a line portion 56 , formed of a material, such as wire rope, cable, chain, or the like. The line 56 establishes the registration distance between the launch block 16 and the trolley 14 . A release pin 58 may be used, but serves particularly well if used to release the bail 58 of a snap shackle 60 .
[0094] A snap shackle 60 has the ability to hold a load, while transferring a very small fraction of that load (force) to the release pin 58 . Less load results in little or no binding (distortion, friction, etc.) of the pin. Thus, the snap shackle 60 holds a much larger load than is supported by the pin, due to the shape of the bail, which provides great leverage for the pin 58 .
[0095] During loading of a user supported by the trolley 14 , the gauge link 54 maintains the distance, and assures the safety of the system 10 . For example, the length of the gauge link 54 is selected to provide a precise fit, notwithstanding it may include a satisfactory tolerance allowing it to be easily connected to the trolley 14 . However, the length is selected to limit how far the trolley and its key 34 can move from the launch block. The length assures that the key 34 remains in the slot 36 , at which position the key 34 in the slot 36 of the launch block 16 resists rotation of the trolley 14 with respect to the cable 12 . The launch block 16 , secured to the cable 12 resists movement up the cable 12 , as does gravity.
[0096] Thus, the link 54 , including the line 56 , any attachment brackets, loops or the like, and connectors, such as the snap shackle 60 , acts as a gauge link 54 maintaining proximity of the trolley 14 to the launch block 16 . Moreover, the bail 58 has a thickness designed to fit between the head of its connector post on the trolley and the swing arm 69 locking the trolley 14 onto the cable 12 . One will note that the front pulley 17 in the illustrated embodiment is locked against jumping from or otherwise leaving the cable 12 . It is locked on by the swing arm 69 pivoted about the axle of the pulley 17 and engaging the latch bolt 55 on the trolley. This closes the load path as a carabiner does.
[0097] The snap shackle 60 secures by its bail 59 to the connector post 57 . If the connector post 57 is not sufficiently close to the launch block 16 , the snap shackle 60 cannot engage it. Thus, the snap shackle 60 as part of the gauge link 54 assures that the swing arm 69 is in place to lock the trolley 14 onto the cable.
[0098] Likewise, the rear pulley 17 or wheel 17 secures to the cable 12 by a **** 67 passing down parallel to the side plates 39 through a slot therewithin to protrude below. A carabiner 48 secures the slide 67 in place, assuring that the rear pulley 17 is secured to the cable 12 . Thus, securement is assured, loads are all secured, and a visual inspection verifies the readiness at a glance. Meanwhile, the foregoing features act as mechanical interlocks assuring safety of the equipment and readiness for use.
[0099] Once the rider is installed in the harness suspended from the trolley 14 , an operator or the rider may pull a lanyard, ring, chain, or the like and move a pin 58 , releasing a bail 59 in a snap shackle 60 . The bail 59 pivots with respect to the main structure of the snap shackle 60 , releasing its load, and releasing the trolley 14 to proceed downhill.
[0100] The snap shackle 60 is uniquely suited to support a load, such as the weight of a rider or the vector of rider and trolley weight along the direction of the cable 12 . However, the snap shackle 60 is configured such that it is capable of releasing its load, without undue binding. Thus, the shape of the bail 59 operates to easily sustain the load, and yet move, once free, and release without restraint the trolley 14 in due course.
[0101] A rider is thus released from the launch block 16 , leaving the gauge link 54 behind for the next rider. In FIGS. 1 through 5 , the trolley 14 needs no brake. FIG. 6 uses a rider-controlled brake. For example, by operating (pulling down on a handle of) a tether 62 , having a handle that will permit the rider to draw down the tether 62 . Thereby, the bracket 64 from which a rider is suspended will be moved closer toward the rear of the trolley 14 . This decreases the leverage that the rider's weight exerts on the lever 68 that is the rail 68 or frame 68 of the trolley 14 .
[0102] Meanwhile, the attachment 66 for a harness permits a rider to reduce force or even release the tether 62 . At that event, the bracket 64 will roll forward (left) thus increasing the leverage that the rider's weight has on a brake pad riding against the cable 12 and captured within the side plates 39 of the trolley 14 .
[0103] Referring to FIG. 7 , a process for implementing an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention may include a procedure 70 or a process 70 that begins with a cable 12 in place between supporting towers. Typically, an entirely free span or catenary will be formed by the cable suspended from two suitable towers. The towers stand at significantly different elevations, thus providing a downhill or downward run of a trolley 14 along the cable 12 .
[0104] In the process 70 , setting 72 the trolley 14 may involve only returning a trolley 14 to the launch block 16 , or, alternatively, actually placing a trolley 14 on the cable 12 .
[0105] For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 6 , the arm 69 may be rotated about its upper connection to free it from its lower connection and thus free it from its constraint to follow the cable 12 . Similarly, by removing the carabiner 46 of FIG. 6 , the slide 67 may be withdrawn, thereby removing its wheel 17 . The trolley 14 may be removed from a cable 12 by rotating the arm 69 , thus exposing the cable 12 . Similarly, the slide 67 may be removed by drawing it upward. Thus removing the cable 12 from inside the trolley 14 permits the trolley 14 to remove from the cable 12 .
[0106] Setting the trolley 14 on the cable 12 may be done by opening up (rotating) the arm 69 (with the trolley 14 configured without the slide 67 and its corresponding wheels 17 in place). The trolley 14 may be placed with a single front wheel 17 associated with the arm 69 on the cable 12 . Thereafter, the slide 67 may be dropped into the trolley 14 and secured with a carabiner 46 to secure its respective wheel 17 to the cable 12 . In this embodiment, a brake shoe rides underneath and against the cable 12 , supported by the back end of the trolley 14 , between the sides of the slides 67 .
[0107] Setting 72 the trolley 14 by removal and replacement may be appropriate if the trolley 14 is readily removable, or is to be transported with the user who is traversing various legs of a canopy tour or the like. Otherwise, the trolley 14 may simply be set into place.
[0108] Securing 74 the embodiment of FIG. 6 may involve closing the arm 69 and locking the slide 67 with the carabiner 46 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 5 , the trolley 14 may be permanently attached, or may simply be removed upward once the spreader bar 44 and its locking rod 40 have been removed from the slot 42 . Thus, the side plates 39 may simply permit access to the cable 12 by the trolley 14 from underneath the trolley 14 .
[0109] Upon securing the trolley 74 , one may register 76 the trolley 14 with the launch block 16 by placing the key 34 in the slot 36 . One may then connect the snap shackle 60 of the gauge link 54 in order to secure the trolley 14 against rolling downhill away from the launch block 16 fixed to the cable 12 . This increases safety in loading and frees up hands and personnel for the task.
[0110] Securing 80 the suspension operates in different ways. For example, a harness may be attached to the connector 66 suspended by the bracket 64 from the lever 68 of the trolley 14 in FIG. 6 . In contrast, the spreader bar 44 with its attached harness 66 may be locked into the slot 42 as described hereinabove. Ultimately, an operator should verify 82 the rigging to be assured that the wheels 17 are properly fitted onto the cable 12 , harnesses or seats are properly attached an open, that all securements such as the carabiners 46 , and side plates 39 are properly in place, and so forth.
[0111] At this point one may load 84 or ready a rider in a harness suspended from the trolley 14 , including re-checking rigging. Releasing 86 the snap shackle 60 or other suitable device 60 may be done once the rider is secured in the harness and comfortable that he or she is ready for a ride. Descending 88 occurs in different modes depending on the type of trolley 14 involved. For example, those trolleys 14 without a brake will simply come to some terminal velocity dictated by air drag and rolling friction.
[0112] Others such as the tour trolley 14 of FIG. 6 will be controlled by application of the weight of a user to the lever 68 through the bracket 64 from which the user is suspended. In this way, the user pulling on the tether 62 may reduce the braking by pulling the bracket 64 (and thus the effective weight of the user) closer to the point of pivoting. This is described in great detail in the patents incorporated herein by reference. Likewise, those patents also describe in detail automatic braking mechanisms on a trolley 14 traveling down the cable 12 .
[0113] Ultimately, impacts occur between first the trolley 14 and the latch 50 of the latch block 18 . This is followed by impact of the bumper 48 of the trolley 14 against the face 49 of the latch block 18 . Promptly thereafter, the coupler 22 driven by the latch block 18 and the momentum of a rider suspended from the trolley 14 will impact the impact spacer 26 , if they are not already in contact.
[0114] The latch 50 will latch 92 onto the spur 52 of the trolley 14 , thus locking or latching 92 them together. Thus, the relative motion in the axial direction (along the cable 12 ) is extremely limited (approximately fixed, axially) between the trolley 14 , the latch block 18 , and the coupler 22 .
[0115] The response 94 of the spring stack 27 , including each of the spacers 24 and springs 25 , will occur in response to the momentum of the trolley 14 and rider imposed thereon. Ultimately, between the acceleration of the masses of the spacers 24 and springs 25 , and the elastic deflection (compression) of the springs 25 , all the momentum from the trolley 14 and latch block 18 in the downward direction along the cable 12 will be transferred into the spring stack 27 . The resulting stop 96 will be temporary, even momentary.
[0116] Thereafter, recoil 98 proceeds as the spring stack 27 begins to expand, reversing the direction of the trolley 14 and rider, and pushing them away from the lower end of the cable 12 and its lower suspension tower. Counter-recoil will occur as described hereinabove. The recoil leash 32 that compressed all the springs between the recoil spacer 28 and the impact spacer 26 during recoil will draw the trolley 14 toward the impact spacer again. Thus, momentum will continue to transfer as the entire spring stack 27 , and then the subset thereof located between the impact spacer 26 and the recoil spacer 28 continue to urge the trolley 14 to the equilibrium position. Properly sized and loaded, the spring stack will be at equilibrium at full extension of the impact leash 30 , and in most, typical circumstances, full extension of the recoil leash 32 .
[0117] Ultimately after cycling through recoil 98 and counter recoil 100 , the trolley 14 comes to a stop 102 after which unloading 104 may be safely done. Optionally, unloading 104 may involve resetting the trolley 14 or moving it to be set 72 on another cable 12 .
[0118] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its purposes, functions, structures, or operational characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative, and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
[0119] What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:
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A cable in suspension (clear span) supports a trolley. At the upper end, a launch block fixed to the cable registers the trolley in all directions, including a safety release link holding the trolley near the launch block. After release and descent with a rider, the trolley strikes an attenuator of distributed springs and spacers. The spring stack absorbs momentum from the trolley, but a leash limits recoil “bounce” after reversing the trolley. A second, recoil, leash resists recoil by capturing a subset of the springs between respective ends of itself and the first leash. The doubly leashed trolley will oscillate to a stop in an equilibrium position.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of controlling idling rotational speed in an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an idling rotational speed control method for coping with a sudden drop in engine rotational speed from high rpm by controlling the amount of intake air through use of a control valve provided in a bypass passage bypassing a throttle valve arranged in an intake passage of the internal combustion engine, whereby the rotational speed of the engine makes a smooth transition to a target idling speed in a feedback control mode.
When an internal combustion engine is idling or operating under a low load with the throttle valve kept in a substantially fully closed position, the conventional practice is to control the idling speed of the engine by regulating the intake air amount by means of a control valve arranged in a bypass passage bypassing the throttle valve, i.e., communicating the upstream and downstream sides of the throttle valve.
In internal combustion engines, even those equipped with an electronically controlled fuel injection system, it is commonly known that when the amount of intake air increases, there is an accompanying increase in the amount of fuel injected, which in turn results in greater supply of the mixture. According to a typical conventional method, the degree to which the control valve is opened is placed under closed-loop control when the throttle valve is substantially fully closed and, at the same time the rotational speed of the engine is in a predetermined idling speed region. More specifically, the magnitude of an excitation current supplied to a solenoid of the control valve for proportional control of the control valve opening is decided on the basis of a solenoid current command value Icmd, which is specified by the following equation:
Icmd=Ifb(n) (1)
where Ifb(n) represents a PID feedback control term applied for executing proportional control (P term), integral control (I term) and differential control (D term) on the basis of a difference between target idling rotational speed Nrefo and the actual rotational speed Ne of the engine.
Assume by way of example that the engine rotational speed is raised to high rpm by opening the throttle valve to a greater degree, and thereafter the throttle valve is substantially fully closed and the engine is placed in unloaded state, as by shifting the transmission to the neutral range or stepping down on the clutch pedal. This will cause the rotational speed of the engine to undergo a sudden drop. When the engine rotational speed falls to a value within the predetermined idling speed region, the opening of the control valve is subjected to feedback control in such a manner that the engine rotational speed will approach the target idling rotational speed, as mentioned above.
However, if the downward trend exhibited by the engine rotational speed is very sudden at such time that the engine is in the unloaded state, the rotational speed will temporarily drop below the target idling speed before being stabilized at this speed by feedback control.
The applicant has already proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-267508, a method of preventing the engine rotational speed from dropping below the target idling speed so that a transition from the former to the latter can be made in smooth fashion.
According to this previously proposed method, a sharp decline in engine rotational speed from high rpm is dealt with by temporarily halting the downward trend when the rotational speed falls to rpm higher, by a predetermined value, than an upper limit value of the idling speed region. In this way the rotational speed of the engine is made to gradually approach the target idling speed. More specifically, when the engine rotational speed falls below a predetermined speed value higher than the upper limit value of the idling speed region, a current command (control variable) Isa is generated. The value of Isa is decided by the prevailing rotational speed (Ne) of the engine and the difference (ΔNe, hereafter referred to as a "speed differential") between the present value of rotational speed and the immediately preceding value thereof. The control variable Isa is outputted as the solenoid current command value Icmd for a predetermined period of time (e.g. a fixed time period) Tsa.
According to the previously proposed method described above in which the downward trend in the rotational speed of the engine is temporarily halted by outputting the control variable Isa as the solenoid current command value Icmd for the predetermined time period Tsa, the value of Tsa is preset in dependence upon the engine rotational speed Ne and the speed differential ΔNe. In other words, with the conventional method of regulating the control valve to give a wider opening in such a manner that the engine rotational speed can make a smooth transition to the target rotational speed at engine idling, control is based upon making a prediction of rotational speed. However, due to slight differences from one internal combustion engine to another, and depending upon the particular vehicle, engine rotational speed may be caused to rise somewhat by the control variable or the downward trend in the rotational speed of the engine may not be fully prevented in an appropriate manner merely by outputting the control variable Isa for the predetermined time period Tsa. With the conventional method, therefore, engine rotational speed cannot always be stabilized at the target idling speed in a smooth manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method of controlling idling rotational speed in an internal combustion engine, whereby the rotational speed of the engine can be smoothly stabilized at a target idling rotational speed.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a method of controlling idling rotational speed of an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve and a control valve arranged in a bypass passage bypassing the throttle valve, wherein the degree to which the control valve is opened is controlled in proportion to a control valve command signal to regulate the amount of air taken into the engine, thereby controlling the idling rotational speed of the engine, the method being characterized by comprising the steps of: (1) sensing the rotational speed of the engine, as well as a rate of decrease in engine rotational speed when the engine rotational speed is decreasing; (2) determining whether the sensed rotational speed falls below a predetermined value; (3) generating the control valve command signal having a command value dependent upon both the sensed engine rotational speed and the sensed rate of decrease in engine rotational speed when the sensed engine rotational speed falls below the predetermined value; (4) determining whether the sensed rate of decrease in engine rotational speed (speed differential) falls below a ptedetermined threshold value, preset in dependence upon the engine rotational speed; and ( 5) terminating generation of the control valve command signal when the sensed rate of decrease in engine rotational speed falls below the predetermined threshold value.
Thus, according to the invention, generation of the control variable Isa is terminated only when the speed differential ΔNe of engine rotational speed falls below the predetermined threshold value dependent upon engine rotational speed. In other words, Isa is outputted for a period of time which is not fixed in advance but which is controlled in dependence upon both engine rotational speed and the speed differential. This enables the rotational speed of the engine to be stabilized smoothly at the target idling rotational speed.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar elements or parts throughout the figures thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the construction of a control system, to which the method of the invention is applied, for controlling the idling rotational speed of an internal combustion engine;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a specific example of the internal construction of an electronic control unit included in the system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of processing according to an idling rotational speed control method embodying the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating in detail the processing involved in step S3 contained in the flowchart of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A preferred embodiment of a method of controlling the idling rotational speed of an internal combustion engine according to the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4.
With reference first to the schematic view of FIG. 1, there is shown a control system to which the method of the invention is applied to control the idling rotational speed of an internal combustion engine. The control system includes a control valve 30 of linear solenoid type provided in a bypass passage 31 bypassing a throttle valve 32, i.e., communicating the upstream and downstream sides of the throttle valve 32, which is arranged in an intake manifold 33 of an internal combustion engine. The amount of air drawn into the intake manifold 33 when the engine is idling, which occurs when the throttle valve 32 is in a substantially fully closed position, is controlled by the control valve 30, the opening whereof is decided by the magnitude of a current that flows into a solenoid 16 of the control valve 30. Fuel injection nozzles 34, only one of which is shown, each inject fuel into the manifold 33 in an amount determined by well-known means in dependence upon the amount of intake air.
The engine has cylinders 35 which each have a piston 38 disposed to be repeatedly reciprocated in the cylinder to apply a rotating force to a crankshaft 36 connected thereto. It should be noted that the engine has a plurality of such cylinders and associated pistons, though only one is shown in FIG. 1.
The control system further includes a TDC sensor 5 for generating a pulse when the piston in each cylinder of the engine reaches a point 90° before top dead center (TDC). In other words, whenever the crankshaft 36 makes two full revolutions, the TDC sensor 5 generates pulses of a number equal to the number of cylinders. These pulses, hereafter referred to as "TDC pulses", are fed into an electronic control unit 40 (hereafter referred to as "the ECU"), which is an essential component of the control system.
Also provided in the control system is a counter 2 for sensing the rotational speed of the engine by counting the time interval between adjacent TDC pulses produced by the TDC sensor, and for converting the sensed rotational speed into a corresponding digital signal. The signal is applied to the ECU 40.
The control system also has a throttle opening sensor 4 for sensing the degree to which the throttle valve 32 is open, and for supplying the ECU 40 with a digital signal the value whereof corresponds to the throttle opening.
The ECU 40 shown in FIG. 1 has an internal construction illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 2. Parts the same as or equivalent to those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by like reference numerals.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 40 is composed of a microcomputer 53 comprising a central processing unit (hereafter referred to as "the CPU") 50, memory 51 and input/output circuits 52 serving as interfaces, and a control valve driving circuit 54 which is responsive to a command signal having a command value (the afore-mentioned solenoid current command value Icmd) issued by the microcomputer 53, for supplying driving current that flows into the solenoid 16. That is, the control valve driving circuit 54 provides the solenoid 16 with a driving current corresponding to the command value Icmd. The solenoid 16 responds to the driving current by causing the control valve 30 (FIG. 1) to open to the degree in accordance with Icmd, as a result of which the idling rotational speed also is controlled in dependence upon Icmd.
The control method of the invention will now be described with reference particularly to the flowchart of FIG. 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, operation starts in response to an interrupt caused by each TDC pulse. The first step of the flowchart is a step S1, at which the CPU 50 reads in the engine rotational speed Ne, the present value of which is n, sensed by the counter 2. This is followed by a steo S2, at which the CPU 50 determines whether the excitation current of solenoid 16 is being controlled in a feedback control mode, here referred to simply as the "feedback mode". More specifically, the feedback mode is judged to be in effect if the throttle opening signal supplied by the throttle opening sensor 4 indicates that the throttle valve 32 is in the substantially fully closed position and at the same time the engine rotational speed signal supplied by the engine rotational speed counter 2 indicates that the rotational speed of the engine lies within a predetermined rotational speed range (an idling speed region) set with a target idling speed as a reference. The feedback mode is decided not to be in effect when the throttle valve 32 is in the substantially fully closed position but the engine rotational speed is not in the idling speed region.
If the decision rendered at the step S2 is YES, namely that the feedback mode is operative, the program proceeds to a step S3. If the answer to the step S2 is NO, the program proceeds to a step S4.
As will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, the step S3 calls for the CPU 50 to calculate a feedback control term Ifb(n), deliver the calculated Ifb(n) value to the control valve driving circuit 54 as the solenoid current command value Icmd, and store a learned value Ixref of Ifb(n) in the memory 51. The main program is restored when the processing of step S3 is completed.
The step S4 calls for a determination as to whether the engine rotational speed Ne(n) read in at the step S1 is higher than a predetermined rotational speed Nsa, which is a predetermined value above the upper limit value of the idling speed region. Note that Nsa is set at 1350 rpm in the present embodiment. If the answer to the step S4 is YES, the next step executed is a step S14; if NO, the program proceeds to a step S5.
The step S5 calls for the CPU 50 to calculate the speed differential ΔNe from the currently prevailing engine speed value Ne(n) read in at the step S1 at the present TDC pulse or in the present loop and the preceding engine rotational speed Ne(n-1) read in at the immediately preceding TDC pulse or in the last loop. The program then proceeds to a step S6, at which it is determined whether the decision rendered at the step S4 in the last loop was YES, namely whether the engine rotational speed has decreased and has just crossed the predetermined rotational speed Nsa. If the answer here is YES, namely that the rotational speed of the engine has just crossed Nsa, the program proceeds to a step S7; if NO is the answer, then the next step executed is a step S11.
At the step S7, the CPU 50 goes to an Ne-DNEon table, which has been stored in the memory 51, to read out a value of DNEon on the basis of the present engine rotational speed sensed at the step S1. As will become clear from the following description of steps S8 through S10, DNEon is a first threshold value of the engine speed differential and decides whether the control variable Isa should be produced as an output or not. Table 1 given below as an example of the Ne-DNEon table shows the relationship between the engine rotational speed Ne and the first threshold value DNEon.
TABLE 1______________________________________Ne (rpm) 1350˜1101 1100˜951 950˜0DNEon (rpm/1 TDC) 15 8 0______________________________________
The step S7 is followed by a step S8, at which it is determined whether the speed differential ΔNe calculated at the step S5 is greater than the value of the first threshold value DNEon looked up in the Ne-DNEon table at the step S7. If the answer to the step S8 is NO, the next step executed is the step S14; if YES, the program proceeds to a step S9.
The step S9 calls for the CPU 50 to look up a value for the control variable Isa in an Ne-ΔNe-Isa table, which has been stored in the memory 51, based on the present engine rotational speed Ne(n) read in at the step S1 and the speed differential ΔNe calculated at the step S5. Table 2 given below illustrates this table, which shows the relationship among the engine rotational speed Ne, the speed differential ΔNe and control variable Isa.
TABLE 2______________________________________ Ne (rpm)ΔNe (rpm/1 TDC) 1350˜1101 1100˜951 950˜0______________________________________20 OR MORE Isa (C) Isa (B) Isa (A)15˜19 Isa (D) Isa (C) Isa (B)8˜14 0 Isa (D) Isa (C)7 OR LESS 0 0 Isa (D)______________________________________
It should be noted that the subscripts (A) through (D) following Isa indicate the magnitude (value) of Isa, where Isa(A)>Isa(B)>Isa(C)>Isa(D). Also, Isa is set at zero if the engine rotational speed is between 1350 and 1101 rpm and the speed differential is less than 14 rpm, or if the engine rotational speed is between 1100 and 951 rpm and the speed differential is 7 rpm or less.
Thus, in the present embodiment, the arrangement is such that the higher the rotational speed Ne of the engine, the larger the value of the speed differential ΔNe needed to generate a control variable Isa of the same value, and such that the magnitude of the control variable Isa has a tendency to increase with an increase in the speed differential ΔNe for the same value of Ne. This is clearly shown by Table 2.
The step S9 is followed by a step S10, at which the control variable Isa decided at the step S9 is delivered as the solenoid current command Icmd to the control valve driving circuit 54. Processing in accordance with the main program is executed following the step S10.
As the result of the step S10, the degree to which the control valve 30 is opened is regulated by the control valve driving circuit 54 and solenoid 16 in dependence upon the value Icmd. Note that when Isa is set at zero (step S14), the solenoid current command value Icmd is not issued.
The step S11, which is reached when a NO decision is rendered at the step S6, calls for a determination as to whether the control variable Isa was issued as the solenoid current command value Icmd at step S10 in the last loop. If the answer to the step S11 is NO, then the program proceeds to the step S7; if YES, the next step executed is a step S12. This step calls for the CPU 50 to read out DNEoff from an Ne-DNEoff table, which has been stored in the memory 51, based on the present engine rotational speed sensed at the step S1.
As will become apparent from the following explanation of steps S13 and S14, DNEoff is a second threshold value of the engine speed differential and decides whether the generation of the control variable Isa is to be terminated or not. The following Table 3 is a table showing the relationship between the engine rotational speed Ne and the second threshold value DNEoff.
TABLE 3__________________________________________________________________________Ne (rpm) 1200 OR MORE 1199˜1100 1099˜1000 999˜900 899˜800 799˜700 699 OR LESSDNEoff (rpm) 6 5 4 3 2 1 0__________________________________________________________________________
It will be learned from a comparison of Tables 1 and 3 that the first threshold value DNEon is set to be larger than the second threshold value DNEoff for the same value of engine rotational speed Ne.
The step S13 calls for the CPU 50 to determine whether the speed differential ΔNe calculated at the step S5 is greater than the value of the second threshold value DNEoff looked up in the Ne-DNEoff table at the step S12. If the answer to the step S13 is YES, the program proceeds to the step S9; if NO, the next step executed is the step S14 in order to end the generation of the control variable Isa. The control variable Isa is set to zero at the step S14, after which the program proceeds to the step S10. Now the value of Icmd will be zero.
Though the value of the control variable Isa is applied directly to the control valve driving circuit 54 as the solenoid current command value Icmd in the case described above, the invention is not limited to such an arrangement. As an alternative, the control variable Isa can be added to the aforementioned learned value Ixref, which is calculated at a step S27 of a flowchart shown in FIG. 4, described below, and stored in the memory 51, and the sum of these two values can then be delivered to the control valve driving circuit 54 as the solenoid current command value Icmd.
As shown in Table 3, when the rotational speed of the engine declines smoothly and approaches the upper limit value (e.g. 790 rpm) of the idling speed region, the second threshold value DNEoff decided at the step S12 is 1 rpm in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention. Accordingly, if the actual speed differential ΔNe of the engine rotational speed at this time is determined to be less than 1 at the step S13, generation of the control variable Isa ceases. Consequently, when delivery of Isa is ended in this manner, a smooth transition can be made to the feedback mode since a YES decision (a decision to the effect that the feedback mode is in effect) will be rendered the next time step S2 is executed.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating in detail the processing involved in the step S3 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3.
The first step, shown at S21, calls for the CPU 50 to read in the reciprocal of the engine rotational speed (namely the period of the TDC pulse signal) sensed by the counter 2, or a variable Me(n) corresponding to the value of the reciprocal. This is followed by a step S22, at which the CPU 50 calculates an error ΔMef between Me(n) read at the step S21 and either the reciprocal of a predetermined target idling rotational speed Nrefo or a variable Mrefo corresponding thereto. Next, at a step S23, the CPU 50 calculates the difference between Me(n) and the immediately preceding measured value of Me for the same cylinder [for an engine having six cylinders, this immediately preceding measured value is Me(n-6)]. The calculated difference is equivalent to the rate of change, denoted ΔMe, of the period.
Next, at a step S24, the CPU 50 uses ΔMef, ΔMe, an integral term control gain Kim, a proportional term control gain Kpm and a differential term control gain Kdm to calculate the integral term Ii, proportional term Ip and differential term Id in accordance with the calculation formulae illustrated. It should be noted that each of these control gains is obtained by reading out a value stored previously in the memory 51.
The program then proceeds to a step S25, at which the integral term Ii obtained at the step S24 is added to Iai(n-1) to obtain Iai(n). Since Iai(n) obtained here will become Iai(n-1) in the next cycle of processing, Iai(n) is stored temporarily in the memory 51. If Iai(n) has not as yet been stored in the memory 51, however, all that need be done is to store a numerical value analagous to Iai in memory 51 beforehand and read out this numerical value as Iai(n-1).
The foregoing is followed by a step S26, where Ip and Id calculated at the step S24 are added to Iai(n) calculated at the step S25. The sum is defined as Ifb(n). Next, the learned value Ixref(n) defined by the following Equation (2) is calculated at a step S27:
Ixref(n)=Iai(n)×Ccrr/m+Ixref(n-1)×(m-Ccrr)/m (2)
where m and Ccrr are positive numbers set at will and are related by the inequality m>Ccrr.
The program proceeds to a step S28, at which the learned value Ixref calculated as set forth above is stored in the memory 51, and then to a step S29, at which Ifb(n) calculated at the step S26 is applied to the control valve driving circuit 54 as the solenoid current command value Icmd. This is followed by returning to the main program.
Thus, according to the present invention as described above, the period of time during which the control variable Isa is delivered as an output is not predetermined as in the prior art. Rather, according to the invention, the generation of the control variable Isa is ended only when the speed differential ΔNe of engine rotational speed falls below a second threshold value, which is preset for each of several regions of engine rotational speed.
By virtue of the feature of the invention that the period of time during which the control variable Isa is outputted can be suitably controlled in accordance with engine rotational speed and the speed differential thereof even if internal combustion engines differ slightly from one another, it is possible to avoid situations in which engine rotational speed does not stabilize smoothly at a target idling speed due to a rise in the engine rotational speed caused by the control variable Isa or due to the fact that a sharp decline in the rotational speed cannot be prevented because the control variable Isa is outputted for too short a period of time. In other words, the invention makes it possible for engine rotational speed to smoothly attain an idling rotational speed in a feedback control mode transition from open-loop control mode to feedback control mode.
As many apparently widely different upon embodiments of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.
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When the rotational speed of an internal combustion engine is decreasing, the rate of decrease in engine rotational speed as well as the engine rotational speed are sensed. A command value dependent upon both the engine rotational speed and the speed decrease rate is generated when the engine rotational speed falls below a predetermined value, for regulating the opening of a control valve arranged in a bypass passage bypassing the engine throttle valve, to control the amount of intake air and, hence, the idling speed of the engine. Generation of the command value is terminated when the speed decrease rate falls below a predetermined threshold value preset in dependence upon engine rotational speed. Thus, the command value is outputted for a period of time which is not fixed in advance but which is controlled in dependence upon both engine rotational speed and the speed decrease rate, thereby enabling the rotational speed of the engine to be stabilized smoothly at the target idling rotational speed.
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GENERAL BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for protecting a pier. More particularly, the invention relates to a self-supporting docking fender which hydraulically dissipates the energy of forces applied thereto and which is positively restrained both laterally and axially.
The sudden increase in the degree of industrialization and affluence through much of the world has resulted in burgeoning international trade. Great quantities of goods are being routinely transported over enormous distances. A portion of these goods, particularly perishable materials, are transported by air. A considerably larger proportion of the goods are transported by land. However, the major and most economical mode of transporting materials in world trade is by water. Thus, great quantities of both raw and finished materials are transported by ship and most commonly by large ocean going vessels.
As ocean going trade has become more voluminous, the fixed unit construction and operating costs of the cargo vessels have produced a trend toward large ships. Accordingly, facilities capable of handling smaller vessels suddenly have become inadequate for handling the hugh vessels seeking to come to port. For instance, many natural harbors which serve as distribution centers to inland industrial areas are simply too shallow to accommodate the deep draft of many modern heavily loaded ships. This is particularly true of those vessels referred to as supertankers which carry petroleum and liquified natural gas in international trade. In the case of these supertankers, the problem of insufficiently deep natural harbors is circumvented by constructing large offshore terminals where the water is sufficiently deep to accommodate the ship. Oil or liquified natural gas can be pumped to or from the terminal and loaded or unloaded aboard the ship.
When an offshore terminal is used, the super tankers are commonly moored during loading and unloading to mooring dolphins. These mooring dolphins consist essentially of large, slender towers extending from the floor of the body of water upwardly to protrude a desired distance above the water. In addition to being moored to the mooring dolphin, the tanker is normally berthed along side a number of breasting dolphins or similar pier structures. It should be apparent that during berthing a ship the size of a super tanker can impact and severely damage the breasting dolphins or pier. Likewise, once berthed, the motion of waves can cause the ship to impact or at least cyclically bear against the breasting dolphins or pier in a manner likely to cause considerable damage. In order to minimize damage which might occur incident to the exertion of dynamic forces due to impacts or wave motion as described above, it may be advantageous to provide docking fenders to dissipate the energy of the cyclic forces and thereby protect the breasting dolphins or pier and the hull of a ship.
It will be appreciated that similar problems occur in connection with more conventional facilities provided within a natural harbor. In this case, a ship is commonly berthed adjacent a wharf or other pier structure extending from the land out into the harbor. Just as in the case of offshore terminals, a ship may impact the wharf or pier during berthing. The problem of wave action, however, may be somewhat less severe since the harbor may be substantially more sheltered from the open sea and therefore less likely to receive the effects of significant wave action. Nonetheless, there exists an additional source of damage due to rising and falling tides. It should be readily appreciated that in the time required to load and unload a ship, the tides may raise and lower the ship several times and cause undesirable contact between the ship and the pier resulting in damage to the pier. As in the case of offshore terminals, damage of the sort which may be caused by dynamic forces exerted by a ship may be significantly reduced by the use of docking fenders to protect the wharf or pier.
Docking fenders of various types have been employed in attempts to alleviate problems of the type mentioned in the preceding. For various reasons these docking fenders have not been entirely successful and have presented a number of problems. For instance, a considerable number of the docking fenders presently in use employ simple, elastomeric bumpers or springs or other resilient elements to dissipate the energy of forces exerted against the fenders. While fenders of this type may be effective under some circumstances, they may not dissipate sufficient amounts of energy to satisfactorily accommodate very large vessels such as the super tankers mentioned in the preceding.
To increase the quantum of energy which can be dissipated, some docking fenders of the prior art may employ hydraulic cushions or dampers between the pier and a bumper intended to be contacted by the ship. While these devices may be more effective in dissipating energy, many such arrangements fail to provide a docking fender in which the bumper initially contacted by the ship is entirely free to translate and compress the hydraulic cushions or dampers. For instance, a bumper which is contacted by the hull of a ship may in some cases be pivoted along one edge and hydraulically cushioned by dampers disposed along the opposed edge. The energy dissipating qualities may thus be limited by the restricted movement of the bumper.
In other cases, while the bumper may be entirely free to move in response to forces exerted by the ship, the bumper may be supported and cushioned only by splayed, hydraulic cushions which interconnect the bumper and the pier. As a result, each cushion experiences less compression as the bumper is displaced toward the pier than if the cushions were orthogonally oriented between the bumper and the pier. Furthermore, in an arrangement in which the bumper is supported and cushioned by splayed cushions, the fender may be more vulnerable to the effects of glancing impacts or forces applied parallel to the surface of the bumper. Such impacts or forces may tend to displace the bumper laterally and thereby render the cushioning effect less effective. Additionally, lateral displacement of the bumper relative to the pier may cause damage to one or more of the cushioning units or to the connections between the cushions and the bumper or pier. Also, without a secondary supporting structure the splayed cushions may not provide sufficient vertical support to prevent vertical sagging of the bumper. Thus, it can be appreciated from the preceding that many docking fenders of the prior art which employ hydraulic cushioning units to dissipate the energy of forces applied to the fender may suffer the disadvantage that the bumper which receives the forces is not adequately restrained laterally against the effects of gravity and/or forces applied parallel to the surface of the bumper.
Somewhat related to the problem of restraining lateral displacement of the bumper relative to the pier is the problem of limiting displacement of the bumper axially away from the pier. Many fenders of the prior employing hydraulic cushions may make no provision for any positive limitation to the degree of spatial separation between the bumper and the pier. This lack of positive restraint may permit the cushions to be damaged should they be forced into a hyperextended or overtraveled condition. Similarly, many docking fenders of the prior art which employ hydraulic cushions to dissipate the energy of forces applied to the fender may provide no effective limitation to the degree of compression of the hydraulic cushions. If the fender is subjected to impacts which fully compress the cushions, then further impacts can not be cushioned. In other words, once the cushions are fully compressed, the fender becomes essentially a rigid structure incapable of absorbing and dissipating the energy of further applied forces. In this fully compressed, essentially rigid condition, the fender itself is as vulnerable to damage as would be an unprotected dock or pier.
In many offshore terminals and conventional harbor facilities alike, the space available for a docking fender may be somewhat limited. Thus, it can be appreciated that docking fenders which require large supportive or restraining structures may not be entirely suitable. In particular, if the elements which cushion, restrain, or otherwise connect the bumper and pier, extend from between the bumper and pier, undue amounts of space may be occupied. Even if space is not limited, elements extending from between the bumper and pier may be vulnerable to damage from impacts which may be received from the ship or equipment associated with the pier.
The problems enumerated in the preceding are among many which tend to reduce the effectiveness of previously known docking fenders. Other noteworthy problems may also exist, however, those presented in the discussion above should be sufficient to demonstrate that the docking fenders appearing in the art have not been altogether satisfactory. A docking fender according to the present invention is intended to at least obviate or minimize problems such as those mentioned above.
A docking fender according to the present invention receives dynamic forces exerted by the hull of a vessel through a generally planar, vertically oriented bumper which is connected in spaced relation to a side of a pier which is similarly generally planar and vertically oriented. As the dynamic forces are received, the bumper is displaced axially towards the pier in response to the components of the dynamic forces acting normally against the bumper. The energy of these normal components is dissipated by axially telescoping, hydraulic cushioning units orthogonally disposed between and connecting the bumper and the pier. The cushioning units dissipate the energy of these normal components by developing internal reactive forces which tend to resist axial compression of the cushions. Once the energy of the normal components of the dynamic forces is dissipated, the hydraulic cushions automatically restore themselves and return the bumper to a fully extended condition.
Lateral displacement of the bumper relative to the pier in response to components of the dynamic forces exerted parallel to the bumper is rigidly restrained at all times. This restraint is exerted by vertically inclined counters which exert generally lateral tensile forces between the bumper and the pier. The counters diagonally connect the bumper and the pier at points adjacent the corners within the perimeter of the bumper.
Hyperextension or overtravel of the cushions due to excessive axial displacement of the bumper away from the pier is prevented by means of axial counters which connect the bumper and the pier to positively restrain the bumper. This axial restraint prevents displacement of the bumper axially away from the pier beyond a prescribed distance at which the cushioning units are fully extended. At least one axial counter is disposed adjacent each of the cushioning units and all of the counters are disposed within the perimeter of the bumper.
Hypercompression or compressive overtravel of the cushioning units is prevented by means of a plurality of abutting members rigidly cantilevered from the pier. The free ends of the abutting members are coplanar and resilient and abut the inside surface of the bumper to prevent undue displacement of the bumper axially toward the pier. The positive limitation of displacement of the bumper axially toward the pier precludes excessive compression of the cushioning units.
In presenting the invention reference will now be made to a preferred embodiment. This preferred embodiment is by way of example and not by way of restriction or limitation with respect to the present invention and the manner in which it may be practiced.
THE DRAWINGS
A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the appended drawings in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a large floating vessel moored along side an offshore terminal which includes a plurality of breasting dolphins each protected by a plurality of docking fenders;
FIG. 2 illustrates a segmental, perspective view of a breasting dolphin protected by an assembly of docking fenders;
FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a preferred embodiment of a docking fender according to the present invention free from the influence of any compressive forces;
FIG. 4, note sheet 3, illustrates an expanded perspective view of a bumper and base plate with associated stanchions in which the cushioning and restraining elements have been removed for clarity of illustration;
FIG. 5, note sheet 2, illustrates a sectional view taken along section lines 5--5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6, note sheet 3, illustrates a side view of a preferred embodiment of a docking fender according to the present invention free from the influence of any compressive forces;
FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of a preferred embodiment of a docking fender with the cushioning elements fully compressed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Context of the Invention
Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view can be seen of a large floating vessel 10 moored along side an offshore terminal 12. The ship is of the type employed to transport crude oil and is of a size commonly referred to as a supertanker. The ship is shown berthed adjacent the offshore terminal in a position suitable for loading or unloading oil.
The offshore terminal is located in water of sufficient depth to accommodate the draft of the tanker 10 and is comprised of a loading platform 14, a mooring dolphin 16, and a plurality of breasting dolphins 18. The loading platform 14, mooring dolphin 16, and breasting dolphins 18 are all interconnected by personnel bridges 20 extending between each structure. The entire terminal is supported by numerous free standing pilings 22 which extend from the floor of the body of water upward to an elevated position above the surface of the water sufficient to maintain the loading platform, dolphins, and personnel bridges a desired distance above the average height of waves expected in the area.
The loading platform serves to support a complex of conduits and machinery which facilitates the loading (or unloading) of petroleum aboard the ship. Oil is conducted to or from the terminal by means of converging large diameter submerged pipelines in communication with one or more tank farms onshore some distance away. During a loading operation oil supplied from the tank farm passes through the complex supported by the loading platform and ultimately through a plurality of loading conduits 24 supported by pendular loading arms 25 arranged along the edge of the platform adjacent the ship.
Due to the location of the terminal in an offshore environment, exposed to fairly open sea, and due to the proximity of the ship to the loading platform and breasting dolphins, the platform and dolphins could be quite vulnerable to damage from dynamic forces which may be exerted by the ship.
Generally, two types of dynamic forces can be exerted by the ship against the pier structure of the dolphins. Dynamic forces of contact may be exerted by the ship as it is being berthed adjacent the dolphins, and dynamic forces may be exerted through the ship once the vessel is berthed by waves acting upon the hull.
It will be appreciated that as the ship is being berthed it must be positioned in both a longitudinal and transverse sense relative to the pier formed by the dolphins. In many cases, a supertanker of the type illustrated can be as much as 300 yards long and can thus pose very difficult problems in properly positioning the ship. Errors can be very easily made in positioning a ship and these errors very often may be magnified by the enormous dimensions of the vessel. In any case, the necessary close proximity of the ship to the breasting dolphins makes it highly likely that the ship will at some time contact these dolphins. In this connection, it should be understood that a moving vessel of such great mass possesses enormous momentum even if moving only very slowly. It will be readily appreciated that considerable potential exists for the ship to severely damage the dolphins and/or loading platform.
Once the ship is berthed and moored, damage can be inflicted by the vessel due to wave action. It will be recalled from the preceding that an offshore terminal may often be located in relatively open sea. The terminal may, therefore, be exposed to considerable wave action. As the waves rise and fall the ship will tend to roll in a similar manner. Furthermore, the passage of waves may tend to translate the ship broadside or may induce a rocking motion in the ship which can result in dynamic loading of the dolphins by the ship. Therefore, the potential for damage due to wave action as reflected by corresponding motion of the ship should be readily apparent.
To minimize or eliminate damage of the type described in the preceding, docking fenders such as those illustrated at 26 have been interposed between the ship and the pier to receive and dissipate energy of dynamic forces which would otherwise be exerted by the ship directly against the dolphins or pier. A number of different types of docking fenders have been employed.
It should be appreciated that the usefulness of a docking fender in minimizing damage to a pier is not limited to the environment of offshore terminals. As indicated, conventional facilities located in natural harbors are also vulnerable to damage from dynamic forces exerted by large vessels. Though there are differences, the forces exerted by a ship against a pier located in a natural harbor are generally similar to those exerted against the pier of an offshore terminal. Ships, of course, must be berthed adjacent a pier in a natural harbor in much the same way as they are berthed adjacent an offshore terminal. Thus, a pier located in a natural harbor may generally be subjected to forces quite similar to those exerted during berthing by a ship at an offshore terminal.
Because natural harbors are often significantly more sheltered than offshore terminals, a ship moored within a natural harbor may undergo less motion due to wave action. If the ship is less subject to motion due to wave action, the pier will be less vulnerable to damage from forces originating from this source. In any case, a phenomenon less pronounced in an offshore environment produces effects analogous to those of wave action. More particularly, natural harbors may be exposed to pronounced rising and falling tides. The loading and unloading of a large vessel may occupy a considerable amount of time and during this period of time, the tides may cyclically rise and fall several times raising and lowering the ship as a result. Additionally, as the tide goes out and returns the ship may be drawn away and then forced against the pier. It will be appreciated that motion of this type, i.e., rising and falling of the ship and movement of the ship away from and against the pier, may cause damage analogous to that caused by wave action in an offshore environment.
General Structure and Operation of the Invention
Referring now to FIG. 2, a segmental, perspective view of a breasting dolphin or other pier structure can be seen as protected by an a assembly of docking fenders according to the present invention. The pier 28 can be either a breasting dolphin of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 or a wharf of the type which might be located in a natural harbor. The pier 28 illustrated is polygonal and has several generally planar, vertical side surfaces 30 which face a body of water.
The assembly of docking fenders is comprised of multiple bumpers or bumper means 32 which are of a rectangular and generally planar configuration. The bumpers are arranged in a parallel, spaced relation with corresponding side surfaces 30 of the pier 28. The bumpers are pivotally connected to one another at hinges 34. The hinged relation of the bumpers provides continuous "wrap around" protection to the pier and allows the docking fenders to interact to dissipate the energy of forces applied to one or more of the bumpers 32.
The energy of dynamic forces exerted against one or more of the bumpers 32 is dissipated as the dynamic forces displace the bumpers toward the pier. The dissipation of the energy is effected by cushioning means such as the hydraulic cushions 36 which connect the bumpers to the pier. As will be more fully described in connection with the discussion of FIG. 3 to follow, the cushions 36 are orthogonally oriented relative to each bumper 32 and corresponding side surface 30. The cushions 36 are telescoping and self-restoring. The self-restoring character of the cushions enables the cushions to restore the bumpers to a fully extended posture relative to the pier 28 once the forces tending to push the bumper toward the pier are removed or fully dissipated.
The dynamic forces applied by the ship to a docking fender are almost entirely and random and may vary in both magnitude and direction. For example, a ship may exert a force such as that represented by the vector P against the bumper of a docking fender. The force vector P is shown in FIG. 2 in relation to a set of coordinate axes X, Y, and Z superimposed on one of the docking fenders. By means of three dimensional trigonometric analysis, the force vector P can be resolved into three orthogonal components coinciding in direction to the coordinate axes. These orthogonal components are identified as P x , P y , and P z as shown.
The coordinate axes are superimposed on the bumper 32 in a manner such that the XY plane coincides with the plane of the bumper. Therefore the components P x and P y of the vector P act parallel or tangent to the plane of the bumper 32. The remaining component P z of the vector P acts normally or perpendicularly against the plane of the bumper. It will be recognized that the two components acting parallel to the plane of the bumper tend to displace the bumper laterally. Because these components depend principally upon the degree of frictional resistance between the ship and the bumper, they are usually of relatively small magnitude and generally to not tend to damage the pier. However, it these components of the vector P are not restrained, the fender, and in particular, the cushions, could be damaged. The cushions might also be rendered less effective in dissipating of the energy of the component P z as it acts normally against the bumper to axially compress the cushions. Because of its direction and relatively great magnitude, the force represented by P z is the most destructive force applied against the pier. The cushions 36 prevent damage to the pier which might be caused by this component by dissipating the energy thereof as the bumper or bumpers are displaced axially toward the pier 28 along the Z axis of the coordinate system and the cushions 36 are accordingly compressed.
Detailed Structure and Operation of the Invention
Referring now to FIG. 3, a top view of a preferred embodiment of a docking fender according to the present invention can be seen in a condition free from the influence of any dynamic forces tending to displace the bumper toward the pier and compress the hydraulic cushions. Only a portion of the pier 28 to which the docking fender is connected is shown. However, it can be seen that the surface of the pier to which the docking fender is connected is vertical and essentially planar. A base plate 38 is employed to facilitate connection of the docking fender to the pier. The bumper 32 is a vertical, essentially planar member which is arranged in a parallel, spaced relation to the pier 28 and the base plate 38. A plurality of cushions 36 connect the bumper 32 and the base plate 38 and are arranged in an orthogonal posture therebetween. Any suitable cushion can be employed, however, cushions of the type which telescope upon compression and which are self-restoring are preferred. Hydraulic cushions of this type are particularly desirable.
The cushions 36 illustrated in FIG. 3 are each universally connected to both the bumper and the base plate by means of ball joints located generally in the ends 40 of the cushions. Rigid, annular tubes 42 of varying diameter surround the cushion itself and are interconnected by elastomeric, conical, truncated, annuli which seal and protect the cushion from the effects of the marine environment. The hydraulic cushion or damper within the rigid tubes and elastomeric annuli may be characterized by any of a number of different energy dissipating capacities.
Abutment means in the form of a plurality of rigidly cantilevered cylindrical abutment members 46 can be seen extending from the base plate 38. The abutment members 46 are braced relative to the base plate by means of a plurality of fillet members 48 which strengthen the connection between the base plate and the abutment members. The free ends 50 of the abutment members 46 are coplanar and each is composed of a pad 52 of resilient material. These abutment members provide a positive limit to the degree to which the cushions can be axially compressed. By limiting the axial compression of the cushions, damage due to hypercompression or compressive overtravel of the cushion can be prevented. It will be appreciated that as the bumper 32 is displaced axially toward the pier 28 in response to dynamic forces applied by the hull of a vessel, the cushions 36 are axially compressed. If the dynamic forces applied to the bumper are of sufficient magnitude and duration, the bumper may ultimately be displaced a distance sufficient to cause the inner surface 54 of the bumper 32 to abut the pads 52 of resilient material which compose the free ends 50 of the abutment members 46. By virtue of this abutment the bumper is positively prevented from further displacement toward the pier 28.
A plurality of stanchions 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, and 70 are rigidly and orthogonally cantilevered from the bumper 32 and the base plate 38 into the space therebetween. These stanchions are employed to connect lateral and axial restraining means to the bumper and pier.
The axial restraining means are illustrated in FIG. 3 in the form of link chain counters or countering means 72, 74, 76, and 78 which extend from the free ends of stanchions connected to the bumper to connect with the base plate 38. These counters are capable of acting only in tension and serve to positively limit the degree to which the cushions can be extended. This positive limitation serves to prevent damage which might be caused by hyperextension or overtravel of the cushions upon excessive displacement of the bumper 32 axially away from the pier. The chains in no way interfere with movement of the bumper toward the pier but rather only limit extension of the cushions and displacement of the bumper away from the pier.
The lateral restraining means are illustrated in the form of link chain counters 80, 82, 84, and 86 opposed ends of which alternately connect the free ends of stanchions connected to the pier and the free ends of stanchions connected to the bumper. The stanchions are of differing lengths and it will be noted that stanchions 56, 60, 64, and 68 are relatively short and extend correspondingly short distances into the space between the bumper and base plate. Stanchions 58, 62, 66, and 70 are relatively long and extend correspondingly long distances into the space between the bumper and base plate. Since the chains are connected to the free ends of the stanchions, the varying lengths thereof result in a coplanar, opposed arrangement of countering chains wherein the chains are disposed in pairs in two different parallel planes. Chains 80 and 82 are disposed in a single plane in relatively close parallel relation to the bumper 32 while chains 84 and 86 are disposed in a second plane in relatively close parallel relation to the base plate 38.
The lateral countering chains described in the preceding paragraph resist the components of dynamic forces exerted parallel to the plane of the bumper. The particular manner in which these parallel forces are resisted will be more fully described in connection with the discussion of FIG. 5. However, it should be noted at this point that the lateral restraining means or countering chains resist all lateral displacement of the bumper relative to the pier. In other words, not only is horizontal displacement of the bumper resisted but vertical displacement is resisted as well. As in the case of the axial countering chains, the resistance is developed through tensile forces only since a chain, of course, cannot sustain a compressive load.
The interrelation of the stanchions extending from the pier and the bumper can perhaps more clearly be seen by referring to FIG. 4 where an expanded perspective view of a bumper, base plate, and the associated stanchions can be seen. The cushioning and restraining elements have been removed for clarity of illustration. It can be seen that an even numbered plurality of stanchions are employed and that an equal number are disposed on the bumper and the base plate. Each stanchion cantilevered from the bumper is diagonally connected by means of a countering chain to a stanchion cantilevered from the base plate. It will be noted that stanchions of relatively short length, viz., stanchions 56, 60, 64, and 68, are connected to stanchions of longer length. More particularly, stanchion 56 is connected through chain 80 to stanchion 66. Stanchion 60 is connected through chain 84 to stanchion 70. Stanchion 64 is connected through chain 82 to stanchion 58; and stanchion 68 is connected through chain 86 to stanchion 62. This arrangement results in the chains being disposed in opposed, coplanar relation between the base plate and the bumper. As indicated in connection with the discussion of FIG. 3, chains 80 and 82 are coplanar and are located in closer proximity to the bumper 32 than are chains 84 and 86 which are also coplanar.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a sectional view taken along the lines 5--5 of FIG. 3 can be seen. A portion of the planar surface of the pier 28 can be seen with the base plate 38 attached. A plurality of cushions 36 which connect the bumper and base plate can be seen as they are preferably arranged adjacent the corners of the base plate within the perimeter of the bumper. A plurality of abutment members are shown as they are cantilevered from the base plate. The stanchions are shown arranged in opposed pairs on either side of each cushion adjacent the corners of the base plate. As indicated in connection with the discussion of FIG. 4, stanchions 58, 60, 66, and 68 are cantilevered from the base plate while stanchions 56, 62, 64, and 70 are cantilevered from the bumper. Lateral countering chains are alternately connected at opposed ends to the stanchions and extend between the bumper and the pier. Chain 80 extends between stanchions 56 and 66; chain 82 extends between stanchions 58 and 64; chain 84 extends between stanchions 60 and 70; and chain 86 extends between stanchions 62 and 68. As indicated in connection with the discussions of FIGS. 3 and 4 the stanchions are of different lengths and the chains, therefore, are arranged in opposed parallel, coplanar relation. In particular, chains 80 and 82 are coplanar and chains 84 and 86 are also coplanar. Axial countering chains illustrated in part in FIG. 3 and indicated in this figure generally by the numerals 72, 74, 76, and 78 and the associated arrows are hidden by the connecting fixtures which connect the chains to the stanchions. The particular manner in which these countering chains connect the stanchions of the bumper to the base plate will be more fully described in the discussion of FIGS. 6 and 7 to follow. However, it should be again noted that these countering chains prevent overtravel or hyperextension of the cushions due to excessive displacement of the bumper away from the pier.
Because the vertically inclined countering chains 80, 82, 84, and 86 are capable of acting only in tension, the chains alternately restrain the bumper. For instance, should a horizontal force such as that represented by the vector H 1 be exerted against the bumper parallel to the plane thereof, then stanchions 56 and 62 would tend to translate with the bumper. Chains 80 and 86 would then tighten and exert tensile forces restraining any displacement of the bumper relative to the base plate. Concurrently, chains 82 and 84 would tend to relax slightly. Likewise, if a force should be exerted against the bumper as represented by the vector H r , then stanchions 70 and 64 would tend to translate with the bumper and chains 82 and 84 would tighten and exert tensile forces resisting displacement of the bumper. Concurrently, chains 80 and 86 would tend to relax slightly. Also, should a vertical force such as that represented by the vector V d be exerted against the bumper parallel to the plane thereof, stanchions 62 and 64 would tend to translate with the bumper. Chains 82 and 86 would then tighten and exert tensile forces restraining any displacement of the bumper relative to the base plate. Of course, if a diagonal force such as that represented by the vector D should be exerted against the bumper, parallel to the plane thereof, the countering chains will restrain the bumper from displacement since any diagonal vector can be resolved into horizontal and vertical components which can be resisted by a combination of the horizontal and vertical countering process described in the preceding.
Referring now to FIG. 6 a side view of a preferred embodiment of a docking fender according to the present invention can be seen in a condition free from the influence of any forces tending to compress the hydraulic cushion. A portion of the pier 28 can be seen with the base plate 38 in place. The base plate and pier are planar and vertically oriented as indicated in connection with the discussion of FIG. 3. The planar bumper 32 also can be seen to be connected in a spaced, parallel relation to the pier by the cushions 36.
The abutment members 46 are orthogonally and rigidly cantilevered from the base plate and are braced against buckling by suitable fillet members 48. As indicated in connection with the discussion of FIG. 3, the free ends of these abutment members are coplanar and terminate in pads 52 of resilient material. These coplanar, resilient free ends may be abutted by the interior surface 54 of the bumper 32 to avoid excessive compression of the cushions.
As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, a number of stanchions are cantilevered into the space between the bumper and the pier to carry the restraining chain counters which positively limit the displacement of the bumper laterally and axially away from the pier. The lateral countering chains appear in parallel, opposed, coplanar pairs which are parallel to the plane of the bumper and the pier. Due to the different lengths of the stanchions each pair of countering chains occupies a different plane.
The axial restraining chain counters extend horizontally from the free ends of each stanchion cantilevered from the bumper and are connected to the base plate opposite the stanchion. Chain 72 connects stanchion 56 to the base plate; chain 78 connects stanchion 70 to the base plate; chain 74 connects stanchion 72 to the base plate; and chain 76 connects stanchion 64 to the base plate. These countering chains limit the displacement of the bumper axially away from the pier and thus protect the cushions against hyperextension or overtravel axially away from the pier.
Referring finally to FIG. 7, a side view of a preferred embodiment of a docking fender can be seen in a condition in which the bumper 32 has been displaced toward the pier and the cushions 36 are fully compressed or telescoped. The coplanar, resilient free ends of the abutment members 46 are each in full contact with the inner surface 54 of the bumper 32. Thus, the bumper is positively stopped and cannot be further displaced toward the pier. The cushions are in this way protected against any further, possible damaging, compression.
The axial counters 72, 74, 76, and 78 are shown to be hanging loosely since the ends of stanchions 56, 72, 64, and 70 to which these counters are respectively connected have been displaced to positions of closer proximity to the base plate 38. Whereas in previous figures all four countering chains could not be individually seen, it is readily apparent from this figure that the bumper is connected to the base plate at all four corners adjacent each cushion.
The lateral counters in the fully compressed condition shown in FIG. 3 have been forced into skewed orientations due to the coplanar arrangement of the uncompressed configuration and since the stanchions are arranged in opposed pairs. In other words, displacement of the bumper toward the pier causes relative displacement of the members of each opposed pair of stanchions in opposite directions. Thus, since the chains of each opposed pair of stanchions are coplanar when the cushions are uncompressed, the chains move into a skewed configuration once the bumper is displaced toward the pier. It will, of course, be appreciated that the chains must be of greater length to assume the skewed configuration than if the chains were to remain parallel to the bumper and the base plate. Therefore, although in previous illustrations the chains have been shown to be stretched taut, it can now be understood that, in fact, the chains are somewhat loose so that displacement of the bumper toward the pier is restrained only by the energy dissipating action of the cushions. It should be noted that the chains are only loose enough to allow them to assume the skewed configuration illustrated in FIG. 7. It should be emphasized that the amount of slack required is not sufficient to cause any undue sagging in the chains.
SUMMARY OF MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
It can be readily appreciated at this point by those skilled in the art that a number of significant advantages are provided by the novel docking fender disclosed in the preceding. For instance, the docking fender provides a highly efficient hydraulic cushioning arrangement wherein the cushions are axially compressed upon displacement of the entire bumper as a unit toward the pier. The cushions are orthogonally oriented relative to the bumper and pier and therefore are compressed axially by an amount equal to the extent of the displacement of the bumper toward the pier. In other words, the cushions are axially compressed by an amount equal to the distance the bumper is displaced toward the pier. Thus, the cushions can undergo greater compression and can resist dynamic forces over a longer time and distance than if the cushions were splayed.
The lateral counters restrain and laterally stabilize the bumper relative to the pier. Therefore while the bumper is entirely free to be displaced toward the pier, the potential for damage to the cushions or for diminished cushioning capacity is reduced. Furthermore, the bumper is vertically supported without the need for any secondary structure and without imposing any unnecessary suspending forces upon the cushion.
The axial restraining counters positively limit the extent to which the cushions can be axially extended. In this way the cushions are protected from damage which may be caused by hyperextension or axial overtravel of the hydraulic cushions. Similarly, the abutting members positively limit the degree of compression of the cushions and thus minimize the possibility that the cushions may be damaged by hypercompression or compressive overtravel due to excessive displacement of the bumper towards the pier.
It is also important to recognize that all of the cushioning and restraining elements, including the hydraulic cushions, the axial and lateral counters, and the abutment members, are arranged and contained within the perimeter of the bumper. Thus, the space required by the docking fender is minimized and the cushioning and restraining elements are protected from damage.
In describing the invention, reference has been made to a preferred embodiment. However, those skilled in the art and familiar with the disclosure of the invention may recognize certain additions, deletions, substitutions or other modifications which would fall within the perview of the invention as defined in the claims.
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A method and apparatus is provided for dissipating the energy of random dynamic forces exerted against a pier. The dynamic forces are received by a bumper connected to the side of a pier. The normal components of the forces exerted against the bumper are cushioned and the energy of these forces dissipated by means of reactive forces developed incident to compression of a plurality of compressible, self-restoring cushions connecting and extending orthogonally between the bumper and the pier. Lateral displacement of the bumper relative to the pier in response to components of the dynamic forces acting parallel to the bumper is rigidly restrained by restraining members connecting the bumper and the pier. Once the normal components of the dynamic forces are dissipated, the cushions restore themselves to uncompressed, fully extended conditions and the fender is prepared to receive subsequent loads.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to radiation-sensitive compositions and in particular to radiation-sensitive compositions which contain a photocrosslinkable polymer. More specifically, this invention relates to novel radiation-sensitive compositions which are especially useful in the production of lithographic printing plates.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The art of lithographic printing is based upon the immiscibility of oil and water, wherein the oily material or ink is preferentially retained by the image area and the water or fountain solution is preferentially retained by the non-image area. When a suitably prepared surface is moistened with water and an ink is then applied, the background or non-image area retains the water and repels the ink while the image area accepts the ink and repels the water. The ink on the image area is then transferred to the surface of a material upon which the image is to be reproduced, such as paper, cloth and the like. Commonly the ink is transferred to an intermediate material called the blanket, which in turn transfers the ink to the surface of the material upon which the image is to be reproduced.
Negative-working lithographic printing plates are prepared from negative-working radiation-sensitive compositions that are formed from polymers which crosslink in radiation-exposed areas. A developing solution is used to remove the unexposed portions of the coating to thereby form a negative image.
The most widely used type of negative-working lithographic printing plate comprises a layer of a radiation-sensitive composition applied to an aluminum substrate and commonly includes a subbing layer or interlayer to control the bonding of the radiation-sensitive layer to the substrate. The aluminum substrate is typically provided with an anodized coating formed by anodically oxidizing the aluminum in an aqueous electrolyte solution.
It is well known to prepare negative-working lithographic printing plates utilizing a radiation-sensitive composition which includes a photocrosslinkable polymer containing the photosensitive group: ##STR2## as an integral part of the polymer backbone. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,030,208, 3,622,320, 3,702,765 and 3,929,489). A typical example of such a photocrosslinkable polymer is the polyester prepared from diethyl p-phenylenediacrylate and 1,4-bis(β-hydroxyethoxy)cyclohexane, which is comprised of recurring units of the formula: ##STR3## This polyester, referred to hereinafter as Polymer A, has been employed for many years in lithographic printing plates which have been extensively used on a commercial basis. These printing plates have typically employed an anodized aluminum substrate which has been formed by electrolytic anodization with an electrolyte comprised of phosphoric acid.
Polyesters in addition to Polymer A which are especially useful in the preparation of lithographic printing plates are those which incorporate ionic moieties derived from monomers such as dimethyl-3,3'-[(sodioimino)disulfonyl]dibenzoate and dimethyl-5-sodiosulfoisophthalate. Polyesters of this type are well known and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,489 issued Dec. 30, 1975. A preferred polyester of this type, referred to hereinafter as Polymer B, is poly[1,4-cyclohexylene-bis(oxyethylene)-p-phenylene-diacrylate]-co-3,3'-[(sodioimino)disulfonyl]dibenzoate. Another preferred polyester of this type, referred to hereinafter as Polymer C, is poly[1,4-cyclohexylene-bis(oxyethylene)-p-phenylenediacrylate]-co-3,3'-[(sodioimino)disulfonyl]dibenzoate-co-3-hydroxyisophthalate.
While lithographic printing plates prepared from photocrosslinkable polymers such as Polymer A, Polymer B or Polymer C have many advantageous properties, they suffer from certain deficiencies which have limited their commercial acceptance. Thus, for example, shelf-life can be inadequate in that significant scumming in the background areas tends to manifest itself upon aging of the plate without special treatments of the support. As described in Cunningham et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,426, shelf-life is enhanced by overcoating the phosphoric-acid-anodized aluminum substrate with a subbing layer containing a salt of a heavy metal, such as zinc acetate, dispersed in a hydrophilic cellulosic material such as carboxymethylcellulose. As described in European Patent Application No. 0218160, published Apr. 15, 1987, shelf-life can also be enhanced by applying a silicate layer over the anodic layer and then subjecting the silicate layer to a passivating treatment with a salt of a heavy metal, such as zinc acetate.
Omitting the use of such overcoating or passivating treatment of the substrate results in an increasing amount of coating residue on the plate following development as the plate ages, i.e., shelf-life is inadequate. However, the presence of zinc or other heavy metals in the printing plate in extractable form is undesirable because of the potential of contaminating the developer to the point that it can no longer be legally discharged into municipal sewage systems. Moreover, even with zinc acetate passivation or the addition of zinc acetate to a cellulosic subbing layer, the presensitized printing plates exhibit a substantial increase in toe speed on aging which results in undesirably low contrast.
A further disadvantage of the aforesaid photopolymer coatings is that the quantity of coating which can be processed with a given quantity of aqueous developer is less than desirable due to the fact that the coating breaks-up as fairly large particles which tend to redeposit on the imaged areas of the printing plate. The photopolymer coatings can be caused to break-up into finer particles upon development by drying them at higher temperatures than normally used. The use of higher drying temperatures, however, increases manufacturing costs and decreases production efficiency. Furthermore, although the particle sizes are finer, the quantity of photopolymer coating which can be processed before redeposit begins to occur is still less than desirable.
Other disadvantages associated with the use of the aforesaid photopolymers in lithographic printing plates include a tendency for undesirable mottle formation to occur and the need to use an undesirably high concentration of organic solvent in an aqueous-based developing composition. Mottle is particularly affected by the mechanics of film drying, determined by such factors as solvent evaporation rates.
Blinding problems are commonly encountered with commercially available aqueous-developable lithographic printing plates, so that there is an acute need in the art for an additive that is capable of improving ink receptivity.
It is known to incorporate non-light-sensitive, film-forming, resins in radiation-sensitive compositions of the type described hereinabove. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,489 refers to the use of phenolic resins, epoxy resins, hydrogenated rosin, poly(vinyl acetals), acrylic polymers, poly(alkylene oxides), and poly(vinyl alcohol) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,424 specifically discloses the use of polystyrene resin. These resins are employed for such purposes as controlling wear resistance of the coating, improving resistance to etchants and increasing the thickness of the radiation-sensitive layer so as to ensure complete coverage of the relatively rough metal substrate and thereby prevent blinding. However, these resins do not impart beneficial properties with respect to shelf-life or processing characteristics.
It is toward the objective of providing an improved radiation-sensitive composition, useful in the production of lithographic printing plates, that overcomes one or more of the disadvantages described above that the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, a polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone is incorporated in a radiation-sensitive composition which includes a photocrosslinkable polymer containing the photosensitive group. ##STR4## as an integral part of the polymer backbone. The polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone improves the properties of the radiation-sensitive composition in regard to such factors as shelf-life, image contrast, and developability and thereby provides a superior negative-working lithographic printing plate.
The polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone employed in this invention can be a homopolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone or a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone with an ethylenically-unsaturated copolymerizable monomer such as vinyl acetate.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following copending commonly assigned U.S. Patent Applications are directed to inventions which are closely related to that described herein:
(1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 554,239, filed July 17, 1990, "Radiation-Sensitive Composition Containing a Poly(N-Acyl-Alkyleneimine) and Use Thereof in Lithographic Printing Plates" by Paul R. West et al.
(2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 554,231, filed July 17, 1990, "Radiation-Sensitive Composition Containing An Unsaturated Polyester and Use Thereof in Lithographic Printing Plates" by Paul R. West et al.
(3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 554,230, filed July 17, 1990, "Radiation-Sensitive Composition Containing Both a Vinyl Pyrrolidone Polymer and An Unsaturated Polyester and Use Thereof in Lithographic Printing Plates" by Paul R. West et al. and (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 554,229, filed July 17, 1990, "Radiation-Sensitive Composition Containing Both a Poly(N-Acyl-Alkyleneimine) and An Unsaturated Polyester and Use Thereof in Lithographic Printing Plates" by Paul R. West et al.
As indicated hereinabove, the radiation-sensitive compositions of this invention contain a polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone, including homopolymers and copolymers with ethylenically unsaturated copolymerizable monomers. Preferably, the copolymer is one which contains at least 50 mole percent of vinyl pyrrolidone.
The homopolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone, i.e., poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) is represented by the formula: ##STR5## wherein n represents a whole number, e.g., a number sufficiently high to provide a molecular weight of from several hundred to several hundred thousand. These polymers are well known and can be prepared, for example, by processes of polymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,265,540, issued Dec. 9, 1941 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,335,454, issued Nov. 30, 1943.
Ethylenically unsaturated monomers copolymerizable with vinyl pyrrolidone include:
vinyl acetate
vinyl propionate
vinyl chloride
styrene
methylacrylate
methylmethacrylate
ethylacrylate
n-propylacrylate
ethylmethacrylate
butylacrylate
butylmethacrylate
methylacrylamide
methylmethacrylamide
N-acryloylmorpholine
N-acryloylpiperidine
vinylpyridine
and the like.
Two or more of such polymerizable monomers can, if desired, be interpolymerized with vinyl pyrrolidone.
Examples of copolymers of vinyl pyrrolidone particularly useful in combination with or as an alternative to poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) in the present invention include: copoly(vinylacetate/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) copoly(N-acryloylmorpholine/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) copoly(N-acryloylpiperidine/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) copoly(methylacrylate/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) copoly(styrene/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) copoly(ethyl methacrylate/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) copoly(4-vinylpyridine/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) and the like.
The polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone is typically incorporated in the radiation-sensitive composition in an amount of from about 2 to about 30 percent by weight based on total polymer content, and more particularly in an amount of from about 5 to about 15 percent by weight.
The radiation-sensitive compositions of this invention comprise photocrosslinkable polymers, such as polyesters, containing the photosensitive group ##STR6## as an integral part of the polymer backbone. For example, preferred photocrosslinkable polymers are polyesters prepared from one or more compounds represented by the following formulae: ##STR7## where R 2 is one or more alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, aryl of 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyl of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, nitro, amino, acrylic, carboxyl, hydrogen or halo and is chosen to provide at least one condensation site; and R 3 is hydroxy, alkoxy of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, halo or oxy if the compound is an acid anhydride. A preferred compound is p-phenylene diacrylic acid or a functional equivalent thereof. These and other useful compounds are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,208 (issued Apr. 17, 1962 to Schellenberg et al); U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,765 (issued Nov. 14, 1972 to Laakso); and U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,320 (issued Nov. 23, 1971 to Allen), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. ##STR8## R 3 is as defined above, and R 4 is alkylidene of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, aralkylidene of 7 to 16 carbon atoms, or a 5- to 6-membered heterocyclic ring. Particularly useful compounds of formula (B) are cinnamylidenemalonic acid, 2-butenylidenemalonic acid, 3-pentenylidenemalonic acid, o-nitrocinnamylidene malonic acid, naphthylallylidenemalonic acid, 2-furfurylideneethylidenemalonic acid and functional equivalents thereof. These and other useful compounds are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,745 (issued July 4, 1972 to Philipot et al), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. ##STR9## R 3 is as defined above; and R 5 is hydrogen or methyl. Particularly useful compounds of formula (C) are trans, trans-muconic acid, cis-transmuconic acid, cis, cis-muconic acid, α,α'-cis, trans-dimethylmuconic acid, α,α'-cis, cis-dimethylmuconic acid and functional equivalents thereof. These and other useful compounds are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,434 (issued Oct. 26, 1971 to McConkey), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. ##STR10## R 3 is as defined above; and Z represents the atoms necessary to form an unsaturated bridged or unbridged carbocyclic nucleus of 6 or 7 carbon atoms. Such nucleus can be substituted or unsubstituted. Particularly useful compounds of formula (D) are 4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid, 5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid, hexachloro-5[2:2:1]-bicycloheptene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid and functional equivalents thereof. These and other useful compounds are described in Canadian Patent No. 824,096 (issued Sept. 30, 1969 to Mench et al), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. ##STR11## R 3 is as defined above; and R 6 is hydrogen, alkyl 1 to 12 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of 5 to 12 carbon atoms or aryl of 6 to 12 carbon atoms. R 6 can be substituted where possible, with such substituents as do not interfere with the condensation reaction, such as halo, nitro, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, etc. The carbonyl groups are attached to the cyclohexadiene nucleus meta or para to each other, and preferably para. Particularly useful compounds of formula (E) are 1,3-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid, 1,3-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid, 1,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid and functional equivalents thereof. These and other useful compounds are described in Belgian Patent No. 754,892 (issued Oct. 15, 1970), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Preferred photocrosslinkable polyesters for use in this invention are p-phenylene diacrylate polyesters.
Printing plates of this invention comprise a support having coated thereon a layer containing the radiation-sensitive composition described above. Such plates can be prepared by forming coatings with the coating composition and removing the solvent by drying at ambient or elevated temperatures. Any one of a variety of conventional coating techniques can be employed, such as extrusion coating, doctor-blade coating, spray coating, dip coating, whirl coating, spin coating, roller coating, etc.
Coating compositions containing the mixture of polymers of this invention can be prepared by dispersing or dissolving the polymers in any suitable solvent or combination of solvents used in the art to prepare polymer dopes. The solvents are chosen to be substantially unreactive toward the polymers within the time period contemplated for maintaining the solvent and polymer in association and are chosen to be compatible with the substrate employed for coating. While the best choice of solvent will vary with the exact application under consideration, exemplary preferred solvents include alcohols, such as butanol and benzyl alcohol; ketones, such as acetone, 2-butanone and cyclohexanone; ethers, such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane; 2-methoxyethyl acetate; N,N'-dimethylformamide; chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chloroform, trichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, dichloromethane, tetrachloroethane, chlorobenzene; and mixtures thereof.
Suitable supports can be chosen from among a variety of materials which do not directly chemically react with the coating composition. Such supports include fiber based materials such as paper, polyethylene-coated paper, polypropylene-coated paper, parchment, cloth, etc.; sheets and foils of such materials as aluminum, copper, magnesium zinc, etc.; glass and glass coated with such metals as chromium alloys, steel, silver, gold, platinum, etc.; synthetic resin and polymeric materials such as poly(alkyl acrylates), e.g., poly(methyl methacrylate), polyester film base, e.g., poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(vinyl acetals), polyamides, e.g., nylon and cellulose ester film base, e.g., cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate and the like.
Preferred support materials include zinc, anodized aluminum, grained aluminum, and aluminum which has been grained and anodized. Particularly preferred support materials are described in Miller et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,346, issued Mar. 3, 1987, and Huddleston et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,951, issued Sept. 12, 1989.
The support can be preliminarily coated--i.e., before receipt of the radiation-sensitive coating - with known subbing layers such as copolymers of vinylidene chloride and acrylic monomers - e.g., acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate, etc. and unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as itaconic acid, etc.; carboxymethyl cellulose, gelatin; polyacrylamide; and similar polymer materials. A preferred subbing composition comprises benzoic acid and is described in Miller et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,886, issued Feb. 3, 1987.
The optimum coating thickness of the radiation-sensitive layer will depend upon such factors as the particular application to which the printing plate will be put, and the nature of other components which may be present in the coating. Typical coating thicknesses can be from about 0.05 to about 10.0 microns or greater, with thicknesses of from 0.1 to 2.5 microns being preferred.
The printing plate of this invention can be exposed by conventional methods, for example, through a transparency or a stencil, to an imagewise pattern of actinic radiation, preferably rich in ultraviolet light, which crosslinks and insolubilizes the radiation-sensitive polymer in the exposed areas. Suitable light sources include carbon arc lamps, mercury vapor lamps, fluorescent lamps, tungsten filament lamps, "photoflood" lamps, lasers and the like. The exposure can be by contact printing techniques, by lens projection, by reflex, by bireflex, from an image-bearing original or by any other known technique.
The exposed printing plate of this invention can be developed by flushing, soaking, swabbing or otherwise treating the radiation-sensitive composition with a solution (hereinafter referred to as a developer) which selectively solubilizes (i.e., removes) the unexposed areas of the radiation-sensitive layer. The developer is preferably an aqueous solution having a pH as near to neutral as is feasible.
In a preferred form, the developer includes a combination of water and an alcohol that is miscible with water, or able to be rendered miscible by the use of cosolvents or surfactants, as a solvent system. The proportions of water and alcohol can be varied widely but are typically within the range of from 40 to 99 percent by volume water and from 1 to 60 percent by volume alcohol. Most preferably, the water content is maintained within the range of from 60 to 90 percent by volume. Any alcohol or combination of alcohols that does not chemically adversely attack the crosslinked radiation-sensitive layer during development and that is miscible with water in the proportions chosen for use can be employed. Exemplary of useful alcohols are glycerol, benzyl alcohol, 2-phenoxyethanol, 1,2-propanediol, sec-butyl alcohol and ethers derived from alkylene glycols--i.e., dihydroxy poly(alkylene oxides)--e.g., dihydroxy poly(ethylene oxide), dihydroxy poly(propylene oxide), etc.
It is recognized that the developer can, optionally, contain additional addenda. For example, the developer can contain dyes and/or pigments. It can be advantageous to incorporate into the developer anti-scumming and/or anti-blinding agents as is well recognized in the art.
A preferred developing composition for use with the novel lithographic printing plates of this invention is an aqueous composition including:
(a) a nontoxic developing vehicle, such as butyrolactone, phenoxy propanol, phenoxy ethanol, benzyl alcohol or methyl pyrrolidone, which is a non-solvent for any of the components of the lithographic plate;
(b) a first surfactant comprising a sodium, lithium or potassium salt of xylene sulfonic acid;
(c) a second surfactant comprising a sodium, lithium or potassium salt of toluene, ethyl benzene, cumene or mesitylene sulfonic acid;
(d) a third surfactant comprising a sodium, lithium or potassium salt of an alkyl benzene sulfonic acid, the alkyl group containing at least ten carbon atoms, or an alkyl naphthalene sulfonic acid, the alkyl group containing from one to four carbon atoms;
(e) a cold water soluble film-forming agent such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polystyrene/maleic anhydride copolymers, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl methyl ethers and polystyrene/vinyl acetate copolymers;
(f) an alkanolamine desensitizing agent such as diethanolamine;
and (g) an acid, such as citric, ascorbic, tartaric, glutaric, acetic, phosphoric, sulfuric or hydrochloric acid, to control the pH of the developing composition.
These developing compositions are described in copending commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 379,823, filed July 14, 1989, "Aqueous Developer Composition For Developing Negative-Working Lithographic Printing Plates", by J. E. Walls, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A developing composition of this type is commercially available from Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York, as KODAK AQUEOUS PLATE DEVELOPER MX-1469-1.
After development, the printing plate can be treated in any known manner consistent with its intended use. For example, lithographic printing plates are typically subjected to desensitizing etches.
In addition to the photocrosslinkable polymer and the vinyl pyrrolidone polymer, a number of other addenda can be present in the coating composition and ultimately form a part of the completed printing plate. For example, radiation sensitivity of the radiation-sensitive polymeric composition can be enhanced by incorporating therein one or more spectral sensitizers. Suitable spectral sensitizers include anthrones, nitro sensitizers, triphenylmethanes, quinones, cyanine dyes, naphthones, pyrylium and thiapyrylium salts, furanones, anthraquinones, 3-ketocoumarins, thiazoles, thiazolines, naphthothiazolines, quinalizones, and others described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,390 and references noted therein. Preferred sensitizers include the 3-ketocoumarins described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,552 and the thiazoline sensitizers of U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,686. Such sensitizers can be present in the compositions in effective sensitizing amounts easily determined by one of the ordinary skill in the art.
The coating composition can contain pigments preferably having a maximum average particle size less than about 3 micrometers. These pigments can provide a visible coloration to an image before or after development of the element. Useful pigments are well known in the art and include titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, copper phthalocyanines, halogenated copper phthalocyanines, quinacridine, and colorants such as those sold commercially under such trade names as Monastral Blue and Monastral Red B. The pigments are generally present in the compositions in an amount within the range of from 0 to about 50 percent (by weight) based on the total dry composition weight. Preferred amounts are within the range of from about 5 to about 20 percent (by weight).
It is frequently desirable to add print out or indicator dyes to the compositions to provide a colored print out image after exposure. Useful dyes for such purpose include monoazo, diazo, methine, anthraquinone, triarylmethane, thiazine, xanthene, phthalocyanine, azine, cyanine and leuco dyes as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,929,489 and 4,139,390 and references noted therein. Such dyes are present in amounts readily determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art.
It is recognized that the radiation-sensitive composition of this invention can become crosslinked prior to intended exposure if the compositions or printing plates of this invention are stored at elevated temperatures, in areas permitting exposure to some quantity of actinic radiation and/or for extended periods of time. To insure against crosslinking the composition inadvertently before intended exposure to actinic radiation, stabilizers can be incorporated into the radiation-sensitive compositions and printing plates of this invention. Useful stabilizers include picoline N-oxide; phenols, such as 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, 2,6-di-tert-butylanisole and p-methoxyphenol; hydroquinones such as hydroquinone, phloroglucinol and 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone; triphenylmetallics, such as triphenylarsine; triphenylstilbene; and tertiary amines, such as N-methyldiphenylamine.
Still other addenda useful in the printing plates of this invention include antioxidants, surfactants, anti-scumming agents, and others known in the art.
Binders or extenders can optionally be incorporated into the radiation-sensitive composition. Such binders or extenders can be present in an amount within the range of from 0 to about 50 percent (by weight) based on total dry composition weight. Suitable binders include styrene-butadiene copolymers; silicone resins; styrene-alkyd resins; silicone-alkyd resins; soya-alkyd resins; poly(vinyl chloride); poly(vinylidene chloride); vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile copolymers; poly(vinyl acetate); vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride copolymers; poly(vinyl acetals), such as poly(vinyl butyral); polyacrylic and -methacrylic esters, such as poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(n-butyl methacrylate) and poly(isobutyl methacrylate); polystyrene; nitrated polystyrene; polymethylstyrene; isobutylene polymers; polyesters, such as poly(ethylene-co-alkaryloxy-alkylene terephthalate); phenolformaldehyde resins; ketone resins; polyamides; polycarbonates; polythiocarbonates, poly(ethylene 4,4'-isopropylidenediphenylene terephthalate); copolymers of vinyl acetate such as poly(vinyl-m-bromobenzoate-co-vinyl acetate); ethyl cellulose, poly(vinyl alcohol), cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, chlorinated rubber and gelatin. Methods of making binders or extenders of this type are well known in the prior art. A typical resin of the type contemplated for use is Piccolastic A50™, commercially available from Hercules, Inc., Wilmington, Del. Other types of binders which can be used include such materials as paraffin and mineral waxes.
The invention is further illustrated by the following examples of its practice.
EXAMPLE 1
Coating compositions useful in preparing lithographic printing plates were prepared in accordance with the following formulations:
__________________________________________________________________________ Amounts (grams)Component Composition 1 Composition 2 Composition 3__________________________________________________________________________(1) Polymer A (15% by weight solu- 144.16 tion in 1,2-dichloroethane)(2) Polymer B (15% by weight solu- 144.15 tion in 1,2-dichloroethane)(3) Polymer C (15% by weight solu- 144.15 tion in 1,2-dichloroethane)(4) MONASTRAL Red pigment (7% by 52.13 51.54 weight dispersion in 1,2- dichloroethane)(5) MONASTRAL Blue pigment (7% by 18.49 weight dispersion in 1,2-dichloroethane)(6) 2-[Bis(2-furoyl)methylene]-1- 0.63 0.83 methyl-naphtho[1,2-d]thiazoline(7) 3,3'-Carbonylbis(5,7-di-n- 1.03 propoxycoumarin)(8) 2,6-Di-t-butyl-p-cresol 0.60 0.68 0.60(9) N-(4-Chlorobenzenesulfonyloxy)- 1.77 1.14 1.42 1,8-naphthalimide(10) Dihydroanhydropiperidinohexose 0.08 0.02 0.03 reductone(11) Leuco propyl violet 0.46 0.28 0.27(12) MODAFLOW coating aid* 0.02(13) FC-430 surfactant** 0.15 0.23(14) 1,2-Dichloroethane 597.06 597.06 630.90__________________________________________________________________________ *MODAFLOW coating aid is a copolymer of ethyl acrylate and 2ethylhexyl acrylate manufactured by Monsanto Corporation. **FC430 surfactant is a mixture of fluoroaliphatic polymeric esters manufactured by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company.
In the above formulations, (1), (2) and (3) serve as film-forming polymers, (4) and (5) serve as colorants, (6) and (7) serve as spectral sensitizers, (8) serves as a stabilizer, (9) serves as a photooxidant, (10) serves as an antioxidant, (11) serves as a print-out dye, (12) and (13) serve as coating aids, and (14) serves as a solvent.
A control coating was prepared by incorporating polystyrene resin (available under the trademark Piccolastic A-50 from Hercules, Inc.) in Composition 1 in an amount of 15.3% of the total polymer content. Compositions within the scope of the present invention were prepared by incorporating copoly[vinylacetate (40)/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (60)], which is available under the trademark S-630 from GAF Corporation, in Composition 1 in amounts of 3.8, 7.7, 11.5, and 15.3% of the total polymer content.
Each composition was used to prepare a lithographic printing plate by coating it over a phosphoric-acid-anodized aluminum substrate provided with a thin carboxymethyl cellulose subcoat. All coatings were baked for 2 minutes at 100° C. as an accelerated aging test. All of the coatings that contained the S-630 resin could be imaged and developed cleanly after the bake treatment, while the comparison coating that contained the polystyrene resin left a heavy coating residue on the substrate under the same conditions. These results demonstrate the ability of a vinyl pyrrolidone polymer to improve the shelf-life of the radiation-sensitive photopolymer coating without having to resort to the use of treatments with heavy metal salts such as zinc acetate. Similar results were obtained using 7.7% of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) in place of the S-630 resin in Composition 1. Similar results were also obtained using 7.7% of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) in each of Compositions 2 and 3.
EXAMPLES 2-5
Incubation tests were carried out to determine the effectiveness of vinyl pyrrolidone polymers in providing and maintaining high contrast. In carrying out these tests, printing plates were prepared by coating Composition 1 described in Example 1, containing additives as indicated below, onto phosphoric-acid-anodized aluminum in an amount sufficient to provide a photopolymer coverage of 810 milligrams per square meter. The contrast of each coating was determined from its sensitometric response immediately after coating and again after incubation for two weeks at 50° C. Control A had a thin subcoat of carboxymethyl cellulose which contained zinc acetate in order to stabilize the photosensitive coating sufficiently to be able to measure the speed response after incubation. Control B and Examples 2 to 5 also had a thin subcoat of carboxymethyl cellulose but the subcoat did not contain any zinc acetate. All coatings were processed with KODAK AQUEOUS PLATE DEVELOPER MX-1469-1, available from Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y. The results obtained are described in Table I below.
TABLE I__________________________________________________________________________Test Coating Weight Fresh IncubatedNo. Additive (mg/m.sup.2) Contrast Contrast__________________________________________________________________________Control Test A Polystyrene 146 1.6 0.71Control Test B Polystyrene 146 1.6 *Example 2 Polyvinylpyrrolidone** 73 1.2 1.5Example 3 Copolymer of vinyl 73 1.2 1.2 pyrrolidone (60%) and vinyl acetate (40%)Example 4 Copolymer of vinyl 146 1.36 1.2 pyrrolidone (60%) and vinyl acetate (40%)Example 5 Polyvinylpyrrolidone/ 73/110 1.6 1.3 polystyrene__________________________________________________________________________ *This coating failed the incubation test so that a contrast reading could not by made. **Molecular weight of approximately 40,000.
As indicated by the data in Table I, coatings in which polystyrene was utilized as the additive, namely Control Test A and Control Test B, were not able to maintain high contrast values. In Control Test A, which utilized zinc acetate in the subbing layer, the contrast dropped from 1.6 to 0.71, i.e., it dropped to less than half its original value. Control Test B, which also employed polystyrene and did not utilize zinc acetate, failed the incubation test, i.e., unexposed areas of the plate could not be developed cleanly and left coating residues. On the other hand, Examples 2 to 5, each of which utilized a polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone, experienced a drop in contrast of no more than twenty percent and maintained the contrast level above one.
Homopolymers of vinyl pyrrolidone and copolymers containing at least 50 mole percent of vinyl pyrrolidone are both solvent soluble and water soluble. These solubility characteristics render them especially advantageous for use in the present invention since they facilitate both coating from solvent solution to form the radiation-sensitive layer and subsequent development by the use of "aqueous" developing solutions, i.e., developing solutions which are predominantly water but do contain small amounts of organic solvent. Incorporation of the polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone in the radiation-sensitive composition permits the use of lower concentrations of organic solvent in the aqueous developing solution, as compared with an otherwise identical composition that does not contain the polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone.
Current trends in the lithographic printing plate industry favor the use of "aqueous developers." By this is meant that the developer used to process the printing plate, either by hand or by machine, contains little or no organic solvent and that any organic solvent which is present is nontoxic and a high boiling material with a very low vapor pressure. Other ingredients included in the developer, such as salts and surfactants, are nontoxic and biodegradable. The present invention is especially well adapted, by virtue of the polymeric materials incorporated in the radiation-sensitive composition, for use with such "aqueous developers."
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Radiation-sensitive compositions which are especially useful in the production of negative-working lithographic printing plates comprise a photocrosslinkable polymer containing the photosensitive group ##STR1## as an integral part of the polymer backbone and, in an amount sufficient to improve the properties of the composition, a polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone. The polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone improves the properties of the radiation-sensitive composition in regard to such factors as shelf life, image contrast, and developability and thereby provides a superior lithographic printing plate.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the use of control valves in a two-stage turbocharger, more specifically, the regulation of controlling the transition from a high-pressure turbine to a low-pressure turbine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Two-stage turbochargers are commonly known and are used in all kinds of engines. They consist of a high-pressure (HP) turbine, and a low-pressure (LP) turbine, with each turbine having its own compressor. During normal operating conditions, when the engine runs at lower speeds, the only turbine typically in use is the HP turbine. When the engine is running at lower speeds, it creates less exhaust gas energy. This lower amount of exhaust gas energy is typically not enough to power the LP turbine, but it does provide enough energy to power the HP turbine. During operation, as the engine begins to increase speed, the HP turbine is typically operated by the lower energy exhaust gases, but after the engine reaches a certain speed and load, the HP turbine begins to operate in series with the LP turbine until the HP turbine provides enough flow capacity to have any effect on engine performance. When this occurs, the LP turbine begins to operate and generate the higher level of boost pressure than the HP turbine cannot generate in series with the LP turbine. Increasing engine speed also increases the exhaust gas energy, which is necessary to operate the LP turbine.
[0003] Another common problem with two-stage turbochargers occurs at higher engine speed, when the HP turbine is not cut off from the air flow of the exhaust gas. During this condition there is the possibility of “overspeed,” i.e., the increased exhaust gas energy can cause the HP turbine to spin at speeds which may cause damage. Control valves of two-stage series turbocharger systems have been applied to modulate the amount of exhaust gas pressure flowing into the LP turbine. These valves typically have been used for closing off exhaust gas flow to the LP turbine thereby only allowing the exhaust gas to flow only to the HP turbine until the HP turbine is no longer effective, at which point the valve opens a pathway to allow exhaust to flow to the LP turbine. This is beneficial in providing boost pressure at low engine speeds, but does not aid preventing overspeed of the HP turbine.
[0004] Accordingly, there exists a need for an improvement in transitioning from the HP turbine to the LP turbine in a two-stage turbocharger system, as well as an improvement in the prevention in overspeed in a HP turbine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a valve regulation assembly for a two-stage turbocharger which provides a smooth transition for exhaust gas flow from a HP turbine to a LP turbine during acceleration.
[0006] It is another object of the present invention to prevent overspeed in a HP turbine by directing all of the exhaust gas flow directly to the LP turbine, by using the present invention.
[0007] The present invention is an addition to the two-stage turbine concept, including a valve that allows for the closure of the high-pressure stage outlet to avoid high-pressure stage overspeed and also improves control characteristics.
[0008] According to the present invention, the LP and HP turbines are positioned such that the valve can be in one position to force all of the exhaust gas to flow through the HP turbine, and when in another position to force all of the exhaust gas through the LP turbine. When the valve is placed in an intermediate position, the exhaust gas can be variably directed to flow through both turbines, with the percentage of exhaust gas flowing through each turbine being dependent on the position of the valve.
[0009] The present invention also overcomes the problem of overspeed. The present invention can close off the flow of exhaust gas energy to the HP turbine, thereby eliminating the chance for overspeed to occur.
[0010] In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a valve regulation assembly for a two-stage turbocharger is provided, comprising: (1) a high-pressure turbocharger unit having a high-pressure turbine portion operable to receive an exhaust gas flow; (2) a low-pressure turbocharger unit having a low-pressure turbine portion, and located downstream from said high-pressure turbocharger unit; and (3) a valve operably associated with said turbine portions of said high-pressure and said low-pressure turbocharger units, wherein said valve can direct said exhaust gas flow from a source of said exhaust gas flow to either said high-pressure turbocharger unit, said low-pressure turbocharger unit, or distribute said exhaust gas flow therebetween.
[0011] In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, a two-stage turbocharger for use in a motor vehicle is provided, comprising: (1) an exhaust conduit; (2) a high-pressure (HP) turbocharger unit operably associated with said exhaust conduit and operable to receive an exhaust gas flow; (3) a low-pressure (LP) turbocharger unit connected to said exhaust gas conduit and is located downstream of said high-pressure turbine; and (4) a valve located operably associated with said high-pressure turbine through said exhaust gas conduit, wherein said valve can be in a position to restrict all of said exhaust gas flow through said high-pressure turbine only, or said valve can be moved to another position to inhibit said exhaust gas flow from entering the high-pressure turbine, thereby directing all of said exhaust gas to flow to said low-pressure turbine.
[0012] In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, a method for directing exhaust gas flow in a two-stage turbocharger for use in a motor vehicle is provided, comprised of: (1) providing a high-pressure turbine; (2) providing a low-pressure turbine located downstream from said high-pressure turbine; (3) providing a conduit for exhaust gas flow from said high-pressure turbine to said low-pressure turbine; and (4) providing a valve located in said conduit, wherein said valve is used for directing exhaust gas flow from said high-pressure turbine to said low-pressure turbine.
[0013] Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a two-stage turbocharger unit having the present invention used in an engine with one exhaust bank;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a two-stage turbocharger unit having the present invention used in an engine with two exhaust banks;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a top view of the valve assembly portion of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the valve assembly portion of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a side view of the valve assembly portion of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a cut-away side view of the valve assembly portion of the present invention with the valve in a position to block off the exhaust gas inlet port;
[0021] FIG. 7 is a cut-away side view of the valve assembly portion of the present invention with the valve in a position to block off the HP turbine inlet port; and
[0022] FIG. 8 is a cut-away side view of the valve assembly portion of the present invention with the valve in an intermediate position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 1 , a two-stage exhaust gas turbocharger unit is generally shown at 10 , comprised of a high-pressure (HP) turbocharger unit 12 , and a low-pressure (LP) turbocharger unit 14 . The HP turbocharger unit 12 includes a HP turbine 16 , and an HP compressor 18 having an outlet port 20 . Similarly, the LP turbocharger unit 14 includes a LP turbine 22 and a LP compressor 24 having an outlet port 26 . The LP turbine 22 is mounted on an exhaust manifold 28 . The LP compressor 24 is connected to an intake line 30 , which is connected at the center of LP compressor 24 . An intake conduit 32 is connected to outlet port 26 on a first end, and is connected to the center of HP turbine 18 on a second end.
[0025] The HP turbine 16 and the LP turbine 22 are connected by a valve assembly 34 having a valve 36 , shown in FIG. 1 , and in FIGS. 3-8 . The valve assembly 34 is mounted on the exhaust manifold 28 and receives exhaust gases from either the second exhaust manifold outlet 40 or the HP turbine outlet 42 . The valve assembly 34 is also comprised of a lever 44 , a first valve plate 46 that works in conjunction with a first contact surface 48 , and second valve plate 50 that works in conjunction with a second contact surface 52 . The first valve plate 46 and the second valve plate 50 face in opposite directions of each other, and are connected by a pin 54 , and are mounted onto a valve stem 56 . The valve stem 56 is fixed for rotation upon a hinge assembly 58 . The valve assembly 34 also includes an exhaust gas inlet port 60 , an HP turbine inlet port 62 , an LP turbine outlet port 64 , and a rotatable connector 66 . The rotatable connector 66 is connected to an actuator (not shown) which can be hydraulic, pneumatic, or some other type of device controlled by the vehicle's electronic control unit.
[0026] The operation of the present invention configured for a single-bank exhaust system as shown in FIG. 1 will now be described. During low engine speed operation, the valve 36 is used to close off the exhaust gas inlet port 60 when the vehicle is first beginning to accelerate, and exhaust gas pressure is low, forcing all of the exhaust gas through the HP turbine 16 . When the valve 36 is configured in this manner, the exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 28 , through the first exhaust manifold outlet 38 , through the HP turbine 16 , through the HP turbine outlet 42 , through the HP turbine inlet port 62 and into the valve assembly 34 . The valve assembly 34 then directs the exhaust gas into the LP turbine 22 , where it is then passed into the remaining components of the exhaust system (not shown). As all of the exhaust gas is being forced through the HP turbine 16 , fresh air flows through the intake line 30 , passing through the LP compressor 24 , and through outlet port 26 . The air then flows through the intake conduit 32 , and into the HP compressor 18 . The HP compressor 18 compresses the fresh air received from the intake conduit 32 , and forces it into the intake manifold of the engine (not shown).
[0027] During the process where all of the exhaust gas is being directed toward the HP turbine, the LP compressor 24 is not activated because it is controlled by the LP turbine 22 , which is also not activated. The LP turbine 22 is larger in size compared to the HP turbine 16 , and the LP compressor 24 is larger than the HP compressor 18 . Neither are activated during this process because at lower engine speeds the volume of exhaust gas flow is not high enough to activate the LP turbine 22 , and the volume of fresh air flowing into the system is not high enough for LP compressor 24 to effectively compress it. Directing all of the exhaust gas flow into the smaller HP turbine 16 allows the HP compressor 18 to provide the necessary amount of compressed air to flow into the intake manifold of the engine, increasing engine power at low engine speeds.
[0028] As the engine speed increases and the vehicle accelerates, the smaller HP turbine 16 and HP compressor 18 become less and less effective. When the engine speed increases to a certain predetermined value, the vehicle's electronic control unit commands the actuator (not shown) to open the valve 36 , lifting the second valve plate 50 away from the second contact surface 52 , allowing exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold 28 to flow through the second exhaust manifold outlet 40 , through the exhaust gas inlet port 60 , and then through the valve assembly 34 . The exhaust gas then exits through the LP turbine outlet port 64 and flows into the LP turbine 22 , the exhaust gas then flows into the remaining exhaust system components. As the LP turbine 22 is activated from the increased exhaust gas pressure, the LP compressor 24 will begin to compress air coming in from the intake line 30 . The compressed air is then forced through the outlet port 26 and into the intake conduit 32 , where it then flows through the HP compressor 18 , through the outlet port 20 , and into the intake manifold of the engine. During this portion of operation, the air coming into the HP compressor 18 has already been pressurized by the LP compressor 24 , and the LP compressor 24 does not compress the air any further.
[0029] As the engine speed continues to increase, the valve 36 continues to rotate further away from the exhaust gas inlet port 60 , and moves closer to the HP turbine inlet port 62 . When it becomes necessary to direct all of the exhaust gas to flow directly into the LP turbine 22 , the valve 36 moves into a position where the first valve plate 46 comes in contact with the first contact surface 48 . When the valve 36 is in this position, exhaust gas cannot flow from the HP turbine 16 into the valve assembly 34 . All of the exhaust gas flows from the exhaust manifold 28 , through the second exhaust manifold outlet 40 , and into the valve assembly 34 . The valve 36 can be controlled by an actuator, or some other device, connected to the rotatable connector 66 , which rotates the lever 44 , thereby rotating the valve 36 .
[0030] When closing off the second exhaust manifold outlet 40 or the HP turbine outlet 42 , the valve 36 provides a smooth transition from the exhaust gas flowing through the HP turbine 16 to the LP turbine 22 , and can be moved to any position therebetween to direct the flow of exhaust gas as driving conditions mandate.
[0031] It should also be noted that another advantage of the present invention is the orientation of the valve assembly 34 in relation to the HP turbine 16 and the LP turbine 22 . The valve 36 is located in a position where the flow of exhaust gas pushes on the valve 36 when the first valve plate 46 is pressed against the first contact surface 48 and when the second valve plate 50 is pressed against the second contact surface 52 . This also occurs when the valve 36 is located in any position therebetween. Also, the hinge assembly 58 is located in a position between the HP turbine outlet 42 , and the second exhaust manifold outlet 40 . Locating the hinge assembly 58 in this position allows for a single valve to be used for directing exhaust gas flow to either the HP turbine 16 or the LP turbine 22 . Also, the valve assembly 34 is not only used for directing exhaust gas flow to each of the turbines, but the valve assembly 34 can also stop the flow of exhaust gas into the HP turbine 16 , preventing overspeed and damage. Additionally, locating the valve 36 in the aforementioned position allows for greater control of the exhaust gas flow than compared to, for example, if the valve 36 were positioned in front of the second exhaust manifold outlet 40 or in front of the HP turbine outlet 42 .
[0032] The present invention can also be used with engines having two exhaust banks, such as with a “V-6” or “V-8” engine. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 2 , and is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , wherein like numbers refer to like elements. In addition, this embodiment also includes a first exhaust tube 68 connected to a first exhaust bank (not shown) and a first opening 70 , as well as a second exhaust tube 72 connected to a second exhaust bank (not shown) and a second opening 74 . In this embodiment, exhaust gas flows from the first exhaust tube 68 into the first opening 70 , and from the second exhaust tube 72 into the second opening 74 . The exhaust gas then flows into the exhaust manifold 28 where it is directed to flow into either the HP turbine 16 or the LP turbine 22 through the use of the valve assembly 34 . The remaining operations of the HP turbocharger unit 12 , the LP turbocharger unit 14 and the valve assembly 34 remain the same as mentioned in the previous embodiment.
[0033] The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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The present invention provides a two-stage turbocharger unit having a valve that will help to create a smooth transition of exhaust gas energy from the high-pressure turbine (HP) turbine to the low-pressure (LP) turbine. The LP and HP turbines are positioned such that the valve can be in one position to force all of the exhaust gas to flow through the HP turbine and when in another position to force all of the exhaust gas through the LP turbine. When the valve is placed in an intermediary position, the exhaust gas can be variably directed to flow through both turbines, with the percentage of exhaust gas flowing through each turbine being dependent on the position of the valve.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor liquid junction photocells, and in particular, to such photocells using CuInS 2 as the photosensitive electrode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Concern over the possible depletion of fossil fuel energy resources has generated intense interest in recent years in the search for and development of alternative energy sources. One contemplated alternative energy source is solar energy which may be utilized as electricity either directly through photovoltaic devices or indirectly through thermal devices. The latter approach has not received as much attention as the former which will, as presently contemplated, use semiconductor devices. These semiconductor devices are presently relatively expensive power sources, as compared to fossil fuel power sources, because the devices generally collect light in proportion to the areas of their photosensitive junctions, which must be large to generate useful photocurrents. The manufacturing cost of such devices depends mainly upon the area of the photosensitive junction and is presently too high to permit successful commercial exploitation in other than specialized applications.
Considerable effort has therefore been expended in attempting to reduce the cost of converting solar energy to electricity with semiconductor devices. One approach is to use polycrystalline thin films rather than single crystals as the photoactive elements. Another approach that has generated much interest and enthusiasm recently is a liquid-semiconductor solar cell in which the active part of the cell is a junction formed at a liquid-semiconductor interface. Properties of this type of solar cell were reviewed by Gerischer in Electroanalytical Chemistry and Interfacial Electrochemistry 50, pages 263-274, (1975). Because the junction forms spontaneously at the semiconductor-liquid interface and relatively costly epitaxy or diffusion procedures are not required to form the junction, semiconductor liquid junction solar cells promise economies in manufacture as compared to cells in which the junction is formed between two solids.
Many semiconductors have been investigated as photoactive electrode materials in semiconductor liquid junction cells. Cell stability has been a recurrent problem and the efficiency of the photocell may decline with operating time for any of several reasons. For example, photoexcitation may produce holes at the surface which chemically react with the electrolyte and produce an elemental layer of one of the semiconductor constituents on the electrode surface. Other processes, such as chemical etching or deposition of electrolyte impurities on the semiconductor surface, may also occur. These processes corrode and/or passivate the semiconductor surface and degrade cell efficiency as manifested by a decrease in photocurrent as cell operating time increases. One approach to this problem involves the use of a polychalcogenide/chalcogenide redox couple which consumes the holes in competition with the corrosion reaction. Although it is difficult if not impossible, to accurately predict all degradation mechanisms for a particular semiconductor and take precautions to avoid the mechanisms, such an approach has been successful with CdSe, CdS and GaAs electrodes.
A bandgap between approximately 1.0 and 1.7 ev will theoretically give the most efficient photovoltaic conversion of solar power into electricity and a cell using such a material and producing a stable photocurrent over an extended time period would be extremely desirable from a commercial point of view. Although some semiconductors, such as GaAs, with bandgaps within the desired range have produced stable photocurrent output for extended time periods, a search for other semiconductors capable of producing stable photocurrents for extended time periods continues because of possible economic advantages they may offer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
CuInS 2 is used as the photoactive semiconductor electrode in a liquid-semiconductor junction photocell having a liquid electrolyte containing a redox couple consisting of sulfide/polysulfide anions having a concentration greater than 0.1 molar. A CuInS 2 photocell made in accordance with this invention has an efficiency of approximately 4 percent solar to electrical power conversion and a reasonably constant photocurrent for an extended time period.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The FIGURE is a schematic representation of a liquid semiconductor photocell.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The cell structure of the FIGURE comprises a container 20, electrolyte 21, counter electrode 22, which is carbon or platinum, although other inert materials may be used, and active electrode 23. The electrolyte is usually aqueous although nonaqueous electrolytes can be used. Electrode 23 is insulated with epoxy 24 except where illuminated. The container may be made of any conveniently available glass or plastic material. The bottom of the cell, opposing electrode 23, is transparent to pass incident light as shown.
The photoactive electrode formed from CuInS 2 may be either single crystal, grown by any conventional technique such as gradient freeze or zone melting, or polycrystalline. Polycrystalline electrodes may be formed by any of several techniques. Polycrystalline CuInS 2 may be prepared by casting high purity liquid semiconductor material in well known manner. Another useful technique is described in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society, pp. 1019-1021, July 1977. This technique sinters and vapor anneals semiconductor powder of high purity to produce grains of sufficient size to absorb practically all incident light in the top layer of grains exposed to the electrolyte.
The electrode may be doped with any conventional technique. A preferred dopant is Cd although other materials, such as In, that give n-type behavior can be used. The net electron density is desirably between 10 16 /cm 3 and 5×10 18 /cm 3 . The lower limit results in depletion layer widths comparable to the absorption length for solar light and in a high solar energy to electricity conversion efficiency. Higher concentrations reduce the electrode series resistance and facilitate the preparation of ohmic contacts. The maximum dopant concentration for light absorption within the surface depletion region is 10 16 /cm 3 . Electrical contacts, such as indium and silver epoxy, are then made to the electrodes with conventional techniques.
The electrode, whether single crystal or polycrystalline, should be etched to remove surface defects whose presence would reduce cell efficiency. Suitable etchants include a 3:1 to 4:1 mixture of HCl and HNO 3 which is used for approximately 30 seconds and a solution of 1 volume percent of bromine in methanol which is used at room temperature for approximately ten seconds. Both etchants are followed by a water rinse.
Under illumination in a suitable electrolyte, holes come to the surface of the n-type semiconductor material and cause its oxidative dissolution. This photoetching reaction can be suppressed if a competing reaction can be found that will scavenge for holes and compete directly with the photoetching reaction. A redox couple consisting of sulfide/polysulfide anions has been found to suppress photoetching in cells using CuInS 2 electrodes sufficiently to permit cells with stable photocurrents for extended time periods to be made. For example, the reaction is 2S -- +2h + →S 2 -- at the photoactive electrode and the reaction at the inert electrode is S 2 -- +2→2S -- . Consequently, there is no net chemical change in the cell.
Suitable redox electrolyte concentrations range from a maximum represented by a saturated solution to a minimum of approximately 0.1 molar which represents the minimum concentration in an aqueous solution required to consume sufficient holes, when the cell is illuminated by sunlight, e.g., air mass two, to prevent unduly rapid photoetching. Higher intensities will require higher concentrations. The redox couple is formed by any conventional and well known technique that puts the desired anions into solutions. Other than aqueous electrolytes may be used but since they generally have a lesser electrical conductivity, internal losses are greater. For high concentrations, light absorption in the electrolyte can be partially compensated by making the liquid layer thin.
Example: A platelet, forming the photoactive electrode, was cut from an n-type CuInS 2 crystal that was prepared by casting. A Ga-In contact was made to one face and was connected to a copper lead wire. The platelet edges, the back or contacted face, and the portion of the copper lead wire near the platelet were coated with epoxy resin to obtain electrical insulation. After the resin had set, the electrode was etched for ten seconds in a solution of 1 volume percent bromine. The CuInS 2 electrode with an exposed area of 0.07 cm 2 was put into a glass container, forming the cell, which was filled with a sulfide/polysulfide redox couple formed by dissolving 78 grams of Na 2 S.9H 2 O; 40 grams NaOH, and 32 grams of S in 1000 ml of H 2 O. A platinized platinum sheet with a surface area of approximately 10 cm 2 formed the counter electrode. Connections were made to a digital voltammeter.
Upon illumination with a lamp having an approximately 2800 degree K spectrum and giving an intensity at the exposed electrode surface of approximately 50 mw/cm 2 , the open-circuit voltage was 0.514 volts and the short-circuit current was 0.117 mA.
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Liquid-semiconductor photocells have received much attention recently as candidates for use in solar power conversion devices. A semiconductor liquid junction photovoltaic cell having a photoactive electrode made from CuInS 2 and a liquid electrolyte containing a redox couple consisting of S 2 ═/S═ anions has been found to produce a stable photocurrent output.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] The present disclosure relates to AC-DC converters incorporating a phase-shifting autotransformer for AC input power factor correction.
[0002] Electric aircraft often includes three-phase power generators, which are used to generate the power needed to operate on-board electronic systems during flight. The three phase power from the generators is converted to DC power using an AC-DC converter. One type of AC-DC converter used in aircraft systems is a phase-shifting autotransformer with integrated rectifiers.
[0003] Phase-shifting autotransformer-based AC-DC converter systems require a large initial input of energy (referred to as an inrush current) on startup when a zero voltage to rated AC voltage step is applied in order to magnetize the phase-shifting autotransformer and charge a DC capacitor. Due to the initial inrush requirement, as much as 10 times the rated working current of the AC-DC converter can be drawn from the AC power connections.
SUMMARY
[0004] Disclosed is an AC-DC converter that includes a phase-shifting autotransformer module having an AC power input and a DC power output, a capacitor connected across the DC power output, and a controlled impedance component interrupting the DC power output, such that the autotransformer magnetization current is segregated from the capacitor charging current.
[0005] Also disclosed is a method for operating a phase-shifting autotransformer based AC-DC converter. The method includes segregating phase-shifting autotransformer initial magnetizing and DC capacitor charging to control inrush current drawn from an AC source, by way of a controlled impedance component. The controlled impedance component is in an off mode when the AC step voltage is applied, the controlled impedance component allows the autotransformer to establish an initial magnetization without charging the capacitor. After autotransformer initial magnetization, the controlled impedance component is in a high impedance mode thereby establishing capacitor slow charging. The controlled impedance component is in an on mode after the capacitor is charged up, thereby establishing a steady state operation mode.
[0006] These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates an electric aircraft power system.
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates a phase-shifting autotransformer based AC-DC converter.
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary autotransformer.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates an example autotransformer magnetization curve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an electric aircraft 10 that includes a three phase power generator 20 . The generated three phase power is distributed throughout the aircraft 10 via a power distribution system 30 . A phase-shifting autotransformer based AC-DC power converter 40 converts AC power from the power distribution system 30 into DC power for use with the DC components 50 .
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates an example phase-shifting autotransformer based AC-DC power converter 40 . In the example phase-shifting autotransformer based AC-DC power converter 40 , three phase power 110 is input into a phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifier 120 . DC power is output from the phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifier 120 on a pair of DC outputs 132 , 134 . One of the DC outputs 132 is interrupted by a controlled impedance component 130 , such as a semi-conductor switch/transistor, that can be operated in an off mode (open circuit), a high impedance mode, or an on mode.
[0013] The high impedance mode limits a capacitor charging current provided to the capacitor 140 . A controller 136 controls the mode of the controlled impedance component 130 . By way of example, the controlled impedance component 130 can be a semi-conductor switch controlled by the controller 136 .
[0014] When the phase-shifting autotransformer based AC-DC power converter 40 is initially powered up, the controlled impedance component 130 is in the off mode, thereby preventing any power from passing to the capacitor 140 or the DC load connection 150 . While the controlled impedance component 130 is in the off mode, a zero AC voltage to rated AC voltage step is applied to the phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifier 120 , a startup current is drawn from the three phase power 110 and magnetizes the autotransformer portion of the phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifier 120 , thereby establishing transformer flux in the core 320 , illustrated in FIG. 3 , of the autotransformer portion of the phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifier 120 .
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a phase shifting autotransformer 300 usable in the power converter 40 , having a core 320 about which a set of phase windings 310 are wound. In order to function, a transformer flux is established in the core 320 via the use of magnetization current provided to the windings 310 according to known principles. The initial flux generated when the autotransformer 300 is turned on is referred to as a startup flux.
[0016] The startup flux density within the autotransformer portion of the phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifier 120 peaks at a high value before declining to a steady state flux density after the autotransformer core is fully magnetized. Startup current from three phase power 110 peaks at high value before settling to steady state. Such current is referred to as inrush current. Once the autotransformer portion of the phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifier 120 is fully magnetized, the controller 136 switches the controlled impedance component 130 into the high impedance mode, thereby slowly charging the capacitor 140 .
[0017] When the capacitor 140 is charged, the controller 136 switches the controlled impedance component 130 into the on mode, and rectified power is allowed to pass through the DC load connection 150 into an attached load. An inrush current exceeding the rated current of the AC-DC converter is referred to as a hard start, and causes instability and stress within the aircraft electrical system. In contrast, an inrush current that is less than a full rated AC input current is referred to as soft start. Additional power converters 40 in the power system simultaneously undergoing a hard start compound the stresses resulting from hard start inrush currents.
[0018] In order to allow the above described “soft start” performance, the magnetization of the autotransformer portion of the phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifier 120 is designed to have a peak startup flux that falls within either a linear region or a shallow saturation region of the magnetization curve.
[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates a magnetization curve 200 of an example autotransformer. The magnetization curve 200 includes a linear region 240 and a saturation region 250 . The saturation region 250 is broken into two sub regions, a shallow saturation region 252 (between B 1 and B 2 ) and a deep saturation region 254 (above B 2 ). In one example autotransformer design, the autotransformer core flux density falls entirely within the linear region 240 . As a result, the peak flux density during startup is less than B 1 , where B 1 is the transition point between the linear region 240 and the saturation region 250 .
[0020] In the above example, the autotransformer typically draws a steady state magnetization current (I mag ) of <10% of a full rated AC input current in order to maintain autotransformer magnetization during steady state operations. The magnetization current is drawn from the three phase power 110 . During the initial startup of the autotransformer system 40 , the inrush current is 2×I mag or <20% of the full rated AC input current and lasts for three times the autotransformer magnetization inductance time constant (τ). The initial current of 2×I mag results in an autotransformer flux density that is near, but under, B 1 . Thus, the peak startup flux density falls within the linear region 240 . The magnetization inductance time constant is τ=L/R, where L is the autotransformer inductance and R is the autotransformer magnetizing winding resistance. After 3τ, the autotransformer flux density reduces to ½ B 1 , where it stays steady during high impedance mode and on mode operations. An autotransformer designed according to the above principles can be large and, thus, unsuitable for certain applications.
[0021] Alternately, the autotransformer can be designed such that the peak startup flux falls in a shallow saturation region 252 between B 2 and B 1 . In such a design, the inrush current can vary from 2×I mag to the full rated AC input current, and is a function of the peak flux density during the startup. An increase in initial flux density increases the current draw. The shallow saturation region 252 prevents the inrush current from reaching levels that exceed the rated current of the autotransformer, thereby avoiding a hard start. Designing the autotransformer such that the peak startup flux density is in the shallow saturation region 252 provides for a soft start performance and reduces the physical size of the autotransformer.
[0022] Although an example has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this disclosure. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.
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An AC-DC power converter has a phase-shifting autotransformer based rectifiers and DC capacitors. Soft start of the AC-DC power converter is achieved by designing the autotransformer to operate at a low peak flux density at a point of AC voltage step application (initial turn on). The addition of a controlled impedance segregates capacitor charging from the initial magnetizing process of the autotransformer.
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CLAIM FOR PRIORITY
[0001] This application is a national stage application of PCT/EP2007/054352, filed May 4, 2007, which claims the benefit of priority to German Application No. 10 2006 021 100.6, filed May 5, 2006, the contents of which hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a method for transmitting data in a transmission interval using a plurality of time slots and a plurality of transmission channels to a receiver of a radio network comprising a transmitter and at least one additional receiver, and to a radio network and a receiver set up for carrying out the method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Methods for transmitting data in a radio network comprising a transmitter and a multiplicity of receivers are well known. For example, digital mobile telephone radio networks use Frequency Division Multiplex Access (FDMA) methods, Time Division Multiplex Access (TDMA) methods and Code Division Multiplex Access (CDMA) methods for transmitting data to a multiplicity of receivers of a radio cell via a common air interface.
[0004] Other transmission methods provide for multiplexing both in the time and in the frequency domains, for example data transmissions according to the Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) standard or by means of the so-called Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). In order to achieve a data transmission rate as high as possible with OFDM systems and an efficient volume with the available bandwidth, the transmission characteristics of individual channels orthogonal relative to each other between a base station and a multiplicity of mobile stations are taken into account and the data transmission is continuously adapted to these. In this way, only those channels on which good receiving properties exist are used for each receiver. This principle is also known under the term “Multi User Diversity” (MUD).
[0005] The disadvantages of the known methods are that the scheduling of the use of the available transmission channels is relatively complex and receivers continuously have to monitor a multiplicity of transmission channels for data directed to them, which results in a high energy requirement on the part of the receiver.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The invention provides a method for transmitting data in a radio network, which is flexible and allows an efficient use of the resources available. Further, a radio network and a receiver will be described which are suitable for carrying out such a method.
[0007] According to one embodiment of the invention, there is a method including:
[0008] transmitting at least one data packet having an embedded identifier on at least one transmission channel in a time slot of the transmission interval by the transmitter,
[0009] monitoring the at least one transmission channel by means of the receiver for data packets transmitted in the time slot, the data packets having embedded identifiers that are assigned to the receiver, and
[0010] switching the receiver to an idle state until the end of the transmission interval, if the receiver has received no data packet with an embedded identifier assigned to the receiver during the time slot.
[0011] By monitoring at least one transmission channel in the time slot for any data packets directed to a receiver, the receivers which have not received any data in the time slot may be switched to an idle state for any further time slots of the transmission interval. Further, so-called in-band signalling is made possible by embedding an identifier assigned to the receiver, so that no dedicated control channel needs to be used.
[0012] In an another embodiment of the invention, the method steps are repeated for each subsequent time slot of the transmission interval for as long as the receiver has received in a previous time slot a data packet having embedded therein identifiers assigned to the receiver. In this way, the receiver may be switched to an idle state, as soon as no further data transmissions are carried out to it.
[0013] In a further embodiment of the invention, channel properties of the at least one transmission channel are determined in a measuring phase during an additional step. By determining channel properties, a data transmission to the receiver of the radio network may be scheduled with due consideration of the transmission characteristics or may be adapted to these.
[0014] In a further embodiment of the invention, predetermined requirements with regard to data rates, real time conditions or connection qualities are taken into account during the determination of a transmission schedule for the transmission interval, so that connection-specific quality requirements may be met.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Further embodiments of the invention are given in the sub-claims. The invention will now be explained in more detail below by means of an embodiment example with reference to the drawings, wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a radio network according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a transmission schedule.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a method for transmitting data.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a radio network 100 including a radio cell 101 , to which a core network 102 is connected. The radio cell 101 includes a base station 103 and five mobile stations 104 A to 104 E. Each of the mobile stations 104 has a unique identifier 105 A to 105 E.
[0020] The base station 103 includes a connection unit 106 , a transmission scheduler 107 and a transmission and receiving antenna 110 . By means of the connection unit 106 , data connections between the core network 102 and the mobile stations 104 are established and any data packets associated with these connections, if any, are buffered.
[0021] On the basis of the available connection data, such as a required data rate of an already established connection and the amount of data buffered in the connection unit 106 for each of the mobile stations 104 , the transmission scheduler 107 generates a transmission schedule for the transmission of data from the connection unit 106 to one or a group of mobile stations 104 . The transmission scheduler 107 may be a hardware component or a computer program implemented on a processor of the base station 103 or on a computer connected therewith. A combination of hardware and software components is also possible.
[0022] When generating the transmission schedule, the transmission scheduler 107 will also take into account the respective channel quality for each of the available transmission channels in each scheduled time slot of the transmission interval. Any information with regard to this will be taken from statistical data, in particular from quality information, bit error rates or signal-to-noise ratios sent back from the mobile stations 104 .
[0023] Each of the mobile stations 104 has a receiving part 108 and a transmission part 109 . Both of these are connected to a combined transmission and receiving antenna 110 . The receiving part 108 is set up to monitor a multiplicity of channels of the radio cell 101 , in order to detect and filter out any data packets with the unique identifier 105 of the respective mobile station 104 . In this connection, the unique identifier 105 or a key independent thereof may also be used for decoding any data transmitted via the radio network 100 in an encoded form, so that each mobile station 104 can decode only data packets directed to it.
[0024] In the embodiment example, the radio network 100 is a so-called OFDM radio network. For example, the base station 103 and the mobile stations 104 are a base station of a mobile telephone radio cell and mobile phones within the cell. They may, of course, also be other transmitters and receivers of a radio network 100 , for example devices in a so-called wireless LAN (WLAN) data network. Characteristic of each of these radio networks 100 is that a multiplicity of transmission channels and time slots is available, so that the data transmission may be multiplexed both in the time domain and in the frequency domain, which means that both different transmission channels and different time slots may be assigned to individual mobile stations 104 .
[0025] FIG. 2 shows an example of a transmission schedule 200 for a transmission interval 201 . The transmission interval 201 is subdivided into twenty time slots 202 also referred to as “frames”. Odd numbered time slots 202 are used for data transmissions from the base station 103 to the mobile stations 104 and are designated as 202 P and 202 A to 202 I. Even numbered time slots 202 are used for data transmissions from the mobile stations 104 back to the base station 103 and are shown shaded in FIG. 2 .
[0026] In the embodiment example, the transmission interval 201 is additionally subdivided into an optional measuring phase 205 and a data transmission phase 206 . The measuring phase 205 comprises a time slot 202 P in the downlink direction and a further time slot 202 in the uplink direction and is used for determining channel properties. The data transmission phase 206 comprises the remaining 18 time slots 202 and is used for transmitting payload data.
[0027] In this connection, the following general conditions apply for the data transmission phase 206 :
a receiver, for example a mobile station 104 , which has not received any data from a transmitter, for example the base station 103 , within the current time slot 202 , will not receive any data in any of the subsequent time slots 202 either and may therefore be switched to an idle state for the duration of these; a receiver, in which the data reception is terminated during the current time slot 202 , will not be considered in any of the subsequent time slots 202 and can therefore also be switched to an idle state for the duration of the transmission interval 201 ; in each subsequent time slot 202 , more or less transmission channels 203 may be assigned to each receiver.
[0031] In the description following below, only the data transmission from the base station 103 to the mobile stations 104 will be described in more detail. Of course, the method according to the present invention may also be used for the return transmission from the mobile stations 104 to the base station 103 .
[0032] Each time slot 202 is additionally subdivided into a multiplicity of transmission channels 203 . In the embodiment example, 20 transmission channels 203 are available for data transmission. The transmission channels 203 may, for example, be different frequency ranges of a transmission band.
[0033] During the measuring phase 205 , information will be transmitted to all of the mobile stations 104 A to 104 E in the illustrated transmission schedule 200 corresponding to the first time slot 202 P. For example, a predetermined measuring signal may be transmitted from the base station 103 to the mobile stations 104 . Alternatively, also control information or other data may be transmitted to the mobile stations 104 A to 104 E.
[0034] During this measuring phase, all of the mobile stations 104 A to 104 E which are included in a radio cell 101 and are thus assigned to the base station 103 , monitor the transmission channels 203 for information, in particular the measuring signal. For the determination of channel properties, for example a reception power of the received measuring signal, a signal-to-noise ratio or a specific bit error rate may be used. In the subsequent time slot 202 , these or any values derived there from, which allow the channel quality to be determined, will be transmitted from the mobile stations 104 A to 104 E back to the base station 103 .
[0035] As an alternative to a separate measuring phase 205 , also other means may be used for determining channel properties. For example, any bit error rates determined in a previous transmission interval 201 or data transmission phase 205 may be used for evaluating the channel quality and thus for scheduling the data transmission in the current transmission interval 201 . In order to allow a particularly good evaluation to be made, the measuring phase 205 should be timed so that it is as close as possible to the data transmission phase 206 .
[0036] The transmission scheduler 107 of the base station 103 generates the transmission schedule 200 for the data transmission phase 206 shown in FIG. 2 on the basis of the determined channel properties. Accordingly, the three mobile stations 104 A to 104 C are served by the base station 103 . Any possible further receivers, for example, any further mobile stations 104 D to 104 E, are not considered during the data transmission phase 206 for which the transmission schedule 200 was generated.
[0037] The reason for this may be, on the one hand, that not enough transmission capacity for serving all of the mobile stations 104 may be available, that no data for transmission to a mobile station 104 D is available in the connection unit 106 or that error-free communication is not possible due to interference between the base station 103 and a mobile station 104 E.
[0038] In all of these cases, the mobile stations 104 D and 104 E or at least parts of their receiving parts 108 , particularly those used for decoding and further processing of received data packets 204 , may be switched off or switched to an idle state in order to reduce power consumption. In this way, increased run times of the mobile stations 104 D and 104 E with the same battery capacity may be made possible. As an alternative to saving energy, the idle state may also be used to accelerate other functions of the mobile stations 104 D or 104 E, for example by providing more processor time for other tasks.
[0039] In spite of these limitations and simplifications on the part of the mobile stations 104 , the transmission schedule 200 for the data transmission phase 206 from the base station 103 and its transmission scheduler 107 may be implemented in a flexible manner, so that, for example, different data transmission rates may be made possible within the data transmission phase 206 , as is illustrated in FIG. 2 .
[0040] In the illustrated example, the first mobile station 104 A will initially receive data on eight transmission channels 203 at the same time. This data transmission over a relatively broad band, however, will be continued only for the duration of four time slots 202 A to 202 D. After that, no further data packets 204 will be transmitted to the mobile station 104 A. During the time slots 202 A to 202 D, data will respectively be transmitted to the mobile station 104 B or to the mobile station 104 C on five or seven transmission channels 203 at the same time.
[0041] From time slot 202 E onwards, data will be transmitted exclusively to the mobile stations 104 B and 104 C, so that for the data transmission from this time slot 202 E onwards, eight or twelve transmission channels 203 will respectively be available. Since the mobile station 104 A does not receive any further data from the base station 103 during the transmission interval 202 E, it, too, may be switched to an idle state until the end of the transmission interval 201 .
[0042] In this way, data transmission rates between the base station 103 and the various mobile stations 104 A, 104 B and 104 C may be adapted to current requirements and channel qualities. If, for example, a data transmission between the base station 103 and the mobile station 104 A is possible only in the first time slots 202 A to 202 D, because after that data transmission is disturbed by interference, data may be transmitted initially in a relatively broad band, so that during the subsequent radio transmission pause, the mobile station 104 A will still have available any buffered data for further processing. Conversely, data transmissions to the mobile stations 104 B and 104 C will initially be limited, in order to enable a broadband data transmission to the mobile station 104 A to be carried out to, and will thereafter be expanded, in order to transmit, if applicable, any data buffered in the connection unit 106 in the meantime to the mobile stations 104 B and 104 C during the time slots 202 E to 202 I.
[0043] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a method 300 for transmitting data from a transmitter, for example the base station 103 , to a receiver, for example the mobile station 104 A, of a radio network 100 .
[0044] To start with, the channel properties of the radio network 101 are determined in an optional step 301 . These may be determined, for example, during a measuring phase 205 by transmitting a measuring signal to all mobile stations 204 of the radio network and the subsequent return transmission of any reception powers measured by the mobile stations 104 . Alternatively, however, the channel properties may be evaluated on the basis of the error rates of previous transmission intervals 201 .
[0045] In a further optional step 302 , the base station 103 generates a transmission schedule 200 for the current transmission interval 201 or its data transmission phase 206 . Therein, in particular specific requirements of the mobile stations 104 with regard to required data rates, real time conditions or connection qualities may be taken into account.
[0046] However, as an alternative, scheduling for the complete transmission interval 201 may be dispensed with. For example, it is also possible to schedule in advance only for a single or a few time slots 202 of the transmission interval 201 , for example, depending on any data buffered in the connection unit 106 .
[0047] In a further step 303 , any data packets 204 will be transmitted from the base station 103 to the mobile stations 104 . For example, any payload data made available by a connection unit 106 may be transmitted to the mobile stations 104 . To this end, an identifier, for example the unique identifier 105 , is embedded into each of the data packets 204 , so that a receiver 104 assigned to the identifier may detect any data packets 204 directed to it. In the embodiment example, according to the transmission schedule 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 , data packets will be transmitted to the receivers 104 A to 104 C in the time slot 202 A.
[0048] In a step 304 , all of the active mobile stations 104 A to 104 E of a radio cell 101 of the radio network 100 monitor at least one of the transmission channels 203 for any data packets 204 directed to them. This may be carried out, for example, by monitoring an identifier embedded in the data packets 204 and by comparing it with a unique identifier 105 of the mobile stations 104 .
[0049] In a preferred embodiment, a mobile station 104 is set up to monitor all of the transmission channels 203 at the same time. However, due to technical limitations of the receiving part 108 and interferences on individual transmission channels 203 it is also possible to have only individual transmission channels 203 monitored by a mobile station 104 .
[0050] In a further step 305 , each individual mobile station 104 A to 104 E checks whether any data packets 204 have been transmitted to it from the base station 103 during the previous time slot 202 . In the embodiment example, in time slot 202 A this applies to the mobile stations 104 A, 104 B and 104 C, not, however, to the stations 104 D and 104 E.
[0051] If in step 305 it is determined that at least one data packet 204 was transmitted to the mobile stations 104 A, the data contained therein will be processed in an optional step 306 . For example, any payload data contained therein may be decoded or reproduced.
[0052] In a further step 307 , it will then be checked whether the current time slot 202 A was the last time slot of the current transmission interval 201 . If this is not the case, the method will be continued in step 303 with the next time slot 202 B. Otherwise, the method will restart in step 301 with the determination of channel properties.
[0053] As an alternative it is also possible to determine the channel properties anew after each time slot 202 . To this end, for example, the time slots 202 shown shaded in FIG. 2 may be used, so that the transmission schedule 200 may be continuously adapted to changing transmission characteristics of the radio cell 101 .
[0054] If, however, it is determined in step 305 that no data packets were transmitted to the mobile station 104 A, as this is the case, for example, in the fifth time slot 202 E, an idle state will be activated for the mobile station 104 A in a step 308 . For example, a reception part 108 of the mobile station 104 may be deactivated.
[0055] In step 309 , a delay loop checks whether the end of the transmission interval 201 has been reached. During this time, the receiver 104 A is in an idle state, so that its energy consumption is reduced. Alternatively, the mobile station 104 A may also preferably carry out other tasks during that time, such as an internal data processing, without paying any further attention to any transmitted data packets 204 .
[0056] At the end of the transmission interval 201 , the idle state will be deactivated again in a step 310 . Thus, for example, the reception part 108 of the mobile station 104 will again be available in the subsequent measuring phase 205 or data transmission phase 206 of a subsequent transmission interval 201 .
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What is provided is a method for communicating with a cellular network. The method is performed by a mobile computing device that comprises a transmitter and a receiver. One or more communication channels are monitored for one or more data packets that are transmitted by a base station of the cellular network during a transmission period. The transmission period can include one or more time slots. The mobile computing device determines whether one or more data packets have been received during a first time slot of the transmission period. In response to determining that no data packet has been received during the first time slot, the mobile computing device switches to an idle state until the transmission period ends.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an iron reinforcing rod structure for reinforcing the base of buildings such as the concrete base of a wooden house.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore, an iron reinforcing rod structure was manually assembled in a groove cut in the ground by a worker, but it required much effort in cutting rods, assembling rods, and fastening the rods with wires and metal bands.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to eliminate these drawbacks by providing a rod reinforcing structure which may be preassembled in a factory easing assembly in place.
Another object of this invention is to provide an L-shaped rod for easily connecting right angle structures. The above and other features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 2a, b, c, d and e are end views illustrating different configurations of lateral rods for different embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As seen in FIG. 1, a plurality of lateral rods C 1 C 2 . . . C n are spot welded at opposite ends as at 1, 1 to parallel side rods a, b, at predetermined, equally spaced distances from each other. Rod d is supported approximately at the center of lateral rods C 1 , C 2 , . . . C n parallel to said side rods a and b. Lower ends 2, 2, . . . of vertical rods e 1 , e 1 , e 2 , . . . e 2 , . . . en are spot welded to said rod d at a predetermined equally spaced distances from each other. Lengthwise rod f is spot welded to upper ends 3, 3 . . . of vertical rods e 1 , e 2 . . . e n . A secondary lengthwise rod g is welded along the center 4, 4, . . . of vertical rods e 1 , e 2 , . . . e n . L-shaped connection rod h is provided for making right angle connections to the structure.
Usually, rods e, f and g are in a folded horizontal position (shown in phantom) or plane, as indicated by the arrow, and overlap rods a, b, c. Therefore the structure is substantially flat and easy to transport to a place of use.
In use, the assembled structure is placed in the bottom of a groove cut in the ground and vertical rods e 1 , e 2 , . . . e n with lengthwise rods f, g attached, rotated to a vertical plane as shown in FIG. 1 to a position extending upward from rod d. Neighboring structures in the same direction or in a right angle direction are connected by L-shaped connecting rods h along a length of rods f, g or d.
Concrete is then cast around the assembly to form the base or foundation for a building.
FIGS. 2a, b, c, d, e, are end views of the lower part of the structure illustrating different configurations of the lateral rods for various embodiments of this invention.
FIG. 2a is an end view corresponding to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 2a a structure is shown in which lateral rods C, C . . . etc., are alternating bent rods and straight rods one after another.
In FIG. 2b the straight lateral rods C, C . . . etc., lie on top of and are spot welded to the upper side of parallel rods a, b.
In FIGS. 2a and 2b, rod d is positioned at the bent portion of lateral rods C, C . . . etc.
In FIG. 2c, alternating bent and straight lateral rods C, C . . . etc., are alternately welded to the lower or under side and upper side of parallel rods a, b one after another.
In FIG. 2d, lateral rods C, C . . . etc. have bearing or positioning members 6 for fixing their position on rod d welded on lateral rods C, C instead of using bent rods.
In FIG. 2e, semicircular supports or bearings rods 5 are fixed welded to lateral rods C, C, . . . etc. to provide support and position them on rod d.
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The specification discloses a preassembled iron reinforcing rod structure for reinforcing a concrete base of a building comprising lateral rods welded to horizontal side rods and interconnected with vertically oriented rotatable rods which may be folded over parallel to the side rods for transportation.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to drywall construction and in particular to a casing bead with removable tear strip for use in filling and finishing the space between the top and side edges of drywall panels and surfaces adjacent thereto.
DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the construction of interior walls and partitions using gypsum wallboard ("drywall"), wallboard panels are cut to size and put in place by masking or fastening them to metal studs. In the usual case a small space is left at the top and sides of the drywall panels between the edges of the panel and the ceiling, and masonry columns and the like, after the panels are fastened to the studs. In finishing walls or partitions it is necessary to fill the space to eliminate the otherwise unsightly gap.
In the prior art this was accomplished by the use of a two-sided structure consisting of two elongated legs or strips joined along one edge and oriented at approximately right angles to each other. A rounded edge or bead is defined at the point of juncture between the two legs. In use the two-sided structure, called a "casing bead" has one leg inserted in the space between the drywall and the adjacent surface such that the rounded edge or bead bears against the adjacent surface and the second leg overlaps the drywall panel. This second leg of the casing bead is affixed to the drywall by nails or other fasteners to hold the assembly in position with the bead flush and bearing against the adjacent surface. The finishing operation is completed by covering the second leg with tape to cover the fasteners and the edge of the leg. The tape is covered with a taping compound which is carefully applied to provide a smooth continuous surface extending from the surface of the drywall across the second leg and into abutment with the rounded edge or bead. In the course of applying the taping compound over the tape, it is not unusual that an amount of the compound is extruded or spread past the edge of a putty knife or other tool used to apply the compound beyond the edge of the bead and onto the adjacent surface, namely, the ceiling tiles or masonry column.
To avoid this problem, it has been common in the prior art to apply tape on the adjacent surface along a line exactly adjacent the bead to a point removed from the casing bead structure. Any excess compound which flows over the edge of the bead deposits on the tape and not on the ceiling tile or masonry column. When the finishing operation is completed, the tape on the ceiling tile or masonry column is then removed carrying away any splash-over of taping compound. Application and removal of the tape is a time-consuming and costly labor-involving step.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved drywall casing bead having a removable tear strip. The invention provides a drywall casing bead comprising a first flat elongated strip adapted to overlie the surface of the drywall panel and a lip formed along one longitudinal edge of said first strip to provide a bed for the application of masking materials. A second flat elongated strip extending from a side of the lip opposite said first strip at approximately right angles to said first strip is also provided. The second strip is adapted to be inserted in the gap between the edge of the drywall panel and the adjacent surface. A third flat elongated strip overlying said second strip on the side thereof facing said adjacent surface is provided, the third strip being connected to the second strip at the edge thereof opposite the lip and having a width significantly greater than the width of said second strip, such that it extends past the lip and overlies the adjacent surface. The third strip is scored and intentionally weakened along a line directly opposite the lip whereby the portion of said third strip extending beyond the lip provides a removable tear strip.
The present invention provides a casing bead which eliminates the need for masking tape or the like on the ceiling or column surface adjacent the bead. Whereas, heretofore, a margin had to be provided on the surface adjacent the drywall to catch any splash-over of finishing material a tear strip is now provided which is formed with and made part of the casing bead such that the tear strip is positioned to automatically catch any splash-over upon positioning and securing of the casing bead in position on the drywall with one leg thereof extending into the gap between the adjacent surface of the drywall. The labor step involved in the application and removal of masking tape is now avoided and the finishing operation is simplified and made less costly by providing a tear strip which is grasped by a pliers or like tool and pulled or torn away after all finishing operations on the drywall have been completed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
These advantages and others will become more apparent by reference to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a casing bead according to the prior art;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a casing bead according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an elevation view in section showing the application of the present invention as used along the top of a drywall panel adjacent acoustic tile; and
FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view showing the use of the present invention along the side of a drywall panel adjacent a masonry wall or column.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A drywall casing bead according to the prior art is shown in FIG. 1. As shown therein a bead 10 is provided which utilizes two flat elongated strips 12 and 14 joined along their fixed edges and formed so as to provide a lip or bead 16. Strip 12 is adapted to overlie the front surface of the drywall with which the bead is to be used and strip 14 is adapted to be inserted into the space at the top or sides of the drywall panels between the ceiling or adjacent wall or column. Apertures 18 are provided in the strip 12 for receiving fasteners whereby the bead 10 is affixed and secured to the drywall. Bead 16 defines a lip raised approximately 1/8 of an inch above the surface of the strip 12. During finishing, masking material, such as tape or masking compound, is overlaid on the strip 12 from the edge of lip 16 across strip 12, the free edge 13 of strip 12 and onto the drywall to provide a smooth surface for painting. The lip 16 provides a curb or margin for accumulation of the masking material as it is applied by a putty knife or the like.
Such a configuration is characterized by a problem in that the masking material tends to splash over or or be spread over lip 16 and small amounts are deposited or smeared upon the adjacent ceiling or wall surface. To avoid this problem, tape is applied to the adjacent surface after the casing bead is placed in position and secured by means of apertures 18 such that the edge of the tape adjacent to lip 16 is laid slightly interiorly of the leading edge of the lip 16 so that any splash-over accumulates on the tape and is thereafter removed after the finishing operation is completed when the tape is removed.
A drywall casing bead according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 2. As shown therein the invention comprises a bead 20, a first flat elongated strip 22, a second flat elongated strip 24 and a third flat elongated strip 26. Strip 22 corresponds to strip 12 of the prior art, and as in the case of the prior art casing bead, is joined to strip 24 along one edge to form a bead or lip 28. As shown in FIG. 2, strips 22 and 24 are oriented at approximately right angles to each other with the lip extending approximately 1/8 of an inch above or beyond the surface of a strip 22 to provide the bead or margin for finishing materials. A strip 26 is connected to and integrally formed with strip 24 at the edge of strip 24 removed from the line of juncture of strips 22, 24. Strip 26 which has a width substantially greater than the width of strip 24 and thus extends a significant distance beyond lip 28 at approximately a right angle to strip 22 to form a T-shaped structure. Strip 26 is scored and weakened along line 30. This enables the portion of strip 26 between line 30 and the free edge thereof to constitute a removable tear strip, the use of which will be described in conjunction with the description of the invention as depicted in the following two figures of the drawing.
As shown in FIG. 3 the casing bead 20 according to the present invention is mounted at the top of a drywall panel, such that the casing bead fills the gap between the top edge thereof and the acoustic tile 32 defining the ceiling above the drywall. The drywall 24 is held in position by being affixed to metal studs 36 with the tops of the acoustic tiles overlaying the tops of the studs. As shown strip 24 and a portion of strip 26 of casing bead 20 is placed in the gap 38 between the top of the drywall and the adjacent surface of acoustic tile such that at least a portion of strip 26 overlies and is in contact with the acoustic tile. Likewise this positions strip 22 such that it extends down from the top of the drywall over a portion of the exterior surface. In the finishing operation, masking tape and masking finishing compound are applied to strip 22 to overlap the free edge of strip 22 and to provide a smooth unmarked surface extending from the exterior surface of drywall 34 to the lip 28. It can be seen that as masking compound is applied over strip 22 by means of a putty knife or the like, a certain amount of material can be extruded or splashed over the apex of lip 28 and onto the exposed surface of strip 26. When the finishing operation is completed, the exposed portion of strip 26 is bent away from the ceiling tile and grasped with a tool such as a pliers and separated from the body portion of the casing bead along line 30 carrying away any excess masking material.
The same principle of operation applies to the drywall casing bead of the present invention as it is used along the sides of drywall in the gap between the side edges of a drywall panel 40 and an adjacent wall surface such as a masonry column 42. The casing bead 20 is inserted in the gap 44 between the side edge of the panel and masonry wall 42 such that strip 22 overlies the exterior surface of the drywall and the exposed portion of strip 26 overlies a portion of the exterior surface of the masonry wall. Strip 24 and the portion of strip 26 located interiorly of lip 28 extend into the gap. The casing bead is then secured by means of apertures 28 in strip 22 to the drywall to hold the casing bead in position. The finishing operation is then completed by the application of tape and masking material, not shown, overlying strip 22 and extending beyond the free edge thereof onto the drywall to again provide a smooth unmarked surface suitable for painting and the like. When all finishing operations are completed, the exposed portion of strip 26 becomes a tear strip which is removed along line 30 carrying away any masking material.
The casing bead as shown in FIG. 2 is an integral T-shaped structure with the point of juncture of the second and third strips 24, 26 located along a line removed from the location of the bead. Other configurations contemplated include a structure in which the third strip is joined directly to the bead 28 along a scored or weakened line for easy removal and one in which the third strip is a completely separate strip secured to the second strip by adhesives, spot welding or the like. Again, the free portion of such a third strip is preweakened along a line opposite the margin or lip of the casing bead to provide a removable tear strip.
In addition to its utility with conventional drywall, the casing bead of the present invention is generally useful with partitioning and paneling of all types wherein finishing is needed at the top and sides of precut or presized panels. Such other types include wallboard which is referred to as thinwall. Thinwall is a type of gypsum partitioning wherein thin panels are secured to wood or metal studs and the casing bead is then secured in position to the panels. Thereafter a thin coat of plaster called a veneer plaster is applied over the entire surface of the panel and the portion of the casing bead overlying the surface of the panel complete the finishing process.
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A T-shaped drywall casing bead having a removable tear strip portion. The casing bead includes a first strip corresponding to the leg of the T-shaped structure having a lip or bead formed along the fixed end thereof and a second and third strip corresponding to the cross bar portion of the T-shaped structure. A portion or all of the third strip is removable along an intentionally weakened line to provide the tear strip. Drywall finishing compound or material deposited on the tear strip is removed when the tear strip is removed. Various configurations of the casing bead are described.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packer inflation systems and more particularly to the valves which control the inflation of packers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The control of the inflation of well packers is important to obtain integrity between the packer and the well bore for purposes of working within the bore. It is known in the art to inflate packers by various mechanisms. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,445, issued Mar. 31, 1970, to K. L. Cochran et al., entitled "Well Control During Drilling Operations"; U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,349, issued Nov. 7, 1967, to D. V. Chenoweth, entitled "Hydraulically Expandable Well Packer"; U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,820, issued Mar. 19, 1968, to L. H. Robinson, Jr. et al., entitled "Apparatus for Drilling with a Gaseous Drilling Fluid".
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,142, issued Apr. 8, 1969, to George E. Conover, entitled "Inflatable Packers for External Use on Casing and Liners and Method of Use", there is disclosed an inflatable packer for external use on tubular members such as casings, liners, and the like. A valving arrangement is disclosed therein for containing fluid within the interior of the inflatable member after it has been inflated to prevent its return to the tubular member.
Arrangements of valving have been known in the prior art to prevent further communication between the interior of the tubular member and the interior of the inflatable element after the inflatable element has been inflated and set in a well bore. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,651, issued Feb. 11, 1969, to W. J. Bielstein et al., entitled "Well Control"; U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,127, issued Nov. 24, 1970, to Billy C. Malone, entitled "Reinforced Inflatable Packer with Expansible Back-up Skirts for End Portions"; U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,816, issued June 1, 1971, to Billy C. Malone, entitled "Permanent Set Inflatable Element"; U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,922, issued June 25, 1974, to Billy C. Malone, entitled "Safety Valve Arrangement for Controlling Communication Between the Interior and Exterior of a Tubular Member"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,308, issued Dec. 4, 1973, to Bill C. Malone, entitled "Safety Valve Arrangement for Controlling Communication Between the Interior and Exterior of a Tubular Member".
Inflatable packers have also been used in other operations, such as sealing the annular space between a jacket and a piling. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,427, issued Dec. 20, 1977, to Erwin E. Hoffman, entitled "Seal Arrangement and Flow Control Means Therefor".
The seals that are used in valves, such as in Malone, are usually hardened rubber. Such rubber tends to extrude under extreme pressure differential across the rubber and cause friction between rubber and metal that adversely affects valve operation. None of the prior art, however, provides for mechanism for equalizing pressures across the seals of the valves used to inflate packers to prevent such extrusion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention utilizes a unique arrangement of sealing mechanisms in conjunction with a valve or valves to permit the inflation of an inflatable packer element while at the same time equalizing pressure around the rubber seals of the valve or valves to prevent distortion of the seals from undue high differential pressure, and the resulting friction.
The present invention, like the prior art, is constructed and arranged so that the valve or valves remain seated to prevent communication between the interior of a tubular member and the interior of an inflatable element carried on the exterior of the tubular member until at least a predetermined pressure has been reached. This reduces the possibility of premature inflation of the inflatable element by sudden pressure changes or pressure surges which may occur within the tubular member as the tubular member is being positioned within a well bore.
However, the valve arrangement of the inflation system of the present invention includes an appropriate check valve arrangement of a portion of the valve structure to compensate for bore pressure to prevent extrusion from undue high differential pressures across the seals of certain rubber seals which must move in the valving operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are given like reference numerals and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a packer showing the three-valve collar for inflation of the packing;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section of the valve arrangement of FIG. 1 taken along section line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the three valves of a three-valve arrangement within the three-valve collar of the prior art; and
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of three valves of a three-valve arrangement of the present invention within the three valve collar.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A tubular member 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This type of member could be used for any of the embodiments of the present invention and is specifically illustrated for embodiments 1 and 2, and may be a casing packer. Member 10 includes a short casing joint or casing sub 12 for connection to other tubular members and is secured by suitable means, such as threads as illustrated in FIG. 1, to a valve collar 14 secured to the body 11 of the tubular member 10. It should be noted that the valve collar 14 could also be and is preferably secured to the sub 36 of other end of body 11 shown in FIG. 1. Valve collar 14 includes valve mechanism 16 (FIG. 2) for communicating fluid from the interior 21 of tubular member 10 to the fluid channel 20 (FIG. 2) leading to the inflatable, or packing, element 22 carried externally on tubular member 10.
The inflatable element 22 includes spaced apart annular packer heads 24, 26. Lower head 26 is secured to valve collar 14. Upper head 24 is secured to top collar 35. Inflatable element 22 extends between heads 24, 26 and is also secured to mandrel 28 which extends along the inside surface of element 22 between valve collar 14 to upper collar 35 where mandrel 28 is connected by threading or other means. The inflatable element may be of any suitable length and is provided with an elastomer cover 30 and two sets of steel anti-extrusion ribs 32. Ribs 32 are connected to the cover 30, such as, for example, vulcanized into the rubber, and extend therein. Each set of ribs 32 is connected to a steel back-up sleeve 34, and one set is connected to valve collar 14 while the other set is connected to collar 35. Sleeve 34 is also connected to packing element 22, such as vulcanized with the rubber, and to valve collar 14. A sub 36 is connected to the other portion of collar 35 for use with other tubular members.
A first set of grooves 38 is formed on valve collar 14. The set of grooves 38 includes internal, circumferential grooves 40, 42 formed in valve collar 14. Grooves 40, 42 are partially covered by juxtaposed screen sleeve 44. Sleeve 44 includes a hole 46 covered by a knock-off rod 50, usually of plastic, to isolate the valve system from pressure in the interior 21 of the member 10 during running.
Groove 42 terminates in port 52 extending partially through the wall of the valve collar 14 and connecting to passageway 54. Passageway 54 extends along the center of valve collar 14 to the port 56 of the valve system.
Shear valve 58 (FIG. 3, FIG. 4) is in fluid communication with port 56 via insertion of valve 58 in pocket 60. Pocket 60 formed in valve collar 14 by drilling of other means. Valve pocket 60 is in fluid communication with port 56. Pocket 60 forms angled valve seat 62 at the end of pocket 60 in direct fluid communication with port 56. The other end of pocket 60 is threaded with threads 61. Pocket 60 is cylindrical in shape having upper surface 63 of one diameter in upper chamber 65 and coaxial lower surface 67 of a second, smaller diameter in lower chamber 69. Upper chamber 63 has an opening to lateral passageway 71 at one end which extends further into valve collar 14.
Valve 58 includes a cylindrical shaped body 59 with an end portion 64 shaped to fit in seat 62. A T-seal, or other suitable seal, 66 is included along the circumference 73 of body 59 in groove 68 of end portion 64. Seal 66 is adapted to engage the wall 67 of the lower chamber 69 substantially parallel to the circumference 73. A threaded bore 70 having internal threads 74 is formed longitudinally along the lower portion of body 59. End 64 is connected by external threads 72, or other suitable means, to internal threads 74 of the longitudinal bore 70. The valve body 59, as illustrated, is reduced in size at the end opposite to end portion 64 to form a valve stem 78 with a first shoulder 80 formed at the juncture of valve stem 78 and the valve body 59. A suitable seal 84, such as an O-ring, is arranged in groove 86 on the upper portion of valve body 59 between the end portion 64 and shoulder 80. Seal 84 is adapted to seal against the upper surface 63 of upper chamber 65 of pocket 60 and groove 86.
Valve stem 78 terminates at its top 88 which is adjacent collet 90. Collet 90 has thick top section 92 and an elongated sleeve 94 terminating in bell-shaped lower section 96. Sections 92 and 94 form an inner end 98 which abuts stem top 88. Collet 90, which abuts valve stem 78 at its inner end 98, is retained in pocket 60 by annular retainer housing 100 which annularly surrounds collet 90. Annular retainer housing 100 has a base 101 with threads 102 formed on the outer circumference thereof. Threads 102 mate with threads 61 which secured housing 100 to pocket 60. Housing 100 further has a bore 97 formed through base 101 to receive collet 90 and an opening 116 at its top through which section 92 extends.
A shear pin 106 extends through a bore 99 in notch 103 in the end 104 of the retainer housing 100 and a bore 105 in the end 92 of collet 90 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to retain valve 58 in the seated position with end portion 64 adjacent seat 62 to block off fluid flow through port 56 from the interior 18 of the tubular member 10 to the fluid channel 20 leading to the interior of the inflatable element 30 via passageway 71.
A spring 108 surrounds valve stem 78 with one end of the spring abutting the shoulder 80 and the other end abutting the end 110 of the collet 90, such spring 108 being forced to a collapsed position as illustrated when the valve is in the position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings.
The strength of shear pin 106 will determine the minimum amount of fluid differential pressure necessary in port 56 to unseat the valve 58 and permit fluid flow through the port 56 from the interior of tubular member 10 to the interior of packer element 30.
Seals 66, 84 are positioned such that when the valve 58 is in the seated position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the seals 66, 84 prevent any fluid flow from port 56 to passageway 71. They also prevent the flow of any fluids from the exterior of collar 14 in contact with the bore hole which leak through threads 102 and past collet 90 in housing 100 into upper chamber 65 to flow into passageway 71. In addition, when the valve 58 is in the seated position, shoulder 80 is separated from bottom 110 by a sufficient distance such that when the valve 58 is no longer in the seated position but shoulder 80 is as close to shoulder 110 as the springs will allow, seal 66 is positioned above passageway 71.
In FIG. 3, valves 120 and 122 are substantially identical in construction. Valves 120, 122 are located in pockets 123, 125 respectively. Each pocket 123, 125 is substantially cylindrical in shape with walls 124, 126 respectively formed by drilling or other suitable means of opening with one end at the exterior outer surface of valve collar 14. The other end of pocket 123 terminates at port 127 in fluid communication with the pocket 123 and passageway 71. Pocket 123 forms angled valve seats 129 at the end of pocket 123 in direct fluid communications with port 127. The other end of pocket 123 is threaded with threads 129'. Passageway 131 also formed in valve collar 14 extends laterally further into valve collar 14 from the wall of pocket 123 and is in fluid communication with pocket 123. The other end of pocket 125 terminates at port 133 in fluid communication with the pocket 125 and passageway 131. Pocket 125 forms angled valve seats 135 at the end of pocket 125 in direct fluid communications with port 133. The other end of pocket 125 is threaded with threads 136. Passageway 137 also formed in valve collar 14 extends laterally further into valve collar 14 from the wall of pocket 125 and is in fluid communication with pocket 125 and fluid channel 20.
Each of the poppet valves 120, 122 includes an end portion 138, 140 respectively of elastomer for engaging on seats 129, 135 respectively formed between ports 127, 133 and the walls of pockets 123, 125 respectively. Each valve 120, 122 has a valve body 142, 144 respectively. The general shape of each valve body 142, 144 is cylindrical in configuration. The body 142, 144 of each valve 123, 125 has an upper portion 146, 148 respectively and a lower, smaller diameter portion 150, 152 respectively with a swage 154, 156 respectively separating the upper and lower portions of valve body. The tops of elastomer ends 138, 140 are fitted into grooves 158, 160 respectively formed circumferentially in lower ends 150, 152 respectively to hold the elastomer ends on lower portions 150, 152 respectively. A bore 162, 164 is formed through the end 166, 168 respectively of valves 142, 144 facing away from seats 129, 135 and extends substantially through the valve bodies 142, 144 respectively. A valve stem 170, 172 is inserted in the bore 162, 164 respectively with a spring 174, 176 in its collapsed position circumferentially surrounding stems 170, 172 respectively.
Each valve stem 170, 172 is received in a bore 178, 180 respectively in retainer housing 182, 184 of valves 120, 122 respectively. Each retaining housing 182, 184 is externally threaded with threads 186, 188 adapted to mate with threads 129', 136 respectively of pockets 123, 125 respectively. Each housing 182, 184 also includes a slot 190, 192 sized to receive a sealing means 194, 196, such as an O-ring, to sealingly engage the walls 124, 126 of pockets 123, 125 and slots 190, 192 respectively. Each housing 182, 184 also includes a groove 198, 199 respectively cut out in the head for external access from valve collar 14.
In operation, when the rod 50 is still in place, any communication of fluid from the interior of tubular member 10 to the fluid port 56 of any of the prior art or the embodiments is prevented. This prevents pressure variations or pressure surges from acting through port 56 and unseating the valve which might prematurely inflate the element 30.
When it is desired to actuate the device of any of the embodiments and communicate fluid to the channel 20 of packing element 22 carried on the exterior of the casing or tubular member 10, any suitable means (not shown) may be dropped through member 10 so as to break or shear the rod 50 to permit fluid communication with the groove set 38.
Thereafter, fluid may be communicated through the grooves 40, 42, the port 52, and the passage 54 to the inlet port 56 between the inner and outer walls of the valve collar 14. The fluid pressure of this fluid acts upon the end portion 64 of the valve 58, and the pressure within the tubular member 10 may be increased so as to shear the pin 106 whereupon the valve body 59 moves to a position where seal 66 no longer obstructs the flow of fluid to passageway 71 from port 56 thereby permitting fluid flow from port 56 through passageway 71 to port 127. This longitudinal movement of body 59 causes the valve stem 78 as well as the collet 90 surrounding the end thereof to move outwardly through the opening 116 of the retainer housing 100, compressing spring 108 between the shoulder 80 and the end 110 of the collet 90. The flow of fluid to port 127 builds pressure on end 138. When the pressure on end 138 overcomes the break out friction of end 138 and the force to compress spring 174, valve body 142 rises so that end 138 no longer obstructs the flow of fluid from port 127 through passageway 131 to port 133. The flow of fluid to port 133 builds pressure on end 140, when the pressure on end 140 overcomes the break out friction of end 140 and the force to compress spring 176, valve body 144 rises so that end 140 no longer obstructs the flow of fluid from port 133 to passageway 137 to channel 20 and packer 30 inflates.
Those skilled in the art would believe that shear pin 106 would shear at a given pressure at port 56 depending only on the strength of the shear pin 106. However, this is not the case. At the time the tubular member 10 is lowered into the well, the pressure in passageway 71 is at atmospheric pressure. The same is true of the pressures in upper pocket chamber 65 and the pressure at port 56. However, as the tubular member 10 is lowered into the well, the pressure in upper pocket chamber 65 changes to that of the exterior of the well because there is no seal through retainer housing 100 as discussed above. In addition, as pressure within the tubular member 10 increases, the pressure at valve port 56 increases. However, there is no path for the rising pressure to enter passageway 71 and raise it above atmospheric. Accordingly, while the valve is seated, seals 66, 84 will tend to extrude toward passageway 71 because of the high differential pressure between the upper pocket chamber 65 and passageway 71, and between lower pocket chamber 69 and passageway 71. In such circumstance, the seal rings 66, 84 are locked and the pressure to overcome breakout friction to move body 59 then goes much higher. This is because the O-rings usually used in the prior art of FIG. 3 are designed to only hold 4,000 to 5,000 psi of differential pressure. In deep wells, this breakout friction would be very high and normally a discontinuity in breakout pressure is exhibited at wells having a depth which exhibit downhole pressures of 5,000 to 6,000 psi. In addition, as discussed above, the diameter of upper pocket chamber 65 is larger than lower pocket chamber 69. In the prior art, in order to overcome this difference in diameter, a sleeve is installed in upper pocket chamber 65. Nevertheless the sleeves may not be perfect and the remaining space in the upper pocket chamber 65 is elliptical in shape having a major and a minor diameter both larger than the diameter of lower pocket chamber 69. Therefore, the force of the pressure on seal 84 in upper pocket chamber 65 is greater than the force by an identical pressure acting on seal 66 from valve port 56.
Accordingly, as the well is deeper and the pressure in upper pocket chamber 65 increases, the amount of pressure required at port 56 may be far greater than anticipated by knowledge of the shear strength of shear pin 106 in order to cause shear pin 106 to shear.
To avoid the problems of the prior art of FIG. 3 the valve system is modified as shown in FIG. 4. The modifications include removal of shear valve 58 from pocket 60. In addition, valve 120 is also removed. After shear valve 58 is removed from pocket 60. All grease is removed from O-ring 84 and T-seal ring 66. The shear valve is then lubricated with Baker Tubing Seal Grease Number 499-26 which is not reactant with the O-ring seal 84 or the T-seal 66 at elevated temperatures. The shear valve 58 is then replaced in pocket 60 in the manner known in the prior art. Pocket 123 is then filled, preferably with water or other suitable substance, although it could be left unfilled.
A modified retainer housing 182' is then installed in pocket 123. The modified retainer housing 182' includes a bore 200 of smaller diameter than bore 178 drilled coaxially through bore 178. Housing 182' is further modified to include counter bore 202 coaxial with and of smaller diameter than bore 200 formed by drilling or other means through the approximate center of groove 198. The disparity of diameters causes downwardly, outwardly sloping shoulder 204 to be formed between bore 178 and bore 200 and downwardly, outwardly sloping shoulder 206 to be formed between bore 200 and bore 202. A ball 208 is located within housing 182' in close proximity to the opening of bore 202 facing bore 200. Ball 208 is held against shoulder 206 by compressed spring 212. Spring 212 is compressed by rod 210 which contains an internal longitudinal fluid passageway 211 extending therethrough and opening at each end. Rod 210 is inserted into bore 178 by hammering or other means to force the rod 210 into the entry of bore 200 where it is held by friction with spring 212 and ball 208 extending into cocurrent bore 200 such that ball 208 abuts the shoulder 206 and the rod 210 extends substantially into the shoulder 204 forming a check valve assembly 214.
In operation, the member 10 of the first embodiment of FIG. 4, when lowered into the bore hole, will cause the pressure in passageway 71 to be approximately the same as the pressure in upper pocket chamber 65 of bore 60. This is effected by the check valve assembly 214. As pressure from the bore hole acts on tubular member 10, and particularly on modified housing 182', fluid will flow from counter bore 202 through bore 200 to bore 178, around ball 208, through passageway 211 in hollow rod 210 and thence to pocket 123, port 127 and passageway 71. This will permit the fluid in pocket 123 to be maintained at the pressure approximately that surrounding the tubular member 10 which is substantially the pressure in the upper pocket chamber 65. Accordingly, the differential pressure between upper pocket chamber 65 and passageway 71 across seal 84 will be very small. Further, the pressure at port 56 will also initially be approximately that of the bore so that the differential pressure across seal 66 will be very small. In addition, as the pressure in port 56 increases, and pin 106 shears, causing body 59 to move such that seal 66 moves to a position longitudinally above passageway 71, the pressure in pocket 123 will increase causing ball 208 to seat on the shoulder 206 thereby stopping further fluid communication between bore 200 and bore 202. Therefore, the pressure in passageway 71 will continue to rise causing valve 122 to unseat and permitting fluid flow to passageway 137.
The modified port plug 182' is usually covered with Shell Darina Grease Number 2 or other suitable lubricant to prevent plugging of the check valve 214.
In addition, because multiple packers are usually run along a tubular string comprised of tubular members 10 and other tubular members, the seal diameters should be measured and an indication of such be made, such as on the valve collar 14. In this manner the packer with the smallest upper seal 84 area will be run closest to the bottom of the hole to minimize distortion caused by different areas between seals 84 and 66 since the devices of the prior art always have a larger area for seal 84 than for seal 66.
Although the system described in detail above is most satisfactory and preferred, many variations in structure and method are possible.
Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught and because modifications may be made in accordance with the descriptive requirements of the law, it should be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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A valve system for use in inflating packers mounted on mandrels. The valve system uses one or more valves to permit, through the use of seals, the flow of fluid from the interior of a tubular mandrel to the interior of the inflatable packer when pressure applied in the mandrel exceeds at least a minimum pressure. The differential pressure across reciprocating seals is minimized through exposure of one or both sides, directly or indirectly, to the external pressure of the mandrel and packer, the exposure including the use of a check valve to permit flow from the exterior of the mandrel.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus that performs object extraction with images taken by an imaging apparatus that can capture for example in the visible light region or infrared region.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-347822, filed Nov. 30, 2004, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
There is conventionally known a vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus in which an object such as a pedestrian with a possibility of colliding with an automobile is extracted from an infrared image of the automobile's surroundings captured by an infrared camera, and information of this object is provided to the driver (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-6096).
In the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to one example of the aforementioned conventional art, in accordance with the position that an infrared camera is mounted on the vehicle, the temperature of the infrared camera may become excessively high depending on the operation state of the vehicle. For example, when an infrared camera is disposed at the front of the vehicle, in the operation state of the infrared camera the temperature of the infrared camera may exceed the specified durability upper limit due to the radiant heat of the internal combustion engine, causing a malfunction such as an abnormality in the infrared camera.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object providing a vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus capable of properly operating an imaging apparatus mounted on a vehicle while preventing the imaging apparatus from entering an abnormal state in a high temperature state exceeding a specified temperature.
In order to attain the object that solves the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus including: an imaging device that captures a surroundings of a vehicle; a temperature measuring device that measures a temperature of the imaging device; and an OFF signal output device that outputs a command signal to set a power supply of the imaging device to the OFF state in accordance with the temperature of the imaging device measured by the temperature measuring device.
The above-mentioned vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus, by being equipped with a temperature measuring device that measures the temperature of the imaging device, can accurately measure the temperature state of the imaging device, and so can protect the imaging device by appropriately controlling the power supply of the imaging device.
The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus of the present invention may further include: a reset determining device that determines whether or not a state of the imaging device is a specified resettable state; and a restart device that restarts the imaging device with the power supply set to the OFF state when the state of the imaging device is determined to be a specified resettable state by the reset determining device.
In this case, by determining whether or not the state of the imaging device is a specified resettable state, the imaging device can be restarted while being protected by appropriately controlling the power supply of the imaging device.
The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus of the present invention may further include an elapsed time measuring device that measures an elapsed time from a moment the command signal is output by the OFF signal output device, the reset determining device determining whether or not the state of the imaging device is a specified resettable state based on the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring device.
In this case, by determining whether or not the elapsed time after the command signal to turn the power supply OFF is output is a specified time, the imaging device can be restarted while being protected by appropriately controlling the power supply of the imaging device in accordance with the time variation of the temperature state of the imaging device.
The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus of the present invention may further include a vehicle speed measuring device that measures a speed of the vehicle, the reset determining device determining whether or not the state of the imaging device is a specified resettable state based on the speed of the vehicle measured by the vehicle speed measuring device.
In this case, after the command signal to turn the power supply OFF is output, by determining whether or not the vehicle speed is not less than a specified speed, the imaging device can be restarted while being protected by appropriately controlling the power supply of the imaging device in accordance with the speed state of the imaging device.
The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus of the present invention may further include a vehicle temperature state measuring device that measures a temperature state of the vehicle, the reset determining device determining whether or not the state of the imaging device is a specified resettable state based on the temperature state of the vehicle measured by the vehicle temperature state measuring device.
In this case, after the command signal to turn the power supply OFF is output, the imaging device can be restarted while being protected by appropriately controlling the power supply of the imaging device in accordance with the temperature state of the vehicle according to the temperature of the imaging device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the constitution of the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a vehicle equipped with the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a lineblock diagram of the image processing unit shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image processing unit shown in FIG. 1 , particularly the process of controlling the electrical power supply for an infrared camera.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereunder, a vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings.
The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment, for example as shown in FIG. 1 , includes: an image processing unit 1 equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus; two infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L that are capable of detecting distant infrared radiation; a yaw rate sensor 3 that detects the yaw rate of the vehicle; a vehicle speed sensor 4 that measures the traveling speed of the vehicle; a brake sensor 5 that detects a driver's braking operation; a loudspeaker 6 ; and a display device 7 . For example, the image processing unit 1 detects a moving object such as a pedestrian or an animal in front of the vehicle in its traveling direction from infrared images of the vehicle surroundings that are captured by the two infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L, and from detection signals relating to the traveling status of the vehicle that are detected by each of the sensors 3 , 4 , and 5 . In the case where the possibility of a collision between the detected moving object and the vehicle is determined, a warning is output via the loudspeaker 6 or the display device 7 .
Moreover, the display device 7 is, for example, constructed including a display device integrated with gauges that display various traveling states of the vehicle, a display device such as a navigation device, and furthermore an HUD (Head Up Display) 7 a that displays various information at a position on the front window where the field of front vision of the driver is not impaired.
In addition, the image processing unit 1 includes an A/D converter, that converts input analog signals into digital signals, an image memory that stores digitized image signals (luminance values), a CPU (central processing unit) that performs various arithmetic processing, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is used for storing data in the middle of the arithmetic processing, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs that are performed by the CPU and tables, maps and the like, and an output circuit that outputs drive signals for the loudspeaker 6 and display signals for the HUD 7 a . The image processing unit 1 is constructed such that the output signals of the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L, and the respective sensors, 3 , 4 , and 5 are input into the CPU after being converted into digital signals.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2 , two infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L are disposed at the front of the vehicle 10 at positions symmetrical in the width direction relative to the central axis of the vehicle 10 . The optical axes of both cameras 2 R and 2 L are parallel to each other, and both infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L are secured at the same height from the road surface. A characteristic of the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L is that the output signal level (that is, luminance) increases as the temperature of the object increases.
Moreover, the HUD 7 a is provided so as to display the images at a position on the front window of the vehicle 10 , where the field of front vision of the driver is not impaired.
As shown for example in FIG. 3 , the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L each include a CCD or CMOS imaging element 11 , an image output portion 12 , an internal temperature sensor 13 that measures the temperature inside a camera, and a failure image storage portion 14 that stores a specified failure image.
When the temperature inside the camera measured by the internal temperature sensor 13 is not above a specified temperature, the image output portion 12 outputs an infrared image obtained by image pick-up of the imaging element 11 to the image processing unit 1 . When the temperature inside the camera measured by the internal temperature sensor 13 is not below a specified temperature, the specified failure image stored in the failure image storage portion 14 , instead of the infrared image obtained by image pick-up of the imaging element 11 , is output to the image processing unit 1 .
As shown for example in FIG. 3 , the image processing unit 1 includes an image memory 21 , a failure determination portion 22 , a power supply control portion 23 , and a reset determination portion 24 . The reset determination portion 24 in particular is equipped with an outside air temperature sensor and various temperature sensors mounted on the vehicle, in addition to a yaw rate sensor 3 , a vehicle speed sensor 4 and a brake sensor 5 . The detection signal output from the vehicle status quantity sensor 31 that detects various kinds of vehicle status quantities is input, and an informing apparatus 32 that has a loudspeaker 6 and a display apparatus 7 is connected to the failure determination portion 22 of the image processing unit 1 .
In this image processing unit 1 , the image memory 11 stores infrared images received from the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) as digital data.
The failure determination portion 22 determines whether or not the specified failure image has been output from the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L). When this determination result is “YES”, as an alarm informing that the supply of electrical power will be halted by the power supply apparatus 33 because, for example, the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) is in an excessively high temperature state, an audible warning such as an alarm sound or alarm voice via the loudspeaker 6 or a visual warning such as a display via the display apparatus 7 is output from the informing apparatus 32 , and the power supply from the power supply apparatus 33 to the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) is stopped via the power supply control portion 23 .
When a specified state is detected in the state of the power supply from the power supply apparatus 33 to the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) being stopped, the reset determination portion 24 resumes power supply from the power supply apparatus 33 to the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) via the power supply control portion 23 .
As this specified state is the state in which the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) is presumed to have cooled due to a specified time (for example, 30 sec.) having elapsed from the moment the power supply to the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) is stopped, and, for example, the vehicle speed V measured by the vehicle speed sensor 4 being not less than a specified speed (for example, 30 km/h), as well as the outside temperature measured by the outside temperature sensor being not more than a specified temperature.
The vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment is provided with the construction described above. Next, the operation of the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus, in particular the processing that controls the power supply for the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L), is described with reference to the drawings.
First of all, in step S 01 shown in FIG. 4 , it is determined whether or not the power supply from the power supply apparatus 33 to the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) is in a stopped state.
When the determination result is “YES”, the flow proceeds to step S 07 that is described later.
On the other hand, when the determination result is “NO”, the flow proceeds to step S 02 .
In step S 02 , the temperature inside the camera measured by the internal temperature sensor 13 is acquired.
Next, in step S 03 , it is determined whether or not the temperature inside the camera is higher than a specified temperature.
When the determination result of step S 03 is “NO”, the flow proceeds to step S 04 . In this step S 04 , the infrared image obtained by image pick-up of the imaging element 11 is output to the image processing unit 1 , and the processing is terminated.
On the other hand, when the determination result of step S 03 is “YES”, the flow proceeds to step S 05 .
In step S 05 , the specified failure image stored in the failure image storage portion 14 , instead of the infrared image obtained by image pick-up of the imaging element 11 , is output to the image processing unit 1 .
In step S 06 , the failure determination portion 22 of the image processing unit 1 determines that the specified failure image has been output from the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L), the power supply from the power supply apparatus 33 to the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) is stopped by the power supply control portion 23 of the image processing unit 1 , and the processing is terminated.
In step S 07 , vehicle status quantities such as the outside temperature measured by the outside temperature sensor and the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor 4 are acquired.
In step S 08 , it is determined whether or not a specified status has been detected based on the acquired vehicle status quantities.
When the determination result is “NO”, the processing is terminated.
On the other hand, when the determination result is “YES”, the flow proceeds to step S 09 . In this step S 09 , the power supply from the power supply apparatus 33 to the infrared camera 2 R (or 2 L) is started by the power supply control portion 23 of the image processing unit 1 , and the processing is terminated.
As described above, the vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment, by being equipped with an internal temperature sensors 13 that measures the temperature of the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L, can accurately measure the temperature state of the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L, and so can protect the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L by appropriately controlling the power supply apparatus 33 that is the power supply of the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L.
Also, when restarting the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L, by determining whether or not the state of the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L is a specified resettable state, the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L can be restarted while being protected by appropriately controlling the power supply apparatus 33 that is the power supply of the infrared cameras 2 R and 2 L.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated above, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the invention and are not to be considered as limiting. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be considered as being limited by the foregoing description, and is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
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A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus which includes: an imaging device that captures a surroundings of a vehicle; a temperature measuring device that measures a temperature of the imaging device; and an OFF signal output device that outputs a command signal to set a power supply of the imaging device to the OFF state in accordance with the temperature of the imaging device measured by the temperature measuring device.
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The application claims priority of Chinese Patent Application CN201310461133.4 filed on Sep. 30, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fused pyrimidine compound, an intermediate, a preparation method, a composition and a use thereof.
PRIOR ARTS
Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is an intracellular phosphatidylinositol kinase which can catalyze the phosphorylation of hydroxyl group at 3-position of the phosphatidylinositol. The PI3K may be classified into Class I, Class II and Class III kinase and the most extensively studied one is the Class I PI3K which can be activated by cell surface receptors. The Class I PI3K in mammalian cells is further divided into Class Ia and Class Ib based on structure and receptor, which transducts signals from tyrosine kinase-coupled receptors and G protein-coupled receptors, respectively. The Class Ia PI3K includes PI3Kα, PI3Kβ and PI3Kδ subtypes, and the Class Ib PI3K includes PI3Kγ subtype ( Trends Biochem. Sci., 1997, 22, 267-272). The Class Ia PI3K is a dimeric protein consisting of a p110 catalytic subunit and a p85 regulatory subunit and having dual activities of a lipid kinase and a protein kinase ( Nat. Rev. Cancer 2002, 2, 489-501), and is considered to be correlated with cell proliferation and cancer development, immune diseases and inflammation related diseases.
Some compounds as PI3K inhibitors have been disclosed by prior art, such as: WO2008064093, WO2007044729, WO2008127594, WO2007127183, WO2007129161, US20040266780, WO2007072163, WO2009147187, WO2009147190, WO2010120987, WO2010120994, WO2010091808, WO2011101429, WO2011041399, WO2012040634, WO2012037226, WO2012032065, WO2012007493, WO2012135160, etc.
Currently there is no small molecule PI3Kδ selective available yet on the market, one object of the present invention is to provide a potent and low-toxicity medicament of PI3Kδ selective inhibitor for treating cell proliferation diseases such as cancer, infection, inflammation and autoimmune disease, etc.
CONTENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a fused pyrimidine compound, an intermediate, a preparation method, a composition and a use thereof which is completely different from the prior art. The fused pyrimidine compound of the present invention is an inhibitor selective for PI3Kδ, and can be used for preparing a medicament for preventing and/or treating cell proliferation diseases such as cancer, infection, inflammation and autoimmune disease, etc.
The present invention provides a fused pyrimidine compound represented by formula I, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, a hydrate, a solvate, an optical isomer or a prodrug thereof,
wherein:
X is S or O; Q is C or N; R 1 is selected from a hydrogen, a deuterium, a halogen, an alkyl (e.g., an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl; the unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl is preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl or an isopropyl), an alkoxy, an alkenyl, an alkynyl, a cycloalkyl, a heterocycloalkyl, an aryl or a heteroaryl; preferably a hydrogen or an alkyl (e.g., an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl; the unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl is preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl or an isopropyl); R 2 is selected from a hydrogen, a deuterium, a halogen, CN, —(CR 8 R 9 ) m —NR 5 R 6 , —(CR 8 R 9 ) m NR 7 C(═Y)R 5 , —(CR 8 R 9 ) m NR 7 S(O) 2 R 5 , —(CR 8 R 9 ) m OR 5 , —(CR 8 R 9 ) m S(O) 2 R 5 , —(CR 8 R 9 ) m S(O) 2 NR 5 R 6 , —C(OR 5 )R 6 R 8 , —C(═Y)R 5 , —C(═Y)OR 5 , —C(═Y)NR 5 R 6 , —C(═Y)NR 7 OR 5 , —C(═O)NR 7 S(O) 2 R 5 , —C(═O)NR 7 (CR 8 R 9 ) m NR 5 R 6 , —NR 7 C(═Y)R 6 , —NR 7 C(═Y)OR 6 , —NR 7 C(═Y)NR 5 R 6 , —NR 7 S(O) 2 R 5 , —NR 7 S(O) 2 NR 5 R 6 , —SR 5 , —S(O) 2 R 5 , —S(O) 2 NR 5 R 6 , —SC(═Y)R 5 , —SC(═Y)OR 5 , a C 1 -C 12 alkyl (e.g., a substituted or an unsubstituted C 1 -C 4 alkyl, in which the “C 1 -C 4 alkyl” is preferably a methyl, and the “substituted” means being substituted by substituted or unsubstituted aryl, and the “substituted” in the “substituted or unsubstituted aryl” means that it may be substituted by a halogen (preferably F, Cl or Br, more preferably Cl) and/or an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl (which may be a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a butyl, an isobutyl or a tert-butyl) and the aryl in the “substituted or unsubstituted aryl” is preferably a phenyl, an example of the “substituted aryl” is
an example of the “substituted C 1 -C 4 alkyl” is
a C 2 -C 8 alkenyl, a C 2 -C 8 alkynyl, a C 3 -C 12 carbocyclyl, a C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl, a C 6 -C 20 aryl or a C 1 -C 20 heteroaryl;
(R 3 ) k represents that a hydrogen on the heterocycle to which it is attached is substituted by 0 to k occurrences of R 3 , and at each occurrence R 3 is the same or different from one another, and is independently selected from a hydrogen, a deuterium, a halogen, a C 1 -C 6 alkyl, or any two of R 3 are linked together by a single bond, a C 1 -C 6 alkyl or a C 1 -C 6 alkylene substituted by one or more heteroatoms, with the heteroatom being O, N or S; preferably k is 0; Cy is a heterocyclyl which is selected from:
A is N or CR 4a ;
D is N or CR 4d ;
E is N or CR 4e ;
G is N or CR 4g ;
Z is N or CR 4 ;
Z′ is N or CR 4′ ;
A, D, E, Z and G are not N at the same time;
each of R 4a , R 4d , R 4e and R 4′ are independently selected from a hydrogen, a halogen, —CN, an alkyl, an alkoxy, an alkenyl, —NR 5 R 6 , —OR 5 , —SR 5 , —C(O)R 5 , —NR 5 C(O)R 6 , —N(C(O)R 6 ) 2 , —NR 5′ C(O)NR 5 R 6 , —S(O)R 5 , —S(O) 2 R 5 , —S(O) 2 NR 5 R 6 , —NR 7 S(O) 2 R 5 , —NR 5′ S(O) 2 NR 5 R 6 , —C(═O)OR 5 or —C(═O)NR 5 R 6 ;
R 4g′ is —S(O)R 5 , —S(O) 2 R 5 (which may be
—S(O) 2 NR 5 R 6 (which may be
or —C(O)R 5 ;
R 4 and R 4g , together with the atoms to which they are attached form a saturated, unsaturated or partially unsaturated 5-membered or 6-membered heterocycle, and only one of the ring atoms of the 5-membered or 6-membered heterocycle is a heteroatom, and the heteroatom is selected from O, N and S, and the 5-membered or 6-membered heterocycle is fused to the 6-membered ring containing A, D, E, Z and G (preferably
each of R 5 , R 5′ , R 6 , R 7 and R 7′ are independently a hydrogen, a C 1 -C 12 alkyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 5 alkyl in which the “unsubstituted” means not being substituted by a substituent other than an alkyl, and the “C 1 -C 5 alkyl” is preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl, a tert-butyl, a n-pentyl, an isopentyl or a neo-pentyl, more preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl or a tert-butyl, and the “substituted” in the “substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 5 alkyl” means that it may be substituted by a hydroxyl and/or an unsubstituted C 1 -C 3 alkoxy such as a methoxy, an example of the “substituted C 1 -C 5 alkyl” is
a C 2 -C 8 alkenyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 4 alkenyl in which the “substituted” means being substituted by one or more unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl which may be a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl or a tert-butyl; when being substituted by the ethyl, the “substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 4 alkenyl” may be
a C 2 -C 8 alkynyl, a C 3 -C 12 carbocyclyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carbocyclyl in which the “substituted” means being substituted by one or more unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl and/or C 3 -C 6 heterocyclyl containing O or N as heteroatoms with a heteroatom number of 1-2, and the “unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl” may be a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl or a tert-butyl, and the “C 3 -C 6 heterocyclyl containing O or N as heteroatoms with a heteroatom number of 1-2” may be “C 5 -C 6 heterocyclyl containing N as a heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1” which may be a piperidyl, and the “piperidyl” may be as
when the “substituted” means being substituted by a methyl and/or an ethyl, the “substituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carbocyclyl” is preferably
when the “substituted” means being substituted by
the “substituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carbocyclyl” is preferably
a C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 9 heterocyclyl containing the heteroatom selected from the group consisting of O, S and N with a heteroatom number of 1-3 in which the “substituted” means preferably being substituted by the substituents selected from the group consisting of an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl (preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl or a tert-butyl), a halogen (e.g., F, Cl or Br), a halogen-substituted alkyl (e.g., trifluoromethyl), a hydroxyl-substituted alkyl (e.g., hydroxymethyl or
and “C 2 -C 4 heterocyclyl containing O, S or N as a heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2” (in which the “C 2 -C 4 heterocyclyl” is preferably a C 3 heterocyclyl; and which is preferably “C 3 heterocyclyl containing O as a heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1,” more preferably oxacyclobutyl such as
and the “substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 9 heterocyclyl containing the heteroatom selected from the group consisting of O, S and N with a heteroatom number of 1-3” is more preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 4 -C 5 heterocyclyl containing O or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2, e.g., substituted or unsubstituted tetrahydropyranyl (an example of the “unsubstituted tetrahydropyranyl” is
an example of the “substituted tetrahydropyranyl” is
substituted or unsubstituted morpholinyl (the substituted morpholinyl is preferably
and the unsubstituted morpholinyl may be
substituted or unsubstituted pyrrolidyl (the substituted pyrrolidyl is preferably
the unsubstituted pyrrolidyl may be
substituted or unsubstituted piperidyl (the “substituted piperidyl” is preferably
a C 6 -C 20 aryl, a C 1 -C 20 heteroaryl, or a heterocycle formed by R 5 , R 6 together with the nitrogen to which they are directly attached, a spiro ring further formed by the heterocycle and a C 2 -C 6 heterocycle (preferably the “C 2 -C 6 heterocycle” is “C 2 -C 6 heterocycle containing O, S or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2”, for example
a spiro ring further formed by the heterocycle formed by R 5 , R 6 together with the nitrogen to which they are directly attached and the C 2 -C 6 carbocycle (for example
a fused ring further formed by the heterocycle formed by R 5 , R 6 together with the nitrogen to which they are directly attached and a C 2 -C 6 heteroaromatic ring (the “C 2 -C 6 heteroaromatic ring” is preferably “C 2 -C 6 heteroaromatic ring containing O, S or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2”, an example of the fused ring is
a bridged ring further formed by the heterocycle formed by R 5 , R 6 together with the nitrogen to which they are directly attached and a C 2 -C 6 heteroaromatic ring (the “C 2 -C 6 heteroaromatic ring” is preferably “C 2 -C 6 heteroaromatic ring containing O, S or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2”, an example of the bridged ring is
a fused ring further formed by the heterocycle formed by R 5 , R 6 together with the nitrogen to which they are directly attached and a C 2 -C 6 aromatic ring (the “C 2 -C 6 aromatic ring” is preferably a benzene ring, an example of the fused ring is
a fused ring further formed by the heterocycle formed by R 5 , R 6 together with the nitrogen to which they are directly attached and a C 2 -C 6 carbocycle (for example
or a heterocycle formed by R 5 , R 6 together with the nitrogen to which they are directly attached which may be optionally substituted by the substituent selected from the group consisting of: oxo, —(CH 2 ) m OR 7 (for example
—NR 7 R 7′
a deuterium, a halogen (for example F, Cl, Br or I, preferably F), —SO 2 R 7 (for example
—C(═O)R 7 , —NR 7 C(═Y)R 7′ , —NR 7 S(O) 2 R 7′ , —C(═Y)NR 7 R 7′ , a C 1 -C 12 alkyl (preferably a substituted or an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl in which the “unsubstituted” means not being substituted by a substituent other than an alkyl, preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl, a tert-butyl, a n-pentyl, an isopentyl or a neo-pentyl, more preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl or an isopropyl; and the “substituted” means that it may be substituted by the substituent selected from the group consisting of: a hydroxyl,
F and a C 2 -C 6 heterocyclyl; the “C 2 -C 6 heterocyclyl” refers to a C 2 -C 6 heterocyclyl containing O, S or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2, preferably a tetrahydropyranyl; and the substituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl is preferably trifluoromethyl,
trifluoroethyl,
a C 2 -C 8 alkenyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 4 alkenyl in which the “substituted” means being substituted by one or more unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl, the “unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl” is preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl or a tert-butyl, example of the “unsubstituted C 2 -C 4 alkenyl” is
an example of the “substituted C 2 -C 4 alkenyl” is
a C 2 -C 8 alkynyl, a hydroxyl, a C 3 -C 12 carbocyclyl (preferably unsubstituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carbocyclyl, for example cyclopropyl), a C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 9 heterocyclyl containing the heteroatom selected from O, S and N with a heteroatom number of 1-3 in which the “substituted” means being preferably substituted by the substituents selected from the group consisting of an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl (preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl or a tert-butyl), a halogen (e.g., F, Cl or Br), a halogen substituted alkyl (e.g., trifluoromethyl), oxo and a hydroxyl-substituted alkyl (e.g., hydroxymethyl or
and which is preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 5 heterocyclyl containing O or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2, for example, substituted or unsubstituted tetrahydropyranyl (an example of the unsubstituted tetrahydropyranyl is
an example of the substituted tetrahydropyranyl is
substituted or unsubstituted oxacyclobutyl (an example of the unsubstituted oxacyclobutyl is
substituted or unsubstituted morpholinyl (the unsubstituted morpholinyl is preferably
and the substituted morpholinyl is preferably
substituted or unsubstituted pyrrolidyl (the substituted pyrrolidyl is preferably
and the unsubstituted pyrrolidyl may be
substituted or unsubstituted piperidyl (the substituted piperidyl is preferably
and the unsubstituted piperidyl may be
substituted or unsubstituted azetidinyl (an example of the substituted azetidinyl is
methylsulfonyl
a C 3 -C 20 heterocycloalkenyl (preferably a C 3 -C 5 heterocycloalkenyl having N, O or S as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1 or 2 which is preferably
a C 6 -C 20 aryl and a C 1 -C 20 heteroaryl (preferably a substituted or unsubstituted C 2 -C 6 heteroaryl containing O, S or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1 or 2, in which the “substituted” means that may be substituted by the substituents selected from the group consisting of a methyl, an ethyl and a propyl; which is preferably a C 3 heteroaryl containing S and/or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 2 with a preference to substituted thiazolyl such as
an amino (which may be substituted by the substituent selected from the group consisting of a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl, a tert-butyl and a tert-butoxycarbonyl, preferably
(in which R 12 is preferably unsubstituted C 1 -C 4 alkyl (for example methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl or tert-butyl), a halogen-substituted C 1 -C 4 alkyl (for example trifluoromethyl), a cyano-substituted C 1 -C 4 alkyl (for example
a pyrrolidyl, a hydroxyl-substituted C 1 -C 4 alkyl (for example hydroxyethyl), an unsubstituted C 1 -C 4 alkoxy (for example a methoxy or a tert-butoxy) or an unsubstituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carbocyclyl (for example a cyclopropyl or a cyclohexyl), and
is preferably
or substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 3 amido (in which the “substituted” means being substituted by an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkoxy such as a methoxy, an ethoxy, a propoxy, an isopropoxy or a tert-butoxy; an example of the “substituted C 1 -C 3 amido” is
each of R 8 and R 9 are independently a hydrogen, a deuterium, a halogen, —CN, a hydroxyl, an alkoxy, a cycloalkoxy, a C 1 -C 12 alkyl (preferably an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl which is preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl, a tert-butyl, a n-pentyl, an isopentyl or a neo-pentyl, more preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl or an isopropyl), a C 2 -C 12 alkenyl, a C 2 -C 12 alkynyl, a C 3 -C 12 cycloalkyl, a C 6 -C 12 aryl, a 3-12 membered heterocycloalkyl or a 5-12 membered heteroaryl; preferably a hydrogen or a C 1 -C 12 alkyl (preferably an unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl which is preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl, a tert-butyl, a n-pentyl, an isopentyl or a neo-pentyl, more preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl or an isopropyl).
(CR 8 R 9 ) m represents that m number of (CR 8 R 9 ) are linked together, in which each of R 8 and R 9 are the same or different from one another, and independently are a hydrogen, a deuterium, a halogen, —CN, a hydroxyl, an alkoxy, a C 1 -C 12 alkyl, a C 2 -C 12 alkenyl, a C 2 -C 12 alkynyl, a C 3 -C 12 cycloalkyl, a C 6 -C 12 aryl, a 3-12 membered heterocycloalkyl or a 5-12 membered heteroaryl; or a saturated or partially unsaturated C 3 -C 12 carbocycle or C 2 -C 20 heterocycle formed by R 8 , R 9 together with the atoms to which they are attached; wherein the alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, carbocycle, heterocycle, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, or heterocyclyl may optionally be substituted by the substituent selected from the group consisting of: a deuterium, a halogen, —CN, —CF 3 , —NO 2 , oxo, R 5 , —C(═Y)R 5 , —C(═Y)OR 5 , —C(═Y)NR 5 R 6 , —(CR 8 R 9 ) m NR 5 R 6 , —(CR 8 R 9 ) m OR 5 , —NR 5 R 6 , —NR 7 C(═Y)R 5 , —NR 7 C(═Y)OR 6 , —NR 7 C(═Y)NR 5 R 6 , —(CR 8 R 9 ) m NR 7 SO 2 R 5 , ═NR′, OR 5 , —OC(═Y)R 5 , —OC(═Y)OR 5 , —OC(═Y)NR 5 R 6 , —OS(O) 2 (OR 5 ), —OP(═Y)(OR 5 )(OR 6 ), —OP(OR 5 )(OR 6 ), —SR 5 , —S(O)R 5 , —S(O) 2 R 5 , —S(O) 2 NR 5 R 6 , —S(O)(OR 5 ), —S(O) 2 (OR 5 ), —SC(═Y)R 5 , —SC(═Y)OR 5 , —SC(═Y)NR 5 R 6 , a C 2 -C 8 alkenyl, a C 2 -C 8 alkynyl, a C 3 -C 12 carbocyclyl, a C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl, a C 6 -C 20 aryl or a C 1 -C 12 heteroaryl; Y is O, S or NR 7 ; m and k independently are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, and k is preferably 0.
In the present invention, the fused pyrimidine compound represented by formula I, the pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, solvate, optical isomer or prodrug thereof, is preferably selected from the compound represented by formula 2, 3, 4 or 5,
In the compound represented by formula 2 or the compound represented by formula 3, Cy is preferably a substituent selected from the group consisting ofs:
In the compound represented by formula 4 or 5, preferably, Cy may be the following substituent:
In the present invention, the compound I is more preferably a compound selected from the group consisting of:
The present invention also provides a preparation method for compound I which is any of the following methods:
Method I, reacting compound I-a with R 2 BF 3 K, R 2 B(OR 10 ) 2 , R 2 ZnX 1 or R 2 MgX 1 as the coupling reaction shown below to obtain compound I;
wherein R 10 is a hydrogen, a C 1 -C 6 alkyl, or a pinacol borate group formed by two OR 10 groups together with the boron atom to which they are attached as shown below; X 1 is Cl, Br or I; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , Cy, Q, X and k are defined as above;
Wherein the coupling reaction is a type of organic chemistry reaction well-known to the person skilled in the art, and the reaction therefore can be performed according to the methods of coupling reaction in references: Org. Lett., 2006, 8(10), 2031-2034; or J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 2762-2769; or Tetrahedron 63(2007) 3623-3658; or Chem. Rev. 2008, 108, 288-325; or Chem. Rev. 1995, 95, 2457-2483; or Tetrahedron 54(1998) 8275-8319.
Method II: further derivatizing compound I, i.e., deprotecting —CO 2 t-Bu or after the deprotection, undergoing N-alkylation, N-arylation, reductive amination, or N-acylation reaction well-known to the person skilled in the art, to obtain the target compound I;
the general formula of compound I is as below:
Wherein in the case of compound I as a starting material, R 2 is the group shown below, and each of n 1 and n 2 are independently 0, 1 or 2;
in the case of compound I as a product, R 2 is the group shown below:
Za is a hydrogen, —C(═Y)R 5 , —C(═Y)NR 5 R 6 , —S(O)R 5 , —S(O) 2 R 5 , a C 1 -C 12 alkyl, a C 3 -C 12 carbocyclyl, a C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl, a C 6 -C 20 aryl or a C 1 -C 20 heteroaryl; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , Cy, Q, X, k, R 5 and R 6 are defined as above;
Method III: further derivatizing compound I, i.e., via reduction or reductive amination reaction well-known to the person skilled in the art, to obtain the target compound I;
the general formula of compound I is as below:
wherein in the case of compound I as a starting material, R 2 is the group shown below, and each of n 1 and n 2 are independently 0, 1 or 2;
in the case of compound I as a product, R 2 is the group shown below: each of n 1 and n 2 are independently 0, 1 or 2; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , Cy, Q, X, k, R 5 and R 6 are defined as above;
method IV, allowing compound I-a to undergo Pd-catalyzed hydroxylation reaction to obtain a phenol intermediate I-a′, followed by a nucleophilic substitution reaction between I-a′ and R 5 —OTs, R 5 —OMs or R 5 —X 1 well-known to the person skilled in the art, to obtain the target compound I;
Wherein R 2 is —(CR 8 R 9 ) m OR 5 , m is 0; X 1 is Cl, Br or I; R 1 , R 3 , Cy, Q, X and k are defined as above; R 5 is a C 1 -C 12 alkyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 5 alkyl in which the “unsubstituted” means not being substituted by a substituent other than an alkyl; the “C 1 -C 5 alkyl” is preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl, a tert-butyl, a n-pentyl, an isopentyl or a neo-pentyl, more preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl or a tert-butyl; and the “substituted” means that it may be substituted by a hydroxyl and/or an unsubstituted C 1 -C 3 alkoxy such as a methoxy, an example of the “substituted C 1 -C 5 alkyl” is
a C 3 -C 12 carbocyclyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carbocyclyl in which the “substituted” means being substituted by one or more unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl and/or “C 3 -C 6 heterocyclyl containing O or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2”, the “unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl” may be a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl or a tert-butyl, and the “C 3 -C 6 heterocyclyl containing O or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2” may be “C 5 -C 6 heterocyclyl containing N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1” which may be a piperidyl, and the “piperidyl” may be
in the case that the “substituted” in the “substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carboncyclyl” means being substituted by a methyl and/or an ethyl, the “substituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carbocyclyl” is preferably
in the case that the “substituted” in the “substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carboncyclyl” means being substituted by
the “substituted C 3 -C 6 saturated carbocyclyl” is preferably
or a C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl (preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 9 heterocyclyl containing the heteroatom selected from the group consisting of O, S and N with a heteroatom number of 1-3, in which the “substituted” means being substituted preferably by the substituent selected from the group consisting of unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl (preferably a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, an isopropyl, a n-butyl, an isobutyl or a tert-butyl), a halogen (e.g., F, Cl or Br), a halogen-substituted alkyl(e.g., trifluoromethyl), a hydroxyl-substituted alkyl (e.g., hydroxymethyl or
and “C 2 -C 4 heterocyclyl containing O, S or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2” (in which the “C 2 -C 4 heterocyclyl” is preferably a C 3 heterocyclyl; and the “C 2 -C 4 heterocyclyl containing O, S or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2” is preferably a “C 3 heterocyclyl containing O as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1” with a preference to oxacyclobutyl which may be
the “substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 9 heterocyclyl containing the heteroatom selected from the group consisting of O, S and N with a heteroatom number of 1-3” is more preferably substituted or unsubstituted C 4 -C 5 heterocyclyl containing O or N as heteroatom with a heteroatom number of 1-2, for example, substituted or unsubstituted tetrahydropyranyl (an example of the “unsubstituted tetrahydropyranyl” is
an example of the “substituted trtrahydropyranyl” is
a substituted or unsubstituted pyrrolidyl (in which the substituted pyrrolidyl may be
and the unsubstituted pyrrolidyl may be
a substituted or unsubstituted piperidyl (the “substituted piperidyl” is preferably
In R 5 the carbon atom other than the one at α-position of the heteroatom is linked with the oxygen atom in “—(CR 8 R 9 ) m OR 5 ”.
Wherein, the Pd-catalyzed hydroxylation reaction may be performed according to the method in reference of Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 7595-7599.
In the present invention, the compound I-a may be prepared by the following method: allowing compound I-c and compound I-b to undergo a nucleophilic substitution reaction to obtain compound I-a;
wherein Q is N; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , Cy, X and k are defined as above.
wherein the nucleophilic substitution reaction is a type of organic chemistry reaction well-known to the person skilled in the art, and thus the reaction may be performed according to the method of the nucleophilic substitution reaction in references of Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 18(2008) 2920-2923; or Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 18(2008) 2924-2929.
In the present invention, the compound I-c may be prepared by the following method: allowing compounds I-e and I-d to undergo a coupling reaction, or allowing compound I-e and NH-containing Cy to undergo a nucleophilic substitution reaction;
Wherein R 10 is a hydrogen or a C 1 -C 6 alkyl, or a pinacol borate group formed by two OR 10 groups together with the boron atom to which they are attached (as shown below); each of the other groups and alphabets are defined as above.
Wherein the coupling reaction is a type of organic chemistry reaction well-known to the person skilled in the art, and thus the reaction may be performed according to the method of the coupling reaction in references of Chem. Rev. 1995, 95, 2457-2483; or Tetrahedron 68(2012) 329-339; or Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 18(2008) 2920-2923; or Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 18(2008) 2924-2929.
Therefore, in the present invention, the reaction route of the preparation method of the compound I is preferably shown as below:
wherein Q is N; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , Cy, X and k are defined as above.
Wherein the route takes compound I-e as a starting material, allows compound I-e and compound I-d to undergo the coupling reaction, or allows compound I-e and NH-containing Cy to undergo a selective nucleophilic substitution reaction to obtain compound I-c; allows compound I-b and compound I-c to undergo the nucleophilic substitution reaction to obtain compound I-a, carries on coupling reaction with compound I-a to yield the compound of general formula I; or first carrying on Pd-catalyzed hydroxylation reaction on compound I-a to yield compound I-a′ and followed by undergoing a nucleophilic substitution reaction with compound I-a′ to yield the compound of general formula I.
wherein the coupling reaction and nucleophilic substitution reaction are all organic chemistry reactions well-known to the person skilled in the art. wherein the starting material of compound I-e (R 1 ═H) may be prepared according to the method disclosed in reference (Tetrahedron 2007, 63, 3608-3614); and compound I-e (R 1 ≠H) may be prepared by the following method: allowing compound I-f to undergo a bromination reaction as shown by the route below:
wherein R 1 is the same as previously defined, but is not a hydrogen; and X is the same as previously defined.
Wherein, the methods and conditions of the bromination reaction may all be conventional methods and conditions of this type of reaction in the art, the following methods and conditions are particularly preferred in the present invention: reacting compound I-f with bromine in the presence of a Lewis acid in a solvent. Wherein, the solvent is preferably acetic acid, propionic acid, more preferably acetic acid. The volume-mass ratio of the solvent and compound I-f is preferably 2 mL/g-20 mL/g. The Lewis acid is preferably selected from the group consisting of aluminum trichloride, titanium tetrachloride and tin chloride, more preferably aluminum trichloride. The usage of the bromine is preferably 1-6 times, more preferably 2-4 times as much as the molar amount of compound I-f. The temperature of the reaction is preferably 0° C.-120° C., more preferably 20° C.-100° C. The duration of the reaction is preferably until the reaction is complete by detection, generally 3 hrs to 20 hrs.
Wherein, compound I-f may be prepared by a method known in the art of organic chemistry, such as the method described in references (WO2007/023382; CN101675053).
According to the above-described preparation method disclosed by the present invention, the person skilled in the art can utilize the same principle and method to prepare each specific compound covered by the compound represented by general formula I of the present invention.
Unless otherwise specified or providing a preparation method, the starting materials used for preparing the compounds of the present invention or the intermediates thereof are all known in the art or commercially available.
The present invention also provides an intermediate compound for preparing the above compound I which is selected from the group consisting of:
Wherein Q is N; R 1 , R 3 , Cy, X and k are defined as above.
In the present invention, the intermediate compound I-a is preferably a specific compound selected from the group consisting of:
In the present invention, the intermediate compound I-c is preferably a specific compound selected from the group consisting of:
The chemical general formula involved in the present invention may exhibit tautomerism, structural isomerism and stereoisomerism. The present invention includes any tautomeric or structural isomeric or stereoisomeric form as well as the mixture thereof, and they have the ability to modulate kinase activity which is not limited to any form of the isomer or the mixture thereof.
The present invention provides a use of the fused pyrimidine compound represented by formula I, the pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, solvate, optical isomer or prodrug thereof in manufacturing a kinase inhibitor.
The present invention also provides a use of the fused pyrimidine compound represented by formula I, the pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, solvate, optical isomer or prodrug thereof in manufacturing a medicament for treating and/or preventing a disease associated with kinase.
In the present invention, the kinase is preferably PI3 kinase (PI3K), more preferably p110 δ subtype of PI3 kinase (PI3K).
The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of the fused pyrimidine compound represented by formula I, the pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, solvate, optical isomer or prodrug thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
In the present invention, the “therapeutically effective amount” represents (i) an amount of the compound in the present invention for preventing or treating the specific diseases or disorders described in the application, (ii) an amount of the compound in the present invention for reducing, ameliorating or eliminating one or more symptoms associated with the specific diseases or disorders described in the application, or (iii) an amount of the compound in the present invention for preventing or delaying the onset of one or more symptoms associated with the specific diseases or disorders described in the application. The dosage for treating human patient may be in a range of 0.0001 mg/kg-50 mg/kg, most often 0.001 mg/kg-10 mg/kg body weight, for example 0.01 mg/kg-1 mg/kg. Such a dosage may be administered for example 1-5 times a day.
The present invention further provides a use of the pharmaceutical composition in manufacturing a kinase inhibitor.
The present invention also provides a use of the pharmaceutical composition in manufacturing a medicament for treating and/or preventing a disease associated with kinase.
In the present invention, the “kinase” in the “disease associated with kinase” is preferably a PI3 kinase.
In the present invention, the “disease associated a kinase” includes, but are not limited to, a disease selected from the group consisting of cancer, immune disease, metabolism and/or endocrine disorder, cardiovascular disease, viral infection and inflammation, and neurological disease, preferably cancer and/or immune disease. The immune disease includes, but not limited to, a disease selected from the group consisting of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and systemic lupus erythematosus; the cardiovascular disease includes, but not limited to, a disease selected from the group consisting of blood tumor; and the viral infection and inflammation include, but not limited to, asthma and/or atopic dermatitis.
The present invention also provides a method for treating and/or preventing a disease associated with kinase, which comprises: administering an effective dosage of the pharmaceutical composition to a patient.
Unless otherwise specified, the following terms in the specification and claims of the invention have the meaning as follows:
As used herein, the “alkyl” (including used alone and contained in other groups) intends to encompass a saturated straight- or branched-chain aliphatic hydrocarbyl containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 12 carbon atoms, more preferably 1 to 6 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, tert-butyl, isobutyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, 4,4-dimethylpentyl, 2,2,4-trimethylpentyl, undecyl, dodecyl, and various isomers thereof etc.; as well as the above alkyl group containing the substituent selected from the group consisting of: a deuterium, a halogen (preferably F, Br, Cl or I), an alkoxy, an aryl, an aryloxy, an aryl-substituted aryl or diaryl, an arylalkoxy, an alkenyl, an alkynyl, a cycloalkyl, a cycloalkenyl, a cycloalkylalkoxy, an amino, optionally substituted amino (such as an amino substituted by one to two unsubstituted C 1 -C 3 alkyl, or —NR 7 C(═Y)R 5 mentioned above), a hydroxyl, an acyl, an aldehyde group, a heteroaryl, a heteroaryloxy, a heterocycloalkyl, a heterocycloalkoxy, an arylheteroaryl, an arylalkoxycarbonyl, a heteroarylalkoxy, an aryloxyaryl, an alkylamino, an amido, an arylcarbonylamino, a C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl, a nitro, a cyano, a mercapto, and an alkylmercapto. “C x1 -C y1 ” alkyl (with x1 and y1 being integers) with the specified range of carbon number described in the present invention, such as “C 1 -C 12 alkyl”, is the same as defined except that the range of carbon number differs from the range of carbon number of “alkyl” defined in this paragraph.
As used herein, the “alkylene” (including used alone and contained in other groups) intends to encompass a subsaturated straight- or branched-chain aliphatic hydrocarbyl containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 12 carbon atoms, more preferably 1 to 6 carbon atoms, such as a methylene, an ethylene, a n-propylene, an isopropylene, a n-butylene, a tert-butylene, an isobutylene, a pentylene, a hexylene, a heptylene, an octylene, a nonylene, a decylene, 4,4-dimethylpentylene, 2,2,4-trimethylpentylene, an undecylene, a dodecylene, and various isomers thereof etc.; the alkylene may be substituted by any 1 to 4 substituents selected from the group consisting of: a deuterium, a halogen (preferably F, Br, Cl or I), an alkoxy, an aryl, an aryloxy, an aryl-substituted aryl or diaryl, an arylalkoxy, an alkenyl, an alkynyl, a cycloalkyl, a cycloalkenyl, a cycloalkylalkoxy, an amino, optionally substituted amino (such as an amino substituted by one to two unsubstituted C 1 -C 3 alkyl), a hydroxyl, an acyl, an aldehyde group, a heteroaryl, a heteroaryloxy, a heterocycloalkyl, a heterocycloalkoxy, an arylheteroaryl, an arylalkoxycarbonyl, a heteroarylalkoxy, an aryloxyaryl, an alkylamino, an amido, an arylcarbonylamino, a nitro, a cyano, a mercapto, and an alkylmercapto; the substituent selected from the above together with the alkylene may also be linked to form a ring, and thereby to form a fused ring or a spiro ring.
The term “alicyclyl,” “carbocyclyl,” or “cycloalkyl” (including used alone or contained in other groups) includes saturated or partially unsaturated (containing 1 or 2 double bonds) cyclic hydrocarbon groups containing 1 to 3 rings, including monocyclic alkyl, bicyclic alkyl and tricyclic alkyl, containing 3 to 20 ring-forming carbon atoms, preferably 3 to 12 carbon atoms, for example: a cyclopropyl, a cyclobutyl, a cyclopentyl, a cyclohexyl, a cycloheptyl, a cyclooctyl, a cyclodecyl and a cyclododecyl, a cyclohexenyl; the cycloalkyl may be substituted by any 1 to 4 substituents selected from the group consisting of: a deuterium, a halogen, an alkyl, an alkoxy, a hydroxyl, an aryl, an aryloxy, an arylalkyl, an alkylamino, an amido, oxo, an acyl, an arylcarbonylamino, an amino, a nitro, a cyano, a mercapto, and an alkylmercapto. In addition, any cycloalkyl ring may be fused to a cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl or heterocycloalkyl ring so as to form a fused ring, bridged ring or a spiro ring.
The term “alkoxy” represents a cyclic or non-cyclic alkyl group having the indicated number of carbon atoms and linked via an oxygen bridge. Thus, “alkoxy” includes the above definitions of “alkyl” and “cycloalkyl”.
The term “alkenyl” refers to a straight-chain, branched-chain or cyclic non-aromatic hydrocarbyl having the indicated number of carbon atoms and at least one carbon-carbon double bond. Preferably there is one carbon-carbon double bond, and may have up to four non-aromatic carbon-carbon double bonds. Thus, “C 2 -C 12 alkenyl” refers to an alkenyl group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms. “C 2 -C 6 alkenyl” refers to an alkenyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, including a vinyl, a propenyl, a butenyl, 2-methylbutenyl and a cyclohexenyl. The straight-, branched-chain or cyclic part of the alkenyl group may include a double bond and, where the substituted alkenyl is specified, the alkenyl group may be substituted.
The term “alkynyl” refers to a straight-chain, branched-chain or cyclic hydrocarbyl having the indicated number of carbon atoms and at least one carbon-carbon triple bond. It may have up to three carbon-carbon triple bonds. Thus, “C 2 -C 12 alkynyl” refers to an alkynyl group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms. “C 2 -C 6 alkynyl” refers to an alkynyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, including an ethynyl, a propynyl, a butynyl and 3-methylbutynyl and the like.
As used herein, the “aryl” refers to any stable monocyclic or bicyclic carbocycle with up to 7 atoms in each ring, wherein at least one ring is an aromatic ring. Examples of the above-mentioned aryl unit include phenyl, naphthyl, tetrahydronaphthyl, 2,3-dihydroindenyl, biphenyl, phenanthryl, anthryl or acenaphthenyl. It would be understood that if an aryl substituent is a bicyclic substituent and one ring is non-aromatic ring, then the linkage is through the aromatic ring. The above-mentioned aryl may be substituted by any 1 to 4 substituents selected from the group consisting of: a deuterium, a halogen (F, Br, Cl or I), an alkyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, a diaryl, an arylalkyl, an arylalkoxy, an alkenyl, an alkynyl, a cycloalkyl, a cycloalkenyl, a cycloalkylalkyl, a cycloalkylalkoxy, optionally substituted amino, a hydroxyl, a hydroxyalkyl, an acyl, an aldehyde group, a heteroaryl, a heteroaryloxy, a heterocycloalkyl, a heterocycloalkyloxy, an arylheteroaryl, an arylalkoxycarbonyl, a heteroarylalkyl, a heteroarylalkoxy, an aryloxyalkyl, an alkylamino, an amido, an arylcarbonylamino, a nitro, a cyano, a mercapto, a haloalkyl, a trihaloalkyl, and an alkylmercapto.
The term “alkylmercapto” represents a cyclic or non-cyclic alkyl group containing the indicated number of carbon atoms and linked via a sulfur-bridge. Thus, “alkylmercapto” includes the above definitions of alkyl and cycloalkyl.
The term “halogen” represents fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine.
The term “haloalkyl” represents a halogen-substituted alkyl group at arbitrary position(s). Thus, “haloalkyl” includes the above definitions of halogen and alkyl.
The term “haloalkoxy” represents to a halogen-substituted alkoxy group at arbitrary position(s). Thus, the “haloalkoxy” includes the above definitions of halogen and alkoxy.
The term “aryloxy” represents an aryl group having the indicated number of carbon atoms and linked via an oxygen-bridge. Thus, “aryloxy” includes the above definition of aryl.
As used herein, the term “arylhetero” or “heteroaryl” represents a stable monocycle or bicycle which may be with up to 7 atoms in each ring, wherein at least one ring is an aromatic ring and contains 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from O, N, and S. Heteroaryl groups within the scope of this definition include, but not limited to, acridinyl, carbazolyl, cinnolinyl, quinoxalinyl, pyrazolyl, imidazolyl, indolyl, indazolyl, triazolyl, tetrazolyl, benzotriazolyl, benzimidazolyl, benzoxazolyl, benzothiazolyl, benzisoxazolyl, benzisothiazolyl, purinyl, furyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, benzothienyl, benzofuranyl, quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, oxazolyl, oxdiazolyl, isoxazolyl, triazinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrrolyl, tetrahydroquinolinyl. As the heterocycle defined below, “heteroaryl” should also be understood to include N-oxide derivatives of any nitrogen-containing heteroaryl group. In the case where the heteroaryl substituent is a bicyclic substituent and one ring is a non-aromatic ring or is without any heteroatom, it is understandable that a linkage is established via the aromatic ring or the heteroatom contained in the ring. The heteroaryl group may be substituted by any 1 to 4 substituents selected from the group consisting of: a deuterium, a halogen, an alkyl, an alkoxy, a hydroxyl, an aryl, an aryloxy, an arylalkyl, a cycloalkyl, an alkylamino, an amido, an acyl, an arylcarbonylamino, an amino, a nitro, a cyano, a mercapto and an alkylmercapto.
As used herein, the term “heterocycle” or “heterocyclyl” represents a 5 to 10 membered aromatic or non-aromatic heterocycle containing 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from O, N, and S, and includes bicyclic groups. Therefore, the “heterocyclyl” includes the above heteroaryl groups, as well as dihydro- or tetrahydro-analogs thereof. Other examples of “heterocyclyl” include, but are not limited to, benzimidazolyl, benzofuranyl, benzofurazanyl, benzopyrazolyl, benzotriazolyl, benzothienyl, benzoxazolyl, carbazolyl, carbolinyl, cinnolinyl, furyl, imidazolyl, dihydroindolyl, indolyl, indazolyl, isobenzofuranyl, pseudoindolyl, isoquinolinyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, naphthalene pyrimidinyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, oxazoline, isoxazoline, oxetanyl, pyranyl, pyrazinyl, pyrazolyl, pyridazinyl, pyridopyridyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrrolyl, quinazolinyl, quinolyl, quinoxalinyl, tetrahydropyranyl, tetrazolyl, tetrazopyridyl, thiadiazolyl, thiazolyl, thienyl, triazolyl, azetidinyl, 1,4-dioxanyl, hexahydrodiazepinyl, piperazinyl, piperidinyl, pyrrolidinyl, morpholinyl, thio-morpholinyl, dihydrobenzimidazolyl, dihydrobenzofuranyl, dihydrobenzothienyl, dihydrobenzoxazolyl, dihydrofuryl, dihydroimidazolyl, dihydroindolyl, dihydroisoxazolyl, dihydroisothiazolyl, dihydrooxadiazolyl, dihydrooxazolyl, dihydropyrazinyl, dihydropyrazolyl, dihydropyridyl, dihydropyrimidinyl, dihydropyrrolyl, dihydroquinolinyl, dihydrotetrazolyl, dihydrothiadiazolyl, dihydrothiazolyl, dihydrothienyl, dihydrotriazolyl, dihydroazetidinyl, methylenedioxybenzoyl, tetrahydrofuranyl and tetrahydrothienyl and N-oxides thereof. The heterocyclyl substituent can be linked with other groups via a carbon atom or a heteroatom therein. C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl is preferably C 2 -C 8 saturated heterocyclyl, more preferably C 4 -C 5 saturated heterocyclyl, in which the heteroatom is N, O or S, more preferably C 4 -C 5 saturated heterocyclyl with a heteroatom number of 2, e.g., piperazinyl or piperidyl. Where there is one heteroatom in the C 2 -C 20 heterocyclyl, the substitution position is preferably at a carbon atom or a heteroatom; and where there are two or more than two heteroatoms, the substitution position is preferably at the heteroatom.
The term “heteroalicyclyl” or “heterocycloalkyl” used herein alone or as a part of another group refers to a 4 to 12 membered saturated or partially unsaturated ring containing 1 to 4 heteroatoms (such as nitrogen, oxygen and/or sulphur). The heterocycloalkyl group may include one or more than one substituent, such as an alkyl, a halogen, oxo and the alkyl substituent listed above. In addition, the heterocycloalkyl ring can be fused to a cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl or heterocycloalkyl ring to form a fused ring, a bridged ring or a spiro ring. The heterocycloalkyl substituent can be linked with other groups via a carbon atom or a heteroatom therein.
The above various preferred conditions can be combined randomly without departing from common knowledge in the art to obtain various preferred embodiments of the present invention.
The reagents and starting materials used in the present invention are all commercially available.
The room temperature described in the present invention refers to ambient temperature within a range of 10° C.-35° C.
The positive effect of the present invention is that: the fused pyrimidine compound I of the present invention is a potent, low toxic PI3 kinase (especially PI3Kδ-oriented) inhibitor which can be used in manufacturing a medicament for preventing and/or treating cell proliferation diseases such as cancer, infections, inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Now the present invention will be further illustrated below by way of examples, and however the present invention is not therefore limited within the scope of the examples. The experimental method without particular conditions being specified in the following examples is chosen according to conventional methods and conditions, or product instructions.
Synthetic Route of Compound 1
Synthesis of Compound 1-c
A mixture of compound 1-d (prepared according to the method disclosed in reference: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2012, 5887-5900) (338 mg), compound 1-e (prepared according to the method disclosed in reference: Tetrahedron 2007, 63, 3608-3614) (540 mg), tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium (139 mg, 0.12 mmol), cesium carbonate (782 mg, 2.4 mmol), dioxane (25 mL) and water (10 mL) was heated to 100° C. under nitrogen atmosphere overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed sequentially with water and saturated brine. The separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=6/1) to yield compound 1-c (98 mg, 21%). LC-MS ESI):m/z=382(M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 1-b
To a reaction flask were added 1-c (98 mg), morpholine (90 mg) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) (5 mL). The reaction solution was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 95° C. overnight. The reactants were cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed sequentially with water and saturated brine, the separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-TLC (developing system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=2/1), to yield compound 1-b (63 mg, 47%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=433(M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 1-a
To a sealed tube were added compound 1-f (prepared according to the method disclosed in reference: J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 2762-2769) (5.5 g, 35.17 mmol), 1-methylsulfonyl piperazine (5.67 g, 34.52 mmol), cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) (26 mL) and tert-butanol (9 mL). The reaction solution was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 110° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, and concentrated under reduced pressure. To the residue was added acetone (100 mL), refluxed and filtered off potassium chloride. The filtrate was concentrated, and then the residue was dissolved in acetone (50 mL), followed by a slow addition of diethyl ether (80 mL) to precipitate, and further addition of diethyl ether (250 mL). After filtration, the filter cake was dried to yield compound 1-a (7 g, yield 62%). 1 H NMR (500 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ 8.94(1H, brs), 3.51-3.69(2H, m), 3.37-3.50(2H, m), 3.06-3.22(2H, m), 2.89-3.04(2H, m), 2.97(3H, s), 2.03(2H, q, J=5.0 Hz).
Synthesis of Compound 1
A mixture of compound 1-b (63 mg, 0.145 mmol), compound 1-a (46 mg, 0.189 mmol), palladium acetate (10 mg), X-Phos (4 mg), cesium carbonate (142 mg, 0.435 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (1.2 mL) and water (0.3 mL) was heated under nitrogen atmosphere to 80° C. and stirred overnight. The reaction liquid was cooled, diluted with tetrahydrofuran, and filtered, the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by HPLC to yield compound 1 (16 mg, 21%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=531(M+H) + ; 1 HNMR (500 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.41(s, 1H), 7.72(s, 1H), 7.47(dd, J=3.5 Hz, 8.5 Hz, 1H), 7.29(t, J=3.0 Hz, 1H), 7.10(t, J=4.5 Hz, 1H), 6.60(s, 1H), 3.93(t, J=4.5 Hz, 4H), 3.88(s, 2H), 3.83(t, J=5.0 Hz, 4H), 3.28(t, J=4.5 Hz, 4H), 2.78(s, 3H), 2.73(t, J=4.5 Hz, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 2
Synthesis of Compound 2-a
To a reaction flask were added purchased compound 2-c (200 mg, 0.77 mmol), purchased compound 2-b (144 mg, 0.7 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (26 mg, 0.035 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (1.05 mL) and 1,4-dioxane (10 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The mixed liquid was cooled, and filtered through celite. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=3/1), to obtain compound 2-a (184 mg, 69%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=304(M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 2
A mixture of compound 2-a (184 mg, 0.48 mmol), morpholine (209 mg, 2.4 mmol) and N, N-dimethylacetamide (10 mL) was heated to 94° C. and reacted overnight. The reactants were cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was diluted with ethyl acetate and neutralized with saturated sodium carbonate, and the organic phase was washed sequentially with water and saturated brine, the separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=2/1) to obtain compound 2 (110 mg, 65%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=449.0, 451.0 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.62(1H, s), 7.84(1H, d, J=5.6 Hz), 7.76-7.73(1H, m), 7.35(1H, t, J=2.8 Hz), 7.30(1H, d, J=5.6 Hz), 7.10-7.03(2H, m), 3.97(4H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 3.85(4H, t, J=5.2 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 3
Synthesis of Compound 3-b
To a reaction flask were added compound 2-c (997 mg, 3.8 mmol), Compound 1-e (994 mg, 3.5 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (128 mg, 0.175 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (5.3 mL) and 1, 4-dioxane (30 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and then diluted with ethyl acetate, and filtered, the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=10/1˜dichloromethane/tetrahydrofuran=100/1), to obtain 3-b (885 mg, 66%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=382 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 3-a
A mixture of compound 3-b (885 mg, 2.31 mmol), morpholine (1000 mg, 11.55 mmol) and N, N-dimethylacetamide (20 mL) was heated to 94° C. and reacted overnight. The reactants were cooled to room temperature, and then concentrated, the residue was diluted with ethyl acetate, and neutralized with saturated sodium carbonate, the separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=10/1˜8/1) to obtain compound 3-a (498 mg, 50%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=433 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 3
To a microwave tube was added compound 3-a (100 mg, 0.23 mmol), morpholine (120 mg, 0.69 mmol), Pd 2 dba 3 (21 mg, 0.023 mmol), X-Phos (33 mg, 0.069 mmol), sodium tert-butoxide (132 mg, 1.38 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (1.0 mL) and toluene (1.0 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 100° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and filtered, the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 3 (23 mg, 23%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=440 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74(1H, s), 7.74(1H, q, J=4.8, 8.4 Hz), 7.33(1H, t, J=2.8 Hz), 7.06-6.99(2H, m), 6.80(1H, s), 3.99(4H, t, J=4.0 Hz), 3.93(4H, t, J=4.0 Hz), 3.85(4H, t, J=4.4 Hz), 3.43(4H, t, J=4.4 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 4
Synthesis of Compound 4-d
To a reaction tube were added compound 1-f (0.5 g, 3.2 mmol), 2-(4-piperidyl)-2-propanol (0.46 g, 3.23 mmol), cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) (2.1 mL) and tert-amyl alcohol (0.7 mL). The reaction solution was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 110° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, and concentrated under reduced pressure. To the remains was added acetone (6 mL) and refluxed, followed by slow addition of diethyl ether (10 mL) to allow precipitation, and further addition of diethyl ether (90 mL). The mixture was cooled to room temperature, and filtered. The filter cake was dried to obtain compound 4-d (0.77 g, yield 100%). 1 H NMR (500 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ 9.19(s, 1H), 4.25(s, 1H), 3.38(d, J=12.5 Hz, 2H), 2.67(t, J=12.5 Hz, 2H), 1.90(d, J=5.0 Hz, 2H), 1.74(d, J=13.5 Hz, 2H), 1.44-1.57(m, 2H), 1.36(t, J=12.0 Hz, 1H), 1.02(s, 6H).
Synthesis of Compound 4-b
To a reaction flask were added purchased compound 4-c (1.0 g, 4.11 mmol), compound 1-e (1.06 g, 3.74 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf)CH 2 Cl 2 (137 mg, 0.187 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (5.6 mL) and 1, 4-dioxane (25 mL). The reaction solution was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated and then dissolved with ethyl acetate, after filteration through celite, the organic phase was sequentially washed with water, saturated brine, and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/petroleum ether=4/1), to yield compound 4-b (658 mg, 52%).
Synthesis of Compound 4-a
A mixture of compound 4-b (658 mg, 1.8 mmol), morpholine (790 mg, 9.1 mmol) and N, N-dimethylacetamide (12 mL) was heated to 94° C. to react overnight. The reactants were cooled to room temperature and then concentrated, the residue was diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with aqueous ammonia, the separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, the residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=8/1), to obtain compound 4-a (500 mg, 46%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=415(M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 4
To a microwave tube were added compound 4-a (100 mg, 0.24 mmol), compound 4-d (127 mg, 0.48 mmol), cesium carbonate (235 mg, 0.72 mmol), X-Phos (23 mg, 0.048 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.024 mmol) and a mixed liquid of THF and water (10/1 v/v, 2 mL). The reaction solution was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, and filtered. The filter cake was washed with tetrahydrofuran. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 4(36 mg, 30%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=492.3(M+H) + . 1 H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.38(1H, s), 7.74(1H, d, J=7.5 Hz), 7.68(1H, s), 7.48(1H, d, J=8.0 Hz), 7.25-7.29(2H, m), 6.98(1H, s), 3.90-3.92(4H, m), 3.77-3.79(6H, m), 3.08(2H, d, J=11.5 Hz), 2.04 (2H, t, J=11.5 Hz), 1.69 (2H, d, J=12.0 Hz), 1.35-1.40 (2H, m), 1.23-1.25 (1H, m), 1.11 (6H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 5
Synthesis of Compound 5-a
Compound 4-a (100 mg, 0.24 mmol) was dissolved in trifluoroacetic acid (2.5 mL). To the solution was slowly added dropwise triethylsilane (46 mg, 0.63 mmol), and the mixture under nitrogen atmosphere was heated to 50° C. to react for 3 hrs. The reactants were cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with saturated sodium carbonate aqueous solution, the separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/tetrahydrofuran=100/3), to obtain 5-a (90 mg, 75%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=419 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 5
To a microwave tube were added compound 5-a (95 mg, 0.23 mmol), compound 4-d (120 mg, 0.46 mmol), cesium carbonate (225 mg, 0.69 mmol), X-Phos (22 mg, 0.046 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.023 mmol) and a mixed liquid of THF and water (10/1, v/v, 2 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and filtered, the filter cake was washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 5 (20 mg, 18%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=494.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.84 (1H, s), 7.18 (1H, d, J=7.5 Hz), 7.10 (1H, t, J=8.0 Hz), 6.70 (1H, d, J=14.0 Hz), 3.82-3.85 (6H, m), 3.74-3.76 (4H, m), 3.51 (2H, t, J=8.5 Hz), 3.22 (2H, t, J=8.5 Hz), 3.13 (2H, d, J=11.0 Hz), 2.14 (2H, t, J=11.5 Hz), 1.71 (2H, d, J=13.0 Hz), 1.44-1.51 (2H, m), 1.23-1.28 (1H, m), 1.11 (6H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 6
Synthesis of Compound 6-b
To a reaction flask were added purchased compound 6-c (300 mg, 1.16 mmol), compound 1-e (331 mg, 1.16 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) CH 2 Cl 2 (42 mg, 0.058 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (1.74 mL) and 1,4-dioxane (8 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixed liquid was concentrated under reduced pressure, and then dissolved in ethyl acetate, and filtered through celite. The filtrate was washed sequentially with water, saturated brine, and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/ethyl acetate/petroleum ether=1/1/2), to yield compound 6-b (220 mg, 50%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=379 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 6-a
A mixture of compound 6-b (220 mg, 0.58 mmol), morpholine (254 mg, 2.92 mmol) and N, N-dimethylacetamide (6 mL) was heated to 94° C. and reacted overnight. The reactants were cooled, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with aqueous ammonia, the separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by preparation plate chromatograph (developing system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=3/2), to yield compound 6-a (85 mg, 33.5%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=429.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 6
To a microwave tube were added compound 6-a (88 mg, 0.20 mmol), compound 4-d (108 mg, 0.41 mmol), cesium carbonate (196 mg, 0.60 mmol), X-Phos (20 mg, 0.041 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.020 mmol) and a mixed liquid of THF and water (10/1, v/v, 1.1 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, filtered, and the filter cake was washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 6 (76 mg, 73%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=506.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.03 (1H, s), 7.65-7.67 (2H, m), 7.36 (1H, d, J=8.0 Hz), 7.18 (1H, t, J=7.0 Hz), 6.62 (1H, s), 3.90-3.92 (4H, m), 3.77-3.79 (6H, m), 3.07 (2H, d, J=11.0 Hz), 2.41 (3H, s), 2.03 (2H, t, J=10.5 Hz), 1.68 (2H, d, J=12.0 Hz), 1.34-1.40 (2H, m), 1.22-1.25 (1H, m), 1.11 (6H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 7
Synthesis of Compound 7-a
To a sealed tube were added compound 1-f (1.26 g, 8.07 mmol), compound 7-b (1.05 g, 8.07 mmol), cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) (24 mL) and tert-amyl alcohol (8 mL). The reaction solution was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 110° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, and concentrated under reduced pressure. To the residue was added acetone and refluxed, followed by slow addition of diethyl ether to allow precipitation, and filtered. The filter cake was dried to obtain compound 7-a (1.04 g, 45%) which is directly used in the next reaction.
Synthesis of Compound 7
To a microwave tube were added compound 4-a (100 mg, 0.24 mmol), compound 7-a (102 mg, 0.48 mmol), cesium carbonate (235 mg, 0.72 mmol), X-Phos (23 mg, 0.048 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.024 mmol), THF (0.9 mL) and water (0.09 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature and filtered, and the filter cake was washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 7 (17 mg, 15%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=479 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.58 (1H, s), 7.80 (1H, d, J=7.2 Hz), 7.75 (1H, s), 7.54 (1H, d, J=8.4 Hz), 7.35-7.30 (2H, m), 7.04 (1H, s), 3.98 (4H, t, J=4.4 Hz), 3.87-3.84 (6H, m), 3.62 (2H, t, J=5.2 Hz), 2.67-2.55 (10H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 8
Synthesis of Compound 8-f
At normal temperature a solution of bromine (1.44 mL, 27.6 mmol) in acetic acid (10 mL) was slowly added dropwise into a solution of 8-g (prepared according to the method of patent: WO 2007/023382 A2) (1.984 g, 9.2 mmol) and aluminum trichloride (2.46 g, 18.4 mmol) in acetic acid (30 mL). The mixture was heated to 80° C. to react for 6 hrs after the addition was completed. The reaction mixture was cooled, and then partitioned between ethyl acetate (80 mL) and water (80 mL). The organic layer was separated and washed with 5% sodium thiosulfate solution (2×80 mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with ethyl acetate (×2), the combined organic phase was washed sequentially with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (200 mL) and saturated brine (400 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to yield target compound 8-f (1.035 g, yield 76%) as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 296.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 8-e
To a reaction flask were added compound 4-c (400 mg, 1.65 mmol), compound 8-f (344 mg, 1.155 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) CH 2 Cl 2 (60 mg, 0.0825 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (2.48 mL) and 1,4-dioxane (8 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixed liquid was concentrated and then dissolved in ethyl acetate, followed by filtration through celite. The organic phase was washed sequentially with water, saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/ethyl acetate=100/1), to yield compound 8-e (260 mg, 59.7%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=379.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 8-c
A mixture of compound 8-e (260 mg, 0.688 mmol), morpholine (299 mg, 3.44 mmol) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (6 mL) was heated to 94° C. and react overnight. The reactants were cooled to room temperature, and concentrated, the residue was diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with aqueous ammonia, the separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/ethyl acetate=100/1), to obtain compound 8-c (206 mg, 70.1%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=429 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 8-b
To a microwave tube were added compound 8-c (105 mg, 0.245 mmol), compound 8-d (prepared according to the method disclosed in reference: J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 2762-2769) (0.49 mmol), cesium carbonate (240 mg, 0.735 mmol), X-Phos (24 mg, 0.049 mmol), palladium acetate (5.5 mg, 0.0245 mmol), and a mixed liquid of THF and water (10/1, v/v, 1.1 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction liquid was cooled to room temperature and filtered, and the filter cake was washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=2/3), to yield compound 8-b (90 mg, 67%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=549.3(M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 8-a
Compound 8-b (90 mg, 0.164 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (1.1 mL), and trifluoroacetic acid (187 mg, 1.64 mmol) was added dropwise slowly thereto. The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reactants were concentrated and the residue was neutralized with saturated sodium bicarbonate (50 mL), and extracted with ethyl acetate. The separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain compound 8-a (70 mg, 95%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=449.2(M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 8
Compound 8-a (90 mg, 0.164 mmol), hydroxyl acetic acid (14 mg, 0.188 mmol), NMM (0.052 mL, 0.468 mmol) were dissolved in DMF (2.0 mL), and to the mixture were added HOBt (32 mg, 0.234 mmol), EDCI (45 mg, 0.234 mmol), the reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reactants were diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with water, the separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 8 (36 mg, 46%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=507.2(M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.46(1H, s), 7.67(1H, d, J=7.2 Hz), 7.54(1H, d, J=8.4 Hz), 7.31-7.34(2H, m), 7.05(1H, s), 4.14(2H, s), 3.93-3.95(4H, m), 3.84-3.86(4H, m), 3.80(2H, s), 3.67(2H, t, J=4.6 Hz), 3.25(2H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 2.61(3H, s), 2.58(2H, t, J=5.2 Hz), 2.54(2H, t, J=5.2 Hz), 1.26(1H, t, J=7.2 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 9
Synthesis of Compound 9-a
To a sealed tube were added purchased compound 9-b (1.377 g, 8.1 mmol), compound 1-f (1.248 g, 8.0 mmol), cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) (15 mL) and tert-amyl alcohol (5 mL). The reaction solution was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 110° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to the remains was added acetone and refluxed, followed by slow addition of diethyl ether to allow precipitation, and filtered. The filter cake was dried to obtain compound 9-a (2.16 g, 100%).
Synthesis of Compound 9
To a microwave tube were added compound 4-a (207 mg, 0.5 mmol), compound 9-a (416 mg, 1.65 mmol), cesium carbonate (489 mg, 1.5 mmol), X-Phos (48 mg, 0.1 mmol), palladium acetate (11 mg, 0.05 mmol), THF (1.8 mL) and water (0.18 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature and filtered, and the filter cake was washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 9 (33 mg, 13%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=519(M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.41(1H, s), 7.81(1H, d, J=7.2 Hz), 7.74(1H, s), 7.56(1H, d, J=8.0 Hz), 7.37-7.33(2H, m), 7.06(1H, s), 3.98(4H, t, J=4.0 Hz), 3.86-3.85(6H, m), 3.72(4H, t, J=4.0 Hz), 3.11(2H, d, J=11.6 Hz), 2.56(4H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 2.25-2.12(3H, m), 1.84(2H, d, J=12 Hz), 1.34-1.26(2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 10
Synthesis of Compound 10-b
To a microwave tube were added compound 4-a (400 mg, 0.97 mmol), compound 8-d (1.94 mmol), cesium carbonate (632 mg, 1.94 mmol), X-Phos (94 mg, 0.194 mmol), palladium acetate (22 mg, 0.097 mmol) and a mixed liquid of THF and water (10/1, v/v, 4.4 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature and filtered, and the filter cake was washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=4/1˜1/1), to yield compound 10-b (400 mg, 78%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=535.2(M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 10-a
Compound 10-b (400 mg, 0.94 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (10.0 mL), and trifluoroacetic acid (2.0 mL) was slowly added dropwise thereto. The reaction liquid was stirred at room temperature for 2 hrs. The reactants were concentrated and the residue was neutralized with saturated sodium bicarbonate (150 mL), and extracted with ethyl acetate. The separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 10-a (300 mg, 92%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=435.2(M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 10
Compound 10-a (60 mg, 0.14 mmol), 4-oxacyclohexanone (98 mg, 0.98 mmol) were dissolved in a mixed liquid of THF and methanol and acetic acid (5/5/1, v/v/v, 3 mL), to which was added slowly sodium cyanoborohydride (62 mg, 0.98 mmol). The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction solution was quenched with saturated sodium bicarbonate (30.0 mL), and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 10(28 mg, 39%). LC-MS(ESI): m/z=519.3(M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.30(1H, s), 7.72(1H, d, J=7.6 Hz), 7.68(1H, s), 7.49(1H, d, J=8.0 Hz), 7.26-7.29(2H, m), 6.98(1H, s), 3.90-3.97(6H, m), 3.76-3.80(6H, m), 3.30 (2H, t, J=11.2 Hz), 2.57(8H, brs), 2.30-2.37(1H, m), 1.71(2H, d, J=12.4 Hz), 1.44-1.49(2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 11
Synthesis of Compound 11
Compound 10-a (60 mg, 0.14 mmol), 3-oxacyclobutanone (70 mg, 0.98 mmol) were dissolved in a mixed liquid of THF and methanol and acetic acid (5/5/1, v/v/v, 3 mL), and to which was slowly added sodium cyanoborohydride (62 mg, 0.98 mmol). The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction solution was quenched with saturated sodium bicarbonate (30.0 mL), and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 11 (12 mg, 18%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=491.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.46 (1H, s), 7.79 (1H, d, J=7.2 Hz), 7.75 (1H, s), 7.55 (1H, d, J=8.8 Hz), 7.32-7.36 (2H, m), 7.04 (1H, s), 4.60-4.68 (4H, m), 3.97-3.99 (4H, m), 3.89 (s, 2H), 8.84-3.86 (4H, m), 3.48-3.53 (1H, m), 2.70 (4H, s), 2.42 (4H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 12
Synthesis of Compound 12
Compound 10-a (47 mg, 0.108 mmol), hydroxyl acetic acid (10 mg, 0.13 mmol), NMM (0.036 mL, 0.324 mmol) were dissolved in DMF (2.0 mL), and to which were added HOBt (22 mg, 0.16 mmol), EDCI (31 mg, 0.16 mmol), and the reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reactants were diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with water. The separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 12 (30 mg, 57%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=493.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.32 (1H, s), 7.73 (1H, d, J=7.2 Hz), 7.68 (1H, s), 7.50 1H, d, J=8.4 Hz), 7.27-7.30 (2H, m), 6.98 (1H, s), 4.08 (2H, s), 3.89-3.92 (4H, m), 3.82 (2H, s), 3.77-3.79 (4H, m), 3.65 (2H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 3.24 (2H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 2.52-2.57 (4H, m), 1.25 (1H, brs).
Synthetic Route of Compound 13
Synthesis of Compound 13
Compound 10-a (77 mg, 0.177 mmol) was dissolved in a mixed liquid of methanol and water (1/1, v/v, 5 mL), and to the solution were added sodium carbonate (28 mg, 0.266 mmol) and 1-chloro-2-methyl-propan-2-ol (28 mg, 0.266 mmol). The reaction solution was stirred at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was diluted with saturated brine, and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate. The separated organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 13 (35 mg, 39%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=507.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.32 (1H, s), 7.74 (1H, s), 7.68 (1H, s), 7.49 (1H, d, J=8.0 Hz), 7.26-7.29 (2H, m), 6.98 (1H, s), 3.91 (4H, d, J=4.8 Hz), 3.77-3.90 (6H, m), 2.58-2.64 (8H, m), 2.27 (2H, s), 1.09 (6H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 14
Synthesis of Compound 14
Compound 10-a (77 mg, 0.177 mmol), triethylamine (0.123 mL, 0.885 mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane (5 mL), and in an ice bath to the mixed liquid was slowly added acetyl chloride (42 mg, 0.531 mmol). The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature for 2 hrs, diluted with saturated sodium bicarbonate (30.0 mL), and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1) to obtain compound 14 (40 mg, 48%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=477.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.31 (1H, s), 7.73 (1H, d, J=6.8 Hz), 7.68 (1H, s), 7.50 (1H, d, J=8.0 Hz), 7.26-7.30 (2H, m), 6.98 (1H, s), 3.91 (4H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 3.77-3.81 (6H, m), 3.60 (2H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 3.43 (2H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 2.52 (4H, s), 2.01 (3H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 15
Synthesis of Compound 15-a
To a sealed tube were added purchased compound 15-b (1.15 g, 8.1 mmol), compound 1-f (1.248 g, 8.0 mmol), cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) (15 mL) and tert-amyl alcohol (5 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 110° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. To the residue was added acetone and refluxed, followed by slow addition of diethyl ether to allow precipitation, and filtration. The filter cake was dried to obtain compound 15-a (1.37 g, 76%).
Synthesis of Compound 15
Compound 4-a (120 mg, 0.289 mmol), compound 15-a (259 mg, 1.156 mmol), cesium carbonate (283 mg, 0.867 mmol), X-Phos (28 mg, 0.0578 mmol), palladium acetate (7 mg, 0.029 mmol), THF (1 mL) and water (0.1 mL) were added into a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and filtered through celite. The filter cake was washed with THF, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: ethyl acetate/methanol=6/1) to yield compound 15 (85 mg, 60%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=491 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.44 (1H, s), 7.79 (2H, d, J=6.8 Hz), 7.56 (1H, d, J=7.6 Hz), 7.36-7.33 (2H, m), 7.04 (1H, s), 3.98 (4H, t, J=4.4 Hz), 3.91 (2H, s), 3.85 (4H, t, J=5.2 Hz), 2.83 (8H, brs), 1.18 (9H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 16
Synthesis of Compound 16-f
A solution of 16-g (2.89 g, 21.91 mmol) dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (80 mL) was cooled to 5° C., and then NBS (4.68 g, 26.29 mmol) was slowly added thereto. The reaction solution was reacted at normal temperature overnight, and then poured into sodium thiosulfate solution, and extracted with ethyl acetate (80 mL×3). The combined organic phase was dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (eluted with petroleum ether) to obtain compound 16-f (2.57 g, yield 56%) as a colourless liquid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 -MeOD): δ 7.37-7.31 (m, 2H), 7.20-7.18 (m, 2H), 2.40 (s, 3H).
Synthesis of Compound 16-e
To a dry 250 mL flask were added 16-f (3.25 g, 15.4 mmol), pinacol borate (4.3 g, 16.9 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf)CH 2 Cl 2 (629 mg, 0.77 mmol), KOAc (4.53 g, 46.2 mmol) and 1,4-dioxane (100 mL). The reaction solution was refluxed under nitrogen atmosphere at 115° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, added to ethyl acetate (200 mL) and filtered. The filtrate was sequentially washed with water (100 mL×2), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (eluted with petroleum ether) to obtain compound 16-e (893 mg, yield 23%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 259.1 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 16-d
1-e (328 mg, 1.16 mmol), Pd (OAc) 2 (27 mg, 0.116 mmol) and triphenylphosphine (61 mg, 0.232 mmol) were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (20 mL) and stirred at normal temperature for 5 minutes, and then 16-e (600 mg, 2.32 mmol) and sodium bicarbonate saturated solution (2.0 mL) were added. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 90° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and filtered through celite, the filter cake was washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate (40 mL), sequentially washed with water (20 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 16-d (560 mg, yield 100%), as a dark red solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 378.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 16-c
16-d (560 mg, 1.48 mmol) and morpholine (286 •L, 3.26 mmol) were dissolved in DMAC (6 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 94° C. overnight. The reaction liquid was cooled to room temperature, added to water (12 mL), and solid precipitated out, filtered, and washed with water. The filter cake was dissolved in dichloromethane (50 mL), washed with water (25 mL×2), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 16-c (512 mg, yield 81%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 430.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 16-b
16-c (512 mg, 1.19 mmol), 8-d (480 mg, 1.79 mmol), palladium acetate (627 mg, 0.119 mmol), X-Phos (57 mg, 0.119 mmol), cesium carbonate (1.163 g, 3.57 mmol), THF (6.0 mL) and water (0.6 mL) were added into a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature and filtered through celite, and the filter cake was washed with THF, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=20/1), to yield target compound 16-b (133 mg, yield 20%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 550.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 16-a
CF 3 COOH (2 mL) was added dropwise slowly into a solution of compound 16-b (153 mg, 0.28 mmol) in dichloromethane (8 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred at normal temperature for 1 hr, and then the reaction solution was concentrated, and the residue was partitioned between sodium carbonate saturated solution and dichloromethane. The organic layer was separated, and the aqueous layer was extracted with dichloromethane (×2). The organic phases were combined, washed with brine (×2), and then dried over (Na 2 SO 4 ), and concentrated under reduced pressure, to yield target compound 16-a (125 mg, yield 100%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 450.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 16
Triethylamine (60 μL, 0.435 mmol) was dripped into a solution of 16-a (65 mg, 0.145 mmol) in dichloromethane (5 mL), and the reaction liquid was cooled to 0° C., then isobutyryl chloride (30 μL, 0.29 mmol) was slowly added thereto. The reaction solution was warmed to normal temperature and stirred overnight. The reaction solution was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 16 (66 mg, yield 88%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 520.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.73 (s, 1H), 7.68 (d, 1H, J=8.0 Hz), 7.49 (d, 1H, J=8.5 Hz), 7.31 (t, 1H, J=7.0 Hz), 7.24 (t, 1H, J=7.5 Hz), 3.93 (t, 4H, J=5.0 Hz), 3.88 (s, 2H), 3.84 (t, 4H, J=5.0 Hz), 3.67 (s, 2H), 3.55 (s, 2H), 2.80 (m, 1H), 2.63 (s, 3H), 2.59 (t, 4H, J=3.5 Hz), 1.12 (d, 6H, J=6.5 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 17
Synthesis of Compound 17-b
To a reaction flask were added compound 1-e (140 mg, 0.497 mmol), purchased compound 17-c (146 mg, 0.596 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (33 mg, 0.0398 mmol), potassium phosphate (317 mg, 1.461 mmol), dioxane (20 mL) and water (2.5 mL). The reaction solution was reacted under nitrogen atmosphere at 90° C. for 3 hrs. Then the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned between water (100 mL) and ethyl acetate (100 mL). The organic layer was separated, and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2×100 mL). The combined organic phase was sequentially washed with water (300 mL), brine (300 mL), and then dried over (Na 2 SO 4 ), and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain target compound 17-b (176 mg, yield 97%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 364.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 17-a
A mixture of compound 17-b (176 mg, 0.48 mmol), morpholine (1.45 mmol) and N, N-dimethylacetamide (6 mL) was heated to 94° C. to react overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled, and then partitioned between water (15 mL) and ethyl acetate (15 mL). The organic layer was separated, and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2×15 mL). The combined organic phase was washed with brine (2×30 mL), and then dried over (Na 2 SO 4 ), and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain target compound 17-a (177 mg, 88%), as a dark yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 416.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 17
Compound 17-a (89 mg, 0.22 mmol), compound 4-d (0.44 mmol), cesium carbonate (215 mg, 0.66 mmol), X-Phos (10 mg, 0.022 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.022 mmol) and a mixed liquid of THF and water (10/1, v/v, 1.1 mL) were added into a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, filtered through celite, and the filter cake was washed with THF, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 17 (12 mg, 12%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 493.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 10.15 (s, 1H), 8.48 (d, 1H, J=5.2 Hz), 7.96 (s, 1H), 7.70 (d, 1H, J=5.2 Hz), 7.47 (d, 1H, J=2.8 Hz), 6.94 (d, 1H, J=3.2 Hz), 3.99 (t, 6H, J=5.6 Hz), 3.86 (t, 4H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.24 (d, 2H, J=11.2 Hz), 2.26 (t, 2H, J=11.2 Hz), 1.81 (d, 2H, J=12.8 Hz), 1.61 (d, 2H, J=11.6 Hz), 1.37-1.33 (m, 1H), 1.19 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 18
Synthesis of Compound 18-d
To a reaction flask were added compound 18-e (350 mg, 1.68 mmol), compound 1-e (477 mg, 1.68 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (61 mg, 0.084 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (2.52 mL) and 1,4-dioxane (10 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, filtered through celite, and the filter cake was washed with 1,4-dioxane. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 18-d directly used in the next reaction. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 330 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 18-c
A mixture of the above crude product 18-d, morpholine (731 mg) and N, N-dimethylacetamide (5 mL) was heated to 94° C. to react overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled, and diluted with ethyl acetate, the organic phase was washed with saturated NaHCO 3 and brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate/dichloromethane=4/1/1) to obtain compound 18-c (214 mg, two-step yield: 34%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=380 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 18-b
To a reaction flask were added compound 18-c (272 mg, 0.72 mmol), compound 8-d (2.87 mmol), cesium carbonate (704 mg, 2.16 mmol), X-Phos (69 mg, 0.144 mmol), palladium acetate (16 mg, 0.072 mmol), THF (2.60 mL) and water (0.26 mL). The mixture was stirred at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, and then diluted with ethyl acetate and tetrahydrofuran. The organic phase was washed with water and brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=1/1), to obtain compound 18-b (322 mg, 89%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=500 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 18-a
A mixture of compound 18-b (322 mg, 0.64 mmol), CF 3 COOH (2 mL) and dichloromethane (10 mL) was reacted at normal temperature overnight, and then diluted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was neutralized with saturated Na 2 CO 3 and washed with brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain compound 18-a (219 mg, 86%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=400 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 18
A mixture of compound 18-a (73 mg, 0.18 mmol), propionyl chloride (0.063 mL, 0.72 mmol), triethylamine (0.10 mL, 0.72 mmol) and dichloromethane (5 mL) was reacted at normal temperature for 1.5 hrs, and then diluted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was washed with saturated Na 2 CO 3 and brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: ethyl acetate/methanol=30/1) to obtain compound 18 (67 mg, 82%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=456 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.21 (1H, s), 8.12 (1H, s), 7.68 (1H, s), 3.98 (3H, s), 3.88 (4H, t, J=4.0 Hz), 3.81-3.79 (6H, m), 3.64-3.61 (2H, m), 3.46-3.44 (2H, m), 2.53-2.51 (4H, m), 2.29 (2H, q, J=7.6 Hz), 1.10 (3H, t, J=7.6 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 19
Synthesis of Compound 19
A mixture of compound 18-a (73 mg, 0.18 mmol), isobutyryl chloride (0.075 mL, 0.72 mmol), triethylamine (0.10 mL, 0.72 mmol) and dichloromethane (5 mL) was reacted at normal temperature for 1.5 hrs, and then diluted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was washed with saturated Na 2 CO 3 and brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: ethyl acetate/methanol=30/1) to obtain compound 19 (61 mg, 72%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=470 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.22 (1H, s), 8.13 (1H, s), 7.71 (1H, s), 4.00 (3H, s), 3.89 (4H, t, J=4.4 Hz), 3.82-3.80 (6H, m), 3.65 (2H, s), 3.53 (2H, s), 2.78-2.69 (1H, m), 2.56-2.55 (4H, m), 1.09 (6H, d, J=6.8 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 20
Synthesis of Compound 20-d
2, 4-dimethylimidazole (1.58 g, 16.45 mmol) was dissolved in N, N-dimethylamine (60 mL). In an ice bath, to the solution was added sodium hydride (60% in mineral oil) (1.05 g, 26.3 mmol) slowly. The reaction mixture was reacted for 30 minutes in an ice bath, and then in an ice bath the reaction solution was added dropwise to a solution of compound 1-e (5.0 g, 17.6 mmol) in N, N-dimethylformamide (100 mL) slowly. The reaction mixture was reacted at 0° C. for 10 minutes, and then diluted with ethyl acetate (300 mL). The organic layer was separated, washed with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain 20-d (4.0 g, 71.0%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=342.9, 344.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 20-c
A mixture of compound 20-d (4.0 g, 11.69 mmol), morpholine (5.09 g, 58.48 mmol) and N, N-dimethylacetamide (20 mL) was heated to 94° C. to react overnight. The reactants were diluted with ethyl acetate (400 mL). The organic layer was separated, sequentially washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate, saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: ethyl acetate/dichloromethane=1/4) to obtain compound 20-c (2.1 g, 46.5%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=394.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 20-b
To a microwave tube were added compound 20-c (1.9 g, 4.82 mmol), Compound 8-d (14.46 mmol), cesium carbonate (4.71 g, 14.46 mmol), X-Phos (459 mg, 0.964 mmol), palladium acetate (108 mg, 0.482 mmol), and a mixed liquid of THF and water (10/1, v/v, 20 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, diluted with water (80 mL), and extracted with ethyl acetate (2×100 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: ethyl acetate/petroleum ether=3/1˜1/1) to obtain compound 20-b (2.0 g, 81%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=514.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 20-a
Trifluoroacetic acid (9.0 mL) was added dropwise to a solution of compound 20-b (2.0 g, 3.90 mmol) in dichloromethane (36.0 mL) slowly. The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, and then the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, the residue was neutralized with saturated sodium bicarbonate (80 mL), and extracted with ethyl acetate (2×100 mL). The organic layers were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 20-a (1.23 g, 76.4%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=414.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 20
In an ice-water bath, to a solution of compound 20-a (0.21 mmol) in dichloromethane (4 mL) were sequentially added triethylamine (0.15 mL, 1.05 mmol) and isobutyryl chloride (40 μL, 0.38 mmol). Then the reaction solution was warmed to room temperature and stirred overnight. The reaction solution was diluted with dichloromethane, and the organic layer was sequentially washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate, water, saturated sodium chloride, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-TLC to obtain compound 20 (50 mg, two-step yield 48%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=484.3 (M+H) + ; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.77 (1H, s), 7.22 (1H, s), 3.80-3.90 (4H, m), 3.71-3.80 (6H, m), 3.57-3.67 (2H, m), 3.46-3.56 (2H, m), 2.69-2.79 (1H, m), 2.62 (3H, s), 2.46-2.58 (4H, m), 2.24 (3H, s), 1.09 (6H, d, J=6.4 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 21
Synthesis of Compound 21-d
To a reaction flask were added compound 21-e (263 mg, 1.0 mmol), compound 1-e (284 mg, 1.0 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (36.6 mg, 0.05 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (1.5 mL) and 1,4-dioxane (8 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, filtered through celite, and the filter cake was washed with 1,4-dioxane, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/ethyl acetate=6/1) to obtain compound 21-d (130 mg, 36.5%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=357 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 21-c
A mixture of compound 21-d (130 mg, 0.365 mmol), morpholine (159 mg, 1.82 mmol) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (8 mL) was heated to 94° C. to react overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled and diluted with ethyl acetate, the organic phase was washed with saturated NaHCO 3 and brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was washed with petroleum ether/ethyl acetate (3/1, v/v, 8 mL), to obtain compound 21-c (110 mg, 74%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=408.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 21-b
To a reaction flask were added compound 21-c (110 mg, 0.27 mmol), compound 8-d (0.81 mmol), cesium carbonate (264 mg, 0.81 mmol), X-Phos (26 mg, 0.054 mmol), palladium acetate (6 mg, 0.027 mmol), THF (1.0 mL) and water (0.1 mL). The mixture was stirred at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, and then diluted with ethyl acetate and tetrahydrofuran. The organic phase was washed with water and brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: ethyl acetate), to obtain compound 21-b (110 mg, 77.5%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=528.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 21-a
A mixture of compound 21-b (98 mg, 0.186 mmol), CF 3 COOH (2 mL) and dichloromethane (6 mL) was reacted at normal temperature overnight, and then diluted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was neutralized with saturated NaHCO 3 and washed with brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain compound 21-a (77 mg, 96.9%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=428.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 21
A mixture of compound 21-a (77 mg, 0.18 mmol), isobutyryl chloride (0.54 mmol), triethylamine (0.10 mL, 0.72 mmol) and dichloromethane (5 mL) was reacted at normal temperature for 2 hrs, and then diluted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was washed with saturated NaHCO 3 and brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 21 (35 mg, 39%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=498.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.71 (1H, s), 3.87-3.89 (4H, m), 3.79-3.82 (9H, m), 3.66 (2H, s), 3.55 (2H, s), 2.74-2.80 (1H, m), 2.58 (4H, s), 2.31 (6H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 1.11 (6H, d, J=6.4 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 22
Synthesis of Compound 22
Compound 20-a (80 mg, 0.194 mmol) was dissolved in DMF (5 mL), and to the solution were sequentially added cesium carbonate (190 mg, 0.582 mmol) and 4-bromomethyl tetrahydropyrane (45 mg, 0.252 mmol). The reaction mixture was heated to 70° C. and stirred overnight. The reactants were cooled to room temperature, and then diluted with ethyl acetate (50 mL), and washed with water (2×50 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 22 (24 mg, 24%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=512.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.77 (1H, s), 7.25 (1H, s), 3.93-3.97 (2H, m), 3.86-3.88 (4H, m), 3.80-3.82 (6H, m), 3.37 (2H, J=7.2 Hz, t), 2.65 (3H, s), 2.60 (4H, s), 2.47 (4H, s), 2.28 (3H, s), 2.20 (2H, J=7.2 Hz, d), 1.71-1.74 (1H, m), 1.66 (1H, s), 1.63 (1H, s), 1.21-1.31 (2H, m).
Synthesis of Compound 23
According to the method for preparing compound 20, 2-methyl-4-chloroimidazole (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2003/87088 A2) was used in the preparation to yield compound 23, as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 504.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.83 (s, 1H), 7.40 (s, 1H), 3.87 (t, 4H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.82 (t, 6H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.66 (s, 2H), 3.55 (d, 2H, J=4.4 Hz), 2.76-2.72 (m, 1H), 2.63 (s, 3H), 2.56 (s, 4H), 1.12 (d, 6H, J=6.8 Hz).
Synthesis of Compound 24
According to the method for preparing compound 20, 2,5-dimethylpyrazole was used in the preparation to yield compound 24, as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 484.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.77 (s, 1H), 6.06 (s, 1H), 3.83 (s, 8H), 3.82 (s, 2H), 3.65 (s, 2H), 3.53 (t, 2H, J=4.4 Hz), 2.77-2.74 (m, 4H), 2.55 (t, 4H, J=5.2 Hz), 2.35 (s, 3H), 1.11 (d, 6H, J=6.8 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 25
Synthesis of Compound 25-c
3-Oxacyclobutanone (480 mg, 6.66 mmol) and N-benzoxycarbonyl homopiperazine (520 mg, 2.22 mmol) were dissolved in DCE (10 mL), and then dripped into acetic acid (66 mg, 1.11 mmol). The reaction solution was stirred at normal temperature for 2 hrs, and then NaBH(OAc) 3 (1.41 g, 6.66 mmol) was added and at normal temperature reacted for 48 hrs. The reaction solution was diluted with dichloromethane (20 mL), and sequentially washed with sodium bicarbonate saturated solution (20 mL) and brine (2×20 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: dichloroethane/methanol=50/1˜20/1) to obtain target compound 25-c (650 mg, yield 100%), as colorless liquid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 291.1 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 25-b
Compound 25-c (650 mg, 2.24 mmol) was dissolved in methanol (6 mL), and Pd/C (65 mg) was added. The reaction mixture was reacted under hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature overnight, then filtered through celite, and rinsed with ethyl acetate. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain target compound 25-b (359 mg, yield 100%), as pale yellow liquid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 157.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 25-a
Compound 25-c (359 mg, 2.30 mmol), 1-f (300 mg, 1.92 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (1.83 mL) and tert-butanol (0.83 mL) were placed into a microwave tube. The reaction mixture was reacted under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was concentrated to obtain a crude product of target compound 25-a directly used in the next reaction.
Synthesis of Compound 25
Compound 20-c (100 mg, 0.25 mmol), the above crude product 25-a (595 mg, 2.5 mmol), palladium acetate (6 mg, 0.025 mmol), X-Phos (12 mg, 0.025 mmol), cesium carbonate (245 mg, 0.75 mmol), THF (1.0 mL) and water (0.1 mL) were added into a microwave tube, and reacted under nitrogen atmosphere with microwave at 120° C. for 1 hr. The reaction mixture was filtered through celite, and rinsed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: dichloroethane/methanol=50/1˜10/1) to obtain target compound 25 (30 mg, yield 25%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 484.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.81 (s, 1H), 7.25 (s, 1H), 4.66 (t, 2H, J=6.4 Hz), 4.58 (t, 2H, J=6.4 Hz), 3.94 (s, 2H), 3.88 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.82 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.75-3.71 (m, 1H), 2.89 (t, 4H, J=5.6 Hz), 2.65 (s, 3H), 2.57 (t, 4H, J=5.6 Hz), 2.27 (s, 3H), 1.88-1.85 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 26
Synthesis of Compound 26
Compound 20-a (100 mg, 0.242 mmol), 2-bromo-4-methylthiazole (87 mg, 0.484 mmol), Pd 2 (dba) 3 (11 mg, 0.0121 mmol), Me 4 t-butylPhos (12 mg, 0.0242 mmol), cesium carbonate (237 mg, 0.726 mmol) and 1, 4-dioxane (1.0 mL) were added into a microwave tube, and reacted under nitrogen in microwave at 120° C. for 1 hr. The reaction mixture was filtered through celite, and rinsed with dichloromethane. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 26 (63 mg, yield 51%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 511.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.81 (s, 1H), 7.26 (s, 1H), 6.81 (s, 1H), 3.89 (t, 4H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.84 (s, 2H), 3.82 (t, 4H, J=4.8 Hz), 3.48 (t, 4H, J=4.8 Hz), 2.70 (t, 4H, J=4.8 Hz), 2.66 (s, 3H), 2.29 (s, 3H), 2.28 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 27
Synthesis of Compound 27-d
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a,(2S, 6R)-2,6-dimethyl morpholine was used in the preparation to yield compound 27-d (4 g, 74%), as a white solid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 9.04 (1H, brs), 3.73-3.91 (2H, m), 3.26 (2H, d, J=12.4 Hz), 2.39-2.49 (2H, m), 1.88-2.05 (2H, m), 1.09 (6H, d, J=6.4 Hz).
Synthesis of Compound 27-b
Compound 1-e (1.5 g, 6.09 mmol), compound 27-c (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2012/032067 A1) (2 g, 6.09 mmol), anhydrous sodium carbonate (1.94 g, 18.27 mmol), dioxane/water (20 mL/20 mL) and Pd(dppf)Cl 2 CH 2 Cl 2 (500 mg, 0.6 mmol) were placed into a reaction flask. The reaction mixture was heated under nitrogen atmosphere to 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and then partitioned between dichloromethane (50 mL) and water (50 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to obtain compound 27-b (1.05 g, 44.1%), as a light brown solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=449 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 27-a
Compound 27-b (1.05 g, 2.35 mmol) was dissolved in N,N-dimethylacetamide (15 mL), and morpholine (1 mL) was added. The reaction mixture was heated to 90° C. to react for 5 hrs. The reaction solution was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to obtain compound 27-a (520 mg, 44.5%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=500 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 27
Compound 27-a (70 mg, 0.14 mmol), 27-d (55 mg, 0.28 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.03 mmol), X-Phos (10 mg, 0.037 mmol) and cesium carbonate (137 mg, 0.42 mmol) were added into a microwave tube containing THF (2.0 mL) and water (0.2 mL), and reacted under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was filtered through celite, and rinsed with tetrahydrofuran. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 27 (15 mg, yield 20%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 549 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.79 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 6.82 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.93-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.84 (m, 6H), 3.71 (br,2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.82-2.85 (m, 2H), 1.91-1.93 (m, 2H), 1.15 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 28
Synthesis of Compound 28
Compound 27-a (420 mg, 1.68 mmol), 8-d (905 mg, 3.37 mmol), palladium acetate (42 mg, 0.18 mmol), X-Phos (82 mg, 0.18 mmol) and cesium carbonate (1.65 g, 2.52 mmol) were added into a microwave tube containing THF (10 mL). The mixture was under nitrogen atmosphere and microwave heated to 85° C. to react for 30 minutes. The reaction mixture was filtered through celite, and rinsed with tetrahydrofuran. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (eluted with ethyl acetate) to obtain target compound 28 (430 mg, yield 70%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 620 (M+H) + .
Synthetic Route of Compound 29
Synthesis of Compound 29-a
Trifluoroacetic acid (0.5 mL) was dripped into a solution of compound 28 (200 mg, 0.33 mmol) in dichloromethane (3 mL), and was stirred at room temperature for 3 hrs. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and then partitioned between dichloromethane (50 mL) and saturated sodium carbonate (5 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 29-a (160 mg, yield 95%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 520 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 29
Compound 29-a (70 mg, 0.135 mmol), 3-oxacyclobutanone (195 mg, 2.69 mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane (5 mL), and then a drop of acetic acid and sodium triacetoxyborohydride (570 mg, 2.69 mmol) was added, and was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction solution was partitioned between dichloromethane (50 mL) and water (10 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 29 (23 mg, 30%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 576 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.77 (s, 1H), 4.59-4.67 (m, 4H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.94 (d, J=4.4 Hz, 4H), 3.82-3.88 (m, 6H), 3.49-3.52 (m, 1H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.65 (br, 4H), 2.39 (br, 4H).
Synthesis of Compound 30
According to the method for preparing compound 20, 2-trifluoromethylimidazole was used in the preparation to yield compound 30, as a white solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=524.2 [M+H] + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 7.83 (1H, s), 7.66 (1H, s), 7.32 (1H, s), 3.84-3.93 (4H, m), 3.73-3.83 (6H, m), 3.62-3.71 (2H, m), 3.50-3.60 (2H, m), 2.69-2.84 (1H, m), 2.46-2.62 (4H, m), 1.11 (6H, d, J=6.8 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 31
Synthesis of Compound 31-f
5-Bromo-3-aminopyridine (2.12 g, 11.84 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (100.0 mL) and pyridine (20.0 mL). The solution was cooled with an ice bath, and methylsulfonyl chloride (0.9 mL, 11.84 mmol) was slowly added dropwise. The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight, and then partitioned between water and dichloromethane. The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 31-f (2.9 g, 97.3%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=250.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 31-e
To a reaction flask were added compound 31-f (867 mg, 3.44 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (126 mg, 0.172 mmol), bis(pinacolato)diboron (961 g, 3.78 mmol), potassium acetate (1.01 g, 10.32 mmol) and 1, 4-dioxane (87 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 115° C. overnight, and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate (250 mL), and filtered through celite. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain 31-e (1.6 g), and crude product was used directly in the next step without further purification. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=299.1 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 31-d
To a reaction flask were added compound 1-e (977 mg, 3.44 mmol), compound 31-e (1.6 g, 3.44 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (126 mg, 0.172 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (5.2 mL, 10.32 mmol), 1, 4-dioxane (25 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in a mixed solvent of tetrahydrofuran (20 mL) and dichloromethane (100 mL), and filtered through celite. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: dichloromethane/ethyl acetate=1/1) to obtain compound 31-d (820 mg, 56.9%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=420.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 31-c
A mixture of compound 31-d (800 mg, 1.89 mmol), morpholine (825 mg, 9.48 mmol) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (8 mL) was heated to 94° C. to react overnight. The reactants were cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with aqueous ammonia. The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 31-c (100 mg, 11.2%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=470.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 31-b
To a microwave tube were added compound 31-c (100 mg, 0.213 mmol), compound 8-d (130 mg, 0.426 mmol), cesium carbonate (208 mg, 0.693 mmol), X-Phos (20 mg, 0.0426 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.0213 mmol), THF (2.0 mL) and water (0.2 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature and filtered, and the filter cake was eluted with THF. The residue after the filtrate being concentrated under reduced pressure was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1), to yield compound 31-b (37 mg, 29.6%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=590.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 31-a
Compound 31-b (37 mg, 0.0628 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (3.0 mL), and trifluoroacetic acid (1.0 mL) was slowly added dropwise. The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight, and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in dichloromethane (3 mL), and cooled in an ice bath, and sequentially triethylamine (31 mg, 0.307 mmol) and isobutyryl chloride (20 mg, 0.184 mmol) were added dropwise. The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature for 2 hrs. The reaction solution was diluted with saturated sodium bicarbonate (20.0 mL), and extracted with dichloromethane (2×20.0 mL). The organic layers were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain compound 31-a (38 mg, 98%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=630.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 31
Compound 31-a (38 mg, 0.06 mmol) was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (4 mL), and to the solution was slowly added 40% sodium hydroxide solution (0.1 mL). The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight, and the solution was adjusted to acidic with 1 N HCl, and then saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (5 mL) and water (15 mL) were added, and extracted with dichloromethane (2×). The organic layers were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 31 (13 mg, 50.6%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=560.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 9.13 (1H, J=1.5 Hz, d), 8.54 (1H, J=2.5 Hz, d), 8.38 (1H, J=2.5 Hz, t), 7.47 (1H, s), 3.86-3.88 (4H, m), 3.76-3.81 (6H, m), 3.60 (2H, s), 3.48 (2H, s), 3.06 (3H, s), 2.68-2.74 (1H, m), 2.50 (4H, s), 1.05 (6H, J=6.0 Hz, d).
Synthetic Route of Compound 32
Synthesis of Compound 32
Triethylamine (30 μL) was dripped into a solution of compound 29-a (50 mg, 0.096 mmol) in dichloromethane (1 mL). The reaction solution was cooled to 0° C., and acetyl chloride (10 mg, 0.115 mmol) was added dropwise. The reaction mixture was stirred 30 minutes, and quenched with water (5 mL), and extracted with dichloromethane (15 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 32 (13 mg, 24%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 562 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.86 (m, 6H), 3.64-3.66 (m, 2H), 3.48-3.50 (m, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.54-2.58 (m, 4H), 2.08 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 33
Synthesis of Compound 33
Compound 29-a (100 mg, 0.193 mmol), 4-oxotetrahydropyranone (385 mg, 3.85 mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane (10 mL), and a drop of acetic acid and sodium triacetoxyborohydride (818 mg, 3.85 mmol) were added. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, diluted with dichloromethane (50 mL), and washed with water (10 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 33 (28 mg, 24%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 604 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.99-4.03 (m, 2H), 3.92-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.34-3.39 (m, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.63 (br, 8H), 2.40-2.44 (m, 1H), 1.75-1.78 (m, 2H), 1.58-1.60 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 34
Synthesis of Compound 34
Compound 27-a(60 mg, 0.12 mmol), compound 15-a(54 mg, 0.24 mmol), cesium carbonate (117 mg, 0.36 mmol), X-Phos (10 mg, 0.04 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.02 mmol), THF(1 mL) and water(0.1 mL) were added into a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, filtered through celite, and the filter cake was washed with THF, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 34(10 mg, 15%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS(ESI): m/z 576(M+H) + ; 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.79(d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.57(d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.76(s, 1H), 4.12(s, 3H), 3.92-3.94(m, 4H), 3.82-3.85(m, 6H), 3.71(br, 2H), 3.08(s, 3H), 2.64(br, 8H), 1.07(s, 9H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 35
Synthesis of Compound 35
Compound 27-a (300 mg, 0.6 mmol), compound 4-d (360 mg, 1.6 mmol), cesium carbonate (600 mg, 1.84 mmol), X-Phos (120 mg, 0.26 mmol), palladium acetate (60 mg, 0.26 mmol), THF (10 mL) and water (1 mL) were added into a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, filtered through celite, and the filter cake was washed with THF, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 35 (23 mg, 7%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 578 (M+H) + ; 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.11-3.14 (m, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.08-2.13 (m, 2H), 1.74-1.77 (m, 2H), 1.45-1.48 (m, 2H), 1.29-1.32 (m, 2H), 1.18 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 36
Synthesis of Compound 36
Compound 27-a (100 mg, 0.2 mmol), compound 36-a (prepared according to the method disclosed in reference: J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 2762-2769) (68 mg, 0.4 mmol), cesium carbonate (200 mg, 0.61 mmol), X-Phos (20 mg, 0.1 mmol), palladium acetate (10 mg, 0.05 mmol), THF (3 mL) and water (0.3 mL) were added into a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, filtered through celite, and the filter cake was washed with THF, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 36 (24 mg, 23%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 521 (M+H) + ; 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.79 (s, 1H), 6.85 (br, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.74-3.76 (m, 4H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.59 (s, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 37
Synthesis of Compound 37
In an ice-water bath, to a solution of compound 20-a (98 mg, 0.237 mmol) in dichloromethane (5 mL) were sequentially added triethylamine (1.18 mmol) and cyclopropylformyl chloride (0.712 mmol). Then the reaction solution was warmed to room temperature and stirred for 2 hrs. The reaction solution was diluted with dichloromethane, and the organic layer was sequentially washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate, water, saturated sodium chloride, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 37 (65 mg, 57%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=482.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ7.72 (1H, s), 7.18 (1H, s), 3.79-3.82 (4H, m), 3.72-3.76 (6H, m), 3.61-3.65 (4H, m), 2.59 (3H, s), 2.49-2.54 (4H, m), 2.21 (3H, s), 1.62-1.68 (1H, m), 0.89-0.93 (2H, m), 0.66-0.70 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 38
Synthesis of Compound 38-a
To a reaction flask were added compound 27-c (36 mg, 0.106 mmol), compound 38-b (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2011/079230 A2) (20 mg, 0.106 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (4 mg, 0.005 mmol), 2 N sodium carbonate aqueous solution (0.16 mL, 0.32 mmol, 3.0 equiv.) and 1,4-dioxane (1 mL). The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and then partitioned between water (15 mL) and dichloromethane (20 mL). The organic phase was separated out, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain compound 38-a (40 mg). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=354.7 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 38
A mixture of compound 38-a (40 mg, 0.113 mmol), morpholine (98 mg, 1.13 mmol) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (2 mL) was heated to 94° C. to react overnight. The reactants were cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 38 (4 mg, 9.0%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=405.8 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 9.00 (2H, s), 8.76 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 7.81 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 6.70 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.05 (3H, s), 3.75-3.83 (8H, m), 2.99 (3H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 39
Synthesis of Compound 39
Compound 29-a (70 mg, 0.135 mmol), N-methyl-4-piperidone (305 mg, 2.69 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (5 mL), and a drop of acetic acid and sodium triacetoxyborohydride (570 mg, 2.69 mmol) were added. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, diluted with dichloromethane (50 mL), and washed with water (10 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 39 (15 mg, 18%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 617 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.84 (m, H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.92 (d, J=12.0 Hz, 2H), 2.63 (br, 8H), 2.17 (s, 4H), 1.94-1.97 (m, 2H), 1.80-1.83 (m, 2H), 1.60-1.63 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 40
Synthesis of Compound 40
Triethylamine (40 μL) was dripped into a solution of compound 29-a (70 mg, 0.135 mmol) in dichloromethane (1 mL). The reaction liquid was cooled to 0° C., and cyclohexylcarbonyl chloride (30 mg, 0.203 mmol) was added dropwise. The reaction mixture was stirred for 30 minutes, quenched with water (5 mL), and extracted with dichloromethane (15 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 40 (12 mg, 14%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 630 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 6.83 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.94 (m, 4H), 3.84 (m, 6H), 3.65 (br, 2H), 3.54 (br, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.57 (brs, 4H), 2.43-2.50 (m, 1H), 1.71-1.83 (m, 5H), 1.48-1.56 (m, 2H), 1.22-1.32 (m, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 41
Synthesis of Compound 41-b
To a reaction flask were added compound 1-e (318 mg, 1.1 mmol), compound 41-c (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2012/037108 A1) (400 mg, 1.0 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) (82 mg, 0.1 mmol), Na 2 CO 3 (318 mg, 3.0 mmol), dioxane (10 mL) and water (1 mL). The reaction solution was reacted under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. Then the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. the resultant residue was partitioned between water (20 mL) and ethyl acetate (30 mL). The organic layer was separated, and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2×30 mL). The organic phases were combined, and dried over (Na 2 SO 4 ), and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=2/1) to obtain target compound 41-b (250 mg, yield 49%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 512 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 41-a
A mixture of compound 41-b (200 mg, 0.4 mmol), morpholine (2.0 mmol) and ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (15 mL) was heated to 80° C. to react for 2 hrs. The reaction mixture was cooled, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=2/1) to obtain target compound 41-a (80 mg, 36%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z 562 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 41
Compound 41-a (80 mg, 0.14 mmol), compound 4-d (0.42 mmol), cesium carbonate (137 mg, 0.42 mmol), X-Phos (13 mg, 0.028 mmol), palladium acetate (3 mg, 0.014 mmol) and a mixed liquid of dioxane and water (10/1, v/v, 1.1 mL) were added into a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and then partitioned between water (10 mL) and ethyl acetate (20 mL). The organic layer was separated, and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2×10 mL). The organic phases were combined, and then dried over (Na 2 SO 4 ), and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 41 (10 mg, 11%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 639 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.70 (t, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.56 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.87-7.89 (m, 3H), 7.54-7.56 (m, 1H), 7.44-7.48 (m, 2H), 3.83-3.94 (m, 13H), 3.14 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 2H), 2.13 (t, J=11.6 Hz, 2H), 1.76 (d, J=12.4 Hz, 2H), 1.27-1.38 (m, 3H), 1.18 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 42
Synthesis of Compound 42-c
N-Cbz-piperidine-4-carboxylic acid (3.19 g, 12.1 mmol), 2, 2, 2-trifluoroethylamine (1 g, 10.1 mmol), HATU (7.68 g, 20.2 mmol), N, N-diisopropylethylamine (3.5 mL, 20.2 mmol) and dichloromethane (15 mL) were added into a reaction flask. The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate, sequentially washed with water, saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 42-c (2 g, 58%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=344.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 42-b
A mixture of compound 42-c (600 mg, 1.74 mmol), Pd-C (60 mg) and methanol (10 mL) was stirred under hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature overnight, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain a colorless oil, i.e., compound 42-b (300 mg, 82%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=210.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 42-a
Compound 42-b (300 mg, 1.43 mmol), 1-f (221 mg, 1.41 mmol), cyclopentyl methyl ether (3 mL) and tert-amyl alcohol (1 mL) were added into a sealed tube, and stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 110° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure, and to the residue was added acetone and refluxed, followed by slow addition of diethyl ether to allow precipitation and filtration, the filter cake was dried to obtain compound 42-a (280 mg, 68%). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ 8.65 (t, J=6.3 Hz, 1H), 3.84-3.93 (m, 2H), 3.38 (d, J=12.4 Hz, 2H), 3.28-2.97 (m, 1H), 2.78-2.80 (m, 2H), 2.41 (dd, J=11.8, 6.7 Hz, 1H), 2.00-1.72 (m, 6H).
Synthesis of Compound 42
A mixture of compound 42-a (70 mg, 0.24 mmol), 27-a (40 mg, 0.08 mmol), palladium acetate (0.52 mg, 0.0024 mmol), X-Phos (2.28 mg, 0.0048 mmol), cesium carbonate (80 mg, 0.24 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (6 mL) and water (0.6 mL) was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and then partitioned between water (10 mL) and ethyl acetate (20 mL). The organic layer was separated, and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (2×10 mL). The organic phases were combined, and then dried over (Na 2 SO 4 ), and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 42 (20 mg, 39%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=643.9 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (t, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.55 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.32 (s, 1H), 6.91 (d, J=5.1 Hz, 1H), 5.99 (s, 1H), 4.47 (s, 2H), 4.13 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 3H), 4.05-3.73 (m, 11H), 3.62 (d, J=11.6 Hz, 1H), 3.41 (s, 2H), 3.09 (s, 3H), 2.93 (s, 1H), 2.33-2.09 (m, 4H).
Synthetic Routes of Compounds 43 and 52
Synthesis of Compound 43-b
A mixture of compound 43-c (500 mg, 2.34 mmol), compound 1-f (365 mg, 2.34 mmol), methyl cyclopentyl ether (3 mL) and tert-amyl alcohol (3 mL) was heated to 110° C. to react overnight, and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was washed with diethyl ether (2×10 mL), and dried under vacuum to obtain compound 43-b (370 mg, 54%).
Synthesis of Compound 52
Compound 43-b (118 mg, 0.40 mmol), compound 27-a (100 mg, 0.20 mmol), palladium acetate (5 mg, 0.03 mmol), X-Phos (10 mg, 0.03 mmol) and cesium carbonate (196 mg, 0.6 mmol) were added into a microwave tube containing THF (2.0 mL) and water (0.2 mL). The reacting compounds were reacted under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled, filtered, and rinsed with THF. The filtrate and the rinsing liquid were combined, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1) to obtain target compound 52 (67 mg, 52%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 648 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.77 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.81-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.03-3.09 (m, 5H), 2.74 (s, 3H), 2.15-2.24 (m, 2H), 1.61-1.78 (m, 5H).
Synthesis of Compound 43-a
Compound 52 (67 mg, 0.33 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (1 mL), and trifluoroacetic acid (0.5 mL) was added. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 hrs, and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned between dichloromethane (50 mL) and saturated sodium carbonate (5 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 43-a (38 mg, yield 67%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 548 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 43
Compound 43-a (38 mg, 0.069 mmol) and 37% formaldehyde (3 mL, 1.39 mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane (5 mL), and a drop of acetic acid and sodium triacetoxyborohydride (295 mg, 1.39 mmol) were added, and then stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction mixture was partitioned between dichloromethane (50 mL) and water (10 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 43 (7 mg, 18%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 562 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.93-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.84-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 3.07 (m, 2H), 2.33 (s, 6H), 2.11-2.17 (m, 3H), 1.80-1.90 (m, 2H), 1.60-1.70 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 44
Synthesis of Compound 44-b
Compound 44-c (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2010/139731 A1) (2.1 g, 7.19 mmol), compound 1-e (1.84 g, 6.5 mmol), Pd(dppf) 2 Cl 2 (533 mg, 0.70 mmol), sodium carbonate (2.2 g, 21 mmol), dioxane (40 mL) and water (8 mL) were added into a 100 mL round-bottomed flask. The mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was concentrated under reduced pressure, and then dissolved in ethyl acetate, and filtered through celite. The filtrate was washed sequentially with water, saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: ethyl acetate/petroleum ether=1/3˜1/1) to yield compound 44-b (0.8 g, 27%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=412.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 44-a
Compound 44-b (0.8 g, 1.94 mmol), morpholine (8.44 g, 9.7 mmol) and ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (30 mL) were added into a 100 mL round-bottomed flask. The mixture was heated to 90° C., and stirred to react for 4 hrs. The reaction solution was cooled, filtered, and the filter cake was washed with methanol and water. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to yield compound 44-a (0.6 g, 67%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=463.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 44
Compound 44-a (93 mg, 0.2 mmol), compound 4-d (113 mg, 0.5 mmol), palladium acetate (4.5 mg, 0.02 mmol), X-Phos (9.5 mg, 0.02 mmol), cesium carbonate (163 mmol, 0.6 mmol), THF (20 mL) and water (2 mL) were added into a 50 mL round-bottomed flask. The mixture was reacted under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 44 (25 mg, 23%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=541.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ9.46 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.72 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 7.74 (s, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.95 (t, J=4.4H, 4H), 3.84 (d, J=5.6 HZ, 6H), 3.11 (d, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 2.27 (s, 3H), 2.09 (t, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 1.75 (d, J=12 Hz, 2H), 1.49-1.41 (m, 2H), 1.31-1.18 (m, 2H), 1.15 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 45
Synthesis of Compound 45-b
According to the method for preparing compound 43-b, compound 45-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 45-b (890 mg, 89.5%), as a white solid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ9.08 (1H, brs), 4.77 (1H, brs), 4.53 (1H, brs), 4.20 (1H, d, J=12.8 Hz), 4.14 (1H, s), 4.00 (1H, brs), 3.70 (1H, brs), 2.89 (1H, brs), 2.41 (1H, brs), 2.21 (9H, s), 2.06 (3H, s), 1.94 (3H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 45
According to the method for preparing compound 52, compound 45-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 45 (25 mg, 25%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=648.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.71 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.52 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 7.70 (1H, s), 4.05 (3H, s), 3.85-3.88 (4H, m), 3.75-3.78 (4H, m), 3.68 (2H, s), 3.36 (2H, s), 3.16 (2H, s), 3.01 (3H, s), 2.52 (2H, s), 1.40 (9H, s), 1.09 (6H, brs).
Synthesis of Compound 46
According to the method for preparing compound 40, isovaleryl chloride was used in the preparation to yield compound 46 (33 mg, 47.8%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=604.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.71 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.52 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 7.71 (1H, s), 6.76 (1H, s), 4.04 (3H, s), 3.86 (4H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 3.76 (6H, t, J=4.4 Hz), 3.61 (4H, s), 3.02 (3H, s), 2.50 (4H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 1.20 (9H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 47
According to the method for preparing compound 40, isobutyryl chloride was used in the preparation to yield compound 47 (22 mg, 28%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=590 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 6.83 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.88 (m, 6H), 3.53-3.66 (m, 4H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.73-2.78 (m, 1H), 2.57 (br, 4H), 1.12 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 48
Synthesis of Compound 48-c
According to the method for preparing compound 43-b, compound 48-d was used in the preparation to yield compound 48-c (1.78 g, 99%), as a white solid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ4.25 (s, 1H), 2.69 (t, J=12.2 Hz, 2H), 1.90 (d, J=5.0 Hz, 2H), 1.74 (d, J=13.3 Hz, 2H), 1.36-1.51 (m, 4H), 1.02 (s, 9H).
Synthesis of Compound 48-b
According to the method for preparing compound 52, compound 48-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 48-b (80 mg, 32%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=631.8 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 48-a
According to the method for preparing compound 29-a, compound 48-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 48-a (60 mg, 90%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=531.8 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 48
According to the method for preparing compound 29, compound 48-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 48 (20 mg, 36%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=588 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.78 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 7.80 (s, 1H), 4.58-4.77 (m, 3H), 4.57 (t, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 4.05-3.96 (m, 2H), 3.96-3.89 (m, 5H), 3.89-3.71 (m, 5H), 3.46 (s, 1H), 3.29 (s, 1H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 3.06 (d, J=9.9 Hz, 1H), 2.79 (s, 1H), 2.68 (dd, J=9.7, 2.2 Hz, 1H), 2.02 (d, J=5.8 Hz, 1H), 1.82 (d, J=9.7 Hz, 1H), 1.71 (d, J=9.8 Hz, 1H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 49
Synthesis of Compound 49
Compound 29-a (40 mg, 0.077 mmol), 1-pyrrolidinylcarbonyl chloride (15 mg, 0.013 mL, 0.115 mmol), pyridine (0.019 mL, 0.231 mmol) and dichloromethane (5 mL) were added into a reaction flask. The reaction mixture was stirred at normal temperature overnight, and then the liquid was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 49 (20 mg, 42%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=617.0 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.96-3.91 (m, 4H), 3.87 (s, 2H), 3.86-3.81 (m, 4H), 3.35 (s, 7H), 3.09 (s, 3H), 2.65-2.54 (m, 4H), 2.01 (s, 2H), 1.81 (t, J=6.5 Hz, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 50
Synthesis of Compound 50-b
According to the method for preparing compound 27-b, compound 50-c (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2012/037108 A1) was used in the preparation to yield compound 50-b (300 mg, 45%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=476 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 50-a
According to the method for preparing compound 27-a, compound 50-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 50-a (120 mg, 37%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=526 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 50
According to the method for preparing compound 35, compound 50-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 50 (20 mg, 28%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=603 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.77 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.61 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 7.77 (s, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.93-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.10 (d, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 2.50-2.60 (m, 1H), 2.07 (t, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 1.74 (d, J=12.4 Hz, 2H), 1.25-1.50 (m, 5H), 1.18 (s, 6H), 0.99-1.02 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 51
Synthesis of Compound 51
Compound 29-a (38 mg, 0.073 mmol), 37% formaldehyde (3 mL, 1.39 mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane (5 mL), and a drop of acetic acid and sodium triacetoxyborohydride (295 mg, 1.39 mmol) were added. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, diluted with dichloromethane (50 mL), and washed with water (10 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 51 (28 mg, 24%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 534 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.79 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.63 (br, 4H), 2.54 (br, 4H), 2.33 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 53
Synthesis of Compound 53-c
Compound 53-d (3.23 g, 15 mmol) and dry THF (60 mL) were added into a 100 mL three-necked flask. The mixture was cooled to −78° C., and a solution of methylmagnesium bromide (35 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise, and then stirred overnight. The reaction mixture was quenched with water, and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×40 mL). The organic phases were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to yield a colorless solid 53-c (3.0 g, 93%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=238 (M+Na) + .
Synthesis of Compound 53-b
A mixture of compound 53-c (3.0 g, 14 mmol) and HCl dioxane solution (4 M, 25 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 5 hrs. The reaction mixture was filtered, and the filter cake was washed with dioxane, and dried under vacuum to yield compound 53-b (1.7 g, 81%), as a white solid of HCl salt. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=116.1 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 53-a
Compound 53-b HCl salt (300 mg, 2.0 mmol), sodium hydroxide (100 mg, 2.5 mmol), acetonitrile (15 mL) and water (3 mL) were added into a 50 mL round-bottomed flask, and stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure. A mixture of the residue, compound 1-f (310 mg, 2.0 mmol), cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME, 2.0 mL) and tert-amyl alcohol (0.7 mL) was sealed and heated to 110° C., and stirred overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was refluxed in 25 mL acetone for 1 hr, and filtered. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to yield compound 53-a (300 mg, 76%).
Synthesis of Compound 53
Compound 27-a (100 mg, 0.2 mmol), 53-a (200 mg, 1.0 mmol), palladium acetate (4.5 mg, 0.02 mmol), X-Phos (9.5 mg, 0.02 mmol), cesium carbonate (163 mg, 0.5 mmol), THF (20 mL) and water (2 mL) were added into a 50 mL round-bottomed flask, and reacted under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=1/1˜0/1, followed by dichloromethane/methanol=10/1), to yield compound 53 (18 mg, 15%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=549.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.74 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.60 (s, 1H), 8.55 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.21 (s, 2H), 4.17-4.16 (m, 4H), 4.13 (s, 3H), 3.97 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 3.85 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 3.09 (s, 3H), 2.92-2.83 (m, 1H), 1.15 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 54
Synthesis of Compound 54-d
A solution of methyl N-Cbz-4-piperidinecarboxylate (3.86 g, 13.935 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (30 mL) was cooled to −78° C., followed by slow dropwise addition of methylmagnesium bromide Grignard reagent (14 mL, 3.0 M in THF), and stirred for 2 hrs, and then naturally warmed to room temperature and continued stirring for 1 hr. The reaction solution was quenched with 1 M HCl (100 mL), and the resultant suspension was extracted with ethyl acetate (3×100 mL). The organic phases were combined, washed with saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to yield compound 54-d (3.56 g, 92%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=278.1 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 54-c
NaH (0.77 g, 19.278 mmol) and methyl iodide (2.7 g, 19.278 mmol) were added batchwise into a solution of compound 54-d (3.56 g, 12.852 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (20 mL), and then heated to 50° C., stirred to react for 1 day. The reaction solution was quenched with saturated ammonium chloride aqueous solution (50 mL), and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×40 mL). The organic phases were combined, washed with saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: dichloromethane/methanol=50/1), to yield compound 54-c (2.0 g, 53%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=292.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 54-b
A suspension of compound 54-c (1.0 g, 3.44 mmol) and 10% Pd-C (150 mg) in methanol (15 mL) was stirred under hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature for one night, and then filtered. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to yield product 54-b (0.54 g, 100%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=158.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 54-a
A suspension (10 mL) of compound 54-b (0.54 g, 3.44 mmol) and compound 1-f (0.71 g, 4.586 mmol) in methoxycyclopentyl ether and tert-amyl alcohol (60 mL, 2/1) was heated under reflux for 12 hrs, and then concentrated under reduced pressure, and to the residue was added tetrahydrofuran, and filtered off insolubles. The filtrate was diluted with diethyl ether, and the precipitated solid was product 54-a (0.5 g, 52%).
Synthesis of Compound 54
Compound 27-a (80 mg, 0.147 mmol), compound 54-a (65 mg, 0.295 mmol), Pd (OAc) 2 (5 mg), cesium carbonate (145 mg, 0.444 mmol), X-Phos (10 mg, 0.021 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (2 mL) and water (0.3 mL) were added into a microwave tube, and the mixture was stirred to react under nitrogen atmosphere at 90° C. with microwave for 2 hrs. The reaction mixture was filtered through celite, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=20/1) to yield compound 54 (10 mg, 11%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=591.0 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.71 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.52 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.71 (s, 1H), 4.05 (s, 3H), 3.75-3.89 (m, 10H), 3.10 (s, 3H), 3.03 (d, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 3.02 (s, 3H), 2.00 (t, J=10.8 Hz, 2H), 1.60 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 1.35-1.37 (m, 3H), 1.03 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 55
Synthesis of Compound 55-c
Titanium tetraisopropanolate (5.68 g, 20.0 mmol) was added into a solution of 2, 6-dimethylmorpholine (1.15 g, 10.0 mmol) and N-Cbz-piperidin-4-one (2.34 g, 10.0 mmol) in anhydrous ethanol (15 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, followed by slow addition of sodium borohydride (0.42 g, 11.0 mmol), and then continually stirred for 2 hrs. The insolubles were removed by filtration, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography to yield compound 55-c (2.49 g, 75%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=333.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 55-b
A suspension of compound 55-c (1.77 g, 5.331 mmol) and 10% Pd-C (180 mg) in methanol (15 mL) was stirred under hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature for one night. The mixture was filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to yield compound 55-b (1.0 g, 100%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=199.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 55-a
A suspension (10 mL) of compound 55-b (1.0 g, 5.051 mmol), compound 1-f (0.58 g, 3.718 mmol) in methoxycyclopentyl ether and tert-amyl alcohol (60 mL, 2/1) was heated under reflux for 12 hrs, and concentrated under reduced pressure, and to the residue was added acetone (50 mL) and heated and stirred under reflux, and filtered while hot. The resultant solid was product 55-a (1.1 g, 52%).
Synthesis of Compound 55
Compound 27-a (80 mg, 0.147 mmol), compound 55-a (115 mg, 0.444 mmol), Pd (OAc) 2 (5 mg), cesium carbonate (145 mg, 0.444 mmol), X-Phos (10 mg, 0.021 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (2 mL) and water (0.3 mL) were added into a microwave tube, and the mixture was stirred to react under nitrogen atmosphere at 90° C. with microwave for 2 hrs. The reaction mixture was filtered through celite, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=20/1) to yield compound 55 (21 mg, 21%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=632.0 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.71 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.52 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 7.69 (s, 1H), 4.05 (s, 3H), 3.74-3.88 (m, 10H), 3.55-3.63 (m, 2H), 3.02 (s, 3H), 3.00 (d, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 2.67 (d, J=10.8 Hz, 2H), 2.01-2.18 (m, 3H), 1.84 (t, J=10.8 Hz, 2H), 1.74 (d, J=11.6 Hz, 2H), 1.49-1.57 (m, 2H), 1.08 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 6H).
Synthesis of Compound 56
According to the method for preparing compound 43, acetaldehyde was used in the preparation to yield compound 56 (15 mg, 41%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 576.0 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.77 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.84 (m, 6H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 3.05-3.07 (m, 2H), 2.52-2.54 (m, 2H), 2.26 (s, 3H), 2.08-2.20 (m, 2H), 1.52-1.77 (m, 5H), 1.04 (t, J=7.0 Hz, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 57
Synthesis of Compound 57-b
Triethylamine (0.25 mL, 1.79 mmol) and acetyl chloride (0.085 mL, 1.19 mmol) were sequentially added into a solution of compound 27-a (300 mg, 0.6 mmol) in dichloromethane (10 mL). The reaction solution was stirred at normal temperature overnight, and then diluted with dichloromethane. The organic layer was separated out, and sequentially washed with sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution and saturated sodium chloride aqueous solution, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure, to obtain compound 57-b (320 mg, 98%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=543 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 57-e
A mixture of 1-Cbz piperazine (1 g, 4.55 mmol), 2-bromo-2-methylpropionamide (751 mg, 4.55 mmol), potassium carbonate (942 mg, 6.83 mmol) and acetonitrile (10 mL) was stirred at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to obtain 57-e (1.05 g, 76%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z 306.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 57-d
A suspension of compound 57-e (1.05 g, 3.44 mmol) and 10% Pd-C (150 mg) in ethanol (15 mL) was stirred under hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature overnight. The mixture was filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to yield compound 57-d (1.0 g, 100%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=172 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 57-c
According to the method for preparing compound 4-d, compound 57-d was used in the preparation to yield compound 57-c (520 mg, 90%), as a white solid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ 8.48 (1H, brs), 7.29 (1H, s), 7.01 (1H, s), 3.23-3.33 (2H, m), 2.95 (2H, q, J=10.0 Hz), 2.72 (2H, d, J=12.8 Hz), 2.37-2.50 (2H, m), 1.92 (2H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 1.06 (6H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 57-a
Compound 57-c (93 mg, 0.369 mmol), compound 57-b (100 mg, 0.184 mmol), cesium carbonate (177 mg, 0.54 mmol), X-Phos (18 mg, 0.0369 mmol), palladium acetate (4 mg, 0.0184 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (1 mL) and water (0.1 mL) were added into a microwave tube, and the mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and filtered. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to yield compound 57-a (110 mg, 92.4%), and crude product was directly used in the next reaction without further purification. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=649.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 57
A mixture of compound 57-a (110 mg, 0.170 mmol), methanol (4.0 mL) and 10% potassium carbonate aqueous solution (2.0 mL) was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction solution was diluted with water (20 mL), and the pH value of the solution was adjusted with 1 N HCl to 7-8, and then extracted with dichloromethane (2×20 mL). The organic phases were combined, dried over sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 57 (25 mg, 24.4%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=605.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.71 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.52 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 7.69 (1H, s), 7.05 (1H, d, J=5.2 Hz), 5.37 (1H, d, J=4.8 Hz), 4.05 (3H, s), 3.86-3.88 (4H, m), 3.76-3.78 (6H, m), 3.02 (3H, s), 2.51 (8H, s), 1.14 (6H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 58
According to the method for preparing compound 43, acetone was used in the preparation to yield compound 58 (10 mg, 17%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 590 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.77 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.81-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 3.04-3.06 (m, 3H), 2.22 (s, 3H), 2.09-2.15 (m, 2H), 1.73-1.79 (m, 2H), 1.64-1.69 (m, 2H), 1.03 (d, J=7.0 Hz, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 59
Synthesis of Compound 59-b
According to the method for preparing compound 27-b, compound 59-c (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2012/037108 A1) was used in the preparation to yield compound 59-b (100 mg, 15%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 478 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 59-a
According to the method for preparing compound 27-a, compound 59-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 59-a (100 mg, 91%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 528 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 59
According to the method for preparing compound 35, compound 59-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 59 (8 mg, 8%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 605 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.77 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.76 (s, 1H), 5.50-5.60 (m, 1H), 3.92-3.95 (m, 4H), 3.81-3.84 (m, 6H), 3.07-3.11 (m, 5H), 2.07 (t, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 1.74 (d, J=12.0 Hz, 3H), 1.42-1.48 (m, 8H), 1.17 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 60
Synthesis of Compound 60-c
Acetyl chloride (0.62 g, 7.93 mmol) was added dropwise into a solution of compound 27-c (1.3 g, 3.96 mmol) and triethylamine (5 mL) in dichloromethane (15 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 10 minutes, and then diluted with dichloromethane. The organic layer was separated out, washed with saturated brine, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in methanol (20 mL), and then to the methanol solution was added potassium bifluoride (0.78 g, 10.06 mmol) and 1 mL water. The mixture was heated to 60° C., and then stirred for an hour. The reaction mixture was cooled, and filtered, and the resultant filter cake was washed with dichloromethane several times. The filter cake was dried to obtain compound 60-c (1.99 g), and the crude was directly used in the next step without further purification. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=293.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 60-b
Compound 60-c (1.5 g), compound 8-f (0.8 g, 2.68 mmol), sodium bicarbonate (0.9 g, 10.72 mmol), triphenylphosphine (0.14 g, 0.536 mmol), palladium acetate (62 mg, 0.277 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (9 mL) and water (1 mL) were added into a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred to react under nitrogen atmosphere at 90° C. with microwave for 2 hrs. The reaction mixture was filtered through a short silica gel column, and eluted with petroleum ether/ethyl acetate (1:1), the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. A mixture of the residue, morpholine (0.32 g, 3.678 mmol) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (2 mL) was stirred to react at 90° C. for half an hour. The reaction mixture was cooled, and diluted with dichloromethane. The organic layer was separated out, washed with saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=1:1) to yield compound 60-b (0.65 g, 47%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=513.8 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 60-a
Acetyl chloride (0.20 g, 2.534 mmol) was added dropwise into a solution of compound 60-b (0.65 g, 1.267 mmol) and triethylamine (1 mL) in dichloromethane (20 mL). The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature for 10 minutes, then diluted with dichloromethane. The organic layer was separated out, washed with saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to yield compound 60-a (0.69 g, 98%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=555.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 60
Compound 60-a (100 mg, 0.180 mmol), compound 4-d (76 mg, 0.289 mmol), Pd (OAc) 2 (4 mg, 0.180 mmol), cesium carbonate (176 mg, 0.540 mmol), X-Phos (17 mg, 0.036 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (5 mL) and water (0.5 mL) were added to a microwave tube. The mixture was stirred to react under nitrogen atmosphere at 90° C. with microwave for 2 hrs. The reaction mixture was filtered through celite, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=20/1) to yield compound 60 (30 mg, 28%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=591.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.68 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.49 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.75-3.86 (m, 8H), 3.69 (s, 2H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.95 (d, J=10.8 Hz, 2H), 2.58 (s, 3H), 2.00 (t, J=10.8 Hz, 2H), 1.63 (d, J=12.0 Hz, 2H), 1.24-1.34 (m, 2H), 1.18-1.20 (m, 1H), 1.09 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 61
Synthesis of Compound 61
According to the method for preparing compound 60, compound 1-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 61 (10 mg, 30%) as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 611.9 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ δ 8.68 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.75-3.85 (m, 8H), 3.72 (s, 2H), 3.12-3.15 (m, 4H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.69 (s, 3H), 2.55-2.57 (m, 7H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 62
Synthesis of Compound 62
Compound 29-a (80 mg, 0.154 mmol), trifluoroacetyl anhydride (0.024 mL, 0.169 mmol), pyridine (0.062 mL, 0.77 mmol) and dichloromethane (5 mL) were added into a reaction flask. The mixture was stirred at normal temperature overnight, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 62 (60 mg, 63%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=616.0 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ 8.66 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.45 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.37 (s, 1H), 4.53 (s, 2H), 4.02 (s, 3H), 3.93-3.77 (m, 8H), 3.73-3.69 (m, 4H), 3.41 (s, 4H), 2.95 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 63
Synthesis of Compound 63
Tetrahydrofuran (4 mL), triphosgene (52 mg, 0.173 mmol), 2, 2, 2-trifluoroethylamine (0.041 mL, 0.52 mmol) and triethylamine (0.072 mL, 0.52 mmol) were added into a reaction flask cooled with an ice-water bath. The mixture was warmed to room temperature and stirred for 1 hr, and then compound 29-a (30 mg, 0.058 mmol) was added. The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 63 (15 mg, 41%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=644.9 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ 8.79 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.60 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.06 (s, 1H), 4.13 (s, 3H), 3.99-3.91 (m, 4H), 3.91-3.78 (m, 8H), 3.54-3.44 (m, 4H), 3.07 (s, 3H), 2.65-2.53 (m, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 64
Synthesis of Compound 64
A mixture of compound 62 (20 mg, 0.032 mmol), 1 M borane-tetrahydrofuran solution (0.324 mL, 0.324 mmol) and tetrahydrofuran (3 mL) was stirred to react at 50° C. overnight, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 64 (6 mg, 30%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=602.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ 8.61 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.52 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.04 (s, 1H), 4.08 (s, 3H), 3.99-3.93 (m, 4H), 3.88 (s, 2H), 3.86-3.80 (m, 4H), 3.07 (d, J=9.8 Hz, 2H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.74 (d, J=4.0 Hz, 4H), 2.66 (s, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 65
Synthesis of Compound 65
According to the method for preparing compound 60, compound 65-a (prepared according to the method disclosed in reference: J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 2762-2769) was used in the preparation to yield compound 65 (33 mg, 33%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 548.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.67 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.74-3.85 (m, 8H), 3.71 (s, 2H), 3.00 (s, 3H), 2.40-2.60 (m, 11H), 2.30 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 66
Synthesis of Compound 66-c
According to the method for preparing compound 60-a, compound 27-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 66-c (320 mg, 98%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 543 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 66-a
Compound 66-c (200 mg, 0.37 mmol), THF (1.5 mL), a solution of 66-b in THF (prepared according to the method disclosed in reference: Chemical Communication, 2008, 5824-5826) (0.5 M, 1.5 mL, 0.75 mmol) and PdCl 2 (PPh 3 ) 2 (20 mg) were added to a 5 mL microwave tube. The reaction solution was reacted under nitrogen atmosphere at 60° C. with microwave for 15 minutes. The reaction liquid was adjusted with 1 M HCl solution to a pH value near 7, and then extracted with dichloromethane. The organic phase was separated out, sequentially washed with water, saturated NaCl aqueous solution, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to obtain compound 66-a (145 mg, 67%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z 588 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 66
10% Potassium carbonate aqueous solution (4 mL) was added dropwise into a solution of compound 66-a (135 mg, 0.23 mmol) in methanol (7 mL), and the reaction solution was stirred at 25° C. overnight. The reaction solution was adjusted with 1 MHCl solution to a pH value near 7, and then extracted with dichloromethane. The organic phase was separated out, sequentially washed with water, saturated NaCl aqueous solution, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 66 (31 mg, 25%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=546.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.77 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.58 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 7.31-7.48 (3H, m), 7.12-7.24 (2H, m), 6.84 (1H, s), 4.29 (2H, s), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.89-4.02 (4H, m), 3.72-3.88 (4H, m), 3.07 (3H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 67
Synthesis of Compound 67
A mixture of compound 50-a (100 mg, 0.19 mmol), compound 15-a (128 mg, 0.57 mmol), Cs 2 CO 3 (185 mg, 0.57 mmol), Pd (OAc) 2 (4 mg, 0.019 mmol), X-Phos (18 mg, 0.038 mmol), dioxane (10 mL) and water (1 mL) was reacted at 80° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, diluted by adding water (10 mL), and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×20 mL). The organic layers were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 67 (20 mg, 18%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=602 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.76 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.86 (m, 6H), 3.68 (s, 2H), 2.70-2.88 (m, 8H), 2.56-2.60 (m, 1H), 1.24-1.27 (m, 2H), 1.00-1.01 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 68
Synthesis of Compound 68-b
According to the method for preparing compound 27-b, compound 68-c (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2012/037108 A1) was used in the preparation to yield compound 68-b (400 mg, 54%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=548 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 68-a
According to the method for preparing compound 27-a, compound 68-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 68-a (90 mg, 79%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=598 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 68
According to the method for preparing compound 27, compound 68-a and compound 65-a were used in the preparation to yield compound 68 (10 mg, 10%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=632 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.69 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.49 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 7.91-7.93 (m, 1H), 7.77 (s, 1H), 6.92-6.94 (m, 2H), 4.00 (s, 3H), 3.90-3.93 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.86 (m, 6H), 2.62 (s, 3H), 2.48 (s, 5H), 2.23 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 69
Synthesis of Compound 69
According to the method for preparing compound 50, compound 65-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 69 (10 mg, 18%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=560 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.76 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.60 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.81-3.84 (m, 6H), 2.52-2.66 (m, 8H), 2.31 (s, 3H), 1.24-1.27 (m, 3H), 0.99-1.01 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 70
Synthesis of Compound 70-c
According to the method for preparing compound 27-b, compound 70-d (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2009/147187 A1) was used in the preparation to yield compound 70-c (1.0 g, 27%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=370.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 70-b
According to the method for preparing compound 27-a, compound 70-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 70-b (0.9 g, 79%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=422 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 70-a
In a 50 mL round-bottomed flask, were added compound 70-b (0.25 mmol), ethylsulfonyl chloride (1.0 mmol), pyridine (5 mL) and dichloromethane (10 mL). The reaction mixture was heated to 25° C. and stirred overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was partitioned between water and dichloromethane. The organic layer was separated out, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=5/1˜2/1) to yield compound 70-a (65 mg, 51%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=513.8 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 70
According to the method for preparing compound 27, compound 70-a and compound 65-a were used in the preparation to yield compound 70 (26 mg, 25%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=548 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.75 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.59 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 7.84 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.93 (t, J=4.8 Hz, 6H), 3.83 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 3.19 (q, J=7.3 Hz, 2H), 2.77 (brs, 8H), 2.44 (s, 3H), 1.41 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 3H).
Synthetic Routes of Compounds 71 and 96
Synthesis of Compound 71-e
A mixture of compound 8-f (2.0 g, 6.71 mmol), 70-d (1.68 g, 6.72 mmol), triphenylphosphine (0.4 g, 1.52 mmol), palladium acetate (0.18 g, 0.80 mmol), THF (40 mL) and saturated sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution (4 mL) was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 90° C. overnight. Then the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, and diluted with THF, and then filtered through celite. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=3/1˜1/1) to obtain compound 71-e (1.19 g, 46%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=384.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 71-d
Morpholine (1 mL, 11.36 mmol) was added to a solution of compound 71-e (1.32 g, 3.42 mmol) in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) (30 mL), and then the reaction solution was stirred at 94° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and diluted with water (60 mL). The precipitated solids were filtered, washed sequentially with water, methanol, and dried to obtain compound 71-d (1.30 g, 87%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=436.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 71-c
Compound 71-d (1.1 g, 2.5 mmol), methylsulfonyl chloride (1.1 g, 10 mmol), pyridine (4 mL), N,N-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) (153 mg, 1.25 mmol) and dichloromethane (50 mL) were added to a 50 mL round-bottomed flask. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was partitioned between dichloromethane and saturated sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution. The organic layer was separated out, washed with water once, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (dichloromethane/methanol=50/1) to yield compound 71-c (1.0 g, 77%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=514.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 71-b
According to the method for preparing compound 28, compound 71-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 71-b (585 mg, 55%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=634 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 96
According to the method for preparing compound 29-a, compound 71-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 96 (164 mg, 93%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=534 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 71
2-(7-azabenzotriazole)-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (HATU) (20 mg, 0.053 mmol) was added to a solution of compound 96 (10 mg, 0.018 mmol), hydroxyl acetic acid (15 mg, 0.197 mmol) and diisopropylethylamine (0.1 mL) in DMF (1 mL). The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature for 1 hr, and diluted with dichloromethane (20 mL). The organic layer was separated out, washed with saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel plate chromatography to yield compound 71 (5 mg, 47%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=592.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.68 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.06 (s, 2H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.75-3.85 (m, 8H), 3.71 (s, 2H), 3.58 (t, J=4.8 Hz, 2H), 3.17 (t, J=4.8 Hz, 2H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.58 (s, 3H), 2.42-2.48 (m, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 72
Synthesis of Compound 72-a
According to the method for preparing compound 70-a, dimethylaminosulfonyl chloride was used in the preparation to yield compound 72-a (55 mg, 42%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=528.8 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 72
According to the method for preparing compound 27, compound 72-a and compound 65-a were used in the preparation to yield compound 72 (21.4 mg, 20%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=563.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.72 (s, 1H), 8.50 (s, 1H), 7.81 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.94 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 3.87 (s, 2H), 3.83 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 2.90 (s, 6H), 2.63 (brs, 8H), 2.35 (s, 3H).
Synthesis of Compound 73
According to the method for preparing compound 71, D-lactic acid was used in the preparation to yield compound 73 (5.2 mg, 48%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=606.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.68 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.37 (q, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.75-3.85 (m, 8H), 3.71 (s, 2H), 3.65 (s, 1H), 3.49 (s, 1H), 3.28-3.32 (m, 2H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.58 (s, 3H), 2.42-2.48 (m, 4H), 1.23 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 3H).
Synthesis of Compound 74
According to the method for preparing compound 71, L-lactic acid was used in the preparation to yield compound 74 (5.5 mg, 51%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=606.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.68 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.36 (q, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.75-3.85 (m, 8H), 3.71 (s, 2H), 3.65 (s, 1H), 3.49 (s, 1H), 3.28-3.32 (m, 2H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.58 (s, 3H), 2.42-2.48 (m, 4H), 1.23 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 75
Synthesis of Compound 75
According to the method for preparing compound 31-b, compound 65-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 75 (19 mg, 31%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=504.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ9.03 (1H, s), 8.47 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.45 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 7.83 (1H, s), 3.85-4.01 (4H, m), 3.82 (2H, s), 3.69-3.82 (4H, m), 3.04 (3H, s), 2.41-2.85 (8H, m), 2.31 (3H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 76
Synthesis of Compound 76-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 76-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 76-a (170 mg, 59%), as a white solid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ 8.38 (s, 1H), 7.91 (s, 1H), 3.38 (s, 1H), 3.13-2.96 (m, 3H), 2.76 (s, 2H), 2.31-2.19 (m, 1H), 1.93 (s, 2H), 1.78 (s, 4H), 0.99 (t, J=7.1 Hz, 3H).
Synthesis of Compound 76
According to the method for preparing compound 27, compound 76-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 76 (19 mg, 27%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=590.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ 8.76 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.03 (s, 1H), 4.13 (s, 3H), 3.97-3.89 (m, 4H), 3.87 (s, 2H), 3.85-3.79 (m, 4H), 3.36-3.31 (m, 4H), 3.23-3.14 (m, 2H), 3.07 (s, 4H), 1.78 (d, J=5.2 Hz, 4H), 1.11 (t, J=7.3 Hz, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 77
Synthesis of Compound 77
According to the method for preparing compound 33, 2,6-dimethyltetrahydro-4H-pyran-4-one was used in the preparation to yield compound 77 (7 mg, 36%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=632 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.78 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.78 (s, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.84 (m, 6H), 3.43-3.47 (m, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.63 (br, 8H), 2.44-2.48 (m, 1H), 1.78-1.80 (m, 2H), 1.21 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 6H), 1.08-1.17 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 78
Synthesis of Compound 78
According to the method for preparing compound 54, compound 71-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 78 (33 mg, 30%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=605.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.74 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.54 (d, 2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.82-3.95 (m, 10H), 3.18 (d, J=10.8 Hz, 2H), 3.15 (s, 3H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.70 (s, 3H), 2.28 (t, J=10.8 Hz, 2H), 1.68 (d, J=12.0 Hz, 2H), 1.54-1.57 (m, 2H), 1.40-1.43 (m, 1H), 1.08 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 79
Synthesis of Compound 79-a
Cyclopropylsulfonyl chloride (1 mL) was added dropwise to a mixture of compound 71-d (1.11 g, 2.54 mmol), pyridine (20 mL) and DMAP (50 mg), and then the reaction solution was stirred at 70° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was partitioned between dichloromethane and saturated sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution. The organic layer was separated out, washed with water once, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (dichloromethane/methanol=50/1) to yield compound 79-a (0.9 g, 66%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=539.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 79
According to the method for preparing compound 4, compound 79-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 79 (20 mg, 18%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=617.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.74 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.58 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.87-3.96 (4H, m), 3.78-3.87 (4H, m), 3.75 (2H, s), 3.01 (2H, d, J=11.2 Hz), 2.65 (3H, s), 2.49-2.59 (1H, m), 1.98-2.14 (2H, m), 1.69 (2H, d, J=12.0 Hz), 1.29-1.44 (2H, m), 1.18-1.29 (4H, m), 1.15 (6H, s), 0.93-1.05 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 80
Synthesis of Compound 80-c
A solution of compound 54-d (1.05 g, 3.79 mmol) in dichloromethane (30 mL) was cooled with dry ice bath, and under nitrogen atmosphere to the solution was slowly added dropwise diethylaminosulfur trifluoride (DAST) (1.22 g, 7.58 mmol), and with the dry ice bath cooling continuously reacted for 45 minutes, and then slowly warmed up to room temperature. The reaction solution was diluted with water (50 mL), and extracted with dichloromethane (2×50 mL). The organic layers were combined, dried over sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=4/1) to obtain compound 80-c (770 mg, 68.1%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=280.1 (M+H) + , 302.0 (M+Na) + .
Synthesis of Compound 80-b
According to the method for preparing compound 54-b, compound 80-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 80-b (285 mg, 71.3%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=146.1 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 80-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, compound 80-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 80-a (440 mg, 98.6%), as a white solid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): δ3.48 (2H, d, J=12.0 Hz), 2.79 (2H, t, J=12.0 Hz), 2.10 (2H, s), 1.72-1.90 (3H, s), 1.45-1.54 (2H, m), 1.28 (3H, s), 1.17 (3H, s).
Synthesis of Compound 80
Compound 80-a (84 mg, 0.37 mmol), compound 79-a (100 mg, 0.185 mmol), cesium carbonate (182 mg, 0.56 mmol), X-Phos (18 mg, 0.037 mmol), palladium acetate (4 mg, 0.0185 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (1 mL) and water (0.1 mL) were added to a microwave tube, and the mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and filtered through celite, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 80 (18 mg, 15.8%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=619.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.67 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.51 (1H, d, J=1.6 Hz), 4.04 (3H, s), 3.84-3.85 (4H, m), 3.70-3.77 (6H, m), 2.95 (2H, d, J=10.8 Hz), 2.58 (3H, s), 2.46-2.50 (1H, m), 2.02 (2H, t, J=10.8 Hz), 1.60 (2H, d, J=11.6 Hz), 1.31-1.40 (3H, m), 1.24 (3H, m), 1.18-1.21 (5H, m), 0.90-094 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 81
Synthesis of Compound 81-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased 4-methoxy piperidine was used in the preparation to yield compound 81-a (800 mg, 78%), as a white solid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ 8.29 (s, 1H), 3.23 (s, 6H), 2.48 (s, 1H), 2.12 (s, 1H), 1.92 (d, J=4.9 Hz, 4H), 1.86 (s, 2H).
Synthesis of Compound 81
According to the method for preparing compound 80, compound 81-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 81 (27 mg, 50%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=589.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ 8.60 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.45 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 4.51 (s, 1H), 4.01 (s, 3H), 3.80 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 6H), 3.73-3.67 (m, 4H), 3.22 (s, 3H), 2.85 (s, 2H), 2.57 (s, 3H), 2.44 (s, 2H), 1.80 (s, 2H), 1.54 (d, J=8.7 Hz, 2H), 1.18 (s, 1H), 0.97 (dd, J=7.3, 3.5 Hz, 2H), 0.87 (dd, J=7.5, 2.3 Hz, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 82
Synthesis of Compound 82-b
Compound 8-d (193 mg, 0.72 mmol), compound 79-a (130 mg, 0.24 mmol), cesium carbonate (234 mg, 0.72 mmol), X-Phos (18 mg, 0.037 mmol), palladium acetate (16 mg, 0.072 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (7 mL) and water (0.7 mL) were added to a reaction flask, and the mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned into ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer was separated out, sequentially washed with water, saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: dichloromethane:methanol=10:1) to obtain target compound 82-b (150 mg, 69%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=660.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 82-a
A mixture of compound 82-b (140 mg, 0.212 mmol), trifluoroacetic acid (1 mL) and dichloromethane (3 mL) was stirred at room temperature overnight, and afterwards diluted by adding water, and then extracted with dichloromethane (3×10 mL). The organic phases were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain compound 82-a (110 mg, 70%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=560.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 82
A mixture of compound 82-a (80 mg, 0.14 mmol), trifluoroacetyl anhydride (0.024 mL, 0.17 mmol), pyridine (0.057 mL, 0.7 mmol) and dichloromethane (3 mL) was stirred at normal temperature overnight, and concentrated under reduced pressure.
The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 82 (28 mg, 30%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=656.0 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.58 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.94-3.89 (m, 4H), 3.86-3.82 (m, 4H), 3.79 (s, 2H), 3.67 (s, 2H), 3.58 (s, 2H), 2.65 (s, 3H), 2.59-2.55 (m, 4H), 1.26 (dd, J=7.7, 3.5 Hz, 4H), 1.00 (dd, J=7.8, 1.9 Hz, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 83
Synthesis of Compound 83
Compound 71-c (140 mg, 0.27 mmol), compound 81-a (161 mg, 0.82 mmol), palladium acetate (18 mg, 0.082 mmol), X-Phos (39 mg, 0.082 mmol), cesium carbonate (266 mg, 0.82 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (10 mL) and water (1 mL) were added to a reaction flask, and the mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned into ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer was separated out, sequentially washed with water, saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 83 (21 mg, 14%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=563.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ 8.53 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.41 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 3.82-3.78 (m, 4H), 3.72-3.68 (m, 4H), 3.66 (s, 2H), 3.21 (s, 3H), 3.14 (s, 1H), 2.92 (s, 3H), 2.55 (s, 3H), 2.25 (s, 2H), 1.91 (s, 2H), 1.15 (dd, J=15.7, 8.5 Hz, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 84
Synthesis of Compound 84
A mixture of compound 82-a (40 mg, 0.07 mmol), 2, 2, 2-trifluoroethyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (0.021 mL, 0.14 mmol), N, N-diisopropylethylamine (0.036 mL, 0.21 mmol) and tetrahydrofuran (3 mL) was stirred at 50° C. overnight, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 84 (16 mg, 35%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=642.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ 8.60 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.46 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 4.00 (s, 3H), 3.83-3.77 (m, 4H), 3.73-3.68 (m, 4H), 3.65 (s, 2H), 3.22-3.20 (m, 4H), 2.92 (d, J=9.8 Hz, 2H), 2.55 (s, 3H), 2.50 (s, 3H), 1.15 (dd, J=15.2, 8.1 Hz, 2H), 1.00-0.95 (m, 2H), 0.87 (dd, J=7.5, 2.3 Hz, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 85
Synthesis of Compound 85
According to the method for preparing compound 80, compound 71-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 85 (43 mg, 37.4%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=593.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.11 (2H, s), 3.90-3.92 (3H, m), 3.82-3.84 (5H, m), 3.48 (2H, s), 3.08 (4H, s), 2.67 (3H, s), 2.12-2.25 (2H, m), 1.83-1.94 (2H, m), 1.67-1.70 (2H, m), 1.40-1.51 (3H, m), 1.26-1.31 (6H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 86
Synthesis of Compound 86
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 86-a (prepared according to the method disclosed in reference: J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 2762-2769) was used in the preparation to yield compound 86 (80 mg, 51.3%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=533.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.56 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.90-3.92 (4H, m), 3.82-3.84 (6H, m), 3.08 (3H, m), 2.67 (3H, s), 2.52 (4H, s), 1.60 (4H, s), 1.42 (2H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 87
Synthesis of Compound 87
According to the method for preparing compound 84, compound 96 was used in the preparation to yield compound 87 (15 mg, 25%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=616.2 (M+H) + . 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.67 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.48 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.04 (3H, s), 3.83-3.85 (4H, m), 3.75-3.77 (4H, m), 3.70 (2H, s), 3.01 (3H, s), 2.84-2.91 (2H, m), 2.57-2.60 (7H, m), 2.50 (4H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 88
Synthesis of Compound 88-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 88-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 88-a (800 mg, 87.9%), as a white solid. 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): δ 3.48 (2H, d, J=12.4 Hz), 2.74 (2H, t, J=11.6 Hz), 2.08-2.13 (2H, m), 1.82 (2H, d, J=13.2 Hz), 1.29-1.39 (3H, m), 0.78 (6H, d, J=10.8 Hz).
Synthesis of Compound 88
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 88-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 88 (120 mg, 67%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=575.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.90-3.93 (4H, m), 3.82-3.84 (6H, m), 3.08 (5H, s), 2.68 (3H, s), 2.04 (2H, brs), 1.64 (3H, d, J=12.4 Hz), 1.37-1.43 (1H, m), 1.25-1.26 (1H, m), 0.97 (2H, brs), 0.85 (6H, d, J=6.8 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 89
Synthesis of Compound 89
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 15-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 89 (20 mg, 18%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=590.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.72 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.53 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.00 (3H, s), 3.85-3.94 (4H, m), 3.74-3.85 (6H, m), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.66-2.97 (8H, m), 2.62 (3H, s), 1.21 (9H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 90
Synthesis of Compound 90
According to the method for preparing compound 82, compound 96 was used in the preparation to yield compound 90 (18 mg, 26.5%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=630.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.68 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.48 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 6.80 (1H, s), 4.04 (3H, s), 3.83-3.85 (4H, m), 3.71-3.77 (6H, m), 3.60 (2H, s), 3.51 (2H, s), 3.01 (3H, s), 2.58 (3H, s), 2.50 (4H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 91
Synthesis of Compound 91
Acetic acid sodium borohydride (109 mg, 0.515 mmol) was slowly added into a mixed liquid of compound 96 (55 mg, 0.103 mmol), acetone (60 mg, 1.03 mmol), 1, 2-dichloroethane (3 mL) and acetic acid (3 mg, 0.0515 mmol). The reaction liquid was stirred at room temperature overnight, and quenched by slowly adding water (10 mL), and then diluted by adding saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (10 mL), and extracted with ethyl acetate (2×30.0 mL). The organic layers were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain target compound 91 (12 mg, 36%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=576.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.67 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.48 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.03 (3H, s), 3.82-3.85 (4H, m), 3.71-3.76 (6H, m), 3.01 (3H, s), 2.47-2.57 (11H, m), 1.19 (1H, t, J=7.2 Hz), 8.67 (6H, d, J=6.8 Hz).
Synthetic Routes of Compounds 92 and 93
Synthesis of Compound 92-a
According to the method for preparing compound 52, compound 71-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 92-a (18 mg, 26.5%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=662.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 92
According to the method for preparing compound 43-a, compound 92-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 92 (279 mg, 94%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=562.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ 8.57 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.41 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.00 (3H, s), 3.72-3.82 (4H, m), 3.61-3.72 (6H, m), 2.82-3.02 (6H, m), 2.54 (6H, d, J=12.0 Hz), 2.09-2.22 (2H, m), 1.89-2.01 (2H, m), 1.42-1.58 (2H, m).
Synthesis of Compound 93
According to the method for preparing compound 43, compound 92 was used in the preparation to yield compound 93 (10 mg, 34%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=576.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.87-3.96 (4H, m), 3.79-3.87 (4H, m), 3.76 (2H, s), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.98 (2H, d, J=11.2 Hz), 2.64 (3H, s), 2.33 (6H, s), 2.19-2.29 (1H, m), 2.12 (2H, t, J=12.0 Hz), 1.81 (2H, d, J=12.0 Hz), 1.45-1.62 (2H, m).
Synthetic Routes of Compounds 94 and 97
Synthesis of Compound 94-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, dimethylamine was used in the preparation to yield compound 94-a (0.8 g, 50%), as a white solid.
Synthesis of Compounds 94 and 97
Compound 71-c (150 mg, 0.29 mmol), compound 94-a (220 mg, 1.73 mmol), palladium acetate (25 mg, 0.11 mmol), X-Phos (50 mg, 0.11 mmol), cesium carbonate (285 mg, 0.88 mmol), tetrahydrofuran (20 mL) and water (2 mL) were added to a reaction flask, and the mixture was stirred under nitrogen atmosphere at 80° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned into ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer was separated out, sequentially washed with water, saturated brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 94 (30 mg, 21%) and compound 97 (10 mg, 8%).
Compound 94: LC-MS (ESI): m/z=493.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.55 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.92 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 3.87 (s, 2H), 3.83 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.71 (s, 3H), 2.47 (s, 6H).
Compound 97: LC-MS (ESI): m/z=436.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.76 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.56 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 6.96 (d, J=1.2 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.90 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 3.82 (t, J=4.6 Hz, 4H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.63 (d, J=1.2 Hz, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 95
Synthesis of Compound 95
Compound 92 (104 mg, 0.19 mmol) and acetone (5 mL) were dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane (5 mL), and a drop of acetic acid and sodium triacetoxyborohydride (2 g, 9.44 mmol) were added, and then stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction mixture was partitioned into dichloromethane (50 mL) and saturated sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution (20 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 95 (33 mg, 30%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 604.3 (M+H) + . 1 H-NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.73 (1H, brs), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.86-3.96 (4H, m), 3.78-3.86 (4H, m), 3.74 (2H, s), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.88-3.02 (3H, m), 2.64 (3H, s), 2.33-2.47 (1H, m), 2.18 (3H, s), 2.08 (2H, t, J=10.8 Hz), 1.64-1.78 (2H, m), 1.46-1.64 (2H, m), 1.00 (6H, d, J=6.4 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 98
Synthesis of Compound 98
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 36-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 98 (32 mg, 61.5%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=535.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.68 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.82-3.86 (m, 4H), 3.69-3.78 (m, 6H), 3.62 (brs, 4H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.60 (s, 3H), 2.46 (brs, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 99
Synthesis of Compound 99-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 99-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 99-a (100 mg, 58%).
Synthesis of Compound 99
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 99-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 99 (11 mg, 44%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=561.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.73 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.54 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.15 (2H, s), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.86-3.95 (4H, m), 3.73-3.86 (4H, m), 3.08 (3H, s), 2.80-3.00 (4H, m), 2.78 (3H, s), 1.47-1.80 (4H, m), 0.95 (6H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 100
Synthesis of Compound 100
Compound 96 (20 mg, 0.0375 mmol), cyano acetic acid (3.4 mg, 0.045 mmol), HOBt (7.6 mg, 0.0562 mmol), N-methyl morpholine (0.0125 mL, 0.112 mmol), EDCI HCl (10.8 mg, 0.0562 mmol) were dissolved in N, N-dimethylformamide (2 mL), and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction solution was diluted with dichloromethane (20 mL), and the organic phase was washed with water (20 mL×2). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was recrystalized from methanol (30 mL) to yield compound 100 (15 mg, 68%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z 601.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.68 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.83-3.85 (m, 4H), 3.75-3.77 (m, 4H), 3.71 (s, 2H), 3.55 (t, J=4.8 Hz, 2H), 3.36 (t, J=4.8 Hz, 2H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.89 (s, 1H), 2.81 (s, 1H), 2.57 (s, 3H), 2.45-2.51 (m, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 101
Synthesis of Compound 101-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 101-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 101-a (120 mg, 85%).
Synthesis of Compound 101
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 101-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 101 (17 mg, 26.6%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=547.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.55 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.82-3.91 (m, 10H), 3.05-3.08 (m, 5H), 2.70 (s, 3H), 2.28 (s, 2H), 1.64 (d, J=10.0 Hz, 2H), 1.40 (s, 3H), 0.92 (d, J=4.8 Hz, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 102
Synthesis of Compound 102-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 102-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 102-a (500 mg, 80%).
Synthesis of Compound 102
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 102-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 102 (27 mg, 20.5%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=519.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.63 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.44 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.15 (s, 2H), 4.03 (s, 3H), 3.81-3.84 (m, 4H), 3.70-3.72 (m, 4H), 2.95-3.02 (m, 7H), 2.62 (s, 3H), 1.87 (brs, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 103
Synthesis of Compound 103-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 103-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 103-a (810 mg, 64%).
Synthesis of Compound 103
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 103-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 103 (29 mg, 26%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=577.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 4.10 (s, 3H), 3.92 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.84 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.75 (s, 2H), 3.51 (q, 2H, J=7.2 Hz), 3.28 (dd, 1H, J=8.4, 4.4 Hz), 3.07 (s, 3H), 2.82 (d, 2H, J=11.2 Hz), 2.64 (s, 3H), 2.24 (t, 2H, J=10.0 Hz), 1.88 (d, 2H, J=10.0 Hz), 1.60-1.55 (m, 2H), 1.20 (t, 3H, J=6.8 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 104
Synthesis of Compound 104-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 104-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 104-a (7.5 g, 76.5%). 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): δ3.98 (s, 4H), 3.48 (brs, 1H), 3.45 (brs, 1H), 2.99-3.07 (m, 2H), 2.14-2.18 (m, 2H), 1.92-1.94 (m, 4H). Synthesis of compound 104
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 104-a was used in the preparation. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: dichloromethane/methanol=60/1) to yield compound 104 (975 mg, 76.4%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=591.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ9.52 (s, 1H), 8.71 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.34 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.80-3.83 (m, 8H), 3.72-3.74 (m, 6H), 3.10 (s, 3H), 2.64 (s, 3H), 2.49-2.51 (m, 4H), 1.57-1.59 (m, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 105
Synthesis of Compound 105-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 105-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 105-a (125 mg, 42%).
Synthesis of Compound 105
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 105-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 105 (30 mg, 28%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=551.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.51-4.77 (1H, m), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.86-3.94 (4H, m), 3.78-3.86 (4H, m), 3.76 (2H, s), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.64-2.72 (2H, m), 2.64 (3H, s), 2.36-2.52 (2H, m), 1.72-1.97 (4H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 106
Synthesis of Compound 106-b
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 106-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 106-b (900 mg, 85%).
Synthesis of Compound 106-a
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 106-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 106-a (57 mg, 44%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=674.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 4.10 (s, 3H), 3.94 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.86 (t, 6H, J=4.4 Hz), 3.30 (t, 4H, J=5.6 Hz), 3.11 (s, 4H), 3.07 (s, 3H), 2.64 (s, 3H), 1.67 (t, 4H, J=5.6 Hz), 1.43 (s, 9H).
Synthesis of Compound 106
According to the method for preparing compound 43-a, compound 106-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 106 (25 mg, 58%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=574.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ 8.35 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 8.16 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 3.91 (s, 3H), 3.84 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.76 (s, 2H), 3.73 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 2.99 (s, 4H), 2.86 (s, 3H), 2.76 (t, 4H, J=5.6 Hz), 2.60 (s, 3H), 1.66 (t, 4H, J=5.6 Hz).
Synthetic Routes of Compounds 107 and 108
Synthesis of Compound 107
At normal temperature, 1 MHCl solution (4 mL) was added dropwise into a suspension of compound 104 (174 mg, 0.30 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (4 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred at 90° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled, and then the mixed liquid was adjusted with sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution to weak basicity, and extracted with dichloromethane. The organic phases were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1) to obtain compound 107 (59 mg, 37%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=547.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 6.85 (1H, brs), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.85-3.95 (6H, m), 3.77-3.85 (4H, m), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.76-2.92 (4H, m), 2.69 (3H, s), 2.35-2.53 (4H, m).
Synthesis of Compound 108
At normal temperature, sodium borohydride (10 mg, 0.26 mmol) was added into a solution of compound 107 (43 mg, 0.08 mmol) in methanol (3 mL), and stirred for 1 hr. Then to the reaction solution was added 1 MHCl solution (3 mL), and stirred for 10 minutes. The mixed liquid was adjusted with sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution to weak basicity, and extracted with dichloromethane. The organic phases were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1) to obtain compound 108 (40 mg, 93%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=549.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.71 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.51 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.09 (3H, s), 3.95 (2H, s), 3.83-3.90 (4H, m), 3.68-3.83 (5H, m), 3.06 (3H, s), 2.92-3.03 (2H, m), 2.69 (3H, s), 2.45-2.64 (2H, m), 1.92-2.09 (2H, m), 1.58-1.76 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 109
Synthesis of Compound 109
According to the method for preparing compound 80, compound 15-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 109 (27 mg, 33.7%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=616.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.74 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.93-3.89 (m, 4H), 3.85-3.81 (m, 4H), 3.80 (s, 2H), 2.64 (s, 3H), 2.62 (s, 1H), 2.56 (m, 8H), 1.26 (dd, J=4.8, 1.9 Hz, 2H), 1.06 (s, 9H), 1.01 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 0.99 (d, J=1.9 Hz, 1H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 110
Synthesis of Compound 110
A reaction mixture of compound 107 (50 mg, 0.092 mmol), diethylamine (67 mg, 0.92 mmol), dichloroethane (5.0 mL) and acetic acid (0.02 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes, and acetic acid sodium borohydride (97.5 mg, 0.46 mmol) was slowly added, and then stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction mixture was diluted with saturated sodium carbonate solution (25 mL), and the aqueous phase was extracted with dichloromethane (25 mL×2). The organic phases were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 110 (8 mg, 14.5%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=604.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.75 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.56 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.89-3.93 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.86 (m, 4H), 3.75 (s, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.97 (d, J=11.6 Hz, 2H), 2.64 (s, 3H), 2.49-2.60 (m, 5H), 2.06-2.11 (m, 2H), 1.72 (d, J=12.0 Hz, 2H), 1.53-1.60 (m, 2H), 1.04 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 111
Synthesis of Compound 111-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 111-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 111-a (750 mg, 33%).
Synthesis of Compound 111
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 111-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 111 (65 mg, 19%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=591.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.87-3.95 (4H, m), 3.78-3.86 (4H, m), 3.74 (2H, s), 3.66 (3H, s), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.80-2.96 (2H, m), 2.64 (3H, s), 2.21-2.34 (1H, m), 2.04-2.22 (2H, m), 1.80-1.92 (2H, m), 1.61-1.79 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 112
Synthesis of Compound 112
According to the method for preparing compound 110, pyrrolidinyl was used in the preparation to yield compound 112 (25 mg, 36.2%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=602.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.55 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.89-3.93 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.86 (m, 4H), 3.75 (s, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.91 (d, J=12.0 Hz, 2H), 2.54-2.64 (m, 7H), 1.98-2.13 (m, 3H), 1.79-1.86 (m, 6H), 1.52-1.61 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 113
Synthesis of Compound 113-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 113-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 113-a (950 mg, 86%).
Synthesis of Compound 113
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 113-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 113 (23 mg, 21%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=583.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 8.54 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 6.88 (s, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.91 (t, 6H, J=4.4 Hz), 3.84 (t, 4H, J=4.8 Hz), 3.07 (s, 11H), 2.64 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 114
Synthesis of Compound 114
A mixture of compound 96 (45 mg, 0.084 mmol), methyl chloroformate (8 mg, 0.084 mmol), pyridine (0.033 mL, 0.42 mmol) and dichloromethane (3 mL) was stirred to react at room temperature for 4 hrs. The reaction solution was diluted with dichloromethane (20 mL), and the organic phase was washed with water (10 mL×2). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1) to obtain compound 114 (20 mg, 40%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=592.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.68 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.86-3.80 (m, 4H), 3.79-3.73 (m, 4H), 3.69 (s, 2H), 3.61 (s, 3H), 3.38 (s, 4H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.57 (s, 3H), 2.40 (s, 4H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 115
Synthesis of Compound 115-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 115-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 115-a (220 mg, 95%).
Synthesis of Compound 115
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 115-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 115 (22 mg, 20%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=575.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.39 (4H, s), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.86-3.94 (4H, m), 3.77-3.86 (4H, m), 3.69 (2H, s), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.63 (3H, s), 2.27-2.48 (4H, m), 1.75-1.91 (4H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 116
Synthesis of Compound 116-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 116-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 116-a (390 mg, 71%).
Synthesis of Compound 116
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 116-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 116 (11 mg, 48%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=572.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.73 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.54 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.08 (1H, s), 4.10 (3H, s), 4.04 (2H, t, J=5.2 Hz), 3.97 (2H, s), 3.91 (2H, s), 3.85-3.91 (4H, m), 3.75-3.85 (4H, m), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.96 (2H, t, J=5.2 Hz), 2.64 (3H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 117
Synthesis of Compound 117
A solution of compound 111 (27 mg, 0.046 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (1.5 mL) was added dropwise into a mixture of lithium aluminium hydride (18 mg, 0.46 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (2 mL) at −20° C., and then stirred at ice-water bath for 1 hr. The reaction was quenched by adding a little sodium sulfate decahydrate. The reaction solution was sequentially adjusted to acidity by adding HCl/1, 4-dioxane solution, and the reaction solution was adjusted to basicity by adding sodium bicarbonate solid. The mixed liquid was diluted with dichloromethane (20 mL), and the organic phase was washed with water (10 mL×2). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1) to obtain compound 117 (25 mg, 95%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=563.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CD 3 OD): δ8.67 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.51 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.85-3.96 (4H, m), 3.84 (2H, s), 3.70-3.82 (4H, m), 3.32-3.43 (2H, m), 3.06-3.15 (2H, m), 3.04 (3H, s), 2.65 (3H, s), 2.31 (2H, t, J=11.2 Hz), 1.65-1.87 (2H, m), 1.39-1.53 (1H, m), 1.21-1.35 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 118
Synthesis of Compound 118-b
According to the method for preparing compound 27-b, compound 8-f and compound 118-c (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2012/037108 A1) were used in the preparation to yield compound 118-b (244 mg, 75%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=516.9 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 118-a
According to the method for preparing compound 27-a, compound 118-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 118-a (250 mg, 93%), as a yellow oil. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=568 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 118
According to the method for preparing compound 35, compound 118-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 118 (20 mg, 22%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=645.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ9.02 (1H, s), 8.34 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.17 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.40 (2H, s), 4.31 (1H, s), 3.86-3.78 (7H, m), 3.73 (4H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 3.58-3.54 (2H, m), 3.09-3.01 (2H, m), 2.73 (3H, s), 1.87-1.81 (2H, m), 1.50-1.45 (3H, m), 1.03 (6H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 119
Synthesis of Compound 119-a
A mixture of compound 96 (50 mg, 0.094 mmol.), compound methyl α-bromoisobutyrate (25 mg, 0.14 mmol), cesium carbonate (92 mg, 0.282 mmol) and N, N-dimethylformamide (3 mL) was stirred at 70° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel preparation plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=20/1) to obtain compound 119-a (77 mg, 52%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=634.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 119
According to the method for preparing compound 117, compound 119-a was used in the preparation. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to yield compound 119 (12 mg, 18%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=606.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.55 (s, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.91 (d, J=4.7 Hz, 4H), 3.84 (d, J=4.7 Hz, 4H), 3.77 (s, 2H), 3.30 (s, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.64 (s, 3H), 2.56 (s, 8H), 1.01 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 120
Synthesis of Compound 120-b
According to the method for preparing compound 27-b, compound 8-f and compound 120-c (prepared according to the method disclosed in: WO 2010/008847 A2) were used in the preparation to yield compound 120-b (1.36 g, 59%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=468 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 120-a
According to the method for preparing compound 27-a, compound 120-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 120-a (1.03 g, 83%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=519 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 120
According to the method for preparing compound 35, compound 120-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 120 (8 mg, 16%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=595.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.94 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.72 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 3.94-3.89 (m, 4H), 3.86-3.82 (m, 4H), 3.78 (s, 2H), 3.14 (s, 3H), 3.03 (d, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 2.67 (s, 3H), 2.06 (d, J=12.6 Hz, 2H), 1.70 (d, J=12.6 Hz, 2H), 1.40-1.32 (m, 2H), 1.30-1.24 (m, 1H), 1.15 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 121
Synthesis of Compound 121-c
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 121-d was used in the preparation to yield compound 121-c (450 mg, 95%).
Synthesis of Compound 121-b
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 121-c was used in the preparation to yield compound 121-b (208 mg, 91%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=634.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 121-a
According to the method for preparing compound 43-a, compound 121-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 121-a (175 mg, 100%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=534.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 121
According to the method for preparing compound 43, compound 121-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 121 (80 mg, 49%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=548.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.55 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.96-3.91 (m, 4H), 3.84 (dd, J=12.1, 7.0 Hz, 6H), 3.55 (s, 2H), 3.13 (s, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.89-2.83 (m, 1H), 2.65 (s, 3H), 2.09 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 122
Synthesis of Compound 122-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 122-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 122-a (402 mg, 85%).
Synthesis of Compound 122
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 122-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 122 (21 mg, 21%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=576.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.54 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.87-3.97 (4H, m), 3.76-3.86 (6H, m), 3.53 (2H, t, J=6.4 Hz), 3137-3.29 (1H, m), 3.11 (2H, t, J=6.8 Hz), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.63 (3H, s), 2.46 (4H, q, J=7.2 Hz), 0.96 (6H, t, J=7.2 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 123
Synthesis of Compound 123-c
A reaction mixture of purchased compound 123-d (370 mg, 1.57 mmol), pyrrolidine (240 mg, 3.14 mmol), 1, 2-dichloroethane (20 mL) and acetic acid (0.05 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes, and acetic acid sodium borohydride (1.6 g, 7.85 mmol) was slowly added, and then stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction mixture was diluted with water (10 mL), and extracted with dichloromethane (30 mL×3). The organic phases were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (elution system: with petroleum ether/ethyl acetate=1:1) to yield compound 123-c (350 mg, 76.7%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=291.3 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 123-b
A reaction mixture of compound 123-c (350 mg, 1.2 mmol), dichloromethane (10 mL), and trifluoroacetic acid (10 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 2 hrs, and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned into saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (30 mL) and ethyl acetate (50 mL). The organic phase was separated out, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure to yield compound 123-b (88 mg, 35.9%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=191.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 123-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, compound 123-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 123-a (110 mg, 88.4%).
Synthesis of Compound 123
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 123-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 123 (10 mg, 10.9%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=638.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.75 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.56 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.93-3.90 (4H, m), 3.85-3.82 (6H, m), 3.75-3.70 (1H, m), 3.08 (3H, s), 2.65 (3H, s), 1.77-1.60 (6H, m), 1.38-1.29 (8H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 124
Synthesis of Compound 124
According to the method for preparing compound 110, purchased 124-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 124 (30 mg, 55%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=670.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.54 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.01 (3H, s), 3.86-3.97 (4H, m), 3.78-3.86 (4H, m), 3.74 (2H, s), 3.23-3.43 (1H, m), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.89-3.03 (3H, m), 2.66-2.74 (1H, m), 2.63 (3H, s), 2.51-2.62 (1H, m), 2.00-2.19 (2H, m), 1.89-1.99 (1H, m), 1.69-1.89 (4H, m), 1.47-1.69 (3H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 125
Synthesis of Compound 125
According to the method for preparing compound 110, purchased 125-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 125 (19 mg, 49%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=616.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.73 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.54 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.09 (3H, s), 3.86-3.96 (4H, m), 3.78-3.86 (4H, m), 3.75 (2H, s), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.90-3.00 (2H, m), 2.76-2.90 (2H, m), 2.64 (3H, s), 2.41-2.58 (2H, m), 2.00-2.18 (2H, m), 1.80-1.93 (1H, m), 1.57-1.80 (5H, m), 1.45-1.57 (1H, m), 1.32-1.45 (1H, m), 1.02 (3H, d, J=6.0 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 126
Synthesis of Compound 126
According to the method for preparing compound 110, purchased 126-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 126 (22 mg, 42.3%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=632.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.11 (3H, s), 3.92 (4H, t, J=4.0 Hz), 3.84 (4H, t, J=4.0 Hz), 3.74 (2H, s), 3.58-3.55 (1H, m), 3.42-3.40 (1H, m), 3.08 (5H, s), 2.98 (2H, t, J=8.4 Hz), 2.64 (5H, s), 2.15-2.06 (2H, m), 1.86-1.69 (6H, m), 1.66-1.57 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 127
Synthesis of Compound 127
According to the method for preparing compound 110, purchased 127-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 127 (20 mg, 42.6%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=616.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.55 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.89-3.93 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.86 (m, 4H), 3.76 (s, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.98-3.00 (m, 4H), 2.60-2.69 (m, 5H), 2.07-2.17 (m, 2H), 1.84-1.98 (m, 3H), 1.51-1.76 (m, 5H), 1.14 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 128
Synthesis of Compound 128-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 128-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 128-a (340 mg, 82%).
Synthesis of Compound 128
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 128-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 128 (34 mg, 26.6%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=633.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.68 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.49 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.52-4.65 (m, 1H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.83-3.86 (m, 4H), 3.75-3.78 (m, 4H), 3.67 (s, 2H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.91 (d, J=11.6 Hz, 2H), 2.57-2.63 (m, 5H), 2.39-2.41 (m, 2H), 2.18-2.37 (m, 1H), 2.02 (t, J=11.2 Hz, 2H), 1.77-1.86 (m, 4H), 1.68 (d, J=11.6 Hz, 2H), 1.44-1.53 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 129
Synthesis of Compound 129-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 129-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 129-a (1.5 g, 95%).
Synthesis of Compound 129
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 129-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 129 (41 mg, 39%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=588.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 4.10 (s, 3H), 3.92 (t, 4H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.86 (s, 2H), 3.83 (t, 4H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.07 (s, 3H), 2.97 (dd, 1H, J=8.8, 7.2 Hz), 2.80-2.74 (m, 2H), 2.63 (s, 3H), 2.62 (t, 1H, J=8.0 Hz), 2.50-2.41 (m, 5H), 2.04-1.97 (m, 1H), 1.75-1.71 (m, 5H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 130
Synthesis of Compound 130-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 130-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 130-a (1.63 g, 93%).
Synthesis of Compound 130
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 130-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 130 (27 mg, 26%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=588.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 4.10 (s, 3H), 3.92 (t, 4H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.86 (s, 2H), 3.83 (t, 4H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.07 (s, 3H), 2.97 (dd, 1H, J=8.8, 7.2 Hz), 2.80-2.77 (m, 2H), 2.63 (s, 3H), 2.60 (t, 1H, J=9.2 Hz), 2.50-2.42 (m, 5H), 2.02-1.97 (m, 1H), 1.76-1.70 (m, 5H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 131
Synthesis of Compound 131-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 131-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 131-a (300 mg, 92%).
Synthesis of Compound 131
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 131-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 131 (10 mg, 18%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=573.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.75 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.87-3.97 (4H, m), 3.77-3.86 (4H, m), 3.74 (2H, s), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.83-2.98 (2H, m), 2.65 (3H, s), 1.94-2.08 (2H, m), 1.60-1.75 (2H, m), 1.30-1.45 (2H, m), 0.39-0.56 (2H, m), 0.30-0.39 (2H, m), 0.03-0.05 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 132
Synthesis of Compound 132
According to the method for preparing compound 110, purchased compound 132-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 132 (22 mg, 16%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=634.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.68 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 5.73 (s, 2H), 4.04 (s, 3H), 3.83-3.86 (m, 4H), 3.75-3.77 (m, 4H), 3.72 (s, 2H), 3.43 (s, 4H), 3.01 (s, 3H), 2.84-2.87 (m, 2H), 2.58 (s, 3H), 2.05-2.30 (m, 3H), 1.75-1.77 (m, 2H), 1.49-1.52 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 133
Synthesis of Compound 133-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 133-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 133-a (732 mg, 95%).
Synthesis of Compound 133
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 133-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 133 (15 mg, 14%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=602.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.92-3.85 (m, 6H), 3.83 (t, 4H, J=4.8 Hz), 3.44-3.43 (m, 1H), 3.08 (s, 4H), 2.97 (dd, 1H, J=9.2, 7.2 Hz), 2.83-2.82 (m, 1H), 2.70-2.65 (m, 4H), 2.63 (s, 3H), 1.97-1.92 (m, 2H), 1.84-1.79 (m, 2H), 1.74-1.72 (m, 1H), 1.56-1.50 (m, 1H), 1.14 (d, 3H, J=6.0 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 134
Synthesis of Compound 134-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 134-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 134-a (830 mg, 93%).
Synthesis of Compound 134
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 134-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 134 (19 mg, 20%), as a yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=602.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 4.10 (s, 3H), 3.92 (t, 4H, J=4.4 Hz), 3.85-3.80 (m, 6H), 3.27-3.23 (m, 1H), 3.07 (s, 3H), 2.89-2.88 (m, 1H), 2.77-2.73 (m, 1H), 2.69-2.59 (m, 6H), 2.57-2.53 (m, 1H), 2.52-2.46 (m, 1H), 2.04-2.00 (m, 1H), 1.79-1.66 (m, 4H), 1.43-1.38 (m, 1H), 1.07 (d, 3H, J=6.0 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 135
Synthesis of Compound 135-c
Compound 71-c (452 mg, 0.88 mmol), vinyl boronic acid pinacol ester (0.186 mL, 1.06 mmol), PdCl 2 (dppf) CH 2 Cl 2 (36 mg, 0.44 mmol), potassium carbonate (365 mg, 2.64 mmol), 1,4-dioxane (4.0 mL) and water (1.0 mL) were added to a microwave tube, and under nitrogen atmosphere heated with microwave (110° C.) to react for half an hour. The reaction solution was cooled, filtered, and washed with dichloromethane. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was partitioned into dichloromethane (50 mL) and saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (50 mL), and the organic phase was separated. The organic phase was washed with saturated brine (50 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by Prep-thin layer plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=50/1) to obtain compound 135-c (323 mg, 80%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 462.1 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 135-b
In an ice bath and under nitrogen atmosphere, a solution of compound 135-c (223 mg, 0.48 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (10 mL) was added into 1 M BH 3 /THF (1.45 mL, 1.45 mmol). The reaction solution was slowly warmed up to room temperature and stirred for 3 hrs, and then hydrogen peroxide (3 mL) and 20% sodium hydroxide solution (3 mL) were added, and stirred overnight. The reaction solution was neutralized with 1N HCl, and then the reaction solution was adjusted with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution to weak basicity, and extracted with dichloromethane (3×20 mL). The organic layers were combined, washed with saturated brine (50 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by Prep-thin layer plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1) to obtain compound 135-b (72 mg, 31%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 480.1 (M+H) + ; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 6.88 (s, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.90-3.83 (m, 10H), 3.08-3.05 (m, 5H), 2.55 (s, 3H).
Synthesis of Compound 135-a
In an ice bath, pyridine (1 mL) was added to a solution of compound 135-b (32 mg, 0.067 mmol) in dichloromethane (5 mL), and then to the reaction liquid was slowly added methylsulfonyl chloride (16 μL, 0.201 mmol). The reaction solution was slowly warmed to room temperature and stirred for 1 hr. The reaction solution was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was partitioned into dichloromethane (20 mL) and saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (10 mL), and the organic phase was separated. The organic phase was washed with saturated brine (10 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain crude compound 135-a (40 mg, >100%), as a yellow oil, used directly in the next reaction. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 558.1 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 135
Compound 135-a (40 mg, 0.072 mmol) and piperidine (1.5 mL) were placed into a microwave tube, and heated with microwave (90° C.) and reacted for 15 minutes. The reaction solution was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was partitioned into dichloromethane (20 mL) and saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (10 mL), and the organic phase was separated. The organic phase was washed with saturated brine (10 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was separated and purified by Prep-thin layer plate chromatography (developing system: dichloromethane/methanol=10/1) to obtain compound 135 (27 mg, two-step 75%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z 547.2 (M+H) + ; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 8.56 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 4.10 (s, 3H), 3.93 (t, 4H, J=4.4 Hz), 3.84 (t, 4H, J=4.4 Hz), 3.07 (s, 3H), 3.04-2.99 (m, 2H), 2.59-2.56 (m, 9H), 1.68-1.63 (m, 4H), 1.49-1.48 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 136
Synthesis of Compound 136-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 136-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 115-a (450 mg, 98%).
Synthesis of Compound 136
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 136-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 136 (40 mg, 59%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=545.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.75 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.63 (2H, s), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.91 (4H, t, J=4.0 Hz), 3.82 (4H, t, J=4.8 Hz), 3.78 (2H, s), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.66 (3H, s), 2.53 (4H, t, J=5.6 Hz), 2.22 (4H, t, J=5.6 Hz).
Synthetic Route of Compound 137
Synthesis of Compound 137-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 137-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 137-a (620 mg, 92%).
Synthesis of Compound 137
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 137-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 137 (25 mg, 23%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=559.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 8.56 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.11 (3H, s), 2.87-2.97 (4H, m), 3.81-3.87 (4H, m), 3.79 (2H, s), 3.08 (3H, s), 2.66 (3H, s), 2.44-2.59 (4H, m), 1.21-1.55 (4H, m), 0.24 (4H, s).
Synthetic Route of Compound 138
Synthesis of Compound 138-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 138-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 138-a (600 mg, 45.1%).
Synthesis of Compound 138
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 138-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 138 (38 mg, 33.6%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=581.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.76 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.10-7.12 (m, 3H), 6.97-7.00 (m, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.90-3.98 (m, 6H), 3.76-3.84 (m, 6H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.91 (brs, 4H), 2.71 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 139
Synthesis of Compound 139-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 139-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 139-a (126 mg, 32%).
Synthesis of Compound 139
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 139-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 139 (20 mg, 28%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=611.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 6.86 (s, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.92 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.84 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.78 (s, 2H), 3.08 (s, 5H), 2.81 (s, 4H), 2.65 (s, 3H), 2.16-2.09 (m, 4H), 1.86-1.84 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 140
Synthesis of Compound 140-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 140-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 140-a (516 mg, 95%).
Synthesis of Compound 140
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 140-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 140 (23 mg, 21%), as a pale yellow solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=562.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.74 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 6.88 (s, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.92 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.84 (t, 4H, J=4.4 Hz), 3.79 (s, 2H), 3.30 (t, 2H, J=5.2 Hz), 3.21 (s, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.93 (s, 3H), 2.78 (t, 2H, J=5.2 Hz), 2.64 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 141
Synthesis of Compound 141-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 141-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 141-a (1.0 g, 96%).
Synthesis of Compound 141
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 141-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 141 (40 mg, 25.8%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=531.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.67 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.48 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.02 (s, 3H), 3.74-3.85 (m, 10H), 3.00 (s, 3H), 2.82 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 2.52 (s, 3H), 2.43 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 1.18-1.22 (m, 2H), 0.61-0.64 (m, 1H), 0.21-0.25 (m, 1H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 142
Synthesis of Compound 142
According to the method for preparing compound 13, compound 96 was used in the preparation to yield compound 142 (28 mg, 25%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=606.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.75 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 8.55 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 4.10 (s, 3H), 3.94-3.90 (m, 4H), 3.86-3.82 (m, 4H), 3.76 (s, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.64 (s, 7H), 2.55 (s, 4H), 2.30 (s, 2H), 1.14 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 143
Synthesis of Compound 143-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 143-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 143-a (700 mg, 90%).
Synthesis of Compound 143
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 143-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 143 (70 mg, 74.7%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=587.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.76 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 8.57 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 7.07 (d, J=4.8 Hz, 1H), 6.82 (brs, 1H), 6.70 (d, J=5.2 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.98 (brs, 2H), 3.90-3.94 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.84 (m, 4H), 3.68 (brs, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.93 (brs, 4H), 2.70 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 144
Synthesis of Compound 144-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased Compound 144-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 144-a (260 mg, 93%).
Synthesis of Compound 144
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 144-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 144 (50 mg, 45%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=571 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.75 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 8.56 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 6.90 (brs, 2H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.83-3.95 (m, 14H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.95 (s, 2H), 2.66 (s, 3H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 145
Synthesis of Compound 145-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 145-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 145-a (800 mg, 94%).
Synthesis of Compound 145
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 145-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 145 (15 mg, 15%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=591.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ 8.72 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 8.53 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 4.83 (s, 1H), 4.41 (s, 2H), 4.12 (s, 3H), 3.93-3.89 (m, 4H), 3.85-3.82 (m, 4H), 3.65-3.58 (m, 1H), 3.39 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 2H), 3.25 (t, J=11.4 Hz, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.73 (s, 3H), 2.07 (d, J=12.6 Hz, 2H), 1.88 (d, J=15.0 Hz, 2H), 1.14-1.11 (m, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 146
Synthesis of Compound 146
According to the method for preparing compound 110, purchased compound 146-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 146 (40 mg, 43.7%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=624.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.74 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.10 (3H, s), 3.86-3.96 (4H, m), 3.78-3.86 (4H, m), 3.75 (2H, s), 3.52 (4H, t, J=12.0 Hz), 3.07 (3H, s), 2.76-2.89 (2H, m), 2.63 (3H, s), 2.02-2.21 (3H, m), 1.54-1.70 (2H, m), 1.28-1.45 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 147
Synthesis of Compound 147
According to the method for preparing compound 110, piperidine was used in the preparation to yield compound 147 (44 mg, 48.6%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=616.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.72 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.53 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 4.09 (3H, s), 3.85-3.97 (4H, m), 3.70-3.85 (4H, m), 3.72 (2H, s), 3.06 (3H, s), 2.97 (2H, d, J=11.6 Hz), 2.62 (3H, s), 2.42-2.55 (4H, m), 2.19-2.32 (1H, m), 2.01-2.15 (2H, m), 1.71-1.83 (2H, m), 1.48-1.64 (6H, m), 1.35-1.47 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 148
Synthesis of Compound 148
According to the method for preparing compound 110, azetidine was used in the preparation to yield compound 148 (30 mg, 57%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=588.3 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ8.73 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 8.53 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 4.08 (s, 3H), 3.90 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.83 (t, 4H, J=4.0 Hz), 3.73 (s, 2H), 3.17 (t, 4H, J=6.8 Hz), 3.06 (s, 3H), 2.85 (d, 2H, J=12.0 Hz), 2.61 (s, 3H), 2.09-2.00 (m, 5H), 1.64 (d, 2H, J=11.2 Hz), 1.28-1.26 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 149
Synthesis of Compound 149-h
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 149-i was used in the preparation to yield compound 149-h (700 mg, 89%).
Synthesis of Compound 149-e
At normal temperature, N-methyl morpholine (4.55 mL, 41.34 mmol) and isopropyl chloroformate (3.3 mL, 23.77 mmol) were added to a solution of purchased compound 149-f (2.69 g, 20.67 mmol) in acetonitrile (70 mL). The mixture was cooled with an ice-water bath, and a solution of purchased compound 149-g (4.88 g, 20.67 mmol) in acetonitrile (20 mL) was slowly added. The reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight, and then the reaction was quenched by adding water, and the reaction solution was extracted with dichloromethane. The organic phases were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to obtain compound 149-e (1.1 g, 16%).
Synthesis of Compound 149-d
Compound 149-e (1.1 g, 3.16 mmol) and 7 M ammonia-methanol solution (5 mL) were mixed in a microwave tube, and stirred at 100° C. for 3 days. The reaction solution was concentrated, and to the residue was added ethyl acetate, and heated to reflux, and filtered to obtain compound 149-d (0.92 g, 92%), as a white solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=315.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 149-c
A mixture of compound 149-d (0.92 g, 2.92 mmol) and phosphoric trichloride (10 mL) was stirred at 110° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to obtain compound 149-c (0.7 g, 72%), as a white solid. LC-MS (ESI): m/z=333.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 149-b
Compound 149-c (100 mg, 0.3 mmol), compound 70-d (83 mg, 0.33 mmol), potassium phosphate (95 mg, 0.45 mmol), bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium dichloride (10 mg), DMF (1.1 mL) and water (0.05 mL) were added into a 5 mL microwave tube. The mixture was heated under nitrogen atmosphere, microwave (150 W, 100° C.) and reacted for 1 hr. The reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was dissolved in dichloromethane, and filtered through celite. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was purified by Prep-TLC to obtain compound 149-b (12 mg, 9.5%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=421.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 149-a
At normal temperature, to a solution of compound 149-b (10 mg, 0.02 mmol) in pyridine (2 mL) was added methylsulfonyl chloride (50 μL, 0.65 mmol), and then stirred at room temperature overnight. The reaction solution was concentrated under reduced pressure, and the residue was dissolved in dichloromethane. The dichloromethane solution was washed with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 149-a (10 mg, 84%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=499.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 149
Compound 149-a (10 mg, 0.02 mmol), compound 149-h (30 mg, 0.12 mmol), cesium carbonate (25 mg, 0.08 mmol), X-Phos (10 mg, 0.02 mmol), Pd (OAc) 2 (5 mg, 0.02 mmol), THF (1.0 mL) and water (0.1 mL) were added to a 5 mL microwave tube. The mixture was heated under nitrogen atmosphere, microwave (150 W, 90° C.) and reacted for 1 hr. The reaction mixture was filtered through celite, and washed with THF. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 149 (3 mg, 25%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=601.3 (M+H) + ; 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.83 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.62 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 7.92 (1H, s), 4.06-4.20 (5H, m), 3.97 (2H, s), 3.55-3.69 (2H, m), 3.23-3.38 (1H, m), 3.11-3.19 (2H, m), 3.11 (3H, s), 2.58-3.03 (4H, m), 2.19-2.25 (1H, m), 2.14-2.19 (2H, m), 2.11-2.14 (1H, m), 1.99-2.11 (5H, m), 1.76-1.98 (8H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 150
Synthesis of Compound 150-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 150-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 150-a (420 mg, 76%), as a white solid.
Synthesis of Compound 150
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 150-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 150 (30 mg, 40.8%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=630.1 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.75 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 8.56 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.48-4.51 (m, 1H), 4.11 (s, 3H), 3.90-3.92 (m, 4H), 3.82-3.84 (m, 4H), 3.75 (s, 2H), 3.16-3.17 (m, 2H), 3.08 (s, 3H), 2.97 (d, J=10.4 Hz, 2H), 2.64 (s, 3H), 2.37-2.40 (m, 2H), 2.27 (d, J=10.8 Hz, 2H), 1.74-1.75 (m, 6H)), 1.54-1.57 (m, 2H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 151
Synthesis of Compound 151-a
According to the method for preparing compound 1-a, purchased compound 151-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 150-a (176 mg, 75%), as a white solid.
Synthesis of Compound 151
According to the method for preparing compound 83, compound 151-a was used in the preparation to yield compound 151 (69 mg, 57%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=563.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.74 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 8.55 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 4.09 (s, 3H), 3.95 (t, 4H, J=4.8 Hz), 3.85 (t, 4H, J=4.8 Hz), 3.78 (s, 2H), 3.35 (t, 2H, J=7.6 Hz), 3.28 (t, 2H, J=7.6 Hz), 3.07 (s, 3H), 2.61 (s, 3H), 2.32-2.29 (m, 1H), 1.13 (s, 6H).
Synthetic Route of Compound 152
Synthesis of Compound 152-a
Compound 71-c (1 g, 1.94 mmol), Pd 2 (dba) 3 (175 mg, 0.19 mmol), Me 4 -tBuXPhos (100 mg, 0.21 mmol), potassium hydroxide (1.09 g, 19.43 mmol), 1, 4-dioxane (25 mL) and water (15 mL) were added to a microwave tube, and stirred under nitrogen atmosphere 95° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, and acidified with 1 N HCl solution, and then neutralized to PH>7 by adding saturated sodium bicarbonate solution. The mixed liquid was extracted with dichloromethane (50*3 mL). The organic phases were combined, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated. The crude was separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography (DCM/MeOH=10/1) to obtain compound 152-a (333 mg, 38%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=452.0 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 152
A solution of compound 152-a (50 mg, 0.11 mmol) and cesium carbonate (30 mg, 0.22 mmol) in DMF (4 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 10 minutes, and thereafter compound 152-b (35 mg, 0.17 mmol) was added. The reaction solution was stirred at 70° C. overnight. The reaction solution was quenched with water (20 mL), extracted with ethyl acetate (20 mL), and washed with saturated brine (3*20 mL). The organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated. The crude was separated and purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 152 (7 mg, 12%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=536.2 (M+H) + . 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ8.73 (1H, d, J=2.0 Hz), 8.39 (1H, d, J=2.4 Hz), 6.83 (1H, s), 4.87-4.97 (1H, m), 4.11 (3H, s), 4.01-4.09 (2H, m), 3.86-3.94 (4H, m), 3.79-3.86 (4H, m), 3.53 (1H, dd, J=2.8, 8.8 Hz), 3.51 (1H, dd, J=2.8, 8.8 Hz), 3.08 (3H, s), 2.49 (3H, s), 1.97-2.09 (2H, m), 1.79-1.92 (2H, m).
Synthetic Route of Compound 153
Synthesis of Compound 153-a
According to the method for preparing compound 152, purchased compound 153-b was used in the preparation to yield compound 153-a (30 mg, 6.7%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=548.2 (M+H) + .
Synthesis of Compound 153
To a reaction flask were added compound 153-a (30 mg, 0.055 mmol), piperidine (0.15 mL, 1.52 mmol), NaBH(OAc) 3 (400 mg, 1.89 mmol), glacial acetic acid (2 drops) and 1,2-dichloroethane (5 mL). The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, and water (5 mL) was added, and then extracted with dichloromethane (10 mL) 3 times. The organic phases were combined, dried, and concentrated. The residue was separated and purified by Prep-HPLC to obtain compound 153 (5 mg, 15%). LC-MS (ESI): m/z=617.3 (M+H) + .
Effect Example 1
PI3Kα, PI3Kδ, PI3Kβ and PI3Kγ Enzyme Activity Inhibition IC50 Evaluation Assay
1. Buffer preparation: 50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 1 mM EGTA, 100 mM NaCl, 0.03% CHAPS.
2. Compound was formulated in 100% DMSO in a concentration gradient, and added to a 384-well plate to a final DMSO concentration of 1%.
3. PI3Kα, PI3Kδ, PI3Kβ and PI3Kγ enzymes were diluted to an optimum concentration with the following buffer: 50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 1 mM EGTA, 100 mM NaCl, 0.03% CHAPS, 2 mM DTT, and transferred to a 384-well plate and incubated with the compound for a certain time.
4. Substrate was diluted to an optimum concentration with the following buffer: 50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 1 mM EGTA, 100 mM NaCl, 0.03% CHAPS, 2 mM DTT, 50 μM PIP2, 25 μM ATP; then added to a 384-well plate to initiate the reaction, and for PI3Kα, PI3Kβ and PI3Kγ at room temperature reacted for 1 hr, for PI3Kδ at room temperature reacted for 2 hrs. For PI3Kβ and PI3Kγ, it was still necessary to further add 10 μL ADP-Glo Detection Reagent, and then equilibrated at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Read Luminescense with FlexStation, and calculate the inhibition rate as the average of two tests.
Table 1 shows the IC 50 values for PI3Kδ activities and α/δ seletivities for selected compounds. Table 2 shows β/δ and/or γ/δ selectivity values for part of the compounds.
TABLE 1
IC 50 Values for PI3Kδ Activities and δ/α Seletivities For Part of The
Compounds
Compound
PI3Kδ IC50
Compound
PI3Kδ IC50
No.
(nM)
α/δ
No.
(nM)
α/δ
1
105
12
4
35.4
>282
6
145
>69
8
72
90
9
50
>200
10
25
>400
11
17
>588
12
17
133
13
52
>192
14
3.8
700
15
34
>294
16
567
18
17
53
74
18
86
58
19
87
49
20
66
54
21
150.4
19
23
27
40
27
99
10
28
35
56
29
6.9
34
30
71
36
31
4.9
10
32
4.3
15
33
4.2
51
34
3.4
44
35
4.7
95
36
13
23
37
28.9
38
38
108
3
39
9.2
159
40
17
41
41
11.4
323
42
13
152
43
4
105
46
6.1
23
47
3.5
9
48
6.9
52
49
5.7
15
50
13
359
51
11
103
52
36
252
53
19
110
54
2.7
108
55
5.6
224
56
7.6
293
57
2.8
103
58
5.4
150
60
7.1
147
61
4.7
12
62
5.6
104
63
12
27
64
9.1
110
65
17.5
174
67
3.6
195
68
71
19
69
31
79
70
23
87
71
6.8
13
72
60
29
73
4.4
18
74
4.4
13
75
31
19
76
7.3
60
77
7.1
52
78
7.7
302
79
9.4
582
80
39
>256
81
24
374
82
15
143
83
11.9
257
84
47
>213
85
8.6
401
86
12
136
87
12.5
204
88
5.8
548
89
2.6
48
90
4.9
69
91
3.2
60
92
71
42
93
10
82
94
32
31
95
6.5
157
96
31
64
97
190
10
98
12
30
99
34
152
100
17
17
101
12
390
102
9.3
146
103
8.4
176
104
4.3
159
105
31
77
106
25.5
129
107
11
45
108
13
78
109
3.9
251
110
4.1
203
111
6.5
301
112
7.6
108
113
6.6
27
114
5
44
115
13
67
116
4.3
57
117
7.2
213
118
2.6
92
119
5.0
84
120
5.0
24
121
16
192
122
9.0
172
123
6.8
175
124
3.1
430
125
2.6
239
126
4.7
170
127
5.8
38
128
6.0
223
129
19
100
130
6.7
273
131
6.2
627
132
10
35
133
7.7
185
134
4.0
188
135
6.3
226
136
7.8
268
137
11
309
138
34
67
139
3.2
69
140
3.2
55
141
9.0
120
142
3.7
60
143
32
107
144
3.4
56
145
3.8
287
146
2.9
120
147
4.6
225
148
4.7
280
149
134
35
150
9.3
39
151
15
41
152
15.6
12
153
11
42
CAL-101
4.9
153
TABLE 2
β/δ and γ/δ Selectivity Values For Part of The Compounds
Compound
Compound
No.
β/δ
γ/δ
No.
β/δ
γ/δ
4
>282
>282
8
27
57
65
94
>571
78
18
>1298
83
24
>840
85
69
>1162
86
25
402
87
45
498
88
73
1202
95
167
532
99
24
244
101
29
482
102
16
200
104
19
377
106
72
>392
108
6
262
109
723
1296
110
275
1112
112
126
611
147
140
567
148
110
587
150
15
221
153
418
>909
CAL-101
66
13
Effect Example 2
Screening Test for a Drug on Inhibiting TNF-α Generation of Human Raji Cell Induced by Human IgM
1. Raji cell lines (source of human Burkitt's lymphoma) were employed.
2. 1×10 5 /well Raji cells were plated onto a 96-well cell culture plate.
3. Compounds to be screened were diluted to the corresponding test concentrations and added into the cell culture system 30 minutes before IgM stimulation.
4. 10 μg/ml IgM monoclonal antibody was added into the cell culture system to stimulate the cells generating TNF-α.
5. 24 hrs later, the amount of TNF-α generated by the cell system was measured by ELISA method.
6. The inhibition rate at each compound concentration was calculated and plotted to calculate 50% inhibition rate (IC50), and the specific results were shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3
TNF-α IC50 Values of Part of the Compounds
Compound No.
TNF-α IC50 (nM)
Compound No.
TNF-α IC50 (nM)
10
28.0
11
41.1
14
25.6
60
2.0
65
15.4
71
8.6
78
10.6
79
14.5
81
43
82
76.8
83
6.7
84
30.4
85
39.1
87
41.6
88
6.1
89
1.3
90
31.2
91
3.4
95
1.1
100
5.7
101
32.6
103
9.3
110
3.3
112
1.1
121
33.7
126
3.9
127
1.5
147
3.3
148
7.0
150
8.6
153
0.6
CAL-101
29.8
Based on the above test results, it can be confirmed that the compounds of the present invention possess excellent selective inhibitions against PI3Kδ, and the effects of part of the compound are superior to the positive control compound CAL-101 (idelalisib), which is a kind of selective inhibitor with PI3Kδ inhibitory activity much more than PI3Kα inhibitory activity, and may be an excellent immunosuppressive agent without inducing insulin resistance caused by PI3Kα inhibition, and may be used as prophylactic or therapeutic agents for rejections in various organ transplants, allergic diseases (asthma, atopic dermatitis, etc.), autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.) and blood tumor, etc.
Although the foregoing has described the specific embodiments of invention, a person skilled in the art should understand that these are only illustrative examples, and various changes and modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principle and substance of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be limited by the attached claims.
|
Disclosed are a fused pyrimidine compound, an intermediate, a preparation method therefor, and a composition and an application thereof. The present invention provides a fused pyrimidine compound shown in formula I, pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, solvate, and an optical isomer or prodrug of the compound. The present invention further provides applications of the fused pyrimidine compound shown in formula I, the pharmaceutically acceptable salt, the hydrate, solvate, and the optical isomer or the prodrug of the compound in the preparing drugs for curing and/or preventing a kinase-related disease. The fused pyrimidine compound I of the present invention is an efficient PI3 kinase depressor, and can be used to prepare drugs for preventing and/or curing cell-proliferation diseases such as cancer, infection, inflammation, and an autoimmune disease.
| 2
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[0001] The present invention relates to a mechanical bathtub lift seat apparatus for assisting persons of limited mobility, such as the elderly or disabled, transfer into or out of a typical bathtub.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Persons having permanently limited mobility or strength to due to age or disability may have difficulty performing certain typical daily tasks. Entry to or exit from a bathtub is an example of such a task, as it requires transition between a standing position outside the tub and a seated position upon a very low surface within the tub, including climbing over the side wall.
[0003] As a result, there are a number of existing products aimed at assisting a user enter and exit the tub by easing the aforementioned transition. These products include inflatable chairs positioned within a bathtub for lowering and raising the user to and from the bottom of the tub in a constantly seated position. Other seat assemblies can be positioned within a tub for the same purpose, but are driven by water actuated cylinders or electric motors. Some of these assemblies feature rotating seats so that the user can initially sit with his/her legs outside the tub and then rotate their legs over the tub wall before being lowered, eliminating the step of unassisted entry to the tub altogether. Other devices, typically driven by electric motors, are capable of actually transferring the user from a seated position entirely outside the walls of the tub to a seated position within. One lowering system involves a band spanning from a wall-mounted dispenser on one side of a tub to the wall of the tub opposite the dispenser. An electric motor within the dispenser slowly dispenses more length of the band in order to lower a user seated on the band into the tub. Once bathing is completed, the motor is run in an opposite direction to retract the band into the dispenser, thereby lifting the user back up to the top of the tub.
[0004] The primary problem associated with the existing bathtub lift devices is the high cost involved. The need for components such as air compressors, seals and adaptors for water driven devices, electric motors and control systems, coupled with possible installation costs, keeps many of these products financially out of reach for many of those in need of the assistance that would be provided. Many elderly or disabled persons live on limited income and cannot justify the high cost of the existing bathtub lift systems despite the comfort and safety levels they offer. As a result, there is a need for a bathtub lift apparatus that can be produced and sold at a reasonable cost.
SUMMARY
[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a bathtub lift apparatus for assisting a person into and out of a bathtub comprising:
[0006] a base frame for being received in the tub, the base frame including a track supported on the frame having a lower end and an upper end;
[0007] a trolley supported for movement along the track;
[0008] a seat for supporting the person thereon, the seat being supported on the trolley device for movement with the trolley between a lower position at the lower end of the track and an upper position at the upper end of the track;
[0009] a rotatable drive member supported for rotation on the frame;
[0010] an elongate driven member engaged about the drive member and connected to the trolley for displacement of said trolley as the drive member is rotated; and
[0011] a driver device for rotating the drive member.
[0012] Preferably the base frame comprises two laterally spaced parallel walls, wherein the drive member and elongate driven member are located between said walls.
[0013] Preferably the track comprises two laterally spaced track members, each having an upper and lower surface defining an elongate channel therebetween for receiving the trolley.
[0014] Each of the upper and lower surfaces of the track members may comprise a rail.
[0015] Alternatively, the upper surface of each track member may comprise a rail while the lower surface of each track member comprises the base frame.
[0016] Preferably there is provided roller members supported on each side of the trolley supported for movement along the track.
[0017] Preferably the roller members are supported in pairs on axles mounted to the trolley.
[0018] Preferably the track is non-linear between the upper and lower ends thereof.
[0019] The seat may be pivotally supported on the trolley for pivotal motion relative thereto.
[0020] In this arrangement, preferably there is provided:
[0021] a pivotal mounting mechanism for pivotally supporting the seat on the trolley for pivotal motion between the lower position where the seat is generally horizontal and the trolley is inclined along the track and a lifting position where the seat and trolley are both inclined along the track and generally parallel to each other; and
[0022] an abutment member mounted on the seat that abuts with the trolley to prevent the seat from pivoting passed the lifting position where the seat and trolley are generally parallel.
[0023] Preferably the elongate driven member is flexible.
[0024] The elongate driven member may be endless.
[0025] Preferably the elongate driven member is guided by idler members supported on the base frame.
[0026] Preferably one of the idler members is floatingly supported on the base frame and biased in order to maintain tension in the elongate driven member.
[0027] Preferably the idler members comprise pulleys.
[0028] Preferably the elongate driven member comprises a chain and the driver member comprises a sprocket for engaging the chain.
[0029] Preferably the driver device comprises a rotational member having a series of handles circumferentially spaced therearound.
[0030] In this arrangement, preferably the handles comprise openings in the rotational member.
[0031] Alternatively, the driver device may comprise a hand crank mechanism for rotating the drive member.
[0032] Preferably the driver device is accessible by the person supported in the seat.
[0033] Preferably there is provided a locking mechanism for selectively preventing motion of the seat relative to the base frame.
[0034] Preferably the locking mechanism is coupled between the driver device and the base frame.
[0035] Preferably the locking mechanism comprises:
[0036] an opening in the driver device;
[0037] a corresponding opening in the base frame;
[0038] a pin for passing through the opening in the driver device into the opening in the frame, thereby blocking motion of said driver device, and hence the driver member, elongate driven member, trolley and seat, relative to said frame.
[0039] Preferably the base frame and the driver device comprise aluminum.
[0040] The present invention can be made and sold at substantially lower costs than existing bathtub lifts as a result of its simple mechanical structure. Assembly is simple and affordable, as the drive system not require any complex, costly or custom components and the base frame is easy to fabricate. The apparatus is hand driven and therefore does not require the use of an external power source, such as an electric motor or air compressor and corresponding control mechanism. Furthermore, the simplicity of the apparatus ensures that any maintenance will be minimal and affordable.
[0041] The driver device is reachable from the seat of the lift and therefore may be used by a bather without outside assistance. The driver device is of substantial size such that the amount of torque needed to lift the bather supported on the seat can be achieved with relatively little force. As a result, the bather does not require a lot of strength to use the apparatus and is therefore less likely to require assistance. Using a material of relatively high strength to weight ratio such as aluminum to construct the frame and driver device, the weight of the apparatus is kept to a minimum so that the lift can be easily lowered into and lifted out of a typical bathtub. This is ideal for the cases where more than one person uses the tub on a regular basis and the lift is not always needed. There is no need for professional installation, which helps keep down the overall cost of the lift apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0042] In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention:
[0043] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the bathtub lift with the seat in the lowered position.
[0044] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the bathtub lift with the seat in the raised position.
[0045] FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the bathtub lift with the seat in the lowered position.
[0046] FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the bathtub lift with the seat in the raised position.
[0047] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the bathtub lift with the seat in the lowered position.
[0048] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the bathtub lift with the seat in the raised position.
[0049] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the bathtub lift with the seat in the raised position as taken across line VII-VII of FIG. 6 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0050] The following description outlines the details of a bathtub lift for assisting persons of limited mobility, such as the elderly or disabled, transfer into or out of a typical bathtub. One embodiment of the present invention is shown from the side in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The bathtub lift apparatus 1 features a base frame 10 for supporting the apparatus within the bathtub (not shown), a seat 20 for supporting the bather and a driver device 40 for controlling motion of the seat 20 . The lift functions in such a manner as to move the seat 20 between a lower position as seen in FIG. 1 and a raised or upper position as seen in FIG. 2 . The seat 20 has a backrest portion 21 and a bottom portion 22 connected by an angled portion 23 . The user can sit upon the bottom portion 22 in the raised position from outside the tub, rotate his or her body in order to dispose each leg on an opposite side of the apparatus and then descend gradually to the lowered position within the tub. Once finished bathing, the user can then use the control device 40 to ascend back to the raised position and then rotate his or her legs over the tub wall in order to exit the bathtub.
[0051] The movement of the seat is achieved through rolling motion of a trolley 30 attached to the seat 20 . The base frame 10 includes a pair of spaced apart parallel vertical walls 11 each having an upper edge 12 defining generally horizontal lower 17 and upper 18 portions and an inclined portion 16 . The walls 11 are connected and spaced apart at the end of the upper portion 16 by a horizontal base member 13 at the bottom of the frame 10 and vertical end wall 15 disposed above the base member as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 . A track assembly 50 is supported on each wall 11 . The track includes a rail 51 which is held above the base frame 10 by rail supports 52 that extend generally perpendicular to the upper edge 12 of the walls 11 . The rail 51 and supports 52 are connected by bolts 53 in order to form a channel 54 defined by a space between the rail 51 and the upper edge 12 of the wall 11 . This channel 54 defines the path along which the trolley 30 can move. The trolley includes wheels 32 disposed on each side of the trolley body 31 for rolling motion within the channel 54 . The track extends along the inclined 16 and upper 18 portions of the upper edge 12 so that the seat 12 attached to the rear end of the trolley 30 can move between the lower position above lower portion 17 to the raised position above the inclined portion 16 . The inclined portion 16 is curved in order to provide a smooth transition of the trolley 30 to and from the upper 18 and lower 17 portions.
[0052] Components of the drive system for the trolley are disposed between the walls 11 of the base frame 10 and are illustrated in FIG. 7 . A chain 82 is positioned around a drive sprocket 45 and guide pulleys 91 , 94 and 96 and attached to the trolley 30 at opposite ends. A first end of the chain 82 is attaches to the trolley 31 by means of attachment member 34 bolted to the chain 82 and the trolley body 30 at an end opposite the seat 20 . From this first end, the chain extends around the sprocket 45 down to a floating idler pulley 91 which is mounted on a lever 92 for pivotal movement about an axis defined by a shaft 93 supported at each end by a wall 11 of the base frame 10 . This arrangement allows movement of the idler pulley 91 in order to retain tension in the chain 82 as the trolley 30 moves along the track 50 . The chain extends from the idler 91 over a guide pulley 94 supported between the walls 11 by a shaft 95 . The chain further extends from the guide pulley 94 around a third pulley 96 supported on a shaft 97 near the end of the lower portion 17 opposite the inclined portion 16 . This pulley 96 reverses the chain direction back toward the drive sprocket 45 for connection to a second trolley attachment member 33 at an end of the trolley 30 nearest the seat 20 . Similar to the first attachment member, the second attachment member 33 is bolted to the chain 82 and the trolley body 31 . With the seat 20 in the lowered position as shown in FIG. 1 , rotation of the sprocket 45 in a clockwise direction drives the chain 82 in a manner that pulls the trolley 30 along the track 50 up the inclined portion 16 to the upper portion 18 , moving the seat 20 toward the upper position shown in FIG. 2 . The shafts 95 and 97 that support the pulleys 94 and 96 at the lower portion 17 further are connected to a wall 11 of the base frame 10 at either so that they not only support the pulleys, but also keep the walls spaced apart at that end of the apparatus.
[0053] The rotation of the drive sprocket 45 is achieved by means of the control device 40 . The control device 40 includes a drive wheel 49 having a series of handles 41 formed by holes circumferentially spaced around the wheel. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the drive wheel is attached to a rotatable member 46 by means of bolts 43 . The rotatable member is fixed on the same shaft 45 as the drive sprocket 81 . The shaft 45 extends transversely through aligned holes in the vertical walls 11 of the base frame 10 near their upper edges 12 at the upper portion 18 . The shaft is free to rotate with respect to the frame 10 , but lateral movement along its axis is prevented by the combination of a pin 48 and blocking plate 47 as shown in FIGS. 3-6 . The blocking plates 47 are supported on the shaft 45 just outside each vertical wall 11 and the pins 48 pass through openings in the shaft just outside the plates. Lateral movement of the shaft 45 with respect to the frame 10 is prevented by the abutment of either pin 48 with the respective blocking plate 47 . Rotation of the drive wheel 40 and attached rotatable member 46 causes the sprocket 81 to turn and drive the chain 82 , resulting in motion of the trolley 30 and attached seat 20 . The wheel 40 is of sufficient size that the handles 41 are within reaching distance of the user when supported on the seat 20 regardless of the position of the trolley 30 along the track 50 . The amount force needed to pull the seated user up the inclined portion 16 is kept reasonably small as the relatively large radius of the driver wheel 49 ensures a proportionally large resultant torque about the axis of the shaft 45 .
[0054] The force of gravity on the user when seated in the raised position tends to cause the trolley 30 and attached seat 20 to descend down the inclined portion 16 to the lowered position. As a result, a locking mechanism is provided for selectively securing the trolley 30 in the track 50 at the upper portion 18 of the walls 11 of the base frame 10 , thus locking the seat 20 in the raised position above the inclined portion 16 . A hole 42 in the driver wheel 49 is positioned in order to align with a corresponding hole 14 in the wall 11 of the base frame 10 on the same side of the lift apparatus 1 as the wheel 49 when the seat 20 is in the raised position. A pin 70 is passed through the aligned holes 42 and 14 in order to prevent motion of the wheel 49 with respect to the base frame 10 . Since the wheel 49 is attached to the rotatable member 46 which is mounted on the same shaft 45 as the drive sprocket, rotation of any of these components is prevented by the pin 70 . The trolley 30 and seat 20 cannot move with the pin 70 in place as the cogs of the stationary sprocket 81 prevent motion of the chain 82 .
[0055] A pivoting mechanism 60 is provided between the trolley 30 and the seat 20 to allow pivotal motion of the seat with respect to the trolley as they move along the track 50 . A pair of hinges 63 provides the pivoting action between the seat 20 and trolley 30 . Each hinge has flaps 61 and 62 attached to the trolley body 31 and the seat 20 respectively. As shown in FIG. 1 , the hinge 63 allows the bottom portion 22 of the seat 20 to take on a nearly horizontal orientation in the lowered position at the lower portion 17 of the wall 11 even though the trolley 30 is at an angled orientation along the inclined portion 16 . As the trolley 30 is pulled upward along the inclined portion 16 by the chain 82 the hinge will open further such that the bottom portion 22 of the seat 20 will take on an the same orientation as the trolley 30 , in other words parallel to the inclined portion 16 . An abutment member 64 is attached to the underside of the bottom portion 22 of the seat 20 in order to prevent the hinge 63 from opening more than 180 degrees. In the raised position shown in FIGS. 2 and 7 , the hinge 63 opens under the weight of the seat 20 (and user, if seated thereupon) and moves the abutment member 64 into contact with the trolley body 31 . This keeps the bottom portion 22 of the seat in a generally horizontal orientation in which the user can easily get on or off the seat 20 for entering or exiting the tub respectively.
[0056] Due to the handles 41 circumferentially disposed about the drive wheel 49 the lift is operable by either the bather or an assistant. The bather is lowered into the tub from the raised position shown in FIG. 2 by removing the locking pin 70 from the aligned holes 42 and 14 in the drive wheel 49 and wall 11 respectively. The weight of the bather on the seat will tend to move the seat 20 and attached trolley 30 down the inclined portion 16 , pulling on the chain 82 and causing counter clockwise rotation of the sprocket 81 and the attached shaft 45 . Since the driver wheel 49 is mounted on the same shaft 45 by means of the rotational member 46 , the counter clockwise rotation can be resisted by means of the handles 41 , thereby controlling the speed of descent of the bather towards the lowered position shown in FIG. 1 . In order to exit the tub, the seat 20 is moved upward along the inclined portion 16 from the lowered position by rotating the driver wheel 49 clockwise by means of the handles 41 . Once the seat 20 has reached the raised position, the holes 41 and 14 of the locking mechanism will be realigned so that the locking pin 70 can be inserted to lock the seat in the raised position while the bather dismounts the lift apparatus.
[0057] The above description outlines a single embodiment of the present invention from which a number of alternate embodiments can be derived by those who are skilled in the art. Alternate styles of frames, seats, trolleys, tracks, drive members, driven members and guide members can be assembled to achieve similar results. One alternate embodiment may employ a rope and winch for lifting and lowering the seat, in which case the rope would only have to extend between the winch and the end of the trolley nearest the upper portion eliminating the need for the guide and tension pulleys. Another alternate embodiment could use a notched belt and pulley combination instead of the chain and sprocket. Other embodiments could feature a trolley arranged to move along a single track member or elongate handles extending outward from the drive wheel transverse to the apparatus. The trolley and seat could also be combined into a single rigid component, eliminating the need for the pivoting mechanism. In this arrangement, the track would not extend to a horizontal upper portion of the frame. The trolley would only move along an inclined section of track and therefore would always be oriented at the same angle with respect to the frame. Without the pivot mechanism, the seat would not move relative to the trolley but would remain fixed at an orientation similar to that of the lowered position of the seat in the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 . As a result, the bottom portion of the seat would remain in a generally horizontal orientation when moving between the lowered and raised positions.
[0058] Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
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A manually driven bathtub lift for assisting persons of limited strength or mobility into or out of a typical bathtub without the high costs associated with pneumatic, hydraulic or electric lift devices. A seat is attached to a wheeled trolley arranged for movement up an inclined track mounted on a base frame. A chain is disposed about a drive sprocket and a set of guide pulleys and attached to opposite ends of the trolley. The set of pulleys includes an idler that is biased to retain tension in the chain. The drive sprocket is driven by the rotation of a driver wheel supported on the same shaft as the sprocket. Rotation of the sprocket drives the chain which in turn moves the trolley and attached seat. The driver wheel has handles circumferentially spaced around it and is of large enough size that it can be reached and operated from the seat. The lift is light to allow for easily installation and removal and does not require significant strength to operate.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a field of transgenic technology, and more particularly relates to a CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mouse and its construction methods and uses.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Hepatitis C is widespread in the world, as currently there are about 1.3-1.7 million hepatitis C patients. Nearly 80% HCV infected population develops chronic infections, and some of chronic hepatitis C will progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The HCV is divided into different hypotypes among different races, and the clinic treatments for various HCV hypotypes are also accordingly different. While no vaccine is currently available, effective prevention and treatment for hepatitis C have become a major health issue in need of solution.
The basic studies of HCV infectious and pathogenic mechanism as well as the development of drugs and vaccines would likely benefit from suitable animal models. Chimpanzees are the only species besides humans that is susceptible to HCV infection. However, small number, high costs, slow reproduction, primate animal welfare and growing ethical concerns will limit access to the chimpanzee model, and thus development of suitable alternatives is critical. So far, the development of small animal model of HCV has made some progress, including:
(1) Full-length transgenic mouse: HCV mouse model is developed by transgening HCV full-length genome or specific protein fragment to mouse genome to construct a transgenic mouse having persistent HCV protein expression (Moriya et al., 1998 , The core protein of hepatitis C virus induces hepatocellular carcinoma in transgenic mice , Nat Med 4:1065-1067.). The HCV gene overexpression in the transgenic mouse somatic cell would cause expression pressure on the host cell. Such mouse model only expresses HCV gene fragment and lacks the process of HCV virus particles invasion and replication in the cells, such that its application is very limited.
(2) The tree shrew model: tree shrews are susceptible to HCV infection (Tong et al., 2011 Tupaia CD 81 , SR - BI, claudin -1 , and occludin support hepatitis C virus infectio , J Virol 85:2793-2802; Xu et al., 2007). However, said infection is a transient infection, and this model is unable to establish a stable and reproducible infection. As the tree shrew is a wild animal, artificial feeding and breeding cannot be easily sustained, and its genetic strains are unstable, making it unsuitable for long-term research and application.
(3) Chimeric mouse model: engrafting primary human liver cells to immunodeficient mice or embedding human liver tissue into renal capsular of the mice can support HCV infection and replication. However, this model is limited by low efficiency of viral infection, human liver tissue or cellular immune rejection, and lack of immune response against the pathology of HCV. For example, urokinase-type plasminogen-activator gene (uPA) expression is regulated by albumin promoter (specifically expressed in liver) in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice would cause persistent liver damage (Kaul et al., 2007 , Cell culture adaptation of hepatitis C virus and in vivo viability of an adapted variant . J Virol 81:13168-13179).
(4) SCID mice transplanted with human liver cell and immune system has limited HCV expression with partial hepatitis pathological process. Moreover, the technology is complex, SCID mice are not readily available, HCV infection is also unstable, and ethical concerns are involved. For example, FK506 binding protein and caspase 8 fusion protein are regulated by albumin promoter in the immunodeficient Balb/C mice having Rag2 −/− IL2rg −/− , such that the mice can induce liver damage and then accept human liver cell transplantation after induction (Washburn et al., 2011 , A humanized mouse model to study hepatitis C virus infection, immune response, and liver disease , Gastroenterology 140:1334-1344.).
(5) Studies have shown that the species specification of HCV infection depends on the infected subject. The mouse transplanted with CD81 of HCV cell receptor and OCLN (Occludin) can support virus infection and replication in the cellular level. HCV replication in mouse hepatocytes can be detected by adenovirus vector carrying CD81 and OCLN in mouse hepatocytes after transient expression, but cannot establish infection and hepatitis pathological variation. For example, the four HCV receptor genes carried by adenoviral vector can express in mouse, and induce HCV to be able to enter mouse cell for replication. However, the life-cycle of HCV in this model is not complete and hepatitis pathological processes cannot be duly observed (Dorner et al., 2011 , A genetically humanized mouse model for hepatitis C virus infection . Nature 474:208-211.).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention firstly provides a CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mouse model, wherein the mouse model is constructed by the following steps:
(1) inserting human CD81 and OCLN clonings to a pLIVE® vector respectively to obtain a pLIVE-CD81 vector containing CD81 gene expression and a pLIVE-OCLN vector containing OCLN gene expression;
(2) construction a CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mouse:
restricting the pLIVE-CD81 vector and the pLIVE-OCLN vector respectively to obtain linear DNA fragments comprising CD81 and linear DNA fragments comprising OCLN respectively;
microinjecting the linear DNA fragments comprising CD81 and the linear DNA fragments comprising OCLN respectively into ICR mice zygotes respectively;
transplanting the ICR mice zygotes to pseudopregnant ICR mice uteruses to breed CD81 transgenic mice and OCLN transgenic mice respectively, and then confirmed by PCR identification; and
backcrossing the CD81 transgenic mice and the OCLN transgenic mice to obtain the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice.
The present invention also provides a CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mouse whose genome contains transgenes comprising nucleic acids encoding CD81 and OCLN respectively, thereby promoting HCV natural infection and pathologic process of hepatitis C so that expressions of CD81 and OCLN are persistent.
The present invention also provides a method for constructing a CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice model, wherein the method is constituted by the following steps:
(1) inserting human CD81 and OCLN clonings into a pLIVE® vector to obtain a pLIVE-CD81 vector containing CD81 gene expression and a pLIVE-OCLN vector containing OCLN gene expression;
(2) constructing CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice:
restricting the pLIVE-CD81 vector and the pLIVE-OCLN vector respectively to obtain linear DNA fragments comprising CD81 and linear DNA fragments comprising OCLN respectively;
microinjecting the linear DNA fragments comprising CD81 and the DNA fragments comprising OCLN into ICR mice zygotes respectively;
transplanting the ICR mice zygotes to pseudopregnant ICR mice uteruses to breed CD81 transgenic mice and OCLN transgenic mice respectively, and then confirmed by PCR identification; and
backcrossing the CD81 transgenic mice and the OCLN transgenic mice to obtain the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice (C/O Tg ).
In brief, the method for constructing the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice (C/O Tg ) model comprising the following specific steps:
(1) human CD81 and OCLN gene clonings:
amplifying human CD81 and OCLN cDNA fragments by PCR from human cDNA library to obtain CD81 and OCLN encoding DNAs (cDNA) respectively, wherein the DNA sequences are SEQ ID NO. 1 and SEQ ID NO. 2;
inserting CD81 cDNA into the pLIVE® vector in restriction sites between XhoI and BamHI endonuclease to obtain a pLIVE-CD81 vector containing CD81 expression;
inserting OCLN DNA (cDNA) into the pLIVE® vector in restriction sites between SalI and XhoI endonuclease to obtain a pLIVE-OCLN vector containing OCLN expression;
wherein the pLIVE® vector comprises mouse α-fetoprotein (AFP) enhancer and mouse albumin promoter for expressing in liver efficiently, specifically, stably and extendedly;
(2) construction of CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice:
excising the pLIVE-CD81 vector by BglII and NdeI endonuclease to obtain linear CD81 DNA fragments (represented by SEQ ID NO. 3); excising the pLIVE-OCLN vector by SalI and XhoI endonuclease to obtain linear OCLN DNA fragments (represented by SEQ ID NO. 4);
diluting each DNA fragment to 1 ng/mL and microinjecting the diluted DNA fragments into ICR mice zygotes respectively;
transplanting the ICR mice zygotes to pseudopregnant ICR mice uterus to breed CD81 transgenic mice (CD81 Tg/− ) and OCLN transgenic mice (OCLN Tg/− ) respectively, and then confirmed by PCR identification; and,
backcrossing the CD81 transgenic mice and the OCLN transgenic mice to obtain the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice (CD81 Tg/− OCLN Tg/− , abbreviating C/O Tg ).
The CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice model of the present invention described that two human CD81 and OCLN genes of the HCV receptor can be integrated stably and expressed in mouse gonome by integrating CD81 and OCLN genes into mouse chromosome respectively for breeding the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice, but two transgenes do not affect host allelic gene. The impaction is small for the host and can be used to support HCV entry.
The present invention also provides a method for constituting acute and chronic HCV infection model of the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice. Because the HCV replication is susceptible to antiviral drugs such as nucleotide analogues or protease inhibitors, the described model can validate the efficacy against HCV antiviral drug, antiviral evaluation of immunomodulatory agents, optimization of clinical treatment, and vaccine development.
HCV natural infection and pathological process can be reproduced in mice having complete immune system because of permanent HCV replication and HCV viral load of liver and stable peripheral blood, so as to establish acute and chronic infection and liver pathology models.
The CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice of the present invention is first constructed. The method for constructing this transgenic mice model is stable and can be reproduced in bulk.
The CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice of the present invention can provide a persistent infection model that completely reflects HCV natural infection and pathologic process of hepatitis C.
Furthermore, the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice of the present invention can also be used to develop various diagnosis, detection techniques, methods and products against HCV.
The present invention also provides bioactive substances from the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice during HCV infection via blood, wherein the bioactive substances include, but not limited to, antibodies, neutralizing, antigen presenting cells and HCV specific T cells.
The CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice of the present invention also provides a variety of HCV mutants that can be used for drug design and vaccine development.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A provides transgenic plasmid maps comprising human CD81 and OCLN genes respectively;
FIG. 1B illustrates the genotype of the double transgenic mice obtained from tail by DNA extraction and PCR;
FIG. 1C illustrates the expressions of human CD81 and OCLN in liver of the double transgenic mice, with Huh7 and Huh7.5.1 hepatoma cells as control group;
FIG. 1D illustrates the human CD81 and OCLN expressions in different tissues of the double transgenic mice by qRT-PCR;
FIG. 1E illustrates the cellular localization of the human CD81 and OCLN in liver of the double transgenic mice;
FIG. 2A illustrates the double transgenic mice and control group infected with HCV by tail vein injection respectively, and then the double transgenic mice (C/O Tg , n=4) and control group (n=3) were sacrificed at indicated time for analyzing viral loads in serum;
FIG. 2B illustrates the double transgenic mice and control group infected with HCV by tail vein injection respectively, and then the viral loads in liver of double transgenic mice (C/O Tg , n=4) and control group (n=3) were sacrificed at indicated time for analyzing viral loads in serum;
FIG. 2C illustrates the double transgenic mice and control group infected HCV by tail vein injection respectively, and then the double transgenic mice (C/O Tg , n=4) and control group (n=3) were sacrificed at indicated time for analyzing alanine transaminase (ALT) level;
FIG. 2D illustrates the double transgenic mice and control group infected with HCV by tail vein injection respectively, and then the double transgenic mice (C/O Tg , n=4) and control group (n=3) were sacrificed at indicated time for analyzing the prealbumin (PA) level in serum level
FIG. 2E illustrates the marker of the viral loads in serum and liver, liver injury (ALT level) and anti-HCV of the chronic infection cause steatosis (6 at 1 month post inoculation (mpi), 5 at 2 mpi), fibrotic (4 at 6 mpi, 4 at 10 mpi) and cirrhotic (4 at 13 mpi); wherein left dots indicate the double transgenic mice suffering pathological stage were verified as positive by ultrasonography, CT analysis and pathological evaluation.
FIG. 3A illustrates the liver tissues of the double transgenic mice and control group by H&E stain (3 sections per mouse); wherein the broken lines in the FIG. 3A (e)-(f) respectively represent portal vein lymphoid infiltration; wherein the broken lines in the FIG. 3A (g)-(h) respectively represent lymphoid aggregate in hepatic lobule; the bar chart shows average number of lymphoid aggregated in each section.
FIG. 3B illustrates micro vesicular steatosis (shown by the arrow), and amyloid depositions or tissue necrosis (shown by broken lines) of the double transgenic mice and control group by H&E stain;
FIG. 3C illustrates fibrosis of liver sections of the double transgenic mice and control group by Masson's stain; wherein the level of fibrosis was quantified by dispersion degree (fibrosis area/fibrosis area quantity);
FIG. 3D illustrates the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in serum after HCV infection of the double transgenic mice and control group;
FIG. 4A illustrates HCV copies in serum and liver measured by qRT-PCR analysis, wherein the C/O Tg mice were injected with 200 mg/kg telaprevir drug after infected with HCV for 1 week; wherein the mice injected with DMSO served as a control group;
FIG. 4B illustrates HCV copies in serum and liver measured by qRT-PCR analysis while the C/O Tg mice were injected with 200 mg/kg Ribavirin drug after infected with HCV for 1 week; wherein the mice injected with DMSO served as a control group; and
FIG. 5 illustrates a map of the pLIVE® vector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
ICR mice: CD-1® mice were purchased from Vital River Laboratory Animal Technology Co. Ltd.
pLIVE® vector was purchased from Minis Corporation. The pLIVE® vectors are covered by patents pending of Minis Bio LLC. The pLIVE® vectors are sustained long-term gene expression in the liver post hydrodynamic tail vein injection, and available with positive control vectors expressing either LacZ or human placental secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP).
Example 1
Construction of CD81 and OCLN Double Transgenic Mice
Human CD81 and OCLN cDNA fragments obtained from human cDNA database were PCR amplified with the programmed conditions of the following: 95° C. for 10 minutes; 95° C. for 30 seconds; 58° C. for 30 seconds; 72° C. for 2 minutes; 33 cycles, and then 72° C. for 10 minutes to obtain human CD81 encoding DNA (cDNA) and OCLN encoding DNA (cDNA) respectively (Pfuultra II enzymes were purchased from Agliant company). CD81 cDNA was inserted into a pLIVE® vector in restriction sites between XhoI and BamHI endonuclease to obtain a pLIVE-CD81 vector containing CD81 expression. OCLN DNA (cDNA) was inserted into a pLIVE® vector in restriction sites between SalI and XhoI endonuclease to obtain a pLIVE-OCLN vector containing OCLN expression (endonucleases were purchased from NEB Inc.; pLIVE® vector was purchased from Minis Corporation). The pLIVE-CD81 vectors were excised by BglII and NdeI endonuclease to obtain a linear CD81 DNA fragment as shown in FIG. 1A (represented by SEQ ID NO. 3). The pLIVE-OCLN vector was excised by XbaI and NdeI endonuclease to obtain a linear OCLN DNA fragment as shown in FIG. 1A (representing SEQ ID NO. 4). Each DNA fragment was diluted to 1 ng/μL and microinjected into ICR mice zygotes respectively. The ICR mice zygotes were transplanted to pseudopregnant ICR mice uteruses to breed CD81 transgenic mice (CD81 Tg/− ) and OCLN transgenic mice (OCLN Tg/− ) respectively. The CD81 transgenic mice and the OCLN transgenic mice were backcrossed to obtain the CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mice (CD81 Tg/− OCLN Tg/− , referring to as C/O Tg ). The genomic integration of the transgenes CD81 and OCLN in the double transgenic C/O Tg mice were verified and the results are shown in FIG. 1B . The expression of cognate receptor proteins in the double transgenic C/O Tg mice was verified and the results are shown in FIG. 1C . Furthermore, both human CD81 and OCLN had a dominant hepatic expression as shown in FIG. 1D with expected hepatic cell surface localization as shown in FIG. 1E .
Example 2
Construction of HCV Persistent Infection Model
Plasmid pJ399EM was transcribed in vitro (Han et al., 2009) to obtain a RNA, and then the RNA was electroporated into Huh7.5.1 cells (Pasteur Institute) for virus production during 96 hours and for collection, followed by ultrafiltration and purification to obtain HCV. The C/O Tg double transgenic mice or the wile type mice were injected at tail-vein with HCV (TCID 50 =1×10 8 /mL) within 1-2 minutes. The serum or liver tissue of the C/O Tg double transgenic mice or the wile type mice were collected respectively at indicated time 0 hour to 12 months after infection. HCV RNA level in serum (genomes/mL) and liver (genomes/g) were measured by qRT-PCR. The program was performed as follows: 50° C. for 30 minutes, 95° C. for 10 minutes, followed by 50 cycles at 95° C. for 30 seconds, 58° C. for 30 seconds, and 72° C. for 30 seconds. Primers used for detection were as follows: sense (forward primer): ATCACTCCCCTGTGAGGAACT (represented by SEQ ID NO. 5); anti-sense (reverse primer): GCGGGTTGATCCAAGAAAGG (represented by SEQ ID NO. 6). The viral load in serum (genomes/mL) of the wild type mice after injection was: 53746900±747977 (12 hours), 25791242±8626787 (2 days), 7026±2797 (4 days), 433±73 (1 week), and then the viral copies in peripheral blood of wild type mice was undetectable after one week. The viral load in peripheral blood (genomes/mL) of the C/O Tg double transgenic mice after injection was: 3598678±3016340 (12 hours), 1607875±1304933 (2 days), 228942±174178 (4 days), 64505±6821 (1 week), 67622±4612 (2 weeks), 33671±13347 (3 weeks), 6921±4272 (1 month), 6739±4783 (2 months), 403±95 (3 months), 534±125 (4 months), 1375±198 (6 months), 4781±2969 (10 months), 2067±277 (12 months). The results showed that HCV can be sustained in the peripheral blood of the C/O Tg double transgenic mice. The viral copies cannot be detectable in liver of the wile type mice after injection. The viral copies in the liver (genomes/g) of the C/O Tg double transgenic mice after injection was: 149676500±26422459.09 (12 hours), 68863260±26554660 (2 days), 30167166±14023164 (4 days), 48183923±49326087 (1 week), 5221675±782099 (2 weeks), 4723475±570250 (3 weeks), 5649760±3372903 (1 month), 3597135±2671267 (2 months), 1831199±34834 (3 months), 3055570±565440 (4 months), 10729851±3954535 (6 months), 14392085±1902774 (10 months), 15543000±124774 (12 months). The results showed that HCV can be sustained in the liver of the C/O Tg double transgenic mice. Meanwhile, the liver tissues were used for pathological analysis (H&E stain, Masson's stain), ultrasound, CT and other non-invasive imaging analysis to assess hepatitis, liver damage (fibrosis and cirrhosis) and other typical HCV pathology caused by HCV infection. The double transgenic mice infected by HCV express mild hepatitis symptoms (most ALT<40). The ALT level of the wild type mice was (U/L): 17.8±11.08 (uninfected), 10.5 0.51 (12 hours), 7.0±1.42 (2 days), 29.5±9.19 (4 days), 6.6±3.54 (1 weeks), 28.2±8.84 (2 weeks), 17.7±13.33 (1 month), 27.9±1.69 (2 months), 26.5±0.70 (3 months), 37.4±12.90 (4 months), 27.3±6.01 (10 months), 16.5±6.29 (12 months). The ALT level of the C/O Tg double transgenic mice was (U/L): 17.8±11.01 (uninfected), 7.8±6.72 (12 hours), 28.0±1.25 (2 days), 57.3±3.88 (4 days), 16.3±7.72 (1 week), 61.0±5.65 (2 week), 21.2±11.16 (1 month), 19.6±0.68 (2 months), 27.4±10.25 (3 months), 36.3±4.06 (4 months), 35.7±5.44 (6 months), 19.5±3.79 (10 months), 232.3±26.89 (12 months). The results showed that the wild type mice injected with virus showed almost no hepatitis symptoms (ALT<40), while the C/O Tg double transgenic mice infected with virus had no hepatitis symptoms in most of the time, but only expressed hepatitis symptoms in the late stage (ALT>40) ( FIG. 2C ). The prealbumin levels of the wild type mice after injection were maintained at normal levels (20˜30 mg/L), but the prealbumin levels of the C/O Tg double transgenic mice cannot be detectable 4 days after infection. It was suggesting that some liver damages were caused by viral infection ( FIG. 2D ). The liver of the C/O Tg double transgenic mice infected by HCV expressed lymphocytes aggregation by H&E stain. Each section showed that 5 to 20 numbers lymphocytes aggregation occurred in 1 week to 5 months after infection ( FIG. 3A ), steatosis (vesicular structure) occurred in 1 month to 2 months after infection, amyloid deposition in peripheral vascular after infection for 3 months to 6 months, and necrosis occurred in 10 months after infection ( FIG. 3B ). Masson stain results showed apparently that the collagen fibers aggregation (blue) after infection for 6 months indicated liver fibrosis. The dispersion degree (fibrosis area/fibrosis area number) was 60 in 3 months after infection, and was 180 within 6 and 10 months after infection, indicating fibrosis was increasing. The increasing expression of TGF-β1 also confirmed increasing fibrosis ( FIG. 3D ). The significant differences occurred between pathological positive group and pathological negative group within viral copies in liver and HCV antibody level in serum in the steatosis stage by comparing steatosis, fibrosis and cirrhosis of mice and pathological negative mice at the same time; the remaining had no significant differences ( FIG. 2G ). The above-described conclusions indicated that the double transgenic mice can support HCV replication and produce pathological processes as the clinic.
Example 3
Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Antiviral Drug in Mice by Acute HCV Infection
The C/O Tg male mice were infected with HCV by tail vein injection (TCID 50 =1×10 8 ) within 1-2 minutes. Starting medical treatment at a week after injection: 20 mg/kg Ribavirin (sigma) administered for 4 weeks by intraperitoneal injection daily or 200 mg/kg, Telaprevir (votex) administered for 2 weeks by intraperitoneal injection daily, wherein the antiviral drug was one component. The serum and liver tissues of the mice were collected after the treatment by Ribavirin for 1 week and 4 weeks, and by Telaprevir for 1 week and 2 weeks. HCV RNA copy numbers in the serum or liver cells were detected by qRT-PCR (Example 2). With respect to the untreated group, the viral copy number in the serum and liver was significantly decreasing after Ribavirin treatment, wherein the viral load in the peripheral blood (genomes/mL) of untreated group was: 123489±5761 (1 week after viral injection), 68312±214 (1 week after intraperitoneal injection of saline), 5958±1332 (1 month after intraperitoneal injection of saline); the viral load in the peripheral blood of treated group was 123489±5761 (1 week after viral injection), and the viral copies cannot be detected in peripheral blood by Ribavirin treatment for 1 week and 4 weeks. The viral copies in the liver (genomes/mg) in the untreated group was: 17864±3223 (1 week after viral injection), 5289±891 (1 week after saline intraperitoneal injection), 4713±916 (4 weeks after intraperitoneal injection of saline); treated group was: 17864±3223 (1 week after viral injection), 260±226 (1 week after Ribavirin injection), 894±639 (4 weeks after Ribavirin injection). The results showed that Ribavirin can effectively reduce the HCV copy number in serum and the HCV replication in the liver ( FIG. 4A ). Compared to untreated group, Telaprevir was a specific drug against HCV, significantly reduced the number of viral copies in serum and the replication in the after treatment, wherein the viral load in the peripheral blood (genomes/mL) in untreated group was: 123489±5761 (1 week after viral injection), 39782±5315 (1 week after DMSO intraperitoneal injection), 4349±1531 (1 month after DMSO intraperitoneal injection); while the treatment group was: 123489±5761 (1 week after viral injection), the viral copies in the peripheral blood cannot be detected after Telaprevir treatment for 1 week and 2 weeks. The viral copies in the liver (genomes/mg) in the untreated group was: 17864±3223 (1 week after viral injection), 14041±2712 (1 week after DMSO intraperitoneal injection), 4723±570 (4 weeks after DMSO intraperitoneal injection); treatment group was: 11836±1104 (1 week after viral injection), 273±301 (1 week after Telaprevir injection); the viral copies in the liver cannot be detected 4 weeks after Telaprevir treatment. The results showed that Ribavirin treatment can effectively reduce the number of HCV copies in serum and the HCV replication in the liver ( FIG. 4B ). The HCV infection model of double transgenic mice was sensitive to current drugs, and it suggested an excellent platform to assess HCV drugs.
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The present invention provides a CD81 and OCLN double transgenic mouse and its construction method and use. The double transgenic mouse can be used to constitute acute and chronic HCV infection in a mouse model.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains generally to scales and weighing apparatus and more particularly to a system for providing a digital indication of the load on a scale.
Heretofore, there have been attempts to provide a digital indication of the load on a scale utilizing an absolute position encoder connected to the pinion or shaft of a mechanical weight indicator on the scale. The encoder produces a unique binary output signal for each incremental position of the shaft through up to 360° of shaft rotation, and the binary signals so produced are decoded by electronic circuitry and processed for display or other desired use.
While an absolute position encoder is capable of providing all of the information required for determining the weight of the load, such devices are costly and complex, and they must be aligned very accurately to provide accurate results. Moreover, they are binary encoded devices which must simultaneously present a number of parallel data bits for each increment of displacement. The number of bits required is determined by the resolution of the scale and the accuracey of display desired. For example, in order to detect one ounce increments on a scale having a 75 pound capacity, eleven bits are required for each increment. The circuitry required for processing this number of bits is complex and relatively expensive.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The invention utilizes a relative position transducer which produces two output signals which vary between fixed levels in response to incremental displacements of the output indicator of the scale. The two signals are phase encoded in that one of the signals leads the other, depending upon the direction of displacement. These two signals are processed to determine the occurrence and direction of each displacement, and the count in a counter is incremented or decremented in response to each increment according to the direction of displacement.
It is in general an object of the invention to provide a new and improved system for providing a digital indication of the load on a scale.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system and method of the above character utilizing a relative position transducer for providing phase encoded signals in response to incremental displacement of the scale.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system of the above character in which the incremental changes are counted to determine the load on the scale.
Additional objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description in which the preferred embodiments are set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a digital weight indicating system according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of the output signals produced by the transducer of the embodiment of FIG. 1 for increasing and decreasing loads.
FIG. 3 is a detail block diagram of the circuitry for processing the transducer signals in the embodiment of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a truth for the multiplexer in the processing circuitry of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a wave form diagram illustrating the operation of the system for an increasing load.
FIG. 6 is a wave form diagram illustrating the operation of the system for a decreasing load.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In FIG. 1, the invention is illustrated in conjunction with a conventional platform scale 11 having a dial head 12 and an indicator 13 affixed to an output shaft 14 and linked mechanically to the platform for indicating the weight of a load on the platform.
A relative position transducer 16 is connected to output shaft 14 for producing electrical signals in response to an increase or decrease in the load on the scale. A particularly suitable transducer for this purpose is an incremental optical encoder, such as Renco Corporation, Goleta, Calif., Models KT-15 and KT-23. Briefly, the transducer includes an incrementally marked disk 16a which is connected for rotation with shaft 14, an incrementally marked mask which is mounted in a stationary position, two LED light sources positioned for passing light through the disk and mask, two phototransistors positioned for receiving the light passing through the disk and mask, and two signal amplifiers connected to the phototransistors. The incremental markings on the disk are uniformly spaced radially extending opaque lines arranged in an annular track toward the periphery of the disk. The markings on the mask are similar to the markings on the disk, but arranged in two groups displaced from each other by a distance corresponding to an odd multiple of of one-half of the spacing between the lines. The lines in each group are aligned alternately with the lines on the disc when the diak rotates. One photocell and phototransistor is associated with each group, and the amplifiers produce generally rectangular output signals V1, V2 which change from a low level to a high level and return to the low level each time shaft 14 rotates through an angle of 360°/N, where N is the number of incremental marks on the disk. The resolution of the system is largely dependent on the number of increments on the disk, and disks having on the order of 1000-1200 increments will provide high resolution for scales having capacities as high as 1000-1200 pounds.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the transducer output signals are 90° out of phase with respect to each other. For increasing loads V1 leads V2, and for decreasing load V1 follows V2. As used herein, the term leading designates a signal which makes a transistion from the same state as the other signal to the opposite state, and the term following or lagging designates a signal which changes from the opposite level to the same level as the other signal.
The output signals from transducer 16 are applied to the inputs of an up/down decoder 21 via lines 22, 23. In the decoder, the transducer signals are processed to detect the occurrence and direction of shaft movement, and outputs of the decoder are connected to the inputs of an up/down counter 26 via lines 27, 28. As discussed more fully hereinafter, the count in the counter is incremented in response to each increment of movement produced by an increasing load and decremented in response to each increment of movement produced by a decreasing load.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, up/down decoder 21 includes inverters 31, 32 having inputs connected to lines 22, 23 respectively. The outputs of the inverters are connected to the inputs D1, D3 of two D-type flip-flops, and the outputs Q1, Q3 of these flip-flops are connected to first inputs of exclusive OR gates 33, 34. The Q1 and Q3 outputs are also connected to inputs D2, D4 of additional flip-flops, and the outputs Q2, Q4 of these flip-flops are connected to second inputs of gates 33, 34. The four flip-flops can be constructed in integrated form and housed in a single package 36, if desired, and in the preferred embodiment, they constitute four sections of a type 74174 hexagonal D-type flip-flop. Clock pulses are applied simultaneously to all of the flip-flops on a line 37 connected to the CLOCK input of the package.
The outputs of OR gates 33, 34 are each connected to four inputs of an eight input multiplexer 38. The outputs of the multiplexer are connected to the UP and DOWN counting inputs of counter 26 via lines 27, 28. Control signals are applied to the multiplexer from the Q1 and Q3 outputs of the flip-flops. In the preferred embodiment, the multiplexer is a type 9309 dual 4 to 1 multiplexer, each section of which has input ports 0-3 and an output port Z. The two sections of the multiplexer share common control signals S0, S1, and in each section the inputs are gated to the output in accordance with the truth table of FIG. 4.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the output of OR gate 33 is connected to the 1A, 2A, 0B and 3B inputs of multiplexer 38, and the output of OR gate 34 is connected to the 0A, 3A, 1B and 2B inputs of the multiplexer. The Q1 flip-flop output is connected to control input S0, and the Q3 flip-flop output is connected to control input S1.
Operation and use of the system, and therein the method of the invention, can be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Initially, it is assumed that the load on the scale is increasing so that transducer signal V1 leads signal V2 by 90°, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Each time shaft 14 rotates through an angle corresponding to one increment on disk 16a, signals V1 and V2 rise from a low level to a high level and return to the low level. Flip-flop output Q1 follows transducer signal V1, and flip-flop output Q2 follows output Q1. When the flip-flop outputs are at different levels, OR gate 33 delivers an output pulse A. Since the Q1 and Q2 outputs are at different levels after each transistion in transducer signal V1, OR gate 33 produces one pulse in response to each transistion of signal V1.
Similarily, flip-flop Q3 follows transducer output V2, flip-flop output Q4 follows output Q3, and OR gate 34 delivers an output pulse B in response to each transistion in transducer signal V2. Thus, it can be said that the flip-flops and OR gates detect the occurrence of shaft movement, and as discussed more fully hereinafter, multiplexer 38 detects the direction of the movement.
At the time of the first pulse from OR gate 33, output Q1 is high and Q2 is low, and the multiplexer passes the pulse at input 2A to output ZA and, thus, to the UP counting input of counter 26. At the time of the first pulse from OR gate 34, outputs Q1 and Q2 are both high, and the multiplexer delivers the pulse from input 3A to the UP counting input of the counter. At the time of the second pulse from OR gate 33, output Q1 is low and Q2 is high, and the multiplexer delivers the pulse from input 1A to the UP counting input of the counter. At the time of the second pulse from OR gate 34, outputs Q1 and Q2 are both low, and the multiplexer delivers the pulse from input 0A to the UP counting input of the counter. Thus, it can be seen that when the load is increasing, the pulses produced by gates 33, 34 are always applied to the UP counting input of counter 26, and the count increases accordingly.
In the event of a decreasing load on the scale, transducer signal V2 leads signal V1, as illustrated in FIG. 6. As in the case of the increasing load, flip-flop outputs Q1 and Q3 follow transducer signals V1 and V2, flip-flop outputs Q2 and Q4 follow outputs Q1 and Q3, and OR gates 33 and 34 deliver pulses A and B in response to the transistions in signals V1 and V2. In this case, however, the multiplexer steers all of the pulses from gates 33, 34 to the DOWN counting input of counter 26, and the count decreases accordingly.
Referring again to FIG. 1, the output of counter 26 is connected to a digital display 41 which provides a digital indication of the load on the scale. Net weight can be determined at any time simply by resetting counter 26 to zero, following which the count will correspond to the subsequent increase or decrease in the load.
FIG. 1 also illustrates the use of the invention to provide automated filling of a container on the scale. For this purpose, the output of counter 26 is also connected to a logic circuit 42 which delivers output signals for controlling the operation of valves which control the flow of desired materials into the container. Weight preset switches 43 are connected to the logic circuit and provide means for setting the weights at which the valves are opened and closed. The logic circuit compares the output of the counter with the signals from the switches and delivers the control signals to the valve accordingly. As also illustrated in FIG. 1, the output of the counter can be delivered to a printer or other suitable recording device which can be controlled by logic circuit 42.
The invention has a number of important features and advantages. It can readily be added to an existing scale to provide a digital weight display and digital signals which can be recorded or utilized to control other equipment, as desired. Regardless of the resolution desired, only two data bits are required, and only one of these is produced for each increment of displacement. This results in a less complicated, less expensive, more flexible and more reliable system than has heretofore been possible.
It is apparent from the foregoing that a new and improved system and method for providing a digital indication of a load on a scale have been provided. While only the presently preferred embodiments have been described herein, as will be apparent to those familiar with the art, certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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System for providing a digital indication of the load on a scale, utilizing a relative position transducer to produce two output signals which vary between fixed levels in response to incremental displacements of the output indicator of the scale. The two signals are phase encoded in that one of the signals leads the other, depending upon the direction of displacement. The two signals are processed to determine the occurrence and direction of each increment of displacement, and the count in a digital counter is incremented or decremented in response to each increment according to the direction of the displacement.
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[0001] The present invention relates to amino acid sequences that bind to a desired molecule in a conditional manner (as defined herein), to proteins and polypeptides comprising or essentially consisting of such amino acid sequences; to nucleic acids that encode such amino acid sequences, proteins or polypeptides; to compositions, and in particular pharmaceutical compositions, that comprise such amino acid sequences, proteins and polypeptides; and to uses of such amino acid sequences, proteins and polypeptides.
[0002] Other aspects, embodiments, advantages and applications of the invention will become clear from the further description herein.
[0003] Proteins and peptides that bind to desired molecules are well known in the art. Some non-limiting examples include peptides and proteins with an immunoglobulin fold (i.e. immunoglobulins), such as antibodies and antibody fragments, binding units and binding molecules derived from antibodies and antibody fragments (such as heavy chain variables domains, light chain variable domains, domain antibodies and proteins and peptides suitable for use as domain antibodies, single domain antibodies and proteins and peptides suitable for use as single domain antibodies, Nanobodies® and dAbs™; as well as suitable fragments of any of the foregoing), as well as constructs comprising such antibody fragments, binding units or binding molecules (such as scFvs and diabodies). Reference is made to the prior art cited herein.
[0004] Other binding units or binding molecules for example include, without limitation, molecules based on other protein scaffolds than immunoglobulins including but not limited to protein A domains, tendamistat, fibronectin, lipocalin, CTLA-4, T-cell receptors, designed ankyrin repeats and PDZ domains (Binz et al, Nat. Biotech 2005, Vol 23:1257), and binding moieties based on DNA or RNA including but not limited to DNA or RNA aptamers (Ulrich et al. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen 2006 9(8):619-32).
[0005] In a first aspect, the invention relates to an amino acid sequence (also referred to herein as: “an amino acid sequence of the invention”) that is directed against a desired molecule, wherein said amino acid sequence:
a) binds to a desired molecule under a first biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less; and b) binds to said desired molecule under a second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10 fold different from (and in particular more than) the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition.
[0008] The invention also relates to compounds (as defined herein) that comprise at least one amino acid sequence of the invention. Such compounds are also referred to herein as “compounds of the invention”)
[0009] Other aspects and embodiments of the invention will become clear from the further description herein.
[0010] In the present description and claims, the term “biological condition” refers to the condition (or set of conditions) that may occur in the body (e.g. in at least one cell, tissue, organ or biological fluid, such as blood or lymphatic fluid) of an animal (and in particular of a mammal, such as a mouse, rat, rabbit, dog or primate) or human being, which may be a healthy animal or human being or an animal or human being that is suffering from a disease or disorder. The term “biological condition” also encompasses the conditions of in vitro or cellular assays or models that correspond to and/or are representative for conditions that may occur in the body of an animal or human being. Such conditions (whether occurring in vivo in a human or animal body or ex vivo in an in vitro or cellular assay or model) will be clear to the skilled person.
[0011] It will also be clear from the disclosure herein that the “first biological condition” will differ in at least one respect from the “second biological condition”. For example, the first biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions that are prevalent in a first physiological compartment or fluid, and the second biological condition comprises the physiological conditions that are prevalent in a second physiological compartment or fluid, wherein the first and second physiological compartments or fluids are, under normal physiological conditions, separated by at least one biological membrane such as a cell membrane, a wall of a cellular vesicle or a subcellular compartment, or a wall of a blood vessel.
[0012] According to one specific but non-limiting aspect, the amino acid sequence of the invention (or a compound comprising the same) is also capable, in a human or animal body, of crossing said biological membrane and/or is subjected to a biological action or mechanism (such as an active or passive transport mechanism) that allows it to cross said biological membrane, such that the amino acid sequence or compound of the invention goes from the first physiological compartment (where it is exposed to the first biological condition) into the second physiological compartment (where it exposed to the second biological condition).
[0013] Thus, according to one specific, but non-limiting aspect of the invention, the first biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions that are prevalent outside at least one cell of a human or animal body (i.e. extracellular conditions, such as the conditions in the immediate surroundings or near vicinity of said cell, and/or in the circulation of the human or animal body), and the second biological condition may comprise the conditions that are prevalent inside said cell (i.e. intracellular conditions) (or vise versa). For example, according to this specific non-limiting aspect of the invention, the second biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions that are prevalent in at least one intracellular or subcellular compartment of a cell (such as an endosomal compartment) of a human or animal body, and the first biological condition may comprise the conditions that are prevalent outside said cell (or vise versa).
[0014] According to another specific, but non-limiting aspect of the invention, the first biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions that are prevalent in the circulation (for example in the bloodstream or lymphatic system) of said human or animal body, and the second biological condition may comprise the conditions that are prevalent in at least one tissue or cell (such as in at least one subcellular compartment of such a cell, such as an endosomal compartment) of a human or animal body (or vise versa).
[0015] According to one particular aspect of the present invention, where the amino acid sequence of the invention (as such or bound to the desired molecule) can be taken up (e.g. by internalisation, pinocytosis, transcytosis, endocytosis, phagocytosis or a similar biological mechanism) or has been taken up and is the process of being transferred outside the cell by exocytose or other means by at least one cell of the human or animal body, the first biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions in which the amino acid sequence is present prior to it being taken up by the cell (e.g. outside the cell into which the amino acid sequence of the invention is taken up by internalization or pinocytosis, transcytosis or endocytosis for example in the blood stream or the lymphatic system) and the second biological condition comprises the physiological conditions in which the amino acid sequence is present after the amino acid sequence has been taken up into the cell (for example, in the subcellular compartment in which the amino acid sequence of the invention is present (immediately) upon internalization, pinocytosis, transcytosis or endocytosis (such as an endosome, lysosome, pinosome, or another cellular vesicle); or vise versa.
[0016] As will be explained in more detail below, this aspect is of particular importance when the desired molecule is a molecule that is taken up by a cell (i.e. subjected to internalization, pinocytosis, transcytosis or endocytosis or a similar biological mechanism) in the course of recycling thereof, as is for example the case with serum albumin.
[0017] Thus, in one specific, but non-limiting aspect, the amino acid sequence is directed against an intended or desired molecule that is subject to recycling and in the course thereof is taken up by at least one cell, and the first biological condition comprises the extracellular conditions with respect to at least one cell of the animal or human body that is involved in recycling of the desired compound (i.e. the conditions that are prevalent outside said cell, such as the conditions at the cell surface or in the immediate surroundings or near vicinity of the cell, and/or the conditions prevalent in the circulation, e.g. in the bloodstream or the lymphatic system), and the second biological condition comprises the conditions that are prevalent inside the cell (i.e. the conditions in the cell or the conditions in one intracellular or subcellular compartment thereof, such as the conditions within an endosome or a vesicle within the cell, and in particular within an intracellular or subcellular compartment that is involved in the recycling of the protein or polypeptide).
[0018] As a non-limiting example of this aspect of the invention, the amino acid sequence of the invention may be directed against a serum protein that is subject to recycling by at least one cell of the human or animal body (such as serum albumin), and the first biological condition may comprise the conditions that are prevalent in the circulation of said human or animal body, and the second biological condition may comprise the conditions that are prevalent inside said cell (i.e. the conditions in the cell or the conditions in one intracellular or subcellular compartment thereof, such as the conditions within an endosome or a vesicle within the cell, and in particular within an intracellular or subcellular compartment that is involved in the recycling of the protein or polypeptide).
[0019] As another non-limiting example of this aspect of the invention, the amino acid sequence of the invention may be directed against a protein or polypeptide on the surface of a cell that is subject to recycling by said cell (such as a receptor), and the first biological condition may comprise the conditions that are prevalent at the cell surface or in the immediate surroundings of said cell of the animal or human body, and the second biological condition may comprise the conditions that are prevalent inside said cell (i.e. the conditions in the cell or the conditions in one intracellular or subcellular compartment thereof, such as the conditions within an endosome or a vesicle within the cell, and in particular within an intracellular or subcellular compartment that is involved in the recycling of the protein or polypeptide).
[0020] This aspect (including the two specific examples thereof) may also allow targeting of the amino acid sequence of the invention (or a compound comprising the same, as further described herein) towards specific cells or tissues into which the desired molecule is taken up by internalization, pinocytosis, transcytosis or endocytosis (whether as part of recycling or otherwise). Outside the cell, the amino acid sequence or compound of the invention will bind to the desired molecule with high affinity or avidity (i.e. with an association constant or dissociation constant as described herein for binding under the first biological condition), and will thus be taken up into the cell while bound to the desired molecule. Upon such internalization, pinocytosis, transcytosis or endocytosis, the affinity or avidity of the amino acid sequence or compound of the invention for the desired compound will be reduced (i.e. to an association constant or dissociation constant as described herein for binding under the second biological condition), so that the amino acid sequence or compound is released from the desired molecule and can perform its intended or desired biological, physiological, pharmaceutical or therapeutic action in the cell. Generally, as will be clear to the skilled person, this mechanism may also be used to allow an amino acid sequence or compound of the invention to cross the cell membrane of a cell and to enter into said cell, and may also be used for intracellular targeting of a compound of the invention.
[0021] According to another specific but non-limiting aspect, the first biological condition and the second biological condition may differ in respect of pH, in which said first biological condition may comprise a physiological pH of more than 7.0, for example a pH of more than 7.1 or a pH of more than 7.2, such as a pH in the range of 7.2 to 7.4; and the second biological condition may comprise a physiological pH of less than 7.0, for example a pH of less than 6.7 or a pH of less than 6.5, such as a pH in the range of 6.5 to 6.0 (or vise versa).
[0022] According to yet another specific but non-limiting aspect, the first biological condition and the second biological condition may differ in respect of the number and type of proteases. The susceptibility of an amino acid sequence towards protease degradation is highly variable and sequence and protein dependent, the level of protein degradation in vivo will be dependant on the types of proteases actually encountered by the amino acid sequence. For example in endosomes, many cysteine cathepsins are present; in the lysosomes, a large panel of lipases, carbohydrases, proteases and nucleases are present that are optimally active at acidic pH (4.8); in the extracellular space and in the bloodstream, many other proteases (e.g. serine proteases) are active.
[0023] According to another specific, but non-limiting aspect, the first and second biological condition differ in respect of any two, any three or essentially all of the following factors: pH, ionic strength, protease contents; in which said factors may be and/or may differ as described herein.
[0024] According to another specific, but non-limiting aspect, the first biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions that are prevalent in a first physiological compartment or fluid, and the second biological condition comprises the physiological conditions that are prevalent in a second physiological compartment or fluid, wherein the first and second physiological compartments or fluids are, under normal physiological conditions, separated by at least one biological membrane such as cell membrane, a wall of a cellular vesicle or a subcellular compartment, or a wall of a blood vessel, wherein the conditions prevalent in the first physiological compartment or fluid and the conditions prevalent in the second physiological compartment or fluid differ in respect of any two, any three or essentially all of the following factors: pH, ionic strength, protease contents; in which said factors may be and/or may differ as described herein.
[0025] As will be clear from the description herein, the amino acid sequences and compounds of the invention are such that they bind with a different dissociation constant or association constant (which are as defined herein) to their respective desired molecules under the first and second biological conditions, respectively. This is generally referred to herein as “conditional binding”, and amino acid sequences that show such conditional binding are also referred to herein as “conditional” amino acid sequences (such as, for example, “conditional Nanobodies”) or as “conditional binders”.
[0026] The conditional amino acid sequences of the invention (as well as compounds comprising the same) are preferably such that they bind to their intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition (or set of biological conditions) with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10 times more, more preferably 100 fold more, more preferably at least 1000 fold more, than the dissociation constant with which the conditional amino acid sequence binds to its intended or desired molecule under the first biological condition (or set of biological conditions); and/or binds to its intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition (or set of biological conditions) with a binding affinity (K A ) that is at least 10 times less, more preferably 100 times less, more preferably at least 1000 times less, than the binding affinity with which said amino acid sequence binds to said intended desired molecule under said first biological condition (or set of biological conditions).
[0027] Thus, by means of illustration and without limitation, when the amino acid sequences of the invention may bind to said desired molecule under said first second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of about 10 −7 moles/liter and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) of about 10 7 M −1 , the amino acid sequences of the invention bind to said desired molecule under said second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of about 10 −6 moles/liter or more and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) of about 10 6 M −1 or less, preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of about 10 −5 moles/liter or more and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) of about 10 5 M −1 or less, and more preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of about 10 −4 moles/liter or more and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) of about 10 4 M −1 or less.
[0028] In addition, the amino acid sequences and compounds of the invention are preferably such that they bind to said intended or desired molecule under said first biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −6 moles/liter or less, more preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −7 moles/liter or less, and even more preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −4 moles/liter or less.
[0029] Furthermore, the amino acid sequences or compounds of the invention are preferably such that they bind to said intended or desired molecule under said second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −6 moles/liter or more, more preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or more, and even more preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −4 moles/liter or more.
[0030] The dissociation constant may be the actual or apparent dissociation constant, as will be clear to the skilled person. Methods for determining the dissociation constant will be clear to the skilled person, and for example include the techniques mentioned herein. In this respect, it will also be clear that it may not be possible to measure dissociation constants of more then 10 −4 moles/liter or 10 −3 moles/liter (e.g., of 10 −2 moles/liter). Accordingly, when a dissociation constant cannot be measured, it will be deemed for the purposes of the present invention to be a dissociation constant that is at least 1000 fold more than a dissociation constant of 10 5 moles/liter.
[0031] Optionally, as will also be clear to the skilled person, the (actual or apparent) dissociation constant may be calculated on the basis of the (actual or apparent) association constant (K A ), by means of the relationship [K D =1/K A ]. For this purpose, methods for determining the association constant at a certain pH value will be clear to the skilled person, and for example include the techniques mentioned herein. Also, from this, it will be clear that the amino acid sequences of the invention may also be such that they bind to the said desired molecule under a second biological condition with a binding affinity (K A ) that is at least 10 times less than the binding affinity with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition.
[0032] The affinity denotes the strength or stability of a molecular interaction. The affinity is commonly given as by the Kd, or dissociation constant, which has units of mol/liter, noted in brief as M. The affinity can also be expressed as an association constant, Ka which equals 1/Kd and has units of (mol/liter) −1 , in brief M −1 . Throughout this document we will express the stability of molecular interaction by its Kd value. But it should be understood that in view of the relation Ka=1/Kd, specifying the strength of molecular interaction by its Kd value, automatically specifies also the Ka value. The Kd characterizes the strength of a molecular interaction also in a thermodynamic sense as it is related to the free energy (DG) of binding by the well known relation DG=RT.ln(Kd) (equivalently DG=−RT.ln(Ka)), where R equals the gas constant, T equals the absolute temperature and ln denotes the natural logarithm. The Kd of meaningful biological complexes are typically in the range of 10 −10 M (0.1 nM) to 10 −5 M (10000 nM). The stronger an interaction is, the lower is its Kd.
[0033] Kd can also be expressed as the ratio of the dissociation rate constant of a complex, denoted as k off , to the rate of its association, denoted k on . In other words Kd=k off /k on . Clearly Ka=k on /k off . The off-rate k off has units s −1 (where s is the SI unit notation of second). The on-rate k on has units M −1 s −1 . The on-rate may vary between 10 2 M −1 s −1 to about 10 7 M −1 s −1 , approaching the diffusion-limited association rate constant for bimolecular interactions. The off-rate is related to the half-life of a given molecular interaction by the relation t 1/2 =ln(2)/k off . The off-rate may vary between 10 −6 s −1 (near irreversible complex with a t 1/2 of multiple days) to 1s −1 (t 1/2 =0.69 s).
[0034] The affinity of a molecular interaction between two molecules can be measured via different techniques such the well the known surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor technique (e.g. Ober et al., Intern. Immunology, 13, 1551-1559, 2001 used a Biacore 3000 SPR biosensor to study the affinity of albumin for FcRn under various pH conditions) where one molecule is immobilized on the biosensor chip and the other molecule is passed over the immobilized molecule under flow conditions yielding k on , k off measurements and hence Kd (or Ka) values.
[0035] It should be noted that the measured Kd corresponds to an apparent Kd if the measuring process somehow influences the intrinsic binding affinity of the implied molecules for example by artifacts related to the coating on the biosensor of one molecule. Also, an apparent Kd may be measured if one molecule contains more than one recognition sites for the other molecule. In such situation the measured affinity may be affected by the avidity of the interaction by the two molecules. For example, SPR experiments with immobilized human FcRn show a significantly higher affinity (avidity) for human IgG as compared to the affinity of the FcRn interaction with immobilized IgG paralleling the 2:1 stoichiometry of the FcRn-IgG interaction (Sanchez et al., Biochemistry, 38, 9471-9476, 1999).
[0036] Another approach that may be used to assess affinity is the 2-step ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) procedure of Friguet et al. (J. Immunol. Methods, 77, 305-19, 1985). This method establishes a solution phase binding equilibrium measurement and avoids possible artifacts relating to adsorption of one of the molecules on a support such as plastic.
[0037] For example Nguyen et al. (Protein Eng Des Sel., 19, 291-297, 2006) have recently measured the affinity for albumin of Fab constructs using the Friguet assay. However, the accurate measurement of Kd may be quite labor-intensive and as consequence, often apparent Kd values are determined to assess the binding strength of two molecules. It should be noted that as long all measurements are made in a consistent way (e.g. keeping the assay conditions unchanged) apparent Kd measurements can be used as an approximation of the true Kd and hence in the present document Kd and apparent Kd should be treated with equal importance or relevance.
[0038] Finally, it should be noted that in many situations the experienced scientist may judge it to be convenient to determine the binding affinity relative to some reference molecule. For example, to assess the binding strength between molecules A and B, one may e.g. use a reference molecule C that is known to bind to B and that is suitably labeled with a fluorophore or chromophore group or other chemical moiety, such as biotin for easy detection in an ELISA or FACS (Fluorescent activated cell sorting) or other format (the fluorophore for fluorescence detection, the chromophore for light absorption detection, the biotin for streptavidin-mediated ELISA detection). Typically, the reference molecule C is kept at a fixed concentration and the concentration of B is varied for a given concentration or amount of B. As a result an IC50 value is obtained corresponding to the concentration of A at which the signal measured for C in absence of A is halved. Provided Kd ref , the Kd of the reference molecule, is known, as well as the total concentration c ref of the reference molecule, the apparent Kd for the interaction A-B can be obtained from following formula:
[0000] Kd=IC50/(1+c ref /Kd ref ). Note that if c ref <<Kd ref , Kd≈IC50. Provided one performs the IC50 measurement in a consistent way (e.g. keeping c ref fixed), the strength or stability of a molecular interaction can be assessed by the IC50 and this measurement is judged as equivalent to Kd or to apparent Kd throughout this text.
[0039] Preferably, an amino acid sequence of the invention which is in monovalent form (as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with an affinity (K D ) better than 3000 nM, preferably better than 300 nM, more preferably better than 30 nM such as better than 3 nM, and will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an affinity that is at least 10 times worse, preferably more than 100 times worse, such as at least 1000 times worse or more. For example, and without limitation, a monovalent amino acid sequence may bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an affinity worse than 3 nM, more preferably worse than 30 nM, more preferably worse than 300 nM, such as worse than 3000 nM.
[0040] Besides the affinity of the interaction, also the kinetics of the interaction may be a driving factor in the conditional binding behaviour of the molecule. For example differences in on and off-rates may play a role in influencing the outcome of a binding event, e.g. the speed of detachment from a bound antigen upon changing biological conditions, the rate of binding to the antigen upon changing biological conditions. Preferably, an amino acid sequence of the invention which is in monovalent form (as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with an off-rate better than 10 −1 s −1 , preferably better than 10 −2 s −1 , more preferably better than 10 −3 s −1 such as better than 10 −4 s −1 and will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an off-rate that is at least 10 times worse, preferably more than 100 times worse, such as at least 1000 times worse or more. For example, and without limitation, a monovalent amino acid sequence may bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an off-rate worse than 10 −4 s −1 , more preferably worse than 10 −3 s −1 , more preferably worse than 10 −2 s −1 , such as worse than 10 −1 s −1 . Preferably, an amino acid sequence of the invention which is in monovalent form (as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with an on-rate better than 10 2 M −1 s −1 , preferably better than 10 3 M −1 s −1 , more preferably better than 10 4 M −1 s −1 such as better than 10 5 M −1 s −1 and will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an on-rate that is at least 10 times worse, preferably more than 100 times worse, such as at least 1000 times worse or more. For example, and without limitation, a monovalent amino acid sequence may bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with a corresponding on-rate worse than 10 5 M −1 s −1 , more preferably worse than 10 4 M −1 s −1 , more preferably worse than 10 3 M −1 s −1 , such as worse than 10 2 M −1 s −1 .
[0041] In another embodiment of the invention, an amino acid sequence of the invention which may be in monovalent, bivalent or multivalent form (e.g. as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with k off rate (i.e. an off-rate) between 0.1 s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 , preferably between 0.1 s −1 and 10 −5 s −1 and more preferably between 0.01 s −1 and 10 −4 s −1 and said amino acid sequence of the invention will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an off-rate that is at least 1.5 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition, preferably more than 1.7 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition, more preferably 2 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition, more preferably 3 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition, more preferably 5 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition more preferably 10 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition more preferably 20 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition.
[0042] In another embodiment of the invention, an amino acid sequence of the invention which may be in monovalent, bivalent or multivalent form (e.g. as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with k off rate (i.e. an off-rate) between 0.1 s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 , preferably between 0.1 s −1 and 10 −5 s −1 and more preferably between 0.01 s −1 and 10 −4 s −1 and said amino acid sequence of the invention will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an off-rate that is at least 1.5 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition, preferably more than 1.7 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition, more preferably 2 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition, more preferably 3 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition, more preferably 5 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition more preferably 10 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition more preferably 20 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition; and wherein said amino acid sequence of the invention binds monovalently to a serum protein (preferably serum albumin) and to a target protein in monovalent, bivalent or multivalent way.
[0043] In another embodiment of the invention, an amino acid sequence of the invention which may be in monovalent, bivalent or multivalent form (e.g. as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with k off rate (i.e. an off-rate) between 0.1 s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 and said amino acid sequence of the invention will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an off-rate that is at least 2 times or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition.
[0044] In another embodiment of the invention, an amino acid sequence of the invention which may be in monovalent, bivalent or multivalent form (e.g. as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with k off rate (i.e. an off-rate) between 0.1 s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 and said amino acid sequence of the invention will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an off-rate that is at least 5 times or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition.
[0045] In another embodiment of the invention, an amino acid sequence of the invention which may be in monovalent, bivalent or multivalent form (e.g. as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with k off rate (i.e. an off-rate) between 0.01 s −1 and 10 −4 s −1 and said amino acid sequence of the invention will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an off-rate that is at least 2 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition; and wherein said amino acid sequence of the invention binds monovalently to a serum protein (preferably serum albumin) and to a target protein in a monovalent, bivalent or multivalent way.
[0046] In another embodiment of the invention, an amino acid sequence of the invention which may be in monovalent, bivalent or multivalent form (e.g. as described herein) will, under the first biological condition, bind to the intended or desired molecule with k off rate (i.e. an off-rate) between 0.01 s −1 and 10 −4 s −1 and said amino acid sequence of the invention will bind to the intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition with an off-rate that is at least 5 times higher or more than the off-rate under the first biological condition; and wherein said amino acid sequence of the invention binds monovalently to a serum protein (preferably serum albumin) and to a target protein in a monovalent, bivalent or multivalent way.
[0047] The binding of an amino acid sequence to an intended or desired molecule (including the association constant, dissociation constant, affinity, k on rate or k off rate of such binding) under the first and second biological condition, respectively, can be determined in any suitable manner known per se, including, for example, Scatchard analysis and/or competitive binding assays, such as radioimmunoassays (RIA), enzyme immunoassays (ETA) and sandwich competition assays, and the different variants thereof known per se in the art. Again, as mentioned above, the binding can be measured in vivo in the human or animal body, or—where this is not feasible or practicable—ex vivo, for example under the conditions of in vitro or cellular assays or models that correspond to and/or are representative for conditions that may occur in the body of an animal or human body. For example, where the first or second biological condition comprises the physiological conditions prevalent in the circulation of a human or animal, the binding of the amino acid sequence of the invention under said condition can be determined in a blood sample, a plasma sample or another suitable blood- or plasma-derived preparation or solution derived from said human or animal. Where the first or second biological condition comprises the physiological conditions prevalent in a cell, the binding of the amino acid sequence of the invention under said condition can be determined in a suitable cellular extract. Where the first or second biological condition differ in pH and/or in ion strength, the binding of the amino acid sequence of the invention under said first and second biological condition (i.e. at the relevant value(s) of the pH and/or the ionic strength) can for example be determined using one or more suitable physiological buffers or solutions.
[0048] The amino acid sequence of the invention may be any protein or polypeptide (or a derivative thereof, such as a pegylated derivative) that can bind to (as described herein) and/or has affinity for an intended or desired molecule.
[0049] According to a specific but non-limiting aspect of the invention, the amino acid sequence of the invention may be chosen from the group consisting of proteins and peptides with an immunoglobulin fold, proteins and peptides based on other protein scaffolds then immunoglobulins including but not limited to protein A domains, tendamistat, fibronectin, lipocalin, CTLA-4, T-cell receptors, designed ankyrin repeats and PDZ domains (Binz et al, Nat. Biotech 2005, Vol 23:1257), and binding moieties based on DNA or RNA including but not limited to DNA or RNA aptamers (Ulrich et al. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen 2006 9(8):619-32); and in particular from the group consisting of proteins and peptides with an immunoglobulin fold (or from suitable parts, fragments, analogs, homologs, orthologs, variants, derivatives, etc. of any of the foregoing).
[0050] Also, according to one specific, but non-limiting aspect, an amino acid sequence of the invention may comprise or essentially consist of four framework regions separated from each other by three complementarity determining regions (or from suitable parts, fragments, analogs, homologs, orthologs, variants, derivatives, etc. of such proteins or polypeptides. As further described herein, such parts or fragments preferably at least comprise at least one CDR of such a protein or polypeptide). For example, an amino acid sequence of the invention may be chosen from the group consisting of antibodies and antibody fragments, binding units and binding molecules derived from antibodies or antibody fragments, and antibody fragments, binding units or binding molecules; and in particular from the group consisting of heavy chain variable domains, light chain variable domains, domain antibodies and proteins and peptides suitable for use as domain antibodies, single domain antibodies and proteins and peptides suitable for use as single domain antibodies, Nanobodies® and dAbs™ (or from suitable parts, fragments, analogs, homologs, orthologs, variants, derivatives, etc. of such proteins or polypeptides. Again, such parts or fragments preferably at least comprise at least one CDR).
[0051] Depending on how the amino acid sequence of the invention is chosen, it preferably comprises between 4 and 500 amino acid residues, more preferably between 5 and 300 amino acid residues, and even more preferably between 10 and 200 amino acid residues, such as between 20 and 150 amino acid residues, for example about 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130 or 140 amino acid residues.
[0052] Also, the amino acid sequences of the invention preferably comprise a single amino acid chain (with or without disulphide bridges/linkages).
[0053] In one specific, non-limiting embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention are small linear peptides that essentially do not comprise an immunoglobulin fold. In this embodiment the amino acid sequences of the invention may comprise between 3 and 50, preferably between 5 and 40, such as about 10, 15, 20 or 25 amino acid residues. Such peptides may for example be small synthetic or semi-synthetic peptides and/or may be derived from or comprise at least one CDR from an immunoglobulin of the invention that is directed against the intended or desired molecule (i.e. in which said immunoglobulin may be as further described herein). For example, such a peptide may be derived from or comprise at least one CDR (such as CDR1, CDR2, and in particular CDR3) from a heavy chain variable domain, light chain variable domain, domain antibodies, single domain antibodies, Nanobodies™ or dAbs™ of the invention, and in particular from a Nanobody of the invention. Reference is for example made to WO 03/050531 (Ablynx N.V. and Algonomics N.V.), which describes methods for the identification and selection of peptides, in particular immunoglobulin heavy chain variable domain CDR sequences that bind to a given target or targets of interest.
[0054] According to another preferred embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention is chosen from the group consisting of domain antibodies, single domain antibodies and proteins and peptides suitable for use as single domain antibodies, Nanobodies® and dAbs™ (or of suitable parts, fragments, analogs, homologs, orthologs, variants, derivatives thereof).
[0055] Most preferably, the amino acid sequence of the invention is a V HH domain Nanobody®. For a description of Nanobodies and methods for producing the same, reference is made to the further prior art cited herein.
[0056] The intended or desired molecule against which the amino acid sequence of the invention is directed may be any suitable or desired molecule. Generally, it will be a molecule that is present in the body of a human or animal body, for example a molecule that naturally occurs in a human or animal body; a molecule that occurs in a human or animal body when said human or animal suffers from a disease or disorder; or a molecule that does not naturally occur in a human or animal body (but that has been administered or that has otherwise entered into the human or animal body).
[0057] When the desired or intended molecule is a molecule that naturally occurs in a human or animal body or on the body of a human or animal that suffers from a disease or disorder, the molecule may for example be any biological molecule, such as a protein, (poly)peptide, receptor, antigen, antigenic determinant, enzyme, factor, etc. Examples of these and other suitable biological molecules will be clear to the skilled person based on the disclosure herein.
[0058] When the desired or intended molecule is a molecule that does not occur naturally in a human or animal body, the molecule may for example be a heterologous protein, a (protein present on the coat of) a virus, a (protein present in the cell wall of) a bacterium or fungus, a xenobiotic compound, etc. Examples of these and other suitable biological molecules will be clear to the skilled person based on the disclosure herein.
[0059] According to one specific but non-limiting embodiment (described in more detail herein), the intended or desired molecule may be a serum protein such as albumin, and in particular a human serum protein such as human scrum albumin. Examples of other serum proteins against which the present amino acid sequences may be directed are those mentioned in the International application WO 04/003019 (see also EP 1 517 921).
[0060] According to one specific but non-limiting embodiment, the intended or desired molecule may be any biological molecule that, within the human or animal body in which it is present, is subjected to recycling, internalization, pinocytosis, transcytosis or endocytosis or otherwise taken up by at least one cell or tissue within the human body. Some non-limiting examples include some serum proteins such as serum albumin and some receptors.
[0061] According to one specific but non-limiting embodiment, the intended or desired molecule may be any biological molecule that is present on the surface of at least one cell or tissue of a human or animal body. Again, some non-limiting examples include receptors such as the insulin receptor. According to a specific aspect of this embodiment, this biological molecule can also be taken up by the cell on which it is present, for example as part of recycling (e.g. receptor recycling).
[0062] In other aspects, the invention relates to methods for generating the amino acid sequences of the invention. In one aspect, said method at least comprises the steps of:
a) providing a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences; and b) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition can bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less; c) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said second biological condition bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10 fold more than the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition; and d) isolating the amino acid sequence(s) that under the first biological condition can bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less and that under said second biological condition bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10 fold more than the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition;
[0068] In particular, such a method can comprise the steps of:
a) providing a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences; and b) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition can bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less, so as to provide a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition can bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less; and c) screening the set, collection or library of amino acid sequences obtained in step b) for amino acid sequences that under said second biological condition bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10 fold more than the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition; and
[0072] d) isolating the amino acid sequence(s) that under the first biological condition can bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less and that under said second biological condition bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10 fold more than the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence hinds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition.
[0073] Generally, in these methods, the step h) of screening the set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition can bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less is performed by screening under the first biological condition.
[0074] Similarly, in these methods, the step c) of screening the set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said second biological condition bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10 fold more than the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition; is performed under the second biological condition.
[0075] In other aspects, the invention relates to methods for generating the amino acid sequences of the invention. In one aspect, said method at least comprises the steps of:
a) providing a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences; and b) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition can bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate of 0.1 s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 , e.g. such a k off as 0.01 to 0.00001; and c) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said second biological condition bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate that is at least 1.5 times or more than the k off rate with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition, more preferably the k off rate is 1.7 times or more, more preferably the k off rate is 2 times or more, more preferably the k off rate is 3 times or more, more preferably the k off rate is 4 times or more, more preferably the k off rate is 5 times or more, more preferably the k off rate is 10 times or more; and d) isolating said amino acid sequence(s).
[0080] In another embodiment of the invention, such a method can comprise the steps of:
a) providing a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences; and b) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition can bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate of 0.1 s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 , e.g. such a k off as 0.01 to 0.00001; and c) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said second biological condition bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate that is at least 2 times or more than the k off rate with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition; and d) isolating said amino acid sequence(s).
[0085] In another embodiment of the invention, such a method can comprise the steps of:
a) providing a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences; and b) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition, e.g. a pH between 7.2 to 7.4, e.g. 7.2, can bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate of 0.1 s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 , e.g. such a k off as 0.01 to 0.00001; and c) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said second biological condition, e.g. a pH between 5 and 6, e.g. pH 5.5, bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate that is at least 2 times or more than the k off rate with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition; and d) isolating said amino acid sequence(s); and optionally e) evaluate in vivo (e.g. PK evaluation in Cynomolgus monkey) the half life of said amino acid sequences.
[0091] In another embodiment of the invention, such a method can comprise the steps of:
a) providing a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences; and b) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition, e.g. pH between 7.2 to 7.4, e.g. 7.3, can bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate of 0.1 s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 , e.g. such a k off as 0.01 to 0.00001; and c) (screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said second biological condition, e.g. a pH between 5 and 6, e.g. pH 5.5, bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate that is at least 2 times or more such as 3 times, 5 times, 10 times, 100 times, 1000 times than the k off rate with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said first biological condition; or d) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said second biological condition does not bind to said desired molecule), and e) isolating said amino acid sequence(s); and optionally f) evaluate in vivo (e.g. PK evaluation in Cynomolgus monkey) the half life of said amino acid sequences.
[0098] In another embodiment of the invention, such a method can comprise the steps of:
a) providing a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences; and b) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under the second biological condition, e.g. a pH between 5 and 6, e.g. pH 5.5, can bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate of 0.1 and s −1 and 10 −6 s −1 , e.g. such a k off as 0.01 to 0.00001; and c) (screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said first biological condition, e.g. a pH between 7.2 and 7.4, e.g. pH 7.3, bind to said desired molecule with a k off rate that is at least 2 times or more such as 3 times, 5 times, 10 times, 100 times, 1000 times than the k off rate with which said amino acid sequence binds to said desired molecule under said second biological condition; or d) screening said set, collection or library of amino acid sequences for amino acid sequences that under said first biological condition does not bind to said desired molecule), and e) isolating said amino acid sequence(s); and optionally f) evaluate in vivo (e.g. PK evaluation in Cynomolgus monkey) the half life of said amino acid sequences.
[0105] As will be clear to the skilled person, the screening step can also be performed as a selection step. For example, antibody-antigen interactions are known to be often sensitive to changes in buffer conditions, pH and ionic strength, but most often those changes are not scored or investigated, and they are not often used to design drug therapeutics as variations are overall unpredictable. Binding proteins with the desirable binding characteristics are found for example by screening repertoires of binding proteins for the occurrence of a sensitive interaction, e.g. by carrying out a binding assay with under the first and second biological condition, respectively, and the relative binding strength determined. Such strength of relative interaction can be measured with any suitable binding test including ELISA, BIAcore-based methods, Scatchard analysis etc. Such test will reveal which binding proteins display interactions that are sensitive to the chosen parameter (pH) and to what extent. Binding proteins with the desirable binding characteristics are alternatively found by selecting repertoires of binding proteins, e.g. from phage, ribosome, yeast or cellular libraries using conditions in the selection that will preferentially enrich for the desirable sensitivity. Taking a first and second biological condition that differ in respect of pH as an example, incubating a phage antibody library at basic pH (e.g. pH 7.4) and eluting the bound phage particles with a buffer of lower pH (e.g. 6.0) will enrich for those phage antibodies that are recognizing antigen sensitive to this pH change. A repetitive cycle of such selections is then followed by screening of individual clones to identify the binding protein that displays pH-dependent binding in this pH window. Binding proteins with the desirable binding characteristics can further be isolated from designer protein libraries in which the putative binding site has been engineered to contain amino acid residues or sequences that are preferred in certain ‘sensitive’ interactions, e.g. histidines for pH-sensitivity. For example, it is known that the interaction between FcRn and IgG is exquisitely sensitive to pH, being reduced over 2 orders of magnitude as the pH is raised from pH 6.0 to 7.0. The main mechanistic basis of the affinity transition is the histidine content of the binding site: the imidazole side changes of histidine residues usually deprotonate over the pH range 6.0-7.0. The explicit inclusion of histidines in the putative binding site (e.g. using oligonucleotides that preferentially introduce this residue in the library, as with the use of trinucleotides and known in the field. e.g. Knappik et al, J. Mol. Biol. 2000, vol 296:57-86) is predicted to yield a higher frequency of amino acid sequences that bind essentially dependent of the pH.
[0106] Accordingly the term “screening” as used in the present description can comprise selection, screening or any suitable combination of selection and/or screening techniques.
[0107] In general, steps b) and c) can be performed as single or separate screening steps, or as part of a single screening process. When steps b) and c) are performed as part of a single screening process, such a screening process may for example comprise the steps of:
i) bringing the set, collection or library of amino acid sequences in contact with the desired molecule under the first biological condition (i.e. such that amino acid sequences that can bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less bind to the desired molecule, and such that amino acid sequences that can not bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less do not bind to the desired molecule); ii) removing the amino acid sequence that do not bind in step i) (i.e. those amino acid sequences that under the first biological condition do not bind to said desired molecule with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less); so that a set or collection of amino acid sequences remains that is bound to the intended to desired molecule (and that is still present under the first biological condition); iii) subjecting the set or collection of amino acid sequences to the second biological condition, such that amino acid sequences that do not conditionally hind (as defined herein) to the intended or desired molecule stay bound to the intended or desired molecule, and such that amino acid sequences that conditionally bind (as defined herein) to the intended or desired molecule no longer stay bound to the intended or desired molecule; iv) separating the amino acid sequences that conditionally bind (as defined herein) to the intended or desired molecule from the amino acid sequences that do not conditionally bind (that are still bound to the desired molecule);
and optionally
v) collecting the amino acid sequences that conditionally bind to the intended or desired molecule.
[0113] For example, this single screening process can easily be performed by providing a suitable carrier or support (such as a column, beads, or solid surface such as the surface of a well of a multi-well plate, or the stationary phase of a Biacore) onto which the desired molecule is suitably immobilized (for example covalently or via an avidin-steptavidin linkage); contacting the carrier or support with the set, collection or library of amino acid sequences; washing away the amino acid sequences that do not bind to the desired molecule bound to the carrier or support; changing the conditions to the second biological condition, and collecting the amino acid sequences that under the second biological condition do not bind to the to the desired molecule bound to the carrier or support.
[0114] Alternatively, as described in more detail below, amino acid sequences of the invention may be obtained by enriching a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences (as described herein) for conditional binders that bind to the desired molecule,
[0115] The set, collection or library of amino acid sequences used in the above method(s) can be any suitable set, collection or library of amino acid sequences. For example, the set, collection or library of amino acid sequences may be a set, collection or library of immunoglobulin sequences or of fragments of immunoglobulin sequences, such as a set, collection or library of immunoglobulin variable domain sequences or a fragments thereof, e.g. a set, collection or library of V H -, V L - or V HH -sequences or a fragments thereof. In one specific, but non-limiting aspect, the set, collection or library of amino acid sequences a set, collection or library of domain antibodies, of proteins that can be used as domain antibodies, of “dAb”, of single domain antibodies, of proteins that can be used as single domain antibodies, or of Nanobodies (or of suitable fragments of any of the foregoing).
[0116] The set, collection or library of amino acid sequences may be a naïve set, collection or library; may be a set, collection or library of synthetic or semi-synthetic amino acid sequences (for example, without limitation, a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences that has been generated by affinity maturation), or may be an immune set, collection or library. In one embodiment, the set, collection or library is an immune set, collection or library that has been obtained by suitably immunizing a mammal (such as a rabbit, rat, mouse, pig or dog, or Camelid) with an antigen (such that said mammal forms antibodies against said antigen), and then generating a set, collection or library of immunoglobulin sequences starting from a biological sample (such as blood or a sample of B-cells) obtained from said mammal. Methods and techniques for obtaining and screening such an immune set, collection or library will be clear to the skilled person, for example from the prior art cited herein. In one preferred aspect, the set, collection or library of immunoglobulin sequences is obtained from a mammal that has been suitably immunized with the intended serum protein (e.g. with serum albumin). In another preferred aspect, the set, collection or library is a set, collection or library of V HH sequences obtained from a Camelid, and in particular an immune set, collection or library of V HH sequences obtained from a Camelid that has been suitably immunized with the intended serum protein (e.g. with serum albumin).
[0117] The set, collection or library may contain any suitable number of amino acid sequences, such as 1, 2, 3 or about 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10 4 , 10 5 , 10 6 , 10 7 , 10 8 or more sequences.
[0118] The above set, collection or library of amino acid sequences may contain one or more sequences that are not known in advance of the selection and/or screening process for example if these sequences are the result of a randomization step (e.g. via error-prone PCR or other means) of one or more given amino acid sequences. Also, one or more or all of the amino acid sequences in the above set, collection or library of amino acid sequences may be obtained or defined by rational, or semi-empirical approaches such as computer modelling techniques or biostatics or data-mining techniques wherein amino acid sequences may have been defined or proposed that are predicted or expected to be endowed with certain properties such as increased stability, pH optimum, protease sensitivity or other properties or combinations thereof.
[0119] In such a set, collection or library (and/or during the screening steps described herein), the amino acid sequences present in said set, collection or library may also be suitably displayed on a suitable host or host cell, for example on phage particles, ribosomes, bacteria, yeast cells, etc. Again, suitable hosts or host cells, suitable techniques for displaying amino acid sequences on such hosts or host cells, and suitable techniques for screening a set, collection or library of amino acid sequences displayed on such hosts or host cells will be clear to the skilled person, for example from the prior art cited herein. When the amino acid sequence(s) are displayed on a suitable host or host cell, it is also possible (and customary) to first isolate from said host or host cell a nucleotide sequence that encodes the desired amino acid sequence, and then to obtain the desired amino acid sequence by suitably expressing said nucleotide sequence in a suitable host organism. Again, this can be performed in any suitable manner known per se, as will be clear to the skilled person.
[0120] By means of non-limiting example, such set, collection or library can comprise one, two or more amino acid sequences that are variants from one another (e.g. with designed point mutations or with randomized positions), compromise multiple amino acid sequences derived from a diverse set of naturally diversified amino acid sequences (e.g. an immune library)), or any other source of diverse amino acid sequences (as described for example in Hoogenboom et al, Nat Biotechnol 23:1105, 2005 and Binz et al, Nat Biotechnol 2005, 23:1247). Such set, collection or library of amino acid sequences can be displayed on the surface of a phage particle, a ribosome, a bacterium, a yeast cell, a mammalian cell, and linked to the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence within these carriers. This makes such set, collection or library amenable to selection procedures to isolate the desired amino acid sequences of the invention.
[0121] The amino acid sequences of the invention may also contain one or more additional binding sites for one or more other antigens, antigenic determinants, proteins, polypeptides, or other compounds.
[0122] The amino acid sequences disclosed herein can be used with advantage as a fusion partner for other moieties (such as other amino acid sequences, proteins or polypeptides, or other chemical entities), and in particular as a fusion partner for therapeutic moieties such as therapeutic proteins or polypeptides, therapeutic compounds (including, without limitation, small molecules) or other therapeutic entities. Such a construct or fusion comprising at least one amino acid sequence of the invention and at least one further compound, moiety or entity is also referred to herein as a “compound of the invention”.
[0123] Thus, in another aspect, the invention provides compounds such as polypeptide or protein constructs that comprise or essentially consist of an amino acid sequence as disclosed herein that is linked to at least one therapeutic moiety, optionally via one or more suitable linkers or spacers. Such polypeptide or protein construct may for example (without limitation) be a fusion protein, as further described herein.
[0124] The invention further relates to therapeutic uses of polypeptide or protein constructs or fusion proteins and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such polypeptide or protein constructs or fusion proteins.
[0125] In some embodiments the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of a therapeutic protein, polypeptide, compound, factor or other entity. In a preferred embodiment the therapeutic moiety is directed against a desired antigen or target, is capable of binding to a desired antigen (and in particular capable of specifically binding to a desired antigen), and/or is capable of interacting with a desired target. In another embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of a therapeutic protein or polypeptide. In a further embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of an immunoglobulin or immunoglobulin sequence (including but not limited to a fragment of an immunoglobulin), such as an antibody or an antibody fragment (including but not limited to an ScFv fragment). In yet another embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of an antibody variable domain, such as a heavy chain variable domain or a light chain variable domain.
[0126] In a preferred embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of at least one domain antibody or single domain antibody, “dAb” or Nanobody®, so that the resulting polypeptide or protein construct or fusion protein is a multivalent construct and preferably a multispecific construct.
[0127] By a “multivalent” compound, protein, polypeptide or construct is meant in this description a compound, protein, polypeptide or construct that comprises at least two binding units (i.e. binding to the same or different epitopes), all of which can bind to the same (type of) biological molecule. By a “bivalent” compound, protein, polypeptide or construct is meant in this description, a compound, protein, polypeptide or construct that comprises two binding units, which can bind to the same (type of) biological molecule. By a “monovalent” compound, protein or polypeptide is meant in this description, a compound, protein or polypeptide that essentially consists of one binding unit, which can bind to a biological molecule.
[0128] By “binding unit” is meant in this description any amino acid sequence, peptide, protein, polypeptide, construct, fusion protein, compound, factor or other entity capable of binding a biological molecule as described herein, such as an amino acid sequence of the invention or a therapeutic moiety (both as described herein). When a compound, protein, polypeptide or construct comprises two or more binding units, said binding units may optionally be linked to each other via one or more suitable linkers.
[0129] By a “multispecific” compound, protein, polypeptide or construct is meant in this description, a compound, protein, polypeptide or construct that comprises at least two binding units, of which at least a first binding unit can bind to a first biologically functional molecule and of which at least a second binding unit can bind to a second biologically functional molecule. By a “bispecific” compound, protein, polypeptide or construct is meant in this description, a compound, protein, polypeptide or construct that comprises two binding unit, of which the first binding unit can bind to a first biologically functional molecule and of which the second binding unit can bind to a second biologically functional molecule. The first and second biologically functional molecule may be different molecules or may be the same biological molecule in which case the bispecific compound recognizes or binds to the biological molecule at to different sites.
[0130] In a specific embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of at least one monovalent Nanobody® or a bivalent, multivalent, bispecific or multispecific Nanobody® construct.
[0131] In another specific embodiment, the compounds of the invention may comprise two or more amino acid sequences of the invention (and optionally one or more further moieties as described herein), optionally linked via one or more suitable linkers, in which the two or more amino acid sequences of the invention may be directed against the same desired or intended molecule (for example, to provide a conditional binder with increased avidity under the first biological condition), against different parts of epitopes on the same desired or intended molecule (again, for example, to provide a conditional binder with increased avidity under the first biological condition), or against different intended or desired molecules.
[0132] According to this last non-limiting embodiment, a compound of the invention may be a bispecific (or multispecific) compound that conditionally binds to two or more different intended desired molecules. As such, the compound of the invention may be such that it binds to both a first and a second intended or desired molecule under the first biological condition (or alternatively, under the second biological condition), or may be such that it binds to a first intended or desired molecule under the first biological condition but binds to a second intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition. Thus, when changing from the first biological condition to the second biological condition, such a compound of the invention will therefore be released from the first intended or desired molecule and bind to the second intended or desired molecule.
[0133] Some specific but non-limiting applications of conditional binders in such compounds of the invention for the purposes of extending the half-life of therapeutic compounds, moieties or entities will become clear from the further description herein,
[0134] In other embodiments, a compound of the invention may comprises at least one conditional binding unit as described herein, and one or more further binding units that are not conditional binders.
[0135] Again, some specific but non-limiting applications of conditional binders in such compounds of the invention for the purposes of extending the half-life of therapeutic compounds, moieties or entities will become clear from the further description herein.
[0136] The invention also relates to nucleotide sequences or nucleic acids that encode amino acid sequences, compounds, proteins, polypeptides, fusion proteins, or multivalent or multispecific constructs described herein. The invention further includes genetic constructs that include the foregoing nucleotide sequences or nucleic acids and one or more elements for genetic constructs known per se. The genetic construct may be in the form of a plasmid or vector. Such and other genetic constructs are known by those skilled in the art.
[0137] The invention also relates to hosts or host cells that contain such nucleotide sequences or nucleic acids, and/or that express (or are capable of expressing) amino acid sequences, compounds, proteins, polypeptides, fusion proteins, or multivalent or multispecific constructs described herein. Again, such hosts or host cells are known by those skilled in the art.
[0138] The invention also generally relates to a method for preparing amino acid sequences, compounds, proteins, polypeptides, fusion proteins, or multivalent or multispecific constructs as described herein, which method comprises cultivating or maintaining a host cell as described herein under conditions such that said host cell produces or expresses an amino acid sequence, compound, protein, polypeptide, fusion protein, or multivalent or multispecific construct as described herein, and optionally further comprises isolating the amino acid sequence, compound, protein, polypeptide, fusion protein, or multivalent or multispecific construct so produced. Again, such methods can be performed as generally described in the co-pending patent applications by applicant mentioned herein.
[0139] The amino acid sequences and compounds of the invention can be designed and used for any suitable purpose known per se, depending on the choice of the intended or desired compound(s) against which the conditional binder(s) present in the compound of the invention is or are directed, and also dependent on the further moieties, compounds or binding units (that may be either conditional or non-conditional binding units) that are present in the compound of the invention. Such purposes and amino acid sequences and compounds of the invention suitable for such applications will be clear to the skilled person based on the disclosure herein.
[0140] According to one specific, but non-limiting application of the invention, the amino acid sequences of the invention are directed against a serum protein, and can be used as a fusion partner, binding unit or moiety for increasing the half-life of a therapeutic moiety or compound (as described herein).
[0141] Amino acid sequences that are capable of binding to serum proteins and uses thereof in polypeptide constructs in order to increase the half-life of therapeutically relevant proteins, polypeptides and other compounds are known in the art.
[0142] For example, WO 91/01743, WO 01/45746 and WO 02/076489 describe peptide moieties binding to serum albumin that can be fused to therapeutic proteins and other therapeutic compounds and entities in order to increase the half-life thereof. However, these peptide moieties are of bacterial or synthetic origin, which is less preferred for use in therapeutics.
[0143] The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), also termed “Brambell receptor”, is involved in prolonging the life-span of albumin in circulation (see Chaudhury et al., The Journal of Experimental Medicine, vol. 3, no. 197, 315-322 (2003)). The FcRn receptor is an integral membrane glycoprotein consisting of a soluble light chain consisting of β2-microglobulin, noncovalently bound to a 43 kD α chain with three extracellular domains, a transmembrane region and a cytoplasmic tail of about 50 amino acids. The cytoplasmic tail contains a dinucleotide motif-based endocytosis signal implicated in the internalization of the receptor. The α chain is a member of the nonclassical MHC I family of proteins. The β2m association with the cc chain is critical for correct folding of FcRn and exiting the endoplasmic reticulum for routing to endosomes and the cell surface.
[0144] The overall structure of FcRn is similar to that of class 1 molecules. The α-1 and α-2 regions resemble a platform composed of eight antiparallel β strands forming a single β-sheet topped by two antiparallel α-helices very closely resembling the peptide cleft in MHC I molecules. Owing to an overall repositioning of the α-1 helix and bending of the C-terminal portion of the α-2 helix due to a break in the helix introduced by the presence of Pro162, the FcRn helices are considerably closer together, occluding peptide binding. The side chain of Arg164 of FcRn also occludes the potential interaction of the peptide N-terminus with the MHC pocket. Further, salt bridge and hydrophobic interaction between the α-1 and α-2 helices may also contribute to the groove closure.
[0145] FcRn therefore, does not participate in antigen presentation, and the peptide cleft is empty.
[0146] FcRn binds and transports IgG across the placental syncytiotrophoblast from maternal circulation to fetal circulation and protects IgG from degradation in adults. In addition to homeostasis, FcRn controls transcytosis of IgG in tissues. FcRn is localized in epithelial cells, endothelial cells and hepatocytes.
[0147] According to Chaudhury et al. (supra), albumin binds FcRn to form a tri-molecular complex with IgG. Both albumin and IgG bind noncooperatively to distinct sites on FcRn. Binding of human FcRn to Sepharose-HSA and Sepharose-hIgG was pH dependent, being maximal at pH 5.0 and nil at pH 7.0 through pH 8. The observation that FcRn binds albumin in the same pH dependent fashion as it binds IgG suggests that the mechanism by which albumin interacts with FcRn and thus is protected from degradation is identical to that of IgG, and mediated via a similarly pH-sensitive interaction with FcRn. Using SPR to measure the capacity of individual HSA domains to bind immobilized soluble hFcRn, Chaudhury showed that FcRn and albumin interact via the D-III domain of albumin in a pH-dependent manner, on a site distinct from the IgG binding site (Chaudhury, PhD dissertation, see http://www.andersonlab.com/biosketchCC.htm; Chaudhury et al. Biochemistry, ASAP Article 10.1021/bi052628y S0006-2960(05)02628-0 (Web release date: Mar. 22, 2006)).
[0148] WO 04/041865 by applicant describes Nanobodies® capable of binding to serum albumin (and in particular against human serum albumin) that can be linked to other proteins (such as one or more other Nanobodies® capable of binding to a desired target) in order to increase the half-life of said protein. It is known that these Nanobodies® are more potent and more stable than conventional four-chain serum albumin binding antibodies which leads to (1) lower dosage forms, less frequent dosage leading to less side effects; (2) improved stability leading to a broader choice of administration routes, comprising oral or subcutaneous routes in addition to the intravenous route; (3) lower treatment cost due to lower cost of goods.
[0149] In this embodiment of the invention, the desired molecule is a serum protein, and in particular a serum protein that is subjected to recycling within the human or animal body. Some non-limiting examples of such serum proteins are serum proteins that can bind to FcRn such as serum albumin and IgG. Other serum proteins to which the amino acid sequences of the invention can bind will be clear to the skilled person, and for example include the serum proteins mentioned in the International application WO 04/003019 (see also EP 1 517 921).
[0150] Thus, according to this embodiment, the invention relates to an amino acid sequence that is directed against a serum protein, wherein said amino acid sequence:
a) binds to said serum protein under a first biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) of at least 10 5 M −1 ; and b) binds to said serum protein under a second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10 fold more than the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence binds to said serum protein under said first biological condition.
[0153] The serum protein to which the amino acid sequences of the invention bind (or under physiological conditions can bind) may be any serum protein (such as those mentioned herein and in WO 04/003019, and may in particular be any serum protein that is subject to recycling or a recycling mechanism in the human or animal body in which said serum protein naturally occurs. Examples of such serum proteins will be clear to the skilled person.
[0154] More in particular, the serum protein to which the amino acid sequences of the invention hind (or under physiological conditions can bind) may be chosen from the group consisting of: serum albumin, immunoglobulins such as IgG and transferrin. According to a preferred, but non-limiting embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention bind to serum albumin.
[0155] The serum protein is preferably a human serum protein, such as human serum albumin, IgG or transferrin, and in particular human serum albumin. However, it should be understood that according to some specific but non-limiting aspects of the invention, the amino acid sequences of the invention may be cross-reactive with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein from at least another species of mammal, such as mouse, rat, rabbit, dog or primate. In particular, according to these aspects, the amino acid sequences of the invention may be cross-reactive with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein from at least another species of primate, as further described herein.
[0156] In particular, according to this embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention may bind to said serum protein under said second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10-fold more, preferably 100 fold more, more preferably 1000 fold more, than the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence binds to said serum protein under said first biological condition. In a preferred embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention, e.g. a single chain antibody, e.g. a dAb or a Nanobody, does not bind at all under said second biological condition, e.g. the amino acid sequence of the invention does not bind at pH5.5 (or at a pH between 5 to 6) but binds at physiological pH, i.e. pH 7.2 to 7.4.
[0157] Preferably, according to this embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention binds to said serum protein under said first biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −6 moles/liter or less, preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −7 moles/liter or less, more preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −8 moles/liter or less.
[0158] Also, preferably, according to this embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention binds to said serum protein under said second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −6 moles/liter or more, preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or more, more preferably with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −4 moles/liter or more.
[0159] In another embodiment of this invention, the amino acid sequence of the invention binds to said serum protein under said second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) that is at least 10-fold less, 100 fold less, preferably 1000 fold less, than the dissociation constant with which said amino acid sequence binds to said serum protein under said first biological condition.
[0160] In another embodiment of this invention, the amino acid sequence of the invention binds to said serum protein under said first biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −6 moles/liter or more, and under said second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −7 moles/liter or less, e.g. 10 −8 moles/liter or less or 10 −9 moles/liter or less.
[0161] In another embodiment of this invention, the amino acid sequence of the invention binds to said serum protein under said first biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or more, and under said second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −6 moles/liter or less, e.g. 10 −7 moles/liter or less; or e.g. 10 −8 moles/liter or less.
[0162] In another embodiment of this invention, the amino acid sequence of the invention binds to said serum protein under said first biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −4 moles/liter or more, and under said second biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 moles/liter or less, e.g. 10 −6 moles/liter or less; or e.g. 10 −7 moles/liter or less.
[0163] In a preferred embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention, e.g. a single chain antibody, e.g. a dAb or a Nanobody, does not bind at all under said first biological condition, e.g. the amino acid sequence of the invention binds at endosomal pH5.5 (or at a pH between 5 to 6) but does not bind at extracellular pH, i.e. at pH 7.2 to 7.4.
[0164] In a further preferred embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention, e.g. a single chain antibody, e.g. a dAb or a Nanobody, is a bivalent or multivalent amino acid sequence, wherein one binding block is directed against human serum albumin and wherein said human serum albumin binding block does not bind at pH 5.5 (or at a pH between 5 to 6) but binds at pH 7.2 to 7.4; and optionally the amino acid sequence of the invention, e.g. a single chain antibody, e.g. a dAb or a Nanobody, is binding to a target protein for therapeutic intervention (e.g. in a monovalent or multivalent, e.g. bivalent format).
[0165] An example of such targets for therapeutic intervention are proteins of the TNF superfamily (Aggarwal, Nature Reviews Immunology 3: 747, 2003). This superfamily of proteins consists of 19 members that signal through 29 receptors. These ligands, while regulating normal functions such as immune responses, haematopoiesis and morphogenesis, have also been implicated in tumorgenesis, transplant rejection, septic shock, viral replication, bone resorption, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. Blockers of TNF have been approved for human use in treating TNF-linked autoimmune diseases. Whereas most ligands bind to a single receptor, others bind to more than one. For example, TRAIL binds to as many as five receptors (DR4, DR5, DVR1, DCR2 and OPG), whereas BAFF binds to three receptors, transmembrane activator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI), B-cell maturation antigen (BMCA) and BAFFR (Aggarwal, 2003, FIG. 1 ). There is also evidence for crosstalk between receptors for different ligands of the TNF superfamily. It follows that, in order to achieve maximal therapeutic benefit, the interactions of all ligands with a particular receptor, or the interactions of a particular ligand with all its receptors should be inhibited at the same time. Therefore, for efficient therapy, various different binding molecules or binding molecules with multiple binding specificity are required.
[0166] Another example of possible targets for therapeutic intervention is a sub-family of the Receptor Tyrosin Kinases, the Eph family, comprised of 16 known Eph receptors (14 found in mammals) and 9 known ephrin ligands (8 found in mammals). The ability of the Eph receptor and ephrin ligand guidance system to position cells and modulate cell morphology reflects their various roles in development. These membrane anchored ligands and receptors are involved in bi-directional signaling (into both the receptor bearing cell and the ligand bearing cell. Eph receptors, first shown to be important regulators of axon path-finding and neuronal cell migration (Drescher et al., Cell 82: 359, 1995; Henkemeyer et al., Cell 86: 35, 1996), are now known to have roles in controlling a diverse array of other cell-cell interactions, including those of vascular endothelial cells (Wang et al., Cell 93: 741, 1998; Adams et al., Genes Dev. 13: 295, 1999; Gerety et al., Mol. Cell. 4: 403, 1999) and specialized epithelia (Orioli et al., EMBO J. 15: 6035, 1996; Flanagan and Vanderhaeghen Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 21: 309, 1998; Frisen et al, EMBO J. 18: 5159, 1999; Cowan et al., Neuron 26: 417, 2000). Ephrins and the ephrin receptor bidirectional signaling have been implicated in axonal guidance, angiogenesis and bone remodeling. Therapeutically, there is interest in antagonizing certain ephrin-Eph receptor signaling processes.
[0167] The ephrins and the Eph receptors are divided into two classes A and B based on their affinities for each other and sequence conservation. In general, the nine different EphA RTKs (EphA1-EphA9) bind promiscuously to, and are activated by, six A-ephrins (ephrinA1-ephrinA6), and the EphB subclass receptors (EphB1-EphB6 and, in some cases, EphA4) interact with three different B-ephrins (ephrinB1-ephrinB3). In order to achieve maximal therapeutic benefit, therefore, interactions of all ephrin ligands with a particular Eph receptor, or the interactions of a particular ephrin with all its Eph receptors should be inhibited at the same time. Accordingly, also here, for efficient therapy, various different binding molecules or binding molecules with multiple binding specificity will be needed.
[0168] The costimulatory molecules of the B7 superfamily are another example of possible targets for therapeutic intervention. The presence of co-stimulatory molecules on the APC is required (“signal 2”) alongside antigenic peptide in the context of the MHC molecule (“signal 1”) to obtain efficient stimulation of naïve antigen reactive T-cells. CD80, CD86, CD28, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4), inducible costimulator (ICOS), programmed death 1 (PD-1), and OX 40 are used as targets to manipulate T-cells to slow the progression of autoimmune diseases, or to treat tumors through the increase in T-cell activation. CD80 (previously called B7-1) and CD86 (B7-2) are expressed on the membrane of activated antigen presenting cells (APC) such as dendritic cells, macrophages or B-cells. The presence of costimulatory molecules is sensed by counterreceptors on the surface of the T-cell. Selective blockade of the interaction of such costimulatory molecules with their cognate activating receptor (CD28) on the T-cell may therefore inhibit T-cell activation (Howard et al., Curr. Drug Targets Inflamm. Allergy 4: 85, 2005; Stuart and Racke, Expert Opinion Ther. Targets 6: 275, 2002).
[0169] Activated self-antigen directed T-cells are responsible for at least part of the tissue damage in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis by virtue of their effector function, and indirectly for production of high-affinity self-reactive antibodies by providing “help” to B-cells. Thus, blockade of the interaction of CD80 and/or CD86 with CD28 can be therapeutic in autoimmune conditions. These principles have been firmly established in both animal models of human disease, as well as in man, by using either blocking monoclonal antibodies directed against CD80 or CD86, or using soluble forms of a counterreceptor (Stuart and Racke, 2002).
[0170] CD152 (previously known as CTLA4) is another counterreceptor on T-cells for both CD80 and CD86. Unlike CD28, however, interaction of CD152 with CD80 and/or CD86 does not lead to T-cell activation. CD152 is thought to interact with both CD80 and CD86 with a higher affinity than CD28, and may therefore serve as a decoy receptor for CD28, depriving the latter of its ligands and therefore indirectly decreasing T-cell activation (Collins et al., Immunity 17: 201, 2002). Alternatively, CD152 may also transduce a negative signal into the T-cell, leading to lower overall levels of T-cell activation. Regardless of the mechanism, the activity of CD152 signaling leads to a dampening of T-cell responses, especially late (48-72H) after T-cell stimulation when surface CD152 expression becomes high. Blocking CD152 signaling by the use of monoclonal antibodies blocking its interaction with CD80 and/or CD86 increases the level of T-cell activation in vivo, and this has been demonstrated to be beneficial as an adjunct treatment in tumor vaccine therapies. Since inhibition of CTLA4 signaling leads to very different outcomes than CD28 blockade during T-cell activation, it may be beneficial to design a CD80 and/or CD86 neutralizing therapeutic entity which inhibits the interaction of CD80 and/or CD86 with CD28 but not CTLA4, or vice versa.
[0171] CD80 and CD86 are also present at high levels on many lymphomas of B-cell origin. Thus, monoclonal antibodies, fragments thereof and other proteins binding CD80 and/or CD86 can be useful in the therapy of such tumors, either by recruiting effector functions, induction of cell death or as a targeting entity in immunotoxins or radiotoxin conjugates (Friedberg et al., Blood 106: 11 Abs 2435, 2005).
[0172] As both CD80 and CD86 bind to either counterreceptor, these molecules are thought to have at least partially overlapping functional roles (partial functional redundancy). It follows that, in order to achieve maximal therapeutic benefit, interactions of both CD80 and CD86 with either CD28 or CD152 need to be inhibited at the same time. Potentially, this can be achieved using soluble forms of CD152 (Abatacept, CTLA4-Ig, see Linsley et al. J. Exp. Med. 174: 561, 1991), affinity variants thereof (Belatacept, LEA29Y, see Larsen et al., Am. J. Transplant 5: 443, 2005) or CD28 (CD28-Ig, see Linsley et al., J. Exp. Med. 173: 721, 1991). No single monoclonal antibody has yet been described which can bind to both CD80 and CD86 (WO 04/076488, van den Beucken et al., J. Mol. Biol. 310: 591, 2001), although this would clearly be beneficial.
[0173] In a further preferred embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention, e.g. a single chain antibody, e.g. a dAb or a Nanobody, is a bivalent or multivalent amino acid sequence, wherein at least one binding block is directed against a serum albumin, e.g. human serum albumin, and wherein said serum albumin binding block binds at e.g. pH 5.5 (or e.g. at a pH between 5 to 6, or e.g. a ph 5.3 to 5.7) but does not bind at pH 7.2 to 7.4.
[0174] As described herein for the amino acid sequences of the invention, said first biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions prevalent in a first physiological compartment or fluid, and said second biological condition comprises the physiological conditions prevalent in a second physiological compartment or fluid, wherein the first and second physiological compartments are, under normal physiological conditions, separated by at least one biological membrane such as a cell membrane, a wall of a cellular vesicle or a subcellular compartment, or a wall of a blood vessel.
[0175] In particular, said first biological condition comprises the physiological conditions prevalent outside at least one cell of a human or animal body (such as the physiological conditions prevalent in the bloodstream or lymphatic system of said human or animal body), and said second biological condition comprises the conditions prevalent inside said cell (or vise versa, although this may be less preferred for the purposes of half-life extension).
[0176] For the purposes of this embodiment, by “the physiological conditions that are prevalent inside a cell of an animal or human body” is meant the conditions (such as the pH value(s)) that may occur inside a cell, and in particular inside a cell that is involved in the recycling of the serum protein. In particular, by “the physiological conditions that are prevalent inside a cell of an animal or human body” is meant the conditions (such as the pH value(s)) that may occur inside a (sub)cellular compartment or vesicle that is involved in recycling of the serum protein (e.g. as a result of pinocytosis, endocytosis, transcytosis, exocytosis and phagocytosis or a similar mechanism of uptake or internalization into said cell), such as an endosome, lysosome or pinosome.
[0177] For example, the cell may be a cell that contains or expresses the FcRn receptor, in particular when the amino acid sequence of the invention is directed against a serum protein that binds to FcRn. As will become clear from the further description herein, such cells are involved in recycling of certain serum proteins that can bind to FcRn, such as serum albumin and immunoglobulins such as IgG. Alternatively, for example and without limitation, the cell may be a cell that contains or expresses the transferrin-receptor, in particular when the amino acid sequence of the invention is directed against transferrin
[0178] For the purposes of this embodiment, by “the physiological conditions that are prevalent outside a cell of an animal or human body” is generally meant the conditions (such as the pH value(s)) that may occur inside the body of the human or animal in which said cell is present, but outside said cell, such as at the cell surface or in the immediate surroundings or near vicinity of said cell. In particular, by “the physiological conditions that are prevalent outside a cell of an animal or human body” is meant the conditions (such as the pH value(s)) that may occur in the circulation of the human or animal body in which said cell is present, such as in the blood(stream) or in the lymphatic system.
[0179] Thus, generally, in this embodiment, where the serum protein can be taken up (for example by internalization, pinocytosis, endocytosis, transcytosis, exocytosis, phagocytosis or a similar mechanism of uptake or internalization into said cell) by at least one cell of the human or animal body, wherein said first biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions in which the amino acid sequence is present prior to being taken up into the cell and the second biological condition may comprise the physiological conditions in which the amino acid sequence is present after being taken up into the cell. In particular, where the amino acid sequence of the invention is directed against a serum protein that is subject to recycling, wherein the first biological condition comprises the extracellular conditions (e.g. the conditions that are prevalent in the circulation) with respect to at least one cell of the animal or human body that is involved in recycling of the desired compound, and wherein the second biological condition comprises the conditions that are prevalent inside the at least one cell of the animal or human body that is involved in recycling of the desired compound.
[0180] According to another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the first biological condition may be a physiological pH of more than 7.0, and the second biological condition may be a physiological pH of less than 7.0. In particular, the first biological condition may be a physiological pH of more than 7.1, and said second biological condition may be a physiological pH of less than 6.7. More in particular, the first biological condition may be a physiological pH of more than 7.2, and the second biological condition may be a physiological pH of less than 6.5. More in particular, the first biological condition may be a physiological pH of more than 7.2, and the second biological condition may be a physiological pH of less than 6.0. More in particular, the first biological condition may be a physiological pH of more than 7.2, and the second biological condition may be a physiological pH of less than 5.7. For example, the first biological condition may be a physiological pH in the range of 7.2-7.4, and the second biological condition may be a physiological pH in the range of 6.0-6.5. For example, the first biological condition may be a physiological pH in the range of 7.2-7.4, and the second biological condition may be a physiological pH in the range of 5.0-6.0. For example, the first biological condition may be a physiological pH in the range of 7.2-7.4, and the second biological condition may be a physiological pH in the range of 5.3-5.7.
[0181] In another embodiment, the amino acid sequences directed against the serum protein may (further) be as generally described herein for the amino acid sequences of the invention. For example, they may be chosen from the group consisting of proteins and polypeptides with an immunoglobulin fold; molecules based on other protein scaffolds than immunoglobulins including but not limited to protein A domains, tendamistat, fibronectin, lipocalin, CTLA-4, T-cell receptors, designed ankyrin repeats and PDZ domains, and binding moieties based on DNA or RNA including but not limited to DNA or RNA aptamers; or from suitable parts, fragments, analogs, homologs, orthologs, variants or derivatives of such proteins or polypeptides; and in particular from the group consisting of antibodies and antibody fragments, binding units and binding molecules derived from antibodies or antibody fragments, and antibody fragments, binding units or binding molecules; or from suitable parts, fragments, analogs, homologs, orthologs, variants or derivatives of any of the foregoing.
[0182] Also, preferably, they are chosen from the group consisting of heavy chain variable domains, light chain variable domains, domain antibodies and proteins and peptides suitable for use as domain antibodies, single domain antibodies and proteins and peptides suitable for use as single domain antibodies, Nanobodies® and dAbs™; or from suitable parts, fragments, analogs, homologs, orthologs, variants or derivatives of any of the foregoing.
[0183] In particular, in this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention (as well as compounds comprising the same, as defined herein) may be such that they bind to or otherwise associate with a serum protein (such as serum albumin) in such a way that, when the amino acid sequence is bound to or otherwise associated with said serum protein molecule (such as serum albumin) in a primate, it exhibits a serum half-life of at least about 50% (such as about 50% to 70%), preferably at least 60% (such as about 60% to 80%) or preferably at least 70% (such as about 70% to 90%), more preferably at least about 80% (such as about 80% to 90%) or preferably at least about 90% of the natural half-life of serum proteins such as serum albumin in said primate. For example, in this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention may bind to or otherwise associate with human serum proteins such as serum albumin in such a way that, when the amino acid sequences are bound to or otherwise associated with a human serum protein such as serum albumin, the amino acid sequences exhibit a serum half-life in human of at least about 50% (such as about 50% to 70%), preferably at least 60% (such as about 60% to 80%) or preferably at least 70% (such as about 70% to 90%), more preferably at least about 80% (such as about 80% to 90%) or preferably at least about 90% of the natural half-life of said serum protein (such as human serum albumin). Also, preferably, in this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention bind to said serum protein (such as human serum albumin) with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein. In man, the half-life of serum albumin is about 19 days (Peters T (1996) All About Albumin . Academic Press, San Diego).
[0184] This in vivo half-life in primates makes the amino acid sequences of the invention ideal candidates to prolong the serum half-life of therapeutics attached thereto. A long serum half-life of the combined amino acid sequence and therapeutics according to the invention in turn allows for reduced frequencies of administration and/or reduced amount to be administered, bringing about significant benefits for the subject to be treated.
[0185] This embodiment therefore also comprises compounds of the invention that comprise such an amino acid sequence and that have a half-life in human that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life in human of the amino acid sequence present in said compound.
[0186] In one specific aspect of this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention may be such that they are cross-reactive with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from at least one further species of primate, and in particular with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein from at least one species of primate that is chosen from the group consisting of monkeys from the genus Macaca (such as, and in particular, cynomologus monkeys ( Macaca fascicularis ) and/or rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta )) and baboon ( Papio ursinus ). Preferably, such cross-reactive amino acid sequences are further such that they exhibit a serum half-life in said primate of at least about 50% (such as about 50% to 70%), preferably at least 60% (such as about 60% to 80%) or preferably at least 70% (such as about 70% to 90%), more preferably at least about 80% (such as about 80% to 90%) or preferably at least about 90% of the natural half-life of the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) in said primate. Such amino acid sequences of the invention also preferably bind to the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from said primate with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein.
[0187] This embodiment therefore also comprises compounds of the invention that comprise at least one amino acid sequence of the invention and that have a half-life in human and/or in said at least one species of primate that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life in human and/or said species of primate, respectively, of the amino acid sequence of the invention present in said compound.
[0188] According to another preferred, but non-limiting aspect of this embodiment of the invention, the amino acid sequences of the invention are such that they bind to or otherwise associate with a human serum protein (such as human serum albumin) in such a way that, when the amino acid sequences are bound to or otherwise associated with said serum protein, the amino acid sequences exhibit a serum half-life in human of at least about 9 days (such as about 9 to 14 days), preferably at least about 10 days (such as about 10 to 15 days) or at least 11 days (such as about 11 to 16 days), more preferably at least about 12 days (such as about 12 to 18 days or more) or more than 14 days (such as about 14 to 19 days). Such amino acid sequences of the invention preferably can bind to said human serum protein (such as human serum albumin) with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein.
[0189] This embodiment therefore also comprises compounds of the invention that comprise such an amino acid sequence and that have a half-life in human that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life in human of the amino acid sequence present in said compound.
[0190] In one specific but non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention may be such that they are cross-reactive with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from at least one further species of primate, and in particular with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from at least one species of primate that is chosen from the group consisting of monkeys from the genus Macaca (such as rhesus monkeys or cynomologus monkeys) and baboons. Preferably, such cross-reactive amino acid sequences exhibit a serum half-life in said primate of at least about 50% (such as about 50% to 70%), preferably at least 60% (such as about 60% to 80%) or preferably at least 70% (such as about 70% to 90%), more preferably at least about 80% (such as about 80% to 90%) or preferably at least about 90% of the natural half-life of the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) in said primate. Such amino acid sequences of the invention also preferably bind to the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from said primate with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein.
[0191] This embodiment therefore also comprises compounds of the invention that comprise such an amino acid sequence and that have a half-life in human and/or in said at least one species of primate that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life in human and/or said species of primate, respectively, of the amino acid sequence present in said compound.
[0192] In another specific, but non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention may be such that they bind to or otherwise associate with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from at least one species of primate and that, when the half-life of the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein in the primate is at least about 10 days, such as between 10 and 15 days, for example about 11 to 13 days (by means of example, in rhesus monkeys, the expected half-life of serum albumin is between about 11 and 13 days, in particular about 11 to 12 days), have a serum half-life in said primate of least about 5 days (such as about 5 to 9 days), preferably at least about 6 days (such as about 6 to 10 days) or at least 7 days (such as about 7 to 11 days), more preferably at least about 8 days (such as about 8 to 12 days) or more than 9 days (such about 9 to 12 days or more). Such amino acid sequences of the invention are preferably further such that they bind to serum albumin from said species of primate with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein. In one specifically preferred aspect of this embodiment, such amino acid sequences are cross-reactive with human serum albumin, and more preferably bind to the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein.
[0193] This embodiment also comprises compounds of the invention that comprise such an amino acid sequence and that have a half-life in said at least one species of primate that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life in said species of primate of the amino acid sequence present in said compound.
[0194] In another specific, but non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention may further be such that they bind to or otherwise associate the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from at least one species of primate and that, when the half-life of the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) in the primate is at least about 13 days, such as between 13 and 18 days (by means of example, in baboons, the half-life of serum albumin is at least about 13 days, and usually about 16-18 days), have a serum half-life in said primate of least about 7 days (such as about 7 to 13 days), preferably at least about 8 days (such as about 8 to 15 days) or at least 9 days (such as about 9 to 16 days), more preferably at least about 10 days (such as about 10 to 16 days or more) or more than 13 days (such as about 13 to 18 days). Such amino acid sequences of the invention are preferably further such that they bind to the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from said species of primate with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein.
[0195] This embodiment also comprises compounds of the invention that comprise such an amino acid sequence and that have a half-life in said at least one species of primate that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life in said species of primate of the amino acid sequence present in said compound.
[0196] In another specific, but non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention may be further such that they:
a) bind to or otherwise associate with a human serum protein (such as serum albumin) in such a way that, when the amino acid sequences are bound to or otherwise associated with said human serum protein, the amino acid sequences exhibit a serum half-life in human of at least about 9 days (such as about 9 to 14 days), preferably at least about 10 days (such as about 10 to 15 days) or at least 11 days (such as about 11 to 16 days), more preferably at least about 12 days (such as about 12 to 18 days or more) or more than 14 days (such as about 14 to 19 days); and b) are cross-reactive with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from at least one primate chosen from species of the genus Macaca (and in particular with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein from cynomologus monkeys and/or from rhesus monkeys); and c) have a serum half-life in said primate of at least about 5 days (such as about 5 to 9 days), preferably at least about 6 days (such as about 6 to 10 days) or at least 7 days (such as about 7 to 11 days), more preferably at least about 8 days (such as about 8 to 12 days) or more than 9 days (such about 9 to 12 days or more).
[0200] Preferably, such amino acid sequences bind to the human protein (such as human serum albumin) and/or to the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from said species of primate with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein.
[0201] This embodiment also comprises compounds of the invention that comprise such an amino acid sequence and that have a half-life in human and/or in said at least one species of primate that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life in human and/or said species of primate, respectively, of the amino acid sequence present in said compound.
[0202] In another specific, but non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the invention may further be such that they:
a) bind to or otherwise associate with a human serum protein (such as serum albumin) in such a way that, when the amino acid sequences are bound to or otherwise associated with said human serum protein, the amino acid sequences exhibit a serum half-life in human of at least about 9 days (such as about 9 to 14 days), preferably at least about 10 days (such as about 10 to 15 days) or at least 11 days (such as about 11 to 16 days), more preferably at least about 12 days (such as about 12 to 18 days or more) or more than 14 days (such as about 14 to 19 days); and b) are cross-reactive with the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from baboons; and c) have a serum half-life in baboons of least about 7 days (such as about 7 to 13 days), preferably at least about 8 days (such as about 8 to 15 days) or at least 9 days (such as about 9 to 16 days), more preferably at least about 10 days (such as about 10 to 16 days or more) or more than 13 days (such as about 13 to 18 days).
[0206] Preferably, such amino acid sequences bind to the human serum protein (such as human serum albumin) and/or to the corresponding (i.e. orthologous) serum protein (such as serum albumin) from baboon with a dissociation constant (K D ) and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) that is as defined herein.
[0207] This embodiment also comprises compounds of the invention that comprise such an amino acid sequence and that have a half-life in human and/or in said at least one species of primate that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life in human and/or said species of primate, respectively, of the amino acid sequence present in said compound.
[0208] Preferably, also, the half-life of the compounds, constructs, fusion proteins, etc. comprising at least one amino acid sequence of this embodiment is preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life of the amino acid sequence of the invention present therein (i.e. in the same primate).
[0209] In a particular, but non-limiting aspect of this embodiment of the invention, the amino acid sequences of the invention (or compounds comprising the same) are directed against a serum protein that binds or can bind to the FcRn receptor (e.g. as part of recycling of said serum protein) and are such that they can bind to or otherwise associate with said serum protein in such a way that, when the amino acid sequence or polypeptide construct is bound to or otherwise associated with a said serum protein molecule, the binding of said serum protein molecule to FcRn is not (significantly) reduced or inhibited. Some specific, but non-limiting serum proteins that can bind to FcRn include serum albumin and immunoglobulins, such as in particular IgG.
[0210] In a further aspect of this embodiment, the amino acid sequence of the invention (or compound comprising the same) can bind to or otherwise associate with a serum protein (such as serum albumin) in such a way that, when the amino acid sequence or polypeptide construct is bound to or otherwise associated with said serum protein molecule, the half-life of the serum protein molecule is not (significantly) reduced.
[0211] In a further aspect of this embodiment the amino acid sequence of the invention (or compound comprising the same) is capable of binding to amino acid residues on the serum protein that are not involved in binding of said serum protein to FcRn. For example, when the serum protein is serum albumin, the amino acid sequence of the invention (or compound comprising the same) is capable of binding to amino acid residues that do not form part of domain III of serum albumin.
[0212] In one aspect of this embodiment of the invention, the amino acid sequence is an immunoglobulin sequence or a fragment thereof, more specifically an immunoglobulin variable domain sequence or a fragment thereof, e.g. a VH-, VL- or VHH-sequence or a fragment thereof. The amino acid sequence of the invention may be a domain antibody, “dAb”, single domain antibody or Nanobody, or a fragment of any one thereof. The amino acid sequence of the invention may be a fully human, humanized, camelid, camelized human or humanized camelid sequence, and more specifically, may comprise 4 framework regions (FR1 to FR4 respectively) and 3 complementarity determining regions (CDR1 to CDR3 respectively).
[0213] More specifically, the amino acid sequence according to the invention may be a (single) domain antibody or a Nanobody.
[0214] Methods for generating the amino acid sequences directed against a serum protein for use in this embodiment may generally be as described herein, with the desired compound being the desired serum protein (such as serum albumin).
[0215] A further aspect of this embodiment relates to a compound of the invention that comprises at least one amino acid sequence according to this embodiment, which compound may optionally further comprise at least one therapeutic moiety, comprising therapeutic moieties selected from at least one of the group consisting of small molecules, polynucleotides, polypeptides or peptides. Such a compound of the invention is preferably such that it is suitable for administration to a primate with a frequency corresponding to not less than 50% (such as about 50% to 70%), preferably at least 60% (such as about 60% to 80%) or preferably at least 70% (such as about 70% to 90%), more preferably at least about 80% (such as about 80% to 90%) or preferably at least about 90% of the natural half-life of the serum protein (such as serum albumin) in said primate, or, alternatively, at intervals of at least 4 days (such as about 4 to 12 days or more), preferably at least 7 days (such as about 7 to 15 days or more), more preferably at least 9 days (such as about 9 to 17 days or more), such as at least 15 days (such as about 15 to 19 days or more, in particular for administration to man) or at least 17 days (such as about 17 to 19 days or more, in particular for administration to man); where such administrations are in particular made to maintain the desired level of the compound in the serum of the subject that is treated with the compound (such inter alia dependent on the compound used and/or the disease to be treated, as will be clear to the skilled person. The clinician or physician will be able to select the desired serum level and to select the dose(s) and/or amount(s) to be administered to the subject to be treated in order to achieve and/or to maintain the desired serum level in said subject, when the compound of the invention is administered at the frequencies mentioned herein. For example, such a dose can range between 1 times and 10 times the desired serum level, such as between 2 times and 4 times the desired serum level (in which the desired serum level is recalculated in a manner known per se so as to provide a corresponding dose to be administered).
[0216] Such compounds of the invention may also be formulated as unit doses that are intended and/or packaged (e.g. with suitable instructions for use) for administration at the aforementioned frequencies, and such unit doses and packaged products form further aspects of the invention. Another aspect of the invention relates to the use of a compound of the invention in providing such a unit dose or packaged product (i.e. by suitably formulating and/or packaging said compound).
[0217] In a particular aspect of this embodiment, the compound of the invention is a fusion protein or construct. In said fusion protein or construct the amino acid sequence of the invention may be either directly linked to the at least one therapeutic moiety or is linked to the at least one therapeutic moiety via a linker or spacer. A particular embodiment relates to a therapeutic moiety comprising an immunoglobulin sequence or a fragment thereof, more specifically a (single) domain antibody or a Nanobody.
[0218] In a specific aspect, this embodiment also relates to multivalent and multispecific Nanobody constructs, comprising at least one amino acid sequence of the invention which is a Nanobody and at least one further Nanobody. The Nanobody is either directly linked to the at least one further Nanobody or is linked to the at least one further Nanobody via a linker or spacer, preferably linked to the at least one further Nanobody via an amino acid sequence linker or spacer.
[0219] Also, as indicated herein, but without limitation, bispecific (or multispecific) compounds that conditionally binds to at least one serum protein and at least one (other) intended or desired molecule may find particular use in this embodiment of the invention. As such, the compound of this embodiment may be such that it binds to both the serum protein and the intended or desired molecule under the first biological condition (or alternatively, under the second biological condition), or may be such that it hinds to the serum protein under the first biological condition but binds to the other intended or desired molecule under the second biological condition. Thus, when changing from the first biological condition to the second biological condition, such a compound of this embodiment will therefore be released from the first serum protein molecule and bind to the intended or desired molecule (or vise versa).
[0220] Also, in such a bispecific molecule, the conditional binder that binds to the intended or desired molecule may itself form or function as a therapeutic moiety (in which case it may be as further described herein), and/or such a compound of the invention may contain one or more further therapeutic moieties (as defined herein).
[0221] Non-limiting examples of such bispecific compounds of this embodiment are also illustrated in FIG. 1 , which is a non-limiting schematic drawing showing an example of the possible interaction(s) between FcRn, a serum protein binding to FcRn (such as serum albumin or IgG), a bispecific compound of the invention (in particular, a bispecific compound according to the specific embodiment for extending half-life as described herein) and an antigen (i.e. as a second intended or desired molecule). Also, Tables 1-3 outline different non-limiting examples of the way in which a bispecific compound of the invention (in particular, a bispecific compound according to the specific embodiment for extending half-life as described herein) can bind to a serum protein (i.e. as a first intended or desired molecule) and to an antigen (as a second intended or desired molecule). Further reference is made to the detailed description herein.
[0222] Furthermore, this embodiment relates to nucleotide sequence or nucleic acid that encode an amino acid sequence according to this embodiment, or the amino acid sequence of a compound according to this embodiment, or the multivalent and multispecific Nanobody of this embodiment. This embodiment also provides hosts or host cells that contain a nucleotide sequence or nucleic acid of this embodiment and/or that express (or are capable of expressing) an amino acid sequence of this embodiment, or the amino acid sequence of a compound according to this embodiment, or the multivalent and multispecific Nanobody of this embodiment.
[0223] Moreover, this embodiment relates to method for preparing an amino acid sequence, compound, or multivalent and multispecific Nanobody of this embodiment comprising cultivating or maintaining a host cell of this embodiment under conditions such that said host cell produces or expresses the said product, and optionally further comprises the said product so produced.
[0224] In one embodiment, this embodiment relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of the amino acid sequence, compound, or multivalent and multispecific Nanobody of this embodiment, wherein said pharmaceutical composition is suitable for administration to a primate at intervals of at least about 50% of the natural half-life of the serum protein in said primate. The pharmaceutical composition may further comprise at least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent or excipient.
[0225] This embodiment also encompasses medical uses and methods of treatment encompassing the amino acid sequence, compound or multivalent and multispecific Nanobody of this embodiment, wherein said medical use or method is characterized in that said medicament is suitable for administration at intervals of at least about 50% of the natural half-life of the serum protein in said primate, and the method comprises administration at a frequency of at least about 50% of the natural half-life of the serum protein in said primate.
[0226] This embodiment also relates to methods for extending or increasing the serum half-life of a therapeutic. The methods include contacting the therapeutic with any of the foregoing amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment (including multivalent and multispecific Nanobodies), such that the therapeutic is bound to or otherwise associated with the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment. In some embodiments, the therapeutic is a biological therapeutic, preferably a peptide or polypeptide, in which case the step of contacting the therapeutic can include preparing a fusion protein by linking the peptide or polypeptide with the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment.
[0227] These methods can further include administering the therapeutic to a primate after the therapeutic is bound to or otherwise associated with the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment. In such methods, the serum half-life of the therapeutic in the primate is at least 1.5 times the half-life of therapeutic per se, or is increased by at least 1 hour compared to the half-life of therapeutic per se. In some preferred embodiments, the serum half-life of the therapeutic in the primate is at least 2 times, at least 5 times, at least 10 times or more than 20 times greater than the half-life of the corresponding therapeutic moiety per se. In other preferred embodiments, the serum half-life of the therapeutic in the primate is increased by more than 2 hours, more than 6 hours or more than 12 hours compared to the half-life of the corresponding therapeutic moiety per se.
[0228] Preferably, the serum half-life of the therapeutic in the primate is increased so that the therapeutic has a half-life that is as defined herein for the compounds of this embodiment (i.e. in human and/or in at least one species of primate).
[0229] In another aspect, this embodiment relates to a method for modifying a therapeutic such that the desired therapeutic level of said therapeutic is, upon suitable administration of said therapeutic so as to achieve said desired therapeutic level, maintained for a prolonged period of time.
[0230] The methods include contacting the therapeutic with any of the foregoing amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment (including multivalent and multispecific Nanobodies), such that the therapeutic is bound to or otherwise associated with the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment. In some embodiments, the therapeutic is a biological therapeutic, preferably a peptide or polypeptide, in which case the step of contacting the therapeutic can include preparing a fusion protein by linking the peptide or polypeptide with the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment.
[0231] These methods can further include administering the therapeutic to a primate after the therapeutic is bound to or otherwise associated with the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment, such that the desired therapeutic level is achieved upon such administration. In such methods, the time that the desired therapeutic level of said therapeutic is maintained upon such administration is at least 1.5 times the half-life of therapeutic per se, or is increased by at least 1 hour compared to the half-life of therapeutic per se. In some preferred embodiments, the time that the desired therapeutic level of said therapeutic is maintained upon such administration is at least 2 times, at least 5 times, at least 10 times or more than 20 times greater than, the half-life of the corresponding therapeutic moiety per se. In other preferred embodiments, the time that the desired therapeutic level of said therapeutic is maintained upon such administration is increased by more than 2 hours, more than 6 hours or more than 12 hours compared to the half-life of the corresponding therapeutic moiety per se.
[0232] Preferably, the time that the desired therapeutic level of said therapeutic is maintained upon such administration is increased such that the therapeutic can be administered at a frequency that is as defined herein for the compounds of this embodiment.
[0233] In another aspect, this embodiment relates to the use of a compound of this embodiment (as defined herein) for the production of a medicament that increases and/or extends the level of the therapeutic agent in said compound or construct in the serum of a patient such that said therapeutic agent in said compound or construct is capable of being administered at a lower dose as compared to the therapeutic agent alone (i.e. at essentially the same frequency of administration).
[0234] The amino acid sequences of this embodiment are also preferably such that they can bind to or otherwise associate with the serum protein (such as serum albumin) in such a way that, when the amino acid sequence or polypeptide construct is bound to or otherwise associated with the serum protein molecule in a primate, they exhibit a serum half-life of at least about 50% of the natural half-life of the serum protein in said primate, preferably at least about 60%, preferably at least about 70%, more preferably at least about 80% and most preferably at least about 90%.
[0235] The serum half-life of the amino acid sequences of this embodiment after administration to a primate may be at least 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or at least 100% of the natural half-life of the serum protein in said primate.
[0236] By “natural serum half-life of the serum protein in said primate” is meant the serum half-life as defined below, which the serum protein has in healthy individuals under physiological conditions. Taking serum albumin as an example of the serum protein, the natural serum half-life of serum albumin in humans is 19 days. Smaller primates are known to have shorter natural half-lives of serum albumin, e.g. in the range of 8 to 19 days. Specific half-lives of serum albumin may be at least 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19 days or more.
[0237] From this it follows, that for example in a human individual, an amino acid sequence of this embodiment shows a serum half-life in association with serum albumin of at least about 50% of 19 days, i.e. 7.6 days. In smaller primates, the serum half-life may be shorter in days, depending on the natural half-lives of serum albumin in these species.
[0238] In the present description, the term “primate” refers to both species of monkeys an apes, and includes species of monkeys such as monkeys from the genus Macaca (such as, and in particular, cynomologus monkeys ( Macaca fascicularis ) and/or rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta )) and baboon ( Papio ursinus )), as well as marmosets (species from the genus Callithrix ), squirrel monkeys (species from the genus Saimiri ) and tamarins (species from the genus Saguinus ), as well as species of apes such as chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ), and also includes man. Humans are the preferred primate according to this embodiment.
[0239] The half-life of an amino acid sequence or compound can generally be defined as the time taken for the serum concentration of the polypeptide to be reduced by 50%, in vivo, for example due to degradation of the sequence or compound and/or clearance or sequestration of the sequence or compound by natural mechanisms. The half-life of the amino acid sequences of this embodiment (and of compounds comprising the same) in the relevant species of primate can be determined in any manner known per se, such as by pharmacokinetic analysis. Suitable techniques will be clear to the person skilled in the art, and may for example generally involve the steps of suitably administering to the primate a suitable dose of the amino acid sequence or compound to be treated; collecting blood samples or other samples from said primate at regular intervals; determining the level or concentration of the amino acid sequence or compound of this embodiment in said blood sample; and calculating, from (a plot of) the data thus obtained, the time until the level or concentration of the amino acid sequence or compound of this embodiment has been reduced by 50% compared to the initial level upon dosing. Reference is for example made to standard handbooks, such as Kenneth, A et al: Chemical Stability of Pharmaceuticals: A Handbook for Pharmacists and in Peters et al, Pharmacokinete analysis: A Practical Approach (1996). Reference is also made to “Pharmacokinetics”, M Gibaldi & D Perron, published by Marcel Dekker, 2nd Rev. edition (1982).
[0240] As described on pages 6 and 7 of WO 04/003019 and in the further references cited therein, the half-life can be expressed using parameters such as the t1/2-alpha, t1/2-beta and the area under the curve (AUC). In the present specification, an “increase in half-life” refers to an increase in any one of these parameters, such as any two of these parameters, or essentially all three these parameters. An “increase in half-life” in particular refers to an increase in the t1/2-beta, either with or without an increase in the t1/2-alpha and/or the AUC or both.
[0241] In another aspect, the amino acid sequences of this embodiment, and in particular immunoglobulin sequences of this embodiment, and more in particular immunoglobulin variable domain sequences of this embodiment, directed against a serum protein (such as serum albumin, preferably human serum albumin), are such that they that have a half-life in rhesus monkeys of at least about 4, preferably at least about 7, more preferably at least about 9 days.
[0242] In yet another aspect, the amino acid sequences of this embodiment are such that they have a half-life in human of at least about 7, preferably at least about 15, more preferably at least about 17 days. This embodiment also relates to compounds of this embodiment that have a half-life in human that is at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, such as 95% or more or essentially the same as the half-life of the amino acid sequence of this embodiment present in said compound. More in particular, this embodiment also relates to compounds of this embodiment that have a half-life in human of at least about 7, preferably at least about 15, more preferably at least about 17 days.
[0243] This embodiment also provides compounds comprising the amino acid sequence of this embodiment, in particular compounds comprising at least one therapeutic moiety in addition to the amino acid sequence of this embodiment. The compounds according to this embodiment are characterized by exhibiting a comparable serum half-life in primates to the amino acid sequence of this embodiment, more preferable a half-life which is at least the serum half-life of the amino acid sequence of this embodiment, and more preferably a half-life which is higher than the half-life of the amino acid sequence of this embodiment in primates.
[0244] In one aspect, this embodiment achieves this objective by providing the amino acid sequences disclosed herein, that can bind to a serum protein that can bind to FcRn, which amino acid sequences are further such that they can bind to or otherwise associate with the serum protein (such as serum albumin) in such a way that, when the amino acid sequence or polypeptide construct is bound to or otherwise associated with the serum protein molecule, the binding of said serum protein molecule to FcRn is not (significantly) reduced or inhibited (i.e. compared to the binding of said serum protein molecule to FcRn when the amino acid sequence or polypeptide construct is not bound thereto). In this aspect of this embodiment, by “not significantly reduced or inhibited” is meant that the binding affinity for serum protein to FcRn (as measured using a suitable assay, such as SPR) is not reduced by more than 50%, preferably not reduced by more than 30%, even more preferably not reduced by more than 10%, such as not reduced by more than 5%, or essentially not reduced at all. In this aspect of this embodiment, “not significantly reduced or inhibited” may also mean (or additionally mean) that the half-life of the serum protein molecule is not significantly reduced (as defined below).
[0245] When in this description, reference is made to binding, such binding is preferably specific binding, as normally understood by the skilled person.
[0246] When an amino acid sequence as described herein is a monovalent immunoglobulin sequence (for example, a monovalent Nanobody), said monovalent immunoglobulin sequence preferably binds to human serum albumin under the first biological condition with a dissociation constant (K D ) of 10 −5 to 10 −12 moles/liter or less, and preferably 10 −7 to 10 −12 moles/liter or less and more preferably 10 −8 to 10 −12 moles/liter (i.e. with an association constant (K A ) of 10 5 to 10 12 liter/moles or more, and preferably 10 7 to 10 12 liter/moles or more and more preferably 10 8 to 10 12 liter/moles, and/or with a binding affinity (K A ) of at least 10 7 M −1 , preferably at least 10 8 M −1 , more preferably at least 10 9 M −1 , such as at least 10 12 M −1 . Any K n value greater than 10 4 mol/liter (or any K A value lower than 10 4 M −1 ) liters/mol is generally considered to indicate non-specific binding. Preferably, a monovalent immunoglobulin sequence of this embodiment will bind to the desired serum protein under the first biological condition with an affinity less than 3000 nM, preferably less than 300 nM, more preferably less than 30 nM, such as less than 3 nM. Specific binding of an antigen-binding protein to an antigen or antigenic determinant can be determined in any suitable manner known per se, including, for example, Scatchard analysis and/or competitive binding assays, such as radioimmunoassays (RIA), enzyme immunoassays (EIA) and sandwich competition assays, and the different variants thereof known per se in the art.
[0247] In another aspect, the amino acid sequences (and in particular immunoglobulin sequences, and more in particular immunoglobulin variable domain sequences) of this embodiment, are further such that they can bind to or otherwise associate with a serum protein (such as serum albumin) in such a way that, when the amino acid sequence or polypeptide construct is bound to or otherwise associated with said serum protein molecule, the half-life of said serum protein molecule is not (significantly) reduced (i.e. compared to the half-life of the serum protein molecule when the amino acid sequence or polypeptide construct is not bound thereto). In this aspect of this embodiment, by “not significantly reduced” is meant that the half-life of the serum protein molecule (as measured using a suitable technique known per se) is not reduced by more than 50%, preferably not reduced by more than 30%, even more preferably not reduced by more than 10%, such as not reduced by more than 5%, or essentially not reduced at all.
[0248] In another aspect, the amino acid sequences (and in particular immunoglobulin sequences, and more in particular immunoglobulin variable domain sequences) of this embodiment may be directed against serum proteins that can bind to FcRn, and may be further such that they are capable of binding to amino acid residues on the serum protein molecule (such as amino acid residues on serum albumin) that are not involved in binding of said serum protein to FcRn. In particular, according to this aspect of this embodiment, when the amino acid sequences of this embodiment are directed against serum albumin, they are such that they are capable of binding to amino acid sequences of serum albumin that do not form part of domain III of serum albumin. For example, but without being limited thereto, this aspect of this embodiment provides amino acid sequences that are capable of binding to amino acid sequences of serum albumin that form part of domain I and/or domain II.
[0249] The amino acid sequences of this embodiment are preferably (single) domain antibodies or suitable for use as (single) domain antibodies, and as such may be heavy chain variable domain sequence (VH sequence) or a light chain variable domain sequence (VL sequence), and preferably are VH sequences. The amino acid sequences may for example be so-called “dAbs”.
[0250] However, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the amino acid sequences of the present invention are Nanobodies. For a further description and definition of Nanobodies, as well as of some of the further terms used in the present description (such as, for example and without limitation, the term “directed against”) reference is made to the copending patent applications by Ablynx N.V. (such as WO 06/040153 and the copending International application PCT/EP2006/004678)); as well as the further prior art cited therein.
[0251] As such, they may be Nanobodies belonging to the “KERE”-class, to the “GLEW”-class or to the “103-P,R,S”-class (again as defined in the copending patent applications by Ablynx N.V.).
[0252] Preferably, the amino acid sequences of the present invention are humanized Nanobodies (again as defined in the copending patent applications by Ablynx N.V.).
[0253] The amino acid sequences disclosed herein can be used with advantage as a fusion partner in order to increase the half-life of therapeutic moieties such as proteins, compounds (including, without limitation, small molecules) or other therapeutic entities.
[0254] Thus, in another aspect, this embodiment provides proteins or polypeptides that comprise or essentially consist of an amino acid sequence as disclosed herein. In particular, this embodiment provides protein or polypeptide constructs that comprise or essentially consist of at least one amino acid sequence of this embodiment that is linked to at least one therapeutic moiety, optionally via one or more suitable linkers or spacers. Such protein or polypeptide constructs may for example (without limitation) be a fusion protein, as further described herein.
[0255] This embodiment further relates to therapeutic uses of protein or polypeptide constructs or fusion proteins and constructs and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such protein or polypeptide constructs or fusion proteins.
[0256] In some embodiments the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of a therapeutic protein, polypeptide, compound, factor or other entity. In a preferred embodiment the therapeutic moiety is directed against a desired antigen or target, is capable of binding to a desired antigen (and in particular capable of specifically binding to a desired antigen), and/or is capable of interacting with a desired target. In another embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of a therapeutic protein or polypeptide. In a further embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of an immunoglobulin or immunoglobulin sequence (including but not limited to a fragment of an immunoglobulin), such as an antibody or an antibody fragment (including but not limited to an ScFv fragment). In yet another embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of an antibody variable domain, such as a heavy chain variable domain or a light chain variable domain.
[0257] In a preferred embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of at least one domain antibody or single domain antibody, “dAb” or Nanobody®. According to this embodiment, the amino acid sequence of this embodiment is preferably also a domain antibody or single domain antibody, “dAb” or Nanobody, so that the resulting construct or fusion protein is a multivalent construct (as described herein) and preferably a multispecific construct (also as defined herein) comprising at least two domain antibodies, single domain antibodies, “dAbs” or Nanobodies® (or a combination thereof), at least one of which is an amino acid sequence of this embodiment.
[0258] In a specific embodiment, the at least one therapeutic moiety comprises or essentially consists of at least one monovalent Nanobody® or a bivalent, multivalent, bispecific or multi specific Nanobody® construct. According to this embodiment, the amino acid sequence of this embodiment is preferably also a Nanobody, so that the resulting construct or fusion protein is a multivalent Nanobody construct (as described herein) and preferably a multispecific Nanobody construct (also as defined herein) comprising at least two Nanobodies, at least one of which is an amino acid sequence of this embodiment.
[0259] According to one embodiment of this embodiment, the amino acid sequence of this embodiment is a humanized Nanobody.
[0260] Also, when the amino acid sequences, proteins, polypeptides or constructs of this embodiment are intended for pharmaceutical or diagnostic use, the aforementioned are preferably directed against a human serum protein, such as human serum albumin.
[0261] When the amino acid sequence is an immunoglobulin sequence such as a immunoglobulin variable domain sequence, a suitable (i.e. suitable for the purposes mentioned herein) fragment of such a sequence may also be used. For example, when the amino acid sequence is a Nanobody, such a fragment may essentially be as described in WO 04/041865.
[0262] This embodiment also relates to a protein or polypeptide that comprises or essentially consists of an amino acid sequence as described herein, or a suitable fragment thereof.
[0263] The amino acid sequences of this embodiment may also contain one or more additions binding sites for one or more other antigens, antigenic determinants, proteins, polypeptides, or other compounds.
[0264] As mentioned herein, the amino acid sequences described herein can be used with advantage as a fusion partner in order to increase the half-life of therapeutic moieties such as proteins, compounds (including, without limitation, small molecules) or other therapeutic entities. Thus, one embodiment of this embodiment relates to a construct or fusion protein that comprises at least one amino acid sequence of this embodiment and at least one therapeutic moieties. Such a construct or fusion protein preferably has increased half-life, compared to the therapeutic moiety per se. Generally, such fusion proteins and constructs can be (prepared and used) as described in the prior art cited above, but with an amino acid sequence of this embodiment instead of the half-life increasing moieties described in the prior art.
[0265] Generally, the constructs or fusion proteins described herein preferably have a half-life that is at least 1.5 times, preferably at least 2 times, such as at least 5 times, for example at least 10 times or more than 20 times, greater than the half-life of the corresponding therapeutic moiety per se.
[0266] Also, preferably, any such fusion protein or construct has a half-life that is increased with more than 1 hour, preferably more than 2 hours, more preferably of more than 6 hours, such as of more than 12 hours, compared to the half-life of the corresponding therapeutic moiety per se.
[0267] Also, preferably, any fusion protein or construct has a half-life that is more than 1 hour, preferably more than 2 hours, more preferably of more than 6 hours, such as of more than 12 hours, and for example of about one day, two days, one week, two weeks or three weeks, and preferably no more than 2 months, although the latter may be less critical.
[0268] Also, as mentioned above, when the amino acid sequence of this embodiment is a Nanobody, it can be used to increase the half-life of other immunoglobulin sequences, such as domain antibodies, single domain antibodies, “dAbs” or Nanobodies.
[0269] Thus, one embodiment of this embodiment relates to a construct or fusion protein that comprises at least one amino acid sequence of this embodiment and at least one immunoglobulin sequence, such as a domain antibodies, single domain antibodies, “dAbs” or Nanobodies. The immunoglobulin sequence is preferably directed against a desired target (which is preferably a therapeutic target), and/or another immunoglobulin sequence that useful or suitable for therapeutic, prophylactic and/or diagnostic purposes.
[0270] Thus, in another aspect, this embodiment relates to a multi specific (and in particular bispecific) Nanobody constructs that comprises at least one Nanobody as described herein, and at least one other Nanobody, in which said at least one other Nanobody is preferably directed against a desired target (which is preferably a therapeutic target), and/or another Nanobody that useful or suitable for therapeutic, prophylactic and/or diagnostic purposes.
[0271] For a general description of Nanobodies and of multivalent and multispecific polypeptides containing one or more Nanobodies and their preparation, reference is made to the co-pending applications by Ablynx N.V. such as WO 06/040153 and the copending International application PCT/EP2006/004678 (as well as the further prior art cited in these applications), and also to for example Conrath et al., J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 276, 10. 7346-7350, 2001; Muyldermans, Reviews in Molecular Biotechnology 74 (2001), 277-302; as well as to for example WO 96/34103 and WO 99/23221. Some other examples of some specific multispecific and/or multivalent polypeptide of this embodiment can be found in the co-pending applications by Ablynx N.V. In particular, for a general description of multivalent and multispecific constructs comprising at least one Nanobody against a serum protein for increasing the half-life, of nucleic acids encoding the same, of compositions comprising the same, of the preparation of the aforementioned, and of uses of the aforementioned, reference is made to the International application WO 04/041865 by Ablynx N.V. The amino acid sequences described herein can generally be used analogously to the half-life increasing Nanobodies described therein.
[0272] In one non-limiting embodiment, said other Nanobody is directed against tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), in monomeric and/or multimeric (i.e. trimeric) form. Some examples of such Nanobody constructs can be found in the copending International application by Ablynx N.V. entitled “Improved Nanobodies™ against. Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha”, which has the same priority and the same international filing date as the present application.
[0273] This embodiment also relates to nucleotide sequences or nucleic acids that encode amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins and constructs described herein. This embodiment further includes genetic constructs that include the foregoing nucleotide sequences or nucleic acids and one or more elements for genetic constructs known per se. The genetic construct may be in the form of a plasmid or vector. Again, such constructs can be generally as described in the co-pending patent applications by Ablynx N.V. and prior art mentioned herein, and in the further prior art cited therein.
[0274] This embodiment also relates to hosts or host cells that contain such nucleotide sequences or nucleic acids, and/or that express (or are capable of expressing), the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins and constructs described herein. Again, such host cells can be generally as described in the co-pending patent applications by Ablynx N.V. and prior an mentioned herein, and in the further prior art cited therein.
[0275] This embodiment also relates to a method for preparing an amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct as described herein, which method comprises cultivating or maintaining a host cell as described herein under conditions such that said host cell produces or expresses an amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct as described herein, and optionally further comprises isolating the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct so produced. Again, such methods can be performed as generally described in the co-pending patent applications by Ablynx N.V. and prior art mentioned herein, and in the further prior art cited therein.
[0276] This embodiment also relates to a pharmaceutical composition that comprises at least one amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct as described herein, and optionally at least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent or excipient. Such preparations, carriers, excipients and diluents may generally be as described in the co-pending patent applications by Ablynx N.V. and prior art mentioned herein, and in the further prior art cited therein.
[0277] However, since the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs described herein have an increased half-life, they are preferably administered to the circulation. As such, they can be administered in any suitable manner that allows the amino acid sequences, compound, fusion proteins or constructs to enter the circulation, such as intravenously, via injection or infusion, or in any other suitable manner (including oral administration, administration through the skin, transmucosal administration, intranasal administration, administration via the lungs, etc) that allows the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs to enter the circulation. Suitable methods and routes of administration will be clear to the skilled person, again for example also from the teaching of WO 04/041862.
[0278] Thus, in another aspect, this embodiment relates to a method for the prevention and/or treatment of at least one disease or disorder that can be prevented or treated by the use of a compound, fusion protein or construct as described herein, which method comprises administering, to a subject in need thereof, a pharmaceutically active amount of an amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment, and/or of a pharmaceutical composition comprising the same. The diseases and disorders that can be prevented or treated by the use of an amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct as described herein will generally be the same as the diseases and disorders that can be prevented or treated by the use of the therapeutic moiety that is present in the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment.
[0279] The subject to be treated may be any primate, but is in particular a human being. As will be clear to the skilled person, the subject to be treated will in particular be a person suffering from, or at risk from, the diseases and disorders mentioned herein.
[0280] More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of treatment wherein the frequency of administering the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment is at least 50% of the natural half-life of the serum protein against which the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment is directed, preferably at least 60%, preferably at least 70%, more preferably at least 80% and most preferably at least 90%.
[0281] Specific frequencies of administration to a primate, which are within the scope of the present invention are at least 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or at least 100% of the natural half-life of the serum protein against which the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment is directed.
[0282] in other words, specific frequencies of administration which are within the scope of the present invention are every 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19 days.
[0283] Without limitation, the frequencies of administration referred to above are in particular suited for maintaining a desired level of the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct in the serum of the subject treated with the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct, optionally after administration of one or more (initial) doses that are intended to establish said desired serum level. As will be clear to the skilled person, the desired serum level may inter alia be dependent on the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct used and/or the disease to be treated. The clinician or physician will be able to select the desired serum level and to select the dose(s) and/or amount(s) to be administered to the subject to be treated in order to achieve and/or to maintain the desired serum level in said subject, when the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment is administered at the frequencies mentioned herein.
[0284] In the context of the present invention, the term “prevention and/or treatment” not only comprises preventing and/or treating the disease, but also generally comprises preventing the onset of the disease, slowing or reversing the progress of disease, preventing or slowing the onset of one or more symptoms associated with the disease, reducing and/or alleviating one or more symptoms associated with the disease, reducing the severity and/or the duration of the disease and/or of any symptoms associated therewith and/or preventing a further increase in the severity of the disease and/or of any symptoms associated therewith, preventing, reducing or reversing any physiological damage caused by the disease, and generally any pharmacological action that is beneficial to the patient being treated.
[0285] The subject to be treated may be any primate, but is in particular a human being. As will be clear to the skilled person, the subject to be treated will in particular be a person suffering from, or at risk from, the diseases and disorders treatable by the therapeutic moiety mentioned herein.
[0286] In another embodiment, this embodiment relates to a method for immunotherapy, and in particular for passive immunotherapy, which method comprises administering, to a subject suffering from or at risk of the diseases and disorders mentioned herein, a pharmaceutically active amount of an amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct of this embodiment, and/or of a pharmaceutical composition comprising the same.
[0287] This embodiment also relates to methods for extending or increasing the serum half-life of a therapeutic. In these methods, the therapeutic is contacted with any of the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment, including multivalent and multispecific Nanobodies, such that the therapeutic is bound to or otherwise associated with the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs.
[0288] The therapeutic and the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs can be bound or otherwise associated in various ways known to the skilled person. In the case of biological therapeutics, such as a peptide or polypeptide, the therapeutic can be fused to the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs according to methods known in the art. The therapeutic can be directly fused, or fused using a spacer or linker molecule or sequence. The spacer or linker are, in preferred embodiments, made of amino acids, but other non-amino acid spacers or linkers can be used as is well known in the art. Thus, the step of contacting the therapeutic can include preparing a fusion protein by linking the peptide or polypeptide with the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment, including multivalent and multispecific Nanobodies.
[0289] The therapeutic also can be bound directly by the amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment. As one example, a multivalent and multispecific Nanobody can include at least one variable domain that binds the serum protein (such as serum albumin) and at least one variable domain that binds the therapeutic.
[0290] The methods for extending or increasing serum half-life of a therapeutic can further include administering the therapeutic to a primate after the therapeutic is bound to or otherwise associated with the amino acid sequence, compound, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment. In such methods the half-life of the therapeutic is extended or increased by significant amounts, as is described elsewhere herein.
[0291] The amino acid sequence, compound, fusion protein or construct and/or the compositions comprising the same are administered according to a regime of treatment that is suitable for preventing and/or treating the disease or disorder to be prevented or treated. The clinician will generally be able to determine a suitable treatment regimen, depending on factors such as the disease or disorder to be prevented or treated, the severity of the disease to be treated and/or the severity of the symptoms thereof, the specific Nanobody or polypeptide of this embodiment to be used, the specific route of administration and pharmaceutical formulation or composition to be used, the age, gender, weight, diet, general condition of the patient, and similar factors well known to the clinician.
[0292] Generally, the treatment regimen will comprise the administration of one or more amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment, or of one or more compositions comprising the same, in one or more pharmaceutically effective amounts or doses. The specific amount(s) or doses to administered can be determined by the clinician, again based on the factors cited above.
[0293] Generally, for the prevention and/or treatment of the diseases and disorders mentioned herein and depending on the specific disease or disorder to be treated, the potency and/or the half-life of the specific amino acid sequences, compounds, fusion proteins or constructs to be used, the specific route of administration and the specific pharmaceutical formulation or composition used, the Nanobodies and polypeptides of this embodiment will generally be administered in an amount between 1 gram and 0.01 microgram per kg body weight per day, preferably between 0.1 gram and 0.1 microgram per kg body weight per day, such as about 1, 10, 100 or 1000 microgram per kg body weight per day, either continuously (e.g. by infusion), as a single daily dose or as multiple divided doses during the day. The clinician will generally be able to determine a suitable daily dose, depending on the factors mentioned herein. It will also be clear that in specific cases, the clinician may choose to deviate from these amounts, for example on the basis of the factors cited above and his expert judgment. Generally, some guidance on the amounts to be administered can be obtained from the amounts usually administered for comparable conventional antibodies or antibody fragments against the same target administered via essentially the same route, taking into account however differences in affinity/avidity, efficacy, biodistribution, half-life and similar factors well known to the skilled person.
[0294] Usually, in the above method, a single Nanobody or polypeptide of this embodiment will be used. It is however within the scope of this embodiment to use two or more Nanobodies and/or polypeptides of this embodiment in combination.
[0295] The Nanobodies and polypeptides of this embodiment may also be used in combination with one or more further pharmaceutically active compounds or principles, i.e. as a combined treatment regimen, which may or may not lead to a synergistic effect. Again, the clinician will be able to select such further compounds or principles, as well as a suitable combined treatment regimen, based on the factors cited above and his expert judgement.
[0296] In particular, the Nanobodies and polypeptides of this embodiment may be used in combination with other pharmaceutically active compounds or principles that are or can be used for the prevention and/or treatment of the diseases and disorders that can be prevented or treated with the fusion proteins or constructs of this embodiment, and as a result of which a synergistic effect may or may not be obtained.
[0297] The effectiveness of the treatment regimen used according to this embodiment may be determined and/or followed in any manner known per se for the disease or disorder involved, as will be clear to the clinician. The clinician will also be able, where appropriate and or a case-by-case basis, to change or modify a particular treatment regimen, so as to achieve the desired therapeutic effect, to avoid, limit or reduce unwanted side-effects, and/or to achieve an appropriate balance between achieving the desired therapeutic effect on the one hand and avoiding, limiting or reducing undesired side effects on the other hand.
[0298] Generally, the treatment regimen will be followed until the desired therapeutic effect is achieved and/or for as long as the desired therapeutic effect is to be maintained. Again, this can be determined by the clinician.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0299] Other aspects, embodiments, advantages and applications of the invention will become clear from the further description herein, in which:
a) FIG. 1 is a non-limiting schematic drawing showing an example of the possible interaction(s) between FcRn, a serum protein binding to FcRn (such as serum albumin or IgG), a bispecific compound of the invention (in particular, a bispecific compound according to the specific embodiment for extending half-life as described herein) and an antigen (i.e. as a second intended or desired molecule). Reference is made to the further description herein. b) FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing that the interaction between FcRn and a serum protein binding to FcRn is pH dependent/sensitive. Reference is made to the further description herein. c) Tables 1-3 outline different non-limiting examples of the way in which a bispecific compound of the invention (in particular, a bispecific compound according to the specific embodiment for extending half-life as described herein) can bind to a serum protein (i.e. as a first intended or desired molecule) and to an antigen (as a second intended or desired molecule). Reference is made to the further description herein. d) Unless indicated or defined otherwise, all terms used have their usual meaning in the art, which will be clear to the skilled person. Reference is for example made to the standard handbooks, such as Sambrook et al, “Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual” (2nd. Ed.), Vols. 1-3, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (1989); F. Ausubel et al, eds., “Current protocols in molecular biology”, Green Publishing and Wiley Interscience, New York (1987); Lewin, “Genes II”, John Wiley & Sons, New York, N.Y., (1985); Old et al., “Principles of Gene Manipulation: An Introduction to Genetic Engineering”, 2nd edition, University of California Press, Berkeley, Calif. (1981); Roitt et al., “immunology” (6th. Ed.), Mosby/Elsevier, Edinburgh (2001); Roitt et al., Roitt's Essential Immunology, 10 th Ed. Blackwell Publishing, UK (2001); and Janeway et al., “Immunobiology” (6th Ed.), Garland Science Publishing/Churchill Livingstone, New York (2005), as well as to the general background art cited herein; e) Unless indicated otherwise, the term “immunoglobulin sequence”—whether it used herein to refer to a heavy chain antibody or to a conventional 4-chain antibody—is used as a general term to include both the full-size antibody, the individual chains thereof, as well as all parts, domains or fragments thereof (including but not limited to antigen-binding domains or fragments such as V HH domains or V H /V L domains, respectively). In addition, the term “sequence” as used herein (for example in terms like “immunoglobulin sequence”, “antibody sequence”, “variable domain sequence”, “V HH sequence” or “protein sequence”), should generally be understood to include both the relevant amino acid sequence as well as nucleic acid sequences or nucleotide sequences encoding the same, unless the context requires a more limited interpretation; f) Unless indicated otherwise, all methods, steps, techniques and manipulations that are not specifically described in detail can be performed and have been performed in a manner known per se, as will be clear to the skilled person. Reference is for example again made to the standard handbooks and the general background art mentioned herein and to the further references cited therein; g) A nucleic acid sequence or amino acid sequence is considered to be “(in) essentially isolated (form)”—for example, compared to its native biological source and/or the reaction medium or cultivation medium from which it has been obtained—when it has been separated from at least one other component with which it is usually associated in said source or medium, such as another nucleic acid, another protein/polypeptide, another biological component or macromolecule or at least one contaminant, impurity or minor component. In particular, a nucleic acid sequence or amino acid sequence is considered “essentially isolated” when it has been purified at least 2-fold, in particular at least 10-fold, more in particular at least 100-fold, and up to 1000-fold or more. A nucleic acid sequence or amino acid sequence that is “in essentially isolated form” is preferably essentially homogeneous, as determined using a suitable technique, such as a suitable chromatographical technique, such as polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis; h) The term “domain” as used herein generally refers to a globular region of an antibody chain, and in particular to a globular region of a heavy chain antibody, or to a polypeptide that essentially consists of such a globular region. Usually, such a domain will comprise peptide loops (for example 3 or 4 peptide loops) stabilized, for example, as a sheet or by disulfide bonds; i) The term “antigenic determinant” refers to the epitope on the antigen recognized by the antigen-binding molecule (such as a Nanobody or a polypeptide of the invention) and more in particular by the antigen-binding site of said molecule. The terms “antigenic determinant” and “epitope” may also be used interchangeably herein; j) An amino acid sequence (such as a Nanobody, an antibody, a polypeptide of the invention, or generally an antigen binding protein or polypeptide or a fragment thereof) that can bind to, that has affinity for and/or that has specificity for a specific antigenic determinant, epitope, antigen or protein (or for at least one part, fragment or epitope thereof) is said to be “against” or “directed against” said antigenic determinant, epitope, antigen or protein; k) The term “specificity” refers to the number of different types of antigens or antigenic determinants to which a particular antigen-binding molecule or antigen-binding protein (such as a Nanobody or a polypeptide of the invention) molecule can bind. The specificity of an antigen-binding protein can be determined based on affinity and/or avidity. The affinity, represented by the equilibrium constant for the dissociation of an antigen with an antigen-binding protein (K D ), is a measure for the binding strength between an antigenic determinant and an antigen-binding site on the antigen-binding protein: the lesser the value of the K D , the stronger the binding strength between an antigenic determinant and the antigen-binding molecule (alternatively, the affinity can also be expressed as the affinity constant (K A ), which is 1/K D ). As will be clear to the skilled person (for example on the basis of the further disclosure herein), affinity can be determined in a manner known per se, depending on the specific antigen of interest. Avidity is the measure of the strength of binding between an antigen-binding molecule (such as a Nanobody or polypeptide of the invention) and the pertinent antigen. Avidity is related to both the affinity between an antigenic determinant and its antigen binding site on the antigen-binding molecule and the number of pertinent binding sites present on the antigen-binding molecule. Specific binding of an antigen-binding protein to an antigen or antigenic determinant can be determined in any suitable manner known per se, including, for example, Scatchard analysis and/or competitive binding assays, such as radioimmunoassays (RIA), enzyme immunoassays (EIA) and sandwich competition assays, and the different variants thereof known per se in the art.
[0311] For a general description of heavy chain antibodies and the variable domains thereof, reference is inter glia made to the following references, which are mentioned as general background art: WO 94/04678, WO 95/04079 and WO 96/34103 of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel; WO 94/25591, WO 99/37681, WO 00/40968, WO 00/43507, WO 00/65057, WO 01/40310, WO 01/44301, EP 1134231 and WO 02/48193 of Unilever; WO 97/49805, WO 01/21817, WO 03/035694, WO 03/054016 and WO 03/055527 of the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB); WO 03/050531 of Algonomics N.V. and applicant; WO 01/90190 by the National Research Council of Canada; WO 03/025020 (=EP 1 433 793) by the Institute of Antibodies; as well as WO 04/041867, WO 04/041862, WO 04/041865, WO 04/041863, WO 04/062551 by applicant and the further published patent applications by applicant; Hamers-Casterman et al., Nature 1993 Jun. 3; 363 (6428): 446-8; Davies and Riechmann, FEBS Lett. 1994 Feb. 21; 339(3): 285-90; Muyldermans et al., Protein Eng. 1994 September; 7(9): 1129-3; Davies and Riechmann, Biotechnology (NY) 1995 May; 13(5): 475-9; Gharoudi et al., 9th Forum of Applied Biotechnology, Med. Fac. Landbouw Univ. Gent. 1995; 60/4a part I: 2097-2100; Davies and Riechmann, Protein Eng. 1996 June; 9(6): 531-7; Desmyter et al., Nat Struct Biol. 1996 September; 3(9): 803-11; Sheriff et al., Nat Struct Biol. 1996 September; 3(9): 733-6; Spinelli et al., Nat. Struct Biol. 1996 September; 3(9): 752-7; Arbabi Ghahroudi et al., FEBS Lett. 1997 Sep. 15; 414(3): 521-6; Vu et al., Mol. Immunol. 1997 November-December; 34(16-17): 1121-31; Atarhouch et al., Journal of Camel Practice and Research 1997; 4: 177-182; Nguyen et al., J. Mol. Biol. 1998 Jan. 23; 275(3): 413-8; Lauwereys et al., EMBO J. 1998 Jul. 1; 17(13): 3512-20; Frenken et al., Res Immunol. 1998 July-August; 149(6):589-99; Transue et al., Proteins 1998 Sep. 1; 32(4): 515-22; Muyldermans and Lauwereys, J. Mol. Recognit. 1999 March-April; 12 (2): 131-40; van der Linden et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1999 Apr. 12; 1431(1): 37-46; Decanniere et al., Structure Fold. Des. 1999 Apr. 15; 7(4): 361-70; Nguyen et al., Mol. 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[0312] In accordance with the terminology used in the above references, the variable domains present in naturally occurring heavy chain antibodies will also be referred to as “V HH domains”, in order to distinguish them from the heavy chain variable domains that are present in conventional 4-chain antibodies (which will be referred to hereinbelow as “V H domains”) and from the light chain variable domains that are present in conventional 4-chain antibodies (which will be referred to hereinbelow as “V L domains”).
[0313] As mentioned in the prior art referred to above, V HH domains have a number of unique structural characteristics and functional properties which make isolated V HH domains (as well as Nanobodies based thereon, which share these structural characteristics and functional properties with the naturally occurring V HH domains) and proteins containing the same highly advantageous for use as functional antigen-binding domains or proteins. In particular, and without being limited thereto, V HH domains (which have been “designed” by nature to functionally bind to an antigen without the presence of, and without any interaction with, a light chain variable domain) and Nanobodies can function as a single, relatively small, functional antigen-binding structural unit, domain or protein. This distinguishes the V HH domains from the V H and V L domains of conventional 4-chain antibodies, which by themselves are generally not suited for practical application as single antigen-binding proteins or domains, but need to be combined in some form or another to provide a functional antigen-binding unit (as in for example conventional antibody fragments such as Fab fragments; in ScFv fragments, which consist of a V H domain covalently linked to a V L domain).
[0314] Because of these unique properties, the use of V HH domains and Nanobodies as single antigen-binding proteins or as antigen-binding domains (i.e. as part of a larger protein or polypeptide) offers a number of significant advantages over the use of conventional V H and V L domains, scFvs or conventional antibody fragments (such as Fab- or F(ab′) 2 -fragments):
only a single domain is required to bind an antigen with high affinity and with high selectivity, so that there is no need to have two separate domains present, nor to assure that these two domains are present in the right spatial conformation and configuration (i.e. through the use of especially designed linkers, as with scFvs); V HH domains and Nanobodies can be expressed from a single gene and require no post-translational folding or modifications; V HH domains and Nanobodies can easily be engineered into multivalent and multispecific formats (as further discussed herein); V HH domains and Nanobodies are highly soluble and do not have a tendency to aggregate (as with the mouse-derived antigen-binding domains described by Ward et al., Nature, Vol. 341, 1989, p. 544); V HH domains and Nanobodies are highly stable to heat, pH, proteases and other denaturing agents or conditions (see for example Ewert et al, supra); V HH domains and Nanobodies are easy and relatively cheap to prepare, even on a scale required for production. For example, V HH domains, Nanobodies and proteins/polypeptides containing the same can be produced using microbial fermentation (e.g. as further described below) and do not require the use of mammalian expression systems, as with for example conventional antibody fragments; V HH domains and Nanobodies are relatively small (approximately 15 kDa, or 10 times smaller than a conventional IgG) compared to conventional 4-chain antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereof, and therefore show high(er) penetration into tissues (including but not limited to solid tumors and other dense tissues) than such conventional 4-chain antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereof; V HH domains and Nanobodies can show so-called cavity-binding properties (inter alia due to their extended CDR3 loop, compared to conventional V H domains) and can therefore also access targets and epitopes not accessible to conventional 4-chain antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereof. For example, it has been shown that V HH domains and Nanobodies can inhibit enzymes (see for example WO 97/49805; Transue et al., (1998), supra; Lauwereys et. al., (1998), supra.
[0323] In the present invention, binding molecules, preferably proteins or peptides, are used that are endowed with the capacity to bind to a target and to an antigen, where target and antigen are in general two different molecules, with the binding interactions sensitive to certain conditions such that the serum half-life of the binding molecule, or of the antigen that is recognized by the binding protein or of both the antigen as well as the binding molecule is influenced by differential binding conditions in the compartment of blood circulation as compared to other compartments, either outside the blood compartment, such as the lymphatic system, or in sub-cellular compartments, such as the endosome, that are visited by the binding molecule.
[0324] In particular, the amino acid sequences of the invention are capable of undergoing interactions that are sensitive to the changing conditions when going from extracellular circulation to the intracellular endosomal compartment, e.g. during the process of pinocytosis. Examples of such ‘sensitive’ interactions are those which are pH-dependent, ionic strength-dependent, protease dependent, or volume dependent in such manner that the dependency creates a differential of preferably 10-fold or equally preferably 100-fold or 1000-fold on the apparent affinity of the interaction between the binding protein and its target, and as a consequence influences the circulation half life of the antigen. This target can be either an antigen itself, a protein circulating in the body, or a cell surface-based receptor.
[0325] According to one aspect of the invention, the conditional binder, preferably a protein or a peptide, binds directly to a chosen antigen in a sensitive manner. In a preferred embodiment the interactions is pH dependent in such manner that at physiological pH (7.2-7.4) the interaction occurs preferably 10×, 100×, 1000× more efficiently than at pH in the endosomal compartment (pH 6.0-6.5). The consequence is that the binding protein will bind the antigen while in circulation, but that in intracellular compartments, e.g. after internalization of the binding protein-antigen complex into the endosomal compartment, the antigen will detach from the binding protein. In a preferred embodiment this binding protein is a single variable domain, preferably a Nanobody or equally preferable a Dab (domain antibody). The consequence of such reduction in binding affinity is that the antigen is not any longer protected by virtue of the bound binding protein to the processes ongoing in the endosomal compartment and that it will be more susceptible to attack by proteases and changes in ionic conditions (which a binding protein when bound to the antigen could influence) thereby gearing the antigen and or the binding molecule more readily to the lysosomal route of protein or peptide degradation. This will influence the circulation half-life of antigen. A main advantage will be that there is no build-up of higher levels of complexes between antigen-binding protein e.g. as described during therapy with conventional monoclonal antibodies. Instead the antigen will be destroyed.
[0326] A pH dependence is the most important of all ‘sensitive’ binding manners. A sharply pH-dependent affinity transition from slightly basic pH (near the cell-surface) to acidic pH (pH 6.0) is an unusual feature of a protein/protein interaction. Receptor-mediated endocytosis is a process by which receptors transport ligands between the intracellular and extracellular environment, often taking advantage of the differences in pH between the cell-surface and intracellular vesicles to regulate the process (Melmann, ref 61 in Sprague et al).
[0327] In another aspect of the invention, an antigen-reactive (first) binding protein is itself linked to another (second) binding protein that recognizes a serum protein that is known to recognize the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) or salvage receptor. Alternatively, equally preferred, the antigen-reactive binding protein contains a second binding site, distinct from the antigen binding site, that recognizes a serum protein that is known to recognize FcRn or salvage receptor. Of peculiar importance is albumin, present at 41.8 mg/ml in human plasma (Davies and Morris, 1993), which in the course of endosomal recycling (Kim et al., 2006) is known to bind to FcRn at a site which is distinct from the site that is employed for IgG binding. Another equally important serum protein is IgG, abundantly present (11-12/mg/ml) in human serum (Waldmann and Strober).
[0328] If the antigen-reactive protein binds to the serum protein at the site that is recognized by FcRn, the antigen-binding protein complex becomes rapidly degraded upon endosomal uptake as the serum protein has lost it potential to be rescued by FcRn.
[0329] According to the present invention, the difference in binding strength of a binding protein towards albumin between conditions prevailing in plasma as compared to these of the endosomal compartment can rationalize the relation between Kd and t1/2. Albumin is present in plasma at very high concentration in all animals (32.7, 31.6, 38.7, 49.3, 26.3, 41.8 mg/ml in respectively mouse, rat, rabbit, monkey, dog and human as tabulated by Davis and Morris, 1993). Chaudhury et al. (2003) and Kim et al. (2006) have shown that albumin is constitutively endocytosed and rescued from degradation through acid dependent high affinity binding to FcRn (histocompatibility complex-related Fc receptor). FcRn recycles also IgG which is to enter the endocytic route via fluid phase pinocytosis or by receptor-mediated uptake (Ober et al., 2004). Interestingly, albumin binds to FcRn with a 1:1 stoichiometry (Chaudhury et al., 2006) in contrast to FcRn-IgG complexes which under equilibrium conditions have a 2:1 stoichiometry (Sanchez et al, 1999) although an apparent 1:1 stoichiometry as described in mouse (Popov et al., 1996) but this has been show to be related to alterations of carbohydrate moieties on mouse and may be related to non-equilibrium measurements (Sanchez et al, 1999). From the analysis of w.t. and FcRn-deficient mice, the turnover rate of albumin has been analysed in detail (Kim et al., 2006). The albumin recycling rate is very high. More precisely, the albumin recycling rate equals 31,000 nmol/day/kg with a steady state albumin production and catabolism rate of 31,000 nmol/day/kg.
[0330] During endosomal processing, a albumin or IgG, is bound FcRn under the acidic conditions of the endosome and follows the route of sorting endosomes to exocytosis as described in detail for IgG salvage (Ober et al., 2004). It should be noted that albumin and IgG bind to a different site in FcRn (Kim et al, 2006). The affinity for albumin to FcRn is about 200 times higher at acidic pH as compared to neutral pH in agreement with the proposed role of FcRn as a protecting receptor preventing FcRn bound albumin to enter the lysosomal degradation pathway. The Kd at pH6 of human albumin for human FcRn is 1.8 to 3 microM (Chaudhury et al., 2006). An increased binding of IgG to FcRn between pH 6 and neutral pH is also seen for IgG. The Kd at pH6 for a wild type IgG1 and human FcRn was found to be 2527 nM (Dall' Acqua et al., 2002). It should be noted that although FcRn binds albumin or IgG with similar affinity at acidic pH, the difference in stoichiometry between albumin-FcRn as compared to IgG-FcRn may perhaps result in an enhanced protection of IgG by FcRn in the endosomal compartment.
[0331] After a conditional amino acid sequence bound to a serum protein (such as a Nanobody bound to albumin or IgG) enters the endosomal compartment, it is subjected to the acidic pH (near pH 6) of the endosome, which leads to a decrease of affinity of the conditional amino acid sequence for albumin. In addition, a (further) reduction in binding to albumin may be accompanied by an increase in protease susceptibility.
[0332] Although the invention is not limited to a specific mechanism or explanation, it is expected that the Kd will be affected by pH if titratable moieties are involved in stabilizing the interaction with albumin or if the acidic pH induces conformational adjustments affecting Kd. According to the invention, this profoundly increases the t1/2 of the amino acid sequence of the invention (or a compound comprising the same).
[0333] Thus, according to one non-limiting aspect of the invention, a prolonged half life of an albumin binding conditional binder of the invention (or of a compound comprising the same) is obtained by either increasing its binding strength for albumin at serum pH (7.2-7.4) such under less favourable endosomal conditions the residual apparent Kd is such that only a limited fraction of the binding molecules is dissociated from albumin; and/or not increasing its binding strength for albumin at serum pH but enhancing the binding strength under endosomal conditions. Again, according to the invention, this teaching is not restricted to albumin but can be applied also to molecules binding to other serum proteins, such as IgG.
[0334] This particular aspect of the invention is depicted schematically in the non-limiting FIG. 1 . It is well known that the interaction of various serum protein that bind to the FcRn is known to be pH sensitive (interaction 1 in FIG. 1 ). As a consequence the complex between the composite binding protein, the antigen and the serum protein, after pinocytosis and drop in pH can bind via the serum protein to the FcRn and its components are salvaged from degradation ( FIG. 2 ).
[0335] The conditional binders of the invention are equally sensitive to the changes in conditions upon internalization, and as such influence the half-life of the bound antigen. As some specific non-limiting examples of this aspect of the invention, the interactions of this composite binding protein, antigen or serum protein (interactions 3 and 2, respectively in FIG. 1 ), may or may not be ‘sensitive’ towards changes in the conditions upon internalization. This are also summarized in Tables 1, 2 and 3, by means of representative but non-limiting examples in which the conditional binders no interaction at pH 6 and 100% interaction at pH 7.4, it being be understood that these principles apply to preferable interactions with represent a 10-fold, 100-fold or 1000-fold difference between both conditions. It should also be clear that pH 6.0 denotes the condition ‘acid pH’ and that this condition may also mean an endosomal pH in the range 5 to 6 as suggested by Kamei et al. (2005).
[0336] After internalization, the interaction(s) between the amino acid sequence of the invention, the serum protein and/or the antigen (as a second intended or desired compound) may be essentially unaffected, weakened or strengthened upon internalization (provide at least one of the interactions between the compound of the invention and the serum protein or the antigen is affected). If neither interactions 2 and 3 are sensitive to the changes in conditions upon internalization the complex between antigen, composite binding protein and serum protein, formed in circulation, is largely recycled due to the interaction of the serum protein with the FcRn (e.g. by interacting with sites on IgG or on serum albumin that allow interaction with FcRn).
[0337] A first non limiting example is depicted as case B in Table 1: In this case the interaction between the first binding protein and its antigen is lost upon reduction of the pH, and is released into the endosomal compartment. As a consequence the antigen itself is degraded, but the composite binding protein is rescued from degradation. Such approach can be used to avoid the build-up of composite binding protein-Ag complexes in circulation. Such complexes form a sink of the antigen which sometimes necessitate to increase drug dosage (e.g. with some anti-TNF-blockers). Another advantage is that the composite binding protein is recycled, and thus will need not as frequent injections and high dosing as molecules that are not recycled. This selective removal would recycle the drug itself (e.g. the Nanobody fusion), and allow a more efficient clearance of antigen from circulation than if the Nanobody fusion itself would be cleared. According to this example this route of efficient clearance of antigen from the circulation (but savaging the binding protein) favors the usage of binding proteins (such as e.g. Nanobodies, domain antibodies or other molecules) that are devoid of effector Fc part which via interaction with Fcgamma receptors mediates antibody dependent cell-mediated cytoxicity (ADCC) or antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis (ADCP) and associated clearance of IgG-complexes (Løvdal et al., 2000). In addition the recycling of the drug may affect positively its immunogenicity, as less of the drug will be prone to proteolytic cleavage and endosomal processing leading to MHC Class II presentation. Both features may contribute to the efficacy of the drug.
[0338] Another non-limiting example is depicted as case C in Table 1. At physiological pH there is no binding of the composite binding protein to the antigen in circulation, but there is after the pinocytosis event. Such setup is useful when specific uptake in this compartment is preferred, for example when interactions with the antigen in circulation could influence its function in a non-preferable manner (interference of the composite binding protein with the antigen function due to steric hindrance). A consequence of binding at low pH by the composite protein which itself is a long-lived molecules due to its interaction with the serum protein, is that the antigen could be protected from degradation and is rescued from degradation. As soon as it is released from the cell, however, it detaches from the composite protein and is allowed to function as independent molecules. For example such setup could be used to increase the half life of endogenously present cytokines or hormones.
[0339] In yet another non-limiting example (cases D, E and F in Table 2), the interaction between second binding protein and serum protein is reduced upon the drop of the pH from 7.4 to 6.0. As a consequence, after pinocytosis of the complex of composite binding protein-serum protein (with or without the antigen bound to it), the composite binding protein will loose binding affinity for the FcRn or salvage receptor and be destroyed in the endosomal compartment. Such interaction could be envisaged to be used if the extension of the half-life of the antigen should be limited to the size increase and recycling is not desirable (e.g. if the antigen is a bacterium or virus that is preferred to be cleared in a different manner). This approach can also be suitable for the rapid destruction of circulating antigens (cytokines, toxins). The three different cases in Table 2 depict what will happen is interaction of the composite binding protein with antigen is not sensitive to the pH change (D), or is altered between pH 7.4 and 6.0 (cases E and F).
[0340] A valuable application of Case F may be the control of the fate of the endosomal compartment via a amino acid sequence or compound of the invention or other binding molecule that targets e.g. Rab11 GTPase (Ward et al. 2005) to interfere with exocytosis or with Na,K-ATPases to enhance endosomal acidification (Rybak et al., 1997). Also, for example, the lysosomal route of degradation may be enhanced if a too high level of serum (IgG or albumin) is present in a patient related to a disease or other condition. Alternatively this application may be valuable in order to rapidly eliminate a prior administrated antibody which action should be limited to a small time window (e.g. to avoid undesired side affects of the antibody). By the administration of a composite binding protein, the binding molecule (Nanobody, domain antibody or other molecule) is prevented from rapid cleared by glomerular filtering and gets into action in the endosome at which point there is no need to remain bound to the carrier (e.g. IgG or albumin) because the intended action is anyhow the rerouting of the whole endosomal contents to the lysosomal degradation pathway.
[0341] In another non-limiting example (cases G, H and I in Table 3), the interaction between second binding protein and serum protein is increased upon the drop of the pH from 7.4 to 6.0. For example when there is little or no binding at the physiological pH of the binding protein to the serum protein, in circulation the binding protein is free to interact with antigen and this interaction is not affected by any interaction to the serum protein. The latter interaction may cause some steric hindrance, interfere with the pharmacokinetics of the complex of the antigen-composite binding protein, or interfere with the function of the antigen bound to the composite protein. After internalization of the antigen-composite binding protein complex is internalized and the pH decreases, and preferably at pH 6.0 the binding of the 2 nd binding site of the composite binding protein will become sufficient to salvage the composite binding protein from degradation. In such case the antigen bound to the composite binding protein can be retained (case G), or released for degradation (case H). In one last case (case I) the binding to antigen occurs only at the low pH, which may be a route to rescue intracellular protein released into the endosomal compartment due to the rescue by a composite binding protein.
[0342] In these aspects and examples of the invention, binding of the Amino acid sequence or compound of the invention itself may be sufficient by itself to induce a biased clearance of the antigen, but preferably the complex of the amino acid sequence or compound of the invention and the antigen is actively targeted to the endosomal compartment, e.g. by another Amino acid sequence or compound of the invention that recognizes a cell-surface target (preferably FcRn) that is regularly internalized and cleared via the endosomal compartment, or via recognition of a factor present in circulation that is cycled via the endosomal compartment. Preferred is that this cell-surface target is FcRn, or that the serum protein is IgG or albumin, or transferrin.
[0343] This invention in a further aspect encompasses methods to generate binding proteins to antigens and/or serum proteins that are sensitive in their interaction, e.g. to the changing environment upon internalization. Antibody-antigen interactions are known to be sometimes sensitive to changes in buffer conditions, pH and ionic strength, but most often those changes are not scored or investigated, and they are not often used to design drug therapeutics as variations are overall unpredictable.
[0344] Binding proteins with the desirable binding characteristics are found for example by screening repertoires of binding proteins for the occurrence of a sensitive interaction, e.g. by carrying out a binding assay with two representative conditions (e.g. at pH 7.4 and at pH 6.0), and the relative binding strength determined. Such strength of relative interaction can be measured with any suitable binding test including ELISA, BIAcore-based methods, Scatchard analysis etc. Such test will reveal which binding proteins display interactions that are sensitive to the chosen parameter (pH, ionic strength, temperature) and to what extend.
[0345] Conditional binders of the invention may alternatively be generated by selecting repertoires of binding proteins, e.g. from phage, ribosome, yeast or cellular libraries using conditions in the selection that will preferentially enrich for the desirable sensitivity. Incubating a phage antibody library at physiological pH and eluting the bound phage particles by only changing the pH to 6.0 for example will elute those phages with a pH-sensitive interaction. Similarly a change in ionic strength can be employed (e.g. from 150 mM to 10 mM NaCl or KCl) to identify interactions highly sensitive to these interactions. Equally important are conditions that are sensitive to the concentration of Ca 2+ . For example, Christensen et al., (2001), have observed reductions in [Ca 2+ ]pino by two orders of magnitude as pH decreases from 7.2 to 6.2 in newly formed pinosomes, followed by significant increases in [Ca 2+ ]pino as the pinosome matures, implying that low calcium concentration is a distinct physiological feature of early endosomes.
[0346] Conditional binding proteins with the desirable binding characteristics can further be isolated from designer protein libraries in which the putative binding site has been engineered to contain amino acid residues or sequences that are preferred in certain ‘sensitive’ interactions, e.g. histidines for pH-sensitivity. For example, it is known that the interaction between FcRn and IgG is exquisitely sensitive to pH, being reduced over 2 orders of magnitude as the pH is raised from pH 6.0 to 7.0. The main mechanistic basis of the affinity transition is the histidine content of the binding site: the imidazole side changes of histidine residues usually deprotonate over the pH range 6.0-7.0. The inclusion of histidines in the putative binding site (e.g. using oligonucleotides that preferentially incorporate this residue in the library) is predicted to yield a higher frequency of binding proteins with pH-sensitive interactions.
[0347] The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of this embodiment.
[0348] All of the references described herein are incorporated by reference, in particular for the teaching that is referenced hereinabove.
LEGENDS
[0349] FIG. 1 . Possible interaction of the amino acid sequence of the invention.
[0350] FIG. 2 . Interaction 1 is sensitive to changes in the pH.
[0351] FIG. 3 . Human serum albumin-specific ELISA analysis of periplasmic preparations containing his-tagged Nanobody protein fragments from selected clones. Periplasmic preparations of soluble Nanobody protein fragments are added to wells of an ELISA plate, which had been coated with HSA antigen and had been additionally blocked with PBS+1% casein. Detection is performed by a monoclonal biotinylated anti-his antibody followed by horseradish-conjugated streptavidin. The ELISA is developed by a TMB-substrate as described in Example 1. The OD-values (Y-axis) are measured at 450 nm by an ELISA-reader. Each bar represents an individual periplasmic extract.
[0352] FIG. 4 . Surface plasmon resonance measurements of the interaction between albumin-binding Nanobodies and human serum albumin at different pH. Periplasmic preparations of soluble Nanobody protein fragments are injected over immobilized human serum albumin at pH5, pH6 or pH7. FIGS. 4A and 4B show the interaction of nanobody 4A 1 and 4C3 respectively.
[0353] FIG. 5 . Amino acid sequences.
[0354] FIG. 6 . Nanobodies (Clones) that only bind in neutral conditions but not in acidic conditions
[0355] FIG. 7 . Nanobodies (Clones) that only bind in acidic conditions but not in neutral conditions
EXPERIMENTAL PART
Example 1
Identification of Conditional Serum Albumin Specific Nanobodies
[0356] After approval of the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (University Ghent, Belgium), 2 llamas (117, 118) are alternately immunized with 6 intramuscular injections at weekly interval with human serum albumin and a mixture of mouse serum albumin, cynomolgus serum albumin and baboon serum albumin, according to standard protocols.
Library Construction
[0357] When an appropriate immune response is induced in llama, four days after the last antigen injection, a 150 ml blood sample is collected and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) are purified by a density gradient centrifugation on Ficoll-Paque™ according to the manufacturer's instructions. Next, total RNA is extracted from these cells and used as starting material for RT-PCR to amplify Nanobody encoding gene fragments. These fragments are cloned into phagemid vector pAX50. Phage is prepared according to standard methods (see for example the prior art and applications filed by applicant cited herein) and stored at 4° C. for further use.
Selection
Selecting Repertoires for Binding to Serum Albumin.
[0358] In a first selection, human serum albumin (Sigma A-8763) is coated onto Maxisorp 96-well plates (Nunc, Wiesbaden, Germany) at 100 μg/ml overnight (ON) at room temperature (RT). Plates are blocked with 4% Marvel in PBS for 2 h at RT. After 3 washes with PBST, phages are added in 4% Marvel/PBS and incubated for 1 h at RT. Following extensive washing, bound phage is eluted with 0.1 M triethanolamine (TEA) and neutralized with 1M Tris-HCl pH 7.5.
Selecting Repertoires for Conditional Binding to Serum Albumin.
[0359] To enrich for conditional binders, said binders with a pH sensitive interaction, phage libraries are incubated with antigen at physiological pH and eluted at acidic pH as follows. In a first selection, human serum albumin (Sigma A-8763) is coated onto Maxisorp 96-well plates (Nunc, Wiesbaden, Germany) at 100 μg/ml overnight (ON) at room temperature (RT). Plates are blocked with 4% Marvel in PBS pH 7.3 for 2 h at RT. After 5 washes with PBS/0.05% Tween20 (PBST) pH 7.3, phages are added in 2% Marvel/PBS pH 7.3 and incubated for 2 h at RT. Unbound phages are removed by 10 washes with PBST pH7.3, followed by 2 washes with PBS pH5.8. Bound phage is eluted with PBS pH5.8 for 30 min at RT and neutralized with 1M Tris-HCl pH 7.5.
[0360] In a second selection, phage libraries are incubated for 2 h at RT with human serum albumin in 2% Marvell/CPA buffer (10 mM sodium citrate+10 mM sodium phosphate+10 mM sodium acetate+115 mM NaCl) adjusted to pH 7.3. Unbound phages are removed by 10 washes with CPA/0.05% Tween20 (CPAT) pH7.3, followed by 2 washes with CPAT pH5.8. Bound phage is eluted with CPA pH5.8 for 30 min at RT and neutralized with 1M Tris-HCl pH 7.
[0361] In a third selection strategy, phage libraries are incubated for 2 h at RT with human serum albumin in 2% Marvell/CPA pH5.8. Unbound phages are removed by 10 washes with CPAT pH5.8, followed by 2 washes with CPA pH 7.3. Bound phage is eluted with 1 mg/ml trypsin/CPA pH 7.3 for 30 min at RT.
[0362] In a fourth selection strategy, phage libraries are incubated for 2 h at RT with human scrum albumin in 2% Marvell/PBS pH5.8. Unbound phages are removed by 10 washes with PBST pH5.8, followed by 2 washes with PBSpH 7.3. Bound phage is eluted with 1 mg/ml trypsin/CPA pH 7.3 for 30 min at RT.
[0363] In all selections, enrichment is observed. The output from each selection is recloned as a pool into the expression vector pAX51. Colonies are picked and grown in 96 deep-well plates (1 ml volume) and induced by adding IPTG for Nanobody expression. Periplasmic extracts (volume: ˜80 μl) are prepared according to standard methods (see for example the prior art and applications filed by applicant cited herein).
Library Evaluation by ELISA.
[0364] Periplasmic extracts of individual Nanobodies are screened for albumin specificity by ELISA on solid phase coated human serum albumin. Detection of Nanobody fragments bound to immobilized human serum albumin is carried out using a biotinylated mouse anti-his antibody (Serotec MCA 1396B) detected with Streptavidin-HRP (DakoCytomation #P0397). The signal is developed by adding TMB substrate solution (Pierce 34021) and detected at a wavelength of 450 min. A high hit rate of positive clones can already be obtained after panning round 1. FIG. 3 is illustrative of typical ELISA results.
[0000] Selection for Conditional or pH-Sensitive Binding of Nanobodies to Albumin by ELISA.
[0365] To enrich for conditional binders, said binders with a pH sensitive interaction, phage libraries may be incubated with antigen at physiological pH and eluted at acidic pH as follows. In a first selection strategy, human serum albumin (Sigma A-8763) is coated onto Maxisorp 96-well plates (Nunc, Wiesbaden, Germany) at 100 μg/ml overnight (ON) at room temperature (RT). Plates are blocked with 4% Marvel in PBS pH 7.3 for 2 h at RT. After 5 washes with PBS/0.05% Tween20 (PBST) pH 7.3, phages are added in 2% Marvel/PBS pH 7.3 and incubated for 2 h at RT. Unbound phages are removed by 10 washes with PBST pH7.3, followed by 2 washes with PBS pH5.8. Bound phage is eluted with PBS pH5.8 for 30 min at RT and neutralized with 1M Tris-HCl pH 7.5.
[0366] In a second selection strategy, phage libraries are incubated for 2 h at RT with human serum albumin in 2% Marvell/CPA buffer (10 mM sodium citrate+1.0 mM sodium phosphate+10 mM sodium acetate+115 mM NaCl) adjusted to pH 7.3. Unbound phages are removed by 10 washes with CPA/0.05% Tween20 (CPAT) pH7.3, followed by 2 washes with CPAT pH5.8. Bound phage is eluted with CPA pH5.8 for 30 min at RT and neutralized with 1M Tris-HCl pH 7.
[0367] In a third selection strategy, phage libraries are incubated for 2 h at RT with human serum albumin in 2% Marvell/CPA pH5.8. Unbound phages are removed by 10 washes with CPAT pH5.8, followed by 2 washes with CPA pH 7.3. Bound phage is eluted with 1 mg/ml trypsin/CPA pH 7.3 for 30 min at RT.
[0368] In a fourth selection strategy, phage libraries are incubated for 2 h at RT with human serum albumin in 2% Marvell/PBS pH5.8. Unbound phages are removed by 10 washes with PBST pH5.8, followed by 2 washes with PBSpH 7.3. Bound phage is eluted with 1 mg/ml trypsin/CPA pH 7.3 for 30 min at RT.
[0369] In all selections, enrichment is observed. The output from each selection is recloned as a pool e.g. into the expression vector pAX51. Colonies are picked and grown in 96 deep-well plates (1 ml volume) and induced by adding IPTG for Nanobody expression. Periplasmic extracts (volume: ˜80 μl) are prepared according to standard methods (see for example the prior art and applications filed by applicant cited herein).
[0000] Screening of Nanobody Repertoire for the Occurrence of a pH-Sensitive Interaction Via Surface Plasmon Resonance (BIAcore).
[0370] Human serum albumin is immobilized on a CM5 sensor chip surface via amine coupling using NHS/EDC for activation and ethanolamine for deactivation (Biacore amine coupling kit)
[0371] Approximately 1000RU of human serum albumin is immobilized. Experiments are performed at 25° C. The buffers used for the pH dependent binding of Nanobodies to albumin (Biacore) are as follows: 10 mM Sodium citrate (Na 3 C 6 H 5 O 7 )+10 mM Sodium phosphate (Na 2 HPO 4 )+10 mM Sodium Acetate (CH 3 C00Na)+115 mM NaCl. This mixture is brought to pH7, pH6 and pH5 by adding HCl or NaOH (dependent on the pH of the mixture measured).
[0372] Periplasmic extracts are diluted in running buffers of pH7, pH6 and pH5. The samples are injected for 1 min at a flow rate of 45 ul/min over the activated and reference surfaces. Those surfaces are regenerated with a 3s pulse of glycine-HCl pH1.5+0.1% P20. Evaluation is done using Biacore T100 evaluation software.
[0373] The off rate of different Nanobodies at pH7 and pH5 is documented in Table 1. The majority of the Nanobodies (4A2, 4A6, 4B5, 4B6, 4B8, 4C3, 4C4, 4C5, 4C8, 4C9, 4D3, 4D4, 4D7 ad 4D10 have a faster off rate at pH 5 compared with pH 7 (2-6 fold difference in off rate). The Nanobody 4A9 has a slower off-rate at pH 5 compared to pH 7 (0.54 fold difference in off rate). For other Nanobodies including 4C12, 4B1, 4B10, IL6R202, Alb-8, and 4D5, binding to antigen does not change at different pH.
[0374] Direct screening of nanobody repertoires for conditional binding to antigen can thus be used.
Screening for Conditional Binding of Nanobodies by ELISA
[0375] To screen Nanobodies for their conditional binding to albumin, a binding ELISA can also be performed with two representative conditions, pH 5.8 and pH7.3 and the relative binding strength determined. Maxisorb micro titer plates (Nunc, Article No. 430341) are coated overnight at 4° C. with 100 μl of a 1 μg/ml solution human serum albumin in bicarbonate buffer (50 mM, pH 9.6). After coating, the plates are washed three times with PBS containing 0.05% Tween20 (PBST) and blocked for 2 hours at room temperature (RT) with PBS containing 2% Marvel (PBSM). After the blocking step, the coated plates are washed 2 times with PBST pH 5.8, and a ten-fold dilution aliquot of each periplasmic sample in PBSM pH5.8 (100 μl) is transferred to the coated plates and allowed to bind for 1 hour at RT. After sample incubation, the plates are washed five times with PBST and incubated for 1 hour at RT with 100 μl of a 1:1000 dilution of mouse anti-myc antibody in 2% PBSM. After 1 hour at RT, the plates are washed five times with PBST and incubated with 100 μl of a 1:1000 dilution of a goat anti-mouse antibody conjugated with horseradish peroxidase. After 1 hour, plates are washed five times with PBST and incubated with 100 μl of slow TMB (Pierce, Article No. 34024). After 20 minutes, the reaction is stopped with 100 μl H 2 SO 4 . The absorbance of each well is measured at 450 nm.
[0376] 92 periplasmic extracts for each of the conditional selection strategies described herein, are analyzed in this ELISA. FIG. 6 depicts the result for Nanobodies that conditionally bind to human serum albumin at neutral pH, i.e. pH 7.4, but not to acidic, i.e. pH 5.8. FIG. 7 depicts the results for Nanobodies that conditionally bind to human serum albumin at acidic pH, i.e. pH 5.8, but not to neutral pH, i.e. pH 7.4.
[0377] Upon 1 round of selection on human serum albumin, followed by total elution, Nanobodies are identified that either conditionally bind to albumin at acidic pH (n=16) or at neutral pH (n=19). Driving the selection conditions towards conditional binding, results in a higher ratio of conditionally binding nanobodies (n=23).
Example 2
Analysis of Effect of Conditional Binding on Pharmacokinetic Behaviour of the Nanobody
[0378] 1. Construction of Bispecific Nanobody Format
[0379] Bispecific nanobodies are e.g. generated consisting of a C-terminal conditional HSA-binding Nanobody, a 9 amino acid Gly/Ser linker and an N-terminal anti-target Nanobody. These constructs may be expressed in E. coli as c-myc, His6-tagged proteins and subsequently purified from the culture medium by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) and size exclusion chromotagraphy (SEC).
[0380] 2. Retention of Conditional Binding Upon Formatting into Multispecific Format.
[0381] The conditional pH-binding properties of the anti-HSA Nanobody or dAbs within the multispecific nanobody formats are evaluated via surface plasmon resonance (BIAcore), e.g. a conditional binder as disclosed in this application is linked to one or more nanobody or dAbs binding to one or more protein target(s). Cross-reactivity to cynomolgus serum albumin is also assessed. Human and cynomolgus serum albumin are immobilized on a CM5 sensor chip surface via amine coupling using NHS/EDC for activation and ethanolamine for deactivation (Biacore amine coupling kit)
[0382] Experiments are performed at 25° C. The buffers used for the pH dependent binding of Nanobodies to albumin (Biacore) are as follows: 10 mM Sodium citrate (Na 3 C 6 H 5 O 7 )+10 mM Sodium phosphate (Na 2 HPO 4 )+10 mM Sodium Acetate (CH 3 C00Na)+115 mM NaCl. This mixture is brought to pH7, pH6 and pH5 by adding HCl or NaOH (dependent on the pH of the mixture measured).
[0383] Purified Nanobodies are diluted in running buffers of pH7, pH6 and pH5. The samples are injected for 1 min at a flow rate of 45 ul/min over the activated and reference surfaces. Those surfaces are regenerated with a 3s pulse of glycine-HCl pH1.5+0.1% P20. Evaluation is done using Biacore T100 evaluation software.
[0384] 3. Pharmacokinetic Profile of Bispecific Nanobody Formats in Cynomolgus Monkey
[0385] A pharmacokinetic study is conducted in cynomolgus monkeys. A Nanobody (e.g. IL6R-4D10, i.e. a IL-6 receptor binding block linked via a 9 amino acid Gly/Ser linker to a conditional albumin binding binding block) is administered intravenously by bolus injection (1.0 ml/kg, approximately 30 sec) in the vena cephalica of the left or right arm to obtain a dose of 2.0 mg/kg. The Nanobody concentration in the plasma samples is determined via ELISA.
[0386] The concentration in the plasma samples is determined as follows:
[0387] Maxisorb micro titer plates (Nunc, Article No. 430341) are coated overnight at 4° C. with 100 μl of a 5 μg/ml solution of 12B2-GS9-12B2 (B2#1302nr4.3.9) in bicarbonate buffer (50 mM, pH 9.6). After coating, the plates are washed three times with PBS containing 0.1% Tween20 and blocked for 2 hours at room temperature (RT) with PBS containing 1% casein (250 μl/well). Plasma samples and serial dilutions of Nanobody-standards (spiked in 100% pooled blank cynomolgus plasma) are diluted in PBS in a separate non-coated plate (Nunc, Article No. 249944) to obtain the desired concentration/dilution in a final sample matrix consisting of 10% pooled cynomolgus plasma in PBS. All pre-dilutions are incubated for 30 minutes at RT in the non-coated plate. After the blocking step, the coated plates are washed three times (PBS containing 0.1% Tween20), and an aliquot of each sample dilution (100 μl) is transferred to the coated plates and allowed to bind for 1 hour at RT. After sample incubation, the plates are washed three times (PBS containing 0.1% Tween20) and incubated for 1 hour at RT with 100 μl of a 100 ng/ml solution of sIL6R in PBS (Peprotech, Article No. 20006R). After 1 hour at RT, the plates are washed three times (PBS containing 0.1% Tween20) and incubated with 100 μl of a 250 ng/ml solution of a biotinylated polyclonal anti-IL6R antibody in PBS containing 1% casein (R&D systems, Article No. BAF227). After incubation for 30 minutes (RT), plates are washed three times (PBS containing 0.1% Tween20) and incubated for 30 minutes (RT) with 100 μl of a 1/5000 dilution (in PBS containing 1% casein) of streptavidine conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (DaktoCytomation, Article No. P0397). After 30 minutes, plates are washed three times (PBS containing 0.1% Tween20) and incubated with 100 μl of slow TMB (Pierce, Article No. 34024). After 20 minutes, the reaction is stopped with 100 μl HCl (1N). The absorbance of each well is measured at 450 nm (Tecan Sunrise spectrophotometer), and corrected for absorbance at 620 nm. This assay measures free Nanobody as well as Nanobodies bound to sIL6R and/or cynomolgus serum albumin. Concentration in each plasma sample is determined based on a sigmoidal standard curve with variable slope of the respective Nanobody.
[0388] Each individual plasma sample is analyzed in two independent assays and an average plasma concentration is calculated for pharmacokinetic data analysis.
[0389] All parameters are calculated with two-compartmental modeling, with elimination from the central compartment.
[0000]
TABLE 1
pH-dependent interaction between second amino acid sequence and
antigen, but not first amino acid sequence and serum protein
pH
pH
Fate
Case
Interaction
6.0
7.4
Nanobody
Interaction
pH 6.0
pH 7.4
Fate Antigen
B
2
++
++
Same
3
−−
++
Release of Ag in endosomal
compartment, degradation;
method to avoid build up of
Nanobody-Ag complex in
circulation
C
2
++
++
Same
3
++
−−
No binding to antigen in
circulation, useful when specific
uptake in this compartment is
preferred
[0000]
TABLE 2
Interaction between first amino acid sequence and serum protein
occurs preferentially at physiological pH
pH
pH
pH
pH
Case
Interaction
6.0
7.4
Fate Nanobody
Interaction
6.0
7.4
Fate Antigen
D
2
−−
++
Binding to SP in
3
++
++
Possibly longer half life
circulation; destruction of
as long as in complex
Nanobody in endosomal
with Nanobody
compartment; Extension
of half life limited to size
increase but no recycling
E
2
−−
++
Same
3
−−
++
Release of Ag in
endosomal
compartment,
degradation; method to
avoid build up of
Nanobody-Ag complex
in circulation
F
2
−−
++
Same
3
++
−−
Endosomal rerouting if
the target is e.g. Rab
11 GTPase or
Na + , K + , ATPases.
Please note:
pH 6.0 may mean an acid physiological pH, i.e. could also be 5.5 or less or more.
pH 7.4 may mean a neutral physiological pH, i.e. could also be a pH between 7.2 and 7.4 (and possibly a bit more or less).
[0000]
TABLE 3
Preferential binding of amino acid sequence to serum protein at acidic pH
pH
pH
pH
pH
Case
Interaction
6.0
7.4
Fate Nanobody
Interaction
6.0
7.4
Fate Antigen
G
2
++
−−
Binding to serum
3
++
++
No interference of serum
protein in endosomal
protein binding with function
compartment (at low
of Nanobody while in
pH) only; upon
circulation
release of serum
protein, also
Nanobody detaches;
Extension of half life
limited to recycling
effect; Advantage to
retain size
H
2
++
−−
Same
3
−−
++
Release of bound Ag in
endosomal compartment.
I
2
++
−−
Same
3
++
−−
Capture of Ag only when co-
pinocytosed by cells or when
introduced by the cell itself;
for specific applications this
could be useful
Please note:
pH 6.0 may mean an acid physiological pH, i.e. could also be 5.5 or less or more.
pH 7.4 may mean a neutral physiological pH, i.e. could also be a pH between 7.2 and 7.4 (and possibly a bit more or less).
[0000]
TABLE 4
Off rate (determined by Biacore) of different
Nanobodies ® at pH 7 and pH 5 is documented
Nanobody
kd (1/s) at pH 7
kd (1/s) at pH 5
Ratio pH 7/pH 5
4D10
5.23E−04
3.41E−03
6.52
4A6
1.73E−03
9.99E−03
5.77
4C9
4.41E−04
1.71E−03
3.88
4A2
6.42E−03
2.27E−02
3.54
4C8
6.24E−04
2.09E−03
3.35
4C3
1.12E−03
3.75E−03
3.35
4B6
3.68E−04
1.19E−03
3.23
4D4
6.02E−03
1.66E−02
2.76
4C5
5.41E−04
1.32E−03
2.44
4B8
7.41E−04
1.80E−03
2.43
4C4
4.99E−04
1.21E−03
2.42
4D3
5.65E−03
1.37E−02
2.42
4D7
6.53E−04
1.58E−03
2.42
4B5
1.74E−03
4.03E−03
2.32
4D5
2.04E−02
2.63E−02
1.29
4C11
2.63E−02
3.12E−02
1.19
4B1
8.75E−03
7.73E−03
0.88
4B10
4.99E−02
4.34E−02
0.87
4A9
1.30E−02
7.01E−03
0.54
Alb8
2.97E−03
2.78E−03
1.07
IL-6R202
4.08E−03
6.19E−03
1.52
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The present invention relates to amino acid sequences that bind to serum proteins such as serum albumin; to compounds, proteins and polypeptides comprising or essentially consisting of such amino acid sequences; to nucleic acids that encode such amino acid sequences, proteins or polypeptides; to compositions, and in particular pharmaceutical compositions, that comprise such amino acid sequences, proteins and polypeptides; and to uses of such amino acid sequences, proteins and polypeptides, is essentially conditional on different physiological situations, e.g. is different under acidic condition than under pH-neutral condition.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present patent application relates to novel polymers, to water-in-oil inverse latexes and water-in-oil inverse microlatexes comprising them, to their process of preparation and to their use as flocculating, superabsorbing or rheology-modifying thickening agent.
2. Related Art
During studies into the development of novel flocculating or superabsorbing thickening agents having a prolonged stability over time, the Applicant Company became interested in polymers of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis-(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]propenamide, also known as tris-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamidomethane or THAM:
THAM is disclosed in the European patent application published under the number EP 0 900 786.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is a method and composition comprising an oil phase, an aqueous phase, at least one emulsifying agent of water-in-oil (W/O) type and at least one emulsifying agent of oil-in-water (O/W) type, in the form either of a self-invertible inverse latex comprising from 20% to 70% by weight, and preferably from 25% to 40% by weight, of a linear or crosslinked polymer, characterized in that it is capable of being obtained either by homopolymerization of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl] propenamide or by copolymerization of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxy-methyl)ethyl] propenamide with one or more monomers chosen from cationic monomers, monomers comprising at least one, partially salified or completely salified, strong acid functional group, monomers comprising at least one, partially salified or completely salified, weak acid functional group, or neutral monomers, or of a self-invertible inverse microlatex comprising from 10% to 50% by weight, and preferably from 10% to 30% by weight, of said polymer.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a subject matter of the latter is a linear or crosslinked polymer, characterized in that it is capable of being obtained either by homopolymerization of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]propenamide or by copolymerization of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxy-methyl)ethyl]propenamide with one or more monomers chosen from cationic monomers, monomers comprising at least one, partially salified or completely salified, strong acid functional group, monomers comprising at least one, partially salified or completely salified, weak acid functional group, or neutral monomers.
The term “crosslinked polymer” denotes a nonlinear polymer which exists in the form of a three-dimensional network which is insoluble in water but which can swell in water and which thus results in the production of a chemical gel.
The term “salified” denotes, for the strong or weak acid functional groups, the alkali metal salts, such as the sodium salt or the potassium salt, or the nitrogenous base salts, such as, for example, the ammonium salt or the monoethanolamine (HO—CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ) salt.
The term “copolymerization” means that the polymerization reaction employs at the two different monomers. It can in particular employ three or more than three different monomers.
When the polymerization reaction resulting in the copolymer which is a subject matter of the present invention employs one or more monomers comprising a strong acid functional group, it is generally the sulfonic acid functional group or the phosphonic acid functional group, said functional groups being partially or completely salified. Said monomer can, for example, be styrenesulfonic acid, 2-sulfoethyl methacrylate, styrenephosphonic acid, partially or completely salified, or, preferably, 2-methyl-2-[1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonic acid, partially or completely salified in the form of an alkali metal salt, such as, for example, the sodium salt or the potassium salt, of the ammonium salt, of a salt of an amino alcohol, such as, for example, the monoethanol-amine salt, or of an amino acid salt, such as, for example, the lysine salt.
When the polymerization reaction resulting in the copolymer which is a subject matter of the present invention employs one or more monomers comprising a weak acid functional group, it is generally the carboxylic acid functional group; said monomers are chosen more particularly from acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, partially or completely salified, or 3-methyl-3-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]butanoic acid, partially salified or completely salified.
When the polymerization reaction resulting in the copolymer which is a subject matter of the present invention employs one or more neutral monomers, they are chosen more particularly from acrylamide, methacrylamide, vinylpyrrolidone, diacetone acrylamide, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate or an ethoxylated derivative, with a molecular weight of between 400 and 1000, of each of these esters.
When the polymerization reaction resulting in the copolymer which is the subject matter of the present invention employs one or more cationic monomers, they are more particularly monomers comprising one or more ammonium groups or aminated precursors of these monomers; such as, for example, 2, N,N,N-tetramethyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]propanammonium chloride (AMPTAC), 2, N,N-trimethyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]propanammonium chloride, N,N,N-trimethyl-3-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]propanammonium chloride (APTAC), diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC), N,N,N-trimethyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)]ethanammonium chloride, N,N,N-trimethyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-methyl-2-propenyl)]ethanammonium chloride, N-[2-(dimethylamino)-1,1-dimethyl]acrylamide, N-[2-(methylamino)-1,1-dimethyl]acrylamide, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate or N-[3-(dimethyl-amino)propyl]acrylamide.
A subject matter of the invention is more particularly the following polymers:
homopolymers of THAM, copolymers of THAM and of 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonic acid, partially or completely salified in the sodium salt or ammonium salt form, copolymers of THAM and of acrylic acid, partially salified in the sodium salt or ammonium salt form, copolymers of THAM and of methacrylic acid, partially salified in the sodium salt or ammonium salt form, terpolymers of THAM, of acrylic acid and of acrylamide, partially salified in the sodium salt or ammonium salt form, copolymers of THAM and of 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propane-sulfonic acid, partially or completely salified in the sodium salt or ammonium salt form, copolymers of THAM and of AMPTAC, copolymers of THAM and of APTAC, copolymers of THAM and of DADMAC, copolymers of THAM and of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate, copolymers of THAM and of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, terpolymers of THAM, of AMPTAC and of acrylamide, terpolymers of THAM, of AMPTAC and of diacetone acrylamide, terpolymers of THAM, of APTAC and of acrylamide, terpolymers of THAM, of DADMAC and of diacetone acrylamide, terpolymers of THAM, of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate and of acrylamide or terpolymers of THAM, of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and of diacetone acrylamide.
According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the polymers as defined above are linear polymers.
According to another specific aspect of the present invention, the polymers as defined above are polymers crosslinked by a crosslinking agent chosen from diethylene or polyethylene compounds and very particularly from diallyloxyacetic acid or one of the salts and in particular its sodium salt, triallylamine, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate, diallylurea or methylenebis(acrylamide). The crosslinking agent is generally used in the molar proportion, expressed with respect to the monomers employed, of 0.005% to 1%, in particular of 0.01% to 0.2% and more particularly of 0.01% to 0.1%.
The polymers as defined above have a molar proportion, expressed with respect to the monomers employed, of THAM monomer generally of greater than or equal to 5%, more particularly of greater than or equal to 10% and very particularly of greater than or equal to 20%.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a subject matter of the invention is a composition comprising an oil phase, an aqueous phase, at least one emulsifying agent of water-in-oil (W/O) type and at least one emulsifying agent of oil-in-water (O/W) type, in the form of a self-invertible inverse latex comprising from 20% to 70% by weight and preferably from 25% to 40% by weight of a polymer as defined above.
The inverse latex according to the invention generally comprises from 2.5% to 15% by weight and preferably from 4% to 9% by weight of emulsifying agents, among which agents from 20% to 50%, in particular from 25% to 40%, of the total weight of the emulsifying agents present are of the water-in-oil (W/O) type and in which invention from 80% to 50%, in particular from 75% to 60%, of the total weight of the emulsifying agents are of the oil-in-water (O/W) type.
In the inverse latex as defined above, the oil phase generally represents from 15% to 50%, preferably from 20% to 25%, of its total weight. The inverse latex comprises between 5% and 60% by weight of water and more particularly between 20% and 50% by weight of water. The latex according to the invention can also comprise various additives, such as complexing agents or chain-limiting agents.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a subject matter of the invention is a composition comprising an oil phase, an aqueous phase, at least one emulsifying agent of water-in-oil (W/O) type and at least one emulsifying agent of oil-in-water (O/W) type, in the form of a self-invertible inverse microlatex comprising from 10% to 50% by weight and preferably from 10% to 30% by weight of a polymer as defined above.
The inverse microlatex according to the invention generally comprises from 5% to 10% by weight of a mixture of surfactants of W/O type and of O/W type having an overall HLB number of greater than or equal to 9. The oil phase generally represents from 15% to 50%, preferably from 20% to 25%, of its total weight.
The term “emulsifying agent of the water-in-oil type” denotes emulsifying agents having an HLB value which is sufficiently low to provide water-in-oil emulsions, such as the surface-active polymers sold under the name of Hypermer™ or such as sorbitan esters, for example the sorbitan monooleate sold by Seppic under the name Montane™ 80, the sorbitan isostearate sold by Seppic under the name Montanem 70 or the sorbitan sesquioleate sold by Seppic under the name of Montane™ 83. When a mixture of emulsifying agents of the water-in-oil type is concerned, the HLB value to be taken into consideration is that of said mixture.
The term “emulsifying agent of the oil-in-water type” emulsifying agents having an HLB value which is sufficiently high to provide oil-in-water emulsions, such as, for example, ethoxylated sorbitan esters, such as the ethoxylated sorbitan oleate comprising 20 mol of ethylene oxide, the ethoxylated castor oil comprising 40 mol of ethylene oxide and the ethoxylated sorbitan laurate comprising 20 mol of ethylene oxide, sold by Seppic under the names Montanox™ 80, Simulsol™ OL 50 and Montanox™ 20 respectively, the ethoxylated lauryl alcohol comprising 7 mol of ethylene oxide sold by Seppic under the name Simulsolw™ P7, the ethylene decaethoxylated oleyl/cetyl alcohol sold by Seppic under the name Simulsol™ OC 710 or the polyethoxylated sorbitan hexaoleates sold by Atlas Chemical Industries under the names G-1086 and G-1096, ethoxylated nonylphenols or alkyl polyglucosides of formula (I):
R 1 —O—(G) x —H (I)
such as Simulsol™ SL 8, sold by Seppic, which is an aqueous solution comprising between approximately 35% and 45% by weight of a mixture of alkyl polyglucosides consisting of between 45% by weight and 55% by weight of a compound of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents a decyl radical and between 45% by weight and 55% by weight of a compound of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents an octyl radical; Simulsolw™ SL10, sold by Seppic, which is an aqueous solution comprising between approximately 50% by weight and 60% by weight of a mixture of alkyl polyglucosides consisting of approximately 85% by weight of a compound of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents a decyl radical, approximately 7.5% by weight of a compound of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents a dodecyl radical and approximately 7.5% by weight of a compound of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents a tetradecyl radical; Simulsol™ SL11, sold by Seppic, which is an aqueous solution comprising between approximately 50% by weight and 60% by weight of a mixture of alkyl polyglucosides of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents an undecyl radical, or Simulsol™ SL26, sold by Seppic, which is an aqueous solution comprising between approximately 50% by weight and 60% by weight of a mixture of alkyl polyglucosides consisting of approximately 70% by weight of a compound of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents a dodecyl radical, approximately 25% by weight of a compound of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents a tetradecyl radical and approximately 5% by weight of a compound of formula (I) in which x is equal to approximately 1.45 and R 1 represents a hexadecyl radical.
The oil phase of the inverse latex or of the inverse microlatex described above is composed either:
of a commercial mineral oil comprising saturated hydrocarbons of paraffin, isoparaffin or cycloparaffin type exhibiting, at ambient temperature, a density between 0.7 and 0.9 and a boiling point of greater than 180° C., such as, for example, Isopar™ M, Isopar™ L, Isopar™E or Isopar™G, Exxol™ D 100 S, sold by Exxon, or white mineral oils in accordance with the FDA 21 CFR 172.878 and FR 178.3620(a) regulations, such as Marcol™ 52 or Marcol™82, also sold by Exxon;
or of hydrogenated polyisobutene, sold in France by Ets B. Rossow et Cie under the name Parleam-Polysynlane™ and mentioned in Michael and Irene Ash; Thesaurus of Chemical Products, Chemical Publishing Co. Inc., 1986, Volume I, page 211 (ISBN 0 7131 3603 0);
or of isohexadecane, which is identified in Chemical Abstracts by the number RN=93685-80-4 and which is a mixture of C 12 , C 16 and C 20 isoparaffins comprising at least 97% of C 16 isoparaffins, among which the main constituent is 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane (RN=4390-04-9). It is sold in France by Bayer;
or of isododecane, sold in France by Bayer;
or of squalane, which is identified in Chemical Abstracts by the number RN=111-01-3 and which is a mixture of hydrocarbons comprising more than 80% by weight of 2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyltetracosane. It is sold in France by Sophim under the name Phytosqualane™;
or among the esters of fatty acids of formula (II):
R 1 —(C═O)—O—[[CH 2 —CH[O—[C(═O)] m —R 2 ]—CH 2 —O] n —[C(═O)] p ] q —R 3 (II)
in which R 1 represents a saturated or unsaturated and linear or branched hydrocarbonaceous chain comprising from 7 to 30 carbon atoms, R 2 represents, independently of R 1 , a hydrogen atom or a saturated or unsaturated and linear or branched hydrocarbonaceous chain comprising from 7 to 30 carbon atoms, R 3 represents, independently of R 1 or of R 2 , a hydrogen atom or a saturated or unsaturated and linear or branched hydrocarbonaceous chain comprising from 1 to 30 carbon atoms, and m, n, p and q are, independently of one another, equal to 0 or to 1, it being understood that, when R 3 represents a hydrogen atom, q is other than 0. As compounds of formula (II), there are more particularly the compounds of formula (IIa):
R 1 —(C═O)—O—CH 2 —CH[O—[C (═O)] m —R 2 ]—CH 2 —O—[C(═O)] p —R 3 (IIa)
corresponding to the formula (II) as defined above in which q and n are equal to 1, or a mixture of compounds of formula (IIa); in this case, they are preferably either a compound of formula (IIa 1 ):
R 1 —(C═O)—O—CH 2 —CH(OH)—CH 2 —OH (IIa 1 )
corresponding to the formula (IIa) as defined above in which m and p are equal to 0 and R 2 and R 3 represent a hydrogen atom, or a compound of formula (IIa 2 ):
R 1 —(C═O)—O—CH 2 —CH(OH)—CH 2 —O—C(═O)—R 3 (IIa 2 )
corresponding to the formula (IIa) as defined above in which p is equal to 1, m is equal to 0 and R 2 represents a hydrogen atom, or a compound of formula (IIa 3 ):
R 1 —(C═O)—O—CH 2 —CH[O—C(═O)—R 2 ]—CH 2 —O—C(═O)—R 3 (IIa 3 )
corresponding to the formula (IIa) as defined above in which m and p are equal to 1, or a mixture of compounds of formulae (IIa 1 ), (IIa 2 ) and/or (IIa 3 ).
As examples of compounds of formulae (IIa 1 ), (IIa 2 ) or (IIa 3 ), there are, for example, triglycerides of fatty acids or of mixtures of fatty acids, such as the mixture of triglycerides of fatty acids comprising from 6 to 10 carbon atoms sold under the name Softenol™ 3819, the mixture of triglycerides of fatty acids comprising from 8 to 10 carbon atoms sold under the name Softenol™ 3108, the mixture of triglycerides of fatty acids comprising from 8 to 18 carbon atoms sold under the name Softenol™ 3178, the mixture of triglycerides of fatty acids comprising from 12 to 18 carbon atoms sold under the name Softenol™ 3100, the mixture of triglycerides of fatty acids comprising 7 carbon atoms sold under the name Softenol™ 3107, the mixture of triglycerides of fatty acids comprising 14 carbon atoms sold under the name Softenol™ 3114 or the mixture of triglycerides of fatty acids comprising 18 carbon atoms sold under the name Softenol™ 3118, glyceryl dilaurate, glyceryl dioleate, glyceryl isostearate, glyceryl distearate, glyceryl monolaurate, glyceryl monooleate, glyceryl monoisostearate, glyceryl monostearate or a mixture of these compounds.
According to another aspect of the present invention, another subject matter of the invention is a process for the preparation of the inverse latex as defined above, characterized in that:
a) an aqueous solution comprising the monomers and the optional additives is emulsified in an oily phase in the presence of one or more emulsifying agents of water-in-oil type,
b) the polymerization reaction is initiated by introduction, into the emulsion formed in a), of a free-radical initiator and optionally of a coinitiator, and then the polymerization reaction is allowed to take place,
c) when the polymerization reaction is finished, one or more emulsifying agents of oil-in-water type is/are introduced at a temperature of below 50° C.
According to an alternative form of this process, the reaction medium resulting from stage b) is concentrated by distillation before the implementation of stage c).
According to a preferred implementation of the process as defined above, the polymerization reaction is initiated by a redox couple which generates hydrogensulfite (HSO 3 − ) ions, such as the cumene hydroperoxide/sodium metabisulfite (Na 2 S 2 O 5 ) couple or the cumene hydroperoxide/thionyl chloride (SOCl 2 ) couple, at a temperature of less than or equal to 10° C., if desired accompanied by an agent which is a coinitiator of polymerization, such as, for example, azobis(isobutyronitrile), dilauryl peroxide or sodium persulfate, and is then carried out either quasiadiabatically, up to a temperature of greater than or equal to 50° C., or by controlling the temperature.
According to another aspect of the present invention, another subject matter of the invention is a process for the preparation of the inverse microlatex as defined above, characterized in that:
a) an aqueous solution comprising the monomers and the optional additives is emulsified in an oil phase in the presence of one or more emulsifying agents, so as to form a microemulsion,
b) the polymerization reaction is initiated by introduction, into the emulsion formed in a), of a free-radical initiator and optionally of a coinitiator, and then the polymerization reaction is allowed to take place.
The polymer as defined above can be isolated from the preceding inverse latex or from the preceding inverse microlatex by the various processes known to a person skilled in the art, such as the precipitation technique, which consists in pouring the latex or the microlatex into a large excess of solvent, such as acetone, isopropanol or ethanol, or such as the spray drying technique, which is disclosed in the international publication WO 00/01757.
The polymer, the inverse polymer latex or the inverse polymer microlatex which are subject matters of the present invention can be employed, for example, as thickener for cosmetic or pharmaceutical compositions, as thickener for printing pastes for the textile industry, as thickeners for industrial or household detergents, as additives for the assisted recovery of oil, as rheology modifier for drilling muds or as flocculants for water treatment.
The following examples illustrate the present invention without, however, limiting it.
EXAMPLES
Example A (comparative)
Inverse Emulsion of a Copolymer of Sodium 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)-amino]-1-propanesulfonate and of Acrylamide (ATBS-AA)
Procedure
The following are charged to a beaker with stirring:
80 g of deionized water, 211.6 g of a 50% by weight aqueous acrylamide solution, 93 g of a 48% by weight aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, 308.4 g of 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)-amino]-1-propanesulfonic acid (sold in France by CIM Chemicals), and 0.47 g of a 40% by weight commercial sodium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate solution.
At the same time, an organic phase is prepared by successively introducing into a beaker, with stirring:
220 g of Isopar™ M, 27.5 g of Montane™ 80 VG (sorbitan monooleate sold by Seppic).
The aqueous phase is gradually introduced into the organic phase and is then subjected to vigorous mechanical stirring of UltraTurrax™ type, this device being sold by Ika. The emulsion obtained is then transferred to a polymerization reactor and is subjected to extensive nitrogen sparging to remove the oxygen. 5 ml of a 0.3% by weight solution of cumene hydroperoxide in Isopar™ M are then introduced.
After the time sufficient for good homogenization of the solution, 25 ml of a 0.3% by weight aqueous sodium metabisulfite solution are introduced at the rate of 0.5 ml/minute, the temperature being allowed to rise until it stabilizes. The reaction medium is maintained at this temperature for 90 minutes, the combination is then cooled to approximately 30° C. and, finally, 50 g of Simulsol™ P7 (7 EO polyethoxylated lauryl alcohol) are added in order to obtain the desired emulsion.
Evaluation of the Properties of the Latex Obtained
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=11 200 mPa·s;
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water+0.1% NaCl (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=6320 mPa·s.
Example 1 (according to the invention)
Inverse Emulsion of a Copolymer of Sodium 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonate and of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]propenamide (ATBS-THAM)
Procedure
The following are charged to a beaker with stirring:
356.2 g of deionized water, 221.4 g of a 55% by weight sodium 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonate solution, 100.5 g of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxy-methyl)ethyl]propenamide, and 0.45 g of a 40% by weight commercial sodium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate solution.
At the same time, an organic phase is prepared by successively introducing into a beaker, with stirring:
218 g of Isopar™ M and 24.2 g of Montane™ 80 VG.
The aqueous phase is gradually introduced into the organic phase and is then subjected to vigorous mechanical stirring of UltraTurrax™ type. The emulsion obtained is then transferred to a polymerization reactor and is subjected to extensive nitrogen sparging to remove the oxygen. 5 ml of a 0.3% by weight solution of cumene hydroperoxide in Isopar™ M are then introduced.
After the time sufficient for good homogenization of the solution, 25 ml of a 0.3% by weight aqueous sodium metabisulfite solution are introduced at the rate of 0.5 ml/minute, the temperature being allowed to rise until it stabilizes. The reaction medium is maintained at this temperature for 90 minutes, the combination is then cooled to approximately 30° C. and, finally, 50 g of Simulsol™ P7 are added in order to obtain the desired emulsion.
Evaluation of the Properties of the Latex Obtained
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=52 600 mPa·s;
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water+0.1% NaCl (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=18 000 mPa·s.
Example B (comparative)
Inverse Emulsion of a Copolymer of Sodium 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)-amino]-1-propanesulfonate and of Acrylamide Crosslinked with MBA (ATBS-AA)
Procedure
The following are charged to a beaker with stirring:
80 g of deionized water, 211.6 g of a 50% by weight aqueous acrylamide solution, 93 g of a 48% by weight aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, 308.4 g of 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)-amino]-1-propanesulfonic acid (sold in France by CIM Chemicals), 0.016 g of methylenebis(acrylamide) (MBA), and 0.47 g of a 40% by weight commercial sodium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate solution.
At the same time, an organic phase is prepared by successively introducing into a beaker, with stirring:
220 g of Isopar™ M, 27.5 g of Montane™ 80 VG.
The aqueous phase is gradually introduced into the organic phase and is then subjected to vigorous mechanical stirring of UltraTurrax™ type. The emulsion obtained is then transferred to a polymerization reactor and is subjected to extensive nitrogen sparging to remove the oxygen. 5 ml of a 0.3% by weight solution of cumene hydroperoxide in Isopar™ M are then introduced.
After the time sufficient for good homogenization of the solution, 25 ml of a 0.3% by weight aqueous sodium metabisulfite solution are introduced at the rate of 0.5 ml/minute, the temperature being allowed to rise until it stabilizes. The reaction medium is maintained at this temperature for 90 minutes, the combination is then cooled to approximately 30° C. and, finally, 50 g of Simulsol™ P7 are added in order to obtain the desired emulsion. Evaluation of the properties of the inverse latex obtained
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=40 000 mPa·s;
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water+0.1% NaCl (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=7200 mPa·s.
Example 2 (according to the invention)
Inverse Emulsion of a Copolymer of Sodium 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonate and of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]propenamide Crosslinked with MBA (ATBS-THAM)
Procedure
The following are charged to a beaker with stirring:
356.2 g of deionized water, 221.4 g of a 55% by weight sodium 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonate solution, 100.5 g of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxy-methyl)ethyl]propenamide, 0.016 g of methylenebis(acrylamide) (MBA), and 0.45 g of a 40% by weight commercial sodium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate solution.
At the same time, an organic phase is prepared by successively introducing into a beaker, with stirring:
218 g of Isopar™ M and 24.2 g of Montane™ 80 VG.
The aqueous phase is gradually introduced into the organic phase and is then subjected to vigorous mechanical stirring of UltraTurrax™ type. The emulsion obtained is then transferred to a polymerization reactor and is subjected to extensive nitrogen sparging to remove the oxygen. 5 ml of a 0.3% by weight solution of cumene hydroperoxide in Isopar™ M are then introduced.
After the time sufficient for good homogenization of the solution, 25 ml of a 0.3% by weight aqueous sodium metabisulfite solution are introduced at the rate of 0.5 ml/minute, the temperature being allowed to rise until it stabilizes. The reaction medium is maintained at this temperature for 90 minutes, the combination is then cooled to approximately 30° C. and, finally, 50 g of Simulsol™ P7 are added in order to obtain the desired emulsion.
Evaluation of the Properties of the Latex Obtained
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=65 400 mPa·s;
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water+0.1% NaCl (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=14 000 mPa·s.
Example 3 (according to the invention)
Inverse Micro-Emulsion of a Copolymer of Sodium 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonate and N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]propenamide Crosslinked with MBA (ATBS-THAM)
Procedure
The following are charged to a beaker, with stirring:
114.8 g of deionized water, 67.2 g of a 55% by weight sodium 2-methyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)amino]-1-propanesulfonate solution, 30.5 g of N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxy-methyl)ethyl]propenamide, and 0.025 g of methylenebis(acrylamide) (MBA).
At the same time, an organic phase is prepared by successively introducing into a beaker, with stirring:
212.5 g of Isopar™ M, 30.6 g of Montane™ 83 (sorbitan sesquioleate), and 45.4 g of Montanox™ 80 (20 EO polyethoxylated sorbitan oleate).
The aqueous phase is gradually introduced into the organic phase and is then subjected to vigorous mechanical stirring of UltraTurrax™ type. The emulsion obtained is then transferred to a polymerization reactor and is subjected to extensive nitrogen sparging to remove the oxygen. 5 ml of a 0.3% by weight solution of cumene hydroperoxide in Isopar™ M are then introduced.
After the time sufficient for good homogenization of the solution, 25 ml of a 0.3% by weight aqueous sodium metabisulfite solution are introduced at the rate of 0.5 ml/minute, the temperature being allowed to rise until it stabilizes. The reaction medium is maintained at this temperature for 90 minutes and then the combination is cooled to approximately 30° C. in order to obtain the desired emulsion.
Evaluation of the Properties of the Microlatex Obtained
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=65 400 mPa·s;
Viscosity at 25° C. of the latex at 1% in water+0.1% NaCl (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5): η=14 000 mPa·s.
Analysis of the Results
The viscosities, measured at 25° C. (Brookfield RVT, Spindle 6, speed 5; in mPa·s), are recorded in the following table; their comparison makes it possible to demonstrate that the improvement in the behavior toward salt of the inverse latexes according to the invention is inherent to the presence of THAM monomer in the polymer.
The comparison also reveals that, unexpectedly, even the uncrosslinked THAM polymers develop viscosity in aqueous solution:
Viscosity η of the
Viscosity η 1 of the
latex at 1% in
latex at 1% in water +
Example No.
water
0.1% NaCl
A
11 200
6320
1
52 600
18 000
B
40 000
7200
2
65 400
14 000
3
52 600
18 000
It will be understood that many additional changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments in the examples given above.
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The invention concerns a linear or crosslinked polymer, characterized in that it is obtainable either by copolymerizing N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)-ethyl]-propenamide, or by copolymerizing N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl][-propenamide with one or several monomers selected among cationic monomers, monomers comprising at least a strong acid function, partly salified or completely salified, monomers comprising at least a weak acid function, partly salified or completely salified or neutral monomers. The invention also concerns inverse latex or microlatex containing such a polymer. The invention further concerns the uses of said polymer in cosmetic or pharmaceutical compositions, as thickening agents in industrial or household detergents, as additives for assisted recovery of oil, as rheology modifier for drilling fluid or as flocculants for water treatment.
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The present application claims the priority of China Patent Application No. 201010258627.9, filed with the China Patent Office on Aug. 14, 2010, titled “Novel crystal of erlotinib base and the preparation method thereof”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of medicinal chemistry, particularly to a novel crystal form of erlotinib base and the preparation method thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Erlotinib hydrochloride is marketed in the United States for the first time in 2004, and is applicable for local advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. The chemical name of erlotinib base (or referred to as erlotinib) is N-(3-ethynylphenyl)-6,7-bis(2-methoxyethoxy)quinazolin-4-amine, and the structural formula thereof is shown below:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,498 reported the synthetic method of erlotinib hydrochloride for the first time, Example 20 therein mentioned using flash silica gel column to separate and purify crude erlotinib base, followed by transforming it into its hydrochloride salt. The method of silica gel purification used in this patent is difficult to be applied in industrial production.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,900,221 reported obtaining the crystal form A or a mixture of crystal form A and B of erlotinib nib hydrochloride by direct reaction between 4-chloro-6,7-bis-(2-methoxyethoxy)-quinazoline and 3-aminophenylacetylene in the mixture of toluene and acetonitrile, and it is difficult to purify the product by methods of further recrystallization due to the very low solubility of erlotinib hydrochloride.
WO2008012105 mentioned the crystal Form I, Form II, Form III of erlotinib base, their pharmaceutical composition and their use in the treatment of cancer, wherein Form I and Form III are in form of hydrate and Form II is in form of non-hydrate. The Form I reported in this patent requires higher water content, so that a mixed crystalline of Form I and Form II is easily obtained during the preparation process, and Form II and Form III are obtained by air drying organic solvents containing erlotinib base at room temperature and ambient condition, so that they can not be applied in industrialized production.
WO2009024989 mainly described a novel hydrate crystal form of erlotinib base (water content: 1-10%), however, in viewing of XRD of this hydrate, what actually obtained is a mixed crystal of Form I and Form II, so that a crystal form with high purity can not be obtained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a stable, novel crystal form of erlotinib base with high purity, which can be suitable for industrialized production.
In one aspect of the present invention, a novel crystal form IV of erlotinib base is provided, the 20 characteristic peaks in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are located at 8.26±0.2, 9.16±0.2, 10.36±0.2, 10.80±0.2, 12.90±0.2, 17.80±0.2, 21.32±0.2, 24.08±0.2, 25.02±0.2 and 28.82±0.2 degree. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern of Form IV is shown in FIG. 1 (wherein allowable measurement error range is “±0.2”).
The characteristic peaks of infrared (IR) absorption spectrum of Form IV are located at 740, 769, 946, 1052, 1073, 1098, 1245, 1333, 1361, 1448, 1513 and 3265 cm −1 . The IR spectrum of Form IV is shown in FIG. 2 .
The DSC scanning of Form IV shows that the melting point is located in 132.37-137.46° C. The DSC scanning spectrum is shown in FIG. 3 .
The present invention further provides a method for preparing the crystal form IV of erlotinib base, characterized in that crude erlotinib base is crystallized in a solvent system comprising a solvent selected from ethyl formate, butyl acetate or isopropyl acetate. Preferably, the crystallization is performed in a solvent system comprising ethyl formate.
Wherein, the Example 20 of compound patent WO 1996030347 can be referred to for the preparation method of crude erlotinib base.
The solvent system here can be completely or essentially consisted of any one or more solvents selected from ethyl formate, butyl acetate or isopropyl acetate; preferably, one or more additional cosolvents are added based on the above-mentioned ester solvents, wherein the cosolvent being selected from methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile and DMF.
Generally, when the cosolvent is not added, the amount of the ester solvent used is preferably 10-80 ml with respect to 1 g crude erlotinib base; where the cosolvent is added, the amount of the ester solvent used is preferably 1-40 ml with respect to 1 g crude erlotinib base, the amount of the cosolvent with respect to the crude erlotinib base is preferably 1-5 ml.
The general procedure for preparing the crystal form IV of erlotinib base is as follows:
(a) mixing crude erlotinib base with the solvent, and heating to dissolve the crude erlotinib base; (b) cooling to room temperature with stirring, continue cooling to 0-5° C. to allow precipitation; (c) separating and drying to obtain crystal form IV of erlotinib base.
The method for preparing crystal form IV of erlotinib base provided by the present invention employs esters of low toxicity as solvents, and the preparation method is safe, simple, operable, easy to be industrialized, and a pure crystal form is obtained. Form IV did not significantly change in the hygroscopicity experiment and the stability experiment, which is advantageous for the pharmaceutical applications of the novel crystal forms.
The preparation process of the crystal form IV of erlotinib base of the present invention is also a purifying process of erlotinib base, erlotinib hydrochloride with high purity can be obtained through further acidification using a hydrochloric acid solution. Said hydrochloric acid solution is selected from alcohol solution of hydrochloride, ether solution of hydrochloride and ester solution of hydrochloride.
The present invention further provides a process for preparing crystal form A of erlotinib hydrochloride with high purity, comprising the following steps:
(a) dissolving form IV of erlotinib base in an organic solvent selected from isopropanol, ethyl formate or dioxane, (b) performing reaction by introducing isopropanol solution of hydrochloride, (c) filtering and drying to obtain crystal form A of erlotinib hydrochloride.
The X-ray powder diffraction pattern and the IR absorption spectrum of form A of the present invention are shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , respectively.
The method for preparing erlotinib hydrochloride provided by the present invention is easy to operate, and a product with high purity can be obtained.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of the crystal form IV of erlotinib base provided by the present invention;
FIG. 2 is the IR spectrum of the crystal form IV of erlotinib base provided by the present invention;
FIG. 3 is the DSC spectrum of the crystal form IV of erlotinib base provided by the present invention;
FIG. 4 is the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of the crystal form Form A of erlotinib hydrochloride provided by the present invention;
FIG. 5 is the IR spectrum of the crystal form Form A of erlotinib hydrochloride provided by the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In order to further illustrate the present invention, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in association with the examples, however, it should be appreciated that these descriptions are only provided for further illustrating the features and advantages of the present invention, and are not to limit the claims of the present invention.
The effects of the present invention will be illustrated in the following specific Examples; however, the scope of protection of the present invention will not be limited to the following examples.
The X-ray powder diffraction pattern is recorded under the following conditions:
Detecting instruments: rotating anode target 12 KW X-ray polycrystalline spectrometer D/max-2500pc. Detecting basis: JY/T009-1996. Environmental conditions for the detection: indoor temperature 20° C.; relative humidity <60%. Light source: Cu Kα ray, Slit: DS: 1°, SS: 1°, Rs: 0.15 mm, Rsm: 0.8 mm. Scanning range 2θ (°): 10°-50.0°. Scanning mode: stepping. Scanning step length: 0.02°. Accumulated time: 0.5 s/step. Tube potential: 40 kv. Tube current: 250 mA. Rear graphite monochromator, data processing Jade 7.0 software package.
IR spectrum is recorded under the following conditions:
Detecting instruments: Nicolet 380 Detecting method: potassium bromide tabletting method
DSC spectrum is recorded under the following conditions:
Detecting instruments: METTLER DSC 822 Detecting method: aluminum crucible, under nitrogen purging, heating rate: 10° C./min, scan from 50° C. to 250° C.
Example 1
Preparation of Crystal Form IV of Erlotinib Base
10.0 g erlotinib was added to 500 ml ethyl formate, and heated to 54° C. to reflux for 30 minutes. Hot filtration was performed to remove insoluble. Then cooled to room temperature with stirring, and further cooled to 0-5° C., stirred for 1 hour before filtration, dried at 50° C. to obtain 9.0 g sample of crystal form IV. The yield was 90.0% and the purity was 99.7% (by HPLC).
Example 2
Preparation of Crystal Form IV of Erlotinib Base
10.0 g erlotinib was added to 300 ml ethyl formate and 10 ml methanol, and heated under reflux until all of the solid has been dissolved, then cooled to room temperature with stirring, and further cooled to 0-5° C., stirred for 1 hour before filtration, dried at 50° C. to obtain 8.5 g sample of crystal form IV. The yield was 85.0% and the purity was 99.8% (by HPLC).
Example 3
Preparation of Crystal Form IV of Erlotinib Base
10.0 g erlotinib was added to 300 ml ethyl formate and 10 ml n-butanol, and heated under reflux until all of the solid has been dissolved, then cooled to room temperature with stirring, and further cooled to 0-5° C., stirred for 1 hour before filtration, dried at 50° C. to obtain 8.6 g sample of crystal form IV. The yield was 86.0% and the purity was 99.6% (by HPLC).
Example 4
Preparation of Crystal Form IV of Erlotinib Base
10.0 g erlotinib was added to 300 ml ethyl formate and 10 ml tetrahydrofuran, and heated under reflux until all of the solid has been dissolved, then cooled to room temperature with stirring, and further cooled to 0-5° C., stirred for 1 hour before filtration, dried at 50° C. to obtain 8.5 g sample of crystal form IV. The yield was 85.0% and the purity was 99.5% (by HPLC).
Example 5
Preparation of Crystal Form IV of Erlotinib Base
10.0 g erlotinib was added to 300 ml ethyl formate and 10 ml 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran, and heated under reflux until all of the solid has been dissolved, then cooled to room temperature with stirring, and further cooled to 0-5° C., stirred for 1 hour before filtration, dried at 50° C. to obtain 8.7 g sample of crystal form IV. The yield was 87.0% and the purity was 99.5% (by HPLC).
Example 6
Preparation of Crystal Form A of Erlotinib Hydrochloride
10.0 g crystal form IV of erlotinib base was added to 250 ml isopropanol, heated to obtain a clear solution, 6.4 g saturated hydrochloric acid gas solution in isopropanol was added dropwise at 60-70° C., after dripping, stirred for 30 minutes while maintaining the temperature, then cooled the temperature to 10-15° C., stirred for 1 hour before filtration, dried at 50° C. to obtain 10.2 g sample of crystal form A. The yield was 93.6% and the purity was 99.7% (by HPLC).
Example 7
Preparation of Crystal Form A of Erlotinib Hydrochloride
10.0 g crystal form IV of erlotinib base was added to 200 ml ethyl formate, heated to 0-10° C., 6.4 g isopropanol saturated with HCl gas was added dropwise, after dripping, stirred for 30 minutes while maintaining the temperature, stirred for 1 hour at 0-15° C. before filtration, dried at 50° C. to obtain 10.2 g sample of crystal form A. The yield was 93.6% and the purity was 99.7% (by HPLC).
Example 8
Preparation of Crystal Form A of Erlotinib Hydrochloride
10.0 g crystal form IV of erlotinib base was added to 200 ml 1,4-dioxane, heated to dissolve until being clarified, 6.4 g isopropanol saturated with HCl gas was added dropwise at 60-70° C., after dripping, stirred for 30 minutes while maintaining the temperature, stirred for 1 hour at 0-15° C. before filtration, dried at 50° C. to obtain 10.6 g sample of crystal form A. The yield was 97.2% and the purity was 99.8% (by HPLC).
A novel crystal form of erlotinib base and the preparation method thereof proposed by the present invention have been described through Examples. It is apparent for those skilled in the art that changes or appropriate alterations and combinations can be made to the novel crystal form of erlotinib base and the preparation method thereof described herein without departing the content, spirit and scope of the present invention, to achieve the techniques of the present invention. It should be particularly pointed out that all the similar alterations and changes are apparent to those skilled in the art, and are regarded to be included within the spirit, scope and content of the present invention.
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A novel crystal of antitumor drug erlotinib base and its preparation method are provided in the present invention. A preparation method of erlotinib hydrochloride with high-purity is also provided in the present invention.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In streams and areas where tidal and offshore currents exist, there are significant problems with buried pipelines being washed out. Also, in the absence of weighing material in the pipeline, there is a problem with the pipeline tending to float. These and other problems are solved by the present invention as more particularly described hereinafter. Various other anchoring techniques such as described in British patent Nos. 1,335,225 and 1,333,472 do not achieve the success experienced with the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention a simple method is proposed for anchoring a pipeline to the ground, in particular to the seabed or to a beach, by means of an anchor of special design.
The method according to the invention relates to anchoring a pipeline to the ground, in particular to the bottom of a body of water, by securing an anchoring device to the ground, said anchoring device being provided with fluidization nozzles, which method comprises placing the anchoring device over the pipeline and on the ground, supplying water to the fluidization nozzles and fluidizing the ground material by passing water through the fluidization nozzles and into the ground material, allowing the anchoring device to sink into the fluidized ground material until the anchoring device has reached the desired depth, passing a fluid substance through the fluidization nozzles and into the ground material and allowing the fluid substance to solidify. Preferably the said fluid substance as used in a water/cement slurry.
A suitable embodiment of the method according to the invention comprises depositing gravel or a similar non-cohesive material on the ground and adjacent to the anchoring device, prior to the introduction of the fluid substance into the ground material, and allowing the gravel or similar non-cohesive material to sink into the ground material when it is fluidized by the fluid substance.
A suitable anchoring device for use in the above-mentioned method comprises a substantially U-shaped element, wherein the ends of the legs of the U-shaped element are provided with fluidization nozzles.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 through 3 show various steps of the anchoring method, wherein the pipeline is laying on the top surface of the ground;
FIGS. 4 through 5 show various steps of the anchoring method, wherein the pipeline is buried in the ground;
FIG. 6 shows a modified embodiment of the anchoring device.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1 through 3 show the application of the method to the anchoring of a pipeline 1 laying on the surface 2 of the seabed 3 and FIGS. 4 and 5 show the application of the method to a pipeline 1A buried in the seabed 3.
The seabed 3 consists of a non-cohesive material, such as, for example, sand, soft clay, mud or a mixture of sand and clay, so that fluidization of the bottom material can be obtained by injecting water into the bottom material at low velocity. Fluidized bottom material behaves like a dense liquid, so that objects can be sunk into the fluidized bottom material.
The anchor 4, which is a tube bent in the form of a "U," is provided with a liquid inlet 5 and with fluidization nozzles 6. The anchor 4 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is provided moreover with extra fluidization nozzles 7 and with a liquid inlet 5A of relatively great length.
In order to anchor the pipeline 1, the anchor is lowered to the seabed, for example by means of a cable, so that it is placed over the pipeline 1 in the position as shown in FIG. 1. Then water is supplied to the inlet 5, for example through a hose. The water leaves the anchor 4 at low velocity through the fluidization openings 6 which causes fluidization of the bottom material in the area enclosed by the dotted lines 7 as shown in FIG. 2.
The anchor 4 sinks into the fluidized bottom material until it has reached the position as shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3 the fluidized area is enclosed by the dotted line 8. Then the supply of water is stopped and instead a solidifiable fluid substance such as a water/cement slurry is supplied to the inlet 5. The water/cement slurry is passed through the nozzles 6 and is injected into the bottom material so that, in the area enclosed by the dotted line 8, the bottom material is fluidized by the water/cement slurry. Finally, the mixture of the bottom material and the water/cement slurry is allowed to harden. The result is that a block of concrete is formed and that the pipeline 1 is supported on said block of concrete and is held in position by the anchor 4, which is firmly fixed to the block of concrete.
In the case of the buried pipeline 1A as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the method is basically the same as the method as described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3. Water is supplied via the inlet 5A and is allowed to pass at low speed through the fluidization openings 6. This causes fluidization of the bottom material within the area enclosed by the dotted lines 9 and 10 as shown in FIG. 4.
Because of the fluidization of the bottom material the anchor 4 sinks into the seabed 3 until the position is reached as shown in FIG. 4. In this position the water leaving the fluidization nozzles 7 starts to fluidize the bottom material between the dotted lines 10 which enables the anchor to sink further into the seabed until the anchor 4 has finally reached the position as shown in FIG. 5.
The area enclosed by the dotted line 11 is then in fluidized condition. Then the supply of water is stopped and instead a water/cement slurry is supplied to the inlet 5A. The water/cement slurry is passed through the nozzles 6 and 7 and is injected into the bottom material so that in the area enclosed by the dotted line 11, the bottom material is fluidized by the water/cement slurry. Finally, the mixture of the bottom material and the water/cement slurry is allowed to harden so that a block of concrete is formed within the area enclosed by the dotted line 11. After stopping the supply of water, it is possible to wait for some time before starting the supply of the water/cement slurry. The result is that re-sedimentation of the bottom material will occur. After the re-sedimentation of the bottom material, gravel or a similar material may be deposited on the re-sedimented seabed. The gravel will sink into the seabed, when the seabed is fluidized again by the injection of the water/cement slurry. After hardening of the mixture the gravel will form part of the block of concrete.
In FIG. 6 a side view is shown of a modified embodiment of the anchor. In this embodiment the lower end of each leg of the anchor is provided with a tubular element 12. Fluidization nozzles 6A are arranged in this tubular element instead of in the lower parts of the legs of the anchor.
Instead of a water/cement slurry other solidifiable fluid substances can be used such as, for example, a suitable epoxy resin, water-glass etc. Furthermore, the anchoring method as described is suitable for use on beaches as well.
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The invention relates to an anchoring device and method for anchoring a pipeline to the ground, in particular to the bottom of a body of water, such as the seabed.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to erosion control products and is particularly directed to biodegradable erosion control blankets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Erosion control blankets and the like are well known and are used for reducing or minimizing erosion particularly on hillsides and slopes which are barren and reseeded. The blankets reduce rainfall impact, reduce the velocity of runoff water, and shield the soil surface from the wind. The blankets enhance plant growth by moderating soil temperatures and reducing evaporative losses, keeping moisture in the soil where it is available to foster the growth of vegetative cover. Many types of erosion control blankets are currently available such as, by way of example, erosion control blanket products manufactured by North American Green of Evansville, Ind.; Erosion Control Landscape and Construction Products manufactured by American Excelsior Company, Arlington, Tex.; Erosion Control Products manufactured by Geo-Synthetics, Inc., Waukesha, Wis.
Erosion control blanket technology has been continuously advancing over the years, as shown, by way of example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,408 entitled "SOLUBLE FIBROUS MATERIAL FOR CONTROLLING SOIL EROSION" issued to S. G. Fisher Apr. 25, 1967. The Fisher patent discloses a woven grid of a soluble fibrous material which may be placed on a hillside or slope to prevent erosion during the revegetation process. The fibrous material is soluble over a period of time by the natural reaction of the environment and is dissolved as the vegetation takes hold.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,446 entitled "MULCHING FILM" issued to K. Aoyagi on Apr. 23, 1974 shows a mulching film of synthetic material having a plurality of slits adapted to permit the plants to sprout through the film. The film is not biodegradable or soluble.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,328 entitled "MULCH SHEET" issued to R. C. Brian et al on May 14, 1974 shows a bonded mulch sheet containing a plastic base with a kraft cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,319 entitled "HORTICULTURAL SHEET MULCH" issued to N. J. Smith on May 11, 1976 discloses a mulch sheet having a plurality of slits for permitting the plants to sprout through the sheet. The sheet is designed to retard weed growth, is typically of a plastic material and is not biodegradable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,946 entitled "EROSION CONTROL MEANS" issued to G. Bowers on Oct. 12, 1982 shows an erosion control blanket made of wood wool fibers which are biodegradable over a period of time and are dissolved into the soil.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is directed to an enhanced biodegradable erosion control blanket which is made from recycled paper and fabricated into a blanket using slit and expanded paper cutting technology. The layers are sewn together with biodegradable cotton thread to ensure uniform thickness and sufficient open areas for optimum grass or seed growth through the blanket. The soil erosion control blanket of the subject invention is an ecologically sound product because it uses all biodegradable materials and is made from recycled paper. It protects the environment by providing an outlet for used paper and yet degrades back into the earth after it contributes to preventing pollution of streams, lakes and rivers. It forms a blanket which provides optimum seed growth and soil erosion control. Each blanket has structured air spaces which define growth cells for providing a protective growth environment with optimum open area to allow the best germination and growth of new vegetation through the blanket while providing superior erosion control properties.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover is made of a plurality of slit and expanded paper layers. The top and base layers are made of an open pattern with large air spaces and the intermediate layers are made with smaller air spaces. This combination absorbs the energy of the rain drops for protecting from impact erosion and prevents the soil surface from sealing, allowing water to soak into the dry soil and reduce the initial runoff. By properly orienting the slit and expanded paper sheets, the layers can be created with both a positive and negative slope. The slope of the cover layer and the layers adjacent to it are in one direction whereas the slope of the base layer and the layers adjacent to it are in the opposite direction. This orientation permits the grid pattern defined by the slit and expanded sheet to define a roof shingle effect on the upper layers causing water to run off reducing water absorption in the soil and reducing erosion. The opposing direction of the base layer and the layers adjacent to it increases resistance to any water flow that has passed through the blanket, reducing its erosion potential and providing a filtering effect by allowing the suspended soil to be trapped in the blanket and held in the air spaces.
By using the biodegradable paper sheet material, the grid pattern tends to collapse when it gets wet, wherein the baffles created by the grid pattern become flat further enhancing water runoff. The flattening of the baffles also provides a greater surface contact of the blanket with the soil thus providing a less erodible surface to the rain water. As the blanket dries after a rain, the baffles again become stiffer and stand up, increasing the air space for promoting seed germination and growth.
Thus, the subject invention provides a good mulch for seeds sewn below the cover while promoting the germination and shoot emergence of the seeds. The blanket also results in minimal soil erosion while promoting good seed growth. The blanket ultimately dissolves as the seeds grow, eliminating any need for clean-up.
It is, therefore, an object and feature of the subject invention to provide for a biodegradable erosion control cover.
It is a further object and feature of the subject invention to provide an erosion control cover which provides a good mulch for enhancing the germination and growth of seeds sewn below the cover.
It is yet another object and feature of the subject invention to provide for an erosion control cover which minimizes erosion while maximizing the open air space for enhancing germination and growth of a seed bed.
It is a further object and feature of the invention to provide a use for recycled paper which may be dissolved and absorbed into the soil by using the recycled paper as a mulch bed for promoting the growth of new seeds.
Other objects and features of the invention will be readily apparent from the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments which follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The preferred embodiment of the subject invention is best depicted in the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows the erosion control blanket of the subject invention in roll form.
FIG. 2 is a plan view, partially fragmented, showing the erosion control blanket as slit and expanded for application as ground cover.
FIG. 3 is a partial section view taken generally along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a single web when slit and expanded to define the erosion control blanket of the subject invention.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the erosion control blanket of the subject invention as used in a typical ground cover application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The erosion control blanket 10 of the subject invention is shown in FIG. 1 in roll form, as supplied for use. As rolled, the top of the blanket is at the outer free end 12 of the roll so that the roll may be placed at the top of a hillside or the like and rolled down the hillside in proper orientation. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the erosion control blanket 10 comprises a plurality of layers of slit and expanded sheet material, as depicted at 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 in FIGS. 2 and 3. When disposed in the roll form shown in FIG. 1, the slits 20 run parallel to the top edge 12 of the roll. Throughout the drawings, the top edge 12 is also indicated by the arrow T since the orientation of the web is an important aspect of the invention.
As delivered in roll form, the sheet material comprising the layers 14-18 is not expanded and the slits 20 run parallel to the top edge 12 of the blanket. As the blanket is rolled out in application, the top edge 12 is generally secured in position such as by applying a staple 22 (see FIG. 5) through the blanket 10 and into the ground 24 to hold the blanket in position. It is desirable that the staple be carefully placed through an open space in all layers to assure optimum performance. As the blanket is unrolled, it is stretched and expanded in a direction generally orthogonal to the directions of the slit 20, i.e. in the general direction of arrow 25 as shown in FIG. 1. This expands the various layers 14-18 of the web into the condition generally shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the various layers 14-18 of the web comprise recycled biodegradable paper which may be readily cut with scissors or the like to length, allowing the roll to be used to provide a plurality of parallel runs of the erosion control blanket, side-by-side, on a hillside or the like. It will be readily understood that materials other than biodegradable recycled paper may be used to define the various sheet material layers of the erosion control blanket, but there are specific advantages in using the recycled paper since it decomposes readily over a period of time after it is placed in position. As the vegetation emerges through the erosion control blanket, the blanket naturally decomposes eliminating the need for removal and minimizing the risk of creating hazards for future mowing operations and the like. In general, the slit and expanded sheet material for the various layers of the erosion control blanket comprise a pliable, flexible, non-stretchable material.
Using the non-stretchable material with the plurality of parallel elongate slits 20 as shown in FIG. 1, the entire sheet can be expanded, without stretching, to define the grid pattern shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein each sheet layer is expanded to provide a plurality of air pockets 30, 30a, 30b in the open center of the grid pattern defined by the slits 20 as the material is expanded. As best shown in FIG. 2, each layer is expanded to define four runners 31, 32, 33 and 34, each intersecting at a central baffle 35 to define the perimeter or boundaries of the air space 30, 30a, 30b.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the erosion control blanket 10 comprises a plurality of layers of sheet material 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 with varying sized and spaced slits 20 to provide webs with different grid sizes to maximize the effectiveness of the erosion control characteristics of the blanket. Further, as best depicted in FIG. 4, using sheet material layer 14 as an example, when each layer is expanded in the direction of the arrow 25, since the material is generally non-stretchable but pliable, the various runners 31, 32, 33, 34 and baffles 35 are tilted or sloped to intersect the general plane of the sheet material at an acute angle. The slope angle of the web runners and baffles can be positive or negative depending on the orientation of the web relative to the top as indicated by the arrow T. For example, as specifically shown in FIG. 4, each of the lead runners 31 and 32 of each grid pattern project outwardly from the lower edge 40 of the baffle and terminate at the upper edge 42 of the next baffle. This creates a positive slope, wherein from the top down each grid has its leading edge disposed at a lower point than its trailing edge. When the erosion control blanket of the subject invention is positioned on a hillside as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this positive slope creates a roof shingle effect for shedding water as it runs down the hillside, directing it away form the soil and reducing erosion.
Again by using FIG. 4 as the example, it can be seen that by inverting the material the slope is reversed to define a negative slope, wherein the leading runners 31 and 32 of each grid pattern would project outwardly and downwardly from the top edge 42 of each baffle and terminate at the lower edge 40 of each baffle. Thus, by disposing the sheet materials in specific orientation, the slope angle of each grid pattern may be controlled to maximize the effect of the erosion control blanket 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment of the invention the erosion control blanket comprises a plurality of layers having both positive slopes p and negative slopes n. As there shown, the erosion control blanket 10 comprises a base layer 18 having a large grid pattern with a negative slope n. An intermediate layer 16 with a positive slope p comprises a small grid pattern defining substantially smaller air spaces 30a, as best seen in FIG. 2. A top or cover layer 14 is disposed above the intermediate layer 16 and also has a positive slope p and air spaces 30 approximately the same size as the air spaces of the base layer 18. While it has been found that the top layer 14 and intermediate layer 16 and base layer 18 provide an adequate erosion control blanket for many applications, it is desirable to provide additional intermediate layers such as the layers 15 and 17 to further enhance the erosion control capability of the blanket. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the intermediate layers 15 and 17 have grid patterns of such a size to define intermediate air spaces 30b which are larger than the air spaces 30a of the primary intermediate layer 16 yet smaller than the air spaces 30 of the top layer 14 and the base layer 18. In the preferred embodiment, the slope of the first intermediate layer 15 is positive and is substantially parallel to the slope p of the top or cover layer 14. The slope of the second intermediate layer 17 is negative and is substantially parallel to the negative slope n of the base layer 18.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the various layers 14-18 are maintained in layered relationship by interweaving a plurality of threads such as, by way of example, the biodegradable cotton threads 50.
In application, the five layer control blanket of the subject invention, with the positive and negative slopes for each of the various webs, has achieved consistently superior results over known web or mesh-type erosion control blankets of the prior art. The five slit and expanded paper layers with the base and top layer having a large baffle and the large air spaces 30 and the decreasing air spaces toward the center created by the intermediate layers 15 and 17 and the small center layer 16 provide an erosion control blanket which absorbs the energy of the rain drops falling onto the blanket to minimize impact erosion. The layers also provide a time delay for the water to reach the soil by absorbing some of the water in the absorbent material such as recyclable paper used in the preferred embodiment. This delay provides time for the water to soak into the dry soil and reduces initial runoff. By using the positive and negative slope of the various layers, the positive slope of the top three layers is the same as the general flow of water, providing a roof shingle effect to permit runoff without contact of the water with the soil. The negative slope of the lower two layers create a dam to minimize the runoff and erosion of soil as it is soaked by water. This reduces the erosion potential and provides a filtering effect by allowing the suspended soil to settle and be held in the air spaces 30, 30a and 30b created by the baffles and runners.
The absorbent qualities of recycled paper also tend to create a collapsing action for the grids when they are wet or water soaked, and the baffles tend to lie flat instead of in the sloped angular position, providing an intimate contact with the soil for holding rain water and maintaining a soaked blanket in contact with the soil without promoting erosion. In experimentation, it has been found that the center or intermediate layer 16 does not collapse as the control blanket is soaked, and continues to provide bulk or thickness to the blanket when wet to provide a path for excess water to flow without increasing erosion.
The above combination, when made of a biodegradable material such as recycled paper, also provides a good mulch for seeds sewn below the mat. It does not inhibit germination and shoot emergence from the seeds. It has been found that the erosion control blanket of the subject invention results in minimal soil erosion while promoting very good seed germination and growth.
In laboratory test using the five layer recycled paper erosion control blanket of the preferred embodiment against a mesh-type erosion control blanket such as the fiber blankets made by American Excelsior Company, consistently superior erosion control and growth rate were achieved, as follows:
__________________________________________________________________________EROSION TEST RESULTS SOIL WT WATER WT WATER RUNOFF SOIL EROSION (20 min) (20 min) RATE RATETEST PLOT PRODUCT lbs lbs ft 3/hr lbs/hr__________________________________________________________________________1 1 5 layer mat 0.95 161.6 7.77 2.851 2 " 2.00 186.5 8.97 6.002 3 " 13.5 496.0 24.09 40.911 3 Excelsior mat 19.0 181.0 8.70 57.002 1 " 37.8 477.3 23.28 114.55__________________________________________________________________________GROWTH TESTS NUMBER OF PLANTS PLANT HEIGHT (cm)PLOT PRODUCT Top Middle Bottom Total Top Middle Bottom Ave__________________________________________________________________________1 5 Layer mat 80 65 70 216 16.95 15.71 14.18 15.612 " 70 72 60 202 16.24 15.13 13.23 14.873 Excelsior Mat 60 45 40 145 16.81 15.30 13.32 15.14__________________________________________________________________________ DRY WEIGHT (gms/sample)PLOT PRODUCT Top Middle Bottom Total Lost Germ Non-germ__________________________________________________________________________1 5 Layer mat 2.60 2.01 2.15 6.76 5.20 86.40 8.402 " 2.17 2.32 1.71 6.20 11.60 80.80 7.603 Excelsior Mat 1.75 1.31 1.92 4.98 12.40 58.00 29.60__________________________________________________________________________
In the test, the slope of the hillside was 2.5:1, rainfall was controlled at 8 inches per hour. In Test 1, the soil was dry before test initiation. In Test 2, the soil was saturated before test initiation. The Excelsior Mat is an erosion control product manufactured by American Excelsior Company, Arlington, Tex.
While specific features and embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it will be readily understood that the invention includes all enhancements and modifications within the scope and spirit of the following claims.
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An erosion control blanket is made of recycled, biodegradable slit and expanded sheets of paper. A plurality of layers are provided and are oriented such that the slope of the baffles in the grid pattern of the paper may be disposed in a positive or negative direction relative to the slope. The upper layers promote runoff of water for reducing erosion. The lower layers trap the water which passes through the blanket, passing it into the soil, and trap loose soil particles. The open grid pattern provided by the slit and expanded paper provides ample air space for promoting the germination and growth of seeds.
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This application is a division of application Ser. No. 06/914,180 filed 10/1/87, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,786.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a novel method of forming sandblasted signs which heretofore has been done simply by placing a template of resist material of a desired design over a flat wood surface, and sandblasting the surface thereby transforming the desired design to the sign. As an example of the latter, if one wished to sandblast a wooden sign under the known methods, a template could be used, and the unprotected or unshielded portion of the wooden sign would be etched by sandblast material (sand particles, etc.) The lettering would be "raised," or "recessed," depending upon the nature of the template. After the sandblasting operation the upper flat surfaces of the "raised" letters might, for example, be painted a particular color and in this way the lettering would stand-out from the overall sign. This is one method currently in use but it is time-consuming from the standpoint of painting the letters after the sign has been completed, and if the painting is inaccurate the sign looses its quality and "professional" appearance.
An alternative to post-painting a sign is to pre-paint or stain, prior to sandblasting, the portion of the sign to be preserved in its original flat surface configuration. Therefore, though pre-painting followed by sandblasting is a quicker approach to manufacturing a sandblasted sign, it remains a slow and costly portion of the process, and it suffers from appearing "unprofessional". Additionally, in most cases in which the wood is pre-stained or pre-painted it is necessary to pre-stain or pre-paint each area with its respective color if multicolors are to be used. An example of this might be a person's name having lettering of one color and the address having numbers and letters of a different color. This is proportionally slower and more costly than single color and/or post-painted sandblasted sign manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a novel method of manufacturing a wooden sign by sandblasting, but the disadvantages of conventional sandblasting techniques and the undesired effects created thereby are completely avoided through a novel template formed from a relatively flexible sheet material laminate. The sheet material laminate is formed of a least one ply which is resistant to sandblast material and another ply (vinyl or equivalent material) which eventually forms a permanent part of the sign. This laminate is cut to form a "sign"/"mask" template of a particular configuration, which can be one or several letters, numbers, designs, logos, or the like. The template is placed upon the surface of a wooden substrate which is to be sandblasted, and when sandblasted, the surface of the substrate which is exposed to the sandblast material is conventionally removed thereby. However, the surface of the substrate which is covered by the "sign"/"mask" template is completely unaffected by the sandblast material and, hence, whatever might be its peripheral profile/outline is created in relief (raised). At the completion of the sandblasting operation, the "mask" ply is removed exposing the "sign" ply of vinyl or similar material which forms a permanent part of the sign. In this fashion the accurately cut "sing" material/ply/logo/design is totally unaffected by the sandblasting material, and when the "mask" ply is removed, the retained "sign" ply presents an extremely professional appearance thereby creating an exceptionally professionally looking sign.
In further accordance with this invention, the sandblasting operation can be followed by a staining or painting operation prior to the removal of the "mask" ply, and in this fashion the exposed sandblasted area can be painted or stained a color different from that of the "sign" ply. However, since this staining or painting takes place while the "sign" ply is covered by the "mask" ply, the "sign" ply can not be adversely affected by the staining or painting operation. Thus, when the "mask" ply is removed after the stain or paint has been dried, there is again a clear line of demarcation between the "mask" ply/lettering/ornamentation/logo/design and the stain or paint adjoining the same.
In further accordance with this invention, it is also desirable to place a lacquer, paint or similar prime coat upon the wooden substrate before applying the "sign"/"mask" template thereto through a suitable adhesive. The purpose of the lacquer or prime coat is to create a strong bonding action between the "sign" ply and the primed surface of the wooden substrate.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel method as aforesaid wherein the substrate is preferably cut to shape, profiled as desired, sanded and stained before being primed. In this case, a border mask can be applied prior to the sandblasting operation and simultaneously with the sandblasting of the sign through the "sign"/"mask" template, the area covered by the border mask is not sandblasted and, thus, the border of the sign will have a stained appearance, irrespective of the particular color of the "mask" ply/lettering/numbering/logo/design or the staining or painting applied after the sandblasting but before the removal of the "sign"/"mask" template. In this fashion, a sign can be created such that its periphery might be a dark stain (or simply a natural color) carrying the clear prime coat, a lettering of one color on one line, lettering/numbering of another color on another line, and still another color forming the background between all of the lettering and the stained or natural border or profile.
With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sign constructed in accordance with the method of this invention, and illustrates raised or relieved letters and a raised or relieved border created when the areas between the same are sandblasted, and the letters each having adhered thereto an overlying "sign" ply corresponding exactly in size and shape to the underlying unsandblasted letters.
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the process of this invention, and illustrates graphically the manner in which "sign" and "mask" materials are utilized to form a template which is eventually cut, applied to a wooden substrate and sandblasted to form the sign of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 during the stages of the formation of the sign with the numbers of FIG. 3 corresponding to the numbers applied to the steps of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the area of the sign of FIG. 1 forming the letter "H", and exemplifies the manner in which a vinyl layer is adhesively bonded to an underlying portion of the sign formed by sandblasting.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The method of this invention is that of manufacturing an article from most any type of material, but specifically that of manufacturing a sign 10 (FIG. 1) from a substrate 11 (FIG. 3) of wood or the like. The wood substrate 11 is simply a piece of wood of a relatively irregular size, shape, profile and surface configuration which is then preferably cut to a desired shape, profiled if desired, and sanded to include, for example, an upper relatively smooth and flat sanded surface 12 (FIG. 3), a lower smooth sanded surface 13, a relatively smooth sanded peripheral edge 14 and a profiled or grooved radius or channel 15 which collectively define a peripheral border 18.
At this point in the method of manufacturing the sign 10, the upper surface 12, the radius or channel 15 and the edge 14 can, if desired, be stained and/or painted. This is entirely optional and will be discussed further hereinafter, but the remainder of this description of the preferred embodiment of this invention will be done with the assumption that the wood substrate or blank 11 is in its natural state.
The next step in the process is also optional, though preferred, namely, that of applying by a brush, spray, roller or the like a thin coating of any type of material which would increase the bond strength between the upper surface 12 of the substrate 11 and the laminate which will be applied thereto, as will be described hereinafter. However, the material is basically a thin coat of conventional automotive acrylic lacquer, and the coating is generally designated by the reference numeral 16 (See FIG. 3--3).
A laminate 20 (FIG. 3-4) of "sign" material is constructed from three plies, namely, a paper, paper stock, or plastic carrier ply 21, an adhesive ply 22 and a ply of conventional vinyl sign material 23. The laminate 20 is of a conventional construction and the paper carrier 21 thereof has opposite edges (not shown) which are perforated for feeding the laminate 20 through a conventional laminate cutting machine, such as the GRAPHIX 4 manufactured by Gerber Scientific Products, Inc. of 151 Batson Drive, Manchester, CT 06040. The GRAPHIX 4 machine has a keyboard which is manipulated to cut, for example, from the vinyl ply 23 letters, designs, etc. which are then simply peeled therefrom by simultaneously removing both the vinyl and adhesive 23, 22, respectively, from the paper carrier 21. This now-cut letter, number, logo, "sign" 23, 22 is then simply adhered to the surface of an article by placing the adhesive ply 22 thereagainst. When a series of such vinyl/adhesive letters 22, 23 are applied to a substrate, they can, for example, form a name, describe the name of a service, its location, its telephone number, etc., as is conventionally seen by vinyl lettering or signs applied to the exterior door panels of trucks and automobiles. However, in accordance with this invention, the "sign" material or laminate 20 is not utilized in the conventional fashion just described, as will be noted hereinafter.
Another laminate (FIG. 3-5) is generally designated by the reference numeral 30 and is a conventional "mask" material or laminate which is normally used in sandblasting operations. The mask"material or laminate 30 includes the paper or plastic carrier ply 31, an adhesive ply 32 and a "mask" ply 33 formed of relatively tough plastic material which is resistant to sand or like particulate material used in a conventional "sandblasting" operation. The conventional carrier 31 is also provided with a series of perforations along opposite longitudinal edges (not shown) and these are utilized for feeding into a conventional computer-controlled cutting machine, such as the GRAPHIX 4 machine heretofore noted, from which letters, numbers, designs, logos, etc. are struck from the plies 32, 33. These "mask" materials are then conventionally applied to the surface of a substrate which is to be sandblasted, the substrate is sandblasted, the underlying areas of the "mask" 32, 33 are unaffected during the sandblasting operation, and thereafter the laminate 33, 32 is removed at the completion of the sandblasting operation.
From the foregoing, it should be particularly noted that the "sign" laminate 20 is conventionally used in the sign-making industry to make vinyl signs and the "mask" laminate 30 is conventionally used in another aspect of the sign-making industry to make sandblasted signs.
In accordance with the present invention neither conventional laminates 20, 30 is used in its "normal" or "conventional" manner, but instead the latter laminates are formed into a composite laminate 40 (FIG. 3-6). The laminate 40 is termed a "sign"/"mask" laminate or template since it includes characteristics of the laminates 20, 30. The "sign"/"mask" template 40 includes a carrier ply 41 constructed of paper or plastic material which has perforations 39 along edges thereof (FIG. 3-7) for feeding purpose, an adhesive ply 42, a ply 43 of "sign" material, such as the conventional vinyl sign material 23 of the laminate 20, an adhesive ply 44, and a ply 45 of sandblasting-resistant "mask" material, such as the conventional sandblast-resistant ply 33 of the conventional laminate 30.
The "sign"/"mask" laminate 40 formed of the plies 41-45 (FIG. 3-6) is provided in sheet or roll form (not shown), and in accordance with the invention the laminate 40 is fed into a GRAPHIX 4 machine or an equivalent computer-controlled machine that is operated to cut a "sign"/"mask" template 60 (FIG. 3-7) from the plies 42 through 45 without, of course, cutting the plastic or paper carrier ply 41. As an example, it is assumed that the sign 10 of FIG. 1 is to bear the words "SHERWOOD SIGNS" with each individual letter being in relief surrounded by sandblasted areas. Each of the letters of the words "SHERWOOD SIGNS" are individually computer (or manually) cut from the "sign"/"mask" laminate 40 to form one or more of a series of "sign"/"mask" templates 60, one such template 60 of the letter "H" being illustated in FIG. 3-7. The letter "H" has been selected simply for purposes of illustration, but it is to be understood that each of the remaining letters are similarly cut from the "sign"/"mask" laminate 40 to form individual templates 60 adhered by the adhesive ply 42 to the carrier ply 41. Furthermore, the template 60 of FIG. 3-7 is illustrated after the material of the laminate 40 bounding a peripheral cut edge 61 of the laminate 60 has been removed from the carrier ply 41.
For the purpose of this description, it will be assumed that not only the template 60 of FIG. 3-7 but a template 60 for each of the remaining letters of the word "SHERWOOD" are cut successively from the same "sign"/"mask" laminate 40 and this is done successively simply by typing on the keyboard of the computer-controlled GRAPHIX 4 machine heretofore described. Therefore, after the cutting operation has been completed and after the material surrounding each template 60 has been removed, there are eight templates 60 on the carrier 41, one template 60 each for the letters "S-H-E-R-W-O-O-D" (FIG. 1). Furthermore, it will be assumed that the vinyl ply 43 of the "sign"/"mask" laminate 40 which is so cut to form each template 60 for the word "SHERWOOD" is white in color. It will also be assumed that the individual templates 60 for the letters of the word "SIGNS" (FIG. 1) is similarly/successively cut from another "sign"/"mask" laminate 40 having a yellow colored vinyl ply 43.
The next step (FIG. 2-9) is that of applying the "sign"/"mask" templates 60 to the upper surface 12 of the substrate 11, particularly upon the prime coating 16 thereof, as is shown in FIG. 3-9 of the drawings. The letter "H" is partially shown in FIG. 3-9, but, obviously, each template 60 for each letter in the word "SHERWOOD" is placed upon the coating 16 with the adhesive ply 42 in strong bonding contact therewith. Obviously, the carrier ply 41 must first be removed to expose the adhesive ply 42 of each of the templates 60. The bond strength between the adhesive ply 42 and the acrylic lacquer coating 16 is far greater than that which would be achieved between the adhesive ply 42 and the upper uncoated surface of the wooden substrate 11. Each template 60 for the word "SHERWOOD" can, of course, be individually removed from the carrier 41 and placed upon the primed upper surface 12 of the substrate 11, as can the similar templates 60 for the word "SIGNS". However, a temporary carrier, preferably a relatively tacky strip of paper (not shown) is applied across the "mask" plies 45 of the templates 60 for both words "SHERWOOD" and "SIGNS" before the carrier plies 41 are each carefully peeled from the "SHERWOOD" and "SIGN" template 60. Thus, the individual templates 60 for the words "SHERWOOD" and "SIGNS" adhere to each "mask" ply 45 to the separate temporarily carrier and permit the now exposed adhesive plies 42 of the words to be accurately positioned upon and transferred to the prime coat 16 of the wood substrate 11, as is best illustrated in FIG. 3-9. Once each template 60 is positioned as shown in FIG. 3-9, the temporary carrier (not shown) is carefully removed from the "mask" plies 45.
A mask 70 is then placed about the entire peripheral border 18 of the substrate 11 inboard of the peripheral edge 14 after which the substrate 11 is sandblasted from above in a downward direction, as indicated by the solid headed unnumbered arrows in FIG. 3-10. Obviously, all areas of the substrate 11 which underly the "mask" plies 45 of the templates 60 and the template 70 are unaffected by the sandblasting, and the templates 60, 70 simply deflect the sandblasting material away, as indicated by the dashed headed arrows in FIG. 3-10. Accordingly, as is perhaps best visualized in FIG. 1, as the sandblasting occurs from above, each template 60 and specifically the sandblast-resistant ply 45 thereof deflects the sandblast material away from the underlying portion or strata of the substrate 11, whereas exposed portions are progressively sandblasted away forming a generally recessed background area 80 (FIG. 1) inboard of the mask 70 and the peripheral border 18 covered thereby and outboard of the peripheral edge 61 of each template 60 as well as within the enclosed areas of the "R", "O", "O" and "D". Therefore, the sandblasting forms relief or raised letters 81 (FIG. 3-10 and FIG. 4) from the substrate 11 underlying each template 60 "spelling-out" the words "SHERWOOD" and "SIGNS" as shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 3-10, 11, 12 and FIG. 4 the letter "H" is shown with its "legs" being identified at 82, 82 and its "cross-bar" being identified at 83. A lowermost surface 84 identifies the bottom of the recessed background area 80 which has been created by the sandblasting until the desired height of each letter 81 has been achieved.
After the sandblasting operation has been completed but before the masks/templates 60, 70 are removed, the sandblasted areas 80 are cleaned by directing a blast of pressurized air thereagainst, or simply utilizing a soft bristled brush. With the recessed background area 80 cleaned and with the mask 60, 70 still in place, a coating 90 of paint, stain or the like is applied to the surface 84 of the recessed area 80, and for the purpose of this discussion it will be assumed that the coating 90 is created by a spray S from a conventional pressurized paint gun containing brown paint. The plastic "mask" plies 45 are, of course, as resistant to and impenetrable by paint and stain as they are to the sandblast material and, thus, the coating 90 of paint will coat upper surfaces (unnumbered) of the masks 60, 70 (FIG. 3-11) but will penetrate neither and particularly will not penetrate the plies 45 of the templates or masks 60. Thus, when the border mask or template 70 is removed, as shown in FIG. 3-12, the underlying border of the "natural" grain of the substrate 11, which is now the sign 10, is exposed through the preferably thin, clear prime coat of the acrylic lacquer 16. Likewise, the ply 45 of each template 60 is removed at the interface between the adhesive ply 44 and the vinyl ply 43, thereby exposing the vinyl ply 43 atop each letter and adhered thereto through the adhesive ply 42 in bonding engagement with the underlying portion of the prime coating 16. The latter is represented in FIGS. 1, 3-12 and FIG. 4.
Accordingly, as the sign 10 (FIG. 1) is viewed from above, the upper surface 16 of the peripheral border 18 is "natural" and exposed through the clear lacquer prime coating 16 thereatop. Inboard of the border 18, outboard of the peripheral template edges 61 and within the enclosed areas of the "R", "O", "O", and "D" the coating 90 of paint is the dark brown heretofore noted. The raised individual letters of "SHERWOOD" have the white vinyl plies 43 exposed and the raised individual letters of "SIGNS" have the yellow vinyl plies 43 exposed. Hence, in the relatively straightforward and simple manner just described, the sign 10 is accurately, eloquently and professionally created, and though painting or staining is utilized, the latter in no way can adversely affect the eventual professional appearance of the sign due to the novel priming/masking/sandblasting/painting steps constituting the method of this invention.
Reference is once again made to the possibility of staining the substrate 11 between steps 2 and 3 of FIG. 2. If, for example, the entire upper surface 12 of the substrate 11 were stained between steps 2 and 3 of FIG. 2 and thereafter primed with a clear lacquer coating 16, the stain would appear through the coating 16 of the border 18 in the final sign 10. However, in lieu of staining in this step, the entire upper surface 12 of the wood substrate 11 or only the border 18 thereof could be painted yet another color before the clear prime coat 16 were applied thereto. For example, if the upper surface 12 along the periphery were painted red before the clear prime coat 16 were applied thereto, the eventual sign 10 would have a red border, but otherwise the colors will be identical to that heretofore described relative to FIG. 1. This is because any red inboard of the mask 70 is blasted away during the sandblasting operation, and any remaining red which might underlie any of the templates 60 is, obviously, covered by that ply 43 overlying the same, in this case white and yellow plies for the respective words "SHERWOOD" and "SIGNS".
In further accordance with this invention reference is made to FIG. 2, step 7 which was described earlier with respect to FIG. 3-7. In lieu of applying each template 60 directly to the substrate 11 it is another aspect of this invention to manufacture individual templates 60, be they letters, numbers, logos, signs, or the like in a variety of different colors and to keep these stored, as at FIG. 2, step 8. For example, one could offer for sale signs in which the indicia formed thereon by the templates 60 could vary in, for example, size, style and color. The letters "A", "B", "C", etc. in different sizes, styles, and colors, and the numbers "0", "1", "2", "3" - "9" in different sizes, styles and colors could be pre-cut and stored. If a person then chose to order a sign which read "SHERWOOD" in yellow and "SIGNS" in orange, one would simply go to the storage area, select these templates 60 in the ordered style and color, assemble the same on the substrate 11 and perform the method herein described. This would result in the word "SHERWOOD" of the sign 10 of FIG. 1 being yellow and the word "SIGNS" being orange with, of course, variations in the recessed/background area 80 also being available so as to be compatible with the yellow and orange (gray, for example). However, the important fact is that any variety of cut "sign"/"mask" templates 60 of styles, sizes and colors could be maintained in storage (FIG. 2, step 8) for subsequent application to a substrate, as in step 9 of FIG. 2 toward achieving professional signs extremely quickly and, of course, economically.
In accordance with one variation in the method, in lieu of spraying the coating 90 (FIG. 3-11) while the mask/border template is in place, the template 70 can be removed and the spray S applied. This will apply the coating 90 upon the acrylic lacquer 16 along the peripheral border 18, but this coating can be quickly wiped clean by simply utilizing a rag or a rag with a suitable solvent. Likewise, the spray S can be applied after the sandblasting/resistant "mask" ply 45 and the adhesive ply 44 have been removed, as shown in FIG. 12. If the spray S of paint or coating material 90 is applied downwardly in FIG. 12 against the now-exposed vinyl "sign" ply 43, the upper surface of the latter will be covered. However, the vinyl ply is virtually inpentratable and again the paint or coating 90 applied thereto can be quickly wiped away with a dry cloth or a cloth carrying an appropriate solvent. Therefore, while in the preferred spray step of FIG. 3-11, the coating material 90 is applied while the border template 70 is in place and the sandblasting-resistant mask ply 45 has not been removed, either or both of the latter can be removed, the spray step S performed to apply the coating 90 upon the lacquer 16 of the border 18 and/or upon the upper surface of the vinyl "sign" ply 43, and in either or both cases the coating 90 is then simply wiped therefrom.
Obviously, the bond strength of the adhesive ply 44 between the plies 45, 43 is less than the bond strength between the ply 43 and the lacquer or prime coat 16 to permit the rapid removal/delamination of the ply 45 from the ply 43 at the interface between the upper surface of the ply 43 and the adhesive 44. In order to further augment this delamination or removal of the resist ply 44, heat can be applied in any suitable fashion to degradate or soften the adhesive ply 44 without, of course, altering the bond of the adhesive ply 42. As an alternative, the adhesive ply 42 can be thermo-setting so that its bond strength will increase during the latter-noted heating step, while the adhesive of the ply 44 is thermo-releasing. Thus, the heating step simultaneously increases the bond strength of the adhesive 42 and weakens the bond strength of the adhesive 44 thereby assuring the delamination/removal heretofore noted.
It is also, of course, possible in keeping with the present invention to form "recessed" instead of "raised" letters, as in the case of the sign 10. In this case instead of applying the templates 60 to the wood substrate 11, the templates 60 can be removed from a single sheet of the composite laminate 40 which would leave "holes" in the sheet corresponding to the words "SHERWOOD" and "SIGNS" of FIG. 1. This composite sheet would then be applied to the substrate and sandblasted as heretofore noted. The sandblasting would, therefore, take place through the letters, not around the letters as first described and, thus, the letters of the words "SHERWOOD" and "SIGNS" would be recessed and not raised. Otherwise, the method is identical to that heretofore described but, of course, the vinyl ply 43 would surround the "recessed" letters upon which the enamel or coating material 90 would be sprayed. Thus, the sign would be essentially the reverse of that described, namely, the letters would be recessed and painted while being surrounded by the vinyl "sign" ply 43 of the composite sheet.
Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the method and apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
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This disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a sign or similar article by providing a wooden substrate having an upper surface; providing a laminate formed by several plies including a ply of sandblast-resistant material, an adhesive, a ply of vinyl, another adhesive and a carrier ply; cutting the laminate to form a template of a desired configuration and applying the template to the upper surface of the substrate, sandblasting the upper surface of the substrate which removes an upper surface strata thereof which is exposed to the sandblast material while unexposed surface strata is uneffected, and thereafter removing the sandblast-resistant ply from the vinyl ply forms a permanent upper covering/indicia/design atop the selected area of the substrate unaffected by the sandblast material.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/767,433, filed Jan. 23, 2001, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/090,285 filed on Jul. 12, 1993 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,880, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/821,079 filed on Jan. 16, 1992 and now abandoned, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/209,900, filed Jun. 7, 2000, the entire contents of each of these applications being hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to an in-store electronic promotional system, and more particularly, to an electronic shopping cart display screen that provides wireless in-store advertising and promotions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Approximately 100 million people per week visit over 50,000 large retail stores to purchase products. Reaching purchasers at the point-of-selection while shopping in a store, but before they have made their purchase decisions, is crucial. Industry research indicates that approximately 70% of brand selection decisions are made at the last minute prior to purchasing.
Current in-store promotions include coupons, promotional fulfillment, product samples and in-store services. Higher growth is expected for products that utilize technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the promotion process. For example, data collection and distribution capabilities of the internet have enabled marketers to build profiles of individual consumers and efficiently deliver advertising that is relevant to their interests and spending habits. As a result, the market for such “micro-marketing” is growing much more rapidly than the overall market.
There remains a need to provide a more satisfactory solution to providing in-store advertising and promotions to shoppers while they at the point-of-selection of a product, ready to buy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was developed to fill a need for a device which effectively and inexpensively provides in-store wireless electronic advertising and promotion.
The present invention seeks to resolve a number of the challenges which have been experienced in the background art. More specifically, the apparatus and method of this invention constitute an important advance in the art of in-store wireless electronic advertising and promotion.
In one particular embodiment, an advertising and promotion system is provided, in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The advertising and promotion system may include a display unit on a shopping cart, a plurality of store-wide trigger or transceiver units, a host computer and a battery charger connected to the display unit and mounted on a desired location on the shopping cart. The display unit may contain an easily readable electronic liquid crystal display (“LCD”) panel that attaches to a shopping cart, such as to the handle. Alternatively, the display unit may be integrally designed as part of the shopping cart handle. Animated graphic advertisements and other visual messages may be automatically exhibited on the display unit at the point-of-selection via infrared (“I.R.”) or radio frequency (“R.F.”) technology. A soft audible chime emitted from the display unit may be included to alert shoppers as they approach a featured product. The display unit may be interactive (i.e., capable of responding to user information requests and directions) or passive (i.e., only requiring the shopper to push the cart down the aisle where it will automatically receive a signal and alert the shopper to promotions and advertised specials). The advertising and promotion system may be easily programmed, thereby permitting customization for seasonal, geographical or other demographic characteristics. A removable, rechargeable battery may power the display unit.
A plurality of trigger units may be mounted throughout the store at the point of product display to advertise or promote a desired product. A transceiver unit automatically sends a message to the display unit, which causes the product-specific promotion to appear on the screen and a soft audible chime to alert the shopper of the approaching promoted product. Transceiver units may also function as feature aisle signs and may utilize a red flashing light to attract the consumers' attention. The store-wide plurality of transceiver units may be positioned within a particular store as desired.
Using commonly available software, a particular graphic advertisement message may be created by, or for, the advertiser on a personal computer and transmitted to a communications center. A communications center may be utilized which customizes the advertisement pursuant to advertiser specifications and parses the advertisement to the appropriate store locations. An in-store host computer then processes the information received from the communications center and transmits the advertisement to the memory of the display unit via a R.F. transceiver. A new advertisement may be made available for consumer interaction via the transceiver unit placed at the location of the promoted product. The in-store host computer may include sufficient capacity for future expansion of the advertising and promotion system, including other e-commerce applications.
The battery charger unit may consist of a portable cabinet that holds a complete set of display unit batteries and can easily be moved to suit the individual needs of a store. The rechargeable batteries may operate a display unit for 30 days before being exchanged with fully charged batteries.
In addition to advertising, promotions and a possible store directory, the advertising and promotion system may have the ability to connect the shopper directly to internet content, including but not limited to, news, sports, weather, meal planning, etc. This feature enables the advertising and promotion system to directly deliver web-page messages to shoppers via the internet.
In another embodiment, the electronic shopping cart handle may include a low-profile, central display screen and a minimum of two thumb controls for selecting the directories and scrolling the lists, which are displayed on the display screen. An optional third control comprising an elongated cross bar may be included to multiply the options of the scroll buttons.
In a further embodiment, the display unit may include an internal operating system that would enable the device to incorporate efficient power management in order to maximize the life of the battery provided for each device. The display unit may be powered by standard C or D alkaline batteries, which can be replaced periodically. The display unit may also be powered by rechargeable lithium batteries. The battery may also be supplemented with a radiation cell bank that generates a trickle power from overhead fluorescent lighting, microwave or infrared beacons in the shopping market. The display unit may also be configured to coordinate the transmission of the graphic signal to the display unit in a limited window of time available for transmission. Since the point of purchase promotion is most effective when the customer is at the proximate shelf location of the promoted item, the graphic may be transmitted, received and formatted for display in the brief time that the shopper is strolling past the promoted item.
In another embodiment, an integrated chip incorporating an entire computer on a chip may be used. This allows the essential processor and memory unit to be compact and provide for a low-profile configuration of the display unit. Integrated chips and a low-profile display screen coupled by a battery may reduce the required maintenance resulting from the periodic task of recharging the battery. This is particularly beneficial for those retail stores open 24 hours a day.
Another embodiment may be a dedicated appliance computer capable of being reprogrammed in order to add additional features to the device as users become more sophisticated. Such features as the automatic display of advertisements at select store locations and the global updating of displayable data by wireless transmissions are described hereafter. An infrared or radio frequency receiver in the display unit may also be used for an alarm when the cart or handle leaves a prescribed area such as a store parking lot. Furthermore, the advertising and promotion system may also provide automatic features that are beneficial in facilitating automatic update of the promotional advertisements. Another feature may also be included to allow a user to scroll through the promotional products to locate items of particular interest. Another feature may include a separate promotional program for advertisers in which a screen graphic of the promoted item is displayed from memory periodically during the use of the shopping cart by a shopper, regardless of the cart's location in the marketing area.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display unit on a shopping cart handle in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the display unit illustrated in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the display unit illustrated in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the display unit illustrated in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the electronic operating components in an embodiment of a display unit;
FIG. 6 is an informational screen display of a directory menu on a display unit;
FIG. 7 is an informational screen display of a product listing by brand name on a display unit;
FIG. 8 is an informational screen display of a generic product location list on a display unit;
FIG. 9 is an informational screen display of a product advertisement on a display unit;
FIG. 10 is an informational screen display of a prize code number on a display unit;
FIG. 11 is another embodiment of the display unit;
FIG. 12 is a rear view of another embodiment of the display unit which further includes a data card reader;
FIG. 13 is a side view of the display unit illustrated in FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the electronic operating components of another display unit; and
FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of a marketplace using an embodiment of the advertising and promotion system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of an electronic shopping-cart display handle of this invention designated generally by the reference numeral 10 , comprises an electronic display unit 12 with a hand bar 16 of a shopping cart 18 to produce an ergonomically designed, informational aid for shoppers. The display handle 10 is mounted to the frame structure 20 of a conventional shopping cart 18 , a portion of which is shown in FIG. 1 . The unitary construction of the display unit 12 and hand bar 16 allows the handle 10 to adopt a contoured, low-profile configuration that minimally interferes with the traditional operations of moving the cart and placing items into the cart. The handle 10 may be shaped without sharp edges or corners that may injure a child transported in the cart. The handle 10 may also be designed to optimize the visibility of a centrally located display screen 24 without blocking the shopper's view of the contents of the shopper's cart 18 .
The display unit 12 may include a plurality of operator controls 26 . In one embodiment, the controls are operable by the shopper's thumbs without removal of the shopper's hands from hand grip sections 28 of the hand bar 16 . The primary operator controls may be scroll buttons 30 mounted on each side of the display screen 24 . In a particular embodiment, the display screen 24 may automatically display periodic promotional items and the user controlled feature may be limited to a categorical product directory. The scroll buttons 30 may be designed to allow a user to scroll up or down the product category list to find the location of selected items in the product directory.
A selection bar 32 may be included for multiple directories or hierarchical lists. The selection bar 32 may be centrally positioned below the screen 24 for manipulation by either thumb. The selection bar 32 may be replaced with two spaced selection buttons 33 located proximate the dual scroll buttons 35 on each side of the screen 24 as shown in FIG. 11 . This allows for control by a single thumb of either hand. The selection bar 32 and functionally equivalent selection buttons 35 expand the programmable features that can be incorporated, and can be operated alone or in conjunction with one or both of the scroll buttons 30 .
The display unit 12 may also include a radiation window 34 centrally located above display screen 24 . The radiation window includes multiple cells 36 , which may comprise receivers for receiving microwave, infrared or other air propagated radiation energy for power supplementation or for reception of external data or control signals transmitted by microwave, infrared or radio signals. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , end cells 36 a may be utilized for receiving trigger signals emitted from signal transmitters positioned at strategic locations at the perimeter of a shopping establishment to trigger an alarm on the cart and at a central monitoring station in the establishment. The cells 36 a may also be used to receive trigger or message signals from a plurality of transmitters positioned strategically along each side of grocery aisles. These signals may activate the display of select promotional advertisements on the display screen 24 . The cells 36 a may be used to receive digital message signals from the strategically positioned transmitters.
Central cells 36 b may be utilized as power reception cells for receiving power from a radiation power source which may be located over a shopping cart corral or storage area. Alternatively, the radiation window 34 may receive acoustical energy using ultrasonic acoustical wave patterns. The acoustical wave patterns emitted from acoustical emitters are received by audio transducers (not shown) and processed in a similar manner as infrared transmissions.
The unitary construction of the display unit 12 and hand bar 16 enables the interior of the hand bar 16 to be utilized as a space for a battery pack 40 . Thus, a relatively substantial battery pack can be formed in the hand bar 16 without intruding on the compact size of the display unit 12 .
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , the power or battery pack 40 may comprise four standard size “D” alkaline batteries 42 located in the hand grip sections 28 of the hand bar 16 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the battery pack 40 may have access covers 44 , one of which is removed to show a conventional coil spring contact 46 and a leaf spring contact 48 for tapping the electrical potential of the batteries. The batteries on each side may be interconnected in series to provide a 6 volt potential for 5 volt operating components. A red, low-battery cue light 49 may be positioned above the display screen 24 opposite a green cue light 51 for sale items being flashed on the screen.
Where further miniaturization is desired for the display unit 12 , the internal electronic components (not shown) may be confined to the crown portion 50 of the handle 10 profiled in FIG. 4 , with the hand bar portion 52 optionally dedicated to a battery pack for maximized operating life between battery replacement or recharge of rechargeable batteries. An access cover 53 on the back of the unit may provide access to the electronic components.
The shopping cart handle 10 includes an attachment mechanism 54 for mounting the handle to frame structure 20 of a shopping cart 18 with minimal modification to the particular shopping cart 18 . The attachment mechanism may vary according to the construction of the cart. For example, where a cart has a wire frame loop 56 as shown in FIG. 1 , end plugs 55 having a lock 59 with a slot 61 for a locking key (not shown) may be used to lock the handle 10 to the cart 18 and allow only restricted removal of the hand bar 16 from the cart 18 during servicing or replacement.
Another embodiment of the display unit 63 shown in FIG. 11 is mounted to a conventional shopping cart push bar 77 by means of a clamping mechanism 78 . The display unit 63 may have similar selection buttons 33 and scroll buttons 35 on each side of the display screen 79 accessible by either one of the user's thumbs.
The display unit 12 is designed for implementation with wide variety of shopping carts. The display unit 12 may be a low-profile design utilizing a relatively compact, inexpensive display screen 24 , such as approximately two inches in height by four inches in width. Since the display screen 24 consumes most of the power, a minimized size coupled with an efficient power management program, which deactivates the screen during periods of non-use, enables an extended power pack life. A display screen 24 for maximized contrast with minimized power consumption may be a liquid crystal display module utilizing a super-twisted, nematic crystal technology with an ultra-thin, polymer film layer (STN with FILM) for maximum contrast and viewing angle. A screen with a graphic display detail of 240×80 pixels may be utilized for text and advertisement logos. For convenience, the promotional text and pictorial composite displayed on the display screen is called a screen graphic. A double retardation film LCD of this pixel density manufactured by Hitachi may be utilized. Miniature Color screens as utilized in portable game devices by Nintendo, Sega and NEC may be used with appropriate power management.
A low-power driver/controller chip may be used to control the screen with direction from a central processor with add-on memory chips. Alternatively, a specially designed processor chip or computer-on-a-chip may be used for low power operation. With the addition of conventional RAM and ROM chips for supporting the minimal memory requirements of the display unit, the integrated computer chip minimizes power consumption and is programmable for controlled activation and suspension. Adoption of a 3.3V power system, may further reduce power requirements of transistors and allow six 1.5V batteries in a battery pack to be combined in two, parallel 3-battery packs for a greater power reserve.
Battery recharge or replacement on two month intervals is typical for a low-maintenance shopping cart system with electronic display handles utilizing currently available components. A system with an optimized low-voltage power with some in-service charging may last six months.
Referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 , the display unit 12 contains a central processor 58 which is an integrated circuit chip for programs to control the system operation. The processor 58 receives and directs data for operation of the display unit 12 . The processor 58 connects to a standard keyboard chip 60 , which may be integrated into the processor 58 . The keyboard chip 60 includes the circuitry necessary to interpret signals from the scroll buttons 30 or the selection bar 32 .
The keyboard chip 60 is connected to the power control circuit 62 , which may include a power management program such as initiating screen activation upon a prompt received from the keyboard circuitry when a user depresses a scroll button 30 or the selection bar 32 . The power control circuit 62 is connected to the battery pack 40 and assists in regulating and activating the power delivery to the components including the central processor 58 . A low-battery warning light may be included which signals the time for replacement or recharge of the battery pack 40 .
External components such as an IR beacon 64 and an IR trigger component 66 direct infrared data signals and wake-up signals to the IR photo diodes 68 of the radiation window 34 on the display unit 12 . The data signals provide information for reprogramming the memory such as inventory, sales information and the screen display of an activated advertisement and promotional visuals. The IR beacon 64 , or equivalent component, may also an indicator that emits a power level status for charge maintenance of the battery pack 40 . The IR beacon 64 and trigger component 66 form a transceiver unit 65 for receiving, storing and relaying trigger and data signals from a control unit 67 that centralizes the store-wide operation of the system.
The trigger and data signals are demodulated in a converter circuit 70 and passed to the central processor 58 for reprogramming the memory or activating retrieval of memory packets for the display of advertising information in the display screen 24 under control of the LCD driver and controller circuit 72 . The transceiver unit 65 may be hard wired to the control unit 67 for direct communication between the control unit 67 and transceiver unit 65 . A store may have a single control unit 67 that is the central computer for management of the store's inventory and accounting. The control unit 67 communicates with a plurality of transceiver units 65 located throughout the marketing area. To minimize installation expenses and allow the plurality of transceiver units 65 to be repositioned in the marketing area as desired, each transceiver unit 65 may be in wireless communication with the control unit 67 and have its own power supply. The transceiver unit 65 includes similar electronic components as the display unit 12 which allows for independent processing of data and independent communication with a display unit 12 on a nearby shopping cart. To conserve power in the transceiver unit 65 , the transceiver unit 65 may include a proximity sensor 69 that detects the presence of a shopping cart within range and initiates transmission of the trigger and data signals to the display unit 12 on the cart handle 10 . The transceiver unit 65 may also include an RF receiver 71 to receive FM radio frequency transmissions from the central control unit 67 . Each transceiver unit 65 can have a separate identification such that data transmitted from the control unit 67 is transmitted store-wide but is processed and stored only by the transceiver unit 65 to which the data is intended.
In another embodiment, the transceiver unit 65 , upon detection of a proximately located shopping cart, may transmit a trigger signal to wake-up the display unit 12 on the shopping cart if it is not already in an activated state, and then sends the data signal. The data signal is a digital signal that includes both the product control signals and the screen graphic signal. The product control signals include data about the promotion that is not in the screen graphic and that does not appear on the display screen 24 of the display unit 12 . This data may include the universal product identification number, the date or iteration number of the promotional graphic, and the identification number of the transceiver unit 65 which may be useful for tracking the path of a shopper through the market area. Tracking the shopper's path may be useful for prompting special promotions for certain shopper's based on buying patterns. The screen graphic signal contains the digitized data that is received by the display unit 12 and formatted for display on the display screen 24 . For example, a compressed screen graphic signal may be decompressed by the central processor 58 before it is relayed to the LCD driver and controller circuit 72 . The data signal transmitted by the transceiver unit 65 is then sent at a rate that enables the screen graphic to be displayed within the time window available. For example, using a baud rate of 9600 bits per second and using the black and white screen 24 with an 80×240 pixel count, without compression, a bit mapped screen graphic can be transmitted in about 2 seconds.
The product control data is a short alphanumeric string, which in seven bit ASCII code can be transmitted in a small fraction of a second. Using standard compression algorithms for the bit-mapped screen graphic, the product control data and the promotional screen graphic can be transmitted well within a two second time frame. Using transmission rates together with data compression, larger and higher resolution screens and/or color may be used. The screen graphic may be promotional information that is related to the promotional item located proximate the transceiver unit 65 that is transmitting the screen graphic signal. A typical screen graphic displayed in the display screen 24 is shown in FIG. 9 .
The digitized screen graphic is stored in a memory file of the transceiver unit 65 and is periodically updated or replaced by transmissions from the control unit 67 .
The trigger and data signals, together with converted D.C. power potentials, are delivered to the power control circuit 62 for system wake-up, and may also trickle feed energy to the battery pack 40 . The trigger signal is passed to the cue output circuit 73 , which may be an audible chime, a handle vibration or a light. Certain IR trigger components 66 at the store perimeter may not only trigger an audible alarm in the display unit 12 , but may include a device, such as a radio, for sending a message to the store office that may also cause an alarm to sound when a cart breaches the perimeter of a specified area.
With the display unit 12 awakened, the data signals are processed by the central processor 58 , and the data relating to the screen graphic is compared with existing promotional screen graphics stored in RAM 74 . The comparison of digitized screen graphics may be accomplished with a rapid checksum procedure. If a match is found, the screen graphic data is passed from a temporary storage buffer in the central processor 58 to the LCD driver and controller circuit 72 for display on the display screen 24 . In the event that there is no match, the processor 58 processes the formatted screen data to the LCD driver and controller circuit 72 for display on the display screen 24 and contemporaneously passes the screen graphic display data together with the accompanying product control data to RAM 74 . The screen graphic data and product control data are stored in memory for future comparison with received screen display signals or retrieval by a shopper reviewing the file of product promotions.
The product control signals may be utilized in this compare process for rapidly locating the presence or absence of a particular promotional screen graphic in memory and initiating the display of either the screen graphic in memory or the screen graphic formatted from the screen graphic signal transmitted by the transceiver unit 65 . In this manner, the shopping carts in use are continually updated as they pass a transceiver unit 65 . Even if an outdated advertisement is stored in memory, the updated advertisement will be presented once the shopper has arrived at the location of the promoted item. The system is self-correcting at the promoted product location, even though this system may potentially store an outdated promotional graphic in memory that is accessible by a shopper during review of the product promotion file using the display unit 12 in an interactive mode.
The random access memory (RAM) 74 and read only memory (ROM) 76 store the systems operations data and reprogrammable user data for displaying information such as the store directory and product information in the display screen 24 .
Although the display unit 12 may have the capabilities of a personal computer, a dedicated informational format, as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 6-10 , is incorporated to ease user familiarization and to encourage the adoption as a shopping aid. Referring to FIG. 6 , the display screen 24 upon activation first displays a directory menu allowing selection of a directory listing to be reviewed. Selection is accomplished using the selection bar 32 , which highlights the heading in some manner such as by the box 80 enclosing the “BRAND NAME ITEMS” indicia in FIG. 6 .
Upon depressing scroll button 30 , an alphabetical listing of items by brand name may be displayed for the user to scroll through and locate a particular item. Items 82 are shown with the size and price for convenience as illustrated in FIG. 7 .
To assist a user in locating items, the generic names may be listed with an aisle directory listing for each category as shown in FIG. 8 . In one embodiment, an updatable series of advertisements, particularly select sales items for which the product producers or distributors have paid advertisement fees to the system operator, are retained in memory. During a state of activation of the display unit 12 when the shopper is not using the display unit 12 , the display screen 24 may be activated for a set time, for example ten seconds, and a select product advertisement is displayed as shown in FIG. 9 . The advertisement may contain a sale price, since some shoppers may prefer not to refer to simple product name advertisements. A cue signal, such as a chime, light or handle vibration, may be generated at the beginning of the message to alert the shopper that a promotional message is being displayed. The cue signal may also be generated when the promotional message is activated by the transceiver units 65 located proximate the promoted product. The cue light 51 may be activated as a blinking or steady state light and may be used with one or both of the other signal alternatives as desired. The chime and handle vibration may be effected by the cue output circuit 73 which, as shown schematically in FIG. 5 , develops an audio signal delivered respectively to a micro speaker (not visible in FIGS. 1-4 ), or piezoelectric transducer (not shown) fixed to the inside of the handle bar to vibrate the handle, or an equivalent device.
To increase the likelihood that a shopper will look at the display screen 24 when cued, a prize code may be intermittently flashed on the display screen 24 instead of a scheduled advertisement. This code may be in the form of an automatically reprogrammable four digit number as shown in FIG. 10 . When the number is related to the check-out clerk, a monetary coupon or reduction in the checkout tally may be granted.
To decrease the time for scrolling through long product lists, a main product directory may have a limited number of listed items, and scrolling in any directory may be accelerated by depressing the desired scroll button 30 while simultaneously holding down the selection bar 32 .
An embodiment of the display unit 12 may incorporate an informational device that retains its function as a hand bar 16 for a shopping cart 18 . The display unit 12 may alternatively be constructed for connection to an existing shopping-cart push bar.
Another embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 12 , wherein display handle 10 a has similar elements of the handle 10 shown in FIG. 1 . Handle 10 a includes a data card reader 90 having a card reader slot 92 through which a data card 94 slides for extracting certain basic information such as the user identification. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 , the data card 94 is a conventional club card having a magnetic strip 96 as partially shown in the rear view of the handle 10 a.
As shown in FIG. 13 , the data card 94 inserts in the slot 92 in such a manner that the magnetic strip 96 engages an internal reading head 98 shown in dotted line in FIG. 12 . The data card 94 may also comprise a smart card having an embedded transmitter that transmits an identification code to a transceiver antenna 100 on the handle 10 a . In this embodiment, the slot 92 may be omitted if the data card 94 is positioned proximate the transceiver antenna 100 .
The display unit 12 may further include a scanner for reading a UPC label of a product. Displayed information may include product price, nutritional information, advertisement, discount information, or cross-marketing discounts for another product.
Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 , the transceiver antenna 100 is connected to a transceiver circuit 102 which is connected to an analog/digital converter 104 . The signals at the analog/digital converter 104 are converted for processing by the central processor 58 when received or transmitted by the antenna transceiver 102 . Where digital transmission signals are utilized, the appropriate circuitry may replace the analog/digital converter 104 . Since the communication network within a store is essentially a local area network, the medium may be an RF signal or an ultrasonic signal. A sensor using an ultrasonic signal may also be used to determine the distance between a display unit 12 and a transceiver unit 65 . In the embodiment of FIG. 14 , the control unit 67 of the store can communicate directly with the central processor 58 of each display unit 12 on a shopping cart 18 in the store. The use of a local RF signal enables telephone-like communication, such as utilizing communication chips from Motorola and other communication chip manufacturers for local, two-way communications.
Multi-function RF channels may provide greater adaptability in monitoring the shopping cart's 18 whereabouts in a typical supermarket layout. FIG. 15 illustrates a one example of the layout of a commercial marketplace 106 . The marketplace 106 has an enclosed store facility 108 with an adjoining parking lot 110 and a sheltered cart-return foyer 112 . When the shopping carts 152 are collected and placed in the cart stacks 118 for storage, a plurality of lights 160 positioned over the cart stacks may act to recharge the batteries through the central cells 36 b on the display unit 12 .
The enclosed store facility 108 may have an entryway 114 for shoppers who may retrieve a cart 116 from the cart stacks 118 at each side of the entryway. The enclosed store facility 108 may have a series of checkout stands 120 and a plurality of product gondolas 122 on which goods for purchase are arranged. In addition, the enclosed store facility 108 may also have a vegetable department 124 with a plurality of tables 126 on which goods are arranged. Similarly, a series of counters 128 and 130 may line the store walls for additional storage of produce, meats and other products typically sold in a supermarket. Behind a back wall 132 , a store management and receiving area 134 is shown with an accessible entry 136 . A store control unit 67 is shown in an office area 138 accessible by store personnel. The control unit 67 may be connected by hard wire or wireless transmissions to the transceiver units 65 strategically arranged in the store and proximate the locations of goods that are being promoted as previously described.
As an alternate means of communication, the control unit 67 may communicate to a plurality of transceivers 140 through separate channels so that each transceiver unit 65 is independently controlled by the control unit 67 . Four transceivers 140 A, 140 B, 140 C and 140 D, located in the four corners of the common marketplace 106 , in conjunction with transceiver units 65 , form a triangulation for locating each shopping cart within the perimeter of the commercial marketplace 106 . The transceiver units 65 may be located within the enclosed facility 108 with a second set of transceiver units 65 located in the parking lot 110 . In operation, each display unit 12 transmits a periodic location beacon and identification code that is received by the separate channels of the transceivers 140 . The signal is processed and cross-checked by selective combinations of the transceivers 140 . The display screen 24 of a select display unit 12 can thereby be prompted with a specific promotion or advertisement depending on the location of the cart 152 within the monitored commercial marketplace 106 .
The shopping cart 152 may be equipped with an alarm that may be triggered when the shopping cart 152 leaves the perimeter of the commercial market place 106 and parking lot 110 . Since the shopping cart 152 is transmitting its identification code, the information of the shopping cart's 152 whereabouts can be indicated at the store facility office area 138 for appropriate action to be taken. Such action may comprise the tracking of the cart to obtain its recovery, or the locking of its wheels by a lock mechanism.
Referring to FIG. 15 , the parking 110 has an entrance at A with exits at B and C and a plurality of stalls 142 . The entries and exits from the parking lot 110 may include a cart monitoring means 144 to receive the cart identity and activate a triggering device to activate the cart wheel lock-up or tracking signal as the cart leaves the parking lot 110 . Alternatively, this may be accomplished by the primary transceiver system acting alone or in combination with the cart tracking means 144 . The cart tracking means 144 may comprise a local transceiver unit 65 as previously described or simply a transmitter magnetic strip or magnetizable strip for preventing false triggerings. Another embodiment a positioning detection device on the cart, via radio or ultrasound, that locks the wheels of a cart if it breaches the perimeter of a specified area.
In order to calibrate the transceivers 140 A- 140 D, emitters 150 may be installed throughout the marketplace 106 for determining the shopping carts 152 location.
A GPS system may also be utilized for determining a shopping cart's 152 location.
The store control unit 67 may be connected to a store affiliate headquarters 154 by a phone line, or private wide-area network or through the internet. With this connection, customers, indicated by nodes 156 , can communicate through a wired or wireless system to a headquarter web site 158 allowing the users to obtain special coupons, savings bonuses, etc. Moreover, a shopper may access the internet via a home computer and obtain items from the headquarters 154 with an identified user code. Afterwards, when the shopper enters his or her code into the shopping cart display unit 12 by a data card swipe, the user code is transmitted to the store control unit 67 which communicates with headquarters 154 via an e-mail communication system to retrieve any messages, orders, shopping lists, promotions, etc., stored by headquarters 154 for the user. The displayed graphics, promotions, etc., on the display unit 12 are thereafter tailored to the particular user who has identified his or herself by a data card swipe. This transmission does not go to other shopping carts 152 throughout the shopping system.
In the event that a shopper does not have his or her data card, an in-store kiosk 162 may be provided with a data entry terminal and display screen for the selection of coupons, promotions and other material that may be particular to the user. As the shopper enters his or her personal information, the kiosk 162 , which is connected to the control unit 67 , may retrieve the shopper's identification code and transmit the code to the display unit 12 . In this manner, the display unit 12 , through the control unit 67 , can recover the data personal to the particular shopper. Alternatively, the shopper can identify his or herself by use of the scrolling controls and menu selection in order to select numbers and or letters representing the users code.
In one embodiment, the advertising and promotion system is operated by a software program designated as SMIP (Store Management and Integration Program) at the store affiliate headquarters 154 . The SMIP software is utilized for creating ads, passing information to a plurality of stores 108 , retrieving information from the stores 108 and creating reports. The software that runs the in-store control unit 67 is designated as SCIP (Store Controller and Interface Program). SCIP communicates with SMIP and controls the content on the display units 12 through the creation and reading of files on the in-store control unit 67 . Software designated as KartKom, which also runs on the in-store control unit 67 , reads the files created by SCIP and acts as a server for information for the display units 12 . A radio transmitter may be placed near the ceiling of a store that communicates with KartKom over a standard Ethernet link and passes information between KartKom and the display units 12 .
The portion of the software that resides in the ROM 76 of the display unit 12 is designated as Firmware. The program residing on the display unit 12 which performs user interactions is designated as CAP (Cart Application Program). CAP interprets user key presses and timed features such as sleep and scrolling. A binary file, designated as Kad, may also be utilized which includes the graphics, chime and animation timing used for a single ad.
SMIP allows graphic designers to combine a graphic file and chimes into timing loops to create a “Kad” animation to be displayed on the display units 12 when a corresponding trigger is received from a transceiver unit 65 . SMIP also allows the targeting of stores to which a certain Kad goes to and also includes the date when the Kad is to start and stop. SCIP checks in to SMIP at regular intervals to insure that it has the current information for that store. SMIP also retrieves all store status information during this communication, including which display units 12 and transceiver units 65 are active, etc.
SCIP processes the timing information that it receives from SMIP and determines which Kads are active at any given time. SCIP may also create relocation reports that can be displayed on the display units 12 to assist servicing personal in moving the transceiver units 65 from old to new locations. SCIP may also ensure that KartKom is active. SCIP may also review reports created on the display unit 12 and sent to the in-store control unit 67 through KartKom. Reports referred to as “Check in” reports may be processed by SCIP to identify problems, such as low battery levels, missing display units 12 , etc.
While KartKom is running, it may constantly read a version file to determine if there are any changes to what it considers current. If a change is detected, or if it is first booting up, it may load a current version of the following items into memory:
Firmware CAP Kads Locators—the store directory that is displayed on the display units 12 Configuration File—to control the look and behavior of the display unit 12 , including the frequency for sending advertisements and promotions, no-motion sleep mode, etc. Graphic files for the default screens, etc.
When any of these files are changed, KartKom may read the new files into memory and create a new list of what is “current”. Several times per second, KartKom may transmit a header “heart beat” so that any display units 12 that have just become active can receive this updated list to determine if it has the latest version of all files in memory. If not, the display unit 12 will send a request to the KartKom for any files that need to be updated, which KartKom then sends down via an in-store radio LAN.
KartKom may also collect information about which display units 12 have or have not “checked in” during the last 24 hours, and its last operating status such as battery voltage, path data, transceiver unit 65 voltages, etc.
The radio transmitter placed near the ceiling of a store for communicating with KartKom may comprise components manufactured by Proxim Inc., such as the RangeLAN2 Ethernet and Token Ring Access Points. The radio transmitter coordinates radio traffic so that all radios with the correct security password and settings can receive and transmit data between the display units 12 and KartKom.
In one embodiment, the display unit 12 may comprise a custom plastic housing, LCD reflective display, a changeable, customizable overlay, a Proxim OEM radio, antenna, scroll buttons 30 and selection buttons 33 , IR photo diodes 68 , speaker and circuit board that contains a motion detector, temperature sensor (for adjusting LCD contrast with temperature), a Dragonball VZ CPU (used in Palm Pilots hand-held computers) 58 , RAM 74 and ROM 76 .
Firmware may be utilized for communicating with the hardware and KartKom and insuring that needed files are present and up to date on the display unit 12 . Once all files are current, control is turned over to CAP and the firmware is only involved in gathering input such as motion, key presses, IR, etc., and informing CAP of these inputs.
After a period of inactivity, a software timer may place the display unit 12 into low power mode referred to as “sleep”. When the display unit 12 is in “sleep” mode, the Firmware may monitor motion and “wake up” when motion is detected. The display unit 12 may also have fixed times of the day when it will “wake up” and listen to the radio to insure that data on the display unit 12 is up to date.
CAP's function is to respond to input. If CAP detects that it is near a transceiver unit 65 , it displays a Kad which may contain a chime and animation to draw the consumers attention to the featured product. Once a Kad has been displayed, CAP may be programmed to block the Kad from replaying for a desired time, such as for about 30 seconds. CAP may also monitor the buttons on the display unit 12 . For example, a button may display a store directory or retailer specific specials. Another button may display product brand-casting (BrandKasting), referred to when a single slide will be temporarily displayed from each of the Kads. At software controlled fixed intervals, BrandKasting may occur even without the consumer pressing any buttons.
CAP may also monitor motion and reset the “awake” timer anytime that motion is detected. When no motion or button pushes have occurred for a fixed interval, CAP may create a packet of information including such things as “path data” (the order of transceiver units 65 passed during the shoppers travels through the store), battery voltage, awake time, etc., and then pass this information back to the control unit 67 , where SCIP can process it. CAP may then return control to the Firmware to go into sleep mode.
The transceiver unit 65 may transmit a code indicating the number of the Kad that it is featuring. The code may also contain information about the transceiver unit's 65 battery condition. A display unit 12 may also detect that the battery for a particular transceiver unit 65 is low and relay that information to SCIP. Each transceiver unit 65 may also contain an IR receiver, with which to change the Kad number that it transmits. A commercially available TV remote may also be used to change the transceiver unit 65 number.
In one embodiment, a hardware/software system designated as KNET creates and manages data. Display unit 12 software and content, store information, advertisement information, reporting and accounting tools may be centrally controlled on the KNET server and LAN at the store affiliate headquarters 154 using SMIP. The KNET server program, designated as KSERV, may reside on the KNET server and interface (via the internet) database and binary file information between the KNET server and the program that resides on the in-store located computer designated as SCIP. SCIP may be utilized for enabling communication with the KSERV program server via the internet by dialing into a local internet service provider (ISP) and connecting to KSERV. Once the connection is made, SCIP may request data through KSERV to become current with the KNET server. SCIP may also pass all system information back to the server for processing. The automatic retrieval and processing of such system information as the display unit 12 and transceiver unit 65 functionality, display unit 12 and transceiver unit 65 voltage readings, and display unit 12 path data, render the system management relatively simple.
The SMIP program can be run on a typical commercially available computer, which in turn can be connected to the LAN at the store affiliate headquarters 154 . SMIP provides KNET server database connectivity and provides a means for creating various “screens,” or “display frames,” that appear on the display unit 12 . SMIP may be used for managing all system information and centralizing all data respective to a particular store. Concurrency with the KNET server may be verified through the control unit 67 with Firmware, CAP or a file list. SMIP may also be used to view update information, such as the last time a store connected to the server and updated information. SMIP may also be used to set demographic information. Stores can apply this information to target advertisements/promotions or any other feature in the system.
SMIP may also be used as an advertisement designer to create and simulate advertisements, such as the manufacturer name of particular packaged goods, product UPC, coupon information and category information. Default and specials screens can also be created with SMIP. For example, “screens”, or “frames” may be 640×200 1 bit images. Frames may either be created in this section or imported from another application. Animation frames may also be linked together in an order and given looping and timing information. A single frame from the advertisements can be selected to be the frame that is displayed in an advertisement scrolling routine.
Through SMIP, the in-store control unit 67 may view/edit store content for the following: advertisement versions, CAP versions, Firmware versions, store directory, configuration information, advertisement start/stop date/times, and set the transceiver unit 65 identification number.
SMIP may also be used as a reporting tool to generate reports on store status. Such reports may include information such as the activation history of a particular display unit 12 which provides the path the display unit 12 through the store and when the transceiver units 65 were “seen.” Other reports may include and inventory of the number of working and non-working display units 12 or transceiver units 65 in a particular store. Another report may include a “last heard from at x date/time” alert. Operations personnel as well as packaged goods manufacturers can view the status of a system using a web client.
SMIP may also be used to track consumer goods companies' activity and generate billing information based on store reports. Other programmable features of SMIP may include implementation of standard category information for store directories so that advertisements can use their category information to automatically display aisle location. SMIP may also include support functions such as coupons obtained through the internet or the data card 94 previously described.
Another embodiment utilizes an in-store position system to identify the position of display units 12 . Transceiver units 65 may then be implemented as locations on a map within which to display a certain advertisement or promotion.
A store controller interface program (SCIP) may maintain store data at a local level and then propagate the data to the display units 12 via an in-store wireless LAN (ISWL) when scheduled. SCIP may be used for connecting to the internet and checking the KNET server for file updates. Once updates are found and downloaded, SCIP may schedule the changes in the system. SCIP may also manage ISP dial-up information required to connect to the internet. SCIP may receive KNET updates such as by connecting to KSERV, and then comparing internal file versions to the KNET server file versions to build an update list. SCIP may then download necessary updates to become current with the KNET server. SCIP may also schedule file changes on the display units 12 by writing interface files to KartKom, which may control ISWL broadcast information. SCIP may also include features that allow operations personnel and store personnel to change store directory information in the event of an error. In the case of failure, SCIP may be programmed to send email and/or page a technician assigned to a particular store. If permanent connections are available, SCIP may be utilized as a simple web client that mirrors store specific data from the KNET server.
KSERV is an internet socket server that handles incoming SCIP requests for information from the KNET server. KSERV may generate database queries to answer SCIP requests and to link results back to corresponding SCIP sockets. KSERV may also act as a FTP (file transfer) server for SCIP. KSERV may serve as an interface program between SCIP and Operations databases, which reside on the KNET server. KSERV may then handle all requests from SCIP for data, such as database information as well as binary file transfers.
In another embodiment, all components of the retail equation, including individual stores, retailers, consumer goods companies and advertisement agencies may be interconnected via the internet with the advertising and promotion system.
The advertising and promotion system may provide enhanced data mining and data warehousing services for retailers and consumer goods companies to collect consumer purchase data. The advertising and promotion system may also enable retailers and consumer goods companies to analyze shopping trends. The advertising and promotion system may also provide a platform to permit consumer goods companies and retailers to perform direct marketing campaigns to targeted consumer or consumer groups. Direct marketing to consumers encompasses a variety of services ranging from the direct mail, product sampling, rebates, special promotions, wedding/baby registry, recipe storage and other targeted marketing efforts.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
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An advertising and promotion system including an electronic shopping cart display screen that provides wireless in-store advertising and promotions. In embodiments of the present invention, the advertising and promotion system includes a display unit attached to a shopping cart, a plurality of store-wide transceiver units, an audible alert component on the display unit for signaling receipt of information from the transceiver unit, a host computer for operating the advertising and promotion system, and a battery charger for powering the display unit. The display unit includes a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) panel for displaying animated graphic advertisements and other visual messages automatically exhibited in the proximity of a transceiver unit by a desired product display. The display unit may be interactive (i.e., capable of responding to user information requests and directions) or passive (i.e., only requiring the shopper to push the cart down the aisle where it will automatically receive a signal and alert the shopper to promotions and advertised specials).
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present patent application claims the right of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 (a)-(d) of German Patent Application No. 10 2005 040 617.3, filed Aug. 27, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of polyesterpolyols by the alcoholysis of higher-molecular polyesterpolyols using microwave radiation.
[0003] Polyesterpolyols are valuable raw materials for polyurethane chemistry and are widely used industrially as flexible segment units in the production of foamed and non-foamed polyurethane (PUR) materials.
[0004] Their structural components of polyesterpolyols are usually aliphatic and/or aromatic polycarboxylic acids, optionally also in the form of their low-molecular esters with monofunctional alcohols and/or in the form of their anhydrides, including carbonic acid and its low-molecular derivatives, as well as polyols which have molecular weights of 62 to 1000, and preferably of 62 to 400 g/mol. These polyols can be used individually or in a mixture. In special cases, of course, it is also possible concomitantly to use a proportion of longer-chain polyether-polyols, such as those described e.g. in chapter 3.1.1. (page 58 et seq.) of the Plastics Handbook “Polyurethane”, 3rd edition, which have molecular weights of more than 1000 g/mol. The functionality of both the individual polycarboxylic acid components and the individual polyol components is usually 2 in this case. However, special properties can also be obtained by concomitantly using components having functionalities not equal to 2, i.e. components which have functionalities equal to, for example, 1, 3, 4, etc.
[0005] The resulting polyesterpolyols in turn have functionalities of 1.7 to 4.5, and preferably of 1.90 to 3.5. Their number-average molecular weight is 200 to 6000 g/mol, according to the application, and their consistency can range from amorphous through partially crystalline to more highly crystalline, according to the composition.
[0006] The technically most important method of preparing polyesterpolyols is the polycondensation of polycarboxylic acids with polyols with the elimination of water. This can be carried out, either with or without a catalyst, by reacting the components at an elevated temperature of 150 to 250° C. under normal pressure or, preferably, under a vacuum of 100 mbar to 0.1 mbar. Furthermore, such polycondensation reactions can also be carried out with the aid of an entraining agent such as, for example, toluene.
[0007] Polyesterpolyols derived from carbonic acid, on the other hand, are prepared by means of a polycondensation reaction of, for example, diphenyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate or phosgene, with the elimination of phenol, methanol or hydrochloric acid. This polycondesation reaction may also be carried out with out without the use of a catalyst.
[0008] The stoichiometric ratio of carboxyl groups to hydroxyl groups, combined with the number-average functionality of these structural components, determines the molecular weight and the functionality of the resulting polyesterpolyol in a manner known to those skilled in the art. Polyesterpolyols which are used in the polyurethane sector generally have acid numbers of less than 3.5 mg KOH/g, and preferably of less than 3 mg KOH/g.
[0009] A problem which frequently arises in the technical field is that, when a polycondensation reaction is substantially complete, although the acid number is in the range as described above, the corresponding OH number is below the envisaged value. Such polyesterpolyols have values of almost 100% with respect to the carboxyl group conversion, so they have to be finished off with respect to the target OH number by adding more polyol. This finishing-off is effected such that the precalculated amount of polyol is metered in and is incorporated into the esterification, i.e. equilibrated, over a prolonged period of time such as, for example 4 to 10 hours, at elevated temperatures such as, for example 180 to 250° C. In chemical terms, this is a alcoholysis reaction. This alcoholysis reaction is needed not to bring the OH number to the target value, since the OH number is already reached by stirring the polyol with the polyesterpolyol to be finished off, but rather to bring the distribution of the individual oligomers of the polyesterpolyol into the polyester equilibrium in accordance with the Flory oligomer distribution function (see P. J. Flory, Principles of Polymer Chemistry, Cornell University Press, Ithaca 1953, p. 317 et seq.). Omission of the alcoholysis reaction means that a finished-off but not equilibrated polyesterpolyol contains an excessive and undesirable proportion of free, low-molecular, unesterified polyol. This in turn changes the material properties of the polyurethanes produced therefrom. For example, the glass transition temperature of the flexible segment domains is changed, and with it the hardness of the materials, as a consequence of a different proportion of hard segment domains. As the amount of polyol to be made up normally varies from batch to batch, the reproducibility of the material properties of the polyurethanes is not guaranteed. These are substantially the reasons why the additional equilibration step cannot be omitted, even though it is cost-intensive and time-consuming, and hence undesirable.
[0010] The causes of the need to make up with short-chain polyol can be an underdosing of polyol or overdosing of polycarboxylic acid This cause can be extensively eliminated by technical means. On the other hand, it is not possible reproducibly to predict the extent of secondary reactions leading to the formation of, for example, dioxane from diethylene glycol, tetrahydrofuran from 1,4-butanediol, or oxepan from 1,6-hexanediol. The extent of these cyclization reactions is critically dependent on the reaction conditions, i.e. in particular the reaction temperature, the type and amount of esterification catalysts used, and impurities introduced into the reaction, e.g. via the intermediate.
[0011] Such imponderables result in an unpredictable degree of ring ether formation which, as explained, has to be compensated by the making-up and equilibration of polyol, if possible up to the Flory oligomer equilibrium.
[0012] Polyesterpolyols of a given type that are in Flory equilibrium always have the same oligomer distribution, and thus, result in consistent material properties of the PUR materials produced therefrom.
[0013] Accordingly, the object of the present invention was to provide polyesterpolyol mixtures in Flory equilibrium and a simple time-saving process for their preparation, with the process temperature for obtaining a polyesterpolyol mixture in Flory equilibrium being as low as possible.
[0014] It has surprisingly been found that the above object could advantageously be achieved using microwave radiation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The invention relates to a process for the preparation of polyesterpolyols (A) by alcoholysis. This process comprises
a) mixing (B) one or more polyesterpolyols whose number-average molecular weight is greater than that of (A) the resultant polyesterpolyol, with (C) one or more polyols with a molecular weight of 62 to 1000, preferably of 62 to 400 g/mol,
whereby (B) the polyesterpolyols are different from (C) the polyols, and
b) exposing this mixture to microwave radiation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Suitable polyesterpolyols to be used as component (B) in the present invention typically have a number-average molecular weight of 200 to 6,000 g/mol, and functionalities of from 1.9 to 4.5, preferably from 1.95 to 3.5. These polyesterpolyols may be the reaction product of (1) one or more aliphatic and/or aromatic polycarboxylic acid units, with (2) one or more aliphatic, araliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic polyols. The polyester-polyols may contain carbonate groups. Mixtures of polyesterpolyols may be used as component (B) in accordance with the present invention.
[0020] The one or more polyols to be used as component (C) in accordance with the present invention are typically free of ester groups. Suitable compounds to be used as polyols (C) have a molecular weight of from about 62 to about 1000 g/mol, and preferably from about 62 to about 400 g/mol. The functionality of these polyols varies and may range from about 1 to about 4 or more, but a functionality of about 2 is preferred. Mixtures of such polyols can also be used as desired. The molecular weight of the polyols (C) is lower than the molecular weight of the polyesterpolyols (B).
[0021] As used herein, microwave radiation is understood as meaning the frequency range from 300 MHz to 300 GHz, or the wavelength range from 1 m to 1 mm (see Römpp, Chemie Lexikon, Thieme Verlag, 9th enlarged and revised edition 1995, p. 2785).
[0022] Although numerous syntheses for the preparation of low-molecular weight compounds by means of microwave radiation in solvents are described in the literature, there are no references to the preparation of polyesterpolyols by this method or, in particular, to a preparation in solvents (see B. L. Hayes, Microwave Synthesis, Chemistry at the Speed of Light, CEM Publishing, Matthews, NC 28105, pp 77-156).
[0023] Surprisingly, it has been found that microwaves markedly accelerate the alcoholysis of polyesterpolyols, even at very low temperatures.
[0024] Commercially available microwave apparatuses which are suitable for the process herein include both monomodal and multimodal apparatuses. Energy inputs of between 10 W and several hundred W can be produced, depending on the particular model. Of course, the operation can also be carried out with a greater or lesser energy input if required.
[0025] The commercially available monomodal microwave apparatus “Discover” from CEM (frequency 2.45 GHz), for example, can be used in a typical experimental set-up. A 100 ml reaction vessel was used in the experiments described in greater detail below. One of the distinguishing features of the CEM apparatus is that it can generate an energy density which is relatively high for microwave apparatuses and which can also be maintained for prolonged periods by means of the simultaneous cooling facility. The temperature stress on the reaction mixture can also be kept very low.
[0026] Preferred energy densities are above 200 watt/liter. A further preference is to radiate the microwave energy with simultaneous cooling of the reaction mixture such that only a relatively low reaction temperature is reached despite a high energy input. The cooling is preferably effected with compressed air, but it is also possible to use other cooling systems, partocularly those with a liquid cooling medium.
[0027] Of course, the use of microwave apparatuses is not restricted to monomodal apparatuses, it is also possible to use the multimodal apparatuses already described above. Multimodal apparatuses are comparable to the generally familiar household appliances and have inhomogeneous microwave fields, i.e. so-called hot and cold spots which occur inside the microwave chamber because of the non-uniform microwave distribution and are extensively compensated for by the rotation of the microwave plate.
[0028] Monomodal apparatuses, on the other hand, have a homogeneous microwave field and their special chamber design eliminates such hot and cold spots.
[0029] The process according to the invention can be carried out not only batchwise but also continuously, through the use of a pump and appropriate tube reactors. It is also possible to connect several microwave apparatuses in series or parallel.
[0030] The alcoholysis reaction of the polyesterpolyols using microwave radiation can also be accelerated by adding catalysts, although the reaction is preferably carried out without a catalyst.
[0031] The process can also be carried out under elevated or reduced pressure. It is particularly advantageous to use reduced pressure if, in addition to alcoholysis, it is also intended, for example, to lower the acid number, i.e. small amounts of water, for example, have to be removed from the reaction mixture.
[0032] Carrying out the process under elevated pressure is considered in cases where the boiling point of one of the reaction components is below the reaction temperature of the process (predetermined e.g. by other boundary conditions).
[0033] The process is preferably carried out without using a solvent. It is optionally possible concomitantly to use a solvent in special cases such as, for example, for polyesterpolyols with a very high molecular weight and/or a correspondingly high viscosity.
[0034] The following examples further illustrate details for the process of this invention. The invention, which is set forth in the foregoing disclosure, is not to be limited either in spirit or scope by these examples. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that known variations of the conditions of the following procedures can be used. Unless otherwise noted, all temperatures are degrees Celsius and all percentages are percentages by weight.
EXAMPLES
Comparative Example
[0035] In a 41 four-necked flask fitted with a stirrer, a thermometer and a reflux condenser, 1500 g of a polybutylene adipate having a hydroxyl number of 50 mg KOH/g and an acid number of 0.4 mg KOH/g were stirred rapidly with 30 g of 1,4-butanediol at 70° C. A sample was taken (“zero-value sample”) and the reaction temperature was then raised to 200° C. At this temperature further samples were taken after 1, 2, 4 and 8 hours for gas chromatographic analysis.
Reaction time Free butanediol [h] [wt. %] 0 2.6 1 2.3 2 1.9 4 1.6 8 1.5
[0036] Theoretical value of free butanediol for complete incorporation into the ester: 0.8 wt. %.
[0037] The Comparative Example shows that even 8 hours at 200° C. are not sufficient to reach Flory equilibrium in a conventional transesterification reaction.
Example 1
According to the Invention
[0038] In a 100 ml one-necked glass flask, 100 g of a polybutylene adipate with a hydroxyl number of 50 mg KOH/g and an acid number of 0.4 mg KOH/g were stirred rapidly with 2 g of 1,4-butanediol at 70° C. This mixture was then exposed to microwave radiation in a monomodal microwave apparatus from CEM (Discover) under the following reaction conditions: reaction time: 2 h, constant microwave energy input of 300 W under continuous cooling with compressed air. The maximum reaction temperature measured by an infrared sensor was 89° C.
[0039] The reaction mixture was then analysed by gas chromatography for the proportion of free butanediol. 1.0 wt. % of free butanediol was found; theory: approx. 0.8%.
[0040] The value of the zero-value sample was 2.6 wt. % of free butanediol (theory: 2.4%).
[0041] A comparison of the experiments shows that, in the process according to the invention, Flory equilibrium is reached in practice after only 2 h at low temperature (approx. 90° C. instead of 200° C. in the comparative test).
[0042] 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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The present invention relates to a process for the accelerated preparation of polyesterpolyols in equilibrium by alcoholysis using microwave radiation, and to the production foamed and non-foamed polyurethane materials from these polyesterpolyols.
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BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to heat exchangers of the tubular type, such as, for instance, feedwater preheaters, condensers and steam generators.
A problem involved with heat exchangers of this type arises due to the fact that the tubes adopt severe oscillations caused by turbulence and instability of the flow of liquid around the tubes. At times, the oscillations are so intense that the tube material is rapidly fatigued, a situation which often arises with condensers, for instance. It may even happen that the tube "beats" within a clearing between the tube and tube support plates provided with apertures through which the tubes extend, resulting in an abrasion of the tube material at contact surfaces between the tube and the support plate. The wear may proceed to such a degree that severe leaks arise. Evidently, such leakages are impermissible in nuclear reactor plants.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a feasible means for solving this problem and particularly so in steam generator plants in which tube wear has already been observed or in new plants in which such wear may be expected.
With this object in view, the present invention resides in a device for providing a substantially uniform and vortex-free inflow and distribution of feedwater to a heat exchanger constituting a steam generator and comprising a plurality of tubes constituting a tube bundle for a primary fluid to heat said feedwater as the secondary fluid, and a generator shell enclosing the tube bundle and having an inlet nozzle, said inlet nozzle having therein a diffuser structure characterized by a number of diffuser channels adapted to restrict an outflow of water from the generator shell through said inlet nozzle during a break in a feedwater pipe connected to said inlet nozzle and arranged within the inlet nozzle and by baffle means associated with said diffuser structure to deflect the feedwater flow in a radial direction about said inlet nozzle and arranged closely adjacent the inlet nozzle between the downstream ends of the diffuser channels and the tube bundle enclosed by the shell.
The situation involved with heat exchanger tube oscillations is, generally, similar to the action of wind on non-stayed funnels. Inwardly directed vortexes, so-called Carman vortexes, arise in the windshadow behind the funnel, such vortexes giving rise to pulsating lateral forces. Such pulsating forces adopt a frequency f c which is dependent on the funnel diameter D and the wind velocity U. When, for a stayed funnel with low damping, the resonance frequency of the funnel is within the range f c =0.2 to 0.7 times U/D, there is a risk that the oscillations will adopt such amplitudes that the funnel is damaged. The coefficient 0.2-0.7 is the dimensionless Strouhals number S.
S=f.sub.c ·(D/U)
Extensive investigations on tube heat exchangers have shown that for high fluid velocities outside and crosswise through a tube bundle having one or more rows of tubes, severe vibrations arise for Strouhal's number within the range S>2, based on the velocity within the cross section between the tubes, or, for a normal tube pitch S>0.7, the entire free area in front of the tube bundle taken as a basis, substantially in analogy with the situation with unstayed funnels. If, in addition thereto, the flow is pulsating as to direction and intensity, the risk for tube oscillation is markedly increased. Usually, the oscillations show nodes at the support plates. Higher frequencies with nodes between the support plates may as well be present.
In general a flow distributor for a shell and tube heat exchanger having a shell side inlet nozzle so disposed in the shell that the central axis thereof is generally perpendicularly oriented with respect to the tubes, when made in accordance with this invention, comprises a flow distributor disposed within the shell on the shell end of the inlet nozzle. The flow distributor comprises a plurality of vanes which generally direct the flow of fluid from the inlet nozzle into the shell in a generally radial direction with respect to the axis of the inlet nozzle and a plurality of converging and diverging venturies disposed within the inlet nozzle upstream of the flow distributor vanes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of a number of preferred embodiments thereof described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a view of the lower part of a steam generator with the part thereof where the fluid to be heated, the secondary fluid, enters the steam generator, partially in section;
FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing a secondary fluid inlet nozzle as existing in a prior art plant of a well-known type;
FIG. 3 shows a number of downstream sections of venturi nozzles having a circular section, arranged as a diverging nozzle unit with different numbers of identical diverging nozzles;
FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing a first embodiment according to the invention of the secondary fluid inlet and particularly suited for a steam generator, having a tube bundle with about the same height and width;
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing a constructional example of the diverging nozzles of a diverging nozzle unit as in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a downstream end view of a preferred embodiment of a diverging nozzle unit in a device according to the invention;
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are partial sectional views of the downstream walls of the diverging nozzle unit shown in FIG. 6 along the lines VII--VII, VIII--VIII and IX--IX, respectively, in FIG. 6;
FIGS. 10 and 11 are horizontal and vertical, respectively, sectional views of a further embodiment according to the invention of a steam generator in which the tube bundle has a width which is substantially larger than the height between the tube support plates adjacent the inlet nozzle;
FIGS. 12-15 are vertical sectional views of means to distribute the outflow from the diverging nozzle unit respectively taken on lines XII--XII, XIII--XIII, XIV--XIV, and XV--XV of FIG. 10;
FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of still another embodiment of a device according to the invention; and
FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional view in the axial direction of the inlet nozzle of the embodiment according to FIG. 16.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a prior art steam generator having a shell 5 to which hot pressurized water is supplied in a primary fluid circuit from a heat source, a nuclear reactor, for instance, through a primary water inlet nozzle 1 of the steam generator. Within the left half of the steam generator, the water flows upwardly through a plurality of closely packed tubes having a relatively small diameter, 20 mm, for instance. Within the upper portion of the shell the tubes bend downwardly within the right-hand half of the generator shell. Said last-mentioned tube portions within which the water flows downwardly, are represented by five tubes 2. After having supplied heat to the secondary water flowing around the tubes, the primary water returns through the outlet nozzle 3 to the nuclear reactor to be reheated.
The water of the secondary circuit, having about half the pressure of the primary circuit pressure, is supplied to the steam generator through a secondary water inlet nozzle 4 welded to the rigid shell 5 of the generator. Feedwater from a feedwater supply pump of the secondary circuit is considerably colder than the water vaporization temperature corresponding to the pressure prevailing in the major part of the secondary circuit of the generator. The cold feedwater is utilized for bringing about a drastic cooling of the primary water flowing through the lower right-hand tube section of the generator, said section thus functioning like an economizer. In the left-hand section of the generator and in the upper right-hand section as well, the hot primary water causes a vaporization of the secondary circuit water. Steam leaves the generator at the upper part thereof through a steam outlet nozzle, not shown, to a steam turbine after having passed a moisture separator.
From the inlet nozzle 4, the feedwater enters the space between the tubes of the tube bundle, across the tubes and between tube support plates 6 and 7. A portion of the flow bends downwardly and takes a zigzag course over the support plates 8-11 through orifices at their respective ends. A second portion of the flow flows upwardly along the support plates 12-16.
To explain the problems dealt with by the present invention, FIG. 2 shows more in detail a prior art steam generator inlet nozzle 4 with pertaining flow damping members in a horizontal section. A secondary water supply pipe 20 is connected to the inlet nozzle by welding. To secure that, for a possible pipe burst in the feedwater supply pipe, a restricted outflow only of secondary water from the steam generator shall arise, a flow restricting member 21, or venturi below called diverging nozzle unit, is arranged close to the feedwater pipe within the inlet nozzle 4.
The diverging nozzle unit 21 consists of a number, in the present case four, of diverging nozzle ducts 22 having a smallest orifice 23 after a smoothly rounded inlet surface 24. In the diverging portion of the nozzle a part of the momentum gained with the high velocity in the smallest orifice section 23, which may be as high as 30 m/s, is recovered. To prevent the water jets injected from the diverging nozzle channels with a still high velocity from hitting straight onto the tube bundle, two circular baffle plates 25 and 26 are arranged in front of the inlet orifice at some small distances therefrom. In a convenient manner, for instance by stays 27 and 28, said plates are secured to the shell 5 and provided with a number of apertures 29, to distribute the water flow. In spite of these measures the flow of water against the tubes 2 between the support plates 6 and 7 has, in some cases, been instable and powerful to such a degree that the tube rows adjacent the inlet have been exposed to vibrations, sometimes very heavy vibrations, leading to wear against the support plates causing severe leakages. When there is a question of primary water from a nuclear reactor, in which case the steam generator after some time of operation gets contaminated, it is extremely cost consuming and laborious to provide for extensive repairs of the generator shell or the internal parts thereof, and in particular in such parts which are not available through the inlet nozzle 4 after a removal of the unit 21.
With a device according to the present invention the water velocity after the nozzle unit 21 with its water velocity of about 30 m/s in the smallest section of the nozzles is decreased to such a degree that the feedwater flow, when entering into the tube bundle, has obtained such a low velocity that the tubes are not exposed to forced oscillations of an amplitude to endanger the mechanical strength of the tubes by wearing or fatigue.
To this end the inflow velocity of the feedwater should be brought down to about 2.5 m/s or below to obtain a sufficiently low Strouhals number.
According to the invention this is attained by the device having characteristic features as appearing from claim 1 of the accompanying patent claims.
In the following, the invention will be more closely described in connection with FIGS. 3 through 17.
To investigate the possibilities of obtaining a favorable liquid flow through the inlet cross section of a steam generator by the use of converging and diverging nozzles of circular cross section, the following calculation may be made. To start out from the premise that the velocity of the secondary water is to be decreased from the maximum velocity at the throat of the nozzle to a velocity as low and uniform as possible over the entire inlet section to the tube bundle of the steam generator, the number of converging and diverging nozzles, venturies or constrictions should be comparatively large and the outlets of the nozzles cover an area which constitutes as large a part of the inlet area as possible. The nozzle angle must not be larger than 2×4° to obtain a stable and uniform flow through the diffuser portion of the nozzle, implying that the diameter increase after the smallest cross section of the nozzle should not be larger than 2×7% per length unit. For different numbers of nozzles a number of optimal figurations of the outlet cross section of the nozzle unit for circular cross sections according to FIG. 3, in which the ratio between the nozzle unit diameter D y and the outlet diameter d y of each diverging nozzle is indicated. The largest allowable area with respect to the throttling of the flow for a pipe burst being called A min and the number of nozzles z, the diameter of the nozzle at the throat will be ##EQU1##
The cone angle set to 2×7%, the length of the diffuser portion of the nozzle will be ##EQU2##
The coverage of the outlet section η is then
η=(z·d.sub.y.sup.2)/D.sub.y.sup.2
As an example for a steam generator with a secondary water inlet nozzle having a diameter D y =36 cm, and a throttling area in the smallest cross section of the nozzles of 0.2025×cross section of the pipe, or 206.1 cm 2 , the following minimum lengths L and coverage are obtained.
TABLE__________________________________________________________________________ nozzlesofNumber d.sub.i /D.sub.y linesofNumber d.sub.y /D.sub.y D.sub.y /d.sub.y ##STR1## ##STR2## Coverage Lz 1 1 1 1 1 1 % cm__________________________________________________________________________ 1 0,45 11/2 1 1 0,55 3,93 1 141,4 2 0,318 1 0,5 2 0,182 1,293 0,50 46,7 3 0,260 1 0,463 2,155 0,204 1,457 0,645 52,4 4 0,225 1 0,414 2,414 0,189 1,35 0,685 48,5 7 0,170 11/2 0,533 3 0,163 1,16 0,777 41,1914 0,120 2 0,244 4,47 0,1037 0,741 0,70 26,719 0,1032 21/2 0,20 5 0,0968 0,691 0,76 24,931 0,0808 3 0,159 6,29 0,0782 0,558 0,783 20,137 0,0740 31/2 0,1429 7 0,0689 0.492 0,755 17,70 0 0 0,91 0__________________________________________________________________________
From this table it is to be seen that the number of nozzles should preferably be at least 14 to bring down the required length of the nozzle unit to below the diameter of the unit. It is of interest to reach a length which is as short as possible and a coverage which is as high as possible, the number of nozzles being as low as possible. It will be seen from the table that the improvement of the coverage is comparatively small from 3 diverging nozzles up to 37 nozzles, and may for some purposes not be considered as satisfactory, only about 3/4 of the inlet area being utilized, the diffuser length, however, decreasing from about 1.5 to 0.5 times the diameter of the nozzle unit.
In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, more closely described below, it is desirable to reach a coverage value approaching 100%.
As will be evident from the table, the number of diverging nozzle channels of circular cross section should, to obtain a length of the diverging portion of each channel of the unit which is shorter than the diameter of the supply pipe, have a number of at least 14, although 7 diverging nozzles obtain a more than 10% larger coverage, however at the expense of a considerably much longer length.
Thus, by arranging the diffuser channels of the diverging nozzle units so that the velocity from the smallest cross section of each diverging channel is decreased to the average velocity corresponding to not greater than 1.43 the velocity of the pipe cross section, a substantially uniform flow is obtained after the water has passed the nozzle unit.
A further improvement is obtained by arranging a number of diffuser rings constituting vanes for guiding the flow and applying to it a radial velocity with a selected velocity component in the direction of flow toward the tube bundle as more closely described below.
For steam generators, in which the secondary feedwater when supplied to the tube bundle is to be spread over a tube bundle, the width of which is much greater than the height thereof, a radial distribution is to be effected in the water flow from the nozzles, in such a way that more water is conducted in a horizontal direction than in a vertical one in order to obtain an acceptably uniform velocity distribution to each tube row, avoiding local high velocities. According to a further feature of the present invention, this is obtained by arranging separate diffuser nozzles having the shape of segments of a circle and dimensioned for selected water flows to be guided with a radial deflection in the direction of the outlet of the nozzle unit.
As an alternative for certain steam generator constructions, an embodiment according to the invention comprises one single, centrally arranged flow restricting nozzle in combination with a set of ring-shaped diffusers arranged downstream, the nozzle to deflect the flow into a substantially radial direction. As in the embodiment described above, the flows are distributed in such a manner that a larger part of the flow is being distributed in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction.
FIG. 4 shows a horizontal cross section of the steam generator inlet nozzle 4 having the diverging nozzle unit 21 which, in accordance with the invention, comprises diverging nozzle ducts 22. This embodiment is particularly suited for the secondary water inlet of a steam generator in which the height of the tube bundle is about as large as the width thereof. Combined with the diverging nozzle unit 21 is a cross-shaped plate member consisting of two plates 71, 72, which extend as two mutually crossing guide plates from the diverging nozzle unit in the direction toward the tube bundle.
The edges of the plates 71, 72 extending into the space within the generator vessel are cut at about 45° as shown, carrying at their top a member 73 having a number of substantially axial or somewhat diverging orifices 77. In order not to disadvantageously interfere with the outflow from the diverging nozzle unit 21, the edges 75 of the plates 71 and 72 facing the nozzle unit should be located at a distance from the nozzle unit.
Further, the cross-shaped plate member 71, 72 carries a number of diffuser vane rings 76 located at distances from each other covering the flow cross section. The diffuser rings 76 have a vane-shaped cross section and are directed to diverge the water flow, entering the generator substantially in a radial direction, thereby retarding the flow velocity before the water reaches tubes 78 of the tube bundle. The rings, shown in the Figure in a number of six, may consist of four portions, each secured at radial distances from each other between the plates 71 and 72. Preferably, the rings 76 are arranged with equal pitches, the vane shape being flared radially outwardly and selected with inflow and outflow angles to deflect the flow and obtain a uniform, substantially peripheral velocity having a selected component in the axial direction after the rings and to obtain favorable inflow velocities to the tube bundle.
As mentioned above, the coverage, that is the ratio between the sum of the downstream areas of the diverging nozzles of the nozzle unit 21 and the inlet duct area may, in some cases, not be considered to be satisfactory even for a high number of nozzles having circular downstream aperture, in that only 3/4 of the secondary fluid pipe is being utilized.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention and to obtain an improved coverage ratio, the diverging nozzle channels of the nozzle unit 21 having circular cross section over their full length are replaced by nozzle sections which, at the exit end of the unit, together form substantially annular sections. To avoid cavitations in the flow, the diffuser channels should be formed by walls sloped with respect to the flow direction by not more than 7°. The edge radius should be of the same order of size as the radius of the smallest section. Under these circumstances, the minimal length, as compared with circular nozzle cross sections, must be increased by a factor of 2 to obtain an optimal flow without cavitations at the edges. For a number of six diverging nozzle channels in the annular row of channels outside a central, circular nozzle channel, an unfavorable flow channel forms with a distance between the outer edges of about 1.6×the inlet diameter is obtained. By taking eight diverging nozzle channels instead of six around the central nozzle channel, a considerably more favorable arrangement is obtained. With an additional annular row around a row comprising eight channels, twelve channels will be optimal. A diverging nozzle unit 21 comprising twenty-one diverging nozzles is, consequently, considered as an optimal solution and is illustrated by FIG. 6, in which the nozzle apertures of the diverging nozzle unit is seen in the direction from the steam generator. The nozzle unit comprises a central circular diverging nozzle 30, around which two circular rows of eight diverging nozzles 31 and 12 diverging nozzles 32, respectively, are arranged, all with a circular smallest section 33 and with annular sector-shaped outlets. The outlets are more or less rectangular with radial side walls 34 and 35, respectively, and part-circular walls 36 and 37, respectively, extending along circles about the center of the central diverging nozzle. The edges of the annulus sectors are rounded, as mentioned above with about the same radius as the inlet radius. Preferably, the walls of adjacent diverging nozzles at the nozzle outlets are bevelled to terminate in a sharp edge, e.g. as illustrated by FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, showing edges 40, 50 and 60 of walls along lines VII--VII, VIII--VIII and IX--IX, respectively, of FIG. 6. Preferably, the diverging nozzle unit consists of a substantially cylindrical member of a material suited for the purpose.
For steam generators in which the space adjacent the feedwater inlet nozzle 4 in front of the tube bundle has a width which is by far larger than the distance between the tube support plates 6 and 7, FIG. 1, which serve also as baffle plates, the feedwater is to be distributed over the water inlet area of the tube bundle in such a manner that a considerably larger quantity of water is distributed horizontally than vertically. Means for providing such distribution of the feedwater are illustrated by FIGS. 10 to 15, showing an arrangement by which selected different water quantities are guided in different directions to fulfill this purpose. The diverging nozzles guide the flow within the separate annulus sectors into the space around the mouths of the nozzles, which are dimensioned to obtain an optimally directed inflow.
FIG. 10 is a horizontal section and FIG. 11 a vertical section through the diverging nozzle unit and the tube bundle. The cross section of the diverging nozzle unit 21 at a location where the diffuser portion of the unit is terminated is to be seen in FIG. 11. In a deflection portion 80 following the diverging nozzle unit 21, the annular sector shaped downstream ends of the diverging nozzles 22 are extended peripherally up to a baffle plate 81. As seen in the vertical cross section of FIG. 10, the flow quantities of the upper and lower nozzle outlets should be smaller than the quantities of the side nozzles, the flow of which is to be distributed far into the corners of the tube bundle enclosure. The supply of water in the vertical section should have a more axial direction than in the horizontal section, which is provided for by arranging the mouths of the nozzle outlets as illustrated by FIGS. 12 through 15, representing views in the axial direction of the inlet nozzle 4 of sections XII--XII, XIII--XIII, XIV--XIV, and XV--XV respectively. The flow deviating portion of the outlet channels from the respective diverging nozzles 22 is terminated by the baffle plate 81, directing the water flow radially and horizontally as regards the channels a, d, e and h of FIG. 13, while the flow from the central diverging nozzle and channels b, c, f and g are guided into a more axial direction, as will be seen from FIG. 11. The substantially radial walls of the annulus sector-shaped channels in the flow deviating portion of the channels are formed to distribute the flows emerging from the diverging nozzles in a direction toward the external portions of the tube bundle, as will be seen from FIGS. 13, 14 and 15, respectively. The deflection portion 80 is attached by welding to the diverging nozzle unit 21, so as to be attached to the inlet nozzle 4 as a unit by welding seams, arranged so as to keep the diverging nozzle unit 22 in place in case of a pipe burst.
FIG. 16 illustrates a further embodiment, in which pipe burst flow restriction is provided for by the use of one single nozzle 90 having, adjacent the smallest cross section area thereof, a plurality of annular diffuser vanes 91, within which the high velocity prevailing in the smallest cross section is reduced to acceptable values at the cylindrically shaped diffuser outlet openings 92 of the diffuser unit 21. The unit 21 is mounted within a tubular inlet stud 93. To assure a vortex-free inflow to the flow restricting nozzle 90, a flow rectifying plate member 94 having straight channels of square cross section is arranged ahead of the nozzle in the direction of flow. Downstream the smallest section of the nozzle 90, a number (such as five to seven) of diffuser rings 91 are arranged, as shown in FIG. 16, which are shaped so as to form diffuser channels. The axial and radial pitches of the diffuser rings 91 are flared radially outwardly and selected so as to obtain substantially uniform flow velocities where the water enters the tube bundle 78. As illustrated by FIG. 17, the annular diffuser channels 92 are subdivided by substantially radial guide walls 97, arranged so as to guide the flow outwardly to the external horizontal parts of the tube bundle and smaller flow quantities to spaces 96 above and below the inlet nozzle. Guide walls 97 support the diffuser rings 91 and hold together the diffuser unit 21. The diffuser ring may consist of machined rings 91, to which the guide walls 97 are attached by welding to the convex and concave, respectively, surfaces of the rings.
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A flow control device for providing a substantially uniform and vortex-free inflow and distribution of feedwater to a steam generator having a tube bundle for a primary fluid disposed in a shell provided in the feedwater inlet nozzle including a diffuser structure, with a number of diffuser channels adapted to restrict outflow of water from the generator shell during a break in a feedwater pipe connected to the inlet nozzle and baffle means associated with said diffuser structure to deflect the feedwater flow in a radial direction about the inlet nozzle, the baffle means being arranged closely adjacent the inlet nozzle between the downstream ends of the diffuser channels and the tube bundle enclosed by the shell.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hybrid electric vehicle and more particularly to a park pawl for the transmission of such a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Series type hybrid electric vehicles have an electric generator driven by a thermal engine to supply electrical power to the vehicles' battery and electrical power distribution systems, which in turn support operation of an electric drive motor. Unlike parallel type electric vehicles which have a drive line which can be driven directly by the thermal engine, series type electric vehicles are driven by only the electric drive motor. The term series refers to the path of energy from the thermal engines to the drive line and hence to a powered axle and wheels. Several advantages follow from this arrangement. For example, if the drive motor does not require power and the thermal engine is running, then all electrical power can be used to charge the battery, and run other electrical power using systems. Further, the drive motor and thermal engine may be positioned on the vehicle chassis without consideration of other's position.
In a series type hybrid electric vehicle, the drive motor may be connected to the driven axle through a gear reduction transmission and a drive train. The transmission is typically based on a ring or planetary gear set comprising several rotatable elements. Park brakes have been provided in such vehicles through a mechanical, non-fluid operated mechanism in proximity to the a portion, or portions, of the drive train, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,253. However, park pawls, such as commonly found in automatic transmissions, which provide a back up to park brakes, are not readily duplicated with off the shelf motors and with the gear reduction devices used as transmissions. Nor is the possibility of leaving the vehicle in gear to use the thermal engine as a brake available. What is needed is a mechanically reliable park pawl easily implemented with electric vehicles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a park pawl for a transmission for an electric motor. The transmission comprises gears which may be engaged with the drive motor, to propel a vehicle. The park pawl engages a gear to prevent its rotation relative to the frame of the vehicle. The gear is circular with pawl engagement points around its circumference. The pawl proper comprises a pair of worm gear rollers arrayed on opposite sides of the gear from one another and oriented to have parallel axes of rotation in the plane of the gear and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gear. The worm gear rollers have planed faces parallel to their respective axes of rotation with the worm gear rollers being positionable to present the planed faces to the gear and thereby allowing the gear to rotate. The worm gear rollers are further positionable to bring their respective gear threads into engagement with the pawl engagement points of the gear by rotation of the rollers, preventing rotation of the gear.
Additional effects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description that follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a rear quarter perspective view of a chassis of a series type hybrid electric vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a traction motor transmission illustrating the park pawl in a disengaged state.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the traction motor transmission of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the transmission and park pawl showing the park pawl moved to an engaged position.
FIG. 5 is a top view of the transmission and park pawl showing the park pawl moved to an engaged position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings in greater detail. In FIGS. 1 to 5 , there is shown a series type hybrid electric vehicle 101 with an electric drive motor 11 and transmission 23 . Vehicle 101 has a chassis 102 with two frame rails 103 a and 103 b . There is a thermal engine 104 , preferably a diesel, and an electric generator 105 supported from frame rails 103 a and 103 b and positioned relatively forward on the vehicle 101 . The generator 105 is driven by thermal engine 104 and is electrically engaged by cables 111 to an electric control system (not shown) and batteries (not shown). The batteries are located within a battery box 108 which hangs from right frame rail 103 b . The electric control system and batteries are electrically engaged by cables 111 to electric drive motor 11 . The electric drive motor 11 is also supported from frame rails 103 a and 103 b in part from a chassis cross member 17 and other similar components (not shown).
Electric drive motor 11 is mechanically engaged to drive a drive or rear axle assembly 110 with rear wheels 112 through transmission 23 and a prop or drive shaft 113 . Although described and shown as rear drive, the invention may also be applied in a front drive configuration where a drive axle assembly is positioned forward on vehicle 101 . Indeed, the invention may be applied to non-vehicle applications where it is desirable to provide a means to positionally lock a drive line. In a vehicle application, when motor 11 is energized and rotates, drive shaft 113 rotates and this rotational motion is coupled to rear wheels 112 through transmission 23 and rear axle assembly 110 . Transmission 23 steps down the output of motor 11 to provide the mechanical advantage required for propelling vehicle 101 . As described below, transmission 23 also provides a lock feature operating as a highly secure, and reliable, park pawl.
The park pawl 20 of the preferred embodiment is implemented by modifying a ring gear 22 by milling (or casting) the gear's circumferential edge into a plurality of teeth 30 , with the gaps 31 between the teeth providing a plurality of pawl engagement points. The pawls are provided by the threads 27 and 29 of two worm gear rollers 26 and 28 (or similar structures), which are disposed on opposite sides from one another with respect to gear 22 . Worm gear rollers 26 and 28 are milled to provide flat faces 44 and 46 , which may be positioned adjacent gear 22 and facing one another upon rotation of the rollers. In this position of rollers 26 and 28 , gear 22 is free to rotate on its output shaft 24 . Approximately three quarters of the circumference of rollers 26 and 28 is circumscribed by exterior threads 27 and 29 , and it is these partial threads which provide the pawl structures for insertion into the gaps 31 between teeth 30 on the gear's circumference when the worm gear rollers are rotated as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.
In the preferred embodiment, the rotation of worm gear rollers 26 and 28 is coordinated, with worm gear roller 26 rotating counterclockwise as viewed from the top and indicated by the letter C in FIG. 3 and worm gear roller 28 rotating clockwise as indicated by the letter B to engage with gear 22 . Worm gear rollers 26 and 28 are interconnected to one another in part through a crank arm 32 which rotates on a central shaft 57 . Shaft 57 has an axis of rotation parallel to the axes of rotation of rollers 26 and 28 and is displaced to one side of one of the major surfaces of gear 22 . Crank arm 32 is coupled to rollers 26 and 28 by push rods 50 and 52 , each of which are attached at one end thereof by pivoting mounts 62 and 63 to opposite ends of the crank arm. The opposite, free ends of push rods 50 and 52 are attached at pivot points 60 and 64 to the ends of levers 54 and 56 . Levers 54 and 56 extend to one side of worm gear rollers 26 and 28 away from and perpendicular to the axes of rotation of the worm gear rollers 26 and 28 .
With rotation of crank arm 32 in the clockwise direction indicated by the letter A in FIG. 3, push rods 50 and 52 push levers 54 and 56 outwardly turning worm gear rollers 26 and 28 in opposite directions to bring the threaded portion of the rollers into engagement with gear 22 . Reversing the direction of rotation of crank arm 32 pulls levers 54 and 56 back to parallel positions and returns the flat or milled faces 44 and 46 to positions facing the edge of gear 22 . A spring 34 biases park pawl 20 toward the position illustrated in FIG. 5, so that should the threads 27 and 29 initially impact against teeth 30 instead of sliding into the slots or gaps 31 between the teeth, the threads will be urged into the gaps by the spring force upon any further rotation of gear 22 .
Spring 34 may be incorporated into park pawl 20 in a number of ways. As illustrated, spring 34 is shown coupled between crank arm 57 and a fixed point and urges the crank arm to turn in the direction indicated by the letter A. Alternatively, a compression spring could be connected between crank arm 32 and push rods 50 and 52 to bias the rods to a more open position. Still other combinations will occur to those skilled in the art.
Activation of the park pawl 20 is under a vehicle operator's control, which may be done either through a gear shift lever 40 or by a handle 42 installed in a vehicle cab. Where a handle is used crank arm positioning 36 is a direct mechanical linkage for rotating shaft 57 . An indent position for handle 42 may be provided for countering the spring bias of spring 34 when it is desired to operate the vehicle. Alternatively, propulsion control 38 may be used to operate a crank positioning motor 36 when a gear shift selector is moved from park to drive, neutral or reverse.
The park pawl of the present invention provides secure locking of a transmission, even under shock loading. Positioning of the pawl can be effected using a simple combination of a spring and mechanical linkage. The cost is low and the modification required of the off the shelf components minimal.
While the invention is shown in only one of its forms, it is not thus limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A parking pawl is implemented on a series type, hybrid electric vehicle using a pair of parallel worm gear rollers. The worm gear rollers are placed on opposite sides of a transmission gear from one another and mounted for rotation along their major axes allowing the worm gear rollers to be rotated to present either a planed side or a threaded section to the gear. The gear is circumferentially slotted to cooperate with the threaded section of the rollers to prevent rotation of the gear, but to turn freely when the planed faces of the worm gear roller are adjacent the gear.
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A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to predicting or estimating and testing, and more particularly to signal testing and verification. The present invention also relates to positional tracking, and more particularly to signals for same. The present invention further relates to communications, and more particularly to signals for same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Mode Select Beacon System (the Mode S system) is a secondary surveillance radar system using monopulse technology to provide higher positional accuracy than the current Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon Systems (ATCRBS). Mode S also provides discrete addressing and a bidirectional digital data link.
The Mode Select Beacon System (Mode S) is a radar beacon air traffic control system, in which coded radar pulses are sent from radar antennas on the ground and received by beacon transponders mounted in aircraft; these beacons then send coded response pulses back to the ground stations, for the purpose of aircraft tracking and communications. These same beacon transponders can also be used to send coded pulses to beacon transponders in other aircraft (air to air, as opposed to air to ground), for the purpose of aircraft collision avoidance, a system known as TCAS. The Mode S beacon transponders are also compatible with an older radar beacon system known as Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon Systems (ATCRBS).
A new use for the Mode S beacon transponders has been proposed, known variously as ADS-Mode S and GPS-Mode S. This would entail having the transponders emit additional coded pulses, called GPS squitter pulses, to enable the ground air traffic controllers to have GPS (Global Positioning System) positional information on the aircraft location, which is based on highly accurate navigational satellite data.
A potential problem with such a proposed system is that all of these coded pulses are being transmitted on the same radio frequency. Thus, the more pulses that are being emitted, the greater chance that pulses transmitted from one aircraft will interfere with a transmission from another aircraft, potentially causing both messages to be missed by the intended receiver. Before approving a plan that calls for more transmissions, the question must be answered, how many aircraft can co-exist in a given region of the sky before interference effects cause ADS-Mode S operation to fall below acceptable levels.
In G. Knittel and V. Orlando, "ADS-Mode S" in 38th Annual Air Traffic Control Association Conference Proceedings, pages 230-236 (ATCA, 1993), the authors considered reply interference effects on ADS-Mode S squitter and developed estimates of the maximum number of aircraft which can be handled by an ADS ground station, as a function of ATCRBS and Mode S reply levels. These estimates were made analytically, which required several explicit and implicit assumptions to make the problem analytically tractable. For example, this paper assumed that the arrival at the ADS-Mode S antenna of ATCRBS replies from many aircraft, and the probability of interference from Mode S replies, can be treated as a Poisson process. This resulted in a conservative estimate of capacity.
ADS-Mode S is an Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) concept in which aircraft would transmit Global Positioning System (GPS) estimates of their position to ground stations by using the squitter capabilities of the Mode S beacon transponder. A squitter is a random, as opposed to a scheduled, transmission of data. Such a system is considered in the above-identified paper by Knittel and Orlando, in which GPS equipped aircraft would emit a long Mode S squitter containing positional information twice a second. A limiting factor in such a system is that a squitter arriving randomly at the receiving ground antenna may be destructively interfered with by replies from other transponders on the common 1090 MHz frequency. Thus, there will be some critical density of aircraft and reply rates which will cause the probability of receiving squitter positional updates to fall below an acceptable minimum.
The Knittel and Orlando paper chooses a 99.5% probability of receiving at least one ADS squitter update from an airplane every five seconds as their minimum acceptable ADS criteria. That paper then uses analytic methods to determine the maximum number of aircraft which can be handled by an ADS ground station for various reply rates, based on interference limitations.
The estimates of interference effects in the Knittel and Orlando paper are made analytically, which requires several explicit and implicit assumptions to make the problem analytically tractable. The major assumption in this analytic estimate is that the arrival of ATCRBS replies from any aircraft at the ADS-Mode S receiver antenna, and interference from Mode S replies, can each be treated as a Poisson process. This means, among other things, that the replies' arrivals are uncorrelated with one another; that the rate of reply arrivals is steady over time; and that the probability of a reply arriving at any one given instant is the same as for any other instant. Also, since the Poisson distribution is a one parameter distribution, only the total number of replies in a second is considered relevant, i.e. 10 airplanes with 150 replies per airplane per second is treated the same as you would 100 airplanes with 15 replies per airplane per second.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a general purpose of the present invention is to provide apparatus and method for accurately predicting the behavior of predetermined signals in a predetermined environment.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a complete, accurate answer to the question of how many aircraft can co-exist in a given region of the sky before interference effects cause ADS-Mode S operation to fall below acceptable levels.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide this answer for a wide variety of user-selectable initial conditions.
Briefly, these and other objects of the present invention are provided by a computer-implemented model for the frequency space utilized by the Mode S and ATCRBS systems.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings,
FIG. 1 is an overall block diagram of a frequency space model according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flowchart for operation of the system of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3-13b are flowcharts for computer software implementing the process of FIG. 2 and the system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 14 compares results for the system of FIG. 1 and the Knittel and Orlando paper; and
FIG. 15 shows another example of results for the system of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a system 10 for modeling of a frequency space including a number of software modules, described in greater detail in the accompanying code and in the corresponding flowcharts of FIGS. 3-13. Master control program module 12 sets parameters and calls the other programs of FIG. 1. Module 14 handles ATCRBS replies and also does initial distribution of interrogators and airplanes. Module 14 uses module 16 for global parameters and module 18 providing two-parameter arctangents. Module 20 determines probability of squitter interference by ATCRBS replies. Module 22 determines Mode S rollcall replies, and also utilizes global parameters module 16. Module 24 determines the probability of squitter interference by Mode S replies. Module 26 determines Mode S TCAS and ADS squitter replies. Module 28 determines the probability of squitter interference by TCAS and squitter replies. Module 29 determines the overall probability of interference by ATCRBS replies, Mode S replies, and Mode S TCAS and ADS squitter replies. Module 12 calls modules 14, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 and 29. Module 30 prepares an output summary of results.
FIG. 2 illustrates the method of operation of the system of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a process diagram of the Mode S frequency space model of this embodiment of the present invention. At step 32, the user specifies input parameters for the model run, using module 12. At step 34, global parameters are initialized using module 16. At step 36, the initial number of airplanes considered by the model is set to 0; this number is incremented below. At step 38, the main loop is entered; this loop includes all steps of FIG. 2 except steps 32, 34 and 36 and the summary step. In this loop, first at step 40 the number of airplanes considered by the model is incremented by 5. Next, interrogators on the ground and airplanes in the air are distributed using module 14, at step 42. Next, at step 44 module 14 is used to determine ATCRBS replies over the interval being considered by the simulation. Then, at step 46, it is determined whether the correct number of ATCRBS replies per airplane has been considered; if not, then the process of FIG. 2 returns to step 42. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 48, at which module 20 is used to determine the probability of squitter interference by ATCRBS replies, using the determination of step 44. After step 48, at step 50 module 22 is used to determine the number of Mode S replies over the interval being considered. Next, at step 52 module 24 is used to determine the probability of squitter interference by the Mode S replies found in step 50. Next, at step 54 it is determined whether steps 50 and 52 have considered the correct number of replies per airplane; if so, then the process of FIG. 2 proceeds to step 56. Otherwise, at step 58 it is determined whether the preset limit for loop iterations has been reached; if so, then the process proceeds to step 42, otherwise the process proceeds to step 50. At step 56, module 26 is used to determine the number of TCAS and squitter replies over the interval of interest. After step 56, at step 58 module 28 is used to determine the probability of squitter interference by TCAS and squitter replies. Next, at step 60 module 29 is used to determine the overall probability of squitter interference. Then, at step 62 module 12 is used to update cumulative statistics. Then, at step 64 it is determined whether the interference probability that has been found exceeds the preset limit determined at step 32; if not, then the main loop is reentered at step 38, but otherwise the output results are prepared utilizing module 30 at step 66.
In FIG. 2, italics are used to identify the name of the particular module of FIG. 1 used to implement a particular process step of FIG. 2. These modules are described in greater detail in FIGS. 3-13.
FIG. 3, made up of FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, is a flowchart for module 12 of FIG. 1. Module 12 is used at steps 32 and 62 of FIG. 2. Module 12 runs the ADS-Mode S reply interference model; calls the allcall, rollcall, and TCAS/squitter models and accumulates the statistics; and calculates an overall estimate of the probability of a squitter being interfered with. In FIG. 3, initialization step 68 includes setting the random link to the initial seed (step 70), saving the all call average and the settings in the function globals (step 72), initializing the statistics array (step 74) and storing global initial conditions in the output vector (step 76). Further regarding step 74, the statistics array includes five columns: allcall, rollcall, TCAS/squitter, combined Mode S (rollcall and TCAS/squitter combined), and overall. Each column has the number of airplanes, the number of sensors, the number of replies, the number of average replies per airplane, the number of minimum replies per airplane, the number of maximum replies per airplane, probability of a long squitter interfering with 0 replies, probability of a long squirter interfering with 1 reply, overall probability of a long squitter being interfered with, and value of random seed at start of the model. Additionally, there is a column and row for labels.
After steps 68-76, the outer loop is entered at step 78. As can be seen in FIG. 3, this outer loop includes all steps following step 78. At step 80, the number of airplanes is incremented. Next, at step 82 the allcall model is called; this model needs to be called repeatedly until a run with the right number of allcalls per airplane is obtained. This call includes calling module 14 to simulate allcall replies (step 84), determining whether the average allcall replies per airplane is within the preset limits (step 86), if so then calling module 20 to determine the probability of a squitter being interfered with by an allcall reply (step 88) and then accumulating allcall statistics (step 90). If at step 86 it is determined that the average allcall replies per airplane are not within the preset limits, then the process returns to step 84. After steps 82-90, at step 92 the rollcall model is called; this model needs to be called repeatedly until a run with the right number of rollcalls per airplane is obtained. This call includes determining whether this call has been made too many times (step 94), if not then calling module 22 to simulate rollcall replies (step 96), determining whether the average rollcall replies found per airplane are within preset limits (step 98), if so then calling module 24 to compute probability of squitter being interfered with by a rollcall reply (step 100) and then accumulating rollcall statistics (step 102). If at step 98 it is found that the average number of rollcall replies found per airplane are, not within the preset limits, then the process returns to the derision step 94. If at step 94 it is determined that the rollcall model has been called greater than predetermined number of permitted times, then the process returns to step 82. After steps 92-102, at step 104 the Tcas -- squitter model is called. To do so, module 26 is called for TCAS and squitter replies (step 106), module 28 is performed only for TS arrival times (step 108) and TCAS and squitter statistics are accumulated (step 110). After steps 104-110, at step 112 the combined Mode S statistics are obtained. This includes performing module 28 for TS and RC arrival times (step 114) and accumulating the combined Mode S statistics (step 116). After steps 112-116, at step 118 the overall statistics are determined. This is accomplished by calling and performing module 29 for all replies combined (step 120) and then accumulating the overall statistics (step 122). After steps 118-122, at step 124 the previously determined results are saved. This includes saving the statistics for this pass through the main loop in the mixed array of interference (step 126) and then determining whether the interference, probability limit has been reached (step 128); if so, then module 12 is exited, otherwise the process of FIG. 3 returns to step 80 where the number of airplanes considered is incremented and another pass through the module 12 is begun.
FIG. 4, made up of FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D, shows a flowchart for module 14 of FIG. 1. Module 14 is used at steps 42 and 44 of FIG. 2. Module 14 simulates allcall reply arrivals at an antenna due to interrogations by remote sensors. FIG. 4, at step 130, variables are initialized. This is accomplished by run module 16 to initialize global variables (steps 1-3), for each reply from module 16, recording the corresponding airplane and interrogating sensors (step 134) and initializing the arrival time vector (step 136). After steps 130-136, at step 138 there is generated the population of airplanes and of remote sensors then being considered. This is accomplished by generating a matrix. The first column has airplane ranges uniformly distributed. The second column has airplane azimuths (au) uniformly distributed from 0 to 16383 (2 14 -1) (step 140). Step 140 is followed by saving in the new matrix the original airplane positions relative to the receiving antenna (step 142), copying for matrix into 3 dimensions, one copy for each remote sensor (step 144), if the collocation parameter is set to 1, then forcing remote sensor number 1 to be located at offset 0,0 i.e. collocated with receiver (step 146), forcing the Mode S sensors to have an 8 millisecond interrogation frequency (step 148), placing into column 3 of the 3 dimensional matrix the time that the next interrogation is due for each corresponding sensor (step 150) and in that matrix providing column 4 with the starting azimuth of the corresponding remote sensor (step 152). At step 144, when the matrix is being copied into 3 dimensions, at this point, each copy of the matrix contains rho-theta coordinates of the airplane relative to the receiving antenna. Later, these coordinates will be replaced with coordinate information relative to each remote sensor. For each copied matrix, columns 1 and 2 are the a and b for location of remote sensors like in Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Specification FAA-E-2716 & AMEND.-2, Mode Select Beacon System (Mode-S) Sensor (Mar. 24, 1993) section 3.4.8.8.5 "Conversion of Remote Sensor Coordinates", which is hereby incorporated by reference herein (including pages 324, page 325 with SCN-8 (change 14)and page 326 with SCN-11 (change 17). Further regarding step 150, column 3 of each copied matrix shows the time that the next interrogation is due for this sensor. That is, at time zero, all of the remote sensors are not starting with an interrogation, they are not synchronized. To get the full run time, however, the first interrogation times are normalized so that the earliest interrogation occurs at the start of the run. These times are saved for use by module 22.
In FIG. 4b, after steps 138-152 airplane coordinates are calculated at step 154. To do this, the rho-theta coordinates of the airplanes are converted into local coordinates relative to each remote sensor, using the equations of FAA specification FAA-E-2716 section 3.4.8.8.5 discussed above (step 156), the angle relative to the remote sensor is determined and stored (step 158), and then the time is determined that a reply arrives at the receiver after an interrogation from the remote sensor (step 160). At step 156, each remote sensor plays the role of local sensor in FAA specification FAA-E-2716 section 3.4.8.8.5, and values m, s and beta in that section are taken to be zero for simplicity, since all locations are random anyway. The conversation of step 156 utilizes the expressions a=a+ρ sin θ and b=b+ρ cos θ. Step 160 is accomplished by determining the range relative to the remote sensor, and then adding to that value the ATCRBS turnaround delay and the range to the receiving antenna to obtain the time that a reply arrives at the receiver after an interrogation from this remote sensor. After steps 154-160, step 162 simulates allcall interrogations and gathers data from replies during the simulation time interval. This is accomplished by first determining whether this is the special case of Mode S only (step 164), if not then finding the start time of the first ATCRBS interrogators (step 166), determining the time of next interrogation by such a sensor (step 168), identifying the sensor corresponding to the time of step 168 (step 170), computing the leading edge and trailing edge of that sensor's beam at that interrogation time (step 172) correcting for northmark if necessary (step 174), choosing one or more airplanes within the beam of step 172 (step 176) but considering the special case for the beam straddling northmark (step 178), determining whether there are any airplanes affected by this interrogation (step 180) and if so obtaining the indices for those airplane(s) by updating the reply information for those airplane(s) with sensor identification and interrogation time (step 182) and then updating the next interrogation time for these airplane(s) (step 184), and then determining whether time is left in a simulation interval, and if so then moving on to the next sensor allcall period (step 186) by returning to step 168. At step 180, if there are no planes affected by that interrogation, then the process moves to step 186. If at step 186 no time is left in the simulation interval, then simulating allcall replies completed and the process moves on to step 188. If at step 164 it is determined that a special case of Mode S interrogations only is present, then the process proceeds to step 196, further discussed below.
In FIG. 4C, after step 162-186 have been completed, at step 188 the process prepares to determine a probability of squitter interference. This is accomplished by first bringing up memory used by temporary variables in earlier step (step 190) and then determining the minimum and maximum replies per airplane (step 192). After steps 188-192, at step 194 the allcall simulation results are echoed the video display screen. After step 194, step 196 reacts to whether a special case of Mode S interrogators only is present with no ATCRBS interrogators present. This is accomplished by determining whether step 196 has been reached by following steps 166-194 in sequence (step 198) as opposed to jumping to step 196 directly from step 164 because the special case is present and if so then exiting module 14. If step 196 has been reached by jumping to that step directly from step 164, then special case values are assigned to the output parameters and then the results are printed out at step 200. After step 200, the process returns to step 194.
Module 16 of FIG. 1, used at step 34 of FIG. 2 and step 132 of FIG. 4A, is summarized by FIG. 5. Globals module 16 initializes global variables for a simulation run. At step 202 of FIG. 5, values are assigned to global constants.
FIG. 6 shows a flowchart for ARCTAN Module 18 of FIG. 1. ARCTAN Model 18 is used by Module 14 at step 158 of FIG. 4B. ARCTAN Module 18 determines an arctangent from 2 arguments, returning a 0 to 2 pi angle for ARCTAN a/b where a and b are vectors. Step 204 of FIG. 6 checks to ensure that a and b are vectors, to avoid problems with scalar inputs. Step 206 determines the value of the arctangent of a/b in the range of -pi/2 to +pi/2; this can be accomplished by using the arctangent function that comes as part of the APL language, by a look-up table or by any other well-known method. However, step 206 will only calculate the arctangent value within a quadrant, but will not determine in which quadrant of a 360 degree (2 pi radians) circle that value would fall. That is accomplished by steps 208-218. Step 208 obtains the signs of a and the angle found at step 206. Next, step 210 uses the signs found at step 208 to determine the correct quadrant, and adjusts the ARCTAN angle value of step 206 accordingly, using one of steps 212-218. If the angle is in the first quadrant, then the ARCTAN value of step 206 is not changed (step 212). If the angle is in the second quadrant, then a value of pi (180 degrees) is added to the value of step 206 (step 214). If the angle is found to be in the third quadrant, at step 216 then the value of pi (180 degrees) is added to the value found at step 206. If the angle is found to be in the fourth quadrant, then a value of 2 pi (360 degrees) is added to the value found at step 206 (step 218). After any of steps 212-218, the process then goes to step 220, where the value in radians found using steps 204-218 is converted to azimuth units (au).
FIG. 7, made up of FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C, is a flowchart for Ac -- interference module 20 of FIG. 1. Module 20 is used at step 48. Module 20 determines the probability of a squitter interfering with the reply time sequence contained in the vector ac -- arrival -- times created by main -- ac module 14. Module 20 time orders these arrival times, and then moves a sliding window having a length of one squitter reply (120 microseconds) through those times, keeping track of how many replies are in the window and how far the window has been moved. Probabilities [n] is how many ru of time the moving window contained n replies. The window is moved from its initial location until the next event that changes the number of replies in the window; either the leading edge of the window hits the next reply start time, or the trailing edge of the window passes the end time of the first reply in the window. At that point, it is determined how many ru of time the window has just been moved; that amount of time is added to the vector probabilities [n] where n is the number of replies in the window. Next, either the first reply in the window is dropped or the next reply to the window is added, depending on which edge of the window (leading or trailing) hit a reply event. The above process of moving the window until n changes, and the subsequent processing, is repeated until the window reaches the last reply. Next, the probabilities found by the preceding steps are normalized by dividing the values of the probabilities by the total time period between earliest and latest replies. That time period is determined by keeping track of how far the window has been moved.
In FIG. 7A, initialization and setup step 222 includes defining the probabilities vector as holding the times that each number of replies is found by the moving window (step 224), sorting those reply times (step 226), initially obtaining the reply times for the first window (step 228), defining vector variable reply -- vec as holding the ending times of replies in the moving window(step 230), defining variable squit -- head as the start time of the squitter which is the trailing edge of the sliding window, where that edge has been initialized to be at the start time of the first reply (step 232), defining variable squit -- tail as the end time of the squitter which is the leading edge of the sliding window (step 234) and defining variables lead -- reply and next -- time as the reply event times for the trailing and leading edges of the moving window, respectively (step 236). Next, at step 238, the main loop of the sliding window, referred to in the preceding paragraph, is performed. This main loop includes steps 240-270. Step 240 obtains the time for the trailing edge of window to pass the first reply in the window. Next, step 242 obtains the time for the leading edge of the window to hit the next reply not yet in the window. Next, step 244 moves the window by the smaller of the two times of step 240 and 242. Next, in step 246 it is determined whether the window is moved because the trailing edge passed the first reply (step 248), or because the leading edge of the window hit the next reply or both such events happened simultaneously (step 256). If step 248 applies, then at step 250 the element of the probability vector corresponding to the number of replies in the window is updated by adding the amount of time that the window was moved to the amount of time already contained in that element. The index into the probability vector elements must be one greater than the number of replies in the window because the indices start at 1 rather than 0; thus an index of 1 corresponds to the element for 0 replies, an index of 2 corresponds to the element for 1 reply, etc.
After step 250, the reply just passed by the trailing edge is dropped (step 252), after step 252, the value of lead -- reply is updated to be the end time of the new first reply in variable reply -- vec, unless reply -- vec is now empty, in which case variable lead -- reply is updated to the end time of the next upcoming reply (step 254). After step 254, the window is slid to the next reply at 270, after which the process returns to step 240. However, if instead step 256 applies, then the probability vector is updated similarly to step 250 (step 258) and then adding to variable reply -- vec the reply just hit by the sliding window (step 260). After step 260, the value of variable next -- index is updated to be the next upcoming reply lime (step 262). After step 262, at step 264 it is determined whether all the reply times have been used; if so, then the main loop for the sliding window is exited and the process goes to the probability normalization step 272. At step 272, each of the probabilities constitutes one element of a vector of times, which is now divided by total time to normalize that vector and make that vector a vector of probabilities. However, if at step 264 it is determined that not all of the reply times have been used, then the process instead proceeds to step 266. At step 266, it is determined whether the leading and trailing edges of the window hit their events (a new event not previously in the window and the oldest event still in the window, respectively) simultaneously; if not, then the process proceeds to step 270 at which the window is slid to the next reply, after which the process goes to step 240. However, if at step 266 it is determined that the leading and trailing edges of the window hit their events simultaneously, then at step 268 the lead reply is dropped and updated (the next reply having already been updated), after which the process proceeds to step 270 and then step 240.
FIG. 8, which is made up of FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, and 8F shows a flowchart for main -- rc module 22 of FIG. 1. Module 22 is used at step 50 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1, Module 22 utilizes globals module 16. Module 22 simulates rollcall reply arrivals at an antenna to interrogations by remote sensors. Module 22 begins with step 274 of FIG. 8A, at which variables are initialized. This is accomplished by running module 16 to initialize global variables (step 276), then initializing the array which, for each reply, will record the airplane producing the reply and the interrogating sensor requesting that reply (step 278), initializing the arrival time vector (step 280), initializing the reply length vector (step 282) and setting the reply length ratio (step 284). Further regarding step 284, the proportion for the reply ratio is 2 out of 6 replies are short, based on the Knittel and Orlando paper. That paper assumed that rollcall communications are 4 long and 1 short replies, and Mode S allcall is one short reply, all in a one second interval. After steps 274-284, at step 286 the population of airplanes and of remote sensors is obtained. This is accomplished by copying the matrix into 3 dimensions, one copy for each remote sensor (step 288), adding a third column to the matrix to hold turnaround time for the remote sensor (step 290), obtaining the identity of the remote sensors which are Mode S rollcall sensors (step 292) and resetting the time of the next interrogation to the original allcall start times, bumping the time of next interrogation by 1/4 of the allcall frequency (step 294). Further regarding step 288, when the matrix is copied into 3 dimensions, each copy of the matrix then contains the rho theta coordinates of the airplane relative to the receiving antenna; later, these coordinates will be replaced with the coordinate information relative to each remote sensor instead of relative to the receiving antenna. Further regarding step 294, resetting and bumping the time of next interrogation gives the proper offset of allcall and rollcall periods, assuming the same frame proportions, as for a Mode S sensor of 8 millisecond frequency: 2 milliseconds allcall, plus 6 milliseconds rollcall. After steps 286-294, the airplane coordinates are determined at step 296. This is accomplished by converting the rho theta coordinates of the airplanes into local coordinates relative to each sensor (step 298), then determining the angle relative to the remote sensor and storing that angle (step 300), determining the range relative to the remote sensor, and adding to that range the Mode S turnaround delay and the range to the receiving antenna to get the time that a reply arrives at the receiver after an interrogation from this remote sensor (step 302) and then determining the time a reply arrives at the remote sensor after an interrogation from the remote sensor (step 304). The coordinate conversion of step 298 is here accomplished using the equations of FAA specification FAA-E-2716 section 3.4.8.8.5, with each remote sensor being treated as a local sensor for purposes of that standard and with the values of m, s, and β in that standard being set to zero for simplicity (since all locations are random anyway). For step 298, the expressions a=a+ρ sin θ and b=b+ρ cos θ are used.
After steps 296-304, step 306 of FIG. 8C simulates rollcall interrogations and gathers data on replies during the simulation time interval. This is accomplished by step 308-380 of FIG. 8C-8E in the following manner. At step 308, variable start -- time is provided with the start time of the first interrogation. Step 310 determines the time of next interrogation by a sensor. Step 312 obtains the sensor corresponding to the time of step 310. Step 314 determines the leading and trailing edge of the beam of that sensor at interrogation time, correct for northmark if necessary at step 316. Next, at step 318 the value of the variable max -- angle is reduced by 1/3 to account for the fact that most Mode S messages get delivered in the first or second period that the target is in the beam. Next, step 320 chooses airplanes that are present in that sensor beam; step 322 addresses the special case for the sensor beam straddling the northmark. Next, at step 324 it is determined whether there are any airplanes in this Mode S period; if not, then the process jumps to step 380 of FIG. 8F to move on. If at step 324 it is determined that one or more airplanes are present in this Mode S period, then the process obtains the indices of such airplane(s) and goes to step 326. Next, at step 326, the duration of the Mode S period is set to be 75 percent of the frame repeat duration. At step 328 of FIG. 8D, the most distant such airplanes are dropped if they do not fit within the period; this criteria simulates a coverage map. Next, step 330 range orders the indices of the remaining airplane(s). Next, at step 332 reply information for those airplanes is updated with sensor and time. Then, at step 334 the simulated sensor interrogates each such airplane as often as possible within the period, up to a preset limit of max -- scheds -- per -- period. Step 334 is not trying to duplicate the roll call scheduling algorithm; all schedules are one cycle, etc. Then, step 336 calculates reply time for the interrogations. Then, step 338 calculates the remaining time in the roll call period for each selected airplane. This remaining time starts off as 75% of the frame repeat time (i.e. the entire rollcall period). Next, at step 340 it is determined whether each reply was a long reply or a short reply. As discussed above, the proportion is 2 out of 6 replies are short, according to the Knittel and Orlando paper. Next, step 342 sees which of the selected airplanes actually have enough time to turn around a reply. Next, at step 344 it is determined whether sufficient time remains to interrogate any more airplanes; if not, then the process jumps to step 380 of FIG. 8F. If at step 344 it is determined that sufficient time remains to interrogate one or more airplanes, then at step 346 the remaining period is restricted to those airplanes found at step 342 to actually now have enough time to turnaround a reply. After step 346, step 348 of FIG. 8E updates the turnaround times. Next, step 350 determines the start time of the interrogation relative to start of the period. Then, at step 352 the interrogation times are staggered per rollcall algorithm. Then, at step 354 the counter of schedules is compared to the value of global max -- scheds -- per -- period. Then, at step 356 the duration of the schedule just completed is determined. Next, at step 358 it is determined which airplanes still have communications left. Next, at 360 if insufficient time remains to talk to anyone or receive any further communications, then the process jumps to step 380; otherwise, updating turnaround is begun by going to step 362. Step 362 subtracts off the time for the schedule just completed, after which step 364 determines which airplanes there is still time to talk to, and at step 366 it is determined which airplanes actually have enough time to turnaround a reply. After step 368, if insufficient time remains to talk with any further airplanes, then the process jumps to step 380; otherwise, permitted communications are restricted to the airplanes identified at step 366 and the process goes to step 370. At step 370, the remaining period is restricted to the airplanes identified at step 366, after which step 372 updates turnaround. Then, step 374 updates interrogation times for these airplanes. Then, at step 376, the value of variable inter -- time is determined to be equal to the beginning of the last schedule plus a duration of the last schedule plus a third value. This third value is determined by going out to the longest reply turnaround time and putting a reply every reply ru spacing for each airplane in the schedule, then backing off by turnaround time to get the corresponding interrogation time. After step 376, step 378 updates the next interrogation time for this airplane, and the process then goes to step 356 of FIG. 8E.
At step 380, if time remains in the simulation interval, then the process moves on to the next sensor rollcall period by going to step 310 of FIG. 8C; otherwise, simulation of rollcall replies has been completed and the process moves to step 382. Step 382 prepares to compute probability of squitter interference by freeing up memory used by temporary variables (step 384) and then computing the minimum and maximum replies per airplanes (step 386). After steps 382-386, at step 388 rollcall simulation results are echoed to the display screen.
FIG. 9, made up of FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C, is a flowchart for rc -- interference module 24 of FIG. 1. Module 24 is used at step 52 of FIG. 2. Module 24 determines the probability of a squitter interfering with the reply time sequence contained in variable rc -- arrival -- times. The arrival times are time ordered, and then a sliding window having a length equal to one squitter reply time (120 microseconds) is moved through the arrival times, keeping track of how many replies are in the window and how far the window has been moved. Probabilities [n] is how many ru of time the moving window contained n replies. The window is moved from its initial location until the next event that changes the number of replies contained in the window; either the leading edge of the window hits the next reply start time or the trailing edge of the window passes the end time of the first reply in the window. At that point, the amount of time in ru moved is determined and then added to the vector probabilities [n] where n is the number of replies in the window. Then, either the first reply in the window is dropped from the window, or the next reply to the window is added, depending on which edge (leading or trailing) of the window hit a reply event. The above process is repeated until the last reply is reached. The resulting probabilities are then normalized by dividing the probabilities by the total time period between the earliest and latest replies. Module 24 begins with initialization and setup step 390. Step 390 is accomplishing by defining the vector probabilities as holding the times that each number n of replies is hit or encountered (step 392), sorting the times and the reply lengths (step 394), splitting the reply lengths in times into two different vectors (step 396), obtaining the first window's worth of times (step 398), defining variable reply -- vec as holding the ending times of replies in the window (step 400), defining variable squit -- head as the start time of the squitter which is the trailing edge of the sliding window and initializing variable squit -- head to the start time of the first reply (step 402), defining variable squit -- tail as the end time of the squitter which is the leading edge of the sliding window (step 404) and defining variable lead -- reply and variable next -- time as the reply event times for the trailing and leading edges of the window, respectively (step 406). Step 396 is the main difference between module 24 and module 20; the rollcall replies are not all the same length, so it is necessary to keep track of the length of each reply as well as the reply time. After steps 390-406, the main loop for the sliding window is entered (step 408). This main loop is accomplished by steps 410-440. Step 410 obtains the time for the trailing edge to pass the first reply in the window. Next, step 412 obtains the time for the leading edge of the window to hit the next reply not yet in the window. Then, step 414 moves the window by the smaller of the 2 times of the steps 410 and 412. Next, at step 416, it is determined which of 2 things happened first (step 418 or step 426). If the window is moved because its trailing edge passed the first reply (step 418), then the probability vector is updated similarly to step 250 (step 420), dropping the reply that the window just passed (step 422), and updating variable lead -- reply to be the end time of the new first reply in variable reply -- vec, unless variable reply -- vec is now empty, in which case variable lead -- reply is updated to be the end time of the next upcoming reply (step 424); the process then goes to step 440, where the window is slid to the next reply, followed by jumping to step 410. If the window was instead moved because the leading edge of the window hit the next reply, or if the trailing edge passed the first reply and the leading edge hit the next reply simultaneously (step 426), then the probability vector is updated (step 428), the reply that just entered the window is added to reply -- vec (step 430), and variable next -- index is updated to be the next upcoming reply time (step 432). After step 432, if all reply times have been used, then the loop is completed and the program jumps to step 442; otherwise the program moves to step 436 (step 434). At step 436, it is determined whether the leading and trailing edges of the window hit their respective events simultaneously: if not, then the window is slid to the next reply at step 440 and the program goes to step 410, otherwise at step 438 if the window edges hit events simultaneously, then the lead reply is dropped and updated (step 438) and the window is slid to the next reply (step 440) and the program jumps to step 410. At step 438, there is no need to update the next reply because that has already been updated. At step 442, since the probabilities vector is a vector of times, it is now divided by total time to normalize it and make it a vector of probabilities.
FIG. 10, which is made up of FIGS. 10A and 10B, shows a flowchart of module 26 of FIG. 1. Module 26 is used at step 56 of FIG. 2. Module 26 distributes TCAS and squitter Mode S replies over the simulation interval. TCAS replies are short replies made every 0.2±0.04 seconds. There are 3 types of squitter. Short squitter (type: TCAS) is made every 1.0±0.2 seconds. Long squitter (type: ADS-Mode S) is made every 0.5±0.1 seconds. Long squitter (type:identification) is made every 5.0±1.0 seconds. Module 26 randomly assigns TCAS and squitter replies meeting these constraints to each airplane over the simulation interval. In FIG. 10A, initialization occurs at step 444. This is accomplished by assigning rows in the variable Intervals to each type of reply (step 446), converting seconds to ru (step 448), converting the expression for time to one that is easier to work with (step 450), initializing the arrival time matrix (step 452), initializing the looping index (step 454), and initializing two variables to track the minimum and maximum number of replies per airplane (step 456). At step 446, intervals will hold the "x±y" data and the reply lengths given above as follows: row 1 is for TCAS replies, row 2 is for TCAS -- squitter, row 3 is for ADS-Mode S squitter, and row 4 is for id squitter. At step 450, the above expressions of the form "x±y" are converted to "(x-y)+(0 to 2y)" which is easier to work with. After steps 444-456, at step 458 the main loop is entered. A pass is made through the main loop for each airplane. The main loop generates reply transmit times for TCAS and squitter replies, adds airplane range to get arrival times, and appends the arrival times and reply lengths to variable ts -- arrival -- times. In the main loop, step 460 resets the per-airplane vector of reply times and lengths. Step 462 resets the reply type index. Step 464 obtains the range of the airplane being considered for this pass through the main loop. Step 466 defines that the first reply of the type will be emitted anywhere from 0 to x+y after starting time, since the periodic emission of replies is not synchronized with the start of the simulation interval. Next, if the elapsed time is beyond the end of the simulation interval, then this pass through the main loop is exited and the process moves to step 480; otherwise, an adjustment is made for range delay to receiver, and the reply time is appended to the reply data for this airplane. At step 470, subsequent replies are defined to be at x±y spacing. At step 472, the next reply time is determined. After steps 470 and 472, at step 474 if the elapsed time is beyond the end of the simulation interval, this pass through the main loop is terminated and the process moves to step 480; otherwise the adjustment is made for a range delay to the receiver, and the process moves to step 476. At step 476, the data for this reply is appended to the reply data for that airplane. Next, step 478 updates minimum-average-maximum statistics for that airplane. After step 478, the process moves to step 470. At step 480, it is determined whether any airplanes remain to be considered; if so, then a new pass through the main loop is begun by having the process move to step 460, otherwise the process moves to step 482 where the average number of replies per airplane is determined.
FIG. 11, which is made up of FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C, shows a flowchart for module 28. Module 28 is used at step 58 of FIG. 2. Module 28 determines the probability of a squitter interfering with the reply time sequence contained in variables ts -- arrivals -- times, or ts -- arrival -- times and rc -- arrival -- times. Module 28 time orders the arrival times, then moves a sliding window of length equal to 1 squitter reply (120 usec) through the arrival times, keeping track of how many replies are in the window and how far the window has been moved. Vector probabilities [n] is how many ru of time the moving window contained n replies. The window is moved from one location until the next event that changes the number of replies in the window; either the leading edge of the window encounters the next reply start time, or the trailing edge of the window passes the end time of the first reply in the window. At that point, when the number of replies in the window changes, it is determined how many ru the window is moved from its previously recorded position, and that amount of time is added to vector probabilities [n] where n is the number of replies in the window. Next, either the first reply in the window is dropped, or the next reply is added to the window, depending on which edge of the window encountered a reply event. The above process of sliding and stopping the window is then repeated until the last reply is encountered. The probabilities are then normalized by dividing them by the total time period between the earliest and latest replies. In FIG. 11, initialization and setup (step 484) is accomplished by steps 486-502 in succession. Step 486 defines the vector probabilities as holding the times that each number of replies is encountered. Step 488 obtains either just the TCAS and squitter reply lengths and times, or obtains the TCAS, squitter and rollcall reply lengths and times, depending on the value of the flag ts -- switch. This is the main difference between Module 28 and Module 24; this difference allows Module 12 to use Module 28 to determine either TCAS and squitter interference probabilities or total Mode S reply probabilities. Step 490 sorts the times and reply lengths. Step 492 splits reply lengths and times into two separate vectors. This is the main difference between module 28 and module 20; the rollcall replies are not all the same length, so module 28 keeps track of the length of each reply as well as the reply time. To get started, step 494 obtains the first window's worth of times. Step 496 defines variable reply -- vec as holding the ending times of replies in the window. Step 498 defines variable squit -- head as the start time of the squitter which is the trailing edge of our sliding window. Step 498 also initializes variable squit -- head to the start time of the first reply. Step 500 defines variable squit -- tail as the end time of the squitter which is the leading edge of the sliding window. Step 502 defines variable lead -- reply and variable next -- time as the reply event times for the trailing and leading edges of the window, respectively.
After steps 484-502, the main loop is entered at step 504. The main loop includes steps 506-536. Step 506 obtains the time for the trailing edge of the window to pass the first reply in the window. Step 508 obtains the time for the leading edge of the window to hit the next reply not yet in the window. Step 510 moves the window by the smaller of the two times of steps 506 and 508. Next, at step 512 it is determined which of the two events of steps 506 and 508 happen first; step 514 or step 522 will follow step 512. Step 514 is reached if the trailing edge passed the first reply, and is followed by steps 516, 518, 520 and 536. Step 516 updates the probability vector similarly to step 250. Step 518 drops the reply that just has been passed. Step 520 updates variable read -- reply to be the end time of the new first reply in variable reply -- vec, unless reply -- vec is now empty, in which case lead -- reply is updated to be the end time of the next upcoming reply. After step 520, the process moves to step 536 at which the window is slid to the next reply, after which the process returns to step 506. Step 522 is reached instead of step 514 if the leading edge encountered the next reply, or if the leading edge encountered the next reply simultaneously with the trailing edge passing the first reply. Step 522 is followed by steps 524-530 in succession. Step 524 updates the probability vector. Step 526 adds the reply that just been encountered to variable reply -- vec. Step 528 updates variable next -- index to be the next upcoming reply time. At step 530, it is determined whether all of the reply times have been used; if so, the main loop is exited by having the process moved to step 538, otherwise the process moves to step 532. At step 532 it is determined whether the leading and trailing edges of the window encountered their respective events simultaneously, if not, then the process moves to step 536 where the window is slid to the next reply, after which the process returns to step 506. If step 532 finds that the leading and trailing edges of the window encountered their respective events simultaneously, then at step 534 the lead reply is dropped and updated, the next reply having already been updated. After step 534, the process moves to step 536 which slides the window to the next reply, after which the process goes to step 506. At step 538, the probabilities vector, being a vector of times, is divided by total time to normalize its values and to make it a vector of probabilities.
FIG. 12, which is made up of FIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C, shows a flowchart for module 29 of FIG. 1. Module 29 is used at step 60 of FIG. 2. Module 29 determines the probability of a squitter interfering with a reply time sequence contained in variables rc -- arrival -- times, ts -- arrival -- times, and ac -- arrival -- times. Module 29 time orders the arrival times, and then moves a sliding window of length equal to one squitter reply (120 microseconds) through the times, keeping track of how many replies are in the window and how far that window has been moved. Variable success -- prob is the ru of time that moving window contained 0 Mode S and 0 or 1 ATCRBS replies. The window is moved from one position until the next event that changes the number of replies in the window; either the leading edge of the window encounters the next reply start time, or the trailing edge of the window passes the end time of the first reply in the window. At that point, it is determined how many ru the window has just been moved and how many of what type of replies are in the window; variable success -- prob is then updated accordingly. Next, either the first reply in the window is dropped from the window, or the next reply is added to window, depending on which edge (leading or trailing) of the window encountered a reply event. The above process is then repeated, until the last reply is encountered. Variable success -- prob is then normalized by dividing it by the total time period between the earliest and latest replies considered by this process. Initialization and setup step 540 of FIG. 12A is accomplished by step 542-560 in succession. Step 542 initializes variable success -- prob to 0. An important difference of module 29 from interference modules 20, 24 and 28 is that module 29 determines a single probability of avoiding squitter interference rather than the probability of interfering with 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . replies. Module 29 does this because it takes only one interfering Mode S reply to ruin a squitter reply, but two or more interfering ATCRBS replies are needed to ruin a squitter. Thus, just counting interfering replies without accounting for which type they are would be insufficient. Step 544 obtains the TCAS and squitter reply lengths and times, and rollcall reply lengths and times, and allcall reply lengths and times. Step 546 sorts the times and reply lengths of step 544. Step 548 splits the reply length and times into separate vectors. This is the main difference between module 29 and module 20; the rollcall and allcall replies are not all the same length, so it is necessary to keep track of the length of each reply as well as the reply time. Step 550 initializes variables to track how many ATCRBS replies and how many Mode S replies are in the window. To get started, step 552 obtains the first window's worth of times. Step 554 defines variable reply -- vec as holding the ending times of replies in the window. Step 556 defines variable squit -- head as the start time of the squitter which is the trailing edge of the sliding window. Step 556 also initializes variable squit -- head to the start time of the first reply. Step 558 defines variable squit -- tail as the end time of the squitter which is the leading edge of the sliding window. Step 560 defines variables lead -- reply and next -- time as the reply event times for the trailing and leading edges of the window, respectively. After steps 540-560, the main loop for the sliding window is entered (step 562). The main loop for the sliding window includes steps 564-594. Step 564 obtains the time for the trailing edge of the window to pass the first reply in the window. Step 566 obtains the time for the leading edge of the window to encounter the next reply not yet in the window. Step 568 moves the window by the smaller of the two times of steps 564 and 566. Step 570 determines which of the two events of steps 564 and 566 happened first. The process moves from step 570 to step 572 or step 580. Step 572 is reached from step 570 if the trailing edge of the window passes the first reply in the window. Step 572 is followed by steps 574, 576, 578 and 594, in succession. Step 574 updates variable success -- prob, by checking if the window contains no Mode S and 0 or 1 allcall replies; if so, then the window movement time is added to variable success -- prob. Step 576 drops the reply that has just been passed by the window. Step 578 updates variable lead -- reply to be the end time of the new first reply in variable reply -- vec, unless reply -- vec is now empty, in which case variable lead -- reply is instead updated to be the end time of the next upcoming reply. After step 578, the process moves to step 594, which slides the window to the next reply, after which the process returns to step 564. Step 580 would be reached instead of step 572 from step 570 if the leading edge of the window encounters the next reply, or if the leading edge hits the next reply and the trailing edge passes the first reply simultaneously. Step 580 is followed by steps 582, 584, 586 and 588 in succession. Step 582 updates variable success -- prob. Step 584 adds to variable reply -- vec the reply that has just been encountered by the leading edge of the sliding window. Step 586 updates variable next -- index to be the next upcoming reply time. Step 588 determines whether all of the reply times have now been used; if so, then the main loop is exited and the process moves to step 596, otherwise the process moves to step 590. Step 590 determines whether the leading and trailing edges of the sliding window encountered their respective events simultaneously; if so, then the process moves to step 592, otherwise the process moves to step 594. At step 592, the lead reply is dropped and updated, the next reply having been already updated. From step 592 the process goes to step 594. Step 594 slides the window to the next reply, after which the process returns to step 564 for another pass through the main loop. Since the variable success -- prob is time, at step 596 it is divided by total time to get probability.
FIG. 13, made up of FIGS. 13A and 13B, is a flowchart for summary module 30 of FIG. 1. Summary module 30 is used at step 66 of FIG. 2. Summary module 30 takes a matrix or nested array showing signal interference produced by running module 12, and produces a summary showing interference probabilities by numbers of airplanes for ATRCBS replies, Mode S replies, and total replies from the model. Module 30 also provides Poisson probabilities for comparison. Module 30 begins by initializing variables (step 598), which is accomplished by step 600, 602, 604 and 606 successively. Step 600 defines average allcall replies as the first element of the nested input array. Step 602 obtains the number of airplanes for each run within that input array. Step 604 obtains the probabilities for each run within the input array. Step 606 initializes a Poisson probabilities array. After step 598-606, the Poisson probabilities are determined (step 608) using step 610-626. For this purpose, for each probability, lambda is computed as: (reply length+squitter length in microsecond)×(replies per microsecond)×(1-replies per microsecond) where replies per microsecond is equal to number of airplanes×replies per second per airplane×10 -6 seconds per microsecond. Poisson probabilities are determined for ATCRBS replies using steps 610 and 612. At step 612, (1+lambda) exp(-lambda)is Poisson probability of 0 or 1 interfering reply; presence of one interfering ATCRBS reply is acceptable. Poisson probabilities for Mode S short replies are determined using steps 614 and 616. At step 616, exp(-lambda) is determined and is used as the Poisson probability for 0 interfering replies. The Poisson probability for Mode S long replies are determined by Steps 618, 620 and 622. At step 620, exp (-lambda) is determined and is defined as a Poisson probability of 0 interfering replies. Next, at step 622, the value of step 620 is multiplied by the short reply probabilities determined at steps 616 to obtain (assuming independence) the total Mode S reply probability. The overall probability is then determined using steps 624 and 626. Assuming independence, step 626 defines the overall probability as the product of the ATCRBS probability (steps 610 and 612) and the total Mode S reply probability (step 622). Next, step 628 assembles the output array using the results of the preceding steps. This is accomplished using steps 630, 632 and 634 in succession. Steps 630 makes airplanes the first column of the output array. Step 632 adds simulation and Poisson probabilities to the array. Step 634 adds column headings. Thus, module 30 uses the probabilities determined by steps 32-64 of FIG. 2, and furthermore provides Poisson results for comparison therewith.
In the simulation model, a population of Mode S aircraft is distributed in the sky surrounding a receiving antenna. A set of interrogators is positioned in the surrounding areas. The behavior of the interrogators is defined by a set of parameters: are they ATCRBS/Mode S or ATCRBS only interrogators, interrogation frame pattern, antenna rotation rate and beamwidth, boresight azimuth and location in the frame pattern at the start of the simulation.
The model is modular in design. There are separate modules to simulate ATCRBS interrogations and replies, Mode S RollCall interrogations and replies, and TCAS and squitter replies. Other modules use this reply data to compute an estimate of the probability of an ADS squitter arriving at the receiving antenna being interfered with by a reply.
Parameter values used for the model runs are based on current Mode S system parameters and on the message workloads in Table 1 of the Knittel and Orlando paper.
Table 1 below compares simulation results with the analytic results from Table 2 of the Knittel and Orlando paper. Six sector antenna estimates are simply the omni antenna estimates multiplied by 2.5, the empirical improvement factor based on experience used by Knittel and Orlando. They are provided for comparison purposes only; note that the high degree of variation in the simulation results, discussed further below, makes it dangerous to extrapolate in this fashion.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________ADS-Mode S 5 Second Update with 99.5% Reception Probability Maximum Aircraft Original Analytic Estimate Simulation ResultsReplies/Aircraft/Second Omni Six Sector Omni Six SectorCase ATCRBS Mode S Antenna Antenna Antenna Antenna*__________________________________________________________________________1 120 14 85 215 110 2752 60 14 140 350 170 4253 0 14 280 700 300 750__________________________________________________________________________ *These values are for comparison purposes only.
The analytic and simulation results are also plotted graphically versus number of planes for Case 1 of the table, in FIG. 14. The smoothed simulation values are an exponential least squares fit to the simulation results, of the form y=Ae Bx . This smoothing agrees well with the average of multiple model runs made at the same plane and message loading conditions.
Another result of the simulation runs was to bring out the extreme variability in the results on both a per plane and a per second basis. FIG. 15 illustrates this.
FIG. 15 reflects the result of a 20 second run made for a population of 110 planes at a nominal rate of 120 ATCRBS messages per second. Statistics were gathered on a per second basis every second. Just the ATCRBS message statistics are shown for simplicity. Observe the extreme variation in the average number of ATCRBS replies per plane from second to second (which is reflected in the squitter interference probability), varying from a low of 54 to a high of 400, even though the overall average is approximately 120. Also observe within each second, the wide spread in replies per plane from minimum to maximum.
This variability is due to the natural variation in the number of interrogations seen by the population of planes in any given second, as the rotating antennas of the various remote interrogators sweep into and out of the receiving antenna's area of coverage.
The Mode S Frequency Space Model provides a method of answering the question, how many aircraft can co-exist in a given region of the sky before interference effects cause ADS-Mode S operation to fall below acceptable levels. There are a wide variety of input conditions which the answer depends on, such as the number of ground interrogators, ATCRBS interrogation rates, location of aircraft in the sky, Mode S message workloads, TCAS squitter rates, receiver antenna characteristics, etc. The model allows the user to specify these input conditions and simulate ATCRBS, Mode S, TCAS, and ADS-Mode S operation for some period of time, and then evaluate the probability of successful reception of a GPS squitter pulse by the receiving antenna. By making model runs under varying initial conditions, estimates are obtained of the number of aircraft that can successfully be tracked using ADS-Mode S, as a function of ATCRBS, Mode S, and TCAS workload.
The Mode S Frequency Space model is a simulation model developed in the APL programming language, specifically, APL*PLUS III for Windows by Manugistics, Inc. In the simulation model, a population of Mode S aircraft is distributed in the sky surrounding a receiving antenna. A set of interrogators is positioned in the surrounding areas. The behavior of the interrogators is defined by a set of parameters: are they ATCRBS/Mode S or ATCRBS only interrogators, interrogation frame pattern, antenna rotation rate and beamwidth, boresight azimuth and location in the frame pattern at the start of the simulation. The model then makes a series of runs with these interrogators, continually increasing the size of the aircraft population until the interference limit is reached.
The processes of FIGS. 3-13 can be implemented in software. An example of such software is given in subsequent pages in the APL software programming language, specifically APL*PLUS III for windows by Manugistics, Inc. The names of the modules shown in the following code correspond to the module names shown in FIGS. 1-13. An example of such software, in the language described above, is given in the following pages. APL code listings of the model are provided below. ##SPC1##
The model works in the ρ-θ coordinate system used by the Mode S system. The model first computes multiple sets of polar coordinates for each plane: the coordinates relative to the receiving antenna, and the coordinate relative to each interrogator. The coordinate conversion equations of the FAA Mode S specification, FAA-E-2716 section 3.4.8.8.5 are used to do the coordinate transforms, with β, m, and s taken as 0 for simplicity, since the interrogator starting azimuths are random anyway. The converted range is used along with the original range to compute ρ as described below, and is stored along with the converted θ. Again, this is being done for each plane, for each sensor.
ρ is the time delay from an interrogation by the remote sensor until the reply arrives at the receiving antenna (not back at the remote sensor). For an ATCRBS interrogator, ρ equals the distance from the remote sensor to the plane, plus the ATCRBS turnaround delay (48 RU), plus the distance from the plane to the receiving antenna. For an ATCRBS/Mode S interrogator, a value of ρ using the Mode S turnaround delay (2124 RU) is computed as above to determine the arrival time of the reply at the receiving antenna, as well as a round-trip time back to the interrogator for use in creating the RollCall schedules.
A vector of times is maintained for each interrogator, giving the time in RUs(range units 1/16 of a microsecond); of the start of the next AllCall period. The ATCRBS reply simulation operates by finding the next upcoming event in the vector of times. Current time is set to that event time. Using the starting boresight azimuth and antenna rotation rate, the current boresight azimuth of the interrogator is calculated. Using the antenna beamwidth and the local polar coordinates of the planes, the set of planes in the beamwidth of that interrogator is determined. Using ρ as defined above, the times of arrival of the ATCRBS replies for the planes in the beam at the receiving antenna are computed and recorded, along with the plane number and interrogator number. The value in the vector of times is then updated using the frame information to the start of the next AllCall period, and the process begins again. This continues until the current time surpasses the end of the simulation interval.
The process for RollCall replies is similar, except that in place of a single AllCall interrogation, the Mode S scheduling algorithm is actually implemented in a slightly simplified form to produce the proper pattern of interrogations and replies within the Mode S period. The simplification is that each schedule has only one cycle; that is, even if transmissions would start to overlap the replies, the schedule is not broken up into a second cycle. Experience from Lost Channel Time simulation work, confirmed in this model, is that even at heavy target loads, 90% or more of schedules are in fact single cycle anyway, so it was not worth the added complication of modeling this level of detail. Another simplification is that only short and long standard transactions are being scheduled; ELM message traffic is not modeled. The number of messages sent to each plane in each period is determined randomly in such a way that the expected value yields the desired average message loading per plane.
For TCAS and squitter replies, the model distributes TCAS and squitter Mode S replies over the simulation interval. TCAS replies are short replies made every 0.2+/-0.04 seconds. There are 3 types of squitter:
short squitter every 1.0+/-0.2 seconds (type: TCAS)
long squitter every 0.5+/-0.1 seconds (type: ADS)
long squitter every 5.0+/-1.0 seconds (type: ID)
The model will randomly assign TCAS and squitter replies meeting these constraints to each plane over the simulation interval.
When a simulation run is completed, the reply arrival time data is used to compute an estimate of the probability of an ADS squitter arriving at the receiving antenna being interfered with by a reply. The overall probability of interference from all replies is calculated, as well as probabilities of interference from each class of replies (ATCRBS, RollCall, and TCAS/squitter), but the method is the same in each case. The idea here is to time order the reply arrival times, then move a sliding window of length=squitter reply (120 μsec) through the times, keeping track of how many replies are in the window and how far we have moved it. Success -- prob is the RU of time that the moving window contained 0 Mode S and 0 or 1 ATCRBS replies. We move the window from where we are now until the next event that changes the number of replies in the window; either the leading edge of the window hits the next reply start time or the trailing edge of the window passes the end time of the first reply in the window. At that point, we look at how many RU we just moved and how many of what type of replies were in the window and update success -- prob accordingly. Then we either drop the first reply in the window or add the next reply to the window, depending on which edge of the window hit a reply event. Now repeat, until we hit the last reply. Then normalize success -- prob by dividing by the total time period between earliest and latest replies, to obtain a probability.
Because the number of replies per plane is dependent on interrogator and plane location, as well as interrogator starting azimuth, all of which are random elements, we can't predict if a given run will yield a desired number of average messages per plane. It is necessary to make multiple runs with different starting random seeds until a data point for a given message workload is obtained. A control program is used to iteratively call the various component programs of the model, see FIG. 1. To collect data for various numbers of planes for a given workload, an initial choice of a number of ATCRBS and Mode S interrogators is made, based on experience with trial runs about how many interrogators yield what average message rates. The control program starts with a population of 5 planes. The ATCRBS model is run repeatedly (randomly generating a different spatial distribution of interrogators and planes each time) until a run is obtained with an average message rate within 15% of the desired rate. The Mode S model is then run repeatedly (using the interrogator and plane distribution of the last ATCRBS run) until a run is obtained with an average message rate within 17% of the desired rate. If this doesn't happen in a reasonable number of trials, go back to the ATCRBS step and start over. Otherwise, run the TCAS/squitter model with the same population of planes and interrogators. Compute all the probabilities and store the estimates and other statistics. Then increment the number of planes by 5 and start again.
The statistics which are stored on each pass are grouped as a matrix:
__________________________________________________________________________Statistics for eachmodel pass (pass = agiven number of TCAS/ Totalplanes) AllCall RollCall squitter Mode S Overall__________________________________________________________________________number of planes same for allnumber of sensors ATCRBS Mode S N/A interrogators interrogators only onlynumber of replies Total AllCall Total RollCall Total RollCall + All TCAS/ TCAS/ squit Squitaverage replies per ATCRBS RollCall TCAS/ RollCall + Allplane squit TCAS/ Squitminimum replies per N/Aplanemaximum replies per N/Aplaneprobability of a long N/Asquitter interferingwith 0 replies P[0]probability of a long N/Asquitter interferingwith 1 reply P[1]overall probability of P[0] + P[1] P[0] P[0] P[0] P[0 Mode Sa long squitter not and 0 or 1being interfered with ATCRBS]value of random seed for final seed for final seed for N/Aseed at start of the ATCRBS run RollCall run TCAS/model squit run__________________________________________________________________________
The model is applicable to a wide variety of combinations of aircraft, message workload, interrogators, and receiving antenna, because it allows the user to specify values for many aspects of the problem. The user-adjustable input parameters are listed below, along with the values that were assigned to them for the first model runs.
__________________________________________________________________________max.sub.-- plane.sub.-- range = 4943 planes are uniformly distributed in range from 0 to 4943 RU = 50 nmimax.sub.-- remote.sub.-- range = 2 × 4943 interrogators are uniformly distributed in range from 0 to 100 nmirot.sub.-- rate = max.sub.-- au ÷ 4.8 × 1600000 4.8 second antenna rotation rate in au per RUhalf.sub.-- beam = max.sub.-- au × 1.8 ÷ 360 1.8° half antenna beamwidth in aumax.sub.-- time = 16000000 model run time 16000000 RU = 1 secondavg.sub.-- freq = 128000 ÷ 3 midpoint of sensor allcall interrogation repetition times in RU; used by ATCRBS only interrogators (3 times the nominal Mode S rate)freq.sub.-- rng = 64000 ÷ 3 range of variation in sensor allcall nit times centered on avg.sub.-- freq; used by ATCRBS only interrogators (3 times the nominal Mode S rate)collocate = 1 1 forces remote sensor #1 to be collocated with receiver; simulates collocated Mode S terminal systemnum.sub.-- atcrbs = {various} number of remote ATCRBS interrogators. the model takes the first num.sub.-- atcrbs of the remote interrogators and uses them as ATCRBS all call interrogators.num.sub.-- mode.sub.-- s = {various} number of remote mode s interrogators. the model takes the first num.sub.-- mode.sub.-- s of the remote interrogators and uses them as mode s roll call interrogators. The effect of the above two parameters is that there are num.sub.-- atcrbs ATCRBS interrogators, num.sub.-- mode.sub.-- s of which are also ModeS interrogators (using the Mode S frame pattern) and the remaining num.sub.-- atcrbs - num.sub.-- mode.sub.-- s of which are ATCRBS only interrogators using the 3 times faster ATCRBS only frame pattern.max.sub.-- scheds.sub.-- per.sub.-- period = 8 maximum number of schedules per RollCall periodcomm.sub.-- done.sub.-- prob = -0.25 used in main.sub.-- rc to determine the probability that a plane has no more comm this period. set to -1+q where q is the geometric probability of having a comm for the upcoming schedule and p = 1-q is the probability that there is no more comm for the plane this period. then the expected number of schedules for the plane in the period is (1/p) - 1. set this equal to the desired number of comms per plane per period and solve for p. then comm.sub.-- done.sub.-- prob = -p. e.g., comm done.sub.-- prob = -.25 for expected value if 3 comms/plane/periodlong.sub.-- reply = 1920 length of long mode s reply = 1920 ru (120 μsec)short.sub.-- reply = 1024 length of short mode s reply = 1024 RU (64 μsec)atcrbs.sub.-- reply = 320 length of ATCRBS reply = 320 RU (20 μsec)__________________________________________________________________________
The Mode S Frequency Space model allows for a complete, accurate answer to the question of how many aircraft can co-exist in a given region of the sky before interference effects cause ADS-Mode S operation to fall below acceptable levels. It can provide this answer for a wide variety of user-selectable initial conditions.
In their paper, Knittel and Orlando considered reply interference effects on ADS Mode S squitter and developed estimates of the maximum number of aircraft which can be handled by an ADS ground station, as a function of ATCRBS and Mode S reply levels. These estimates were made analytically, which required several explicit and implicit assumptions to make the problem analytically tractable. This resulted in a conservative estimate of capacity, because many of these assumptions are not representative of actual Mode S system behavior.
The following is a listing of the explicit and implicit assumptions that underlie the Knittel and Orlando reply interference estimates, along with comments on why they cause conservatism in the estimate.
1. The replies arrivals are uncorrelated with one another.
2. The rate of reply arrivals is steady over time.
3. The probability of a reply arriving at any one given instant is the same as for any other instant.
4. Since the Poisson distribution is a one parameter distribution, only the total number of replies in a second is relevant, i.e. 10 plane at 150 replies/plane/sec is treated the same as 100 planes at 15 replies/plane/sec.
Unfortunately, all four of these are false for ATCRBS replies:
1. Since all aircraft receiving an allcall interrogation will reply to that interrogation, if a reply arrives at the antenna then most likely several more will be arriving shortly, i.e. the reply arrivals are correlated.
2. Simulation shows that there is considerable variation from second to second in the rate of reply arrivals.
3. Aircraft issue ATCRBS replies only in response to allcall interrogations, which are made at periodic intervals (frame pattern). The pattern of replies will thus tend to have clumps and gaps.
4. The pattern of reply arrival times is significantly different for a small number of planes with a large number of replies per plane than for a large number of planes with a small number of replies per plane. As an example, with 1500 ATCRBS replies in a second:
______________________________________Squitter Interference ProbabilitiesOne Second Interval, 1500 ATCRBS RepliesNumber of Simulation ResultsInterfering 10 planes, 153 100 planes, 14.7 PoissonReplies replies/plane replies/plane 1500 replies______________________________________0 .8154 .8861 .81081 .1595 .0702 .17000 or 1 .9749 .9563 .9808______________________________________
The probability of interference from Mode S replies can be calculated just like ATCRBS interference, as a Poisson process.
Clearly the same types of objections will apply here as in the ATCRBS case. Their effects, however, will be less because:
(a) there are fewer Mode S messages per target.
(b) more than half of the Mode S messages [8 out of 14.2] are TCAS/squitter type transmissions which really are independent of other planes' replies and antenna interrogations.
(c) since the Mode S period occupies a much larger fraction of the frame structure than the ATCRBS period, the clumping effect of replies is less extreme, although the RollCall scheduling algorithm which deliberately clumps the replies in each cycle somewhat counteracts this.
There is still a significant difference in the simulation vs. Poisson predictions for max number of targets possible.
Probabilities can be calculated separately for ATCRBS and Mode S interference and combined as a product, i.e. it is assumed that ATCRBS and Mode S replies are independently distributed over the interval of interest.
This assumption is not true, although it turns out to be a good approximation. Mode S replies are going to be scheduled during RollCall intervals of the interrogator's frame structure, which by definition are not going to overlap the allcall intervals for that interrogator. In other words, going back to the clump and gap timeline structure of ATCRBS replies mentioned earlier, Mode S replies are more likely to occur in the gaps, maximizing their likelihood of causing interference.
The Mode S Frequency Space model avoids the drawbacks of the Poisson assumption by not making that assumption. The model instead simulates the actual patterns of interrogations and replies for a population of aircraft over a period of time.
Another key advantage of this model over the Knittel and Orlando paper's approach is the wide variety of input parameters, which allow the Mode S Frequency Space model to distinguish between cases that would return identical results from the Knittel and Orlando paper's approach.
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 foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
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This is a computer-implemented model for the frequency space utilized by the Mode Select Beacon System (the Mode S system) for air traffic surveillance and control. The model simulates the operation of interrogators, transponders, and receivers, and calculates the probability of interference between transponder reply signals using a sliding window.
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PRIORITY CLAIM
The present application is a National Phase Entry of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2008/003221, filed Apr. 22, 2008, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/914,182, filed Apr. 26, 2007, and German Application Number 102007019812.6, filed Apr. 26, 2007, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for refractive ophthalmic surgery by laser radiation, said apparatus comprising a laser source which emits a processing beam, and a beam path for focusing and scanning, said beam path focusing the processing beam into the cornea of an eye and shifting the position of the focus therein, a beam splitting device being provided to generate several foci in the cornea.
BACKGROUND
The processing of material by laser radiation is known. A particular application for processing transparent materials, where a processing effect is obtained by a non-linear interaction of the laser radiation with the per se transparent material, is refractive ophthalmic surgery. For surgery, the laser radiation is focused into the eye's cornea, and the focus is shifted along a cut surface to be generated.
Of course, the processing time depends on how long the interaction in the focus lasts. An acceleration can be achieved by working with several focus spots at a time.
Therefore, EP 1279386 A1, which discloses an apparatus of the above type, describes how to shorten the treatment time by multiplying the spots, allowing the simultaneous processing of larger partial areas. The presented solution has several disadvantages. According to FIG. 4 of this publication, a beam 38 is split into partial beams 44 a . . . c by lenses 42 a . . . c . The diameter the beams 44 a . . . c have directly at the lenses 42 a . . . c is smaller than the diameter of the beam 38 . This is a disadvantage, because a smaller beam cross section at the lenses 42 a . . . c causes the beams 44 a . . . c to be have an inferior focusing ability as compared to the beam 38 . That is, either larger spots result or the cross sections have to be adapted. After interaction of the near-parallel beam 38 with the lenses 42 a . . . c , convergent beams 44 a . . . c form so that foci are located within the optical system. This is disadvantageous because it may cause high field strengths with undesired effects within the optical system, for example an energy-consuming optical breakthrough at a position in the optical beam path other than the target position in the material to be treated. Moreover, any focusing element always generates a need for adaptation to the subsequent optics, e.g. by collimation. This accordingly results in additional complexity.
Also, in the state of the art, a scanning element is positioned directly in the intermediate image, i.e. conjugated to the actual processing plane. Although the beams would be deflected when using a galvanometer scanner, there would be no change of location. Therefore, the spots would rest in the processing volume despite any deflections of the galvanometer scanner. Further, the design according to DE 60208968 additionally uses an active mirror having 40,000 active facets, which is complex and expensive.
A further problem of the known arrangement is that a fixed offset between the individual spots is generated anterior to the scanner. A spiral scan will then result in points of intersection between the spot paths in the processing volume. This leads to a non-concentric course of the paths, especially for a small number of spots.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for refractive ophthalmic surgery by laser radiation of the above-mentioned type such that several focus spots can be used without the above-described disadvantages.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by an apparatus for refractive ophthalmic surgery by laser radiation, said apparatus comprising a laser source, which emits a processing beam, and a beam path for focusing and scanning, which beam path focuses the processing beam into the cornea of an eye and shifts the position of the focus therein, a beam splitting device being provided to generate a plurality of foci in the processing volume, which beam splitting device divides the processing beam into primary and secondary beams and leaves the cross section of the beam unchanged during dividing, so that the primary and secondary beams have the same cross section as the processing beam which is incident on the beam splitting device, wherein said beam splitting device introduces an angle of separation between the primary and secondary beams, so that the primary and secondary beams extend in the beam path in directions which differ by the angle of separation, and wherein a contact glass is provided, which induces a predefined geometric interface at the cornea.
It is particularly easy to make the beam splitting device leave the cross section unchanged, preferably in the pupil, if the device itself is located in or near the pupil of the beam path. Further, the beam splitting device preferably does not have a focusing effect. It is also convenient to arrange the beam splitting device anterior to scanning elements in the beam direction.
FIG. 15 shows how the term “closeness to the pupil” is understood in connection with the present invention. It shows an axial beam 40 which is characterized by its peripheral rays 41 and a main ray 42 . The aperture of the axial beam 40 is defined by its peripheral rays 41 . Further, a field beam 43 is depicted by way of example. A reference plane 44 is located near a pupil plane 45 , as long as, for all field beams 43 , the intersection point 47 of a main ray 46 and the reference plane 44 is located within the aperture of the axial beam. Thus, a plane's closeness to the pupil is characterized in that the points of intersection where all the field beam main rays pass through the plane are located within the axial beam's aperture which is defined by the peripheral rays.
In order to enable switching between single-spot and multiple-spot processing, it is convenient to provide the effect of the beam splitting device such that it can be switched on and off, for example by a mechanical system which disengages the beam splitting device from the beam path or bypasses it in the beam path.
For splitting, the beam splitting device may comprise a diffractively effective element, which may be provided as a phase grating, for example. Said phase grating preferably also comprises means for distributing the radiation intensity of the incident processing beam as uniformly as possible to a limited number of main maxima.
Particularly uniform distribution of the radiation intensity with the possibility of generating a very great number of secondary beams is possible by the use of a beam splitting device which comprises elements consisting of wedges and planar plates, e.g. in the form of a segmented plate, whose segments alternate between different wedges and planar plate elements.
In the case of circular deflection of the position of the focus in the processing volume, the multiplicity of generated spots may cause intersecting of the respective, e.g. circular, paths on which the foci are shifted. In order to avoid this, it is convenient to control the angle of separation as a function of the target position of the primary spot. A particularly simple realization of this further embodiment is a beam splitting device which rotates the at least one secondary beam about the primary beam in an adjustable manner. For control, an additional further embodiment may then provide a control unit which controls the rotation synchronously with the shifting of the focus position. This prevents intersecting of paths of the spots of the primary and secondary beams. For example, the spots move on concentric circular paths.
It will be appreciated that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be employed not only in the indicated combinations, but also in other combinations, or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be explained in more detail below, by way of example and with reference to the enclosed drawings, which also disclose features of the invention and wherein:
FIG. 1 depicts the beam path for a treatment apparatus using several processing spots;
FIG. 2 depicts a further embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 depicts a further embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 depicts a representation similar to FIG. 1 of a particular construction of the beam splitting element;
FIGS. 5 a - c depict representations explaining the construction and function of the beam splitting element of FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 6 depicts paths of the multiple-spot foci generated in the processing volume by the treatment apparatus of FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 7 depicts a representation similar to FIG. 6 for seven spots;
FIG. 8 depicts a representation similar to FIG. 4 , but with a differently designed beam splitting element;
FIGS. 9 a - c depict representations explaining the construction of the beam splitting elements of FIG. 8 ;
FIG. 10 depicts a treatment apparatus similar to that of FIG. 1 , but with a controllable beam splitting element;
FIG. 11 depicts a representation similar to that of FIG. 6 for the treatment apparatus of FIG. 8 ;
FIGS. 12 a - b depict drawings relating to the construction and function of the beam splitting element of FIG. 10 ;
FIG. 13 depicts a representation similar to that of FIG. 6 for a modification of the treatment apparatus of FIG. 10 ;
FIG. 14 depicts a schematic drawing of a further beam splitting element for a treatment apparatus with analogy to FIG. 1 , and
FIG. 15 depicts a schematic drawing explaining the term “proximity to the pupil”.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a laser-surgical system for refraction-correcting treatment of the human eye. The system comprises a source 1 of radiation, which may be provided, for example, as a femtosecond laser, whose radiation is used to process a material, which is the cornea of an eye 2 in the example embodiment described herein. In order to obtain a defined geometrical boundary surface or interface at the cornea 3 , a known contact glass 4 is placed on the cornea 3 .
The source 1 of radiation provides a processing beam 5 , optionally by the use of optics 6 arranged posterior to the source 1 of radiation. An aperture stop 7 defines the cross section of the beam and the pupil in the beam path that leads to the eye 2 . Near the aperture stop 7 , i.e. near the pupil, there is a beam splitter 8 , which divides the incident processing beam 5 such that a secondary beam 9 is split off, which extends in a slightly different direction to that of the primary beam 10 not being split off. The cross section of the processing beam 5 is not changed thereby. The angle of divergence or angle of separation between the primary beam 10 and the secondary beam 9 is indicated by way of example and is referred to by the reference numeral 11 . Scanners 12 , 13 arranged posterior to the beam splitter 8 deflect the processing radiation in the beam path. Thus, foci 15 a , 15 b are formed in the processing volume 2 by subsequently arranged focusing optics 14 .
Accordingly, the laser-surgical system comprises: a source 1 of radiation (e.g. fs laser), which emits the beam 5 ; the beam splitter 8 , which divides the processing beam into the primary beam 10 and one or more secondary beams 9 ; one or more scanning elements 12 , 13 (for example, scanning mirrors) for deflection of the beams 8 , 10 ; and focusing optics 14 , which focus the beams 9 , 10 into the cornea 3 of the eye 2 .
The source 1 of radiation is preferably a femtosecond laser emitting fs pulses in the wavelength region of 700-1150 nm and over a spectral width of +/−5 nm. The pulse duration is 10-900 fs. Sources of this type are known and may also comprise pulse-shaping devices in addition to the actual laser.
For a multiple focus to form, beam splitting is effected near a pupil. A pupil is an image of an aperture stop 7 , or the aperture stop 7 itself. The aperture stop 7 defines the aperture of the beams 5 , 9 , 10 which opening is used for imaging. The beam splitter 8 generates an angular offset of the secondary beams 9 relative to the primary beam 10 . This angle of separation 11 leads to separate foci 15 a , 15 b in the processing volume posterior to the scanning optics 12 , 13 , 14 . It should be noted here that a great number of alternative positions are possible to locate the beam splitter 8 , e.g. on the scanning mirrors 12 , 13 themselves, posterior to the scanning mirrors 12 , 13 or even as part of the focusing optics 14 . The decisive factor is the closeness to the pupil.
The beam splitter 8 deflects portions of the beam 5 into the secondary beams 9 . Following the splitter the primary 10 and secondary beams 9 extend in slightly different directions; thus, the angle of separation 11 is formed between the beams 9 , 10 . The beam splitter 8 further has the property that the beam's cross section remains unchanged. This leads to the particular advantage that the aperture in the foci 15 a , 15 b remains unchanged and, thus, the size of the foci 15 a , 15 b does not change. The complexity of an otherwise required adaptation of aperture is dispensed with completely. Also, no additional constructional space is needed apart from the space for the splitter 8 .
The beam splitter preferably does not have a focusing effect and, thus, generates no intermediate foci. Thus, undesired effects, such as optical breakthroughs within the system, are avoided.
The scanning elements are preferably galvanometer scanning mirrors 12 , 13 , which deflect the beam(s) 9 , 10 in adjustable directions. Arranged following the scanners 12 , 13 are the focusing optics 14 through which the beams 9 , 10 are focused into a therapy volume (cornea) 2 , where processing is effected. The multiple spots 15 a , 15 b are guided through the therapy volume by the scanners 12 , 13 according to a predetermined path. The predetermined paths are preferably spirals or lines.
Due to the particularly preferable circular paths or circle-like paths (ellipses, spirals), fixed beam splitting produces intersecting of the spot paths, which intersecting can be avoided by closed-loop controlled or synchronized beam splitting, as will be described later.
In order to selectively work without multiplication of the spots, the effect of the beam splitter 8 can be optionally switched off. The beam splitter 8 can be switched on and off in many ways.
In FIG. 2 (elements in this and further Figures which correspond to elements already explained are provided with the same reference numerals and shall not be described again), the beam splitter 8 itself is movable, for example. If its effect is desired, it is pushed or folded into the beam path by means of an apparatus. Moreover, it is also possible to bypass the beam splitter 8 . A stepped mirror arrangement 17 comprising mirrors 18 - 21 is provided for this purpose in the example of FIG. 3 , said arrangement 17 being movable as a whole or in parts. The mirrors 18 and 21 can be folded in and out of the beam path, for example. When they are folded into the beam path, the stepped mirror arrangement 17 is active and the beam splitter 8 is bypassed. In order to achieve a constant power density per spot in both single-spot operation and multiple-spot operation, the power of the source 1 of radiation is preferably adapted to the status of the beam splitter 8 (active or deactivated).
A diffractively working element (grating) is preferred for the beam splitter 8 . Referring to FIG. 4 , a phase grating is explained as an example of a specific set of parameters, for ease of illustration. It is expressly pointed out that similar solutions can be embodied also using other gratings and other sets of parameters. In the construction of FIG. 4 , the aperture stop has a diameter of 15 mm. The phase grating has a period of 4.16 mm. This leads to an angle of separation of 0.014°. The focal length of the focusing optics is 20 mm. A possible design of the phase grating of the beam splitter 8 and its function are explained hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 5 a - c.
The beam splitter 8 is a binary phase grating, which leads to beam splitting in different directions according to the grating formula:
sin
α
=
±
k
λ
g
with α being the direction of the maxima, k being orders, λ being the wavelength and g being the grating constant.
The separation between the foci is obtained approximately according to
y′=f ′·tan α≈ f′ ·sin α
with y′ being the focus position for the 0 th order, α being the direction of the maxima and f′ being the focal length of the focusing optics.
For a wavelength of, for example, 1040 nm, the +/−1 th orders are at +/−0.014 degrees relative to the 0 th order. Thus, posterior to the focusing optics, which have a focal length of 20 mm, a deviation of 5 μm results between the foci. Due to a preferably provided groove shape of the grating, the major part of the energy is diffracted into the 0 th , the −1 th and the +1 th order. The differences in intensity between the three main maxima are minimal. Of course, other means are also possible for this purpose. If the threshold for the optical breakthrough is, for example, at 30% of the maximum intensity, only the 3 main maxima will produce an optical breakthrough. Thus, the beam has been tripled. FIGS. 5 a - c show the pupil function and the intensity distribution of a binary phase grating having a period of 4.16 mm, a bar-space-ratio of 1:1, a phase amplitude of 2.015 rad and a symmetric arrangement.
FIG. 5 a shows the pupil function for the grating in the form of an amplitude image 22 as well as a phase image 23 . The diffraction characteristics of this grating are illustrated in FIGS. 5 b and 5 c . As can be seen, the main energy flows into the 0 th order 24 as well as the +1 th order 25 and as the −1 th order 26 . FIG. 5 b shows the intensity values as the peak intensity for each order, normalized to the peak intensity of the 0 th order. The plotting of the intensity I in FIG. 5 c also illustrates that only the first three main maxima carry radiation sufficient for an optical breakthrough. Integral evaluation of the peaks shows that a mere 16.35% of the radiation energy passes into still higher orders of diffraction (2 nd orders and above) and is, thus, not available. Accordingly, the phase grating effectively achieves splitting of the processing beam 5 into a primary beam 24 (corresponding to the 0 th order) as well as two secondary beams 25 , 26 (corresponding to the +/−1 th orders).
In the described embodiments, the beam splitter anterior to the scanning mirrors 12 , 13 causes a fixed offset, e.g. in the y direction. If the scanners 12 , 13 are controlled according to a circular path for the 0 th order, the image of FIG. 6 will result in the target volume. The foci 15 a , 15 b move along circular paths 27 a, b, c whose centers are mutually offset.
In the case of such a fixed offset, a grating design is of advantage which two-dimensionally generates more than 3 foci. This can be achieved, for example, in that the primary beam is divided by the beam splitter 8 in two spatial directions. Said splitting may be effected by sequential splitting in two directions, which are preferably orthogonal to one another, as achieved, for example, by an arrangement of two diffraction gratings, which are rotated relative to each other at 90° about the beam axis. Since these two diffractive elements are to be arranged at least approximately in a position in the beam path that is optimal for splitting (pupil or near the pupil), an arrangement of the two in immediate spatial proximity to one another is preferred.
The focus image of an arrangement comprising 7 spots is schematically shown as an example in FIG. 7 . The individual spot paths 27 intersect several times, forming a ring-like pattern. The Figure shows the spot paths 27 , with the intersection of the spot paths 27 resulting from the fixed splitting being clearly visible. The unfavorable effects of an intersection can be reduced by greater distances between the individual spots 25 , bearing in mind, however, that all spots are located in one plane perpendicular to the optical axis. This prerequisite has to be taken into account when defining the separation distance. If two-dimensionally curved cut surfaces (e.g. spheres) are to be cut, this will result in an upper limit for the separation distance. In the case of a spherical cut having a radius of curvature of 20 mm, the strictest criterion occurs for points which are remote from the center. Depending on the definition of the depth tolerance, a specific distance from the center (e.g. 5 mm) will yield a maximum allowable separation distance (of the group of spots generated, i.e. a sort of diameter of the group of spots). This distance is, for example, 3 μm for a depth tolerance of 0.8 μm, approximately 5 μm for a depth tolerance of 1.3 μm, or 10 μm for a depth tolerance of 2.6 μm. A limitation to, for example, few μm in the diameter of the group of spots appears useful for applications.
In a further embodiment according to FIGS. 8 and 9 a - c , a segmented element whose segments consist of glass strips is used as the beam splitter 8 . The strips are provided as wedges A and C or as a planar plate B. An example is specifically dimensioned here. However, it is expressly pointed out that other sets of parameters also yield valuable solutions. Such sets can be found by a person skilled in the art by modifying the parameters explained below. FIG. 8 shows only the beams of segments A and B.
Each wedge A, C deflects a beam. For scanning optics having a focal length of 20 mm and a distance of 5 μm between the spots, an angle of separation of 0.014° results. This angle is formed by wedges having a refractive index of n=1.5 and a wedge angle of 1.72 angular minutes. In order to provide 3 beams (−0.014°/0°/+0.014°), the pupil can be divided. For this purpose, wedge segments and segments of planar plates are combined, as shown in FIGS. 9 a, b, c , which depict lateral views of the individual elements ( FIG. 9 a ) of the segmented element ( FIG. 9 b ) and a top view of the segmented element ( FIG. 9 c ).
The above-explained variants with fixed beam splitting generate a deflection anterior to the scanners 12 , 13 . This deflection is fixed and causes a fixed offset. In this case, each spot 15 for itself may move on a circular path, but the circular paths are not concentric. In order to avoid this, a manipulator unit realizes controlled beam splitting according to a further embodiment. In this case, beam splitting is effected depending on control signals from a control unit 28 . Said control unit 28 realizes a synchronization between the scanners 12 , 13 and a manipulator unit 29 for the beam splitter 8 , as shown in FIG. 10 .
Offset control is effected as a function of the target position of the primary spot and enables, for example, a spiral scan without the paths intersecting. The primary and secondary spots 15 a , 15 b move on concentric circular paths 27 a , 27 b having a fixed path distance 30 , as shown in FIG. 11 .
The manipulator may preferably be provided as a rotary beam splitter 8 according to FIGS. 12 a, b . As described above, the beam splitter 8 may be a phase grating or a segmented plate. The rotation of the beam splitter 8 is synchronized with the x and y control of the scanners by the control unit, so that, as a result, the secondary beams 9 rotate around the primary beam 10 .
If the beam is split into three parts (e.g. by the phase grating or the element consisting of wedge segments) and appropriately synchronized, the spots will move concentrically ( FIG. 13 ).
In a further embodiment for a manipulator unit 32 according to FIG. 14 , manipulation of the secondary beam 9 is effected separately. The primary beam 10 passes through the beam splitter 8 without manipulation. A splitter 31 separates a part of the processing beam, said part forming the secondary beam 9 which is subjected to manipulation (offset) in unit 32 . The secondary beam 9 then gets the primary beam 10 superimposed by means of a further splitter 33 . Utilizing polarization allows to optimize separation and superimposing with negligible losses. Two foci are generated. This variant is realizable in a fixed manner and in a controlled or synchronized manner.
The manipulator in unit 32 can be embodied in many ways, e.g. as a mirror (stationary or scanning), a rotary wedge and/or a pair of wedges which are rotated relative to each other for offset adjustment.
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An apparatus for material processing by laser radiation, including a laser source which emits a processing beam, and a beam path for focusing and scanning, the beam path focusing the processing beam into a processing volume and shifting the position of the focus therein. A beam splitting device generates several foci in the processing volume and the beam splitting device splits the processing beam up into a primary beam and at least one secondary beam and leaves the cross section of the beam in a pupil plane of the beam path unchanged during said division and introduces an angle of separation between the primary and secondary beams, so that these beams expand in the beam path in directions which differ by the angle of separation.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/433,283 filed on May 12, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to the field of aptamer- and nucleic acid-based diagnostics. More particularly, it relates to methods for the production and use of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (“FRET”) DNA or RNA aptamers for competitive displacement aptamer assay formats. The present invention provides for aptamer-related FRET assay schemes involving competitive displacement formats in which the aptamer contains fluorophores (“F”) (is F-labeled) and the target contains quenchers (“Q”) (is Q-labeled), or vice versa. The aptamer can be F-labeled or Q-labeled by incorporation of the F or Q derivatives of nucleotide triphosphates. Incorporation may be accomplished by simple chemical conjugations through bifunctional linkers, or key functional groups such as aldehydes, carbodiimides, carboxyls, N-hydroxy-succinimide (NHS) esters, thiols, etc.
[0004] 2. Background Information
[0005] Competitive displacement aptamer FRET is a new class of assay desirable for its use in rapid (within minutes), one-step, homogeneous assays involving no wash steps (simple bind and detect quantitative assays). Others have described FRET-aptamer methods for various target analytes that consist of placing the F and Q moieties either on the 5′ and 3′ ends respectively to act like a “molecular (aptamer) beacon” or placing only F in the heart of the aptamer structure to be “quenched” by another proximal F or the DNA or RNA itself. These preceding FRET-aptamer methods are all highly engineered and based on some prior knowledge of particular aptamer sequences and secondary structures, thereby enabling clues as to where F might be placed in order to optimize FRET results.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The nucleic acid-based “molecular beacons” snap open upon binding to an analyte or upon hybridizing to a complementary sequence, but beacons have always been end-labeled with F and Q at the 3′ and 5′ ends. The present invention provides that F-labeled or Q-labeled aptamers may be labeled anywhere in their structure that places the F or Q within the Förster distance of approximately 60-85 Angstroms of the corresponding F or Q on the labeled target analyte to achieve quenching prior to or after target analyte binding to the aptamer “binding pocket” (typically a “loop” in the secondary structure). The F and Q molecules used can include any number of appropriate fluorophores and quenchers as long as they are spectrally matched so the emission spectrum of F overlaps significantly (almost completely) with the absorption spectrum of Q.
[0007] A process in which F and Q are incorporated into an aptamer population is generally referred to as “doping.” The present invention provides a new method for natural selection of F-labeled or Q-labeled aptamers that contain F-NTPs or Q-NTPs in the heart of an aptamer binding loop or pocket by PCR, asymmetric PCR (using a 100:1 forward:reverse primer ratio), or other enzymatic means. The present invention describes a strain of aptamer in which F and Q are incorporated into an aptamer population via their nucleotide triphosphate derivatives (for example, Alexfluor™-NTP's, Cascade Blue®-NTP's, Chromatide®-NTP's, fluorescein-NTP's, rhodamine-NTP's, Rhodamine Green™-NTP's, tetramethylrhodamine-dNTP's, Oregon Green®-NTP's, and Texas Red®-NTP's may be used to provide the fluorophores, while dabcyl-NTP's, Black Hole Quencher or BHQ™-NTP's, and QSY™ dye-NTP's may be used for the quenchers) by PCR after several rounds of selection and amplification without the F- and Q-modified bases. The advantage of this F or Q “doping” method is two-fold: 1) the method allows nature to take its course and select the most sensitive F-labeled or Q-labeled aptamer target interactions in solution, and 2) the positions of F or Q within the aptamer structure can be determined via exonuclease digestion of the F-labeled or Q-labeled aptamer followed by mass spectral analysis of the resulting fragments, thereby eliminating the need to “engineer” the F or Q moieties into a prospective aptamer binding pocket or loop. Sequence and mass spectral data can be used to further optimize the competitive aptamer FRET assay performance after natural selection as well.
[0008] If the target molecule is a larger water-soluble molecule such as a protein, glycoprotein, or other water soluble macromolecule, then exposure of the nascent F-labeled and Q-labeled DNA or RNA random library to the free target analyte is done in solution. If the target is a soluble protein or other larger water-soluble molecule, then the optimal FRET-aptamer-target complexes are separated by size-exclusion chromatography. The FRET-aptamer-target complex population of molecules is the heaviest subset in solution and will emerge from a size-exclusion column first, followed by unbound FRET-aptamers and unbound proteins or other targets. Among the subset of analyte-bound aptamers there will be heterogeneity in the numbers of F- and Q-NTP's that are incorporated as well as nucleotide sequence differences, which will again effect the mass, electrical charge, and weak interaction capabilities (e.g., hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity) of each analyte-aptamer complex. These differences in physical properties of the aptamer-analyte complexes can then be used to separate out or partition the bound from unbound analyte-aptamer complexes.
[0009] If the target is a small molecule (generally defined as a molecule with molecular weight of ≦1,000 Daltons), then exposure of the nascent F-labeled and Q-labeled DNA or RNA random library to the target is done by immobilizing the target. The small molecule can be immobilized on a column, membrane, plastic or glass bead, magnetic bead, quantum dot, or other matrix. If no functional group is available on the small molecule for immobilization, the target can be immobilized by the Mannich reaction (formaldehyde-based condensation reaction) on a PharmaLink™ column from Pierce Chemical Co. Elution of bound DNA from the small molecule affinity column, membrane, beads or other matrix by use of 0.2-3.0M sodium acetate at a pH of between 3 and 7.
[0010] The candidate FRET-aptamers are separated based on physical properties such as charge or weak interactions by various types of HPLC, digested at each end with specific exonucleases (snake venom phosphodiesterase on the 3′ end and calf spleen phosphodiesterase on the 5′ end). The resulting oligonucleotide fragments, each one bases shorter than the predecessor, are subjected to mass spectral analysis which can reveal the nucleotide sequences as well as the positions of F and Q within the FRET-aptamers. Once the FRET-aptamer sequence is known with the positions of F and Q, it can be further manipulated during solid-phase DNA or RNA synthesis in an attempt to make the FRET assay more sensitive and specific.
[0011] The competitive displacement aptamer FRET assay format of the present invention is unique. The competitive format generally requires a lower affinity aptamer in order to be able to release the F-labeled or Q-labeled target analyte and allow competition for the binding site. This may lead to less sensitivity in some assays.
[0012] When running an assay, an aptamer is incorporated. In order to interact with the target molecule, the aptamer has a binding pocket or site. It is anticipated in some embodiments that the binding pocket is comprised of 3 to 6 nucleotides. These 3 or more nucleotides have a specific sequence or arrangement so as to confer the appropriate volume and conformation in 3-dimensional space to enable optimal binding to the target molecule. Where the target molecule can be any of the type described herein.
[0013] The described competitive FRET aptamer uses unique aptamer sequences. The following sequences are all aptamers that bind foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium and a surface protein from Listeria monocytogenes called “Listeriolysin.” F=forward and R=reverse primed sequences. The invention described herein may use one or more of the following aptamer sequences (the following aptamer sequences are collectively referred to as the “SEQ Aptamers.”) (The SEQ Aptamer identifiers are arranged alphabetically by aptamer target, and are listed 5′ to 3′ from left to right.):
Acetylcholine (ACh) Aptamer Sequences:
[0014]
[0000]
ACh1a For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACGATACCCGCTTATGAATTTTAAATTAATTGT
GATCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh1a Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGATCACAATTAATTTAAAATTCATAAGCGGGT
ATCGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 1b For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAACTTTCACACATACTTGTTATACCACACGATC
TTTTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 1b Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAAAAGATCGTGTGGTATAACAAGTATGTGTGA
AAGTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 2 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTTTGTAACTCATTTGTAGTTTGGGTTGCTCC
CCCTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 2 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAGGGGGAGCAACCCAAACTACAAATGAGTTAC
AAAGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 3 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTTCCCGCTTATCTTCATCCACTGCTTAGCAT
ATGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 3 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACATATGCTAAGCAGTGGATGAAGATAAGCGG
GAAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 5 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGGCACTGTATCACACCGTCAAGAATGTGATCC
CCTGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 5 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCAGGGGATCACATTCTTGACGGTGTGATACAG
TGCCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 6 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATGTCATTTACCTTCATCATGACAGTGTTAGTA
TACGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 6Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAGGGGATCAAAGCTATGCGACCATGCGAGTGG
ATACTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 7 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGTTGCCGCCTACCTTGATTATTCTACATTACC
CGTTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 7 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAACGGGTAATGTAGAATAATCAAGGTAGGCGG
CAACTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 8 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGTATACATACGAAGAGTTGAAACCAATGCTTC
GTTCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 8 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGAACGAAGCATTGGTTTCAACTCTTCGTATGT
ATACTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 9 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATACCCCGAATGGCTGTTTTCAGTACCAATATG
ACTCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 9 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGAGTCATATTGGTACTGAAAACAGCCATTCGG
GGTATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 10 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTGTCACGATCGTCGTTCCTTTTAATCCTTGT
GTCTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 10 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAGACACAAGGATTAAAAGGAACGACGATCGTG
ACAGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 11 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTGGACACTGACCCTCGCACTAGCTTTCTGAC
GGGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 11 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACCCGGCCGAAGAATAGTGCTCGGTACTTAGT
CGCGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
ACh 12 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTTGGACTTTAAATAGTGGACTCCTTCTTTGT
CTCGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
ACh 12 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCGAGACAAAGAAGGAGTCCACTATTTAAAGTC
CAAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
A25 For
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCA-TCATTTGCAAATATGAATTCCACTTAAAGAA
ATTCA-AGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
A25 Rev
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTTGAATTTCTTTAAGTGGAATTCATATTTGCAA
ATGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Acyl Homoserine Lactone (AHL) Quorum Sensing Molecules (N-Decanoyl-DL-Homoserine Lactone)
[0015]
[0000] Dec AHL 1For ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCCTAACTGGTCTAATTTTTGCTGTTACCGAT CCCGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT Dec AHL 1 Rev ATCCGTCACTCCTGCTCTCGGGATCGGTAACAGCAAAAATTAGACCAGTT AGGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT Dec AHL 13 For ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGCCTGACGAAAAAATTTTATCACTAAGTGATA CGCAAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT Dec AHL 13 Rev ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTTGCGTATCACTTAGTGATAAAATTTTTTCGTC AGGCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT Dec AHL 14 For ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGACCTACTTCAGAAACGGAAATGTTCTTAGCC GTCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT Dec AHL 14 Rev ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGACGGCTAAGAACATTTCCGTTTCTGAAGTAG GTCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT Dec AHL 15 For ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGGCCAACGAAACTCCTACTACATATAATGCTT ATGCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT Dec AHL 15 Rev ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCATAAGCATTATATGTAGTAGGAGTTTCGTT GGCCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT Dec AHL 17 For ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCCTAACTGGTCTAATTTTTGCTGTTACCGAT CCCGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT Dec AHL 17 Rev ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCGGGATCGGTAACAGCAAAAATTAGACCAGTT AGGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT Bacillus thuringiensis Spore Aptamer Sequence:
[0000]
CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGCCACTAACATGGGGACCAGGTGGTGTTGG
CTCCCGTATC
Botulinum Toxin (BoNT Type A) Aptamer Sequences:
BoNT A Holotoxin (Heavy Chain Plus Light Chain Linked Together)
[0016]
[0000]
CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCTATCACATGCCTGCTGAAGTGGTGTTGGC
TCCCGTATCA
BoNT A 50 kd Enzymatic Light Chain
[0017]
[0000] BoNT A Light Chain 1 CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGGGATGTGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTATCAAG GGCGAATTCT BoNT A Light Chain 2 CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGATCAGGGAAGACGCCAACACGTGGTGTTGG CTCCCGTATCA BoNT A Light Chain 3 CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTATCAAGGGCGAA TTCTGCAGATA Campylobacter jejuni Binding Aptamers:
[0000]
C1
CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGGGAGGGTGGCGCCCGTCTCGGTGGTGTTG
GCTCCCGTATCA
C2
CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGGATAGGGTCTCGTGCTAGATGTGGTGTTG
GCTCCCGTATCA
C3
CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGACCGGCGCTTATTCCTGCTTGTGGTGTTG
GCTCCCGTATCA
C4
CATCCGTCACACCTGCYCTGGAGCTGATATTGGATGGTCCGGTGGTGTTG
GCTCCCGTATCA
C5
CATCCGTCACACCTGCYCYGCCCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGATGTGGTGTTG
GCTCCCGTATCA
C6
CATCCGTCACACCTGCYCYGCCGGACCATCCAATATCAGCTGTGGTGTTG
GCTCCCGTATCA
Diazinon Binding Aptamers
[0018]
[0000] D12 Forward ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTAAATCAATTGTGCCGTGTTGGTCTTGTCTC ATCGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT D12 Reverse ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCGATGAGACAAGACCAACACGGCACAATTGAT TTAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT D17 Forward ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTTTTATTATCGGTATGATCCTACGAGTTCCT CCCAAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT D17 Reverse ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTTGGGAGGAACTCGTAGGATCATACCGATAATA AAAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT D18 Forward ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCGTATATCTTATTATGCACAGCATCACGAAA GTGCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT D18 Reverse ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCACTTTCGTGATGCTGTGCATAATAAGATAT ACGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT D19 Forward ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTAACGTTAAGCGGCCTCACTTCTTTTAATCC TTTCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT D19 Reverse ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGAAAGGATTAAAAGAAGTGAGGCCGCTTAACG TTAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT D20 Forward ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAATATAGAGGTATTGCTCTTGGACAAGGTACA GGGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT D20 Reverse ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCCCTGTACCTTGTCCAAGAGCAATACCTCTA TATTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT D25 Forward ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTAACGTTAAGCGGCCTCACTTCTTTTAATCC TTTCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT D25 Reverse ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGAAAGGATTAAAAGAAGTGAGGCCGCTTAACG TTAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Glucosamine (from LPS) Forward Aptamer Sequences:
[0000] G 1 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAATTAGGATACGGGGCAACAGAACGAGAGGGG GGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT G 2 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCGGACCAGGTCAGACAAGCACATCGGATATCC GGCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT G 4 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAATTAGGATACGGGGCAACAGAACGAGAGGGG GGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT G 5 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTTGAGTCAAAGAGTTTAGGGAGGAGCTAACATA ACAGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT G 7 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAACAACAATGCATCAGCGGGCTGGGAACGCAT GCGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT G 8 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGAACAGGTTATAAGCAGGAGTGATAGTTTCAG GATCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT G 9 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCGGCGGCTCGCAAACCGAGTGGTCAGCACCCG GGTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT G 10 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCGCAAGACGTAATCCACAAGACCGTGAAAAC ATAGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Glucosamine (from LPS) Reverse Sequences:
[0000] G 1 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCCCCCCTCTCGTTCTGTTGCCCCGTATCCT AATTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT G 2 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGCCGGATATCCGATGTGCTTGTCTGACCTGGT CCGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT G 4 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCCCCCCTCTCGTTCTGTTGCCCCGTATCCT AATTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT G 5 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTGTTATGTTAGCTCCTCCCTAAACTCTTTGA CTCAAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT G 7 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCGCATGCGTTCCCAGCCCGCTGATGCATTGT TGTTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT G 8 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGATCCTGAAACTATCACTCCTGCTTATAACCT GTTCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT G 9 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAACCCGGGTGCTGACCACTCGGTTTGCGAGCCG CCGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT G 10 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTATGTTTTCACGGTCTTGTGGATTACGTCTT GCGCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
KDO Antigen from LPS (Forward Primed):
[0000] K 2 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAGGCGTAGTGACTAAGTCGCGCGAAAATCACA GCATTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT K 5 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCAGCGGCAGCTATACAGTGAGAACGGACTAGT GCGTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT K 7 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGCAAATAATACTAGCGATGATGGATCTGGAT AGACTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT K 8 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGGGGTGCGACTTAGGGTAAGTGGGAAAGACG ATGCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT K 9 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCAAGAGGAGATGAACCAATCTTAGTCCGACAG GCGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT K 10 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGCCCGGAATTGTCATGACGTCACCTACACCT CCTGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
KDO Antigen from LPS (Reverse Primed):
[0000] K 2 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAATGCTGTGATTTTCGCGCGACTTAGTCACTAC GCCTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT K 5 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAACGCACTAGTCCGTTCTCACTGTATAGCTGCC GCTGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT K 7 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGTCTATCCAGATCCATCATCGCTAGTATTATT TGCCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT K 8 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGCATCGTCTTTCCCACTTACCCTAAGTCGCAC CCCCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT K 9 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCGCCTGTCGGACTAAGATTGGTTCATCTCCT CTTGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT K 10 Rev ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACAGGAGGTGTAGGTGACGTCATGACAATTCCG GGCCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT Leishmania donovani Binding Aptamer Sequences:
Leishmania donovani Clone: 940-3
[0000] Forward: GATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCCGTATCGTTCCCAATGCACTCAGAGCAGG TGTGACGGATG Reverse: CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGAGTGCATTGGGAACGATACGGGTGGTGTTG GCTCCCGTATG Leishmania donovani Clone: 940-5
[0000] Forward: GATACGGGAGCCAACACCACGTTCCCATACAAGTTACTGACAGAGCAGGT GTGACGGATG Reverse: CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTCAGTAACTTGTATGGGAACGTGGTGTTGG CTCCCGTATC
Whole LPS from E. coli O111:B4 Binding Aptamer Sequences (Forward Primed):
[0000] LPS 1 For ATCCGTCACCCCTGCTCTCGTCGCTATGAAGTAACAAAGATAGGAGCAAT CGGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LPS 3 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAACGAAGACTGAAACCAAAGCAGTGACAGTGC TGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LPS 4 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCGGTGACAATAGCTCGATCAGCCCAAAGTCGT CAGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LPS 6 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAACGAAATAGACCACAAATCGATACTTTATGT TATTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LPS 7 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTCGAATGCTCTGCCTGGAAGAGTTGTTAGCA GGGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LPS 8 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTTAAGCCGAGGGGTAAATCTAGGACAGGGGTCC ATGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LPS 9 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACTGGCCGGCTCAGCATGACTAAGAAGGAAGT TATGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LPS 10 For ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGTACGAATCACAGGGGATGCTGGAAGCTTGG CTCTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Whole LPS from E. coli O111:B4 Binding Aptamer Sequences (Reverse Primed):
[0000]
LPS 1 Rev
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCCGATTGCTCCTATCTTTGTTACTTCATAGC
GACGAGAGCAGGGGTGACGGAT
LPS 3 Rev
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCAGCACTGTCACTGCTTTGGTTTCAGTCTT
CGTTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LPS 4 Rev
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCTGACGACTTTGGGCTGATCGAGCTATTGTC
ACCGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LPS 6 Rev
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAATAACATAAAGTATCGATTTGTGGTCTATTTC
GTTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LPS 7 Rev
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCCCTGCTAACAACTCTTCCAGGCAGAGCATT
CGACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LPS 8 Rev
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCATGGACCCCTGTCCTAGATTTACCCCTCGG
CTTAAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LPS 9 Rev
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACATAACTTCCTTCTTAGTCATGCTGAGCCGGC
CAGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LPS 10 Rev
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAAGAGCCAAGCTTCCAGCATCCCCTGTGATTCG
TACCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Methylphosphonic Acid (MPA) Binding Aptamer Sequences:
[0019]
[0000]
MPA Forward
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTAAATCAATTGTGCCGTGTTCCTCTTGTCTC
ATCGAGAGCAGGTTGTACGGAT
MPA Reverse
ATCCGTACAACCTGCTCTCGATGAGACAAGAGGAACACGGCACAATTGAT
TTAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Malathion Binding Aptamer Sequences:
[0020]
[0000]
M17 Forward
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGCAGTCAAGAAGTTAAGAGAAAAACAATTGTG
TATAAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
M17 Reverse
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTTATACACAATTGTTTTTCTCTTAACTTCTTGA
CTGCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
M21 Forward
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCGCCACAAGATTGCGGAAAGACACCCGGGGG
GCTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
M21 Reverse
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAAGCCCCCCGGGTGTCTTTCCGCAATCTTGTGG
CGCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
M25 Forward
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGCCTTATGTAAAGCGTTGGGTGGTGTTGGCT
CCCGTAT
M25 Reverse
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCCAACGCTTTACATAAGGCCAGAGCAGGTGT
GACGGAT
Poly-D-Glutamic Acid Binding Aptamer Sequences:
[0021]
[0000]
PDGA 2F
CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGTTCGCCCCGGTCAAGGAGAGTGGTGTTGG
CTCCCGTATC
PDGA 2R
GATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTCTCCTTGACCGGGGCGAACCAGAGCAGGT
GTGACGGATG
PDGA 5F
CATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGATAAGATCAGCAACAAGTTAGTGGTGTTG
GCTCCCGTATC
PDGA 5R
GATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTAACTTGTTGCTGATCTTATCAGAGCAGGT
GTGACGGATG
Rough Ra Mutant LPS Core Antigen Binding Aptamer Sequences (Forward Primed):
[0022]
[0000]
R 1F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCCGCACGTAGGACCACTTTGGTACACGCTCCC
GTAGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
R 5F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACGGATGAACGAAGATTTTAAAGTCAAGCTAA
TGCATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
R 6F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTAGTGAAGAGTCCGCAGTCCACGCTGTTCAA
CTCATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
R 7F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACCGGCTGGCACGGTTATGTGTGACGGGCGAA
GATATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
R 8F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACCGGCTGGCACGGTTATGTGTGACGGGCGAA
GATATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
R 9F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCGTGTGGAGCGCCTAGGTGAGTGGTGTTGGC
TCCCGTAT
R 10F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGATGTCCCTTTGAAGAGTTCCATGACGCTGGC
TCCTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Roueh Ra Mutant LPS Core Antigen Binding Aptamer Sequences (Reverse Primed):
[0023]
[0000]
R 1R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTACGGGAGCGTGTACCAAAGTGGTCCTACGT
GCGGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
R 5R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATGCATTAGCTTGACTTTAAAATCTTCGTTCAT
CCGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
R 6R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATGAGTTGAACAGCGTGGACTGCGGACTCTTCA
CTACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
R 7R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATATCTTCGCCCGTCACACATAACCGTGCCAGC
CGGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
R 8R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATATCTTCGCCCGTCACACATAACCGTGCCAGC
CGGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
R 9R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACTCACCTAGGCGCTCCACACGCAGAGCAGGTG
TGACGGAT
R 10R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAAGGAGCCAGCGTCATGGAACTCTTCAAAGGGA
CATCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman Binding Aptamer Sequences:
[0024]
[0000]
Soman 20F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATAGTGTTGGGCCAATACGGTAACGTGTCCTTG
GAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 20R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCCAAGGACACGTTACCGACGAATTGGCCCAAC
ACTATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 23F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACACATACGAGTTATCTCGAGTAGAGCATGTTT
TGCCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 23R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGCAAAACATGCTCTACTCGAGATAACTCGTA
TGTGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 24F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGGCCATCTATTGTTCGTTTTTCTATTTATCTC
ACCCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Somna 24R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGGTGAGATAAATAGAAAAACGAACAATAGAT
GGCCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 25F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACACATACGAGTTATCTCGAGTAGAGCATGTTT
TGCCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 25R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGCAAAACATGCTCTACTCGAGATAACTCGTA
TGTGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 28F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCCATAGCTCATCTATACCCTCTTCCGAGTCC
CACCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 28R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGTGGGACTCGGAAGAGGGTATAGATGAGCTA
TGGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 33F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGATAGTGACGGATGCAGA
GCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 33R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCATCCGTCACTATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGG
TGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 41F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCTTATGACGCCTCAGTACCACATCGTTTAGT
CTGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 41R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACAGACTAAACGATGTGGTACTGAGGCGTCAT
AAGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 45F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCCGTTTTTGATCTAATGAGGATACAATATTC
GTCTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 45R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAGACGAATATTGTATCCTCATTAGATCAAAAA
CGGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 46F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCGAGCTCCTTGGCCCCGTTAGGATTAACGTG
ATGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 46R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACATCACGTTAATCCTAACGGGGCCAAGGAGC
TCGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 47F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCAGAACCAAATATACATCTTCCTATGATATG
GTGGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 47R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCCACCATATCATAGGAAGATGTATATTTGGTT
CTGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Soman 48F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACACGATTGCTCCTCTCATTGTTACTTCATAGC
GACGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Soman 48R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCGTCGCTATGAAGTAACAATGAGAGGAGCAAT
CGTGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
Teichoic Acid or Lipoteichoic Acid Binding Aptamer Sequences:
[0025]
[0000] T5 F GATACGGGACGACACCACACTATGGGTCGTTTAGCATCAAGGCTAGCCAA GCCAGCAGAGGTGTGGTGAATG T5 R CATTCACCACACCTCTGCTGGCTTGGCTAGCCTTGATGCTAAACGACCCA TAGTGTGGTGTCGTCCCGTATC T6 F CATTCACCACACCTCTGCTGGAGGAGGAAGTGGTCTGGAGTTACTTGACA TAGTGTGGTGTCGTCCCGTATC T6 R GATACGGGACGACACCACACTATGTCAAGTAACTCCAGACCACTTCCTCC TCCAGCAGAGGTGTGGTGAATG T7 F CATTCACCACACCTCTGCTGGACGGAAACAATCCCCGGGTACGAGAATCA GGGTGTGGTGTCGTCCCGTATC T7 R GATACGGGACGACACCACACCCTGATTCTCGTACCCGGGGATTGTTTCCG TCCAGCAGAGGTGTGGTGAATG T9 F CATTCACCACACCTCTGCTGGAAACCTACCATTAATGAGACATGATGCGG TGGTGTGGTGTCGTCCCGTATC T9 R GATACGGGACGACACCACACCACCGCATCATGTCTCATTAATGGTAGGTT TCCAGCAGAGGTGTGGTGAATG E. coli O157 Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
[0000] E-5F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGTGGAATGGACTAAGCTAGCTAGCGTTTTAA AAGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT E-11F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTAAGGGGGGGGAATCGCTTTCGTCTTAAGAT GACATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT E-12F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCCGGACCATCCAATATCAGCTGTGGTGTTGG CTCCCGTAT(59) E-16F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTATCCGTCACGCCTGCTCTATCCGTCACACCTG CTCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT E-17F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTATCAAATGTGCAGATATCAAGACGATTTGTAC AAGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT E-18F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTAGATGGCAAGGCATAAGCGTCCGGAACGAT AGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT E-19F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTAGATGGCAAGGCATAAGCGTCCGGAACGAT AGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT E-5R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCTTTTAAAACGCTAGCTAGCTTAGTCCATTC CACCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT E-11R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATGTCATCTTAAGACGAAAGCGATTCCCCCCCC TTACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT E-12R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACAGCTGATATTGGATGGTCCGGCAGAGCAGGT GTGACGGAT E-16R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGATAGAGCAGGCGTGACG GATAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT E-17R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCTTGTACAAATCGTCTTGATATCTGCACATT TGATAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT E-18R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCTATCGTTCCGGACGCTTATGCCTTGCCAT CTACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT E-19R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCTATCGTTCCGGACGCTTATGCCTTGCCAT CTACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Listeriolysin (a Surface Protein on Listeria monocytogenes )
[0000]
LO-10F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCCGGACCATCCAATATCAGCTGTGGTGTTGG
CTCCCGTAT
LO-11F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGTGGAATGGACTAAGCTAGCTAGCGTTTTAA
AAGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
LO-13F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTTAAAGTAGAGGCTGTTCTCCAGACGTCGCAGG
AGGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
LO-15F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTAGATGGCAAGGCATAAGCGTCCGGAACGAT
AGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
LO-16F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTAGATGGCAAGGCATAAGCGTCCGGAACGAT
AGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
LO-17F
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCA
CAGCTGATATTGGATGGTCCGGCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LO-19F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTTGGGCAGGAGCGAGAGACTCTAATGGTAAGCA
AGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
LO-20F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCCAACAAGGCGACCGACCGCATGCAGATAGCC
AGGTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
LO-10R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACAGCTGATATTGGATGGTCCGGCAGAGCAGGT
GTGACGGAT
LO-11R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCTTTTAAAACGCTAGCTAGCTTAGTCCATTC
CACCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LO-13R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCCTCCTGCGACGTCTGGAGAACAGCCTCTAC
TTTAAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LO-15R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCTATCGTTCCGGACGCTTATGCCTTGCCAT
CTACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LO-16R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCTATCGTTCCGGACGCTTATGCCTTGCCAT
CTACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LO-17R
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCCGGACCATCCAATATCAGCTGTGGTGTTGG
CTCCCGTAT
LO-19R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCTTGCTTACCATTAGAGTCTCTCGCTCCTG
CCCAAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
LO-20R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAACCTGGCTATCTGCATGCGGTCGGTCGCCTTG
TTGGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
Listeriolysin (Alternate Form of Listeria Surface Protein Designated “Pest-Free”)
[0026]
[0000] LP-3F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTAGATGGCAAGGCATAAGCGTCCGGAACGAT AGAATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LP-11F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTAACCAAAAGGGTAGGAGACCAAGCTAGCGATT TGGATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LP-13F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCCGGACCATCCAATATCAGCT GTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LP-14F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGAAGCCTAACGGAGAAGATGGCCCTACTGCCG TAGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LP-15F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACTAAACAAGGGCAAACTGTAAACACAGTAGG GGCGTGGTGTTGG CTCCCGTAT LP-17F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTATAGCTTGGCTCCCGTA TGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LP-18F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTCGCGATGATGAGCAGCAGCGCAGGAGGGAG GGGGTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT LP-20F ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGATCAGGGAAGACGCCAACACTGGTGTTGGCT CCCGTAT LP-3R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATTCTATCGTTCCGGACGCTTATGCCTTGCCAT CTACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT LP-11R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATCCAAATCGCTAGCTTGGTCTCCTACCCTTTT GGTTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT LP-13R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACAGCTGATATTGGATGGTCCGGCAGAGCAGGT GTGACGGAT LP-14R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCTACGGCAGTAGGGCCATCTTCTCCGTTAGG CTTCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT LP-15R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACGCCCCTACTGTGTTTACAGTTTGCCCTTGTT TAGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT LP-17R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATACGGGAGCCAAGCTATACGGGAGCCAACACC AGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT LP-18R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACCCCCTCCCTCCTGCGCTGCTGCTCATCATCG CGACAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT LP-20R ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGTGTTGGCGTCTTCCCTGATCAGAGCAGGTGT GACGGAT Salmonella typhimurium Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
[0000]
St-7F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGTCCAAAGGCTACGCGTTAACGTGGTGTTGGC
TCCCGTAT
St-10F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGAGCAATATGGTGGAGAAACGTGGTGTTGGC
TCCCGTAT
St-11F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGCCGGACCATCCAATATCAGCTGTGGTGTTGG
CTCCCGTAT
St-15F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGAACAGGATAGGGATTAGCGAGTCAACTAAGC
AGCATGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
St-16F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTGGCGGACAGGAAATAAGAATGAACGCAAAATT
TATCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
St-18F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTACGCAACGCGACAGGAACATTCATTATAGAAT
GTGTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
St-19F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTCGGCTGCAATGCGGGAGAGTAGGGGGGAACCA
AACCTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
St-20F
ATCCGTCACACCTGCTCTATGACTGGAACACGGGTATCGATGATTAGATG
TCCTTGGTGTTGGCTCCCGTAT
St-7R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACGTTAACGCGTAGCCTTTGGACAGAGCAGGTG
TGACGGAT
St-10R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACGTTTCTCCACCATATTGCTCCAGAGCAGGTG
TGACGGAT
St-11R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCACAGCTGATATTGGATGGTCCGGCAGAGCAGGT
GTGACGGAT
St-15R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCATGCTGCTTAGTTGACTCGCTAATCCCTATCCT
GTTCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
St-16R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGATAAATTTTGCGTTCATTCTTATTTCCTGTC
CGCCAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
St-18R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAACACATTCTATAATGAATGTTCCTGTCGCGTT
GCGTAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
St-19R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAGGTTTGGTTCCCCCCTACTCTCCCGCATTGCA
GCCGAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
St-20R
ATACGGGAGCCAACACCAAGGACATCTAATCATCGATACCCGTGTTCCAG
TCATAGAGCAGGTGTGACGGAT
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 . is a schematic illustration that illustrates a comparison of possible nucleic acid FRET assay formats.
[0028] FIGS. 2A . and 2 B. are line graphs mapping relative fluorescence intensity against the concentration of surface protein from L. donovani from various freeze-dried and reconstituted competitive FRET-aptamer assays.
[0029] FIGS. 3A . and 3 B. are “lights on” competitive FRET-aptamer spectra and a line graph for E. coli bacteria using aptamers generated against various components of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) such as the rough core (Ra) antigen and the 2-keto-3-deoxyoctanate (KDO) antigen.
[0030] FIGS. 4A . and 4 B. are “lights on” competitive FRET-aptamer spectra and a bar graph for Enterococcus faecalis bacteria using aptamers generated against lipoteichoic acid.
[0031] FIGS. 5A . and 5 B. are “lights off” competitive FRET-aptamer spectra and line graphs in response to increasing amounts of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) aphthovirus surface peptide.
[0032] FIGS. 6A . and 6 B. are “lights on” competitive FRET-aptamer spectra and FIG. 6C . is a line graph in response to increasing amounts of methylphosphonic acid (MPA; an organophosphorus (OP) nerve agent breakdown product).
[0033] FIGS. 7A and 7B . are Sephadex G25 size-exclusion column profiles of complexes of Alexa Fluor (AF) 546-dUTP-labeled competitive FRET-aptamers bound to BHQ-2-amino-MPA (quencher-labeled target). The fractions with the highest absorbance at 260 nm (DNA aptamer), 555 nm (AF 546), and 579 nm (BHQ-2) were pooled and used in the competitive assay for unlabeled MPA, because these fractions contain the FRET-aptamer-quencher-labeled target complexes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0034] Referring to the figures, FIG. 1 . provides a comparison of possible nucleic acid FRET assay formats. It illustrates how the competitive aptamer FRET scheme differs from other oligonucleotide-based FRET assay formats. Upper left is a molecular beacon ( 10 ) which may or may not be an aptamer, but is typically a short oligonucleotide used to hybridize to other DNA or RNA molecules and exhibit FRET upon hybridizing. Molecular beacons are only labeled with F and Q at the ends of the DNA molecule. Lower left is a signaling aptamer ( 12 ), which does not contain a quencher molecule, but relies upon fluorophore self-quenching or weak intrinsic quenching of the DNA or RNA to achieve limited FRET. Upper right is an intrachain FRET-aptamer ( 14 ) containing F and Q molecules built into the interior structure of the aptamer. Intrachain FRET-aptamers are naturally selected and characterized by the processes described herein. Lower right shows a competitive aptamer FRET ( 16 ) motif in which the aptamer container either F or Q and the target molecule ( 18 ) is labeled with the complementary F or Q. Introduction of unlabeled target molecules ( 20 ) then shifts the equilibrium so that some labeled target molecules are liberated from the labeled aptamer and modulate the fluorescence level of the solution up or down thereby achieving FRET. A target analyte ( 20 ) is either unlabeled or labeled with a quencher (Q). F and Q can be switched from placement in the aptamer to placement in the target analyte and vice versa.
[0035] F-labeled or Q-labeled aptamers (labeled by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), asymmetric PCR (to produce a predominately single-stranded amplicon) using Taq, Deep Vent Exo − or other heat-resistant DNA polymerases, or other enzymatic incorporation of F-NTPs or Q-NTPs) may be used in competitive or displacement type assays in which the fluorescence light levels change proportionately in response to the addition of various levels of unlabeled analyte which compete to bind with the F-labeled or Q-labeled analytes.
[0036] Competitive aptamer-FRET assays may be used for the detection and quantitation of small molecules (<1,000 daltons) including pesticides, acetylcholine (ACh), organophosphate (“OP”) nerve agents such as sarin, soman, and VX, OP nerve agent breakdown products such as MPA, isopropyl-MPA, ethylmethyl-MPA, pinacolyl-MPA, etc., acetylcholine (ACh), acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) and other quorum sensing (QS) molecules natural and synthetic amino acids and their derivatives (e.g., histidine, histamine, homocysteine, DOPA, melatonin, nitrotyrosine, etc.), short chain proteolysis products such as cadaverine, putrescine, the polyamines spermine and spermidine, nitrogen bases of DNA or RNA, nucleosides, nucleotides, and their cyclical isoforms (e.g., cAMP and cGMP), cellular metabolites (e.g., urea, uric acid), pharmaceuticals (therapeutic drugs), drugs of abuse (e.g., narcotics, hallucinogens, gamma-hydroxybutyrate, etc.), cellular mediators (e.g., cytokines, chemokines, immune modulators, neural modulators, inflammatory modulators such as prostaglandins, etc.), or their metabolites, explosives (e.g., trinitrotoluene) and their breakdown products or byproducts, peptides and their derivatives, macromolecules including proteins (such as bacterial surface proteins from Leishmania donovani , See FIGS. 2A and 2B ), glycoproteins, lipids, glycolipids, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and LPS components (e.g., ethanolamine, glucosamine, LPS-specific sugars, KDO, rough core antigens, etc.), viruses, whole cells (bacteria and eukaryotic cells, cancer cells, etc.), and subcellular organelles or cellular fractions.
[0037] If the target molecule is a larger water-soluble molecule such as a protein, glycoprotein, or other water soluble macromolecule, then exposure of the nascent F-labeled and Q-labeled DNA or RNA random library to the free target analyte is done in solution. If the target is a soluble protein or other larger water-soluble molecule, then the optimal FRET-aptamer-target complexes are separated by size-exclusion chromatography. The FRET-aptamer-target complex population of molecules is the heaviest subset in solution and will emerge from a size-exclusion column first, followed by unbound FRET-aptamers and unbound proteins or other targets. Among the subset of analyte-bound aptamers there will be heterogeneity in the numbers of F- and Q-NTP's that are incorporated as well as nucleotide sequence differences, which will again effect the mass, electrical charge, and weak interaction capabilities (e.g., hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity) of each analyte-aptamer complex. These differences in physical properties of the aptamer-analyte complexes can then be used to separate out or partition the bound from unbound analyte-aptamer complexes.
[0038] If the target is a small molecule, then exposure of the nascent F-labeled and Q-labeled DNA or RNA random library to the target may be done by immobilizing the target. The small molecule can be immobilized on a column, membrane, plastic or glass bead, magnetic bead, quantum dot, or other matrix. If no functional group is available on the small molecule for immobilization, the target can be immobilized by the Mannich reaction (formaldehyde-based condensation reaction) on a PharmaLink™ column. Elution of bound DNA from the small molecule affinity column, membrane, beads or other matrix by use of 0.2-3.0M sodium acetate at a pH of between 3 and 7.
[0039] These can be separated from the non-binding doped DNA molecules by running the aptamer-protein aggregates (or selected aptamers-protein aggregates) through a size exclusion column, by means of size-exclusion chromatography using Sephadex™ or other gel materials in the column. Since they vary in weight due to variations in aptamers sequences and degree of labeling, they can be separated into fractions with different fluorescence intensities. Purification methods such as preparative gel electrophoresis are possible as well. Small volume fractions (<1 mL) can be collected from the column and analyzed for absorbance at 260 nm and 280 nm which are characteristic wavelengths for DNA and proteins. In addition, the characteristic absorbance wavelengths for the fluorophore and quencher ( FIGS. 7A and 7B ) should be monitored. The heaviest materials come through a size-exclusion column first. Therefore, the DNA-protein complexes will come out of the column before either the DNA or protein alone.
[0040] Means of separating FRET-aptamer-target complexes from solution by alternate techniques (other than size-exclusion chromatography) include, without limitation, molecular weight cut off spin columns, dialysis, analytical and preparative gel electrophoresis, various types of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thin layer chromatography (TLC), and differential centrifugation using density gradient materials.
[0041] The optimal (most sensitive or highest signal to noise ratio) FRET-aptamers among the bound class of FRET-aptamer-target complexes are identified by assessment of fluorescence intensity for various fractions of the FRET-aptamer-target class. The separated DNA-protein complexes will exhibit the highest absorbance at established wavelengths, such as 260 nm and 280 nm. The fractions showing the highest absorbance at the given wavelengths, such as 260 nm and 280 nm, are then further analyzed for fluorescence and those fractions exhibiting the greatest fluorescence are selected for separation and sequencing.
[0042] These similar FRET-aptamers may be further separated using techniques such as ion pair reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography (IEC, either low pressure or HPLC versions of IEC), thin layer chromatography (TLC), capillary electrophoresis, or similar techniques.
[0043] The final FRET aptamers are able to act as one-step “lights on” or “lights off” binding and detection components in assays.
[0044] Intrachain FRET-aptamers that are to be used in assays with long shelf-lives may be lyophilized (freeze-dried) and reconstituted.
[0045] FIGS. 2A . and 2 B. are line graphs mapping the fluorescence intensity of the DNA aptamers against the concentration of the surface protein. The figures present results from two independent trials of a competitive aptamer-FRET assay involving fluorophore-labeled DNA aptamers and surface extracted proteins from Leishmania donovani bacteria. In this type of assay, the fluorescence intensity decreases as a function of increasing analyte concentration, and is thus referred to as a “lights off” assay. If the fluorescence intensity increases as a function of increasing analyte concentration, then it is referred to as a “lights on” assay. Also shown are translations of the assay curve up or down due to lyophilization (freeze-drying) in the absence or presence of 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Error bars represent the standard deviations of the mean for three measurements.
[0046] FIGS. 3A . and 3 B. are FRET fluorescence spectra and line graphs generated as a function of live E. coli (Crooks strain, ATCC No. 8739) concentration using LPS component competitive FRET-aptamers. Error bars represent the standard deviations of the mean for four measurements.
[0047] FIGS. 4A . and 4 B. are FRET fluorescence spectra and line graphs generated as a function of live Enterococcus faecalis concentration using lipoteichoic acid (TA) competitive FRET-aptamers. Error bars represent the standard deviations of the mean for four measurements.
[0048] FIGS. 5A . and 5 B. are FRET fluorescence spectra and line graphs generated as a function of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) peptide concentration using FMD peptide competitive FRET-aptamers. Error bars represent the standard deviations of the mean for four measurements.
[0049] FIGS. 6A . and 6 B. are FRET fluorescence spectra, and FIG. 6C . is a line graph, all generated as a function of methylphosphonic acid (MPA; OP nerve agent degradation product) concentration using MPA competitive FRET-aptamers to represent possible FRET-aptamer assays for MPA and OP nerve agents such as pesticides, sarin, soman, VX, etc. Error bars represent the standard deviations of the mean for four measurements.
[0050] FIGS. 7A . and 7 B. are two independent Sephadex™ G25 elution profiles for BHQ-2-amino-MPA-AF 546-MPA aptamer complex based on absorbance peaks characteristic of the aptamer (260 nm), fluorophore (555 nm), and quencher (579 nm) to assess the optimal fraction for competitive FRET-aptamer assay of MPA shown in FIG. 6 . Similar elution profiles can be expected for all such soluble targets when the target is quencher-labeled and complexed to a fluorophore-labeled aptamer.
Example 1
Competitive Aptamer-FRET Assay for Surface Proteins Extracted from Bacteria ( L. donovani )
[0051] In this example, surface proteins from heat-killed Leishmania donovani were extracted with 3 M MgCl 2 overnight at 4° C. These proteins were then linked to tosyl-magnetic microbeads and used in a standard SELEX aptamer generation protocol. After 5 rounds of SELEX, the aptamer population was “doped” during the standard PCR reaction with 3 uM fluorescein-dUTP and purified on 10 kD molecular weight cut off spin columns. Some of the L. donovani surface proteins were then labeled with dabcyl-NHS ester and purified on a PD-10 (Sephadex G25) column. The dabcyl-labeled surface proteins were combined with the fluorescein-labeled aptamer population so as to produce a 1:1 fluorescein-aptamer:dabcyl-protein ratio. Thereafter, unlabeled L. donovani surface proteins were introduced into the assay system to compete with the labeled proteins for binding to the aptamers, thereby producing the “lights off” FRET assay results depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B (fresh assay results, solid line). The assays were also examined following lyophilization (freeze drying) and reconstitution (rehydration) in the presence or absence of 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) as a possible preservative with the results shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B . The DNA sequences of several of these candidate Leishmania aptamers are given in SEQ IDs XX-XX.
Example 2
Competitive Fret-Aptamer Assay for E. Coli in Environmental Water Samples or Foods Using LPS Component Aptamers
[0052] E. coli , especially the enterohemorrhagic strains such as O157:H7 which produce Verotoxin or Shiga toxins, are of concern in environmental water samples and foods. Their rapid detection (within minutes) with ultrasensitivity is important in protecting swimmers as well as those consuming water and foods. In this example, aptamers were generated against whole LPS from E. coli O111:B4 and its components such as glucosamine, KDO, and the rough mutant core antigen (Ra; lacking the outer oligosaccharide chains). In the case of glucosamine, the free primary amine in its structure enabled conjugation to tosyl-magnetic beads. KDO antigen was immobilized onto amine-conjugated magnetic beads via its carboxyl group and the bifunctional linker EDC. The rough Ra core antigen and whole LPS were linked to amine-magnetic beads via reductive amination using sodium periodate to oxidize the saccharides to aldehydes followed by the use of sodium cyanoborohydride for reductive amination as will be clear to anyone skilled in the art. Once immobilized the target-magnetic beads were used for aptamer affinity selection from a random library of 72 base aptamers (randomized 36mer flanked by known 18mer primer regions). After 5 rounds of aptamer selection and amplification, the various LPS component aptamer populations were subjected to 10 rounds of PCR in the presence of Alexa Fluor (AF) 546-14-dUTP (Invitrogen), then heated to 95° C. for 5 minutes and added to heat-killed E. coli O157:H7 (Kirkegaard Perry Laboraties, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md.) and used in competitive FRET-aptamer assays with various concentrations of unlabeled live E. coli (Crooks strain, ATCC No. 8739) resulting in the FRET spectra and line graphs shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B . Candidate DNA aptamer sequences for detection of LPS 0111 and LPS components or associated E. coli and other Gram negative bacteria are given in SEQ ID Nos. XX-XX.
Example 3
Competitive FRET-Aptamer Assay for Enterococci in Environmental Water Samples
[0053] Gram positive enterococci, such as Enterococcus faecalis , are also indicators of fecal contamination of environmental water, recreational waters, or treated wastewater (effluent from sewage treatment plants). Water testers desire to detect the presence of these bacteria rapidly (within minutes) and with great sensitivity. In this example, aptamers were generated against whole lipoteichoic acid (TA; teichoic acid). TA from E. faecalis was immobilized on magnetic beads by reductive amination using sodium periodate to first oxidize saccharides into aldehydes followed by reductive amination using amine-magnetic beads and sodium cyanoborohydride as will be known to anyone skilled in the art. Once immobilized the target-magnetic beads were used for aptamer affinity selection from a random library of 72 base aptamers (randomized 36mer flanked by known 18mer primer regions). After 5 rounds of aptamer selection and amplification, the TA aptamer population was subjected to 10 rounds of PCR in the presence of AF 546-14-dUTP (Invitrogen), then heated to 95° C. for 5 minutes and added to live E. faecalis . The complexes were purified by centrifugation and washing and used in competitive FRET-aptamer assays with various concentrations of unlabeled live E. faecalis resulting in the FRET spectra and bar graphs shown in FIGS. 4A . and 4 B. Candidate DNA aptamer sequences for detection of lipoteichoic acid (TA) and associated enterococi or other Gram positive bacteria are given in SEQ ID Nos. XX-XX.
Example 4
Detection of Foot-And-Mouth (FMD) Disease or Other Highly Communicable Viruses Among Animal or Human Populations
[0054] FMD has not existed in the United States for decades, but if it were reintroduced via agricultural bioterrorism or accidental means, it could cripple the multi-billion dollar livestock industry. Hence, rapid detection of FMD in the field (on farms) is of great value in quarantining infected animals or farms and limiting the spread of FMD. Likewise, epidemiologists have many uses for rapid field detection and identification of viruses and other microbes such as influenzas, potential small pox outbreaks, etc. which FRET-aptamer assays could satisfy. A highly conserved peptide from the VP 1 structural protein of O-type FMD, which is widely distributed throughout the world, was chosen as the aptamer development target. The peptide had the following primary amino acid sequence: RHKQKIVAPVKQLL. This sequence corresponds to amino acids 200 through 213 of 16 different O-type FMD viruses and represents a neutralizable antigenic region wherein antibodies are known to bind. The FMD peptide was immobilized on tosyl-magnetic beads via the three lysine residues in its structure. Once immobilized the target-magnetic beads were used for aptamer affinity selection from a random library of 72 base aptamers (randomized 36mer flanked by known 18mer primer regions). After 5 rounds of aptamer selection and amplification, the FMD (peptide) aptamer populations were subjected to 10 rounds of PCR in the presence of Alexa Fluor (AF) 546-14-dUTP (Invitrogen), then heated to 95° C. for 5 minutes and added to their BHQ-2-labeled-peptide target. The complexes were purified by size-exclusion chromatography over Sephadex G25 and used in competitive FRET-aptamer assays with various concentrations of unlabeled FMD peptide resulting in the FRET spectra and line graphs shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B . Candidate DNA aptamer sequences for detection of the FMD peptide and associated strains of FMD virus are given in SEQ ID Nos. XX-XX.
Example 5
Detection of Organophosphorus (OP) Nerve Agent, Pesticides, and Acetylcholine (ACh)
[0055] The use of OP nerve agents on Iraqi Kurds in the late 1980's followed by the 1995 use of sarin in a Japanese subway underscore the need for rapid and sensitive detection of OP nerve agents such as FRET-aptamer assays might provide. In addition, there is a desire in the agricultural industry to detect pesticides (also OP nerve agents) on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables in the field or in grocery stores. Finally, aptamers that bind and detect acetylcholine (ACh) may be of value in determining the impact of OP nerve agents on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Candidate aptamer sequences for the nerve agent soman, methylphosphonic acid (MPA, a common nerve agent hydrolysis product), the pesticides diazinon and malathion, and ACh are given in SEQ ID Nos. XX-XX. Amino-MPA and para-aminophenyl-soman were immobilized on tosyl-magnetic beads and used for aptamer selection. ACh and the pesticides were immobilized onto PharmaLink™ (Pierce Chemical Co.) affinity columns by the Mannich formaldehyde condensation reaction and used for aptamer selection. The polyclonal or monoclonal candidate MPA aptamers were labeled with AF 546-14-dUTP by 10 rounds of conventional PCR or 20 rounds of asymmetric as appropriate with Deep Vent Exo − polymerase and then complexed to BHQ-2-amino-MPA. The complexes were purified by size-exclusion chromatography over Sephadex G-15 and used to generate FRET spectra and line graphs as a function of unlabeled MPA as shown in FIGS. 6 A., 6 B., and 6 C.
[0056] Other potential examples of uses for competitive FRET-aptamer assays include, but are not limited to:
[0000] 1) Detection and quantitation of quorum sensing (QS) molecules such as acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs such as N-Decanoyl-DL-Homoserine Lactone; SEQ ID Nos. XX-XX), which communicate between many Gram negative bacteria such as Pseudomonads to signal proliferation and the induction of virulence factors, thereby leading to disease.
2) Detection and quantitation of botulinum toxins (BoNTs) for determination of the presence of biological warfare or bioterrorism agents (SEQ ID Nos. XX-XX) and Clostridium botulinum in vivo.
3) Detection and quantitation of Campylobacter jejuni and related Campylobacter species (SEQ ID Nos. XX-XX) in foods and water to prevent foodborne or waterborne illness outbreaks (add 2006 JCLA paper reference here).
4) Detection and quantitation of poly-D-glutamic acid (PDGA; SEQ ID Nos. XX-XX) from vegetative forms of pathogenic Bacillus anthracis or other similar encapsulated bacteria in vivo or in the environment to rapidly diagnose biological warfare or bioterrorist activity and provide intervention.
5) Detection and quantitation of Bacillus thuringiensis bacterial endospores in the environment to assist in biological warfare or bioterrorism detection field trials or forensic work.
[0057] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.
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Methods are described for the production and use of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based competitive displacement aptamer assay formats. The assay schemes involve FRET in which the analyte (target) is quencher (Q)-labeled and previously bound by a fluorophore (F)-labeled aptamer such that when unlabeled analyte is added to the system and excited by specific wavelengths of light, the fluorescence intensity of the system changes in proportion to the amount of unlabeled analyte added. Alternatively, the aptamer can be Q-labeled and previously bound to an F-labeled analyte so that when unlabeled analyte enters the system, the fluorescence intensity also changes in proportion to the amount of unlabeled analyte. The F or Q is covalently linked to nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs), which are incorporated into the aptamer by various nucleic acid polymerases, such as Taq or Deep Vent Exo − during PCR or asymmetric PCR, and then selected by affinity chromatography, size-exclusion, and fluorescence techniques.
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[0001] This application is a divisional of application claiming benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 121 U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 11/605,783 filed Nov. 28, 2006. The benefit of which is claimed, is considered to be a part of the disclosure of the accompanying application and is hereby incorporated herein its entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an improved hoisting apparatus that, through the use of a dual diameter or tapered drums and opposite direction wire rope wrapping, reduces the shaft torque required to lift a load with respect to that seen in conventional hoisting systems. With differing drum diameter sections, the shaft torque for the same operation may be positive, zero or negative. This improved design, besides allowing for smaller drum rotating mechanical equipment, has wide applications in the hoisting and craning industry. One of the applications is for use as a container crane's trim, list, skew and snag protection system (TLSS).
[0003] Container cranes hoist containers with four individual wire ropes. For purposes of simplification in explanation, each wire rope runs to a corner of a lift beam connected to the container. By controlled take up and let out of these four wire ropes the operator of the crane can force a container to tilt in the x axis, the y axis or yaw about a vertical z axis. In the craning industry these motions are called list, trim, and skew. In aircraft terms, these would be termed limited roll right and left, limited pitch nose and tail, and limited yaw clockwise and counterclockwise. (TLS) By adjusting these motions a suspended container can be forced to align better as it is moved on and off a ship and on or off a truck.
[0004] A snag occurs when a hoist is lifting a liftbeam at high speed and the lift beam hangs up in a ship's hold, or alternatively, when the lift beam fails to stop when it reaches the underside of the hoist trolley. Although there is a significant amount of stretch in long wire ropes, once a snag occurs, if the upward lift of the crane is not stopped, damage will occur. Stopping the upward motion of the lift beam is not immediate as the hoist machinery keeps turning by virtue of its own flywheel inertia. The rotating kinetic energy associated with that flywheel inertia must be converted to heat, elastic strain or deformation. A typical snag a event only lasts about 0.3 seconds. For this reason container cranes must be equipped with a fast acting snag system.
[0005] Numerous prior art systems have been devised for both TLS and for snag. Most of these incorporate hydraulic cylinders in some manner. The most popular system combines four individual cylinders to serve all four functions. With this type of system, the same cylinder that can adjust wire rope length to perform one or more TLS functions can also release the wire rope in a controlled manner when needed for snag events. As a cylinder releases the wire rope, hydraulic oil flows through a metered orifice heating the oil and thereby absorbing much of the hoist flywheel energy. One problem with such prior art system, is that while a small cylindrical stroke is enough for TLS adjustment, snag compensation requires a large cylinder stroke. The control sensitivity for combining these large and small strokes on the same cylinder results in a poorly operating system for all four functions. Even the speed for trim and list is incompatible with the super sensitivity needed to control skew. For that reason crane operators prefer to separate TLS systems from snag systems and want adjustable speeds for the TLS features. A secondary problem with such prior art systems is hydraulic oil. Hydraulic systems usually leak and require a considerable amount of maintenance.
[0006] Stand alone mechanical TLS systems are already available, but are more expensive than hydraulic systems that can serve the same function. The combination mechanical TLS and hydraulic snag is a solution, but is too costly to be popular.
[0007] The present invention is a TLSS system that incorporates a drum with at least two different diameter sections upon which the different ends of a lifting wire rope simultaneously spool on and off of as a function of counterclockwise and clockwise drum rotation. The wire rope rides around an equalizing sheave which is rotatably connected to another equalizing sheave around which one of the main crane wire ropes ride. Altering the drum wire rope length moves the duo sheave assembly and causes the main crane wire rope's vertical length to be altered. The differing TLSS drum diameters act to alter the amount of shaft torque required to adjust the main crane wire rope length and increases the number of drum rotations required to do so. By using various combinations of multiple drum regions with different drum diameters, a precise, fast acting mechanical TLSS system using conventional electric motors can be designed for a crane's specific configuration.
[0008] Henceforth, a tapered TLSS drum and opposite direction wire rope wrapping would fulfill a long felt need in the hoisting industry. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and accomplish this.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a crane apparatus that operates with an adjustable, reduced torque load over that of conventional assemblies.
[0010] It has many of the advantages mentioned heretofore and many novel features that results in a new crane trim, list, skew and snag protection apparatus which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
[0011] In accordance with the invention, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved system for altering the tilt, list and skew lifting functions of a container crane.
[0012] It is another object of this invention to provide an improved system capable of meeting or exceeding current remedial action response times for a crane snag.
[0013] It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved system that is adapted for finer control over the tilt, list and skew lifting functions of a container crane.
[0014] It is still a further object of this invention to provide for a TLSS drum designed with multiple, different diameter sections that may be designed, built and operated in conformity with a specific crane's trim, list, skew and snag protection (TLSS) needs.
[0015] It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a safer and quicker responding snag protection system with emergency torque reversal for snag events that exceed the normal demand of wire rope extension.
[0016] The subject matter of the present invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, both the organization and method of operation, together with further advantages and objects thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like elements. Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 a is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a conventional prior art hoist drum and wire rope;
[0018] FIG. 1 b is a side cross sectional view of a conventional prior art hoist drum and wire rope
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the general reeving arrangement of a conventional container hoist with a first TLSS system configuration;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the general reeving arrangement of conventional container hoist with a second TLSS system configuration;
[0021] FIG. 4 a is a perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum;
[0022] FIG. 4 b is a side cross sectional view of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a tapered, opposite wire rope wrapped drum;
[0024] FIG. 6 a is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with a center transitional taper;
[0025] FIG. 6 b is a side cross sectional view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with a center transitional taper
[0026] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers;
[0027] FIG. 8 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual tapered diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum;
[0028] FIG. 9 is a side cross sectional view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers and the wire rope wrapped when the TLSS system is in the uppermost position;
[0029] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers when the TLSS system is in the neutral position;
[0030] FIG. 11 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers when the TLSS system is in the lowermost position;
[0031] FIG. 12 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers when the TLSS system is in the snag starting position;
[0032] FIG. 13 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers when the TLSS system is in the normal snag stop position;
[0033] FIG. 14 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers when the TLSS system is in the snag overtravel position;
[0034] FIG. 15 is a front perspective view showing the general arrangement of a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers when the TLSS system is in the snag overtravel end position;
[0035] FIG. 16 is a top view of the TLSS system with an external friction clutch and encoder and a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers; and
[0036] FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view of the TLSS system with an internal friction clutch and a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0038] Referring to FIGS. 1 a and 1 b , it can be seen that the prior art hoist drum and wire rope arrangement has both ends of the wire rope 4 wound in the same direction at opposite sides of a constant diameter drum 2 . In this manner, any rotation of the drum 2 retracts or pays out the same amount of wire rope 4 from either side of the drum 2 . Here the amount of shaft torque (Y) (denoted by arrow 6 ) required to raise a load is the lifting force or sum of all the tensions multiplied by the drum radius (R). Since there is equal tension on both wire ropes (T) and because the radius is ½ the drum diameter, shaft torque (Y 1 )=(2T)×(D/2)=TD. Each full revolution of the drum will raise the load by the diameter of the drum (D) multiplied by pi π (the drum circumference), multiplied by 2 wire ropes and ÷½ (for the midpoint of the wire rope). Load Lift=Dπ
[0039] Looking at FIGS. 4 a and 4 b , the simplest of the TLSS drum designs of the present invention, it can be seen that the fundamental TLSS drum and wire rope arrangement has the ends of the wire rope 4 wound in opposite directions at opposite sides of a dual diameter drum 8 . In this manner, any rotation of the dual diameter drum 6 retracts and pays out different amounts of wire rope 4 simultaneously from either side of the drum 6 . Here, the amount of shaft torque (Y 2 ) (denoted by arrow 10 ) required to raise a load is the amount of lifting force times the diameter of the raising drum section (D′)(denoted by arrow 14 ) reduced by the amount of lowering force times the diameter of the lowering drum section (d′)(denoted by arrow 12 ). This is (TD′/2) (Td′/2)=(T/2)(D′−d′).
[0000] (Note again there is equal tension (T) on both wire ropes.) Each full revolution of the drum 8 will raise the load (Load Lift) by the diameter of the large drum (D′) multiplied by pi π (the drum circumference)—the diameter of the small drum (d′) multiplied by pi π (the small drum circumference)÷½. Load Lift =(D′−d′)/2π
[0040] Hence, in the arrangement of FIG. 1 a if the drum diameter 5 (D) was 2 feet and the load to be lifted was 10 tons, the shaft torque (Y)=(2 ft/2)×5 tons×2 wire ropes=10 ft. tons. Each complete revolution of the drum would lift the load (Dπ) This is 2π ft.
[0041] However, in the arrangement of FIG. 4 a if the large drum diameter 14 (D″) was 2 feet, the small drum diameter 12 (d′) was 1.5 feet and the load to be lifted was 10 tons, the shaft torque (Y)=(T/2)(D−d)=(5 ton/2) (2 ft−1.5 ft)=1.25 ft. tons. Each complete revolution of the drum would lift the load (D−d)/2π. This is 0.25π ft.
[0042] As can be seen in this comparison, opposite wrapping of the drum wire ropes onto drums having a 4/3 ratio of their diameters decreases the amount of torque required to raise the same load by a factor of 8 (10 ft/tons÷1.25 ft/tons) but requires 8 times the number of drum revolutions to raise the load through the same distance. Simply stated, where opposite wrapped wire ropes are spooled onto different diameters, the desired shaft torque can be obtained by altering the ratios of the drum diameters. Essentially the TLSS drum itself functions as a torque/gear reducer and provides for a slower takeup/payout of wire rope. This allows the use of smaller powered TLSS drum motors, a longer response time and most importantly, smaller friction clutches or friction brakes.
[0043] Now that the basic design of the present invention has been disclosed, the specific embodiments and their applications as part of a TLSS system for a container crane can best be explained. Note that although (for purposes of explanation) these embodiments are directed to use on a container crane, they are appliwire rope to a plethora of other applications, craning related or otherwise that would be well known to one skilled in the art.
[0044] Container cranes are commonly found in harbors where the loading and unloading of large containers from ships, rail cars and transport trucks occurs. FIG. 2 depicts a simplified perspective view of the main hoist reeving of a typical container crane. The container crane has two main crane lifting wire ropes 16 that are spooled out or in from two main crane drums 18 . These two main wire ropes 16 each traverse around the four main wire rope sheaves 20 and are arranged in four separate wire rope lifting loops 22 that hang in a vertical orientation and which attach to the four corners of the container 24 via a lifting beam (beam not illustrated). A wire rope from the TLSS system 25 runs about a TLSS sheave 26 which is mechanically affixed to one of the four main wire rope sheaves 20 . When raising a container 24 , the vertical length of the lifting loops 22 is adjusted by the rotation of the two main crane drums 18 . When making a TLS adjustment, one or a combination of TLSS drums is rotated to spool in or out TLSS wire rope 28 so as to adjust the horizontal position of one or more of the main crane sheaves 20 . This main crane sheave movement adjusts slightly the vertical length of one or more of the lifting loops 22 so as to tilt, list or skew the container lifting beam. There are four TLSS systems 25 required to enable all possible tilt, list and skew configurations.
[0045] FIG. 3 depicts a simplified perspective view of the reeving of a typical container crane with a variation on the TLSS system location and arrangement. Here an additional four main crane sheaves 20 have been utilized so as to allow the TLSS system 25 to be physically located elsewhere. The operation is otherwise, functionally identically.
[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates a consistent tapered, opposite wire rope wrapped TLSS drum 30 . This drum 30 , despite appearing differently, operates the same as the dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum 8 because as the wire ropes spool on and off the drum from their respective sides, the ratio of their drum diameters is maintained. This tapered drum arrangement only offers advantages for purposes of fabrication and maintenance. It offers the same effects of torque reduction and increased response time for snag events coupled with the use of a smaller friction clutch and rotational equipment.
[0047] FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrates a dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with a center transitional taper 32 . Here where the small diameter 34 is d and the large diameter 36 is D, the shaft torque 10 is Y=(T/2)(D′−d′). However, when the left wire rope side 38 spools onto the drum 32 and climbs onto the transition diameter 42 , the shaft torque 10 reduces until the left wire rope side 38 climbs onto the large diameter 36 . Once the left wire rope side 38 and the right wire rope side 40 are on the same diameter 36 the same amount of wire rope is spooled out as is spooled in for every revolution of the drum. At this time the torque Y=0. This occurs when the hoist drum 32 is revolving counterclockwise and the midpoint of the wire rope (around the TLSS sheave 26 ) is moving away from the TLSS system 25 allowing the main hoist drum sheave 26 to move and lengthen the lifting loops 22 to reduce the stress on the main crane wire rope 16 .
[0048] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 although different in geometrical design, are operational equivalents. The differences in design between account for manufacturing preferences. The dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers 44 of FIG. 7 and the a dual tapered diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum 46 of FIG. 8 accomplish the TLS adjustments and the snag compensation described herein, substantially similar. As can be seen, the dual tapered diameter drum 46 has a first increasing diameter taper 48 that extends from the first side of the drum 50 beyond the drum centerline 52 to a transition point 54 where a second decreasing diameter taper 56 extends to the second side of the drum 58 . The dual diameter, dual transitional tapered drum 44 of FIG. 7 has four sections as follows: the primary section 60 is a fixed diameter section that extends from the first side of the drum 50 to the secondary increasing diameter section 62 which extends to the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 which extends to the quaternary decreasing diameter section 66 which extends to the second side of the drum 58 .
[0049] FIGS. 9 to 15 sequentially depict the various configurations that a TLSS system undergoes when in operation. Although represented with the dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with a dual transitional tapers 46 of FIG. 7 the operation with the dual tapered diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum 46 of FIG. 8 would be substantially similar in that the ratio of the diameters of the drum (taken at the present location of the left wire rope side 38 and the right wire rope side 40 on the drum) utilized to let out or spool in the wire rope sides would be identical with that of the dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with a dual transitional tapers at all times. It is important to note that a crane drum has a spiraling groove (pitch) 70 formed on the exterior surface of the drum that serves to guide the winding of the wire rope. In all embodiments, the wire rope payout and take-up is such that there is a constant number of pitches 70 between the different sides of the of the wire rope, regardless of the position of the TLSS sheave 26 .
[0050] In operation, on a conventional container crane there will be four separate TLSS systems 25 installed.
[0051] Each one will control the fine adjustment of the length of one of the four main crane wire rope loops 22 . Each will have its individual motor speed/gear reducer set 82 to provide the power to adjust the hoist wire rope loop length for TLS functions. The amount of power is adjusted by the main crane's computer system automatically after determining load demand and is also adjusted for differential hoist wire rope stretch.
[0052] In normal operation the TLSS system 25 must make small compensations in the TLSS sheave position to accommodate the TLS functions to get a container 24 oriented correctly to accommodate it's transfer from one location to another. The TLSS drum 44 is configured such that within the normal, calculated and expected range of TLSS sheave travel for the TLS functions, the left wire rope side 38 and the right wire rope side 40 are on drum sections that offer a constant ratio of the drum diameters so as to optimize the torque requirements for the TLSS sheave adjustments and to require a greater number of drum rotations per unit of TLSS sheave movement. These components allow for a simplier, finer control by the TLSS system 25 over the TLS movements. FIGS. 9-11 illustrate the TLSS drum 44 in it's normal operating range for TLS functions.
[0053] FIG. 9 shows the TLSS drum 44 and wire ropes when in the uppermost position for TLS adjustments. TLSS left side wire rope 38 resides in pitches 70 on the primary fixed diameter section 60 and the right wire rope side 40 resides in pitches 70 on the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 at the interface of the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 and the secondary increasing diameter section 62 .
[0054] FIG. 10 shows the TLSS drum 44 and wire ropes when in the neutral (or mid range) position for TLS adjustments. TLSS left side wire rope 38 resides in pitches 70 on the primary fixed diameter section 60 and the right wire rope side 40 resides in pitches 70 on the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 . There is more TLSS wire rope 28 wound on the primary fixed diameter section 60 and less on the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 than in the uppermost position, but the number of pitches between the TLSS left side wire rope 38 and the TLSS right side wire rope 40 is the same as for the uppermost position for TLS adjustments (and will remain this way throughout all operational modes).
[0055] FIG. 11 shows the TLSS drum 44 and wire ropes when in the lowermost position for TLS adjustments. TLSS left side wire rope 38 still resides in pitches 70 on the primary fixed diameter section 60 and the right wire rope side 40 still resides in pitches 70 on the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 . There is again more TLSS wire rope 28 wound on the primary fixed diameter section 60 and less on the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 than in the neutral position and the uppermost position.
[0056] In the snag function mode, as illustrated by FIGS. 12-15 the left side wire rope 38 moves onto the secondary increasing diameter section 62 and onto the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 while the right wire rope side 40 moves off the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 and on to the quaternary decreasing diameter section 64 so as to adjust the torque from a positive value through zero to a negative value. This enables the snag desirable features as previously disclosed.
[0057] FIG. 12 illustrates a conservative estimate of the TLSS wire rope 26 location where the earliest a snag could begin. At this time there is still the maximum positive torque developed by the TLSS system 25 but in the number of drum rotations necessary to get to the normal snag stop position the quick responding TLSS system 25 should have compensated for the snag.
[0058] In FIG. 13 , the normal TLSS wire rope 26 position where snags are stopped is illustrated. Should the TLSS system 25 not have compensated for the snag and tension in the main crane wire ropes 28 continues to increase, the torque begins to reduce to zero as the left wire rope side 38 and the right wire rope side 40 move onto their respective increasing and decreasing diameter drum sections as shown in FIG. 14 .
[0059] If the snag has not been fully compensated for by this time, the torque becomes negative as the left wire rope side 38 continues onto the tertiary fixed diameter section 64 and the right wire rope side 40 moves further down the quaternary decreasing diameter section 66 as shown in FIG. 15 .
[0060] Snags are calculated to occur at certain elevations of the main crane's wire rope loops 22 which correspond to certain positions of the TLSS sheaves 26 . The TLSS drums are designed so that when the TLSS sheaves are in expected snag locations, the left TLSS wire rope side 38 and right TLSS wire rope side 40 are on TLSS drum sections that begin reducing the torque and slowing the movement of the TLSS sheaves 26 . The diameter of the TLSS drum section that the wire rope spooling in resides on will be increasing in diameter, and the diameter of the TLSS drum section that the wire rope spooling out resides on will be decreasing in diameter. If the snag is longer in duration than calculated (I.E. slow response of the main crane's computer, main crane drum rotation and main crane brakes) the right TLSS wire rope side 40 and left TLSS wire rope side 38 continue to spool on or off of TLSS drum sections that reduce the torque to zero and stop the movement of the TLSS sheaves 26 .
[0061] If the snag continues in duration the diameter of the TLSS drum section that the wire rope spooling in resides on will be larger in diameter than the diameter of the TLSS drum section that the wire rope spooling out resides so as to offer negative (reverse) torque and to have a net release of TLSS wire rope from the TLSS drum thus allowing the TLSS sheave 26 to move so as to compensate for the tension building in the cranes loops 22 . This is an extra safety precaution to make it nearly impossible to break the TLSS wire rope end attachment free from the TLSS drum 44 .
[0062] When a snag event occurs, generally the main crane drum 18 is spooling up the main crane wire rope loops 25 at a high rate of speed. (This is fastest if there is no load.) Because of wire rope stretch the tension does not build instantaneously but rather takes a fraction of a second to rise to the preset level where the main crane's tensiometer detects an increase in load commensurate with a snag. The preset level must have enough margin to allow for the balancing of a load (generally 25%) or the crane would be stopping unnecessarily on a regular basis. Generally the main crane tensiometer reacts to a snag at 25% beyond the normal balancing limits for the load. This results in a fraction of a second lost reaction time before the main crane's computer can differentiate a snag event from a load balancing event and stop the crane drum from turning and apply the main crane's brakes. It is within this fraction of a second that damage is done if the TLSS system 25 does not come into play.
[0063] To compensate for this long reaction time of the main crane drum operation (approximately 0.3 seconds), the TLSS system friction coupling or friction brake 84 , which is precisely preset for a specified slip torque, releases the TLSS gearbox 82 from the TLSS drum 44 in a controlled fashion. This is precisely coordinated with the location of the TLSS wire rope 28 on specific sections of the TLSS drum 44 designed so that the TLSS torque is optimal for snag compensation or snag reset. This is a passive system and does not require input from the main crane's computer. It is able to stop the TLSS drum 44 from rotating by the friction clutch 84 . The drum 44 is not freewheeling, but can let the wire rope 26 spool rapidly away for the fraction of a second it takes for the main crane's drum 18 to stop rotating and for the hoist breaks to set, Thereby avoiding snag damage or broken main crane wire ropes 22 .
[0064] Keeping in mind that the TLSS system 25 is designed to operate within a narrow specified length of the main crane wire rope loops 22 (that length between where the containers are raised and lowered). The various TLSS drum diameters, the longitudinal axis length of the TLSS drums and the longitudinal axis length of the various drum sections are designed for specific main crane applications and the TLSS wire rope is on specific drum sections at specific vertical heights of the main crane wire rope loops 22 . It is these parameters that enable the TLSS system to function so precisely for normal TLS functions and so quickly for snag events.
[0065] The above detailed invention relates primarily to use with container cranes. Such units are commonly found around harbor docks. These cranes remain at a fixed height from the containers they lift, and most of the repetitive lifts are done with similar amounts of vertical wire rope travel by the main crane wire rope loops 22 . Because of this, the location of the TLSS wire rope sides upon the discrete TLSS drum sections are known with relative certainty and specificity. TLSS drums can thus easily be designed for different cranes.
[0066] Looking at FIGS. 16 and 17 views of the TLSS system dual diameter, opposite wire rope wrapped drum with dual transitional tapers 44 the remaining elements that comprise the TLSS system 25 can best be seen. Drum 44 is mounted upon axle 72 that has bearings 74 affixed at or near the axle's distal and proximate ends. The bearings 74 reside in pillow block assemblies 76 rigidly attached mechanically to a mountable base 78 . One end of the axle 72 is connected to a gearbox 82 . A friction clutch/brake 84 may be mounted internal to the drum 44 about the axle 72 (as shown if FIG. 17 ) or may be mounted external to the drum 44 about the axle 72 (as shown if FIG. 18 ). The TLSS system feedback signal to the main crane computer is developed and sent by an encoder 86 (illustrated on FIG. 16 ). It is well known in the art that the TLSS system components besides the drum 44 itself, may have plethora of different configurations that accomplish the features of turning and braking the drum rotation, to numerous to delineate herein.
[0067] It is to be noted that the spacing, more specifically the number of pitches 70 between the TLSS wire rope 28 when on a TLSS drum never changes. Each TLSS drum has its size, tapers, section diameters and wire rope wraps designed for a specific crane system based on the normal operating length ranges of the TLSS wire rope 28 . By using various combinations of multiple drum regions with different drum diameters, a precise, fast acting TLSS system 25 using conventional electric motors can be designed to meet the specific needs of a crane's TLSS system 25 .
[0068] The above description will enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention. It also sets forth the best modes for carrying out this invention. There are numerous variations and modifications thereof that will also remain readily apparent to others skilled in the art, now that the general principles of the present invention have been disclosed. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
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The present invention utilizes a hoist drum with a three different drum sections, two cylindrical and one tapered, upon which the different ends of a lifting cable simultaneously spool on and off of as a function of counterclockwise and clockwise cable spooling. This combination reduces the amount of shaft torque required to raise or lower a load while increasing the number of hoist drum rotations required to raise or lower that load. These two features are incorporated into the operation of a main crane cable length adjusting device since they offer precise and rapid adjustment capabilities to be made with smaller sized electric motors and clutches.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a repeatable coding lock, and more particularly to a coding lock having a repeatable coding mechanism.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A lock is well known for the sake of safety and is mainly used to guard against theft, keeping out unauthorized personnel, etc., which can generally be classified into padlocks, shackle locks, three-cylinder locks, and so forth. Referring to FIG. 1, no matter what the variations will be, a lock's basic constitution includes a first driver 95, a second driver 90 sleeved over the first driver 95 and a tube 98 mounted on the second driver 90, and is fitted on a door for above mentioned purpose. The first driver 95 has in its center a locking through strip 96 and contains many locking means 93 and 94 having therewith springs 92. Each set of the locking means 93 and 94 and the spring 92 are embedded between the first driver 95 and the second driver 90. The aspect of the different lengths among the locking means 93 and 94 protruding beyond the locking through strip 96 in conjunction with the indented inserting slot of a key 100 relative to the locking means 94 prevent the interface between the first driver 95 and the second diver 90 from any resistance of the locking means 93 and 94 so as to transmit the first driver 95 with the key 100 to withdraw the locking tongue in order to release the locked state. As a result, a conventional lock is only suitable for its counterpart key. If, for some reason, the key has to be replaced, the whole lock set has to be replaced, too. This causes not only great inconvenience but also unnecessary expense.
Consequently, from the above considerations, there has been a long and unfulfilled need for a lock having the repeatable coding function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main object of the present invention is to provide a repeatable coding lock to set a new code with the different widths or the different lengths of the setting key and the opening key so as to prevent the new coding formation from being unlocked with the old keys.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a repeatable coding lock whose locking formation can be changed to match with that of a new key so as to save both money and the re-assembly time of a new lock when a new lock set is required.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a repeatable coding lock comprises a tube having a first slot for receiving therein a first elastic element and a first locking element, a first driver having a locking through strip and a peripheral hole for receiving therein a second locking element and a second driver having a through hole for receiving therein a third locking element so as to externally correspondingly position at the tube and internally axially contain the first driver and the second driver, which is characterized in that the second driver further comprises at one side parallel to the through hole a positioning hole for receiving therein a second elastic element and a fourth locking element and comprises, in correspondence with the locking through strip, a driving means for simultaneously driving the first driver and the second driver.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, the driving means is an opening slot.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, the second driver has at one end a stopper having an opening slot corresponding to the locking through strip.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, the driving means consists of a ball in the through hole.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, the tube further comprises a second slot which in an instance is adapted to be penetratingly in alignment with the positioning hole to define an inner slot for superposingly receiving therein a third elastic element and the fourth locking element.
In accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention, the positioning hole receives therein a magnet and a magnetic pin.
In accordance with a seventh aspect of the present invention, the tube is adapted to associate with a locking body fixedly mounted on a door.
In accordance with an eighth aspect of the present invention, the first elastic element and the second elastic element are a spring.
In accordance with an ninth aspect of the present invention, a repeatable coding lock comprises a tube having a first slot for receiving therein a first elastic element and a first locking element, a first driver having a locking through strip and a peripheral hole for receiving therein a second locking element and a second driver having a through hole for receiving therein a third locking element so as to externally correspondingly position at the tube and internally axially contain the first driver and the second driver, which is characterized in that the tube further comprises a second slot for receiving therein a second elastic element, the first driver further comprises a first stopping element at a location different from the peripheral hole, and the second driver further comprises at one side parallel to the through hole a positioning hole for receiving therein a fourth locking element and forms in correspondence with the first stopping element a second stopping element.
In accordance with a tenth aspect of the present invention, a repeatable coding lock comprises a tube having a first slot for receiving therein a first elastic element and a first locking element, a first driver having a locking through strip and a peripheral hole for receiving therein a second locking element and a second driver having a through hole for receiving therein a third locking element so as to externally correspondingly position at the tube and internally axially contain the first driver and the second driver, which is characterized in that the tube further comprises a second slot for receiving therein a second elastic element and being provided with a cavity, the first driver further comprises at a location different from the peripheral hole a positioning slot for receiving therein a third elastic element and a stopping pin, and the second driver further comprises a side hole and a positioning hole for receiving therein a fourth locking element.
In accordance with an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the positioning slot may be provided in the tube and the cavity may be provided in the first driver.
The present invention may best be understood through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded view schematically showing the elements of a prior coding lock;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view schematically showing the elements of a first preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view longitudinally showing a first preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view transversely showing a first preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view longitudinally showing an original setting key inserted in a first preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view transversely showing an original setting key transmitting the first driver to align the second locking means with the positioning hole in a first preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view longitudinally showing a new setting key inserted in the first driver to change the position of the fourth locking means inside the first driver in a first preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view longitudinally showing a new setting key turning the first driver to its original place in a first preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view transversely showing a fourth locking means in a second preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view longitudinally showing a driving means of a second driver in a second preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view longitudinally showing a new opening key simultaneously transmitting the first driver and the second driver in a second preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view longitudinally showing a second driver containing a ball in a third preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view longitudinally showing a new opening key inserted in a second driver containing a ball in a third preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 14 is a sectional view transversely showing a tube provided with a second slot containing a fourth locking means in a fourth preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a sectional view transversely showing a first driver provided with a first stopping element and a second driver provided with a second stopping element in a fifth preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 16 is a sectional view transversely showing a first stopping element approaching a second stopping element in a fifth preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a sectional view transversely showing a first stopping element already engaged with a second stopping element in a fifth preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 18 is a sectional view transversely showing a first driver transmitting a second driver with a stopping pin in a sixth preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention;
FIG. 19 is a sectional view transversely showing a stopping pin aligning with a cavity in a sixth preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention; and
FIG. 20 is a sectional view transversely showing a stopping pin approaching a side hole of a second driver after completely leaving the cavity in a sixth preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
Referring to FIG. 2, the repeatable coding lock of the present invention consists of a first driver 10, a second driver 20 sleeved over the first driver 10 and a tube 30 mounted on the second driver 20, wherein the tube 30 can associate with any locking body to be mounted on a door. According to FIG. 3 showing the internal assembly layout, the tube 30 radially indentedly accommodates along the longitudinal direction at least one first slot 31 for respectively receiving therein a first elastic element 32 and a first locking element 33. The second driver 20 is adheringly sleeved inside the tube 30 to form therebetween a turning interface 40 and, in correspondence to the first slot 31, has the same number of the through holes 21 for respectively receiving a third locking element 22; also, referring to FIG. 4, the second driver 20 adjacently parallel to each of the through holes 21 has a positioning hole 23 for receiving therein a second elastic element 24, a fourth locking element 25 and, in a proper position, a driving means which is adapted to be transmitted by a key. In a preferred embodiment, the driving means can be a designation of an opening slot 26. The first driver 10 sleeves inside the second driver 20 to form therebetween a setting interface 41, which centrally has a locking through strip 13 for accommodating a key and has in correspondence to each of the through holes 21 a peripheral hole 11 for receiving a second locking element 12. Besides, each of the peripheral holes 11 penetratingly connects with the locking through strip 13 so as to correspondingly engage with a key.
The above mentioned layout will be more clearly illustrated as shown in FIG. 4 in that the second driver 20 and the tube 30 can relatively move on both sides of the turning interface 40, while the first driver 10 and the second driver 20 can relatively move on both sides of the setting interface 41. The peripheral hole 11 is provided with a tapered end to correspondingly engage with that of the lower corn-end of the second locking element 12 in order to stop the second locking element 12 from dropping off. The first elastic element 32, the first locking element 33, the third locking element 22 and the second locking element 12 are sequentially inwardly aligned along. Also, each of the positioning holes 23 is adjacently located at one side of each of the arrangement of the first locking element 33, the third locking element 22 and the second locking element 12.
Referring to FIG. 5, a method of setting a new locking formation will be depicted herein. Firstly, with the indented teeth of an original setting key 50 inserted in the locking through strip 13, the lower end of each third locking element 22 is aligned with the setting interface 41. Since the radial width of the original setting key 50 is narrower than that of the opening key, the bottom end of the original setting key 50 does not reach into the opening slot 26 when the original setting key 50 is inserted in the locking through strip 13; consequently, when the original setting key 50 is turned, the second driver 20 will be inactive and the second locking element 12 taken along with the first driver 10 will be turned to the positioning hole 23. Further on, referring to FIG. 6, the fourth locking element 25 inside the positioning hole 23 will be ejected out by the second elastic element 24 due to the release of the setting interface 41 when the original key 50 is deviated from the locking through strip 13, which attachingly presses the second locking element 12 to become a vertical superimposition. Secondly, referring to FIG. 7, in respondence to the indented teeth of a new setting key 51 inserted in the locking through strip 13, the positions of the respective fourth locking elements 25 will be either in the peripheral hole 11 or in the positioning hole 23. And, when the new setting key 51 is further turned, the first driver 10 will be transmitted back to its initial position so as to again correspondingly align the peripheral hole 11 with the through hole 21 and the first slot 31. Consequently, referring to FIG. 8, the fourth locking element 25 taken from the positioning hole 23 to the peripheral hole 11 is vertically in alignment with the third locking element 22 and the first locking element 33 so as to make a change to the length of each of the second locking elements 12 protruding beyond the opening slot 26 and in turn form a new locking formation compared with that shown in FIG. 5. As a result, the original opening key and the original setting key 50 can no longer be used. And at this moment, a new opening key having the same indented teeth as those of the new setting key 51 and having larger radial width than that of the new setting key 51 is able to open the lock due to the aspect that the new opening key having larger radial width can be inserted in the opening slot 26 of the second driver 20 to simultaneously transmit the first driver 10 and the second driver 20 so as to accomplish this function.
The first slot 31, the through hole 21 and the peripheral hole 11 according to the present invention can be axially arranged in more than two lines, the positioning hole 23 is adjacently located at one side of the through hole 21. The indented teeth of the key can be applied on both lateral edges of the key tongue, on the upper and the lower edges of the key tongue or on more than two edges of a key tongue, such as a key having a cruciform cross-section tongue. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, referring to both FIG. 4 and FIG. 9 as a comparison, the second elastic element 24 can be replaced with a magnet 251, while the fourth locking element 25 can be replaced with a magnetic pin. As a matter of fact, the magnet 251 and the magnetic pin can repulse each other with a repulsion similar to the functionality as elasticity exerted between the second elastic element 24 and the fourth locking element 25 in the previous preferred embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 10 which shows a second preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention, the second driver 20 has at its inner end a stopper 27 having an opening slot 271 corresponding to the locking through strip 13. Consequently, since the longitudinal length of the setting key 50 is shorter than that of an opening key 60, the tip of the setting key 50 will stay in the first driver 10 in order that turning the setting key 50 can only transmit the driver 10 to set the locking formation. And at this moment, referring to FIG. 11, when inserted in the locking through strip 13, the tip of the opening key 60 can reach into the opening slot 271 so as to simultaneously transmit the first driver 10 and the second driver 20 in order to open and shut the lock without interrupting the coding.
Referring to FIG. 12 which shows a third preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention, each of the at least one through holes 21 contains a cylinder 221. When the setting key 50 is inserted in the locking through strip 13, the lower bound and the upper bound of each of the third locking elements 22 are respectively aligned with the setting interface 41 and the turning interface 40, while the bottom bound of the ball (or pin) 221 is aligned with the setting interface 41. Also, the first locking element 33 passing through the through hole 21 is hindered at the upper bound of the ball (or pin) 221 so as to restrain the second driver 20 and the tube 30 and keep the first driver 10 movable in order to accomplish the coding. And, referring to FIG. 13, when the opening key 60 is inserted in the locking through strip 13, it is able to hinder all the second locking elements 12 respectively corresponding to all the balls (or pins) 221 with a specific tooth surface, transmit the second locking element 12 to pass through the through hole 21 and to hinder at the bottom of the ball (or pin) 221 so as to forcibly restrain the first driver 10 and the second driver 20 which are in turn adapted to turn simultaneously. Further, since the upper bound of the ball 221 as well as the third locking element 22 are aligned with the turning interface 40, the first driver 10 and the second driver 20 can be turned simultaneously to open the lock when the opening key 60 is turned.
Referring to FIG. 14 which shows a fourth preferred embodiment of a repeatable coding lock according to the present invention, tube 30 further comprises a second slot 35 which in an instance is adapted to be penetratingly in alignment with the positioning hole 23 to define an inner slot for superimposingly receiving therein a third elastic element 34 and the fourth locking element 25. When setting a new code, the peripheral hole 11 can accommodate at least one of the fourth locking elements 25 so as to enlarge the range of the height difference of a combination of the second locking element 12 and the third locking element 22 in order to increase the coding variety which also contributes to the designation of the indented inserting slot of a setting key.
In a fifth embodiment according to FIG. 15, the repeatable coding lock is adapted to prevent an inadequate opening, such as a theft committed with a universal key, so as to confirm the secrecy of the coding formation. And there are two designations capable of performing the above mentioned functionality. The first designation referring to FIG. 15 is that the first driver 10 further comprises a first stopping element 14 at a location different from the peripheral hole 11 and the second driver 20 further forms in correspondence with the first stopping element 14 a second stopping element 29. The first stopping element 14 movably turns between the two ends of the second stopping element 29. One of the two ends is at the position when the peripheral hole 11 radially aligns with the through hole 21, while the other one, as shown in FIG. 16, is at the position when the first driver 10 is transmitted to turn the peripheral hole 11 to align with the positioning hole 23. This method begins with turning the setting key 50 to transmit the first driver 10 as illustrated in FIG. 17. If the setting key 50 is an adequate one, the first stopping element 14 contacts with the second stopping element 29 at one end and the upper bond of the third locking element 22 is in alignment with the turning interface 40. Turning the key 50 further, the second driver 20 is transmitted by the first stopping element 14 in order to set the positioning hole 23, the second slot 35 and the peripheral hole 11 in alignment so as to accomplish the coding. If the setting key is not adequate, even though the second locking element 12, the third locking element 22 and the fourth locking element 25 can be excluded from the setting interface 41 to make the first driver 10 in a movable state, the turning interface 40 will stopped by any of the third locking elements 22 and the first elastic element 32 if any one of the fourth locking elements 25 is wrongly placed. Under such circumstance, the second driver 20 can no longer be transmitted by the first stopping element 14 to proceed the coding and accordingly accurately fulfill the secrecy of the designation.
The second designation referring to FIG. 18 is that the first driver 10 further comprises at a location different from the peripheral hole 11 a positioning slot 15 for receiving therein a third elastic element 151 and a stopping pin 60, and the second driver 20 further comprises a positioning hole 23 which is provided with a side hole 28. The stopping pin 60 passes through the side hole 28 to butt against the turning interface 40 and in turn stops at a cavity 36 provided in said first driver 10. To set the code with this designation, when the turned by the setting key 50, the stopping pin 60 will be carried to simultaneously transmit the second driver 20. Furthermore, when the stopping pin 60 butts into the cavity 36, the second slot 35 will carry with the fourth locking element 25 to radially align with the positioning hole 23 as shown in FIG. 19. In a subsequent movement, the stopping pin 60 will leave the positioning slot 15 and completely stay in the side hole 28 to let the setting interface 41 move freely. Referring to FIG. 20, when the first driver 10 is further transmitted with the setting key 50, the peripheral hole 11 can be turned to correspond with the positioning hole 23 so as to receive the fourth locking element 25. As a result, the coding formation of the lock can now be renewed with another setting key.
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A lock for use with a lock code setting key and a new lock code setting key, and having (a) a first cylindrical tube with a first radially extending slot for receiving a first biasing element and a first locking element, (b) a driving element having an axially extending key hole and a radially extending peripheral hole for receiving a second locking element, and (c) a second cylindrical tube arranged between the first cylindrical tube and the driving element and having a radially extending through hole for receiving a third locking element and a radially extending positioning hole for receiving a second biasing element and a fourth locking element. A locking code of the lock can be changed by (a) inserting the lock code setting key into the keyhole thereby positioning the third locking element such that a first end is aligned with the first interface and a second end is aligned with the second interface, (b) turning the lock code setting key such that the second biasing element pushes the fourth locking element against the second locking element, (c) removing the lock code setting key from the keyhole, and (d) inserting the new lock code setting key into the keyhole.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the manufacture of semiconductor devices, and, more particularly, to a low temperature process for depositing an oxide dielectric layer on a conductive surface, and to multilayer structures formed by such a process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the fabrication of semiconductor devices and circuits it is often necessary to form a layer of an oxide dielectric on the surface of a metal or other conductive material, to provide electrical insulation which prevents contact or unwanted current flow between adjacent conductive materials. With the increased microminiaturization of semiconductor devices and circuits, such as in large scale integrated circuits, and the need for higher speed operation, adjacent functional elements within a circuit on a single plane are located closer together, and interconnections are stacked one on top of the other to form multilayer structures. An increased packing density of devices and circuits can be achieved in these multilayer structures since the substrate surface area consumed by interconnections is greatly reduced. However, this increased packing density produces a stringent demand for a high quality oxide dielectric between conductive layers.
One oxide dielectric material which is frequently used in semiconductor devices and circuits is silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), which has been formed in a variety of ways. The thermal oxidation of silicon is one of the oldest techniques for forming SiO 2 on a silicon wafer and is accomplished by heating a silicon wafer to 900° C. or higher in an oxygen-containing or water-containing environment, as discussed, for example by A. Amick, G. L. Schnable and J. L. Vossen in the publication entitled, "Deposition Techniques for Dielectric Films on Semiconductor Devices," in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, Vol. 14, No. 5, Sept./Oct. 1977, pages 1053 to 1063. An oxide formed by this process is referred to herein as a "thermal oxide".
More recently, SiO 2 layers have been deposited by thermally activated low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) as described, for example, by Amick et al referenced above. In such a LPCVD process, the substrate is exposed to vapor phase reactants, such as silane and oxygen, which are heated to 450° C. under reduced pressure to bring about a chemical reaction to form SiO 2 , which deposits on the substrate. An oxide formed by such a process is referred to herein as a "LPCVD oxide". Alternatively, a layer of SiO 2 has been formed by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process, as also described by Amick et al referenced above, in which the vapor phase reactants such as silane and oxygen, are subjected to a radio frequency discharge to create an ionized plasma of the reactant gases, which then interact to form the desired oxide, such as SiO 2 , as a reaction product.
Another method by which an oxide layer may be formed is a sputtering technique, which may be either reactive or non-reactive, as described by Amick et al referenced above. Using non-reactive sputtering, a disk of a selected oxide material, such as SiO 2 , is bombarded with inert ions to cause the oxide to vaporize and subsequently deposit on the substrate. Using reactive sputtering, a disk of silicon is bombarded with oxygen ions, which produces ionization of the silicon, and the vaporized silicon and oxygen ions then react to produce SiO 2 .
However, some difficulty has been encountered in each of the above-described processes in reproducibly forming a high quality oxide with low pinhole density, good step coverage, and good voltage breakdown characteristics, with acceptable process yield. In addition, in the particular case of the above-described low pressure chemical vapor deposition process for SiO 2 , the elevated temperature required for the deposition process (e.g. 45° C.) causes the surface of certain conductive substrates, such as aluminum, to deform. Hillocks and spikes are produced on the conductive surface and protrude through the oxide dielectric deposited thereon, thus generating defects or pinholes which degrade the insulating properties of the oxide.
It is the alleviation of these prior art problems of forming a high quality oxide on a conductive surface and of the deformation of a conductive surface during the deposition of an oxide layer thereon to which the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
I have previously discovered a low-temperature process for depositing an oxide layer on a given substrate which comprises exposing the substrate to a chosen vapor phase reactant in the presence of neutral, charge-free atomic oxygen to produce a reaction between the atomic oxygen and the vapor phase reactant, to form the oxide, which deposits as a layer on the substrate, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587, assigned to the present assignee. In a preferred embodiment of the latter invention, the atomic oxygen is generated at a low temperature by a photochemical process, using either direct or mercury-sensitized dissociation of an unreactive oxygen-containing precursor, such as nitrous oxide, nitrogen dioxide, or molecular oxygen under selected pressure and flow rate conditions. By using neutral, charge-free atomic oxygen in the above-described process, damage to the substrate due to ionized particles and broadband electromagnetic radiation is avoided. In addition, the use of a low temperature in the above-described process is advantageous to minimize thermal damage to the substrate, such as certain types of compound semiconductor substrates which decompose at elevated temperatures.
As a further development, I have discovered that the process of my invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587 is particularly well suited to forming a high quality oxide on the surface of a conductive substrate to provide an effective insulating layer. My process is especially useful for forming such an insulating layer on the surface of a temperature-sensitive conductive material which deforms at elevated temperature, since the process of my invention can be performed at a relatively low temperature (e.g. 30° C. to 200° C.).
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a low temperature process for forming an effective insulating layer of a selected oxide on the surface of a substrate of a chosen conductive material, and to thereby provide improved multilayer structures.
I have discovered that the above-described purpose may be accomplished by forming the selected oxide layer on the surface of a chosen conductive substrate by a low temperature process in which the substrate is exposed to a chosen vapor phase reactant in the presence of neutral, charge-free atomic oxygen to produce a reaction between the atomic oxygen and the vapor phase reactant to form the oxide, which deposits on the substrate surface. The oxide so formed has relatively low pinhole density, relatively good surface morphlogy and relatively good step coverage, and thus provides an effective insulating layer. In addition, the temperature of this oxide deposition process is sufficiently low to avoid deformation of the surface of the conductive substrate, which would produce unwanted pinholes in the insulating layer. By such a process, improved multilayer structures comprising multiple layers of conductive material separated by an insulating layer can be formed.
Accordingly, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved process for forming an oxide layer on the surface of a conductive substrate to provide an effective insulating layer.
Another purpose is to provide a process of the type described for forming an oxide layer on a temperature-sensitive conductive substrate at a low temperature without deforming the surface of the substrate and without causing unwanted hillocks and spikes to form on the surface of the substrate.
Still another purpose is to provide a process of the type described in which the oxide so formed has a low pinhole density, good conformal characteristics, and good breakdown voltage characteristics.
Yet another purpose is to provide a process of the type described which produces a high quality oxide reproducibly and with high yield.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved multilayer structure comprising multiple layers of conductive material separated by the improved dielectric oxide formed in accordance with the process of the present invention.
A feature of the present invention is that a low-temperature photochemical vapor deposition process may be used to form the above-described oxide layer.
The foregoing and other advantages and features of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates, in schematic cross-section, a multilayer structure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates, in schematic cross-section, an aluminized test wafer with an oxide dielectric layer formed atop the aluminum layer in accordance with the present invention, and which was used to determine the pinhole density of the oxide layer of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates, in schematic cross-section, a standard parallel plate capacitor, having an oxide layer on a metal substrate which was formed in accordance with the present invention, and used for electrically evaluating the pinhole density of the oxide layer.
FIG. 4 illustrates, in schematic form, the top view of a serpentine capacitor having an oxide layer on a metal substrate which was formed in accordance with the present invention, and used for determining the uniformity of oxide step coverage.
FIG. 5 illustrates, in schematic cross-section, a via chain structure having an oxide layer on a metal substrate which was formed in accordance with the present invention, and used for testing the electrical continuity of the via chains.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1, there is shown, in schematic cross-section, a multilayer structure formed in accordance with the process of the present invention. This structure comprises a silicon substrate 10 on which is formed a layer 12 of silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) to a thickness of approximately 3500 angstroms (Å) by a thermal process as previously discussed herein in the description of the prior art, to provided a high quality, reliable oxide on the silicon substrate. On top of the layer 12 of thermal SiO 2 there is formed a strip 16 of aluminum silicide alloy containing 1 percent silicon and having a thickness of approximately 4000 Å. The strip 16 is formed by known procedures including: depositing a layer of aluminum silicide on the layer 12 of thermal SiO 2 by known sputtering techniques, as described, for example, by Sakurai and Serikawa in the publication entitled "Liftoff Metallization of Sputtered Al Alloy FIlms," in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society: SOLID STATE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 126, No. 7, July 1979, pages 1257-1260; depositing a layer of photoresist on the layer of aluminum silicide; patterning the layer of photoresist; etching the layer of aluminum silicide through the patterned photoresist layer to form the strip 16; and removing the photoresist. The latter process for patterning a metal layer by use of a photoresist is described, for example, by William S. DeForest, in the book entitled "Photoresist: Materials and Processes," McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1975. The strip 16 may optionally be formed of aluminum, a refractory metal, or other highly conducting material as required for high-speed semiconductor devices.
On top of the aluminum silicide strip 16 and the adjacent surface of the thermal SiO 2 layer 12, there is formed a layer 18 of an oxide dielectric such as SiO 2 , having a thickness between 1.0 and 1.5 micrometers and formed in accordance with any of the process embodiments decribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587, the details of which are incorporated herein by reference. The oxide so formed is referred to herein as a photochemical vapor deposited (photo-CVD) oxide. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the photo-CVD oxide layer 18 is SiO 2 and is formed at 200° C. by exposing the strip 16 and the adjacent surface of the layer 12 to silane and atomic oxygen which is formed by the mercury-sensitized dissociation of nitrous oxide at 2537 Å, at a low pressure, such as 1 torr. The temperature of 200° C. was chosen since it was sufficiently low so as to avoid deformation of the metal surface, but sufficiently high so as to form an oxide of good packing density and grain size. Acceptable densification of the deposited oxide layer has also been achieved at a temperature of 100° C. Thus, the heat applied in the above-described process is for the purpose of densifying the oxide product, while the photochemical vapor deposition process itself may be conducted at temperatures as low as room temperature (e.g. 30° C. ). Atop the photo-CVD oxide layer 18 there is formed a layer 20 of metal, such as aluminum silicide, to a thickness of approximately 1.0 micrometer by the sputtering technique previously described herein. Finally, the layer 20 of metal is alloyed for 15 minutes at 450° in nitrogen in order to minimize contact resistance. A layer of oxide, such as the layer 18, which provides electrical insulation between two layers of conductive material which are placed one on top of the other, such as shown in FIG. 1, is referred to herein as an "interlevel insulator."
In accordance with the present invention, the deposition of the photo-CVD oxide layer 18 on the metal strip 16 takes place at a relatively low temperature, so that the surface of the metal strip does not deform or restructure to form hillocks and spikes. Consequently, the integrity of the photo-CVD oxide layer 18 is preserved and effective electrical insulation between the metal strip 16 and the overlying metal layer 20 is achieved. The photo-CVD oxide layer 18 is a high quality dielectric material which is virtually pinhole-free as discussed below in relation to FIGS. 2 and 3, and which has improved breakdown voltage characteristics as discussed below in relation to FIG. 4.
While the discussion of FIG. 1 refers to the strip 16 as being formed of aluminum silicide or a metal, these materials are intended merely as examples. The process of the present invention may be used to form a high quality oxide on the surface any conductive material, including but not limited to aluminum, aluminum silicide, magnesium, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, titanium, vanadium, iron, copper, indium, tin, indium tin oxide, tin oxide, and conductive polymers, such as polyacetylene. The process of the present invention forms a high quality oxide which provides an effective insulating layer on a conductive substrate. In addition, the process of the present invention forms this high quality oxide at a sufficiently low temperature so as to avoid deformation of the surface of a temperature-sensitive conductive material, as discussed above.
The multilayer structure shown in FIG. 1 is used in very large scale and high speed integrated circuits, gate array structures, metal-oxide-semiconductor devices, and bipolar devices. In addition, the present invention may be used to form improved parallel plate capacitors with the oxide providing electrical insulation between the capacitor plates, as shown in FIG. 3.
In FIG. 2 there is shown, in schematic cross-section, an aluminized test wafer having an oxide layer on a metal substrate which was formed in accordance with present invention, and used to determine the pinhole density or defect density of the photo-CVD oxide dielectric layer. The test wafer of FIG. 2 comprises a substrate 22 of a semiconductor material such as silicon, atop which is formed a layer 24 of a thermal SiO 2 , as described in relation to the layer 12 of FIG. 1. The layer 24 of thermal SiO 2 is formed to a thickness of approximately 3500 Å, for example, at which the oxide exhibits a bright interference color, such as purple or violet. Atop the layer 24 of thermal SiO 2 , there is formed a layer 26 of aluminum or aluminum silicide to a thickness of approximately 1 micrometer by known sputtering techniques, as previously described. The layer 28 of photo-CVD SiO 2 is formed on top of the layer 26 of aluminum to a thickness of approximately 1 micrometer at 200° C. by the low-temperature photochemical vapor deposition process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587, using silane and the mercury-sensitized dissociation of nitrous oxide at 2537 Å.
The oxide defect density of the layer 28 of the photo-CVD SiO 2 was determined by a known chemical etch technique in which the wafer shown in FIG. 2 was immersed in an etchant which is specific for aluminum and unreactive with SiO 2 , such as a mixture of phosphoric, nitric, and acetic acids, for a period of 30 minutes at 40° C. If a pinhole is present in the photo-CVD SiO 2 layer 28, the etchant will penetrate through the pinhole to the underlying aluminum layer 26, etch the aluminum exposed by the pinhole, and thus expose a portion of the underlying thermal oxide layer 24. By examining this structure under a microscope at 200 power magnification, the exposed portions of the thermal SiO 2 layer 24 are evident by their bright interference color. The pinhole density is determined by a direct count of the colored spots per area. By the above-described etching process, it was determined that the defect density of the photo-CVD SiO 2 layer 28 was virtually zero, except in a few small areas. This is to be compared to a calculated pinhole density of 200 per square centimeter for a large area capacitor with a LPCVD oxide as discussed in relation to FIG. 3. Thus, the structure shown in FIG. 2 and formed in accordance with the present invention has a virtually pinhole-free oxide layer formed on a layer of aluminum, which enhances the electrical insulating properties of the oxide layer. In addition, the results of the pinhole testing were found to be correlated with the electrical breakdown performance discussed below in relation to FIG. 3, with structures having a low pinhole density having high electrical breakdown voltages.
Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown, in schematic cross-section, a standard large area (600 by 600 micrometers) parallel plate capacitor formed in accordance with the present invention. The structure of FIG. 3 comprises a substrate 30 of silicon, atop which is formed a layer 31 of a thermal SiO 2 to a thickness of 4000 Å by a known wet oxidation process at 925° C. On top of the layer 31 of thermal SiO 2 , there is formed a layer 32 of a first metal, such as aluminum silicide, to a thickness of 4000 Å, by known sputtering techniques previously described herein. Over the first metal layer 32 there is formed a layer 34 of a photo-CVD SiO 2 having a thickness of 15,000 Å and formed at 200° C. in accordance with the low temperature photo-CVD process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587, using silane and the mercury-sensitized dissociation of nitrous oxide at 2537 Å. A layer 36 of a second metal, such as aluminum silicide, is formed over the layer 34 of the photo-CVD SiO 2 , to a thickness of 10,000 Å by the technique referenced above with respect to the first metal layer 32.
Using the structure shown in FIG. 3, an electrical evaluation of the density of pinholes or electrically active defects in the photo-CVD oxide layer 34 was performed as follows. (A large area capacitor was used in order to increase the probability of finding pinholes.) One electrical contact was made to the first metal layer 32 by means of a first contact point on the periphery of the test circuit, and a second electrical contact was made to the second metal layer 36 by means of a second peripheral contact point. A voltage was applied across the two contacts, starting at zero volts and being gradually or incrementally increased to 100 volts (i.e., the industry-accepted standard of the maximum voltage a one-micrometer thick insulator should withstand without breakdown for use between metal layers in integrated circuit applications). The current was monitored as a function of the voltage input. A current output of less than 10 microamperes indicates that the oxide layer has good insulating properties and no pinholes; whereas a current output of more than 10 microamperes indicates that the oxide layer has pinholes which cause electrical short-circuiting and oxide breakdown. The voltage at which electrical breakdown of the oxide occurs is referred to as the "breakdown voltage" of the oxide. Using the structure shown in FIG. 3 and having the photo-CVD SiO 2 layer 34, the average breakdown voltage was determined to occur typically at 500 volts, ranging from 433 to 558 volts; and the yield of these capacitors surpassing the electrical breakdown voltage requirements (i.e. 100 volts) was typically 95 percent or higher, often close to 100 percent. The calculated pinhole density corresponding to these high electrical yields was typically 5 per square centimeter. Using a structure similar to that shown in FIG. 3 except that the oxide layer was formed by a LPCVD oxidation process as previously described herein, the average yield of these capacitors surpassing the electrical breakdown voltage requirements was typically less than 50 percent. Electrical yields less than 50 percent have been found to correspond to a calculated pinhole density of 200 per square centimeter. Thus, the structure of FIG. 3 formed in accordance with the present invention has improved insulating properties as compared to a structure with a prior art oxide, and is virtually pinhole free.
The above-described test to determine oxide breakdown voltage by measuring current output versus voltage input was repeated on the structure shown in FIG. 4. The serpentine capacitor shown in top view in FIG. 4 comprises the same type of structure as shown in FIG. 3, except that each metal layer is formed in a serpentine pattern and the two serpentine metal patterns are perpendicular to each other. Thus, the serpentine capacitor comprises a silicon substrate on the surface of which is formed a layer of thermal SiO 2 to a thickness of 4000 Å, as described in relation to FIG. 3. On top of the layer of thermal SiO 2 , there is deposited a layer of a first metal, in a manner such as decribed with respect to FIG. 3. Then, using known photoresist masking and etching techniques, the first metal layer is patterned to form the first serpentine metal layer 40 shown in FIG. 4. Next, there is formed atop the serpentine metal layer 40 a layer of photo-CVD SiO 2 (not shown) to a thickness of 15,000 Å in accordance with the present invention, as previously described herein. On top of the layer of photo-CVD SiO 2 , there is formed a second layer of metal, such as aluminum silicide, to a thickness of 10,000 Å by the process previously described with respect to FIG. 3. Finally, using known photoresist masking and etching techniques, the second layer of metal is patterned to form the second serpentine metal layer 42 shown in FIG. 4, which is normal to the first serpentine metal layer 40.
The purpose of performing the breakdown voltage test on the serpentine structure shown in FIG. 4 is to determine the uniformity of the oxide thickness and, in particular, whether there is good step coverage where the layers 40 and 42 intersect, for example at the crossover point 44 shown in FIG. 4. If oxide thinning occurs at the base of the step, then breakdown will occur at a lower voltage than without thinning. Using the structure shown in FIG. 4 with a photo-CVD SiO 2 insulating layer, the breakdown voltage was determined to occur typically at 400 volts, ranging from 318 to 504 volts; and the yield of these capacitors surpassing the electrical breakdown voltage requirements (i.e. 100 volts) was typically 95 percent or higher. Using a structure of the type shown in FIG. 4 except having the interlevel SiO 2 layer formed by a LPCVD process as previously decribed herein, the average yield of these capacitors surpassing the electrical breakdown voltage requirements was approximately 50 percent. Thus, the structure shown in FIG. 4 and formed in accordance with the present invention has been demonstrated to have good step coverage and the resultant desirable breakdown voltage characteristics.
Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown, in schematic cross-section, a via chain structure formed in accordance with the present invention and used to evaluate via electrical continuity, which depends, in part, on the quality of the interlevel insulator (i.e. the insulator between two metal layers). The structure of FIG. 5 comprises a silicon substrate 50 on the surface of which has been formed a layer 52 of SiO 2 by a prior art thermal process previously described herein. Atop the layer 52 of thermal SiO 2 there is formed a patterned layer comprising the separated rectangular strips 54 of a first metal, such as aluminum silicide, having a thickness of approximately 5000 Å, with the separation between adjacent metal strips being approximately equal to the length of a metal strip (e.g. 50 micrometers). The patterned layer comprising the metal strips 54 is formed by known photolithographic masking and etching techniques as previously described in relation to forming metal strip 16 in FIG. 1. Atop the patterned layer comprising the metal strips 54 of the first metal there is formed a layer of a photo-CVD silicon dioxide to a thickness of 1 micrometer, by the low temperature photochemical vapor deposition process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587, at 200° C. using silane and the mercury-sensitized dissociation of nitrous oxide at 2537 Å. The layer of photo-CVD silicon dioxide is then etched through a photoresist mask with buffered hydrofluoric acid to form vias or openings in the photo-CVD SiO 2 , to expose portions of each metal strip 54 of the first metal for subsequent contact with a second metal as decribed below. A via opening is etched to a typical base area of 5 by 5 micrometers and one via is formed at each extremity of a single metal strip 54 of the first metal. Etching of the layer of photo-CVD SiO 2 to form the vias results in formation of the patterned layer 56 of photo-CVD SiO 2 shown in FIG. 5. Finally, a patterned layer comprising the strips 58 of a second metal, such as aluminum silicide, is formed in the same manner as the patterned layer comprising the strips 54 of the first metal described above. This patterned layer comprising the strips 58 is formed over the patterned layer 56 of photo-CVD SiO 2 and into the adjacent vias as shown in FIG. 5, thereby contacting the exposed portion of each metal strip 54 of the first metal at the base of the via.
Thus, in the structure shown in FIG. 5, the second layer of metallization connects only with the first layer of metallization and such connection occurs only through the via openings in the photo-CVD SiO 2 layer. The via chain shown in FIG. 5 comprises a continuous chain of alternating areas of contact between the two metal layers and electrical isolation between the two metal layers. The via chain typically consists of a square or rectangular array of 100 vias, arranged in a 10 by 10 configuration.
The via chain structure shown in FIG. 5 was used to evaluate via electrical continuity, which is determined by, among other things, the quality of the contact between the two metal layers at the base of the via, by the quality of step coverage of the second metal layer over the photo-CVD oxide, and by the quality of the step coverage and the surface morphology of the photo-CVD oxide over the first metal layer.
Using the structure shown in FIG. 5, the electrical continuity of the via chain was measured. Electrical contact was made with each terminal at the extremities of the via chain, a voltage was applied, and the resistance was determined. The average resistance per via opening was determined to be less than one ohm, which is within present industry-accepted limits. Thus, it was determined that there was good electrical continuity between the two metal layers shown in FIG. 5, throughout the via chain and that the process of the present invention for forming the oxide layer 56 is compatible with maintaining continuity within acceptable limits. These results also indicated good step coverage of the second metal layer comprising strips 58 over the patterned photo-CVD SiO 2 layer 56. The significance of the structure shown in FIG. 5 is that such a structure permits two layers of metallization, rather than one, to be used over the same substrate surface, and thus permits a desirably increased number of gates per square millimeter (mm 2 ) on a wafer. The gate density of a wafer with double layer metallization may be as high as 150 gates/mm 2 as compared to 20 gates/mm 2 for single layer metallization.
In actual practice, the test structures shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 can be combined on a single test chip comprising, for example: one large area capacitor having dimensions of 600 by 600 micrometers; two serpentine capacitors having 300 crossovers and 600 edges; and three via chains each arranged in an array of 10 by 10 vias, with base areas of 5 by 5 micrometers, 4 by 4 micrometers, and 3 by 3 micrometers.
In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs of layers of photo-CVD SiO 2 deposited over both aluminum and silicon substrates comprising dimensions representative of high density integrated circuits indicate excellent conformal coating of the SiO 2 over edges, with no cracking and a smooth top surface, and with uniform thickness. Good conformal characteristics and, in particular, good step coverage are important for obtaining good insulating properties from a dielectric oxide. The exceptional step coverage obtained with the photo-CVD SiO 2 satisfies one of the primary requirements for a viable interlevel insulator for double level metallization. In addition, the requirements of low pinhole density and uniform surface morphology for the interlevel insulator are satisfied by the photo-CVD SiO 2 .
Thus, by using the process of the present invention, a multilayer structure comprising an oxide dielectric deposited on a conductive layer can be formed at a relatively low temperature which prevents the formation of unwanted hillocks and spikes on the conductive surface. The oxide so formed is an effective insulating layer, is of good quality, being virtually pinhole free, having improved breakdown voltage characteristics, and having good conformal characteristics. In addition, the process for forming the oxide as described herein has high reproducibility and high yield.
While the present invention has been particularly described with respect to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that certain modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. In particular, the present invention is not limited to the formation of a layer of silicon dioxide on aluminum or aluminum silicide, which was used merely as an example, but includes the low temperature deposition of any oxide (including a doped oxide), which can be formed by any of the process embodiments disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587. The present invention further includes the deposition of such an oxide on any metal or conductive substrate, and is particularly advantageous for substrates which undergo surface deformation or restructuring when exposed to elevated temperatures. In addition, the process described herein may be performed at temperatures below 200° C. and, in some cases, as low as room temperature. Further, while the silicon dioxide formed in accordance with the present invention has been referred to as a "photo-CVD" oxide, it is not intended to limit the present invention to the process embodiment of U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587 in which the atomic oxygen is photochemically generated; rather, it is intended to include any oxide formed by any process embodiment of U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,587. Finally, it is not intended to limit the present invention to the particular multilevel structures disclosed herein, but to include any structure in which a metal or conductive layer or pattern has an oxide dielectric formed thereon by the low temperature process disclosed in U.S Pat. No. 4,371,587.
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The specification discloses a low temperature process for forming an effective insulating layer of a selected oxide on the surface of a chosen conductive substrate. The oxide so formed has low pinhole density, good surface morphology, and good step coverage. In addition, the disclosed process simultaneously minimizes the deformation or restructuring of the surface of a temperature-sensitive conductive substrate, which would produce unwanted hillocks or spikes that degrade the insulating properties of the oxide. In accordance with the disclosed process, the substrate is exposed to a chosen vapor phase reactant in the presence of neutral, charge-free atomic oxygen to produce a reaction between the atomic oxygen and the vapor phase reactant to form the selected oxide, which deposits on the surface of the conductive substrate. Improved multilayer structures comprising multiple layers of conductive material separated by an oxide dielectric layer are formed by the disclosed process.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a linear actuator which can precise carry out velocity and positioning control.
Until now, there have been means for utilizing a motor or a linear motor, or means for utilizing fine actuators, such as piezoelectric elements, to accomplish precise linear drive.
FIG. 1 is a summarized cross-sectional view of one example of a means for indirectly obtaining a linear driving force utilizing a motor. A rotational driving force obtained by a motor 1 is transferred to a ball screw 5 through pulleys 2 and 3 and a belt 4, converted into the linear driving force by a ball screw nut 6 into which the ball screw 5 is screwed, and linearly drives a driving base 8 through a supporting bracket 7.
FIG. 2 is a summarized cross-sectional view of one example of a means for directly obtaining a linear driving force utilizing a linear motor. A slider 131 of a linear motor 13 is fixed to a driving base 11 through a supporting bracket 12 and the driving base 11 is linearly driven by the linear driving force of the linear motor 13.
FIG. 3 is a summarized cross-sectional view of one example of a means for directly obtaining a linear driving force utilizing fine actuators such as piezoelectric elements. Both ends of a cylindrical driving fine actuator 21 which can axially expand and contract are respectively fastened to side faces of fixing/separating fine actuators 22 and 23 like the fine actuator 21, and a rod-like driving base 24 is fastened to the side face of the fixing/separating fine actuator 22 so that its longitudinal axis is coincident with the direction of expansion and contraction of the driving fine actuator 21. In the actuator unit of such a structure, the driving base 24 runs through the side of a box-like supporting bracket 25, and the fixing/separating fine actuators 22 and 23 are housed in the supporting bracket 25 so that they support the inside face of the supporting bracket 25 in an expansion state and come apart from the inside face of the supporting bracket 25 in a contraction state.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of one example of a driving apparatus of the linear driving means shown in FIG. 3. A position controlling circuit 414 inputs a velocity signal VS and outputs expansion/contraction signals SS3, SS4 and SS5 to each of drives 433, 434 and 435. Each driver 433, 434 and 435 supplies each of the expansion/contraction signals SS3, SS4 and SS5 to the respective fine actuators 21, 22 and 23 after power amplifications. An example of each of the expansion/contraction signals and each of the driver's outputs is shown in the time chart in FIG. 5, and the velocity signal is in proportion to frequency of each of the expansion/contraction signals. Its operating sequence will be explained referring to the time chart shown in FIG. 5 as follows.
(1) Time t 0 -Time t 1
The driving fine actuator 21 stops in the contraction state and the fixing/separating fine actuator 23 operates from the contraction state to the expansion state, i.e., from the condition that the fine actuator 23 separates from the inside face of the supporting bracket 25 (separating mode) to the condition that it supports the inside face of the supporting bracket 25 (fixing mode), and then the operation of the fixing/separating fine actuator 22 operates from the fixing mode to the separating mode. Therefore, the driving base 24 remains stopped.
(2) Time t 1 -Time t 2
The driving fine actuator 21 operates from the contraction state to the expansion state under the conditions that the fixing/separating fine actuator 23 is in the fixing mode and the fixing/separating fine actuator 22 is in the separating mode. The fixing/separating fine actuator 22 and the driving base 24 fastened by this actuator 22 are driven by these conditions.
(3) Time t 2 -Time t 3
The driving fine actuator 21 stops during the expansion state, and the fixing/separating fine actuator 22 operates from the separating mode to the fixing mode, and then the fixing/separating fine actuator 23 operates from the fixing mode to the separating mode. Therefore, the driving base 24 remains stopped.
(4) Time t 3 -Time t 4
The driving fine actuator 21 operates from the expansion state to the contraction state under the conditions that the fixing/separating fine actuator 22 is in the fixing mode, and the fixing/separating fine actuator 23 is in the separating mode. The fixing/separating fine actuator 23 is driven, and the driving base 24 remians stopped by these conditions.
The above described sequence is one cycle of the operation of the linear driving means utilizing the conventional fine actuators.
In the above described linear driving means utilizing the motor, a mechanical converting mechanism, such as the ball screw, is always required to supply the linear driving force to the driving base 8. Therefore, there are problems in that precise movement cannot be attained because of mechanical strain or looseness of the converting mechanism, and the poorness of the transmission efficiency induced by the mechanical loss of the converting mechanisms. In addition, since the motor utilizes an electromagnetic force, a limitation naturally exists in the compactness because of the balanced largeness (the diameter and the length) of the motor is required in order to generate the appropriate torque.
In the above described linear driving means utilizing the linear motor, although the mechanical converting mechanism shown in FIG. 2 is not required and it becomes a compact mechanism, a length of a stator 132 opposite to a slider 131 of the linear motor 13 is required the length of one stroke to obtain the driving force at the whole stroke and it required to be large because of its driving principle and it is therefore expensive.
In the above described linear driving means utilizing the fine actuator, although it becomes a compact and simple mechanism, smooth movement cannot be obtained because of the intermittence of the movement of the driving base 24 repeatedly starting and stopping.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to solve the above problems and the purpose of this invention is to provide a compact linear actuator with a high propulsion force which operates smoothly at high speed, and can be driven with a high accuracy and high acceleration and deceleration.
According to an aspect of this invention, for achieving the object described above, there is provided a linear actuator comprising: a primary fine means capable of fixing and separating a driving base, secondary fine means capable of fine driving said primary means and controlling means controlling the movements of said primary fine means and secondary fine means, whereby the fixing of said driving base by said primary fine means is performed when the deflection of the moving velocity of said driving base in a driven direction and the moving velocity of said primary fine means driven by said secondary fine means in said driven direction becomes less than or equal to a specified allowable value, and the driving of said primary fine means driven by said secondary fine means in the direction opposite to that of said driven direction after not transferring the driving force of said secondary fine means to said driving base is controlled when said driving base is separated from said primary fine means.
The nature, principle and utility of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIGS. 1 to 3 are diagrammatic perspective cross-sectional views of examples of a conventional means for achieving a linear driving force;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a time chart of the operating example of the means shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one example of a linear actuator of this invention;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one example of an apparatus for controlling the linear actuator;
FIG. 8 is a time chart of the operating example of the linear actuator;
FIGS. 9A-9D are perspective views of the operation of the linear actuator;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one example of the controller of this invention;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an another linear actuator of this invention; and
FIG. 12 is a time chart of the operating example of the linear actuator.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 6 is a summarized perspective view of one embodiment of a linear actuator of the present invention. One end of a cylindrical fixing/separating fine actuator 32 which expands and contracts in the axial direction is fastened to one inside face 331 of a ]-shaped supporting bracket 33, and a rod-shaped driving base 34 is inserted between the other end of the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 and the other inside face of the supporting bracket 33. In addition, one end of, the driving fine actuator 31 similar to the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 is fastened to one inside face 351 of another ]-shaped supporting bracket 35, and one end of a compressed spring 36 is fastened to the another inside face of the supporting bracket 35. Still more a foot 332 of the supporting bracket 33 is pinched and fastened between the other end of the driving fine actuator 31 and the other end of the compressed spring 36 so that the expanding direction of the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 and that of the driving fine actuator 31 are orthogonal.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one example of the apparatus controlling the above described linear actuator. A controller 41 compares a positional signal SP or a velocity signal SV with a position detecting value DP or a velocity feedback signal DV sent from a position detector or a velocity detector 42 mounted on the driving base 34 and outputs expansion/ contraction signals SS1 and SS2 to drivers 431 and 432 depending on the relative relationship between the driving fine actuator 31 and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32. Each of the drivers 431 and 432 controls the driving fine actuator 31 and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 after amplification of the expansion/contraction signals SS1 and SS2, and thereby drive the driving base 34.
The operational sequence of this linear actuator is brought about as a time chart shown in FIG. 8, and is explained as follows.
(1) Time t 0 -Time t 11
The driving fine actuator 31 operates from the contraction state to an expansion state, and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 operates from a condition that the actuator 32 is separated from the driving base 34 (separating mode) to a condition that it supports the driving base 34 (fixing mode) at the time that the deflection of the moving velocity of the driving base 34 by the inertial force (later explained in detail) and the moving velocity of the driving fine actuator 31, i.e., the moving velocity of the supporting bracket 33, becomes less than or equal to the specified allowable value. The fixing/separating fine actuator 32 is in the fixing mode (FIG. 9A).
(2) Time t 11 -Time t 12
Since the driving base 34 and the supporting bracket 33 are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32, the driving base 34 is precisely controlled and driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 (FIG. 9B).
(3) Time t 12 -Time t 13
The driving base 34 is separated from the supporting bracket 33 since the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 operates from the fixing mode to the separating mode. Therefore, although the driving force of the driving fine actuator 31 is not transferred to the driving base 34, the driving base 34 continues driving by the force of inertia (FIG. 9C).
(4) Time t 13 -Time t 14
Since the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 is in the separating mode, the driving base 34 continues driving by the force of inertia. Still more the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 and the supporting bracket 33 move to the direction opposite to the moving direction of the driving base 34 preparing for the next operating cycle by the operation of the driving fine actuator 31 from the expansion state to the contraction state (FIG. 9D).
The above described sequence is one cycle of the operation of one example of the linear actuator of the present invention. The driving base 34 can be thus moved an specific distance at an specific velocity without stopping by the continuous repetition of (1) to (4) steps.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one example of controller 41.
A position controlling circuit 411 inputs a velocity signal VS and outputs the expansion/contraction signal SS1, which is the position signal of the fine actuator 31, and the moving direction coincidence signal, which is the driving signal of the driving base.
A velocity deflection detecting circuit 412 inputs a velocity feedback signal DV and the aforementioned expansion/contraction signal SS1, calculating the velocity deflection of the variation of the expansion/ contraction signal SS1, i.e., the velocity signal and the velocity feedback signal DV, and outputs the velocity coincidence signal when the value of velocity deflection becomes less than or equal to an allowable value.
A position controlling circuit 413 outputs the expansion/contraction signal SS2 to the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 depending on the logical multiply of the velocity coincidence signal and the moving direction coincidence signal.
Each of the expansion/contraction signals SS1 and SS2 is amplified power by drivers 431 and 432 respectively and then supplied to each fine actuator 31 and 32.
FIG. 11 is a summarized perspective view of the another example of the linear actuator of this invention. Two linear actuators (the primary unit and the secondary unit) shown in FIG. 6 are mounted forming a line.
The operating sequence of this linear actuator is shown by the time chart shown in FIG. 12, and will be explained as follows.
(1) Time t o -Time t 21
Since the driving base 34 and the supporting bracket 33 of the secondary unit are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the secondary unit, the driving base 34 is driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of the secondary unit. In this period, the driving fine actuator 31 of the primary unit operates from the contration state to the expansion state, and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the primary unit operates from the separating mode to the fixing mode at the time that the deflection of the moving velocity of the driving base 34 and the moving velocity of the driving fine actuator 31 of the primary unit, i.e., the moving velocity of the supporting bracket 33, becomes less than or equal to the specified allowable value. The fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the primary unit is in the fixing mode.
(2) Time t 21 -Time t 22
Since the driving base 34 and the supporting bracket 33 of the primary unit are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the each unit, the driving base 34 is driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of each unit.
(3) Time t 22 -Time t 23
Since the driving base 34 and the supporting bracket 33 of the primary unit are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the primary unit, the driving base 34 is driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of the primary unit. In this period, the driving fine actuator 31 of the secondary unit operates from the contraction state to the expanstion state, and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the secondary unit operates from the fixing mode to the separating mode. Therefore, the driving force of the driving fine actuator 31 of the secondary unit is not transferred to the driving base 34 at the time that the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the secondary unit is in the separating mode.
(4) Time t 23 -Time t 24
Since the driving base 34 and the supporting bracket 33 of the primary unit are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the primary unit, the driving base 34 is driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of the primary unit. In this period, the supporting bracket 33 and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the secondary unit move to the direction opposite to the moving direction of the driving base 34 by the operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of the secondary unit from the expansion state to the contraction state.
(5) Time t 24 -Time t 25
Since the driving base 34 and the supporting bracket 33 of the primary unit are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the primary unit, the driving base 34 is driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of the primary unit. In this period, the driving fine actuator 31 of the secondary unit operates from the contraction state to the expansion state, and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the secondary unit operates from the separating mode to the fixing mode at the time that the deflection of the moving velocity of the driving base 34 and the moving velocity of the driving fine actuator 31 of the secondary unit, i.e., the moving velocity of the supporting bracket 33, becomes less than or equal to the specified allowable value. The fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the secondary unit is in the fixing mode.
(6) Time t 25 -Time t 26
Since the driving base 34, the supporting bracket 33 of the primary unit and the supporting bracket 33 of the secondary unit are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of each unit, the driving base 34 is driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of each unit.
(7) Time t 26 -Time t 27
Since the driving base 34 and the supporting bracket 33 of the secondary unit are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the secondary unit, the driving base 34 is driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of the secondary unit. In this period, the driving fine actuator 31 of the primary unit operates from the contraction state to the expansion state, and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the primary unit operates from the fixing mode to the separating mode. Therefore, the driving force of the driving fine actuator 31 of the primary unit is not transferred to the driving base 34 at the time that the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the primary unit is in the separating mode.
(8) Time t 27 -Time t 28
Since the driving base 34 and the supporting bracket 33 of the secondary unit are fixed by the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the secondary unit, the driving base 34 is driven by the expanding operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of the secondary unit. In this period, the supporting bracket 33 and the fixing/separating fine actuator 32 of the primary unit are moved in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the driving base 34 by the operation of the driving fine actuator 31 of the primary unit from the expansion state to the contraction state.
The above described sequence is one cycle of the operation of another example of the linear actuator of the present invention. The driving base 34 can be thus precisely controlled so as to move a specific distance at a specific velocity without stopping and depending on the inertial force by the continuous repetition of (1) to (8). In addition, the moving direction of the driving base 34 can be changed to the opposite direction by the alteration of the operating velocity of the driving fine actuator 31 and the operation timing of the driving fine actuator 31 and the fixing/operating fine actuator 32. Furthermore, the maximum speed can be increased by the accumulation of a plurality of fine actuators operating in the same direction, i.e., operating the supporting bracket supporting the driving fine actuator driving the driving base by another driving fine actuator. Finally, the driving force can be increased by the driving of a plurality of lined-up driving fine actuators.
In the linear actuator of this invention utilizing the fine actuator consisting of a commercially available piezoelectric element (diameter, 22 mm; length, 58 mm; displacement, 50 μm; response time, 100 μsec; generating force, max 400 kgf), a resolution of less than or equal to 0.1 μm can be obtained under the conditions of a max speed of 30 m/min and a driving power of 400 kgf (one-way operation).
Since the linear actuator of this invention can obtain an operation with high driving force, high-speed, high-accuracy and the capability of high acceleration and deceleration in spite of its compactness as above described, when this linear actuator is used, for example, in machine tools, it can be miniaturized, and can be highly accuracy and can be economical.
It should be understood that many modifications and adaptations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art and it is intended to encompass such obvious modifications and changes in the scope of the claims appended hereto.
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A linear attuator of the present invention performs the fixing of a driving base by the primary fine means when the deflection of the moving velocity of the driving base in a driven direction and the moving velocity of the primary fine means driven by the secondary fine means in the driven direction becomes less than or equal to a specified allowable value, i.e., when the relating velocity becomes nearly zero, and moves the primary fine means driven by the secondary fine means in the direction opposite to that of the driven direction after not transferring the driving force of the secondary fine means to the driving base when the driving base is separated from the primary fine means. Thus, the driving base can be driven by a stroke longer than the driving stroke of the fine actuator itself at a specific velocity and it can be driven smoothly.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/132,385 filed Dec. 18, 2013 entitled Shelter With Extended Eaves, which is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/092,765 filed Apr. 22, 2011 entitled Shelter With Extended Eaves (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,616,226 issued Dec. 31, 2013), which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/326,997, filed Apr. 22, 2010, entitled Shelter With Extended Eaves, the contents of both of which are incorporated in their entireties herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to collapsible shelters and, more particularly, to a collapsible shelter having collapsible eaves and to shelters that are compact when in the collapsed state.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Portable, free standing, shelters that have a collapsible frame structure that supports a canopy are well known. Portable shelters typically employ a cloth or plastic canopy attached to a light-weight, highly foldable skeleton or frame structure. The canopy provides a roof and/or walls for the shelter, and the frame structure provides support for the canopy, for example, the frame structure includes legs to elevate the roof and a system of trusses to support the roof and to generally stabilize the shelter. The frame structure often incorporates a compound, scissor-like, arrangement of a light-weight, tubular material such as aluminum. In order to maximize the usable area under a shelter, the frame structure is often designed so that the roof is supported solely by legs positioned near the perimeter of the roof. Stated alternatively, shelters do not typically employ an interior supporting post or leg such as a leg or post positioned in the center of shelter. An example of such a portable shelter is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,676 to Lynch the contents of which are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference.
[0004] To further maximize the usable area under the canopy, several portable shelter designs have incorporated eaves or awning-like structures that support the canopy beyond the exterior boundary or envelope defined by the legs of the shelter's frame. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,995 to Dotterweich describes a portable shelter having a canopy extension that extends out from one side of the shelter. The extension is supported by a relatively complex secondary network of trusses and cross-supports independent from that of the main body of the shelter. This single canopy extension design has the disadvantage of increasing the weight and size of the collapsed shelter, decreasing the effective height of the shelter along the outer boundary of the canopy extension, and being susceptible to deformation and damage from environmental forces, such as wind, due to the relatively large, unsupported extension.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,348 to Tsai et al., the contents of which are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference, describes a portable shelter having a canopy extension extending from four sides of the shelter. The canopy extension is supported by the end portions of certain of the trusses that support the canopy roof. The end portions supporting the canopy extension are entirely unsupported by secondary trusses or struts. This canopy extension design is also relatively susceptible to deformation and damage from environmental forces, such as wind, due to the unsupported nature of the canopy extension.
[0006] U.S. Publication No. 2007/0186967 to Zingerle, the contents of which are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference, describes a canopy extension that is supported by primary struts extending from the exterior corner of each support post. The primary strut is supported by one or more support strut that span between the primary strut and a network of side trusses. This canopy extension design has the disadvantage that a relatively large angle is formed between the support strut and the network of side trusses which, in turn, results in less fluid movement of the shelter frame when expanding and collapsing the shelter and increases the likelihood that the support strut will bind and/or kink. Furthermore, the fact that the primary struts extend from the corners of the support posts undesirably increases the collapsed size of the shelter.
[0007] Chinese Patent Application No. 2009201183292 to Kuanjun, the contents of which are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference, describes a canopy extension that is supported by primary struts extending from the exterior corners of each support post. The primary struts are supported by a support strut that is attached to the primary strut at one end and slidibly attached to the exterior corner of the support post at an opposite end. This canopy extension design has the disadvantages that the strut support is not limited in its upward movement on the support post. In the event that an environmental force, such as wind, acts against the support strut, the support strut will be prone to upward movement which, in turn, causes deformation and damage to the canopy extension and frame generally. Furthermore, the fact that the primary struts and support struts extend from the corners of the support posts undesirably increases the collapsed size of the shelter.
[0008] What is needed in the art is a shelter design that maximizes the area shaded and protected by the deployed shelter and that does so without sacrificing the stability and strength of the shelter, complicating the operation of the shelter, or increasing the weight, collapsed size or storability, or cost of the shelter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In light of deficiencies of prior art collapsible shelters, the present invention provides a collapsible shelter that includes a slider and strut mechanism mounted on support posts of the shelter that automatically actuate and extend from the corners of the shelter when the shelter is expanded from its collapsed state. The strut mechanism provides support for an eave that extends outside all or a portion of the perimeter of the shelter defined by the corners of the support posts. In this manner the protected and shaded area offered by the shelter is greatly increased without sacrificing the stability and strength of the shelter, complicating the operation of the shelter, or increasing the weight, storability or cost of the shelter.
[0010] The present invention also provides an automatic hard-stop mechanism that prevents the eave slider and strut mechanism from becoming over-extended during improper operation of the shelter or during harsh environmental conditions such as high winds.
[0011] The present invention also provides shelter support posts that are configured and oriented in a manner that minimizes the footprint of the increased awning shelter when in the collapsed state. In a preferred embodiment, the support posts are configured to be oriented at a 45 degree angle so that the eave slider and strut mechanism can be attached to the support posts without increasing the footprint, or envelope, of the shelter when in the collapsed state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] These and other aspects, features and advantages of which embodiments of the invention are capable of will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a collapsed frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2B is a plan view of a collapsed frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a peak junction according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a peak truss hinge according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a side truss hinge according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 8B is a plan view of a portion of a collapsed frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of a portion of a collapsed frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 13 is a plan view of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to the prior art.
[0028] FIG. 14 is a plan view of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 15A is a side elevation view of a portion of a partially collapsed frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 15B is a side elevation view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 15C is a side elevation view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a portion of an expanded frame structure of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.
[0034] FIG. 1 shows an expanded, deployed frame 10 of a shelter according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A shows the same frame 10 in the collapsed, non-deployed state from a side view, and FIG. 2B shows the same frame 10 in the collapsed, non-deployed state from a plan view. For the sake of clarity, in the figures, the present invention is shown without a canopy attached to the frame 10 . Broadly speaking, the frame 10 employs posts 12 extending upward from post bases 13 to corner assemblies 14 . The corner assemblies 14 function to associate the posts 10 with side trusses 16 , peak trusses 18 , and eave assemblies 30 .
[0035] FIG. 14 is a simplified plan view of the frame 10 shown in FIG. 1 . For the sake of clarity, an outer perimeter or envelope 72 is shown in FIG. 14 that represents the outer boundary of the shade or shelter provided by expanded shelter having a canopy according to the present invention. It is noted that while FIGS. 1 and 14 shows the frame 10 as having an approximately rectangular footprint or floor plan, it is contemplated that the present invention may employ frames 10 that have alternative footprints such as circles, squares, or ovals. In a preferred embodiment, the posts 12 have an approximately rectangular cross-sectional shape. Each post 12 has an interior side 66 , an exterior side 68 , and two intermediary sides 70 .
[0036] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 14 , a peak junction 20 functions to associate the peak trusses 18 to one another at a location in the approximate center of the horizontal area occupied by the shelter at an elevation above a height of the top of the posts 12 . In this manner, the peak junction 20 forms a peak or high-point of the roof of the frame 10 . An expanded view of an underside of the peak junction 20 is shown in FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the peak trusses 18 employ peak truss hinges 22 that allow the peak trusses 18 to be folded in order that they may achieve a more compact size when the frame 10 is collapsed. FIG. 4 shows an expanded view of the peak truss hinge 22 . The peak trusses 18 are supported by peak truss supports 19 . A proximal end 17 of the peak truss support 19 is attached to the corner assembly 14 and a distal end 21 of the peak truss support 19 is attached to the peak truss 18 .
[0037] The side trusses 16 employ a scissor-like assembly spanning between posts 12 . The side trusses 16 have an upper arm 24 and a lower arm 26 that cross one another and attached to one another at a side truss hinge 28 . FIG. 5 shows an expanded view of the side truss hinge 28 .
[0038] As best shown in FIG. 6 , the eave assembly 30 employs an eave strut 32 having a proximal end 34 attached to the corner assembly 14 and a distal end 36 extending outward from the frame 10 . The eave assembly 30 further comprises a strut support 38 having a proximal end 40 attached to the corner assembly 14 and a distal end 42 attached to the eave strut 32 . When the frame 10 is in a collapsed, non-deployed state, such as shown in FIG. 2 , the distal end 36 of the eave strut 32 pivots towards the post base 13 . When the frame 10 is expanded to an open state, the distal end 36 of the eave strut 32 pivots outward away from the post 12 .
[0039] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the corner assemblies 14 employ an upper coupling 44 fixed to a upper portion 45 of the post 12 , a lower coupling 46 slidably attached to the post 12 , and a eave slider 48 slidably attached to the post 12 between the upper coupling 44 and the lower coupling 46 .
[0040] As shown in FIG. 8A in which the frame 10 is in the deployed, expanded state, the upper coupling 44 serves to attach and associate one post 12 with the upper arms 24 of two different side trusses 16 , one peak truss 18 , and one eave strut 32 . These components are attached to the upper coupling 44 by insertion of an end of the component, for example the proximal end 34 of the eave strut 32 , into a receiving portion 50 formed in and/or by the upper coupling 44 . The component end is secured within the receiving portion 50 by passing a member such as a bolt 52 through a first side of the receiving portion 50 , through the component end, such as the proximal strut end 34 , and through a second side of the receiving portion 50 . The bolt 52 may, for example be secured in position by threading a nut 56 over an end of the bolt 52 opposite a bolt head 54 . FIG. 8B shows an plan view of the upper coupling 44 when the frame 10 is in the non-deployed, collapsed state.
[0041] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the lower coupling 46 employs a lower coupling post aperture 58 through which the post 12 is slidably positioned. As seen in FIG. 9-11 , the lower coupling 46 serves to attach and associate one post 12 with the lower arms 26 of two different side trusses 16 and the proximal end 17 of one peak truss support 19 . These components are attached to the lower coupling 46 as described above regarding the attachment of components to the upper coupling 44 .
[0042] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the lower coupling 46 further employs coupling lock 64 which functions to secure the lower coupling 46 at the desired location along the post 12 . The lower coupling lock 64 is a biased or spring-loaded pin lock that is incorporated into the body of the lower coupling 44 . The coupling lock 64 engages a receiving aperture, not shown, formed in post 12 . It will be understood that while the coupling lock 64 has been shown incorporated into an interior side of the lower coupling 46 , the coupling lock 64 may alternatively be incorporated into any of the exterior sides of the lower coupling 46 .
[0043] With reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 9-12 , the eave slider 48 is positioned on the post 12 between the upper coupling 44 and the lower coupling 46 . The eave slider 48 employs a post aperture 60 through which the post 12 is slidably positioned. The eave slider 48 serves to attached and associate the post 12 with the proximal end 40 of the eave strut support 38 . The proximal end 40 of the eave strut support 38 is attached to the eave slider 48 as described above regarding the attachment of components to the upper coupling 44 . FIG. 12 shows a side view of the eave slider 48 when the frame 10 is in the non-deployed, collapsed state.
[0044] While FIGS. 1, 2A, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12 show that the proximal end 40 of the strut support 38 is attached to the eave slider 48 on the exterior side 68 of the post 12 , it will be understood that other attachment configurations are contemplated. For example, the proximal end 40 of the strut support 38 may alternatively attach to the eave slider 48 on one of the intermediary sides 70 of the post 12 , as shown in FIGS. 15A-15C . In another embodiment, instead of one longitudinal element, the strut support 38 comprises two longitudinal elements and the proximal ends 40 of the strut supports 38 attach to the eave slider 48 at each of the two intermediary sides 70 .
[0045] In a preferred embodiment, instead of one longitudinal element, the strut support 38 comprises two longitudinal elements. The proximal ends 40 of the two longitudinal elements of the strut supports 38 pass by each of the two intermediary sides 70 of the post 12 and attach to the eave slider 48 on the interior side 66 of the post 12 , as shown in FIG. 16 .
[0046] This configuration provides at least two advantages to the frame 10 . First, by positioning the pivot point for the proximal end 40 of the strut supports 38 on the interior side of the post 12 , a sharper angle is formed at the point where the strut supports 38 attach to the eave strut 32 . This, in turn provides for smoother operation, i.e. smoother expanding and collapsing of the eave assemblies 30 and the frame 10 . Second, employing two longitudinal elements of the strut support 38 increases strength of the eave assemblies 30 and, more particularly, aids in preventing the eave assemblies from moving laterally. This advantage is further enhanced by the increased rigidity provided by passing the longitudinal elements of the strut support 38 on each side of the post 12 . The post 12 serving as a lateral truss between the two longitudinal elements.
[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, the corner assembly 14 and hence the frame 10 , is further improved by employing an eave stop 62 . With reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 8A, 9-11, and 15A , the eave stop 62 is a projection from the post 12 that is fixed at a desired distance along a length of the post 12 above which it is undesirable for the eave slider 48 to travel. As shown in the figures, in one embodiment of the present invention, the eave stop 62 employs a bolt 52 passed through the post 12 with a nut 56 threaded onto the end of the bolt 52 opposite the bolt head 54 . The eave stop 62 may be positioned on one side of the post 12 but is preferably positioned on two opposite sides of the post 12 . For example, it is contemplated that eave stops 62 be placed on both of the intermediary sides 70 of the post 12 or one eave spot 62 on the interior side 66 of the post 12 and one eave stop on the exterior side 68 of the post 12 .
[0048] The eave stop 62 is particularly advantageous in that the eave stop 62 assists in securing the eave slider 48 in the desired position on the post 12 . In operation, when the frame 10 is transitioned from a collapsed state to an expanded, deployed state, the lower coupling 46 is urged upward towards the upper portion 45 of the post 12 causing expansion of the truss network comprising the peak trusses 18 and side trusses 16 . The lower coupling 46 contacts the eave slider 48 and urges the eaves slider 48 upward along the post 12 . As the eave slider 48 moves upward along the post 12 , the eave slider 48 causes the eave strut 32 to pivot outward away from the exterior side 68 of the post 12 , thereby providing support for a canopy eave, not shown, that is configured to extend beyond the perimeter of the posts 12 of the frame 10 . The lower coupling lock 64 eventually locks into place on the post 12 when the frame 10 is in the fully expanded, deployed state.
[0049] In harsh environmental conditions such as high winds, there is a risk that the canopy of the shelter is caught by the wind and is caused move or deform the frame 10 that supports the canopy. This is especially problematic due to cantilever-like configuration of the eave assemblies 30 . In order to prevent the eave assemblies 30 from being forced upward in such a circumstance, the eave stop 62 is disposed on the post 12 . In the event the wind on the canopy urges the eave assembly 30 in the upwards direction, an upper surface of the eave slider 48 contacts the eave stop 62 . The eave stop 62 thereby prevents the upward movement or the eave slider 48 and, hence, the deformation of the eave assembly 30 .
[0050] Of particular importance to certain embodiments of the present invention is the orientation of the rectangular posts 12 relative to the other components of the frame 10 . As best shown in FIG. 7-11 and particularly in FIG. 14 , the posts 12 of the frame 10 of the present invention are rotated approximately 45 degrees relative to the envelope 84 of the deployed frame 10 . Stated alternately, the posts 12 are rotated such that the peak trusses 18 attach to the upper coupling 44 which is attached to the post 12 such that a angle 72 of approximately 90 degrees is formed between the peak trusses 18 and the with the interior side 60 of the posts 12 . Likewise, the eave struts 32 extend perpendicularly from the exterior side 68 of the posts 12 . In contrast, the side trusses 16 attach to the upper coupling 44 and lower coupling 46 which are attached to the post 12 such that a angle 74 of approximately 45 degrees is formed between the side trusses 16 and the with the intermediary sides 70 of the posts 12 .
[0051] By way of comparison, as shown in FIG. 13 , prior art collapsible shelter frames 80 employ posts 12 that are positioned such that the sides of the posts 12 are parallel to the sides of the shelter envelope 82 . Likewise, the peak trusses 18 of the prior art shelter frames 80 attach to the posts 12 at a corner of the posts 12 and form an angle of approximately 45 degrees with the sides of the post 12 .
[0052] The orientation of the posts 12 relative to the envelope 84 and other components of the frame 10 of the shelter of the present invention provides distinct advantages over the prior art shelters. For example, the rotation of the posts of the frame 10 of the present invention results in a space occurring between the exterior side 68 of the post 12 and the corner of the shelter envelope when the frame 10 is in the collapsed state. Within this space, the eave strut 32 and strut support 38 of the eave assembly 30 are disposed, when the frame 10 is in the collapsed state. As a result, a collapsible shelter having an eave feature according to the present invention can be collapsed into substantially the same envelope as that of a shelter that does not provide an eave. Further advantages are provided by the orientation of the post 12 of the frame 10 by imparting increased resistance to lateral forces, such as wind, to the frame 10 .
[0053] One of skill in the art will understand that the frame structure 10 of the present invention may be constructed from a variety of materials known in the art to facilitate light-weight designs and foldability. For example, the posts 12 , the peak trusses 18 , the peak truss supports 19 , the side trusses 16 , the eave struts 32 , and the strut supports 38 may be formed of an alloy including, but not limited to, tubular and/or solid aluminum. The upper coupling 44 , the lower coupling 46 , the eave slider 48 , the peak junction 20 , the side truss hinges 28 , and other similar components may be formed of, for example, a solid alloy or a molded plastic.
[0054] Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, various changes may be made in the form, composition, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the examples discussed above should be taken as being illustrative and not limiting in any sense.
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A shelter that includes a slider and a strut mechanism mounted on support posts of the shelter that automatically actuate and extend from the side of the support posts when the shelter is expanded from its collapsed state. The strut mechanism provides support for an eave that extends outside from all or a portion of the perimeter of the shelter defined by the corners of the support posts. An automatic hard-stop mechanism is incorporated into the support posts that prevent the eave sliders and strut mechanisms from becoming over-extended. The support posts are configured and oriented relative to the other components of the shelter frame and shelter boundary so to minimize the footprint or size of the shelter when in the collapsed state. Accordingly, the protected and shaded area offered by the shelter is greatly increased without sacrificing the stability and strength of the shelter, complicating the operation of the shelter, or increasing the weight, storability or cost of the shelter.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method of managing a read cache for one or more direct access storage device while using a small amount of control storage in a manner that is less likely to impede write intensive workloads or workloads that lack locality of reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a data processing system, instructions and associated data are transferred from storage devices to one or more processors for processing, and then resulting data generated by the processor is returned to storage devices. Thus, typical processing operations involve frequent and repetitive reading and writing from/to storage devices. As a result, storage access delays are often a primary limitation in the performance of a data processing system. Preferably, therefore, storage access speed should be maximized to maximize performance. However, often cost and other constraints require that the storage devices be comprised of relatively long access time circuitry, e.g., hard disk drives or other direct access storage devices (DASD's). To overcome the resulting performance drawbacks, caches are typically used.
A cache typically includes a relatively small, but relatively high speed, bank of memory, that can be more rapidly accessed by the processor(s) than the storage device that the cache services. Caches have been used to increase the performance of DASD's, and also to increase the performance of relatively low-speed solid state memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
Typically, a cache is associated with a cache directory, which stores an indication of those memory locations currently stored in the cache. Typically, a cache directory contains a number of entries, each entry identifying the address of data that is in the cache, and further identifying where the cache is currently storing that data. Thus, when a processor requests access to a particular address, the cache directory is accessed to determine whether data from that address is in the cache. If so, the requested data may be accessed in the cache, if appropriate. If the requested data is not in the cache, the requested data may be established in the cache, if appropriate.
The storage space on a hard disk or other DASD is typically arranged in arbitrarily sized data blocks. Recently, some computing systems, such as the AS/400 system available from the assignee of this application, have begun to utilize DASD's having fixed-size storage blocks. In the typical system, however, the storage space on a mainframe DASD is arranged into tracks. The size of the tracks is a function of the particular DASD being used and is not standard. Data is stored in “records” on the track. The records are of arbitrary size, and a single track may include one or many records. As a consequence of the organization used in DASD's, data in a DASD cache is also typically stored in arbitrary and non-standard size blocks. In some cases, the DASD cache will store all records in a track on the DASD, in which case the size of the data stored by the DASD is a function of the track size, and/or the size of the records on the track. In other cases, the DASD cache will store individual records, each replicating the data of a corresponding record on the DASD; in this case, because the size of the records is random, their size when stored in the cache is also random. In either case, there is variation in the size of the data stored by the cache, making it complex to manage the cache efficiently, and making it complex determine whether and where particular data is stored in the cache.
Caches have also been used to enhance the speed of solid-state memory, e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM). DRAM is typically arranged into pages or other fixed-sized blocks, and caches used with DRAM are typically organized into constant-size “lines”, which are relatively long sequences of sequential storage locations. When DRAM locations are duplicated into such a cache, typically the needed memory location as well as a few neighboring memory locations, are brought into a line of the cache.
There are two general types of caches in use today, write caches and read caches. A write cache is primarily intended to temporarily store data being written by the processor to a storage device. The processor writes data into the write cache, and thereafter the data is transferred or destaged from the write cache to the appropriate storage device. By caching data being written to the storage device, the efficiency of the write operations can often be improved. A read cache duplicates memory locations in the storage device, for the primary purpose of increasing memory read speed. Specifically, when a particular storage location being accessed by the processor is duplicated in the read cache, the processor may rapidly access the read cache instead of waiting for access to the storage device. Although a read cache is primarily intended for storing data being read from the storage device, the data in the read cache must be updated when the processor overwrites that data in the storage device. The need to rewrite data in a read cache under these circumstances can substantially diminish the performance of the read cache.
Caches have been managed in accordance with a least-recently-used LRU replacement scheme; specifically, when a data is to be added to the cache, old data which was least recently used, is replaced with the new data. While LRU is a popular replacement scheme, it is not necessarily the most efficient. Although not necessarily widely recognized by those skilled in the art, the inventors have determined that caches are most effective when managed such that data experiencing a high degree of locality of reference is maintained in the cache while data not experiencing locality of reference is not maintained in the cache. Furthermore, the inventors have determined that a read cache is most effective when data that is frequently overwritten is not stored in the cache. A read cache using an LRU replacement scheme will not necessarily meet these criteria, where there are repeated local references are spaced apart in time. In fact, under some circumstance a read cache will provide little or no performance improvement, and cannot be cost justified.
Compounding these problems, is the current lack of any effective approach to emulating the performance of a cache under real-life operating conditions. While there have in the past been software simulations of cache performance, such simulations have been performed by making assumptions as to the nature, frequency and kind of accesses that are made by the computer system, so that a model of the real-time behavior of the computer system and cache can be developed. If the assumptions as to the nature, frequency and kind of accesses are inaccurate, then the conclusions of the simulation are likely to be inaccurate.
As a result, at the present time the only way to make an accurate evaluation of the performance that can be achieved by a cache, is to actually install the cache and monitor the resulting performance. This means that new cache hardware must be purchased, at substantial expense, before it is known whether that hardware will actually provide a sufficient performance improvement to justify the associated expense. Furthermore, the expense is not limited to hardware cost. In a typical system, cache hardware can only be changed by downing the entire computer system; thus, there can be a substantial opportunity cost to installing new cache hardware, particularly in mission-critical computer systems such as high-capacity servers that are at the core of a business' daily operations.
The invention addresses these and other difficulties through a low complexity approach to DASD cache management. Low complexity is the result of managing fixed-size bands of data from the DASD, e.g., of 256 kbytes, rather than variable size records or tracks. An important consequence of the low complexity, is that the memory consumed for cache management purposes is relatively low, e.g., only 2.5 Mbytes of control storage are needed to manage 8 Gbytes of cache memory.
The performance of the cache is further improved by collecting statistics for bands of data, as well as conventional LRU information, in order to improve upon the performance of a simple LRU replacement scheme.
To maintain low complexity, the statistics take the form of a single counter which is credited (increased) for each read to a band and penalized (reduced) for each write to a band. In the specific disclosed embodiment, the counter is limited to integer numbers between 0 and 100, and is credited by 6 for each read and penalized by 4 for each write. To improve efficiency, a band that has a statistics value of 40 or more is retained in the cache even if that band is the least recently used band; when a band is retained despite being the least recently used band, the band's statistics counter is reduced by 8, and the band is made the most recently used band.
To further enhance performance, statistics and LRU information are also collected for bands of data that are not currently resident in the cache. By collecting statistics and LRU information for at least half as many nonresident bands as resident bands, there is a substantial improvement in decisions as to whether and when to bring bands of data into the cache. Specifically, a band must achieve a certain threshold of statistics before it will be made resident in the cache. In the particular disclosed embodiment, this threshold is a statistics counter having a value of 20 or more. In this embodiment, statistics and LRU information is collected for an equal number of resident and nonresident bands of data.
This cache management approach is further configured to, if desired, collect control information (e.g., statistics and LRU information) regarding potentially cacheable DASD data, even where there is no cache memory installed. When in this mode, the control information permits a real time emulation of performance enhancements that would be achieved were cache memory added to the computer system. This emulation has the substantial advantage that it is performed in real time and in response to the actual storage accesses produced by the computer system in practical use, rather than software simulations of the behavior of the computer system, which would usually be less accurate. Due to its low complexity and low control memory usage, the control storage overhead involved in such an emulation is acceptable.
Finally, this cache management approach includes features permitting dynamic reconfiguration of the cache size, so that cache memory may be added and removed in real time without requiring computer system downtime. This feature thus avoids the opportunity cost that was previously inherent in upgrading or changing the cache hardware of a computer system.
These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and the advantages and objectives attained by its use, reference should be made to the Drawing, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system consistent with the invention.
FIG. 2 is a data structure diagram showing the contents of the cache directory memory illustrated in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a data structure diagram showing the organization of the contents of the cache directory into lists and queues using pointers included in the data structures.
FIGS. 4A, 4 B and 4 C are flow charts of specific operations performed as part of responding to a read request, including checking for collisions, modifying statistics and LRU queues, determining whether one or more data bands is to be made resident and if so selecting a data band for replacement, and performing DMA operations to return data to the processor and, if necessary, filling data into bands in the cache memory.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart of specific operations performed as part of responding to a write request, including checking for collisions, modifying statistics, determining whether one or more data bands in the cache should be invalidated, and performing DMA operations to store data from the processor and, if necessary, into bands in the cache memory.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart of post-processing performed to resolve collisions incurred during a read or write operation and to invalidate or remove data bands from the cache which have been marked for invalidation or removal.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of operations performed in response to the addition of cache memory, by adding corresponding control structures.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of operations performed in response to the removal or failure of cache memory, by removing corresponding control structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Prior to discussing the operation of embodiments of the invention, a brief overview of a computer system in which the invention may be used is provided.
Turning to the Drawing, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a computer system 20 consistent with the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms and apparatus consistent with the invention apply equally to any computer system, regardless of whether the computer system is a complicated multi-user computing apparatus or a single user device such as a personal computer or workstation. As shown in FIG. 1, computer system 20 includes a main or central processing unit (CPU) 22 connected through a system bus 21 to a main memory 30 , a memory controller 24 , an auxiliary storage interface 26 , and a terminal interface 27 .
Memory controller 24 , through use of a processor separate from CPU 22 , moves information between main memory 30 , auxiliary storage interface 26 , and CPU 22 . While for the purposes of explanation, memory controller 24 is shown as a separate entity, those skilled in the art understand that, in practice, portions of the function provided by memory controller 24 may actually reside in the circuitry associated with CPU 22 and main memory 30 . Further, while memory controller 24 of the embodiment is described as having responsibility for moving requested information between main memory 30 , auxiliary storage interface 26 and CPU 22 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the present invention apply equally to any storage configuration, regardless of the number and type of the storage entities involved.
Auxiliary storage interface 26 , which operates under the control of software or firmware in a controller 31 , allows computer system 20 to store and retrieve information from an auxiliary direct access storage device 28 , such as a magnetic disk, magnetic tape or optical storage device connected to storage interface 26 via a bus 29 such as a bus conforming to Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) standards. Also connected to SCSI bus 29 is a cache memory 32 of volatile or non-volatile memory for storing bands of storage locations read from or written to the auxiliary storage device 28 . In the specific implementation described herein, cache memory 32 comprises a solid-state direct access storage device (SS DASD); essentially, cache memory is, e.g., a 1.6 Gbyte block of volatile DRAM having a SCSI interface for connection to SCSI bus 29 and configured to be accessed in a similar manner as a hard disk or other DASD device.
Auxiliary storage interface 26 also includes a memory 34 used by controller 31 to (among other data) store a cache directory. Memory 34 is a volatile or non-volatile memory storing an indication of which memory locations are within the cache memory 32 , as discussed below.
Terminal interface 27 allows users to communicate with computer system 20 , normally through one or more programmable workstations 38 .
Although the system depicted in FIG. 1 contains only a single main CPU and a single system bus, it will be understood that the invention also applies to computer systems having multiple CPUs and buses.
It will be appreciated that computer system 20 is merely an example of one system upon which the routines in accord with principles of the present invention may execute. Further, as innumerable alternative system designs may be used, principles of the present invention are not limited to any particular configuration shown herein.
In general, the routines executed to implement the illustrated embodiments of the invention, whether implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, program, object, module or sequence of instructions will be referred to herein as “computer programs”. The computer programs typically comprise instructions which, when read and executed by one or more processors in the devices or systems in a computer system consistent with the invention, cause those devices or systems to perform the steps necessary to execute steps or generate elements embodying the various aspects of the present invention. Moreover, while the invention has and hereinafter will be described in the context of fully functioning computer systems, those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer programs for carrying the various embodiments of the invention are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of signal bearing media include but are not limited to recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices, floppy disks, hard disk drives, CD-ROM's, DVD's, magnetic tape, etc., and transmission type media such as digital and analog communications links.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the contents of the cache directory memory 34 can be more clearly understood. Within cache directory memory 34 are a number of records 40 , which for the purposes of the following disclosure will be known as cache line or CL records. Each CL record consumes 32 bytes of storage in cache directory memory 34 . One-half of the CL records are “resident” CL records, and each is used to manage the storage of a contiguous 256 kbyte band of data from the storage device 28 which is resident in the cache memory 32 . The other one-half of the CL records are “non-resident” CL records, and each is used to collect information regarding a contiguous 256 kbyte band of data from the storage device 28 which is not resident in the cache memory 32 but is a potential candidate for storage in cache memory 32 . It has been found that cache efficiency is improved by maintaining CL records for a substantial number of nonresident bands of data, as compared to the number of resident bands of data. For example, there should be at least half as many nonresident CL records as resident CL records. For the purposes of the present disclosure, an equal number of nonresident CL records and resident CL records are maintained, but in other embodiments the number of resident and nonresident CL records may be different.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cache directory includes a number, y, of CL records. The cache directory is allocated to include enough CL records to accommodate the largest cache memory that may be installed. Accordingly, if less than the maximum cache memory is installed, some CL records will not be in used. In the general case, where the cache memory 32 includes the number ×/2 times 256 kbytes of storage space, x CL records will be in use, where x≦y. The size of the cache memory and the number of CL records available for managing the cache memory can be arbitrarily chosen based on desired performance.
In addition to the CL records, the cache directory memory 34 includes a hash table 42 , used as an index to locate a CL record for a particular storage location, as discussed below. Memory 34 also includes a number of pointers. Specifically, there are a plurality of LRU queue pointers 44 , including one “head” and one “tail” pointer used in identifying the beginning and end of a queue of resident CL records, and one “head” and one “tail” pointer used in identifying the beginning and end of a queue of nonresident CL records. Also, there are a plurality of working set queue pointers 48 , one for each of several read or write operations that may operate on the cache, used in identifying a working set of CL records that are included in a working set for the associated operation. Finally, there is a free list pointer 49 , used in maintaining a list of available CL records. The use of these pointers will be discussed below with reference to FIG. 3 .
The detailed internal structure of a CL record is also illustrated in FIG. 2 . The CL record is divided into eight four-byte fields, each of which stores data needed for management of the cache directory. A first four-byte field 54 stores a logical band address for the band of data being managed by the CL record. It can be seen in FIG. 2 that storage device 28 and cache memory 32 are, for the purposes of cache management, divided into contiguous 256 kbyte bands 72 , each starting and ending at a 256 kbyte boundary in the storage device. Typically a subset of the bands in storage device 28 are associated with CL records being managed by the cache at any given time.
The logical band address in field 54 is associated with the address of the first block, on a storage device 28 , of the 256 kbyte band of data that is being managed by the CL record, In a particular embodiment, addresses on storage device 28 and other storage devices in use, are in the form of a 32-bit logical block address, where the 32-bit logical block address uniquely identifies a 512 byte block of storage space on the storage device. In this implementation, the logical band address for a band including a block, can be formed from the logical block address of the block, by removing the nine lowest order bits from the logical block address. The remaining 23 more significant bits comprise the logical band address for the band including the block.
The first four-byte field 54 in a CL record also stores an 8-bit logical device number for the storage device 28 in which the data band 72 managed by the CL record is stored. Multiple logical storage devices may be managed by the auxiliary storage interface 26 illustrated in FIG. 1 using the cache; the logical device number identified in field 54 indicates which of these storage devices is storing the managed 256 kbyte band of data. In combination, the 23-bit logical band address and 8-bit logical device number in field 54 point to a specific band 72 in a particular storage device 28 attached to the auxiliary storage interface 26 , as illustrated in FIG. 2 .
The second four byte field 56 stores various information regarding the state of the band 72 being managed by the CL record in the cache. First, field 56 includes state information regarding the use of the CL record. Specifically, a CL record may have one of four states:
SO (statistics only)—indicates that the CL record is being used only to collect statistics on the use of the corresponding band, but that band is not presently resident in the cache. As will be seen below, all nonresident CL records are in the SO state, and only nonresident CL records are in the SO state.
Idle—if the logical band address/logical device number in field 54 is valid, indicates that the band managed by the CL record is currently resident in the cache, and the data in the cache is currently available and not being read or written at the present time.
RIP (read in progress)—indicates that the band managed by the CL record is currently resident in the cache, but that the data is currently being read by a cache management process and accordingly is not currently available.
PIP (populate in progress)—indicates that the band managed by the CL record is being filled by a cache management process with data from the corresponding band 72 in storage device 28 , or with data written to that band by a processor, and accordingly the band is not available.
As will be noted below in detail, a CL progresses through these states in a controlled manner, moving from one state to another as respective write and read operations are performed upon the CL record. As is described below, as an operation is performed on a working set of CL records, the state of each CL record that is involved in the operation, is updated to the appropriate state. Furthermore, when an operation attempts to build a working set for an operation, the state of each CL record in the working set is evaluated, and if the state of the CL record is inconsistent with the operation to be performed, the operation is not performed on the CL record, thus preventing collisions between operations, i.e., attempts to use the same CL record and associated data for inconsistent purposes at the same time.
For example, read operations are only permitted if all of the CL records for the bands 72 accessed by the read operation are in the Idle state. If this is not the case, for example, if data from a particular band is being filled into the cache, and thus the associated CL record is in the PIP state, as part of preparing to perform the read operation, the read operation will detect that a CL record needed for the read operation is in the PIP state. As a result, the read operation will be suspended. A similar sequence of events will occur if any of the CL records needed for a read operation is in the process of being read and thus is in the RIP state. Only if none of the CL records for bands 72 accessed by a read operation are in the PIP or RIP state, will the read operation proceed; and when a read operation proceeds, the state of all CL records will be changed from the IDLE to either the RIP state or, in some particular circumstances described below, to the PIP state, to indicate that an operation is in progress using the CL record.
In the event of a collision of the kind described above, a flag in the CL record is set to indicate the occurrence of a collision. This flag “C”, also known as the collision bit, is included in field 56 of each CL record 40 . When a collision is detected and an operation is suspended, the collision bit in the CL record which caused the collision is set. As discussed below, when an operation which uses a CL record terminates, that operation reviews the CL record to determine whether the collision bit is set, and if so, the previously suspended operation which experienced the collision is restarted.
Collisions may occur during read operations, as described above, or during write operations as elaborated in detail below. It should be noted, however, that since the cache described herein is a read cache, a write operation, when not suspended due to a collision, will always save the written data to the storage device 28 as well as, if necessary, to the cache memory 32 . Thus, the cache described herein does not in any way enhance the performance of write operations since all such operations must utilize the storage device 28 . Indeed, write operations to bands resident in the cache reduce the overall efficiency of the computer system because the write operation must be replicated in the cache and the storage device 28 . It is for this reason that the control procedures described below endeavor to identify, through the use of statistics, bands which are encountering an excessive number of write operations, and remove these bands from the cache.
Since the read cache described herein does not improve the efficiency of write operations, in an implementation of the invention, the read cache described herein would likely be combined with an upstream write cache, for example of the type described in copending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/18,175, filed on Feb. 3, 1998 in the name of Bauman et al. and entitled “DESTAGE OF DATA FOR WRITE CACHE”, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. A write cache could be implemented within the hardware of the storage interface 26 using controller 31 and areas of directory memory 34 not described in the present application.
It should further be noted that, as detailed below, a read operation will only utilize the cache memory 32 if the data for all of the bands 72 that are to be read, are either in the cache and in the IDLE state, or should be made resident in the cache as a part of performing the read operation. If there are bands accessed by a read operation which are not in the cache memory 32 and not, based on an evaluation of the statistics for the band, worthwhile to be brought into the cache memory 32 , then the read operation must in any event directly access the storage device 28 for the desired data, and in this case all of the desired data is obtained from the storage device 28 without using the cache.
As a consequence of the parallel execution of multiple read and write operations, it is possible that while a CL record is in use by a first operation, a second operation may determine that the CL record should be invalidated, e.g. because the band managed by the CL record is encountering an excessive number of write operations and as a result is diminishing the overall efficiency of the cache. In this case, a flag in the CL record is set to indicate that upon completion of the first operation, the CL record should be invalidated. This flag “I”, also known as the invalidate bit, is included in field 56 of each CL record 40 .
In the specific embodiment of the invention described below, the amount of cache memory 32 may be dynamically increased or decreased at run-time. When the amount of cache memory is decreased at run time, either due to removal of a cache memory SSDASD, or due to a hardware failure, it is desirable to remove corresponding CL records at the same time. Of course, it is possible that a CL record that is to be removed, is in use at the time it is designated for removal. In this case, a flag in the CL record is set to indicate that upon completion of the operation using the CL record, the CL record should be removed. This flag “R”, also known as the remove flag, is included in field 56 of each CL record 40 .
As discussed below, when an operation which uses a CL record terminates, that operation reviews the CL record to determine whether either of the remove or invalidate flags is set, and if so, the CL record is removed or invalidated, as appropriate.
Also included in field 56 of each CL record 40 is a statistics field. This field is used to collect information on the use that has been made of the band of data managed by the CL record. In the specific embodiment described herein, the statistics field is a 2 byte (16-bit) counter having a positive integer value from 0 to 100, although other count ranges may be used. As described in detail below, when a read operation is made to a band which is being managed by a CL record, the statistics counter is increased by an amount such as 6, to reflect that there is or would be a benefit to including this band in the cache. When a write operation is made to a band which is being managed by a CL record, the statistics counter is decreased by an amount such as 4, to reflect that there is or would be a penalty to including this band in the cache.
Each CL record further includes a field 58 which identifies the location in cache memory 32 of the data being managed by the CL record. Specifically, field 58 stores the SSDASD logical band address and logical device number, which together completely identify the location of a band 74 in the SSDASD which forms the cache memory 32 , where the data managed by the CL record is stored. That is, the data in the band 74 in cache memory 32 identified by field 58 , is a copy of the data in the band 72 in storage device 28 identified by field 54 , as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2 . Note that nonresident CL records do not manage data that is in the cache; accordingly, field 58 is not used in nonresident CL records.
As seen in FIG. 2, each CL record further includes a field 60 for storing a working set queue (WSQ) pointer. This pointer is used as noted below when incorporating a CL record into a working set. Working sets of CL records are established as part of each read or write operation performed on the cache. Working sets take the form of linked lists of CL records, with the WSQ pointer 60 in each CL record in the list identifying the next CL record in the list.
CL records further include fields 62 and 64 for storing “previous” and “next” pointers. These pointers are used as noted below to index a CL record into a doubly-linked list headed by one of the hash table entries, so that the CL record for a particular storage location can be rapidly identified from the address of that storage location.
CL records also include fields 66 and 68 for storing “up” and “down” pointers. These pointers are used as noted below to incorporate a CL record into a doubly-linked list which forms one of the two LRU (least recently used) queues of CL records. There is one such LRU queue for resident CL records and one such queue for nonresident CL records.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the arrangement of the CL records into lists and queues can be explained.
Initially, it will be noted all resident CL records corresponding to storage device bands now replicated in the cache memory, and all nonresident CL records managing statistics and LRU information for storage device bands not currently replicated in the cache memory, are indexed into the doubly-linked lists which extend from the hash table 42 . The hash table 42 includes a number, n, of entries 80 , each of which stores a CL record pointer.
The index into the hash table is a proper number of low order bits of the logical band address, or an equal number of low order bits of a logical block address of a block in the band excluding the nine lowest order bits of the logical block address. Thus, to locate a CL record, if any, which is managing cached data for a given block in a storage device, the logical block address is stripped of its nine least significant bits, and the appropriate number of the remaining low order bits of the address (e.g., 17 bits, where a 128k entry hash table is used) are used as an index into the hash table. This process will identify one of the entries 80 in the hash table. If data for the desired block is in the cache, there will be a CL record in the doubly-linked list of CL records that extends from the located entry 80 in the hash table. To locate the CL record, the pointer in the located entry 80 is followed to the first CL record in the list, and the logical band address and logical device number in field 54 of this CL record are compared to the desired address and device. If there is a match, then the CL record is managing statistics and LRU information for the desired band. If there is no match, then the next pointer in field 64 of the current CL record is followed to the next CL record in the list. This process continues until a CL record is located for the desired band, or the last CL record in the list is reached. The last CL record in the list has a NIL value next pointer in its field 64 .
FIG. 3 illustrates lists of CL records, headed by entries 80 b , 80 e , 80 f and 80 h of hash table 42 . Entries 80 b , 80 e , 80 f and 80 h contain pointers leading to CL records 40 a , 40 b , 40 c and 40 e , which are the respective first CL records in the lists headed by entries 80 b , 80 e , 80 f and 80 h . The other hash table entries 80 a , 80 c , 80 d and 80 g contain NIL valued pointers, indicating that there are no CL records, and no data in the cache, for addresses in storage device 28 which correspond to those entries.
It will be noted that lists of CL records can include one or multiple CL records. The lists headed by entries 80 b , 80 e and 80 h of hash table 42 have single entries, namely CL records 40 a , 40 b and 40 e , respectively. The list headed by entry 80 f of hash table 42 has two entries, CL records 40 c and 40 d . The next pointer in field 64 of entry 40 c leads to CL record 40 d . The next pointer in field 64 of CL record 40 d has a NIL value, indicating that CL record 40 d is the last CL record in the list.
It will be noted that the lists of CL records are doubly-linked lists, that is, each CL record has a next pointer in field 64 which leads to the next CL record in the list, or has a NIL value if there is no next record, and also has a previous pointer in field 62 which leads to the previous CL record in the list. Thus, the previous pointer (not shown) in field 62 of CL record 40 d leads to CL record 40 c.
All of the CL records currently in use are included in the lists which extend from hash table 42 . CL records which are managing data resident in the cache are listed along with CL records that are managing data that is not resident in the cache. Resident CL records will be in one of the Idle, RIP or PIP states; nonresident CL records will always be in the SO state and can be identified as such.
The size of the hash table can be chosen arbitrarily, however, for efficiency it is preferred that the hash table have approximately twice as many entries 80 as the number of CL records 40 needed for the maximum cache size, so that on average the number of CL records listed by a hash table entry is less than one.
Other lists of CL records are generated as operations are performed on the cache. Specifically, a working set of CL records is established prior to each write or read operation performed on the cache. As noted above, there are working set pointers 48 which head these lists, one pointer used for each operation that is pending in the cache. One working set, comprised of CL records 40 c and 40 b , is illustrated in FIG. 3 . The working set pointer 48 a for the read operation that built this working set, points to CL record 40 c . The WSQ pointer in field 60 of CL record 40 c points to CL record 40 b . The WSQ pointer in field 60 of CL record 40 b has a NIL value, indicating that CL record 40 b is the last CL record in the working set.
The number of CL records that may be included in a working set depend on the relative size of the storage device bands and the data range of the operation. In the particular implementation described herein, the maximum operation size permitted by the storage device 28 is 256 kbytes, and accordingly a maximum of two 256 kbyte cache bands will be affected by any one operation. Accordingly, the working set for an operation will be either one or two CL records.
The cache directory memory 34 also includes LRU head and LRU tail pointers 44 used to identify LRU queues of resident and nonresident CL records. The resident and nonresident LRU head and LRU tail pointers 44 a and 44 b , respectively, are illustrated in FIG. 3 . The resident LRU head pointer 44 a leads to CL record 40 a , which is the most recently used CL record among the resident CL records in the resident LRU queue. The LRU tail pointer 44 b leads to CL record 40 d , which is the least recently used resident CL record.
The CL records in the LRU queues are linked together in a doubly-linked list in order from most recently to least recently used. Thus, CL record 40 a has a pointer in its down field 68 leading to the first less recently used CL record in the queue, which in the illustrated situation is CL record 40 d . CL record 40 a also has a pointer in its up field 66 leading to the first more recently used CL record in the queue, which in the illustrated situation has a NIL value because CL record 40 a is the most recently used resident CL record. Similarly, CL record 40 d has a pointer in its up field 66 leading to the first more recently used CL record in the queue, which in the illustrated situation is CL record 40 a , and CL record 40 d has a pointer in its down field 68 leading to the first less recently used CL record in the queue, which in the illustrated situation has a NIL value because CL record 40 d is the least recently used CL record in the queue for the first storage device.
It will be noted in FIG. 3 and in the following description, that all CL records managing data for bands are in either the resident or nonresident LRU queue. There may, however, be CL records allocated for use in case the amount of cache memory 32 is dynamically increased, as discussed in more detail below. Any allocated CL records which are not in use, are kept on a free list, which is a singly-linked list of CL records that are not currently in use. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the first CL record on the free list is identified by the free list pointer 49 . The first CL record on the free list includes in its working set queue pointer 60 , a pointer to the second CL record on the free list. Subsequent CL records on the free list are similarly linked using working set queue pointers. The last CL record on the free list has a NIL value in its working set queue pointer 60 .
With respect to storage consumption of the directory structure shown in FIG. 3, in the specific embodiment described herein, each CL record manages a band of 256 kbytes of storage device memory. As one example, if the maximum size of cache memory 32 is 1 gigabyte, management of the 4028 256 kbyte bands that may be resident in the cache and an equal number of bands which are not resident, would require 4028 32-byte nonresident CL records and 4028 32-byte resident CL records, for a total of 256 kbytes of control storage in memory 34 consumed by CL records. A suitable hash table for this embodiment would be 64 kbytes in length, resulting in a total control storage consumption of approximately 320 kbytes for the cache directory. Expansion of the maximum cache memory size to 4 or 8 gigabytes would require a proportional expansion in the number of CL records and hash table size, resulting in control storage consumption of approximately 1.25 Mbytes and 2.5 Mbytes, respectively. The specific embodiment described herein is configured for a maximum cache memory size of 8 gigabytes.
Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, operation and use of the cache directory structure by controller 31 during operation of a read cache can be discussed.
Specifically, referring to FIG. 4A, when a read operation is activated by the auxiliary storage interface controller 31 (step 100 ), as a first step, the statistics in any CL records that are involved in the read operation are updated. Specifically, in step 102 , the hash table is referenced to identify any CL in the cache directory for the first 256 kbyte band of the read operation, if any. If (step 104 ) there is a CL for the band, then in step 106 the statistics of the CL are credited to reflect the read operation, specifically, the statistics in field 56 are incremented by 6 to not more than 100 . At the same time, the CL is moved to the head (most recently used position) of the resident or nonresident LRU queue, as appropriate.
If in step 104 , there is not already a CL for an accessed band in the cache, then in step 108 steps are taken to add a nonresident CL for the band to the cache, so that statistics and LRU information for the band will be collected by the cache so that it can be determined whether the band should be brought into the cache. In this operation, the least recently used nonresident CL in the cache directory is replaced. Accordingly, the flags in the CL at the LRU end of the nonresident queue are reset, and the statistics of this CL are set to a value of 6 to reflect that a read operation has occurred. Furthermore, the logical band address/logical device number identified in field 54 of the CL are changed to identify the logical band address/logical device number of the band being accessed by the read operation. Finally, the CL is moved to the head (MRU) end of the nonresident LRU queue.
After step 108 or 106 , it is determined in step 110 whether the read operation includes addresses in a second 256 kbyte band in storage device 28 . If so, in step 112 , the hash table is utilized to identify any CL in the cache directory that is managing LRU and statistical data for the second 256 kbyte band, and then the processing returns to step 104 to take the appropriate action based on whether there is a CL in the cache.
It will be noted that, if a read operation is suspended due to a collision, after the collision is resolved the read operation will restart by proceeding from step 114 to step 102 , to pass through the loop described above and determine whether all CL's for the operation are in the cache directory, and if not, establish them in the cache. If the above-described operations are being performed after return from a collision, it is no longer necessary to update the statistics of CL's for a band that are present in the cache, nor is it necessary to move such CL's to the head of the LRU queue. Accordingly, after a return from the collision, the operations described in step 106 are not performed.
After all bands affected by a read operation have been processed by the loop described above, control passes from step 110 to step 116 in which it is determined whether all of the CL's that were identified in this loop, were either resident in the cache or had sufficient statistics to justify bringing the corresponding data into the cache. If one of the bands did not have a CL in the cache directory, or had a nonresident CL with statistics less than 20, then some of the data for the read operation is not in the cache and will not be brought into the cache. Accordingly, as noted above, under these circumstances the cache is not used, and control passes from step 116 to step 118 where a cache “miss” is registered, and then step 120 in which the appropriate DMA operations are performed to read all desired data from the DASD storage device 28 .
If in step 116 , all of the data for a read operation is either in the cache or is to be brought into the cache, then control passes from step 116 to step 122 . The following steps in FIG. 4A are directed to detecting collisions between concurrent operations being performed in the cache. This processing is only required if the cache is not currently in its emulation mode. If the cache is in its emulation mode, therefore, control passes to FIG. 4B (step 124 ). If the cache is not in its emulation mode, then collision processing is performed by proceeding to step 126 and the following loop of steps described below. In each iteration of this loop, the cache directory is reviewed to identify whether there is an existing CL record in the cache directory managing data for the same storage device locations as the data being read as part of the current read operation. The loop begins in step 126 by identifying the existing CL record which is managing data for the first band of data being read by the current operation.
In step 128 , it is determined whether the located CL record is in the RIP or PIP state. If the CL record is in the RIP or PIP state, there is a conflict between the current operation and another operation. In this case, the conflict is resolved by stalling execution of the current operation. Specifically, in the event of a conflict, control passes to step 130 in which the collision bit in the existing CL record is set, and the address range for the operation, and the logical number of the storage device to which the operation is directed, are delivered to a dispatch process. This information is held in a queue, so that the dispatch process can subsequently re-activate the read operation when the collision is resolved, as described below. After stalling execution of the operation in this manner, processing of the operation is completed until re-initiated by the dispatch process, at which time processing will re-commence at step 114 , as discussed above.
If in step 128 , the CL record for a band is in either the IDLE or SO state, then in step 132 the address range of the operation is analyzed to determine if there are any bands to be read that have not yet been checked for collisions. If there are additional bands to be checked, then the loop proceeds to step 134 and identifies the CL record which is managing data for the storage locations in the next band of data being read by the current operation. Processing then returns to step 128 , to analyze this band for collisions. Once every band of a read operation have been analyzed for collisions, as determined in step 132 , then processing continues to FIG. 4B (step 124 ).
Referring now to FIG. 4B, processing continues with a loop of steps that will build a working set queue of CL records and, if necessary and appropriate, move a CL record for a band of data being read from the nonresident LRU queue to the resident LRU queue. In a first step 140 , the hash table is referenced to locate the CL record for the first 256 kbyte band of data being accessed. Next, in step 142 , it is determined whether this CL is resident in the cache. If the CL is resident in the cache, in step 144 the CL is added to the working set queue for the current operation, and is set to the RIP state to indicate that a read from the CL is now in process. Note, however that if the cache is in its emulation mode, it is not necessary to build a working set queue or change CL states, since no actual operations will be performed in the cache; therefore, when in emulation mode, the operations of step 144 are not performed.
If in step 142 , the CL for a 256 kbyte band of data is not resident in the cache, the steps are taken to confirm that the data for the band can and should be brought into the cache. The data will be brought into the cache by utilizing the band in cache memory 32 that was least recently used. This is accomplished by updating the CL record at the LRU end of the resident queue, with the appropriate information for the new band of data to be brought into the cache. First, however, it must be confirmed that the CL record at the LRU end of the resident queue is available for use. Thus, in step 146 , it is determined whether the CL at the LRU end of the resident queue is in the IDLE state. If not, there is a conflict with another operation.
If the CL at the LRU end of the resident queue is in the IDLE state, then in step 148 the statistics of the CL at the LRU end of the resident queue are evaluated to determine whether this data should be replaced. Specifically, if the statistics in the CL at the LRU end of the resident queue are 40 or more, this indicates that there is a substantial performance benefit to retaining the corresponding data in the cache.
Only if the statistics of the CL at the LRU end of the resident cache are less than 40, will the data managed by the CL at the LRU end of the resident cache be replaced, by proceeding to step 150 . In step 150 , the state of the CL at the LRU end of the resident queue is set to PIP and that CL is added to the working set queue for the current operation. Note, however, that in emulation mode neither of these operations is necessary or performed.
After step 150 , in step 152 the statistics and logical band address/LBN information, are copied from fields 54 and 56 of the nonresident CL currently associated with the data band being read by the read operation, to the CL at the LRU end of the resident LRU queue. Then the CL at the LRU end of the resident LRU queue is moved to the appropriate hash table list for the new logical band address/logical device number of that CL. Finally, the CL at the LRU of the resident queue is moved to the MRU end of the resident queue to reflect that it is the most recently accessed data.
To complete the transfer of the CL information from the nonresident to the resident queue, in step 154 the statistics in the nonresident CL are reset, and the logical band address/logical device number of that CL are set to invalid values to indicate that the nonresident CL is now invalid (this can be done, for example, by setting the MSB of the logical band address to a “1” value if the allowable addresses all have an MSB value of “0”). Finally, to speed reuse of the invalidated nonresident CL, it is moved to the LRU end of the nonresident LRU queue, so that it will be the first CL chosen for replacement.
After step 154 or step 144 , in step 156 it is determined whether there is a second 256 kbyte band in the storage device 28 being accessed, and if so, in step 158 the CL record in the cache directory for this second 256 kbyte band is identified, and control returns to step 142 to process this CL record as described above.
As noted above, in steps 146 or 148 it may be determined that there is a conflict preventing the re-use of the cache memory band associated with the CL record at the LRU end of the resident queue. Under such circumstances, one could proceed to the next least recently used CL record in the resident LRU queue to determine whether that CL record should be replaced, and if not, continue to the next least recently used CL record in the resident LRU queue. Such a process should be limited so that, for example, only the ten least recently used CL records in the resident queue are inspected for possible replacement before the attempt to replace is aborted. In the implementation described in the present application, only the one CL record at the LRU end of the resident LRU queue is inspected for possible replacement, and if there is a conflict for that CL record, then the attempt to replace is aborted.
Specifically, if in step 148 it is determined that the CL at the LRU end of the resident queue should not be removed because its statistics are greater than 40, then in step 159 , the CL at the LRU end of the resident LRU queue is moved to the MRU of the LRU queue and its statistics are reduced by 8. Processing then proceeds to step 160 . Processing also proceeds to step 160 if in step 146 it is determined that the CL at the LRU end of the resident queue is not in the IDLE state and thus is in use by another operation. In step 160 , a cache miss is registered. After step 160 , if (step 162 ) the cache is not in its emulation mode, in step 164 the CL's, if any, that have already been added to the working set queue for the current operation are reset to their original IDLE state. Furthermore, any CL's that were initialized and placed in the PIP state (through steps 150 , 152 and 154 ), for data to be subsequently brought into the cache, are invalidated because that data will not be brought into the cache. Specifically, in step 164 any CL on the working set queue for the current read operation that is in the PIP state, i.e., that was to be populated by data read from the storage device 28 as part of the read operation, is reset to an IDLE state and invalidated by setting its logical band address/logical device number values in field 54 to an invalid value and moving the CL to the LRU end of the resident LRU queue. Next, any CL's in the RIP state must be reset to IDLE. In the illustrated embodiment, this is done in step 166 , by performing the post processing operations described below with reference to FIG. 6 . As discussed below, this post-processing not only resets all CL's on the working set queue back to the IDLE state, but also detects collisions, removals or invalidations that may have occurred or been requested by other operations. It should be noted that collisions, removals and invalidations could only have occurred or been requested if another, concurrent cache management process attempted to access a CL on the working set queue for the read operation, between the processing of step 144 or step 150 of FIG. 4B, and the processing of step 166 of FIG. 4 B. If the steps illustrated in FIG. 4B are conducted in a single thread and without concurrent processing of any other operations, then collision, removal and invalidation processing is unnecessary, and step 166 could simply involve resetting all CL's on the working set queue for the current operation that are in the RIP state, back to the IDLE state.
If the cache is in emulation mode when a conflict arises when attempting to bring data into the cache, it is not necessary to reset CL states since those states are not changed. However, it is still necessary to invalidate any CL that was initialized for data that was to be brought into the cache. Accordingly in emulation mode, instead of performing steps 164 and 166 , in step 168 any CL that was added to the resident queue via step 152 , is invalidated by setting its logical band address/logical device number values in field 54 to an invalid value and moving the CL to the LRU end of the resident queue.
After step 166 or step 168 , due to the conflict detected as described above, the read operation is performed directly in the storage device without use of the cache. Accordingly, control passes to step 170 in which the appropriate DMA operations are performed to read all desired data from the DASD storage device.
Returning now to the main loop illustrated in FIG. 4B, if resident CL's are found or successfully initialized for all data in the read operation, then control will pass through step 156 to step 172 , in which a cache hit or cache miss is registered. A cache hit is registered if all of the CL's for the operation were in resident, and thus all CL's on the working set queue are in the RIP state. If one or more CL's for the operation were not resident, and are in the PIP state, then a cache miss is registered.
At this point, the cache controller 31 is prepared to read the desired data from the cache and/or populate the cache from the storage device 28 and then read the data from the cache. It will be appreciated, however, that if (step 174 ) the cache controller is in its emulation mode, then the data cannot be read from the cache because there is no cache memory, and accordingly control passes to step 170 where, as noted above, appropriate DMA operations are performed to obtain the data from the storage device 28 . If not in the emulation mode, control passes to step 176 and the operations described in FIG. 4 C.
Referring now to FIG. 4C, processing continues by determining whether data must be populated into the cache from the storage device. Specifically, in step 178 , it is determined whether any of the CL's on the working set queue for the current operation are in the PIP state. If so, in step 180 , the range of addresses for the read operation is expanded to include the entire 256 kbyte range of the data band managed by the CL that is in the PIP state. Next, in step 182 , DMA operations are performed to read the entire expanded range of data from the storage device 28 . Note that, if the original read operation covered some data resident in the cache and some data not resident in the cache, any read operation to the storage device 28 will always include the data of the original read operation, potentially expanded to include additional data needed to populate a new band being brought into the cache. This does not substantially impact the performance of the computer system since a DASD typically can read contiguous storage spaces rapidly once the reading mechanism has been indexed to the correct location. This approach also permits graceful failure in case of a real-time failure or removal of SSDASD cache memory.
In step 184 , the new data that was read for the bands managed by the CL record(s) in the PIP state, is stored into the cache. Specifically, this data is stored into the SSDASD cache memory band identified by field 58 of the CL record(s) in the PIP state. Thereafter, the CL records that were in the PIP state are changed to the RIP state, indicating that those records are available to be read.
After data has been written to the SSDASD cache memory, control passes from step 184 to step 186 , in which the desired data is obtained from the SSDASD cache memory and delivered to the processor. In the situation where none of the CL records in the working set queue are in the PIP state, processing proceeds directly from step 178 to step 186 .
In step 186 , DMA operations are performed to obtain the desired data for the read operation from the SSDASD cache memory, from the SSDASD bands that are identified by field 58 in the CL record(s) in the working set queue. Under some circumstances, where SSDASD bands were populated through steps 180 , 182 and 184 , the desired data will be available in buffers in interface 26 , and can be delivered to the processor directly. Otherwise, an appropriate DMA operation is conducted to access the desired data from the SSDASD, and then the data is returned to the processor.
It will be noted that, in the case of removal or failure of an SSDASD that has not yet been detected, the read from the cache memory in step 186 may fail. In this case an appropriate DMA operation is conducted to access the desired data from the storage device 28 .
After step 186 , collision, removal and invalidation post-processing is performed in step 188 , to appropriately handle any collisions and any pending removals or invalidations of CL's in the working set queue of the current read operation, as detailed in FIG. 6, discussed below. After this post-processing is complete, the read operation is done.
Referring now to FIG. 5, when a write operation is activated by the auxiliary storage interface controller 31 (step 200 ), as a first step, the statistics in any CL records that are involved in the write operation are updated. Specifically, in step 202 , the hash table is referenced to identify any CL in the cache directory for the first 256 kbyte band of the write operation, if any. If (step 204 ) there is a CL for the band, then in step 206 the statistics of the CL are penalized to reflect the write operation, specifically, the statistics in field 56 are decremented by 4 to not less than zero.
If, as a consequence of the penalty imposed in step 206 , the statistics for a CL are reduced to zero, then the CL should not be retained in the cache directory. Accordingly, in step 208 , it is determined whether the existing CL's statistics are zero, and if so, control passes to step 210 . In step 210 , it is determined whether there is a conflict that prevents the immediate invalidation of the CL. Specifically, if the CL is resident and in use by another operation at the present time, then the CL cannot be invalidated until the conflicting operation is completed. If the CL is resident and is in use, its state will be RIP or PIP; accordingly, if in step 210 the existing CL is in the RIP or PIP state, then control passes to step 212 and the invalidate bit in the existing CL is set, to indicate that the CL should be invalidated during post-processing of the operation that is currently using the CL. If the existing CL is nonresident or is resident but IDLE, then the CL can be immediately invalidated. In this case, control passes from step 210 to step 214 and the logical band address/logical device number value in field 54 of the CL is set to an invalid value, and the CL is moved to the LRU end of the resident or nonresident LRU queue, as appropriate.
After step 212 or 214 , or immediately after step 204 if there is no CL for a band of the write operation, it is determined in step 216 whether the write operation includes addresses in a second 256 kbyte band in storage device 28 . If so, in step 218 , the hash table is utilized to identify any CL in the cache directory for the second 256 kbyte band, and then the processing returns to step 204 to take the appropriate action based on whether there is a CL in the cache.
It will be noted that, if a write operation is suspended due to a collision (as described below), after the collision is resolved the write operation will restart by proceeding from step 220 to step 202 , to pass through the loop described above and determine whether there are CL's for the operation are in the cache directory, and invalidate CL's that should be invalidated. If the above-described operations are being performed after return from a collision, it is no longer necessary to update the statistics of CL's for a band that are present in the cache. Accordingly, after a return from the collision, the operations described in step 206 are not performed.
After all bands affected by a write operation have been processed by the loop described above, control passes from step 216 to step 221 in which it is determined whether any CL's in the cache must be updated as a consequence of the write operation. If there are no bands that have a resident CL in the cache directory that was not invalidated, then the cache does not need to be updated to complete the write operation. Accordingly, as noted above, under these circumstances the cache is not used, and control passes from step 221 to step 222 in which the appropriate DMA operations are performed to write all desired data to the DASD storage device 28 .
If in step 221 , there are resident CL's for some data for the write operation which have not been invalidated, then the cache must be updated. It will be appreciated, however, that if the cache is in emulation mode, then there is no cache memory and it need not be updated. Accordingly, if (step 224 ) the cache is in emulation mode, a write populate event may be registered (step 226 ) and then control passes to step 222 . It will be appreciated that in addition to cache hits and cache misses, write populate events may be tracked when in emulation mode to collect statistics that permit a highly accurate estimate of the performance improvement, if any, that could be achieved were cache memory in place.
If the cache is not in emulation mode and must be updated as part of the write operation, control passes from step 221 to step 228 . The following loop of steps in FIG. 5 are directed to detecting collisions between concurrent operations being performed in the cache. In each iteration of this loop, the cache directory is reviewed to identify whether there is an existing CL record in the cache directory managing data for the same storage device locations as the data being written as part of the current write operation, The loop begins in step 228 by identifying any existing CL record which is managing data for the first band of data being written by the current operation.
In step 230 , it is determined whether the located CL record is valid and resident. If there is CL record that is valid and resident, in step 232 it is determined whether the CL is in the IDLE state. If the CL is in either the RIP or PIP state, there is a conflict between the current operation and another operation. If the CL is in the IDLE state, then there is no conflict, and in step 234 the CL is added to the working set queue for the current operation and its state is set to PIP to reflect that data will be populated into the cache from the write operation.
After step 234 , or immediately after step 230 if there is no valid resident CL for a band, control passes to step 236 and the address range of the operation is analyzed to determine if there are any bands to be written that have not yet been checked for collisions. If there are additional bands to be checked, then the loop proceeds to step 238 and identifies the CL record which is managing data for the storage locations in the next band of data being written by the current operation. Processing then returns to step 230 , to analyze this band for collisions.
If in steps 230 and 232 there is a CL record for a band being written that is valid, resident, and not in the IDLE state, there is a conflict between the current write operation and another operation. In this case, the conflict is resolved by stalling execution of the current write operation. Specifically, in the event of a conflict, control passes to step 240 . In step 240 , the collision, removal and invalidation processing described in FIG. 6 is performed, which will reset the state of any CL's added to the working set queue for the current write operation (in step 234 ) back to the IDLE state. Furthermore, if a CL that was placed in the PIP state in 234 , experienced a collision with another concurrent operation in the time between step 234 and step 240 , the post-processing in step 240 will perform the appropriate steps to clear the collision bit and restart the other operation. It will be noted that if the operations of FIG. 5 are performed in a single thread without concurrent processing, so that there could not be any collisions, invalidations or removals experienced or requested by other operations in the time between step 234 and step 240 , it may not be necessary to perform collision post-processing, and step 240 could be limited to simply returning all CL records on the working set queue to the IDLE state.
After step 240 , control passes to step 242 , which sets the collision bit in the existing valid, resident and non-IDLE CL record that caused the collision. At the same time, the address range for the write operation, and the logical number of the storage device to which the operation is directed, are delivered to a dispatch process. This information is held in a queue, so that the dispatch process can subsequently re-activate the write operation when the collision is resolved, as described below. After stalling execution of the operation in this manner, processing of the write operation is completed until re-initiated by the dispatch process, at which time processing will re-commence at step 220 , as discussed above.
Once every band of a write operation have been analyzed for collisions, as determined in step 236 , then the cache controller 31 is prepared to write the desired data to the storage device and, if necessary, to the cache. Processing continues to step 244 where it is determined whether data must be written into the cache for the write operation. Specifically, in step 244 , it is determined whether there are any CL's on the working set queue. If so, in step 244 , DMA operations are performed to write the data for the write operation into the SSDASD band identified by field 58 of the CL(s) on the working set queue. Note that, if the SSDASD has been removed or failed, this write operation may fail; such a failure does not prevent continuation of the write operation.
After step 244 , in step 246 , DMA operations are performed to write the data for the write operation to the storage device 28 . After data has been written to the DASD storage device, control passes from step 246 to step 248 , in which collision, removal and invalidation post-processing is performed, to appropriately handle any collisions and any pending removals or invalidations of CL's in the working set queue of the current write operation, as detailed in FIG. 6, discussed below. After this post-processing is complete, the write operation is done.
Referring now to FIG. 6, the details of the C,I,R post-processing can be provided. This processing involves inspecting each CL in the working set queue of the current operation, and handling any collisions or pending removals or invalidations indicated by the C, I and R flags in field 56 of the CL. In step 250 , the first CL on the working set queue is selected, and in step 252 the state of this CL is returned to IDLE. Note that only resident CL's will be added to a working set queue so CL's on the working set queue will always be returned to IDLE state when an operation is completed.
Next, in step 254 , the collision bit of the current CL is checked to determine whether another operation has experienced a collision with respect to the CL. If so, then in step 256 , the collision bit is cleared, and then in step 258 , the logical band address/logical device number from field 54 of the CL are delivered to the dispatch process. The dispatch process will then locate the operation(s) that experienced the collision, which operation(s) would have previously been enqueued by the dispatch process as discussed above. The dispatch process will then restart the stalled operation(s) that experienced the collision, as noted above. As a result, one operation will begin using the CL, and any other operation(s) which is restarted, will experience another collision and be stalled.
After step 258 , or immediately after step 254 if the collision bit for the current CL was not set, in step 260 it is determined whether the remove bit is set in the current CL. If so, the current CL has been marked for removal due to failure or removal of the SSDASD that the current CL is associated with. Accordingly, if the remove bit is set, in step 262 the current CL is removed from the resident LRU queue and from its hash table list, and it is moved to the free list (see FIG. 3 ). Immediately thereafter, to maintain a balance of the number of resident and nonresident CL in the cache directory, in step 264 the nonresident CL at the LRU end of the nonresident LRU queue is removed from its hash table list and moved to the free list.
If the remove bit is not set in step 260 , then control passes to step 266 , in which it is determined whether the invalidate bit in the current CL is set. If the invalidate bit is set, then the CL has been marked for invalidation (e.g., in step 212 of FIG. 5, discussed above). In such a case, in step 268 the CL is moved to the LRU end of the resident queue, in step 270 the statistics of the CL are reset to zero, and in step 272 the logical band address/logical device number value in field 54 of the CL are reset to an invalid value.
After step 272 or 264 , or immediately after step 266 if the invalidate bit is not set in the current CL, control passes to step 274 in which it is determined whether there is another CL in the working set queue for the current operation. This is done by determining whether the working set queue pointer in the current CL has a NIL value. If the working set queue pointer in the current CL has a non-NIL value, then control passes to step 276 in which the next CL in the working set queue is selected, after which control passes to step 252 to reset the next CL to the IDLE state and evaluate its flags for collisions and pending removals or invalidations. After all CL's in the working set queue have been processed, the post-processing is complete (step 278 ).
Referring now to FIG. 7, the procedures involved in adding a SSDASD of cache memory can be described. When an SSDASD is inserted into the computer system, the presence of the SSDASD on the SCSI bus 29 is detected by controller 31 . In response, controller 31 initiates CL records for the bands of storage space in the SSDASD so they may be used as cache memory.
In a first step 300 of this process, the SSDASD logical band address/logical device number for the first band of the SSDASD is identified by the controller 31 .
Next in step 302 , a CL record is obtained from the free list, and in step 304 the logical band address/logical device number for the SSDASD band is inserted into field 58 of the CL record. Then, in step 306 , the state of the CL record is set to IDLE, indicating that the CL will be a resident CL.
In step 308 , an invalid logical band address/logical device number value is inserted into field 54 of the CL record, so that the CL record will be considered invalid. At the same time, the statistics for the CL record are reset to zero.
In step 310 , a second CL is obtained from the free list. In step 312 , the state of the second CL is set to SO, indicating that the second CL will be a nonresident CL.
In step 314 , an invalid logical band address/logical device number value is inserted into field 54 of the CL record, so that the CL record will be considered invalid. At the same time, the statistics for the CL record are reset to zero.
In step 316 , the two CL records from the free list that were initiated by the preceding steps, are inserted into one of the hash table lists. In order to avoid inserting all of the new CL records into the same hash table list, the two new CL records are inserted at a semi-randomly chosen location, Specifically, the proper number of bits (e.g., 17) from the SSDASD logical band address for the SSDASD band being added to the cache memory, are used to select a hash table entry. The two CL's from the free list are then added to the hash table list extending from the selected hash table entry.
In steps 308 and 314 , the invalid logical band address/logical device number values are inserted into field 54 of the two added CL records. In one specific embodiment, these invalid values may be derived from the logical band address for the SSDASD band that is being added. Specifically, the logical band address for the SSDASD band being added to the cache memory, is made invalid by modifying its most significant bit to a “1” value, and the result is inserted into field 54 of the two added CL's, along with the logical device number for the SSDASD. One consequence of this approach is that the logical band address in field 54 is consistent with the hash table entry into which the CL's are inserted.
In step 318 , the initialization of the new CL's is completed by inserting the new CL's at the LRU end of the resident and nonresident LRU queues, respectively. At this point, the new CL's will be incorporated into the operation of the cache and the corresponding band of storage space in the newly-added SSDASD will begin to be used to store cached data.
After completing initialization for a band of the SSDASD by adding a resident and nonresident CL to the cache directory, in step 320 it is determined whether the SSDASD has additional 256 kbyte bands for which additional CL records should be initialized. If so, then in step 322 the SSDASD logical band address/logical device number for the next 256 kbyte band of the SSDASD is identified, and then processing returns to step 302 to initialize CL records for the next band. After CL records have been initialized for all bands of the newly added SSDASD, as determined in step 320 , the process of FIG. 7 is done.
Referring now to FIG. 8, the steps involved in removing an SSDASD from the cache memory can be described. These steps may be initiated when a read or write DMA operation to the SSDASD fails, indicating to the controller 31 that the SSDASD has either been removed or has failed. Alternatively, controller may permit a user to disable the SSDASD before it is removed or fails. In any case, the appropriate CL records must be removed from the cache directory.
The CL records that should be removed are located by scrolling through the resident LRU queue. Specifically, in step 330 , the resident LRU queue is evaluated, starting at the MRU end, to locate the first CL on the resident LRU queue with a SSDASD logical device number value in field 58 that matches the logical device number of the SSDASD being removed. Once a CL with a matching SSDASD logical device number value has been found, in step 332 , it is determined whether the CL is in the IDLE state. If so, then the CL can be immediately removed, and control proceeds to step 334 . In step 334 , the CL is deleted from the resident LRU queue and from its hash table list, and moved to the free list (see FIG. 3 ). Next, in step 336 , to maintain a balance between the number of resident and nonresident CL's in the cache directory, a nonresident CL at the LRU end of the nonresident queue is removed from the nonresident LRU queue and from its hash table list, and moved to the free list.
If in step 332 , a CL that is to be deleted is not in the IDLE state, then there is a conflict between the removal operation and another currently pending operation. Accordingly, in this situation control passes to step 338 , and the remove bit is set in field 56 of the CL. This will cause the CL (and a nonresident CL) to be removed at the end of the conflicting operation, as detailed above with reference to FIG. 6 .
After step 336 or step 338 , the CL's on the resident LRU queue that follow (are less recently used than) the CL that was identified in step 330 , are scanned to determine whether there is another CL on the resident LRU queue with an SSDASD logical device number value in field 58 which matches the logical device number of the SSDASD being removed. If so, then processing returns to step 330 to locate this CL and remove it or mark it for removal. After processing of all CL's on the resident LRU queue that have SSDASD logical device number values matching the logical device number value of the removed SSDASD, as determined in step 340 , the removal process is done.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the invention provides significant advantages in management of a read cache, resulting in more efficient operation. It will also be appreciated that numerous modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments consistent with the invention, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the size of the bands of data managed by the read cache may be different, the statistic value limits and the credits and penalties used may be different, and the threshold statistics for population and invalidation may be different. Furthermore, principles described above for managing an SSDASD cache in large, constant size bands, principles for efficient maintenance of statistics, and principles for real-time cache emulation, may be utilized in other types of caches, e.g., write caches. It will be further recognized that principles of the present invention are applicable to caches used in connection with storage devices of any kind, including disk or tape drives, or volatile or non-volatile memory and/or memory cards. Therefore, the invention lies in the claims hereinafter appended.
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A low complexity approach to DASD cache management. Large, fixed-size bands of data from the DASD, rather than variable size records or tracks, are managed, resulting in reduced memory consumption. Statistics are collected for bands of data, as well as conventional LRU information, in order to improve upon the performance of a simple LRU replacement scheme. The statistics take the form of a single counter which is credited (increased) for each read to a band and penalized (reduced) for each write to a band. Statistics and LRU information are also collected for at least half as many nonresident bands as resident bands. In an emulation mode, control information (e.g., statistics and LRU information) regarding potentially cacheable DASD data, is collected even though there is no cache memory installed. When in this mode, the control information permits a real time emulation of performance enhancements that would be achieved were cache memory added to the computer system. Dynamic reconfiguration of the cache size is also permitted in real time without requiring computer system downtime.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to telecommunications and, in particular, a method and apparatus for voice modification during a call.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] As personal and business relationships become more global, individuals from different regions come into contact much more frequently. In recent years, English has become a de facto standard for business communication in many regions. However, accents and dialects still reflect regional differences. This can make it difficult for two speakers from different regions to understand each other, particularly on a telephone call where there may be no visual cues to help interpret otherwise ambiguous sounds. In some instances, audio quality may further hinder telephone call participants from understanding different dialects and accepts. For example, when a person contacts a call center for technical support, they may have difficulty understanding the technician due to a difference in accents. Similarly, when non English-native speakers call interactive voice response (IVR) systems, the system might not recognize them or understand their words because of their accent.
[0005] What is needed is a system and method for voice modification during a call of one or more participants so that they may be better-understood by other call participants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method and apparatus for voice modification during a telephone call comprising receiving a source audio signal associated with at least one participant, wherein the source audio signal comprises a voice of the at least one participant, detecting a source dialect of the at least one participant, selecting a target dialect based on at least a characteristic of a target participant and creating a modulated audio signal based on the source audio signal, the source dialect, and the target dialect and transmitting the modulated audio signal to the target participant
[0007] Other and further embodiments of the present invention are described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description 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.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communications environment including various elements which are associated with an Internet protocol (IP) telephony system operating in accordance with the invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a dialect modification apparatus in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram detailing the operation of a detection module in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a block diagram detailing the interaction of a conversion module and a modulation module in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting a computer system for implementing the dialect modification apparatus in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; and
[0014] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for a method for call modification in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
[0015] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to voice modification during a call. According to at least one exemplary embodiment, two or more participants engage in a telephone call, or a telephone conference. The participants may be from different countries, regions, or the like, and may have varied accents and language conventions not common to everyone on the call. Each participant's dialect is detected and a speech profile is retrieved based on the dialect as well as other identifying metadata. A target dialect is chosen and one or more of the participants voices are modulated to resemble the target dialect.
[0017] The following detailed description of preferred embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments of the invention. Other embodiments having different structures and operations do not depart from the scope of the present invention.
[0018] In the following description, the terms VOIP system, VOIP telephony system, IP system and IP telephony system are all intended to refer to a system that connects callers and that delivers data, text and video communications using Internet protocol data communications.
[0019] As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a communications environment 100 is provided to facilitate IP enhanced communications. An IP telephony system 120 enables connection of telephone calls between its own customers and other parties via data communications that pass over a data network 110 . The data network 110 is commonly the Internet, although the IP telephony system 120 may also make use of private data networks. The IP telephony system 120 is connected to the Internet 110 . In addition, the IP telephony system 120 is connected to a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) 130 via a gateway 122 . The PSTN 130 may also be directly coupled to the Internet 110 through one of its own internal gateways (not shown). Thus, communications may pass back and forth between the IP telephony system 120 and the PSTN 130 through the Internet 110 via a gateway maintained within the PSTN 130 .
[0020] The gateway 122 allows users and devices that are connected to the PSTN 130 to connect with users and devices that are reachable through the IP telephony system 120 , and vice versa. In some instances, the gateway 122 would be a part of the IP telephony system 120 . In other instances, the gateway 122 could be maintained by a third party.
[0021] Customers of the IP telephony system 120 can place and receive telephone calls using an IP telephone 108 that is connected to the Internet 110 . Such an IP telephone 108 could be connected to an Internet service provider via a wired connection or via a wireless router. In some instances, the IP telephone 108 could utilize the data channel of a cellular telephone system to access the Internet 110 .
[0022] Alternatively, a customer could utilize a analog telephone 102 which is connected to the Internet 110 via a telephone adapter 104 . The telephone adapter 104 converts analog signals from the telephone 102 into data signals that pass over the Internet 110 , and vice versa. Analog telephone devices include but are not limited to standard telephones and document imaging devices such as facsimile machines. A configuration using a telephone adapter 104 is common where the analog telephone 102 is located in a residence or business. Other configurations are also possible where multiple analog telephones share access through the same IP adaptor. In those situations, all analog telephones could share the same telephone number, or multiple communication lines (e.g., additional telephone numbers) may provisioned by the IP telephony system 120 .
[0023] In addition, a customer could utilize a soft-phone client running on a computer 106 to place and receive IP based telephone calls, and to access other IP telephony systems (not shown). In some instances, the soft-phone client could be assigned its own telephone number. In other instances, the soft-phone client could be associated with a telephone number that is also assigned to an IP telephone 108 , or to a telephone adaptor 104 that is connected one or more analog telephones 102 .
[0024] Users of the IP telephony system 120 are able to access the service from virtually any location where they can connect to the Internet 110 . Thus, a customer could register with an IP telephony system provider in the U.S., and that customer could then use an IP telephone 108 located in a country outside the U.S. to access the services. Likewise, the customer could also utilize a computer outside the U.S. that is running a soft-phone client to access the IP telephony system 120 .
[0025] A third party using an analog telephone 132 which is connected to the PSTN 130 may call a customer of the IP telephony system 120 . In this instance, the call is initially connected from the analog telephone 132 to the PSTN 130 , and then from the PSTN 130 , through the gateway 122 to the IP telephony system 120 . The IP telephony system 120 then routes the call to the customer's IP telephony device. A third party using a cellular telephone 134 could also place a call to an IP telephony system customer, and the connection would be established in a similar manner, although the first link would involve communications between the cellular telephone 134 and a cellular telephone network. For purposes of this explanation, the cellular telephone network is considered part of the PSTN 130 .
[0026] In the following description, references will be made to an “IP telephony device.” This term is used to refer to any type of device which is capable of interacting with an IP telephony system to complete an audio or video telephone call or to send and receive text messages, and other forms of communications. An IP telephony device could be an IP telephone, a computer running IP telephony software, a telephone adapter which is itself connected to a normal analog telephone, or some other type of device capable of communicating via data packets. An IP telephony device could also be a cellular telephone or a portable computing device that runs a software application that enables the device to act as an IP telephone. Thus, a single device might be capable of operating as both a cellular telephone and an IP telephone.
[0027] The following description will also refer to a mobile telephony device. The term “mobile telephony device” is intended to encompass multiple different types of devices. In some instances, a mobile telephony device could be a cellular telephone. In other instances, a mobile telephony device may be a mobile computing device, such as the Apple iPhone™, that includes both cellular telephone capabilities and a wireless data transceiver that can establish a wireless data connection to a data network. Such a mobile computing device could run appropriate application software to conduct VOIP telephone calls via a wireless data connection. Thus, a mobile computing device, such as an Apple iPhone™, a RIM Blackberry or a comparable device running Google's Android operating system could be a mobile telephony device.
[0028] In still other instances, a mobile telephony device may be a device that is not traditionally used as a telephony device, but which includes a wireless data transceiver that can establish a wireless data connection to a data network. Examples of such devices include the Apple iPod Touch™ and the iPad™. Such a device may act as a mobile telephony device once it is configured with appropriate application software.
[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates that a mobile computing device with cellular capabilities 136 is capable of establishing a first wireless data connection A with a first wireless access point 140 , such as a WIFI or WIMAX router. The first wireless access point 140 is coupled to the Internet 110 . Thus, the mobile computing device 136 can establish a VOIP telephone call with the IP telephony system 120 via a path through the Internet 110 and the first wireless access point 140 .
[0030] FIG. 1 also illustrates that the mobile computing device 136 can establish a second wireless data connection B with a second wireless access point 142 that is also coupled to the Internet 110 . Further, the mobile computing device 136 can establish a third wireless data connection C via a data channel provided by a cellular service provider 130 using its cellular telephone capabilities. The mobile computing device 136 could also establish a VOIP telephone call with the IP telephony system 120 via the second wireless connection B or the third wireless connection C.
[0031] Although not illustrated in FIG. 1 , the mobile computing device 136 may be capable of establishing a wireless data connection to a data network, such as the Internet 110 , via alternate means. For example, the mobile computing device 136 might link to some other type of wireless interface using an alternate communication protocol, such as the WIMAX standard.
[0032] FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a dialect modification apparatus 200 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The apparatus 200 comprises a detection module 202 , a conversion module 204 and a modulation module 206 . According to an exemplary usage of the dialect modification apparatus 200 , a call is initiated by a first participant 210 to a second participant 216 . The present invention does not limit the number of participants engaged in a call, however. For example, third participant 212 and fourth participant 214 may also join the established call between participants 210 and 216 . The call is initiated over a carrier network 201 , where according to some embodiments, the carrier network 201 is a VoIP network and one or more of the client devices participate in the call using a VoIP application installed on their device. According to some embodiments, the dialect modification apparatus 200 may be housed in a media relay of an underlying VoIP system as described in FIG. 1 .
[0033] Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the network 201 may be any type of network, for example an IP network, or the like. In some embodiments, carrier network 201 may be comprised of one or more of the elements described in FIG. 1 , such as, for example, internet 110 , IP Telephony System 120 , Gateway 122 , and/or PSTN provider 130 . A mixture of none, some or all of the devices used by participants may be VoIP devices. For example, participant 210 calls second participant 216 via a VoIP application installed on the client device of participant 210 , but second participant 216 receives the call via his or her analog telephone device operating on a PSTN or a cellular phone operating on a cellular provider network. However, those of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the present application does not limit the dialect modification apparatus 200 to only a VoIP network.
[0034] According to one embodiment, once the call has begun and participants (for example, participants 210 - 216 ) of the conversation have started speaking, the dialect modification apparatus 200 receives a source audio signal associated with each participant. The detection module 202 then detects the dialect of each participant based on one or more of their voices in the call, their caller ID, their user ID if using a VoIP network, and associated metadata. In other words, the detection module 202 detects a source dialect for each participant. In some instances, the metadata may further contain location information for the origination of the call, social media profile information, contact information, destination of the call or the like. Taken together, this data can strongly predict a particular user's dialect.
[0035] In some instances, a caller identification number (CLID) can be used to retrieve a caller's location and as a result, the dominant dialect in that area. In addition, if the service provider 201 stores a user address book, then the CLID can be found in a contact which, in turn, may provide more information such as physical address or location of the caller.
[0036] Additionally, social media may be used in several ways. For example, a caller dialect may be selected based on the geographical area where the user “checked-in” the most. Also, place of birth, where the caller studied and the like may indicate the dialect of a caller as well. Such information may generally be accessed via specialized APIS for providing user information.
[0037] Alternatively, a sample of the participant's voice is taken from the source audio signal by the detection module 202 and compared to existing dialects stored in a datastore 208 . The datastore 208 may be a relational database, or other type of data storing service. In some instances, the datastore 208 may be located locally or remotely from the dialect modification apparatus 200 . The datastore 208 stores dialects samples, speech profiles and other data related to voice modification during a call. In some embodiments, a speech profile is returned to the detection module 202 based on the dialect matched from the datastore 208 .
[0038] The dialect modification apparatus 200 determines a target dialect for the call based on a preference of the participant who initiated the call, predominance of particular speech profiles among the participants or the like. The conversion module 204 converts the participants' voices into text based on the participants detected dialects and couples the text to the modulation module 206 . For example, if one participant's dialect was American English, the speech-to-text engine would be notified of this dialect so that the text conversion would be performed accurately.
[0039] The text is associated with particular speech changes by the modulation module 206 . For example, if the target dialect is “British English” and the participant speech being converted is “Australian English”, particular words such as “good day” may be associated with a modulation change such as separating the timing between the two words, extending vowel sounds, or the like to conform the speech to the target dialect.
[0040] Subsequently, the text with associated modulations is converted into speech by the conversion module 204 to create a modulated audio signal based on the source audio signal, the source dialect and the target dialect using well known text-to-speech conversion engines to conform to the selected target dialect and transmitted to other client devices. Some examples of text-to-speech engines that may be used include NUANCE Loguendo TTS engine, READSPEAKER, AT&T research lab conversion, or the like. In some embodiments, the conformed, or modulated, speech is delivered to one or more participants of the voice call, depending on the various gaps between the speech profiles of the participants. For example, if first participant 210 and second participant 212 have the same speech profile, first participant 210 will not hear a modulated version of the voice of second participant 212 and vice versa. On the other hand, if the speech profiles retrieved for participant 214 and participant 212 are different, participant 212 will hear a modulated voice of participant 214 and the participant 214 will hear a modulated voice of participant 212 , where the voices are modulated to conform to the target dialect. In some embodiments, each participant may require that incoming voice calls be modulated to the participant's dialect. For example, the first participant 210 may configure it so that their personal dialect is the target dialect for all incoming calls to the first participant 210 . Similarly, on the same call, third participant 214 may configure it so that all incoming voice is modulated to the dialect of participant 214 .
[0041] According to some embodiments, voice modulation is only performed if the difference in dialect exceeds a predetermined accent threshold. For example, for each dialect a set of keywords/phrases are chosen that will serve as the benchmark for those dialects. The difference between the way a speaker pronounces one of the keywords will be measured against the benchmarked pronunciation. In some embodiments, the difference may be measured by amplitude differences, time to pronounce a certain syllable in a word, saying different vowels and the like. The threshold will be reached on a per word basis or, if the speaker was very close to a threshold a certain number of times.
[0042] According to other embodiments, text-to-speech conversion is not performed by the conversion module 204 . In these embodiments, the audio of each participant is “massaged”, or “modulated” to conform to the target dialect directly. Each voice call participants' voice is broken or parsed into phonemes, or small contrastive units of sound in a sound system of a language. Each phoneme is analyzed by the modulation module 206 in light of the target dialect, and the difference between the phoneme of the participant speech and the target dialect is identified. Based on the identified difference, the modulation module 206 modifies the pitch, speed, duration, or other audio qualities of the speech to conform the speech to the target dialect phoneme. In some embodiments, this phoneme conversion is performed in real-time, or with a slight delay based on processing time of the underlying hardware of the dialect modification apparatus 200 , preserving the identity of each participant while making each participant easier to understand to others. In some embodiments, participants who would like to hear other participants without voice modulation may disable any voice modulation generated by the dialect modification apparatus 200 .
[0043] According to one example, if a participant is not engaged in a phone conference, but is placing a call to a call center in a foreign country, the call center technician may have an accent that is difficult to understand for the call initiating participant. In this instance, the dialect of the call center technician is modified by the dialect modification apparatus 200 to the dialect of the call initiating participant. In other instances, the dialect is always modified to the common dialect in the country or state where the dialect modification apparatus 200 is provided. In some embodiments, the modulated voice is analyzed by the dialect modification apparatus 200 to determine whether modulation was successful, and if not, documenting the deficiencies for future voice modulations. The determination of the success of modulation may be decided based on participant feedback, or based on an analysis of the modulated voice with respect to the target dialect.
[0044] FIG. 3 is a block diagram detailing the operation of the detection module 202 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As described above, the detection module 202 parses the voice content of all participants and retrieves an associate's speech profile associated with each participant. According to FIG. 3 , the detection module 202 retrieves a speech profile 300 from the datastore 208 based on the detected user dialect. In some embodiments, the selection of a speech profile is greatly enhanced by participant metadata 301 to increase the accuracy of the selected speech profile.
[0045] According to exemplary embodiments, the participant metadata may include such information as the telephone number of the participant, a caller ID of the participant, the city, state and country of the participant, a voice sample, social media information, contacts and the like. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the participant metadata 301 may include any information available from a service provider which aids in identifying the user's region or dialect information as described above.
[0046] The speech profile 300 is comprised of regional information 302 , dialect information 304 , phonetic transformation information 306 and acoustic information 308 . The regional information 302 contains information about the specific region a participant is calling from or is associated with, for example, the city, state, country, or the like. The dialect information 304 contains data identifying a speaking dialect for the participant. The dialect information 304 may be a pointer to a database record of particular nuances of the dialect.
[0047] For instance, the database record may contain a dialect record for the Southern United States dialect. The record for the dialect may indicate pronunciation of particular words, or the phonetics of a particular letter when speaking that dialect. The phonetic transformation information 306 contains data on how to transform the dialect contained in the dialect information 304 to the target dialect selected by the dialect modification apparatus 200 . Finally, the speech profile 300 further contains acoustic information 308 , where the acoustic information 308 dictates the acoustic differences encountered in this particular speech profile from various other speech profiles.
[0048] According to some embodiments, the phonetic transformation information 306 and the acoustic information 308 is described in the paper entitled “ Characterizing phonetic transformations and fine - grained acoustic differences across dialects ” by Nancy Fang-Yih Chen, published at http://mit.dspace.org/handle/1721.1/65514, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Further information on phonetic transformation and acoustic differences can be found in the paper entitled “Methods for Characterizing Participants' Nonmainstream Dialect Use in Child Language Research”, also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Both of the methods described in these two papers may be used to compile phonetic transformation information and acoustic information in the present application. The speech profile 300 is retrieved from the datastore 208 by the detection module 202 , and used for further operation.
[0049] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram detailing the interaction of the conversion module 204 and the modulation module 206 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
[0050] Voice call content 400 is passed to the conversion module 204 from the detection module 202 . According to one embodiment of the present invention, the conversion module 204 converts the voice call content to parsed text 402 using well known speech-to-text engines such as DRAGON Naturally Speaking, LumenVox or the like. The parsed text 402 is then coupled to the modulation module 206 along with the selected speech profile 300 retrieved from the datastore 208 by the detection module 202 .
[0051] According to one embodiment, the modulation module 206 determines, based on the speech profile 300 , what changes need to be made to the parsed text 402 , and associated particular changes with portions of the text 402 . The text and the associated changes are passed to the conversion module 204 , and the conversion module 204 converts the text back to speech in the form of the modified voice call content 406 , based on the changes indicated by the modulation module 206 . The modified voice call content 406 is then transmitted to the appropriate call participants, as determined by the speech profile of each participant.
[0052] According to another embodiment, the conversion module 204 passes the voice call content 400 directly to the modulation module 206 without performing speech-to-text conversion. The modulation module 206 then parses the voice call content 400 into various phonemes. The difference between the phonemes of the participant and the phonemes of the target dialect are determined, and based on the speech profile 300 , the modulation module 206 modulates portions of the voice call content 400 to generate a modulated voice 404 . The modulated voice 404 is modulated according to the predetermined or chosen one or more target dialects. The modulated voice 404 is then relayed to the appropriate call participants, based on which dialect the recipients are programmed to hear.
[0053] FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting a computer system for implementing the dialect modification apparatus 200 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The computer system 500 includes a processor 502 , various support circuits 505 , and memory 504 . The processors 502 may include one or more microprocessors known in the art. The support circuits 505 for the processor 502 include conventional cache, power supplies, clock circuits, data registers, I/O interface 507 , and the like. The I/O interface 507 may be directly coupled to the memory 504 or coupled through the support circuits 505 . The I/O interface 507 may also be configured for communication with input devices and/or output devices such as network devices, various storage devices, mouse, keyboard, display, video and audio sensors and the like.
[0054] The memory 504 , or computer readable medium, stores non-transient processor-executable instructions and/or data that may be executed by and/or used by the processor 502 . These processor-executable instructions may comprise firmware, software, and the like, or some combination thereof. Modules having processor-executable instructions that are stored in the memory 504 comprise an dialect modification module 506 and a datastore 514 . The dialect modification module 506 further comprises a detection module 508 , a conversion module 510 and a modulation module 512 . Speech profiles 515 and voice samples 516 of the various participants in a voice call may also be stored in memory 504 . In other instances, the speech profiles and voice samples are stored in a cloud storage for access and retrieval.
[0055] The computer system 500 may be programmed with one or more operating systems 520 , which may include OS/2, Linux, SOLARIS, UNIX, HPUX, AIX, WINDOWS, 10 S, and ANDROID among other known platforms.
[0056] The memory 504 may include one or more of the following: random access memory, read only memory, magneto-resistive read/write memory, optical read/write memory, cache memory, magnetic read/write memory, and the like, as well as signal-bearing media as described below.
[0057] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer system 500 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of embodiments. In particular, the computer system and devices may include any combination of hardware or software that can perform the indicated functions of various embodiments, including computers, network devices, Internet appliances, PDAs, wireless phones, pagers, and the like. Computer system 500 may also be connected to other devices that are not illustrated, or instead may operate as a stand-alone system. In addition, the functionality provided by the illustrated components may in some embodiments be combined in fewer components or distributed in additional components. Similarly, in some embodiments, the functionality of some of the illustrated components may not be provided and/or other additional functionality may be available.
[0058] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, while various items are illustrated as being stored in memory or on storage while being used, these items or portions of them may be transferred between memory and other storage devices for purposes of memory management and data integrity. Alternatively, in other embodiments some or all of the software components may execute in memory on another device and communicate with the illustrated computer system via inter-computer communication. Some or all of the system components or data structures may also be stored (e.g., as instructions or structured data) on a computer-accessible medium or a portable article to be read by an appropriate drive, various examples of which are described above. In some embodiments, instructions stored on a computer-accessible medium separate from computer system 500 may be transmitted to computer system 500 via transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a network and/or a wireless link. Various embodiments may further include receiving, sending or storing instructions and/or data implemented in accordance with the foregoing description upon a computer-accessible medium or via a communication medium. In general, a computer-accessible medium may include a storage medium or memory medium such as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or DVD/CD-ROM, volatile or non-volatile media such as RAM (e.g., SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM, SRAM, and the like), ROM, and the like.
[0059] The methods described herein may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof, in different embodiments. In addition, the order of methods may be changed, and various elements may be added, reordered, combined, omitted or otherwise modified. All examples described herein are presented in a non-limiting manner. Various modifications and changes may be made as would be obvious to a person skilled in the art having benefit of this disclosure. Realizations in accordance with embodiments have been described in the context of particular embodiments. These embodiments are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Accordingly, plural instances may be provided for components described herein as a single instance. Boundaries between various components, operations and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within the scope of claims that follow. Finally, structures and functionality presented as discrete components in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of embodiments as defined in the claims that follow.
[0060] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for a method 600 for call modification in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The method 600 is an exemplary process flow of the dialect modification apparatus 200 , implemented as the dialect modification module 506 , executed on the computer system 500 .
[0061] The method begins at step 602 and proceeds to step 604 . At step 604 , the detection module 508 detects the dialect of one or more voice call participants. The detected dialects may be all the same, or each one may differ. The goal is to align the dialects so that all participants may understand each other. The dialects are detected based on a received source audio signal associated with at least one participant. The source audio signal comprises a voice of the at least one participant.
[0062] At step 606 , one or more target dialects are chosen for at least one of the one or more participants. Namely, it is not necessary that only one target dialect be selected for all participants. The dialect modification module 506 can be configured to enable each participant to hear other participants' speech in their dialect. Alternatively, participants in the same region can be configured to have other participants voice modulated to the dialect of the participants in the same region, and/or vice versa. In other embodiments, the target dialect is selected based on at least a characteristic of a target participant. For example, if a target participant is from a particular region in China, the target dialect is selected as the dialect prevalent in that region of China.
[0063] The method then proceeds to step 608 , where the modulation module 512 modulates the voice of a portion of the one or more participants of the call to match the one or more target dialects. The modulation module 512 modulates an audio signal based on the source audio signal, the source dialect and the target dialect. Step 608 may also comprise sub-steps 610 - 614 . At step 610 , the portion of the voice which is to be modulated is converted into text based on the detected dialect of each participant. Subsequently, a speech profile is selected based on participant metadata at step 612 . The text of the portion of speech that is to be modulated is associated with modifications depending on the selected speech profile to match the one or more target dialects. At step 614 , the method 600 converts the text back to speech based on the selected speech profile and the associated modifications, in the one or more target dialects. The modulated audio signal is then transmitted to the target recipient. The method 600 returns to step 608 and the method terminates at step 618 .
[0064] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, while various items are illustrated as being stored in memory or on storage while being used, these items or portions of them may be transferred between memory and other storage devices for purposes of memory management and data integrity. Alternatively, in other embodiments some or all of the software components may execute in memory on another device and communicate with the illustrated computer system via inter-computer communication. Some or all of the system components or data structures may also be stored (e.g., as instructions or structured data) on a computer-accessible medium or a portable article to be read by an appropriate drive, various examples of which are described above. In some embodiments, instructions stored on a computer-accessible medium separate from computer system 500 may be transmitted to computer system 500 via transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a network and/or a wireless link. Various embodiments may further include receiving, sending or storing instructions and/or data implemented in accordance with the foregoing description upon a computer-accessible medium or via a communication medium. In general, a computer-accessible medium may include a storage medium or memory medium such as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or DVD/CD-ROM, volatile or non-volatile media such as RAM (e.g., SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM, SRAM, and the like), ROM, and the like.
[0065] The methods described herein may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof, in different embodiments. In addition, the order of methods may be changed, and various elements may be added, reordered, combined, omitted or otherwise modified. All examples described herein are presented in a non-limiting manner. Various modifications and changes may be made as would be obvious to a person skilled in the art having benefit of this disclosure. Realizations in accordance with embodiments have been described in the context of particular embodiments. These embodiments are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Accordingly, plural instances may be provided for components described herein as a single instance. Boundaries between various components, operations and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within the scope of claims that follow. Finally, structures and functionality presented as discrete components in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of embodiments as defined in the claims that follow.
[0066] 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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A method for voice modification during a telephone call comprising receiving a source audio signal associated with at least one participant, wherein the source audio signal comprises a voice of the at least one participant, detecting a source dialect of the at least one participant, selecting a target dialect based on at least a characteristic of a target participant and creating a modulated audio signal based on the source audio signal, the source dialect, and the target dialect and transmitting the modulated audio signal to the target participant.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and under 35 U.S.C. 120 to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/714,477 filed Feb. 27, 2010 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/305,497 filed Feb. 17, 2010 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/653,116 filed Jan. 12, 2007 based upon U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/758,855 filed Jan. 13, 2006 and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/787,313 filed Apr. 16, 2007 based upon U.S. Provisional Application 60/792,057 filed Apr. 14, 2006 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/172,771 filed Apr. 25, 2009, based upon copending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/699,807 filed Jan. 30, 2007 based upon U.S. Provisional Application 60/815,801 filed Jun. 22, 2006 all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the invention is directed to apparatus and methods for field collection and transport and analysis of laboratory specimens and crime scene evidence samples. The field of the invention also relates to a method of modulating the drying time of such specimens or evidence samples after collection to achieve rapid drying of the specimens or evidence samples based on the quantity of specimen and the quantity of moisture present in the specimens or evidence samples.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present embodiments provide a specimen collection and drying and transport and storage device that can be used for laboratory and forensic purposes to gather samples and/or specimens and to then dry the sample and/or specimen during transport and/or storage prior to testing of the sample or specimen. All this can be accomplished in the present embodiments while providing assurance that the chain of custody has been preserved and that the collected specimen or sample has not been switched during the changing of the drying agent employed to dry the specimen.
More particularly, the embodiments relate to a specimen collection apparatus for collecting such samples and stabilizing the specimens and preserving them from contamination prior to laboratory analysis. Therefore, an apparatus is provided in which the specimen collector is enclosed after collection of the sample thereon to protect the sample from contamination. The embodiments also allow exposure of the specimen or evidence sample to a drying agent to dry and stabilize the specimen to promote specimen integrity by providing rapid drying soon after specimen collection. Further, the embodiments allow the user to renew, or change-out, exhausted drying agent without disturbing the specimen. And, the embodiments allow the user to select and insert variously sized desiccant packets to modulate the drying time of the collected specimen or sample depending upon user desires for the particular specimen or sample.
In one embodiment simultaneous, identical, dual specimen or sample collection is provided which allows two identical specimens to be simultaneously collected in one motion by the user and to then simultaneously deliver the dual and identical specimens to a single housing to thereby assure that the specimen or evidence samples receive simultaneous and identical protection, drying conditions and transport conditions. Further, the embodiment allows one of the two identical and simultaneously collected specimens to remain untouched or unused and to be archived without removal of the specimen from the original housing into which it was inserted after collection. This may be accomplished while allowing the other of the two identical and simultaneously collected specimens to be removed from the housing or for a portion thereof removed for testing.
Crime scene evidence is collected to establish facts related to a crime or a suspected crime and for identification and/or elimination of suspects and may be presented at a trial for the determination of guilt or innocence of accused individuals. Often, the evidence includes objects, documents, fingerprints, photographs of the scene, and the like. Additionally, the evidence may include unknown substances or substances with a suspected identity, where the identity needs to be determined or confirmed. Such substances may be very small in quantity, may be dispersed over a comparatively large area, and may include materials such as: body fluids, hairs, flakes of skin such as skin cells, fibers, drugs, various chemicals, gunpowder residue, flammable materials, tobacco ashes, cosmetics, and the like. Such materials may be collected at a scene and subjected to chemical and/or DNA analysis for identification or for association with a particular individual.
Currently, for collecting specimen samples, investigators typically use fibrous swabs, such as swabs made of fibers of cotton, cellulose, rayon, polyester, polyester foam and other types of fibers. Such swabs not only absorb liquids and solids suspended in liquids but also trap dry substances such as particulate materials. Prior to use, the swabs are kept in closed sterile bags or containers to maintain sterility. After specimen collection the swabs and are placed into a similar bag or container to avoid contamination of the sample gathered during transportation. Once the swab is placed in a container after specimen collection, the container is usually marked with a time, the date, the identity of the investigator and other information to establish a chain of custody of the sample.
Conventional swabs are formed of a “stick” such as a shaft of wood, tubular plastic, or tubular or rolled paper with a pad of cotton or other fiber, sponge material, or other absorbent material attached to the end of the shaft, either mechanically or by an inert adhesive. A problem with conventional swabs is that there is a danger of contamination of the sample if it is necessary to put the swab down, for example, to open a bag or container in which the swab will be placed. Also, if it is necessary to set the swab down to dry, in a propped up condition or extending over the edge of a table, there is a risk of contamination of the sample.
The present embodiments provide an apparatus and method for collecting solid, fluid or particulate evidence specimens related to any type of situation in which evidence collection is required. Such evidence collection can be associated with crime scenes or can simply be the collection of a DNA sample from a human being in the course of a traffic stop or a paternity investigation. Suitable specimens for collection using the present devices are, in general, that evidence which is located on a surface or on a human being and which can be physically contacted by an evidence collection device to thereby obtain a sample of the evidence. Examples of such evidence specimens might be any type of biological fluid, either wet or dried, such as blood, urine or saliva, or any unknown substance which is visible or invisible and which can be located allowing for collection of a specimen of the evidence and capture of such a sample on a specimen collector of the type described hereinafter. As previously mentioned, it will be appreciated that such specimen collection devices are widely used in criminal investigations, but also are used increasingly in traffic stop situations or traffic arrest situations in which it is desirable to obtain a DNA sample from the suspect as part of a criminal records database requirement.
Therefore, for proper evidence collection that can be used in court to support a conviction, it is necessary that investigators have at their disposal a device and method of collection that dries the collected specimen shortly after collection to promote sample integrity by stabilizing the specimen by drying. It is additionally important that the apparatus promotes accuracy of specimen collection and reproducibility of specimen collection and protection of specimens from contamination while providing a device that enables a verifiable chain of custody while allowing continuous renewal of drying agents positioned adjacent to the specimen and while providing quantified specimen dilution during collection procedures and all without contributing to contamination of the crime scene by introducing extraneous material into the crime scene.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first embodiment provides a specimen collector and container which may be used to collect a specimen with the container operating as a handle for the manipulation of the specimen collector and then subsequently the container may be used to receive the specimen collector therein for drying of the specimen within the container and for shipping of the specimen in a protected manner to an evidence room or to a laboratory and while a drying agent in the container, capable of being renewed without disturbing the specimen, speeds the drying of the collected specimen.
In another embodiment, the present device provides a specimen collector and container having all the above features and further providing the crime scene investigator with interchangeable, quantified specimen collection reagents and variable specimen collection reagents, which due to the device structure are fully and accurately absorbable by the specimen collection swab.
In another embodiment, the collection device provides for a swab on a specimen collector which swab can be conveniently detached from the specimen collector and specifically from the shaft connecting the swab to the specimen collector through use of a coaxially mounted tube which surrounds the shaft on which the swab is mounted. The coaxially mounted tube is provided with a terminal end which is located proximate to an area on the shaft where it is desired to have a point of breakage, or break-point location on the shaft, to separate the swab from the shaft to allow the swab to be separated from the specimen collector and to allow the swab to be deposited within a separate container. Another embodiment allow the swab to be pushed off the shaft by the use of he coaxially mounted tube. Yet another embodiment is provided with dual specimen collectors to allow simultaneous collection of identical specimens onto separate swabs. Yet another embodiment provides a reagent vial cap retaining stand or projection to provide a specific, reproducible storage location for placement of the vial cap to avoid introduction of the cap into the crime scene by an investigator removing the cap from a reagent vile and placing the cap on a surface that in or adjacent to the specimen to be collected and part of the crime scene.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top, front and right side perspective view of an embodiment showing the swab removed from the holder and the swab reversed and inserted into the neck of the holder to allow the holder to act as a handle for the swab during specimen collection procedures and showing fixed desiccant retainers holding the desiccant packets at a set distance from the area occupied by the swab when it is inserted into the holder;
FIG. 2 is a bottom, back and left side exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the desiccant chamber cap spaced from the desiccant chamber and two desiccant packets removed from the desiccant chamber and showing within the desiccant chamber the fixed desiccant retainers or guards that hold the desiccant packets at a specific distance from the swab while allowing insertion of desiccant packets into desiccant chamber and showing the swab aligned for insertion into the holder for drying, transport and protection from contamination;
FIG. 3 is bottom, back and left side perspective view of an embodiment showing the swab inserted into the holder where is becomes positioned between the desiccant packets held in the desiccant chamber to permit drying of a specimen collected on the swab during storage and transportation of the swab within swab holder to a laboratory for analysis of the specimen;
FIG. 4 is a bottom, back and left side exploded view of an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 2 , but showing the desiccant being retained by multiple flexible retainers or guards that accommodate desiccant packets of various sizes and allow variation in the distance between the swab and the desiccant packet thereby allowing for variation in the speed of specimen drying and allow for accommodation of specimens of greater volume which may require a larger amount of desiccant in the packets to achieve the desired degree of specimen dryness during transport of the collected specimen in the holder;
FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the desiccant chamber of the holder showing the swab positioned within fixed retainers or guards, the retainers or guards being spaced from the swab and any specimen on the swab to keep the specimen out of contact with the desiccant packets during drying and/or transport and/or storage;
FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the desiccant chamber of the holder showing the swab positioned within a set of flexible retainers or guards the retainers being spaced from the swab, but being flexible at the point where the retainers contact the holder to permit the flexible retainers to accommodate variously sized desiccant packets to allow for variations in desired specimen drying time and variations in the specimen liquid content which can affect drying time as well as allowing for variation in the distance of the specimen from the desiccant which can change the drying time during storage and/or transport of the specimen.
FIG. 7 is a top, front and right side perspective view of an embodiment similar to that shown in FIGS. 1-6 and having reagent holders mounted thereon;
FIG. 8 is a bottom rear and left side perspective view of a first variation of the device and showing a “T-shaped” securing structure on the bottom of the embodiment for holding a vial to the bottom of the embodiment;
FIG. 9 shows a bottom and front and left side prospective view of a second variation of the device and showing a friction-fit “C-shaped” securing structure for holding a vial to the bottom of the embodiment;
FIG. 10 is a cross-section view taken along line 10 - 10 of FIG. 9 and showing of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 with the vial inside the exterior container held by the “C-shaped securing structure and showing the solid construction of central section or central member 20 which may be drilled through if desired to provide gas communication through the closure;
FIG. 11 is a cross-section view taken along line 11 - 11 of FIG. 7 and showing reagent vials within the reagent holders and also showing the solid construction of central section or central member 20 which may be drilled through to provide gas communication through the closure;
FIG. 12 is a left side, front and bottom perspective view of another embodiment showing a reagent vial held in the bottom of the embodiment;
FIG. 13 is a cross-section view taken along line 13 - 13 of FIG. 12 and showing the insertion of the reagent vial into a cavity in the bottom of the device and held there by a frictional fit;
FIG. 14 is a front right side and top perspective view of an embodiment of the embodiment having a vial formed in the sides of the device and a cap thereon with the structure of the embodiment walls also forming the walls of the vial;
FIG. 15 is a cross-section view taken along line 15 - 15 of FIG. 14 and showing the formation of the vials on the front and back sidewalls of the embodiment and showing the solid construction of central section or central member 20 which may be drilled through to provide gas communication through the closure;
FIG. 16 is a front, right side and top perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the embodiment of FIG. 1 and having a vial and cap insert that can be placed into a securing sleeve on the embodiment and having a cap receptacle for holding the vial cap to avoid contamination of a crime scene through the introduction of external materials into the crime scene such as the cap that closes the vial of the present embodiment;
FIG. 17 is a front, right side and top perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 22 and showing the cap removed from the vial and placed on the cap receptacle to hold the vial cap to avoid contamination of a crime scene through the introduction of external materials into the crime scene such as the cap that closes the vial of the present embodiment;
FIG. 18 is a front, right side and top perspective view of an alternate embodiment and showing the cap receptacle for holding the vial cap included as part of the cap that seals the body of the container;
FIG. 19 is a front, right side and top perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 18 and showing the cap removed from the vial and placed on the cap receptacle that is positioned on the cap that seals the body of the container;
FIG. 20 is a front and top perspective view of the vial and cap insert that may be used with the embodiment of FIGS. 24 and 25 and other embodiments;
FIG. 21 shows an embodiment having dual swabs on dual shafts with each shaft having a break-off tube coaxially mounted on the shaft to allow for simultaneous, dual specimen collection by a user and showing the alignment indicator and closure rotation lock on the closure and on the holder that allows the user to properly align the dual swab collector on the holder to provide proper spacing of the swabs from the desiccant and showing dual vial carriers made integrally with the body of the device and showing a closure rotation indicator and locking structure on the neck of the embodiment;
FIG. 22 shows a cross-section view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 taken along line 22 - 22 of FIG. 21 and showing the neck of the embodiment of FIG. 22 having the closure rotation indicator and locking structure 74 on the neck of the embodiment engaged with the closure rotation lock 75 on closure 18 ;
FIG. 23 is a front and top perspective view of a vial and cap insert that may be used with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 27 and 28 and other embodiments;
FIG. 24 shows an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a closure which can be used with the embodiments described herein and having a reagent vial insertable into the closure for transport of a swab solution therein;
FIG. 25 shows a swab being separated from the shaft by use of a break-off tube coaxially mounted on the swab shaft.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As required, detailed embodiments of the present inventions are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
FIGS. 1-24 relate to embodiments of a unitized apparatus for collection and/or drying and/or transport and/or analysis apparatus 10 and a method for modulating drying time of the specimen through the use of user selectable and user sizeable desiccants and user renewable desiccants. Apparatus 10 comprises, generally, a swab mounted on a shaft, the shaft connected to a closure, and a housing or holder having a drying chamber containing a desiccant. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-6 are generally similar in construction but different in the means by which the desiccant is retained within the holder. The embodiments of FIGS. 7-19 include quantified reagent holders.
First referring to FIGS. 1-4 the unitized apparatus for collection and/or drying and/or transport and/or analysis apparatus 10 will be described. In FIG. 1 specimen collector 12 comprises a swab 14 mounted on a first end of a shaft 16 with the second end of the shaft connected to a closure 18 . The closure 18 comprises a central member 20 having a stopper 22 a , 22 b extending from each of the two opposed sides of the central member. The specimen collector 12 further comprises a break-off tube 24 mounted coaxially on the shaft 16 . The tube 24 is formed of a material that has greater rigidity than the material used to form shaft 16 . A first end, of tube 24 is connected to closure 18 and a second end of tube 24 is configured to terminate at a selected location along shaft 16 at which it is desired to break shaft 16 to achieve separation of swab 14 and the portion of the shaft to which swab 14 is mounted from the remainder of shaft 16 . This location on shaft 16 is referred to as the break-point location and will vary depending on the length of break-tube 24 that is mounted on shaft 16 . Alternatively the break-tube 24 may be connected into closure 18 in a separable manner to allow tube 24 to be pulled from connection with closure 18 and pressed along or slid along shaft 16 until it contacts swab 14 whereupon it can be used to force swab 14 off of shaft 16 and into a container or other receptacle.
For clarity this type of separation of swab 14 from specimen collector 12 is shown in FIG. 25 . In FIG. 25 , it may be seen that swab 14 is pressed against a solid surface such as the side of container 250 and a bending motion is applied by the user to press swab 14 back toward tube 24 and closure 18 . Upon sufficient pressure being applied, the shaft 16 will break at or near the terminus of tube 24 . Then swab 14 and the portion of shaft 16 to which swab 14 is connected will separate from the portion of shaft 16 that is connected to closure 18 . This allows the swab and the specimen that is collected onto the swab to be separated from the remainder of device 10 and separately placed into a reaction tube for analysis and/or an alternate container for shipment.
Again referring to FIG. 1 it will be appreciated that closure 18 comprising central member 20 and having a stopper 22 a , 22 b extending from each of the two opposed sides of the central member is shown with stopper 22 a having shaft 16 and tube 24 connected thereto and with stopper 22 b inserted into neck 26 of housing 28 of apparatus 10 . FIG. 1 presents the embodiment in its open position. In the open position, specimen collector 12 has been removed from housing 28 and the closure 18 has been reversed and inserted into opening 30 ( FIG. 2 ) of the neck 26 of housing 28 from which closure 18 and swab 14 on shaft 16 and break-off tube 24 were just removed. This reversal and insertion allows housing 28 to act as a handle for manipulating the swab 14 of specimen collector 12 during the collection of a specimen onto swab 14 . The relatively large, flat surface of desiccant chamber 32 fits securely into the palm of the hand and provides a flat surface that will prevent rolling of the apparatus 10 if it is placed on a surface. When positioned on a surface the edge of closure 18 extends laterally beyond swab 14 and keeps swab 14 separated from any contact with adjacent contaminating surfaces. The closed position for apparatus 10 is shown in FIG. 3 wherein specimen collector 12 has been inserted into housing 28 and stopper 22 a of closure 18 has been inserted into opening 30 ( FIG. 2 ) of the neck 26 of housing 28 so that stopper 22 a of closure 18 having swab 14 on shaft 16 and break-off tube 24 connected thereto all are inserted into housing 28 .
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4 the housing 28 being further comprised of desiccant chamber 32 connected to neck 26 of housing 28 , will be described. Desiccant chamber 32 is provided with resealable cover 34 that forms the bottom of housing 28 . Cover 34 may be generally flat to allow apparatus 10 to stand on a surface. Cover 34 may be removably connected to desiccant chamber 32 or it may be permanently sealed to close chamber 32 . It will be appreciated that the permanent sealing of chamber 32 by cover 34 may be accomplished at the time of manufacture or upon the insertion of a specimen on swab 14 into housing 28 or cover 34 may be used to permanently seal housing 28 at any time thereafter. Desiccant packets 36 of FIGS. 2 and 4 have been removed from desiccant chamber 32 to better show the fixed retainers 38 ( FIG. 2 ) and flexible retainers 40 ( FIG. 4 ) that hold desiccant packets 36 in position within desiccant chamber 32 . It will be appreciated from the FIGS. 2 and 4 that fixed retainers extend from a sidewall of desiccant chamber 32 and flexible retainers are a plurality of flexible finger-like structures that extend downwardly from the top of desiccant chamber 32 and can accommodate desiccant packets of various sizes and shapes by flexing toward and away from the swab isolation area 41 . When swab 14 is positioned within housing 28 , as shown in FIG. 3 , it may be seen that swab 14 situated between the retainers 38 ( FIG. 2 ) or within retainers 40 ( FIG. 4 ) in a swab isolation area 41 with the retainers 38 , 40 holding desiccant packets 20 away from swab 14 . It will be appreciated that swab 14 is positioned between, but not contacted by, desiccant packets 36 to avoid contamination of swab 14 .
In FIG. 4 an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 2 is shown in an exploded view. In FIG. 4 desiccant chamber cover 34 is separated from the desiccant chamber 32 and the two desiccant packets 36 have been removed from the desiccant chamber 32 . Visible within the desiccant chamber 32 are the flexible retainers 40 that allow variable spacing of the desiccant packets 36 from the swab 14 . It will be appreciated that the flexible nature of flexible retainers 40 allows insertion of variously sized desiccant packets 36 into desiccant chamber 32 . This is accomplished by the flexible retainers 40 being able to bend inwardly toward swab 14 to expand the distance between flexible retainers 40 and the walls comprising desiccant housing 32 . Due to this repositionable nature of flexible retainers 40 , user selectable quantities of desiccant and variable volumes of desiccant and variable sizes of desiccant packets can be introduced by the user into desiccant chamber 32 to change the drying time of a specimen captured on swab 14 . Desiccant packets 36 are positioned to be in close proximity to swab 14 to absorb moisture from the specimen that is collected on swab 14 . As the proximity of desiccant to moisture has a direct correlation to the rapidity of drying, it will be appreciated that the close, but spaced, proximity of the desiccant to swab 14 is particularly efficacious in speeding the drying of moisture that may be on swab 14 . Such variation is made possible by flexible retainers 40 . It also will be appreciated that resealable cover 34 permits the replacement of desiccant packets 36 at anytime during the use of device 10 and without the need to disturb swab 14 and/or any specimen thereon.
In FIG. 3 a perspective view is shown of the device 10 of FIGS. 2 and 4 with swab 14 inserted into housing 28 . In this position swab 14 is positioned between desiccant packets 34 for drying and is protected within housing 28 for transport and/or storage. It may be observed that swab 14 is positioned between guards 38 . In FIG. 3 a portion of the desiccant packets 36 have been removed and a portion of the wall of desiccant chamber 32 has been removed for clarity.
It will be understood that in FIG. 3 , closure 18 has been reinserted into neck 26 to dispose swab 14 and shaft 16 and break-off tube 24 within housing 28 . This positioning places swab 14 disposed between retainers 38 , 40 and within desiccant chamber 32 . It will be appreciated that flexible retainers 40 extend beyond the bottom of swab 14 to prevent objects inserted into desiccant chamber 32 from making inadvertent contact with swab 14 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that with desiccant chamber cover 34 removed, as shown in FIG. 4 , that desiccant chamber 32 is open and accessible. It is in this configuration that desiccant packets 36 can be inserted, removed, renewed or increased or decreased in size by the user as may be indicated by the needs of the particular specimen on swab 14 or the need to speed up or slow down drying of the specimen on swab 14 . It also may be observed in FIGS. 5 and 7 that closure 18 may be provided with air holes 33 that extend through closure 18 . Air holes 33 can aid in the drying of the specimen and air holes 33 can be excluded from the embodiment completely if desired.
In FIG. 5 the fixed or rigid retainers 38 and the swab 14 are shown from a bottom view into desiccant chamber 32 . In this view it may be seen that swab 14 is positioned between retainers 38 and spaced therefrom so as not to contact retainers 38 or the walls of desiccant chamber 32 . Desiccant holding areas 42 extending between retainers 38 and the walls of desiccant chamber 32 are best observed in FIGS. 5 and 6 . It will be appreciated that variously sized desiccant packets 36 can be inserted into desiccant holding areas 42 during drying and/or transport and/or storage. Once the desiccant packets 36 have become exhausted by absorption of moisture they may be replaced. This is accomplished by removing cover 34 withdrawing exhausted desiccant packets 36 and inserting new desiccant packets 36 . Once replacement has been accomplished, the desiccant chamber resealable cover 34 may be replaced to again close desiccant chamber 32 to the outside.
In FIG. 6 the flexible guards 40 and the swab 14 are shown from a bottom view into desiccant chamber 32 . In this view it may be seen that swab 14 is positioned within flexible guards 40 and spaced therefrom so as not to contact flexible guards 40 or the walls of desiccant chamber 32 . It will be appreciated that the ends of flexible guard 40 bend inwardly to operate to deflect material, such as desiccant packets 36 when they enter desiccant chamber 32 , from contacting swab 14 and any specimen thereon. Desiccant holding areas 42 extending between flexible guards 40 and the walls of desiccant chamber 32 . It will be appreciated that as flexible guards 40 may be pushed away from desiccant chamber 32 walls that variously sized desiccant packets 36 can be inserted into desiccant holding areas 42 during drying and/or transport and/or storage. Once the desiccant packets 36 have been inserted, the desiccant chamber resealable cover 34 may be replaced to again close desiccant chamber 32 to the outside. It will be appreciated that the flexible guards 40 in particular allow the user to select and insert variously sized desiccant packets to modulate the drying time of the collected specimen or sample depending upon user desires for the particular specimen or sample. In addition the flexible guards 40 permit larger desiccant packet volumes to approach more closely to the swab 14 as it resides in the swab isolation area 41 since the flexible guards 40 can move inwardly toward the swab thereby placing the desiccant closer to the specimen. This configuration will modulate the drying of the specimen as the closer proximity of the desiccant to the moisture of the specimen on the swab will decrease the drying time of the specimen and enhance the stability of the collected specimen by drying the specimen faster.
Referring now to FIG. 7 an embodiment of a type shown in FIGS. 1-6 is shown further comprising the addition of reagent holders mounted on the top of desiccant chamber 32 . Reagent holders 50 a , 50 b extend from desiccant chamber 32 and are molded in unitary fashion with desiccant chamber 32 . The reagent holders 50 a , 50 b are comprised of a body 52 a , 52 b and a cap 54 a , 54 b . Caps 54 a , 54 b may be of the screw type or the friction fit type of cap.
Referring now to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 , embodiments are shown having the reagent holders 50 mounted on desiccant chamber removable cover 34 . In the embodiment of FIG. 8 , reagent holder 50 is held within an indention formed in cover 34 . The indention being sufficient to allow the entirety of reagent holder 50 to sit within the indention while yet allowing apparatus 10 to stand on a flat surface with resalable cover 34 . Such contact with the surface is shown in FIG. 7 . In FIG. 8 , reagent holder 50 is retained within indention 56 by a tongue and groove shaped arrangement with the groove being within the bottom of the reagent holder 50 and the tongue extending from removable cover 34 and being configured to be mateable with the groove in the bottom of the reagent holder 50 . In FIG. 9 , the reagent holder 50 is retained within indention 56 by C-shaped which provides a frictional fit capture of the reagent holder 50 within the C-shaped retaining clip.
Referring now to FIG. 10 , a cross-section view taken along line 10 - 10 of FIG. 9 is shown. In FIG. 10 , it can be seen that a device of similar construction to the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown having desiccant holding areas 42 and retainers 38 and a swab 14 on shaft 16 having tube 24 coaxially mounted thereon. Also shown in FIG. 10 is reagent vial 60 which is in reagent holder 50 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that using a separate reagent vial 60 held within a reagent holder 50 that different reagent compositions and of different volumes may be rapidly and easily substituted into reagent holder 50 by simple substitution of a different reagent vial 60 .
Referring now to FIG. 11 , a cross-section view taken along line 11 - 11 of FIG. 7 is shown. In FIG. 11 , reagent holders 50 are shown to either side of neck 26 with each vial 60 having a cap 62 thereon and reagent holder 50 having its own cap 50 a serving to retain vial 60 within reagent holder 50 .
Referring now to FIG. 12 , an embodiment is shown having reagent vial 60 inserted into a depression formed in the surface of desiccant chamber receivable cover 34 . In FIG. 13 , a cross-section view taken along line 13 - 13 of FIG. 12 is shown. In FIG. 13 , the cross-section view of the embodiment of FIG. 12 shows that cover 34 is provided with an indention 64 which is configured to capture vial 60 therein by a frictional fit between the bottom of vial 60 and the walls of indention 64 .
In FIGS. 14 and 15 , yet another embodiment of the reagent holder on the apparatus is shown. In FIG. 14 , it can be seen that the reagent vial 60 is formed integrally with the sidewall of desiccant chamber 32 . This may be more clearly seen in FIG. 15 , which is a cross-section view taken along line 15 - 15 of FIG. 14 . In FIG. 15 , reagent vial 60 is shown as comprising an indention in the sidewall of desiccant chamber 32 and having cap 62 thereon to seal reagent vial 60 .
Referring now to embodiments shown in FIGS. 16-20 , embodiments having reagent holders and reagent vials are shown but also having the added advantage of having a cap stand included in the embodiment to retain a reagent holder cap or a reagent vial cap and to provide secure, reproducible placement in the keeping of the reagent or vial cap thereby to avoid loss of the vial cap and to avoid contamination of a crime scene in particular. The cap receptacle allows the evidence collection technician to avoid contamination of a crime scene by the inadvertent introduction of external materials into the crime scene. Specifically, the receptacle allows the cap that closes the vial to be placed in a specific, anticipated, repeatable location that is a part of the equipment brought to the scene by the evidence collection technician. In this manner the evidence collection technician will always know where to put the cap and where to locate it at the conclusion of the specimen collection. This provides a consistent and repeatable activity that can become a part of the evidence collection technicians method of practice and thereby reduce the introduction of external materials and potential extraneous DNA that might contaminate the crime scene.
Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17 , an embodiment is shown having a cap stand 70 extending from neck 26 of holder 28 . In FIG. 17 , it can be seen that a cap 62 has been removed from reagent vial 60 and has been placed onto cap holder 70 where cap 62 is retained during the course of a collection procedure performed with the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 . It also will be appreciated that having the reagent holder 50 and reagent vial 60 positioned in upright fashion on the top of desiccant chamber 32 allows the investigator, particularly a crime scene investigator, to have the reagent contained in reagent vial 60 available for use in wetting the swab 14 which is attached to closure 18 without a need to attempt to manipulate additional devices and structures to wet the swab 14 or to find a suitable location to place holder 28 within the crime scene to free a hand to hold the reagent vial 60 while wetting swab 14 of a specimen collector 12 with a suitable reagent such as that which is contained in reagent vial 60 for a specimen collection.
Referring now to FIG. 18 , an alternate embodiment is shown and which is similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 16 and 17 but in which the cap stand 70 is formed in the top of stopper 22 b of closure 18 . It will be appreciated that the embodiment of FIG. 18 operates in similar manner to the embodiment described in FIGS. 16 and 17 . Such similar operation is shown in FIG. 19 wherein a cap 62 has been removed from a vial 60 and the cap 62 has been placed upon cap stand 70 which extends from stopper 22 b closure 18 . In FIG. 20 , reagent vial 60 is shown of the type used in many of the embodiments described herein. Vial 60 is provided with longitudinal projections 64 which are compressible and which enhance the friction fit of reagent vial 60 within reagent holder 50 and which allow the passage of air in and about the sidewall of reagent vial 60 and the sidewall of reagent holder 50 when the two are insertably joined together as shown in FIG. 19 . The importance of this feature will be appreciated by those skilled in the art who have contended with a moisture seal between two closely fitted surfaces and the barrier to separation of the two structures caused by the moisture seal preventing the intrusion of air and causing a need to overcome a vacuum which is created between the two surfaces when the withdrawal of the objects from insertion, one within the other, is attempted. Projection 64 assists in such separation while also providing secure frictional fit between vial 60 and reagent holder 50 .
In FIGS. 21 and 22 an embodiment is shown having dual swabs 14 a,b mounted on dual shafts 16 a,b and having dual break-off tubes 24 a,b coaxially mounted on each of the shafts. Both of these dual swab, shaft and break-off tube combinations are connected to the same stopper 22 a extending from central member 20 of closure 18 . The embodiment of FIGS. 21 and 22 allows the user to collect simultaneously, identical, dual specimens or samples 72 a,b in one motion or in a single contact with a specimen or evidence location. Then the user can simultaneously deliver the dual and identical specimens 72 a,b to a single housing 28 to thereby assure that the specimen or evidence samples receive simultaneous and identical protection and drying conditions and transport conditions are provided to the identical, dual specimens. The embodiment of FIGS. 21 and 22 permits a user to remove one of the two identical and simultaneously collected specimens 72 a,b while allowing the other specimen or sample 72 a,b to remain untouched or unused and to be archived without removal of the specimen from the original housing into which it was inserted after collection. This simultaneous, dual collection and protection of a specimen or evidence sample is of great importance for evidence collection as it allows collection of two identical specimens 72 a,b under exactly the same conditions, from exactly the same location of the evidence, and permits the separate removal and testing of one of the dual identical specimens without any change or disturbance to the other specimen and while leaving one of the dual identical specimen fully intact and untouched for archiving and further or future testing. This can be highly important in providing a second identical specimen for test verification where an analysis method that is destructive of the specimen must be employed.
FIG. 21 an embodiment is shown having dual swabs 14 a,b connected to dual shafts 16 a,b and with each shaft having a break-off tube 24 a,b coaxially mounted on the shaft. As previously described for FIG. 25 , the break-off tubes 24 a,b allow for the swab 14 to be separated from the shaft 16 . It also will be appreciated that the embodiment of FIGS. 21 , 22 is provided with desiccant packets 36 in desiccant chamber 32 to permit simultaneous, and identical drying conditions for the dual specimens. As previously described, when swabs 14 a,b are positioned within housing 28 , the swabs 14 a,b are to be situated between the retainers 38 ( FIG. 2 ) or within retainers 40 ( FIG. 4 ) with the retainers 38 , 40 holding desiccant packets 20 away from swab 14 . It will be appreciated that it is important that swabs 14 a,b be positioned between, but not contacted by, desiccant packets 36 to avoid contamination of swabs 14 a,b . To assure the proper location of swabs 14 a,b the embodiment of FIGS. 21 , 22 is provided with alignment indicators on closure 18 and holder 28 . In FIGS. 21 and 22 closure 18 is provided with indicator 73 on central member 20 and holder 28 is provided with indicator 74 . In operation, a user upon inserting specimen collector 12 into holder 28 will observe the alignment of indicators 73 and 74 and then rotate closure 18 within holder 28 until the indicators 73 , 74 are aligned one above the other as shown in FIG. 21 . This alignment assures that the swabs 14 a,b are positioned between retainers 38 or 40 in a position that provides uniform separation between each of swabs 14 a,b and desiccant packets 20 . In this manner the identical drying of swabs 14 a,b is assured.
The embodiment of FIGS. 21 and 22 also includes a closure rotation lock 75 on the closure 18 . During insertion of specimen collector 12 into holder 28 and after alignment of indicators 73 , 74 the closure can be pressed downwardly into holder 28 to insert holder indicator 74 into closure rotation lock 75 to thereby prevent inadvertent rotation of specimen collector 12 within holder 28 . In this manner the proper alignment of the dual swab collector on the holder to provide proper spacing of the swabs from the desiccant is assured during future use and transportation.
It will be appreciated that the embodiment of FIGS. 21 and 22 can be used to capture evidence at a crime scene that may be used as a control during analysis while providing exactitude in the identical handling of the control swab since both the control swab and the specimen swab are handled simultaneously during the collection and drying and transport phases of evidence collection and the evidence security will be identical for both specimens. In the case that one of the dual swabs may be a control the evidence collector would use a first of the two dual swabs to take a specimen of the area surrounding the evidence specimen of interest. Then the second swab would be used to obtain a sample of the evidence specimen as it existed in the crime scene. Then both swabs would be treated identically and simultaneously during the remainder of the collection and insertion into the housing and marking and evidence security and shipping procedures. If a specimen containing DNA was collected on the evidence swab, the control swab could be examined to determine if background DNA was present in the vicinity of the DNA evidence and if background DNA was present on the control swab the background DNA then could be removed from the analysis of the DNA found on the evidence swab.
Also shown in FIG. 21 , the provision for both a reagent holder 50 and a separate reagent vial 60 will be appreciated for allowing the use of variously sized reagent vials 60 which can contain precisely measured but different volumes of reagent to be applied to either swab 14 or to a specimen to be collected. As shown in FIG. 21 , vial 60 b is substantially smaller than is vial 60 c . In providing individual vials for the provision of reagents to be applied to swab 14 , the benefit is provided that exact quantization of the dilution of a specimen that is collected can be determined. In the prior art typical swab wetting procedure, an absorbent swab is held beneath a container nozzle and the technician attempts to apply individual drops of a reagent to the swab. The usual result is that the first drop or drops or substantial portions thereof bead up and fall off the swab due to the swab surface not being immediately absorbent. In the present embodiments, by providing an actual vial holding a reagent, the swab can be dipped into the vial where the pre-measured optimum quantity of a user selected reagent is held in contact with the swab 14 and complete absorption of the reagent onto the swab is accomplished. This absorption is further assisted by the pressure that can be brought to bear on the swab by the sidewalls of the vial 60 pressing against the swab 14 to assist in overcoming the surface tension present on the swab 14 thereby assisting in overall absorption of the reagent contained in vial 60 . In FIG. 23 , a vial of the type shown inserted in the reagent holder 50 of FIG. 21 is shown in greater detain and having inverted conical sidewalls 66 which further assists in the complete absorption of a small volume of reagent liquid on to swab 14 . It will be appreciated that depending on what specimen is to be collected or what specimen is of interest to the investigator that the quantity and type of reagent in the vial may be user selected. For example if it is of particular interest the semen be immediately identified if it is present in the crime scene then the user or evidence technician can insert vials into the reagent holders that contain a semen reactive reagent to identify the presence of semen upon the swab contacting semen in the crime scene evidence. Or, if blood is of particular interest the evidence collection technician can insert vials into the reagent holders that contain a blood reactive reagent to identify the presence of blood upon the swab contacting the unknown crime scene specimen.
The quantified reagent vials 60 which are interchangeable within the reagent holders 50 are configured to provide a reproducible, quantitative wetting of the swab with a known amount of solution and which results in the wetting of the swab by a known volume this provides a quantified absorption of reagent onto the swab which is not possible with previous devices. As described above, the past procedures of attempting to add reagent in a drop-wise manner onto the swab could not produce a swab having a known quantity of reagent on the swab due to loss of drops or loss of portions of drops from the swab surface prior to absorption of the drop by the swab.
FIG. 24 shows a closure 18 having a reagent holder 50 formed into a stopper 22 b for insertion of a vial 60 therein and with cap 62 of vial 60 being provided with flanges 68 which are captured within detents 70 of stopper 22 b which assists in drawing vial 60 from stopper 22 b as cap 62 will, when inserted into stopper 22 b , be flush with the top of stopper 22 b.
In FIG. 25 the method by which swab 14 is separated from shaft 16 by applying the terminal end of break-off tube 24 to a break-point 27 located on shaft 16 . In FIG. 25 swab 14 is pressed against the side of container 250 and a bending motion is applied by the user to press swab 14 back toward tube 24 and closure 18 . When sufficient pressure is applied shaft 16 will break at or near a break-point 27 which is adjacent the terminus of tube 24 as it is the terminus of tube 24 which establishes to point of application of bending force to shaft 14 . When sufficient force is applied, shaft 16 will break and swab 14 , and the portion of shaft 16 to which swab 14 is connected, will separate from the portion of shaft 16 that is connected to closure 18 . This allows the swab and the specimen that is collected onto the swab to be separated from the remainder of device 10 for analysis and shipment. Alternatively, the break-off tube may be used as a swab pushed-off device. In this instance the break-off tube may be pushed by the user along the shaft to slide the break-off tube into contact with the swab. The break-off tube in this embodiment of configured to be a close, but slideable coaxial fit on the shaft and sufficiently smaller in diameter than the swab that the break-off tube will not slide over the exterior of the swab. In this embodiment the break-off tube will contact the swab and be used by the user to press the swab off the end of the shaft and into a reaction container or other tube or holder or shipping container.
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Apparatus and methods are provided for evidence specimen collection having integral reagent holders to hold reagent vials and having drying agent or desiccant holding areas that permit the renewal of the desiccant and permit the introduction of variously size desiccant qualities to allow modulation of the specimen drying time to achieve early stabilization of specimens while holding the specimen in an isolated drying area during storage and shipment and for simultaneous collection of multiple evidence samples with simultaneous storage, drying, marking, evidence security and shipping provided and with the provision for simultaneous storage, drying, marking, evidence security and shipping provided for a control specimen.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of static structures and, more specifically, to metallic structures anchored in prefabricated concrete panels or the like to facilitate lifting of such panels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Prefabricated concrete panels and the like are commonly used in construction. Very often, such panels are sufficiently heavy that mechanical means, such as cranes, must be used to move them. For this reason, it is known to embed metallic anchors in prefabricated concrete panels or the like to facilitate the grasping and lifting of such panels.
Many prior art concrete anchors used bent rods or the like to secure the anchors in the concrete panels. Examples of such structures include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,456,547; 3,596,971; 4,018,470; and 4,179,151. One drawback to such structures is that they are difficult to manufacture, requiring the welding of separate rods to build up the desires structures.
Other prior art concrete anchors, such as those proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,883,170 and 4,173,856, were formed from stamped or die-cut metal. Each of the anchoring elements proposed in these patents were split longitudinally through inner ends thereof so as to form oppositely-bent anchoring legs to help secure the anchoring elements in the concrete. The splitting of the anchoring elements and bending of the anchoring legs would have added steps to the processes required to manufacture these anchoring elements, thereby raising the cost of the elements' manufacture.
Kelly U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,846; Kelly U.S. Design Pat. No. 392,752; and Kelly U.S. Design Pat. No. 389,251 proposed lifting anchors for embedment in concrete members. The lifting anchors comprised elongated bars having convergent and divergent surfaces wherein the divergent surfaces faced outwardly to direct axial pull-out forces imparted on the bars divergently and laterally into concrete members within which the anchors were embedded. The divergent surfaces terminated in enlarged feet formed at the proximal ends of the bars.
The lifting anchor proposed in Kelly U.S. Design Pat. No. 5,596,846 and of Kelly U.S. Design Pat. No. 389,251 also included a divergent wing extending laterally from an edge of the bar to transmit lateral lifting forces in outwardly divergent directions to a concrete member within which the bar was embedded. The addition of such a divergent wing would have required an additional welding step which would have increased the manufacturing cost of the lifting anchor.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for concrete anchors of relatively simple manufacture. There further remains a need in the art for combinations comprising such anchors embedded in concrete panels or the like sufficiently securely to resist pulling forces of magnitudes such as would be applied to the anchors while lifting or pivoting the panels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These needs and others are addressed by an improved concrete anchor designed in accordance with the present invention for embedment in a concrete panel or the like, and by the structure formed by the combination of the concrete anchor with such a concrete panel. In accordance with a first embodiment, the preferred concrete anchor includes an elongated bar having substantially flat parallel faces, an inner end disposed within the panel, an outer end disposed within a recess in the surface of the concrete panel and side edges extending between the faces. The side edges extend in continuously diverging relationship from adjacent the outer end to adjacent the inner end.
The extension of the side edges in a continuously diverging relationship serves to firmly secure the concrete anchor in the concrete panel. More specifically, the configuration of the side edges of the preferred concrete anchor serves to direct the reaction forces generated by the application of a pulling force to the outer end of the elongated bar against the surrounding concrete of the concrete panel in a compressive mode. It is well known that concrete is strongest in compression. Thus, the extension of the side edges in a continuously diverging relationship serves to direct the reaction forces so as to maximize the ability of the surrounding concrete to sustain those reaction forces.
Preferably, the side edges of the preferred concrete anchor are substantially straight. Alternatively, the side edges include recesses defining recessed side edge sections in continuous diverging relationship.
The preferred concrete anchor further defines an elongated opening in its outer end and a void occupying a major portion of its inner end. Most preferably, the void is triangular or trapezoidal in shape so as to conform approximately to the continuously diverging relationship of the side edges. The void serves to further secure the concrete anchor in the concrete panel. When the concrete anchor is embedded in the concrete panel, as by casting the concrete panel over the concrete anchor, a “nugget” of concrete forms through the void. This nugget acts as a detent to directly resist pulling forces applied to the outer end of the elongated bar. The nugget also reinforces the side edges so as to promote the action of the side edges in directing the reaction forces generated by the application of a pulling force on the outer end against the surrounding concrete in a compressive mode.
In accordance with a second embodiment, the preferred concrete anchor includes an elongated bar having substantially flat parallel faces; an inner end disposed within the panel; an outer end disposed within a recess in the surface of the concrete panel; and side edges, preferably substantially straight, which extend in a substantially parallel relationship between the faces. The outer end includes spaced, outwardly-projecting extensions disposed adjacent the side edges of the bar and, preferably, an elongated opening. The inner end is complementary in shape to the outer end, except that a major portion of the inner end is occupied by a void, preferably of triangular shape. As previously mentioned, when the concrete anchor is embedded in the concrete panel, as by casting the concrete panel over the concrete anchor, the void interacts with the concrete material to retain the concrete anchor in the panel.
Most preferably, the concrete anchor is formed from a single metal stamping. This allows for a particularly simple method of manufacture as compared with prior art concrete anchors.
Therefore, it is one object of the invention to provide a novel concrete anchor of relatively simple construction which, in combination with a concrete panel or the like, forms a durable structure capable of being pivoted or lifted by engagement of a crane or other suitable means with the concrete anchor. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be described in further detail in connection with preferred embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a concrete anchor in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 1, the opposite side elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 1, the rear elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of a concrete panel or the like with the concrete anchor of FIG. 1 embedded therein;
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of a concrete anchor in accordance with the invention, the opposite side elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 7, the rear elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of a concrete anchor in accordance with the invention, the opposite side elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 9, the rear elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a fourth embodiment of a concrete anchor in accordance with the invention, the opposite side elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 11, the rear elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of a fifth embodiment of a concrete anchor in accordance with the invention, the opposite side elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 13, the rear elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a concrete anchor in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 15, the opposite side elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 15, the rear elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 15;
FIG. 19 is a bottom plan view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 15;
FIG. 20 is a partial sectional view of a concrete panel or the like with the concrete anchor of FIG. 15 embedded therein;
FIG. 21 is a side elevational view of a seventh embodiment of a concrete anchor in accordance with the invention, the opposite side elevational view being substantially identical;
FIG. 22 is a front elevational view of the concrete anchor of FIG. 21, the rear elevational view being substantially identical; and
FIG. 23 is a partial sectional view of a concrete panel or the like with the concrete anchor of FIG. 21 embedded therein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in FIG. 1, a first preferred embodiment of a concrete anchor 10 in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated metal bar 12 . The elongated metal bar 12 defines an inner end 14 and an outer end 16 . As shown in FIG. 2, the elongated metal bar 12 defines a first planar face 18 and a second planar face 20 parallel to the first planar face 18 . As shown in FIG. 3, the elongated bar 12 further defines a first side edge 22 and a second side edge 24 . Most preferably, the first and second side edges 22 , 24 are substantially straight and extend in continuously diverging relationship from adjacent the outer end 16 to adjacent the inner end 14 .
The elongated bar 12 of the preferred concrete anchor 10 further includes an elongated opening or eye 26 and a void 28 . The elongated opening 26 and the void 28 each extend from the first planar face 18 through the elongated bar 12 to the second planar face 20 . Most preferably, the void 28 occupies a major portion of the region of the elongated metal bar 12 near the inner end 14 .
As shown in FIG. 4, the regions 30 and 32 where the first and second side edges 22 , 24 approach the outer end 16 of the elongated bar 12 are chamferred. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, the regions 24 and 26 where the first and second side edges 22 , 24 (FIGS. 2 and 4) approach the inner end 14 are chamferred.
As shown in FIG. 6, the concrete anchor 10 preferably is combined with a concrete panel 40 or the like to provide means for lifting or pivoting the concrete panel 40 . More specifically, the preferred concrete panel 40 defines a first major planar surface 42 ; a second major planar surface 44 parallel to the first major planar surface 42 ; a relatively narrow edge 46 extending between the first and second major planar surfaces 42 , 44 ; and a recess 48 extending through the relatively narrow edge 46 into the concrete panel 40 . The inner end 14 of the concrete anchor 10 preferably is embedded in the concrete panel 40 . The outer end 16 of the concrete anchor 10 extends into the recess 48 for engagement by a crane (not shown) or the like.
Most preferably, the concrete anchor 10 is embedded in the concrete panel 40 by casting the concrete panel 40 around the concrete anchor 10 . More specifically, it is preferred that the concrete panel 40 be cast in a form (not shown) with structure (not shown), of a type well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, for immobilizing the concrete anchor 10 and for forming the recess 48 . As fluid casting material (not shown) is poured into the form (not shown), the material flows around the concrete anchor 10 and into the void 28 so as to form a “nugget” 50 extending through the void 28 .
The structure of the concrete anchor 10 is designed to interact with the material of the concrete panel 40 to secure the concrete anchor 10 in the concrete panel 40 . As noted earlier, it is well known that concrete has its greatest strength in compression. Since the side edges 22 , 24 extend in continuously diverging relationship from adjacent the outer end 16 to adjacent the inner end 14 , a pulling force applied to the outer end 16 of the concrete anchor 10 reacts against the material of the concrete panel 40 surrounding the concrete anchor 10 in a compressive mode. The nugget 50 acts as a detent to directly resist the pulling force applied to the outer end 16 . Furthermore, the void 28 most preferably is triangular or trapezoidal in shape, conforming approximately to the continuously diverging relationship of the side edges 22 , 24 . The nugget 50 reinforces the side edges 22 , 24 against deflection so as to promote the direction the reaction forces generated by the pulling force against the surrounding material of the concrete panel 40 in a compressive mode.
As shown in FIG. 7, a second preferred embodiment of a concrete anchor 60 in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated metal bar 62 which defines an inner end 64 and an outer end 66 . The elongated metal bar 62 also defines a first planar face 68 and a second planar face 70 parallel to the first planar face 68 . As shown in FIG. 8, the elongated metal bar 62 further defines a substantially straight first side edge 72 and a substantially straight second side edge 74 . The concrete anchor 60 further includes an elongated opening or eye 76 near the outer end 66 and a triangular or trapezoidal void 78 near the inner end 64 .
As shown in FIG. 9, a third preferred embodiment of a concrete anchor 80 in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated metal bar 82 which defines an inner end 84 and an outer end 86 . The elongated metal bar 82 also defines a first planar face 88 and a second planar face 90 parallel to the first planar face 88 . As shown in FIG. 10, the elongated metal bar 82 further defines a substantially straight first side edge 92 and a substantially straight second side edge 94 . The concrete anchor 80 further includes an elongated opening or eye 96 near the outer end 86 and a triangular or trapezoidal void 98 near the inner end 84 .
As shown in FIG. 11, a fourth preferred embodiment of a concrete anchor 100 in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated metal bar 102 which defines an inner end 104 and an outer end 106 . The elongated metal bar 102 also defines a first planar face 108 and a second planar face 110 parallel to the first planar face 108 . As shown in FIG. 12, the elongated metal bar 102 further defines a substantially straight first side edge 112 and a substantially straight second side edge 114 . The concrete anchor 100 further includes an elongated opening or eye 116 near the outer end 106 and a triangular or trapezoidal void 118 near the inner end 104 .
In the second preferred embodiment 60 (FIGS. 7 - 8 ), the third preferred embodiment 80 (FIGS. 9-10) and the fourth preferred embodiment 100 (FIGS. 11 - 12 ), as in the first preferred embodiment 10 (FIGS. 1 - 5 ), the first and second side edges ( 72 , 74 in FIG. 8; 92 , 94 in FIG. 10; 112 , 114 in FIG. 12) extend in continuously diverging relationship from adjacent the outer end ( 66 in FIG. 8; 86 in FIG. 10; 106 in FIG. 12) to adjacent the inner end 14 ( 64 in FIG. 8; 84 in FIG. 10; 104 in FIG. 12 ). The second, third and fourth embodiments 60 (FIGS. 7 - 8 ), 80 (FIGS. 9 - 10 ), 100 (FIGS. 11-12) combine with concrete panels (not shown) and perform therewith on the same principles as does the first preferred embodiment 10 (FIGS. 1 - 5 ). Indeed, the top and bottom plan views of the second, third and fourth preferred embodiments 60 (FIGS. 7 - 8 ), 80 (FIGS. 9-10) and 100 (FIGS. 11-12) are similar to the top and bottom plan views of the first preferred embodiment 10 in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively.
As FIGS. 3, 8 , 10 and 12 suggest, however, the side edges ( 22 , 24 in FIG. 3; 72 , 74 in FIG. 8; 92 , 94 in FIG. 10; 112 , 114 in FIG. 12) diverge at different rates or angles. In other words, the overall length of the concrete anchor 10 (FIGS. 1 - 5 ), 60 (FIGS. 7 - 8 ), 80 (FIGS. 9 - 10 ), 100 (FIGS. 11-12) relative to its width is not critical to the present invention. Most preferably, the side edges ( 22 , 24 in FIG. 3; 72 , 74 in FIG. 8; 92 , 94 in FIG. 10; 112 , 114 in FIG. 12) diverge at an included angle of approximately 3°-15° with respect to one another.
As shown in FIG. 13, a fifth preferred embodiment of a concrete anchor 120 in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated metal bar 122 which defines an inner end 124 and an outer end 126 . The elongated metal bar 122 also defines a first planar face 128 and a second planar face 130 parallel to the first planar face 128 . As shown in FIG. 14, the elongated bar further defines a substantially straight first side edge 132 and a substantially straight second side edge 134 . The concrete anchor 120 further includes an elongated opening or eye 136 near the outer end 126 and a void 138 near the inner end 124 . The first and second side edges 132 , 134 extend in continuously diverging relationship from adjacent the outer end 126 to adjacent the inner end 124 .
Unlike the first, second, third and fourth preferred embodiments 10 (FIGS. 1 - 5 ), 60 (FIGS. 7 - 8 ), 80 (FIGS. 9-10) and 100 (FIGS. 11 - 12 ), however, the fifth preferred embodiment 120 has a void 138 in the shape of an elongated oval rather than triangular or trapezoidal. Although the shape of the void 138 of the fifth preferred embodiment 120 differs from the shapes of the voids ( 28 in FIG. 3; 78 in FIG. 8; 98 in FIG. 10; 118 in FIG. 12) of the earlier-disclosed preferred embodiments 10 (FIGS. 1 - 5 ), 60 (FIGS. 7 - 8 ), 80 (FIGS. 9-10) and 100 (FIGS. 11 - 12 ), it provides a sufficient opening to allow a “nugget” of material (not shown) to form when the concrete anchor 120 is embedded in a concrete panel (not shown). This nugget, in turn, would act as a detent to directly resist a pulling force applied to the outer end 126 of the concrete anchor 120 . Furthermore, since the void 138 of the fifth preferred embodiment 120 occupies a major portion of the region of the elongated metal bar 122 near the inner end 124 , the nugget (not shown) formed therethrough also would reinforce the side edges 132 , 134 against deflection so as to promote the direction the reaction forces generated by the pulling force against the surrounding material of the concrete panel (not shown) in a compressive mode. In other words, while the void ( 28 in FIG. 3; 78 in FIG. 8; 98 in FIG. 10; 118 in FIG. 12; 138 in FIG. 14) most preferably takes a triangular or trapezoidal shape, the shape itself is not critical to the invention.
As shown in FIG. 15, a sixth preferred embodiment of a concrete anchor 150 in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated metal bar 152 . The elongated metal bar 152 defines an inner end 154 and an outer end 156 . As shown in FIG. 16, the elongated metal bar 152 defines a first planar face 158 and a second planar face 160 parallel to the first planar face 158 .
As shown in FIG. 17, the elongated bar further defines a first inner side edge 162 , a second inner side edge 164 , a first outer side edge 166 and a second inner side edge 168 . Most preferably, the first and second inner side edges 162 , 164 , and the first and second outer side edges 166 , 168 , are substantially parallel and straight. A pair of symmetrically-arranged recesses 170 , 172 connect the first and second inner side edges 162 , 164 , respectively, with the first and second outer side edges 166 , 168 .
The recesses 170 , 172 preferably define continuous, non-inflected profiles. Most preferably, the recesses 170 , 172 define a first recess side edge 176 and a second recess side edge 178 . The first and second recess side edges 176 , 178 extend in diverging relationship from adjacent the outer end 156 to adjacent the inner end 154 . Most preferably, the first and second recess side edges 176 , 178 diverge at an included angle of approximately 3°-15° with respect to one another. The recesses 170 , 172 also define concave cylindrical segments 180 and 182 , each of which is joined continuously with a corresponding one of the first and second recess side edges 176 , 178 along a plane 184 perpendicular to the extension of the first and second inner side edges 166 , 168 . Although preferred configurations for the recesses 170 , 172 have been described, those preferred configurations are not critical to the invention and the selection of other suitable configurations are within the ordinary skill in the art.
The elongated bar 152 of the preferred concrete anchor 150 further includes an elongated opening or eye 186 ; a void 188 ; and holes 190 and 192 . The elongated opening 186 ; the void 188 ; and the holes 190 , 192 each extend from the first planar face 158 through the elongated bar 152 to the second planar face 160 . Most preferably, the void 188 is triangular or trapezoidal and occupies a major portion of the region of the elongated metal bar 152 near the inner end 154 .
As shown in FIG. 18, the outer end 156 of the preferred concrete anchor 150 defines a pair of extensions 194 and 196 of the first and second outer side edges 166 , 168 (FIG. 17 ). The outer end 156 is recessed and chamferred, as at 198 and 200 (FIG. 18 ), in the space between the extensions 194 , 196 . The inner end 154 , shown in plan view in FIG. 19, is complementary in shape to the outer end 156 .
As shown in FIG. 20, the concrete anchor 150 preferably is combined with a concrete panel 210 or the like to provide means for lifting or pivoting the concrete panel 210 . More specifically, the preferred concrete panel 210 defines a first major planar surface 212 ; a second major planar surface 214 parallel to the first major planar surface 212 ; a relatively narrow edge 216 extending between the first and second major planar surfaces 212 , 214 ; and a recess 218 extending through the relatively narrow edge 216 into the concrete panel 210 . The inner end 154 of the concrete anchor 150 preferably is embedded in the concrete panel 210 . The outer end 156 of the concrete anchor 150 extends into the recess 218 for engagement by a crane (not shown) or the like.
As discussed in connection with the earlier-disclosed preferred embodiments 10 (FIGS. 1 - 5 ), 60 (FIGS. 7 - 8 ), 80 (FIGS. 9 - 10 ), 100 (FIGS. 11-12) and 120 (FIGS. 13 - 14 ), the concrete anchor 150 most preferably is embedded in the concrete panel 210 by casting the concrete panel 210 around the concrete anchor 150 . More specifically, it is preferred that the concrete panel 210 be cast in a form (not shown) with structure (not shown), of a type well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, for immobilizing the concrete anchor 150 and for forming the recess 218 . As fluid casting material (not shown) is poured into the form (not shown), the material flows around the concrete anchor 10 and into the void 188 and the two holes 190 , 192 so as to form “nuggets” 220 , 222 and 224 extending through the void 188 and the holes 190 , 192 .
The structure of the concrete anchor 150 is designed to interact with the material of the concrete panel 210 to secure the concrete anchor 150 in the concrete panel 210 . Since the sections 176 , 178 of the recesses 170 , 172 extend in continuously diverging relationship along a direction parallel to that extending from adjacent to the outer end 156 to adjacent to the inner end 158 , a pulling force applied to the outer end 156 of the concrete anchor 150 reacts against the material of the concrete panel 210 surrounding the concrete anchor 150 in a compressive mode. The nuggets 220 , 222 , 224 act as detents to directly resist the pulling force applied to the outer end 156 . The nugget 220 also reinforces the sections 176 , 178 of the recesses 170 , 172 against deflection so as to promote the direction the reaction forces generated by the pulling force against the surrounding material of the concrete panel 210 in a compressive mode.
It is anticipated that such a pulling force will be exerted by a hook, grapple or the like (not shown) engaging the elongated opening. The extensions 194 , 196 serve to protect the material surrounding the recess 214 from spalling as a result of repeated contact with such hooks, grapples or the like (not shown) during lifting or pivoting of the concrete panel 210 .
As shown in FIG. 21, a seventh preferred embodiment of a concrete anchor 240 in accordance with the invention comprises an elongated metal bar 242 which defines an inner end 244 and an outer end 246 . The elongated metal bar 242 also defines a first planar face 248 and a second planar face 250 parallel to the first planar face 248 . As shown in FIG. 22, the elongated bar further defines a first side edge 252 and a second side edge 254 . Most preferably, the first and second side edges 252 , 254 are substantially straight and parallel. The concrete anchor 240 further includes a pair of semi-circular recesses 256 and 258 extending through the first and second side edges 252 , 254 into the elongated metal bar 242 .
The elongated bar 242 of the preferred concrete anchor 240 further includes an elongated opening or eye 260 ; a void 262 ; and holes 264 and 266 , each of which extend from the first planar face 248 through the elongated bar 242 to the second planar face 250 .
The outer end 246 of the preferred concrete anchor 240 is similar to the outer end 156 (FIGS. 17 and 18) of the sixth preferred embodiment 150 (FIGS. 15 - 19 ), defining a pair of extensions 270 and 272 . The configuration of the inner end 244 is complementary to that of the outer end 246 . The top and bottom plan views of the seventh preferred embodiment 240 are similar to the top and bottom plan views of the first preferred embodiment 150 in FIGS. 18 and 19.
As shown in FIG. 23, the concrete anchor 240 preferably is combined with a concrete panel 280 which defines parallel first and second major planar surfaces 282 and 284 ; a relatively narrow edge 286 ; and a recess 288 extending through the relatively narrow edge 286 into the concrete panel 280 . The inner end 244 of the concrete anchor 240 preferably is embedded in the concrete panel 280 such that a surface of the recess 288 intersects the pair of semi-circular recesses 256 , 258 . The outer end 246 of the concrete anchor 240 extends into the recess 288 . The concrete anchor 240 most preferably is embedded in the concrete panel 280 by casting the concrete panel 280 around the concrete anchor 240 , thereby forming “nuggets” 290 , 292 and 294 through the void 262 and through the holes, 264 , 266 , respectively.
The structure of the concrete anchor 240 is designed to interact with the material of the concrete panel 280 to secure the concrete anchor 240 in the concrete panel 280 . A pulling force applied to the outer end 246 of the concrete anchor 240 would react against the material of the concrete panel 210 in and immediately surrounding the pair of semi-circular recesses 256 , 258 . In addition, the nuggets 290 , 292 , 294 act as detents to directly resist the pulling force applied to the outer end 156 .
The preferred concrete anchors 10 (FIGS. 1 - 5 ), 60 (FIGS. 7 - 8 ), 80 (FIGS. 9 - 10 ), 100 (FIGS. 11 - 12 ), 120 (FIGS. 13 - 14 ), 150 (FIGS. 15-19) and 240 (FIGS. 21-22) are each preferably formed as unitary stampings. Stamping provides a relatively simple process for manufacturing the concrete anchor ( 10 in FIGS. 1-5; 60 in FIGS. 7-8; 80 in FIGS. 9-10; 100 in FIGS. 11-12; 120 in FIGS. 13-14; 150 in FIGS. 15-19; and 240 in FIGS. 21 - 22 ). In addition, the preferred concrete anchor ( 10 in FIGS. 1-5; 60 in FIGS. 7-8; 80 in FIGS. 9-10; 100 in FIGS. 11-12; 120 in FIGS. 13-14; 150 in FIGS. 15-19; and 240 in FIGS. 21-22) is formed as a unitary member, without seams or weld lines which differ in strength from the surrounding metal.
Various changes or modifications in the invention described may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit or scope of the invention. The above description of preferred embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and it is not intended that the invention be restricted thereto but that it be limited only by the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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One preferred embodiment of an improved concrete anchor designed in accordance with the present invention for embedment in a concrete panel or the like includes an elongated bar having substantially flat parallel faces, an inner end disposed within the panel, an outer end disposed within a recess in the surface of the concrete panel and side edges extending between the faces. The side edges extend in continuously diverging relationship from adjacent the outer end to adjacent the inner end. In accordance with another embodiment, the preferred concrete anchor includes an elongated bar having substantially flat parallel faces; an inner end disposed within the panel; an outer end disposed within a recess in the surface of the concrete panel; and side edges, preferably substantially straight, which extend in a substantially parallel relationship between the faces. The outer end includes spaced, outwardly-projecting extensions disposed adjacent the side edges of the bar and, preferably, an elongated opening. The inner end is complementary in shape to the outer end, except that a major portion of the inner end is occupied by a void, preferably of triangular shape. The preferred concrete anchor is susceptible of relatively simple and economic manufacture as a unitary stamping.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from Korean Patent Application 10-2008-0002411, filed on Jan. 9, 2008, the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present disclosure relates to semiconductor device manufacturing apparatuses, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus for performing diffusion and deposition processes and to a wafer loading/unloading method thereof.
[0004] 2. Description
[0005] A semiconductor device is generally manufactured through selective and repeated processes such as, for example, a photo, etching, diffusion, chemical vapor deposition, ion implantation, metal deposition on a wafer.
[0006] In the above-mentioned diffusion process, a process of diffusing impurity of a desired conductive type is performed on a wafer in a high-temperature atmosphere.
[0007] A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performing the diffusion process may be employed to thermally diffuse conductive impurity such as, for example, phosphorus into a single crystal silicon or polysilicon at about 700° C. or more, or to heat the wafer in an oxygen atmosphere, thereby obtaining a thermal oxide layer, or to perform annealing and baking etc. Further, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus may be used to get a deposition layer such as, for example, polysilicon layer and silicon nitride layer through a deposition process.
[0008] Such semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses undergoing diffusion and deposition processes are almost used as a batch type to process a plurality of wafers once in view of productivity. In the batch-type semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, relatively more wafers should be loaded within one reaction tube to cut down on production costs.
[0009] A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the conventional art is described as follows, referring to the accompanied drawings.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically illustrating a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the conventional art.
[0011] With reference to FIG. 1 , a conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a reaction tube 10 having a bell shape, a heater 20 adapted surrounding the external part of reaction tube 10 to heat the interior of the reaction tube 10 , a plate 30 raised from a lower part of the reaction tube 10 to seal up the reaction tube 10 , and a boat 40 for loading with an equal interval a plurality of wafers 12 in an upper center part of the plate 30 .
[0012] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus may further include a reaction gas supplier for supplying reaction gas into the reaction tube 10 , and an exhauster for exhausting gas after completing a corresponding process within the reaction tube 10 .
[0013] In the boat 40 , a plurality of slots 42 are formed to support with an equal interval, back faces 12 b of the plurality of wafers 12 so that front faces 12 a of the plurality wafers 12 are directed upward. The slot 42 is formed in a flute shape into which an outer circumference face of the wafer 12 is inserted, at a position that a gravity center of the wafer 12 corresponds to a center of the boat 40 within the boat 40 , or in a shape the back face 12 b of an edge of the wafer 12 can be loaded. The back faces 12 b of the wafers 12 are supported by the plurality slots 42 . For example, the wafer 12 may be supported by the plurality of slots 42 formed with an azimuth of about 120° within the boat 40 .
[0014] That is, the boat 40 is formed as a single individual having plurality slots 42 in which a plurality of wafers 12 are inserted or loaded with a uniform interval in a stack structure. For example, the boat 40 is formed to load the wafers 12 of about 70 to about 150 sheets with a uniform interval therebetween, the wafer 12 having a diameter of 300 mm.
[0015] However, here the plurality of wafers 12 are stacked in one direction. Thus, for example, when the wafers are stacked below an appropriate interval, an error in corresponding diffusion and deposition processes may be caused or an error in a wafer loading/unloading operation may be caused. When a plurality of wafers 12 are loaded into the boat 40 with an interval of about 7.5 mm or below, it may be difficult to provide uniformity in the deposition process. Further, when the interval between the plurality of wafers 12 is lessened to 7.5 mm or below, an alignment margin between the wafers 12 and a blade of transfer robot loading/unloading the wafers 12 may not increase, thereby causing damage or scratches on the wafers 12 .
[0016] In other words, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the conventional art, a diffusion layer or deposition layer of given thickness can be formed on front faces 12 a and back faces 12 b of the plurality wafers 12 by loading with the same interval the plurality of wafers 12 having horizontal level within the boat 40 in which a plurality of slots 42 are formed with the same interval therebetween.
[0017] As described above, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the conventional art may have the following difficulties.
[0018] First, relatively more wafers 12 may not be loaded as the wafers 12 should be loaded limited within the boat 40 having a plurality of slots 42 formed to support back faces 12 b of plurality wafers 12 , thereby decreasing productivity.
[0019] Secondly, when an interval between plurality wafers 12 loaded in the boat 40 is reduced to below a proper level, damage and scratches on the wafers 12 may be caused due to a collision between a blade of transfer robot and the wafers 12 , thereby decreasing a production yield.
SUMMARY
[0020] Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a wafer loading/unloading method thereof, which can increase the number of wafers capable of being simultaneously processed so as to increase productivity. In addition, damage and scratches on wafers causable by a collision between a blade of transfer robot and wafers can be prevented even when an interval between a plurality of wafers is reduced to a given level or below, thereby increasing production yield.
[0021] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is provided. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a first boat and a second boat having a plurality of first slots and a plurality of second slots, respectively, and disposed such that the first slots and the second slots alternate each other, the first boat mounting a plurality of first wafers in the first slots to direct front faces of the first wafers in a predetermined direction, the second boat mounting a plurality of second wafers in the second slots to direct back faces of the second wafers in the predetermined direction; a reaction tube having an opening and containing the first and second boats mounting the first and second wafers; a plate sealing up the opening of the reaction tube containing the first boat and the second boat; a reaction gas supplier supplying reaction gas into the sealed reaction tube for a predetermined process; and a reaction gas exhauster exhausting the reaction gas from the reaction tube to the external of the reaction tube after the predetermined process.
[0022] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is provided. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a first boat and a second boat having a plurality of first slots and a plurality of second slots, respectively, and disposed such that the first slots and the second slots alternate each other; a transfer robot holding a plurality of first wafers with a plurality of blades, loading the first wafers into the first slots to direct front faces of the first wafers in a predetermined direction, holding a plurality of second wafers with the plurality of blades, and loading the second wafers into the second slots to direct back faces of the second wafers in the predetermined direction; a reaction tube having an opening and containing the first and second boats mounting the first and second wafers; a plate sealing up the opening of the reaction tube containing the first boat and the second boat; a reaction gas supplier supplying reaction gas into the sealed reaction tube for a predetermined process; a reaction gas exhauster exhausting the reaction gas from the reaction tube to the external of the reaction tube after the predetermined process.
[0023] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a wafer loading/unloading method is provided for use in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including a first boat and a second boat which have a plurality of first slots and a plurality of second slots, respectively, and are disposed such that the first slots and the second slots alternate each other. The method includes: loading a plurality of first wafers into the first slots to direct front faces of the first wafers in a predetermined direction; loading a plurality of second wafers into the second slots to direct back faces of the second wafers in the predetermined direction; making the distance between facing front faces of neighboring first and second wafers larger than the distance between facing back faces of neighboring first and second wafers; performing a predetermined process on the front faces of the first and second wafers; and unloading the first and second wafers from the first and second slots.
[0024] As described above, according to some exemplary embodiments of the invention, a plurality of wafers can be loaded with relatively greater numbers by using first and second boats provided to make back faces of wafers mutually approximate and make front faces of wafers mutually distanced, thereby increasing productivity.
[0025] Damage and scratches in wafers caused by a collision between a blade of transfer robot and wafers can be prevented by using first and second boats that are provided to alternately support a plurality of wafers and control an interval between the plurality of wafers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be understood in more detail from the following description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:
[0027] FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically illustrating a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the conventional art;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically illustrating a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
[0029] FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating first and second boats of FIG. 2 ;
[0030] FIG. 4 provides a plan view of FIG. 3 ;
[0031] FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views illustrating a plurality of blades for sucking in vacuum the back faces of the plurality of wafers;
[0032] FIGS. 6A and 6B are sectional views of transfer robot for rotating the wafers by reducing a distance between blades; and
[0033] FIGS. 7A through 71 are sectional views providing the sequence of the wafer loading/unloading method in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0034] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 , in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.
[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including 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. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are more fully described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 . This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein; rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure is thorough and complete, and conveys the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. For purposes of clarity, a detailed description of known functions and systems has been omitted.
[0036] FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically illustrating a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating first and second boats 140 and 150 of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 provides a plan view of FIG. 3 .
[0037] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a reaction tube 110 having, for example, a bell shape, a heater 120 surrounding an external part of the reaction tube 110 , a plate 130 raised from a lower part of the reaction tube 110 and which seals up the inside of the reaction tube 110 , and a first boat 140 and a second boat 150 for loading with an unequal interval a plurality of wafers 112 in a center upper part of the plate 130 .
[0038] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus may further include a reaction gas supplier for supplying reaction gas into the reaction tube 110 , and an exhauster for exhausting gas after a completion of corresponding diffusion process or deposition process in the reaction tube 110 .
[0039] Here, the directions of the first and second boats 140 and 150 supporting the plurality of wafers 112 are different from each other. For example, the first boat 140 supports the back face 112 b of the wafers 112 , and the second boat 150 supports the front face 112 a of the wafers 112 . The first boat 140 includes a plurality of first slots 142 supporting an edge portion of back face 112 b of the wafers 112 , and the second boat 150 includes a plurality of second slots 152 supporting an edge portion of front face 112 a of the wafers 112 . Here it may be configured, of course, such that the first boat 140 supports the front face 112 a of the wafers 112 and the second boat 150 supports the back face 112 b of the wafers 112 .
[0040] The plurality of wafers 112 loaded in the first and second boats 140 and 150 are positioned crossed so that respective front faces 112 of the wafers 112 are opposed to each other and respective back faces 112 b thereof are opposed to each other. The distance between the back faces of the wafers 112 is shorter than the distance between the front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 . This is why a thin film obtained through a diffusion or deposition process is selectively required only on the face 112 a of the wafer 112 . For example, the distance between the front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 may be about 7.5 millimeters (mm) or more, and the distance between the back faces 112 b may be to about 0 in theory. That is, that plurality of wafers 112 loaded in the first and second boats 140 and 150 may be positioned such that the back faces 112 b are face to face and approximated to each other and the front faces 112 a are face to face and are distanced from each other.
[0041] Therefore, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a plurality of wafers 112 can be loaded by using the first and second boats 140 and 150 such that the back faces 112 b of the wafers 112 become approximate to each other and the front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 become distanced from each other, thereby substantially increasing productivity.
[0042] For example, within the first and second boats 140 and 150 positioned such that the back faces 112 b of the wafers 112 become approximate to each other and the front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 become face to face with a distance of about 7.5 mm, about 150 to 200 sheets of wafers 112 can be loaded. As compared with a conventional single boat 140 in which about 100 to about 150 sheets of wafers 112 can be loaded with a distance of about 7.5 mm, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention the wafers 112 of about 1.5 times can be more loaded therein in performing the diffusion or deposition process.
[0043] When the first and second boats 140 and 150 are provided into the reaction tube 110 , reaction gas supplied from the reaction gas supplier flows on the front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 positioned face to face, thereby selectively forming a diffusion layer or deposition layer on the front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 . Before supplying the reaction gas to the reaction tube 110 , the plate 130 is raised by an elevator adapted in a lower part thereof, so as to seal up the reaction tube 110 .
[0044] The reaction gas supplier includes a spraying tube 114 for spraying reaction gas in a given spraying pressure from a side face of the plurality of wafers 112 loaded in the first and second boats 140 and 150 . At this time, reaction gas sprayed from the spraying tube 114 flows in a gaseous state of high temperature, and to prevent the reaction gas from condensing on the surface of wafers 112 , the heater 120 can heat the inside of reaction tube 110 . In addition, a heater block heating in a lower part of the plurality of wafers 112 loaded above the plate 130 may be further provided.
[0045] The reaction tube 110 is called a tube, and may be formed of, for example, a monolithic single tube according to the conditions required in the process of forming impurity diffusion layer and thermal oxide layer, or may be formed of, for example, an external tube and an internal tube based on a separation type according to the conditions required in the process of forming polysilicon layer and silicon nitride layer. At this time, the conditions required in respective processes have a difference in the vacuum level and process temperature inside the reaction tube 110 . For example, reaction tube 110 of the separation type is mainly used in a deposition process sensitive to the vacuum level by buffering the flow of reaction gas between the internal and external tubes. On the other hand, monolithic reaction tube 110 is mainly used in a diffusion and thermal process of a simple heating scheme insensitive to the vacuum level.
[0046] The exhauster can maintain a uniform vacuum level inside the reaction tube 110 by pumping the reaction gas supplied into the reaction tube 110 and gas provided after the reaction. For example, the exhauster is provided including a dry pump or rotary pump for pumping the reaction gas and gas provided after the reaction through an exhaust line 116 coupled to one side of the reaction tube 110 so as to maintain in a low vacuum of about 1×10 3 Torr the inside of the reaction tube 110 .
[0047] On the other hand, the first and second boats 140 and 150 are designed to control an interval between the plurality of wafers 112 loaded in the boats. For example, the first boat 140 is a movable boat that is raised/lowered with a given distance, supporting the back faces 112 b of the plurality of wafers 112 , and the second boat 150 is a fixed boat fixed supporting the front faces 112 a of the plurality of wafers 112 . In addition, a precision elevator for raising and lowering the first boat 140 is provided in a lower part of the first boat 140 .
[0048] To sequentially load the plurality of wafers 112 in the first and second boats 140 and 150 , a previously loaded wafer 112 should be spaced by a given distance from an upper part of corresponding wafer 112 . This is why a sufficient space between an antecedently loaded wafer 112 and a subsequently loaded wafer 112 should be obtained.
[0049] To load wafer 112 in a first slot 142 of the first boat 140 , the distance from a second slot 152 provided below the first slot 142 should be reduced, and the distance from the second slot 152 provided above the first slot 142 should be increased. Similarly, to load wafer 112 in the second slot 152 of the second boat 150 , the distance from the first slot 142 provided below the second slot 152 should be reduced, and the distance from the first slot 142 provided above the second slot 152 should be increased.
[0050] Therefore, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the breaking and scratching of a wafer 112 caused by a collision between a blade 160 of transfer robot and the wafer 112 can be prevented by using the first and second boats 140 and 150 that are provided to alternately support the plurality of wafers 112 and control an interval between the plurality of wafers 112 , thereby increasing a production yield.
[0051] Here the first slot 142 and the second slot 152 are formed in the structure to respectively support the wafers 112 loaded therein, with a substantially lessened mutual interference, and to simultaneously protect the wafers 112 . For example, the first and second slots 142 and 152 have a tilted support face of a given angle supporting the wafer 112 . Thus, when the first boat 140 moves for the second boat 150 and so the first and second slots 142 and 152 become near, a given margin between the wafer 112 supported by the tilted support face and each slot 142 can be obtained, thereby substantially lessening damage to the wafer 112 .
[0052] As described above, the second boat 150 is normally positioned supporting the front face 112 a of the wafer 112 by the second slot 152 of the second boat 150 so that the back face 112 b of the wafer 112 is directed upward. On the other hand, the first boat 140 is positioned, supporting the back face 112 b of the wafer 112 by the first slot 142 of the first boat 140 so that the front face 112 a of the wafer 112 is directed upward. Thus, the transfer robot should load and unload the plurality of wafers 112 loaded in a wafer cassette, into the first and second boats 140 and 150 , in mutually opposite directions of the first and second boats 140 and 150 . Further, the transfer robot moves once in a given unit the plurality of wafers 112 in the movement between the first and second boats 140 and 150 and the wafer cassette. This is why when moving the plurality of wafers 112 one sheet by one sheet, the productivity decreases through the transfer of wafers 112 .
[0053] When the transfer robot horizontally moves the plurality of wafers 112 from the wafer cassette to the first slot 142 of the first boat 140 , the plurality of wafers 112 should rotate about 180 degrees and move from the wafer cassette to the second slot 152 of the second boat 150 . There may be several methods for rotating the plurality of wafers 112 through the transfer robot. First, the transfer robot may perform the rotation by, for example, sucking in by a vacuum the back faces of the plurality of wafers 112 . Also the plurality of wafers 112 may be rotated by, for example, lessening the distance between blades 160 inserted into between the plurality of wafers 112 . And the rotation may be performed by, for example, clamping the outer circumference face of the plurality of wafers through a mechanical force.
[0054] FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views illustrating a plurality of blades 160 for sucking in by a vacuum the back faces of the plurality of wafers 112 . When vacuum pressure is generated through a vacuum line 162 provided within the plurality of blades 160 supporting the back faces 112 b of the plurality of wafers 112 , the plurality of wafers 112 rotate. Here, the plurality of blades 160 are provided so that the plurality of wafers 112 are loaded into the first slot 142 of the first boat 140 or into the second slot 152 of the second boat 150 . For example, the plurality of blades 160 are configured to load the plurality of wafers 112 with an interval of about 15 mm and move the wafers and then load the wafers 112 into the first slot 142 or second slot 152 . That is, the plurality of blades 160 are provided to rotate at an end part of transfer robot arm and so suck in by a vacuum the plurality of wafers 112 with a given interval. Moreover, a vacuum pump for pumping air from the vacuum line 162 may provide a given vacuum pressure through the vacuum line 162 provided within the plurality blades 160 .
[0055] FIGS. 6A and 6B are sectional views of transfer robot for rotating the wafers 112 by reducing the distance between the blades 160 . The transfer robot can reduce the distance between the blades so as to prevent the wafers 112 from moving or deviating from the blades during rotating, and then rotate the wafers 112 . Here the blade 160 is configured with a structure to stably support the wafers 112 of a circular shape. Further, a guide 164 is formed protruding with a given height at a position approximate to an outer circumference face of the wafer 112 so as to prevent the wafer 112 from being separated in a horizontal direction. The guides 164 are symmetrically provided not only on an upper part of the blade 160 but on a lower part of the blade 160 . This is why the guide 164 can provide the structure of reducing the distance between the blades 160 to rotate the wafer 112 and so surrounding the wafer 112 . Here, centering on the wafer 112 , the thickness of a plurality of guides 164 provided on the blades 160 provided in upper and lower parts of the wafer 112 is thicker than the thickness of wafer 112 .
[0056] In addition, for example, when the guide 164 is selectively formed only on the blade 160 , the protruded level of the guide 164 should be larger than the thickness of wafer 112 .
[0057] Therefore, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the plurality of wafers 112 are loaded into the first and second boats 140 and 150 so that the back faces 112 b and the front faces 112 a of the wafers are supported respectively and alternately by the boats, and further the interval between the plurality of wafers 112 is controlled, thereby enhancing the productivity in the diffusion or deposition process.
[0058] With the configuration described above, a wafer loading/unloading method for use in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention is described as follows.
[0059] FIGS. 7A through 7I are sectional views providing the sequence of the wafer loading/unloading method in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
[0060] As shown in FIG. 7A , the first boat 140 is lowered so that the second slot 152 of the second boat 150 becomes approximate to a lower part of the first slot 142 of the first boat 140 . Here, initially, the first and second slots 142 and 152 are positioned to have a given interval in a vertical direction so that the plurality of wafers 112 are loaded with the same interval therebetween. Thus, the distance of the second slot 152 from an upper part of the first slot 142 should have a given interval so that the wafer 112 can be safely loaded in the first slot 142 in a subsequent step. For example, the first boat 140 can be lowered so that the first slot 142 is distanced about 4.75 mm from the second slot 152 provided above the first slot 142 , and so that the first slot 142 becomes approximate about 0.75 mm to the second slot 152 provided in a lower part of the first slot 142 .
[0061] With reference to FIG. 7B , the plurality of wafers 112 whose back faces 112 b supported and transferred by the blade 160 of the transfer robot, are stably loaded into the first slots 142 of the first boat 140 . That is, transfer robot can transfer the plurality of wafers 112 stored in wafer cassette to the first slot 142 of the first boat 140 in a state that the back faces 112 b of the plurality of wafers 112 are supported by the plurality of blades 160 . The plurality of blades 160 supporting the plurality of wafers 112 horizontally move to upper parts of the first slots 142 , and then vertically move to load the plurality of wafers 112 in the first slots 142 .
[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 7C , the first boat 140 is raised so that the first slots 142 storing the plurality of wafers 112 become approximate to the second slot 152 positioned above the first slot 142 . Here the plurality of wafers 112 stored in the first slots 142 are raised a given height by a movement of the first boat 140 , thereby substantially reducing the interference between the plurality of wafers 112 stored in the first slots 142 and the plurality of wafers 112 to be loaded on the second slots 152 . For example, the first slot 142 may be raised to a height level of about 4 mm. The raised distance of the first slot 142 may become a space where the plurality of wafers 112 to be subsequently loaded in the second slots 152 horizontally move and then vertically move by the blade 160 of the transfer robot. Thus, the plurality of wafers 112 subsequently inserted between the plurality of wafers 112 loaded in the first slots 142 of the first boat 140 can be loaded in the second slots 152 of the second boat 150 without a collision.
[0063] As shown in FIG. 7D , the transfer robot rotates about 180 degrees the plurality of wafers 112 , and loads the wafers so that the front faces 112 a of the plurality of wafers 112 are loaded in the second slots 152 . That is, the transfer robot horizontally moves the plurality of wafers 112 from wafer cassette in a state that the back faces 112 b of the wafers 112 are supported by the plurality of blades 160 . Then, the plurality of wafers 112 rotate about 180 degrees by sucking in by a vacuum the back faces 112 b of the plurality of wafers 112 . And then, the front faces 112 a of the plurality of wafers 112 are loaded in the second slots 152 .
[0064] As shown in FIG. 7E , the first boat 140 is lowered so that the first slots 142 supporting the back faces 112 b of the plurality of wafers 112 become approximate to the second slots 152 , and a subsequent diffusion or deposition process for the plurality of wafers 112 is performed. Here, the first boat 140 is lowered so that the first slot 142 is approximated to the second slot 152 provided in a lower part of the first slot 142 . For example, the first slot 142 is lowered to a height level of about 4 mm so that the back faces 112 b of the plurality of wafers 112 supported by the first and second slots 142 and 152 are approximated and the front faces 112 a of the plurality of wafers 112 are distanced from each other.
[0065] Further, in the diffusion or deposition process, a reaction gas supplied from reaction gas supplier into the reaction tube 110 flows on the front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 , thereby selectively forming a diffusion layer or deposition layer on the front faces 112 a of the plurality of wafers 112 . Therefore, a reaction gas flows on the front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 supported by the first and second slots 142 and 152 , thereby forming the diffusion layer or deposition layer thereon. For example, the distance between front faces 112 a of the wafers 112 is about 5 mm to 6.5 mm. Then, after a completion of diffusion or deposition process, an unloading operation of the plurality of wafers 112 may be performed in a sequence opposite to the loading sequence of the plurality of wafers 112 .
[0066] As shown in FIG. 7F , when the diffusion or deposition process for the plurality of wafers 112 is completed, the first boat 140 is raised so that the first slot 142 supporting the back face 112 b of the wafers 112 is distanced from the second slot 152 provided in a lower part of the first slot 142 . Here, when the first boat 140 is raised, blade 160 is inserted into between the first slot 142 and second slot 152 provided in a lower part of the first slot 142 in a subsequent process, and the plurality of wafers 112 supported by the second slot 152 are sucked in by a vacuum and unloaded. For example, the first boat 140 raises the first slot 142 by a height of about 4 mm.
[0067] With reference to FIG. 7G , the plurality of wafers 112 supported by the second slot 152 are unloaded by using the transfer robot and then rotate about 180 degrees and are stored in wafer cassette. Here the blade 160 of transfer robot sucks in by a vacuum the back face of the wafers 112 whose front face 112 a is supported by the second slot 152 , and unload the plurality of wafers 112 from the inside of first and second boats 140 and 150 . Then, the plurality of wafers 112 rotate about 180 degrees to be loaded within the wafer cassette.
[0068] As shown in FIG. 7H , the first boat 140 is lower so that the first slot 142 supporting the back face 112 b of the wafers 112 is approximated to the second slot 152 provided in a lower part of the first slot 142 . For example, the first boat 140 moves to lower about 4 mm the first slot 142 . Subsequently, the plurality of wafers 112 supported by the first slots 142 vertically float by the blades 160 , thereby preventing a collision between the second slot 152 provided above the first slot 142 and the plurality of wafers 112 .
[0069] As shown in FIG. 7I , the plurality of wafers 112 supported by the first slot 142 are unloaded by using transfer robot, and then are stored in the wafer cassette. Here the blade 160 of transfer robot horizontally moves, supporting the back face 112 b of the wafers 112 supported by the first slots 142 and then loads the plurality of wafers 112 in the wafer cassette.
[0070] In addition, the first boat 140 may be raised to have a uniform interval of vertical direction between the first slot 142 and the second slot 152 .
[0071] Consequently, in a wafer loading/unloading method for use in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, front faces 112 a of a plurality of wafers 112 are positioned face to face with a given interval therebetween, and back faces 112 b of the plurality of wafers 112 are positioned face to face with becoming approximately to each other, thereby storing a relatively greater number of wafers 112 within reaction tube 110 in performing a diffusion or deposition process and so increasing productivity.
[0072] It does not matter herein to change the direction of a plurality of wafers 112 loaded in the first and second boats 140 and 150 . For example, the plurality of wafers 112 may be loaded so that the front face 112 a of each wafer 112 is supported by the first slot 142 of the first boat 140 and the back face 112 b of each wafer 112 is supported by the second slot 152 of the second boat 150 . Additionally, the distance between back faces 112 b of the plurality of wafers 112 loaded in the first and second boats 140 and 150 should be relatively short, and the distance between front faces 112 a thereof should be relatively wider. Having described the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is further noted that it is readily apparent to those of reasonable skill in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
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A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a wafer loading/unloading method thereof increase productivity. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a first boat and a second boat having a plurality of first slots and a plurality of second slots, respectively, and disposed such that the first slots and the second slots alternate each other, the first boat mounting a plurality of first wafers in the first slots to direct front faces of the first wafers in a predetermined direction, the second boat mounting a plurality of second wafers in the second slots to direct back faces of the second wafers in the predetermined direction; a reaction tube having an opening and containing the first and second boats mounting the first and second wafers; a plate sealing up the opening of the reaction tube containing the first boat and the second boat; a reaction gas supplier supplying reaction gas into the sealed reaction tube for a predetermined process; and a reaction gas exhauster exhausting the reaction gas from the reaction tube to the external of the reaction tube after the predetermined process.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention concerns a trigger system for hand firearms.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] So-called single-action/double-action trigger systems for hand firearms are known, in which there is the ability to move the hammer, e.g., by means of an uncocking lever, in a controlled and safe way from a single-action position (hammer completely cocked) into a double-action position (hammer completely uncocked). However, in the double-action mode, such trigger systems feature a relatively high trigger weight, because here the hammer must be moved uncocked against the force of the mainspring into the cocked position for discharging a shot. However, the expenditure of force required for this purpose can lead to reduced shooting precision.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] An object of the invention is the design of a trigger system of the type named above, which enables triggering also in the double-action mode with lower trigger weight and which remains functional even for a failure to fire.
[0004] This object is achieved by a trigger system as set forth in the claims. Preferred configurations and advantageous improvements of the invention are also provided in the claims.
[0005] In comparison with known single-action/double-action trigger systems, the hammer is partially pre-cocked for the trigger system according to the invention in double-action mode and in this position also provides a favorable lever ratio of the stops of the engaged trigger arm and hammer to the hammer pin. Therefore, the double-action mode enables a trigger resistance that is smaller compared with conventional systems.
[0006] A hand firearm equipped with the trigger system according to the invention can always be carried in a partially pre-cocked state, without the risk of unintentional discharge of a shot. In this partially pre-cocked state, the hammer is held in a partially cocked position, wherein, in this position, the mainspring force is not yet sufficient to insert a cartridge for firing. From this position, however, the trigger system can be activated with an expenditure of force that is smaller compared with conventional double-action systems, because the mainspring no longer has to be tensioned by the entire amount for triggering.
[0007] Through repeating (manual activation of the action or through the action returning due to the recoil after the discharge of the first shot), the trigger system is led into a pre-cocked single-action position. From this position, the trigger system can be activated with low expenditure of force, because only the stop edge of the catch must be pressed out of the stop of the pre-cocked hammer. The force is transferred by means of the trigger, trigger arm, firing pin, and catch.
[0008] Even if there is a failure to fire or empty striking (no cartridge in the cartridge block), activation of the trigger system is possible. Due to the second trigger arm stop edge and an associated second hammer stop, the hammer can then also be cocked and struck again. However, due to an unfavorable lever ratio of the here functional second trigger arm stop edge and the associated hammer stop to the pivot point of the hammer, a higher expenditure of force is required for drawing out of this position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Other details and advantages of the invention result from the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawing. Shown are:
[0010] FIG. 1 , a trigger system according to the invention for a hand firearm in a partially pre-cocked double-action position;
[0011] FIG. 2 , the trigger system shown in FIG. 1 for the activation of the trigger from the partially pre-cocked double-action position shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0012] FIG. 3 , the trigger system shown in FIG. 1 in a cocked single-action position;
[0013] FIG. 4 , the trigger system shown in FIG. 1 after a failure to fire;
[0014] FIG. 5 , the trigger arm of the trigger system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 in a schematic perspective view;
[0015] FIG. 6 , the hammer of the trigger system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 in a schematic perspective view;
[0016] FIG. 7 , the catch of the trigger system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 in a schematic perspective view, and
[0017] FIG. 8 , the firing pin of the trigger system shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 in a schematic perspective view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The trigger system of a hand firearm shown schematically in different positions in FIG. 1 to 4 contains a hammer 1 with a catch 2 , a trigger 3 , and a trigger arm 4 , which is connected in an articulated way to the trigger and by means of which, when the trigger 3 is pulled, the hammer 1 is first cocked against the force of a not-shown mainspring and then released for firing a shot. The trigger arm 4 is forced backwards and upwards by means of a not-shown trigger arm spring.
[0019] As follows from the above descriptions of FIGS. 1 to 4 , the hammer 1 can rotate about a hammer pin 5 between two side parts of a handle or built-in part 6 spaced apart from each other. Between the two side parts of the handle or built-in part 6 , the catch 2 is mounted so that it can rotate about a transverse pin 7 . By means of this catch 2 , the hammer 1 is held in a partially pre-cocked position or a completely cocked position, which is explained below in more detail. The trigger 3 can rotate about a trigger pin 8 on the handle or built-in part 6 . It contains a link part 9 pointing diagonally upwards with a pivot pin 10 , on which the front end 11 of the trigger arm 4 is coupled.
[0020] The trigger arm 4 shown separately in FIG. 5 has on its front end 11 crimped inwards a bore 12 for placement on the pivot pin 10 of the trigger 3 . At its rear end 13 also crimped inwards, the trigger arm 4 has a radial cam 14 projecting upwards, a connecting piece 15 extending backwards with a control bevel 16 running diagonally upwards, and a section 17 bent inwards at a right angle in the direction of the hammer with a first lower trigger arm stop edge 18 and a second trigger arm stop edge 19 offset from the first edge towards the side and the top.
[0021] As follows from FIG. 6 , the hammer 1 has on its bottom side a radial cam 20 and a first lower hammer stop 21 . The hammer 1 further contains on its side facing the trigger arm 4 a second upper hammer stop 22 projecting laterally. The first hammer stop 21 is used for engaging the trigger arm stop edge 18 . In contrast, the second hammer stop 22 , which is offset above the first hammer stop 21 and towards the front relative to the first stop, is led into engagement with the trigger arm stop edge 19 . While the first hammer stop 21 is arranged at a side cutaway section 35 on the side of the hammer 1 facing the trigger arm 4 , the second hammer stop 22 is located on a side projection 36 on the side of the hammer 1 pointing towards the trigger arm 4 . Above the second hammer stop 22 , the hammer 1 also contains a transverse bore 23 for the hammer pin 5 shown in FIG. 1 , by means of which the hammer 1 can rotate between the side parts of the handle or built-in part 6 . On the front side of the hammer 1 , there is also the upper and lower stop 24 or 25 for engaging the catch 2 .
[0022] The catch 2 shown separately in FIG. 7 has on its bottom side a catch stop 26 for engaging the stops 24 or 25 of the hammer 1 . The catch 2 also contains a carrier 27 , which projects laterally and which interacts with a carrier 33 of a firing pin 31 shown in FIG. 8 . The catch 2 has on its front side a groove 28 , in which a leg spring is housed for pre-cocking the catch 2 . Furthermore, in the catch 2 there are two aligned bores 29 and 30 for the transverse pin 7 .
[0023] In FIG. 8 , the firing pin 31 is shown, which can also rotate about the transverse pin 7 . For this purpose, the firing pin 31 has a bore 32 . The firing pin 31 contains, in addition to the carrier 33 projecting downwards, a connecting piece 34 , which is bent inwards and which interacts with the connecting piece 14 of the trigger arm 4 .
[0024] The function of the trigger system according to the invention is explained below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 , wherein, in the top illustration of each figure, the trigger arm 4 is shown completely and in the bottom illustration only the functional elements of the corresponding components are shown.
[0025] FIG. 1 shows the trigger system in a partially pre-cocked double-action position. In this position, the catch stop 26 engages the catch 2 in the upper stop 24 of the hammer 1 , whereby the hammer 1 is held in a position in which the force of the not-shown mainspring would not yet be sufficient to fire a cartridge. As follows from the lower left illustration of FIG. 1 , the hammer 1 can be activated by means of the lower trigger arm stop edge 18 interacting with the lower hammer stop 21 . Because the lower hammer stop 21 has a greater distance from the hammer pin 5 than the upper hammer stop 22 , the hammer 1 can be activated from this position with lower trigger resistance. The upper trigger arm stop edge 19 shown in the lower right illustration and the lower stop 25 of the hammer 1 are not functional in the partially pre-cocked double-action position.
[0026] By pulling the trigger 3 in the partially pre-cocked double-action position shown in FIG. 1 , the partially pre-cocked hammer 1 according to FIG. 2 is cocked further by the trigger arm 4 over the lower trigger arm stop edge 18 engaged with the lower hammer stop 21 . During the cocking process, the trigger arm 4 is moved downwards over the cam bevel 16 of the trigger arm 4 contacting the hammer pin 5 in a position in which the trigger arm stop edge 18 is disengaged from the associated hammer stop 21 and thus the hammer 1 is released for firing a shot. In the course of the cocking process, the firing pin 31 is pivoted upwards by the radial cam 14 of the trigger arm 4 , which engages with the connecting piece 34 of the firing pin 31 . In this way, the catch 2 is also brought and held in a position that enables the striking of the hammer 1 , by means of the carrier 33 of the firing pin 31 and the associated side carrier 27 on the catch 2 .
[0027] FIG. 3 shows the trigger system in a cocked single-action position. The trigger system assumes this position through repeating (manually drawing back the action or returning the action due to the recoil impulse from the discharge of a shot). In this single-action position, the hammer 1 is held in its completely cocked position through the engagement of the catch stop 26 in the lower stop 25 of the hammer 1 . When the trigger 3 is pulled, the firing pin 31 is pivoted upwards by the radial cam 14 of the trigger arm 4 and the connecting piece 34 of the firing pin 31 . In this way, the catch 2 is also rotated by the carrier 33 of the firing pin 31 and the associated side carrier 27 on the catch 2 , so that the catch stop 26 is lifted from the lower stop 25 of the hammer 1 and thus the hammer 1 is released. By means of an uncocking lever not shown here, the trigger system can be brought controlled and safely in a known way from the single-action position into the pre-cocked double-action position.
[0028] In FIG. 4 , the trigger system described above is shown in a position after a failure to fire or striking with an empty cartridge block. The hammer 1 is located in an uncocked front starting position. In this position, the trigger arm stop edge 19 engages with the upper hammer stop 22 . By pulling the trigger 3 again, the hammer 1 can be cocked and struck again by means of the trigger arm stop edge 19 and the upper hammer stop 22 . Because the upper hammer stop 22 has a smaller distance from the hammer pin 5 than the lower hammer stop 21 , here an increased expenditure of force is required. In this process, the trigger arm 4 is moved into a position in which the trigger arm stop edge 19 and the hammer stop 22 are no longer functional, by means of the similarly functional trigger arm stop edge 18 and the radial cam 20 on the hammer 1 .
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The invention relates to a trigger system for hand firearms with a hammer, a catch allocated to the hammer, a trigger, and a trigger arm interacting with this trigger, wherein the hammer has a first stop for holding the hammer in a completely cocked position and the trigger arm has a first trigger arm stop edge for engaging with an associated first hammer stop of the hammer. In order to allow pulling of the trigger with lower trigger weight even in the double-action mode, the hammer contains a second stop for holding the hammer in a partially pre-cocked position and the trigger arm has a second trigger arm stop edge for engaging an associated second hammer stop of the hammer.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to cottonseed linters or linter gins, and particularly to a linter gin having an improved moting system for achieving higher rates of delinting.
A large variety of designs of linter gins have been proposed or produced for removing lint or linters from cottonseeds which have already been processed in conventional saw gins to remove the long, staple fibers from the seeds. The seed cotton which goes from the field to a cotton gin for ginning, which is commonly termed seed cotton, will produce, when subjected to conventional ginning, a bale of several hundred pounds of lint cotton, for example, a five hundred pound bale, while the remaining cottonseed will have a residue of lint thereon which when removed is known as "cotton linters".
It is common practice to remove the residue lint from the cottonseed which has been processed in a conventional saw gin by passing it through one or more linters, or designing a single linter, to produce for example a first cut lint and a second cut lint, although care must be taken that, in the second cut linter operation, one avoids cutting off some of the hull from the seed and sawing through certain of the seeds to the full extent possible.
The lint or linters removed from the seed in the linter gin by this operation is, of course, one of the salable products procued. The value or price of linters is determined by the percent of foreign matter and therefore it is desirable to remove the trash from the lint in the linter gin.
In the usual slow speed linter gin, "moting" or the removal of trash from the lint was dependent only upon centrifugal force and gravity, causing the heavier or more dense trash to fall out of the air stream created by the brush. It was found that with the higher volume of lint and foreign matter produced by linters incorporating the recent improvements in the feed mechanism and increase in speed of the saw and brush of the gin, the old type moting was not adequate to produce salable lint.
In the usual linter gin, the lint is removed from the seed by the bank of toothed saw blades passing between ribs, and the lint is doffed from the saw teeth by a revolving brush cylinder, where the lint and trash is suspended in the air stream created by the brush cylinder. While there will be some spreading or flarring of the air stream with the lint and trash suspended as it is doffed from the saw by the brush, it has been found by observation that the primary air current continues to follow the circumference of the brush through the moting chamber and into the discharge duct, resulting in very poor moting or removable of trash in the moting chamber.
An object of the present invention is the provision of the linter gin with an improved moting system which effects much higher rate of delinting with linter gins having current improvements in feeding mechanisms and increase in the speed of the saw and brush of the linter gin. Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved moting system for linter gins, wherein an obstacle is placed close to the parameter of the brush in such a manner that the air current transporting the lint and the trash will be moved away from the brush to disrupt the primary air current following the circumference of the brush and more efficient remove motes and trash from the lint in the mote chamber.
Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary diagramatic front-to rear section through a linter gin embodying the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is an end elevational view, to an enlarged scale, of the adjustable moting bar cylinder of the present invention providing the obstacle to disrupt the primary air current following the circumference of the doffing brush.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference character designated corresponding parts throughout the several figures, there is disclosed the linter gin of the present invention, indicated generally by the reference character 10 comprising an elongated housing 11 closed at both ends by end plates (not shown) which carry bearings for the ends of the shafts of the inner rotating components of the linter gin, all supported by vertical upright frame members 12. The linter gin includes a feeder 13 of conventional construction which discharges the cottonseed into the upper feed opening 14 of the roll box 15 having the usual driven rotatable float 16 which works in the roll box 15. The bank of toothed saw blades 17a of the rotatable saw cylinder 17 rotatable on its shaft 18 journaled in fixed bearings on the ends of the frame or housing coact with the usual gin ribs 19 to remove the lint from the seed as the lint on the seed is caught by the saw teeth and carried forward into the saw chamber portion 20, while the seed from which the lint has been removed, which is restrained by the gin ribs 19, is discharged by gravity through the seed outlet chute 21.
The saw, which as viewed in FIG. 1 rotates in a clockwise direction, carries forward the cotton and motes with the saw teeth, passing through the saw chamber 19 down to the point of engagement between the saw 17 and the revolving brush cylinder doffer 22, which constitutes the location of coaction between the saw and brush to effect the doffing and moting operations. The brush cylinder doffer 22 has a counterclockwise rotation, as viewed in FIG. 1, and air currents in what is referred to as the brush chamber 23 set up by the rotation of the brush 22 are directed and deflected downwardly so as to have the proper tangient direction of flow when they enter the throat between the brush 22 and saw elements 17a. The linter gin also includes a bottom sheet 24a and a top sheet 24b defining a discharge duct 25 therebetween and a curved mote board 26 extends downwardly from the lower edge of the inclined bottom sheet 24a defining at its lower edge, one edge of an adjustable air entrance gap 27. The mote board is adjustable by an externally accessible and operative lever mechanism 28 for purposes later to be described. A draft shield 29 also extends downwardly from adjacent the perimeter of the saw cylinder 17 below the position of coaction A between the saw 17 and brush 22 and has a lower edge defining the other edge of the adjustable air entrance gap 27, the draft shield adjustment being achieved by adjustment of an externally accessible lever mechanism 30. This lever mechanism also includes a component 30a for adjusting the top of the draft shield.
In order to efficiently remove motes and trash from the lint in the mote chamber 31 below the doffer brush 22, we place an obstacle close to the perimeter of the brush 22 adjacent the lowermost portion of the circular path traced by the perimeter of the brush, to disrupt the primary air current following the circumference of the brush 22 in such a manner that the air current transporting the lint and trash will be moved away from the brush 22. This obstacle, which we term a moting bar cylinder, is indicated by the referenced character 32, and can be of many shapes or forms, but in the preferred embodiment of this application, we have used a round cylinder approximately 13/4 inch in diameter, running parallel to the brush shaft 22a for the full length of the brush cylinder 22. As the air current transporting the lint and trash comes in contact with this moting bar 32 it is deflected downwardly and around the bar. Since the trash is heavier and more dense than the lint, centrifugal force will move the trash and so forth to the outer edge of the air stream and as the trash passed under the moting bar it will be deflected downward bringing it in contact with the curved surface of the mote board 26 below the top corner formed by the mote board 26 and the bottom sheet 24a of the discharge duct 25. As the primary air current passes under the moting bar 32, it moves back to the circumference of the brush 22 carrying the lighter, clean lint into the discharge duct 25 with the trash and motes and some lint being retained in the moting chamber 31. Because of the curvature of the mote board 26, the trash and lint will move in a clockwise rotation, while the primary air current continues to move counter-clockwise. This clockwise rotation will continue until the trash and lint comes in contact with the face of the draft shield 29 at its lower edge. The gap 27 between the lower tip of the mote board 26 and the lower edge of the draft shield 29 is adjustable and a current of air is allowed to enter the mote chamber 31 through this gap 27. This flow of air will be maintained by a negative pressure in the discharge duct 25. The velocity of the air stream in the gap 27 is controlled by adjusting the width of the gap. This velocity will not be sufficient to float the heavier trash but sufficient to float any lint that has been brought into the moting chamber 31. This lint will move in an upward direction along the face of the draft shield and re-enter the primary air current below the moting bar, while the heavier trash and motes are discharged by gravity through the gap 32.
In the slow speed linter it was customary to place the upper tip of the draft shield 29 as high as possible in the V or location of coaction A formed by the circumference of the saw 17 and brush 25 at the doffing point A. This was done in an effort to minimize and control the air current created by the brush cylinder 22 in the moting chamber 31. In the high speed linter, it became obvious that the draft shield 29 in this position would not allow the brush 22 to completely doff the saw 17, whereby some lint and trash followed the saw 17 past the doffing point A, and this lint and trash was usually discharged from the saw 17 at the front of the linter, and accumulated in the bottom of the ribs 19, on the backside of the rib rails and mounting brackets, causing a definite fire hazard as well as a maintenance clean-up problem along with the loss of salable lint.
Due to wear it is necessary to sharpen the delinter saw 17 periodically. This is usually done every 24 hours of operation. As the saw 17 is sharpened the diameter will be reduced. In order to accommodate this change in diameter, it is necessary that the brush cylinder 22 be adjusted with movement toward the saw 17. These changes in the saw and brush also make it necessary that the draft shield 29 be adjustable. This adjustment is accomplished on the outside of the machine by lever 30 at the bottom of the draft shield and 30a at the top of the draft shield. This will also make it necessary to re-adjust the mote board 26. This is accomplished from outside the machine by lever mechanism 28. As the brush cylinder 22 moves toward the saw 17 it will be necessary to adjust the mote bar 32, as the edge of the mote bar must remain in close proximity to the circumference of the brush. This is accomplished by mounting the mote bar eccentrically at each end by the eccentric shaft ends, one of which is shown at 33.
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A linter gin having improved moting system for achieving higher rates of delinting. The improvement comprising a mote deflector obstacle member spaced slightly from the doffer brush, said member defecting the air current to effect more efficient removal of motes and trash from the lint in the mote chamber.
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BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
[0001] For over a century zip lines have been used in a variety of venues, from military physical training to therapeutic, scholastic and recreational settings. Within the last 30 years, the prevelance and use of ziplines has greatly proliferated due, in large extend, to the growth and popularity of challenge/ropes courses in which a zipline is often a key element.
[0002] The first known reference to a “zip line” occurs in the 1850s. ( Origins of th e Challenge Course, Project Adventure, 2002, web reference.) George Herbert, a captain in the French military, developed the first documented obstacle course as a part of the physical training of recruits. A zip line was part of this obstacle course. It consisted of a rope suspended between two points of differing elevation whereby the participant descended by means of a steel ring sliding over said rope. The participant was stopped by means of a knot at the end of the rope, at which point the participant let go of the steel ring.
[0003] Since this time, ziplines in a variety of configurations have been a mainstay in military physical training programs worldwide. More recently, around 1968, the concept and use of the zip line moved from the strictly military venue to the public arenas of therapeutic, recreational, and scholastic usages.
[0004] Specifically, Karl Rohnke in 1968 installed a zip line for the North Carolina Outward Bound Program/School, as a part of their commercial recreation program. (See enclosed prior art, #1)
[0005] From this point onward there has been a proliferation of the installation and utilization of the zip line in a variety of recreational venues. Notably, in 1972, Adrian Kissler and the company Project Adventure built a recreational facility with a zip line in Rota, Spain. (See prior art #2.) Thereafter, ziplines have been a mainstay of challenge/ropes courses and their attendant programs worldwide.
[0006] Since 1968, ziplines utilized in challenge/ropes course facilities have typicallly consisted of a steel cable, of at least ⅜″ diameter, rigged between two points of differing elevation with a single-wheel pulley attached to the cable. Initially, for ascend and descend, the participant hung by a lanyard attached to the pulley. Later, this method of attachment, was replaced by the participant being secured in some type of harness being suspended from the pulley. In both cases the particpant climbed to a disembarkation point, and, after “zipping” down the cable, was manually removed at the terminus of the system.
[0007] In the earliest years of zipline development the most common used system for the braking and stopping of the participant was the tire “impact” style system. In this system, upon termination of the descend the pulley would impact into four or five tires rigged into the terminus of the cable. (See prior art #3).
[0008] Later, braking was accomplished by a group of people who would utilize either a cargo net or a rope to “catch” the descending participant as he/she ran into either the net or the rope.
[0009] Later still, an “impact brake block” braking system was developed and is still in use today. This consists of a “brake block” (made from two pieces of 2×4 wood or other material) bolted around the cable so that it slides freely along said cable. Attached to the brake block are one or two ½″ bungee cords that in turn are attached to a terminus point. At the end of the descent the pulley impacts the block engaging the bungee cord(s), which stretch and slow down and eventually stop the participant. (See prior art #4).
[0010] Along with the development of the impact brake block braking system, the “gravity brake system” was devised and also is still in use today. In this system, “ . . . using gravity as the impetus, the rider zips to the bottom of the cables arch (the belly), and then begins the slowing process as he/she continues rolling up the sloping cable until gravity and friction exert enough drag to slow the rider to a stop.” (Rohnke, Karl Cow's Tails and Cobras II, p. 121, 1989, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. see prior art #5)
[0011] One further braking device has also been used, although rarely. The braking in this system is accomplished by means of friction applied directly to the zip cable by the participant via a hand brake device. The hand brake may consist of anything from the use of heavy-duty gloves worn by the participant, to the putting of a stick or wood shims into the pulley itself, or by the use of a compression plate.
[0012] In 1984 the Association of Challenge Course Technologies (ACCT) became the sanctioning body for the challenge/ropes course industry, and as such it has standardized the construction, design and installation of challenge/ropes course elements, one of which, is the zipline, with either the gravity brake or impact brake block system. Since this standardization of zipline design and installation by the ACCT, very little modification or improvement of the basic design or construction has occurred with the exception that there has been a growing preference for the use of the gravity brake system over the impact brake block system. This is mainly due to the simplicity, ease of construction/installation, and use of the gravity brake system. (See further enclosed prior art not previously directly referenced.
[0013] With respect to the previously mentioned braking systems utilized on ziplines other than those proposed for this invention, there are many liabilities and disadvantages associated with them.
[0014] Starting with the tire impact braking method, it has been found that it is impractical and dangerous due to the abrupt and unpredictable nature of the force of impact necessary to effect stopping. This drawback therefore severely restricts its use for high-speed, long distance ziplines.
[0015] The method whereby groups of people stop the descending participant by the use of rope or cargo net is, needless to say, unreliable, dangerous and restricted in use.
[0016] The impact brake block system utilizing bungee cords has two main disadvantage as presently utilized. First, the bungee cords attached to the brake block inevitably wear quickly due to stress, UV damage, and fatigue at the knots. This wear makes it necessary to frequently replace the bungee(s). Second, the impact of the pulley into the impact block eventually causes damage and wear to both, and consequently, necessitates their eventual replacement. Both these disadvantages render the impact block braking system difficult to maintain and operate.
[0017] The gravity brake system, although easy to use has the major disadvantage of excessive cable wear which in turn affects maintenance, and safety. This cable wear is created by the very nature of the drape in the cable system. At the top of the descent there is a shock load on the cable caused by the participant, thereby creating an undesirable angle at the point where the pulley contacts the cable. This process is reversed as the participant is slowed and eventually stopped at the terminus of the descent. These undesirable angles created in the cable at the contact point of the pulley are 90 degrees or more. At these angles, according to state and federal elevator and rigging safety codes that hereto pertain, a pulley diameter theoretically should be thirty-six times or more the diameter of the cable being used. This would by extension necessitate the use of pulleys a minimum of 13½″ for ⅜″ cable. This in itself is extremely impractical due to cost and other problems created by the excessively large mass of the pulley. Hence the uses of conventional two to three inch zip pulleys. But, according to ACCT standards, the use of these smaller size pulleys in these applications only allows for a maximum of 5,000 cycles of use, during which time the cable must be constantly inspected and after any visiable damage must be replaced. This is not only an inconvenient process but expensive as well.
[0018] Last, the braking system utilizing direct pressure on the cable by the participant, as described above, has proved to be an ineffective, dangerous, and costly method of braking. This is due to the fact that the actual pressure applied by the participant to the cable by any means is unpredictable, inconsistent, and unreliable. Consequently: (1) the actual contact on the cable that creates the pressure to brake in turn actuallly causes cable deformation and damage which therefore necessitates frequent inspection and replacement, and (2) the unpredictable, inconsistent, and unreliable nature of the applied pressure can lead to partial or complete failure in the braking itself.
[0019] (It should be noted that in all preexisting zipline systems the participant physicallly initiates his/her descent themselves.)
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
[0020] Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the freefall simulator with a braking system described in this patent, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
[0021] (a) to provide a zipline that loads the participants from the base (low point)of the system and raises them to the top of the system via an integrated mechanical motor drive:
[0022] (b) to provide a zipline that uses a dual cable system to increase safety, minimize load and increase cable lifespan;
[0023] (c) to provide a zipline that provides a smooth reliable and redundant mechanical decelerating/braking system;
[0024] (d) to provide a zipline whose braking system is automatic and not reliant on participant interaction or gravity;
[0025] (e) to provide a zipline braking system whos component parts are designed for long term, low maintenance use;
[0026] (f) provide a zipline that accommodates the various weights of multiple participants on a single installation;
[0027] (g) to provide a zipline that uses mechanical and gravitational means to descend the cable;
[0028] (h) to provide a zipline whose tram is connected to the tram cables via four, dual-wheeled tram pulleys;
[0029] (i) to provide a zipline that automatically starts the tram on it's descent down the cables via an automatic release system;
[0030] (j) to provide a zipline whose operation can be controlled by a single operator;
[0031] (k) to provide a zipline that can be installed in both permanent and mobile applications;
[0032] (l) to provide the flexibility to vary the length of a zipline to suit the particular need of the location.
[0033] Further object and advantaged of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
SUMMARY
[0034] In accordance with the present invention, a high speed, dual cable zipline ride is provided whereby participant(s) ascend dual tram cables by a mechanical motor drive and descend the tram cables using a combination of mechanical and gravitational forces. Prior to assent and descent, the participant(s) are secured in either a harnessed or a seated tram configuration from a sliding raised platform. Once secured in the tram the raised platform is lowered, swung, or slid out of the way. The control of the deceleration and stopping of the ride will be performed by one of four mechanical configurations depending on the dimension of the ride (i.e. length and height of the ride). These different configurations may be: an air shock system, a nitrogen shock system, a hydraulic disc braking system, or a magnetic disc braking system.
DRAWINGS
[0035] Drawing Figures
[0036] The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings.
[0037] (Note, in the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.)
[0038] [0038]FIG. 1 shows a perspective of a dual tram cable zipline with a braking system apparatus in accordance with the invention
[0039] [0039]FIG. 2 shows a close up perspective of a participant seat, tram housing and drive interface.
[0040] FIGS. 3 to 3 a shows a side view of the tram when it is connected to the drive interface and releasing from the drive interface.
[0041] [0041]FIG. 4 shows a close up perspective of a motor drive system, axel bull-wheel assembly, and maintenance brake.
[0042] [0042]FIG. 5 shows a perspective of a termination of tram cables, drive cables and release block on a taller pole.
[0043] [0043]FIG. 6 shows a perspective of a termination of tram cables, drive cables on a shorter pole.
[0044] [0044]FIG. 7 shows a close up perspective of a braking tower system with a nitrogen/air based braking system.
[0045] FIGS. 8 to 8 a shows a close up perspective of the nitrogen system at rest and under load.
[0046] [0046]FIG. 9 shows a close up perspective of a hydraulic disk brake system at rest and under load.
[0047] [0047]FIG. 10. shows a close up perspective of a magnetic disk brake system at rest and under load.
[0048] FIGS. 11 to 11 a shows top and side views of one embodiment of an entire zipline system.
[0049] FIGS. 12 to 12 a shows a perspective and side view of a path of travel for the participant(s) and the braking system at full extension.
[0050] [0050]FIG. 13 shows a close up perspective of a loading/unloading system and the braking towers.
[0051] FIGS. 14 to 14 a shows a top view of a sliding platform moving into position after the participants have been stopped.
Reference Numerals In Drawings 2LQ loading ramp 4LQ4 tracks for sliding platform 6LQ6 sliding platform 8LQ8 wheels for the sliding platform 10LQ pneumatic cylinders that move the sliding platform 12TS participant seats 14TS structural members for the seats 16TT bolted connection of the seats and a tram housing 18TT capture bar 20TR 3-wheeled pulley configuration for the release system 22TR 2-wheeled pulley assembly for the tram (1 of 4) 23TT tram housing 24TT through-bolt that connects TT22 to the housing (TT23) 26TT breaking pad 28SCT tram cable (1 of 2) (Structural cable, tram) 30SCD drive cable (Structural cable, drive) 32TR drive interface 34TR release pad 36TR springs that reset TR34 38TR cable and pulley system that translated the horizontal movement of TR34 to vertical movement 38TR interface Hook 40DM drive motor 42DM spring loaded magnetic release brake for the motor (DM40) 44DM dual pulley on the motor 46DM two V-belts that drive the Bull Wheel (DM50) 48DW larger Cog that is driven directly by the motor via DM46 50DW bull wheel that drives the drive cable via 1.5 half-wraps of cable 52DA drive axel that transfers power from DW48 to DM50 54DA pillow blocks that support the axel (1 of 3) 56DA disc brake rotor 58DB dual-cylinder calipers 60DB hydraulic line 62DB hydraulic piston 64DB hand lever that actuates DB62 66DA structural supports for the pillow blocks, drive axel, and bull wheel 68DM footing for the drive motor 70SPL low termination pole 74ST strand vise 76ST horizontal cross member to which the tram cables are connected and supported 78SPLP upper pulley from where the drive cable travels all the way to the high pole pulley (SPHP84) 80SPLP lower pulley to which the drive cable runs directly to the release mechanism 82SPH high termination pole 84SPHP high pulley for the drive cable 86TR release block that releases the tram upon impact 88BT main braking system tower 90BT 45-degree supports for BT88 92BTR rotating pulleys 94BTC braking tower cables which connect Impact brake block (BT196) to the deceleration unit 96BTI impact brake block 98BTFP fixed pulleys at the base of the main brake towers (BT88) 100BTT pressure pulleys which prevents slack from developing in the system 102BMH dual cylinder caliper, racing-style hydraulic brake 104BMH brake line 106BMH nitrogen-charged hydraulic pack 108BMH disc rotor 110BMH support for the nitrogen charged pack (BMH 106) 112BMH support for the caliper (BMH 102) 114BM positioning motor 116BM dual cog 118BM v-belts 120BM footing 122BM pillow block 123BM axel 124BM grooved cable drum 126BM Copper disk rotor 128BMM crescent shaped magnets (NdFeB) Neodymium Iron Boron 130BMM base support for the magnets 132BMM structural housing for the magnets with a preset gap 134BMN footing for the nitrogen brake 136BMN main structural member for the sliding mechanism 138BMN delrine rail that is used to track the pulleys in a straight line 140BMN pulley housing, which moves upon loading of the cable 142BMN dual nitrogen-based or air-bag-based automotive shocks 144BMN intermediate connection between sets of shocks (BMN142), it too slides and tracks along the delrine rail (BMN138) 146BMN cable termination where the cable is connected to the brake housing (BMN150) 150BMN non-sliding pulley housing form which the cable travel out to the pressure pulleys and the fixed pulley
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0052] It should be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiment of the system and method of the present invention, as represented in FIGS. 1 through 13, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is as broad as claimed herein. The illustrations are merely representative of certain, presently preferred embodiments of the invention and will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout.
[0053] Those of ordinary skill in the art will, of course, appreciate that various modifications to the details of the Figures may easily be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention. Thus, the following descriptions of the figures is intended only as examples, and simply illustrate certain presently preferred embodiments consistent with the invention as claimed.
[0054] Referring to FIG. 1, FIGS. 11 to 11 a, thes are mulitiple views of the entire zipline system. A single cable system, or a dual cable system, or a tram cable 28 SCT maybe used to support a participant in a seat, or a tram seat 12 TS. The cables 28 SCT are to be at least ⅜″ inch in diameter and may be both anti rotation and pre-construction stretched. The cables 28 SCT may be supported by any suitable means such as existing structures, trees, towers or low pole 70 SPL and high pole 82 SPH. In one presently preferred embodiment the low pole 70 SPL must be shorter than the high pole 82 SPH such that the tram cables are traveling down hill towards the low pole. Due to forces of nature as well as practical safety concerns, cable sag will be evident in the tram cables. The sag is to be no less than 5% of the total length of the cable. For optimum performance, the sag should be no more than 12% the total length of the cable. This provides a constant down ward motion for the tram seat 12 TS.
[0055] Participants gain access to the zipline via the loading platform, cue or ramp 2 QL. In one presently preferred embodiment the ramp 2 QL may be designed such that it is in compliance with the federal disabilities act. Due to the fact the tram seats 12 TS move with speed over the loading dock, swing platform, or sliding platform 6 LQ, the sliding platform 6 LQ slides along rails 4 LQ to move out of the way. Using wheels 8 LQ and pneumatic cylinders 10 LQ the platform can move out of the way of the tram seats 12 TS leaving ample room for clearance.
[0056] Referring to FIGS. 2 through 3 a, a perspective of the tram seat 12 TS, tram housing 23 TT, and release pad 34 TR, drive interface 32 TR may be used to connect the tram release apparatus to the drive cable 30 SCD. The tram release apparatus is connected to a tram housing 23 TT via a hook 39 TR. Said hook 39 TR may be made out of any material that will be long lasting and not damaging to the capture bar 18 TT. The hook 39 TR is activated by the release pad 34 TR and a connection cable and pulley 38 TR. When the release pad 34 TR makes contact with a release block 86 TR (FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 a ), the force generated by drive cable 30 SCD compresses the release pad 34 TR which pulls the connection cable 38 TR which lifts the release hook 39 TR off the capture bar 18 TT as shown in FIG. 3 a. As the drive cable 30 SCD returns the tram release apparatus to the loading area, a spring 36 TR returns the release pad to the extended position that prepares the hook to interface with the tram housing 23 TT.
[0057] In one presently preferred embodiment the participants are seated in seats 12 TS secured by any current ordinary restraint system available, such as a 5 point racing harness or an over the shoulder, roller coaster-style restraint. The seats 12 TS are supported by structural member 14 TS. Structural member 14 TS has two independent points to connect to the tram housing 18 TT via bolts 16 TT. To provide further safety, additional fail safe connection points could be added as long as the seat 12 TS is able to swing freely on the bolts 16 TT to adjust to the changing angles of the cable as the ride is in motion. To further compensate for these changing angles a dual wheel pulley assembly, or pulley 22 TT, is connected to the tram housing 23 TT via a through bolt 24 TT which allows the pulleys 22 TT to rotate independently of one another.
[0058] Referring now to the motor drive system in FIG. 4, in one presently preferred embodiment a 3 phase electric motor 40 DM may be used to power the drive cable 30 SCD. The motor 40 DM may use a magnetic disk brake 42 DM that turns on when the power is off. The motor 40 DM is controlled by an inverter dive (common and not shown) that allows the user to start/stop forward/reverse the motor via a control box (common and not shown). In other presently preferred embodiments it may be prudent to add computers, PLCs, limit switches or other control devices to automate the zipline and increase safety. Power from the motor 40 DM is transferred to the drive cable 30 SCD via dual v-belts 46 DM attached by a small cog 44 Dm on the motor and a large cog 48 DM on the axel 52 DA. The axel 52 DA is connected to both the large cog 48 DM and a Bull Wheel 50 DW. The axel 52 DA is supported by pillow blocks 54 DA which sit on top of steel supports 66 DA. The steel supports are connected into the ground via a foundation 68 DM. For inspection purposes, a maintenance brake apparatus comprising of a disk rotor 56 DA, dual cylinder caliper 58 DA, hydraulic line 50 DB and manual hydraulic piston 62 DB with a handle DB 64 . The handle DB 64 applies the pressure to the calipers to activate the brake.
[0059] The drive cable 30 SCD may use 1.5 half wraps around the bull wheel 50 DW to create the friction needed to move the seats 12 TS up the tram cable 28 SCT. The drive cable 30 SCD first travels up and away from the left side bull wheel 50 DW to a directional pulley 80 SPLP (FIG. 6). From there the drive cable 30 SCD travels and terminates at the dive cable interface 32 TR (FIG. 3). The drive cable 30 SCD continues up to the high pole 82 SPH (FIG. 5) where it travels up through and around a directional pulley 84 SPHP. Now pointing back towards the low pole 70 SPL the drive cable 30 SCD connects all the way to a directional pulley 78 SPLP (FIG. 6) where it then travels down to the bull wheel 50 DW on right side of the wheel.
[0060] The tram cable 28 SCT may be terminated via strand vice 74 ST. The strand vice 74 ST is to be of series 5202 . A structural support 75 ST may be used to spread the tram cables 28 SCT to the proper distance.
[0061] Referring to FIG. 7. a breaking tower 88 BT may be used to slow the seat 12 TS. The braking tower 88 Bt is supported by down angles 90 BT to counter act the forces generated by the braking cable 94 BTC. The braking cable 94 BTC may be attached to a braking block 96 BTI. The braking cable 94 BTC may be attached in such a way as to create a fail safe in the event of main termination failure. Said braking block 96 BTI may be made out of delrine or other composite material to limit wear on the cable. The braking block 96 BTI makes use of a shock-absorbing pad, located centrally, which makes contact with the tram housing 23 TT. The tram housing 23 TT has a braking pad 25 TT that is used to interface with the brake block 96 BTI. As the two units collide the braking cable 94 BTC is pulled through first a rotating pulley 92 BRT at the top of the braking tower 88 BT. This pulley 92 BRT must rotate side to side in order to stay in alignment as the tram 23 TT passes by. Then going down the braking cable 94 BTC goes to a fixed directional pulley 98 BTFP. Said pulley 98 BTFP changes the direction of the braking cable 94 BTC 90 degrees so that is may then pass horizontally through a pressure pulley 100 BTPP which keeps slack from being generated. The braking cable 94 BTC may then go to one of three mechanical braking systems: a nitrogen/air automotive shock (FIG. 8 & FIG. 8 a ), a hydraulic disk brake (FIG. 9), or a magnetic disk brake (FIG. 10).
[0062] The reason for there being different braking systems is that each has benefits for different variations of the zipline in terms of height, and length as well as environmental factors. All the systems have the common ground that they are acting as a shock absorber, controlling the degree to which the braking cable is paid out.
[0063] Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 8 a, a nitrogen/air automotive shock system may be used. The braking cable is routed to the static pulley housing 150 BMN and from there is passes back an forth from the static pulley housing 150 BMN to the sliding pulley housing 140 BMN until it is terminated to the bottom of the static pulley housing at 146 BMN. Automotive nitrogen or air shocks 142 BMN are placed in tandem between the two pulley housing 150 BMN and 140 BMN. The braking cable 94 BTC is pulled through the block and tackle system the shocks 142 BMN are compressed (FIG. 8 a ). Through the dampening effects of the shocks 142 BMN the cable is paid out in a controlled fashion slowing down the tram 12 TS in a smooth motion. To accommodate the moving connection point 144 BMN where the sets of shocks 142 BMN connect to one another, both the moving connection point 144 BMN and the sliding pulley housing 140 BMN slide in a delrine track 138 BMN attached to the main structural member 136 BMN which keeps the system in line and limits wear on the cable 94 BTC and pulley housings 150 BMN and 140 BMN. The nitrogen/air system is totally non-powered in that when the tram 12 TS is moved backwards, the charge of gas in the shock 142 BMN forces the shock to extend, pulling the braking cable 94 BTC thus automatically resetting the brake back to the at rest position.
[0064] Referring now to FIG. 9, a hydraulic disc brake system may be used. Differing from the afore mentioned system, the brake cable 94 BTC is wrapped around a grooved drum 124 BM in a winch style configuration. The drum 124 BM is connected to an axel 123 BM, which goes through pillow blocks 122 BM. On either side of the axel are hydraulic disc brakes using a disk rotor 108 BMH and a dual cylinder caliper 102 BMH. The calipers 102 BMH are always putting pressure on the disk rotor 108 BMH via a charged hydraulic pack 106 BMH connected to the caliper via a hydraulic line 104 BMH. The pack 106 BMH is charged with nitrogen to ensure that pressure is always there and is supported off the ground via a pedestal 110 BMH. As the braking cable 94 BTC is pulled, the drum 124 BM spins against the resistance generated by the disk brakes. To reset the system, the motor 114 BM reverses the drums via v-belt 118 BM and cogs 116 BM and 125 BM. In one presently preferred embodiment it may be that computer controls are added to customize the braking power to the load being stopped.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 10, it demonstrates that magnets can be used to achieve the same result. This system works in the same general fashion as the disk system with the difference that the braking power is provided by dual crescent shaped magnets (NdFeB) Neodymium Iron Boron 128 BMM. A copper disk 124 BM passing at close proximity between two attracting magnets 128 BMM creates the braking power. The magnets are positioned using a frame 132 BMM, which are supported by large pedestals 130 BMM. As the magnets 128 BMM sit statically eddy currents are generated between the two magnets. As the disk 124 BM passes through the currents, force is generated in proportion to the force being applied progressively slowing the disk 124 BM down until an equilibrium is reached. It makes this system very suited for larger faster loads as it can adapt. However due to the fact that the magnets cannot dead stop the load, the motor 114 BM is used more extensively for positioning purposes.
[0066] Referring to FIG. 12 and FIG. 12 a a path of travel is noted from the top to the bottom of the zipline. As mentioned above the tram release apparatus lets the tram 12 TS go to roll down the tram cables 28 SCT. The tram 12 TS travels down the tram cable 28 SCT until it interfaces with the brake block 96 BTI extending the cable and activating the braking system. During this action the sliding platform 6 LQ is out of the way as shown in FIG. 14. After the tram 12 TS comes to a complete stop, the sliding platform 6 LQ is moved into place via the pneumatic cylinders 10 LQ.
[0067] Alternative Embodiments
[0068] It is easy to imagine all the various modifications and alternate uses for this invention. For instance, it could be possible to change the tram seat 12 TS to offer other positions for riding. Standing, laying down, flipping over, spinning, upside down, or simple harness could all be used with the current brake block 96 BTI FIG. 7 system. Although the preferred embodiment is shown to take participants from the bottom to the top and back down again, the opposite is also possible in so much as the participants load at the top (off a building or such) ride down and are brought back to the top to unload. This method also provides a better opportunity to use the drive cable 30 SCD as a means to launch the participant down.
[0069] Due to the nature of the braking system, slowing down to a constant rate or dead stop, the angle of decent could approach 90 degrees. It is very difficult to achieve this due to issues with the tram cables 28 SCT. However it is noted that the braking system could be used to lower a tram from height at a constant rate it that were the goal. Since it is apparent that these systems can decelerate people to a constant rate or a dead stop, it is reasonable to set up an extra braking system on the large pole 82 SPH to help protect maintenance workers as they climb and lower the pole. Protection for the workers may be achieved by routing the braking cable 94 BTC FIG. 7 to a pulley at the top, allowing the end to come down to the ground while loading the brake ( 93 BRT FIG. 7). By preloading the brake, cable take up is achieved as the worker climbs by the nitrogen/air pistons expanding. In order to make the magnetic version of the break serve the same purpose, a spring could be added to the drum providing the cable take up much in the same way a tape measurer pulls in the tape.
[0070] Advantages
[0071] From the description of the invention above, a number of advantages become evident as relates to the use in the dual cable zipline of mechanical asension and braking systems.
[0072] (a) By using dual cables the potential load is spread over two cables, not just one, which in turn increases longevity and lowers wear on the tram cables 28 SCT.
[0073] (b) Having spread 4 pulley wheels across each tram cable 28 SCT, the load is spread over a larger area, again increasing longevity and lessoning wear on the tram cables 28 SCT. Also, the spread of the four pulleys eliminates the occurance of small angles in the cable.
[0074] (c) By allowing the tram pulleys 22 TT to rotate independently, the cableis kept from being damaged due to the creation of small angles, which also promotes the longevity of and lessens wear on the tram cables 28 SCT.
[0075] (d) Providing a loading position at the low point of the system allows for any person to partake in the attraction.
[0076] (e) Using seats with restraints allows for quick and safe entry and exit from the ride which is much more effiecient than any harnessed system.
[0077] (f) Locating the motor drive at the low point of the system allows for all the power and control to be at one location which saves time in maintenance and provides a more user friendly product.
[0078] (g) Having a maintenance brake included on the motor dive axel allows for quick inspection of all critical parts, such as the tram cables.
[0079] (h) Having a motor drive intergrated with the system allows for quick throughput of participants and an increase in safety as well as a lessening of costs.
[0080] (i) The impact braking system has several advantages, namely:
[0081] 1) A fail safe design. It is impossible for the tram to become disengaged from the braking system.
[0082] 2) Having a shock absorber connected to the cables at all time centers the cables and keeps vibration to a minimum, which allows for operation in foul or windy weather.
[0083] 3) The brakings systems are mechanical and thererfor do not need elctrical power to function.
[0084] 4) The nitrogen/air system is nort electrically powered in that when the tram is moved back the charge of gas in the tube forces the piston to extend thus automatically resetting the brake.
[0085] 5) The braking action in any one system does not rely on any one person or any other braking system.
[0086] 6) Due to nature of the braking system and the abilty of all the methods to automatically adjust to the load, no computers are necessary to calculate the braking power needed for each cycle.
[0087] 7) By using automotive shocks, replacement is fast and easy. There is also an added advantage; the history of the use of automotive shocks on vehicles has proven them to be far more reliable and durable than would be necessary for the use on ziplines.
[0088] 8) With a braking system such as these the zipline can be bigger, faster and can have steeper angle of descent than ever before.
[0089] Operation - FIGS. 3, 3 a, 4 , 7 , 12 , 12 a, 14 , 14 a
[0090] To use the ride/invention the participant walks up the ramp 2 LQ to the loading platform. At the lower end of the ride the operater straps in the participant to the tram seat 12 TS via the provided safety belts or shoulder bar. Once the participant(s) is strapped in, the operator turns on the motor drive 40 DM (FIG. 4) and brings the tram release 32 TR to the loading platform. Once down, the tram release 32 TR is brought close to the tram such that the hook 39 TR can be lift up to connect to the capture bar 18 TT. Once this interface is complete, the sliding platform 6 LQ is moved out of the way. This leaves the participant(s)' feet hanging above ground such that there is ample clearance for their feet. At this point several actions can commence. With the sliding platform 6 LQ out of the way the operator can now move the participant(s) towards the braking area for a short pause to verify that the braking system has been reset. When using the disk or magnetic systems this is done by the electric positioning motor 114 BM. Once the brake block is in the proper position, the participant(s) is then ready to be ascended up the tram cable by the main drive cable. In the nitrogen version, the brake is reset automatically, thus the participant(s) at this point is ready for ascension via the drive cable; the controller is able to continue this ascend provide the brake block 96 BTI has moved back with the tram seat 12 TS.
[0091] The tram is moved by the drive cable 30 SCD due to the friction cause by the 1.5 half wraps around the bull wheel 50 DA. With the gear ratio of the small cog 44 DM to the large cog 48 DW the motor drive can get the participants up the height in short order. Once the tram seat 12 TS reaches the top, the release block 34 TR is compressed, the hook 39 TR goes up and the participants are free to roll down the tram cables 28 SCT. A skilled operator may also accelerate the participants down with a short to long burst of speed from the motor drive. For those not so skilled, a computer or PLC could be added to automate the system.
[0092] As the tram seat 12 ST moves down the tram cables 28 SCT, the tram picks up speed and the participant(s) hears a high pitch from the wheels that gets higher as the speed increases. At this point the operator may start lowering the tram release to prepare for the next cycle. Shortly, the tram speeds along towards the brake block 96 BTI (FIG. 7.) and collides with it. The riders feel little to no jolt as the system starts to engage. The cable is let out as described above via the braking system in use. The tram seat 12 TS slows to a stop over the loading zone as shown in FIG. 14. In the event that the tram is not heavy enough to make it back to the sliding platform 6 QL the operator simply moves the tram seat 12 TS forward until it is position. Once over the platform area, the operator moves the sliding platform into position so that the participants may exit quickly, comfortably and safely.
[0093] Conclusion, Ramification, and Scope
[0094] Accordingly, the reader will see that the dual cable zipline having a mechanical means of ascension and braking can be used easily, safely and quickly. One of the main problems with ziplines in the past was that there was not a good method to stop the participant at the end that did not harm the cable. Another issue was the slow cycle speed and staff intensiveness. With the motor drive the unit can be run quickly with out the added danger or hassle of connecting other pulleys and trams in-between participants. Designed with safety, high volume and quick operation in mind the present invention is fills a void that has been vacant since the beginning. Furthermore, the invention has the additional advantages in that:
[0095] it increases longevity and lowers wear on the tram cables 28 SCT;
[0096] it provides a loading position at the low point allowing for all persons to partake in the attraction;
[0097] it uses seats with restraints allows for quick and safe entry and exit from the ride that is much more efficient than any harnessed system;
[0098] it saves time in maintenance and provides a user-friendlier product by locating critical systems in easy to reach locations;
[0099] it uses a motor drive to allows for quick throughput of participants and increases safety as well as lowering costs;
[0100] it uses an impact braking system, which has several advantages namely:
[0101] Fail safe design. It is impossible for the tram to disengage from the braking system;
[0102] The braking action in no way relies on any one person or system;
[0103] Due to nature of the braking systems they have the ability to automatically adjust to the load, no computers are necessary to calculate the braking power needed for each cycle;
[0104] With a braking system such as these the zipline can be bigger, faster and have steeper angle of attack than ever before.
[0105] Although the description above contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example the zipline could use several different style of chairs, be very short or long, be fast or slow, load from the bottom or the top. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claim and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.
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This invention is a high speed dual cable zip line ride whereby the participant(s) ascends by a mechanical motor drive system and descend using a combination of mechanical and gravitational forces. The participant(s) will be secured in either a harnessed or a seated tram configuration. The control of the deceleration and stopping of the ride will be performed by one of four mechanical configurations depending on the dimension of the ride (i.e. Length and height of the ride). These configurations will be an air shock system, a nitrogen shock system, a hydraulic disc braking system, or a magnetic disc braking system. In all embodiments of the ride appropriate platforms and procedures for safely embarking and disembarking will be utilized.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/595,276 filed Feb. 1, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,931; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 706,279 filed May 28, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,279; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 482,656 filed Feb. 21, 1990 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 319,164 filed Mar. 3, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,545.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention pertains to a center section for a hydrostatic transmission, with the hydrostatic transmission having particular utility as a component of an integrated hydrostatic transaxle. A transaxle of a type used in equipment, such as a lawn tractor, has gear reduction and axle components mounted in a housing providing a sump for lubricating oil. The disclosed center section is directed toward an economical integration of the hydrostatic transmission with the transaxle components in a common housing providing a common sump.
BACKGROUND ART
Hydraulically driven equipment, such as a lawn tractor, have had transaxle structure mounted in a housing including a drive input connection, a gear reduction drive, and oppositely-extending differentially-connected axles, and a hydrostatic transmission is connected to the exterior of the housing whereby a drive output from the hydrostatic transmission connects to the drive input to the transaxle structure.
The known prior art structures have not integrated the hydrostatic transmission with the transaxle components in a common housing to provide a common sump and with the use of a unique center section between the hydraulic components of the hydrostatic transmission as disclosed herein.
A hydrostatic transmission has a pair of hydraulic displacement units with fluid connections therebetween. In a typical hydrostatic transmission, the hydraulic displacement units each have a rotatable cylinder block mounting a plurality of reciprocal pistons and with the piston-receiving chambers in the cylinder block communicating with ports for fluid flow to and from the piston-receiving chambers. Many different types of structure are known for achieving fluid communication between the arcuate ports associated with the pair of rotatable cylinder blocks. Such structure can be by means of tubing or by means of a structural section with fluid passages and positioned adjacent both rotatable cylinder blocks. This structural section can be either integral with a housing for the hydrostatic transmission or a separate component mountable between the hydraulic displacement units and separable from the housing.
A prior art hydrostatic transmission has a pair of hydraulic displacement units generally in side-by-side relation and with a rotatable cylinder block of each of the hydraulic displacement units being associated with a structural section having arcuate ports for association with both of the hydraulic displacement units. A pair of generally parallel straight passages, formed in the structural section intersect and communicate with the arcuate ports in pairs whereby there is fluid communication between a pair of arcuate ports associated one with each of the hydraulic displacement units.
The prior art also includes hydrostatic transmissions wherein the hydraulic displacement units are disposed at a selected fixed angle relative to each other whereby the axes of rotation of the rotatable cylinder blocks thereof are at an angle to each other and a structural section disposed therebetween has had a pair of faces at the selected angle whereby arcuate ports associated therewith may coact with the angularly-related cylinder blocks of the hydraulic displacement units.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The integrated hydrostatic transaxle disclosed herein has resulted from efforts to reduce the cost, size and weight of a transaxle package which has had a non-integrated relation between the housings for a hydrostatic transmission and the gear reduction, differential and axle components. Elimination of as much machining as possible contributes substantially to cost reduction.
A primary feature of the invention is to provide a one-piece, generally L-shaped center section for a hydrostatic transmission which is positionable in a housing and has first and second faces for coaction with rotatable cylinder blocks of a pair of hydraulic displacement units of the hydrostatic transmission and with the center section designed to require a minimal amount of machining to the body thereof with resultant maximum cost savings.
The lowest possible machining cost for the center section can be achieved by going to a casting process, such as die casting or the lost foam process. A casting process results in a more porous center section and, with passages therein having fluid at high pressure, it is important to assure that leakage from the center section shall not be a problem.
The one-piece generally L-shaped center section being separable from the housing for the hydrostatic transmission and mountable therein permits casting of the center section since leakage from a porous cast center section will leak into a sump defined by the housing for the hydrostatic transmission, rather than through a wall of the housing.
An object of the invention is to provide, in combination, a hydrostatic transmission comprising a pair of hydraulic displacement units each having a rotatable cylinder block with reciprocal pistons and a housing for the displacement units providing a fluid sump along with a unique, one-piece, generally L-shaped center section positionable in the housing to facilitate utilization of such a structure with drive components for a hydraulically-driven device all in a common housing having a common sump.
Additionally, the center section of the hydrostatic transmission is uniquely designed with passages in addition to first and second generally straight passages interconnecting the hydraulic displacement units to provide for mounting of bypass valves as well as delivery of make-up oil to the hydraulic circuit and provide for bleed of air from the hydraulic circuit during operation of the bypass valves.
A further object of the invention is to provide, in combination, a hydrostatic transmission comprising a pair of hydraulic displacement units each having a rotatable cylinder block with reciprocal pistons, and a housing for said displacement units providing a fluid sump, said rotatable cylinder blocks having their axes of rotation generally normal to each other, a one-piece generally L-shaped center section positionable in said housing and having first and second faces generally at right angles to each other, said center section being positioned to have said first face engage an end of one rotatable cylinder block and the second face engage an end of the other rotatable cylinder block, arcuate fluid ports at the face of each of said center section faces for coaction with a rotatable cylinder block, a first straight fluid passage in said center section connecting one of the ports at each face to define a pair of fluid communicating ports and terminating at one of said pair of ports, and a second straight fluid passage in said center section connecting another of the ports on each face to define a second pair of fluid communicating ports and terminating at one of the ports of said second pair.
Another feature of the invention is to provide an integrated hydrostatic transaxle having a common housing for a hydrostatic transmission and a pair of oppositely-extending, drivingly-connected axles to provide a common sump, with the hydrostatic transmission having the center section as described in the preceding paragraphs. Cost effectiveness is achieved by use of the common housing, common sump and one-piece center section whereby leakage from the is hydrostatic transmission including from a fluid passage in the center section containing fluid pressure may reach the common sump at atmospheric pressure. This makes it possible to cast the center section and minimize costly machining even though the center section may be more porous.
An object of the invention is to provide an integrated hydrostatic transaxle having the structure referred to in the preceding paragraph.
Still another object of the invention is to have, in combination, a hydrostatic transmission comprising a pair of hydraulic displacement units each having a rotatable cylinder block with reciprocal pistons, and a housing for said displacement units providing a fluid sump, said rotatable cylinder blocks having their axes of rotation normal to each other, a one-piece L-shaped center section separate from said housing and having first and second faces at right angles to each other, said center section being positioned to have said first face engage an end of one rotatable cylinder block and the second face engage an end of the other rotatable cylinder block, each of said center section faces having arcuate fluid ports for coaction with a rotatable cylinder block, a first straight fluid passage in said center section connecting one of the ports on each face and terminating at one of said ports, a second straight fluid passage in said center section connecting another of the ports on each face and terminating at one of said ports, said center section being of material which may be sufficiently porous to permit leakage of high pressure fluid from whichever one of said straight fluid passages contains high pressure fluid with said leakage flowing to said fluid sump, and said center section having third and fourth straight fluid passages intersecting said first and second fluid passages, respectively, and opening to a surface of said center section opposite to one of the faces thereof for mounting of check valves.
Still another object of the invention is to have the combination as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein said first and second fluid passages are generally parallel, said center section has a through bore extending perpendicular to and positioned between said first and second fluid passages, a fifth fluid passage extending generally parallel to and positioned between said first and second fluid passages and opening to said bore for delivery of make-up fluid to said bore, and a sixth fluid passage extending between the fifth fluid passage and a recess set back from the surface to which the third and fourth fluid passages open for communication with a source of filtered make-up fluid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the integrated hydrostatic transaxle, taken looking toward the left in FIG. 2;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the integrated hydrostatic transaxle, with parts broken away;
FIG. 3 is a vertical section, taken generally along the line 3--3 in FIG. 2, and on an enlarged scale;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section of the bottom part of the housing and structure related thereto, as shown generally along section 4--4 in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of structure shown in FIG. 2:
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section, taken generally along the line 6--6 in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a vertical section of the center section, taken generally along the line 7--7 in FIG. 8 and with check valve and bypass structure shown in association therewith;
FIG. 8 is a top view of the center section for the hydrostatic transmission;
FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the center section of the hydrostatic transmission;
FIG. 10 is a side elevation of the center section, looking toward the right side thereof, as shown in FIG. 8; and
FIG. 11 is a vertical section of the center section, taken generally along the line 11--11 in FIG. 8 and with the structure associated with the center section being omitted.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The integrated hydrostatic transaxle is shown generally in FIGS. 1 to 3.
The integrated hydrostatic transaxle has a common housing 10 for the components thereof. The common housing 10 is of two parts, with a top part 12 and a bottom part 14 which are joined together along a split line 16 which is disposed generally horizontal when the integrated hydrostatic transaxle is installed in operative position. The housing parts 12 and 14 are held in assembled relation by a series of bolts 18 extending through peripheral flanges of the top and bottom housing parts which abut at the split line 16.
The shape of the housing parts in plan is shown in FIG. 2 wherein a portion of the top housing part 12 is seen in the lower left part of the Figure and with the remainder thereof broken away to show the bottom housing part 14.
The common housing 10 encloses a hydrostatic transmission having a pair of hydraulic displacement units, indicated generally at 20 and 22, respectively, and also houses transaxle components, seen particularly in FIG. 2. The transaxle components include a pair of oppositely-extending axles 23 and 24 having ends extended beyond the bottom housing part for mounting of drive wheels (not shown) and their centerlines are coincident with the housing split line 16. The bottom housing part 14 has bearings 25 and 26 at the outboard ends and thrust bearings 27 and 27a at the inboard ends of the axles for rotatable support thereof and with the axles being geared together through a differential, indicated generally at 28. This differential includes bevel gears 29 and 30 at the inner end of the respective axles 23 and 24 with drive input gears thereto including a gear 31 which meshes with an output gear 32 of a gear reduction drive. The gear reduction drive has a drive input connection from the hydraulic displacement unit 22, with the output shaft 35 (FIG. 3) of the litter having a gear 36 which meshes with a gear 37. The latter gear is rotatably fixed to a gear 38 which meshes with the previously-mentioned gear 32.
A brake for the drive is mounted externally of the common housing 10 and associated with an end of the drive output shaft 35, with this brake structure, including a brake 40, a brake drum 41 and a brake cover 42.
Each of the hydraulic displacement units 20 and 22 is shown in detail in FIG. 3 and is of generally the same construction. The hydraulic displacement unit 20 has a rotatable cylinder block 45 connected by a splined connection 46 to a drive input shaft 47 having an internal end rotatable in a journal 47a positioned in a center section, indicated generally at 48, of the hydrostatic transmission. The outboard end of the drive input shaft 47 is rotatably supported by the top housing part 12 by means of a bearing 49. A lip seal 50 seals the shaft opening in the top housing part 12.
The rotatable cylinder block 45 has a series of piston-receiving chambers, each of which movably mount a piston 51 of a relatively large diameter and with each of the pistons 51 being urged by an associated spring 52 into following engagement with a swashplate structure. The hydraulic displacement unit 20 has overcenter variable displacement, with this operation being achieved by angular adjustment of a swashplate 54 which, as well known in the art, can have its angle varied from the clockwise position shown in FIG. 3 to an opposite extreme position in a known manner and by manually operable structure, not shown. The swashplate can pivot about a pivot axis in a counterclockwise direction and past a horizontal center position, as viewed in FIG. 3. The swashplate 54, as known in the art, mounts a thrust plate 55 against which the pistons abut and a bearing and bearing guide structure rotatably support the thrust plate 55 relative to the body of the swashplate.
Each of the piston-receiving chambers has a passage 57 opening to a face of the rotatable cylinder block 45 for coaction with arcuate ports of the center section 48 which will be described subsequently.
The hydraulic displacement unit 22 is a fixed displacement unit and has a rotatable cylinder block 58 with a plurality of piston-receiving chambers each movably mounting a piston 59 which is spring-urged by a spring 60 toward a swashplate 61. The swashplate 61 has a thrust plate 62 against which an end of the pistons engages and a ball thrust bearing 63 interposed between the thrust plate and the swashplate to rotatably mount the thrust plate.
The rotatable cylinder block 58 drives the drive output shaft 35 through a splined connection 64 therebetween.
An inner end of the drive output shaft 35 rotates within an opening 65 in the center section 48 which may optionally receive a journal 66 and, if the journal is not used, the opening 65 is cylindrical as shown in FIG. 11. The outboard end of the drive output shaft 35 is sealed by a lip seal 67 and with bearing structure disposed interiorly thereof including a ball bearing 68.
Each of the piston-receiving chambers of the rotatable cylinder block 58 has a passage 69 opening to a face thereof which coact with arcuate ports associated with a face of the center section 48 to be subsequently described.
Since the hydraulic displacement unit 22 is of a fixed displacement, the swashplate 61 need not be adjustably mounted and, therefore, can be supported by the common housing 10 against hydraulic forces exerted through the pistons 59. As seen in FIG. 3, the centerline of the drive output shaft 35 is located on the split line 16 of the housing parts 12 and 14 and extends through a central opening 69 in the swashplate 61. The swashplate 61 spans the split line and support thereof against fluid forces is provided by the common housing at both sides of the split line.
The foregoing description generally describes the integrated hydrostatic transaxle wherein the bottom housing part 14 provides a common sump for the transaxle components as is evident in FIGS. 1 and 2 and also for the hydrostatic transmission as is evident from FIGS. 1 to 3.
The hydraulic displacement units 20 and 22 have their respective rotatable cylinder blocks arranged with their axes of rotation generally at right angles to each other. It is the primary function of the center section 48 to provide communication between selected piston-receiving chambers of the respective cylinder blocks 45 and 58. In achieving this primary function, center section 48 has been uniquely designed to minimize costly machining operations and enable formation of the body of the center section by casting. Examples of such casting, without limitation, are lost foam casting and die casting. The resulting material of the cast body of the center section has a relatively high degree of porosity as compared to a conventional machined center section for a hydrostatic transmission and in order to assure any leakage problem of high pressure fluid contained within a passage in the center section, because of porosity, is confined within the common housing, the center section 48 has been constructed as a separate one-piece center section which is positionable within the bottom housing part 14 as seen in FIG. 3. The one-piece center section 48 is generally L-shaped to have a pair of faces generally at right angles to each other with one planar face 72 coacting with a face of the rotatable cylinder block 45 of the variable displacement unit 20 and a second planar face 73 coacting with a face of the rotatable cylinder block 58 of the hydraulic displacement unit 22. The center section body has two integral parts 74 and 75 oriented to have the two parts define the legs of the L shape of the center section, with the part 74 having the planar face 72 and the part 75 having the planar face 73.
The planar face 72 has a pair of arcuate ports 76 and 77 and the planar face 73 has a pair of arcuate ports 78 and 79, as seen in FIGS. 8 and 10, respectively.
First and second straight, generally parallel passages 80 and 81 are cast into the center section body and function to intersect the arcuate ports and place the arcuate ports in paired relation for fluid communication. The first passage 80 intersects with arcuate port 76 and arcuate port 78 to provide a first pair of ports in fluid communication. The second passage 81 intersects arcuate ports 77 and 79 and places them in paired fluid communication.
In operation of the integrated hydrostatic transaxle, one or the other of the first and second fluid passages functions to deliver fluid under pressure from the variable displacement unit 20 functioning as a pump to the fixed displacement unit 22, functioning as a motor, and with the other fluid passage providing for return of fluid from the motor to the pump. The first and second fluid passages 80 and 81 terminate at one end at their intersection with the arcuate ports 78 and 79 and are closed at their other end as formed in the casting process.
The center section 48 has a third passage 84 intersecting said first passage 80 and a fourth passage 85 intersecting the second passage 81, with the passages 84 and 85 opening to a surface 86 of the center section opposite to the planar face 72.
A through bore 87 extends perpendicular to and is positioned between the first and second fluid passages 80 and 81 and a fifth fluid passage 88, sealed intermediate its ends by journal 47a, extends generally parallel to the through bore 87 and is positioned between the first and second fluid passages 80 and 81. A sixth fluid passage 90 extends between and normal to the fifth fluid passage 88 and a recess 91 in the center section set back from the surface 86 of the center section.
The utility of the through bore and third through sixth passages will be readily understood by reference to FIGS. 3 to 7 and the following description.
The third and fourth fluid passages 84 and 85 mount a pair of check valves which each having a tubular seat member 93 and 94, respectively, fitted therein and which form seats for a pair of check valve balls 95 and 96 spring-urged downwardly against the seats. The check valves function, when closed, to block fluid flow from either of the first and second passages 80 and 81 to a recess or well 100 (FIG. 3) formed by a cavity in the bottom housing port 14. This recess is generally oval and is defined by a continuous upstanding wall on the bottom housing part with wall sections shown at 101 and 102. The lower ends of the third and fourth passages 84 and 85 open into this generally oval recess. The oval recess 100 is sealed off, at its top, by a generally oval-shaped wall 103 on the underside of the center section 48 and which has a sealing O-ring 104 therebetween. This is a sealed recess or well so that filtered fluid in the recess may be a source of make-up fluid to the hydrostatic transmission. Structure associated with the check valves also provides for a bypass function wherein, even though the pump is set at a displacement and is operable, there is no drive of the motor since the first and second passages 80 and 81 are cross-connected through opening of the check valves and the generally oval recess 100.
The make-up fluid is delivered to the generally oval recess 100 from the common sump within the bottom housing part 14 by flow through an open space beneath the center section 48 (FIG. 3) and through a cylindrical filter 110 having O-ring seals at its top and bottom. The interior of the filter 110 communicates with the sixth fluid passage 90 in the center section. As previously described, the sixth fluid passage 90 communicates with the fifth fluid passage 88 and the fifth fluid passage 88 communicates with the through bore 87 so that fluid reaches the recess 100.
The center section has a series of through mounting holes at 115, 116, and 117 whereby, as seen in FIG. 3, in assembly, the center section 48 can be secured to the upper housing part 12, as by self-tapping screws 118 and the final assembly achieved by bringing the bottom housing part 14 into association with the top housing part 12 along the split line 16.
All of the first through sixth fluid passages of the center section as well as the through bore 87, recess 65, recess 91 and through mounting holes 115-117 can be formed in the center section in a casting process. There is only a limited amount of machining required to finish the center section. As previously stated, a cast center section has a higher porosity than a conventional machined center section, which could create the possibility of leakage from whichever of the first and second passages 80 and 81 may have pressure fluid therein however, the one-piece, integral center section which is independent of the housings avoids any problem from such leakage since such leakage would merely be into the common sump of the integrated hydrostatic transaxle and which is open to atmosphere through a bleed tube 140.
The bypass operation previously referred to is effected by opening the check valves by raising the check valve balls 95 and 96 off their seats. The structure for this includes a bypass actuator structure including a bypass actuator plate 120 and a bypass rod 121. The bypass actuator plate 120, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 7, is positioned in the generally oval recess 100 in the bottom housing part 14 and, at its middle, is connected to the lower end of the bypass rod 121 and has a pair of upturned ends (FIG. 7) positioned beneath the check valve balls 95 and 96. Lifting of the bypass rod 121 causes the bypass actuator plate to lift the check valve balls and place the center section first and second passages 80 and 81 in fluid communication. Lifting of the bypass rod 121 is achieved by rotation of a handle 125 positioned above top housing part 12 and, as seen particularly in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5. The bypass rod 121 is longitudinally movable in an opening 126 in the top housing part 12 as well as having its lower part extending downwardly through the through bore 87 of the center section and is normally urged downwardly by a spring 127. As seen in FIG. 6, the handle 125 has cam shapes 130 formed thereon which coact with ends of a through pin 131 fitted into an end of the bypass rod 121. Rotation of the handle 125 from the position shown in the drawings to bring the cams 130 under the through pin 131 raises the through pin and the bypass rod 121 to establish the bypass operation.
The bypass rod 121 and center section 48 are uniquely associated with the housing structure whereby a bypass operation also results in bleeding air from the system fluid. When the bypass rod 121 is in its lower position and the check valves are closed, the upper end of the through bore 87 of the center section 48 is closed by a seal washer 135 backed up by peripheral flange on the bypass rod, so that there is no fluid communication between the through bore 87 and the interior of the common housing 10. When the bypass rod 121 is raised to effect a bypass operation, the seal washer 135 is moved upwardly from its seat whereby the upper end of the through bore 87 is open to the interior of the common housing and air can bleed off to the housing interior. Air that accumulates in the common sump can bleed off to atmosphere through the bleed tube 140 (FIG. 1).
It is believed that the operation of the integrated hydrostatic transaxle is clearly apparent from the foregoing description. However, it may be briefly summarized as follows. An engine drives the drive input shaft 47 for the variable displacement unit 20 (functioning as a pump) to cause operation of the displacement unit 22 (functioning as a motor) and the drive output shaft 35 drives the transaxle components shown in FIG. 2 for rotation of the wheel axles 23 and 24. The direction of rotation of the wheel axles can be shifted from forward to reverse by shifting the swashplate 54 of the variable displacement unit 20 to a position opposite side of center from that shown in FIG. 3 and with resulting reversal of pressure fluid flow through the center section 48 from the pump to the motor. In the event there is to be no rotation of the wheel axles 23 and 24 while the pump is still operating and set for displacement, a bypass operation is achieved by rotation of the handle 125 to raise the bypass rod 121 and open the check valve balls 95 and 96. As previously mentioned, any air in the passages in the center section can bleed to the sump of the common housing. Either one of the check valves can automatically open to provide make-up fluid to the transmission circuit from the generally oval recess 100 when the pressure existing in one or the other of the first and second straight passages 80 and 81 in the center section is sufficiently less than that of the fluid in the oval recess to overcome the spring closing force on a check valve ball.
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An integrated hydrostatic transmission has a housing comprised of two separable elements detachably joined together along a substantially horizontal parting plane. A hydrostatic transmission including a hydrostatic pump, a hydrostatic motor, and a center section is separately mounted within the housing. The center section comprises a generally L-shaped member having a hydrostatic pump and motor mounting surfaces thereon disposed at right angles to each other. A pair of fluid ports is on each of the mounting surfaces, and internal passageways are in the L-shaped member connecting each of the fluid ports on one of the mounting surfaces with one of said fluid ports being on the other of the mounting surfaces. The L-shaped member comprises first and second legs integrally joined and extending at right angles to each other, with the first leg normally extending in a horizontal direction, and the second leg normally extending in a vertical direction. The first leg has upper and lower surfaces with the pump mounting surface being located on the upper surface. The pump is mounted on the pump mounting surface and has an axis of rotation. The second leg has a first surface extending upwardly from the upper surface of the first leg, and a second surface opposite and parallel to the first surface of the second leg with the motor mounting surface being on the second surface of the second leg. The motor has an axis of rotation perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the pump being mounted on the second surface of the second leg. The pump has an input power shaft extending through the housing.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/476,259, filed on Jan. 3, 2000 for Circular Flying Dick Toy, the disclosure thereof being incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to toys and amusement devices and more particularly to an aerodynamic disc consisting of a circular center airfoil centered within a circular outer rim or ring.
2. Description of Related Art
Flying saucer devices, or so-called “frisbees,” are known in the prior art. Such devices have been used as throwing implements or toys, typically in games of “catch.” Such devices typically employ a central disc portion and a rim extending downwardly from and circumscribing the central disc, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,678.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a flying disc toy including a cylindrical rim having a circular top edge running parallel to a circular bottom edge. A flat circular central airfoil having a circular edge is attached to the inner circumference of the rim such that the vertical height of the cylindrical rim extends beyond the circular edge in opposite directions by equal amounts. In addition, the central airfoil has a small aperture at its symmetrical center through which a cord of elastic or inelastic material is passed and tethered to the airfoil by a knot, either through a spherical bead or knot. When thrown, the flying disc provides increased gyroscopic effect and stability. The cord tethered to the disc may be used for catching, throwing, holding, or moving the disc about while it is spinning.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The just summarized invention will now be described in detail in conjunction with the drawings of which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken at 2 — 2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken at 3 — 3 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6 — 6 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 6 — 6 of FIG. 5 showing an alternative attachment method for the cord;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 with a cord tether.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A flying disc toy 11 according to a preferred embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The center circular portion or airfoil 13 of this disc toy 11 is planar, constructed of a plastic foam board, or any other equivalent light-weight material and can vary in diameter, e.g., between 5 inches to 12 inches. The outer rim 15 is cylindrical, comprised of the same material as the airfoil 13 , and may vary in height from 1 inch to 2 inches in correlation to the size of the center circular portion or airfoil 13 .
The outer rim 15 is positioned around the airfoil 13 and attached at a 90 degree angle with a glue gun or other adhesive. In the alternative, the outer rim and airfoil are molded as one piece. The outer rim 15 is attached to the airfoil 13 such that the center line 17 of the edge of the airfoil 13 bisects the side surface 20 so that equal portions 19 of the side surface 20 extend to each side of center line 17 . For a 10 inch diameter disc, for example, the side portions 19 may each be about ¾ inch. As a result, the top and bottom of the flying disc toy 11 are mirror images of one another.
After the outer rim 15 is attached to the airfoil 13 , silicone is applied over the perimeter of seams 21 , or “equatorial line,” where the outer rim 15 connects to the airfoil 13 . The Silicone is smoothed evenly around the entire circumference on both sides to that both sides, have a smoothed layer of silicone 16 where the airfoil 13 and outer rim 15 connect. This treatment increases the circumferential weight at the outer rim 15 , increasing the gyroscopic effect tending to level the disc in flight.
The height of the rim 15 in relation to the diameter of the airfoil 13 determines distance performance. Thus, for example, with an airfoil diameter of 8 inches, use of a vertical rim height 14 of 1½ inches results in substantially more air resistance than a vertical rim height of 1¼ inches. A ratio of diameter versus height of rim could vary from a ratio of 5:1 to a ratio of 8:1 without significantly effecting performance. Only the distance of flight is affected by this ratio. Greater height of the outer vertical rim results in more air caught between the airfoil and the outer rim, thus resulting in a more pronounced floating effect. A ratio of diameter to rim height greater than 9 to 1 has been found to result in instability of flight causing the flying disc to veer to the right or left.
For production purposes, it is presently preferred to fabricate a flying disc 33 (FIGS. 3 and 4) by a plastic injection molding process. The result is a molded plastic body including a flat circular airfoil 37 bounded about its perimeter by a rim portion 35 extending an equal distance on each side of the airfoil 37 . The rim portion 35 is at a 90 degree angle to the airfoil 37 for the entire circumference of the airfoil. The circumferential weight 36 in the form of extra material at the outer ring 35 , where the center airfoil 37 connects to the outer rim 35 is added as needed during the injection molding pricess. The outer surface 39 of the rim portion 35 may curve upwardly and downwardly from the center airfoil 37 enabling manual projection from either of the two identical sides.
The flying disc 33 is thus shaped to provide a body having an aerodynamic profile, such that when it is flung through the air with a spinning motion, it appears to sail, or “float,” through the air. The spinning motion imparted by a wrist-flick gyroscopically stabilizes the flight.
Flying discs such as those shown in FIGS. 1-4 may be thrown by the user in a backhanded motion with one hand, keeping the arm parallel with the ground, and ending the throw with a snapping motion of the wrist. Variations of the angle of the arm at launch determine the angle of flight relative to altitude and direction.
The flying discs 11 , 33 are easier to throw and catch due to their shape, levelness, and the effect of “floating” toward the receiving individual, rather than being “whipped” toward that individual. Children adapt to the flying toy more quickly and easily, due to the steadiness of the flight and the ability to toss the flying disc along a more level path and at a shorter range. This flying disc can also be thrown in areas that previously did not lend themselves to this activity because the discs can be comfortably thrown at a closer range than those of the prior art, which is especially important in densely populated areas. Thus, a large playing field is unnecessary, and the flying disc of this invention can be comfortably used in an average-sized yard. It is also impossible for the flying disc to be upside-down when thrown since both the top and bottom are identical.
Enjoyment of the flying disc toy 11 can be enhanced by adding a cord 45 (FIG. 5) that is attached to the symmetrical center of the airfoil 13 . The cord 45 may be an elastic bungie-type cord or a non-elastic strap or strip of plastic or string strong enough to withstand the forces exerted on it during play. The cord 45 is preferably {fraction (1/16)} inch to ¼ inch wide and 12 to 60 inches long.
The cord 45 is attached to the airfoil 13 by any one of a number of ways. An aperture 43 may be placed in the airfoil at its symmetrical center. The aperture should be no larger than an ⅛ inch in diameter. A spherical bead of glass, steel, or plastic, or equivalent material, with a hole through its center is threaded onto the cord 45 and placed at one end 49 where it is held by a knot 48 , bulge, or equivalent. The other end of the cord 45 is threaded through the aperture 43 in the airfoil 13 . The bottom side of airfoil 13 then rests on the bead 47 . When the flying disc toy is spinning, it rotates around the cord 61 on the bead 63 , with the bead 63 acting as a relatively frictionless bearing.
The cord 45 may alternatively be attached to the airfoil 13 by a swivel attachment 53 (FIG. 7) that is placed at the symmetrical center of the airfoil 13 .
The flying disc toy 33 with a curved outer surface 39 on its outer rim 35 , also has an aperture 59 in the airfoil 37 at its symmetrical center. A spherical bead 47 held between a stop 49 and the bottom of the airfoil 37 acts as a bearing surface for the rotation of the disc 33 about its cord 45 .
In use, the cord 45 is held by one hand which the other hand is used to start the disc spinning. The disc will continue to spin on its axis maintaining its orientation with the play surface while it is propelled back and fourth, up and down and around, by manipulation of the cord 45 . When the cord 45 is attached to a long pole, the flying disc can be manipulated high in the air with hovering and darting movements that resemble a flying saucer. In this manner, the flying disc toy can be used and enjoyed by a single individual. The flying disc toy with elastic cord can thus be used as a hybrid, gyroscope spinning yo-yo.
When multiple users are involved in multiple-user play, the disc may be caught by its cord. When so caught, the disc continues to spin and glide from the force of the spinning thrust until its inertia is negated by the capture of the elastic cord. When captured, its path comes to a mild stop and begins to move in the opposite direction, as it continues to spin.
In an alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a flying disc toy is shown wherein the airfoil 13 has an indentation at its symmetrical center to permit the disc to rotate and spin on a pointed object 57 , like a pen or pencil, for example.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
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A flying disc toy includes a cylindrical rim and a flat circular airfoil located within the rim. The centerline of the edge of the airfoil is positioned to bisect the side surface of the rim, resulting in a flying disc toy of increased stability and throwing ease. A cord, preferably of elastic material, is tethered to the symmetrical center of the circular airfoil.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention finds application in the structured finance industry, and generally in the field of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and asset backed securities (ABS). In particular, the present invention provides a solution for avoiding traditional constraints in financing the equity of the owners trust securitization that utilizes time tranching due to the risk of loosing favorable tax treatment under a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) exemption of the Taxable Mortgage Pool (TMP) regulations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Securitization is the process of converting various types of assets with limited liquidity into liquid and marketable securities. It is a financial tool that has become vastly popular among financial institutions and corporations. It enables banks to free up regulatory capital, corporations to raise capital more cheaply and institutional investors to have access to highly rated securities with very competitive returns.
[0003] Almost any kind of asset can be securitized. Popular candidates for securitization include trade receivables, credit card balances, consumer loans, lease receivables, automobile loans, and other consumer and business receivables. In fact, any financial asset which entitles its holder to receive a specified stream of payments may be suitable for securitization. The assets most commonly securitized by dollar volume are single family residential mortgage loans. One of the reasons for securitization of mortgage loans is that securitization provides a vehicle for transforming relatively non-liquid, individual financial assets into liquid and tradable capital market instruments. Generally, the principle and interest payment on the issued securities are based on the collections received from the financial assets.
[0004] The basic securitization transaction typically involves a transfer of financial assets from the owner to a securitization entity which issues the securities to investors. That is, there are usually four key parties to a securitization transaction:
1) an entity which issues the securities for the assets; 2) an investor who wants to acquire the securities backed by the payments to be collected on the assets; 3) a transferor that is the owner of the assets; and 4) in some transactions, a credit support provider that guarantees payments to investors and thereby uses its credit to enhance the credit quality of the assets or securities backed by such assets.
[0009] As explained by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), mortgage-backed securities (MBS) are debt obligations that represent claims to the cash flows from pools of mortgage loans, most commonly on residential property. Mortgage loans are purchased from banks, mortgage companies, and other originators and then assembled into pools by a governmental, quasi-governmental, or private entity. The entity then issues securities that represent claims on the principal and interest payments made by borrowers on the loans in the pool, a process known as securitization. MBSs exhibit a variety of structures. The most basic types are pass-through participation certificates, which entitle the holder to a pro-rata share of all principal and interest payments made on the pool of loan assets. See “Mortgage-Backed Securities,” http://www.sec.gov/answers/mortgagesecurities.htm, (Modified: Feb. 11, 2003).
[0010] For example, an entity such as a brokerage firm or a bank, can issue mortgage-backed securities which represent an undivided beneficial ownership interest in a group or pool of one or more mortgages. In this regard, the mortgage-backed security process begins with a mortgage loan. The loan is made by a financial institution or other lender to a borrower to finance or refinance the purchase of a home or other property. These loans are made to borrowers under varying terms (for example, 15-year, 30-year, fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, and so on). During the life of the loan, the balance is generally amortized, or reduced, until it is paid off. The borrower usually repays the loan in monthly installments that typically include both principal and interest. Because mortgage loans may take years to pay off, lenders must find ways to replenish their funds in order to make more mortgage loans. To do this, lenders sell groups of mortgages with similar characteristics into the secondary mortgage market to issuers or guarantors of mortgage-backed securities. The entity pools loans that generally conform to certain standards and converts them into single-class mortgage-backed securities, which the entity then guarantees as to timely payment of principal and interest. See “Basics of Fannie Mae MBS,” http://www.fanniemae.com/mbs/mbsbasics/index.jhtml?p=Mortgage-Backed+Securities&s=Basics+of+Fannie+Mae+MBS, (Last Revised: Oct. 28, 2005)
[0011] Securitization transactions can also create multiple classes of securities. Creating multiple classes of securities gives more flexibility in terms of the ability to sell the securities to different levels of investors. A “tranche” (from the French, meaning “slice”) in the context of a securitization, refers to one class of securities issued in a transaction that created multiple classes issued simultaneously. For example, in a deal that uses a senior/subordinate structure, the senior and subordinate classes are the tranches of the deal. Such a deal is described as using “credit tranching.” Another example is “time tranching” which applies to sequential pay structures where most senior classes are paid first and the most subordinate classes are paid last.
[0012] From a tax standpoint, the primary concern with asset securitization is the tax treatment of the entity which issues the securities. In this regard, an important consideration is that the entity which issues the securities not be subject to double-taxation: a corporate level tax and tax on distributions received by the security holders. That is, the entity should be “transparent” from a tax perspective.
[0013] As described in detail in Kenneth G. Lore and Cameron L Cowan, “Mortgage-Backed Securities,” West's Securities Law Handbook Series (2004), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, when structuring securities backed by pools of mortgages, tax considerations arise under Treasury regulations issued under Code Section 7701(i) (the “TMP regulations”), which provide guidance for determining whether an entity is a taxable mortgage pool. In particular, TMP regulations provide that the purpose of the taxable mortgage pool rules is to prevent income generated by a pool of real estate mortgages from escaping Federal Income taxation when the pool is used to issue multiple class mortgage-backed securities.
[0014] A type of entity which is transparent from the perspective of the TMP regulations is a trust which meets two key criteria: fixed investments and a prohibition against the equity of a trust being owned by more than one entity. With regard to the fixed investment requirement, in order to receive the treatment as a trust, rather than a corporation, the trust agreement cannot confer upon the trustee or some other party a power to vary the investment of the certificate holders. With regard to the multiple classes of ownership requirement, the TMP regulations ordinarily classify a trust with multiple classes of beneficial ownership as an association taxable as a corporation or a partnership.
[0015] An example of an entity that may be deemed transparent from a tax perspective under the TMP regulations is an owner trust that is formed as a trust under state law where a transferor contributes or sells the assets to the owner trust and takes in return equity interests in the owner trust represented by the trust certificates plus cash. The owner trust issues its debt instruments to investors and uses the proceeds to provide the consideration for the transfer of the assets from the transferor. The transferor then either retains the trust certificates or sells them to other investors. The owner trust holds the assets and uses cash flow from the assets to service the debt. That is, the owner trust issues two classes of securities: (i) debt instruments, and (ii) trust certificates.
[0016] One of the basic principles of federal income tax law is that the substance of a transaction rather than its form governs the treatment of the transaction under the federal income tax laws. Accordingly, if an owner trust, in substance, is no different than an investment trust with multiple classes of ownership, then it could conceivably be treated by the IRS as an association taxable as a corporation or a partnership. To prevent such a characterization, the transaction is structured so that its substance is viewed as a debt financing. This requires that owner trust have substantial and continuing economic rights in the assets.
[0017] Thus, within a conventional owner trust structure, debt-for tax, rather than sale-for tax, transactions are performed. Debt-for tax transactions are a type of securitization in which the issuer is not treated as having sold the assets which are used to secure the debt issued but rather borrowed the money. A debt-for tax transaction does not give rise to any gain or loss for tax purposes. However, there are limitations on such transaction that must be met in order to avoid creating a TMP subject to a corporate level taxation. One of the limitations is that time-tranching is not available if the corporate level taxation of the TMP is to be avoided. Another limitation is that multiple classes of debt are allowed only if paid pro rata. That is, while senior and subordinate bonds are permitted, the principle payments to all the bond holders, senior and subordinate, must be made pro rata so that only the losses may be allocated to subordinate bonds first. In other words, a structure having multiple classes of debt with different maturity where senior bonds are paid down first and subordinate bonds after, i.e., sequentially (as in time-tranching) is not permitted.
[0018] Thus, such a structure is considered inferior to a structure which permits, for example multiple classes of debt with time-tranching, because the economics afforded through the multiple class time-tranched transactions are typically more flexible than can be achieved with single class debt transactions. That is, economic advantage is due to the issuer being able to take advantage of the yield curve and issue bonds that have a shorter average life, while greater flexibility is due to a greater investment base that can be achieved by customizing the bond to meet specific investors' desire to have a shorter average life bond.
[0019] So, the trade-off of the owner trust structure is that, while debt-for tax transactions are available, the structuring flexibility is not. Accordingly, while the owner trust structures provide certain tax advantages by having debt-for tax transactions, they afford limited flexibility to, for example, time-tranche which is available in a sales-for tax transaction. See “Common Terms In Structured Finance”, Thacher Proffitt, www.tpw.com (2006).
[0020] In 1960, the U.S. Congress amended the tax laws to create a real estate investment trust (REIT), and in the Tax Reform Act (TRA) of 1986 permitted the creation of real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs), which were designed to alleviate some of the above-noted drawbacks of the then available financing vehicles. See James M. Peaslee and David Z. Nirenberg, “Federal Income Taxation of Securitization Transactions”, Third Edition, Published by Frank J. Fabozzi Associates (2001), the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
[0021] Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit (REMIC)
[0022] TRA of 1986 permitted the creation of real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) which were designed to alleviate some of the above-noted drawbacks of the then available financing vehicles, including REITs and owner trusts. Thus, effective for mortgage pools created on or after Jan. 1, 1992, and for mortgage pools to which substantial assets are transferred on or after Jan. 1, 1992, REMICs are virtually the only non-taxable vehicles capable of issuing multi-class securities with staggered maturity (time-tranched) secured by REMIC eligible assets as defined by the TRA of 1986. REMIC eligible assets primarily include qualified mortgages which are obligation principally secured by interest in real property. Today, the REMIC structure is the most common vehicle for issuing mortgage-backed securities.
[0023] Thus, the REMIC structure is used when the parties want to achieve more flexibility in structuring the cash flows from the secured assets to meet investor demands and obtain a more beneficial economic execution, while avoiding corporate level taxation under TMP regulations. That is, REMIC regulations allow securitization of mortgage loans via creation of new entities that are exempt from corporate level taxation. The new entities are treated as transparent entities for tax purposes where the security holders are paying taxes on the distributions. There is a requirement in making a REMIC election that the transfer of the loans itself be treated for tax purposes, so that the sponsor of the transfer would be deemed to have sold those loans for tax purposes, as opposed to having performed a debt-for tax transaction. Accordingly, there may be a tax associated with what the sponsors execute on the sale transaction (based on the sponsor's tax basis). However, after that transaction, the REMIC entity is free from corporate level taxation—it is treated as a transparent entity. Therefore, making a REMIC election is very advantageous for tax purposes by avoiding double taxation.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 9 , an example of a REMIC structure is describe as follows. HHL 20 sells whole loan residential mortgage pool to a taxable (rather than “qualified” as in the owner trust structure example described below with reference to FIG. 8 ) REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) 21 . It is to be noted that, while a REIT and a TRS are shown herein as bond holders, one of ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate that other entities can be utilized. The TRS 21 sells whole loans to the Depositor 23 . Transfer of whole loans to the Depositor 23 would be treated as a sale for tax purposes. The Depositor 23 deposits the mortgage loans into the Asset-Backed Certificates Trust (“Trust”) 26 and the Trust 26 issues senior and subordinate REMIC certificates to the Depositor 23 . The Depositor 23 transfers to the REIT 24 a portion, or all, of the subordinate certificates to be retained by the REIT 24 . Depositor 23 delivers the REMIC certificates to be sold to the Securities Corporation (“SC”) 22 pursuant to an underwriting agreement. The SC 22 sells senior, and/or subordinate, certificates to the ABS investors 25 and delivers net proceeds to the Depositor 23 .
[0025] Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)
[0026] As described in detail in Chan Su Han et al., “Real Estate Investment Trusts,” Oxford University Press (2003), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, in 1960, the U.S. Congress amended the tax laws to create a real estate investment trust (REIT) as an investment vehicle for the express purpose of providing investors with an opportunity to invest in real properties and, at the same time, to enjoy the same benefits provided to shareholders in investment trusts.
[0027] A traditional REIT is a fund created exclusively for holding real properties, mortgage-related assets, or both. In order to make REITs a more attractive investment, Congress waived the corporate-level income tax on REITs if they met certain conditions set by tax laws governing them. Subsequently, in the Tax Reform Act of 1976, and still further in the Tax Reform Act of 1986, Congress allowed REITs more flexibility to deal with changing economic condition, thus reducing the likelihood that a REIT would inadvertently lose its tax status because of a failure to meet strict qualification requirements. These requirements were modified still further in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and the REIT Modernization Act of 1999. While the tax laws governing REITs have changed significantly since Congress has created the REIT industry in 1960, the REIT has remained a liquid and fungible real estate investment vehicle characterized by the absence of the double-taxation of income. That is, under the REIT exemption to the TMP regulations, by utilizing an owner trust structure, a debt-for tax treatment for tax purposes, as well as other regulatory advantages, can be achieved.
[0028] The limitation, however, is that the equity, which is typically the residual and the most subordinate classes, or essentially the credit support for the class of debt (having debt means having equity), must be of a certain required amount in order to receive the debt-for tax opinion. The equity must be held by a qualified REIT at all times in order to maintain the REIT exemption to the TMP regulations. If all or a portion of the equity is transferred to a non-qualifying REIT, the REIT exemption to the TMP regulations is no longer applicable, which results in (“triggers”) the imposition of corporate level tax which is in addition to the tax applicable to the distributions to holder of REIT's securities. The transfer of all or a portion of the equity to a non-qualifying REIT is an example of a “TMP triggering event”.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 8 , an example of an owner trust transaction utilizing a REIT structure is described as follows. A Holder of Home Loans (“HHL”) 10 sells a whole loan residential mortgage pool to a qualified REIT subsidiary (“QRS”) 11 . QRS 11 sells the whole loans to a “Depositor” 13 , the sale being a “true sale” under the applicable Treasury regulations. The transfer of loans to the Depositor 13 is not be viewed under the Treasury regulations as a sale for tax purposes, but a mere facilitation of the securitization. The Depositor 13 deposits the mortgage loans into an Asset-Backed Certificates Trust (the “Trust”) 16 . The Trust 16 issues senior and subordinate notes to the Depositor 13 . Depositor 13 delivers: (1) owner trust certificates (“OTC”), and any subordinate and mezzanine notes required to be retained by the REIT in order to obtain the debt-for tax treatment, to REIT Holding Company (“REIT”) 14 ; and (2) senior notes to a Securities Corporation (“SC”) 12 pursuant to an underwriting agreement. The SC 12 sells senior notes to the ABS investors 15 and delivers proceeds, net of underwriting fee to Depositor 13 . Initially, the REIT 14 may desire to also hold senior notes, and could sell them through the SC 12 at a later date, assuming equity level at that time is sufficient. The REIT 14 must hold sufficient equity, generally 4% to 6% equity in subordinated notes, to obtain a debt-for tax opinion and achieve debt-for tax treatment.
[0030] TMP Triggering Event
[0031] A TMP triggering event occurs if, for example, the entity that is holding the equity no longer qualifies under the REIT exemption to the TMP regulations. In order to avoid corporate level taxation, the equity will need to be sold to a qualified REIT buyer. If a non-qualifying buyer (for example, a buyer that does not qualify as a REIT) were to purchase the equity, a TMP triggering event would result, and the holder of the equity would have to absorb all losses, including tax consequences, first. In this regards, if a corporate level tax is imposed, it would seriously erode the economics of the equity. Thus, when selling to a non-qualifying entity, the market value of that asset drops, and very often drops significantly.
[0032] A conventional approach to dealing with a situation where equity was transferred to a non-qualifying entity under the REIT exemption of the TMP regulations, was to attempt to create a REMIC after the transfer of the equity took place. However, this approach suffered the drawbacks of undue lapse of time and expense to, among other thing, ensure the trust-holder's cooperation and obtain bond-holders' consent because this was not embedded in the origination documents.
[0033] If the REMIC elections subsequent to a TMP triggering event were not respected, and if the trust were to fail to qualify as a REIT, or if equity securities were transferred so that they were held other than by a single entity that qualified for federal income tax purposes as a REIT, directly or indirectly through one or more qualified REIT subsidiaries of such REIT or one or more entities disregarded as entities separate from such REIT or its qualified REIT subsidiaries, the trust could become subject to federal income tax as though it were a corporation. In the event that corporate federal income taxes are imposed on the trust, the cash flow available to make payments on the notes would be reduced.
[0034] Accordingly, there is a need for a solution where the contingency of various TMP triggering events taking place is addressed at the inception, so that any TMP triggering event would automatically set in motion procedures for dealing with the TMP triggering event as a matter of operation without the drawbacks discussed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0035] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention address the above-noted drawbacks by providing methods which allow Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) issuers to issue Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) via, for example, an owner trust structure while allowing non-REIT entities to finance the equity portion of the deal. In the event of a TMP triggering event, the trust will automatically convert to a REMIC, thereby allowing non-REIT financing entity to sell the equity components.
[0036] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an upfront solution is provided to address the traditional constraints of equity financing under a REIT exemption of the TMP regulations when a TMP triggering event takes place.
[0037] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, various TMP triggering events can be addressed in a method where a trust classifiable as a TMP is created. At closing, approximately 100% of the trust certificates are acquired by at least one entity qualifying as a REIT under the TMP regulations, and at least one REMIC election is defined. So that, upon occurrence of a TMP triggering event, which causes an issuing entity to become taxable as a corporation within the meaning of the TMP regulations, the trust certificates are converted to REMIC certificates pursuant to the at least one REMIC election defined at the closing.
[0038] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a second trust may be created whereby upon occurrence of a TMP triggering event, at least a portion of the trust certificates are transferred to the second trust and the REMIC certificates are issued from the second trust.
[0039] According to an exemplary implementation, a TMP triggering event addressed by a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention occurs when an entity, which qualified as a REIT when the initial deal was affected, can no longer take advantage of the REIT exemption under the TMP regulations but does not have to transfer the equity and trust is not subject to corporate level taxation.
[0040] According to another exemplary implementation, a TMP triggering event addressed by a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention occurs when the entire equity is transferred to a non-REIT entity, or to another non-qualifying entity.
[0041] According to yet an exemplary implementation a TMP triggering event addressed by a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention occurs when equity is split so that at least a portion of the equity is transferred to a non-REIT, or to another non-qualifying entity.
[0042] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, upon occurrence of any TMP triggering event, a REMIC election takes place automatically, the trust is not taxed as a TMP, residual market value does not decrease, and investors do not have cash flow diverted to pay corporate level tax.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0043] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0044] FIG. 1 : is a flowchart illustrating procedural steps in accordance with the general concepts of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
[0045] FIGS. 2A-2I : provide an illustration of a document according to an exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the present invention where the terms and conditions which apply subsequent to a TMP triggering event are set forth upfront.
[0046] FIG. 3 : provides an illustration of a document according to an exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the present invention setting forth REMIC termination requirements upfront.
[0047] FIGS. 4A-4G : provide an illustration of a document according to an exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the present invention where respective duties of the parties are set forth upfront.
[0048] FIG. 5 : provides an illustration of a document according to an exemplary implementation of another embodiment of the present invention setting forth upfront the procedure in the case of a TMP triggering event.
[0049] FIGS. 6A-6K : provide an illustration of a document according to an exemplary implementation of another embodiment of the present invention where respective duties of the parties are set forth upfront.
[0050] FIG. 7 : is a diagrammatic summary representation of transaction parties according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0051] FIG. 8 : is a flowchart illustrating an example of a conventional owner trust transaction utilizing a REIT.
[0052] FIG. 9 : is a flowchart illustrating an example of a conventional REMIC structure.
[0053] In the illustrations of documents, as will be apparent to skilled artisans, the dollar amounts, percentages, dates, time periods, names of entities, and all other items which have been omitted are to be added pursuant to the specific terms as deemed appropriate by the participating parties.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0054] The matters defined in the description such as specific forms, method steps and entities are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions, method steps and forms are omitted for clarity and conciseness. In this regard, it is noted that the additional details of the exemplary embodiments described below are set forth in (1) INDENTURE dated Nov. 30, 2005, CWABS TRUST 2005-HYB9 Issuer and THE BANK OF NEW YORK Indenture Trustee; (2) PROSPECTUS dated Nov. 16, 2005 and PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT dated Nov. 29, 2005, CWABS, INC. Depositor, Countrywide Home Loan Servicing LP Master Server and CWABS TRUST 2005-HYB9 Issuer; (3) INDENTURE dated Mar. 22, 2006, GSC Capital Corp. Mortgage Trust 2006-1 Issuing Entity and THE BANK OF NEW YORK Indenture Trustee; (4) PROSPECTUS dated Feb. 23, 2006 and PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT dated Mar. 20, 2006, CWABS, INC. Depositor, GSC Capital Corp. QRS Delaware Holdings, Inc. Seller, Countrywide Home Loan Servicing LP Master Server and GSC Capital Corp. Mortgage Trust 2006-1 Issuing Entity; the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0055] Definition of Certain Terms
[0056] The following are definitions of the terms as used in the context of the present disclosure and as would be understood by skilled artisans. These definitions are non-limiting and are provided for illustrative purposes to facilitate understanding of certain exemplary implementations of the embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, terms within the definitions which are capitalized refer to terms of art as understood by skilled artisans, and are likewise not limiting but are merely explanatory.
[0057] Accepted Master Servicing Practices: With respect to any mortgage loan, those customary mortgage servicing practices of prudent mortgage servicing institutions that master service mortgage loans of the same type and quality as such mortgage loan in the jurisdiction where the related mortgaged property is located, to the extent applicable to the Indenture Trustee or the master servicer.
[0058] Certificate of Trust: The Certificate of Trust filed for the Trust pursuant to Section 3810(a) of the Statutory Trust Statute.
[0059] Certificateholder or Holder: The Person in whose name a Certificate is registered in the Certificate Register. Owners of Certificates that have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Holders if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Indenture Trustee or the Owner Trustee, as the case may be, the pledgee's right to so act with respect to such Certificates and that the pledgee is not the Issuing Entity, any other obligor upon the Certificates or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing Persons.
[0060] Code: The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
[0061] Eligible Account: Any of (i) an account or accounts maintained with a federal or state chartered depository institution or trust company, the long-term unsecured debt obligations and short-term unsecured debt obligations of which (or, in the case of a depository institution or trust company that is the principal subsidiary of a holding company, the debt obligations of such holding company) are rated by each Rating Agency in one of its two highest long-term and its highest short-term rating respectively, at the time any amounts are held on deposit therein, or (ii) an account or accounts in a depository institution or trust company in which such accounts are insured by the FDIC (to the limits established by the FDIC) and the uninsured deposits in which accounts are otherwise secured such that, as evidenced by an Opinion of Counsel delivered to the Indenture Trustee and to each Rating Agency, the Noteholders have a claim with respect to the funds in such account or a perfected first priority security interest against any collateral (which shall be limited to Permitted Investments) securing such funds that is superior to claims of any other depositors or creditors of the depository institution or trust company in which such account is maintained, or (iii) a trust account or accounts maintained with the corporate trust department of a federal or state chartered depository institution or trust company having capital and surplus of not less than, for example $50,000,000, acting in its fiduciary capacity or (iv) any other account acceptable to the Rating Agencies. Eligible Accounts may bear interest, and may include, if otherwise qualified under this definition, accounts maintained with the Indenture Trustee.
[0062] FDIC: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or any successor thereto.
[0063] Grant: Pledge, bargain, sell, warrant, alienate, remise, release, convey, assign, transfer, create, and grant a lien upon and a security interest in and right of set-off against, deposit, set over and confirm pursuant to the Indenture. A Grant of the Collateral or of any other agreement or instrument shall include all rights, powers and options (but none of the obligations) of the granting party thereunder, including the immediate and continuing right to claim for, collect, receive and give receipt for principal and interest payments in respect of such collateral or other agreement or instrument and all other moneys payable thereunder, to give and receive notices and other communications, to make waivers or other agreements, to exercise all rights and options, to bring proceedings in the name of the granting party or otherwise, and generally to do and receive anything that the granting party is or may be entitled to do or receive thereunder or with respect thereto.
[0064] Indenture: a legal contract.
[0065] Indenture Trustee: a trustee for the benefit of the Noteholders under an Agreement, and any successor thereto. For example, a banking corporation, not in its individual capacity, but solely in its capacity as trustee for the benefit of the Noteholders, and any corporation or national banking association resulting from or surviving any consolidation or merger to which it or its successors may be a party and any successor trustee as may from time to time be serving as successor trustee hereunder.
[0066] Issuer: an entity in a securitization that issues the securities.
[0067] Liquidated Mortgage Loan: With respect to any Payment Date, a defaulted Mortgage Loan (including any REO Property) that was liquidated in the calendar month preceding the month of such Payment Date and as to which the Master Servicer has determined (in accordance with this Agreement) that it has received all amounts it expects to receive in connection with the liquidation of such Mortgage Loan, including the final disposition of an REO Property.
[0068] Liquidation Proceeds: Amounts, including Insurance Proceeds, received in connection with the partial or complete liquidation of Mortgage Loans, whether through trustee's sale, foreclosure sale or otherwise or amounts received in connection with any condemnation or partial release of a Mortgaged Property and any other proceeds received in connection with an REO Property received in connection with or prior to such Mortgage Loan becoming a Liquidated Mortgage Loan (other than the amount of such net proceeds representing any profit realized by the Master Servicer in connection with the disposition of any such properties), less the sum of related unreimbursed Advances, Servicing Fees and Servicing Advances.
[0069] Master Servicer: An entity that generally oversees one or more servicers and aggregates information from such servicers. A servicer is an entity that collects payments from receivables, distributes such collections to the investors/owners of asset, administers the asset upon obligor's failure to make schedule payments and provides reports to the investors/owners of asset.
[0070] Mortgage: The mortgage, deed of trust or other instrument creating a first lien on or first priority ownership interest, or creating a second lien on or second priority ownership interest, as applicable, in an estate in fee simple in real property securing a Mortgage Note.
[0071] Mortgage Loans: Such of the Mortgage Loans transferred and assigned to the Indenture Trustee pursuant to the provisions hereof and any Subsequent Transfer Agreement as from time to time are held as a part of the Trust Fund (including any REO Property), the mortgage loans so held being identified in the Mortgage Loan Schedule, notwithstanding foreclosure or other acquisition of title of the related Mortgaged Property. Any Mortgage Loan subject to repurchase by Seller, Sponsor, Mortgage Lender or Master Servicer as provided, shall continue to be a Mortgage Loan hereunder until the Purchase Price with respect thereto has been paid to the Trust.
[0072] Mortgage Note: The original executed note or other evidence of indebtedness evidencing the indebtedness of a Mortgagor under a Mortgage Loan.
[0073] Opinion of Counsel: A written opinion of counsel, who may be counsel for the Depositor or the Master Servicer, reasonably acceptable to each addressee of such opinion; provided that with respect to a Sale and Servicing Agreement, or the interpretation or application of the REMIC Provisions such counsel must (i) in fact be independent of the Depositor and the Master Servicer, (ii) not have any direct financial interest in the Depositor or the Master Servicer or in any affiliate of either, and (iii) not be connected with the Depositor or the Master Servicer as an officer, employee, promoter, underwriter, trustee, partner, director or person performing similar functions.
[0074] QRS: A Qualified REIT Subsidiary within the meaning of Section 856(i) of the Code.
[0075] Qualified Insurer: A mortgage guaranty insurance company duly qualified as such under the laws of the state of its principal place of business and each state having jurisdiction over such insurer in connection with the insurance policy issued by such insurer, duly authorized and licensed in such states to transact a mortgage guaranty insurance business in such states and to write the insurance provided by the insurance policy issued by it, approved as a FNMA-approved mortgage insurer and having a claims paying ability rating of at least “AA” or equivalent rating by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. Any replacement insurer with respect to a Mortgage Loan must have at least as high a claims paying ability rating as the insurer it replaces had on the Closing Date.
[0076] REIT: A Real Estate Investment Trust within the meaning of Section 856(a) of the Code.
[0077] REMIC Conversion: The deposit by the Issuing Entity of the Mortgage Loans (but not any REO Properties) pursuant to a pooling and servicing agreement into a common law trust with respect to whose assets one or more REMIC elections shall be made, following the occurrence of a TMP Trigger Event and the other preconditions to such conversion set forth in the Indenture and the Trust Agreement. No REMIC Conversion shall occur unless (i) the Master Servicer shall have purchased all REO properties from the Trust Estate at their fair market value and (ii) the entity seeking to separately transfer or hold any Class of the Privately Offered Notes shall have made provision for payment satisfactory to the Owner Trustee, the Indenture Trustee, the Paying Agent and the Note Registrar and others for any initial or ongoing additional administrative expenses associated with the REMIC elections made in connection with a REMIC Conversion.
[0078] Real Estate Owned (REO) Property: A Mortgaged Property acquired by the Master Servicer through foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure in connection with a defaulted Mortgage Loan.
[0079] Swap Account: The separate Eligible Account created and initially maintained by the Indenture Trustee.
[0080] TMP Trigger Event: The occurrence of any event which causes the Issuing Entity to become taxable as a corporation (also referred to as TMP triggering effect).
[0081] Underlying REMIC Certificates: Certificates evidencing an interest in the Mortgage Loans and issued pursuant to a pooling and servicing agreement in connection with a REMIC Conversion. For example, Class A certificates generally refer to a senior interest in the mortgage loans, while Class B or Class M certificates generally refer to a subordinate interest in the mortgage loans.
Exemplary Embodiments
[0082] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an indenture is entered into between a statutory trust, as an issuer, and for example, a banking corporation, as indenture trustee.
[0083] The issuer grants to the indenture trustee at the closing date, as trustee for the benefit of the holders of the notes, all of the issuer's right, title and interest in and to whether now existing or hereafter created by (a) the mortgage loans, replacement mortgage loans, and the proceeds thereto and all rights; (b) all funds on deposit from time to time in the collection account allocable to the mortgage loans excluding any investment income from such funds; (c) all funds on deposit from time to time in the payment account and in all proceeds thereof; (d) all funds on deposit from time to time in the pre-funding account and in all proceeds thereof excluding any investment income from such funds; (e) any REO property; and (f) each required insurance policy, and any amounts payable by the insurer under any insurance policy (to the extent the mortgagee has a claim thereto).
[0084] In addition, the issuer grants to the indenture trustee at the closing date all rights under appropriate legally binding agreements including, for example: (i) the sale and servicing agreement as assigned to the issuer, with respect to the initial and subsequent mortgage loans, and the subsequent transfer agreement, with respect to the subsequent mortgage loans as assigned to the issuer, with respect to the subsequent mortgage loans; (ii) any subservicing agreements; and (iii) any title, hazard and primary insurance policies with respect to the mortgaged properties.
[0085] Further, the issuer grants to the indenture trustee at the closing date all present and future claims, demands, causes and chooses in action in respect of any or all of the foregoing and all payments on or under, and all proceeds of every kind and nature whatsoever in respect of, any or all of the foregoing and all payments on or under, and all proceeds of every kind and nature whatsoever in the conversion thereof, voluntary or involuntary, into cash or other liquid property, all cash proceeds, accounts, accounts receivable, notes, drafts, acceptances, checks, deposit accounts, rights to payment of any and every kind, and other forms of obligations and receivables, instruments and other property which at any time constitute all or part of or are included in the proceeds of any of the foregoing (collectively, the “trust estate” or the “collateral”).
[0086] The above-described grant from the Issuer to the Indenture Trustee is made in trust to secure the payment of principal of and interest on, and any other amounts owing in respect of, the notes, equally and ratably without prejudice, priority or distinction, and to secure compliance with the provisions of the Indenture.
[0087] The indenture trustee, as trustee on behalf of the holders of the notes, acknowledges the grant, accepts the trust under the Indenture in accordance with the provisions of the indenture and agrees to perform its duties as indenture trustee. According to the indenture, the indenture trustee agrees that upon a TMP trigger event, it will make all necessary elections to cause the trust estate to be classified as one or more real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) on the terms and conditions set forth under, for example, REMIC elections and administration article of the indenture, which are expressly set forth as part of the Indenture.
[0088] In an exemplary implementation, as part of the indenture, covenants are set up which include, but are not limited to, the following.
The issuer covenants with the indenture trustee that it will not enter into any amendment or supplement to the sale and servicing agreement without the prior written consent of the indenture trustee. Subsequent to a TMP trigger event, the indenture trustee shall not enter into any such amendment or supplement without receiving an opinion of counsel to the effect that such amendment or supplement will not cause the imposition of any tax on the trust or the noteholders or cause the REMIC to fail to qualify as a REMIC at any time that any notes are outstanding. For purposes of perfection under Section 9-305 of the Uniform Commercial Code or other similar applicable law, rule or regulation of the state in which such property is held by the master servicer, the issuer and the indenture trustee hereby acknowledge that the master servicer is acting as bailee of the indenture trustee in holding amounts on deposit in the collection account, as well as its bailee in holding any related document in the mortgage file released to the master servicer, and any other items constituting a part of the trust estate which from time to time come into the possession of the master servicer. It is intended that, by the master servicer's acceptance of such bailee arrangement, the indenture trustee, as a secured party of the mortgage loans, will be deemed to have possession of such document, such monies and such other items for purposes of Section 9-305 of the Uniform Commercial Code of the state in which such property is held by the master servicer. The indenture trustee shall not be liable with respect to such documents, monies or items while in possession of the master servicer.
[0091] Referring to FIG. 1 , embodiments of the present invention broadly provide for creation of a trust (step S 10 ). At closing, an outline of at least one REMIC election that is to take place in case of TMP triggering event (step S 20 ) is prepared and agreed upon by perspective security holders as a condition of purchase, and all trust certificates are acquired by one or more qualified REIT(s) and/or QRS(s). The entities which acquire trust certificates agree to maintain the status (step S 60 ) quo with regard to remaining qualified REIT(s) and/or QRS(s) under the Code. If a TMP trigger event (as described more fully below) occurs (as determined at step S 40 ) then appropriate REMIC election(s) are performed (step S 50 ) as outlined upfront during the closing.
[0092] In an exemplary implementation, where the indenture trustee is to administer one or more REMIC(s), the terms and conditions which apply subsequent to a TMP triggering event may be set up under REMIC elections and administration article of the indenture as shown in FIGS. 2A-2I , and REMIC termination requirements may be set up as shown in FIG. 3 . The tax consequences due to the taxation of the trust in general and after TMP triggering event are generally as follows.
[0093] In an exemplary implementation, it is anticipated that the trust will be characterized for federal income tax purposes as one or more taxable mortgage pools, or TMPs. In general, a TMP is treated as a separate corporation not includible with any other corporation in a consolidated income tax return and is subject to corporate income taxation. However, it is anticipated that on the closing date 100% of the owner trust certificates and Class IO, Class M-2 and Class B notes will be acquired by a trust, directly or indirectly through one or more qualified REIT subsidiaries (within the meaning of Section 856(i) of the Code) thereof or one or more entities disregarded as entities separate from the trust or its qualified REIT subsidiaries.
[0094] With regard to the classes of notes (such as Class A, Class IO, Class M-2 and Class B Notes) referenced throughout the specification, these classes are merely exemplary, and any classification appropriate in multi-class securities structures is contemplated with the scope of the present invention. For example, various multi-class pay structures and senior/subordinate structures known in the art (as described, for example, in the background of the invention section of this specification) may be implemented. Examples of multi-class structures according to illustrative implementations of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 2H , 4 C- 4 E and 6 C- 6 E. In the exemplary implementation described above, Class M-2 notes and Class B notes are subject to “will be debt” opinion which means that these notes are not characterized as indebtedness for federal income tax purposes, and Class IO notes generally refer to interest only notes.
[0095] On the closing date, the trust represents that (i) it will file with its federal income tax return for its taxable year an election to be a real estate investment trust within the meaning of section 856(a) of the Code, or REIT, (ii) it has been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT, (iii) it currently operates and intends to continue to operate in a manner that enables it to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT, (iv) as of the closing date it will own for federal income tax purposes, directly or indirectly through one or more qualified REIT subsidiaries or one or more entities disregarded as entities separate from the Trust or a qualified REIT subsidiary thereof, 100% of the owner trust certificates and Class IO, Class M-2 and Class B notes, and (v) it intends to maintain its status as a REIT and the status of each other entity necessary for the correctness of clause (iv) as a qualified REIT subsidiary of the trust or as an entity disregarded as an entity separate from the trust or any such qualified REIT subsidiary until the earlier of (a) the date on which none of the notes is outstanding or (b) the date on which the trust has transferred 100% of the owner trust certificates and Class IO, Class M-2 and Class B notes (other than any Class M-2 notes and Class B notes with respect to which a “will be debt” opinion has been rendered to the trust by nationally recognized tax counsel) to another entity that qualifies as a REIT or one or more qualified REIT subsidiaries of such REIT or one or more entities disregarded as entities separate from such REIT or such qualified REIT subsidiaries (in accordance with the terms of the indenture and the trust agreement).
[0096] So long as 100% of (i) the owner trust certificates, (ii) the Class IO notes and (iii) any Class M-2 notes and Class B notes are not characterized as indebtedness for federal income tax purposes (the securities referred to in the immediately preceding clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) collectively referred to herein as the “equity securities”) are owned by a single REIT, directly or indirectly through one or more qualified REIT subsidiaries of such REIT or one or more entities disregarded as entities separate from such REIT or its qualified REIT subsidiaries, classification of the trust as a TMP will not cause it to be subject to corporate income taxation.
[0097] Rather, the consequence of the classification of the trust as a TMP is that the shareholders of the REIT will be required to treat a portion of the dividends they receive from the REIT as though they were “excess inclusions” with respect to a residual interest in a REMIC within the meaning of Section 860D of the Code. In the event that 100% of the equity securities are no longer owned by a single REIT, directly or indirectly through one or more qualified REIT subsidiaries of such REIT or one or more entities disregarded as entities separate from such REIT or its qualified REIT subsidiaries, the trust would become subject to federal income taxation as a corporation and would not be permitted to file a consolidated federal income tax return with any other corporation.
[0098] Pursuant to the trust agreement and the indenture, no transfer of the owner trust certificates or Class IO, Class M-2 and Class B notes (other than any Class M-2 notes and Class B notes with respect to which a “will be debt” opinion has been rendered to the trust by nationally recognized tax counsel) will be permitted, except that (i) 100% of such owner trust certificates and Class IO, Class M-2 and Class B notes may be transferred in a single transaction to another entity that qualifies as a REIT, directly or by transfer to one or more qualified REIT subsidiaries of such REIT or one or more entities disregarded as entities separate from such REIT or its qualified REIT subsidiaries, and (ii) such owner trust certificates and Class IO, Class M-2 and Class B notes may be pledged to secure indebtedness or be the subject of repurchase agreements treated by the parties thereto as secured indebtedness for federal income tax purposes, and such owner trust certificates and Class IO, Class M-2 and Class B notes may be transferred under any such related loan agreement or repurchase agreement upon a default under any such indebtedness. To avoid doubt, any Class M-2 notes and Class B notes with respect to which a “will be debt” opinion has been rendered to the trust by nationally recognized tax counsel will not be subject to the foregoing transfer restrictions.
[0099] A TMP triggering event occurs when, for example, the equity securities are transferred to an entity that does not qualify either as a REIT or as a QRS or the indenture trustee obtains a certification that the entity which owns the Equity Securities is no longer a REIT or a QRS. At that time, subject to certain provisions, one or more REMIC elections will be made with respect to the Issuer. If a TMP triggering event occurs, the master servicer is required to sell from the trust any REO property at the fair market value, and either restrict foreclosure or sell from the trust any 60 day or more delinquent loan. After a TMP triggering event and the related REMIC elections, investment in the offered notes will constitute indebtedness for federal income tax purposes and the trust would not be subject to federal income taxation as a corporation. As a condition of purchase, the holders of the notes are deemed to have consented to any such REMIC election upon occurrence of a TMP triggering event.
[0100] Upon the occurrence of a TMP triggering event, the trust will be subject to federal income taxation, as described above, only for the period of time between such TMP trigger event and the date the related REMIC elections become effective.
[0101] FIGS. 4A-4G set forth an example of a Summary of a Supplement to a Prospectus outlining the respective duties of the parties in accordance with an exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0102] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, once the lender takes possession of the equity—forecloses on the equity—the lender notifies the trustee. The trustee notifies the master servicer, and the master servicer is required to buy out all the REO property at fair market value, because the REO properties are not suitable REMIC assets. That is, the master servicer sells out all the REO properties, notifies the trustees of the proceeds, the trustee then takes those REO proceeds and pays down the bonds: writes down the subordinate bonds and pays down the senior bonds. The trustee then, within the context of the existing owner trust makes a REMIC election. The owner trust notes are exchanged for REMIC notes which are issued by the same owner trust, in this exemplary embodiment.
[0103] As noted above, there is a small window of time (typically only for a couple of days) when some corporate level tax liability exists with respect to the TMP, because the lender takes possession of the equity in terms of foreclosure.
[0104] According to the above-described exemplary implementation, a REMIC election is made by issuing REMIC certificates out of the same, preexisting trust.
[0105] Another exemplary implementation of the present invention is described as follows.
[0106] An owner trust (Trust A) issues original notes and the owner trust equity, or the owner trust certificates, which is the equity. Upon a TMP trigger event (as set up upfront in an article of an indenture, as shown in FIG. 5 ), the lender notifies the trustee, the trustee sells all non REO loans. Essentially, the REO loans get bought out, so that the master servicer sells all the REO loans and these proceeds are transferred back through the normal waterfall of the original owner trust. All the other loans get transferred from trust A to a trust B, where the REMIC election is made in trust B. Trust B issues new REMIC certificates tranched in the same manner as trust A, for example time tranched.
[0107] From that point, the new REMIC certificates are transferred out of trust B and are bifurcated. The new REMIC certificates from trust B that correspond to the publicly offered classes of trust A are transferred back into trust A, deposited in trust A, and they will serve as collateral for the newly issued notes which will be described below. The new REMIC certificates from trust B that correspond to the nonpublic bonds from trust A, including the equity, are transferred straight back to the entity that was holding the original certificates.
[0108] As noted above, the new REMIC certificates that correspond to the publicly owned classes go from trust B to trust A. They serve as collateral for the owner trust issuing new REMIC notes backed by the new REMIC certificates from trust B. Trust A issues new REMIC notes collateralized by the new REMIC certificates issued by trust B and deposited to trust A. Then, trust A note holders exchange the original notes for the newly issued REMIC notes.
[0109] Accordingly, from a tax perspective, the debt is retired and new notes are reissued. On the other hand, from the SEC perspective, it is simply an exchange of notes. This is a taxable exchange for bond holders. Also, all of the various issuances of the securities, at least those that are public, are registered. That is, they are initially registered in the owners trust. Then, they are registered when they come out of trust B as REMIC certificates. The trust A issuance of the new REMIC notes is also registered.
[0110] According to this exemplary embodiment of the invention, the REMIC election is made by issuing REMIC certificates from a new trust. That is, a REMIC election is made that utilizes a new trust, so as to ensure that a proper REMIC election takes place that will not inadvertently result in creating a TMP.
[0111] In accordance with an exemplary implementation, while a new trust issued the REMIC certificates, the same owner trust can issue the notes that go back to the bond holders, the underlying collateral of which are the REMIC certificates.
[0112] FIGS. 6A-6K illustrate an example of a structured finance document outlining the respective duties of the parties in accordance with an exemplary implementation of an embodiment of the present invention. On the other hand, FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic summary representation of transaction parties. In this diagram, the mortgage loans are transferred from seller 110 to depositor 120 and then to issuing entity 131 and indenture trustee 132 (collectively shown as entity 130 ). The net swap payments take place between entity 130 and swap contract administrators 170 . Swap distributions are made from swap contract administrator 170 to entity 130 , and from entity 130 to noteholders 180 . Distributions are also made from entity 130 to noteholders 180 . Swap contract administrators 170 interact with swap counterparty 160 , and net swap payments are made from swap contractors 170 to mortgage lender 150 .
[0113] Taxation of the issuing entity after a TMP trigger event according to the above-describe exemplary embodiments is described as follows.
[0114] To avoid the adverse tax consequences of any recharacterization of the issuing entity as a taxable mortgage pool, the trust agreement and the indenture provide that if the issuing entity becomes a taxable mortgage pool that is subject to federal income tax as a corporation (a “TMP trigger event”), subject to certain provisions, the master servicer, on behalf of the indenture trustee, will undertake certain steps, including the following: the master servicer will purchase from the issuing entity any REO property at its fair market value (to the extent that the purchase price of the sale of such REO properties would result in the allocation of a realized loss to any class of offered notes, the party causing the TMP trigger event shall contribute an amount equal to such realized losses), and will either restrict foreclosure on (within the Underlying REMIC Trust, as described below) or sell from the issuing entity any mortgage loan that is then 60 or more days delinquent; the indenture trustee will cause certain of the remaining assets of the issuing entity to be transferred to a new entity (the “underlying REMIC trust”), with respect to which one or more REMIC elections will be made, in exchange for certain REMIC certificates to be issued by the underlying REMIC trust; the issuing entity will make a REMIC election with respect to those REMIC certificates (the “trust REMIC”) and issue new notes secured by those REMIC certificates (which new notes would represent ownership of REMIC regular interests in the trust REMIC); and the new notes will be transferred to beneficial owners of offered notes in exchange for their offered notes.
[0115] Solely for federal income tax purposes, each new note issued by the issuing entity would, for federal income tax purposes, comprise two components: a REMIC regular interest in the trust REMIC and a separate contractual right to (i) receive payments in respect of net rate carryover and (ii) the obligation to make payments to the swap account. The economic attributes and entitlements of each such REMIC regular interest and related contractual right would, in the aggregate, be substantially identical to those of the offered note for which they would be exchanged. Nevertheless, the beneficial owner of each offered note would recognize gain or loss on the exchange in an amount equal to the difference, if any, between such beneficial owner's adjusted basis in the offered note and sum of the fair market value of the REMIC regular interest, which in certain circumstances may be deemed to be equal to its then current principal balance, and the fair market value of the related contractual right received in exchange therefor.
[0116] Although several exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and equivalents.
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A method and combination which allow Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) issuers to issue Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) via a trust structure while allowing non-REIT entities to finance the equity portion of the deal are provided. An upfront solution is provided to address the traditional constraints of equity financing under a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) exemption of the Taxable Mortgage Pool (TMP) when a Taxable Mortgage Pool (TMP) triggering event takes place so that the trust becomes a REMIC, thereby allowing non-REIT financing entity to sell the equity components.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 485,284, filed July 2, 1974 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to the Preparation of α-amino-β'-nitroanthraquinone
According to German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,211,411, α,β-diaminoanthraquinones are obtained by reacting α,β-dinitroanthraquinones with ammonia in acid amides.
SUMMARY
Surprisingly, it has now been found that α-amino-β'-nitroanthraquinones can be obtained in high yields by reacting α,β'-dinitroanthraquinones with ammonia in water, ethers, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic or, aromatic hydrocarbons which may optionally be substituted by alkyl groups or, optionally, in mixtures of these compounds.
Accordingly, this invention relates to a process for the production of α-amino-β'-nitroanthraquinones, which is characterised by the fact that α,β'-dinitroanthraquinones and ammonia are reacted in ethers, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or in aromatic hydrocarbons which may optionally be alkyl-substituted in water or in mixtures of these compounds, preferably under pressure, at elevated temperature, i.e., at a temperature of at least 100° C., preferably at a temperature in the range of from 100° to 220° C. and, more particularly, at a temperature of from 140° to 200° C., the ammonia and α,β'-dinitroanthraquinone being reacted in a molar ratio of at least 3 : 1, more especially within the range of 10 : 1 to 40 : 1 and, more especially in a molar ratio in the range of from 15 : 1 to 30 : 1.
DESCRIPTION
It is possible to use both pure 1,6- and 1,7-dinitroanthraquinone, which may be obtained, for example, in accordance with Helv. Chim. acta 14, 1404, and also mixtures of these compounds.
Suitable ethers are, in particular, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic and aromatic ethers, such as dibenzylether, di-sec.-butylether, diisopentylether, ethyleneglycol dimethylether, diethyleneglycol dimethylether, diethyleneglycol diethylether, methoxycyclohexane, ethoxycyclohexane, dicyclohexylether, anisole, phenetol, diphenylether, 2-methoxynaphthalene, tetrahydrofuran, dioxan, amylphenylether, benzylisoamylether, dibenzylether, diglycol-di-n-butylether, glycolmethyleneether and methylbenzylether.
Suitable aliphatic and cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons are, for example, n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, cyclododecane, decalin, cycloheptane, cyclopentane, n-decane, 1,2-dimethylcyclohexane, 1,3-dimethylcyclohexane, 1,4-dimethylcyclohexane, 2,2-dimethylpentane, 2,3-dimethylpentane, 2,4-dimethylpentane, 3,3-dimethylpentane, isopropylhexane, methylcyclohexane, 2-methylheptane, 3-methylheptane, 4-methylheptane, 2-methylhexane, 3-methylhexane, 2-methyloctane, 3-methyloctane, 4-methyloctane, 2-methylpentane, 3-methylpentane, n-octane, penta-isobutane, triethylmethane, 2,2,3-trimethylpentane, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 2,2,3-trimethylpentane.
Suitable aromatic hydrocarbons are, for example, benzene, toluene, o-, m-, p-xylene, isopropylbenzene, trimethylbenzene, diethylbenzene, tetramethylbenzene, diisopropylbenzene, isododecylbenzene, tetralin, naphthalene, methylnaphthalene diphenyl, diphenylmethane, o-, m-, p-cymol, dibenzyl, dihydronaphthalene, 2,2'-dimethyldiphenyl, 2,3'-dimethyldiphenyl, 2,4'-dimethyldiphenyl, 3,3'-dimethyldiphenyl, 1,2-dimethylnaphthalene, 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene, 1,6-dimethylnaphthalene, 1,7-dimethylnaphthalene, 1,1-diphenylethane, hexamethylbenzene, isoamylbenzene, pentamethylbenzene, 1,2,3,4-tetramethylbenzene, 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, 1,2,7-trimethylnaphthalene and 1,2,5-trimethylnaphthalene.
According to a preferred embodiment the process according to the invention is carried out under the following conditions: at a temperature of at least 100° C., preferably at a temperature in the range of from 100° to 220° C., and more especially at a temperature in the range of from 140° to 200° C. and with a molar ratio (of ammonia to α,β'-dinitroanthraquinones) of at least 2 : 1, preferably in the range of 10 : 1 to 40 : 1 and more particularly in the range of 15 : 1 to 30 : 1. The reaction is generally carried out under superatmospheric pressure.
The reaction time is governed by the reaction temperature, the reaction pressure and the molar ratio, the reaction velocity increasing with increasing temperature and increasing molar ratio. For example, if the reaction is carried out at a pressure above 30 atms and with a molar ratio of 10 : 1 at a temperature of 200° C; 150° C.; or 130° C., the reaction is completed after 0.5; 3; or 5 hours, respectively hours, whereas, for example, with a molar ratio of 50 : 1 and a reaction temperature of 100° C.; or a ratio of 30 : 1 at 130° C. or a ratio of 20 : 1 at 150° C., the reaction can be expected to take less than 5 hours; less than 4 hours or 0.5 hours respectively. The process can be carried out either continuously or in batches.
The reaction mixture can be worked up by conventional methods, for example by filtering off the product crystallised out of the organic solvent after cooling to room temperature. The mother liquor which accumulates can be recycled to the reaction. However, the reaction mixture can also be worked up by distilling off the solvent or by precipitating the α-amino-β'-nitroanthraquinones with the aid of a diluent which reduces the solubility of the α-amino-β'-nitroanthraquinones in the reaction solution (for example petroleum ether). If desired, the reaction product can be further purified by treatment with acids, for example sulphuric acid, or by distillation in vacuo. α-Amino-β-nitro-anthraquinones are dyes for synthetic fibres, or intermediate products for the production of these dyes which are obtained, for example, by acylating the amino group or by halogenation and/or optionally by other conversions of the kind known for α-amino-anthraquinones.
EXAMPLE 1
A mixture of 310 g of 1,6-dinitroanthraquinone (96%) and 1 liter of toluene was reacted with 170 g of ammonia in an autoclave for 2 hours at a temperature of 150° C. (molar ratio 10 : 1; pressure 50 atms).
After cooling to room temperature, the reaction mixture was filtered under suction, the residue was washed with a little toluene and dried in vacuo. Yield: 277 g of a 93.1% 1-amino-6-nitroanthraquinone (96% of the theoretical yield).
Similar yields and purity levels can be obtained by using, instead of toluene, benzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, isopropyl benzene, isododecylbenzene, diphenylmethane, n-hexane, n-heptane, decalin, tetralin, methylcyclohexane, cyclododecane, n-dipropylether, dibutylether, diethyleneglycol dimethylether, diethyleneglycol diethylether, methoxycyclohexane, dicyclohexyl ether, anisole, phenetol, diphenylether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxan or mixtures thereof.
EXAMPLE 2
A mixture of 301 g of 1,7-dinitroanthraquinone (99%) and 1 liter of ethyleneglycol dimethylether was reacted with 510 g of ammonia in an autoclave over a period of 4 hours at a temperature of 130° C. (molar ratio 30 : 1; pressure 60 atms). After cooling, the reaction mixture was poured into 5 litres of water and the deposit which precipitated was filtered off under suction, washed with water and dried. Yield: 264 g of a 93% 1-amino-7-nitroanthraquinone (91% of the theoretical yield).
EXAMPLE 3
310 g of 1,6-dinitroanthraquinone (96%) were reacted 0.5 hours with 340 g of ammonia (molar ratio 20:1; pressure 80 atms) in 1 liter of n-pentane in an autoclave at 150° C.; the reaction mixture obtained was freed from the solvent by distillation. Residue: 269 g of a 91.5% 1-amino-6-nitroanthraquinone (89% of the theoretical yield).
EXAMPLE 4
A suspension of 317 g of 1,7-dinitroanthraquinone (94%) in 2 liters of water was stirred with 340 g of ammonia (molar ratio 20 : 1; pressure 40 atms) in an autoclave for a period of 2 hours at a temperature of 180° C. After venting, the reaction mixture was filtered under suction at room temperature. The mother liquor was recycled, whilst the residue was dried. Yield: 274 g of a 90% 1-amino-7-nitroanthraquinone (92% of the theoretical yield).
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α-Amino-β'-nitroanthraquinone is prepared by reacting α,β'-dinitroanthraquinone with ammonia in an ether, an aliphatic, a cycloaliphatic or an optionally alkyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon, water or a mixture of the foregoing.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 11/335,042 by Shih, Po-Sheng, filed on Jan. 18, 2006, entitled “INPUT DISPLAY”.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an input display, and more particularly to an input display with a light detector array.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a circuit diagram showing a light detector array of an input display according to the first prior art.
[0004] In FIG. 1 , each unit of the light detector array includes a TFT switch. For example, the operation of the unit 11 in the position where the first read-out line intersects the first gate line is as follows. When the light detector array is OFF, the gate line 1 is at low voltage. The body diode of the TFT is reversely biased so that there is no current flowing through the TFT. When the gate line 1 turns to high voltage, the current flows from gate line 1 through read-out line 1 to the readout amplifier 12 .
[0005] A photo-induced ON current occurs when the light is emitted onto the TFT. When the light is emitted onto the TFT, the photo-induced ON current increases. Contrarily, when no light is emitted onto the TFT, the photo-induced ON current decreases.
[0006] When the input display with the light detector array is used, the touch of the display will influence the quantity of the incident light. Hence, which position of the display has been touched is able to be detected by sensing the quantity of the photo-induced ON current.
[0007] However, the drawback of the input display with the light detector array is the generation of the photo-induced leakage current, which also occurs when the light is emitted onto the TFT. The sensing and the detection of the display are seriously held back by the photo-induced leakage current.
[0008] To overcome the drawback, another implementation of the display has been provided. Please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a circuit diagram showing a light detector array of an input display according to the second prior art.
[0009] In FIG. 2 , each unit of the light detector array includes two TFT switches. The unit 21 in the position where read-out line # 1 intersects gate line # 1 is taken for example. The switch-TFT 11 is arranged for switching and the photo-TFT 11 is arranged for detecting the intensity of the incident light.
[0010] In FIG. 2 , the additional TFT is unnecessary to be emitted by the incident light, so the photo-induced leakage current is able to be decreased. However, the increased number of TFT results in a lower process yield.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an input display with a light detector array. The input display is able to be fabricated in a higher aperture ratio and a higher production yield. Besides, the input display has enough photo-induced ON current when the TFTs are switched ON and has no photo-induced leakage current when the TFTs are switched OFF.
[0012] It is another object of the present invention to achieve the above-mentioned object by appropriately designing a pixel unit with a light blocking layer which hides a field-effect area positioning on a connecting section between a high-field electrode and a low-field electrode and near the high-field electrode from all incident light from the pixel unit.
[0013] Preferably, the light blocking layer is a black matrix positioning on a color filter or a metal layer positioning on a passivation layer in the pixel unit.
[0014] For the convenience of description, the embodiments of invention are illustrated in the structure of an n-type TFT. However, it is obvious to one skilled in the art to apply the technical characteristics of the invention in the applications of a p-type TFT, a poly-TFT, and a TFT-LCD.
[0015] Please refer to FIG. 3( a ) and FIG. 3( b ). FIG. 3( a ) is a cross-sectional view of an n-type TFT of a light detector array. FIG. 3( b ) is a diagram showing the band of the n-type TFT when it is switched ON and OFF respectively. In FIG. 3( a ), the partial n-type TFT structure 30 is composed of a substrate 301 , a metal layer 302 , a gate insulator layer 303 , an amorphous silicon layer 304 , a N + amorphous silicon layer 305 , a drain terminal 306 , and a source terminal 307 . The metal layer 302 is used as a gate terminal. The band diagram in FIG. 3( b ) is shown with respect to the dotted line drawn in FIG. 3( a ).
[0016] In FIG. 3( b ), a conduction band 311 , a valence band 312 , a channel 313 , a drain terminal 314 , a source terminal 315 , holes 316 , and electrons 317 are symbolized in ON state 31 , while a conduction band 321 , a valence band 322 , a channel 323 , a drain terminal 324 , a source terminal 325 , holes 326 and 328 , electrons 327 and 329 , and PN junction 320 are symbolized in OFF state 32 . The band diagrams are both drawn corresponding to the n-type TFT structure 30 in FIG. 3( a ), so the high-field electrode is defined as a drain terminal and the low-field electrode is defined as a source terminal.
[0017] When the TFT is switched ON in the ON state 31 , the electrons 317 in the valence band 312 are transferred to the conduction band 311 due to the emitting of the incident light (not shown) and holes 316 are generated accordingly. Then the electrons 317 move toward the drain terminal 314 and the holes move toward the source terminal 315 due to the effect of the electric field, so that a photo-induced ON current (not shown) occurs between the drain terminal 314 and the source terminal 315 .
[0018] When the TFT is switched OFF in the OFF state 32 , the gate terminal (not shown) is connected to a low voltage. At this time, the bands 321 and 322 in most of the area between the drain terminal 324 and the source terminal 325 are almost horizontal. That is, there is no electric field existing in this area. The electrons 327 in this region will just be transferred from the valence band 322 to the conduction band 321 and will be combined with the holes 326 repeatedly, even though the light (not shown) has been emitted onto the electrons ( 327 ). There is no assistance for the increase of the current. However, the current formed by an electric field, which occurs due to the transferring of the holes 328 and the electrons 329 , in a PN junction 320 existing near the drain terminal 324 constitutes the aforementioned photo-induced leakage current.
[0019] According to the first aspect of the present invention, an input display is provided. The input display includes a thin film transistor (TFT) and a light blocking layer. The TFT includes a low-field electrode, a high-field electrode connected to the low-field electrode with a connecting section, and a field-effect area positioned on the connecting section and connected to the high-field electrode, wherein a PN junction field is formed in the field-effect area when the TFT is switched off. The light blocking layer corresponds to the high-field electrode and hides the field-effect area from all incident light from the TFT.
[0020] According to the second aspect of the present invention, a pixel unit is provided. The pixel unit is composed of the TFT and the light blocking mentioned in the previous paragraph.
[0021] According to the third aspect of the present invention, an elimination method for a photo-induced leakage current of an input display is provided. The elimination method includes steps of providing a thin film transistor (TFT) including a low-field electrode, a high-field electrode connected to the low-field electrode with a connecting section, and a field-effect area positioned on the connecting section and connected to the high-field electrode, and hiding the field-effect area from all incident light from the TFT so that the photo-induced leakage current produced by a plurality of electrons influenced by the incident light and the PN junction field formed in the field-effect area when the TFT is switched off is eliminated.
[0022] The every aspects of the present invention are suitable in the application of an n-type TFT, a p-type TFT, a poly-TFT, and an n-type transistor or a p-type transistor with a channel made of semiconductor layer, such as a-Si, poly-Si, single crystalline Si, III-V compounds . . . etc., or organic materials. Moreover, they are also suitable for the combination of the fabrication process of a TFT-LCD to widen the utility in the industrial application.
[0023] The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through the following descriptions with reference to the drawings, wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a light detector array of an input display according to the first prior art;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a light detector array of an input display according to the second prior art;
[0026] FIG. 3( a ) is a cross-sectional view of an n-type TFT of a light detector array;
[0027] FIG. 3( b ) is a diagram showing the band of the n-type TFT along the dotted line of FIG. 3( a ) when the TFT is switched ON and OFF respectively;
[0028] FIG. 4( a ) is an upper view of an n-type TFT of a light detector array according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 4( b ) is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of FIG. 4( a ) along the dotted line;
[0030] FIG. 5( a ) is an upper view of an n-type TFT of a light detector array according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 5( b ) is a circuit diagram showing the light detector array fabricated with the n-type TFT of FIG. 5( a );
[0032] FIG. 6( a ) is an upper view of a TFT of a light detector array according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 6( b ) is a circuit diagram showing the light detector array fabricated with the TFT of FIG. 6( a );
[0034] FIG. 7( a ) is an upper view of an n-type TFT of a light detector array according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention; and
[0035] FIG. 7( b ) is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of FIG. 7( a ) along the dotted line.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0036] The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for the purposes of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
[0037] Please refer to FIG. 4( a ) and FIG. 4( b ). FIG. 4( a ) is an upper view of an n-type TFT of a light detector array according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4( b ) is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of FIG. 4( a ) along the dotted line. In FIG. 4( a ), the TFT 40 is in the area surrounded by data line 1 , data line 2 , read-out line, gate line 1 , and gate line 2 while the remaining components in the area are omitted for the convenience of illustration. The TFT 40 in FIG. 4( a ) is implemented to correspond to the photo sensitive switch TFT 11 surrounded by gate line 1 , gate line 2 , and read-out line 1 shown in FIG. 1 . In the upper view of FIG. 4( a ), only a part of the components of TFT 40 are shown. To clarify the structure of the TFT 40 of FIG. 4( a ), the description for FIG. 4( b ) is given firstly as follows.
[0038] The main object of the invention is to provide a pixel unit and an input display implemented with a plurality of such pixel unit. As the first embodiment of the present invention, both of the pixel unit and the input display are based on the TFT 40 shown in FIG. 4( b ).
[0039] In FIG. 4( b ), the TFT 40 includes at least a high-field electrode 401 , a low-field electrode 402 , a connecting section 403 for connecting the high-field electrode 401 and the low-field electrode 402 , and a metal layer 409 . The high-field electrode 401 is connected to the read-out line and the metal layer 409 is connected to the gate line 2 . As FIG. 4( b ) shows, the connecting section 403 is mainly composed of an amorphous silicon layer 407 and the whole TFT 40 is fabricated on a substrate 40 ′.
[0040] When the TFT 40 is switched OFF, a PN junction field occurs in a field-effect area 404 in part of the connecting section 403 near the high-field electrode 401 . When the light is emitted to the field-effect area 404 , the electrons would be affected by the incident light and the PN junction field so that a photo-induced leakage current is generated. The object of the invention is to eliminate the photo-induced leakage current.
[0041] The n-type TFT 40 is taken for example in FIG. 4 , so the high-field electrode 401 and the low-field electrode 402 can be defined as a drain terminal and a source terminal respectively while the gate terminal 409 is at low voltage. If a p-type TFT, however, is taken for another embodiment of the present invention, then the high-field electrode 401 and the low-field electrode 402 should be defined as a drain terminal and a source terminal respectively while the gate terminal 409 is at high voltage. For one skilled in the art, the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed n-type TFT and is easy to be deduced in the applications of the p-type TFT and the poly-TFT.
[0042] In the n-type TFT 40 shown in FIG. 4 , the high-field electrode 401 and the low-field electrode 402 are defined as a drain terminal and a source terminal respectively. There is a passivation layer 405 covering the high-field electrode 401 , the low-field electrode 402 and the connecting section 403 . Besides, below the high-field electrode 401 and the low-field electrode 402 are sequentially a N + amorphous silicon layer 406 , an amorphous silicon layer 407 , a gate insulator layer 408 and the gate terminal 409 . There is further an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) layer 410 covering the passivation layer 405 corresponding to the source terminal 402 . The ITO layer 410 is also connected to the metal layer 409 so as to connect the low field electrode 402 to the metal layer 409 . The operation of the low voltage is as described in FIG. 1 and will be omitted here.
[0043] According to the object of the invention, a light blocking layer is introduced in order to eliminate the photo-induced leakage current. In the first embodiment of FIG. 4 , a color filter (CF) 41 composed of a first black matrix (BM) 411 , a second BM 412 , and a substrate 41 ′ is provided. The first BM is adopted as the light blocking layer to hide the field-effect area 404 from all incident light, so that the light will never emit to or through the field-effect area 404 . Hence, the photo-induced leakage current will be eliminated when the TFT 40 is switched OFF, and the photo-induced ON current will still be hold when the TFT 40 is switched ON.
[0044] In the practical fabrication process, the width of the field-effect area 404 is limited between 1 um and 5 um. Yet the key point of the first embodiment is not the value of the width but is that the BM 411 should be able to hide the field-effect area 404 from all incident light perfectly, as shown in FIG. 4( b ).
[0045] In the production process of a display, the defect of the shifting between layers often occurs. For solving such a defect, in the present invention, the TFT 40 is implemented as the L-type structure shown in FIG. 4( a ). The TFT structure 40 is set at an angle with respect to the electric field of the PN junction. The angle in this embodiment is 90°.
[0046] Although the first embodiment is given in the application of an n-type TFT, the present invention is still suitable for the application of a p-type TFT and a poly-TFT. Besides, it can also be utilized for the combination of the fabrication process of a TFT-LCD to widen the utility in the industrial application.
[0047] Please refer to FIG. 5( a ) and FIG. 5( b ). FIG. 5( a ) is an upper view of an n-type TFT of a light detector array according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5( b ) is a circuit diagram showing the light detector array fabricated with the n-type TFT of FIG. 5( a ). In FIG. 5( a ), the TFT 50 is in the area surrounded by data line 1 , data line 2 , read-out line, gate line 1 , and fixed voltage line while the remaining components in the area are omitted for the convenience of illustration. The TFT 50 in FIG. 5( a ) is implemented to correspond to the photo sensitive switch TFT 50 shown in FIG. 5( b ).
[0048] Similar to FIG. 4( a ) and FIG. 4( b ), the equivalent components are given the same symbols in FIG. 5( a ). To clarify the operation of the TFT 50 in FIG. 5( a ), the description will be given by referring to FIG. 5( b ) firstly. In FIG. 5( b ), because the voltage level of the fixed voltage line is lower than the voltage level (Vbias) of the read-out line, the TFT 50 is OFF and the body diode of the TFT 50 is reversely biased. When the gate line 1 turns to high voltage, the current flows from the fixed voltage line through read-out line 1 to the readout amplifier 12 .
[0049] The technical characteristic of this embodiment is also to adopt the BM 511 as the light blocking layer to hide the field-effect area near the drain terminal 501 from all incident light, so that the light will never emit to or through the field-effect area. Hence, the photo-induced leakage current will be eliminated when the TFT 50 is switched OFF, and the photo-induced ON current will still be hold when the TFT 50 is switched ON. However, the difference between FIG. 5 and FIG. 4( a ) (or FIG. 4( b )) is that the source terminal 502 is not short-connected to the gate terminal 509 but is connected to the fixed voltage line as FIG. 5( a ) shows. The drain terminal is still connected to the read-out line.
[0050] The n-type TFT 50 is taken for example in FIG. 5 , so the high-field electrode 501 and the low-field electrode 502 can be defined as a drain terminal and a source terminal respectively while the gate terminal 509 is at low voltage. If a p-type TFT, however, is taken for another embodiment of the present invention, then the high-field electrode 501 and the low-field electrode 502 should be defined as a drain terminal and a source terminal respectively while the gate terminal 509 is at high voltage. For one skilled in the art, the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed n-type TFT and is easy to be deduced in the applications of the p-type TFT and the poly-TFT.
[0051] Please refer to FIG. 6( a ) and FIG. 6( b ). FIG. 6( a ) is an upper view of a TFT of a light detector array according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6( b ) is a circuit diagram showing the light detector array fabricated with the TFT of FIG. 6( a ). In FIG. 6( a ), the TFT 60 is in the area surrounded by data line 1 , data line 2 , read-out line, gate line 1 , and fixed voltage line while the remaining components in the area are omitted for the convenience of illustration. The TFT 60 in FIG. 6( a ) is implemented to correspond to the photo sensitive switch TFT 60 shown in FIG. 6( b ).
[0052] Similar to FIG. 4( a ) and FIG. 4( b ), the equivalent components are given the same symbols in FIG. 6( a ). Although the technical characteristic of this embodiment is also to adopt the BM 611 as the light blocking layer to hide the field-effect area, the position of the BM 611 in FIG. 6( a ) is opposite to the position of the BM 511 in FIG. 5( a ). That is, the BM 611 is fabricated to hide the high-field electrode 601 which is connected to the fixed voltage line. The low-field electrode 602 is still connected to the read-out line.
[0053] To clarify the operation of the TFT 60 in FIG. 6( a ), the description will be given by referring to FIG. 6( b ) firstly. In FIG. 6( b ), because the voltage level of the fixed voltage line is now higher than the voltage level (Vbias) of the read-out line, the blocking fabrication of the BM 611 in FIG. 6( a ) is different from the blocking fabrication of the BM 511 in FIG. 5( a ).
[0054] The circuit implementation of the structure in FIG. 5 is shown in FIG. 6 . Compared with the circuit of the prior art shown in FIG. 1 , the TFTs in FIG. 6 are controlled by a constant voltage.
[0055] Please refer to FIG. 7( a ) and FIG. 7( b ). FIG. 7( a ) is an upper view of an n-type TFT of a light detector array according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7( b ) is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of FIG. 7( a ) along the dotted line. In FIG. 7( a ), the TFT 70 is in the area surrounded by data line 1 , data line 2 , read-out line, gate line 1 , and gate line 2 while the remaining components in the area are omitted for the convenience of illustration. The TFT 70 in FIG. 7( a ) is implemented to correspond to the photo sensitive switch TFT 71 surrounded by gate line 1 , gate line 2 , and read-out line 1 shown in FIG. 1 . In the upper view of FIG. 7( a ), only a part of the components of TFT 70 are shown. To clarify the structure of the TFT 70 of FIG. 7( a ), the description for FIG. 7( b ) is given firstly as follows.
[0056] The main object of the invention is to provide a pixel unit and an input display implemented with a plurality of such pixel unit. As the fourth embodiment of the present invention, both of the pixel unit and the input display are based on the TFT 70 shown in FIG. 7( b ).
[0057] In FIG. 7( b ), the TFT 70 includes at least a high-field electrode 701 , a low-field electrode 702 , a connecting section 703 for connecting the high-field electrode 701 and the low-field electrode 702 , and a metal layer 709 . As FIG. 7( b ) shows, the connecting section 703 is mainly composed of an amorphous silicon layer 707 and the whole TFT 70 is fabricated on a substrate 70 ′.
[0058] When the TFT 70 is switched OFF, a PN junction field occurs in a field-effect area 704 in part of the connecting section 703 near the high-field electrode 701 . When the light is emitted to the field-effect area 704 , the electrons would be affected by the incident light and the PN junction field so that a photo-induced leakage current is generated. The object of the invention is to eliminate the photo-induced leakage current.
[0059] The n-type TFT 70 is taken for example in FIG. 7 , so the high-field electrode 701 and the low-field electrode 702 can be defined as a drain terminal and a source terminal respectively while the gate terminal 709 is at low voltage. If a p-type TFT, however, is taken for another embodiment of the present invention, then the high-field electrode 701 and the low-field electrode 702 should be defined as a drain terminal and a source terminal respectively while the gate terminal 709 is at high voltage. For one skilled in the art, the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed n-type TFT and is easy to be deduced in the applications of the p-type TFT and the poly-TFT.
[0060] In the n-type TFT 70 shown in FIG. 7 , the high-field electrode 701 and the low-field electrode 702 are defined as a drain terminal and a source terminal respectively. There is a passivation layer 705 covering the high-field electrode 701 , the low-field electrode 702 and the connecting section 703 . Besides, below the high-field electrode 701 and the low-field electrode 702 are sequentially a N + amorphous silicon layer 706 , an amorphous silicon layer 707 , a gate insulator layer 708 and a metal layer 709 . There is further an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) layer 710 covering the passivation layer 705 corresponding to the source terminal 702 . The ITO layer is also connected to the metal layer 709 so as to connect the low-field electrode 702 to the metal layer 709 . The operation of the low voltage is as described in FIG. 1 and will be omitted here.
[0061] According to the object of the invention, a light blocking layer is introduced in order to eliminate the photo-induced leakage current. Instead of the BM 411 in FIG. 4( a ), an additional layer 711 is provided in the fourth embodiment of FIG. 7 . The additional layer 711 located on the high-field electrode 701 , which is composed of a opaque material, e.g. a kind of metal, is adopted as the light blocking layer to hide the field-effect area 704 from all incident light, so that the light will never emit to or through the field-effect area 704 . Hence, the photo-induced leakage current will be eliminated when the TFT 70 is switched OFF, and the photo-induced ON current will still be hold when the TFT 70 is switched ON.
[0062] In the production process of a display, the defect of the shifting between layers often occurs. For solving such a defect, in the present invention, the TFT 70 is implemented as the L-type structure shown in FIG. 7( a ). The TFT structure 70 is set at an angle with respect to the electric field of the PN junction. The angle in this embodiment is 90°.
[0063] Although the fourth embodiment is given in the application of an n-type TFT, the present invention is still suitable for the application of a p-type TFT and a poly-TFT. Besides, it can also be utilized for the combination of the fabrication process of a TFT-LCD to widen the utility in the industrial application.
[0064] In conclusion, an input display is provided in the present invention. A light blocking layer, for example the black matrix 411 or the layer 711 in the above-mentioned embodiments, is able to hide the PN field-effect area near the high-voltage terminal from all incident light from the TFT. The incident light can not emit to or through the PN field-effect area so that the photo-induced leakage current is eliminated when the TFT is switched OFF. The photo-induced ON current remains almost identical when the TFT is switched ON, regardless of the presence of the light blocking layer. The input display fabricated with the light detector array and the TFT provided in the present invention is able to be fabricated in a higher aperture ratio and a higher production yield.
[0065] While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
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An input display is provided in the present invention. The input display includes a thin film transistor (TFT) and a light blocking layer. The TFT includes a low-field electrode, a high-field electrode connected to the low-field electrode with a connecting section, and a field-effect area positioned on the connecting section and connected to the high-field electrode, wherein a PN junction field is formed in the field-effect area when the TFT is switched off. The light blocking layer corresponds to the high-field electrode and hides the field-effect area from all incident light from the TFT.
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Currently employed pyrotechnic chaff cartridges consist of a fuze, a propellant charge and several packets containing tens of thousands of metalized fibers which are commonly called chaff. The packets are separated from each other by simple discs. When a chaff cartridge of this type is fired, the packets are driven out en masse and no particular control is exercised over their spacing and trajectory. The result is that the fibers are largely clumped together and do not separate. Currently, lateral chaff dispersion patterns are on the order of 10 feet in diameter with the chaff being very densely compacted laterally and elongated longitudinally to several tens of feet. In addition, conventional chaff cartridge techniques are quite likely to deform and/or fracture chaff dipoles during release. Maximum efficiency, however, is obtained when the chaff fibers are separated from each other by about the length of a fiber.
It is an object of this invention to provide for control of the chaff interpacket spacing and to simultaneously provide lateral dispersal of the chaff fibers with respect to the packet trajectory.
It is a further object of this invention to increase the average space between dispensed chaff fibers.
It is an additional object of this invention to increase the efficiencies of chaff cartridges. These objects, and others as will become apparent hereinafter, are accomplished by the present invention.
Basically the present invention provides a chaff cartridge made up of a plurality of subprojectiles each consisting of a thin cup-like container with fins in the back. The fins act: (1) to provide a different drag to each subprojectile to achieve longitudinal dispersion of the chaff; and (2) to provide a spin to each projectile by converting the forward kinetic energy to rotational energy to produce centrifugal forces and thereby radial or lateral dispersion of the chaff.
Upon firing the cartridge, the subprojectiles are propelled outward. As its fins deploy, each subprojectile casing rotates and decelerates with respect to its chaff payload. The chaff's inertia plus the tapered inner surface of the subprojectile tends to transport it laterally and beyond the subprojectile casing. Due to the transmittal of force between the chaff and the casing, some of the chaff's translational energy is converted to rotational energy. The amount of lateral and longitudinal dispersion of each chaff bundle is dependent upon the magnitudes of the angular and translational velocities of each chaff element as it is released from the casing. By designing inverse rotations between alternate subprojectile casings, the casings themselves will disperse laterally as they are releasing the chaff, thereby increasing the total lateral chaff dispersion between successive subprojectiles. Total longitudinal dispersion may be controlled by varying the relative fin sizes and fin shapes between successive subprojectiles and propellant burning rates and mass.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a fuller understanding of the present invention, reference should now be had to the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a high dispersion subprojectile cartridge;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an undeployed subprojectile;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the subprojectile of FIG. 2 in the deployed state;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the subprojectile of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a showing of the lateral and longitudinal dispersion of the high dispersion subprojectile cartridge of FIG. 1 in a freestream release;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an undeployed, modified subprojectile;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the subprojectile of FIG. 6 in the deployed state;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the subprojectile of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an undeployed, second modified subprojectile;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the subprojectile of FIG. 9 in the deployed state;
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a third modified subprojectile;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the subprojectile of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a fourth modified subprojectile; and
FIG. 14 is a partially sectioned view of a fifth modified subprojectile.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1 the numeral 10 generally designates a chaff cartridge. Within the casing 12 are located primer 14, propellant 16, and wadding 18 as is conventional. Additionally, the chaff cartridge 10 contains a charge made up of a plurality of subprojectiles generally designated 20. As best shown in FIG. 2, the subprojectiles 20 are generally cup-like containers 22 which are molded or machined from a resilient plastic which permits the fins 24 to be folded for storage but deploy automatically when leaving the cartridge 10. The inner wall 26 of the cup-like container 22 is outwardly tapered to aid in the dispersion of the chaff 28. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the deployed fins 24 are bent along lines 24a and the amount and direction of the bend controls the aerodynamic drag of the subprojectile 20. In the subprojectiles 20 of FIGS. 1 - 4 the deployment of the fins and the fin angle achieved are the result of the memory of the material which returns the material to this shape when the forces associated with packing the chaff cartridge 20 are removed. Alternatively, the subprojectiles 20 may be made of light metal and springs can be used to deploy the fins or the subprojectiles may be nested together.
The lateral and longitudinal dispersion of the chaff fibers upon the firing of chaff cartridge 10 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 5. The chaff cartridge 10 is fired from chaff dispenser 29. The fins 24 of each subprojectile 20 will be cut or adjusted such that the first subprojectile, designated 20a, to leave the cartridge 10 will have a lesser drag than the second subprojectile, designated 20b. Similarly, the second subprojectile, 20b, will have a lesser drag than the third subprojectile, designated 20c. This will be repeated for the rest of the subprojectiles, designated 20d and 20e, and, finally, the last subprojectile, 20e, to leave the cartridge 20 will have the greatest drag. Thus, by increasing the drag of each subsequent subprojectile, the spacing between them can be controlled. By spinning and spacing these subprojectiles, the total volume containing the fibers, indicated by stippling in FIG. 5, will be larger than that achieved by the previous methods and the efficiencies of the cartridges will be increased.
The modification of FIGS. 6 - 8 is identical to that of FIGS. 1 - 5 except that the use of longer fins requires a folding of the fins in the undeployed state. The structure of the modification of FIGS 6 - 8 has been labeled the same as in FIGS. 1 - 5 with primes added.
In the modification of FIGS. 9 and 10, the subprojectile is generally designated 30. The fins 32, as shown in FIG. 9, are positioned exteriorly of the cup-like portion 34 and extend in a forward direction in the undeployed state. The inner wall, 36, of the cup-like portion 34 is tapered outwardly to aid in the dispensing of the chaff 38. The deployed position of the fins 32, as shown in FIG. 10, is more quickly and positively achieved in the embodiment due to the added restoring force resulting from the extra drag initially produced as a result of fins 32 extending in a forward direction. The extra drag is eliminated when the fins 32 reach the deployed state in which they extend rearwardly.
Fin design is a tradeoff between fin storage volume in the undeployed state and the desired rate of conversion of translational to rotational velocity in the deployed state. The fins of one subprojectile may be folded underneath the subprojectile casing, as in FIGS. 1 - 8, they may be folded at the sides of the subprojectile, as in FIGS. 9 and 10, they may be superimposed or nested on the next subprojectile casing, as in the case of the subprojectiles of FIGS. 11 - 13, or they may be stacked as in the case of the subprojectiles of FIG. 14.
As best shown in FIG. 11, the subprojectiles 40 are identical except for the length and angle of the fins 42 in the deployed state, as illustrated. As in the subprojectiles of FIGS. 1 - 5, the fins 42 provide a different drag to each subprojectile to achieve lateral spacing and a spin to produce a centrifugal dispensing action on the chaff fibers. Referring to FIG. 12, each subprojectile 40 includes a cup-like portion 44 having a tapered inner wall 46 and having chaff 48 located therein. Integral with the cup-like portion 44 is base portion 50 which is of a greater inner diameter than the outer diameter of the cup-like portion 44 to permit nesting therein as shown in FIG. 11. Operation of the subprojectiles 40 of FIGS. 11 and 12 will be identical to that of the subprojectiles 20 of FIGS. 1 - 5.
Unlike the subprojectiles of FIGS. 1 - 12 and 14, the subprojectile 60 of FIG. 13 does not have a cup-like portion having a tapered inner wall. Instead, subprojectile 60 is made up of a number of segmented chaff containers, 62, having a plurality of fins, 64, which are held in place by prestressed retainer ring 66. When fired, the fins 64 cause the rotation of the subprojectile 60 and, upon the reaching of a predetermined rotation rate, the centrifugal force causes the rupture of the prestressed retainer ring 66 causing the radial dispersal of the chaff container 62 which rupture, freeing the chaff fibers.
The subprojectile 80 of FIG. 14 has a generally conical cup-like container 82 having tapered inside walls 84 and 86 and integral fins 88. The conical taper 86 permits the chaff fiber 90 to be of varying length and therefore effective over a wider portion of the radar band. The tapered walls 84 aid in the radial dispersion of the chaff due to the centrifugal forces produced by rotation of the subprojectile 80. Although a conical surface defined by walls 86 has been illustrated, the desired distribution of chaff fiber lengths may require a curved or irregular surface.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, other changes will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, the cross sectional configuration can be modified by locating flat areas on the cylindrical surface of the cup-like member to permit its nesting with the fins of the adjacent subprojectile. Also, the fins may be separate members and deployed by springs. It is therefore intended that the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
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A chaff cartridge is made up of a plurality of chaff interpackets contained in subprojectiles. The subprojectiles are each provided with fins and the fins of each subprojectile in a chaff cartridge provide a different drag to cause the spacing out of the subprojectiles. The fins, additionally, cause the subprojectiles to rotate and thereby radially disperse the chaff.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to flexible hand held liquid (e.g., motor oil) containers which are inverted to pour their contents into an aperture of a receptacle, such as an engine crankcase.
2. Background Information
Motor oil, engine additives and other liquids in the automotive and other industries are usefully packaged in flexible plastic bottles. To dispense the liquid, the user removes the bottle cap, inverts the bottle and inserts the mouth and neck of the bottle into an aperture of the receptacle of the product. During this process, liquid frequently begins pouring from the bottle's mouth before its insertion into the aperture, resulting in spillage. One common instance of this problem occurs in adding oil to an engine. The crowded and cramped space makes if difficult to insert the bottle's mouth into the crankcase opening quickly. As a result, oil spills and eventually runs onto the user's garage floor or driveway.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a container used for pouring liquid into an aperture. The container is a flexible chamber having a mouth with a lip which can be sealed by a closure. The closure comprises a membrane which has a rim on its perimeter and an inner portion which has lines or areas of relative weakness on its surface. The closure is bonded to the rim of the container after it has been suitably filled with liquid. Despite the weakening, the closure is strong enough to retain the liquid as the container is rotated into a pouring position, but is sufficiently weak that the closure fails and tears open at the points of weakness when the user squeezes the container, thus releasing the liquid into the aperture.
Thus, an object of the invention is to provide a container which enables its user to pour its liquid contents into a relatively small aperture without spilling the liquid in the process. This will avoid unnecessary waste of resources and prevent contamination of surrounding areas, such as the user's garage or driveway.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description to follow. In the description, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments do not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention, however, and the invention may be incorporated in other embodiments. Therefore, reference should be made to the claims herein for interpreting the breadth of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container, such as a bottle of oil, embodying the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the mouth of the container of FIG. 1, to which has been attached a closure embodying the present invention and a cap threaded to the container's mouth.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged and partially schematic view of the mouth of the container of FIG. 1 which has been inverted; it shows the failure of the closure of the present invention upon the squeezing of the container.
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a cross-section of a portion of a scored-line closure embodying the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a perforated closure.
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a closure having a thinned inner portion.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is an elevational view of a cross-section of a portion of a closure embodying the present invention which has a score which slightly penetrates its lower surface.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a typical plastic container in which a consumer purchases a quart of motor oil.
The container 10 has one or more flexible walls 11, a threaded mouth 12 and a threaded cap 13. Bonded to the lip of mouth 12 is a closure 14 embodying the present invention.
Closure 14 may be made of any of several materials used in seals commonly found protecting the contents of containers of milk, cleaning fluids and other liquids. If used on a container of engine oil, closure 14 may be made of a polyurethane or polyethylene having low temperature characteristics so that any pieces carried into the crankcase would dissolve in the heated oil. Closure 14 may be bonded to the lip of mouth 12 by adhesive, pressure, heat or any combination of them and other methods which are commonly used to seal containers.
FIGS. 4 through 8 illustrate several embodiments of closure 14. The embodiment of FIG. 4 has one or more scores 15 in top of closure 14. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the score 15a slightly penetrates the lower surface of closure 14, i.e., it is a slit. Such a score may be made by any number of methods which will be evident to those skilled in the art, including creasing, partial cutting and laser cutting. In FIG. 5, closure 14 has one or more series of perforations which may be made by any of the commonly used perforating means. The size and spacing of the perforations 16 must be such that surface tension and other effects will retain substantially all of the liquid in an inverted container 10 until walls 11 are squeezed. In the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, closure 14 is provided with a thinned central area 17. Thinned area 17 may be formed by compression during the manufacture of closure 14, by subsequent boring of closure 14 or by any other suitable means.
The most appropriate design of a particular closure 14 depends upon the size of container 10 and the density and viscosity of the liquid which it contains. The design requirements are that the closure (a) will retain substantially all of the liquid in the container when it is held unsqueezed in a position in which closure 14 is subject to the maximum pressure of the liquid and (b) will irreversibly "blow out" when the walls 11 of container 10 are squeezed by hand while the container 10 is in any pouring position likely to be encountered in use.
It is desirable that a squeezing of a capped bottle 10, intentionally or as a result of jarring and other motion during shipment, not result in a failure of closure 14. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, it is advantageous that container 10 be fitted with a cap 13 whose upper inner surface engages closure 14 when the cap 13 is attached for storage and shipment. In a preferred embodiment, inner surface 18 of cap 13 is formed to bulge into the opening of mouth 12 and thereby to fit snugly against closure 14. When inner surface 18 of cap 13 engages closure 14, the squeezing of walls 11 of container 10 is unable to exert a differential force on closure 14, thereby preventing closure 14 from being ruptured by such squeezing.
In operation, the user would remove cap 13, rotate container 10 and insert mouth 12 into the aperture of a receptacle, such as an engine crankcase. The user would then squeeze walls 11, which would cause closure 14 to fail, allowing the passage of the liquid in container 10 into the aperture of the receptacle. This is illustrated in FIG. 3, where a closure 14 of the embodiment of FIG. 4 has ruptured along score lines 15, thereby allowing liquid 19 to flow out of mouth 12.
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described above, the invention claimed is not so restricted. There may be various modifications to the embodiments which are still within the scope of the invention. For example, container 10 may have various different shapes and mouth 12 may have a different shape or be located on a side of container 10. In addition, cap 13 may be a snap-on cap. There may be other ways to weaken closure 14 which are within the present invention. For example, score 15 of FIG. 4 may instead be a score which slightly penetrates the lower surface of closure 14. The invention is also not limited to containers for engine oil or other lubricants. It is useful for containers for any pourable liquid. Thus, the invention is not to be limited by the specific description above, but should be judged by the claims which follow.
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A container with flexible walls has bonded to it a closure which is scored, perforated, narrowed or otherwise weakened in selected patterns such that the closure will substantially retain the liquid in the container while the container is rotated to a pouring position. However, the closure will irreversibly fail and thereby release the liquid when the user squeezes the bottle while in the pouring position.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is the U.S. national phase of international patent application Ser. No. PCT/EP2014/061027, filed May 28, 2014, which claims priority to international patent application Serial No. EP 13171005.5, filed Jun. 7, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a thermally insulating roof support assembly, a method of installing such roof support assembly and an insulating roof construction for buildings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to provide an insulating roof support assembly for a roof structure comprising a plurality roof elongated rafters spaced apart in a predetermined distance with insulation boards there between. On top of this roof support assembly, the roof tiles or other types of roof cover is mounted.
It is also known to provide solutions for the new-build but as well for the refurbishment sector in order to deal with the constantly increasing requirements being specified in respect to thermal insulation respectively energy savings. Just by way of example reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating common solutions to deal with said increased demands. FIG. 1 showing a rafter extension as it would be required in order to improve existing buildings, i.e. for refurbishment; simply to increase the height of the existing rafters and hence the space to accommodate additional insulation; whereas FIG. 2 illustrates an on-rafter insulation system which actually would serve for both purposes, the new-build as well as for the refurbishment segment. Such systems have also earlier been described in e.g. EP0852275, DE19922592, or EP2354363.
In WO2009/153232 there is disclosed an insulating building system for an external building structure, such as a wall or a roof, or an internal building structure of the above-mentioned kind. This building assembly comprises a top and a bottom profile with a plurality of joining profiles between the top and bottom frame profiles. The joining profiles have a first and second side surfaces which are abutted by the contact sides of adjacent insulating panels on each side of said joining profiles, wherein the profile contact sides of the insulation panels are provided with a shape matching the profile side surfaces of the joining profiles such that the insulation panels are retained between two profiles. The insulation panels thereby support the joining profiles and provide stability and strength to the wall structure and prevent the joining profiles from buckling.
However, these known building assembly systems are often complex, not easy to install on a roof and furthermore, there are increasing demands for extra thermal insulation in roof constructions in order to provide a comprehensive thermal building insulation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object by the present invention to provide a roof support assembly which is easy and fast to install on site and which allows for an efficient level of thermal insulation for avoiding thermal bridges in the roof construction.
This object is achieved by an insulating roof support assembly for a roof structure comprising a plurality of roof elongated rafters spaced apart in a predetermined distance with insulation boards there between, wherein elongated insulation elements are provided on the top of each of the elongated roof rafters and elongated wooden elements on top of said insulation elements with at least one impermeable membrane between at least two neighbouring insulation elements sandwiched between the wooden elements and the insulation elements.
By the invention, a roof support assembly may be provided which increases the insulation accommodating space between the roof rafters, but without extending thermal bridging by the wooden roof rafters. Due to the insulating properties of said insulation elements the thermal bridging is reduced compared to the use of similarly larger dimensioned rafters. The said insulation elements, like e.g. mineral wool fibre material, polymeric foams or other suitable insulation materials act as a thermal break or spacer. Moreover, the material is less expensive which results in a roof support construction which is inexpensive compared to the known solutions.
Today building requirements in many countries demand a roof insulation thickness of 400-500 mm. Existing roof constructions are not provided with rafters of such height and therefore an extension is needed when refurbishing the roof. By the roof support assembly according to the invention, a simple and cost-effective solution is provided.
Preferably, the elongated insulation elements are provided with the same width as the elongated roof rafters. Hereby the same dimensions of the insulation boards can be used for installation between the rafters and between the insulation respectively spacer elements.
In order to facilitate an easy mounting of the roof support assembly, the wooden elements, the at least one membrane and the elongated insulation elements are preferably mounted to the elongated rafters by a plurality of fastening members, such as screws.
By the invention it is found advantageous that the insulation elements have a sufficient rigidity and good load-carrying capability, in particular in a new-built situation, whilst at the same time being sufficient resilient so that any unevenness in the wooden rafters can be absorbed and the roof surface may thereby be aligned. The latter will often be a challenge faced in a refurbishment situation. Therefore, it is essential that the insulation elements or spacer provide a certain compression strength at 10% strain (CS(10)) according to European Standard EN826. In an embodiment of the invention the said compression strength at 10% strain will be in the range of 15 kPa to 30 kPa, preferably in the range of 20 kPa to 25 kPa. It is the person skilled in the art who will be able to choose the adequate strength properties in respect to the individual situation at the site. In some cases it might even be necessary to reduce the strength properties, e.g. by additional flexing of the bottom part of the insulation element which will be in contact with the wooden rafters, in order to be as resilient as to compensate for unevenness in a broad variety of tolerances.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the elongated insulation elements are made from mineral wool fibre material, preferably stone wool fibre material. Moreover, it may be preferred that the mineral wool fibre insulation elements have a density of 70 kg/m 3 to 100 kg/m 3 , preferably of 90 kg/m 3 .
The roof structure in which the roof support assembly will typically be mounted may be an inclined roof, i.e. a pitched or steep roof, or a flat roof.
In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of installing an insulating sub-roof assembly, said method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of roof elongated rafters with an elongated insulation element on the top of each of the elongated roof rafters and an elongated wooden elements on top of said insulation elements with at least one flexible membrane for waterproofing between at least two neighbouring insulation elements sandwiched between the wooden elements and the insulation elements. Such membranes for waterproofing are commercially available and regulated according to European Standard EN13859-1. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the membrane provides a variable diffusion-equivalent air layer thickness (s d -value) of 0.01 m (depending on the moisture level) in accordance with European Standard EN12572 which ensures applicability of the membrane for a broad variety of different constructions.
By the invention, it is realised that the elongated insulation elements are mounted on the top of the rafters off-site. Hereby, the roof construction rafters may be prepared on the ground before being lifted to the roof, whereby a fast and easy insulating roof support assembly may be achieved.
However, it is also realised that the present invention is advantageous as the support roof assembly may be mounted on the roof rafters for refurbishment of an existing roof construction.
In yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided an insulating roof construction for buildings comprising a roof support assembly as described above and preferably provided by performing a method mentioned above. In the roof construction according to this aspect one or more insulation panels are provided in the space between the rafters and a top surface is mounted on the elongated wooden elements.
An insulating roof construction according to the invention is found advantageous as it is realised that it is possible to comply with e.g. the Passive House demands according to recommendations by the German Passive House Institute (PHI), Darmstadt as the roof construction can be provided with a U-value≦0.12 W/m 2 K, in particular as low as 0.1 W/m 2 K.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the following, the invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGS. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional schematic views of roof constructions according to the prior art;
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of an insulating roof support assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is another embodiment thereof;
FIG. 5 is an exploded schematic front view of the insulating roof support assembly;
FIGS. 6 and 7 are two variants thereof where the insulation roof support assembly is assembled; and
FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the roof support assembly of example described below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 show examples of known roof constructions. In FIG. 1 , a number of wooden roof rafters 1 have been extended with additional wooden rafters 1 ′. Membranes 4 are fitted around the rafters and insulation boards 2 are then fitted between the rafters 1 , 1 ′ and a second membrane 4 is then provided on top of the rafters 1 , 1 ′. The roof top structure is then mounted, i.e. the wooden support members 5 and the horizontally oriented laths 6 with roof tiles 9 or the like on top. In FIG. 2 , there is no extension of the rafters 1 but instead a second layer of insulation 2 ′ is provided.
FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention, where a roof rafter 1 is provided with an elongated mineral wool fibre insulation element 3 on the top of the rafter (see also FIGS. 5-7 ). A flexible membrane 4 for waterproofing as it has been described before is provided on top of the elongated insulation element 4 . A wooden support member 5 , e.g. a Kerto board is then placed above the insulating spacer element 3 thereby clamping the membrane 4 between the insulation spacer 3 and the support member 5 when the assembly is mounted via glue and/or fastening screws 8 (see FIGS. 5-7 ) penetrating the membrane 4 and the spacer elements 3 . On the support members 5 a number of horizontally oriented laths 6 are provided onto which the roof cover (not shown) can be mounted.
The rafters 1 and thereby the roof construction are fixed to a wall plate 7 on the top of the wall of the building.
As shown in FIG. 4 , the insulating roof support assembly according to the invention may be mounted on rafters 1 of an existing roof construction. The mineral wool fibre spacer elements 3 may due to their resiliency absorb any unevenness 1 a on the top surface of the rafters 1 so that when the spacer elements 3 are mounted the top wooden member 5 becomes aligned with the roof inclination. Said spacer elements 3 are mounted together with the support members 5 and the membrane 4 via fastening screws 8 as described before. In case of considerable unevenness 1 a of the rafters 1 it might be adequate to apply additional flexing to the bottom part of the spacer elements by means per se known in the art to influence the resiliency to the extent needed. This “extra flexing” for refurbishment situations makes the roof support assembly according to the invention particularly advantageous.
The mineral wool fibre spacer elements 3 advantageously provide a very low thermal conductivity, expressed as the Lambda declared value according to EN13162 of between 0.030 W/mK and 0.035 W/mK, preferably of about 0.034 W/mK.
As indicated in FIGS. 6 and 7 , insulation boards 2 may be provided between two adjacent rafters 1 with an insulating spacer element 3 mounted thereon. The insulation boards 2 may be traditional low-density mineral wool insulation boards as they are commonly known, being installed in one or more layers in order to provide the predetermined thickness of the thermal insulation required for the roof system.
The rafters 1 are normally made of wood and are normally part of the roof construction sections. When providing a roof construction to a new building, the insulating spacer elements 3 may advantageously be mounted as extensions on the rafters 1 during the production of the rafter sections. Advantageously, the insulating spacer elements 3 are provided with the same width dimensions as the rafter 1 (as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 ). This makes the fitting of the insulation boards easy and simple.
EXAMPLE
The main purpose of the roof solution in a modern building is to have a balanced and efficient thermal performance defined by the U-value or overall heat transfer coefficient. This value indicates the rate of heat transfer through a specific component over a given area if the temperature difference is exactly one degree (1 Kelvin). The measurement unit of the U-value is therefore W/m 2 K; the smaller the U-value the better the level of insulation.
With a system according to the invention it is found possible to complete a coherent un-broken fibrous insulation shell. A shell ensuring that the buildings structural parts are efficient protected and thermally well insulated. The building envelope does not impair the thermal performance significantly, except for those necessary penetrations that must be handled separately.
As an example of the thermally insulated roof support assembly, shown in FIG. 8 , the system is made of components described below.
Wooden rafters 1 are provided at an axial distance (L 1 ) of 1.000 mm, having a density of approx. 500 kg/m 3 , and with a width of 45 mm, a height of 180 mm and a Lambda value of 0.12 W/mK (at approx. 12% moisture content).
The spacer elements 3 on top of rafters 1 are made of mineral wool fibres with a density of 90 kg/m 3 and with a width of 45 mm, a height of 180 mm and a Lambda declared value of 0.034 W/mK according to EN13162.
The intermediary insulation boards 2 are of the type Super flexibatts® produced by Rockwool A/S and with a thickness of 180 mm (T i ) and a Lambda declared value of 0.034 W/mK according to EN13162.
The rafters 1 are provided on a layer of wooden fibre boards 10 of the OSB type having a density of approx. 650 kg/m 3 , a thickness of 12 mm and a Lambda value of 0.13 W/mK.
By choosing the above described design and the said materials, the total thickness of the roof support is 372 mm in order to achieve a total U-value of 0.10 W/m 2 K.
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The present invention concerns an insulating roof support assembly for a roof structure comprising a plurality roof elongated rafters spaced apart in a predetermined distance with insulation boards therebetween, wherein elongated mineral wool fiber insulation elements are provided on the top of each of the elongated roof rafters and elongated wooden elements on top of said insulation elements with at least one impermeable membrane between at least two neighbouring insulation elements sandwiched between the wooden elements and the insulation elements.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to textile machinery and has particular application to pneumatic cleaners for use with ring spinners.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a ring-spinning frame, the yarn is supplied in the form of packages of roving which is drafted and spun into yarn as it is wound onto bobbins which are mounted on spindles for rotation about a vertical axis. The roving from the packages passes through drafting rolls and yarn guides to a traveler ring which orbits the bobbin and traverses the length of the bobbin to build a compact package of spun yarn on the bobbin. The traveler is carried by the ring rail which normally builds the package starting at the bottom and traverses upwardly.
The spindles have an area immediately below the bobbins, referred to as the whirl, onto which several wraps of yarn are wound as the ring rail traverses down below the bobbin prior to stopping the frame for doffing of the full yarn bobbins. This assures that as the full bobbins are doffed, the yarn remains threaded up from the drafting rolls through the yarn guide and traveler to the spindle. Removing the full bobbins separates the yarn between the bobbin and the spindle whirl, leaving several wraps of yarn on the whirls. After empty bobbins are placed onto the spindles and the frame is restarted, a few more wraps are added to the whirl before the ring rail is raised to its normal operating position where the yarn is wound onto the empty bobbins.
Unless the wraps of yarn are removed from the whirl, with each doff a few more wraps of yarn are added to each spindle whirl, and pieces of yarn and fibers will eventually be thrown from the spindle whirls and may get into the rings, travelers and yarn being processed. This can result in yarn defects and may even cause the yarn to break. Through the years there have been many different attempts to provide devices to efficiently remove the wraps of yarn from spindle whirls. Machine operators have used brushes, various abrasive materials and rotating discs to press against the rotating spindle whirls, thus tearing the yarn from the whirl. This tended to be slow and if not done at frequent intervals, resulted in large quantities of fiber and yarn pieces being thrown about. Variations of these approaches included adding a vacuum source to collect the fiber and yarn pieces removed from the whirl, but it still required required a person to operate it.
More recently, blade-like devices have been mounted adjacent the base of each spindle. Each blade has a flat target area arranged so that a stream of air directed against the blade assembly at right angles to the side of the frame causes the end edges of the blade to move against the spindle whirl, impinging the yarn wraps and causing them to break up and be thrown off. Manufacturers of traveling blowing and suction machines for ring spinning frames have provided special blowing outlets to actuate these whirl-cleaning devices. Such blowing outlets use the same relatively low pressure exhaust air that is used for cleaning the frames. In some installations, the blowing outlets blow continuously, thus activating the whirl-cleaning blades every time the traveling cleaner device passes, as frequently as every 4 to 15 minutes. Not only does this continuously divert exhaust air from cleaning other parts of the spinning frame, but such frequency is unnecessary and accelerates the wear on the whirlcleaning blades. In other installations, the blowing outlets are equipped with dampering devices and complex control systems so that the whirl-cleaning blades are actuated only when needed, once after each doff.
At least one spinning frame manufacturer provides relay contacts which are controlled by the builder motion for the ring rail of the spinning frame. The contacts are actuated several minutes after the start of a spinning cycle when the ring rail is operating near the top of the bobbins, farthest from the spindle whirls to initate mechanical or optical signals which, in turn, actuate dampering mechanism in the exhaust air supply to the whirl-cleaning outlets of the traveling cleaner. In such a case, the entire flow of exhaust is diverted to operate the cleaning blades and is lost for cleaning other parts of the spinning frame during actuation of the dampering mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an attachment for pneumatic cleaning machines which operates efficiently and effectively to strip the yarn ends from the spindle whirls in textile machinery, without substantially modifying the textile machinery itself.
More specifically, the present invention provides an arrangement for use with spinning frame in which the pneumatic cleaner carriage is self-propelled and is supplied with power through an energy chain interconnecting the carriage with a central control box adjacent the trackway for the carriage, the flexible energy chain providing a housing for a conduit for connecting a source of compressed air to the carriage, the invention utilizing the compressed air to operate whirl-cleaning blades in an efficient and effective manner.
More specifically, the present invention provides a cleaning device in which the controls for controlling the flow of compressed air through the carriage to the blades are disposed within a central control box, avoiding the need for dampers, valves or such controls in the traveling cleaner unit.
The invention is also applicable to textile machines having multiple sections in which the spinning of yarn onto bobbins is effected in only one section, the invention providing means for inactivating the supply of compressed air to the cleaning device when the device passes out of registry with the spinning section.
The present invention provides a cleaning apparatus which is cost-effective, reliable in operation, and simple and easy to operate and maintain.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
All of the objects of the invention are more fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic fragmentary front view of the spinning section of a textile machine showing the pneumatic cleaner carriage in position thereon;
FIG. 2 is a schematic transverse sectional view through the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse section through a spindle of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1 showing the energy chain;
FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing controls for the compressed air supply; and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of nozzles and blades for stripping the spindles.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, the invention is applicable to a textile machine in at least one section of which there is a ring-spinning frame in which there is a creel 21 for supporting a plurality of packages 22 of roving or the like. The roving from the packages 22 is passed through appropriate yarn-handling devices including draw rolls, yarn guides, etc. (not illustrated) and finally through the traveler 25 of a ring spinner mounted for orbiting around a bobbin 26 mounted on a spindle 27 rotatable in a bearing 28 in the spindle rail 29. The traveler 25 is guided by a ring 32 mounted on the ring rail 33 which traverses the length of the bobbin, controlled, for example, by a builder cam 34 (see FIG. 5). In operation, the roving from the packages 22 is drafted and spun into yarns housing the desired properties as the yarn is wound onto bobbins 26.
The operation of the spinning frame produces a substantial quantity of lint, dust and other particulate matter which is airborne and deposited on mechanisms in the vicinity of the machine and, to this end, a traveling cleaner is provided to remove the particulate matter from the vicinity of the spinning frame. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaner comprises a carriage 41 mounted for movement along a pair of tracks 42,42 along the top of the frame. The carriage is self-propelled by suitable drive means 43 and carries suction/exhaust means to generate an outward flow of cleaning air through depending exhaust tubes 43,43 and an inward flow of vacuum air through vacuum tubes 44,44. In the drawings, the vacuum and exhaust tubes are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the centerline of the carriage so that as the carriage travels along the length of textile machine, both sides of the machine are exposed to the cleaning air from the exhaust tubes 43 and for takeup from the vacuum tubes 44 twice in each pass of the carriage along the length of the machine. The tubes 43 and 44 have ports (not shown) for directing the outward and inward flows of air to those portions of the machine and the surrounding floor area where the dust and lint would otherwise accumulate.
If desired, the lower parts of the vacuum tubes 44 may be offset inwardly to be positioned in close proximity to the lower operating parts of the spinning frame during the cleaning operation. The cleaning device is normally positioned out of the way during the doffing operation, so that there is no interference between the cleaning devices and the doffing mechanism. The tubes are sufficiently flexible so that they do not obstruct the travel of the carriage when they encounter obstacles or personnel who may be in the path of travel of the tubes.
The suction/exhaust means in the carriage includes suitable filtration apparatus to separate the particulate matter from the suction air before it is recirculated to the spinning frame as exhaust air, and the filtration apparatus is normally cleared of particulate matter periodically at one end or the other of the travel of the apparatus along the textile machine.
The power to the carriage drive and the suction/exhaust means is supplied to the carriage 41 through an energy chain 51. The energy chain 51 comprises a series of pivotally-connected links, each consisting of sidewalls 52 having cross pieces 53 therebetween to form an open-ended channel for the reception of power lines 54 (see FIG. 4). The links are guided in a trough-like guide 55 which extends along the length of the machinery beneath the tracks 42. As indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 1, one end of the energy chain 51 is connected to a junction box 56 which is preferably positioned centrally between the opposite ends of the tracks 42,42. The length of the energy chain 51 is sufficient to enable the carriage to travel from one end of the track to the other without breaking the connection to the energy chain. When the energy chain is fully extended at the end of the run of the carriage, the chain is disposed at the bottom of the trough, and as the carriage returns, the chain has a reverse bend and travels in the trough in a second run overlying the first run until it passes the junction box 56. The compartments of the links are sufficiently large to accommodate several cables or other power supply conduits.
During operation of the spinning frame, the roving is twisted into yarn as it is wound around the bobbins 26, and the ring rail 33 is traversed along the length of the bobbin. At the completion of the package on the bobbin 26, the ring rail is lowered to a position below the bottom of the bobbin 26 so that the yarn is wound around the whirl 61 which is a friction surface formed on the spindle immediately below the bobbin. The whirl surface extends circumferentially of the spindle as shown in FIG. 3 so that when the ring rail is lowered, the yarn is wound about the whirl surface with several turns before the spinning frame is arrested for the doffing operation. In the doffing operation, the doffing apparatus (not shown) doffs the full bobbins 26 and replaces them with empty bobbins 26. At the completion of the doffing cycle, the machine is restarted while the ring rail 33 is at its lower position so that additional turns of yarn are wound on the whirl 61 before the ring frame is raised into registry with the now-empty bobbins 26 for starting the new packages. The packages are built from the bottom up as the ring rail is elevated.
In order to strip the turns of yarn accumulated on the whirls 61 during the doff and immediately before and after, a cleaner blade 62 is provided on the spindle rail 29. The blade 62, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, is disposed upright generally parallel to the axis of the spindle and has a pair of support legs 63 which extend toward the axis of the spindle 27 and are pivotally mounted on the spindle rail 29 as indicated at 64. When the spindle blade is pressed inwardly, the upright part of the cleaner blade pivots inwardly on the pivots 64 so that the free upper end 66 bears against the whirl 61 and operates to strip the whirl of the turns of yarn which have been wound thereon. So far as described to this point, the spinning frame structure is substantially conventional, and the operation represents the operating standard in the industry at the present time.
Prior to the present invention, the cleaner blades 62 have been actuated by providing an outlet in the exhaust tubes 43 at a level which registers with the spindle blades 62 so as to blow exhaust air against the top of the cleaner blades 62 and cause engagement of the free end 66 with the whirl. In order that the exhaust air in the tubes 43 provides sufficient force to effect pivotal displacement of the blades, it was usual to interrupt all of the discharges through the exhaust tubes 43 and divert the entire flow from the suction/exhaust means through the single port for deflecting the blade end 66 against the whirl 61, and frequently the force was still insufficient to effect complete stripping of the whirl by the blade end. Furthermore, the controls in the carriage and the exhaust tubes to achieve the concentration of flow necessary to displace the spindle blade with the exhaust air was expensive and subject to severe operating conditions which rendered maintenance and continued operation difficult. Although this manner of displacement of the cleaner blades has been used extensively, the present invention is believed to overcome the difficulties encountered in such operation and provide a novel mode of operation, which is both efficient and effective.
In accordance with the present invention, a separate supply of compressed air is utilized to actuate the cleaner blade, thereby avoiding the need to divert exhaust air from its primary function of cleaning the mechanisms in the vicinity of the spinning frame. As shown in the drawings, a separate nozzle 71 is suspended from the carriage 41 and is disposed to discharge a jet of compressed air against the cleaner blade at a sufficient height above the pivots 64 to displace the free end 66 of the blade into engagement with the whirl 61. Thus, as the carriage travels along the tracks 42,42 along the length of the spinning frame, the nozzle passes into registry with the upright cleaning blades as it enters each spinning station. Continued travel of the carriage causes the nozzle to pass out of registry with the blade in one spinning station and travel into registry with the blade in the next spinning station.
In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the nozzle 71 is mounted on a pipe 72 which is supported between the exhaust tubes 43. The pipe 72 extends into the carriage 41 and is connected within the carriage to a flexible conduit 73 which extends within the energy chain 51 alongside the power conduit 54. The flexible compressed air conduit 73 is connected to a supply of compressed air in the junction box 56 which includes a suitable controller including, for example, a shut-off valve 77. The source of compressed air to the junction box 56 includes a connection to the compressed air supply which is conventional in textile mills to which the invention is particularly applicable. Thus, the present invention enables the whirl cleaner to be operated by utilizing a stationary source of compressed air at 78 without dampers, valves, or electropneumatic controls in the traveling cleaner unit without need for diverting the flow of exhaust air from the exhaust air tubes 43.
The flow of compressed air to the nozzles 71 is controlled through electronic controls in the junction box responsive to actuation from the standard controls for the spinning frame, namely the builder cam motion 34 and a switch 81 responsive to the starting and stopping of the spinning frame in preparation for and subsequent to the doffing operation. As shown in FIG. 5, the compressed air valve 77, which enables flow of compressed air through the flexible conduit 73 and the pipe 72 to the nozzle 71, is operated by a solenoid 82 which is energized for a preset time period following a predetermined delay after the spinning frame is restarted following a doff. For those installations where the cleaner carriage 41 traverses multiple-section machines in which only one section is a spinning frame, an additional switch 83, which is responsive to the position of the carriage on the track, is utilized to disable the solenoid valve 82/77 during the interval when the carriage is beyond the spinning frame section of the textile machinery.
Referring to FIG. 5, the control circuit for the solenoid 82 for the valve 77 is illustrated. The switch 81 is closed during the interval when the spinning frame is operating between doffs, and is open during the doff. To this end, the switch 81 is connected in series with a time-delay device 84 having a normally open switch 85 connected therewith. Thus, when the spinning frame is restarted after a doff, the time-delay device 84 is energized and the normally open switch 85 is closed for a predetermined time period, for example 15 to 20 minutes, to enable energization of a second time-delayed device 87. In series with the switch 85 is a second switch 88 which is operated in response to the builder cam 34 to close when the builder cam 34 elevates the ring rail to an elevated position relative to the spindle whirl, as described earlier. Thus, when the ring rail is raised a distance above the whirl of the spindle 26, the switch 88 is closed which energizes the time-delay device 87 through the normally closed switch 91 of the time-delay device 87.
Energizing the time-delay device 87 closes the normally open switch 92 of the time-delay device 87 and enables energization of the solenoid 82 through the closed switch 83. Simultaneously, the second switch 91 for the time-delay device 87 is opened to interrupt energization of the device 87. Energization of the time-delayed device 87 latches the device in the open position for a preset time period, for example a time period of 10 minutes which is the time period to permit the carriage 41 of the pneumatic cleaner to complete, at least one full cycle of travel along the track 42. Thus, the time-delay device 87 enables the compressed air to flow through a complete cycle of travel of the carriage 41.
If this cycle of the carriage carries the pneumatic cleaner out of the ring-spinning frame to other sections of the machine, the switch 83 opens to disable the solenoid 82 for that period when the carriage is out of registry with the spinning frame section of the textile machinery. The switch 83 is preferably a toggle-type switch associated with the track 42 so as to be thrown to the open position when the carriage 41 passes out of the spinning frame suction and is returned to the closed position when the carriage 41 returns to the spinning frame section thereby enabling flow of compressed air through the valve 77 and thereby through the nozzles 71 when the carriage 41 is traveling in the spinning frame section of the machinery. If the cleaning apparatus is confined to apparatus consisting of a single spinning frame, the switch 83 may be omitted so that the solenoid 82 is energized or deactivated independently by the switch 92.
As described, it is apparent that the nozzles 71 of the apparatus are in operation for the preset time period determined by the timing device 87 which normally corresponds to the time for a complete cycle of the cleaning device carriage along the track 42. After the preset time period has lapsed, for example ten minutes, the time-delay device 87 opens the switch 92 and deenergizes the solenoid 82 and closes the valve 77 disabling flow of compressed air to the carriage 41 and the nozzles 71. As the time lapse following the elevation of the ring rail to a position above the whirl plus the preset time period provided by the time-delays 87 is normally greater than the predetermined time period of the time-delay device 84, the time-delay device 84 has cycled to its normally open position preventing reactivation of the time-delay device 87 until after the switch 81 has been cycled through the open position back to the closed position. Therefore, even if the builder cam closes the switch 88 several times during the spinning cycle, the whirl cleaning operation will only be initiated once throughout the entire operation, and this once will occur only when the frame is started after the next doff.
Thus, the present invention enables the spinning frame to operate using a standard source of compressed air in the mill without wasting the flow of compressed air inasmuch as it is used only once during each spinning cycle. Furthermore, if the device is attached to a multi-section machine, the compressed air flows only during the time when the cleaning device is traversing the spinning frame section of the machine.
While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosure but changes and modifications may be made therein and thereto within the scope of the following claims.
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Apparatus for use with a traveling cleaner for textile machines, particularly ring spinners, operable to strip yarn ends from the whirls of the spindles for the bobbins of the ring spinner apparatus. A whirl cleaner blade is pivoted to the frame of the ring spinner adjacent each spindle so that its free blade end may be displaced into engagement with the whirl of the spindle by a jet of compressed air impinged against the blade. The compressed air is supplied by a nozzle suspended from the carriage of the pneumatic cleaner to impinge against the blade. The compressed air is fed from a central junction box under the track for the carriage through the energy chain which houses the power supply cables for the carriage. From the carriage, the compressed air is piped to the nozzle positioned at the level of the spindle whirls. Control means is provided to activate the flow of compressed air for a selected time period which achieves stripping of the whirls of all of the spindles in the apparatus during the time when the ring rail is disposed a distance above the spindle whirls. In installations where the pneumatic cleaner additionally services sections of textile machinery which do not have spindles needing stripping, the flow of compressed air is also controlled by the travel of the cleaner between sections.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for the preparation of staple fibers with high strength and high tensile modulus. More specifically, this invention relates to a process for the preparation of polybenzazole staple fibers.
Staple fibers are short, random fibers or filaments which are typically prepared by cutting a dried fiber or filament into short lengths. Such fibers are particularly useful in composite applications. It is known to prepare filaments and fibers of polybenzazole polymers by extrusion of a solution of the polymer, followed by drawing, washing, and drying of the extrudates. It is also known to prepare short polybenzazole fibers by cutting the filament after it has been washed and while it is still wet, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,131. However, filaments which have been thoroughly washed are rigid and difficult to cut while traveling at a high line speed. Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop an improved process for the preparation of cut fibers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, this invention is a process for the preparation of polybenzazole staple fibers which comprises extruding a solution of polybenzazole polymer to form a dope filament, cutting the dope filament to a desired length, and washing and drying the cut filament. It has been discovered that the process of the invention provides a means to prepare staple fibers which does not require the cutting of washed, rigid polybenzazole filaments. These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description which follows.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Understanding of the invention will be facilitated by referring to the accompanying drawings in FIG. 1, which is a schematic representation of one embodiment of the process of the invention; and FIGS. 2 and 3, which illustrate cutting devices useful in the process of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the process of this invention. A solution of polybenzazole polymer in polyphosphoric acid ("dope") is supplied to a spinning head (2) through an extruder (1). The dope is preferably passed through one or more filters and/or porous plates inside the spinning head and is subsequently spun through a spinneret (not illustrated) on which several orifices are arranged in a circular or lattice pattern. The temperature of spinneret surface should be as uniform as possible.
The dope filaments spun from the spinneret are passed through a quench chamber (3) located below the spinneret, and the running speed of the dope filaments is regulated by the dry rollers (4) located after the quench chamber, which draw the fiber through the quench chamber and across the air gap between the quench chamber and the rollers. The quench chamber and the air gap may contain any fluid that does not remove the acid solvent or react adversely with the dope, such as air, nitrogen, argon, helium or carbon dioxide. The dope filaments are subsequently introduced into a cutting device (5) to cut them into desired lengths. Any suitable cutting device may be used, including conventional cutting devices such as reciprocal cutters and rotary cutters. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate examples of cutting devices. In FIGS. 2 and 3, a continuous dope filament bundle fixed to the surface of a drum (23) located after the rollers (4) is cut using a cutter blade (24). FIG. 2 illustrates a reciprocal type cutter, and FIG. 3 illustrates a rotary cutter. The cut dope filaments (27) are allowed to fall as they are scraped off the drum with a scraper (25). Alternatively, the dope filaments may be frozen to a temperature at which they become brittle and then cut with a conventional cutting device as described above, or cut with a grinding device. Preferably, the frozen filaments are cut or ground at a temperature below about 5° C., more preferably below about 0° C. In yet another embodiment, the dope filaments may be cut with a high pressure water stream.
If a reciprocal cutter device or rotary cutter device is used, the drum, cutter blade, and scraper are preferably made of a material which is resistant to corrosion by the acid solvent. In addition, it is important that the cutter blade maintain sharpness and not be damaged. The drum surface is preferably constructed from stainless steel number SS316, and the cutter blade is preferably constructed of stainless steel number SS431. It is desirable to coat the surface of scraper with poly(tetrafluoroethylene) to reduce the friction and wear on the part. The length of the cut dope filaments is preferably at least about 0.1 mm, more preferably at least about 1 mm, but is preferably no greater than about 100 mm, more preferably no greater than about 60 mm.
In the process of the invention, the dope filaments are cut into the desired length after they are spun from the spinneret but before they are washed with a fluid which is a non-solvent for the polybenzazole polymer but which will dissolve and wash the acid solvent out of the dope ("washing fluid"). However, the filaments may be brought into contact with minor amount of such fluid, such as by exposing the filament to a spray of water mist or water vapor, for example, without departing from the invention. In such cases, the solvent content of the filament should not be reduced below about 1 percent. If the filaments are to be frozen to a temperature below about 5° C., the solvent content of the filament should not be reduced below about 40 percent, prior to freezing and cutting or grinding. However, the filaments are preferably not contacted with any moisture prior to being cut, except for atmospheric moisture present due to the humidity of the spinning environment. The filaments are then contacted with a washing fluid to extract at least a portion of the acid solvent therefrom. If the acid solvent contains phosphorous, the filaments are preferably washed to a residual phosphorous content of less than about 8,000 ppm, more preferably less than about 5,000 ppm.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a device which may be used to collect and transfer the cut polybenzazole fibers using a net conveyer. A washing fluid may be sprayed onto the cut dope filaments in one step or more steps, and the filaments are then dried. Examples of suitable washing fluids include water and mixtures of water and the solvent from which the dope is prepared, such as polyphosphoric acid.
The dope filaments cut to a desired length in the manner described above may be collected on a conveyer belt (7) in a first washing bath (8) or may be collected on the conveyer (7) prior to the first washing bath and subsequently transferred thereto. Preferably, at least 99.0 percent by weight, more preferably at least 99.5 percent by weight of the solvent acid present in the fiber is extracted in the washing baths.
In order to economically and efficiently reduce the acid solvent contained in the staple fiber in a short time, several washings baths arranged in series (8, 11, and 14) may be used, as illustrated in FIG. 1, although solvent removal may be carried out as a single operation in one washing bath as well. If a series of washing baths are used, the acid solvent concentration in the individual washing baths is preferably progressively lower from the first extraction bath to the second extraction bath, until the staple fiber is finally washed in a medium which has a low concentration of the acid solvent. It is desirable to treat the fiber in an alkaline medium with pH of 8 to 12 before the final extraction bath in order to prevent deterioration of physical properties of the fiber during the drying step. Preferably, the washing fluid is water or methanol, or mixtures of such fluids and the solvent acid, or super heated steam or saturated steam. The temperature of the washing fluid is preferably in the range of from about 5° C. to about 100° C. If desired, a lubricating finishing oil may then be applied to the staple fiber.
The fiber is then dried to a low residual moisture content. An important factor in staple fiber drying is to select the drying temperature so that the fiber may be dried as quickly as possible while minimizing the formation of voids therein, described U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,787, entitled "Method For Rapid Drying of a Polybenzazole Fiber". A single drying device or multiple drying devices may be used to dry the fiber, but preferably two or more devices are used. An example is illustrated in FIG. 1. A series of two or more drying devices (15 and 18) equipped with a driving device (16 and 19) and a net conveyer (17 and 20) may be used, and the temperature inside the second drying device is preferably higher than that of the first drying device.
The fiber is preferably dried to a moisture content of less than 3.0 percent by weight, more preferably less than 2.0 percent by weight, more preferably less than 1.0 percent by weight, and most preferably less than 0.5 percent by weight. The temperature of the first drying device is preferably at least 130° C., more preferably at least about 150° C., and most preferably at least about 160° C.; but is preferably no greater than about 230° C., more preferably no greater than about 220° C., and is most preferably no greater than about 210° C. The appropriate temperature for the drying devices varies according to the moisture content of the staple fiber introduced to the individual drying device, but preferably does not exceed 250° C. The staple fiber may be heated by any suitable means, such as by hot air circulation or infrared heating. The atmosphere inside the drying device may be, for example, nitrogen, argon, or air. The staple fiber dried to a desired moisture content in this manner may then be shaken off to a storage bin (21).
The polybenzazole filaments used in the process of the invention may be obtained by spinning a dope containing a polybenzazole polymer. As used herein, "polybenzazole" refers to polybenzoxazole (PBO) homopolymers, polybenzothiazole (PBT) homopolymers, and random, sequential or block copolymerized polymer of PBO and PBT. Polybenzoxazole, polybenzothiazole, and random, sequential, or block copolymerized polymers thereof are described, for example, in "Liquid Crystalline Polymer Compositions, Process and Products" by Wolfe et. al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,103 (Oct. 27, 1987); "Liquid Crystalline Polymer Compositions, Process and Products" U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,692 (Aug. 6, 1985); "Liquid Crystalline Poly(2,6-benzothiazole) Composition, Process and Products" U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,724 (Aug. 6, 1985); "Liquid Crystalline Polymer Compositions, Process and Products" U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,693 (Aug. 6, 1985); "Thermooxidatively Stable Articulated p-Benzobisoxazole and p-Benzobisthiazole Polymers" by Evers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,567 (Nov. 16, 1982); and "Method for Making Heterocyclic Block Copolymer" by Tsai, U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,432 (Mar. 25, 1986).
The structural units present in PBZ polymer are preferably selected so that the polymer is lyotropic liquid crystalline. Preferred monomer units are illustrated below in Figures I-VIII. The polymer more preferably consists essentially of monomer units selected from those illustrated below, and most preferably consists essentially of cis-polybenzoxazole, trans-polybenzoxazole, or trans-polybenzothiazole. ##STR1##
Suitable polybenzazole polymers or copolymers and dopes can be synthesized by known procedures, such as those described in Wolfe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,693 (Aug. 6, 1985); Sybert et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,678 (Sep. 20, 1988); Harris, U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,350 (Jul. 11, 1989); and Gregory et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,591 (Feb. 18, 1992), which are incorporated herein by reference. In summary, suitable monomers are reacted in a solution of nonoxidizing and dehydrating acid (the acid solvent) under nonoxidizing atmosphere with vigorous mixing and high shear at a temperature that is increased in step-wise or ramped fashion from no more than about 120° C. to at least about 190° C. Suitable solvents for the preparation of PBZ polymer dope include cresols and non-oxidizing acids. Examples of suitable acid solvents include polyphosphoric acid, methane sulfonic acid, and highly concentrated sulfuric acid or mixtures thereof. Preferably, the solvent acid is polyphosphoric acid or methane sulfonic acid, but is most preferably polyphosphoric acid.
The polymer concentration in the solvent is preferably at least about 7 percent by weight, more preferably at least 10 percent by weight, and most preferably at least 13 percent by weight. The maximum concentration is limited by the practical factors of handling, such as polymer solubility and dope viscosity. The polymer concentration normally does not exceed 30 percent by weight, and is preferably no greater than about 20 percent by weight. Oxidation inhibitors, deglossing agents, coloring agents, and anti-static agents may also be added to the dope.
The solutions of polybenzazole polymers may be stored for a period of time prior to spinning. However, it is particularly desirable to conduct a continuous polymerization, direct spinning method in which polymerization is conducted continuously and a spinning dope is supplied directly to a spinning device without prior storage. The process of the present invention is preferably run in a continuous fashion with a line speed of at least about 50 meters/minute (m/min). The line speed is more preferably at least about 200 m/min., more preferably at least about 400 m/min. and most preferably at least about 600 m/min.
ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
The following examples are given to illustrate the invention and should not be interpreted as limiting it in any way. Unless stated otherwise, all parts and percentages are given by weight.
EXAMPLE 1
A portion of 4,6-diamino-1,3-benzenedio.dihydrochloride (50.0 g, 0.235 mole) is agitated with 200 g of polyphosphoric acid (with a phosphorus pentoxide content 83.3 percent by weight) for twelve hours at 40° C. under a nitrogen blanket. The temperature of the mixture is raised to 60° C., and dehydrochlorination is conducted under reduced pressure of about 50 mm Hg. To this mixture, terephthalic acid (39.0 g, 0.236 mole) and 103 g of phosphorus pentoxide are added, and the mixture is heated under a stream of nitrogen for eight hours at 60° C., then nine hours at 120° C., then fifteen hours at 150° C., and then 28 hours at 180° C. The polybenzazole polymer solution obtained by polymerization in this manner is used as spinning dope without any further treatment. The concentration of the polymer obtained by the reaction described above is 14.0 percent by weight, and concentration of the solvent is 86.0 percent by weight (P 2 O 5 concentration base).
The polymer dope is degassed in a twin screw extruder. The pressure is raised, and the dope is transferred to a spinning head using a metering pump. The spinning dope is extruded through a spinneret with 668 orifices, an orifice diameter of 0.22 mm, orifice length of 0.40 mm, entering angle of 20 degrees, and orifice density of 5/cm 2 . The spinning temperature is 165° C., and the discharge rate per single orifice is 0.23 g/min. The distance between the spinneret and the quench chamber is 2 cm and the length of the quench chamber is 20 cm. The temperature of the air flow in the quench chamber is 70° C., and the air flow rate is 0.7 m/sec. The filaments are drawn by a pair of dry rollers positioned 150 cm below the spinneret face at a speed of 200 m/min. Next, the fiber filaments are led to a staple cutter (rotary cutter) located under the pair of rollers and cut into fibers 45 mm long. The cut fiber filaments are collected on a conveyer belt. The weight of the filaments is about 1.49 denier per filament.
Thereafter, the cut staple fibers are transferred into the first washing bath containing a 10 percent by weight aqueous polyphosphoric acid solution maintained at 22°±2° C. Thereafter, the filaments are conveyed through an alkaline solution bath maintained at 22°±2° C. and having pH of 10.5, and then washed in a water bath. A finishing oil is added to the staple fiber, and the fibers are passed through a first hot air circulating type oven maintained at 190° C. and a second hot air circulating type oven maintained at 220° C. to dry them until the moisture content is 0.5 percent by weight. Next, the dry staple fibers are shaken off to a storage bin. The properties of the staple fiber obtained are evaluated.
The intrinsic viscosity of the polybenzazole polymer is measured by mixing a portion of the polybenzoxazole dope with water in a household blender and activating the blender several times. The polymer powder is then re-dissolved in methane sulfonic acid, and intrinsic viscosity is measured at 30° C. The fiber size is measured using a Denicon machine (available from Vibroscope) after the fiber is left standing for 24 hours in a constant temperature constant humidity chamber maintained at temperature of 22° C. and humidity of 65 percent relative humidity.
The phosphorous content of the filaments are measured by an atomic spectroscopy technique. This phosphorus atom concentration may then be converted into phosphoric acid concentration (percent by weight). The average phosphorous content of the fibers is 3800 ppm. The tensile strength and modulus of the fibers is measured according to Japanese industrial test method number JIS L-1013 (1981) using a Tensilon machine (available from Toyo Baldwin Co.). The gauge length is 5 cm and the deformation rate is 100 percent per minute. The average tensile strength of the fibers over 50 measurements is 5.5 GPa, the elongation at break is 3.7 percent, and the tensile modulus is 159 GPa.
The moisture content of the filament is measured according to the following method: A fiber sample taken before a drying device is weighed (Wi), and the said sample is left standing for 30 minutes in a hot air circulating oven maintained at 230° C. The sample is cooled to room temperature in a desiccator, and a sample weight (Wf) is measured. Moisture content is calculated using the following equation: RMC=(W i -W f )/W f ×100. An optical microscope (200×) may be used to check for the presence or absence of filament damage (kink bands). There are fewer than 5 damaged filaments per 100 filaments. The presence of kink bands may reduce the tensile strength of the short fiber after exposure to sunlight. Kink bands may be observed as dark bands in the filament, which are visible under 200× magnification.
EXAMPLE 2
A fourteen weight percent solution of cis-polybenzoxazole (having an intrinsic viscosity of 30 dL/g at 25° C. and a concentration of 0.05 g/dL concentration in methanesulfonic acid) in polyphosphoric acid is prepared. The dope is spun into filaments through a 31-hole, 3 mil spinneret at a spinning temperature of 150° C. The filaments are hand drawn and collected onto a 33/4" spool and cut into 5- to 8-inch filaments. The filaments are immersed in liquid nitrogen for at least 30 seconds and fed into a centrifugal grinder. The grinder is operated on a low speed setting with a screen size of 1.8×1.2 mm openings. Liquid nitrogen is fed into the grinding chamber before and during the grinding to keep the chamber at a low temperature. The ground filaments are then washed in water for 2 hours and air-dried for 1 hour.
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The invention is a process for the preparation of polybenzazole staple fibers which includes extruding a solution of polybenzazole polymer to form a dope filament, cutting the dope filament to a desired length, and washing and drying the cut filament. It has been discovered that the process of the invention provides a suitable means to prepare staple fibers which does not require the cutting of washed, rigid polybenzazole filaments.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for improving the air quality within an enclosed space and, in particular, although not necessarily solely, a stand-alone device for improving air quality in a domicile such as a home, apartment or similar. However, the invention may also apply to a vehicle such as an aeroplane, train, bus, car, etc.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
In most urban environments, there is a decreasing quality of air available in the general atmosphere. This reduction in air quality is repeated within buildings and, in some instances, can even be worse. Smoking within an enclosed building is harmful not only in respect of passive smoking but also due to the reduction in oxygen content and general impurities provided into the air aside from nicotine or tar.
The decrease in air quality is not only due to a decrease in oxygen content but also a corresponding increase in a number of potentially harmful constituents or pollutants. These include an increase in suspended particles, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, bacteria, formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), ozone, radon, toxic moulds, ammonia, sulphur dioxide and organic odour causing compounds.
Traditional forms of manipulating the atmosphere within a room utilize air conditioning for temperature control and, either integrally or separately, air filtration units that seek to remove larger particulate material. Although the air conditioning units may be provided with some filtration, these filters are generally an after-thought merely to preclude coarse particles from going through the air conditioning system. Regardless, these filters are generally static filters in each of the air inlets or outlets throughout the building and quickly become clogged with particulate matter. This requires regular maintenance to clean and replace the filters. Failure to do so can quickly turn the filters into a breeding ground for harmful organisms rather than any attempt to improve air quality.
For domestic appliances, separate air filtration units utilizing HEPA filters are also known. However, these merely seek to filter particulate materials and do not improve or alter the composition of the air passing through the filter.
Other apparatus seeks to improve air quality only in a controlled and highly localized environment through such apparatus as oxygen ventilators. Such ventilators are provided with face masks or similar to improve the air quality to a single user. However, such ventilators are not generally suitable or adapted for use in a larger environment such as an apartment or similar.
One solution towards the improvement of indoor air quality has been already been described in International Publication No. WO 02/12796. This apparatus is generally directed to the treatment of air within an entire building although does apply in principle to single room environments also. However, in the case of domestic appliances in particular, matters of cost are of paramount importance perhaps requiring some simplification of the apparatus. Furthermore, it is important to reduce the maintenance and service requirements of the apparatus as much as possible to bring these within the scope and capabilities of a typical home user rather than an experienced service technician.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for improving the air quality within an enclosed space that overcomes some of the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a simplified apparatus having simplified maintenance requirements suitable for a domestic appliance. It is at least an object of the present invention to provide the public with a useful choice.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in the first aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in a method of improving the air quality within an enclosed space comprising the steps of:
drawing air from within said enclosed space; passing said drawn air through at least a first filter to remove at least some particulates; directing filtered air to a first molecular sieve containing zeolite material while directing air previously within said first molecular sieve to a second molecular sieve, directing air previously within said second molecular sieve to an outlet and simultaneously retaining air immobile within a third molecular sieve for a period of time not less than 2 seconds; subsequent to said retention period of not less than 2 seconds for said third sieve, directing filtered air to said second molecular sieve while passing air previously within said second sieve to said third sieve, passing air previously within said third sieve to said outlet and retaining air within said first sieve for a period of not less than 2 seconds; subsequent to said retention period of not less than 2 seconds for said first sieve, directing filtered air to said third molecular sieve while passing air previously within said third sieve to said first sieve, passing air previously within said first sieve to said outlet and retaining air within said second sieve for a period of not less than 2 seconds; such that said apparatus may provide a substantially continuous operation including a retention period for the air within each sieve.
Preferably said method includes a retention period of between 2 and 10 seconds.
More preferably said method includes a retention period of between 3 and 5 seconds.
Most preferably said method includes a retention period of between 3.5 and 4.5 seconds.
Accordingly, in a second aspect, the invention may broadly be said to consist in an apparatus for improving the air quality within an enclosed space comprising:
air driving means to draw air from within said enclosed space through an air inlet; at least a first filter connected to said inlet to remove at least some particulates; at least three molecular sieves containing zeolite material connected in parallel to each other between said first filter and an outlet; a plurality of valves to direct flow from said first filter to any one of said three sieves, from said sieves to said outlet and between said sieves; and control means to control said plurality of valves such that air from said first filter may be directed to a first sieve, air from within said first sieve may be directed to a second sieve, air from within said second sieve may be directed to said outlet and air within a third sieve may be simultaneously retained for a period of not less than 2 seconds and subsequently controlling said valves such that each sieve progresses through the stages of receiving air from said first filter, retaining said air for a period of not less than 2 seconds and then receiving air from another sieve while being connected to an outlet.
Preferably said control means ensures a retention period of between 2 and 10 seconds.
More preferably said control means ensures a retention period of between 3 and 5 seconds.
Most preferably said control means ensures a retention period of between 3.5 and 4.5 seconds.
Preferably said apparatus comprises a free standing unit.
Alternatively said apparatus is incorporated into an alternative air moving or conditioning apparatus.
Preferably said molecular sieves are operated under a pressure greater than atmospheric.
Preferably said apparatus further includes a sensing means to sense performance of said first filter and an indicating means to alert a user to degradation of the performance beyond a pre-determined limit.
Further aspects of this invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the following drawing in which:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus forming part of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for improving the air quality within an enclosed space including transport vehicles such as planes, trains, etc. Referring to the drawing, a first embodiment of an apparatus to improve air quality is shown. This diagram shows a portion of the apparatus that may be incorporated to act within an air circulation system in a building or provided as a freestanding unit in a single room or any other controlled environment. Although the preferred embodiment may be described in terms of a stand alone domestic appliance, the apparatus may also be included in existing air handling, moving or conditioning apparatus. For example, such apparatus may be incorporated into or connected with an air conditioning unit intended for specific control of air temperature.
In the endeavour to provide better treatment or conversion of the air within an enclosed space, the present invention looks towards the use of zeolites as attenuators for the air. Such an apparatus is disclosed in International Publication WO 02/12796, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 is intended as a domestic appliance although it will be appreciated that it may also be used for larger units installed in air conditioning if desired. As such, the simplicity of the device and ease of maintenance are of considerable importance.
Referring to FIG. 1 , the appliance 1 is shown. Polluted air, or at least air drawn from within the enclosed space is drawn into the unit under the influence of a fan, turbine or other air driving means (not shown) to move air through the apparatus.
Initially, the air is drawn through one or more particulate pre-filters such as the three stage filters 2 , 3 and 4 being a coarse dust filter, fine dust filter and HEPA filter as shown. As is understood in the art, these are arranged in sequence such that the finer filter follows the coarser filter, etc. The purpose of these pre-filters is to remove as much particulate material as possible from the air stream. The subsequent apparatus seeks to work on the compounds that are constituents within the air stream and particulate material entering into the subsequent optional air compressor and molecular sieves is undesirable for performance.
Although this apparatus uses 3 stages of filtration, alternative numbers could be used provided some particulate pre-filtration is provided to keep such materials from the sieves.
The air may also be passed through an optional compressor 5 and, if the compressor is provided, cooling unit 6 to condition the temperature of the air. Similarly, the air may be heated or otherwise altered to a desired temperature range either before or after processing.
The air is then passed to the molecular sieves as shown in FIG. 1 . The apparatus contains at least 3 sieves 7 , 8 and 9 , containing zeolite material. Typically for a small domestic appliance, intended for a space of up to 90 m 2 , each of the sieves may contain between 0.5 and 1 kg of zeolite material. In the preferred form, approximately 2.2 kgs of material are evenly provided over the three sieves.
It should be noted that a minimum of 3 sieves are provided to operate in the manner as soon to be described. It will be obvious that a greater number may be used of varying volumes depending on the control of the operations.
The sieves 7 , 8 and 9 are connected in parallel between an inlet 10 into which the air is first drawn and the outlet 20 through which cleaned air may be exhausted.
Each of the sieves is individually connected to the inlet through controlled valves 11 , 12 and 13 and to the outlet through controlled valves 14 , 15 and 16 . Furthermore, each of the sieves is interconnected to each other through conduits 22 . A regulator 17 is also provided in association with the conduits 22 so as to reduce pressure and bleed some of the air passing through the conduits to a sensing device and control circuit 18 as will be described later.
A control means 21 controls operations of the valves and regulator to achieve the desired processing sequence.
The operation of the control means 21 initially passes air into one of the sieves such as the first sieve 7 . As air passes into the sieve, it will be appreciated that the air contained within the sieve is displaced. This air is simultaneously directed to the second sieve 8 . In fact, free O 2 and free N 2 move through the zeolite media faster than other constituents hence the air within sieve 7 is mixed with some of the faster moving oxygen and free nitrogen into sieve 8 . The air within sieve 8 is simultaneously displaced towards the outlet 20 . Throughout this phase, the third sieve 9 is locked to retain the air within substantially immobile.
Following a designated retention time for the air to remain immobile in the third sieve 9 , the valves and regulator are controlled to move the air once again. In this phase, valves 11 and 13 are closed and valve 12 opened such that incoming air is directed into the second sieve 8 . The air within sieve 8 is directed towards the third sieve 9 which itself is connected to the outlet by the opening of valve 16 . The first sieve is locked throughout this period to retain the air within.
In the third phase of the operation, incoming air is directed through valve 13 with both valves 11 and 12 closed, air is passed from sieve 9 into sieve 7 and sieve 8 is locked.
Hence it can be seen that a continuous cycle exists that includes a period of retention of the air and pollutants in the zeolite media.
To provide a domestic appliance or other installation, it is preferred to minimize any need to clean, replace or otherwise interrupt the operation of the molecular sieves. The integrity of the sieves is important and such maintenance would be beyond a normal home user or even in other installations, would require a service contract or similar for continued operation.
To ensure complete processing of the air through the sieves such that no residue builds up in the molecular sieves or exhausted as harmful pollutants after processing, the retention time for the air in each sieve is set to a minimum of 2 seconds and, to obtain a reasonable flow rate though the apparatus, a maximum of 10 seconds. More preferably the retention time is in the range of 3 to 5 seconds or even more preferably, between 3.5 and 4.5 seconds. An approximate time of 4 seconds may be used.
In providing such a retention, the zeolite media has the opportunity to act on relatively immobile compounds trapped within. A catalytic action may take place using the electron field and van der Vaals forces within the media to break the valence bonding in the pollutant compounds. By ensuring the retention time is sufficient, not only is oxygen released from more complex compounds and pollutants such as CO and CO 2 but each of the pollutants may be broken into simple components. During the subsequent phase in which the sieve is flushed from the top by air being displaced from another sieve, all the constituents, including carbon, may be released from the media. Carbon tends to be released in the form of carbon clusters such as C 66 which itself is a relatively harmless material and part of the natural environment, that will exhaust out of the apparatus and fall to the floor in the form of dust. It will eventually be removed upon vacuuming or otherwise cleaning the floor in the surrounding area or re-circulated through the apparatus and caught in the pre-filters.
The advantage of exhausting these carbon and other materials is that the sieve itself retains little or nothing from each usage.
Further, such processing exhausts Nitrogen which forms a natural part of air as the zeolite has broken the bonds of molecules such as NO and NO 2 by an adsorption process. The adsorption process is important in also ensuring there is no collection in the molecular sieves. The adsorption occurs when air from the inlet is first directed to a sieve. The zeolite material catches the Nitrogen compounds with the material and the bonds between the elements are broken during the retention period. When the valve at the outlet from the sieve is opened and air passing from the initial pass through an alternative sieve is passed into sieve, the smaller harmless compounds are exhausted. This is as opposed to traditional filters that absorb harmful materials in the existing form and retain these until the filter is cleaned or replaced.
Even upon extensive running for a period of twelve months in an experimental stage, a sieve was inspected and there was no noticeable build up of contaminants within the sieve. Furthermore, there was no noticeable drop in performance of the sieve.
Hence the apparatus controlled in this manner may continue to operate in a domestic or other setting without the need for any maintenance of the sieves for a considerable period of time, perhaps the design life of the apparatus itself.
Referring again to FIG. 1 , the apparatus can also be seen to provide a sensing and control circuit. This circuit may be used to sense a characteristic such as pressure, perhaps downstream from the particulate filters. Unlike the sieves, the particulate pre-filters as in any similar filtering apparatus, do become clogged with particulate material over time and may require cleaning or replacement. However, as such pre-filters are easily washed in the case of the dust filters or replaced in the case of the HEPA filters, this is within the expectations of an appliance purchaser.
In this preferred embodiment, the sensing unit 18 seeks to sense pressure or similar to determine if the performance or flow through the filters has reduced sufficiently to indicate that maintenance of those filters is required. The sensing unit may be connected to a control circuit and indicating means (not shown) such that a light or similar is illuminated on the device. This may also be accompanied by shutting down of the apparatus either immediately, or only upon further degradation of performance to the point where too much particulate material may be getting through the filters and entering the sieves. This protects the sieves while also ensuring the users attention is brought to the need to attend to pre-filter maintenance.
In addition to sensing and control on pressure or flow rate, the sensing and control circuit can additionally or alternatively sense and control the apparatus in response to other parameters. For example, the machine temperature may be monitored to check for errors in functions or failure of items such as the cooling unit and compressor. Further, the quality of the air being passed from one sieve to another in the process through conduits 22 as bled off by the regulator 17 may be checked by sensing the % of oxygen and providing a warning if this falls below a threshold of, for example, 80% or more. Preferably the threshold for such a warning is set at about 82%. Further, if the oxygen percentage continues to fall below a lower threshold, the control circuit may stop operation of the apparatus 1 . Such a lower threshold may be between 70 and 80% and preferably, about 72%.
An optional sound absorber 19 may be included on the exhaust to reduce noise emissions from the apparatus.
Hence it can be seen that the apparatus may provide improved indoor air quality while minimizing the need for maintenance to only the particulate filters. Sensing and indicating means and controls may be included on those filters to ensure they are maintained as well.
The method and apparatus provide a control over indoor air quality that, as a minimum, remove or reduce to acceptable levels for human occupation, the nine pollutants described by the World Health Organisation and regarded worldwide, as the main problems associated with indoor air quality. These pollutants are suspended particles, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, bacteria, formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds, radon and ozone.
This invention has generally been described with reference to preferred embodiments that should not be considered limiting to the scope of the invention. Specific integers referred to throughout the description are deemed to incorporate known equivalents where appropriate.
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A method and apparatus for improving air quality within an enclosed space. The apparatus provides at least three molecular sieves that contain zeolite material to treat the air to remove toxins such as suspended particles, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, bacteria, formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds, radon, ozone, toxic mould and organic odor-causing compounds. The apparatus uses the sieves such that one of the sieves is locked and retaining air, substantially immobile within, for a period of not less than 2 seconds to allow the zeolite material to breakdown the compounds and release the individual natural elements.
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CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e)(1) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/039,571 filed Mar. 26, 2008, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/040,752 filed Mar. 31, 2008, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/041,694 filed Apr. 2, 2008, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/044,636, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/045,421 filed Apr. 16, 2008.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The technical field of this invention is wireless communication.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary wireless telecommunications network 100 . The illustrative telecommunications network includes base stations 101 , 102 and 103 , though in operation, a telecommunications network necessarily includes many more base stations. Each of base stations 101 , 102 and 103 are operable over corresponding coverage areas 104 , 105 and 106 . Each base station's coverage area is further divided into cells. In the illustrated network, each base station's coverage area is divided into three cells. Handset or other user equipment (UE) 109 is shown in Cell A 108 . Cell A 108 is within coverage area 104 of base station 101 . Base station 101 transmits to and receives transmissions from UE 109 . As UE 109 moves out of Cell A 108 and into Cell B 107 , UE 109 may be handed over to base station 102 . Because UE 109 is synchronized with base station 101 , UE 109 can employ non-synchronized random access to initiate handover to base station 102 .
Non-synchronized UE 109 also employs non-synchronous random access to request allocation of up-link 111 time or frequency or code resources. If UE 109 has data ready for transmission, which may be traffic data, measurements report, tracking area update, UE 109 can transmit a random access signal on up-link 111 . The random access signal notifies base station 101 that UE 109 requires up-link resources to transmit the UE's data. Base station 101 responds by transmitting to UE 109 via down-link 110 , a message containing the parameters of the resources allocated for UE 109 up-link transmission along with a possible timing error correction. After receiving the resource allocation and a possible timing advance message transmitted on down-link 110 by base station 101 , UE 109 optionally adjusts its transmit timing and transmits the data on up-link 111 employing the allotted resources during the prescribed time interval.
FIG. 2 shows the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) time division duplex (TDD) Frame Structure. Different sub-frames are allocated for downlink (DL) or uplink (UL) transmissions. Table 1 shows applicable DL/UL sub-frame allocations.
TABLE 1
Con-
Switch-point
Sub-frame number
figuration
periodicity
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
5 ms
D
S
U
U
U
D
S
U
U
U
1
5 ms
D
S
U
U
D
D
S
U
U
D
2
5 ms
D
S
U
D
D
D
S
U
D
D
3
10 ms
D
S
U
U
U
D
D
D
D
D
4
10 ms
D
S
U
U
D
D
D
D
D
D
5
10 ms
D
S
U
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
6
10 ms
D
S
U
U
U
D
S
U
U
D
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention addresses the timing aspects of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, also with the goal of reducing SIB (broadcast) and the radio resource control (RRC) overhead. Overall, the parameters related to SRS timing are: SRS sub-frame configuration (SIB signaled); SRS duration (RRC signaled); SRS periodicity (RRC signaled) and sub-frame offset (RRC signaled).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other aspects of this invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communication system of the prior art related to this invention having three cells;
FIG. 2 shows the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) TDD Frame Structure of the prior art;
FIG. 3 illustrates a first example binary tree used in encoding;
FIG. 4 illustrates a second example binary tree used in encoding;
FIG. 5 illustrates a first resource sharing tree for a first set of periodicities and offsets; and
FIG. 6 illustrates a second resource sharing tree for a second set of periodicities and offsets.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Sounding involves exchange of signals between the base station and the connected UE. Each sounding uses a reference resource identifier selected from an available reference resource identifier map h(t, L) and a portion of the spectrum selected from an available spectrum identifier map f(t, N); where L is a group of shared parameters signaled to each UE from the group; and N is a group of shared parameters signaled to each UE from the group. Some examples utilize Constant Amplitude Zero Auto-Correlation (CAZAC) sequences as the reference sequences. CAZAC sequences are complex-valued sequences with: constant amplitude (CA); and zero cyclic autocorrelation (ZAC). Examples of CAZAC sequences include: Chu sequences, Frank-Zadoff sequences, Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequences and generalized chirp-like (GCL) sequences. CAZAC (ZC or otherwise) sequences are presently preferred.
In this invention each basestation 101 , 102 and 103 transmits a sounding reference signal (SRS) to connected UEs 109 in the corresponding cell. The UE receiving the SRS then conducts sounding in accordance with the SRS sub-frame configuration.
The SRS sub-frame configuration is broadcast by basestation 101 in SIB. This sub-frame configuration indicates which sub-frames are SRS sub-frames. Broadcast of the SRS sub-frame configuration is useful even for UEs 109 which do not transmit any SRS. SRS shouldn't collide with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission. Thus non-SRS UEs 109 can extract some of their silent symbol periods from the SRS sub-frame configuration. These silent periods are useful for performing some measurements at UE 109 . In general each cell 107 and 108 would employ a different SRS sub-frame configuration. Ideally, basestations 101 , 102 and 103 would select SRS sub-frame configurations to minimize cross-cell interference.
There are two main ways of signaling and interpreting the SRS sub-frame configuration parameters. Sub-frame configuration can be defined by two parameters: the periodicity T SFC ; and the offset Δ SFC . Both UEs 109 and basestation 101 keep a sub-frame counter C SFC permitting UE 109 and basestation 101 to determine which sub-frames are configured for SRS transmission. A sub-frame is an SRS sub-frame if and only if Δ SFC =(C SFC )mod T SFC . The exact range of values of Δ SFC and T SFC need to be defined with the number of bits and encoding for each. For example, T SFC could be selected from the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . . , 32} allowing flexible system deployment Δ SFC could be selected from the same set. This yields maximum flexibility, but requires 10 bits of broadcast SIB signaling, which can be very costly. A reduced overhead alternative encodes and signals T SFC first. This requires greatest integer in log 2 (T SFC ) (ceil[log 2 (T SFC )]) bits. The bits required for Δ SFC would be either the ceil[log 2 (T SFC )] or the least integer in log 2 (T SFC ) (floor[log 2 (T SFC )]) because 0≦Δ SFC <T SFC . This reduces the number of required bits for signaling Δ SFC , but only for certain scenarios where T SFC is small. Another reduced overhead alternative hard codes a value for Δ SFC such as zero. In that case, only T SFC is signaled.
Several examples of combined T SFC , Δ SFC coding are listed in the following tables. In these examples the SRS sub-frame configuration is encoded using either 4 or 5 bits in SIB using joint source coding in T SFC and Δ SFC . Thus a unique 4 or 5 bit combination maps into a particular pair (T SFC , Δ SFC ).
Table 2 lists a 4 bit example suitable for use in frequency division duplex (FDD) systems.
TABLE 2 Decimal Binary T SFC Δ SFC 0 0000 1 0 1 0001 2 0 2 0010 2 1 3 0011 5 0 4 0100 5 1 5 0101 5 2 6 0110 10 0 7 0111 10 1 8 1000 10 2 9 1001 20 0 10 1010 20 1 11 1011 20 2 12 1100 40 0 13 1101 40 1 14 1110 40 2 15 1111 Inf. NA
In Table 2 a coding of decimal 15 indicates no SRS thus T SFC is infinite, Δ SFC is meaningless and not applicable (NA).
Table 3 lists another 4 bit example suitable for use in FDD systems.
TABLE 3 Decimal Binary T SFC Δ SFC 0 0000 1 0 1 0001 2 0 2 0010 2 1 3 0011 5 2 4 0100 5 3 5 0101 5 4 6 0110 10 5 7 0111 10 6 8 1000 10 7 9 1001 20 8 10 1010 20 9 11 1011 20 10 12 1100 40 11 13 1101 40 12 14 1110 40 13 15 1111 Inf. NA
In Table 3 a coding of decimal 15 indicates no SRS thus T SFC is infinite, Δ SFC is meaningless and not applicable (NA).
Table 4 lists a 5 bit example suitable for use in FDD systems.
TABLE 4 Decimal Binary T SFC Δ SFC 0 00000 1 0 1 00001 2 0 2 00010 2 1 3 00011 5 0 4 00100 5 1 5 00101 5 2 6 00110 5 3 7 00111 5 4 8 01000 10 0 9 01001 10 1 10 01010 10 2 11 01011 10 3 12 01100 10 4 13 01101 10 5 14 01110 10 6 15 01111 20 0 16 10000 20 1 17 10001 20 2 18 10010 20 3 19 10011 20 4 20 10100 20 5 21 10101 20 6 22 10110 40 0 23 10111 40 1 24 11000 40 2 25 11001 40 3 26 11010 40 4 27 11011 40 5 28 11100 40 6 29 11101 Optional 30 11110 Optional 31 11111 Inf. NA
In Table 4 codings decimal 29 and 30 are optional and not defined in this example. In Table 4 a coding of decimal 31 indicates no SRS thus T SFC is infinite, Δ SFC is meaningless and not applicable (NA).
Table 5 lists another 5 bit example suitable for use in FDD systems.
TABLE 5 Decimal Binary T SFC Δ SFC 0 00000 1 0 1 00001 2 0 2 00010 2 1 3 00011 5 0 4 00100 5 1 5 00101 5 2 6 00110 5 3 7 00111 5 4 8 01000 10 0 9 01001 10 1 10 01010 10 2 11 01011 10 3 12 01100 10 4 13 01101 10 5 14 01110 10 6 15 01111 10 7 16 10000 20 0 17 10001 20 1 18 10010 20 2 19 10011 20 3 20 10100 20 4 21 10101 20 5 22 10110 20 6 23 10111 20 7 24 11000 40 0 25 11001 40 1 26 11010 40 2 27 11011 40 3 28 11100 40 4 29 11101 40 5 30 11110 40 6 31 11111 Inf. NA
In Table 5 a coding of decimal 31 indicates no SRS thus T SFC is infinite, Δ SFC is meaningless and not applicable (NA).
Table 6 lists another 5 bit example suitable for use in FDD systems.
TABLE 6 Decimal Binary T SFC Δ SFC 0 00000 1 0 1 00001 2 0 2 00010 2 1 3 00011 5 0 4 00100 5 1 5 00101 5 2 6 00110 5 3 7 00111 5 4 8 01000 10 3 9 01001 10 4 10 01010 10 5 11 01011 10 6 12 01100 10 7 13 01101 10 8 14 01110 10 9 15 01111 20 10 16 10000 20 11 17 10001 20 12 18 10010 20 13 19 10011 20 14 20 10100 20 15 21 10101 20 16 22 10110 40 17 23 10111 40 18 24 11000 40 19 25 11001 40 20 26 11010 40 21 27 11011 40 22 28 11100 40 23 29 11101 Optional 30 11110 Optional 31 11111 Inf. NA
In Table 6 codings decimal 29 and 30 are optional and not defined in this example. In Table 6 a coding of decimal 31 indicates no SRS thus T SFC is infinite, Δ SFC is meaningless and not applicable (NA).
Table 7 lists a 4 bit example suitable for use in time division duplex (TDD) systems.
TABLE 7
Decimal
Binary
T SFC
Δ SFC
0
0000
1
0
1
0001
5
1 (a)
2
0010
5
1 (b)
3
0011
5
2
4
0100
10
0
5
0101
10
1 (a)
6
0110
10
1 (b)
7
0111
10
2
8
1000
20
0
9
1001
20
1 (a)
10
1010
20
1 (b)
11
1011
20
2
12
1100
40
0
13
1101
40
1 (a)
14
1110
40
1 (b)
15
1111
Inf.
NA
In Table 7 codings decimal 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13 and 14 are encoded with respect to Uplink Pilot Transmission Slot (UpPTS) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. If UpPTS contains two OFDM symbols: 1(a) means the first OFDM symbol is used for SRS to determine Δ SFC ; and 1(b) means the second of OFDM symbol is used for SRS to determine Δ SFC . In Table 7 a coding of decimal 15 indicates no SRS thus T SFC is infinite, Δ SFC is meaningless and not applicable (NA).
Table 8 lists a 5 bit example suitable for use in TDD systems.
TABLE 8 Decimal Binary T SFC Δ SFC 0 00000 1 0 1 00001 5 1 (a) 2 00010 5 1 (b) 3 00011 5 1 (a) + 1 (b) 4 00100 5 2 5 00101 5 3 6 00110 5 4 7 00111 10 1 (a) 8 01000 10 1 (b) 9 01001 10 1 (a) + 1 (b) 10 01010 10 2 11 01011 10 3 12 01100 10 4 13 01101 10 7 14 01110 10 8 15 01111 20 1 (a) 16 10000 20 1 (b) 17 10001 20 1 (a) + 1 (b) 18 10010 20 2 19 10011 20 3 20 10100 20 4 21 10101 20 7 22 10110 20 8 23 10111 40 1 (a) 24 11000 40 1 (b) 25 11001 40 1 (a) + 1 (b) 26 11010 40 2 27 11011 40 3 28 11100 40 4 29 11101 40 7 30 11110 40 8 31 11111 Inf. NA
In Table 8 codings decimal 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 25 are encoded with respect to UpPTS OFDM symbols. If UpPTS contains two OFDM symbols: 1(a) means the first OFDM symbol is used for SRS to determine Δ SFC ; 1(b) means the second of OFDM symbol is used for SRS to determine Δ SFC ; and 1(a)+1(b) means that both OFDM symbols are used for SRS to determine Δ SFC . In Table 8 a coding of decimal 31 indicates no SRS thus T SFC is infinite, Δ SFC is meaningless and not applicable (NA). For TDD, if the SRS sub-frame period is 1, all UL sub-frames and UpPTS can contain SRS. If UpPTS is used for short random access channel (RACH) transmission in some sub-frames, then there is no SRS. Thus basestation 101 does not assign any SRS UEs in RACH UpPTS sub-frames.
Table 9 lists another 5 bit example suitable for use in TDD systems.
TABLE 9 Decimal Binary T SFC Δ SFC 0 00000 1 0 1 00001 5 1 (a) 2 00010 5 1 (b) 3 00011 5 1 (a) + 1 (b) 4 00100 5 2 5 00101 5 3 6 00110 5 4 7 00111 10 1 (a) 8 01000 10 1 (b) 9 01001 10 1 (a) + 1 (b) 10 01010 10 2 11 01011 10 3 12 01100 10 6 (a) 13 01101 10 6 (b) 14 01110 10 6 (a) + 6 (b) 15 01111 20 1 (a) 16 10000 20 1 (b) 17 10001 20 1 (a) + 1 (b) 18 10010 20 2 19 10011 20 3 20 10100 20 6 (a) 21 10101 20 6 (b) 22 10110 20 6 (a) + 6 (b) 23 10111 40 1 (a) 24 11000 40 1 (b) 25 11001 40 1 (a) + 1 (b) 26 11010 40 2 27 11011 40 3 28 11100 40 6 (a) 29 11101 40 6 (b) 30 11110 40 6 (a) + 6 (b) 31 11111 Inf. NA
In Table 9 codings decimal 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 12 to 17, 20 to 25, 28, 29 and 30 are encoded with respect to UpPTS OFDM symbols. If UpPTS contains two OFDM symbols: 1(a) means the first OFDM symbol is used for SRS to determine Δ SFC ; 1(b) means the second of OFDM symbol is used for SRS to determine Δ SFC ; and 1(a)+1(b) means that both OFDM symbols are used for SRS to determine Δ SFC . In Table 8 a coding of decimal 31 indicates no SRS thus T SFC is infinite, Δ SFC is meaningless and not applicable (NA).
Table 10 lists another 4 bit example suitable for use in FDD systems. Sounding reference signal sub-frames are the sub-frames satisfying └n s /2┘ mod T SFC εΔ SFC .
TABLE 10
Decimal
Binary
T SFC
Δ SFC
0
0000
1
0
1
0001
2
0
2
0010
2
1
3
0011
5
0
4
0100
5
1
5
0101
5
2
6
0110
5
3
7
0111
5
0, 1
8
1000
5
2, 3
9
1001
10
0
10
1010
10
1
11
1011
10
2
12
1100
10
3
13
1101
10
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8
14
1110
10
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
15
1111
reserved
reserved
Table 11 lists another 4 bit example suitable for use in TDD systems. Sounding reference signal sub-frames are the sub-frames satisfying └n s /2┘ mod T SFC εΔ SFC . Sounding reference signals are transmitted only in configured UL sub-frames or UpPTS.
TABLE 11
Decimal
Binary
T SFC
Δ SFC
0
0000
5
1
1
0001
5
1, 2
2
0010
5
1, 3
3
0011
5
1, 4
4
0100
5
1, 2, 3
5
0101
5
1, 2, 4
6
0110
5
1, 3, 4
7
0111
5
1, 2, 3, 4
8
1000
10
1, 2, 6
9
1001
10
1, 3, 6
10
1010
10
1, 6, 7
11
1011
10
1, 2, 6, 8
12
1100
10
1, 3, 6, 9
13
1101
10
1, 4, 6, 7
14
1110
reserved
reserved
15
1111
reserved
reserved
For TDD, a SRS sub-frame period of 1 means that all UL sub-frames and UpPTS can contain SRS. If UpPTS is used for short RACH transmission in some sub-frames, then there is no SRS. Thus basestation 101 does not assign any SRS UEs in RACH UpPTS sub-frames. For TDD, it is not clear how to have SRS sub-frame configuration with period 2 .
Broadcasting both Δ SFC and T SFC supports flexible SRS sub-frame configuration. Different values of Δ SFC can be assigned in different cells. Thus SRS transmission in one cell does not interfere with a neighboring cells. Because the set of UL sub-frames varies with DL/UL sub-frame configuration, Δ SFC is needed for SRS sub-frame configuration in TDD. Note binary tree 300 illustrates in FIG. 3 is just an example. Different trees can be used with different depths and configurations and different joint source-encodings of (Δ SFC , T SFC ).
FIG. 3 illustrates a manner of jointly encoding Δ SFC and T SFC with an efficient source code to support multiple values for the offset Δ SFC for each T SFC using an underlying structure. FIG. 3 illustrates a binary tree based structure 300 . Binary tree 300 has exactly 2 x −1 nodes, where x is 4 in this example. Identifying any point on the binary tree requires exactly x bits, 4 bits in this example. A reserved codeword may be defined meaning no SRS, for example. Each node in the binary tree is assigned a mapping to a pair of (Δ SFC , T SFC ). The simplest mapping is that nodes at a certain depth are assigned a unique value of T SFC . Referring to FIG. 3 , for node 1 T SFC =L, for nodes (2, 3) T SFC =2, for nodes (4, 5, 6, 7) T SFC =3, and for nodes (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15) T SFC =3. Thus the depth identifies T SFC . In this example offset Δ SFC is derived from the value of the node mod T SFC . Such code is even simpler if we consider binary values for labeled nodes. The position of the most significant 1 bit in the binary value of a node equals the value of T SFC . This is illustrated in FIG. 3 . The remaining less significant bits identify offset Δ SFC . This same binary code can be used to encode frequency position (offset and bandwidth) of SRS.
FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of this invention. Binary tree 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 identifies sub-frames having periodicities T SFC of (1, 2, 4, 8, 16) ms. Each node in binary tree 400 is mapped to a pair of (Δ SFC , T SFC ). The simplest mapping assigns a unique value of T SFC to all nodes at a certain depth. FIG. 4 illustrates this assignment. A simple 5-bit code identifies the node. The position of most significant 1 identifies T SFC as 2 (N-1) . The remaining bits identify the offset Δ SFC . If all 0 is signaled (00000), this identifies no SRS (infinity) or alternatively a one-shot SRS.
In another embodiment of the invention, the pair (Δ SFC , T SFC ) is coded jointly (source encoding) and broadcast in the SIB. In this embodiment the tree structure is not necessary. For example, if T SFC takes on values from the set (1, 2, 4, 5, 10) ms, then there are 1+2+4+5+10=22 possible values for the combination (Δ SFC , T SFC ). Each one of these combinations is mapped to a unique number Y out 22 numbers and can be represented by 5 bits. Broadcasting the unique number identifies the (Δ SFC , T SFC ) pair. Broadcasting the unique number could be in binary. In this example, 5 bits are need to represent the 22 possible values of Y. One option maps the range of Y into T SFC . Then (Y)mod T SFC identifies Δ SFC .
Suppose T SFC can have values from the set (A 1 , A 2 , . . . , A N ) ms. There are A 1 +A 2 + . . . +A N values for the communicated number Y. This requires ceil[log 2 (A 1 +A 2 + . . . +A N )] bits to represent. The values of T SFC and Δ SFC are encoded as follows. If Y is in the range 1 to A 1 then T SFC is A 1 . If Y is in the range 1+A 1 to A 1 +A 2 then T SFC is A 2 . If Y is in the range 1+A 1 + . . . +A K to A 1 + . . . +A K +A K+1 then T SFC is A K+1 . The value of Δ SFC is determined as (Y)mod T SFC . Any remaining values of Y which do not map into (Δ SFC , T SFC ) can be used to communicate re-configuration, one-shot SRS or other options.
In another embodiment of the invention, the SRS sub-frame configuration may not be exactly qui-spaced. In this embodiment introduces another parameter δ SFC . Then, the SRS sub-frames are the sub-frames C SFC for which any of the following equations hold:
Δ SFC =C SFC mod T SFC
1+Δ SFC =C SFC mod T SFC
2+Δ SFC =C SFC mod T SFC
δ SFC +Δ SFC =C SFC mod T SFC
The value of the parameter δ SFC can be pre-determined and fixed. In this case the value of δ SFC can be inferred from the cell ID. Alternatively, the value of δ SFC can be signaled in the SIB. As a further alternative, the value of δ SFC can be encoded jointly or separately with T SFC and Δ SFC .
In other embodiments of the invention, multiple values for T SFC , Δ SFC and δ SFC are possible. These values can also be broadcast via SIB.
RRC signaled SRS timing parameters include: duration having a range from one-shot to infinite; periodicity indicating the SRS transmission period from the UE 109 ; and sub-frame offset identifying the offset within the SRS transmission period from the UE.
In a first embodiment the RRC overhead for SRS timing parameters include: duration is one-shot to infinite and can be encoded in one bit; periodicity selected from (2, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320) ms which can be encoded in 3 bits; and sub-frame offset which must be designed according to the worst case of the longest possible periodicity thus requiring ceil[log 2 (320)] or 9 bits to encode. Thus the number of UE specific bits signaled via RRC to describe the SRS configuration in this example equals 1+3+9=13 bits. Since the cell wide sub-frame configuration is separate from the UE specific parameters listed above, there are either two possibilities.
The number of bits and source encoding required for UE specific parameters could depend on the actual sub-frame configuration transmitted via SIB. For example, if the sub-frame configuration notes every sub-frame is an SRS sub-frame, then 1+3+9=13 bits are required to specify the UE specific parameters. Alternatively, if the sub-frame configuration notes that every tenth sub-frame is an SRS sub-frame, then a smaller number of bits would be required to specify the UE specific parameters. This approach is more cumbersome. It likely would require a different definition of RRC configured parameters, depending on the sub-frame configuration. This would disadvantageously further complicate the specification. The number of bits required for UE specific RRC parameters can be independent of the actual sub-frame configuration transmitted via SIB. The worst case sub-frame configuration is when all sub-frames are SRS sub-frames. The number of RRC configured SRS timing parameters is this worst case is 1+3+9=13 bits.
In the second option there are two SRS periods that are not multiples of each other and cannot be multiplexed on a common SRS (frequency) resource. Possible SRS periods are selected from the set (2, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320) ms. Thus, since 2 ms and 5 ms cannot be multiplexed, any given SRS resource should be shared either with periodicities selected from the set S 1 (5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320) ms or set S 2 (2, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320) ms. FIG. 5 illustrates a resource sharing tree 500 for set S 1 . Tree 500 for set S 1 illustrated in FIG. 5 has 8 levels including node 1. Each W is a binary tree with 5 levels. The tree for set S 1 has 1+5+10+20+40+80+160+320=636 nodes. This requires 10 bits to represent. Each node of the tree for set S 1 encodes both the periodicity and the offset. There are 5 nodes at level 2 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Each of these nodes has a periodicity T SFC of 5 ms. The offset Δ SFC increases from left to right via a one-to-one mapping from (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) to (0, 1, 2, 3, 4). This example is a simple subtraction of 2. Alternatively, it can be a mod 5 operation. At level 3, there are 10 nodes (7 to 16) each having a periodicity of 10 ms. Offsets Δ SFC can be derived either via subtraction or a mod 10 operation as previously described.
Table 12 lists the relationship between SRS periodicity T SFC and the node index for set S 1 . The SRS periodicity T SFC can be extracted from the node index via a look-up table and a few comparisons. The SRS offset Δ SFC can be extracted by performing (Node_Index)mod T SFC . Thus SRS periodicity T SFC and the SRS offset Δ SFC are easily found from node index.
TABLE 12
T SFC
5 ms
10 ms
20 ms
40 ms
80 ms
160 ms
320 ms
Node
2-7
7-16
17-36
37-76
77-156
157-316
317-636
Index
Range
FIG. 6 illustrates resource sharing tree 600 for set S 2 . Tree 600 for set S 2 has 8 levels and each W is a binary tree with 5 levels. Tree 600 for set S 1 has 1+2+10+20+40+80+160+320=633 nodes. This requires 10 bits to represent. Each node of the tree encodes both periodicity T SFC and offset Δ SFC . There are 2 nodes at level 2 (2, 3). Each of these nodes has a periodicity T SFC of 2 ms. Offset Δ SFC increases from left to right in a one-to-one mapping from (2, 3) to (0, 1). This could be implemented by a simple subtraction of 2. Alternatively, it can be a mod 2 operation. At level 3, there are 10 nodes (4 to 13) each having a periodicity T SFC of 10 ms. Offsets Δ SFC can be derived either via subtraction or a mod 10 operation as previously described.
Table 13 lists the relationship between SRS periodicity T SFC and the node index for set S 2 for two alternative codings. The SRS periodicity T SFC can be extracted from the node index via a look-up table and a few comparisons. The SRS offset Δ SFC can be extracted by performing (Node_Index)mod T SFC . Thus SRS periodicity T SFC and the SRS offset Δ SFC are easily found from node index.
TABLE 13
T SFC
2 ms
10 ms
20 ms
40 ms
80 ms
160 ms
320 ms
Node
2-3
4-13
14-33
34-73
74-153
154-313
314-633
Index
7-16
17-36
37-76
77-156
157-316
317-636
Range
The designation of which tree is used (set S 1 or set S 2 ) can be implicitly tied to some other system parameter. For example, set S 1 may be used for TDD and set S 2 used for FDD. This choice may be tied to some alternate system parameters, broadcast via SIB or tied to some specific values of SRS sub-frame configuration. Thus the number of required RRC signaling bits can be reduced from 13 bits to 11 bits. This is about a 15% overhead reduction. This overhead reduction carries no penalty and is achieved by employing efficient source encoding of the periodicity and sub-frame offset. This set of embodiments reduces SIB and RRC signaling overhead for parameters related to SRS timing using efficient data structures such as trees. This overhead reduction is especially important for SIB signaling due to coverage issues.
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A method of wireless communication including a plurality of fixed basestations and a plurality of mobile user equipment with each basestation transmitting to any user equipment within a corresponding cell a sounding reference signal sub-frame configuration indicating sub-frames when sounding is permitted. Each user equipment recognizes the sounding reference signal sub-frame configuration and sounds only at permitted sub-frames. Differing cells may have differing sounding reference signal sub-frame configurations. There are numerous manners to encode the transmitted information.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to novel cytotoxic agents and their therapeutic use. More specifically, the invention relates to novel cytotoxic agents comprising taxanes and their therapeutic use. These novel cytotoxic agents have therapeutic use as a result of delivering the taxanes to a specific cell population in a targeted fashion by chemically linking the taxane to a cell binding agent.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many reports have appeared on the attempted specific targeting of tumor cells with monoclonal antibody-drug conjugates (Sela et al, in Immunoconjugates 189-216 (C. Vogel, ed. 1987); Ghose et al, in Targeted Drugs 1-22 (E. Goldberg, ed. 1983); Diener et al, in Antibody mediated delivery systems 1-23 (J. Rodwell, ed. 1988); Pietersz et al, in Antibody mediated delivery systems 25-53 (J. Rodwell, ed. 1988); Bumol et al, in Antibody mediated delivery systems 55-79 (J. Rodwell, ed. 1988). All references and patents cited herein are incorporated by reference.
Cytotoxic drugs such as methotrexate, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, vincristine, vinblastine, melphalan, mitomycin C, and chlorambucil have been conjugated to a variety of murine monoclonal antibodies. In some cases, the drug molecules were linked to the antibody molecules through an intermediary carrier molecule such as serum albumin (Garnett et al, 46 Cancer Res. 2407-2412 (1986); Ohkawa et al 23 Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 81-86 (1986); Endo et al, 47 Cancer Res. 1076-1080 (1980)), dextran (Hurwitz et al, 2 Appl. Biochem. 25-35 (1980); Manabi et al, 34 Biochem. Pharmacol. 289-291 (1985); Dillman et al, 46 Cancer Res. 4886-4891 (1986); Shoval et al, 85 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 8276-8280 (1988)), or polyglutamic acid (Tsukada et al, 73 J. Natl. Canc. Inst. 721-729 (1984); Kato et al 27 J. Med. Chem. 1602-1607 (1984); Tsukada et al, 52 Br. J. Cancer 111-116 (1985)).
A wide array of linker technologies has been employed for the preparation of such immunoconjugates and both cleavable and non-cleavable linkers have been investigated. In most cases, the full cytotoxic potential of the drugs could only be observed, however, if the drug molecules could be released from the conjugates in unmodified form at the target site.
One of the cleavable linkers that has been employed for the preparation of antibody-drug conjugates is an acid-labile linker based on cis-aconitic acid that takes advantage of the acidic environment of different intracellular compartments such as the endosomes encountered during receptor mediated endocytosis and the lysosomes. Shen and Ryser introduced this method for the preparation of conjugates of daunorubicin with macromolecular carriers (102 Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 1048-1054 (1981)). Yang and Reisfeld used the same technique to conjugate daunorubicin to an anti-melanoma antibody (80 J. Natl. Canc. Inst. 1154-1159 (1988)). Dillman et al. also used an acid-labile linker in a similar fashion to prepare conjugates of daunorubicin with an anti-T cell antibody (48 Cancer Res. 6097-6102 (1988)).
An alternative approach, explored by Trouet et al, involved linking daunorubicin to an antibody via a peptide spacer arm (79 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 626-629 (1982)). This was done under the premise that free drug could be released from such a conjugate by the action of lysosomal peptidases.
In vitro cytotoxicity tests, however, have revealed that antibody-drug conjugates rarely achieved the same cytotoxic potency as the free unconjugated drugs. This suggested that mechanisms by which drug molecules are released from the antibodies are very inefficient. In the area of immunotoxins, conjugates formed via disulfide bridges between monoclonal antibodies and catalytically active protein toxins were shown to be more cytotoxic than conjugates containing other linkers. See, Lambert et al, 260 J. Biol. Chem. 12035-12041 (1985); Lambert et al, in Immunotoxins 175-209 (A. Frankel, ed. 1988); Ghetie et al, 48 Cancer Res. 2610-2617 (1988). This was attributed to the high intracellular concentration of glutathione contributing to the efficient cleavage of the disulfide bond between an antibody molecule and a toxin. Despite this, there are only a few reported examples of the use of disulfide bridges for the preparation of conjugates between drugs and macromolecules. Shen et al (260 J. Biol. Chem. 10905-10908 (1985)) described the conversion of methotrexate into a mercaptoethylamide derivative followed by conjugation with poly-D-lysine via a disulfide bond. Another report described the preparation of a conjugate of the trisulfide containing toxic drug calicheamycin with an antibody (Hinman et al., 53 Cancer Res. 3336-3342 (1993)).
One reason for the lack of disulfide linked antibody-drug conjugates is the unavailability of cytotoxic drugs possessing a sulfur atom containing moiety that can be readily used to link the drug to an antibody via a disulfide bridge. Furthermore, chemical modification of existing drugs is difficult without diminishing their cytotoxic potential.
Another major drawback with existing antibody-drug conjugates is their inability to deliver a sufficient concentration of drug to the target site because of the limited number of targeted antigens and the relatively moderate cytotoxicity of cancerostatic drugs like methotrexate, daunorubicin, and vincristine. In order to achieve significant cytotoxicity, linkage of a large number of drug molecules, either directly to the antibody or through a polymeric carrier molecule, becomes necessary. However, such heavily modified antibodies often display impaired binding to the target antigen and fast in vivo clearance from the blood stream.
In spite of the above described difficulties, useful cytotoxic agents comprising cell binding moieties and the group of cytotoxic drugs known as maytansinoids have been reported (U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,020, U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,064, and R. V. J. Chari, 31 Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 89-104 (1998)). Similarly, useful cytotoxic agents comprising cell binding moieties and analogues and derivatives of the potent antitumor antibotic CC-1065 have also been reported (U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,092 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,499).
Paclitaxel (Taxol), a cytotoxic natural product, and docetaxel (Taxotere), a semi-synthetic derivative, are widely used in the treatment of cancer. These compounds belong to the family of compounds called taxanes. Taxanes are mitotic spindle poisons that inhibit the depolymerization of tubulin, resulting in an increase in the rate of microtubule assembly and cell death. While docetaxel and paclitaxel are useful agents in the treatment of cancer, their antitumor activity is limited because of their non-specific toxicity towards abnormal cells.
Further, compounds like paclitaxel and docetaxel themselves are not sufficiently potent to be used in conjugates of cell binding agents. Recently, a few new docetaxel analogs with greater potency than either docetaxel or paclitaxel have been described (Ojima et al., 39, J. Med. Chem. 3889-3896 (1996)). However, these compounds lack a suitable functionality that allows linkage via a cleavable bond to cell binding agents.
Accordingly, a method of treating diseases with taxanes wherein their side effects are reduced without compromising their cytotoxicity is greatly needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,931, U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,738 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,701 described taxanes linked by a disulfide bridge to the monoclonal antibody. Those taxanes seem to be not sufficiently potent to be used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As disclosed in a first embodiment, one object of the present invention is to provide taxanes that are highly toxic and that can still be effectively used in the treatment of many diseases.
Another object of the present invention is to provide novel taxanes.
These and other objects have been achieved by providing a cytotoxic agent comprising one or more taxanes linked to a cell binding agent.
In a second embodiment, the present invention provides a therapeutic composition comprising:
(A) an effective amount of one or more taxanes linked to a cell binding agent, and (B) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent, or excipient
In a third embodiment, the present invention provides a method of killing selected cell populations comprising contacting target cells or tissue containing target cells, with a cytotoxic amount of a cytotoxic agent comprising one or more taxanes linked to a cell binding agent.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION of the DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the relative binding affinities of huC242 antibody and its taxoid conjugate huC242 IGT-15-075.
FIG. 2 a shows the in vitro potency of huC242-Taxoid IGT-15-075 towards antigen positive COLO 205 cells and antigen negative A-375 cells.
FIG. 2 b show the in vitro potence of free Taxoid IGT-15-075 towards COLO 205 and A-375 cells.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention is based on the synthesis of novel taxanes that retain high cytotoxicity and that can be effectively linked to cell binding agents. It has previously been shown that the linkage of highly cytotoxic drugs to antibodies using a cleavable link, such as a disulfide bond, ensures the release of fully active drugs inside the cell, and such conjugates are cytotoxic in an antigen specific manner (U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,701; U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,738; U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,931). However, the art reveals that it is extremely difficult to modify existing drugs without diminishing their cytotoxic potential. The disclosed invention overcomes this problem by modifying the disclosed taxanes with chemical moieties. As a result, the disclosed novel taxanes preserve, and in some cases could even enhance, the cytotoxic potency of known taxanes. The cell binding agent-taxane complexes permit the full measure of the cytotoxic action of the taxanes to be applied in a targeted fashion against unwanted cells only, therefore, avoiding side effects due to damage to non-targeted healthy cells. Thus, the invention provides useful agents for the elimination of diseased or abnormal cells that are to be killed or lysed such as tumor cells (particularly solid tumor cells).
The cytotoxic agent according to the present invention comprises one or more taxanes linked to a cell binding agent via a linking group. The linking group is part of a chemical moiety that is covalently bound to a taxane through conventional methods. In a preferred embodiment, the chemical moiety can be covalently bound to the taxane via an ester linkage.
The taxanes useful in the present invention have the formula (I) shown below:
Z=H or a radical of formula II
R 1 is a linker or an optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical, alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, —OR 2 or a carbamate formed from any of said alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, or optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclyl radical. Preferably R 1 is —OR 2 or an optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical
R 2 is an alkyl radical having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical. Preferably R 2 is an alkyl group and more preferably a substituted alkyl group such as a terbutyl group.
R 3 is a linker or an optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical, alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms
R 4 is a linker, H, a hydroxy radical, an alkoxy, an alkenyloxy, an optionally substituted alkanoyloxy, aroyloxy, alkenoyloxy, alkynoyloxy, cycloalkanoyloxy, alkoxyacetyl, alkylthioacetyl, alkyloxycarbonyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, cycloalkenyloxy, carbamoyloxy, alkylcarbamoyloxy, or dialkylcarbamoyloxy, a heterocyclic or aryl ether, ester or carbamate, or, a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl or alkenyl ester or ether having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms or a carbamate of the formula —OCOX, wherein X is a nitrogen-containing heterocycle such as unsubstituted or substituted piperidino, morpholino, piperazino, N-methylpiperazino, or a carbamate of the formula —OCONR 9 R 10 , wherein R 9 and R 10 are the same or different and are H, linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl having from 1 to 10 atoms or unsubstituted or substituted aryl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms. Preferably R 4 is a linker or an alkanoyloxy radical.
R 5 or R 7 is H
R 6 is H
R 7 or R 5 and R form a bond (cyclic ether)
R 8 =optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical
The present invention will be more completely described with its 3 major embodiments.
Embodiment 1: R 4
is the linker
Z
=H or radical of formula II
R 1
is an optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical, alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, —OR 2 or a carbamate formed from any of said alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, or optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclyl radical
R 2 is alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical
Preferably, R 1 is t-butoxy, crotyl, dimethylacrylyl, isobutenyl, hexenyl, cyclopentenyl, cyclohexenyl, furyl, pyrollyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, imidazolyl, pyridyl, morpholino, piperidino, piperazino, oxazolyl, indolyl, benzofuranyl or benzothienyl.
More preferably, R 1 is t-butoxy, isobutenyl, crotyl, dimethyacrylyl, thienyl, thiazolyl or furyl
R 3 is optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical, alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms
Preferably, R 3 is crotyl, dimethylacrylyl, propenyl, isobutenyl, hexenyl, cyclopentenyl, cyclohexenyl, furyl, pyrollyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, pyridyl, oxazolyl, indolyl, benzofuranyl or benzothienyl.
More preferably, R 3 is iso-butenyl, crotyl, dimethyacrylyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, pyridyl, tert-butyl, or furyl.
R 4 is the linking group.
Suitable linking groups are well known in the art and include disulfide groups, thioether groups, acid labile groups, photolabile groups, peptidase labile groups and esterase labile groups. Preferred are disulfide groups and thioether groups.
When the linking group is a thiol- or disulfide-containing group, the side chain carrying the thiol or disulfide group can be linear or branched, aromatic or heterocyclic. One of ordinary skill in the art can readily identify suitable side chains.
Specific examples of the thiol- or disulfide-containing substituents include —O(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 15 R 16 ) n (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —OCO(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 15 R 16 ) n (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —O(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 17 ═CR 18 )(CR 15 R 16 ) m (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —OCO—(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 17 ═CR 18 )(CR 15 R 16 ) m (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —OCONR 12 (CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 15 R 16 ) n (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —OCO-phenyl-X′SZ′, —OCO-furyl-X′SZ′, —OCO-oxazolyl-X′SZ′, —OCO-thiazolyl-X′SZ′, —OCO-thienyl-X′SZ′, —OCO-imidazolyl-X′SZ′, —OCO-morpholino-X′SZ′, —OCO-piperazino-X′SZ′, —OCO-piperidino-X′SZ′, and —OCO—N-methylpiperazino-X′SZ′, or —OCO—N-methylpiperazino-X′SZ′, wherein:
Z′ is H, a thiol protective group or SR′,
wherein X′ is a direct link or a linear alkyl or branched alkyl having from 1-10 carbon atoms or a polyethylene glycol spacer with 2 to 20 repeating ethylene oxy units;
R′ and R 12 are the same or different and are linear alkyl, branched alkyl or cyclic alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or simple or substituted aryl or heterocyclic, and R 12 can in addition be H,
R 13 , R 14 , R 15 and R 16 are the same or different and are H or a linear or branched alkyl having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms,
R 17 and R 18 are H or alkyl,
n is an integer of 1 to 10, m is an integer from 1 to 10 and can also be 0, y is an integer from 1 to 20 and can also be 0.
R 5 or R 7 is HR 6 is H
R 7 or R 5 and R form a bond (cyclic ether)
R 8 is an optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical
Preferably, R 8 is 3-methoxyphenyl, 3-chlorophenyl, 2,5-dimethoxyphenyl, furyl, pyrollyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, imidazolyl, pyridyl, indolyl, oxazolyl, benzofuranyl or benzothenyl.
Embodiment 2: R 1
is the linker
Z is a radical of formula II
R 1
is the linking group.
Suitable linking groups are well known in the art and include disulfide groups, thioether groups, acid labile groups, photolabile groups, peptidase labile groups and esterase labile groups. Preferred are disulfide groups and thioether groups.
When the linking group is a thiol- or disulfide-containing group, the side chain carrying the thiol or disulfide group can be linear or branched, aromatic or heterocyclic. One of ordinary skill in the art can readily identify suitable side chains.
Specific examples of the thiol- or disulfide-containing substituents include —(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 15 R 16 ) n (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —O(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 15 R 16 ) n (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 17 ═CR 18 )(CR 15 R 16 ) m (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —O—(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 17 ═CR 18 )(CR 15 R 16 ) m (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —NR 12 (CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 15 R 16 ) n (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, phenyl-X′SZ′, furyl-XSZ′, oxazolyl-X′SZ′, thiazolyl-X′SZ′, thienyl-X′SZ′, imidazolyl-X′SZ′, morpholino-X′SZ′, -piperazino-X′SZ′, piperidino-XSZ′, -furyl-X′SZ′, -thienyl-X′SZ′, -thiazolyl-X′SZ′ and —N-methylpiperazino-X′SZ′, -morpholino-X′SZ′, -piperazino-X′SZ′, -piperidino-X′SZ′, or —N-methylpiperazino-X′SZ′, wherein:
Z′ is H, a thiol protective group or SR′,
wherein X′ is a direct link or a linear alkyl or branched alkyl having from 1-10 carbon atoms or a polyethylene glycol spacer with 2 to 20 repeating ethylene oxy units;
R′ and R 12 are the same or different and are linear alkyl, branched alkyl or cyclic alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or simple or substituted aryl or heterocyclic, and R 12 can in addition be H,
R 13 , R 14 , R 15 and R 16 are the same or different and are H or a linear or branched alkyl having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms,
R 17 and R 18 are H or alkyl,
n is an integer of 1 to 10, m is an integer from 1 to 10 and can also be 0, y is an integer from 1 to 20 and can also be 0.
R 3 is optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical, alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms
Preferably, R 3 is crotyl, dimethylacrylyl, propenyl, isobutenyl, hexenyl, cyclopentenyl, cyclohexenyl, furyl, pyrollyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, imidazolyl, pyridyl, oxazolyl, indolyl, benzofuranyl or benzothienyl.
More preferably, R 3 is iso-bufenyl, crotyl, dimethyacrylyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, pyridyl, tert-butyl, or furyl.
R 4 is H, a hydroxy radical, an alkoxy, an alkenyloxy, an optionally substituted alkanoyloxy, aroyloxy, alkenoyloxy, alkynoyloxy, cycloalkanoyloxy, alkoxyacetyl, alkylthioacetyl, alkyloxycarbonyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, cycloalkenyloxy, carbamoyloxy, alkylcarbamoyloxy, or dialkylcarbamoyloxy, a heterocyclic or aryl ether, ester or carbamate, or, a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl or alkenyl ester or ether having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms or a carbamate of the formula —OCOX, wherein X is a nitrogen-containing heterocycle such as unsubstituted or substituted piperidino, morpholino, piperazino, N-methylpiperazino, or a carbamate of the formula —OCONR 9 R 10 , wherein R 9 and R 10 are the same or different and are H, linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl having from 1 to 10 atoms or simple or substituted aryl having from 5 to 10 carbon atoms;
R 5 or R 7 is H
R 6 is H
R 7 or R 5 and R form a bond (cyclic ether)
R 8 is an optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical
Preferably, R 8 is 3-methoxyphenyl, 3-chlorophenyl, 2,5-dimethoxyphenyl, furyl, pyrollyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, oxazolyl, imidazolyl, pyridyl, indolyl, benzofuranyl or benzothienyl.
Embodiment 3: R 3
is the linker
Z is a radical of formula II
R 1 is an optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical, alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, —OR 2 or a carbamate formed from any of said alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, or optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclyl radical
R 2 is alkyl radical having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alkenyl or alkynyl having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical
Preferably, R 1 is t-butoxy, crotyl, dimethylacrylyl, isobutenyl, hexenyl, cyclopentenyl, cyclohexenyl, furyl, pyrollyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, imidazolyl, pyridyl, morpholino, piperidino, piperazino, oxazolyl, indolyl, benzofuranyl or benzothienyl.
More preferably, R 1 is t-butoxy, isobutenyl, crotyl, dimethyacrylyl, thienyl, thiazolyl or furyl
R 3 is the linking group.
Suitable linking groups are well known in the art and include disulfide groups, thioether groups, acid labile groups, photolabile groups, peptidase labile groups and esterase labile groups. Preferred are disulfide groups and thioether groups.
When the linking group is a thiol- or disulfide-containing group, the side chain carrying the thiol or disulfide group can be linear or branched, aromatic or heterocyclic. One of ordinary skill in the art can readily identify suitable side chains.
Specific examples of the thiol- or disulfide-containing substituents include —(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 15 R 16 ) n (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, —(CR 13 R 14 ) m (CR 17 ═CR 18 )(CR 15 R 16 ) m (OCH 2 CH 2 ) y SZ′, phenyl-X′SZ′, furyl-X′SZ′, oxazolyl-X′SZ′, thiazolyl-X′SZ′, thienyl-X′SZ′, imidazolyl-X′SZ′, wherein:
Z′ is H, a thiol protective group or SR′,
Wherein X′ is a direct link or a linear alkyl or branched alkyl having from 1-10 carbon atoms or a polyethylene glycol spacer with 2 to 20 repeating ethylene oxy units;
R′ is linear alkyl, branched alkyl or cyclic alkyl having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or simple or substituted aryl or heterocyclic,
R 13 , R 14 , R 15 and R 16 are the same or different and are H or a linear or branched alkyl having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms,
R 17 and R 18 are H or alkyl,
n is an integer of 1 to 10, m is an integer from 1 to 10 and can also be 0, y is an integer from 1 to 20 and can also be 0.
R 4 is H, a hydroxy radical, an alkoxy, an alkenyloxy, an optionally substituted alkanoyloxy, aroyloxy, alkenoyloxy, alkynoyloxy, cycloalkanoyloxy, alkoxyacetyl, alkylthioacetyl, alkyloxycarbonyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, cycloalkenyloxy, carbamoyloxy, alkylcarbamoyloxy, or dialkylcarbamoyloxy, a heterocyclic or aryl ether, ester or carbamate, or, a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl or alkenyl ester or ether having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms or a carbamate of the formula —OCOX, wherein X is a nitrogen-containing heterocycle such as unsubstituted or substituted piperidino, morpholino, piperazino, N-methylpiperazino, or a carbamate of the formula —OCONR 9 R 10 , wherein R 9 and R 10 are the same or different and are H, linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl having from 1 to 10 atoms or simple or substituted aryl having from 5 to 10 carbon atoms;
R 5 or R 7 is H
R 6 is H,
R 7 or R 5 and R form a bond (cyclic ether)
R 8 is an optionally substituted aryl or heterocyclic radical
Preferably, R 8 is 3-methoxyphenyl, 3-chlorophenyl, 2,5-dimethoxyphenyl, furyl, pyrollyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, imidazolyl, pyridyl, oxazolyl, indolyl, benzofuranyl or benzothienyl.
The following compounds of the invention have been synthesized
3′-isobutenyl series
2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
To a solution of 10-acetoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (1.30 g, 1.25 mmol) in ethanol (25 mL) was added hydrazine monohydrate (10.5 mL) with stirring. After 15 minutes the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (50 mL) and the organic layer was extracted with ammonium chloride (50 mL), water (50 mL), and brine (50 mL). The organic layer was then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified on a silica gel column using 40% ethyl acetate in hexane as the eluant. The fractions containing the desired product were pooled and concentrated to give 1.1 g of 2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a white solid. 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.08 (s, 24H), 1.23 (s, 3H), 1.36 (s, 9H), 1.67 (s, 3H), 1.70 (s, 3H), 1.76 (s, 3H), 1.82 (m, 1H), 1.88 s, 3H), 2.16 (s, 3H), 2.31 (m, 1H), 2.50 (m, 2H), 3.17 (br s, 1H), 3.79 (s, 3H), 3.85 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 3.95 (s, 1H), 4.18 (m, 2H), 4.29 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.37 (d, J=2 Hz, 1H), 4.41 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.74 (t, J=9 Hz, 1H), 4.90 (t, J=9.8 Hz, 2 H), 5.17 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 5.32 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 5.65 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 6.10 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.93 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.05 (dd, J=9.2, 3.0 Hz, 1H), 7.28 (d, J=3.0 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 52 H 79 NO 16 SiNa + : calcd: 1024.5; found: 1024.3.
7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
A solution of 2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (1.1 g, 1.1 mmol) in methylene chloride (7 mL) and pyridine (0.44 mL, 5.5 mmol) was cooled to −30° C. in a dry ice and acetone bath. A solution containing triflic anhydride (0.37 mL, 2.2 mmol) dissolved in methylene chloride (0.3 mL) was added dropwise. The resulting solution was allowed to gradually warm to room temperature with stirring. After one hour the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (25 mL) and the organic layer was extracted with ammonium chloride (25 mL), water (25 mL), and brine (25 mL). The organic layer was then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified on a silica gel column using 20% ethyl acetate in hexane as the eluant. Fractions containing the desired product were pooled and concentrated to give 565 mg of 7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a solid.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.10 (m, 24H), 1.26 (s, 3H), 1.38 (s, 9H), 1.68 (s, 3H), 1.72 (s, 3H), 1.92 (s, 3H), 1.95 (s, 3H), 2.20 (s, 3H), 2.28 (m, 1H), 2.31 (m, 1H), 2.50 (m, 1H), 2.80 (m, 1H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.95 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 4.36 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.38 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.44 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.76 (t, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 4.88 (m, 2H), 5.33 (m, 2H), 5.38 (dd, J=6.8, 10.4 Hz, 1H), 5.68 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 6.13 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.95 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.07 (dd, J=3.2, 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.26 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 53 H 78 F 3 NO 18 SSiNa + : calcd: 1156.4. found: 1156.1.
7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-10-oxo-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
To a stirred solution of 7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (565 mg, 0.5 mmol) in methylene chloride (20 mL) was added 4-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMO) (117 mg, 1.00 mmol) followed by the addition of tetrapropylammonium perruthenate (TPAP) (10 mg, 0.03 mmol). The resulting mixture was allowed to stir at room temperature with monitoring. After 8 hours the reaction was filtered through celite and the pad of celite was rinsed with methylene chloride. The combined supernatant was concentrated in vacuo and the resulting residue was purified on a silica gel column using 25% ethyl acetate in hexane. The fractions containing the product were pooled and concentrated to give 325 mg of 7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-10-oxo-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a solid.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.10 (m, 21H), 1.20 (s, 3H), 1.30 (s, 3H), 1.38 (s, 9H), 1.68 (s, 3H), 1.72 (s, 3H), 1.92 (s, 3H), 1.94 (s, 3H), 2.18 (s, 3H), 2.23 (m, 1H), 2.35 (m, 1H), 2.63 (m, 1H), 2.83 (m, 1H), 3.71 (m, 2H), 3.81 (s, 3H), 4.00 (s, 3H), 4.34 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.39 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.45 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.78 (t, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 4.87 (m, 2H), 5.19 (dd, J=8.0, 10.0 Hz, 1H), 5.34 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1 H), 5.79 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.09 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.98 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.09 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.25 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 53 H 76 F 3 NO 18 SSiNa + : calcd: 1154.4. found: 1154.4.
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
To a well stirred mixture of 7-(trifluoromethane-sulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-10-oxo-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (323 mg, 0.286 mmol) in ethanol (3.5 mL) was added sodium borohydride (58 mg, 1.5 mmol). After 10 minutes the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (15 mL) and extracted twice with brine (15 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by silica ptlc using 50% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent to give the desired product, 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (171 mg) and the side product 7α,10α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (78 mg).
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.09 (m, 24H), 1.24 (s, 3H), 1.38 (s, 9H), 1.68 (s, 3H), 1.71 (s, 3H), 1.78 (s, 3H), 1.97 (s, 3H), 2.10 (s, 3H), 2.23-2.33 (m, 2H), 2.34-2.45 (m, 2H), 2.50 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 4.02 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.25 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.34 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.45 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H), 4.73-4.83 (m, 4H), 4.98 (m, 2H), 5.35 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 5.67 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1 H), 5.97 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.96 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.06 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.29 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 52 H 79 NO 15 SiNa + : calcd: 1008.5. found: 1008.4.
7α,10α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.10 (m, 21H), 1.19 (s, 3H), 1.34 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 9H), 1.66 (s, 3H), 1.70 (s, 3H), 1.84 (s, 3H), 1.88 (s, 3H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.21 (m, 1H), 2.29 (m, 1H), 2.38 (m, 2H), 3.66 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 3.81 (s, 3H), 3.96 (s, 3H), 4.39-4.47 (m, 4H), 4.74 (t, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.82 (br s, 1H), 4.90 (m, 1H), 5.08 (d, J=4.4 Hz, 1H), 5.35 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 5.42 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.12 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.95 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 7.07 (dd, J=3.2, 8.8 Hz, 1H), 7.32 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 52 H 77 NO 15 SiNa + : calcd: 1006.5. found: 1006.4.
7α,10α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
A solution containing 7α,10α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxy-benzoyl)-docetaxel (20 mg, 0.02 mmol) dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of acetonitrile: pyridine (2 mL) was cooled to 0° C. in an ice bath. To this was added hydrogen fluoride-pyridine (0.2 mL) and the solution was allowed to gradually warm to room temperature. After 16 hours the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (15 mL) and quenched with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (15 mL). The organic layer was washed once with brine (20 mL) and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica ptlc using 70% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 12 mg of 7α,10α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a white solid.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.19 (s, 3H), 1.32 (s, 3H), 1.41 (s, 9H), 1.73 (s, 6H), 1.85 (s, 3H), 1.89 (s, 3H), 2.03 (s, 3H), 2.28-2.42 (m, 4H), 3.69 (dd, J=2.0, 7.2 Hz, 1H), 3.81 (s, 3H), 3.89 (s, 3H), 4.25 (dd, J=2.4, 4.4, 1H), 4.34 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.36 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.53 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 4.82 (m, 2H), 5.00 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 5.08 (m, 1H), 5.25 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 5.35 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.17 (t, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 6.94 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.06 (dd, J=3.2, 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.28 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 43 H 57 NO 15 Na + : calcd: 850.4. found: 850.3.
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
A solution containing 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (25 mg, 0.025 mmol) dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of acetonitrile: pyridine (2 mL) was cooled to 0° C. in an ice bath. To this was added hydrogen fluoride-pyridine (0.25 mL) and the solution was allowed to gradually warm to room temperature. After 16 hours the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (15 mL) and quenched with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (15 mL). The organic layer was washed once with brine (20 mL) and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica ptlc using 70% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 12 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a white solid.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.12 (s, 3H), 1.23 (s, 3H), 1.41 (s, 9H), 1.73 (s, 6H), 1.80 (s, 3H), 2.01 (s, 3H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.15-2.21 (m, 1H), 2.23-2.28 (m, 1H), 2.36-2.44 (m, 1H), 2.43-2.49 (m, 1H), 2.52 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 3.75 (br s, 1H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.93 (s, 3H), 4.05 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.26 (d, J=2.4, 4.8 Hz, 1H), 4.30 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 4.32 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 4.76-4.83 (m, 4H), 4.91 (t, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.98 (d, J=9.6 Hz, 1H), 5.26 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 5.65 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1 H), 6.01 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.95 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.06 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.28 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 43 H 59 NO 15 Na + : calcd: 852.4. found: 852.3.
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel
To a solution of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (85 mg, 0.086 mmol) dissolved in pyridine (1 mL) under nitrogen was added dimethylamino pyridine (DMAP) (16 mg, 0.13 mmol) and acetic anhydride (0.025 mL, 0.26 mmol). The reaction was stirred at room temperature and after 4 hours was diluted with ethyl acetate (20 mL) and washed once with brine (25 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by silica ptlc using 50% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 75 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel as a white solid.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.10 (m, 21H), 1.22 (s, 6H), 1.38 (s, 9H), 1.67 (s, 3H), 1.70 (s, 3H), 1.73 (s, 3H), 1.94 (s, 3H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.10 (s, 3H), 2.31 (m, 3H), 2.48 (m, 1H), 3.78 (s, 3H), 3.97 (s, 3H), 3.98 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.24 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.32 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.45 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.77 (m, 2H), 4.82 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.91 (s, 1H), 4.93 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 5.36 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 5.68 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 5.70 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 5.89 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.94 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.05 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.29 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 54 H 81 NO 16 SiNa + : calcd: 1050.5. found: 1050.5.
7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel
A solution containing 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel (75 mg, 0.073 mmol) dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of acetonitrile: pyridine (3 mL) was cooled to 0° C. in an ice bath. To this was added hydrogen fluoride-pyridine (0.5 mL) and the solution was allowed to gradually warm to room temperature. After 16 hours the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (25 mL) and quenched with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (25 mL). The organic layer was washed once with brine (30 mL) and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica ptlc using 70% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 52 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.26 (s, 3H), 1.28 (s, 3H), 1.41 (s, 9H), 1.74 (s, 6H), 1.76 (s, 3H), 1.99 (s, 3H), 2.09 (s, 3H), 2.11 (s, 3H), 2.18 (m, 1H), 2.27 (m, 1H), 2.36 (m, 1H), 2.49 (m, 1H), 3.81 (s, 3H), 3.91 (s, 1H), 3.94 (s, 3H), 4.02 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.28 (m, 2H), 4.33 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.80 (m, 2H), 4.86 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.91 (s, 1H), 5.00 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 5.29 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 5.67 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 5.71 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 6.01 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.96 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.07 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.28 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 45 H 61 NO 16 Na + : calcd: 894.4. found: 894.5.
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-methoxycarbonyloxy-docetaxel
A solution of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (28 mg, 0.029 mmol) dissolved in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran (0.65 mL) under nitrogen was cooled to −40° C. in a dry ice and acetone bath. To this solution was added 1.0 M LiHMDS (0.04 mL, 0.039 mmol) and allowed to stir for 15 minutes. To this was added methyl chloroformate (0.003 mL, 0.036 mmol) and the reaction was monitored at −40° C. After one hour the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (15 mL) and extracted with water (15 mL) followed by washing the organic layer with brine (15 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by silica ptlc using 5% methanol in methylene chloride as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 9 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-methoxycarbonyloxy-docetaxel as a white solid.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.10 (m, 21H), 1.22 (s, 3H), 1.24 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 9H), 1.68 (s, 3H), 1.71 (s, 3H), 1.75 (s, 3H), 1.96 (s, 3H), 2.08 (s, 3H), 2.30 (m, 3H), 2.50 (m, 1H), 3.78 (s, 3H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.98 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 3.99 (s, 3H), 4.25 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.34 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.46 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.78 (m, 2H), 4.91 (m, 3H), 5.37 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 5.57 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 5.70 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 5.93 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.95 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.06 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.30 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 45 H 81 NO 17 SiNa + : calcd: 1066.5. found: 1066.3.
7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-methoxycarbonyloxy-docetaxel
A solution containing 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-methoxycarbonyloxy-docetaxel (9 mg, 0.008 mmol) dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of acetonitrile: pyridine (1.2 mL) was cooled to 0° C. in an ice bath. To this was added hydrogen fluoride-pyridine (0.15 mL) and the solution was allowed to gradually warm to room temperature. After 16 hours the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (15 mL) and quenched with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (15 mL). The organic layer was washed once with brine (15 mL) and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica ptlc using 60% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 4 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-methoxycarbonyloxy-docetaxel.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.25 (s, 3H), 1.27 (s, 3H), 1.40 (s, 9H), 1.73 (s, 6H), 1.76 (s, 3H), 1.99 (s, 3H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.18 (m, 1H), 2.25 (m, 1H), 2.34 (m, 1H), 2.48 (m, 1H), 3.78 (s, 3H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.83 (s, 1H), 3.93 (s, 3H), 4.01 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.28 (m, 2H), 4.31 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 4.80 (m, 2H), 4.90 (s, 1H), 4.94 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 4.97 (d, J=9.6 Hz, 1H), 5.27 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 5.55 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 5.70 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.03 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.95 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1 H), 7.06 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.28 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 45 H 61 NO 17 Na + : calcd: 910.4. found: 910.4.
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-dimethyaminocarbonyloxy-docetaxel
A solution of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (28 mg, 0.029 mmol) dissolved in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran (0.65 mL) under nitrogen was cooled to −40° C. in a dry ice and acetone bath. To this solution was added 1.0 M LiHMDS (0.04 mL, 0.039 mmol) and allowed to stir for 15 minutes. To this was added dimethyl carbamyl chloride (0.003 mg, 0.031 mmol) and the reaction was monitored at −40° C. After one hour the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (15 mL) and extracted with water (15 mL) followed by washing the organic layer with brine (15 mL). The organic layer was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by silica ptlc using 5% methanol in methylene chloride as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 20 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-dimethyaminocarbonyloxy-docetaxel as a white solid.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.10 (m, 21H), 1.23 (s, 6H), 1.39 (s, 9H), 1.68 (s, 3H), 1.71 (s, 3H), 1.73 (s, 3H), 1.98 (s, 3H), 2.09 (s, 3H), 2.31 (m, 3H), 2.49 (m, 1H), 2.93 m(s, 6H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.98 (s, 3H), 3.96 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.25 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.33 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.46 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.77 (m, 2H), 4.88 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.92 (m, 2H), 5.36 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 5.68 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 5.71 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 5.93 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.95 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.05 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.30 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 55 H 84 N 2 O 16 SiNa + : calcd: 1079.6. found: 1079.5.
7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-dimethyaminocarbonyloxy-docetaxel
A solution containing 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-dimethyaminocarbonyloxy-docetaxel (20 mg, 0.016 mmol) dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of acetonitrile: pyridine (1.2 mL) was cooled to 0° C. in an ice bath. To this was added hydrogen fluoride-pyridine (0.25 mL) and the solution was allowed to gradually warm to room temperature. After 16 hours the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (15 mL) and quenched with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (15 mL). The organic layer was washed once with brine (15 mL) and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica ptlc using 70% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 12 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-dimethyaminocarbonyloxy-docetaxel.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.24 (s, 3H), 1.26 (s, 3H), 1.40 (s, 9H), 1.73 (s, 6H), 1.74 (s, 3H), 2.00 (s, 3H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.17 (m, 1H), 2.25 (m, 1H), 2.36 (m, 1H), 2.48 (m, 1H), 2.93 (s, 3H), 2.94 (s, 3H), 3.79 (s, 3H), 3.86 (s, 1H), 3.92 (s, 3H), 4.02 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.28 (m, 2H), 4.31 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 4.80 (m, 2H), 4.89 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.90 (s, 1H), 4.97 (d, J=9.6 Hz, 1H), 5.28 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 5.67 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 5.70 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.02 (t, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 6.94 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.05 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.29 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 46 H 64 N 2 O 16 Na + : calcd: 923.4. found: 923.4.
3′-(2-furyl) series
10-Acetoxy-7-(triethylsilyl)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
A mixture of (3R,4S)-1-tert-butoxycarbonyl)-3-triisopropylsilyloxy-4-(2-furyl)-azetidin-2-one (1.27 g, 3.11 mmol) and 7-(triethylsilyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-baccatin III (1.9 g, 2.5 mmol) were dissolved in anhydrous THF (20 mL). The mixture was cooled to −40° C. and 1.0 M LiHMDS (3.5 mL, 3.5 mmol) was added dropwise. The reaction was allowed to stir between −40 and −20° C. for 1 hour, after which it was complete. The reaction was quenched with saturated aqueous ammonium chloride and extracted into ethyl acetate (100 mL×2). The combined organic layers were washed with water (30 mL×1), dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified on a silica gel column with 30% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant, yielding 10-Acetoxy-7-(triethylsilyl)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a white solid (2.88 g, 98%): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.53 (m, 6H), 0.89 (m, 30H), 1.18 (s, 6H), 1.36 (s, 9H), 1.69 (s, 3H), 1.85 (m, 1H), 1.96 (s, 3H), 2.11 (s, 3H), 2.25 (s, 3H), 2.35 (m, 2H), 2.46 (m, 1H), 3.33 (s, 1H), 3.71 (s, 3H), 3.72 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 3.87 (s, 3H), 4.22 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.40 (m, 2H), 4.84 (d, J=8.0, 1H), 4.89 (d, J=1.2 Hz, 1 H), 5.24 (m, 2H), 5.61 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 6.12 (t, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 6.18 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 6.27 (dd, J=3.2, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 6.41 (s, 1H), 6.88 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 6.97 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.20 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.28 (br s, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 60 H 91 NO 18 Si 2 Na + : calcd: 1192.6. found: 1192.3.
10-Acetoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
10-Acetoxy-7-(triethylsilyl)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (670 mg, 0.57 mmol) was dissolved in ethanol (2.5 mL). A solution of 5% hydrochloric acid in ethanol (5.0 mL) was added dropwise. The reaction was allowed to stir at room temperature for 5 h, after which it was complete. The reaction was quenched with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and the product was extracted into ethyl acetate (75 mL×2). The combined ethyl acetate layers were washed with water (25 mL×1) and brine (25 mL×1), dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The crude 10-Acetoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel was used without purification: 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.92 (m, 21H), 1.12 (s, 3H), 1.25 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 9H), 1.70 (s, 3H), 1.85 (m, 4H), 2.19 (s, 3H), 2.27 (s, 3H), 2.37 (m, 2H), 2.51 (m, 1H), 3.33 (s, 1H), 3.74 (m, 4H), 3.89 (s, 3H), 4.26 (d, J=8.4, 1H), 4.38 (m, 2H), 4.90 (m, 2H), 5.24 (m, 2H), 5.62 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 6.19 (m, 2H), 6.30 (m, 2H), 6.88 (d, J=9.2,1H), 7.00 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.21 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1 H), 7.30 (br s, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 54 H 77 NO 18 SiNa + : calcd: 1078.5. found: 1078.3.
2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
10-Acetoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (605 mg, 0.573 mmol) was dissolved in ethanol (12.0 mL). Hydrazine monohydrate (5.0 mL) was added dropwise over 5 min, after which the reaction was complete. The reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate and quenched with saturated aqueous ammonium chloride. The product was extracted into ethyl acetate (75 mL×2), washed with water (25 mL×1) and brine (25 mL×1), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified on a silica gel column with 40% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant, yielding 2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a white solid (507.6 mg, 87%, two steps): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.95 (m, 21H), 1.11 (s, 3H), 1.24 (s, 3H), 1.40 (s, 9 H), 1.79 (s, 3H), 1.86 (m, 1H), 1.91 (s, 3H), 2.29 (s, 3H), 2.36 (m, 2H), 2.57 (m, 1 H), 3.29 (br s, 1H), 3.76 (s, 3H), 3.88 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 3.92 (s, 3H), 4.19 (m, 2 H), 4.43 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.45 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.91 (m, 2H), 5.24 (m, 3H), 5.65 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 6.21 (m, 2H), 6.31 (dd, J 3.2, 1.6, 1H), 6.90 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.02 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.23 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.30 (br s, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 52 H 75 NO 17 SiNa + : calcd: 1036.5. found: 1036.3.
7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (1.7 g, 1.68 mmol) was dissolved in methylene chloride (10.0 mL) and cooled to −30° C. Pyridine (0.68 mL, 8.4 mmol) was added, followed by triflic anhydride (0.57 mL, 3.4 mmol) in methylene chloride (0.5 mL), turning the reaction yellow. The reaction was allowed to warm to 0° C. slowly over 1 h, at which point it was complete. The product was extracted into ethyl acetate (150 mL×1), washed with water (50 mL×1) and brine (50 mL×1), dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The crude reside was purified on a silica gel column with 25% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant, yielding 7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a white solid(1.44 g, 75%): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.94 (m, 21H), 1.09 (s, 3H), 1.22 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 9H), 1.92 (m, 6H), 2.30 (m, 5H), 2.40 (m, 1H), 2.79 (m, 1H), 3.44 (s, 1H), 3.74 (s, 3H), 3.91 (s, 3H), 3.95 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.01 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 4.30 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.42 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.89 (m, 2H), 5.24 (m, 2H), 5.36 (m, 2H), 5.64 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 6.21 (m, 2H), 6.30 (dd, J=3.2, 1.6 Hz, 1H), 6.90 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.02 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1 H), 7.19 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.30 (br s, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 53 H 74 F 3 NO 19 SSiNa + : calcd: 1168.4. found: 1168.4.
7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-10-oxo-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
To a stirred solution of 7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (1.44 g, 1.26 mmol) in methylene chloride (30 mL) was added 4-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMO) (590 mg, 5 mmol) followed by the addition of tetrapropylammonium perruthenate (TPAP) (62 mg, 0.18 mmol). The resulting mixture was allowed to stir at room temperature with monitoring. After 8 hours the reaction was filtered through celite and the pad of celite was rinsed with methylene chloride. The combined supernatent was concentrated in vacuo and the resulting residue was purified on a silica gel column using 10% ethyl acetate in hexane. The fractions containing the product were pooled and concentrated to give 619 mg of 7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-10-oxo-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a solid. 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.91 (m, 21H), 1.15 (s, 3H), 1.25(s, 3H), 1.37 (s, 9H), 1.89 (s, 6H), 2.14 (m, 1H), 2.27 (s, 3H), 2.32 (m, 1 H) 2.51, (m, 1H), 2.79 (m, 1H), 3.67 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 3.73 (s, 3H), 3.85 (s, 1H), 3.91 (s, 3H), 4.38 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.40 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 4.81 (d, J=8.8 z, 1 H), 4.89 (d, J=1.2 Hz, 1H), 5.17 (m, 1H), 5.24 (m, 2H), 5.72 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.14 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.20 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 6.28 (d, J=3.2,1.6 Hz, 1H), 6.90 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.01 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.15 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.29 (br s, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 53 H 72 F 3 NO 19 SSiNa + : calcd: 1166.4. found: 1166.1.
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel and 7α,10α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
Sodium borohydride (102 mg, 2.7 mmol) was added to the 7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-10-oxo-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (618 mg, 0.54 mmol) dissolved in ethanol (7.0 mL). After 5 min, the reaction was complete and diluted with ethyl acetate. The product was extracted into ethyl acetate (100 mL×1), washed with saturated aqueous sodium chloride (50 mL×1), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified on a silica gel column with 50% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant, yielding the 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (258 mg, 48%) and 7α,10α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (231 mg, 43%).
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.92 (m, 21 H), 1.08 (s, 3H), 1.23 (s, 3H), 1.41 (s, 9H), 1.77 (s, 3H), 1.99 (s, 3H), 2.15 (s, 3 H), 2.33 (m, 4H), 2.56 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 3.55 (s, 1H), 3.76 (s, 3H), 3.93 (s, 3H), 4.01 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1, H), 4.25 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.32 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.77 (m, 3H), 4.92 (br s, 1H), 4.95 (br s, 1H), 5.27 (m, 2H), 5.64 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 6.06 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.20 (d, J=2.8 Hz, 1H), 6.29 (dd, J=3.2, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 6.90 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.00 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.23 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.31 (s, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 52 H 75 NO 16 SiNa + : calcd: 1020.5. found: 1020.4.
7α,10α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.95 (m, 21 H), 1.15 (s, 3H), 1.31 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 9H), 1.83 (m, 6H), 2.11 (s, 3H), 2.20-2.36 (m, 4H), 3.62 (m, 2H), 3.75 (s, 3H), 3.89 (s, 3H), 4.40 (m, 3H), 4.78 (br s, 1H), 4.92 (br s, 1H), 5.06 (d, J=4.0 Hz, 1H), 5.25 (m, 2H), 5.36 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.18 (m, 2H), 6.27 (dd, J=2.8, 1.6 Hz, 1H), 6.88 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 6.99 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.22 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.29 (br s, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 52 H 73 NO 16 SiNa + : calcd: 1018.5. found: 1018.4.
7α,10α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7α,10α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (49.1 mg, 0.049 mmol) was dissolved in pyridine-acetonitrile (1/1, 2.0 mL) and cooled to 0° C. HF/pyridine (70:30, 0.5 mL) was added and the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature slowly overnight. The reaction was quenched with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and diluted with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate layer was washed with additional saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate (15 mL×2) and the combined aqueous layers were then washed with ethyl acetate (40 mL×2). The combined ethyl acetate layers were washed with water (15 mL×2), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. Crude residue was purified over silica gel with 50% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant, yielding 7α,10α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (33.5 mg, 81%): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.16 (s, 3H), 1.30 (s, 3H), 1.40 (s, 9H), 1.79 (s, 3H), 1.87 (s, 3H), 2.03 (s, 3H), 2.06 (m, 1H), 2.34 (m, 3H), 3.58 (s, 1H), 3.66 (dd, J=7.2, 2.8 Hz, 1H), 3.78 (s, 3H), 3.88 (s, 3H), 3.93 (d, J=4.0 Hz, 1H), 4.34 (m, 2H), 4.49 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 4.67 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.81 (br s, 1H), 5.04 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 5.34 (m, 3H), 6.18 (br s, 1H), 6.26 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 6.31 (dd, J=3.2, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 6.92 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.03 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.24 (d, J=3.2 z, 1H), 7.34 (d, J=1.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 43 H 53 NO 16 Na + : calcd: 862.3. found: 862.3.
7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel was dissolved in pyridine-acetonitrile (1/1, 1.5 mL) and cooled to 0° C. HF/pyridine (70:30, 0.2 mL) was added and the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature slowly overnight. The reaction was quenched with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and diluted with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate layer was washed with additional saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate (10 mL×2). The combined aqueous layers were washed with ethyl acetate (20 mL×2). The combined ethyl acetate layers were then washed with water (10 mL×2), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. Crude residue was purified over silica gel with 75% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant yielding 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel as a white solid (10.26 mg, 70%): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.09 (s, 3H), 1.23 (s, 3H), 1.40 (s, 9H), 1.77 (s, 3H), 1.95 (s, 3H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.21 (m, 2H), 2.37 (m, 2H), 2.50 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 3.51 (s, 1H), 3.71 (d, J=4.0 Hz, 1H), 3.77 (s, 3H), 3.91 (s, 3H), 4.02 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.26 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1 H), 4.29 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.68 (d, J=2.8 Hz, 1H), 4.78 (m, 3H), 4.88 (br s, 1H), 5.32 (m 2H), 5.63 (d, J=6.4Hz, 1H), 6.01 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.27 (d, J=3.2Hz, 1 H), 6.31 (dd, J=3.2, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 6.92 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.20 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.24 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.34 (d, J=0.8 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 43 H 55 NO 16 Na + : calcd: 864.5. found: 864.3.
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel
Acetic anhydride (8.1 μL, 0.858 mmol) and DMAP (5 mg, 0.043 mmol) were added to a solution of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (28.5 mg, 0.0286 mmol) in pyridine (0.5 mL). The reaction was complete after stirring at room temperature for 3 hours. Product was extracted into ethyl acetate (30 mL×1), washed with water (15 mL×1) and brine (15 mL×1), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. Crude residue was purified over silica gel with 50% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant, yielding 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel as a white solid (25 mg, 85%) 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.95 (m, 21H), 1.26 (m, 6H), 1.44 (s, 9H), 1.76 (s, 3H), 1.99 (s, 3 H), 2.13 (s, 3H), 2.18 (s. 3H), 2.40 (m, 4H), 3.66 (s, 1H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.97 (s, 3 H), 4.02 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.27 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.35 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.82 (dd, J=8.4, 6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.86 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.95 (br s, 1H), 5.01 (s, 1H), 5.31 (s, 2H), 5.72 (m, 2H), 6.01 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.24 (d, J=3.2, 1H), 6.32 (dd, J=3.2, 1.6 Hz, 1H), 6.94 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.05 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.27 (d, J=3.2, 1H), 7.34 (d, J=0.8 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 54 H 77 NO 17 SiNa + : calcd: 1062.5. found: 1062.5.
7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel (25 mg, 0.025 mmol) was dissolved in pyridine-acetonitrile (1/1, 1.5 mL) and cooled to 0° C. HF/pyridine (70:30, 0.25 mL) was added and the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature slowly overnight. The reaction was quenched with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and diluted with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate layer was washed with additional saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate (10 mL×2). The combined aqueous layers were washed with ethyl acetate (25 mL×2). The combined ethyl acetate layers were then washed with water (10 mL×2), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. Crude residue was purified over silica gel with 80% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant yielding final product, 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-acetoxy-docetaxel (17.2 mg, 78%): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.24 (s, 6, H), 1.41 (s, 9 H), 1,74 (s, 3H), 1.94 (s, 3H), 2.10 (s, 6H), 2.27 (m, 2H), 2.33 (m, 1H), 2.46 (m, 1 H), 3.62 (s, 1H), 3.79 (s, 4H), 3.93 (s, 3H), 4.01 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.26 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.30 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.72 (d, J=3.6 Hz, 1H), 4.80 (dd, J=5.6, 8.8 Hz 1H), 4.85 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.89 (br s, 1H), 5.34 (m, 2H), 5.65 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 5.70 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.02 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.29 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 6.33 (m, 1H), 6.94 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.05 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.26 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.36 (d, J=1.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 45 H 57 NO 17 Na + : calcd: 906.4. found: 906.4.
3′-isobutenyl series with SS linkers
The following intermediates were previously described:
2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-10-oxo-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyidithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel
To a solution of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (28 mg, 0.029 mmol) dissolved in methylene chloride (1.5 mL) under nitrogen was added DMAP (3.5 mg, 0.028 mmol) and 4-methyldithiobutanoic acid (50 mg, 0.28 mmol). To this mixture was added diisopropylcarbodiimide (0.045 mL, 0.28 mmol) and the resulting mixture was allowed to stir at room temperature overnight. The reaction was then quenched with ammonium chloride (15 mL) and extracted with methylene chloride (20 mL). The organic layer was then washed with brine (15 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by silica ptlc using 40% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 23 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyldithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel as a white solid.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.10 (m, 21H), 1.21 (s, 3H), 1.23 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 9H), 1.68 (s, 3H), 1.71 (s, 3H), 1.74 (s, 3H), 1.95 (s, 3H), 2.06 (dt, J=2.0, 7.2 Hz, 2H), 2.08 (s, 3H), 2.31 (m, 3H), 2.40 (s, 3H), 2.49 (m, 3H), 2.74 (dt, J=2.0, 7.2 Hz, 2 H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.98 (s, 4H), 4.25 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.33 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.46 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 4.77 (m, 2H), 4.84 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.92 (s, 1H), 4.92 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 5.36 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 5.71 (overlapping d, J=6.4 Hz, 2H), 5.90 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.95 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.06 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.30 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 57 H 87 NO 16 S 2 SiNa + : calcd: 1156.5. found: 1156.2.
7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyidithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel
A solution containing 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyldithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel (23 mg, 0.02 mmol) dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of acetonitrile: pyridine (1.6 mL) was cooled to 0° C. in an ice bath. To this was added hydrogen fluoride-pyridine (0.25 mL) and the solution was allowed to gradually warm to room temperature. After 16 hours the reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate (15 mL) and quenched with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution (15 mL). The organic layer was washed once with brine (15 mL) and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica ptlc using 65% ethyl acetate in hexane as the developing solvent. The band containing the desired product was scraped and rinsed with ethyl acetate at the filter. The organic layers were combined and concentrated in vacuo to give 16 mg of 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(isobutenyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyidithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.25 (s, 3H), 1.29 (s, 3H), 1.40 (s, 9H), 1.73 (s, 6H), 1.74 (s, 3H), 1.97 (s, 3H), 2.04 (m, 2H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.17 (m, 1H), 2.25 (m, 1H), 2.33 (m, 1H), 2.39 (s, 3H), 2.51 (m, 1H), 2.73 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 3.79 (s, 3H), 3.83 (s, 1H), 3.93 (s, 3H), 4.00 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.26 (m, 2H), 4.31 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 4.78 (m, 2H), 4.84 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.90 (s, 1H), 4.96 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1 H), 5.27 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 5.68 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 5.70 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 6.00 (t, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 6.94 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.05 (dd, J=3.2 9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.28 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 48 H 67 NO 16 S 2 Na + : calcd: 1000.4. found: 1000.2.
3′-2-furyl series with SS linkers
The following intermediates were previously described:
2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7-(trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-10-oxo-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyidithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel
DMAP (4.6 mg, 0.0374 mmol), 4-methyldithiobutanoic acid (62 mg, 0.374 mmol) and DIC (58.5 μL, 0.0374 mmol) were added to a solution of 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-docetaxel (37.3 mg, 0.0374 mmol) in methylene chloride (0.5 mL). The reaction was allowed to stir at room temperature overnight, after which it was complete and quenched with saturated aqueous ammonium chloride. Product was extracted into ethyl acetate (25 mL×2), washed with water (15 mL×1), dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified over silica gel with 50% ethyl acetate in hexane as the eluant, yielding 7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyldithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel (48.2 mg, 100+ %): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 0.92 (m, 21H), 1.24 (m, 6H), 1.41 (s, 9H), 1.73 (s, 3H), 1.95 (s, 3H), 2.05 (m, 2H), 2.15 (s, 3H), 2.32 (m, 3H), 2.38 (s, 3H), 2.44-2.56 (m 3H), 2.72 (m, 2H), 3.65 (s, 1 H), 3.77 (s, 3H), 3.94 (s, 3H), 3.98 (m, 1H), 4.26 (m, 2H), 4.77 (dd, J=8.4, 6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.83 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.92 (br s, 1H), 4.97 (s, 1H), 5.28 (s, 2H), 5.68 (m, 2 H), 5.98 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 6.20 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 6.29 (dd, J=3.2, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 6.90 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.01 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.24 (d, J=3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.31 (d, J=1.2, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 57 H 83 NO 17 S 2 SiNa + : calcd: 1168.5. found: 1168.4
7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyidithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel
7α,9α-epoxy-2′-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyldithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel (42.8 mg, 0.0374 mmol) was dissolved in pyridine-acetonitrile (1/1, 3.0 mL) and cooled to 0° C. HF/pyridine (70:30, 0.5 mL) was added and the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature slowly overnight. The reaction was quenched with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and diluted with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate layer was washed with additional saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate (15 mL×2) and the combined aqueous layers were then washed with ethyl acetate (40 mL×2). The combined ethyl acetate layers were washed with water (15 mL×2), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. Crude residue was purified over silica gel with 50% ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluant yielding 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(4-methyidithiobutanoyl)-docetaxel (22.9 mg, 62%, 2 steps): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 1.24 (m, 6H), 1.41 (s, 9H), 1.74 (s, 3H), 1.93 (s, 3H), 2.04 (m, 2H), 2.09 (s, 3H), 2.24 (m, 2H), 2.33 (m, 1H), 2.37 (s, 3H), 2.42-2.56 (m, 3H), 2.72 (t, J=6.8 Hz, 2H), 3.62 (s, 1H), 3.75 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 3.78 (s, 3H), 3.93 (s, 3H), 3.99 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.26 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.30 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.70 (d, J=3.6 Hz, 1H), 4.77 (dd, J=8.8, 5.6 Hz, 1H), 4.83 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 4.88 (br s, 1H), 5.33 (br s, 2H), 5.67 (m, 2H), 6.01 (t, J=8.8 Hz, 1 H), 6.28 (d, J=3.2, 1H), 6.32 (dd, J=3.2, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 6.92 (d, J=9.2 Hz, 1H), 7.03 (dd, J=9.2, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 7.25 (d, J=3.2, 1H), 7.35 (m, 1H). m/z LC/MS for C 48 H 63 NO 17 S 2 Na + : calcd: 1012.3. found: 1012.3.
The activity of the compounds of the present invention were determined following the proceeding described by Riou, Naudin and Lavelle in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications; Vol. 187, No1, 1992, p 164-170.
taxoid
IGT#
A549
MCF7
non-disulfides
IGT-11-031
0.043
0.043
IGT-11-032
0.014
0.014
IGT-15-006
0.03
0.014
IGT-15-013
0.039
0.017
IGT-15-014
0.03
0.024
IGT-18-067
0.13
0.041
IGT-18-053
0.03
0.04
IGT-18-063
0.35
0.021
disulfides
IGT-15-016
0.21
0.15
IGT-18-059
0.35
0.13
IGT-15-075
0.025
0.036
Conjugates of the taxanes of the invention and a cell binding agent can be formed using any techniques presently known or later developed. Numerous methods of conjugation are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,064 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,092. The taxane ester can be modified to yield a free amino group and then linked to an antibody or other cell binding agent via an acid labile linker or a photolabile linker. The taxane ester can be condensed with a peptide and subsequently linked to a cell binding agent to produce a peptidase labile linker. The hydroxyl group on the taxane ester can be succinylated and linked to a cell binding agent to produce a conjugate that can be cleaved by intracellular esterases to liberate free drug. Most preferably, the taxane ethers, esters, or carbamates are treated to create a free or protected thiol group, and then the disulfide- or thiol-containing taxanes are linked to the cell binding agent via disulfide bonds.
Representative conjugates of the invention are antibody-taxane, antibody fragment-taxane epidermal growth factor (EGF)-taxane, melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH)-taxane, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)-taxane, estrogen-taxane, estrogen analogue-taxane, androgen-taxane, androgen analogue-taxane, and folate-taxane.
Taxane conjugates of antibodies, antibody fragments, protein or peptide hormones, protein or peptide growth factors and other proteins are made in the same way by known methods. For example, peptides and antibodies can be modified with cross linking reagents such as N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate, N-succinimidyl 4-(2-pyridyldithio)pentanoate (SPP), 4-succinimidyl-oxycarbonyl-α-methyl-α-(2-pyridyl dithio)-toluene (SMPT), N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio) butyrate (SDPB), N-sulfosuccinimidyl-3-(2-(5-nitro-pyridyldithio) butyrate (SSNPB), 2-iminothiolane, or S-acetylsuccinic anhydride by known methods. See, Carlsson et al, 173 Biochem. J. 723-737 (1978); Blattler et al, 24 Biochem. 1517-1524 (1985); Lambert et al, 22 Biochem. 3913-3920 (1983); Klotz et al, 96 Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 605 (1962); and Liu et al, 18 Biochem. 690 (1979), Blakey and Thorpe, 1 Antibody, Immunoconjugates & Radiopharmaceuticals, 1-16 (1988), Worrell et al 1 Anti - Cancer Drug Design 179-184 (1986). The free or protected thiol-containing cell binding agent thus derived is then reacted with a disulfide- or thiol-containing taxane to produce conjugates. The conjugates can be purified by HPLC or by gel filtration.
Preferably monoclonal antibody- or cell binding agent-taxane conjugates are those that are joined via a disulfide bond, as discussed above, that are capable of delivering taxane molecules. Such cell binding conjugates are prepared by known methods such as by modifying monoclonal antibodies with succinimidyl pyridyldithiopropionate (SPDP) (Carlsson et al, 173 Biochem. J. 723-737 (1978)). The resulting thiopyridyl group is then displaced by treatment with thiol-containing taxanes to produce disulfide linked conjugates. Alternatively, in the case of the aryldithio-taxanes, the formation of the cell binding conjugate is effected by direct displacement of the aryl-thiol of the taxane by sulfhydryl groups previously introduced into antibody molecules. Conjugates containing 1 to 10 taxane drugs linked via a disulfide bridge are readily prepared by either method.
More specifically, a solution of the dithio-nitropyridyl modified antibody at a concentration of 2.5 mg/ml in 0.05 M potassium phosphate buffer, at pH 7.5 containing 2 mM EDTA is treated with the thiol-containing taxane (1.3 molar eq./dithiopyridyl group). The release of thio-nitropyridine from the modified antibody is monitored spectrophotometrically at 325 nm and is complete in about 16 hours. The antibody-taxane conjugate is purified and freed of unreacted drug and other low molecular weight material by gel filtration through a column of Sephadex G-25 or Sephacryl S300. The number of taxane moieties bound per antibody molecule can be determined by measuring the ratio of the absorbance at 230 nm and 275 nm. An average of 1-10 taxane molecules/antibody molecule can be linked via disulfide bonds by this method.
The effect of conjugation on binding affinity towards the antiogen-expreesing cells can eb determined using the methods previously described by Liu et al., 93 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci 8618-8623 (1996). Cytotoxicity of the taxanes and their antibody conjugates to non-adherent cell lines such as Namalwa and HL-60 can be measured by back-extrapolation of cell proliferation curves as. described in Goldmacher et al, 135 J. Immunol. 3648-3651 (1985). Cytotoxicity of these compounds to adherent cell lines such as COLO 205 and A-375 can be determined by clonogenic assays as described in Goldmacher et al, 102 J. Cell Biol. 1312-1319 (1986).
EXAMPLES
Synthesis of IGT-1 5-075-SH for Conjugation
7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(N-2,2-dimethyl-2-sulfhydryl-ethylcarbamoyl)-docetaxel (IGT-15-075-SH)
In a small vial dissolved 7α,9α-epoxy-3′-dephenyl-3′-(2-furyl)-2-debenzoyl-2-(2,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-10-(N-2,2-dimethyl-2-methyidithio-ethylcarbamoyl)-docetaxel (36 mg, 0.0353 mmol) in a mixture of methanol (1.0 mL) and ethyl acetate (0.73 mL). In a separate vial dissolved DTT (55 mg, 0.343 mmol) in 50 mM KP buffer pH 7.5 (0.73 mL) which was then added to the taxoid solution. The reaction was monitored by hplc until it was found to be complete (˜19 hr). The reaction was quenched with 50 mM KP buffer pH 6.5 (6 mL) and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×20 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated. The residue was purified by hplc using a diol column to give the desired product (27 mg, 79%) which was immediately aliquoted and stored for use in conjugation. m/z LC/MS for C 48 H 64 N 2 O 17 SNa + : calcd: 995.4. found: 995.5.
Conjugation of taxoids to monoclonal antibodies
HuC242 antibody that binds to the CanAg antigen preferentially expressed on the surface of human colon tumor cells and on other solid tumors was selected for conjugation of taxoids.
In the first step, the antibody was reacted with the modifying agent N-sulfosuccinimidyl 5-nitro-2-pyridyldithiobutanoate (SSNPB) to introduce nitropyridyldithio groups. A solution of huC242 antibody (525 mg, 0.0036 mmol) at a concentration of 8 mg/mL in an aqueous buffer containing 0.05 M potassium phosphate, 0.05 M sodium chloride and 2 mM ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA), pH 6.5 (65.6 mL) was treated with a 8-fold molar excess of a solution of SSNPB (0.0288 mmol, 13.62 mg) in dimethylacetamide (DMA) (3.28 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 90 min. and then loaded on to a Sephadex G25 gel filtration column (50 mm×35.5 mm, column volume=700 mL) that had been previously equilibrated into an aqueous buffer containing 0.05 M potassium phosphate, 0.05 M sodium chloride and 2 mM EDTA, pH 7.5 (65.6 mL). The modified antibody-containing fractions were collected and pooled to yield 502, 4 mg (95.7%) of product. A small aliquot of the modified antibody was treated with dithiothreitol to cleave the nitro-pyridyl disulfide and the released nitro-pyridine-2-thione was assayed spectrophotometrically (ε 325 nm =10,964 M −1 cm −1 and ε 280 nm =3,344 M −1 cm −1 for nitro-pyridine-2-thione, and ε 280 nm =217,560 M −1 cm −1 for the antibody. An average of 4.53 nitro-pyridyldisulfide molecules were linked per molecule of antibody.
The modified antibody (502.0 mg, 0.0034 mmol) was diluted to 2.5 mg/mL in the above buffer at pH 7.5 and then treated with a solution of the taxoid IGT-15-075 (0.020 mmol, 19.5 mg) in DMA, such that the final concentration of DMA in the buffer was 20%. The conjugation mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 h. The reaction mixture was purified by passage through a Sephacryl S300 gel filtration column (50 mm×42 cm, column volume=825 mL), that had been previously equilibrated in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) buffer at pH 6.5. Fractions containing monomeric antibody-taxoid conjugate were pooled and dialyzed into the PBS buffer. The final conjugate (251 mg) was assayed spectrophotometrically using the following extinction coefficients: (ε 323 nm =4,299 M −1 cm −1 , ε 280 nm =565 M −1 cm −1 for the taxoid, and ε 280 nm =217,560 M −1 cm −1 for the antibody. The conjugate contained, on the average, 4.16 taxoid
Binding Assay
The relative binding affinities of the huC242 antibody and its taxoid conjugate on antigen-expressing HT-29 human colon tumor cells was determined using a fluorescence-based assay. The antibody-taxoid conjugate and naked antibody at starting concentrations of 1 a 10 −7 M were added to 96-well round bottom plates and titrated using 3-fold serial dilutions so that there are duplicates for each concentration. HT-29 cells, were added at 50,000 cells per well to each well containing various concentrations of the antibody or conjugate, as well as to control wells. The plates were incubated on ice for 3 hours. After the incubation period, the cells in the plate were washed, and a fluorescence labeled secondary antibody that binds to a humanized IgG, like huC242, was added, and the plates were incubated for 1 hour on ice. The plates were washed again after the incubation period, and the cells are fixed with 1% formaldehyde/PBS solution. The fluorescence in each well of the plates was read using a Becton Dickinson FACSCalibur fluorescence analyzer. Data are plotted as a percent of the maximum fluorescence obtained at the highest concentration of antibody or conjugate ( FIG. 1 ).
The results demonstrate that conjugation of taxoids to antibodies does not alter the binding affinity to target cells.
In vitro potency and specificity of huC242-Taxoid conjugate
Samples of free taxoid or huC242-Taxoid conjugate were added to a 96-well flat bottomed tissue culture plate and titrated using serial dilutions ranging from 1×10 −12 M to 3×10 −7 M. Human colon tumor cells, COLO 205, or human melanoma cells, A-375, were added to the wells in such a way that there were triplicate samples for each drug concentration for each cell line. The plates were incubated at 37° C. in an atmosphere of 5% CO 2 for 4 days.
At the end of the incubation period, 20 μl of the tetrazolium reagent WST-8 (2-(2-methoxy-nitrophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2-tetrazolium, monosodium salt]) was added to each well, and the plates were returned to the incubator for 2 hours. The absorbance in each well of the plates was then measured using the Molecular Devices plate reader at 450 nm. Surviving fraction of cells at each concentration of taxoid or conjugate are plotted in FIGS. 2 a, b.
The results demonstrate that conjugation to antibodies renders high targets specificity to the taxoid. Thus huC242-taxoid is very potent in killing target human colon cancer COLO 205 cells with an IC50 value of 8×10 −11 M. In contrast, antigen negative cells are about 150-fold less sensitive, with an IC 50 value of 1.2×10 −8 M, demonstrating the antigen specificity of the cytotoxic effect ( FIG. 2 x ). The free taxoid, on the other hand, is equally potent towards both cell lines (IC 50 ˜1×10 −10 M ( FIG. 2 b ).
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The invention relates to novel cytotoxic agents comprising taxanes and their therapeutic use as a result of delivering the taxanes to a specific cell population in a targeted fashion by chemically linking the taxane to a cell binding agent.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of lifting slings, and more particularly to the field of such slings having means to sense, measure, indicate or warn of excessive elongation, strain, tension or impending failure.
Lifting slings are devices similar to ropes, cables or chains that are used to lift large, heavy objects, typically with a crane or similar piece of equipment, with the sling being connected to or encircling the object and connected to a hook or similar attachment means on the crane. The lifting slings typically comprise one or more elongated bundles of fiber, thread or yarn forming a load-bearing core that is encased within a cover, jacket, sleeve, skein or the like. The fibers, yarns or threads are usually composed of a synthetic material, such as for example polyester or Kevlar, formed as multi-filaments or monofilaments, and they may be twisted or braided. The slings are typically of one of three types, either round (having the ends of the sling joined to each other to form a circle), flat web (having an elongated main body, the ends of which are bent back and secured to the body to form eyelets on each end), or eye-and-eye (a round sling enclosed with an elongated sleeve such that only relatively short loops extend from each end of the cover). Lifting slings are well known in the art, and examples are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,089 to Lindahl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,629 to St. Germain, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,833 to Coe.
Lifting slings are load rated so that the operator does not attempt to lift too great a weight for a given sling. It is typical, for example, for a sling to be load rated at one fifth of its failure strength, such that a sling that would fail under a load of 30,000 pounds would be load rated for safe operation for loads up to 6,000 pounds. It is quite common under real working conditions that the actual weight of objects being lifted is not known, and thus there may be many occasions where loads are lifted by a sling where unbeknownst to the operator the load exceeds the load rating of the sling. In addition, the tenacity or resistance-to-elongation of a sling is likely to increase over time, such that load weights significantly below the load rating may be unsafe and result in failure for slings that have been weakened by excessive use, undetected damage or environmental degradation.
All lifting slings elongate under heavy load to some degree, with slings made of polyester having greater elongation under load than a similarly rated sling composed of Kevlar or Aramid fibers. For example, a fourteen foot polyester sling load rated at 6,000 pounds may elongate up to five inches for a load approaching 6,000 pounds. Because elongation occurs under load, certain means for measuring or sensing the amount of elongation or any defects in continuity of the fiber core of a sling have been developed. Examples of such are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,719 to Franke and U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,572 to St. Germain, which disclose means comprising electrical circuits or optical fibers. Such systems add significant costs to the slings and are subject to environmental degradation or operational damage.
It is an object of this invention to provide an elongation measuring or sensing means that provides an indication or warning to an operator that a load is approaching or exceeding the maximum safe load weight for a given sling. It is a further object to provide such a sling wherein the excessive elongation warning means is an integral component of the sling. It is a further object to provide such a sling wherein the excessive elongation warning means is relatively low cost, easily read and not readily susceptible to damage or degradation from environment or use. It is a further object to provide such a sling wherein the excessive elongation warning means is compatible with round, flat web or eye-and-eye slings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a lifting sling of the type comprising one or more elongated bundles of synthetic fiber, threads, yarn or the like, provided in multi-filament or monofilament form, preferably twisted or braided, and encased within an elongated cover or jacket, the fiber bundles comprising the load bearing core of the sling. The lifting sling may be of any configuration, such as for example round, flat web or eye-on-eye.
Excessive elongation warning indicator means are provided, the dynamic indicator means comprising warning markings, indicia or other visible members that are disposed on, incorporated in, imprinted on or attached to the cover of the sling, and a static or stationary non-elongating body, housing or member that comprises demarcation means, such that the demarcation means references the markings in a visible manner, such that an observer may readily determine the extent of elongation of the sling and whether the sling is approaching or exceeding the maximum safe load. Preferably, the dynamic warning markings are non-uniform, having variations in color, size or content, such that certain markings indicate a safe load, other markings indicate a load approaching the maximum safe load, and still other markings indicate that the safe load has been exceeded. The static non-elongating body is affixed to the sling at a single location using suitable fastener means, such that relative motion between the load-bearing components of the sling and the non-elongating body occurs when the sling elongates under load. The demarcation means may include, for example, the non-affixed end of the non-elongating body, a slot, a window, a pointer, or similar structures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exposed partial view of a round lifting sling in a non-load condition, such that the dynamic warning markings are concealed by the static non-elongating body of the excessive elongation warning indicator means, the non-elongating body comprising an extended portion of the sling cover.
FIG. 2 is an external partial view of the lifting sling of FIG. 1 under a load condition that does not exceed the maximum safe load weight for the sling, showing exposure of the dynamic warning markings as the load-bearing components of the sling elongate under load.
FIG. 3 is a partial view of a lifting sling of any type in a non-load condition showing the static non-elongating body as being an added member affixed to the sling cover, the demarcation means of the excessive elongation warning indictor means comprising a window or slot disposed in the body.
FIG. 4 is a partial view of the lifting sling of FIG. 3 under a load condition that exceeds the maximum load weight for the sling.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described in detail with regard for the best mode and the preferred embodiment. In general, the invention is a lifting sling that comprises indicator means to provide a visible warning to the operator when the elongation of the sling due to heavy load weight approaches or exceeds the maximum safe load rate for the sling.
As shown in FIG. 1 , a representative lifting sling 10 comprises a load bearing core 11 formed of one or more extended fiber bundles 12 that are enclosed within an extended cover, jacket, skein, sleeve or the like 14 . The fiber bundles 12 comprise fibers, threads, yarn or the like 13 most preferably composed of synthetic material such as polyester, Kevlar, Aramid or the like. The fibers 13 may be multi-filament or monofilament, and may be twisted, braided, interwoven or the like. While a sling 10 having a single core 11 is depicted in the drawings, it is to be understood that the sling of the invention may also comprise multiple cores 11 . The round sling 10 depicted in FIG. 1 has a first end 31 disposed within a second end 32 in known manner and the cover 12 of the second end 32 is extended to receive the first end 31 . The fiber bundle 12 is secured to the cover 14 both the first end 31 and the second end 32 by suitable bundle joining means 15 , such as stitching, mechanical fasteners or the like. The load bearing core 11 and cover 14 are dynamic components of the sling 10 , in that they will elongate to some degree when under heavy load.
In this embodiment as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the excessive elongation warning indicator means 20 comprises a static non-elongating body 21 that is composed of the extended sleeve portion of cover 14 on the second end 32 , and one or more dynamic warning markings, indicia or similar visible members 22 disposed on, imprinted upon, attached to or joined in suitable manner to the cover 14 adjacent the first end 31 . The dynamic warning markings 22 may be of any shape or configuration, preferably being non-uniform for easier visual recognition, and may for example comprise similar shapes of changing dimensions, shapes of differing configurations, changes in color, wording such as “safe”, “caution” and “overload”, weight percents such as “20%”, “40%”, “60%”, “80%” and “100%”, etc., as long as the markings 22 provide suitable visible indication as to the extent of elongation of the sling 10 relative to its maximum safe load weight. The indicator means 20 further comprises static demarcation means 23 to reference a particular warning marking 22 , with the demarcation means 23 comprising an edge, end, line, pointer or similar means to designate the marking 22 corresponding to the extent of elongation of the sling 10 . In FIGS. 1 and 2 , the demarcation means 23 is simply the end of the static non-elongating body 21 . The warning markings 22 are dynamic in the sense that they move relative to the static demarcation means 23 . The separation distance between the individual warning markings 22 may remain the same, such as when a non-elongating material is affixed to the cover 14 , or may increase due to elongation under load, such as when the warning markings 22 are imprinted directly on the cover 14 . Some, all or none of the warning markings 22 may be covered by the non-elongating body 21 and/or exposed by the demarcation means 23 . Preferably, the warning marking 22 indicating that the load rating has been exceeded remains covered by the non-elongating body 21 until that condition is reached.
As shown in FIG. 2 , which depicts a typical load condition wherein the sling 10 is elongated under the weight of the object being lifted, the static non-elongating body 21 remains of unchanged dimension even with the sling loaded, since the indicator means body 21 and the demarcation means 23 , here the free end of the non-elongating body 21 , are only fixed to the sling 10 by fastener means 24 at one location and are not load bearing components. In other words, relative motion occurs between the dynamic components, cover 14 containing the markings 22 , and the static components, non-elongating body 21 and demarcation means 23 . As the sling 10 elongates under load, the cover 14 elongates such that some or all of the warning markings 22 are moved into an exposed position beyond the demarcation means 23 . As depicted in FIG. 2 , the sling 10 has elongated under load such that the maximum safe load weight is being approached but not exceeded, since the maximum load warning marking 22 , shown as the longest of the bars, is not exposed.
An alternative embodiment for the invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , which may comprise a round, flat web or eye-on-eye sling 10 . In this embodiment, the excessive elongation warning indicator means 20 comprises a static non-elongating body 21 , such as a tubular member, that is affixed by fastener means 24 to the dynamic cover 14 of the sling 10 . Such excessive elongation warning indicator means 20 could also be a post-manufacture addition to slings already in use. In this embodiment, the demarcation means 23 comprises a slot or window, such that the warning markings 22 are visible therethrough. When the sling 10 is under load, as shown in FIG. 4 , the cover 14 elongates and the position of the warning markings 22 relative to the demarcation means 23 changes. In this depiction, 100% of the maximum safe load weight has been reached and is indicated by visible exposure of the “100” warning marking 22 , and the operator should either lighten the load or switch to a higher rated sling.
The separation distances of the warning markings 22 on the dynamic load bearing components of the lifting sling 10 will vary depending on the material components of the sling 10 primarily that of the load bearing core 11 , since different materials will have different elongation amounts under the same load. More than one excessive elongation warning indicator means 20 may be provided on a single sling 10 .
It is understood that equivalents and substitutions to certain elements set forth above may be obvious to those skilled in the art, and therefore the true scope and definition of the invention is to be as set forth in the following claims.
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A lifting sling having warning markings that indicate the extent of elongation of the sling under load, whereby an operator can visually determine if the maximum safe load weight of the sling has been exceeded. The markings are disposed on the surface of the sling cover and initially covered by a non-elongating body, but are exposed as the sling elongates under load.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to hypoxic cell radiation sensitizers that have high radiosensitizing activity and selectivity for hypoxic cells.
Hypoxic cells are relatively resistant to killing by radiation. To achieve the same proportion of cell kill, about three times the radiation dose is required as for well oxygenated cells. Oxygen has the ability to sensitize cells to ionizing radiation at clinically useful radiation doses. Coleman, Journal of the National Cancer Institute Vol. 80, No. 5 pp. 310-317 (1988) describes hypoxia in tumors and various approaches to treatment of hypoxic cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,133 relates to esters, amides and N-substituted amides of 2-[N- (morpholinoalkyl)aminosulfonyl]-6-nitrobenzoic acids, used as sensitizers of hypoxic tumor cells to therapeutic radiation. That patent also relates to 2-chlorosulfonyl-6-nitrobenzoate ester prepared as described in U.S. Ser. No. 716,886 filed March 27, 1985 and aminating said 2-chlorosulfonylbenzoate ester to produce the corresponding sulfamyl or N-substituted sulfamylnitrobenzoic esters.
U.S. Ser. No. 937,275, filed Dec. 3, 1986, describes 3-nitrobenzenesulfonamides useful in enhancing the effect of therapeutic radiation.
U.S. Ser. No. 937,277, filed Dec. 3, 1986, describes 2-(substituted sulfamyl) derivatives of 4-nitrobenzamide useful for increasing the sensitivity of hypoxic cancer cells to X-rays and gamma-radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,369 describes amides and esters of 2-(N-(hydroxypiperidinoalkyl) and (hydroxypyrrolidinoalkyl)-aminosulfonyl)-6-nitrobenzoic acids which are useful for treating patients in need of therapeutic radiation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The compounds of the present invention are of the following formula: ##STR2##
R 1 and R 2 are defined as follows:
R 1 is hydrogen, an alkyl group, or an alkyl group having one or more hydroxy groups;
R 2 is an alkyl group having one or more hydroxy groups, or an alkyl group containing an amino group in which the amino function is substituted with hydrogen or one or two individual alkyl groups same or different, or two alkyl groups which together form a cyclic amine, e.g. piperidine;
R 3 is hydrogen or an alkyl group; and
R 4 is hydrogen or an alkyl group.
Compounds of the invention are electron-acceptors which form radical anions in the reducing environment of hypoxic cells or upon irradiation and from which nitrite is released. The S RN 1 mechanism by which these compounds release nitrite is completely inhibited by molecular oxygen, and offers unique opportunities for the selective release of anions in hypoxic environments.
The S RN 1 mechanism is a radical chain mechanism which can be initiated by generation of a radical anion. It leads to the nucleophilic substitution of benzylic groups, Y for X in the following sequence: ##STR3##
Compounds of the invention are selective radiosensitizers of hypoxic cells . The release of nitrite from the radical anion through an S RN 1 mechanism takes place under hypoxic conditions. Loss of nitrite by SN2 displacement is difficult due to the α-nitroisopropyl group, and the electronegative nature of the aromatic ring discourages SN1 reactions. In addition, the radical resulting from nitrite elimination possesses alkylating potential and will react with sulphydryl or other cellular constituents.
One preferred compound of the present invention is: ##STR4##
Another preferred compound of the present invention is: ##STR5##
Procedures for synthesis of these compounds, as well as other compounds of the present invention, are presented below.
The method of treatment of human patients or domestic animals undergoing radiation treatment of malignant disease processes employs the compounds of the present invention in pharmaceutical compositions that are administered orally or intravenously or in depot formulations.
When the compounds are used in conjunction with radiation treatments, the dose employed depends on the radiation protocol for each individual patient. They can be administered from 10 minutes to 5 hours prior to the radiation treatment in a dose of from 0.25 to 4.0 grams per square meter of body surface. The compounds may be employed at intervals during a multi-fraction protocol, and not necessarily with each treatment.
When the compounds are used as cytotoxic agents to hypoxic cells, they can be administered daily in divided doses up to 0.25 to 4.0 grams per square meter of body surface.
The dosage range given is the effective dosage range and the decision as to the exact dosage used must be made by the administering physician based on his judgement of the patient's general physical condition. In determining the dose for the individual patient, the physician may begin with an initial dose of 0,25 g/square meter of body surface to determine how well the drug is tolerated and increase the dosage with each succeeding radiation treatment, observing the patient carefully for any drug side effect. The composition to be administered is an effective amount of the active compound and a pharmaceutical carrier for said active compound.
The dosage form for intravenous administration is a sterile isotonic solution of the drug. Oral dosage forms such as tablets, capsules, or elixirs may also be used.
Capsules or tablets containing 25, 50, 100 or 500 mg of drug/capsule or tablets are satisfactory for use in the method of treatment of our invention.
The following examples are intended to illustrate but do not limit the process of preparation, product, compositions, or method of treatment aspects of the invention. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius unless otherwise indicated throughout the application.
EXAMPLES
EXAMPLE 1 ##STR6##
Step 1: N-(2-Dimethylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride
A solution of N,N,N'-trimethylethylenediamine (4.96 mL, 39 mmol) and N,N-diisopropylethylamine (6.79 mL, 39 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (150 mL) was added over 30 minutes to a stirred, cooled solution of 4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride (10 g, 39 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (100 mL). After addition was complete, the reaction mixture was stirred in the ice bath for 1 hour, at 20°-25° for 2 hours and then concentrated under reduced pressure. After partitioning between ethyl acetate and water, the ethyl acetate extract was washed with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated. The residue was treated with anhydrous ethanolic hydrogen chloride and the salt recrystallized from methanol ethyl acetate to give the hydrochloride salt (10.2 g, 73%), m.p. 227°-30° dec.
Anal Calcd. for C 11 H 16 ClN 3 O 4 S.HCl:
C, 36.88; H, 4.78; N, 11.73.
Found: C, 36.68; H, 4.58; N, 12.08.
Step 2: N-(-2-Dimethylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4-(1-methyl-1-nitro1-ethyl)-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride
A solution of N-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide base (15.65 g, 49 mmol) and the lithium salt of 2-nitropropane (4.66 g, 49 mmol) in dimethylsulfoxide (100 mL) was stirred under nitrogen at 20°-25° for 3 days. An additional 0.35 g of the lithium salt was then added and stirring continued for three days more. After pouring the reaction mixture on ice, product was extracted into a 1:1 mixture of ethyl acetate and toluene which was washed with water, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated. Flash chromatography of the residue over silica gel and elution with 3% methanol-97% methylene chloride afforded 2.0 g of product. Treatment with anhydrous ethanolic hydrogen chloride and recrystallization from methanol-ethyl acetate hexane gave the hydrochloride salt, m.p. 231°-32.5° dec.
Anal. Calcd. for C 14 H 22 N 4 O 6 S HCl:
C, 40.92, H, 5.64; N, 13.64.
Found: C, 41.24; H, 5.86; N, 14.03.
Nitrite Release from Electrolytic Reduction.
A 0.01 mM sample in 5 mL of 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium perchlorate - DMF solution was electrolyzed with D.C. polarography at a mercury electrode (vs Ag/AgCl) under argon. Immediately after electrolysis for 4-5 minutes, one mL of the resulting solution was added to the supporting electrolyte, 4 mL of an aqueous solution (ph 2-3) of diphenylamine, NaSCN and perchloric acid. Released nitrite was determined by differential pulse polarography under conditions where the test compound did not release nitrite. Nitrite concentration was determined by comparison of peak current with calibration curves. The method of standard additions was also used to insure accuracy.
Upon electrolytic reductions for 4-5 minutes in DMF,N-(2dimethylaminoethyl)-N methyl 4-(1-methyl-1nitro-1-ethyl)-3nitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride released 92.9% of the theoretically available nitrite. The compound was stable under oxic conditions.
EXAMPLE 2 ##STR7##
Step 1: N-(3Dimethylaminopropyl)-N-methyl-4-chloro-3- nitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride
Reaction of 4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride with N,N,N'-trimethylpropylenediamine in tetrahydrofuran by the procedure of Step 1, Example 1 gave N-(3- dimethylaminopropyl)-N-methyl-4- chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride.
Step 2: N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-N-methyl-4-(1-methyl-1-nitro-1-ethyl)-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride
A solution of N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N-methyl-4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide and the lithium salt of 2-nitropropane in dimethylsulfoxide was stirred at 20°-25° C. for 2 days. The reaction was processed by the procedure of Step 2, Example 1 to give the hydrochloride salt.
EXAMPLE 3 ##STR8##
Step 1 N-Methyl-N-(2-piperidinoethyl)-4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfanomide hydrochloride
Reaction of 4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonylchloride with N-(2-methylaminoethyl)piperidine in tetrahydrofuran by the procedure of Step 1, Example 1 gave the corresponding N-(2-piperidino ethyl) derivative.
Step 2 N-Methyl-N (2-piperidinoethyl)-4-(1-methyl-1-nitro-1-ethyl)-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide hydrochloride
An equimolar solution of the chloro derivative of Step 1 and the lithium salt of 2-nitropropane in dimethylsulfoxide was stirred at 20°-25° for 3 days. The reaction was worked up by the procedure of Step 2, Example 1 to give the hydrochloride salt of the N-(2-piperidinoethyl) derivative.
It was found that p-nitrophenoxy is a better leaving group than chloro in displacement reactions of lithio 2-nitropropane. Compounds of the invention prepared using p-nitrophenoxy as a leaving group are shown in Examples 4-6.
EXAMPLE 4 ##STR9##
Step 1: N-(2-tert Butoxycarbonylaminoethyl)-4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfanomide
A solution of N-(2-aminoethyl) tert butoxycarbamate (3.86 g, 24.1 mmol) and N,N-diisopropylethylamine (4.2 mL, 24.1 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (50 mL) was added over 1 hour to a stirred, cooled solution of 4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride (6.17 g, 24.1 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (50 mL). After addition was complete, the reaction mixture was stirred at 20°-25° for 20 hours and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water and the ethyl acetate extract washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated. Flash chromatography of the residue over silica gel and elution with a 2% methanol-98% chloroform mixture gave 6.3 g (68.9%) of pure product. An analytical sample, mp 130°-132° , soften at 114° , was obtained upon recrystallization from ethyl acetate-hexane.
Anal. cald'd for C 13 H 18 ClN 3 O 6 S: C, 41.11; H, 4.78;
N, 11.06.
Found: C, 41 38; H, 4.88; N, 11.19
Step 2: N-(2-tert.Butoxycarbonylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4-chloro-3- nitrobenzenesulfonamide
Dimethylsulfate (1.4 mL, 15 mmol) was added over 30 minutes to a stirred solution of N-(2- tert.-butoxycarbonylaminoethyl)-4-chloro-3- nitrobenzenesulfonamide (2.44 g, 6.42 mmol) in methanol (20 mL) containing water (10 mL) and 10% sodium hydroxide solution (6 mL). After stirring at 20°-25° for 3 hours, the reaction mixture was diluted with water and ethyl acetate and the pH adjusted to 9-10 with 10% sodium hydroxide solution. The ethyl acetate layer was washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated. Flash chromatography of the residue over silica gel and elution with chloroform afforded 1.6 g (63.2%) cf product mp 115.0°-117.5° . An analytical sample, mp 119.5°-121.5° , was obtained upon recrystallization from ethyl acetate-hexane.
Anal. calc'd. for C 14 H 20 ClN 3 O 6 S: C, 42.69; H, 5.12;
N, 10.67.
Found: C, 42.91; H, 5.23; N, 10.63.
Step 3: N-(2tert.Butoxycarbonylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4-(4-nitrophenoxy)-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide
To a solution of N-(2tert.butoxycarbonylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfon amide (1.5 g, 3.81 mmol) and 4-nitrophenol (0.53 g, 3.81 mmol) in dimethylformamide (30 mL) was added 60% sodium hydride-mineral oil suspension (0.15 g, 3.81 mmol). The resulting solution was stirred at 20°-25° under nitrogen for 3 days. After concentrating under reduced pressure at 55° , the residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and 1 M acetic acid. The ethyl acetate extract was washed with sodium bicarbonate solution, brine and dried (Na 2 SO 4 ). After filtering and concentrating under reduced pressure, the residue was flash chromatographed over silica gel. Elution with chloroform gave 2.0 g of the 4 nitrophenyl ether containing some unreacted chloro compound.
Step 4: N-(2-tert.Butoxycarbonylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4- (1-methyl-1-nitro-1-ethyl)-3-nitrobenzene sulfonamide
Solid 2- lithio- 2-nitropropane (0.48 g, 5.04 mmol) was added to a solution of 1.0 g of the 4-nitrophenyl ether from Step 3 in dimethylsulfoxide (15 mL) and the solution stirred at 20°-25° for 1 day. The reaction mixture was poured on ice and crude product extracted into ethyl acetate which was washed with brine. After drying (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtering and concentrating, the residue was flash chromatographed over silica gel. Elution with chloroform gave 0.2 g of product as a yellow oil.
Step 5: N-(2-Aminoethyl)-N methyl-4-(1-methyl-1-nitro-1-ethyl)-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide Hydrochloride
A solution of the BOC protected amine of Step 4 (0.2 g) in ethyl acetate (15 mL) was cooled in an ice bath and saturated with hydrogen chloride gas over 5 minutes. After warming to 20°-25° over 45 minutes, solvent was removed under reduced pressure and the residue recrystallized from methanol-ethyl acetate hexane to give 0.16 g of analytically pure product, mp 207.5°-209.5° dec.
Anal. calc'd for C 12 H 18 H 4 O 6 S HCl: C, 37.65; H, 5.00,
N, 14.64.
Found: C, 37.80; H, 4.97; N, 14.49.
EXAMPLE 5 ##STR10##
Step 1: N-(2-Dimethylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4-(4-nitrophenoxy)-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide
To a solution of N-(2- dimethylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4- chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide (2.2 g, 6.84 mmol) and 4- nitrophenol (0.97 g, 7.0 mmol) in dimethylformamide (30 mL) was added 60% sodium hydride-mineral oil suspension (0.28 g, 7.0 mmol). The resulting solution was stirred at 60° for 20 hours under N 2 . After concentrating under reduced pressure at 50° , the residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The ethyl acetate extract was washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated. The residue was flash chromatographed over silica gel and 2.8 g of the nitrophenyl ether eluted with 3% methanol-97% chloroform.
Step 2: N-(2-Dimethylaminoethyl)-N-methyl-4-(1-nitromethyl)-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide Hydrochloride
To a solution of nitromethane (0.37 g, 6.02 mmol) in dimethylsulfoxide (10 mL) at 20°-25° was added under nitrogen, 60% sodium hydride mineral oil suspension (0.24 g, 6.02 mmol). When all of the sodium hydride had reacted, a solution of the nitrophenyl ether from Step 1 (1.28 g, 3.01 mmol) in dimethylsulfoxide (5 mL) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at 20°-25° for 2 days and then diluted with 1 M acetic acid (20 mL) and glacial acetic acid (2 mL). After adding excess saturated sodium bicarbonate solution, the product was extracted into ethyl acetate, washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated. Flash chromatography over silica gel and elution with 5% methanol-95% chloroform gave the nitromethyl derivative.
EXAMPLE 6 ##STR11##
N,N-Di(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-(1-methyl-1-nitro-1-ethyl)-3-nitro benzenesulfanomide
Step 1. N,N-Di(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide
A solution of diethanolamine (3.7 mL, 39 mmol) and N,N- diisopropylethylamine (6.8 mL, 39 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (100 mL) was added over 30 minutes to a stirred, cooled solution of 4- chloro-3-nitro benzenesulfonylchloride (10.0 g, 39 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (100 mL). After addition was complete, the reaction mixture was stirred in the ice bath for 1 hour, 20°-25° for 5 hours, and then concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water and the ethyl acetate extract washed with brine, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated. Flash chromatography of the residue over silica gel and elution with 5% methanol-95% chloroform gave 9.0 g of solid, mp 100°-102° . An analytical sample with the same mp was obtained upon recrystallization from ethyl acetate-hexane.
Anal. Calc'd. for C 10 H 13 ClN 2 O 6 S: C, 36.98; H, 4.03;
N, 8.63.
Found: C, 36.92; H, 4.03; N, 8.65.
Step 2. N,N-Bis[2-(2-tetrahydropyranyl)ethyl]-4-chloro-3-nitro benzenesulfonamide
A solution of N,N-di(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-chloro-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide (7.1 g, 21.9 mmol), 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran (4.4 mL, 48 mmol) and p-toluenesulfonic acid hydrate (0.10 g) in methylene chloride (200 mL) was stirred at 20°-25° for 3 days. After washing with a saturated solution of sodium bicarbonate the organic layer was dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated. Flash chromatography of the residue over silica gel with chloroform gave 9.0 g of product.
Step 3. N,N Bis[2-(2-tetrahydropyranyl)ethyl]-4-chloro-3-(4-nitrophenoxy) benzenesulfonamide
To a solution of the chloro derivative from Step 2 (6.5 g, 13.2 mmol) and p-nitrophenol (1.95 g, 14.0 mmol) in dimethylformamide (75 mL) was added 60% sodium hydride mineral oil suspension (0.56 g, 14.0 mmol). The resulting solution was stirred at 60° under nitrogen for 19 hours. After concentrating under reduced pressure at 60° , the residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and brine. The organic extract was dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) filtered and concentrated. The residue was flash chromatographed over silica gel and 6.8 g of pure product was eluted with 15% ethyl acetate - 85% n-butylchloride.
Step 4. N,N-Bis[2-(2-tetrahydropyranyl)ethyl]-4-(1-methyl-1-nitro-1-ethyl)-3-nitrobenzene sulfonamide
Solid 2-lithio-2-nitropropane (1.69 g, 17.8 mmol) was added to a solution of the nitrophenyl ether from Step 3.(5.3 g, 8.90 mmol) in hexamethyl phosphoramide (40 mL) and the solution stirred at 20°-25° C. for 1 day. The reaction mixture was then poured into ice water and the crude product extracted into ethyl acetate. After washing with brine, drying (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtering and concentrating, the residue was flash chromatographed on silica gel. Elution with 25% ethyl acetate-75% n-butylchloride gave 2.6 g of pure product.
Step 5. N,N-Di(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-(1- methyl-1-nitro-1-ethyl)-3-nitrobenzenesulfonamide
A solution of the tetrahydropyranyl ether of Step 4 (2.95 g) in tetrahydrofuran (200 mL), water (100 mL) and glacial acetic acid (300 mL) was stirred at 50° for 20 hours. After concentrating under reduced pressure, the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate which was then washed with a saturated solution of sodium bicarbonate and brine. The ethyl acetate extract was dried (Na 2 SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated and the residue flash chromatographed over silica gel. Elution with 3% methanol-97% chloroform and recrystallization from ethyl acetate-hexane gave 1.3 g or analytically pure product, mp 109.0°-110.5°.
Anal. Calc'd. for C 13 H 19 N 3 O 8 S: C, 41.37; H, 5.07;
N, 11.13.
Found: C, 41.45; H, 5.02; N, 11.02.
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A compound of the formula ##STR1## wherein: R 1 and R 2 are defined as follows:
R 1 is hydrogen, an alkyl group, or an alkyl group having one or more hydroxy groups;
R 2 is an alkyl group having one or more hydroxy groups, or an alkyl group containing an amino group in which the amino function is substituted with hydrogen or one or two individual alkyl groups same or different, or two alkyl groups which together form a cyclic amine, e.g. piperidine;
R 3 is hydrogen or an alkyl group; and
R 4 is hydrogen or an alkyl group.
The compounds have high radiosensitizing activity and selectivity for hypoxic cells.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having semiconductor chips bonded face down on a circuit-carrying substrate and to a manufacturing method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device and manufacturing method having long-term reliability, improved heat radiation and increased packaging density all at the same time.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
One of the bonding methods used in the packaging of semiconductor chips is a face down bonding method. This is one of the so-called wireless bonding methods, in which, instead of using bonding wires, all circuit pads and bumps and beam leads that connect thereto are formed on an active surface, which is directly bonded face down to the conductor pattern on the circuit-carrying substrate.
One such face down bonding method is the flip chip bonding method for mounting semiconductor chips that use Cu balls or Sn--Pb solder bumps (e.g., ball grid array type devices). Bonding is carried out by pressing the bumps onto a corresponding conductor pattern on a temporarily soldered circuit-carrying substrate and hot depositing them. Since this method streamlines the assembly process, it is widely used for the packaging of hybrid ICs and for applications in main frame computers.
The flip-chip bonding method, in which the active surface faces downward, is effective for so-called bare chip packaging, which eliminates the use of packages and is aimed at achieving high-density packaging. In practice, this bonding method is often complemented by some kind of sealing procedure for enclosing or sealing the chip.
One widely known sealing procedure involves the use of a resin sealing layer for sealing the gap between the semiconductor chip and the substrate. However, the problem with the resin sealing layer is that the typical height of the bumps formed on the active surface of a semiconductor chip is only 50-100 μm. In other words, the gap between the bonded semiconductor chip and the circuit-carrying substrate is very small. For this reason, it is difficult to fill the gap with resin even with a known method which uses a dispenser nozzle for discharging the resin.
Another type of sealing procedure involves the use of a cap, in which a cap made from an insulating material such as ceramics may be used to sealingly enclose the chip. The cap is placed on a circuit-carrying substrate and mounted so as to completely cover a semiconductor chip.
An example of such a cap is shown in FIG. 5. A semiconductor chip 13 is flip-chip bonded to a circuit-carrying substrate 11 having a printed circuit pattern 12. Semiconductor chip 13 is entirely contained within cap 15. The active surface 13a of the semiconductor chip 13 faces down, and circuit pads (not shown) exposed on the active surface 13a are connected to the print circuit pattern 12 via solder bumps 14. The cap 15 is fastened on the surface of the circuit-carrying substrate 11 via an insulting bonding material layer 16.
Although this configuration excels in airtightness, because the height of the cap 15 must be slightly higher than the height of the semiconductor chip 13 so as to avoid damaging the semiconductor chip 13, there is inevitably a small space left between the back surface 13b of the semiconductor chip 13 and the cap 15. The heat capacity of the air filling this space causes a lowering of the heat radiation effect. Moreover, since the cap 15 must be larger than the semiconductor chip 13, there is a limit to the extent that the packaging density can be increased.
As such, it has been very difficult to ensure long-term realizability, improve heat radiation and increase the packaging density using the conventional flip-chip bonding method. The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a semiconductor device having a structure capable of satisfying all these demands simultaneously as well as to provide a method of manufacturing such a device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel semiconductor device employing a structure in which an insulating frame surrounds the side surfaces of a semiconductor chip which is bonded face down to the circuit-carrying substrate. A gap between the surface of the circuit-carrying substrate and the lower end of the frame and the gap between at least the edge of the back of the semiconductor chip and the upper end of the frame are filled with a bonding material layer.
A conductor pattern may be provided on the substrate, with conductors provided on the lower surface of the semiconductor chip being bonded to the conductor pattern.
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises steps of bonding a semiconductor chip to a surface of a substrate, mounting an insulating frame on the substrate around the side surfaces of the semiconductor chip and filling, with a bonding material, a gap between the surface of the substrate and the lower edge of the frame and the gap between at least an edge of a back of the semiconductor chip and upper edge of the insulating frame.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a semiconductor chip having a lower surface and a frame surrounding side surfaces of the semiconductor chip and mounted to the substrate. A bonding material is provided between the upper surface of the semiconductor chip and an upper edge of the frame, the bonding material being provided along at least the entire upper surface edges of the semiconductor chip along the entire peripheral edge and the upper edge of the frame for sealing at least the area between the sides of the semiconductor chip and the frame. The frame may comprise four walls surrounding the side surfaces of the semiconductor chip, the four walls having a height slightly higher than a height of the semiconductor chip as measured from a surface of the substrate and an upper edge of the four walls may have a notch therein. A lower edge of each of the four walls may be mounted to the substrate with the bonding material, to form a sealing enclosure along the lower edges of the four walls.
According to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the side surfaces of a semiconductor chip which is bonded face down on the circuit-carrying substrate are surrounded by an insulating frame of a size similar to that of the chip. The lower end of the frame is bonded to the surface of the circuit-carrying substrate, and the upper end of the frame is bonded to at least the edge of the a side of the semiconductor chip, so that the active surface of the chip is contained within the closed space and major part of the back side of the chip is exposed to the atmosphere.
The present invention therefore combines the excellent heat radiation of the bare chip packaging method with the excellent airtightness of the cap method. By making the frame size as close as possible to the exterior size of the semiconductor chip, the packaging density can also be closer to that of the bare chip packaging method.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1B taken along the lines A--A and shows a configuration of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention in which the active surface of a semiconductor chip is sealed using a frame and a bonding material layer;
FIG. 1B is a top view of the semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partially cut off perspective view of the frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a semiconductor chip flip-chip bonded to a circuit-carrying substrate in the manufacturing method of the semiconductor device in accordance with FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the semiconductor chip of FIG. 3 surrounded by a frame to which a bonding material is applied; and
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a prior art semiconductor chip flip-chip bonded to a circuit-carrying substrate and covered with a cap.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2 depict a semiconductor device in which the active surface of a square semiconductor chip is flip-chip bonded to a circuit-carrying substrate and is sealed using a square frame and a bonding material layer of low-fusing-point glass.
As shown in FIG. 1, in this semiconductor device, a semiconductor chip 5 is flip-chip bonded to a circuit-carrying substrate 3 on which a printed circuit pattern 4 was formed beforehand. The periphery of the semiconductor chip 5 is surrounded by a frame 1 made from alumina ceramics, and the gaps at the top portion of frame 1 between chip 5 and frame 1 and any gaps between the bottom of frame 1 and substrate 3 are filled with insulating bonding material layers 7a, 7b, as shown.
The semiconductor chip 5 is set with its active surface 5a face down, and circuit pads (not shown) exposed on the active surface of semiconductor chip 5 are connected with the printed circuit pattern 4 provided on substrate 3 via solder bumps 6. The gap between the upper edges of semiconductor chip 5 and the upper end 1a of frame 1 is filled with bonding material layer 7a. The gap between the lower end 1b of the frame 1 and the surface of the circuit-carrying substrate 3 is filled with bonding material layer 7b. The bonding material layers 7a, 7b are made of As--S--Se, and their shapes are "reflow" shapes obtained by heat treatment.
In the above configuration, the active surface 5a of the semiconductor chip 5 is contained within a closed space, and only the back surface 5b is in contact with the outer atmosphere.
The frame 1 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2. The inner dimensions of the frame 1 are slightly larger than the outer dimensions of the semiconductor chip 5. For example, if the outer dimensions of the semiconductor chip 5 are 8 mm (d)×8 mm (w)×0.25 mm (h), then the inner dimensions of the frame 1 can be 8.1 mm (d)×8.1 mm (w)×0.35 mm (h), respectively.
On the inner side of the upper edge 1a of the frame 1, a notch 2 is provided. Because of this notch, the upper end 1a of the frame 1 is shaped like two steps with the inner step lower than the outer step as measured from the surface of the circuit-carrying substrate 3. The purpose of this notch 2 is to increase the bonding strength of the bonding material layer 7a between the back surface 5b of the semiconductor chip 5 and the upper edge 1a of the frame 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the maximum height h1 of the upper edge 1a of the frame 1 is higher than the height h5 of the back surface 5b of the semiconductor chip 5 measured from the surface of the circuit-carrying substrate 3. Therefore, as will be described below, when a reflow heat treatment is performed, the reflowed bonding material layer 7a does not flow out of the frame 1.
As an alternative to notch 2, the upper edge 1a of frame 1 can be provided with a slanting shape that descends from the outer edge to the inner edge.
The frame can be formed as a single unit or can be formed as two or more sections bonded together and to the substrate and can be square, rectangular or any other suitable or desireable shape.
The semiconductor device of the present invention is not provided with a resin sealant that covers the entire body of the semiconductor chip 5. However, since the active surface 5a of semiconductor chip 5 is contained within a very small closed space, it excels in long-term reliability. In contrast to the prior art method which uses a cap (as described above with respect to FIG. 5), the back surface 5b of semiconductor chip 5 according to the present invention, is in contact with the atmosphere, so that the present invention features excellent heat radiation too. Moreover, the use of a frame as in the present invention increases the packaging density compared with the prior art method which uses the cap.
A manufacturing method of the semiconductor device 1 described above will now be explained by reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
Solder bumps 6 which are provided on circuit pads (not shown) exposed on the active surface 5a of the semiconductor chip 5, are formed in accordance with a known procedure. The active surface 5a is then placed face down on the circuit-carrying substrate 3, and the solder bumps 6 are aligned with corresponding positions on the printed circuit pattern 4 formed on the circuit-carrying substrate 3. Semiconductor chip 5 is then pressed onto the circuit-carrying substrate 3 and heated to deposit the solder bumps 6 onto the printed circuit pattern 4. The solder used in this example consists of 10 wt % of tin (Sn) and 90 wt % of lead (Pb). The solidus line temperature of the solder is 224° C. while its liquidus line temperature is 302° C. FIG. 3 shows the semiconductor 5 flip-chip bonded to circuit pattern 4 on substrate 3.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, frame 1 with a bonding material 7 adhered to its notched end 1a and its lower end 1b is placed in position so as to surround the semiconductor chip 5. Here, an As--S--Se glass material having a softening point of 180° C. is used as the bonding material 7. The bonding material 7 can be applied to the upper and lower ends of the frame 1 by discharging it through a dispenser nozzle, screen printing, by dipping or any other suitable method. Of course any suitable material having a softening point below that of the material used to solder the chip in place can be used.
After the frame 1 is placed in position on the circuit-carrying substrate 3 so that the frame 1 and substrate 3 come into contact with each other, a hot reflow procedure is conducted for 10 seconds at 200° C. to form bonding material layers 7a, 7b as shown in FIG. 1. The above heat treatment used in the hot reflow procedure temperature is lower than the solidus line temperature of the solder material composing the solder bumps 6, therefore neither the solder bumps 6 or the internal wiring of the semiconductor chip 5 is adversely affected by the heat treatment.
As described above, it is preferable that at least the maximum height of the frame be larger than the height of the back side of the semiconductor chip, as measured from the surface of the circuit-carrying substrate, so that the bonding material layer will not flow out of the frame. Also, by designing the upper end of the frame as a step so that its outer side is higher than its inner side, the bonding strength of the bonding material, which has fluidity, can be increased. Of course, other shapes besides a step shape can be provided to ensure sufficient bonding strength of the bonding material. The frame can be made using ceramics, glass or other suitable materials.
For the bonding material layer, a material having a softening point lower than that of the solder material used for connecting the semiconductor chip to the circuit-carrying substrate should be used. This is important in order to avoid adversely effecting the circuit and solder joints already formed on the semiconductor chip. With this in mind, an insulating material such as an epoxy resin (softening point: 80-105° C.) or low-fusing-point glass may be used.
A typical low-fusing-point glass is chalcogenide glass, most particularly As--Se--T1, As--S--T1 and As--S--Se. The softening points of these kinds of chalcogenide glass vary greatly from 25° C. to 200° C. depending on the element composition ratios. Therefore, as far as the softening points are concerned, epoxy resin has an advantage. However, considering that the softening temperature of the low-fusing-point glass is lower than the solidus line temperature (approx. 183° C.) or the liquidus line temperature (approx. 200° C.), and the fact that the low-fusing-point glass is superior to SiOx glass in such characteristics as wettability, insolubility, moisture resistance, etc., low-fusing-point glass is the most suitable material for the bonding material layer of the present invention. Among the different kinds of low-fusing-point glass, As--S--Se is the most suitable for the packaging of semiconductor chips because of its wide vitrification range, high insolubility and high wettability with SiOx glass.
In order to manufacture the semiconductor device of the present invention using the above bonding material, the bonding material is preferably directly applied to the upper and lower ends of the insulating frame which surround the side surfaces of the semiconductor chip, and the bonding material is then fluidized by heat treatment. Of course, other suitable methods of applying the bonding material layer can be used. The shape of the upper end of the frame as described above is very convenient for the purpose of holding the flowing bonding material in place. However, other shapes may also be used to ensure sufficient bonding strength.
Despite the specific examples of the present invention as described above, the present invention is not restricted in any way to these specific examples. The composition and dimensions of the frame, the dimensions of the semiconductor chip, and the details of the bonding materials can be altered or selected as necessary.
As explained above, the present invention makes it possible to ensure reliability, improve heat radiation and increase the packaging density of a semiconductor device.
Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in view of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Having now fully described embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth herein.
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A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor chip having a lower surface mounted to the substrate, an upper surface and side surfaces, and a frame mounted to the substrate and surrounding the side surfaces of the semiconductor chip. A bonding material is provided between the upper surface of the semiconductor chip and an upper edge of the frame, the bonding material being provided along at least the entire upper surface edges of the semiconductor chip along the entire peripheral edge and the upper edge of the frame for sealing at least the area between the sides of the semiconductor chip and the frame.
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FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to cylinder locks and, in particular, it concerns a cylinder look apparatus that can be operated with or without a key. In a conventional mechanical cylinder lock, when an appropriate matching key is inserted into the cylinder lock, the key serves to mechanically align tumbler pins, thereby allowing the cylindrical plug to be rotated freely to open the lock. Reference is now made to FIGS. 1A and 1B , which are representations of a prior art cylinder lock 10 , with a key 12 inserted into the cylinder lock, and a door lock 15 . Door lock 15 includes, inter alia, a shaped slot 16 for receiving cylinder lock 10 and a door lock bolt hole 17 through which a bolt (not shown) is inserted to secure the cylinder lock inside a door. Typically, door lock 15 is inserted into a hollowed-out edge of the door (not shown) and cylinder lock 10 is inserted through prepared holes in the door (not shown in the figure) and perpendicularly into and through shaped slot 16 , substantially along axis 18 . Door lock 15 further comprises a locking tongue 19 . Typically, cylinder lock 10 , when unlocked, serves to translate locking tongue 19 allowing the tongue to alternately inhibit and allow opening of the door. Typically, other cylinder locks having a cross-sectional profile and length Substantially matching cylinder lock 10 may be replaced or retrofitted instead of cylinder lock 10 . Typical names/manufacturers Of such cylinder locks include, but are not limited to: Euro Cylinders; Oval Cylinders; Asec 6-pin Euro profile; and Chubb M3. Overall lengths of Such cylinders typically vary firm approximately 70-95 min.
[0002] Reference is now made to FIGS. 2A and 2B , which are cross sectional side views A-A of the cylinder lock shown in FIG. 1A . The cylinder lock has a body housing 20 , which is bored from one end to the other end and a cylindrical plug 22 , which is fitted into the bore, and which may be rotated as described hereinbelow. A set hole 23 is located approximately in the middle of cylinder lock 10 to receive a bolt which is inserted into door lock bolt hole 17 to secure the cylinder lock within door lock 15 , as described hereinabove in FIG. 1B . Cylindrical plug 22 has a key slot 25 formed axially ill cylindrical plug. Key 12 is inserted into slot 25 . A pin-tumbler set 30 is located in body housing 20 and in cylindrical plug 22 to serve to lock and unlock rotational movement of cylindrical plug 22 . Cylindrical plug 22 and a second cylindrical plug 31 may be mechanically coupled and uncoupled to a rotating tongue 35 by means of a selector mechanism (not shown in the figure), which allows either cylindrical plug to rotate the rotating tongue, which in turn serves to move the locking tongue of the door lock (refer to FIG. 1B ). The cylinder lock shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is called a “blind cylinder lock”, meaning that a key can be inserted into only one side of the lock, with only one pin-tumbler set present on the side that accepts a key, and that the other side of lock does not accept a key.
[0003] FIG. 2B , which is a detailed view of FIG. 2A , shows in greater detail pin-tumbler set 30 . Pin-tumbler set 30 includes tumbler pins 32 and driver pins 34 , both of which are constrained to move generally perpendicularly to key 12 . Springs 33 typically serve to preload the driver pins and the tumbler pins, displacing them towards slot 25 , thereby advancing part of one or more of driver pins 34 into cylindrical plug 22 through openings in the plug (not shown in the figure) and thereby locking rotation of cylindrical plug 22 when no key is present in the slot. Typically, key 12 is formed to fit the pattern and respective lengths of tumbler pins 32 . When key 12 is fully inserted into slot 25 , the key presses tumbler pins 32 and driver pins 34 against springs 33 , alignedly inserting driver pins 34 into body housing 20 , and thereby enables rotation of the cylindrical plug. Key 12 is shown inserted with its wider edge contacting the tumbler pins. Another inserted orientation of another type of key may include its thinner edge contacting the tumbler pins Also, one or more additional sets of collinearly arranged tumbler pins (not shown) may be present in the cylinder lock, in the case when a master key is used to lock and unlock more than one of such specially configured cylinder locks.
[0004] A number of prior art electronic or combination electrical/mechanical lock systems allow a user to open a locked cylinder in a number of ways. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,501 by Fort, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, a combination electrical and mechanical system is described The system includes a lock having a fixed lock cylinder and a rotatable key slug. A first solenoid is employed in the current system to drive a lock pin, which is normally extended to lock the key slug. Upon insertion of an appropriately aperture-encoded key, light sources and detectors mounted in the lock are used in concert with appropriate circuitry to operate to the first solenoid to unlock key slug. In response to an electrical power failure, a spring-loaded latch pin is extended When the latch pin is extended, a proper mechanical key is inserted and rotated and extension of the lock pin is prevented. A proper mechanical key can then be inserted to move a plurality of spring loaded pin tumblers in the lock to enable rotation of the key slug during the electrical power failure.
[0005] Aston, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,305 whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, discloses an electrically operable cylinder lock device, which includes a body with a bore housing a rotatable barrel having a key slot. The barrel is locked in position normally by a spring-loaded bar which extends axially of the barrel and is movable radially thereof. A slot in the barrel receives the bar and cam formation in the slot and acts to lift the bar to a withdrawn position in which it can be held by an electromagnet. A plunger in the bore has a slotted end to receive the tip of the key and provides a driving connection between the key and an output cam. Another embodiment disclosed by Aston has a microswitch which interacts with an inserted key and controls the supply of electrical power.
[0006] While the prior art includes an array of combination electrical/mechanical lock systems of varying complexity, there is a need for an electronic or combination electrical/mechanical cylinder look that, taking advantage of the inherent cylinder pin tumbler mechanism, call be unlocked or unlocked without the insertion of a key, while also functioning as a conventional lock operated with a key, for example, in case of an electrical power failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is a combined electrical/mechanical cylinder lock that, taking advantage of the inherent pin tumbler mechanism, can be unlocked without the insertion of a key, while also functioning as a conventional lock operated with a key in case of an electrical power failure.
[0008] According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided a cylinder lock device including: a body housing having a bore having a first end and a second end, with a direction of elongation defining an axial direction for the device; a rotatable cylindrical plug in the bore, the plug having an axially extending key slot from the first end; a plurality of tumbler pins deployed at least partially within the plug and displaceable by a key to enable rotation of the plug; and an opening mechanism comprising a shaft connected to a key emulator and wherein the key emulator is translatable into the key slot from within the body housing, the key emulator shaped to match and engage the plurality of tumbler pins, and adapted to displace the plurality of tumbler pills, thereby selectively enabling rotation of the plug. Most preferably, the opening mechanism is adapted to controllably displace the plurality of tumbler pins between a first state in which the plurality of tumbler pins are aligned to enable rotation of the plug and a second state, when the key emulator is translated out of the slot, in which the plurality of tumbler pins are biased towards the key slot to provide a locked state. Preferably, the lock device further includes a rotatable tongue positionable substantially axially with and at the interior end of the plug, and has an axial engager adapted to enable the rotatable tongue to rotate with the plug when a key is inserted in the slot and rotation of the plug is enabled. Typically, the axial engager is adapted to enable the rotatable tongue to rotate with the plug when the key emulator is translated into the key slot and the plug is in the first state. Preferably, a mechanically accessible handle permanently mechanically linked to the plug at the first end, is adapted to allow insertion and removal of a key from the slot, and is further adapted to rotate the plug when the plug is freed to rotate and when no key is present in the slot. Most typically, a twist knob is permanently mechanically linked to the distal end of the shaft, the knob adapted to rotate the plug when the plug is freed to rotate and when no key is present in the slot Preferably, the opening mechanism is at least one of: mechanically actuable, electrically actuable, and mechanically and electrically actuable.
[0009] There is also provided a method of forming a cylinder lock device comprising the steps of: forming a bore in a body housing of the cylinder lock device having a first end and a second end, the body housing having a direction of elongation defining an axial direction for the device; inserting a rotatable cylindrical plug in the bore, the plug having an axially extending key slot from the first end; configuring a plurality of tumbler pins at least partially within the plug, whereby a key displaces the tumbler pins to enable rotation of the plug; and deploying an opening mechanism comprising a shaft and a shaft key emulator, wherein the key emulator is translated into the key slot from within the body housing and is shaped to match and engage the plurality of tumbler pills and to displace the plurality of tumbler pins, thereby selectively enabling rotation of the plug.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0011] FIGS. 1A and 1B are representations of a prior art cylinder lock and a door lock, respectively;
[0012] FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross sectional side views of the cylinder lock shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B ;
[0013] FIGS. 3A-C are side and sectional views of a cylinder lock, in accordance with of an embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 4A-C are side and sectional views of the cylinder lock of FIG. 3 ;
[0015] FIGS. 5A-E are side and sectional views and an exploded illustration of the clutch mechanism of the cylinder lock shown in FIGS. 3A-C and 4 A-C, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0016] FIG. 6A-C are a side view and an isometric illustration of the cylinder lock of FIGS. 3 and 4 , having plug rotational and grasping handles affixed to respective ends of the lock, and an end view of the rotational handles
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] The present invention includes a lock apparatus that may be opened with or without a key.
[0018] Reference is now made to FIGS. 3A-C and 4 A-C which are side and cross sectional views of cylinder lock 100 , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Apart from differences described below, cylinder lock 100 is generally similar to cylinder lock 10 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , so that elements indicated by the same reference numerals are generally identical in configuration and operation. Embodiments of the Current invention disclosed hereinbelow are directed to be generally replaceable to cylinder lock: 10 and/or retrofittable to cylinder lock 10 in door lock 15 shown in FIGS. 1A , 1 B, 2 A, and 2 B.
[0019] The term “axial” and “axially”, as used hereinbelow and in the claims is meant to describe a configuration generally parallel to an axis. Additionally, the terms “open”/“unlocked” and “locked”, when used hereinbelow and in the claims in reference to a state of the cylinder lock, are meant to describe the respective states whereby plug rotation is enabled and disabled. The terms “blind” and “slotted”, when used hereinbelow in reference to an end of the cylinder lock, are meant to describe, respectively, the ends of the cylinder lock which is blind (i.e., having no pin and tumbler set) and the end of the cylinder lock which may accept a key in the key slot (i.e., having a pin and tumbler set).
[0020] Cylinder lock 100 is a blind cylinder lock having a shaft opening mechanism 105 , which comprises a shaft 107 , to open the cylinder lock from within the lock. Shaft opening mechanism 105 is positioned generally within and at the blind end of the cylinder lock. Shaft 107 translates axially in and out of the cylinder lock, driven from the blind end of the cylinder lock. Shaft 107 has a key emulator 110 , which comprises approximately one-half the length of the shaft, and which has a nearly square cross section, as shown in the figures.
[0021] Typically, one lateral dimension of the key emulator is approximately equal to less than the height (i.e. the smallest dimension) of the key slot, meaning the lateral dimension is similar to that of an equivalent key. The other lateral dimension is typically less than the width an equivalent key. In certain cases, the other lateral dimension of the key emulator may be only slightly wider than the width/diameter of the pins of cylinder lock 100 . The cross section and lateral dimensions of key emulator 110 allow the key emulator to pass through clutch mechanism 200 and to enter and egress the key slot. Clutch mechanism 200 is described hereinbelow.
[0022] Shaft opening mechanism 105 is shown schematically in the figures in the form of a drive gear 108 and a gear shaft 109 , which may be connected to a motor or to a mechanically driven linkage (not shown in the figure), or both. In 20 the embodiment where shaft 107 and key emulator 110 are formed essentially as one piece (as shown in FIGS. 3B and 4B ), drive gear 108 and threads 109 a of gear shaft 109 are matched to allow movement of drive shaft 107 only by translation axially in and out of the cylinder lock, with virtually no rotational movement of drive shaft 107 .
[0023] In another embodiment of the Current invention, threads 109 a are pitched, and drive gear 108 and gear shaft 109 are matched to rotate the gear shaft and thereby yield axial translation of the gear shaft in and out of the cylinder lock. In this configuration, drive shaft 107 and key emulator 110 are not formed together as noted hereinabove, but a coupling is present (not shown in the figures), which allows relative rotational movement but minimal or no translational movement between the drive shaft and the key emulator as the key emulator is translated into the key slot. The coupling thereby allows the key emulator to be translated axially in and out of the cylinder lock, with virtually no rotational movement until the key emulator is fully translated into the slot.
[0024] Key emulator 110 is formed with indentations 112 which match tumbler pins 32 , so that when key emulator 110 is translated completely into slot 25 , it performs the same function of key 12 (as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B ) inserted from the slotted end of the cylinder lock, namely to engage tumbler pins 32 , and to displace the tumbler pins, enabling rotation of the plug, as described hereinabove. When key emulator 110 is translated out of the slot, cylinder lock is locked. Shaft 107 and key emulator 110 are shown in a fully inserted position with regard to the cylinder lock in FIGS. 3A-C , whereas in FIGS. 4A-C , the shaft and the key emulator are shown fully in a fully withdrawn position with regard to the cylinder lock.
[0025] Substantially parallel indentations perpendicular to the axis of the shaft, arranged from the blind end of the shaft to the key emulator, in a form similar to threads, allow the drive gear of shaft opening mechanism 105 to drive the shaft into and out of the cylinder lock. Shaft opening mechanism 105 may be commanded by mechanical means and by wired or wireless connection to drive the shaft. Activation of shaft opening mechanism 105 as described hereinabove may be effected by direct wiring to a power and command unit outside of cylinder lock 100 . Alternatively, power for the shaft opening mechanism operation may be obtained from at least one on-board battery and an activation command may be transferred through a wireless means, for example. Another example of wired and wireless activation is through a small number pad (not shown in the figure) located near cylinder lock 100 . Additionally or alternatively, as noted hereinabove, shaft opening mechanism 105 may be driven by a mechanically driven linkage such as, but not limited to: a rotating knob or a lever (not shown in the current figures) so that cylinder lock 100 may be opened without electrical power, such as during a loss of electrical power.
[0026] In another embodiment of the present invention, shaft opening mechanism 105 translates key emulator 110 in and out of the key slot in a direction substantially perpendicular to the key slot so that cylinder lock 100 may be alternatively unlocked and locked.
[0027] Reference is now made to FIGS. 5A-E , which are side and sectional views and an exploded illustration of clutch mechanism 200 of the cylinder lock shown in FIGS. 3A-C and 4 A-C, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Clutch mechanism 200 is positioned generally coaxially with rotating tongue 35 . The clutch mechanism serves to allow rotation of the rotating tongue by rotation of shaft 107 and key emulator 110 , the latter which axially engages the clutch mechanism. Furthermore, the clutch mechanism enables conventional, mechanical opening of the cylinder lock and rotating the rotating tongue when key 12 is inserted into the slot, the cylinder lock is opened, and the key and plug are rotated. This mode of opening the cylinder lock is further described hereinbelow and is useful, for example, when there is a loss of electrical power to shaft opening mechanism 105 , shown in FIGS. 3A-C and 4 A-C.
[0028] Clutch mechanism 200 , as shown in the exploded illustration of FIG. 5E and as viewed from the key slotted side, includes retention pins 210 , which retain a pressure plate 205 , biasing springs 215 (through which pins 210 pass), a retention plate 220 , which fits flush within rotating tongue 35 , and shaft bearing plate 225 , which fits flush within a lip of the blind side of the rotating tongue. While retention plate 220 fits flush within rotating tongue 35 , as previously described, relative rotational motion is possible between the retention plate and the rotating tongue. Pressure plate 205 has two extending arms 235 that typically fit into two matching slots 240 within retention plate 220 , but do not extend to engage internal cross-slot 245 formed within rotating tongues The clutch is set so that two protruding lugs 255 of bearing plate 225 normally engage an internal cross-slot 255 formed within rotating tongue, so that the shaft and key emulator 110 , the latter which passes axially through a slot 260 in the bearing plate and through internal cross-slot 245 , rotate together with the rotating tongue, whether or not key 12 is present in the slot of the cylinder lock. (This functionality allows the rotating tongue to always be rotated, to open the door for example, from the blind side of the cylinder lock.) Additionally, the clutch is set so that pressure plate 205 is typically biased by biasing springs 215 away from retention plate 220 and the rotating tongue, as described previously, so that the two extending arms 235 are not engaged with the rotating tongue when no key is present in the slot of the cylinder lock. When the key is inserted into the slot, opening the lock as described hereinabove, retention of the key in the slot serves to press pressure plate 205 , thereby compressing biasing springs 215 , and thereby allowing arms 235 to translate and engage into internal cross slot 245 . In this configuration, turning the key will presently turn the rotating tongue, allowing the door, for example, to be opened from the key side (i.e. “slotted” side) of the cylinder lock.
[0029] The embodiments described hereinabove allow for opening cylinder lock 100 from the slotted side and rotating the rotating tongue using the key, in a manner similar to that of a prior art cylinder lock, if necessary. However, when no key is present in slot 25 and shaft opening mechanism 105 is activated to open cylinder lock 100 , there must be a means with which to similarly rotate the rotating tongue when operating the lock from the slotted side and from the blind side, respectively. The following discussion addresses these considerations.
[0030] Reference is now made to FIGS. 6A-C which are a side view and an isometric illustration of cylinder lock 100 of FIGS. 3 and 43 having rotational handle 150 and grasping handle 152 affixed to the respective slotted and blind ends of the cylinder lock, and an end view of handle 150 . Apart for differences described below, elements indicated by the same reference numerals are generally identical in configuration and operation. Rotational handle 150 is mechanically attached to the slotted end of cylindrical plug 22 . Rotational handle 150 has a flattened wide shape and a hinge which allows rotational handle 150 to be deployed generally axially to cylinder lock 100 , thereby enabling rotation of opened cylindrical plug 22 , in a manner similar to that of when a key is inserted into the cylinder lock. When not in use, rotational handle 150 is stowed substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of cylinder lock 100 , allowing access of a key to be inserted into key slot 25 , as shown in FIG. 6C . Grasping handle 152 is fixed to the blind end of shaft 107 . Grasping handle 152 has a generally rounded shape with a flattened central grasp region, which allows it to be grasped typically between the thumb and index finger to pull and push shaft 107 when used in the embodiment described hereinabove, wherein the shaft and the key emulator are formed as one piece. Once the key emulator is hilly translated/inserted into the key slot, grasping handle is then rotated to rotate the key emulator, which serves to rotate the rotating tongue and open the cylinder lock.
[0031] In the embodiment described hereinabove, where the shaft and the key emulator are joined with the coupling, grasping handle 152 is grasped and rotated to rotate the shaft and thereby translate the key emulator into the key slot. When the key emulator is fully translated into the key slot, such as shown in FIG. 3B , an additional clutch (not shown in the figures) is engaged and serves to disable relative rotation between shaft 107 and key emulator 10 . The key emulator is presently rotated by further rotation of the grasping handle in a manner similar to that described hereinabove for another embodiment. The key emulator serves to rotate the rotating tongue and thereby open the cylinder lock.
[0032] The embodiments described hereinabove allow for operating and opening cylinder lock 100 in three possible operating states, as described below:
1. The emulator is engaged into the slot and the lock may be opened from the slotted end of the cylinder lock using the rotational handle or from the blind end of the cylinder lock using the grasping handle; 2. the emulator is completely not engaged into the slot and the lock may be opened only from slotted end of the cylinder lock using a key; and 3. a “secured mode” wherein the emulator is partially engaged in the slot, thereby inhibiting opening the cylinder lock from its slotted end and not allowing opening the cylinder from the blind end of the cylinder lock.
[0036] In the third state above, the lock may only be opened by mechanically or electrically activating the opening mechanism from blind end of the cylinder lock or by electrically activating the opening mechanism from the slotted end of the cylinder lock.
[0037] Cylinder lock 100 is typically positioned in a door, window, gate, or any configuration wherein a cylinder lock may be typically applied, so that the blind end faces the inside or generally unsecured side of the door, window, gate, etc., whereas the slotted end faces the outside or secured side. However, the cylinder lock may alternatively be positioned so that the blind side faces outside and the slotted side faces inside, depending on the application. Whereas references hereinabove have been made to a cylinder lock as typically used in a door, embodiments of the current invention are likewise applicable to any configuration herein a cylinder lock is typically applied. Such configurations may include, but are not limited to: drawers, windows, sates, gates, etc. Additionally, whereas various functions of cylinder lock 100 described hereinabove include electrical functioning, embodiments of the current invention include “fail-safe” operation by mechanical means only, such as in case of a power failure.
[0038] It will be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as examples, and that many other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
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A cylinder lock device including: a body housing having a bore having a first end and a second end, with a direction of elongation defining an axial direction for the device; a rotatable cylindrical plug in the bore, the plug having an axially extending key slot from the first end; a plurality of tumbler pins deployed at least partially within the plug and displaceable by a key to enable rotation of the plug; and an opening mechanism comprising a shaft connected to a key emulator and wherein the key emulator is translatable into the key slot from within the body housing, the key emulator shaped to match and engage the plurality of tumbler pins, and adapted to displace the plurality of tumbler pins, thereby selectively enabling rotation of the plug.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a detonating device for a secondary explosive charge. It applies notably to high-safety detonation systems including one or more exploding foil igniters used to detonate secondary explosive charges, such as hollow charges, slug- or fragment-generating charges, for example, quasi-simultaneously or respecting a precise timing sequence, which may either be pre-established or programmed during the mission depending on the target to be destroyed.
According to the present state of the art, a high-safety detonating system generally comprises an energy reservoir, an energy commutator, switching control and verification circuits and a detonator. In order to function properly, high-safety detonators require the switching of energies of a few hundred millijoules, even one joule, in a few tens of nanoseconds. In the electric circuits this switching implies currents of several kilo-amperes and applied voltages of several kilo-volts. The switching device in use at present is a gas or vacuum discharger. It allows the flow of several kilo-amperes under several kilo-volts when it is in closed mode, but the changeover from open mode to closed mode involves a switching time which is too long for certain applications. The changeover from open mode to closed mode is made by the activation of a third electrode called the "trigger" and under high voltage, 3 to 4 KV for example. This trigger provokes a disruptive discharge between the main electrodes of the discharger, accompanied by interference due to the phenomenon known as "jitters". These "jitters" delay the establishment of the closed mode and provoke switching times generally longer than 100 ns. The times obtained with gas or vacuum dischargers and the jitter phenomenon are incompatible with sequenced or synchronized multipoint initiation systems which require perfect control of the timing and the jitters, and also switching times of the order of a few nanoseconds.
In order to improve the timing precision between the different detonations, and in fact reduce the switching times, one solution consists in using the optical energy of a pulsed laser to trigger the energy switching through the discharger. This method of triggering has been widely described in the following publications: V. A. VUYLSTEKI JAP 34, 1615 (1963), L. L. STEINMETZ, The Review of Scientific Instrument, 39, n°6 (1968), pages 904/909, H. C. HARGES Texas University Report n°LLL 2257509-1 (1979), R. A. DOUGAL et al., J. Phys D.Appli. Phy., 17 (1984), pages 903/918.
The main drawback of the discharger triggered by an optical pulse is that it requires a high power pulsed laser, for example between 100 kW and 1 MW corresponding to energies of between 1 and 10 millijoules transmitted in approximately 10 ns, each discharger having an associated laser which is specific to it.
Today, the most compact laser sources known, whose volumes are of a few tens of cubic centimeters, limit the functioning ranges to a frequency of around 1 kHz and so do not allow rapid sequenced triggering, for example sequences with 100 ns between each pulse. What is more, the powers used for triggering dischargers, notably those of more than 100 kW, impose the use of special wide optical fibers for certain system structures, which are fragile and difficult to use due to the limited curvature they can tolerate without breaking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the invention is to overcome the above-mentioned difficulties.
The invention concerns a detonating device for a secondary explosive charge including at least one energy reservoir coupled via an energy switching element to an exploding foil igniter detonator wherein the energy switching element is made up of a semiconductor-based electronic commutator.
The main advantages of the invention are that it requires only a small triggering energy, typically a few micro-joules, that it allows short detonation delays, typically of less than 1 ns, due most notably to the elimination of the jitter phenomenon, that it protects the detonations from electromagnetic radiation, and finally that it provides for both compact detonation means and greater ease of use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the description below which refers to the annexed drawings which represent:
FIG. 1a: An elementary detonating device according to the invention.
FIG. 1b: An example of the structure of an energy commutator.
FIGS. 2a, 2b, 3, 4a and 4b: Multi-channel detonating devices according to the invention.
FIGS. 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b: Possible structures containing several energy commutators for the detonating devices according to the invention.
FIGS. 7a and 7b: A compact structure containing several energy commutators for the detonating devices according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1a presents an elementary detonating device according to the invention. It includes an electrical energy reservoir 1, a capacitor for example, charged under several kilo-volts, of capacity between 0.1 and 0.2 μF, having one electrode connected via a line 3 to a reference potential 4. Its other electrode is connected to an input 2 for its charging current via lines 5 and 6 and also, via lines 5 and 7, to an electrode 9 of an electronic energy commutator 8, semiconductor-based (gallium arsenide for example) and operating in photo-conduction mode for example. The other electrode 10 of the commutator 8 is connected to the terminal of a flyer detonator 13 via line 12. The other terminal of the detonator 13 is linked to the reference potential 4 via line 14. The lines 3,5,7,12 and 14 can be, for example, in the form of flat conductors so as to reduce the parasitic self-inductance and thus reduce parasitic voltages on the terminals of the commutator 8. The closing switching, which triggers the liberation of the energy, is controlled by a low-level optical pulse 11. The commutator 8 can switch currents of several kilo-amperes under a voltage of several kilo-volts at its terminals. The optical energy required to activate the commutator 8 is very low, approximately 100 μJ for example, because the presence of the optical pulse is not necessary for the whole time of the energy switching through the commutator, so for a switching time of approximately 100 ns an optical pulse of approximately 10 ns is sufficient to trigger the closing of the commutator. Once the optical pulse 11 disappears, the commutator remains closed until the current crossing it has disappeared, i.e. until the energy reservoir 1 has totally discharged. This property of the optical commutator allows, for example, the use of laser diodes as the optical source, capable of delivering optical power of approximately 1 kW for 10 ns, for example. It is also possible to envisage a triggering of the commutator 8 by a signal which is not optical, for example a low energy electrical signal.
FIG. 1b shows an example of the structure of the gallium arsenide commutator 8 used in the detonation device according to the invention. It is made up of a gallium arsenide semiconductor substrate 15 of approximate resistivity 10 7 W.cm, of approximate thickness 1 mm and width 1 cm onto which are placed two electrodes 9 and 10 made up, for example, of four successive layers of metal: 50 Å of nickel, 750 Å of gold, 750 Å of nickel and 2000 Å of gold so as to create ohmic contacts between the metal and the gallium arsenide and to provide a space between the electrodes to enable a voltage to be applied to the terminals of the circuit, for example 1 mm for 3 to 4 kilo-volts. As soon as the optical pulse beam 11 appears, an electrical contact is established between the two electrodes 9 and 10 via the gallium arsenide semiconductor substrate 15. An avalanche-type phenomenon then occurs causing the commutator to close. These electrodes 9 and 10 are connected to the external circuits by the metallic connections 16 and 17 soldered to the sides 18 and 19 of the electrodes 9 and 10 using known techniques. The optical switching pulse 11 originates, for example, from an optical laser source emitting at wavelengths between 0.8 and 1.06 μm. In order to eliminate dielectric surface breakdown, a layer of approximately 5 to 10 μm of dielectric polymer, for example a polyimide, is applied to the surface of the commutator 8 containing the electrodes 9 and 10.
FIG. 2a presents a multi-channel detonating device according to the invention. It includes, for example, n elementary circuits of the same type as the one described in FIG. 1a. E 1 , E 2 , E 3 and E n are the energy inputs for the capacitors C 1 , C 2 , C 3 and PC 1 . The energy stored in these capacitors is switched towards the detonators F 1 , F 2 , F 3 and F n via the gallium arsenide-based commutators PC 1 , PC 2 , PC 3 and PC n of the same type as the one in FIG. 1b. These commutators are controlled respectively by the optical pulse signals 21, 22, 23 and 24. The capacitors C 1 , C 2 , C 3 and C n and the detonators F 1 , F 2 , F 3 and F n each have one end connected to the same reference potential 4. The optical control pulse can be directed onto each of the commutators by several methods described below.
For a synchronous detonation method, one possible structure is presented in FIG. 2b. By way of example, the device comprises 3 detonating channels. A common optical source 25, a laser for example, sends synchronous pulses to the commutators PC 1 , PC 2 and PC 3 . These optical pulses are transmitted by the optical fibers 26, 27 and 28 of equal length. These optical fibers can be made of plastic or silicon, for example.
For a pre-programmed sequenced detonation method, one possible structure is presented in FIG. 3; it is identical to the structure in FIG. 2b, with the exception that the lengths of the optical fibers 31, 32 and 33 are not identical. For this operating mode, the length of each of the fibers 31, 32 and 33 is adapted to the timings needed between detonations. Generally, 1 meter of optical fiber causes a delay of approximately 3 ns; according to the nature of the optical fibers this delay can be precisely defined.
For a detonation method sequenced and programmed during the mission and adapted, for example, according to the target to be destroyed, two possible structures are presented in FIGS. 4a and 4b. The structure in 4a is made up of a common optical source 25, a laser for example. The optical fibers 41, 42 and 43 guide an optical pulse signal towards each of the inputs EN 1 , EN 2 and EN 3 of an optical matrix 44. This optical matrix 44 is made up of a system of optical switches which can provide a certain number of pre-established sequences as a function of information received during the mission. At outputs SO 1 , SO 2 and SO 3 of the matrix 44, three optical fibers 45, 46 and 47 of equal length guide the optical pulses to the commutators PC 1 , PC 2 and PC 3 . The Aerospatiale publication "4eme Congres International de Pyrotechnie Spatiale" concerning the conference organized by the Groupe Technique de Pyrotechnie Spatiale (GPTS) on Jun. 5 to 9, 1989, pages 207 to 213, indicates a certain number of optical switching methods for obtaining the sequences mentioned above.
FIG. 4b presents a possible structure where there are as many laser optical sources L 1 , L 2 and L 3 as there are commutators PC 1 , PC 2 and PC 3 . These laser sources are triggered according to programmable sequences by the electronic control circuits 48 the fabrication of which is known to those skilled in the art. The lasers L 1 , L 2 and L 3 emit respectively optical pulses 491, 492 and 493 towards the commutators PC 1 , PC 2 and PC 3 .
FIGS. 5a and 5b present a possible structure containing several energy commutators and designed to be used, for example, in the multi-channel detonation devices described in FIGS. 2a and 4b.
FIG. 5a represents a plan view of a semiconducting substrate 51, of gallium arsenide for example, on which is placed a network of metal electrodes 511, 512, 513, 521, 522 and 523 forming three commutators, the electrodes 511 and 521 forming a first commutator linked at the input to a line 531 and at the output to a line 541. The electrodes 512 and 522 form a second commutator linked at the input to a line 532 and at the output to a line 542, and the electrodes 513 and 523 form a third commutator linked at the input to a line 533 and at the output to a line 543. The geometric parameters of the electrodes are determined by the electrical constraints of the firing circuits, in particular as regards current, voltage and switching time. three commutators are represented in FIG. 5a, but obviously it is possible to create more, in fact as many as there are detonation lines.
FIG. 5b shows a view of the semiconductor substrate 51 of FIG. 5a carrying the electrodes 511, 512, 513, 521, 522 and 523, viewed in the direction of the arrow 56 of FIG. 5a. The commutators are placed opposite the network 53, 54 and 55 of laser diodes mounted on the bar 52 and capable of emitting optical pulses 57, 58 and 59 in order to trigger the commutators. Each of the networks can be controlled separately by an associated electronic control the fabrication of which is known to those skilled in the art, which assures a synchronous or sequenced detonation depending on the application. This structure presented in FIGS. 5a and 5b has the advantage of being compact and easily adapted to a wide range of detonation methods.
Nevertheless, if the number of commutators is very large, the structure presented in FIGS. 6a and 6b would be more suitable as it is more compact. FIG. 6a represents a network of six commutators intended for use with a detonating device according to the invention and placed on a gallium arsenide semiconductor substrate 61. Six comtutators are formed respectively by electrodes E 1 and S 1 , E 2 and S 2 , E 3 and S 3 , E 4 and S 4 , E 5 and S 5 and E 6 and S 6 . A distance 63 between the electrodes of a commutator is a function of the tension applied across the contacts of the commutator.
FIG. 6b presents the substrate semiconductor 61 of the commutators placed opposite a group of laser diode networks, themselves placed on a support 62. These laser diode networks activate the commutators placed on the semiconductor substrate by their optical pulses. The group of laser diode networks on the support 62 can be obtained by stacking bars similar to the bar 52 in FIG. 5b. It can also, for example, be in the form of surface emission networks. The fabrication of the commutators on the semiconductor substrate 61 calls for microelectronic techniques known to those skilled in the art.
FIGS. 7a and 7b present a monolithic structure of a group of commutators and their optical sources intended for use with a device according to the invention. FIG. 7a represents a sectional view of FIG. 7b. FIG. 7b shows only two commutators made up of, respectively, electrodes 73 and 74 and their associated laser diode networks 77, and electrodes 78 and 79 and their associated laser diode networks 80. These electrodes, placed on a gallium arsenide semiconductor substrate 71, are situated in a plane inclined at 45° with respect to the optical emission 72 delivered by the laser diode networks 77 and 80 at the exit layers 76. These laser diode networks 77 and 80 are fixed on a bar 75 which is fixed to the semiconductor substrate 71. The structure presented in FIGS. 7a and 7b can be enlarged along X and Y axes parallel to the sides of the substrate 71 by repeating the same units represented by these two figures. This structure has the advantage of being very compact and mechanically strong. What is more, it optimizes the optical coupling, therefore increasing the yield and the reproducibility, between the laser source and the commutator.
Finally, it is possible to completely integrate on a silicon substrate an electronic control unit and working and program memories. Then, by epitaxy of gallium arsenide onto the silicon, it is possible to integrate the structure described in FIGS. 7a and 7b with an electronic control. Maximum compactness can be obtained by metallization of the electrical circuits linking the energy reservoirs to the detonators, in the form of three-layer lines of adapted impedance.
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The detonating device for a secondary explosive charge includes energy reservoir means and exploding foil igniter means coupled to the energy reservoir means by an optical commutator functioning in photo-conduction mode. The device may be extended to any number of separate detonation channels, and each detonation channel may be supplied with optical pulse beams generated by a single laser source or by separate, dedicated laser sources. The optical pulse beams are guided via optical fibers that may vary in length in accordance with preprogrammed detonation timing sequences. The invention finds particular application in the field of high safety detonation systems.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sewing machines. In particular, it relates to a controller for a two-needle corner sewing machine including a needle bar mechanism capable of sewing either with two needles and with only one of the two needles by stopping the other needle.
2. Background Art
As is taught in the prior art, for example, by Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 55-122590, there is known a means for controlling a type of two-needle corner sewing machine including a needle bar mechanism capable of sewing either with two needles or with only one of the needles, the other being stopped. Shown in FIG. 1 is a two-needle sewing machine 1, specifically the arm bed of the sewing machine, located on a table 2 and powered through a pulley 3. An ordinary needle position detector 4 detects the needle position in order to stop a needle 5 at a lower position. A motor 6 drives the sewing machine 1 through the pulley 3 and is controlled by a pedal 7. Control means 8 controls the sewing machine 1. A lever-like changing means 9 changes the sewing machine 1 to one-needle operation from two-needle operation or conversely to two-needle operation from one-needle operation. The lever-like changing means 9 is rotatably mounted on the sewing machine 1, and is positioned at a neutral position by a neutral return spring (not shown) for a normal operation in which the two-needle mechanism is set. The one-needle mechanism is set when the changing means 9 is rotated to the right or left. The one-needle mechanism for operating the needle 5 on the right side is set when the upper end of the changing means 9 is rotated to the right side against the force of the neutral return spring, and the one-needle mechanism for operating the needle at the left side is set when the upper end of the changing mechanism 9 is rotated to the left side against the neutral return spring. An electromagnet 11 rotates the changing means 9 to the right side, while another electromagnet 12 rotates the changing means 9 to the right side. The magnets 11 and 12 are driven by the control panel 8. A changing means 10 designates the electromagnet 11 or 12 to the driven for a corner sewing operation.
An operating panel 13 sets the number of the different type of the corner portions and the number of the stitches to be sewn in the corner portions since the corner portions are of different types and lengths. As shown in FIG. 2, a number-of-stitches setting means sets the number of stitches to be sewn using one needle at the first corner portion. Additional number-of-stitches setting means 21, 22 and 23 set the numbers of the stitches using only one needle at the second to fourth corner portions. The additional setting means 21, 22 and 23 are constituted of switches. A designating means 24 determines the total operative number of the four number-of-stitches setting means 20 to 23. In this prior art, the designating means 24 is also constituted of a switch.
In the prior art described above, if the sewing pattern shown in FIG. 3 is carried out, the switch of the number-of-stitches setting means 24 shown in FIG. 2 is set to "1" because the number of stitches sewn with one needle is one at the first corner portion (A portion). The number of stitches is duplicated on each side of the corner. Further, the switch 21 in FIG. 2 is set to "3" because the number of stitches with one needle is three at the second corner portion (B portion). Also, the switch 22 is set to "1" for the third corner portion (C portion). For this example, the designating means 24 is set to "3" because the number of corners is three in this example. Further, the changing means 10 is set to the right because all of the one-needle sewing operations are operations with the right needle 5 of the sewing machine 1. Now, the ordinary high speed operation using two needles is carried out before the point 100 in FIG. 3, and is performed by one-directional tread operation of the pedal 7. The needles are stopped at the point 100 in FIG. 3 by returning the pedal 7 to the neutral position.
Next, when a corner sewing signal is generated, the electromagnet 12 operates to rotate the changing means 9 to the right side by the control means 8. Then the control means 8 operates the motor 6 to perform one-needle sewing between the points 100 to 200 during the single period set by the first number-of-stitches setting means 20. The needles are stopped at the point 200. When the direction of the cloth is changed at this point 200 and the pedal 7 is again treaded to the forward direction, one needle sewing is again performed during the single section between the points 200 to 300 set by the first number-of-stitches setting means 20. Then, the control means 8 operates the electromagnet 11 rotating the changing means 9 to the left side, and the sewing is returned to two-needle sewing at the point 300. Two-needle sewing is performed in the section 300 to 400.
When the needles are stopped at the point 400 by positioning the pedal 7 to the neutral position, and the changing means 9 is turned on, sewing is again changed to one-needle sewing, which is performed between the points 400 to 500 during the three periods set by the second number-of-stitches setting means 21. Subsequently, the needle is stopped at the point 500, the direction of the cloth is changed, and then one-needle sewing is performed by the forward direction tread operation of the pedal 7 for the three periods set by the second number-of-stitches setting means 21. Thereafter, the sewing operation is returned to two-needle sewing.
In the C portion shown in FIG. 6, the one-needle sewing is also performed during the single period set by the third number-of-stitches setting means 22.
In the two-needle sewing machine of the prior art, as described above, a bent seam is sewn in the cloth, and the amount of the cloth fed by a cloth feeding mechanism is little because, when the direction of the cloth is changed, a cloth presser is lifted. The cloth presser is moved downward to perform the one-needle sewing after the needles are stopped at the point 200. Therefore, compensation sewing must be performed with an auxiliary switch or the like because the number of the stitches between the points 100 and 200 is different from that of the stitches between the points 200 and 300.
Further, the sewing machine of the prior art has the disadvantage that it cannot be used in case the number of the stitches between the points 100 and 200 must be different form that of the stitches between the points 200 and 300 when a special corner portion is to be sewn.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to solve the above problem. More specifically, the object of the invention is to obtain two-needle sewing in which it is not necessary to conform the stitches by the compensation sewing with the auxiliary switch or the like and special corner sewing patterns can be performed.
The two-needle sewing apparatus of the invention comprises a sewing machine including a needle bar mechanism capable for sewing with two needles separated from each other and for sewing with one of the needles by stopping the other needle. Changing means connected to the needle bar mechanism change the needle bar mechanism to the two-needle sewing condition or to one-needle operation of either the right or left needle. A plurality of selecting means select either the right or left needle with respect to a plurality of corner sewing portions when the changing means changes the needle bar mechanism to the one-needle sewing condition. Number-of-stitches setting means sets a sewing period of the one-needle sewing condition set by the changing means.
Control means control the sewing machine and the driving means of the sewing machine by receiving a command from the number-of-stitches setting means. Further, the number-of-stitches setting means includes a first number of stitches setting means for setting a number of stitches in the first part of one corner portion, and a second number-of-stitches means for setting a number of stitches in a second subsequent part of the corner portion. The second number-of-stitches setting means is independent of the first number-of-stitches setting means.
In the two-needle sewing apparatus of the invention, the control means control the sewing machine and the driving means operating the sewing machine by receiving the number-of-stitches setting signal from the number-of-stitches setting means. The control means set the numbers of stitches in the two respective sections. In one of the sections, the two-needle sewing is changed to one-needle sewing by the number-of-stitches setting means, and the one-needle sewing is performed to the corner. In the other section, the one needle sewing is again performed from the corner, and then the sewing is return to the two-needle sewing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram showing the complete sewing machine of the prior art.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing the operating panel of the sewing machine of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a sewing pattern sewn by the sewing machine of the prior art.
FIG. 4 shows an operating panel according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the example of a sewing pattern in this invention including a corner portion having an obtuse angle.
FIG. 6 shows the overall structure of one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
An embodiment of the invention will be described hereinunder by referring to the attached drawings. In FIG. 4, within an operating panel 13 is shown a first number-of-stitches setting means 20 for the first section of the first corner portion. There are additionally provided similar first number-of-stitches setting means 21, 22 and 23 for the second, third and fourth corner portions respectively. A second number-of-stitches setting means 30 sets a second number of stitches for the second section of the first corner portion. Corresponding second number-of-stitches setting means 31, 32 and 33 are provided for the second, third and fourth corner portions.
A designating means 24 determines the total number of operative pairs of setting means in these four pairs of number-of-stitches setting means 20 to 23 and 30 to 33.
Further, corresponding selecting means 40 to 43 select one needle bar of the right or left needle bar used for the one-needle sewing in the first to fourth corner portions. Since other components are similar to the components of the prior art shown in FIG. 1, the description of these other components is omitted. FIG. 5 shows an example of a sewing pattern in which the needle is moved downward at the circle marks shown in FIG. 5 in order to perform the sewing.
In the embodiment of the invention, built as described above, if the sewing is performed along the sewing pattern of FIG. 5, the first number-of-stitches setting means 20 of the first section of the first corner portion is set to "2" because the number of stitches of one-needle sewing between the points 100 to 200 is two at the first corner portion (A portion). The second number-of-stitches setting means 30 of the first corner portion is set to "2" because the number of stitches between points 200 to 300 is also two.
The first number-of-stitches setting means 21 of the second corner portion is set to "1" because the number of stitches of one-needle sewing between the points 400 to 500 is 1 at the second corner portion (B portion). The second number-of-stitches setting means 31 of the second corner portion is set to "0" because two-needle sewing is performed after the needle is stopped at the point 500.
As described above, when the sewing is performed at the corner portion having an obtuse angle, the numbers of stitches of one needle sewings may be different from each other in the sections before and after the changing of the direction of a cloth.
Therefore, if a corner sewing signal is inputted to the control means when the needle is positioned at the point 400 in the B portion, the number of stitches is read from the first number-of-stitches setting means 21 for the second corner. Subsequently, one stitch of one-needle sewing is performed and the needle is stopped at the point 500.
Since the second number-of-stitches setting means 31 of the second corner is set to "0", the two-needle sewing is immediately performed, and no more one-needle sewing is performed.
The settings of the number-of-stitches for the third and fourth corner portions will not be described. Since they are similar to the corners already described.
Next, the whole structure for the control of a sewing machine will be described with reference to FIG. 6. A switching means 7, represented by, for example, a treadle switch, commands the operation of the sewing machine 1. The panel 13 is shown in FIG. 4. A microprocessor 816 controls the driving of the sewing machine 1 on the basis of the command signal of the switching means 7 and the setting signals of the number-of-stitches setting means in the control panel 13. The microprocessor will be abbreviated to MPU hereafter. A memory 818 stores the various kinds of information required for the sewing. A speed control circuit 820 controls the speed as instructed by the MPU 816. A driving motor 6 has damping means, such as the clutch and the brake of the sewing machine 1. A detector 4, attached to a pulley 3 of the sewing machine 1, detects the up and down positions of the needles and the speed of the sewing machine needles. The detector 4 outputs to the MPU 816 detecting signals corresponding respectively to the up and down positions and the operating speed of the sewing machine needle to MPU 816.
The operation of the means described above will be described hereunder. Now, let us suppose that the sewing pattern as shown in FIG. 5 is selected, and each number of stitches is set by the number-of-stitches setting means 20, 30, 21 and 31 for the sections 100 to 200, 200 to 300, and 400 to 500, as described above.
First, the operating command signal is outputted to MPU 816 by treading the pedal in one direction and thus working the switching means 7. The MPU 816 reads the information from the number-of-stitches setting means 20 to 23 and 30 to 33, and stores the information in the memory 818. Then, the MPU 816 drives the driving motor 6 through the speed control circuit 820 at the predetermined constant speed in accordance with the stored information, and counts the number of stitches by receiving the needle down position signals as count signals outputted from the detector 4. Further, the MPU 816 controls the changing electromagnets 11 and 12 in the sewing machine 1. Therefore, the driving motor 6 is driven at the constant speed by the operating command signal of the switching means 7, and the two-needle sewing is started.
The down movement of the needles is stopped by returning the pedal 7 to the neutral position when the needles are positioned at the point 100 in the first corner portion A. When the corner sewing signal is outputted to the control means by treading the pedal 7 in the other direction (reverse direction), sewing with only the needle on one side (one-needle sewing) is performed by working the electromagnet 11 or 12 designated by the switch 10. During the time that one-needle sewing is performed between the points 100 and 200, two stitches are counted by the control means 8 receiving the count signals from the detector 4 and thereafter the down movement of the used needle is stopped. At the point 200, the direction of the cloth is changed, and then one-needle sewing is again started by the forward direction treading operation of the pedal 7. The one-needle sewing is again performed between the points 200 and 300. Then the sewing is returned to two-needle sewing by working the changing electromagnet 11 or 12 in the sewing machine 1 after two stitches are counted by counting the count signals from the position detector. The cloth is sewn at high speed from the point 300 to the point 400 located at the beginning of the second corner portion. The speed is determined by the degree of depression of the tread of the pedal 7. The cloth is again sewn with the designated number of stitches by the same operation described above, and each of subsequent corner portions are sewn.
In the above embodiment of the invention, the number of the corner that is being sewn at the present time is not necessarily apparent to the operator. Therefore, display means may be installed on the sewing system. The display means displays the number of the corner being sewn at the present time or displays whether the direction of the cloth is to be changed or not.
Furthermore, a mode switch 44 may be installed on the sewing system. The mode switch changes the control method from that of the invention to the prior art control method including only one number-of-stitches setting mechanism for each corner portion. In this situation, the second number-of-stitches setting means 30 to 33 are ignored and the contents of the first number-of-stitches setting means 20 to 23 are used by the MPU 816 for both of the sections around each corner.
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the number of stitches set by the first number-of-stitches setting means is different than that of the stitches set by the second number-of-stitches setting means when the corner is an obtuse angle. Obviously, the numbers of stitches that are set can be arbitrary.
Although, in the described embodiment, the number of stitches is not set to "0" by the first number-of-stitches setting means, a regulating circuit may be installed for this case. The corner sewing is then inhibited by the regulating circuit when the number-of-stitches is set to 0 by the first number-of-stitches setting means.
As described above, according to the invention, different numbers of stitches can be set respectively in the portions of the seam immediately before and after cloth direction changing point in a corner portion. Therefore, the two-needle sewing machine operates well and without the necessity of auxiliary sewing if the number of stitches in the seam before the cloth changing point is different from that of the seam after the cloth changing point because the seam in the cloth is bent or the like. Further, such a two-needle sewing machine can be used when a specific corner such as the corner having an obtuse angle is sewn with one needle.
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A two-needle sewing machine which is switched to one-needle sewing at corners. The number of stitches at the beginning of the corner before the changing of the cloth direction is independently set from the number of stitches afterwards. Multiple corners are accommodated by multiple pairs of numerical switches.
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BACKGROUND
1. Field Of The Invention
This patent relates to liquid dispensing cartridges for automated dispensing systems. More specifically, this patent relates to an ink cartridge with self-closing valve for use with automatic lithographic presses.
2. Description Of The Related Art
Lithography is a printmaking process dating back to the 1700s in which ink is applied to a plate having both image and non-image areas. The image areas are ink-receptive and water-repellent. The non-image areas are water-receptive and ink-repellent. In rotary type lithographic presses the ink plate is mounted on a cylinder that rotates during printing. In one typical configuration, the plate cylinder picks up the ink at the image areas and transfers the image to a blanket cylinder, which then transfers the image to the paper. In multi-color sheet-fed type lithographic presses, multiple inking stations are placed in series. Each station has its own ink feeding system and handles a separate color. As the paper sheet moves from station to station, a new color is put down at each station.
Because lithographic ink is thixotropic, conventional lithographic ink feeding systems require a complex system of drums, vibrators and fountain rollers to handle and dispense the highly viscous ink. In a typical lithographic ink feeding system, workers remove the ink from a drum (or, in some cases, small tins) with specially made spatulas and spread the ink across a tray (the ink fountain). Fountain rollers roll against the ink fountain to pick up the ink and transfer it to the plate cylinder. The process is labor intensive and subject to error.
It is also difficult to store and reuse lithographic ink in drums. The ink is prone to oxidation which can result in color variations from one press run to another, and even from sheet to sheet within a single run. In addition, upon exposure of the ink to the atmosphere, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) evaporate, which can cause ink spoilage.
Some modern lithographic printers use specially designed cartridges to dispense ink, such as that described in Rea et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,797. These cartridges are much smaller than drums, being typically nine to thirteen inches long and about three and a half to five inches in diameter. During printing, the ink cartridge moves back and forth across the fountain, dispensing ink into a fountain trough or directly onto an ink form roller. In automated presses, the amount of ink in the trough is continually monitored and replenished as needed.
Ink cartridges can be easily filled, transported, used and reused. The cartridge minimizes exposure of the ink to the atmosphere and also minimizes the amount of residual ink left in the cartridge after use.
Ink cartridges typically comprise a hollow cylindrical body, a plunger at one end and a dispensing fitment at the opposite end. The cylindrical body is filled with ink. The plunger can move axially within the cylindrical body. The ink is extruded from the dispenser when the plunger is forced toward the dispensing end by, for example, mechanical or pneumatic pressure.
The dispensing fitment is mounted in sealing engagement within the dispensing end of the cylindrical body and typically has a valve for opening and closing the cartridge. In the ink cartridge described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,797, the valve is recessed below the rim of the cartridge so it does not become damaged during shipment and storage. However, the valve must be manually opened to allow ink to flow, which is time consuming and can lead to error. In addition, valves that stay open until manually closed work poorly with lower viscosity inks because of their tendency to“drool.” This is particularly troublesome in the United States, where inks are made with varying degrees of viscosity. A number of automatic valves have been tried that open and close in response to pressure from the ink, but they tend to remain open when the pressure is decreased, thereby allowing ink to continue to be extruded.
Thus there exists a need for an ink cartridge dispensing valve that opens when subjected to pressure from the ink and closes automatically and completely when the pressure is decreased below a certain predetermined level, even when used with lower viscosity inks. The present invention satisfies this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an improved ink cartridge of the type used to dispense ink in automatic lithographic presses. The ink cartridge comprises a hollow cylindrical body for holding a supply of extrudable ink and has a plunger end and a dispensing end. The plunger end is closed by a plunger adapted to act as a piston within the cylindrical body to extrude the contents of the dispenser when the plunger is forced toward the dispensing end by mechanical or pneumatic pressure. The dispensing end is closed by a dispensing fitment affixed to the cylindrical body by glue or other suitable means. The improvement comprises a valve member mounted over a central aperture in the dispensing fitment, the valve member being adapted to open when subjected to pressure from the ink and close automatically and completely when the pressure is decreased below a certain predetermined level.
In the improved ink cartridge, a substantially cylindrical nozzle extends from the periphery of the dispensing fitment aperture and terminates in a rim. The nozzle defines a substantially cylindrical space. A flexible molded plastic spring is mounted within the cylindrical space and urges the valve member against the nozzle rim. The spring is bowed rearward in the direction of the plunger when the valve member is in the closed position. The spring has openings to accommodate the flow of ink through or around the spring.
The valve member is located downstream of and supported by the spring. The valve member is moveable between a closed position in which the valve member is urged against the nozzle rim by the biasing force of the spring, and an open position in which the valve member is raised above the nozzle rim to create an annular opening when pressure applied by the ink to the spring and to the valve member exceeds the biasing force of the spring.
In one embodiment, the valve member comprises a substantially flat disk-shaped portion and prongs extending upward from the disk-shaped portion and through a hole in the spring to secure the valve member to the spring.
The plunger comprises a substantially circular disk portion and a sidewall extending from the periphery of the disk portion in a direction away from the dispensing fitment. Preferably, the plunger includes an annular ring protruding from the circular disk portion in the direction of the dispensing fitment. The annular ring has a cylindrical outer wall and a concave inner wall and is adapted to fit around the valve member prongs and within the space defined by the nozzle to minimize ink left in the cartridge when the plunger is fully depressed.
THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge and dispensing fitment according to the present invention, shown with an optional shipping and storage cap mounted over the valve;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge and dispensing fitment of FIG. 1, shown with an optional nozzle extension mounted over the valve and the valve in the open position;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and dispensing fitment of FIG. 1 taken along line 3 — 3 ;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and dispensing fitment of FIG. 2 taken along line 4 — 4 ;
FIG. 5 is top planar view of the dispensing fitment of FIG. 1, shown with the storage and shipping cap removed; and
FIG. 6 is a bottom planar view of the dispensing fitment of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Turning to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1-4 an ink cartridge 10 of the type used for lithographic printing presses. The ink cartridge 10 comprises a hollow cylindrical body 12 , a plunger 14 mounted in sliding engagement within one end of the cylindrical body 12 , and a dispensing fitment 16 glued or otherwise affixed to the opposite end of the body 12 .
In automated lithographic printing presses, the ink cartridge 10 is mounted within a cartridge carriage (not shown) with the dispensing fitment 16 facing down. During operation, the carriage moves laterally along the length of a fountain roller while an ink level sensor constantly monitors the amount of ink in the fountain roller to determine the exact locations where ink is needed. When a low level of ink is detected by the sensor, the controller activates an air supply which forces air against the pneumatically controlled plunger 14 slidingly engaged within the cartridge, which then forces ink onto the fountain roller.
The cylindrical body 12 has a plunger (filling) end (not shown) and a dispensing end that terminates in a rim 18 . Preferably, the cylindrical body 12 is made of convolutely wound paper lined internally with polymeric material, although any suitable materials may be used, including, depending on the application, metal or plastic. In practice, the cylindrical body 12 typically is about nine or thirteen inches long, but any suitable length may be used depending on need.
The plunger 14 comprises a substantially circular disk portion 20 and a peripheral sidewall 22 extending upward therefrom (upward being defined as the direction away the dispensing end when the plunger 14 is inserted into the plunger end of the cylindrical body 12 ). The plunger 14 is inserted into the filling end of the ink cartridge 10 in sliding engagement with the inner wall of the cylindrical body 12 after the cartridge 10 is filled with ink.
A centrally disposed annular ring 24 protrudes from the circular disk 20 toward the dispensing fitment 16 . The annular ring 24 has a substantially cylindrical outer wall 25 and a concave inner wall 26 . and is adapted to fit within the space defined by the dispensing fitment cylindrical nozzle 42 when the plunger is fully depressed. The concave shape of the inner wall 26 is designed to accommodate the upwardly extending prongs 54 of the valve member 50 described below, allowing the plunger 14 to fit flush against the dispensing fitment 16 when the ink is fully dispensed from the cartridge 10 , as shown in FIG. 4, thereby minimizing ink waste.
The dispensing fitment 16 is mounted in sealing engagement within the bottom end of the cartridge body 12 . The fitment 16 may be glued to the inner wall of the cartridge body 12 or attached by any other suitable means. The dispensing fitment 16 is generally cup-shaped, and includes a flat covering portion 32 , a sidewall 34 formed around the periphery of the covering portion 32 , and an orifice 38 disposed in covering portion 32 through which ink can flow. A closure flange 36 extends radially outwardly from the bottom end of the sidewall 34 . When the dispensing fitment 20 is fully inserted into the cylindrical body 12 , the closure flange 36 abuts the rim 18 of the cylindrical body 12 to prevent further insertion of the dispensing fitment 16 . The dispensing fitment 16 also has an optional stiffening wall 40 extending downward from the flat covering portion 32 and a substantially cylindrical nozzle 42 extending downward from the perimeter of the orifice 38 but not beyond a plane defined by the bottom surface of the flange 36 . The nozzle 42 defines a substantially cylindrical space and may have a beveled rim 43 .
In a key aspect of the invention, a flexible spring means 44 and valve member 50 are mounted within the space defined by the cylindrical nozzle 42 . Preferably, the spring means 44 is formed of molded plastic and is held within an annular groove located along the inside of the nozzle 42 . Alternatively, the spring means 44 may be formed as an integral part of the nozzle 42 and dispensing fitment 16 as shown in the figures. In the illustrated embodiment, the spring means 44 comprises a central portion 46 and bridge portions 48 extending between the central portion 46 and the nozzle 42 . The central portion 46 has an opening therein, the purpose of which will now be explained.
A valve member 50 comprises a substantially rigid disk-shaped portion 52 and rearward or upward extending prongs 54 . The valve member 50 is attached to the flexible spring means 44 by inserting the prongs 54 into the opening in the central portion 46 of the flexible spring 44 . The diskshaped portion 52 may have a beveled edge 53 that abuts the beveled rim 43 of the cylindrical nozzle 42 when the valve member 50 is in the closed position.
The invention works in the following manner. In its relaxed, non-pressurized state (FIG. 3 ), the flexible spring 44 is concave, that is, bowed rearward (upward) in the direction of the plunger 14 (not shown in FIG. 3 ). When the flexible spring 44 is in this relaxed state, the valve member disk-shaped portion 52 is seated against the beveled edge or rim 43 of the nozzle 42 and ink cannot flow.
When pressure is exerted on the plunger 14 (indicated by arrows in FIG. 4 ), the plunger 14 is forced forward (downward) into the cartridge, causing the ink to exert pressure on the spring 44 and on the valve member diskshaped portion 52 . When the ink pressure exceeds the biasing force of the spring 44 , the valve member 50 moves forward, pulling the flexible spring 44 downward, and creating an annular opening 60 between the nozzle rim 43 and the valve disk-shaped portion 52 through which ink can flow, as shown in FIG. 4 .
When the ink pressure force decreases below the biasing force of the spring, the flexible spring 44 returns to its original concave position, reseating the valve disk-shaped portion 52 against the nozzle rim 43 and automatically closing the valve.
An optional nozzle extension 62 (FIGS. 2 and 4) may be attached to the substantially cylindrical nozzle 42 extending from the dispensing fitment 16 via a snap-fit or other attachment means to help guide the flow of ink. An optional removable cap 64 (FIGS. 1 and 3) may be used to cover the valve member 50 when the cartridge 10 is not is use.
Without the optional nozzle extension 62 (but preferably with the optional cap 64 installed), the cartridge can be set on a flat surface with the dispensing end facing down. The cartridge can be stacked this way until ready for use.
Thus the present invention provides an ink cartridge having a self-closing valve that opens when subjected to pressure from the ink and closes automatically and completely when the pressure on the valve is decreased below a predetermined level, even when used with lower viscosity inks. The cartridge automatically dispenses ink when the plunger end is depressed, forcing ink through the annular opening 60 between the nozzle 42 and the valve member 50 . When pressure on the plunger is reduced to a predetermined level, the valve automatically and completely closes. The present invention is particularly suitable as an ink dispenser for use with sheet fed lithographic presses having an automatic ink level sensor.
Other modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention are contemplated which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the foregoing teachings and appended claims. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications that fall within their scope.
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An improved ink cartridge of the type used to dispense ink in automatic lithographic presses. The ink cartridge comprises a hollow cylindrical body for holding a supply of extrudable ink, a plunger and a dispensing fitment. The improvement comprises a valve member mounted over a central aperture in the dispensing fitment and a flexible molded plastic spring that biases the valve member in the closed position. The valve member opens when subjected to pressure from the ink and closes automatically and completely when the ink pressure is less than the biasing force of the flexible spring.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to information recording and, more specifically, to multistyli recording systems, printer-plotters and apparatus capable of printing gray tone graphical and picture information as well as line graphics and alphanumerical characters. The invention also relates to digital facsimile receivers.
2. Prior-Art Statement
Reciprocating facsimile apparatus have been known for a long time, as may, for instance, be seen from U.S. Pat. No. 2,311,803, by R. J. Wise et al, employing a flying pen or stylus. Some systems have attempted to dispense with the need for a stylus drive by arranging a series of stationary styli across the recording medium or paper, as may, for instance, be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,937,064, by D. A. Walsh. In practice, stationary recording styli impose a severe limit to attainable resolution.
Some prior-art proposals have attempted to overcome such and other drawbacks by providing moving styli or stylus assemblies with the aid of endless bands, as may, for instance, be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,752, by H. C. Waterman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,250, by T. H. Gifft and French Pat. No. 1.349.168, by A. Hermet. In an effort to overcome design and performance limitations of such endless belt systems, a multistyli system of the type shown, for instance, in British Pat. No. 943,011 has been developed. In particular, this British patent discloses an electrically controlled character printer which prints using a plurality of styli, each stylus printing one character in a line of characters. The styli are oscillated by an amplitude equal to the stylus spacing and equal to the width of characters to be printed. At the same time the record sheet is continuously moved in a direction at right angles to the line of styli so that each character is built up over a plurality of stylus oscillations with the styli being activated at proper points within the oscillation cycle to produce a character formed by a number of print dots resulting from the stylus striking an ink ribbon disposed between the styli and the record sheet or formed by such other known ways as Xerography. As a matter of interest, recording systems in which the lateral deflections of styli are limited to interstylus spacing are disclosed in German Pat. No. 936,582, by J. Dreyfus-Graf.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,931, assigned to the subject assignee and herewith incorporated by reference herein, discloses a multi-styli recorder where the styli are again oscillated transverse to the record sheet motion to effect marking by electric discharges through an electro-sensitive record sheet. Each stylus prints within an assigned band as the record sheet is continuously advanced. The multichannel recorder disclosed produces a record with information displayed as a print intensity modulation which may vary down each band and between bands.
Variation in print intensity is achieved by varying the styli discharge pulse rate so that high print intensities are achieved with a high pulse rate and thus pulse density. The pulse rate of each stylus is varied in accordance with the usually analogue signal applied to each of the recorder channels.
Patterson, Ruffell, Walker and Schwartz in "A Digital Input Picture Printer System", a paper presented at the National Electronics and Geophysics Convention at the University of Auckland, August 1974, have described a printer capable of printing alpha-numerica characters and gray tone graphics and pictures which was developed from the multistyli recorder of the latter U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,931. The printer disclosed by Patterson et al prints each line of information as a series of dots, the size-intensity of which are determined by the styli writing pulse length and each line is printed while the styli are oscillated in a left to right direction with an amplitude equal to the styli spacing. The styli printing information is accepted and stored for the subsequent line as the styli are oscillated in a right to left direction during which time the electro-sensitive record sheet is advanced by a predetermined line spacing distance.
With the latter type of equipment, a certain printing speed increase may be brought about by increasing the stylus reciprocation frequency. However, practically attainable speed increases are limited by such factors as vibration and mechanical load on the stylus drive due to the mass of the stylus head and reciprocation assembly. Such factors increase as the square of the stylus reciprocation frequency, imposing thereby a natural limit that can only be overcome by a radically new approach.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of this invention to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages.
It is a related object of this invention to provide improved stylus-type recording systems.
It is a germane object of this invention to increase attainable recording speed in stylus-type recording systems.
It is also an object of this invention to reduce stylus assembly vibrations in multistyli recording systems.
It is also an object of this invention to provide improved methods and apparatus for recording information with a plurality of recording styli distributed across, and reciprocated transversely of, a recording area.
It is also an object of this invention to provide multistyli recording systems and gray tone line printerplotters capable of printing high quality, high resolution gray tone pictures, line graphics and alpha-numerics at high writing speeds not achieved by prior-art equipment.
Other objects will become apparent in the further course of this disclosure.
From one aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in a method of recording information with a stylus assembly in a recording area, and resides more specifically in the improvement comprising in combination the steps of providing a mass, forming an eccentric in two halves and minimizing any force couple between said two halves by arranging said two halves immediately adjacent to each other, reciprocating the stylus assembly relative to the recording area with the aid of one of said two halves, reciprocating said mass in phase opposition to the reciprocating stylus assembly with the aid of the other of said two halves, and dynamically balancing the reciprocating stylus assembly with the reciprocating mass.
From another aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in a method of recording information with a stylus assembly in a recording area, and resides more specifically in the improvement comprising in combination the steps of providing a counterweight of a mass corresponding to the mass of the stylus assembly, forming an eccentric in two halves and minimizing any force couple between said two halves by arranging said two halves immediately adjacent to each other, reciprocating the stylus assembly relative to the recording area with the aid of one of said two halves, reciprocating the counterweight in phase opposition to the reciprocating stylus assembly with the aid of the other of said two halves, and dynamically balancing the reciprocating stylus assembly with the reciprocating counterweight.
From another aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in a method of recording information with a stylus assembly, and resides more specifically in the improvement comprising in combination the steps of providing a mass, forming an eccentric in two halves and minimizing any force couple between said two halves by arranging said two halves immediately adjacent to each other, coupling one of said two halves to the stylus assembly and coupling the other of said two halves to said mass, and jointly reciprocating the stylus assembly and said mass in phase opposition to each other by rotating said eccentric.
From another aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in a method of recording information with a stylus assembly, and resides more specifically in the improvement comprising in combination the steps of forming an eccentric in two halves and minimizing any force couple between said two halves by arranging said two halves immediately adjacent to each other, providing a counterweight of a mass corresponding to the mass of the stylus assembly, coupling one of said two halves to the stylus assembly and coupling the other of said two halves to the counterweight, and jointly reciprocating with said eccentric the stylus assembly and the counterweight in phase opposition to each other.
From another aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in apparatus for recording information with a stylus assembly in a recording area, and resides more specifically in the improvement comprising, in combination, first means for reciprocating the stylus assembly relative to the recording area including an eccentric composed of two immediately adjacent halves and means for coupling one of said halves to the stylus assembly, and means for dynamically balancing the reciprocating stylus assembly including a counterweight and means coupled to the other of side two halfs for reciprocating the counterweight in phase opposition to the reciprocating stylus assembly.
From another aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in apparatus for recording information with a stylus assembly, and resides more specifically in the improvement comprising, in combination, a counterweight, an eccentric composed of two immediately adjacent halves, for jointly reciprocating the stylus assembly and the counterweight in phase opposition to each other, including means for coupling, one of said halves to said stylus assembly, means for coupling the other of said halves to said counterweight, and means for rotating said eccentric.
From another aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in apparatus for recording information with a stylus assembly in a recording area, and resides more specifically in the improvement comprising, in combination, an eccentric comprising two immediately adjacent halves one of which is coupled to the stylus assembly for reciprocating the stylus assembly relative to the recording area, and means for dynamically balancing the reciprocating stylus assembly including a counterweight and means for coupling said two halves to each other, at an extreme angular displacement relative to each other, and means for coupling the other of said two halves to the counterweight for reciprocating the counterweight in phase opposition to the reciprocating stylus assembly.
From another aspect thereof, the subject invention resides in apparatus for recording information with a stylus assembly in a recording area, and resides more specifically in the improvement comprising, in combination, a shaft, means for rotating said shaft, an eccentric composed of two immediately adjacent halves located on said shaft, with one of said halves coupled to the stylus assembly for reciprocating the stylus assembly relative to the recording area during rotation of the shaft, and means for dynamically balancing the reciprocating stylus assembly including a counterweight and means for coupling said two halves to each other at an extreme angular displacement relative to each other, and means for coupling the other of said two halves to the counterweight for reciprocating the counterweight in phase opposition to the reciprocating stylus assembly during rotation of the shaft.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The subject invention and its objects and aspects will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a top view of a multistyli recording apparatus having a dynamic balancing feature according to a preferred embodiment of the subject invention, with non-essential or conventional parts omitted for increased clarity;
FIG. 2 is an elevation of the multistyli recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a section through an eccentric drive assembly according to a further preferred embodiment of the subject invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
By way of background and example, the illustrated multistyli recorder or printer 60 has a main frame assembly 61, including metal plate side walls 62 and 63. A recording paper 52 passes over or around a grounded platen at a series of recording styli 51 distributed across a recording area 110 located on the recording paper between dotted lines 112 and 113.
The styli 51 may be of a mechanical, optical, magnetic, electrical or other type for recording information in the recording area 110. By way of example, an electronic stylus driver 53 selectively energizes the styli 51 to cause them to record information in the recording area 110 on electrosensitive paper 52.
The platen 50 may be part of the drive of the recording paper 52 which may also include supply and takeup rollers, pinch rollers and other paper drive equipment, which may be conventional and a showing of which has been omitted for the purpose of increased clarity.
For instance, the paper transport mechanism may include a metal plate deck (not shown) which stretches across most of the main frame between side walls 62 and 63 to support the recording paper 52 adjacent the platen 50 which drives the paper.
In practice, printing with the styli 51 typically occurs along a line extending on the surface of the paper 52 along, and parallel to the axis of rotation of, the platen 50; the styli being reciprocated transversely to the recording area 110 for this purpose.
An electric stepping motor 65 is coupled to the platen 50 via an internal reduction drive and effects paper advance pursuant to a preferred embodiment.
The motion or advance of the paper 52 preferably proceeds in discrete increments rather than continuously, with one incremental advance occurring between each adjacent pair of lines to be printed. The stepping motor 65 and associated drive may be designed to produce one paper advance increment of 1/8 mm for each angular step of the motor. Since the paper typically will be required to be moved 1/8 mm within, say, 4 milliseconds, without over-shoot or chatter, the motor must be carefully controlled. The motor winding control is preferably effected by a transistor switching system which uses unclamped constant current circuits, that is no feed back diodes, to enable more rapid switching.
FIGS. 1 and 2 also show the stylus head assembly 67 and stylus head wag drive 68. The stylus head assembly 67 comprises a head support 71 which is mounted on leaf springs 72 and 73 anchored to the main frame assembly by blocks 74 and 75, respectively, so that stylus head support is parallel to main frame 61 or main frame base plate. The leaf springs 72 and 73 may be provided with corresponding cutouts (not shown), if it is desired to locate the platen 50 more toward the styli or otherwise to accommodate the curvature of platen 50.
Leaf springs 72 and 73 form a spring suspension for the stylus assembly 67 which enables the stylus head support 71 to be oscillated parallel to the axis of the platen 50 and thus transverse to the longitudinal direction of the paper to be printed. Vertical motion is made negligible by making the leaf spring lengths much greater than the reciprocation amplitude. In place of leaf springs 72 and 73, it would be possible to use a slide arrangement to facilitate the oscillating or reciprocating motion of the head support; but the leaf spring mounting has been found superior for higher oscillation frequencies.
As seen in FIG. 1, the stylus head per se comprises a bar 76 which carries a number of leaf springs 78 which, in turn, carry the styli 51. The springs 78 with styli 51 are electrically insulated from each other and may be grouped into stylus modules which in a preferred prototype contain 16 styli per module. By way of example, each stylus consists of a tungsten tip mounted in the end of a leaf spring 78 cantilevered from the mounting bar 76 or module base. In use, the tungsten tips are held in continuous contact with the paper by the stored force in leaf springs 78. The styli diameter is preferably about 0.15 mm and the length of the cantilevered leaf spring 78 is a compromise between torsional stability which is degraded with length, and predictable stylus pressure which is enhanced with increasing length.
The stylus head is mounted in the support 67 with fastenings passing preferably through head apertures into threaded bores (not shown) provided in the head support.
To permit high oscillation frequencies, the stylus head assembly is made as light as possible and for this reason, no provision is made in the preferred embodiment to hinge the styli away from the paper and paper transport mechanism. Separation of the two may be performed by sliding the paper transport mechanism rearwardly on lateral slides (not shown).
In the predecessor multistyli printer described in the above mentioned Patterson et al paper, the stylus assembly was very massive as compared to the stylus assembly 67 and, at the writing speed of that printer, provided tolerable overall vibration. On the other hand, a combination of higher transverse scan styli speed and much lower machine or stylus assembly mass brought about unacceptable vibration in experimental predecessors of the illustrated printer. This problem has been solved by the dynamic balancing methods and devices of the subject invention.
In particular, the stylus assembly 67 is oscillated by a servo-controlled DC motor 80. According to the illustrated preferred embodiment of the subject invention, the output shaft 84 of the servo motor 80 carries a double eccentric 81. The eccentric is formed in two halves 82 and 83, with the eccentric half 82 being coupled to a stylus head connecting rod 85 which passes through apertures in the stylus head support 71 and is connected thereto by fasteners, one of which is seen at 86.
Rotation of the eccentric 81 by the DC motor 80 thus causes the stylus head assembly 67 to execute a reciprocating motion on leaf springs 72 and 73, which in the preferred form is simple harmonic. Equivalent other reciprocating drives could be employed and inevitable regions of changing velocity confined to the regions outside the assigned printing hands.
To overcome the above mentioned vibration of the printer caused by the oscillating or reciprocating stylus assembly 67 and its associated parts, a counterweight 90 may be oscillated or reciprocated in counter movement or phase opposition to the oscillation or reciprocation of the stylus assembly 67. As readily seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mass of the counterweight 90 is connected relative to the mass of the elongate stylus assembly 67.
According to the preferred embodiment of the subject invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the counterweight 90 is made up of two weights or masses 91 and 92 clamped to a leaf spring 93 and coupled to the upper eccentric half 83 by a rod 87. Adjustment of lower eccentric half 82 relative to the motor shaft axis determines the stylus head oscillation amplitude and relative angular orientation of the two eccentric halves permits vibration cancellation. A set screw 95 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a means for releasably retaining the eccenter parts in a set relative position.
According to the subject invention, the mass or counterweight 90 is reciprocated in phase opposition to the reciprocating stylus assembly 67, which is dynamically balanced with the reciprocating mass or counterweight 90.
According to a preferred embodiment of the subject invention, the counterweight 90 is provided with a mass corresponding to the mass of the stylus assembly 67. In particular, the mass of the counterweight 90 may be equal to the mass of the stylus assembly.
As shown at 72 and 73 for the stylus assembly, and at 93 for the counterweight or mass 90, the stylus assembly 67 and the counterweight or mass 90 may each be spring suspended. In particular, the leaf spring suspension technique used to support the stylus assembly 67 is in effect employed to suspend the counterweight 90 for oscillatory motion.
According to the subject invention, the double eccentric 81 jointly reciprocates the stylus assembly 67 and the counterweight or mass 90 in phase opposition to each other.
The double eccentric 81 shown in section in FIG. 3 has been found that effective in practice, that multistyli printers have been retrofitted therewith to reduce vibration, increase writing speed and enhance printout quality.
In particular, one half of the eccentric, herein sometimes called "first eccentric drive" 82 is located on the shaft 84 which is rotated by the servo motor 80. The first eccentric drive 82 is coupled to the stylus assembly 67 via a bearing 88, flange 89 and connecting rod 85 for reciprocating the stylus assembly 67 relative to the recording area 110 or paper 52 during rotation of the shaft 84.
In addition to the counterweight or mass 90, the means according to the illustrated preferred embodiment for dynamically balancing the reciprocating stylus assembly 67 includes the second half of the eccentric, herein sometimes called "second eccentric drive" 83, located on the shaft 84 and coupled to the first eccentric drive at an extreme angular displacement relative to the first eccentric drive. This extreme angular displacement may be a displacement by 180°. In other words, the phase angles of the first and second eccentric drives 82 a 83 may be diametrically opposed so that the oscillations or reciprocations of the stylus assembly 67 and counterweight or mass 90 are 180° out of phase.
According to the illustrated preferred embodiment of the subject invention, the first and second drives or eccenter halves 82 and 83 are mounted on a common shaft 84, and are arranged as closely together as possible or immediately adjacent to each other in order to coincide their lines of action and to minimize the force couple between them which, if substantial, would in itself produce vibration.
The upper or first eccentric drive 83 is coupled to the counterweight or mass 90 via a bearing 97, flange 98 and rod 87. The rod 87 is attached to the counterweight assembly 90, and preferably to the leaf spring 93 thereof. The counterweight or mass part 91, located on the side of the leaf spring 93 facing the eccentric 81, may have an aperture or bore 99 so that the part 91 clears the connecting rod 87 and thereby prevents objectionable forces from interfering with the operation of, and from imposing excessive wear, on the eccentric drive assembly.
The eccentric drives 82 and 83 are coupled to each other by one or more screws or bolts 100 which releasably clamp the drives 82 and 83 to each other. In this respect, it should be noted that the bolt 100 does not extend through the shaft 84. Rather, this bolt extends behind the shaft 84 as seen in FIG. 3, and a similar or corresponding bolt may, if desired, be provided on the side of the shaft 84 facing the observer of FIG. 3. In this respect, reference is made to FIG. 1 which shows a similar set screw 95 extending parallel to, but being spaced from the shaft 84. The bolt 100 has a shaft 101 which extends through a bore 102 in the eccenter drive 83. The shaft 101 of the bolt 100 has a threaded end 103 engaging the thread of an internally threaded bore 104. In this manner, the bolt 100 releasably clamps the first and second eccentric drives or eccenter halves 82 and 83 together.
In principle, either of the first and second eccentric drives 82 and 83 could be connected to the shaft 84, with the other of these eccentric drives being connected to that one eccentric drive and including means for adjusting the position of the other eccentric drive relative to that one eccentric drive. According to the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the second eccentric drive or upper eccenter half 83 is connected to the shaft 84. In particular, the upper half 83 may be attached to the shaft 84 by a press fit or, preferably, by a set screw (not shown).
Further radial set screws 106 and 107 act on the first eccentric drive 82 relative to the shaft 84 for radially adjusting and setting the first eccentric drive 82 relative to the second eccentric drive 83. To this end, the upper and lower eccenter halves 82 and 83 jointly define radial bores 108 and 109 for accommodating the set screws 106 and 107. To permit relative adjustment of the first half 82 relative to the second half 83, the upper half 110 of the bore 108 and the upper half 112 of the bore 109 are smooth, whereas the lower half 113 of the bore 108 and the lower half 114 of the bore 109 are internally threaded for meshing engagement by the screws 106 and 107, respectively.
Among several possible alternatives, the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3 elects to design and dimension the upper or second eccentric drive 83 for reciprocation of the counterweight or mass 90 at an amplitude equal to the maximum reciprocation amplitude of the stylus assembly 97. The preferred embodiment of FIG. 3 thus allocates reciprocation amplitude adjustment to the stylus head drive. In FIG. 3, the eccenter 81 is shown as set for minimum amplitude of the reciprocating stylus assembly 67. It may be noted in this respect that the largest clearance between the shaft 84 and the cylindrical wall of the axial bore 115 of the lower eccenter half 82 is at the left side of the shaft 84 as seen in FIG. 3.
The optimum reciprocation amplitude for the stylus assembly 67 may be set by either using a dial gauge or by observing printing in a test mode. In this respect, there should be no detectable gaps or overlaps between the adjacent bands printed by the reciprocating styli 91 in the recording area 110.
For gross adjustment, the clamp bolt or bolts 100 are slackened and axial adjustment is effected with the set screws, the angular position of the eccenter 81 relative to the connecting rods 85 and 87 then being such as to render the set screws 106 and 107 accessible by a screwdriver or suitable wrench. Since progressing tightening of the set screws 106 and 107 tends to jack the upper and lower eccenter halves 82 and 83 apart, it is important that the final adjustment, such as the last 5 to 10 mils, be done with the clamp bolt or bolts 100 in tight position. Final adjustment is thus done by just breaking the tightness of the set screw 106 or 107 which is paying out, tightening the takeup set screw 107 or 106, and then re-tightening the paying out set screw 106 or 107.
Practical tests have confirmed the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3 to present a compact, economical design which satisfies requirements for high precision. In any set position, the eccenter drive 81 is solid, free from backlash, and the amplitude can be adjusted while the angular relationship between the eccentric and the motor shaft 84 is preserved. This is important for the maintenance of a correct phase relationship between the writing encoder and the actual stylus movement.
In this respect, FIG. 2 shows an encoder disc 117 attached to the motor shaft 84 for rotation therewith, and a sensing unit assembly 118 forming part of a writing encoder that reads code markings on the rotating disc 117 to servo-control the motor 80 and stylus reciprocation and to provide timing signals for the stylus driver 53.
In this respect, the subject invention may be implemented in the multistyli printer or recording system as disclosed in the copending patent application entitled Multistyli Recording Systems and filed of even date herewith by H. F. Glavish and the subject inventor; that copending patent application being assigned to the subject assignee and being hereby incorporated by reference herein. In that system, the stylus reciprocation amplitude deliberately overshoots the recording band for each stylus on both sides thereof, and writing by any stylus is limited to an essentially linear velocity region of the reciprocation amplitude. The subject invention has been found to be particularly suited to an implementation of that system, in terms of a reduction of vibration effects and related quality degradations.
The teachings and principles of the subject invention may, of course, be applied to other reciprocating-stylus-type recorders and printers, and various modifications and variations within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent or suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.
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Methods and apparatus for recording information with a reciprocating stylus assembly provide a mass which preferably corresponds to the mass of the stylus assembly. The stylus assembly and the provided mass are jointly reciprocated in phase opposition to each other, whereby stylus assembly vibrations are practically eliminated and the recording system is dynamically balanced.
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BACKGROUND
In a typical inkjet recording or printing system, droplets of marking fluid, sometimes referred to as ink, are ejected from a nozzle, i.e., jetted, towards a recording medium to produce an image on the medium. The droplets generally include a colorant, such as one or more dyes or pigments, for marking the medium, and some aqueous or solvent-based carrier vehicle to facilitate controlled ejection of the marking fluid. While aqueous carrier vehicles are more environmentally friendly than solvent-based carrier vehicles, their colorants are usually more prone to smearing or durability concerns.
To improve the durability of aqueous marking fluids, polymer particles are often added to the marking fluid formulations. When printed as part of an inkjet ink, a polymer component of the ink can form a film on a media surface, entrapping and protecting the colorant within the hydrophobic print film.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons that will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, alternative polymer particles for marking fluid formulations and other applications, as well as their methods of manufacture, are desirable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method of forming polymer particles for use in marking fluids in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a depiction of a saponification reaction of a polymer particle in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a depiction of results of testing a marking fluid containing polymer particles in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following detailed description of the present embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments of the disclosure which may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the subject matter of the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that process, chemical or mechanical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
In order for the solid contents in a liquid marking fluid to jet and remain dispersed, a measurable balance of certain polar functional groups on the solid surfaces are typically required. Current water-based pigment ink technology utilizes traditional latex synthesis for polymer preparation, which offers many advantages to improve print quality. However, such synthetic methods are typically limiting the amount of polar monomers that can be incorporated for desired performance and product quality characteristics. Many acrylic and methacrylic monomers may be utilized to make functional latexes that could facilitate superior product quality, but such compositions are known to jet poorly due to an insufficient amount of polar functional groups.
The various embodiments modify the surface of the polymer particles to increase their surface polar group density to thereby facilitate an increase in the electrostatic repulsion of the otherwise unstable and non-jetting lattices to achieve thermal jetting. In particular, various embodiments utilize saponification to hydrolyze lattices containing embedded or pendent esters. Saponification is the hydrolysis of an ester under basic conditions to form an alcohol and the salt of a carboxylic acid. Embodiments described herein are applicable to any short-chain linear ester-containing latex formulations where beta-elimination is substantially absent, i.e., where the beta position is substituted, or the gamma or beta positions are protected by sterically hindered groups. Polymer particles containing a wide range of such esters, e.g., polymers containing 2-80% of linear short-chain esters, find use in the various embodiments. For some embodiments, the polymer particles contain an encapsulated colorant.
The various embodiments further include marking fluids containing polymer particles which have been surface modified in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure in an aqueous liquid vehicle. The marking fluid further contains one or more colorants, e.g., pigments or dyes, to impart color to the marking fluid. The marking fluid may further contain one or more surfactants, co-solvents, biocides and other components that affect shelf-life, performance or other characteristics of the marking fluid.
A typical reaction setup may involves refluxing preformed polymer in the presence of a nucleophilic base, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or potassium hydroxide (KOH), for 0.5 to 10 hours. The degree of hydrolysis will be dependent on the amount of base added as well as the length of reaction time. The pH of the resulting solution should generally be controlled to greater than or equal to 8 to facilitate dispersion stability. The final pH of the solution can be adjusted with additional base to obtain a particular pH for use in the marking fluid. The additional base may include a different base than that used for saponification. While a metallic alkali, such as NaOH or KOH, might be used for saponification, for example, a different base, such as ammonium hydroxide (NH 4 OH), could be used to adjust the final pH.
Polymers for use with various embodiments contain 2% or more by weight of an acrylic ester in the formulation. Monomers that provide spatial conformational flexibility generally promote film formation. Examples of these monomers could include n-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl-acrylate, hexylacrylate, and/or their methacrylate variation. In addition, monomers that provide film rigidity generally promote rub resistance. Examples of these monomers could include methacrylate, acrylonitrile, and styrene. Monomers that facilitate close range interactions such as hydrogen bonding and acid/base pairing can be present to control the desired print durability. Examples of these monomers could include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-methylol(meth)acrylamide, acrylamidoacrylic acid, acrylamidoethyl(or propyl) methacrylate, 4-vinylpyridinium halide, and any monomer that contains urethane, amide, carbamate, carboxylate, carbonate, pyrimidone, urea, and isothiourea. The use of these monomers may then be balanced by ester-containing monomers in order to modulate the glass transition temperature suitable for jetting and film forming. For some embodiments, the monomer compositions are chosen to provide a glass transition temperature of the resultant polymer of 70-95° C. Specific examples of such polymer formulations may include Sty/MMA/HEA/AAm (15:65:15:5); Acry/MMA/BA/AAm (15:65:15:5); and Sty/MMA/HEA/MAA (15:65:15:5), wherein Sty=styrene, MMA=methyl methacrylate, HEA=hydroxy-ethyl-acrylate, Mm=acrylamide, Acry=acrylonitrile, and BA=butyl acrylate.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method of forming polymer particles for use in marking fluids in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, including surface modification in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. Polymer particles are formed at 110 . The polymer particles may be formed, for example, using emulsion polymerization techniques. The polymer particles contain at least 2 wt % of acrylic esters in their formulation. For some embodiments, the acrylic ester content is 2-80 wt %. For further embodiments, the polymer particles have a glass transition temperature of 70-95° C. The polymer particles are saponified at 120 , thereby converting the ester groups to salts. For one embodiment, the saponification is performed using sodium hydroxide as the base. For such an embodiment, the saponification replaces the —O-alkyl groups with —O—Na groups. FIG. 2 depicts conceptually the saponification reaction of the ester groups of a polymer particle 250 in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. The saponified polymer particles are then incorporated into a marking fluid at 130 . A marking fluid may contain, for example, an aqueous liquid vehicle, the polymer particles and one or more colorants. One or more colorants may be contained within the polymer particles. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more colorants may be included outside of the polymer particles. Furthermore, marking fluids may contain other components that do not materially affect the basic and novel properties of the compositions disclosed herein, such as surfactants, co-solvents, biocides, etc.
The following examples represent processes used to perform the surface modification of polymer particles in accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure.
EXAMPLE 1
12 mL of 1N potassium hydroxide solution and 600 mL of emulsion containing 28 wt. % of seed acrylic latex (styrene/methylmethacrylate/hexamethacrylate/acrylamide, 15:65:15:5) were allowed to mix thoroughly in a 1 L reactor, equipped with a condenser and a stirring mechanism. The pH of the solution was maintained above 10, monitored by pH meter. The reactor was then heated to an internal temperature of 80° C. for 5 hours, at which point the solution salinity had dropped to pH 8. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature, and the final pH was adjusted by the addition of a base (i.e. KOH or NaOH), if necessary. The cooled emulsion was screened into a storage bottle for future formulation.
EXAMPLE 2
5 mL of 2M ammonium hydroxide solution and 600 mL of emulsion containing 25 wt. % of seed acrylic latex (acrylamide/methylmethacrylate/butylacrylate, 15:65:30) were allowed to mix thoroughly in a 1 L reactor, equipped with a condenser and a stirring mechanism. The pH of the solution was maintained above 10, monitored by pH meter. The reactor was then heated to an internal temperature of 80° C. for 5 hours, at which point the solution salinity had dropped to pH 8. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature, and the final pH was adjusted by the addition of ammonium hydroxide, if necessary. The cooled emulsion was screen into a storage bottle for future formulation.
An example ink-jettable marking fluid was prepared by dispersing 6 wt % of polymer particles in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure in a liquid vehicle. This liquid vehicle included 20 wt % organic co-solvent, 0.5 wt % surfactant, and 0.5 wt % biocide with the balance being water. The marking fluid also contained about 3% of pigment to impart color. The marking fluid was filled into inkjet pens and printed on coated paper media. The printed media was then subjected to various resistance testing, including a dry-rub test procedure and a window-cleaner test procedure.
The dry rub test was performed with a linear abraser (specifically a TABER Linear Abraser—Model 5750). The arm of the linear abraser stroked each media sample in a linear motion back and forth at a controlled stroke speed and length, the head of the linear abraser following the contours of the media samples. To the shaft of the arm of the linear abraser, a 250 gram weight was added to make the load constant. Specifically for the rub test, a stroking head or “wearaser” was attached to the end of the arm of the linear abraser. The stroking head was the size and shape of a typical pencil eraser and had a contact patch with a diameter of approximately ¼ inch diameter. The stroking head was abrasive (specifically CALIBRASE CS-10) with a mild to medium abrasive effect. The stroking head was stroked back and forth 10 times on each media sample. The rubbed media samples were judged for color fastness.
The window cleaner test was performed with a linear abraser (specifically a TABER Linear Abraser—Model 5750). The arm of the linear abraser stroked each media sample in a linear motion back and forth at a controlled stroke speed and length, the head of the linear abraser following the contours of the media samples. To the shaft of the arm of the linear abraser, a 250 gram weight was added to make the load constant. Specifically for the window cleaner test, an acrylic finger (specifically from a TABER Crock Meter Kit) covered by a cloth (specifically a TABER Crocking Cloth) was attached to the end of the arm of the linear abraser. WINDEX window cleaner was applied to the cloth and the cloth-covered end of the acrylic finger was stroked back and forth 5 times on each media sample. The rubbed media samples were judged for color fastness.
FIG. 3 is a depiction of one set of results of testing a marking fluid containing polymer particles in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The rectangular region 380 marks the region where both dry-rub and window-cleaner resistance tests were performed. The square 382 marks the region of the cloth 384 which was in contact with the substrate during the Windex test. As can be seen, there is no apparent rupture to the film and no noticeable transfer to the cloth.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein it is manifestly intended that the scope of the claimed subject matter be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.
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Methods of surface modification of polymer particle are useful in the development of marking fluids. The surface modification includes saponifying one or more acrylic ester groups on a surface of the polymer particle.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 13/058,424 filed Apr. 7, 2011, entitled “Broad Spectrum Animal Repellent and Method” which is a 371 U.S. National Phase Application of International Application No. PCT/US2008/072993 filed Aug. 13, 2008, the contents of which are each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field
The invention generally relates to an animal repellent and, in particular, the invention relates to such a broad spectrum repellent composition which repels a large variety of pests, is transparent and can be applied to a wide range of surfaces and to a method for the use of such a composition.
2. Prior Art
The encroachment of human habitation on heretofore rural areas has exacerbated existing problems of pest control. In recent years suburban backyards and public green spaces have been invaded by exploding deer populations, fowl who take up residence on ponds and public areas near water fouling the surface or surrounding land area. Insect pests are also more prevalent in suburban and rural areas.
Synthetic chemical controls have long been used but with increasing public awareness of health issues to humans exposed to such chemical controls has increased the need for more benign natural control measures.
In an early art deer repellent formulation and method as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,070, issued Oct. 23, 1990 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,204 issued Jul. 21, 1998 both to the same inventor as this application, the formulation disclosed therein consisted essentially of, by volume, 68 to 90% water; 6 to 10% thiram; 0.5 to 2% chicken eggs; 1 to 2% liquid hot sauce; 2 to 16% adhesive to aid in adhering to vegetation; and 0.5 to 2% coloring dye. The dye was necessary so the coating would blend in with the foliage and not scare the pest away. There is no indication that such formulas can be used as a geese deterrent.
Related U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,661 issued Feb. 2, 1993 to the instant inventor discloses a deer repellent assembly comprising a rope support medium on which is applied a deer repellent liquid formulation consisting of, per 16 ounces of formulation, about 15 fluid ounces of water and about 0.125 ounces by weight of deshelled chicken eggs and about 0.063 ounces by weight of pepper and about 0.968 ounces by weight of seventy-five percent thiram dry and an adhesive in a quantity sufficient for adherence to the flexible rope.
An improved deer repellent formulation and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,880 issued Jul. 3, 2001 to the instant inventor comprising preparing a deer repellent formulation by admixing about 15 fluid ounces of water, about 0.125 ounces by weight of fresh chicken egg yolks, about 0.968 ounces by weight of beef animal blood and about 2 to 16% by weight of the adhesive with a dye for blending the appearance of the formulation with its environment and an adhesive for adhering the composition to a carrier.
An improved deer repellent formulation and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,240 issued Apr. 16, 2002 to the instant inventor where the formulation comprises mixing wheat flower with ground corn cobs, adding a mixture of Rosemary oil emulsion, mint oil emulsion and a thickener.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,204, issued Jul. 21, 1998 to the instant inventor discloses that one problem of the prior art deer repellent formulations is that, although the ingredients are common materials, they requires approval of the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) which involves long and costly tests. Formulations of this type are applied by small companies, such as landscape gardeners, and the obtaining of approval from the EPA is financially prohibitive. This results in widespread destruction of homeowners' landscaping because of the unfettered proliferation of deer in suburban areas. Further, the prior art materials have a limited effective life and the odor of the formulation can limit its acceptance. A further problem with the prior art compositions is that a colorant to hide their presence on the foliage is usually necessary.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,851 issued Apr. 14, 1998 to Colavito and U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,428 issued Sep. 12, 2000 to Jarrett avoid the EPA registration problem by utilizing, as a deer repellent, only agents derived from plants selected from the group of Amaryllidaceae consisting of Narcissus (common name Daffodil), Amaryllis Belladona (common name Naked Lady), Crinium×Powellii (common name Crinium Lily), Cyrthanthus Elatus (also known as Vallota Purpurea ; common name Scarborough Lily), Scadoxus (Haemanthus) Multiflorus (common name Blood Lily), Sprekelia Formosisium (common name Jacobean Lily), Nerine Bowdenii, Nerine Sarniensis, Eucharis Amazonica (common name Fairy or Rain Lily), Galanthus (common name Snowdrops), Chlidanthus Fragrans, Leucojum (common name Snowflake), Sternbergia (common name Fall Daffodil), Hippeastrum (common name Amaryllis), Hymenocallis (common name Peruvian Daffodil), Pamianthe Peruviana, Phaedranassa Carmioli , and Habranthus.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,839 issued Nov. 4, 2003 to Markham discloses a deer repellent consisting essentially of 60.87% milk, 30.43% deshelled chicken eggs, 4.35% corn oil and 4.35% of a 29 percent aqueous solution of sodium lauryl sulfate, the percentages based on volume of the total composition.
More recent patents recognize the need for repellents with broader functionality.
A deer and geese repellent concentrate formulation and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,508 issued May 7, 2002 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,266 issued Oct. 21, 2003 both to the instant inventor where the formulation comprises of an aqueous solution or mixture containing 5 to 20 ounces of rosemary oil emulsion, 5 to 20 ounces of mint oil emulsion, 10 to 30 ounces of white distilled vinegar and 10 to 30 ounces of dried eggs, and sufficient water to make approximately one gallon of concentrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,081 issued Jan. 8, 2002 to Warberg discloses a rodent repellent composition comprising corn cob chips permeated with a volume of Canadian wilderness fragrance oil comprised of linalool 90, eucalyptus 80/85, rosemary Spanish, patchouli, turpentine rectified, caryophellene B, acetaldehyde, aldehyde C-14, fir balsam anhydrol, linalyl acetate special, dioctyl adipate, cis 3 hexenyl acetate, mousse de chene, hydroxy citronellal, iso borneol acetate, neryl acetate, fir balsam, viridine, fir needle Canadian, galaxolide 50, musk ketone, boreol leavo, hercolyn D, benzyl salicylate, camphor gum, grapefruit white, sage clary, mousse de arbre, styrallyl alcohol, vertenex, cedarwood Texas white, lemon California, veltol plus and fenchyl alcohol alpha.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,870 issued Nov. 25, 2003 discloses wildlife repellent comprising shellfish waste material comprising a weight percentage of the repellent in a range of 40 to 90 percent, and wherein said shellfish waste material comprises mussel material comprising soft mussel tissue in range of 20 to 40 weight percent of the shellfish waste material and ground hard mussel shell in a range of 40 to 80 weight percent of the shellfish waste material, a binder material comprising ground corn, corn oil in a range of 5 to 10 weight percent of the repellent, and colorant in a range of 0.001 to 10 weight percent of the repellent.
It is apparent that a need exists for a broad based animal pest repellent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention comprises non-toxic animal repellent formulations suitable for use in repelling multiple species of animals and methods for the use of such compositions where the formulation comprises only natural ingredients or ingredients not requiring EPA approval.
These formulations have proved effective in repelling deer and geese, birds, insects, and for killing mosquito larvae in stagnant water.
Only natural ingredients or ingredients not requiring EPA approval are present in the composition making it useful for application by homeowners and non-licensed applicators as well as for professional use.
The formulation is a combination of components which work in combination in a synergistic manner to provide multiple layers of repulsion and which is broad spectrum in the number of animal species repelled thus avoiding the necessity of applying multiple compositions to repel various animal pests.
The formulation comprises specified amounts of plant essential oils and herb oils in an aqueous composition with sufficient optional adjuvants to promote retention of the composition on surfaces to be treated and increase effectiveness. Optional components such as dilute acids, naturally occurring insecticides, sodium chloride and potassium soaps increase the range of activity of the base composition with regard to the number of animal species repelled and the duration of repulsion effect. Potassium sorbate may be used as a preservative.
The improved broad spectrum animal repellent formulations are suitable for application to varied surfaces such as structural surfaces, vegetation, soil and bodies of water.
Existing products have a limited spectrum of repellency requiring the use of multiple formulations to prevent encroachment of animal pests.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention is to provide an improved animal repellent formulation for application to plants, grass, water, walks, parking lots in and around buildings, and the like, which can be acceptable under EPA regulations.
Another object of the invention is to provide an animal repellent formulation more acceptable to humans.
Another object of the invention is to make use of EPA-approved components without reduction of the effectiveness of the treatment.
A still further object is to provide such a composition which is transparent.
Other objects and the advantages of the invention will appear from the following description.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention provides an improved broad spectrum animal repellent formulation which does not require EPA approval.
The formulation comprises specified amounts of plant essential oils and herb oils in an aqueous composition with sufficient optional adjuvants to promote retention of the composition on surfaces to be treated and increase effectiveness. The formulation is preferably an aqueous solution or mixture, consisting of water and a composition containing rosemary oil, cedar oil, mint oil, xanthan gum as a thickener and water. The optional addition of white distilled vinegar, dried eggs and table salt can usefully modify the formulation. A preservative, such as potassium sorbate can be added to the formulation.
The formulation may be a concentrate of the active components to be diluted with water at the time of use or it may be in ready-to-use form with the components at the proper concentration. The compositions are typically prepared as a concentrate and diluted to application strength when used.
The formulation comprises specified amounts of components consisting of plant essential oils and herb oils in an aqueous composition with sufficient adjuvant to promote retention of the composition on surfaces to be treated. The active components interact to function in a synergistic manner to provide multiple layers of repulsion. The repulsive effect is broad spectrum with regard to the number of animal species repelled thus avoiding the necessity of applying multiple compositions to repel various animal pests.
The necessary components of the composition include an essential oil and an herb oil Among the preferred essential oils are eucalyptus oil and cedar oil, with cedar oil being most preferred. Among the preferred herb oils are mint and rosemary oils with rosemary oil being most preferred. Cinnamon oil can be substituted but is not preferred.
Formulation
The concentrated formulation is an aqueous solution or mixture, comprising a composition of multiple components that may be adjusted either in the preparation of the concentrate or during the final dilution step prior to application. The large animal formulation differs from the insect formula in that several components of the large animal formulation are not present in the insect formulation. Table 1 shows the amounts of the various components.
This Table 1 represents the range of the amount of each component (in % by weight) in the concentrate for formulations useful for repelling large animals and Table 2 represents the range of the amount of components (in % by weight) useful for repelling insects.
TABLE 1
Animal [Deer & Goose]
Component
Acceptable
Preferred
Most Preferred
Rosemary oil
0.05-8.5
2-7
1-4.5
Mint oil
0.05-8.5
2-7
1-4.5
Cedar oil
0.05-29
5-20
1-8.0
Clay
0.07-10
0.1-8
1.2-5
P sorbate
0.01-1
0.03-0.75
0.04-0.1
Zanthan Gum
0.02-1.25
0.03-1.0
0.04-.75
Egg White
0.15-15
0.2-10
0.25-7
Salt
0.03-2
0.1-1.5
0.3-1
Vinegar
0.01-7
0.05-5
0.1-3
Water
0.10-99.6
15-85
25-80
TABLE 2
Insect
Component
Acceptable
Preferred
Most Preferred
Rosemary oil
0.07-8.5
0.02-7
0.1-4
Mint oil
0.07-8.5
0.02-7
0.1-4
Cedar oil
2.5-40
9-32
15-30
Clay
1.0-9.3
2-7.0
3.0-6.0
P sorbate
0.01-1.0
0.03-0.75
0.04-0.1
Zanthan Gum
0.02-1.25
0.03-1.0
0.04-0.75
Egg White
N/A
N/A
N/A
Salt
N/A
N/A
N/A
Vinegar
N/A
N/A
N/A
Water
20-90
25-85
26-80
Prior to use the concentrate is diluted with water per part of concentrate as disclosed in the following Table.
Animal [Deer & Goose]
Component
Acceptable
Preferred
Most Preferred
Water per part Concentrate
2-34
5-25
6-12
Insect
Component
Acceptable
Preferred
Most Preferred
Water per part Concentrate
3-25
5-17
6-15
A thickener, such as xanthan gum or the like, can be added to keep the ingredients in suspension in the water.
Also, a preservative, such as potassium sorbate can be added to the formulation. Typical would be 0.03 to 3% of preservative.
The addition of cedar oil to the composition enhances the effectiveness of the composition. It also adds ability to repel insects and kill mosquito larvae in water.
Prior to application to plants, grass, water, walks, parking lots, in and around buildings, and the like, the composition is diluted at the time of use for repelling large animals to one part of repellent to approximately 2 to 34 parts water, preferably 5 to 25 parts water, most preferably 6 to 12 parts water. The mixture is stirred until a uniform composition is obtained.
In certain instances, when weather conditions are dry, a preservative such as potassium sorbate can be used. A thickener can be added to give the composition the desired application characteristics. Typical would be 1 to 5% of the total composition of thickener.
All of the percentages are by weight of the composition.
Cedarwood Oil
A particularly preferred essential oil is cedar or cedarwood oil. Although termed cedarwood oils, the most important oils of this group are produced from distilling wood of a number of different junipers/cypresses ( Juniperus and Cupressus spp.), rather than true cedars ( Cedrus spp.).
The commonly used cedarwood oils contain a group of chemically related compounds, the relative proportions of these depending on the plant species from which the oil is obtained. These oils contain varying amounts of cedrol and cedrene.
Cedarwood oil is known and used as an personal insect repellent for spraying on exposed skin. Compositions containing 1% cedar oil and 99% essence of Juniperus virginiana are known as an inset repellant for human use sprayed on areas of skin exposed to insects. Cedar oil repels mosquitoes, flies, fleas, chiggers, no-see-ums and numerous other insects.
Herb Oils
An essential oil is any concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the “oil of” the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. The term essential indicates that the oil carries distinctive scent (essence) of the plant.
Essential oils are typically extracted by distillation. Other processes include expression and solvent extraction.
Camphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C 10 H 16 O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel ( Cinnamomum camphora ), a large evergreen tree found in Asia (particularly in Borneo and Taiwan). It also occurs in some other related trees in the laurel family, notably Ocotea usambarensis.
Mentha (mint) is a genus of about 25 species (and many hundreds of varieties of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae (Mint Family). Species within Mentha have a subcosmopolitan distribution across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America. Several mint hybrids commonly occur.
The most common and popular mints for cultivation are peppermint ( Mentha×piperita ), spearmint ( Mentha spicata ).
Mint essential oil and menthol are extensively used as flavorings in breath fresheners. The substances that give the mints their characteristic aromas and flavors are menthol and pulegone.
Mint oil is known as an insecticide for its ability to kill some common pests like wasps, hornets, ants and cockroaches.
The duration and scope of effectiveness of the formulation may be increased by adding eucalyptus oil, citronella, soybean oil, neem oil, and/or Deet.
The duration and scope of effectiveness is also increased by adding a dilute acid to the composition, especially acetic acid, which may be in the form of vinegar, preferably white distilled vinegar having an acid content of between 3.5 and 5% acetic acid.
Insecticide—Pyrithrin
An additional optional component is a natural insecticide such pyrithrin. The pyrethrins are a pair of natural organic compounds that have potent insecticidal activity. Pyrethrin I and pyrethrin II are structurally related esters with a cyclopropane core. They differ by the oxidation state of one carbon and exist as viscous liquids.
The pyrethrins are contained in the seed cases of the perennial plant pyrethrum ( Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium ), which is grown commercially to supply the insecticide. Pyrethrins are neurotoxins that attack the nervous systems of all insects.
When present in amounts not fatal to insects as in the present formulations, they appear to have an insect repellent effect. They are harmful to fish, but are far less toxic to mammals and birds than many synthetic insecticides. They are non-persistent, biodegradable, break down easily on exposure to light or oxygen and are considered to be among the safest insecticides for use around food.
Among the synthetic analogs of pyrithrin is permethrin, widely used as an insecticide and acaricide and as an insect repellent. It is a member of the pyrethroid family and functions as a neurotoxin, by prolonging sodium channel activation and is the preferred synthetic pyrethroid although other members may be utilized in the present invention.
Optional Components
Further optional components include sodium chloride and potassium soaps.
Depending on the components of the formulation, it is desirable to add a preservative such a potassium sorbate.
Optional components such as dilute acid, other naturally occurring insecticides, sodium chloride and potassium soaps increase the range of activity of the base composition with regard to the number of animal species repelled and the duration of repulsion effect.
Water should not be applied to the treated area for at least 20 minutes after application.
Adjuvants
The following brief descriptions of some of the categories of adjuvants may be helpful in clarifying the many functions adjuvants can perform: wetter-spreaders, stickers, foam retardants, buffers, acidifiers.
A spray drop must be able to wet the surface and spread out or cover an area to perform its control function. In some situations, additional adjuvant is needed for good coverage. The surfactant reduces the surface tension of the water on the surface of the spray drop and by reducing the interfacial tension between the spray drop and surface. This requires a surfactant that will preferentially aggregate at these surfaces.
A sticker can perform three types of functions. It can increase the adhesion or “stickiness” of solid particles that otherwise might be easily dislodged from a leaf surface, sort of glue them on as it were. It can also reduce evaporation of the formulation. The third function can be to provide a waterproof coating. If the sticker is not water soluble, it can provide a degree of protection from this form of loss.
Many of the stickers contain surfactants as their principal functioning agent and give both a sticker action and a wetter-spreader action. These will perform the first two functions quite well. But since the surfactants that provide wetter-spreader action must be somewhat water soluble, they may not provide good protection from rain. This will be provided by products that contain natural resins (rosin), or other waterproofing agents.
Some formulations will create foam in spray tanks as a result of both the surfactants used in the concentrate formulation and the type of spray tank agitation. This foam can be reduced or eliminated by a small amount of foam inhibitor.
Some water used for diluting formulations is alkaline (high pH). If the pH is sufficiently high and the pesticide is subject to degradation by alkaline hydrolysis, it may be necessary to lower the pH of the mix water to a pH in the range of 3 to 7, preferably 3.75 to 4.25.
Buffers
Buffers containing phosphoric acid or a salt of phosphoric acid, will lower the pH of the water and tend to stabilize the pH at an acceptable value. The efficacy of the buffer depends on its concentration of phosphoric acid and the degree of alkalinity or “hardness” of the mixing water that is being neutralized. The more alkaline the water, the greater the amount of buffer that will be required.
Some buffers have sufficient surfactant present to also perform as wetter-spreaders. The concentration of surfactant and phosphoric acid are usually lumped together and it is not possible to determine the concentration of either and thus predict their efficacy. It appears that a useful range for phosphoric acid buffer concentration is from about 2 to 10%.
Buffers that acidify alkaline spray waters increase the effectiveness. Buffers can help increase the residual life of the formulation about two-fold and can result in reducing the number of spray applications per season. Muriatic acid, Buffer-X or vinegar are not effective for this purpose.
Sticker-spreaders can be made of many different components, organic or inorganic. Some are silicone-based surfactants, oils, emulsifiers and buffering agents, while others may contain combinations such as fish oil or fatty acid soaps or emulsified soybean oil.
Concentrated multipurpose wetting agents typically contain a blend of bio-degradable, non-ionic surfactants and an emulsified silicone type anti-foam preparation. This action provides uniform wetting and coverage.
The use of these adjuvants provides varied benefits including improved coverage of the spray both in the soil and on plant surfaces, increased retention on surfaces, reduced evaporation, reduced foaming problems in the tank, easier sprayer cleaning and lubrication of pump and sprayer nozzles.
Application
The compositions may be applied by any convenient method although it is expected that spraying will be the application method of choice in most circumstances. Where longer lasting effects are desired a thicker version of the composition may be brushed or otherwise coated onto a surface.
Since the method of application is variable, the amount of the composition applied depends on the operator and the dilution and whether it is being utilized to repel large animals or insects. However, a typical application technique would apply one gallon of the diluted concentrate per 4,000 square feet of surface area in a fine spray.
As an alternate procedure, the composition can be impregnated into crushed eggshells, nutshells or corncobs, wood chips or other particulate substrates and spread evenly over the area to be protected. The particle size of these materials can range in size. Typically 1 to 3 ounces of concentrated formula is used to wet 1 pound of granular material. Once dry, the granular product can be applied to 1000 square feet of surface area.
In another embodiment, the composition can be left in containers which are distributed in a uniform manner around the area being treated.
As an alternate procedure, the composition can be impregnated into or coated onto a surface to be protected. In this embodiment, a thickener or thixotropic agent is added to the composition.
Various types of solid materials may be protected by the disclosed compositions. Plant material, including woody plants may be protected from browsing animals. Plant material including grasses, may be sprayed to prevent insects from alighting on the plant.
Exterior surfaces of buildings, walls, concrete and asphalt and other solid non-living surfaces may be sprayed to prevent animals from alighting on such surfaces.
The formulation may be applied to clothing or other fabric or sheet goods to prevent insects from alighting on the material or biting through the material. The fabric may be permeable or impermeable and may be woven or non-woven. Examples of materials to which the compositions may be applied are cottons and other natural fibers or synthetic fibers or sheet goods such as nylon, polyester or polypropylene. If the material is permeable the composition may be absorbed; if impermeable the composition will act as a coating on the surface of the fiber or sheet goods.
In one embodiment the compositions are applied to ribbon substrates of various types.
The compositions are useful for coating tents and mosquito netting.
The formulation may be applied to the skin, fur or pelt of pets and domestic or other animals to minimize insect problems. Use of the composition on the surface of various farm structures, particularly on surfaces inside barns where animals are kept or milked will minimize insect interference with farm operations and animals.
The formulation may also be applied to the skin of humans, preferably by spraying.
One important use of the formulations is the application of the formulation to the surface of bodies of stagnant water. The formulations are effective to prevent the growth of mosquito larvae and the larvae of other insects.
The following examples are given for purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation. The following examples are given for purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation.
Example 1
An animal repellent formulation concentrate for outdoor application is prepared by mixing together 2.5 ounces of rosemary oil, 2.5 ounces of mint oil and 7.75 ounces cedar oil. Water is added to make 128 ounces of concentrate. The concentrate is diluted with water at a 1 to 9 ratio and applied to plant foliage in a fine mist from a power spray.
Example 2
The following are added to the animal repellent formulation of Example 1:
2.5 ounces of white distilled vinegar;
0.5 ounces of salt;
4 ounces of dried chicken eggs.
Example 3
The repellent formulation of Example 1 is mixed with potassium sorbate preservative in an amount of 0.05 weight % to preserve the formulation.
Example 4
The quantity of repellent formulation of Example 2 is mixed with 0.5 ounce Zanthan gum as a thickener.
Example 5
The repellent formulation of Example 2 is mixed with 2 ounces of kaolin clay powder per gallon of concentrate formulation, to act as a sticker, to aid in the adherence of the formulation to the surface to be treated.
Example 6-8
A solid formulation of the animal repellent formulation of Example 2 is formed by admixing 1 pound of crushed eggshells or granular corncob or crushed nutshells, respectively with 4 fluid ounces of the animal repellent formulation of Example 2, drying the repellant particle and evenly distributing the repellant over the area to be protected.
Example 9-11
A solid formulation of the animal repellent formulation of Example 1 is prepared by mixing one pound by weight of crushed eggshells, nutshells, or corncobs granules, respectively, in a particle size distribution from dustless fine particles to about one-quarter inch overall thickness particles with 7.5 fluid ounces of the animal repellent formulation of Example 1 drying the repellant particles and evenly distributing the repellant over the area to be protected.
While the invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description rather than limitation, and that changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention in its broader aspects.
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An animal, bird, and repellent formulation and method for warding off deer, geese, birds and insects from shrubs, grass, water, walks, parking lots in around buildings and the like. The formulation is a mixture of water, rosemary oil, mint oil, cedar oil, kaolin clay, a thickener, preservative, white distilled vinegar and dried eggs. This formulation can be applied to a support medium, such as crushed eggshells, nutshells, or corncobs and then disbursed over the surface to be protected. The mixture can also be formed into a viscous composition and sprayed over the area. Additionally, this mixture can be applied to stagnate water to kill mosquito larvae or on a variety of surfaces to repel insects such as flies, spiders, beetles, ants and so forth.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a new and improved apparatus for separating opened fibre flocks from a transporting air stream which is of the type comprising one feed chute or a plurality of consecutive feed chutes, connected to a transporting duct, with at least one air-permeable separating wall for guiding transporting air into an exhaust duct located behind the separating wall, and a driven take-off device forming a fibre layer arranged at the lower chute end.
In German Patent No. 1,286,436 and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,518 there is disclosed a fibre depositing chute which is connected to a fibre transporting duct. The transporting air is separated from the fibre material by means of slots provided in one of the chute walls and is guided into an area or room where there prevails a lower pressure. At the lower chute end two take-off rolls compress the flock column formed in the chute and take it off in the form of a fibre layer, or transfer the fibre layer to a subsequent processing stage, as the case may be.
In the prior art device one of the take-off rolls is designed as a perforated drum for improving the taking-in of the flock column into the clamping nip of the pair of rolls or for rendering this process disturbance-free, respectively.
It now has been found that, the taking-in of the flock column into the nip of the pair of take-off rolls does not function satisfactorily and that in this known device, if operated at sub-atmospheric pressure, sealing problems arise between the take-off rolls and the chute. A further disadvantage resides in the fact that, particularly if a perforated drum is used as a take-off roll, the sealing problems which arise only can be overcome with excessive efforts, rendering the device disproportionately expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Hence it is a primary object of the present invention to devise an apparatus for separating fibre flocks from a transporting air stream which, compared to traditional devices, is of simpler design and in operation is economically more feasible, consists of fewer movable parts and produces a fibre layer which is as uniform as possible, independently of whether the apparatus is operated at above-atmospheric or at below-atmospheric pressures.
A further important object is to achieve a correct and automatic taking-in action independent of the location of the arrangement.
Now in order to implement these and still further objects of the invention, which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the apparatus of the present development is manifested by the features that the take-off device comprises one take-off roll arranged facing the air-permeable separating wall in a manner such that there remains a small clearance as the deposited fibres pass through. Further, the exhaust duct extends into the zone of the smallest clearance of the take-off roll from the wall, and the take-off roll is sealed with respect to the other wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above, will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-section view of a fibre depositing chute with a horizontal take-off arrangement and constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a fibre depositing chute with a vertical take-off arrangement and constructed according to the teachings of the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail showing of a chute sealing arrangement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Describing now the drawings, it is to be understood that only enough of the textile machine has been shown in order to enable those skilled in the art to readily understand the underlying principles and teachings of the present invention. Turning attention now to the embodiment of FIG. 1, it will be understood that an air-carrying or transport duct or conduit 1 brings fibre flocks 2, which are supplied, for instance by a bale plucker, by a bale breaker or a cleaning machine in the blow-room, to the upper end 3 of a fibre-depositing chute 4, frequently also referred to as a feed-chute. This fibre-depositing or feed-chute 4 has a separating wall 5 which is air-permeable. A separating wall 5 of the feed-chute 4 separates such chute 4 from the adjacent exhaust duct 6.
The exhaust duct 6 and the separating wall 5 extend to the region of a driven take-off roll 7, where they are directed tangentially. This driven take-off roll 7 is provided at the lower chute end 8. The take-off roll 7 is movably supported in a guide device 9 and is pressed by a spring 10 or an equivalent device against the removed fibre layer 11. The surface of the take-off roll 7 can be smooth or can be structured.
A take-off roll 7 can be dispensed with if the chute 4 is operatively associated with a card 13 and if the chute end 8 and the exhaust duct 6, respectively, terminate in the zone of the feed roll 14 of the card 13 (the card being indicated with dash-dotted lines in FIG. 1, and the feed roll 14 coinciding with the take-off roll 7). In this case the feed roll 14 of the card fulfills the task of the take-off roll 7.
As it is up to the user to operate the chute 4 at above-atmospheric pressure or at below-atmospheric pressure, various design alternatives of the sealing device between the front chute wall 4' and the movably arranged take-off roll 7 are shown. For operation at below-atmospheric pressure a sheet metal plate 16 is linked to a pivoting axis or shaft 15 provided at the chute wall 4' and extending essentially parallel to the take-off roll 7. The pivotable plate 16 contacts the take-off roll 7 under its own weight and forms a linear seal 17.
In FIG. 3 another design of the sealing device is shown. A sheet metal extension plate 23 is rigidly connected to the chute wall 4' and extends into the close vicinity of the take-off roll 7, forming a clearance 22. In the clearance 22 between the plate 23 and the take-off roll 7 there is arranged a cylindrical sealing roll 12 which also rotates since it is frictionally driven by the take-off roll 7. As the below atmospheric pressure in the chute 4 increases, the contacting pressure of the plate 16 or the sealing roll 12, respectively, exerted upon the take-off roll 7 also increases. For operation at above-atmospheric pressure a plate 18 (shown with broken lines in FIG. 2) is linked to a pivoting axis or shaft 15 in such a manner that it likewise contacts the take-off roll 7 at the side facing the chute. The contacting pressure increases as the above-atmospheric pressure in the chute 4 increases, and, thus, ensures for reliable sealing action at all times.
The described sealing devices function reliably and independently of the position of the take-off roll 7, which position changes as a function of the thickness of the fibre layer 11. Without these sealing devices functioning reliably at all times, taking-in the fibre layer could not be achieved, or only with great difficulties, when the system is operated at below-atmospheric pressure.
The exhaust duct 6 is of the same cross-section over the whole length within the chute 4, which can be enlarged in the zone or region upstream of the take-off roll 7, just before merging into an exhaust duct 19 which is connected with any suitable vacuum source (not shown).
It is important that the separating wall 5 protrude into a clamping nip zone designated by reference character C. The clamping nip zone C is the section line of a plane containing the rotating axis of the take-off roll 7 and extending at right angles to the separating wall 5.
The relations of the dimensions of the exhaust duct advantageously are chosen as follows: The exhaust duct 6, at 1 meter width (width of the card), is of a depth of about 15 to 30 mm, and the fibre depositing chute 4 is of a depth of about 90 to 120 mm, the air throughput being about 0.4 m 3 /sec.
The air permeable separating wall 5 can be made of perforated sheet metal, in which case care should be taken that the perforations are free of sharp edges and burrs on which fibres can be caught, and thus, can cause blockage of the perforations and which would cause increased friction of the flock column in the chute.
The separating wall 5 also can be made from a textile fabric of suitable air permeability, which can perform the same function as a perforated sheet metal plate if extended or spanned on a rigid, grid-like frame.
It also is possible to provide the separating wall with narrow slots extending over its entire length from the top to the bottom.
The mode of operation of the described apparatus consists in that the flock-carrying air stream is guided into the chute 4. Under the influence of the pressure drop between the chute 4 and the exhaust duct 6 the air flows through the perforated separating wall 5 into the exhaust duct 6. The fibre flocks 2 which are carried on are retained in the chute 4, deposited and condensed. The compact fibre layer produced in this manner is pressed towards the take-off roll 7, where it is further compressed into a fibre layer, is taken-off and is transferred to a subsequent processing stage.
The advantages of the present invention reside in that the flock column at the end of the exhaust duct in the clamping nip zone C is pressed into the clearance between the take-off roll 7 and the separating wall 5 in such a manner that a diminuation of the cross-section is effected, affording disturbance-free and automatic taking-in of the flock column in this clamping nip zone C at above-atmospheric pressure as well as at below-atmospheric pressure.
The use of an expensive perforated drum can be dispensed with and the take-off device merely consists of one single driven roll.
The pivotable sealing plates permit excellent accessability to the take-off roll.
If operated at below-atmospheric pressure, all feed chutes can be connected to a common, central suction device. Thus, there is possible the use of a highly efficient, high performance fan.
If the apparatus is applied to cards, of course also the card fan can be used as a vacuum source.
With the inventive apparatus it is furthermore irrelevant whether the duct or chute 6 is curved at its lower end (as shown in FIG. 1) and the fibre layer emerges into a horizontal plane, or whether the fibre layer emerges vertically down at the lower end (as shown in FIG. 2). Furthermore, it is also possible to operate the described chute also in any desired position with respect to the room, thus, e.g. the chute can be placed "upside down", in which arrangement the fibre deposition and the taking-off of the fibre layer are effected in the upper part, and the fibre flocks are fed upwards from below.
The described apparatus also is suitable for forming a fibre layer from waste fibres.
While there are shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly,
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An apparatus for separating opened fibre flocks from a transporting air stream composed of one chute or of a plurality of consecutive chutes connected to a transporting duct. At least one air permeable separating wall guides transporting air into an exhaust duct located behind the separating wall. A driven take-off device which forms a fibre layer is arranged at the lower chute end. The take-off device comprises a take-off roll which is arranged facing the air permeable separating wall and leaving free a small cross-section, as the deposited fibres pass through. The exhaust duct extends at least into the zone of the smallest clearance between the take-off roll and the wall, and, the take-off roll is sealed with respect to the other wall.
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FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the LUCHI patents of 1967/68 (Italy no. 818,060, West Germany no. 1,815,936, U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,126) and in the subsequent HOFFMAN patents of 1977/78 (Italy no. 1,078,922, West Germany no. 2825864.2, U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,804), a method has been described for the formation of a pocket in a tubular manufactured article (such as a heel for a woman's stocking or man's sock or in general, and/or the toe of such a manufactured article or other). Production is by means of at least two yarn feeds, with reciprocating motion of the needle cylinder, with such an arrangement that a group of rows of stitches according to a given sequence of yarns is followed by a group of rows of stitches according to a reversed sequence of these yarns. Each feed supplies the yarn to needles of an arc which is staggered in relation to the arc which has been supplied with yarn from another feed. The arcs are superposed partially in an intermediate zone of greater development of the pocket. The rows of stitches formed during the formation of the pocket are comprised in the arc of needles defined by the two rows of stitches which are most staggered in relation to one another. A number of arcs of needles are all partially staggered in relation to one another in the same direction and are obtained with yarns fed from the same number of staggered feeds. Moreover, the angular development of the pocket is varied by variation of the stitches at the external ends of the rows of stitches which are most staggered in relation to one another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method as mentioned above and consequently to a pocket (heel or other) obtained using this method, as an improvement of the Hoffmann patent which is available to the applicant. Aims and advantages of the present invention will be clear from a reading of the following text.
Essentially, this method for the formation of a pocket of a manufactured article--such as a heel of a stocking or sock--envisages the use of a circular knitting machine which is capable of operation by means of reciprocating motion and is fed by means of a plurality of yarn drops (feeds), which also participate in the formation of the pocket using reciprocating motion. The method envisages that on every course in one direction--during the reciprocating motion--the part rows of stitches from the yarns of the various drops are formed in a sequence opposite to that in which the part rows are formed during the preceding and following opposite courses. According to the invention, on each successive reversed course, the yarns of the various drops form rows which are all progressively decreased in the first part of the construction of the pocket and progressively increased in the second part of the construction of the pocket, the points of reversal of the rows formed by the various yarns on one side of the pocket appearing in a sequence opposite to that in which they appear on the opposite side of the pocket.
The present invention also relates to a tubular knitted manufactured article with a pocket--such as a heel in a stocking or sock--which is obtained using reciprocating motion of the cylinder of a circular knitting machine and using a number of yarn drops (feeds), in which pocket the part rows of a group which are formed by successive feeds and then the rows of a similar group of rows formed by the same feeds but in reversed order follow each other. According to the invention, all the part rows are developed from one side to the other of the pocket and are of progressively decreased extension in the first part of the structure of the pocket and of progressively increasing extension in the second part of the structure of the pocket.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be understood more clearly by following the description and the attached drawing which shows a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the invention itself and in which:
FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically a sock-type manufactured article with the heel formed according to the invention, in the internal view which shows up the structure of the connections of the part rows;
FIG. 2 shows the manufactured article with the heel and the complete rows and part rows for the formation of the heel;
FIGS. 3 and 4 show diagrams to indicate the course of the part rows in a manufactured article produced using a circular machine with four drops, that is to say four feeds.
FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 1, but shows an improvement in the formation of the heel;
FIG. 6 repeats the diagram in FIG. 1 in order to illustrate the manner of bringing about the improvement;
FIGS. 7 and 8 show a diagram similar to that in FIG. 3 and a diagram which is similar but modified according to the improvement in FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
According to what is illustrated in the attached drawing, after the formation of a first portion of manufactured article 101 by means of progressive formation of the rows according to the arrow fL of the knitting work carried out, on reaching the line 103 of the last continuous row, the formation of the heel T is started using reciprocating motion of the needle cylinder. The amplitude of the oscillation of the needle cylinder--for a normal stocking or sock-type manufactured article--extends for approximately one rotation and a half, that is to say for approximately 540°, envisaging an arrangement of feeds as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows four feeds, that is to say drops A1, A2, A3, A4 which are distributed uniformly around the circumference of the work zone of the needles. In this needle work zone, the cylinder C diagrammatically illustrated in said FIG. 4, there is developed in a circular sector a given number of part rows of stitches in decreases and in increases respectively. In the diagram in FIG. 3, the part rows are shown in their development. After completion of the last row RX of the tubular section 101 of the manufactured article before the formation of the heel T, and before restarting the circular motion with the row RY for the formation of the successive section 105 of tubular manufactured article, the heel T is formed using reciprocating motion of the needle cylinder. Using four drops, that is to say using four yarn feeds F1, F2, F3, F4, there are formed on each rotation four continuous circular rows during the formation of the section 101 and of the section 105 of the manufactured article. During the formation of the heel T, the four yarn drops F1, F2, F3, F4 are held in the four feeds, that is to say drops A1, A2, A3, A4, as a result of which, on each oscillation of the needle cylinder, four part rows are formed. The lengths of these part rows are variable in the manner indicated below and in particular visible in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the formation of the heel, during the first part of such formation, the part rows are reduced, that is to say decreased in extension, as a result of which, on the inside of the heel, there come to be formed small inclined connection sections indicated by T1. These extend approximately until halfway through the development of the heel. Subsequently, in the zone of the augmentations, that is to say increases, there come to be formed similar and opposite connection lines, indicated by T2, which can be barely slightly staggered in relation to the lines T1. In FIG. 2, the courses of the part rows in the heel T are indicated in a rough manner, clearly with a very limited number of part rows even with regard to a structure made using very thick yarns.
In FIGS. 3 and 4, and in particular in FIG. 3, a very simplified diagram is shown, which has a greatly reduced number of decreases and increases, in order to describe the structure of the heel and the method of constructing it. In FIG. 3, AT indicates the arc of needles for the formation of the fabric, and N needles are assumed as maximum limit of the extension of the part rows of stitches. The production of the heel is carried out using a single command of the needles in order to obtain the decreases, that is to say the reductions, and the augmentations, that is to say the increases, of the individual arcs of needles and thus of the individual part rows. This can be achieved very easily using the modern selection systems of the electronic type and advantageously with the exclusion of the needles by means of their release at a low level--especially just higher than that of the lower end of the knitting cam--and thus in a state of exclusion. Advantageously, means will also be provided for avoiding excessive stress on the stitches held engaged by the needles in the state of exclusion by lowering, in connection with the transit in front of each of the knitting cams, that is to say cams for the lowering of the needles during the formation of the heel.
By following in particular the diagram in FIG. 3, it is supposed that the arc AT of active needles for the formation of the heel consists of n needles, which can for example be half the number of needles of the cylinder. The part rows of stitches are indicated by RP1, RP2-RP35, RP36. Considering the first part row RP1, this is formed by the yarn F1 of the feed or drop A1 which forms stitches along the whole of the arc AT as far as needle number 1. The second yarn F2, which forms a row of stitches immediately after the yarn F1, forms stitches only as far as needle 2. The third yarn F3 forms stitches only as far as needle 3 and the fourth yarn F4 forms stitches only as far as needle 4. The movement of the needle cylinder being reversed, the first part row of stitches RP5 which follows the first four part rows RP1, RP2, RP3 and RP4 is formed by the same yarn F4 which formed the row RP4 and which now forms the row RP5 as far as needle N. The part row RP6, formed by the yarn F3 as far as needle N-1, follows; then the part row RP7 is formed as far as needle N-2 using the yarn F2, and then the part row RP8 using the yarn F1 as far as needle N-3; upon the new reversal of the motion of the needle cylinder, the first part row which is thus formed is the row RP9 using the yarn F1 as far as needle 5. Directly afterwards, the part row RP10 is formed using the yarn F2 as far as needle 6, and then the part row RP11 using the yarn F3 as far as needle 7 and finally the part row RP12 using the yarn F4 as far as needle 8. Upon the new reversal, the formation is then started of the part row RP13 using the yarn F4 as far as needle N-4. The part row RP14 follows, using the yarn F3 as far as needle N-5, then the part row RP15 is formed by the yarn F2 as far as needle N-6 and finally the part row RP16 is formed using the yarn F1 as far as needle N-7. Upon the new reversal, it is the yarn F1 which forms the part row RP17 as far as needle 9, after which the yarn F2 forms the part row RP18 as far as needle 10 and then the row RP19 is formed by the yarn F3 as far as needle 11 and the row RP20 is formed by the yarn F4 as far as needle 12. Again, upon the subsequent reversal, the part row RP21 is formed by the yarn F4 as far as needle N-8, and this is followed by the part row RP22 using the yarn F3 and as far as needle N-9 and then the part row RP23 using the yarn F2 as far as needle N-10 and the part row RP24 using the yarn F1 as far as needle N-11. At this point it is supposed, in the simplified diagram in FIG. 3, that the decreases, that is to say the reductions in extent of the part arcs, stop and the increase of these part arcs starts, so that the first part of the formation of the heel is completed and the second part of the formation of the heel by means of the increases is thus started. The first part row RP25, which starts the increase in extent of the part rows, is formed by the yarn F1 as far as needle 6. The formation follows of the part row RP26 using the yarn F2 as far as needle 7, then the formation of the row RP27 as far as needle 8 and the formation of the part row RP28 as far as needle 9. The last reversal of the needle cylinder brings about the formation of the part rows RP29, RP30, RP31, RP32 using the yarns F4, F3, F2, F1 respectively, which end respectively at needles N-5, N-6, N-7 and N-8. Upon the subsequent reversal of the motion of the needle cylinder, the formation is then started of the part row cylinder, the formation is then started of the part row RP33 using the yarn F1 as far as needle 2, then the formation of the part row RP34 using the yarn F2 as far as needle 3 and then the formation of the part row RP35 as far as needle 4 using the yarn F3 and the formation of the part row RP36 using the yarn F4 as far as needle 5. The formation of the second part continues using the same principle.
The structure of the fabric can be improved in the area of the increases and decreases if provision is made upon inversion of the knitting direction, that at least one needle for each row produces a held or float stitch.
It is clear from the description that the arrangement of the part rows affects the whole of the arc of needles AT for the formation of the heel using decreases, that is to say using reductions of the part rows of stitches, which affect all the yarns F1, F2, F3, F4 which were also involved in the formation of the section of manufactured article 101 and which will subsequently form the section of manufactured article 105, in contrast to previous and previously mentioned solutions which envisaged decreases and increases only for one or a maximum of two of the yarns which form part rows, while the part rows formed by the other feed yarns were of constant extent. The arrangement according to the invention makes it possible to obtain a pocket, that is to say a heel, which is better shaped and also more uniform and much more like the conventional heels formed using the reciprocating motion of the needle cylinder and using one single yarn feed.
Returning to the diagram in FIG. 1, after the formation of the last complete row RX and that is to say at the front 103 reached by the production according to the arrow fL, the formation is started of the heel using the decreases which progressively give rise to the formation of the connection lines T1, essentially as far as halfway through the formation of the structure of the heel T, then to give rise to the formation of the second part of the heel using the increases in part rows of stitches which give rise to the connection lines T2 until the final front 107 of the heel is reached, after which the circular motion of the needle cylinder is restarted with the formation of the first continuous circular row RY and of the successive rows for the formation of the section 105 of the manufactured article which follows the heel or pocket T. After the formation of the section 105, which forms the foot of the stocking or sock, another pocket can be produced using reciprocating motion and similar to the heel T, which is capable of forming the shaped toe P; this pocket P is then closed at the final edge of the section 105 by means of a darn R formed by means of an auxiliary conventional machine.
From the above description, it emerges clearly that, in the zone of the decreases, the reduction in extent of the part rows is very progressive and gradual as, in the zone of the increases, the augmentation of the extent of the part rows is also very gradual.
In the diagrams in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is supposed that the reduction takes place at each needle, but the possibility is not excluded that the reduction can also take place, not at one needle at a time, but every two needles or every three needles or otherwise, according to the number of part rows with which it is envisaged to form the heel or pocket and to the design of the same heel or pocket.
From the preceding description, it is clear that during the formation of the second part of the heel, that is to say of the increases, there is a progressive connection of the ends of the increased part rows to the ends of the decreased part arcs in the first part of the formation of the heel. In order to avoid apparent irregularities in the connection, it is advantageous and it emerges from the preceding description that the connections of the ends of the part rows take place with a stagger which can be of one or more needles between the ends of the decreasing rows and those of the increasing rows; for example, the part row RP9 formed using the yarn F1 ends in the region of needle 5, while the corresponding part row RP25, still formed using the yarn F1, ends in the region of needle 6, as a result of which there is a stagger in the connection between ends of part rows of stitches. This gives rise to a slight stagger of the connection lines T1 and T2 and ultimately to a greater uniformity in the structure of the heel.
It is further clear that--as already stated--the part rows formed by all the yarns F1, F2, F3, F4 affect the arc AT of the needles intended for the formation of the part rows, and thus there is the greater uniformity already mentioned of the formation of the heel in relation to the formation of heels using the techniques recalled in the introduction.
On the basis of what has been described in the preceding case, there are obtained in the heel T the segments indicated by T1 and T2--due to the marking lines of the decreases and of the increases--which have an approximately herring-bone form. This esthetic motif can be improved by means of what is described below. It is thus possible to vary and to improve the appearance of the marking lines of the decreases and of the increases and in particular in order to render them similar to those produced using conventional machines, in which the working of the pockets of the heel and of the toe is carried out using a single feed; that is to say the formation is possible of a structure of the heel Tx like that indicated by Ty in FIG. 5, with a single line, approximately on the bisector of the angle formed on each side of the heel Tx.
Starting from the diagram in FIGS. 5 and 6, it is a matter of eliminating the hatched fabric zone TE comprised between the two marking lines, that of the decreases T1 and that of the increases T2, in such a manner that the two branches T1 and T2 are superposed, that is to say practically come to coincide.
In order to achieve this superposition, it is necessary that, after the reversal of the direction of knitting, the sections of row comprised between the needles in positions 1 to 4 and then 5 to 8 (see FIG. 7) and so on are formed by held or float loops, so as not, in any case, to produce an increase in area; consequently, the formation of fabric in the zone TE in FIG. 6 is eliminated.
A recommended but not restrictive plan for the implementation of the invention is that in FIG. 8, in which a small arc represents a held loop (where the needle takes the yarn but does not make a stitch) and a lowered linear section represents a "float" loop, where the needle does not take yarn. According to this plan, the procedure is as follows. The last four rows F1, F2, F3, and F4 of the section 101 of the leg (see FIG. 8) each arrive at their own loop, that is to say at their own end needle 1, 2, 3, 4 of the active arc, producing regular stitches.
On reversal, the first of the rows which is carried out is F4; the needle in position 4, which is at the head of this first return row F4, will produce a held loop, while the following needles in position 5, 6 etc. will make regular stitches. In row F3, the needle 3 at the head will make a held loop, while the needle in position 4 will not take the yarn and will make a float loop and subsequently the needles in position 5 and following will make regular stitches. In row F2, the needle 2 at the head will make a held loop, the needle in position 3 will make a float loop, that in position 4 will again make a held loop, and those in position 5 and following will make a regular stitch. Considering finally row F1, the needle 1 at the head will make a held loop, the needle in position 2 will make a float loop, that in position 3 will make a held loop, that in position 4 will make a float loop, and from 5 onwards regular stitches will be made. Using the sequence indicated above, all the reversals with regard to the decreases will be brought about, and the return loops of the four rows 1 to 4 are not detached from the relevant needles and thus do not produce fabric. The above sequence is repeated--with the phase differences due to the reductions in the rows of stitches--upon each reversal of the motion.
When the increases are started, the procedure to be followed will be opposite and symmetrical to that described. Therefore, the held and float loops will be made when the reversal end is reached. As can be seen, for example, in the zone indicated by CR in FIG. 8, the last needle of F4, which is the needle in position 9, produces a held loop, in row F3, on arrival, the needle in position 9 makes a float loop and that in position 8 makes a held loop; in row F2, always on arrival, the needle in position 9 produces a held loop, that in position 8 a float loop, that in position 7 a held loop; in row F1, the needle in position 9 produces a float loop, the needle in position 8 produces a held loop, that in position 7 again a float loop and the last in position 6 a held loop. In the return phase, every needle will produce all normal loops.
It is intended that the drawing only shows an exemplary embodiment which is given only by way of practical demonstration of the invention, it being possible for this invention to vary in form and arrangement without moreover leaving the scope of the idea which forms the invention itself.
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The tubular knit product with a pocket and a method for forming the pocket using reciprocating motion in tubular knit hosiery manufacturing. The method uses a circular knitting machine fed by a plurality of yarn feeds which all participate in the formation of the pocket by a reciprocating motion. During the reciprocating motion, part rows of stitches from yarns of the various feeds are formed in a sequence on a course. For the next preceding opposite course, the part rows of stitches from the yarns of the various feeds are formed in a sequence which is opposite. For each subsequent course, the sequence is opposite to the preceding course, and the course direction is opposite (reversed). On each successive reversed course, the yarns of the various feeds form rows which progressively decrease in a first part of the construction of the pocket and progressively increase in a second part of the construction of the pocket. The points of reversal of the rows formed by the various yarns on one side of the pocket appear in a sequence opposite to that in which they appear on an opposite side of the pocket.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
[0001] The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which is structured so that a drum cartridge and a development cartridge are removably mountable in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, and also, so that it forms an image on recording medium while the drum cartridge and development cartridge remain in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. Here, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus means an apparatus which forms a color image on recording medium, with the use of an electrophotographic image formation process. As examples of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, color laser beam printer, color LED printer, etc.), a facsimile apparatus, a word processor, etc., can be included.
[0002] There have been known electrophotographic color image forming apparatuses (which hereafter will be referred to simply as image forming apparatuses) which form a color image on recording medium. In the case of a conventional electrophotographic color image forming apparatus, two or more electrophotographic photosensitive drums (which hereafter will be referred to as photosensitive drums) are disposed in parallel, and two or more development rollers are disposed so that they oppose the photosensitive drums, one for one, and also, so that each of the electrostatic latent images formed on the photosensitive drums, one for one, is developed with a developer which is different in color from the developer used for developing the other electrostatic latent images. Incidentally, disposing two or more photosensitive drums in parallel is generally referred to as a tandem arrangement.
[0003] There have been known structural arrangements which allow multiple development cartridges having a development roller, to be removably mounted in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus of the tandem type, in such a manner that the development rollers oppose the photosensitive drums one for one (disclosed in U.S. Patent Application 0147881/2007, for example).
[0004] However, the multiple photosensitive drums become different in the length of their service lives, because the frequency with which each of the developers different in color is used is different from the frequency with which the other developers are used, and also, the amount by which each developer is used is different from the amount by which the other developers are used. Thus, it is desired that an electrophotographic color image forming apparatus is structured so that each photosensitive drum can be independently replaced from the other photosensitive drums.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Thus, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus structured so that each of the drum cartridges and development cartridges for the image forming apparatus can be independently mounted onto, or removed from, the drum cartridge supporting member and development cartridge supporting member of the apparatus, respectively, independently from the other drum cartridges and development cartridges.
[0006] Here, the drum cartridge mentioned above is a cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum. The development cartridge mentioned above is a cartridge having a development roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the corresponding electrophotographic photosensitive drum, with the use of developer. Further, the supporting member is a member of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, which moves between its innermost position in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and its outermost position, or its outside position, in which the supporting member is when it is outside the main assembly 1 .
[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which is superior to a conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus, in terms of the operational efficiency with which the drum cartridges and development cartridges can be replaced.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus structured so that the direction in which the drum cartridges are mounted onto, or removed from, the supporting member is different from the direction in which the development cartridges are mounted into, or removed from, the supporting member.
[0009] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, said electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising a drum cartridge including an electrophotographic photosensitive member drum; a developing cartridge including a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on said electrophotographic photosensitive drum using a developer; a supporting member movable between an inside position and a retracted position in the state that supporting member supports said drum cartridge and said developing cartridge, wherein the inside position is inside said main assembly of said apparatus, and the retracted position is retracted from said main assembly of said apparatus; wherein said supporting member supports said drum cartridge and said developing cartridge independently demountably therefrom, wherein mounting and demounting directions of said drum cartridge relative to said supporting member and mounting and demounting directions of said developing cartridge are different from each other.
[0010] As described above, according to the present invention, each of the drum cartridges and development cartridges can be removed from the supporting member, independently from the others. Further, according to the present invention, each of the drum cartridges and development cartridges can be attached to the supporting member, independently from the others.
[0011] Further, the present invention improved the operational efficiency with which the drum cartridges and development cartridges are replaced.
[0012] Further, the present invention can make the direction in which the drum cartridges are mounted onto, or removed from, their supporting member, different from the direction in which the development cartridges are mounted onto, or removed from, the supporting member.
[0013] These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and shows the general structure of the apparatus.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming portion of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1 , and shows the structure of the image forming portion.
[0016] FIG. 3 is perspective views of one of the drum cartridges, and one of the development cartridges, respectively, in the first preferred embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus in the first preferred embodiment, the supporting member of which is in its outermost position relative to the main assembly of the apparatus.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the supporting member in the first embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the supporting member, and the cartridges on the supporting member, in the first preferred embodiment, and shows the relationship between the supporting member and the cartridges.
[0020] FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing for describing the positional relationship between one of the drum cartridges, and the corresponding development cartridge, in the first preferred embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 8( a ), FIG. 8( b ) and FIG. 8( c ) are views illustrating the mechanism for placing the development cartridges in contact with the corresponding photosensitive drums, or separating the development cartridges from the corresponding photosensitive drums, in the first preferred embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, and shows the general structure of the apparatus.
[0023] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming portion of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 9 , and shows the structure of the image forming portion.
[0024] Figure is perspective views of one of the development cartridges, and one of the drum cartridges, respectively, in the second preferred embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus in the second preferred embodiment, the supporting member of which is in its outermost position relative to the main assembly of the apparatus.
[0026] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the supporting member in the second preferred embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the mechanism for placing the development cartridges in contact with the corresponding photosensitive drums, or separating the development cartridges from the corresponding photosensitive drum, in the second preferred embodiment.
[0028] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the supporting member, and the cartridges on the supporting member, in the second preferred embodiment, and shows the positional relationship between the supporting member and the cartridges.
[0029] FIG. 16 is a schematic drawing for describing the positional relationship between one of the drum cartridges, and the corresponding development cartridge, in the second preferred embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 17( a ), FIG. 17( b ) and FIG. 17( c ) illustrate the mechanism for placing the development cartridges in contact with the corresponding photosensitive drums, or separating the development cartridges from the corresponding photosensitive drums.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. It should be noted here that unless specifically noted, the materials and shapes of the structural components of any of the image forming apparatuses in the following preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the positional relationship among the structural components, are not intended to limit the present invention in scope.
Embodiment 1
[0032] First, referring to FIGS. 1-8 , the electrophotographic color image forming apparatus (which hereafter will be referred to simply as image forming apparatus) in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.
<Image Forming Apparatus>
[0033] Referring to FIG. 1 , the overall structure of the image forming apparatus in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and shows the general structure of the apparatus.
[0034] The main assembly 1 of the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with image forming portions 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C, which form black, yellow, magenta, and cyan images, respectively. The image forming portions are disposed in parallel. Hereafter, the suffix of each of the referential codes 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C, which indicates the color of the images formed by the image forming portions, may be left out; each of the image forming portions 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C may be referred to simply as “image forming portion 3 ”. So may be the suffix of each of the referential codes of the various components of the image forming apparatus.
[0035] FIG. 1 shows the state of the image forming apparatus when the tray unit 33 (supporting member), which will be described later, is in its preset innermost position, and the drum cartridges 31 and development cartridge 32 are ready for image formation. The main assembly 1 is what remains after the drum cartridges 31 and development cartridges 31 are removed from the image forming apparatus 100 .
[0036] The image forming portions 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C are provided with electrophotographic photosensitive drums 311 K, 311 Y, 311 M, and 311 C, which are for bearing black, yellow, magenta, and cyan images, respectively.
[0037] The main assembly 1 is also provided with a laser unit 2 , which is above these image forming portions 3 . The laser unit 2 projects beams of laser light LK, LY, LM, and LC upon the photosensitive drums 311 K, 311 Y, 311 M, and 311 C with which the image forming portions 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C are provided, respectively. As the beam of laser light is projected upon the photosensitive drum 311 , an electrostatic latent image is formed, which reflects the information of the image to be formed. Hereafter, the suffixial letters K, Y, M, and C, which indicate the color of the laser beam, may be left out; each of the four beams of laser light may be referred to simply as beam L of laser light.
[0038] Further, the main assembly 1 is provided with a transfer unit 4 , which is below the combination of the four image forming portions 3 . The transfer unit 4 transfers onto a sheet 61 of recording medium, an image formed of developer on photosensitive drum 311 . Here, recording medium is medium on which an image is formed with the use of an electrophotographic image formation process. As the concrete examples of the sheet 61 of recording medium, a sheet of paper, an OHP sheet, a piece of fabric, etc., can be listed.
[0039] The main assembly 1 is also provided with a recover unit 5 , which is located below the combination of the image forming portions 3 . The recover unit 5 recovers the developer t, which remained adhered to a transfer belt 41 of the unit 4 after the transfer of the image formed of developer. Further, the main assembly 1 is provided with a cassette 6 , which is below the unit 5 . The cassette 6 is where multiple sheets 61 of recording medium are stored in layers.
[0040] Further, the main assembly 1 is provided with a fixation unit 7 for fixing the developer image to the sheet 61 after the transfer of the developer image onto the sheet 61 . The fixation unit 7 is on the left side (in drawing) of the combination of the image forming portions 3 . Further, the main assembly 1 is provided with a discharging portion 8 for discharging the sheet 61 out of the main assembly 1 after the fixation of the developer image to the sheet 61 . The discharging portion 8 is above the unit 7 .
[0041] Further, the main assembly 1 is provided with a conveying portion 6 , which is on the right side (in drawing) of the unit 4 .
<Conveying Portion>
[0042] Next, referring to FIG. 1 , the conveying portion 6 will be described in more detail. The conveying portion 6 is for conveying the sheet 61 to the unit 4 . It has a feed roller 63 , a pair of conveyance rollers 64 , a pair of registration rollers 65 , etc., in addition to the abovementioned cassette 61 .
[0043] The roller 63 feeds the sheets 61 in the cassette 62 , into the main assembly 1 , one by one, by rotating as an image forming operation continues. After being fed out into the main assembly 1 by the roller 63 , each sheet 61 is conveyed by the pair of rollers 64 to the pair of roller 65 , which is located further downstream.
[0044] The moment the leading edge of the sheet 61 arrives at the nip between the pair of rollers 65 , the pair of rollers 65 is stationary. Thus, if the sheet 61 happens to be askew as it arrives at the nip, it is straightened by the pair of the rollers 65 (nip), which is remaining stationary. Thereafter, the rotation of the pair of rollers 65 is started with preset timing so that the developer image can transferred onto the sheet 61 , across the preset portion of the sheet 61 . Thus, the sheet 61 is conveyed to the transfer unit 4 .
<Image Forming Portion>
[0045] Next, referring to FIG. 2 , the image forming portion 3 will be described in more detail. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of one of the image forming portions 3 of the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment, and shows the structure of the image forming portion 3 .
[0046] As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with the four image forming portions 3 ( 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C) which form black, yellow, magenta and cyan images, respectively. The four image forming portions 3 are the same in basic structure, although they are different in the color of the developer t they use. Thus, FIG. 2 shows the image forming portion 3 K, which forms a black image, as the image forming portion which represents the four image forming portions 3 .
[0047] The image forming portion 3 is provided with a charge roller 312 ( 312 K, 312 Y, 312 M, or 312 C), as a charging means (processing means), in addition to the photosensitive drum 311 . Hereafter, the suffixial letters K, Y, M, and C, which indicate the color with which the four charge rollers 312 K, 312 Y, 312 M, and 312 C are associated may be left out; each of the charge rollers may be referred to simply as a charge roller 312 . The same holds true in the case of the components of the image forming apparatus 100 , other than the abovementioned components.
[0048] The four image forming portions 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C are structured so that the development cartridges 32 K, 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C having the development rollers 321 K, 321 Y, 321 M, and 321 C, which are developing means (processing means), are removably attachable in the image forming portions 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C, respectively.
[0049] Further, the four image forming portions 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C are provided with cleaning rollers 313 K, 313 Y, 313 M, and 313 C, respectively, which are cleaning means (processing means).
[0050] Next, the image formation process which is carried out by each image forming portion 3 will be described.
[0051] Each photosensitive drum 311 is cylindrical. It has a cylindrical substrate, and photosensitive layers which cover the peripheral surface of the cylindrical substrate. The photosensitive layers are formed of organic photosensitive substances. The photosensitive drum 311 is rotatably supported. It rotates in the clockwise direction ( FIG. 2 ) when the image forming apparatus 100 forms an image.
[0052] The charge roller 312 is a roller for charging the photosensitive drum 311 . As charge bias is applied to the charge roller 312 from a bias charging means (unshown), the charge roller 312 uniformly charges the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 311 .
[0053] After the charging of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 311 , a beam L of laser light is projected by a laser unit 2 upon the charged peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 311 , while being modulated with the information regarding the image to be formed, as described above, whereby an electrostatic latent image is effected on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 311 .
[0054] The development cartridges 32 K, 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C have development rollers 321 K, 321 Y, 321 M, and 321 C, respectively, which bear developer t.
[0055] The cartridges 32 K, 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C have also development blades 322 K, 322 Y, 322 M, and 322 C, respectively, which regulate in thickness the layer of developer t having adhered to the development roller 321 , and also, charge the developer t.
[0056] Further, the cartridges 32 K, 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C have developer storage portions 323 K, 323 Y, 323 M, and 323 C, respectively, which store the developer t. The cartridge 32 K has a developer storage portion 323 K, which stores black developer t. It forms a black developer image on the drum 311 K. The cartridge 32 Y has a storage portion 323 Y, which stores yellow developer t. It forms a yellow developer image on the drum 311 Y. The cartridge 32 M has a storage portion 323 M, in which magenta developer t is stored. It forms a magenta developer image on the drum 311 M. The cartridge 32 C has a storage portion 323 C in which cyan developer t is stored. It forms an image of cyan color, on the drum 311 C.
[0057] Further, the cartridges 32 K, 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C have stirring members 324 K, 324 Y, 324 M, and 324 C, which convey the developer t to the development rollers 321 K, 321 Y, 321 M, and 321 C while stirring the developer t in the developer storage portions 323 K, 323 Y, 323 M, and 323 C, respectively.
[0058] During an image forming operation, each development roller 321 rotates in the counterclockwise direction ( FIG. 2 ). As the developer t borne on the peripheral surface of the development roller 321 is moved past the development blade 322 while remaining in contact with the development blade 322 , the developer t becomes charged. Thus, as the development roller 321 is rotated further, the charged developer t is adhered to the electrostatic latent image (which has just been formed on photosensitive drum 311 ) by the development bias applied to the development roller 321 by the bias applying means (unshown), in the area in which the development roller 321 opposes the photosensitive drum 311 . In other words, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the combination of the development roller 321 and the developer t on the development roller 321 .
[0059] After the formation of a developer image (development of electrostatic latent image) on the photosensitive drum 311 by the cartridge 32 , the developer image is transferred onto the sheet 61 (of recording medium), which is on a transfer belt 41 and being conveyed by the transfer belt 41 ( FIG. 1 ). The developer t, which is remaining on the photosensitive drum 311 after the transfer, that is, the developer t, which failed to be transferred from the photosensitive drum 311 onto the sheet 61 , is recovered by a cleaning roller 313 .
[0060] As the above described steps of the electrostatic image formation process are repeated by the image forming portion 3 , the intended image is completed (formed) on the sheet 61 .
[0061] As for the developer t recovered by the cleaning roller 313 , it is adhered to the photosensitive drum 311 with a preset timing, and then, is recovered into a recovery unit 5 by way of the belt 41 .
[0062] Incidentally, the method for recovering the residual developer t on the photosensitive drum 311 , that is, the portion of the developer image on the photosensitive drum 311 , which failed to be transferred onto the sheet 61 , does not need to be limited to the above described one. That is, any of the known methods, for example, the method which uses a cleaning blade, may be used as needed.
<Transfer Unit>
[0063] Next, referring to FIG. 1 , the transfer unit 4 will be described.
[0064] The unit 4 has: the transfer belt 41 which conveys the sheet 61 by bonding the sheet 61 to the transfer belt 41 ; a belt tension roller 42 , which provides the belt with tension; and a belt driving roller 43 for driving the belt 41 . Further, the unit 4 has: a transfer roller 44 ( 44 K, 44 Y, 44 M, and 44 C) for transferring the developer image after the formation of the developer image on the photosensitive drum 311 ; and a roller 45 which is disposed in such a manner that it opposes the recovery roller 51 of the recovery unit 5 with the presence of the transfer belt 41 between the two rollers 45 and 51 .
[0065] The belt 41 adheres the sheet 61 to itself so that it can reliably convey the sheet 61 . As the sheet 61 is conveyed by the belt 41 , it sequentially moves through the four nips formed by the four photosensitive drums 311 and corresponding transfer rollers 44 , one for one. While the sheet 61 is moved through each nip, a preset transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller 44 by a bias applying means (unshown). Thus, the four developer images on the four photosensitive drums 311 , one for one, are sequentially transferred onto the sheet 61 , effecting thereby a color image (developer image) on the sheet 61 .
[0066] The roller 43 is the roller for rotating the belt 41 , and is rotated by a driving means (unshown) in the counterclockwise direction ( FIG. 1 ). The roller 45 is positioned so that it is pressed against the roller 51 with the presence of the belt 41 between the two rollers 45 and 51 . Thus, the belt 41 is kept pinched in the nip which the two rollers 45 and 51 form. The roller 42 provides the belt 41 with a preset amount of tension, by being aided by a pressure applying means (unshown).
<Recovery Unit>
[0067] Next, referring to FIG. 1 , the recovery unit 5 will be described.
[0068] The unit 5 has: the recovery roller 51 for scraping away the residues on the belt 41 ; a scraper 52 for scraping down the residues recovered by the roller 51 ; and a recovery container 53 .
[0069] There are such residues as the residue from the developer t adhered to the belt 41 by the roller 313 as described above, and paper dust, on the belt 41 . The roller 51 is rotated by a driving means (unshown), and a preset bias is applied to the roller 51 by a bias applying means (unshown), so that these residues are recovered by the roller 51 .
[0070] The scraper 52 is made up of a piece of flexible sheet. One of its lengthwise edges is in contact with the roller 51 . With the provision of this structural arrangement, the residues recovered by the roller 51 are scraped down from the peripheral surface of the roller 51 by the scraper 52 , and are recovered into the container 53 .
<Fixation Unit>
[0071] Next, referring to FIG. 1 , the fixation unit 7 will be described.
[0072] The fixation unit 7 has a heat roller 71 and a pressure roller 72 . The roller 71 has a heating means (unshown), which is inside the roller 71 . It is heated to a preset temperature level. The pressure roller 72 is kept pressed upon the roller 71 by a pressing means (unshown) so that a preset amount of pressure is maintained between the two rollers 71 and 72 .
[0073] While the sheet 61 , which is bearing the developer image transferred onto the sheet 61 by the transfer unit 4 , is conveyed through the nip portion between the rollers 71 and 72 , heat and pressure is applied to the sheet 61 and the developer image thereon, whereby the developer image becomes fixed to the sheet 61 , yielding thereby the sheet 61 bearing a fixed developer image.
<Discharge Portion>
[0074] Next, referring to FIG. 1 , the discharge portion 8 will be described.
[0075] The discharge portion 8 has a pair of conveyance rollers 81 , a pair of discharge rollers 82 , and a delivery portion 83 (tray).
[0076] After the fixation of the developer image to the sheet 61 , the sheet 61 is conveyed out of the fixation unit 7 , and then, is conveyed to the discharge portion 8 .
[0077] The rollers 81 are for conveying the sheet 61 to the pair of rollers 82 , and are rotated, along with the rollers 82 , by a driving means (unshown). The rollers 82 are for discharging the sheet 61 out of the main assembly 1 . The delivery portion 83 is the portion into which the sheet 61 is discharged in such a manner that it will be placed on top of the preceding sheet 61 , after the fixation of the developer image to the sheet 61 , that is, after the completion of the image on the sheet 61 .
[0000] <Unitization of Components with Limited Service Life, and Consumables (Placement of Components with Limited Service Life, and Consumables, in Cartridge)>
[0078] Next, the unitization of components with a limited service life, and consumables, will be described.
[0079] As described above, each image forming portion 3 of the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is provided with the photosensitive drum 311 , charge roller 312 , cleaning roller 313 , and development roller 321 .
[0080] Some of the various members (components), which make up the image forming portion 3 , wear out. Thus, they have to be replaced as they reach the end of their service life. Here, the end of their service life refers to when they reach the point beyond which they become unsatisfactory for the image forming apparatus to continue to form images satisfactory in quality to a user, because of their deterioration and/or wear.
[0081] In this embodiment, therefore, the components which are likely to wear and/or deteriorate, are placed together in a cartridge to make simpler the operation for replacing them. More concretely, each image forming portion is made up of a drum cartridge 31 ( 31 K, 31 Y, 31 M, and 31 C) and the development cartridge 32 ( 32 K, 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C) described above. The cartridge 31 K and 32 K are paired to form an image forming portion, and so are the cartridges 31 Y and 32 Y, cartridges 31 M and 32 M, and cartridges 31 C and 32 C.
[0082] The cartridge 31 has the photosensitive drum 311 , charge roller 312 (charging means), and cleaning roller 313 (cleaning means), which were unitized. The development cartridge 32 has the development roller 321 (developing means) and developer storage portion 323 , which were unitized.
[0083] If any of the cartridges 31 and 32 reaches the end of its service life, a user can replace the cartridge(s) having reached the end of its service life, with a brand-new one to ensure that the image forming apparatus 100 continues to form high quality images.
<Drum Cartridge>
[0084] Next, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3( a ), the drum cartridge 31 will be described. FIG. 3( a ) is a perspective view of the drum cartridge 31 in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the four image forming portions 3 ( 3 K, 3 Y, 3 M, and 3 C) are basically the same in structure, although they are different in the color of the developer t. Therefore, shown in FIG. 3( a ) is the drum cartridge 31 K, as the cartridge which represents all the cartridges 31 , as it does in FIG. 2 .
[0085] The cartridge 31 has the photosensitive drum 311 , charge roller 312 , cleaning roller 313 , and the drum cartridge frame 314 ( 314 K, 314 Y, 314 M, and 314 C) to which the preceding three components are attached to unitize them.
[0086] Further, the frame 314 is provided with: a drum cartridge guide 3141 a ( 3141 a K, 3141 a Y, 3141 a M, and 3141 a C) (guiding members, by which frame 314 is guided) which guides the cartridge 31 when the cartridge 31 is mounted into, or removed from the main assembly 1 ; a drum cartridge guide 3141 b ( 3141 b K, 3141 b Y, 3141 b M, and 3141 b C) (guiding members, by which frame 314 is guided) which guides the cartridge 31 when the cartridge 31 is mounted into, or removed from the main assembly 1 ( FIGS. 2 and 3( a )). The guides 3141 a and 3141 b (guiding members by which frame 314 is guided) are parallel to the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 31 (axial line of photosensitive drum 311 ). Further, they are different in the direction in which they outwardly protrude from the frame 314 ( FIG. 2) .
[0087] The frame 314 is also provided with: a drum cartridge positioning front hole 3143 a ( 3143 a K, 3143 a Y, 3143 a M, and 3143 a C) (positioning hole by which frame 314 is positioned) which precisely positions the cartridge 31 relative to the unit 33 ; and a drum cartridge positioning front hole 3143 b ( 3143 b K, 3143 b Y, 3143 b M, and 3143 b C) (positioning hole, by which frame 314 is positioned) which precisely positions the cartridge 31 relative to the unit 33 ( FIG. 3( a )). The positioning holes 3143 a and 3143 b are portions of protrusions, one for one, protruding from the trailing end of the frame 314 (in terms of the direction indicated by arrow mark X, that is, the direction in which the cartridge 31 is inserted into the unit 33 ), in the direction intersectional (perpendicular) to the cartridge insertion direction X.
[0088] Further, the frame 314 is provided with a drum cartridge positioning front hole (groove) 3142 ( 3142 K, 3142 Y, 3142 M, and 3142 C) (positioning members, by frame 314 (cartridge 31 ) is guided) which precisely positions the cartridge 31 relative to the unit 33 . The positioning hole 3142 is at the leading end of the frame 314 in terms of the direction X in which the cartridge 31 is inserted into the unit 33 , and its axial line coincides with that of the photosensitive drum 311 . That is, the leading end of the cartridge 31 , in terms of the cartridge insertion direction X, is precisely positioned relative to the unit 33 by the hole 3142 of the frame 314 , which is at the leading end of the cartridge 31 , whereas the trailing end of the cartridge 31 is precisely positioned relative to the unit 33 by the holes 3143 a and 3143 b of the frame 314 , which is at the trailing end of the frame 314 in terms of the cartridge insertion direction X. As described above, the axial line of the hole 3142 coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 311 . Therefore, as the cartridge 31 is precisely positioned relative to the unit 33 , the photosensitive drum 311 is also precisely positioned relative to the unit 33 . Incidentally, the axial lines of the 3142 , 3143 a, and 3143 b are parallel to the cartridge insertion direction X. Also as described above, the photosensitive drum 311 , charge roller 312 , and cleaning roller 313 are integral parts of the cartridge 31 , and therefore, removably mounted in the main assembly 1 .
[0089] The cartridge 31 integrally holds the charge roller 312 (charging means) and cleaning roller 313 (cleaning means), which are processing means, and photosensitive drum 311 , and is removably mountable in the main assembly 1 . Thus, the cartridge 31 may be referred to as a process cartridge, because, a process cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of the charging means and cleaning means, which are processing means, and the photosensitive drum, are integrally disposed so that they can be removably mounted in the main assembly 1 of the image forming apparatus 100 . Incidentally, this embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in terms of the structure of the cartridge 31 . For example, what is required of the cartridge 31 is that it has at least the photosensitive drum 311 , and is removably mountable in the main assembly 1 . It is possible that the cartridge 31 has only the photosensitive drum 311 , that is, it does not have any of the aforementioned processing means. In such a case, the charge roller 312 (charging means) and cleaning roller 313 (cleaning means) are to be attached to the main assembly 1 .
<Development Cartridge>
[0090] Next, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3( b ), the development cartridge 32 will be described in more detail. FIG. 3( b ) is a perspective view of the cartridge 32 in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0091] The cartridge 32 has the development roller 321 , development blade 322 , stirring member 324 , and a development cartridge frame 325 ( 325 K, 325 Y, 325 M, and 325 C) to which the preceding components are attached to be unitized. The development cartridge frame 325 has a development storage portion 323 . That is, the cartridge 32 is an integration of the development roller 321 , development blade 322 , stirring member 324 , and developer storage portion 323 , and is removably mountable in the main assembly 1 .
[0092] The frame 325 is provided with a pair of developer cartridge positioning shafts 3251 a ( 3251 a K, 3251 a Y, 3251 a M, and 3251 a C) and 3251 b ( 3251 b K, 3251 b Y, 3251 b M, and 3251 b C), which are positioning portions for precisely positioning the cartridge 32 relative to the unit 33 . More specifically, the positioning shaft 3251 a projects from one of the lengthwise ends of the cartridge 32 (direction parallel to axial line of development roller 321 ), and the positioning shaft 3251 b projects from the other lengthwise end of the cartridge 32 . The axial lines of the shafts 3251 a and 3251 b coincide with the axial line of the development roller 321 . Thus, the cartridge 32 is precisely positioned relative to the unit 33 in such a manner that the development roller 321 is precisely positioned relative to the unit 33 .
[0093] Further, the frame 325 is provided with a pair of separation bosses 3252 a ( 3252 a K, 3252 a Y, 3252 a M, and 3252 a C) and 3252 b ( 3252 b K, 3252 b Y, 3252 b M, and 3252 b C), which project from the lengthwise ends of the frame 325 , one for one, in the direction parallel to the lengthwise direction of the frame 325 . Each of the separation bosses 3252 a and 3252 b is one of the members which make up the means (mechanism) for placing the development roller 321 in contact with the photosensitive drum 311 , or separating the development roller 321 from the photosensitive drum 311 . This means for placing the development roller 321 in contact with, or separating from, the photosensitive drum 311 , will be described later in more detail.
<Tray Unit System>
[0094] Next, referring to FIGS. 1 and 4 , the tray unit system will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the tray unit (supporting member) 33 in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the tray unit 33 is in its outermost position relative to the main assembly 1 .
[0095] The image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is provided with the unit 33 , which is a supporting member for supporting the image forming portions 3 . The image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that when its main assembly 1 is on a horizontal surface, the unit 33 is horizontally movable relative to the main assembly 1 . Further, the unit 33 is supported by the main assembly 1 so that it is movable between its innermost position in the main assembly 1 and its outermost position relative to the main assembly 1 . If a user wants to move the unit 33 out of the main assembly 1 , the user is to open the main assembly cover 11 , and then, horizontally pull the unit 33 outward in a straight line, as shown in FIG. 4 . Incidentally, the main assembly cover 1 is capable of taking the closed position and open position, in which it keeps the opening 1 a of the main assembly 1 closed or open, respectively. The unit 33 is movable, while supporting the cartridges 31 and 32 , between the innermost position IP ( FIG. 1 ) in the main assembly 1 , and the outermost position OP (FIG. 4 ) relative to the main assembly 1 . Thus, when the unit 33 is moved between the innermost position IP and outermost position OP, it moves through the opening la. That is, the opening 1 a is the opening which allows the unit 33 to move between the inward and outward side of the main assembly 1 . By the way, FIG. 1 is a drawing for showing the state of the unit 33 when the unit 33 is in the innermost position IP, and FIG. 4 is a drawing for showing the state of the unit 33 when the unit 33 is in the outermost position OP. The outermost position OP is the unit position which allows a user to mount the cartridges 31 and 32 into the unit 33 , or remove the cartridges 31 and 32 from the unit 32 . The innermost position IP is the unit position which allows the unit 33 to keep the cartridges 31 and 32 in the image forming portions in the main assembly 1 . The image forming position is the cartridge position in which the cartridges 31 and 32 contribute to the image formation process. That is, the image forming position is the position in which the cartridges 31 and 32 carry out the image formation process. In this embodiment, when the unit 33 is in its innermost position IP (image forming position), the photosensitive drum 311 , which the cartridge 31 has, is in contact with the belt 41 .
[0096] The unit 33 is a member (unit) for supporting multiple cartridges 31 and 32 . The unit 33 and cartridge 31 and 32 are structured so that the cartridges 31 and 32 can be individually and removably mountable in the unit 33 . If a user wants to replace the cartridge 31 or cartridge 32 , the user is to move the unit 33 out of the main assembly 1 before the user replace the cartridge(s). That is, the user is to pull the unit 33 out of the main assembly 1 (from innermost position IP, FIG. 1 ), all the way to the outermost position OP ( FIG. 4 ), and then, the user is to replace the cartridge(s) 31 and 32 which needs to be replaced, with brand-new cartridge(s) 31 and 32 , while keeping the unit 33 in the outermost position OP. After the completion of the cartridge replacement operation, the user is to move the unit 33 back into the innermost position IP in the main assembly 1 by horizontally moving the unit 33 in a straight line. In other words, in this embodiment, the cartridges 31 and 32 are removably mountable in the main assembly 1 . That is, the cartridges 31 and 32 are removably positioned in their image forming portions described above. Referring to FIG. 4 , the main assembly 1 is provided with a pair of inner walls 103 and a pair of tray guiding rails 101 and 102 . The inner walls 103 are on the immediately inward side of the corresponding outer walls of the main assembly 1 , and face each other across the internal space of the main assembly 1 . One of the inner walls 103 is at one of the widthwise ends of the unit 33 , and the other inner wall 103 is at the other widthwise end of the unit 33 . The guide rail 101 is a part of one of the mutually facing inner walls 103 , and is in the form of a groove. The guide rail 102 is a part of the other inner wall 103 , and is also in the form of a groove. The guide rails 101 and 102 are positioned so that they squarely oppose each other as do the pair of inner walls 103 . Further, the rails 101 and 102 have tray positioning portions 101 a and 102 a, respectively, which are the rail positioning portions of the unit 33 . Here, the widthwise direction of the unit 33 is the direction intersectional (perpendicular) to the directions Z 1 and Z 2 ( FIG. 5 ) in which the unit 33 is moved relative to the main assembly 1 .
[0097] Next, referring to FIG. 5 , the unit 33 has a pair of handholds 332 and 333 , which have tray guiding bosses 332 a and 333 a, respectively, which are used to guide the unit 33 when the unit 33 is mounted into the main assembly 1 . The guide boss 332 a is guided by the rail 102 when the unit 33 is moved between the innermost position IP and outermost position OP. The guide boss 333 a is guided by the rail 101 when the unit 33 is moved between the innermost position IP and outermost position OP.
[0098] Further, the cover 11 (which can be opened or closed) has a tray contacting portion 11 a for keeping the unit 33 in the innermost position IP. As the cover 11 is closed when the unit 33 is in the innermost position IP, the tray contacting portion 11 a keeps the unit 33 in the innermost position IP by coming into contact with the guide boss 332 a.
[0099] As a user moves the unit 33 from the outermost position OP to the innermost position IP, the guide bosses 333 a and 332 a move while remaining engaged with the guide rails 101 and 102 , respectively, whereby the unit 33 is regulated in its movement. Therefore, the unit 33 remains stable in its movement. It is after the arrival of the bosses 333 a and 333 b at the tray positioning portions (of main assembly 1 ) 101 a and 102 a, respectively, when the cover 11 is to be closed. As the cover 11 is closed to completely cover the opening 1 a, the unit 33 is precisely positioned in the innermost position IP by the cover 11 . In this embodiment, the boss 333 a is precisely positioned by the tray positioning portion 101 a, whereby the unit 33 is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly 1 , as will be described later. Also in this embodiment, the cartridges 31 and 32 are precisely positioned relative to the unit 33 , as will be described later. Thus, as the unit 33 is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly 1 , the cartridges 31 and 32 are also precisely positioned relative to the main assembly 1 . In other words, when the unit 33 is in the innermost position IP, the cartridges 31 and 32 are in their image forming positions described above. As for the position of the bosses 333 a and 332 a, they are at the widthwise ends of the unit 33 , one for one. Further, in terms of the lengthwise direction of the unit 33 , in which the unit 33 is moved into the main assembly 1 , the boss 333 a is at the downstream end of the unit 33 , and the boss 332 a is at the upstream end of the unit 33 . Thus, the unit 33 is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly 1 by its lengthwise ends and widthwise ends. Therefore, it is ensured that the unit 33 is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly 1 . Here, the abovementioned lengthwise direction of the unit 33 is the direction parallel to the direction Z 1 , that is, the direction in which the unit 33 is pushed into the main assembly 1 . The abovementioned widthwise direction of the unit 33 is the direction perpendicular to the direction Z 1 , that is, the direction in which the unit 33 is pushed into the main assembly 1 . Further, the cover 11 can be opened or closed to expose or cover the opening 1 a, respectively. The cover 11 is rotatably movable about the axial line of the shaft 11 b.
[0100] The employment of the above described tray unit system makes it possible to perform the cartridge replacement operation outside the main assembly 1 , that is, in a wide-open space, making it easier to perform the cartridge replacement operation. In addition, it makes it unnecessary for a user to remove the cartridges 31 and 32 one by one from within the main assembly 1 when it is necessary to remove the sheets 61 having jammed up in the main assembly 1 . More concretely, as the user releases a stopper (unshown), the user can pulled (remove) the combination of the unit 33 and cartridges 31 and 32 , out of the main assembly 1 by grasping the handholds 332 and 333 . Thus, the employment of the above described tray unit system can improve the image forming apparatus in terms of the efficiency with which the jammed sheets 61 can be removed.
[0101] In the case of an image forming apparatus structured so that the unit 33 is to be horizontally pulled out of the main assembly 1 as in the case of the image forming apparatus in this embodiment, the operation for replacing the cartridges 31 and 32 can be performed without retracting the laser unit 2 . Further, even if the image forming apparatus is structured so that the original reading apparatus (unshown) is in the top portion of the main assembly 1 , the operation for replacing the cartridges 31 and 32 can be performed without retracting the original reading apparatus. In other words, not only does the employment of the above described tray unit system improve an image forming apparatus in terms of the cartridge replacement efficiency, but also, makes it unnecessary to provide an image forming apparatus with a mechanism or structural arrangement dedicated to the retraction of the unit 2 and original reading apparatus. That is, the employment of the tray unit system is advantageous also from the standpoint of structural simplification.
<Tray Unit>
[0102] Next, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6( a ), the tray unit 33 will be described in more detail. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tray unit (supporting member) in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6( a ) is a perspective view of the tray unit in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the tray unit is holding the cartridges.
[0103] The unit 33 has a tray frame 331 , and the pair of handholds 332 and 333 . The handholds 332 and 333 are where a user is to place his or her hand(s) to grasp the unit 33 when moving the unit 33 relative to the main assembly 1 . The handhold 332 is to be grasped by a user to push the unit 33 into the main assembly 1 (direction of arrow mark Z 1 ), or pull the unit 33 out of the main assembly 1 (direction of arrow mark Z 2 ). In terms of the direction (indicated by arrow mark Z 1 ) in which the unit 33 is pushed into the main assembly 1 , the handhold 332 is at the upstream end of the unit 33 . The handhold 333 is to be grasped by a user when the user removes the unit 33 from the main assembly 1 . For example, when it is necessary to remove jammed recording sheet(s), a user is to release the stopper (unshown), and remove the unit 33 from the main assembly 1 by grasping the handholds 332 and 333 , so that the jammed recording sheets can be removed.
[0104] Further, the unit 33 is provided with a pair of separation bars 334 a and 334 b ( FIG. 5 ), which are two of the components that make up the means for placing each of the development rollers 321 in contact with the corresponding photosensitive drum 311 , or separating each of the development rollers 321 from the corresponding photosensitive drum 311 ( FIG. 5 ).
[0105] The unit 33 is provided with drum positioning shafts (drum positioning members on supporting member side) 335 ( 335 K, 335 Y, 335 M, and 335 C), which correspond in position to the holes 3142 , with which the cartridges 31 are provided one for one. Each positioning shaft 335 is projecting inward of the unit 33 in the direction intersectional (perpendicular) to the direction in which the unit 33 is moved relative to the main assembly 1 . The number of the shafts 335 matches the number of the cartridges 31 supportable by the unit 33 so that there will be one shaft 335 per cartridge 31 ( FIG. 5 ).
[0106] Further, the unit 33 is provided with drum positioning bosses (drum positioning portion on supporting member side) 336 a ( 336 a K, 336 a Y, 336 a M, and 336 a C), which correspond in position to the positioning holes 3143 a, with which the cartridges 31 supported by the unit 33 are provided, one for one. The boss 336 a is projecting outward from one of the widthwise end walls of the unit 33 , in the direction intersectional (perpendicular) to the direction in which the unit 33 is moved relative to the main assembly 1 . The number of bosses 336 matches the number of the cartridges 31 so that there will be one boss 336 a per cartridge 31 . Incidentally, the widthwise direction of the unit 33 is the directions (indicated by arrow marks Z 1 and Z 2 ), which is perpendicular to the direction in which the unit 33 is moved relative to the main assembly 1 .
[0107] Further, the unit 33 is provided with drum positioning bosses (drum positioning portion on supporting member side) 336 b ( 336 b K, 336 b Y, 336 b M, and 336 b C), which correspond in position to the positioning holes 3143 b, with which the cartridges 31 supported by the unit 33 are provided, one for one. The bosses 336 b are projecting outward from one of the widthwise end walls of the unit 33 , in the direction intersectional (perpendicular) to the direction in which the unit 33 is moved relative to the main assembly 1 . Each boss 336 b is a part of the unit 33 , as is each boss 336 a ( FIG. 5 ).
[0108] Further, the unit 33 is provided with guide rails (guide rails of unit 33 ) 337 a ( 337 a K, 337 a Y, 337 a M, and 337 a C), which engage with the cartridge guides 3141 a, one for one, with which the cartridges 31 are provided. More concretely, there are four guide rails 337 a, which extend in the direction perpendicular to the directions Z 1 and Z 2 ( FIG. 5 ) in which the unit 33 is moved relative to the main assembly 1 , that is, the widthwise direction of the unit 33 , being disposed with equal intervals. Thus, as each cartridge 31 is inserted into the unit 33 , it moves while the guide 3141 a remains engaged with the guide rail 337 a; the cartridge 31 is guided to the deepest end of the unit 33 ( FIG. 5 ) by the guides 337 a and 3141 a. Incidentally, the direction indicated by the arrow mark Z 1 is the direction in which the unit 33 is pushed into the main assembly 1 , and the direction indicated by the arrow mark Z 2 is the direction in which the unit 33 is pulled out of the main assembly 1 ( FIG. 5 ).
[0109] Further, the unit 33 is provided with guide rails (guides which belong to unit 33 ) 337 b ( 337 b K, 337 b Y, 337 b M, and 337 b C), which engage with the cartridge guides 3141 b, one for one, with which the cartridges 31 are provided. Thus, as each cartridge 31 is inserted into the unit 33 , it moves while the guide 3141 b remains engaged with the guide rail 337 b; the cartridge 31 is guided to the deepest end of the unit 33 by the guides 337 b and 3141 b ( FIG. 5 ). As described above, the unit 33 and cartridges 31 are structured so the pair of guides 3141 a and 3141 b, with which each cartridge 31 is provided, engage with one of the pairs of rails 337 a and 337 b. Thus, it is ensured that each cartridge 31 reliably advances into the unit 33 .
[0110] Further, the unit 33 is provided with openings (drum cartridge entrance-exit) 338 ( 338 K, 338 Y, 338 M, and 338 C), through which the cartridges 31 are mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 , one for one. More concretely, the left lateral wall of the unit 33 , as seen from the upstream side in terms of the unit insertion direction, is provided with four openings 338 , which are positioned with equal intervals. The aforementioned pair of boss 336 a and 336 b are positioned in a manner of opposing each other across the corresponding opening 338 .
[0111] Further, the unit 33 is provided with four pairs of development cartridge guiding grooves (development cartridge guiding grooves which belong to supporting member) 339 a ( 339 a K, 339 a Y, 339 a M, and 339 a C) and 339 b ( 339 b K, 339 b Y, 339 b M, and 339 b C), which guide the cartridges 32 , one for one. In terms of the widthwise direction of the unit 33 , the guiding grooves 339 a are at one end of the unit 33 , being positioned with equal intervals, and the guiding groove 339 b are at the other end of the unit 33 , being positioned with equal intervals (in terms of directions Z 1 and Z 3 ), so that the guiding grooves 339 a and 339 b squarely oppose each other, one for one, across the internal space of the unit 33 .
[0112] Each of the aforementioned pairs of development cartridge positioning shaft 3251 a and 3252 a engages into the corresponding guide groove 339 a, and each of the aforementioned pairs of cartridge positioning shaft 3251 b and 3252 b engages into the corresponding guiding groove 339 b. That is, when the cartridge 32 is mounted into the unit 33 , the shaft 3251 a comes into contact with the walls of the guiding groove 339 a, being thereby guided downward toward the bottom of the unit 33 , and the shaft 3251 b comes into contact with the walls of the guiding groove 339 b, being thereby guided downward toward the bottom of the unit 33 .
[0113] The unit 33 can be moved relative to the main assembly 1 while all the cartridges 31 and 32 are supported by the unit 33 ( FIG. 6( a )). Thus, as the unit 33 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow mark Z 1 , it moves into the main assembly 1 , whereas as the unit 33 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow mark Z 2 while the unit 33 is in the main assembly 1 , it comes out of the main assembly 1 .
[0114] When a user wants to perform the operation for replacing the cartridge(s) 31 and/or 32 , the user is to pull the unit 33 out of the main assembly 1 before the user starts the operation; the operation is to be performed when the unit 33 is in the outermost position OP.
[0000] <Mounting of Drum Cartridge into Tray Unit, and Removal of Drum Cartridge from Tray Unit>
[0115] Next, the method for mounting or removing the cartridge 31 will be described with reference to the appended drawings, in particular, FIGS. 5 and 6( b ). FIG. 6( b ) is a perspective view of the combination of the tray unit 33 and the four cartridges 31 and four cartridge 32 , in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is for describing the operation for mounting the cartridges 31 and 32 into the tray unit 33 , or removing the cartridges 31 and 32 from the tray unit 33 .
[0116] The image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that each cartridge 31 is independently mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 , from the cartridges 32 .
[0117] The method for mounting the cartridge 31 into the unit 33 is as follows: First, the cartridge 31 is to be inserted into the unit 33 in the direction parallel to the axial line of the drum 311 (lengthwise direction of cartridge 31 ) through the opening 338 , while positioning the cartridge 31 so that the cartridge guides 3141 a and 3141 b engage with the guide rails 337 a and 337 b, respectively, of the unit 33 . That is, the cartridge 31 is to be inserted into the rearmost end of the unit 33 while the guides 3141 a and 3141 b are guided by the rails 337 a and 337 b, respectively. Since the guides 3141 a and 314 b remain engaged with the rails 337 a and 337 b, the cartridge remains roughly horizontal while it is mounted into the unit 33 . Thus, the cartridge 31 is removably supported by the unit 33 .
[0118] As the cartridge 31 is inserted to almost the deepest end of the unit 33 , the positioning shaft 335 of the unit 33 engages into the positioning hole 3142 , with which the leading end of the cartridge 31 (in terms of cartridge insertion direction X) is provided. Then, lastly, the positioning bosses 336 a and 336 b of the unit 33 engage into the positioning holes 3143 a and 3143 b, respectively, with which the trailing end of the cartridge 31 (in terms of cartridge insertion direction X) is provided. As a result, the cartridge 31 becomes precisely positioned relative to the unit 33 .
[0119] When the unit 33 is moved from its outermost position OP to its innermost position IP while the unit 33 is holding the cartridges 31 , the drum cartridge frame 314 comes into contact with the inner walls 103 , whereby the cartridge 31 is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly 1 in terms of its lengthwise direction.
[0120] If a user wants to remove the cartridge 31 from the unit 33 , the user has only to pull the cartridge 31 in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 311 so that it will come out through the opening 338 .
[0121] Incidentally, FIG. 6( b ) shows the combination of the unit 33 and cartridges 31 and 32 , when the cartridge 31 M is halfway out of, or halfway into, the unit 33 .
[0000] <Mounting of Development Cartridge into Tray Unit, and Removal of Development Cartridge from Tray Unit>
[0122] Next, referring to the appended drawings, in particular, FIGS. 3( b ), 5 , and 6 ( b ), the method for mounting or removing the cartridge 32 will be described.
[0123] As described above, the unit 33 is provided with the four pairs of cartridge guiding grooves 339 a and 339 b ( FIG. 5 ). Further, the unit 33 and cartridge 32 are structured so that the direction in which each cartridges 32 is allowed to move, and the attitudinal changes which might occur to the cartridge 32 , when the cartridge 32 is mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 , are regulated by the angle and shape of the guiding grooves 339 a and 339 b. Thus, even in the case where the cartridges 32 are mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 when the cartridges 31 are already in the unit 33 , it does not occur that the cartridges 31 interfere with the mounting or removal of the cartridges 32 .
[0124] While the unit 33 is in its outermost position, the cartridges 31 are kept separated from the corresponding cartridges 32 by the resiliency of the tension springs 3341 , as will be described later. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem that when the cartridges 31 and 32 are mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 , the photosensitive drums 311 and development rollers 321 become damaged by coming in contact with each other.
[0125] As described above, each cartridge 32 is provided with a pair of development cartridge positioning shafts 3251 a and 3251 b.
[0126] Thus, a user who wants to mount a cartridge 32 into the unit 33 is to insert the cartridge 32 as follows: First, the cartridge 32 is to be positioned so that the positioning shafts 3251 a and 3251 b align with the guiding grooves 339 a and 339 b, respectively, and then, to move the cartridge 32 downward so that the shafts 3251 a and 3251 b follow the grooves 339 a and 339 b, respectively. Also as described above, in this embodiment, the unit 33 is to be horizontally pulled out in straight line (direction indicated by arrow mark Z 2 ) from the main assembly 1 while the main assembly 1 remains on a horizontal surface. Then, each cartridge 32 is to be mounted into (supported by) the unit 33 by being moved vertically downward while the unit 33 is in its outermost position. Thus, if the user wants to take any of the cartridges 32 out of the unit 33 , the user has only to carry out in reverse the above described operation for mounting the cartridge 32 into the unit 33 . That is, all that the user has to do is to pull the unit 33 out of the main assembly 1 into its outermost position, and move the cartridge vertically upward ( FIG. 6( b )).
[0127] Also as described above, when each cartridge 32 is mounted into the unit 33 , it is moved vertically moved downward into the unit 33 , whereas when the cartridge 32 is removed from the unit 33 , it is moved vertically upward. However, the direction in which the cartridge 32 is moved when it is mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 is not perfectly vertical; it is slightly angled relative to the vertical direction, as will be evident from FIG. 5 .
[0128] Incidentally, FIG. 6( b ) shows the combination of the unit 33 and the cartridges 31 and 32 , when the cartridge 32 Y is being mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 .
[0000] <Direction in Which Cartridge is Mounted into Unit 33 , and Direction in Which Cartridge is Removed from Unit 33 >
[0129] As described above, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that each of the cartridges 31 and 32 can be independently mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 , from the other cartridges 31 and 32 . Further, the image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that each cartridge 31 is paired with the corresponding cartridge 32 , and multiple (four) pairs of cartridge 31 and 32 are aligned in parallel in the directions (indicated by arrow marks Z 1 and Z 2 ) in which the unit 33 is movable; each pair of cartridges 31 and 32 are supported by the unit 33 so that their lengthwise directions are intersectional (perpendicular) to the abovementioned moving directions Z 1 and Z 2 of the unit 33 ( FIGS. 6( a ) and 6 ( b )). Incidentally, the lengthwise direction of each cartridge 31 is the direction parallel to the lengthwise direction (axial line) of the drum 311 in the cartridge 31 . Further, the lengthwise direction of each cartridge 32 is the direction parallel to the lengthwise direction (axial line) of the development roller 321 in the cartridge 32 .
[0130] Further, the image forming apparatus 100 (unit 33 ) is structured so that the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 , are different from the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 . That is, the image forming apparatus 100 (unit 33 ) is structured so that the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted into, or removed from the unit 33 , is perpendicular to the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted into, or removed from the unit 33 . Further, in the image forming apparatus 100 (unit 33 ), each cartridge 31 , and each cartridge 32 , are structured so that each cartridge 31 and 32 can be independently mounted into, or removed from, the unit 33 , from the other cartridges 31 and 32 . More concretely, the image forming apparatus 100 (unit 33 ) is structured so that each cartridge 31 is to be horizontally mounted or dismounted in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 311 , whereas each cartridge 32 is to be mounted or dismounted in the direction which is roughly vertical and is perpendicular to the axial line of the development roller 321 . It should be noted here that while any of the cartridges 31 and 32 remains properly situated (supported) in the unit 33 , the axial lines of the photosensitive drum 311 and development roller 321 in the cartridge are parallel to each other.
[0131] Further, as described above, the image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that while the main assembly 1 is on a horizontal surface, the unit 33 is horizontally movable, and also, so that the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 is horizontal, and is perpendicular to the direction in which the unit 33 is movable.
[0132] Also as described above, while the main assembly 1 remains horizontal, the moving direction of the unit 33 (indicated by arrow marks Z 1 and Z 2 ) is perpendicular to the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 . The moving direction of the unit 33 is roughly perpendicular to the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 . Here, the moving direction of the unit 33 means the direction in which the unit 33 is moved between its innermost position in the main assembly 1 and the outermost position from the main assembly 1 .
[0133] In order to minimize in size the main assembly 1 of the image forming apparatus 100 , the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is structured so that while the main assembly 1 remains on a horizontal surface, each cartridge 32 and the corresponding cartridge 31 partially overlap each other in terms of the vertical direction.
[0134] Next, referring to FIG. 7 , the abovementioned setup will be described. FIG. 7 shows the cartridge 32 C and 32 K as the examples of the cartridges 32 , and the cartridge 31 K. The cartridge 31 K is extending beyond the area sandwiched by two lines L 1 and L 2 , that is, the maximum gap between the cartridges 32 C and 32 K, by its hatched portions a 1 and a 2 in the drawing. In other words, the image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that the cartridge 31 K fits into the space between the bottom portions of the adjacent two cartridges 32 K and 32 C.
[0135] That is, while the two cartridges 31 and 32 remain properly mounted (supported) in the unit 33 , a part (hatched portion in FIG. 7 ) of the cartridge 31 remains under the adjacent two cartridges 32 , reducing in size the space for supporting (mounting) the cartridges 31 and 32 . Thus, this setup can reduce in size the main assembly 1 .
[0136] Even though the image forming apparatus 100 (unit 33 ) in this embodiment is structured so that while the cartridges 31 and 32 remain properly supported in the unit 33 , a part of each cartridge 31 is positioned below the corresponding cartridge 32 , the cartridges 31 and 32 are not affected in terms of the efficiency with which they can be mounted or dismounted, because the image forming apparatus 100 (unit 33 ) in this embodiment is also structured so that the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted or dismounted is perpendicular to the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted or dismounted. The employment of this structural arrangement makes it possible for each of the cartridges 31 and 32 to be independently mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 , from the other cartridges. In other words, it is possible to exchange only the cartridge which needs to be replaced.
[0000] <Mechanism for Placing Development Roller in Contact With, or Separating Development Roller from Photosensitive Drum>
[0137] Next, referring to FIGS. 1 , 5 and 8 , the means for placing a development roller 32 in contact with, or separating the development roller 32 from, a photosensitive drum 311 will be described. Hereafter, this means may be referred to simply as a development roller moving means (mechanism). The means for moving a cartridge 32 is in the form of a mechanism for placing a development roller 321 in contact with, or separating from, a photosensitive drum 311 . FIGS. 8( a ), 8 ( b ), and 8 ( c ) are drawings for describing the working of the development roller moving means in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and are side views of the unit 33 , as seen from the side where the openings 338 are present.
[0138] In order to form an image (when development roller 321 is in its development position), the drum 311 and development roller 321 must be in contact with each other. On the other hand, when mounting the cartridge 31 into the unit 33 , or dismounting the cartridge 31 from the unit 33 , it is desired that the drum 311 and development roller 321 are not in contact with each other, in order to prevent the drum 311 and/or development roller 321 from being damaged when the cartridge 31 is mounted or dismounted.
[0139] Moreover, in a case where a black-and-white image is formed, the cartridge 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C are not used. Therefore, from the standpoint of the prevention of the unnecessary wear of the cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C, it is desired that these development cartridges 32 are kept separated from the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 .
[0140] Thus, the image forming apparatus 100 and each of the cartridges 32 are provided with the mechanism for placing and keeping the development roller 321 in contact with, or separating and keeping separated the development roller 321 from, the photosensitive drum 311 , while keeping the cartridges 31 and 32 mounted in the unit 33 .
[0141] More concretely, the main assembly 1 is provided with a pair of separation bar driving gears 34 a and 34 b ( FIGS. 1 , 4 , and 8 ), whereas the unit 33 is provided with a pair of separation bars 334 a and 334 b, which are moved by the pair of gears 34 a and 34 b, respectively. The separation bar 334 a is at one of the widthwise ends of the unit 33 , and the separation bar 334 b is at the other widthwise end ( FIG. 5 ). The gears 34 a are 34 b are positioned so that as the unit 33 is pushed into the main assembly 1 , the separation bars 334 a and 334 b come into contact with the gears 34 a and 34 b, respectively. The gears 34 a and 34 b are rotated by the driving force from a motor M ( FIG. 8 ), which is controlled (rotated or stopped) by a controlling means C ( FIG. 8 ). The gears 34 a and 34 b and separation bars 334 a and 334 b are the primary structural components of the development roller moving means. As described before, in this embodiment, the development roller 321 is one of the integral parts of the cartridge 32 . Therefore, the roller 321 is placed in contact with, or separated from, the drum 311 by the movement of the cartridge 32 .
[0142] Shown in FIG. 8 is only the side of the combination of the unit 33 and cartridges 31 and 32 , where the gear 34 b and separation bar 334 b are present. Since the structures and functions of the gear 34 a and separation bar 334 a are the same as those of the gear 34 b and separation bar 334 b, only the structures and functions of the gear 34 b and 334 b will be described.
[0143] FIG. 8( a ) shows the combination of the unit 33 and cartridges 31 and 32 , when all the development rollers 321 of all the cartridges 32 are remaining separated from the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 . FIG. 8( b ) shows the combination of the unit 33 and cartridges 31 and 32 , when only the development roller 321 K, that is, the development roller of the cartridge 32 K, is in contact with the corresponding photosensitive drum 311 , that is, the drum 311 K. FIG. 8( c ) shows the combination of the unit 33 and cartridges 31 and 32 , when all development rollers 321 of all cartridges 32 are in contact with the corresponding drums 311 , one for one.
[0144] The separation bar 334 b has a rod portion 334 b 1 , which extends along the top edge of the lateral plate of the unit 33 . The rod portion 334 b 1 is provided with a rack portion 334 b 2 , which is at one end of the rod portion 334 b 1 . The rack portion 334 b 2 meshes with the teeth of the gear 34 b as the unit is moved into its innermost position IP. That is, the unit 33 is provided with the rack portion 334 b 2 , which remains meshed with the teeth of the gear 34 b when the unit 33 remains properly stored in the main assembly 1 .
[0145] Further, the rod portion 334 b 1 is provided with four separation seat areas 334 b 3 ( 334 b 3 K, 334 b 3 Y, 334 b 3 M, and 334 b 3 C) and four slant surfaces 334 b 4 ( 334 b 4 K, 334 b 4 Y, 334 b 4 M, and 334 b 4 C), which correspond in position to four cartridges 32 , one for one.
[0146] Further, the rod portion 334 b 1 is provided with four contact engagement portions 334 b 5 ( 334 b 5 K, 334 b 5 Y, 334 b 5 M, and 334 b 5 C), which correspond in position to the four cartridges 32 , one for one.
[0147] Further, referring to FIG. 8 , the separation bar 334 b is kept pulled leftward by the resiliency of a tension spring (elastic member) 3341 attached to the unit 33 by one of its lengthwise ends. Thus, when the rack portion 334 b 2 is not in mesh with the teeth of the gear 34 b (for example, when the unit 33 is in its outermost position OP), the state of the combination of the unit 33 and cartridges 31 and 32 is as shown in FIG. 8( a ).
[0148] Referring again to FIG. 8 , the image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that the gear 34 b is rotatable in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions by the driving force from the motor M with which the main assembly 1 is provided, by a preset angle; the driving force (rotational force) from the motor M is transmitted to the gears 34 a and 34 b by a known driving force transmitting means. As the unit 33 is moved back into its innermost position IP in the main assembly 1 , the rack portion 334 b 2 is engaged with the teeth of the gear 34 b, as described above. Then, the gear 34 b is rotated while its rotation is controlled by the controlling means C. That is, the controlling means C, with which the main assembly 1 is provided, controls the rotation of the motor M based on the information regarding the development roller separation and the information regarding the development, so that the separation bar 334 b is moved in the leftward or rightward in FIG. 8 .
[0149] When the separation bar 334 b is in the position shown in FIG. 8( a ), the positioning shaft 3251 b of the cartridge 32 is in the guide groove 339 b, with which the unit 33 is provided. However, the separation boss 3252 b of the cartridge 32 is on the top of the separation seat area 334 b 3 . Thus, the cartridge 32 is prevented from moving toward the drum 311 . That is, the cartridge 32 (more concretely, development roller 321 ) remains separated from the photosensitive drum 311 ( FIG. 8( a )).
[0150] As the gear 34 b is rotated by the driving force from the motor M by a preset angle in the clockwise direction ( FIG. 8 ), the separation bar 334 b moves rightward ( FIG. 8( b )). As the separation bar 334 b moves rightward, only the separation boss 3252 b of the cartridge 32 K slides down the slanted surface 334 b 4 K, and engages with the engaging portion 334 b 5 K ( FIG. 8( b )).
[0151] The above described movement of the separation boss 3252 b K allows the cartridge 32 K to move toward the photosensitive drum 311 K in such a manner that the positioning shaft 3251 b K of the cartridge 32 K follows the guiding groove 339 b K. As a result, the cartridge 32 K (more specifically, development roller 321 K) comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 311 K ( FIG. 8( b )).
[0152] During this movement of the cartridge 32 K, the other cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C remain in their positions, in which their separation bosses 3252 b remain on the separation seat area 334 b 3 . Therefore, their development cartridges 32 (more specifically, development rollers 321 ) remain separated from the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 ( FIG. 8( b )).
[0153] As the gear 34 b is rotated further in the clockwise direction ( FIG. 8( c )) by the driving force from the motor M, the separation bar 334 b moves further rightward ( FIG. 8( c )). This further rightward movement of the separation bar 334 b causes the separation bosses 3252 b of the other cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C to slide down the slanted surfaces 334 b 4 , and engage with the engaging portions 334 b 5 Y, 334 b 5 M, and 334 b 5 C, respectively. ( FIG. 8( c )).
[0154] The above described movement of the separation bosses 3252 b Y, 3252 b M, and 3252 b C allows the other cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C to move toward the drums 311 in such a manner that their positioning shafts 3251 b follow the corresponding guiding grooves 339 b, one for one. As a result, these cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 Y (more specifically, development rollers 321 Y, 321 M, and 321 C) also come into contact with the photosensitive drums 311 Y, 311 M, and 311 C, respectively.
[0155] As for the cartridge 32 K, its engaging portion 334 b 5 K and separation boss 3252 b K remain engaged with each other. Therefore, the development roller 321 K remains in contact with the photosensitive drum 311 K ( FIG. 8( c )).
[0156] On the other hand, as the gear 34 b, which is in the state shown in FIG. 8( c ), is rotated in the counterclockwise direction ( FIG. 8) by the driving force from the motor M, the separation bar 334 b moves leftward, moving to the position shown in FIG. 8( b ), and then, to the position shown in FIG. 8( a ).
[0157] As described above, when it is necessary to move the development roller 321 , which is in its development position (in which it is in contact with photosensitive drum 311 ), away from the development position, the controlling means C rotates the gear 34 b in the counterclockwise direction to move the separation bar 334 leftward so that the engaging portion 334 b 5 separates from the separation boss 3252 b. This separation of the engaging portion 334 b 5 from the separation boss 3252 b allows the development roller 321 to move from the abovementioned development position (in which it is in contact with photosensitive drum 311 ) ( FIGS. 8( c )→ 8 ( b )→ and 8 ( a )). Further, when it is necessary to move the development roller 321 , which is not in its development position (in which it is in contact with photosensitive drum 311 ), into the development position, the controlling means C moves the separation bar 334 rightward by rotating the gear 34 b in the clockwise direction. This rightward movement of the separation bar 334 causes the engaging portion 334 b 5 to engage with the separation boss 3252 b. As a result, the development roller 321 is moved into the abovementioned development position ( FIG. 8( a )→ 8 ( b )→ 8 ( c )).
[0158] As described above, the development roller 321 can be placed in contact with, or separated from, the photosensitive drum 311 , by controlling the rotation of the gear 34 b by the controlling means C. When a user wants to form a color image, all that the user has to do is to place all the development rollers 321 in contact with the photosensitive drums 311 , one for one (as shown in FIG. 8( c )).
[0159] On the other hand, if a user wants to form only a black-and-white image, all that the user has to do is for the user to place the image forming apparatus 100 in the state shown in FIG. 8( b ). Placing the image forming apparatus 100 in the state shown in FIG. 8( b ) can prevent the photosensitive drums 311 and development rollers 321 other than those for forming a black-and-white image, from being unnecessarily worn.
[0160] Also as described above, in a case where the teeth of the gear 34 b are not in mesh with the teeth of the separation bar 334 b, the separation bar 334 b is moved into the state shown in FIG. 8( a ), because it is under the resiliency of the tension spring (elastic member) 3341 which continuously pulls the separation bar 334 b in the leftward direction in FIG. 8 .
[0161] That is, while the unit 33 is out of the main assembly 1 , the teeth of the gear 34 b are not in mesh with the teeth of the rack portion of the separation bar 334 b. Therefore, all the development rollers 321 remain separated from the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 . Therefore, it does not occur that when the cartridge 31 and/or cartridge 32 is mounted or dismounted, the development roller 321 and/or photosensitive drum 311 is damaged by the contact between them.
<Advantages of Image Forming Apparatus in This Embodiment>
[0162] As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 in this preferred embodiment is structured so that the direction in which the cartridge 31 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 , is perpendicular to the direction in which the cartridge 32 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 . Therefore, each cartridge 31 and each cartridge 32 can be independently mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 , from the other cartridges.
[0163] Further, as described above, in order to minimize in size the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that a part of each cartridge 31 is below the adjacent cartridge 32 . In spite of this structural arrangement, the image forming apparatus 100 is not inferior to any of the conventional image forming apparatuses in terms of the ease and efficiency with which the cartridges 31 and 32 can be mounting or dismounted.
Embodiment 2
[0164] Next, referring to FIGS. 9-17 , the image forming apparatus 200 in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. Any of the components, members, portions, etc., of the image forming apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 9-17 , which is the same in basic structure and function as that of the image forming apparatus 100 in the first preferred embodiment, is given the same numerical code or the like, and will not be described. Also in this embodiment, the referential letters “K”, “Y”, “M” and “C” are added, as color reference, to the referential codes. However, these referential letters may be left out at discretion.
[0165] First, referring to FIG. 9 , the image forming apparatus 200 in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described regarding its overall structure. FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of the image forming apparatus 200 , and shows the overall structure of the apparatus 200 .
[0166] The image forming apparatus 200 is different from the image forming apparatus 100 in the first preferred embodiment, in that the laser unit 2 is below the combination of the sequentially positioned image forming portions 3 . Beams of laser lights LK, LY, LM, and LC are projected by the laser unit 2 upon the photosensitive drums 311 , with which the image forming portions 3 are provided, one for one. As a result, an electrostatic latent image, which reflects the information regarding the image to be formed, is formed on each of the photosensitive drums 311 .
[0167] The image forming apparatus 200 in this embodiment is also different from the image forming apparatus 100 in the first embodiment in that the transfer unit 4 for transferring the development images formed on the photosensitive drums 311 , onto the sheet 61 , is above the combinations of the image forming portions 3 .
[0168] Further, the image forming apparatus 200 in this embodiment is different from the image forming apparatus 100 in the first embodiment, in that the recovery unit 5 for recovering the developer t which remained adhered to the transfer belt 41 of the transfer unit 4 after the development image transfer, is above the transfer unit 4 .
[0169] Further, the image forming apparatus 200 in this embodiment is different from the image forming apparatus 100 in the first embodiment, in that the fixation unit for fixing the unfixed development image on the sheet 61 after the transfer of the unfixed image onto the sheet 61 , is located diagonally upward on the right side of the transfer unit 4 ( FIG. 9 ). Further, the discharging portion 8 for discharging the sheet 61 out of the main assembly 1 after the fixation of the developer image to the sheet 61 is above the fixation unit 7 .
[0170] The conveying portion 6 , image forming portion 3 , recovery unit 5 , fixation unit 7 , and discharging portion 8 of the image forming apparatus 200 in this embodiment are roughly the same in basic structure and function as those of the image forming apparatus 100 in the first embodiment, even though there are slight differences in their positioning and structure. Therefore, their detail descriptions will be left out.
<Transfer Unit>
[0171] Next, referring to FIG. 9 , the transfer unit 4 will be described.
[0172] The transfer unit 4 in this preferred embodiment is different in structure from the above described transfer unit 4 in the first preferred embodiment. That is, the image forming apparatus 200 in this preferred embodiment is structured so that the four monochromatic developer images, different in color, formed on the multiple photosensitive drums 311 , one for one, are sequentially transferred in layers onto the transfer belt 41 , by the transfer unit 4 , yielding thereby a full-color image on the transfer belt 41 , and then, the four monochromatic toner images, of which the single full-color image is made up, are transferred all at once onto the sheet 61 .
[0173] Further, the transfer unit 4 has: a roller 45 positioned in a manner to oppose the recovery roller 51 of the recover unit 5 , with the presence of the transfer belt 41 between the roller 45 and recovery roller 51 ; and a secondary transfer roller 46 for transferring all at once the four developer images on the transfer belt 41 , onto the sheet 61 .
[0174] As a preset transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller 46 by a bias applying means (unshown), the transfer roller 46 transfers all at once the four developer images on the transfer belt 41 , onto the sheet 61 .
[0175] In the case of the first preferred embodiment, the direct transfer system was employed, which transfers the developer image on each photosensitive drum 311 directly onto the sheet 61 . In the case of this preferred embodiment, however, the indirect transfer system was employed, which transfers the monochromatic developer images, different in color, onto the transferred belt 41 , and then, transfers all at once the four developer images on the transfer belt 41 , onto the sheet 61 by the secondary transfer roller 46 .
[0176] As will be understood from FIG. 9 , the employment of the indirect transfer system can reduce in length the conveyance passage for the sheet 61 . Thus, it has a merit in that it can reduce the length of time necessary for image formation, by the amount proportional to the amount by which the sheet conveyance passage is reduced.
[0000] <Unitization of Components with Limited Service Life, and Consumables>
[0177] Also in this preferred embodiment, each image forming portion 3 is made up of the drum cartridge 31 and development cartridge 32 . Next, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the image forming portion 3 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of one of the image forming portions in the second preferred embodiment, and shows the general structure of the image forming portion. FIG. 11( a ) is a perspective view of one of the development cartridges 32 in the second preferred embodiment. FIG. 11( b ) is a perspective view of one of the drum cartridges 31 in the second preferred embodiment.
[0178] The frame 325 of the cartridge 32 is provided with a pair of cartridge guides 3253 a and 3253 b, that is, the portions by which the cartridge 32 is guided when the cartridge 32 is mounted or dismounted. Further, the cartridge 32 is provided with a cartridge positioning rear boss (by which cartridge is positioned) 3254 , and a pair of cartridge positioning front holes (by which cartridge is precisely positioned) 3255 a and 3255 b ( FIG. 11( a )).
[0179] Further, the cartridge 31 is provided with a pair of cartridge supporting shafts (by which cartridge is guided and positioned) 3144 a and 3144 b ( FIG. 11( b )).
<Tray Unit>
[0180] Next, referring to the appended drawings, in particular, FIGS. 12 and 13 , the tray unit (supporting member) 35 will be described. FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view of the image forming apparatus in the second embodiment, when the supporting member of the image forming apparatus is at its outermost position relative to the main assembly of the apparatus. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the tray unit in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. Incidentally, the unit 35 is the same as the unit 33 in the first preferred embodiment, except for the structural portions which will be described next.
[0181] The tray unit (supporting member) 35 in this embodiment has a tray frame 351 , and a pair of handholds 352 and 353 , which are to be grasped by a user when the unit 35 is moved by the user relative to the main assembly 1 . The handhold 352 is provided with a pair of tray guiding bosses 352 a and 352 b (by which tray unit is precisely positioned), which are at the lengthwise ends of the handhold 352 , one for one. The handhold 353 is provided with a pair of tray guiding bosses 353 a and 353 b (by which tray unit is precisely positioned), which are at the lengthwise ends of the handhold 353 , one for one ( FIG. 13 ).
[0182] As for the main assembly 200 a, it is provided with a pair of inner walls 203 , as is the main assembly 1 in the first preferred embodiment is provided with the pair of inner walls 201 . The pair of inner walls 203 oppose each other across the space in which the unit 35 is when the unit 35 is in its innermost position IP. The inner walls 203 are provided with a pair of tray guiding rails 201 and 202 , respectively, which guide the tray unit 35 when the unit 35 is moved from its innermost position IP to its outermost position OP ( FIG. 12 ), or from the outermost position OP to the innermost position IP. Further, the guide rails 201 and 202 are provided with a pair of tray positioning portions 201 a and 202 a (of unit 35 ). Further, a cover 11 is provided with a tray contacting portion 11 a for keeping the unit 35 precisely positioned in the innermost position IP ( FIG. 12 ).
[0183] If a user wants to move the unit 35 from its outermost position OP to its innermost position, the user is to move the unit 35 by grasping the handhold 352 . As the unit 35 is moved toward the innermost position IP, the guiding bosses 353 a and 352 a of the unit 35 engage with the guide rails 201 and 202 , respectively, of the main assembly 200 a, whereby the unit 35 is regulated in movement. Therefore, it is ensured that the unit 35 is precisely moved. As the user moves the unit 35 to the innermost position IP, the pair of guide bosses 352 a and 353 a reach the pair of tray positioning portions 202 a and 203 a, respectively. Then, the closing of the cover 11 causes the tray contacting portion 11 a to come into contact with the guide bosses 352 a, whereby the unit 35 is precisely positioned in the innermost position IP ( FIG. 9 ).
[0184] Further, the unit 35 is provided with a separation bar 354 , which is one of the structural components of the means for placing each development roller 321 in contact with, or separating each development roller 321 from, the corresponding photosensitive drum 311 .
[0185] Further, the unit 35 is provided with a pair of drum cartridge guides 355 a and 355 b, which are a pair of grooves for guiding the cartridge 31 when the cartridge 31 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 35 .
[0186] Further, the unit 35 is provided with four development cartridge accommodating openings 356 , through which the cartridges 32 are inserted into, or pulled out of, the unit 35 . The unit 35 is also provided with four pairs of guide rails 357 a and 357 b, which guide the cartridges 32 when the cartridges 32 are mounted into the unit 35 .
[0187] Further, the unit 35 is provided with a means (mechanism) 358 for placing each cartridge 32 (development roller 321 ) in contact with, or separating each cartridge 32 , from the corresponding photosensitive drum 311 .
[0188] At this time, referring to FIG. 14 , the means 358 for placing each cartridge 32 in contact with, or separating each cartridge 32 from, the photosensitive drum 311 , will be described. Hereafter, the means 358 may be referred to as a cartridge moving means 358 . FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cartridge moving means mechanism (cartridge moving means) in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The four portions of the cartridge moving means 358 are the same in structure. Therefore, the cartridge moving means portion for the cartridges 31 C and 32 C will be described as an example of the four portions.
[0189] The essential components of the cartridge moving means 358 are an oscillatory rear cam 3581 , an oscillatory front cam 3582 , and a shaft 3583 . The shaft 3583 connects the oscillatory rear cam 3581 to the oscillatory front cam 3582 , and its axial line coincides with the rotational axes of the oscillatory rear and front cams 3581 and 3582 .
[0190] The cam 3581 is provided with a cartridge positioning rear hole 35811 , which engages with the cartridge positioning rear boss 3254 of the cartridge 32 . The cam 3582 is provided with a pair of cartridge positioning front bosses 35821 a and 35821 b, which engage with a pair of cartridge positioning front holes 3255 a and 3255 b of the cartridge 32 . Further, the cam 3582 is provided with a contact portion 35822 , which engages with a separation bar pin 3541 ( FIG. 13 ) with which the separation bar 354 is provided. This structural arrangement is the same for all of the other pairs of cartridges 31 and 32 .
[0000] <Mounting of Cartridges into Tray Unit, and Dismounting of Cartridges from Tray Unit>
[0191] Next, referring to FIGS. 11( a ) and 11 ( b ), and FIGS. 13-16 , the method for mounting each cartridge 32 and each cartridge 31 into the unit 35 , and the method for dismounting each cartridge 32 and each cartridge 31 from the unit 35 , will be described.
[0192] When a user wants to insert a cartridge 32 into the unit 35 (supports cartridge 32 by unit 35 ), the user is to insert the cartridge 32 into the unit 35 through the opening 356 , so that the lengthwise end portion of the cartridge 32 , which has the boss (cartridge positioning portion) 2354 , enters the unit 35 first. It is important that the cartridge 32 is inserted into the unit 35 in the direction parallel to the axial line (lengthwise direction) of the development roller 321 while the cartridge 32 is held in such a manner that the pair of guides (by which cartridge is guided) 3253 a and 3253 b align with the guide rails (cartridge guiding portions) 357 a and 357 b, respectively.
[0193] As the cartridge 32 is inserted far enough into the deepest end of the unit 35 for the leading end of the cartridge 32 reach the rear end of the unit 35 , the boss 3254 fits into the cartridge positioning rear hole (cartridge positing portion of unit 35 ) 35811 , with which the cam 3581 is provided. During this movement of the cartridge 32 , the bosses 35821 a and 35821 b, with which the cam 3582 is provided, fit into the holes 3255 a and 3255 b of the cartridge 32 , respectively, which ends the mounting of the cartridge 32 into the unit 35 ; that is, the cartridge 32 is fully supported by the unit 35 ( FIG. 15( b )).
[0194] Then, the unit 35 is to be moved from its outermost position OP to its innermost position IP while the cartridges 32 remain mounted in the unit 35 . As the unit 35 is moved into its innermost position IP, the development cartridge frame (cartridge positioning portion of development cartridge 32 ) 325 comes into contact with the inner walls (cartridge positioning portion of main assembly 200 a ) 203 , whereby the cartridge 32 is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly 200 a in terms of its lengthwise direction.
[0195] If a user wants to take any of the cartridges 32 out of the unit 35 , all that the user has to do is to pull the cartridge 32 in the direction perpendicular to the axial line of the development roller 321 , through the opening 356 , after moving the unit 35 into its outermost position OP.
[0196] Incidentally, FIG. 15( a ) shows the cartridge 32 M, as an example of cartridge 32 which is being mounted into, or removed from, the unit 35 .
[0197] On the other hand, if a user wants to mount any of the cartridges 31 into the unit 35 (support cartridge with unit 35 ), the first step for the user to take is to align the supporting shafts (portions by which drum cartridge 31 is guided and positioned) 3144 a and 3144 b, with which the lengthwise ends of the cartridge 31 are provided, one for one, with the drum cartridge guides (drum cartridge guiding portions) 355 a and 355 b, respectively. Then, the user is to mount the cartridge 31 into the unit 35 so that the supporting shafts 3144 a and 3144 b follow the pair of guides 355 a and 355 b, respectively. The mounting of the cartridge 31 into the unit 35 makes the cartridge 31 fully supported by the unit 35 while remaining precisely positioned relative to the unit 35 ( FIG. 15( b )).
[0198] That is, the user is to move the cartridge 31 vertically downward toward the unit 35 from above the unit 35 so that the cartridge 31 snugly falls into the unit 35 . As the cartridge 31 snugly falls into the unit 35 , it is fully supported by the unit 35 while being precisely positioned relative to the unit 35 ( FIG. 15( b )). If the user wants to take any of the cartridges 31 out of the unit 35 , all that is necessary for the user to do is to move the cartridge 31 vertically upward, after moving the unit 35 into its outermost position OP.
[0199] Incidentally, FIG. 15( a ) depicts the cartridge 31 Y, as an example of cartridge 31 , which is being mounted into, or removed from, the unit 35 .
[0000] <Direction in Which Cartridge is Mounted into Tray Unit, and Direction in Which Cartridge is Dismounted from Tray Unit>
[0200] As described above, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 200 is structured so that each of the cartridges 31 and 32 can be independently mounted into, or removed from, the unit 35 , from the other cartridges. Further, the image forming apparatus 200 is structured so that each cartridge 31 is paired with the corresponding cartridge 32 , and multiple (four) pairs of cartridge 31 and 32 are aligned in parallel in the directions (indicated by arrow marks Z 1 and Z 2 ) in which the unit 35 is movable; each pair of cartridges 31 and 32 are supported by the unit 35 so that their lengthwise directions are intersectional (perpendicular) to the abovementioned moving directions Z 1 and Z 2 of the unit 35 . Each cartridge 31 and each cartridge 32 are supported by the unit 35 so that the lengthwise direction of each cartridge 31 and the lengthwise direction of each cartridge 32 are intersectional (perpendicular) to the directions Z 1 and Z 2 , in which the unit 35 is moved ( FIGS. 15( a ) and 15 ( b )).
[0201] Further, the image forming apparatus 200 (unit 35 ) is structured so that the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted into, or removed from, the unit 35 , is different from the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted into, or removed from, the unit 35 . That is, the image forming apparatus 200 (unit 35 ) is structured so that the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted into, or removed from, the unit 35 is, perpendicular to the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted into, or removed from the unit 35 . Further, the image forming apparatus 200 (unit 35 ), each cartridge 31 , and each cartridge 32 are structured so that each cartridge 31 and 32 can be independently mounted into, or removed from, the unit 35 , from the other cartridges. More concretely, the image forming apparatus 200 (unit 35 ) is structured so that each cartridge 32 is to be mounted or dismounted in the direction which is roughly vertical and is perpendicular to the axial line of the development roller 321 , whereas, each cartridge 31 is to be horizontally mounted or dismounted in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 311 . It should be noted here that while any pair of cartridges 31 and 32 remains properly situated (supported) in the unit 35 , the axial lines of the photosensitive drum 311 and development roller 321 in the cartridge are parallel to each other.
[0202] Further, as described above, the image forming apparatus 200 is structured so that while the main assembly 200 a is on a horizontal surface, the unit 35 is horizontally movable, and also, so that the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 35 , is horizontal, and is perpendicular to the direction in which the unit 35 is movable.
[0203] With the provision of the above described structural arrangement, while the main assembly 200 a remains positioned on a horizontal surface, the moving direction of the unit 35 is perpendicular to the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 35 . The moving direction of the unit 35 is roughly perpendicular to the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 35 .
[0204] In order to minimize in size the main assembly 200 a of the image forming apparatus 200 , the image forming apparatus 200 in this embodiment is structured so that while the main assembly 200 a remains on a horizontal surface, each cartridge 32 and the corresponding cartridge 31 partially overlap each other in terms of the vertical direction.
[0205] Next, referring to FIG. 16 , the abovementioned setup will be described. FIG. 16 shows the cartridge 31 C and 31 K. The cartridge 32 K is extending beyond the area sandwiched by two lines L 3 and L 4 , that is, the maximum gap between the cartridges 31 C and 31 K, by its hatched portions a 3 and a 4 in the drawing. In other words, the image forming apparatus 200 is structured so that the cartridge 32 K fits into the space between the bottom portions of the adjacent two cartridges 31 K and 31 C.
[0206] That is, while the two cartridges 31 and 32 remain properly mounted (supported) in the unit 35 , a part of the cartridge 32 remains under the cartridge 31 , reducing in size the space for supporting (mounting) the cartridges 31 and 32 . Thus, this setup can reduce in size the main assembly 200 a.
[0207] Even though the image forming apparatus 200 (unit 35 ) in this embodiment is structured so that while the cartridges 31 and 32 remain properly supported in the unit 35 , a part of each cartridge 32 is positioned below the corresponding cartridge 31 , the cartridges 31 and 32 are not affected in terms of the efficiency with which they can be mounted or dismounted, because the image forming apparatus 200 (unit 35 ) in this embodiment is also structured so that the direction in which each cartridge 31 is mounted or dismounted is perpendicular to the direction in which each cartridge 32 is mounted or dismounted. The employment of this structural arrangement makes it possible for each of the cartridges 31 and 32 to be independently mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 35 , from the other cartridges. In other words, it is possible to exchange only the cartridge which needs to be replaced.
[0000] <Mechanism for Placing Development Roller in Contact with Photosensitive Drum, and Separating Development Roller from Photosensitive Drum>
[0208] Next, referring to FIGS. 9 , 14 , and 17 , the means (mechanism) (which hereafter will be referred to as development roller moving means (mechanism)) for placing the development roller in contact with, or separating from, the photosensitive drum, will be described. FIGS. 17( a ), 17 ( b ), and 17 ( c ) are drawings for describing the working of the development roller moving means in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and are side views of the unit 35 , as seen from the side where the openings 356 are present.
[0209] Referring to FIG. 14 , a pair of cams 3581 and 3582 are connected to each other with an oscillatory shaft 3583 , and are attached to the unit 35 so that they can be oscillatory moved. The cartridge 32 is supported by the pair of cams 3581 and 3582 , as described above. Thus, the cartridge 32 is supported so that it can be oscillatory rotated about the axial line of the oscillatory shaft 3583 . Further, the cam 3581 is provided with a torsional coil spring (elastic member) 35812 , which is disposed within the cam 3581 , as shown in FIG. 14 .
[0210] On the other hand, the main assembly 200 a is provided with a separation gear 34 , as shown in FIG. 9 . Further, the image forming apparatus 200 is structured so that as the unit 35 is moved into its innermost position IP in the main assembly 200 a, the rack portion 3542 , with which one of the lengthwise ends of the separation bar 354 is provided, meshes with the separation gear 34 .
[0211] Also in this embodiment, the separation gear 34 is rotatable by a driving means M, only by a preset angle, as was the separation gear in the first preferred embodiment. The rotation of the gear 34 is controllable by a controlling means C, making it possible to move the separation bar leftward or rightward in FIG. 17 .
[0212] FIG. 17 shows the various positional relationships among the cartridge moving means 358 , cartridge 32 , and photosensitive drum 311 . FIG. 17( a ) shows the combination of the unit 35 and cartridges 31 and 32 , when all the development rollers 321 of all the cartridges 32 are remaining separated from the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 . FIG. 17( b ) shows the combination of the unit 35 and cartridges 31 and 32 , when only the cartridge 32 K is in its development position, in which it remains in contact with the corresponding photosensitive drum 311 , that is, the drum 311 K. FIG. 17( c ) shows the combination of the unit 35 and cartridges 31 and 32 , when all the cartridge 32 are in contact with the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 , that is, all the development rollers 321 are in their development positions in which they remain in contact with the corresponding drums 311 , one for one.
[0213] Referring to FIG. 17( a ), right after the complete insertion of the unit 35 into the main assembly 200 a, all the cartridges (development roller 321 ) remain separated from the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 , because the cam 3581 is kept pressured in the counterclockwise direction by the resiliency of the spring (elastic member) 35812 .
[0214] Then, as the gear 34 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction ( FIG. 17 ), the separation bar 354 is moved leftward. As the separation bar 354 is moved leftward, first, the separation bar pin 3541 K, which corresponds to the cartridge 32 K, comes into contact with the contact portion 358 of the cam 3582 K. Then, as the separation bar is moved further leftward, the separation bar pin 3541 K moves upward, causing thereby the cam 3582 K and oscillatory shaft 3583 K to rotate clockwise about the axial line of the oscillatory shaft 3583 K. Thus, the cam 3581 K attached to the oscillatory shaft 3583 K also rotates clockwise. As a result, the development cartridge 32 K rotates clockwise about the axial line of the oscillatory shaft 3583 K.
[0215] Thus, the cartridge 32 K (more specifically, development roller 321 K) comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 311 K. That is, the development roller 321 K moves into its development position, as shown in FIG. 17( b ).
[0216] During this movement of the cartridge 32 K, the pins 3541 other than the pin 3541 which corresponds to development cartridge 32 K are not in contact with the corresponding cams 3582 . Therefore, the development rollers 321 of these cartridges 32 remain separated from the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 .
[0217] As the gear 34 is rotated further, the bar 354 is moved further leftward, causing the pins 3541 which correspond to the cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C to come into contact with the contact portions 35822 , causing thereby the cams 3582 to rotate clockwise ( FIG. 17 ). As a result, the cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 Y are rotationally moved in the clockwise direction about the axial lines of the oscillatory shafts 3583 .
[0218] Consequently, the cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C also come into contact with the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 , one for one, as shown in FIG. 17( c ). That is, the development rollers 32 , which these cartridges 32 have, come into contact with the photosensitive drums 311 , one for one. Since the pin 3541 K of the cartridge 32 K remains in contact with the contact portion 35822 K, the cartridge 32 K remains in contact with the photosensitive drum 311 K. That is, the development roller 321 K, which the cartridge 32 K has, remains in contact with the photosensitive drum 311 K.
[0219] Further, as the gear 34 is rotated clockwise ( FIG. 17 ) while the combination of the unit 35 and cartridges 32 and 31 are in the state shown in FIG. 17( c ), the bar 354 is moved rightward by the rotation of the gear 34 . Thus, the state of the combination changes to the state shown in FIG. 17( b ), and then, to the state shown in FIG. 17( a ).
[0220] As described above, the development roller 321 , which each cartridge 32 has, is placed in contact with, or separated from, the corresponding photosensitive drum 311 by controlling the rotation of the gear 34 with the use of the controlling means C. If a user wants to form a color image, all that is necessary for the user to do is to put the combination of the unit 35 and cartridges 32 and 31 in the state shown in FIG. 17( c ).
[0221] On the other hand, if a user wants to form only black-and-white images, the user has only to put the combination in the state shown in FIG. 17( b ). Placing only the cartridge 32 K (development roller 321 K) in contact with the photosensitive drum 311 to prevent the photosensitive drums 311 , which the cartridges 31 Y, 31 M, and 31 C have, and the development rollers 321 , which the cartridges 32 Y, 32 M, and 32 C have, from being unnecessarily worn.
[0222] Also as described above, in a case where the teeth of the gear 34 are not in mesh with the rack portion of the bar 334 , the bar 334 is kept in its rightmost position by the resiliency of the spring 35812 , as shown in FIG. 17( a ).
[0223] That is, while the unit 33 is completely out of the main assembly 200 a, the teeth of the gear 34 are not in mesh with the rack portion of the bar 334 . Therefore, all the development rollers 321 remain separated from the corresponding photosensitive drums 311 . Therefore, it does not occur that when the cartridge 31 and/or cartridge 32 is mounted or dismounted, the development roller 321 and/or photosensitive drum 311 is damaged by the contact between them.
[0224] In each of the above described preferred embodiments, the development position is the position of the development roller 321 , in which the development roller is in contact with the corresponding photosensitive drum 311 , whereas the abovementioned state of separation is the state in which a development roller 321 is not in contact with a photosensitive drum 311 . However, these definitions are not intended to limit the present invention in scope. For example, the development position may be such a development roller position that makes smallest the distance between the development roller and photosensitive drum. In such a case, the state of separation means the state in which the distance between the development roller and photosensitive drum is significantly larger than the distance between the development roller and photosensitive drum when the development roller is in its development position. In other words, the present invention is satisfactorily applicable to a non-contact development system, as well as a contact development system.
<Advantages of Image Forming Apparatus in This Embodiment>
[0225] As described above, the image forming apparatus in this preferred embodiment is structured so that the direction in which the cartridge 31 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 , is perpendicular to the direction in which the cartridge 32 is mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 33 . Therefore, each cartridge 31 and each cartridge 32 can be independently mounted into, or dismounted from, the unit 35 , from the other cartridges.
[0226] Further, as described above, in this embodiment, in order to minimize in size the main assembly 200 a, the image forming apparatus 200 is structured so that while the cartridges 31 and 32 remain supported by (mounted in) the unit 35 , a part of each cartridge 32 is below the adjacent cartridge 31 . In spite of this structural arrangement, the image forming apparatus 200 is not inferior to any of the conventional image forming apparatuses in terms of the ease with which cartridges 31 and 32 can be mounted or dismounted.
(Miscellanies)
[0227] In each of the above described preferred embodiments of the present invention, the cartridges 31 and 32 are removably mountable in the main assembly 1 or 200 a. Further, each of the tray units 33 and 35 is precisely positioned in its innermost position IP in the main assembly 1 or 200 a while supporting the cartridges 31 and 32 , whereby the cartridges 31 and 32 are precisely positioned in their image forming positions, in which they contribute to image formation. On the other hand, if a user wants to take any of the cartridges 31 and 32 out of the main assembly 1 or 200 a, the user is to move the tray unit 33 or 35 , which is in its innermost position IP in the main assembly 1 or 200 a and is supporting the cartridges 31 and 32 , out of the main assembly 1 or 200 a. In other words, if it is necessary for any of the cartridges 31 and 32 in the main assembly 1 or 200 a, to be replaced, the operation for the removal of the cartridge to be replaced from the tray unit 33 or 35 , and the operation for mounting a replacement cartridge into the tray unit 33 or 35 , are to be carried out after the tray unit 33 or 35 is pulled out of the main assembly 1 or 200 a.
[0228] Strictly speaking, the “outermost position” in each of the above-described preferred embodiments does not need to be literally outermost position; it may be any position (of the unit 33 or 35 ) outside the main assembly 1 or 200 a. It does not necessary mean the tray position that exposes the entirety of the tray 33 or 35 . All that it means is a tray position in which the tray units 33 or 35 is out of the main assembly 1 or 200 a, respectively, far enough for the cartridge(s) 31 and/ 32 in the tray units 33 or 35 to be replaced.
[0229] For example, referring to FIG. 5 , the cartridge 32 C supported by the most upstream portion of the unit 33 , in terms of the direction (indicated by arrow mark Z 2 ) in which the unit 33 is pulled out, may be on the inward side of the main assembly 1 relative to the opening 1 a, for the following reason. That is, as long as the image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that as the cover 11 is opened, the portion of the main assembly 1 , which is above the opening 1 a, is exposed, a user can easily replace the cartridge 32 C, because, when the tray unit 33 is in the above described position, the cartridge 32 c is outward of its image forming position in the image forming apparatus 100 , that is, it is on the front side of the image forming position, relative to the main assembly 1 . As described above, the “outermost position” does not need to be such a position that when the unit 33 or 35 is in the outermost position, the entirety of the unit 33 or 35 is out of the main assembly 1 or 200 a. Needless to say, it is preferable that the image forming apparatus is structured so that when the unit 33 is in its outermost position, even the cartridges 31 C and 32 C, which are supported by the most upstream portion of the unit 33 , in terms of the direction (indicated by arrow mark Z 2 ) in which the unit 33 is pulled out, are on the outward side of the opening 1 a.
[0230] Further, in the above described preferred embodiments, the unit 33 or 35 is moved in a straight line and in parallel to the surface on which the main assembly 1 or 200 a was placed. However, the preferred embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention in scope. For example, an image forming apparatus may be structured so that the unit 33 or 35 moves in a diagonally upward or downward in a straight line relative to the surface on which the main assembly is placed. Further, in the above described preferred embodiments, the image forming apparatus was structured so that the cartridges 31 and 32 are supported by the units 33 or 35 in such a manner that the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 31 and that of the cartridge 32 are intersectional (perpendicular) to the moving directions (Z 1 and Z 2 ) of the unit 33 and 35 . However, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention in scope. For example, the structural arrangement that makes the cartridges 31 and 32 supported by the unit 33 or 35 in such a manner that the abovementioned lengthwise direction of the cartridges 31 and 32 is parallel to the moving direction of the unit 33 and 35 may be employed. Further, it is not mandatory that the image forming apparatus is structured so that the unit 33 or 35 is linearly moved. For example, the image forming apparatus may be structured so that the unit 33 or 35 is placed in the bottom portion of the main assembly 1 (or 200 a ) and is rotatable about the rotational axis of the unit 33 or 35 . In the case of such a structural arrangement, the outermost position OP is the position outside the main assembly 1 ( 200 a ), into which the unit 33 (or 35 ) is moved out by being rotated about the abovementioned rotational axis. The innermost position IP is the position in the main assembly 1 (or 200 a ), in which the entirety of the unit 33 (or 35 ) is out of the main assembly 1 (or 200 a ). Also in the case of the image forming apparatus having the above described rotationally movable unit 33 (or 35 ), the image forming apparatus may be structured so that even when the unit 33 (or 35 ) is in its innermost position, a part of the unit 33 (or 35 ) is outside the main assembly 1 (or 200 a ).
[0231] As described above, each of the above described preferred embodiments of the present invention made it possible for each of the drum cartridges 31 and each of the development cartridges 32 to be removably and independently supportable by the tray unit (supporting member) 33 or 35 , from the other cartridges 31 and 32 . Further, each of the above described preferred embodiments made it possible to improve an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in the operational efficiency with which each of the drum cartridges 31 and each of the development cartridges 32 are replaceable.
[0232] While the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein, it is not confined to the details set forth, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements or the scope of the following claims.
[0233] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 250447/2008 and 104387/2009 filed Sep. 29, 2008 and Apr. 22, 2009, respectively, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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An electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a drum cartridge including an electrophotographic photosensitive member drum; a developing cartridge including a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum using a developer; a supporting member movable between an inside position and a retracted position in the state that supporting member supports the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge, wherein the inside position is inside the main assembly of the apparatus, and the retracted position is retracted from the main assembly of the apparatus; wherein the supporting member supports the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge independently demountably therefrom, wherein mounting and demounting directions of the drum cartridge relative to the supporting member and mounting and demounting directions of the developing cartridge are different from each other.
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is application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)(1) to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/006,008, filed Oct. 25, 1995, entitled "Hybrid Dielectric/AlGaAs Mirror, Spatially-Filtered VCSEL for Mode Control", which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of semiconductor lasers, and particularly relates to vertical cavity surface emitting lasers. More particularly, this invention relates to vertical cavity surface emitting lasers that provide a filamented multi-wavelength light output.
Conventional semiconductor lasers have found widespread use in modern technology as the light source of choice for various devices, e.g., communication systems, compact disc players, and so on. The typical semiconductor laser is a double heterostructure with a narrow bandgap, high refractive index layer surrounded on opposed major surfaces by wide bandgap, low refractive index layers. The low bandgap layer is termed the "active layer", and the bandgap and refractive index differences serve to confine both charge carriers and optical energy to the active layer or region. Opposite ends of the active layer have mirror facets which form the laser cavity. The cladding layers have opposite conductivity types and when current is passed through the structure, electrons and holes combine in the active layer to generate light.
Several types of surface emitting lasers have been developed. One such laser of special promise is termed a "vertical cavity surface emitting laser" (VCSEL). (See, for example, "Surface-emitting microlasers for photonic switching and interchip connections", Optical Engineering, 29, pp. 210-214, March 1990, for a description of this laser. For other examples, note U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,442, by Yong H. Lee et al., issued May 19, 1992, and entitled "Top-emitting Surface Emitting Laser Structures", which is hereby incorporated by reference, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,701, issued on Dec. 12, 1995 to Mary K. Hibbs-Brenner, and entitled "Integrated Laser Power Monitor", which is hereby incorporated by reference. Also, see "Top-surface-emitting GaAs four-quantum-well lasers emitting at 0.85 μm", Electronics Letters, 26, pp. 710-711, May 24, 1990.) The laser described has an active region with bulk or one or more quantum well layers. On opposite sides of the active region are mirror stacks which are formed by interleaved semiconductor layers having properties, such that each layer is typically a quarter wavelength thick at the wavelength (in the medium) of interest thereby forming the mirrors for the laser cavity. There are opposite conductivity type regions on opposite sides of the active region, and the laser is typically turned on and off by varying the current through the active region.
For several reasons, it is desirable to use surface emitting devices. For example, surface emitting devices can be fabricated in arrays with relative ease while edge emitting devices cannot be as easily fabricated. An array of lasers can be fabricated by growing the desired layers on a substrate and then patterning the layers to form the array. Individual lasers may be separately connected with appropriate contacts. Such arrays are potentially useful in such diverse applications as, for example, image processing, inter-chip communications (i.e., optical interconnects), and so forth. Second, typical edge-emitter lasers are turned on and off by varying the current flow through the device. This typically requires a relatively large change in the current through the device which is undesirable; the surface emitting laser, described below, requires lower drive current, and thus the change of current to switch the VCSEL need not be large.
High-yield, high performance VCSELs have been demonstrated, and exploited in commercialization. Top-surface-emitting AlGaAs-based VCSELs are producible in a manner analogous to semiconductor integrated circuits, and are amenable to low-cost high-volume manufacture and integration with existing electronics technology platforms. Moreover, VCSEL uniformity and reproducibility have been demonstrated using a standard, unmodified commercially available metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) chamber and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) giving very high device yields.
VCSELs are expected to provide a performance and cost advantages in fast (e.g. Gbits/s) medium distance (e.g. up to approximately 1000 meters) single or multi-channel data link applications, and numerous optical and/or imaging applications. This results from their inherent geometry, which provides potential low-cost high performance transmitters with flexible and desirable characteristics.
In some applications, it may be desirable to use multi-mode VCSELs to overcome data communication errors associated with mode-selective losses in multi-mode optical fiber. This may arise, for example, in an optical link requiring numerous mode-selective connectors or with inadequate control in emitter or receiver coupling. In addition, in imaging or spatial applications such as CD laser applications, multi-mode VCSELs may exhibit less speckle than single mode lasers, likewise reducing the bit error rate.
One suggested approach to alleviate mode-selective losses and/or speckle penalties is to provide broad-area VCSELs. A broad-area VCSEL has a relatively large transverse dimensions relative to the light produced by the VCSEL. A limitation of broad area VCSELs is that a relatively large lateral dimension may be required to produce a multi-mode light output, particularly at a low bias current. It is known that as the size of the lasing cavity decreases, the bias current required to produce a multi-mode light output increases. Thus, to produce a multi-mode light output at a relatively low bias current, a relatively large lateral dimension (broad area) may be required. This increases the needed drive power and may limit the fabrication density of VCSEL elements and/or arrays.
Another limitation of any type of VCSEL that produce a strictly multi-mode light output (e.g. broad area VCSELs) is that some modes may be attenuated more than other modes by the optical link. Also, it may be difficult to predict which of the modes will be attenuated more than the others, particularly since each optical link application may be different. Thus, to help ensure that the projected range of optical links applications remain reliable, it may be necessary to drive relatively large bias currents through the VCSEL to help ensure that a large number of modes are produced thereby.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a VCSEL that provides a filamented light output, rather than a strictly multi-mode light output. A filamented light output differs from a multi-mode light output in that each filament operates like a separate laser, substantially independent from the other filaments. Each filament is typically coherent and may operate in a single mode, and is substantially incoherent with the other filaments. Like a multi-mode light output, a filamented light output may not be as susceptible to bit error rates resulting from mode selective losses as a single-mode emission might be when coupled into a multi-mode fiber. However, unlike a broad-area VCSEL, the VCSEL of the present invention may have a low drive current, exhibit high performance, and occupy less physical area than a broad-area (wide aperture) VCSEL.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention contemplates laterally altering the injection current and/or reflectance of the VCSEL at a number of discrete locations. To accomplish this, a number of discrete objects may be positioned adjacent to or within one or both of the cladding mirrors, or within the active region itself. The discrete objects are preferably randomly spaced, and may be randomly sized. The discrete objects may alter the reflectance and/or current injection (and thus the gain) of the VCSEL at corresponding discrete locations, thereby causing the filamented light output. It is contemplated that each of the number of discrete objects may be any object, including patterned metal or dielectric objects, vias, or groups or clusters of dopant atoms or material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects of the present invention and many of the attendant 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, in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a planer, current-guided, GaAs/AlGaAs top surface emitting vertical cavity laser with a number of patterned objects on the top surface of the top mirror region in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a top portion of a VCSEL in accordance with the present invention, with a number of patterned objects disposed on a selected layer of the top mirror region;
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a top portion of a VCSEL in accordance with the present invention, with a number of patterned vias disposed within a selected layer of the top mirror region;
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a top portion of a VCSEL in accordance with the present invention, wherein a selected layer of the top mirror region is heavily doped, beyond the saturation limit, to provide a number of randomly distributed participates therein;
FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are graphs of the optical spectrum for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4 at a variety of drive currents showing that even at low drive currents, a number of independent wavelengths are produced thereby;
FIG. 6 is a representation of a near field observed for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4, showing that the near field includes randomly distributed filament modes, each incoherent with the others;
FIG. 7 is a graph of the divergence pattern for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4, showing that the emission pattern is nearly symmetrical and circular, and having Full Width Half Max (FWHM) of about 24 degrees;
FIG. 8 is an common L-I-V graph for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4;
FIG. 9 is a graph of the small signal analog modulation response for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4, showing that even when the drive current is just above threshold, the 3 dB electrical bandwidth is greater than 3 GHz;
FIGS. 10A-10D show a number of eye diagrams for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4 taken at the fiber-channel standard bit-rate of 1.062 Gbit/s as a function of bias showing a large degree of non-uniformity in the bias current can be tolerated without serious performance consequences; and
FIG. 11 is a graph of the measured Bit Error Ratio (BER) vs power for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4, showing that even when biased up to only 1 mA below the threshold, no penalty is observed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a planer, current-guided, GaAs/AlGaAs top surface emitting vertical cavity laser 50 with a number of patterned objects 52 disposed on the top mirror region 26. In a preferred embodiment, the n-doped substrate 14 is grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on a 3 inch diameter n-doped GaAs substrate. The n-type mirror stack 16 is preferably a 30.5 period n-doped (Te, 1×10 18 cm -3 , nominal) Al 0 .16 Ga 0 .84 As/AlAs bottom quarter wave stack, wherein each period contains a 200-Å thick graded region. Spacer 18 has a bottom confinement layer 20 and a top confinement layer 24, wherein each of the confinement layers is formed from Al 0 .6 Ga 0 .4 As. The thickness of each confinement layer 20 and 24 is chosen to make the resulting spacer 18 preferably one wavelength thick. The active region 22 is preferably a three 70-Å thick GaAs quantum-well. The p-type mirror stack 26 is preferably a 22 period p-doped (Zn, 1×10 18 cm -3 , nominal) Al 0 .16 Ga 0 .84 As/AlAs DBR, wherein each period contains a 200-Å thick graded region. Numerous device sizes, types and arrays may be simultaneously batch-fabricated, exploiting the flexibility of this technology platform.
To achieve filamentation, the present invention contemplates providing a number of discrete objects 52 anywhere in the lasing cavity or in the exit aperture. That is, the discrete objects 52 may be positioned anywhere within or on the p-type mirror stack 26, the spacer 18 or the n-type mirror stack 16. In the exemplary embodiment, the discrete objects 52 may be provided on top of the p-type mirror stack 26, as shown. The discrete objects 52 may be fabricated by using any number of materials, for example a patterned metal or dielectric material.
To fabricate the discrete objects 52, a layer of metal or dielectric may be deposited on the top surface of the p-type mirror stack 26. Using a mask, portions of the metal or dielectric layer may be selectively removed using a known etching technique to leave only the discrete objects 52. Preferably, the discrete objects 52 are randomly spaced, and are of different sizes. In this configuration, the discrete objects 52 may alter the reflectance and/or resistance of the p-type mirror stack 26 at discrete locations. The altered reflectance may provide diverse-Finesse lateral subcavities in the lasing aperture. The altered resistance may provide a number of discrete locations where the injection current is increased into the active region, and thus increasing the gain at those locations. In either case, a filamented light output may be provided.
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a top portion of a VCSEL 56 in accordance with the present invention. The illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except that the discrete objects 58 are disposed on a selected layer within the p-type mirror stack 26, rather than on the top layer.
The graph shown at 60 illustrates one theoretical basis for why the discrete objects may cause the VCSEL 56 to produce a filamented light output. The graph 60 shows that the reflectance of the p-type mirror 26 may be altered at a number of discrete locations, which correspond to the discrete objects disposed within the p-type mirror stack 26. The discrete objects 58 may produce a number of diverse-finesse lateral sub-cavities within the lasing aperture, and thus may result in a filamented light output.
The graph shown at 62 illustrates another theoretical basis for why the discrete objects 58 may cause the VCSEL 56 to produce a filamented light output. The graph 62 shows that the injection current provided to the active region 22, by the p-type mirror 26, may be altered at a number of discrete locations. The number of discrete locations may correspond to the locations of the discrete objects 58 disposed within the p-type mirror stack 26. Because of the altered injection current, the gain of the active region 22 may also be altered at the discrete locations. These discrete gain variations are, at least in part, responsible for the filamented light output. It is recognized that the filamented output may also result from a combination of both of the above-described effects.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a top portion of a VCSEL 64 in accordance with the present invention with a number of patterned vias 66 disposed within a selected layer of the p-type mirror stack 26. The illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except that vias 66 are disposed on a selected layer within the p-type mirror stack 26.
The graph shown at 68 illustrates one theoretical basis for why the vias 66 may cause the VCSEL 64 to produce a filamented light output. The graph 68 shows that the reflectance of the p-type mirror 26 may be altered at a number of discrete locations, which correspond to the vias 66 disposed within the p-type mirror stack 26. In this embodiment, the vias 66 may produce a number of diverse-finesse lateral sub-cavities within the lasing aperture, and thus may result in a filamented light output.
The graph shown at 70 illustrates another theoretical basis for why the vias 66 may cause the VCSEL 56 to produce a filamented light output. The graph 70 shows that the injection current provided to the active region 22, by the p-type mirror 26, may be altered at a number of discrete locations. The number of discrete locations may correspond to the locations of the vias disposed within the p-type mirror stack 26. Because of the altered injection current, the gain of the active region 22 may also be altered at the discrete locations. These discrete gain alterations are, at least in part, responsible for the filamented light output. It is recognized that the filamented output may also result from a combination of both of the above-described effects.
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a top portion of a VCSEL 70 in accordance with the present invention, wherein a selected layer of the top mirror region is heavily doped, beyond the saturation limit, to provide a number of randomly distributed clusters or participates 72 therein. In a preferred embodiment a top approximately 3000 Å of a selected layer within the p-type mirror stack 26 is doped with Zn beyond the saturation limit (between 1×10 18 cm -3 and 1×10 19 cm -3 of Zn in AlGaAs). Because the p-type mirror stack 26 is normally a crystalline structure, doping the p-type mirror stack 26 at a concentration above the saturation limit may cause the Zn dopant atoms to be non-uniformly distributed throughout the material. Rather, it is believed that some of the dopant atoms may be distributed in groups or clusters. It is these groups or clusters that are termed participates within the p-type mirror stack 26. It is believed that these participates alter the reflectance and/or resistance (and thus effective current injection) of the p-type mirror stack 26 at discrete locations, thus contributing to the filamented light output.
The graph shown at 78 illustrates one theoretical basis for why the dopants cause the VCSEL 71 to produce a filamented light output. The graph 78 shows that the reflectance of the p-type mirror 26 may be altered at a number of discrete locations, which correspond to the participates 72 in the p-type mirror stack 26. In this embodiment, the participates may produce a number of diverse-finesse lateral sub-cavities within the lasing aperture, and thus result in a filamented light output.
The graph shown at 80 illustrates another theoretical basis for why the dopants cause the VCSEL 71 to produce a filamented light output. The graph 80 shows that the injection current provided to the active region 22, by the p-type mirror 26, may be altered at a number of discrete locations. The number of discrete locations may correspond to the locations of the participates 72 disposed within the p-type mirror stack 26. Because of the altered injection current, the gain of the active region 22 may also be altered at the discrete locations. These discrete gain variations are, at least in part, responsible for the filamented light output. It is recognized that the filamented output may result from a combination of both of the above-described effects. In either case, a filamented output was observed for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4 (see FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6 below).
While FIG. 4 only shows participates in a single layer within the p-type mirror stack 26, it is contemplated that any number of layers of the p-type mirror stack 26, the n-type mirror stack 16 or the spacer 18 may be doped to provide the participates therein.
FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are graphs of the optical spectrum for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4. FIG. 5A shows the optical spectrum for a VCSEL having the top about 3000 Å of the p-type mirror stack 26 heavily doped (greater than 10 18 cm -3 ) with Zn. The optical spectrum for a bias current of 4 mA is shown in the dark line, and the optical spectrum for a bias current of 10 mA is shown in the dashed line. FIG. 5B shows the optical spectrum for a bias current of 16 mA in the dark line, and shows the optical spectrum for a bias current of 22 mA in the dashed line.
It is noted that even with a bias current of only 4 mA, the VCSEL of the present invention produces about 15 independent wavelengths. At a 10 mA bias current, the VCSEL produces about 20 independent wavelengths. In addition, the optical spectrum is wide enough (about 5 nm) for incoherence but narrow enough not to be overly limited by fiber chromatic dispersion.
FIG. 6 is a representation of a near field observed for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4. The near field includes a number of randomly distributed filament modes, each mutually incoherent with one another. Further, each filament has a slightly different modal size, and experiences a different temperature, depending on the filaments location within the lasing cavity. Thus, each filament produces a slightly different wavelength.
FIG. 7 shows the resulting divergence pattern for the near field shown in FIG. 6. The divergence pattern is the incoherent superposition of the number of filaments (and some multi-modes), resulting in a nearly circularly symmetric emission pattern of about 24 degrees Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM). This corresponds to an average (1/e 2 ) filament diameter of approximately 1.8 microns. As indicated above, this wide spectrum (see FIGS. 5A and 5B) coupled with these laser-like characteristics offer the possibility of reducing bit error rates resulting from mode selective loss in multi-mode optical fiber data links. Likewise, speckle effects in imaging and other spatial applications such as CDS may be reduced because of speckle averaging. Thus, the VCSEL of the present invention has a number of advantages provided by a conventional laser including speed, efficiency and power, but does not suffer from many of the disadvantages associated with high coherence.
FIG. 8 is a common L-I-V graph for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4. It has been found that threshold currents and voltages were commonly below 2 mA and 1.8V, respectively, over an 830 to 860 nm wavelength regime. The temperature performance of these VCSELs was found to be similar to more conventional VCSELs, and the threshold current typically varied by less than ±0.5 mA, at 860 nm, over a 130° C. temperature range of -10° C. to 120° C. This illustrates the robustness and practicality of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a graph of the small signal analog modulation response for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4. For this measurement, the VCSEL was packaged on a microwave header including a "K" connector terminated into a 50Ω Alumina line. A Hewlett Packard™ 8510 network analyzer was used to make the small signal measurements together with a New Focus™ 25 GHz photo diode detector. FIG. 9 shows that even when the drive current is just above threshold (e.g. 4 mA), the 3 dB bandwidth is greater than 3 GHz. At a typical drive current of 8 mA, the 3 dB bandwidth is about 8.3 GHz. With a 20 mA drive current, the 3 dB bandwidth is about 9.5 GHz. Importantly, for low drive currents (e.g. less than 10 mA) multi-GHz bandwidths are obtained. This is far greater than standard LED devices or even typical CD laser sources.
FIG. 10 shows a number of eye diagrams for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4 taken at the fiber-channel standard bit-rate of 1.062 Gbit/s as a function of bias. To obtain the eye diagrams, the VCSEL was butt-coupled through a 100 meter 62.5 μm/125 μm standard graded index multi-mode fiber. The filamented output was detected using a Hewlett Packard™ 83412B detector and displayed on a digitizing oscilloscope with a limiting bandwidth of about 1 GHz, acting as a system filter. The VCSEL used for this measurement had a threshold current of Ith=1.75 mA, and a modulation current of Imod=6 mA. FIG. 10 shows a number of bias conditions including Ibias=Ith, Ibias=Ith-0.5 mA, Ibias=Ith-1.0 mA, and Ibias=Ith-1.5 mA. Note that for the last case, Ibias=1.75 mA-1.5 mA=0.25 mA. Thus, even for a below threshold bias current of only 0.25 mA, a wide-open eye is obtained, unlike similar broad-area multi-transverse mode VCSELs which require above threshold biasing and larger modulation currents.
The above results demonstrate that a large degree of non-uniformity in the threshold current can be tolerated at high speed without serious consequences. This intrinsic robust performance indicates that the VCSEL of the present invention can withstand manufacturing tolerances across a wafer and can be utilized in a VCSEL array (wherein the threshold current may vary) to further reduce the cost and increase the performance of a system.
FIG. 11 is a graph of the measured Bit Error Ratio (BER) vs power for a VCSEL constructed in accordance with FIG. 4. The graph shows the BER for four bias conditions including Ibias=Ith-0.5 mA, Ibias=Ith-1.0 mA, and Ibias=Ith-1.25 mA, and Ibias=Ith-1.5 mA. Note that for the last case, the Ibias=1.75 mA-1.5 mA=0.25 mA. No errors were detected in all four bias conditions over a 30 minute test, at a received power of -18 dBm. Even when biased up to 1 mA below threshold, no penalty is observed. Moreover, less than a 1 dB penalty is incurred for the low (0.25 mA) bias condition, where the power was limited to about -18 dBm due to losses in the system for this low (6 mA) modulation current.
Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the teachings found herein may be applied to yet other embodiments within the scope of the claims hereto attached.
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A Vertical-Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) for producing a filamented light output. In a preferred embodiment, this is accomplish by providing a number of discrete objects that are positioned adjacent to or within one or both of the cladding mirrors, or within the active region itself. The discrete objects may alter the reflectance, current injection and/or gain of the VCSEL at corresponding discrete locations, thereby causing the filamented light output. Besides providing a filamented output, the VCSEL of the present invention operates at a low drive current, provides high performance, and occupies less physical area than a broad-area (wide aperture) VCSEL. Thus, the VCSEL of the present invention has a number of advantages provided by a conventional laser including speed, efficiency and power, but does not suffer from many of the disadvantages of high coherence. The utilization of speckle averaging within multi-mode fiber interconnections and CD-like spatial imaging applications are contemplated.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is related to the use of a reactant gas mixture distributing device in a Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) reactor. The gas distributing device provides a vortex-free flow of reactant gas mixture towards a susceptor in the MOCVD reactor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
MOCVD reactors are commonly used to grow epilayers of various metals with sharp interfaces between the epilayers. Normally, MOCVD reactors are oriented in the vertical direction. The reactor has a reactor chamber with an inductively or radiantly heated susceptor. The susceptor is placed with the deposition surface perpendicular to the flow axis of reactant gases through the reactor. The susceptor is often rotated slowly to minimize non-uniform heating effects. Reactants and carrier gases are typically introduced at the top of the reactor and flow down towards the hot susceptor. Due to the expansion of the gases with increasing temperature in approaching the hot susceptor, the reactor leads to destabilizing gas density gradients in the flow of reactant gases. In principle however, a uniform film thickness is deposited on the substrate of the susceptor. The film is made up of molecules of the desired metal of the reactant gas. It is desirable to provide sharp interfaces between the layers of deposited metal. These very thin even layers on the substrate are then used for various applications in the electronic industry. Normally, the metals and the reactant gases are introduced into the reactor chamber as metal-organic gases. The gases are heated to 700° to 800° C. to burn off the organic components with the result that a pure layer of metal is deposited on the wafer surface. The deposited layers of metal thus form what is called an epitaxial layer, that is the deposited metals have the same chemical lattice structure as the substrate. This imparts a property to the interface that causes electrons to behave in unusual ways and it is this property that is exploited in a variety of electronic devices.
The problem experienced with existing types of MOCVD reactors is the formation of gas vortices near the susceptor that cause uneven distribution of the epitaxial layers. These vortices are a product of the inherent gas velocity and the gas density gradients developed by the high temperatures as the gas approaches the hot susceptor. These difficulties with existing MOCVD reactors are discussed in detail in Fotiadis, D. I. et al, "Complex Flow Phenomena in Vertical MOCVD Reactors: Effects on Deposition Uniformity and Interface Abruptness" Journal of Crystal Growth 85:154-164 (1987). A Variety of MOCVD reactor configurations are investigated to determine the effect of the reactor configuration on the flow pattern of the reactant gases at various resident times. It is suggested that the inlet of the reactor may be packed with metal screens to achieve uniform inlet flow for the reactor. However, the sudden expansion of the flow into the enlarged cross-section of the reactor chamber creates large recirculation cells or vortices above the susceptor. Furthermore, the use of screens do not appreciably alter the flow characteristics of the incoming reactant gases.
Consideration has also been given to control of the flow of reactant gases in other types of reactors for coating particles. For example, in Lackey, W. J. et al, "Improved Gas Distributor for Coating High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Fuel Particles" Nuclear Technology Vol 35:227-237 (September, 1977) the investigation of various types of porous carbon plates as particularly mechanically treated to provide multiple blind holes are investigated. The advantage of this type of frit is to even out the flow of gases into the fluidized bed of particles. However, as discussed in this article, one of the disadvantages of this type of frit is its high cost of manufacture as well as the problem of the frit clogging with components of the reactants which are introduced to the fluidized bed reactor. Furthermore, it is not clear as to why a frit made of porous carbon and not any other material (stainless steel or incalloy for example) is preferred for the coating process. A possible reason is that, since the coating material is either carbon or silicon carbide (a small amount of carbon is usually present in most gas phase derived silicon carbide), carryover of carbon particles from the porous frit into the region of coating to a small extent perhaps does not affect the quality of the product. However, in the case of a MOCVD reactor for GaAs epilayer growth, one cannot tolerate the carryover of carbon particles (from the porous carbon frit) into the growth area as even ppm levels of carbon on the epilayer can cause a considerable loss in desired properties.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an aspect of the invention, a Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) reactor has a reactor chamber in which a susceptor is positioned. Means is provided for heating the susceptor to a desired MOCVD operating temperature. An inlet and an outlet for the reactor chamber is provided. The reactor chamber inlet is characterized by having means for distributing reactant gas mixture at the inlet to provide a vortex-free flow of reactant gas mixture towards the susceptor. The gas distributing means comprises:
i) a packed bed of discrete particles. The bed has a sufficient depth to provide a series of tortuous interconnecting channels around and between the particles and through the bed, and
ii) means is provided for supporting the packed bed at the inlet for the reactor chamber. This support means is porous adjacent the reactor chamber to permit a reactant gas mixture after having passed through the packed bed to enter the reactor chamber.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is the use of a packed bed of particles in the inlet of a MOCVD reactor. The reactant gas mixture is passed through the packed bed of particles to provide a vortex-free flow of reactant gas mixture towards the susceptor in the reactor chamber of the MOCVD reactor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an MOCVD reactor incorporating a gas distributing device of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a photograph of the flow pattern of a reactor simulation according to the prior art; and
FIG. 3 is a photograph of the flow pattern of a reactor simulation incorporating a gas distributing device of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The gas distributor device of this invention is discussed with regard to a particular type of MOCVD reactor, although it is understood that the gas distributor device may be used with other types of MOCVD reactors to achieve the desired flow characteristics of the reactant gases in advance of the susceptor in the reactor. It is also appreciated that a variety of susceptor configurations may be employed as used in various types of MOCVD reactors. Generally, the susceptors are radiant or inductively heated. The susceptors are normally formed of carbon. When inductive heating is used, usually a ten to twenty MHZ magnetic field produced by an external electric coil is sufficient to heat the susceptor to the desired temperature in the range of 700° to 800° C. The purpose of the gas distribution device of this invention then is to provide for uniform vortex-free flow of reactant gases/inert gases in advance of the susceptor. The high temperatures of the susceptor can cause density gradients which in normal jet stream flow causes the development of stable vortices. This is a significant problem with normal types of reactor operation, because in changing compositions to be applied to the susceptor substrate, the vortices retain the prior reactants hence resulting in non-uniform and poor definition at the interfaces of the layers. However, with the use of the gas distribution device of this invention, the reactant gases in advance of the susceptor are vortex free to provide for the growth of uniform metal epilayers with clear definition between the epilayers.
It is appreciated that a variety of gaseous reactants are used in MOCVD reactors. For example, the gases may include H 2 /Ga(CH 3 ) 3 /Ash 3 /SiH 4 ; H 2 /Ga(CH 3 ) 3 /Ash 3 ; H 2 /Ga(CH 3 ) 3 /Ash 3 /(CH 3 ) 2 Zn; (CH 3 ) 3 Ga, AsH 3 and (CH 3 ) 3 Al; (CH 3 ) 3 Ga, AsH 3 and SiH 4 ; (CH 3 ) 3 Ga, AsH 3 and (CH 3 ) 2 Zn. Depending upon the doped metal to be applied to the substrate, the appropriate reactant gas is selected. For example, in applying a gallium arsenide epilayer, one of the above representative gases may be selected.
With reference to FIG. 1, the preferred type of MOCVD reactor, according to this invention, is shown. The reactor 10 has an inlet portion 12 and an outlet portion 14. A susceptor 16 is provided within reaction chamber generally designated 18. The susceptor is mounted on a shaft 20 which is rotated in the direction of arrow 22 by a suitable drive mechanism (not shown) attached to the base of the shaft 24. This drive mechanism could be of a type which would allow rotation of the shaft in opposing directions. The susceptor 16 is heated, in accordance with this embodiment, by an induction coil 26 in accordance with standard well-known techniques. The susceptor 16 is made of a suitable material to respond to the magnetic field of the inductance coil; for example, carbon is a suitable composition for the susceptor -6. The entire outside of the reactor chamber and inlet is cooled by a suitable coolant jacket 28. The coolant jacket 28 has a coolant inlet 30 through which coolant is, under pressure, forced to flow through the coolant jacket. The coolant is removed from the jacket via the coolant outlet 32. The inlet portion 12 of the reactor 10 has an inlet conduit 34 through which the reactive gases flow. The inlet portion 12 is defined by a cylindrical tubular wall 36 which, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, is coextensive with the cylindrical, tubular Wall 38 of the reactor chamber 18. The reactive gases enter the inlet region generally designated 40 above the gas distributor device generally designated 42. The reactive gases, after passing through the gas distributor device 42, advance towards the susceptor 16 to deposit the epilayer of metal atoms on the leading portion 44 of the susceptor. After reaction of the gases, the remaining products are exhausted through a plate 46 provided with a circular slit at the base of the reactor and out through the exhaust plenum 48 through the exhaust conduit 50 for disposal.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, within the inlet portion of the MOCVD reactor the gas distributor device consists of a packed bed of discrete particles 52. Means within the reactor, which in accordance with this embodiment is a perforated plate 54, is provided on which the packed bed is supported. It is appreciated, however, that depending upon the configuration of the reactor and its orientation various other arrangements may be provided in supporting and containing the packed bed of discrete inert particles for the gas distributing device. The packed bed of discrete particles is of a height or sufficient depth to provide a series of tortuous interconnecting channels around and between the particles and through the bed. Hence the bed of particles provides a large number of effective gas inlets each with a diameter considerably smaller than the true reactor inlet diameter. The packed bed then reduces the cross-sectional area for gas flow at the inlet. For a constant mass flow rate, the flow velocity of the gas entering the reactor is thus greater than in the absence of the packed bed arrangement. The increased entry velocity of the gases reduces the resident time for the gases in the reactor and hence reduces the possibility of vortex formation above the susceptor. In an MOCVD reactor, according to this invention, passage of the reactant gas through the tortuous path within the particle bed leads to thorough mixing of the various reactants in the reactor gas to provide for a more uniform epilayer growth on the susceptor substrate. The elimination of vortices and the thorough gas mixing leads to a uniformity in gas distribution that is highly desirable in an MOCVD reactor and could not be provided with the fire-types of reactor designs.
Preferably the packed bed of the gas distributor device of this invention consists of solid inert particles of a size varying from 4 to 12 mesh. Preferred size ranges are either 4 to 8 mesh or 8 to 12 mesh. The particles, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, are supported on a porous screen which has pore sizes of 20 mesh. The depth of the packed bed is normally in the range of 1 to 5 cm and preferably in the range of 1.5 cm to 4 cm. In order to prevent or provide for minimal extent of adsorption of reactants on the packed bed, the particulate bed is composed of non-porous, smooth surfaced particles made out of an inert material such as fused silica or sapphire. The size of the particles is dictated by an acceptable pressure drop in the particulate bed. Ideally though, the particles are as already mentioned in the range of 1 mm to 6 mm in diameter of the relative mesh sizes noted. The support for the particulate bed is preferably perforated fused silica plate of sufficient size pores to provide for unconstrained flow, that is, almost zero pressure drop as the reactant gases flow through the supporting plate into the reactor chamber.
Preferably the packed bed in the inlet region of the reactor is removable therefrom. The preferred configuration would provide for the use of a perforated quartz (fused silica) plate. This plate would provide support for the inert particles while constituting an integral part of the MOCVD reactor chamber. Incorporation of such a plate would be achieved by the glass blower in the reactor chamber fabrication process. Such a design allows for simple removal of the particles, which could be withdrawn, after inverting the chamber, through the gas inlet end of the chambers.
With reference to FIG. 2, the normal design for the MOCVD is shown. The reactant gas mixture enters the reactor chamber through an inlet that is less than 2.5 cm in diameter. In view of the gas inlet being situated close to the dome, that is the upper end of the substrate-bearing susceptor, the incoming gas impinges on the dome as a narrow jet rather than as a spread out front. This arrangement for gas introduction leads to a non-uniform reactant gas concentration in the reactor and to the formation of vortices above the susceptor as clearly shown in FIG. 2. These two effects conspire to generate non-uniformities in epilayer thickness, that is thickness of the GAAS layer on the substrate. Non-uniformities in dopant concentration (silicon and zinc due to decomposition of SiH 4 and (CH 3 ) 2 Zn respectively, for example) and grated interfaces instead of the desired sharp interfaces between epilayers, such as for example, GaAS-AlGaAS. As already noted, these difficulties with non-homogeneous and non-uniform gas flow can be mitigated by the use of sub-atmospheric reactor pressure. For example, a reduction in the pressure from one atmosphere to 0.1 atmosphere results in a ten-fold increase in gas velocity if the mass flow rate is kept constant. This reduces the resident time of the gas in the reactor and eliminates the formation of vortices. However, although the reduction in resident time increases interface abruptness, it is shown that the uniformity of epilayer and dopant concentration is not necessarily improved by the increased gas velocity.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention, the use of the particulate bed as the gas distributing device in addition to increasing gas velocity distributes entry of the reactant gas across the entire cross-section of reactor tube and eliminates formation of gas jet. Passage of the reactant gases through the tortuous paths in the particulate bed promotes thorough mixing of the various components of the reactant gases. Such a well-mixed gas distributed uniformly into the reactor at high velocity satisfies all requirements for uniform epilayer growth. With reference to FIG. 1, the additional provision in providing an inlet portion of substantially the same cross-sectional area as the cross-sectional area of the reactor chamber 18 minimizes the development of any types of vortices of the susceptor.
The effect of the gas distributing device, according to this invention, is shown in FIG. 3. Above the packed bed vortices in the reactant gases appear. However, the reactant gases, as they emerge from the packed bed and flow towards the susceptor, do not develop any vortices; hence demonstrating the significant improvement in gas flow characteristics achieved by the gas distributing device of this invention, the advantages of which have been explained already.
EXAMPLE 1
In order to test the effectiveness of the gas distributing device of this invention, a "mock" vertical MOCVD reactor under non-reacting conditions was developed. Inert gases such as helium and nitrogen were used instead of the highly toxic reactive vapors Ash 3 and (CH 3 )) 3 Ga respectively.
Flow visualization studies were carried out in a cylindrical quartz glass tube of the same size as the commercial MOCVD reactor, but provided with a section in the gas inlet end that contained a particulate bed supported on a wire mesh. This arrangement is shown more clearly in FIG. 3.
Experiments were carried out to verify the presence of a particulate bed at the inlet of the MOCVD reactor resulted in vortex-free flow in the region of interest in advance of the susceptor. That is, the region where the epilayer growth is carried out. Furthermore, the experiments confirmed the reduction in residence time for the gases.
Visualization of the flow pattern was achieved by means of laser illumination of fine particles carried into the reactor by a stream of nitrogen gas of approximately 4 v% of the total flow of helium and nitrogen. The helium gas emulated the role of hydrogen gas, which is the predominant carrier gas in normal operation of an MOCVD reactor. The small rate of nitrogen gas flow served to generate density gradients that occur in practical MOCVD reactors when additional reactants such as (CH 3 ) 3 Al are introduced.
The fine particles, which were submicron in size, were generated by saturating the nitrogen gas with aluminum isopropoxide (approximately 30 w% aluminum isopropoxide and 70 w% toluene). The saturated mixture was heated to a temperature of approximately 950° C. The nitrogen gas containing the submicron size particles was then mixed with the mainstream of helium gas just before the reactor inlet by means of a T-connection. Since the intensity of the scattered light was proportional to the concentration of the particles, it was possible to observe their presence in the reactor and hence expose any vortices which could be developed after emersion of the reactants gases from the gas distributing device. As demonstrated in FIG. 3, none were realized.
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.
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A gas distributing device is provided for a Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) reactor. The gas distributing device comprises a packed bed of discrete particles located in the inlet of the reactor to provide a vortex-free flow of reactant gas mixture towards the susceptor within the reactor chamber. The packed bed of discrete particles is of sufficient depth to provide a series of tortuous interconnecting channels around and between the particles and through the bed. A porous support is provided for the packed bed in the inlet of the reactor chamber. The porous support device adjacent the reactor chamber permits a reactant gas mixture after having passed through the packed bed to enter the reactor chamber.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is the U.S. national stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2007/060957, filed Oct. 15, 2007 and claims the benefit thereof. The International Application claims the benefit of German Application No. 10 2006 057 983.6 filed on Dec. 8, 2006, both applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Described below is a method for video-coding a series of digitized pictures, to a method for transmitting the pictures and to a method for decoding the coded pictures. Also described below is a corresponding transmitter for transmitting the coded pictures and to a corresponding receiver for receiving and decoding the transmitted coded pictures.
[0003] A multiplicity of methods exist for the video coding of digitized pictures. Some of these methods are defined in corresponding standards, e.g. the standard H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. In known video-coding methods, the digitized pictures are arranged into groups of pictures (GOP=group of pictures), within which the individual pictures are coded. In order to ensure efficient coding, only a selection of pictures is completely intracoded, irrespective of the other pictures of the series. The remaining pictures are the subject of a prediction, in which movement vectors are specified for a relevant picture, the movement vectors describing the displacement of picture blocks relative to a reference picture. In this way, a predicted picture is determined, the prediction error between the original picture and the predicted picture being coded and transferred with the movement vectors. In a group of pictures, the pictures that have been coded using a prediction are called interpictures, because they are coded relative to one or more reference pictures.
[0004] Coded video contents can be transferred using broadcast channels, for example, as a result of which any users can receive the corresponding coded contents. In this context, the related art discloses the Multimedia Broadband Multicast Service (MBMS), which will be used in the future to transfer coded video contents via mobile radio networks. When transferring via broadcast channels, the problem arises that a systematic delay occurs when a corresponding user terminal is used to connect to a broadcast channel. This delay occurs inter alia because a Random Access Point must be found within the coded video stream, from which point the video decoder receiving the video data stream can process the video data stream. This type of delay is called Video Tune-in Delay. In this case, the Random Access Points are the above-described intrapictures, which are coded while disregarding other pictures. Because only some of the pictures are intrapictures, there is consequently a delay when connecting to a broadcast channel until a corresponding intrapicture is received.
[0005] When transferring coded video contents, use is often made of error correction methods, in particular Forward Error Correction (FEC), this being sufficiently well known from the related art. In the case of such error protection methods, provision is made for transferring redundancy packets, by which error correction for video pictures can be performed in the event of an invalid transfer, in addition to data packets containing video pictures. When error correction methods are used, it is necessary to wait a certain time, until sufficient video data and redundancy data is received, in order to carry out the error correction. This results in a further delay, which is also called Initial Delay.
[0006] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 , the following describes various approaches from the related art, by which it is possible to reduce the above-described delay of an coded video stream when connecting to a broadcast channel.
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a known prediction structure as per the related art for coding a group of pictures GOP. Here and in the following, intrapictures are designated by the reference sign 1 ×(x=whole number) and interpictures are designated by the reference signs Px or Nx. The pictures having the reference sign Px here are interpictures from which further pictures of the group of pictures GOP are predicted, while the pictures having the reference sign Nx are non-referenced pictures from which no further pictures of the group of pictures GOP are predicted. Furthermore, the series of pictures represented in all illustrations are reproduced in the original order of the video stream, i.e. in the natural temporal order, in the same way as the pictures of the series of pictures follow each other. In other words, the time axis in all of the following illustrations runs in a horizontal direction from left to right, wherein higher numbers of corresponding pictures represent later time points. The arrows in all of the following illustrations indicate which pictures are used for predicting a picture. In other words, the arrows point from a reference picture, from which the prediction is taken, to the predicted picture which is predicted from the reference picture.
[0008] In the known prediction structure according to FIG. 1 , in which the group of pictures GOP consists of eight pictures, for example, the first picture I 0 of the series of pictures is intracoded and all subsequent pictures P 1 to N 7 are intercoded, the temporally preceding picture being used for prediction in each case. The group of pictures GOP is usually transferred in the order illustrated in FIG. 1 , redundancy information FEC for error protection being added again at the end of the transfer. The known transfer order is therefore as follows:
[0009] I 0 P 1 P 2 P 3 P 4 P 5 P 6 N 7 FEC.
[0010] In this context, “FEC” is understood to mean error protection data which can be used for reconstructing invalid data of the GOP.
[0011] According to the related art, the pictures can also be transferred in a modified transfer order, which is the reverse order of the known transfer order and is therefore as follows:
[0012] N 7 P 6 P 5 P 4 P 3 P 2 P 1 I 0 FEC.
[0013] As a result of this modified transfer order, when connecting into a group of pictures GOP, it is possible to decode at least the pictures received at the end, because these pictures require only a small amount or even none of the information from other pictures. As in the known transfer order, the redundancy data FEC is likewise transmitted at the end when using the modified transfer order.
[0014] Dong Tian, Vinod Kumar M V, Miska Hannuksela, Stephan Wenger, Moncef Gabbouj, “Improved H.264/AVC Video Broadcast/Multicast”, in Proceedings of SPIE Visual Communications and Image Processing 2005 (VCIP 2005), Bejing, China, July 2005, further proposes a predication structure which is modified relative to that in FIG. 1 and is illustrated in FIG. 2 . According to this prediction structure, the series of pictures contains a plurality of non-referenced pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 , N 7 and N 8 , from which no further pictures of the series are predicted. Moreover, since the pictures P 2 , P 4 , P 6 and N 8 are no longer predicted from the directly preceding picture, the pictures I 0 and P 4 are used more than once for predicting temporally later pictures.
[0015] Tian et al. additionally disclose a further prediction structure in the form of so-called Multiple Reference Frames, the prediction structure being shown in FIG. 3 . According to this structure, an interpicture is predicted from a plurality of other pictures, and therefore a plurality of arrows terminate at an interpicture. For example, the interpicture N 5 is predicted from the temporally preceding picture P 4 and the temporally succeeding pictures P 6 and N 8 . In this case, the prediction using Multiple Reference Frames must not be confused with the bidirectional prediction, which is known from the related art and in which the individual blocks of a picture are predicted from the blocks of two different pictures by weighted sums. In the case of prediction using Multiple Reference Frames, each picture block of the relevant interpicture is only ever predicted from a single picture, wherein a different picture, from which the corresponding picture block is predicted, can nonetheless be used for each picture block.
[0016] The prediction structure according to FIG. 3 also contains non-referenced pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 , N 7 and N 8 . The pictures of the groups of pictures as per FIGS. 2 and 3 are typically transferred in the order in which the stream is coded on the basis of its prediction structure. The known transfer order in this context is as follows:
[0017] I 0 P 2 N 1 P 4 N 3 P 6 N 5 N 8 N 7 FEC 1 FEC 2 .
[0018] In this context, the redundancy information is divided into the two redundancy blocks FEC 1 and FEC 2 . In this context, the first redundancy block FEC 1 protects the pictures I 0 , P 2 , P 4 , P 6 and N 8 , while the second redundancy block FEC 2 protects the pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 and N 7 .
[0019] The prediction structures in FIGS. 2 and 3 provide temporally scalable video coding, featuring a plurality of resolution levels. In the first resolution level, only the intrapicture I 0 is transferred in this context. In the second resolution level, the prediction pictures P 2 , P 4 , P 6 and N 8 are transferred in addition to the intrapicture I 0 , and in the third resolution level, the non-referenced pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 and N 7 are transferred in addition to the pictures I 0 , P 2 , P 4 , P 6 and N 8 . In order to achieve a minimal delay when connecting into a GOP which is currently being transferred, the pictures can be arranged in a modified transfer order as follows:
[0020] FEC 2 N 1 N 3 N 5 N 7 FEC 1 N 8 P 6 P 4 P 2 I 0 .
[0021] The pictures are arranged into subsequences in descending order of the resolution levels here, such that the pictures belonging to the highest resolution level, specifically N 1 , N 3 , N 5 and N 7 , are transferred first and the pictures belonging to the next lower resolution level, specifically the pictures N 8 , P 6 , P 4 and P 2 , are transferred next. Finally, the intrapicture I 0 is transferred at the end of the transfer order. In addition, the redundancy blocks of the corresponding resolution level are always arranged at the beginning of the subsequence of pictures belonging to the relevant resolution level.
[0022] As a result of the above-modified transfer order, when connecting into a GOP at the beginning of the GOP, e.g. within the subsequence of the pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 and N 7 , display of the pictures is in particular still possible with limited resolution because the pictures of the lower resolution are transferred later and do not require information from the preceding pictures. However, the above prediction structures according to FIGS. 2 and 3 have the disadvantage that, when connecting into a GOP, uneven playback of the pictures can occur. For example, if only the pictures P 2 and I 0 are received because they are transferred at the end of the GOP, these pictures are initially played back with half the temporal resolution. However, because the pictures are situated at the beginning of the GOP in the natural order of the video stream, a very large gap occurs before the pictures of the next GOP are displayed.
[0023] The related art also discloses the prediction structure which is shown in FIG. 4 and is described in C. Bergeron, C. Lamy-Bergot, G. Pau and B. Pesquet-Popescu, “Temporal Scalability through Adaptive M-Band Filter Banks for Robust H.264/MPEG4 AVC Video Coding”, EURASIP Journal on Applied Signal Processing, vol. 2006, Article ID 21930, 11 pages, 2006. This shows a GOP of fifteen pictures, wherein the intrapicture I 7 is not now arranged at the beginning of the GOP, but in the middle. This prediction structure likewise allows temporal scalability. In this context, only the intrapicture I 7 is transferred in the lowest resolution level, the further prediction pictures P 1 , P 5 , P 9 and P 13 are transferred in addition to the picture I 7 in the second resolution level, the pictures P 3 and P 11 are additionally transferred in the third resolution level, and the non-referenced pictures N 0 , N 2 , N 4 , N 6 , N 8 , N 10 , N 12 and N 14 are additionally transferred in the highest resolution level. The prediction structure according to FIG. 4 has the disadvantage that the temporal scaling is not regular, since the number of pictures in each resolution level (excluding the lowest) is not divisible by a common factor. For example, if the group of pictures is transferred using the second-highest resolution level (i.e. the pictures N 0 to N 14 are omitted), a gap of two pictures occurs between two GOPs, whereas a gap of only one picture ever occurs within each GOP. This is because the pictures at both ends of a GOP are omitted in each case in the second-highest resolution level.
[0024] The method addresses the problem of ensuring smooth playback of the video pictures with minimal delay when a receiving device connects to a channel that is transferring the video pictures.
SUMMARY
[0025] The method provides for groups of pictures to be formed, wherein a relevant group of pictures includes a plurality of temporally consecutive pictures in an original temporal order. In this context, the original temporal order corresponds to the actual temporal course of the scenarios that are represented in the video stream.
[0026] In the method, each group of pictures is coded, i.e. by forming a prediction structure in which one or more pictures of the group of pictures are specified as intrapictures which are intracoded in each case, and the other pictures of the group of pictures are specified as interpictures which are predicted from at least one reference picture of the group of pictures and are intercoded relative to the at least one reference picture. According to the method, the prediction structure is configured such that:
[0027] i) each intrapicture is a reference picture, from which are predicted at least one picture which is temporally earlier than the intrapicture in the group of pictures, and at least one picture which is temporally later than the intrapicture in the group of pictures;
[0028] ii) the interpictures include a plurality of non-referenced pictures, from which no pictures of the series are predicted.
[0029] A transfer sequence having a temporal transfer order is then formed from the coded pictures of the group of pictures, wherein at least some of the coded non-referenced pictures are the first pictures of the transfer order. In this context, transfer order is understood to mean the order in which the pictures are subsequently to be transferred after the coding.
[0030] By virtue of non-referenced pictures being situated at the beginning of the series of pictures, it is often possible to render this group of pictures in reduced resolution when connecting into a group of pictures, because those pictures which are not required for decoding other pictures are transferred at the beginning of the group of pictures. Furthermore, smooth playback of the pictures becomes possible because the intrapicture is not arranged at the boundary of the series of pictures, and at least one temporally earlier and once temporally later picture are predicted from the intrapicture.
[0031] In an embodiment, the coded intrapicture (or intrapictures) is arranged as the last picture (or pictures) of the transfer order. Consequently, even when connecting into a group of pictures at a late time point, it is still possible to render at least the intracoded picture of the group of pictures.
[0032] In a further embodiment of the method, all coded non-referenced pictures are arranged as the first pictures at the beginning of the transfer order. In a variant, provision is further made for an essentially central arrangement of the intrapicture. If there is an uneven number of pictures in the group of pictures, this involves using the central picture of the group of pictures as the intrapicture, and if there is an even number of pictures in the group of pictures, the intrapicture is located at that position—in the group of pictures—which corresponds to the result of the division of the number of pictures of the group of pictures by two, or to this result plus one.
[0033] In a further embodiment, the groups of pictures include as interpictures not only non-referenced pictures, but also those pictures from which one or more pictures of the group of pictures are predicted. In the transfer order, these coded reference pictures may be arranged between the at least several coded non-referenced pictures and the coded intrapicture or intrapictures. In this way, a hierarchy of the pictures is effected, reflecting the importance of the corresponding pictures in the decoding. The more important a picture in the context of decoding, the later it is arranged in the transfer order.
[0034] In a further embodiment, redundancy data is generated in each case for the groups of pictures for the purpose of error protection when transferring the group of pictures concerned, wherein the redundancy data is inserted into the transfer order when the transfer sequence is generated. In this context, it is advantageous for at least part of the redundancy data in the transfer order to be arranged before the first pictures because, when connecting into a group of pictures, the actual picture information then follows at a later time point than it would if the redundancy information was situated at the end of the group of pictures.
[0035] In a further embodiment, a relevant group of pictures can be scaled into a plurality of resolution levels, wherein the lowest resolution level includes only the coded intrapicture or intrapictures, and each higher resolution level is wherein a number of coded pictures which are added at the higher resolution level in comparison with the next lower resolution level. An advantageous combination of the method with scalable video coding is achieved in this way. According to the method, the coded pictures in the transfer sequence may be arranged into subsequences, these being assigned a resolution level in each case, wherein a relevant subsequence includes the coded pictures which, in comparison with the next lower resolution level, are added at the resolution level that is assigned to the relevant subsequence, wherein the subsequences in the transfer order are arranged in descending order of the resolution levels. This ensures that the highest possible temporal resolution of the pictures is maintained when connecting into a group of pictures.
[0036] In a further embodiment, separate redundancy data is generated in each case for at least some of the subsequences, the data being arranged in each case in front of the corresponding subsequence in the transfer order. As a result, it is possible to achieve a flexible specification of the error protection according to resolution level by virtue of the separate redundancy data featuring at least partially different degrees of error protection, wherein the degree of error protection for the redundancy data of a subsequence may decrease as the resolution level of the subsequence increases.
[0037] In a further embodiment, regular temporal scalability is ensured in that the resolution levels are characterized by a factor, such that all resolution levels except for the lowest include a number of pictures which can be divided by the factor without a remainder.
[0038] In a further embodiment of the method, the prediction structure is specified in such a way that at least one non-referenced picture is assigned a predetermined number of pictures, the non-referenced picture being predicted from that picture, among the predetermined number of pictures, which was generated from the smallest number of predictions. Consequently, for the purpose of predicting a picture, a picture is always used which was derived from the fewest possible preceding prediction steps. This results in increased error resilience, since the error propagation is lower in the event of an invalid transfer. In this context, the predetermined number of pictures may be the two reference pictures which are situated temporally closest to the non-referenced picture in the series of pictures, i.e. the two temporally closest pictures which are not non-referenced pictures.
[0039] In a further embodiment, at least some interpictures are predicted in each case from a plurality of other pictures, wherein a relevant interpicture of the at least some interpictures is divided into a multiplicity of blocks and, for each block, an individual picture from which the block is predicted is specified from the plurality of other pictures. The method is thus combined with the prediction using Multiple Reference Frames as mentioned in the introduction.
[0040] In addition to the above-described method for video coding, a method is herein described for transmitting a series of digitized pictures, wherein the series of digitized pictures is coded in accordance with the method and the pictures are then transmitted in the temporal transfer order of the transfer sequence. In this context, the transmission may take place via a broadcast service on one or more broadcast channels.
[0041] In addition to the above-described method for video coding, a method is herein described for decoding a series of digitized pictures which were decoded and transmitted using the method. In the decoding method, the transfer sequences of the coded pictures of the groups of pictures of the series are received. The coded pictures of each transfer sequence are then decoded depending on the prediction structure being used. Finally, the decoded pictures of each transfer sequence are read out in the original temporal order of the group of pictures, thereby recreating the original video stream.
[0042] In addition the method further includes a corresponding transmitter for transmitting a series of digitized pictures, wherein the transmitter performs the coding method described herein and the subsequent transmission of the coded pictures in accordance with any variant of the method.
[0043] Also described below is a receiver for receiving and decoding a series of digitized pictures that was transmitted using the method, the receiver being configured in such a way that it performs the above-described decoding method.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0045] FIGS. 1 to 4 are representational views of groups of pictures which are coded in accordance with methods as per the related art;
[0046] FIGS. 5 to 12 are representational views of groups of pictures which are coded in accordance with embodiments of the method; and
[0047] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a transfer system for a video stream, including a transmitter and a receiver.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0048] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
[0049] FIGS. 1 to 4 show various groups of pictures GOP, which are coded using methods as per the related art. FIGS. 1 to 4 were already explained above and therefore these figures are not discussed further.
[0050] FIG. 5 shows a group of pictures in a series of pictures which is coded in accordance with an embodiment of the method. The illustrated prediction structure is already disclosed in the Bergeron et al. publication, wherein the group of pictures GOP includes seven pictures and a tree-like prediction is formed by virtue of the picture in the middle of the group of pictures being the intrapicture I 3 , from which the temporally preceding picture P 1 and the temporally succeeding picture P 5 are predicted. The non-referenced pictures N 0 and N 2 are in turn predicted from the picture P 1 , and the non-referenced pictures N 4 and N 6 are predicted from the picture P 5 . On the basis of the prediction structure as per FIG. 5 , provision is made for generating a transfer order which includes two separate redundancy blocks FEC 1 and FEC 2 , and in which the non-referenced pictures are located at the beginning of the transfer order. The transfer order is as follows:
[0051] FEC 2 N 0 N 2 N 4 N 6 FEC 1 P 1 P 5 I 3 .
[0052] The redundancy block FEC 2 protects the non-referenced pictures here, and the redundancy block FEC 1 protects the intrapicture and the pictures P 1 and P 5 which are used for predicting the non-referenced pictures.
[0053] Because the pictures are not decoded in the original order of the series of pictures in the receiver, the pictures must be stored in a so-called playout buffer on the receiver side for subsequent display. In this case, the intrapicture I 3 must be stored first, after it has been decoded. After the subsequent decoding of the interpicture P 1 , I 3 and P 1 remain in the memory. During the subsequent decoding of the non-referenced picture N 0 , this picture is likewise stored in the playout buffer and, after completion of the decoding, is read out for display and deleted from the buffer. Next, a series of contents is shown, rendering the contents of the playout buffer after each decoding of a picture. The contents of the buffer at the relevant time points are grouped together in parentheses, wherein the picture located at the right-hand end of a set of parentheses is the picture which was decoded at the relevant time point. Furthermore, an underscore indicates which picture is read out and deleted from the buffer after the decoding at the relevant time point. The following model, indicating the series of contents, is used in relation to the description of the further embodiments. The series of contents of the playout buffer for the series of pictures as per FIG. 5 is as follows:
[0054] (I 3 ) (I 3 P 1 ) (I 3 P 1 N 0 ) (I 3 P 1 N 2 ) (I 3 N 2 P 5 ) ( I 3 P 5 N 4 ) (P 5 N 4 N 6 ) ( P 5 N 6 ) ( N 6 ).
[0055] This means that a playout buffer of three decoded pictures must be provided for the embodiment as per FIG. 5 .
[0056] In the embodiment above, the first redundancy block FEC 1 protects the pictures I 3 , P 1 and P 5 , and the second redundancy block FEC 2 protects the pictures N 0 , N 2 , N 4 and N 6 . Because the latter pictures are not used for the prediction of other pictures, the protection for these pictures may be weaker. The error protection FEC 2 can optionally be omitted completely, in which case only the reference pictures I 3 , P 1 and P 5 are protected. This results in Unequal Error Protection (UEP). By contrast, both error protection blocks FEC 1 and FEC 2 are combined into one error protection block FEC in the case of Equal Error Protection (EEP). Assuming that a picture is lost during the transfer (also assuming an equal distribution in the loss of pictures), this results in an expected value E of disrupted pictures as follows:
[0000] E= 1/7·(4·1+2·3+1·7)=2.43.
[0057] FIG. 6 shows a second variant featuring a prediction structure which is a modification of the prediction structure as per FIG. 5 . In the prediction structure as per FIG. 6 , use is made of so-called shortened prediction paths. This means that, when predicting a non-referenced picture, an attempt is always made to use, as a reference picture, a picture which itself was derived from a small number of predictions. In the example as per FIG. 6 , the non-referenced pictures N 2 and N 4 are predicted in each case from that of the two adjacent pictures which is derived from fewer predictions. In other words, in FIG. 6 the picture N 2 is not predicted from the picture P 1 (unlike FIG. 5 ) but from the picture I 3 , and the picture N 4 is not predicted from the picture P 5 but from the picture I 3 . This has the effect of increasing the error resilience, because if one or more pictures are lost, the probability that the remaining pictures can be decoded increases. In comparison with the embodiment according to FIG. 5 , the expectation value E of disrupted pictures is derived as follows:
[0000] E= 1/7·(4·1+2·2+1·7)=2.14.
[0058] Consequently, the error susceptibility is reduced in the embodiment as per FIG. 6 in comparison with the embodiment as per FIG. 5 .
[0059] In this context, the transfer order in the embodiment as per FIG. 6 is selected as follows:
[0060] FEC 2 N 0 N 2 N 4 N 6 FEC 1 P 1 P 5 P 6 I 3 .
[0061] In this case, the series of contents of the playout buffer in the receiver is as follows:
[0062] (I 3 ) (I 3 P 1 ) (I 3 P 1 N 0 ) (I 3 P 1 N 2 ) (I 3 N 2 N 4 ) ( I 3 N 4 P 5 ) ( N 4 P 5 N 6 ) ( P 5 N 6 ) ( N 6 ).
[0063] FIG. 7 shows a prediction structure according to the same principle as FIG. 6 featuring shortened prediction paths, wherein the length of the group of pictures is now increased to fifteen pictures, however. A larger number of temporal scalability levels are produced in this case, and more possibilities for dividing the error protection among the individual scalability levels.
[0064] FIG. 8 shows a prediction structure featuring a three-level regular scalability. In this context, regular scalability means that the temporal resolution remains constant across the consecutive groups of pictures GOP and, in particular, that no enlarged gaps occur between the groups of pictures. In the example according to FIG. 8 , a dyadic temporal scalability is produced in this context. Dyadic means that the number of pictures in the relevant scalability level or resolution level (except for the lowest) is always divisible by two. According to FIG. 8 , the lowest and first scalability level is represented by the intrapicture I 4 in this context, the second scalability level is formed by the picture I 4 and the further pictures N 0 , P 2 and P 6 , and the third scalability level is formed by the pictures of the lowest and the second scalability level and the pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 and N 7 . According to the method, the pictures of the group of pictures in FIG. 8 are arranged in the following transfer order with corresponding redundancy blocks FEC 1 and FEC 2 :
[0065] FEC 2 N 1 N 3 N 5 N 7 FEC 1 N 0 P 2 P 6 P 4 .
[0066] In this case, the series of contents of the playout buffer in the receiver is as follows:
[0067] (I 4 ) (I 4 P 2 ) (I 4 P 2 N 0 ) (I 4 P 2 N 1 ) (I 4 P 2 N 3 ) (I 4 N 3 N 5 ) ( I 4 N 5 P 6 ) ( N 5 P 6 N 7 ) ( P 6 N 7 ) ( N 7 ).
[0068] In this context, the first redundancy block FEC 1 protects the pictures I 4 , P 2 , N 0 and P 6 , while the second redundancy block FEC 2 protects the pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 and N 7 . Because the latter pictures are not used for prediction by other pictures, the protection for these pictures is weaker. This produces an Unequal Error Protection. In the case of Equal Error Protection, the two error protection blocks FEC 1 and FEC 2 can be combined into one error protection block FEC.
[0069] FIG. 9 shows a prediction structure featuring further temporal scalability levels. The prediction structure in FIG. 9 contains four scalability levels in total. Unlike FIG. 8 , the non-referenced picture N 0 is predicted directly from the picture I 4 and not from the picture P 2 . A further scalability level is produced as a result of this. According to FIG. 9 , the lowest and first scalability level consists of the picture I 4 . The second scalability level includes the pictures I 4 and N 0 . The pictures P 2 and P 6 are added in the third scalability level. The fourth scalability level is supplemented by the pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 and N 7 . As a result of the further scalability level, a separate further error protection block FEC 3 can be created. In this context, the transfer order is selected as follows:
[0070] FEC 3 N 1 N 3 N 5 N 7 FEC 2 P 2 P 6 FEC 1 N 0 I 4 .
[0071] In this case, the series of contents of the playout buffer is as follows:
[0072] (I 4 ) (I 4 N 0 ) (I 4 P 2 ) (I 4 P 2 N 1 ) (I 4 P 2 N 3 ) (I 4 N 3 N 5 ) ( I 4 N 5 P 6 ) ( N 5 P 6 N 7 ) ( P 6 N 7 ) ( N 7 ).
[0073] Unequal Error Protection can also be achieved in this variant. In this case, the redundancy block FEC 1 protects the pictures I 0 and I 4 , FEC 2 protects the pictures P 2 and P 6 , and FEC 3 protects the pictures N 1 , N 3 , N 5 and N 7 .
[0074] By a small modification to the prediction structure as per FIG. 9 , the demands on the playout buffer can be reduced, specifically by the picture N 1 being predicted not from the picture P 2 , but from the picture N 0 (i.e. the picture N 0 then becomes the picture P 0 ).
[0075] FIG. 10 shows a further embodiment, featuring a prediction structure for multilevel dyadic temporal scalability, wherein the length of the group of pictures now includes 16 pictures.
[0076] According to the method, the following transfer order is generated for FIG. 10 :
[0077] FEC 3 N 1 N 3 N 5 N 7 N 9 N 11 N 13 N 15 FEC 2 N 2 N 6 N 10 P 14 FEC 1 P 0 P 4 P 12 I 8 .
[0078] In this case, the series of contents of the playout buffer is as follows:
(I 8 ) (I 8 P 4 ) (I 8 P 4 P 0 ) (I 8 P 4 N 1 ) (I 8 P 4 N 2 ) (I 8 P 4 N 3 ) (I 8 P 4 N 5 ) (I 8 N 5 N 6 ) (I 8 N 6 N 7 ) (I 8 N 7 N 9 ) ( I 8 N 9 N 10 ) ( N 9 N 10 P 12 ) ( N 10 P 12 N 11 ) (P 12 N 11 N 13 ) ( P 12 N 13 P 14 ) ( N 13 P 14 N 15 ) ( P 14 N 15 ) ( N 15 ).
[0080] FIGS. 11 and 12 show prediction structures which use the above-described Multiple Reference Frames, wherein a plurality of reference pictures can be used for the prediction of a picture. In this context, FIG. 11 shows a prediction structure for a multi-level dyadic temporal scalability, in which two pictures are used for predicting the pictures N 1 , N 3 and N 5 , and one picture is used for predicting the other interpictures. By contrast, FIG. 12 shows a prediction for a multilevel dyadic temporal scalability, in which the picture P 1 is predicted from three pictures, the picture P 2 from two pictures, the picture N 3 from two pictures, the picture N 5 from two pictures, the picture N 7 from two pictures, and the other interpictures from one picture.
[0081] For FIGS. 11 and 12 , the following transfer order is generated for the pictures of the group of pictures GOP:
[0082] FEC 3 N 1 N 3 N 5 N 7 FEC 2 P 2 P 6 FEC 1 P 0 I 4 .
[0083] In this case, the series of contents of the playout buffer is as follows:
[0084] (I 4 ) (I 4 P 0 ) (I 4 P 0 P 2 ) (I 4 P 2 N 1 ) (I 4 P 2 N 3 ) (I 4 N 3 N 5 ) ( I 4 N 5 P 6 ) ( N 5 P 6 N 7 ) ( P 6 N 7 ) ( N 7 ).
[0085] A plurality of advantages are derived from the above-described variants. Smoother playback of the pictures is permitted when connecting to a broadcast channel. Furthermore, as a result of the even (e.g. dyadic) temporal scalability, it becomes possible to support a plurality of scalability levels. If e.g. the error protection for non-referenced pictures is inadequate for decoding these correctly, it is possible to display just the remaining video stream using half the temporal resolution (half of the picture refresh rate). In the case of non-regular temporal scalability, the pictures would be displayed at irregular time intervals, which is perceived as disruptive. If applicable, it is also possible to define two different service classes, one class relating to the full temporal resolution and the other to the reduced temporal resolution. A further advantage of the above variants featuring shortened prediction paths is an increase in the error resilience of the transfer.
[0086] FIG. 13 shows a schematic illustration of a transfer system. The system includes a transmitter 1 for transmitting a video stream of coded pictures. This transmitter has a processor that functions as a picture generation means 2 for generating groups of pictures, wherein a relevant group of pictures includes a plurality of temporally consecutive pictures in an original temporal order. The transmitter 1 additionally contains a processor that functions as a coding means 3 for coding each group of pictures, in that provision is made for generating a prediction structure, according to which one or more pictures of the group of pictures are specified as intrapictures, these being intracoded, and the other pictures of the group of pictures are specified as interpictures, these being predicted in each case from at least one reference picture of the group of pictures and intercoded relative to the at least one reference picture, wherein the prediction structure is configured in such a way that:
[0087] i) each intrapicture is a reference picture, from which are predicted at least one picture which is temporally earlier than the intrapicture in the group of pictures, and at least one picture which is temporally later than the intrapicture in the group of pictures;
[0088] ii) the interpictures include a plurality of non-referenced pictures, from which no pictures of the series are predicted.
[0089] The transmitter additionally includes a transmitter or transmission means 4 for transmitting the coded pictures, the transmission means being configured such that a transfer sequence having a temporal transfer order is formed from the coded pictures of each group of pictures, and the coded pictures are transmitted in the transfer order, wherein at least some of the coded non-referenced pictures are the first pictures of the transfer order.
[0090] The pictures are transferred from the transmitter 1 via a transfer link 5 , e.g., via one or more broadcast channels. These broadcast channels can be received by a receiver 6 , and the data stream which is coded therein can be read out by the receiver 6 . For this purpose, the receiver 6 includes a receiver or receiving means 7 for receiving the transfer sequences of the coded pictures of the groups of pictures of the video stream, a decoder or decoding means 8 for decoding the pictures of each transfer sequence depending on the prediction structure, and a reader or reading means 9 for reading out the decoded pictures of each transfer sequence in the original temporal order of the group of pictures.
[0091] The system also includes permanent or removable storage, such as magnetic and optical discs, RAM, ROM, etc. on which the process and data structures of the present invention can be stored and distributed. The processes can also be distributed via, for example, downloading over a network such as the Internet. The system can output the results to a display device, printer, readily accessible memory or another computer on a network.
[0092] A description has been provided with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 358 F3d 870, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
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Groups of pictures are formed, each group including successive pictures in an original chronological order which is coded by forming a prediction structure with at least one picture as an intra-frame, each being intra-coded, while other pictures in the group are inter-frames, each predicted from and inter-coded in relation to at least one reference frame. The prediction structure is designed such that each intra-frame is a reference frame from which at least one picture of a picture group that precedes the intra-frame as well as the least one picture of the group of pictures that succeeds the intra-frame are predicted. The inter-frames include several non-references pictures from which no pictures of the sequence are predicted. A transmission sequence having a chronological transmission order is formed from the coded pictures of the group of pictures, at least some of the coded non-referenced pictures being the first pictures of the transmission order.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new melt-blowing processes for producing non-woven or spun-bonded mats from fiberforming thermoplastic polymers. More particularly, it relates to processes in which a thermoplastic resin is extruded in molten form through orifices of heated nozzles into a stream of hot gas to attenuate the molten resin as fibers, the fibers being collected on a receiver in the path of the fiber stream to form a non-woven or spun-bonded mat. Various melt-blowing processes have been described heretofore including those of Van A, Wente (Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Volume 48, No. 8 (1956), Buntin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241), Hartmann (U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,811), and Wagner (U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,573) and others, many of which are referred to in the Buntin et al. patent.
Some of such processes, e.g. Hartmann, operate at high melt viscosities, and achieve fiber velocities of less than 100 m/second. Others, particularly Buntin et al. operate at lower melt viscosities (50 to 300 poise) and require severe polymer degradations to achieve optimum spinning conditions. It has been described that the production of high quality melt blown webs requires prior degradation of the fiber forming polymer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241). At an air consumption of more than 20 lb. of air/lb. web substantially less than sonic fiber velocity is reached. It is known, however, that degraded polymer leads to poor web and fiber tensile strength, and is hence undesireable for many applications.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus and process for melt-blowing fiberforming thermoplastic polymers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus and process for melt-blowing fiberforming thermoplastic polymers to form fine fibers.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus and process for melt-blowing fiberforming thermoplastic polymers to form fine fibers having a diameter of less than 2 microns.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus and process for melt-blowing fiberforming thermoplastic polymers to form fine fibers exhibiting little polymer degradation.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus and process for melt-blowing fiberforming thermoplastic polymers to form fine fibers with reduced air requirements.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus and process for melt-blowing fiberforming thermoplastic polymers to form fine fibers with improved economics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of this invention are achieved by extruding through orifices in nozzles the molten polymer at low melt viscosity at high temperatures where the molten fibers are accelerated to near sonic velocity by gas being blown in parallel flow through small orifices surrounding each nozzle. The extruded molten polymer is passed to the nozzles through a first heating zone at low incremental increases in temperature and thence rapidly through said nozzles at high incremental increases in temperature to reach the low melt viscosity necessary for high fiber acceleration at short residence time to minimize or prevent excessive polymer degradation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of the present invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will become apparent upon consideration of the detailed disclosure thereof, especially when taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout; and wherein
FIG. 1 is a partially schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the die assembly for the melt blowing assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the nozzle configuration for such die assembly, taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is another embodiment of a nozzle configuration;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the nozzle assembly;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the nozzle assembly of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the lines 6--6 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a portion of the nozzle configuration of FIG. 4;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the nozzle configuration of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a schematic drawing of the process of the present invention; and
FIG. 10 is a plot of Space mean Temperature versus the Fourier Number.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It has been found that fine fibers can be produced by the present invention which suffered very little thermal degradation by applying a unique heat transfer pattern, or time-temperature history at high resin extrusion rates. This is accomplished at a very low consumption of air per lb. of web, by having very small air orifices surrounding each polymer extrusion nozzle. By reducing the air orifice area per resin extrusion nozzle, higher air velocities can be achieved at low air consumption with concomitant considerable energy savings.
In order to produce very fine fibers by the melt-blowing process, it is necessary to reduce the resin extrusion per nozzle. This can be understood by the following considerations: Assuming that the maximum fiber velocity is sonic velocity (there has been no practical design exceeding this), than minimum fiber diameter is related to resin extrusion rate by the following equation:
D.sup.2 =4Q/πV, (1)
wherein
D=fiber diameter,
Q=resin flow rate (cm 3 /sec.) and
V=fiber velocity.
To produce a 1 micron fiber at 550 meter/second, the resin extrusion rate can not exceed 0.023 cm 3 /minute/orifice. Since sonic velocity increases with temperature, the higher the air temperature, the lower the potential fiber diameter. It becomes obvious from the above, that, in order to produce fine microfibers economically, there have to be many orifices. Conventional melt-blowing systems have about 20 orifices/inch of die width. To reduce resin rate to the above mentioned level, means uneconomically low resin rate/extrusion die and a long resin residence time in the die causing unexceptably high resin degradation.
Heat transfer in cylindrical tubes is described by the basic Fourier equation as follows: ##EQU1## wherein T=Temperature in °C.;
r=radius in centimeters
t=time in seconds, and
a=thermal diffusivity.
Thermal diffusivity is calculated by the following equation:
a=η/cd (cm.sup.2 /sec), (3)
η=thermal conductivity (cal/°C.sec. cm 2 /cm)
c=heat capacity (cal/gram °C.)
d=density (gram/cm 3 ).
Referring now to FIG. 1, the die consists of a long tube 1 having a chamber connected to a thick plate 2 into which nozzles 3 are inserted through holes in plate 2, as shown, and silver soldered in position to prevent slipping and leaking. The tubes 3 extend through the air manifold 4 through square holes in the plate 5 in a pattern shown in FIG. 2. The four corners of the square 6 around the tubes 3 are the orifices through which air is blown approximately parallel to the fibers exiting tubes 3. The nozzle assembly consisting of plates 2 and 5 and nozzles 3 can be replaced with assemblies of different size nozzles and air orifice geometry (FIG. 3). The air manifold 4 is equipped with an air pressure gauge 8, thermocouple 9 and air supply tube 10 which in turn is equipped with an in line air flow meter 11 prior to the air heater 12. Some of the hot air exiting air heater 12 is passed through a jacket surrounding tube 1 to preheat the metal of the transition zone to the air temperature. The tubular die 1 is fed with hot polymer from an extruder 13. Tube 1 is equipped with three thermocouples 14, 15, 16 located 3 cm apart as shown. The thermocouples are jacketed and are measuring the polymer melt temperature rather than the steel temperature. A pressure transducer 17 measuring polymer melt pressure is located at cavity 18 near the spinning nozzle inlet. There is a resin bleed tube 19 and valve 20 to bypass resin from the extruder and thus reduce resin flow rate through the nozzles. By adjusting the bleed valve 20, different temperature and heat transfer patterns can be established in the tube section and nozzle zone.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 7, the die consists of a cover plate 22 and a bottom plate 23 into which half-circular grooves are milled to form a circular cross section resin transfer channel as shown in FIG. 5, Resin flowing from the extruder is fed into channel 24 and is divided into two streams in channels 25, which is divided into two channels 26 and again in channels 27, which lead to 8 holes 28 through plate 23.
The holes 28 lead to a cavity 29 feeding the nozzles 30 which mounted in the nozzle plate 31. The nozzles lead through the air cavity 32 which is fed by the inlet pipe 33. The nozzles 30 protrude through the holes of screen 35 mounted on the screen plate 34. The sides of the air cavity 32 are sealed by the side plates 36. The assembly is held together by bolts 37 (not all shown). FIG. 7 gives an enlarged sectional view of the nozzle and screen geometry, resin and air flow. FIG. 9 gives a perspective view of the total assembly.
FIG. 10 is a graph wherein "Space mean Temperature" (T m ) is plotted against the dimensionless "Fourier Number" (at/r 2 ). At constant radius (r), this shows the increase of temperature of a cylinder with time from the initial temperature T 1 , when contacted from the outside with the temperature T 2 . Although the basic heat transfer equation (2) covers only ideal situations and does not take into account influences of mixing temperature variations, boundary conditions and resin flow channel cross section variations, it has been found useful and a good approximation to describe process variables and design features. The dimensionless expression at/r 2 , which applies to fixed or motionless systems, can be converted into one applying for flowing systems such as polymer flow through die channels, when we consider that:
V.sub.p =l/t (4)
and
A=Q/V.sub.p, (5)
Since
A=πV.sup.2, (6)
then
t=Al/Q, wherein
V p =polymer flow velocity in channel length "l",
t=residence time in channel of length "l",
A=channel cross sectional area, and
Q=resin flow rate (volume/time) through A.
Then,
at/r.sup.2 =πal/Q (dimensionless terms) (7)
For non-cylindrical resin flow channels, the approximation r=2A/P is used, where P is the wetted perimeter.
EXAMPLES OF THE INVENTION
The following examples are included for the purpose of illustrating the invention and it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be limited thereby.
For Examples 1 to 8, the apparatus of FIG. 1 is used equipped with the bleed tube 19 and bleed valve 20 whereby adjusting of the bleed valve 20, different temperature and heat transfer patterns can be independently established in the tube section (transition zone) and nozzle zone with the resulting effect observed and measured on spinning performance at various air volumes and pressures.
The die is a 12 cm. long tube 1 having a 0.3175 cm. inside diameter connected to a 0.1588 cm. thick plate 2 into which 16 nozzles 3 are inserted through holes in plate 2 and silver soldered into position to prevent slipping and leaking. The nozzles 3 extend through the air manifold 4 through square hole in the 0.1016 cm. thick plate 5 in a pattern, as shown in FIG. 2. The nozzles 3 are of Type 304 stainless steel and have an inside diameter of 0.03302 cm. and an outside diameter of 0.0635 cm. The squares in plate 5 are 0.0635 cm. in square and 0.1067 cm. apart from center to center.
EXAMPLE I
In this example, the length of the nozzles 3 is 1.27 cm. The total air orifice opening 6 around each nozzle is 0.086 mm 2 . The length of the nozzle segment 7 protruding through plate 5 is 0.2 mm.
The experiment was started at a low temperature profile using polyproplylene of melt flow rate 35 gram/10 min. resulting in a melt viscosity of 78 poise. Under these conditions, the air accelerated the fibers to 45 m/sec. The air temperature was increased to 700° and 750° F. (run b and c) resulting in a higher temperature profile and severe polymer degradation (reduced intrinsic viscosity of 0.3). Fiber acceleration was up to 510 m/sec. but was then increased from 8 to 16 and 20 cm 3 /min. which reduced the al/Q factor and residence time in tube 1. Run (f) had the lowest melt viscosity and highest fiber velocity at little thermal polymer degradation as seen from the following Tables 1 and 2:
TABLE 1______________________________________run (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)______________________________________total resin flow rate 8 8 8 16 20 20(cm.sup.3 /min) "Q"al/Q in tube die 1 0.150 0.150 0.150 0.075 0.060 0.060residence time in 7.13 7.13 7.13 3.56 2.85 2.85tube die 1 (seconds)Temperature (°F.)at extruder exit 550 600 600 600 600 550at T.sub.1 (after 3 cm) (14) 610 660 690 675 668 650at T.sub.2 (after 6 cm) (15) 635 685 725 710 705 705at T.sub.3 (after 9 cm) (16) 645 695 740 730 725 740air temperature (9) in 650 700 750 750 750 775cavity 4resin flow rate through 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.25 1.25nozzle 3(cm.sup.3 /min/nozzle)al/Q in nozzle 3 0.254 0.254 0.254 0.127 0.102 0.102residence time t(sec) 0.131 0.131 0.131 0.066 0.053 0.053in nozzle 3resin pressure (psi) 410 163 47 158 223 144at gauge 17calculated apparent 78 31 9 15 17 11melt viscosity (poise) innozzle 3reduced intrinsic viscosity 1.3 0.8 0.3 1.1 1.3 1.1of fiber web______________________________________
TABLE 2______________________________________Fiber diameters at various air rates: Calculate Average fiber maximumrun Air Volume Air Pressure diameter fiber velocity# (gram/min) (psi) (micron) (m/sec)______________________________________(a) 28 30 15 45(b) 9 10 13 6514 17 11 9021 21 9.5 12026 30 8.5 150(c) 9 10 6.5 25014 17 5.3 41021 21 5.0 45026 30 4.7 510(d) 9 10 12.3 15014 17 10.7 20021 21 8.1 35026 30 7.5 400(e) 9 10 14.8 13014 17 12.6 18021 21 9.0 34026 30 8.5 400(f) 9 10 9.0 35014 17 8.4 40021 21 8.0 45026 30 7.5 500______________________________________
EXAMPLE 2
In this example, the resin flow rate from the extruder was set to give an al/Q factor of 0.06 in the tube 1, resulting in a low temperature profile at only 2.85 seconds residence time. This condition causes little thermal resin degradation in this section. The bleed valve 20 was then opened to reduce the resin flow rate in the nozzles and increase resident time. At 2.6 seconds nozzle resident time, thermal degradation was severe at 0.3 reduced intrinisc viscosity, the web had considerable amoutns of "shot". Air pressure was 17 psi at gauge 8. The results are set forth in Table 3.
TABLE 3______________________________________run # (a) (b) (c)______________________________________total resin flow rate Q 20 20 20from extruder (cm.sup.3 /min)al/Q in tube die 1 0.060 0.060 0.060residence time t in tube 2.85 2.85 2.85die 1 (sec)Temperature (°F.)at extruder exit 600 600 600at T.sub.1 (after 3 cm) (14) 670 670 670at T.sub.2 (after 6 cm) (15) 705 705 705at T.sub.3 (after 9 cm) (16) 725 725 725air temperature 9 in 750 750 750cavity 4resin flow rate through bleed 18.4 19.2 19.6valve 20 (cm.sup.3 /min)resin flow rate Q through 0.1 0.05 0.025nozzle 3 (cm.sup.3 /min/nozzle)al/Q in nozzle 3 1.27 2.54 5.0residence time t(sec) 0.65 1.3 2.6in nozzle 3resin pressure (psi) 14.7 11.5 6.3at gauge 17calculated apparent 14 11 6melt viscosity (poise)in nozzle 3reduced intrinsic viscosity 1.0 0.7 0.3of fiber webaverage fiber diameter 2.5 1.7 1.0(micrometer)calculated average maximum 350 400 480fiber velocity (m/sec)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 3
In this experimental series, the tube 1 was replaced by tubes of larger diameter (ID). This did not change the temperature profile, but increased the residence time at constant resin flow rate. Residence time in the nozzles was kept short to avoid degradation there. At 45 seconds residence time in the tube 1, resin degradation was severe (0.4 reduced intrinsic viscosity), the resin stayed in the hot section of the tube too long. Air pressure was 17 psi at gauge 8. The results are set forth in Table 4.
TABLE 4______________________________________run # (a) (b) (c)______________________________________total resin flow rate Q 16 16 16from extruder (cm.sup.3 /min)diameter (cm) of tube die 1 0.635 0.9525 1.27al/Q in tube-die 1 0.075 0.075 0.075residence time t (sec) 11.4 25.7 45in tube die 1Temperature (°F.)at extruder exit 600 600 600at T.sub.1 (after 3 cm) (14) 675 675 680at T.sub.2 (after 6 cm) (15) 710 710 680at T.sub.3 (after 9 cm) (16) 730 730 735air temperature 9 in 750 750 750cavity 4resin flow rate Q through 1.0 1.0 1.0nozzle 3 (cm.sup.3 /min/nozzle)al/Q in nozzle 3 0.127 0.127 0.127residence time t(sec) 0.066 0.066 0.066in nozzle 3resin pressure (psi) 137 116 63at gauge 17calculated apparent 13 11 6melt viscosity (poise)in nozzle 3reduced intrinsic viscosity 1.0 0.9 0.4of fiber webaverage fiber diameter 8.3 8.0 7.5(micrometer)calculated average maximum 330 360 450filament velocity (m/sec)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 4
This example used a die assembly of larger dimension than in Examples 1 and 2.
Tube 1 had an inside diameter of 0.3167 cm. The nozzles had in inside diameter of 0.0584 cm. and an outside diameter of 0.0889 cm. and had a total length of 1.27 cm. The holes in plate 5 were triangular as shown in FIG. 3, resulting in an air orifice opening of 0.40 mm 2 per nozzle.
In this series, a through e, the resin flow rate was increased to result in decreasing al/Q factors in the nozzles, while leaving the temperature profiles in tube 1 near optimum. At al/Q of 0.1 and lower, the melt viscosities and fiber diameters at constant air rate (17 psi.) increased significantly, indicating that the resin temperature in the nozzles did not have enough time to equilibrate with the air temperature, as seen in Table 5.
TABLE 5______________________________________run # (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)______________________________________total resin flow rate Q 16 20 24 32 48from extruder (cm.sup.3 /min)al/Q in tube die 1 0.075 0.060 0.05 0.376 0.025residence time t(sec) 14.2 11.4 9.5 7.1 4.75in tube die 1Temperature (°F.)at extruder exit 600 600 600 600 600at T.sub.1 (after 3 cm)(14) 675 670 665 655 645at T.sub.2 (after 6 cm)(15) 710 705 700 690 677at T.sub.3 (after 9 cm)(16) 730 725 720 715 700air temperature 9 in 750 750 750 750 750cavity 4resin flow rate Q through 1.0 1.25 1.5 2 3nozzle 3 (cm.sup.3 /min/nozzle)al/Q in nozzle 3 0.127 0.102 0.085 0.064 0.043residence time t(sec) 0.204 0.16 0.13 0.102 0.065in nozzle 3resin pressure (psi) 17 23 56 118 274at gauge 17calculated apparent 16 17 35 55 85melt viscosity (poise)in nozzle 3reduced intrinsic viscosity 0.9 1.0 1.05 1.2 1.4of fiber webaverage fiber diameter 8 9.7 17 24 41in micrometer (micron)calculated average maximum 350 300 120 80 40filament velocity (meter/sec)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 5
The die assembly of Example 4 is used under the same air flow conditions. The bleed valve 20 was opened to increase the al/Q factor and residence time in the nozzles. At al/Q=0.1 fiber formation was good. Resin degradation became severe at residence times above 1.36 seconds, as seen from Table 6.
TABLE 6______________________________________run # (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)______________________________________total resin flow rate Q 48 48 48 48 48from extruder (cm.sup.3 /min)al/Q in tube die 1 0.025 0.025 0.025 0.025 0.025residence time t(sec) 4.75 4.75 4.75 4.75 4.75in tube die 1Temperature (°F.)at extruder exit 600 600 600 600 600at T.sub.1 (after 3 cm)(14) 645 645 645 645 645at T.sub.2 (after 6 cm)(15) 675 675 675 675 675at T.sub.3 (after 9 cm)(16) 700 700 700 700 700air temperature 9 in 750 750 750 750 750cavity 4resin flow rate through bleed 28.0 40 44.8 45.6 46.5valve 20 (cm.sup.3 /min)resin flow rate Q through 1.25 0.5 0.2 0.15 0.10nozzle 3 (cm.sup.3 /min/nozzle)al/Q in nozzle 3 0.102 0.25 0.635 0.85 1.27residence t(sec) 0.16 0.41 0.102 1.36 2.04in nozzle 3resin pressure (psi) 28 11 3.4 2.1 0.85at gauge 17calculated apparent 21 20 16 13 8melt viscosity (poise)in nozzle 3reduced intrinsic viscosity 1.3 1.2 0.9 0.7 0.4of fiber webaverage fiber diameter 9.5 5.7 3.5 2.8 2.2(micrometer)calculated average maximum 310 350 380 420 480filament velocity (meter/sec)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 6
In this example, a tube die assembly of small nozzles was used under conditions to make small fibers of high molecular weight. The tube 1 of Example 1 (12 cm. long, 0.3175 cm. diameter) is fitted with a nozzle assembly of the following dimensions: outside diameter--0.0508 cm., inside diameter--0.0254 cm., 0.7 cm. long. The holes in plate 5 were squares of 0.0508 cm. resulting in a total air orifice opening of 0.055 mm 2 per nozzle. The results are set forth in Table 7.
TABLE 7______________________________________run # (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)______________________________________total resin flow rate Q 20.0 10.0 16 16 16 16from extruder (cm.sup.3 /min)al/Q in tube die 1 0.060 0.12 0.075 0.075 0.075 0.075residence time t(sec) 2.85 5.70 3.56 3.56 3.56 3.56in tube die 1Temperature (°F.)at extruder exit 600 600 600 600 600 600at T.sub.1 (after 3 cm)(14) 668 690 675 675 675 675at T.sub.2 (after 6 cm)(15) 705 725 715 715 715 715at T.sub.3 (after 9 cm)(16) 725 740 738 738 738 738air temperature 9 in 750 750 750 750 750 750cavity 4resin flow rate through 0 0 0 14.4 15.2 15.7bleed valve 20 (cm.sup.3 /min)resin flow rate Q through 1.25 0.625 1.0 0.10 0.050 0.020nozzle 3 (cm.sup.3 /min/nozzle)al/Q in nozzle 3 0.056 0.112 0.070 0.70 1.4 3.51residence time t(sec) 0.017 0.034 0.021 0.21 0.42 1.06in nozzle 3resin pressure (psi) 1344 176 661 25 12.4 5.0at gauge 17calculated apparent 65 17 40 15 15 15melt viscosity (poise)in nozzle 3reduced intrinsic viscosity 1.0 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7of fiber webaverage fiber diameter 15.5 6.7 8.4 2.5 1.7 1.05(micrometer)calculated average maxi- 110 320 320 360 380 410mum filament velocity(m/sec)______________________________________
Run (a) had a low temperature profile at high resin rate and too short a residence time in the nozzles, resulting in high melt viscosity and course fibers at relatively slow fiber velocity. Run (b) at 10 cm 3 /minute and al/Q of 0.12 had a temperature profile in the tube resulting in significant resin degradation (reduced intrinsic viscosity=0.6) and undesirable "shot" in the web. Run (c) had optimum fiber quality and little resin degradation. In runs (d), (e) and (f), the bleed valve 20 was opened to reduce flow through the 16 nozzles and produce small fibers of relatively high molecular weight.
EXAMPLE 7
In this example, the die assembly described in Example 1 is used. The resins were commercially available polystyrene, a general purpose grade of melt index 12.0, measured in accordance of ASTM method D-1238-14 62T. The polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) was textile grade of "Relative Viscosity" 40. "Relative Viscosity" refers to the ratio of the viscosity of a 10% solution (2.15 g. polymer in 20 ml. solvent) of polyethylene terephthalate in a mixture of 10 parts (by weight) of phenol and 7 parts (by weight) of 2.4.6-trichlorophenol to the viscosity of the phenol-trichlorophenol mixture per se. The results are set forth in Table 8.
The effect of the differences of thermal diffusivity "a" between polystyrene and polyester can be readily noticed by comparing runs (b) and (d). Fiber formation and velocities were similar in these two runs at approximately the same melt viscosities (22 and 18 poise), however, polyester had a substantially higher resin flow rate (12 vs. 7 cm. 3 /min. for polystyrene).
TABLE 8__________________________________________________________________________run # (a) (b) (c) (d)__________________________________________________________________________polymer polystyrene as (a) polyester as (c)Thermal diffusivity "a" (cm.sup.2 /sec) 5.6 × 10.sup.-4 as (a) 1.23 × 10.sup.-3 as (c)total resin flow rate Q 20 7 20 12from extruder (cm.sup.3 /min)al/Q in tube die 1 0.02 0.058 0.044 0.074residence time t(sec) 2.85 8.1 2.85 4.75in tube die 1Temperature (°F.)at extruder exit 550 550 560 560at T.sub.1 (after 3 cm)(14) 585 620 590 602at T.sub.2 (after 6 cm)(15) 612 657 615 625at T.sub.3 (after 9 cm)(16) 635 680 630 640air temperature 9 in 700 700 660 660cavity 4resin flow rate Q through 1.25 0.44 1.25 0.75nozzle 3 (cm.sup.3 /min/nozzle)al/Q in nozzle 3 0.034 0.97 0.075 0.125residence time t(sec) 0.053 0.151 0.053 0.088in nozzle 3resin pressure (psi) 985 101 1115 142at gauge 17calculated apparent 75 22 85 18melt viscosity (poise)in nozzle 3average fiber diameter 20 5.0 22 6.3(micrometer)calculated average maximum 65 380 53 410filament velocity (m/sec)__________________________________________________________________________
EXAMPLE 8
This example demonstrates the importance of the temperature profile in the transition zone with the results set forth in Table 9. Resin flow rate of Example 1 (d) was used in all 6 runs. In runs (a), (b) and (c) the extruder temperature was raised from 620° to 680° F., resulting in increased resin degradation and severe "shot" in run (c). In runs (d), (e) and (f) the air and extruder temperature was lowered maintaining the temperature defference at 40° F. This decreased resin degradation but increased melt viscosity to result in coarse fibers and slow fiber velocities. To obtain an optimum balance of low thermal resin degradation and high fiber velocity (=minimum fiber diameter), it becomes apparent that the melt-blowing process has to be run at a melt viscosity below approximately 40 poise and a temperature difference between air (=nozzle) and extruder temperature of more than 40° F., under heat transfer conditions (al/Q) defined in the previous Examples.
TABLE 9______________________________________run # (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)______________________________________Temperature (°F.)extruder exit 620 660 680 660 640 620at T.sub.1 (after 3 cm)(14) 670 690 700 680 660 640at T.sub.2 (after 6 cm)(15) 695 705 710 690 670 650at T.sub.3 (after 9 cm)(16) 712 714 715 695 675 655air temperature 9 in 720 720 720 700 680 660cavity 4resin pressure (psi) 263 210 105 525 1050 1840at gauge 17calculated apparent 25 20 10 50 85 175melt viscosity (poise)in nozzle 3reduced intrinsic viscosity 0.9 0.6 0.4 1.0 1.1 1.6of fiber webAverage fiber diameter 8.0 7.8 6.8 14 20 33(micrometer)calculated average 340 350 460 110 50 21maximum filament velocity(m/sec)______________________________________
In the following examples, a 4" die is used, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 through 7. The transition zone is designed to provide an optimum al/Q factor for a specific resin flow rate without using a bleed system. Instead of a bleed system, there is a resin distribution system to feed more nozzle for maximum productivity of the unit.
EXAMPLE 9
Example 9 demonstrates the effect of the heat transfer pattern on the thermal degradation of polypropylene in the multiple row 384-nozzle die. Polypropylene of Melt Flow Rate 35 and a Number Average Molecular Weight of 225,000 is used. The extruder exit temperature is 600° F., and the die and air temperature is 750° F. The results are set forth in Table 10. In run (a) melt-blowing is performed at high resin flow rate and optimum heat transfer pattern, i.e. low Σ al/Q in the transition zone, high Σ al/Q in the nozzle zone at short residence time in the die and nozzles. As resin flow rate is reduced in run (b) and (c), increased polymer degradation occurred. In run (c) the Σ al/Q reached 0.171 in the transition zone, and degradation and web quality became unacceptable.
TABLE 10______________________________________Melt Blowing polypropylene in 4 inch/384 nozzle Die:run # (a) (b) (c)______________________________________total resin flow rate Qfrom extruder: (cm.sup.3 /min) 610 66.4 23.96(cm.sup.3 /sec) 10.18 1.11 0.40residence time t(sec) in 0.663 6.00 16.88sections 24 through 29sum of all al/Q 0.0067 0.062 0.171sections 24 through 29resin flow rate Q through 0.0265 0.00288 0.00104single nozzle 30residence time t(sec) 0.041 0.378 1.04in single nozzle 30al/Q in nozzle 30 0.080 0.737 2.04Weight AverageMolecular Weight ----MW.sub.w ** of web 175,000 125,000 55,000reduced intrinsic viscosity 1.6 0.9 0.4of webaverage fiber diameter 8.0 2.6 1.6***(micrometer)calculated average maximum 520 540 550filament velocity (m/sec)______________________________________ **obtained by Gel Permeation Chromatography (performed by Springborn Laboratories, Inc. Enfield, Conn.) ***severe "shot" in web
EXAMPLE 10
The effect of heat transfer rate (thermal diffusivity) of different polymers on resin flow rates at optimum heat transfer pattern is shown in this example, using nylon-66 and polystyrene (the nylon-66, polyhexamethylene adipamide, was a staple textile grade, DuPont's "Zytel" TE, the polystyrene was the same as used in Example). The results are set forth in Table 11. Runs (a) and (c) were done at high resin flow rates, resulting in an al/Q factor in the nozzle zone too low for high fiber velocities. The fibers were rather coarse. Conditions in runs (b) and (d) were optimum for good web quality of fine fibers. This condition was reached for polystyrene at a higher resin flow rate than for nylon-66, due to the difference in heat transfer rates (thermal diffusivity "a") for the two polymers.
TABLE 11______________________________________run # (a) (b) (c) (d)______________________________________polymer Nylon-66 Nylon- poly- poly- 66 styrene styrenethermal diffusivity "a" 1.22 1.22 0.56 0.56(10.sup.3 × cm.sup.2 /sec)Extruder outlet temperature 550 550 610 610(°F.)Die Temperature (°F.) 630 630 730 730Air temperature (°F.) 630 630 730 730total resin flow rate Qfrom extruder (cm.sup.3 /sec) 5.45 2.28 11.98 7.45residence time t(sec) in 1.24 2.96 0.563 0.9sections 24 through 29sum of all "al/Q" 0.0093 0.021 0.0019 0.0031sections 24 through 29resin flow rate Q through 0.0142 0.0059 0.0312 0.0195single nozzle 30residence time t(sec) 0.076 0.184 0.035 0.056in single nozzle 30al/Q in nozzle 30 0.050 0.120 0.050 0.080average fiber diameter 12 4 26 9(micrometer)calculated average maximum 90 350 60 320filament velocity (m/sec)______________________________________
Apparent melt viscosity is calculated from Poisseuille's equation: ##EQU2## where: Q=polymer flow through a single nozzle (cm. 3 /sec.),
p=polymer pressure (dynes/cm. 2 ),
r=inside nozzle radium (cm.),
l=nozzle length (cm.), and
η=apparent melt viscosity (poise); and
by measuring the polymer melt pressure above the extrusion nozzle or in more convenient form
η=2747 P A.sup.2 /Q l (9)
where:
P=polymer pressure in psi.
A=extrusion nozzle cross section area (cm 2 ).
Intrinsic viscosities [η] as used herein are measured in decalin at 135° C. in Sargent Viscometer #50. Melt Flow Rates were determined according to ASTM Method #D 1238 65T in a Tinium Olsen melt indexer.
While the invention has been described in connection with several exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood that many modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art; and that this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations thereof. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be only limited by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
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There is disclosed a novel apparatus and process for melt-blowing from fiberforming thermoplastic molten polymers to form fine fibers by extruding through orifices in nozzles the molten polymer at low melt viscosity at high temperatures where the molten fibers are accelerated to near sonic velocity by gas being blown in parallel flow through small orifices surrounding each nozzle. The extruded molten polymer is passed to the nozzles through a first heating zone at low incremental increases in temperature and thence rapidly through said nozzles at high incremental increases in temperature to reach the low melt viscosity necessary for high fiber acceleration at short residence time to minimize or prevent excessive polymer degradation.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and hereby claims priority to International Application No. PCT/EP2012/002093 filed on May 16, 2012 and German Application No. 10 2011 111 808.3 filed on Aug. 27, 2011, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The invention relates to two isolation adapters and a method for checking a functionality of a vehicle component during a test drive.
[0003] In the development of an electronic controller, such as a controller for an anti-lock brake system or for a tire-pressure monitor for example, provision can be made to check a prototype of the controller during a test drive. In this way, it is possible to determine, for example, how the controller behaves when a sensor from which the signal is required by the controller for operating in the intended manner fails during driving.
[0004] For a test drive of this kind, the controller is installed in a car and connected to the actuators and sensors which are to be operated from the controller. Instead of connecting the actuators and sensors directly to the controller in the process, the electrical connection is established via an isolation adapter. In the simplest case, said isolation adapter may be a patchboard to which the controller and the peripheral components (actuators and sensors) are connected. The electrical connections are then established by inserting individual short-circuiting links into a patchpanel of the patchboard. A test driver can then deliberately interrupt individual connections by pulling out short-circuiting links during the test drive. Similarly, it is possible, for example, to create a short circuit in a connecting line by plugging a cable in.
[0005] If the test driver then observes undesired reactions of the controller, he can read off the existing connection pattern of the controller to the peripheral components on the patchpanel. However, this is neither detected by measurement nor clearly displayed on a display.
[0006] DE 196 16 516 C1 discloses an isolation adapter in which an electrical connection between a unit under test, that is to say a controller for example, and a sensor or actuator can be interrupted by an isolation device being folded out of a corresponding compartment. It is possible to use the folded-out isolation devices to identify which connections are currently interrupted. Short circuits cannot be produced with isolation devices of this kind which can be folded out.
[0007] EP 0 678 961 A1 discloses a circuit with which a switching state of a bridge circuit can be electrically detected and displayed by a monitoring circuit. One disadvantage of a circuit of this kind is that a measurement current of the monitoring circuit influences the current flowing in the bridge circuit.
[0008] A further disadvantage in modern isolation adapters is that the extent to which the change between two switching states of the isolation adapter itself has an influence on the behavior of the controller is unclear. Therefore, it is possible, for example in the case of a patchboard, for a cable to have an unknown potential during the switchover.
[0009] It may also be possible for only a sequence of different faulty connection patterns of a controller which is to be tested to trigger a specific behavior of the controller. This behavior may then be difficult to reproduce.
SUMMARY
[0010] One possible object is to allow systematic checking of a functionality of a vehicle component.
[0011] The inventor proposes an isolation adapter, which ensures that the switching device of said isolation adapter on the one hand and the display of said switching device for the switching state of said switching device on the other hand have as little influence as possible on the functionality of the vehicle component which is to be tested. In other words, these elements of the isolation adapter should not react to the vehicle component which is to be tested as far as possible.
[0012] The proposed isolation adapter has a connection for the vehicle component which is to be tested, and a switching device which is coupled to the connection and has a plurality of switching contacts, it being possible for a test circuit to be connected to each of said switching contacts. The test circuits may be, for example, a circuit which connects the vehicle component to a sensor or to an actuator in a manner which is intended for fault-free operation of the vehicle component. Then, for example, a sensor line of the vehicle component can be connected to a ground potential by another test circuit, as a result of which a short circuit is then produced in the sensor line. The vehicle component which is to be tested may be, for example, an electronic controller. An electrical connection can be established between the connection for the vehicle component and at least one of the switching contacts by switching over the switching device. In the case of the connection, there is also always an electrical connection to at least one of the switching contacts during a switchover operation. Since the vehicle component is also always connected to one of the test circuits during switchover, a switchover can be made, without transition, between a fault-free state and a faulty state which is prespecified by a test circuit. No intermediate state, in which, for example, a cable could have an unknown potential and which could have an incomprehensible influence on the vehicle component which is to be tested, is assumed during the change.
[0013] One advantageous development of this isolation adapter makes provision for in each case one test circuit, which allows fault-free operation of the vehicle component, and in each case one test circuit, by which the vehicle component can be operated with faults in a predetermined manner, to alternate with one another in a switching order which is produced by switching over the switching device. In this case, a transition can always be made starting from a fault-free state to a specific faulty state by one-off switchover. At least one of the test circuits is preferably integrated in the isolation adapter.
[0014] In a particularly robust and at the same time cost-effective embodiment of the isolation adapter, the switching contacts are provided by a tap changer, wherein the connection for the vehicle component can be electrically connected simultaneously to at least two of the switching contacts by a movable contact element. In other words, a changeover can be made between the different test circuits here in accordance with what is known as the make-before-break principle. However, it is also possible, for example, for a relay or a sliding switch to be used instead of a tap changer.
[0015] According to a second aspect, the isolation adapter firstly comprises a switching device, by which the vehicle component can be alternately connected to different test circuits, and secondly a display device for detecting and displaying a switching state of the switching device. In this case, the display device is designed, for the purpose of detecting the switching state, to mechanically detect a switching position of a switching element of the switching device. This provides the advantage that the display device can be completely electrically decoupled from the switching device and in this way the electrical signals which are conducted by the switching device are not changed by the display device.
[0016] In a particularly robust and cost-effective embodiment of this isolation adapter, a tap changer of the switching device and a tap changer of the display device are mechanically coupled to one another in such a way that switching over one of the tap changers causes the other tap changer to switch over.
[0017] A further advantage is achieved when a time profile of at least one signal which is received by the vehicle component and/or at least one emitted signal are/is recorded. In this case, an undesired behavior of the vehicle component can also be reproduced, it being possible for said behavior to be triggered only by a sequence of different faulty connection patterns of the vehicle component to the peripheral components. The isolation adapters preferably have a recording device for this purpose, said recording device being designed to provide a signal which is transmitted by the switching device to the connection for the vehicle component and/or a signal which is dependent on the switching state of the switching direction to a (logging) connection for the connection of a recording apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram of an isolation adapter which represents one embodiment of an isolation adapter in line with the two aspects of the proposal;
[0020] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a tap changer of the isolation adapter from FIG. 1 in a first switching position;
[0021] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of the tap changer from FIG. 2 in a second switching position; and
[0022] FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of the tap changer from FIG. 2 in a third switching position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0023] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
[0024] The example represents one preferred embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 1 shows an isolation adapter 10 to which a controller which is to be tested is connected, said controller being called unit 12 under test here. During a test drive, the unit 12 under test is intended to be checked in respect of how it behaves when there is interference on a connecting line 14 between it and a sensor 16 and also further connecting lines (not illustrated) to other (sensors, actuators and field devices which are likewise not illustrated). One possible instance of interference here is intended to be that the connecting line 14 tears or touches a ground potential line 18 or a supply line 20 , wherein said supply line carries a voltage potential Ub of a vehicle battery. A further form of interference is intended to be produced by a series resistance with which the influence of corrosion on a cable is simulated.
[0026] In order to carry out the test, the unit 12 under test and the isolation adapter 10 have been incorporated into a passenger car in which the sensor 16 and the other, abovementioned peripheral components which are to be connected to the unit 12 under test are also located, so that said unit under test can fulfill its intended function in the passenger car. The unit 12 under test is connected to a connection 22 of the isolation adapter 10 , and the sensor 16 is connected to a further connection 24 of the isolation adapter 10 . The connecting line 14 is connected to a tap changer 26 by the connection 22 . The connection 22 can be electrically connected to different switching contacts 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 of the tap changer 26 by an adjustable contact element 28 of the tap changer 26 . One end of the contact element 28 , which end faces the switching contacts 31 to 35 , is so wide that it can touch two adjacent switching contacts 31 to 35 at the same time. By way of example, the end can be configured in the manner of a mushroom or as a wide sliding contact. In order to switch over the tap changer 26 from a first of the switching contacts 31 to 35 to a second of the switching contacts 31 to 35 , the contact element 28 is pivoted from the first switching contact to the second switching contact in this case. The end of the contact element 28 touches the second switching contact during the switchover process (here on account of its width), before the end disengages from the first switching contact. In this way, an electrical connection is first established between the contact element 28 and the second switching element during the switchover operation, before the electrical connection between the contact element 28 and the first switching contact is interrupted.
[0027] The switching contact 31 is connected to the sensor 16 by a potentiometer P 1 . A series resistance which acts in the sensor line can be set by the potentiometer P 1 in order to simulate corrosion. In this case, a level of the manipulated line can be detected by ascertaining a current intensity of a current 11 . A connecting line 36 which is coupled to the connection 24 is directly connected to the switching contacts 32 and 34 . The interference signal current 11 can also be impressed into the connecting line 14 by the switching contacts 32 and 34 if the signal source is active. The switching contact 33 is connected to the ground potential line 18 of the isolation adapter 10 by a fuse F 1 . The switching contact 35 is connected to the supply line 20 by a fuse F 2 and a potentiometer P 2 . In the case of the isolation adapter 10 , the battery voltage Ub, an operating voltage Vcc for the isolation adapter 10 and the ground potential of the ground potential line 18 are provided by a power supply unit 38 .
[0028] A recording apparatus 40 is connected to the isolation adapter 10 by a digital output 38 of said isolation adapter. The recording apparatus 40 receives a digitized variant of a sensor signal, which is transmitted from the tap changer 26 to the connection 22 , from an analog/digital converter 42 of a monitoring circuit 44 . The recording apparatus 40 can be, for example, a hard-disk recorder. The unit 12 under test is also connected to vehicle buses 46 , 48 of the passenger car (for example a CAN bus and a Flexray bus) by the isolation adapter 10 . The recording apparatus 40 is likewise connected to the vehicle buses 46 , 48 and receives data which the unit 12 under test exchanges with other components of the passenger car by the vehicle buses 46 , 48 .
[0029] The tap changer 26 is a two-pole switch. A second pole 50 operates light-emitting diodes (see the circuit symbols in FIG. 1 ) of a display circuit 52 at the operating voltage Vcc. The light-emitting diodes are operated as a function of the switching position of the coupling element 28 . To this end, a coupling element 54 of the pole 50 is connected to the coupling element 28 by a mechanical coupling 56 .
[0030] The switching position of the coupling element 28 , which switching position is mechanically ascertained in such a way, is also detected by a BCD encoder 58 (BCD—Binary Coded Decimal) by the pole 50 and displayed on the digital output 38 by a digital signal.
[0031] In addition to the tap changer 26 and the connection 24 , further, comparable tap changers and connections are provided in the case of the isolation adapter 10 , the unit 12 under test being connected to the other sensors, the actuators by said further tap changers and connections. Accordingly, there are also further BCD encoders and analog/digital converters which are not illustrated in FIG. 1 for reasons of clarity.
[0032] The text which follows explains, with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 , how, in relation to the sensor 16 , a total of nine switching states of the tap changer 26 can generate a corresponding number of connecting states between the sensor 16 and the unit 12 under test. FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 once again show the first pole of the tap changer 26 and also further elements which are relevant for the following explanations.
[0033] In order to facilitate understanding, the switching state is described in the text which follows in each case in the usual manner by the number of those switching contacts which are electrically connected to the contact element 28 . The numbers can be found in the figures.
[0034] The nine possible switching states are:
[0035] 1: series resistance in the signal line 14 (see potentiometer P 1 ). Furthermore, it is possible to superimpose any desired signal onto the signal of the sensor 16 by the interference signal current I 1 in this switch position via the signal source Q. A short circuit virtually to interruption of any fault can be simulated by the position of the potentiometer P 1 (see FIG. 2 ).
[0036] 1+2: if a signal of the signal source Q is superimposed as interference signal current I1, the sensor signal continues to be manipulated (see FIG. 3 ). If not, the potentiometer P 1 is short-circuited and the switch position corresponds to the switch position described below.
[0037] 2: no manipulation of the sensor signal.
[0038] 2+3: superimposition of a short circuit to ground (see FIG. 4 ).
[0039] 3: superimposed short circuit to ground (corresponds to switch position 2+3), but with the connection to the sensor 16 being interrupted.
[0040] 4: no manipulation of the sensor signal.
[0041] 4+5: superimposed short circuit after a partial voltage of the battery voltage Ub.
[0042] 5: superimposed short circuit after the partial voltage of the battery voltage Ub, with the connection to the sensor 16 being interrupted.
[0043] The unit 12 under test is always electrically connected to one of the switching contacts 31 to 35 by the tap changer 26 . Since the connecting line 36 is connected to the switching contact 32 and to the switching contact 34 , it is possible to switch over alternately between fault-free operation and operation with interference (with signal source Q deactivated).
[0044] If a simple switch were used instead of the tap changer 26 , all of the intermediate positions which are generated by the movement of the switch would represent interruptions. This would mean that an interruption would always be produced between the sensor 16 and the unit 12 under test before the actually intended manipulation of the sensor signal.
[0045] Furthermore, on account of the mechanical coupling 56 , it is possible to identify the switching state without there being any electronic components, which are necessary for operating the display circuit 52 , in the entire circuit, which connects the unit 12 under test to the sensor 16 .
[0046] Since the recording apparatus 40 records all of the data received from the digital output 38 and by the vehicle buses 46 , 48 , each operating state, in which the unit 12 under test has been found during the test drive, can be reproduced after the test drive. The times, which are required for this purpose, of the different manipulations of the connections between the unit 12 under test and the peripheral components, that is to say for example the sensor 16 , and the type of manipulation can be reconstructed using the recorded data. This allows faults to be eliminated more quickly if the unit 12 under test does not behave in the specified manner. Ultimately, this results in shorter development times.
[0047] The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention covered by the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
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In the development of a vehicle component, provision may be made for a component to be tested during a test drive. Thus, the behavior of the vehicle component in the event of failure of a sensor, for example, can be tested. The aim is to enable systematic checking of a mode of operation of a vehicle component. An isolation adapter has a terminal for the vehicle component and a switching device that has a plurality of switch contacts to which a respective test circuit can be connected. An electrical connection between the terminal and at least one of the switch contacts can be produced by switching the switching device. Even during switching, there is always an electrical connection to at least one of the switch contacts. The isolation adapter may also have a display unit that mechanically detects a switching position of the switching device.
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CROSS-REFERENCE
This application claims priority of German Application No. 199 21 092.6-23 filed Apr. 30, 1999, a copy of which is Attachment A hereto, the disclosure of which is incorporated fully herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for standardizing the pane position of an external force actuated vehicle window lifter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Standardizing the pane position is of particular importance in the case of vehicle window lifters which are fitted with a device for detecting a jammed object. With these window lifters the drive is automatically switched off and where necessary reversed when the window pane during its upward movement strikes an obstruction which would otherwise be clamped between the upper edge of the pane and the window frame.
However there is a problem here in that the movement of the window pane into the upper pane seal could be interpreted as a jamming case on account of the resistance exerted by the pane seal against the displacement movement of the window pane. The window lifter would then be automatically switched off and the window pane could not then be moved completely into the upper pane seal. To solve this problem various proposals have been put forward in order to deactivate the anti-jam protection as the window pane enters into the upper pane seal, see here DE 196 28 203 C1. However in order to be able to do this it is necessary to determine accurately the relevant position of the window pane during its displacement movement.
For these reasons it is customary prior to initially operating an external force actuated window lifter or even after its repair to move the window pane once into its closed position in order to standardize the pane position. This upper end position of the window pane then serves as a zero or reference position for the window pane, in relation to which all individual displaced positions of the window pane can be determined along its displacement path.
In view of the importance of standardizing the pane position for a satisfactory functioning of an anti-jam protection system and furthermore in general for a reliable detection of the actual position of a displaceable window pane it is absolutely crucial to eliminate faults as far as possible when standardizing the pane position. For faults in the standardizing of the pane position can lead for example to a jamming case which occurs as the window pane is raised being misinterpreted by the anti-jam protection system as the window pane moving into the upper pane seal. The result of this would be that the drive of the window lifter is not switched off but rather is operated further with an increased current supply so that the resistance of the supposed pane seal can be overcome. This can lead to serious injury particularly in the case where part of the body is jammed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a method for standardizing the pane position of a window lifter wherein a faulty standardizing of the pane position is reliably eliminated as far as possible.
According to this in order to check whether the window pane during standardizing has properly reached its upper end position (closed position), the change is evaluated in a value correlated with the dynamics of the window pane as the window pane enters into the seal area associated with the closed position.
The invention is based on the knowledge that the dynamics of the window pane when entering into the pane seal associated with the closed position is influenced in a characteristic way. Therefore by taking into account the dynamics of the window pane it can be readily checked whether the window pane has actually properly entered into the upper sealing area. More particularly it can be reliably established whether during standardizing of the pane position the entrance of the window pane into the closed position is prevented through a faulty fitting of the window lifter or through an object jammed between the window pane and the seal area. In the latter case the end position reached during standardizing the pane position is recognised as a position not corresponding to the actual closed position and therefore is not used consequently as the reference or zero point position of the window pane.
The failed standardizing can be indicated through an optical or acoustic signal. Furthermore after a failed standardizing the automatic function of the external force actuated window lifter is not activated, that is for as long as no proper standardizing of the pane position has been completed the window lifter cannot be moved automatically into its upper end position.
In particular the period length or speed of the drive (or of a displacement element connected with the drive, such as for example a gear part of the window lifter or the window pane itself), the current collection of the drive or the change of speed (acceleration) or change of current collection, can all be considered as values correlated with the dynamics of the window pane which can be used to check whether the window pane has reached its end position in the upper seal area. Basically when carrying out the method according to the invention any value can be used which reflects the influence of the upper pane seal on the dynamics of the window pane.
The entrance of the window pane into the seal area can be detected in particular from a local extremum of the value correlated with the dynamics, preferably the speed or period length, in dependence on the displacement site of the window pane. Thus when the window pane enters into the seal area there is normally at first a drop in the speed or an increase in the period length of the drive. After the window pane has moved by its leading upper edge a little further into the seal area however and has thereby overcome the resistance of the sealing lip of the seal area pressing against the window pane, a certain increase in the speed or decrease in the period length of the drive occurs again. A local minimum or local maximum respectively is hereby formed in the path of the speed or of the period length of the drive over the displacement path of the window pane. This is typical for the upper edge of the window pane entering into the seal area and can thus be used as a typical criterion for reaching the closed position of the window pane. If however the window pane during standardizing strikes an obstruction by its leading edge then the speed is decreased or the period length increased substantially continuously. It does not result in forming an extremum. The entrance into the seal area can thereby be clearly differentiated from striking an obstruction of another kind.
When evaluating the value correlated with the dynamics of the window pane not only should the actual displacement position of the window pane be used, but also where applicable some pre-values of the value correlated with the dynamics of the window pane. This prevents the result of the evaluation from being falsified by environmental factors, wear etc.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the standardizing of the pane position is interrupted when after a predeterminable time span no path of the value correlated with the dynamics of the window pane has been observed which is characteristic of the entrance of the window pane into the seal area. This then signifies that during standardizing of the window pane no proper displacement movement of the window pane is taking place and thus a reliable standardizing of the pane position cannot be carried out.
Furthermore standardizing the pane position is preferably then only carried out when the window pane has moved at least along a path length which is greater than the extension of the pane seal in the direction of movement of the window pane. For only in such a case is it ensured that the characteristic behaviour of the value correlated with the dynamics of the window pane which appears as the leading edge of the window pane enters into the seal area can actually be observed. Advantageously the minimum displacement path of the window pane is thereby selected slightly larger than the extension of the seal area in order to ensure that the window pane when entering the seal area has already reached its usual displacement speed (swung-in system state).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further advantages of the invention will now be explained in further detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 a shows a window pane moved into its upper end position (closed position) for standardizing the pane position;
FIG. 1 b shows a window pane which has moved against an obstruction during standardizing of the pane position;
FIG. 2 a shows the leading edge of a window pane as it enters into the upper seal area;
FIG. 2 b shows the period length of the displacement drive of the window lifter in dependence on the displacement site, more particularly in the area of the upper pane seal;
FIG. 3 a shows the leading edge of the window pane running up against an obstruction during the raising of the window pane for the purpose of standardizing the pane position;
FIG. 3 b shows the path of the period length of the drive of the window lifter in dependence on the displacement site, more particularly when moving against an obstruction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 a shows a window pane 1 which is adjustable by an external force actuated window lifter and which to standardize the pane position has been moved by its leading edge into a seal area 4 in its upper end position (closed position).
FIG. 1 b shows the same window pane 1 which here during lifting for the purpose of standardizing the pane position has moved against an obstruction 10 which has thus been jammed between the leading edge of the window pane 1 and the upper seal area 4 .
Since the entrance of the window pane 1 into the upper seal area 4 for the purpose of standardizing the pane position serves to establish a reference position of the window pane, to which during further operation of the window lifter each displaced position of the window pane 1 is related, in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 b the result is a faulty standardizing of the pane position. For the control or electronics unit of the window lifter serving to displace the window pane 1 the position illustrated in FIG. 1 b would be erroneously interpreted as the closed position of the window pane 1 . With a window lifter provided with an anti-jam protection system this means that in the automatic operation of the window lifter during raising of the window pane 1 the anti-jam protection system would be deactivated too early to ensure the proper entrance of the window pane 1 into the upper seal area. There is then the danger that a part of the body could be clamped between the leading edge of the window pane and the seal area 4 , thus resulting in injuries which are exactly to be eliminated by an anti-jam protection system.
FIG. 2 a shows the leading edge 2 of a window pane 1 which is about to move along its displacement direction z into the upper seal area 4 fixed on the vehicle body 3 . The window pane is hereby located at a distance d+s from its closed position which corresponds to the extension d of the seal area 4 along the displacement direction z of the window pane including a distance s. This distance s corresponds to the smallest possible extension of an obstruction along the displacement path z which can still cause a jamming case, thus for example the thickness of the finger of a small child.
If this window pane 1 is moved up further along the displacement direction z then its leading edge 2 passes into the seal area 4 where the sealing lips 5 , 6 of the seal area 4 press on both sides against the side faces of the window pane 1 so that the displacement speed of the window pane is reduced until it finally reaches its upper end position (closed position), which is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 a and is marked by reference number 1 ′.
Measurements have now shown that when the leading edge 2 of the window pane 1 enters the seal area 4 the result is not a continuous drop in the speed of the window pane. Rather at first a characteristic drop in the displacement speed of the window pane 1 is observed, and thus also in the speed of the drive motor of the window lifter, when the leading edge 2 of the window pane reaches the sealing lips 5 , 6 . After the resistance of these sealing lips 5 , 6 has been overcome the speed of the window pane then increases once again for a short while until it is completely braked on reaching its closed position.
This characteristic behaviour of the window pane as it enters into the seal is shown in FIG. 2 b where the period length of the drive is shown over the displacement site of the window pane. The displacement site z of the window pane is thereby defined so that the variable z is greater the further away the leading edge 2 of the window pane 1 is from the upper end position (closed position) of the window pane 1 . It can be clearly seen that as the window pane enters into the seal area an extremum E (additionally marked in FIG. 2 b by an arrow) is formed in the path of the period length T of the drive over the displacement site z of the window pane. From this extremum it is possible to establish that the window pane 1 has actually entered into the seal area 4 . Alternatively however a characteristic rise of the period length T immediately prior to reaching the extremum could be used here.
Obviously instead of the period length T it is also possible to enter the speed over the displacement site z. In this case instead of a local maximum (as can be seen in FIG. 2 b ) a local minimum would be formed in the path of the speed over the displacement site z. It would correspondingly result in a characteristic drop in the speed prior to reaching the local minimum.
FIG. 3 a shows the case where the leading edge 2 of the window pane 1 runs up against an obstruction 11 prior to reaching the pane seal 4 fixed on the vehicle body 3 and more particularly the sealing lips 5 , 6 thereof. In this case the window pane 1 can thus not reach its closed position which is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3 a and is marked by the reference numeral 1 ′.
FIG. 3 b , in which the period length T of the drive is entered over the displacement site z of the window pane shows that in this case the change in the period length T takes a quite different course from that during the proper entrance of the window pane into the upper seal area as shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b.
From FIG. 3 b it can be seen in particular that the movement of the leading edge 2 of the window pane 1 against the obstruction 11 leads to a continuous sharp rise in the period length T (in FIG. 3 b marked by an arrow). A local extremum of the period length T is not hereby formed, and also the type of rise of the period length T is quite different from that when the pane enters the upper seal area. By evaluating the period length T of the drive of the window pane it is thus possible to reliably establish whether the window pane during standardizing of its pane position has actually reached its closed position in the upper seal area or whether it has moved against an obstruction during standardizing. In the latter case standardizing is interrupted as unsuccessful. An automatic raising of the window pane (e.g. by means of a single activation of a corresponding control element of the window lifter) is then prevented through a suitable programming of the control electronics of the window lifter. Only when a successful standardizing of the pane position has been carried out does the automatic raising of the window pane through the control electronics become possible.
With regard to the significance of this monitoring of the standardizing of the pane position for the reliable functioning of an anti-jam protection system, reference is made to the comments on this in the introductory discussion on the patent claims in order to avoid repetition here.
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The invention relates to a method for standardizing the pane position of an external force actuated vehicle window lifter wherein the window pane is moved by means of the drive of the window lifter into a closed position provided with a seal and this closed position is used to standardize the pane position. According to the invention, in order to check whether the window pane has reached its closed position, the change is evaluated in a value (T) correlated with the dynamics of the window pane as the window pane enters into the seal area associated with the closed position.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a slidably assembled dock.
In cold northern climates where lakes freeze each winter, removal of docks becomes a necessity to avoid ice damage and/or destruction thereof. A variety of marine dock structures have been proposed and/or employed heretofore, some in attempts to simplify assembly and disassembly thereof for removal in the fall and installation in the spring. One prior structure is set forth in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,564. Another prior structure said to be available commercially is assembled with boards held in channels. Other structures are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,652,694, 2,571,337, 3,287,919, 2,948,121, 3,824,796 and 3,073,274.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The novel dock of this invention has modular platforms slidably assembled into pairs of channels. The channels are retained within a predetermined maximum spacing from each other by transverse tie rods extending therebetween, such tie rods also extending through and securing the modular platforms against sliding action after assembly. The planks of the upper layer of the platforms are notched to interfit smoothly with the upper flanges of the channels. The platforms have spaced and interconnected upper and lower layers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the slidably assembled dock;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one portion of the dock in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the dock in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged, end elevational view of the dock in FIG. 1, viewed from the right end;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational fragmentary view of the structure in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational fragmentary view of the portion of the dock on the left end in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on plane VII--VII of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the support subassembly;
FIG. 9 is an elevational perspective view of a component in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a leg segment coupler for the dock;
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternative support mechanism for the dock;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative telescopically adjustable leg subassembly;
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of a cross coupler for the legs;
FIG. 14 is a side elevational view showing the sliding assembly of components of this invention; and
FIG. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view depicting the interconnection of a leg support with adjacent ends of two end-to-end channels hereof.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now specifically to the drawings, the slidably assembled dock 10 is there illustratively depicted to include three representative subassemblies 12, 12' and 12". The dock is shown supported above water W on vertical leg supports. The outer end pair of leg supports 14 have components depicted more specifically in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, to be described more fully hereinafter. The next inboard pair of leg supports 14' serve to support the adjacent ends of subassemblies 12 and 12', and have components shown more specifically in FIGS. 9, 10 and 15, to be described more fully hereinafter. The next inboard pair of leg supports 14" support the adjacent ends of subassemblies 12' and 12". The innermost pair of leg supports 14''' as depicted in FIG. 1 support the inner end of the modified subassembly 12", this modified subassembly being explained more fully relative to enlarged FIGS. 6 and 7 hereinafter. Each pair of leg supports, i.e. 14, 14', 14" and 14''' may be cross braced with the tie coupler illustrated in FIG. 13.
It is important to this invention that the entire dock assembly, of a chosen length and number of subassemblies, be capable of rapid sliding assembly and disassembly for ease of mounting and dismounting of the arrangement in the spring and fall of the year. The slidably assembled dock is formed of components which are readily handled by the home or cottage owner, e.g. a husband and wife team. It is assembled basically without bolts. The construction herein is uniquely designed to these ends, with certain optional features being depicted to allow effective anchoring of the structure, adaptation to a shore level at a different elevation than the dock itself, and, if desired, a floating arrangement.
The individual subassemblies, e.g. 12 and 12', can be of selected modular lengths such as 12 ft. and 6 ft. or 8 ft. and 4 ft., respectively. For convenience, these modular units will be described in lengths of 8 ft. and 4 ft. hereinafter, without intending to be limited thereto.
The individual subassembly, e.g. 12, includes a pair of elongated C-shaped channels 16a and 16b in opposite, spaced, facing relationship to each other, within and between which is a slidably inserted platform module 18 insertable lengthwise into the channel retainers in the manner depicted in FIG. 14.
The channel members may be formed of a metal such as steel with a protective surface coating, or such as stainless steel, or even aluminum preferably anodized to a desired color. Alternatively, they may be formed of a polymeric material such as polypropylene or nylon of a selected color. The platform module 18 inserted into the 8 ft. long channels 16a and 16b can either be of the full length of the channels or, if desired, of two 4 ft. lengths sequentially slid into position.
The platform modules can be of varied construction. Each of the platform modules is shown composed of an upper layer formed of a series of adjacent transverse planks 18', a lower spaced layer preferably also composed of planks 18" or the equivalent, and two, three, or more elongated stringer plates or splines (here shown to be two in number) 18a and 18b normal to the planks and extending longitudinally relative to the elongated dock. The planks are normally of wood, but can be of a suitable equivalent, e.g. a polymer. If of wood, the planks can be coated or stained to a desired color, and treated for weather and insects. If of a polymer, the planks are of a selected color. The splines are preferably of metal, each having a pair of upper and lower edge flanges embedded into the upper and lower layers as by the equipment and techniques in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,714,696 or 3,751,794. Transverse short reinforcing splines 20 (FIG. 14) can optionally be inserted into the two layers as previously taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,564.
The ends of the individual planks of the upper layer are notched at 18n (FIG. 4) to receive the upper flanges of the C-shaped channels 16a and 16b so that the upper surfaces of the channels do not protrude above the upper surface of the upper layer to present a safety problem. Preferably the two are basically coplanar. Optionally, the lower portions of the lower layer elements can also be notched as depicted in FIG. 4 so that the upper and lower portions of the platform modules can be interchangeable.
The upper surface of the platform is preferably coated with a friction material such as sand embedded in a weatherproof resin, for optimum footage. This same surfacing material can be applied to the undersurface of the platform to make the platform surfaces interchangeable.
After the individual platform modules are longitudinally slid into place within the channels, elongated tie elements, preferably in the form of long eye bolts (FIG. 2) 24 are extended transversely across the dock through aligned openings in the channels and through the platform modules. As depicted in FIG. 2, the eye bolts extend through openings 16a' and 16b' in channels 16a and 16b respectively, and through aligned openings 18a' and 18b' in the splines 18a and 18b, respectively. The elongated eye bolt 24 has an enlarged ring or eye 24' on one end and is threaded at 24" on the other end. Ring or eye member 26 is connected to this threaded portion 24" with a threaded socket 26'. The tie rods retain the channel members within a predetermined maximum spacing relative to each other, to keep them in overlapping relationship with the platform modules, and also to retain the platform modules from sliding movement within the channels once the unit is assembled. Ring element 26 can alternatively be connected to tie rod 24 with a conventional cotter key through transverse openings in these two members in overlapping relationship, rather than with threads. The tie rods may alternatively be positioned as depicted in FIG. 4 in phantom lines, at the lower part of the channels so as to extend between the individual planks of lower layer 18".
The rings or eyes on the ends of the tie elements serve as hand-hold members, serve to retain the assembly laterally, and can be used to tie boats to the dock.
The vertical supports 14 etc. are connected to the apparatus using the components depicted in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. Specifically, the leg support 14 comprises an elongated leg 30 typically of cylindrical configuration with a cross section of circular or polygonal shape, slidably received in a vertical collar 32 weldably secured to the vertical flange of an angle iron bracket 34. The leg preferably has a series of vertically spaced openings therein to cooperate with a pair of pins 36 (FIG. 9) protruding inwardly from opposite sides of collar 32 and mounted on a pair of spring metal elements 38 secured by rivets 40 to collar 32. Thereby, the position of the post relative to the collar can be vertically adjusted. Each angle iron bracket 34 has its horizontal flange underlying a channel member, e.g. 16b for support thereof. The bracket and channel are interconnected with tangs 34' integral with, partially severed from, and laterally offset from the bracket as by stamping techniques, to protrude laterally inwardly and upwardly for insertion into cooperative openings 16o in a channel.
The individual leg support subassembly 14 can optionally be composed of a plurality of pipe elements connected end to end in a coupler 44 (FIG. 10). Coupler 44 has a central indent 44' to limit the axial extension of pipe elements 30 and 30a therein, and employs spring clips 44a and 44b of the type previously described relative to elements 38 in collar 32 (FIG. 9) for attachment to the orificed ends of the posts.
At the juncture between two dock subassemblies, e.g. between subassemblies 12 and 12', a similar support arrangement shown as at 14' can be employed. Specifically, referring to FIG. 15, the channel members shown in end to end abutting relationship each have respective openings 16o to receive the offset tangs of the overlapping angle iron bracket 34, (collar 32 is shown removed from the bracket in FIG. 15 to allow the juncture between the channel members to more readily be observed).
The bottom end portion of each of the vertical supports can include an optional mud plate or auger if desired for known purposes. More specifically, referring to FIG. 3, the vertical support 14' is shown to include an auger 50 at the bottom thereof. The auger includes a collar that fits over the lower end of post element 30a, attached as by a spring clip element 50' comparable to element 38 described with respect to FIG. 9. This enables the post to be augered into the ground beneath the water. Alternatively, the base of the post can include a mud plate attachment 52 (FIG. 3) having a collar which fits over the bottom of the post of supports 14", and including a spring clip 52a comparable to element 38 described with respect to FIG. 9.
The individual pairs of posts of the vertical supports, e.g. vertical supports 14''', are preferably interconnected by a transverse cross bar coupling including a rod or bar 60 (FIG. 13) having at its opposite ends a pair of sleeves 62 for slidably receiving the posts and including a pair of spring clips 62a of the type described at 38 relative to FIG. 9 for attachment.
In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, subassembly 12" is specially formed to adapt to a shoreline which may be above or below the level of the dock. This optional arrangement includes a pair of modified channel elements 116a and 116b which have the upper inner end portions cut away to form a pair of shiftable angle iron supports 117a and 117b. The ends of these are connected to the lower portion of the channels by a double pivot hinge 120. It has a pivotal connection 120a to members 117a and 117b, and a pivotal connection 120b to the lower portion of channel elements 116a and 116b. This enables members 117a and 117b to be pivotally shifted from the solid line position lines in FIG. 6. This allows the ends thereof to rest on a shoreline such that a platform module 118 can be supported thereon. To disassemble this portion of the apparatus therefore simply requires removal of the platform module 118, and pivotally shifting the elements 117a and 117b from the extended condition to the folded condition depicted in FIG. 6.
Optionally, a floatation type support arrangement may be employed, such being depicted in exemplary form in FIG. 11. That is, the platform module 18 in channels 16a and 16b of the type previously described and held together by tie bolts 24, is supported upon one or more conventional buoyant bodies 130, e.g. of a rigid polymeric foam material. The assembly is retained within pairs of vertical posts 114, the lower ends of which are embedded in or supported on the ground. Lateral positioning is maintained between the components by slide ring elements 132 projecting from the outside faces of the channels and encircling the posts, to be vertically slidable thereon. The lower limit of the slide ring is determined by a fixed collar 134 around the post, secured as by spring clips 136 of the type described at 38 in FIG. 9.
As will be readily understood from the above description, assembly and disassembly of this dock apparatus is relatively easy. The individual channels are attached to the angle iron brackets which in turn are anchored on the vertical supports. The platform modules are slid in place longitudinally within the channels, and anchored in position by the elongated transverse tie rods which keep the channels in their proper spaced relationship.
Although the preferred embodiment and certain variations thereon have been depicted and described herein, it is conceivable that additional variations may be made within the concept presented. Hence, the invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims and the reasonable equivalents thereto rather than to the specific embodiments described as illustrative.
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A slidably assembled dock is described having spaced facing side channels slidably receiving platform modules, the edges of said modules being within said channels, and the channels being tied together by elongated eye bolt elements which extend through the positioned platform modules. The platform modules have an upper layer notched at the edge to fit smoothly with the channel upper flanges, a lower layer resting on the channels, and connector stringers therebetween.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to ramps for providing aerial lift for skateboards, inline skates, bicycles or the like and, more particularly, a ramp that can be collapsed for storage or transportation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Skateboard, inline skates and bicycle enthusiasts have recently taken these pursuits to a new level of aerial acrobatics. However, to perform such maneuvers generally requires an inclined ramp or "half tube".
Most often a ramp will consist of a one piece plywood sheet between 3' and 8' long with a wood frame, milk carton or like support at the launch end and, possibly, some support bracing in the middle. For safety reasons, the ramp should be made as stable as possible to ensure a firm, constant surface during contact and take-off.
In this respect, the plywood generally used has the disadvantage of deflection unless extensively braced. To provide the necessary bracing, however, makes break down or disassembly of the ramp, once assembled, difficult or unavailable. As such, the more stable ramps are burdensome if not impossible to transport and/or to store.
Likewise, half tubes are usually fixed, semi-permanent structures which cannot be moved, requiring even more substantial bracing to maintain stability wherein they must withstand both take-off and landing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a ramp which is both sturdy and easily collapsed for transportation and/or storage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention of a collapsible ramp comprising at least two lateral sections and means for attachment of adjacent sections. Each section includes base means for engagement of a surface, support means for bracing and a riding surface, wherein a leading section further comprises an incline from ground level and a final section further comprises an incline to launch height.
Additionally, sections may be provided intermediate the leading and final sections. These may or may not include further areas of incline.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The following drawings, wherein like reference characters represent like parts, are intended solely to illustrate the present invention and do not limit the present invention whatsoever.
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a front elevational view of the first section of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2B is a front elevational view of the intermediate section of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 2C is a front elevational view of the final section of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a bottom elevational view of any of the various sections of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a top elevational view of the first section of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a partial side elevational view of attachment means for attaching adjacent sections of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the cross member support for the various sections of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 6A is a partial front elevational view of the reinforcing rib support for the various sections of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 6B is a partial elevational view of the gusset support for the various sections of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a partial bottom elevational view of anti-skid base members of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 7A is a cross sectional view of the preferred base members of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 7B is a cross sectional view of alternative base members of the preferred embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in the drawings, and best seen in FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of the collapsible ramp 2 of the present invention is made up of three sections. The leading section 4 includes an incline 6 from ground level to a predetermined height, the final section 10 includes an incline 12 from a predetermined height to a launch height and the intermediate section 8 maintains the predetermined height between the leading section 4 and final section 10.
All of the sections 4, 8 and 10 have a riding surface 14 which is textured to provide traction for the wheels of the user's skates, skateboard, bicycle, etc. Additionally, all of the sections 4, 8 and 10 include base members for contacting the ground surface (i.e. street, sidewalk, parking lot, etc.), support members for bracing the sections and attachment means for securing adjacent sections together. All of the top surface corners 16 of all of the sections are preferably rounded and smooth to limit injury should a user fall.
As shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, the leading section 4, intermediate section 8 and final section 10 all have side walls 18 which are tapered inwardly at about a 11/2° angle from the base to the predetermined height. This provides that the base of the sections 4, 8 and 10 are slightly larger (preferably about 16") than the top of the sections (preferably about 14") at the predetermined height of the riding surface 14. The incline 12 to launch height of the final section has vertical side walls 20 from the predetermined height to maintain constant the width of the riding surface 14 through the incline 12 to launch.
At the ends of the sections, excluding the end of the leading section 4 which begins the incline 6 from ground level, are bulkheads 22. The bulkheads 22 may be solid or partially open and are preferably integral to the side walls 18 and top of each section.
Attachment means for securing an adjacent section preferably comprise one or more bolts 24 and corresponding wing nuts 26 (see FIG. 5). The bolts 24 pass through holes 28 in adjacent bulkheads 22 and the wing nuts 26 are tightened secure the bulkheads 22 together.
Of course, other means for securing the adjacent sections together may be employed, including clamps, slotted grooves adapted to accept a tongued portion of an adjacent section, etc. However, the means selected should be universal so that the leading section 4 can be attached directly to the final section 10 or have any number of intermediate sections 8 therebetween.
Support means are included within each section to limit deflection of the riding surface 14 during use (see FIGS. 3 and 6-6B). Preferably, several levels of support are used, including a cross brace 30 in the middle of each section. Although the cross brace 30 shown in FIG. 6 is shown with an opening, it may be solid, etc., as long as the physical integrity can be maintained during use.
Additionally, the preferred embodiment further includes two (2) reinforcing ribs 32 between each bulkhead 22 and the cross brace 30, dividing the area between the bulkhead 22 and cross brace 30 into three portions. A version of the preferred reinforcing ribs 32 is shown in FIG. 6A.
In the most preferred embodiment, gussets 34 are included between the bulkheads 32 and reinforcing ribs 32, between successive reinforcing ribs 32 and between the reinforcing ribs 32 and cross brace 30, as shown in FIG. 3. One version of the preferred gusset 34 is shown in FIG. 6B.
To ensure proper footing of the ramp 2 on the ground surface, the ramp 2 includes base members for maintaining firm contact with the ground surface. Although the base members may be the bottom portions of the side walls 18, the bulkheads 22 and/or the cross braces 30 themselves, the preferred means are non-skid feet 36 on the ramp 2 to contact the ground surface.
In the most preferred embodiment, shown in FIGS. 3, 7 and 7A, the base means comprise rubber feet 36 which are mounted on retention members 38. The retention members 38 and feet 36 are preferably located internal to the side walls 18 and bulkheads 22 on each section at each of the corners between the side walls 18 and bulkheads 22 and at opposed corners between the side walls 18 and the cross braces 30 (see FIG. 3). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7B, the retention member 38a can be a ridge external to the side walls 18 of each of the sections.
The dimensions and specifications of the ramp 2 are not considered essential to the invention. Notwithstanding, the most preferred embodiment the sections 4, 8 and 10 are formed of a plastic, such as medium density polyethylene. The plastic is either blow molded or rotational molded to include all walls 18 and 20, surfaces 14, support members 22, 30, 32 and 34 and retention members 38 (or 38a). The riding surface 14 would preferably correspond to a textured surface on the mold, however, an applied texture can alternatively be used.
Each section 4, 8 and 10 of the most preferred embodiment is three (3) feet long, 16" wide at the base and 14" wide at the riding surface 14. The leading section 4 has a 20° incline 6 for 11/2 feet from the ground surface to a horizontal height of 8". The incline 6 is followed by a rounded radius to a horizontal portion at 8" height for the remaining 11/2 feet. The intermediate section 8 has a constant horizontal height of 8". The final section 10 has a horizontal height of 8" for the first 11/2 feet, with a curved radius to a 16° incline 12 to launch. The incline 12 is 11/2 feet to the end, rising an additional 5" over the 8" horizontal height to a total of 13" at launch.
The most preferred medium density polyethylene plastic of the preferred embodiment is approximately 0.2" thick at the riding surface 14 and the bulkheads 22. The side walls 18, cross brace 30, reinforcing ribs 32, gussets 34 and retention members 38 are preferably 0.125".
The radius of the corners from the side walls 18 to the riding surface 14 and from the launch end to the highest bulkhead 22 on the final section 10 are approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The radius of the rounded corners are approximately 1/16 to 1/8" from the riding surface 14 to the interior bulkheads 22. The radius from the incline 6 to horizontal riding surface 14 and then from the horizontal riding surface 14 to the incline 12 to launch is approximately 1/2 to 1 inch.
Variations from the above detailed description which make themselves apparent to those skilled in the art are within the spirit and scope of the present invention and are fully intended to be covered herein. The present invention is limited solely by the appended claims.
|
A collapsible ramp for providing aerial lift for inline skates, skateboards, bicycles and the like made of at least two lateral sections which are attached wherein the sections include a base for engaging the ground, bracing for support and a riding surface, The leading section has an incline from the ground level and the final section has an incline to a launch height. Intermediate sections can be used between the leading and final sections,
| 0
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is related to the following GE dockets: ______, filed on ______, respectively.
[0002] The present invention relates to airfoils for a rotor blade of a gas turbine. In particular, the invention relates to compressor airfoil profiles for various stages of the compressor. In particular, the invention relates to compressor airfoil profiles for either inlet guide vanes, rotors, or stators at various stages of the compressor.
[0003] In a gas turbine, many system requirements should be met at each stage of a gas turbine's flow path section to meet design goals. These design goals include, but are not limited to, overall improved efficiency and airfoil loading capability. For example, and in no way limiting of the invention, a blade of a compressor stator should achieve thermal and mechanical operating requirements for that particular stage. Further, for example, and in no way limiting of the invention, a blade of a compressor rotor should achieve thermal and mechanical operating requirements for that particular stage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In accordance with one exemplary aspect of the instant invention, an article of manufacture having a nominal profile substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth in TABLE 1. Wherein X and Y are distances in inches which, when connected by smooth continuing arcs, define airfoil profile sections at each distance Z in inches. The profile sections at the Z distances being joined smoothly with one another to form a complete airfoil shape.
[0005] In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the instant invention, a compressor comprises a compressor wheel. The compressor wheel has a plurality of articles of manufacture. Each of the articles of manufacture includes an airfoil having an airfoil shape. The airfoil comprises a nominal profile substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth in TABLE 1, wherein X and Y are distances in inches which, when connected by smooth continuing arcs, define airfoil profile sections at each distance Z in inches. The profile sections at the Z distances being joined smoothly with one another to form a complete airfoil shape.
[0006] In accordance with yet exemplary another aspect of the instant invention, a compressor comprises a compressor wheel having a plurality of articles of manufacture. Each of the articles of manufacture includes an airfoil having an uncoated nominal airfoil profile substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth in TABLE 1, wherein X and Y are distances in inches which, when connected by smooth continuing arcs, define airfoil profile sections at each distance Z in inches. The profile sections at the Z distances being joined smoothly with one another to form a complete airfoil shape.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic exemplary representation of a compressor flow path through multiple stages of a gas turbine and illustrates an exemplary airfoil according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0008] FIGS. 2 and 3 are respective perspective exemplary views of a rotor blade according to an embodiment of the invention with the rotor blade airfoil illustrated in conjunction with its platform and its substantially or near axial entry dovetail connection;
[0009] FIGS. 4 and 5 are side elevational views of the rotor blade of FIG. 2 and associated platform and dovetail connection as viewed in a generally circumferential direction from the pressure and suction sides of the airfoil, respectively;
[0010] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the rotor blade airfoil taken generally about on line 6 - 6 in FIG. 5 ;
[0011] FIG. 7 is a perspective views of a rotor blade according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention with coordinate system superimposed thereon; and
[0012] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a stator blade according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention with coordinate system superimposed thereon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an axial compressor flow path 1 of a gas turbine compressor 2 that includes a plurality of compressor stages. The compressor stages are sequentially numbered in the Figure. The compressor flow path comprises any number of rotor stages and stator stages, such as eighteen. However, the exact number of rotor and stator stages is a choice of engineering design. Any number of rotor and stator stages can be provided in the combustor, as embodied by the invention. The seventeen rotor stages are merely exemplary of one turbine design. The eighteen rotor stages are not intended to limit the invention in any manner.
[0014] The compressor rotor blades impart kinetic energy to the airflow and therefore bring about a desired pressure rise across the compressor. Directly following the rotor airfoils is a stage of stator airfoils. Both the rotor and stator airfoils turn the airflow, slow the airflow velocity (in the respective airfoil frame of reference), and yield a rise in the static pressure of the airflow. The configuration of the airfoil (along with its interaction with surrounding airfoils), including its peripheral surface provides for stage airflow efficiency, enhanced aeromechanics, smooth laminar flow from stage to stage, reduced thermal stresses, enhanced interrelation of the stages to effectively pass the airflow from stage to stage, and reduced mechanical stresses, among other desirable aspects of the invention. Typically, multiple rows of rotor/stator stages are stacked in axial flow compressors to achieve a desired discharge to inlet pressure ratio. Rotor and stator airfoils can be secured to rotor wheels or stator case by an appropriate attachment configuration, often known as a “root”, “base” or “dovetail” (see FIGS. 2-5 ).
[0015] A stage of the compressor 2 is exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 1 . The stage of the compressor 2 comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced rotor blades 22 mounted on a rotor wheel 51 and a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator blades 23 attached to a static compressor case 59 . Each of the rotor wheels is attached to aft drive shaft 58 , which is connected to the turbine section of the engine. The rotor blades and stator blades lie in the flow path 1 of the compressor. The direction of airflow through the compressor flow path 1 , as embodied by the invention, is indicated by the arrow 60 ( FIG. 1 ). This stage of the compressor 2 is merely exemplarily of the stages of the compressor 2 within the scope of the invention. The illustrated and described stage of the compressor 2 is not intended to limit the invention in any manner.
[0016] The rotor blades 22 are mounted on the rotor wheel 51 forming part of aft drive shaft 58 . Each rotor blade 22 , as illustrated in FIGS. 2-6 , is provided with a platform 61 , and substantially or near axial entry dovetail 62 for connection with a complementary-shaped mating dovetail, not shown, on the rotor wheel 51 . An axial entry dovetail, however, may be provided with the airfoil profile, as embodied by the invention. Each rotor blade 22 comprises a rotor blade airfoil 63 , as illustrated in FIGS. 2-6 . Thus, each of the rotor blades 22 has a rotor blade airfoil profile 66 at any cross-section from the airfoil root 64 at a midpoint of platform 61 to the rotor blade tip 65 in the general shape of an airfoil ( FIG. 6 ).
[0017] To define the airfoil shape of the rotor blade airfoil, a unique set or loci of points in space are provided. This unique set or loci of points meet the stage requirements so the stage can be manufactured. This unique loci of points also meets the desired requirements for stage efficiency and reduced thermal and mechanical stresses. The loci of points are arrived at by iteration between aerodynamic and mechanical loadings enabling the compressor to run in an efficient, safe and smooth manner.
[0018] The loci, as embodied by the invention, defines the rotor blade airfoil profile and can comprise a set of points relative to the axis of rotation of the engine. For example, a set of points can be provided to define a rotor blade airfoil profile.
[0019] A Cartesian coordinate system of X, Y and Z values given in the Table below defines a profile of a rotor blade airfoil at various locations along its length. The airfoil, as embodied by the invention, could find an application as a 6 th stage airfoil rotor blade. The coordinate values for the X, Y and Z coordinates are set forth in inches, although other units of dimensions may be used when the values are appropriately converted. These values exclude fillet regions of the platform. The Cartesian coordinate system has orthogonally-related X, Y and Z axes. The X axis lies parallel to the compressor blade's dovetail axis, which is at a angle to the engine's centerline, as illustrated in FIG. 7 for a rotor and FIG. 8 for a stator. A positive X coordinate value is axial toward the aft, for example the exhaust end of the compressor. A positive Y coordinate value directed normal to the dovetail axis. A positive Z coordinate value is directed radially outward toward tip of the airfoil, which is towards the static casing of the compressor for rotor blades, and directed radially inward towards the engine centerline of the compressor for stator blades.
[0020] For reference purposes only, there is established point-0 passing through the intersection of the airfoil and the platform along the stacking axis, as illustrated in FIG. 5 . In the exemplary embodiment of the airfoil hereof, the point-0 is defined as the reference section where the Z coordinate of the table above is at 0.000 inches, which is a set predetermined distance from the engine or rotor centerline.
[0021] By defining X and Y coordinate values at selected locations in a Z direction normal to the X, Y plane, the profile section of the rotor blade airfoil, such as, but not limited to the profile section 66 in FIG. 6 , at each Z distance along the length of the airfoil can be ascertained. By connecting the X and Y values with smooth continuing arcs, each profile section 66 at each distance Z can be fixed. The airfoil profiles of the various surface locations between the distances Z are determined by smoothly connecting the adjacent profile sections 66 to one another, thus forming the airfoil profile. These values represent the airfoil profiles at ambient, non-operating or non-hot conditions and are for an uncoated airfoil.
[0022] The table values are generated and shown to three decimal places for determining the profile of the airfoil. There are typical manufacturing tolerances as well as coatings, which should be accounted for in the actual profile of the airfoil. Accordingly, the values for the profile given are for a nominal airfoil. It will therefore be appreciated that +/−typical manufacturing tolerances, such as, +/−values, including any coating thicknesses, are additive to the X and Y values. Therefore, a distance of about +/−0.160 inches in a direction normal to any surface location along the airfoil profile defines an airfoil profile envelope for a rotor blade airfoil design and compressor. In other words, a distance of about +/−0.160 inches in a direction normal to any surface location along the airfoil profile defines a range of variation between measured points on the actual airfoil surface at nominal cold or room temperature and the ideal position of those points, at the same temperature, as embodied by the invention. The rotor blade airfoil design, as embodied by the invention, is robust to this range of variation without impairment of mechanical and aerodynamic functions.
[0023] The coordinate values given in TABLE 1 below provide the nominal profile envelope for an exemplary 6 th stage airfoil rotor blade.
[0000]
TABLE 1
X-LOC
Y-LOC
Z-LOC
2.118
0.121
0.031
2.119
0.115
0.031
2.119
0.106
0.031
2.117
0.096
0.031
2.112
0.085
0.031
2.101
0.072
0.031
2.081
0.063
0.031
2.055
0.055
0.031
2.023
0.045
0.031
1.985
0.033
0.031
1.941
0.019
0.031
1.889
0.003
0.031
1.828
−0.015
0.031
1.76
−0.035
0.031
1.683
−0.058
0.031
1.598
−0.082
0.031
1.504
−0.108
0.031
1.407
−0.134
0.031
1.305
−0.16
0.031
1.199
−0.187
0.031
1.088
−0.213
0.031
0.973
−0.239
0.031
0.853
−0.263
0.031
0.729
−0.286
0.031
0.605
−0.307
0.031
0.48
−0.325
0.031
0.356
−0.339
0.031
0.231
−0.35
0.031
0.107
−0.357
0.031
−0.018
−0.361
0.031
−0.143
−0.36
0.031
−0.267
−0.355
0.031
−0.392
−0.345
0.031
−0.517
−0.33
0.031
−0.642
−0.309
0.031
−0.763
−0.284
0.031
−0.878
−0.254
0.031
−0.988
−0.221
0.031
−1.092
−0.184
0.031
−1.191
−0.144
0.031
−1.283
−0.102
0.031
−1.369
−0.057
0.031
−1.45
−0.01
0.031
−1.521
0.035
0.031
−1.584
0.079
0.031
−1.638
0.121
0.031
−1.686
0.163
0.031
−1.726
0.201
0.031
−1.755
0.233
0.031
−1.776
0.26
0.031
−1.79
0.281
0.031
−1.798
0.299
0.031
−1.8
0.309
0.031
−1.799
0.316
0.031
−1.798
0.319
0.031
−1.798
0.321
0.031
−1.797
0.322
0.031
−1.797
0.322
0.031
−1.796
0.324
0.031
−1.794
0.326
0.031
−1.788
0.33
0.031
−1.779
0.333
0.031
−1.761
0.335
0.031
−1.737
0.334
0.031
−1.706
0.33
0.031
−1.667
0.323
0.031
−1.616
0.313
0.031
−1.558
0.301
0.031
−1.496
0.287
0.031
−1.427
0.272
0.031
−1.349
0.256
0.031
−1.263
0.24
0.031
−1.174
0.224
0.031
−1.08
0.209
0.031
−0.982
0.194
0.031
−0.881
0.181
0.031
−0.775
0.169
0.031
−0.664
0.158
0.031
−0.55
0.148
0.031
−0.432
0.139
0.031
−0.313
0.131
0.031
−0.195
0.124
0.031
−0.076
0.117
0.031
0.042
0.112
0.031
0.161
0.107
0.031
0.28
0.102
0.031
0.398
0.099
0.031
0.517
0.096
0.031
0.636
0.094
0.031
0.754
0.093
0.031
0.873
0.093
0.031
0.988
0.094
0.031
1.099
0.096
0.031
1.205
0.099
0.031
1.308
0.103
0.031
1.407
0.107
0.031
1.502
0.113
0.031
1.593
0.119
0.031
1.676
0.125
0.031
1.751
0.131
0.031
1.818
0.136
0.031
1.877
0.141
0.031
1.928
0.146
0.031
1.972
0.15
0.031
2.009
0.154
0.031
2.04
0.157
0.031
2.066
0.16
0.031
2.086
0.157
0.031
2.1
0.15
0.031
2.108
0.142
0.031
2.114
0.134
0.031
2.117
0.127
0.031
2.13
0.041
1.065
2.13
0.035
1.065
2.13
0.027
1.065
2.126
0.017
1.065
2.12
0.007
1.065
2.106
−0.002
1.065
2.085
−0.008
1.065
2.059
−0.015
1.065
2.027
−0.024
1.065
1.99
−0.034
1.065
1.945
−0.045
1.065
1.893
−0.058
1.065
1.832
−0.073
1.065
1.763
−0.089
1.065
1.686
−0.107
1.065
1.601
−0.126
1.065
1.508
−0.146
1.065
1.41
−0.166
1.065
1.308
−0.186
1.065
1.201
−0.206
1.065
1.091
−0.224
1.065
0.975
−0.242
1.065
0.856
−0.258
1.065
0.733
−0.272
1.065
0.609
−0.284
1.065
0.486
−0.293
1.065
0.363
−0.299
1.065
0.24
−0.302
1.065
0.117
−0.301
1.065
−0.006
−0.296
1.065
−0.129
−0.288
1.065
−0.252
−0.276
1.065
−0.375
−0.26
1.065
−0.497
−0.239
1.065
−0.62
−0.214
1.065
−0.738
−0.186
1.065
−0.851
−0.155
1.065
−0.959
−0.121
1.065
−1.062
−0.085
1.065
−1.16
−0.046
1.065
−1.252
−0.006
1.065
−1.34
0.035
1.065
−1.421
0.078
1.065
−1.494
0.12
1.065
−1.559
0.159
1.065
−1.615
0.196
1.065
−1.666
0.233
1.065
−1.708
0.268
1.065
−1.739
0.296
1.065
−1.762
0.32
1.065
−1.778
0.34
1.065
−1.787
0.356
1.065
−1.791
0.366
1.065
−1.791
0.373
1.065
−1.79
0.376
1.065
−1.79
0.378
1.065
−1.789
0.379
1.065
−1.789
0.38
1.065
−1.788
0.381
1.065
−1.786
0.383
1.065
−1.781
0.387
1.065
−1.772
0.391
1.065
−1.754
0.394
1.065
−1.73
0.395
1.065
−1.699
0.393
1.065
−1.659
0.389
1.065
−1.608
0.381
1.065
−1.55
0.371
1.065
−1.488
0.359
1.065
−1.418
0.345
1.065
−1.34
0.33
1.065
−1.254
0.313
1.065
−1.165
0.296
1.065
−1.071
0.279
1.065
−0.973
0.262
1.065
−0.872
0.245
1.065
−0.766
0.228
1.065
−0.656
0.212
1.065
−0.542
0.196
1.065
−0.424
0.18
1.065
−0.306
0.166
1.065
−0.188
0.152
1.065
−0.07
0.139
1.065
0.048
0.126
1.065
0.167
0.114
1.065
0.285
0.103
1.065
0.404
0.093
1.065
0.522
0.084
1.065
0.641
0.075
1.065
0.759
0.068
1.065
0.878
0.062
1.065
0.993
0.057
1.065
1.104
0.054
1.065
1.211
0.051
1.065
1.314
0.05
1.065
1.414
0.05
1.065
1.509
0.052
1.065
1.6
0.054
1.065
1.683
0.056
1.065
1.759
0.059
1.065
1.826
0.061
1.065
1.885
0.064
1.065
1.937
0.067
1.065
1.981
0.069
1.065
2.018
0.071
1.065
2.049
0.073
1.065
2.075
0.075
1.065
2.095
0.075
1.065
2.11
0.07
1.065
2.12
0.063
1.065
2.125
0.055
1.065
2.129
0.047
1.065
2.132
−0.055
2.098
2.132
−0.061
2.098
2.13
−0.069
2.098
2.125
−0.078
2.098
2.117
−0.086
2.098
2.101
−0.092
2.098
2.08
−0.096
2.098
2.054
−0.102
2.098
2.022
−0.108
2.098
1.984
−0.115
2.098
1.94
−0.123
2.098
1.887
−0.133
2.098
1.826
−0.144
2.098
1.757
−0.155
2.098
1.68
−0.168
2.098
1.594
−0.181
2.098
1.5
−0.195
2.098
1.402
−0.208
2.098
1.3
−0.221
2.098
1.194
−0.233
2.098
1.083
−0.245
2.098
0.969
−0.255
2.098
0.85
−0.263
2.098
0.727
−0.27
2.098
0.605
−0.274
2.098
0.483
−0.275
2.098
0.361
−0.274
2.098
0.239
−0.269
2.098
0.117
−0.262
2.098
−0.005
−0.25
2.098
−0.127
−0.236
2.098
−0.248
−0.217
2.098
−0.369
−0.195
2.098
−0.49
−0.17
2.098
−0.611
−0.14
2.098
−0.727
−0.108
2.098
−0.838
−0.075
2.098
−0.944
−0.039
2.098
−1.046
−0.002
2.098
−1.142
0.037
2.098
−1.233
0.077
2.098
−1.319
0.117
2.098
−1.401
0.159
2.098
−1.474
0.198
2.098
−1.539
0.236
2.098
−1.595
0.271
2.098
−1.647
0.305
2.098
−1.69
0.337
2.098
−1.723
0.364
2.098
−1.747
0.386
2.098
−1.764
0.405
2.098
−1.774
0.42
2.098
−1.778
0.43
2.098
−1.779
0.436
2.098
−1.778
0.439
2.098
−1.778
0.441
2.098
−1.777
0.442
2.098
−1.777
0.443
2.098
−1.776
0.444
2.098
−1.774
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[0024] It will also be appreciated that the exemplary airfoil(s) disclosed in the above Table 1 may be scaled up or down geometrically for use in other similar compressor designs. Consequently, the coordinate values set forth in the Table 1 may be scaled upwardly or downwardly such that the airfoil profile shape remains unchanged. A scaled version of the coordinates in Table 1 would be represented by X, Y and Z coordinate values of Table 1 multiplied or divided by a constant.
[0025] While various embodiments are described herein, it will be appreciated from the specification that various combinations of elements, variations or improvements therein may be made by those skilled in the art, and are within the scope of the invention.
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An article of manufacture having a nominal profile substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth in a TABLE 1. Wherein X and Y are distances in inches which, when connected by smooth continuing arcs, define airfoil profile sections at each distance Z in inches. The profile sections at the Z distances being joined smoothly with one another to form a complete airfoil shape.
| 5
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INTRODUCTION
[0001] The present invention relates to apparatus for use with a system of linked poker machines and in particular the apparatus provides an improved jackpot mechanism for use with such a poker machine system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many schemes have been devised in the past to induce players to play slot machines including schemes such as specifying periods during which jackpot prizes are increased or bonus jackpots paid. Other schemes involve awarding an additional prize to a first player to achieve a predetermined combination on a poker machine. These methods, while effective, add to club overheads because of the need for additional staff to ensure that the scheme is operated smoothly.
[0003] More recently, with the advent of poker machines linked through electrical networks it has been possible to automatically generate jackpot prizes on the basis of information received from the machines being played which are connected to the system and one such prior art arrangement, commonly known as “Cashcade™”, counts turnover on all machines in the network, increments a prize value in accordance with the turnover and pays the jackpot prize when the count reaches some predetermined and randomly selected number. In a more recent prior art arrangement, each game played on each machine in a gamine system is allocated a randomly selected number and the prize is awarded to a machine when the game number it is allocated matches a preselected random number.
[0004] In another recent prior art arrangement, the winning machine is selected by randomly selecting a number at a point in time and decrementing the number as games played on the system are counted until the number is decremented to zero at which time the game (or associated machine) causing the final decrement is awarded the jackpot
[0005] With some prior art combination based trigger arrangements there is a serious disadvantage in that the player betting a single token per line, is just as likely to achieve a jackpot as the player playing multiple tokens per line. This has the effect of encouraging players playing for the bonus jackpot to bet in single tokens, rather than betting multiple tokens per game.
[0006] Jackpot games have traditionally been popular in Casinos. However, in their conventional format these games have inherent limitations:
[0007] (i) Games which use specific combinations of symbols to trigger jackpots are perceived by many players as being unwinnable. The games are typically designed in such a way that the big jackpots should not be won until large amounts are accumulated. With such low frequency the jackpots are never seen to be won by most players. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many players have learnt to disregard the chance of wining the major jackpots and are realistically playing for the lesser jackpots (ie the minor and mini jackpots). The increasing popularity of small mystery jackpots with higher frequencies of occurrence tends to support this argument;
[0008] (ii) Due to the increasing demand of players for a more complex and diverse game range, conventional jackpot games with combination triggers have become superseded. However, it is extremely complex to develop a wide variety of combinations which support both a feature game and mathematically exact jackpot triggers;
[0009] (iii) Typically, it would be expected that the game return (RTP) is independent of the number of coins bet per line. With conventional progressive jackpot games though, increasing the credits bet per line creates a relative disadvantage as far as RTP is concerned. Lets say the start-up amount for a feature jackpot is $10000. A player who is playing 1 credit per line has a chance for $10000 for each credit played, whereas a player playing 5 credits per line only has a chance for $2000 for each credit played. This creates a scale of diminishing returns. The smart player who gambles for the feature jackpot only, will always cover all playlines, but will only bet 1 credit per line because the prize paid for the feature jackpot is the same irrespective of the bet. This is supported by data collected from casinos;
[0010] (iv) Typical combination triggered progressive jackpots have fixed hit rates which removes from the operators control the ability to vary jackpot frequency.
[0011] These arrangements have been in use in the State of New South Wales and in other jurisdictions for a considerable period of time, however, as with other aspects of slot machine games, players become bored with such arrangements and new and more innovative schemes become necessary in order to stimulate player interest
[0012] In this specification, the term “combinations” will be used to refer to the mathematical definition of a particular game. That is to say, the combinations of a game are the probabilities of each possible outcome for that game
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] According to a first aspect the present invention provides a random prize awarding system associated with a gaming console, the console being arranged to a offer a feature outcome when a game has achieved a trigger condition, the console including trigger means arranged to test for a trigger condition and to initiate the feature outcome when the trigger condition occurs, the trigger condition being determined by a event having a probability related to credits bet per game on the console.
[0014] According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a random prize awarding system associated with a network of gaming consoles, the system being arranged to offer a feature outcome on a particular console when a trigger condition occurs as a result of a game being played on the respective console the prize awarding system including trigger means arranged to test for a trigger condition and to initiate the feature outcome on the respective console when the trigger condition occurs, the trigger condition being determined by an event having a probability related to credits bet per game on the respective console.
[0015] According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a gaming console including a random prize awarding feature, the gaming console being arranged to offer a feature outcome when a game has achieved a trigger condition, the console including trigger means arranged to test for the trigger condition and to initiate the feature outcome when the trigger condition occurs, the trigger condition being determined by an event having a probability related to credits bet per game on the console
[0016] According to a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method of awarding a random prize associated with a gaming console arranged to offer a feature outcome when a game ahs achieved a trigger condition, the method including testing for a trigger condition and initiating the feature outcome when the trigger condition occurs, the trigger condition being determined by an event having a probability related to credits bet per game on the respective console.
[0017] Preferably the trigger condition is determined by an event having a probability related both to expected turnover between consecutive occurrences of the trigger condition, on the respective console and the credits bet on the respective game.
[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the trigger condition is determined by selecting a random number from a predetermined range of numbers to be associated with each bought game, and for each credit bet on the respective game, allotting to the game, one or more numbers from the predetermined range of numbers, and in the event that one of the numbers allotted to the player matches the randomly selected number, indicating that the trigger condition has occurred.
[0019] In one embodiment, one or more gaming consoles are connected in a gaming network, each of the consoles including signal output means arranged to produce an output signal in response to operation of the respective console, such that a central feature jackpot system connected to the network provides an incrementing jackpot which is increased in response to signals from the consoles connected to the network.
[0020] Preferably also, the console is arranged to play a first main game and the feature outcome initiated by the trigger condition is a second feature game.
[0021] The function of triggering a feature jackpot game may either be performed by a central feature game controller or may be performed within each console in the system.
[0022] In the preferred embodiment, the predetermined range of numbers is determined as a function of expected turnover between consecutive occurrences of the trigger condition, expected jackpot amounts and jackpot frequencies and will equal the expected average turnover per machine between successive initiations of progressive jackpot games divided by the credit value for that machine. For example, if the progressive jackpot is to be played for an average every $5,000 of turnover played and the credit value on the machine is $0.05, then the number range will be 1 to 100,000 (i.e. 5,000/0.05). In the preferred embodiment, the gaming machine will allocate the lowest numbers in the range to the player such that if the player plays 20 credits he will be allocated numbers 1-20 giving him a 1 in 5.000 chance of triggering a jackpot feature game.
[0023] Alternatively, the number range can be set to the average expected turnover between jackpot occurrences expressed in cents ( 500 , 000 in the above example), in which case the numbers allocated to the player, will be proportional to his total wager expressed in cents (i.e. 1-100 in the above example).
[0024] Preferably, the feature game is a simplified game having a higher probability of success than the first game. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the second game is a spinning reel game having a reduced number of symbols on each reel and a jackpot is activated if after spinning the reels a predetermined combination of symbols appears on the win line of each reel.
[0025] In one particular example, the second screen game is a five reel game with two different symbols on each reel. The symbols may be of equal value and equally weighted (i.e. same number of instances) on each reel or alternatively, the prizes might be of different values (eg: different fractions of the pool) and the symbols have different weightings on at least one reel.
[0026] Preferably, the prize awarded in a jackpot game by the system of the present invention, is a monetary amount the value of which is incremented with each game played on each gaming machine or console in the system. Alternatively, the incrementation can take place on a per token bet basis.
[0027] Where used above, the term ‘console’ is used to indicate a gaming machine, a gaming terminal or other device arranged to be connected to a communications system and to provide a user gaming interface. In the following description, examples are give[n] which are applicable to traditional slot machines, however the invention should be taken to include gaming systems which include user interfaces other than traditional slot machines.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0029] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network of electronic gaming machines to which a mystery jackpot controller according to the present invention is connected;
[0030] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a game arrangement according to the invention; and
[0031] FIG. 3 shows an example of a 5 reel by 3 row window display.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a new jackpot trigger mechanism provides the Casino operator with a far higher degree of flexibility Unlike conventional combination triggered jackpots, the jackpots here are won from a feature game. The feature game is triggered randomly as a function of credits bet per game. When a feature is triggered, a feature game appears. Each jackpot can only be won from this feature game. During the feature game a second set of reel strips appears and a “spin and hold” feature game commences. The feature prize score is calculated by the total of the points appearing on the centre line of all 5 reels.
[0033] Feature jackpots in this format exhibit significant differences over previous jackpot systems:
[0034] (i) A jackpot game is provided which is compatible with any existing game combination within an installation independent of the platform, denomination or type of game (eg. slot machines, cards, keno, bingo or pachinko). This will allow for the linking of combinations between game type, platform type and denomination. Using this system, jackpot games can now be developed using specific combinations for the base game which were previously unsuitable for Link Progressive Systems. These games will compete with the appeal of the latest games on the market
[0035] (ii) There is no longer a need to develop mathematically exact combinations in the base game.
[0036] (iii) Unlike the multiplier game in combination triggered jackpot embodiments, the present invention provides a direct relationship between the number of credits bet and the probability of winning the jackpot feature game on any one bought game. Betting 10 credits per line will produce ten times as many hits into the feature game than betting 1 credit per line. This is achieved by using a jackpot trigger which is directly related to the wager bet on a respective game and the turnover, instead of using conventional combination triggers.
[0037] (iv) Jackpot hit rates can now be changed without making changes to the base game. This was previously not possible using combination triggered jackpots.
[0038] (v) The jackpot feature system can be used across a wide-area-network (WAN, local-area-network (LAN), used as a stand-alone game independent of a network or used with a mystery jackpot. Flexibility is available to change combinations at will.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 1 a plurality of electronic gaming consoles 10 are connected to a network 11 , to which a feature jackpot controller 12 and display means 13 are also connected.
[0040] Each of the electronic gaming consoles 10 are provided with a network interface arranged to provide a signal onto the network 11 on each occurrence of an operation of a respective console and the jackpot controller 12 is arranged to receive each of the console operation signals and to increment the value of a random jackpot-prize on the occurrence of each of these operation signals.
[0041] A flow chart for a prize awarding algorithm is illustrated in FIG. 2 .
[0042] Referring to the algorithm of FIG. 2 , machine contributions go into the prize pool as with known prior art jackpot systems, while the overhead display shows the incrementing prize value.
[0043] In the EMG, an average value of machine turnover between jackpot hits, is programmed and is used to randomly generate trigger data for the jackpot feature games. In step 20 of the algorithm of FIG. 2 , the actual number range and therefore probability of a feature jackpot game being awarded will depend upon the value of a credit in the particular machine and is calculated by dividing the turnover value by the value of a credit (eg., $5000/$0.05=100,000). The average turnover value is fixed for the EGMs and the random number generator is initialised (see step 20 ) at startup to generate numbers from the preprogrammed range determined from that value.
[0044] For every game that is played, a random trigger value is selected (see step 21 ) in the preprogrammed range as determined from the average turnover value. When the game is commenced, it is then reported (see step 22 ) to the controller, which allocates a contribution to the prize pool. Each game is also allotted (see step 23 ) numbers from the same number range that from which the random number was selected, one number in the range being allotted for each credit bet such that the player's probability of being awarded a jackpot feature game is proportional to the bet.
[0045] The previously selected random number is then used as a trigger value and compared with the values allotted to the player, if there is a match (see step 24 ) between the trigger value and the player values, the player is given an opportunity to play a jackpot feature game (see step 25 ). Alternatively, at step 23 , a number is allocated which is equal to, or proportional to the number of credits bet in the respective game and in step 24 , the trigger value is compared with the single player value and a jackpot feature awarded if the trigger value is less than or equal to the player value. It will be appreciated that this alternative arrangement is mathematically equivalent to the previously described arrangement, the range of numbers below the allotted number in the alternative arrangement being equivalent to the set of allotted numbers in the previously described arrangement.
[0046] In the preferred embodiment, a prize is always awarded in the jackpot feature game, the feature game being used to determine the size of the prize to be awarded (see step 27 ). The winning machine is then locked up (see step 28 ) and the controller awaits an indication that the prize has been paid before allowing the machine to be unlocked (see step 29 ). In some embodiments, the machine will not be locked up in steps 28 and 19 , but instead the prize will simply be paid and the program will return to step 21 . The machine then returns to step (see step 21 ) and commences a new garne. If the trigger value does not match (see step 27 ) then there is no feature game awarded for that bought game and the machine returns to step (see step 22 ) and waits for the next game to commence.
[0047] By way of example, a feature game might be triggered by an EGM every $5000 of turnover played, which is equivalent to 100,000 credits on a $0.05 machine. This is referred to as the jackpot feature game hit rate in credits. A random number is generated within a prescribed range of numbers at the EGM at the commencement of each bought game. The prescnbed range of numbers is determined by the jackpot feature game hit rate which has been determined previously, from typical values of casino turnover, expected jackpot amounts and jackpot frequencies. The prescribed range in this example is therefore 1 to 100,000 and before the commencement of each bought game a random number is generated within this range.
[0048] A bet of 20 credits will result in the numbers between 1 and 20 (inclusive) being allotted to the game (note that statistically it does not matter if the numbers are randomly selected or not or allotted as a block or scattered, the probability of a feature game being awarded is unchanged). If the number 7 is produced by the random number generator, then the feature game will be triggered. If any number between 21 and 100,000 is produced by the random number generator, the feature game will not be triggered. Similarly, a bet of 200 credits will result in the numbers between 1 and 200 (inclusive) being allotted to the game. If any number between 1 and 200 is produced by the random number generator, then the feature game will be triggered. If any number between 201 and 100,000 is produced by the random number generator, the feature game will not be triggered.
[0049] The example below has been developed using example turnover data. A trigger of the second screen feature game is expected every $5000 of turnover (ie. 100000 credits on a $0.05 machine). Increasing the number of credits bet increases the chance of triggering the feature on any bought game.
Number of Range numbers Turnover of EGM credits bet assigned Games to hit Bet/game since last hit ($) 1 1 to 1 100000 $0.05 $5000 2 1 to 2 50000 $0.10 $5000 3 1 to 3 33333.33 $0.15 $5000 5 1 to 5 20000 $0.25 $5000 10 1 to 10 10000 $0.50 $5000 15 1 to 15 6666.66 $0.75 $5000 20 1 to 20 5000 $1.00 $5000 25 1 to 25 4000 $1.25 $5000 30 1 to 30 3333.33 $1.50 $5000 40 1 to 40 2500 $2.00 $5000 45 1 to 45 2222.22 $2.25 $5000 50 1 to 50 2000 $2.50 $5000 60 1 to 60 1666.66 $3.00 $5000 75 1 to 75 1333.33 $3.75 $5000 100 1 to 100 1000 $5.00 $5000 150 1 to 150 666.66 $7.50 $5000 200 1 to 200 500 $10.00 $5000
[0050] Preferably, when a jackpot feature game is triggered, all players are alerted by a jackpot bell that a possible grand jackpot is about to be played for. This is done so that all players share in the experience of a jackpot win. Anecdotal evidence of players watching feature games being played in Australian casinos suggests that the drawing power of such games is immense.
[0051] Players are alerted by the jackpot bell instantaneously at any point during a game, but the feature game will not appear until the current game (including base game features) are completed
[0052] In this embodiment the feature game appears with the new reel strips already spinning and accompanying feature game tunes playing. The player stops the reels spinning by pressing the corresponding playline buttons in order. The feature prize score is calculated by the total of the points appearing on the centre line of all 5 reels. Across the top of the screen, a sum of the score is displayed.
[0000] The 4 feature prize meters in descending order of value are:
[0000] (i) Grand Feature Prize. A score of ≧100 wins the grand feature jackpot;
[0000] (ii) Major Feature Prize. A score of 90-99 (inclusive) wins the major feature jackpot;
[0000] (iii) Minor Feature Prize. A score of 80-89 (inclusive) wins the minor feature jackpot;
[0000] (iv) Mini Feature Prize. A score of ≦79 wins the mini feature jackpot
[0053] By way of example, referring to FIG. 3 , a 5 reel by 3 row window is displayed. If the reels of the feature game stop on the numbers shown in FIG. 3 , then the progressive jackpot won is the sum of the numbers on the center line ie, 12+10+18+13+22=75 which is within the range for the minor feature jackpot.
[0054] The instant the feature game is completed and the sum of scores from all 5 reels is shown, the feature jackpot screen and signs display which jackpot has been won. This celebration of the jackpot win is conducted in a traditional manner (i.e. flashing displays, jackpot alarms, music etc).
[0055] As the time between jackpot game awards is related to turnover, the number of jackpot games played by a player between feature games and hence their chance of winning is directly related to the size of each bet on each game played.
[0056] (1) All machines on the link have a feature game, be it a second screen animation game or a second set of reel strips.
[0057] (2) The link has a number of feature jackpot meters (up to 8). All feature jackpots may be linked.
[0058] (3) The feature game is activated as a function of machine turnover. This means that on average the feature game will occur one in, for example every $5000.00. There are a number of advantages of activating the feature game on turnover. For example, it enables for the first time, a relatively simple mechanism for allowing mixed denomination on a link. The feature game gives the player the chance of winning one of the available feature jackpots if a certain outcome appears. For example, a new set of reel strips might appear with only 2 or 4 different symbols: Jackpot 1 , Jackpot 2 , or (Jackpot 1 , Jackpot 2 , Jackpot 3 , Jackpot 4 ). The first time 5 of the same appear on the centre line the stated feature jackpot is won.
[0059] (4) Another advantage of using a random trigger for a feature game, is that it can be applied to any game.
[0060] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.
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Certain embodiments provide a method and system for awarding a progressive prize. The system includes a bank of gaming machines accepting different bets per play as selected by a player. A random number is selected from a predetermined fixed range of numbers that does not change during play of a gaming machine. The player is allotted one or more numbers for each credit bet. The allotted numbers represent a subset of the predetermined fixed range of numbers. A feature game is triggered for the progressive prize based on a numerical comparison between the selected random number and the number(s) allotted to the player. Certain embodiments provide a trigger condition for a feature outcome based on an event having a probability related to credits bet per game at a gaming machine. A probability of success in the feature game may be higher than a probability of success in the base game.
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